Magick and Spirit - Thoughts About the Spirit Theory of Magick

We have already discussed in great detail the nature of pagan Deity and the nature of human spirituality, and how they are linked and inseparable. We’ve also briefly discussed the magickal use of angels and demons to a practicing pagan ritual magician. What we haven’t discussed in much detail are the rest of the spirits and their use in the practice of ritual magick.

We, of course, are discussing systems of magick that would be labeled invocation and evocation, theurgia and goetia, necromancy, planetary and elemental magick. All of these systems of magick use the Spirit theory of magick, which is to say that they promote a system of causing magickal effects and phenomena through the conjuration and manipulation of various spirits. There are many methods used to perform this type of magick, and the larger body of that lore has its roots in antiquity. If you include the invocation of various gods, goddesses, demigods, legendary heroes and aspects of the higher self, then the entire spectrum of Spirit would be included in these magickal considerations, producing a very powerful operational tool in the hands of the practicing ritual magician.

Spirit magick doesn’t just use and manipulate various spiritual entities as if they were inanimate objects, it also proposes that they are distinct intelligent disembodied beings who exist in a specific time and place. Therefore, spirits are living entities that truly exist, but who may not be perceived by most of humanity. They also have a place of origin, just as do we. This place, which I call the Domain of Spirit, has dramatically changed in the minds of men over the last five hundred years. In the previous epoch, whole continents, mysterious realms underneath the earth’s crust, the ocean’s vast depths or high up in the sky beyond the clouds were places that were essentially unknown to humanity, so they were the perfect places where savants and occultists believed spirits had their residence, a veritable undiscovered country. Spirits, strange and absurd people and fabulous mythological creatures conveniently existed in these little known places. They were believed to be actual physical locations and were capable of being visited by human beings either through extraordinary adventures or supernatural assistance, or so that is how people thought in those times. 

However, in the present post modern age, all of these areas have been thoroughly explored, mapped and placed within a modern scientific context that would seem to exclude spirits, mythical lands and mythical creatures. No one who has his wits about him is searching the world today for the entrance to the underworld, the stairway or ladder to heaven or the kingdom of Prestor John. Modern occultists have found a true geography for the domain of spirit and it is called the Inner Planes. This domain is part of what I call the super-symbolic plane of exalted consciousness, where symbol, myth, legend and language merge to form a cultural matrix of belief and inner experiences, all of which is highly subjective, culturally determined, but also common to all basic human experience. Ritual magicians have direct access to this domain through the magickal process of immersion and astral projection, but indirect access through scrying.

Ritual magicians use the structures of strategic tables of correspondences and the symbolic design of glyphs, lamen and models (such as the Tree of Life, Hieroglyphic Monad, etc.) to produce an operational mechanism to define and qualify spirits within a matrix of belief, symbol and spiritual meaning. Tables containing the names and qualities of various spirits are useful for one primary purpose, to invoke or evoke these entities into something that is consciously intelligible to the ritual magician. Thus, tables of correspondences and spirit lists are an important key to the practice of conjuring spirits.

The purpose for such a magickal operation, though, has changed from the previous epoch. Do we really need to invoke or evoke spirits to help us find buried treasure, quickly transport ourselves or others to distant locations, send messages instantaneously, cure diseases, restore potency or reverse aging when there are quite a number of devices, services and products that already perform that function? Certainly, earth spirits, elemental and talismanic magick can be used to assist one in obtaining material advantages and insights that would obviously help living in the material world. However, the functional use of angels, demons, demigods and other entities is less clear, since much of what these entities can traditionally provide is already pretty well covered by a science driven technology. If we omit the various unethical purposes, such as seducing our neighbor’s wife or daughter, influencing men or women of power (for good or ill) and generally posing as some kind of arcane underworld power broker, then what is left to the original functional uses of angels and demons are the obtaining of occult wisdom and insights unavailable from any other source. This, in my opinion, is the true use for performing magick using the Spirit theory of magick. We seek occult wisdom through the intercourse with spiritual entities, and if we include their symbolic domain and seek immersion within that place, then we can also discover a kind of transformative initiation as well.

There are, then, five basic categories for the operation of spirit magick. While there could be more, I have grouped them into functional categories based upon the kind of magick that their conjuration would produce. Each functional group has a different mechanism and protocol for performing conjurations, so I have decided to group them as aspects of Godhead, Higher Self, Aligned Spirits, Unaligned Spirits and Planetary and Elemental Spirits. Each of these groups represents a completely different kind of magick and discipline to harness them. I have also ordered these entities into groups that have a higher to lower order of power and intelligence, with the bottom two tiers being roughly at about the same level. Let us examine these five groups, discussing the ritual mechanisms for conjuring them and the effect of that conjuration, keeping in mind that this is an organization that I have created as a heuristic device.

