Important: What Is...?
What is Magic?
What is Magic? I mean the real magic, not magic of street magicians or Harry Potter. Now, what does Magic mean to you?
Wiccans and Pagans and other Spiritual religions are not the only people with Magic. You know the plain neighbor you have name Joe who probably has some boring ass job? He has Magic too.
I must warn, if you are looking for Dark Magic this blog may not be the one to go to.
(Magick and Magic, there is no difference, or at least to my eyes. Most of the time I type Magick but that is personal preference. Most use the 'k' in Magick to differ from Magicians Magic.)
Magick is the connection with the Earth, the Spirts, the Heart, and the Mind. Connection with what is alive and living here on this big ol' planet of ours. Magick is the balance in life. You, yes even you Shy Shelly, are vital in life and to the universe.
I want you to do something for me:
1.) Close your eyes and let your mind wonder.
2.) Listen to what is around you. The birds, the mouse, the laughter.
3.) Feel around you. The joy, the sadness, and everything in between.
Do you feel that energy? All the energy pulsing through you? That is Magick. Magick is mysterious but not greed and power. Its real, Its all around you. Its within you!
Magick runs through everything, from the trees, to the rain, to the guy sitting at the bus stop. It connects everything together as one. We can tap into it by tapping into nature and energy. Anyone can learn through dedication, hard work, and practice to use Magick.
Wiccans (and Pagans) believe Magick is all energy through things, but, other religions (not all) think of Magick when it comes to spells or something. Now, you do not need to practice spell casting to be Magick. Its just a perk, if you use it for the right thing. Some people don't cast spells at all and others do it occasionally.
This quote I read sums it:
Magick[sic] just does not work the way that people of today want it to. Magick has it's limitations and it's uses. It is not here to solve every aspect of life's problems and challenges and it is not a replacement for facing and accepting your responsibilites.[sic] Magick has it's place and the results do not come without hard work and extreme dedication to your respected traditions. The results of Magick are also not going to just present themselves to you [in] an extremely visual manner.
You must believe it. What you do has to mean something to you or what you work for will accomplish zilch. The words will mean nothing without your will.
To preform Magick, perfect your visualization skills and train your mind to think in a different way than it normally would.
As stated on here:
Migick is based on the principle of "As Above, So Below", this may be taken to mean that which exists on the spirtual level also exists on the Physical level. Magic is about responsibility, to ensure that your Magick comes from the desire to to create harmony. Magick is about learning to control forces within yourself.
Three most imortant ingredients: Desire, Form, and Manifestation. You must desire it for it to be yours. Only then can it form and manifest.
Three Tips on Magick:
1.) What one gives Magickal Energy, is also recieved: You will recieve energy just like you put energy out.
2.) Magickal Energy follows thought and emotions: If you are angry so will the energy. You must believe it through out your whole body. It is directed by Will. 3.) Magickal Energy is the Cause and Effect; You give one thing out and then it returns.
Quoted from here: Magic works better on yourself than on other people. Some people write this off as psychological, and perhaps they are partially right. The effort you put into a spell makes you much more aware of the change you want in yourself. When the target is yourself, the target is generally more likely to also take other, non-magical actions to reach the intended goal, and this is crucial. Magic is a nudge. It is not going to find you a well-paying job if you haven't mailed out any resumes and spend all day on the couch. That is just as unreasonable an expectation as firing lighting from your fingertips is.
The relationship between prayer, miracles, and magic is complicated. They may all ultimately stem from the same font, but they are approached by vastly different avenues. Prayer is ultimately a request, magic is a command, and miracles are events out of our control entirely, performed directly by the will of the divine. (The concept of miracles is more clear in the context of religions like Christianity, which believes in a strong distinction between the divine and the mortal. Defining miracles in a Pagan context is more problematic, and one I generally avoid.)
Certainly there are actions within Wicca that straddle definitions. However, to entirely remove the division between prayer and magic is extremely problematic. Magic is an expression of will. It requires a commanding mind to work it. It has no room for "please" and "if the Goddess wills it", because such mentalities dilute the overall mental frame of mind. (Besides, if the Goddess wills your spell not to work, do you think she's going to be stopped because you didn't give her permission to interfere?) Prayers, on the other hand, require sincerity and a certain humility. It is intrinsically up to the deity addressed whether a prayer is answered. Ordering a goddess to manifest is absurd.
