Essential Ws + H: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How? part 2

Who: Who benefits from the study of magick?

First and foremost, the magician is the biggest beneficiary of the study of magick; as much as I'd want to say it's for the good of all, the fact remains that the magus does have a distinct advantage over others since the knowledge of magick, even for the most generous and "good" sage, would help develop the magus in question as a whole far sooner than the average person would in his or her lifetime, including getting to Heaven/Nirvana if that is the intent.

That doesn't mean that they're the only ones to benefit from it. In fact, those who don't intend to follow the path of the Magus would still appreciate him/her being near them, as his positive aura, his (occasional) generosity, and his influence on the universe would definitely help them in their daily lives, directly or otherwise. Of course, sucking up to them may or may not help either, since you also risk causing them to lax at their own training, weakening their ability to help you out. Instead, try to follow in their example instead of in the gifts they give; after all, even though there are material benefits to being a Magus, it's the spiritual, astral, moral and supernatural benefits that they seek... and it wouldn't hurt to do some of your own self-improvement from time to time, would it?

What: What is purpose of all this?

Rather, try asking yourself, what should I ask to myself?
1. Who am I?
2. Why do I exist?
3. What is my purpose in life?
4. Where do I go next?
5. How must I go about my life?
6. When would I go to the next step in my existence?

One of my purposes is to attempt to enlighten people on magick. Another purpose is to just release all these memories and thoughts from my mind before I lose my mind in this tsunami of ideas. Finally, I'd really want people to go beyond the mundane, the physical, the material, and to start looking back at the philosophical. Facts are good, and I would encourage further study of the imperical and the physical, but aren't we developing our technologies and our sciences much faster than our moral, spiritual and philosophical natures could follow? Couldn't we have them develop side by side?

When: When will the world end?

Definitely not in 2012, I'm sure of that. Even without the scientific and even Mayan references to support the truth that 2012 would happen without... too much of a hitch... there's no reason to believe that the Earth will end in that year. I may not be a future reader, but I'm definitely certain that most of our foul-ups would be the cause of our end, not a natural disaster caused by our universe. Too many people, not enough space, and man's inability to cope with the stresses he placed upon nature and himself... something's got to give, and it's going to be ugly. And we don't even need to wait for an Ice Age or a giant meteor or even a 2012-esque scenario for THAT to happen.

(Apologies for being off-topic, but frankly I'm tired of all these unfounded and idiotic fears based off a movie that is based on popular beliefs and a loose collection of facts)

Where: Where can I find more information on magick?

Thanks to the development of the Internet, a lot of blogs, social groups and forums exist to sate the needs of those whose minds thirst for knowledge. There are also hard-to-find books out there that have a wealth of information about these things. Finally, just as Buddha saw enlightenment after an extended period of meditation, one can also tap into the truths the universe can offer by first tapping into one's self.

How: How do I attain self-enlightenment, or the ability to use magick?

The ability to use magick is easy, since even the most mundane tasks, in some ways, use magick to accomplish. The ability to attain self-enlightenment, not so easy, as it requires a great amount of patience and willingness on your part, in order to attain truths that lie within all of us, if we only went beyond ourselves.

Why: Why study magick?

I can think of four reasons:
1. Self-improvement.
2. Self-awareness.
3. Helping others.
4. Improving the use of magick.

Studying magick helps develop one's entire self, not just the physical or spiritual aspects. Assuming that you aren't naturally gifted with magick, or that you don't make a pact with a devil just to attain magick -- and seriously, don't -- and instead you actually study magick, you would have to learn how to be more aware of yourself, of your actions, of the whos, whats, whens, wheres, whys, and hows that make up yourself. You would have to listen to, and understand, every underlying thought, every emotional signal, every hormone coursing through your body and in & out of your body. And once you become aware of every movement and thought you make, you start taking control of them, allowing yourself to become more than just an automated bag of genes waiting for the next score or the next bag of genes to arrive, to become something beyond a moneymaker or money spender, to become... a little more than human, and yet a little more human than most humans.

Of course, aside from helping one's self improve his self-awareness and self overall, the study of magick could also help (or harm) others to a degree. Directly or otherwise, a Magus could influence one's fortunes or fate, and even one's future to a certain degree. This power, as subtle as it is compared to the popular flair of magicians throwing lightning bolts and fireballs to smite his foes, is actually the magus' deadliest weapon, as well as his most powerful tool. This is also the reason why even the good magi refused to part with their secrets: in the wrong hands, manipulation of the right people can destroy nations, even worlds.

