Flashes of Power

Most people will recognize the “short circuit” sensation that occurs when one unexpectedly meets unfamiliar people, hears a particular piece of music, or visits a certain place. This feeling — like an electric shock or a sudden flare of light — is traditionally called a “flash of Power.”

It is well known that three conditions must be met for Power to enter a vessel: 1) the vessel’s suitability for the Power to be received; 2) the existence of a connection between vessel and Power; and 3) suitable circumstances for the Power’s entry. When these three converge, a sharp “surge of Power” occurs, accompanied by the sensation of a flash.

Since Magi, who naturally notice shifts in their own level of Power and meticulously monitor the sensations that accompany such shifts, always perceive flashes of Power as a sign of an event’s or encounter’s importance — something from which one should make the most.

Unlike surges of Power, flashes of Power usually do not indicate substantial progress along the Way; they more often testify to the compatibility between Powers of one object (a person, place, or phenomenon) and that of another. Such correspondence generates a prolonged resonance — it is this resonance that produces the sensation of a “gulp” of Power even when the absolute amount of Power changes little — and this resonance is, in fact, the primary value of flashes. It helps one understand the nature of one’s own Power, the direction of its flow, and thus interpret the map of one’s Way.

It is especially important to pay attention to flashes at the start of the Way or at its decisive turns. It is precisely these brief illuminations that serve as guiding signs, helping one to embark on the Way correctly in the first place, to hear the Call of Power, and then to follow it without straying.

However, like any significant phenomenon, flashes of Power are often mimicked by predators — i.e., by corresponding destructors. As we have already said, the subjective sensations of Power entering and of Power being drained are almost indistinguishable. Thus the sensation of a flash often accompanies an encounter with an object that is draining Power, which can seriously throw one off the Way.

To judge how well the object that provoked a flash of Power harmonizes with a Magus’s Way, one must clearly perceive the systemic nature of one’s Way and be aware of how each subsequent step connects to the previous one. Moreover, to preserve the direction of one’s movement it is crucial to attend to the lingering effects of each choice — after all, a Magus’s Way is a continuous sequence of choices, a labyrinth in which many branches appear at every turn, yet only one leads to the ultimate aims: Power and the freedom of consciousness.