I'm actually a "scietific witch" so if you want to know anything on this subject just message me. :)
But since it's such a huge subject, I'll just respond to the religion aspect.
Ok, so first we know that witches manipulate energy and can create change through thinking and focus. At least this is the watered-down version right?
So, if a bunch (millions)of people get together and belive in the same thing such as God what do you think happens? The people subconciously are creating a "Thought-Form" together. This entitiy then takes on the personality that the people give it and thus, "God" is created. Then when you are doing religious activities, you are increasing the power of that entitiy.
I hope that was clear, I had to be a little quick.
I personally think that they are different, but they might have some similarities. On another form post I saw how someone related the three fold law with one of newtons laws. That every action has a reaction. Which is logical. I can't really answer you how they cooperate with each other. But they can be related and somehow, it just works!
Modern endeavors into quantum physics have revealed a touch of mysticism to their workings.
I don't know how much you know about quantum physics, so I'll give you the rundown.
There are four forces in the universe, ordered first to last by their strength - electromagnetism, strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, and gravity. Physicists believe that these forces were, at the Universe's inception, combined into one unanimous force and broke apart from each other during the Big Bang. This is called the Grand Unified Theory, or GUT. Physicists have successfully 'combined' the forces of electromagnetism, strong nuclear and weak nuclear, but finding a way to integrate gravity into the theory can be thought of as a 'scientific Holy Grail.' Whomever discovers evidence to corroborate will be wealthy indeed.
Let's focus on gravity for a minute. We suppose that gravity is a powerful force because we see its effects everywhere - it's what's keeping our feet firmly anchored to the ground here on Earth. However, when you try applying gravity to smaller and smaller objects, gravity starts breaking down, until at a quantum level it is practically nonexistent.
Think about this for a minute. It's as if physics work differently depending on the scale at which you're observing nature.
Scientists would abhor having to consult a different set of physics every time they went from the macro scale to the micro scale, which explains the enthusiasm for the GUT theory. It's elegant and all-encompassing, and scientists - especially physicists - love elegance.
So let's talk more about what's actually going on in quantum physics. It was supposed for a long time that, in the vein of Newtonian Physics, all of physics could be understood if you just have the right information first. If you know a, and b, then you can probably know c. Quantum physics don't work like that. I'm sure you've heard of the term 'Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle;' it states that there are certain qualities about a quantum particle you can and can't know, such as its position and momentum simultaneously.
This is because - wait for it - particles change those qualities depending on whether or not they are being observed.
Electrons, for example, are so small and difficult to track that we can only guess within a small margin of error where relative to the nucleus of its atom it actually is. (Now, rather than three uniform orbits of the electron as depicted in the old physics symbol, electrons are represented as a 'cloud' representing all of the possibilities of where they could be.)
When an electron is observed - or, in this case, measured - it picks one and runs with it. It only begins to occupy the most probable locations it could be, and in doing so, sacrifices us ever knowing how fast it was going. That information is lost to us until we cease observing the particle, at which point it will go back to behaving completely at random.
The scientists - if only temporarily - infused their will into the particle by measuring its qualities.
What does that remind you of? Enchantments, perhaps?
Human beings are macro-scale quantum beings. We are made up of trillions of atoms, each containing electrons bouncing haphazardly without any rhyme or reason. Our environments are doing the same. The randomness may seem inconsequential, as it is so small, but when the cumulative sum of all electrons everywhere adds up, it equals a HUGE amount of uncertainty about how our universe works, and how decisions will pan out.
Our ability to modify an electron's qualities by assigning our own, combined with this huge amount of uncertainty, means that we as individuals can assigning our qualities to things - projecting our will onto objects, environments and people, aka spell casting - just by observing them .
Anyone who want to study the relationship between magic and science must absolutely read The Field by Lynne McTaggert. Basically, quantum physics states that the observation of an experiment effects the outcome. This wasn't discovered until it was possible to observe subatomic particles, but The Field describes a number of experiments conducted on the macroscopic scale that indicate the principle applies to the Universe's very existence and can even be controlled. A principle that dictates that consciousness has the innate ability to effect the world around it, which is the very basis of magic. The relationship is obscure, but it is there at the very fundamentals of the Universe.
Well izzyspark,it was me.i told about the newtons law.I can only relate the three fold law with newton,but however i dont think the reaction will be 3x powerful,but just that it will come back in any form.
I don't know if this will answer your question,but maybe you should watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6D3JSf7tDE there is another part the this documentery,i will make another post and give you a link to it so the it doesn't run together with the rest of this one,but anyway,from what i've heard in that documentery,in ancent times science and the occult where pretty much one and the same,the some people what sudied astronamy(sorry if i spelled that wrong)and such also studied alchemy,astrology,and magick,i think it really depends on how you look at it,but this is a VERY good question.
All science is is a way of putting explanation to the unknown through rational thought and logic. That being said almost everything can be explained through a scientific format. At least that is the general idea. I personaly believe that there are some realms of magic that science will never be able to explain but yes. For instance they try to attribute a lot of magic to the alteration of brain waves and their frequency.
Dillon, actually that is something that science is in the process of explaining. The way in which consciousness is thought to exist is currently changing from physically occupying our brain to a force separate from the body that utilizes the brain as a control system. Many scientists nowadays have declared new discoveries pseudoscience in their hubris and ignorance, but even that is a normal part of paradigm shifts that have happened in the past. New ideas are always feared at first, but they are eventually accepted. If any mystery of the Universe lies beyond science, then science need only change as it has before.
Blackbeldam, that was a fantastic description of where magic and science meet. I myself am pursuing a degree in physics right now and hope to study magic in the future for the public to learn about it. I have also examined, with great skepticism, the principles of alchemy, a science in which it was believed that it was possible to distill matter into its most fundamental energy and be made solid and malleable. If such is determined to be true, the Philosopher's Stone could potentially be utilized as an energy source for both magic and technology. Of course that is just all theory, but I would be honored to discuss it with you.
