Can atheits practise magick?

[magickmandy]

I have read a bit about magick and noticed of most of the spells involve invoking the blessings or help of some deity or the other. Now, what if you are an atheist and believe in the power of the human mind, but don't believe in any god or goddess? Can you then practice magick?

[Kao]

Personal opinion is at times some aethiasts excell faster in the craft than those worshipping a deity or god, reason being is most atheists are free of paradigms, and as long as they enter into the craft with a willingness to accept what the universe throws to them they usually end up finding more answers and keys to doors in self than in a higher entity. If you can grasp the human body, and how it is put together on a physical and energy level, then you will never need any spells, rituals, chants, or any other bs which some cling to with dear life, if you want to start working on a good path without any god or deity paradigms attached start researching pranna, the chakras, as well as the meridians within the body, enter into it with a open mind, take only what applies to you, and disgard all the rest which is inconsequential, also learn that any book is just a tiny guide, very few have more than one or two solid facts in it, the rest is just the writers experiences and enterpretations of those facts, rather find and enterpret them for yourself, easier to lead yourself than to be guided by another, just need the right drive and will.
peace out

[magickmandy]

Hi Kao, thank you so much for the response. I notice that you are new to the site and have just joined. Warm welcome, and hope you have a great time here.

[magick]

...most atheists are free of paradigms, and as long as they enter into the craft with a willingness to accept what the universe throws to them they usually end up finding more answers and keys to doors in self than in a higher entity.

I am not sure I would agree that atheists are free of paradigms. I would suggest they have plenty of concrete belief structures, and it is observable in some scientists (for example), through their writings (e.g. on atheism and evolution), that they hold very distinct and concrete beliefs based on faith in science, rather than faith in a 'god'.

I would be interested to hear the views of any experienced occultist explaining how they can hold beliefs in various paranormal phenomena but deny the existence of some 'greater power' or 'greater intelligence' (I don't mean simply the Christian/Jewish/Islamic God), without them demonstrating some very well defined paradigm that locks them into these same beliefs, in an almost religious/theist pattern.

That said, I don't believe their is any reason that someone cannot hold beliefs in atheism and still believe in paranormal phenomena and magick. However, the fact that an atheist may be successful in such endeavors does not prove or disprove the non-existence of a deity or deities - it would only serve to demonstrate that a belief in a higher power is not necessary to perform magick. I suggest that a belief in the "existence of magick" and the belief in the ability of an individual to create change through magickal means is going to be the more important beliefs, combined with the knowledge and skills of working magick (Imagination and Will being obvious examples).

As for the suggestion that "a good path without any god or deity paradigms attached start researching pranna"; this is problematic that cursory research shows that the Upanishads suggest that ""Prana is Brahman." - see for example: http://books.google.com/books?id=oq8hYK ... q=&f=false - from here it is only a few steps to the pantheon of Hindu deities.

I would suggest that a good practice for busting through paradigms is to constantly track down beliefs you hold, and challenge them by finding the opposite to that belief. Then perhaps meditate on finding the synthesis of these two beliefs - for you personally - to form a new belief to explore. E.g. theism AND atheism = x?

Additionally, cultivate the belief that beliefs are only temporary working hypotheses. They should never be concrete and one should always be willing to rigorously challenge the beliefs they hold, and explore diametrically opposed points of view (which leads back to the previous suggestion).

[platypuspracticus137]

From what I can tell (and of course, this is subjective reality), the gods and worship is supposed to be meditation on the concepts and ideas that the deities represent. They are avatars for the immaterial concepts they represent. Even YHWH represents a concept that goes much beyond the Judeo-Christian god and its ceremonies.

I'm an agnostic, myself; mainly because I think atheist too harshly dismisses something that could later be defined as a deity that we have not found/cannot comprehend right now. It's not to say that I'm on the fence about any of the current god-worships but I'm on the fence about the definition of the concept of a god or gods.

And yet still draw upon Eris and the balance of Thanatos and Eros* in my meditations.



*But I'm not associated with IOT.

[merenset]

One of the most common statements you hear and read in Modern Magick: is that Magick is future science. Or a science not currently understood by orthodox Science. If this is true; of course an atheist can practice Magick. Furthermore applying the Scientific Method to your Magical practices; in fact proves the Hypothesis.

Also the Texts on Tantra and Chakra yoga clearly state that it not necessary to believe in the Deities to benefit from working with them in the Chakra visualizations during meditation.

What ever it is that we know; the quality and quantity of knowledge that there is to know is way beyond that. There is always more to learn for many reasons. One is because of the way we think of things and catalog information in a self referential way.