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From RJ Stewart today on the book list, cropping up in a study of the ballad "Young Tam Lin":
"The world of magic is a world of potentials. As these are potentials, they are not fully realised. That is why there can be several simultaneous potentials in a magical ballad, or in a magical tradition, or in one ritual.
Once the potentials manifest, they become 'limited' to the world in which they have manifested. This does not mean that some make it through and others are discarded or obsolete. Far from it: in the magical multi-world view, they all manifest, but some create variant worlds thereby."
The first paragraph rang really strongly with me, especially that magic is almost defined by being not-quite-manifest-yet, and that once it does, it ceases to be something other than "magic" per se.
"The world of magic is a world of potentials. As these are potentials, they are not fully realised. That is why there can be several simultaneous potentials in a magical ballad, or in a magical tradition, or in one ritual.
Once the potentials manifest, they become 'limited' to the world in which they have manifested. This does not mean that some make it through and others are discarded or obsolete. Far from it: in the magical multi-world view, they all manifest, but some create variant worlds thereby."
The first paragraph rang really strongly with me, especially that magic is almost defined by being not-quite-manifest-yet, and that once it does, it ceases to be something other than "magic" per se.
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Date: Jan. 9th, 2004 11:43 am (UTC)From:I find the idea of multiple, simultaneous potentials being present in a given instrument of magic very appealing. But what if the different potentials are realised not in different physical worlds, but conceptual worlds? Thus, an instrument of healing may work on the physical health by this practitioner, and societal healt by that practitioner.
Since the practitioner of magic is always very much a part of the event instead of a clinical outside observer, it would make sense that different persons find different tools, whatever suits each.
These thoughts uttered by a mundane person who is quite unversed in any magical lore.