Happy Atheist Forum

I think of magic as having several levels. There's mundane magic... like medicine, luck, cooking, illusion, story telling, and pychology. There's the step above that which I call the Psychic Zone. Divination, moving things with your mind, and ghosting belongs here. The final level has to do with the divine.

Magic, at least by the theory I currently go by, has everything to do with innate psychic potential. Most people use it without knowing, and this is where empathy, intuition, and other mild psychic expressions come from.

I practice a sort of divination known as cartomancy, I use a standard 56 card deck. I've found this to be generally reliable. If nothing else, It's a good way to show off and earn some money.

Magic, as in paranormal magic, comes from a veriety of sources. PK and ESP cover most of it, but some of it has to do with spirits. Divine intervention, which I've never witnessed, is another possible source. For the most part, I don't bother with this. If the gods do exist, I probably shouldn't bother them with my petty concerns.

Questions, comments, challenges? I'm really very bored.

Quote from: "Byronazriel"I think of magic as having several levels. There's mundane magic... like medicine, luck, cooking, illusion, story telling, and pychology. There's the step above that which I call the Psychic Zone. Divination, moving things with your mind, and ghosting belongs here. The final level has to do with the divine.

Magic, at least by the theory I currently go by, has everything to do with innate psychic potential. Most people use it without knowing, and this is where empathy, intuition, and other mild psychic expressions come from.

I practice a sort of divination known as cartomancy, I use a standard 56 card deck. I've found this to be generally reliable. If nothing else, It's a good way to show off and earn some money.

Magic, as in paranormal magic, comes from a veriety of sources. PK and ESP cover most of it, but some of it has to do with spirits. Divine intervention, which I've never witnessed, is another possible source. For the most part, I don't bother with this. If the gods do exist, I probably shouldn't bother them with my petty concerns.

Questions, comments, challenges? I'm really very bored.

1) Any art that invokes supernatural powers
2) An illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers

I think magic involves the supernatural, I would call illusion a trick.
I have no reason to believe in the supernatural.  I do have reason to believe people have been tricked.
When I was a teenager many was the night I tried to do some astral travelling , never did work.
There is at least one sceptic association which will pay you bid dollars if you can display some magic.

I don't know the next is on-topic or not.

But be honest.

Did you people ever experience something that didn't look normal to you.

( I know I am on a forum full of atheists...so forgive me if I violate your code of honour )

Ghosts, a weird entity, figures, voices, shades or anything?
Just be honest.

I consider an illusion to be magic, if it works it works. I don't much care for the term supernatural, I prefer paranormal.

I can't think of any way to prove magic exists. What sort of evidence would it take?

I could make a prediction, but I'm still a rookie when it comes to that.

Here's my best try: Ten of hearts, five of diamonds, ace of hearts, ace of spades. The dominant card is the five, and I got a flash of a burning ember. This means that a change is in the imediate future, as in over the weekend, and that a stranger will aks you for something. You might also want to invest in stock, something with the letter R.

Avoid foods that cause heartburn.

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I've had experiences with ghosts. I've also had some profound experiences while meditating, among others.

Quote from: "iSok"I don't know the next is on-topic or not.

But be honest.

Did you people ever experience something that didn't look normal to you.

( I know I am on a forum full of atheists...so forgive me if I violate your code of honour )

Ghosts, a weird entity, figures, voices, shades or anything?
Just be honest.

No.

Quote from: "iSok"I don't know the next is on-topic or not.

But be honest.

Did you people ever experience something that didn't look normal to you.

( I know I am on a forum full of atheists...so forgive me if I violate your code of honour )

Ghosts, a weird entity, figures, voices, shades or anything?
Just be honest.

There was this photo taken in my wife's grandmother's house.
A ghostly apparition could be seen where no one should have been.
Turned out to be a poster of Charles Bronson.
Truly weird someone would put such a thing on their wall.

Quote from: "Byronazriel"There's mundane magic... like medicine, luck, cooking, illusion, story telling, and pychology.

How are you lumping medicine and cooking in with magic?...they are both based on hard science.

