Magic or sorcery is an attempt to understand and exploit supernatural forces, using rituals, symbols, actions, gestures and language.[1][2][3][4] Modern Western magicians generally state magic's primary purpose to be personal spiritual growth.[5] Modern theories of magic may see it as the result of a universal sympathy where some act can produce a result somewhere else, or as a collaboration with spirits who cause the effect.[6] The belief in and the practice of magic has been present since the earliest human cultures and continues to have an important spiritual, religious and medicinal role in many cultures today.[7][8] Magic is often viewed with suspicion by the wider community, and is sometimes practiced in isolation and secrecy.[4] The concept of magic as a category separate from religion was first widely recognized in Judaism, which derided as magic the practices of pagan worship designed to appease and receive benefits from gods other than Yahweh.[2] Hanegraaff argues that magic is in fact "a largely polemical concept that has been used by various religious interest groups either to describe their own religious beliefs and practices or – more frequently – to discredit those of others."[3] Magical rituals are the precisely defined actions (including speech) used to work magic. Magic often utilizes symbols that are thought to be intrinsically efficacious. The performance of magic almost always involves the use of language. Another potential source of the power of words is their secrecy and exclusivity. The possession of magical knowledge alone may be insufficient to grant magical power; often a person must also possess certain magical objects, traits or life experiences in order to be a magician. In non-scientific societies, perceived magical attack is an idea sometimes employed to explain personal or societal misfortune.[9] The foremost perspectives on magic in anthropology are functionalist, symbolist and intellectualist. The term "magical thinking" in anthropology, psychology, and cognitive science refers to causal reasoning often involving associative thinking, such as the perceived ability of the mind to affect the physical world (see the philosophical problem of mental causation) or correlation mistaken for materialist causation. Psychological theories treat magic as a personal phenomenon intended to meet individual needs, as opposed to a social phenomenon serving a collective purpose. The belief that one can influence supernatural powers, by prayer, sacrifice or invocation goes back to prehistoric religion and is present in early records such as the Egyptian pyramid texts and the Indian Vedas.[10] Magic and religion are categories of beliefs and systems of knowledge used within societies. Appearing in various tribal peoples from Aboriginal Australia and Māori New Zealand to the Amazon, African savannah, and pagan Europe, some form of shamanic contact with the spirit world seems to be nearly universal in the early development of human communities. In general, the 20th century has seen a sharp rise in public interest in various forms of magical practice, and the foundation of a number of traditions and organisations, ranging from the distinctly religious to the philosophical

