Here’s an interesting social experiment… at your next dinner party or night out with friends, bring up the subject of magic. I can pretty much guarantee you that the room will get fairly quiet as the word sinks in. Then you will get a couple of snickers of those who might not think you’re serious, a few comments about Harry Potter, maybe a person who knows a good card trick, and for the rest, a sort of uneasy silence as they try to assess the reason you brought this somewhat foreign subject up. What you probably won’t get, at least among the majority of people, is a discussion about crafting change in oneself and the world, in accordance with free will.

The word magic usually conjures a lot of images and emotions. For some it might mean parlor tricks that an uncle used to show off for holidays. For others it might be the magic and sorcery of such iconic characters of the screen as Harry Potter and Gandalf. This kind of magic is more commonly known as “movie magic.” And, for a large portion of the population, the associations will be of a more mystical nature, but a nature that will seem very foreign to them. This might even be the case for you. Nonetheless, when one takes the time to learn and understand the practice, magic can be a very powerful force in one’s life, a force to effect change and drive growth and prosperity of body, mind, and spirit.

Many practitioners of the craft spell magick with a “k” at the end to distinguish it from the sleight of hand and perception defying tricks often boxed in sets for kids and the occasional adult that wants to be the life of the party. It doesn’t really matter how you spell it because the power isn’t in the word, it’s in the thought forms that surround the activity. The true power of magick is in the energy released into the world by the person summoning the subtle powers of the universe in accordance with need, desire, dreams, and emotion.

Before, we go too far, I also want to make a couple of distinctions in relation to kinds of magick. Although you will hear talk of a palette of magickal styles such as white magick, black magick, green magick, and grey magick, what I really want to touch on briefly here are two different kinds of magick called low magick and high magick. The designations “low” and “high” have nothing to do with quality judgements or even associations with things like the heavens and the underworld. For an introduction, suffice it to say that low magick is a form of natural magick, or a magick that is more rooted in nature and things like stones and herbs. High magick (often called ceremonial magick) is a form of magick that is rather complex and pulls from all kinds of mystical traditions like those of the Egyptians or the teachings of the Kabbalah. I could literally spend an entire year unpacking the differences in depth, but for right now we’ll stick with those general overviews. The Victorian Society of Metaphysics & Magic practice both forms to great extent. This article and it’s accompanying articles, however, are more focused on the subject of low magick as an introduction to how magick, in general, works.

Now that we all understand that we are talking about something far beyond the big screen and pulling coins from the ears of delighted children, it might be worth dispelling a couple other stereotypes about the people who practice magic and the validity of the art in today’s world. There is a growing new age, neo-pagan, occult, shamanistic, magickal (whatever you choose to call it) community emerging with its own literature and practices. Much of this material is of use to the neophyte practitioner once they’ve learned to understand it in context with their own journey. I believe it is, however, a good idea to find grounding within a more tangible realm first, and then move toward a more defined understanding.

If we take a look at the modern medical establishment, we see an expanding awareness of the practices of magick. Although, I guarantee you that most in the field would not use the word, we see more and more emphasis on the mind as a tool of healing in context with other more traditional methods. Considerable weight is now being given to the role of thoughts and subtle energies as keys to even deeper health benefits and long term well-being. The scientific community cannot place these things under a microscope or even quantify them, nonetheless, the results have been documented in myriads of studies. For a community whose foundation is built on traditional science, such change in patients without a tangible cause can only be seen as magick.

The ideas that we discuss are also not limited to the medical field. Mega corporations spend enormous amounts of money working with coaches, advisors, and industry gurus to bring mental action plans, affirmations, and visualization to their people. The power of that collective positive energy and “magick” is a prosperity that is counted on in the business community to sustain long term growth and success. For many leaders in this movement, the very foundation of training and corporate culture cultivation is the mind and its ability to bring about extraordinary results with the energies it harnesses.

Finally, on a level closer to our own discussion, we see such inspirational figures as Dr. Wayne Dyer and Louise Hay using the power of energy, mind, and manifestation to help many heal and thrive in a world that can, often times, try to take us from a grounded state to a state of fear, confusion, loneliness, and suffering. Many of these people wouldn’t use the word magick, but once again, the results achieved are nothing short of magickal.

Over the years, I have found that practicing magick can be a very powerful thing in one’s life. For myself and many others, however, the process of effecting that change within the world takes on a different look. By adding in a certain amount of ritual, one can learn to not only use the mind but also acutely fine tune and focus those energies through physical actions. In Part 2 of this introduction to Magick we will explore the practice that will hopefully become a powerful and rewarding part of your life.

CLICK HERE for PART 2

©2016, 2021 Marcus Everett & The Victorian Society of Metaphysics & Magic