What really is Magic?

What do you think of when you hear the word Magic?  Do you think of a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, or maybe you prefer a more sophisticated illusionist like David Copperfield?  Maybe you think of Merlin the Magician from the Arthurian legend, or Harry Potter’s fun world of magic.  You might even think of New Age subjects like Wicca or Shamanism, perhaps even esoteric and occult teachings about angels, demons or our own inherent abilities to create “magic.”

Whatever people may think of magic, it has been around for many thousands of years, and in all countries and cultures of the world.  It is probably the only thing that is as wide-spread and universal throughout mankind's history as religion and the concept of God.  (In fact, some might even say that they are one and the same).

So, if the subject of Magic is so all-pervasive throughout mankind's existence, then what exactly is Magic?  In the most basic sense, magic is something that cannot be explained by science or technology, and this is the foundation of everything we call magic today.

Imagine life not so many centuries ago, when people had no knowledge or understanding of bacteria, for example.  An air or water-borne contagion infects many people, but no one can explain how they got sick.  It is easy to grasp for the nearest plausible explanation, such as the ugly old crone down the road who despises people and therefore cast a spell to make them sick.  

Other people living close to nature came to believe that spirits guided, helped or even attacked them, and performing certain rituals could either appease these spirits or call upon them for some assistance.   There are many examples of how the idea of something supernatural and magical came to be the popular explanation for events that were not understood in the past.

Image by Enrique Meseguer on Pixabay

Myths, folklores and tales from every country, race and group of people are full of superstitions, belief in the supernatural and in magic. 

But then magic began to be deliberately practiced by an organized group of people, and magic became a belief system like religion.  The foremost example of this is Ancient Egypt, and it spread to the rest of the ancient world such as Greece, Persia, Mesopotamia and beyond.  Such organized magic made belief in such things like protection amulets, curses and supernatural powers a common and everyday thing:  maybe just like we take for granted that lights come on when we flick a switch, or we see an image on our screens, without understanding the exact nature of electricity or the functions of a microchip.

But did the magic of the past really work, like our lights and computers work in our day?  For magic and the people who performed it to flourish for centuries, if not even millennia down to our day, there must have been something to it.  Or was it because there was no other knowledge available to replace the belief in magic, according to what the priests and other practitioners of magic were saying?

Image by Enrique Meseguer on Pixabay

Magic did not seem to fade away as civilizations advanced, but rather seemed to become more established in the age of books, science and medicine.  The scientists, physicists and doctors of the Middle Ages were alchemists who studied astrology and believed they could turn lead to gold.  Some of their books still exist today, and are full of conjurations (spells) and mystical symbolism. 

https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-ancient-writings/magic-ancients-five-incredible-texts-spells-curses-and-incantations-020408

The confusing language and codes were meant to protect the knowledge of performing magic from being misused or abused by people unworthy of wielding it, and this led to secret societies, initiations and masters who trained apprentices in the works of magic.

This led to the concept of hidden knowledge and activity, which is the meaning of the word occult, while the word  esoteric means something is known to only a select, elite few people.

Thanks to the Internet and an open society nowadays, most of these occult and esoteric traditions are well known, and no doubt gaining many new members all the time.  You’ve probably heard of the main ones such as Jewish mysticism called The Kabbalah or Qabalah, Hermeticism, The Rosicrucians and even the Freemasons whose traditions go back to Ancient Egypt.

The general teaching of these secret societies that is made public in many books is the

path to personal enlightenment, empowering each person to have control of one’s life and destiny.   But another much less-known theory about the purpose of these societies is that ancient knowledge must be kept secret and only revealed to a chosen few.  This ancient knowledge could contain science and technology not commonly known today, and which has been suppressed over millennia.

Whatever the case may be, magic is as popular as ever, judging by the endless variety of Fantasy books and films as well as the ever-growing range of non-fiction books about ancient magic, New Age themes, mysticism, esoteric societies and even the occult. 

