Magickal Workings

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It is a fundamental belief of mine that everyone and anyone, as human beings, has the ability to work with energies, and to do "Magick".  The common use of magick evokes some sort of change in the physical world through intended manifestation. In occult and esoteric communities, it can take a wider meaning involving spiritual change. 

 

There are so many kinds of witches depending on the type of magick studied and practiced.  For example, but not limited to: a green witch harvests and uses plants and herbs in their practice; a cottage witch focuses on the household and family; a hedge witch works with spirits and ancesters bridging the boundaries of the viel between life and death; Astro witches study astrology and incorporates it into their practice, ...and there are many others.  It's not necessarily about choosing a type of witch that you want to be.  But, moreover the type of witch describes briefly the realm of magick being explored.  Some practitioners believe their individual practices have very little in common with other witches.  Explaining the various types of magick is just as complicated as defining magick itself. Not all magic has the same intention and each magickal practitioner will use different associations and approaches.

 

It was actually Aleister Crowley who began using the word "magick" instead of "magic" for several reasons and the use of the term spread over time. The most often mentioned reason is to differentiate what witches do from stage magic done for entertainment. Crowley gave several other reasons why he used the term "magick," even though these reasons are often ignored. Contradictory, he considered magick to be anything that moves a person close to fulfilling their ultimate destiny, which he called one's True Will. With this idea of practicality, magick doesn't have to be metaphysical. Any action, mundane or magickal that helps fulfill one's True Will, is magick.  

 

The spelling was not chosen randomly. Crowley expanded a five letter word to a six letter word, which has numerical significance. Also, hexigrams are six-sided shapes and are prominent in his teachings. “K” is the eleventh letter of the alphabet, which also has significance. Other spellings that also divert from the word "magic" include "majick," "majik," and "magik." However, there's no other specified reason that I'm aware of in regards to why some people use these spellings. 

 

It should also be mentioned that there are also main types of magick: 

 

Folk magick has all kinds of practical purposes: healing, attracting luck or love, driving away evil forces, finding lost items, bringing good harvests, fertility, etc. Rituals were simple and then probably evolved over time. They involved everyday items: plant material, coins, nails, wood, and so forth. Folk magick is sometimes called low magick because of its practical nature and due to the fact that it's traditions and customs are passed down through generations of family heireticy. 

 

Ceremonial magick is a type of magick that depends heavily on learning precise, complicated ritual and intricate sets of correspondences and associations.  Ceremonial magic is also high magick. It is meant to have a spiritual purpose rather than a practical one, although there could be some overlap. It involves improving the soul, which might include gaining divine knowledge, purification, the attraction of proper influences, self empowerment and embracing one's destiny, etc.

 

Knowing where your interests lay and what your intentions are with magick will help you to determine what rituals, customs, and workings are best suited for you and your new practice. 

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Some examples of magical workings:

 https://www.askagreywitch.com/blog/categories/workings

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Workings vs spells:

 https://www.askagreywitch.com/post/workings-vs-spells​