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Posted: 2002-12-15
I would like to start out by giving a bit of advice: If anywhere you have read or heard someone referring to magecraft, talk of an altar or a god, forget what you have heard. Magecraft has no ritualistic practices, and for good reason. To be a mage you rely soley upon your mind, and for that you must train it. To be aware, to feel, to hear, and to catagorize everything automatically, by reflex.
To begin with, energy is everywhere. I don't mean electricy, heat, or kinetic energy, though they are included. I refer to all energy, and in magick more is considered energy than meets the eye. Believe it or not, it can be closely related to science, though with a different view. To give you a key, when I refer to earth energy, I am either speaking of negative ions, or the chaotic force that flows through all things and connects them. This I can call earth energy because each different being, after using that energy, converts it to some other type of force. When I refer to the sky, I am speaking of positive ions. Fire is quite different, I will refer to fire in two senses. Fire that we can see which is related to the sky, and etherical fire, which requires a more in depth explanation. Last, but not least, is water. Water is neither positive nor negative in my relation to magick. Water conducts electricity, force, and energy. Therefore, to me, it is neutral. For the remainder of this article it should be considered neutral by you as well, for adaptation is key to understanding, and a very important role in magecraft.
A mage gains control over himself and his environment through his mind. His mind is also the gateway to which he will direct energies in his magickal practices. Many people like to give mental examples, things for you to imagine so you can get a grip on what it is you are doing. You must not think you are doing anything, you must know it. Therefore I will give you no excersizes to perform so you don't imagine what you are doing. That tends to give too many poeple a false sense of accomplishment, when in actuality they have done nothing. In order to properly perform a magickal act with your mind, you must feel- feel in every sense of the word. You must feel the emotion, the vibration, even the physical aspect of the energy. "What is this feeling?", some would ask. The feel of energy flowing through you is somewhat like having a sunburn. Not the burn, but the numbing tingle most people get. It is accompanied by feeling as if you have left your body in a mist and have become a second coating to your skin still occupying the same space. This is due to the fact that your mind is not only within you, but around you as well. Now, being balanced in order to perform this act, you are no longer physical. You are two seperate beings connected through lifeforce; your mind and your living shell. In order to begin, it is advised that you meditate and, while not striving to achieve a magickal act, reach this state.
Once you have accomplished this, you must create a gateway within youself using your mind. You will draw energy, the life of those around you (not all of it, just a stream, continuous and flowing) energies from the earth, the sky, thoughts, and emotions. With your now continuous stream of energy, it is required that you practice deciphering all of these energies and filtering them out. That way, when the need arises, you can draw forth one in particular while letting the rest continue in their flowing pattern. While working with energy having it constantly flowing through you is an ecstatic feeling. It gives you more vitality and increases your mental awareness. It can also be deceiving. One caution is to always be able to tell your own thoughts and feelings from another's. When you feel the energies being manipulated, as you will when some other practicioner exerts their magickal prowess, be aware of what changes occur so you will be able to tell if there is a disturbance in the balance of these energies and you can cease your connection.
Last, but not least, is the manipulation itself. When casting a "spell" it is much more complicated than just letting the thought go and waiting for the end result. You must draw forth the required energy and will it to do your bidding. Remember, energy is in a continuous flow until given purpose. Only then will it take action. On another note, the energy will not act of its own accord as some would lead you to believe. This is where the strength and endurance of your mental ability will be tested to its limit. You must exert your will and using your psychic energy (brain waves) control and manipulate the enrgy into action. Your mind must become the driving force of that energy. The energy will become your body for the duration of the spell. An adept mage will be able to do this subconciously and live out this double existence in their mind as if controlling a dream. Remember, it takes conscious thought to start this process, so a one track mind isn't the best tool in an active world such as this one.
Now, to move on to that etherical fire I spoke of earlier. Etherical fire, simply put, is the combination of one or more energies. It is easy to assume that every time you work with energy, even if it is just one certain energy, etherical fire will be created because of the mixture of your mental energy and the energy with which you are working. There is one exception to this point, when you don't use outside force at all, but sheer will and psi, as you will when linking and other tasks, you aren't using two types of energy, just one. It is the exeption to always creating etherical fire when using magick. A slight warning, you may have heard of shields once or twice in your search for knowledge in the arts. A good reason for the name etherical "fire" is that if the energies are reflected off of a shield it can burn, at least mentally, and, depending on the amount, it can be devestating.
Finally, I wish to end with a brief explanation, call it a point of view, that may help you find your way when things don't seem to... work out. I have seen this many times, especially when working with weather. I will use it as the example, when a person tries to make the wind blow. What is wind? You can't see it. You can't taste it (unless you happen by a sewage plant). So how do you make it move? Well, for starters, a lot of people fail because they try to make the wind move. All they think about is conjuring up a storm, etcetra and so forth. You always must look at the driving force behind things. Atmospheric pressure, water vapor, condensation, for lightning you must draw positive ions from the sky and make a bank of negative ions from the earth. Nothing is ever as it seems, so don't judge the book by the cover, at least take the time to read the summary on the back.
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