[ Then again, with the way this world works right now, you don't really need to be a magus anymore to find out how powerful a diplomat or political advisor is in shaping world events ]

For those who truly wish to advocate the use of magick, it would certainly help if you study how the ancient ones developed and casted their spells and used their magick in order to further enhance magick's use. This is also why I'm divulging this information on this blog in the first place, to disseminate information to the future generations in the hopes that, if and when they find this blog, they would be able to further research into spell creation and development of magick, especially as a tool to develop life, love and humanity [or for a less "racial" term, universality (kindness for all beings, whenever applicable, and not just humans)].

Strange experience...

Seeing as I have absolutely no idea where to put this, I might as well just blog it.

Earlier I was walking inside one of the wet markets near my house and one of the stalls just so happened to have a mirror set next to a stall. I would've expected to see a reflection of whatever was opposite that of the mirror, but for a moment I thought I saw a densely forested mountain with white cliff faces peeking out of the foliage, complete with clouds and all... so there are three possibilities:

1. I really did see a reflection of what was opposite that of the mirror but my mind rearranged the information so that it looked like what I saw
2. For a moment my third eye opened, granting me a peek into another world
3. I'm going crazy

Seeing as I'm still able to doubt my sanity and I'm still able to (seemingly) logically list down all this, I'm probably going to say either 1 or 2. Crazy people generally don't think they're crazy, right?

Gaming and the Paranormal, incompatible much?

Out of boredom really, I decided to look back at one reason why a certain forum moderator didn't want me and my Wiccan wife to join them: because she felt that we were gamers and, with the bad experience they had with gamer members before, didn't feel we should be there.  Well, if that's their miff with gamers so be it, but then I'm thinking, what's wrong with a practitioner who just so happens to be a computer gamer, or vice versa?

Firemaiden, a friend of mine, said that she thought that gaming would serve as the idea framework to give the gamer an idea on how the paranormal works.  Nice thought and theory, but sadly even for me it doesn't really hold much credit, as most games are not just fiction-based but totally on the creative side, feeding off the fantasy genre often and not holding much'reality' on the paranormal, if at all.

Personally, I'd like to think of it simply as this: gaming and paranormal may be related from time to time, but a hobby veering towards self-gratification and enjoyment is still totally different from a belief system and the search for wisdom and clarity within the universe (and beyond).  The gaming industry may have some roots in the paranormal in the sense that ideas and rumors circulating within, or related to, the supernatural would be the inspiration that designers (and perhaps gamers) would feed upon, but ultimately it's still the individual's desire to learn, study and develop as a wiccan, druid, satanist, or what not that would determine whether or not they would be such... regardless if their hobby is gaming or not.

As noted earlier, one issue with the typical 'gamer' is that they have preconceived notions about the supernatural from their main if not only source of knowledge: computer games.  If it was the sort that was inspired by actual paranormal knowledge well and good, but sadly almost all computer games are very far-fetched from anything even remotely supernatural... and most of the said supernatural info is from Catholicism (either actual information or skewered propaganda [a.k.a. either the Bible or demonizing non-Christian pantheons/spirits/what not]).  With no ill intent towards Blizzard Co. I'd still say that the worst source for knowledge or inspiration regarding anything beyond the stereotypical info on the supernatural would be their games -- especially World of Warcraft -- as even though they are keyed off popular genres and such, pretty much everything they have in there is pretty much found in their fantasy world exclusively.

I love playing computer games, and I also play a bit of tabletop games like Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons myself.  However, that does not, in any way, invalidate my being a spellcaster, a spell crafter, a Tarot card reader, and a self-proclaimed magus.  Just because you play computer games, or join a rock band, or go to work, or have a family, doesn't make you any less of a practitioner of New Age philosophy/crafts, does it?  It's true that some of it may influence your ability to divine, or cast spells, or even your belief system as a whole, but unless you base your belief system around it -- in which case, I'd say you probably need help there, just to see things a bit more clearly -- you'll probably still view Wicca as Wicca, and not something disguised as such, and so on.

Instead of calling it a framework of knowledge, I'd rather call games just as they are: a form of entertainment during your spare time.

Magick and the Future

I've perused some of the e-books I've torrented and apparently there are quite a few resources out there that already covered what I originally intended to discuss, and at greater depth too, so I've decided to just lay this "project" to the side for now, and instead focus on the more material aspects of my own life. This does not mean, however, that I've abandoned the study of magick; in fact, one does have to integrate the practice and use of magick in his or her everyday life in order to fully understand a significant part of magick.

Remember, while magick is the manipulation of life-force in the universe, it is only a part of how we as individuals and as part of the grand scheme of things present and future would develop and achieve the ultimate goal: to become one with the All-Father, the God - whatever his/her/their name or form would be - the universe in all its aspects.

