Just What is Magic?

Just What is Magic?

By Archie R. Whitehill



Magic and life are synonymous, or at least they should be.

Think of a seed, a simple acorn is a great example used by minds greater than mine as an example of a miracle. Try fitting a majestic tree inside an acorn. Think of two microscopic entities getting together in a mother's womb from whence springs life anew, similar, yet different from the parents. And think of the greatest miracle of all, the conscious mind.

We, with our conscious minds, often try to do magic. The uninitiated think of the television witches who wave a wand say a few words, or wiggle their noses funnily, and the house is clean or the bank account is again full. That's not magic -- it's fiction.

"Real magic," the magic practiced by Witches and other Pagans, and by all human beings for that matter, is a matter of mind. It's not so simple as merely wanting something and then it happens, but it's not so much more difficult either, if you think about it.

A book I read as a young student of about 23 (Now that was a magical age!) was Magic of Thinking Big by Dr. David J. Schwartz. I remember little of the book except a portion of the introduction. Dr. Schwartz writes that 80% of the world's wealth is owned by only 20% of the world's people. Wealth, as defined by Dr. Schwartz, was all-encompassing -- money, homes, cars, land, happiness, health, good marriage, satisfying career -- all that makes one truly happy. The difference between the "haves" and the "have-nots" was merely that the "haves" wanted what they had. That simple.

Well magic is wanting something to happen. All the ritual, the spells, the searching and the re-tries are part of the path of getting there. Often, the more effort into a spell, the better the results, although a lot depends on the practitioner.

What does all that really mean? Well, when you cast a spell, you don't just point to your bankbook, wiggle your nose and then expect to have the cash deficit replenished, do you? Of course not. You create a spell. You consciously create a magical vehicle to get what you want to be a part of your life.

Our minds first decide what format the spell should take, what materials will be needed, what words will be said, what day, what hour and what location is best for casting the spell. We then prepare ourselves, purifying ourselves with a bath and some meditation. We consecrate our materials and our tools that will be used. We focus on the spell casting itself, and then we release it into the universe. If we've done it all right, and we know wholeheartedly that what we cast the spell for is good for us and for all whom it will affect, the spell works, mostly. Of course, during this entire process, we are inwardly focusing on what the purpose of the spell is, what we want the outcome to be.

As you can see, casting a spell, performing any kind of magic, requires a certain mental dexterity. You concentrate on what the desired outcome is as you concentrate on the preparation and execution of the spell. For this reason, the concentrated mental and emotional effort involved, spells that transcend several hours or days are very often more effective than "quickie spells."

Similarly, spells and magical works using tools and materials made or gathered by the Witch will be more powerful than one using "store-bought" tools and materials. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't buy anything; it only means that you should put as much of yourself into the magical works as you are able.

What we have really done in performing magic or casting spells is to have programmed our unconscious minds with our conscious minds. We have programmed ourselves to be aware of opportunities, people and activities that will cause our spell to manifest itself from the ethereal planes into our material world. Each step in the preparation, the ritual cleansing, the consecration and the spell casting is focusing our inner selves, pointing our entire being toward the spell's goal. All that focused power is released as we say, "So mote it be."

We then return to the mundane world, sans the power that was released at our bidding. All that is left for the spell to work is for us to be aware as opportunities, people, or situations enter our vicinity that will complete the purpose of our magic.

Now that is the essence of magic, focused power at a stated goal, yet it does not have to be a spell to be magic. It can be a prayer, a wish or even a valiant attempt at something difficult. As we all know, a simple smile during a difficult situation can do magic. In any case, it is the mental and emotional state that one develops prior to and during the magical work rather than the specific magical technique that assures or demolishes magical work.



Copyright © 2001 Archie R. Whitehill