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# Re: PME- magical aids

#### Message 03443 of 3835

- To: BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com
- Subject: Re: PME- magical aids
- From: Ambrose Hawk <ahawk@...>
- Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2005 20:32:33 -0600
- Organization: Hawk Consulting
- References: <1104942510.968.45257.m12@yahoogroups.com>
- Reply-to: ahawk@...

    extracted from a draft of my current book project, please respect the
    copyright

    Ambrose Hawk
    Introduction to Magical Tools

    9 February 2003 (c)

    This essay is a "brief" consideration of two related questions.
    Does the mage need
    particular magical tools, and can tools be substituted for each within a
    ritual: especially wands
    and athames.

    What is magic?

    Obviously, this question needs to be answered first in such a way
    that it may inform the
    discussion to follow. There are many definitions such as Crowley's
    dictum that magic is
    change accomplished by the force of will which are simply inadequate to
    provide a clear picture
    of what magical activity is, what the mage actually does, and how these
    are different from the
    activities and actions of other people.
    Donald Tyson, in what has been called his "New Magus" system.
    Defines Magic as
    follows:

    "Every creative act is magical; and every magical act is
    creative.
    What can be predicted is not magic; what is magic cannot be
    predicted.
    Magic in action looks like luck.
    Magic, like water, always seeks the easiest course.
    Magic is unbounded by time and space."

    I have a lot of respect for Mr. Tyson's work. In fact, the
    writer expounds on these and
    other 'Corollary's" of Magic in his work entitled, _Ritual Magic: What
    It Is and How to Do It_
    (ISBN: 0-87542-835-5). However, I am not that sure that this
    description adequately or even
    accurately describes magic even though it definitely evokes much of the
    aura of many magical
    workings. The famous science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clark, made the
    comment that, "any
    sufficiently advanced technology will appear to be magick to those with
    lesser technologies."
    The famous Martinist, "Papus" wrote: "The application of the
    strengthened human will
    to accelerate the evolution of the living forces of Nature." (Papus,
    Traite' Methodique de Magic
    Pratique) "Magic is the Science of Love." (Ibid.)
    ,,, and ...
    "As a ... rule, the principal director... is the human will; the
    means of action, the implement
    used, is the astral or natural fluid, and the end to achieve is the
    realization (generally on the
    physical plane) of the ... operation. (Papus, La Science des Mages).

    Perhaps the following definition may be more functional for our
    purposes.
    MAGIC: the deliberate imposition of distinct pattern in
    the reality / probability field
    by application of imagination and will in such a manner as to utilize
    energies and/or entities
    which seem to function in a paranormal manner and / or according to
    divergent cosmological
    rules.
    Another plausible treatment of the same idea could be that magic
    consists in the
    performance of certain physical actions which enable the mage to carry
    out corresponding
    actions on other planes so that certain events on those planes will
    result in the manifestation of
    particular, tangible consequences.
    Some folks may argue about the last bit about "tangible
    consequences," but I hold that
    without such consequences we have no means of verifying the efficacy of
    a magical act.

    Nor is magic the same as religion. The essence of religion is
    relationship with some force
    and/or mythos greater than the individual ego. The essence of magic
    is deliberate, intelligent,
    and creative manipulation of numinous forces. These forces and actions
    may or may not be part
    of the dynamic complexes which express that relationship with "the
    Divine." Indeed, often they
    are quite mechanistic -- employing the subtle qualities of herbs,
    crystals, and astrological
    energies via the paranormal attributes of the magus, for instance.
    Thus a mage may be involved deeply in religious activities, very
    devout and pious. Yet
    in the ultimate moment of magic, if the mage cannot authoritatively
    express his or her own,
    autonomous will and imagination, then the mage does not work magic but
    merely prays. Some
    mages will include a clause in their spells, such as the Wiccan "an it
    harm none," or the
    Christian "if it be Thy Will." These clauses have a value as fail safe
    fall backs to protect the
    mage and their environment from some of the consequences of inevitable
    error. Yet the adept
    should have such an harmony with the will of his or her tutelary that
    they will know already that
    their own will aligns with the will of their greater power. Hence, the
    adept is, in the final
    analysis, imposing the patterns of his or her own imagination willfully
    upon the cosmos, not
    pleading with another autonomous being to fulfill wishes.

