I might begin by delineating the methods of occult practice into two broad groups. I term these groups the occult path and the mystic path. The individual or school who follows the occult path believes that there are very important reasons for his being incarnate in the physical realm. Because he is alive in the every day world, he asserts, this is where his immediate concern lies and he must not ignore the responsibilities of incarnation. With these ideals in mind the occultist therefore focuses his magickal acts on bringing power down from 'above' into physical things and situations in order to transform them, to purify them and manipulate them to bring them into line with divine law. In this way the occultist believes he is taking part in the divine plan of transmuting the physical world into a spiritual condition.

The mystic, on the other hand, has a view quite opposite to the occultist. He believes that the physical realm is an illusion and that nothing can be gained by remaining involved in it. Therefore he seeks to remove all attachments to the physical world, and everything that springs from it, in order to raise himself up into the higher worlds where he hopes to enter a state of perpetual bliss in unity with God.

Neither of these approaches is right or wrong. There are different reasons for adhering to one or other of these paths according to ones life mission. In fact it is said that most mystic must begin as occultists and that eventually all occultists will accept the mystic path. Suffice it to say that traditional mystery schools in the eastern world are primarily mystical in their approach to spiritual discipline. Alternatively in the western tradition we find the main stream schools have a more occult inclination. In this way we can say that it is the western cultures karma to be involved in and to conquer the physical reality. In the east the karma of that race is to reject the physical world and unite for eternity with godhead. These facts are quite visible in every day life as we see western culture obsessed with the technical age and eastern culture motivated by more spiritual desires.

In this way we can see that the western mystery tradition, its training methods and the subjects of investigation which most concern them, have been carefully designed for the western initiates type of psyche and the eastern systems for the mind set of Asian cultures. For this reason it is often said, and we quite readily agree, that it is very difficult for easterners living in their natural environment to follow the occult tradition, just as it is for a western initiate to attempt to follow the eastern path. Besides being difficult in serious cases it can be quite detrimental to the aspirants health to apply himself to methods which do not suit his mental conditioning.

Nevertheless within the western tradition we find schools which advertise themselves as part of the western mystery tradition but who are primarily orientated towards a mystical approach. In the east we find a similar but opposite situation in certain schools. It is believed that many individuals and some schools in the west who found themselves cleaving to a mystic approach did so in a time when the western tradition was a firmly entrenched underground movement and more difficult to discover. During these times many westerners seeking enlightenment had to make do with the few books that were available on the subject, which, unfortunately, were mainly descriptive of eastern schools and their methods. Therefore a generation of westerners grew up thinking that enlightenment came from the east and it is to the east that one must go in order to find it. The western mystery tradition did not really resurface again until the late 1960s during the end of the hippy era. The Beatles, although they had heard of the western tradition, were still convinced that the only real path was to be found in the east. So a-hunting for Gurus they did go.

It was a revival in the Golden Dawn tradition and in Wicca which began with the closing down of the '60s, increased slowly during the '70s and '80s and has picked up in gigantic proportions in the '90s, which has brought the western tradition out of a long slumber into the public eye once again.

Now, if we agree that our concern lies with the western 'occult' schools then we might leave any concern about eastern systems to those for who they were designed. In this case those individuals who have made the mastery of the western system their life long goal advise students of that system to put aside any curiosity in eastern methods until a much later date. To try to study both leads one to make comparisons and such attempts at comparison will only lead to confusion.

The western schools of occult knowledge have, therefore, concerned themselves with discovering and developing arts which are most practical for their particular path. For this reason magick and alchemy have ever been the two primary subjects of interest for occultists. Alchemy is primarily a science which is concerned with uncovering the inherent purity or spiritual nature in physical things and this sacred chemistry gave birth to modern chemistry and physics which are so important to the modern world. Our concern here at the moment is with magick as the backbone of the western occult fraternity tradition. So let us explain just what magick is.

A famous adept occultist, Aleister Crowley, once described magick as being "the ability to create change in conformity with ones will". Most modern occultist have accepted this description as being quite accurate but we feel the idea will need some explaining to the novice. Crowley was trying to point out that any change that we could effect in accordance with our intentions was an act of magick. But we might suggest that although this is true it is only the more extreme changes that one wills and which manifest almost immediately which the average person might consider magickal phenomena. For example according to the above rule if we desire to boil water in a pot and we put it on the stove and apply heat a pot of water will boil. We will to have boiling water and it is so. In the more extreme if we will it to rain and we carry out the necessary magickal practice which makes it so then we have performed what might be considered by most an act which is more magickal. Nevertheless Crowley pointed out that there is no difference in the methods and laws which we must put into motion in order to boil water or to create rain from a cloudless day, for example. The only difference is the degree of will required to effect one or the other result. Therefore if the later is magick and both acts are governed by the same laws then the former must be magick also. Both acts are therefore "changes which have come about in conformity with ones will".

