Magical Experiments - Latest Comments

Re: Credibility, causality, and magic

Karmaghna Ulrik — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:56:12 -0000

In many ways your post mirrors the concepts in Ramsey Dukes' "SSOTBME - An Essay on Magic." If you are not familiar with this work, you may want to take a look.

Re: Credibility, causality, and magic

TaylorEllwood — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 13:02:28 -0000

I find that trying to prove magic ends up being an exercise in futility, so it really is beneficial to approach it the other way. And like you, I've found that learning other disciplines and applying their concepts via magic has been very helpful.

Re: Credibility, causality, and magic

Pallas Renatus — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 04:17:33 -0000

Absolutely true. Early on in my scientific education I realized that seeing the sciences as a subset of magic was infinitely more helpful than trying to force a viewpoint the other way around. It's one of the things that makes me glad I started exploring magic (at least intellectually) early on, because I can honestly say that learning some of the more difficult concepts of biochemistry, physics, virology, etc, led me to great realizations in my magical studies. They're really quite synergistic in that way, if you're not trying to "prove" magic on the limited grounds of the sciences.

Re: The Microbot approach to sickness

TaylorEllwood — Mon, 23 May 2011 21:24:34 -0000

I am feeling better. This helped a lot.

Re: The Microbot approach to sickness

Naya Aerodiode — Mon, 23 May 2011 11:47:56 -0000

Brilliant idea! I hope you feel better soon, too.

Re: How to use distraction to improve focus

TaylorEllwood — Fri, 06 May 2011 14:17:46 -0000

Excellent point Mikhael!

Re: How to use distraction to improve focus

mikhael — Fri, 06 May 2011 09:01:45 -0000

Not just in magic or meditation, but in all of life we can choose to bring all of the experience into "our" experience and work. Doing so moves it from the enemy realm to becoming an ally in support of us and what we are doing. Although in many cases it may come and be experienced as a very thorny and harsh bringer of a teaching or learning.

Re: Religion and Business part 2

TaylorEllwood — Tue, 03 May 2011 13:59:56 -0000

I agree with you. I wouldn't advertise it either.

Re: Religion and Business part 2

Naya Aerodiode — Tue, 03 May 2011 12:45:14 -0000

Though I wouldn't get up in front of a bunch of strangers and say it, I'll tell you that I do similar things when working with my business. I've found a mentor in Jupiter who has been a guide in my own business, helping me in many ways from networking, innovating, and even dodging potentially bad situations with clients. If I get stuck on something, I often ask, "What would Jupiter do?" and I get soon enough the right guidance to propel me forward.

However, I think it best to keep religion and magic far from the public face of my business. As far as my clients need to know, I'm an excellent designer and that's that. Jupiter strongly advised me to do exactly that. ;)

Re: Banishing people

TaylorEllwood — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 14:03:44 -0000

Happy to help out. I know it's helped me a lot.

Re: Banishing people

Pyrhonik — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 11:28:52 -0000

I agree with your premise on this subject and, until now, had never considered using magic to extricate them from life. Thank you for this article.

Re: Some observations about on Religion and business

Mikhael — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 12:10:01 -0000

One's religion is something very personal. Like what underwear we choose to wear. I have my person preference, but that isn't something I would bring up at a business meeting. For many of us our religious beliefs and those things that motivate us at our deepest levels is extremely important in guiding and directing what we do and how we do it in our business operations and dealings. I don’t see them as separate, I see them as the bulk of how we do our business, but is that part which is hidden, like proverbial iceberg where only the tip is visible and seen. Like you said, in a Christian dominated society, raising a contrary flag can only draw their cannon fire and that would not be good for business. LOL

Re: The six core techniques of magic

TaylorEllwood — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 14:58:11 -0000

I'd think of that intuition, but I like how you framed it.

Re: The six core techniques of magic

TaylorEllwood — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 14:57:34 -0000

I definitely think personal development is an important prat of magical work. I wouldn't consider it a technique so much as a reason to do a technique. I do agree that personal development can help you avoid a lot of issue.

Re: The six core techniques of magic

Naya Aerodiode — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 11:14:21 -0000

I also consider "tuning in" an important magical technique. I consider it different from evocation and meditation because it is more active and different than divination because it's not necessarily focused on a single question being answered (though it very well could be) but it's more like turning the radio dial until you hear something interesting.

It's when I go for a walk, and I take care to listen and watch not just what is readily apparent, but also for those things that are more subtle. These could be voices of spirits, omens, or other interesting things. More often than not I hear them, but I'll see things too quite often.

