39 responses to “For who believe in or use magic or spells, what is the underlying principle or force?”

1. 

   Juan Espera De Dios May 23rd, 2009 at 12:47

   ‘do you believe in magic?’ hey, isn’t that a song?

2. 

   Donna F May 24th, 2009 at 06:24

   Magic only works for Harry Potter.
   Magic does not exist.
   OOOPs it says for those who believe…sorry.

3. 

   Maurice H May 24th, 2009 at 19:51

   Witchcraft has no real power

4. 

   Chris May 27th, 2009 at 04:20

   Hmm, I think I hear crickets chirping….

5. 

   I AM ALWAYS RIGHT!!! May 30th, 2009 at 01:10

   science, obviously, has done away with the need for superstition. sadly, not everyone has caught up yet.

6. 

   Daughter of the Goddess May 30th, 2009 at 20:46

   Five hundred years ago, magnets were magic. Gravity wasn’t even a theory until what…like 400 years ago? Six hundred years ago, we thought we could make gold out of lead. Gunpowder was magic. If we could take cold medicine into 1784, you’d be burned at the stake as a witch.
   Does that it make it any less mystical? To some people sure. I have taken college level science major classes. I look at it in awe of the Gods. My husband, who is athiest, thinks I’ve lost my mind. LOL It’s just what you see. Perception is reality. Look at the different denominations who are so sure they are right and everyone else is wrong.
   Magic in the modern sense is not hocus pocus. You can’t fly or make someone disappear unless your Criss Angel and we all know that isn’t magic. Magic is a form of prayer, a way of putting your intentions and desires out there to see what the world does with them. BUT if you ask five pagans what magic means to them, you’ll get give answers. It’s a very personal defintion.
   Plus, in the faith you don’t want to rob a bank. That crap will come back and bite you on the ****.

   edit: Damn I could have just waited and said What Tawean said. I tend to feel the same way she does. I will also go out on a crazy limb and **** most of my pagan friends off.
   I don’t like to call it magic. Ack!

7. 

   bongernet June 1st, 2009 at 22:45

   You’re assuming these people actually understand the things they believe in. Big assumption considering that it is all nonsensical mumbo jumbo in the first place.

8. 

   heLLo, PoE June 4th, 2009 at 08:09

   suggested category: Science Mathematics Physics.?? ROFLMAO!! i would have loved to see that!!!

9. 

   Mato June 7th, 2009 at 09:50

   The name of the underlying force is wishful thinking.
   I never saw any ‘real’ magic but I know several magic tricks that are pretty cool. Wanna see me pull a rabbit out of a hat…..

10. 

    dze June 10th, 2009 at 15:42

    for my understanding of it is the faith that everyone has naturally .. it is a spiritual force … some belief systems try to visualize it as a force to direct it .. others use spells or triggers to direct it … but to my beliefs its a misuse of a gift of God ..

11. 

    Kaliko June 14th, 2009 at 00:57

    People underestimate the power of witchcraft. It doesn’t come from God, I can tell you that much.

12. 

    kimo32dd June 14th, 2009 at 18:16

    Ephesians 6:12
    For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13. 

    Jay P June 16th, 2009 at 11:14

    I think magic does exist but we are too weak to guide its path(as in use it) I don’t think any human has the power to control the elements, no matter how strong you think you are, you can’t….

14. 

    mark600601 June 18th, 2009 at 10:50

    no such thing as magic

15. 

    XxxDravenxxX June 21st, 2009 at 19:53

    three words man: WHAT DA ****?

16. 

    xoxocrystalxoxo2003 June 23rd, 2009 at 17:10

    First of the magic is as good as the maker and with that said everything that you practice you preach. No one will use majic to rob a bank or anything of that nature because everything you do comes back to you 3 fold

17. 

    eagleclaw006 June 26th, 2009 at 17:02

    Magicians have admitted magic is just illusions and misdirection. Chris Angel, and his Japanese counterpart (I dont know his name, but he does that same kind of street magic) have given up secrets on some of their tricks.

    *Because if magic was real, don’t you think that because of human nature that we would have super villains by now?

18. 

    timssterling June 29th, 2009 at 18:19

    I think the only power in magic and spells is in people believing in them. For example, if someone believed you could throw a hex on them their fear could affect their behavior and produce a physical result. Thats it though.

19. 

