Magick, Mind Control & The Dark Arts
We were raised on a diet of Sunny Delight and Disney movies that made Abracadabra sound playful. Especially when dressed as a blue-robed, white-bearded wizard. But in between the layers of song and cartoon, even as a kid, couldn't part of you feel the archetypal truth? A real-life resonance about the world you were born into?
There's a corner of every soul that knows Magic is real.
That thoughts and words, and intent can create material change in outcome or circumstance in front of us, even if we don't know exactly how it's done.
We're told that in the beginning was the word and that mantras have been used since the beginning of language. But symbols preempted words-- they were the original language, and they're so deeply embedded in the human psyche and collective unconscious that we don't even have to know what certain symbols mean for them to still have power over us.
The mind is malleable and receives a constant storm of symbols, words and, visuals from the outside world every day. So this has to make you wonder, how many of your thoughts and beliefs are really your own?
Hypnotists, magicians, spellcasters— we’ve all got an affinity for fascination and stage presence. But is it just Hollywood, smoke and mirrors, and moments to escape the real world? Or is Magic itself the real world?
At the turn of the twentieth century, The New Thought Movement earned growing momentum, with Spiritualists bridging the supernatural with their own unique flavor of Faith. In addition, psychology became a playground of exploration with Freud and Jung, and a population became fascinated with swimming through the unseen realms of the mind.
Around this same time, Aleister Crowly popularized the word Magick with a 'k' rather than without. This illustrated the difference between stage Magic of illusion and distraction and essentially psychological Magick, where intentionally directing mental powers creates the desired outcome.
You can think of 'Magick' as a third way between religion and science and 'Magic' as a movie production with actors.
Keep these two variations of Magic(k) separate in your mind for a minute- as it's important to understand them as different parts before bringing them together.
When you go to a Magic show in the traditional sense, you know what's shown to you defies reality. You know, in a sense, you're being lied to. But, like a play, you go to be entertained. You go to be surprised-- but you still know you're at a play. And as much as you're gripped and emotionally connected to the performance, your conscious mind reminds you it's an act. A show. And regardless of how real it looked or felt, you knew a kind of mental trick was being played on you, but you consented. You gave permission.
Magick with a 'k' is more scientific, and it's not for the uninitiated.
It's direct and focused through an individual or group with a specific real-world outcome. Like rods as wands in the bible, Magick is channeled intent from thought to mind. Then from mind to feeling. And from feeling to emotion that moves through the body like an electrical current passing through each layer of creation.
The real-life magician vs. the stage magician has a different skill set. The former learns that Alchemy is a psychological process of turning thoughts to things, and their mastery comes through exercising that creation cycle at greater and greater speeds. The stage magician on the other hand, must entertain and persuade with charismatic presence. Like professional performers, they need to follow lines and methodical plans. But also how to improvise to appease their audience.
Whereas the stage magicians' work is external, the real-life magicians' work is internal. But what about when two become one? What happens when real-life magick and stage magic merge? This is where you arrive at the intersection of Dark Arts and Politics. Of Mass Distraction and Propaganda. Because Mind Control becomes the inevitable love child of psychological advertising and expensive special effects. And here– every kind of corrupt magick trick is made possible.