There are many definitions of magic. One of the most frequently quoted was formulated by Aleister Crowley, the well-known twentieth-century occultist. In his view, magic is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will. Crowley was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn – a society in which each adept worked out his or her own understanding of magic.
Change in the world or in consciousness?
In the traditional view, magic consists of performing a ritual that is meant to bring about changes in the physical world and make an intention come true. Whichever definition we adopt, the end result looks the same: something in our reality changes. From this perspective it does not matter whether the cause was a change on the physical plane or in our consciousness.
Hence another, modern definition: magic is the science and art of causing change in consciousness in accordance with your will, using methods that Western science cannot necessarily explain. A ritual that produces results does not have to make sense from the standpoint of the currently accepted scientific paradigm. Supporters of this approach stress that magic is not supernatural at all: whether the universe arose from the design of a higher intelligence or by chance, everything that exists in it is natural.
Three kinds of magic according to Donald Michael Kraig
Magic is traditionally divided into three categories: white, grey and black. The American author Donald Michael Kraig, who wrote a popular handbook of ceremonial magic, proposed precise definitions for them, built on one shared core.
- White magic is “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with your will, using means not necessarily understood by Western science, for the purpose of obtaining the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel”.
- Grey magic is the same art used “for the purpose of bringing both physical and non-physical benefit to yourself or others”, whether practised consciously or unconsciously.
- Black magic is the same art used “for the purpose of causing both physical and non-physical harm to yourself or others”, whether practised consciously or unconsciously.
White magic as a spiritual path
In Kraig’s view, white magic has above all a spiritual purpose. Its Eastern counterpart is yoga – not only the variety most popular in the West, hatha yoga, which prepares the body by stretching the muscles and tendons, but yoga understood as a path to awakening. White magic, also called mysticism, is sometimes described as the yoga of the West. Its goal is described in various ways: as attaining cosmic consciousness, enlightenment or self-realisation.
Where white ends and grey begins
White magic often blends into grey. When we want to help someone but do not have their consent – for example because they know nothing about it – we step into the territory of grey magic. Some practitioners believe, however, that if the sole intention of a ritual is the other person’s good, the grey comes close to white.
The same goes for rituals to attract money, love or friends. In this view there is nothing wrong with using your own skills and knowledge to improve your quality of life – as long as it does not happen at someone else’s expense.
The price of black magic
According to magical tradition, black magic always carries a high price that the adept will have to pay. That is why practitioners advise focusing on white magic, which multiplies good. The principle is summed up simply: do good, and good will come back to you; do evil, even unknowingly, and that too will return. Many practitioners regard it as one of the fundamental laws of the universe.
First published (Polish original): 5 October 2011. Written by astrologers and esoteric specialists working with our editorial team; edited and translated for HOROSCOP.SPACE. © All rights reserved.