Real Magic: An Introductory Treatise on the Basic Principles of Yellow Light - Brossura

Bonewits, Isaac

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0877286884 ISBN 13: 9780877286882

Casa editrice: Weiser, 1994

Riassunto

Examines every category of occult phenomena from ESP to Eastern ritual and explores the basic laws of magic, relating them to the natural laws of the universe.

Su questo libro

Informazioni sull'autore

Isaac Bonewits is one of North America's leading experts on ancient and modern Druidism, Witchcraft and the rapidly growing Earth Religions movement. He is the author of Real Magic, Authentic Thaumaturgy, The Pagan Man, Bonewits's Essential Guide to Witchcraft and Wicca, Bonewits's Essential Guide to Druidism, Real Energy, and Neopagan Rites, as well as numerous articles, reviews and essays. He is a singersongwriter with twoandahalf albums to his credit. As a 'spellbinding' speaker, he has educated, enlightened and entertained two generations of modern Goddess worshippers, nature mystics, and followers of other minority belief systems, and has explained these movements to journalists, law enforcement officers, college students, and academic researchers.

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REAL MAGIC

AN INTRODUCTORY TREATISE ON THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF YELLOW MAGIC

By Phillip Emmons Issac Bonewits

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

Copyright © 1989 Phillip Emmons Issac Bonewits
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-87728-688-2

Contents

PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE The Laws of Magic
CHAPTER TWO Fun and Games with Definitions
CHAPTER THREE Parapsychology, the Apologetic Science
CHAPTER FOUR Mantra, Mandala, and Mudra
CHAPTER FIVE Black Magic, White Magic, and Living Color
CHAPTER SIX Placebo Spells, the Switchboard, and Speculations on 
Explanations
CHAPTER SEVEN The Fundamental Patterns of Ritual
CHAPTER EIGHT Miscellaneous Ologies for Fun and Profit-cy!
CHAPTER NINE Conclusions and Suggestions for Future Research
APPENDIX Corrections and Additions
BIBLIOGRAPHY
GLOSSARY
INDEX

CHAPTER 1

The Laws of Magic

"Law: a statement of an order or relation of phenomena that so far as is knownis invariable under the given conditions ... the observed regularity of nature."

—Webster's Third New International

Over the centuries a collection of basic magical and mystical axioms hassurfaced in culture after culture throughout the world, even in cultures thatwere totally isolated. These we can, and will, call the Laws of Magic. Like thelaw of gravity or the law of diminishing returns, these magical laws are notlegislative acts (as some theologians have tried to make them) but rather theyare descriptions of the ways that phenomena in a field—in this case magic—seemto interact and behave. They are the results of observation, testing, andtheorizing until a coherent whole is produced.

Not all these laws are consciously known or understood by those using them, andnot all will automatically appear in every single culture with a tradition ofmagic. To understand them, it is not necessary that you become a magicianyourself. In fact, it is often easier for an outsider to discover and organizethese laws.

For example, suppose a physiologist is watching Arnold Palmer play golf. Now thescientist may understand everything that's going on inside Palmer's body when heswings his club; that is, he will know what neurons are discharging, whathormones are being released into Palmer's bloodstream, what muscles arecontracting and releasing. The fact that he knows all this, however, won't makehim a pro like Palmer. As for Palmer himself, he probably doesn't understandeverything going on in his metabolism; all he knows is that he moves his body insuch and such a way and sinks a putt. Knowing how to play golf does not make hima physiologist. The scientist has a slight advantage here because he can studyathletes from many different sports.

The situation described here is similar to the relation between a professionaloccultist and a professional magician, where the former would be thephysiologist and the latter, the athlete. An even better comparison would be theoccultist as scientist and the magician as engineer. A person can be a superboccultist and a lousy magician and vice versa; the basic talents involved arenot the same and only rarely do they show up in the same individual. I, forexample, am a much better occultist than I am a magician; and most of mycolleagues are better magicians than they are occultists.

