What is magic?

by Luthaneal

Here at Mookychick we separate pracitising magic (because, yeah, we're bang into that) from paganism, which is a religion. Our resident magic dude Luthaneal explains what magic is and what different forms of magic you can practise, so you can use the right tool for the job.

When I began thinking about what it would entail to try and write this article, I really didn’t envy myself of the task ahead of me. Magic is such a varied and dynamic medium that views and practices of it differ greatly among magic users. I decided the best and fairest way to go about this was to go back to basics, so I dug through my books, searching for the common threads of magic and the most popular views of it. Between the classic occultists, modern witchcraft and traditional magical lore, I found certain common threads that I hope to convey through the medium of my own perspective and the perspective of the greater magical community.

Some beliefs and ideas may get lost in the shuffle and for that, I apologise. But the attempt here is not to produce an all-inclusive guide to magic around the world. No, that would require a book in its own right. Instead, what is presented here is a fundamental view of the central ideas that persist most commonly among the different schools of magical thought. Hopefully, from there, these basic ideas can be easily integrated into your own magical practices and grant you a better understanding of how they work and why you do them.

The Theory of Magic

When depicted in movies and TV shows, magic often appears as some kind of incredible power, force or energy that is utterly unique to anything that exists. That is not the case.

Magic isn’t about summoning some kind of alien power into existence; it is instead about influencing those energies which already exist, both known and unknown.

The famed occultist Aleister Crowley described magic as:

“…the science and art of causing Change in conformity with Will.”

Indeed, even today this remains one of the most popular and accurate descriptions of magic (or Magick, as Aleister put it) that is used. But this in itself does not necessarily help the novice to determine what magic actually is. For Crowley every intentional act was a magical act, but here in this article we will focus on magic as defined beyond the realms of the mundane and ordinary. However, we have our launching point into magic: “Causing Change in conformity with Will”.

When asking many magical practitioners what magic is and how it works, the most common answer that I have encountered is that it is the manipulation of the Energies around us in order to affect the Universe as we desire.

This too, is a good definition. But without a little context, it is utterly meaningless. Turning on your television affects the flow of electrical energy and results in you watching the show you want. But we would hardly consider this an act of magic. That is just technology at work.

But magicians and witches have ways and means for accessing and manipulating energies in ways that require more than technology, as the energies at play are often beyond the current scope of technology.

But in order to place some meaning to these words we must first understand what these “Energies” are and in order to do that we must dip into the general worldview of a typical magic user.

The attitude towards the workings of magic more often reflects the spiritual perceptions of the user. That is to say, the magic works because they first have an understanding of the Universe on a magical level.

This in no way implies some kind of in-born insight into the cosmos.

Religions around the world, for the most part, have the same view of reality – that it is composed of different aspects, levels or dimensions. As a sweeping statement that appears to be fundamentally wrong and I will be the first to admit that there are definitely exceptions to the rule, but in the broad spectrum of world belief it is certainly true to say.

Whether you follow a Celtic tradition, Wicca, Christianity or an indigenous tribal religion, the idea that there are aspects of reality that exist beyond the immediate physical one are more or less universal. All accept the existence (or in some cases the illusion) of the physical universe. But beyond that is the idea that there are also various Etheric levels of reality, such as the spiritual, mental, astral, etc. These aspects of our reality exist alongside the physical and in some instances can and do interact with our physical reality. The common belief also persists that human beings (and perhaps other living things) have as part of us, the ability or a natural connection, that allows us access to these realms in a limited way.

When we speak of “Energies” we are speaking of the Etheric forces that comprise reality on all levels. So now when we regard the idea of manipulating Energies and causing change in conformity to will, we are talking about the ability to access and exert our will upon the Universe at different levels.

That is magic.

But this is not a simple act of saying “I want to summon a spirit” by means of affecting the spiritual plain of reality. No, Magic goes beyond desire and into action. So in order to bring about what we desire, we must use the right tool for the job.

Think of it this way: If we wish to achieve something in the physical world, as physical beings it is often simpler to just do it ourselves and in a physical way. Toasters are good for making toast, shovels are good for digging holes and pens are good for writing. But we wouldn’t use a pen to make toast or a toaster to dig a hole.

In the same way, our technology and science which operates so well for the physical world isn’t a very good tool for accessing and controlling the spiritual and astral levels of reality.

The right tool for the right job.

