Real Magic: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, and a Guide to the Secret Power of the Universe

Within the magical worldview everything is deeply interconnected, so if you intend to harm others, you are likely to end up harming yourself.

But magic doesn’t mean “no cause.” It just means that we haven’t yet developed scientifically acceptable theories to explain these effects.

The new discipline will be the study of the psychophysical nature of reality, that mysterious, interstitial space shimmering between mind and matter.

Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (1135–1204, also known as Maimonides), put it: Every time you find in our books a tale the reality of which seems impossible, a story which is repugnant both to reason and common sense, then be sure that tale contains a profound allegory veiling a deeply mysterious truth…and the greater the absurdity of the letter the deeper the wisdom of the spirit.

What a lonely universe it would be if ultimately we are just robotic “meat machines,” playacting the appearance of reading to a mindless audience that isn’t even aware it is the audience.

Another theme we’ll discuss is that magic didn’t miraculously disappear with the rise of the scientific worldview. Magic is still intensely present. Prayer is a form of intentional magic, a mental act intended to affect the world in some way. Wearing a sacred symbol is a form of sympathetic magic, a symbolic correspondence said to transcend time and space. Many religious rituals are forms of ancient ceremonial magic. The abundance of popular books on the power of affirmations and positive thinking are all based on age-old magical principles.

Many scientific and scholarly disciplines are slowly coming around to the idea that consciousness is far more important than previously imagined. This shift of opinion, combined with the idea that reality is a form of information, provides a renewed appreciation of ancient esoteric Legends about magic. If we can get past the supernatural connotations, the religious figures in prohibitions, and the occult baggage, then through the scientific study of magic we have the potential to make rapid progress and gaining a better understanding of who and what we are. If we can’t escape or pass, then we may be running headlong into extinction. Magic is real. Let’s deal with it.

One of the consequences of taking this inner perspective is that the idea of magic transforms from an impossible fantasy into an aspect of Nature that we can begin to study. From this stance, terms such as paranormal and supernatural are seen as quaint and antediluvian, similar to how modern medicine no longer needs the concept of “bad humors” when discussing the origins of disease.

But second, reality viewed through the lens of science is an exceedingly thin slice of the whole shebang. Science is tightly focused on the objective, measurable, physical world. That focus excludes the one and only thing you can ever know for sure—your consciousness, that inner spark of

Why is it when we talk to God it’s called praying, but if God talks back it’s called schizophrenia? —JANE WAGNER

History lesson: it is advisable to think twice about annoying those in power.

The first stage is when you totally believe in witchcraft. The second is when you realize that it’s a complete lot of rubbish. The third is when you realize that it’s a complete lot of rubbish, but somehow it also seems to work.

The false but perceived connection is petrifying to anyone whose career depends on credibility, and in science credibility is essential. So all fledgling scientists learn to maintain a serious, sober demeanour at all times, even if they’re secretly wearing Spider-Man underwear.

Besides death and taxes, the one other universal truth is that bureaucracies never respond kindly to challenges to their authority. So there’s enormous societal pressure to suppress the reality of magic.