Neptune's Dolphins

 

Of the dragon books I have read, I recommend “Dragon Magic” by Rachel Patterson. It is filled with wise words about how to relate with dragons, who are ancient beings shrouded in myth. Following Patterson’s advice will aid the reader who wants to learn about dragons.

 

In the beginning chapter “Before You Start,” Patterson cautions, “Always treat them with the respect that you would a wise elder. It will take time and effort to build a relationship with dragons and a lot of practice to understand their magic. You cannot force a dragon to come to you, you cannot make one work for you.”

 

Patterson continues, “Then think about why you want to work with them, what are your reasons and whether you are prepared to put the work and effort in to follow this through properly. Dragon magic is not a quick fix….usually they are the ones that make the decision for you.” In other words, if you are not careful, you will be toast.

 

In my relations with Dragons, I have come to the conclusion that they do need to know a person for a long time before even speaking to them. I was meandering through an overgrown field, when I glimpsed a shy field dragon flitting among the devil’s paintbrushes and squirrel grass. As the dragon kept eying me, I continued walking. Later, I came back to the field with offerings. It took several months before the little dragon would bounce directly in front of me. I continued to bring small colorful stones to the field, building a relationship between us. Only a couple of years later, did the dragon squeak at me. Afterwards, I started seeing various dragons in odd places. I believe that the field dragon spoke to the other dragons about me.

 

In “Dragon Magic,” Patterson describes dragons in all their infinite variety. They are not simply limited to fire breathers, who live in caves, and guard their jeweled hoards. Dragons range from Tiamat of the Cosmos to the Lambton Worm, who lives in the deeps. They can be found flying among the clouds like the Chinese Lung. Dragons can have no limbs or multiple ones, one or more heads, and spit venom instead of fire. Cold drakes, who are the color blue, release ice from their mouths. Meanwhile, Guivres of France spout water but run away at the sight of a naked human.

 

In the section titled “How to Summon a Dragon,” Patterson writes, “Do not. Never summon a dragon, seriously don’t do it. Dragons will not respond well to being summoned. Dragons are ancient, they are wise, majestic and powerful. Summoning them will either annoy them greatly, for which you will be made to pay or they will completely ignore you because of your arrogance and insolence.”

 

What a person does instead is to treat dragons with the utmost respect. Be mindful of your manners. And, if a person finds themselves with a Guardian Dragon, they need to make an altar for the dragon. At the altar, leave gifts to affirm the relationship. To form a bond, have daily contact through mediation and listening. Moreover, heed the dragon’s guidance.

 

To make the altar welcoming for the dragon, place dragon pictures and shiny coins on it. Also, have a candle to honor their transformative powers. At the altar, leave milk. In dragon myths, milk is often given to keep dragons from eating livestock.

 

As I do, Patterson divides dragons by their elements. Each element enhances particular qualities of dragons. Earth dragons keep their hoards in mountains. Air dragons prefer to ride with the storms. Fire dragons live in volcanos, while water dragons are found in the depths of the oceans. Patterson does include “spirit” and “chaos” dragons in her categories. The former mediates between the physical and psychic planes, while the latter brings transformation.

 

One thing that I learned from Patterson is how dragons relate to the different seasons. (Note 1) She aligns dragons by the Neo-Pagan festivals. Some dragons are seen more at harvest time (Lammas), while others only appear during the heat of summer (Midsummer).

 

Notes:

Note 1. I will explore dragons and their seasons in a more detailed post later.

Reputation is power.
 

With great responsibility comes great power, and with great power comes great responsibility.
 

To become a master wizard, the candidate starts at the first stage – “They don’t know that they don’t know.” Then the apprentice wizard continues on to “They know they don’t know.” At the next stage, the journeyman “knows what they know.” Finally at the mastery stage, the wizard “just does it.” Abrielle Jones in “The Time Workshops,” categorized the stages as “unconsciously incompetent,” “consciously incompetent,” “consciously competent,” and finally “unconsciously competent.” In moving through the stages, the wizard learns to take responsibility and credit for what they do. Their reputation grows with their power and maturity.

 

Jones continues, “to deny that we are creating our own future is not to take responsibility for our own energy.” The wizard creates their future in the present, for they are not a passenger but a sailor on the seas of fate. Taylor Ellison, noted magician, says that of of the most magical acts that a person can do is knowing who they are. By being proactive, the wizard changes as the magic changes their future.

