Magick is an old English spelling of Magic which was revived by Aleister Crowley. He defined it as “the science and art of causing change in conformity with Will.” The crucial word in this sentence is Will. This does not mean any passing fancy, but refers to the great spiritual forces which are driving ones soul. Magick is therefore really about finding your Soul’s purpose – and then giving effect to it.
The concept of True Will is something Crowley took – like most things – from the Golden Dawn. True Will is what occurs when your ordinary everyday conscious Will is perfectly united with your Higher Will – which is your aspiration to that which is highest and most spiritual.
Wicca is a term most associated with the movement first brought to public consciousness by Gerald Gardner in the middle of the last century. It is primarily concerned with worship of the Goddess and God, and the observance of the traditional pagan festivals (Sabbats) and full-moon ceremonies (Esbats). There is now evidence to suggest that what we now know as the modern Wicca movement was founded in the 1920s by former members of the Golden Dawn who believed that they had been Witches in previous incarnations. Gardner did not found Wicca, but he was the first person to actively publicise it. See, for example, Gerald Gardner and the Cauldron of Inspiration by Philip Heselton (which coincidentally I once reviewed in the Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition).
Witchcraft is a general term for the historic Witch tradition. Many Wiccans would say that Wicca is Witchcraft, or at least a part or an example of Witchcraft: I do not particularly want to get into an argument upon the matter.
Can a Christian ever practice Magick – and remain a Christian? Certain elements of Thelema and Wicca have a religious character, so in these instances, probably not. However, one should also remember that for 1900 years prior to the 20th century, magick was being preserved and studied by Christian scholars. Not, of course, those who slavishly followed the dictats of the Church, but freethinkers who believed that the Kabbalah was the perfect synthesis between magic, mysticism and religion – even though at times they were persecuted by the mainstream Church for daring to say so.
So for a modern day Christian who is thinking of magick I would say if you are such a Free-Thinker then yes it is possible – you would then find Christian overtones in Martinism, the Elus Cohens, Waite’s Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, Dion Fortune’s Society of the Inner Light, and even in the Golden Dawn.
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Nunc Vides, Nunc Non Vides
There being a lack of interesting news stories these past few days, I am forced to resort to desperate measures to find something on which to opine: I read The Guardian. And lo! Here is a story about a Church of England Vicar who admits to being a magician and visiting a Druid gathering for Summer Solstice.
Excited I read on. Could this be someone like the Reverend Ayton who was a clergyman, alchemist, and one of the first members of the Golden Dawn? Or Father Fitzpatrick and his brethren who was active at Whare Ra? By calling himself a Christian and a magician, was he in fact saying he practised a Christian form of magic such as that of the Elus Cohens – or a form of Christian esotericism such as Martinism or Rosicrucianism?
As it happens, no. What he – a gentleman named Mark Townsend – actually meant was that he was a stage magician. Apparently he thought that this was somehow comparable to actual Magic(k) as is practised by both pagans and Christian Occultists. He seemed to think that the use of ledgerdemain can impress people so much that they will pay attention to him long enough for him to minister to them.
The fundamental problem though is this. With stage magic one experiences initial surprise which quickly wears off because one knows that it is actually false. With real Magic – as indeed with the miracles of Jesus – the wonder of it stays and continually grows, because one realises that it is actually true. It is a shame that the priest in question attempted to use a False thing to give witness to something which is purportedly the greatest truth of his religion, when the use of Theurgy – magical ritual used to attain the ends of mysticism, would have been so much more effective.
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Tagged as christian, church of england, Druid, Guardian, Mark Townsend, pagan, Pendle