Apprehensions and Warnings

From many of our previous conversations one might get the impression that the world of Magic is nothing but hell and nightmare — dangerous and frightening… So does that mean magi are — frightened people hiding in the bushes?

By no means.

The Magus differs from the ordinary person in that awareness of dangers does not dictate his behavior, but only shapes his tactical choices to find effective solutions.

Understanding that he is doomed to constant battles, since no predator will willingly spare him, the Magus follows the path his heart leads.

Nevertheless, the Magus’s Way constantly confronts him with tactical choices, and effective choices require that state of wakefulness that the Magus cultivates within himself.

It, in turn, requires a realistic assessment of possibilities and limits, of dangers and loopholes on that part of the path. But since the majority — especially beginning Magi — more or less think only of the advantages of their Way, it is a very important task for the magical teacher to warn them about the dangers that accompany that path. Only when dreams of Power are balanced by the sobering sense of mortal danger does the Magus’s Way acquire that sharp edge so characteristic of it.

Warnings are essential for an accurate assessment of a situation, just as a clear vision of direction is necessary to prevent it from becoming chaotic.

Fear paralyzes a person. It robs him of the ability to try something new, because the mind conjures terrifying images of what “might happen,” and the person freezes in horror. Fear withers the joys people might otherwise experience, because it constantly conjures catastrophic scenarios of how everything can be ruined and come to nothing. People suffering from anxiety and insecurity cannot take risks, because the images of the consequences of failure overwhelm them, preventing them from seeing the benefits of success, and they waste their energy on worrying about imagined misfortunes.

But the Magus is confident in himself and in his Way. Therefore his fears do not hold him back; they spur him to constant self-overcoming. The Magus constantly accepts challenges and issues them in return. He overflows with life. Thus the Magus’s harmony is the harmony of unity manifesting in diversity, a unity in which each individual finds its fullest expression. The thought of possible defeat does not paralyze the Magus; it merely makes him seek paths to victory more skillfully.

Recklessness that stems from a mistaken understanding of the situation is not the Magus’s Way; the Magus’s Way is the courage to face those dangers whose cosmic scale and relentlessness he is fully aware of. Such a state acts as a kind of mobilizing mechanism, enabling the Magus to solve emerging problems seriously and responsibly.

What is dangerous for the Magus is precisely the drop in situational alertness, when a person faced with serious circumstances displays carelessness and irresponsibility — usually a sign of a childish outlook and underdeveloped self-awareness.

Only when the Magus is ready to draw victories from defeats, ready to overcome, does his life acquire richness of life.

Yes, Magic is not a creamy vanilla cake; it smells of smoke and, sometimes, blood, yet Magic is life lived to the full — not at 100, but at 200 percent. And only someone destined to become a Magus will be able to understand the joy of following such a path.