Do you believe in psychic abilities and/or magic/k?

This is more of a poll than anything, but I didn't know where else to post it.
I think the question is pretty straightforward. I want to know what the good people here at TOTJO believe in.

Now, when you say 'magic' are you talking supernatural powers here.

Edan wrote: Now, when you say 'magic' are you talking supernatural powers here.

When I say magic, I don't refer to stage magicians. Rather, I'm referring to the ability to bring about changes in the self or the world through means not accepted as valid by science.

i believe there is something to it.

while science can explain most things, there are some things it has yet to explain....

i always look to the logical/scientific first, but i never ignore other possibilities...i've been studying and researching esp, psychic phenomena, paranormal, and magic since i was in 7th grade (25 years ago)

a theory i have on precognition is that the brain uses past experiences and pattern recognition to calculate the most likely outcome...

I think that the validity of Psychic abilities or Energy Sensitivity are really up for grabs until we solve the mind-body problem. Is the mind a result of the brain, or is the brain a biological machine that interfaces with a non-biological mind. That still doesn't really answer the energy sensitivity question. The body is a collection of organs that are all sensitive to energy. Whether or not you could be consciously aware of the information being transmitted to you is totally up for grabs. Magick on the other hand, I can be very skeptical about. I don't believe that you'll ever get the sort of immediate "magickal" results that everyone is trying to get from its practice. Quantum phenomena are scientifically proven to be affected by human awareness and volition. How those little affects change as you get closer to a macrocosmic paradigm, I have no idea. Do I think that applied Will can change reality? Yes. Do I think that humans will ever erect a magickal force field or fling bolts of energy at each other? No way dude.

RyuJin wrote: i believe there is something to it.

while science can explain most things, there are some things it has yet to explain....

i always look to the logical/scientific first, but i never ignore other possibilities...i've been studying and researching esp, psychic phenomena, paranormal, and magic since i was in 7th grade (25 years ago)

a theory i have on precognition is that the brain uses past experiences and pattern recognition to calculate the most likely outcome...

That's a really interesting theory on Clairvoyance. Do you have a detailed theory of how this works and is different from some of the more commonly held theories?

I used to believe in Magick, but then became a cynic, now, I'm not certain what I believe. If we are all unique expressions of the same ultimate existence, who can say? I mean I'm not talking things that break the laws of physics as we know them, but more the ability to nudge the odds of quantum probability closer to a particular outcome? Perhaps. I'm reminded once again of the Global Consciousness Project that has noted statistically relevant changes in pseudorandom number generator output around the world coinciding with events of mass emotional impact on society.

FWIW: The word "supernatural" is self-contradictory, as if nature is the totality of what is, there can be nothing outside or above it - "paranormal" would be the more appropriate term I think.

EDIT: My bad, many of those "statistically relevant" spikes have been refuted and debunked as not so statistically relevant.

6h057 wrote:

RyuJin wrote: i believe there is something to it.

while science can explain most things, there are some things it has yet to explain....

i always look to the logical/scientific first, but i never ignore other possibilities...i've been studying and researching esp, psychic phenomena, paranormal, and magic since i was in 7th grade (25 years ago)

a theory i have on precognition is that the brain uses past experiences and pattern recognition to calculate the most likely outcome...

That's a really interesting theory on Clairvoyance. Do you have a detailed theory of how this works and is different from some of the more commonly held theories?

I never really put much more thought into it than that....

A quote to provide food for thought....
"Where I come from magic and science are one in the same"-thor-

I don't believe most of what I read, and not much of what I experience !!! Lol, well more accurately I reserve my judgement as I acknowledge I nor they might have the full story. So I'm open to it just so I"m not closed to it, but am content either way. One thing for sure is things can sometimes appear magick/psychic and if those things are outside the objective toolkit then it's time to open the subjective toolkit! At the end of the day some objective measure must be found for me, otherwise it by definition would have no tangible reliable causality and therefore be without actual function at any level.... which to me is not magick/psychic. The only interesting stuff I've experienced is in dreams by seeing the odd variation in intensity and content to sometimes predict real world events - if it was just content I'd write it off as chance but it has seemed more 'connected' then chance in many times for me. I tend to imagine it like the subconscious can parse patterns in the Force which can in effect read enough material to come to somewhat recognizable predictions. I'll let you know if I'm able to prove it LOL, though I've convinced Ms Adder enough times by telling her before hand
:blink:

Edit; oh and 'spirits', I think there might be some foundation there too purely from the complexity of some stuff, but then again I have a crazy imagination.

Short answer: yes

Long answer: It depends on the definition you're working with on these terms. I don't believe in magic in the way that fantasy books portray mages. I do believe more in what Wicca would term magick and some Jedi would term the Force along the same lines. I don't think people are individually gifted as psychics (I really dislike that term) but with the proper tools, proper intent, and proper focus, anyone could tap into the Force/magick/Universe for themselves. I think those who are called as teachers (Masters, Gurus, Shaman, and the like) are the gifted.

I'm not sold on telekinesis or telepathy though. Well, telepathy in part. Not so much as speaking mind-to-mind but on an energy level, a person can either broadcast or accept that energy towards or from another. This affects people differently. Some people are natural broadcasters. Some people are more sensitive 'listeners' than others. I think maybe this is how you hear a lot of stories of twins feeling each other's pain. They're keyed into each other in this way. There's also people who are vampiric in an energy sense. But I'm going off point.