Why do we do magic?
Have you ever seriously wondered why we do magic? If you have never asked yourself this question seriously, I invite you to take your time and ask yourself this question, seeking an answer that convinces you.
The argument of this writing is inspired by a conversation that I had a relatively short time ago with a reader, who, after having met several renowned figures in an esoteric event, expressed his disenchantment with them due to their erratic behavior, I will not go into details on the subject, but let’s say that it is not what people expect to see in certain renowned people. All this led to something much deeper, including some fears of ending up that way or worse for practicing magic considered black or sinister. This is a more than legitimate fear, especially if we see that those supposed «masters» are in such deplorable states; what automatically comes to mind is, if these are the people who master magic and they are like that, I don’t want to go by that way.
Here are several things that we must see; first, we are magicians, but we do not stop being human beings; perfection is an aspiration, but it is not a fact; we are potential gods of our lives, but we still have a long way to go, as humans we have flaws, imperfections, mistakes. I agree that a person’s life, in one way or another, must reflect their magical actions, we cannot claim to be the great sinister magicians if then we are not capable of dominating our most superficial instincts, and this does not mean not getting carried away or do not drink alcohol in moderation. In many cases, there may be some esoteric explanation of why people end up in a state that can be considered deplorable; in others, the person was always in a bad state, and magic worsened their situation. In any case, self-responsibility is essential; if we sell ourselves for something that we are not, it is in the other to want to buy an unreal image.
But let’s go back to our starting point, why do we do magic? The truth is that there is no single or true answer; this is very personal. But I can tell you why I do magic. I started with all this at an early age; I was only 11 years old when I started reading and experimenting on my own, then I got to know spiritualist schools, and I got to know parapsychology and Afro cults. These were my first steps; at the age of 16, I met and started in Satanism, then I went through the Draconian Path, a tradition that I practice both within some groups and with people that I have considered at the time as teachers and friends, I went through periods solo, and then evolve to other things that are personal and irrelevant since I’m not interested in making some issues public. But between one thing and the other, I spent almost 30 years in magic, a lifetime. And as it happens with a couple, this is an everyday choice; every day I get up, I choose to continue; I could say I’ve come this far, and yet I don’t, and I think I never will. Even in the darkest moments of my life, I still chose to do magic. My motto is: «Life in Magic, Magic in Life.» But I must admit that this is not for everyone; it is for a few, and that’s okay; not everyone has the same passion and desire for magic.
The next element to clarify is black magic’s danger in people’s lives. Of course, it is, and whoever says otherwise is simply ignorant. Sinister magic seeks to break with the natural order of things, awakening consciousness, and divinity in man, seeking to transcend oblivion and death, seeking the immortality of the psyche and the independence of being; it is that form of magic that confronts us with our shadow and makes us face to face with our worst demons, to absorb all that then use it as tools that allow us to change our reality both internally and externally. Of course, it is dangerous because one opens doors in our psyche that are closed, and that is closed for most of the people on this planet, so how can it not be dangerous? But I would extend the premise of danger beyond the Sinister Path; magic in general and esotericism in all its variants are hazardous, especially in weak minds. It is surprising to see people who consider themselves «light workers» make supposed channeling with messages that are not only completely absurd but also dangerous because of their content, which encourage people to abandon medical science, in the name of alleged plots of secret orders that pull the strings of the world, people who imagine they are awake, to be a kind of messiah who must help humanity to evolve, and anyone who does not think like them are either people without awakening or evil ones. The speech of these people is ancient; imperative religions have used it to make others feel afraid and thus obey. The technique is the same; they change Jesus, Ala, or whoever it is for a supposed universal spirit for an alien from a distant galaxy. Here it is worth adding another point; everyone can believe in what they want and channel whoever they wish to, regardless of the genuineness of the experience; what is not healthy is manipulating people or even considering the role messianic or stopping going to the doctor, or get vaccinated. So, this danger runs everywhere, whether one is on one Path, the other, or thinks ET is talking to him.
When we combine magic with a philosophical system such as the Left-Hand Path, this form of magic becomes an initiation path because it has a greater purpose than the simple fact of producing changes through non-ordinary means. There is usually a spiritual search; the person tries to have a broader consciousness, seeks his inner divinity, the immortality of postmortem consciousness, and develops his full potential while in this existence. This is not for everyone either, some people feel a very genuine interest in the magical arts but do not want to follow an initiation path, and it seems that this is something that many have forgotten; we cannot place a dogma and say yes, you have to do this in this way or else you are not doing it well. Some people are only interested in sorcery, a good practice that you must know how to do well to get results. A magician is one whose life is magic, and magic is his life, but not only on an intellectual level, on a real, pragmatic level; it is not enough just to read or do a ritual from time to time, it is not even enough to have results with practice, in any case, with a little knowledge and some good results you can become an Adept, but a magician is someone who gave his life to magic. We don’t all want the same thing; we don’t all go in the same direction, and we don’t like the same kinds of stuff.
The important thing is to understand what we want to do with our magical lives. For this, we have to see before doing rituals, taking initiations, and commitments how much time we have to dedicate to this; what objectives do we have when doing this? Do we want to follow an initiation path? Do we want to learn to manipulate energy and obtain changes in everyday reality through a ritual? Is this a hobby? Is this a lifestyle? In addition, we must see what things we feel more comfortable with, with a specific magical tradition or system, or prefer something more freestyle, the questions are many, and it is something that only you can answer for yourself. Magic is a daily chore, that is, you have to do something every day; it is not something that we can do only when we have time, and we don’t have something more interesting to do, but be careful, doing every day does not mean falling into the unhealthy obsession, balance is essential if we do not want to end up as people who at the end of the road are poor devils.
I invite you to reflect and ask yourself: why do you do magic?
Daemon Barzai