Now all magicians believe in the Law of Cause and Effect, that exactly the sameactions done under exactly the same conditions will always be associated withexactly the same results. Actually the whole theory of causation gets shaky assoon as you look at it twice, and those "exactly's" are hard to get, but itworks quite nicely for day-to-day planning. This is not a law limited to magic,but I'll toss it in here to keep things neat.

We will examine in this chapter some of the most basic and important Laws ofMagic, give a brief description of their meaning, relate them to the workings ofthe mind, show some of their interrelationships, and throw in a few examples forgood measure. But before we do, consider the words of J. W. N. Sullivan's TheLimitations of Science:

But these laws are purely descriptive laws. They are just statements of fact,like saying gold is yellow. Kepler gives no reason why his laws should be asthey are. The observation and recording of laws is the first step in scientificprocedure. Science begins by hunting for uniformities amongst natural phenomena.The scientific man finds, for instance, that light is propagated in straightlines, that unsupported stones fall to the ground, that heat passes from ahotter body to a cooler one. In this way he introduces a sort of order intowhole groups of happenings. And this sort of knowledge is often quite sufficientfor practical purposes. Indeed, in many cases of great practical importancescience has not yet advanced beyond this knowledge.

The Law of Knowledge is the most basic of all the laws. It states that"understanding brings control," that the more you learn the stronger you are. Ifyou know all there is to know about something, then you have absolute and totalcontrol over it. Now this is the basis of all modern science and technology, andobviously matches the way the human organism—or any other that we know of, forthat matter—actually works. The more data input the organism has about phenomenaeither inside or outside its body the greater a possibility it has of solvingproblems and thus surviving. The key phrase for this law would be: "Knowledge ispower."

Its major sublaw is the Law of Self-Knowledge which says that the most importantkind of knowledge is knowledge of oneself. This also has a very logical basis.Constant review and reorganizing of the contents of your mind and body lead tomore effective survival. You might say that only when the machine is cleaned andgreased are you thoroughly tuned for living. Its key phrase would be: "Knowthyself."

All the other laws depend upon these two; it is wise to keep them in mind at alltimes. I don't really think that these need any more explanation or defense, andsince this is not officially a book of philosophy or phenomenology, we can go onto the others.

The Law of Names is related to both the Law of Knowledge and the Law ofAssociation. It states that knowing the complete and total true name of aphenomenon or entity gives you complete control over it (almost all phenomena inmagic are personified and can be considered to be "entities," or beings). Thislaw is based on two premises. First: in simpler languages than our own a name isa definition of that which is named. This is true also in complex languages,though you often have to search long and hard for the name-meaning of a word,especially one with foreign roots. Knowing the name, you know that which isnamed. As you get more information about the thing named, the name changes andevolves to fit the new data, often getting longer in the process. If you canonly learn the full name of a strange phenomenon, you will fully understand itand therefore control it. This is the connection with the Law of Knowledge.

Second: names are associational devices (memory gimmicks, used to remind you ofsomething) both as aspects or descriptions of a phenomenon and as root, or"germ," sounds. We will go into those a bit more deeply when we hit the Law ofAssociation. The key phrase for the Law of Names could be: "What's in a name?—everything!"

A sublaw of the Law of Names is the Law of Words of Power. This says that thereare certain words that are able to change and influence the inner and outerreality of those saying them. Now every word can be considered to be the name ofsomething, but this is not the major emphasis here, even though the mostpowerful words of power are usually corruptions of the names of the old gods.

Words like "abracadabra" or "osorronnophris" or "she-hamphorash" may have littleor no meaning to those saying them, but their meaninglessness is irrelevant. Thepower is thought to lie in the very sounds of the words themselves, thuslinking this to the subject of Mantra, which we'll get into later. (I'm sorrythat I am forced to keep saying "later," but everything in magic is incrediblyinterwoven, and I am required by the printed page to present things one at atime.) The key phrase here is: "A word to the wise is sufficient."The next major law is the Law of Association. If two things, "A" and "B," havesomething in common (anything!), that thing can be used to control both, and "A"and "B" have a mutual influence on each other, depending upon the size of thething shared. The more they have in common, the more they influence each other.

