M A G I C A L P A R A D I G M S
“Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it.”
JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
The performance of magic almost always involves the use of language. Whether spoken out loud or unspoken, words are frequently used to access or guide magical power. In "The Magical Power of Words" (1968) S. J. Tambiah argues that the connection between language and magic is due to a belief in the inherent ability of words to influence the universe.
Bronislaw Malinowski, in Coral Gardens and their Magic (1935), suggests that this belief is an extension of man’s basic use of language to describe his surroundings, in which "the knowledge of the right words, appropriate phrases and the more highly developed forms of speech, gives man a power over and above his own limited field of personal action."
Magical speech is therefore a ritual act and is of equal or even greater importance to the performance of magic than non-verbal acts. Not all speech is considered magical. Only certain words and phrases or words spoken in a specific context are considered to have magical power.
Bronislaw Malinowski, in Coral Gardens and their Magic (1935), suggests that this belief is an extension of man’s basic use of language to describe his surroundings, in which "the knowledge of the right words, appropriate phrases and the more highly developed forms of speech, gives man a power over and above his own limited field of personal action."
Magical speech is therefore a ritual act and is of equal or even greater importance to the performance of magic than non-verbal acts. Not all speech is considered magical. Only certain words and phrases or words spoken in a specific context are considered to have magical power.
Energeti (vortex)
Delegation (to astral entities)
Performance (cerem
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cultural_Anthropology/Ritual_and_Religion
Delegation (to astral entities)
Performance (cerem
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cultural_Anthropology/Ritual_and_Religion
T H E O C C U L T
add RITUAL
add RITUAL
"I do not yet know why plants come out of the land or float in streams, or creep on rocks or roll from the sea. I am entranced by the mystery of them, and absorbed by their variety and kinds. Everywhere they are visible yet everywhere occult."
LIBERTY HYDE BAILEY
A usefully precise, and lesser known, meaning of the word occult is ‘darkness out of light’. One of its most graphic illustrations of this usage is in the identification of navigation lights. An ‘occulting’ beacon has a predominantly white beam of light with periodic dark interruptions (as opposed to the normal flashing white beam out of predominant darkness). In magical context this symbolises glimpsing the underlying nature of reality through the dazzle of mundane consciousness.
LIBERTY HYDE BAILEY
A usefully precise, and lesser known, meaning of the word occult is ‘darkness out of light’. One of its most graphic illustrations of this usage is in the identification of navigation lights. An ‘occulting’ beacon has a predominantly white beam of light with periodic dark interruptions (as opposed to the normal flashing white beam out of predominant darkness). In magical context this symbolises glimpsing the underlying nature of reality through the dazzle of mundane consciousness.
S Y M B O L I S M
"In the final analysis, a drawing simply is no longer a drawing, no matter how self-sufficient its execution may be. It is a symbol, and the more profoundly the imaginary lines of projection meet higher dimensions, the better."
PAUL KLEE
Symbols, for many cultures that use magic, are seen as a type of technology. Natives might use symbols and symbolic actions to bring about change and improvements, much like Western cultures might use advanced irrigation techniques to promote soil fertility and crop growth. Michael Brown discusses the use of nantag stones among the Aguaruna as being similar to this type of “technology.”[14] These stones are brought into contact with stem cuttings of plants like manioc before they are planted in an effort to promote growth. Nantag are powerful tangible symbols of fertility, so they are brought into contact with crops to transmit their fertility to the plants
PAUL KLEE
Symbols, for many cultures that use magic, are seen as a type of technology. Natives might use symbols and symbolic actions to bring about change and improvements, much like Western cultures might use advanced irrigation techniques to promote soil fertility and crop growth. Michael Brown discusses the use of nantag stones among the Aguaruna as being similar to this type of “technology.”[14] These stones are brought into contact with stem cuttings of plants like manioc before they are planted in an effort to promote growth. Nantag are powerful tangible symbols of fertility, so they are brought into contact with crops to transmit their fertility to the plants
C O N T A G I O N
"As contagion of sickness makes sickness, contagion of trust can make trust."
MARIANNE MOORE
Another primary type of magical thinking includes the principle of contagion. This principle suggests that once two objects come into contact with each other, they will continue to affect each other even after the contact between them has been broken. One example that Tambiah gives is related to adoption. Among some American Indians, for example, when a child is adopted his or her adoptive mother will pull the child through some of her clothes, symbolically representing the birth process and thereby associating the child with herself.[12] Therefore, the child emotionally becomes hers even though their relationship is not biological.
