Notes on Quantum Magic

[dsrtao]

Given:

• that quantum mechanics is all true
  
• that macrophysics is the result of statistical accumulation of quantum effects
  
• that conscious observers are the Hidden Variable
  

then the rules for performing quantum magic must include the idea that the magician can only affect things that no one is paying attention to... including himself, of course.

Comments

[dglenn.livejournal.com]

In my childhood, before I'd learned an iota of quantum mechanics, I reached a somewhat similar conclusion by a different route. Noting that God does not seem to make His presence known with obvious violations of the laws of physics these days, I concluded that I could not ask Him to change a fact I already knew, but could pray for a desirable outcome of anything I didn't yet know the results of, even if it was in the objective past. So years later when I read about Schrödinger's cat, there was a certain familiarity to the concept. (Though in some ways my own notion of what prayers might be answered was also somewhat egocentric, in that somebody could already know the thing I was asking to be changed, but God could change their memory of it as long as I didn't observe the change happening (and come to think of it, de-ego-izing that so that my own memories could be changed as well implies that there could be prayers that were answered but that as a result of having them answered I no longer remember praying, hmm ...) so it wasn't quite the same concept, just similar.)

When I started exploring magick, a good chunk of the same meme carried over. I've never formalized it, but I've got a leaning in the direction you've reached -- that it's at least much easier to affect things that nobody is paying attention to -- though I'm not ready to put the word "only" in there.

Note that there does seem to be a certain amount of "set your will then don't think about it" aspect to some schools of magick, which seems as though it might be related...