But why is this so?  Do people just need an escape?   Is it an alternative to belief in a deity?  Is magic just another form of religion?  Or is there really something to it?  After all, research and study of the Paranormal has been undertaken by governments and other serious establishments, and the latest books on the subject are bestsellers!

Real Magic: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, and a Guide to the Secret Power of the Universe

https://www.amazon.com/Real-Magic-Ancient-Science-Universe-ebook/dp/B073YZZZBL

Are these some of the ancient secrets that have been carefully guarded down the ages?  

Like many people, I have been fascinated by magic and the paranormal since my childhood, and I have based my Fantasy series on some research into ancient magic.  For instance, books 2 & 3 are set in Ancient Egypt, and Rhuna, The Star Child deals with the use of amulets, curses and illnesses believed to be performed by people with special powers.

The fifth book in the series, Rhuna, The Snow Dreamer features Tibetan lamas with supernormal abilities, as described in another popular book:

Supernormal: Science, Yoga, and the Evidence for Extraordinary Psychic Abilities

https://www.amazon.com/Supernormal-Science-Evidence-Extraordinary-Abilities-ebook/dp/B00B3GMOIQ

The Writing Process: Some Advice and How to Unwind

My writing process is fairly straight-forward, combining practical common sense with a bit of unbridled creative passion!  First of all, I glean all the information on my next topic (eg Rhuna in Ancient Egypt) from my stash of historical, New Age, spiritual, pseudoscientific books and take notes of the points I like.  From about 50 such points, however, I might only end up using half or less, but that’s fine.  In the beginning, I don’t have a clear idea of what I’m going to use, but if I have a nice long list of ideas/topics/facts/myths to choose from, then it’s easier to grab one as I’m going along.

Before I start writing, I formulate a general plot in my head.  Since this a series, I have a definite starting point (the cliff-hanger from the last book) and end point (the cliff-hanger leading to the next book).   I have some definite ideas what will happen between both points; not just in terms of events but how characters will be affected.  

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Once I have a fairly solid base line to follow, I allow myself to develop and add things as I go along, and this often happens almost by itself from Part II onwards.  Often I have Part One clearly defined in my mind before I get started, and this helps me lay the groundwork for the rest of the book, such as setting the scene, raising the new issues or problems Rhuna will be facing, and creating some suspense as to what will happen.

Usually I write to story in sequence, but at times I’ve been overwhelmed by new ideas or a description of feelings or events that happen further along in the story.  That’s when I let the creativity flow freely, and later I connect those scenes with the ones written in chronological order.

Some advice I’d gladly pass on to new and aspiring authors are these:

·        Be yourself.  Don’t try to write in the style of a popular author, or even your favourite author.  You have to find your own inner voice and then let it shine forth.  

·        Every word you write should come from your heart and soul – not your brain dictating how you think it should read.  If you do this, readers will instinctively feel it and have an emotional response to your book.

·        Remember that books are like people: with some you immediately ‘click’; with others you just can’t gel.  This goes for the books you read yourself, but also what to remember when readers don’t like your book.  Not everyone is going to like it, just as not everyone is going to like you personally.  That’s just the way it is.

·        If you are being yourself in your creation, then continue to be true to yourself.  Keep writing and growing while doing the necessary promotion and marketing of your books, and your readership will grow:  slowly but surely.

Being creative can be more mentally exhausting that you realize, so it’s important to make yourself have a break before you feel the brain fog or mental block developing.  In my case, I have another creative outlet, namely art: sketching, oil painting, acrylic, watercolour, still life, portraits or whatever grabs my fancy.  I meet with other artists at the local Art Society’s studio once a week, and this is already a great little break when I’ve been writing or thinking a lot about a book.  Other times, I feel I need a week or two away from writing and just do paintings and sketches around home.

