Magick

Magic is the art and science of causing change to occur in conformity with will. - Aleister
Crowley

Magick is the art, science, and practice of producing "supernatural" effects, causing change to
occur in conformity, and controlling events in Nature with will. - Gerina Dunwich

Magic is the art of effecting changes in consciousness at will. - William Butler

Magic is the projection of natural energies to produce needed effects. -Scott Cunningham

We do not affect fate by our magical operations, we affect ourselves; we reinforce those aspects
of our nature which are in sympathy with the powers we invoke. -Dion Fortune

Magic is a comprehensive knowledge of all nature. -Frances Barrett

Magic is making something happen that you want to happen. -Raymond Buckland

Magic is the act of using your will to cause change, by focusing and directing your psychic
energy. -Jennifer Hunter

Magic ... is the art of obtaining results without resort to the ordinary mechanism of cause and
effect. -Serge Hutin

The work of magic involves transformation, and the first transformation is the shift of
perception. -Marion Weinstein

In its true sense magic is a high art and science itself, that should release the powers of the
imagination for the benefit of any other part of life. -Gareth Knight

Magic is the science of the control of the secret forces of nature. -S. L. Macgregor-Mathers

[Magic is] the mastery of occult forces and their uses in order to produce visible effects. -Frank
Gaynor

Magick is the art and metaphysical science of manifesting personal desires through the
collection and direction of energy. -Raven Grimassi

Magic is concerned with the conversion of universal energies into practical frequencies that can
be utilized according to the needs of the occasion. -Murray Hope

Quotes taken from Wicca for One by Raymond Buckland.

To perform magick, you need clear intention, a firm belief that you deserve the results you
are asking for, and a place where you can work uninterrupted. That is all.

You don't need a wand, athame, candles, incense, an altar, or any of the things Wiccans and
Pagan pile on their altars. So, you ask, why do we use these things? For very simple
psychological reasons.

You will feel more "witchy" or magickally inclinced when we stand before an altar with a
wand, or athame in your hand. The smell of burning incense, the flickering of candlelight,
and feel of flowings robes all contribute to an atmosphere that is conducive to creating
magick.

Why do Catholics light candles, kneel before statues of saints, sit, stand, and kneel during
the mass, repeating the same words over and over while the priest stands before the altar
leading the congregation in the celebration? Because these things and actions contribute to
the sense that you are connecting with God through Jesus. And make no mistake about it,
transubstantiation is an act of magick. (transubstantiation is the conversion of bread and
wine into the body and blood of Christ)

All religious rites contain elements that aren't necessarily needed, but that contribute to the
worshipper's abilitiy to acheive an ecstatic state of spiritual awareness. I had many such
experiences when I was Catholic. I had visions, I communicated with Jesus, and I often cried
during Mass. I left the church because these experiences, called personal revelation by the
church, are looked at with suspision, and are discouraged. Such a shame. Still, I have no
animosity toward the Catholic church, my time there taught me a lot about magick.

The bells and whistles are important. Spend plenty of time getting familiar with the
individual elements. Hold your wand, talk to it, decorate it, swish it around, try out a few
Harry Potter incantations with it if you like. Do the same with your athame, get comfortable
in your ritual robes, light incense and candles any time the mood strikes, run your fingers
through a bowl of sea salt, play with water, memorize the names, directions and colors of the
four elements, practice drawing an invoking pentacle in the air. All this practice will help
you feel much more comfortale and confident when you do set up your altar and perform a
ritual and magick spell.

And, confidence is the most important aspect of magick.