The Magus’s Silence

The Magus is a being of action, arranging his strategy in accordance with the rules for constructing the myth in which he lives.

And although he strives for the fullest possible awareness of that myth, its explanation does not always have to be fully voiced. As mentioned, for its full embodiment, a thought must be born into the physical world, — spoken. Yet, at the same time, this birth in the world of Magic has often taken place secretly — it allowed one to avoid the mixing of streams of Power operating in the cosmos.

That is why one of the Magus’s mottoes — alongside the necessities of knowing, daring and desiring — was the Magus’s silence.

Silence does not mean attempts to «hide» or to create secrets — it only signifies a desire for order, an understanding that everything is well in its place.

When thoughts are embodied — spoken — without restraint, the world turns into chaos, and in that chaos, the noise and confusion, the Magus’s silence rings like a thunderous trumpet, bringing order.

The Magus keeps silence when he sees that now is not the time for an idea or thought to be born, when he understands that, if born untimely, the idea will disrupt the natural course of events. It is well known that the surest way to ruin a magical ritual is to tell everyone that it is to be performed.

This is an important distinction between the Magus and the person who says everything that comes to mind without restraint.

Understanding the creative, manifesting power of words, the Magus treats them with full responsibility, no less judiciously than he treats actions. In other words, telling of a ritual in preparation is already a performance of that ritual in the realm of words, and therefore — in the realm of deeds — it will not have the strength to bring it about. The same applies to various pieces of advice and predictions — the Magus gives them only when he sees that his words influence the chances of realization for the corresponding action.

At the same time, as with actions — if the Magus sees even the smallest chance of success, he will do what seems pointless — or say what seems untimely or useless — thereby creating the imbalance necessary for movement itself.

Thus, for the Magus who strives for efficiency on his path, it is very important to learn to evaluate the situation in terms of the timeliness of ideas — to understand when it is better to speak and when it is better to remain silent.

Another aspect of silence is an increase in attentiveness and receptivity — to see and hear better, one must be silent. And this aspect concerns not only embodied, spoken thoughts, but also the inner silence so necessary for concentration.

It is precisely inner silence that is a necessary condition for concentration, and therefore — for effective manifestation. Understanding this, the Parasite of mind does its utmost to prevent silence — thoughts arise chaotically, merely to disrupt the clarity of the focus of attention. Just as the birth of a thought as a word creates the outer world, so the birth of a thought in the Psychocosmos alters the Psychocosmos. Sometimes this is useful and necessary, but sometimes — in order to concentrate mind, will, and intention — movement must pause and inner silence set in. That is why virtually all spiritual paths insist on its necessity as an important condition of development.

For the Magus in this respect, it is also important to maintain balance — to understand when silence aids his concentration before a decisive act, and when it leads him into the passivity of the unmanifest. In other words, inner silence, like external silence, can be both friend and foe to the Magus, both increasing his power and diminishing it.