Do You Know Your Magical Ethos?
The only question more pertinent than whether you actually have any magic at your command, is whether you have a magical ethos?
The etymology of the word ethos points us to the genius of a person, a habitual character or disposition. In short, the question of a magical ethos asks us to be clear about what kind of human we want to transform ourselves into through the use of our magic. Whether this transformation is the actual goal of our magic or whether it happens as a side effect and backlash of the magic we use to change the world is irrelevant to the question of ethos. Actions speak louder than words, as the saying goes. Likewise, it is our magical conduct that creates our individual ethos as a side effect.
We will not digress into the depths of angelic magic here, and explore how the human ethos unfolds from the influence of those non-human persons in whose proximity each of us chooses to settle. After all, becoming alike to the angelic-mind, was not only Trithemius’ disguised motto in life, but also the exploration we have been undertaking in the Holy Daimon cycle, plus INGENIUM as its fourth instalment.
This short article takes a much more practical approach to the question of ethos. In short, we want to ask: Under which circumstances are you willing to apply magic? And when these circumstances occur, how will you be applying your magic?
In a world where we are all constantly caught in the crossfire of new technological advances and constant competition to prove one’s superiority in the use of such techniques, the question of ethos tends to get short shrift. Unfortunately, this is equally true in the technical, economic, ecological and magical world of our century. The What dominates the discussion about the What for in a narcissistically grandiose scheme.
With the question of when and why of the application of practical magic now a central problem arises. This we want to circumnavigate in a makeshift way here, because it would lead us into a completely different direction. This problem is that the notion of magic as a canon of clearly delineated disciplines is not always accurate.
For example, if we consider the herbal magic of the natural world, it begins not with a tincture of belladonna brewed at midnight under the blessing of Hecate, but with every morsel of food we eat. When we look at astro-magic, we equally cannot avoid it as every action we take is subject to astrological constellations. Similarly, with those non- human persons who are directly interwoven with the human environment: Certain land-beings, plant-beings, wind-beings, etc. are constantly in our vicinity. And if we go a step further, as shown for example in Holy Heretics in relation to the Olympic Spirits and their influence on the human body, we cannot escape the constant weaving of these inner presences either.
Despite these complexities, whether we like it or not, over a lifetime of magical practice, we will all end up having created our own magical ethos, consciously or unconsciously. Now, a simple way to become more aware of this ongoing process is to consider under which circumstances, we switch from purely mundane means for addressing a desire, concern or problem, to explicitly magical ones. It is no different from the situation we’d all recognise in the world of medicine: Here, too, we have the choice of treating a concern through changes in the client’s daily routine (exercise, diet, life-style, location, etc.) or intervening through targeted, more potent medications.
All of these were my reflections, when I recently came across a curious article on 13 medical commandments for beginners. Ayman Yasin Atat in a paper from 2014 had quoted them from an ancient Arabic manual, dating to the early 13th century. The original book is called Kitab Intikhab al- iqtidab and was written by Abu Nasr Sa’ed al-Baghdadi, an eminently important physician of his time. Following the idea of the Hippocratic Oath, these simple directives lay out before us a dozen ethical maxims to help the physician apply their art with prudence.
So, what could be more obvious, I thought, than to test whether these maxims could be translated into the outlines of a magical ethos? Without claiming completeness or universal adequacy, I share here my first attempt to translate these precepts adopted to our craft. These ancient guidelines and my new renderings of them, of course, should not invite for uncritical acceptance, but for personal examination, purposeful objection and individual appropriation in your own version. Because prudence ultimately is not an objective category. It depends entirely on what you want to achieve and the price you are willing to pay for it. It also depends on the ethos you are willing to accept as an implicit or explicit requirement on this journey.
Personally, I took several meaningful reflections from this little exercise. In my case, I do not offer magical services to clients. Therefore, this translation of old Arab maxims challenged me to clarify whether I meet their aspirations in the practice that I uphold as a lone practitioner? For example, have I really tried all my magical interventions first in situations where I was not yet dependent on their success? Have I really only ever used the specialist-spirit and been wary of ‘broad-spectrum conjurations’? Or, have I indeed always exhausted my mundane means before turning to explicitly magical acts?
Whatever my answers turned out to be, I invite you to examine your own. As always in life, things that are presented to us as possible dogma or maxims, let’s take them as suggestions to further our own experimentation.
