Magic Works

I’m not a “woo-woo” Pagan. When someone tells me they can chat with their cat on the astral plane, I may be nodding politely while actually thinking they need a mental health check up. People who resort to magic for every little thing annoy me, and I secretly think that sometimes magic is just an excuse to shop. Metaphysical stores smell good and are full of pretties. I get that.

I have no interest in books of spells, in talking about candle magic or joining any of those “Spell-A-Day” e-mail lists. I’m a grump and no-fun. I acknowledge and embrace this. It might be thought from this blog that I don’t even believe in or practice magic. Yet I do.

Magic works, and if you have any sense in your head, that should scare the faery dust right out of you.

I was part of a ritual last night that involved magic that literally blew me away. It’s already achieving it’s aim and for that I’m very grateful.

Here are some things about magic that I believe are true from my experiences:

• Working with energy regularly is important. Working magic is not. You work out at the gym to get strong, but that doesn’t mean you get in ninja fights every day.

• The Gods have little to do with magic. They get annoyed when you invoke them in a spell. You wouldn’t ask Queen Elizabeth to scrub your toilet, so why would you call on a God for something as petty as a money spell?

• Magic is a human thing. It’s what humans do. It doesn’t involve the Gods, the fey, your cat or guardian angels. Therefore, magic works best when it’s based on human’s working with natural energy.

• A successful working does not equate a successful outcome. I once performed a very successful spell but failed to capitalize on it’s manifestation. Before magic, chop wood/carry water. After magic, chop wood/carry water.

• Energy matters. Where the energy comes from matters. Sometimes a group of strangers can produce a powerful amount of energy. Sometimes energy from different people doesn’t mesh well. I’ve been completely blown away and astounded by the energy produced by a small handful of Witches working in concert.

• Traditional magical teachings have a lot of value. I was a solitary eclectic for almost a decade and experimented a lot. Traditional forms worked best for me then, traditional Craft training is teaching far more than I expected now.

• Focusing on spiritual growth, values, community and character builds magical muscles you didn’t know you had. Think “wax on/wax off” from The Karate Kid. Working spells is a slow way to become an adept. Focusing on the spiritual, on your Will, on The Great Work, or whatever your tradition calls the ongoing spiritual transformation you are involved in, is the best way to become a better magician. You are the ultimate magical instrument, so being the best you can be is magically important.

Magic is a controversial subject in some Pagan communities, and the only subject in others. I subscribe to the belief that the Gods help those who help themselves. Magic is a tool humans have available to them. It should be used, and used appropriately. It should be respected because it works. When it’s not your primary goal or focus in Witchcraft, it’s quite an awe-inspiring experience. It is but one part of the whole of existence, and like anything else, shines best in it’s proper perspective.

I’ve raised cones of power before. It had always been in the form of a willing sacrifice: I raised the energy and gave it to others to use and direct. Last night, I had a cone of power “dropped” on me. It’s not an experience I would go through again without a profound need, because magic works. When you think on that short phrase, those two small words in conjunction, it gives you cause to pause. Think about it. Magic works.