Original Magic: The Rituals and Initiations of the Persian Magi - Michael M. Hughes 2018

Welcome to the Magic Resistance!

We are living in a time of great turmoil at the edge of history. A time in which liberal, democratic values and ideas that have withstood wars and despots are under attack by rising tides of authoritarianism, nationalism, xenophobia, and racial supremacy; an era in which our very existence as a species is imperiled by a rapidly warming planet, overpopulation, and our unquenchable desire for material goods.

And while patriarchal, top-down religions in the West are steadily losing their followers to the ranks of the religiously “unaffiliated,” more people than ever are seeking personal connections to a greater spiritual reality by embracing the worldviews of indigenous cultures and practical magical traditions.

We are at a crossroads, and the choices before us require either a (r)evolutionary change in our values and behaviors or simply giving up and accepting an unavoidable plunge into the abyss.

As Amanda Yates Garcia (the Oracle of LA) said, “So great is the threat to our world now that we must all become initiates. We must all become healers. We must all become shaman[s]. We must all become leaders and activists … Only if we all rise up, awaken, and hold ourselves and each other to high standards of leadership do we have the possibility of saving our world.” ¹

If you’re reading this, my guess is you would prefer to take the road to a better future.

This book is for you. May the ideas and rituals within it help you on the journey ahead.

_____

Being a part of the magic resistance (represented by the hashtag #MagicResistance on social media) means working in service: service to the earth, to the dispossessed, the sick and broken, the downtrodden, the marginalized, and those with no voices; animals, trees, soil, streams, rivers, and seas. It means becoming aligned with spirits of place, the ancestors, and even the gods themselves. The magic you will find in this book is very different from most, because unlike magic done by an individual for practical means—love or money spells, for example—this magic is done for the higher good of all of us.

Which also means the rewards are different. With practical magic, the rewards are clear: you find a partner, get a raise, or your abusive neighbor moves to a different state. There is nothing wrong with such magic. In fact, for many beginners, successful practical spells are what is needed to convince them that magic is real.

The rewards of service magic are usually not so immediate or measurable, because its targets—deeply embedded social structures like racism, homophobia, misogyny, militarism, violence, greed, and materialism—are not going to be easily banished from human society. These social illnesses can, however, be pushed back.

There are exceptions, of course. Very specific circumstances, such as protecting an endangered river, can have direct, measurable outcomes, such as when legislation is passed to stop a new development threatening to dump pollution into it. There are clear and quantifiable victories in this game, too. But often we must work our magic to shift the balance into the proper direction, not to score easy wins. Resistance magic is about bending reality in

(r)evolutionary directions, either by pushing against reactionary and regressive trends or encouraging positive change.

Unlike many magical traditions, to become part of the #Magic

Resistance you don’t need any fancy initiations. There are no levels or grades or degrees, and you don’t need to spend a fortune on workshops or classes. All you need to do is pledge yourself to service of other sentient beings, improving our collective societal structures, and the sacred earth on which we walk. That doesn’t mean you have to become a selfless monk or nun, a humorless full-time radical, or give up having a rewarding, fun, and productive life outside of activism. Resistance magic derives its power from passion, creativity, humor, and love. The joy of doing service magic is that when you help others, you win, too.

Because we exist within political structures, we need to work within political and social systems to address the many crises facing us. And all those crises—environmental, financial, social, and political—are crises of the spirit. For far too long the spiritual aspects of political engagement and activism have been absent from progressivism, while the reactionary right has become synonymous with a toxic form of fundamentalist evangelical Christianity. It’s time for those of us who embrace liberal values and spirituality to push back against the stereotype of the godless left and bring our gods—all of them—into the fight for our future.