h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Up and down the country as I write, there are many sincere people trying to work magic. They are performing rituals, casting spells and concocting potions. Some of these people will be doing this based upon decades of research into medieval and ancient texts, others will be following instructions in popular books, quite a few will be making it up as they go along - relying on instinct perhaps.

The one thing that unifies all these endeavours is this - they will all fail. There will be a small proportion that will seem to work, mostly through the forces of serendipity, but this is not because of any 'magic'.

In all my years on the fringes of the occult establishment I have never seen, or heard of (from reliable sources), a single spell or ritual actually succeeding. Yet despite this failure they will carry on, buoyed up by faith and hope rather than any real expectation of success. I have been roundly and extensively cursed both in my presence and my absence, but never felt a thing. I have been blessed and promised the earth, yet never got it.

Isn't it about time we took out the trash and put all these spells, lotions and potions in the dumpster of history alongside creationism and heliocentricism?

Despite this I still believe in magic, though not in the terms that these many hopeful practitioners would necessarily accept or even understand. For them magic is an act of will by which they can change some portion of the world - often as not to their own benefit. A hope supported by the popular literature and media of our times.

I see magic in every act of creation, from the birth of a baby to the making of a pot or a poem. Each time we reach beyond our natural capabilities to achieve something we did not believe we could I see magic. I find magic in the land where sit in wonder and listen to the spirits and to my gods.

I can perform magic through kindness and generosity, releasing others from doubt and pain. I can perform magic through friendship, helping others to become more and becoming more myself as a result. This is true magic, perhaps if more people practiced it we might really change the world.

Although I don't believe in litteral magic, I agree with this post completely.

Nice post Matholwch, I haven't seen you around for a while.

I agree, there is a lot of around if you know where to look, or rather open your eyes and really *see* which it seems to me, people don't do much these days.

I am not religious, but I do think there is power in prayer, or perhaps I have just been lucky.

Websailor

An interesting statement.

I've not seen you around much recently, Math. Good to hear from you.

TRiG.

Hi all,

Well this place has been a bit dead of late and I've been a busy beaver

One thing I have been doing is kicking up a bit of a rumpus in the druid community. It seems I am a compulsive heretic, just can't help myself . I have made myself pretty much persona non grata in the established pagan scene by playing the child in The Emperor's New Clothes.

Anyhoo, anything interesting going on? Any atheists or theists you need grinding down with my particularly warped 'logic'?

Matholwch the Apostate .

Hi Math,

I just read your last post and had a religious epiphany. The penalty for apostasy is wisdom which, in christian mythology is the same as death.

When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowlege they were condemned to death. Religions try to save lives by obscuring truth with dogma.

So the pope is no different than the scientologists, he knows it's nonsense, he just feels he's doing you a favour by giving it to you. And then helping himself to a little something by way of the thank you that you would feel if you knew of his generosity.

Hi Tumsup,

This Pope is a special case. He was the unconscionable bastard who, when he was the last Pope's special advisor, knowingly promoted the lies that condoms did not in fact prevent the transmission of HiV.

My personal opinion is that he should be taken to the International Criminal Court and arraigned on charges of genocide.

MAtholwch .

Don't forget that suffering is gods precious gift. He made HIV so we could be closer to him. (and sooner) The pope is doing gods work by helping more people to be infected with his grace.

Charges of genocide wouldn't stick. The pope wants everyone to suffer, not just any particular race or people.

The funny thing about this Pope is that his actions hastened the deaths of his own flock. What a guy

I'm just now reading Charles Mackay's Memoirs of Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.

Between posts here I've read the account of Peter the Hermit and his Crusade. He and his entire army were exterminated by virtue of their own violent stupidity, and all that even before they got to the Holy Land.

Dieu le veult

You should read up on the fourth crusade then... a real laugh a minute that one with an excellent twist at the end.

Strange as it may seam, I believe in ritual magic. I don't believe in spells or potions but I do use ritual now and again to enhance meditation.

I have no problem with that. Many practitioners of meditation use methods that could be called 'rituals' to reach a useful state, from mantras to dancing.

However, you are not performing a ritual in the hope that it will change the physical universe or the course of history or true love are you?

True! Just my own state in the physical and mental universe.