peek behind the curtain

i've been telling students of mine, as well as those who don't know much about magic, that the mind is the truely the most powerful weapon in spell casting, as well as any form of magic. the tools are merely centers to direct that energy. Some of these kids today, just don't wanna realize that, they think harry potter is cool, and they wanna cast spells with a wand. Sadly, when they find out it doesn't work that way, they leave, and they miss out on learning REAL magic.

true about the Harry Potter statement. I thoroughly enjoyed the books! the movies were ok.

BUT TRUE MAGICK is better than anything that happened in any of the Harry Potter books!

i love the statement *mind power* it shows that we all hold the power and spark to preform magic. but one must also remember that energie not only is produced by us but also by the world around us. such as the earth and the other elements. being a witch and useing magic is just generating our own energie and utilizing the energies of the earth for a specific cause. so no, tool arn't nessisaliy needed but we are not the only energies around. they are all around us and should be used too. and that is why some use tools. no make a connection of our energiy and the enrgy around us. (my main reason for this post was to shine the light on the other half of the story)

excellent. Thats what I've said all along. Tools are props. They help us reach the altared state of conciousness where we can do magick. an experienced magick worker can reach that state without them by his or her will. the magick is in YOU not the tools. I have to admit, tho I LOVE the trappings. LOL.
CM

Well, one does have to admit, we do have such cool tools, even if we really dont need them.

:)

Personally, a lot of my best work I've done without tools. Maybe a stick of incense, but it helps me concentrate. Words are very powerful, wether or not we know it. Saying is creating. Thinking is believing. We unconciously create our world every waking second. But sigils, seals, candles, wands, and swords all act as a catalyst for our imaginations, which hold the true power to bend the world with magic.

And since it's already been brought up, I don't like to think of Harry Potter as magic, but as sorcery. In the Dragerean books by Steven Brust he makes a clear point that magic and sorcery are two different things. Sorcery is saying some words and thinking to make it instentaneously happen. Magic is the art of sitting, meditating, opening yourself to the universe, using your own thought and being to create. I really like how he seperates the Harry Potter-ishness from the real practice. Plus, they are just really good books.