How I like experimental magic to other people's practices

Recently when I taught a class on Space at Pantheacon, one of the issues I had to address was how my focus on space could actually be converted to other people's more traditional practices of magic. I'll be the first to admit I'm not a traditional magician by any means, although I am well versed in ceremonial magic and other traditional approaches. Still a glance at my book Multi-Media Magic, or any of my other books wouldn't necessarily convey how my approaches could fit into or apply to more traditional approaches to magic. Nonetheless all of my books are based in part on my own background in ceremonial magic. The main difference is that I've looked to outside inspiration for a lot of my workings. So in Multi-Media Magic I've combined my interest of acting methods with traditional techniques for invocation, and I've looked at how art can be used for effective evocation of entities. To me that's part of what magic is about: It's taking those creative activities we already do and integrating them into our magical work.

My writing and my experimentation is driven by what fascinates me. I have a boundless curiosity as it applies to the world around me and to what other people are doing. But I'm also interested in how all of it can be meaningfully applied to magical work and that's what my writing is about. I think any of the concepts and practices I discuss can be applied to more traditional approaches to magic. For example, my workshop in space focused on how we define ritual space as well as what we bring into it. By helping the participants understand space from a creative perspective, I was able to provide insights into how movement and arrangement of space could play a role in creating an effective sacred space for ritual.

If you haven't read my books, consider giving them a try. They will provide new insights into your magical work and perspectives and sources for you to look at that don't necessarily fall into the usual resources you'd draw on. But those non-traditional resources can provide some useful ways of thinking about magical work and the processes we use.