How do you define?

I figured I'd try and spark some discussion in the forums because they're looking kinda lonely and I thought I heard crickets.

Even though I've been solitary for most of my practice, I do enjoy hearing other people explain it. I feel it opens up a door to other perspectives and you can look at magic, and possibly experience it on a whole other level. Usually one of the first questions I like to ask a practitioner the first time I meet them is how they define magic.

So I turn to you, my coven mates? What is magic to you? How do you define it? Is it natural, or spiritual?

Decided to join!

By my definition, magic is the use of will and the flow of energy around us, and that it is everywhere, that it is in everything. So in both nature and spirit. I've actually enjoyed this, to explain what it is to me.

What is magic to me?

I see magic as heka. Heka is the activation of the ka, it is authoritative speech, it is gestures, words, and items which are used to better our lives. Heka is a gift, given to us by Ra, so that we may protect ourselves from the terrors in the night and from dreams.

Heka is something we were given so that we can better ourselves, protect ourselves, assist ma'at, and bring about the changes in our world that we want. I see it as a tool, the same as our hands or feet; some of us being blessed in some ways more than others.

To me, magic is a natural force that inhabits all atom and spiritual based objects. It is the piece of unknown that has unlimited and untapped potential. To me, magic is a part of who I am and my every day life.

Im actually having a hard time trying to answer this but ill do my best. Magic at its core is a science. the method of utilizing will and focus to achieve a result but It goes beyond that. Magic connects everything. It is a force that can be directed to some degree. My definition of magic is almost constantly changing as I learn more about the world and myself which is why I have difficulty explaining it.

To me, magic is a willed change that can't be explained by current science. Is it real? Yes and no. I think it is natural, and that the "spiritual" is a less predictable part of nature that is difficult to study and measure objectively. Some people say spells working is really placebo effect and confirmation bias, but if it seems to work for me then why dismiss it as superstition? Should I trust my intuition on it or theirs? Sure we can do experiments on psychometry and such like James Randi does, but it is difficult to prove or disprove magic and metaphysics as a whole. I think it is worthwhile to explore.

Kothar:

"Some people say spells working is really placebo effect and confirmation bias, but if it seems to work for me then why dismiss it as superstition? Should I trust my intuition on it or theirs?"

^This is the position I take with any magic, any upg, anything of a spiritual nature, etc. It doesn't matter if it's a placebo effect or not, so long as it works for me/them.