Re: The six core techniques of magic

Naya Aerodiode — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 07:29:45 -0000

I don't know if you'd necessarily call it a technique, but I consider personal development to be an important part of my practice. Casting spells is useful toward helping me achieve my goals, but what's just as important to me is constantly working towards building myself to be stronger, more resilient, more aware, more intuitive, and all sorts of other strengths so that I don't need to do magical workings so often. Rather, I can just line things up as I need them when I need them, and know when to dodge potentially harmful situations before I run blindly into them. An ounce of prevention and all that, right?

Re: Does magic still have a role in Paganism?

TaylorEllwood — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:37:39 -0000

And that's the way it should be done. I think it's a shame when it's whitewashed in the way you've described. I couldn't imagine giving up those elements from my own practice, just to fit in better with rather narrow views of what society should or shouldn't be there. I admire you for sticking with what you believe.

Re: Does magic still have a role in Paganism?

TaylorEllwood — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:24:49 -0000

I'm all for creating new systems and models...which is why I've gone down the route I'm going.

Re: Does magic still have a role in Paganism?

Savitri — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:42:32 -0000

Having traveled through many tribes and experienced for myself what was there, I am beginning to come to a conclusion that all titles that have been previously created have come to be perverted, or are decaying from their initial intention. If group titles can be perverted because of the vast differences in personal perception, I am considering what might be a better way to describe what I do or who I am. Do we have to have the main stream accept our practices, or do we do better to do works and magick to alter perception and attempt to eventually heal the Patriarchal demise of labeling. Language and its particular brand of 'spelling' is what I am getting at. Having read your take on language in Inner Alchemy last night, I thought this mention might be an beneficial add to what you are getting at here. I like standing with Buckmister Fuller in that one doesn't fight an old model to change it, but creates a new one.

Re: Does magic still have a role in Paganism?

Naya Aerodiode — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 09:24:20 -0000

I've watched magic trickle out of paganism with anger and regret over the past two decades since I started practicing witchcraft. I identify as pagan because I feel a connection to the universe that stirs my heart in a way that I can only define as "religious." Through that root, I find a power that I can tap into and use to shape and direct things in this world - magic.

In a quest to make paganism more palatable to the masses, not just magic but many things have been stripped from it. Skyclad practice is nearly non-existent. Attitudes toward sexuality have been whitewashed. The symbolic Great Rite ALMOST NEVER happens anymore and practicing it in truth is even more rare. Hell, I have even heard one person say, "We don't wear black robes because they give us too much negative publicity." Cakes and wine has turned into cakes and grape juice. (Yes, I know, I am talking from a completely Wica-based standpoint. That is the trad I was raised in and what I practice. I don't know enough about other pagan practices to make commentary on them, nor do I have a place to without being an active member of those practices.)

And what's left? A lame shadow of what the Craft once was. But hey, at least the general public isn't scared of you anymore... but what have you given up to get there?

I've made it a point to not go there. I teach magic first and foremost to my students, while introducing them to the structure and format we use. I leave it up to them to find their own connections to the gods, but help them in any way I can as they search. And most of all, I teach that the Craft is NOT NOT NOT for public display, NOT subject to public approval, and NOT to be talked about with those who don't care or understand - all out of a desire to keep it from being whitewashed and watered down any further.

Re: How I like experimental magic to other people’s practices

TaylorEllwood — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 13:20:34 -0000

Thank you. I'm glad you've found them so useful.

Re: How I like experimental magic to other people’s practices

Dr. Michael Davis — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 04:28:30 -0000

This is true. I found Pop Culture Magick and Space Time Magic fascinating; they pointed me in a number of new directions. Also, they made me aware of Stephen Mace and Storm Constantine, both very interesting and unique magical writers.

Re: What’s missing from academic inquiries into magic

TaylorEllwood — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:40:07 -0000

There's a ton of work out there. If you have a copy of Multi-Media Magic by myself look at the bibilography. A good number of the sources are academic. Joshua mentions some names in his response to you, but I'd add Hutton, Greenwood, Hale, and others. It also depends on what direction you want to go in.

Re: What’s missing from academic inquiries into magic

TaylorEllwood — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:38:22 -0000

I think you'll like her work. I found it informative and found her openness to be refreshing. There are some academic journals...pomegranate and the Academic Journal for the study of the occult come to mind, so there's definitely a possibility of contributing to such journals and I know they welcome scholarly work done by non-academic occultists. Part of it comes down to mastering the discourse, but I think you're right about philosophy vs data in this context.

Re: What’s missing from academic inquiries into magic

Joshua Madara — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:14:52 -0000

TR, you can find many academic papers about magic in various journals of anthropology, psychology, and semiotics.

There is a large body of work that is historical or journalistic -- Richard Cavendish, Erik Davis, Nevill Drury, Dave Evans, Michael Howard, and Colin Wilson all come immediately to mind.

As does Eliade's stuff. Catherine Bell and Victor Turner. Murry Hope's The Psychology of Ritual. Douglas Cowan's Cyberhenge. Usw.