Around the turn of the century Uncle AL coined the slogan The Methods of Science, the Aim of Religion. But in thinking of the traditional trials and techniques of Magick, I believe a large part of our success is in learning to straddle the border between madness and rationalism.

In our astral travels, we greatly reduce our awareness of our surroundings in exchange for vivid hallucinations which reveal both our inner world and that of the Human dreamscape.  Sounds sort of schizophrenic to an outsider.

In our hearts, we direct our love of the Godhead, personalize it into an entity, and consult with it on important matters. We take each event the world brings us as a personal message from the Godhead, and eliminate the idea of randomness. In the material world, this disassociation can lead to narcissism and following the poor advice of inner demons and old wounds.

In the Abyss, we are reduced to our lowest point, lost, abandoned, and depressed to the point of suicide. Survive, and continue.

And in our old age, we are The Fool again, blissfully unconcerned with the opinion of the outside world, with the challenge of remaining connected to others and communicating clearly on multiple levels at once. Sometimes it seems like a spiritual senility.

So, Magick is a powerful force, and like all powerful forces can be used well or for ill. Choose wisely, back up when necessary, but don’t lose focus and perdurabo (I shall continue until the end).