THE DEFINITION OF MAGICK
From
MAGICK IN THEORY AND
PRACTICE
by Aleister Crowley
DEFINITION:
MAGICK
is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.
POSTULATE:
ANY required Change
may be effected by the application of the proper kind and degree of Force
in the proper manner through the proper medium to the proper object.
THEORUMS:
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Every intentional act is a Magical Act.
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Every successful act has conformed to the postulate.
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Every failure proves that one or more requirements of the postulate have
not been fulfilled.
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The first requisite for causing any change is thorough qualitative and
quantitative understanding of the conditions.
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The second requisite of causing any change is the practical ability to
set in right motion the necessary forces.
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"Every man and every woman is a star."
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Every man and every woman has a course, depending partly on the self, and
partly on the environment which is natural and necessary for each. Anyone
who is forced from his own course, either through not understanding himself,
or through external opposition, comes into conflict with the order of the
Universe, and suffers accordingly.
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A Man whose conscious will is at odds with his True Will is wasting his
strength. He cannot hope to influence his environment efficiently.
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A man who is doing his True Will has the inertia of the Universe to assist
him.
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Nature is a continuous phenomenon, through we do not know in all cases
how things are connected.
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Science enables us to take advantage of the continuity of Nature by the
empirical application of certain principles whose interplay involves different
orders of idea connected with each other in a way beyond our present comprehension.
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Man is ignorant of the nature of his own being and powers. Even his idea
of his limitations is based on experience of the past, and every step in
his progress extends his empire. There is therefore no reason to assign
theoretical limits to what he may be, or to what he may do.
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Every man is more or less aware that his individuality comprises several
orders of existence, even when he maintains that his subtler principles
are merely symptomatic of the changes in his gross vehicle. A similar order
may be assumed to extend throughout nature.
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Man is capable of being, and using, anything which he perceives, for everything
that he perceives is in a certain sense a part of his being. He may thus
subjugate the whole Universe of which he is conscious to his individual
Will.
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Every force in the Universe is capable of being transformed into any other
kind of force by using suitable means. There is thus an inexhaustible supply
of any particular kind of force that we may need.
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The application of any given force affects all the orders of being which
exist in the object to which it is applied, whichever of those orders is
directly affected.
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A man may learn to use any force so as to serve any purpose, by taking
advantage of the above theorems.
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He may attract to himself any force of the Universe by making himself a
fit receptacle for it, establishing a connection with it, and arranging
conditions so that its nature compels it to flow toward him.
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Man's sense of himself as separate from, and opposed to, the Universe is
a bar to his conducting its currents. It insulates him.
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Man can only attract and employ the forces for which he is really fitted.
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There is no limit to the extent of the relations of any man with the Universe
in essence; for as soon as man makes himself one with any idea the means
of measurement cease to exist. But his power to utilize that force is limited
by his mental power and capacity, and by the circumstances of his human
environment.
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Every individual is essentially sufficient to himself. But he is unsatisfactory
to himself until he has established himself in his right relation with
the Universe.
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Magick is the Science of understanding oneself and one's conditions. It
is the Art of applying that understanding in action.
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Every man has an indefeasible right to be what he is.
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Every man must do Magick each time that he acts or even thinks, since a
thought is an internal act whose influence ultimately affects action, though
it may not do so at the time.
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Every man has a right, the right of self-preservation, to fulfil himself
to the utmost.
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Every man should make Magick the keynote of his life. He should learn its
laws and live by them.
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Every man has a right to fulfil his own will without being afraid that
it may interfere with that of others; for if he is in his proper place,
it is the fault of others if they interfere with him.