Magick in Our Time

This presentation was difficult to compose - like trying to pack an elephant into an 8 ounce can, so we will explore only magic as practiced today in North America and the British Isles.

The largest contingent practicing Magick calls themselves Witches, but when I use the word "Witch" here, it also includes Warlocks, Sorcerers, Wizards, Magicians, Magi, Pagans, Druids, and other titles. Functionally, their Magicks are all too alike to bother treating separately.

Among all these groups, regardless of path, the basic theories and methods are remarkably similar. Any practitioner can easily understand and respect the methods of any other practitioner. It's not like religion at all.

The 21st Century is definitely A "Time of the Witches". They abound, from Aesthetic Witches who just like the look, costumes, bling, and playing at casting spells, to very serious practitioners on a variety of paths. In the top ranks are teachers and healers. Many Witches of all types are refugees from the Evangelical churches, and other restrictive forms of Christianity.

Witchcraft and Magic today is an amalgam of many past and recent influences, so let's first look at the influences. Over the centuries there have been two parallel paths of Magick, Formal Ceremonial Magic, and Folk Magic. Until the 20th century there was no significant crossover between the two.

Traditional Folk Magic

is still with us, especially among the Cunning Folks of the Appalachian region. We also have Hoodoo, from Africa. That's Hoodoo not Voodoo. Voodoo is a religion.

The Witchcraft of the Witch Trials was entirely fiction, made up during the trials. A major reference was a book detailing large witch trials in Italy. That book has been proven to be entirely fiction. Those trials never happened.

Ceremonial Magick

began with Medieval Alchemy, drawing from Arabian, Greek, Roman, Hebrew, and Christian mysticism. The objective was transformation. The Great Work was transformation of the Alchemist himself into a higher state of being. Of course, Alchemists needed to eat, so promising transformation of lead into gold and an elixir of immortality enabled them to get research grants.

From the Renaissance to the 20th century Ceremonial Magic was carried on by the Hermetic Orders. These Secret Societies were inward facing, offering a path, through organized teachings and a hierarchy, to achieve a higher state of being. Research grants weren't needed, as these orders were populated by the upper classes. They also functioned as men's clubs where nobles and wealthy merchants plotted taking over the world. Kings were uncomfortable with them, and the Church declared them Demonic.

The last of the Hermetic Orders was the Golden Dawn, established in 1887 to teach Hermetic Qabalah, astrology, occult tarot, geomancy, and alchemy, all within a strict hierarchy. By this time hieroglyphics had been translated, so a good dose of Egyptian religion, symbology, and costuming was incorporated.

Alister Crowley a controversial figure in the Golden Dawn, eventually left for other adventures. In 1907 he and some others from the Golden Dawn established their own Order. The system they founded is called "Thelema".

Thelema uses a lot from the Golden Dawn, and is very heavy on the Egyptian, but is not a Secret Society. It was explained profusely in Crowley's many books. Thelema is still active today. It was strongly promoted by Jack Parsons and his wife. Jack was founder of JPL and Aerojet.

The core magick of Thelema is to find your True Will, and act upon it. This is not the will of the ego, but the Will that is the reason for your being in this world. Crowley stated thus:
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.
Love is the law, love under Will.
Every man and every woman is a star.

Animism

is humanities earliest world view, and is a strong contributor to Witchcraft and Paganism today. Every entity is a living being with consciousness appropriate to it's place, animal, plant, mineral, even mountains and rivers. All are built from smaller consciousnesses, just like your body, composed of trillions of cells each with its own life, adding up to the whole. All are worthy of respect.

Witches

are encouraged to treat their tools as living things, and to go out in nature and talk to the trees, and frogs, and to assure newts their eyes will never be used in a witch's brew.

Karl Jung

is another influence. His concept of Shadow Work is important in some Witchcrafts. This is digging very deeply into your own inner being, facing aspects of yourself that are less than optimal, then working to resolve them.

Wicca

was expected to be a revival of ancient Celtic witchcraft. Turned out nothing was known about ancient Celtic witchcraft, so it all had to be made up. Wicca instead became an ecstatic religion with a large dose of Thelema and the Golden Dawn. Central to Wicca is the "Wheel of the Year", with 4 major seasonal festivals and 4 minor festivals between. A few are related to Celtic folklore, the others "adjusted to fit". Many Witches and Pagans have adopted this wheel to at least some extent, including the Druids, an Order just as freshly minted as Wicca.

Asian influences

Buddhism, Yoga, and Daoism are easy to see in Witchcraft today. Especially used is the system of Chakras from India.

Science

Magic as it is today is not in conflict with Science. Magick is not of the physical world, and its influence on the physical realm is severely limited - sorry Harry Potter.

So, how does Magick work at all then? - Here we dive into theory, then we'll look at practice.

Quantum physics

has postulated that much of our universe is not physical and cannot be seen felt or measured by physical science. They have even done some very tricky experiments to confirm this is so.

Magic likewise holds that there is a realm of reality that cannot be seen by physical means, a Liminal realm between the physical world and the Other World.

Neither the Quantum nor Magical concepts are in some other place - we are immersed in them and they permeate us. Whether distance is a characteristic of this realm is currently unknown, but communication that is distant to us seems to be instantaneous, like quantum entanglement is.

