So, like, I create a difference between magic and magick. Magic is like stage magic. It's tricks that trick other people. Magick on the other hand is the real deal. No, I'm not talking about casting magick missile or enchanting your 5 staff of ultimate dongship. No, see, belief in real miracles and other impossibilities is important for reasons I'll get into in a second, but what magick is in the rational is tricks to trick your own mind.

I'll give you a real simple example: with my ADHD, I have a hard time getting up and just doing the dishes. I want to do the chore, but I can't motivate myself to simply do fifteen minutes at the kitchen sink. So, I figured out a trick: by using an egg timer, I can set it to like ten minutes in the future, and then when it dings I can suddenly get my lazy ass up and do what I intended to do. I suspect It has something to do with my dopamine, like the sound effects video games use. Another trick for ADHD relief: rampant amphetamine use. Mmmm....crystals....

Oh...sorry...just being stupid for comedic effect for a second there. Here's a more complex example of magick. Pondering something and just can't make up your mind? Pick up a random book, turn to a random page and read a random paragraph. This is actually using the same trick behind tarot; you're going to project your own thoughts onto the available symbolism and if you pay attention to what your attention does, you can gain insight into your own unconscious. This works worse for some writing, like Playboy magazines, and particularly well with certain books with great descriptor systems, such as the I Ching. Likewise, it works better with the more faith you have in the practice, which leads us to our next point.

Faith is critically important in advanced magick. You want to cast a spell that will change your emotions or go through a ritual to change your own perspective? You better have solid faith in what you wish to work. I believed aliens were controlling my reality to send me synchronicities before, which led me to the point where I became psychotic, but damn did I do a butt-ton of spiritual work during that period. See, it's a matter of over-riding mechanical algorithms and structural architecture in the brain. A good witch or wizard or warlock or muggle enthusiast can mess with the logic of their mind to make themselves believe anything at will.

Thus comes the question: if you could believe anything, what's the best thing to believe? You may have your own answer right now, but I implore you, the most stable and beneficial set of beliefs will grow within the believer a great degree of love, wisdom, and power in a balanced fashion. Cohesiveness, mindfulness, and agency. These are the three pillars of God. Those three things will grow you and your loved ones tall and of good morality moving into the future.

That's actually some deep esoteric knowledge that is repressed by the church because the Christian philosophy is to follow the path of Christ, which if done right (a lot of people who call themselves Christian aren't actually following the path), will provide safe growth of those three pillars. Magick schools offer alternative paths where some work better for some people and can potentially maximize your personal growth. They could also go horribly wrong and lead to imbalance, which can lead to countless bad effects.

I've heard of people messing with their logic circuits effectively bricking their brain, but I'm of two minds of that. On one hand, I want it to be true so there is a real example of catastrophic failure outside of pursuing something ass-tarded like blood magick, but at the same time I don't believe it's possible to manipulate your brain to that degree. But, I've also seen self-immolating monks, so maybe magick is really that capable of mastering or ruining your brain.

Regardless if that's a viable mode of thought to frame magick in, there is no doubt that there are countless brainhacks out there in various mysticism schools and esoteric teachings. Learn yourself some, and become the most that you can be. Personally, I'm going to become a demigoddess and take over the planet with all my knowledge of the aethereal (Protip: it's really sticky).