Skip to main content

Transformation


Transformation

Transformation in its simplest definition is the ability to change from one thing into something either something very similar or completely different. It can be representation of a physical transformation from like say one thing completely changing its biology into something new and different, or a mental transformation from immaturity to maturity. It comes from the old Latin word trānsfōrmātiō which translates to “change in shape; metamorphosis.”

One example in regards to the magical world of transformation is in the form of ghosts, how you leave the body and become a spiritual essence that exists on a different plane. This type of belief is very offensive to various religious groups, such as the Muslims, Jews and Christians. (Copenhaver 2015, 281) But those not part of these groups believe in necromancy (from the Greek words nekros and manteia which mean corpse and divination respectively); the ability to communicate with these spirits of the dead, and do so in order to get a better understanding of the transformation from living to nonliving, and what an afterlife is like.

In regards to science, there are many theories and examples of transformation having a prominent role in our lives. Evolution is often the biggest theory, where humans have actually evolved to where we are now, starting from being lower life forms like fish, and that we have gradually evolved to the state of human beings that we are today. You can also see a similar process to this repeated through a creature such as the caterpillar, where it creates a cocoon that it goes inside and transforms into a butterfly while inside.

Transformation is about the ability to evolve from one point to another, which possibly ties in back to the idea of monsters. Maybe, monsters were not unknown creatures that are a threat to us, but are possibly just evolved states of nature to help grow the world and life around it. Which is why we can fear the possibility of transformation, because it leads into a status of unknown possibilities, just like many ideas within the magical world. A transformation can take many forms, but the result is always an unknown factor to all, which is what makes it such a compelling idea to explore within the worlds of magic and science.

Key Words: Transmute, Evolution, Necromancy, Biology, Butterfly

Bibliography:
  • Copenhaver, B. P. (2016). The Name of This Science is Necromancy: Picatrix I.2, 4 in The book of magic: From antiquity to the Enlightenment. London: Penguin Classics. 281-282
  • Analytic Quality Glossary - Transformation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/transformation.htm


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vitalism

Vitalism Vitalism is the metaphysical view that nature is composed of living and intelligent matter. In other words, "everything is alive" (Copenhaver 2015, 510).  In the late Renaissance, it was espoused by Giordano Bruno and Tomasso Campanella. Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle, defended a vitalist view of metaphysics during the mid to late Seventeenth century. Vitalism is usually characterized as a form of materialism and monism. Vitalists believe that there is only one kind of substance (monism), and that substance is made of matter, albeit matter that is capable of both thought and perception. According to Bruno, everything is material, including God and demons (Bruno 2015, 437). His view is akin to the Stoic conception of nature as rational ( logos ) and possessing a spirit or mind ( nous ). Bruno and Cavendish both consider nature to be one organism, more like a giant animal than a giant machine (Copenhaver 2015, 510). Bruno's view is best understo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Theosophy

Theosophy Christine Pelfrey Theosophy is synonymous with theology. It is the study of the natural world through a religious lens. A theosophist studies the natural world already accepting that God or angels are at work there. The term has been used as both an insult and a compliment, depending upon a writer’s view of religion. (Coperhaver, Magic in an Age of Science, 2015) Theosophists included Robert Fludd, Thomas Vaughn, Bruno, Henry More, and Paraclesus. (Coperhaver, Magic in an Age of Science, 2015) Paraclesus put magic at the center of his scientific approach and believed that God had given man dominion over nature. (Coperhaver, Magic in an Age of Science, 2015) Robert Fludd describes the Wisdom of God as making known the mysteries of the universe. God’s willing and not-willing are forces to be considered and are evidenced in light, heat, darkness and cold.  (Fludd, 2015) Johann Kepler used the term negatively to describe Robert Fludd stating that, as ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pansensism

Pansensism   Pansensism  is the belief   that all  matter which constitutes the natural world  is conscious .  More simply put, "everything is sentient" (Copenhaver 2015, 510).  This term can also be understood as  panpsychism   or   Vitalis m – the belief that "everything is alive" (2015, 510).  Pansensism  is a term originated by the Italian philosophers Giordano Bruno and Tommaso Campanella.   Bruno was of the belief that all matter was divine in nature – "There is a divine force in all things – Love himself, the Father, source and Amphitrite of bonds … Matter is something divine" (2015, 434-436). While Bruno's view encourages the belief that everything in nature is under the command of God and all moves accordingly due to Him , Campanella's naturalist view concedes to the belief of all matter being God's creation, however  all matter moves with its own agency. Campanella's view asserts that everything fr...
Post a Comment
Read more