==If a certain witch can learn to do a particular trick, it eventually becomes possible for others. Harry Potter magick is not purely fictional, simply too elaborate, difficult, and unsupported for most people to experience it. If one can point a wooden stick and speak a Latin mantra, and then weird and wonderful things happen, it may start off really small and subtle. How dramatic and immediate the effects can be depends upon the environment and the strength of the practitioner, like in kung fu. Now, if someone got hold of a Wu Tang Manual that explained how to fly through the air, it would probably be much easier to do this in a bamboo forest populated with friendly dragons than in a slum in a polluted urban center. I read the words of one magus who said that some of the most powerful magick he ever accomplished required the simplest procedures. But, a lot of magick is a form of individual or group psychotherapy. So, if the aim of the ritual is to bring better mental health or better relationships within a coven, it may be quite elaborate, more so that what it might take to put ten thousand dollars in the bank account of one of the members for the shrine renovation fund. I have often heard witches emphasized that the requirements of magick are what works for the individual with the magickal goal. If you understand Latin, then Harry Potter styled magick may be easier than if you don't.
>>If I do some chanting and visualization and make a big ritual for say a prosperity spell, and I believe in it and that beliefe helps to motivate me to save money and work overtime then by all practical purposes I would have more prosperity, but whose to say that the magick had anything to do with it and that I couldnt have just made my mind up to do it?
==That is for you to come to terms with. The best thing, there, is to be really honest with yourself, as Magick is both an art and a science. If you have a particular objective, you might have to keep trying different things until you scientifically discover the set of actions and attitudes that brings about what you wanted to accomplish. Beyond that, I think that all of us who have ever harbored the ambition to become psychic athletes have another agenda: socializing with others who tolerate our beliefs, support our aesthetics, and work to live in harmony and bring about advancement in the mystical arts and a deeper understanding of how the natural and supernatural worlds can become more symbiotic. Can you not hear how the faeries and dragons keep challenging psychic people to learn the Old Ways? A happy, sustainable planet is now primarily the responsibility of those who understand what makes the invisible inhabitants of our near environs happy. And, that requires a more intimate knowledge of non-human sentient psychology. So, we can understand how wizards are always concerned with the behavior of invisible and shape-shifting entities, as such are the allies by which many miracles are brought about. A magus like Prospero so often needs the help of elementals and other intelligent beings. So, he has to become intimate with their ways of thinking without going mad in the process.
>>Also I would like to know is religion and magick a must to go hand in hand?
==Religion and Magick usually go hand in hand, but often can be observed to be like a couple in a very unhappy marriage of convenience, politics, or economic necessity. This is not always the case, however. In Egyptian religion, state ritual and individual ritual did not clash the way we see in a country where witch hunts happened. But, Egyptians were very wary of the effects that jealousy could cause to the natural or supernatural well being of humans. Even today, glass amulets against the evil eye are everywhere. In ancient times, the Eye of Horus was used as a protective talisman to fight the wicked thoughts of others who were less creative or less benevolent. Thus, Crowley indirectly teaches again and again that it is the mages of good will who hold the keys to real Magick. His whole conception was based on love, and his system elaborates how to use love to manifest and protect the wonderful things that the mage wishes to have fun with or see come to pass. Now, if you find yourself in a coven steeped n a certain tradition, perhaps a majority of the members will really be there to find a comfortable niche in a sort of social club to their liking. In this case, if you are a real, creatively minded wizard who has plans that go beyond this, it is necessary to know the lore and customs of ones tradition, so that one may act not only as a challenger but a comforter who fits in with the group. And, a coven is generally a more fertile think tank for magickal projects than is a church or quilting club. Yet, one has to wear certain masks of appeasement in order to avoid friction and conflict that would deplete magickal focus. So, it is good for the mage to have a respectful place within the religious tradition of his group. He should have a good ability to solve problems of a mundane nature as well as more subtle skills.
>>I know a lot of people call upon spirits/gods/guardian angels/whatever in their workings. Are there any magick users who simply make a circle, will it closed, and then do there magick without any entities involved?
==Some wizards are able to accomplish what the wish by doing some simple procedures. If you look at the racks of CDs, you see musicians who do amazing things by using a single instrument. Then, there are others who engage the assistance of an entire orchestra. And, one approach is never automatically more satisfying than the other. It depends on what the musician wants to express, and what his audience is pleased to hear. The procedure you described may be used by some witches who think that there is no entity but God helping them in their working, and to what extent they may actually be correct may be secondary to how successful the working turns out. I think that some wizards believe in one god, but are actually helped by many, anyway, because they have talent and favor. There are some mages who believe in many gods, but may be enabled by only one, Who wishes to appear as many in order to be a comfort to the practitioner. I think the best way to answer questions like these is to find a number of witches who have been successful in producing desirable results and change in the direction of Will. Now, the more adept the practitioner, the more respect and patience one may sometimes have to manifest in order to gain access to his or her opinion. This happens in the world of professional scholarship and craftsmanship, every day, so it is not a very ponderous question. Yet, one may get lucky if one addresses a need for information to a spirit helper, who may then arrange that someone with the necessary information come forward for you. One of the most important things in magick is to be able to hear spirits give you information without becoming too vulnerable to those who might wish to deceive. Invisible guides help you find more material forms of wisdom.
>>This question is gonna be a pain in the arse for some folks I know, but its been bugging me for a few weeks and the more I think about it, the more I'm sure I dont know what to think.
==Knowing what to think comes from study, practice, meditation, and discussion with other practitioners. Questions like this are only a bother to those who don't have enough experience to come up with a scientific response. The world of interest in the supernatural is legendarily full of people whose aim is to manipulate, rather than to educate. And, to me, that is where mysticism come in really handy. A mage who wants to "do more" like in Magic Users Club, to remain safe and become successful, has to learn to know what to think. And, the best way of doing this is probably watching Kung Fu and listening to Dr. Wayne Dyer or Dr. Deepak Chopra. When one embarks on a course of using supernatural power, there are a lot of dangers that can crop up. So, it is good to be able to control ones own mood, protect ones own focus, and expand ones consciousness in ways that are brought about through investigation into the mystical side of esotericism. Find people who really make sense, from both the standpoint of inspiration and of logic. By communicating with them, you learn to make sense, yourself. Learning to make keener and more sensitive observations enables you to do rarer forms of magick. But, as you go down that road, you have to be able to protect yourself from the hazardous beings who lie in wait along the dark service roads of the Path.
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