The Essentials of Magick

by Nathaniel

  This occurs because on the path of magick, in the spiritual realm, time and space are abstract concepts, and they do not apply. I remember when I have learned it as a Reiki practitioner. I was able to send energies over the oceans, and send them into my past and my future, and apply this technique for others. At some point of life, I recall I felt an intense peace after great emotional trauma, only to recall this when few years later I was sending Reiki to that particular event. Time and space hold no boundaries in the realm of spirituality. Thus, spirits can travel long distances in a blink of an eye, and they can be present in many places at the same time, and discuss different things with different people.

  Thus, everyone can contact gods, deities, or Angels whenever he or she wants, as long as your intentions and motives are clear, and the safety rules are applied.

  Some spirits can physically interact with the physical world. The phenomena of poltergeist, a noisy ghost, is a well-known example of such happening. Why and how this interaction happens, it is unknown, but physical manifestation and manipulation of the physical world is possible through magical and spiritual means. This is another thing to keep in mind and watch out for – you don't want a ravaging spirit to throw something physical at you.

  But what if you want the spirit to stay - and what if you really want to talk with the entity? Communication with entities is based on magical sensitivity – just like you receive messages through your subtle senses, you can send messages out through your subtle senses. I will explain communication later on. For now, keep in mind – that if you wish the spirit to stay, then you have to trust him, recognize him and be sure that this is the spirit you think it is. Then, everything depends on your path – what is it that your tradition do with spirits – how does this tradition work with them, worship them, ask them for help, or help them.

  Ask yourself – "do I really know what may happen if I allow the spirit to stay?" Things may happen – and one of these things is the need of exchange.

  The Universal Law of Exchange

  There is another magical law which you should learn about – it's the law of exchange. It's quite simple: if you give, then you must also take. If you take, then you must also give. In case of magick, this law operates on few levels. First of all, it tells you that sometimes you have to pay a price for your magical activities. This may require a lot of sacrifices – you may need to sacrifice your hobby, friends, family or just money. On another level, this law says that if you want something from the spirit, then this spirit may want something from you.

  Making a deal with a spirit: "You give me one thing, and I give you another in return" is more like signing up a contract with your own blood. If you don't keep up your end of the bargain, the spirit may take on his revenge, and it may take what he earned. This is something you need to keep in mind, no matter what kind of spirit you deal with – even the Light Beings may wish you to offer something in return, for example, they may wish you to pass on the knowledge, or help other people. But especially, you need to be careful when dealing with gods and deities and similar entities.

  The folk tale of Rumplestiltskin is a clever and accurate descriptions of the law of exchange. If you make a deal with magical forces, then you will have to pay for it. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

  While some part of magical work is based on manipulation of energies, some other part is based on work with spirits. In the first case, we control the energies. In that second case, we ask spirits to perform a task for us. Very few spirits do this for free, and most spirits consider it as a form of exchange, and they want something in return. This is something that you must remember if you deal with magick. Don't trust every single spirit you meet. Remember that your intuition is your greatest ally. If you believe something is not all right when it comes to the spirit, then be careful. Whenever a spirit offers you something, think about what you may have to offer in return. Sometimes the price is not worth it.

  Look into mythologies of the world – these stories are full of malicious spirits. These beings are everywhere. This should persuade you to be a bit more careful when dealing with magick. Don't get paranoid, but don't think that the world of spirits is nice and pleasant.

  The law of exchange is not really the law of Karma because Karma is a complex Hindu concept – on the other hand, the law of return is common for many magical traditions. Still, the law of exchange works in every part of the world and in almost all magical traditions. When you take, you may be required to give back.

  Respect the Spirits

  It is wise to know that some entities do not like human, and there are some places - mainly mountains, woods or caves - in which human presence is prohibited. It is important to understand that we, as humans, are not the rulers of this World, we just live here. This planet doesn't belong to us, and there are some places to which we have no claim if we have a claim to any land at all. You should avoid such places. There might be holy mountains or sacred woods, there might be taboo grounds, rivers and caves, all inhabited by spirits, deities and entities of a different sort. It is polite and honorable not to visit such places if you're not allowed to do so. Some places are holy, and they can be visited by people who are holy. Some places are meant only for practitioners of specific paths. Some places are meant for those under spirit protection. Some places are meant for no human at all. Respect this - respect the spirits, and the deities, and finally, practitioners of some traditions.

