Anyone can do magic.
All human beings have access to the same magic. You don’t have to have talent. It doesn’t run in families. Magic doesn’t favor one people over another, unless by “people” you mean “the human race”.
Magic is knowledge plus action.
Magic happens when you know what to do and practice doing it. It is simple but not automatic. Once you know what to do you’re halfway there. The second step is to do it. The more you do it the easier it get.
Magic is cumulative.
Each piece of knowledge adds to the whole. Some pieces come together immediately like interlocking parts. Others sit by themselves for a while before other pieces match up with them. Every bit of knowledge we learn contributes to our magical playbook. Our magical playbook is constantly expanding as we learn.
Each magical act we perform adds to our magical effectiveness. Some acts link up immediately and develop a sequential path. Others accomplish an end in themselves. All contribute to our magical skill set. As our skill set improves with practice we can do magic faster and more simply, refine the results, and explore new magical actions.
Magic leverages the powers of the cosmos.
On the planet earth we connect with the elements: earth, air, fire, water spirit. In the cosmos we connect with the stars, and with the planets known to the ancients: Moon, sun, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn.
There are other universal forces: the powers of life, energy, movement, form, harmony, freedom, love. We interface with these universal forces through culturally specific forms such as gods. The Egyptian (Kemetic), Greek/Olympian, Celtic, and Germanic deities are well known in traditional magic. Other systems view the forces as angels and daimons, devas and asuras, spirits of the land, energic forces such as ley lines, spirits such as kami.
We access magic through the lens of our culture.
Religion, language, and culture determine how we understand and identify the cosmic forces. Are there four elements, five, more? Do we understand ourselves as machines, animals, stars? What is the source of spirit – God, gods, kami, universal forces? Answering these questions gives us the keys to the symbol sets that unlock our magical power.
Human cultures are linked.
Some people say all religions share a fundamental truth, or that there is a “perennial philosophy”, a truth which we all discover. When we find similarities between religions and philosophies this usually points to a connection between cultures. The peoples of the world have communicated more closely and for much longer than we usually credit.
Any body can access magic.
Any gender: female, male, trans, androgyne, genderqueer, however you experience gender in body and spirit, magic works for you.
Any race: black, white, person of color, whatever your skin shade or ethnic origin, magic works for you.
Any age: from the youngest child to the very oldest elder, magic works for you.
Any ability: at the peak of health, ill, blind or deaf, lost limbs or movement – magic works for you.
Every person has a fundamental right to access magic freely.
Every person has fundamental human rights as outlined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
