So why become a magus? A
few are born to it. This can be as simple as having a practitioner in the family
that passes on their knowledge, to those born to an initiated lineage. While
more common in cultures that accept magick, there remains families that
continue their traditions even in modern, Western societies. Most are not so
lucky.
Many a magus comes to the
art through an experience they had in their youth. They may have seen a ghost
or other spirit. They may have experienced or produced some kind of psychic
phenomena. Some have experienced trauma, such as a childhood illness or extreme
injury. Those who suffer near death experiences often report unexplained gifts
or knowledge they did not have prior to the event. An interest in magick can
also stem from location, having spent time in forests or fields, or on an
ocean, where they often spent time alone developing their imagination and a
sense for things unseen. This can happen at mid-life as well, when a magus has
an experience that shatters the sense of self and reveals much that they have
been taught to be illusion.
However, none of these
things are required to become a true magus. No agency, entity, bloodline, or
event bestows the ability to perform magick. All it truly requires is a belief
that something besides the material world exists, and the bravery to look for
it. Magi come from all walks of life, though most have counter-cultural and
rebellious tendencies. Magick itself being the ultimate act of rebellion—to try
and change society, culture, or perhaps the very nature of the universe.