MARIANNE MOORE
Another primary type of magical thinking includes the principle of contagion. This principle suggests that once two objects come into contact with each other, they will continue to affect each other even after the contact between them has been broken. One example that Tambiah gives is related to adoption. Among some American Indians, for example, when a child is adopted his or her adoptive mother will pull the child through some of her clothes, symbolically representing the birth process and thereby associating the child with herself.[12] Therefore, the child emotionally becomes hers even though their relationship is not biological.
P S Y C H O L O G Y
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
CARL JUNG
The magical power of the subconscious mind. To believers who think that they need to convince their subconscious mind to make the changes that they desire, all spirits and energies are projections and symbols that make sense to the subconscious. A variant of this belief is that the subconscious is capable of contacting spirits, who in turn can work magic.
CARL JUNG
The magical power of the subconscious mind. To believers who think that they need to convince their subconscious mind to make the changes that they desire, all spirits and energies are projections and symbols that make sense to the subconscious. A variant of this belief is that the subconscious is capable of contacting spirits, who in turn can work magic.
S P I R I T
“We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.”
STEPHEN R. COVEY
Intervention of spirits, similar to hypothetical natural forces, but with their own consciousness and intelligence. Believers in spirits will often describe a whole cosmos of beings of many different kinds, sometimes organized into a hierarchy. the act of invoking or calling upon a deity, spirit, etc., foraid, protection, inspiration, or the like; supplication.2.any petitioning or supplication for help or aid.3.a form of prayer invoking God's presence, especially onesaid at the beginning of a religious service or publicceremony.4.an entreaty for aid and guidance from a Muse, deity, etc., atthe beginning of an epic or epiclike poem.5.the act of calling upon a spirit by incantation.
STEPHEN R. COVEY
Intervention of spirits, similar to hypothetical natural forces, but with their own consciousness and intelligence. Believers in spirits will often describe a whole cosmos of beings of many different kinds, sometimes organized into a hierarchy. the act of invoking or calling upon a deity, spirit, etc., foraid, protection, inspiration, or the like; supplication.2.any petitioning or supplication for help or aid.3.a form of prayer invoking God's presence, especially onesaid at the beginning of a religious service or publicceremony.4.an entreaty for aid and guidance from a Muse, deity, etc., atthe beginning of an epic or epiclike poem.5.the act of calling upon a spirit by incantation.
W O R D S
“When you have spoken the word, it reigns over you. When it is unspoken you reign over it.”
ARAB PROVERB
The performance of magic almost always involves the use of language. Whether spoken out loud or unspoken, words are frequently used to access or guide magical power. In "The Magical Power of Words" (1968) S. J. Tambiah argues that the connection between language and magic is due to a belief in the inherent ability of words to influence the universe. Bronislaw Malinowski, in Coral Gardens and their Magic (1935), suggests that this belief is an extension of man’s basic use of language to describe his surroundings, in which "the knowledge of the right words, appropriate phrases and the more highly developed forms of speech, gives man a power over and above his own limited field of personal action."[15] Magical speech is therefore a ritual act and is of equal or even greater importance to the performance of magic than non-verbal acts.[16]
Not all speech is considered magical. Only certain words and phrases or words spoken in a specific context are considered to have magical power.[17] Magical language, according to C. K. Ogden and I. A. Richards's (1923) categories of speech, is distinct from scientific language because it is emotive and it converts words into symbols for emotions; whereas in scientific language words are tied to specific meanings and refer to an objective external reality.[18] Magical language is therefore particularly adept at constructing metaphors that establish symbols and link magical rituals to the world.[19]
Malinowski argues that "the language of magic is sacred, set and used for an entirely different purpose to that of ordinary life."[20] The two forms of language are differentiated through word choice, grammar, style, or by the use of specific phrases or forms: prayers, spells, songs, blessings, or chants, for example. Sacred modes of language often employ archaic words and forms in an attempt to invoke the purity or "truth" of a religious or a cultural "golden age". The use of Hebrew in Judaism is an example.[21]
Another potential source of the power of words is their secrecy and exclusivity. Much sacred language is differentiated enough from common language that it is incomprehensible to the majority of the population and it can only be used and interpreted by specialized practitioners (magicians, priests, shamans, even mullahs).[22][23] In this respect, Tambiah argues that magical languages violate the primary function of language: communication.[24] Yet adherents of magic are still able to use and to value the magical function of words by believing in the inherent power of the words themselves and in the meaning that they must provide for those who do understand them. This leads Tambiah to conclude that "the remarkable disjunction between sacred and profane language which exists as a general fact is not necessarily linked to the need to embody sacred words in an exclusive language."[21]
