Magick is the foundation to every religion. Magick is not, in itself, a religion. It has to be understood that Magick, in its purest form, is nothing more than Nature at work. Magick is in the sun rising and setting each day. Magick is the the wind which carries pollen across great distances. Magick is in the rain which fertiles the ground. Magick is in the changing seasons throughout the year. Magick lies in all things.
There's no book which sets the ground rules for making Magick work, nor is there dogma to follow. Magick is not rigid as religion which tells you what to believe and how to worship. Magick is as simple or as complex as you make it. Magick is shaped by your experience. My life would not affect your beliefs, nor would your life affect mine. Your life is your own, and the Magick which you practice will also be your own because it's shaped from your experiences.
There's no right or wrong way to practice Magick. There's only your way of Magick. Magick can be broken down into High Magick and Low Magick. There's been arguement about which form of Magick is better, but honestly, there should be no comparison because they both lead to the same goal, which is to unite with your spirit.
Low Magick existed first. This is the practice of affecting Nature. This is the common practice of Wicca, and of the ancient Pagan cultures. This involves studying weather patterns and seasonal changes. This was used by farmers who grew crops for low communities. Herbs were known to cure ailments, where High Magick would take these herbs and create medicine.
High Magick came about from scholars and higher societies of people. This involves using complex mathematics and symbolism, such as with Alchemy. Secret societies, such as the Golden Dawn, practice High Magick, which involves Hermitic studies and Kabbalah.
It's often thought of that Low Magick is for simple minded people, and High Magick is for the intellectuals, but this type of thought is wrong. There's much science which goes into both methods, but the approach is simply taken from other points of view. Like I said, Magick is shaped from your experiences, and if you have to live day by day growing your own food, even those who practice High Magick would need to follow the signs of nature. Both Low and High Magick are equal in their methods.
Working with Spells is probably the most popular aspect of Magick, which people often turn to as if it's the only aspect of interest. People often ask me for spells to work with, to bring love or to curse, and all things in between. People don't understand, nor do they comprehend, that working with Spells is not a matter of repeating words in a book which make no sense, and the fact that training in this discipline never even crosses their mind.
When you first learn how to drive a vehicle, you're not instructed to simply step inside a car, turn it on and hit the gas. You have to learn the rules of the road, and put that knowledge to the test, before being able to earn your license. Well, Magick is the same way, as all things in your life have to be learned through experience.
I advise you to read all you can, but don't read with the intention of reciting what's in a book. Read so that you can gain background and knowledge of what's written. Remember that reading will only offer knowledge, but experience will teach you understanding, and through understanding, you can gain the wisdom of knowing how to apply the science of Magick.
You'll have to retrain your thoughts on Magick, and I don't mean retrain as in clearing up all the misconceptions. Here's an example of what I mean...
2+2=4
Why? Well if one is the Divine, it's reflection would be humanity. This means that 1+1=2. Now, if two is the balance of god and man, then it's reflect would be nature. This means that 2+2=4, and so on...
Even if this makes sense to you, it still doesn't explain how spells work. However, before I get into that aspect, you'll need to understand other areas of thought. I've said it numerous times that Magickal Energy consists of thought and emotion. Well, I'm going to bring this statement to a conclusion. As children, most of us may have had wild and vivid imaginations and we're allowed to explore such avenues. Our emotions were equally as free. We cried when we felt the need, and we laughed with an equal amount of joy. This is thought and emotion is it's purest state.
As we became adults, what happened to make us stop imagining as we once did and hold in our emotions in the face of adversity? We became accustomed to the environment around us. We worry about paying the bills or caring for loved ones. We worry about the time of day and fitting in schedules and meeting deadlines. We worry about our health and the people we deal with everyday.
I'm not suggesting that we should throw a temper tantrum every time something doesn't go our way. It's often been said that children have the easiest time seeing spirits. This remains true because of their purity of thought and emotion. Now if we could return to that time when we had been so innocent, imagine the possibilities. Magick allows us this. Through training, we gain discipline to not only focus our intentions, but to also separate ourselves from our everyday life, to go to that holy place which we feel most at peace.
Thought and emotion have no physical substance, nor can it be seen, but we know that they exist because we can think and feel. Thought and emotion are very subtle vibrations, and most of us are unaware of that fact. How else can you explain that certain vibe when you meet someone for the first time, or sense something is wrong when speaking to a loved one? These vibrations are felt on the astral, which is made up of a collection of thought and emotion. It's also on the astral where spirits may be seen.
Energy can be felt in all things. The moon affects the tides. The sun affects the seasons. How do you think that we may affect the earth, or how may it affect us? We know that the energies are there, but how do we tap into it, and once that has been accomplished, what then can we do? This is the purpose of Ritualwork. Where myth was created to tell the story of changing seasons, Ritual was created as an enactment of those very same myths, and much the same way the sun affects nature, we can affect that very same energy through Ritual.
When you first begin to work with Magick, it's not likely that anything will be produced. Many people give up the effort, proving to themselves that Magick doesn't work. Need I say anything more about the fact that training in this discipline is required before success is made? Understand that when Ritual is being enacted, it affects the invironment around you, much the same way the sun affects the seasons. That's the sole purpose of Ritual, to enact myth.