In Living Magick (Affiliate link) one of the authors makes an interesting claim about how magic can be used to fundamentally break the web of reality, though apparently it can’t be taught, but only carried out as a unique act (Needless to say I don’t agree with THAT assessment). In contrast, in The Elements of Spellcrafting (affiliate link), the author argues that magic is not the direct cause of change, but is merely an influence of change. I agree with him that a lot of magic is more influence based, but I do think magic can, under the right circumstances have causal aspects to it, and be quite a direct force in a person’s life. These two opposing perspectives, where one can break the web of reality (although supposedly only in a unique way) and that magic is only an influence instead of a direct cause of change illustrates the weaknesses in modern occult theories and the limitations that we all too often readily accept in the explanations other people offer us. My own perspectives and theories and processes have their limitations as well, which is one reason I always say challenge what I share, because its not gospel truth, anymore than what these other two authors, or all the rest share.
The question this article seeks to answer is whether magic can be brought to bear directly on reality and if so, if that can be taught or if its truly unique. My experiences this summer, with the Saturn work and just with the spirits in general tells me that magic can be brought to bear on reality directly, though it requires a certain commitment on the part of the magician. It’s replicable as well. Anyone can do it, but you have to be willing to go past the superficial trappings of magic, and take it on as a distinct way of life that works through you. Otherwise, you will, as the author of Spellcrafting notes, find that magic is only an influence.
If you want to break the web of reality, you necessarily have to take on an experience of magic where you invite the spiritual forces you work with to actively work through you. I would argue from experience that you have to turn the entirety of your being toward this experience, embodying it in your flesh, your mind, and your spirit, allowing yourself to become a vessel for the spiritual forces you work with. And from experience there’s a price that comes with that kind of commitment, because it’s not all about you and the results you want.
For example, working with Cronus this summer, he made it clear that he was very willing to help me get to Eugene, and find a place to live in an overly saturated market in less than a week (And if that’s not a direct causal work I don’t know what is), but he also made it clear he has work for me to do. So yes, you can break the web of reality, you can soften it up, with enough repetition and with the right kind of workings, but it requires a commitment and an understanding that what you’re doing involves relating to reality in a different way than normative reality dictates.
A lot of my work around breaking the web of reality has involved space/time magic work, because when you work with space and time as distinct elements you discover they are much more flexible than people might consider. Yes we get caught up in linear time, but time is flexible, providing variables and possibilities. You just have to find a way to soften reality, soften the hold of normative reality on yourself. If you want to know how to break the web of reality, commit to doing some type of magical work each day that necessarily removes you from space and time. Don’t just do it for the holidays, or once in a while when you need or want something. Do it each day.
I do the Sphere of Art working each day and I do Gods Playing in the Clouds qi gong each day and the continual repetition of this work softens reality, breaks the web and opens up the doors of possibility to any other magical work a person might choose to do. Of course I’m doing all this work with spirits regularly and that in and of itself contributes to the softening of reality. I don’t close the work down ever either, which means that there’s a continual operation at place, and the benefit of that is that it makes it much each to directly affect reality and create a causal link between your magic and whatever it is you seek, instead of leaving it up to influence.
