The Sneakiness of Magicians

My godfather told me once that we do not speak of the work we’re doing—if we’re taking pictures of it for publicity, we should not publish those pictures until the work is finished and we should never let anyone know while a work is in progress. One of the reasons I don’t post many pictures of my work is that I have to wait until it’s done working to post anything, and because there are times when you simply don’t want people to know what you’re capable of.

Magicians and priests can be fiercely competitive, in a way that no 9-5 job could mimic.

In a house full of magicians and non-initiates, finding the privacy to do a working that takes months is almost an art form. I was always a sneaky child. Avoiding getting your ass beat will teach you how to move silently, which is additionally a challenge in a wooden house with a ton of squeaky or groaning joists. The non-initiates complain that I pop up behind them without warning, scaring them.

The initiates also complain, sometimes.

Early morning, late night, middle of the day if everyone’s out, I sneak down into the altar room and lay out cornmeal designs, to be swept up as soon as I’m done. Even an innocuous healing work has to be treated like state secrets. We’re all curious.

I used to live in the US south, where you learn to be polite because you never know who has a concealed weapon and poor self-control on meeting them. This reminds me rather strongly of the experience.

In an unfortunate way, being a working magician or priest requires a lot of sneakiness. Talking can spoil works. I don’t recommend this as a profession for anyone who needs approval or feels compelled to talk to other people about what they’re doing.

You need to be downright paranoid to do this well.