Junk Food Magic

Something to be expanded and rewritten later for an upcoming project...

The magus goes about life in a ritualized way. This can be seen as superstition, belief in powers greater than the magician being appeased or angered by the magus' relatively insignificant actions. And this is precisely what it is. The magus is handing over some of his power to a greater force. Some people call it God, some people call it the Universe, some people call it creativity. Its name is laughably insignificant, even though millions of people have died at the hands of others who thought their name for the greater powers was better than the next guy's. Every time we dismiss someone for being "Christian" or "Jewish" or "Muslim" or "a Republican" or "a Conservative" or "a Liberal" or "a Democrat" or "a hippie" or "an artist" or "White" or "Black" or any of these other categories which completely eradicate the individual in favor of some larger un-human entity, we dismiss, too, the opportunity for anyone in earshot to benefit from living out the ideals of that entity. It's a useful form of black magic, very efficient as a banishing ritual. Recognize when it's being used, especially when it's being used against you, and even more when you're using it against yourself.

I'm undecided as to the reality of the theory of black magic revisiting itself in harmful ways upon its practitioners, but there is an undeniably real effect on a person who uses this form of banishing magic regularly, and I can't say that it is even remotely beneficial to them in the long run, even if it provides a bit of armor and a false sense of superiority in the moment. It's "junk food magic," quick and dirty, highly effective but limited in scope and unhealthy after repeated use. You can use it, sure, and you can expect to feel rotten later. Anyone with any self-awareness will at least know why they feel rotten. (Hint: It's not the fault of the maligned party.) And in reading this lesson, you've just allowed yourself a whiff of self-awareness. There's nothing you can do to wipe it out now. Alakazam.