The Esoteric Theory of Magic What is Magic? To paraphrase George Lucas, Magic is an energy field that surrounds all living things. It’s created by life and is the raw source of consciousness. Like any form of energy, it can be tapped to perform a variety of functions. However, unlike, say, electricity, Magic has a will of its own, and can be unpredictable at times. Because Magic is chaotic, those who would use it have to be careful that the Magic doesn’t overwhelm them. The human body can conduct electricity safely, but if you’re not careful, the amperage will go to high and you’ll be killed. Magic is similar; draw on too much too fast and it will burn you to a crisp. Also like electricity, Magic requires some means of insulation to keep it from running rampant through a wizard. This is where the concept of spells and enchantments comes from. Magic also requires will to shape and control, just as electricity requires wires and transistors to be of any real use. Randomly calling upon Magic would be little different than holding up a metal rod in a lightning storm. Talismans: Spell, Hex, Staff and Wand As mentioned above, Magic requires some sort of insulation for the wizard using it or it’ll just go wherever it wishes. It doesn’t “ground out”, it simply forms chaotic patterns if not bound into a certain “shape” via a wizard’s will and use of talismans. The most common form of talisman is the spell, a simple shaping of words that helps insulate the wizard’s will from the raw magic. The words don’t really matter – it’s the intent of the words. Unfortunately, the more common the word, the more mundane, the less useful it is. Like thin plastic insulation on a wire, if too much juice is pumped through, the power can jump right through. This is why most spells are written in languages not normally used in conversation. Latin is a classic, of course, but wizards can create spells in other ancient tongues or even make up words that have meaning to them. Some wizards even use Harry Potter spells! So long as it helps form the image of what the magus wants and is not common enough to leak the power through to the rest of their thoughts, the spell will function just fine. Another common talisman is the wizard’s staff or wand. These are just focusing tools, like the words of a spell, but because they are actual physical objects, they provide a more stable conduit for the Magic to pass through. Much like the words of a spell, the more uncommon the device, the better it is at focusing Magic. A plain wooden staff will not be as effective as a staff carved with runes, topped with a crystal and festooned with charms. In fact, finding an old wizard who does use a simple staff means you’re probably in the presence of a master who can shape his will without such props. Wands are just like the staff, just smaller and easier to carry, and since they can be highly decorated, wizards will often create different wands for different effects. A wand of fireballs, for example, might be made of magnesium, etched with fire runes, and capped with a ruby. Such a wand could be used to conjure a blizzard, but doing so would be much harder since the talisman is not attuned to the effect, sort of like using the wrong kind of wire or circuitry to make electricity work. Magic circles are a special sort of talisman. They can be invested with power and used to protect anyone inside, or trap something within their walls. They work more like a battery, storing a charge and releasing it over time. Circles are one of the most basic of Magical constructs and possibly the most useful, as they can also be infused with various effects, such as a circle of relaxation, or a circle truth that forces anyone within it to speak honestly. Magic in Practice The act of casting a spell or hex is a tapping of the Magic. The more power that’s needed for the effect, the more draining it will be on the caster. Wizards are limited not just by their imaginations, but by their strength of will and endurance. Like receiving a powerful electric shock, casting a spell can leave a wizard exhausted or in pain. If the talismans used in the spell are not sufficient, Magical energy can spill over, harming the wizard or those around him. Working with Magic is not dissimilar to playing with live power lines. It’s something only a trained professional who knows what they are doing should attempt. Dabblers in the Art are like children poking at an electrical outlet with a fork. They can easily get themselves killed and may burn the whole house down around them. True wizards are trained in one of the Arts: Thaumaturgy – magic invoking the four elements Oculaturgy – illusions and mental effects Hematurgy – healing and blood magic Chronoturgy – time magic, very unpredictable Phasmaturgy – ghost magic, not to be confused with necromancy There are plenty of sub-schools of each of the above, and most wizards specialize in one school while learning the basics of all. All wizards thus trained are beholden to the Panmagos Quorum, or the All-Wizards Council, if you prefer. The PQ is the highest authority among wizards, and they do their best to police the dabblers so they don’t cause too much trouble. The Rules of Magic With Magic such an unlimited source of power, it may seem odd that wizards must follow rules. However, the rules, enforced by the PQ and generally agreed upon by all wizards, are in place for a valid reason. Those who would break the rules, who seek to rebel, would expose wizards to the world and likely cause the end of human Magic. The rules are in place to keep the wizards safe, not to hold them back. These are the Rules of Magic, passed down for millennia: Kill not with Magic. Force thy Will on none save thyself. Turn no spell upon thy master, save to defend thy own life. Aid those in Magic who know not the Arts. Steal not from thy fellow Wizards Obey the Will of the Magic, should it come to ye. The first one is kind of self-evident. Don’t use Magic, the product of life, to snuff out a life. There’s no self-defense caveat either, but the rule specifically means using pure Magic to kill. Making a tree fall on someone is allowed, but blasting them with an eldritch bolt is not. Note that non-humans are exempt; a wizard may use Magic with impunity on creatures not of the Mortal Realm. The last rule is somewhat strange, but it means that if the Will of Magic itself ever possesses a wizard, which has actually been known to happen, the wizard should merely allow the Magic to do what it will. It’s not unlike the concept of allowing the Holy Spirit to enter ones body, if any wizard actually believed in God. Those who break the rules are severely punished by the PQ. That is not to say that the PQ created the laws or is technically responsible for enforcing them, but the council has always served that function since its formation. Talent and Study The one important thing about Magic is that anyone can learn to use it. It is not the purview of a chosen few, but conversely there are not many who ever do learn to tap the energy source. Most people do work a bit of Magic, whether they know it or not; most often it’s passed off as luck or coincidence. However, with training anyone could learn to be a wizard. Magic, though, is like music; some people have a natural talent for it. You can sit anyone in front of a piano and they can, eventually, learn to play, but only the truly talented will ever go on to write their own cantatas. Magic is similar, but imagine that there are only a handful of pianos in the world. Because it’s rare for a wizard to find a talented new student, Magic remains the domain of those who would dedicate their lives to the Art, and dabblers are highly discouraged. There are very good reasons that those with talent should be trained if they are found. Most importantly, Magic can become an addiction. While not truly physically addictive, it can be very difficult to resist the desire to use Magic to gather more and more personal power or wealth. It is for this reason that elder wizards obey the rule to train those they come upon with the talent, to help prevent Magical disasters. Conclusion Magic is, like any other source of power, a temptation. Wizards are often tempted to use greater and greater amounts of Magic until eventually it overwhelms them and burns them out, or worse, turns them into a Wraith. Wraiths are like Magic vampires, draining the life essence out of living things around them. Most wizards learn to temper their desire for greater power with the danger inherent in using more raw energy. True masters learn to control Magic with subtlety and grace, using Magic’s own natural currents to perform what they want. They are able to perform near miracles without harnessing a tenth of the power a lesser trained wizard would use. This is the great truth of Magic; the more one learns about it, the less they require of it to make their will a reality. In the end, all that matters is skill and desire.

