How many people here do actual magic? How do you do it?

[Planesdragon]

The word "magic" has 5 letters in it. There's no "k" at the end, "j" in the middle or any other letter that some feel compelled to throw into the word.

Actually, "magick" or "majick" is an acceptable alternative spelling for the type of ritualized directed new-age prayer that most religious magicians practice. It's a deliberate change in spelling to differentiate their religion from mere prestidigitation.

The alternate spelling also nicely flags it as seperate from fantasy nuclear weapons or medieval church heresies. Which, IMO, is a good thing. "Magick" is a religion--and, grammatically speaking, it's a better word than "pagan" or "non-pagan." (Just as "Christian" is better than "Gentile.")

(It's also the name of a dead New Mutant...)

 

[Ylis]

'
My perspective on the matter is the items, smells, visualizations, etc... used in RL magical practice do not have, in themselves, any real magical power. The power comes from the individual, from their will and from their belief. The reason people use, say, a rose burning in coals to try to get over a lost love is because in their mind the rose symbolizes love and burning it symbolizes letting it go. It helps them focus their will on the result they desire. If there were somebody to whom roses did not symbolize love, and they wanted to get over a lost love and found the same spell on the Internet, it would be less effective because their personal perspective of the items used had no symbolic significance. In short, the same "material components" have different uses and meanings to different people based on their individual perceptions of the items in question.

My Wicca teacher once told me that if I couldn't go out into the desert alone and with no props and conduct a full ritual, call upon the spirits, and work a spell using only my own will and visualizations, then she hadn't done her job properly. All that stuff is nice, but has no inherent power other than that which you give it.

I agree. I was attempting to provide the common "basics" of doing magick. Most people don't get to the "non prop" stage. I just got to it about 3 years ago, and I've been practicing for well over 10. Most people seem to lose interest in it by then Everyone's goal should be to be able to eventually do magick without the foci, but the foci make things easier in the beginning. By drawing a bit of energy from foci, you are able to better "program" your own energy to work the way you want it to. With practice, you can do without the foci. Here I thought I was alone on the "no foci" sentiment (I usually get griped at or told "you're doing it wrong" by all those that have read one book and think they know it all...it gets tiresome...).

So, thanks for your added commentary

 

[tauton_ikhnos]

On the other side, I'll remind folks that anyone who can demonstrate paranormal powers reliably and on command has a million dollars waiting for them in the bank.

Unfortunately, Randi's test is a crock .

1. Anyone who can demonstrate paranormal powers reliably and on command can make that money themselves, without Randi's intercession or approval.

2. Randi stands to lose money if someone succeeds. Not legally conflict of interest, because Randi does not make living from contest. Although he does make living debunking magicians, and contest provides very real publicity to that.

3. Magic ceases to be magic when physicists do it. Although, observer phenomenon affecting probabilities not yet completely accepted, even though Dr. Young's double slit experiment == replicable.

Fact is: if someone is doing cool magic stuff, they have no reason to believe Randi will let them prove it and no reason to go to him in first place, even if he would. Primary reasons are money or scientific interest. If money, and you have power Randi would accept, Randi not needed to make money!

If scientific interest, they go to parapsychology labs, where real scientists are, and work with them to do real science work, which doesn't usually involve flashy Geller-like hoaxwork, but boring studies in probability and examination of ways to test insight.

But Randi is not interested in boring magic. He is interested in publicity. So I say again: crock. Proves nothing. Admirable publicity, however.

 

[Mystery Man]

Actually, "magick" or "majick" is an acceptable alternative spelling for the type of ritualized directed new-age prayer that most religious magicians practice. It's a deliberate change in spelling to differentiate their religion from mere prestidigitation.

The alternate spelling also nicely flags it as seperate from fantasy nuclear weapons or medieval church heresies. Which, IMO, is a good thing. "Magick" is a religion--and, grammatically speaking, it's a better word than "pagan" or "non-pagan." (Just as "Christian" is better than "Gentile.")

(It's also the name of a dead New Mutant...)

I dunno, maybe about 300 years or so ago. You don't see many people using the word "olde" much anymore, unless they want to use it in the name of a pub or inn or something. You're most assuredly not going to confuse neo-pagan Celtic beliefs with the workings of say the likes of David Copperfield.
What it would boil down to I think is more a po-ta-toh/po-tah-to preference nowadays...

 

[MerakSpielman]

Actually, "magick" or "majick" is an acceptable alternative spelling for the type of ritualized directed new-age prayer that most religious magicians practice. It's a deliberate change in spelling to differentiate their religion from mere prestidigitation.

I don't know. It just rubs me the wrong way. As though there were a new Christian group that called themselves "Chrystians" in order to differentiate themselves.

 

[tauton_ikhnos]

With that said, don't believe in magic, myself. Just think Randi is not an exemplar of a GOOD skeptic, and his test is crock.

DO believe in things science has not yet explained. Quantum physicists wrestle with that every day. Neurologists and psychologists and consciousness philosophers, also. Heck, black holes not wholly satisfying yet .

And parapsychologists are studying "boring" magic, like faint probability changes in highly chaotic events (dice rolling, radiation emission). They get some results. But nothing that would excite anyone.

But the idea that a whole tradition of disciplines is achieving larger results than in parapsychology labs... just does not seem plausible.

 

[MerakSpielman]

I'll say what I said before: If it can be understood and explained, it's not magic.

Magic can only be belived in, not proven.

 

[Nifft]

I'm an arch-mage of abjuration... somehow, whenever I'm around, magic fails to work.

-- N, penguin of cancellation

 

[Hand of Evil]

Now if you are asking if I believe in it: YES, I have seen magic in a sunset, have felt it when I fell in love, and understood it when a plan has come together, but again I was born in March.

 

[JPL]

Mostly I take two cups of imagination, a sprinkle of dreams, and a dash of wonder, mix it up with wishes, and then feed it to my unicorn, who then craps a rainbow of magick.