There are many methods by which anyone can get anything they want. Thelemites are, of course, familiar with Crowley's definition of magick as the method by which reality is changed in accord with one's will. The art and practice of magick frequently involves a long-term process of self-development and understanding and can be seen as a primary tool of personal growth. The methods and philosophies of magick are well documented these days, and there really is no substitute for a wide base of occult understanding.

Those with little or no personal experience with magick frequently suffer from the is perception that white magick is stuff that relates only to the Great Work™ and black magick is stuff that relates to getting what you really want. Consequently, the idea of using magick for personal gain has received a lot of bad press. The following activity will not be called “magick” for this reason. Any resemblance of the following to an act of magick is hereby deemed “coincidental.”

This is the simple four-step process to get anything desired:

1. Decide what you want
2. Define what your goal is and what it is not
3. Plan to get what you want
4. Do your plan

Before it is experienced, the following method may seem too simple. Obviously, a full description of the process is slightly more complicated, or this article would be over. As a framework upon which to weave one's own dreams, this method is simple enough to cover most needs, yet complete enough to be fully self-contained. Here follows a full description of the process.

Decide what you want

This may seem like an obvious step, but so often, it is forgotten. Without a firm idea of what is truly wanted—without a goal—no amount of trying will get one any closer to get anything or anywhere. It is important at this stage to recognize that the desire for change is ultimately rooted in some personal behavior or necessity. One may want to change others, but only the self can be changed. This desire should thus be expressed in terms of a personal change or experience.

Should you find that a sentence or two has been written about your object of desire, another, brief, description should be written. The shortest description of the desired goal is called the “target phrase.”

Define what you goal is and what it is not

It's all good and well to decide to want something, but without a firm idea about what that thing is and what it isn't, there is little chance that what you get will be anything like what you imagined. This is a good opportunity to practice constructive list-building. Take two sheets of paper and write the target phrase at the top of both pages. On the first page, end the target phrase with "IS", on the other, end the phrase with "IS NOT".

Begin by writing a simple sentences describing the object of desire. If a description uses negation, put that sentence on the "IS NOT" page, otherwise, put it on the "IS" page. Brainstorm for more sentences, even if they seem obvious. Make sure what you write is true, not only for the object desired, but also for yourself. Anything that prevents you from getting what you want should also be put on the "IS NOT" page.

After the desire has been fully described, examine your two lists. For each item on the "IS NOT" page, there should be a corresponding item on the "IS" page which can replace it. Create such sentences as necessary. Once all of your "IS NOT"s have been negated by corresponding "IS"s, throw the "IS NOT" page away. Burn it, if you think doing so might make you feel better.

Plan to get what you want

Go down the "IS" list, called the "description list," and look for anything you already have and mark it with a dash. Anything that seems like it would be easy to get right now, mark with a star. Things which appear to require some effort, but which are not impossible, mark with a cross. Remaining items should be marked with a bang (exclamation point), and represent things which seem very difficult, if not impossible, to get.

The plan is created from the marked description list. Start with a fresh sheet of paper and write "PLAN" on the top. Write the word "GIVEN" on the next line, followed by all of the items marked with a dash on the description list. Skip a line and write "To Do". For each item in your description list marked with a star, write that item in your PLAN, followed by a few sentences describing how that particular point can be had. Continue the process with the items marked with a cross, but expect to write a paragraph or two about each one. If, during the process of writing out this part of the plan, an item appears to be far more difficult than expected, change its star or cross to a bang on the description list and cross it out of the plan for now.

At this point, you should have a description list describing the object of desire, and a plan which describes most, if not all, of the things you need to do to get what you want. Anything in your description list marked impossible (with a bang) should become the object of serious meditation. Ask yourself if this item is really part of what you want. Ask yourself why it is impossible and try to find a way for it to become possible. Ultimately, each such item can be broken down like your main object of your desire as a separate process.

Do your plan

Up until now, this method has required little or no effort from the participant other than a good amount of thinking and writing. Unless this last step is taken, all the above preparation will be for naught. This is where you go down your PLAN and do those things that you know will bring you closer to where you want to be. You do not need to wait until your plan is complete to begin doing it. It's easier to do the simple things first, anyway, and that rapid reinforcement of simple goals met gives one motivation to complete the full task, making even the more difficult tasks seem easier as one goes along. Actually working on the plan is incentive to finish writing it, as well.

Once you've begun writing your plan, try to read it out loud each morning. As you accomplish each item on the list, cross it out on the plan. Try to keep a record of what you do to accomplish each task, how it went, and what its results were. Periodically review your progress and decide if you need to change some aspect of your approach.

As time wears on, the action items in your plan may change. Desired items can fall away and be replaced by other items, so if the description list changes, it should follow that the PLAN would change appropriately. Should your plan take a long time to complete, you can expect it to change frequently. Like life.

If you find yourself midway through your plan without any motivation to complete it, go through the whole process again from where you are. Sometimes it helps to take stock of your current position, to reaffirm that this is what you want or to give yourself the chance to decide that it's not really what you want. It's okay to do this. It is better to quit when you realize you should than to spend time and energy proceeding towards something you don't really want.

Proof

There's no final exam on this method, no place to go prove that you have made it all the way through. Its only proof is in its implementation. When you get to the end of your plan, you either have what you wanted or you have decided that it wasn't something you wanted. Either way, the desire for something will be satiated. Any energy spent this way will be used constructively, encouraging self-understanding. And the more you understand about yourself now, the easier it will be to make yourself happy later.

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