Marshall/Paradigm

Where does Magic come from?

What if there was an ancient intelligence; one that was not rooted in the physical form of a body but rather the incorporeal purity of pure energy; pure thought? This ancient, elevated intelligence existed without form, without names or limits. It was the source and seat of all knowledge in the universe. It existed without regard for such conventions such as time and space for it was the universe itself; a cosmos awakened to thought. But in this omnipresent form it could not fathom a finite existence such as Man so it broke off a portion of its intelligence and infused it within man to encourage their understanding of the world; a Spark. Though the spark of intellect burned brightly in some, for a time, the race of Man was unable to Ascend as a whole; to once again join with the Source.

What is Reality?

Those with the true Spark strove to educate and advance knowledge within the soul of Man. They, with names like Merlin, Hypatia and Plato, were the heroes of a Golden Age. As the centuries continued to be counted, the Spark did not pass from generation to generation and a darkness of the soul began to spread as one by one the lights went out. Eventually the world slipped back into the chaos of doubt and ignorance. so the Source sent its agents to gather those few in the world unstained by the darkness and taught them how to draw upon their spark to drive back the Void, to fight the ignorance. Reality is then a constant struggle between the forces of ignorance and intelligence; of darkness and light.

What is Magic?

Magic is one's ability to draw upon their spark to tap into the truth of Creation through force of will. To work one's Will, one must have the discipline to master that Will and then direct it with utmost confidence. In High Magick, everything has significance: the alignment of planets, the tone of words, the calculations necessary to discover the correct number of times to repeat certain phrases, the formalities of address, and the measure or angle of materials aligned just so for maximum effect. That precision has a dual purpose: in one regard, the relationship of those many elements is crucial for success. In the other regard, the precision tests and challenges the magician, forcing him to overcome his flaws and become the superior person whom such intricacies demand.You cannot be weak or sloppy or stupid, goes the reasoning, if you wish to work your Will upon Creation. Only the smartest, the bravest, the most refined people are capable of True Magick, and so the rituals and their elaborate preparations discourage everyone who lacks the excellence to succeed.

How does Magic Work?

In all forms, Magick demands preparation, discipline, and the finest materials a magician can acquire. Such practices connect the mage with greater powers - gods, angels, demons, elementals, and the faceless forces of the universe - and those powers demand respect. A magus does not hope or beg - he commands. Spirits can be bargained with, dragons might be conjured, God Himself might slip the mage a favor, but in the end all of those parties respect the High Magus because, ultimately, he has shaped himself into the true instrument of Will.Circles, Pentacles and other geometric designs, elements, gems to focus energy and light, languages and true names. All of these are the tools of the intelligent mind to manifest its will upon the chaotic war for reality.

What are the tools of Magic?

• Geometric shapes - triangles, squares, hexagrams, pentacles, and so forth - seal different sorts of activities. Squares reflect stability, rectangles present expansive yet secure areas, crosses signify intersecting forces, triangles direct energy, and combinations of those designs combine several forces into unified wholes? wholes often surrounded by a circle.
• Fire, water, earth, air and life are the principle blocks upon which reality was forged. Gold and silver, diamond and ruby, similar to the primal forces of creation, these substances are the refined materials that help focus the will like light being compressed into a laser and electricity to travel a circuit. To understand these primal forces one understand the same forces of creation.
• Lastly, words shape abstract thoughts into reality by communicating them to other beings and thus opening their minds to your own. In a communal form, language shares thoughts and - by extension - broadens the potential of reality for everyone concerned. To name something is to define it; to name someone is to have control over them. For this reason, among others, mages often hide their identities, taking on craft names and adopted monikers that differ from their full birth names.