Magic

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Are you a stage magician or an illusionist? No, I am not, but I once had a student who entertained ambitions in that direction-his constant practising with coins and cards nearly drove me mad. I can enjoy a good stage performance as well as the next man though, and I would enjoy sitting in the audience and being perplexed.

The kind of magic in which I specialise falls into a different category, and does not rank as entertainment. I do not belittle conjurers and illusionists, but I am a member of an ancient calling whose job it is to help people on their journey through this world, here and now, in order to reach that other world, which we refer to as the Beyond.

I am a Magus, or a Master, and instead of mounting stupendous illusions in order to amuse an audience, I help to clear more dangerous illusions out of people's minds. From time to time, a student will get a bit cross with me for refusing to impress him or perform some spectacular gimmick. But such a display would have the wrong kind of impact on him, and it would interfere with his free will. It would oblige him to believe rather than lead him free to search for a better understanding.

If you follow my path, you will not find many tricks, I fear.

Do you have special powers? How should I shape my reply? Do you think that a spiritual person should display modesty and humility? Should he act like some hypocritical Pharisee who is anxious to demonstrate before God just how holy he is? Are doctors reticent? Are lawyers meek? Are clergymen living embodiments of their beliefs?

An expert has to display his expertise in order that his clients may have confidence in him. So I may not deny that I do have powers that are out of the ordinary. Most of these derive from a long life of experience 'at the coal-face', or at the forefront of occult activity. Other powers were bestowed on me when I became a Master, and these have to be carefully husbanded.

At this stage in your quest, you should not let such matters divert your attention from the way ahead. The only thing that you need to worry about is-can this or that Master meet your requirements and do the job you would like him to do? If you were to pay me the compliment of asking me to be your guide, then it would be a dereliction of my duty to accept you unless I was completely confident that I would be up to the task.

To be honest though, people do ask me to perform a little magic for them now and then. One chap wanted the winner in a horse-race; another begged me to make his girl-friend come back, while a third hoped I might shoot his mother-in-law. They were upset when I turned them down, but I tried to explain that, if I did as they wanted, I would be a Black Magician.

Can you use magic on your own behalf? I may protect myself against my enemies, most of whom are also Occultists, but I may not seek any form of profit. Even with enemies, I must be sure that they mean me harm before I can act. People are free to dislike me, disapprove of me or even disagree with me that is not enmity but legitimate opposition but once I know that they wish me ill, I can whistle up the astral Rottweilers.

I am a Master only in the sense of having mastered a body of knowledge and skill, so do not confuse me with a character from a computer game called The Ruler of the Universe. I would make a dismal James Bond let alone 'Blofeld'. If someone tries to hurt me then I use the impetus of their own dark side and reflect it back on them. It is rarely necessary to do more. The gods know which people are for and against, and each person receives the prize or the punishment he deserves. As a general rule, we should work magic for the benefit of others.

That sounds too noble to be true! Is it wrong to cherish noble ideas or to pursue fine ends? Please, try not to be blase and cynical. It is easy to forget that Occultism is a religion, so perhaps I should remind you of that fact. You may have been put off all religious considerations by events that happened a long time ago. You may sneer at piety and call it namby-pamby, or you may deride another person as sickeningly virtuous. In so doing, of course, you tell us much about yourself.

Magic is used dishonourably a lot of the time and you may want merely to dip your toe in without getting too deeply involved or committing yourself any further. Well, I am sorry, but we do not hold Open Days. You cannot just come in and try things out. You can be undecided, of course, but you must be serious about looking. You must be committed to finding answers. Do not be afraid though. I think you should rejoice that there are people who might just be willing to help you take care of your soul. Being an Occultist involves a bit more than just shuffling a deck of Tarot cards. It beats Feng-Shui into a cocked hat, and it has so much more going for it than dabbling in crystals or aromatherapy.

Does your magic work? I mustn't crow, but since you ask, yes, it does work. I refuse to prove it though because a successful demonstration would have a bad effect on your mind. You'd be so stunned, you would stop thinking for yourself. It is better to leave this till later. I could satisfy your curiosity more easily once you have some knowledge under your belt. I ought not to exert any undue influence while you are still naive and highly susceptible.

To their joy, cosmetics manufacturers know that women prefer perfume that is extremely expensive and turn up their noses at 'cheap muck'. The logic is simple: women are not penny-pinching when it comes to appearance and what costs more surely must do the job better. In France, doctors know that patients get better more quickly if they are given armfuls of exotic medicines to take home. In Britain, doctors know that penicillin packed in brightly-coloured capsules is far more effective than plain white tablets.

I know what sort of answers you would like to hear and I am sorry to disappoint you. It is tempting to please you, but I prefer to help you, and you and I will disagree on how best that might be done. Be patient and try to understand. I will use magic, but I refuse to resort to mere mumbo-jumbo.

What has this to do with magic? A deep belief ought to lead one towards a study of the power that resides in the Will. Research has shown that people in all walks of life-priests, prostitutes, professors or royal princes-base their own opinions on the opinions held by certain other people whom they respect. Each and every one of us has this kind of 'reference group' to whom we turn for confirmation of our views. We ask one person's advice about which films to see; we go to someone else for a slant on politics, and we look out a third person for thoughts on clothes and grooming. We may not realise it, but we have a fairly complete set of unofficial advisers.

Most people will figure in only one of these categories, so that Tom, say, is valued for his views on financial matters, but Jim is the one to ask about fashion, and so on. A few special individuals may feature in several of these reference groups, and just one-possibly our closest friend-will be seen in all of them. Take, for example, your own views on Occultism; are they as original and authentic as you think, or did you obtain them from others? Did you think your own way through the mental labyrinth or did you fish for hints and tips to help you along the way?

We must distinguish between 'cod magic', that works through inherent weakness or faults in people, and 'real magic', that relies on some alignment, or some controlled tension, between inner powers and external ones existing in nature and the supernatural. The former can be gauged by a person's degree of stupefaction, but the latter is not a function of reason so much as acceptance. A showman strives for applause, but the Magus takes care of the universe.

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