The Black Mage

The occult arts are not to be taken lightly. You don’t just pick up, fiddle with, and set them aside. The real heart of magic is way up above us, quite literally in the stars themselves. The seven planets of the old Babylonians, Egyptians, and Greeks, starting from our worldly plane of the four elements and rising up through the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, past the final barriers out into the sphere of the fixed stars, and thence outward into the unlimited and unending Source of all the light we see as starlight down here. That’s the magic I’m talking about, dealing with the different and higher levels of reality, whether internal consciousness or external planes, is difficult, dangerous, but so very, well worth it.

All our lives, we’re used to living down here in this world of matter, laws, money, borders, and machines. We spend most of our time awake and aware of what’s going on within and outside our physical bodies, but we don’t often have the chance to see beyond the material into the higher levels of things. For one, it’s an institutionalized de facto law that anything besides what’s materially apparent doesn’t exist, no matter how influential it may be; most modern science and the philosophies of New Atheism and scientism reflect this, that only what’s independent, objectively, numerically, repeatedly verifiable can exist and nothing else. For two, even the old cosmogonies and creation myths that describe a spiritual human entity and its creation also describe how it came to live and be imprisoned down here: the Abrahamic fall from grace, the dharmic creation of karma, the gnostic archons and demiurge, and so on and so forth.

The myths and stories have the same fact at their cores: humanity is amphibian, living in worlds material and spiritual, but can be so much more if only we tried. Becoming more than just material is the essence of the Great Work, and can be stated in any number of ways. Any religious or spiritual path with godhood, apotheosis, or reunion with the Source as its goal fulfills the requirements of the Great Work, so by all means, pick and choose which path is most suited for you. Don’t expect any of the paths to be easy, fast, or simple, though, because the word for “work” in Latin, "opus” doesn’t have the other meaning of “burden” for nothing.

Magic is hard. The constant practice, vigilance, dedication, and obligation one has to burden oneself with only gets heavier with time and, though one may get used to it, it doesn’t get any easier. Worldly pleasures, social interaction, and even common livelihoods may often have to take a back seat, even one’s marriages or families, because of magic calls one to things higher than any social, institutional, or worldly order. Sure, “as above, so below” and all that, but when you’re stuck seeing things only from below, you miss the bird’s eye view from above and are going to be ignorant to a lot of higher things that make the entire machine of the cosmos function. It’s going to suck only because you’re not used to being otherworldly.

Magic burns. Flying up amongst the stars, immersing oneself in their heavenly lights, and incorporating their celestial rays into one’s sphere is blissful, but you’re also dealing with a light of the most rarefied, pure kind. A light that strong, that bright, that close up will burn, and there’s no way around that.

Some people don’t like having their darkest secrets illuminated to themselves and the world, and some people cling on far too much to old infested huts rather than let them burn down so as to build newer and better palaces. You’re going to have to burn things down so as to burn back up as well; only by setting oneself on fire can one be holy and powerful enough to ascend to the highest reaches of the heavens themselves. It’s going to suck only because you’re used to not being on fire.

Nobody who wasn’t lying ever said that magic was easy, and those who actually live the magic don’t lie about it. Not everyone was meant for magic, and even if you were meant for it, you’re going to have to change things around to get used to it. If you don’t want to pay the price for magic, then simply don’t do it. If you want to pay the cost and get a huge return on your money, do it and deal with it. I’ve been burnt by the stars before, and although it sucked, it was one of the best experiences of my life. It’s worth it. How did I manage to survive being burnt by the stars? Stay tuned.

In Black Magic, one strives for enlightenment, power, and connections to the self, although there are always going to be some painful realizations. When you start on a journey such as this, it is never an easy thing; there are always obstacles to overcome and growing pains.

Black magicians are always striving for mastery, and never give up, of course, there will be moments of sheer bliss, and when one achieves true mastery these will come quite frequently, and eventually will always be. But, in the beginning, stages, it can be quite rocky.

Most of these obstacles are never on the outside but on the inside. In order to be a true Black mage with access to the higher powers and abilities far beyond what you currently think is possible, you need to master oneself.

This is one of the hardest tasks in the world. Think about it, most of the time people listen to what others tell them to do. From the beginning, we have parents, teachers, and people telling us what is good for us and what we need to do. The child never has a chance to breathe and listen to themselves.

On top of that, we are taught that taking care of ourselves first is selfish and wrong. How can we take care of anyone if we cannot take care of ourselves? It is not selfish to put oneself first, it is actually the most selfless thing you can do. Ponder on that one for a while. We are taught to be the servants when in reality we need to be the masters.

It can be lonely and scary-looking into oneself, listening to what is going on down there. Gazing into the mind can lead to madness, which is why some people who walk this path end up in the loony bin. It is essential though. You must know yourself and strive to do what you want and what you will. It is your path and only you know what is right for you while traversing it.

As you begin to listen to yourself on the inside, you will start to realize the power that resides within you. You will become strong, more confident, and able to overcome all obstacles with minimum effort.

Once the mind is mastered, Black magick spells and rituals become easy. The first stages of any new skill are always hard. You will be fighting against all of your old behaviors; the hardest part is breaking those behaviors down and believing in oneself. If you love and respect yourself, spells work will become tenfold more effective. When you are connected to yourself, living in each moment, you are able to summon more energy from inside of you and manipulate the energy around you. When you learn to focus a hundred percent on each thing you do, the world will appear simpler and you will be able to bend it to your will.

When you begin to grow and experience new, powerful energies you will feel like you are on top of the world, or you can feel down in the dumps. These highs and lows happen, even to me. As long as you keep working towards understanding yourself and growing, then eventually they will become less frequent and dissipate.

If you devote yourself to black magick there will be other trials that you must overcome and challenges you must surmount. It really depends on how far you want to go as some of these can be very intense. Each one you overcome, be joyful, and know that you have grown from the experience.

It is important when practicing black magick to not push yourself and only do things that you feel comfortable with. Only do what you feel is right for you and never let anyone talk you into anything you do not want to do. Always strive to grow, but be mindful of your current state. You must know yourself and be present with yourself in order to be a successful Black Mage.

ii-wy em Hotep - Patrick Gaffiero