The power and limitations of "magical thinking" - including in totalitarian bureaucracies (as well as Golden Dawn magical societies)

For the purposes of this post, I shall define magical thinking as the method of sustained concentration upon imagined content. Magical thinking is (or was) practiced by the Golden Dawn type magical societies; but also by such mega-mundane (and apparently anti-magical) organizations as those bureaucracies that dominate and typify the modern Western civilization. 

What happens is that there is a recurrent or continuous focus upon specific imagined content - the imagined content may be visual, conceptual - or any other, in principle. 

That imagined content takes-on an objectivity by being reflected back by others in the group, and by being thought-upon continually or recurrently. 

There is a further objectivity that derives from the process of mental training involved in making and sustaining these imagined content - practice and effort can develop powers both of concentration (of single point attention, of cutting out other potential contact); and also the ability inwardly to perceive the imagined content. 

Thus, a "magician" who is capable of this magical thinking, has "powers" with respect to other people; especially the psychological-social power to stay focused on a single objective in a world where most people are highly distractible and lack any core or coherence to their belief systems.

From the perspective of the magician, at least for a while, there is an apparent objective and predictive validity to their imaginings. The magician feels himself powerful, because he can (by the power of his concentration and "vision") influence other people into adopting - or going along with, his plans. 

Because of this psycho-social influence; the magician can also perceive reality in such a way that his plans seem to be coming to fruition, or at least moving in that direction... 

In the vicinity of the magician, people are talking about his vision, perhaps writing and in general communicating about it; more people are being drawn into these communications - and the communications are (in some way or another) having an effect on human behaviour more widely.  

It seems - and this impression may last considerable periods - if not stressed by other imposed pressures -  that the imagined reality is coming true; being brought to reality by the power of concentrated and sustained group-imagination. 

Those who have (like me) participated in large and professionalized bureaucracies (in my case, as a public health doctor in the National Health Service, and a participant in university management committees at several levels) do not, perhaps, realize the extent to which magical thinking is the basis of bureaucracy; and the way in which it is (or appears to be) validated by the experience of the bureaucrats and their leaders. 

For those on the inside; magical thinking - although that is not how it is conceptualized - really works... 

The committees are "inspired" by some imaginary "vision", and they keep focused on it, talking about it, debating its implementation, writing about it, "researching" it, making policies, monitoring "outcomes" and adjusting policies - until they are absolutely convinced of its reality. 

And convinced too that their imagined vision is destined to "come to pass". 

This kind of magical thinking is (more or less) how wholly-manufactured, incoherent, impossible phenomena like the climate agenda, the transagenda and antiracism; have arisen, been sustained, grown - and come to seem both real and inevitable by the totalitarian system participants. 

And the magical thinking of magical societies was very much analogous. Through their systems of study, practice, ritual - through training in concentration and imagination; they developed a quasi objectivity and sense of objective reality and progress that sustained them for some decades. 

But in this mortal and entropic world, magical thinking does not continue for very long unless infused by new personnel, resources, and top-down compulsion (supplemented by bribery and blackmail). These were not available to the magical societies, so they would decline and disappear, or fission and fight each other, or become assimilated to some other agenda that were more powerfully imposed - such as war. 

At an individual level I can attest to the way that a long-term daydream type fantasy - when combined with intense visualization and concentration - can take-on a sense of destiny; such that we automatically come to expect that what we imagine and desire - at least to some sufficiently focused and long-term degree - will sooner or later "come to pass". 

This has often been the case in my life, and so far only a very small minority of such apparent destinies have ever actually come to pass - and often those that were among the least vividly- and concentratedly-imagined.  

My purpose in this post is to suggest that magical thinking is a real thing, and has (from within, and to some extent in actuality) an objective reality - yet that it also contains many pitfalls and problems. 

It is not A Good Thing (of itself) to be able to imagine and concentrate upon chosen material - not in the way that the magical societies used to suppose - and the evidence for this is the way that analogous magical methods are employed by totalitarian bureaucracy. 

But neither is it necessarily a Bad Thing. 

Magical thinking can probably best be conceptualized as a trade-off, in which intensity and focus and progress on a narrow front; are achieved at the cost of a less general, less complete, understanding and participation in the totality of reality. 

The development of narrow sustained focus tends to diminish the capacity and possibility of self-correction; and reduces the chance of repentance when there are falsehoods, errors, and evils. 

It is, as always, a case of First Things First; and our fundamental reality and priority ought to be Christian - and "techniques" ought to operate only within that primary frame. 

The ultimate feebleness of magical thinking is evidenced by the way it is discarded when things get serious, when the chips are down - when the groups are destroyed, corrupted and co-opted to the larger socio=political agenda of the moment.

That is when we need Christianity, and we need a Christianity that is strong sustained, autonomous; and does not depend upon group validation.  

We must be ready and able to stand-alone with God, in spiritual terms; and to create and sustain That reality is our true priority.