Magic

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How to embrace and work with the shadow aspects of yourself

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As I’ve been working with the Chesedic current this month, one of the elements of the work I’ve been encountered are the shadow aspects of that current, which have manifested in being more aware of my own selfishness and how that selfishness shows up in my life. I’ve also had this mirrored for me in a fiction series I’m reading, where the one character’s selfishness has really stood out to me more than it may have in the past. Yet what I’ve found most fascinating with all this is a very interesting approach to this work with the shadow aspect that’s being called forth.

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Magic by Design available for Pre-order

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DO YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN MAGICAL WORKINGS THAT GET YOU CONSISTENT RESULTS?

Of course you do…

But you can’t create a magical working if you don’t know how magic works or how to design a magical working from scratch.

In Magic by Design, I teach you how to create your own magical workings, instead of having to rely on magick spell books that may not provide the results you want.

I’ll show you how simplify or enhance an existing magical spell, to get better results.

I’ll walk you through how to apply the principles of magical design to create your own unique workings that get you results.

I’ll share multiple case studies where I show you how the principles of magical design were applied to create original magical workings that got results and explain why they got results.

And as a bonus you’ll also learn how to create long term magical workings and how to design your own magical systems.

This is a practical magic book that shows you how to create your own magical workings and get results with them.

Pre-order it now and get better results with your magical workings.

Pre-order the e-book

5 lessons you can learn from a fantasy book about magic

One of my favorite fantasy books is The Soulforge by Margaret Weis (affiliate link) and one of the reasons its one one of my favorite books is because it has some valuable lessons to offer about what it takes to practice magic. Now, you may read that and wonder why a fantasy book would have any valuable insights to offer about real magical practice, but as I’ve discovered time and again, some of the best lessons you can learn about magic come in the form of stories.

Just in case you’re not familiar with the book, it’s a story about how Raistlin Majere becomes a magician. In the story, Raistlin has to make some critical choices that test who he is and defines how he becomes a magician. I want to share some of the key lessons we can all learn from this story and discuss how they apply to the practice of magic.

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How pop culture spirits evolve

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I’m always fascinated by how pop culture spirits change with the times. Older spirits are more set by the context of the cultures they originated from, so although they may change somewhat through the lens of modern culture, pop culture spirits are more flexible and fluid in some ways. Yet they too can become fixed and set to some degree by the expectations of the fans that enjoy the pop culture they originate from. And yet sometimes a spirit can break out of the mold in unexpected ways.

Recently I went to see the new Joker movie. I saw it once and I went back and saw it again in the theater (something I normally don’t do). Why did I go back? Because the Joker movie isn’t really a movie. It’s an experience of a person becoming the Joker. The second time I saw the movie, I watched how Joaquin Phoenix used his face and eyes to convey the gradual evolution of Arthur into Joker, but what I also saw was a dynamic rewriting of the pop culture spirit of Joker, in a direction that no one else had taken him.

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Wu Wei and Magic

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One of the books I’m currently reading is Effortless Living by Jason Gregory (Affiliate link). In that book he shares the following: “When we fervently seek power or use force, we exhaust our system by swimming against the current of life instead of flowing with it. A sage or an artist allows life to present itself instead of dictating toward life…When you finally realize…that the whole universe is happening to you right now all at once, you will cease projecting yourself onto the world, because you will become receptive to the universe. This will align you with a real trust in life that confirms that you belong.”

Over the last couple of years my approach to magic has shifted toward a similar outlook. Instead of trying to control everything, I’ve surrendered myself to the experience and allowed the experience to speak through me and take me where I need to be. That kind of approach to magic can seem to be contrary what magical practice is, but I think that’s because a lot of how magical practice is discussed comes from a place of control (and I say that as someone who’s written about magic from that perspective and still does sometimes).

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My work with Planetary Pentacles

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I recently acquired two planetary pentacles, The Second Pentacle of Jupiter and The Second Pentacle of Mercury from Alison Chicosky, of Practical Occult. I acquired them because I was curious about how I could apply them to my own ongoing work with planetary magic, as well as for other purposes and so far I’ve been very pleased with the pentacles. I want to share here how I’ve applied them to my magical work, but I also recommend and vouch for Alison’s work.

