{"id":179,"date":"2023-09-11T13:19:42","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T19:19:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/?p=179"},"modified":"2023-09-11T13:19:42","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T19:19:42","slug":"this-thing-called-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/","title":{"rendered":"This Thing Called Magic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Would you allow anybody who happened along to use your favorite tool?
(author\u2019s photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

This Thing Called Magic<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cQuiet the mind and the soul will speak.\u201d\u2014Buddha<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

My mind is never still. I mean, never. This started when I was very young and continues until now. All day long stuff is racing through my head. I\u2019ll see something or catch a phrase in a tv show or at an open mic. Or I\u2019ll latch onto something printed on the back of a cereal box. Or\u2026the list goes on\u2026 a song, a smell, some passerby on the street will get snatched up by my brain and off it goes on some wild tangent. This busy-mindedness spills over into times when I\u2019m sleeping, if some of the dreams I can remember are any indication. Maybe it\u2019s some form of Attention Deficit Disorder? I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an upside, believe it or not. I have unlimited access to worlds of discovery and wonder exclusively my own. I rarely, if ever, have writer\u2019s block. The many document files on my computer testify to this. This perpetual barrage of noise is a prerequisite to being a poet and a writer. For this reason, I generally let this internal droning run happily wherever it may.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve gotten very used to it.<\/p>\n

Other times, though\u2014like when I step fifteen feet from my bedroom to the bathroom and forget what my intentions were due to the constant distraction of word pictures and mysteries churning about between my ears or when I\u2019m trying to get to sleep after a long day\u2014this perpetual-wordiness aggravates and exhausts me beyond, well\u2026words.<\/p>\n

Lately, magic has been one of those ideas circling \u2018round and \u2018round in my mind.<\/p>\n

