The Magic Goes Away

"Do you dream
That the world will know your name?
So tell me your name."

In trying to form a larger picture of 5-dimensional beings, the question of multiple observers becomes critical. Are we tethered to each other in a way that permits the ability of one observer to drive the state selection process for a group of observers? Or are we on a solo trajectory, unanchored by anything except our own minds?

About a year ago I mentioned that I was going to divert some of my attention toward a more intensive study of theories of magick. (We can see how well that went. ;) If a 5-dimensional picture fits a larger set of experiences (magick, psi, etc.) than a 4-dimensional picture, then people who have embraced these experiences should have valuable insights that might be mined by yours truly.

I come across odd bits of information every now and then, and I generally file them away for future reference. One idea that crossed my path again recently is the idea that a practitioner of magick should avoid being 'known'. It's not entirely clear to me if this means been being known in the sense that one is identified with magick, or just known in a larger sense.

Hearing that again reminded me of the first time I had heard that idea, which was several years ago while reading (if I remember correctly) a fairly good book on chaos magick. Hearing the same thing from multiple sources probably indicates that 1) most of the sources took their ideas from a primary source, or 2) it reflects a truism that more than one person is able to perceive.

Actually, this idea that one should avoid being known makes a great deal of sense in the framework we've already discussed. Allowing other to generate expectations about your ability to do certain things can set up a situation where multiple observers now have a means to influence the outcome. Their expectations (if we are using a model which embraces multiple observer dynamics) can create competing forces for the selection of a final state (to use a physics term) or universe (to use the analogy driving this blog).

This idea is also similar to another oft-repeated axiom of magick - "And if you try to explain it, it won't work. The same way magic stops working if you try to explain it." The idea being conveyed here is compatible with the idea that meta-level expectations about what should or should not happen can also drive the process of state selection. In fact, it's possible to use meta-level expectations to bypass more direct levels of observation. I was not entirely surprised to find that this idea is acknowledged in books on magickal theory.

Fans of free will aren't going to like the implications of a model where observers compete for state selection, because ultimately there is state selection involved in everything, including our own behaviors and states of mind. And after all, regardless of what choices in behavior we ultimately make, we usually experience the feeling/illusion that we freely chose to do whatever we did. But once aware of the idea that the observations/expectations of others make affect us in this non-local way, it should be possible (theoretically) to do a type of Fourier transform-analysis on the observed behavior and corresponding state of mind, in order to parse apart any likely influences of other observers. (It should also be possible (theoretically) to deconstruct the influences of larger groups upon observable events.)

To comfort anyone who just grew a little scared, it stands to reason that usually no one has more expectations about you than you. So control of the state selection process as it pertains to you and your behaviors usually belongs mostly to you. Think of free will as existing on a continuum, and you'll understand how this model works. Among others, this type of model would make the following prediction: You are more likely to be successful at selecting outcomes when you are the sole observer of the event. (This is predicated on the idea that there are no competing influences from other observers for the selection of the final state, but it also assumes a certain degree of awareness and skill on your part.)

As it might be regarded as an irresponsible act to go around spouting the idea that free will does not exist in an absolute form, for now I'm exploring this idea further in the larger realm of science fiction.