So what does all this have to do with the title of this post? One observation I've noted in the various resources that discuss and teach magick is that while there is a study on how spells are cast and what specific rituals and spells can be done for whatever purpose is deemed necessary, there seems to be a lack in information regarding the continuous development of magick, even as a pseudoscience, much less as an actual metaphysical study. It's mostly about spiritual development, and yes the more spiritually developed you are the better your spells would become, but frankly all I've seen is give or take a revival of what has already been found in the past. What else are we going to do other than dig up spells crafted by our forefathers and whatever beings gave them those spells, just stick to those spells and nothing else?

I may be a little eccentric in suggesting this, but I believe that aside from my original purpose in this world as both observer and host for my alpha incarnation, I - and pretty much every other sentient spiritually developed being in the universe I hope - would like to further delve into the development of magick as both a spiritual and practical practice; go beyond what is the stereotypical and the conventional spells, and find ways to make spells more useful on a day-to-day basis without the need for the "strong stuff". This is probably more apt in the low magicks of course, since high magicks would likely be best done in the "traditional" ritualistic sense... and although yes magick is still powerful when done with rhymes, chants, and so on, why go about all the hubbub when simple flicks of the hand and focusing of the mind would be just as appropriate? Why send a thunderstorm when a simple shower could do just as well?

So if anyone actually reads this, I'd like to leave you with a little question, a little challenge even: how do you make spellcasting better, quicker, or easier?

- - - - -

For those who wish to read past this, as this is completely off-topic already, go ahead :P

Before I reached the age of 25, I've always considered myself a useless piece of meat, just good for spreading my family's genes then completely expendable after that. I never expected reaching the age of 30, and even now I secretly hope that I would be more of a spirit guide than a father to my child since I have all this knowledge on mundane and spiritual stuff, but no knowledge on being "grown up"; blame me for not listening to my parents and complaining about everything when I was told to do stuff, and also for not exercising enough leading to myself being easily exhausted when I shouldn't be... and blame my family for not being able to properly instill upon me the necessary things to survive on my own (always had depend on each other, which was both good and bad, although with the way things went here, it slid more in the bad).

If I'm going to be a father though, I really have to go now from thinking "I'm a useless dolt", to "I'm a good father and husband"... assuming that the law of attraction and what I've learned as a magician are both correct and aptly applied in this situation. Otherwise I may as well commit suicide, throw my soul into the very depths of the 13 hells, and just pray that every soul and spirit I've touched would do better without me.

Then again that'd make me too much of an emo, and I don't think anyone would appreciate me doing that.

Faced with several problems - clumsiness in housework, laziness in studies and work, weakness in physique, and overall inefficiency - and the need to up the ante, so to speak, there's only one thing I'm probably good at that I can do, and will have to do:

Learn.

From the Dreamland

Around 1 1/2 hours ago (from the time I began typing this at 1:00pm), I felt that I had to be somewhere for a reason... I felt I had to be asleep for some reason. At first, typical of any person, I decided to just ignore it, but the pull was simply too great, and the weather confirmed my suspicions.

So I slept.

And although it took me awhile to actually sleep, I eventually entered the dream world. In there, I saw myself driving a car, going along some rather twisted roads that had a blue walk way that was snaking through the entire city, with some people and a dog I apparently know (but never met yet).

Then I was teleported to a scene where was someone who tried to escape the dreamland, following the "procedure" (asking permission, going through the maze of lucid dreams and portals abound, and finding the door that leads out), but apparently something wasn't right.

Then a change in the scene (again): I was attending some sort of banjoree or military celebration, and I was an NCO who, during part of the exercise, wanted to lower the penalty of the cadets in my cadre by offering to do some of their push-ups in their stead. The CO told me to make us 5 and we all do the same number of push-ups. Ceremonies interrupted the punishment-giving, so we were able to sneak out... but somehow I saw a small opening where I saw what I knew was the sun but instead was a bright crystal blue that was changing shape, and with its change in hue from white to blue, my dream's sky also changed to blue then black.

Enter another scene: of pure chaos, where there was fire, darkness, a blue crystal sun, and I overheard talking cows saying that someone was trying to escape the dream world "without permission", among other things. A chubby buddy (supposedly someone I'm close to but never met yet as of to date) began to drive an ice cream truck - with me hanging over the roof of the truck, and cows and other creatures spilling over the street, looting and pillaging just about everywhere. Then near the end of the road we found someone who was supposed to be the one handling the situation, stuck in a trailer van with some other people. I overheard two things:

1. We were supposed to head to an airport and then from there go up the mountain to enter a room full of doors, stairs, and floors

2. Something was destroying the dream world

Then near the end of the dream I saw Dream (resembling the 2nd Dream Lord from the DC comics.. but not quite), with his booming voice, saying: THIS DREAM IS OVER.

