Chapter XX
Magic and Mayhem
Only now is it worth remarking that, aside from learning Tarot, I had for a number of years studied other aspects of the occult. In my search to understand the origins of religion I came across all sorts of books about witchcraft, high magic and occultism. I had gained a certain understanding of the basics of magic. For example, there was a law in Wicca, or witchcraft if you prefer, that said 'Do what thou wilt but harm no one'. It was a fundamental law that defied the so-called terrible claims of the bible. Whatever the bible referred to as witchcraft was certainly not the witchcraft that I had read about and seen.
Magic, as it is written in many books, is about encouraging the evolution of the human race and how we can heighten the conscious awareness of people to raise ourselves to the next level of existence. There are many books that delve into a Christian based magic designed to draw the human race closer to the Godhead. Only a few books I found were available that delved into base magic, designed to gratify the individual and they were more often that not tomes of complete rubbish.
As a solitary student I had practised without tutors. Most of my study to date had been theoretically based. The importance of magical working was what result one intended to achieve. If it were solely for self-gratification then there had to be a price to pay. If, on the other hand, the motive was selfless there still had to be a justification. It was so important to be absolutely clear of the intention or the work might become confused.
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