Magic or Fantasy?

Treading the line between Witchcraft and Delusion

There is what seems like a fine line between real witchcraft and fantasy witchcraft–for example, the difference between Harry Potter and real witchcraft… which many beginners may not realize, is not so much of a fine line, but a huge break in reality. Sometimes newcomers are not aware that magic doesn’t manifest in such fantastic visual forms–it can and will manifest in the most mundane ways possible. So much so, that at times it doesn’t seem like anything has happened at all, because when we ask for the universe to manifest certain things in our lives they come about in ways that we question whether or not it is just coincidence. In the reality of magic, it can sometimes seem like things aren’t happening at all and therefore causes disbelief.

Is it spelled magic, magick, or majick?

In this witch’s opinion, it doesn’t really matter how you spell it as long as you don’t associate the practice with things that are far too extraordinary to ever be possible in real life. Many witches like to argue that magick is the proper spelling when regarding the legitimate practice of witchcraft, that magic is only referring to what birthday party magicians practice–a.k.a. illusion and misdirection. I vehemently disagree–as I don’t personally believe that spelling it magick or majick will make the practice seem any more legitimate and there is no historical reference to it being spelled any other way than magic. The forms magick and majick were brought into the witchcraft community to help practitioners feel like they owned the word and the practice more, that it could not be associated with simple tricks and illusions. So, forgive me for being long-winded in this explanation, but essentially you can spell it any way you prefer.

What is magic then?

Did you see what I did there? I spelled it magic since that is my preference–this is where you should start getting comfortable marching to the beat of your own drum and not following anyone else’s example as if it were law.

Real magic is the manifestation of the intentions of a witch–it is essentially the energy that we put out into the universe that we intend to manifest into our own reality. Magic is not fantastic in the sense that we can cause extraordinary things to happen–we cannot make ourselves fly on brooms, we do not feel that we can transform ourselves or others into creatures in the sense that we actually turn into these things. As an example, shapeshifting in certain traditions is considered an out-of-body experience that we achieve through forms of meditation and trance-work.

In the strictest sense, it is a form of visualization and letting our mind do things our physical bodies would otherwise prove impossible. With spells, like sweetening jars, they work in ways we sometimes cannot explain, but let me try–a sweetening jar, intended to sweeten the disposition of the target, will work for me because I know what I have done and in reality, it allows me to be a more confident and easy-going person. It’s not much different than changing your own disposition to attract a different result–a fly is not going to be attracted to vinegar if there is honey nearby.

What do you mean delusion?

Delusion is the fine line in which we cross when we expect extraordinary results from something that cannot possibly come to fruition–this is best explained when a new witch stumbles upon a spell to change the color of their eyes, hair, the shape of their body, etc. If it is not something that can be achieved through mundane channels, you cannot expect your physiology to change just because you said something out loud and really wanted it. This is something that a naive twelve-year-old witch that I know very well (might be younger me, but I’m not telling!) tried so very hard when she wanted to embody a Lord of the Rings elf and had just started delving into the details of Wicca. With no one to guide her in any other logical fashion, she had to find out the hard and disappointing way that some things just cannot be obtained with magic.

A more realistic thing that witches often fall victim to is money spells and love spells–if these things worked the way they do in books and movies, then all witches would have the love of their life (or whatever hot celebrity they had their eyes on) and money to burn on anything they wished. Love spells do not work the way they are portrayed in movies, the most reliable love spells that can be performed are self-love spells so that we can better appreciate our own bodies, lives, personalities, etc. Another form of love spell that may or may not work, depending on the circumstances, are spells to bring your soul mate to you–one reason this may not work, is if you are a shut-in and never leave your home.

Money and job spells do not work if you do not pursue the avenues in which you could gain more money or a new job. As an example, if you are broke and need money for food, performing a money spell might help increase your chances of gaining money for food if you apply for food stamps. If you are trying to get a job spell isn’t going to help you get a job unless you actually apply for the job you desire. Magic is an aid, it isn’t a cure-all and it will not help you become godlike. It will also not help you get things you need and or want in your life unless you go to the lengths of trying to get these things for yourself.

That doesn’t sound like magic to me…

Well, suck it up, buttercup. Like I said, there is no cure-all, there is no magic bullet, there is no band-aid for fixing our lives unless we try to do the legwork ourselves first. If you do not do for yourself, then why on earth would you expect magic to be helpful to you at all?