Magickal Theory FAQ

Questions about the theory of magick.

Q: What’s the theory behind all this? Why does magick work?

A: We do not discuss theory unless it’s absolutely relevant to practical magick. There are thousands of books on magickal theory, and our purpose is to provide books that offer unique practical solutions. That is where our focus will remain for now.

Also, there is no single theory. There are as many theories as there are occultists. Some people talk of access to divine power, while others think it’s down to quantum physics. Between those two extremes, there are countless theories, and nobody knows what is true. If I were to state my version of the theory, it would be just that. One theory.

When magick works, or when you sense the power of magick, it is to be expected that you will wonder how it works. This can lead to frustration when you search for answers, because there are so many answers on offer, but so few that are satisfying. Personal introspection on the nature of magick can yield great insight. The experience of magick, and your own connection to magick, is probably the best way to get an understanding of what’s going on in the background.

Q: Some books call on the same entities, but the rituals are more complex. Why?

A: Each book gives you the simplest form of the magick that works for that particular style of magick. If there’s no need for the additional layers of complication, why add them? You are free to add in what you learn from other books, but this is entirely optional, and probably not required, because the simple versions work as intended.

Q: Is this like The Law of Attraction?

A:  It’s quite different, but many people find that when Law of Attraction has reached its limit, magick is the next step. The New Thought movement, which led to the modern Law of Attraction (LOA), arguably grew out of the magickal tradition; some would say that LOA was influenced and informed by magickal concepts, and was then steered away from being seen as magick. In magick, you often (but not always)  seek the assistance of supernatural entities such as angels, and even when that is not the case, you are working with altered states and ritual practice that is about imposing your desires on reality, and this is often done by shifting your emotions, changing your perception of present time, and expressing gratitude to a spirit. We do not see reality as something created by every thought, and we do not believe that all negative events are attracted by negative thoughts – indeed, we often say that the deep range of subtle and strong emotions, even the negative ones, are an important part of life. Learning to shift emotions can be a hugely magickal act. Reality is not something you create with every thought, but a boiling froth of largely indifferent chaos, and magick gives you a way to impose personal order on that chaos. It gives you a way to connect with the soul of things, and the heart of reality. The results of magick are qualitatively different to LOA results. At it’s most basic, with something like Magickal Cashbook, the work may feel similar to LOA (if a little more ritualistic), but in more advanced magick, you may actually sense the presence of an angel, and that is a world away from the teachings and beliefs of LOA.

Q: What’s the difference between an angel and a demon?

A: This falls into the realm of theory (see above), and can’t be answered adequately because the answer is usually personal based on your own background, beliefs and so on. One person’s answer it rarely another person’s truth. There are countless books on this subject, but we prefer to focus on the practical, because any answer we give will only provoke debate rather than understanding. But you may find it interesting to know that those who work with both the angels and demons know that are both capable of wisdom or wrath. If demons disturb you, there is no need to get involved with them at all.

Q: If an angel or demon has a power, does it also have the opposite power?

A: Some people believe that if a spirit can cause calm it can also cause anxiety, or if it can keep a secret it can also make a secret be revealed, and that sort of thing. In a small number of cases this is true, but these are very rare exceptions. Our books show the powers that we believe to work best and if we believed the ‘opposite’ powers worked for a spirit, they would be listed.

Q: Why do some rituals last five days, eleven days, thirty-three days and so on?

A: Timeframes are sometimes down to tradition, sometimes experience. One reason to repeat a ritual is that it ensures that any mistakes you make on any given day are less important. The timeframes suggested are the ideal ways of performing a ritual. If you only have one spare day to call on an angel, it’s better to make that call than to do nothing at all.

Q: Do I need to belong to a particular religion?

A: No. The magick is even used successfully by atheists. But only you can know whether you feel the magick conflicts with your religion. More important than religious belief, by far, is a willingness to open the pathways to change, to approach it with confidence, to be casual at the same time, and to be open-minded rather than testing it out to see if it works.

Q: Sometimes you seem to shorten chants and words of power. Some of the Hebrew words appear to have the wrong letters. Are these mistakes?

A: No, everything has been checked and is written as it’s meant to be. In some places acronyms are used (which leads to the Hebrew reading strangely), and in others traditional words are  ‘smudged’ (swapping letters and so on) to create a specific effect. See also: Pronunciation and Spelling FAQ

Q: You mention commanding spirits, including angels, but should we really be commanding such powerful beings?

A: We could debate this for years (and occultists often do), but spirits of all kinds should be treated like workers. They are not there to be worshipped, but under certain circumstances they will work for you. A good manager does not shout at the workers, but nor does a boss bow down and praise the workers and beg them to finish a task. Your approach to spirits should be to give them their instructions, politely, then leave them alone to get on with the job. If you worship them, treat them rudely or keep checking up on them, they won’t work as effectively. The word ‘command’ does not offended spirits. A ‘command’ is a polite way of stating clearly that this is your intended result.

Q: If spirits are like workers, shouldn’t we pay them?

A: Some people think that making offerings to spirits is the key to success. After all, you would pay your workers. We find that spirits need nothing other than gratitude. They require that you appreciate the result. If you perform magick for a result, then realize it’s not the result you wanted, the spirits might not be so happy about that. Magick works, and you have to live with the consequences of your magick. So, if you want to pay a spirit, feel appreciation for the result. If you really feel the need, thank the spirit politely, but don’t worship or pray or offer blood or you’ll end up paying for a long time. There are many respected and brilliant occultists who disagree with this, so feel free to do your own research and experimentation, but we find that spirits love gratitude, and they love it when you enjoy the magick and the result. They especially love it when you put effort into the world as well. Although you need to let go out your lust for result, you need to balance your request with real-world effort. If you’re trying to seduce, for example, don’t stay at home and expect miracles. That’s like asking somebody to go jogging with you and then standing still as they run away. You have to join in with the magick for it to work. Put in some effort, feel some gratitude and that is far more effective than offering incense, water, blood or food.

Q: Can radionics be used with your magick?

A: We have no evidence of a beneficial effect from using radionics, but feel free to experiment.

Q: Is there a ritual to end poverty, end war and save the environment?

A: If there was a ritual for World Peace, we would be performing it. That is, if there was a ritual that worked. There have been many large rituals, over the decades, aimed at this. And people do use magick in politics. But there is nothing we can do to just cure the world, because magick is about affecting our sphere of influence. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do. The influence of one individual on any given situation can be enormous. But as always, with magick, the key is to see what you can change, and then break that problem down and direct the magick at those changes. When you change your own world, it has a ripple effect. So if you are able to change a few minds, or bring more peace to a place, or more rationality, that is good. But can you affect the feelings of Congress with magick? Highly unlikely. There are too many other factors in play. But you can affect the minds and hearts of those you know. The ripples will be felt. If you move in political circles, the ripples will be felt in more influential places. Magick is used by pressure groups, political campaigners and others who affect that state of the world, and it makes a difference, but it is all about finding what change you actually want to make, and then supporting your real-world efforts with magick.

Q: Would it help to perform a worldwide ritual to fight Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

A: We do not believe that a worldwide ritual is the best way to use our knowledge and abilities. The question directly above this one is relevant but we can also add that where we can influence change for the better, we always do what we can.

Don’t forget to check out the information in our Magick Blog Posts.

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