There are dimensions of enchantment that generate individual and cultural change.
Enchantment is the actual product of self-help programs, conspiracy theories, religions, political movements, and activist organizations. Like charisma in individuals, enchantment is a seemingly emergent quality of cities, places, companies, or groups. The ‘culture’ of New York City, Paris, and Rome can be deeply enchanting to those who are called to live or visit them. Working for a particular company like Google, or being part of an organization like Extinction Rebellion, can take on cult-ish characteristics by those who are deeply enchanted by the vision and mission. People join movements and take action when they are enchanted.
On the idea of ‘disenchantment’, Max Weber examined how modern society was affected by rationalism and the weakening force of religion in society. Yet rather than remaining restricted to mystics or divinity, enchantment is still the vital force moving us in individual ways. It is what the media, corporations, and politicians try to wield with their messages to attract our commitment and desire. By examining the dimensions of enchantment we can take control of the process ourselves and gain the powerful ability to shape our futures and the world itself in the way we want it to become.
The components of enchantment are dynamically interconnected. Enchantment begins with the self, how one identifies as a sovereign, unique being; it produces daily habits, foundations and rituals; it shapes the exchange between peers and the evolution of ideas; it influences the places and spaces one moves within; the work one undertakes on a day to day basis; the teachers and mentors that feed and guide our enchantment; the exploration of themselves within the world. In short, these dimensions are our sense of Self, our Foundations, our Exchanges; our Places; our Work; our Teachers; and result in our Exploration of - and influence - upon the world.
The enchanted have a vision for themselves and those around them, unique to their time and place, and their work, habits, and conversations are motivated toward shaping the world toward their particular vision.
We often talk of purpose, drive, and desire - but these are traits of those who are enchanted: they are motivated to action, they see pathways to overcome obstacles, they unite themselves with elements of their environment and culture to achieve their success. The disenchanted are easy targets for the manipulation by others, which can lead to disconnection and a sense of living in a dystopian world where we have little volition in shaping the future for ourselves or our society.
Enchantment is a powerful shaping force if harnessed - its dimensions are worked on us every day by others, for their own purposes and goals; we can be unconscious to how we are ruled by such enchantment. The Dark Art of Enchantment is learning how others apply these dimensions and how we can rein control of this process, to create ourselves and the world in a powerful way.