Real Magic: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, and a Guide to the Secret Power of the Universe

I've read a few of Dean Radin's books and I must say this one is the most readable. By that I mean not only well-written but also limits the amount of technical jargon and details one might expect in a scientific journal article. We all, I think, realise deep down that there's more to the universe than scientific materialism based on our personal life experience and regardless of how much we are told it's just our mind or body or eyes playing tricks on us. It also has little to do with whatever our specific religious beliefs or rituals might be. These most likely simply built upon the fundamentals that were already there relative to the geographic region. I recommend reading this one if you haven't read any of his previous books but if you really want the full experimental details, then read his other books as well. You may as well go to his scientific papers too.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about paranormal activity. Dean Radin is probably the most prolific author on this subject. He has decades of experience in the field and has taken part in many scientific studies on the topic. The most important thing to know about his work is the scientific approach he brings to paranormal phenomena. It’s great if you want to impress that friend who doesn’t believe you can see auras. I recommend all of his work; he knows a lot about the subject.

Dean Radin, one of the world's foremost parapsychologists has written a very ambitious book which explores magic from a scientific point of view, demonstrates its validity through a number of his own ingenious experiments, outlines its history and relationship with science, religion and philosophy and attempts to explain both its power and limitations. For many people magical events are terrifying or unsettling, upsetting their rational conceptions of being able to explain and control their lives yet most people believe in some kind of paranormal phenomena (psi) and many indulge in positive thinking hoping to influence themselves and their environment. But psi and magic are essentially the same. Radin explains that psi is a real phenomenon because, after 150 years of research, " telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinetic effects have all been independently repeated in laboratories around the world". Over two thousand years ago, Plato and then later neo-Platonism proposed that there was a deep connection between mind and matter and that man could access a higher consciousness through his own "divine spark" from which he could directly influence the physical world. This was a world view which supported the development of magic and was also adopted by the esoteric traditions of religion like Gnosticism, Kabbala, Sufism, Shaivism, Tantric Yoga and Buddhism. It was also studied by scientists like Paracelsus and Isaac Newton. Perceived as very real threats to the church's monopoly over the truth, all forms of magic were considered heresy and outlawed by the Catholic church in the 13th century. In the early twentieth century, Max Weber celebrated the disenchantment of western society from all supernatural concepts (including magic and religion), as a liberation from the beliefs of savages. Paradoxically while Weber celebrated ,the very foundations of 19th century science, based on the assumptions of realism, causality and locality, were being undermined and eroded by quantum theory and Einstein's theory of relativity. For example, as Radin points out " from quantum theory we also know that “spooky action at a distance” definitely exists, so the commonsense meaning of locality is a special case of a more comprehensive world view." Today we have a new church, the "church of science", where the editor of Nature referred to Rubert Sheldrake's first book "A New science of Life" as the best candidate for burning while the editor of a journal on psychology retracted the publication of one of Radin's experiments and refused to publish a further paper because proving psi was real was like showing "pigs could fly". The church of science is fighting hard to preserve the dying dogmas of materialism at the same time that some quantum physicists are pointing to the evidence for retrocausation (the future influencing the present) and for panpsychism (the idea that matter at all levels, including fundamental particles, has an inherent property of sentience, or mind.) Against this background, Radin conducted a number of experiments to test the New Age belief -"You create your own reality" which is the core of magic practice. Radin elaborates "The essence of magic boils down to the application of two ordinary mental skills: attention and intention. The strength of the magical outcome is modulated by four factors: belief, imagination, emotion, and clarity." In one study, Radin showed that force of will produced objectively measurable changes in plant growth with odds against chance of 38 trillion to 1. Another study by Radin showed that intention influences RNG (random number generator) outputs not by “pushing” the RNG by force but rather through a goal-oriented or teleological effect. This accords with magical lore that " one way to manifest a goal through force of will is to affirm that the goal has already been accomplished". Our intentions seem to cause a gravitational space-time warp. A third study with 80 million trials of precognition of card selection by a computer showed that precognitive perceptions are influenced by the probable (and not the actual) future. A fourth study demonstrated Global Consciousness, where 32 quantum noise generators(QNG) (sampling random electronic noise for 5 days) showed a common (non-random) spike within minutes of the surprising results of the 2016 US presidential elections. The odds against chance are 226 million to 1. This suggests "that when millions of minds intently focus on the same event it causes a ripple in the fabric of space-time" because the samples over time should be independent in a random system and the QNG devices should be acting as separate objects. Further studies by Radin show how a controlled use of a positive magical technique influenced the fingertip volume and heart rate of the targeted volunteer. There is enough proof that magic is real but what are its limitations? Psi ability is normally distributed in the population just like any other ability so we all have some ability but we can't all be psychic super stars. Psi is produced by our unconscious so if there is a conflict between our conscious will and our unconscious, our psi ability may be blocked by self-defeating behavior. Beliefs influence psi ability and our cynicism may block us. Most importantly though my will may be the opposite of your will so the net result is a natural tendency for inertia and stability in the universe. On the other hand, when millions of people have the same emotion, they resonate together and that ripple is strong enough to make random events more coherent. For most of the time everyday reality remains solid and predictable. Radin concludes that we need to start taking magic seriously. I recommend you to take this book seriously. You won't be disappointed.

