Re: PME- magical aids

["Dan" <danerebor@...>]

Thank you.

Dan

--- In BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com, Ambrose Hawk <ahawk@c...> wrote:
> extracted from a draft of my current book project, please respect 
the
> copyright
> 
> Ambrose Hawk
> Introduction to Magical Tools
> 
> 9 February 2003 (c)
> 
> This essay is a "brief" consideration of two related questions.
> Does the mage need
> particular magical tools, and can tools be substituted for each 
within a
> ritual: especially wands
> and athames.
> 
> What is magic?
> 
> Obviously, this question needs to be answered first in such a 
way
> that it may inform the
> discussion to follow. There are many definitions such as Crowley's
> dictum that magic is
> change accomplished by the force of will which are simply 
inadequate to
> provide a clear picture
> of what magical activity is, what the mage actually does, and how 
these
> are different from the
> activities and actions of other people.
> Donald Tyson, in what has been called his "New Magus" system.
> Defines Magic as
> follows:
> 
> "Every creative act is magical; and every magical act is
> creative.
> What can be predicted is not magic; what is magic cannot 
be
> predicted.
> Magic in action looks like luck.
> Magic, like water, always seeks the easiest course.
> Magic is unbounded by time and space."
> 
> I have a lot of respect for Mr. Tyson's work. In fact, the
> writer expounds on these and
> other 'Corollary's" of Magic in his work entitled, _Ritual Magic: 
What
> It Is and How to Do It_
> (ISBN: 0-87542-835-5). However, I am not that sure that this
> description adequately or even
> accurately describes magic even though it definitely evokes much of 
the
> aura of many magical
> workings. The famous science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clark, 
made the
> comment that, "any
> sufficiently advanced technology will appear to be magick to those 
with
> lesser technologies."
> The famous Martinist, "Papus" wrote: "The application of the
> strengthened human will
> to accelerate the evolution of the living forces of Nature." 
(Papus,
> Traite' Methodique de Magic
> Pratique) "Magic is the Science of Love." (Ibid.)
> ,,, and ...
> "As a ... rule, the principal director... is the human will; 
the
> means of action, the implement
> used, is the astral or natural fluid, and the end to achieve is the
> realization (generally on the
> physical plane) of the ... operation. (Papus, La Science des 
Mages).
> 
> Perhaps the following definition may be more functional for our
> purposes.
> MAGIC: the deliberate imposition of distinct 
pattern in
> the reality / probability field
> by application of imagination and will in such a manner as to 
utilize
> energies and/or entities
> which seem to function in a paranormal manner and / or according to
> divergent cosmological
> rules.
> Another plausible treatment of the same idea could be that 
magic
> consists in the
> performance of certain physical actions which enable the mage to 
carry
> out corresponding
> actions on other planes so that certain events on those planes will
> result in the manifestation of
> particular, tangible consequences.
> Some folks may argue about the last bit about "tangible
> consequences," but I hold that
> without such consequences we have no means of verifying the 
efficacy of
> a magical act.
> 
> Nor is magic the same as religion. The essence of religion is
> relationship with some force
> and/or mythos greater than the individual ego. The essence of 
magic
> is deliberate, intelligent,
> and creative manipulation of numinous forces. These forces and 
actions
> may or may not be part
> of the dynamic complexes which express that relationship with "the
> Divine." Indeed, often they
> are quite mechanistic -- employing the subtle qualities of herbs,
> crystals, and astrological
> energies via the paranormal attributes of the magus, for instance.
> Thus a mage may be involved deeply in religious activities, 
very
> devout and pious. Yet
> in the ultimate moment of magic, if the mage cannot authoritatively
> express his or her own,
> autonomous will and imagination, then the mage does not work magic 
but
> merely prays. Some
> mages will include a clause in their spells, such as the Wiccan "an 
it
> harm none," or the
> Christian "if it be Thy Will." These clauses have a value as fail 
safe
> fall backs to protect the
> mage and their environment from some of the consequences of 
inevitable
> error. Yet the adept
> should have such an harmony with the will of his or her tutelary 
that
> they will know already that
> their own will aligns with the will of their greater power. Hence, 
the
> adept is, in the final
> analysis, imposing the patterns of his or her own imagination 
willfully
> upon the cosmos, not
> pleading with another autonomous being to fulfill wishes.