Godhead Spirits - These are the gods and goddesses of one’s pantheon or local area. There are also the elder gods of nature (sun, moon, seas, oceans, rivers, earth, etc.) as well as the gods of place and geographic location. Pantheons represent gods and goddesses that are determined by culture, language and also place of origin. Godhead Spirits may be categorized by the Qabbalistic Godhead, or not. One conjures godhead spirits in the most reverential and respectful manner, using liturgical rites and magickal rites of alignment, and these are called godhead invocations (to differentiate them from other kinds of invocations). Included in this group would be exalted demi-gods and honored ancestors. The mechanism of invocation would include paens, orisons, offerings and oblations (sacrifices). Godhead invocation causes a powerful alignment to a specific aspect or characteristic of Deity, even though that aspect of deity may or may not actually manifest.

Higher Self or Personal Godhead - An aspect of Deity that one is personally identified with, and is part of one’s religious and magickal practice. This is the God/dess Within, our own personal Atman through which all manifestations of Deity are experienced. One conjures the higher self godhead through rituals of personal alignment and godhead assumption. Performing such rites assumes that the magician is maintaining a specific personal cult of that godhead, making offerings, orisons and oblations to it, as one would do to one of the godhead spirits. The Bornless One Invocation rite and the Ordeal of Summoning the Holy Guardian Angel are variations on the personal godhead spirit. Godhead assumption, and its various analogous magickal practices, causes one to become consciously aware of the plane of Deity within oneself, producing states of divine ecstasy and the ascension and exaltation of the godhead self over the mundane self.

Aligned Spirits - These are spirits that are aligned to aspects of Deity, such as Super-Archangels (Seraphim/Cherubim), Archangels, Angels (Rulers/Choirs), and Goetic Demons and their servitors. Omitted from my workings (but not the working of others) would be the infernal hierarchy of demon princes. The mechanism for conjuring these entities would be forms of invocation and evocation, or theurgy and goetic evocation. Theurgy would use the methods of empowered incantation (different than godhead invocation) through the associated spiritual matrix, beginning with the Qabbalistic Godhead and proceeding down the hierarchy. The technique that I use for this kind of invocation is to define and express the symbolic matrix that defines the aligned spirit and its specific inner planes domain, and then to use the offerings of sacramental bread and wine as a replacement for the bloody sacrifice, to quicken the spirit into manifestation. For the Goetic Demon, I would use the power of the godhead and angelic hierarchy (along with the HGA or Bornless One, if available), and would include the added ritual actions of constraining (constrictio) and binding (ligatio). The conjuration of Aligned Spirits would be performed principally for the purpose of acquiring occult knowledge, wisdom or illumination through transformative initiation and inter-spiritual dialogue (intercourse).

Non-Aligned Spirits - These are spirits that have no specific alignment to any Deity, and would include various earth spirits, fetches, lesser ancestors, ghosts or shades of the dead, unnamed entities associated with a specific place or geographic features. We could also include other such spirits, like the Angelic Watchers or the Nephilim (watchers who fell to earth and mated with women).  Some of these spirits are manufactured by the magician (certain types of fetches) while others are natural to place and location (or time and place, such as lesser ancestors or ghosts), or simply non-aligned to the powers of light and darkness.  These entities, if they are not generated, respond to a combination of flattery, offerings and coercion. One would use these mechanisms in the conjuring of such spirits, such as using incantations and descriptive invocations to flatter and charm, offerings to powerfully attract and then constraining and binding spells to force them into a position of servitude and cooperation. Non-Aligned Spirits are used for various lesser types of magick, such as divination, necromancy, cursing, magickally coercing commoners or mundane folk, or the finding of things lost or stolen. Angelic watchers would probably not be constrained or bound, but could be summoned, charmed and bribed with offerings. Entities like fetches, some of which are created, have other mechanisms used to formulate, engender and empower them, and then given simple objectives to fulfill. Such entities need to be cared for as if they were human children, requiring frequent periodic feeding and direction. Fetches such as these usually reside in some kind of container (bottle or wine skin) or in magick doll or manikin. They can also assume the form of a small pet (dog, bird, pig or cat, etc.).

Planetary and Elemental Spirits - These are specific entities associated with the seven planets, twelve signs of the zodiac or the four elements. Included within this group would be the Olympian Spirits, non-angelic Planetary Intelligences, non-angelic Zodiacal Intelligences, Elementals, Binary-Planetary Intelligences (Bonarum), and the Talismanic Elementals (Enochian Seniors). Elementals are not be confused with the earth spirits of the same name, since they are actually the Enochian Elementals, consisting of a matrix of the four elements (analogous to the 16 court cards of the Tarot). These entities are much more archetypal than the other spirits, and more rudimentary in their expressive intelligence. These spirits are perfect for performing elemental and talismanic magick, which are magickal processes that directly impact the physical plane and affect one’s greater and lesser personal fortune. The phases of the sun and moon must be carefully considered when working magick with these entities, and locking in auspicious aspects of the lunar cycle (moon sign/house, lunation type, lunar mansion) as well as the sun (zodiacal sun sign and solar season) have a powerful bearing on this kind of magick.

Techniques of invocation common to all of the five spirit groupings use the energy structures of the magnetic vortex and the western underworld gateway, as well as incantations (words of power), symbolic qualifiers (invoking through a matrix) and the assumption of higher states of consciousness (psychic, subtle or causal). The magnetic vortex and western gateway establish the internal temple mystery domain of the spirit, and the symbolic qualifiers define the qualities of that specific domain of Spirit. In addition, one can also use sigils, characters, amulets, incense, various tools and offerings (wine, bread, milk, honey, barley and oil). Techniques of invocation would also include immersion, sacramental quickening, astral projection and scrying, as well as involving arduous periods beforehand for atonement, fasting and purification.

