I want to talk about the Magician or Mage and some basics on skills and tools.
What makes a magician? Or what is magic exactly? It's a way to do anything one can imagine and the word Imagination is closely related to Magic. The things that can't be done in known ways are left to imagination and that's where magic is more noticed. But Magic is everywhere and in everything. It can be a phenomena or a way at looking at the world, or a spiritual practice (like Religion, which contains elements of Magic, and vice versa).
Magician is one who practices magic. A question is how to measure your magic power/strength, what to do to raise it, etc. Here I attempt to chart out some skills and tools (basic building blocks) to create a system for practicing magic.
Magic Skills
Skills can be divided into primary and secondary skills.
Primary Skills
(these are essential skills that other skills build on top of, or magician's essential qualities)
Will – Measures magic power. Concentration of energy. Translates directly into action (change of energy state).
Intent – Direction to Will. Precursor thought to Will. Will without intent in chaotic and weak and becomes stronger with stronger Intent.
Intellect – Capacity and potential for magic. Memory, Knowledge/Understanding. It can grow in depth and in width/size (broadening horizons).
Secondary Skills
Learning – is a skill to acquire skills, or learn skills. It's important because one can't have any other secondary skills if one can't learn. That one wouldn't be reading this either.
So this section includes most skills a human (or any spirit-creature) can have. The ones I have right now that are related to magic:
Conjuring – is Creating or Manifesting. More specifically, creating magic. (Casting)
Summoning – casting ritual. One can cast rituals for purposes other than Summoning, so Summoning is a more specific case of ritual casting.
Spellcasting – casting spells, sigils, etc.
The last two should probably turn into Invocation and Evocation.
Charisma – Social skill, communication, personality and identity, etc.
Firemaking – pretty specific skill, but also some of the earliest magic.
Mapmaking – I consider navigation very important skill.
Most known skills would fall into the secondary skills category in fact. The more important ones that relate to magic should be included here (personalized).
Here's a division of all skills into 6 major categories:
- Survival
- Combat
- Social
- Tech
- Spirit
- Art
1-2 are physical, 3-4 mental and 5-6 magical
Magic Tools
Another basic concept is Tool. Also very important, especially for crafting (since its dependent on tools). The picture above The Magician of Tarot Rider-Waite universal deck shows 4 common tools used in magic: Pentacle, Cup, Staff (or Wand) and Dagger. These are used in several magical systems and make an appearance all the time in magic. Staff is the most basic tool. Simply a stick that humans picked up when they were still monkeys (or Adam picked up on his first day, whatever you prefer).
The 4 Basic Tools and Their Representations
Staff / Wand – basic pointing tool, used for conjuring and casting (representing an extension of the Will).
Cup / Chalice – more of a social tool, communion (bonding tool), used for interaction with spirits and spirit-creatures.
Dagger / Knife / Athame / Sword – fighting tool, in magic rituals used to represent action (esp. actions associated with knife/weapon like Protection). In some traditions a Sword may have different significance than Athame or Dagger.
Pentacle / Pentagram – basically a symbol, used in rituals etc. These two words are essentially the same. In Wicca tradition Pentacle is a Pentagram in a circle. Pentacle can be used as an Amulet (to make it into an object).
These 4 describe some specific tools, but also generalize the basic types of tools. There may be many more specific tools used in magic, depending on what needs to be accomplished.
Other Tools
Key – physical object or piece of information used to decipher hidden information. For example, Periodic Table of Elements is a Key and a very powerful one. In this case a key is like a guide.
Orb / Sphere / Crystal Ball – watch a video on "World's roundest object", that is a magical object they're making (or made already).
Mirror, Black Mirror – mirrors are often used in magic. Black Mirror in particular is an interesting tool used in rituals. Water can be used in a similar way for its reflective properties. In Science, Mirrors commonly extend our range of view (vision) in some pretty amazing ways.
Book – source of knowledge, or information. Not as condensed as a Key though. Knowledge is the most powerful "tool" a magician has. While it is not necessary to read or write in order to practice magic, reading/writing is in itself a practice of magic (as in acquiring magical knowledge).
This video is on World's Roundest Object http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMByI4s-D-Y