[blueangel]

And I bring you the quote that warranted it's own thread. [img]smilies/glow.gif[/img]

Originally posted by Kleenexwoman86: <STRONG>I've got a question. How does magic work, anyway? Is it some kind of cosmic force like gravity, or is it some New-Age deep-inside-the-soul blather?</STRONG>

Check out the Past Threads (you may post on these still):
HP Debate / Discussion Thread #1 - House Elves, opressed slaves or willing workers?
HP Debate / Discussion Thread #2 - Turning back time
HP Debate/Discussion Thread #3: Strengths and Weaknesses
Harry Potter: HP Debate/Discussion Thread #4: Will Ron Turn On Harry?
Harry Potter: HP Debate/Discussion Thread #5: Ghosts and the Afterlife
HP Debate/Discussion Thread #6: What would the HP characters ask Santa for Christmas?



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[roswellcharmed_2000]

i see this has stumped everyone.

[ 01-12-2004: Message edited roswellcharmed_2000 ]

[lost lullaby]

[img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] It has! I have no idea how magic works. I remember my friend telling me a while ago that there's a part of our brain that we don't use and it has something to do with, erm... I think she said telekinetic ability or something. I don't know if she was just BSing me, but I dunno... [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

I know I've always wanted to be a witch! [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] Ever since I was little.

[roswellcharmed_2000]

your friend wasn't bsing you. i've heard of that too. i've heard that if humans used more than 10% of our brains, we could use telekenisis. magic is so...i don't know...hard to explain. its just kind of there. i tried to explain what the force was once to one of my friends who hates star wars and that was hard enough to explain.

[Kleenexwoman86]

Good to see I've managed to totally flummox everyone.

I've been working on my own theory, and if this discussion does get off the ground, I might post it.

[Sweetwater Gal]

Originally posted by - nellie -: <STRONG> [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] It has! I have no idea how magic works. I remember my friend telling me a while ago that there's a part of our brain that we don't use and it has something to do with, erm... I think she said telekinetic ability or something. I don't know if she was just BSing me, but I dunno... [img]smilies/look.gif[/img] I know I've always wanted to be a witch! [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] Ever since I was little.</STRONG>

First off let me just state that I personally believe that when it comes to magic (or magick w/ a k however you want to spell it), there is no right or wrong answer/approach.

That being said, as quoted above, I believe that too. Y'know Stephen King's The Dead Zone? I have my own little theory/belief whatnot that everyone is born w/ this special "access" to that certain part of the brain. But as we get older, that "access" gets lost somewhere along all the new things/information we've gathered and/or were taught over the years. And that only certain few people are still able to "access" b/c they never really lost grasp of it. If that last sentence makes any sense [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

I guess to put it into perspective, I use the "room theory". That SK "dead zone" is like a secret and/or forgotten room in our brain (the "house" if I were to continue this analogy). When we're really young and have yet to gather information/knowledge, the house is "empty".

Over time, we "move in" information and fill it in the respective rooms. Math info into the "math room", spelling/grammar into the "English room" (in my case, this room is messy [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] ). Since those information are fundamental to our own growth, we know the general layout and which room is which. Especially since we use it all the time and can map it out w/o breaking a sweat.

And unless over the years we've kept track of the "dead zone" (if I can coin SK for a moment) room, we might forget which part of the house that room lies. It's like a room that no one really uses and one day walk by it and think "Oh! Is that a closet? I don't remember that being there!"

So, back to the original question... I think that "magic" is a part of that room and only certain people whom have, over the years, never forgotten that part of the "house"... they're more in tune w/ it.

Magick that includes forces outside our own control, nature... [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] and I'm gonna stop here before I start crawling on a soap box!

Looking forward to lurking/reading other posters opinions b/c one of the reasons I like HP is b/c of its view on "magic". I've read books on witchcraft, Wicca, magick but I guess (IMO) one of the first steps into discovering how magic works is to first believe it exists. Oh, and I also think that there's no such thing as good or bad magic... just good or bad people that use magic. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[*lucy*]

Yeah, it really all depends on what you mean by magic...and whether you're talking about *real* magic(k) or *Hollywood* magic. There is a big difference between what you see on Charmed, Buffy, The Craft, etc. and read about in Harry Potter and other fantasy novels.

And now I'm thinking that I shouldn't have said *real* magick. It all depends on who you ask, really. To one person, magic might happen by slight of hand. To another, magic is a completely spiritual thing that is created by manipulating energy, ritual prayer, and the use of the elements, spirits, guardians, angels, dragons, fae, gods, goddesses, and the list goes on and on and on.

I am pagan. To me, I know that magick happens because I have faith that the Goddess is doing amazing things every second. Magick doesn't happen because I do spells, because I don't. Magick doesn't happen because other pagans do spells. Spells aren't even really a large part of most pagans lives. Magick to me, as a pagan, is life itself. The gifts that the Goddess gives to me every day that I live here on this earth. It's the sun, the moon, the sky, the trees, the air, the birds...it's everything. And it happens because the Goddess loves her children.

