Lesson Two: Rules and Warnings
Yeah - this is the dull, annoying stuff. The ‘read before you open’ packet, instruction manual, whatever. You’d probably love to skip this, but trust me, it’s important. There are real dangers associated with real magic, and if you don’t understand them, you could hurt yourself or others. So brace yourself for the flood of warnings I’m about to throw at you, and remember: it’s for your own good.
Magic is not a toy. Whatever skill you learn, don’t use it idly, or to show off. That can lead into all sorts of sticky situations. Plus, if you’ve watched Spider Man, “With great power comes great responsibility”. If you can do something a lot of other people can’t, you should try to do some good in the world. Even if you’re not charitable by nature, it’s still a good idea, but I’ll explain that later.
Magic is not superpowers. Whatever your skill, it won’t be easy to learn or to do. You won’t be able to unleash immense power with a snap of your fingertips. Face it, most of us don’t have immense power. Most magic is small – helping an injury heal faster, cheering up a friend, keeping yourself warm on a winter’s day… you’re not going to be raising the dead or smiting demons every day. As for the former, don’t even try.
Your power doesn’t come from thin air. No matter what skill you end up learning, it’s all fueled by energy. I’ll get into that more in Lesson three. Anyway, this energy doesn’t come from nowhere. Unless you’re drawing it from an external source, you’re using your own energy, your own life force, if you will. This means if you overstretch yourself, you could end up weakened, sick, or even dead. I’ve ended up dizzy and wobbly a few times myself, and let me tell you, it isn’t fun. You can regain your energy by sleeping and eating – your body naturally replenishes it – or drawing it from another source, but it’s better not to drain yourself in the first place. In Lesson three I’ll talk about keeping tabs on your energy levels, so you don’t go too far.
There are things that go bump in the night. Angry ghosts, negs, demons, independent spirits, energy vampires… there are lots of things to watch out for. And like I said before, once you start dabbling in magic, the paranormal comes looking. So you need to know how to protect yourself. Try not to call attention to yourself, either, if you can help it. Just because you can’t see or feel something doesn’t mean it can’t hurt you. Some creatures will drain your energy dry if they can. Don’t let them.
The rule of three. A primarily Wiccan belief, but documented, is the idea that whatever you do magically will come back to you three times over. Send a spell to someone to help them get a job? You might get a promotion that pays three times as much as your old job. Curse someone to break an arm? You might break both legs. Basically, it’s karma on steroids. So before you cast a spell, think about it very carefully.
Emotions kill. When using magic, emotions are very important. Some creatures, such as negs, are attracted and feed on fear. Emotions can also taint a spell. Meditation or centering before using magic is always good to clear your mind and prevent mishaps.
I’m sure I’ll think of more and keep adding them, but this is it for now. You’re probably thinking, “Can we just get on with the magic now?” Next lesson, I promise. I’ll go over the very basics of magic and energy, the rules that make all magic of any kind work. And be careful.
