A few months ago I was wasting time on Twitter as usual, and came across a tweet by an online acquaintance referring to “magick.” I figured it was a typo, and messaged him to find out more.

That was the beginning of my introduction to the mysterious, strange, paradoxical world of “real magick.”

This isn’t about gimmicky magic tricks, hippie drum circles, or small-town goth teenagers on ouija boards. It’s a whole underground subculture of people who freely borrow ideas and techniques from the occult, religion, science, psychology, history, and anywhere else in order to “manifest their will into reality.” They sometimes distinguish their practice by adding a “k” at the end of “magic.”

I was recommended and read the book Advanced Magick for Beginners by Alan Chapman, a self-professed “magician” who recounts some of the history of magick through the ages, right up to the modern movement of “chaos magic,” which has predominated in recent years.

In the book, Chapman demystifies the field, boiling it down to a practical tool grounded in the laws of physics, while also maintaining the mystery and intrigue so necessary to inspire (self-)belief. I found it to be an intriguing mix of fact and fiction, story and theory, means and ends, all tied together as “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will.”

Here’s my complete highlights from the book if you’d like a preview.

Sometime later, talking to my friend Chloe Good, I realized that she is an experienced practitioner of this brand of practical magick. She had always displayed a curious mix of hard-edged scientific knowledge with inexplicable metaphysical abilities, and now I understood why.

Chloe has a coaching practice in which she works with high-performers to discover their purpose, overcome internal barriers, and ultimately create the life they want to live. Part life coach, part therapist, part spiritual guide, and part business consultant, she embodies better than anyone I know the post-modern way of life that “real magick” entails.

She’s also a leader in her field, consulting with Silicon Valley leaders and executives at companies like eBay, Accenture, Square, Facebook and various Bay Area start-ups. She also teaches a strengths-based leadership course at Stanford University. Most recently, she has launched an online course called Own Your Magic in which she teaches her methods for living a life of your own creation.

Watch the full recording of our conversation below, in which we talk about:

  • What is “magick” in the modern context?
  • What is your work and how does it incorporate magic?
  • What is the role of magic in business, productivity, and work?
  • What are some examples of how you use magic?
  • What is the role of belief, emotions, and mindset?
  • How is psychological baggage a hindrance to manifesting?
  • How do you work with clients and companies?
  • What are some practical ways of manifesting things into reality?

Chloe has generously offered Praxis readers the worksheet mentioned in the video, and/or a free discovery session to find out if her coaching is right for you. Just email her at [email protected] and let her know which one you’re looking for.

Follow us for the latest updates and insights around productivity and Building a Second Brain on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. And if you're ready to start building your Second Brain, get the book and learn the proven method to organize your digital life and unlock your creative potential.