Real Magic and the Tao.
Is there such a thing as magic? I believe the answer is yes – but to understand that answer you have to ask and consider what I mean by the word: magic.
When encountering any abstract word it is best to recall why Lewis Carroll had Humpty Dumpty say concerning words – "When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less. The question is which is to be the master – that's all." [Chapter VI of Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll, 1872] It is important to realize that Humpty said he chooses what the word means. Thus to understand someone' else's words you can not automatically assume that what you think the word means is a match for what the speaker thinks the word means – they are the master of their words – consciously and/or subconsciously. You should not assume your meaning is accurate for true communication and mutual understanding. In the end – ask for clarification.
Thus, when I said there is real magic – I was first thinking of stage magicians and their elaborate sleight of hand illusions. That is clearly one form of magic that is real.
But the more interesting form of magic I believe in is the ability to bend probabilities to obtain significant results. I believe that real magic is defined through synchronicity. Synchronicity is a term coined by Carl Jung to refer to "temporally coincident occurrences of acausal events."- It is a significant or meaningful event arising without direct cause. Real magic is being in the right place at the right time and being there more often.
How does this work? To use the metaphor of Taoism I believe that there is order and structure to the cosmos. To align oneself to that flow of order and structure is the secret 'cause' of synchronicity. There are 2 modalities to do this. At one end of the continuum is the Magician at the other end is the Mystic.
The Magician through directed will creates a center of 'gravity' which brings the flow of the Tao towards her/him. The act of will is a form of energy which when sustained and maintained translates in a held pattern that has the ability to attract results – meaningful and significant events will occur.
The Mystic transforms her/him-self to attunement with the cosmos. The Mystic connects with the Tao by bringing about the attitude of harmony with oneself, with others and thus with the cosmos at large. This act of being in harmony results in finding one flowing with the cosmos and thus finding meaningful and significant events unfolding around her/him.
Both the Mystic and the Magician will find that unexpected invitations are dancing lessons from the Divine. That unexpectedly the cosmos will provide meaningful and significant signs that ask to be acknowledge.
Addendum:
On my continuum between the mystic and the magician - I would place 'being lucky', 'random chance events' - at the mystic's end of the continuum. A person being at the right place at the right time due not to an active conscious pursuit as the magician metaphor but as a unconsciuos desire to connect with the flow of the cosmos - a more receptive modality.
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Comments: 14
You talked about order and structure and I'm wondering if chaos or random events fit into your beliefs.
Weave into the fabric of a tribe of artistic dancers.
Fall under the spell of pure magic.
Silent night, peace and cold
Imbue me with music
In ecstasy, I dance to the stars.
(c) Laurie Corzett/libramoon
http://people.lulu.com/blogs/view.php?user_id=38353 libramoon's observatory (blog)
Once when I was purchasing a multi-thousand dollar commercial fishing boat as part of a major change in my life, I used part of that set of numbers as my purchase offer, there were additional numbers involved on the higher end that I did not reasonably dare to think I could change…but the seller either misunderstood or misread my offer and his selling price came back with that next number changed in my favor…I did not argue with him.
Once my wife had some serious health problems with a doctor diagnosis of probable cancer. The night before the scheduled exploratory surgery, while she slept, I placed my hand on her stomach in the area of the problem and asked God why her and not me (as I had found peace with God already and was ready to go, having had it with this incarnation) as I did so I actually felt an energy like an electric current go from my hand into her body with a special feeling of peace and love associated. The next day, after the surgery , the doctor reported that the growth he removed was non-cancerous after all.
I had years of coming into possession of just the needed book that answered questions following those brought up during the previous book reading, all a part of what I saw as a spiritual guided learning program. I believe this because I later found countless others that had been similarly guided to same and similar books as part of their own awakening to spiritual matters.
All of this happened within a few years of a profound transcendental awakening that I experienced unexpectedly out of the blue. When that happened to me I had no idea what it was because I had never heard of such a thing before then. But I did know without a doubt that it involved Love beyond what I had ever imagined before and I knew it was related to God. My reading and studying in response was a mystical journey all of it's own.
In my reading about it all there were many mysterious story's that I found very hard to believe about things that had supposedly happened to and with others, many of which were from the Hindoo perspective about magical materializations and such…not to mention the stories about Jesus from the western perspective.
Naturally after having experienced what I had been through, which seemed pretty 'magical' to me (actually, Spiritual) I dared not believe at first that almost anything was possible.
Now with many years under my belt after those experience, I have come to believe still that anything may well be possible…but highly unlikely! I now believe that most of the stories passed around are figments of imaginations and outright fabrications. Yet I do not at all discount my own experiences that I have here told you about.
Skeptics, and there are many, some few you see repeatedly on TV making a living denouncing everything, will have all kinds of 'logical' explanations…or outright denial of all such…even when they know none of the details. Objective 5 sensory limited people such as many scientists and atheists automatically deny all such possibility out of hand.
Then…there are those that are much less discerning that believe everything, repeat everything, and write about it without a doubt as if it were a common given for the special few to do at will.
When Jesus says that with enough faith that the mountains can be moved…I believe that is true…IF you have big enough equipment and explosives ! Otherwise it will only happen when the conditions are such that God wants them moved and if man is involved mentally it will only be a coincidence.
I do believe though that the differing higher realms are spiritual with an intelligence beyond ours. Such is a part of us and is always all around us everywhere, When we ask for sincere interaction with such, be they actual spiritual beings or not, the energy fields do exist and they can be aligned to make things happen that do not fit our normal logical idea of how things should work. This has probably happened much more in the distant past then in this day and age…but watch out for what you ask for because you just might get it !
So, I personally do not believe in 'magic', but most definitely in synchronicities because they are coincidences between the needs of man as reminders from spirit that the union exists. Do not discount them, they are real…when they are real, otherwise they are not…it is a purely subjective call and judgment, and matters not outside of the personal experience. Skeptics and others are surely entitled to stay objectively spiritually barren, it is their free choice.
Sorry I took up so much space here, I just got on another role. There is even more at www.spiritcalls.us
As I was pointing out there is a continuum between the active will of the magician and the receptive will of the mystic. You have expereinced more of the receptive will - mystic events. I too have a receptive connection when it comes to books and finding information. But, I have also tapped into some 'magical' events when I focused my attention to get some results and then later such events occur.
The terms 'magic' is a 'style' of these type of synchronistic events.
Now must read that copy of the Tao of Physics I've got. :)
Being lucky has probably more to do with being in the right place enough times...then probability comes into your favour.
Don't wish to be petty about Jerry's point with alarm clocks & waking up.....but we are programmed to wake up at a certain time if we have a routine. maybe waking up in the middle of the nigth could be simply be explained by reaching the end of one sleep cycle.
The Tao of Physics is an great book...brings the East metaphysical metaphors and the Western scientific metaphors into interaction and communal context.
My idea of 'magic'/synchronicity is not about being controlled but about either being in tuned with the Way of the cosmos - the mystic path or the magicians calling the cosmos to connect with you - the 2 ends of the coninuum. Neither is about having any outside force controling you.
Gary, pretty sure I read that book about 10 years ago, probably have it upstairs somewhere. Later, j.