It came up recently
in a discussion the criticism of magicians who don't do magic. It's a
strange sort of topic. People like to point the finger despite the
three which point back at them. I myself try to point all four,
retaining the thumbs up for those who actually do the work. What I
mean to say here is, it's reasonable to criticize those who want to
be magicians but don't do magic, but often those making the criticism
fit the bill too. So we should be at pains, as magicians, to make
sure that our magic is in fact magic and that we encourage and
develop real magic when we can. Notice, I didn't say we should be at
pains to do anything to the fake magicians. We should be too busy
doing magic and being awesome to have time to become inquisitors, but
we can spend our time being awesome and powerful presences and maybe
lead others by our own gravitas towards being magicians who do magic.
Jack Parsons said in
the Book of the Antichrist:
“An
end to all authority that is not based on courage and manhood, to the
authority of lying priests, conniving judges, blackmailing police,
and An end to the servile flattery and cajolery of moods, the
coronations of mediocrities, the ascension of dolts. ”
And the Book of the
Law says:
“Despise also all
cowards; professional soldiers who dare not fight, but play; all
fools despise!”
In the first
instance we're kind of calling for the unseating of the false from
positions of power. There is a definite social commentary element but
also a mystical one. For our society to truly flourish we need those
who are rooted in strength and forcefully called to grow in the
proper manner to not only be its leaders, but also to be its people.
We need those who are fully self possessed and ready to commit to the
virtues of the heroic that flourish when we know and live in
accordance with our natures.
The second statement
is a little clearer to our purpose. Both note people whose actions
are in opposition to their natures, lying priests, black mailing
polices, soldiers at folly. In neither statement is the specific type
of individual listed important, but more the point that we see
individuals who turn from the work suited to their natures. In both
we are set against such people as they are the antithesis of Thelema.
Even for those who do not consider themselves Thelemites, this line
of thinking is necessary to magic. Thelema simply restates principles
which have been part of the Western Mystery tradition for millenia.
Most simply we can look to alchemy, and see the idea of removing the
gross detritus which hides the fine and subtle truth of a thing. We
decay the outer shell and strengthen the pure inner essence to reveal
the power of a thing.
With this line of
thinking, that removing that which is not a thing and focusing that
which is a thing we get to the true strength of the thing, and
further that we must seek this in ourselves and our society in order
to turn from failure to greatness, we can continue it to the idea
that if we're going to be magicians we need to really be magicians in
order to be successful.
This is kind of a
“duh” moment. Doing actual magic gets you further as a magician
than not doing magic does.
To look at it a
little more, we have multiple ways in which magic can operate,
multiple places from which magic takes its power. There are simple
external things, signs and names, spirits, connecting with flows of
energy, kabbalistic paths of manifestation, lots of different ways we
can externally do simple magics. Exploring more deeply we get to
points where the power and authority to do magic is strengthened as
we connect more deeply to the elements of our essential natures. Just
like the materium of our alchemy, as we decay the outer gunk around
ourselves and strengthen our essence we become a more powerful
medicine to get shit done.
Alternatively, when
we're at odds with ourselves we're fighting against our success. If
we are spending energy trying to be something that we aren't we
aren't spending energy actually accomplishing what we want to
accomplish. No one has to be a magician, but everyone should be
themselves. So if you're a magician, do magic.
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