A Praxis is Your Magical Philosophy in Action
Praxis derives from an old (prior to the 5th century BCE) Greek word meaning to act or to do. Around the 4th century BCE philosophers like Aristotle began using the word to distinguish between knowing and applying knowledge.
In contemporary magical lingo praxis is putting your knowledge and philosophy of magic into action through:
- (Structured) daily practice and training.
- (Day-to-day) application in real-life scenarios.
The parenthesis above are mine.
Praxis is both definitions of the word practice, i.e. to exercise and train for improvement and to engage in an activity regularly as if by profession, trade, or primary occupation. It’s building and using magical muscle and living in your magic to the greatest extent you can. The emphatic terms and tones are, here again, mine, and you might find less pushy definitions of this word elsewhere online.
Whether you adopt the praxis of a teacher or tradition or form your own over time, this is an important step on the journey of the initiate. I can discuss my praxis as a cycle or circuit of Seven Facets, comprised of Three Treasures and Four Pillars, as follows.
Seven Facets
Sevenfold are the aspects of my magical vehicle. Seven because there are seven, not because the sphere of victory is numbered 7, or because Venus, hugely influential within my birth chart, sometimes associates with 7 or for any of the other numerous mystical axioms about the number 7. Maybe there is a deeper meaning these seven presented themselves to me, but I did not consciously select and arrange for seven, I only counted thusly in retrospect.
Three Treasures to be Sought and Kept
The three models I frame my magical practice with are Psychism, Natural Magic, and Sorcery. These are the Three Treasures to be sought and kept, or learned and understood.
Psychism
This takes what is elsewhere called mentalism and expands it into a more appropriate and complete model. “Psychism” is the study, refinement, and application of one’s inherent psychic abilities, which involve not only the brain and mind, but of course also the physical and energetic bodies. We all IMO have inborn psychic senses and talents that can be cultivated and advanced, and psychism is the manifestation of the latter.
Natural Magic
This is an exploration of the magical forces and energies that exist in abundance within and around us. It is the study of naturally occurring magical potential and the practice of accessing and directing these magical currents using various methods and materials.
Sorcery
This magic involves interacting with spirits and other intelligences of an “unseen” or “unknown” nature. Often such beings are native to planes of existence beyond the material world, but there are many sentient creatures who share this world with us yet exist beyond the spectrum of taxonomy and are not acknowledged by society or mainstream academia. Operations of sorcery involve contact and communication with entities specific to the task at hand and may be carried out through bargaining and cooperation or by way of force to compel the cooperation of the entities involved.
Sorcery has taken on an additional connotation over the past century. More specifically the word has come to mean inborn magical talent. Not the same as psychic gifts, sorcery in this context is an inherent or innate ability to grasp magical concepts and direct magical forces even without traditional methods and materials. This definition factors into my use of the word to some degree, and if I were to quantify “my” sorcery in accordance with the two definitions provided here, I would put it at 70% magic of the spirits and 30% cultivation of innate talents.
Four Pillars to Support the Treasures
The four pillars are the foundation and mechanisms, at once the support structure and the moving parts of the system. These represent the actual work within the three fields detailed above.
The Four Pillars are:
Meditation
This is the application of altered states of consciousness or trance states, which I collectively term in this context, as Magical States. From mindfulness meditation to scrying and astral projection or the hyper-focusing of the Will, this pillar is about the focused, unfocused, unified, or projected mind.
Communication
Attunement to the frequency of spirit or spirits, integration of the entire self, from shadow to soul, telepathic communication with elemental forces, the Higher Self, the goddess, and any/all of the other myriad intelligences, powers, and nuances involved in the working of magic fall within the scope of this pillar. the mind and spirit of the animist is at all times relaying and receiving information and intentions to and from the multiverse within and about.
Incantation
This is the pillar of spoken or written words or the casting of spells, chanting of mantra, etc. It rests on the footer of Verba Maea Potestate or “My words are power!”
Illustration
Symbology and sigil-craft, from tracing a pentagram in the air with a wand to etching a symbol on the shaft of the same wand or sketching a draft of the gate to beyond all drawing and doodling and marking are here upon this mighty pillar.
One Final Ingredient
For these seven facets to be considered an actual praxis, action must be added to and integrated with them. My daily practices and typical methodologies are what brings them to life and into the world.
Action is the highest trump card. Discipline and training will outshine natural talent in the long run. Without application and labor, the most ingenious systems are little more than conversation pieces.