Although, not quite.

After the dream dissolved I watched my buddy do a sort of monologue (ala-cinema movie), about him visiting a neighbor of his, with him knowing that everything was a dream since he was with his wife and kids but she left him long ago...

... the strange part was, he was supposedly visiting someone *else's* dream in THAT dream.

Sounds crazy? Perhaps. But then again, how many remember their dreams so lucidly?

Magick and the Family

I've been unable to post in part because I've been adjusting to being a new father for my little darling Altheii. At first I wanted to post this from a somewhat academic point of view, but I think it would do better if this was on a more personal standpoint.

First and foremost, no matter what my daughter may think in the future, I'm glad that she came into my life, and no matter how much she keeps her mother and I awake, I still love her for who she is, who she would choose to be, and who she would become.

So how does magick come into play here? What does magick have to do with being a parent? In the language of other theological fields, I suppose we could call it "spiritual development", if not "moral development". Basically how we influence our children as we grow up would not only help shape or change their aura/personality, but also help them prepare for the future. And as magick is the desire + the creativity to do so, we all craft magick in little ways to help develop our children...

... as I'm sure everyone at least once in their life thought they could raise kids just as well as, if not better than, their parents.

I used to think -- and to some degree still do think -- that my dad never really cared for me enough, never really was there for me. So I've done a lot of thinking on how *I* would take care of my own child if I were a father. Now that I am one, I guess I have to admit that no matter how many classes you attend, or books you read, about parenting, there's never a real absolute way to know how to become a parent other than to learn first-hand... that, and you best learn from your own parents as well. That still doesn't prevent you, however, from doing your own thing and raising your child as you see fit, even if it's radically different from the way our own parents raised us; otherwise, we would still be whipping our children with discipline sticks, or worse totally abandon children the same way some parents abandon us their children.

This combination of knowledge passed through the generation, desire to raise our children as we think best, and creativity to help adapt to and overcome the various challenges life throws at us, pretty much summarizes how we weave our own magick through our traditions, passed down to use through the generations, and developed further by our own need to adapt to this changing world of ours.

Now on a more occult approach to how magick works in the family: the creation of life is considered by some to be the most powerful and primal source of energy in the universe, and I agree that it is a very potent force to be reckoned with. Newborns in particular emit this powerful aura that can still be shaped and developed further by parents if they wish to do so, and which is also why infants and the prepubescent youth were the ideal choice as a human sacrifice ages before, and why locals in the provinces here in the Philippines fear mystical creatures such as the manananggal, who feast on the unborn (and not only for their physically delectable taste mind you). This potent force in the universe thus readily attracts entities both good and bad, although thankfully parents are given the natural tendency to protect their young*, thus giving them a better chance at life in any plane of existence. No matter how twisted the emotion may be to some, love - the desire to give - is a powerful protective force that hinders many a leser being from harming a tightly bonded family, although some may be tempted to test this love by throwing in so many distractions and poking at each individual's weaknesses, thus giving us so many family issues that most of the time are really minor faults whose effects simply stack up and eventually weaken or sometimes destroy the family.

As I end this post to continue caring for my little girl (and so that I could actually eat breakfast), I'd like to say this:

Life force is the source of magick, magick being the will + creativity to manipulate energies in the universe

Life force (man) + life force (woman) -> life force (child)

Since life force is within us and all around us, I suppose we could safely assume that the potential for magick is in all of us and within the family as well, yes?

* may not be applicable to all species

Questioning Existence

We pretty much know the phrase, "I think, there for I am", am I right?  A little overview on this: if I recall correctly, it was Rene Descartes who made this quote, and it was a summation of a rather long trail of thought, based on the question "Does anything truly exist?"  After all, how can we be sure that the air we breathe really is air and is actually real?  We could say scientists told us, but who are those scientists?  Maybe our teachers told us, but who told your teachers, and who told the instructors of your teachers?  How can we tell if something we touch, feel, see, smell, hear or taste be real?

We currently are tied to a world of statistics and stocked knowledge from various experiments and observations from the past and present, but statistics and even numbers as a whole are abstract concepts, and how can you say those past observations are true, when you cannot even verify your own observations outside of the basic senses and analysis using abstract concepts and past assumptions?

How do we know we even exist?

This is where the quote comes in.  The fact that there is at least one being in the entire universe that is capable of doubting anyone's existence makes that being real.  If that being is capable of questioning his own existence at all, he would also be considered real because a being cannot doubt his or her existence if he or she isn't real.  Now with that in mind, because I have the mental capacity and the ability to doubt my own existence, I am able to verify that I am actually a being that exists.

