What is magic? ( not the one in theater)

[Spirit of Light]

In @Frank Goad halloween OP it is asked about magic that happens on Halloween.
A good question by the way, but what is magic?

When you hear the word magic, what do you think of and what is magic to you?

 

[syo]

In @Frank Goad halloween OP it is asked about magic that happens on Halloween.
A good question by the way, but what is magic?

When you hear the word magic, what do you think of and what is magic to you?

Magic is when you cast spells.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

In @Frank Goad halloween OP it is asked about magic that happens on Halloween.
A good question by the way, but what is magic?

When you hear the word magic, what do you think of and what is magic to you?

In Western scientific terms it is to claim that there is an cause/effect, that there is no evidence of and that there is/seems to be another cause/effect. Whether it is True, I don't know.
Free will in some variants could be considered magic, so the belief in magic is not found only in standard religions.

And, yes, to some science is a faith and religion, so it is an interfaith answer.

 

[JustGeorge]

I spent a few years in early life as a Wiccan. Magic tends to be a big part of that.

Magic, or spells, tend to be kind of like prayers with props, in my opinion. You might petition the aid of a deity, but you may not, too. At the very least, some kind of energy is acknowledged, but the person may also utilize that energy which comes from the earth, or from the self. You're not strictly relying on a divinity or energy, but you may be working with it.

Typically, you are wanting to create some kind of change and try to get the ball rolling by a combination of will and proper correspondences(right time, place, materials). Some think it all just affects the person's mentality, others think it creates a space for change in the fabric of things(or a combination of both).

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

In @Frank Goad halloween OP it is asked about magic that happens on Halloween.
A good question by the way, but what is magic?

When you hear the word magic, what do you think of and what is magic to you?

For me, magic means any physical action not mediated by the laws of physics - essentially synonymous with miracles. So, when God is said to have created the universe by just thinking about it, that's a claim of magic.

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

A good question by the way, but what is magic?

A pretty fun card game.

 

[Valjean]

It sounds like in "the magic of Halloween" the term's being used metaphorically.

Magic, per se, is effect without mechanism, or outside the laws of physics, as It Ain't Necessarily So put it.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

It sounds like in "the magic of Halloween" the terms being used metaphorically.

Magic, per se, is effect without mechanism, or outside the laws of physics, as It Ain't Necessarily So put it.

Well, magic is sort of different as a concept in psychology, but yes, even that involves the part of an effect without mechanism, or outside the laws of physics.

 

[Erebus]

It's difficult to pin magic down to a precise definition so I'll broadly describe it as an attempt to create change via ritual, mental effort or divine intervention. A prayer could be an attempt at magic if you're asking a god to do something for you for example.

To some extent, magic can work and has been demonstrated to do so via mind tricks. A person can be blessed or cursed by believing themselves to be blessed or cursed without the need for spiritual forces. Naturally, the study of things like the placebo/nocebo effect, the impact of perspective and the power of suggestion have demystified magic for a lot of people. That's just how it goes, the supernatural becomes mundane the moment it's discovered.

Whether there's anything more to magic than "headology" as Granny Weatherwax would put it, I honestly don't know. I don't see how it's possible to demonstrate the existence of spirits that could act on behalf of a magician or how to determine cause and effect in a vague "bad luck" curse. I think we can pretty safely conclude that nobody is able to shoot fireballs from their hands or conjure up a thunderstorm though.

 

[The Hammer]

To enact change through force of one's Will. Typically emphasizing tools, timing, and setting.

 

[Valjean]

To enact change through force of one's Will. Typically emphasizing tools, timing, and setting.

If I want a wall gone, and bang it down using a tool, is that magic?

 

[The Hammer]

If I want a wall gone, and bang it down using a tool, is that magic?

Did you light a candle first

 

[Erebus]

If I want a wall gone, and bang it down using a tool, is that magic?

"Every intentional act is a magical act." - Aleister Crowley

So yes, breaking down a wall with a hammer could be seen as magic in some occult circles.

Personally, I find Crowley's approach too broad but it does demonstrate how tricky it can be to define magic. It's very easy for a definition to make everything magical or nothing magical. That's sometimes the intended purpose of a definition actually.

 

[Valjean]

Define the term too broadly and it becomes meaningless.

 

[JustGeorge]

Define the term too broadly and it becomes meaningless.

In some circles, perhaps.

In others, it just makes the world that much more 'magical'.

 

[sun rise]

If I want a wall gone, and bang it down using a tool, is that magic?

Ask members of the Cargo Cult formed during WWII who built replicas of planes to get them to return with goodies.

Or as Arthur C. Clarke put it "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic".

 

[The Hammer]

In others, it just makes the world that much more 'magical'.

 

[crossfire]

Would you define the placebo effect and the nocebo effect as magic?

 

[Twilight Hue]

In @Frank Goad halloween OP it is asked about magic that happens on Halloween.
A good question by the way, but what is magic?

When you hear the word magic, what do you think of and what is magic to you?

A classic movie.

Perfect for my Halloween line up.

 

[Exaltist Ethan]

Typically I associate magic with illusionary magic, at least the kind of magic that actually exists. The other type of magic, mental magic, doesn't in any substantive way exist, except for Elon Musk's neuralink.