Actions and Actors

A Magus is a person of action. That is, for a Magus it is very important to feel, perceive, comprehend, describe, and classify; however, the measure of his success, the form of his Power, consists of ordered, structured, and conscious actions — realizations.

We have said many times that, from the point of view of the Magical myth, the path to developing consciousness runs through realizations, through turning potential reality into actuality by application and transformation of powers. Yet a Magus does not act in order to develop his consciousness, nor because he finds justifications or excuses for his actions; a Magus acts because such is his nature. Justifications and understanding are needed to increase the effectiveness of those actions, to lend them structure and awareness.

At the same time, a Magus does not become a slave to his actions, does not drown in them, does not dissolve in them. To maintain that balance — to be centered on action yet separate from it, to be immersed in realizations without falling into mere activity — it is crucial for the Magus to clearly sense the difference between the action and the one who performs it.

For a Magus an action is a form of manifestation, a mode of development, a method of realization — however — not its essence. Accordingly, a Magus is always at once immersed in actions and yet distanced from them; he lives through action, but he is more than any single action and even more than the sum of all his actions. A Magus, as an actualized being, is simultaneously the source and the product of his actions, yet beyond those actions there remains a vast infinity of the Magus’s being — his awareness, his observation, and his essential activities.

One might say that we are the product of our desires, but more precisely we are the product of the relation between our realized and unrealized desires; we are the result of the interaction of our nature, our realizations, and our shadow.

In this regard it is very important to distinguish all three components. Our nature is potential; it is the “guiding star” toward which we build our Way. Our actions — our realizations — are the product of our will, fueled by desires, but also by needs or whims. And the shadow comprises our “stillborn” actions — unfinished tasks, unrealized impulses, unconscious tendencies, unnoticed transgressions.

We often confuse our attitude toward these components. For example, the most common mistake is to conflate one’s attitude toward the “self” with one’s attitude toward actions. This is especially typical of those who have already walked a fairly long Way and won a number of victories along it. Such a person develops a sense of being “advanced,” “successful,” and that spills over into his actions. He thinks something like: “Of course that was the right action — it was my action, and I am so good, so my actions must be right.” Similarly, others’ lack of self-confidence breeds contempt for their actions: “What good could I do? I’m just a pitiful failure.” Thus we confuse our attitude toward actions with our attitude to the one who acts. In the first case, pride renders us uncritical, prevents us from adequately evaluating our actions and learning necessary lessons — and so a once-successful traveler, a victor, becomes a self-satisfied fool and a degenerate. In the second case, self-abasement prevents one from seizing on a successful realization and using it as a step for further development.

We must understand that even the most successful and righteous people make mistakes, and the most contemptible sinners are capable of great deeds. For a Magus it is crucial not to lose clarity of vision, to be able to learn from victories without becoming intoxicated by them and from defeats without being poisoned by them. After all, whether we are victorious or defeated is determined by our awareness, desire, and will.