When the hunter runs down and kills a lion, he may eat the lion's liver thinkingthat this will give him strength; or a warrior may eat the brains of his slainenemy in order to assimilate his opponent's courage or cleverness. A communicantin church eats a piece of bread which is believed to be the body of Christ so asto gain some of Christ's attributes. All these are examples of "ritualcannibalism," and are essentially the same. The lion has strength and a lion'sliver. If I have the lion's liver, then I will also have the lion's strength.The same mechanism of association is operating in each example.

Now the Law of Association is rarely used in its pure form, except for selectingthe window dressing and props for casting a spell. Instead, two major sublawshog the limelight. In fact, these two were the first to be "discovered" bymodern anthropology and were thought to underly the whole of "primitive"magic. Actually, use of the term "primitive" should be avoided since many manyso-called savage cultures are just as complex as our own.

These two sublaws are the Law of Similarity and the Law of Contagion. The firstis the basis of "sympathetic magic" and basically says that effects resemblecauses. If you want to make a broom fly, you have to put bird feathers on it,wave it around, chirp over it, and so forth. Remember, any object, idea, orperson which reminds you of, or is connected (that's associated) with aparticular phenomenon or entity, partakes of that entity's power and can be usedas if it were the entity itself. Thus the feathers, chirping, and other propsare connected with the idea of flying and can be used to produce the power ofthe phenomenon "flight." So the key phrase for the Law of Similarity would be:"Lookalikes are alikel"

The Law of Contagion has an undeservedly bad reputation because of publicitygiven to "voodoo" and "curses" in non-literate societies. Sure, it can be usedto kill, but it can also be used to cure. The law states that "things once incontact continue to interact after separation." The emphasis here is on objectsor persons that have been in physical contact with each other. Thus you mightuse hair or fingernail clippings to help cast a curse because the clippings areassociated with (they remind you of) the victim. Or you might touch a sick childwith "holy water" in order to cure her of illness. So our key phrase here is:"Power is contagious."

These two sublaws often work together. One example might be the ritualcannibalism discussed earlier. Another would be the area of "fertility" magic,which usually consists of letting the kids do their thing out in the fieldsbefore plowing. Or you might take a bottle of your best wine and pour it overthe growing vines to insure the crop's high quality. Almost all religiousrituals invoke these two sublaws, as when a priest makes the sign of the crosswith holy oil or water on the body of a believer, or when the rice of fertilityis tossed at a wedding.

Association is used in a reverse manner in "ridicule rituals," in which anenemy's associations are twisted and distorted in order to render thempowerless. For example, in the famous so-called Black Masses the rituals andprayers would all be done backward, and ugly or obscene things associated withthe normally sacred and powerful. It is also common to use the enemy's gestures,symbols, words, and names in contradictory, muddled, or ridiculous combinationsin order to destroy his power.

The Law of Association, with its various sublaws and interactions with otherlaws, is probably used more than any other law. Now, since magic ispredominantly a function of the mind and its thinking patterns, you might expectthat this most frequently used law might have an intimate connection with theway the human mind works. Well, you won't be disappointed, since the majorfunction of the brain seems to be association.As far as most psychologists can tell, thinking, feeling, and memory are theresult of data correlations (associations) between information that has alreadybeen organized and the new data constantly being received. When data areassociated, patterns are produced. The total mind, or personality or "worldview," consists of millions of patterns all summing up as a metapattern (theword we'll use in this book). Anything can be data ("data" is now used as acollective noun, though technically 1 datum + 1 datum = 2 data—well, 3 actually,since their relation is also a datum) whether it's perceptions, memories,fantasy images, beliefs, values, techniques, rules, or any pattern these mayform in combination. Your memory is a collection of many of these previouslyorganized patterns. New information is compared with data already organized, inthe memory or elsewhere, so that various correlations and associations can betried on for size. New associations form new patterns and modify old ones; onenew piece of data may drastically alter an entire large pattern. The largerpatterns are highly conservative, though, and a man may go insane rather thanadmit he must change his metapattern. It is well known that those who do succeedin making major alterations in their metapatterns are usually the most fanaticconverts: St. Paul and Lenin come immediately to mind.

