Developing Magical Consciousness

Author : Susan Greenwood
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351628011
Total Pages : 242 pages
Book Rating : 4.13/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Developing Magical Consciousness written by Susan Greenwood and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-09-30 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offering a new template for future exploration, Susan Greenwood examines and develops the notion that the experience of magic is a panhuman orientation of consciousness, a form of knowledge largely marginalized in Western societies. In this volume she aims to form a "bridge of communication" between indigenous magical or shamanic worldviews and rationalized Western cultures. She outlines an alternative mythological framework for the latter to help develop a magical perception, as well as giving practical case studies derived from her own research. The form of magic discussed here is not fantastic or virtual, but ecological and sensory. Magical knowledge infiltrates the body in its deepest levels of the subconscious, and unconscious, as well as conscious awareness; it is felt and understood through the connection with an inspirited world that includes the consciousness of other beings, including those of plant, animal and the physical environment. This is anthropology from the heart rather than the head, and it engages with the messy area of emotions, an embodiment of the senses, and struggles to find a common language of listening to one another across a void of differences. The aim is to provide a non-reductive structure for the creative interplay of both magical and analytical modes of thought. Passion is a motivator for change, and a change in attitude to magic as an integrative force of human understanding is the main thread of this work.

Author : Susan Greenwood
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317517210
Total Pages : 278 pages
Book Rating : 4.14/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Magical Consciousness written by Susan Greenwood and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-08-20 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How does a mind think magically? The research documented in this book is one answer that allows the disciplines of anthropology and neurobiology to come together to reveal a largely hidden dynamic of magic. Magic gets to the very heart of some theoretical and methodological difficulties encountered in the social and natural sciences, especially to do with issues of rationality. This book examines magic head-on, not through its instrumental aspects but as an orientation of consciousness. Magical consciousness is affective, associative and synchronistic, shaped through individual experience within a particular environment. This work focuses on an in-depth case study using the anthropologist’s own experience gained through years of anthropological fieldwork with British practitioners of magic. As an ethnographic view, it is an intimate study of the way in which the cognitive architecture of a mind engages the emotions and imagination in a pattern of meanings related to childhood experiences, spiritual communications and the environment. Although the detail of the involvement in magical consciousness presented here is necessarily specific, the central tenets of modus operandi is common to magical thought in general, and can be applied to cross-cultural analyses to increase understanding of this ubiquitous human phenomenon.

Author : Nicholas Humphrey
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691156379
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.78/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Soul Dust written by Nicholas Humphrey and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-11-11 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A radically new view of the nature and purpose of consciousness How is consciousness possible? What biological purpose does it serve? And why do we value it so highly? In Soul Dust, the psychologist Nicholas Humphrey, a leading figure in consciousness research, proposes a startling new theory. Consciousness, he argues, is nothing less than a magical-mystery show that we stage for ourselves inside our own heads. This self-made show lights up the world for us and makes us feel special and transcendent. Thus consciousness paves the way for spirituality, and allows us, as human beings, to reap the rewards, and anxieties, of living in what Humphrey calls the "soul niche." Tightly argued, intellectually gripping, and a joy to read, Soul Dust provides answers to the deepest questions. It shows how the problem of consciousness merges with questions that obsess us all—how life should be lived and the fear of death. Resting firmly on neuroscience and evolutionary theory, and drawing a wealth of insights from philosophy and literature, Soul Dust is an uncompromising yet life-affirming work—one that never loses sight of the majesty and wonder of consciousness.

Author : Susan Greenwood
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000189821
Total Pages : 212 pages
Book Rating : 4.27/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Nature of Magic written by Susan Greenwood and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-06-03 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines how and why practitioners of nature religion - Western witches, druids, shamans - seek to relate spiritually with nature through 'magical consciousness'. 'Magic' and 'consciousness' are concepts that are often fraught with prejudice and ambiguity respectively. Greenwood develops a new theory of magical consciousness by arguing that magic ultimately has more to do with the workings of the human mind in terms of an expanded awareness than with socio-cultural explanations. She combines her own subjective insights gained from magical practice with practitioners' in-depth accounts and sustained academic theory on the process of magic. She also tracks magical consciousness in philosophy, myth, folklore, story-telling, and the hi-tech discourse of postmodernity, and asks important questions concerning nature religion's environmental credentials, such as whether it as inherently ecological as many of its practitioners claim.