Magic In A Glass Card Trick The magician takes a long-stemmed glass and announces that he's going to perform a card trick. The amazing thing about this card trick is that he wont be able to touch the cards, because they'll be inside the glass the whole time! Placing the pack, face out in the glass, the magician states that he's going to find all four aces using special " Locator Cards ". He reaches into the glass and pulls out a red number card ( we'll use the Ten of Hearts for the example ) and puts it in front of the rest of the cards in the deck so that the ten of hearts is the card the spectator now sees looking at them through the glass. The magician then states that he will let that red 10 find a red ace . Holding the glass by the stem, the magician passes a cloth napkin over the glass, quickly. When the napkin has completed it's quick pass, the red 10 has been replaced by a red ace ! The magician then takes the red ace and puts it in back of the deck and passes the napkin again. This time, the red 10 is replaced by the other red ace ! Now the magician gets a black number card (say, 6 of spades) for the " Locator " and puts it in front of the red 10. A quick napkin pass, and there's a black ace! The magician takes the ace and puts it in back of the deck. Another pass, and there's the last black ace! Now pull out the pack and put it back in the case, smiling as you take your bow. All of this magic occurs in the glass, so there's apparently no way that you could've manipulated the cards! People will fall down at your feet and worship your incredible abilities. Method: A slight amount of preparation work is required, but this is worth it. First, find a wine or any other long-stemmed glass that will allow you to set at least half a deck of cards in it. There can be no design on the glass or stem!!! Next, take the two red aces and glue them back to back. Make sure you make them look as much like one card as possible! Do the same with the two black aces. Now get two identical number cards - one black and one red - from an identical deck. Glue one red and one black back to back. Don't do this with the other ones. Finally, get a cloth napkin that is big enough and dark enough to completely cover the glass. With this prep, you're set! Set up the deck like this: The black 6 card face up on top of the face-down deck. Now, set the double-sided black ace on top of it. Now place the double-sided " red 10 /black 6" card with the red 10 face-up. Next, comes the double-sided red aces. And finally, the last red 10 FACE DOWN on the face-down deck. The rest is showmanship. Place the deck in the glass with the bottom card facing your spectator. Announce that you're going to do the trick using a red locator card. Pull the red 10 off the top of the deck and put it on the bottom, facing the spectator. You should now be looking at a red ace . Holding the glass by the stem, you pass the napkin over the glass and spin it around so that the ace is now facing the spectator. It helps if you hold the glass with you fingers rigid and the stem in the first bend of your finger. When you spin the glass, your thumb does the work and your fingers look pretty much the same. Now take the ace and put it on top of the deck. You should now be looking at the other red ace . Perform the pass/spin again, and your spectator sees the other red ace . Now say that you need a black locator card. Take the red/black card off the top with the 6 facing. When you get to the black aces, if you stick the Ace of Spades on top so that it's the first ace you'll show, you can ask the spectator to name a black ace. Nine out of ten times, they'll say the Ace of Spades! You then make it appear for them. If they happen to mention the Ace of Clubs, just say "So that leaves the Ace of Spades," and make it appear.

