Magick [with the pretentious "k"]

How to Ask Great Questions, Part 1 KEVIN HOGAN:

"...magick is in the religion category. It's neither good nor bad. It's about beliefs and rituals. People believe that combined with intention, performing a ritual or incantation will get them a result. Period. As you picture whatever you have in mind, your grandmother using the rosary is doing the same thing.

From the outside, rituals are pretty similar from religion to religion. From the inside there are nuances that people literally kill for.

Religion doesn't want to verify, test, or confirm. It's religion. It's about beliefs and being right.

And persuasion and marketing is not about religion, although persuasion sure has a big role in filling churches, covens, synagogues, mosques and temples...

People put up Christmas trees, drink bread and wine, light candles, walk to Mecca, go to church and pray. All of those things are rituals. For the most part they add 'structure' to our life. And there is meaning in those things for the people who have beliefs about them. Of course rituals are belief imbued. They have no value if you don't explain the meaning first.... You don't see a lot of Muslims with Menorahs lit during Hanukkah and you don't see a lot Scientologists on the walk to Mecca. You don't see a lot of Christians reaching OT levels and you ...well you get the idea.

There's no meaning for what another group does, because there is no belief or even thought of a belief...but for the person WITH the belief, the rituals are MEANINGFUL... And I argue that a meaningful life is generally better than one without meaning.

So back to magick."