Complex Numbers

Ritual

Final entry for "Journalistic Intentions"  [18+]. I started June's blogging adventure with an entry, and I'm ending it with one. Also because 30DBC starts tomorrow, I'm going to wrap this one up.

11. You'll find love when you prepare the ritual correctly.
-Chibithulu (Alyssa)

Magic works.

I know, I know, "Waltz, you're full of shit talking about science and stuff and then proclaiming that magic works?"

Well, I'm also an atheist, but I assert that prayer works, too. It just doesn't matter who you pray to.

Obviously, I'm going to explain these assertions. Might want your beverage of choice for this one. And, at the end, you may still decide I'm full of shit. Or, you know, you can just skip to the starry bit below if you're only here to discover who won yesterday's Merit Badge mini-contest.

Most people, I think, associate the word "magic" with one of two things: stage illusions, or bending the universe to one's will.

The former is, as the name implies, illusory -- though I do enjoy a good magic performance -- and the latter is simply wrong. I'm not talking about stage magic here, though; just distinguishing it from the other kind.

In fantasy writing (oh hell, this would have made for a decent editorial, but I've already turned in this week's Fantasy newsletter), magic works something like this: someone casts a spell, the soundtrack blares out triumphant (if the character is a protagonist) or discordant (if they're an antagonist) music, the SFX team makes glowy, swirly lights, and (usually) whatever they're trying to do manifests itself in reality.

This is enjoyable for me, too, by the way. I do like a good fantasy story, especially if the writer keeps the magic system self-consistent. It's only later that I think, "But where did they get the energy to shoot that fireball / summon a demon from Hell / fly / talk to their dead ancestor / force someone to fall in love with them / whatever?"

But there are ancient (and modern) magical traditions here in the real world, though they're nowhere near as flashy. After all, we haven't yet figured out how to hack into the source code of the simulation we're living in, have we?

That's a joke. We're not living in a simulation, and even if we were, so what?

Thing is, no, you'll never be able to shoot fireballs, or do any of that other stuff. Not without technological assistance, and even then the demon-summoning thing is still questionable. There's nothing "magical" you can do to change the world around you, or the laws of physics.

But that doesn't mean you're powerless. We affect the world in other ways, mundane ways. We can affect how others see us by, for example, choosing to bathe instead of, you know... not bathe. Or put on make-up, or get a haircut, or dress a certain way. We can change our surroundings by rearranging furniture, cleaning our rooms (I really need to remember that bit someday), washing the dog.

Hell, some people have changed the world by merely writing.

So, no, there are no magical shortcuts to these things. We can't change things just by thinking about them; action is necessary. In that sense, magic is purely fantasy. Magic doesn't clean us; soap and water does. Magic doesn't transport us to faraway locales; feet, wheels, and wings do.

No, you can't change the world by just a thought, prayer, or ritual... but you can change yourself. Yoga, meditation, prayer, a ritual circle, whatever... these things can focus the mind, or reduce stress, or just give you a different perspective on things. The break from everyday routine alone could be enough to inspire you to finally write that novel, or psych you up to ask your boss for a raise, or whatever.

And to relate this back to the prompt, even if you could "make" someone else fall in love with you, well, that would be kinda evil, wouldn't it? Messing with someone's so-called free will is generally considered a Bad Guy thing (unless you're a Jedi, apparently). The stories about such things always end badly too: love potions, charm spells, whatever. There's never a Happily Ever After in such stories, and probably shouldn't be.

But just as you're more likely to find a date if you take a shower and comb your hair and maybe lose some weight and stop wearing socks with sandals, so too could modifying your own personality make it easier for someone to be attracted to you. And just as there is nothing wrong with grooming oneself, there is also nothing wrong with identifying the problem areas of your personality and working to change them. You're not messing with someone else's free will; you're only making yourself more attractive.

If doing so means drawing a hexagram and some runes on the floor, lighting some candles, and intoning some words, and that works for you, great. Or if it means talking to your invisible friend who happens to have created the universe, well, nothing wrong with it. Whatever works.

At least, in theory. None of it has worked for me yet. Maybe if I shaved occasionally?

Mini-Contest results!

Yesterday, I asked for words. Specifically, your favorite rare or obsolete words or expressions. As always, y'all didn't make it easy for me. But where would be the fun in that? I loved all the answers, and you'll all get another shot at this soon.

Elle - on hiatus was the clear overachiever here, with five odd words in one comment (and a bonus sixth in another), so one Overachiever Merit Badge heading her way!

And yes, I'll find a way to do this even during 30DBC month. I've been trying to make Mondays Mini-Contest days, but we'll see where the prompts take us.