Understanding Celtic Magick
To the Celtic peoples, magick was as common as breathing. It was not something set aside for special occasions anymore than was their beautiful twisting artwork. Like their intricate designs that decorated even ordinary utensils, magick was a part of everyday life.
The Celts had no difficulty reconciling materialism and spiritual insights because they clearly understood that each is present in the other, that matter is only solidified spirit. Today, we have trouble accepting that magickal law. Our minds have been bombarded by prejudiced opinions until we have become programmed to believe a blend of the material and spiritual is impossible. We have been taught an error: that to be spiritual one cannot be materialistic. In defining materialistic I mean concerned with material well-being, not controlled by material things. By continuing to believe this lie, we place ourselves within a tightly-bound area that prohibits us from manifesting by magick, what we need in our lives.
Ritual magick removes this programming sometimes with drastic effect in an unprepared person. The practice of magick will quickly bring out the hidden side of any magician. That is why it is so important for a magician to really, truthfully, know him or herself and exercise self discipline.
RItual magick is merely the taking of energy from another plane of existence and weaving that energy, by specific thoughts, words, and practices, into a desired physical form or result in this plane of existence. The whole idea of magick is to contact various energy pools that exists in a dimension other than our own. Magicians do this deliberately because these energies add a vast amount of power to the energy for manifestation. that we hold within ourselves. The prime purpose of ritual is to create a change, and we cannot do that without the combination of these energies. We need the assistance of those energy pools, which can be called gods, deities and elementals.
Everything used during ritual is a symbol of an energy that exists on another plane. Whether or not the magician properly connects with that specific energy and believes he or she can work magick depends upon how well he or she understands its representative symbol which is used on this plane or world. Study of, and meditation on, ritual symbols is an important part of training.
In order to bring through the energy of the gods or energy pools, the magician must set up a circuit of communication along which that power can flow. This is done by ritual use of symbols, ritual itself, visualization and meditation. To keep the incoming power from dissipating before being directed toward a particular goal, rituals are performed with a cast and consecrated circle. This provides a neutral energy area which will not siphon off or dissipate the incoming energy.
To correctly contact the appropriate energy pool, the magician uses as many symbols as possible that represent a specific deity power. For example, he or she will choose a color, incense, plant, stones, and statue or picture to help his or her visualization.
The ability to visualize is extremely important, as the magician must invoke, or call into him or herself, a godform (also called an archetypal energy pool). However, you must realize that you can never invoke the entire power of such an archetypal being into your physical body. Trying to do that would destroy your physical form. That much potent energy simply can never be contained within such a limited mundane structure as the human body. You would not try to use a 440 volt line when a 110 volts is called for. It is rare that total inflow of energy is ever achieved. The gods and magickal laws prohibit this from ordinarily happening.
Also be aware that if you consistently call upon one particular deity power to the exclusion of all others, you will eventually begin to manifest characteristics of that energy pool within your personality. If this is done correctly in order to gain positive results, these changes will become an important part of your magickal personality. If not, they can cause changes of a negative kind.
At the end of each ritual, the godform or power is dismissed so that it can manifest the desire formed during the ritual. This enables the magician to gain the manifestation for which the ritual was done and also to be able to function in the physical world again. To continue holding the power after the ritual is completed would make it impossible for you to live a normal life.
Ritual magick helps to open the doors to your creative mind and the subconscious. To effectively do magick one must get the creative side of the mind, or right brain, to operate uninhibited by the analytical left brain. This is accomplished by consistent routine of visualization and meditation.
The dominant left brain generally maintains control. It is closely connected with the conscious mind and deals totally with what is calls reality or this world. It is the side of the brain that makes us feel guilty and criticizes us for things we do or do not do.
The creative right brain pertains entirely to what we call imagination, or other worlds. It is artistic, visualizing. It is the powerful belief formed in this are of the mind that contacts the deity energy pools and creates manifestation.
One of the first things a magician must do is reprogram his or her subconscious mind to eliminate all the old messages of failure and dissatisfaction that are recorded there. From infancy we are programmed by everyone around us with words and actions that express displeasure or approval. Unfortunately, this programming continues throughout life. Therefore, it is important to choose friends carefully at all ages so that the ideas of limitations and failures are kept to a minimum. This programming can be changed into positive actions by the use of certain techniques during meditation.
The right brain and the subconscious mind perform best when presented with symbols, since symbology is the language of the creative mind. During ritual, the left brain is lulled into a sense of control by the chants, tools, candles and movements; all tangible, logical things. The left brain becomes so involved that it forgets to monitor the right brain. As the same time these tools and activities become symbols to the right brain for use in its creative work.
