wizard

Message 91:

Date:     Sun Dec 10 21:10:03 2000 CST
From:     Eican (#4603)
To:       *wizard (#1121)
Subject:  Magic(k)

I hate to quibble, Ryken, but there are quite a few people who believe that magic does exist in
 real life. But, yes, there are a lot of different definitions.
My favorite definition is Aleister Crowley's (who, for those of you who don't know, was a master of
 the english language as well as the most proficient mystical scholar in centuries):

MAGICK is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.
  -quoted from 'Magick in Theory and Practice'

Of course, according to that, every intentional act is a magickal act. This is a radically
 different way of looking at the world.

Erm. Back to the relevant point, regarding the IC world on here. My opinion:
As reflects my personal tastes, I think being proficient in spellcasting should require almost
 complete dedication to studying.
Now, this studying could be book research or practical experience; my tastes lean towards the
 former, but 90% of the world seems to prefer the latter.
I think there are two parts to magic: the Will behind it and the knowledge of how to do it.
The Will is part of the personality, so it is inherent in a sense, but it can also change with time.
My favorite RPG of all time is Mage: The Ascension. I like the Spheres of magic and how you put
 together spells by combining levels in the different spheres.
(Example: To see the place you are right now ten minutes ago, you need Time 3 or something. But to
 see another place 10 minutes ago, you need Time 3 and Correspondence 3 or something.)
With their system, you can do relatively anything. The power of the mages is held in check by the
 fact that reality is consensual, and if you can't force the rest of the world to accept your view
 of reality, it comes back and bites you in the ass.

Hmm. I seem to have a hard time keeping to the topic without drifting off into a tangent. This is
 one of my favorite subjects, and I rarely get the chance to give my opinion. Guess I'll think
 about it a while and see if I can't give you more lucid, SHORTER help. :)
Hope you got something useful out of this. I had fun with it. :)

Eican (IX)