Musings Of The Retro-Dolly Dreamer- Lover-Doll Presley: ♥ Mystic & Everyday Messengers of Magick ♥

"Those who don't look forward remain behind..."
(Anonymous)

“We don't license magicians, astrologers, fortune tellers, psychics & politicians, so why the hell do we license psychologists?”

By the 1900s the circus had flourished throughout England. With the advent of circuses travelling to the country from all over Europe, new & unusual 'acts' began to appear in mystic waggons...The infamous act of 'fortune telling', the practise of predicting information about a person's life, became apart of the family circus & fairs & is still apart of them to this very day! The practise of 'divination' or 'mystysism', fortune-telling & it's folklorist reception of Renaissance magic, was originally introduced to wider audiences by Eastern Europeans & Romanical Gypsies.

Acts of fortune telling & or, as often described as, 'Magick', are usually as follows... Consisting of Crystallomancy/Scrying readings, Cheiromancy/Palmestry & Taromancy, Astrology: the movements of celestial bodies, Astromancy: by the stars, Bazi or four pillars: by hour, day, month, and year of birth. Cartomancy: by playing cards, tarot cards, or oracle cards, Ceromancy: by patterns in melting or dripping wax, Clairvoyance: by spiritual vision or inner sight, Cold reading: by using visual and aural clues, Face Reading: by means of variations in face and head shape. Even the use of Hydromancy: by water, Lithomancy: by stones or gems. Numerology: by numbers, Oneiromancy: by dreams, Onomancy: by names, Pendulum reading: by the movements of a suspended object. Pyromancy: by gazing into fire, Runecasting/ Runic divination. Spirit board: by planchette or talking board & Tasseography/Tasseomancy: by tea leaves or coffee grounds.

Legality has certainly been changeable throughout the centuries. In 1572, Augustus of Saxony, strictly imposed that the inescapable penalty for such acts was that of burning! You would have been considered a heretic & accused of witchcraft. To his very day The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia bans the practise outright, considering fortune-telling to be nothing but sorcery & against Islamic practises. It has been punishable by death! 'Magick' is sorcery, sorcery 'Magick', but there is many kinds...
Fortune telling is now considere 'A Class B Misdemeanor' in the state of New York. Under State law, S 165.35:

"A person is guilty of fortune telling when, for a fee or compensation which he directly or indirectly solicits or receives, he claims or pretends to tell fortunes, or holds himself out as being able, by claimed or pretended use of occult powers, to answer questions or give advice on personal matters or to exercise, influence or affect evil spirits or curses; except that this section does not apply to a person who engages in the aforedescribed conduct as part of a show or exhibition solely for the purpose of entertainment or amusement."

Still to this very day by many cultural groups & bands of people & religions, fortune telling is sen as an act of magic & sorcery, therefore branded in today's modern world, as evil. But 'Magick' can be referred to in many different ways... 'Magic using illusion', is the art of appearing to perform supernatural feats using sleight of hand or other methods. Think Derren Brown & Dynamo. 'Magic using the paranormal' & paranormal methods to manipulate natural forces, such as witchcraft, is another reference. 'Ceremonial magic', a somewhat ritual system of esoteric spiritual development using occult technique Then there's 'Magick' a specific system of ritual magic deriving from the religious philosophy of Thelema. 'Magick' & religion are interlinked to & have been practised for thousands of years... Did all this suddenly disappear when religion became Monotheistic? No. 'Magic & religion' can be seen as one at times, as prayer involves the intercession of deities or other spirits. We all pray for someone or wish for something, no? That is a form of 'Ritual Magick'. We are asking something or someone to influence the powers that be to alter, bend or even change our present mental, physical or spiritual state in one way or another. We often find ourselves saying "argh, I wish I was home already or I wish I had more money to buy this or that. Casually may be & lightheartedly with not necessarily any heat or belief behind it by some, a figure of speech perhaps, but we're still 'invoking' by the power of prayer and hope. Whether you believe in God or not & even if you cannot class or label your belief system, whether you even have one or not, it's still human nature to want & hope for more. Its within, its innate.