Cut And Restored Bill Magic Trick Amazing dollar bill trick An entertaining money magic trick with an incredible finish !!! This is one of the most baffling dollar bill tricks ever! This cool illusion has been performed on a television magic special. The trick had an amazing effect on the audience and was a real crowd winner. Read the secret of this great illusion, here. Amazing dollar bill trickThe Effect: The magician displays two bank notes and shows them openly back and front for all the audience to see. The magician places them back to back, he/she then cuts through the center of both notes with a pair of scissors - the notes are clearly seen to be cut into four halves. No mistaking that! Without any suspicious moves, the magician instantly open both halves to show the notes, restored to their original condition, Incredible !!!! # One of the coolest dollar bill tricks # You can let a spectator cut the notes! # Amazing magic that is EASY to perform! # No tricky sleight of hand needed # Can be viewed from any angle # Can be performed surrounded by an audience The Secret: This is one of the greatest dollar bill tricks, it's an excellent "cut and restored" illusion that is really effective when performed with real money. You can use play money, fake money, blank cheques or any form of printed paper about the size of regular currency. So what's the secret ??? If you feel you really want to know, read on:-) First you need some secret preparation. Diagram of set up for money note magic trick. Place two nearly new bills face down on a table. Apply a thin layer of rubber cement, about half an inch wide, down the centre of the back of each note. When this is dry, add a second coat of rubber cement and allow that to dry also. (Pic 1) What's rubber cement? Its a type of craft glue that dries to a rubbery finish and can normally be purchased from a hardware store or perhaps on Ebay. Next, sprinkle a little talcum powder (baby powder) on the cement covered area on each bill. Spread the talcum powder over the entire surface of the cement with your finger or a soft brush. You will notice that the treated areas of both dollar bills will not stick to each other because of the powdered surface. Put the bills in your wallet or purse or on the table and you are ready to perform this very well thought out close up effect! The Method: Begin by removing the two prepared notes from your wallet/purse and casually show both sides of the notes. Place them back to back as shown in(Pic 2 & 3). money trick explanation showing handling of note. We will call the note nearest you Note A and the one nearest the spectators Note B Square up both notes. Be sure that the cemented areas are touching each other. Clever money bill illusion. Hold both notes with the thumb and finger of your left hand as shown in (Pic 4). With your right hand holding the scissors, carefully cut through the center of both notes. Make sure that you cut within the areas covered by the cement stripes. Done openly and deliberately, there will be no doubt in the audiences mind that both bills have been cut in half - which they have!( Pic 5). Place the scissors aside. Grip the halves on the right sides of the cut in your right hand (one half of Note A and one half of Note B) and the left side's two halves (the other two halves of Note A and Note B) in your left hand. With the thumb and fingers of both hands, separate the halves of the notes (Pic 6), and shake them open (Pic 7). Finishing moves for amazing money trick Because of the rubber cement, the halves in each hand will stick together at the cut edges giving the illusion that the four half notes have melted together to form two complete notes once again! The reason this is one of the most convincing dollar bill tricks in my mind is because the spectators see and hear the notes being cut, so it is that much more believable when they are 'restored' people freak out with astonishment!!! Here are a few tips to assist you with this illusion TIP 1: Done well, this is a real show stopper! First practice with stage money or with newspaper cut to the size of bank notes. This way you can experiment as to what is the best amount of rubber cement and talcum powder to apply. You can then try it with real bills.. TIP 2: The real notes should be new and crisp (maybe from a cash machine) and fit snugly together for pics 3 and 4. TIP 3: Don't worry about losing money when using real notes, as the halves can be stuck together with clear Scotch tape, just as with any torn notes. TIP 4: The higher the currency value the bigger the effect becomes be really brave and use $ 20 notes! (or equivalent). TIP 5: As an alternative method you could let an audience member cut the notes just make sure you hold the notes tightly together and get them to cut in the centre (where the rubber cement is!) Practice your hand position while holding the notes so that it will seem a natural and unforced choice for them to cut over the part of the notes that you want. This is one of the easiest dollar bill tricks to perform but remember to practice lots and feel confident to perform it in front of a spectator, smoothly. The trick is lots of fun an frequently gets an amazing reaction.

The first thing you need is a set of cards. I prefer for the two losing cards to be identical, for example, both the four of clubs.
This prevents an astute spectator from noticing that you are showing him the same card twice at a certain point in the routine.

Next, you need to bend the cards. They are bent lengthwise, so that the backs are convex. When resting on the table, the long edges should rest flat against the table, and the middle of the short edges are about half an inch above the table. You also want to prebend the outer right and inner left hand corners of all three cards.. During the routine, you will bend the winning card in order to make it seem easier to follow. You later remove the bend from the winner and bend a loser. Having the corners prebent makes the bending easier and insures that the bends will look exactly the same in all three cards. I prefer to put both bends in while all three cards are still in a packet.