Frater Barrabbas

Further Magical Musings - Ritual Magic and Magical Power

We have been talking about the theories of magic and various perspectives on magical powers and how they can be developed and defined. I would like to continue this conversation and get a bit deeper into this topic. I would like to share with you some of my creations and perspectives about magical power. In addition, we will also need to talk a bit about altered states of consciousness and symbols of transformation. This will bring some elements of the psychological theory of magic into our discussions. We will also bring an element of the spirit theory of magic into our discussion when we examine the practice of performing magic while under the influence of godhead assumption.


Introduction

We talked about raising energy and the differences between the cone of power and the vortex. We also discussed how defining and shaping the energy can make it more effective. We covered the topics of imprinting the power, creating a magical link and exteriorizing that power once its qualified. However, I omitted a few other points that we should also go over, since they also greatly contribute to the effect of the magic where the energy model is used. These additional topics are using altered states of consciousness, symbols of transformation, and assuming a godhead. Discussing these topics will bring into our discussion on the energy model concepts borrowed from the spirit and psychology models.

As I have said previously, witchcraft magic is a hybrid system and it incorporates all three of the models of energy, spirit and psychology into its methodology. There are traditions of magic that use the energy model exclusively, such as Hoodoo and certain forms of ceremonial magic, where all considerations of spirit and deity are not relevant. Likewise there are traditions that use only the spirit model and/or the psychology model.

A pure energy model methodology of magic would stipulate that performing specific operations or mixing together certain elements at certain times and using them in a specific manner would be all that is required in order to successfully work magic. However, in a hybrid system such as this, altered states of conscious and aspects of the deity are employed in the magic, so we will need to cover them in this article.


Altered States of Consciousness & Mind Control

Altered states of conscious, as used in magic, is just a term that means controlling the mind. How is this done? It’s done through various forms of meditation, known categorically as asana, pranayama, mantra and mandala yoga. (These four systems of yoga loosely cover the areas of physical posture, breathing, hearing and seeing, respectively. All four areas used together allow the mind to be completely detached and unfocused from its usual activity.) You might ask why are these eastern systems of yoga employed in a western magical tradition? Isn’t there a more suitable western methodology?

There are alternative techniques in the western religious traditions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, but these are steeped in the religious beliefs and theologies of their respective creeds. There undoubtably were techniques that were used in the pagan mysteries, but they have been either lost or incorporated into Christianity. What we use today represents the eastern traditional techniques of meditation and contemplation with all the theological underpinnings stripped away. There is also some strong evidence that these systems so deployed are similar to what the ancient shamans employed for their practice, so they represent the most simplistic and essential approach to controlling the mind.

Asana yoga is the technique of learning to sit in a comfortable posture that allows one to maintain this position for long periods of time without either succumbing to bodily fatigue or being too comfortable and falling asleep. Sitting cross-legged is probably the most basic asana, but there are others as well that assist one in stretching and maintaining bodily flexibility. Choreographed dance or free form dance could be another way of maintaining personal balance - such as the iterative dancing of the Sufi zikkar.

Pranayama yoga is the technique of controlling breathing, either by counting one’s breaths or controlling the interval of inhalation and exhalation. It can be slow and gentle like breathing during sleep or rest, or forceful, like forms of hyper-ventilation. Controlling the breath also controls the associated mental state that one is experiencing. This is probably due to the fact that breath determines the amount of oxygen introduced into the brain through the blood, and it also changes the focus of the mind to be centered exclusively on a specific bodily function.

Mantra yoga is the technique of intoning words or phrases repetitively, using the entire contents of air in the lungs to do so. Mantra yoga incorporates a kind of quick and deep inhalation so the cycle of mantric intoning is only briefly interrupted. The tone of the voice is also vibrated into the nasal passages and can go from being quite loud to a soft and internalized vibrating. Mantra yoga effectiveness has to do with the cyclic vibration of the nasal passages, which seems to stimulate the frontal lobes of the brain, causing a marked change in consciousness.

Mandala yoga is the technique of staring at a diagram or visually ambiguous pattern for long periods of time, where the focus of the mind is exclusively on the visual image of the pattern. Mandala yoga can also greatly alter the mind, although it is typically used to foster trance states, which are also very useful to the practice of magic.

In addition, the practitioner may also concentrate on a spiritual concept or ideal using breath control, mantra and mandala yoga together to create a very deep altered state of consciousness. In this state, one passively notes the various associations and thoughts that occur in conjunction with the spiritual concept, but without analyzing or examining them; just passively being aware of them. This technique is called contemplation, and it is used to concentrate on spiritual concepts within a deep meditative mind state. The purpose of this state is for searching the soul for inner revelations and insights.

All of these above techniques can be used individually or together to build a powerful system of meditation, which will enable the magical practitioner to enhance and greatly increase the effects of working magic. You can work magic without using any of these mind control techniques, but experience has shown me that the magic is typically less intense and effective. So I include them in my repertoire of practices, whether I work alone or with others.

