altmagic rebooted: spell cards, how-to, and telling it like it be

Posted by on . 11 comments.

There hasn’t been much activity here since July 1, and that’s no coincidence. July 4 I started extensive travels that will continue for the next two years or more. I’ve been busy.

But frankly, that’s not the only reason the atelier was quiet.

I knew I wanted to take altmagic in a new direction, but I wasn’t sure what. Making scrolls has been a blast, but it’s difficult to do on the road. I also want to make my work more accessible, so more people can add magic to their lives.

But how to do that? It took a while, but I think I know the answer.

1:/ Spell Cards

Scrolls are large, take a long time to make and carry a high price point. Each time someone bought one I knew it was a big investment and a show of faith in my work. So when I shipped a scroll I made sure to include an extra present. Typically, these presents were small pieces of heavy paper hand-painted with a magic sigil for protection, and then enchanted. In other words, spell cards.

I’ve wanted to produce cards for some time now, but I hesitated. It would be cheap and easy to mass-product them through a printer, but I like doing things handmade. Plus I can’t carry 500 cards with me while I travel, and if they ship direct from the printer I can’t enchant them for you. No fun!

With six weeks of travel under my belt, I have a better sense of what’s practical. I carry a small container of art supplies and have space for just a bit of high quality paper.

This means I can produce hand painted spell cards wherever I go.

I’ll get samples up on the site in the near future. They will carry much lower prices than the scrolls, but will still be enchanted. What do you think?

 

2:/ How to Learn Magic

I’ve become more and more interested in creating a how-to book that will walk people through the steps of casting their own spells. Magic is one of the most breathtaking and life-changing arts in human history; to practice it is a tremendous privilege. I want more people to experience that.

In the past, I’ve talked about a How to Summon a Familiar product. I think a more general How to Learn Magic book would also be good. I’m wide open to suggestions or requests.

 

3:/ Advancing the Study of Magic

Earlier this year I wrote an article called Magic in the 22nd Century. It challenged skeptics about how they think about magic, and it makes the case that magic ritual is a technology. The article exploded with comments and discussion. It was an outgrowth of an earlier post of mine, Three Magic Spells That Work, which outlines traditional magical techniques that are accepted by science. That post continues to be the single most popular piece on altmagic.

I’d like to expand my work on the scientific study of magic and make advance it as an art form and a technology, one with proven effects. Magic is very real, and it’s time for educated people to see it as such.

Are you ready for the next incarnation altmagic?

Comments

  1. Rua Lupa says:
    August 26, 2012 at 09:22

    I like this. I would like to see your thoughts on the topics for the how to do magic book come through here to glimpse its components and am curious to see how it is received.

    Reply
  2. Sarah says:
    August 26, 2012 at 13:08

    Oooh I want a spell card. Will email you with some suggestions. I’m also interested in your book idea. Will be thinking on that. And as for the scientific study of magic, let me know if you need a research partner. I’d live to help!

    Reply
    • altmagic says:
      August 26, 2012 at 14:37

      I’ll get a preorder system set up for the spell cards this week Sarah. So glad you’re interested!

      I’d love a research partner. What a lovely offer! When I get closer to starting it, I’ll email you details and we can figure out the best way to tackle it.

      Reply
  3. B. T. Newberg says:
    August 26, 2012 at 17:38

    If you’re genuine about trying to scientifically prove your magic, that would be really cool. I think that would do more than anything to achieve your previous article’s goal of changing how skeptics think about magic.

    Lupa has written a great article on how and *how not* to try to prove magic and other ideas:
    http://therioshamanism.com/2011/11/21/why-basic-research-methodology-is-important-magical-knowledge/

    Reply
    • altmagic says:
      August 26, 2012 at 19:48

      I guess it depends on what you mean, BT. Frankly, your statement reads like a trap. Calls like this for “are you willing to prove it?” are frequently thrown out there by skeptics, followed by poorly designed “test” methodology that exists only in the hope of a “gotcha!” moment.

      I’m sincerely committed to the scientific understanding of magic, which includes, as far as I’m concerned, the huge body of anthropological and medical literature showing that magic ritual has profound, measurable effects.

      I’m not committed in any way to trying to seek out someone to “test” my personal practice. This is equal parts because I see no ready source of funding for the kind of properly set up scientific testing I would want to use; because the kind of testing that skeptics normally use for magicians is not scientific or appropriate at all; and because the success or failure of a lone magician is going to do relatively little to establish that magic ritual, overall, has real effects.

      To give a parallel, if a new surgical method is proposed, the wrong approach is to ask one surgeon to perform on a few patients and then judge its efficacy by their survival. The correct approach is a broader, controlled setup that can establish statistical significance. This is rarely used when “testing” magicians.

      Reply
      • B. T. Newberg says:
        August 27, 2012 at 02:37

        Wow, Drew… that’s more than a little defensive.

        Regardless of what others have done in the past or how others might try to test your magic, all I’m saying is *you* could work toward better, clearer evidence of your scientific claims of efficacy, and if you did it would convince more people.

        I understand you may be jumpy because of past experiences with skeptics, but you gotta admit that such experiences come with the territory of venturing outside the mainstream. I deal with that as well over at HP. So don’t accuse me of trying to “trap” you because of past gripes – that’s not fair.

        When you say you’re working on the “scientific study of magic” that does imply an effort toward formulating hypotheses that can be tested by the current best and most appropriate methods possible.

        Reply
        • altmagic says:
          August 27, 2012 at 09:20

          BT, I don’t think you realize the slant that gets into your words on this topic. Both in your original comment and your follow-up here, intentional or not, you word it as proving “my” magic, evidence of “my” claims.

          My interest is in understanding how magic ceremony, writ large, works.

          Challenging a magician to prove their claims is a common “put up or shut up” tactic used by skeptics. If the magician shows results it can be easily dismissed whereas if they do not then the entire field of magic is treated as disproved. This approach produces little compelling data.

          Regardless of what others have done in the past or how others might try to test your magic, all I’m saying is *you* could work toward better, clearer evidence of your scientific claims of efficacy, and if you did it would convince more people.

          Remember, I come from a framework of saying: I don’t know what the efficacy is. I’m not out to “convince” people. I’m out to dispel misinformation on the topic. Before I start to evangelize anything other than that, I’d much rather figure out what works, what doesn’t work, and how.

          When you say you’re working on the “scientific study of magic” that does imply an effort toward formulating hypotheses that can be tested by the current best and most appropriate methods possible.

          Absolutely, and the best and most appropriate methods are not one-off tests of a magician and his spells. With funding a large enough sample size could be used that the statistically significant effects of my spells could be understood, sure. That’s just not the kind of research I’m doing. I’m not making 1,000 scrolls and 1,000 dummy scrolls (which would be a rather small sample group, and still beyond my capability).

          The research will take a different, more appropriate direction; one I’ll have to leave for you to evaluate for yourself when the book is ready.

          Reply
          • B. T. Newberg says:
            August 27, 2012 at 09:47

            Clearly this conversation has hit a nerve, so I’ll let it go.

            There may be some truth to the potential overall effect of “put up or shut up” you point out, whether it is intended or not by skeptics. I can see the bind you may find yourself in.

            Be aware though that you’re coming across as stand-off-ish. I fear taking such a stance may insulate a person not only from potentially valuable criticism, but also from the reaching out of a friend.

            Reply
            • altmagic says:
              August 27, 2012 at 11:08

              BT, I jumped on you too hard over it. I’m sorry for that.

              Here’s what I should have said from the beginning:

              Thank you, and I look forward to seeing what you think when I can send you a manuscript. The criticism is helpful.

              Reply

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