When I’m out of creative gusto, I play games: jigsaw puzzles (on the computer nowadays – much easier!) some hidden object mystery games and Super City on Facebook.  Other times just going to the park with hubby and the dog is enough unwinding for a few hours.  And believe it or not, doing some necessary chores and housework can also help to unwind mentally just by giving you some distance from the work you were focussed on.

Good vs Bad - Too One-dimensional?

Most of us know that every good story must have an outstanding villain or two – how else can the characters be challenged and drawn out accomplish, overcome and attain happiness for the readers?   And if not a person, then certain circumstances act as the obstacle, problem and challenge for characters to overcome, otherwise there would be no story to tell.  But I believe readers have moved on from the fairy-tale basics of plain good versus plain old evil, and villains (or problematic circumstances) can no longer be one-dimensional to satisfy today’s readers.

This is good, because real life is anything but one-dimensional, and people are hardly ever completely good or totally evil, so unless you want to escape into a fairy-tale world for a while, characters and/or circumstances should also have various layers and dimensions.  The classic definitions of protagonist vs antagonist have become blurred, but rather than confuse readers by undermining what is “good” and what is “bad”, a good story nowadays leads the reader to come to his or her own conclusions, and this is a much more rewarding and satisfying result.

I’ve been reminded of these points again just recently after watching a couple of my favourite TV series again, namely Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Haven.   In Buffy, for example, the traditionally evil vampire called Spike goes through many ordeals and transitions until he comes out as the hero and saviour of the world in the final episode.   Haven has the winning formula of three characters which each brings something different into the mix according to their own perspective.  One of them is Duke, a petty criminal but actually not such a bad guy when you get to know him better.   Like Spike, he, too, sacrifices his life to save everyone else in the second-last episode of the show.

Without directly thinking about such shows or books with similar storylines, I found myself also creating a “bad guy” who ends up saving all the “good guys”.   His name is Goram, and he first appears as Beacon of the Night, his formal Atlan name, in the first book, Rhuna, Keeper of Wisdom.  He’s already showing signs of rebelling against the Atlan way of life by trying to grope and seduce Rhuna, but some 20 years later she meets him again in Ancient Egypt where he has switched sides completely and is the leader of the Black Magic followers of the Dark Master.  But by the end of book 3, Rhuna, The Star Child, however, Goram has actually saved the Atlan people who had to flee Egypt, and at the end of book 4, Rhuna: new Horizons, he does something even more extraordinary to rid the ancient world of the Dark Master’s influence.  Needless to say, just like Spike in Buffy and Duke in Haven, their actions didn’t come about on the spur of the moment, but rather developed subtly over time with a series of challenging events. 

So, we are seeing deeper dimensions and layers of the antagonist who, in many cases, turns out to do a particularly good or heroic deed.   Maybe it’s much more rewarding to see the ‘bad guy’ do good in the end out of love or some other deeper motivations, than seeing the good guy do the predictable heroic stuff!

Names for Characters - Why so important?

What’s in a name?  A common question with answers that run surprisingly deep.  Names are like brands or images, and a name that’s easy to remember, stands out or has a nice ring to it immediately have a positive effect on those who hear or read the name.  Why else do many celebrities (and authors!) change their names if their real ones are hard to pronounce, sound strange or even funny? 

My own experience with a different surname really drove this point home to me quite dramatically, and here's the story:  I grew up with a Russian-sounding surname which no one could pronounce, so I spent the first 25 years of my life spelling it over and over and over again.  But then, when I was married to my first husband whose surname was Taylor - hey, presto!  I was suddenly very popular and well-liked, and even received compliments such as "nice name!" from a complete stranger when I introduced myself on the phone while at work! 

Nowadays, I'm happy with my second husband and his name, Underwood, which I gladly use because it's much easier to spell and pronounce than my maiden name!

With this in mind, I always consider the names of my characters very carefully, and it was an extra challenge because the setting is fantasy – or alternate history at best, so a common name like Bob or Jane just wouldn’t do.  We all have a mental image of what a Bob or Jane would look like, just as we connect an image to most other words and names.  A name determines our identity, so it's a big deal to create a character and a name to make a whole new identity with whom the reader can identify.

