At the physiological level, the results are manifested in the body of the magician. Yoga and other physical regimens focus strongly on this level. Most meditative practices involve breathing exercises that facilitate altered states of consciousness. Shamanistic healing practices are also concerned with effects on this level.Yoga is a good case in point. Much of the criticism of the "reality" of magic arises from the inability of the tools of science to quantify it. But most of the effects derived from Yoga practice (or Tai Ch'i, or several other meditative mind/body disciplines) are such things as a general sense of well-being, heightened alertness, fewer and less severe illnesses, more "energy", more restful sleep, etc. -- things that cannot be easily quantified by technical measurements. But they are unequivocally real to anyone who practices these disciplines.
Furthermore, just about anyone who takes up serious practice will manifest almost identical results; it is not a case of "purely subjective" effects. They are predictable and repeatable across a wide range of human subjects -- and have been for thousands of years. But you can't measure these effects as an outside observer. The only way to "prove" that this is the case is to take up the practice yourself and judge the effects for yourself. The same can be said for all four types of magical effects.
The neurological level refers to those parts of the deep mind where the sub-conscious, the non-verbal, the instinctive is to be found. At the neurological level, magical practice can give one far greater control over one's emotional, "gut level" reactions to that great experience called Real Life.
Ritual or sigil work can be used to overcome phobias and to counter obsessive states, or do exactly the opposite and induce such subconscious reactions that the magician might find useful. Sigil Magic uses simple techniques to implant deliberate subconscious cues in your own mind to access a given mental state at will.
Magicians are psychonauts that explore the fringes of inner space.
Mental/linguistic operations involve the rearrangement of belief systems and world-views, and they are crucial to the entire operating paradigm of Chaos Magic. The power of belief is undeniable. Beliefs not only have the power to shape one's own perceptions of the world, but to affect the perceptions of others as well -- this is the foundation of using meta-belief as a magical tool. The universe seems to have a way of providing experiences that tend to reinforce any given belief -- witness the great variety of fundamental world-views, both past and present.
Mental/linguistic operations involve the rearrangement of belief systems and world-views, and they are crucial to the entire operating paradigm of Chaos Magic. The power of belief is undeniable. Beliefs not only have the power to shape one's own perceptions of the world, but to affect the perceptions of others as well -- this is the foundation of using meta-belief as a magical tool. The universe seems to have a way of providing experiences that tend to reinforce any given belief -- witness the great variety of fundamental world-views, both past and present.
This effect is sometimes referred to as "the power of positive thinking", although it can also encompass negative thinking as well. Much ritual work, especially invocations (where the operator assumes "godforms" of archetypal icons) function at this level. Pathworkings, long-term magical operations involving a slow process of building on consciously developed psychological structures, are useful as a means of "meta-programming" the mental state.
On the physical or material level, the goal is to effect changes in nominal or "everyday" reality. This is what most people mean by "magic", though in fact it is only a part of the picture. (Read more …. )
