Wikipedia:WikiProject Thelema/Peer review/Magick
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Magick, in the broadest sense, is any act designed to cause intentional change. The spelling with the terminal "k" was repopularized in the first half of the 20th century by Aleister Crowley when he made it a core component of his mystical system of Thelema. For Crowley, the alternate spelling was used to differentiate it from other practices, such as stage magic. Magick is not capable of producing "miracles" or violating the physical laws of the universe (i.e. it cannot cause a solar eclipse), although "it is theoretically possible to cause in any object any change of which that object is capable by nature". [1] Crowley saw magick as the essential method for a person to reach true understanding of the self and to act according to one's True Will. Crowley describes this process:
- One must find out for oneself, and make sure beyond doubt, who one is, what one is, why one is...Being thus conscious of the proper course to pursue, the next thing is to understand the conditions necessary to following it out. After that, one must eliminate from oneself every element alien or hostile to success, and develop those parts of oneself which are specially needed to control the aforesaid conditions. [2]
Since the time of Crowley's writing about magick, many different spiritual and occult traditions have adopted the spelling with the terminal -k, but have redefined what it means to some degree. For many modern occultists, it refers strictly to paranormal magic, which involves influencing events and physical phenomena by supernatural, mystical, or paranormal means. Magick can also refer to specific branches of occult practice, such as Chaos magick, Enochian magick, and Goetia.
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[edit] Definitions and general purpose of magick
Crowley provided some fundamental statements about the nature of magick as he defined it (from the Introduction to Magick, Book 4):
- "Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will"
- "Every intentional (Willed) act is a Magical act."
- "Magick is the Science of understanding oneself and one's conditions. It is the Art of applying that understanding in action."
For Crowley, the practice of magick—although it equally applies to mundane things, like balancing the checkbook—is essentially to be used for attaining the Knowledge and Conversation of one's Holy Guardian Angel (which he believed was the first step necessary for spiritual attainment). Since achieving this state with one's "Silent Self" can be extremely arduous, magick can be used not only to reach that particular goal, but to clear the way for it as well. For example, if one needed a particular dwelling to perform the operation, one could use magick to obtain a suitable home. Crowley stated that magick that did not have one of these goals as its aim was black magic and should be avoided.
[edit] Forms of magick
There are several ways to view what magick is. Again, at its most broad, it can be defined as any willed action leading to intended change. It can also be seen as the general set of methods used to accomplish the Great Work of mystical attainment. At the practical level, magick most often takes several practices and forms of ritual, including banishing, invocation and evocation, eucharistic ritual, consecration and purification, astral travel, yoga, sex magick, and divination.
[edit] Banishing
Banishing rituals can be performed in order to eliminate forces that might interfere with a magical operation, and are often performed at the beginning of an important event or ceremony (although they can be performed for their own sake as well). The area of effect can be a magick circle, a room, or the magician herself. The general theory of magick proposes that there are various forces which are represented by the classic elements (air, earth, fire, and water), the planets, the signs of the Zodiac, and adjacent spaces in the astral world. Magick also proposes that various spirits and non-corporeal intelligences can be present. Banishings are performed in order to "clean out" these forces and presences. It is not uncommon to believe that banishings are more psychological than anything else, used to calm and balance the mind, but that the effect is ultimately the same—a sense of cleanliness within the self and the environment. There are many banishing rituals, but most are some variation on two of the most common—"The Star Ruby" and the "Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram."
Crowley describes banishing in his Magick, Book 4 (ch.13):
- [...] in the banishing ritual of the pentagram we not only command the demons to depart, but invoke the Archangels and their hosts to act as guardians of the Circle during our pre-occupation with the ceremony proper. In more elaborate ceremonies it is usual to banish everything by name. Each element, each planet, and each sign, perhaps even the Sephiroth themselves; all are removed, including the very one which we wished to invoke, for that forces as existing in Nature is always impure. But this process, being long and wearisome, is not altogether advisable in actual working. It is usually sufficient to perform a general banishing, and to rely upon the aid of the guardians invoked. [...] "The Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram" is the best to use.
