no...by invisible forces I mean angels, gods, chthonic beings etc
this is what makes nipple tweaking different to other "forms of magic"
Both represent actions that yield a particular result.
A mystic seeks communion and understanding of reality. Magic is the movement within the reality.
I think this is one of those areas where each person's definition is going to differ to the point where true resolution will be simply "to each their own."
Magic and mysticism cannot be scientifically defined.
a mystic seeks more than mere understanding....
and yes thigns can be defined....
each to their own..is fine
but any magician worth their salt knows magic is not mysticsm
and vice versa
Here is one perspective:
..............................
The 19th century occultists, from whom 90% of contemporary literature on magic is derived, had difficulty making this step. They were either reverent towards the conditioned Judeo-Christian worldview despite their occultism, or they were in extreme (even childish) reaction against it. Today, in the 21st century, and as a result of their pioneering work, their suffering and genius in some cases, we are now less conditioned, and, hopefully, more aware that the world is very different to that of either religious or modernist propaganda.
Ceremony and Ritual in the past
Magical ceremonies were conducted in ancestral cultures for two primary purposes: to commune with and draw upon spiritual powers and presences, and to mediate and present such spiritual powers and presences to the community. The first purpose was, and still is, jealously absorbed by political religions. The second purpose is the historical origin of all theatre (including the modern film and television industry), but at a deeper level is the ultimate aim of true magical ritual.
Ideas such as self-development, control of supernatural forces and so-forth are
materialistic and modern. All ancestral magic, be it formal and complex such as the ancient Mysteries of the classical or Egyptian civilisations, or the relatively simple folkloric magic of the ordinary people, was deeply involved in ideas such as participation, relationship, transformation through interaction, and, especially, with the resonance of spiritual forces out to the greater world. The now popular concepts of the isolated would-be-superman, who changes things according to his will, or the elite occult group that influences politics and money, came into shape in the 19th century, and have continued in various forms to this day. Most of these are either a) fiction, or b) egocentric wishful thinking.
What is a ritual?
A ritual is a pattern, comprising words, movement, sounds, and intentional content such as clothing, implements, and a wide range other factors. The two key concepts are
pattern and
intentional content. The most important consideration, however, is that this ritual pattern is shared between humans and other beings
humans and spiritual beings. You cannot have magic without the harmonious exchange between humanity and other orders of life. A ritual, a ceremony, is a special pattern that enables this exchange.
There are of course, two modes of magic,
co-operative and
coercive. In this article, we are discussing co-operative magic. Similar principles apply to both modes. However, I have never grasped the sense of a type of magic in which humans attempt to force powerful spiritual beings (more powerful than the human ritualists) to do their will. Does this not seem to be absurd
not to mention childish and illogical?
When is a ceremony not a ritual?
In some sense we could define any intentional gathering as a ritual or ceremony. But what distinguishes a
magical ritual is that the intention
always involves spiritual beings. They may be ancestors, faery races, gods or goddesses, trans-human beings compassionate to humanity, the spirits of the living creatures in nature (often rather loosely called totem animals), or conscious entities from remote metaphysical dimensions. If
they, whoever they may be, are not part of our ritual, it is not magic. It is merely an empty ceremony.
A ritual and a ceremony are essentially the same thing. The ceremony is the outer form, while the ritual is the magical pattern-making. Hence the popular modern definition that ceremonial magic is the complex stuff with fat scripts, many implements and much arm-waving, while other forms of ritual are somehow more direct or simple. This is not true, of course, but is widely published. A very simple ceremony lasting a minute or two, such as placing an offering of wine upon a dedicated stone, can be a powerful and complex ritual involving humans, spirit beings, forces of nature, ancestral consciousness, stellar awareness! Do not be fooled by props
or propped by fools.
extract from
RJStewart.org - Ceremony and Ritual Magic
