made or born?

[StillLearning]

Just getting a discussion going, Do you think that magicians are made, or born? Do you peeps think that some magicians are predisposed to be better magicians, or does everyone have the same possibility or ability? [question2]

[varmoth]

I think that magic is a skill like any other. I believe that anyone can do it but natural talent is certainly a factor. I can run, but no matter how hard I work I will never be an Olympic sprinter. That being said, magic does not seem to be as dependent on genetics and other physical factors as running is. There may, however, be metaphysical factors to take into account that determine if someone is predisposed to magic or are doomed to ineptitude, as I am with sports.

[PeacockAngel]

Lacking conscious will, babies are not even capable of lesser magick. Even so, lesser magick probably does not qualify as making one a magician, and babies are incapable of performing rituals and understanding symbolism and psychology.

[Ramscha]

I consider magick not as a skill but as an act. Therefore depending on what you want to do you may need a certain skill set. I would compare it to driving a car. Car driving itself is not a skill but an act wherefore you need training, theoretical knowledge and practice as well as experience to use those skills you need for it. Even though many young people (including myself) may have the first 3 they simply lack the last one, experience. Walking a way for 10 years can put you through so many happenings and levels which a beginner who may can redcitite crowleys whole book collection and knows how to deal with a sigil couldn´t even begin to comprehend. However powerful or clever they are or think they are, time shows the real value and lets us grow.

I personally think the comparison to car driving is really fitting, first everyone has to get at least the basic knowledge (at least how to turn on the car), when they don´t learn further, they will most likely strife accidents or kill the engine without even realizing it. When they found their proper driving style, they can drive and go into the traffic, but they still will drive much different then a driver who already drives 30 years and handles it like a habit (which does not mean he does it perfect, he may lost some tracks over the years by making it a habit).

Just mho

Ramscha

[StillLearning]

@ram yeah i like the car analogy, it definitely works. I was just wondering if people born to parents who practice magic, do they have the dormant ability due to their parents? I do understand now though. If someone is born to magical parents, they just have a bigger head start than people who haven't.
Funky fresh. [cool]

[RoseRed]

I like the car analogy, too.

To answer the original question - I don't know. I'm not a magician.

[StillLearning]

@ RoseRed, good catch, I meant those who practice magick, not magicians. I wrote this pretty late haha [crazy]

[Asurendra]

As in anything else, I think there are those who are born with more raw talent. Obviously, there are some who are more sensitive or clairvoyant than others. But, it still requires an investment of time and effort to progress to more skilled levels of practice and awareness.

[Rin]

I think it's like any other skill (or art, if you want), some people have more natural talent than others, but anyone can develop it if they put in the hard work.

An observation I've made lately is that those who have the most extreme natural talent tend not to be the ones who end up being the most capable magicians. I think when you're born with a small measure of something (say, a bit of clairvoyance, or a predilection for spontaneous astral projection) it's easy to allow yourself to be satisfied with that small measure, whereas someone who has nothing but a deep desire for magic fueled by their lack of it, is more likely to work long and hard to attain it, and to keep building up on it.

Although here we have to distinguish 'talent' in the sense that they have a certain gift associated with magic, from 'talent' in the sense of possessing the right balance of traits to pursue it (intelligence, discipline, creativity and imagination, etc). What I said applies to the former, whereas the latter is obviously still required (although they can be developed, if the desire is strong enough).