Theos-Talk Archives (January 1997 Message tl00728)

Jerry Schueler wrote:

>There is almost no logic to magic (or magick) at all.
>Those who apply logic to it find that it won't work.  Only by
>being illogical do we get results.  Why?  Possibly because logic
>and reason are human, and pertain to the human brain-mind.  In order
>for magic to work, we must transcend or go beyond the human mind,
>and thus transcend logic.  I can see from your discourse that you
>are terribly wrapped up in logic, seeing it as some kind of litmus
>test for Truth.  Alas, I see this as self-limiting, because you
>will never get beyond the human condition that way.  Truth is
>both logical and illogical.  It must be so, since it is all-in-all.

There is a significant difference between what transcends logic and what is
illogical.  That "we have nothing to fear but fear itself" is a paradoxical
truth that transcends logic.  To conclude that X is an orange, from the
premises that all oranges are fruits and that X is a fruit, is illogical
and will be true only by chance.  Truth and illogic do not mix, but there
is truth that transcends logic.  If you understand what I mean by this
distinction, I would be surprised if you still said that successful magick
can be accomplished both by being illogical and by transcending logic.