What do you think?
Rate this book
How Magic Works #1
The Process of Magic: A Guide to How Magic Works
Learn how magic works and how to get consistent results.
There are lots of books about magic, but how many of them actually explain how magic works or more importantly how to get a consistent result that meaningfully changes your life?
The Process of Magic strips away the glamour and image of magic to focus on the reality of how magic works and what you can do to customize your magical workings.
Instead of relying on prescriptive spells and rituals, why not learn the fundamental mechanics of magic and design your own workings?
With the Process of Magic you’ll learn exactly that and much
· What the 11 principles of magic are and how they create your magical workings.
· What the 8 types of magic workings are and how to customize them.
· How to methodically approach magic as a process that produces results.
· How to troubleshoot and fix your magical workings.
· How to get results that last.
If you’ve ever gotten results that don’t stick, or tried to do a working and come away feeling like nothing worked, then The Process of Magic will help you demystify magic and make it into a spiritual practice you can use to improve and enhance your life.
There are lots of books about magic, but how many of them actually explain how magic works or more importantly how to get a consistent result that meaningfully changes your life?
The Process of Magic strips away the glamour and image of magic to focus on the reality of how magic works and what you can do to customize your magical workings.
Instead of relying on prescriptive spells and rituals, why not learn the fundamental mechanics of magic and design your own workings?
With the Process of Magic you’ll learn exactly that and much
· What the 11 principles of magic are and how they create your magical workings.
· What the 8 types of magic workings are and how to customize them.
· How to methodically approach magic as a process that produces results.
· How to troubleshoot and fix your magical workings.
· How to get results that last.
If you’ve ever gotten results that don’t stick, or tried to do a working and come away feeling like nothing worked, then The Process of Magic will help you demystify magic and make it into a spiritual practice you can use to improve and enhance your life.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2018
95 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Taylor Ellwood
98 books160 followersI'm Taylor Ellwood.
I've been writing since I was a teenager. I published my first book in 2003 and since then have continued writing and publishing books regularly on a number of topics.
I originally started out in the traditional publishing world, but I have since become a self-publisher. I love being an indie author and write both fiction and non-fiction.
Check out at my zombie apocalypse fiction reader group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/imagi...
Check out my occult reader group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Magic...
I write in the following genres:
1. Occult/esoteric books - I share my experiences and experiment with magic and the occult. I write cutting edge books that explore what could magic can be and how it can evolve. Here are links to just a few of the books I've written in the occult genre
The Process of Magic: A Guide to How Magic Works
Inner Alchemy: Energy Work and the Magic of the Body
Walking with Magical Entities: How to Create and Work with Servitors, Egregores, and Thought Forms to Get Consistent Results
Pop Culture Magick: A How to Guide to Practical Pop Culture Magick
Space/Time Magic: A Guide to Practical Probability Magic
2. Fiction books - I write fiction books, currently in the superhero fiction and zombie apocalypse fiction genres, but there will be other genres as well. Here are links to a few of the Fiction books I've written:
The Zombie Apocalypse Call Center
Learning How to Fly
I've been writing since I was a teenager. I published my first book in 2003 and since then have continued writing and publishing books regularly on a number of topics.
I originally started out in the traditional publishing world, but I have since become a self-publisher. I love being an indie author and write both fiction and non-fiction.
Check out at my zombie apocalypse fiction reader group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/imagi...
Check out my occult reader group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Magic...
I write in the following genres:
1. Occult/esoteric books - I share my experiences and experiment with magic and the occult. I write cutting edge books that explore what could magic can be and how it can evolve. Here are links to just a few of the books I've written in the occult genre
The Process of Magic: A Guide to How Magic Works
Inner Alchemy: Energy Work and the Magic of the Body
Walking with Magical Entities: How to Create and Work with Servitors, Egregores, and Thought Forms to Get Consistent Results
Pop Culture Magick: A How to Guide to Practical Pop Culture Magick
Space/Time Magic: A Guide to Practical Probability Magic
2. Fiction books - I write fiction books, currently in the superhero fiction and zombie apocalypse fiction genres, but there will be other genres as well. Here are links to a few of the Fiction books I've written:
The Zombie Apocalypse Call Center
Learning How to Fly
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 23, 2018
I have read about 60 books on magic over the last year, and I would put this in the top 3. The work is the only one I know of that explains magical processes and gives magicians of any experience level the perspective to clearly analyze their practices. The author shares personal experiences, clearly explaining each idea using examples. I liked that the focus throughout the work is on the fact that magic is a highly individual practice, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Those familiar with the author's work will recognize many themes, including magical identity, space-time magic, pop culture magic, etc. but this work offers a new perspective on what these have in common and how they fit together.
September 13, 2022
Firstly I’d like to say that this audiobook is of great quality. I know we’ve all tried to listen to an audiobook and had the quality be poor, but you will not find that to be the case here.
As for the book itself Taylor has put together a no nonsense book on the inner workings of magic that is stripped of the colorful trappings we each lay over the gears and levers of our magic. He also shines a light on some components that I don’t find many, if any, other magicians focus on, ourselves. Our thoughts and beliefs, and how these personal touches factor in to our magical workings. This is a book that I would feel comfortable handing to a beginner and an adept in equal measure. I’m happy to have it in my library, and plan to reread it several times to glen as many morsels from it as possible.
As for the book itself Taylor has put together a no nonsense book on the inner workings of magic that is stripped of the colorful trappings we each lay over the gears and levers of our magic. He also shines a light on some components that I don’t find many, if any, other magicians focus on, ourselves. Our thoughts and beliefs, and how these personal touches factor in to our magical workings. This is a book that I would feel comfortable handing to a beginner and an adept in equal measure. I’m happy to have it in my library, and plan to reread it several times to glen as many morsels from it as possible.
