~by Goddess Lycia
www.goddesslyciasworld.com

mag·ick 
n.  An action or effort undertaken because of a personal need to effect change, especially as associated with Wicca or Wiccan beliefs.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved October 27, 2007

hyp·no·sis  
n. An artificially induced altered state of consciousness, characterized by heightened suggestibility and receptivity to direction.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved October 27, 2007

In the past five years as a Hypnodomme, I’ve often reflected on the similarities between hypnosis and magick. I do not consider Myself a witch or Satanist, as many people assume. If I have to give Myself a label as far as religious beliefs are concerned, I’d say I am agnostic. However, I have learned a lot about magick from My mother, who is a clairvoyant. Mainly, she taught Me about the power of visualization and the manifestation of desires through the focus of thought and energy.

One of the things about magick is that it works properly only if all parties (and the universe) are in agreement with what is desired by the witch or sorcerer. Those who are knowledgeable in the art of hypnosis are aware that in order for hypnosis to work to its full extent, both the hypnotist and subject need to desire the change. Both magick and hypnosis work only if a) changes are environmentally and physically possible, and b) all parties involved are open to and accepting of the change.

Another similarity between the two is that they require the performer to get into a certain “space” or mindset. The performer is required to be confident and in control of her/his surroundings. The conscious manipulation of thought processes and energy is essential to a successful ritual of any kind, but even more so when the ritual involves a significant change in a person or a person’s life.

As with magick, many people find hypnosis to be of a mystical nature, and are not sure whether or not to “believe” in it. Although psychological studies have been made on hypnosis which can “prove” that it works, studies in psychology can be questionable. The human mind can be quite complex, and it is difficult to say if a subject is truly experiencing that which she/he claims to be. Also, one can swear up and down that hypnosis is real because she/he has experienced it as a subject, but a witch (or a person who has been abducted by aliens, or a person who has had a near-death experience) can claim the same thing. “I know it’s real because I was there.”

To note a couple of differences in magick vs. hypnosis: Aside from the notion of whether or not supernatural forces are at work, another difference between the two is who the ritual is about. A witch might be focusing her/his energy on another person, but she/he is the only one making things happen. The witch alone (or possibly the witch and the rest of a coven) is the center of the universe. In hypnotism, the center of the universe is the subject. Another difference might be the use of material objects in the practice (witches have a plethora of ingredients to use in rituals, from fingernails and hair to plant roots and essential oils). But then again, so do hypnotists (e.g. swinging jewels and animated spirals). So the difference is the way in which these material objects are used.

Now, back to the similarities. During a rough time in My teenage years, My mother performed what she referred to as an exorcism on Me. You know what it was? Hypnosis. She brought Me down and guided Me through a tunnel of My inner demons. As I walked through the tunnel, I commanded the demons to go to the light and evaporate into the ultra-violet flame. Sounds New-Agey, I know. But that is just because of the way she worded it.

So did the exorcism/hypnotherapy work? Not at the time, because I wasn’t ready and the change wasn’t physically possible with only one session. But it did give Me more practice in visualization and manipulating My own mind to function in a positive manner, even when it doesn’t want to.

Any magickal occurrence can also be seen as the manipulation of psychology and energy, which both have roots in science. For example, how does a Ouija board work? You might have played with one before and had full conversations with spirits. Maybe you accused your friend of moving the planchette, because you know that you didn’t, and it was just too weird. Well, scientists claim that the movement of the planchette is due to what is referred to as the ideomotor effect. As our fingers lightly touch the planchette, our subconscious mind can cause involuntary movements which happen so quickly that they are difficult to detect even by another party.

Another example is the phenomenon of the near-death experience. While a survivor can be one-hundred percent certain that she/he experienced the stairway to heaven, with all of her/his deceased relatives waiting at the entrance to the light, doctors and scientists can still form an argument. During trauma there are a great amount of endorphins released into the brain, which cause a euphoric sensation. Combined with distorted senses and lack of oxygen, it is no surprise that one can experience a false scene as if it is reality.

Just as magick can be viewed as nothing more than science in the works, psychological manipulation can be understood as working magick. As the definition above states, magick is “(a)n action or effort undertaken because of a personal need to effect change…” Just remove the “especially…” part. When one is hypnotizing a subject, using words and motion to manipulate the mind and cause changes in thought and behavior, is she/he not performing magick? Which brings thought to the matter of doctors and dentists and lawyers and web designers. Are we not all performing magick?

Every time one performs a magickal ritual, in full belief of the spiritual nature of the act, can the actions and results also be explained exclusively in terms of psychology or another science? And when one performs an act which they believe is made possible exclusively by the application of scientific technique, can it also be explained in terms of the existence of spiritual and supernatural forces? If you really think about it, the answer to both is “yes.” The only difference is that one explanation can be backed up by more tangible proof than the other, and that tangible proof simply comes down to a larger number of studies made on the subject of hypnosis.

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