Neuromancy : It’s a kind of Magic

Mind Magic and Reality — Playing with ideas.

The term ‘Neuromancy’ was coined by William Gibson in 1984 in his novel – Neuromancer. Since then the title Neuromancer, one would assume that that is one who practices necromancy, has been applied to science and IT blogs as well as to characters or skills in role-playing games and even a rock music band.

I was revisiting some of my more ‘mystical ‘ diaries over the last few weeks – those which relate directly to my interest in transpersonal psychologies and re-discovered some terms that I had been exploring several years ago. The terms Techno-Mage, Cyber-Mage, Psychomancer and Neuromancer featured.

Every word we utter is a construct representing some element of what we seek to understand. It’s interesting to consider that the words which appear in the public domain can be used for personal reflection and exploration. The more abstract or even ‘woolly’ the word the more fun our conscious and unconscious selves can have with it.

Techno-Mage was a term I heard used to describe a particular group of hi-tech sorcerors, who used magic and technology, in the superb Babylon 5 science fiction series.

As Arthur C Clarke has been quoted as saying: –

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” (“Profiles of The Future”, 1961) -

…and the idea of a Techno-Mage seems to me to be an extension of this idea.

Cyber-Mages, by the same token, can be considered to be those who have mastered ‘cyber-space’ in order to manipulate it in accordance with their desires and will… and that is the definition of magic. The ability to bring about change in accordance with will.

We could consider these Cyber-Mages as a kind of Techno-Shaman. One of the key features of shamanism is that the shaman visits other worlds to bring information back to the tribe. Well, cyber-space is that other realm

Psycho-mancers and Neuro-Mancers, following the same logic then, would be those individuals who are acquiring skills, knowledge and understandings about the nature of the mind. Hence we are firmly in the realm of considerations of the mind, consciousness and aspects of transpersonal, interpersonal and intrapersonal psychology.

I have been and still do, perform a “Mind Reading” act in a theatre setting. Think in terms of Derren Brown, Banacek or Kreskin and you’ll get the idea. This kind of performance is distinct from conjuring or more general magic and presentation as its performance frames are drawn from the realm of mind and it’s abilities whether actual (memory, non-verbal communication) or fanciful (psychic abilities, mind reading). This kind of theatrical performance generally goes under the banner of Mentalism.

Mentalism, is, however, not simply a branch of the conjurer's art, but a philosophy that espouses the notion that the mind exists as inner personal states (in a way not fully explained or defined by substance dualism) and a psychological approach that focuses on mental perception and thinking.

If you have read any article on the mind, mind power of mind management or engaged in discussions of Transpersonal Psychology you have been engaged in necromancy.

In essence Affirmations and Positive Thinking can be seen as magical acts and behavioural modelling can be thought of as aspects of ritual.

Now if you find yourself reacting strongly to what I have just suggested ask yourself if your emotional response is a product of your beliefs and attitudes surrounding words like ‘magic’ and ‘ritual’ rather than your understanding of the words in the context they are being used. More to the point, if you are reacting to what I have written, then you are responding to a ‘spell’ I have cast upon you – my intention, my will, to provoke an emotional response.

A Starting Point for aspiring Neuromancers.

As human beings, we are isolated within our skin. Our senses allow us to receive information from the outside world.

Our minds (conscious and unconscious selves) process external information seeking to identify, relate to and understand what we perceive.

Our inner perception and understandings are driven by our cultural references (which include beliefs) and these processes may well affect the way our senses respond to external stimuli.

If this were all there was then perhaps there would be no desire to explore our individual connections to each other since whilst we may be ‘alone in our skin’, our physical selves interact with others in the world. These others are ‘attracted’ to us by our attitudes and behaviours and with some, we enter into intense emotional and physical relationships.

We feel, we touch, we respond…

If this were all there was then perhaps there would be no desire to explore our individual connections with the cosmos. Many feel that there is more to life and so have a sense of a ‘spiritual dimension. For some, this is reflected in their sense of awe and wonder in the natural world. For others, there is the need to postulate a creative omnipotent ‘Parent’ figure. For others, there is simply the recognition that there are other aspects of self which may be an internal (unconscious) representation of internal desires (dreams, aspirations, fears) as well as a something (sometimes called soul, or spirit, or avatar) which has a closer connection to the Cosmos and is beyond the ‘self’ – it is transpersonal.

In this clumsy description, we can find, perhaps, a metaphysical framework that could include religious symbols like angels and spirits but does not require them.

In this clumsy description, there is a starting point for modern-day necromancers to consider the logical connections between ‘magic’ and ‘personal development; ‘ritual’ and ‘therapeutic intervention’.

In this clumsy description, there is the hope that we can explore the limits that our spiritual labels place upon our shared understandings.

“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.” ― Carl Sagan (The Demon Haunted World)

The materialists and many sceptics would baulk at the direction that some of these ramblings have taken since there is often a knee-jerk reaction to any discussion which seems to hint at the soul or the idea of deity. Yet at the core of our very being are the questions ‘who am I’ and ‘what’s it all about?’ These are the questions that have bothered philosophers for centuries. Some have concluded that there must be a greater intelligence ‘out there’ and have even given ‘creator’ status to a personified deity. Others have come to believe that ‘this is all there is’. We are born, we live, we reproduce and die. They would argue that anything else is pure romanticism, a kind of salve to make us feel better during our painful existence.

Whilst we can point our fingers at organised religions and the way their doctrines often seem to sit in stark contrast to the teachings of their prophets there is nevertheless part of the human psyche that is drawn to the mysterious. We can be in awe of nature, the Universe when we stop for a moment and reflect upon it. There are also moments in life when people, events and happenings simply take your breath away. These are numinous moments; experiences which some attribute specific religious meaning, but there is no need to. We can simply connect to the experience.

Neuroscientist Christof Koch was raised a Catholic but does not hold those religious views anymore. However, he has described a sense of ’awe’ from experiences such as entering a cathedral.

“a feeling of luminosity out of the numinous”- Christof Koch

I remember watching Carl Sagan's series Cosmos many years ago and with no disrespect to Neill deGrasse Tyson the older series is much richer. I have often thought of Sagan as a scientist with the soul of a poet and the heart of a dreamer, He wrote…

In its encounter with Nature, science invariably elicits a sense of reverence and awe. The very act of understanding is a celebration of joining, merging, even if on a very modest scale, with the magnificence of the Cosmos. And the cumulative worldwide build-up of knowledge over time converts science into something only a little short of a trans-national, trans-generational meta-mind.

“Spirit” comes from the Latin word “to breathe.” What we breathe is air, which is certainly matter, however thin. Despite usage to the contrary, there is no necessary implication in the word “spiritual” that we are talking of anything other than matter (including the matter of which the brain is made), or anything outside the realm of science. On occasion, I will feel free to use the word. Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. — Carl Sagan

Perhaps Neuromancers and Neuromancy is a non-religious, yet spiritual way of exploring the connection between ourselves, each other and the universe. Unlike numerous religions which preach separation and transcendence, Neuromancer's can explore connectedness and immanence; rather than dogmatism and fundamentalism, they can embrace diversity and acceptance.

In Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry created ‘The Vulcans’ the race of people from which Spock hailed. At the heart of this fictional civilisation, philosophy was IDIC.

IDIC was an acronym for Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations, the basis of Vulcan ideology, celebrating the vast array of variables in the universe.

What better place for modern-day Neuromancers to start.

Alan /|\

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