Magic

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Do you believe in magic?

What about Drawing Down the Moon, invoking or evoking God/des/es?

What do you believe about divination?

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Do you believe in magic?

The answer to that again depends upon your definition.  We believe that it is possible to interact with, and act upon, the world in ways that are not currently accepted by the scientific establishment.  We do, however, believe that only one set of laws govern all of the natural world, and that if we were able to understand those natural laws fully, we would find that they abide by the principles of empiric science, and encompass much of what we currently consider to be "magical", or outside the realm of known science.

We know that our minds function energetically, at their most basic level, just as our body generates electricity to stimulate our hearts to beat.  Our minds, therefore, are conceivably able to interface directly with the energetic phenomena of the larger world, just as we are able to perceive the energy of light or heat.  This is the explanation we currently accept for much of what is considered psi or psychic phenomena, as well as much of what is considered to be magic.

However, it is important to remember that our religion, as with all else in our world, is subject to the laws of empiric science.  Given a replication of circumstances, action, objects, and input, it should be possible to replicate the result.  This is what prevents falling down the slippery slope of superstition.

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What about Drawing Down the Moon, invoking or evoking God/des/es?

We believe that it is possible to both evoke the aspects of a deity within one's own being, and to invoke a deity on an external plane, calling forth that aspect of nature to be predominant in a given space for a time.  As mentioned above, this is not always a very good idea, and should be done with care and consideration at all times.

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What do you believe about divination?

The historical record on divination, as well as anecdotal evidence, is marked by a mixture of sensationalism, fraud, wishful thinking, partial accuracy, and occasional wild success.  Clearly there are many elements involved here, which should be sorted out from one another in order to answer this question fully.

Outright fraud is never acceptable, whether the nature of the fraud is knowing deception in divination or in business.  Divination, as with all else in life, is subject to the ethical stricture that we cause knowing harm to none, or suffer the effects of the action several times over.  Some practicioners of divination, particularly those who use it in a religious context, do not believe in accepting any money for their magical or religious practise.  However, money is not the only criterion for fraud, and it is still possible to knowingly delude a person and cause them harm when money is not involved.  This is illegal, unethical, and unacceptable.

Where there is no intent to deceive, it is still possible to be deluded, finding chance similarities and hanging on them a tissue of lies or wishful thinking.  Even where genuine effects are achieved, one would be wise to ensure against interference by random, mischievous, or malignant metaphysical energies.  After all, many people use Ouija boards and other techniques to attempt to contact the dead;  even if one should succeed in this attempt, would you go up to a person at random and ask them questions about what is to happen in your life, or the nature of the universe?

When divination is practised with consistent accuracy, by a person who has taken reasonable precautions against random or deliberate interference, including fraud, it can be considered to be genuine, and used to provide beneficial insight.  Even when the cards or other divinatory tools are used in a non-metaphysical way, they can be of genuine benefit in the counseling of individuals seeking better understanding of their own minds and beliefs.  The interpretation put by a person on the cards or other divinatory tools before them can be very telling, and allow them to gain insight into their own understanding of the situation or their feelings about it, especially in the hands of a trained and experienced counselor.  Some members of the pagan clergy use divinatory tools as part of their counseling techniques, and this is not subject to criticism as long as the standard ethical guidelines are followed, as always.

Even accurate divination is subject to change.  Divination, as I understand and practise it, is like reading the signposts on a road.  You can tell where you have come from, where your current path will take you, and what lies in you your immediate environment.  We are always free to choose to leave our current path, to backtrack, choose another path, or set out cross-country.  We are confronted by choices at every turn, and each choice determines our eventual destination.

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* the author prefers the use of the gender neutral 3rd person pronoun in the form of s/he, hir, hirs, and/or hirself.  This is an acknowledgement that the object of the pronoun is possessed of gender, but this gender is not known, or is not relevant to the point under discussion.

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