RITUALLY-ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING OF MAGIC

Abstract

Researching of magic as of an interesting and secret part of modern culture is carried out, various approaches to magic studying, such as are allocated: religious, philosophical, natural-scientific, occult, atheistic, sociological, gnoseological, psychological, ethnographic, culturological, etc. Necessity of the scientific, philosophical analysis and synthesis of researches which exist today, necessity of their structuring on the basis of the account an interlacing of traditions and new views on magic as on object of scientific research is defined. It comes out that as a peculiar form of public consciousness along with the science and religion it reflected the most important stages of development of society and the person. Various associations of magic are given in article, such as astrology, alchemy, a shamanism, a witchcraft, magician, sorcery, hypnosis, etc. The place of magic as some kind a link between religion and science is studied.

In article the necessity of minding a close interlacing of scientific and non-scientific, religious, esoteric knowledge is noted, is spoken about a new place of magic in modern system of ideas of knowledge. Some philosophers point at an equivalence of knowledge with which operates all of them science, religion and magic. The branch of searches of the modern person which isn't satisfied by purely rational knowledge, is connected with the appealing to religious, esoteric doctrines.

However, philosophical-culturological methods of research of magic are still contained in a context of theological culture on the basis of the specified approaches: with the purposes, mechanisms, subjective actions. Studying of this problem, as it is mentioned in the article, depends on the methods and ways of research of the truth. Studying of magic depends also on the judgments which are expressed in various concepts with various accents. Thus it should be noted that personal approaches play defining role in philosophy and allow to distinguish two plans. Monistic outlooks, according to the author, can be forefront examples: materialism and idealism, where materialism reduces everything to the nature of matter, and idealism – to spirit. The second plan is caused by personal experience of the person which helps to realize individual tasks of life in a context of religious, atheistic, esoteric attitude.

The author emphasizes that the methodological aspect of research activity assumes necessary conceptual base, formation of a working semantic field of the analysis. The definition of the term "magic" in the system of synonymic designations is allocated as a necessary condition for establishment of the generalized characteristic and specifics of this concept taking into account its development: the magic existed throughout all centuries-old history of development of humanity that was reflected in verbal level in the corresponding terms.

As a peculiar form of public consciousness along with science and religion it reflected the most important stages of development of society and the person. The author pays special attention to the concept "metaphysics" that means "after physics". "Metaphysics" – Aristotle's philosophical works which were written by the philosopher after treatises on physics were called so, brought him an international fame. The metaphysics, according to Aristotle, is a volume look on micro – and macrocosmical processes. And though these processes take place, according to Aristotle, in the out of the material spaces, the metaphysics exists in close connection with natural-science knowledge. But, nevertheless, the metaphysics more often studies laws by means of occult methods and goes beyond a material world.

Another association with magic – the concept of mysticism. In household sense it means belief in the divine, mysterious, supernatural world, in something mysterious, unclear. In a context of philosophical research it is a difficult соncept, which demands detailed research and has the structure.

Very often magic is confuse with an occultism, but an occultism is a complex of some sciences which aren't officially recognized. These are such as metaphysics, magic, an astrology, alchemy, numerology, etc. The occultism deals with transferring esoteric sciences from secret ones, which are clear only to elite, into available for general public knowledge.

For understanding of magical it is also important to know what parapsychology is. In the article it is noted that it is branch of the paranormal psychophysical phenomena, such as extrasensory perception which occurs without use of sense organs. Telepathy, clairvoyance, telekinesis, paramedicine and so forth concern to them.

In an associative array with magic there are also such concepts as theosophy and a theurgy. The theosophy is the doctrine about Divine comprehension, about secrets of beyond the grave world, and the teurgy is a kind of magical by means of which it is possible to change and explain a course of events, calling divine force.

To this field it is possible to add chiromancy which applies for possibility of a prediction of the future on lines on the person's palms. Such manifestations are involved in space of the magic, as healing (use of traditional medicine), magic and sorcery.

It is expedient to pay special attention to a shamanism – an early form of the religion based on communication of the shaman with spirits. This communication is carried out by means of ritual which is accompanied by specific singing of the shaman, exotic dances. The main objective of the shaman contains in "treatment", in influencing on weather, to cause a rain, to ask spirits to help with something.

The importance is given also to the esoteric which is based on idea of secret sense of the Universe. Esoteric concerns those philosophical schools and doctrines which are studied by secret societies. Esoteric is the privilege of mystical elite for many years. Today the term "esoteric" is used for those doctrines and schools which don't admit science, but play rather important role in the system of knowledge.

Among scientists there is such an opinion that the person’s brain has potentially huge opportunities, but he uses only five percent. At unconscious level of processed information it is acquired much more, than on the conscious. It is revealed that during human evolution some zones of a brain atrophied and exist as atavisms. If it isn't result of personal experience, not reflection of the outside world but something secret, some code, then why it is impossible to assume what there is an existence of streams of consciousness which don’t dependent on the person?

The idea of freedom of consciousness promoted revival of one more direction of an irrationalism – some counterculture at the heart of which there is an idea about the introduction in space of boundless consciousness, and also total passion to mysticism and magic of the ordinary person – an esoteric.

It is obviously that in opinion of esoterics, the main mission of the person is the way of individual transformation that is a way from usual reality to esoteric. In opinion of esoterics, this way clarifies the personality, intensifies its processes of knowledge of the truth, the Divine. All occult sciences, including magic are considered esoteric.

Frames of research of a configuration of magic as a part of occult sciences allows substantially- historical and the epistemological aspects of research. Studying the place of magic as of some kind a link between religion and science, the author addresses to cultural history of ancient civilizations.

So, having analyzed different types of manifestation of magic, various associative concepts existing near it, the author defines powerful communication of magic with religion. In this regard bases of ritual and anthropological approach to research of magic content configuration. In mankind there were always inherent belief in mysterious, hope for a miracle, aspiration to mystical attitude, became an important factor in formation of such cultural phenomenon as magic.