XPost: alt.religion.wicca, alt.arts.poetry.comments, alt.magick
From: dmh7@skypoint.com
Jani wrote:
> "Dale Houstman" wrote in message
> news:4225EB8E.5010008@skypoint.com...
>
>>
>>Tom wrote:
>>
>>>"Jane Asher's Vagina" wrote in
>>>message
>>>news:1w6ghleaieht3$.1e99jreoeamyz.dlg@40tude.net...
>>>
>>>
>>>>On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 22:13:42 +0000, Shez wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>People who practice the art and craft of magick see something in the
>>>>>world that you don't see, its that simple..
>>>>
>>>>Sure is. They make shit up and convince themselves it's real.
>>>
>>>
>>>Let me break it to you gently. You do the same thing. And, just like
>>>everybody else, you strongly object to being accused of doing so.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>Certainly many people are self-deluded but it pure post-modernist tripe to
>>insist that all opinions are equal, as tempting as that lazy attitude
>>might be nowadays. A person who believes the moon is made of green cheese
>>may be as wrong as a person who believes it is made entirely of silver,
>>but the mistakes are on a different order, and one is closer to some
>>version of the truth. Most people delude themselves into thinking the
>>universe gives a blue spit about them - and the human race in general -
>>but the one who thinks this is due to the Little People is less likely to
>>be correct than one who believes it is due to some unexplained yet
>>probably material connection between "star stuff" and the makeup of the
>>human matter. After all, science works upon probabilities, and some things
>>are simply more probable. Does this mean scuience has all the answers to
>>life? Hardly, since human life is full of imaginative abstracts, but
>>applying the rule that the truer answer is most likely the simplest
>>answer, believing in "magick" - while comforting to the person who
>>believes in it (and there is nothing "wrong" sbout seeking a modicum of
>>control and comfort in this world) is to believe in something that all
>>experience and observation says is most improbable.
>>
>>The strange thing about - say - the Wicca movement is that they celebrate
>>and mimic the supposed behavior that was assigned to victims who were
>>innocent of that behavior. Of all those "witches" who were condemned,
>>tortured, and killed (and there were not as many as Wicca likes to say
>>there were) not ONE was a witch, but only the innocent fodder for a
>>political or religious porgram fueled by hysteria, rumor, envy, hatred,
>>etc. The few who admitted to this "transgression" did so beneath torture
>>or because they were mentally incapacitated, which isn't a surprise given
>>than schizophrenics and other mental "incompetents" were often singled out
>>as being in league with the devil, or some such.
>>
>>So the modern identification with these innocetns is based on the word of
>>their persecutors and their accusers.
>>
>>In effect, decalring oneself to be a "witch" (as harmless as it is) is not
>>unlike declaring oneself to be an eater of children based on ancient
>>accounts of Jewish (or Christian) behavior. One is playing the role
>>assigned by the enemy.
>
>
> Can I just point out that none of the people from ARW who are contributing
> to this thread are Wiccan.
Didn't say they were - only used Wiccan as one example of a modern
"magick" movement. There are other forms of course; from the easily
amused folks who read the Horoscope to the creepy guy who sells unicorn
posters and herbs at the New Age shopping mall. And many in-between:
even fundamentalist Christians are believers in magic, although they
like to consider them "miracles." No difference all in all.
The wider point is that there is no observable manifestation of "magick"
in the world, and that the only "proof" of its existence is either
heresay, madness, or the mutterings of Spanish Inquisition types. If the
"magick" folks have a grasp of history, it seems to be a very slippery one.
dmh
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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