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Magical Weapons
There is, as represented by the Chinese ying-yang, a duality of nature that manifests itself throughout all reality. To be light, there must be dark; to be good, one must know evil. Magic, being a natural force, also includes this duality of nature. The power used to manipulate the reality around us with mind and will is a tool that can be put to either use. Through the acceptance of ethical standards most magic workers will usually attempt to take the brighter path to help balance the negativity created by the masses of unenlightened and untrained humans who add their daily dose of psychic fog to existence. There are also those who do not.
Even if you have decided your path takes you to the light, you must not be unaware of the magical weapons that can be utilized. If you never use them, that is good. However, one should never refuse to learn the knowledge of a subject they do not wish to use. It is through this knowledge that you may be able to recognize the signature of one in use and, if possible, deflect its intent. As a Witch, Wizard or whatever you call yourself, that has devoted themselves to the bright path you must be ready to take action against the destructive forces. More so than even the merely religious, the axiom that 'All it takes for Evil to succeed is for good [men] to do - nothing,' applies to those of us who are aware of the subtle intricacies of the etheric realm.
We all should have learned by now how easily it is to manipulate the reality around us through the exercise of Force of Will. It is the very heart of the magical experience to be able to see material results from our trained desires envisioned. But within this etheric power is an equal portion of destructive energy as it is mindless on its own and only the resolve of the practitioner can determine its ultimate outcome. This is not the shields and barriers of protection but the slings, arrows and barbs of malicious intent that can as easily be formed with this etheric energy.
There is the common arsenal of the Shamanistic and Sympathetic magical systems that compliment this ability to turn the mind itself into a weapon. Whether powerful in themselves or just mental focus points for a determined will, the classic 'voodoo doll', poppet, rattle, chicken bone or other talisman or amulet created to inflict harm on another is a magical weapon which must be understood in order to defuse.
There is one more form of magical weapon that needs to be recognized and understood as well. The physical human body coupled with a controlled bioenergy field can disrupt the aura of another human in detrimental ways. While it is usually talked about in its healing form, it can be swiftly turned to the destruction of life. This is taught openly by Eastern Yogas as mantrayoga. It is also an element of the Oriental martial arts that is downplayed in Western culture. The control of the physical and spiritual into a coherent unit has an amazing amount of power that can be directed for both good and bad purposes.
Every daybreak has within itself the seeds of the coming dusk and every magical system has within it the ability to cause great good or great harm. A Shaolin philosophy that in order to speak strongly of Peace you must be capable of acting strongly at War. Magic is no different. If you are unprepared or uninformed of the weapons that may be brought against you, then the odds are increased that you will fall.
As well as writing and researching on the paranormal and occult phenomena that intersect our reality, Douglas Mefford can also be found helping spread literature to the world at Bell, Book & Candle Publications or hanging out at his bungalow in Greenwoods Village.
The Reality of Astral Travel and Projection
While a newcomer to the Craft may be under the mistaken belief that magical work involves strange and supernatural powers, further study and understanding will eventually show them that the processes used, while meeting public skepticism, are in fact quite normal and an inherent part of the human experience. One of the most well studied aspects of the psychic abilities the Witch or magician can utilize in seeking knowledge is the ability to send their consciousness out from their bodies to witness objects and events at great distances.
The traditional lore calls this separation of the spirit part of a human being from their living body to travel across the etheric level of reality astral projection. Closely aligned with this process is the moving of the pure consciousness to another location and is called astral projection. In the late twentieth century this process acquired the label of 'remote viewing'. Surprisingly this intense study of the ability to travel along the astral level was instigated by the Central Intelligence Agency.
With information that Russia had begun to turn a great deal of effort to study psychic phenomena, it was felt that it should be investigated to see if such a thing actually existed and if it posed a threat to national security. Needless to say, the results were so overwhelmingly successful that for at least the next twenty years the government and military maintained a sizable group of people who were trained as 'psychic spies'.
While the phenomena was never adequately explained in a 'scientific' manner it became apparent that it was real. It was discovered that distance did not matter when astral travel was involved. One of the more popular examples was of a 'journey' by one of the remote viewers to the planet Jupiter. The remote viewer reported a ring around the planet he saw and thought he had mistakenly 'seen' Saturn. It was some time later that the first flyby of the planet by NASA's Pioneer 10 spacecraft showed that Jupiter did indeed have a smaller, previously unseen ring around it.
These are things that the magical practitioner has known for centuries. Time and space are relative concepts within the etheric realm. The past, and even to some degree the future, are available for the practiced person to travel through in their spirit/astral body and glean information from. There are a growing number of places where one can train in the ability to more easily let loose the bonds that hold the spirit to the flesh and travel where they will by the power of thought alone.
By studying and learning how to travel astrally, those in the Craft can discover a wealth of knowledge that can be had more safely and accurately than with most of the traditional divination tools available. They will experience a better understanding of the subtle yet powerful forces that constitute reality on a level much higher than the material plain. And through utilizing the 'remote viewing' of distant places and events, the practitioner can build confidence in their abilities without having to overcome the doubt that astral travel and projection is real. It has already been shown to be a fact.
As well as writing and researching on the paranormal and occult phenomena that intersect our reality, Douglas Mefford can also be found helping spread literature to the world at Bell, Book & Candle Publications or hanging out at his bungalow in Greenwoods Village.
History changes depending on who is telling it.