Introduction

Magic, whether by ritual or trance, fetish or incantation, is a technique of having rapport with the gods — the ultimate reality associated with one's culture—and a means of defining one's own identity' within the matrix of existence. Despite the growth of a vastly complex mechanistic environment in urban sprawl, certain philosophies of reaction have emerged and some of these may be grouped together in terms of what has been called the 'consciousness movement'. Western medicine finds itself obliged to examine the Eastern fusion of mysticism and acupuncture techniques. Several parapsychologists are beginning to relate the study of altered states of consciousness to mind-body mental disciplines like yogic meditation which can produce those states of mind. Researchers like Charles Tart and John Lilly may be more appropriately described as trans-scientific. They have come from a background of rigorous scientific training but are now seeking to expand the frameworks of scientific inquiry.