Since the dawn of civilization, humankind has searched for meaning in the universe. In the hunt for ultimate truth, we have scoured both the universe without and the universe within, striving to locate the source of that unshakable feeling, that inner "knowing" that triggers us to believe there is something more to reality than meets the eye. Throughout the ages, the practice of magic and mysticism has offered individuals the ability to exercise a measure of control over their reality. Magic, in all its many guises, has allowed seekers to tap into higher levels of consciousness, to interact with and manipulate the forces and energies around them, and to cause changes in their reality.
Magic has acquired many definitions throughout the years. The notorious Aleister Crowley defined magic as "the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will." Dion Fortune later defined it similarly as "the art of causing changes in consciousness at will," and Murry Hope expressed magic as being "concerned with the conversion of universal energies into practical energies that can be utilized according to the needs of the occasion." In my view, all of these definitions are lacking. They describe the pursuit of end results rather than the journey itself. They describe magic as an intermittent act rather than a continuous state of being.
Magic, like science, is about exploration and discovery. It is about finding the boundaries of reality and then finding ways to cross those boundaries to prove they exist only in the scope of the human mind and nowhere else. It is about altering perceptions, shifting perspectives, activating awareness and expanding consciousness. For those of us who are drawn to magic, the scope of the mind and of reality itself is infinite.
Magic is not a special gift only a select few are endowed with. It does not require that one be blessed with rare abilities or unusual talents, and it is not necessary that one be born into the specific lineage of a magically adept family. It is not something sold in advertisements in the back of magazines or through 1-900 telephone hotlines. Magic is an art and science involving skills anyone can learn if they apply themselves properly.
Magic is a state of being almost anyone can achieve through study and practice. It is my personal belief that this same magical state of being is our natural state, and we have drifted from this natural state and need only find our way back to it. Once one has achieved a magical state of being, he or she will most often discover it has a certain "flow" to it, a genuinely organic and fluid sensation of experiencing life within this universe to the fullest extent possible, a sense of expanding one's awareness toward the realization of our infinite potential.
