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Why is Wicca any less real than other forms of magic? Wicca, for all intents and purposes, is witchcraft and is practiced by Pagans. The Christian Bible states that Wicca is not something that should be practiced (it is said to be against God's will and therefore abominable in His eyes) because it can cause trouble, involve evil, and can be very influential.

If the Bible says it, then I believe it to be true. The Bible is effectively "God's Word". Therefore I believe in Wicca, but I would not practice it because it would be going against my faith. I am not out to tell others who do practice it to stop though. It is up to them as to whether they choose to continue down that path or whether they choose a different route.

"Fire on the fingertips" magic, sorcery, or anything else pertaining to magic are all aspects of the same thing that we don't know much about. Wicca is perhaps amongst the few types of magic that we understand more of than any other. However, this is something to be brought into the thread about magic. As this is "what makes it fantasy?" then there needs to be a topic within the thread that links the two.

Hey, Wicca is a legitimately recognized religion. I have several friends who practice Wicca and none of them are either crazy or stupid; they just don't believe the same thing that I do. I suspect you don't actually know what it entails in the modern world. You should be more careful when you bandy about such words as "stupid" in conjunction with religions.

I don't really believe in magic, per se, as much as I believe in things that seem magical. Crystals healing your aching joints and stuff like that I put no stock into. But I believe that a crystal can provide a focus for meditation and emotional control (have done it, in fact; I have pieces of citrine, aquamarine, and sunstone that I swear help me focus on writing). Do I think stones send out wacky magical vibrations into our brains? No. But they serve as good reminders for what kind of focus I need. That's a form of magic all its own. But it has nothing to do with my religion.

Berz.

In the case of herbs and plants, though, it's a chemical effect that you can both document and reproduce. The material has to enter into your body to actually do something.

As for feeling stronger or having joints not hurt as much, there is the placebo effect that can explain away a lot of it. In the case of arthritis, the simple act of working the clasp on a necklace or bracelet or holding on to a stone can serve to exercise the afflicted joint. It's difficult to separate how much of the better feeling is due to that and due to anything the stone might be radiating.

I put stock in the psychological effects of stones, not in any specific physical one. But the way the human body works, psychology can have a direct effect on the physical body. It's just the way a human body works. It's for the same reason that people with severe depression also often have chronic pain; brain chemicals.

Berz.

Maybe my way of saying how I felt was rather out of context. What I meant to say was that I believe that if someone is Pagen and want to teach their children that then they can I can't stop them.

But when you have someone who says that "I'm wicca I do magic" It's stupid, They are normally the girls who think they are cool to say it. I grew up with it in school so I got conditioned to hate it.

But back on topic, I do think that magic can show how things are different now, I mean I would love to find someone who can do it or prove to me that it was real. When you think about it as we grow up we watch films and games that show magic in such ways that seem real, but as kids we dont really undertand it because we see it and think it's real.

I remember watching Reign of Fire (anyone seen it?) I watched it and thought to myself "I wonder if that would ever in real life? Maybe dragons do exist and magic too, somewhere that no-one else knows about just waiting to be found?"

Silly huh? But it was something that I always wondered and I still do.

You said it Mel! I'm glad Berz is still around to tell us about stuff like that.

I've seen that Reign of Fire movie Mandy mentioned and, even though I doubt there might be dragons out there, new species have been found in the world. I just heard about a new species of hammerhead shark and how most people don't care about sharks. I saw a film about how misinformed people are and that sharks are very important, not just for marine life but, for life everywhere.

Has anyone seen the movie: Sharkboy & Lavagirl? I think that's fantasy for sure but, I'd like to get everyone's opinions on it too. 3nodding

Have you PM her about it? Cuz I did PM her a long time ago and she never replied.

You know? I barely remember what the so called "dragons" look like in that movie. I mean, I know the difference between dragons and wyverns but, I never noticed that little detail when I watched the movie. Funny, don't you think?

He-he, I guess Mandy and I are quite the head case, huh? Just kidding Mandy! wink

Still, I sometimes miss things like that so don't let it surprise you much Mel. mrgreen

Well isn't that something? I had something to say about the subject and now I can't recall the darn thing. Who's the bigger head case now? Ha-ha! rolleyes