Danger and Discernment in Learning Magic

I’ve found magic to be one of the most rewarding skills I have ever learned, but because I live in a country that generally doesn’t believe in magic, it took me a long time to find someone I wanted to study with. Now that we have social media, I think it is much easier to find people teaching quality magic, but I’d like to discuss some of the potential dangers of learning from teachers and in group settings.

While there is always the potential that an incompetent instructor will teach you an unsafe technique- like conjuring demons without adequate protections, there are also magical and spiritual teachers that can use class as an opportunity to prey on students. Students can also prey on other students. Just because you may be in a beginner class, it doesn’t mean your fellow students are beginners. They may be learning a new system while being fully competent in another system.

Due to the nature of magic, video instruction, even over zoom can potentially pose some danger. For example, there is a love spell from the PGM where the practitioner needs to approach the woman he wants and say the Egyptian epithet for Aphrodite in their soul. An unethical teacher who is facilitating this over a video call could choose to target individuals in class and likely succeed.

There are some steps you can take to help protect yourself, in addition to divination, looking for references, and making informed choices.

Practice good spiritual hygiene. Whatever your method, practices that remove miasma and malefica should be as common as showering if you are actively involving yourself in close knit communities with other magical practitioners. People are complicated and magic can and will reach out and touch a target from a distance. You never know when someone in a magical community is going to become fixated on you or decide they hate you.

Use protection. Have you ever heard the phrase, “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”? Well, my kitchen has oven mitts, trivets, and one of those fire-smothering blankets. I’ve had a small kitchen fire before (I can say with complete sincerity those nachos were flaming hot) and I handled it in seconds because had prepared for such a situation and I had a plan and a tool. With that in mind, if I am appearing on video in a magic class, I am wearing one or more of my many protection pentacles, often my Mars Bracelet.

Use discretion. Decide how much of yourself you want to reveal. I chatted with Alexander Moore on this subject before I wrote this article and he mentioned that he teaches his students how to mitigate danger in the sort of close-knit magical communities you get with long courses. These tips address things like deciding if you want to have your video camera on during classes and giving other students your personal information.

I do think learning magic with a teacher and a group can be very productive, rewarding, and even community building. I’ve personally found this to be the case. However, the same in-person school I attended many years ago had to revoke the good standing of a teacher after investigating a complaint involving an inappropriate relationship with a student. You should just assume that if your community has over 50 people, one or more of them is some sort of predator.

Be informed, not afraid.

Make yourself powerful and use discernment.

For information on spotting Toxic Leaders please see https://practicaloccult.com/how-to-spot-a-toxic-leader/