or all its
endless possibilities, even Magic is not without its share of governing laws.
Like so many other things in this life, Magic is, by and large, a force to
be respected, preserved, and (if need be) defended! With that in mind,
it is now my privilege, both as a Mage and as a chronicler of things Magical,
to share with you.....
The first and probably the most important rule one may encounter should one wish to attempt to practice Thaumaturgy is that the Discipline is not intended nor should it be used specifically for the purposes of play and/or amusement. This does not apply, however --- nor do I believe should it --- if the practicing Mage is in the presence of children; furthermore, per the traditions of most Mages throughout the course of History, children have been known to exhibit a certain fondness for the Discipline, and, therefore, belief therein. It is a fondness which they themselves must be able to develop in certain ways.
The second important rule to be encountered by any would-be Wizard is that the forces of good and evil are not always portrayed in black and white. One of our wisest and most beloved sages, one Obi-wan Kenobi by name, once warned the apprentices of his generation, "Your eyes can play tricks on you. Don't trust them." Actually, the unceasing struggle between Light and Darkness follows a basic hexagonal pattern, in that there are six primary elements: Lawful good, unlawful good and neutral good; and lawful evil, unlawful evil and neutral evil.
Those Wizards who cast their spells in the name of "lawful good" are those who, by tradition, practice their craft in accordance with and in proper respect to the laws of Nature; whereas "unlawful good" sorcery is practiced by those Mages for whom said laws are often antiquated. "Neutral good" sorcery, meanwhile, is the domain of those Wizards who, either of their own free will or by accident and/or by design, otherwise could not care less.
Similarly, the Mages who practice their spells in the name of evil are bound to the same Hexagonal Pattern. The strongest of these specific Sorcerers are often referred to as Necromancers --- and, as such, have absolutely neither respect nor tolerance for the laws of nature. Indeed, the majority of these Necromancers, according to legends written by historians of the era, cast their spells using sentient (or living) beings, including but not limited to Mortals, with the results often proving fatal.
The discoverers of the Hexagonal Pattern of Light and Darkness based their theorems on the notion that, if both good and evil were to continue unchecked in the Realm of the Mortals, a certain balance of power would need to be constantly maintained --- and often, such maintenance would need to be accomplished in ways not necessarily understood by Humans. Thus was it made a law by the High Istari that no practicing Sorcerer or Mage would be permitted to cast any kind of spell, good or bad, with the use of a sentient being. Failure to comply with this specific Magelaw would constitute a breach of the space-time continuum, for which the most severe penalty was usually death.
A further thing to learn in terms of the development of potential powers of Magecraft is for the would-be sorcerer to remember that Magic per se is primarily based upon the knowledge of certain principles of the laws of Nature, and the application of said principles. For example, a sentient being can, if given the proper tools, construct a computer system (though not necessarily one of the so-called 'multimedia' systems) from mere bits and pieces; further, one must recall that there exists no "impossibility" regarding the use and application of Magic.
There are basically three principal ranks in the Discipline of Thaumauturgy: apprentice, adept and Mage, with Mage being the ultimate level. In the rank of apprentice, there are six levels; the lowest of these, Level One, or Level A, is reserved for those first-time users of the Craft, while Level Six, the highest rank of apprenticeship, marks the official 'coming-of-age' period for the potential sorcerer, who, as a result, now has the ability to begin studying as an adept.
There are twelve main levels in the adept class of the Discipline. Level One adepts are the beginners; those adepts who reach Level 12 are the veterans --- the individuals who, after approximately 14 years of tutoring under the aegis of the teaching Wizard, are but a step away from being proclaimed Mage. With the rank and title of Mage comes the right and privilege to classify oneself as a Wizard; however, usage of the word 'Mage' is often recommended, primarily as a symbolic gesture of respect.
Mages come, unexpectedly, from all walks of life. Moreover, they also come from all timeframes, all centuries, all legends. And their greatest and most important claim to fame lies in their basic ability to rise above the petty differences, arguments and jealousies of mere Mortals. To a Mage, the negative behaviours of the Mortals are merely instruments in what they have long described as the eventual erosion of society as presently constituted. For these and other reasons, then, our Great and Exalted Brother Merlin --- he who is known throughout the Greater Multiverse, and all regions beyond, as Merlin Ambrosius, or simply Merlin the Magician --- sought, in the late 33rd Century, Mortal-reckoning, to initiate an elite academy for the teaching and preservation of the Thaumaturgic Arts. The results of his efforts during that period are ranked among the great landmarks in the history of Magecraft; indeed, without the founding of what would later be known as the International Thaumaturgical Commission, the council known as the Grand High Istari would never have materialized in the Mortals' Realm.
The following comments by Merlin were transcribed by the Mortal called Thomas Malory from an interview with him which was conducted by the veteran London-based historian and television journalist Robin Winters. These remarks represent perhaps the best description yet regarding the basic elements of the Discipline of Thaumaturgy, and what the Mortals of the Terran solar system must do in order to achieve the ability to control said elements:
"The Universe is composed of opposites, what some may call the masculine and feminine principles, or, as the Oriental scholars call them, the ying and the yang. When these two principles are complementary, the Universe may be said to be in complete Harmony. Yet when they are not complementary, then it merely amounts to little more than discord. One may tend to consider the human mind as a basic model of such principles. As you know, the mind is of two aspects. One is the logical, reasoning faculty --- that which one may call the masculine, or the Left Brain; the other is the intuitive faculty, i.e., the feminine, or Right Brain. Each has its purpose, and they are meant to be complementary --- which, in fact, they are. However, in most people, the Left Brain is the more dominant --- that which reasons by means of logic and rationale --- whereas the Right Brain, that which is intuitive and receptive, is mostly passive. So passive, in fact, that one may regard it as being stunted in terms of its development.
"The present technological society has encouraged, in certain cases instigated, the development of the mind's masculine, controlling, logical faculty; whereas the feminine, receptive, intuitive side has tragically fallen into disuse. During my travels in the Mortals' Realm, I have heard the expression 'It's a man's world,' and there is a kind of truth to that, although not in the literal sense. People are crowded together in large cities, with dense populations, surrounded by the emanations of Mankind's technological achievements, cut off from the pastoral world. I myself find it disquieting to adjust to such surroundings, and while I don't permit myself to be completely intuitively deafened by them, I simply spend my days paying greater attention.
"Most people these days seem to be very inattentive. Needless to say, that's because there's so much in this world to pay more attention to! It is always difficult to pay attention to absolutely everything, and remain in a constant state of alertness and receptivity. More often than not, Mortals choose what things they will and won't respond to. I, frankly, would advise such people that all we need to do in the end is to basically stop distracting ourselves and learn to become less preoccupied with our own concerns --- which is to say, we must relax ourselves into an attentive state, as opposed to driving ourselves purely with directed logic."
In these remarks, our Exalted Brother Merlin concluded ultimately that only by seeing the Universe through a child's eyes, while simultaneously exercising the will of an adult, can one truly take the first step toward mastering the Discipline of Thaumaturgy. Thousands upon thousands of apprentices, adepts and Mages, at various points in the history of Earth and other planets, have followed Merlin's example an eternity of times over. And no doubt, I believe that they shall do so again, perhaps unto this same, unchanging eternity. Still, what I have presented here represents only a small sample of the most basic rules for the proper practice of the Discipline of Thaumaturgy. These statements and facts are in no way representative of your Dragonmaster's own personal opinions. Rather, they were intended to inform, and hopefully enlighten. And if I have succeeded in accomplishing both those goals, I shall be very grateful indeed.
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