The reason that these mind control techniques make magic more effective is that they foster a powerful altered state of consciousness, where the “as if” propositions of magic seem quite real. Trance and meditative states of consciousness also open the door on the deep inner self and allow communication between the conscious and unconscious minds. It is for this reason that altered states of consciousness are considered one of the most important elements in performing effective magical rituals. However, the mind state is only one of the elements, and by itself will not generate magical effects.


(The next two sections are distilled from my book “Disciple’s Guide to Ritual Magick”.)

Symbols of Transformation

If the adoption of a powerful altered state of consciousness is considered the foundation for practicing ritual magic, then the trigger or operator for magic is discovered in the symbols of transformation. The most effective type of meditation is where the meditator focuses on a religious Mandela or contemplates on religious ideals or concepts, and correspondingly, the most effective magic is where religious images or concepts are used.

This is because religious iconography and ideals are steeped in symbols of transformation and these act as triggers when a corresponding altered state of consciousness is adopted. The combination of a deep altered state of consciousness with a symbol of transformation unlocks the deepest aspect of the spiritual self and makes it powerfully available to the conscious mind. Symbols of transformation used during the adoption of an altered state of conscious together precipitate the transformation of consciousness, which is an important objective for any magical ritual working.

In the most basic forms of magic, there are six different categories for the symbols of transformation. These are: the point, line, circle, triangle, cross and the star. These geometric forms may seem very rudimentary, and indeed they are, but they also contain basic philosophical meanings and psychological effects that are powerfully meaningful and significant to the unconscious mind. Most religious symbols and iconography use a combination of these forms to produce sacred symbology and iconography, and they are rarely seen in their more simplistic forms.

Point represents an event, a position, a definition, a quality of self.

Line represents a relationship between self and other, the conduit which exists between heaven and earth or the place of spirit and the place of matter. A line connects as well as divides and it can denote direction.

Circle symbolizes a domain, a world, and a point within a circle symbolizes location. Two spaces are delineated by the circle, and these are inner space and outer space.

Triangle is a symbol of the nature of spirit (Deity), which represents the fusion of self and other, creating union; so the triangle symbolizes union. A triangle is also a gateway. It’s also the definition of a plane (three points) and a symbol of the three dimensions for objects that exist in space (reality).

Cross represents the intersection of two lines, dividing space into four quadrants, symbolizing the four Elements, the four directions and the four seasons. The cross also symbolizes the joining of heaven and earth, feminine and masculine, light and darkness, to produce the manifestation of earth and all that it contains. The cross, like the triangle, can assume many variations that augment and extend its basic meaning and effect. The cross and triangle are used extensively in religious iconography, both in the East and the West.

Star is a symbol of transformation itself, where the self is opened up like a flower to behold the full awareness of Spirit in Self. The star assumes many forms, and each one has its own symbolic qualities. Examples of the star are the pentagram, hexagram, septagram, octagram, eneagram, decagram, undecigram and the duodecagram. There could be numerous others, but once a star has more than ten points, it becomes less distinguishable, and therefore, less significant.

One could also categorize colors, sounds, scents - all things of the senses, and these, added to the basic symbols of transformation would be used to formulate icons, talismans, amulets and other symbols of magical power. The use of such a device would cause powerful alterations in the nature of an altered state of consciousness, which is their purpose. They are used in rituals as tools, ritual structures, devices, formulas, incantations, and contemplative mandalas. The key point is to powerfully impact this altered state of consciousness so that one’s higher self or spirit is drawn down into one’s conscious world and where the self is completely immersed within the domain of Spirit. This is the point where magic becomes capable of bending and transforming one’s physical reality - making the potential for the miraculous a probable outcome.

This is a representation of how the Psychological model of magic would be used, drawing altered states of consciousness and expanding them with the magical devices and constructions that function as symbols of transformation. So we have the energy model of magic, and the psychological model, and there is also the need to consider the spirit model of magic as well, although that model uses the construct of the personal godhead instead of actually invoking external spirits.


Alignment and Godhead Assumption

I practice ritual magic through the guise of my personal Deity, and all that I do is colored by that assumption. What that means is that the assumption of the godhead rite is the prime ritual in my repertoire. Included are devotions, invocations, communion, and focused contemplation on that aspect of Deity and its image or imago. I can have statues of my godhead, where its spirit can reside, and I can also attempt to psychologically and spiritually become one with the Deity both in my spiritual liturgies and my magical practices. Why is this a part of the magic that I work? What is the function of assuming a godhead in the practice of ritual magic?

These are good questions, and the answer is that godhead assumption is fundamental to the type of ritual magic that I work, but it is not important to many other forms of ceremonial and religious magic. To assume the godhead is rather heretical to most forms or religion, with perhaps the exception of some forms of earth-based spirituality, most notably, Wicca and Neopaganism. If the purpose of ritual magic is to ultimately become one with the godhead, then what better way could one adopt than performing a ritual to assume the godhead? What this represents is a spiritual discipline incorporated within the magical discipline of practicing ritual magic.

