What is magic?

I don't think it makes any difference whether you spell it with a "k" or not anymore. We know that there's no card tricks or rabbits or doves here. I think it's just become a matter of personal preference.

For myself, I have a particularily Elven view of magick - I call it the Source, the Flow, the Weave and the Void.

The Source is the All. It can wear the face of a deity, be the heart of a star, the delicate fragrance of a flower in bloom. It is. All things come from the Source, and return to it; it is simply that we percieve this differently.

The Flow is energy itself - it is the output of the Source that keeps things living. It is the lifeblood of the Universe. It never stops, merely changes, returns, is cleansed, and starts again. Some forms of energy pick up strong attachments to what it Flows through, and others are clean, untouched, untainted, and unformed. The Flow is what connects us both to the ground, and to the sky - when you center and focus yourself, you are finding a balance in the Flow.

The Weave is what connects us all in the Circle of Life; we are all interwoven, and when you add or remove a strand the Weave is changed. The Weave are the tangled branches of energy that link us together, and is constantly changing; a good example of the Weave are ley lines, or dragon lines.

The Void is the unknown. Not even the Source knows what lies here; it is a place of transformation, and deep magick, of the darker nature of things. A lot of people seek to deny the Void, or that it has a place in their lives. Yet others embrace it, and are swallowed up. There is a balance to be sought between knowing the Source and the Void, knowledge and intuition.

This probably feels like a strange perspective from a polytheist, but bear me out. I feel that the Gods are individuals. I also feel, though, that we are all fragments of the Universe, who split all things off from itself in order to attempt to understand itself. So the Gods are individuals, just as we are - but we are all made of the stuff of the stars, the Source.

Magick is within. Magick is you. The earth is your altar, your hands your tools, your heart a cruicible in which magick is forged. If it doesn't come naturally, take time to learn - magick is natural, and within us all. This isn't to say that I use magick indiscriminately for my own pleasure - magick is a responsibility, and is not a toy. There are always reactions to your actions - you must think carefully about ALL possible outcomes before sending your will into the Flow.