From: dunlap@scsud.ctstateu.edu
Subject: Magic of Seeing
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1993 17:47:00 GMT

  Good morning, all.  I recently recieved mail from this fellow named
Dennis in response to what I had written regarding a question about
magic.  He asked me to give him advice on developing the sense of
magick.  After four unsuccessful attempts to post him back (an hour -
don't you hate it when your stubbornness backfires?)  I thought that
I'd post here on the subject.
  I personally have never had much success with "seeing with your eyes
closed."  Some people are much better at sensing when people and
objects are near them without seeing, hearing, smelling, etc. than I
am.  What I started to describe in that last post was something that
can be described as "looking past the illusions."  Everywhere in life,
we find illusions.  Or perhaps mis-perceptions is a better term.  We
create illusions for ourselves that limit us in what we can do; like
believing that a rock is only a rock, or believing that we cannot do
something extraordinary; you get the idea.  I strive to see through
this, and that is a big part of magick - belief is an intrinsic part
of this power.  If you believe that it cannot be done, then it cannot.
  And the illusions that we put up about ourselves and that which is
around us is only one half.  There are other illusions put up by other
people for you to believe.  These are also important to see through.
To truly know a person, you must see them as they truly are, not as
they wish to be seen.  But some people only see the illusion.  That's
how people who never graduated high school, live with their parents,
and work at Burger King get people to believe that they are some
spiritually superior being: illusion.  Some of these guys even believe
their illusions themselves.  This is not to say that you must
graduate, move out, and have a good job to be spiritual - that's an
illusion too.  But the point is that there are people out there (you
and I both know a few) who desire "spirituality" so that they can feel
superior, so that people can look up to them and say "Wow, he's a
really powerful guy, I could *never* be so impressive."  And that is
not spirituality.
  Back to the point, I constantly attempt to see what is truly there.
All it takes is trust in your own perceptions and intuition.  Just
observe, question when at all unsure, and generally be neutral in your
judgements.  There may be more to it than that, but I think that's the
bare bones of it.  If anyone has anything to add, I'd be interested
myself.
  Thanks for your time, brothers and sisters.  Peace and strength in
yourselves carry you.

-Michael Dunlap