So, we use magic as our science and magical tools used in the right way to bring out our results.

Thinking of magic as a science sets us on the right track to performing it and like all sciences, we must understand it in order to use it properly.

After all, nobody splits the atom by accident; you need to know what you are doing first.

Magic requires understanding in order to reap the best results. The better you understand what you are doing, the more likely you are to achieve your aims. This is why just picking up a spell book in a shop and reading out the words is just folly. I’m not going to saying anything against the fine authors who have gone to the trouble provide spells, formulas and rituals for us in their books, but I will note that unless you understand the theory behind these things, it isn’t likely to do anything particularly great for you.

Magic, as an art and science, reaches through several different mediums simultaneously. It is spiritual, psychological, sometimes religious, physical, etc. and it is through understanding the interplay of these things that we get our best results.

When using a ritual knife in magic, we are performing a physical act, a religious act and a psychological act, all with the intention of a spiritual benefit. But although we can read in a book what to physically do with the knife, unless you recognise the psychological and religious implications of what you are doing, along with the spiritual nature of the intent, you are still only using a small part what is needed to work its magic.

Magic works on many different levels, passing through the spectrum of the different planes of our universe. So when we perform magic, it is proper to understand how what we do, think, feel and believe touches the different levels of reality and directs our magical workings towards what we desire to achieve.

Interconnection

For many ages now, one of the primary concepts across Mysticism has been that of the interconnectivity of all things. This is one of many mystic truths that modern science is now beginning to understand on a theoretical level and show through experimentation. However, Mystics and magic users have long been aware of the interconnectivity of our reality.

Interconnection is the idea that all things are in some way connected on some fundamental level and that by affecting one thing in the right way, we can affect other things that may seem unrelated. This idea tends to manifest in one of two ways, either in the idea that all things are connected like links in a chain, or that what we perceive as separation is really an illusion and that in reality all things are essentially the same thing.

These concepts can be difficult for us to wrap our minds around, but across the globe they remain prevalent in many magical traditions. Through actions and events that appear irrelevant to the casual observer, we can focus our minds to direct the energies across the chain of our interconnected reality in order to bring about the effects we desire.

Using both the idea of an interconnected reality and that a universe which exists on many levels, we have produced the foundation for how magic works within our universe.

Everything in our universe is all at once connected to everything else and exists on many levels. Through ritual and spell-work we may access the different levels of our universe, direct the energies that we have accessed and then send them out to affect the universe in another way, like ripples in a pond.

By manipulating the energies on one level of reality and setting them to a purpose, we start a pattern of change into motion through which we have made a fundamental impact on the universe itself. Each level touches upon all others and the energies flow naturally between all of them. By dipping your will into that flow we work in accordance with nature, setting the energies towards a pattern that conforms with our desires, flowing across the many planes of our universe to achieve our goal.

Indeed, it is important to note that among modern magicians the view of magic is that of something natural. Magic does not defy the fundamental laws of nature; it merely manipulates them to a degree. Magic users work in accordance with the natural flow of the universe, like the difference between redirecting the path of a river in comparison to making it flow up hill. The prior works with nature, while the latter would defy it.

Magical Tools

In the working of magic, magicians and witches use a wide variety of tools to help them work with the energies about them. These tools can be anything from blades, wands and spoken words, to music, dance and even martial arts. But why use tools at all?

As we speak of the different levels of reality, we use magical tools as a way to form a bridge between these different planes of existence. However, the tools themselves have no innate magical powers or abilities and even during magic, it is not the tools that are the bridges. No, the tools of magic are the means by which we ourselves become the bridge that opens up the flow of energies between the different levels of reality.

Whether the tool is an athame or a wand, the item serves to open us up to the other aspects of ourselves. Human beings are connected to the many levels of reality that we have been discussing, as we are all at once physical, mental and spiritual beings. We have bodies, minds and souls. Most of the time we exist in a state where we live in the physical world and understand ourselves through our higher mental functions. But when we delve below this, slipping into our subconscious mind, we reach a point where we can access the deeper parts of ourselves and allow them to become expressed as readily as our physical selves. We can connect to the spiritual part of ourselves, the astral part of ourselves, the unconscious part of ourselves, etc. This is what the tools enable us to do.

