The notion of magick in the Crowley-esque sense of the term tends to haunt modern polytheism. Magick seems to run counter to the devotional elements we tend to see as properly religious. Praising the divine seems to be one thing, plying the divine for favors quite another. In general, both are seen as acceptable, but their relationship is a little obscure.

Crowley’s phrasing exacerbates the problem by making magick primarily a question of Will, of training the Will to exert itself over the world. There are all sorts of qualifications here, since that isn’t the Will in the sense of ego, but Will in the sense of higher self. And training the Will isn’t simply a matter of getting what you want but of moving in harmony with the higher Will so that you want what is proper to it.

Still, this seems a bit different than the attitude that directs itself toward a divine presence outside of and beyond itself. The importance of banishing, for example, points toward a defensive posture toward the world of spirit. In more devotional frames, we tend to think that too much asking is a bit gauche.

To paraphrase a friend, we have the sense that the gods have better things to do than just help us with some money. What encounter we do have with the divine through devotional work tends to be received as an injunction rather than as a pact we must examine before accepting. Read More