The Principles of Magick

The Principles of Magick
by James Clair Lewis

All living things are objectively, subjectively, or unconsciously employing or misusing the principles of real Magick in their lives already. So before you begin to consciously use Magick in your life, to manefest the conditions of your desires, there are a few things that you MUST know.

First of all, you must understand the basic LAWS of Creation, the Metaphysics underlying Reality. If you do not understand how things work, then you will doom yourself to breaking yourself against them.

Second, you need to be attuned to what is happening on all planes of reality, from the physical, through the Astral & Mental to the Spiritual Plane itself. These Psychic Exercises will enable you to perceive & process knowledge, experience, & information that will be imparted to you from your Guides on the Higher Planes.

Thirdly, you must develop a wide knowledge that encompasses many Traditions & Sciences. The objectivity of careful experiment, & observation, cannot be discounted, not for a single moment. So an understanding of Buddhism is essential, and in addition to this, you need to be familiar with all that has been posted here.

Finally, you need to comprehend the nature of your own motivations. You need to free yourself from all manner of selfish desires, misconceptions, & Hidden Agendas.

Then, having gained knowledge & perception, with the understanding of the Ways of Nature, and a true insight into yourself & your motivations, you will adopt Virtue, and make yourself worthy for the practice of real Magick.

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The next step is Visualization. You must have very clear ideas about what it is, that you want to do. Being vague here, will produce vague results. Image, not only the goal, but the sort of steps leading up to the goal as well. Magick is a process, and the more concrete your vision, the more easily will the Universe conform itself to it. In prayer, we utilize the power of the emotions to stir the Divine. In Magick, we employ the power of the mind in the process of Creation.

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On the Peceptive side of the Path, we use meditation to calm the mind, so that we can see clearly. We use Psychic exercises or Yogic practices to attune ourselves to the highest planes of Reality. We study the Ancient & modern sciences to educate ourselves, & broaden our knowledge of the world. Learning to see or feel auras, to Astrally project, & read the Akashic records, all serve to break us of the habit of thinking from merely the material plane, so that our lives can expand to encompass all of Reality. Doing healing work & Karma Yoga teaches us the lessons of compassion.

All of these practices serve to build up a great reservoir of Spiritual energy within us. This is the potential energy we draw upon, when we perform Operative Magick.

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In the Far East, they speak of the Law of Karma, cause & effect. In Paganism, they speak of the Law of Three, what you do will return to you three times. Here is how it works.

When you make a decision or take an action, you set up a cause. This cause ripples out into the Universe, creating effects. These effects then ripple out into the Universe creating side-effects. These chains of causality can extend all over the world, affecting people you've never even heard of. An original cause may continue to produce effects long after you have died & reincarnated.... perhaps many times.

When a cause returns to you, it will bring along with it, all of the accumulated effects. Much of that probably will amount to nothing, but be aware that there is compound interest.

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On the Perceptive side of the Path, we learn to become sensitive to the forces of Nature, we learn to open ourselves to the Infinite, & become attuned to the Cosmic Laws of the Universe. We are also taught that all living things are One, & that we also fully partake of the nature of Divinity.

In Magick, we exert the power of Creation, using the Cosmic Laws & our accumulated Spiritual Power to manefest our designs in the world. The Divinity within us commands, and Magick proceeds forth, altering the framework of things accordingly. This is an awesome power, not to be used lightly, or for selfish purposes. The Key to its use, is your certainty of what must be. Adopt an attitude of confidence, be pro-active in all of your endeavors, and the Magick will flow....

On the Path, we first need to learn & understand the patterns of Light. Second, we need to root out the patterns of darkness within ourselves. Then, we are ready to proceed with the real operation of Magick, as conscious co-creators of the world in which we live.

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In my first 5 posts in this topic, I covered the five points of the Pentacle. In operative Magick, these are known as Condition, Motion, Order, Form, & Direction. The background study described in the first post, is the Condition required for the practice of Magick. Visualization is the quality that sets Magick into Motion. The discipline of study & practice creates the Order needed to manefest Magick. Understanding cause & effect, and the consequences of action, creates the Form of Magick. And finally, it is your attitude of certainty which is the spark that gives the Magick that you do, its Direction.

Thus, this is not merely a topic about how to employ Magick, it is also a powerful Magick spell, designed to unleash the power within you....

