Everything Under the Moon

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[split from this thread: http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... 32271.html]

Jenny Crow wrote:...would anyone really be unclear and mistake your meaning and think you were talking about stage tricks? That said, Aleister Crowley, also known The Beast used the k as the last letter, so it's really up to you.

Yeah, he started that whole k thing...he started it, and I like to think as far as my writing goes, I ended it, haha (thanks, Al, but no thanks).

Maybe making this distinction was of importance in his day (1950s), when you couldn't even talk about magical practices publically like you can today (it was extremely politically-incorrect to do so, left to the realms of occult, back-room practitioners, considered taboo). In England, for example, there were "witchcraft laws" and laws relating to mediumship as well, that remained in effect for hundreds of years, which got you in trouble for even talking about such things, let alone practicing them, and weren't repealed until well into the 20th century. In that sense, I give Al and his buddies credit for having the nerve to buck the system.

However, I think that in 2015, it's a whole different world. Wicca (not the only type of magic certainly, but arguably the most portrayed in Western mass media culture) is all over every kind of media. So, I think now we could dispense with this helpful but obsolete little klarification. People think the k thing is part of some old, magical tradition, but it's not. And magic has a totally different context now than it did in the 50s, in my opinion closer to its original meaning, and less so pertaining to stage and parlor tricks. I like to give people credit for intelligence, as I doubt anyone would get the content of this website mixed up with that of the likes of David Copperfield, Chris Angel, etc...no playing card nor rabbit-out-of-the-hat tips 'round here, lol.




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If I understand what you're saying, I typically make it a habit to use "magick" to refer to the Craft and "magic" to refer to what I call flash-bang magic, AKA the stuff of fantasy books. But that's mainly because I use both terms pretty darn often in everyday life. (Out loud, I usually say "the Craft" or something instead of using the term "magick" at all - it tends to cause confusion among my peers otherwise. The term magic/k just has too many previous associations with it that are too strong, for most teenagers, at least (which is my main community, being a teenager myself). As far as this site is concerned, the difference between the two spellings is usually purely habitual.

Well said Kassandra.

I spell what I do simply as "magic". I do not practice the art of illusion....which in itself is something to be respected-I believe. Those kind of hard core magicians study humans and the high art of deception and illusion in a way that deserves my respect. That is dedication. It's known that people that practice illusion are painting the idea of the "hidden" and trying to give the impression of supernatural forces at work. They attempt to create visually-ideas of the impossible...they use the word "magic" because that is what they attempt to create the impression of. I am not insulted by that, and don't feel the need to distance myself from an original concept that we both share. What illusion makers do is called magic because that is what they recreate....in a different sense. We are speaking about the same root. The wonder. The awe. The impossible. The transcendent.

Sometimes I think the lines are blurred between the two paths. Illusionists play on the needs of people to experience wonder and delight.....they are supreme showmen and women, and use props and mood to evoke the supernatural. Practitioners of magic frequently enjoy the "props", trappings, and majesty. Many of us use the tools and the visuals that aid us to work beyond the secular. I believe magic can be done anywhere and without much in the way of tools, but sometimes people just want a little "woo woo" in terms of enriching the mental imagery.

It's my opinion that I personally don't need a "special k" to make what I do special. It simply is. Magicians of all kinds the world over honour the magic of magic.

Thank you Kassandra and Becks - I get so sick of seeing that silly "k" stuck on the end of magic!

Well, you took all the magic right out of the K, Kass, shame on you!
I actually use "magick", but it's more of a habit than anything else.

YanaKhan wrote:Well, you took all the magic right out of the K, Kass, shame on you!

Oops I did it again, my bad, hahahaha (sorry, I couldn't resist the oldie video, heehee). It's just, I really dislike pretentiousness. I look for it, especially in my own actions. Seek and destroy, lol. I used to spell it as "magick" all the time, like everyone else. But, once I found out its origin, I said no, I'm not doing this anymore. There is no justifiable reason to do so, in my eyes. I tend to stop doing a thing in a heartbeat, no matter how small, if I feel it is superfluous and hackneyed, just unnecessary. "Because everyone else does it" ceased being my reason for doing a thing for me a long, loooooonng time ago, lol. Kids use that reasoning; I don't think adults should.

I like to streamline things. I was taught to do that in my college art classes, believe it or not. The way one approaches art, it seems, one will also approach the rest of life. My teachers used to push me toward what is called, essentially, a "subtractive" approach to art making (though there's nothing wrong with an "additive" approach). I learned to: 1. identify any pretentiousness present in my work, whether in a sculpture, or painting or drawing, and 2. ruthlessly do away with it, take no prisoners.

I'll never forget, one teacher said, "Destroy 'preciousness' and never fall in love with your work." Another teacher, when I pointed out to him how I'd worked all day on a watercolor and included a lot of detail, just paused, then said to me, "I know, that's the problem." That went for my creative writing classes, as well. My poetry and prose teachers used to make me mercilessly cut, cut, cut, until only the most minimalist expression was left. I learned that in the end, that's all that was ever needed, because that's where the real beauty lies. Anything more would just be monkey chatter.

Out of this training, I guess, I've come to employ the same subtractive approach to magic.



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I prefer to use Magick because whenever you say Magic in society it is considered a trick. Magic tricks. Magick is refered to something like craft. At least for me.

Kassandra wrote:[quote="YanaKhan"
...... It's just, I really dislike pretentiousness. I look for it, especially in my own actions. Seek and destroy, lol. I used to spell it as "magick" all the time, like everyone else. But, once I found out its origin, I said no, I'm not doing this anymore. There is no justifiable reason to do so, in my eyes. I tend to stop doing a thing in a heartbeat, no matter how small, if I feel it is superfluous and hackneyed, just unnecessary. "Because everyone else does it" ceased being my reason for doing a thing for me a long, loooooonng time ago, lol. Kids use that reasoning; I don't think adults should.
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I couldn't have said it better Kassandra

Becks wrote:I do not practice the art of illusion....which in itself is something to be respected-I believe. Those kind of hard core magicians study humans and the high art of deception and illusion in a way that deserves my respect. That is dedication.

And apparently, it can really come in handy sometimes. http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... 32203.html




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