A few weeks ago, I was reflecting with some students about the relationship between the magician and the gods, and how it differs substantially from that of the devotee and/or priest. I thought it would be worthwhile to dedicate a few paragraphs to the topic, as a public commentary on this website that might serve other practitioners, or seekers, on their varied paths.

There seems to be some confusion about how the magician interacts with the Powers, and in this case I will refer particularly to the gods; perhaps this is due to the influence of New Age thought, or to a greater extent to the eclectic forms of contemporary paganism, which base, as could not be otherwise, their relationship with natural forces on worship and devotion, something that is not intrinsically bad, quite the opposite, but which ultimately ends up being very different from the alliance protocols that a mage properly handles.

And there we have a key voice that defines this whole matter, and whose manifestation seems, to the expert, to settle the matter with great speed: Alliance. However, although obvious, it would be prudent to elaborate on this matter to avoid future misinterpretations.

Although the figure of the priest can be presented simultaneously in the magician, and in fact under certain premises he could be considered a hierophant of the highest mysteries, not overlooking the fact that the old Persian mages, from where the word itself comes to us, were in turn priests of Ahura Mazda, his general and usual relationship with the deities is that of circumstantial alliance, for variable periods of time, from a few months to a certain number of years in specific instances, with even cycles of contact and silence in between.

The magician performs specific tasks for a particular deity, e.g., preserving a natural space; tending to creatures, whether material or spiritual, in service to the entity [this was, incidentally, one of my first missions for Hekate, who asked me to watch over certain etheric forms in her retinue]; recovering lost knowledge; serving as a spokesperson for the deity, disseminating certain arcana; mediating between its powers to impact this world, which can translate into helping the force bring about a natural transformation, like rain after a drought; among many other possibilities.

An agreement is thus established, a pact if you will, between the god and the magician, the latter agreeing to carry out the requested service, and the former granting in return his protection, blessing, favour, guidance, and in some cases direct teachings.

This leads us to consider a matter, largely unknown to the uninitiated, and although it may be a revelation to many, its non-secret nature allows me to say it: the gods need us, and we need them. It’s a relationship of mutual aid.

Deities are spiritual entities whose influence on this plane is more or less limited. Therefore, for millennia, they have used humans to magically, or materially, influence this phenomenological reality. There are deities who may not require humans, due to their unique roles or their extremely transcendental and cosmic position, but the vast majority of deities, especially the minor ones, benefit considerably from human interaction. For example, a minor river deity might require the help of a human being to decontaminate its natural space, granting a certain benefit in exchange, such as the proliferation of fish for the sustenance of humankind. Therein lies, in such a simple example, the ancient relationship between gods and humans, and the foundation behind the priesthoods, which in archaic times were inextricably linked to that of the mages. In Egypt, one of the main cradles of magic, the word for Chief Reader Priest [hry-hb hry-tp], leader of the priests, was the same one eventually used, in a shortened form, to refer to magicians [hry-tp].

The priests in Egypt, incidentally, held this office periodically, for a month; and while they temporarily retreated to their secular lives outside the temple, they acted as paid magicians. This reveals, once again, the relative nature of their service. However, it is true that lifelong priests did exist, not only in Egypt, which does not invalidate the particular nature of the magicians’ work with such forces

Even for those who are not aware, the relationship between Abraham and Yahweh began with a covenant:

As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.  No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. (Genesis 17:4-7)

The Pact of Abraham [whose constant renewal was reaffirmed by the circumcision of each Jew], of course, was one of a permanent nature, but it exemplifies, with great clarity, how extremely varied and utilitarian agreements can be established between divine powers and men.

Outside of cases where the magician could simultaneously act as a priest, a phenomenon that continues to occur today, the relationship between the individual and the deities is based on a transactional one, although to the more emotional and bucolic, this may seem shocking. This is not to say that it is impossible, or unviable, for emotional ties to develop between mage and god, although on the part of the latter, these ties may be conceived differently than we humans do. However, it is important that at least anyone who wishes to appropriately exercise their role as a magician, not a mere devotee, understand the need to temper and carefully evaluate the type of interaction they wish to build with a specific god, avoiding impulsive decisions or eternal declarations that could eventually prove harmful.

Such prudence, and proper discernment of the pros and cons, is one of the many characteristics that differentiates a magician from a simple worshipper; while the common devotee almost blindly surrenders to whatever divine or spiritual form catches his eye, without even considering whether it is a beneficial spiritual entity or rather a parasite pretending to be a god/guide—a case far more frequent than many think, with pseudo-practitioners surrendering to inferior parasitic entities that demand excessively of them, consuming their lives and vitality—the mage, for his part, weighs the feasibility of taking on new commitments, knowing that his time and energy must be zealously preserved.

