The Laws of Magic

The Laws of Magic are not legislative laws, but, likethose of physics or musical harmony, are actually fairly practical observationsthat have been accumulated over thousands of years. These laws describe the waymagic seems to behave.

The LAW OF KNOWLEDGE

This is probablythe most widely used law, and probably encompasses all the others in some way.The basis of this law is that understanding brings control. The more that isknown about a subject, the easier it is to excercise control over it. Knowledgeis power.

The LAW OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE

An obviousderivative of the LAW OF KNOWLEDGE, this law carries additional connotations,as a mage who does not have knowledge of himself does not have knowledge (andtherefore control) of his own magic. This law is one of the reasons"evil" mages are very rare—a dedication to "evil for evil'ssake" is usually due to a lack of introspection and awareness of oneself.It is difficult to do harm to others when you understand fully what that kindof harm would do to you. Know thyself.

The LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT

A simple scientificunderstanding—if exactly the same actions are done under exactly the sameconditions, they will be associated with exactly the same results. Magicianshave at least as much belief in cause and effect as modern physicists do, theyjust realize that a good ritual, like a good theatrical performance or a goodbread recipe, isn't always predictable. In truth, a spell involves so manyvariables, that controlling or even understanding them all is impossible. Thekey to magical success is learning which variables are the most important, andhow to keep them constant. Control over the variables is icing on the cake.

The LAW OF SYNCHRONICITY

Two or more eventshappening at the same time are likely to have more in common than the merelytemporal. Very few events ever happen in isolation from other events. There isno such thing as a mere coincidence.

The LAW OF ASSOCIATION

If any two patternhave elements in common, the patterns interact "through" those commonelements, and control of one pattern facilitates control of the other(s)depending (among other factors) upon the number of common elements involved.This is a very important law, up there with the LAW OF KNOWLEDGE.

The LAW OF SIMILARITY

Having an accuratephysical or mental representation of something facilitates control over it.This one is fairly obvious in its usage—having a model, picture, or otherrepresentation of your target (like a voodoo doll) gives you power to effect thetarget. Look alikes are alike.

The LAW OF CONTAGION

Objects or beingsin physical contact with each other continue to interact after separation.Everyone you have ever touched has a magical link with you, though it isprobably pretty weak unless the contact was intense and/or prolonged orrepeated frequently. Magical power is contagious. Naturally, having a part ofsomeone's body (nails, hair, spit, etc.) gives the best contagion link.

The LAW OF NAMES

Knowing thecomplete and true name of an object, being, or process gives onecomplete control over it. This works because a name is a definition (yes, even"Harold", "Marie", "Kunte", and"Jasmine" were at one time) as well as a contagion link, and anassociation (if you call something the same name over and over, that namebecomes associated with the thing). This also works, because knowing thecomplete and true name of something or someone means that you have achieved acomplete understanding of its or their nature. This is why, in mostpre-industrial cultures, people are given "secret names", as well as"public names", and why the sharing of a secret name is such an actof trust—because the secret name is considered to be very close to, if notidentical with, the person's true name.

The LAW OF WORDS OF POWER

There exist certainwords that are able to alter the internal and external realities of thoseuttering them, and the power may rest in the very sounds of the words as muchas their meanings. Many of such words are names, though the meanings may havebeen lost or forgotten. Very many magical tools require words to be inscribedupon them and/or said over them during their construction and/or use.

The LAW OF PERSONIFICATION

Any phenomenon maybe considered to be alive and to have a personality—that is, to "be"an entity or being. Anything can be a person. Most weather mages personify thewinds and the clouds, for example, and thus find focussing their magic on theatmosphere much easier to do.

The LAW OF INVOCATION

It is possible to establishinternal communication with entities from either inside or outside oneself,said entities seeming to be inside of oneself during the communication process.

The LAW OF EVOCATION

It is possible toestablish external communication with entities from either inside or outsideoneself, said entities seeming to be outside oneself during the communicationprocess.

The LAW OF IDENTIFICATION

It is possiblethrough maximum association between elements of oneself and those of anotherbeing to actually become that being, to the point of sharing its knowledge andwielding its power. This is the law that controls most lengthy or permanentpossession phenomena.

The LAW OF PERSONAL UNIVERSES

Every sentientbeing lives in and quite possibly creates a unique universe which can never be100% identical to that lived in by another. So called "reality" is infact a matter of consensus opinions. This law is nowhere near as obvious as theother laws in its applications, but if you can figure some out, you can use it.

The LAW OF INFINITE UNIVERSES

The total number ofuniverses into which all possible combinations of existing phenomena could beorganized is infinite. Anything is possible, though some things are moreprobable than others. You might consider this to refer to the "alternateprobability worlds" of science fiction, but it also has a much widerapplication.

The LAW OF PRAGMATISM

If a pattern ofbelief or behavior enables a being to survive and to accomplish chosen goals,then that belief or behavior is "true" or "real" or"sensible". If it works, it's true. Another rather obscure law, butit does have some very useful applications.

The LAW OF TRUE FALSEHOODS

It is possible fora concept or act to violate the truth patterns of a given personal universe andstill be "true", provided that it "works" in a specificsituation. If it's a paradox, it's still probably true. This law is basicallyuseless, except to justify use of the above three laws without screwing thingsup in your version of the real world.

The LAW OF SYNTHESIS

The synthesis oftwo or more "opposing" patterns of data will produce a new patternthat will be truer than either of the first two were. That is, it will beapplicable to more levels of reality, and this new pattern may not be acompromise, but may be something rather new indeed.

The LAW OF POLARITY

Any pattern of datacan be split into (at least) two "opposing" characteristics, and eachwill contain the essence of the other within itself.

The LAW OF OPPOSITES

A sub-law ofPOLARITY. The "opposite" of a pattern contains information about thatpattern, by providing information on what the pattern is not. Thus, controlover a pattern's opposite (or close to it's opposite) facilitates control overthe pattern itself. (Note that this one I alone take the blame for, as it is myown extension of POLARITY and SIMILARITY)

The LAW OF DYNAMIC BALANCE

To survive, letalone to become powerful, one must keep every aspect of one's universe in astate of dynamic balance with every other aspect. Extremism is dangerous, asthe extreme being becomes so associated with the extreme aspect, that they losethe ability to avoid that aspect at all. This is another reason"evil" mages are rare, as continuous association with pain or death willcause a mage pain or death, ending the mage's ability to continue actively with"evil". This is also why "good" mages, especially healers,tend to live a long time.

The LAW OF PERVERSITY

Sometimes known asMurphy's Law. If anything can go wrong, it will, and in the most annoyingmanner possible. Magical associations sometimes operate in the reverse of whatwas desired, and meaningful coincidences are just as likely to be unpleasant aspleasant. Even if nothing can go wrong, some element of the universe may changeso that things will go wrong anyway. Whether we like it or not, the gods (orfates, or what have you) do have a sense of humor. Emotionally healthy mageshave less problems with this law than others do, as the mage's own subconsciousmind is probably a major perpetrator of this law.

The LAW OF UNITY

Every phenomena in existenceis linked directly or indirectly to every other one, past, present, or future.Perceived separations’ between phenomena are based on incomplete sensing and/orunderstanding.