Will Power and Conscious Magic

You want to do some manifestation. Create a change in your world? What does that look Like? I see a lot of writing about magic which seems, and I know this sounds odd given this topic, kind of hand wavy. Magic is an art though which does have a variety of tried and true methods for achieving results.

In fact, people are doing magic all the time. Much of it unconscious but magic is still happening. They are creating changes in the Cosmos through their conscious or often unconscious processes.

These last few articles I have been focusing on what I am reading in Franz Bardon's book “Initiation Into Hermetics”. Bardon will have more to say on the practice of magic. I just haven't gotten that far in the book or begun doing his practices myself.

Since I have been doing these practices, I will shift my focus now to The Dolmen Arch. Specifically, the use of the planes of existence in creating change, aka magic. Briefly, the planes of existence or if you prefer, bodies as we each have evolved bodies to some degree suitable for each plane are:

• Mental
• Astral
• Etheric
• Physical

The bodies or planes are listed in descending order starting with the finest or highest vibration in the set to the lowest vibration. Creation itself acts from higher to lower. The physical world you are a part of started as intuitions and patterns of meaning on the mental plane. From there things like symbols, thoughts, feelings coalesced around the on the astral. Then they became enlivened with the life force on the etheric. Finally, what started out as a pattern of meaning on the mental solidified in the physical.

Notably, this process doesn't need human awareness to work. Frankly, humans aren't needed at all. But since humans are around and are part of reality they are engaged in this process of creation with the rest of the Cosmos.

The big question is whether or not they are creating consciously. Most people are at best participating in a fairly unconscious state. Really, most people are asleep at the magic steering wheel.

But they don't have to be! People can work with these forces of magic in a very conscious and deliberate way. This doesn't mean just anything they decide to do is magic and will happen because they want it to happen.

With the right tools though amazing things can happen. How does it work?

Using the planes or bodies of existence model we start at the top. Assuming you have a goal you want to make real what does that feel like to you? This isn't an emotional feeling. The feeling I am after is intuition. Intuitively, what does your goal feel like? What is the meaning in the goal?

As the mental level of your goal becomes more established we will descend into the astral plane or your astral body. Here is where the emotions, thoughts, words, visions, and symbols, for example, come into play. The degree of vividness in the astral is important.

From the astral we go into the etheric or life force. This is kind of mixed in with the physical. How is the life force taking on the shape of your goal as you have defined it in the astral?

Finally, we are at the physical. Where we wait around for our miracles to show up like money from an ATM. Nope. We are physical beings and can do physical magic, known as work, as part of the process of creation. Yes, getting your hands dirty is part of magic. You do your part while the Cosmos takes care of the rest.

This basic idea works. People are doing it all the time. For those who are doing magic unconsciously, well, they may or may not be happy with the results.

For those who are awake, they also have differing degrees of satisfaction with their efforts. Some are working to attract goals which are not going to work out well for them. Magic has consequences for the magician. If they are attempting to harm another there will be blow back. If they are attempting to get something for nothing they will get more of the same. Nothing.

Even if their ethics are solid there is one other common problem. Magic is fueled by the flow of Will. We each have our slice of the Cosmic Will force. The problem is we often have divided our Will to the point we have almost no power to realize any given goal.

This can happen both in our outer and inner lives. If you feel like life is pulling you in ten different directions you may find your Will very fragmented. If you have a hard time concentrating with your mind jumping from one thought or emotion to the next about your past, present, and future, again your will is likely not as powerful as it could be.

Which means, not only is the mechanics of magic important but so is the force, your Will. Luckily, you do have options.

Cleaning up your outer life is one. Are all those activities really necessary? How about focusing on one path in each area of your life. With the idea that the more aspects of your life you can get heading in the same direction the stronger your Will. On the inside, processing life and the emotional load you are carrying in response will free up some power.

Finally, you can practice exercising your Will. Finish what you start. Pick a meaning less and simple task to do regularly and do it. The more stupid it feels the better. Tug your ear every time you walk through a door for example.

Obviously, the above is a lot of work and will take time. Sorry to say instant gratification is not on the menu. On the other hand, the benefits of doing even some of what I suggested will start to accumulate pretty fast if you get started.

A simple way to get started is to find a course you can work through. I have one available, the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose, in the library section of this web site. I haven't gone through it yet as I am busy with The Dolmen Arch. But I am making it available as it is both free and well regarded by others whom I trust.

Remember, the steps are pretty simple. They aren't necessarily easy. If you decide you want to learn to practice magic while awake you will be paid back many fold for your efforts. A solid investment.