I think, therefore I am.

What does this have to do with magick?  Well, the existence of everything outside ourselves is verified by our own ability to verify our own existence.  If we are not sure who we are, how can we say everything we know and see is real... and so how can we say everything around us is real?  Magick maybe flowing throughout the universe (assuming there's only universe and not multiverse), or maybe it isn't and it's all a bunch of hogwash, but the fact that we have the capacity to even think of it and question its existence makes magick very real at least in our minds/hearts/whatever.  And that question of existence, the fact that it's in our thinking/feeling process at all, makes it even more "real".

Think of it this way: Santa Clause for some people is real, but no documentation of a real Saint Nicholas or Santa Clause as a person has been circulated anywhere, is there?  We may have a holiday dedicated to him (just like we have a holiday for another mythical "saint": Saint Valentine), but that still doesn't make him real per se.  What truly makes Santa Clause real is the fact that people cherish him and made him as real as he can get... so even if he *was* just a figment of our imaginations, the fact that people are able to make their "imaginations" something perceptible (by means of celebrations, effigies, costumes, etc.) pretty much makes him real.

A more controversial case in point: The life and death of Jesus Christ may have been well-documented in the bible, but outside of it his divinity - nay his very existence - has been but a question mark, especially considering the Roman Catholic Church pretty much burned all known existing copies of gospels and scriptures that, although made by others who (supposedly) lived in the time of Jesus, didn't coincide with the decisions of the counsels at the time.  So how do we know He's real?  Well, in the words of Jesus Himself : "Blessed are those who do not see, yet believe" (if I remembered that correctly).  Basically even if He never really existed as a physical being, the fact that His teachings, followers, etc. not only existed but had a huge impact on the world, shaping it to what it is now makes Him just as real as any person would... since any person can affect other persons, and eventually chain react into changing the world.

And we know this is true because that "any person" is able to question his or her own existence.

So is magick real?  It's been affecting our universe since the time of its conception, it's affected our past, it simmers in the minds and hearts of our youth, and it's the topic at hand, am I right?

So yes it's real, real enough to be discussed in the first place :)

Essential Ws + H: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How? part 1

Who: Who is the first to discover magick?

Science assumes that early man invented magic to explain his surroundings, as well as gods, demons, angels, and other spiritual beings.  For me, however, I would like to think that man was the first to record his knowledge about magick in ways his early mind could comprehend.  After all, we often define magic in ways we understand, and the more we understand the less we have to categorize something as "magic" BUT that still doesn't eliminate the existence of magick per se.

What: What is magick?

As I said, magick - as opposed to illusionist and scapegoat magic - is the unifying force that binds our universe together: life.  It may not be in the form we associate life with, but it's still life nevertheles; after all, even though in the strictest sense we don't see Earth as breathing, reproducing, eating, sleeping, or having emotions, but many of us do consider Earth as alive... so what's stopping other planets and heavenly bodies from not being alive in *any* sense?

When: When did magick begin?

Magick in this universe began with its birth.  The steps to evolution to life as we know and believe to understand it may have been billions of years after the Big Bang - if the theory is to be established as a fact rather than as a theory - but the universe itself I consider as alive in that it's teeming with the energies both materialized and in forms that previously (and perhaps, for some, to this date) haven't been detected and fully understood, and it's still growing and maturing, so to speak.

Where: Where can magick be found?

Magick is pretty much everywhere, even in the various planes of existence that science would likely brush off as non-existent because they aren't able to go beyond this physical realm.

Why: Why has magick been considered as fake or unreal?

Aside from the fact that the power of magick has already been blown out of proportion (to a certain degree) by the power of imagination, science is primarily a study of the empirical, something that can be studied, observed, rationalized, formulated, and if possible experimented upon.  These things you could do with magick, but considering that science is designed in either the physical or social aspects of the universe, anything that isn't either is considered fake or can be explained in the down-to-earth scientific method.

How: How do you determine if magick really is magick?

It lies mainly upon intent, really.  If it's to impress or deceive the mind then it's likely more illusion magic than actual magick.  If it's to have something actually happen however, there's a small chance magick is involved, in varying degrees; faith healers would use the power of their god to remove illnesses, exorcists would use the power of their god to remove demons, witches would use the power of nature to cure ailments or cause the land to be a reflection of her fury, etc.

[ Personally I consider every single person a potential bearer of magick, with the power to change one's self and others in spite of how the natural world has programmed him/her ]

- - - - -

Who: Who can teach us magick?

