I’m often asked for secrets to success in magick. Here is a concept for developing goals that will increase the success of your practical magickal work. I’ve written about this and explain it more thoroughly in a book scheduled to come out in 2010. I hope this will whet your appetite for more!

For the greatest success in magickal work, make the goals of your magick SMART goals.

The concept of SMART goals moved from the mystical to the world of business management in 1950s. The concepts were well known to mystics and magicians, but were codified and clarified by Peter Drucker in his book, The Practice of Management. I’m reversing that transfer now.

SMART is an acronym (called a “notarikon” in the Kabalah) for five qualities each goal should exhibit to achieve greatest success.

  • S—Your magickal goal should be Specific. The more concrete you can make your goal, the more likely you are to achieve it.
  • M—Your magickal goal should be Measurable. You should be able to say when you have achieved the goal.  Further, the more Meaningful the goal is to you, the more likely you are to achieve it.
  • A—Your magickal goal should be Attainable.  As a general rule, if someone else has achieved something, there is no reason why you cannot also achieve it.
  • R—Your magickal goal should be Realistic.
  • T—Your magickal goal should have a Time frame that is realistic and achievable.

Personally, I would add an “E” to this, making it “SMARTE.” I contend that your goals should also be “Ecological.” By that I mean your goals should be good for you, good for people around you, and good for the planet.

What do you think?

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Written by Donald Michael Kraig
Donald Michael Kraig graduated from UCLA with a degree in philosophy. He also studied public speaking and music (traditional and experimental) on the university level. After a decade of personal study and practice, he began ten years of teaching courses in the Southern California area on such ...