Free Dream Magic: Awakenings by Dawn Harshaw Page B

say that ritual magic is an obvious offshoot of focus magic, since concentrating and channeling is the primary domain of focus magic. If you ask elementalists, they will say that ritual magic is part of earth magic, as it deals with formation and stability. There are other theories too, but I prefer a simpler viewpoint." He paused.
    "Humans are creatures of habit. You are young and may not fully realize the impact of this statement. As you grow and become more experienced, you'll notice people around you falling into obvious habitual patterns: thought patterns, emotional responses, social behavior - in about that order. People become predictable, and even worse, they develop a certain blindness towards themselves."
    Mr. Smith thumped on his knee.
    "Habits are powerful things. If uncontrolled, habits are something that happen to you, something that you fall into. The most devious nightmares appear when your fear gains control of your habits. In such a state, the breaking of habits is of utmost importance."
    "Thankfully, habits can be controlled, and moreso, consciously cultivated. On the individual level, most of ritual magic is about harnessing the power of such cultivated habits. Can you tell me what you think a magic spell is?"
    Lucy took out her handbook and started flipping through it.
    "An incantation," Rose said.
    "A formula?" Eric asked.
    "An incantation or a written formula is often a part of a spell, but rarely the wholeness of it. If we're talking about a formula in the sense of an algorithm, then we're closer to the mark," Mr. Smith said.
    Lucy found what she was looking for and read aloud from the book: "...every magic spell is in fact the habitual application of ritual magic: a string of gestures, movement, mental or emotional steps etc. that can efficiently, reliably, quickly and repeatably lead to the desired magical outcome."
    "Hey, that's cheating! You're not supposed to read the answer from the book," Rose said.
    Lucy slammed the book shut. "No, it isn't."
    "Yes, it is," Rose said emphatically.
    Eric rolled his eyes.
    "That's a decent definition," Mr. Smith said. "Mastering an individual spell is about conditioning your mind and body to make the familiar steps of achieving a familiar intermediary goal. If you cast a spell a thousand times, and if you pay at least a little attention to what you're doing, you will certainly improve. Practice makes perfect, as they say. From then on, casting that spell will require minimal conscious effort, thus freeing you from the 'how' and enabling you to focus on the goal."
    "So, you carve the spell into your brain," Eric said.
    "That's an interesting view, if a little simplistic. Yes, the pathways of a spell become carved into your brain through practice. Any questions?"
    "Don't we have to memorize spells?" Lucy asked.
    "It is common practice for mages to jot down ideas in a spellbook, much like cooks or alchemists collect recipes in a cookbook. Study and memorization are beneficial for researching and designing a spell, but are not integral parts of spellcasting. In other words, a recipe is not enough - it takes a master chef's art and experience to create a culinary marvel."
    "That bacon we ate was pretty tasty... just sayin'," Eric whispered to Rose.
    "Simple is often better, I agree," Mr. Smith said.
     
    * * *
     
    Again!
    Knees slightly bent, Eric stepped back with his right foot, drew his hands to his right hip and pushed out, focusing on the air sphere to contain the fire bursting forth from his hand. He did it the way Ohlson taught him before, but the results were still not satisfactory.
Much better than the flame jet, though.
The fire that left his hand bumped against the magic sphere containing it, curled within it, but the restrictive air shape dissipated soon enough and the fire lashed out in the direction it was travelling towards. The flames flashed, and then disappeared, leaving a trail of smoke which promptly disappeared too.
    Eric sighed.
    Mr. Smith was