Unseen Magick and Ritual Consciousness
I figured I would start a topic based on a question Ambrose asked me: "One of your post says "I know plenty of hardcore Christians who use our sacred arts more potently than some occultists I know."Could you give me an example? I am intrigued."
My reply was pretty long winded but it might be a good starter for a thread:
Catholicism uses a lot of ritual magick in their ceremonies. The act of holy communion for example, transubstantiation of the body and blood of christ into something edible so that we may in turn be a part of the divine; that's pure magick if you ask me. Also they employ very ritualized banishing rites with incense, and they also do ornamental blessings and even exorcisms. Also the crucifix and rosary bead necklaces and other things function as talismans/amulets. Candles, pictures or other jewelry with patron saints of bla bla bla are virtually no different than choosing a god/goddess from the greek or egyptian pantheon for example. They are used in the same way.
I also once heard that when a select few people including some media reporters and other VIPs were granted a private audience with the pope, they did not allow bottled water in the room, for during the pope's blessings it would have become legit Holy Water and they didn't want anyone to try to sell it. Weird huh?
Other than that, Christians pray, right? Prayer for guidance and whatnot is the simplest form of magick if you think about it. They are making a wish and petitioning the deity for assistance, which is no different than what most magicians do when they create a spell and invoke/evoke a certain force, we just spice it up a little to get in the zone. Christianity is no stranger to ritual magick, and neither is the Jewish or Islamic faith. They all have a dense history of mysticism but it largely goes unnoticed by most because they do not see it as such, which is unfortunate. In fact, there are many faiths out there that have deep roots of the same kind, but often they are not presented as such, so eventually it becomes just an issue of semantics.
And to go even further, what do you think children are really doing when they wish upon a star or blow out a birthday candle? Or when anyone keeps a good luck charm, or does the whole 'knock on wood' thing? Even modest superstitions have roots in employing your will in order to change things, which is in turn; Magick. Its everywhere, people use it without even understanding the process.
SO, what's the difference between them and us magicians? The defining difference is Focus of Intent and the Development of Will. This is done ritually, which puts the mind in a higher and more concentrated state, often simply called Ritual Consciousness, in order to keep the mind's chatter to a minimum and to alert your subconscious that what is happening is much more important than anything else you'd normally do during your daily routine. [Also, see the concept of The Psychic Censor provided by Carroll in Liber Null & Psychonaut, it is a wonderfully important subject that has alot to do with this stuff]
All the bells and whistles of spellcraft and ceremonial magick, the robes, the decoration, the jewelry, the ritual props, the color coordination and herbs, candles, etc etc etc, all that shite has hardly any inherent value in and of itself. Your ritual consciousness and the focus of your intent is what really produces magick and projects it onto these empty objects. This is a prime example of the concepts of Force/Form, Macrocosm/Microcosm, and of course 'As Above, So Below'. Study up on these relationships if you are not familiar, they are some of the most important and basic concepts of magick of any and all kinds.
[phew] so with that said, what do you guys think? What are some other magickal operations that are performed daily without even thinking about it by people all over the world?