	Putting in the lengthwise bend.
	Prebending the corners.
	The cards face up.
	The cards face down.

The basic idea behind the throw is that you hold two cards in your right hand and one card in your left. You toss the lower right hand card onto the table, then the left hand card, and then the remaining right hand card. The thing is, when you are ready to spring the trap, instead of tossing the lower card, you toss the upper card first.


To do the fair throw, pick up a loser between your right thumb and second finger, at the ends. Then pick up the winner, right below the loser, with the thumb and third finger. Make sure the left long edges of the two cards are touching. Pick up the other loser with your left hand between the thumb and second finger. Turn both hands palm up to show the cards. Turn the right hand palm down, as you move it to the left, and then stop it suddenly as you release the lower card with your right third finger. Now toss the left hand card far to the right of the winner that you just tossed down, and finally toss the remaining card in the right hand between the two cards on the table.
To do the fake throw, pick the cards up as before, but when you make the first toss, let go with your right second finger, and immediately grab the lower card with the second finger, straightening out the third finger. This should look exactly like the real throw.
A few points: Do NOT pull the right hand back to the right as you toss the card. It should stop, like it would normally if you were to toss something onto the table. For both the fair and the fake throw, the toss should be part of the same motion as turning your hand palm downward. Some magicians prefer to use cards with an all over back pattern, such as Bee cards, in order to hide the move even further.
So much for the throw. Now, for the bent corner move. Start by bending the corner on the winner. Pick up a loser in the right hand, and show its face. Turn the right hand palm down, and pick up the other loser in the left hand. As you show its face, the right little finger pulls up on the corner of the loser the right hand is holding, while the right third finger pushes down on the back of the card. This puts a duplicate bend in the loser.


Pick up the winner with the right hand and show it. Do a fair toss. Pick up the winner with the left hand, show it, and toss it back on the table fairly again. This lets the spectators get a good look at the bent corner, both from the face and the back of the card. Now, pick the winner up with the right hand again, show it, and make the fake toss to the left.
There is now a loser on the table with a bent corner, and a winner in your right hand with a bent corner. Toss the left hand card to the right, and as you do so, straighten out the corner of the winner by pulling up on the edge of the card with the right third finger while you push down on the corner with the right little finger.


...and finally, drop the winner in the middle.
And at last, on to the trick.
Phase one : Begin by showing the cards and explaining the game. Do a fair throw, mix the cards on the table slowly, and then turn over the winner. Do this a few times. Without any warning or any change in your pace or handling, do a fake throw and mix the cards slowly on the table. Point to the actual winner, and say something like "You saw it end up over here, right?" They will, of course, disagree with you. Turn it up.
Phase two : Immediately say something like "That's okay! You see, most people, if they see the card go over here," Pick up a loser and the winner in your right hand, and fake throw to the left as you say "here". "figure that as long as they don't bet on either of these cards," pick up the other loser under the winner you are now holding in your right hand. Apparently the winner is to the left and you are holding the two losers. As you say "either of these cards" turn over your right hand to show the lower card (the loser), fake throw to the middle, and then turn your right hand over again to show the same loser again, and drop it to the right.
You have, apparently, tossed the winner to the left, and then shown the two losers to be in the middle and to the right. "The thing is" pick up the middle card, the winner, with the right hand, and then the one to the left, which they think is the winner. "when they bet on this card, they lose." Turn over the right hand to show the loser. Fake throw to the left. "It's only when you bet on this card" flip the card in your right hand face up "or this one" use the card you're holding to flip over the loser on the table to the right "that this one's ever going to be the winner." Drop the card you're holding face up, and then turn over the winner.
Phase three : Pick up the winner in your right hand. Use it to point to the two losers which are face up on the table, saying something like "You don't want either of these two cards, you want this one." As you point to the losers, press the corner of the winner down against them, bending it.


