Magick and Science
By, The Reverend Dr. Scott "Cambion Chadeauwaulker" Baldwin
Copyright © 1998
Many people wonder how magick works. To the non-believer, they say that there is no proof that spells work. And those abilities such as telekinesis are illusionary or product of imagination. They ask us to use scientific means to explain how exactly these spells are supposed to work. The scope of this essay is to explain just that.
Atomic Analysis
To understand the concept of how magick can effect change, one must understand molecular architecture. That is, how things are made at the atomic level. Everything in nature is made of billions and billions of atoms. Looking to the atomic level, each atom is comprised of orbiting bands of spinning electrons, and a nucleus containing neutrons and protons. The most simple of atoms is the hydrogen atom, containing one electron and one proton. The mechanics of an atom, where the electrons orbit the nucleus, maintain stability. This means that the electrons are held in orbit, much like the planets of our galaxy are held in orbit around our sun. When you have a more complex atom, you end up with more electrons, as well as protons. Laws of physics dictates that an atom will always have the same amount of protons as it does electrons. With more electrons orbiting the nucleus, there ends up being multiple bands, otherwise called orbital rings. The inner ring can only have two electrons in orbit, whereas the outer rings can have a maximum of eight. There is an exception to this rule with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th ring. There can only be a maximum number of six rings in any atom.
Balance in Nature
In most Earth Religions, we’re taught that there exists a balance in nature. And when this balance is removed, forces go to work in an attempt to bring back the balance. We can theorize that rain storms, flooding, or other events of nature are attempts at cleansing the earth. Too much pollution being pumped into the atmosphere could be the trigger for these natural forces to take action. With this concept of balance, we can look at the atom, and see how the acts of balance take effect at the atomic level. An atom must have eight electrons in the outermost ring to maintain stability. Any less, and the atom will become unstable, and a free electron is created. When there are many atoms together that are less than stable, the outermost orbital electrons aren’t too sure which atoms they belong to. They can migrate from one atom, to the next, and the next. However, as one electron migrates from an atom, that atom takes on a free electron from yet another atom. This chain goes on in an endless manner, and serves to demonstrate the idea of balance in nature, where the imbalance is removed by equalizing the electron to proton ratio.
Putting the Atomic Analysis to work
Now that there’s an understanding of how electrons can move from one atom to another, we must next understand that all objects in nature are comprised of these atoms, and how these atoms behave. The atom is very small in size, yet have very large space within. An example would be that which I like to borrow from the film "Mind Walk": Take an orange. If you blow the orange up large enough to see it’s individual atoms you’d have to blow it up to the size of the earth. The atoms would then be the size of a cherry; all of them tightly packed together. You still couldn’t see the nucleus though, because it’s even smaller. You could expand an atom to the size of a football, and still you would not see the nucleus. Now, blow the atom up to the size of a small island, and you’d finally see the nucleus, the size of a pebble. If this pebble were at your feet, the nearest electron would be a good walk from you. All that really makes up an atom is very little mass and a whole lot of empty space. With all this space, how can an object seem solid? That’s a hard concept to conceive, let alone explain. But it’s the pattern, or binding force, which holds things together. Yet at the same time, there’s a constant exchange of energies. The free electrons from the atoms that make me up are shared with the air I breathe, the ground I walk on, and every solid object near me. And yes, they’re even shared with other people. Since there are so many atoms in ones body, it could take forever to pass the absorbed electrons onto something else. So you’ll end up retaining these electrons for a great deal of time. It’s this interaction, or exchange of electrons, of energy, which is the theoretical basis of magick.
All, and The One
Free electrons are shared amongst everything, nothing being left out. Because all matter is comprised of electrons, we can then say that all elements in nature are interconnected. They all co-exist, being linked to one another. This is where the pentagram derives its design. There are five points to the pentacle that comprises the centerpiece of the symbol. Each of the five points represents an element: Earth, Fire, Air, Water, and Soul. The circle encompassing the pentacle represents the never-ending circle of life. There is no beginning, no end, only continuance. Since the soul is who we are, the constant exchange with the other elements serves as a symbol that we are all part of one big picture. Some call this "The All." The Earth is alive with energy, which we share, exchange with, and thusly are a part of. And energy is nothing more than electrons in motion. There is more to the big picture than The All. There is "The One." There was an author who later made a movie out of his books, who created a functional idealism, a religion which many people, including children, accepted. In this religion, there is an all-powerful force that surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the whole universe together. George Lucas called this "The Force." And it symbolizes the divinity of Earth Religions. Those who are new to the path might be gifted with the ability to sense this energy, and most, when doing their first rituals, or as a solitaire practitioner who calls upon the Goddess, or God, definitely feel the building of this power. It’s a sense of excitement, of suspense, of mystery, and urgency all wrapped together, causing that itching, burning feeling very deep within your chest. "The One" has touched you, and you have touched "The One". It is this force that makes up the All, including the Goddess, and God. And who can deny that we all have within us, a part of the Goddess and God. They’re made of atoms, the same as us.
