What is magic?
- P C Usher
- Jul 13, 2023
- 9 min read
Everyone has heard of magic. But what do we really think it is? Does it even exist?
Where to begin?
This was a question I asked myself many years ago, when I was set a small assignment, as part of a hedge witch course I was taking in Glastonbury. We could choose what we wanted to focus our study on, and I decided to take a little look into magic. I felt I had some idea but wanted to flesh it out a little.
Due to changes in technology, I have lost whatever computer or format I saved the assignment on and have forgotten what I wrote.
Apart from one thing.
The definition.
I started with the definition.
Before I give you the definition that I wrote in my assignment I will give you some dictionary definitions.
The Oxford learner dictionary
Magic-the secret power of appearing to make impossible things happen by saying special words or doing special things
-the art of doing tricks that seem impossible in order to entertain people
The Cambridge dictionary
Magic-the use of special powers to make things happen that would usually be impossible, such as in stories for children
-the skill of performing tricks to entertain people, such as making things appear and disappear, and pretending to cut someone in half.
This blog post will not be dealing with conjurors so I am only focusing on the first definition in each of the above.
The definition that my research gleaned all those years ago was basically...
Magic is the art of changing consciousness through focused will
I will comment more on this later.
Part of me thinks that I remember a dictionary saying something similar.
Maybe their definition has changed?
So where did I get my definition from?
Well, I am pretty sure I came across the definitions of Dion Fortune and Aleister Crowley.
Dion Fortune definition
Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will
Aleister Crowley definition
The Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will
So what do we make of that?
From my own perspective, I associate the 'Will' with 'Intent'.
Then coupled with that, you have 'Belief.'
If one does not believe something is possible, it is very unlikely that the study of that 'something' will follow.
With this in mind, I would like to address some of the issues that arise for me with regards to magic.
history
possible versus impossible
the question of what a 'magical act' is
light and dark
the reality
So where did it start?
When one looks into the history of magic there is a lot of stuff written on the subject and writers come at it from different angles.
Professor of Archaeology Chris Gosden of Oxford University gives various examples of magic in his podcast entitled 'The history of magic.' The oldest artifact he mentions is the so called Lion Man found in the Stadel cave in Germany. Made from mammoth ivory, it is a human figure with the head of a lion. The Lion Man is 40,000 years old and the professor suggests that the object was seen to combine the capacities of humans, mammoths and lions.
A discovery in Star Carr in Yorkshire UK, dating to the Mesolithic period, uncovered a series of deer frontlets i.e. the front part of a deer skull together with the horns. The ones found had holes bored in them and it appears that people wore them on their heads. Professor Gosden suggests that the wearing of them possibly broke down the barrier between human and deer. They were then used for hunting magic.
Magical practices are common when we look at ancient civilisations.
In a 2018 essay entitled 'Mesopotamian Magic in the First Millenium B.C.' Miriam Said makes it clear that...
For people living in ancient Iraq and the imperial peripheries in Syria, Anatolia, and Iran during the first millennium B.C., magic was a part of everyday life. Far from being considered irrational, it was the guiding principle by which Mesopotamians understood various natural phenomena and their positive and negative consequences.
Such guidance included celestial omens relating to the Assyrian king, the portending of fortuitous circumstances in war, the combating of negative actions of demons and ghosts, as well as the protection against curses that resulted from unknowingly committing a sin.
The author of the essay points out that such practices are documented in cuneiform records along with 'handbooks' which were recovered from the Library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh and from the city of Sippar, one of the great Mesopotamian centers of learning.
Magic was also a fundamental part of ancient Egypt.
Deities were invoked by trained priests, pharaohs, magicians and ordinary people.
Protection from evil, danger, disease and illness were reasons for using magic. Objects could also be charged with magic such as amulets and wands.
Moving forwards...
As time has passed on there have been various changes in attitude with regard to magical practices.
In the Greco-Roman world we start to see the conflict between magic and religion. This may be due to conflict between The Greeks and Persians. We must note that the English word 'magic' has greek roots.
The English words magic, mage and magician come from the Latin term magus, through the Greek μάγος, which is from the Old Persian maguš. (𐎶𐎦𐎢𐏁|𐎶𐎦𐎢𐏁, magician).The Old Persian magu- is derived from the Proto-Indo European megʰ-*magh (be able).
Magic was getting a bad press!
It's practice was banned in the late Roman world.
When we get to the middle ages Christians reinforced the negative stereotype, in particular, the opposition of magic and miracles. This then led to magic being associated with demons etc.
Turn forward the clock further and we have the persecution of individuals as witches.
Witch trials became more accepted when the accusations of witchcraft were related to heresy.
By the time of the Renaissance of the 16th century a division had grown between natural magic and ceremonial magic. The distinction being, that natural magic deals with natural forces directly, as opposed to ceremonial magic which deals with the summoning of spirits.
By the 19th century magic was not seen as a 'sin', but more as an opposition to logical thought.
The 20th century challenged preconceptions of contemporary religious and spiritual practices.
Crowley and Fortune's definitions highlight this.
Magic is now being seen as a form of spiritual self development. A fundamental aspect of modern paganism and the New Age phenomenon.
This sits well with me as I believe we all find our own way spiritually.
Is it possible?
Well, that would come down to which definition one applies to magic.
I can't help but remember a conversation I had with a work colleague some time back.
It was at the time when the Harry Potter movie series came out. She was a Christian but she also loved Harry Potter. There was obviously some kind of conflict going on inside for her.
