What Makes Magic

Use this forum to discuss the March 2023 Book of the Month, "The Magician's Secret" by Charles Townsend
Forum rules
Only people who purchase and read the book can post in this forum. If you purchased the book, please upload a copy of your receipt at:

https://onlinebookclub.org/verify-purch ... ook=536190

If your purchase of a previous Book of the Month was already marked verified, you will already have access to this forum.
User avatar
Abiodunakinola
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 303
Joined: 24 Mar 2022, 17:02
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 51
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-abiodunakinola.html
Latest Review: Relieved by Cheryl Richardson

Re: What Makes Magic

Post by Abiodunakinola »

Talking about manifestation, I agree with the word that "Those who are looking for opportunities will find more opportunities,” but there are some people who truly have magic that is beyond the power of humans. Mindset can be great and can change circumstances, but it can't be compared with magic.
User avatar
Sam Ibeh
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 1103
Joined: 19 Jun 2019, 09:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 459
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sam-ibeh.html
Latest Review: The vampires: Sodom and Gomorrah by Levănt DuPrae

Post by Sam Ibeh »

Magic and manifestation are two different phenomena. While magic is all about playing tricks on an audience, manifestaiton is about seeing and becoming that which you have focused your imagination on. Even in this book, magic, though involving some level of diabolism, was at best a trick used by the magicians.
User avatar
Sam Ibeh
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 1103
Joined: 19 Jun 2019, 09:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 459
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sam-ibeh.html
Latest Review: The vampires: Sodom and Gomorrah by Levănt DuPrae

Post by Sam Ibeh »

Abiodunakinola wrote: 03 Apr 2023, 16:04 Talking about manifestation, I agree with the word that "Those who are looking for opportunities will find more opportunities,” but there are some people who truly have magic that is beyond the power of humans. Mindset can be great and can change circumstances, but it can't be compared with magic.
Exactly. Some magic tricks involve diabolism. That is what is called dark magic and is always accompanied by evil.
Timothee22
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 259
Joined: 10 Feb 2022, 10:46
Favorite Author: David Schwarzkopf
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 58
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-timothee22.html
Latest Review: E M P Honeymoon by Dorothy May Mercer
fav_author_id: 248826

Post by Timothee22 »

In my perspective, magic encompasses anything that is truly remarkable and astonishing - something that defies explanation and leaves me in awe. When I think of the term "magic," my thoughts often wander to the world of Harry Potter, especially The Philosopher's Stone. However, within the framework of this book, I believe magic refers to the incredible powers that Delvin discovered within himself upon obtaining the Stone of Borlock, as well as the extraordinary abilities displayed by other members of the Magicians' Guild.
Nganyi Humphrey
In It Together VIP
Posts: 138
Joined: 16 Jun 2022, 08:53
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 44
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nganyi-humphrey.html
Latest Review: Stevie Tenderheart Books - Billy Jack (The Great Escape) by Steve William Laible

Post by Nganyi Humphrey »

I think what we focus on in our manifestation tends to occur. I believe this because of a certain scenario which took place when I was with a friend of mine. He believed that something was to occur but before it occurred I wasn't buying his thoughts as they seemed to be unreasonable. Surprisingly, what he kept on saying eventually happened.
User avatar
Sonia_Gonzalez
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 387
Joined: 16 Feb 2023, 21:10
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 205
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sonia-gonzalez.html
Latest Review: Not Fishy Enough by Briton Kolber

Post by Sonia_Gonzalez »

I do not think that magic and manifestation are the same. I believe that magic is both an optical illusion and manipulation (being able to distract and make someone focus on exactly what you want, so you surprise them with what you want) while manifestation is a sort of mental capacity. Manifesting something won't make it happen, you still need to work for it, but focusing on it will help you reach your goals.
Carlos Mata Saenz
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 249
Joined: 09 Dec 2022, 01:29
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 26
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-carlos-mata-saenz.html
Latest Review: Alpha Buddies Land by Donna Marie Rink

Post by Carlos Mata Saenz »

Reading the book, I felt the magic is in the world as one more energy, or reality, and that its driven or control through the magician stones and each individual capacity. That would explain why the magicians were able to do magic even without touching the stones, but much weaker, or why Delvin could make magic even without intention, and why it appears to be "better" magicians than others.
User avatar
Oceegee Chika Oroke
In It Together VIP
Posts: 124
Joined: 04 Mar 2023, 02:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 117
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-oceegee-chika-oroke.html
Latest Review: Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress by Gustavo Kinrys, MD

Post by Oceegee Chika Oroke »

