Defining Magic



Ok... so I promised that, as a Wizard, I would give tips and tricks here and there to all of my would-be apprentices on magic, mysticism, and the like.  Well, I am not your Dumbledore.  So, don't expect me to answer ridiculous questions about love potions, moneymaking spells, or enchantments to help you get ahead.  However, I will, from time to time, post some good information on the mystical, and this is one of those occasions.  Of course, I am going to rant a bit as well... good with the bad and all that... anyway...

One thing that tremendously irks me is when people lump everything out there into the category of "Magic."  It muddies the waters for true seekers and irritates the snarf out of those of us who know what we are talking about.  So, before I let anything else out of the bag, I wanted to set the fundamental paradigm in your heads as to what Magic (capital M intended) is.  However, to do that, I will start with what Magic is not.

Magic, the real stuff, is not legerdemain or sleight of hand.  Now, admittedly, a good deal of what a great stage illusionist can pull off appears magical (don't get me started on the Statue of Liberty trick) and, some magic folk, mix real stuff into stage acts just to be annoying, but while a tremendous skill and hard to develop, stage illusion is not real Magic per se.

Curses are also not magical in the true sense of the word.  Curses are, instead, a supreme act of willpower.  Basically, the person performing the curse focuses the entirety of their will on sending malignancy toward the intended sufferer.  There is no magic involved, but there is a definite cost to the performer's soul as the life of the curse is directly tied to the ongoing will of the enacter.  This is why curses, like the Evil Eye (Malocchio in Italian) are often done when the enacter is enraged or grief-stricken.  The enacter literally channels all of that emotion through their soul and uses a piece to harm someone.  She or he also pays the price in return, and it is non-refundable, so to speak.

Witchcraft and Satanism are also not Magic.  In fact, any arcane system that requires that practitioner to invoke spirits, demons, otherworldly forces, ancestral ghosts, etc. should not be lumped in with Magic less you offend crotchety, old mages like me.  Real wizards do NOT use energy from other sentient beings or animals in any way.  So, I suppose this would also include anything that involves animal sacrifice and voodoo.

Similarly, blessings, prayers and faith magic, OF ANY RELIGION OR MYTHOLOGY, are not magic.  Again, you are calling on forces outside of yourself for results.  These are acts of faith rewarded or divine intervention.  They are not magical, but may be considered mystical.

Ok, so, what is Magic with a capital M?  Magic, real magic, is an innate ability to tap a preternatural power supply within the user to achieve results in reality.  In other words, systems that speak about the focusing of Chi, or Animus, and the like would fall into the realm of real magic as long, and this is important, as the user is simply using her or his own abilities.  Magic is also quite transient for the most, and truly dies with the user.  So, the spells on Egyptian tombs?  Not magic, but acts of faith, calling on old spirits and deities to guard a tomb.

So, how do you find real magic?  You do not.  You are born with it, and you know, from some dim racial memory, exactly what I mean.  It is something in the very bloodline you carry inside of you.  It rings when certain things happen.  It reacts when the conditions are right.  It feels the pull of the storm and the deep welling of the ocean.  It grows in the face of these things and you feel that buoyancy intimately. 

You can sense ghosts with it and spirits.  It can give some glimpses of true insight and others what is ahead.  It can tell you the history of place just by setting foot on its soil or floor, and it flows from a complete agreement of heart and soul.

This then is real magic.  Play with it at your own risk.