> 
> Do you need tools?
> 
> Many writers proclaim that tools are not really necessary for 
the
> proficient mage. They
> hold that all magic is really accomplished by the mage's own aura or
> imagination anyway and all
> that tools really do is to reinforce the mage's visualization and
> unconscious commitment and
> expectations. I hold that this is patently false.
> Frankly, a tool which functions primarily as a psychological
> prompt is not well designed.
> We are a tool using species, and our fundamental nature has evolved 
with
> the assumption that
> we will design and manipulate tools which will amplify our impact 
and
> effect our desire far
> more effectively than our naked bodies ever could.
> When one considers the rule, "as above, so below," then any
> spiritual action should be
> mirrored also by a physical impact as well. Indeed, this is one of 
the
> fundamental principles in
> magical practice, we do a physical act which has its spiritual 
impact
> which in turn engenders
> effects which eventually manifest on the mundane.
> Furthermore, appropriately designed tools can affect a 
plethora of
> poorly understood
> energy fields, such as those several kinds found in the aura. 
Indeed,
> almost any kind of
> tool will impact your aura and modify it to some extent ... from a
> living branch to a socket
> wrench. Deliberately studying and incorporating these features 
should
> clearly enhance the utility
> of our ritual tools as well.
> Obviously, while it is true that your aura and imagination are
> absolutely key to the
> operation of magic; they work by manipulating very real energies or
> communicating with very
> real entities. You can observe this mundanely by simply noticing 
the
> effect you have on radio
> and T.V. reception when you walk into or through the area in which 
it is
> playing. Some folks
> find that they destroy electric watches, others can't keep spring 
driven
> watches running. More
> advanced equipment will reveal the Kirilian field which surrounds 
you an
> all living or even once
> living things. Other gear can examine the infrared field generated 
by
> your body. Extremely
> expensive high tech equipment conducts C.A.T. and M..R.I. scans of 
your
> body, relying upon
> the magnetic and other energy fields which your body generates and
> affects.
> Therefore, it is obvious that just as your muscles can 
accomplish
> many tasks but simple
> tools make those muscles much more effective, likewise when your
> imagination and auric
> patterns begin to become effective; you can enhance their effect by
> using appropriate tools.
> Furthermore, while it is true that you could pass the electric
> energy through your body to
> light a light bulb; such behavior is risky, Moreover, your body 
cannot
> sustain the kinds of intense
> energy levels needed for modern society. Equally, as you advance in
> your magical work, you
> will find yourself accessing much more massive flows of energy and
> vastly more intense entities.
> Obviously, the simpler actions and charms would be just as easy for 
such
> a practitioner with or
> without tools. Equally obviously, there are situations in which 
proper
> tools and procedures are
> necessary as simple safety precautions.
> Nor should one overlook the simple advantage of having tools 
which
> are specifically
> designed to accomplish the particular task. In every craft, 
esoteric or
> exoteric, having the right
> tools and being practiced with them causes the work to be better 
done.
> Such tools also enable
> you to exercise your creativity more freely, and ultimately, your
> creativity is the root basis of any
> magical accomplishments you hope to attain.
> 
> What do tools do?
> 
> Tools are impacted by and depend upon the old rule, "As above, 
so
> below, and vice
> versa." Every act on any plane will echo and resonate on the other
> planes. Thus your magic
> involves physical actions and materials which are linked to
> corresponding esoteric forces and
> events. By increasing the material component in your rituals, you
> create a larger effect in your
> environment. The physical tool accesses more of the mundane and / 
or
> psychological patterns
> and energies in such a way as to also enhance the forces being 
involved
> and manipulated on
> other planes.
> Secondarily, tools do aid psychological reinforcement. Your
> emotional control and
> intensity as well as your psychological states and subconscious
> expectations have repeatedly
> been proven to directly affect the efficacy of your magical or
> paranormal work. The use of
> special tools, garb, and symbols are all intended to evoke and to
> reinforce those conditions.
