We have a guest today. Please welcome Marie-Claude Bourque.
MAGIC, MAGICK, ZEN AND QUANTUM PHYSICS
Marie is a French Canadian living in Seattle, former scientist and fitness professional, now mom-at-home to two boys. She writes dark paranormal and urban fantasy. The manuscript that finaled in the American Title V contest is titled Ancient Whispers. Set in modern Rhode Island and inspired by the poem Evangeline by Longfellow, it is filled with sorcerers, dark mages, alchemists and Celtic priestesses.
When the characters of my story ANCIENT WHISPERS decided they were to be sorcerers, alchemists and practice witchcraft as ancient Celtic priestesses in modern time, I was stumped. Where do I start? How do I write all this magic and how do I make it coherent. After trying to fill the brilliant world building questionnaire at SFWA, I had to pause and think. Write what you know….Okay, I can do that. I’m a former Dungeons and Dragons geek, a physicist and have been studying Pagan witchcraft and Zen Buddhism for a long time. So let’s see where that leads me? 
MAGIC:
Most people are familiar with magic as wizardry: Harry Potter and Dumbledore, Gandalf in The Lord of the Ring, even Samantha in Bewitched. And also for D&D geeks, wizard Raistlin Majere in the Weiz & Hickman, Dragonlance Chronicles series. They all use spell casting types of magic. Using a wand or not, chanting incantations that have been studied and practiced over a long time, using talismans, powders, herbs and crushed flowers, reading scrolls that destroyed themselves once used.
The writer’s imagination is limitless here, but things have to be kept logical. Rules have to be obeyed and the wizard need a certain weakness or it will make for a very boring story. 
I just love how the character Raistlin become weaker and weaker physically as he becomes a stronger and stronger wizard and thus has to rely on his strapping twin brother for help. And what of Harry Potter who navigates the angst of a growing boy while trying to learn magic from scratch. Would he be less endearing if didn’t have all these normal muggle problems?
So what if you want to try writing wizardry and don’t know where to start? Well, you can start having fun by generating some unusual spells and artifacts names. Seventh Sanctum has a comprehensive series of magic generators, from spell casting to dark rituals and magical items. And if you want to get into serious magic research, you can take a full seven-year degree in Wizardry at The Grey School of Wizardry for about $50.00 a year. I was as lucky to take an excellent course on Falconry by one of their faculty member: fantasy author Eva Gordon. Or you can also choose to get inspired by looking through manuals of role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons, or anything else you may be more familiar with.
MAGICK:
I have used the “k” here in spelling ritual magic, but let it be known that a variety of Pagan scholars prefer to simply spell it “magic” when referring to witchcraft rituals and I personally also prefer simple spelling.
Now how can we use ritual magic in writing? A book that showcases ritual magic well is Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (think of Igraine’s fire ritual to enter Uther ‘s mind and warn him he will be murdered). The movie The Craft also portrays ritual magic realistically (for example the cord binding ritual to prevent witch leader Nancy from doing anymore magic). Ritual Magic resembles a prayer. It uses rituals and tools to call deities that will make things happen or simply empower the witch or priest/priestess to achieve things in their life, a “cleric” in the D&D world. The rituals I describe in ANCIENT WHISPERS are spiritual journeys where my heroine performs realistic Pagan witchcraft ritual to encounter the triple goddess to learn more about herself and also to heal a love one and eventually raise a protection shield during a large magical battle. It is both a self discovery and a tool of magic.
To portray realistic rituals, it is important to know that Wicca, which has a comprehensive series of set rituals, rules and tools such as the Wiccan Rede, Threefold Law, Pentagram, Book of Shadows and Athame, is a new religion. Any modern witch pretending to have this knowledge past down from her great-great-grand mother is perpetuating a myth that has been debunked by historians. See for example historian Ronald Hutton: The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft and the site Wicca for the rest of us.
That said, if we are writing fiction, we can invent what we want and all is fair game. A lot of neo-paganism is based on ancient religions such as Celtic and Greek Mythology, as seen in all the different traditions. For a list of traditions, try Pagan Traditions at Witchvox.com, the largest Pagan forums on the net.
