Magic is different from normal science as in it is not purely mechanical. The effects and results of magic may not always be exactly the same and may even differ greatly from time to time. There are many factors that determine the success rate of a magical act, and that is why it cannot always be given in a totally precise manner how an act is done to create an exact result. Magic although a higher science is also an art. It depends on the emotion, the mind and performance of the user. It is not a machine.

Perhaps the most significant reason why magic can not be explained in the rational, predictable way some might wish is that the magicians are all different. Magic is the exercise of the will of an individual at the moment the magical operation is executed. The conditions for a magical operation can never be repeated. Ritual is the attempt of the magician to create, as far as possible, the most similar conditions possible for the most reliable possible results. It is all about increasing probability towards an event.
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There is a structure of magical work that is used to guarantee maximum results. The structure is found in ritual magic and everything that is done on a consistent basis is a form of ritual. The structure consists of an opening phase, an operational phase and a closing phase. All three phases are necessary for the whole act to be successful. But sometimes each phase can be done so quickly that it seems to merge with the others. Understanding the three phases gives us greater prowess in our magical work.

The opening functions as a preparatory phase in which the magician engages a magical frame of mind. It is important for all magicians to be able to evoke this mental state. This is one of the beneficial functions of religious kinds of workings which are really only intended to create this sense of engagement with the spiritual world. The magical frame of mind is where you are open to all possibilities. It is a higher state of consciousness where you believe in magic or supernatural power to influence reality.

The magician may call upon a divinity and then speaks directly to the entity, petitioning that the desire of the magician will be fulfilled. An alternate approach to this is seen when magicians actually connect themselves to the power of a god and then act in the power of that god. Either way it is about making use of a higher power by praying to the divinity behind it or by connecting with that divinity’s source of power and using it. Power is required for any form of magical work to produce desired results.

Next is the operational phase where the magus actually directs the power. Once a magus has established a connection with power, that magus may, if the right knowledge is present, virtually “speak events into existence” with divine formulas. The divine formulas are simply specific intents sent forth to be manifested by the power. The more you know how to best command or affirm what you want happen, the more precisely you’re able to direct the energies of the universe to manifest what you want.

Lastly, the closing ritual puts an “official” end to the working. This concentrates the magical will in a definite space and time. The main operative benefit of this is that the dynamis of the magician can be freed from the limitations placed on it by mental constraints such as anxiety over the success of the rite, or desire for the result. Once the working is done it is already successful. The magician closes the ritual by some action or word such as Amen, or simply lets go of the ritual work and go do another thing.

The magician should perform some version of an opening purification rite to begin and operation and some closing rite to conclude it. Such operations frame the greater working, setting apart, and thus sanctifying, the time and space in which it is carried out. The whole idea of “purification” is just another way of saying “concentration of essence.” The mind must be properly prepared to do the work. When a person or area is “purified” it is dedicated to a single, pure, and simple purpose, that of the working.

This involves two things, which are the exclusion of things detrimental to the concentrated purpose and the concentration of essence on the purpose of the operation. This is how purification is best considered. Essence here refers to vital life force, Chi, Prana, Reiki or magical energy. Energy flows where attention goes. You will leak energy when your attention is distracted by things such as fear, worry and other things to do. You must choose a time when you have cleared other things to focus on your intent.

It is important to signal the end of the working so that the magical effects which you have set in motion can begin to work independently of your own concentrated will. Simply step aside from the working and put the events of the operation out of your mind. Then simply go your way and do the rest of the things you have to do during the day and live in a moment by moment basis. Plan a time when you do your next ritual and until then, just live in the moment. Structure gives workability for reality creation.

Sometimes the three phases merges when you are doing the reality creating work in a quick manner before you step into a situation. There is no time to do a complete ritual and so you quickly move into sending forth an intent. First you simply energize your aura which is your energy body, then you think a mental command or visualize a desired outcome, and then you let go of the thought and turn your attention elsewhere. What you reality create on the spot may show up the way you wanted it to happen.

Ritual is a specific set of steps taken that can be expected to bring about a precise outcome every time. It is an alignment of energy and calibration of consciousness. NLP for personal achievement is a form of ritual magick. It is aligning your internal representation (thought, feeling, desire, belief, imagination) and external physiology (breathe, physical posture and gesture) to create a precise vibration match to a particular thing that is desired. In metaphysics it is called vibration. In NLP it is called “state”. NLP is about achieving a particular state (Combination of internal representation and external physiology). You can mimic or mirror the internal representation and external physiology of a person who is already experiencing a particular thing you want. There is also the process of anchoring which is done while experiencing the state at an emotional peak to lock it in with a physical gesture, sound or some other stimulus so that the state can be re-experienced quickly at a later time by triggering the anchor. This is also similar to hypnosis where trigger words or events are used to activate previously programmed patterns of behavior and psychological states. Magic is about Non-Dualism. It means one’s internal representation and physiology are a match with each other and also a match with one’s desire. It also means non-dualism of what you think, say and do. It means no internal opposition. It means internal harmony. It means congruence, and congruence is power.
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