When magicians get philosophical, they often move to the discussion of the very nature of magick. What is mag-ick? How is it different from anything else? The answer to the first question usually comes through definition. There are many definitions for magick, perhaps the simplest and most direct being “willed change.” This brings up a bit of a problem (as noted by Crowley) as it would mean that every intentional act would be magickal. If you wanted to open a door and then opened a door, this very ordinary act could be described as magick.

Spiritually and philosophically, there are some advantages to such thinking. If you consider any willed act to be a magickal act then everything you consciously choose to do becomes an act of magick. This can result in you becoming more aware of everything you do, which may not only lead to more direction in your life, but also to more consideration for others.

But most people don’t think of magick in those terms. Rather, they think of magick as a cause and effect relationship with an unknown middle step:

Magickal Act —> Unknown Events —> Desired Result
We don’t know what those middle events are. The will of God? Natural forces or laws? How can we dare to perform magick without knowing what goes on in the middle? But isn’t this exactly what we do when we drive a car? We push down on the accelerator and the car moves. Most of us really don’t care about pistons and smog valves. Even without knowing all that takes place within the engine I do know that it works. Likewise, experience has shown me that even if I don’t know what takes place between the conclusion of a ritual and the manifestation of the work done in the ritual, the magick works.

A Basic Form of Magick
Going back to that original definition, it would seem that our wills play a vital function in magick. The most basic form of using will would exclude the need for tools or complex rituals. It would just require our minds.

There is a long history of this magickal technique. Some people have given it a variety of names in order to dodge the occult mystique of the subject. I’ve seen it called “positive imaging,” “effective daydreaming,” and even “wishcraft.” In the occult world it is usually called creative visualization.

If creative visualization were simply a matter of thinking about something, everyone would be achieving their goals. Since that obviously is not occurring, the question we should ask ourselves is “What do I need to know about creative visualization so it will work for me?”

One of the things you need to know is that although it’s called creative visualization, you don’t need to actually see something in front of you or in your mind’s eye. If you are simply sure that it is there, even if you can’t see it, creative visualization will work.

To have success with creative visualization it is important to use all of your senses, and you should involve yourself in the visualization. What does the item you are visualizing sound like? How does it taste? What is its smell? The more you are involved, the more effective the magick.

Just spending five minutes in the morning and evening becoming totally involved and focused on your object of desire is really all it takes to make creative visualization work for you. Ten minutes a day can really change your life. For complete details on how to effectively use this form of magick, I recommend Denning & Phillips’ book, Practical Guide to Creative Visualization. It gives several specific methods for practicing creative visualization and has a unique and useful format, making it exceptionally clear and easy to understand. Each chapter begins with a set of “Study Points,” so you’ll know what the important concepts in each chapter will be. Chapters conclude with a “Checkpoint” that reviews the important ideas of the chapter. This makes Practical Guide to Creative Visualization the best introduction and in-depth guide to this form of magick.

Extra Help for Creative Visualization
Long before I wrote anything for Llewellyn, I was a Llewellyn customer. I had a stack of books and would repeatedly go over each issue of Llewellyn’s now discontinued magazine, Gnostica. Sometimes I would be amazed that I would discover in one issue something I had never seen before. I’d check through my collection of past issues and discover that the item was there, but for some reason I had missed it.

So I would like to recommend to you an item you may have missed, the Deep Mind Tape for Creative Visualization. This audiocassette was designed by Denning & Phillips to accompany their book. Unlike any other tape I’ve used for creative visualization, I think it’s perfect for people making their first attempts at this form of magick. It’s also ideal for more advanced practitioners who would like extra help for greater success.

The tape will guide you through relaxation and visualization techniques. That extra help consists of specially synthesized sounds designed to help heighten your visualization techniques. I also think that the book and tape would make a gift anyone would appreciate.

A Friend I Miss
I’d like to talk a bit about my friend. Scott Cunningham and I shared an apartment in San Diego for six years. This was a time of financial struggle for both of us. I was doing telephone sales and working in a sleight-of-hand magic store. Scott had begun publishing books on metaphysical subjects, but he wasn’t earning enough to live on. He also wrote novels under pseudonyms. Scott even wrote specialized columns with advice for truck drivers. These were due every month and I would frequently interrupt him from his other writing, saying, “Scott, have you done your columns?” Usually he wouldn’t say anything, but I’d hear a piece of paper being torn from his old red Selectric typewriter followed by a new sheet being inserted.

Although money was short, we each were beginning a collection of books. We were following in the steps of Erasmus who wrote, “When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes.” To supplement our earnings, we would occasionally give workshops at local bookstores. We would attend each other’s talks when we could, often sitting in the back and heckling each other.

Scott and I never actually gave or loaned each other money. We would take each other out to dinner or to a movie, especially when we could see that the other was short on cash. Often, we would buy books from each other. Some of the books went back and forth between our personal collections several times.

Scott died on my birthday, March 28, 1993. I still think that was his last joke on me. Whenever I celebrate my birthday I must also remember him. He needn’t have worried. He was a good friend and I still miss him.

Scott Cunningham really made a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of people. Over the years I have met many people who told me they wish they had known him. Many say that because even though they never met Scott, they feel as if they knew him. I think it was because his style of writing appealed as much to people’s hearts and spirits as it did to their minds.

I remember taking walks with Scott. He’d bend down, pick up some herb that was growing wild, brush it off and eat it. He’d describe to me all of the properties and magical qualities of the herb. The knowledge of herbs that Scott had at his fingertips was incredible.

Although Scott is no longer with us, you can, in a sense, meet him. Another one of those items you may have missed is his Herb Magic Video. In this tape you’ll see his gentle personality as he shows you how easy it is to identify herbs and harvest them. He shows how to prepare recipes for incenses, sachets, and talismans and perform simple rituals. Scott Cunningham’s Herb Magic Video is a great way to “meet” him and learn about magical herbalism from the master himself. And the ethereal, piano-like music in the back-ground…that’s me.