High Magick

[Alister]

Im getting into this study of High Magick, I heard its very powerful and not overly complicated. Has anyone delt with this before and have some experiences to share?

[rhoNIN]

I suppose that depends on how one defines 'High Magick', sir or madame. Do you mean general ritual work, the Hermetic groupings particularly, or some individual and specific field, such as Goetics, Kabbalah, or the Golden Dawn system?

[Alister]

I heard its hermetic and kabbalahistic. I think before i get into this im going to skim over all its aspects and history.

[Ashnook]

Greetings Alister,

There are a lot of various forms of what may be called high magick though generally when a person says high magick they mean western high magick, and more specifically usually Golden Dawn style magick. At any rate most systems or techniques that are placed under the umbrella term "high magick" are placed there not because they are better than "low magick" but because it takes more effort and is usually much more complicated.

For example we take the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, a fairly basic ritual that many beginners choose practice. At first it is a very simple ritual. Pentagrams are drawn in the air and each is magickally charged with various phrases. Seems simple enough however it is it as there are more advanced versions of it. Start with the kabbalistic cross, draw first pentagram in a specific direction. It has to be drawn in specific manner as well depending on what directional pentagram you are currently drawing and whether or not you are banishing or invoking that pentagrams directional element. Next, while charging it you must use the sign of the enterer followed by the sign of silence. Say the last bit of ritual and finish again with the Kabbalistic Cross. Some get even more complicated and indepth with this ritual and it is generally regarded as being a beginners ritual.

That is not to say that seasoned western cerimonialists dont still practice it, because many do, but it should illustrate that even beginner rituals in various forms of high magick can be severly complicated.

When you get further into it some rituals can take a month or more to complete. For example, Crowley's deity devotion ritual may take six months or more to complete. The Simon Necronomicon's gates take at least a month each to complete with many taking much longer.

That being said, if you are serious about wanting to practice high magick than a great place to start is to read up on its history. Take what you hear with a grain of salt though as there are many with skewed opinions. In the end, you will learn most from actually practicing.

Look up the Middle Pillar Ritual, you can google it, and start working with it. From there work with some other basic rituals and keep studying. When you find a system that calls to you, stay with it until you finish what pathworking it has to offer. In the beginning it is usually okay to jump from system to system experimenting, indeed it is advised that you do this even. However, after you have found the one for you, and you will know when this is, it is imperative that you stay with that system for some time until you complete much of it. This is to avoid ending up as little more than a dabbler. It will also prevent you from running away from certain aspects of pathworking that are inherent in virtually all systems that offer it.

Good luck and kudos to you for starting yourself on a large journey,
-Ashnook

[Alister]

Thank you Ashnook that was really helpful! :D

[redhand]

I agree with Ashnook here, to me magic is magic "Low" "High" are just unnecessary titles. I practice both I personally. It's like martial arts it's not the art itself but, the practitioner that is great.

The most well know techniques used today ether come from the Golden Dawn or the Aurum Solis but, there are lesser known models as well, such as the Sangreal Sodality. Research and find what interest you the most, and then practice, practice, practice!

[Boundleadtheblind]

For example we take the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, a fairly basic ritual that many beginners choose practice. At first it is a very simple ritual. Pentagrams are drawn in the air and each is magickally charged with various phrases. Seems simple enough however it is it as there are more advanced versions of it. Start with the kabbalistic cross, draw first pentagram in a specific direction. It has to be drawn in specific manner as well depending on what directional pentagram you are currently drawing and whether or not you are banishing or invoking that pentagrams directional element. Next, while charging it you must use the sign of the enterer followed by the sign of silence. Say the last bit of ritual and finish again with the Kabbalistic Cross. Some get even more complicated and indepth with this ritual and it is generally regarded as being a beginners ritual.

I wouldnt regard the LBRP as exclusively a beginner ritual. I realize that is not what you were saying. The beauty of this ritual is in it's simplicity. I can see why some would view it as a beginner ritual. It contains a foundation (the symbolism) for more complex work. I see medatative practices as being more for beginners than invoking and banishing and lastly evoking. I think that centering yourself, learning to clear your thoughts, focusing your mind on one point. Should be learned and one be proficient at doing this before moving on. This is just my opinion though.

I agree that people should discover for themselves what works best or what produces the results wanted for them.

[Odin]

Sometimes the most power rituals are those that are the simplest and it seems that the technique and the passion, intent, desire put into the ritual is where the power comes.