One of the great, fundamental teachings that can help anyone getting starting in magickal practice is that of The Witch’s Pyramid, also known as the Four Pillars of Magick or the Four Power of the Magus.  Many of us may be familiar with the concept and the words, but how much thought have you given to the actual concept?  Do you put The Witch’s Pyramid into practice in your magickal life?  By knowing and understanding the concept of The Witch’s Pyramid and putting it into practice with both magickal working and ritual observance, we can find a major difference in how our spells manifest and in the connections that we create with the Divine and the Otherworld in honorary rites.

The Witch’s Pyramid is a model for effective magickal practice and consists of four basic principles.

• To Know
• To Dare
• To Will
• To Be Silent

The origins of this principle are somewhat debated thought it’s thought that it was developed out of practices within ceremonial and hermetic magick.  The phrase “The Witch’s Pyramid” is thought to just be a more modern naming of this (believed) ancient principle, adapted by modern Witches.  Christopher Penczak suggests in his book “The Inner Temple of Witchcraft” that it could be derived from the idea that some hold which states that magick and many magickal practices originate from Egypt, the land of pyramids.  It may also be that when placed in visual context we see this laid out in the shape of a pyramid, as shown below.

To Know
We all know the phrase “knowledge is power”, and in the case of magick, it certainly can be.  Knowing what you’re doing magickally, knowing your process, can be very important, but even more important is knowing yourself and knowing your true intentions behind your magickal actions.  This principle also can be tied to the element of earth within us.  By keeping our thoughts and intentions grounded in our work we have more of a clear path and more direction in what we’re doing.  Some also see this principle as being related to the element of air since it deals with the idea of thought and knowledge, areas that are typically ruled by the air element.

What this principle calls for us to do it to stop and think.  Sometimes thinking is one of the hardest parts of magick because we may find ourselves so driven by raw passion and emotions that we may find our minds not very clear but in the heat of the moment we are sure our direction is on track.  So the first thing that we need to do when working with the Pyramid and the idea of To Know is to be sure that we are in control of our thoughts and our intentions.

The next this is knowing our magickal procedure.  What is your plan for your magickal work?  Why techniques are you going to employ and what steps will you take to make that work happen.  Knowing what you’re going to be doing, knowing how the process works, what it takes to raise the necessary energy, knowing how to gather and direct that energy, all help to create the base foundation of your work.  Without that solid foundation there is no telling if the rest that is build upon it will just tumble.

This can also be summed up in the phrase of “Know thy self, Know thy Craft”.

To Dare
Corresponding to the element of air, To Dare deals with our thoughts and the use of the magickal mind, yet others might place this concept in alightment with water for the power of emotions that often back the daring task of casting spells and working magick.

To Dare asks us to do just that, to dare to do the work, to dare to take the risk and make that leap of faith.  One thing that many who are new to magick need to deal with on their first few forays into magick is fear.  Feeling fear, whether it’s fear of what you’re actually about to do or just the fear of the unknown in what you are doing, is a normal feeling, especially for those that are new to the Craft and working their first spells.  But fear needs to be faced and dealt with, head on, otherwise it becomes a crippling force and can keep you away from manifesting your desires, whether through magick or any other means.  

When you have fully worked with and realized the first principle of “To Know” the second principle of “To Dare” can be a lot less daunting.  But you still need to actually do the work and daring to make the magick happen is a critical step to make.

To Will
This principle is often related to the element of fire.  It takes some fire, some passion, some true desire to make your wishes become realty.  Fire helps us to manifest and here we must will what we desire into reality.

Will is also about discipline.  You need to be willing to follow up your magickal work in the mundane world as well.  It’s not just a matter of casting a spell at the altar and then walking away and calling your work done.  Casting the spell in the physical sense is just the begining of your work.  Now you need to have the will, or willpower, to back up your magickal work with mundane actions.  One of the great examples is when we cast a spell to find a job.  Once you have cast the spell you may very well get a call from a friend or family member out of the blue who may have found an oppertunity for you, but you’re far more likely to manifest your desires faster if you write out a resume and use it to apply for some positions.  Magick and energy follow the path of least resistance and by working with your energy you have put our there rather than against it, you’ll see faster, better results.

To Will also is a principle that deals with faith, but in this case faith in yourself knowing that you have done what you needed to and knowing that it will bring your desires into manifestation.  Being sure to keep your thoughts and actions in alignment with the work you have done takes a lot of personal will (i.e. not doubting your magickal work).  Doubt only sends negative energy toward what you have put out there, so keeping yourself mentally in line with what you have done keeps the energy flowing correctly.

To Be Silent
This is one of the more debated parts of this magickal concept because there are people that really don’t feel that one needs to keep their magickal work silent or secret while others believe very strongly in the idea that magickal work and the processes used in a spell, or even the fact that a spell has been cast, should never be share with anyone, save for those in your magickal circle or coven who may have been present at the time.  This principle is often related to the element of water because of need to keep emotions in check and under wraps within the magickal process.

To Keep Silent is often related to the idea of not sharing with others, especially the uninitiated, what one has done magickally.  The reason behind this is that if you share you magickal work and desires with someone that may disagree with you they would then have the ability to send negative energy (either intentionally or unintentionally) toward your work to possibly derail your efforts.  By not sharing this information with anyone you keep your work on track much easier.  The debate here often comes in with the idea that someone who isn’t magickally inclined wouldn’t have the knowledge to purposefully disrupt a magickal working or that they wouldn’t be able to generate the energy to do it.  Anyone who has ever just been in an emotional battle with another person, completely outside of the magickal realm, knows full well that the words, thoughts and emotions that can be generated through disagreement  can be powerful and if someone doesn’t want to see you get that new, high paying job you cast your spell for, regardless of their reasons, the thoughts and emotions they have generated with their desire to see you fail can be enough to send things off kilter.  So by keeping our work to ourselves we create a safeguard against possibly disruptions.

On the flip side of this debate some feel that by openly talking about their work they are sending more positive energy to it by personally acknowledging what they are working toward and therefore adding more fuel to the fire, so to speak.  This may very well be true, and in fact if discussing with others that are completely behind you, your work and your desires, their positive energy and desire to see you succeed can aid your work.  But this does need to beg the question “Can you ever truly know the intent and will of another?”

The other idea here is that magick isn’t meant to be flaunted; it’s a gift and a sacred art.  It’s not something for ego gratification and by treating it as such we not only cheapen our work but our gifts as well.  Some believe that by flaunting and boasting of magickal conquests ones magickal gifts can be taken away by the Gods.

The Connection of Spirit
Once these four principles are brought together one is able to them attain connection to Spirit through their magickal work and with the aid of Spirit your work will manifest with more clear and positive results. Spirit resides at the top of the pyramid and comes from that foundation of the other four practices.  In Wicca you can also connect this part of the pyramid to the concept of The Wiccan Rede, a sort of culmination and expression of these other four ideas in practice.

The Witch’s Pyramid is not something that is reserved for any single tradition and it is something that is used by magickal practitioners within spiritual paths like Wicca as well as by those that practice the magickal arts of Witchcraft outside of a religious context.  At it’s core it is a principle for working with energy and directing our magickal work in a more solid way that helps us to see results, grow our practice and overcome fear and obstacles that we face in the process.  Knowing the Pyramid and bringing it into your magickal practice can be very beneficial, especially for those that are still getting their grounding in the act of spellwork and ritual.

(This article is one that I originally wrote for another blog, Sacred Mists Blog, and I share it here with all of you to enjoy as well.)