So to start with, let me share the complete set of thirteen principles in a single paragraph, as they originally appear in Abu Nasr Sa’ed al-Baghdadi’s book. Then, I am providing a break down of each principle in its original and adopted version side by side, to facilitate slower reading and better reflection on each statement.
Early 13th Century Original for Medicine:
The power of the patient is stronger than the disease, there is no need then for a physicians or medicine but particularly the strengthening of the body’s immune. Physicians first control pulse and the eyes of the patient. Pulse plays an important role in the knowledge of the condition of the heart, and the eyes and their focus gives us the situation of brain. If physician can treat the patient with food, there is no need for the drug. If you can treat the patient with mild medicine, there is no need for strong one. If you can treat the patient with one medicine, there is no need for more than one. Don’t prescribe the drug before expert it. The experience of the drug should be check primarily on healthy volunteers. When you need to treat 2 diseases at same patient, you must begin deal with the most dangerous one to save the life. When patient desire something like foods, drink, give him it. You must take care about the patient desire of method of treatment. You must relieve the patient’s pain. You must know the whole clinical history of patient. You must know the disease before begin the medication.
Possible Modern Adoption for the Black Arts:
If the ability exists to resolve the concern through mundane matters, no magician or magic is needed. Where a magical intervention is advised, the magician first checks the client’s constitution and resistance to possible side effects. If the client’s concern can be addressed through herbal magic, there is no need to involve more potent magical interventions. If we can help the clients with mild magic, we do not need strong magic. If we can resolve the client’s concern with a single intervention, there is no need for more than that. We do not prescribe or perform magical acts on which we do not have expert knowledge. The experience with the magical procedure should first be made in a situation without dire need. If you have two concerns to address with one client, you need to start with the more dangerous one. If the client feels like exploring certain places, books, or foods as part of the intervention, we encourage them to do so. We must be careful that the client supports our method of intervention; resistance or any hesitation must be respected. Our intervention starts where the client is most impaired in their daily life. We need to know the magical or spiritual story of the client. We need to know the root cause that is causing the concern before we begin the intervention.
1st Principle
Original: The power of the patient is stronger than the disease,
there is no need then for a physicians or medicine.
Adopted: If the ability exists to resolve the concern through
mundane matters, no magician or magic is needed.
2nd Principle:
Original: Physicians first control pulse and the eyes of the patient.
Adopted: Where a magical intervention is advised, the magician first checks
the client’s constitution and resistance to possible side effects.
3rd Principle:
Original: If we can treat the patient with food, there is no need for the drug.
Adopted: If the client’s concern can be addressed through herbal magic,
there is no need to involve more potent magical interventions.
4th Principle:
Original: If we can treat the patient with mild medicine,
there is no need for strong one.
Adopted: If we can help the clients with mild magic,
we do not need strong magic.
5th Principle:
Original: If we can treat the patient with one medicine, there is no need for more than one.
Adopted: If we can resolve the client’s concern with a single intervention,
there is no need for more than that.
6th Principle:
Original: Don’t prescribe the drug before expert it.
Adopted: We do not prescribe or perform magical acts on which
we do not have expert knowledge.
7th Principle:
Original: The experience of the drug should be on a healthy person.
Adopted: The experience with the magical procedure should first
be made in a situation without dire need.
8th Principle:
Original: When you need to treatment two diseases at same patient,
you must begin deal with the most dangerous one.
Adopted: If you have two concerns to address with one client,
you need to start with the more dangerous one.
9th Principle:
Original: When patient desire some thing like foods, drink, give him it.
Adopted: If the client feels like exploring certain places, books,
or foods as part of the intervention, we encourage them to do so.
10th Principle:
Original: We must take care about the patient desire of method of treatment.
Adopted: We must be careful that the client supports our method of intervention;
resistance or any hesitation must be respected.
11th Principle:
Original: We must relieve the patient’s pain.
Adopted: Our intervention starts where the client is most impaired in their daily life.
12th Principle:
Original: We must know the whole clinical story of patient.
Adopted: We need to know the magical or spiritual story of the client.
13th Principle:
Original: We must know the disease before begin the medication.
Adopted: We need to know the root cause of the concern before we begin the intervention.