This is magick.

I like SueLearning's post.

My keyword was sorta like a religion as it requires strong belief, though I'm sure one could argue it is a religion.

Magic isn't a religion.

Religion (by Merriam-Webster):

a : the state of a religious
b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2
: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3
archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
4
: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

Magic does not require the worship of a deity or devotion to a certain thing.

Yep if it were a religion, I wouldn't practice it either.

I agree that magick is not a religion like I said in my above post (Post # 3).

Magick is an art and a lifestyle. It needs no special "belief". If it did, athiests wouldn't use it (and they do). The only "belief" necessary is in yourself. People don't need to know HOW it works, only how to use it. I know it works, but the details as to why is a mystery. We have our theories, but none are solid truths. Magick is a self-empowering practise that centers around you having the ability to make a difference in your own life and other's lives internally and externally. To some it is an intimate relationship with nature, but not to all. How magick works can be explained scientifically, psychologically, and spiritually. I prefer to use all three. It is, after all, viewing all three forms of being--body, mind and spirit. They are three parts of the whole of our existence, so I feel they work together in separate ways.

Bardou Moderator / Adept
Jan 02, 2012 Post # 8

"Magic isn't a religion.

Religion (by Merriam-Webster):

a : the state of a religious
b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2
: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3
archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
4
: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

Magic does not require the worship of a deity or devotion to a certain thing."

Well actually definition 3. archaic : scrupulous conformity( having moral integrity or to be very precise by compliance with a fixed standard, regulation, or requirement): conscientiousness(showing great care, attention, and industriousness in carrying out a task or role) could/would classify magic as a religion.

Great post, White ^^

Magic doesn't have a fixed standard unless you do it in accordance to your tradition. Chaos mages are a good example of nonconformity.

In my opinion, magick is all around and within us all. It is creating an effect on something through direction of energy. This can be done with something as simple as a thought. Just the fact that energy is constantly being transferred from one thing to another is a form of magick to me.

When you are conceived, your deriving energy from your mother, who gets it from the world around her. As you grow, you send energy out into the universe through your thoughts and actions. When your body dies, it feeds the earth, providing energy for the soil to help plants to grow.

Some look at magick on a spiritual level. To me they go "hand in hand" but are not one in the same. The ideology of religion is to have faith in something. To believe beyond a doubt that it is true. Some could call magick a religion, in that sense.

By believing in all of this, and allowing it to impact your daily life, you make it into a path/routine or way of life. I know my experiences have taught me that what I think, feel and do effects the world around me. I make decisions carefully now and truly say that magick is a way of life for me, because I cannot ignore what I see.