This issue is very deep, and for a short installment in a comic arc, it addresses some profound concepts related to mysticism and the occult. There are two sections I want to discuss. The first relates to the physical toll of practicing the magical arts.
You threw the punch successfully, but you hurt your own hand. So what have you learned here today? …
The harder you punch, the more it hurts you. This is the most important lesson of being a sorcerer…
If a normal punch takes a physical toll on the one who throws it, what do you imagine the price of casting a spell to be?
The mental, spiritual, and physical are all connected. Whatever happens to one aspect of your being impacts the others. When we become physically sick or injured, it affects our mental and spiritual wellbeing also. When we engage in rejuvenating meditation, our mental and physical health benefits as a result. If we become mentally stressed through work, then we will experience a spiritual and physical exhaustion directly associated with the mental stress. Essentially, every thought or action affects every part of our being, sometimes in ways we can discern, and other times in ways that we do not immediately sense. It can be summed up in the laws of karma.
The second passage addresses the conflict between magic and technology.
This place has been drained of magic. What kind of sorcery could possibly… No. Not sorcery at all. Machinery. A machine that disrupts magic? That’s… That’s impossible.
I would like to think that science and technology can work with mystical practices to help move humans toward the next stage of evolution, but I am so naïve that I fail to recognize that technological advancement caused the rift between science and the magical arts. The Industrial Revolution did much to drain the spiritual from society, disrupting the flow of magic in the world. I think this will change soon. The latest ideas in theoretical physics are certainly supportive of the mystical arts.
I have to say that the more I read this latest incarnation of Doctor Strange, the more I enjoy it. The creative team is doing an amazing job of putting forth thought-provoking topics, but doing so in a whimsical way that is fun and engaging.
Cheers!
Stuff Jeff Reads 
Yes, I think we have to more toward greater integration, within ourselves and as a species. Having said that, I see the spiritual as the “master” perspective. Related to the other dimensions, for sure. But I think it can carry us through things like illness too.
One pitfall to be avoided, I think, is to not equate matter/energy, on the one hand, with spirit, on the other. Too many New Age writers do this. There is a connection. But also a qualitative difference. IMO spirit in its purest form comes from heaven. Matter/energy is all about the created universe. Two different realms. They meet. But, again IMO, they’re not the same. 🙂
This could make an interesting debate. While I see and respect your thoughts on this subject, I also feel that an argument can be made that spirit is related to consciousness, which could be argued is a form of energy. I don’t claim to have the answer, but it is something that I often think about.
As always, thanks for your thoughtful comments!
Cheers.
Good point. Ultimately a mystery. To me there seems some kind of interpenetration but also qualitative difference.
p.s. please correct… “move toward” not “more toward”
Reblogged this on Earthpages.org.
Thank you for the reblog!!