> However, this is hardly the limit of a truly magical tool's
> contribution.
> Even within this largely psychological realm the very presence 
of
> the tool acts as a focus
> for the unconscious participation. Hence using appropriate tools, 
which
> you have drilled your
> unconscious to recognize, triggers particular associations. In
> consequence, it then will more
> readily assist your whole personality to cooperate in the magic. 
Such
> a focus also enables you
> to be able to access those magical states even when you are 
physically
> or emotionally impeded
> by illness, stress, grief, or other condition.
> Beyond the direct effect of the tool upon your own psyche, 
properly
> consecrated and
> designed tools will provide the symbolic talismen which will attract
> notice and response from
> entities whose existence is more noticeable on other planes. In 
fact,
> because of this attraction of
> the entities or energies connected with the tool, the tool also 
creates
> a milieu which inhibits the
> activity or presence of energies or entities which are not in 
harmony
> with those you've selected
> for consecrating and charging your tool.
> Such entities are often quite volatile and require quite 
specific
> handling. Just as
> sometimes you find it difficult to tune your radio to the right 
station,
> many times you will find it
> difficult to bring your mind and spirit into the proper frequency 
for
> communion with the forces
> which you wish to evoke. Your creation of, consecration of, 
charging
> of, and practice with your
> magical tools will drill your mind into assuming those special 
states.
> Such an aide is obviously
> invaluable to direct the Beginner into proper relationship and
> attitude. As you acquire more
> practice, you may feel less need for such aides; yet if you 
continue to
> recharge your tool, you
> will find it will still enhance your practice noticeable in this 
way.
> Not only will the presence of the tool enhance your ability to
> enter quickly into the
> magical connection, your frequent practice with it will cause it to
> become an accustomed means
> of access for those forces, entities, and/or energies which you
> consistently evoke. As such, your
> favorite tool can become a true nexus for the passage of magical 
reality
> and beings. Just as it
> aids you, it also comes to aid those with whom you work. Further, 
as
> the tool provides an
> exterior focus for the unconscious, it provides a kind of 
psychological
> breaker between the
> mental and spiritual stresses of your work and your own psyche. As 
a
> result, tools facilitate your
> releasing the spell so that the work will be free to manifest.
> Ultimately, those forces which you have evoked and manipulated
> through your tool
> change the nature of the tool itself. Just as your body can cause 
such
> changes in the reception of
> the radio and generate such large fields of energy and special
> environments, the tool will acquire
> its own aura, fields, and patterns of energy. Some would even say 
it
> acquires an intelligible
> spirit with which you may communicate.
> This acquisition of special energy fields is vital to the
> importance of the right tool.
> While you could use a bullet to replace a fuse in your car, as some
> folks in Arkansas once did;
> the probability is that when you do, your balls will get shot too. 
When
> you use a tool to fashion
> the pattern you have imagined and to direct the energies, you can 
create
> vastly greater effects. I
> do not think that muscle and bone alone could ever have created the
> Mount Rushmore
> Monument. You could try to pull together downed high power lines 
and
> tie them together to
> restore power, but I suspect that attempting to do so without proper
> tools, garb, and technique
> would be a trifle risky!
> All too often, occult writers hasten to assure the reader that
> everything is perfectly safe.
> Balderdash! You can seriously injure yourself while sound asleep 
in
> your own bed! You are
> acquiring the skills to wield those powers which flow through and 
even
> define your own soma /
> body and psyche. Moreover, you encountering beings of a truly 
alien
> nature. Such a being may
> be perfectly friendly and love you intensely, but it may have a
> metabolism based on nuclear
> fusion or some such. Moreover, I don't care what your favorite
> mythology is, predators,
> parasites, and bullies are blatantly part of the cosmos. Imagine 
such
> beings magnified into the
> greater magical entities! Compare the spark you can create with 
your
> body to the spark which
> can jump from the generator or accelerator. If you can wield 
magical /
> paranormal forces with
> just your own body, what will those more enormous bodies and forces 
do?
> Yes, you need tools for advanced work.
> 
> --
> IN HOC MODO MILLIS FRANGITVR .