When I first got these pentacles, I spent a few days just working with them. I kept them on my person during the day and put them under my pillow at night. I had vivid dreams the first couple nights, where the spirits of the pentacles came and instructed me in the basics of how to activate and work with them. During the day I’d touch them and soak in the experience, not just of the metal, but also of the planetary powers the pentacles represent.

The Second Pentacle of Mercury connects you with the planetary spirits of Mercury. It has a feeling of quickness to it, and a quirky eccentric appeal that provides odd insights and unusual perspectives, perfect for someone like me, but it also helps with communication and information gathering.

The Second Pentacle of Jupiter connects you with the planetary spirits of Jupiter. It has a feeling of expansion to it, a sense of opportunity and potential that can be explored and uncovered, if you’re willing to do the work. It’s helped me with some wealth workings and other related matters.

So how have I applied these pentacles to my own workings?

Frequency Manipulation

I’ve treated each of these pendants as dials, that I can use to either increase or decrease the amount of planetary essence being applied to a situation. The dial function also serves as a modifier, in the sense that it applies the planetary power in a way that modifies the situation through the particular lens that the pentacle channels.

Example: I’ve used the pentacle of Mercury to dial down the hostility of customers at my work, coming in hot because of the problem they’re dealing with. In this situation, Mercury has served to cushion and gentle the customer, making them cool down quick so we can focus on solving the problem. Mercury, in this context, has also helped stimulate unconventional perspectives for finding solutions to the problems being deal with.

Example: I’ve used the pentacle of Jupiter to dial up interest in the ads I’m running on Amazon, basically acting as attractor to those ads. Since applying the pentacle for that purpose, I’ve noticed more impressions and clicks, which is useful for increasing sales. I’ve also used Jupiter to enhance an existing wealth magic working I’m using to get more leads at work.

When I use the pentacles as dials, I treat the holes as the dial indicator (see picture) below. Left is used to lower the frequency, while right is used to raise the frequency. I must add that sometimes lower frequencies are better than higher ones, so if you take my approach you’ll have to pay close attention to your desired result and think of the frequency manipulation in terms of that result. For instance, I might lower the Jupiter frequency if I’m doing a working where I don’t want expansion. By lowering the frequency I can actually mitigate or even negate a planetary influence I don’t want at the time. You can apply this approach to any magical working you’re doing where you want to either modify the planetary influences you’re working OR use them to modify a magical working you’re already doing.

Left is less, while right is more

Left is less, while right is more

Answer Generators

I’ve also used each of these pentacles as divinatory tools, around their specific realm of influence. For instance, I posed a question to the Mercury pentacle and then slept with it under my head. That night I had a vivid dream where I got the answer I needed, which allowed me to make a crucial decision around some internal work I’m currently doing. That direction was very helpful and I imagine I could do something similar with the Jupiter pentacle.

The Pentacles and the Sphere of Art

I’ve also applied these two pentacles to the planetary influences I’m workings with in the Sphere of Art, using them to further enhance and refine the alchemical essences that are part of the working. I place the pentacle beneath the respective alchemical essence it represents and what happens is that both the alchemical essence and the pentacle charge and enhance and refine each other further. It’s basically a symbiotic exchange I’ve created and I can then apply to any working I’m doing in the Sphere, but also outside of it. I plan to get other pentacles and do the same thing with them as well, but that’s down the line.

Conclusion

For the moment what I’ve shared above is what I’ve done with the pentacles. but I know I’ll continue experimenting with them, both in conjunction with other work I’m doing and in working with them as singular entities in their own right. They’ve become an invaluable part of my work. If you want more information about these pentacles or others that Alison creates please visit practical occult.

Learn how magic works

How to design your own daily workings

One of the challenges that I notice some magicians have is committing to daily spiritual work. I get it, especially if that daily work doesn’t really do anything for you and isn’t spiritually fulfilling. I think if we do daily spiritual work and it doesn’t fulfill us in some essential way, then its worth revisiting why we’re even doing that spiritual work…and whether we should do something differently. And if you come to answer that you need to do something differently, there is no shame in coming to that answer. If anything, you are to be congratulated for being wise enough to realize that something isn’t working for you.

I think one solution to a situation where you aren’t feeling engaged with your spiritual work can be found in the choice to design your own daily work. The choice to design your own daily work allows you to take the helm and create something that has meaning to you. It may be highly personalized and it may draw on elements of previous daily practices that you’ve done, but it may also speak to you in a way that nothing else does.