  It reminds me about a great place of power, the Mount Sleza in Lower Silesia district, Poland, near Wroclaw city. In the old days, Mount Sleza was a place of Celtic and Slavic cults, and later on it was dominated by Christian culture when a church was build on the top of the mountain. Today, the top of Mount Sleza is ruled by a large communication tower with numbers of antennas. Yet, the old spirits still live there. Today, Mount Sleza is perceived as a holy place by many people, and the representants of many spiritual communities - mainly pagan, but also by practitioners of different New Age paths. It is also liked by some Reiki practitioners, who practice meditations and initiations there. This is where another New Age problem is present - those New Age followers and Reiki practitioners failed to consult local experts like shamans or witches - because the truth is that Mount Sleza spirits do not like neither Reiki nor New Age "vibrations of peace and love" - thus, these spirits can cause troubles to people who work with these energies on the top of the mountain.

  You might learn about such places from local tales and gossips, or a member of specific spiritual community might inform you about such place.

  This is another advice for you - wherever you live, consult those who are more experienced than you about places of power or sacred sites, which might be off-limits for you. And if you travel a lot in order to seek spiritual or magical teachings, consult local experts, as well. In many cases, it will save you a lot of magical troubles in the future.

  Communication With Spirits

  Just like you can use your magical senses to perceive energies and entities, in the similar manner you can use these senses to communicate with entities. When it comes to communication with spirits, there are few ways to keep in mind – things related to communication, summoning, self-defense and channelings. Let's start with that first thing.

  How to Communicate with Spirits

  How to communicate with spirits? The entire communication with the world beyond is based on magical senses – clairaudience, clairvoyance, or simple "knowing things" are the gates of communication. When I communicate with entities – whether they're my spirit guardians, or angels, or nature spirits, I do all of this in my mind. My senses are attuned to the communication – I intend to communicate with the specific spirit. And just like I sense energies and perceive entities through clairvoyance, I know what the spirits tell me.

  This is it – instead of allowing the spirit to speak through you, which is quite dangerous, you simple intend to hear the messages from spirits. And when you're sensitive enough, and this develops as you pract
ice magick – you're capable of hearing the messages (clairaudience), or simple knowing them. The best advice, which can be given here, is that you should not use your analytic mind to receive the messages, but rather, you should listen to your heart. The very first message that comes to your mind after asking a question or intending to receive advice is the message from an intended spirit.

  Often, the communication with entities is similar to normal conversation – you ask a question, and you receive the answer; or the spirit may ask a question, and you should answer it. Don't be afraid to run such normal conversation.

  Summoning Spirits – Things To Watch Out For

  One of the things that you should not try is the summoning of spirits. Summoning is often called "evocation" in case of magick. Summoning of ghosts is a fun way to spend time by kids, teenagers and adults. Yet rarely anyone considers it something more than a way to have fun. But in reality, summoning is a dangerous magical ritual which is quite real.

  The biggest problem is that in most cases, something really is summoned. Just it's not really the ghost people intend to summon. Spirits can deceive you, and they can pretend to be someone or something else. Once again, most of these entities seek easy prey, and those people who play with summoning are such easy prey to feed upon or to become puppets in some greater agenda of the entity. Know something that has been said to me by an experienced magus – the world beyond the veil (the realm of spirits) is full of entities that want a way back to the realm of man. And they may use the summoning rites to enter someone's body.

  Organizing seances or "Ouija evenings" is nothing more than a magical ritual, which – if performed by amateurs or weak magick practitioners, might quickly turn to be the most terrorizing night of your life. Remember – energy follow thoughts, and magick is based on intention. A simple game of Ouija might turn to be a serious work with real magical effects.

  But even if the summoning rite is not performed, summoning can be accomplished on another level. Speaking the name of the entity attracts it – it's a general law of magick that applies to all schools. As you should understand by now, it's because of intention and the fact that thoughts control energies and energies follow thoughts. Generally, names of the spirits attract them, and charm or spell formulas really work – that is why when it is not needed, then such "words of power" are not used. If you don't need to, do not speak the name of the spirit, or you may end up summoning it.

  Another level of summoning is based on the emotions – work with positive practices and energies, and you may attract positive light beings or nature spirits. But work with black magick or dark practices, and you may attract negative, dangerous entities.

  Because of all of this, magical self-defense is important. In the final chapter of this book, you will learn about magical self-defense in a wide degree. For now, remember – regular magical cleansing, grounding and patience, are your best friends on the path of magick.

  Another issue related to summoning is the aspect of consciously inviting the entity. Never, ever invite the spirit in. A destructive spirit once invited will be difficult to get rid of. A serious magical work might be required to free you from the spirit's influence. Old legends often says that you should be careful about inviting people into your home because evil spirits might be disguised as people in need. Once a spirit is invited, it can cause mayhem. If an entity approach you, do not agree to anything if you're not sure about it. And never invite the entity to remain in your life.

