Combine High- And Low Magick In Ritual Options

I used to do a lot of natural (low) magick in the past and I consider myself pretty good at it.

I must admit that my best magickal results so far have been by the use of low magick, no doubt. Candle magick,
tree magick, earth magick are among those I used most.

Once, I created and consecrated a kabbalistic talisman for my wife, but that didn't give any results.
I made and consecrated the talisman according to the book 'Making Talismans' by Nick Farrell.

Anyway, what I want to ask you is if someone here has combined them? What I'm thinking of is to
perform the opening of the watchtowers, charge acandle with energy by using the middle pillar ritual, perform my well
working candle ritual and end with the closing of the watchtowers.

Will this be a more powerfull ritual with a greater impact than a "regular" candle burning ritual?

Explain to me the bright lines of low and high magick. What makes them high? What makes them low in your own paradigm?

The next step is to remove the buffer and go fully astral. The physical instruments bind your work to a finite basis.

And frankly, power is in the individual, not the art. The art, like a gun, or a knife is only useful in the hands of the skilled. If you're not skilled at it, you can hone yourself to use it more and more effectively, but its ultimately your problem if there aren't any legitimate results, as opposed to a branch being weaker or stronger than another.

This post has been edited by kaboom13: Sep 11 2010, 02:18 PM

Explain to me the bright lines of low and high magick. What makes them high? What makes them low in your own paradigm?

The next step is to remove the buffer and go fully astral. The physical instruments bind your work to a finite basis.

And frankly, power is in the individual, not the art. The art, like a gun, or a knife is only useful in the hands of the skilled. If you're not skilled at it, you can hone yourself to use it more and more effectively, but its ultimately your problem if there aren't any legitimate results, as opposed to a branch being weaker or stronger than another.

High and low doesn't imply a judgement that one is better than another. They are just different. Low magick is folk magick, natural magick, wicca, sympathetic magick etc. i.e the type of magick that Scott Cunningham teaches in his books. I consider high magick to be ritual/ceremonial magick, enochian, solomonic, magickal evocation, astral works, Golden Dawn etc.

I understand your point that the power is in the individual, but I'm not sure whether I agree fully. The energy raised in the vortex of the opening of the watchtowers, does it come from the magician or does it come from the higher powers of the universe? I lean towards the latter, but that is only my view. But my question is, will this vortex raised by high magick "amplify" the low magick rituals to become even more powerful than otherwise?

About the astral, I've read 'Astral dynamics' by Robert Bruce which I found fascinating, but I feel somewhat anxious to take the full step out there. Don't know if there is a risc to mess up my mind.
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I see where you're coming from and it makes sense.

You probably can, tailor your work to the other branches that you're working with.

I used to do a lot of natural (low) magick in the past and I consider myself pretty good at it.

I must admit that my best magickal results so far have been by the use of low magick, no doubt. Candle magick,
tree magick, earth magick are among those I used most.

Once, I created and consecrated a kabbalistic talisman for my wife, but that didn't give any results.
I made and consecrated the talisman according to the book 'Making Talismans' by Nick Farrell.

Anyway, what I want to ask you is if someone here has combined them? What I'm thinking of is to
perform the opening of the watchtowers, charge acandle with energy by using the middle pillar ritual, perform my well
working candle ritual and end with the closing of the watchtowers.

Will this be a more powerfull ritual with a greater impact than a "regular" candle burning ritual?

I have been considering this quite a lot myself recently. Over the last few months I've been involved with a very practiced Witch who has shown me a lot regarding what you would term 'Low Magick' and how, in their view, magick in general works.

I personally consider 'High Magick' to work with energies that exist beyond the physical realm, whereas 'Low Magick' works with energies that exist within Earth, our plane of existence.

From a philisophical point of view I've come to be of the opinion that one cannot truly reach up and grasp the higher energies expounded with High Magick before getting two feet firmly attached on the ground and learning more about the world we live in.

Are the two reconcilable? Consider the energies that you are using in your example. Assuming that you are calling the watchtowers through Enochian means, including the charging through energy amassed through the Middle Pillar ritual, then I would say you are using High Magick here not Low Magick.

One could argue that things such as making incense or candles are a staple part of Low Magick, such as in Witchcraft, but these are employed too in High Magickal operations.

In reality the lines appear to be very blurred and more a matter of speculation then anything concrete. I too am very interested to hear other opinions and whether others believe they have amalmagated these two paths.

Alexandrian Wicca seems to be (maybe I'm oversimplifying things too much) low/folk magic from Gardnerian Wicca combined with High Ceremonial magic grafted on by Alex Sanders. Sanders introduced a fair bit of Kabbalah and ceremonial magic. Lexies tend to have a longer outer court training period than Gards do. In any case, it is possible.

All these ideas about high and low! What separates the two is intent, not tools or structure - The ritual of high magick is aimed at illumination, realization, knowledge and conversation... et al. The ritual of Low Magick is aimed at causing change in the environment in accordance with the will, when that change is not designed to further the goals of high magick.

If you are burning candles and using home made incense to purify yourself, your will, and your purpose, you are performing a rite of high magick. If you use complicated ceremonial appurtenances to enact a curse, low magick. The technique is irrelevant, only the intent.

Use what works, forget the rest. Get the deep mind to sit up and take notice, cultivate one pointed consciousness, use what working tools create shivers at your spine.

Remember, that a seemingly low magick ritual may be part of a strategy to progress in high magick. Perhaps one feels that with enough money they might be able to devote unlimited time to enlightenment... you can see where this is going.

In the western tradition, we use tools to crystallize our focus and better represent different ideas and foci that we may need to complete a complicated operation. In the east it is done by mind alone. Tools are a crutch, but a very effective one; after all, no one begrudges a baby toodling around in a walker while practicing to walk.

Ex