To describe ritual magic here would be too long, but I recommend as a start a book by Pagan author Christopher Penczack: The Mystic Foundation: Understanding and Exploring the Magical Universe. He goes to describe all sort of ritual magic, Pagan, Wiccan, Druidic, Shamanic and more. Most of these traditions follow the wheel of the year, loosely based on Celtic Mythology. As my story span over nine months, I found myself using the book Celebrate the Earth: A Year of Holidays in the Pagan Tradition, by Salem-based witch Laurie Cabot, mostly for her celebrations suggestions, such as what to eat at Yule and how to decorate at Samhain.
And if you need just a little more, you can join me as a student of Sharon Gunn for her online class Druids: The Ancient Priesthood of the Celts starting Nov 1st through the Celtic Heart Romance Writers.
ZEN:
How on heart can you use Zen to showcase magic? Well, I find this interesting. How can you explain psychic abilities? Buddhists see themselves as being one with the world and the world being one with them. As Buddhist peace activist and Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh says in his book The Sun My Heart, we are all interconnected. So how can a wizard/psychic/sorcerer use this? By completely letting go of his conception of self and becoming one with the matter he tries to manipulate or the person he is trying to read.
I have used this in WHISPERS where I show my hero first being so joined with elements around him, that he becomes one with them, he becomes one with the water molecules around him, with each gas of the atmosphere, he feels the pull of gravity clearly, the tides pulling on the ocean, on the earth mantle. And only when he can completely come out of his own self, can he enter the mind of the villain and reads his dark thoughts.
QUANTUM PHYSICS:
And to think at the molecule level got me to look further. What if our wizard/psychic/sorcerer can now act at the quantum level, alter quarks, small bundles of energy inside the nucleus of atoms, or even further, alter the string of energy waves that essentially creates quarks (for more on this check out the book by Brian Greene: The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory.
Now you’re going wooah, where is she going with that? Well there is so much we don’t know and I’ll spare you the physics lecture and encourage you to watch the movie What the BLEEP do we know!? It is hilarious and poses some real question on how we communicate as human beings and perhaps may give you some inspiration for cool psychics!
And if we are on the subject of science, I cannot ignore the topic of Alchemy. Is it science, magic, or spirituality? You decide and check alchemy rituals and history and alchemy spirituality.
All that said, today is a very important day for Pagans: Samhain, the beginning of the new year, the day when the veil is thin between the word and the underworld, the day when the departed are honored.
So bright Samhain blessings everyone. It’s time for me to take my boys trick-or-treat for Halloween. Hope they meet all sorts of magical beings tonight!
What kind of magic do you like?
Marie-Claude Bourque
www.mcbourque.com
Hi Ann,
Just wanted to thank you for letting me come today :)
Marie-Claude
Bright Samhain to you, Marie-Claude! Fascinating lecture.
Fascinating information, Marie-Claude! I cannot wait to read your story!
M-C, very interesting! Love the way you have your hero becoming one with the elememnts.
I watched What the BLEEP do we know? when it first came out in video. Someone else mentioned it yesterday. When 2 people mention something, it’s a sign I need to see it again.
Very interesting blog, Marie-Claude! My work-in-progress has witchcraft in it, so I’ve been studying up on Wicca. I find it fascinating.
What a perfect post for Samhain!
Funny how we keep finding we have things in common, first the knitting, and now the D&D/pagan geekery. (I didn’t have time for a costume, so I’m wearing my Celtic knot/Chalice Well medallion today. Not a practitioner, but I have a scholarly interest.) Plus, my next work assignment is a textbook on quantum mechanics…
SPOOOOKY.
I love that SFWA worldbuilding sheet, but I found it a bit overwhelming. (My high fantasy project is on a very-far-back burner for now.) Did you do the whole thing, or did you cut it down, and if so, how?
Thanks for dropping by Jeffe.
I know you have sorcery in Obsidian, I’m curious to see how you did it.
(will read it, promise, once my lifes quiets down LOL)
Bright Blessings for Samhain
Thanks Shelli,
Let’s hope someone finds this story worth publication!