IMO, if someone thinks paranormal magic is real they should take the million dollar challenge. http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html (http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html)

There's still a lot we don't understand about medicine, and cooking is an incredibly arcane trade.

Quote from: "Byronazriel"There's still a lot we don't understand about medicine, and cooking is an incredibly arcane trade.

Well if that adds colour to your life OK, but I prefer the unexplained to be called unexplained.
Magic suggests to me it is unexplainable, it's just magic.
I know there are drugs which have effects, but the process isn't understood, but if you start calling it magic chances are puzzles wont be solved.

David Copperfield was my favourite childhood magician.

I would consider magic to be a relative term. If the observer is ignorant enough then the observation could be deemed by the observer as magic.

Quote from: "Byronazriel"There's still a lot we don't understand about medicine, and cooking is an incredibly arcane trade.

Well, we, as in you and I, may not understand much about how medicine works but the scientists who develop the medicine have a pretty strong grasp on it.  While there is a lot we dont' know about how to fix things with medicine that doesn't mean there is a lot we don't know about the medicine that actually works.  No need to entertain it as magic.

Same goes for cooking...just because most people don't know the science behind why you should put baking soda in muffins so they'll rise doesn't mean that it is magic.

I think slapping magic on everything you don't understand is lazy thinking...especially when it is possible to go learn how it works.

Hmmmm...I never would have thought to assemble a television would be considered "mundane magic". I reckon to fix a broken television would be mundane magic as well. When my TV stops working, perhaps I'll use a bit of (real magic) cartomancy to see if I'm able to fix it. I reckon I'll have no need to reason anything out anymore. Anyway, after I fix the Tv, I'll tell the TV repairman that I no longer need his services, explain to him how I fixed my TV, using a deck of cards and a bit of divination. After I say all that, I should be able to use my psychic powers and gauge his consternation and leave just before he kicks me out.

Trade your deck of cards for a Bible and change the magic into God and you have the same thing. Both are unexplainable, untestable and delusional.

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.tvtropes.org%2Fpmwiki%2Fpub%2Fimages%2Ffonzie_fix.jpg&hash=1dafbecbc225b7f6f6d31b1de2d30b301db38577)

The greatest magician ever!

Quote from: "Byronazriel"I consider an illusion to be magic, if it works it works. I don't much care for the term supernatural, I prefer paranormal.

Illusion is not paranormal nor magical. It is actually quite easily explainable more often than not.

QuoteI can't think of any way to prove magic exists. What sort of evidence would it take?

An event that defies any plausible explanation within natural laws would be a magical event as far as I'm concerned.

QuoteI could make a prediction, but I'm still a rookie when it comes to that.

A prediction of..? What exactly..? Our responses to your inquiry?

QuoteHere's my best try: Ten of hearts, five of diamonds, ace of hearts, ace of spades. The dominant card is the five, and I got a flash of a burning ember. This means that a change is in the imediate future, as in over the weekend, and that a stranger will aks you for something. You might also want to invest in stock, something with the letter R.

LOL!   If that aint generic, then "generic" ought to be redefined.

QuoteI've had experiences with ghosts. I've also had some profound experiences while meditating, among others.

Subjective personal experiences do not count as evidence unless they are at least verifiable and repeatable by others.

Watch several Penn and Teller shows, and you'll see magic. As for medicine, nothing magical about it.

Quote from: "Asmodean"An event that defies any plausible explanation within natural laws would be a magical event as far as I'm concerned.

I think I would just put it in the unexplained basket.

Quote from: "The Magic Pudding"

Quote from: "Asmodean"An event that defies any plausible explanation within natural laws would be a magical event as far as I'm concerned.

I think I would just put it in the unexplained basket.

Well, my definition goes a bit further. I just shortened it to the absolute minimum. But yes, any event that can be explained to a certain degree of plausibility within the laws of nature would not be a magical event.

For instance, there is no magic to a witch flying on a broom since hallucinations, weird aircraft development and wire maneuvers are (a few among) plausible explanations which do not invoke defying natural laws.

I just draw a line between unexplained and unexplainable (sort of), the second part being "magic"