I've only recently started studying Western magic, but I'm struck that, unlike in religion (!) belief is quite central to it. It's often referred to as intention but it's belief. In religion you can get away with metaphors, magic requires a stronger commitment to metaphysics 1/n
It might be that Anglo-American contemporary magic is influenced by Protestant focus on personal conviction, but #magic does rest on focusing the mind and believing in what one does. I've heard a senior magician saying that too much scepticism makes magic impossible. 2/n
'Belief in' (in anthropology) identifies trust, as opposed to propositional belief that is the subscribing intellectually to an abstract idea (e.g. belief that God exists etc.). 'Belief in' identifies a relational way of being. That's why I think it fits magic well. 4/n
If anybody is interested, have developed my concept of belief in my book (maybe ask your library to get a copy) 5/n rowman.com/ISBN/978149855…
Also on #belief as relational and experiential tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
So #belief is not adherence to a dogma! It doesn't mean you need to subscribe to a specific metaphysics either. You can be very unclear as to what 'spiritual reality' is like. It is a trusting that requires going beyond material reality and engaging with it. 7/n
Of course there are many other aspects of magic (ritual performance, different metaphysics etc.), but one's attitude seems quite central. I'd love to hear from magicians :-) @DouglasWMiT @polyphanes @WicPagTimes @glitchbottle @michaelmhughes @MatAuryn 8/8
