I take pride in being a contributing member of my community. I see no value in obscuring that by using the vocabulary of magic to describe it.
I think it actually devalues such real tangible contributions to jumble them in with rituals and ceremonies that also give the practitioners a sense of satisfaction and inner peace but do nothing for the world outside of them.
I guess, “Spending time doing things that give you a high sense of satisfaction, especially in ways that help others, will make you less likely to take drugs” isn’t a very exciting headline?
I wouldn’t call it magic, but it was a power beyond his control
I don’t understand how it was a power beyond his control. Taking the story at face value, Crowley created a rhythm and then manipulated it. Crowley’s understanding of how some people are very susceptible to following rhythms and can apparently be tripped up by syncopating the rhythm is in his control.
You’re resisting because of how the concept of spirituality has been stolen by religion. But in doing so, you’re missing an opportunity to take back the real meaning of the word. Volunteer work gives back to the community, which is an emergent greater power. A local community is more than its GDP: it creates culture, safety, and purpose. The choice to work toward fulfilling this idea at the cost of your time and energy requires faith that your good deeds will have an impact, even if they only affect a single person. When many of us do the same, the net output ends up being powerful beyond the sum of its parts and greater than any of us can individually understand. Is that not the definition of a god?
I take pride in being a contributing member of my community. I see no value in obscuring that by using the vocabulary of magic to describe it.
I think it actually devalues such real tangible contributions to jumble them in with rituals and ceremonies that also give the practitioners a sense of satisfaction and inner peace but do nothing for the world outside of them.
I guess, “Spending time doing things that give you a high sense of satisfaction, especially in ways that help others, will make you less likely to take drugs” isn’t a very exciting headline?
I don’t understand how it was a power beyond his control. Taking the story at face value, Crowley created a rhythm and then manipulated it. Crowley’s understanding of how some people are very susceptible to following rhythms and can apparently be tripped up by syncopating the rhythm is in his control.
You’re resisting because of how the concept of spirituality has been stolen by religion. But in doing so, you’re missing an opportunity to take back the real meaning of the word. Volunteer work gives back to the community, which is an emergent greater power. A local community is more than its GDP: it creates culture, safety, and purpose. The choice to work toward fulfilling this idea at the cost of your time and energy requires faith that your good deeds will have an impact, even if they only affect a single person. When many of us do the same, the net output ends up being powerful beyond the sum of its parts and greater than any of us can individually understand. Is that not the definition of a god?
Personally, I think it’s just semantics, but I won’t argue any further.
I wish you all the best.