    Do you need tools?

    Many writers proclaim that tools are not really necessary for the
    proficient mage. They
    hold that all magic is really accomplished by the mage's own aura or
    imagination anyway and all
    that tools really do is to reinforce the mage's visualization and
    unconscious commitment and
    expectations. I hold that this is patently false.
    Frankly, a tool which functions primarily as a psychological
    prompt is not well designed.
    We are a tool using species, and our fundamental nature has evolved with
    the assumption that
    we will design and manipulate tools which will amplify our impact and
    effect our desire far
    more effectively than our naked bodies ever could.
    When one considers the rule, "as above, so below," then any
    spiritual action should be
    mirrored also by a physical impact as well. Indeed, this is one of the
    fundamental principles in
    magical practice, we do a physical act which has its spiritual impact
    which in turn engenders
    effects which eventually manifest on the mundane.
    Furthermore, appropriately designed tools can affect a plethora of
    poorly understood
    energy fields, such as those several kinds found in the aura. Indeed,
    almost any kind of
    tool will impact your aura and modify it to some extent ... from a
    living branch to a socket
    wrench. Deliberately studying and incorporating these features should
    clearly enhance the utility
    of our ritual tools as well.
    Obviously, while it is true that your aura and imagination are
    absolutely key to the
    operation of magic; they work by manipulating very real energies or
    communicating with very
    real entities. You can observe this mundanely by simply noticing the
    effect you have on radio
    and T.V. reception when you walk into or through the area in which it is
    playing. Some folks
    find that they destroy electric watches, others can't keep spring driven
    watches running. More
    advanced equipment will reveal the Kirilian field which surrounds you an
    all living or even once
    living things. Other gear can examine the infrared field generated by
    your body. Extremely
    expensive high tech equipment conducts C.A.T. and M..R.I. scans of your
    body, relying upon
    the magnetic and other energy fields which your body generates and
    affects.
    Therefore, it is obvious that just as your muscles can accomplish
    many tasks but simple
    tools make those muscles much more effective, likewise when your
    imagination and auric
    patterns begin to become effective; you can enhance their effect by
    using appropriate tools.
    Furthermore, while it is true that you could pass the electric
    energy through your body to
    light a light bulb; such behavior is risky, Moreover, your body cannot
    sustain the kinds of intense
    energy levels needed for modern society. Equally, as you advance in
    your magical work, you
    will find yourself accessing much more massive flows of energy and
    vastly more intense entities.
    Obviously, the simpler actions and charms would be just as easy for such
    a practitioner with or
    without tools. Equally obviously, there are situations in which proper
    tools and procedures are
    necessary as simple safety precautions.
    Nor should one overlook the simple advantage of having tools which
    are specifically
    designed to accomplish the particular task. In every craft, esoteric or
    exoteric, having the right
    tools and being practiced with them causes the work to be better done.
    Such tools also enable
    you to exercise your creativity more freely, and ultimately, your
    creativity is the root basis of any
    magical accomplishments you hope to attain.

    What do tools do?

