so, lately i've been on this kick of comparing magic(k) to computer programming.
to that end, it can be argued that deities are like libraries and API's. they help make your code that much more powerful and clean, but in theory you could write all that boilerplate code yourself. more time, more effort, but the result is uniquely yours.
what matters, ultimately, is whether or not it compiles.
I actually rather like this analogy, in part because I'm tickled at the idea of a ritual starting
require "Thor.Aes";
More seriously, I think that's about it - deities seem to me to offer a collection of predefined functions that are powerful but specific and static. You don't have to fully understand what's going on in there, you just know calling X gets result Y. Sometimes that's very handy, sometimes that's detrimental - but it's just the way it is.
I dunno, in my experience they are more like AI engines with lousy documentation, so that their responses to a given input are not necessarily predictable. "Specific" and "static" are not terms that match up with the Gods whom I serve.
But, my truths are not necessarily anyone else's, and we all know how many ways of constructing tribal lays are right.
I'm going to be a dirty, dirty Libran and say both :P
As far as personal practice goes, I generally tend to the Godcamp because I'm a prayer sort of person. I can and have done non-deity involved magic (such as runework, though some might argue that that is also spirit-magic), but I find it easier and richer to cultivate the relationships of deity-magic.
I'm going to join the ranks of those who say that both are valid, when done properly. Personally, I'm not big into the Divinity thing. I tend to think that is a hold over from the way I was raised (distinct lack of Divinity of any type, with an emphasis on an internal locus of control). I don't like to ask anything 'higher' for help or intervention. I much prefer things driven from within.
However, I'm not saying there's anything wrong or bad with those who choose the Divinity route. Different preference, but equally valid. I will admit I have a tendency to look down on those who ask for Divine intervention on every little thing, though.
For me, it's not either/or, but both/and. Of course, just about everyone seems to be saying that, so let me try this instead:
If Deities are the things they are "the deity of," then how could one use magick to shape the world without involving deity? If Isis is the Nile, then any magic involving the nile must, therefore, involve her.
I and three of my friends touched on this topic in my podcast "The science of Magic" which you can listen to (link at bottom of post).
In a nutshell, I think that deity is a thought-form - a container that we put whatever the thing that science hasn't discovered yet into so that we can do work with that energy. It's how our Puny Human Brains can deal with things that go beyond language.
"Reality" is all in our heads - I've been calling it "the consensus reality" for a long time. It's the illusion; what the Hindus call Maya.
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to that end, it can be argued that deities are like libraries and API's. they help make your code that much more powerful and clean, but in theory you could write all that boilerplate code yourself. more time, more effort, but the result is uniquely yours.
what matters, ultimately, is whether or not it compiles.
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require "Thor.Aes";
More seriously, I think that's about it - deities seem to me to offer a collection of predefined functions that are powerful but specific and static. You don't have to fully understand what's going on in there, you just know calling X gets result Y. Sometimes that's very handy, sometimes that's detrimental - but it's just the way it is.
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But, my truths are not necessarily anyone else's, and we all know how many ways of constructing tribal lays are right.
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As far as personal practice goes, I generally tend to the Godcamp because I'm a prayer sort of person. I can and have done non-deity involved magic (such as runework, though some might argue that that is also spirit-magic), but I find it easier and richer to cultivate the relationships of deity-magic.
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However, I'm not saying there's anything wrong or bad with those who choose the Divinity route. Different preference, but equally valid. I will admit I have a tendency to look down on those who ask for Divine intervention on every little thing, though.
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If Deities are the things they are "the deity of," then how could one use magick to shape the world without involving deity? If Isis is the Nile, then any magic involving the nile must, therefore, involve her.
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In a nutshell, I think that deity is a thought-form - a container that we put whatever the thing that science hasn't discovered yet into so that we can do work with that energy. It's how our Puny Human Brains can deal with things that go beyond language.
"Reality" is all in our heads - I've been calling it "the consensus reality" for a long time. It's the illusion; what the Hindus call Maya.
podcast link: http://a11.moon-and-star.com/archives/42
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;)
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