As you say "this", hold the winner up so that the spectators see the bend edge on. Make sure they see it! Drop the winner face down, turn down the losers, and do the bend corner switch described above. After doing this, you have a loser to your left with a bent corner, which they think is the winner, the winner in the middle, and another loser to the right.
Now, pick up the loser on the right with your right hand, and the one with the bent corner on the left with your left hand. Hold your right hand still as you sweep your left hand over and drop the card with the bent corner to the right. As you make this sweep, glance up at your audience and you should see everyone's head move as they follow the card they think is the money card.
Any magicians or just really smart people who are staring at the center card will not move their head. Pick someone who is following the card with the bent corner during this brief upward glance. After you drop the bent card to the right, pick up the middle card and drop it to the left with your left hand, and finally drop the card in your right hand in the middle. The winner is now on the left, the loser with the bent corner is on your right, and you have an audience member in mind who is following the card with the bent corner.
Address this audience member and ask them which card appears to be the winner. When they point to the one with the bent corner, say "That's absolutely correct, and that's the one most people would bet on." Turn it over.
There are several fine points in the routine above which I think are worth discussing in detail. The moves for phase two are entirely Vernon's, but the patter is mine, and I carefully constructed it to imply that the monte dealer, and by extension, the magician, can cause the card you point to to simply be a loser, without any funny business. The stated message of "If you pick this one, it won't be the winner, but if you pick one of the other ones, it will be." implies that I have some supernatural power to make their card be a loser just because they pointed to it.
The idea of watching the spectators to see which card they are following is not one I have ever seen described before, but it seems simple enough that it can't be new. When I was a kid and tossed three card monte for my friends I would keep doing fake and real throws until I knew they were following the wrong card (my fake throw wasn't very good... sometimes I went for a minute or two before asking them which one was the winner...). Many magicians simply point to the card with the bent corner and say something like "most people would bet here", in order to eliminate the risk that an audience member might point to the wrong card and mess you up. Personally, I think it is more effective if a spectator points out the card, but I still don't want to take any chances.
Watching their heads gives me the best of both worlds. Of course, if you have practiced enough, you should have every head turning to follow the bent corner. If you regularly have people in your audience who don't, you need to practice more. When you ask the spectator to point out the card, asking them to tell you which one appears to be the winner gives them permission to select a loser, and causes them not to take the selection as seriously as they might if you asked them to point out the winner.
They know that they won't look stupid if they choose a loser, and so they aren't so worried about it. Immediately telling them "That's correct." tells them that they pointed to the correct card, and did their job correctly. That way they don't feel "tricked in a bad way" when you show that they got fooled. Three card monte is one of the great card tricks you can learn.

