There is no one "it" to declair it. Just as in the physical world we deal with elecromagnetic, gravitational, thermal, elastic, light etc we deal with numerous different forces in magic that get pigeon holed as "energy".
For instance there is a certain amount of inherent energy or original energy that is in the body, this can be depleted and it is not easy to replace. There is also energy from the planet, from the movement of the sun, from the stars. from sex, from emotion, from thought, even from the other planes of existence and the friction between elements and dimensions.
Energy is actually a bad word for what most of us are describing. It is just better than any other word in English.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
So, okay, magical energy. What do you think it is? Do you think it's an actual, literal energy? If so, why doesn't it behave like any other form of energy? If not, then why is "energy" the best metaphor to describe it?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Huh, I didnt think anyone else used dimensional friction.. Good to know.
That will be in one of the advanced courses that I am making available to people that have taken the SS course.
"As an incorporeal force coaxed out of matter, the quicksilver spunk of electricity signified for many of Helmont's ilk the spiritual energies pregnant in the physical universe, the elixir of the World Soul, the Spark of Creation. Many of the earliest books on electricity described the force in distinctly alchemical terms, dubbing it the "ethereal fire," the quintessential fire," or the "desideratum," the long sought universal panacea."
- Erik Davis, Techgnosis.
Being that it's been a good while since we began playing with both the myth of "pure science" and electricity, it's hard to remember that certain terms themselves evoke mythic qualities. "Energy" is one of them; "power," "force," and so forth are others. This is precisely because they're abstract when taken out of context, and we can form other associations around them.
Energy, when used non-scientifically, is one of the best of those that allows access to playing with the "stuff" around us. Precisely what it IS doesn't matter half as much as: how we manipulate it, and what we do with it.
The thought that strikes me about questions like this are the underlying assumptions: "why does it not do X if it is Y?"
We understand the basic laws and guidelines of electricity in the physical universe, but I'd be hesitant to say we precisely understand what it really is. That doesn't keep us from using it once we've distinguished how, however. Which seems far, far more important to me.
Post a Comment