People who subscribe to a magical form of spirituality aren’t exactly like you think.
While magical forms of spirituality are rapidly gaining popularity, some myths persist about who we are and what we actually believe. Here are five of them.
1. We are anti-scientific.
Science enthusiasts often jump to the conclusion that someone who lights a candle to help manifest, say, a new job, must necessarily be anti-science. But this is not the case! Magical people almost invariably love nature and the planet, and totally adore science! Much like the great scientist Tesla – who was tipped off to the existence of radio waves by a psychic dream about his mother – we believe that our brain waves and personal energy have power. And just as research has shown at The HeartMath Institute, we are certain this power can affect measurable change in the physical world.
Science people, you may not admit it, but we know you know “The Force” is real…Well, there you go: so do we.
Do we all want to use science to build a bunch of non-biodegradable gadgets and create chemicals that poison our environment? No. But that doesn’t mean we’re anti-science. It means we’re in favor of sustainability.
2. We are anti-Christian.
Tell a Christian you’re a magical practitioner or pagan, and it’s possible you’ll get an unfavorable response. But magical people are quite often totally cool with Christ! In fact, many believe he was something of a magical person himself. It is true that magical people don’t always think of Christ as the one and only lord and savior, but that doesn’t mean we are against people who do. On the contrary: we are quite often very enthusiastic about diversity, particularly when paired with tolerance and mutual respect.
3. We are unrealistic or delusional.
You might define a magical person as someone who believes they can affect positive change through their thoughts, actions, and expectations. This is because, like quantum physicists, we also believe that everything is energy and everything is connected. Is this more or less realistic than someone who believes reality is “cold,” “hard,” and fundamentally disconnected from their energetic being?
The other day, I read this in the lovely bestseller by Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear:
“Is it delusional of me to place infinite trust in a force that I cannot see, touch, or prove–a force that might not even actually exist?
Okay, for the sake of argument, let’s say it’s totally delusional.
But is it any more delusional than believing that only your suffering and pain are authentic? Or that you are alone–that you have no relationship whatsoever with the universe that created you?
…What I’m saying is this: if you’re going to live your life based on delusions (and you are because we all do), then why not at least select a delusion that is helpful?”
4. We are always putting spells on people.
I’m not 100% sure on this, but I suspect a lot of folks secretly fear that magical people are putting spells on them all the time. This is a natural result of the fact that humans are a self-conscious species that mistakenly assumes so much is about us when it’s really not. (Like how we think people are listening to us chew or thinking something about our outfit, while they’re busy worrying about how their own chewing sounds or outfit looks.)
The truth is that most of the time, we magical folk are putting spells on ourselves. Because positive vibrations draw positive conditions, romantic vibrations draw romantic conditions, and abundant vibrations draw abundant conditions, we are in the business of shifting our own vibration so that we can attract that which we desire.
Besides, wise magical folk know that – because what we send out energetically always comes back to us in some equal (but not identical) form – putting spells on other people is never a good idea. It’s like throwing a rock straight up in the sky. It’s just a matter of time before it falls right back down on you.
5. We all subscribe to the same beliefs.
It’s a little confusing at first to people who are used to a faith dictated by a single book or a set of ordained authority figures, but there is no magical practitioner who has exactly the same beliefs and practices as any other magical practitioner. That’s one of the most glorious things about the magical spiritual path: it’s a path we forge on our own. So just because one of us hugs trees as a meditation, and another lights a candle to Hecate at the crossroads every full moon, it definitely doesn’t mean all of the rest of us do.
Just like no two artists are alike in the way they interpret the mysterious beauty of nature and the human condition, no two magical people are alike in the way we celebrate it.
Have you encountered any of these myths? Or any other ones? Please share in the comments below.
You may also like these 5 Subtle Secrets to Finding Peace.
As the old wisdom goes, you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket. Pagans know that to be successful in life, we must “carry water” and “chop wood”. We focus our intent with “spells” and other mindfulness while also doing the mundane work in the material plane to manifest our intent. For me, our spellcasting is the “follow-through” used when trying to hit a ball or send an arrow to a target. We SEE our desires result from the magic we send out. What we don’t do is expect everything to go our way as that would harm others and bring us harm as well. I cast protective intent to protect myself in this time of Corona virus, but I also cover my face with a mask around others and keep socially distant. Our world is more full of unknowns than knowns and where science and math leave off, our imagination and good will take over. We can learn from both the material and spiritual and combine them for the good of all. We need a vaccine but we must also envision a vaccine entering our world and healing us all. Sending energy to our pathologists now… BB
You want to talk about hurtful, harmful and destructive myths and stereotypes? Try being a Satanist. At the very best, I’m dismissed as a LARPing LaVeyan Shitanist (I’m a polytheistic pagan Satanist, thank you very much). At the worst, it’s assumed that I’m sacrificing babies to Moloch and ritually murdering virgins.
Neither is true, obviously. I just worship the more primordial and chaotic aspects of existance.
I really enjoy your articles.
Thank you.
I’m glad! Thank you for reading.
I carried out yr binding spell on a builder who was a bully , never finished the work on the agreed contract, never turned up, was hostile and kept demanding money from me. The spell intent was to harm no other woman,or man, as he did to me. This was my first spell. It has worked. How do I say thank you to the universe and karma for their help.
A grateful heart and words of thanks work great. If you’d like, you could also create an offering at the full moon, such as the smoke from a stick of incense or a libation of ale or cider poured upon the earth.
Thanks for this. As someone with advanced degrees in environmental science and biochemistry, I resent when others assume my research and my spiritual life are mutually exclusive- or, more commonly, when others presume I have no spiritual life, because I’m a scientist.
Hi Penny! Awesome: yes, science is very spiritual and spirituality is very scientific. So glad the post resonated.