Re: superstition

["Regulus Magus" <RegulusMagus@...>]

--- In BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com, "danerebor" <hornedfox@h...> 
wrote:
> Here's a question for the list:
> How does one delineate superstition from reality? Can magical or 
> karmic precautions become paranoia or obsession?
> 
> Dan :)

Dear Dan:

As always, a good question! In my view, a superstition is essentially 
a false opinion about cause and effect. If you go to a bowling alley 
it is common to see bowlers make all kinds of strange body gestures 
(usually combined with a chant such as "Come on; come on!") in order 
to Will the ball to move a little to the right or left. Although such 
bowling rituals are common, they aren't quite superstitions. A person 
holding a superstition will usually be willing to expend effort 
defending the belief. This is because the belief has psychological 
value to the one who holds it. So a superstition is an inaccurate 
opinion about cause and effect combined with an emotional investment 
in sustaining the belief.

Some of the most important contributions of science have been the 
idea of objective proof as well as the idea that it is possible to 
achieve a consensus about the nature of reality. Magical thinking, on 
the other hand, maintains that at least some aspects of reality are 
inherently subjective and moreover Will and Emotion can and do change 
the nature of physical reality. 

So if my cousin Eric believes that wearing his "lucky socks" will 
make it more likely that his favorite sports team will win then his 
belief may indeed exert a very minor influence on reality. The 
fallacy that makes Eric's belief a superstition is that he vastly 
overrates the effect of his personal magical rite. A trained magician 
on the other hand is able to create much more significant effects 
(i.e., non-negligible) as a consequence of his or her rites. 

In some cases I think superstitions may even represent a naive early 
attempt at harnessing the principles of magic.

Sincerely, /RM/