A spiritual discipline within one’s practice of magic is a very unusual concept, and some magicians do not even feel that it is important and discard it as superfluous, seeking to reap the rewards of practicing magic without any spiritual considerations. To practice magic is to engage one’s spirit as the elements of higher consciousness, whether one realizes that fact or not. Therefore, a spiritual discipline involves the Self and its relationship to Deity, and includes spiritual exercises and even magickal rites that define and amplify that relationship. A spiritual discipline will enhance a magician’s ritual magic because it will cause the elements of higher consciousness that are engaged in the magic to be more intense and evolved, pushing the realizations from the psychic level of consciousness to the subtle, and even the causal.

A magician must develop a personal religious cult of one’s self as God, and perform within it as its priest, congregation and corporeal representative. As this relationship between Deity and magician is developed, the magician begins to become more profoundly altered and begins to assume more conscious aspects of one’s own spirit. The rites of alignment are particularly those that a magician practices and develops in order to facilitate a closer and immanent relationship with the nature of one’s Godhead, or God/dess within. So invocation, communion, devotion and assumption are the rituals of a spiritual discipline that are assiduously practiced by the ritual magician. A ritual magician would also perform meditations and contemplations on the nature of that Deity, which would change and evolve over time. Therefore, one can see that the merging of a magical and spiritual discipline represents the integral approach to the practice of ritual magick.

A magician is able, over time, to determine personal destiny. This is an evolving process, and one that is not usually answered with any immediacy. In order to know one’s destiny, magicians are compelled to know and define themselves, not in any tangible way, but only in a spiritual manner. So a magician must develop a spiritual identity even before beginning to realize what must be done for one’s life vocation.

Developing a spiritual identity is something that lies within both the magickal and spiritual discipline of the magician, and occurs through the process of gaining a greater perspective by realizing one’s spiritual dimension. This can only occur through an iterative exposure to magickal phenomena, and the immersion and transformation of the magician’s conscious mind by the powers and insights revealed through one’s spirit. What is progressively revealed is the magician’s higher self, and it is through this aspect that one realizes the inner truth to one’s self.

To foster this process, the magician will adopt a magical persona and identity that will link to one’s perspective of Deity, becoming an important part of a spiritual discipline and a personal religious cult. As time progresses, and the magician continues to assiduously practice ritual magic, that magical persona or identity will go through many changes and alterations, and eventually, it will become the vehicle for the higher self to manifest and superimpose itself over one’s being. Once magicians know themselves, then they can understand all that one has undergone as a preparation for that moment, so aiding the magician in perceiving and realizing the role and ultimate vocation in life, which is one’s destiny.

Thus the magician has a personal religious cult representing one’s personal aspect of Deity, and uses this as a mechanism to empower and potently charge the magic worked with the numen of the godhead. This is a variation of the Spirit model of magic, and it is used to empower the self and one’s magic, since it is through the godhead that all ritual is so executed.

Frater Barrabbas Tiresius

Magical Musings - Theories of Magic

I have been practicing magic in many forms for over 36 years, from simple earth magic to the most advanced forms of evocation. This experience has not blinded me to the basic concepts of how magic works and the nature of magical power. I have not only worked very successful magical rituals for myself, but for others as well. I have taught this regimen to students and they have met with success as well. I believe that I can, with a certain degree of confidence, make some propositions about magic, how it works, and how it can be successfully deployed. I have also been collecting some theories about magic and I have classified a few of them that I think are useful. I present them here for you to examine and judge, but I don’t believe that these musings are exhaustive or comprehensive.


Introduction

There are probably just as many ways to work magic as there are ways of cooking food. Every cook has his or her own methodology, from the ingredients used to the techniques of preparing and presentation. Every locale in our world has its own recipes and its own spices and seasonings. Cooking is both an art and a science - but not necessarily an exact science. All this is true of magic as well. Magic is determined by the culture and the time that it was developed and used. There are old traditional recipes and there are traditional magical applications, new haute cuisine and cutting edge forms of high magick. There are a number of different schools of cooking, so too, there are different schools of magic. Each school of cuisine probably has its own theories and models for cooking, too.

Like the analogy for food, there are also several different theories about magic, and all of them take a very specific model and methodology and apply it exclusively. So there is a theory of magic that is based on Spirit, another one based on Energy, and still another one based on Psychology. All of them are correct as far as they go, but all of them are limited to a single model and their associated assumptions. I would also consider them to be gross generalizations, but models are good learning devices, since they challenge and help us to accurately think about the way something really works.

We can see these models operating in how people talk about magic. Some are engaged with spirits and see magic as being a process that involves gods or goddesses, others are involved in energy and talk about magical powers. Some seem to think that magic is just a form of applied psychology, so they talk about magic as a means of positive affirmations, linguistic devices and artifices, and cathartic psycho-dramas. There are other theories about magic as well, and some of them are based on the empirical fact that magic and magical thinking are completely fantasy based, so to them magic is a false belief. Yet another theory has it that magic represents the manipulation of physical powers that are as yet unknown to science.

As witches, we believe that magic is real, but besides that, there are as many opinions about magic as there are individuals practicing it. For the sake of simplifying something that is very diverse and complex, we will look at three theories about magic, since they would aptly apply to how most witches define magic.