Assuming now that you believe in the existence of magick, various beliefs and people do often resort to mysticism and teach magick (within their accepted doctrine, mind you).  With each school/religion/faith/belief system comes the rituals, potions, magicks that you can use with varying degrees of success.  Some may have psychological benefits, while others are spiritual in boon, while still others may actually have a physical effect on you or your surroundings - the last one may be rather difficult to pull off since trying to affect others, particularly other living beings, isn't just a matter of "I want it to happen and so it will happen" (that is the talk of arrogance more than anything); you have to consider the strengths and weaknesses and willingness [or lack thereof] of whoever or whatever you're intending to affect.

Aside from those mentioned, spiritual beings may also help with the study of magick.  The easiest to approach would be demons of course, but they are all too willing to trade their knowledge and power for your soul, and thus it is highly discouraged to do ANY deal with them. Natural beings - tree spirits, mountain guardians, creatures visible only to those perceptive enough who are of natural or elemental origin especially - may give you the insight and knowledge needed for magick, but they are fickle and untrusting at first, so care and friendship is pretty much a must for most people (there are exceptions to this rule of course).  The best way to go about magick is of course with the help of the Divine One(s), although frankly it's easier and better that you become a saint, rather than trying to have them teach you about magick.

The hardest way is to do self-study, because you can't exactly study what you can't see, and studying magical tomes/books without any initial know-how can be dangerous, as it opens risks to possession, miscasts, and worst, death of varying levels (absolute worst is complete destruction of your soul and spiritual form).

What: What are the principles of magick?

Magick itself has no "beliefs" in the sense that it is amoral and it follows its own path independent of time and space; in fact, were it not for its influence on the various planes of existence it could work completely separate and independent of everything.  Regarding the principles of the study of magick, however, there are only two things that all practitioners regardless of origin might agree on:

• Always strive to improve on your discipline
  
• Always be prepared for any and all possibilities
  

Be it for the betterment of others or self, or to harm others, or to purely study how magick works, those two will always apply.

When: When is the best time to learn magick?

Magick can be learned any time, any place, by anyone.  The fact that such potent knowledge can be accessed by anyone made early magicians fear that they would be rendered useless; a fear that, although has some merit, still is rather superfluous because it always helped if more people found more uses for it and more ways to manipulate such force.  So the early magicians kept the knowledge to themselves, insisting that only the elite in society have the priveledge to study magick for their own benefit (but that's another tale for another time).

Essentially, the earlier the better, but there is no strict across-the-boarder ruling anywhere about any aspect of magick, so as long as your heart, mind and soul is open to magick, you can start learning about it, and maybe making it work to help improve your own life.

Where: Where is magick strongest?

There are three places where magick is at its strongest:

• Where the forces of life are most concentrated and in harmony.  Jungles, forests and even in and under certain bodies of water fit here.
  
• Where the negative forces of life are at its most concentrated.  Places where a lot of hatred, death, hunger, lament, and despair has been funneled into fit here (thus the "heavy feeling" when in said places).
  
• Within the person himself.  We have the power to affect others - some people moreso than others - and whether or not you believe in the term "aura", you've got to admit that some people always seem to have a certain... power... with them.
  

Why: Why use magick?

If it feels right for you, then why not?  But for the most part, with the way this world works, there is little that magick can do that science can't do as well or even better.  For things that go beyond the explanations and reach of science, however, unless it's banned by your religious order I see no reason why not to use magick.

How: How does casting magick work?

As mentioned in various references, magick - at its most basic - is a matter of Will (Intent) and Creativity (Imagination).  No matter what ritual or mystic language you use, or even if you just spontaneously cast magick, it's always a matter of what you want and how you want it.  And of course it's more than just words, it's a matter of emotions and body "vibrations" as well, so when you want something done - let's say, you want your homework to "magically" disappear - there's the intent, but there is no imagination on how that would happen, so it's unlikely it'll happen.  If you have the intent and the imagination - like your homework disappearing from a bear jumping out from the sky and trashing your roof with the sole purpose of destroying your homework - while there is a tiny, tiny chance it'd happen, it's still not going to happen since you first have to make your intent and imagination as realistic as it can be, so while it may be possible to alter weather - with enough training of course - causing a meteor to crash into your annoying neighbor's car is probably stretching a bit (although you *could* still trash it in other ways...).

But if it's all in intent + imagination, why should rituals be of any use?  Well, rituals for one help focus your intent and imprint on your mind the method you have imagined the magick to occur.  The more focus, the better the chances of it working.  Of course the flip side of this is that the more intensive the ritual, the more likely you'll end up goofing it up in one part or another, causing the spell to go haywire (if anything happens at all).

The Existence of Magick : What *is* magick?

