The most common and major shortcoming in practitioners of magick today is
their lack of self-confidence in their magickal abilities. In our society,
we are brought up to believe that anything worth having must be acquired
IMMEDIATELY with a credit card or by taking a pill. Everyone intellectually
knows that this premise is ridiculous, but our upbringing tells us otherwise.
Magick follows the natural laws and flows of the universe. It is naïve to
assume that the morning after doing a money ritual that you will open your
bedroom closet and be covered in a torrential flow of twenty dollar bills.
However, as we grow up this is the way that 'magick' is presented to us on
television, in movies and in fairy tales. That upbringing is not easy to
overcome. Subconsciously, we think that that's is the way magick is supposed
to work and when it doesn't, we lose confidence in our abilities. We then
stop trying to develop magickal expertise. Magick is the conscious
manipulation of energy and as with any other talent, it must be consciously
and consistently worked at. You cannot achieve self-confidence without first
developing the magickal will and this requires time, perseverance and
self-knowledge.
This Magickal Will is the ability to consciously choose to act in a magickal
or mundane manner and then implement that choice. Therefore, you must first
learn to Choose to Act. Having chosen, you then learn to complete that act
with a total commitment - to act with abandon. Having acted, you learn to
accept the consequences of your actions, thereby becoming responsible for
yourself and for your actions.
The primary problems involved are fear of failure, anxiety and lack of self-
discipline. In order to overcome these obstacles, you must first understand
what is involved:
CHOOSING TO ACT
1. Become aware of the vast number of possible decisions and choices that
you are faced with everyday.
2. Think about how and why each habitual decision occurs, then decide if
that is REALLY the decision you want to follow rather than just allowing
habit to direct your choice.
3. In the little decisions, choose to act differently than your habits
normally dictate. For example, drive to work on a different route. This is
to get you out of your rut, if you happen to be in one, and to show you how
different experiences can come out of changing a habit.
ACT WITH ABANDON
1. Realize that being human, you are allowed to make mistakes, so learn not
to regret past actions, whatever they were. Learn from them, but don't waste
time and energy with regrets or 'if only' thoughts.
2. Recognize the total uselessness of anxiety. If you are not sure of your
decision, wait until you are sure, then act. Having made it, follow through.
BE SELF-RESPONSIBLE
1. Consciously choose to accept responsibility for your own actions.
2. Consciously choose to accept responsibility for being the person that you
are, recognizing your strengths and your weaknesses as things that are under
your control. Begin to transform your weaknesses into strengths.
3. Understand that self-responsibility means responsibility for your actions
(and reactions) and responsibility to yourself. You are accountable for your
actions.
WILL EXERCISES:
1. Never lie; therefore, be careful of your motivations. If you lie to
others, you will lie to yourself. If you lie to yourself, you cannot have
confidence in yourself.
2. Follow through on all your decisions, therefore, be very careful in your
decision making processes and what you agree to do for others.
3. Use a physical discipline to create a pattern in your life - yoga,
meditation, t'ai ch'i and ballet are good ones. Consider the time element.
Don't set it up at a time or place which will be difficult for you, thereby
undermining this lesson.
4. Develop self-awareness as to your thoughts, words and actions.
Understand your motivations.
5. Consciously choose to accept responsibility for your actions and
decisions each time you act or make a choice.
Notice the effects on your life from following these ideas. Notice the
increased strength of will as a result of exercising it. Learn to recognize
that you can choose to be or not to be responsible to or for other people.
Don't let others put you on a 'guilt trip'. If you are choosing your course
of action consciously and are responsible for the results of your actions,
then you are not subject to other people's whims. You and only you are in
charge of your life.
By developing your Magickal Will, you will continue to reinforce your
personal power in such a way that your subconscious mind acknowledges that
you act on your decisions, are truthful in your motivations and are in charge
of the course of your life and your magicks. It is the subconscious mind
that releases the energy and power behind the rituals that you do. Having
your conscious mind and your subconscious mind acting in concert with each
other will enhance the effectiveness of your rituals and also make your
mundane life work more smoothly in every action you take.
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