At various stages in the progress of a students training, to the adept as well as the novice, the question of just what is or will be required in order to succeed in the pursuit of magick must occur with due regularity. The adept will probably look back with amusement at just what he had decided the answer to this question was during his novitiate. For we would probably all agree that what we thought was most required of us in order to succeed was far from the mark.

The novice will often think such things as passing exam's, mastering dimensional shifts and gaining a thorough grasp of Qabala, for example, are at the top of the list. True, these matters are of great concern, and no serious school in our tradition today will ignore such. But the fact is the the study and practice of these subjects and others like them are a matter of course in most Western esoteric schools. The fact is, at the end of the day, no matter how versed one becomes in the intricacies of Qabala or the manipulation of the astral Light, a student who lacks the appropriate attitude to the Work will fall short of the final goal almost every time.

The dictionary defines attitude as 'a way of thinking and behaving'. That seems simple enough. But what kind of thinking and behaving is required to become a success in magick? Experience demonstrates that for a successful Mage to attempt to explain right thinking and behaviour to the novice who as yet must learn such skills is no easy task. Nevertheless we shall try to explain the details of 'right thinking' and 'right behaviour' in such a way that the new comer might profit from some good degree of contemplation on the matter.

When we examine the lives of what we may term successful theurgists (individuals who seek divine communion through the practice of magick), back through the decades, we notice that they all have certain personality traits in common. If we are to succeed in our task then we may gain much from emulating their attitude to the Great Work.

At the top of the list must surely be the attitude held by each that they are naturally or inherently spiritual or divine beings - in a word magickians. One must feel that his vocation is to master magick. Alternatively the individual who approaches the Arte with a constant questioning of his or her ability to succeed is enticing failure with every step. The natural Mage knows, with deep conviction, he can attain to great heights in the Great Work, he does not need to be convinced of the possibility. He feels quite at home with the study, practice and social aspects associated with his particular magickal interests. He identifies with famous, mythical or fictional magical characters. He has an intense curiosity about all branches of the Arte and an insatiable thurst for knowledge or experience in those areas of theory and practice to which he is particularly attracted. He is a born magickian.

An individual who merely has an avid or very active interest in reading on or discussing about the Work does not fit the above criteria. Such an individual has only an intellectual interest and such does not make a magickian. A person who reads about fast cars is not a world class motor car racer. Neither is an intellectual interest coupled with practical experiment the mark of one who will attain success. For without heart, persistence and dedication to the life long pursuit of the Arte such and individual might only be considered curious or power hungry, for example.

Next on our list of correct attitude must come behaviour. How does the aspirant who firmly desires success in magick behave? He is confident that he can master the Arte, or at least as much as is required to attain the summit. He therefore, in the appropriate circumstances, displays such confidence. This confidence is not just a mask thought, an assumed persona. No, it is the product of a sincere interest coupled with the results of a need to understand and master the Arte. Confidence is born of knowledge and familiarity. Only the committed student will consider it 'worth his timer' to spent the required many hours of study and practice needed to gain the degree of familiarity which breeds confidence.

Even before such confidence is gained, or familiarity attained, the natural magickian will present himself or herself in an intelligent, serious and mature manner in situations where the subject is discussed. Those individuals who we see always apologizing for the actual or supposed ignorance, who are freely willing to declare they are ignorant or incapable, or who are always concerned or ashamed that other know or can do more than them are plentiful in occult circles. Unfortunately many a capable and potentially successful female occultist is seen to fall victim to such behaviour time and time again. This shows that they do not possess a good self image and are not willing, at the present, to seriously entertain the idea that they may actually be a lot more capable than they give themselves credit for. I am not talking, here, about those kinds of personality that put themselves down in the hope to attract positive feed back from others, such individuals do not, I believe, really think they are incapable at all. Instead I refer to those persons who really do believe they are inferior in the capabilities.

The student who desires to succeed in magick must never fall victim to entertaining the idea (on a regular basis) that they are incapable. This is exactly the kind of attitude the produces failure. It is an occult maxim that we are all inherently divine, all inherently capable of anything and everything, it is just a matter, of discovering the key to unlocking any ability or faculty we desire to enhance.

In this way the student of magick should always be willing to try new things. He or she should never approach any new situation or experience with a habitual 'I can't do that'. The Mages attitude is that 'we can never know until we try, whether or not we already have the ability to exercise a certain faculty'. Even then, if we discover something is distasteful or very difficult to do then we know that all we have to to is alter our view and beliefs in order to produce the required results.

The individual who constantly shies away from certain tasks in his training, exclaiming a lack of ability is often just simply lazy or lacking self esteem. If it is the former then only discipline will overcome. If it is the latter then he needs to begin to practice confidence and demonstrate firm conviction in his chosen vocation, while at the same time dealing with the lack of self esteem.

The natural magickian also displays an inherent reverence for the sacred. It is impossible, or possibly dangerous, to gain headway in theurgy if one cannot cultivate a proper attitude towards the tools and special places of the Arte. Books must be cared for. Magickal words spoken with care. Robes and implements carefully stored away and preserved with loving care. Study lessons, teachers and other authorities must be treated with due respect. Sacred sites must never be desecrated in any manner. If these things are not observed then magick looses its ability to work for the person concerned, sometimes very slowly over a long period and sometimes very quickly. Respect. That is an important attitude to cultivate. But one must be careful to direct respect to the appropriate objects and subjects for it too is sacred and may loose its power to provide power if abused. One must not, for example, waste respect on superstitions or false authorities of any kind. If one was to do so then evil would gain power over good. It should also be remembered that there are different types of respect and to this point I have referred only to reverend respect. When speaking of, or faced with evil we must also display respect but this is not reverend but due respect for a force which is powerful and can cause great harm if under-estimated.

When considering attitude we must take care that we consider our attitude to ourselves as well as the attitudes we should display to outer objects, subjects and situations. One of the most common bad attitudes about self I have come across in occultists is pride and inflated ego. Most occultist would agree, if being honest, that ego, firstly, and pride a close second, are both fatal diseases to which many an occultist falls victim , either periodically, for a time or permanently. Ego faults can manifest in many many ways. Pride is one. Self centredness to the primary exclusion of others is another. Arrogance, megalomania and violence are not so common but certainly not unheard of. To avoid all of these some simple measures, as adjustments in attitude, are necessary.

Always be ready to discover that you are wrong. Invite intelligent debate about your personally held beliefs and philosophies. It is dangerous to keep your personal philosophies and beliefs to yourself. Especially those which are 'core' or 'foundation' beliefs or ideals. A worthy occultist should always be ready to sacrifice ideas and beliefs which are proved to be irrational, inconsistent or false. I have met many an elder occultist who has, later in life, fallen victim to the confusion, anxiety and illness that can develop from clinging onto ideas and beliefs which form the foundation and infra-structure of their personal philosophy. This is a greatly overlooked area of potential disaster, to the individual, in the realm of occultism so should be given a great deal of thought. Core ideals should only be accepted when they are proved to be truths under the trial of experiment. Ideals which are untested in reality or lies! Psychological poison.