The Magus’s Protection

The Way of Magic is a path of constant risk. The Magus continuously encounters enemies who seek to feed on his power and is also subject to random and deliberate strikes from vortex forces. The more actively the Magus acts, the stronger the opposition; the more ‘magical’ (that is, aimed at acquiring and developing the Power of awareness) his actions are, the more careful his protection must be. All magical defensive strategies can be divided into two large groups — methods of withdrawal and methods of mastery. In some cases, a combination of both approaches is effective. Magical withdrawal is a separation of worlds. To accomplish this, the Magus uses the Great Power of the Threshold. The Magus separates himself from a hostile environment in various ways: this may be the creation of a ‘private universe’ in the form of a Magic circle, disidentification used in envelopment, or the transfer of an attack to a proxy object. In any case, the Magus separates himself from the process and acts as an external, transcendent force with no direct ties to the events taking place. Despite their wide use and apparent obviousness, techniques of Magical withdrawal are only as effective as the Magus’s ability to ‘leave.’ The task is complicated by the fact that a prolonged operation requires periodic ‘returns’ to the field of action, ‘forays from the fortress,’ during which the Magus is extremely vulnerable. Magical mastery is the merging of worlds. In this process, the Magus uses the Uniting Power. By employing this strategy, the Magus introduces into his sphere of action additional elements that change the balance of forces. Such methods include the use of pentacles, amulets and talismans, runic symbols, calling gods, and the like. The use of mastery techniques allows the Magus to affect the disposition of the forces acting around him so that the ‘attacking’ forces are balanced by ‘defending’ ones. It is obvious that with this mode of protection, one must very carefully calculate the number and strength of the ‘attacking’ forces in order to correctly oppose them with one’s defenses. Choosing a defensive strategy appropriate to each particular case is a matter of extreme importance. Withdrawal strategies are more reliable, but they constrain movement; mastery strategies offer greater flexibility but are fraught with unexpected ‘breaches.’ Moreover, it is important to understand that ‘excessive’ protection can impede the Magus’s own expression of will, neutralizing it just as it does other active agents. Therefore, it is very important for the Magus not to forget methods of protection, not to neglect them, but also not to overindulge in them — combining the mobility of a warrior with the reliability of a fortress.