ARAB PROVERB
The performance of magic almost always involves the use of language. Whether spoken out loud or unspoken, words are frequently used to access or guide magical power. In "The Magical Power of Words" (1968) S. J. Tambiah argues that the connection between language and magic is due to a belief in the inherent ability of words to influence the universe. Bronislaw Malinowski, in Coral Gardens and their Magic (1935), suggests that this belief is an extension of man’s basic use of language to describe his surroundings, in which "the knowledge of the right words, appropriate phrases and the more highly developed forms of speech, gives man a power over and above his own limited field of personal action."[15] Magical speech is therefore a ritual act and is of equal or even greater importance to the performance of magic than non-verbal acts.[16]
Not all speech is considered magical. Only certain words and phrases or words spoken in a specific context are considered to have magical power.[17] Magical language, according to C. K. Ogden and I. A. Richards's (1923) categories of speech, is distinct from scientific language because it is emotive and it converts words into symbols for emotions; whereas in scientific language words are tied to specific meanings and refer to an objective external reality.[18] Magical language is therefore particularly adept at constructing metaphors that establish symbols and link magical rituals to the world.[19]
Malinowski argues that "the language of magic is sacred, set and used for an entirely different purpose to that of ordinary life."[20] The two forms of language are differentiated through word choice, grammar, style, or by the use of specific phrases or forms: prayers, spells, songs, blessings, or chants, for example. Sacred modes of language often employ archaic words and forms in an attempt to invoke the purity or "truth" of a religious or a cultural "golden age". The use of Hebrew in Judaism is an example.[21]
Another potential source of the power of words is their secrecy and exclusivity. Much sacred language is differentiated enough from common language that it is incomprehensible to the majority of the population and it can only be used and interpreted by specialized practitioners (magicians, priests, shamans, even mullahs).[22][23] In this respect, Tambiah argues that magical languages violate the primary function of language: communication.[24] Yet adherents of magic are still able to use and to value the magical function of words by believing in the inherent power of the words themselves and in the meaning that they must provide for those who do understand them. This leads Tambiah to conclude that "the remarkable disjunction between sacred and profane language which exists as a general fact is not necessarily linked to the need to embody sacred words in an exclusive language."[21]
E N E R G E T I C
"Existence is energy, the movement of energy in so many ways and so many forms."
OSHO
A mystical force or energy that is natural, but cannot be detected by science at present, and which may not be detectable at all. Common terms referring to such magical energy include mana, numen, chi or kundalini. These are sometimes regarded as fluctuations of an underlying primary substance (akasha, aether) that is present in all things and interconnects and binds all. Magical energy is thus also present in all things, though it can be especially concentrated in magical objects. Magical energies are typically seen as being especially responsive to the use of symbols, so that a person, event or object can be affected by manipulating an object that symbolically represents them or it (as in sigil magic, for instance). This corresponds to James Frazer's theory of sympathetic magic.
OSHO
A mystical force or energy that is natural, but cannot be detected by science at present, and which may not be detectable at all. Common terms referring to such magical energy include mana, numen, chi or kundalini. These are sometimes regarded as fluctuations of an underlying primary substance (akasha, aether) that is present in all things and interconnects and binds all. Magical energy is thus also present in all things, though it can be especially concentrated in magical objects. Magical energies are typically seen as being especially responsive to the use of symbols, so that a person, event or object can be affected by manipulating an object that symbolically represents them or it (as in sigil magic, for instance). This corresponds to James Frazer's theory of sympathetic magic.
S I M I L A R I T Y
"To such as study astrology, who are the only men I know that are fit to study physick, physick without astrology being like a lamp without oil."
NICHOLAS CULPEPPER
Correspondence is based on the idea that one can influence something based on its relationship or resemblance to another thing. Many popular beliefs regarding properties of plants, fruits and vegetables have evolved in the folk-medicine of different societies owing to sympathetic magic. This include beliefs that certain herbs with yellow sap can cure jaundice, that walnuts could strengthen the brain because of the nuts' resemblance to brain
NICHOLAS CULPEPPER
Correspondence is based on the idea that one can influence something based on its relationship or resemblance to another thing. Many popular beliefs regarding properties of plants, fruits and vegetables have evolved in the folk-medicine of different societies owing to sympathetic magic. This include beliefs that certain herbs with yellow sap can cure jaundice, that walnuts could strengthen the brain because of the nuts' resemblance to brain
C O I N C I D E N T A L
"There is in my opinion a great similarity between the problems provided by the mysterious behavior of the atom and those provided by the present economic paradoxes confronting the world."