 

In “Mystical Words of Power,” Damon Brand emphasizes “you are a part of the fluidity of your life, with the choice to shape your fate rather than have it happen to you, and no matter how magick helps, your freedom to interact with life means your responses affect your reality.” He continues, “every time something happens, you react, respond, feel something or do something, and you cause change.” The wizard brings change to a situation simply by using magic, When they undertake a magical working the prudent wizard notes the waves of synchronicity. As their reputation grows, so does their power.

 

The Spiritualist Michelle Leath in “Psychic Integrity,” examines how to determine a reputable reader (medium). Their reputation is built on how well the reader understands the complexity of the spiritual ecosystem. Does the reader maintain their own power, or do they take more from others? Also, do they continue to learn and study? Since a reader mediates between the living and spirits, are they well-versed in the art of diplomacy?

 

Advertisements

 

REPORT THIS AD

The process of understanding magic entails having a good foundation of how it works. The point of magic is to manifest a particular possibility. The magician’s altar and tools are a means to do that. To have consistent magical practice means daily work at the altar. While there, the wizard notes how the space of the altar is being used, and how time flows through it. The model of magic that the wizard follows – psychological, spiritual, or resonance – will determine how and what tools they will employ in their magic.

 

Magician Taylor Ellison in “Walking with the Elemental Spirits,” says that “magic only evolves if we take risks and make change to what is known to discover the unknown.” As the wizard puts more of themselves into their work, they change in positive ways. Since the Cosmos is an ecosystem of interconnectedness, their relations move beyond the physical to the metaphysical. By being a diplomat, the wizard’s power increases as their responsibility grows.

 

Magic entails knowing who you are. One aspect for me is understanding which model of magic that I use. Since I am spiritual in nature, my altar and tools reflect that. Through daily practice, I use tact in the presence of the Gods and Others.

 

As I move through the stages of wizardry, I become more “unconsciously competent.” What I learned as a wizard is that magic changes you. If you understand the waves of synchronicity, you can make effective changes in your life. I cease to be a by-stander, and become instead an active participant. In being active, I build my reputation from being responsible and receiving entrusted power.

 

Works Used:

Brand, Damon, “Magickal Protection.” Columbia (SC): The Gallery of Magick. 2015.

—-, “Mystical Works of Power.” Columbia (SC): The Gallery of Magick. 2019.

 

Ellwood, Taylor, “The Process of Magic.” Willamette (Oregon): Magical Experiments Publication. 2018.

—, “Walking with Elemental Spirits.” Willamette (Oregon): Magical Experiments Publication. 2022.

 

Jones, Abrielle, “The Time Workshops.” U.K.: Timeslip Books. 2007.

 

Leath, Melissa, “Psychic Integrity.” Bloomington (IN): Hay House. 2011.

 

Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon, “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard.” New Page Books: Franklin Lakes (NJ). 2004.

 

I think that the Journeyman phase could be likened to the White Phase of Alchemy. The purified essences of the Apprentice are released and separated. Then the opposing parts are joined and transformed. If this fails to produce a new person, then the process starts over. The Journeyman tries and retries until they have accomplished their goal. It can be the longest phase since the Wizard is refining their skills.

 

The final phase is the Master. In Alchemy, this is the Red Phase, the final steps in creating the Philosopher’s Stone, the Greater Stone. (The White Phase creates the Lesser Stone.) For the Journeyman to become the Master, they need to complete the Lesser Stone first. Upon completing the White Phase, the Journeyman Wizard will be able to discern what is needed to achieve mastery of the Greater Stone.

 

In Freemasonry, the Master Mason has the “cosmic responsibility to lead the way.” The Master Mason has the duty to continue building on the sacred teachings. Like the Adept Alchemist, the Master Mason has been tested and purified. They now understand the Mysteries of the Universe.

 

This is not the end for the Wizard, since the Master Wizard now manages and directs the directions of Wizardry. Understanding the Spiritual Laws of the Universe, the Master teaches others. In traditional Wicca, the Third-degree Witches are expected to hive off and to form new covens. These witches have experienced and understood the intense combination of spiritual and physical energies of their practices.

I think that a Master Wizard might seem to know everything. However, they only know what they seek to know and understand only what they can. But the Master knows that things are always in flux. Therefore, they retain the Apprentice mind to be open to learning new things, and the Journeyman mind to hone what they learned. Later, the Master teaches the new knowledge.

