“You’re already doing magick — you just don’t know it.”
— Damien Echols
Rabbits out of hats. Chesty ladies sawed asunder. A card you secretly selected appears in a friend’s purse. These are all examples of parlor magic. Sleight of hand. Simple tricks played on the eye. Or, as Arrested Development’s Gob puts it:
Illusions, Michael. A trick is something a whore does for money…or candy.
We’re not talking about that. We’re talking about Magick.
Aleister Crowley is credited with coining the term Magick (magic with a k). And, he did so to differentiate the occult practice, or High Magick, from the said parlor tricks mentioned above. In his religion of Thelema, Crowley defines magick as “the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.”
In drastically simpler terms, focusing your intention into thoughts that impact your actions, thus affecting change in the world around you.
Many forms of this ideology have made their way into paperbacks, documentaries, LA all-inclusive retreats, and TV talk show circuits. So, let’s not mince words here; there’s plenty of fly-by-night “gurus” looking to take your money. You could lose it on worse things though, but still, don’t get caught up in a cult. Don’t.
As Echols states in our opening quote, “You’re already doing magick…” Our minds are constantly evaluating, processing, conjouring, and ultimately, attracting things into our lives. Ever known someone who’s always complaining about everything? Worse still, are you that person? What if you stopped focusing on what’s going wrong about things and begin to appreciate what’s going right? Or, simply reframe the negative aspects into thoughts about how things can be made better. Even if it’s the simplest of concerns. Even if it’s just that you survived.
Now certainly there’s more to magick than simply thinking positive thoughts. I’m not implying otherwise; volumes upon volumes exist on the subject. But, as Echols points out to us, we are already magicians of our own design whether we know—or accept—it.
If your magickal path goes no further than intentional positive thinking I believe you’ll find your life the better for it.
You may certainly choose to explore further. But start with that.
Make it a habit.
Do it now, think one good intention-soaked thought. See where it takes you.