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New Statesman
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
Magic and divination in the age of AI
Illustration by Ben Jennings In a bookshop off London's Strand, fitted out in expensive utilitarian style – exposed ducting, unpainted plaster, birch plywood – a room of mostly young, artsy people are gathering for a talk about the future. There are cocktails and a DJ who is wearing a T-shirt that says 'Brutalism'. Facing the crowd is a sofa, above which is a projector screen displaying an AI-generated video of white, wafting things that look like fungal growths or jellyfish. Within their strands and webs are the faces of young women, their mouths moving without forming anything recognisable as words. The video was made, we are told, by someone who is a 'digital shaman'. The talk has been convened by a group of people – a 'platform' – who are interested, in a fairly literal sense, in 'technology with spirit'. They are here to talk about the links between artificial intelligence and 'spiritual intelligence', forecasting and divination, the old gods and the new. On the stage are an artist called Beccy, a tarot reader called Bel, and Sasha, a computer scientist who works for Google DeepMind but is also a meditator and practitioner of the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. Beccy introduces herself as a 'climate storyteller' who creates 'imaginative acts of resistance'. This has involved, she tells us, training an AI model 'with love and respect… to welcome migrants and refugees', and also to 'generate a sense of inter-species solidarity'. People in the crowd nod enthusiastically. Bel, the tarot reader, is not restricted to cartomancy. She also helps people – including corporate clients – to 'create oracles… systems for divination', she tells us. 'Many of them work.' Bel also works at the College of Psychic Studies, where other courses include alchemy, remote viewing and connecting with angelic beings. Sasha, the computer scientist, works on reinforcement learning in multi-agent systems for Google DeepMind, which is owned by Alphabet, which has a market capitalisation of £1.64trn (at time of writing). But he sees a link between the old cultural practices of divination – scrying for answers in playing cards, tea leaves and the movements of birds – and the modern practice of asking ChatGPT or Gemini for the truth about something. Both types of system, he says, are 'cultural tools for generating behaviour'. Joining the talk via the screen, in a brief and welcome break from the digital shaman's undulating forms, is Kevin, who runs an AI research group at Coventry University and a practice called Philosophy Machines. Kevin's work in AI is informed, he tells us, by his metaphysics, his willingness to ask questions about the underlying nature of reality: 'Is reality somehow constructed in a model that lives in our heads, or lives in a computer somewhere? Do we believe in things that we can't see… Do we believe that objects – rocks, clouds – have a soul, a spirit? Do we believe in angels, deities?' Companies and governments, he notes, 'exist only on paper, they only exist to the extent that everyone else believes in them'. Perhaps this is one to try in bankruptcy proceedings: does a business stop owing money if we stop believing in it? (No.) Give any first-year philosophy student a bag of weed and you'll have to listen to similar questions being pondered for as long as you can stand it. But these seem like sensible people, who work for major companies and institutions. And they are not the only people having such conversations; beneath the AI boom is a philosophical debate, and a struggle for power. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe For 45 years, people have debated a thought experiment created by the American philosopher John Searle. The experiment goes like this: there is a room into which messages are posted. The messages are written in Chinese. Inside the room is a person who doesn't speak Chinese, but who has a book containing very detailed instructions on how to arrange Chinese text into convincing responses. So, the person matches symbols they don't understand to instructions, assembles new strings of characters – which are, to them, still meaningless – and posts them out again. To the people outside the room, it appears as if the occupant can speak Chinese. But they can't. This thought experiment, published in 1980, has become much more relevant today, as it is fundamental to the debate over whether 'AI' is, in fact, artificial intelligence. A large language model (LLM) is 'trained' by breaking up text and images into chunks (not words, but strings of characters that appear together as parts of words) and then calculating the sequence of pixels and characters most likely to be accepted as a response. The companies that sell the LLMs say this amounts to reasoning; scientists and philosophers of language disagree. One response to this is to argue, as Sam Altman (CEO of ChatGPT creator OpenAI) does, that in this case you aren't really thinking or feeling anything either. Like his computer, you are just regurgitating input to create responses. Or, like Elon Musk, you can argue that reality is probably just a simulation anyway. In both cases, the convenient conclusion is that you can do what you like to the world and other people, because they're only as sentient as your computer – if they exist at all. And as for magic, the amount of money being thrown around in the AI boom is so vast that anything short of the supernatural would be a disappointment to investors. A week before the talk in the bookshop, Nvidia – the chip manufacturer that is selling the shovels in this particular gold rush – achieved the highest market value in history, at $4trn. Fundamental to this valuation is the idea that machines can see the future. In the middle of the 16th century, John Dee, the court astronomer and magician to Elizabeth I, carried in his pocket a case made from shark skin. Within the case was a circular mirror made from obsidian – black volcanic glass – that had originally been created for an Aztec priest. To a modern eye it shows nothing but a dull reflection, but to Dr Dee it was said to show angelic communications and predictions. This gave Dee a significant political power. Most of us carry a similar artefact today, of course. We seek answers and communication from our black rectangles. We choose the news we want to read and the people we want to hear from. We see what we want to see in the black mirror, but Kevin reminded us: 'Whoever controls what is seen in the mirror, in some way, controls the future.' The mirror of ChatGPT is darker and more obscure than obsidian. Its priorities are hidden in code that is not public, and which only a handful of people could understand. What a tarot reader really does, Bel explains, is to deal out a random sequence of cards and give them the meaning the client is looking for. The cartomancer, the haruspex and the seer are not only predicting the future, they are answering the question of how a person should meet that future. 