 

Works Used:

Clark, Natalia, “Pagan Portals – Baba Yaga Slavic Earth Goddess.” Alresford (UK): John Hunt Publishing. 2021.

Collinson, Kevin, “Spiritual Dragon Wizardry”, Web. https://www.dragonwizardry.org/.

Hall, Manly, “The Lost Keys of Freemasonry. (1923)” E-book. OK Publishing. 2019.

—, “What the Ancient Wisdom Expects of its Disciples. (1925).” E-book. Philosophical Research Society. 1982.

Hauck, Dennis, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Alchemy.” New York: Penguin. 2008.

Michelle, Heron, “Elemental Witchcraft.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2021.

Snavel, Deborah, “Degrees, Guilds and Initiation into the Wicca,” Raise the Horns with Jason Mankey, (November 4, 2014). Web. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/panmankey/2014/11/degrees-guilds-and-initiation-into-the-wicca/.

Stimpson, Ben, “Ancestral Whispers.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2023.

 

In discussing what he called “new physics,” psychologist Allan Combs explains, “In quantum theory we recover the view of a world as an unbroken fabric in which seemingly separate events do not occur insolation, but in fact, form pieces interwoven into a common tapestry.” Combs was explaining what effect quantum physics has on mythology and synchronicity in his book, “Synchronicity.” According to Combs, the Common Tapestry is such that Wolfgang Pauli, well-known physicist, could have the “Pauli Effect.” (Note 1) Whenever he entered a laboratory, the equipment would break.

 

C.W. (Charles Webster) Leadbeater, noted Theosophist, wrote in 1913 in “Hidden Side of Things,” that people’s vibrations of thoughts and feelings affected other people. He cites the Principle of Cause and Effect (Note 2) which he says that whatever a person puts forth will return to them. Therefore, people need to be responsible in their deeds and thoughts.

 

Oberon Zell-Ravenheart echoes this in “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard.” “To be a Wizard is to acknowledge that everything is alive and everything is connected.” (Emphasis his.) A wizard understands that no matter how adept they are, there is always something else that they do not know. Since a wizard has the power to manifest whatever they want, they should examine what they are doing and why.

 

Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel, once said “Don’t be so humble, you’re not that great.” What she meant was do not be falsely modest, but own your successes. Taking credit for their actions means that the mature person understands their place in the world. They are someone who can be trusted, since they have demonstrated that in their attitude and conduct.

 

Because the Universe is connected, what a person does has reverberations through the Cosmos. Since wizards have power, they have to take responsibility (and credit is a part of that). Or they will end like Pauli, who had no friends. Carl Jung observed that Pauli had relegated his “Effect” to his Shadow, which came out in his brutal insults of fellow scientists. Pauli died of pancreatic cancer at 58 years old.

 

Notes:

 

Note 1. The Pauli Effect (Pauli’s Device Corollary): “The mysterious failure of technical equipment in the presences of certain people, particularly theoretical physicists.”

 

Note 2. The Principle of Cause and Effect (The Sixth Hermetic Principle): “Every Cause has its Effect, every Effect its Cause, everything happens according to Law. Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; There are many planes of causation but nothing escapes the Law.”

 

Works Used:

Besant, Annie and C.W. Leadbeater, “Magic and the Left Hand Path.” Compiled by Pedro Oliveira, PDF. CWL World. 2023. Web. http://www.cwlworld.info/On_the_Left_Hand_Path.pdf .

Burns, Anthony, “Ultimum Mysterium.” Winchester (UK): 6th Books. 2016.

Combs, Allan and Mark Holland, “Synchronicity.” New York: Marlow & Comp. 1996.

Corradi, Max, “The Seven Laws of Reality and Being.” E-book. Jaborandi Publishing. 2013.

Hall, Manly P., “Magic, A Treatise on Natural Occultism. (1929).” E-book. Mockingbird Press. 2022

—, “Unseen Forces: Nature Spirits, Thought Forms, Ghosts and Specters, the Dweller on the Threshold. (1924).” E-book. Borodino Books. 2018.

Michelle, Heron, “Elemental Witchcraft.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2021.

Leadbeater, C.W., “The Hidden Side of Things. (1913).” E-book. Global Grey. 2016.

Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon, “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard.” New Page Books: Franklin Lakes (NJ). 2004.

