Magic theory

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Magic theory is a theory (or are theories) about how and why magic works.

The question of whether she does that at all is usually avoided. The theory of magic is not a natural science, but is best described as a concentration of speculative and sometimes often contradicting beliefs; however, there are common themes and ideas that can be found in many explanatory systems.

Theories

There are countless different theories, from highly complex systems such as the magic of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to the statements of various occult authors down to the personal views of individuals who practice magic. Here is a rough breakdown.

  • The spirit theory postulates the existence of spiritual, usually disembodied beings such as spirits , gods , demons , etc. Numerous different views on the nature and character of, as well as rules for making contact with, all kinds of spirit cosmologies exist. Magic is considered to be the effect of such spirits, although many theories of this type also grant the magician himself a magical power similar to that of a spirit. In many theories, the spirits are residents of certain physical or otherworldly places.
  • The energy theory assumes the existence of disembodied energies , which under certain conditions - for example when they are brought about by the magician - have effects on the physical world. These energies are generally seen as roughly quantifiable and as bound to places, objects or planets . Variations are mainly in the number of different hypothetical energies and in the techniques that are believed to be effective on them.
  • Psychological theory thinks of magical effects as manifestations of the magician's subconscious . An objective effectiveness of magic is not always claimed, and if it is, it is normally not considered to be directly accessible, but only accessible via the subconscious. Spirits are regarded as exteriorized personality aspects of the magician, which, however, are often assigned as such an objective existence.
  • Information theory is a very abstract theory that understands states, objects, people, ghosts, etc. as information. Magical influences are achieved by triggering "information matrices" that transform one piece of information into another, or by charging them with energy, as in the energy model. The methodology for this theory is hardly formulated and it is therefore considered to be an "advanced" theory.

The chaos magic metatheory is a special case. She believes no known theory is correct, but assumes that magical effects can be achieved through the acceptance and use of any theory of magic.

Probably because of this approach, chaos magic is the area of ​​occultism in which a systematic examination of magic theory has taken place for the first time. The more in-depth research into information theory also takes place almost entirely in the chaos-magical context.

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