Magical tools are chosen for their symbolism, which appeals to us on a subconscious level and equally on a religious/spiritual level. By understanding the hidden symbolism behind these things we are able to form a connection within ourselves by using those tools and in turn, the combination of many tools in a specific way creates a complex and purposeful connection within the user who understands them. In this way we achieve a unity of self in which all aspects of our being become represented simultaneously and so we as beings exist consciously through all levels of our reality. In short, we attain a total awareness of what we are and how we relate to the universe. With this conscious connection to the greater all, we can then gather and manipulate those energies that exist on these planes that are in and around us.

So we see, the tools of a witch/magician are not seen as some kind special item with in-built power, but instead they are a psychological aid that allows us to delve into the depths of our psyches and access the potential that truly exists within us.

Varieties of magic

When discussing the varieties of magic it is far too broad a subject to adequately sum up in this article. Even the magical practices of very close communities can vary greatly, even if they share many other traits either culturally or religiously. So instead we will look at varieties of magic in terms of magical goals and how they are achieved.

Evocation

Evocation is magic that involves the summoning of a spiritual being into attendance, usually with the intent of requesting or commanding it to perform some kind of task. This kind of magic has often been artistically portrayed as a magician calling up a spirit, while being protected by a magic circle of some kind. In more modern Pagan religions this act of which craft is usually involves calling spiritual entities to grant protection during rituals. However older occult texts contain great lists of spirit beings like angels that have influence in certain areas and that may be summoned in order to grant assistance in those areas.

Invocation

Invocation is similar to Evocation in that it involves the drawing in of spiritual beings to ones presence. However, when a witch Invokes a being such as a God or Goddess, they call the spiritual being into a host. During this process the mind of the host is to some degree “pushed aside” as the mentality of the spirit being enters the host.

This is like a form of willing possession, where the host and spirit merge for a time.

Astral Travel

Spirit Journeys or Astral Travel was often achieved in tribal cultures through many means, including trials of pain and the use of psychedelic herbs. At the height of this experience the magician was said to be able to leave their body and travel in the Astral World (though they wouldn’t have called it that), which is synonymous with dreams and spirits. Today this is often called “Astral Projection” and many people perform this through meditative techniques.

Mediumship

This was very popular in Victorian Britain and was often used as a form of entertainment; however the idea of Mediumship has had a very different and magical history across many cultures. Mediumship, in its many different forms, is a way to contact the dead and relay messages from them. In some cases this is done through allowing the deceased to speak through the Medium, but in other cases it is achieved by the Medium acting as an intermediary that interprets and passes along messages from the dead.

Healing

The art of healing has perhaps been the most common form of magic on every continent across the world at some time or another. Whether it be through herbalism, ritual or similar magics, there has always been a need for doctors in some form or another. This duty commonly fell to Priests and similar religious leaders who would work their arts to ensure the health of the community and cure the ailments of individuals.

Herb Lore was a common and often essential practice among these wise men and women of the tribes, villages and towns. In this way magic often mixed with medicine.

Today healing magic is often performed only for minor illnesses like the common cold, in order to try and necessitate a speedy recovery. However, Healing Spells may also be used in conjunction with modern medical science with the hope of helping it along. But most witches these days are more than happy to put their health in the hands of doctors and surgeons.

Cursing

Casting curses is a direct magical attempt to in some way hinder or harm another person or people. Though many may frown upon this practice and shy away from it, it has been a popular practice and remains an essential part of witchcraft even today. In the past this may simply have been an attempt to try and curse enemies of the tribe, such as rival armies and such. But there is no reasoning why cursing cannot be a lot more personal and in all likelihood it probably always has been for the most part.

A form of magic that by all technical account comes under the heading of curses is known commonly as a “Binding”. Binding spells can be cast upon another person as a hindrance to them. Many would see this as an affront to free-will, which is why it can be put amongst curses. However, it is well worth noting that although a Binding may be negative in some regards, it can also be intended for positive purposes.

Regardless, the fear of curses is one of the big reasons that people came to fear witchcraft over the years. Despite this, cursing is still an integral part of witchcraft that should be known, even if it isn’t practiced.

Blessing

On the other side of the fence we have Blessings - beneficial magic aimed at helping or protecting people in some way. A Blessing can take many forms over many different magical traditions. In some traditions a child may be blessed at birth in a very simple way, whereas other kinds of blessings could involve elaborate rituals.