 

As a tool of magic, the cauldron has many mythological qualities. As one of the Four Treasures of the Tuatha de Danann, the Cauldron of the Dagda (the Good God) (Note 2.) provided eternal abundance through food. The Lord of Abundance, the Dagda allowed no one to leave his hall hungry. One of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain, the Cauldron of Dyrnwch the Giant would not boil meat for cowards. This Cauldron (Pair Dyrnwch Gawr) separated the heroic person from the others. The Cauldron of the Head of Annwfyn also would not cook food for a coward. Moreover, this cauldron was the holder of mysteries. In the Mabinogion, the Cauldron of Rebirth (Pair Dadeni) would return the Dead to life, although they could not speak. Other cultures such as the Greeks have their myths about cauldrons as well.

 

In magical practice, the cauldron has many uses. Representing the Divine Feminine, the cauldron is the Womb of the Goddess, which makes it a tool for transformation. As Ceridwen, a Welsh Goddess, makes magical potions in her cauldron, so can the modern wizard. A cauldron full of water can be used for scrying. On an altar, it can represent the Four Elements, according to Doreen Valiente, the mother of modern Wicca. (Note 3.) The cauldron is a tool of creation, abundance, and transformation.

 

In “The Witch’s Cauldron,” Laura Tempest Zakroff lists items that could be considered a cauldron. Since the utensil itself has undergone many changes through time, modern things can substitute for the traditional cauldron. She writes, “the cauldron is first and foremost a container. It is shaped to hold things and is designed to conduct and retain heat.” Zakroff compiles nine uses for a cauldron – container, maker (cooking), transformer, purifier, gateway (connection between realms), marker (guide), drum, divination, and rebirth (renewing life). Things such as the bathtub, washing machine, and tea kettle fulfill many of the uses that Zakroff lists. A stockpot, Dutch oven or crockpot could also be considered a suitable substitute.

 

Pondering Zakroff’s list of uses, I decided that a tea kettle is a worthy substitute. After all “cauldron” also means “kettle.” To me, the brewing and consumption of tea is sacred and transformative. In Japanese Tea Ceremony, the selection of the kettle is as important as the selection of the tea cups. Since the kettle brews the magic potion known as tea, I chose mine with great care. It does hold all the elements as Valiente detailed in “Witchcraft for Tomorrow.”

 

To consecrate my tea kettle, I first clean it with hot water, and let it air dry. Then I ask the Roman Gods to bless it – Vesta of the Hearth for the kettle. Fons for the water, and Libera and Liber for the tea. Then I make an offering of tea to the Gods by spilling the liquid on the earth. Then the kettle is ready for magical use.

 

Notes:

Note 1. The full chant is:

“Round about the cauldron go;

In the poisoned entrails throw.

Toad, that under cold stone

Days and nights has thirty-one

Sweltered venom sleeping got,

Boil thou first i’ th’ charmed pot.

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,

In the cauldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,

Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil, and bubble.”

(“MacBeth,” Act IV, Scene 1.)

 

Note 2. The Cauldron of Plenty is also known as the Undry.

 

Note 3. Valiente in “Witchcraft for Tomorrow,” writes “need water to fill it, fire to heat it, the green herbs or other productions of the earth to cook in it, while the steam arises from it and spreads it aroma into the air.”

 

Works Used.

Ellis, Peter Berresford, “The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends.” Constable & Robinson Ltd: London. 2002.

Greer, John Michael, “The New Encyclopedia of the Occult.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2003.

Michelle, Heron, “Elemental Witchcraft.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2021.

Sjoestedt, Marie-Louise, “Celtic Gods and Heroes.” Dover: New York, 2000.

Zakroff, Laura Tempest, “The Witch’s Cauldron.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2021.

Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon, “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard.” Franklin Lakes (NJ): New Page Books. 2004.

 

“Pentagram” refers to the five-pointed star, which consists of a triple triangle that forms an interior pentagon. This geometric figure has a long history of magical use. For example, Christians believed that it represented the Five Wounds of Christ. Meanwhile the Pythagoreans of Ancient Greece regarded it to be a sign of perfection. Eliphas Levi called the pentagram, a “sign of intellectual omnipotence and autocracy.”

 

“Pentacle” refers to a magical disk that is used to summon spirits. The pentacle that most people are familiar with is the one with a pentagram in a circle. However, the symbol on the disk need not be a pentagram; it can be a seven-point star or a magical sigil. The pentacle, as a tool, acts as the threshold between the worlds. People will often place one in the center of their altar and use it for charging other magical tools.