If we can understand and agree with this much then we might see that everything which a magickian does as part of his profession include acts designed to enhance his will power so that he might effect more incredible changes, and are designed to enhance and focus the will. Through the ages magickians without the aid of modern technology have invented, tested and tried many and various practices, including the use of ritual, of magickal implements, of divination, astrology, invocations, potions and meditations, with the desire to enhance their will power in order to improve their chances of creating extreme change. Therefore for the practiced magickian Will, or Intent, is the all powerful magickal tool.

Will, therefore, being such a powerful tool, a tool which when honed perfectly can conjure a storm, quite an angry beast, heal the sick or transport the Magickians body through the air, for example, must need great skill, cunning and care to enhance and control. For this reason occult schools have, down through the ages, designed very precise techniques for training the aspirant in magick.

The first rule was that they considered that where possible it was more effective for magick to be taught within a school type situation. In fact ancient occult schools were the model upon which civil education was built. The Sages of old knew that the Will was most effectively trained and focused under the guidance of strict discipline, for, they said, the Will has become weak as a result of mankind's mental laziness. Under such conditions these ancient Sages instituted strict rules by which their schools and their activities would be governed. All training was given in a series a graded steps and a hierarchy of authority was established according to these grades of accomplishment. Today we can see that those schools who are most successful in their training methods are those who maintain strict discipline and integrity within their ranks. Alternatively a number of great schools have collapsed under the weight of their higher ranking members stupidity and ignorance where a once strict regime of study, practice, examination and government had been undermined by laziness and corruption.

It is often asked why the ancients felt a need to establish schools against a preference for solo, or one-on-one training in isolation? The answer is to be found in the complex mechanics of magickal relationships and in the practicality of working in this area in groups. Firstly, more magickal power is raised and can be directed when needs be within a closed secreted group. This is effected through the use of group ceremonial which is implemented at the beginning of each new grade in ceremonial Orders. In such situations the ceremony is performed, primarily, for the benefit of the candidate, where the entire group focus their collective power on the candidate in order to use the ceremony as a catalyst for change. The law which governs thus collective effort reads: 'the whole out-weighs the sum of its parts', i.e. more power can be raised by five individuals (for example) working together than if those five worked separately on trying to bring about the same goal.

This law is the basis for three quarters of the motive for working in groups. On a grander scale, but with the same mechanism in mind, many groups working in the same tradition with the same general or specific goals can effect the collective conscious of the human race in a significant way. This is where the idea of service to the race comes to the fore. There are two levels to occult training. 1) the training of the individual and his guidance to a higher state. By so doing, 2) groups of advanced individuals form strong focus' of energy which effect the collective consciousness of the racial mind thereby aiding in the evolution of humanity. But the process relies on the work of each individual and his or her own progress. Without this individual progress the collective suffers. Thereby advancing ones self automatically advances the race, but each individual must combine his energies with his brothers and sisters in the work within intent or their forces are not combined.

The second important reason for training in groups rather than one-on-one is that alone, teacher and student are more likely to fall into error or laziness or to undermine the degree of success in a training through lack of ability. A single student can be more effectively trained when a number of individuals can pool their particular skills, rather than the student having to rely on the teacher ability to be master of every arte in order to help him attain the best he or she can be.

There is also the issue of safety. There is, we agree, safety in numbers. An effective magickal apprenticeship is always open to destructive influences. When a number of trained individuals of varying authority and skill are keeping an eye on a teacher-student relationship there is naturally less opportunity for foolish or dangerous situations to arise, and if they do it is more likely that help will be easily forthcoming.

With all of the benefits that can be gained from group training there are, nevertheless, many pitfalls which must be given due attention. In order to ensure success in all of the benefits of group training as we have presented them above, groups heavily rely on the integrity, humility and hard work of their members. Unfortunately too many groups allow uncommitted to enter their ranks and it is quite true that it only takes one bad apple and integrity is quickly lost. Experience proves that even initiates are more easily enticed into lax behaviour than they are into the Light. The only safety device that can effectively check this weakness is a strong leader who is in constant touch with the running of every aspect of the group, who is quick to prune off the rotten branches in order to keep the rest of the tree disease free and skillful enough to notice the best fruit and give it preference.