There has been a fragmentation of the esoteric and mystical traditions in the West: orthodox spiritualities have usually retained the mystical content for themselves and rejected the esoteric or magical parts as in appropriate.

But they are a unified whole that cannot be split apart. Effective mysticism is esotericism,

Magic is often understood to mean cheap spells, illusions, and deception.

The true magician is theurgist literally “god worker” who mediates the operation of the divine in human affairs with the selflessness of the mystic. Theurgy is the term used by lamblichus to described magic, for by this means the qualities and powers of the gods are archetypically applied to the realms and actions of humanity.

In this respect, the magician acts solely as a burning glass or focus for the gods to effect a phenomenal action. This very process is, in the context of spirituality, identical to that of a priest and congregation at prayer for one intention.

At the end of every magical action, the energy is sent to its required end, perhaps to the healing of a person or situation. It is common practice to send the remaining energy of the ritual to any need throughout the world, often by means of invoking the World Soul, nature, or the Goddess, depending on the philosophy of the assembled group.

Sometimes a female practitioner is allotted the task of personifying the World Soul or angel of the planet Earth, that she may mediate the work more thoroughly. That this is the purpose of magic may surprise some, whose ideas are confused by occult practices as reported in the mass media. Unless the observer of a ritual is also experiencing these things, it is impossible to gain a clear impression what is going on; hence, the confusion.

Esotericism is primarily about the harmony between the seen and unseen realms, the Great Above and the Great Below, Heaven and Earth.

Because it operates by means of symbolic language, it is also called occult or hidden.