Magical Thinking and Contemporary Culture

In terms of the occult, both skeptic and enthusiast will agree that overall interest in it’s theory and practice was flourishing for quite some time, and for various reasons I’m about to explore. When discussing the history of the occult, one particular study have had arguably the biggest influence to the modern understanding of it’s pre-Christian importance. Written by the British historian Richard Cavendish in 1967., the book titled The Black Arts promptly became classic, gaining immediate recognition by the public and affection of many important figures of popular culture.

Cavendish’s approach is very rewarding for our purposes today because, while criticizing certain aspects of the esoteric pursuits, he skillfully avoids to place himself above or antagonistic to them, thus paving the way to objective discussion.

Beyond Good and Evil

Before embarking on the journey through Magician’s Universe, Cavendish appointed himself with a difficult task of dismantling some of the nasty baggage associated with esoteric practices. Even though nature-based religious views dominate the folklore, and occult philosophy shaped the civilization through the temple orders of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, the rise of Christianity pushed all of the competing spiritual studies to the margins. Tagged as historical and theological looser by the church authorities, every alternative spiritual pursuit was deemed satanic and malevolent.

Of course, the truth is never as categorically black and white as the dominant voices claimed to be. Classically speaking, the philosophy of occult revolves around an unseen dimension of life whose forces permeate human existence. And as such, the legacy of the occult deeply influenced Christian doctrine and was continually developed through Christian mystical practices. Modern occultism, however, owes its shape and form to the ways it interacted with mainstream religion. One might argue both are just sides of the same coin. As much darkness there was to religious dogma, corresponding amount of richness and vibrancy existed in the Magician’s Universe.

The same can be stated the other way round.

The World of the Black Magician

As the story of hero’s journey usually goes, Cavendish first introduces us with the Black Magician. Who is he? What are the driving forces behind his magic?

“A living thing,” as Nietzsche wrote in Beyond Good and Evil, “seeks above all to discharge its strength – life itself is will to power.” From the get-go, we see the Magician himself falling prey to the perpetual search for individual power. In his pursuit of mastery, a Magician might occasionally engage supernatural forces, but this does not mean those are necessarily evil. Magician is deeply convinced that everything has its place and function in the order of the universe, and oftentimes desperately aspires to experience and master all things. Man is potentially God and the human will has potential of power of God. All it takes for Magician is to focus, understand, and project his will.

This frame of mind is common for all esoteric practitioners throughout history, as was carefully suggested by Cavendish in the subsequent chapters: from numerology, to the Cabala, astrology, alchemy, to the ritual magic and witchcraft.

The Roots of Chemistry and Physics

Although it might appear debatable, aside from spiritual endeavors, occult philosophy had laid the foundations of today’s medicine and scientific thought in general. As well for progressive currents of modern social science and humanities. 

The controversy of these claims has subsided over time. Now, we can find in various scientific circles continual exploration of the ancestral equivalents and predecessors to empirical science.

By careful and methodical observation of the natural world, alchemists vastly contributed to an incredible diversity of what would be later considered as major chemical industries such as metallurgy, the production of paints, inks, and dyes, and cosmetics.

Dialectics and Modern Progressivism 

Another important theory, from the Magician’s point of view, is the doctrine of opposites. To become a master, and thus evolve one’s divine potential, one must be able to experience and reconcile the opposites: freedom and necessity, desire and understanding, material and spiritual, happiness and sadness. One cannot but notice the resemblance with Hegelian dialectic – progress comes through the reconciliations of opposites, thesis and antithesis, in a synthesis which transcends them.

In ancient Greece, this balance between opposing forces was termed justice. This type of equilibrium has always been highly regarded. As the occult thought developed for centuries constrained to the fringes of society, it came to identify itself with the outcast, marginalized, and oppressed. In the pursuit of justice, and out of these circumstances arises contempt against mainstream authorities.  

For example, we can see how this dynamic plays out in political arena today. The left leaning thinkers, especially in the realms of social justice, tend to believe in the power of dialectics to achieve progress for the benefit of humanity. Its’ activism is strongly associated with fight for the underdog, the ostracized, and the oppressed. The balanced social hierarchy is ought to be achieved by cultivating mistrust of strong political leadership in order to reconcile power dynamics.

That being said, I understand how dangerous it is to equate the philosophical mysticism with nowadays political realities. These musings are ought to be considered an invitation to further explore the origins of world views we hold today.

Magical Thinking and Present-day People

Preceding the first release of The Black Arts, and further along to this day, occult enthusiasm have had various outbursts across the world cultures: from tuning into higher energies, psychedelics usage, sparked interest in native shamanisms etc. Anyone alive during the past 50 years has been a witness, if not an active consumer, of some form of it’s revival.

It’s natural to think of magic as a thing of the past, dismantled by modern science and skepticism, but in fact this is not the case. Magical thinking is still deeply embedded in the human mentality. It has attracted more interest and support in the last hundred years than at any time since the Renaissance.

Richard Cavendish

It is safe to say that Cavendish’s outlook on the Magician’s Universe is highly informative to anybody interested in understanding contemporary beliefs. But first, let’s see what do we mean under the term modern beliefs. One does not have to go to the great lengths in order to discover shared denominators of popular culture. It is enough to open the internet browser and expose oneself to the most frequent influences in the realms of common belief.

Since we already mentioned political arena dynamics, it can be useful to notice how the leftist political stances together with, for example right-winged conservatism, both maintain belief in the therapeutic value of spiritual/religious ideas. The departure might be whether spiritual understanding is available without allegiance to any specific doctrine, but nevertheless, we see certain meeting points in this conversation.

Next, there is noticeable unity, across the spectrum, in regards to the belief of importance of a mind-body connection in human health, especially to the potency of thoughts to determine reality. 

It’s also valuable to mention the overall consensus in terms of the belief that human consciousness is constantly evolving. We might not agree to what ends are we collectively evolving, but progress seems consensually real for all parties.

The list is certainly not complete, but sufficient to observe how despite our ultimate reliance on empirical reason, there are still vast areas of human condition that require departure from scientific, factual thinking.  Reading Cavendish’s studies about the causes and consequences of magical thinking, we can pinpoint exactly when and how benevolent fairies and black sorcerers alike, embark on the “primrose” road to magical.

Sympathy For The Devil 

Crushed by the frustrated attempts to individual self-reliance, magicians of all times inevitably turn to supernatural forces – the last resort in a fight against perceived injustices. Needless to say we’re equally susceptible to magical thinking as ever.

We are all black magicians in our dreams, in our fantasies, perversions, and phobias

Isaac Bashevis Singer

When confronted with irreconcilable sides of an argument or everyday paradoxes, it is hard to stay immune to the pull of the “higher power” of transcendence. Current day sorts of magical thinking might not have the qualities of any particular esoteric framework, but it’s basis and overall structure seem to be the same.

Magical thinking is thus the natural backup plan for when the conventional thinking hits the block. And as such, it should not be regarded as anachronistic or in any way obsolete. Even in the academic circles, the role of magical thinking cannot be neglected. Alongside rational thought it continues to have implications on both cultural and scientific innovation and discovery.