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plural_magic2013-09-04 02:17 pm
fuzzyjayling) wrote in plural_magic2013-09-04 02:17 pm
What is "plural magic"?
I thought I might take a moment to write some more about what exactly is meant by "plural magic".
I assume you know what I mean by "magic" since you're here, but I'll go ahead and give my definition. Basically magic is using your will, calling upon other or higher powers, or even just putting your determination toward effecting change. So this covers anything from the rather mundane "give it your all to change for the better" up to elaborate rituals and years-long working, what is often called "energy" or "chi", or other such forces that aren't measurable by scientific means at this point in time. To me, science is a way of interacting with the universe in a mechanistic, deterministic way, like tapping someone's knee to make their leg jump. Magic is speaking to the universe and interacting in a higher level, more psychological way, and asking for help.
Magic can also serve the purpose of a religious service, to reaffirm one's bond and comfort with the larger world(s). In this regard, even atheists can practice spirituality. (Marvelling at the intricacies of the universe, spending time stargazing, etc.)
The "plural" refers to not being alone in one's personal mental sphere, only during rituals/workings, or all the time. I'll write more about commonly recognised types below.
Spirit helpers / familiars -- This is probably very common and well-understood in the neo-pagan community, and probably even in the wider religious community. Any time you perceive yourself communing with some outside force, for advice, for comfort, for help in rituals, and so on, that might fall under here. Most of the time, at this level of things, you're not doing things like borrowing or switching, but you're sharing a mental space in which you can communicate. IMO, even praying and feeling that you received a response falls under here. Spirit mediums might also fall under this category, with a kind of borrowing possible.
Deities / higher beings -- This is like spirit helpers, but you clearly perceive the one(s) you're working with to be of some higher evolution/wisdom/etc. Some people do "horsing" in which a deity or higher being does borrow their body for a bit, to talk with others directly. This can also include things like people being used by beings claiming to hail from Atlantis or other star systems, and so on.
Shamanic guides -- I use the word "shamanic" loosely, because it's ill-defined and quite possibly cultural appropriation. Perhaps "neo-shamanic" would be better. Anyhow, this is similar to plural systems below, as well as spirit guides above, in that you journey to an other-space and speak with guides and helpers.
Plural systems -- Some people identify this way. The basic description of this is that there are other people who are in frequent contact with each other, and there may also be an inner or other space. (There also might not -- it might be more like spirit helpers in flavour, but more personal.) The others are often like family. This is where we identify, as you can probably guess. :) There are so many variations on this, it's a whole topic all to itself, and these lovely people cover it way better than I could:
LivingPlural FAQ
LivingPlural Etiquette Guide
A short note on the terms DID and MPD ("dissociative identity" / "multiple personality" disorder). Strictly speaking, they refer to a clinical, medical diagnosis that results from a person having trauma, and building "personalities" or "alters" to survive it. However, they are often incorrectly applied to many other plural systems. Some people do go through that and end up there (or here), but many do not. Additionally, many people who do identify with those terms see their people as separate people, not "alters". As is the case with many things doctors come to love and cherish, it is a square hole that many round pegs are often pounded into. Personally, I find the words "disorder" and "personalities" as applied to us to be extremely distasteful. So please do not assume this is the case for every plural system, and be aware that "multiple personalities" is often not the right word for a plural system. (This is a complex topic and I'm just trying for a quick summary here, so I apologise if I'm upsetting anyone. Feel free to comment.)
Case in point, we started out closer to a neo-shamanic context and ended up here. It's just a matter of what paradigm works best for you and feels most comfortable.
Median Systems -- these are much like plural systems, but they are more about aspects of a single person's being than about fully separate beings. As such, there's a pretty different flavour to this. People within a plural system may also be median (I am). I plan to do some posts about working with magic in a median context, too.
It's one of my personal quests to de-stigmatise these terms and concepts. You can see by how I wrote this like a spectrum that I think the distinction (and the relative scale of "crazy") is unfair and hypocritical. One end of this list is common and accepted by magic workers, the other end is often not. But I wish to do two things with this list:
- Show that all kinds of plurality are valid, and can be healthy ways of being
- Legitimise the "less deep" kinds as a kind of plurality, especially in regards to this community
...and of course, to be more inclusive about the scope of this community in general. It may help you more than you think!
