Upcoming classes and events: "Living More Magically", Sun, November 6, 2-5pm, on-line or in person in Catonsville. Friday Nov 24, 4-5pm, "Black Friday" meditation, Revolve Wellness Studios in Catonsville. Contact me to register or for more information.

The Five Step Model of Magical Ritual

What is the actual piece of art we’re trying to create here? A magical ritual – a spell, a working, a ceremony – is

• a set of actions and words
• performed and spoken with intent
• to manipulate mental symbols
• so as to create a desired change
• that starts in our mind, and often moves out into the world from there, but may also be intended solely to act on ourselves.

Even when the ultimately desired result is a change in the external universe; magicians understand that change starts within.

A magical ritual has five steps. This is your magical equivalent of those famous three punk chords:

1. Set your intention. Decide what you want.

2. Raise magical energy. Do weird stuff – like the cliche says, the magic is outside your comfort zone.

3. Through words and actions, build a mental structure in which the weird stuff connects to what you want. “Direct magical energy” or “cast the spell.”

4. Seal the deal. “Return to the realm of time and space,” bringing back with you the change you wanted. You warmed your brain up, made it soft and reshaped it; let it settle and cool into the new form.

5. GET OFF YOUR ASS, because magic opens the door but you still have to step through it.

These first three steps are not necessarily in order – generally, you want to plan this thing at least a little bit, and figure out how you’re going to direct the energy before you start to raise it, but sometimes, it doesn’t work out that way. Sometimes you find you have all this energy, and only then do you set you intention and direct it.

It’s Punk Magick, there’s no rules. [shrug]

Let’s look more at each of these ideas.