Review of The Science of Magic: How the Mind Weaves the Fabric of Reality by Dean Radin, PhD
I’ve been a fan of Dean Radin since reading Entangled Minds and The Conscious Universe many years ago as part of my research on psi phenomena, which includes telepathy, remote viewing, clairvoyance, and clairaudience, among other things that involve some form of extrasensory perception, of ESP. Psi was a major element of my Star Trails Tetralogy series characters and influenced my foundation for Charlie’s abilities in the Dead Horse Canyon trilogy.
Radin has been researching this field of study for years, something that not that many years ago was vehemently dismissed by mainstream science, and in some cases still is. However, it’s now gathering enough momentum that more are taking it seriously. While we still do not have sophisticated enough instrumentation to detect it, with the possible exception of random number generators (RNGs), he uses a statistical approach. In other words, a literal “What are the odds?” view, showing when certain phenomena are unlikely to be pure chance, often in the billion-to-one category.
He points out that “The annual US science budget was nearly $900 billion in 2022; worldwide it is estimated to be $2.5 trillion. Of that impressive budget, exactly zero dollars was allocated for public research on psi or magic. How much might be allocated in secret is unknown, but I would be very surprised if it was zero.”
I suspect most people are well-aware that the military has been researching remote viewing for years.
Of course everything that Radin researches is something that Native American medicine men as well as Indigenous shamans around the world understand and use on a regular basis. Connecting with another very real spiritual dimension is what they do, performing supposed miracles, healing, and prophetic utterances without blinking an eye.
In this recent book he not only talks about his research but the philosophy behind it with numerous examples of encountering it in his life. Not everyone refers to it as “magic.” You’re probably familiar with the concept of manifesting what you want, which is very popular with any number of motivational speakers, especially since the movie The Secret came out years ago, which is the same thing.
One topic that comes up frequently in books and discussions on the subject is synchronicity, which is one of my favorites. This definitely fits with the concept of spirit animals, which I’ve covered here numerous times, including the previous blog. In other words, an animal that symbolizes the answer to something you’ve been wondering about just happens to appear at the right time. He has a great eight-minute video on the subject on YouTube that you can watch below.
I had this happen shortly after reading this book. I was rereading Inger Margaret Foster’s book, Always Just Beyond, which I totally love with its soft touch of the paranormal. I was to the part where this couple was buying an old, abandoned house and wondering if it might be infested with mice. (In case you’re not aware I live in an 1898 farmhouse that has hosted mice, squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, and heaven knows what else at one time or another.)
Thus, I could relate. And about that time, I see this small darting shadow in my peripheral vision, which tends to be distorted by my reading glasses. I look over the top of them and see nothing. A short time later, there it was again, heading in the opposite direction and disappearing under a small dresser. Both my cats are asleep in the room and not the least concerned. Awhile later it happens again, but this time it stops. And yes, it’s a mouse, sitting there, right about where that knothole is on my pine floor in the picture below, looking right at me. This picture was the next night when the cats caught on to its presence.
This went on for two nights in a row. The cats eventually did figure it out and tried unsuccessfully to catch it. Others that have invaded my space have not been so lucky.
After I finished reading Inger’s book, the mouse disappeared. If the cats had gotten it, I’m pretty sure I would have found its remains, though one of my cats has been known to swallow one whole versus letting my other cat get it. But I digress.
That, to me, was a definitely case of synchronicity. You have probably experienced it without recognizing what it was. In other words you’re thinking about something and suddenly you’re inundated by examples of it. Radin suggests trying it consciously to see how successful you can be. Another example, if you’ve ever worked in an office and needed to make copies of something in a hurry, is that the copier inevitably jams. Or your computer goes on strike or runs very, very slowly when you’re trying to get something done. I’m not sure if it’s in Radin’s book or elsewhere that I read that complex machines have a form of consciousness and therefore a personality. My car definitely does. Makes sense to me.
However, don’t think that it’s synchronicity when you start seeing ads on your phone, tablet, or computer after casually mentioning something with commercial potential. That’s your media, Alexa, or Siri, spying on you. Not the same. :-/
Fun stuff.
What’s fun about his book is he has a section on testing what he says to see what you can evoke. He even gives instructions! He considers this an act of enchantment. Perceiving other dimensions he refers to as divination, such as remote viewing, which requires achieving a mental state known as gnosis, where you open your mind and connect with the collective consciousness or whatever you want to call the spiritual realm.
Since I mentioned instructions, I’m sure you’re curious. To get all the juicy details you really need to read the book. Believe me, it’s an easy, entertaining read because he has an excellent sense of humor. But here are the basics for manifesting or in magical terminology, enchantment.
1. Motivation – You need a serious investment in the outcome. An intense emotional need. Know the difference between want and need, the latter of which usually has more influence as it affects your well-being.
2. Connection – Identify strongly with the goal. It can’t be too abstract or hard to imagine.
3. Belief – No doubt that it can be manifested.
4. Effortless striving – Take steps toward it without stress or attachment. Wanting it too badly can often drive it away. Trust the Universe to deliver what’s best for you.
5. Intention – Know what you want and be able to focus on it.
6. Clarity – Clarify your intention to something reasonable. The example he uses is if your intention is to win the lottery, you need to narrow that down to why since even with some magic winning a big payout is unlikely. If you need a reliable car to get to work, focus on that, which could come about in numerous other ways than winning the lottery.
7. Gnosis – A change in consciousness to send your message to the Universe. This includes meditation, chanting, rituals, dreaming, dancing, drumming, etc. This is not easy without practice, but pick one that resonates for you and then practice. He states, “Magic, like psi, is primarily effective in a non-ordinary state of awareness.” If you’ve never heard of sigils, looks them up as another potential booster.
The entire book is a treasure and I highly recommend it. (Not surprisingly to me as an astrologer, Dean is a Pisces born February 29, 1952.)
More information about the book is on his website with buy links: https://www.deanradin.com/scienceofmagic
Dead Radin’s website: https://www.deanradin.com/
Other sources that I recommend on this subject are Mike Dooley and Darius J. Wright.
Dooley has regular workshops and sends daily free inspirational Notes from the Universe that you can sign up for on his site. Wright is especially interesting in that he’s made more trips that he can count to “the other side” through OBEs (Out of Body Experiences.)
This woo-woo stuff is my favorite subject so expect to see more reviews of related books here. Don’t miss any by subscribing to this blog. Sign up for my newsletter for other news about my books and related subjects. (Don’t worry about being spammed because I don’t send that many.)