July 13, 2019
This book is basically an explanation and investigation of all the different tools and processes used in the Western occult traditions. So, given this, it's a great introductory book and a great book for advanced practitioners because it would tell a beginner all the need to know about the basics and it invites an advanced practitioner to explore the meaning of all of the basics and tools and processes and beliefs.
The basic point is to explore the different facets of the tradition to see what's essential and non-essential for you. It covers tools, beliefs, processes, etc. and asks you to explore how they function in your practice. It's also a great guide for troubleshooting your own practice. Highly recommend if you're a serious practitioner.
The basic point is to explore the different facets of the tradition to see what's essential and non-essential for you. It covers tools, beliefs, processes, etc. and asks you to explore how they function in your practice. It's also a great guide for troubleshooting your own practice. Highly recommend if you're a serious practitioner.
January 6, 2019
This book came at a time when I was in a rut. I didn't know where to go but questioning my own process and techniques was the perfect answer. This book gives the practitioner questions that help them discover more about and understand their own style. It doesn't follow any paradigm but is compatible with many styles. The writing was fluid. I enjoyed this immensely. It helps to question everything but sometimes it's good to be reminded of the right questions.
January 6, 2019
Was given a review copy of the audiobook. Very high quality. Abolutely wonderful book on how to re-think practical magic so that it is more user friendly and useful. Extremely thoughtful and insightful analysis of how and why magic works and ways to apply that to your practice. Loved it so much I bought a paperback copy and read that, also. If your practice isn't getting results or you are put off by all the restraints on doing magic a certain way, give this a try. Highly recommend.
November 1, 2020
Packed with useful information
Interesting & thought provoking. Enjoyed the book thoroughly. Makes the reader think about how they could help with the magickal process.
Interesting & thought provoking. Enjoyed the book thoroughly. Makes the reader think about how they could help with the magickal process.
Read
March 12, 2021An excerpt from the Process of Magic
Magic is a process. Strip away all the religious trappings, esoteric terminology, and ceremonial tools and what you have is a process that people use to turn possibility into reality. Understanding this process is all you really need to successfully practice magic. Everything else is icing on the cake, and yet that icing is the expression of the process of magic for each person.
Where most people get hung up with magic is that they mistake the icing for the actual cake. They focus on the candles, the incense, the oils, and frankly the image of magic, without really going deep and exploring the actual reality of magic. The icing isn’t the cake, and the image of magic isn’t the reality of magic.
Why use process?
I use the word process because a process is a mapped out activity that defines specific results as well as actions taken to achieve those results, and it also defines the relevant participants needed to execute those actions. A process approach to magic allows you to examine your activities and analyze what is working and what isn't working, as well as determine what you need to do to resolve the weak links in your magical process. Such an approach allows you to understand how magic works, which in my opinion, is essential for being able to use it as a proactive force in your life.
In western occultism, the typical usage for magic is reactive. A problem occurs and you use magic to resolve the crisis. And if the result goes away, try again. You'll even have authors advocate that you don't need to know how magic works (makes me wonder why they're writing about it), so long as it does work. But with such an approach, inevitably magic won't work and you'll be left dealing with a problem that could've been resolved if you simply understand how magic works, and didn't treat it as a push button phenomenon.
A proactive approach to magical practice looks to resolve problems before they become problems. It puts the burden of responsibility on the magician to not merely be proficient in magical techniques, but also to be proficient in a skill that is essential for truly mastering magic: Know thyself magician. To know yourself is to know your place in your magical process. More importantly to know yourself allows you to recognize your weaknesses, both as a person, and magician, and start working toward resolving them before they become problems that cause undue drama in your life and the lives of others.
Magic is a process. Strip away all the religious trappings, esoteric terminology, and ceremonial tools and what you have is a process that people use to turn possibility into reality. Understanding this process is all you really need to successfully practice magic. Everything else is icing on the cake, and yet that icing is the expression of the process of magic for each person.
Where most people get hung up with magic is that they mistake the icing for the actual cake. They focus on the candles, the incense, the oils, and frankly the image of magic, without really going deep and exploring the actual reality of magic. The icing isn’t the cake, and the image of magic isn’t the reality of magic.
Why use process?
I use the word process because a process is a mapped out activity that defines specific results as well as actions taken to achieve those results, and it also defines the relevant participants needed to execute those actions. A process approach to magic allows you to examine your activities and analyze what is working and what isn't working, as well as determine what you need to do to resolve the weak links in your magical process. Such an approach allows you to understand how magic works, which in my opinion, is essential for being able to use it as a proactive force in your life.
In western occultism, the typical usage for magic is reactive. A problem occurs and you use magic to resolve the crisis. And if the result goes away, try again. You'll even have authors advocate that you don't need to know how magic works (makes me wonder why they're writing about it), so long as it does work. But with such an approach, inevitably magic won't work and you'll be left dealing with a problem that could've been resolved if you simply understand how magic works, and didn't treat it as a push button phenomenon.
A proactive approach to magical practice looks to resolve problems before they become problems. It puts the burden of responsibility on the magician to not merely be proficient in magical techniques, but also to be proficient in a skill that is essential for truly mastering magic: Know thyself magician. To know yourself is to know your place in your magical process. More importantly to know yourself allows you to recognize your weaknesses, both as a person, and magician, and start working toward resolving them before they become problems that cause undue drama in your life and the lives of others.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews