The Scientific Principles behind all magick

[Tamrin]

The Scientific Principles behind all magick

A talk given in Absentis prepared by Frater Finem Respice 8°
Aurora Australis College [SRIS] October 1999

[Published here with the author’s permission]

[Part One of Five]

Why scientific

We take the point of view that magick is a science, or at the very least, the remnants of what was once a science. We are not talking about tricks, conjuring or miracles that defy the laws of nature. In real magick, the natural laws have to be followed. You may not be familiar with these laws and they may not be accepted by modern science but they are laws none the less.

Let us look at these laws.


1/ The Law of Cause and Effect

This law is used by modern science as well and basically means that the same actions taken under the same conditions will produce the same effects. In the scientific world, tests and experiments are carried out in this manner. On occasion a variable may be added to test the validity of the theorem, but if the same thing is done the same way every time, the results should be the same. By the same token if something is changed the results of the test should differ. In magick the same principles apply. Since the dawn of time, ritual has been used by the magician so that by doing the same thing in the same way every time the same results can be achieved. To this end there are magical recipes for constructing potions and grimoires are kept so that the magician can refer back to them to repeat what was successful in the past. The formulae used by the alchemists operate on the same principles. This is the Law of Cause and Effect and it is basic to magick.


2/ The Law of Knowledge

Knowledge is power. If you know all there is to know about something, then you can have control over that thing. If you know all there is to know about electricity for example, you will have power over all things electrical. If you know all there is to know about the weather, then you can control the weather. Because you know the causes you can bring about certain effects.

Implicit in this law is the Law of Self-Knowledge. Know thy self, the saying goes. If you can really get to know yourself, know your talents, your abilities, your capabilities, your potential; if you can get to know yourself so well that you can bring all these out, then you will have immense power. If you have power over yourself then you can control your environments and the conditions that surround you. This is very important. In fact the working of all the other laws, depend on the application of this one.

[Tamrin]

[The Scientific Principles behind all magick: Part Two of Five]


3/ The Law of Names

This has been an integral part of magical lore since time immemorial — the fact that names have power. Names are descriptions and if you have the complete name of something, the Kabbalists and magicians tell us you have power over that thing. To refer back to the Law of Knowledge, we have said that if you know all there is to know about a thing, i.e. a complete description, then you will be capable of controlling that thing in conformity with your will. We therefore say that the Law of Names has a reasonable basis in fact. This concept has become distorted over the centuries and does not mean that when we say: “Oh Great God X” then X will appear in front of us. Rather we are saying that the name is a description and that knowing the name means knowing the object or concept completely. Names are also used for association in certain rituals.

Here we come across another sub-law. The Law of Words of Power. If we take the Sanskrit word AUM for an example, repeated in meditation this word has particular qualities for raising the level of our consciousness. The constant repetition of this word has an effect on the mind because of its sound.

Now we also have words which have power because they are related to the state of mind of the speaker. “Lashtal” may have real meaning for you. If this word can really turn you on then even though the word itself may have no intrinsic value, repeating it to yourself will enable you to change the level of your consciousness and thereby change “reality” because of the association this word has for you. In the early Church, Gregorian chant used to have this effect on people because of the whole atmosphere surrounding it.


4/ The Law of Association

The idea here is that whatever two things have in common can be used to control one or both of them. The more they have in common the greater the influence they have on each other.

We have two sub-laws here, the first of which is the Law of Similarity. Here effects resemble causes and look-a-likes are alike. In herbal medicine it is said that the best use for plants is in effecting that which they resemble. In other words, heart shaped plants are used for treating heart complaints and so on. This really does not make sense when viewed from a modern scientific viewpoint but don’t be too sceptical, it works! We do not know why, but experience has shown us that these effects are real.

The idea of sympathetic magick comes in here. In the case of the “voodoo doll” we are not talking about somebody trying to frighten somebody and that person knowing about it. We are talking about a true energy exchange. The doll is linked to the person with fingernail clippings or somesuch because things which were once part of something else even when separated retain a link with the original whole and this is the basis on which sympathetic magick works. The doll itself serves as a concentration point for the subconscious mind. It works, it is real, therefore the law has validity.

Here we have moved over to the second sub-law, the Law of Contagion. This states that things once in contact continue to interact after separation. This means that power is also contagious. There have been studies undertaken which demonstrate not only that a signature can be influenced with energy but that the writer will feel the energy at a distance. There is an actual induction of energy through space. This energy may be either positive or negative but the important point is that the energy exists and that science is getting round to accepting an old magical tradition.

[Tamrin]

[The Scientific Principles behind all magick: Part Three of Five]


5/ The Law of Identification

We can think in this case of the totality that makes up every person or idea as being a metapattern. By the Law of Identification, by maximum association with the metapattern of another entity, one becomes that entity. If you have ever wondered how people thousands of years ago knew so much without the benefits of science to analyse etc., we would say that it was because they were able to identify with and thereby understand.

We have in various parts of the world men and women who traditionally identify with certain animals. The best known example is probably the Leopardmen of West Africa. They go into a trance state induced by drugs and dancing and this, combined with wearing the skin and closely identifying with the animal enables them to take on the characteristics of that animal. In their own minds they actually become leopards and within the limitations of human anatomy they do everything a leopard will do. At the other end of the scale we have mysteries the like of Padre Pio who identified with the crucified Jesus to the extent that he suffered the stigmata of Jesus and became world renowned for his piety and ability to effect miraculous cures.


6/ The Law of Synthesis

This is used in the system of philosophy known as dialectics. Here you take an idea from one direction combine it with an idea from the opposite direction and produce a third idea which is more than just a mixture of the first two ideas and is in fact a new idea. We also have implicit in this law the concept of synergism where two things combine to produce a third thing which is greater than the sum of the two parts. In magick these ideas hold good in reference to polarity.


7/ The Law of Polarity

This states that anything can be split into opposite characteristics and each of these contains the potential of the other within it. This is probably best illustrated by the Yin/Yang symbol, in one half black but containing a white dot or seed and on the other white with a black dot or seed. This represents the universe divided into opposites each of which contain the potential of the other.

We have the hermetic expression — As above, so below; or the Macrocosm is in the Microcosm and vice versa. The idea here is that whatever exists in “heaven” exists in earth as a reflection. Similarly an atom has a nucleus with electrons orbiting round it in much the same manner as the sun and planets in our solar system.

In acupuncture there are points all over the body which can be stimulated but in particular the ear has about three hundred acupuncture points and taking the ear as resembling an embryo, the rest of the body can be affected.

As regards good and evil, “white” magick and “black” magick4/ The Law of Association, it is important to note that the poser itself is neutral like electricity which can be used for good or evil or destructive ends.

[Tamrin]

[The Scientific Principles behind all magick: Part Four of Five]


8/ The Law of Balance

This states that too much or too little power can be destructive or even kill. There is a necessity for a dynamic balance in life either for power or simple survival. The emphasis is on the word dynamic because stasis must eventually result in regression. We can think in terms of an upward spiral which must not go too much one way or the other. As Aristotle put it, moderation in all things is the way. If we eat too little food we can fall sick and even die and if we eat too much food we can fall sick and die. The reasons are different but the results are the same. Hence we must always strive for dynamic balance.


9/ The Law of Infinite Data

This means simply that there is always something new to discover. The universe is infinite which means there must be an infinite number of things we can learn about it. The person practicing magick or developing their psychic powers who arrives at a point where she feels she knows everything and has no more need to strive to learn, goes backwards. She has not learned the Law of Balance or the Law of Infinite Data. This must be one of the most exciting things in life knowing that round the corner there is always going to be something new.


10/ The Law of Finite Senses

This states that our physical senses are limited as to the type and range of data which they can receive. We can see visible light of a particular frequency but we can see neither ultra-violet nor infra-red. Similarly, with our hearing and other senses.

But within this concept we have the idea that we have not reached the limits of what we can perceive. If we taste a glass of wine for example, the most that any of us will be able to tell about the wine is whether we like it or not. A wine expert though, will be able to tell the grape variety from which it has been made, the place of origin and the age of the wine and so on. This is because she has trained and extended her sense of smell in particular.

Similarly with the human aura, because most people can not see it, does not mean that it does not exist. We say that with training it is possible to extend the limits of vision to see the aura.

[Tamrin]

[The Scientific Principles behind all magick: Part Five of Five]


11/ The Law of Infinite Universes

If you have ever read that genre of fiction called science fiction, this principle will be familiar to you. We are saying that at this moment in time there are an infinite number of universes existing in the same space. Implicit in this concept is the idea that we can change our conditioning, change what seems to be our destiny.

Picture yourself in a clearing in a forest. All around you are paths leading from the clearing to different destinations. Which path you choose to follow depends on your decision of the moment. At any given moment in time you choose your destiny by the decisions you make. When we train as magicians we believe that if we start down one path we can cross over to another path before we get to the end of the first path. Included in this law is the idea that no two people see the world in the same way.


12/ The Law of Pragmatism

If it works it is true. According to the “laws” of aerodynamics it is impossible for a bumble bee to fly. The bee of course does not know this and keeps right on flying. If something works for you it is true despite what anyone else may say to the contrary. Truth is a function of belief. If you believe something really sincerely then this for you is a truth. The most important question to ask is “Does it work?” This is a very important point because you can do things that no one else can by following this law.

A sub-law under this heading states that, two contradicting truths can be held at the same time. If you believe that you can break the laws, you probably can. But you really have to believe it.


13/ The Law of Personification

This states that any phenomenon can be considered to be alive and to have a personality. This is often useful and consequently true. This is the way that magicians conjure “gods” and “demons”. They take an abstract idea and personify it until it becomes to their mind a living entity. Even though this “god” may only represent a force or a type of energy, to the magician’s mind, this force becomes alive and real. If the magician conjures a spirit and commands it to carry out a task and that task gets carried out, then even though objectively we could say that no spirit existed, it does not matter. What matters, is that it worked and therefore it became true.


Finis