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Think You Want to Do Magick?
Many people are attracted to Wicca because of the big "M"-word: MAGICK. Folks like to believe in the illusion of control I suppose. Neophytes dig the idea of doing SPELLS and stuff…of finding a lover/soulmate to end their loneliness and pain, or of doing a prosperity spell and finally quitting a job they hate. And the more stressed out and miserable we are, the more many of us cling to that idea of control. Find the right mixture of herbs and mumbo-jumbo and you might not have to even do any work to change your life! Wow, I’ll buy into that…sign me up to be a Witch.
I think many people dipping their toes into the Neo-Pagan pool, so to speak, have expectations (consciously or unconsciously) of gaining control over something or someone. BIG MISTAKE. The real strength of the Craft is the metaphoric religious belief system that underlies it, as it is celebrated in the Sabbats with their ancient myths of the male/female dance of nature. This religious belief system, in my opinion, should come before the practice of magick. It is through the internalization/exploration of these myths and the resulting interpersonal TRANSFORMATION that occurs in many Wiccans that the real power of being a Witch is realized.
Respected Wiccan Priestess, author and attorney Phyllis Curott, in her recent book, Book of Shadows, explains why, ultimately, magick done without the "ground-work" of the religious belief system falls flat:
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"The greatest Wiccan magickal work is about connecting with the Divine force, allowing it to fill us, transform us, and make us wise. All magick flows from our connection to the sacred, therefore all of our work must be guided by the divine nature of the energy with which we work. Because the physical world is an expression of the divine, magick has always been used for practical purposes. But unless it is informed by the sacred, practical magick based on the projection of will alone rapidly deteriorates into selfish ego gratification. Ultimately, when magick is practiced only for this purpose, it soon ceases to work…all magick ultimately runs on our connection to the divine."
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Once, when I was alone
I thought my yearning for a "god"
Meant that I had to be a Christian.
Then, my mind’s doubts and heart’s conscience
Led me to believe
I had to be an atheist.
Then, my soul, hungry for faith and connection,
Led me to believe
I had to be an anarchist.
Then, my rebellion
Led me to call myself "Witch"
And I finally came home to myself.
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