The idea of blessings is a very constant one that has persisted throughout all world cultures in some form, often becoming traditions or superstitions along the way. The origins of some such superstitions have been lost to time, but their quaint idea has remained. Crossing fingers for good luck, wearing something old, new, borrowed and blue during a wedding, having a Priest bless a house; these are all magical acts in their own rights.

A Blessing can be placed upon a great number of things, but will generally be placed upon either a person or a place. A very specific type of Blessing in this fashion would be a Consecration, which is when an area (or object) is blessed in some way to mark it as a Sacred Space or object.

Modern magic has many ways of performing these beneficial magics, including protective spells, spells for luck and even career help.

Amulets

Charms, amulets and talismans are physical items that become the focus of a spell in order to maintain its magical effect. These days amulets and charms are commonly seen in our treasured superstitions that have been handed down in folklore, such as lucky horse-shoes and similar good-luck charms. But historically an amulet was generally some kind of sign or symbol worn in the form of jewellery or clothing. These symbols could be anything from dedications to the Gods to magical sigils of protection. However, an amulet could just as easily be a gemstone, drawing or statue.

Divination

Divination is a form of magic that seeks to obtain information through indirect means. Divination can effectively be broken down into several groups:

Dowsing: The process of finding a place or object by the deciphered movement of an object.

Prophecy: The method of obtaining information, usually from a divine source.

Fortune-Telling: There are a vast array of methods for fortune telling, from Tarot Cards to Runes, but the intent is always to provide an insight into what the future holds.

Omens: Reading Omens is the practice of deciphering events and signs in the natural world in order to gain insight into either current or future events.

Scrying: Scrying is the method of visual focus in order to see over distances or into the future. This could also be said to include viewing into other planes of existence.

Necromancy: Similar to Mediumship, Necromantic Divination is the practice of summoning the dead so that they can divine the future. In some instances a magician may also summon some kind of spirit so that they may perform divination for the magician.

Not all forms of divination are necessarily “magic” in the conventional sense, often being more a matter of keen insight or even psychic ability, but at the same time there are a good number of divination methods that can be defined as magic.

Exorcism

Magic for the forcible removal of unwanted spirits is also one of the most common forms of magic in many cultures. A lot of the time this means removing a spirit of some sort when they have possessed a human body against that person’s will, but this category can also be said to include Banishings which is a common term used in witchcraft and magic for the dismissal or forcible removal of a spirit being from a particular place.

Alchemy

Alchemy is the mystical and magical work of transforming one thing into another.

When most people think of alchemy they think of the process of turning lead into gold. While it is true that this is an alchemical process, it is not really the larger intent of alchemy. The “Great Work” of alchemy is about personal transformation, improving the soul and increasing the length & quality of life. This is summarised in what is known as the search for the Philosopher’s Stone (nothing to do with Harry Potter). In truth, alchemy probably doesn’t belong in this list, but it is included simply because the idea of personal transformation can be a very real objective in witchcraft.

Petitions

This is probably the most practiced form of magic in the world and involves asking a divine power to aid you in some way. The most common way to petition the Gods is through prayer, but a person may also use music, sacrifices or other offerings.

This is a magical act in the sense that you are attempting to reach out into the greater levels of the universe and contact the Gods, often as part of a larger magical working.

It is very likely that when working any kind of magical ritual or spell, the work that is being done will encompass a fair number of these magical varieties. For example, a Wiccan is probably going to be using evocations in the process of creating a Magic Circle, but the Circle itself is Sacred Space, thusly Blessed and Consecrated.

In addition to these things though, one form of magic that has not been mentioned is “UnWeaving” or “Breaking” a spell. Breaking a spell means that a magic act that has been set in motion is interrupted and stopped. Views on how this is achieved and who can do it vary greatly. Many magic users view this as something that the caster themselves cannot do and that they must instead endure the consequences of their spell-working. But it is an equally common view that spells like curses can be broken by another person, while I have also heard it said that only the caster of a spell can break it.

Unweaving a magical act is in itself a magical act and has a great wealth of tradition and folklore behind it that differs across different cultures and indeed, a good many of our myths, legends and fairy tales concern this very subject.

Magic In Accordance with Nature

Our universe is conveniently outfitted with certain laws that keep it ticking over quite nicely. Common sense alone would tell us that attempting to do something that messes with these laws is sheer folly. Magic is no different.

