Conceptual Framework for Magickal Practice

[ShadowFox]

A certain potential project of mine has been occupying my mind for several weeks now. I want to make a document of the sort with will reduce more or less the confusion there is regarding much of magickal ritualism and the skills that must be understood and learned on the study of becoming a well-rounded Magus. I feel that many books I have read on the topic miss the point, describe things in nonintelligible terms only to be clarified in other books, or basically do not include fundamental things that lead us to ignorance and discouragement.

I am thinking of compiling and writing more or less, a book that describes these things as well gives a basic and complete conceptual framework of Magick. I plan to do this in order so I too will come to understand it in a more complete way.

I admit I am a little confused on this because of the amount of material available that does not coincide with other material. Western/Eastern sometimes doesn't seem to coincide and I still wonder where it does, and where we just make it coincide

I want it to include things like:

Magick - a brief introduction and history

Basic Traits of a Magus - and How to Develop Them

A Scientific Paradigm of Magick and How it Works

Energy in the Body and Inner Alchemy(this particular part will be an analysis of the Chakras, Orgone/Prana/Chi in the body and their manipulation and transmutation)

Runes

Ceremonial Magic

Astral Projection

Invocation and Evocation of Entities

Psychic Self-Defense

Pranic Healing

etc.

...basically I want to include everything an aspiring magus should know or want to know leading up to some of the more advanced stuff.


Any suggestions or tips? This seems like a huge project, an opus magnum of sorts. I guess you could call it my personal research paper in Magick. It might take me years to complete it. I'm sure some of you are much more experienced than me in particular fields, and would appreciate guidance.

Now that I think about it, what am I getting myself in to? This may be deeper than I expect it to be..

[Imhotepsol]

Ave Shadowfox:

I tried to compile a similar work myself for a number of years so I'll share what I found in my attempts.

The issue I had with describing magick was that although my interpretation made perfect sense to me it was usually interpreted differently by anyone else who read it. I believe the problem was that we regard knowledge as a fixed form, something that can be described or understood when it is a living evolving thing that is rendered differently in the minds of any one who beholds it.

We can describe everthing down to the very last detail from our point of view using whatever materials we come across however we can never encompass everything or interpret how it will be recieved by the student. Books are a fantastic medium for opening up avenues of exploration and encouraging people to look deeper but they can never replace direct experience or direct teaching by a master.

If you look at it from the point of view that every occult book out there, no matter how spurious it may seem, is that authors attempt to render the very work you're thinking of undertaking. As I said the problem is that each person will render it differently.

I don't wish to discourage you from trying, it would be a very useful thing for you to see the evolution of your own ideas, but the important thing to remember is it's just that. It's your idea and only applicable to you.

Perhaps instead of trying to write a Magnum Opus that will enlighten all Magick you could write a work that would inspire people to seek out the meaning of Magick for themselves. The world of Poetry and Philosophy are perfectly suited to convey this through a written medium without imposing another definition of what is on someone. I think you'll agree we already have enough people trying to do just that.

Finally, the last thing I realised is that what I thought was missing from every other work turned out to be the answer I was looking for. It was my "higher self" for want of a better term, teaching me what I needed to learn. Perhaps yours is doing the same.

If you're interested in writing a book I've been looking for someone to collaborate with for a while. Have a look through some of my work and see if it resounds with you.

[bsbray]

Ahh I feel like we are kindred souls of sorts. I'm trying to compile a lot of information into a treatise on music theory "for mages," ie approaching "music theory" from a magickal perspective and incorporating lots of different ways to approach the creative expression based on various philosophies and magickal practices.

It IS a massive effort. To say a little, you have to say a lot. And to say a lot.. might take years. I have an increasing respect for those who have already put together literature like this. And it pushes me to having to know the material so much better than I did before, just so I can complete thoughts and relate them to each other in an intelligible way for others.

[Echo]

Imhotepsol puts it perfectly.. no matter how clearly we feel we know, translating an inner understanding into words loses as much as translating from one language to another.. and depends so much on how the reader interprets the thoughts behind the words.

We can share what we have learned, and sometimes that can be the signpost another soul has been searching for.. but each of us finds our own Path and walks it alone.. no matter how much company we seem to have on the way.