Yes, magic. So, now, I feel compelled to share my thoughts on it.<\/p>\n

Is It Purely Make-Believe?<\/strong><\/h4>\n Magic, as you know, is something a great number of people dismiss without a second thought. Perhaps it\u2019s hard for you <\/em>to accept as true. This is understandable when nearly all \u201cmagic\u201d nowadays has proven to be nothing more than tricks, sleight of hand, smoke and mirrors.<\/p>\n And yet, the Bible expressly condemns the practice of magic, divination, dabbling into occultism and such. (Leviticus 19:26<\/a>; Deuteronomy 18:10-12<\/a>, Acts 19:19<\/a>, Galatians 5:20, 21<\/a>))<\/p>\n Ever ask yourself: Does it make sense for God to prohibit the practice of something which cannot be?<\/p>\n With magic, the impossible happens. Things appear out of nowhere. Objects move without a touch. The dead return to life. A man traverses a stormy sea on foot.<\/p>\n Just how, do you think, did Jesus walk on water? Well, the biblical answer to that would be through use of the holy spirit.<\/p>\n This Thing\u2014Yes, Thing<\/em>\u2014Called Holy Spirit<\/strong><\/h4>\n***** * I was taught that Holy Spirit is not<\/em><\/strong> a supernatural embodiment of God entwined with two other spiritual embodiments which somehow are all the same being, each capable of functioning apart from the other at will. In other words, 1 + 1 + 1 equals 1, except when it\u2019s doesn\u2019t (*wink \u2018Cause that\u2019s how math works *wink, wink*).<\/p>\n ** In the belief system I was raised in, holy spirit is defined as a force, a powerful tool of sorts comprised of unbounded energy which God uses to make things happen out of total emptiness.<\/p>\n ** *****If you don\u2019t mind me saying, this sounds a lot like magic to me.<\/p>\n Born This Way<\/strong><\/h4>\n******* ** Furthermore, I surmise that every human being arrives upon this good earth \u00a0with some measure of holy spirit. Some are endowed with a considerable share while others are granted a very small share. The implication is that every one of us is born with the potential to affect legitimate acts of magic.<\/p>\n ** If the phrase \u201cUse it or lose it\u201d bears weight in any area, it does in this one.<\/p>\n ** You see, the unfortunate thing is our innate magic diminishes over time through lack of use. Influences of education, environment, relationships and what have you vastly erode our abilities. The sad result is that the majority of us are so conditioned against even recognizing the magic we carry within, it becomes dormant and we lose all connection with it.<\/p>\n ** *******However, certain ones among us are <\/em>aware and can develop and use it to do extraordinary things. A very few reach a level (minute though it may be compared to the magic-practicing priests of ancient times) of skill in wielding this magic or power of the holy spirit which demands that people sit up and pay attention.<\/p>\n The Necessity of Limits<\/strong><\/h4>\n******* ** The disproportionate levels of skill are how things must be, though it seems unfair. With good reason, God\u2014being the source of Holy Spirit\u2013generously restricts many from regaining unhampered access to His force.<\/p>\n ** It stretches the imagination, but let\u2019s allow, for a moment that the is holy spirit to God a powerful tool as I\u2019ve said I was taught. Picture it as a drill, for instance. Just as we might, rightfully, refuse our neighbor the privilege of using our own drill, so God chooses to do the same with His tool.<\/p>\n ** Why, though?<\/p>\n ** Well, think on it. If we, for example, gave license to any and all who asked to use our drill there could be undesirable consequences. One guy might decide to put together a shelving unit. But, maybe, he doesn\u2019t exactly follow the instructions while assembling the unit. Days after he\u2019s completed the project, a small child comes along and sees something, a toy, on the top shelf of the unit. The child starts to climb up and\u2014CRASH!<\/em> Your drill that you allowed a guy to use has indirectly resulted in a broken limb for an innocent person.<\/p>\n ** Maybe you lend your drill to your friend who lends it to their friend who then uses it in some way that injures their hand. Now they can\u2019t work their day job because it requires the use of both hands. They lose their job and the income it provided and, ultimately, his entire family ends up homeless.<\/p>\n ** Maybe you allow some other schmuck to use your drill and they turn it on its side and proceed to attempt to hammer a nail into a concrete wall. Now your drill is damaged, possibly beyond repair.<\/p>\n ** Not to say that the holy spirit is comparable to a drill, in any way. But I think the point is clear. Can you imagine all the things that would go wrong if the Holy Spirit became damaged or broken? Could such a calamity start a chain reaction that would lead to the destruction of a planet, multiple planets, or the entire universe?<\/p>\n ** *******Mind you, the foregoing scenarios are rather benign in and of themselves. Because it could be argued that none of them turned out as they did from a place of bad intentions. Really, how many accidents, deaths and damaged or destroyed properties result from words lost in translation, carelessness, or plain ignorance? In other words, innocent mistakes, also known as imperfection, sin.<\/p>\n But, Wait. It Gets Worse<\/strong><\/h4>\n********* ** As we\u2019re all aware, humanity in general often bends towards undesirable motives. We take the fusing of atoms and, instead of harnessing this tremendous power for clean energy only, we utilize it in the production of deadly weapons. Others take digital technology\u2014an extraordinarily useful and brilliant invention\u2014and employ it to steal some unsuspecting person\u2019s identity. Not to mention those who take a beautiful fleshly blessing like eroticism and debase it to lust or sadism through acts of rape and sick, pain-inducing roleplays.<\/p>\n ** Try recalling a book, movie or urban legend involving magic which doesn\u2019t portray a character using it towards an evil end or, in the very least, towards their own utterly selfish advantage.<\/p>\n ** See what I mean? It\u2019s no wonder that, to gain access to God\u2019s holy spirit, we need to be someone whom he deems worthy of using it.<\/p>\n ** A Favored Few<\/strong><\/p>\n ** *********In a previous column I mentioned the importance of asking for Jehovah\u2019s Holy Spirit. Jesus assures his followers that He is quite willing to share it. The implication is, however, that when<\/em> and how much <\/em>of it someone is granted access to wield is completely left to His wise and just discretion. Keep in mind the audience whom our savior addressed\u2014his close disciples, according to the context. It follows, then, that one would have to be a disciple of Christ to be a possible candidate for receiving the holy spirit from God.