Personally, I lump magic in with manipulation for selfish purposes, an egocentric rebellion against the Creator and a form of witchcraft, and I consider miracles a manifestation of God's will, not that of human will.
If God plants a desire in our hearts, and we choose to grow His Will in us, we can align with His purposes and miracles may happen.
That's how I view the topic.
Thank you Franklin O'Kanu for sharing your definition of "magic."
reflects a shallow understanding of "magic" which is comparable to metaphysics, applied intention, Placebo effect, lots of ways we can use our minds positively or negatively. Kind of like hating MONEY, which is a tool and can be misused in the wrong hands.
better to learn how to understand and use for the good. Also "when two or more are gathered together" the power of Prayer. same thing.
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them BY MY FATHER IN HEAVEN.
Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered IN MY NAME, THERE AM I AMONG THEM.”
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Hey Anita! Nope we’re on the same page. And you said it best, “If God plants a desire in our hearts, and we choose to grow His Will in us, we can align with His purposes and miracles may happen.”
I think this is the same thing as magic since the desires were put in our hearts thanks to God.
Now there are egotistical desires which one could consider black magic, but that’s diving too deep into things lol
*"esoteric" is the red flag for me, I believe. That is where I become cautious.
I associate "esoteric" knowledge as the purview of secret societies for the most part:
Matthew 5:14 - 15: 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house."
John 18:20
Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret."
ACTS 8:
Simon the Magician Believes
9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles[b] performed, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall[c] of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
Nope, I agree and totally understand where you’re coming from. My background is christian and I have the same background as well when it comes to things that are considered “esoteric.” I actually touched on that very quickly in this article here when I focused on the medieval Christians: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/why-you-should-become-a-paid-subscriber
Anita! Great questions! Here’s an article that provide an definition of what I call “magic”:
https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/the-reality-of-magic
Here’s another podcast as well: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/miracles-versus-manifestations
Thanks for your response.
Personally, I lump magic in with manipulation for selfish purposes, an egocentric rebellion against the Creator and a form of witchcraft, and I consider miracles a manifestation of God's will, not that of human will.
If God plants a desire in our hearts, and we choose to grow His Will in us, we can align with His purposes and miracles may happen.
That's how I view the topic.
Thank you Franklin O'Kanu for sharing your definition of "magic."
reflects a shallow understanding of "magic" which is comparable to metaphysics, applied intention, Placebo effect, lots of ways we can use our minds positively or negatively. Kind of like hating MONEY, which is a tool and can be misused in the wrong hands.
better to learn how to understand and use for the good. Also "when two or more are gathered together" the power of Prayer. same thing.
Matthew 18:19
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them BY MY FATHER IN HEAVEN.
Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered IN MY NAME, THERE AM I AMONG THEM.”
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
you can USE money as a tool without serving it, as I suspect many here do, since they are wealthy enough to subscribe rt now, unlike me. ;)
jesus overturned the money changers, but he didnt say stop using money.
Hey Anita! Nope we’re on the same page. And you said it best, “If God plants a desire in our hearts, and we choose to grow His Will in us, we can align with His purposes and miracles may happen.”
I think this is the same thing as magic since the desires were put in our hearts thanks to God.
Now there are egotistical desires which one could consider black magic, but that’s diving too deep into things lol
*"esoteric" is the red flag for me, I believe. That is where I become cautious.
I associate "esoteric" knowledge as the purview of secret societies for the most part:
Matthew 5:14 - 15: 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house."
John 18:20
Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret."
ACTS 8:
Simon the Magician Believes
9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles[b] performed, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall[c] of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
Nope, I agree and totally understand where you’re coming from. My background is christian and I have the same background as well when it comes to things that are considered “esoteric.” I actually touched on that very quickly in this article here when I focused on the medieval Christians: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/why-you-should-become-a-paid-subscriber
"I began studying the early Christians (gnostic alchemists)"
John wrote his gospel and letters as a polemic against gnosticism.
That’s a fair callout — one could say that. That indeed is fair.
I thought of you today when I read this from Naomi Wolf.
She writes about a very unorthodox experience she had. :)
https://substack.com/home/post/p-139213452
Right, he even said, render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is God's
:)