Essay:Significance in magic

What is it which makes the symbols in magic work, whereas mundane actions and objects don't? Crowley is well known for defining magick as "the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will", but the immediate reaction of most people is to reject this as not making sense. Something about a mundane action like flipping a light switch doesn't "feel" magical, and because magic is powered by belief, nothing will happen. So why is it that this definition is rejected?

When I think of magic, I imagine rare and unusual ingredients, complex rituals, intricate inscriptions, and lengthy incantations. If magic is belief, then none of these are special in their own right, so what do they have in common? Significance. A diamond, despite being a useless lump of carbon, is so "rare" that it's considered extremely significant to the average person. Rituals, by their very nature, are deliberate and breaks from ordinary behavior, making them significant. Symbols are significant in their connection to what they symbolize, and magic words are significant for their history and association with their effects.

So, it follows that the more significant something is, the more "power" it can convey in a magical practice.

Examples

• When creating a talisman or fetish, the more work, effort, and rare ingredients you add to it, the more significant it'll become to the one who made it.
• Complexity and intricacy seems to inspire people, and so is strongly correlated with significance.
• When making sigils, significance can be created by finding the unusual correspondences and synchronicities in the symbolism of the sigil in question. For instance, my own name ConsciousCode has meanings on at least 4 different levels from alternate readings and associations, making it highly significant to me.