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On the Nature of Magic

by Youngermoon Foolshare

This is the first in a three part series that will be posted

over the next few months.

From the Conscious to the Subconscious

   One of my first stunning revelations into the nature of practical magic occurred when I was an anthropology undergraduate student and read Walter B. Cannon's classic (1942) article "'Voodoo' Death." In this article, Cannon describes an Australian aboriginal practice, whereby a sorcerer, medicine man or chief may have the power to kill somebody by pointing a bone at them. He went on to describe the ways in which the victim dies because they believe they are going to die, and wear their heart down from stress and adrenaline, eventually dying of heart failure. The author's purpose was to rationalize this magical practice, that is, to demonstrate that the magical act has a foundation in material reality. The mind blowing lesson that I derived from this was simple: magic works. The victim dies because they believe in the magical act. The sorcerer succeeds because he can manipulate this belief. The magical act occurs socially, because the victim believes that the sorcerer has power. The aspiring magician then, must understand that magic involves understanding the nature of belief and the nature of power, both individually and socially. Magic is inherently cultural, political, social and psychological. The successful magician must understand these principles thoroughly enough to be able to consciously manipulate them.

   The cultural beliefs are laid out before any single individual is born into that particular society, and to some degree, people individually strive for and/or or socially pegged into certain culturally defined roles, with gender roles being the most pervasive. As individuals grow up, they learn various things about the people around them and how to fit in, and ultimately to navigate the cultural landscape to get what they want, and the nature of their acquired experience empowers them to take on certain roles and offices, in part because they have the knowledge as individuals but also because they look and act the part well enough for their fellows to believe that they deserve the post. Furthermore, their success in their post is contingent upon them performing acts that are in keeping with that role. When the acts are performed successfully, this reinforces their power, because it reinforces the belief that they are powerful. David I. Kertzer describes these processes in detail in his book Ritual, Politics and Power.

   An aboriginal sorcerer looks the part. He has all the requisite badges of office. He was appointed to the office either by society in general or by another accepted sorcerer. He performs sorcerous acts. This includes pointing bones at people. The first person to die from a bone-pointing at the hands of a particular sorcerer does so because the sorcerer has convinced him that he has the power to do so by various means. When the sorcerer commits the act, he reinforces the image of himself as sorcerer. When the person dies from his actions, this reinforces society perception that he is, indeed, a powerful sorcerer and increases the likelihood that the next person will die when he points the bone at them.

   Similarly, consider the placebo effect. Patients have been documented to heal if a doctor gives them a sugar pill and tells them that it is medicine. The doctor looks the part (white lab coat, stethoscope). The doctor has been accredited by society, with their diplomas; their power as physicians has been certified (or passed on) by other physicians. Administering medicine is a doctorly act which is believed to promote healing. The patient becomes healed because he believes the doctor has the power to heal through this healing act. The placebo effect is magic, in the exact sense that bone-pointing is magic. The Hippocratic Oath is an ethical statement that ensures the trust that this magic is based on. The Placebo Effect is at work whenever a doctor gives medicine, regardless of the effectiveness of the medicine, or indeed, whenever they perform an act commensurate with their office. Doctors, then, to some degree, are magicians.

   Ever notice how politicians often have the same kind of look? That they perform similar acts of political power, showing up at press conferences, having their pictures taken, making speeches? They look the part, have been ascribed power by those that put them in that position, and perform political actions, reinforcing the image of themselves as politicians. They drape themselves in the flag, and promote themselves as the image of the Leader. They manipulate belief. Politicians are magicians.

   Consider a professor giving a lecture. A mayor at a ribbon cutting ceremony. A priest giving Mass. A scientist performing experiments. They are all magicians, performing magic. Magic is something that permeates our everyday life in Western Society, although we are often told that it does not, often by the very people who practice it. The Church says that it is the sole domain of God. Science says that it is superstition. Thus, the individual is deprived of some of their magical agency, and gets herded into the specific roles that the entrenched leaders in these institutions want. All individuals retain some of their innate magical ability, but the powers that be channel it to serve their purposes.

   A magician, then, takes it upon his or herself to be self-empowered. This requires knowledge, commitment, courage, ethics and patience. The Magician must know themselves thoroughly. Who are you? Where did you come from? How did your parents, siblings and peers affect your personality? How did your cultural values bring you to this point? What does it mean to you to be a man or a woman? Where did this belief come from? What are the symbols that control you? What do you not compromise on? What drives you to the extremes of emotion? What were the experiences that created this in you? Do these things determine your actions or control you? Could you, by consciously delving deep into your mind, find your controllers, and change them? Is your Will vested in the Pavlovian self that your society has conditioned you to be, or is your Will consciously guided? Do you know? Can you know? How would you know?

   Transgress. You will quickly learn how deeply the hands of others reach into your psyche. The magician must throw these hands out of themselves. They must take charge of their conditioned bodies, and heal as need be. They must take charge of their pain and their love. No one outside the self has power over either! Your pain and your Love are yours. Be responsible for them. This is the well-spring of ethical being.

   Magician know thyself and free thyself! The first magical act of any magician is to cast off the spells of society and simply be. Often, the magician must embark on a life-long quest of bringing the conditioned ego back in line with the desires of the higher, ethical, self. The Will must be brought from the subconscious (the mind of the conditioned body, the lower self) to the conscious. This means that the subconscious must surface to the waking mind. This is not to be undertaken lightly, and can be terrifying. Or ecstatically joyous.

   Find your controllers, and subvert them.
 

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