Emotion is important in ritual magick. Not fluctuating emotions, but controlled emotions. The more emotionally involved you are during spellwork, the more effective the manifestation. There must be a strong desire in order for a manifestation to take place.
Repetition also plays an important part in manifestation and ritual work. Certain numbers hold mystical power; these numbers are 3, 5, 7, and 9. The ancient Celts were well aware of the significance of repetition and numbers. By repeating rituals or spellwork 3, 5, 7, or 9 times consecutively, the creative activity of the right brain and subconscious mind is reinforced. Repetition becomes the pleasure-pain motivator that influences the creative mind to bring forth the desired manifestation.
The number thirteen is very ancient, and is the prime number of importance among the WIccan religion. Traditionally, the seventh son of a seventh son, or the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, was said to be born witch or magician. There is also an old belief that certain years in a person’s life are years of great importance or destiny. These were considered by the odd numbers of 3. 5. 7. and 9.
Among the Celts and Druids, the number three was of great significance. It was considered the balance between two extremes. The Druids even expressed their lore in triads. The Druidic symbol was the Tribann, or the Three Rays of Light. The shamrock symbolized this belief, long before St. Patrick used it to explain the Christian doctrine.
The importance of numbers is also shown in the relationship between certain numbers and the planets: Sun, 1 and 4; Moon, 2 and 7; Jupiter, 3; Mercury, 5; Venus, 6; Saturn, 8; and Mars, 9.
To effectively work magick, you must believe you can cause things to happen, that you have the power within you to change your life. Until you can reprogram your subconscious mind to believe this, manifestations will take longer to come into being.
To begin the changes needed to really believe you can do magick, you must begin by working on your hidden or inner self. You must change bad habits: negative thoughts of yourself, lying, cheating, stealing, broken promises, addictive habits. As you start to create changes in the inner self, you will find that magickal results flow more freely. Your life will manifest health, happiness and prosperity.
Some schools of magickal thought will tell you that doing magick for yourself is selfish and wrong. This is an erroneous idea held over from Judeo Christian beliefs and has nothing whatsoever to do with ritual magick and spellworking. The truth is, if you cannot manifest for yourself, you have little chance of manifesting for others.
This brings us to one great rule of morality in magick: Do what you will if you harm no being. You never really benefit by deliberately harming another creature through magick. The eventual backlash of karma is not worth the risk. However, one must also look at the opposite side, what happens if evil is left to flourish? In Wicca it is believed that allowing a wrong or evil to exist unhampered is harmful to everybody.
There are many ways to solve a problem with troublesome people through the use of positive magick. By no means should you be a doormat when it comes to protecting yourself and your loved ones. Be creative in doing protective spellwork. Brainstorm on paper, if necessary, until you are certain you are aware of all the options, have not limited yourself or destructively harmed others. It is essential to think through your reasons for doing magick.
The “Four Powers of the Magus (Magician)” is a very old teaching in magick. It is: to know, to dare, to will, to be silent. To know means to gain the knowledge to do ritual magick; to dare to practice it; to will the manifestation; and to keep silent about what you are doing. The last part is especially important. Talking about magick diffuses its energy flow. Silence also keeps unsympathetic people from directing negative thought towards your effort. People who talk about their magickal operations never ahieve real magick. I firmly believe that a copy of the Four Powers and the Wiccan law of morality should be in every ritual room.
The ancient Latin names for the Four Powers of the Magus were: noscere, audere, velle and tacere. It was believed that to be balanced, all these powers had to be present in the magician. There is also a correspondence between the Four Powers and the Four Elements. Noscere(know) corresponds to Air; audere(dare) to Water; velle(will) to Fire; and tacere(silence) to Earth. A fifth power ire(to progress or evolve) corresponds to Spirit.
The Celts knew the powers of the Moon phases and used them. In fact, their calendar was based on the lunar year. It is traditional that spellworking for the decrease or removal of problems takes place from after the Full Moon until the New Moon, with the day or night of the New Moon being strongest. Spellworking for increase, growth and gain takes place from after the New Moon until the Full Moon with they or night of the Full Moon being the most powerful.
It is logical that the Moon should affect your body and emotions just as it affects the tides of the Earth. After all, most of the human body is made up of water or liquids. The type of energy from the phases of the Moon conceivably will be reflected in your bodies. It is better for magick to work with the flow of Moon energy than against it.
Celtic magick basically works with and employs the powers of planetary and natural energies. It is a magick that is in harmony with our planet, indded with our very being. It is a magick that can change your life.
“Celtic Magic”
D. J. Conway
Witches Of The Craft® 