The Reality and State of Magick

By Souveran of the Sachsen Freehold

 

What is magick?

Magick is life. It is the world - existence.

Magick is all. It is the patterns of energy arranged into forms that we interact with - physically and spiritually.

The magick workers of old were necessary:

- To perform magickal maintenance - correcting and restoring balances (healing),

- and to enhance our living experience - to create.

From the most basic manipulation of our environment with our hands, to the most accomplished psychic, everyone uses magick. For is it not magick that makes our bodies work? Would that not explain the enigma of life?

Sure, you can use medical terms to explain how we manage to wiggle our little finger, but the process behind it all - controlled energy - is magickal. I know people that practice magick unconsciously - they have strong wills, and things just seem to go their way. But to them, it's not magick. It's either luck or persistence - the magick is not acknowledged. It's the same with all those "systems for success" - the systems simply develop and focus your desire and will to accomplish something.

The elimination of magick from our everyday lives boils down to terminology - take a magickal process, add a mechanical trigger, give it a technical name, and presto - you have technology!

So the technology of today is only the crude mechanical manipulation of energy - of magickal forces.

This begs the question: What is real magick?

Real magick is the control and direction of energy through non-mechanical means, namely by the power of your will alone (sometimes amplified/focussed or 'filtered' by various objects). This is the way the Gods and Goddesses create. They are the epitome of will and intelligence that controls and directs. And this is the way our universe was designed to be run - though the power of will. What else would you call it when a flower blooms? Genetic coding? That's just the plan, the road that the energy follows on its way to fulfillment - the subtlest of physical direction. There is still the will of life that makes the flower bloom. Take away the life, there is no bloom, and the plant withers away.

Other than the enigma of life, if magick is all-pervasive, why don't we see more of it?

Simply because it is easier to flick a switch than it is to develop the will and ability to do something with mind-power. Especially in this day and age of instant gratification. And in order to afford the switch to flick, we must sell our time to others, therefore leaving little or no time to develop a powerful will (in the magickal sense). We become ensnared in the trap of 'modern conveniences' that we 'can't live without'.

Now, not everybody has (or had) the desire or ability to develop their will to the extent required to be completely effective. That's why the true magicians - wizards, shamans, wise-women, etc - were few and far between (and usually social outcasts). You had (have) to dedicate a major portion of your life to the pursuit. It takes a lot of work to even see your first meager results. You learned discipline and responsibility along with the knowledge of the workings of the universe. But this formula for success doesn't fit in with our current fast-paced society - we just let the scientists develop the mechanical switches, so we can keep increasing our ability to manipulate our environment at an accelerated rate. We do everything we can to enhance our creature comforts. The scientist has replaced the wizard.

But at what price?

As I said before, our existence was designed to be run by the power of our will - the right tool for the job. What happens when you don't use the right tool?

Damage occurs. You want proof? Just look at the environment. 'Nuff said.

Technology is not 'bad'. After all, Heimdal gave us our first technologies agriculture, smithing, etc. It's just that some technologies are more dangerous than others. And the wide-spread, short-sighted use of the accelerated/forced effects are devastating: Depletion of resources; filth-laden land, water and air; a society so cut-off from our roots that we are in danger of annihilating ourselves. Indiscriminate use of technology upsets the balance of Nature - on physical as well as spiritual levels.

So with the ability to effect change available to most anybody willing to buy it, the demand for wizards, shamans, wise-women etc, declined. Add the effects of demonizing anyone who still practiced the ancient arts, and you have few people willing to risk continuing the magickal arts and traditions. (Let us not forget Loki and Gullveig's efforts against us as well.)

As the situation now stands, our world is so out of balance that it would take a major change of our paradigm to restore order. The disrupted, mutated and blocked energy patterns resulting from wide-spread improper technological manipulation is a major hurdle. Any attempts to practice 'real' magick are met with sluggish, unexpected or undesirable results. It is still possible, but not nearly as effective as in times past. (Note the abilities of those who retain some vestige of our ancestor's talents - those with 'paranormal' abilities. Most results are usually inconsistent and vague - just above the odds of probability... Yet, when the focussed attention of many minds are pooled, the results can be astounding.)

But in the meantime, the Earth is suffering... The wights of Nature are being over-whelmed. The health and mental well-being of our Folk is deteriorating. We all need magick, as our dependence upon the technologies that replaced it has shown...

We need the wizards, shamans, wise women, and... the healers. Ones who have respect and reverence for the creations of the Gods. Those who care about doing things according to the Ancient Ways.