Magic Beyond Religion

“So I must work the magic beyond evil, the magic that endures forever” (Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima p. 94).

In this novel, Antonio is searching for answers between two religious mediums: devout Catholicism and a mysterious pagan-like power. His mother is strictly, piously Christian, and his La Grande, Ultima, is something else entirely, but she obviously has a strong power.

A friend of mine once told me that people created religion because it is comforting. (i.e., once we die, there is something more; there is someone more powerful than we are, who’s actually in charge, and He has a plan. And He’s on our side… etc. comforting notions right?) His theory was that man made up religion for his own peace of mind. I agree on some level, but for different reasons. I think there is divinity in this world, and we organize ourselves with beliefs so we can try to wrap our brains around the things we cannot fully comprehend.

It’s Jaques Lacan’s theory of the real and the symbolic order: we order our world of chaos and emotion with language and symbols. So with regard to religion—we give boundaries, laws, rules, and structure to try and grasp the ineffable reality of truth.

Ultima works outside of these boundaries: she works beyond “good vs. evil” beyond “black and white” beyond “Christian vs. Pagan” - she uses magic beyond any of these.

I took a world religions class (at my Catholic high school) and we visited a Buddhist temple. I distinctly remember not understanding a word the small old man was saying. But I also remember feeling something very powerful in this service. The incense and the atmosphere were entrancing. Even though it was very far from my own Christian beliefs, there was something tangibly…otherworldly. In a good way.

I truly believe that my church was founded by God Himself. But I also have no doubt that there is truth and divinity outside  my church’s doctrine.

Maybe God gave us confines so that we can wrap our brains around a tiny piece of the universe? Maybe we really couldn’t handle every truth without some sort of structure curtailing it slightly. Maybe one day we’ll know it all—and we won’t need “religion.”