Thoughts on Magic
What is Magic?
Do you ever ask yourself what magic really is? Over time I’ve observed the cyclic interest in things like Tarot, Healing and Magic, and over coffee this morning these were my random thoughts;
There are numerous interpretations of magic and one is that magic is focussed intent upon a desired outcome.
Another is that true magic is alchemy, with alchemy being the transformation of a substance or thing into an entirely different substance or thing.
I’ll wander on with this….
Magic Spells
A magical act or spell, is a collection of thoughts and emotions around your desired outcome that normally includes the use of specific tools. Fundamentally it is an action that you link in your mind. To expand on this we might say that a spell is a series of spoken words, that is your thoughts or desires spoken out loud.
Ritual
A ritual is similar to a spell but is more elaborate and often much more powerful. In a ritual there can be a special time and place chosen to enact it. Preparation of the physical body is included through costume, ritual bathing and sometimes particular foods are eaten after the ritual ceremony. Rituals can be done alone or in a group. Group rituals may involve different members in the group holding certain energies or taking on the role of calling in the four quarters or the elements. Rituals can be done for just about any reason.
There’s Magic and Then There’s Magic
High Magic is a somewhat lengthy, complex, more ceremonial process and is usually undertaken by practitioners of The Order of the Golden Dawn, Kabbalah, students or followers of Aleister Crowley who was the creator of the Thoth Tarot deck, and perhaps even Freemasons. Practitioners of High Magick have very specific procedures that they must follow and my understanding is that they can and do, through their preparatory rites, invoke specific entities in a specific and personalised way, to carry out the work of the ritual.
Low Magic is not low vibration – but rather magick that is carried out with a minimal amount of what I refer to as ‘hoopla’. It has been suggested that in times past that ‘low’ magick was carried out by the lowlanders, that is, everyday people who didn’t have time or money to spend on elaborate clothing or ceremonies. The work was done simply and succinctly, using the tools at hand, with a feather picked up in the field, salt from the kitchen or candles from the sideboard. This flavour of ‘magicks’ is straightforward, informal, common sense stuff that gets the job done. Sometimes referred to as earth magick and often connected with Wicca, this is the aspect of magickal work that many people are most comfortable with.
Tarot and Magic
Make your own magic
So why connect Magic and Tarot? Perhaps the real reason for doing so is that for many people, Tarot is seen in some way as magic, and I suppose when you consider the explanation of low magick – it actually is. We use the Tarot cards as a tool to explore and explain the things that happen in our everyday lives. We look at the symbols within the cards and use them to make sense, to gain strength, resolve, and to move forward with conviction – and that really is magic don’t you think? Likewise, when we access the Tarot archetypes for their wisdom and skills via focussed intention as well as in a Tarot Reading, and also through some of the NLP based processes I’ve learnt along the way, I can see that these do fit into the high magic kind of category.
Interesting to consider.
Then of course there is the whole thing about the mysterious aspect of the Tarot. Where did it come from? What was its true purpose? Can you really tell the future with it and how do you get ALL THAT from looking at a card?
I love the early mornings for their capacity to provide mind meanderings don’t you? It’s a time for best ideas to come through.
Blessings to You.
Karen