​Magic Continued 4

This conversation thread is a continuation from Magic Continued 3:

Michael F
"G. - If I interpret you rightly, you are saying that 'all that is,' the multi-universe that is seen and unseen, all intricate patterns and delicate balances, all folding and unfolding of the particle kaleidoscope as it dissolves and re-creates endlessly, is nothing more than a cave being carved as it washes to the sea."

You interpret me rightly.

But the phrase "nothing more than" is a bit misleading.. For me, the REAL magic is to truly see this for the wonder that it is. One does not need the supernatural - a god - to find immense wonder in what is unfolding all around us - and indeed, which we are ourselves part of the unfolding. To know that we are the unfolding of an immense explosion, and to know that everything around is is part of that same explosion... it is amazing beyond comprehension.

It is as if the fractal edge of a fireball became complex enough to develop self-consciousness. it is utterly fantastic, beyond the wildest creation myth. To say that a god "did it" is the greatest theft of wonder possible. What was an amazing journey becomes a mere parlor trick.

To me, the idea that the universe is nothing more than the snap of the fingers by a bored deity is an appalling idea. It is so, so, so much more than that.

Carl Sagan remains the high priest of my religion.

Michael F
"To find the truth, we need imagination and skepticism both"

"The Cosmos is within us; we are starstuff; we are a way for the Cosmos to know itself"

This short, 4-minute scene, shot directly south of where I sit (within a few hundred meters), stuns me every time I see it. He understands it perfectly. The rest of the series fleshes out these 4 minutes.

The problem is that Carl was limited to the knowledge of his day, kept largely to mainstream science, especially fields related to physics, and avoided topics related to the workings of the human mind, which are where most "religious phenomena" occur. So his scope is limited in "Cosmos" - but his understanding of how much greater, how much more SACRED the reality is compared to religious conceptions, is amazing.

Every atom within us was born in a star!

But there really are so many levels here... On one hand, I insist on accepting the facts we know. But there is so much wierdness going on WITHIN those facts, as Adam the Quantum Physicist can tell you, that there is plenty of room for "spooky" stuff (Einstein's word, not mine). And that's all before we get involved with human consciousness, and all the possibilities that that opens up.

Again, the truth is infinitely far more wonderful than most books on "magick" would have it. Which is more amazing? That we have within our brains, several more individuals whom we are barely aware of? Or that there are things called demons and angels that live somewhere else but can be called up like trained monkeys if we recite a few words?

Please note one thing here - I have absolutely nothing against waving wands around and chanting incantations. I do it myself. But I personally need to have as its basis a thorough grounding in the actual mechanics of how it all works, before I apply the bat wing ointment.

Michael F
'However, the fact that all possibilities occur is attested to by modern science in the concept of waves of probability....'

There are those who argue that most of these possibilities are only "virtual" and do not exist in reality. However, I do incline towards the idea that all possibilities actually eventuate in separate universes.

And this provides a mechanism for the most outlandish magic to operate by.

In my theory, magic is not the ability to change the universe, it is the magician's ability to choose which universe of all the possible universes that he/she currently wishes to focus on/experience.

Think of all possible universes like an infinite multiplex movie theater. At any point, we can walk out of one theater and into another. We cannot change any of the movies - they all continue to play even when we are not watching them. But we can watch the movie that interests us the most.

This is a perfectly valid, non-supernatural explanation of why waving a magic wand can cause an almost infinitely unlikely event to occur.

This is a hypothesis of mine - I cannot prove it. But it is consistent with the known empirical observations.

Once again - everything hinges on the balance between the subjective and the objective. And on so many levels. As above so below, to rework a tired old phrase.

Michael F
'Since all varieties of intelligence and consciousness are inevitable, the source must contain and be greater than the greatest of the possible manifestations of consciousness.'

I'm not sure what you are saying here, but if it is that the source must be greater than everything that follows from it, then that would imply that my great-great-great grandparents must have been greater than all the subsequent generations included together.

What I'm saying is that very immense and wonderful things can come from very simple things.

And this insight is crucial to the wonder and awe mentioned.

Z2 <- Z2 +1 (if I remember it rightly) gives rise to the Mandelbrot set - which is literally an infinitely complex image - greater than the physical universe and all it contains - that is not just infinitely complex, but also immensely fascinating and beautiful.

Whats amazing is that very simple materials, linked to very simple rules, can lead to amazingly complex and beautiful end-products.

Or take Conways game of "Life" - 3 or 4 very simple rules, and a GO board and pieces, and you can make machines that breed, reproduce, and even more wierd stuff.

You don't need a complicated source to create a complicated end product.

Gary R Smith
M. - Please note one thing here - I have absolutely nothing against waving wands around and chanting incantations. I do it myself. But I personally need to have as its basis a thorough grounding in the actual mechanics of how it all works, before I apply the bat wing ointment.

G. - Noted. Would you please tell me more about your 'waving wands around and chanting incantations'?

M. - In my theory, magic is not the ability to change the universe, it is the magician's ability to choose which universe of all the possible universes that he/she currently wishes to focus on/experience.

Think of all possible universes like an infinite multiplex movie theater. At any point, we can walk out of one theater and into another. We cannot change any of the movies - they all continue to play even when we are not watching them. But we can watch the movie that interests us the most.

This is a perfectly valid, non-supernatural explanation of why waving a magic wand can cause an almost infinitely unlikely event to occur.

This is a hypothesis of mine - I cannot prove it. But it is consistent with the known empirical observations.

G. - I like it! How can I consciously move from one movie to another?

Rod MacKinnon 
Michael... your description of the evolution of "the universe" strikes me as very linear.... events occurring one after the other.... That's a natural enough view, given the hard, soft and wetware we've evolved as...our "localized conscious awareness" permits us to experience the universe sequentially... however, "...it ain't necessarily so..." 

The very little reading I've done regarding quantum physics has been sufficient to indicate that, regarding questions of "consciousness," the jury is, very much, still out ...

​One of the scenarios is that our localized awareness operates similarly to the way a torchlight works in a dark room...as we move it around, we see objects one after the other, though, in reality, they all exist simultaneously... meanwhile... there is an entire building which, due to the limitations of our torchlight, remains entirely unknown to us...except, unlike a building which is an artifact, it is "alive and conscious" in ways we can't even begin to comprehend.... just a thought...

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CONTENTS - HEART BREATHING