An Introduction to Magic
Frater Levavi Oculos, a member of the Golden Dawn wrote that the “Will is the grand agent of all Occult Work; its rule is all potent over the nervous system. By Will the fleeting vision is fixed upon the treacherous waves of the Astral Light, but, as it is said, you cannot pursue the Path of the Arrow until you understand the forces of the Bow.” (The Principia of Theurgia or the Higher Magic, in Flying Roll XXVII)
It is certainly true that the concept of the Will is central to many teachings and schools within the Western Magical Tradition. As far back as the 15th Century, Paracelsus (a notable physician, alchemist, and astrologer) wrote: “determined will is the beginning of all magical operations. It is because men do not perfectly imagine and believe the result, that the (occult) arts are so uncertain, while they might be perfectly certain.”
It is these words of Paracelsus that give a few more clues, written of in more detail by later occult authors, as to some of the important secrets of magical training and initiation. As well as the Will, imagination and beliefs are central to the developing the ability to perform magic. Simply desiring or wishing that magic is real is different than cultivating a belief in the reality of magic, as is developing a belief and understanding of the importance of imagination, and realising that this is a powerful psychic faculty, that when combined with the Will brings about transformation.
Imagination is utilised in various ways, including creative visualisation. Even if a physical ritual is being performed, it is via the imagination that the magical energies are stimulated and directed. Imagination isn’t simply daydreaming or fantasy. In magical work, what is imagined has a type of reality, and when combined with the will that reality will interact with the physical realm to bring about transformation.
The Will is a psychic faculty that is commonly misunderstood, often being simply associated with willpower. From a magical perspective, the Will is the faculty that transforms thought or desire into action. When the Will is combined with imagination, and the proper beliefs and understandings are present, amazing changes can be manifested in the physical world.
It is possible to learn these skills to foster positive beliefs in magic, and to develop the skills necessary to work with the imagination and Will. These concepts can be explored without the need for a complex system of cultural or historic symbolism. It is through experience and understanding the simple basic concepts that learning and magical development will take place. It is not necessary to become enslaved by external, physical props and symbolism – these things only set the scene, and are not inherently magical in and of themselves.
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The Magical Path website has various articles on occult and magical topics. Many of these articles reveal simple truths that are obscured in many modern magical books, where the focus is on external factors and hidden beneath layers of cultural or historical baggage. Magical Path offers a free series of magic lessons.