Okay, Talk about that Magick!
Magick is the act of participation with, and influence of, the energies in nature. We draw upon the properties of colour, scent, herbs, and the guidance of the Goddess and God. When we conduct ritual, and ask the Goddess or God for a favor, as in a healing spell, or a weather spell, we are attempting to influence the exchange of energies that flow through us, the elements, and the Goddess and God. The energies we stir up are given off as those free electrons, and travel, guided by the forces and the will of the Goddess and God, to the intended target or individual. The saying that everything is nothing more than "Mind over Matter" holds very true. If you sit down, and concentrate on becoming ill, with a temperature, then you will in fact, become ill! So what would happen if you sat, and concentrated on becoming healthy? Or concentrated on improving your love life? Meditation is used to cleanse the mind, so you can concentrate only on that which you wish to achieve. Candles are used to fix ones gaze, which is a form of meditation, or mild self-hypnosis. When you fix your gaze, all other things surrounding you become less of a mental distraction. The colour chosen for the intended spell, or goal, is chosen not because of that colours specific magickal property, but rather how we perceive this colour to be. Since magick has been around for a very long time, traditions dictate what colours belong to which specific aspect of life. This sets a standard that everyone follows, and makes the "mental note" much easier to recall. White is one example. We all know that white is used for protection. Green is often used for spells involving money and wealth. If you want to cast a spell to help draw money, you’d concentrate on the flame of the candle, and visualize the money flowing towards you. The colour of green only emphasizes the concentration that much more, because YOU KNOW that green candles are akin to money, and wealth. It all boils down to the "Mind over Matter" aspect of magick.
Psychometery is the ability to touch an object physically, and tell its history. Take a knife used in a murder. A person who knows how to use this ability can then proceed to describe how the knife was used. How is this possible? Simply put, the negative energies of the killer are imprinted onto the knife. How? The free electron theory explains how the knife was used, because the knife absorbs the killers’ negative energies, and the victims free electrons are also imprinted into the knife. As stated earlier, the electrons which the knife absorbed will be retained by the knife for a long period of time, since there is a vast number of atoms that make up any given object, and an even larger number of electrons.
Healers are able to cure ailments by merely touching the person, and willing them to health. It takes a special person, who’s either been trained, or is able to access this power naturally, to actually do the healing. The healers’ energies of kindness, and love, are in effect charging, putting into motion, the electrons within themselves. Upon touch, the energies are transferred to the recipient, and then they go to work. But it does take the work of both the healer and the person being healed. Again, this is because "Mind over Matter" rules, and the receiver can actually will away the healing. The mind is definitely a powerful tool.
Soul-Mating is another example of shared electrons, or magick. Ask anyone who has had the true experience of this, and they can attest to the magickal powers. It only occurs when two people make love so intensely, and intimately, that their two souls touch one another. The energies build, and you can actually feel your soul being pulled on. This is because the two people share a common love, and are deeply interested in pleasing the other. This strong mental desire is the key that creates this intensive exchange of energies between two people.
Physical and mental contact is not the only means of conveying magick. There is the mantra. Buddhists, Hindus, and the Sikh are among several religions that use mantra to induce states of awareness. The idea is to cause vibrations, or frequencies from within your body, which can induce transcendental states, help with meditation, healing, dreams, and the manipulation of non-physical energies. A frequency is produced when you have an energy that has a periodic variation; the number of cycles per second determines what the frequency will be. Our voices vary in level, and pitch. Thusly, our voices have a range of frequencies. We call it octaves, or label it as tenor, bass, or soprano. It’s the same voice that can shatter a crystal glass, if a high enough frequency is sustained. This has to do with the voice exciting the electrons within the crystal glass beyond the point of its electrons bonding properties. It could be hypothesized that a human body, or any other object, could be destroyed, or altered, if only the proper frequency was achieved which could break down the bonding action. This brings us to the Master Tone. The metaphysical community speculates, and it’s taught under the Mantra, that there is one key tone that could bring the end of the universe. While some Mantra Masters will say they have this knowledge, and know what the Master Tone is, there is yet to be proof. There is only speculation.
In closing, we all live in a world that’s moving with life, and energy that we cannot see. The delicate balance, in which all life hangs in, including this planet, is constantly teetering, swaying, from one side to the other. As balance shifts, and as one side becomes greater, the other compensates. Mother Nature equalizes, repairing damage that we as people cause to our Mother Earth. And looking at life, not as people, nor animal, but rather a collective of energies dependant upon each other, then perhaps we could then live in a universe of perfect peace, and greater understanding about magick, and the life-force which we are all a part of, "The All."
Recommended Reading
The Tao of Physics – Fritjof Capra, ISBN 0-87773-594-8
Belonging to the Universe – Fritjof Capra, ISBN 0-06-250195-X
Recommended Viewing
Mindwalk – A Film by Bernt Capra, VHS Format – ISBN 0-7921-2550-9