Fundamental Topics of Magic

Fundamental Topics in the Study of Magic Because the study of magic is such a vast area of study, we break it down into seven separate areas of study for your convenience. Each of these areas is discussed in further detail in later sections. The Four Elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth Hand Magic and Self Defense Basic Magical Tools: Firebowl, Wand, Athame, Chalice and Plate Divination Tarot Sonics Spellwork Return to main article "How to Study Magic" The Four Elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth There are many paths to developing magical and shamanic abilities. At the foundation of all these paths, though, is an understanding of the four elements of magic: air, fire, water and earth. One of the basic tenets of magical studies is that everything in this Universe is made up of some combination of these four elements, and if you understand and know how to work with these elements, you can understand (and create) anything you desire. That's why four element magic is the first area of study for our apprentices - it is at the heart of everything in the Universe, including magical powers and abilities. For instance, you can develop clairvoyance and telepathy, which is access to knowledge not available to the five senses, by developing and working with your water element. Water, being the language of Spirit, allows you to access almost any information (or emotions) at a Spiritual level. Another ability, levitation, is the result of increasing your air element and decreasing your earth element. And telekinesis is the ability to channel your fire energy toward a specific object. For instance, we teach our students to begin using their telekinetic ability by throwing firebolts at a candle flame. They know they have begun to develop that ability when they can make the flame jump and split by pointing their finger at it. Beyond the development of these psychic or magical abilities, however, the four elements help us develop and follow our birth visions, listen to our Spirit guidance, and generally live more creative and peaceful lives. By understanding the basic "makeup" and laws that drive our Universe, we can learn to go with the flow rather than swim upstream. This is the true benefit of four element magic. Is the development of magical abilities great fun? Absolutely! It's useful, too, for self-defense, personal power and more. But it's also the beginning of a deep understanding of the driving forces of life. It's a strong first step onto the path of direct knowledge and spiritual scientism. When the shamans were kicked out of the tribe centuries ago, the world lost access to such direct knowledge. Now we need the shamans more than ever, and we invite you to step on this path by studying the four elements of magic! To study the four elements, Click HERE for the Four Element Courses. Click here to study more about the Element Air. Click HERE to study more about the Element Fire. Click HERE to study more about the Element Water. Click HERE to study more about the Element Earth. Back to the Top of the Page Hand Magic and Self Defense As magicians, it's important to study the area of self-defense carefully since we have considerable power and force. The inappropriate use of that power and force can cause Universal backlash. We must be especially careful to control our tempers and not use our abilities reactively. According to Western magical practice, "You have a right to be here and follow your own path so long as you hinder no one else in doing likewise." This foundational principle asserts our right to exist and follow our own path and by extension, our right to defend ourselves against those who might seek to prevent us from walking our path. As you grow in magical ability, you will inevitably attract beings on different levels that seek to interfere with your path in some way. Writer Clarissa Estes, author of Women Who Run With the Wolves, so accurately states, "If you have beauty in your life, know that it will attract the dark as well as the light. Don't be surprised. Be prepared." Here's a good rule of thumb to use when it comes to self-defense: "In cases of direct and violent personal harm you are entitled to defend yourself by any means available, provided you did nothing to encourage or provoke the attack." To study magical self defense, check out the Magical Self Defense Course. Back to the Top of the Page Basic Magical Tools Firebowl, Wand, Athame, Chalice and Plate Firebowl Throughout history almost every spiritual, magical and religious system on earth has used the Firebowl (sometimes called a "thurible"). While it has primarily been used for cleansing and purification of areas, people and objects, the Firebowl can also be used as an aid to meditation or divination. To find out more about the how the Firebowl is used for magical purposes... Learn more about the Firebowl Learn more about our Firebowl ebook Order our Firebowl ebook Wand As Magicians, we use the Wand as an extension of our own energies. Contrary to much of the popular literature, the Wand is an Air tool and not a Fire tool, meaning it can handle only Air energies. Like the tools for the other three elements, the Wand magnifies our "reach" since it can handle more air energies than we can with our hands. The Wand is a great tool to start with since it can't do as much damage as other tools, such as the Athame (magical knife). The Wand allows beginners to practice many techniques that more advanced magicians would do barehanded, or with an Athame. Magicians and shamans use the Wand for communication, healing and shielding. Unlike what is portrayed in Harry Potter movies, the Wand is only one of many magical tools, and can only handle air energies. Throwing lightning bolts or other types of fire energy through your Wand will cause it catch fire! To find out more about the Wand, how to make a Wand, how to store and protect your Wand, how to personalize your Wand so only you can use it, and how to use a Wand for magical and shamanic purposes. Learn more about the Wand Learn more about our Wand ebook Order our Wand ebook Athame Like the other magical tools, we use the Athame to extend our own energies and magnify power. The Athame is the magical tool of the Fire element. Many of the magical procedures performed with the Wand in Harry Potter movies should actually be performed with the Athame, which easily handles all color bands of Fire energy. The Athame is commonly used by magicians for firebolts, lightning bolts, shielding, healing, banishments and self defense. It is also used to create sacred space and full cast circles for ritual. Like other tools, your Athame should be "keyed" or personalized to your own energies, so that only you can use it. To find out how to select, key, store, protect and use your Athame for magical and shamanic purposes. Learn more about the Athame Learn more about our Athame ebook Order our Athame ebook Chalice The Chalice is the tool of the Water element, and Water is the language of Spirit, so the Chalice could properly be said to be the tool of communication with Spirit. Magicians and shamans use the Chalice for scrying, divination, psychic communication, healing, creating sacred space, purification, ceremony, ritual and blessing.Unknown to most, the Chalice is also effective for self-defense against certain kinds of entities, and can be used with the Plate (the Earth element tool) for shielding and protection. Like the other magical tools, your Chalice should be properly selected and keyed to your own energies. To find out how to select, key, store, protect and use your Chalice for magical and shamanic purposes. Learn more about the Chalice Learn more about our Chalice ebook Order our Chalice ebook Plate The tool of the Earth element, the Plate is a magical tool commonly used for shielding, healing, protection and self-defense. Also known as the "pantacle," the Plate is a powerful healing tool, capable of knitting and healing broken bones in a matter of hours. The Plate is often used in conjunction with other magical tools for protection and shielding, such as during Tarot readings, divination or scrying. The Plate can also protect and shield magical tools, such as Tarot decks and pendulums, when they are not in use. To find out how to select, key, protect and use your Plate magically.