    Tools are impacted by and depend upon the old rule, "As above, so
    below, and vice
    versa." Every act on any plane will echo and resonate on the other
    planes. Thus your magic
    involves physical actions and materials which are linked to
    corresponding esoteric forces and
    events. By increasing the material component in your rituals, you
    create a larger effect in your
    environment. The physical tool accesses more of the mundane and / or
    psychological patterns
    and energies in such a way as to also enhance the forces being involved
    and manipulated on
    other planes.
    Secondarily, tools do aid psychological reinforcement. Your
    emotional control and
    intensity as well as your psychological states and subconscious
    expectations have repeatedly
    been proven to directly affect the efficacy of your magical or
    paranormal work. The use of
    special tools, garb, and symbols are all intended to evoke and to
    reinforce those conditions.
    However, this is hardly the limit of a truly magical tool's
    contribution.
    Even within this largely psychological realm the very presence of
    the tool acts as a focus
    for the unconscious participation. Hence using appropriate tools, which
    you have drilled your
    unconscious to recognize, triggers particular associations. In
    consequence, it then will more
    readily assist your whole personality to cooperate in the magic. Such
    a focus also enables you
    to be able to access those magical states even when you are physically
    or emotionally impeded
    by illness, stress, grief, or other condition.
    Beyond the direct effect of the tool upon your own psyche, properly
    consecrated and
    designed tools will provide the symbolic talismen which will attract
    notice and response from
    entities whose existence is more noticeable on other planes. In fact,
    because of this attraction of
    the entities or energies connected with the tool, the tool also creates
    a milieu which inhibits the
    activity or presence of energies or entities which are not in harmony
    with those you've selected
    for consecrating and charging your tool.
    Such entities are often quite volatile and require quite specific
    handling. Just as
    sometimes you find it difficult to tune your radio to the right station,
    many times you will find it
    difficult to bring your mind and spirit into the proper frequency for
    communion with the forces
    which you wish to evoke. Your creation of, consecration of, charging
    of, and practice with your
    magical tools will drill your mind into assuming those special states.
    Such an aide is obviously
    invaluable to direct the Beginner into proper relationship and
    attitude. As you acquire more
    practice, you may feel less need for such aides; yet if you continue to
    recharge your tool, you
    will find it will still enhance your practice noticeable in this way.
    Not only will the presence of the tool enhance your ability to
    enter quickly into the
    magical connection, your frequent practice with it will cause it to
    become an accustomed means
    of access for those forces, entities, and/or energies which you
    consistently evoke. As such, your
    favorite tool can become a true nexus for the passage of magical reality
    and beings. Just as it
    aids you, it also comes to aid those with whom you work. Further, as
    the tool provides an
    exterior focus for the unconscious, it provides a kind of psychological
    breaker between the
    mental and spiritual stresses of your work and your own psyche. As a
    result, tools facilitate your
    releasing the spell so that the work will be free to manifest.
    Ultimately, those forces which you have evoked and manipulated
    through your tool
    change the nature of the tool itself. Just as your body can cause such
    changes in the reception of
    the radio and generate such large fields of energy and special
    environments, the tool will acquire
    its own aura, fields, and patterns of energy. Some would even say it
    acquires an intelligible
    spirit with which you may communicate.
    This acquisition of special energy fields is vital to the
    importance of the right tool.
    While you could use a bullet to replace a fuse in your car, as some
    folks in Arkansas once did;
    the probability is that when you do, your balls will get shot too. When
    you use a tool to fashion
    the pattern you have imagined and to direct the energies, you can create
    vastly greater effects. I
    do not think that muscle and bone alone could ever have created the
    Mount Rushmore
    Monument. You could try to pull together downed high power lines and
    tie them together to
    restore power, but I suspect that attempting to do so without proper
    tools, garb, and technique
    would be a trifle risky!
    All too often, occult writers hasten to assure the reader that
    everything is perfectly safe.
    Balderdash! You can seriously injure yourself while sound asleep in
    your own bed! You are
    acquiring the skills to wield those powers which flow through and even
    define your own soma /
    body and psyche. Moreover, you encountering beings of a truly alien
    nature. Such a being may
    be perfectly friendly and love you intensely, but it may have a
    metabolism based on nuclear
    fusion or some such. Moreover, I don't care what your favorite
    mythology is, predators,
    parasites, and bullies are blatantly part of the cosmos. Imagine such
    beings magnified into the
    greater magical entities! Compare the spark you can create with your
    body to the spark which
    can jump from the generator or accelerator. If you can wield magical /
    paranormal forces with
    just your own body, what will those more enormous bodies and forces do?
    Yes, you need tools for advanced work.

    --
    IN HOC MODO MILLIS FRANGITVR .

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