[edit] Purification and consecration
Purification is similar in theme to banishing, but is a more rigorous process of preparing the self and her temple for serious spiritual work. Crowley mentions that ancient magicians would purify themselves though arduous programs, such as through special diets, fasting, sexual abstinence, keeping the body meticulously tidy, and undergoing a complicated series of prayers. [3] He goes on to say that purification no longer requires such activity, since the magician can purify the self via willed intention. Specifically, the magician labors to purify the mind and body of all influences which may interfere with the Great Work:
- The point is to seize every occasion of bringing every available force to bear upon the objective of the assault. It does not matter what the force is (by any standard of judgment) so long as it plays its proper part in securing the success of the general purpose [...] We must constantly examine ourselves, and assure ourselves that every action is really subservient to the One Purpose. [4]
Crowley recommended symbolically ritual practices, such as bathing and robing before a main ceremony: "The bath signifies the removal of all things extraneous to antagonistic to the one thought. The putting on of the robe is the positive side of the same operation. It is the assumption of the frame of mind suitable to that one thought." [5]
Consecration is an equally important magical operation. It is essentially the dedication, usually of a ritual instrument or space, to a specific purpose. In Magick, Book 4 (ch.13), Crowley writes:
- The ritual here in question should summarize the situation, and devote the particular arrangement to its purpose by invoking the appropriate forces. Let it be well remembered that each object is bound by the Oaths of its original consecration as such. Thus, if a pantacle has been made sacred to Venus, it cannot be used in an operation of Mars.
A common element in ritual consecration is anointing with Oil of Abramelin.
[edit] Invocation and evocation
Invocation is the bringing in or identifying with a particular deity or spirit. Crowley wrote of two keys to success in this arena: to "enflame thyself in praying" [6] and to "invoke often". It is important to note that for Crowley, the single most important invocation, or any act of magick for that matter, was the invocation of one's Holy Guardian Angel, or "secret self", which allows the adept to know her True Will.
Crowley describes the experience of invocation:
- The mind must be exalted until it loses consciousness of self. The Magician must be carried forward blindly by a force which, though in him and of him, is by no means that which he in his normal state of consciousness calls I. Just as the poet, the lover, the artist, is carried out of himself in a creative frenzy, so must it be for the Magician. [7]
Crowley (Magick, Book 4) discusses three main categories of invocation, although "in the great essentials these three methods are one. In each case the magician identifies himself with the Deity invoked." [8]
- Devotion —where "identity with the God is attained by love and by surrender, by giving up or suppressing all irrelevant (and illusionary) parts of yourself."
- Calling forth—where "identity is attained by paying special attention to the desired part of yourself."
- Drama—where "identity is attained by sympathy. It is very difficult for the ordinary man to lose himself completely in the subject of a play or of a novel; but for those who can do so, this method is unquestionably the best."
Another invocatory technique that the magician can employ is called the assumption of godforms—where with "concentrated imagination of oneself in the symbolic shape of any God, one should be able to identify oneself with the idea which [the god] represents." [9] A general method involves positioning the body in a position that is typical for a given god, imagining that the image of the god is coinciding with or enveloping the body, accompanied by the practice of "vibration" of the appropriate god-name(s) (see below).
There is a distinct difference between invocation and evocation, as Crowley explains:
- To "invoke" is to "call in", just as to "evoke" is to "call forth". This is the essential difference between the two branches of Magick. In invocation, the macrocosm floods the consciousness. In evocation, the magician, having become the macrocosm, creates a microcosm. You "in"voke a God into the Circle. You "e"voke a Spirit into the Triangle. [10]
Generally, evocation is used for two main purposes: to gather information and to obtain the services or obedience of a spirit or demon. Crowley believed that the most effective form of evocation was found in the grimoire on Goetia (see below), which instructs the magician in how to safely summon forth and command 72 infernal spirits. However, it is equally possible to evoke angelic beings, gods, and other intelligences related to planets, elements, and the Zodiac.
Unlike with invocation, which involves a calling in, evocation involves a calling forth, most commonly into what is called the "triangle of art." (MORE HERE)
[edit] Astral travel
- Body of Light
- Rising on the Planes
- Trances and visions
[edit] Eucharist
The word eucharist originally comes from the Greek word for thanksgiving. However, within magick, it takes on a special meaning—the transmutation of ordinary things (usually food and drink) into divine sacraments, which are then consumed. The object is to infuse the food and drink with certain properties, usually embodied by various deities, so that the adept takes in those properties upon consumption. Crowley describes the process of the regular practice of eucharistic ritual:
- The magician becomes filled with God, fed upon God, intoxicated with God. Little by little his body will become purified by the internal lustration of God; day by day his mortal frame, shedding its earthly elements, will become in very truth the Temple of the Holy Ghost. Day by day matter is replaced by Spirit, the human by the divine; ultimately the change will be complete; God manifest in flesh will be his name. [11]
There are several eucharistic rituals within the magical canon. Two of the most well known are The Mass of the Phoenix and The Gnostic Mass. The first is a ritual designed for the individual, which involves sacrificing a "Cake of Light" (a type of bread that serves as the host) to Ra (i.e. the Sun) and infusing a second Cake with the adept's own blood (either real or symbolic, in a gesture reflecting the myth of the Pelican cutting its own breast to feed its young) and then consuming it with the words, "There is no grace: there is no guilt: This is the Law: Do what thou wilt!" The other ritual, The Gnostic Mass, is a very popular public ritual (although it can be practiced privately) that involves a team of participants, including a Priest and Priestess. This ritual is an enactment of the mystical journey that culminates with the Mystic Marriage and the consumption of a Cake of Light and a goblet of wine (a process termed "communcation"). Afterwards, each Communcant declares, "There is no part of me that is not of the gods!"