Author : Eugene Subbotsky
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190453117
Total Pages : 216 pages
Book Rating : 4.14/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Magic and the Mind written by Eugene Subbotsky and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-03-31 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Magical thinking and behavior have traditionally been viewed as immature, misleading alternatives to scientific thought that in children inevitably diminish with age. In adults, these inclinations have been labeled by psychologists largely as superstitions that feed on frustration, uncertainty, and the unpredictable nature of certain human activities. In Magic and the Mind, Eugene Subbotsky provides an overview of the mechanisms and development of magical thinking and beliefs throughout the life span while arguing that the role of this type of thought in human development should be reconsidered. Rather than an impediment to scientific reasoning or a byproduct of cognitive development, in children magical thinking is an important and necessary complement to these processes, enhancing creativity at problem-solving and reinforcing coping strategies, among other benefits. In adults, magical thinking and beliefs perform important functions both for individuals (coping with unsolvable problems and stressful situations) and for society (enabling mass influence and promoting social harmony). Operating in realms not bound by physical causality, such as emotion, relationships, and suggestion, magical thinking is an ongoing, developing psychological mechanism that, Subbotsky argues, is integral in the contexts of politics, commercial advertising, and psychotherapy, and undergirds our construction and understanding of meaning in both mental and physical worlds. Magic and the Mind represents a unique contribution to our understanding of the importance of magical thinking, offering experimental evidence and conclusions never before collected in one source. It will be of interest to students and scholars of developmental psychology, as well as sociologists, anthropologists, and educators.

Author : Susan Greenwood
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.95/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Nature of Magic written by Susan Greenwood and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2005-05 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines how and why practitioners of nature religion - Western witches, druids, shamans - seek to relate spiritually with nature through 'magical consciousness'. 'Magic' and 'consciousness' are concepts that are often fraught with prejudice and ambiguity respectively. Greenwood develops a new theory of magical consciousness by arguing that magic ultimately has more to do with the workings of the human mind in terms of an expanded awareness than with socio-cultural explanations. She combines her own subjective insights gained from magical practice with practitioners' in-depth accounts and sustained academic theory on the process of magic. She also tracks magical consciousness in philosophy, myth, folklore, story-telling, and the hi-tech discourse of postmodernity, and asks important questions concerning nature religion's environmental credentials, such as whether it as inherently ecological as many of its practitioners claim.

Author : Susan Greenwood
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 100018319X
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.91/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Nature of Magic written by Susan Greenwood and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-06-03 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines how and why practitioners of nature religion - Western witches, druids, shamans - seek to relate spiritually with nature through 'magical consciousness'. 'Magic' and 'consciousness' are concepts that are often fraught with prejudice and ambiguity respectively. Greenwood develops a new theory of magical consciousness by arguing that magic ultimately has more to do with the workings of the human mind in terms of an expanded awareness than with socio-cultural explanations. She combines her own subjective insights gained from magical practice with practitioners' in-depth accounts and sustained academic theory on the process of magic. She also tracks magical consciousness in philosophy, myth, folklore, story-telling, and the hi-tech discourse of postmodernity, and asks important questions concerning nature religion's environmental credentials, such as whether it as inherently ecological as many of its practitioners claim.

Author : Melita Denning
Publisher : Llewellyn Worldwide Limited
ISBN 13 : 9780875421940
Total Pages : 386 pages
Book Rating : 4.46/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Magical States of Consciousness written by Melita Denning and published by Llewellyn Worldwide Limited. This book was released on 1985 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Cat Gina Cole
Publisher : Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN 13 : 0738767786
Total Pages : 171 pages
Book Rating : 4.89/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Psychic Skills for Magic & Witchcraft written by Cat Gina Cole and published by Llewellyn Worldwide. This book was released on 2022-02-08 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Enhance Your Magical Life with Powerful Psychic Skills Develop your natural intuitive abilities and use them to expand your witchcraft with this book's magical secrets and hands-on tutorials. Filled with techniques for all skill levels, Psychic Skills for Magic & Witchcraft guides you through an impressive number of topics, including mantic arts and kinesis, pathworking, remote viewing, aspecting, channeling, astral travel, and dreamwork. Cat Gina Cole shows you how to strengthen the five faculties of the mind—perception, reason, intellect, discernment, and will—which together form your intuition. Learn strategies for shifting your consciousness and removing psychic blocks. Discover how to work with the clairs and apply your talents to mediumship, divination, and deities. Featuring practical exercises and thought-provoking discussions, Psychic Skills for Magic & Witchcraft helps you explore your potential, build your expertise, and apply your gifts for a more empowered and fulfilling life. Includes a foreword by Phaedra Bonewits, a High Priestess of the Coven of the Rising Phoenix and coauthor of Real Energy

Author : Evelyn Underhill
Publisher : Lulu.com
ISBN 13 : 1773560042
Total Pages : 250 pages
Book Rating : 4.45/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Mysticism: A Study in Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness written by Evelyn Underhill and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2017-02-15 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Remaining a classic in its field, this book explains first how mysticism relates to such things as vitalism, theology psychology, symbolism and magic. This treatment may seem unusual for Christian mysticism, but it relates widely to the world as we know it and the different practices therein. Part Two explores the awakening, purification and illumination of yourself and gives solid groundwork for such things as voices, visions dreams and other mystical experience.