The first theory of magic is that magic is all about spirits and this is probably one of the oldest theories about magic. Whether they are called Gods, Goddesses, ancestors, earth spirits, fairies, angels, demons, spirit guides or any of the otherkin, they are all spirits. (They may all be categorized as spirits, but they are listed in different and mutually exclusive hierarchies in the various traditions that work with them.) A spirit theory of magic proposes that all magical phenomena are caused by the intercession and/or manipulation of spirits. A spirit theory of magic has to not only define the nature of spirits and the spirit world, but also the nature of Deity and how spirits and gods interact in the practices of magic and religion. The nature of spirits and deities are paradoxical, so we have to understand that any rules we make about spirits and their qualities are subject to being regularly altered. There is also the consideration that each of us has within us a spirit as well, and that this personal spiritual dimension has a role to play in magic and religion as well.

Witchcraft has the unusual advantage that liturgy and magical crafts blend together to form a single praxis. Devotional invocations to the gods can also be magical spells meant to cause changes in the material world. As we will see when examining the other theories, witchcraft is a hybrid, combining many theories into a blended and practical perspective.

The second theory of magic is that magic is energy. An energy theory of magic proposes that all magical phenomena are caused by the generation and/or manipulation of energy. Some aspects of this theory are quite ancient, such as when magical energy is equated with mana or the Chinese martial arts concept of chi. Indian theories of kundalini energy would also be applicable to this theory.

However, most western practitioners of magic who use the energy theory of magic tend to perceive it as an analogy for electricity. Such a model will use terms like power, forces, colored lights, polarity, resonance, vibes, intensity, bolts, sparks, wave-forms, emitting, magnetic, electric, charging, loading, short-circuiting, zapping and blasting. We have all heard these terms being used at some point in a lively discussion of magic. All of them seem to describe a very physical phenomena that is mindless and easily applied to any medium, just like turning an electrical light switch on or off.

Those who are deeply committed to the theory of magic as energy don’t realize that there isn’t any quantifiable energy in their magic. Some might speculate that the actual energy is very subtle, capable of being sensed only by those who are sensitive to it or who are operating under an altered state of consciousness. This would be like someone stating that electricity only works if you are sensitive to it and trained to perceive it. Electricity is a verifiable energy, but magical energy seems to be more like a metaphor.

The third theory of magic is that magic is a psychological phenomenon. This theory has an unfortunate corollary that magic is based on mental fantasy and doesn’t really exist. It’s just a “head trip” for those who lack any capability in the real world. One could also easily say that everything is a mental phenomena or perception, and very little is actually objective or real other than the obvious physical world.

Human nature also has a mass psychology of culture, which would be studied under the discipline of sociological psychology, and it also has the phenomenon of language, which would be studied via psycho-linguistics. All of these disciplines have as their base certain ontological qualities, such as the psychology of perception and beliefs about the self and the nature of reality. All of them can be applied to a psychological definition of magic.

Psychological magic becomes a kind of “as if” premise to build up a system of beliefs that assist individuals in becoming empowered and independent, even if they are actually neither. It’s effective in the areas of re-programming the mind through positive affirmations and undergoing transformative ordeals through ritualized psycho-drama. Magic can be seen as a linguistic phenomena or a social phenomena, but beliefs about spirits or energies are downplayed. Deities are classified as archetypes, so they can be compared and qualitatively combined. For instance: all female goddesses are represented by a single universal female goddess, etc. Or: magical powers are just rhetorical devices that have no reality whatsoever.

A psychological theory of magic can have the unfortunate effect of devaluing the energies or the quality of spirit experienced in magic. Classifying deities and qualifying them as psychological archetypes makes them less real and seem more like just psychological phenomena, which is profoundly wrong in regards to the paradoxical nature of Deity and the human experience of it. Spirits appear dynamic and real to those who so regard them, and the energy of magic also seems very potent to those who work with it. Merely judging things as nothing more than the product of the mind seems to really omit the power and reality of these phenomena. The psychological theory of magic has its limits, like all theories, and must be used sparingly and precisely. This is also true of these other theories of magic as well. They can be useful to a point, but if used excessively, they can easily produce a lot of nonsense as well.

Of course we are talking about theories and not the real world of magic. People who work magic in the Western Mystery Tradition, which includes all of the folks practicing European Witchcraft, use a combination of all three systems. So when most people talk about magic, they refer to powers, spirits and psychological transformations combined in what they do. Sometimes this can get a bit confusing, especially if one of the models is being used too aggressively. Yet a balanced approach and a degree of admitted uncertainty can help us to understand something that does not readily lend itself to being understood.


Thoughts About the Energy Theory of Magic

I previously discussed the basic premise of the energy theory of magick - where it proposes that all magical phenomena are caused by the generation and/or manipulation of energy. I now propose to engage in a deeper discussion of the energy theory of magic. Some purists believe that there is no need to exhaustively describe or develop the concept of energy, as they will say “energy is energy.” They are happy to use the “cone of power” or witches dance to raise energy to do their magical work. However, I have always found this simple use of magical energy to be quite limiting. So I have begun to deliberately classify and analyze the practices and uses of magickal energy, and I have discovered many other structures that are quite useful.