Almost everything in life operates from the principle of conviction and belief system. Think it and it comes to pass, even without necessarily applying magic. It may even be Delvin's conviction and belief in those stuff that's at work!
User avatar
Shanesha Sammerson
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 541
Joined: 07 Jul 2022, 14:39
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 229
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-shanesha-sammerson.html
Latest Review: My Trip To Adele by R.I.Alyaseer and A. I Alyaseer

Post by Shanesha Sammerson »

I believe that real magic is often associated with mystical or supernatural powers, but in reality, it is more closely related to the power of the mind and the ability to manifest one's desires into reality. It involves tapping into the universal energy that surrounds us all, and using it to create positive change in one's life and the world. Real magic is not about trickery or illusion, but rather about the power of intention and the ability to access higher states of consciousness.
Park Cherri
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 612
Joined: 05 Dec 2022, 10:08
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 64
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-park-cherri.html
Latest Review: The Eavesdropper by Peter Wise

Post by Park Cherri »

I actually don’t believe in magic, but I think some special people have the power to influence their environment on a spiritual level. Thinking back to Delvin, we later got to know that it was the stone that has been helping him. I think there are things like this that some people have that makes them be able to do some supernatural things.
Flourish Sunday
In It Together VIP
Posts: 453
Joined: 08 Dec 2022, 16:09
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 32
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-flourish-sunday.html
Latest Review: 9 Rules to Dominate Your Money and Learn What 67% of Adults Don’t Know by Finley Lewis

Post by Flourish Sunday »

I concur with your belief in the manifestation principle. My impression is that we usually manifest our desires by using our words. For the purposes of the book, Delvin's magic qualifies as magic. But magic doesn't exist in the actual world.
User avatar
Amy Luman
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 4987
Joined: 29 Mar 2021, 14:05
Currently Reading: Time Before Time
Bookshelf Size: 1015
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-amy-luman.html
Latest Review: Zona II by Fred G. Baker
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by Amy Luman »

I think that people make their own circumstances. I am hesitant to call it “magic”, but there is no doubt that people see what they want to see.
Anabel Mack
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 140
Joined: 24 Mar 2023, 06:00
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 31
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-anabel-mack.html
Latest Review: American Dream? by Jeoung Lee

Post by Anabel Mack »

It is said that spells and incarnations are what make make magic but who knows it its far more than that. I think it transcends what we think it is to even something bigger.
Claire Twy
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 99
Joined: 31 Jan 2022, 08:13
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 19
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-claire-twy.html
Latest Review: Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill

Post by Claire Twy »

alexsbookhoard wrote: 13 Mar 2023, 09:28 I have not finished The Magician's Secret, yet, but the introduction of the magic system as I currently understanding it - through Delvin wishing for something to happen and that thing happening - reminds me a lot of the concept of manifestation. I've seen an increasing trend in belief that mindset changes circumstance, and that a person who thinks and wishes for a change or an outcome is more likely to achieve it. It follows along with the statement I have seen many times that goes along the lines of "Those who are looking for opportunities will find more opportunities; those looking for struggles will find more struggles."

What this book so far has me thinking about is what 'makes' magic? In a fantasy context, I think of magic as a power wielded by certain groups of people who have the ability to directly influence the world around them with a non-human power. Yet this book is making me consider whether people in reality have a type of magic. Not in the "hold a wand, say an incantation, and presto" kind of way, but I never gave much consideration that mindset can be its own kind of power.

What do you think? Is manifestation a real world example of a power in line with the fantasy concept of magic? Or is it purely the perception of change without the power behind it?
Personally, I define magic as something extraordinary that occurs without explanation and changes reality as we know it. I grew up on the fantastical stories of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, along with other tales of witches, warlocks, pixies, gods and more. But it takes a magical mind to come up with such magic. As such, I think a real-world example of magic would be our imagination. It has the power to distort and warp our reality, to create and to destroy. If we go out looking for magic or craving the magic in our lives we see on screen or in fiction, we'll miss out on the magic we already possess.
Pauline Parnell
In It Together VIP
Posts: 745
Joined: 29 Nov 2021, 07:21
Currently Reading: Beyond the Clouds, the Sky is Blue
Bookshelf Size: 517
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-pauline-parnell.html
Latest Review: One Jesus, One Way by The Proving Jesus Group

Post by Pauline Parnell »

What people call magic is not really magic. It's really an illusion. It's make-believe: mind control and distraction. Real magic comes from the realm of the spirit. When one delves into spiritism, all kinds of magic can be conjured up.
Post Reply

Return to “Discuss "The Magician's Secret" by Charles Townsend”