 

In “The Witch’s Altar,” Jason Mankey defines a pantacle as the personal tool of the magician. He writes, “It’s designed to represent how the individual magician understands the entire universe and their place within it.” This differs from what Oberon Zell-Ravenhart writes in “Grimoire For the Apprentice Wizard.” For him, “the panticle is used in Ceremonial Magick as an instrument of protection, or as a tool to evoke spirits.” They both agree that the tool is the foundation from which magical working is built.

 

Zell-Ravenhart describes the panticle as a “disc engraved with a five-pointed star, or pentagram, and may also include other symbols relating to the Earth….” He stresses that the tool is called “panticle,” which means “all angles.” Zell-Ravenhart writes that it is “commonly misnamed pentacle, a synonym for pentangle, which means five angles.” Since the sources I have used refer to the panticle as pantacle, I will quote them as such.

 

Heron Michelle of Modern Witchcraft offers a nuanced point of view. In “Elemental Witchcraft,” she refers to the panticle is a “magickal hotplate because it focuses elemental energy into manifestation… This is a gateway to all the realms and so forms a focus of power there.” Michelle calls it is a “paten or peyton, which is a flat disk or plate with the pentacle symbol fashioned into the material.” According to her, the pentacle (the symbol) (Note 2) represents the interwoven elements of the physical earth. Because it anchors the elemental energies, the pentacle (the disk) is a gateway to all of the realms by forming a focus of power.

 

Notes.

Note 1. The “panticle” is also referred to as “pantacle.”

Note 2. The symbol is the pentagram in a circle.

 

Works Used.

Greer, John Michael, “The New Encyclopedia of the Occult.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2003.

Mankey, Jason and Laura Tempest Zakroff, “The Witch’s Altar.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2021.

Michelle, Heron, “Elemental Witchcraft.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2021.

Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon, “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard.” Franklin Lakes (NJ): New Page Books. 2004.

Since I am a Roman Polytheist, I usually do not use magic in my practice. However, in reading about wands, I realized that I do use a wand. When I do Roman divination, I use a lituus to mark out a templum to take auspices. The lituus is a curved wand with the top shaped as a question mark. Pointing to the sky or an area of land, I set up a square which I quarter, and then quarter again. This is the templum, which could be thought of as sacred space. I ask my question and note the signs occurring within the templum. I interpret the bird signs to discover what the Gods’ answers are to my questions.

 

In “The Witch’s Wand,” Alferian Gwydion MacLir wrote, “You aren’t begging for divine intervention, you are casting your will upon the cosmos as a person of power and confidence. That is what the wand signifies.” (Note 1.) In using my lituus, I am doing precisely that since I want an answer to my question. I am not foretelling the future but want to find out if I have divine approval for something.

 

In magic, wizards use wands to cast circles and direct magical energy. Wands are also used for channeling magical energy. With a wand, a wizard can write out their intention in the air. Oberon Zell-Ravenheart in “The Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard,” sums up what the wand means to a wizard. “In ritual, the wand strives to unite our body, mind, and soul with that of universal consciousness to bring into manifestation our magickal desires.” (Note 2.) I interpret that to mean that the wand unites the wizard with the Cosmos.

 

I pondered how I could make a wand since I am limited by my brain injury. Christopher Penczak, a noted wizard, inspired me in his observations about wands. He wrote that wands can be disguised as everyday tools. “I’ve known witches who use their wooden kitchen spoon and mechanics who use their screwdrivers.” (Note 3.) The important point is to be united with the tool so that it becomes a part of you.

 

For a wand, I chose the yellow No.2 pencil. (Note 4.) I use one daily to write in longhand for my exercises to promote brain health. Since for many cultures, words are magic, I regard my pencil to be a magical tool. Dr. Bernard Beitman writes in “Meaningful Coincidences, “words are created to carve out portions of reality that deserve our attention.” (Note 5.) With cursive, I can create and direct my will. (Note 6.) The flow of writing the words out by longhand channels the will of the writer, thereby creating magical intent. Cursive translates my will physically on to the paper much like a wizard writing with a wand in the air.