It is under this erroneous, and intemperate, disposition on the part of the inexperienced, that altars are often erected and icons acquired left and right, filling their rooms and entire houses with countless altars. Rather than bringing benefits, they end up unbalancing and disrupting the energies of the home. Frankly, the relationship with a deity, let alone lesser spirits, does not even involve the erection of an altar, or even the consecration and awakening of an icon/fetish/agalma; the magician can perfectly act in service to a Power, for the agreed time and circumstance, only with his own etheric connection in the arena. It is time for anyone who truly aspires to be a magician to stop the senseless orgy of altars that plagues social media everywhere, and which irrefutably distances them from the role they presumably desire to occupy, as a prince of the Hieratic Art.

An altar is an honour paid to a god/spirit, and it involves a sacrifice of time, resources, and energy, and not every entity that crosses your path deserves or needs it.

The mágos does not supplicate; he knows and acts accordingly. This does not mean that he sees himself as better than the gods; that would be a transgression and hubris, for the deities are, to varying degrees, far superior to us, and even the path of many magical currents leads to ultimately becoming a god. However, he/she who truly wishes to know the Mysteries that such potent forces have to offer must become a useful ally to them, not a mere slave, or pathetic subject. If the individual lowers himself to supplicate, and constantly ask, like a capricious child, to a Power of such magnitude, this will consider him simply an animal of subordinate nature, a nuisance best ignored, as he is of no use whatsoever. On other unfortunate occasions, if the entity is malicious, it will subjugate the supposed magician/witch, gradually undermining his possessions, mind, and life, demanding more and more in a crescendo.

Perhaps for some, the word “usefulness” may seem odd in the context of a deity, but it would be absolutely naive not to assume that the gods also have their agendas and purposes, high or low. The mage can participate in such purposes and obtain multiple benefits in return, not only material but of a transcendental spiritual nature, but only if he/she is useful, if he can contribute something to the path marked out by the god; an effeminate, weak, pusillanimous, fickle, inconstant, weak-willed, undisciplined, and volatile man will never prove to be of genuine value to one of those immortals who watch over the cosmic, or natural, structure and order. This is one of the reasons why the magician, in ancient times, was required to show piety, since this implies the transition to a virtuous life in relation to divinity and nature. This characteristic gave him the necessary moral, and spiritual, guarantee to be heard by the gods and obeyed by the daimones and angels.

This topic is extremely rich in content, but I don’t want to go into too much detail in this blog section, which is essentially a kind of short letter, a diary, if you will, in which I briefly express my thoughts, although I fear the word “light” doesn’t resonate with me. So, in the following paragraphs, I’ll try to summarize the ideas I’ve discussed.

The relationship between the practitioner of the Arte Magical, not just the simple devotee or polytheistic worshipper, is one of exchange and mutual aid with the gods and various spirits. Although emotional, and even romantic, connections may arise (that is a separate topic and has its risks), the experienced practitioner will always be cautious in their approach, carefully evaluating what is being asked of them, as well as what they will gain as a result. Usually, in the vast majority of scenarios, these gains, or the reason why the magician serves a god, is to obtain protection, guidance, and teachings; however, material benefits, whether direct or indirect rewards, may occur, provided that the magician is genuinely useful to the Power, for it will be in the latter’s interest for its agent to be well provided for in their worldly needs, so that they can efficiently perform their functions. In short, and for the sake of being as direct as possible: Be useful.

Here lies one of the greatest secrets of the Craft, publicly revealed, knowing that the majority who read it will never be able to apply it, because the bulk of those curious about such matters are weak, lacking the will to make the imperative changes for their own liberation and improvement, discarding moderation for excesses, and discipline for laziness.

The magician is not a prostrate worshipper, a genuflecting venerator, a sad supplicant who runs to raise altars on every corner, but an intermediary, and ally, of the eternal gods. He knows the natural, celestial, and chthonic arcana, being able to use magic to cause changes and different effects, for himself and for others. And when those others are gods, he can become their instrument for a specific purpose, either as an itinerant priest or a free executor of their designs. Precisely for this reason, there are magical traditions that warn the magician not to “marry” himself to a specific pantheon, so as not to suffer limitations, and work in collaboration with different forces.

Much more could be said about this topic, but I believe it has been enough to give a glimpse of such principles, and shed some light on how the magician should relate to the gods, thus avoiding not only mistakes, as a result of which he ceases to be a magician and becomes a mere devotee, but also to protect him from decisions that could be costly in the medium and long term.