Although there are some great websites that generate character names of all sorts, I found that they didn’t help me at all, and so I come up with my character’s names the old-fashioned way:  just thinking, jotting them down and tossing them around in my head.  Sometimes I change a letter or two to see if the name sounds better, and then just thought about the “feel” of the name – what kind of personality the sound of the name conjures up in the mind.    When I feel reasonably happy with a new name, I google it to make sure it isn’t already “taken” by some other author or film-maker, and if it’s reasonably uncommon or even has no google search results, I’ll take it!

This is the approach I used for ‘personal’ names like Rhuna.  But in world of the Atlan Empire (Atlantean Empire) people had a more complicated formal name by which they were known (I made that bit up – but how knows what it was really like in Atlantis?!) such as Keeper of Wisdom.  This idea just came to me one day when I was thinking of how to make Atlan names stand apart from every other name, and it seemed to fit perfectly.  Atlans are given a formal name or title when they have shown a certain trait or quality.  Hence names like Guardian of Harmony, Resolver of Disputes and Wanderer of Plains.  But some names are less precise such as Softness of the Clouds, Peace of the Valley and Melody of the Dawn.

Once the characters are created and named, they have a tendency to take over their own destiny as the story is written.  This is because the characters are given certain basic traits (which often match their names) and as events unfold, I have to consider how each character would react to this event depending on their personality.  I think it’s important to keep the characters true to themselves and let them grow and change as the story unfolds, just as it would be for real-life people who are constantly growing and changing as they go through life.

Sometimes, certain characters have actually determined the outcome of a sub-plot due to their own individual view of a matter, and many times, when I’ve had to consider the next steps in a story and how each character would be affected, would they feel and react, I’ve been shown several alternate paths the story could take.   So I really must give some of the credit to the characters who have come alive on the pages of RHUNA!

Hydromancy, Water Scrying, Crystal Balls and The Gazing of the Waters

Some years ago, when I was doing research for my first Paranormal Urban Fantasy novel, I read something about using a still body of water like a crystal ball to see things clairvoyantly.   This is perfect, I thought: a way of supernatural or psychic remote viewing without using the common crystal ball.   In my books, the method is described as using a bowl or basin in a dimly-lit room, sprinkle in some coloured powder while speaking words of incantation, then watch the surface of the water swirl with colours until it reveals a vision of a person or place far away.   I called it the Gazing of the Waters – a standard form of communication and remote viewing among the highly advanced, intellectual Atlans who live in an idyllic, utopian society (based on Atlantis).

Back then, I had no idea that what I created for my novels is actually a reasonably well-known method of divination called either water scrying or Hydromancy.  According to several websites specializing in the general subject of Metaphysics, the practice of seeking supernatural communication or knowledge using a surface of water goes back thousands of years.   There are very few written records that go back that far, but Esoteric Wisdom, like all things occult (meaning ‘hidden’ or ‘knowledge kept secret among only a certain few’) has retained this knowledge for our New Age.

Medieval texts often refer to different methods of water divination, but by this time (several centuries ago) the special knowledge of the Ancients had gone underground, and only an empty shell of the original practice remained.  The medieval texts in question list a variety of methods for gaining psychic insight, such as counting ripples in the water - like reading tea leaves, I imagine!

http://www.crystalinks.com/hydromancy.html

However, Hydromancy’s ‘cousin’, the crystal ball, has come down to us through the centuries, preserving the ancient technique of ‘gazing’ into a smooth, reflective surface with the intention of seeing something.  For this reason, the ability to see visions in water or a crystal ball is often called The Second Sight, and the act of looking into a crystal ball is often referred to as crystal gazing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_gazing

Nostradamus, the famous medieval apothecary and psychic, apparently used this method of water scrying to receive his vision of the future which he wrote down and published in the mid-1500s.  He preferred to use a bowl of clean water rather than a crystal ball.  