    The Fool June 29th, 2009 at 21:31

    I could tell you but then I’d have to cast a memory erasing spell.

20. 

    willodrgn July 1st, 2009 at 14:37

    quantum physics.
    Magick, as is prayer, is the manipulation of natural energy through thought and intent.
    Have you ever heard of someone changing the body chemicals through their own thought?

    Most magickal work uses eloctromagnetic/ energy work. Why would magick put holes in these therories? Magick uses these therories and even helps to support them to some extent.

    I think some people have tried to use magick and prayer to rob banks or what not. Who is to say it was not successful? Would we ever even know?
    Magick/ prayer/ meditation are used in negative ways all the time. When you see a mob feeding on itself till things go so terribly wrong, that is negative energy being fed and allowed to take over to the point of bad magick.

    ——–
    added comment:
    Appearently, by virtue of the asker, i am to consider myself ignorant. I do not understand the hostility. If you do not agree with my answer, then simply ignore it and move on. I must have touched a nerve.
    And i must say that i have only ever typed the words ‘quantum physics’ on yahoo! maybe once now. I do not consider it to be a ‘buzz word’ but a practical application to the question. Please don’t be condescending. I only answered your question… and i refuse to consider myself ignorant. I may not have all the answers to everything, which is fine, as i would not want the responsability, but i try. I am far from ignorant.

    By the way, your initial question is a great question and very well thought. Why you are mucking up with the comments, i do not understand. Hope all is well for you.

21. 

    Indiana Raven July 3rd, 2009 at 20:39

    I used a form of magic for fertility. Ironically both my children are born on pagan holiday.

22. 

    Jack P July 6th, 2009 at 09:42

    The people who believe, or know, in the matter of energy manipulation as an application of force aren’t evangelical.

    In fact, unless they’re Wiccans they probably won’t even try to use energy to change how anyone thinks or feels about anything.

    So, in view of that, why would they wish to convince you you’re wrong?

    You are significant only to yourself.

23. 

    anners July 9th, 2009 at 02:39

    magic is nothing more than a person finding faith in themselves to accomplish their goals. you cannot use magic to rob a bank– unless you really want to do it, then you can do a ritual to gather your inner strength to do it. but you’re still going to jail. this question just adds strength to the ongoing assumption (completely wrong) that magic is somehow like it is seen in the movies.

24. 

    John C July 12th, 2009 at 01:27

    Its kind of a force force

    you know like Magic Man Done it?

25. 

    bogey1over July 14th, 2009 at 13:42

    the principle force is the laws of nature when something happens to me I believe it was cause and effect no matter how weird it was. Some one that believes in magic is going to call anything out of the ordinary magical or a miracle.take for instance my cousin and i were walking through liddle creek in California and we seen swamp gas that glows in the dark with aerie whitish grey color, to this day he swears it was a spirit.the only difference in the experience was the perception of what happened

26. 

    elmjunburke July 16th, 2009 at 14:14

    Intertainment magic is slight-of-hand , and trickery . Harry Potter magic is fairy tale literature for Kids. Genuine Magic is supernatural. It does not exist, except in the superstitious imagination.
    Forget the last question - - - impossible.

27. 

    Shane D July 19th, 2009 at 23:40

    Magic I don’t believe in but what about tele con, telleee connes, oh hell, using your mind to control outside forces through exsisting fudamental laws. I am not saying this happens just it might be plausible.

28. 

    Rachel QVT RTR July 21st, 2009 at 09:40

    I wish more actual witches and Pagans would answer this, it would be interesting…instead it’s mostly atheists poking fun and Christians Bible thumping.

29. 

    sherl July 24th, 2009 at 12:01

    people who use magic are actually just manipulating the energy that exists all around us. it’s using your will to shape the energy into what you want it to do.

    some people can sense this energy some can’t. a good way to see if you can sense it is to hold a stone (i don’t mean a rock you pick up from your yard), amethyst, crystal quartz, hematite, or something similar in your hand. if you can feel the vibrations from the stone you should be able to cast a spell.

    magic is nothing like what you see in movies or on t.v.. it’s much more subtle.

    most of the people that can do this believe in the three fold law (everything you send out returns x3) and the rede (harm none), so they wouldn’t use it for something bad.

    hope this helped.
    bb

    edit
    wow. i wonder if the thumbs downs are because they don’t agree with my explanation of magic or if they just don’t believe it exists? maybe it’s just the thumbs down fairy.

    pagan for more than half my life.