 

I have always been particular about my pencils. I routinely dedicate them to the Gods to aid in my writing. After placing them on my lararium (Roman altar), I ask Mercury the God of Communication to bless them and my words. For writing poetry, I ask Apollo, the God of the Bards. I dedicate those pencils to the act of creating beauty and truth.

 

For me, the pencil would be appropriate for a wand. It is made from wood, which is a traditional material for wands. Moreover, the yellow color represents the mind. The eraser, which is the pommel, balances the yellow and also represents intuition.

 

Notes:

Note 1. Alferian Gwydion MacLir, “The Witch’s Wand,” P. 170.

Note 2. Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard,” P. 104.

Note 3. Penczak quoted by MacLir, P. 26.

Note 4. No. 2 lead is neither too hard nor too soft for regular use.

Note 5. Dr. Bernard Beitman, “Meaningful Coincidences,” P. 10.

Note 6. I write all my essays using cursive in multiple drafts.

 

Works Used.

Adkins Lesley and Roy Adkins, “Dictionary of Roman Religion.” New York: Oxford University Press. 1996.

Beitman, MD.,Bernard, “Meaningful Coincidences.” Rochester (VT): Park Street Press. 2022.

Greer, John Michael, “The New Encyclopedia of the Occult.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2003.

MacLir, Alferian Gwydion, “The Witch’s Wand.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2021.

Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon, “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard.” Franklin Lakes (NJ): New Page Books. 2004.

 

 

Since my first attempt at defining what magic was, my framework had changed. My first definition was that magic can be used to exploit the reality people find themselves in. A magician finds the crack in reality and changes it to their advantage.

 

Then my working definition of magic became defined by Kurt Seligmann in “The Mirror of Magic.” He wrote, “Magic operation is the application of the practical use of wisdom…acquired in contemplation of the inner self and of nature. Magic endeavors to explain every phenomenon in life, in nature, in the invisible… unity of the universe with its endless entirety.”

 

Pondering what magic is made me realize that there was a shift in perception after the Enlightenment. Reason and materialism became embedded in every day thought. Later the Protestant Reformation flattened and homogenized life. Richard Kieckhefer in “Magic in the Middle Ages” said that the shift in thinking of magic from being natural or demonic to separate from religion started in the 16th Century.

 

Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn in her essay, “Pastlessness” observed that the two modern movements that arose from the Industrial Revolution were Marxism and Positivism. Both was based on the theory that history evolves from a theological belief system to scientific empiricism and finally to economic materialism. The basis of belief of these two movements was human mastery and control of the Universe. Because of this, Lasch-Quinn wrote “everything is stripped of soul of inner and mysterious life.”

 

A product of the Victorian Age, Sir James Frazier defined magic as separate from religion. Since then, this metaphysical outline has bedeviled the study of European magic. Ronald Hutton in his essay, “Framework for the Study of European Magic,” relates the struggles to redefine magic and religion.

 

For me, I decided to give up the idea of human mastery of the world. Also, I let go of the theory of a rational universe. I am no longer sure if magic endeavors to explain every phenomenon in life as Seligmann says. Science does that, since it assumes the uniformity of the universe. In this, I am reminded of the science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clark’s Three Laws. His Third Law is “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” In modern times, magic and science seems to be equated in some people’s minds. Moreover, secularism has pushed the notion that the mysteries of magic is only a cloak for ignorance.

 

In order for magic to exist for me, I need the vision of an enchanted world. The Romans and other ancient people lived in a heterogenous Cosmos. Their spiritual ecology consisted of the interaction between Gods, Nature, Ancestors, Others (Lars), Humans, Plants, and Animals. Adopting this framework, I see that the Cosmos is full of mysteries as the various worlds intersect each other.

 

Magic enchants the Cosmos and gives meaning and purpose to life. I realized this when I was seeking to understand how I saw a “living pterosaur.” For me, this event was magic beyond the rational world. This entity should not exist but it does in all of its glory. For me, magic is more than manipulating reality, it is a metaphysical framework. Magic is the response to the wonder of the world. Magic is the way to change a person’s consciousness according to their will. Through magic, a person can intentionally change their lives.

 

In my practice of magic, I will consciously work within this spiritual ecology. If I want to change something, it means negotiation with various Divine entities. This could be “a gift for a gift” instead of me willing a change without their consent.

 

Works Used:

Davis, Owen, ed. “The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft & Magic.” Oxford University Press: Oxford. 2017.

Greer, John Michael, “The Occult Book.” Sterling: NY. 2017.