  The Danger of Invocation

  When it comes to inviting spirits in, there is a subject of invocation which must be explained a bit further. An invocation is a form of summoning spirits to channel messages. While evocation is a process of summoning spirits to stand in front of you, the invocation is a process of summoning spirits and inviting them to enter your body – to take over your body in order to pass their messages or to perform other tasks that require physicality. This experience is common for the practice of shamans, and it is present in many worship practices around the world. But the popularity of this practice does not mean it is safe.

  On the contrary – once the spirit is invited in, it's difficult to get rid of. Shamans and experienced practitioners know which spirits can be allowed to enter, and which cannot be allowed to do so. And more than that, experienced magick practitioners know how to get rid of the spirits that are not willing to leave the body. Beginners lack these skills. This is why, if you're a beginner, you should not practice any form of invocation – leave it for those who are experienced enough to do so.

  And this matter goes further into the problem of modern channelings.

  The Dangers of Channelings

  Channeling is the process of using magical abilities to channel messages – from spirits and entities to people. This process is quite popular among New Age followers, but in reality, it's a very dangerous process, and if you're on the beginning of your path, you should stay away from channelings. Right now, I'm about to explain why because this is an essential element of your safety on the path of magick. But we have to start with explaining why people are so interested in channelings. There are at least two reasons:

  First, some people lack high self-assessment. If they deal with magick, entities perceive these people as an easy prey – these people can be easily manipulated into believing that they are so special that this particular entity decided to communicate with them and share its wisdom with them.

  Second, a lot of people believe that every single spiritual entity is wiser than people. But it's not always the case. A lot of entities aren't wiser, just smart. Smart enough to tell people what they want to hear. Thus, any kind of spiritual fairy tale can be channeled so people will listen.

  In the end – people listen to spiritual wisdom that is rarely original or wise at all. What most entities really want is food – life force, upon which the entities feed. The more followers of the person who performs the channelings, the more listeners to the entity there are. When people open themselves for this channeled messages, the channel is ready – for the life force of the listeners to flow to the entity and make it stronger. It's all about food, from our perspective, really.

  What I've learned in the past years of spiritual development is that true spiritual entities that are wise and good almost never wish to pass a message to the entire human kind. They often have messages and spiritual tips for you and you only but never for all mankind. If an entity wish to channel a message for the benefit of all people, you should stay on alert.

  There is nothing original in modern channeling – nothing new, and nothing that you can't find in ancient texts or medieval books on magick. There's no point in risking becoming a life force donor.

  Entities might be more interested in you and your life force with time – the more you work with magick, the more energy you have, you're just stronger. And such parasite entities look for strong donors who can provide them with more amounts of energy. But in New Age circles, it's a bit different – entities look for people who have the best chance in becoming a popular author or speaker, who can gather the bigger number of followers. Thus, whether you walk the path of magick or spirituality, you must be careful when it comes to communication with spirits. They can create illusions; they can tempt you; they can tell you things you want to hear – and all of this so you open yourself more to them until it's too late.

  Never, ever invite the entity inside your house or inside yourself if you lack skills, knowledge, experience and intuition. Not everything is what it seems to be when it comes to magick and spiritual entities, and you must be careful. Once the invitation is on, it's difficult to get rid of the entity.

  We have reached the end of the Book of Spirits. You have learned about basic types of spirits, and about basic aspects of communication and safety rules. Now, it is time to learn more about the tools of the trade that might come in handy on your magical path.

  Chapter Endnotes

  57 Avalokitesvara – a Bodhisattva from Buddhist traditi
on. He is a Boddhisattva of compassion.

  58 Know that depending on the source the pronunciation and names themselves may vary. Other books may speak of the same gods and deities by under slightly different names. The most accurate names would be those found in the scientific works.

  59 Bruce, p. 5

  60 Greer, p. 145

  The Book of Tools

  I'm sure that you're familiar that there are many magical and spiritual schools in the world – you've seen photos, movies, you've read books and such. Probably the most common thing you've seen or read about are the physical objects of a different sort – burning candles, magical books, the smoke of the incense filling the room, wicked items hanging on the necks of a witch. These are the things that Hollywood and book' authors fill our mind with. I might have forgotten about a black cat, but besides that, all of the things that pop-culture feeds us with is quite normal for all schools of magick. Cursed objects, sacred objects; items filled with powerful magick; talismans and amulets; candles and sources of an open flame; aromatic herbs filling the room with mystic smoke – in reality, all these objects have real magical effects – why and how, each tradition and the path have its own explanations. But there are some essential objects of magical effect, which are used in every tradition. These objects require some explanation as they shape the essentials of magick.

  In this chapter, the basic tools of the magical trade will be explained. And we will start with the element of air, and the spirits of the smoke. Incenses and smoke – those are popular elements of many magical traditions.