Tag: magick

Read parts 1, 2, & 3 of this series

The final part of this series outlines the best practices for our personal power and puts forth the argument that the integration of Pluto energy is not only a worthy pursuit, but a necessary step for our collective evolution.

Pluto is the gatekeeper between the consensus reality and its transmutations. When we step over the threshold of materialism and experience continuous magic and synchronicity, the shift of perspective is no less monumental than our first baby steps. Needless to say, this new framework ushers in a fundamentally different worldview and a new way of living.

PERSONAL POWER VS. DESTRUCTION

A person knowing the power of the word, becomes very careful of his conversation. … Through his spoken word, man is continually making laws for himself.

Florence Scoval Shinn

A PRIMER OF MAGIC AND MANIFESTATION

In manifestation, the individual mentally simulates a specific state (such as love, abundance, or health) to attract a desired outcome. In contrast, magicians exert mental power (through prayers or spells) to alter their physical reality while invoking the supernatural. Magic sanctioned by organized religions are labeled as miracles.

Present-day practitioners often commingle magic and manifestation. Successful application of either skill requires strong mental discipline and new rules of conduct.

• The criteria of successful manifestation are: focus, clarity, unified intentions, and childlike faith. Willy-nilly wishes and muddled intentions lead to unintended consequences, which range from comical to ironic to unfortunate.

• While people with less intensity and focus can haphazardly utter harmful words and remain unscathed, we can’t afford to be thoughtless and negligent. Our words can heal and harm. Keeping that in mind, pure intents and painstaking consideration become an ongoing responsibility and the price of our personal power.

• There’s no room for hypocrisy in the spiritual world. Our thoughts interact with our reality and create counterforce whenever they are deployed. Therefore, we receive what we ask for ourselves and others. Magic doesn’t pick winner and losers; it responds to our intentions literally and maintains an eternal, simple consistency. If we want peace, we can’t wage wars, no matter how justified our causes. Consuming and sponsoring violent entertainment also nullifies our intentions. Based on the same logic, if we demand justice and equality, we can’t expect preferential treatments of any kind –because we’ll end up with neither. This is a tough pill to swallow. The reason why consistent success in magic and manifestation is rare is because of our internal conflicts.

• Since magic both projects and counteracts, we should always aim for the highest principles and seek mutual benefit in our practice, whether it’s for ourselves, our loved ones, or our worst enemies. This principle provides a sound rationale for unconditional love, because that is the only way we will survive each other. Incidentally, pray that our enemies will take their own medicine and learn their lessons is an effective way to stop them in their tracks – provided that we’re willing to do the same.

• When we blurt out words like “I wish,” “I swear,” “never,” “always,” and declarations such as “whatever it takes,” “I’ll do anything”, most of us can’t fathom what it will take to fulfill our desires, and the how it will impact our future. This is why our requests should be as general and open-ended as possible to prevent the inevitable blindsides. It is not possible to fill in every detail in our planning and visualization. Pray for abundance and happiness instead of specific material possessions, social status, or love from a special person. Contrary to mainstream teachings, specificity leaves more room for surprises, and tends to materialize in literal and unexpected ways.

• In order to sustain the energy needed for our task, it is detrimental to discuss our projects before their fruition. This is one of the reasons Pluto and its power are associated with secrecy.

• Although secular success can and does occur, channeling this power for Ego agendas is like funneling the Amazon River through a paper straw. It is destructive, let alone a reprehensible waste. When we use Ego to control this tremendous energy, we get in the way of the powerful flow and waste opportunities for great achievements.

THE ETHICS OF PRAYER

It is often said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions; the same can be said of presumptuous prayers. Essentially, short of following the exact prayer requests, the best we can do is praying in an empowering and open-ended way, wishing our loved ones to be provided with all they need and be protected on their journeys. Anything beyond that can impose limitations, as honorable as our intentions may be. We don’t know what is best for another person, and we should accept this fact with compassion and humility.

Here are some guidelines for powerful prayers:

• Wish no harm. When we wish harm on others, we inflict harm upon ourselves.

• Whatever we wish for others, we must be willing and ready to receive the same for ourselves. This is not moral rhetoric; it is an immediate, practical concern. The willingness to share the same outcome (and accept the same standard) multiplies the power of our prayers. It also forces us to articulate word-by-word and contemplate our real intents.

• We should not assume that we know what is in another’s best interest, even in simple matters such as health, healing, or happiness. Some wounds are the evidence of injustice; some pains are the remembrance of lost loves. Some people don’t heal because their illness is central to their identity and serves an important function for their current situation. What we regard as happiness can be the other person’s hell.

• To circumvent unintentional harm, a request for the benefit of all parties is necessary for all our invocations.

• When in doubt, ask directly what prayer is needed. If it aligns with our value, we can honor the request and provide our support. If not, we can pray that they continue to have all they need for their chosen path. When we act on assumption and pass judgement in our prayers, we may end up doing more harm than good.

WHY MAGIC FAILS

Magic works when we have faith that it works. Failure and experimentation is part of the learning process. What we perceive as failures are indications that more mindful practice and self-discovery is needed. Here are some of the possible reasons why we don’t achieve the intended results:

• Broken promises: When we set a goal or make a promise to ourselves or others, it creates an energy debt that demands repayment. When a promise remains unfulfilled or forgotten, and another is set to contradict it, these two forces work against each other and create obstacles.

• Unclear intentions: This is the most common reason why magic and manifestation don’t work. For example, the desire for wealth, success and love is rarely the bottom line. In most cases, it is other underlying needs such as self-love that needs addressing. If we don’t get to the bottom of our desires, the intention is unfocused and weak.

