Original Magic: The Rituals and Initiations of the Persian Magi - Stephen E. Flowers Ph.D. 2017

Theories of Mazdan Magic

The purposes and aims of magic in all cultures and at all times can be summarized with a few terms: wisdom, success, well-being, and happiness; or, more concisely, wisdom, power, and pleasure. The original magic of the Mazdans and Magians provided all of these because they were the things that the Wise Lord intended for humans to have. When Man has these things, the daevas are thwarted and the time of Making Wonderful is drawn closer.

In this chapter I will address issues of the structure and nature of the world and of the individual human being, as well as the theories or basic operating principles by which magic works in the Mazdan tradition. The reason why it is important to understand the nature of the world and of the individual is that the magician, as an individual, must know his or her instrument (the self) so that it can be more readily developed and put into action. The field of that action is the greater world or cosmos. Having a map of both the self and the world, and learning that map well, is a cornerstone to effective magical operations. Magic is a tool for the adjustment of the world so that it might work more effectively in conjunction with the will and consciousness of the operator. For this to be possible we have to have a blueprint of how it is supposed to work in an optimal fashion so that we might rationally make plans for our adjustments.

Modernistic “magickians” may protest that they want the freedom to cast spells on their enemies and acquire sex and money by means of sorcery whenever they feel the need to do so. To this, the true Magian says, “You are free to make such a choice.” However, it must be pointed out that your path will most likely lead you away from, rather than toward, your own personal and individual goals. The key problem for the “romance of sorcery” is that it is beset by the “sorcerer’s apprentice syndrome.”

The sorcerer’s apprentice syndrome is as old as magic itself. Examples abound in literature as well as history. The syndrome is basically that an individual invokes powers or invents an apparatus that he cannot control because he lacked the wisdom to design a proper working or lacked the knowledge of how to handle the resulting effects, which soon spiral out of control. We see this in literature and legend with the golem myth and in the story of Frankenstein’s monster—the creator creates something that eventually destroys him. Powers are invoked that cannot be controlled.

The sorcerer will constantly feel the need to engage in some magical act every time he or she meets a specific challenge in life: no job, no lover, sickness, and so forth. This need is an addiction and is fed by daevic forces. By following the path of sorcery, would-be magicians are feeding the daevic forces and driving a wedge deeper and deeper between themselves and the things that will really allow them to be wise, strong, and happy. It is not that magic itself is wrong but rather that it is being aimed in the wrong direction; it is being used in an ignorant way.

The modernistic magickian desperately wants to assert his ego against the world and exert his will on the environment. Again, the problem is not that there is something wrong with these feelings and motives; it is a matter of the subject (doer) of these magical actions being wrong, or essentially undeveloped. The magician’s ego must be elevated to the level of the fravashi and the will must be infused with consciousness. When this orientation is gained, then wisdom, power, and pleasure will flow into the life of the magician. Needs will not be felt, because they will be fulfilled before they occur.

The Magian casts destructive spells only against the forces of destruction, ignorance, and lack: the daevas themselves. Individuals and groups of human beings can be influenced and even entirely dominated by daevic forces. However, the Magian does not fight against the individuals or groups of individuals, as these are inherently good, but rather with the daevic forces that may be temporarily motivating them.