PAUL DIRAC
The principle of similarity is the thought that if a certain result follows a certain action, then that action must be responsible for the result. Therefore, if one is to perform this action again, the same result can again be expected. One classic example of this mode of thought is that of the rooster and the sunrise. When a cock crows in response to the rising of the sun. The law of similarity would suggest that since the sunrise follows the crowing of the rooster, the rooster must have caused the sun to rise.
PAUL DIRAC
The principle of similarity is the thought that if a certain result follows a certain action, then that action must be responsible for the result. Therefore, if one is to perform this action again, the same result can again be expected. One classic example of this mode of thought is that of the rooster and the sunrise. When a cock crows in response to the rising of the sun. The law of similarity would suggest that since the sunrise follows the crowing of the rooster, the rooster must have caused the sun to rise.
S Y M P A T H E T I C
"Dolls of voodoo all stuck with pins, one for each of us and our sins."
METALLICA
Sympathetic magic, is the thought that if a certain result follows a certain action, An example of sympathetic magic is the construction and manipulation of representations of some target to be affected (e.g. voodoo dolls), believed to bring about a corresponding effect on the target (e.g. breaking a limb of a doll will bring about an injury in the corresponding limb of someone depicted by the doll). Many years ago, I was introduced to a poor woman who believed she'd been cursed. Working in Kenya, she'd been targeted by a nasty piece of work who'd stolen an item of her underwear at that time of the month and performed a ritual that had involved desecrating a grave, then demanded money from her. I tried to persuade her that by buying into what this chap was saying she'd effectively cursed herself. In medicine it's known as the sinister side of the placebo effect, which has been christened the "nocebo effect" (from the Latin for "I will harm") - essentially, belief that you're doomed dooms you, the principle that fuels voodoo.
METALLICA
Sympathetic magic, is the thought that if a certain result follows a certain action, An example of sympathetic magic is the construction and manipulation of representations of some target to be affected (e.g. voodoo dolls), believed to bring about a corresponding effect on the target (e.g. breaking a limb of a doll will bring about an injury in the corresponding limb of someone depicted by the doll). Many years ago, I was introduced to a poor woman who believed she'd been cursed. Working in Kenya, she'd been targeted by a nasty piece of work who'd stolen an item of her underwear at that time of the month and performed a ritual that had involved desecrating a grave, then demanded money from her. I tried to persuade her that by buying into what this chap was saying she'd effectively cursed herself. In medicine it's known as the sinister side of the placebo effect, which has been christened the "nocebo effect" (from the Latin for "I will harm") - essentially, belief that you're doomed dooms you, the principle that fuels voodoo.
C H E M I C A L
“To think is to practice brain chemistry"
DEEPAK CHOPRA
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to ‘knowledge of the hidden’. In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g. an ‘occult bleed’ may be one detected indirectly by the presence of otherwise unexplained anaemia.
DEEPAK CHOPRA
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to ‘knowledge of the hidden’. In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g. an ‘occult bleed’ may be one detected indirectly by the presence of otherwise unexplained anaemia.
E L E M E N T A L
"Each blade of grass has its spot on earth whence it draws its life, its strength; and so is man rooted to the land from which he draws his faith together with his life."
JOSEPH CONRAD
Manipulation of the Elements, by using the will of the magician and symbols or objects which are representative of the element(s). Western practitioners typically use the Classical elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire.
JOSEPH CONRAD
Manipulation of the Elements, by using the will of the magician and symbols or objects which are representative of the element(s). Western practitioners typically use the Classical elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire.
M E D I T A T I V E
"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."
MARK TWAIN
Concentration or meditation. A certain amount of focusing or restricting the mind to some imagined object (or will), according to Aleister Crowley, produces mystical attainment or "an occurrence in the brain characterized essentially by the uniting of subject and object" (Book Four, Part 1: Mysticism). Magic, as defined previously, seeks to aid concentration by constantly recalling the attention to the chosen object (or Will), thereby producing said attainment. For example, if one wishes to concentrate on a god, one might memorize a system of correspondences (perhaps chosen arbitrarily, as this would not affect its usefulness for mystical purposes) and then make every object that one sees "correspond" to said god.
