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    What is magic?

    Magic is an individual action, undertaken because the cosmos is not believed to be benevolent by nature, or, at least, not benevolent enough to that person.
    Maya Deren, Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti
    Magic is the ancient and absolute science of nature and her laws.
    A. Constant, The History of Magic (1922)
    the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will

    Crowley
    The whole aim of magick is the stage by stage development of the entire human being.

    Stewart Farrar
    Magic is not just something you do, or make. It isn't something one does to the Univers; magic is what a living Universe does with you once you have awakened to its divinity.

    Phyllis Currott
    Magic is the art of affecting the manifest through the Unmanifest. The manifest is all that can be seen, touched, perceived, manipulated, imagined, or understood. The Unmanifest is none of these things. It is the place, or rather the non-place, from which everything issues. All that comes into being comes from the Unmanifest. All that passes away goes back to the Unmanifest.
    Donald Tyson, Truth about Ritual Magic
    (Magic) is a creative act, fusing our desire and will and vision with the Divine energy within/around us to reach a specific goal.

    Diane Sylvan, The Circle Within
    Magic is a convenient word for a whole collection of techniques, all of which involve the mind. In this case, we might conceive of these techniques as included the mobilization of confidence, will, and emotion brought about by the recognition of necessity; the use of imaginative faculties, particularly the ability to visualize, in order to begin to understand how other beings function in nature so we can use this knowledge to achieve necessary ends.

    Margot Adler
    Magic, the art of sensing, and shaping the subtle, unseen forces that flow through the world, of awakening deeper levels of consciousness beyond the rational, is an element common to all Witchcraft traditions

    Starhawk
    the art of changing consciousness at will

    Dion Fortune
    A zillion explanations, and hardly any agreement...though there are some similar themes...

    How do *YOU* define magic? What is it, how does it work?
    Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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    #2
    Re: What is magic?

    I would call it an active attempt to affect change upon the perceived physical or spiritual world via human action working through supernatural vectors that are usually tied to an individual's culture.

    Dammit Thal, I'm (almost) an anthropologist, not a philosopher!
    "Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others."
    -Thomas Jefferson

    Let a man never stir on his road a step
    without his weapons of war;
    for unsure is the knowing when the need shall arise
    of a spear on the way without.
    -

    Comment


      #3
      Re: What is magic?

      HeY! I'm a biologist!


      I actually think its pretty simple...

      Magic is mystery, and the set of beliefs and practices that allow one to be a part of that mystery.


      How it works?

      Who the heck knows, and sometimes it doesn't...but when it does, it works spectacularly...and that is enough for me.
      Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
      sigpic

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        #4
        Re: What is magic?

        I have a two part answer:

        1. I believe magic is understanding that everything around you is just energy (after everything is made up of neutrons, protons, and electrons right?).
        2. But I also believe that understanding and awareness is not enough, you must learn to manipulate this energy through practice.
        sigpic

        Comment


          #5
          Re: What is magic?

          The use/manipulation of the energy in and around us to effect change in the world or in ourselves. How you acheive that is different, some use tools while others simply use themselves.
          sigpic
          My Blog...http://scribsquabs.blogspot.com/

          Comment


            #6
            Re: What is magic?

            Originally posted by Lady Lotus View Post
            The use/manipulation of the energy in and around us to effect change in the world or in ourselves. How you acheive that is different, some use tools while others simply use themselves.
            Pretty much this. Altho I'm also with Thal too, while I'm not quite sure how it works. I don't question it and just know that it does work and when it does work, i'm thankful for it!

            Comment


              #7
              Re: What is magic?

              Originally posted by Lady Lotus View Post
              The use/manipulation of the energy in and around us to effect change in the world or in ourselves. How you acheive that is different, some use tools while others simply use themselves.
              What Lady Lotus said. Probably couldn't have put it better.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: What is magic?

                There is many types of magic.. but I totally agree with Lady Lotus definition
                Magic is terrifying and mystery world, I really fear it

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: What is magic?

                  Originally posted by Thjoth View Post
                  Dammit Thal, I'm (almost) an anthropologist, not a philosopher!
                  That produced the highly illogical reaction of making me LMAO!!!
                  sigpic
                  Can you hear me, Major Tom? I think I love you.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: What is magic?

                    Magic is the art of getting the maximum effect with the minimum of work.

                    It's a lot harder than you'd imagine...
                    Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: What is magic?

                      Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
                      Magic is the art of getting the maximum effect with the minimum of work.

                      It's a lot harder than you'd imagine...
                      I'll use Corbin's analogy and do the minimum of work. I agree with all of you.
                      Gargoyles watch over me...I can hear them snicker in the dark.


                      Pull the operating handle (which protrudes from the right side of the receiver) smartly to the rear and release it.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: What is magic?

                        I'm not sure how I feel about energy and all that yet because I'm trying to look at it from a scientific point of view and I'm just not smart enough to grasp the basic concepts.

                        As of right now, I think that magic is psychological. It's a way to focus your own wants and needs into a coherent thought process in order to better tackle the problems at hand. If you cast a spell to gain peace of mind, for example, and you honestly believe that it will work-it will. Your mind expects itself to become more calm and relaxed. In turn, it actually does these things.

                        I reserve the right to change my mind at any time, but as of now that's my opinion.
                        Please disregard typos in above post. I browse the web on a Nook and i suck at typing on touch screens.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: What is magic?

                          Everything. Saves me trouble, the omniverse and eerything contained within it is magic.

                          Sorcery, wizardry, witchcraft, technology, skillful propaganda, etc are all all varying methods of accessing the inherent magic of existence and turning a small fraction of it to accomplishing a specific interest.
                          life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

                          Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

                          "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

                          John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

                          "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

                          Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


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                            #14
                            Re: What is magic?

                            There are no happier people on this planet than those who decide that they want something, define what they want, get hold of the feeling of it even before it's manifestation and then joyously watch the unfolding as, piece by piece by piece, it begins to unfold.

                            Paraphrased from a friend who paraphrased from somewhere else. Kinda defines it, loosely, for me. Or at least part of it.
                            sigpic
                            Can you hear me, Major Tom? I think I love you.

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