Astrology
‘How can we not be fascinated by the idea that the stars exert an influence on our life? When we are born we enter the sphere of the zodiac, and it is as if at that moment a snapshot is taken: according to their position, the stars and the planets draw a kind of diagram showing the broad outline of our destiny, based on what we experienced in previous lifetimes. Many people refuse to call astrology a science. Well, let’s say it’s an art, and a difficult art. The difficulty is in interpreting how the heavenly bodies relate to each other according to their relative positions. But, as astrologers say, «The stars incline, they do not determine» – an astrological chart only gives tendencies. It is certainly interesting to look into astrology to see what it reveals about our destiny. But it is even more interesting to see it as a system of symbols that enables us to understand how our psychic life functions in relation to the universe, in whose image we were created.’
‘And now let’s look at the practical consequences of this reality, the zodiacal circle, in our everyday lives. Suppose that you are walking through mountainous country, with peaks and rocky cliffs all around you, and you shout aloud. What happens? The mountains send your words back to you: the sound of you voice strikes against a hard surface and bounces back exactly as a ball bounces when it hits the ground or, if you throw it against a wall, comes back to strike you. These are physical laws, and physical laws reflect and reproduce spiritual laws. If you call out, «I love you», you will hear the echo repeat, «I love you, love you, love you.» But if you shout, «I hate you» from all sides will echo the words, «I hate you, hate you, hate you!» You must understand that the same patterns are repeated over and over again in life: man emits a ceaseless flow of waves, beneficial or noxious, by his thoughts, feelings and acts, and these waves journey through space until they come up against the outer limits and bounce back to strike the sender in the form of rewards or punishments. This is the return shock, the rebound, and those who know this law take care to send out only waves of light, love, kindness, purity and warmth; they know that one day, sooner or later, they are bound to reap the same blessings in return..’
‘The only way for man to free himself from the limitations imposed by the stars presiding at his birth is by his conscious effort to restore the bonds that bind him to God, thus escaping from the law of necessity and putting himself under the jurisdiction of the law of grace. But this liberty to which we all aspire is only obtained at the very end, and this is why it is said to be the crowning glory of the spiritual life. Initiates are portrayed with a shining halo of light surrounding their heads to show that they have risen beyond the circle of earthly limitations.’
Magic
‘To most people, the word «magic» conveys the impression of something rather disquieting. I have seen people who were really horrified by nothing more than the sound of the word. And yet, every single one of them works magic; they do nothing else, in fact, all day long. But they imagine that to work magic means to perform strange ceremonies, wear bizarre clothes, murmur incantations or pronounce spells and strange formulas and manipulate a collection of weird and wonderful objects… and that all this must be done in a cloud of smoke and foul-smelling vapours! Well, that is where they are mistaken. Magic is the whole of our existence. All our acts (and this includes every gesture we make as well as our words and looks) and all our feelings and thoughts are acts of magic. Everything that man is capable of doing on the three planes – physical, astral and mental – is magic. And it depends on whether what he does is good or evil, whether it is constructive or destructive, whether it creates or destroys harmony, that he manifests himself as a white or a black magician.’
‘When you have bad thoughts and feelings it is a form of black magic, for you are defiling and disintegrating something, and according to the laws of the universe, anything that produces negative effects is classed as black magic. And whatever harmonizes, constructs, embellishes and illuminates is classed as white magic.’
‘Magic is the science and practice of influences. If objects or beings have a positive influence on the world around them, we call this white magic, and if they disrupt, disturb or destroy, we call this black magic. In that sense we can consider everything as magic: gestures, words, looks, sounds, colours, geometrical shapes, and so on. And the same goes for animals, plants and minerals: inasmuch as they have an effect on beings, attracting or repelling them, healing them or making them ill, they have magical power. When we look at the sun, the stars, mountains or lakes, we can feel the effect and the influence they have on us. And to a certain extent, we influence them as well. And because everything in the universe influences everything else, magic is everywhere. When you understand this and endeavour to think, feel and act positively, you will become a white mage.’