Edie,
“What the Bleep Do we Know” is a very cool film. My physicist husband stopped watching it mid-way because it was too far-fetched LOL, but I thought it was very clever, and funny too :)
Tamara,
If you need more references on Wicca, just give me a shout! I’m your girl :)
Good luck with the Quantum mechanics textbook Jessica. I failed the course the first time I took it and had to do it again.
Quiz me on the Heisenberg principle now LOL.
from a geek to another!
What an interesting post. From science to writing fantasy; it can’t get better than that.
I have a friend who has been studied at the University of Missouri and the CIA because of her real life abilities. I have a feeling we could all have her capabilities if we didn’t suppress them.
Thanks again for a wonderful post.
[...] Marie-Claude Bourque is guest blogging over at Ann Aguirre’s blog today. She’s talking about her manuscript, Ancient Whispers, that finaled in the American Title V contest. [...]
I love the quantum physics aspect of this. It seems such an untapped source for fantasy as opposed to its use in science fiction.
Thanks Sandi,
It’s true that there is so much that we still don’t know.
I’ll be honest with you Walt, I am terrified of writing sci-fi. All the science details have to be checked. Feels too much like work!
Fantasy is much more fun :)
Hey Marie-Claude! I didn’t realize on the invite that you were a guest blogger. Very interesting post. I’m not into magic but I find quantum physics fascinating.
I also think it’s interesting how you intertwined the buddhism with your hero’s abilities.
I hope you’re having a great day!
Amazing and informative post! Thanks for all the great info and links!
Happy All Hallow’s Eve!
Hi Jessica,
Glad you like the Zen part. That was fun.
Thanks Jenn.
I’m glad you find the links helpful.
Have a great Halloween evening!
Hi, I just have a question that is actually not really related to the blog post. I recently attended a lecture by Dean Louder on the franco-canadiennes out there, and how there really aren’t French-Canadiens anymore. He stated something along the lines of how there are Quebecois, or pretty much that’s it; how the title F.C. has been dropped for Quebecian patriotism. I’m pretty much hashing his lecture, but he brought up the point, as did a few attendees, that no one calls themselves French-Canadian anymore, and are in fact insulted at being called such. And I was simply curious if you consider yourself F.C. and how you respond to this. Perhaps this is more just a Quebecian point. There is, of course, no offense meant in any of this. Thanks!
Wow what a great blog.
Happy Halloween
The Quebecoise thing. That’s a fun question. I am very “Quebecoise” since I was born, brought up in Quebec. Lived there most of my life and spoke only French until I went to college at McGill.
But I have to say that I now also call myself French Canadian, because I lived in Nova Scotia and there are some French speaking people there that i have met.
I don’t think it is a cut and dry thing.
I use French Canadian when I am in the US because people may not know much about “Quebecois” but in France I will use Quebecois.
There is absolutely no animosity between the Quebecois and the French outside the rest of the Province. I think though that most French in Canada live in Quebec and the population outside Quebec is getting smaller and smaller.
I would never be insulted by someone calling me French Canadian and I don’t think my family and friends would either.
:)
Thanks for dropping by Beth,
Glad you enjoyed the blog.
Happy Halloween to you too!
So… I’m late to the party (par de course
I suck) but… *shuffling feet* I want to read the book *puppy eyes*
So here’s hoping the right editor get her eyes on it, and snaps it up, pronto!
Bright blessings to you!
Better late then no-show!
Well, let’s all hope an editor somewhere out there likes it :)
Blessings
I’m late visiting, but glad I came. Very interesting reading, Marie-Claude!
Fascinating blog, Marie-Claude. Your depth of knowledge is amazing, but what could anyone expect from a doctor of science. Very informative. I’ve saved nearly every link you’ve mentioned here. Love the blend of the occult with science and faith. But what’s most impressive is the mention of how you weave the elements of human frailties into your stories and characters. I’m already a big fan. Now… On my way to rent “What the Bleep Do we Know.”
Hi Gerri,
Thanks for dropping by, even late :)
John,
You are much too kind :)
I am glad you may find the link useful. I am very curious to see your research on brugas for Ebon Wings.
And I wonder what you’llt hink of What the blip….