We live in a magickal universe of unlimited potential, a universe comprised of seen and unseen, physical and nonphysical worlds. Most of the time we are only aware of the physical realm—and only a small part of that. Our vision is limited; so is our ability to shape our destinies. These worlds are infinitely complex, yet with the right tools and understanding, we can navigate them gracefully. With the knowledge of astrology and magick, we can erase the barriers that normally restrict us and walk between the worlds. We can expand our perception to understand our place in the cosmos. We can transcend time and look into the past and the future. Most importantly, we can create the lives we want for ourselves and help others to do the same.
No one knows how long humans have been using astrology and magick. Archaeologists have found Egyptian star charts dating back to 4200 BCE, although some studies suggest that our ancestors tracked lunar cycles as early as 32,000 years ago. Magickal practices are described in ancient texts and abound in the ageless myths of every culture. My guess is that this wisdom has always been with us, and we are just beginning to remove the shroud of fear and superstition that has kept it hidden for millennia.
Astrology and magick serve as links between universal forces and earthly experience. Like myth, meditation, and music, they provide windows through which we can glimpse the Divine and see its hand shaping the manifest world.
St. Thomas Aquinas believed that “the celestial bodies are the cause of all that takes place in the sublunar world.” Astrological forces exert a profound influence on the everyday impulses and activities of humans as well as the functioning of the natural world. Not surprisingly, magick, which utilizes the energies of the heavens, nature, and the human psyche, has woven astrology into its fabric.
Many schools of thought exist in both astrology and magick. None is “right” or “wrong”—all are valid. They all “work.” Astrology and magick do not endorse nor reject any spiritual path, although some schools of thought have roots in specific cultural and/or religious traditions. The astrologers and magicians I know believe that all quests for truth lead to the same end. Although the first path you take may not be the one you continue on, as you learn more and put your knowledge into practice, you'll naturally gravitate toward the path that's most appropriate for you.
In the past, due largely to fear of persecution, access to secret societies and teachings was restricted. Today, occult knowledge is widely available in bookstores and online, enabling seekers to study astrology and magick and to pursue their own paths, solo or with a group of like-minded individuals. Online sites now make ancient texts available to those who wish to peruse them. We have greater opportunities for study and the exchange of ideas today than ever before. I urge you to experiment. Read all you can. Allow yourself to be led by your inner knowing.
The astrological information contained in this book is of the contemporary Western tropical variety. This does not mean I discount Chinese or Vedic or heliocentric astrology, only that I am a contemporary Western practitioner who, after more than four decades of work, finds this system to be the most effective for my purposes. Most of the magickal information I've included follows Wiccan and Neo-Pagan traditions because these are harmonious with my Celtic heritage, my feminist leanings, my Aquarian dislike of rigid hierarchy, and my love of nature. But I also use feng shui extensively, along with some Eastern yogic practices, some Native American wisdom teachings, and a few Golden Dawn–style rituals. I share with you what works for me and encourage you to use what you like, reject what you don't, alter it, expand upon it, put your own individual stamp on it.
In essence, magick is the process of consciously creating circumstances by manipulating energy. From the magician's point of view, there's no such thing as luck—we make our own “luck.” Witchcraft, ceremonial or ritual magick, shamanism, ecstatic sex, and feng shui are all types of magick, and there are many others. Despite differences in their outer forms, all have one thing in common: they focus the magician's intent, strengthening his or her ability to direct natural energies in order to produce a desired effect. Will is the power behind magick; magick is willed action. Aleister Crowley, one of the most famous magicians in the modern era, said, “Every intentional act is a Magical Act.”
Magicians are aware of the subtle energies that exist all around us and have learned to consciously tap these energies for specific purposes. They don't just perform a ritual or spell now and again; they are in constant contact with the forces of the cosmos and try to live in harmony with those forces. As Donald Michael Kraig explains in his book Modern Magick, “Magick is not something you do, magick is something you are.”
One of the first questions people ask when they learn that I'm an astrologer is, “Do you really believe in that stuff?” No, I explain. Belief requires faith in something you can't necessarily justify with actual data and predictable results, such as belief in a Divine Power. Astrology's validity has been demonstrated in countless ways for many centuries. I've witnessed its validity time and again in my own life and the lives of hundreds of other people.
Of course, most people's knowledge of astrology does not extend beyond the superficial horoscopes they read online—they're just for fun, the astrological equivalent of fortune cookies. Real astrology is a complex art and science, and proficiency requires many years of study, application, and a certain innate aptitude. Marc Edmund Jones, one of the great practitioners of the modern era, once remarked that he'd studied astrology for fifty years and barely scratched the surface.
If humans weren't such unique and intricate creatures, astrology might prove even more accurate. Free will—the choices we make based on our individual levels of awareness—affects how we respond to and utilize cosmic energies, which makes it tricky for astrologers to predict events with absolute certainty. Still, people generally respond in calculable ways to planetary influences, and the more we understand about these influences, the more control we have over our lives. As astrologers are fond of saying, the stars don't compel, they impel.
Although modern Western astrology is most often utilized as a tool for gaining personal insight—much like psychology—it's also used to predict earthquakes and weather patterns, to gauge trends in the stock market, to prevent injuries in the workplace, to diagnose and treat illnesses, to solve crimes, and more. Its applications are probably limited only by our imagination.
Conversely, when I tell people I practice magick, they rarely express skepticism. Everyone, so it seems, believes in magick—and many fear it. We've been taught to think of magick as something evil and dangerous, and magicians as malicious creatures who put curses on people they don't like. Even at the time of this writing (2018), Merriam-Webster erroneously defines “witch” as “one that is credited with usually malignant supernatural powers; especially a woman practicing usually black witchcraft often with the aid of a devil or familiar.” This definition does not present an accurate understanding of witchcraft or reflect changing perceptions about witches.
True, magick can be dangerous if misused. But so can cars and electricity. I have a healthy respect for magick, just as I do for the ocean, and recommend that you not stray beyond a depth that is comfortable for you in either case.
It's important to understand that our ideas influence events. The Buddha taught “we are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” More recently, quantum physics has demonstrated that the observer influences the observed. This is one of the premises on which the practice of magick is based—you can, and do, create your reality.
In The Magician's Companion, Bill Whitcomb writes, “You cannot observe a phenomenon without altering it by your mode of perception. There is no such thing as an independent observer. You participate in creating the world by perceiving it.” Esther and Jerry Hicks have popularized this idea in their books about the Law of Attraction. I tend to agree with Vladimir Nabokov's opinion that “the word, ‘reality,’ must always be used with quotations.” Absolute truth may exist, but it is unknowable to humans. Like blind men describing an elephant, we filter our understanding of reality through our limited perspectives, social conditioning, and individual worldviews.
On the other hand, refusing to believe the possibility of something's existence can inhibit your ability to see or experience it—though it will not negate its existence or validity. This is particularly true when working in the unseen worlds and with subtle energies, where the rules aren't the same as in ordinary, material existence.
An open mind is the only prerequisite to studying astrology and magick. If you deny the basic tenets of astrology and magick—that all things are connected, that there are many levels of existence and intelligence beyond what we can perceive with our physical senses, and that our thoughts can and do affect situations—you're unlikely to make much progress and may end up “proving” to yourself that these things are indeed hokum. Of course, if you weren't already open to these ideas, you probably wouldn't be reading this book!