Re: Magic in Ritual TopazOwl Fri Aug 13 10:55:35 1999 Okay, as promised, my views on magick. In reviewing the lesson, I agree with much of what he says, I only object to his terminology and, shall we say, mindset?*br* *br*: 'The first part of every ceremony is the banishing; the *br*: second*br*: the invoking.' (--Crowley, Magick, p. 104)*p* Bah. No circles constructed in Druid magick, no "banishing" done beforehand. One exception to this is perhaps a working to cleanse an area of "bad vibes." Usually our magick is done in the same places repeatedly. IMO, this gives the area itself a protection and a certain amount of it's own energy to call upon.*p* I have never wanted to banish any natural thing from the sacred space, for these natural things are all helpful to the working. Technology, on the other hand, leaves a strange aura, and so those influences must be cleared if working in a technological area and a strange space. But I don't consider that "banishing."*p*: The successful practice of magick depends upon strong *br*: belief.*br*: The simplest ritual of them all must be belief itself. If *br*: you can*br*: believe in your desired results strongly enough, that act is *br*: a*br*: magical ritual which will achieve your results. *p* This point I totally agree with. It has gotten so lately I really have to guard my thoughts, because the magic flows so easily that I might, with merely a thought, end up doing something I don't really intend to do. :-)*p* Anyway, the view presented here is all quite Ceremonial, and far too much so for me. :-)*p**br* Following is how we categorize magic, into 4 types, according to the different forces responsible for effecting the desired change:*p**br*1.) Mundane magic - effecting change through physical or mechanical means*p*2.) Natural magic - effecting change through manipulation of unseen forces around us*p*3.) Magic of Personal Transformation - altering of the practitioner's or others' mental states*p*4.) Intercessionary Magic - the intercession or intervention of one or more "transcendent" spirits. (In most cases this involves deity.)*p* In a single working we usually try to use all four of these magic types.*br* *br* There are also Laws of Magic (knowing that all magical practices, no matter the religion or tradition, follow these laws), and one can find 20 of them outlined by Isaac Bonewits in his book _Real Magic_. But generally, all will agree on these three below (with one additional); briefly, these are the ones we deal with:*p*Law of Understanding (Know Thy Subject)*p*Law of Association (Magic performed on a representation of the subject is as effective as magic performed on the subject itself)*p*Law of Connection (The whole is the sum of its parts)*p*Law of Names (To know something's true name gives you power over it)*p* In essence, the Law of Names is an encapsulation of the Laws of Understanding, Association and Connection.*p* We can go into a lengthy discussion of the above if necessary.*p* I think my point is this: we have performed very effective magics without creating a circle or performing a ritual. However, I understand that ritual is a form of magic in and of itself, and it must neccessarily include some form of the things listed above. *p*Leigh *br* Magic in Ritual Searles 509 Sun Aug 8 12:25:16 1999