|
|
‘Magick’ serves as spiritual alternative to traditional magic |
|
|
|
Thursday, 21 February 2008 |
 Photo by Jameykey Young
|
by JACQUELINE SCOTT
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
The magic found on television, or on Ripley’s Believe It or Not, may not be the same “magick” found in Boone.
“Magick may involve the use of rituals, taboos and/or fetishes,” anthropology professor Dr. Gregory G. Reck said. “Rituals are sequences of patterned behaviors; taboos are behaviors to be avoided; fetishes are objects that are believed to possess certain powers.”
However, magic commonly portrayed on television is for entertainment and based on illusion, Reck said.
As an outgrowth of Reck’s anthropological interests, this spring
semester he instructs a “Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion” course that
strives to understand different theoretical approaches to religious
behaviors and beliefs.
“We use religion and magic as a kind of prism through which we can
explore questions of the nature of the human experience,” Reck said.
It is through that prism that such individuals as psychics, tarot card readers, or Pagans regard their world.
 Town psychic Sage stands in the Dancing Moon Bookstore, located on King Street in downtown Boone. Photo by Jameykay Young
|
Though, there are distinctions to be made among the different individuals, especially in regards to their practices and beliefs.
“In my experience, not all tarot readers practice magick or witchcraft
and not all Pagans read the tarot,” said James W. Crew, a senior
interdisciplinary studies major with a concentration in contemporary
Pagan studies.
Crew began attending Pagan Student Association meetings to “get a good look at the Pagan community.”
“I had been active in the Raleigh area and wanted to continue my
involvement and socialization with like-minded individuals upon
relocation,” he said.
Crew regards his ability to read the Tarot as both an innate gift and earned through education.
Sometimes, you are genetically born with an innate gift.
Sometimes, one has just received the gift. Other times, one has studied the craft and may have become a witch, he said.
Cheryl, a local witch and tarot card reader, realized her gift at an early age.
“Since I was a child I could see different things and I knew that I was
different,” she said. “I would dream things that would come true.
“I was into trees and nature rather than playing with dolls. I was
making mojo bags, a magical charm, as a child with different herbs and
rocks though I didn’t realize what I was doing when I was doing it.”
Cheryl began reading tarot cards over 20 years ago.
Her business, Tarot Card Readings by Cheryl, has primarily grown through word of mouth.
“I believe that tarot cards show different paths that you can take,”
Cheryl said. “I truly believe in tarot cards and the readings, but it
depends on the reader.”
Tarot card readings will change with the customer.
“The accuracy of the cards depends on how open the querent, the person
having a tarot reading done, is to having their cards read,” Crew said.
“If they go into a reading determined that it will be absolutely wrong,
then they will not be able to hear any deeper messages that are
delivered.”
Tarot card readings require a kind of discretion.
“I did this guy’s cards once and he got a card that meant total
designation, tragedy, and bad times,” Cheryl said. “I tried to
sugarcoat it a little bit to ‘wherever there is an end to something,
there’s something new starting.’ About a month after I read his cards,
he was busted for marijuana and got his children taken away.”
Sage, a local psychic who frequents Dancing Moon Earthway Bookstore, regards her work as one that requires responsibility.
“There is no psychic who is 100 percent accurate 100 percent of the
time. It’s impossible,” she said. “[Psychics] can’t be because clients
have free-will and free-choice. You can change and choose another
reality in any given moment.”
“A psychic only reads a realm of possibility if you kept on that
particular path,” Sage said. “We are responsible for everything that we
say that could create any outcome based upon what we say. It’s both a
greater honor and a great responsibility to be a psychic.”
Sage was struck psychic 12 years ago overnight. Her main purpose is to help others.
“I believe that each one of us are here on the planet to do a
particular something, an alignment with our blueprint,” she said. “I
help other people help to raise their consciousness, to return to their
loving selves, to alleviate all judgment. My purpose here is to help
other people come to that place of balance within themselves.”
Cheryl said many continue to view witchcraft as the devil’s work.
“We don’t even believe the devil exists. We believe in negativity – we stay away from negativity,” Cheryl said.
“Magick isn’t circus shows,” sophomore graphic design major Kurt Eltz
said. “Magick is finding oneself being attuned to the natural flow of
things and then riding the wave.”
Trackback(0)
 |
|
|
Lifestyles 
TrackBack URI for this entry
Show/Hide comments
Tell the whole truth about tarot instead of only relying on practictioners of so-called "Magick" as sources. Tarot is really for card games! 
