Why do You Write Magick with a K?
This is a question I often get, and some people even try to correct it, but it isn't by far a typo.
In my early years investigating magick, I befell the great and infamous Aleister Crowley... Perhaps I will do a whole separate blog or post about him one of these days. Still, in brief, he was one of the most famous occultists and ceremonial magicians of his time, born in 1875 passed on in 1975. He was the founder of the Thelema, an occult religion (another idea for a blog).
He published many books about magick in his lifetime, inspired by the Qabalah and Egyptian magick. His life is much studied by everyone who takes the craft seriously.
Not everything he made is for keeps because he was, after all, "a man of his time," but he is worth looking into if you are at all curious about pursuing the craft.
Why the hell am I speaking about this old-ass white man?
He was the first to coin the word "Magic-k" with a K to differentiate from magic, which now alludes to performance magic, i.e., rabbit in the hat, cutting people in half and disappearing girls in sequin dresses, etc...
Crowley defined Magick as "the science and art of causing Change to occur in conformity with will."
A fancy way of talking about manifestation.
One can exercise will to change reality by everyday mundane tasks, like drinking a cup of tea and spinning the spoon clockwise or counterclockwise, or by doing a full-blown ritual.
There are different types of magick; let's quickly explore them.
Magick is pretty much believing that one can manipulate forces in nature or in the spiritual realm to do your bidding.
It might sound like a bunch of mumbo jumbo because science and most world religions have tried so hard to make sure they are not associated with such practices even as far as to eradicate magick and its practitioners over and over again (still happening today btw; another blog post)
Christians, however, turn around and call Jesus the sacrificial lamb of God, drink his blood, and eat his flesh every Sunday... if that's not, magick IDK what is.
Modern science evolved from occult practices such as alchemy, which is another blog for another day.
I would go to the etymology of magick, but I am seriously exhausted (running a shop and all that)...also, google is so free.
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White Magick Good, Black Magick bad... is some of the most colonial bullshit I have ever heard. Magick is just like a car; in the hand of a cautious person, it can be beneficial; it can be dangerous in the hands of a reckless person. This is the only time I agree with the argument; it's the people, not the guns.
Black in magick is the color of banishment, uncrossings, and protection. When you protect something, you shield it from other energies, therefore, banishing said energies from your home or yourself.
Also, isn't it funny how the west has often associated black magick with religions like Vodoo or practices like hoodoo? Yes, that's racist, and you should check if an image of Marie Laveau from "American Horror Story" came into mind when I said "black magick."
Witches use all colors in magick the and black just happen to be one of them. ( more on color correspondence on a future post)
The Highs and the Lows... Magick has levels. Not everyone is obligated to go through all of them; you can stop at a level that is comfortable to you, including burning sage after guests have fucked up your energy.
However, just because we like to Categorise things, there is a differentiation between practices.
High Magick refers to Ceremonial magick ( I have a podcast on that but will definitely write another post or give an introductory workshop on the subject). In short, Ceremonial magick requires lots of drawn-out rituals, objects, and specifications that are so complex that it takes years to master spells.
(I would call myself a student of that school but not exclusively)
King Solomon was a practitioner of high magick.
High magick gained popularity again with the Hermetic Order of the Golden dawn ( another future blog entry).
It borrows from traditions such as Hermeticism (Alchemy), Enochian Magick (angel magick), and Thelema ( religion by Aleister Crowley).
Hermeticism being older than all three mainstream world religions combine. (I can't wait to go in-depth with y'all on this)Ceremonial magick often requires expesive and custom made objects that are not available for anyone thus keeping the exclusive nature of the craft.
Low magick is not really Low, but somehow, just like "black," people like to judge other people's craft by positioning what they do at a higher level.
Low Magick is also referred to as Natural magick, and I will refer to it as such. Natural magick usually comes naturally; of course, there are many books you can read about to get yourself situated.
Natural magick can just require your mouth and the words you speak or your fingers while redirecting your energy to something by pointing.
While High magick is busy trying to command supernatural forces, Natural magick draws on energy already at our disposal here on earth, plants, the elements, and yes, sometimes celestial beings like the moon, sun, and other planets that affect our world.
Natural magick is very much associated with nature.
Types of natural magick are paganism, hoodoo, shamanism, and many more practices that are in tune with the natural world. Yes, these practices can have rituals, but they are unnecessary; magick can be performed by doing mundane things.
So that's a little breakdown of the types of magick.
These are just umbrella terms that cover so many different practices from around the world.
Comment if you would like to learn more about those.
In the meantime,
stay blessed and highly favoured beloveds.
Emma
