What kind of mage you are depends on your personality, natural abilities and which magick making techniques you feel an affinity for. Please know there is no set way of doing (or being), these are just some pointers to help you define your practice as your path unfolds.
Let’s begin with a formal definition of the word “magician”.
One who practices magic. Sometimes considered the same as a witch, wizard, sorcerer/ess. The name derives from “magus”, an ancient Persian word, and the cognate “maghdim”, a Chaldean term meaning wisdom and philosophy. Greek word “Magos”. From the 1st century AD onward the word in it’s Syriac form, “magusai,” was applied to magicians and soothsayers, chiefly from Babylonia, with a reputation for the most varied forms of wisdom.
Source: Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved July 23, 2006, from Encyclopædia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD.
The term magick, in the context of Aleister Crowley’s Thelema, is written with a “k” to differentiate it from prestidigitation (stage magic or sleight of hand for entertainment purposes).
The word sorcery comes from the Latin root sors which means fate and thus a practitioner of sorcery can be considered as one who influences fate.
Many individuals spend years seeking, researching, experiencing and developing different personal philosophies and practises until they find a space within that is comfortable.
None of us think in exactly the same way, so it is in my opinion not possible for us all to follow one particular belief system or set of teachings in exactly the same way as another.
At the end of the day you should do what resonates best with you and works best for you. This could be one particular path or an eclectic mergence of a number of practises.
Anyone wanting to learn about gaining a different perspective on life and/or learn techniques of magick and manifestation has to begin with a lot of reading and research.
One book I highly recommend to people who are transitioning from an Abrahamic influence is Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions by Joyce and River Higginbotham.
A Pagan is anyone who does not follow one of the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Islam and Christianity).
A Heathen follows an ethnic tradition that is not Abrahamic. Most often followers of a Germanic tradition such as Odinism refer to themselves as Heathen. For ages, the Abrahamic faiths have used the terms Pagan and Heathen as derogatory terms to refer to what they consider infidels (non-believers in their religion).
Exploring Paganism and Nature-Based Spirituality
• There is no way around it. A thorough literary search will ensure that you are able to consider all the possible paths before you to discover the niche which resonates best with you.
• Consider how much experience or learning you have in Paganism or magick, what research have you done?
• How much information have you gathered in order to discern quality information from insignificant in order to base your decision on which path you wish to investigate or follow?
Paganism tends to become a very large umbrella term for a vast array of practises and often each of those practises within its own subcategory encompasses many different traditions. I could list about twenty-five or more different Pagan paths off the top of my head.
For example, Wicca as a path has Gardnerian, Alexandrian and Dianic traditions amongst many others, similar to Christianity’s sects such as Baptists and Methodists. Similarly, not all Witches practice Wicca (a formal religion), just like not all Christians are Catholic.
Ultimately your personal spiritual path becomes a well-loved leaf from your book of life.
Like a favourite recipe that you modify and tweak depending on where you are and what tools you have available.
The below lists are by no means comprehensive and you may find you utilise a blend of different energies and that these shift throughout your life as your interests and proclivities develop.
Air is the medium we breathe and the agent which carries sound so these signs display qualities of air which connects all things and blows here and there. Those born under air signs are inclined to the intellect, connection of people, places and ideas however they can also be “all talk and no action” or get easily distracted.
You Can Tell That You Are an Air Mage If Your Go-To Tools Are:
Incense, smoke, blowing, dusting or sprinkling enchanted powders, Alpha-state projection, steaming or atomising aromatics, knotted or braided cords or ribbons, prayer flags, wind chimes, dipping a cotton bud in enchanted oil, vinegar or lemon juice to “write” on an object, mentally projecting etheric symbols over an object, drawing personal sigils.
Bindrunes, thought forms, breath work, singing, chanting, affirmations, afformations, scripting, rampages of appreciation, thinking better feeling thoughts, listening to binaural beats or specially crafted playlists, praying rain, journaling, mind games (like Abraham-Hicks Prosperity game), awareness, intention setting.
Fire actively burns, crackles, warms, consumes or scorches depending on the intensity and parameters of a situation. Those born under fire signs are known for their tendencies of movement, exuberance and impatience.
You Are Likely a Fire Mage If These Tools Light You Up:
Inscribing symbols into pliable warm wax, lighting candles with intention, harnessing starlight, moonbeams and lightning, dropping essential oils near the wick, burning dried botanicals like bay or oak leaves with your wishes written on them, burning petition papers, activities that involve singeing or heating to transform, charging an item with your intention by candlelight, place a petition paper under an oil lamp, place enchanted items inside an oil lamp.
Blending essential oils, casting energy orbs, vibrational activations, immersion, vision boards, bright note prompts stuck in strategic places, mind movies, core values, alchemy, sex magick – stirring that Kundalini life force, tantra, also; astral projection, remote viewing, rich visualisation, etheric cord cutting, energy clearing, expressing yourself through music, movement (dancing and other forms of exercising), grand ceremony.
Water reflects, dissolves, washes away and flows. Water has no shape of its own; it takes the shape of its vessel. It can be calm or a gushing torrent. Those born under water signs are naturally emotional, intuitive and secretive.
You May be a Water Mage When Your Favourite Tools Include:
Boiling and brewing herbal concoctions, formulating healing tinctures, making enchanted floor washes, drawing charmed baths, symbolically freezing undesirable behaviour in ice cubes, discarding biodegradable ritual items in bodies of moving water (stream, river, ocean), magick mirror work (affirmations inscribed on the back, gazing into your own eyes, scripting into a mirror, scrying or talking with your Interdimensional Support team via a mirror.
Pre-paving what you want to see in a mirror or while in the bath/shower etcetera, lucid dreaming, shamanic journeying, shadow work, integrating suppressed aspects, dissolving outmoded soul agreements, patterns and habits, water reflects the company you keep, camaraderie, self-love, compassion, self-care and also includes dropping resistance and release.
Earth qualities are solid, dependable and productive. They bear a practical energy that builds on to what the fire element ignites. Those born under earth signs tend to be cautious and reliable, looking after the smaller parts within the greater whole.
You Are Possibly an Earth Mage If These Are Your Preferred Tools:
Food blessing, mindful eating, container spells using soil, botanicals, crystals, honey, sugar or molasses, constructing crystal grids and stone circles, carrying palm stones, sewing charm bags and poppets, grinding botanicals into enchanted powders, practising Feng Shui, planting a petition papers in pot plants so it’s life force radiates through your spell, braiding cords, tying knots, burying petition papers, wearing enchanted perfume or imbuing papers or clothing with scents, dressing objects with enchanted oils or powders.
Disposing of biodegradable ritual items in the ground at crossroads or in graveyards, enchanting pieces of jewellery to wear, decluttering and physical space clearing, tithing to the source of your spiritual nourishment, donating money to foundations, indulging in spa body treatments and massage, revelling in the physical (really being mindful of warm beach sand, damp moss or summer rain), exploring your ancestry and interacting with Spirits of the Land and ancestral Spirits, soaking up Nature’s gifts; plant medicine, fireflies, birdsong, rainbows and so on.
✶ To learn more about positive (good) magick click here. To learn more about different types of magick click here.
✶ For more about blending the religion you grew up with when your heart pulls you toward magick click here.
✶ If you would like to read more about how I describe my personal path click here.