A very interesting blog article by psychic Richard Lee Van Der Voort, describes his own experience gazing into a crystal ball, and I was particularly struck by the process, namely that the ball becomes ‘cloudy’ before clearing and revealing a vision.  This is exactly how I describe the process of summoning visions by means of The Gazing of the Waters in my Rhuna novels and short stories!

http://psychicmindvandervoort231.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/nostradamus-and-ancient-art-of-scrying.html

Another aspect of scrying - be it with water, pendulums, tea leaves or what have you – is the required trance-like mental state the one must first have in order for any scrying to be successful.   I’ve also emphasized this in my books, and have called the deep meditation to calm the mind and reach a trance-like state ‘Inside Focussing’.   

Here is an excellent website that describes the techniques you and I can apply to learn the ancient art of Hydromancy or ‘scrying’ in general.  

https://lonerwolf.com/scrying/

When we meditate or focus all our senses on our inner mind (Inside Focussing), we access our subconscious minds, which can already reveal a great deal of information. Forgotten memories may surface, or we may gain better understanding of ourselves in general. 

Where visions are concerned, a common theory is that our subconscious minds in a deep meditative or trance state can access the Hall of Records also known as the Akashic Records.  This is an intangible ‘database’ of everything that has ever happened (and perhaps could and will happen?), which I have also used in my novels, starting from book 3 in the series (Rhuna, The Star Child) and which I have named The Infinite.

Another theory is that a vision or message received in a trance can come from a sentient being of some sort: gods, angels, perhaps another person projecting strong mental energy…  Decide for yourself!

UFOs and Flying Machines in the Ancient World

UFOs and Flying Machines in the Ancient World

When I first came across this subject many years ago, I promptly dismissed it as historically and scientifically impossible.  After all, we only began to master flight just over a century ago, right? But as I became more curious and interested in ancient history, I began to realize that scientists, historians, archaeologists and other experts didn’t have the answer to the many questions I began to have.     

Next thing I knew, I was reading about ancient flying machines called vimanas and hidden, suppressed technology, and although many of these books were written by laymen without impressive titles or credentials, they actually made more sense to me than the history books we are taught at school and in universities!  

One of the most compelling arguments for flight in ancient times, in my opinion, are the Nazca lines in Peru.  Not only are most of the diagrams and pictograms on the flat desert plains meant to be seen from high above, but a hilltop had been flattened to look exactly like a modern-day runway.

Then there are artifacts that look like model planes, found both in Ancient Egypt and the ancient Americas.  Granted, some of them could be representations of birds or even a fish, but then there’s also an ancient written text describing flying machines called vimanas.  That’s right:  the Vedic texts of Ancient India mentions them several times.

http://www.theancientaliens.com/technology--quimbaya-airplanes

http://www.theancientaliens.com/technology-vimanas

https://exemplore.com/advanced-ancients/Ancient-Indian-Flying-Saucers

Erich von Däniken, who wrote Chariots of the Gods and similar books about what is now referred to as “the Ancient Alien”  theory, has found countless pictures, statues and artifacts which resemble flying craft, astronauts and other highly advanced technology.   Can we really dismiss it all as misinterpretation of historic records? 

Other people, some with impressive credentials in science and physics, believe that Tesla had developed a completely different "science" which included anti-gravitational electromagnetic energy.   One plausible theory is that this technology, which became hidden or suppressed and was only known to a select few, is being used to make modern-day flying craft in the shape of saucers.  Could these be the UFOs people keep seeing in our skies?

