top of page

What is Magick

A woman gazing into her altars plate preparing to do magic

What IS MAGIC? WHY IS IT SPELLED WITH a “K”

Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) founded the religion of Thelema. He was largely associated with modern occultism and influenced other religious founders such as Wicca’s Gerald Gardner and Scientology’s L. Ron Hubbard.
Crowley started using the word “magick” and gave several reasons why. The most often mentioned reason is to differentiate what he was doing from stage magic. However, such usage is unnecessary. Academics discuss magic in ancient cultures all the time, and no one thinks they are talking about the Celts pulling rabbits out of hats.
But Crowley gave several other reasons why he used the term “magick,” and these reasons are often ignored. The central reason was that he considered magick to be anything that moves a person close to fulfilling their ultimate destiny, which he called one’s True Will.
By this definition, what is magic if not something that brings one closer to their True Will? In this context, magic doesn’t have to be metaphysical. Any action, mundane or magical, that helps fulfill one’s True Will is magic. So, what is magic, if not the alignment of one's actions with their destiny? Casting a spell to get someone’s attention is most certainly not magic.

WHAT IS WITCHCRAFT?

So there are literally tens of hundreds of different types of witchcraft. If you can think of something to use for witchcraft, there’s a witchcraft for it: spirits, angels, demons, elements, the weather, gods, minor gods, or higher gods, music, plants—you name it, it’s there. Magic works on the energy, the vibrations that every single living, moving, breathing, reproducing thing in the universe gives off. And the energy created by those vibrations connects us all. We are all connected.

​

  • A magic wand, or what we call a wand—we don’t use the word magic—the wand itself has no power. It is literally a stick. I could pick up a twig off the street and use it on the spot. That stick that we call a wand is a conductor; we focus on it, using it to channel and concentrate our energy, worth putting it out into the universe, technically amplifying it. Think of it like a funnel and you’re forcing water through the big end, squirting out the small. It is the same thing when it comes to the gods, spirits, or demons, or whatever anybody else wants to call them.

  • So, what is magic in witchcraft? It’s all about us. We human beings are the gods of this world. Break it down: You have mythology, let’s go with the Norse background—my personal favorite. Odin, Thor, Ares, etc. They were living gods. They walked among us. You had Zeus, you had their counterparts; they’re all the same god. Throughout time, people lost their faith, and those gods went from being a religion to a myth and fell under the category of mythology. The gods, the god above, the devil, the spirits, the angels—whoever you choose to believe in—only has as much power as we give them. If we all stop talking about them and stop believing in them, maybe in 100 years or so, nobody will be talking about them. They exist only because we empower them to exist. So when people call upon these gods, demons, spirits, or whatever to do witchcraft, we are simply just providing them with more of our faith and belief. We are focusing it through them, and they become the funnel.

  • So, what is magic in witchcraft? It can only be used when we are able to separate our conscious and subconscious. Throughout the years, throughout our lives as we’ve grown up, our conscious is taught and learns that everything in life is rational, and if it falls outside of rationality, our conscious mind cannot accept it and immediately begins to deny it. When we can put that aside, that’s when we can fully begin to understand the wonders of witchcraft.

UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS MAGIC IN EVERYDAY LIFE

To truly understand what is magic, we need to recognize that it’s not limited to just rituals and spells. Magic is in the intentions we set, the energy we project, and the connections we forge. It’s in the small daily practices that align us with our goals and desires. Whether it’s a morning affirmation, a mindful walk, or a meaningful conversation, these are all expressions of magic. The question, “What is magic?” is answered in these moments when our will shapes our reality.

Quote

“will to make something happen” is the steps you taken accomplish your objective. However, “will” refers to the mental force or intention used when performing magic. It’s the force that concentrates your thoughts guiding them toward your goal.Simply said, “will” is the energy that propels your magic
-Bran Alder

bottom of page