Hi all,
hope you’re having a good day/night.
I think that magic/sorcery/spirits work similarly, but some people distinguish between them.
1 theory I like is the hardware/software analogy to spirit/matter.
what do you say and why?
Why do some workings succeed while others fail?
what are the essentials in magic?
Cheers,
John.
People have to distinguish between them, because, one they are not all the same, and two, there are actual subclasses of the umbrella term magic from an anthropological viewpoint (you can verify this with any textbook of Cultural Anthropology or Anthropology of Religion - both of which were course I took among many when going for Anthro before stupidly switching to Computer Sci. I digress.
Sympathetic Magic - Essentially low magick using correspondences, what stands for is. Example - colored candles with or without scented oils on an altar.
Contagion Magic - DNA directly from a person used mainly for cursing - an example is taking feces of a target, wrapping in a banana tree leaf and performing a curse, then hangin it in a target area. Yes, this actually occurs In some indigenous and mainstream religions.
Imitative Magic - Imitating the real deal before facing it to ensure victory. Mainly tribal peoples. Example are Native American Rain dances.
Thats magic.
Sorcery - This is where Im fuzzy on a good definition that distinguishes it from a combination of magic and witchcraft to me.
Spirits, there is a good section on the spirit world in Dion Fortunes Spiritsm book, as well as Millenial Theory books.
Success, Failure, and Essentials.
This is really the meat of the questions, but we are working within the context of the Spirit world.
First of all, substantial contact must occur on a repetitive basis. Or, in contact of low magick, ritual must be done often, generally in a a single accord of intent.
Second, you must have a measurable goal in mind, or something that should never have actually occurred in your life, such as something manifesting contrary to a synastry chart.
Third, it has to be maintained, and turns into a relationship.
Failure, well, browse my journals, and see my lack of efforts of concentration.
Expectations/Essentials - See Benjamin Rowe Basick Magic or A Complete Course in Magic by Kuriakos. Short and to the point.