In magic we recognise that the universe has certain ways and means that it will naturally take in any situation – usually by means of the easiest available option. The magic user learns to behave in the same way, attempting to make her magic work in accordance with the flow of nature for optimum results. This has always been the traditional way to do magic in most cultures. The magic user does not simply cast a spell and then expect to sit back and reap the results. No, magic is more often an accompaniment to action, rather than the action in itself. If a person beseeches a witch for a love spell to make the target of their desire enamoured with them, the witch may cast such a spell but along with the instruction for the seeker to go to the object of their desire so that the spell can be made fruitful. Likewise it is utterly pointless to cast a spell to help you find a better job if you don’t actually get up and look for one.

Magic is made to take the easiest course and will become most effective by understanding the flow of the world around you. If our hypothetical love seeker remains too shy to talk to the object of his affections, or our job seeker just sits around watching TV, then a barrier has automatically been placed against the magic, making it much harder for it to achieve its goal. But looking for jobs and at least being in the same place as the other person, creates natural avenues through which the spell can go so that it can achieve the results sought.

In days of old, a Priest or Medicine Man may have blessed their tribe so that it would win battles against their enemies, but that didn’t mean that the battle would not be fought. Nobody expected the magic to just destroy their enemies without the need of raising a finger. In most cases the magic woven would be to gain the blessings of the Gods of the tribe and to make their warriors strong and skilful in order to win great victory over their enemies.

Nature and Destiny

When considering the flow of nature it is also prudent to consider it in the concept of time and destiny – that which is inevitable. For the sake of this article we will reduce “destiny” to simply mean the things that are sure to happen. In different cultures that would mean different things. Some may see it as the manifest will of the Gods, while others would see it simply as the inevitable results that occur from the things that we do. Cause and effect – Action and reaction.

Either way destiny is a real thing. Nobody can argue that the actions we take do not create consequences in our future and that those consequences cause yet more events to spring into action and these lead to further occurrences, and so on and so forth. As the ripples of our actions grow outward from us, they touch the lives of a great many people and the effects can be felt far and wide. The more significant our actions, the further the effects will spread.

Destiny, in this sense at least, is an existent thing. The Teutonic people looked upon this as Wyrd, that which must happen due to our actions in the present, while in Hinduism it is called Karma.

The magician who is mindful to the passage of time and the way that events in the world will likely take shape, can work their magic along the course of destiny, casting their magics at the most beneficial times and acting in a manner that best allows them to work in accordance with natural destiny.

If you see destiny to be the result of the will of the Gods, then it makes sense that the natural flow of your magic should work best when it is aligned with the will of the Gods – or at least when it is not counter to their will. Of course, this in itself can be problematic, as you are then having to consider exactly which Gods are relevant to your workings. But a common feature in magic is to seek the blessings of the Gods so that the spell is worked with greater power and approval from the divine. In so doing, the magic becomes one with the will of the Gods, rather than a separate occurrence that the Gods may or may not take issue with.

However, there is also another way to look at destiny and that is in the form of your own personal destiny that you are uniquely entitled to strive for. In this instance your destiny becomes the penultimate future that you create for yourself when working in accordance with your true nature and the nature of the universe. This vision of destiny is the realistic utilisation of all your talents, abilities and flaws, allowing you to reach the ultimate achievement that is possible for you in this life.

Fulfilling this destiny is being able to completely reach your spiritual, mental, psychological, social and physical peak, and have them all exist together in harmonious union. Each of us has the capability to reach this lofty height and achieve our highest destiny, but not everyone is able to answer this call.

Through deep inner searching and a full understanding of who you are, a person can strive towards this destiny, working in accordance with their own natures and the nature of the universe around them. Any magic that is complimentary to this objective and follows the path of this personal destiny is working in accordance with your True Nature, striving to achieve a magical goal that works within the reality of who you are and what you are capable of, while allowing you to build towards your destined self.

The Inner Flow of Nature

When seeking to work in accordance with the natural flow it is very easy to get lost in the outward view of the spell, considering how the spell will best work in accordance with external reality. However it is just as important to understand the workings of your own inner world. Returning again to the words of Aleister Crowley:

“A Man whose conscious will is at odds with his True Will is wasting his strength. He cannot hope to influence his environment effectively.”