This book is fine in general. Not very engaging and a bit dry. The last part of the book talks very little (comparatively speaking) about modern-day "magic." Luckily, I've read other books that fill in the gaps a lot. I could have skipped this one. I had to push myself to finish it.

Dean Radin extinguishes all of the Infinite Doubt of the Universe in this book citing a compendium of irrefutable statistical data that unveils the mysticism of the magical world. We no longer live in a period where magic is heresy or fanatic because it is flourishing as a product of our continued existence as sentient beings. Flipping the secular dogma of narrow-mindedness into the fundamental realm of consciousness, Radin expresses his charismatic belief through various signs and waveforms of logic pointing to the development of human psi science. In spite of the numerous naysayers who care more about their own credibility and reputation, Real Magic pushes the boundaries of Thought into the physical by shaking the sands of uncertainty to uncover an ever present lack of knowledge of our present day systems of language, mathematics, quantum physics, philosophy, and neuroscience to justify that what we dream of is within our reach if we only want to grab it. This book manages to locate the wheel of time, knock it on it's side, and allow us to enter the Universal Consciousness outside of time in the Eternal Now to pull out primordial forms that take substance as bits of information. I tremendously appreciate Dr. Radin for his fervent work to provide our species with an insight into something beyond our delusion of self, separation from the spiritual dimensions, and preconceived notions that have placed limits on our consciousness and given power to a fabricated entity when ultimately limitlessness is pulled from the same realm and we have full access to it if we so choose to pursue such a path. I am inspired to uncover the secrets within my own meditative practices and have a new world view on my force of Will, precognitive capability, and connection to the non-physical as it applies to every other aspect of the knowingly incomplete mathematical information that so defines the physical. This is a text that will clearly be referenced in generations of the latter day as the evolution of Thought and Consciousness progresses and paradigms of old crumble beneath the feet of those rooted in their comparatively medieval ways of scientific discovery.

Very fascinating read with eye opening results. Don't expect to walk away reading people's minds or levitating cars, but the fact that there is statically significant results in some of these modern studies shows that there is much magic to be discovered and transformed into tomorrow's science.

