Magick is not something that is just performed in solitary or group rites at season festivals or for light entertainment on the weekend. A true magickian knows that magick can be used all the time, in day to day life. Even though a magickian may live at the fringes of society, metaphorically speaking, it is important to remember that he still exists within a context of the society and culture within which he has incarnated. It is a romantic notion to believe that a magickian needs to dress in robes, speak in Latin, Hebrew, or Enochian, or live in a hovel at the edge of town and perform strange animal sacrifices.
To indulge too much in a romantic idealism about how a magickian should be is often an act of escapism into a world of fantasy, rather than an acceptance of how things are and a working to shape and change one’s own destiny through magick – in essence to evolve and grow in a magickal sense, along a path towards enlightenment. It is not the outward forms that make a magickian and give him power, rather it is an understanding of the hidden (occult) side of Nature and the ability to focus one’s attention and Will to create change on a subtle level, that is a level outside the perception of the mundane senses.
The life path of each individual is unique, and as such there are no set rules, recipes, or formula as to what will work for each individual. Traditionally many groups have rigid training systems and graded lessons and rituals. An individual is initiated, learns a set of practices and theories relating to the grade, and then is raised to the next grade within that group. It is not uncommon to hear of individuals who have awarded themselves a particular grade and title, and perhaps then used this to run their own group, under the pretence of attainment of an advanced level of knowledge.
Having a graded structure and learning system isn’t always a bad thing. The problem arises when individuals believe that simply having knowledge of the theories, and having gone through the motions of performing rituals and ceremonies, means that they have actually developed themselves to a new and higher level. They may be encouraged by the hierarchy that they are performing well, simply because they are making the right noises, and have memorised the rituals and theories they are expected to know. Magickal training is not a role playing game though, and experience isn’t simply earned and levels raised through the acquisition of knowledge, trinkets, and performance of ceremonies. Magick is more a tool used as part of a greater process, that of evolution of the inner core of the magickian’s being. This is not merely an achievement, but a continuous process of cycles and experiences. Various common and shared stages may be experienced by individuals, but comparison with others is never actually necessary, as long as an individual is progressing compared to how they were some time in the past. The only real and true judge of this is the individual himself, as Self-honesty is an essential ingredient in the journey.
Within a group the stages of attainment are only really symbolic of a knowledge and understanding of the system itself, not a true indication of the wisdom, understanding and true growth that the individual actually has. All the things within a system are potential factors for facilitating this growth, by providing experiences and situations for the magickian to learn from, however in and of themselves they have no intrinsic ability to transform the initiate into a master.
It is possible to consider three main stages of magickal growth, which are the same for any mundane task or system of knowledge and practice also. It is the basis of the Guild system of apprenticeship. The terms used may vary, and extra stages may be added or mixed in, but essentially there are only three.
The first stage is the beginner. Someone who is new to a system, and has little or no knowledge of what the system is really about. In magickal training they made be considered an Initiate (one who has been initiated into a group, or who has made some symbolic gesture of initiating their journey), a novice, or an apprentice (in a Guild type structure). The beginner’s tasks are those of learning the basics, such as theories, practices, and jargon associated with the system.
The second stage is the intermediate stage where an individual has successfully learned the basics of the theories, practices, and jargon, and is now able to implement them to facilitate the real learning process of the system. Terms for this stage include such things as adept or journeyman. An individual will generally set about mastering the skills and developing a deep awareness and understanding of the principles behind and beyond the physical manifestations.
The third stage is that of mastery. Beyond the early stages someone who has mastered a system has genuinely developed knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of all important aspects of the system. They know the mechanics of it, rather than just the usage. They will understand the connections between related things within the system, and possibly the interrelatedness of various other systems, practices, theories and things. A genuine master will have the ability to extend the system in a new direction, adding a measure of their own essence to it, and potentially furthering collective knowledge of the system to a deeper level (like the concept of a “masterpiece” in a Guild system).
There isn’t really anything beyond the stage of “mastery”. If anything the process is cyclic, and the true master will discover themselves to be still a beginner with so much more to discover. An example of this is within some martial arts, where an individual learns and masters techniques and is graded through various coloured belts. Colours tend to run from white, through various colours, and finally to black (the much revered “black belt”, which has been said to derive from a white belt slowly turning black with blood, sweat, and tears through many years of training). Some system then have it that a genuine master of martial arts then resumes wearing a white belt, to symbolise that they are still a beginner who is continually learning.
To put it another way, consider one of the teachings of Zen Buddhism:
When starting on the long journey of Zen, trees are trees, water is water, and mountains are mountains.
After you have gone some distance, trees are no longer trees, water is no longer water, and mountains are no longer mountains.
But after you have travelled a great distance, trees are once again trees, water is once again water, and mountains are once again mountains.
In Western esoteric tradition it is often said the the first card of the tarot deck, The Fool, symbolises both the beginning and the end of the journey.
It is only Self-honesty that matters here. It is unimportant if the guy running a particular group is genuinely a master or adept as he claims. It isn’t even really important what stage you are at yourself, as the lines often blur between the ‘stages’ which are always somewhat arbitrary within a system anyway. It is often the case that there is always something new that can be learned, a method or process that can be refined or enhanced, or a different perspective that can be taken. As such, a Master is still a beginner of sorts, but in a cyclic fashion that each time the ‘beginning’ comes around it is at a slightly different level (higher or deeper), or from a slightly different perspective.
Keeping the above in mind, it is up to each individual magickian as to whether they choose to work as part of a group or as a solitary practitioner. There are plenty of potential lessons to be learned from working as part of a group – often around group dynamics and conflict between personalities. The decision to work solitary should not be made as an avoidance tactic, or to cover up to others that one does not actually know or understand much to do with magick. If choosing to work solitary it is best that it is due to available groups not being right for the lessons one is choosing to learn. Don’t discount a groups value for network with others who are like minded however, so even if the style and symbols used by a group don’t particularly appeal to you, it can still be worth joining for the experiences and networking possibilities.
If you genuinely wish to be a magickian then imbue your life with magickal energies. Don’t make magickal practices a separate part of your life, rather make your life a magickal act through which you presence magickal energies through everything you do.
- Phil Hine PDF e-Books – Recommended: Modern Shamanic Techniques Trilogy