'The underlying question,' said Bel, 'is always: tell me how to live.' As anyone from the Pope to Mark Zuckerberg will attest, this can be a very profitable question to answer. Throughout history, people have found that the trust they put in priests and oracles was misplaced. Today, the most popular use for AI chatbots, according to a recent survey, is for therapy; millions of people are entrusting this technology with access to their most personal feelings, allowing it to intervene in their thinking, their ethics and their sense of self. They are imbuing it with what esoterics call egregore – a form of being invoked when lots of people put their faith in something. A new power, no more accountable and no less dangerous than the clerics of the past. I think I'd rather put my faith in a pack of cards. [See also: No 10 is scrambling for a Silicon Valley payday] Related
Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Why Bel Patra Is Dear to Lord Shiva: The Sacred Leaf of Salvation, Symbolism, and Divine Power in Hindu Worship - Symbolism, Stories & Spiritual Significance
Bel Patra (Bilva leaf) is one of the most sacred offerings to Lord Shiva, symbolising purity, his three eyes, and total devotion. It holds deep mythological and spiritual meaning, believed to please Shiva more than flowers or fruits. Apart from its religious value, Bel Patra has Ayurvedic benefits and is a central part of rituals, especially during Sawan and Shivratri. Live Events The Three Eyes of Lord Shiva — The Sun, the Moon, and the Fire The Three Gunas — Sattva (purity), Rajas (activity), and Tamas (inertia) The three syllables of AUM — they represent the cosmic vibration of creation, preservation, and destruction Hindu rituals are rich with symbolism. Even the simplest offerings carry deep spiritual meaning. Among these, the Bel Patra (Bilva leaf) holds a special place in the worship of Lord Shiva, who is the Supreme Being known for his asceticism and boundless compassion. The Bel Patra is believed to be dearer to Lord Shiva than flowers or fruits. This leaf is offered with great reverence, especially during the holy month of Sawan and on Shivratri. It is used in daily puja in Shiva temples across origin of Bel Patra's sanctity can be traced back to various ancient texts. The reference to Bel Patra is in the Skanda Purana, Shiva Purana, and the Padma Purana. According to one legend, the Bel tree was created from the sweat of Goddess Parvati, who is considered the divine consort of Lord Shiva. It is said that the goddess resides in every part of the tree. The roots, branches, leaves, and fruit. This makes the Bel Patra a direct embodiment of her divine story tells of a poor tribal devotee who was unaware of any formal rituals. He plucked Bel leaves and threw them onto a Shiva Linga out of pure love. The act was casual, but Lord Shiva was so pleased with the devotee's intention that he granted him salvation. This story illustrates that true devotion is more important than the ritual, and is what pleases the most common Bel Patra used in worship has three leaflets. These leaflets are deeply symbolic in Shiva worship:By offering the Tripatra ( three-leafed Bel Patra ). The devotees seek to harmonise these energies within themselves. They also offer their body, mind, and soul to the is also believed that offering Bel Patra can cleanse even the gravest sins. The Shiva Purana states:"Bilvapatram prayacchami tripatraṁ shuddhaṁ uttamamShambhoh preetikaram devi bilvapatram upasmahe"'I offer the sacred Tripatra Bel leaf to Lord Shiva, which brings him immense joy.'Beyond its spiritual symbolism, the Bel tree and its leaves are valued in Ayurveda. They have immense medicinal properties. The Bel Patra has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and digestive benefits. In ancient times, sages who lived in forests often used parts of the Bel tree for health and longevity. This may be another reason it is associated with Shiva, as he is the eternal yogi and cool nature of Bel Patra is also believed to calm the fiery energy of lord Shiva. He holds intense cosmic power, including the destructive third eye. Offering the leaves is seen as a way to soothe his cosmic force. This can help in gaining his Shiva temples, Bel Patra is placed on the Shiva Linga during Abhishekam (ritual bathing). It is used along with water, milk, honey, and other sacred items. The devotees chant "Om Namah Shivaya" while placing the leaf. The devotees should ensure that the leaves are clean and unbroken. The leaf should be offered with the stalk facing away from the deity, as per the ritual significance is given to this offering on Mondays. During the Sawan month, lakhs of devotees perform rituals and Kanwar Yatras to offer Ganga water and Bel Patra to the Shiva Linga.A Humble Leaf with Divine PowerThough small and simple, the Bel Patra represents the essence of devotion, humility and spiritual surrender. It is a reminder that God is not pleased by grandeur, but by sincerity and purity of heart. Offering Bel Patra to Lord Shiva is not just a ritual. It is also a soulful gesture that bridges the gap between the human and the by: Anand Sagar Pathak of For feedback, write to hello@
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
BEL MOONEY: How can I cope with my parents' poisonous divorce?
Dear Bel, My parents are getting divorced. Both had affairs so it's ugly, bitter and full of blame — and I've somehow ended up stuck in the middle, trying to 'support' them while they throw emotional wreckage at each other.
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
BEL MOONEY: How can my faith survive if religion is so twisted and abusive?
Dear Bel, I never thought I'd be writing to an advice column but there is no one else I can talk to about this.
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
BEL MOONEY: Blackmailed to tolerate a ‘third' in my marriage, do I stay or go?
Dear Bel, I have been married for 28 years and, until four years ago, believed that fidelity was an essential part of our marriage. We were no longer passionately in love, but loved each other and were totally supportive. With our three children, we were seen by many as being an ideal, happy family.
