Magic is an Influence
Crowley defined magic as “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will.”
This definition has had an enormous impact, and has deeply influenced other attempts at defining magic since then.
Dion Fortune clarifies “changes in consciousness”, but I think my readers already know that I think that’s only a part of it.
Donald Michael Kraig expanded on Crowley also “Magick is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will, using means not currently understood by traditional Western science.”
Frater U.D. attempts to bridge the gap by saying: “Magic is the Science and Art of causing Change, on a material as well as a spiritual level, to occur in conformity with Will by altered states of consciousness.”
Phil Hine says that “A magical act may be defined as causing reality to conform to will.”
The list goes on. In fact you can find many great definitions listed in this convenient Spiral Nature Article.
The key word that I wanted to address here about these definitions is the word cause. It is a fine word because whatever magical acts you do are in fact a cause in a chain of cause and effect. When it comes to understanding practical application though, I think influence is a better word.
When we say that Magic causes things to happen it gives the impression of a process that is as sure as turning your car on or heating water. If you turn the key it will cause the car to start, if you heat the kettle it will cause the water to boil. If people start thinking about magic in such black and white terms it leads to ethical quandries and misunderstandings.
Despite my own writings, and the writings of many others to the contrary, I STILL regularly talk to people who have done a TON of magic to obtain a result yet almost no other work to influence their situation. The classic example is the bad resume, which I bring up a lot only because it happens a lot. I have known people that have college degrees, relevant experience, and have done everything from simple candle magic to Goetic Evocation but still cannot find a decent job. When I do the consult and see the resume, I know why. Your Batchelors in Chemistry does no good if the first thing listed under education is your Reiki Master certification, your dates are incomplete and formatting non-existent.
If we understand magic as the cause of getting a job this should not matter. If we understand it as an influence upon your search for a job, this makes total sense.
On the ethical side of things if a spell to get Woman X to love Sorceress Y always worked directly like a movie, I think that a lot of the “will infringement” arguments would hold a lot of water. But thats not how it works. That spell is an influence upon Woman X to love Sorceress Y. How much of an influence depends upon the actual work, the probable chances of success at the beginning and many other influences. There are still ethical concerns and lines that you may or may not want to cross, but the whole idea that “any magic that infleunces the will of another is eeeeeeeeeeevil!” loses some of its standing when we see enchantment as an influence rather than a cause.
This is also important to keep in mind when you hire someone to do magic for you. What you are hiring is someone to do the work. Just like a Doctor or a Lawyer, they will hopefully do their best, and hiring a good one increases the influence that their work will have the desired impact, but they are just an influence. In some cases the patient does not rest and the client keeps incriminating themselves, and no matter what the doctor or lawyer does, their influence is outweighed.
This is not only true in the practical sphere, but in the spiritual as well. Many people are solely concerned with “change in consciousness”, which is fine. But again you can walk the planetary gates and gain initiation from the angels and it is but an influence upon your path. Same with meditation, energy practice, prayer, and anything else. Ordinary consciousness has STRONG gravity and the chattering Monkey Mind is a potent enemy to take on. I know people that have done months of retreats, but no work outside of that, and have ended up the same or worse.
Magic is a powerful influence, don’t waste it.
Later today I will post a field report from a student that understands this very clearly and used different types of influence to attain a GREAT result.