People think that 'Magick' is all about 'spells', 'curses', equalling wart-nosed witches in pointy hats, demons, Satanists, cloaked figure skulking in graveyards. That it's something impossible, irrational & mankind's way of explaining something that is initially alien to us or unexplainable, due to the 'limited' cognitive understandings & social norms of the time. Not all forms of 'Magick' require an individual's physical intervention. Ever noticed that the simple power of thought is enough? Like when a mother suddenly gains the strength of ten men to lift a care or rubble off her injured child?! A well-coined, cliche of an example as it may be, it still retains its relevance. What about those individuals who have suffered with a chronic illness their whole lives or someone who had been diagnosed as terminally ill? Suddenly you hear of these miraculous recoveries, sometimes lengthily, but a recovery none-the-less. When questioned & probed about it, many say that they wanted to be better so bad that it sort-of naturally all fell into place for them. Mind over matter, something we all try to harness & practise, something that too can be classed as 'Magick' within itself!

'Magick' in its pure form is neutral; neither good nor bad. A state of mind & will. Like anything, can be practised physically. Like a knife, the intention behind it is only dangerous or when used with ill intent, in the hands of a misguided individual that harnesses unnatural thoughts. A knife is not going to stab someone with brute-force by itself, is it?

I, for one, am a strong believer in spiritual gifts such as this & believe individuals can possess such powers as a birth right. Not acts against God, for it is God who gifted individuals with these powers in the first place... We are more in control of ourselves & shaping our future than we think. Yes, I believe that what is meant to be, is meant to be, fate, destiny, what will be will be & that's all that will be etc. But, I also believe that we can influence our decisions, wants & needs. We do that every day. It's the art of causing change to occur in conformity with Will, the Ego, The Higher Self, all a part of God's plan & integral to the evolution & divination of the human soul. The Way of The Esoteric Fool, if you will, from the major Arcana on a Tarot deck. 'Magick' can be utilised by a simple thought or decision & lie within it, too!

Personally, I believe that to create life in this first place is an act of 'Magick' itself! For us to be able to create a new life with a lover, 'play God' if you will, is just as superior. 'Magick' is the subversion of 'Natural Lores', something that happens everyday through the power of nature & through us too, more often unintentionally. We influence what is around us & what is around influences us. A plant will grow from a sapling easily in nature, yet the natural development of the plant could be altered in our possession, for instance. Say for example, if you owned a potted-plant. Without you watering it, feeding it, giving it sufficient natural light it will wilt & die. We are influencing & responsible, just like nature itself. A flower blossoming, the seasons changing-all 'Magickal' in terms of the natural or influenced subversion of the natural lores, no? Global Warming is the most famous of examples.

Christians for one, believe God is Omnipresent- in everything around us & everywhere, such as in nature etc. As is 'Magick'. It too is all around us. It is a part of God's work on this planet...

That brings me to the subject of 'Alchemy', which too is considered as an act of subversion of the 'Natural Lores'. But that too is another form of 'Magick'. Something that we put into practise every, single day of our lives.I suppose in it's modern & more 'rational' term would be called 'chemestry'!

The most common example would be making a cup of tea. We boil the cold water. Here we are heating the atom particles H2o that are few & loose, hence the liquid state, to boiling point. By simply adding a teabag, we are altering & therefore changing the physical appearance & state of the water. 'Magick', yes, unbelievable & requiring spells, certainly not! These aren't the unfounded beliefs of a mad woman, but one that is commonly expressed & felt by many. One that serves as the hope for all who feel & know that there is sooo much more to life than what we can see with the naked eye...

So, here's a few online pics I found in an old album of mine. None of these have been taken by me, nor do I own the right to any of them. They're just for fun & have some great subject matter.

Enjoy!