What is Wicca?
Wicca, unlike what most believe, does not make you evil. Wicca is an Earth-based spirituality. There are many different Wiccan Tradittions. Such as: Alexandrian, British, Caledonii, Ceremonial, Dianic, Ecletic, Hereditary, Gardnerian, etc. The list goes on. Personally, I go by Celtic, Native American, Spiritual, Roman/Greek. It all depends on who you are as a person.
Quoted by, Janet and Stewart Farrar (in London 1981): Wicca is both a religion and a Craft... As a religon - like any other religion - its purpose is to put the individual and the group in harmony with the divine creative prinicpal of the Cosmos, and its manifestation at all levels. As a Craft, its purpose is to achieve practical ends by psychic means, for good, useful and healing purposes. In both aspects, the distingushing characteristics of Wicca are its Nature-based attitude, its a small group of autonomy with no gulf between priesthood and 'congration' and its philosophy of creative polarity at all levels, from Goddess and God to Priestess and Priest.
As quoted here: Wicca is a deep appreciation and awe in watching the sunrise or sunset, the forest in the light of a glowing moon, a meadow enchanted by the first light of day. It is the morning dew on the petals of a beautiful flower, the gentle caress of a warm summer breeze upon your skin, or the warmth of the summer sun on your face. Wicca is the fall of colorful autumn leaves, and the softness of winter snow. It is light, and shadow and all that lies in between. It is the song of the birds and other creatures of the wild. It is being in the presence of Mother Earths nature and being humbled in reverence. When we are in the temple of the Lord and Lady, we are not prone to the arrogance of human technology as they touch our souls. To be a Witch is to be a healer, a teacher, a seeker, a giver, and a protector of all things. If this path is yours, may you walk it with honor, light and integrity.
Witchcraft in ancient history was known as "The Craft of the Wise" because most who followed the path were in tune with the forces of nature, had a knowledge of Herbs and medicines, gave council and were valuable parts of the village and community as Shamanic healers and leaders. They understood that mankind is not superior to nature, the earth and its creatures but instead we are simply one of the many parts, both seen and unseen that combine to make the whole. As Chief Seattle said; "We do not own the earth, we are part of it." These wise people understood that what we take or use, we must return in kind to maintain balance and equilibrium. Clearly, modern man with all his applied learning and technology has forgotten this. Subsequently, we currently face ecological disaster and eventual extinction because of our hunger for power and a few pieces of gold.
What is a Deity?
As quoted here:
Some may cast a spell in the name of a certain deity, something like "In Hekate's name, I will that.." This still involves the willpower generally associated with magic - it needs to be approached as a command that you are giving, not with the expectation that Hekate will now take care of whatever it is that you want. Moreover, you had better be sure that your magical work is, in fact, in line with Hekate's interests. If you claim to act in the name of another, that should actually be what you're doing. Throwing in the name of a random deity is unuseful and disrespectful, at best. (I have this image of Jesus slapping his forehead and shaking his head when Christian fundamentalists shoot abortion doctors or cheer the deaths of soldiers "in Jesus's name." I also envision a thought bubble over his head saying something like "Keep me out of this. This is NOT what I taught!")
I have two main Deities, but, you can't call upon a God of the sea to do work for the Goddess of birth. Can you? I go with Greek/Roman Gods and Goddesses. There are Gods and Goddess' every religion. You don't have to go by mine.
Here is a list of the most known Gods and Goddess used in Wicca and Paganism Here is a list of Celtic Gods and Goddesses. Go by who calls out to you.
Here is the complete list of Greek Gods and Goddesses.
My Main Deites:
Eirene (or Irene) is the Greek Goddess of Peace and the Season of Spring. To the Romans she is Pax. Eirene is one of the three Horai (Goddess' of Seasons and a Gate Keeper to Heaven). Her father was Zeus and her mother was Themis.
Poseidon is the Greek God of the Sea, Earthquakes, and Horses. To the Romans he is Neptune. He is one of the 'great Gods'. Son of Theuses and Aegeus, though, he didn't mind two fathers. Not sure who is mother is.
