Magic[k]
Yes, it’s the long-promised switch to the Magical Paradigm! As mentioned a while back - apologies for delay, been living - the focus of this blog is going to change somewhat to concentrate more on design, Barça, foodism and general ‘occult’ stuff. But before we wade into these murky waters it is probably best to clear away any misconceptions and outline what exactly is meant by ‘magic’ or even ‘magic[k]’.
In doing this it should be noted that I am describing a specific tradition which I will not name (for reason that may become apparent in future posts) but which we can, for convenience, term ‘The Tradition’ or perhaps more correctly ‘The Method’ though neither of these terms are the actual name.
The first thing to note is perhaps to state what Magic (in general) is not. Firstly, the idea of a kind of Dennis Wheatley coven of Satanists has no validity - that is not to say that such things do not exist (as some people do actually believe in this) But rather that it does not work - it is, in general, impossible to achieve significant Magical results by this method. Likewise with traditions such as Wicca and Paganism, ‘Magic’ (as defined in terms of the tradition under discussion) is a different discipline as it is more akin to an actual religion rather than a method to achieve specific results by magical means.
It is not to be assumed that I am here implying that other traditions are somehow ‘wrong’ in some fundamentalist manner but rather that we are dealing with two vastly different things.
Traditionally Magic is seen as a method by which an operator (sorcerer, witch, whoever) manipulates an object (spell, ritual, sacrifice etc) to achieve an end which is not easily achievable by more mundane means. In this schemata the power resides in the ‘object’ - the spell or ritual - and it is this secondary manifestation which is regarded as ‘magical’.
It is in this sense which I am claiming that Magic does not work and that traditions deriving from this view are therefore ineffectual. This is the answer to the old canard of why famous magicians are often regarded as ‘failures’ or else somehow do not live up to their mundane potential or live in poverty. These arguments (note Crowley for example) are hard to counter and it seems fairly clear that Magical systems which manifest such results are failing by their own definition.
The system of Magic that I am discussing (and will be from here on in for the most part) is the antithesis of the above view. No objects are imbued with power or magical properties other than those that are invested in them by the operator. That is to say, in this system it is impossible to just ‘pick up a spell’ and cast it: it would not work. The success of any operation depends on the being of the operator.
That is to say, it is a system where one learns to be a magician as opposed to being an unchanged person who learns to ‘do magic’. It involves arduous (sometimes) training to achieve the state of ‘being a magician’ and when this state has been achieved things just happen. No spells, sigilization etc is necessary. Just will (that is not to say that such things are not employed during the process to become a magician but they are employed to be disregarded and as part of the process).
So far so good (or bad, depending on your view) but there are problems: for one, the integral part of achieving ‘magician-hood’ (to coin a phrase) is negation of desire. That is to say, in a certain sense, Magical results are achievable only when one has transcended the desire for the result. This again can be clearly seen as the opposite of the ‘traditional’ magical view where often the more one desires something, the more one is held to be able to manifest it and exercises/spells are geared to encourage this.
In terms of ‘The Method’ one must spend a long time ridding oneself of specific desires (these are identified individually and constitute specific ‘obsessions’ in each individual’s case) in order to potentially achieve the Magical state. It will clearly be seen that this poses a conundrum - the aspirant may well find that once he is capable of realizing his desires by supra-normal means he/she is no longer able to because he/she no longer desires the things that drew him/her to this path in the first place.
This does not necessarily mean that nothing of a Magical nature occurs - far from it - but they occur almost without the intervention of the Magician. That is to say, he/she will find themselves living life as they are destined to live it and provided with what they actually need through whatever means required as opposed to living a life chasing what they merely think they ‘want’ with whatever degree of success.
so hopefully that has drawn the distinction between the popular view of Magic and the system I am discussing. If there is any interest we can soon talk about actual practices and methodologies in the ‘real world’ as well as underpinning philosophical conceptions.
Adios.
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