Science has no definition of consciousness. It cannot be seen or measured by physical means. If scientists thought about it at all it was presumed the result of complexity. Now some are thinking it might be the other way around.

Our Consciousness clearly operates in the physical world through our bodies. We can see and feel that. Magick holds that, not being physical, Consciousness also has agency in the Liminal realm.

Does this Liminal realm exist? I have had at least 8 experiences that strongly suggest it does, including 3 that bend coincidence far beyond the breaking point. Many people have similar experiences, but many suppress them or try to explain them away. But anyway, how are you going to be "Spiritual" without some place to put Spirits?

Witches

are the largest contingent practicing magic. When people think of Witches, they think of spells, covens, and fancy costumes. OK, the fancy costumes we've got.

Covens were an invention of the Witch Trials. Witches of the past were solitary practitioners, as most Witches are today. Today's Witches are not as isolated as in the past. They attend big conventions where they exchange ideas, attend classes, and buy witchy things. Many have friends with similar interests - and, there's also the Internet.

There are plenty of brilliant teachers and writers in the field of Magic today. So, are the these the people you go to to learn how to cast spells?

Well, not right off. The top teachers emphasize working with the inner self, organizing, developing power, problem solving, and learning to work with the energy of the Liminal.

Some things the best teachers emphasize:

You must work out your own path - it will be different from anyone else's path, but neither is wrong, just different.
Responsibility - You are responsible for you actions, in this world and in the Liminal, totally, no excuses.
Respect - for yourself, other people, the Earth and it's living beings, and any beings you may encounter in the Liminal.
What is unethical in the physical world is unethical with magic. You don't do magic, even healing, for or on another person without their expressed permission (hexes excepted?).

Exploring the Liminal is like a walk in the wilderness. Bright flowers, mighty trees, birds, butterflies, and cute bunnies - and bears, wolves, cougars, and snakes.

The first teaching is usually Grounding and Centering. Grounding is reinforcing your energy flow into the earth. Centering is getting your own internal energy in order so it's not scattered and vulnerable.

Next is Shielding and Warding. Shielding is creating a protective wall against unwanted influences. Warding is making yourself look dangerous. Both Shielding and Warding are commonly done for places as well as people.

Then meditation, trance, and dreaming, and the relationship of the body with the flow of Liminal energy. A few short spells are often provided to help you with this internal work, and other tools are discussed.

Symbols are the tools of magic. Even the basic physical tools, like the Wand, Sword, Cup, Pentacle, and Candles are really symbols for complex concepts. Concepts, being immaterial, work on and with consciousness. Even parts of the human body act as symbols for magickal workings.

Words are powerful in explaining concepts, but they are too cumbersome for most magical workings. Symbols that represent concepts are used. Symbols may represent phrases, paragraphs, or even chapters of words. For this reason, there is a technique for taking a phrase you wish to use often and distilling it into a symbolic image called a sigil.

A sigil may just be a pattern of lines, or it can be very artistically drawn depending on the practitioner's abilities. The essential is that it conveys a concept with just a glance, by your eye, or in your mind.

But, what about Spells?

Once you're working with the basics and have set up your altar, you should have a pretty good idea of how to make up spells and how they work. They work better making them yourself rather than from a book. While not strictly necessary, candles, potions, incense, and other tools can really assist in keeping your attention focused.

Spells can be aimed at many things, improving your life situation, relating with spirits and deities, and healing your self or others, even at a distance if necessary. They can also be used for hexing and cursing, but take care, those practices can come back at you.

Some people equate spellcasting with prayer, but that is not so. With prayer you ask some entity to take charge of the situation. If that entity doesn't agree, you're up the creek without a paddle.

When casting a spell, you are announcing that you are fully in charge. That spell may, or may not, ask assistance from some entity, but if that entity declines, you still have a firm grip on the paddle and your own energy to apply.

You don't try to use magick to do things you can do physically - but spells can be used to assist that work, to increase the odds. The spell affects yourself, and can affect others through the Liminal. People with no concept of magic still have consciousness that touch the Liminal, and can be influenced through it. That's how Maagick gets things done in the physical world.

When doing spells you must think hard about it and judge the consequences. The goal of the spell must be very specific, but how that goal is achieved must be fairly loose. It is said that magick always takes the path of least resistance.

Divination

and the symbology and timings of Astrology are also very important in many magickal practices, and used differently than in the past. Those are complex subjects that will have to be explored at some other time.

Thank you. I can take questions, now or during the social time.

Disclaimer

- Not part of the presentation.

Decades ago, I studied the ceremonial magic of the Golden Dawn and Thelema, but, unlike Jack Parsons. I never actually participated in it.

I've recently spent considerable time studying magic as it is practiced today. I have the tools, the knowledge, and have done basic orientation, but I haven't been much into casting spells.

Freya I am a largely Non-theist Pagan, but have recently invited several Goddesses into my household: Hekate, Aset and Nebet-het (Isis and Nepthys in Greek), and Freya. The photo is of Freya, who seems to be branching out from her Scandinavian roots - note her very India style pose and Japanese companion (Shinto I presume). It's all good, since Vedic Hinduism originated from the same Proto Indo-European root as Scandinavian Paganism.

Andrew Grygus