—, “The New Encyclopedia of the Occult.” Llewellyn: Woodbury (MN). 2003.

Hennessy, Kathryn, ed., “A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult.” Dorling Kindersley: New York. 2020.

Hutton, Ronald, “The Witch.” Yale University Press: New Haven. 2017.

—, “A Framework for the Study of European Magic.” Grey School of Wizardry Class Materials. Dell.Urgano, Ombra, “The Development of European Magic.”

Kieckhefer, Richard, “Magic in the Middle Ages.” Cambridge University Press: Cambridge (UK). 2014.

Lasch-Quinn, Elisabeth, “Pastlessness.” The Hedgehog Review, Vol 24, Number 2, Summer 2022, pages 66-76.

Moro, Pamela, “Witchcraft, Sorcery, and Magic.” International Library of Anthropology. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/9781118924396.wbiea1915.

Seligmann, Kurt, “The Mirror of Magic.” Inner Tradition: Rochester (VT). 1948.

 

While I was researching about seeing a “living pterosaur,” I encountered the mind set of “if you can’t prove it, then it doesn’t exist.” The stated view of reality of modern life does not include “living pterosaurs,” hence the scare quotes. Modern society also gives a stink eye to belief in multiple Gods and any other “supernatural” Beings.

 

My conclusion is that many people today are detached from the world they live in. Various reasons are given for this alienation. Since the world of modernity is inhuman, people are expected to be machines. Consider the metric system in which every measurement is divided by ten. In contrast, the English system is governed by the human body. An English foot is based on the human foot.

 

Because people see themselves as organic machines, they have become enslaved by the modern culture. Overworked, exhausted and overstimulated, people seek relief in addictions or in machines (like TVs). They have forgotten how to be human beings and remain human doings.

 

The rise of secularism combined with the practice of rationality and the scientific method caused widespread disbelief in the transcendent and the immanent. Nowadays, people do not expect magic to happen. They fail to see the dragon outside their door or the elf standing by their fence. By being rationalists, people have lost the capacity for the unexpected. Meanwhile, a person filled with wonder will see magic everywhere such a dragon sunning themselves on a mountain.

 

The Canadian philosopher, Charles Taylor in “A Secular Age,” explained how this disenchantment happened. First belief that the natural world “testified to divine purpose and action” was discouraged. Then God (the Gods) was eliminated as a part of society. This also included the entire cosmic family. Now, people are convinced that the Lesser Spirits such as the Lars have no effect on anything.

 

Yard signs with slogans of “In this house, we believe…” dot lawns. (Most are simplistic platitudes and trite tautologies). One slogan stands out – “Science is real.” What is not understood is that science depends on the theory of the uniformity of nature. Moreover, the scientific method is a philosophy and theory. It assumes a homogeneous universe: the laws of nature have to be the same always and everywhere. By definition, science shifts with each paradigm change from Newtonian physics to quantum physics.

 

Charles Taylor wrote in “A Secular Age,” “we move from an enchanted world, inhabited by spirits and forces, to a disenchanted one; but perhaps more important, we have moved from a world which is encompassed withing certain bounds and static to one which is vast, feels infinite, and is in the midst of an evolution spread over aeons.” In this new world, people have no relationships and no framework.

 

People long for beauty and awe. The modern world is hollow with substitutes such as virtual reality and smart phones. As William Wordsworth, the English poet wrote,

The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—

Little we see in Nature that is ours;

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

 

Wonder depends on regarding the universe as a heterogeneous cosmos. For those filled with wonder, the world is not flattened nor empty. I realized that when pondering what I saw which was a “living pterosaur.” These cryptids are not supposed to exist these days. The rational mind says that I was mistaken in what I saw. The wondering mind say “Wow!”

 

How does a person become enchanted with their world? First just stop. Take a holy pause for five minutes. Lay down the urge to do and the need to be distracted. Sit still. Think of the pause as sacred rest. Resist the culture of busyness.

 

Christine Valters Paintner in “The Soul’s Slow Ripening,” suggests going outside into the landscape and walking. This connects people with the earth. The landscape remembers and provides places of thresholds where “we can experience the nearness of heaven and earth to each other.” Then she notes “when we awaken to the holy shimmering in each flower, tree, and bird, we suddenly discover that we are woven into a vast community.” This gives people a framework for relations in the vast world that is described by Charles Taylor.