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This post is #2 in a series. Start with the first post here.
Ask people how magick works, and you’ll hear variations of “God / The Universe / Your Soul is the source of all magick. People just channel [that infinite awe-inspiring thing].”
Sounds good, right? Now you can stop wondering. I mean, no one asks “How does God work?”
And that’s the problem: You shouldn’t stop wondering. Ever.
Why? Because continuously asking “How does this work” lets you understand all the moving pieces. Which lets you see new ways to use them.
It let us turn rocks (silicon) into computers.
It let us turn ore and oil into airplanes.
And it will let us do the same with magick.
But you can’t do that with an explanation that simply quiets your curiosity. You need an explanation that, well, explains how all the pieces work.
That’s a “systematic explanation.” Here’s what they are, and how they can modernize magick.
Systematic Explanations and Auto Mechanics
Imagine you ask Alice and Bob how cars work. Both of the explain that gasoline powers the engine, which makes the wheels turn.
You dig deeper. “How does gasoline power the engine?” Bob doesn’t know. Alice explains that injectors spray gasoline into pistons, spark plugs ignite that gas, and the explosion drives the pistons down.
Alice gave a systematic explanation. She understands how the engine works in terms of its parts. That understanding lets her simulate your engine in her head. She can tell you possible causes of a specific problem, or which parts you should upgrade for better acceleration. Predictions — X will happen if you break / change / upgrade this part — are the dividends paid by systematic explanations.
Bob doesn’t really have a mental model. He just memorized someone else’s words. They sound good, but they don’t let him fix your car.
Magickal Auto Mechanics
Ask yourself: When I do magick, and I a driver, or a mechanic?
Most mages are drivers. They direct some external force — God, The Universe, whatever name you use — that turns their words and intents and symbols into change in the world. Maybe their unconscious drives magick, but they don’t understand how. Consciously, the mage gives instructions, and some black box makes the magick go.
Most mages aren’t mechanics. They didn’t build the forces they channel. And they can’t debug it, repair it or improve it.
We need mechanics to modernize magick.
Modernizing Magick
Visualizations, symbols and rituals tell your unconscious what you want to happen. “I want to heal this person.” “I want to contact this spirit.” Etc.
They don’t tell your unconscious how to make it happen. How the energy healing works. What each part does to send your thoughts to the spirit. That leaves the unconscious to figure out the details. Which is fine for straight-forward changes, but not great for anything unintuitive.
Turning a rock into a hammer or an axe is straight-forward. Turning silicone into a computer is not.
Floating with a balloon is straight-forward. Flying on metal wings is not.
Using fire to cook is straight-forward. Using it to drive a car is not.
Here’s what I’ve found moving from symbolic magick (visualization, rituals, etc) to systematic magick (based on a systematic understanding of all the moving parts):
- Like a software company releasing a new version, I create new, better techniques every few months. They’re often unintuitive to symbolic mages — I wouldn’t figure them out without the systematic understanding.
- The magick is in the technique, not in my expectation. For years, I didn’t 100% believe my techniques would work, just because I naturally doubt myself. Each time, I was surprised at its success. That’s one way I know this isn’t placebo.
- Because I understand each step, I can teach them precisely. It’s the difference between saying “Build a house” and handing you a blueprint. Once you understand the moving parts behind magick, you’ll learn techniques in a day and they’ll work right away.
I don’t know the magick analog to making computers and airplanes and cars any more than Tesla could have predicted the internet. But I hope one day, we’ll exchange and refine techniques in peer-reviewed journals, work with physicists to truly understand how magick influences the physical world, and create joint surgical-pharma-magick therapies with doctors and chemists. And I hope you’ll join me in building that world.
Next
You have 2 options (these are placeholders, posts coming soon):
- Want more on systematic explanations? Click here for an example, or
- Continue to the next part of scientific exploration with Accurate Observation in Magick.
- Exploring Magick Through Science (May 12, 2011)
- Modernizing Magick (June 2, 2011)
Tags: Science
Hi Mike! Can you elaborate on this science systematic explanation. This is what I’ve found myself searching for over the past Month. Very interesting. But an explanation a little easier to understand than Carroll’s “Liber Kaos,” Apophenion,” etc. Another decent read on the subject is “Quantum Sorcery.” But for some reason I can’t seem to put it all together in my mind. Maybe you have a “101” or version “for dummies?” Thanks for the great posts, please keep them coming!