At heart , magic embraces the power that small solidarity networks have to change the world through changing their own perceptions of reality .

And, for all the criticisms (some fair, some not) I’ve seen levied at this space by non-believers, I’ve seen, with my own eyes, magic being made nearly every day — through refreshed optimism, through hard work done fast, through groups coming together to do what individuals alone cannot.

By community knowledge, I mean beliefs, truths and cures passed down over time.

By solidarity networks, I mean acting with trust, in small self-selecting groups.

By folklore, I mean the ritualistic repetition of the first to build the second.

At its heart, belief magic is a combination of community knowledge + solidarity networks + folklore.

Both then and now, belief magic is ultimately decentralised and community-led (just ask a modern practitioner how they feel about the Magic Circle’s elitism). Just like the homemade pamphlets that circulated and enabled citizens to criticise the monarchy or church, their information channels do not rely on conventional means.

magical knowledge tends to be passed from person to person, rather than disseminated top down.

This belief is central to Web3 ideology, and we should be heartened by the sheer longevity of magic, despite the best efforts of large institutions, to bring together like-minded people in service of the best possible futures.

At heart, magic embraces the power that small solidarity networks have to change the world through changing their own perceptions of reality.