Many claim that there is a clear division between science and magic. It is a division that has been several hundred years in the making. Today, some television ‘scientists’ will mock the occult (albeit those ‘celebrities’ generally show little or no true knowledge of science or of the occult). Many of those who understand some part of the occult appear to have some fear of science (albeit many of those have no true knowledge of any science).
Is it not time that we heal these rifts?
Perhaps a principal difficulty lies in terminology and the baggage that has attached itself to various folk’s definitions and usage of terms such as ‘science’, ‘technology’, ‘engineering’, ‘magic’, ‘occult’ and ‘esoteric’ over the years.
Perhaps also it is that many humans are now so specialised in their activities and interests that they think differently to others.
Take the scientist. The scientist must be clear as to what is fact and what is opinion. The scientist might have an opinion as to the true nature of an unknown but, unless and until the scientist can prove or disprove that hypothesis by reproducible experiment, he will not assume his opinion (or anyone else’s) to be fact.
Take the artist. The artist does not have to work under the restrictions of the scientist. The artist can interpret facts in whatever medium he chooses to work in and is free to express those things as he will. Whilst others may have a view as to whether they like or dislike that interpretation, no-one would say that it is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, ‘fact’ or ‘falsehood’.
And what of the magician who may, in daily life, be a scientist or an artist or whatever else he might have chosen for his outer path. An important part of magic is to act as though it is. By that means that which is anticipated may come to pass. The wish becomes opinion and the opinion becomes fact. The opinion does not move from opinion to fact by means of proof through reproducible experiment but becomes fact by means of having been opinion and having been worked with as though it is fact.
The scientist, even if he be a magician too, is not yet able to explain that progress with today’s knowledge. If he could then that magic would be science and the science would be magic.
Perhaps the mechanism by which magic works will never be understood in a scientific way. In the meantime we can do our bit to heal the rift. Perhaps a first step would be an attempt to remove the mutual distrust that appears to have grown between some folk over the last few hundred years.
- Nova Genista
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- Thursday, 18 February 2021
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