Magick is the art of achieving results by using your Will. This is not the same as magic, which is using conjuring tricks and sleight of hand.

A lot of people are scared by Magick - they assume that anything that involves some kind of process or ritual must be evil - "black magic", or Satanism.

Actually, most religions make use of ritual; not all, to be sure - and many Christian groups (such as Methodists, Quakers and many fundamentalists) eschew the use of ritual altogether. However, ritual plays a major part in many Christian groups, such as Anglicans and Roman Catholics, and yet is not generally considered evil. We have probably been exposed to far too many films showing "Black Masses", and strange looking people dressed in robes, chanting strange names and summoning up the devil.

Real Magick is not like this. I suppose that as Magick is achieving results using Will, if your Will is to further your ego without regard for others, then Magick can be used for negative purposes. This is ultimately futile, as it will backfire on you. Your Will should be in harmony with the Universe - if you try to go against the Universe, to swim against the tide, you will ultimately fail.

Magick has had something of a bad press. A famous magician, Aleister Crowley, was reviled by the popular press as "the most evil man in England" for describing himself as the reincarnation of the Beast 666, and for formulating his Law:

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law".

Many people took this to mean that you should do what ever you want, without regard for others. It doesn't. It means that you should act in accordance with your Will, and that your Will is in tune with the Universe at large. Crowley was never a good diplomat, and positively revelled in winding people up and in his notorious reputation - he was a difficult man to get on with, by all accounts, was appallingly egotistical, and had a rather wicked sense of humour; but he was certainly no Satanist.

 Magicians are often asked "Can you do real magic? Can you create things out of thin air, or summon up beings, or make someone love you, or gain great wealth?". The answer is: yes, but not if you do it purely for your own ends. But you can effect a change within yourself that brings to you that which you need. And that's REAL magick.