• Draws on peer-reviewed research in psychology and cognitive neuroscience, such as real-time brain imaging, to examine the effects of mystical states and magical practice
• Shows how being "in the zone," as described by athletes and performers, is consistent with the ritualist's state of mind when working magic
• Suggests rituals and routines to strengthen one's practice of magic, witchcraft, meditation, and yoga with empirically proven tools
By looking through the lens of psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and real-time brain imaging, Mind over Magick shows how and why ritual magical practice can produce profound experiences with tangible benefits.
Richard Kaczynski draws on a wealth of peer-reviewed research to shed new light on magic. He uses psychological studies, including the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment in which subjects role-played as prisoners and guards, to reveal the power of magical vestments and personas and the effects they have on ritual practitioners. He shows how being "in the zone," as described by athletes and performers, is consistent with the ritualist's state of mind when working magic. He also reveals what neurological processes are involved when one encounters and works with spirits.
Mind over Magick includes empirically proven rituals to strengthen one's practice of magic, witchcraft, yoga, and meditation. Readers can then apply the scientific method to evaluate their own spiritual praxis and determine what works best for them. For solitary practitioners and group participants alike, the author shares what happens, both on a psychological and neurological level, when they enter sacred spaces and use ritual implements as well as enter deep meditative states. He also details the importance of initiation as a rite of passage and transformative method of instruction.
By approaching the art of practicing magic as a science, readers are encouraged to hone a more effective and empirically grounded practice. Richard Kaczynski is a lifelong student and writer on Western esotericism. He is an authority on the life and works of Aleister Crowley. The author of Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley and editor of Aleister Crowley's The Sword of Song, he holds a PhD in psychology with a minor in statistics. His doctoral dissertation examined the structure and correlates of metaphysical beliefs. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. 1
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"YOUR RESUMÉ IS IMPRESSIVE, BUT . . ."
I was sitting across the desk from the Yale University HR officer. It was my fortieth birthday. I had flown seven hundred miles for this job interview, and here it was: the dreaded but. As in, "It never rains but it pours." "It's all over but the crying." "Close but no cigar." Was there a better candidate? Or a problem with the job posting? I took a deep breath and held it. Finally, she continued:
". . . what's up with all this stuff about magick?"
Applying for a statistician position, I didn't expect questions about my interests in psychology, let alone my extracurricular writing and speaking on Western esotericism. However, the job was in the Department of Psychiatry, so it was a fair question. A question for which I didn't have a prepared response.
I answered from the heart. "The psychology of everyday life isn't very interesting. Most of it happens on autopilot. We get up, eat breakfast, brush our teeth, go to work. Like owning a car, you don't need to know how it works until it breaks down. In the same way, we learn the most about the mind when unusual or unexpected experiences challenge our assumptions. For instance, ecstatic or transformative religious experiences can trigger a sudden change in personality . . . which we assume to be a stable trait. This breaks the rules. How does that happen?"
She paused to consider my answer, then nodded. "That makes sense."
While my ad-lib answer explained what my interest in magick had to do wi
