What is magic?
Magic – changing consciousness at will, to realize particular goals; although practically used from beginnings of human culture, today is suppressed on collective margin and burdened with negative meanings.
Goal of magic rituals is influence on subconscious patterns, change of perception and improving quality of life. Difference between magic and other techniques changing subconscious patterns is notion that worldview is mostly subjective, its change influences behavior of environment and «external events». Magician develops control of his/her existential experience until there is not anything «objective» outside his/her control.
These are the simplest and the oldest magic traditions known around the world. Sympathetic magic techniques are based on simple notion of «attractiveness of the same»; first earned dollar as lucky omen which will create fortune, owning an object of person you want to attract etc. Antipathetic magic has the opposite notion of «attractiveness of the opposite» – for example, «death bears life», frequent antipathetic notion which created sacrificial rites for survival, reproduction and fertility.
All magic rituals want to create large from small; small sacrifice or investment of mental energy will create desired goal.
How efficient simple magic practices are?
In reality a little, although simple enough to identify consciousness with desired goal, they don't penetrate in subconscious deeply enough to cause change.
Cabala is ancient Jewish esoteric worldview based on deeper interpretation of Torah (first five-book of Old Covenant). It was exclusively orally transmitted until III century, when Sefer Jetzirah (Book of Creation) was written, interpreting creation through mystic symbolism of ten numbers (1-10) and 22 Hebrew letters. Further development of Cabala as teaching continues in Spanish Jewish community, where in XII century Sefer ha-zohar (Book of Plentitude) emerges and when for the first time symbol of Tree of life is defined.
Cabala became basis of western mysticism thanks to British magicians Dion Fortune (1890-1946), Aleister Crowley (1875-1047) and Israel Regardie (1907-1985), who used Tree of Life symbol as mean of practical magic. After them Cabala was not secret Jewish teaching any more, and new era of understanding cabalistic symbolic, as strong psychic motivator, free from religious background, begun.
Kabala is irony of Jewish monotheism. It glorifies God allegedly, but practically claims man as creator of the world...
Symbol of Tree of Life is taken from the Bible story of exile from paradise. God's order – «Don't touch fruits of Tree of life!» – according to Biblical transmission human couple disobeyed. Cabala sees exile from paradise as positive event and symbol for consciousness individuation.
Basis of Cabalistic rituals are archetypes and vibratory incantations of God's name; this way deep subconscious content changes toward realization of desired goal.
How efficient Cabala is?
Extremely strong and efficient, use of archetypes grounded in collective consciousness makes possible strong influence upon «objective reality».
Wicca is modern and ancient holistic worldview based upon respect of men's unity with nature and her cycles. Its root is ancient human need to ensure regular change of seasons and lessen insecurity of own dependence upon benevolence of nature, which gave life, but also took it away.
Contemporary Wicca recycles different magic traditions, from those used in culture of Old Europe, to druid and shamanistic. All have in common animistic understanding of world.
Magic and spiritual work inside Wicca happens in covens, groups of (the best) thirteen members. Rituals follow change of seasons, Moon phases or momentary group needs. For participation in coven's work ability to enter higher states of consciousness, personal and existential responsibility and readiness for personality development on material, emotional and spiritual level, are necessary.
How efficient is animistic magic in contemporary version?
Efficiency varies from coven to coven; sometimes Wicca is only cover for women's self-awareness awakening, and sometimes maturity of coven's leader is strong enough that group rituals have important results...
Slaves brought African animistic traditions to Caribbean and North and South America. On Caribbean their beliefs and magic practice were called Voodoo, and in Americas, where they were less represented, Hoodoo.
Haiti is the most famous center, where practice continuously developed; on April 10, 2003, Voodoo on Haiti got status of religion
As many other magic tradition, Voodoo is burdened with wrong image and is considered “dark” practice. In reality, Voodoo is based on trans; the goal is through rhythm, animal sacrifices, sexuality and opiates liberate as strong emotional energies as possible and focus them toward desired goal.
How efficient Voodoo rituals are?
Mean of any magic is liberated mental energy and activation of suppressed subconscious contents; group rituals are of course always stronger, mental energy of group in trans can be extremely strong.
Although Christianity considered all magic traditions as Satanism and interpreted interest for magical activity as devil’s work, there is no evidence that Satanism was practiced in organized way until XIX century…
Satanists can be divided in two groups: those who perceive Satan as real being (entity), and those who understand Satanism as metaphor for human instincts; struggle for survival and drive toward prosperity at any cost.
Satanism became public joke thanks to American Anton Szandor LaVey. He is typical product of American pop-culture of 60’s; he established Satanists Church (liberal Californian laws legalized even Satanism…), wrote “Satanist Bible”, and performed in public for thirty years, converting Christian rituals and messages.
More serious Satanists, of course, don’t work in public.
Their deepest mysteries interpret metaphor of fallen angel as human individuation from paralyzing dualism man/God and want to empower personality.
In spite of paranoia, today exist less than two hundred Satanists in world…
How efficient Satanism is in practice?
To cross the threshold of ultimate social and personal taboos is strong psychic motivator…
Term magic is archaic and burdened with negative meanings, is there any sense to use it?
No. But still there is no term to replace it. Contemporary occultists often use term psychic creativity.
Can magic ritual really improve life?
Fifty percent of life success is work, fifty percent is magic.
Is it possible to influence other person?
Of course, all is interconnected; every day we receive thousands of influences not perceived by senses, but which have constructive or destructive consequences on health and psychic condition.
Power of influence on others depends on “closeness”. You will influence stronger person you have contact with, and when contact is more intimate, influence is stronger.
Power of influence on collective consciousness depends on your perception and understanding of force lines inside collective mental field.
How to protect from magic attack?
The question itself implies weak personal integrity. We receive every day many influences which our psycho-energetic system successfully process or use to empower us. Every attack is risky; it can be efficient only if victim is not aware of happening and “feeds” aggressor.
Mental energy oriented toward us can be used… as much as somebody gives us attention (no matter with positive or negative intentions) he/she empowers us.
Key of happy, fulfilled life is strong personal integrity. Magic practice is peak of psychic maturity, stability and creativity. Fear of “negative influence” is only sign of weakness.
Ultimate weakness and psychic instability is asking someone to “protect you from attack”; there are also frauds using fears from unknown who charge “protection”…
Think! Can protection when “beggar” for small price defend frightened weakling really function?
What is the most important in magic teaching?
The most important is developing perception. It is key of successful magic practice; to understand your condition and what do you have to change in your psychic dynamics to achieve desired goal. Quality of perception divides successful magicians from unsuccessful.
Why do you write and speak in public about magic?
We rejected dozen of public appearances on theme “magic and witchcraft” etc. Is there any sense to feed journalist sensationalism?
On the other hand, we published and wrote several books transferring clear information and demystifying magic traditions.
Collective consciousness is not mature for confronting world of psychic creativity yet, but some individual are.
What is future of magic?
I think the most important is demystifying magic practice.
Time of “demons and priests” is history, potential to create world must be explained and practically adapted to contemporary worldview. There are still only theories on scientific margin, which understand reality of interconnection, collective mental field and real dimensions of human mind creative potential.
The best way today for collective enlightening of psychic potentials is practical demonstration and transference of personal experiences.
Ninoslav Safaric
March 28. 2005