Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Frater Barrabbas, author of several books, including the new Elemental Powers for Witches.
In my newly published book, Elemental Powers for Witches, I define what a Pagan Magus is in our current age. This is a person who has advanced Witchcraft magic to include spirit conjuration, elemental energy workings, and talismanic magic. While the art of spirit conjuration has a place in the provenance of Witchcraft magic, the other two methodologies are actually part of two other threads from antiquity—that of philosophy and its arts, and astrology and celestial magic.
These two threads were revived in our current age and represent the modern practices of Hermetic theurgy, Eastern yoga, and Western ceremonial magic. While it might be easier to convince Witches and Pagans to practice advanced elemental energy workings, since they already practice a form of that, it would be more difficult to convince the same group to practice talismanic magic and some of the arts of theurgy that would accompany it.
As it is practiced today, Modern Traditional Witchcraft consists of five different classifications. These can be succinctly stated as meditation and trance (mental self-control), basic energy work, liturgical rites and ceremonies, mystery ceremonies (seasonal rites and initiations), and folk magic. Most of these practices have been borrowed from other sources, and only one comes from antique sources.
Much of the practices of meditation are taken from eastern sources and trance comes down to us from the practices of Spiritism. In addition, energy workings are adaptations of eastern techniques of energy raising, particularly breath control and movement. The liturgical ceremonies of the lunar Esbat, including the circle consecration, the drawing down of the Goddess and the God, and ritual communion are taken from various sources such as the Golden Dawn, the Key of Solomon, and the Catholic mass. Nothing of the ancient provenance exists in these rites.
The first two initiations are derived from the Masonic initiations of Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft, and the third initiation is taken loosely from Crowley‘s Gnostic Mass. The eight Sabbat rites are simple and rudimentary. They are based on common folklore available in the 19th century. The only practice that has an ancient provenance consists of the various herbal lore and folk magic taken from various authentic sources from antiquity and recent modern times.
Whatever the sources for these rites and practices, the fact remains that as a body of lore, they work as they should. Modern Witchcraft has both modern and antique sources, and aspects of both eastern and western mysticism and magic incorporated into it. As a modern magical religion, it stands head to toe with all other creeds in giving people the tools to master themselves and their world. Still, there are other practices that could and even should be added to this work. What I am proposing is that advanced elemental energy magic, spirit conjuration, and talismanic magic add three important classifications to the basic five that is the heart of Modern Witchcraft. This is the eight-fold path to becoming a Pagan Magus.
Our thanks to Frater Barrabbas for his guest post! For more from Frater Barrabbas, read his article “Elemental Powers: Energy vs. Spirits.”
