When people first walk the path of the magician, they quickly find themselves at a crossroads in terms of style, path and opinions. Some paths use magic simply as a tool to get what a person wants and to bend the universe to their ‘will’. Other paths walk a road of spiritual quest, to penetrate the Mysteries and to find a place within those Mysteries.

There are many paths between these two extremes that have varied elements of each within them. Most of these paths will lead a person into magic and will bring profound change to their lives in one way or another, along with potentially profound implications for everything and everyone around them. It is not a matter of which paths are ‘good’ or ‘bad’: all path has both dynamics inherent within them; it is how we understand ourselves and the dynamics of magic, and how we operate within the paths that determines the outcome for us.

The problem for any seeker walking a magical path these days is the vast array of material and courses that vie for attention, and because many purveyors of these paths have either a monetary or ego driven agenda behind them, it is hard for a seeker to gain understanding of what those paths truly entail in terms of the long term effects upon the seekers life.

The first step of a neophyte on the path of magic is to know the difference within their own heart between ‘want’ and ‘need’. On close and truthful self examination, often what we feel we ‘need’ is actually what we ‘want’.

So before a neophyte commits to a path to become an initiate, the first step would be to examine within oneself in the cold light of day, and ask, “What do I need from magic and what am I wanting from magic ”? Two very different questions. They are not trick questions and there are no right or wrong answers. The questions go to the fundamental basis of our humanity in the face of the Mysteries: we are a species that has choice.

If the magician knows truly the deeper energetic difference between need and want, and chooses a path of want (or need), they have exercised their power of informed choice and the consequences that unfold over time from that choice are the dynamics that will shape the magician.

The path of want and the path of need both have their difficulties and consequences: what bothers me is when people make defined choices of magical paths and actions without knowing where that choice has come from within them, nor the understanding where it will take them. Ignorance is the greatest enemy of the magician.

Through this blog, I want to explore the various twists and turns of magical action and consequence while attempting to sidestep any moral judgements, but simply look at the energetic and power dynamics that run through various magical actions. Through these observations, I hope to be able to pose questions that may (or may not) be useful to other magicians who are at various stages of their magical paths, and outlay the power mechanics behind magical acts.