Extra-Sensory Perceptions & Magick
Dr. Russell Targ is a world renowned physicist & parapsychologist
of the Stanford Research Institute who worked for the CiA, NASA,
& US Military intelligence for over a decade on the now declassified 'Stargate' project to develop military applications of remote viewing.
There is some confusion as to what magic actually is.
I think this can be cleared up if you just look at the very earliest descriptions of magic.
Magic in its earliest form is often referred to as “the art”.
I believe this is completely literal.
I believe that magic is art and that art, whether it be writing, music,
sculpture, or any other form is literally magic.
Art is, like magic, the science of manipulating symbols, words, or images,
to achieve changes in consciousness. The very language about magic
seems to be talking as much about writing or art as it is about supernatural events.
A grimmoir for example, the book of spells, is simply a fancy way of saying grammar.
Indeed, to cast a spell, is simply to spell, to manipulate words,
to change people's consciousness.
And I believe that this is why an artist or writer
is the closest thing in the contemporary world
that you are likely to see to a Shaman(ess).
I believe that all culture must have arisen from cult.
Originally, all of the facets of our culture,
whether they be in the arts or sciences
were the province of the Shaman(ess).
The fact that in present times, this magical power has degenerated
to the level of cheap entertainment and manipulation is, I think, a tragedy.
At the moment the people who are using Shamanism and magic
to shape our culture are advertisers. Rather than try to wake people up,
their shamanism is used as a synthetic opiate to tranquilize people,
to make people more manipulable. Their magic box of television,
and their magic words, their jingles can cause everyone in the country
to be thinking the same words and have the same banal thoughts
all at exactly the same moment.
In all of magic there is an incredibly large linguistic component.
Writers and people who had command of words
were respected and feared as people who manipulated magic.
In latter times I think that artists and writers
have allowed themselves to be sold down the river.
They have accepted the prevailing belief that art and writing
are merely forms of entertainment.
They’re not seen as transformative forces
that can change a human being; that can change a society.
They are seen as simple entertainment;
things with which we can fill 20 minutes, half an hour,
while we’re waiting to die.
It’s not the job of the artist to give the audience what the audience wants.
If the audience knew what they needed,
then they wouldn’t be the audience. They would be the artists.
It is the job of artists to give the audience what they need.
~ Alan Moore
(Much Love to my bredren Andrew Levy for sharing this)
I think this can be cleared up if you just look at the very earliest descriptions of magic.
Magic in its earliest form is often referred to as “the art”.
I believe this is completely literal.
I believe that magic is art and that art, whether it be writing, music,
sculpture, or any other form is literally magic.
Art is, like magic, the science of manipulating symbols, words, or images,
to achieve changes in consciousness. The very language about magic
seems to be talking as much about writing or art as it is about supernatural events.
A grimmoir for example, the book of spells, is simply a fancy way of saying grammar.
Indeed, to cast a spell, is simply to spell, to manipulate words,
to change people's consciousness.
And I believe that this is why an artist or writer
is the closest thing in the contemporary world
that you are likely to see to a Shaman(ess).
I believe that all culture must have arisen from cult.
Originally, all of the facets of our culture,
whether they be in the arts or sciences
were the province of the Shaman(ess).
The fact that in present times, this magical power has degenerated
to the level of cheap entertainment and manipulation is, I think, a tragedy.
At the moment the people who are using Shamanism and magic
to shape our culture are advertisers. Rather than try to wake people up,
their shamanism is used as a synthetic opiate to tranquilize people,
to make people more manipulable. Their magic box of television,
and their magic words, their jingles can cause everyone in the country
to be thinking the same words and have the same banal thoughts
all at exactly the same moment.
In all of magic there is an incredibly large linguistic component.
Writers and people who had command of words
were respected and feared as people who manipulated magic.
In latter times I think that artists and writers
have allowed themselves to be sold down the river.
They have accepted the prevailing belief that art and writing
are merely forms of entertainment.
They’re not seen as transformative forces
that can change a human being; that can change a society.
They are seen as simple entertainment;
things with which we can fill 20 minutes, half an hour,
while we’re waiting to die.
It’s not the job of the artist to give the audience what the audience wants.
If the audience knew what they needed,
then they wouldn’t be the audience. They would be the artists.
It is the job of artists to give the audience what they need.
~ Alan Moore
(Much Love to my bredren Andrew Levy for sharing this)