<\/p>\n I can say from experience it is a privilege and honor to receive any small measure of Holy Spirit. No, I haven\u2019t succeeded in levitating people or items, speaking in tongues<\/a>, causing something to appear out of nothing or anything like that. Still, there have been a couple of predictive dreams and some intriguing scriptural insights I hope to share someday. More often than not, I experienced the holy spirit as a compulsion or guide leading me towards a specific decision or direction in life. Other times, it is an intensely warm tingling sensation coming from deep within, expanding outwards to the surface of my skin. There\u2019s exhiliration and total clarity and, at the same time, abundant peace.<\/p>\n Can you testify to having received Holy Spirit? How were you affected? Please share your experience or the event below.<\/p>\n But wait. Perhaps you\u2019ve witnessed some who don\u2019t acknowledge God (in the Christian sense or at all) casting spells, pulling off near-miraculous feats or foretelling the future or doing things which seem impossible except through magic. How can we reconcile a non-believers\u2019 access to the holy spirit if God grants it only to disciples of Christ?<\/p>\n The following post will delve into that conundrum.<\/p>\n ~~~<\/p>\n searching within and<\/p>\n finding a shared inferno<\/p>\n this thing called magic<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This Thing Called Magic \u201cQuiet the mind and the soul will speak.\u201d\u2014Buddha \u00a0 My mind is never still. I mean, never. This started when I was very young and continues until now. All day long stuff is racing through my head. I\u2019ll see something or catch a phrase in a tv show or at an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5294,"featured_media":182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,20,44],"tags":[62,65,71,68,74,77],"class_list":["post-179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-critical-thought","category-mindful-spirituality","category-reflection","tag-holy-spirit","tag-magic","tag-mystical-abilities","tag-powers","tag-supernatural-force","tag-unexplained"],"yoast_head":"\nThis Thing Called Magic<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"My mind is never still. I mean, never. This started when I was very young and continues until now. All day...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This Thing Called Magic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My mind is never still. I mean, never. This started when I was very young and continues until now. All day...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Meditations, Ruminations & Illumination\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-11T19:19:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/2021\/2023\/09\/IMG_20230911_0944162-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"780\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"813\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Clareece Brunson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Clareece Brunson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/\",\"name\":\"This Thing Called Magic\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-11T19:19:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-11T19:19:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/#\/schema\/person\/8903a38150f5b98ef43bc8ade5a076c0\"},\"description\":\"My mind is never still. I mean, never. This started when I was very young and continues until now. All day...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"This Thing Called Magic\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/\",\"name\":\"Meditations, Ruminations & Illumination\",\"description\":\"Meditations, Ruminations & Illumination meshes spirituality with a little critical thinking, sifted through the mind of a Jehovah's Witness wannabe.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/#\/schema\/person\/8903a38150f5b98ef43bc8ade5a076c0\",\"name\":\"Clareece Brunson\",\"description\":\"Clareece Brunson is an over-thinker. A believer, fighting the hard fight of the faith. A poet first. Then, a writer. A over and a fighter. Born in Illinois, USA. Currently lives in Arizona, USA. Blessed and grateful. Love, always.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/author\/cbrunson\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"This Thing Called Magic","description":"My mind is never still. I mean, never. This started when I was very young and continues until now. All day...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"This Thing Called Magic","og_description":"My mind is never still. I mean, never. This started when I was very young and continues until now. All day...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/","og_site_name":"Meditations, Ruminations & Illumination","article_published_time":"2023-09-11T19:19:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":780,"height":813,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/2021\/2023\/09\/IMG_20230911_0944162-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Clareece Brunson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Clareece Brunson","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/","name":"This Thing Called Magic","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-09-11T19:19:42+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-11T19:19:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/#\/schema\/person\/8903a38150f5b98ef43bc8ade5a076c0"},"description":"My mind is never still. I mean, never. This started when I was very young and continues until now. All day...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/this-thing-called-magic\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"This Thing Called Magic"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/","name":"Meditations, Ruminations & Illumination","description":"Meditations, Ruminations & Illumination meshes spirituality with a little critical thinking, sifted through the mind of a Jehovah's Witness wannabe.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/#\/schema\/person\/8903a38150f5b98ef43bc8ade5a076c0","name":"Clareece Brunson","description":"Clareece Brunson is an over-thinker. A believer, fighting the hard fight of the faith. A poet first. Then, a writer. A over and a fighter. Born in Illinois, USA. Currently lives in Arizona, USA. Blessed and grateful. Love, always.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/author\/cbrunson\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}