We need to start with a practical definition, so we’ll look at the simplest method of generating or raising magical power, and that is the cone of power. The cone of power is a ritual where the participants are arranged in a male and female order around the perimeter of the magic circle, holding hands, they dance with a pivoting step around the circle in the direction of the sun, or clockwise - also known as deosil. The leader stands in the center, perhaps pivoting in the same direction. As they dance around the circle, they also chant some repetitive chant and the pace quickens steadily until they are nearly running. At the climax of the dance, the leader calls them to stop, the dancing immediately ceases and all of the dancers drop to the earth as if dead. The leader gathers the still swirling energy to the center of the circle and projects it to the zenith, so forming a cone. The cone of energy is built on the polarity of male and female coven members, and the dance is the sexual chase, where the men chase the women, who in turn chase the men - always pursuing and being pursed, but never actually achieving consumation until exhaustion intervenes. One could see the cone of power as just being energy, but I would see it as a masculine energy.

Why do I think that the cone of power is a masculine energy? There are many clues and the first is that the energy generated forms an obvious phallic shaped structure. Other clues are found in way that the energy is raised. It is produced through an incremental intensification of polarity, that the energy field is first raised and brought to a plateau of intensity, and then the energy is stimulated a second time and brought to a final climax. This is an unwitting model of the masculine sexual cycle, where the end of the rite produces a kind of “ejaculation” of energy. I think that a strong case can be made that the cone of power is masculine.

The cone of power is a sun-wise spiraling energy field that moves from the earth to the sky, and sends out a bolt of energy to a specified target when it reaches a critical climax. So if we can agree that the cone of power is masculine, then what would a comparative feminine force be like? Well, I would say that it would have to be exactly the opposite in all ways.

The hypothetical feminine energy would be a magnetic, anti-sun-wise or widdershins spiraling energy that moves from the earth to below the earth, forming a vortex. (Some might consider any movement in an anti-sun-wise or widdershins direction to be evil and would avoid doing so. Of course I consider this a superstition, and that energy being neutral should be able to go one way or the other without any associated bias or prejudice.) As the cone of power is polarized along the perimeter of the circle, a vortex would be polarized with a cross-roads of opposing watchtowers, and the cardinal directions would be joined together in the center of the circle. Where the cone of power represents a kind of fission, the vortex represents fusion. The cone of power reaches a climax and sends out a bolt of energy, the vortex achieves a kind of critical mass and sends out waves of transformative energy - just like dropping a pebble into a still pool of water. A cone of power typically requires some kind of banishment after it is used, but a vortex remains in place, almost indefinitely. One would seal a vortex with a sealing spiral instead of banishing it with a banishing spiral. A vortex can be reused indefinitely and hold or contain built up energies from working to working. A vortex structure that is used over a long period of time actually develops layers within layers and becomes increasingly more powerful over time, filling the temple with a potent aura.

To recap: I believe that magical power should be perceived as having a gender. Examples of genderized powers are the cone of power used by some Witches, which has a masculine gender, and the magnetic vortex, which is feminine. There are some assumptions built into these rituals used to raise energy, such as resonance and polarity. Yet by the admission of these additional properties, there are other considerations that could be made, and indeed I have followed them to build an entire magical system on this model. However, we need to carefully define what the theory of energy is so we don’t confuse it with something that it’s not - which is a real energy like electricity.


Clarification of the Energy Theory of Magic

First of all, magical power is not a real energy. It can’t be measured by scientists and wouldn’t represent a phenomenon characterized by the electromagnetic spectrum. When magical practitioners use the word “energy” or “power”, what, then, are they actually talking about? If it’s not some kind of measurable physical energy, then it’s functioning as a metaphor, and this is what I believe it is. That’s not to say that magical power is just imaginary, since things that exist in the mind also can be powerfully projected into the physical world. Other powerful metaphors spring to mind - such as “Liberty”, “Wisdom” and “Love.”

As we have stated, there are several models used to explain the effects of magic, and energy is just one of them. So the energy theory of magic is really a metaphor used to describe the effects of experiencing of magic. What is that effect? From my firsthand knowledge it is the intensity of the magic, how meaningful it is to the participants and perhaps that it causes some kind of transformation of consciousness. Physical phenomena may occur, but even if it doesn’t, then the magic still works. It could also be said that the physical phenomena observed may not be so unusual outside of the subjective frame of reference of those who experienced it. So what we have is that magical “energy” is a metaphor for the intensity, meaningfulness and degree of conscious transformation of the experience of magic. I think that we can possibly agree on this definition.

If magical power is a metaphor, then further qualifying that metaphor with other associated values does nothing more than define it in a detailed manner. Since it’s not a real measurable energy, doing this doesn’t invalidate the nature of that energy or misinform one about its qualities. It’s a tool, and a tool that is embellished in the art of magic is one that is made more effective and potent in the mind of the wielder. Therefore, if we say that the power has a certain color, elemental quality, gender, shape, or other associations, we are building up a more detailed metaphor of that magical power and producing a more effective tool.

