Magickal Effects are not Accomplishments

Jason Miller posted Magickal Effects are not Accomplishments Either…. He was discussing the non-relationship between cool magickal effects like visible appearances of spirits or other physical phenomenon and the actual result of the operation. He is quite correct. Naturally, my take on the topic comes tangentially. Oddly, I was going to post on this topic today anyway.

Today, I had some blood work done. I didn’t have an appointment. So, I sat and waited. I decided to observe with my new found senses. First, I looked around. The women were all glued to the television watching things about the royal wedding. A normal human being would just shrug. I got irritated and judgmental. Who would spend a moment thinking of this bs? Freaking idiots! Then again, I watch baseball games and they may think the same thing. These are the type of instant pointless irritations I work to get rid of. As soon as I spotted that one, I did. That is one of those very small victories that can build into something better.

I then opened my mind to see the people from a psychic perspective. What I saw was a bunch of  semi-ill people waiting around trying not to be bored silly. I will let you pause and absorb the import of this great psychic revelation. May I continue? Thank you.

Being bored myself, I decided I had waited long enough and psychically highlighted my name on the list. I was called, had my blood drawn and was walking out the door five minutes later. One could be impressed with that or one could say, “Hey asshole, you really think your day is more important than theirs? Wait your turn.” You’d be right. Two instances of asshole Robert and one victory.

That was a magickal act, with immediate impact in this world that was exactly in line with my intent. I don’t count it as an accomplishment.  The goal of my magick is not such direct power. Though, I do have the privilege of using it from time to time. Using it to be secretly rude is not where this magician’s magick is at.

So, I pop over for a late bagel and coffee as I had to fast for the blood draw. Again, I open my mind and am drawn to one woman that was out of my line of sight. She stood out not because she was beautiful. Remember, I hadn’t seen her. She stood out not because she was the only one in the place with two kids. She pinged my radar because she was the only nervous person in the place. Everyone else was having a peaceful Friday morning. I don’t know why she was nervous. It could have been anything from social anxiety to an ex-husband stalking her. The point was that I could literally feel her internal nervousness for which there was no outer clue. My response was compassion. That is the goal of my magick or at least a stepping stone to the unity I seek.

Other folks may be impressed with my psychic ability to feel the current state of her lower soul without a visual clue. I’m much more impressed that this hard ass Leo felt such compassion. This has been building for some time. The first clue was when I realized so long ago the amount of mental pain so many people are in. That increased my capability for compassion but that is like chucking a few ten pound blocks of ice into the ocean and claiming to have contributed to rising sea levels.

The magickal/psychic abilities one gains over time can be distractions. Is it that hard to imagine someone realizing they have the power to impact mundane reality like I did at the lab today and simply using it to make life easier for themselves and their friends? A person could get stuck in such a state. Worse, one could feel that they have the right to be a secret asshole and take what they want rather than need. Sure, we work hard at this and certain privileges come with that just like with other professions. “Yes Doctor, we have a table for you right over here.”  These privileges are a symptom of the work and may even indicate progress but they are not the goal of the Great Work. They are not an accomplishment. At best, they are markers along a very long path.

Compassion Has its Dangers Too

Today’s compassion is not all that unusual. It has been building. There are many such incidents over the years and becoming more frequent in recent months. Like all blessings, there is a potential trap for the unwary magician.

I have long ago observed that magic users tend to be rather um…er.. promiscuous.  New magick users will often encounter someone with a bit more pop and feel that energy. Rather than seeing it for what it is, they mistake it for sexual attraction. Well, if not a mistake, that energy can be mistaken as exclusively related to sexual attraction. The magician/witch can follow through on that or not. The more experienced of them, recognize the pattern and goes through a thought process before declining or acting on such things.

Little did I know, compassion has the same temptation. When one can feel the pain of others and the comfort such intimate contact can bring, one could be tempted to be compassionate. What a trap! That in the moment compassion could be a battering ram on the soul of another. How easy it would be to give in and tell oneself this is the proper exercise of compassion rather than the true healing magick can offer.

Mistaking the effect for the goal is a deadly mistake.

Avoidance is a Danger Too

One cannot run from such things for there is little to be learned from cowardice. It would be the equivalent of turning one’s back on one’s own heart let alone the pained soul of another. The illusion of success in turning away will only bring the lesson back in a way you don’t recognize. If that happens, the chances of failure are huge.

The false choice here is turning one’s back or acting “compassionately” through sex. There are always two opposing forces and one that reconciles them. My magick is about that path of that reconciliation.