That Old Morgul Magic

A Reflection on The Bewitching of the Modern World

My work on The Inklings Option is bringing some new ideas to mind. Last night I shared this one, so I figured I would also share it here. Expect me to share some of those ideas with you more in the future.

Over the years, I have concluded that the world we live in is no less charged with the grandeur of God than the world lived in by the biblical authors and our ancient forebearers throughout history.

Rather, what has changed is the story we’ve been told and believed about the world.

Imagine being told a story so powerful that it has the power to blind you to things right in front of you. Some would say that’s not a story, but a spell or black magic.

I believe something like this is what’s happened to us. The story of secular materialism that we were baptized into in school has blinded us to an enchanted, sacral world right in front of us. This story has changed the way we perceive reality.

When we look at the same sun, moon, and stars that our ancient ancestors looked at, we do not see Rulers and Angels. We just see space rocks and balls of gas.

When we feel the same wind that blew upon the world in the beginning, we don’t feel God’s Spirit. We just feel the wind.

The story of secular materialism has taught us how to naturally reduce things down to their material components and render them meaningless. It’s so natural and powerful that we don’t even know we’re doing it.

In some ways, it reminds me of Tolkien talking about the distinction between Primary and Secondary Worlds. He wrote that enchantment produces Secondary Worlds in artistic purity to satisfy the senses. In contrast, magic produces altered, pretend versions of the Primary World out of the desire for power and to dominate the will.

“Enchantment produces a Secondary World, into which both designer and spectator can enter, to the satisfaction of their senses while they are inside; but in its purity it is artistic in desire and purpose. Magic produces, or pretends to produce, an alteration in the Primary World. It does not matter by whom it is said to be practised, fay or mortal, it remains distinct from the other two; it is not an art but a technique; its desire is power in this world, domination of things and wills.”

A similar notion is embedded in C.S. Lewis’s “The Chronicles of Narnia,” particularly in “The Silver Chair.” The protagonists, Eustace, Jill, Puddleglum, and Prince Rilian, encounter the Queen of Underland who enchants them into believing her realm is the sole reality. Puddleglum resists the enchantment, reminding everyone of the sun and Aslan. The Queen gradually convinces them that the sun and Aslan do not exist.

Of course, this is imaginative, but we must remember that imagination is a truth-bearing faculty. I believe that our ancient forebearers knew better and so did Tolkien and Lewis. I don’t believe they thought that stars were Angels, the sun and moon were Rulers, and the wind was God’s Spirit because they were ignorant. No. I believe they thought that because they were smart enough to know that something is more than its material parts.

Again, this notion comes up in Lewis’s “The Voyage of the Dawntreader.” There, Eustace, speaking to Ramandu — the star, says:

“In our world," said Eustace, "a star is a huge ball of flaming gas." [Ramandu responded] “Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is, but only what it is made of.”

The poet William Blake wrote of similar things in his day, saying:

“What,” it will be questioned. “When the Sun rises, do you not see a round Disk of fire somewhat like a Guinea?” O’ no, no. I see an Innumerable company of the Heavenly host crying ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.”

This is why I say the world is still charged with the grandeur of God. God has not changed. The world has not changed. Our imaginative capacity to perceive the world in a real and meaningful way has changed. None dare call it Morgul Magic, but perhaps that’s exactly what it is. And, until we wake up from this magic, I suppose we’ll continue entertaining angels unawares more than at any other time in history.