[edit] Yoga
Generally speaking, Yoga is not considered to be magick per se. Rather, it is the necessary training of the body and the mind to allow for certain types of magick to take place. Simply put, the goal is the control of the mind—to increase concentration and to be able to enter different states of consciouness. When developing his basic yogic program, Crowley borrowed heavily from many other yogis, such as Patanjali and Yajnavalkya.
Yoga, as Crowley interprets it, involves several key components. The first is Asana, which is the assumption (after eventual success) of any easy, steady and comfortable posture. Next is Pranayama, which is the control of breath, and Mantrayoga, which is the use of mantras. Yama and Niyama are the adopted moral or behavioral codes (of the adept's choosing) that will be least likely to excite the mind. Pratyahara is the stilling of the thoughts so that the mind becomes quiet. Dharana is the beginning of concentration, usually on a single shape, like a triangle, which eventually leads to Dhyana, the loss of distinction between object and subject, which can be described as the annihilation of the ego (or sense of a seperate self). The final stage is Samadhi—Union with the All.
[edit] Sex magick
[edit] Divination
The art of divination is generally employed for the purpose of obtaining information that can guide the adept in her Great Work. The underlying theory states that there exists intelligences (either outside of or inside the mind of the diviner) that can offer accurate information within certain limits using a language of symbols. Normally, divination within magick is not the same as fortune telling, which is more interested in predicting future events. Rather, divination tends to be more about discovering information about the nature and condition of things that can help the magician gain insight and to make better decisions.
There are literally hundreds of different divinatory techniques in the world. However, Western occult practice mostly includes the use of astrology (calculating the influence of heavenly bodies), bibliomancy (reading random passages from a book, such as Liber Legis or the I Ching), tarot (a deck of 72 cards, each with symblic meaning, usually laid out in a meaningful pattern), and geomancy (a method of making random marks on paper or in earth that results in a combination of sixteen patterns).
It is an accepted truism within magick that divination is imperfect. As Crowley writes, "In estimating the ultimate value of a divinatory judgment, one must allow for more than the numerous sources of error inherent in the process itself. The judgment can do no more than the facts presented to it warrant. It is naturally impossible in most cases to make sure that some important factor has not been omitted [...] One must not assume that the oracle is omniscient. " [12]
[edit] Other magical practices
- Initiation
- Qabalah and the Tree of Life
- Magical record
- magical oath
- Talismans and sigils
- Curses
- Magical Link
- Magical memory
[edit] Components of ritual magick
- Elements and cardinal directions
- Magical Weapons
- Temple Components
- Ritual signs and gestures
- Vibration
- Magical formulae
[edit] Schools of magick
- Alchemy
- Enochian magick
- Goetic magick
- Chaos magick
[edit] See also
- List of magical terms and traditions
- Thelema
- Occult
- Hermeticism
- Magic (paranormal)
- Mysticism
- Magic and religion
- Folk magic
- Witchcraft
[edit] Notes
- ^ (Crowley, Magick, Book 4 p.127)
- ^ (Crowley, Magick, Book 4 p.134)
- ^ (Magick, Book 4, ch.13)
- ^ (Magick, Book 4, ch.13)
- ^ (Magick, Book 4, ch.13)
- ^ (Magick, Book 4, ch.15)
- ^ (Magick, Book 4, ch.15)
- ^ (Magick, Book 4, p.147)
- ^ Confessions, ch.26
- ^ (Magick, Book 4, p.147)
- ^ (Magick, Book 4, ch.20)
- ^ Magick, Book 4, ch.18
[edit] References
- Crowley, Aleister (1979), The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, London;Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul
- Crowley, Aleister (1997), Magick: Book 4, York Beach, ME: Weiser
[edit] External links
- Liber O, by Aleister Crowley, giving instruction in many basic techniques in magick.
- The Star Ruby, a banishing ritual
