ULTRA VENEFICIA BOOK OF SPELLS

3 Wizards

What Are Wizards?

Before embarking on a detailed discussion of the practice of wizardry, it is best to define, as accurately as possible, what it means to be a wizard.

A wizard is a person who, through the intentional practice of true magic, seeks to make manifest the Divine Plan for Humanity on earth. This Divine Plan is simply that every human being has the potential for becoming a conscious co-creator of his or her own reality, in allegiance with the Divine Creator, in whatever aspect the person may envision through the right application of Free Will. In doing so, the wizard seeks to become a Conscious Soul Incarnate; that is, to manifest the energies of his or her soul through the mental, astral, and physical bodies and render conscious creation in his or her world.

The word "wizard" simply meant "wise one" in olden times. The root word can be traced through the Indo-Aryan word "Vizier" and the Arabic "Waz-ir", who were at one time valued advisors to those who ruled, taking the role of the now modern-day prime minister of a nation. In the Nordic tradition, the word for wizard was "Vitki", again, meaning, "the wise one." The words "advise" and "advice", as well as the prefix "vice" in "vice-president" or "viceroy" derive from the same root as does "wizard." The ancient roots of all these words meant "burden-bearer," "carrier," or "he who assists." Throughout history, the role of the wizard was as an ancillary; a power behind the throne. In the game of chess, the Persians still refer to the queen piece as "Wazir".

Types of Wizards

There are many different branches and practices of wizardry. One may think of these as "career-paths", although the spiritual sense of "calling" may be a better description; one less confusing at least, lest one think of these practices as resulting in monetary remuneration.

1. Adepts

The Adept is the wizard that is most concerned with outward manifestation of magical energy. Most textbook wizards (the "pointed hat and wand" variety) tend to fall into this category, although it is not the predominant wizard type.

Adepts tend to work consciously with the manipulation of magic through the use of ritual and ceremonial evocation. Adepts pull energy from the outer world through their instruments, and relay it back to the outer world in their manifestations. They are concerned with the form and style of magical expression, and they glean their powers through focused study and active ritual meditation. Adepts actively seek to bring the unmanifest into physical expression, and are interested in the mechanical process by which the unmanifest may be evoked.

Adepts are rarely solitary practitioners and seek the protection of a ritual organization or lodge. Many such lodges exist to this day, including Freemasonry, Argenteum Astrum, and the Rosicrucians. Those who practice solitary adeptship tend to be drawn towards the darker manifestations of the energy.

Types of adept magic include theurgy, goetia, and qabbala.

2. Alchemists

Unlike the medieval alchemists, who sought the Philosopher's Stone to transmute base metals into gold, the modern Alchemist is concerned with refining the human Soul in order to achieve divine status. The goal of the modern day alchemist is to achieve ultimate wisdom and knowledge. Like the Adept, the Alchemist relies heavily on ceremonial order and ritual magic, but rather to draw Divine energy into the physical; that is to say, to bring God unto Man. Alchemists tend to be healers rather than teachers, although they do a fair amount of teaching as well. They also tend to be highly skilled craftspeople and can imbue amulets and charms with powerful healing energies to be used by others.

Types of alchemical magic today include modern psychology, gnosticism, qabbala, and metachemistry.

3. Bards