Magic basics
"Those who would practice magick must be scrupulously honest in their personal lives. In one sense, magick works on the principle that 'it is so because I say it is so.' For words to take on such force, you must be deeply and completely convinced that it is identified with truth as you know it. To a person who practices honesty and keeps commitments, 'As I will, so mote it be' is not just a pretty phrase; it is a statement of fact. - Starhawk, The Spiral Dance
Doing magick is much more than following a "spell" recipe in a book. Spell books do exist, but only to provide examples and suggestions. Traditionally trained Witches do not depend on spell books for their magick. Oh we use them! But we don't stand and read from them after a certain amount of practice. it feels uncoordinated and lessens the emotional focus.
The foundation of magickal beliefs of which witchcraft is a manifestation, is that unseen powers (energy) exist, and that by performing the right sort of ritual these energies can be moved and persuaded to change in some way.
When we do magick:
We do magick when what we want to accomplish can not be accomplished by other means or more importantly, to assist those other means.
If possible, work magick with the appropriate phase of the Moon. If practicing magick is not possible in the correct moon phase-know that your heightened emotions and energy will make up the difference if the phase of the Moon is not quite right for the work you need to do.
The 2 main types of magick you here people talk about is White Magick and Black Magick. White Magick is thought to be Magick that heals or helps, it is not used to manipulate people etc. It is sometimes called Good Magick. Black magick is thought to be magick used to manipulate people, perform curses etc. It is sometimes called Dark or Bad Magick.
We do not use White or Black to describe the type of magick we do. I tell you these terms to educate you and so you know what other people are talking about.
We do not use those terms because in all actuality Magick is neither good nor bad and those color associations have been rooted in oppression.
Magick is a tool or a way; it is how we use the tool that constitutes as good or bad. For example a knife can be used to help cut things, heal people etc; but it can also be used for evil such as to kill people, hurt people etc. The knife is neither good or bad. What makes it good or bad is the person who uses it.
What is taught are the skills that will let you do magick to improve your life and that will help you. I do caution those who tend to be pulled to the "darker" uses of Magick. Everything we do in this world, not just involving magick, but everything we do in life comes back to us in one form or another. If you do good, good shall come back to you. If you do evil, you will get evil in return.
Basically, everything in the world is connected, you harm something in the world it will come back to you. If you throw a rock into the pond it will create small ripples. As these pebbles move away from the rock the ripples get bigger and bigger until eventually they hit the other side of the pond where they bounce back to you. So for your own sakes, make sure the "pebbles" or deeds you throw in the "pond" or world are those that will only bring you luck and happiness.
Magick is raising energy so that it can be used to “move” other energy according to what the spellcaster wills. Magick is never done lightly and the person doing the magick must always be aware of the ramifications of their potential working.
For instance- you want the weekend to be sunny but there is a thunderstorm forecasted. You could do many different things in your working to make your weekend sunny- but at what cost? Will the storm stall out and flood one single area instead of spreading nourishing rains to a large area? Will your working set up some kind of vortex that keeps rain at bay for weeks or months causing a drought? Is the storm need in the first place to end a drought? If so, what will keeping it away do to those who are looking for it? Finally, will it piss off the Gods and Goddesses that you are messing with natural patterns?
The same types of questions need to be answered before one does any magick. Who will it benefit? Will it harm? Is there Wyrd tied into it?
INTENT FOCUS ENERGY
Any spiritual practice can be broken down into these three components. This implies then that no matter what we may embrace as our beliefs, or in what circumstances we may find ourselves, we will always be able to recognize and embrace these common threads, finding joy, solace, and magick, no matter what.
INTENT can be viewed as the goal, the purpose, or the meaning of the practice. Shamans set their intent before they journey in trance to non-ordinary reality. Without proper intent, they may as well be daydreaming about unicorns and fairy dust. This might be fun, but it doesn’t amount to much as spiritual discipline. Intent binds the shaman to the task and enables Helping Spirit energies to effectively interact with them.
Candle magick is another practice completely anchored in intent. The witch who performs candle magick has a specific outcome in mind before the candle is ritually lit.
Every ritual, in fact, has an intention, the goal being understood and the meaning clear as the ritual is performed. Clarity of intent is essential if the energies of the universe are to be manipulated magickally for our use. The old computer adage, “garbage in, garbage out” can just as easily be applied to any spiritual practice where intent is utilized. As I said, that’s EVERY spiritual practice.
The tricky part of intent is that we first need to know what we want. We need to fully understand what we are really after before we can make anything happen.
The second element is FOCUS. Focus is the means, the discipline, and the pointed action we take to set our intent in motion. During ritual, energy is gathered, built, and concentrated through the action of focus. For a Zen Buddhist, the practice of sitting in meditation is the focus. Meditation itself isn’t the intent of the practice, nor does it generate any energy on its own.
What meditation does is focus. The actions performed in ritual; the calling of the quarters, the invocations and banishings, are all performed as acts of focus. We cast the circle to pinpoint the area of activity. We banish to dispel any influences that may draw energy away from our intent. We invoke in order to specify the energies we wish to manifest. All of this is focus.
