Some people are terrified of demons. I get messages, every day, from people who would love to try magick, but fear they may be dragged down to hell by demons. And there are those that feel that any magickal success will lead to them being punished for having an unfair advantage. Even people who love the idea of magick are terrified of the side effects.
Using magick is about taking control of your life rather than being controlled by chaos, circumstances or other people. You’re not going to get dragged to hell and success is not dangerous. The only danger is fear itself, because it stops you enjoying magick.
Sometimes, when people perform particularly violent curses, their own guilt about the spectacular result leads them into a negative state that attracts bad luck. This rare phenomenon has contributed to a widespread belief that magick always rebounds in some way and is inherently dangerous. Many occultists share this belief, but we have found that it is simply not true. The magick itself does not punish you, and magick is usually safe.
Despite this, the next book I publish will cover magickal protection (now available here), because I know people want and need this power. There are times when you need to fend off various attacks, from mild bullying to a full-on curse.
If that’s the case, why haven’t I published protection in my previous books? The books have contained in-built constraints and protection, along with major behind-the-scenes magick that we have employed to ensure that the workings are safe. Other books I will explore some of the darker sides of magick, and access to protection magick is useful. Often, you just need to stop a bully, whether they are using magick or not.
It’s easy to be the victim of an attack, from random violence and road rage, directed hate, subconscious psychic attack and deliberate curses.
Here, though, I want to look at unfounded fears, because I don’t want people to go around protecting themselves when fear is needless.
I get so many messages about fear that I dug a little deeper and I found there are five main types of fear.
- Fear of a supernatural experience.
This is a fascinating one, because many people long for a supernatural experience – a glimpse of an entity, the brush of an angel’s wing, the cooling of the room as magick begins to work, a creak in the celling to show that a spirit is present. But when it actually happens, people are terrified. The book will provide a banishing so you can shut down any supernatural events, but more often than not I think that what appears to be supernatural is quite mundane. Although I say occultists should never ignore coincidence, I think you should remain calm and confident if you suddenly hear strange noises after you perform a ritual. There are always strange noises, and you’ve probably just worked yourself up into a vulnerable state. If you fear the supernatural, put on the TV and watch comedy. Spirits don’t stand much chance of getting your attention when you’re laughing. (The book will contain a complete banishing for those rare occasions when something supernatural does linger in the room.)
- Fear of things getting out of control or losing your mind.
This is related to the above. When you perform magick, even simple magick such as Words of Power, its usual to enter a slightly altered state of consciousness, and this leads some people to worry that they will go crazy. I’ve known a lot of people go crazy during the past forty-odd years, some to the point of suicide, but none of them were using magick.
- Fear of karma.
This can also be called fear of success. When magick starts to work, you feel like you have an unfair advantage. The truth is, you do have an advantage. I look at it like this: I was born into a situation that would seem like utter privilege to 90 percent of the world, but seemed like absolute poverty to my peers. It’s a matter of perspective. I could have chosen to stay where I was, or rise above my situation. I believed that if I could gain an ability to change my circumstances, through magick, it felt like my life’s duty to use that ability to control my life. The happier I am, the more happiness and success I can share with the people I love. If karma exists, I doubt I’ll suffer for being happier and sharing the joy.
- Fear that you’re evil or that God will punish you.
This one is worse if you had a strict religious upbringing. I am fascinated by how many people appear to have chosen a magickal path, but are still deeply connected to religious fears. Recently, a woman asked me if she should try magick or just keep praying, because she was worried that magick was evil. I asked her how many of her prayers had been answered, and she said none. She was in her forties and had prayed her whole life, so I’m not sure how literal her answer was. But I suggested that the greater evil was wasting time on prayers that weren’t being heard. I said magick might be worth a try, and that if she got turned into a pillar of salt she could sue me. Of course, we may all bunt in hell for performing magick, but I’ll be really surprised if that’s the case.
- Fear that it just won’t work.
This is reasonable. When you perform magick you want a result, but the best way to get results is to go into it with a serious but playful confidence. If you worry or wait for results, they are less likely to come. There are many posts on this site to help you get around this, and you can find a way to make magick work for you.
You might also enjoy reading the Magickal Safety FAQ.
– Damon Brand
