Magick/Archive1

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Magick is an archaic spelling of magic, revived and popularized in the 20th century by Aleister Crowley to differentiate "the true science of the Magi from all its counterfeits". ^[1] In the broadest sense, magick is any act performed in order to cause intentional change in reality in accordance with one's will. This term is spelled with a terminal "k" to differentiate it from other practices, such as stage magic. According to Crowley it should also be pronounced differently – mage-ick – though this pronunciation is now uncommon.^{[citation needed]} The letter "k" is the 11th letter of the Latin alphabet; in numerology the number 11 represents hidden energies and thereby magick.^{[citation needed]}

It should be noted that Aleister Crowley merely coined the spelling in modern times, as the spelling with a final 'k' has been around since ancient times and was the normal spelling at that time^{[citation needed]}. Crowley simply 'resurrected' the word to distinguish it from stage magic (illusions and sleight of hand). The spelling has been adopted by some modern occultists and Neopagans.

A common definition of magick is "willing energy to bring forth change" This follows the popular. "All energy follows thought" concept.^{[citation needed]}

1 Definition
- 1.1 Postulate and theorems
2 Beliefs concerning magick
3 The practice of magick
4 Paranormal effects
5 See also
6 Notes
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Definition

Crowleys defined magick as "the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will."^[2]^[3] He goes on to elaborate on this, in one postulate, and twenty eight theorems.

[edit] Postulate and theorems

His first clarification on the matter is that of a postulate, in which he states "ANY required change may be effected by the application of the proper kind and degree of Force in the proper manner, through the proper medium to the proper object."^[4]^[5]

[edit] Beliefs concerning magick

Typically, magick is described as not being capable of producing miracles or violating the physical laws of the universe (e.g., 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"^{[citation needed]}, according to Crowley. This includes but is not limited to converting an object to a different state of matter; such as the power to transform ice to water. Crowley got the inspiration for the spelling from its usage by the famous English magician John Dee. His definition treats magic in the context of the paranormal and magic in the context of religion as special cases.^{[citation needed]}

Crowley defined magick as "the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with the will". By this, he included 'mundane' acts of will as well as ritual magic. In Magick, Book 4, (p.215), Crowley says:

What is a Magical Operation? It may be defined as any event in nature which is brought to pass by Will. We must not exclude potato-growing or banking from our definition. Let us take a very simple example of a Magical Act: that of a man blowing his nose. [1]

[edit] The practice of magick

Concentration or meditation plays an important role in Crowley's system. A certain amount of restricting the mind to some imagined object, according to this theory, produces mystical attainment or "an occurrence in the brain characterized essentially by the uniting of subject and object". (Book Four, Part 1: Mysticism.)

Magick, as defined previously, seeks to aid concentration by constantly recalling the attention to the chosen object (or Will), thereby producing said attainment. For example, if one wishes to concentrate on a god, one might memorize a system of correspondences (perhaps chosen arbitrarily, as this would not affect its usefulness for mystical purposes) and then make every object that one sees "correspond" to said god.

Aleister Crowley wrote:

Now what is all this but to do in a partial (and if I may say so, romantic) way what the Yogi does in his more scientifically complete yet more austerely difficult methods? And here the advantage of Magick is that the process of initiation is spontaneous and, so to speak, automatic. You may begin in the most modest way with the evocation of some simple elemental spirit; but in the course of the operation you are compelled, in order to attain success, to deal with higher entities. Your ambition grows, like every other organism, by what it feeds on. You are very soon led to the Great Work itself; you are led to aspire to the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, and this ambition in turn arouses automatically further difficulties the conquest of which confers new powers. In the Book of the Thirty Aethyrs, commonly called "The Vision and the Voice", it becomes progressively difficult to penetrate each Aethyr. In fact, the penetration was only attained by the initiations which were conferred by the Angel of each Aethyr in its turn. There was this further identification with Yoga practices recorded in this book. At times the concentration necessary to dwell in the Aethyr became so intense that definitely Samadhic results were obtained. We see then that the exaltation of the mind by means of magical practices leads (as one may say, in spite of itself) to the same results as occur in straightforward Yoga. --(Crowley, Yoga for Yellowbellies)

Although Crowley did influence much of what is thought to be magick today, it is constantly being shaped by others in the culture.

[edit] Paranormal effects

Crowley made many claims for the paranormal effects of magick; however, as magicians and mystics had done before him and continue to do after him, Crowley dismissed such effects as useless:

So we find that from November, 1901, he did no practices of any kind until the Spring Equinox of 1904, with the exception of a casual week in the summer of 1903, and an exhibition game of magick in the King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid in November, 1903, when by his invocations he filled that chamber with a brightness as of full moonlight. (This was no subjective illusion. The light was sufficient for him to read the ritual by.) Only to conclude, "There, you see it? What's the good of it?" --(Crowley, The Equinox of the Gods)

Even so, Crowley realized that paranormal effects and magical powers have some level of value for the individual:

My own experience was very convincing on this point; for one power after another came popping up when it was least wanted, and I saw at once that they represented so many leaks in my boat. They argued imperfect insulation. And really they are quite a bit of a nuisance. Their possession is so flattering, and their seduction so subtle. One understands at once why all the first-class Teachers insist so sternly that the Siddhi (or Iddhi) must be rejected firmly by the Aspirant, if he is not to be sidetracked and ultimately lost. Nevertheless, "even the evil germs of Matter may alike become useful and good" as Zoroaster reminds us. For one thing, their possession is indubitably a sheet-anchor, at the mercy of the hurricane of Doubt— doubt as to whether the whole business is not Tommy-rot! Such moments are frequent, even when one has advanced to a stage when Doubt would seem impossible; until you get there, you can have no idea how bad it is! Then, again, when these powers have sprung naturally and spontaneously from the exercise of one's proper faculties in the Great Work, they ought to be a little more than leaks. You ought to be able to organize and control them in such wise that they are of actual assistance to you in taking the Next Step. After all, what moral or magical difference is there between the power of digesting one's food, and that of transforming oneself into a hawk? --(Crowley, Magick Without Tears)

Going further, others argue that a conclusive demonstration of these effects and powers would result in remarkable paradigm shifts and revolutions in human awareness -- the ostensible goals of magick on a collective scale.