Aleister Crowley wrote that ". . . the exaltation of the mind by means of magickal practices leads (as one may say, in spite of itself) to the same results as occur in straightforward Yoga." Crowley's magick thus becomes a form of mental, mystical, or spiritual discipline, designed to train the mind to achieve greater concentration. Crowley also made claims for the paranormal effects of magick, suggesting a connection with the first principle in this list. However, he defined any attempt to use this power for a purpose other than aiding mental or mystical attainment as "black magick".
MARK TWAIN
Concentration or meditation. A certain amount of focusing or restricting the mind to some imagined object (or will), according to Aleister Crowley, produces mystical attainment or "an occurrence in the brain characterized essentially by the uniting of subject and object" (Book Four, Part 1: Mysticism). Magic, as defined previously, seeks to aid concentration by constantly recalling the attention to the chosen object (or Will), thereby producing said attainment. For example, if one wishes to concentrate on a god, one might memorize a system of correspondences (perhaps chosen arbitrarily, as this would not affect its usefulness for mystical purposes) and then make every object that one sees "correspond" to said god.
Aleister Crowley wrote that ". . . the exaltation of the mind by means of magickal practices leads (as one may say, in spite of itself) to the same results as occur in straightforward Yoga." Crowley's magick thus becomes a form of mental, mystical, or spiritual discipline, designed to train the mind to achieve greater concentration. Crowley also made claims for the paranormal effects of magick, suggesting a connection with the first principle in this list. However, he defined any attempt to use this power for a purpose other than aiding mental or mystical attainment as "black magick".
T R A N C E
“No nightly trance or breathèd spell, / Inspires the pale-eyed priest from the prophetic cell."
JOHN MILTON
Key principles of utilizing Magic are often said to be Concentration and Visualization. Many of those who purportedly cast spells attain a mental state called the "Trance State" to enable the spell. The Trance State is often described as an emptying of the mind, akin to meditation.
JOHN MILTON
Key principles of utilizing Magic are often said to be Concentration and Visualization. Many of those who purportedly cast spells attain a mental state called the "Trance State" to enable the spell. The Trance State is often described as an emptying of the mind, akin to meditation.
N E C R O M A N C Y
“The nails from a suicide's coffin, and the skull of the parricide, were of course no trouble; for Vesquit never traveled without these household requisites.”
ALEISTER CROWLEY - Moonchild
Necromancy was widespread in Western antiquity with records of practice in Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome.[4] The oldest literary account of necromancy is in Homer’s Odyssey (ca. 700 BC).[4] In the Odyssey (XI, Nekyia), Odysseus under the tutelage of Circe, a powerful sorceress, makes a voyage to Hades, the Underworld, in an effort to raise the spirits of the dead using spells which Circe has instructed.[5] His intention is to invoke and ask questions of the shade of Tiresias, in order to gain insight on the impending voyage home. Alas, he is unable to summon the spirit without the assistance of others. In Homer's passage, there are many references to specific rituals associated with necromancy; the rites must be done during nocturnal hours and around a pit with fire.[4] In addition, Odysseus has to follow a specific recipe, which included using sacrificial animals' blood for ghosts to drink, while he recites prayers to both the ghosts and gods of the underworld.[4] Greek Mythology most often refers to the dead living in the underworld. This is the main form of necromancy in Greek mythology and most often involves heroes traveling to hades and claiming souls.
ALEISTER CROWLEY - Moonchild
Necromancy was widespread in Western antiquity with records of practice in Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome.[4] The oldest literary account of necromancy is in Homer’s Odyssey (ca. 700 BC).[4] In the Odyssey (XI, Nekyia), Odysseus under the tutelage of Circe, a powerful sorceress, makes a voyage to Hades, the Underworld, in an effort to raise the spirits of the dead using spells which Circe has instructed.[5] His intention is to invoke and ask questions of the shade of Tiresias, in order to gain insight on the impending voyage home. Alas, he is unable to summon the spirit without the assistance of others. In Homer's passage, there are many references to specific rituals associated with necromancy; the rites must be done during nocturnal hours and around a pit with fire.[4] In addition, Odysseus has to follow a specific recipe, which included using sacrificial animals' blood for ghosts to drink, while he recites prayers to both the ghosts and gods of the underworld.[4] Greek Mythology most often refers to the dead living in the underworld. This is the main form of necromancy in Greek mythology and most often involves heroes traveling to hades and claiming souls.