So where's the connection? The Law of Association can be considered to be arestatement of these principles of the human mind: "Any datum correlating withpreviously organized data adds to the total content of that data pattern,increasing understanding and thus control of the phenomenon underconsideration."

Please remember that this data organizing doesn't have to take place on aconscious level; in fact, in normal life, very little of it ever does. Having alock of someone's hair, or knowing his secret name, or his ancestry, or having awax image of him can all be considered methods for gaining more data about him.Some of this may be received and organized on a subconscious or even psychiclevel. Every new corner of a pattern gives you a new handle you can use to yankout the pattern when you need it. Or, if you are going to do a spell of a moreabstract sort, you would surround yourself with colors, lights, smells, sounds,pictures, textures, and anything else you could think of—touching every sense ofthe body—to remind you of the matter at hand. Thus you would keep certainpatterns associated with these items on the surface of your mind and increasethe intensity of your concentration. The key phrase we will use for the Law ofAssociation is: "Commonality controls."

The Law of Identification combines those of Knowledge, Association, andPersonification and states that by maximum association between your metapatternand that of another entity, you can actually become that entity and wield itspower. Now by maximum association and organization of all data about an entityor phenomenon, you increase your knowledge. The instrumental act of role-playingthe part of the entity gives you still more data, as you begin to get an idea ofhow the entity feels from the inside out. You then examine your personalmetapattern from the point of view of the entity's metapattern. This is, ofcourse, more intense association, but it is conceived of as "becoming" theentity. All thoughts of separation vanish, and you can do anything the entitycan, because you are the entity.

Unfortunately most people become so thoroughly lost inside their target entitythat they are unable to get out. They even lose all thought of themselves asbeing anything but the entity. The two beings are neither separate nor equal,and the stronger submerges the weaker. Depending on your society and culture,this is known either as sainthood or insanity. This law is primarily theurgic,since once you succeed you're in no condition to do any more experimenting, nordo you really want to. When the identification is temporary we have somethingcalled "divine" or "demonic" possession. Our key phrase here might be: "You canbecome another."

The Law of Synthesis, or the Union of Opposites, states that the synthesis oftwo opposing ideas or data will produce a third idea that will be truer thaneither of the first two. This third idea will not be a compromise but will besomething brand new.

This law comes in very handy, though it is used in the West more for mysticalpurposes than for magic. Basically, it allows for the simultaneous holding oftwo conflicting data without anxiety or cognitive strain. It is a method-patternin the mind that advocates various types of adaptive conduct. It allows you tochange belief more smoothly and alter value patterns when necessary. It allowsthe redeployment of attention from unpleasant contradictions, thus relieving thestrain that would otherwise exist.

Since the strain has been tranquilized, old and new data can be considered inpeace. The final result will be something new which will be in essence asynthesis of the original beliefs.

There are reams of material on this law, showing up everywhere from the JewishKabbalah to Tibetan Tantra to Karl Marx—who had the principle down right, butwhose followers botched up the results due to insufficient data. The key phrasefor this law would be: "Synthesis reconciles."

(Continues...)

Excerpted from REAL MAGIC by Phillip Emmons Issac Bonewits. Copyright © 1989 Phillip Emmons Issac Bonewits. Excerpted by permission of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Dettagli dell'edizione

• Editore: Weiser
• Data di pubblicazione: 1994
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0877286884
• ISBN 13: 9780877286882
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 304
• Contatto del produttore: non disponibile
• Persona responsabile: non disponibile