So, yesterday I had an intelligent conversation with a friend of mine on here and today I thought I would expand on the subject we talked about. What is the subject?
Think... before you act.
Now, you might go like "duh", isn't that obvious? Isn't that something everybody does anyway? Let's think about that for a second. Obviously, it is not something everybody does at all. In my personal opinion and experience, lots of people today are under the impression that we are not supposed to think. I do not know if that is because of technology, the media, or anything else but most people nowadays just... do. They want, and want... and want, and they do things regardless.
Now let us connect that with magick. First of all, I feel that practicing magick is a journey , it's a process, a way of being and living, at least that is for the people who are dedicated to it. The way I see it, magick is like fire. It just is . It is neither good, nor bad. It just is. You can either use it to enrich your life in every way possible, or you can hurt yourself or others in the process of doing so.
That is completely up to you.
Practicing magick requires discipline, it requires responsibility, it requires knowledge, it requires work. It is not wise to take things lightly. So, please, please, before you do anything, think .
Use your mind, use your common sense.
Before you attempt to cast a certain spell, think things through. Reflect on the possible outcome or outcomes. Do you really want what you are asking for? Do you want it? Or do you need it? Use your tarot or any form of divination to reflect on that, see all possible outcomes. Before you attempt to astral project, do your research, prepare yourself fully. Make sure that you are ready to handle everything that may happen.
Be sure in your mind that you got this, that you're absolutely ready and then by all means go for it. In addition to that, before you cast a spell, make sure that your current beliefs and words do not block the very outcome of your spell , its very result. Let us say for example that you want to cast a spell to bring abundance and prosperity in to your life.
How could you even expect that to happen if deep down in your subconscious you believe you are not good enough? How could you expect that to happen if you believe you are not supposed to be abundant and happy?
Sit down, and really reflect on your limiting beliefs. Acknowledge them for what they are, identify them, see where they came from and release them. This is not easy but who said that practicing magick is easy? No journey is "easy". You learn and you grow and you make mistakes, you welcome these mistakes and you keep learning and growing and moving forward. That is perfectly fine. That is part of the entire process, that is an essential part of this journey.
Therefore, before you go around saying that your spell did not work, make sure that you were fully prepared for the outcome. Make sure that your actions and words were in alignment with it. Work with yourself, work with your doubts, your beliefs, your thoughts, your emotions. Really sit down and go through them, flow through them. They are all yours. They are all a part of yourself. Acknowledge them all and make a decision. Whatever does not serve you, get rid of it, release it.
Thoughts are just thoughts. You give them their energy. Take their energy away and they are nothing. It is my belief that magick is not there to solve all of our problems. There is a good reason why our problems are there. Without facing obstacles you cannot achieve growth . If you do not trip, you cannot learn how to walk properly and move forward. I liken that to magick. To my mind, it is okay to make mistakes, it is okay to learn. Acknowledge these mistakes, welcome them as a part of your journey, and take responsibility for them, and finally, own them. But...
Think... before you act.
Use your mind and your common sense and approach magick with respect and responsibility. Use it any way you may wish to but take full responsibility for that.
(None of the above is stated as a fact. Everything you just read is nothing but my personal opinion on this particular subject). Please, feel free to share your thoughts, input, views on this subject, as well if you wish. Thank you for reading. :)
A very good topic, when in terms of magic and in general. Everyone can do what they wish, however, thinking before one preforms or even says something can affect how things will work out in the end, usually for a more positive outcome. A well-made contribution, not to mention one that reminds people of something that, albeit something that should be common knowledge, tend to forget.
Another dimension that can be added to the "think first" mentality is that, in magic, our words, thoughts, and actions can help further our workings. Well, with thinking a working through beforehand you lay an 'energetic foundation' for your working's manifestation. This invested energy and thought can help the workings to manifest more effectively, and is essential in some practices such as the creation of servitors.
This is probably a bad idea, I'm going to explain my understanding of magick using science.
Here goes.
Magick is the flow of energy being manipulated through the symbolism and will to do something by someone. Why you can't make physical changes is why you can't stop a river (With just your body), you just aren't strong enough, but you can manipulate it slightly and using different techniques, you can manipulate it even more. Try making a physical change using magick, it won't work, now try changing the wind using your body (So you don't climb into a river), try it, it won't work.
Just a bit of explanation, physical change means changing the form or appearance of something, like changing the color of your skin, or blowing a hole in the wall.
Vitally important words indeed. And i think it is a key principle for any esoteric or internal journey. Thinking about what you are doing is pretty much the whole point of any practice. that is the entire process of how you learn and grow as a person. How you connect to your ideals and work to manifest them. And how you find, accept, and change or release your negative habits. it is how you build understanding of the natural processes and the energies and symbols that reflect them.
The first major hurdle that most people beginning on a spiritual path have to face is that change of mindset from being reactive, to being conscious and proactive. We grow up with a lot of bad habits, especially when it comes to mindset. Most of the time people don't take the time to understand why they are doing what they are doing, they just believe they are -supposed- to do it that way and that's that. So they walk along reacting to life and relying on the spur-of-the-moment thought or emotion and run with it.
Of course because this mode of reactive thought and action is a habit developed pretty much from birth, changing it can be a long term process which takes shifting into a state of conscious self-observation, and then using that to actively override the habit with a new one of conscious thought and consideration.
In a magical or spiritual sense that means taking ownership of what you are doing. For example. Someone makes you feel wrong, or does something to you that you feel was unjust. A reaction would be to work some magic to get revenge or seek some sort of angry justice. Eye for an eye after all. They hurt me so i hurt them back. While a shift to more conscious action would stop, let the initial emotion and impact rise out, then examine the situation. First, acknowledging their position, then also acknowledging the position of the other person. Why did they do or say what they did? is there validity to it? Did I perform an action deserving of what happened? Is what happened a result of my own negligence or poor choice? (For some people, Is there a karmic significance?)
And then, through that understanding, a person could explore how to turn such a personally negative event into a personally positive one. Which negates an need to get back at the other person entirely because it becomes a personal and internal opportunity. No revenge, no concern for threefold harm, No getting trapped in some karmic loop or chain. Just a release of the event, and a chance to become a better person for it.
