Why Study Magick?
The path of the Western Mysteries is not for everybody. It
requires extraordinary honesty, dedication, persistence, and a deep
commitment to change. Real magick requires a fundamentally balanced
personality willing to take on the challenges of accelerated growth.
The decision to embark on the magickal path should never be taken
lightly, for once begun there is no turning back. It is a decision
to trust one's individual experience, and to take responsibility in
all areas of one's life.
To invoke is to evoke, and each person who contemplates
beginning this path has chosen to accelerate the development and
resolution of all the things in his/her life experience to clear the
way for concentration on the magickal path. From the beginning, the
student will perceive that the lessons he/she most needs to learn are
delivered with astonishing clarity. Along the way, the student will
be presented with many tests and difficulties unique to the Magickal
path. The ability to learn from these experiences and thrive is the
true measure of Initiation.
Unlike most other forms of religion, Magick has no central
written codex of laws, and offers no easy escape routes. The laws
under which it operates are uniform, but are discovered only through
direct experience. To truly begin, then, is to commit oneself to a
lifetime of discovery and sacrifice offered without reservation. For
those few with the honesty and courage to choose this path there is
no turning back. Once begun, one can cease to practice, but the
lessons will still be delivered on schedule in the life of the person
who turns away.
Opening oneself to the Inner world opens the way to change at the
deepest inner levels. Without the courage to confront and change all
the aspects of this Inner world that will be presented, the risk of
confusion and self-deception is great. To undertake such study
without the foundation of a balanced personality, and clear knowledge
of the best and worst aspects of the self could be gambling with your
sanity. Until you know firmly who you are, why take such a risk?
Magick has a way of calling in old business that must be cleared
before serious work can begin, and many who approach it decide to
stop when they first experience their share. Not everyone will find
that dire consequences immediately ensue when they choose the
Magickal Path. For those who choose it rightly, the speed at which
things clear in their lives will be experienced with a distinct sense
of relief.
Magick is powerful, but it is foolish to undertake it as a part
of a quest for increased personal power. If you desire to be a
master, rather than a servant; Magick is not for you. Before
beginning, ask yourself, "What do I intend to do with my Magick?"
Make no mistake, the only true answer for real magicians is "I
desire to Serve God/dess, and humankind, and I am willing to take the
risks to complete that service."
© Copyright 1987, Sheila