• Hidden contradictions: If we want to be loved but don’t believe we are lovable, we can expect to put in extra effort to build up self-love and worthiness. If we were taught that money is evil, sex is taboo, and hard work trumps efficiency, the ingrained dogma will impede our progress. It takes continuous self-reflection and observation to uncover the attitudes, prejudices and scripts that run in our family and culture. What was associated with pain and pleasure? What caused tension, conflicts, and taboo? What was good? What was evil? Awareness of these deep-rooted beliefs and conscious effort to rebuild our belief system can help release these unhelpful beliefs.

• Selfishness and separateness: Unlike the scenes in fantasy novels and movies, magic does not project in one single direction. All magic backfires in the long run. To account for this counteractive force, it is necessary to turn all our prayers and spells into blessing that benefit all parties. If we can’t accept and leverage this principle, our power will continue to be limited.

• Faulty construct, mis-wording or critical omissions: If our prayer or visualization is self-contradictory, mis-worded, or missing key ideas, it will not work as intended. A common conflict is wanting freedom on the one hand, and more obligation on the other, such as more committed personal relationships, more debt for purchases, greater responsibilities at work, etc.

• Undesired and unintended consequences: Often, when we let out our pleas in the midst of an emotional outburst, we are too worked up to craft a well-rounded and thoughtful prayer. (In terms of emotions, desperation is particularly harmful.) As a result, inadequate considerations lead to unpredictable and undesired outcomes. For example, the answer to our plea for financial gain may materialize as inheritance (death of a loved one), insurance payout (personal injury/property damage/lawsuit), or any other situation where the price we pay exceeds the benefits.

• Interference and obstacles: An environment of abuse, violence, and gaslighting (where our sense of reality is manipulated to instill doubt about our sanity or mental capacity) is not conducive to the steady application of magic. Needless to say, we need to remove ourselves from abusive situations – whether they’re familial, professional, religious, or spiritual.

• Impatience: Magic takes time – from seconds to years – to materialize, it does not always unfold according to our schedule. While we consider the delay as a failure, it is more likely that we have placed too many constrains in our request, or there is hidden resistance from within or without.

• Energy drain and distractions: Self-doubt is a non-starter for magic and manifestation; doubts from detractors are just as counterproductive. This is why mystics and occultists observe silence and secrecy – not because they’re up to no good. Doubts leak the vital energy in the vessel; distractions obfuscate the focus needed for any serious work. When our conviction, focus and energy are compromised, our magic is ineffective.

A WORD OF CAUTION

Not everyone who attains this power is spiritually advanced and benevolent. Some have arrived at this stage due to extraordinary talent, or a boost from supernatural powers. They are fast-tracked with their egos intact and may very well choose to exercise their power for selfish gain, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Still, some of them simply backpedaled from their hard-earned progress and become corrupt and abusive.

Power is seductive –to those possessing it and those desiring it– and spiritual abuse is real. To recognize and combat such betrayals of trust – whether in educational, spiritual, family, or therapeutic settings – we should always be discerning and trust our inner guidance. In short, no one should attempt to disempower another, and no amount of rationalization or authority can replace our inner truth. Disengage at the first sign of:

• Involuntary isolation (cut-off from one’s support network)
• Exclusivity (as in claiming to be the only way)
• Disempowerment
• Gaslighting and energy vampirism (creating emotional distress in others and feeding off their fear, anger, confusion, and hopelessness).

There is no room for imposed control and deprivation on our path to freedom and power. A better way will present itself once we let go of what doesn’t align with our truth.

EPILOGUE: THE TRANSFORMER VS. THE TRANSFORMED

When we choose to embrace and integrate Pluto, we become the agents of change instead of being wiped out by our disowned shadows. Looking beyond personal and tribal survival, our primary task now is the ongoing discovery of our capabilities and the ways to serve the causes that align with our Self.

At this point, Pluto is no longer a fearsome force but a loyal and unwavering ally. His energy is the secret ingredient of our magic and the cornerstone of our new reality. The pure, intense, and sustaining power propels us to new heights.

With deliberate thoughts and emotions, we project and shape our reality. In this dimension, space and time are fluid and collapsible. We exist in the eternal now, merging into synchronicity and direct knowledge. Our existence, purpose and power are self-evident.

The ebb and flow of human drama takes on a cinematic quality as we observe the universal themes rippling rhythmically throughout epochs, dynasties, and generations. Our present space and time is but one plot line among the countless stories in the infinite theater.

Our destiny is updated with each new insight; our capacity expands with the refinement of our minds. Our words are spells. We grow silent and contemplative because our world has become inexplicable.

Helplessness and victimhood melt away. We gain a new appreciation for our life experience and accept responsibilities for all our actions. We are at peace with everyone’s path and free will, and see duality and dichotomy as polarization by warring groups.

We have arrived at the threshold between ego-bondage and world-building power, ready to break out of the materialistic prison and burst into limitless creation.

We are here because the survival of humanity calls for an upgrade of our collective reality: from one of exclusive privileges and mutual destruction to one of parallel and diverse coexistence. Human progress by exploitation and domination is running into a dead end. As long as our civilization is stuck on the scarcity mindset and continues to fight over the control and distribution of limited resources, we will eventually self-destruct.

Just beyond the fear-based strife, innumerable individual realities have been built by those who traded Ego agendas for a constant state of synchronicity and reality creation. When most us make this shift, human civilization can transition from competitive consumption to multifarious creation. Our future is magic. Loving, embracing, and mastering our Pluto is one sure path to magical realities and power for boundless creation.