How works magic? The I as creation of the I

[sinistercurrent]

What do you think about this?

I think, our "I" is coming into being again and again and again... from second to second, from minute to minute... We live in the world and because of this we create patterns in the environment and social structures by our "I". To change the world we must change some aspects of our I and so we bring our new I into the world and change the world according to the new aspects of the I...thats one way how magic works...

Best wishes, Sin

 

[Sireal]

That works for me Sin. Magic-The Science and Art of causing change to occur in conformity with Will toward Xeper or Conscious willed activity toward Xeper. The framework of which is laid out in Setian philosophy in a concise and clear fashion w/o a lot of mystical bs attached that obfuscates the Real intention of magical activity which is ultimately Self-deification.

 

[Erebus]

Honestly... I don't know how magic works, I just use it because I see the effects. To me it's a lot like painting, I don't know how the paints were made, I don't concern myself with what sort of tree my paper and brush came from. Instead I think about which strokes work and which strokes don't in order to create a final result.

Over the years I've invoked gods, demons, angels, energies, elementals, ghosts, my subconscious and archetypes all with roughly the same results. My theories on how magic works change on a regular basis.
The thing that stays roughly the same is my theory on how magic affects the world. I believe that magic works either by subtly altering a sequence of events so that they arrive at the conclusion the magician was hoping for, or magic will manipulate the thoughts, dreams and perceptions of a target. For example, If I was to cast a spell to make myself more attractive, my looks would stay the same and instead, people would think I look more attractive.

If we're talking about "lesser" magic (in a LaVeyan sense at least) then yes, changing the "I" would be a means to alter your immediate situation and thus could be considered lesser magic. Again, using attractiveness as an example, if you were to alter your appearance for the better, you would certainly get more out of certain aspects in life.

*edit* oops, I just noticed this is posted in the Setian DIR, sorry!

 

[Apion]

Some philosophers, linguists, eastern meditators, and cognitive researchers would argue that our sense of "I" is a constant construction from recursive memory loops. I tend to agree with that suggestion.

A fun exercise by Ken Wilber as an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ_HsQkBkJA

And even more radically life-changing: http://www.headless.org

In a more real sense [your statement doesn't make sense if you identify with that "I" i.e. who's changing this "I", and how can it be conditional in the first place?] you are talking about changing your mental preferences and bringing that vision to construct your outer world. Not really how magic "works" -- more it's mission statement.

 

[blackout]

When I effectively change and upgrade my "I",
my whole Reality changes and upgrades with "it".

 

[Kenaz]

Apion:
Thank you for these two links, especially the second link with many explanations and personal experiments to actually experience the philosophy. Very neat ideas.

 

[Apion]

Sometimes it needs a small nudge to notice the obvious. You're most welcome.