Crowley defined magick as “the Science and Art of causing Change in conformity with Will.” This doesn't just apply to metaphysical things, but also to one's everyday acts of conscious will. But how does it apply?
Well, here is an example, which is this author's standby as it's so concise. Say that you have the goal of losing fat and gaining muscle. Obviously your goal may be more precisely defined, but for our purposes this will suffice. In order to accomplish this goal, one must dedicate to a change in habits and behaviors that are conducive to a change in oneself and/or one's environment. This requires one to have a will strong enough to remain dedicated to such changes.
But then let's say said individual also has the desire to eat jelly donuts and chocolate chip cookies like they are going out of style. Obviously, that sort of desire is going to be in conflict with the fitness and health goals they've set. Magick in this case is changing oneself in accordance with one's will, and being able to do so despite the contradictory desires one is facing.
In the above example we can also see an illustration of two types of desire. One is the desire we call the will. It is action. The other is the desire of impulse; it is reaction. Thus for practicality of purpose, one's will and one's desires will thus be seen as two different things. In order to perform magick successfully, one must learn to harmonize one's desires with one's will. If this cannot be done, then one must choose between accomplishing the goals of one's will and simply doing whatever one wants at any given moment.
In the words of Liber AL vel Legis, the primary holy book of Thelema, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” This means to do your will, and not to just do whatever you want. And that, my friends, is Magick....read more>>>...