Course Four: Rites
Class I: Practical Magick
way for concentration on the magickal
path. From the beginning, the student
will perceive that the lessons you most
need to learn are delivered with aston-
ishing clarity. Along the way, you 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 forms of religion, Magick has no cen-
tral 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 yourself 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, you
can cease to practice, but the lessons will still be de-
livered on schedule in your life.Opening yourself to
the Innerworld opens the way to change at the deep-
est inner levels. Without the courage to confront and
change all the aspects of this Innerworld that will be
presented, the risk of confusion and self-deception is
great. To undertake such study without the founda-
tion of a balanced personality, and clear knowledge of
the best and worst aspects of the self could be gam-
bling 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 every-
one will find that dire consequences immediately en-
sue when they choose the Magickal Path. For those
who choose it rightly, the speed at which things clear
in your life 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 Wizards is: “I desire to
serve—Spirit and humankind—and I am willing to take
the risks to complete that service.”- Glossary of Magickal Acts
Oral tradition: Information passed on through memo-
rization and recital, rather than in writing.
Incantation: A hypnotic and sometimes rhyming chant
or formula used in spell casting.
Litany: A repetitive, hypnotic prayer.- Introduction:
Believing in Magick
S A WELL-KNOWN PUBLIC WIZARD, I
travel all over the world doing
workshops and personal appear-
ances. I’ve been interviewed for
books, magazines, newspapers,
radio and TV shows. And one of
the questions I get asked the
most is: “Do you really believe in
magick?” This always amazes me. I mean, you don’t
talk about believing in things that are part of your
everyday reality. No one asks if you believe in cars,
television, or trees; they’re just there. Well, this is the
way it is for me and magick. I live magick. Every day,
every moment, with every action I take, I am coming
from a place of magick, and magick is moving through
me. My thoughts are magick; my dreams are magick;
the creation of a piece of sacred sculpture is pure
magick. Organizing my thoughts and knowledge of
magick into the creation of this Grimoire for you is
itself a great act of magick. And right now, I am writing
these very words by magick. As the search engine of
my mind draws forth the appropriate words out of the
vast library of experience and information in my memory
banks, my fingers automatically tap the right keys on
my keyboard, and the words of my thoughts magi-
cally appear on the screen before my very eyes.
So I usually answer something along the lines of:
“Do you believe in Love?” But then, again, there are
people out there who don’t even believe in Love. They
can hardly be expected to believe in Magick.Lesson 2. Why Study Magick?
— by Sheila Attig (from HOME Cooking, 1997)The path of Wizardry is not for everyone. 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 your individual experience, and to
take responsibility in all areas of your life.
To call in (invoke) is to call forth (evoke), and
each person who contemplates beginning this path
has chosen to accelerate the development and resolu-
tion of all the things in your life experience to clear theCorrected pages 3rd printing.2.p65 2 6/10/2004, 4:01 PM