Tom Kelly's Magick Primer

MAGICK PRIMER 01: Where to Start

So, you have developed an interest in the Occult and Magick but don’t know where to start? Well this series is for you. In it, we will be looking at the basics of Occult thought and Magick with an emphasis on practical application. This Magick Primer Series will cover topics such as Banishing, Invocation, Evocation, Sigils, Meditation, Offerings and much more.

The following is a list of suggested places to start your Magick learning and is more aimed at a General introduction to Magick than a deep and exhaustive look at Occult thought. The list will obviously show a bias to authors and ideas that I naturally gravitate towards, but I still think it will serve as a great starting point.

Please feel free to leave your own suggestions in the comments below.

MAGICK PRIMER 02: Banishing

Banishings are extremely popular in nearly all Occult and Magick circles, with some form of a Clearing Ritual usually being the first ritual that a new Magician will perform.  Depending on what source you go to, they are either the most necessary part of a Magician’s regime, or they are highly overrated and largely unneeded – I tend to fall somewhere in between. Banishings are important and useful but I wouldn’t go crazy with them.
WHAT ARE THEY USED FOR?
A banishing is intended to remove non-physical influences, such as spirits or negativity, in the room or area that the Operator is located, or about to work in. It can also be used to banish Negative feelings and emotions (such as anger, hostility, jealousy, frustration etc.) or just to clear the air (after an argument for instance).
Basically, a banishing is performed in order to purify an area of unwanted influences.
While they are often used before and after bigger Rituals or Workings, they can be used at any time you feel the need.  They have also been recommended as a daily practice – Invoking first thing in the morning and Banishing at night. Aleister Crowley recommended that a banishing ritual be done at least once daily.

Can you banish too much? Can it be harmful?

This depends largely on who you ask. Some people suggest that, like chemotherapy, Banishing banishes everything – the good and the bad. So, there is likely a chance that even stuff you want to keep around will be removed along with the bad. I have heard lots of people report that doing the LBRP daily for the initial six months or so as prescribed in books like Modern Magick,  ended up with their lives going a bit pear shaped with lots of issues with lack of money, inspiration, relationships Etc. But, this isn’t always the case, and probably isn’t even that frequently the cased, but I hear it often enough that it is worth mentioning.

When I first started banishing I did the LBRP daily and things did start to unravel in my life – things got quite bleak actually. But whether this was to do with banishing is hard to know. It may have been the cause, it may have been just a minor factor, or no influence at all. Either way I came out of it much better off and in a much better place, which I guess, is the usually for this sort of thing. YMMV!

As with all of these things, no two experiences will be exactly the same. Try it, see what happens and take notes.

SUGGESTED TYPES OF BANISHING RITUALS:...

MAGICK PRIMER 03: Sigils, Sigils, Sigils

WHAT IS A SIGIL?

A sigil is a Magick symbol you create that changes the world around you in a predetermined way.

DO THEY WORK?

In my opinion – sometimes. Other will demand that “Sigils ALWAYS work, just not in the way you expected them to!” I don’t totally buy that, but I like the idea that Sigils affect Probability. If you Sigil for something that has a likelihood of a one in a million chance of occurring you can probably lower that to half a million to one. It’s still not likely to happen, but technically the Sigil has worked. But that’s totally unverifiable and unprovable, so it is simpler in my opinion just to say it either worked or it didn’t. That’s said, keep in mind the idea of probability when doing sigil magick, and also look to see if the opposite of the desired outcome occurs – that’s still a result!

When they do work, and they do very often, it is a very, very satisfying (and somewhat smug) experience. I guarantee you’ll smile to yourself when it happens and you’ll have that inner Badass Wizard feels.

HOW DO I MAKE ONE....

MAGICK PRIMER 04: MAGICK SERVITORS

WHAT EXACTLY IS A SERVITOR?

A Servitor is essentially a magical servant that you create to do your bidding. Think of a servitor sort of like a familiar,  a computer program or a spirit, but is also a part of you that you have released into the world with its own life and volition. It is an energy or an idea that the Operator has given form to. It is quite similar to a sigil but is usually created for an ongoing goal rather than one specific purpose.

WHAT CAN THEY BE USED FOR?

You can make a servitor for anything you want, but like all Magick, Servitors are most effective when there is a possibility of their goal being achieved – the goal doesn’t have to be likely, just possible.

HOW DO I CREATE ONE?

First, you have to decide what exactly is the nature of the Servitor. By that, I simply mean: what do you want this thing to do for you? What is its purpose? Why role will it play? What job does it have?

Next, describe the role of the Servitor in the same way you would tell a person what their new job is. Think of the Servitor as someone who works for you, and  then detail all the tasks this employee, or Servant, is responsible for. Write this all down on a piece of paper, or in a word processor, as a list or even as a full Job description paragraph.

Next, include what it is not allowed to do – if it is a wealth generating servitor for instance,  you can tell it not to kill people you love just to get their money. This is an extreme example and it is highly unlikely that your servitor will kill anyone but If this sort of Magick backfire or snap-back is something that concerns you, you can always add things like “from a joyous place” or “results that always make me happy” or something similar. I try to keep things as simple as possible with regard to job compeltion restriction, often just leaving the Servitor to find “known and unknown” sources for completion of their task.

The final part of the defining the role of the Servitor is to decided how the Servitor is going to feed it self. What energy will it live on? This can be anything really – and some suggest that this isn’t even a necessary component. Suggested “food” include: candle offerings, incense offerings, water, attention, prayers, emotions…