I am disappointed in this book. I am in a group of readers that have read books and articles on psi, studied New Thought methods, and have no doubt that ESP exists and that the mind and spirit of some people have produced extraordinary healings and economic and social results. What we want is some insight, some new information on making our intentions more effective. What you get in this book on manifestation, is found in a hundred books. It seems that Dean Radin has no personal story of creating any “magic” in his personal life. That he once rented an office and found out the office next to him was earlier rented by a similar researcher who wanted to meet him, is pretty lame. So is one of his ending chapters on three real life “Merlins.” He has to go back to 1650 to find the first one, to around 1850 for the second, to mid 20th century for the third. If “Merlins” are so rare then it is hopeless. The third Merlin was a rather nasty man, Ted Owens, famous for allegedly having control over the weather. Radin admits that much of his research deals with abstract topics and produces minor results. Does it matter that a researcher gets a 53 percent result, beating chance by three percentage points? That is what Professor Daryl Bam got testing pre-cognition. Rudin mentions a Slate article that covered this research very thoroughly. But he doesn’t say that the Slate author also wrote of valid criticism of the research methods, making the results inconclusive. Radin has a historical chapter covering “magic” through the ages. It’s just a catalogue of names. Instead, if you want to get the spirit of New Though, read a very fine classic book by Charles Braden, “Spirits in Rebellion.” Radin also spends many pages bemoaning the academic establishment and its scientism. No doubt he is right but it has always been like that. A Hungarian doctor, Ignaz Emmelweis, working in a hospital in Austria in 1846 proved that if doctors washed and sterilized their hands before poking them into human bodies the hospital death rates would plummet. The doctors were outraged, got him fired, and destroyed his career. Only after they had died offr, did it become standard for doctors to sterilize their l hands. Another example is scurvy, the bane of British seamen on long sea voyages. After it was proved that scurvy could be prevented by citrus fruits , it took the Brithsh Admiralty almost a generation before it ordered that provisions on ships had to contain citrus. That is how English seamen got to be known as limeys. I understand it is fiendishly difficult and expensive to do useful research in this field. Self-reporting is unreliable; there is a demand for huge numbers of test subjects; and the establishment honchos will not admit they have been teaching assumptions, unproven assumptions, for generations. Then too, the para field is very quirky and messy, something most scientists abhor. Despite my criticism of Radon, he is a pioneer and has my respect. His lifelong research is convincing many people that we are greater than we think and have many untapped abilities. I would like to see more useful research. For example: would it be possible to prove that people taught a “magical” understanding of agency, can reduce the number of colds they get during a winter? Radin mentions very interesting research his group did on “blessed” chocolate. He says people who ate it, improved their mood. Isn’t this similar to “holy water” and why sports fans are thrilled if they ca own a jersey previously worn by their sports hero? Okay, so we are babies in this field, taking tentative steps. We’ve been scammed by the law of attraction gurus, the “get rich quick, no sweat” hucksters. But we are dealing with something real. In my own case I suffered an outcropping of spinal stenosis half a year ago. I made the rounds of all the docs: internist, chiropractor, physical therapist and neurologist. I was prescribed pills, a paste and plaster patches to deal with pain. None really helped. I finally woke up. Hey, I believe in spiritual healing, intention, and in a helpful spirit we all have inside us. Didn’t I write a book, published in Ukraine, that had a chapter on New Thought? Let me really, really, practice what I believe, dedicate a lot of time to this. I am retired so this was not hard. Two weeks later, I felt practically normal; no pain, just some soreness. I felt as if something shifted in me. And the relief continued. That’s no proof, I can hear the chairman of the psychology department saying. Yet I spent three months doing all the approved, licensed procedures and it was a waste. Not that I shouldn’t have tried them. I am just glad I had an alternative.

Great book and brilliant author, who reveals how the perceptions and perspectives around the realities of science and Magick have finally been married, through exhaustive and stringent, clinical experimentation, and documentation. He also reveals the woes of bucking the established scientific/educational systems, with his own findings, who can still cling to archaic biases and belief systems, that refute the significance and certitude of these fields of knowledge and practice. Such politics within the greater institutions, stands in the way of the true expansion and progress of ACTUAL science, as it's defined! Also, interlaced are some cool accounts of the author's remarkable, personal experiences, and a very clear chapter on three reliable ways of actually PRACTICING Real Magick, without the associated frills of elaborate ritualization and tradition. It is a VERY technical piece, but there are visual aids included, to help one field all of that. I can't wait to plumb some his other works!

Love this book

Gracias a este libro descubrirás que la magia no es fantasía, que está presente en nuestras vidas si te atreves a mirar.

I didn't need the science to believe what Radin had to say. Others will of course. Chapter nine formalised ideas that have been trying to come together in my mind for sometime. Dean brings a whole new perspective to singularity.

O livro é rigorosamente científico e coloca o termo "magic" no seu sentido verdadeiro. É um livro de fácil leitura e compreensão. Recomendo para todos que se interessam por aspectos um pouco além da nossa compreensão cotidiana.

Divination, Force of Will, Contact with the Outer Dimensions are part of all cultures. May these human capacities be explored and verified by using the present scientific methods? The answer is a clear YES and the author, the best experimentalist in these fields, offer a plain explanation of the evidence accumulated up to these days, offering a more wide vision of the potentialities of our mind.