New students of magic, whether they are part of a school or just solo seekers, sometimes have grandiose and romanticized ideas concerning the path ahead. There is anticipation of perhaps summoning a spiritual being from another realm and asking it questions about the future. For some young practitioners, a secret hope that magic will give them the means to enact revenge upon enemies from the past. Others want to find and cast a potent love spell, and of course plenty of magical newbs are plotting their conquest of the state lottery via as-yet-unlearned arcane operations. Everyone has a mind full of mystery and glamor; very few are focused on the seemingly bland and mundane processes that actually comprise a field of study.

Aspiring magicians must develop and/or refine numerous skill sets associated with learning and studying. Concentration must be established. Reading comprehension and retention are essential. The ability to contemplate steadily and a knack for impulsive brainstorming (so a flexible mind that can traverse its own spectrum fluidly) will enhance one’s experience greatly. Ultimately a solid pen and durable notepad will be of greater value to a serious initiate than a bag of crystals and a Holly wand.

The starry-eyed new ager doesn’t want to hear such glum talk. Mr. “quantum intention”, having no regard for technique and fundamentals in his world of make-believe toy sorcery, will surely balk.

The fact remains, no excellent magician (or witch, mage, sorceress, et al) came to his or her current place of prowess and power without the prosaic and practical (and proven!) processes of study that quite resemble the approach of a serious high school student.

Evoke and commune with the agents of Mercury, and they shall reiterate my point. Magic is an art form and science that is built upon knowledge and as mentioned already, skill.

Skill is acquired and increased through practice, and practice is devised from complete information plus trial and error. A journal is worth its weight in gold for making notes & questions, plus tracking results and ongoing observations. Any good instructional book on the subject of magic is the product of the author’s own magical study journal.

Here are just a few things you can do, as a student of magic, with your journal.

• Note any striking insights you have. These can add up to some amazing “Aha!” moments.

• Keep track of questions you want to ask more experienced practitioners. Then record the answers you get to the questions that you remembered to ask!

• Record any results after meditation or spell work; this will help you improve massively because you can replicate what works and stop wasting energy on what doesn’t.

• Keep daily logs in as much detail as you will. In this effort you’ll discover when your best times for this work or that practice come about. You can also track back to the origin of a problem or find out what you need to do to surmount a particular challenge.

• Come up with and measure good exercises for psychic sensitivity and magical aptitude. If you’re not tracking progress you aren’t making any!

• Set goals and stay on track for their completion.

You can spend money on leather binding with the cool, ivory pages, or just grab a spiralbound notebook. It’s the content that matters, even if it’s put down onto looseleaf pages.

If you haven’t already started at least one journal I urge you to do so this very minute.