How do witches raise energy? They raise it from their bodies - it comes from their physical exertions and their stimulated imaginations. The raising of energy is an “as if” device, since it assumes the energy model of magic and uses it to build a powerful affirmation that affects the practitioners and their environment. Resonance is the key to the energy model of magic, and it requires that ritual activities are cyclic, iterative and of increasing intensity. What this means is that when witches dance in a circle, their activity, the chanting, pace of movements and the overall intensity incrementally increases until a climax of action is achieved.

However, raising energy isn’t the only thing that is done, since I have observed a great deal of exuberance and activity that produced little or nothing later on. I have also met individuals and groups who don’t know what to do with their magical energy once it is raised. There are definitely other components involved when using the energy model of magic other than just raising energy.

The way that raised magical energy is made more real and readily perceived is to give it greater definition. So the energy is qualified by associating it with other symbolic things, like an invoking pentagram drawn in the air, or by tools, fetishes and other means. The energy can also be shaped by the circumference of the magic circle and also by other structures incorporated into the raised energy - such as defining a center, drawing lines of force (from the four cardinal points, or the points between them), and by the direction of the flow - whether deosil or widdershins. Of course, none of these additional considerations are required, but they make the magic work more effectively. Certainly a person could cut down a tree with a sharpened stone, but a steel axe, or even a chain saw would be more effective and efficient. I have learned through experience that when magical energy is qualified, the more detail that one applies to it, the better it works.

Once the magical energy is raised, then the most important action in a simple magical working is to imprint that raised, qualified and shaped magical energy. Imprinting can be as simple as using one’s will and desire to give a direction and volition to that power, in other words, setting a target. Without a target, the magical energy has no where to go once it is released. However, it’s better to fashion some kind of symbol of the desire or target of the magic that represents a bond between the witch, the target and that which is desired to happen. Often this bond is implicit, that is, it’s implied in the nature of the desire that is the object of the magic.

For instance, if one were performing a money spell, then the need for money would be the desire used to imprint the magical energy raised, so when released, it would aid the witch in gaining that objective, money. If the target is more precisely defined, then the possible outcome will also be more focused and precise. So just imprinting the raised energy often isn’t enough to guarantee results. Something additional is needed to define the objective of the magic in a very precise manner, and that brings us to the second most important action - building the magical link.

A magical link is a way of symbolizing the object of the magic, and it can be fashioned in a myriad of forms, from a gross link (poppet with bits of hair and nail parings or a cache bag filled with different herbs) to a symbolic link (a sign, sigil or talisman drawn on parchment, or a piece of jewelry). The link represents the work that the magical energy is to perform, and the link is applied to the raised magical energy through chanting specific words, showing the link to the power, drawing the chosen sign or sigil, or placing the link in a prominent place in the circle (on an altar, in the center of the circle, affixed to a pole or stang, etc.). The mind of the practitioner also performs this imprinting by associated the raised energy with the intended purpose of the rite (setting the intention), so the imprinting is also done, too.

In our money magic example above, we might be looking for a specific kind of job or opportunity. This could be symbolized in some fashion by creating a sigil or even cutting out a specific job ad from the newspaper and drawing a pentagram on it with a green colored pen (green for U.S. money) and also one’s magical name or symbol, so it becomes personally identified (a link). This item is then held in an incense censor, charged, and then used as a magical link to help imprint the magical power. The specific job ad itself would no longer be important, because it now symbolizes a means to an end. One would chant the words “money” or other appropriate words (“opportunity”, “growth”, “security”), and perhaps display the link or even burn it in a cauldron - sending it into the air to be absorbed by the raised power.

The final action is to exteriorize the raised, qualified, shaped and imprinted energy, and this is done through a second round of resonance activity ending with an even greater climax. The energy is sent out of the circle resembling the shape through which it was formulated, and so it assumes the form of a dart or a wave, or some other geometric structure, depending on the shaping qualification that was used. Some groups perform a spiral dance, or a deosil round, others choose to go widdershins to unlock the power. All of these techniques use resonance to bring the power to final climactic finish.

The energy and its associated link is then released to do its work, but the practitioner doesn’t just sit around and hope the magic works. Instead, he or she goes out and performs all of the mundane steps required to achieve the objective, knowing that the magical spell will give greater aid and luck than what would ordinarily be experienced without it. In the case of the money spell, the witch would commence with a very rigorous job search regimen, and he or she would be open to whatever presented itself, showing the maximum level of flexibility and openness to the effect of the magic spell. Such a powerful, optimistic and relentless pursuit of one’s objective is almost certainly met with success. The magical working is only a part of the overall ambition, but its effect can be quite astonishing and seemingly miraculous.

These are some of my thoughts about magical power and how it can be used. As there are other models of magic, there are other considerations and practices that can be performed. We can also get very deep into the methodology of shaping and qualifying magical energy, too. My personal repertoire of ritual magick includes over 24 different basic energy structures, using the four watchtowers, four angles, and the three points in the center of the circle - the nadir, zenith and mid-point - eleven points in all. We will be visiting these other models in future articles and also examining other structures in the energy theory of magic.

Frater Barrabbas Tiresius