30. 

    Wally Y July 26th, 2009 at 14:53

    Everything in existence is energy of some sort. Learn to manipulate this energy and nothing is impossible.

31. 

    Azure Z July 27th, 2009 at 19:06

    There are many theories concerning the underlying mechanisms of magic. If you want one that can be worked into scientific theories, then I suppose you could assume that magic is effecting things on a quantum mechanical level and is manipulating the statistical and unknowable positions of wave-particles. Since we can’t know the exact position of particles anyway, maybe one could assume that magic is effecting them in some unobservable fashion.

    However, to really incorporate magic into any scientific theory, magic would have to have some effect that could be observable and repeatable under laboratory conditions. Of course, that has never happened.

    I sort of suspect that some of the things that we now consider science were considered magic centuries ago. I would guess that things like magnets would have been easily mistaken for magical forces amongst the uneducated peasantry.

    There is some science today that even appears quasi-magical to some people. For instance, quantum entanglement.

    As for using it to rob a bank…
    How do we know that no one has ever used magic to rob a bank? In fact, if the magic worked well enough, I suppose people may never even realize the bank was robbed.

32. 

    houstonprogressive July 28th, 2009 at 18:11

    1. Magic or wishful thinking is a form of sending spiritual thought or prayer. These work because the human mind/conscience/spirit is connected to others in a collective energy force. So both good and bad energy can team up to bring in or manifest either healing or harm.
    2. Problems occur if this is done in a selfish spirit, and not for the purpose of uplifting, healing, reconciling to restore good harmonious relations, but to harm or control or seek revenge, etc. Spirits, either angels or demons beyond our human world can intervene and go long with either positive or negative thoughts or prayers or wishes — which can either create good in the world or backfire and bring harm to the ill wisher.
    3. If done in the spirit of retributive justice, since what comes around goes around, any ill will or manipulation sought tends to return back to the sender. Thoughts or prayers in the spirit of restorative justice or Christ are based on truth and love for the good of all people equally, and do not ask or cause any harm and do not compete for control of a situation, which is left open to receive God’s will and not to fight or disrupt it.

    4. Magic isn’t the best method for robbing banks. The closest it relates is when people use the power of suggestion to compel people to hand over money, convincing them they have a gun and will shoot (even if they don’t), that is like manipulating by fear or thought and casting a spell where people are hypnotized with fear into following any instructions given. In general, people with ill motives, whose hearts and minds are clouded with negative biases, do not have as much pure power as people with good motives, whose hearts and minds are in harmony with God and others. So by the nature of people, the ones with higher spiritual knowledge will seek other means of gaining wealth; and the ones who want to rob banks will not have their minds on higher spiritual processes, but on gratifying immediate physical needs.

    Note: One connection I might make between magic and robbing banks or crime in general, if past generations of African tribes cursed each other with black magic, this might explain the seething hatred, anger, and violence manifested not only in African genocide but also the high rate of Black-on-Black crime in America. I live in a distressed Freed Slave district with a history of being cursed with problems that disrupt any effort to resolve them, and many neighbors have reported hearing, seeing or sensing negative spirits roaming the grounds. I believe the ill will and retribution set in motion through witchcraft and unforgiveness does correlate with the high crime rate in larger cities, especially where there have been gravesites disturbed and/or other spiritual disruptions. And only through deep spiritual prayer, collective forgiveness and healing can such curses be broken that otherwise plague these areas with crime, violence and political and spiritual unrest.

33. 

    Dr. GONZO July 29th, 2009 at 05:15

    I don’t believe in magic…

    But that doesn’t mean there aren’t sufficient holes in our understanding of matter, energy, space and time to rule out the inflluence of consciousness over physical laws…Or perhaps I should say the influence of consciousness IN physical laws.