Please do write a comment or message me if you have other examples you'd like to throw in!
(Definitions)
I assume you know what I mean by "magic" since you're here, but I'll go ahead and give my definition. Basically magic is using your will, calling upon other or higher powers, or even just putting your determination toward effecting change. So this covers anything from the rather mundane "give it your all to change for the better" up to elaborate rituals and years-long working, what is often called "energy" or "chi", or other such forces that aren't measurable by scientific means at this point in time. To me, science is a way of interacting with the universe in a mechanistic, deterministic way, like tapping someone's knee to make their leg jump. Magic is speaking to the universe and interacting in a higher level, more psychological way, and asking for help.
Magic can also serve the purpose of a religious service, to reaffirm one's bond and comfort with the larger world(s). In this regard, even atheists can practice spirituality. (Marvelling at the intricacies of the universe, spending time stargazing, etc.)
The "plural" refers to not being alone in one's personal mental sphere, only during rituals/workings, or all the time. I'll write more about commonly recognised types below.
Spirit helpers / familiars -- This is probably very common and well-understood in the neo-pagan community, and probably even in the wider religious community. Any time you perceive yourself communing with some outside force, for advice, for comfort, for help in rituals, and so on, that might fall under here. Most of the time, at this level of things, you're not doing things like borrowing or switching, but you're sharing a mental space in which you can communicate. IMO, even praying and feeling that you received a response falls under here. Spirit mediums might also fall under this category, with a kind of borrowing possible.
Deities / higher beings -- This is like spirit helpers, but you clearly perceive the one(s) you're working with to be of some higher evolution/wisdom/etc. Some people do "horsing" in which a deity or higher being does borrow their body for a bit, to talk with others directly. This can also include things like people being used by beings claiming to hail from Atlantis or other star systems, and so on.
Shamanic guides -- I use the word "shamanic" loosely, because it's ill-defined and quite possibly cultural appropriation. Perhaps "neo-shamanic" would be better. Anyhow, this is similar to plural systems below, as well as spirit guides above, in that you journey to an other-space and speak with guides and helpers.
Plural systems -- Some people identify this way. The basic description of this is that there are other people who are in frequent contact with each other, and there may also be an inner or other space. (There also might not -- it might be more like spirit helpers in flavour, but more personal.) The others are often like family. This is where we identify, as you can probably guess. :) There are so many variations on this, it's a whole topic all to itself, and these lovely people cover it way better than I could:
LivingPlural FAQ
LivingPlural Etiquette Guide
A short note on the terms DID and MPD ("dissociative identity" / "multiple personality" disorder). Strictly speaking, they refer to a clinical, medical diagnosis that results from a person having trauma, and building "personalities" or "alters" to survive it. However, they are often incorrectly applied to many other plural systems. Some people do go through that and end up there (or here), but many do not. Additionally, many people who do identify with those terms see their people as separate people, not "alters". As is the case with many things doctors come to love and cherish, it is a square hole that many round pegs are often pounded into. Personally, I find the words "disorder" and "personalities" as applied to us to be extremely distasteful. So please do not assume this is the case for every plural system, and be aware that "multiple personalities" is often not the right word for a plural system. (This is a complex topic and I'm just trying for a quick summary here, so I apologise if I'm upsetting anyone. Feel free to comment.)
Case in point, we started out closer to a neo-shamanic context and ended up here. It's just a matter of what paradigm works best for you and feels most comfortable.
Median Systems -- these are much like plural systems, but they are more about aspects of a single person's being than about fully separate beings. As such, there's a pretty different flavour to this. People within a plural system may also be median (I am). I plan to do some posts about working with magic in a median context, too.
It's one of my personal quests to de-stigmatise these terms and concepts. You can see by how I wrote this like a spectrum that I think the distinction (and the relative scale of "crazy") is unfair and hypocritical. One end of this list is common and accepted by magic workers, the other end is often not. But I wish to do two things with this list:
- Show that all kinds of plurality are valid, and can be healthy ways of being
- Legitimise the "less deep" kinds as a kind of plurality, especially in regards to this community
...and of course, to be more inclusive about the scope of this community in general. It may help you more than you think!
Please do write a comment or message me if you have other examples you'd like to throw in!
(Definitions)