What is magical energy? How does it apply to psychic concepts? And the science of physics mentions energy - is magical energy the same thing as the concept of energy mentioned in physics?
Magic/Psychic energy is a source of many such questions, debates, and confusion, and I hope with this little article I can clear some of it up.
Of old, the magicians and alchemists described the four elements as having their own, natural energy and now in modern science we describe this in terms of chemistry and physics. But they also believed there to be a spiritual influence that existed outside of this, forming the soul, one's consciousness, one's subconscious, and so forth.
In Western practices they frequently looked at this as the Divine, and in Eastern practices, which also had their own version of the natural elements, this force was often viewed as one's life energy, or Chi/Ki. As various practices encountered one another, it eventually became simply called "energy" within New Age practices.
What's more, "energy" is easier for people to understand because most people have had some tutoring in physics. Physics teaches us that everything is made up of energy, and matter is only energy changing states. Thus it is easy to conceptualize the idea of magical/psychic "energy" as something along these lines. However, it is important to note the differences between the concepts of energy in magical practices and energy in physics.
The undercurrent that magical practitioners describe as "energy" is something far more subtle than what most physicists describe when they speak of energy. Magical energy is a concept describing thought, Will, and the influence of spirit that exists as an underlying current within human, animal, and spiritual interaction within this world, and within all other planes.
Psychics generally pick up on this undercurrent and are able to feel what it is, see it, etc. Sometimes they can influences this as well.
Magicians, and other magical practitioners, are not necessarily psychic (or able to sense such things on their own) but are able to use this energy to influence consciousness, the subconscious, spirits, and so forth.
So then if we are able to influence consciousness, the subconscious, spirits, the astral, and so forth through magical practices, why then can we not influence physical matters? If we can create emotion, thought, and other such things, why can we not create fire, change our physical attributes, summon storms, teleport, or otherwise make the various kinesis concepts work? It's all energy, right?
Well, yes. Everything is energy in terms of physics. But if we're going to observe this to be true, we must also apply other concepts of physics. To influence something else you have to be able to interact with it. Magical energy, being a thing of thought, spirit, Will, etc. lacks any matter of its own. As such, it is simply unable to interact physically with objects, individuals, or matter.
Magical energy works in spells because you do not have to change your intention, will, visualization, etc. into some other variety of matter, or otherwise change the state of energy, to, for example, work dream magic because you are working to influence another's subconscious.
Here are some examples:
- You do not have to alter the state of magical "energy" to work a love spell because, again, you are using your Will, thoughts, and spirit to influence another's emotions and thoughts.
- In money spells, you often find that good fortune results in an individual offering you some help in some way - this is an influence on their mind, rather than simply manifesting money out of thin air, or making the little balls falling into the lotto machine show up as the numbers you need.
- Evocations conjure spirits, which are in turned acted upon and called through magical practices that do not require a physical influence upon the spirits in question.
Here are some examples of how magical energy does not work:
- Magical energy cannot alter the state of a rain cloud because thoughts, will, and spirit do not possess the matter necessary to make the moisture within the cloud condense or disperse.
- Magical energy cannot cause something to combust into flame because it is incapable of causing the physical force, or other such aspect that would cause combustible matter to agitate into a another state (fire is actually the visible process of solid matter transforming into liquid or gaseous matter).
- Magical energy cannot help you move something with your mind because thoughts, Will, and spirit alone do not provide the inertia, physical force, or other variety of kinetic energy (the energy of motion) to actually move an object.
Magical energy cannot help you transform a physical object, or otherwise make the various kinds of kinesis practices work, for similar reasons.
Hopefully this explanation and these examples help clear things up!