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A simple altar makes for the most powerful spells. Simplicity makes for clarity, and allows the mind to focus with the greatest concentration. The candle provides light, and its color should be chosen for the properties you wish to manefest. The book should be whatever you are currently studying, a book that is most dear to your Path, or be your personal Book of Shadows. The bell signals when the spell has begun, and releases the power at the end of the session.

Black candles draw in negative energies. You can use them to absorb inharmony & purify. When doing massage, a black candle will operate like a heat sink, drinking up all the junk energies that are being massaged out.
Pure, uncolored, beeswax candles have a wonderful scent, and bring about an attunement with the natural forces of the Earth.
Red candles put out a more physical energy & can be used to energize, when you are tired. Also, red candles absorb anger.
Orange candles are for grounding, & promote health.
Yellow candles induce a light-hearted mood.
Green candles are for attracting wealth.
Blue candles are very calming, & good for meditation.
Purple candles attune the mind to work with Astral & higher energies.
White candles are for purity of Spirit, devotional work, & prayer.

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The Ancients taught the Mysteries through symbols and allegory. Moreover, these symbols formed the basis of Rituals, and the construction of Temples. All of this was an illustration of the law : As Above, So Below. Thus, did they speak of the Macrocosm & the Microcosm.

The Macrocosm is the Universe. Not only the physical universe, but also all of the higher planes, principles, and Cosmic Laws, which proceed from the Divine. The Microcosm is the human being. Not just the physical body, but also the entire world within. The Microcosm is a mirror image of the Macrocosm, containing all of the qualities & powers inherent in the Macrocosm. And thus it was said that Man was made in the image of God.

The Macrocosm is revealed in the Tree of Life, which is also known as the body of Adam Kadmon, the Divine Adam. And each of the attributes of the Tree of Life, the body of Adam Kadmon, are reflected in the Microcosm, the earthly Adam. In other words, in you. This is what the Christ meant, when he said that the Kingdom of Heaven is within you.

The construction of the Ancient Temples in Egypt, India, Greece, and many other places, followed this pattern. They were laid out in a symbolic representation of the body, meaning the body of God, which is reflected in us. The Initiations were conducted in caves & vaulted chambers symbolizing the skull, & the brain cavity. True initiation into the Mysteries in not a matter of Ritual forms conducted in a Temple, (although it may happen there). True Initiation occurs inside the Mind, when it awakens to the Mysteries of Life. This is the Great Symbol.

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There is a relationship between Ceremonial Magick, and the ways that plants grow. The symbols of Magick & Mysticism are often geometric in nature, and in plants we see the repeating patterns of circles, spirals, triangles, squares, pentacles, & Stars of David. The leaves of trees can be shown to be like the mathematical representations of sonic forms. And the flow patterns of wind & water are complex progressions of a high order.

Nature employs these patterns in its unfoldment, & in all Mystical literature, we frequently see the teaching to follow the Ways of Nature. Observe the budding of growth in plants, and you will receive instruction on the methods of Spellwork. Each component of a Magick Ritual grows out from the Center, forming a cohesive whole, just like the petals of a flower. In the Hindu Yoga systems we see the various energy centers described as many petaled Lotuses, and this is no mistake. Life is a dynamic process, always unfolding, & building upon what has gone before. The same should be true in Ceremonial Magick, where each new spell should be treated as a new sprout, budding from the parent plant. Thus, each extension of your Magick, proceeds naturally as a new phase proceeding out from the Center. And as the Ceremony is derived from the processes of Life, then the Magick done, will be imbued with Life, as well.

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Nothing harmful can affect you, unless you have created a condition in your mind for it to attach itself to you. Altering your perspective on things, changes your vibration, & then the condition cannot attach itself to you. Reality is fluid, and responds to what we put out by the ways in which we think. When people become rigid in their thinking, they bind themselves to conditions, & cannot see a way out of their suffering. Understanding how this process works is the Key by which you can learn to create the conditions of your desires.

Do not try to effect changes in the outer world, at a time when your inner world is in distress. How could that work? Magick is an act of will, but it must come from a mind that is clear & serene. The conditions that you find occuring in your life, are reflections of your most deeply held attitudes & beliefs. Attach yourself to thoughts of harmony, peace, kindness, strength, wisdom, knowledge & compassion, and these things will find a way to manefest around you in the world. Make the effort to do the inner work, and the external things will take care of themselves. That is the true power of Magick.

source: http://www.jamesclairlewis.com/pages/metaphysics/magick.html