Pragmatic Magical Thinking

Real Magic Explained

Ari Freeman

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English

Aeon Books Ltd
07 February 2024

Occult studies; Magic, alchemy & hermetic thought; Magic, spells & alchemy

Reclaiming magic and magical thought in the modern, mainstream world

The modern Western world has often raised its eyebrows at magic, associating it with madness and superstition. However, this ignores the fact of the matter that magic is a universal human experience which has existed in a multitude of forms across time and space.

Now, in his groundbreaking book, Ari Freeman presents his argument that magic is still a human universal - we've just forgotten how to talk about it!

Laying out clear and concise arguments, Pragmatic Magical Thinking will enlighten readers to how magic can be a practical approach to achieving real world results, drawing on evidence from science, philosophy, history and anthropology.

For both beginners at magic, and the long practicing witch or wizard, Ari Freeman's book is a breath of fresh air for the world of magical studies, inviting readers to join him in placing magic in it's rightful place as a serious and mainstream subject of conversation and enquiry.

Pragmatic Magical Thinking covers a wide and comprehensive selection of subjects in relation to your magical education. These include, but are not limited to: magic and memory, spirits, belief, magic in everyday life, science and magic, religion and magic, Kabbalist cosmology and morality.

By: Ari Freeman
Imprint: Aeon Books Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781801520669
ISBN 10: 1801520666
Pages: 270
Publication Date: 07 February 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction CHAPTER 2 - On attention CHAPTER 3 - A definition of magic for our times CHAPTER 4 - Useful fictions CHAPTER 5 - A pragmatist’s approach to scepticism CHAPTER 6 - Memory, narrative, and identity CHAPTER 7 - Believing different things on different days CHAPTER 8 - Outside voices vs. inner voices CHAPTER 9 - Spirits CHAPTER 10 - Why you aren’t just your brain CHAPTER 11 - Magic is around us every day CHAPTER 12 - The origins of modern science CHAPTER 13 - The fake war between science and religion CHAPTER 14 - Science’s on and off again relationship with magic CHAPTER 15 - Science, magic, and religion compared CHAPTER 16 - The origins of Christian fundamentalism CHAPTER 17 - Religion’s suspicion of magic: the witch trials CHAPTER 18 - The cycle of creativity and inspiration CHAPTER 19 - Ladder cosmologies CHAPTER 20 -The Kabbalist cosmology CHAPTER 21 - The chakras CHAPTER 22 - The sephiroth and chakras compared CHAPTER 23 - Magic and morality CHAPTER 24 - Superstition CHAPTER 25 - Smart people traps REFERENCES INDEX

Ari Freeman is a writer, fortune teller, public wizard and autodidact. He has over twenty years of experience as a performing professional musician, and spent seven years as the apprentice to the Wizard of New Zealand, which involved discussing philosophy, politics and magic out on the streets with an enthusiastic general public. Freeman writes about magic and how it can be found in art, science, religion, modern society, as well as the occult and indigenous cultures. His goal is to bridge the gap between magical practitioners and skeptics, towards a world where we can all talk to each other. Ari lives in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Reviews for Pragmatic Magical Thinking: Real Magic Explained

“This intriguing book sets out to launch a conversation about how much of traditional occultism can be understood from within a philosophically literate modern worldview. Thoughtful and refreshingly open-minded, it’s worth a close reading from occultists and rationalists alike.” John Michael Greer, author of The Occult Philosophy Workbook “Ari Freeman has turned the tables. Pragmatic Magical Thinking has taken typical arguments and assumptions used to discredit magic, and used them to justify, explain and actually celebrate magical thinking.” Ramsey Dukes, author of The Little Book of Demons and How to See Fairies “Using tools from science, philosophy, history, and anthropology, Ari Freeman writes on magic from a twenty-first century perspective. He debunks the scientific reductionist view of the world, he believes, and I agree, changing your mind, really can change your reality. Freeman makes his arguments elegantly in this deep, but accessible book. Recommended.” Elisabeth Brooke, author of Goddess Astrology and A Woman’s Book of Shadows