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Articles

The Logic of Magic

Mike Fuller makes sense of magic as a system of thought.

The deeper theoretical principles behind Western magic are related to the conceptual system of the Jewish Qabbalah. In Indian and Chinese magic the principles are related to conceptual systems of their own which are still not very well understood by Westerners. But some insight into the actual practices of magic, East and West, as well as the magical practices of many primitive societies, can be gained without intimate knowledge of the above conceptual systems, although reference to some concepts, entities, and forces is necessary.

The Simplest Level of Magic – Perhaps the easiest way to understand how magic is supposed to work is to start at the everyday level where, it is held, magic is going on all the time, usually unconsciously. Everyday phrases, such as “He really psyched me out”, “There’s a hypnotic quality about her”, “It really drains your energy being with him”, “He makes me go weak at the knees”, “He scares me shitless”, could all be held to refer to forms of magical attack.

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