To be a magician, one must acknowledge that magick actually exists.  But what *is* magick?  Is it the power to literally move mountains, throw fireballs, turn your enemies into frogs or other creatures and other fantastic abilities?  Is it communing with the devil, or raising dead, or summoning of spirits past?  Is it actually something that can influence us or work for us?  Or is it just a mix of hogwash used to explain non-scientifically anything that our tiny human brains cannot fully understand?

For me, as a magician, the first thing that comes to mind when the term "magick" is mentioned is "life".  Ask five hundred people what is life, and they'd probably give you five hundred definitions of "life"... and most of those definitions would likely be descriptions of what they consider to be alive, and not what life itself is.   After all, how may of us have even considered asking what life is?

[ My guess is at least one person would say life is something that is alive, or something that breathes, eats, and reproduces is alive.  If something is alive, what makes it alive... life?  If something that eats, breathes, and reproduces is alive, then is a car that eats gasoline, breathes air (and releases it into the atmosphere as fumes) and is reproduced in a factory alive?  I believe there are theories regarding the definition of life itself, but scientists have yet to create life in any sense of the word as understood by the layman ]

Why life?  Aside from it being one of the least understood things in the universe (yes we know how children are born, but when does a cell become a separate individual, and how do we know that that individual is actually a living being?  Is it only because it resembles ourselves as living beings?  So we define using comparisons, but we still don't know within ourselves what makes us "tick" so to speak), life is a valuable and powerful force in any respect.  Without life, not only would the universe be boring, in some ways it may not even fully exist (in the physical sense perhaps it'll be there, but beyond the physical sense of the universe there wouldn't be more to it than particles, because seriously, why would bodies that are comprised of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and other elements have the will to survive and the need to evolve?).  Science may be able to explain the existence of emotions and social interactions, but there still is that line between facts, interpretations, and theories.

Now back to our topic.  Life for me is what magick is all about, because whether you're a Wiccan that gives praise to our Earth Mother and Three-Horned God, a warlock or mystic who rains hexes on unfortunate folk, an exorcist who drives out evil spirits, or even a young mother who holds her young child in her arms, it's all the same: we are surrounded by life, need life, and are driven by life to do the seemingly impossible.  And the power of life combined with our desire -- our need -- to pursue it, to be one with it, to grasp it in our hands and take it to where we believe it must go, that for me is magick.

• a Wiccan who casts spells and brews potions to heal and to encourage love and peace, would be using the power of life from plants and from the environment he/she is in to promote well-being
  
• a mystic who harms others with his/her spells would be using his own life-force as well as the powers that can harm or kill that is found in the universe, combine it with his desires and intent, and throw that destructive spell/curse/energy towards the unfortunate target
  
• an exorcist, using the powers of the Higher Being(s) whose presence we don't often see with our natural senses (sometimes channeled through rituals and prayers), combined with the will to restore the possessed to his proper spiritual + psychological form, be able to drive out the possessors from his body
  
• a mother, who not only gave her child the power and chance to live, but cares for her so much that she would do everything in her physical power to give that child what she considers a proper upbringing, would somehow gain a perseverance, stamina and sometimes even strength, to go beyond what others may consider as natural (if they hadn't seen their own mothers with the same strengths, or take those strengths for granted)
  

These are but a few examples of what magick, at least for me, is.  It's not something that's readily brought into a laboratory and scrutinized, although the effects of magick may be seen everywhere and at the same time nowhere.  A paradox?  Perhaps.  But life has always been an oddity in our universe...

... unless you consider the universe itself as alive, and thus filled with magick.

- - - - -

If anyone is wondering why I'm insisting upon expressing the limits of science it's because

1. Sometimes I think science is overrated.  It's a good interpretation of facts and fairly reliable, but still it can't explain everything.
2. The old adage, for one to learn one must first unlearn still holds true to this day... and even moreso if you are to look at such an outrageous topic as magick.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Lawrence Augustine R. Mingoa, a 25-year old chap -- as of post time -- that's been maybe a bit wonkier than most, but that's assuming that there actually is something to these "normal" and "sane" things people keep on referring to (but that's for another discussion).  Aside from my oddities in philosophy and my computer gaming habits, I'm pretty much a sane guy with nothing exceptional, save for a penchant for books and a knack for Photoshopping (you can see my works at http://nharishkhalfangaea.deviantart.com/ :) ).

That is the believable part, since it's what people can see.  What is harder to believe -- aside from my being open-minded to the idea that you can have sex with someone's wife/husband so long as you keep it to strictly sex and no emotional attachment -- is that in a previous life, I was a half-elf half-dwarf named N'haris'h'khal'fang'aea (Chaotic Fang of the Cursed Order) who dabbled in the mystic arts.  I may have had other lives I haven't been able to recall fully, but this is what I know is truest to me.

