Protection and Reversal Magick by Jason Miller

Author:Jason Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9781601639523
Publisher: Red Wheel Weiser

Chapter 6

Spirit Guardians and

Servitors

Throughout the book we have been talking about spirits, both in terms of being sources of potential attack and also their employment in strategies of defense. Before moving forward, I wanted to take a moment and talk about the nature of spirits and magick in general.

Because so much of what the magicians and witches deal with is invisible to the untrained eye, it is tempting for many people to try to find psychological explanations for traditional aspects of magick. In this view, spells aren’t aimed at actually making changes in the outside world, but rather for “self-empowerment.” Spirits are not viewed as discarnate intelligences, but as aspects or projections of the mind.

In his article “Is Wicca Under a Spell?”1 Carl McColman quotes Australian sociologist Douglas Ezzy regarding the effect of spells themselves:

“Spell books encourage individuals to take control of their lives through self-exploration and self-affirmation.” Furthermore, “performing magical spells functions as a way of re-discovering the enchanted and mysterious aspects of life.”

McColman further interprets this:

In other words, spells are more than just magical recipes for getting your own way; they are miniature rituals designed to foster a sense of mystery and wonder (what Ezzy calls “enchantment”) in everyday life, and to evoke a positive sense of power and hope in the spell-caster’s life. Even if casting a spell doesn’t make you rich or win you love, it could give you hope that such blessings really are possible in your life.

Thus, a spell to help you get a job will perhaps build your confidence but not affect the mind of the interviewer or the hiring process directly. The claim is that the magick is providing mystery, wonder, and self-affirmation, and the hope that you can achieve the spell’s end. This is all very wonderful, and indeed magick can provide all these things, but it is clear that magicians and witches throughout history expected more from their spells than a cathartic ritual, and I stand with them!2

Spirits, too, are seen by many respected magicians in the modern day as little more than psychological projections. Even the spirits in the ancient grimoires such as the Goetia, the oldest of the books in the Lemegeton3 are given this treatment by modern writers. Lon Milo DuQuette in his essay “Demons are our Friends” states: “Like it or not, we all come hardwired with a complete set (twelve six packs) of Goetic Demons.”

In this attitude, he is following the lead of no less authority than Aleister Crowley himself, who wrote in his introduction to his translation of the Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King that: “The spirits of the Goetia are portions of the human brain.”

While I respect the writings of both of these magicians greatly, I must disagree. My experience is that while certain spirits seem to be able to interface with our brains and speak to us through them, they are not limited by this and can act in ways that are far outside the realm of being portions of the human brain.

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