Tradition and Succession

Regardless of what a Magus thinks about the affiliation and origins of his Power, it always is rooted in history.

Acquisition, accumulation and the pursuit of power always proceed according to a system, and even when that system is born of a Magus’s personal efforts, it relies on particular schools and lines and is therefore their heir.

Despite the uniqueness of each Magus, the human mind has certain general patterns of functioning, and the paths of its development are not entirely arbitrary.

Moreover, it turns out that all these paths, despite their individuality, originate in and are rooted in the Great Currents of the Magical myth, and, in fact, each individual way is an adaptation of one of the Currents or a combination of them.

Therefore every Magus, whether he wants it or whether he admits it, is an heir to those who walked in the same current of power as he. Moreover, each Magus contributes to that Current, and he will have successors even if he never takes any students — his Power is a link in the great chain of magic.

Of course, such succession is most noticeable in magical chains — lines and schools that preserve, transmit and develop tradition — but it is inevitable even for self-initiated magi.

Recognizing Magical succession as an obvious fact, a Magus must draw several important theoretical and practical conclusions for himself.

First, he must understand who and to what extent helped his development and pay them due respect. Every Magus has teachers, regardless of whether anyone taught him deliberately. Teachers are those whose works, thoughts or mere presence nudged a Magus toward certain conclusions that became part of his Way. Similarly, every Magus also has students — those whose development he influenced directly or indirectly.

Second, he must establish how strong the chain of succession is, whether he has fallen under any egregore’s influence, and if he has, decide whether he needs it and take steps either to strengthen that Egregore or to exit it. It is pointless to be mere ballast in the field of an Egregore: one must either make use of its advantages or free oneself.

Third, by knowing the origins of his power, a Magus can expand the ways it can flow, supplementing the established system with new components appropriate to it. If a Magus discovers a strong influence on his Way from some idea within a particular system, it is quite likely that by analysing other concepts from that same system he will find additional impulses for his development. In any case, critical analysis, acceptance or reasoned rejection of certain ideas aids the development of the mind and broadens its horizons.

Moreover, by being aware of his place within the overall system of Magical Currents, a Magus feels part of the Pleroma, which is especially important for solitary travellers, since it relieves them of the oppressive feeling of isolation from direct chains, orders, and lines.

Thus, by clearly recognising and accepting his succession, a Magus makes an important step toward reintegration, and therefore becomes stronger and freer, since he frees himself from the influence of descending currents born of the sense of disorder in motion.