The Laws of Magic

The "Laws of Magic" are collective descriptions of the ways magic has been seen to operate in culture after culture all over the world, even in cultures that were completely separated from the rest of the world. They are the result of observation, testing, and theorizing until a coherent whole is produced. The primary Law is listed first and bold-underlined, and any sub-laws will not be underlined, but bolded.
The Law of Knowledge: this is the most basic of all the Laws. It states that "understanding brings control," that the more you learn, the stronger you are. If you know all there is to know about something, then you have absolute control over it.
Key Phrase: Knowledge is power.

Law of Self-Knowledge: the most important kind of knowledge is knowledge of oneself. Constant review and reorganizing of the contents of your mind, body and spirit leads to more effective survival, effective spiritual growth and magic.
Key Phrase: Know thy self.

Law of Names: This Law is related to both the Law of Knowledge and the Law of Association: knowing the complete and total true name of an entity or phenomenon gives you complete control over it (almost all phenomena in magic are personified and can therefore be considered to be "entities"). This Law is based on two premises:

1. In simpler languages than our own, a name is also the definition of that which is named. If you can learn the true name of a strange phenomenon, you will fully understand it & therefore control it. This is the connection with the Law of Knowledge.
2. Names are associational devices (memory gimmicks used to help remind you of something) both as aspects or descriptions of a phenomenon. This is the connection to the Law of Association.

Key Phrase: What's in a name? -- Everything!

Law of Words of Power: certain words are able to change and influence the inner and outer reality of those who say them. Words like "abracadabra" may have little or no meaning to those saying them, but their meaninglessness is irrelevant. Their power is thought to lay in the sounds of the words themselves. (Thus it is possible to create "words of power" on your own through experimentation by finding the correct sequence of phrase sounds that ring true to your inner senses.)

Law of Association: If two things, "A" and "B," have something in common (anything!), that thing can be used to control them both, and "A" and "B" have a mutual influence on each other. The more they have in common, the more they influence each other. An example is using a candle flame as the focal point for controlling the power of the Element of Fire.
Key Phrase: Commonality Controls.

The Law of Similarity: this is the basis of "sympathetic magic" and basically says that effect resembles cause. An object, idea, or person which reminds you of, or is associated with a particular phenomenon or entity, partakes of that entity's power and can be used as if it were the entity itself. Example: using feathers to represent either the power of the specific bird or the general power of the phenomenon of flight.
Key Phrase: Look-a-likes are alike.

The Law of Contagion: Objects and/or persons that have been in physical contact with each other continue to interact with each other even after separation. Thus fingernail clippings or hair from yourself or another can be used in spell work to connect the energy/power of the spell directly to the object/focus of the spell.
Key Phrase: Power is contagious.

Note: Association can be used in a reverse manner in "ridicule rituals" in which an enemy's associations are twisted and distorted in order to render that person powerless. This can be done by using his/her gestures, symbols, words, mannerisms, and names in contradictory, muddled, or ridiculous combinations in order to destroy his/her power.

Law of Personification: any phenomenon can be considered to be live and to have a personality; in short, to be an entity, and that is often useful and therefore true.
Key Phrase: Anything can be a person

The Laws of Invocation and Evocation: you can call upon (invoke) or summon out (evoke) entities from, respectively, inside or outside your personal universe, depending upon whether or not you believe in an objective universe outside your own mind.
Key Phrase: beings within, beings without.

Law of Identification: combines the Laws of Knowledge, Association, and Personification and states that by maximum association between your metapattern (thought processes + perceptions) and that of another entity, you can actually become that entity and wield its power. By maximum association and organization of all data about an entity or phenomenon, you increase your knowledge. The instrumental act of role-playing the part of the entity gives you still more data, as you begin to understand how the entity feels from the inside. You then examine your metapattern from the point of view of the entity's metapattern. This is, of course, more intense association, but is conceived of as "becoming" the entity. All thoughts of separation vanish, and you can do anything the entity can, because you are the entity. *CAUTION: You must make sure you have a strong anchor to your true being as it is possible to become so thoroughly lost inside your target entity that you made be unable to return otherwise. Suggestion, never do this without a partner until you are proficient at returning to your normal state.
Key Phrase: You can become another.

Law of Synthesis: a.k.a. The Union of Opposites, states that the synthesis of two opposing ideas or data will produce a third that will be more true than either of the originals. This third idea will not be a compromise, but something brand new. It allows you to change beliefs more smoothly & change value patterns when necessary. It allows the re-deployment of attention from unpleasant contradictions, thus relieving the mental strain that would otherwise exist. Old & new data can then be considered in peace & the final result will be a new synthesis of both.
Key Phrase: Synthesis Reconciles.

Law of Polarity: Closely related to the Law of Synthesis, this Law states first that anything can be split into two completely opposite characteristics and second, that each of these polarities contains the essence of the other within its own essence. In the Western magical traditions, this is stated "As above, so below," or "the macrocosm (the creation force, deity, or universe) is in the microcosm (that which is created: rocks, plants, animals, people, etc.). But it must be remembered that while everything in the universe can be made to relate or correspond to everything else, the usefulness of such correspondences should always be tested first.
Key phrase: Everything contains its opposite.

Law of Balance: If you wish to survive, let alone be powerful, you must keep all aspects of your universe in balance. You need a certain amount of energy or power in order to survive. If you have too little or too much power, you will kill yourself. This is one reason why the followers of both "white magic" and "black magic" are headed down dead-end streets. Fanaticism is to be avoided, or the ability to be flexible, or adapt to change will be lost. It is important to strike a dynamic balance that can change and adapt as necessary to accommodate your evolving spiritual and mental belief structure.
Key phrase: strike a balance.

Law of Infinite Data: this law states that we will never run out of things to learn. It is a basic working assumption and, as such, serves the purposes of preventing stagnation & despair & encourages constant research for new data, and thus survival. It's also a stimulus to ordinary caution, since you can never tell when something new and/or threatening is going to pop up.
Key phrase: there's always something new.

Law of Finite Senses: human physical senses are limited as to type and range of scanning our surroundings for data. For example, your eyes are limited to detecting a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, that of visible light. However, it is also true that we have yet to come to the end of the data available to us: we haven't seen everything there is to see in the universe, and there is no indication of any end to come. Nor have we proof that the data available to the physical senses is all the data there is. Therefore, by the Law of Pragmatism, the working principle that the total amount of data is infinite is a "true" principle. Just because something can't be detected by the physical senses, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Key phrase: we can't see everything.

Law of Infinite Universes: there are an infinite number of ways to view the universe and therefore, there are an infinite number of universes. This Law is a necessary result of the infinite amount of data. If data is infinite, then the patterns and metapattern possible from the manipulation of that data are also infinite. Each person perceives the universe differently, thus each exists in a unique universe. That is why one person has the ability to work magic, and another person does not, despite a deep desire to do so. The first knows that magic is possible, while the second knows that magic is just make-believe. This knowledge defines the universe for each person and (by the Law of Pragmatism) is true for the person who lives there. So remember, your universe depends upon your sensations and how you classify them. The former is a matter of your physical senses; the latter, of your cognitive organization. Change either one and you move to a different universe.
Key phrase: Infinite universes exist.