Was there ever really such a thing as magic?

How about a "superior power that arises from harnessing inner power and superntural forces and beings to effect change in the physical world."(Magic and Alchemy, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, p. 176.)
 
Cosmo said:
Was there ever really such a thing as magic?

Was there ever really such a thing as magic, or has it always been the name which we ascribe to things we don't understand?

It seems to me that Arthur C Clarke's "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" law of prediction is accurate... We've advanced far enough to where, at this point, there is nothing that cannot be explained by technology or science.
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My dad used to pull quarters out of his ear. That was pretty neat until I was about 5. All the sudden, I realized I was an idiot!

Magic is depressing.
 
I still say one has to define the term and relate it in context to thhe time, place, aand society in which it is used. I believe in it, ass I have been known to "dabble" in aspects of what some would consider "the occult' or "magic" if one chooses.
 
gonzogirl said:
Re: Was there ever really such a thing as magic?

I too think that the mind has control over the body. My kids grandfather beat a rare agressive type of Lymphoma about three years ago because when the doc said "this is what to expect.." Jim said.."no, tell it to the wife, let her know what to expect, I will not be a a part of that" he went home and started to meditate everyday and then overload on the self help..positive thinking stuff. He also meditated on the fact that he grew up out on a farm and ate healthy and worked hard..I think it boosted his system. He worked throughout his Chemo/radiation treatment. Went to work everyday sick as hell. 3 months later his blood was clean. The doctor was astounded. I think in Jims mind..he couldnt die..He just couldnt.
Now, his lymphoma will probably return in a year or two, and he may not be able to do it again but even so he got five extra years and grand twins to enjoy. I dont know why some make it and some dont. Will? Luck Genes?

The word magic brought to me the word enchantment then the word chant.
In other words, I think that magic came from an early spiritual way of life and is engrained in us some way or another. Magic works on the one it is intended for but only if the intended one believes. Get ahold of someone weak and you can make them believe that a potion will make someone fall for the or kill their enemies. The same with so called "good" magic. It dont matter if its labeled good or bad, there is almost always an intended "victim".
So there is still a thing such as magic but it has always been corrupt. Not real. Smoke and mirrors type of deal. But it can work, even though not real.
So does that make it real? Some have that point of view.
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There has always been Psychosomatic; in as much some people can think themselves sick. On the positive side of that, some people can focus enough positive energy,that they can heal themselves.
 
i believe in magic, or at least the existance of magic in the past, ppl like mosses and jesus both used what could be termed as magic powers, weather their tales are true though is debatable, but their not the only 1s to perform such things. solomon, agrippa and many others in history have been famed for such acts, but i believe today only the vatican library has the knowledge to do these things now, and of course they wont share the knowledge of this.... mores the pity
 
I think magic use to exist and, only now fragments of it still remains so only part of modern spells are real. As for if we can ever uncover the actual full technique is another story it would be extremely hard.
 
thank you for your response lordalmighty1. we would always wonder about the famed historical,in as much, those of the time,are not here
to verify those accounts.keep in mind that,on the positive side,with Jesus or Moses.there is the negative side with the devil and demons.
To walk down another path,we only use maybe 10% of our minds. It has been said we may have forgotten more than we could imagine.
E.S.P. has always been contributed with it's share of,"acts of magic". telepathy,clairvoyance.telekinetic ability's,teleportation,and other things,that might be considered,magic. i do believe that at one time we were able to do many that appeared as magic. there are so many ways to look at this. metaphysics,quantum theory,an astral plane,even side stepping from dimension to dimension(if you are open to parallel universes). i hate to leave,but its time i go home. for graveyard hound;don't forget,Atlantis,was supposed to have been just that. there was also a place called Lemuria,similar to Atlantis.
 
shane said:
Re: Was there ever really such a thing as magic?

The idea that magic/religion/shamanism and technology are separate is a somewhat modern idea. The religious organization was once on the forefront of technological innovation, as they were the ones with the time and money to devote to figuring out how things worked. At it's heart, religion like science is a process toward a logical understanding of universal mechanics based on underlying leap of faith.

So yeah, there's magic. It's science.
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Agreed.
 
I never was a believer in magic. I actually used to be a skeptic of ghosts, until I started having experiences I couldn't explain, and magic is the same way. I feel as if it does exist in certain quantities, but the overall part of it is greatly exaggerated.

I had a friend once, that is a Wicca. Before I met him, I believed magic was a bunch of BS. However spending time with him, things happened that normally should not happen. I guess some of it could be a placebo effect or even reverse psychology, like the time I had a severe toothache, he touched my mouth and mumbled something and well, the toothache went away. And the toothache was the result of a tooth that had a cavity, well when I went to get the cavity filled.. the cavity had vanished. The tooth was fully healed.

Other strange things happened when I knew him. He sadly moved away. But I still enjoy sharing his stories and we do email from time to time.
 

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