Dear Dr Snake, Can magic be spiritual? Or is it just concerned with earthly matters?

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Every so often I get asked whether magic can be spiritual or not. You’d imagine it would be self-evident that some level of spirituality (not religion) comes part and parcel with the magical path. But a lady called Jenny called me saying she felt there was such a lot of emphasis put on achieving your desires in life, but precious little put on the spiritual or transcendent elements of magic.

“It’s like everyone seems intent on using magic for making money or bringing romance into their lives,” said Jenny. “Spirituality just doesn’t appear to get a look in.”

I thought Jenny had a point. But said that “Perhaps people are just looking to get their lives in order first before they move to spirituality and higher things?”

I went on to say that I personally view magic as inherently spiritual.

“At heart, it’s about exploring the unseen realms of reality and the deeper levels of the subconscious mind,” I told Jenny. “But that is the transcendent or spiritual element of magic. The practical element is concerned about worldly wants and desires.”

From the beginning I’ve always viewed magic  as a way of venturing into what lies behind what we see of the world with our eyes. The fact is, our brains process the input from our senses – in effect filtering reality. What’s more, the “reality” we perceive with our five senses is only a tiny, tiny part of the whole that is “out there.”