As has already been noted when discussing magical tools, in magic we establish a link in our psyche between the conscious and the unconscious, as well as the higher aspects of ourselves. Magic is woven by achieving a harmonious unity within ourselves. So if what we are attempting to do is in some way different or against what we really think, feel or believe, then we have automatically created a magical blockade against ourselves casting successful magic. Unity of the internal self cannot be achieved when we are experiencing inner discord.

So before even attempting magic, the wise person attempts to understand the real nature of what they are considering and ask the hard questions of themselves. “Is this what I really want?” “Am I willing to deal with the consequences?” “Do I need this?”

All these questions (and more) are important considerations when looking to do magic and it is well worth considering the implications of what these questions are asking.

Firstly, “Is this what I really want?”

Obviously this is a key question for many reasons. By asking this we are really giving some proper consideration to who we are and what it is that we want to achieve. By asking this question we explore our own natures, as well as the nature of the magic we are considering. In doing this we need to think about what the benefit of this magic will be and whether that result is in accordance with what we want in every regard. Is it just a passing whim or does it conform with the big picture of your life? If you are planning on working magic, take the time to understand who you are and what you want, so you can tell if the magic in question is really right for you.

Next, “Am I willing to deal with the consequences?”

A very important question and even asking it shows that you understand magic comes with big responsibilities. You can’t perform any act in your life without there being consequences and this is especially true of magic. It needs to be considered what the actual objective of the magic will bring about and if that is something that you want and can handle. In addition you need to consider what additional consequences will come from this magic. Who else will it affect? How long will it last? Is it morally right to you? When weighing up all the consequences, can you live with them?

When considering consequences, it is also worth keeping in mind that magic is very often unpredictable. You may know what you want and then structure your magic to achieve that goal, but the way the magic achieves it isn’t always the way we may have envisions. I’ve heard many tales from a variety of magic users about spells that didn’t work out the way they expected, or indeed, spells that worked too well. This highlights the old saying “be careful what you wish for”.

So before you do magic, just bare in mind that it may just work in a way you may not expect or want. For this reason, be sure it is worth it.

Finally, “Do I need this?”

This question is perhaps more significant than you may think. Our “needs” as a species are actually rather simple and nature does pretty well in providing for these basic needs in most cases and with a little work we can keep these needs appeased without ever having to use magic. But as beings of higher intelligence we also have other needs which we consider to be beneficial to our happiness. The question here is do you really require magic in order to gather these things to you and how many of these things do you really need for life and happiness. If what you seek truly is a need, then you are following the flow of your own nature. But be aware that sometimes the things that we think bring us happiness are really just psychological crutches, distractions from our problems and comfortable conveniences. Wisdom is in knowing the difference between the things that really make you happy and the things that you think make you happy.

If you can justify the magic with your True Will, then you have set the stage for creating inner harmony and projecting your magic into the rest of the universe with the strength of your entire being.

A Life of Magic

I have often encountered people seeking magical aids to their life as a way to deal with certain problems and circumstances. But sometimes we need to consider the benefit of not doing magic.

Life is made up of good times and bad, and they are both just as valuable as each other. We need the good and the bad times in order to be well rounded people and in order to be better people, both spiritually and psychologically. Life isn’t candy-coated; it can be harsh and painful at times. Magic is not a way to avoid this and (in the opinion of this author) it shouldn’t be used as such.

Life certainly can be harsh, but it can also be wonderful and joyous. It is important for us to understand and experience both sides of this so that we can grow, but it is also important to experience each in order to recognise them for what they are. We only know pleasure because we can compare it to pain and we only understand what joy is because we can compare it to sadness. Good and bad compliment each other.

Magic is not a solution to life; it is an accompaniment to it.

The intention should never be to use magic as a way to avoid living. Life is both good and bad, if you try to cut out all the unpleasant bits with magic, then you aren’t only attempting to move against the nature of life itself, you are also attempting to only live half a life. Life has many lessons to teach us and some of them are best learnt through the bad times. Do yourself the honour of allowing you the opportunity to live life in the best possible way. Learn from the hard times, enjoy the good times and face them both with dignity and strength. Magic is just a tool, a craft; it is not a replacement for living.

About the author

Luthaneal has been a Pagan for over eighteen years and has been a student of religion for even longer. He works as a writer, which he sees as a great excuse to sit at home, read a lot of books and generally make having fun look like hard work. Somewhere in the midst of all this he can often be found lurking in and around London, or conveniently drinking a Starbucks' frappuccino in a nearby graveyard.

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