A. Working Definition
1. Magic is the craft of shaping and has been defined as "the art of changing consciousness at will".
a. The art of changing consciousness at will is a demanding one, needing long and disciplined apprenticeship.
(1) The outward acts of waving a wand, lighting a candle, or crooning a rhymed incantation, are meaningless without the proper mental preparation.
(a) But when the force of a trained awareness is behind the gestures, they are far more than empty motions.
B. The Witch as Cosmic Artist
1. We exist on this plane as multi-faceted jewels, which conceal a spark of the essence of the Goddess in the heart of each jewel.
a. Each facet of the jewel that is ourself is likened to shells, or "bodies" in which we wrap the heart of our jewel.
2. These "bodies" are divided into two groups.
a. The Individuality
(1) Upper Spiritual- Consists of pure or abstract Spirit. Sometimes call the 'Divine Spark', it is substance and energy from the Great Unmanifest which we symbolize with the archetype of the Goddess.
(2) Lower Spiritual- This is the individualized spirit which has separated from the abstract. This is where the spirit embarks upon it's own journey of self-discovery. And where it eventually returns before it adds its experiences to the Great Whole and rejoins it as a drop in the endless ocean of being.
(3) Upper Mental- This is the realm of the abstract mind. Individualized spirit begins to be self-aware, and form polarities which lead to the development of the personality.
b. The Personality
(1) Lower Mental- The person develops a concrete mind held together by form and memory.
(2) Upper Astral- Level of abstract emotions. Attraction of polarities leads to a desire for union.
(3) Lower Astral- Level of instincts and passions. A desire to attract other polarities and to possess things develops.
(4) Etheric Body- Tenuous energy-web of near-matter which links the Physical with the subtler planes. Without the Etheric body to hold the physical body together, individual sparks of the spirit cannot manifest on the physical plane.
(5) Physical Body- Made of dense matter.
3. Taking a broad look at the Personality, we find that it is an instrument, or machine, consisting of three distinct 'bodies'.
a. These 'bodies' are built up during one incarnation and discarded in the Summerland after they have served their purpose.
(1) A physical form that naturally moves and acts on instinct and orders from your mind.
(a) This physical form has its own set of laws that govern it.
(b) It exists in time and space, and it has to be acted upon; it is not capable of thinking.
(c) We know that our body is not the cause of us, because it has to be acted upon to function. And anything that has to be acted upon is an effect, caused by something else.
(2) An emotional 'body', operating from laws similar to hydrodynamics.
(a) If our emotions become blocked, we are like a river whose flow is dammed up, building up untold pressure until some release occurs; or we go dead inside and stagnate, diseased and toxic to ourselves and others.
(b) Crafters know that pent-up emotions are to be released and understood, so that this constricted energy can be expressed for the purpose of validating our existence.
(3) A mental life, our unique world of personal thoughts, that is creative by nature, and has no limits except those it chooses to construct for itself.
(a) Since we exist in a Universal Mind that is all knowing and limitless, we know that limitation is not a universal law, but only exists in the individual use we make of these universal laws.
4. Our Personality is responsible for our being able to function on this plane and it is through our personality that we create the world around us.
a. Without our input the world is neutral, colorless and meaningless.
(1) It is only when we assume the role of creators or artists and paint an image of the world in our minds, colored by our feelings, does the world affect us.
(a) This is way two people can have the same experience and respond in two entirely different ways.
(2) We constantly choose moment-by-moment what our world is like.
(a) A person who opts for a negative experience descends into a universe that contains all the potentially negative forces that are waiting to make up reality.
(b) And no matter what someone outside does to make it less negative, it will not change.
(c) Having set up the polarity for a negative experience, the negativity acts as a magnet, attracting more and more negativity until it is overwhelming.
(d) On the other hand, a person who opts for a positive experience, ascends into another universe, that immediately cooperates, and instantly, forces begin moving to manifest a positive result.
5. The main work of a person on the Path of Return is to integrate the creative aspects of the Personality under the guidance of the Individuality, or Essence, so that they can develop as a member of the universe in full harmony with the rest of it.
a. When this happens the Seeker discovers an inner state of harmony where all actions begin corresponding to a deeper truth resident within.
(1) It is as though every thing flows naturally and easily.
(a) Even what had seemed 'impossible' before fades into non-existence and a new possibility takes its place.