    Because it is not possible to know something without becoming somehow entangled with the subject being observed, it is redundant to point out that we cannot know the unknown until it becomes known…And then its not the same thing. The scientific understanding of gravity suggests that in order for our galaxy to maintain its current form and dynamic, something like 90% of the galaxy’s mass would have to made up of dark-matter. What is dark-matter? Its the imaginary substance that makes our theories right…That sounds pretty occult to me…

    How would we know if someone robbed a bank with magic? Surely if one could use magic, they would leave no trace of entry and it would not be considered a robbery, but either embezzlement or a clerical error…And WHY would someone who can command arcane forces even NEED to rob a bank? They would just do a couple miracles and get sainted by the catholic church and then have all the gold and underage **** they could salavate over…Or prestidigitate whatever they needed on demand…If someone who could do that made their ability known, they’d have to wipe out half the world population to get any peace, or start a fancy new religious order that believes that they have gone to heaven to sit by the fathers right hand, or something…

34. 

    tawaen July 30th, 2009 at 02:10

    I guess you think of magic differently than I do. With your definition of magic, a supernatural one, I would agree that there is nothing to suggest it’s existence. Nor would I lay any claim to work with it.

    However, my definition of magic is quite a bit different. I have been a witch for many years, and I work with magic from a strictly psychological and mental framework. It’s a combination of self-hypnosis, meditation, positive reinforcement, and symbolism used to effect change and to become more aware of the forces at work in my life. The change is internal, it is real, and it improves my life. (Or, to paraphrase with an overused quote, Be the change you wish to see in the world.)

    Magic for me is natural, and it’s about change. I don’t pretend that I have the ability or the right to change anyone but myself. And I have no more power than anyone else. I just choose to try to do whatever works in order to make my life a bit better. You can call it bad psychology, if it makes you feel better.

35. 

    moondown August 1st, 2009 at 04:06

    Same force that is in everything;
    Quantum physics - Thought and energy. Energy follows thought. Thoughts are things that energy follows. Hence, manifestations.
    Biblical - ‘Whatsoever a man thinketh, so shall he be Same/same. ‘So shall IT be included.
    So a spell (which EVERYONE DOES, most, unknowingly) is thought followed by intent or emotion (e-motion=energy in motion).
    Spell crafters use this natural principle consciously and on purpose, whereas, most do it all day long unconsciously. That’s the only difference between Witches, Wiccan and Christians. We Pagans take responsibility for our lives and use what is given to us (if it was given, we couldn’t use it!!). Many Christians like to give the responsibility to their God and act like victims and beggars of this principle.
    Robbers Do use it. They thought about it, intended on doing it, then did it. Whammo! Magic.
    No big honking hole, no missing part, no question mark. Just Universal Laws. Magic is all around us.

    Blessed Be

36. 

    spark8118 August 3rd, 2009 at 11:45

    I agree with Tawaen. I too have been a practicing Witch for some years now. I think of spell craft as a prayer with a ritual. But the most important part of it is the concentration and faith I have in having that spell come true.

37. 

    Chasn August 6th, 2009 at 07:52

    magic and spells are tools for another belief system…manipulating energies has been around for centuries (alchemy for instance). I do not practice magic but I do manipulate energy just as those of you who wear a watch or use any type of cordless device with batteries manipulate those energies. I am neither offended nor substantiated by anyone else who believes in or practices magic or any religious belief system or by those who don’t. I absolutely agree with you that our understanding of these fundamental forces is far from perfect but in my case, I can work with and predict ( to the best guess like anyone one else trying to predict the future outcome of any trial) these forces that I am choosing to manipulate. It’s hard for me to be clear about my answer because I think you are asking about magic but are talking about manipulating energy–gravitational, geophysical, EM energy and because they are two separate and distinct things are far as definition (for me) goes, I guess I should stop rambling and let the masses speak

38. 

    the Neutral Christ August 6th, 2009 at 19:24

    Part of the problem here is semantics.

    What type of magic are you referring to? What sort of big holes in the laws do expect to see from something that operates well within the physical universe? If something operates OUTSIDE of the laws of the universe that is called a miracle (and many would argue that even miracles are not outside of the laws, just operating in rare ways).

    Parapsychologists proved statistically, and under proper conditions, that the human mind is capable of telekinesis and clairvoyance more than 40 years ago. They, also, proved that the it was such an irregular and weak force (not a weak force) that it could not be relied upon to accomplish anything useful.

    Their main focus over the last 40 years has been into learning how it functions. Since it was shown to not be useful enough to make a weapon out of, there has been very little financial backing of its study.

39. 

    r u randy? August 6th, 2009 at 22:37

    Vernon Dursley is a firm believer that, There’s no such thing as magic..! and I happen to agree with him even though I find the Potter stories a delight to read. (can’t wait til one of my grandsons is old enough to listen to that much of a story… I’m anxious to read it to a young listener and share in the excitement.)

    [][][] r u randy? [][][]
    .