She knew I was a spiritual sort so she asked me a question.
'Harry Potter isn't the occult is it?'
I could tell she wanted me to say 'no.'
I was honest with her, as best as I could be.
I told her that I didn't think that Harry Potter was occult, but that the subject matter certainly was.
I left it at that.
The reason I bring up Harry Potter here is because if one looks at the films and thinks that this is what magic is about they are really missing the point.
Lightning bolts and battling wands, flying broomsticks and physical shape shifting amongst other things, belong in the realms of fantasy. The books and films deal with fantasy, albeit very well constructed, but still fantasy.
If one looks at magic through history it is very easy to dismiss all such beliefs as such.
But if that is the case, why was its use so prevalent within societies all over the world?
What was going on?
It may be that there were those who had success with magical rituals and practices.
If one put on the horns of a deer and was successful in the hunting of the actual animal all those years ago it would have resonated.
Likewise with a prayer or offering that had a successful outcome.
The fact is that magic has been a part of human civilization for thousands of years.
But what about proof?
This is, has been and always will be a problem.
After all, disappointment is born of expectation!
And......boy....do the people who dismiss magic....often have HUGE expectations!
Harry Potter all over again!
Definition again!
It's personal
If we look at magic from a 'self development' angle, it can only be personal. Take a synchronicity.
I have had many but proving them is impossible so all one can do is take my word for it.
I know that is not very helpful but it is where the whole subject is at.
Which brings me to the next and important question.
What is a magical act?
I have already covered aspects of this but I want to reiterate some points.
So here I will use my researched definition of magic.
Magic is the art of changing consciousness through focused will
The key word here is consciousness.
The word itself seems pretty straight forward, but when one looks into it, you quickly realise that this one 13 letter word has been the subject of much debate.
There are countless definitions and theories as to what consciousness is and, quite frankly, we are entering minefield territory again. This has happened in other blogs I have written.
So I will do my best.
A simple definition would see consciousness as awareness of our internal and external existence.
Trust me, there are many others!
So, to stop this blog becoming a book I would like to focus on altered states of consciousness as I believe this is the aspect that Fortune and Crowley were alluding to.
So can our consciousness be changed or altered?
Psychoactive drugs
Scientific studies have proven that psychoactive drugs have notable effects on consciousness.
In a 2022 article in Psychology Today, reference is given to psychedelic researcher, Robin Carhart-Harris, who states that “psychedelics initiate a cascade of neuro-biological changes that…ultimately culminate in the relaxation of high-level beliefs.”
This made me think as I am a firm believer in the fact that our conditioning can be a barrier to expanded consciousness. Hence, the 'relaxation of high-level beliefs' is a break of conditioning.
The article further explores the dissolution of the ego.
Some psychedelic researchers have concluded that after the ego dissolves what is left is the experiencer, the subject, the “I”, or consciousness.
In addition to the ego dissolution, the phenomenon of the mystical experience is noted by psychedelic researchers.
This has been defined as a sense of unity, or the experience of becoming one with all that exists.
Meditation
For thousands of years, meditators have reported the mystical experience of becoming one with the universe. Many have suggested that, though psychedelics and meditation are very different, meditation can achieve the same results.
I would add here that I have never taken drugs but I have experienced changes in consciousness through meditation. I would also stress, that meditation was not the only aspect of the process.
Plus, people may use different ways to meditate.
Scientific opinion
I cannot find a scientific consensus with regard to consciousness but there are certainly researchers and theorists who put forward the idea that everything in our universe is made of consciousness. The levels of consciousness may differ but it is there nonetheless.
So in terms of magical acts, if we can change our consciousness, we can change our experience.
One can see the simple act of meditation as a starting point.
But it is not the only one.
Being open to possibility is surely one, too. Without this one would not even start.
Is it a state of mind/being?
We have certainly been conditioned to think in certain ways over time, so I believe the breaking down of conditioning is a key factor.
For example, a ceremonial magician might need to dress up to get into the required state of mind/being. Shamans might use a drum. For others, the following of a specific ritual might be the key.
By whatever method, a change in consciousness is sought.
The light and the dark
This is often a theme when we see magic used in storytelling, whether that be a book or a film.
The light versus the dark, good versus evil.
In practice this would relate to intent.
'Focused will ' implies intent.
As I mentioned earlier, people in ancient cultures believed that magic could be used for protection against spirits and curses. So, someone must have been doing the cursing!
My personal belief is that most people would use magic benevolently, but that not everyone would.
The reality of it all
That may well come down to how one views the universe.
Maybe, some people live in a '5 sense bubble.'
Maybe, we have been conditioned to not open our minds to such things.
Maybe, we have to match our expectations to what is possible before dismissing an idea completely.
Maybe, we have lost some of the ability that we had more of in the past.
Maybe there is more to life than working 9 to 5 jobs til we retire.
Maybe the previous 'maybe' keeps us distracted and far too busy to explore such changes in consciousness.
In conclusion...
Personally, if I think of magic in the form of my researched definition, I believe in it and I have been lucky enough to have experienced it. On occasion. Please do not expect me to prove it.
However, I suspect it would take many, many lifetimes, with a lot of free time for practice, to even begin to traverse the tip, of the tip, of the iceberg when dealing with this particular subject.
So don't hold your breath!
Thanks very much for reading.
Please feel free to get in touch via the contact page or add a comment if you feel so inclined.
The best of wishes to you and may your life be magical if that is something you want.
Paul