Keep it simple. Keep it focused. The idea is to concentrate all of the energy on the intent. We must always remember that what we focus on, we give energy to, and what we give energy to, we give life to. Every time you direct the focus away from the desired intent, you spend some of the energy you have raised on that digression. That might be fine for Sabbats or feast days when part of the intent is to spread the energy throughout the community, but it is counterproductive when one is trying to co-create a new reality. Focus is the mechanism we employ to deliver the energy we have raised to the intent we have specified.
The third element is ENERGY. Energy is everything. Energy is eternal and energy is everywhere, all the time. The universe hangs on an energetic web. This web exists just outside our everyday perception, and it is the ubiquitous undercurrent that we draw on by setting our intent and performing our acts of focus. Energy is the fuel, the currency of the universe, and the spirit’s stock in trade. We have to realize that everything in the physical and spiritual worlds is comprised of energy. Each of these things or beings has its own energetic character, to be sure, but it is energy nonetheless. We use energy to accomplish a particular task, or we direct energy in order to encourage an energetic response from a particular source.
When you come right down to it, all magick is the exercise of energetic sourcing. Source-ery, if you will. We draw on that source energy, focusing it and concentrating it until we can release it as high-octane fuel to power our specific intent. If we have done our job properly, that energy will be enough to usher our intented desire from the ethereal plane of concept into the physical world. eh wala! We have now manifested our desire through the application of intent, focus, and energy.
When participating in the magickal manipulation of energy, it is important to remember that the universe is sentient. We must keep in mind that every component of the universe is interrelated. When we co-create reality, we are changing the shape of the universe by redirecting and reforming the currents of intelligent energy within the web. That great power demands great responsibility.
Part of that awareness of our responsibility requires being accountable for what we do. Just because we know how to manipulate and focus energy, doesn’t mean we must feel compelled to use it compulsively. When we magickally manipulate and direct energy in the service of our intent, we leave our mark upon it, like psychic fingerprints: an energy signature. That action is tied to us. Because of this, we can never perform magick anonymously, or create a reality without accountability.
As members of a spiritual path that reveres our Mother Earth, we must employ our energetic expertise with discretion, wisdom and responsibility. In this way, we will forever be part of the solution rather than part of the problem, no matter what our specific beliefs or practices might be.
Magick Names
Anciently, there’s no evidence that people used magickal names. While this may be because magickal and mundane lives were one and the same, I’m more inclined to believe that they simply weren’t needed. The need for a magickal name developed as the military might of the Christian Church expanded.
If you were caught doing magick, you could be imprisoned, tortured, or killed…but not before you revealed the names of your “co-conspirators.” So people would take on magickal names to hide their identity even from other members of their ritual or spiritual practices.
More recently, magickal names have been used as identifiers: A person uses his or her magickal name when writing or talking about magick and spirituality, and a regular name at other times. Many people don’t care that you know their magickal name.
Additionally, when it comes to magickal purposes, for many people a magickal names is like a magickal robe: when you put this on you are leaving the mundane world and entering the world of the deities, of the spirits, of the elements, and of magick.
Thus, the name becomes very important. Some people take a name based on a mythic character or creature. By using the name they hope to embody the qualities of that entity. For example, many people have taken names from the Celtic, Greek, Roman, or Egyptian pantheons. Others take a more shamanic route. For example, to some people the wolf is a symbol of the teacher. The raven is a memory keeper.
Some see it as a shield with which to wear to protect themselves other practitioners and sadly, the world at large. Pagans are not yet fully safe to be out of the broom closet. Oh, it IS better than it used to be, but still not 100% safe.
There is no reason you cannot change your magickal name if appropriate to do so. Some people change their magickal name because the day of the week ends in “y.” I would suggest that you spend a few minutes considering your magickal name. If you’re absolutely positive it doesn’t meet your needs, see if you can find one that does. Note that I used the expression “absolutely positive.” If you’re not sure, stay with your current name. Sometimes, on an unconscious level, magickal names have an impact we don’t consciously appreciate.
In some tradition, you are given a magickal name by your parent if they are Pagan until your coming-of-age ritual. At your coming-of-age ritual, you choose your own. Most traditions require you to keep the name for a year before you can change it again.
Again ‘appropriate’ is up to you.
The Basic Rules of Magick
The central theory of magick is that reality can be altered by a sufficiently strong will, focused by the proper ritual.
Never, ever use magick to interfere with someone else free will.
Never use magick to get something that belongs to someone else.
Never scare someone with your magick.
Never use magick to harm someone in any way.
Remember the Rede.
Remember the Three-Fold Law.
You should always ask someone's permission before doing magick for them
Do a divination before attempting any magickal operation.
Remember that every action you do results in an action that will affect yourself and others
rule #1: "Do what thou wilt, yet harm none."
rule #2: "Ever mind the rule of three, what you send out comes back to thee."
rule #3: "Never work magick to inhibit another's free will."
rule #4: "Always walk your talk."
rule #5: "Always have a back-up plan."
rule #6: "Always work the real world with the magickal world."
rule #7: "Stay away from drugs and alcohol."
rule #8: "Never threaten or scare anyone with your magick."
rule #9: "Embrace Balance — Respect Change."
So Mote It Be
SO MOTE IT BE. it is a short way of saying "i have willed this to be so, and so it is" but SMIB has a more ritualistic connotation that ends most modern magick that adds' it is created as it is spoken' and so by saying SMIB, YOU bring it into manifestation and ask for blessings of the Divine too, if you intent that.