A question that may be better suited for philosophy...

[cydira]

What is your definition of the word magic?

:)

[amberlaine]

The only defiition of magic that would allow me to say, "Yes, I practice magic" is borrowed from Moshe Idel:

"The drawing down of the divine effluence for the benefit of the community".

From his book Hasidism: Between Ecstasy and MAgic

[Myst]

"the manipulation of energy to affect change to a desired intent through will"

[Rick]

Magic is science that we can't yet explain scientifically...

[white_draco]

Magick in my eyes are the simple and complexed things in life and everything in between. It's the sun's rays as well as the moon's shine to the grass on the ground and the leaves that float away from its branches in the fall. It's inside me and around me, it's the energy I have in me and its the energy others send to me.


-White Draco-

[ANUR36]

A science! Never thought of it like that before!

[cydira]

First, I'm going to immediately apologize for the rambling that is going to happen. I'm writing under the influence of a low grade feaver and cold medication, I'll do my best to be succint, but I can't be certian of success.

Second, the range of answers to this question is really facinating. I hope everyone else is enjoying this as much as I have been. :)

Ok, here is what I think magic(k) is. I have come to the conclusion through what I have learned about the sciences and what I have learned about religions, that magic is the place where religion and science intersect. In the scientific aspect, magic (I'm more comfortable with this spellling, pun not intended, btw. :) ) is the place where classical physics and the highly abstracted diciplines of Cosmology and Quantum physics intermix. I have begun to suspect that science is a wide array of physical effects ranging from the very small to the very large and magic is the name that we have for what we don't know how to explain according to accepted scientific theory.

In the religious aspect, I've come to see magic as being the spirit's interaction with the Universe and other spirits. The interaction with the Universe can and I believe does include interaction with the higher aspect that is called God/Goddess/etc. That interaction would be prayer or something similar. I suspect that all psychic pheonmena is a combination of scientifically explainable circumstances and what can only be defined as spiritual activity.

But that's my opinion and theory. :)