Just to keep it short, you can refer to me as Lawrence, Nharish, or even just Ling (for "Sapling").

The first question that may pop in your mind would be, of course, if I am actually sane, since there is no scientific proof for the existence of invisible folk like elves, dwarves, centaurs, and what not.  Perhaps they are intangible and cannot be brought into the laboratory for testing like your typical creatures, but if you are open to the concept that no matter how good our sensors and equipment are, we are still limited to our five basic senses, all of which only perceive

* energy

* matter

and all factors related to them, maybe you would then be more open to the concept that there may be things that go beyond these two that science would, at best, only be explained through theories, which are the scientific equivalent of educated guesses based on what can be perceived.  Although trying to explain an apple to someone who only knows bananas without being able to show the apple is just as difficult to go about as trying to explain the existence of beings that cannot undergo physical scrutiny.

Are they real? Definitely. One may argue that the mere fact that they've been prevalent in every society and every level of every society throughout the centuries -- even if it's all myth and creations of imagination -- gives some credit to their existence, even if their existence is "just in the mind" (scientific and medical studies has yet to fully unlock the purpose of 90% of human brain matter, because if we use only 10% to live, why do we still have the "unused" 90% retained, and even increasing in proportion to the increase in our brain masses? Typically parts of the body and the mind that aren't used simply break down and weaken by nature's "use it or lose it" method of maintaining efficiency of one's body).  And for those who have sensory perceptions beyond the typical -- the ones who claim to have paranormal perception, more popularly termed as "third eye" -- it would be easier for them to see these seemingly extraordinary creatures as well as other beings that science would brand as improbable to outright impossible: spirits, ghosts, angels, demons, and what not.

Further discussions we can go about eventually, but this post is an introduction to the blog and the blogger, not a question of the said blogger's sanity nor the existence of paranormal stuff.

What is this blog all about?  It is essentially my little spot where I can stash all my notes on a topic that's also in the realm of the paranormal: Magick.  I'm taking the liberty of using the spelling of magick with "k" to differentiate myself from the typical street magician or illusionist magics used today (as used by other references regarding the subject), and yes I am a self-proclaimed magician, as in practitioner of the "dark arts" -- although no I do not consider my art to be really dark, since I'm not particularly fond of necromancy.  I've had my training in healing magick [similar to pranic healing], and I've recently gained interest in Kabbalah, albeit only to a certain degree.  Yes I'm also into hexes, curses, infliction of pain and elemental fury and all that jazz, and frankly the coincidences between my emotional bouts and the change in weather is way too often... but even though I lack the same drive to believe the concept of karma, I'm still simply too nice a guy to bother sending deathspells here and there.

Oh and in spite of my healing magick and my spellcasting abilities, I still believe in the power of modern-day medicine, technology, and factual knowledge.

Why blog about it?  For one I tend to run out of paper, at least blogs supply me with millions of pages I could type on.  And for another, I'm also on a quest for knowledge myself; if there is anyone out there who is willing to share their views and their own knowledge on the matter, it is all the better for all of us, yes?  And finally, it's to be able to leave something behind since the Internet would likely be here even past this earthly body's lifetime; at least someone would have a good read, and if that someone had a tendency to dabble in the arts it might even be a good resource for them be it as a beginner, intermediate, or advanced learner.

What would be my references or credentials?  I'm guessing some may say it's off the top of my head -- perhaps a collection and compilation of my memories of past or my readings on magic from non-believable sources like games such as Dungeons & Dragons, since there is no physical verifiable source about the subject -- even if I said I have a vast library in the Astral Planes.  Credentials?  Well, if this was a sort of Inquisition or what not then I have none to provide since magick is an art that's been buried and thought as lost, hidden within the traditions of families and cultures, mixed into religions including Catholicism and Wicca.

This blog, if taken seriously, is only for those who really wish to read about how *I* do magick.  If you have your own style or perception towards magick -- and by that I mean real magick, not David Copperfield magic -- we'll have discussions but the discrimination that some may have towards practitioners of the arts is not to be tolerated.  After all, even if it seems fictional or false to you and to the rest of the scientific community, it doesn't mean it's the only way one should look at the world.  Science explains emotions as hormonal responses to external stimuli, but how about emotions that come from within, from memories long gone and loves long lost?  Science theorizes about the origins of the universe, but all we have are residue of things that may have happened, but not about the origins of those origins and the things that sparked the beginnings of those events.

All in all, welcome to my blogsite, wipe the dust off your feet if you wish to stay and listen, and if you think it's all gibberish, fantasy and stupidity that must be quelled, thank you for passing by, the door is THAT way.