The Principles of Magick

Magick is serious thing - the energy is real and powerful. Below you will find some of the principles and ethics involved in performing magick - make sure you read them before you try any sort of magick!

Firstly - what is magick?

Magick is the concentration and direction of energy towards a specific goal/desire. The energy is 'raised' through chanting, singing, dancing, playing drums or saying spells and dozens of other similar activities - this energy is called a 'cone of power'. When the Witch feels enough energy has been accumulated they release this energy to try and bring about their goal. You don't have to be a Witch to practice magick - the old lady up the street with her prayer beads can raise an impressive cone of power without intending to do magick (I don't recommend you walk up and tell her she's doing magick, though!). Many of us are doing simple magick every day and don't realise it.

Incidentally, it is generally believed that there are two types of magick - 'high' and 'low'. High magick is time consuming, greatly ritualised and ceremonial, involving huge amounts of text recited from memory, complex rites, many tools and usually magnificent, expensive costuming. High magick takes years to learn and is done purely to perform magick, not for spiritual reasons - some Witches set out to learn to do this type of magick. Low magick, however, is the variety practised by the vast majority of Witches out there - it is a much simpler, more accessible form of magick, and is extremely effective. Low magick is the variety I describe in this BOS, but you can learn to do either. Low magick is not inferior to high magick - 'high' and 'low' are just names to distinguish the two. Some people don't like 'high' and 'low', and call them 'ceremonial magick' and 'folk magick' respectively.

Is there 'black' and 'white' magick?

Magick has no 'colour', despite what people say. White magick is portrayed as the type practised by the Samantha Stevens/Sabrina Spellman Witches of the world - the kind that doesn't set out to harm anyone. Black magick is the kind attributed to Winifred, Sarah and Mary Sanderson (from the 1993 movie Hocus Pocus) - the kind of magick done by Witches that suck the life out of children and hex people and so on. For the general public, 'black' and 'white' is easier to understand than what magick really is. When I get asked whether I do black or white magick, I reply that magick isn't simply 'black and white' - I call it 'grey'. Nobody is completely pure and 'white' and nobody is completely evil and 'black' - consequently, neither is their magick. Some people find that it's easier to be known as a 'White Witch' (à la Fiona Horne) than to try and set people straight on the 'black and white' issue - I like to make it clear that this isn't how it works, but that's up to you.

There are some people out there that have been brainwashed by dodgy 'black magick' materials - they are devotees of 'dark magick', the kind that sets out to harm others. They believe that dark magick has more power than the grey magick most Witches practice - this is not true. There is no power in evil and dark magick - notice how those people that use dark, evil actions to hurt or try to hurt other people find themselves going up in flames or squashed under a house or something? The negativity they sent out comes back to bite them. Darkness and negativity will not give you power, and those people out there that use it are neither Witches nor Wiccans.

Magick versus Prayer

Paying for magick

Never ever pay anyone to write or perform magick or ritual for you, and never ever ask for payment in return for writing or performing magick or ritual. No real Witch will ever take payment for doing any kind of working for another person.

Magick for others

It's a nice thing, to do magick for someone else - perhaps you want to help them heal after an accident or an illness. It's a very positive thing, to help someone else, but you must make sure you have their permission to work magick on them and for them. If you don't have their permission, don't work magick for them anyway - just pray for them. If you can't ask their permission, then do the magick but ask Spirit to direct it for you. You could ask Spirit to take your magick to the person who is unhealthy, but also remember to say that if that person is not supposed to have this healing energy then please take it somewhere it is needed.

You must never use magick to try and inhibit someone's free will. If the person you like won't go out with you, then they've made their decision and you have no right to try and work magick to change their mind for them. If, somehow, you did manage to succeed and make them think they liked you, remember relationships that begin with one person casting a spell on the other do not end well. You'll end up in a messy break-up and also suffering the repercussions of doing magick you shouldn't have. Real Witches do not use magick to try and make people love them.

The Threefold Law

This is a very important magickal rule, also called the "Law of Three". It's so important it's found in the Wiccan Rede: "Mind the Threefold Law ye should - three times bad and three times good". It tells us that whatever energy we send out comes back to us three times over. If you send out negative energy, you will get it back in your life three times stronger than you sent it out. Conversely, if you send out positive energy you'll get three times as much good energy back in your life. Obviously, it's better to send out positive energy than negative. As Witches don't set out to harm people, this is an easy rule to live with - it 'punishes' those attempting to harm people and 'rewards' those attempting to help. Always keep this in mind when you're doing any magick - always go about getting change in a positive fashion and you'll be all right (remember, "An it harm none, do what ye will"). The Threefold Law is excellent incentive not to stray off the path and start trying to hex and curse people.

When you should and shouldn't do magick

Firstly, magick should be a last resort - do everything you can to get what you want or to resolve your issues using 'mundane' (non-magickal) methods before you turn to magick for help. You can certainly use magick to lend some extra strength to your efforts, but you must work hard at it both non-magickally and magickally - the Universe will not help you if you don't help yourself.

You should not do magick when you are angry, sick (if it can be avoided), sad, drunk or using illegal drugs. These are states of increased negativity and decreased concentration - two things not conducive to good, positive magick. Wait till you're happy and healthy.

When you do perform magick, remember that it works best when everything is 'aligned' - when the Moon phase is right, on the right day of the week, when you use the right colour correspondences, the right herbs, and so on and so forth. If you can wait until things are 'right' before you do magick, that's excellent - but if it's urgent and you can't wait until next Thursday or something, you can by all means work your magick ASAP. Some of the most powerful magick is done in time of need or at the spur of the moment.

Why magick doesn't always happen like you planned

Magick doesn't always go as planned. It doesn't always happen when you want and sometimes it doesn't seem like it happens at all. Here's a few notes on the manifestation of magick:

Magick follows the path of least resistance - it can find its own way to where it's going, and where you think it will go to work is not necessarily the best place. If you send your magickal energy down a specific path you may only slow it down on its way to where it needs to be - release your energy and let it find its own way. Your energy may work in ways you don't expect or haven't even thought of.

Large goals take a longer time a more work to bring about than smaller goals. Don't worry if it takes a bit longer than you expected and keep working at your magick. The more energy, the better.

"Do a spell, then forget it". Constantly worrying about a spell floods it with negativity - which is not useful for working magick. Don't think about your spell, if you can at all help it.

Spirit. Spirit may 'block' your magick because the result of your magick would be negative - for example, say you've done a spell to help you get a car. Spirit may know that if you were to get the car when you wanted it, you would drive dangerously and have an accident - so, Spirit may stop or delay your magick. Unfortunately, Spirit can't protect us from everything - due to the lovely thing called 'free will' - but Spirit does everything possible to help us avoid unhealthy situations. Work with Spirit and you have a good shot at avoiding a lot of troubles.

Some basic rules to follow when doing magick

"An it harm none, do what ye will".

"Mind the Threefold Law ye should - three times bad and three times good".

Never work magick to inhibit someone's free will.

Always work with the real world and the magickal world.

Do all magick in a magick circle and sacred space.

Stay away from drugs and drink responsibly.

Never threaten anyone with your magick.

Remember that what you do can affect others.

All magick should be done with the guidance of Spirit.