Magick and "An Acausal Connecting Principle" (ala Jung)
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To me, Jung was the Einstein of the inner universe. Just sayin'.
Where Jungian theory gets tricky integrating with magick theory is where his concept of the Collective Unconscious ties in to his concept of synchronicity ("an acausal connecting principle"), a connection of meaning but not of causation.
Magick, as it "causes change in conformity with Will" (paraphrasing Crowley) through identification and utilization of the symbols of the Collective Unconscious, seems (at least) to act on whatever this "acausal connecting principle" is and spur it into increased activity.
So, then, using Jung's theories, is the connection between magical act and subsequent coincidence truly "acausal"? If so, then this would suggest that the performance of a magical operation itself does not cause the subsequent coincidence and, instead, that both are simply "meaningfully" connected with reference to some sort of overarching Will or destiny which basically predetermines that both the magical operation and the subsequent coincidence will occur.
So does a magical operation actually cause the subsequent coincidence, or are both things fundamentally a coincidence inherent to the particular nature of a given person's existence?
In other words, does a magical operation performed to meet some need in my life actually cause the subsequent coincidence of that need being met?
Or
Does the fact that it is somehow predestined for my need to be met in accordance with my Will cause me* both* to "do the dance" that is the magical operation as well as to have that need met?
If the former is true, then learning magick is the same as learning a subtle and little-known method of causing change.
If the latter is true, then learning magick is more akin to learning worship, in that it merely "dances" in assent and agreement with an overarching Will that is already inherent to one's existence.
I actually think that the former is more illusory than the latter but that the latter is also so abstract and intangible of a concept for us, being so initially convinced of our individuality and self-determination, that discovery of the latter does not occur without first gaining experience with the perspective of the former. And, regardless, the "illusion" of individuality and self-determination is our usual head-space and work-space, without which we just sit there and don't do anything, expecting something to just happen. And frequently, it seems nothing much happens when predetermination is held as the guiding principle.
For example, in Lon Milo Duquette's book, My Life With the Spirits, he evokes a spirit to help him with his material needs. After the conclusion of the ritual, help arrives almost immediately. It had already been on the way for several hours before he performed the ritual. (Before he intended to do the ritual? I can't say.) Regarding the concrete acts themselves, the magical operation and the subsequent coincidence of having that need met are out of temporal causal order, but they are powerfully connected by a sense of "meaningfulness" both in substance and in almost instantaneous timing of "result."
As I said, integrating Jungian theory with magick can be tricky, but I think you find the same "loophole" ultimately existing in the higher (more mystical) branches of magick theory itself. Just... not in its initial more superficial presentation.
I don't know. The new member mentioned Jung in the Introduction section, and a button kinda got pushed in me. This is what came out. Thoughts are welcome.
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It's been a few decades since I read that article - a favorite of psychologically mindful astrologers in the '60s and '70s - but me recollection is that the title is misleading, that it doesn't actually describe acausal circumstances but, rather, circumstances with causes unknown, outside the present framework, unidentified, etc. Two things that may seem to be in cause-effect relationships often are common effects of the same cause.
Kinda like chaos theory in physics - which is highly causal.
Similarly, the magical theory is that magick is highly causal - however, high magick has a cause not on the same plane as the effect.
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Cuasality and sequence are only inextricably linked on a plane that views time in a pre-Einstein way.
I'm also reminded of the E.M. Forster quote, "How do I know what I mean until I see what I say?"
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A friend of mine used to talk about "reality waves." I don't know if he coined the term himself or not.
But the simplified idea is that a powerful *future event *sends ripples both further into the future (which is expected) as well as backward in time from itself to the current present moment (which is the novel part of the idea), causing such experiences as premonitions and other kinds of coincidences ("synchronicities").
You know, we talk a lot these days about a wave of probable outcomes collapsing into a single outcome.
Perhaps when it becomes inevitable that a probability wave will collapse into a particular single outcome in the future, we experience the effects of that inevitability in the present as if they are ripples moving backward in time from a future event (or perhaps they are in actuality moving backward from a different view of time).
From this theoretical perspective, you could say that magick (or the potential for it, knowledge of it, willingness to act, etc.) would have an effect on the probability of collapse into a particular outcome yet may still be only one facet of a larger equation - an equation which still requires certain antecedents (like a ritual) before fully collapsing the probability.
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I've known for a long time - from watching how magick works - that the future determines the present and past, not the other way around. Part of how visualization (the "get all your senses involved" etc. visualization) works is that you actually experience something that doesn't exist in the present or past and, therefore, must exist in the future - you've already had the experience of experiencing it. From that point on, it's inevitable and your life winds itself through whatever pathways are necessary to intersect the event.
People screw themselves up by letting their past determine their future. That's just plain silly, since you're better at certain things in the future than you were in the past.