The Path of Magick

Technically speaking, there’s nothing “sacred” or “holy” about magick. When we’re speaking of any aspect of ceremonial magick—from attaining enlightenment, to freeing yourself from the endless cycle of incarnating into the physical world, to something like manifesting a new career or a suitable companion—what we’re doing is using a science. It’s a “spiritual science”—meaning one that’s not understood by the world at large yet—but a science nonetheless. The job of a magician is to understand how these things work in a way that is stripped of superstition and mysticism, in order to make use of it all in concrete, practical ways.

A big part of being a magician is knowing how magick works . . . and in order to understand that, we have to understand a little more about how we—and the universe—are structured. When you understand the structure and mechanics of the metaphysical aspects of the universe (and by extension your own soul), you will also understand the way magick manifests in the physical world and be a much more proficient magician.

“As above, so below.” This is one of the most well-known axioms in all of magick. It means, in part, that whatever is happening in the external world is simply a reflection of an energetic occurrence on the more subtle, or energetic, planes of reality. It also means that whatever processes are taking place in the universe around us are also happening on a much smaller scale within each and every one of us. This means that every single person on earth is a tiny, miniature universe unto themselves. To understand what this means, it’s necessary to understand that the nature of reality is much, much bigger than what we can perceive with our physical senses. In fact, all that we perceive around us is just one single level of reality: the physical plane. In addition to the physical plane, there are four other “higher,” or more subtle, planes. In fact, when we do magick, it is on these higher planes where the work occurs. The magick we do then manifests into the physical realm as it descends down through the levels of creation.

There are different kinds of magick that can be done to have an effect on each of these levels. For example, when we are doing elemental work—anything from invoking the archangels of the four elements to charging a candle or talisman with the energy of one of the elements—we are working with the etheric level of reality. The etheric level is made up of the densest kind of energy, which is known in certain Eastern internal alchemical traditions as “chi.”

When we work with planetary energies—anything from invoking the archangel of a specific planet to obtain its aid and blessing, to charging crystals or herbs with planetary energy (for example, the energy of Jupiter for prosperity)—we are working with astral energy. Astral energy is more subtle and ethereal than etheric energy because it is from a higher plane.

When we’re working with any of the energies that correspond to the spheres on the Tree of Life of the Kabbalah teachings, we’re working with an energy that’s even more ethereal than that of the astral plane. It’s known as the energy of the mental plane. This is the plane in which abstract concepts reside.

And lastly, the highest level of reality of all is the spiritual plane, or spiritual level, of reality. This is the level from which everything in existence was born and to which all will one day return. The spiritual level of reality is beyond the comprehension of the intellect entirely.

Here are the levels of reality and how we do magick with them, from the densest to the most ethereal:

These levels of reality exist not only externally, but also internally, as layers of the aura. There is an etheric layer of the aura, an astral layer of the aura, a mental layer of the aura, and a spiritual layer of the aura. The level of our energy system that corresponds to the physical level of reality is our body—which is the densest and most concrete level of our anatomy. We begin the path seeking to fulfill our needs on the physical level. If we complete the Great Work, we master every level of reality and remain masters of ourselves, even in death.

In magick there are traditionally three levels of development a mage passes through on their way towards completion of the Great Work: neophyte, adept, and master. I offer you this blessing as neophytes on the path.