The Magical Will
Your will is the force that determines success or failure more often than any other factor. To misunderstand would be a tragedy, and to misuse would be a travesty.
Of the many concepts in magic that are nuanced, easy to misconstrue yet difficult to overstate, extremely simple and at the same time layered in complexity, “the will” has been my least favorite to write about. I’m going to try this with some speed and precision, sans a lot of extra-explanatory rhetoric and without a dozen metaphors and analogies.
Meat First:
The Will (often capitalized in magical context to emphasize it’s more than “just” willpower) is a combination of intention, determination, and expectation, aligned with causal forces and implanted into the currents of fortune, or fate. Put another way, the Will is the magician’s absolute expectation of the fulfilment of his or her determined intention; this expectation is combined with causal forces via magic and used to impregnate the chain of events orchestrated by fate, fortune, destiny or whatever we would call the force that orchestrates the future.
They’re Lying: It is the Same “Will”
It is most common for authors and teachers to assure the new student of magic that, when they hear or see the word “will” in magical context, it isn’t the same idea as mundane will or willpower. These people mean well, but they are either full of shit or filled with self-importance.
It doesn’t much matter exactly what the filling is, my point being simply that they are giving inaccurate information. Of course your willpower, will to live, and willingness to do this or that are different aspects of the same attribute, and your magical will is linked to all of these things.
The “Mundane” Will
When Israel Regardie writes of exercise to condition your will, he uses simple examples from everyday experience. He speaks of controlling your body and actions. For example, in many martial arts disciplines students learn early on to stand with a straight back for several minutes at a time. Controlling your body to keep it straight in this manner is a gateway to developing a strong will.
A good example for the present day is applying your willpower to refrain from texting while driving. This is not an easy task for many people, myself included. If you can truly gain proficiency here, even mastery by completely breaking the habit, it’s like powerlifting for your “will” muscle.
Small measures of this nature will pay huge magical dividends and are frankly necessary building blocks. If you can’t stand up straight for a few minutes or stop yourself from texting for 20 minutes, you will never raise enough will to enact truly powerful magic.
“If you can’t stand up straight for a few minutes or stop yourself from texting for 20 minutes, you will never raise enough will to enact truly powerful magic.”
– Me. Just Now.
Willpower Alone?
Is willpower alone sufficient for magical achievement? Hypothetically, yes; with enough focused will you can do amazing things.
However it is often a challenge to raise the will to sufficient levels by mere attention and determination. This happens more easily when one is angry or otherwise highly charged with emotion.
For this reason the magician should cultivate the ability to generate on demand, and live in various emotional states. Practice this by first remembering a time when you were in the target state, and mentally transfer those feelings and sensations into your present moment.
Whether anger, sadness, joy, hope, resolve, or whatever, you can bring any emotive state you choose to life in your body and mind (and thereby, into your aura and energy matrix). Play with this often and get good at it, then use it as needed to fuel your willpower during magical work.
Is the Magical Will “Something Else” As Well?
It is safe to say the term “Will” as used in magic can refer to an enhanced state or attribute of willpower. Often when people write or talk about magical will they actually refer to a combination of factors that we magicians package and objectify as “the Will”.
Think of it like this:
In addition to your focus, determination, and willpower to attain a result, there is also the force or set of forces we call fate, fortune, destiny, etc. which may simply be the tide of inevitability. This causal force in motion determines what becomes of everything that is now, and you need to align your will with this force to get what you want.
Consider one of the dictionary definitions of will.
Will
- expressing the future tense
- expressing inevitable events.
You can see, I hope, how my word play has aligned perfectly with the nature of “will”.
Your magical will is the culmination of:
- Desire
- Intention
- Willpower (focus + determination + expectation of success)
- The current of inevitability
- The magical act of aligning with the aforementioned current
- Manifestation of your will as the will (of the divine, of reality, etc.)
Strive to make your magic indistinguishable from the next slide in the causal chain so the powers that be and their forces in motion don’t know the difference between what is and what you will.