tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14574087.post112628832591936196..comments2023-08-25T09:44:42.886-04:00Comments on The Lyceum: Prayer and MagicDanielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10190478379984737926noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14574087.post-81568147085864109232009-02-20T16:45:00.000-05:002009-02-20T16:45:00.000-05:00Magic is an interesting concept, especially if you...Magic is an interesting concept, especially if you think about how "magical" certain simple substances found in the Earth can be. It is possible these healers or these magicians, philosophers (whatever) accidentally ingested psilocybin or other related fungi (amanita muscaria?) and thus experienced "magic." <BR/><BR/>Noted should be the many instances where individuals have ingested magical fungi only to have "transcended" their bodies to "come into contact" with a divine being. <BR/><BR/>This really has nothing to do with nothing.. it's just an interesting thought.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14574087.post-1127263698892293652005-09-20T20:48:00.000-04:002005-09-20T20:48:00.000-04:00I agree with air of winter's basic criticism of Ch...I agree with air of winter's basic criticism of Charles Williams and it brings up something that you didn't mention in the post (because it doesn't have anything to do with Hippocrates, but it is important to distinguish magic from piety). For Williams, the spiritual powers that his characters use are a remembering or a re-learning of preternatural powers that all people, in principle, have access to. So when Adam "names the animals" he is actualy taking command over the Platonic forms. Does our exile from Eden mean that all preternatural powers forbidden? inaccesible? In any case they certainly couldn't be put in the same category as magic and yet amny occult traditions from around the world claim to make use of them (even if they would not use the word "preternatural" in the Christian sense).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14574087.post-1126558563467364802005-09-12T16:56:00.000-04:002005-09-12T16:56:00.000-04:00As always, an interesting read.The druids certainl...As always, an interesting read.<BR/><BR/>The druids certainly appraoched 'power' in the magic sense. Though they had divinities, they believed there was neutral power out there available to be harnessed with the right methodology. In their case they thought dancing around big stones or trees would do it...Matt McGrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06076825151483605719noreply@blogger.com