Which brings up the point of Christianity and other religions. I was brought up Christian. I still believe that God (and Allah and Budha) does magick just as the Goddess does. To Christians, He is the reason that there is life and beauty and love.

Magic works because we believe it will. Magic works because we have faith and because we believe that something out there is creating.

[Kleenexwoman86]

Well, we've seen a couple of interesting responses. Here's what I've worked out.

Magic, as far as I can tell, takes advantage of the quantum uncertainty principle and the way that human brains can tune in to the vibration level of atoms on a microcosmic scale. It's sort of a loophole in the laws of the universe, and it relates closely to otherwise inexplicable phenomena such as yogis being able to levitate while meditating and prophetic dreams.
This ability originated with Neanderthals, who developed the very first system of magic. Their brains were on a slightly different level than that of Cro-Magnons, and so they were able to take advantage of the magic principle to the highest extent. Witches and wizards today are probably in some way descended from the union of Cro-Magnon and Neanderthals.
It was easier for a Neanderthal to access magic because its brain structure was simply more attuned to the forces; manipulating magic, in and of itself, is more a mental effort than just waving a wand around. Those who have a Neanderthalistic brain structure are able to access it almost without thinking. Those who don’t are also able to access it, but not as well. There is no reason why a Muggle would not be able to do magic, but it would probably take years of meditation.
In its purest form, magic simply makes illogical and impossible things happen at random—I refer to the levitating yogis and the prophetic dreams. However, humans have managed to tame it, in a sense, domesticating it and creating a viable system with which to manage it. The Neanderthals called it up with grunts and flowers and pictures of buffalo, the Druids and pagans with Stonehenge. The system evolved over time until the Middle Ages.
At that point, Christianity really began to take over Europe. One of the more salient points of this new belief system was the idea that God was the source of all forces, and thus magic, which played not on God but on the combination of human mentality and yet-unexplained cosmic forces. Practitioners of magic had to go underground, which is why the spells still haven’t evolved beyond Latin, and most of the rest hasn’t evolved beyond medieval superstitions. If the witch-hunts hadn’t happened, we might well see spells said in BASIC or binary code, or a periodic table of magical elements for use in potions.

[Amaria]

Originally posted by Kleenexwoman86: <STRONG>Well, we've seen a couple of interesting responses. Here's what I've worked out. Magic, as far as I can tell, takes advantage of the quantum uncertainty principle and the way that human brains can tune in to the vibration level of atoms on a microcosmic scale. It's sort of a loophole in the laws of the universe, and it relates closely to otherwise inexplicable phenomena such as yogis being able to levitate while meditating and prophetic dreams. This ability originated with Neanderthals, who developed the very first system of magic. Their brains were on a slightly different level than that of Cro-Magnons, and so they were able to take advantage of the magic principle to the highest extent. Witches and wizards today are probably in some way descended from the union of Cro-Magnon and Neanderthals. It was easier for a Neanderthal to access magic because its brain structure was simply more attuned to the forces; manipulating magic, in and of itself, is more a mental effort than just waving a wand around. Those who have a Neanderthalistic brain structure are able to access it almost without thinking. Those who don’t are also able to access it, but not as well. There is no reason why a Muggle would not be able to do magic, but it would probably take years of meditation. In its purest form, magic simply makes illogical and impossible things happen at random—I refer to the levitating yogis and the prophetic dreams. However, humans have managed to tame it, in a sense, domesticating it and creating a viable system with which to manage it. The Neanderthals called it up with grunts and flowers and pictures of buffalo, the Druids and pagans with Stonehenge. The system evolved over time until the Middle Ages. At that point, Christianity really began to take over Europe. One of the more salient points of this new belief system was the idea that God was the source of all forces, and thus magic, which played not on God but on the combination of human mentality and yet-unexplained cosmic forces. Practitioners of magic had to go underground, which is why the spells still haven’t evolved beyond Latin, and most of the rest hasn’t evolved beyond medieval superstitions. If the witch-hunts hadn’t happened, we might well see spells said in BASIC or binary code, or a periodic table of magical elements for use in potions.</STRONG>

Only one thing to say to that really.

Whoa.

[Kleenexwoman86]

Originally posted by spikearrin: <STRONG> Only one thing to say to that really. Whoa.</STRONG>

Why thank you.
If anyone wants to know more about magic and how it works in different worlds, I suggest you read some books by Terry Pratchett. His Discworld is one of the best-organized worlds I've ever seen.

[Silversun]

I usually lurk at this board but just had to come out of hiding to say that's an awesome theory Kleenexwoman86. Thanks for sharing! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[Kleenexwoman86]

You are most welcome.

[Amaria]

Thanks for the rec, Ill definitely check him out.

[Pav]

There's quite good text about magic on boudicca! They say "most of the effects are derived from yoga practice". Do yoga, be wizard. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]