The Right and Left Hand Path of Magick: The Good of Both Sides
In the occult, there are two dichotomous paths of magick, both of which stir up some controversy and debate in the world of occultism: the right hand and the left hand paths. The classic battle between high magick and low magick, white versus black magick, theurgy and sorcery has caused a centuries-old rift between magicians of different practices. Before medieval times, the boundaries may not have been so clear, and practices from both sides of the spectrum may once have been part of a unified whole. But the right hand path has come to be associated with white magick and all its forms, and the left hand path with black magick and the taboo aspects of spirituality.
The Law of Polarity has not applied to any eon more relevantly than it did during the Dark Ages. When the use of witchcraft for malevolent aims spread among villages, such as the historical account of the possessed nuns of Loudun, witchcraft became reason for execution. Among occult circles, a divide occurred between those who practiced magic to unify with Divinity and those who called upon it for worldly aims. White magicians shunned black magicians as narcissists, and black magicians scoffed at white magicians as slaves to God and morality.
Having been on both sides of the spectrum on my magical journey, I have come to an understanding of their core essence and what they are really trying to achieve. When I first started my magical journey, I considered myself a white magician. I read the book A Course in Miracles, which brought clarity to the intent of white magick. Practitioners of white magick focus on creating “miracles,” and these miracles are made manifest in love. Love is, no doubt, a powerful energy. But it is also a highly refined energy, one that lifts the human soul to higher planes of existence. The Divine exists on all the realms of existence, albeit in different manifestations. However, the aspect of the Divine that is experienced and felt on the higher planes is one of communion, of “coming home.” There is a feeling of safety, like a child being surrounded by loving, nurturing parents. The child wants to be like his parents, and he receives nourishment and protection under their care.
On the left-hand path, the main focus is freedom and independence by separating oneself from the concept of a unified whole. Just as a baby comes forth from the mother’s womb and grows independent of her, so too does the black magician aspire to become independent from the Godhead and grow into his own godhood. The black magician wants to discover who he is as a growing, individual soul in a vast universe. Sovereignty is what they aim to achieve, and this can be found in the lower planes. The Divine is manifest in these lower planes as well, but at a deeper, denser vibration. There is also a strong sense of rebellion. The teenager who rebels wants to assert his identity regardless of his parents’ expectations, regardless of whether he disappoints them, and this is necessary for his growth. If he does not learn what it feels like to be on his own and make mistakes, then he remains spiritually as a child. But to remain rebellious means one has not fully grown up either.
The reconciliation of the right and left hand paths is crucial to becoming a spiritually mature adult. Its natural byproduct is a magician with a well-established identity and a positive disposition to the world. By experiencing the Divine love of the right hand path, one learns joy through giving and partnership. By experiencing Divine freedom in the left hand path, one develops the power to choose their own fate.
You know you have reached that point when two things happen:
You forge your own path while keeping your moral values.
When you stop antagonizing the other path.
The magician who has unified these two paths within himself is akin to an adult who had a loving childhood and had the freedom to discover himself in adolescence. It’s the best of both worlds! Such individuals often grow to be productive members of society.