Whatever the truth may be, I have used this idea in Rhuna: New Horizons, which is set in Ancient India, and where the 'vimanas' are propelled by electromagnetic anti-gravitational forces.

https://www.amazon.com/Rhuna-Horizons-Urban-Fantasy-Book-ebook/dp/B0714JJV82

Here are some more references:

https://www.amazon.com/Anti-Gravity-Unified-Science-Adventures-Unlimited/dp/0932813100

https://www.amazon.com/Vimana-Machines-David-Hatcher-Childress/dp/1939149037

Dystopia vs. Utopia

Wow, I just had a look at Sci-Fi and Fantasy sub-categories of ebooks on amazon.com, and guess which ones are by far the biggest, with over 13,000 titles?  Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic!  Not that I'm surprised, mind you, with all the TV shows and movies with those themes, not to mention even the daily news in the real world!  But it made me stop and think about how I've been describing my book to people.

You see, my Rhuna series is set in mystical Atlantis, which was said to be a Utopian society, the definition of Utopia being "a community or society possessing highly desirable or near-perfect qualities."  That's the setting I've used, but of course, writing about a perfect world would just be boring, so I add characters who go against those idyllic rules and lifestyles to create conflict.

The idea is to show that there is no such thing as a perfect society, even if it appears to be so on most levels.  There will always be some people and some issues that don't fit, and that's where rebellion starts. 

But Rhuna is still living in an overall peaceful, idyllic world, thanks to the rulers of Atlantis. 

There is no "Utopia" category at amazon.com, and doing a search for "utopia" gets you all kinds of things, but try "Dystopian",  and there are thousands and thousands of books, images and other things.  Why does Dystopia have so much more appeal than Utopia?  Because, I mean, you'd think it would be the other way around, wouldn't you?  Don't people prefer pictures of paradise instead of a post-apocalyptic ruin of a city? 

There are probably many reasons and topics you could philosophize over (and please do share any thoughts you may have in the comments below!) but my main concern now is whether a utopian theme in books would fare well in such an environment as we have right now?

Is Dystopia only popular now because some books, movies and TV shows were hits, and that started a fad?  Are people reading Dystopia because there's no real alternative (except for my books, perhaps?!) 

I read somewhere that readers think a utopian setting is political propaganda of some sort, which might be the case if the book is not Fantasy or Sci-Fi, and so far, no reader or reviewer has had anything negative to say about the utopian setting of my books. 

Far from being political or propaganda, however, I do admit to making social commentary in my books, merely by bringing up age-old issues that still have relevance today, or that the reader can relate to, even though two books are set in Ancient Egypt, for example.  (see Rhuna: Crossroads and Rhuna, The Star Child)

My hope is that readers will find some thoughts about human society and ways of governing as described in Rhuna refreshing, stimulating and worthy of deeper consideration.  So, tell me what you think!

Fantasy or Magical Realism?

When I first began writing my novels, I called them Fantasy and Historical Fantasy, but meanwhile I have decided that the new sub-genre “Magical Realism” is much more fitting.

One of the main things that make novels like mine more “Realism” than “Fantasy” is that the people are normal human beings (albeit some with special powers!) who have problems and concerns like everyone else.

For example, my main character, Rhuna, is a woman living in the mystical past of Atlantis and Ancient Egypt, but her relationships, everyday concerns and moments of self-doubt are things that every reader can understand and identify with. 

In the 3^rd and latest book, “Rhuna, The Star Child,” Rhuna is re-united with her 18-year-old daughter, who has spent the last few years under her father’s very restrictive control.  And what is the first thing she does when she arrives in Ancient Egypt to be with her mother?  She falls in love with the first intriguing man she meets – but he’s every mother’s worst nightmare because he has a terrible reputation as a philanderer, and he is the leader of an underground Dark Magic organization – which in our day may as well amount to a crime gang. 

So, Rhuna is confronted with the challenges of being the mother of a young woman who is involved with the worst kind of guy, and everyone says so.  But she’ll only drive her daughter away and right into his arms if she puts too much pressure on her to break it off. 

These are the kind of realistic situations and personal challenges my characters find themselves in, and I hope most readers enjoy this kind of light fantasy with realism they can identify with.