I have worldview reflections and am curious how common/how far our paradigms diverge.
I've read quite a few occult books, mythology books, philosophical books and so on and so forth and I have to admit that the more I read the less I sometimes know how magic works :D
Are spirits needed for magic? An animist will say yes, an energy model person will say no.
Are tools needed for magic or just useful props? That also depends, according to most of what I've read the tools are only to focus the will of the magician but by themselves are just a prop. On the other hand, a hole in the ground can be dug with the hands but also with the help of machines.
In Dion's definition of magic, magic is the art and science of influencing consciousness. I assume it is not about human consciousness. If we take a hermetic view of reality where the World is God experiencing itself, then magic is the art of influencing reality (of course, without a fireball, unless someone has succeeded, then great)
But actually how does magic work? In natural magic we take things with the right correspondence, combine them in the right way and it works, in ceremonial magic we use a trained imagination and use what I would call life force at a time when it is just forming.
In all of this we have European grimoire traditions with a European heavily animistic outlook (where either angels or other spirits are summoned) and the occasional use of herbs. In Islamic countries we had absurdly good astrological magic in the form of Picatrix and further east we had more energetic Taoist systems.
So in my ultimate question is:
Are these simply different ways to practice magic and each is equally good? Is it that there are simply different ways to practice magic just as science has its divisions like biology or physics?
everything
I have worldview reflections and am curious how common/how far our paradigms diverge.
I've read quite a few occult books, mythology books, philosophical books and so on and so forth and I have to admit that the more I read the less I sometimes know how magic works :D
Are spirits needed for magic? An animist will say yes, an energy model person will say no.
Are tools needed for magic or just useful props? That also depends, according to most of what I've read the tools are only to focus the will of the magician but by themselves are just a prop. On the other hand, a hole in the ground can be dug with the hands but also with the help of machines.
In Dion's definition of magic, magic is the art and science of influencing consciousness. I assume it is not about human consciousness. If we take a hermetic view of reality where the World is God experiencing itself, then magic is the art of influencing reality (of course, without a fireball, unless someone has succeeded, then great)
But actually how does magic work? In natural magic we take things with the right correspondence, combine them in the right way and it works, in ceremonial magic we use a trained imagination and use what I would call life force at a time when it is just forming.
In all of this we have European grimoire traditions with a European heavily animistic outlook (where either angels or other spirits are summoned) and the occasional use of herbs. In Islamic countries we had absurdly good astrological magic in the form of Picatrix and further east we had more energetic Taoist systems.
So in my ultimate question is:
Are these simply different ways to practice magic and each is equally good? Is it that there are simply different ways to practice magic just as science has its divisions like biology or physics?