Magic of Lights NY is a spectacular holiday drive-thru light show located in Jones Beach State Park, New York. This immersive experience takes visitors on a dazzling journey through a trail adorned with millions of twinkling lights and various themed displays. Whether you are young or old, this event is guaranteed to create a sense of wonder and delight. The main idea of Magic of Lights NY is to provide a magical and enchanting holiday experience through the use of lights. This event has become a popular attraction for families and friends looking to create lasting memories during the holiday season. The drive-thru format allows visitors to stay safe in their vehicles while still enjoying the beautiful lights and festive atmosphere.
Book Synopsis
Thomsen s book on Zauberdiagnose und Schwarze Magie in Mesopotamien Copenhagen, 1987 broke new ground in discussing many aspects of Mesopotamian witchcraft, with numerous examples from previously untranslated texts, both from the magic and medical corpus, and with technical discussions of the system of witchcraft. Despite these criticisms, the book is useful for readers who have no prior knowledge of ancient Near Eastern magic, and they will find the book an easy and pleasant read.
The drive-thru format allows visitors to stay safe in their vehicles while still enjoying the beautiful lights and festive atmosphere. From towering Christmas trees to animated characters, there is something for everyone to enjoy at Magic of Lights NY. The organizers have put great effort into designing captivating displays that capture the spirit of the holiday season.
Book Review
Marie-Louise Thomsen and Frederick H Cryer.
Witchcraft and magic in Europe: biblical and pagan societies, The Athlone History of Witchcraft and Magic in Europe series, vol. 1, London: Athlone Press. 2001, pp. xvii, 168, illus., £50.00 (hardback 0-485-89001-1), £17.99 (paperback 0-485-89101-8).
The concept of a series on witchcraft and magic in Europe beginning with a treatment of Mesopotamia and the Bible has much to commend it. The cultural impact of Mesopotamia and the Bible on Europe was crucial, and incidentally much greater than that of Egypt, although systems of magic were roughly contemporary. The present book is a useful starting point, providing a general survey of witchcraft and magic with good examples of magical texts in translation. Although not actually stated per se, the implicit assumption of the book is that Mesopotamian magic and witchcraft influenced biblical literature, reflecting a wider cultural Near Eastern context of the Bible, and the Bible later influenced European culture after the spread of Christianity (and to a lesser extent Judaism) to Europe.
The book covers a wide range of relevant topics, with particular attention being paid to the art of witchcraft, followed by examples of protective magic, amulets, exorcisms, and use of figurines, and other ritual forms of magic from Mesopotamia. Biblical evidence is less well attested, with relatively few examples from the Old Testament for healing or exorcism, but these are treated comparatively with the Mesopotamian material. So far so good.
There is a general problem with this work, which arises from the particular expertise of the two authors, both of whom have previously written intelligent books on related subjects. Thomsen's book on Zauberdiagnose und Schwarze Magie in Mesopotamien (Copenhagen, 1987) broke new ground in discussing many aspects of Mesopotamian witchcraft, with numerous examples from previously untranslated texts, both from the magic and medical corpus, and with technical discussions of the system of witchcraft. Cryer's book on Divination in ancient Israel and its Near Eastern environment (Sheffield, 1994) was a sensible treatment of the subject in both Mesopotamia and the Bible, which is somewhat unusual these days. Unfortunately, the present book is an attempt to cover the larger field of “magic” by presenting a less technical and more general discussion for a popular audience, but depending predominantly upon their previous respective works in related fields. The result is predictable. Thomsen's bibliography, for instance, hardly includes any work published after 1987, although the present book was published in 2001, and she gives too much prominence to witchcraft within the context of magic; witchcraft was only a sub-category of ancient magic, and not even the most important component. Cryer, on the other hand, confuses divination and magic and assumes divination to be part of magic, without considering the possibility that divination in antiquity was treated as a separate discipline and endeavour. Divination was the responsibility of the barû priest in Mesopotamia, while magic was conducted by the āšipu or exorcist. Magic was used to counteract a bad omen (in so-called Namburbî incantations). Otherwise, there was no magic in divination or prophecy; the processes and theory and practices of divination and magic had little in common.
The title of the book includes the words “witchcraft” and “magic”, but there is no attempt to distinguish between these two activities, which causes some difficulties in interpretation. As Thomsen herself points out (p. 32), the Babylonian Diagnostic Handbook was used theoretically by the exorcist as a means of prognosis by examining symptoms derived from observing the patient's body, and witchcraft only features in less than five per cent of the assigned “causes” of illness. Although Thomsen herself was puzzled by her own statistics, it probably reflects the true relationship between magic and witchcraft, which is only a small part of the large and complex field of Mesopotamian magic. Of the many causes of illness and misfortune, witchcraft and evil eye represent only one possible source within the sphere of magic; much more common are divine displeasure, the activities of a plethora of demons and supernatural adversaries, or violation of an oath or taboo. Furthermore, Thomsen (p. 23) assumes that someone using an anti-witchcraft incantation suspected who the witch might have been, which is a completely unsupported hypothesis. Witchcraft can exist without witches, simply as a function of paranoia; we have no Salem witch trials in Mesopotamia.
Finally, Cryer's discussion also never takes on board the biblical phrase, “do not allow a witch to live” (Ex. 22:17), which has been interpreted as a general attack on the use of magic in ancient Israel. The point is that witchcraft was universally feared in antiquity as black magic, comparable to an attack of malevolent demons, and one of the key roles of magic was to protect a client against witchcraft, or to make the client believe that he was being protected against some hostile force which he conceived to be a witch. The rest of magic, however, was mostly benevolent, designed to offer protection and even healing, and was not proscribed by the Bible. This point needed to be made.
Despite these criticisms, the book is useful for readers who have no prior knowledge of ancient Near Eastern magic, and they will find the book an easy and pleasant read.
The main idea of Magic of Lights NY is to create a magical and immersive experience through the use of lights and themed displays. Visitors are taken on a journey through a trail, which is illuminated by millions of twinkling lights, creating a breathtaking sight. This event has become a cherished holiday tradition for many families in the New York area. The main idea of Magic of Lights NY is to provide a unique and unforgettable holiday experience that brings joy and wonder to all who attend..
Reviews for "Journey Through a Wonderland of Lights at Magic of Lights NY"
1. Jessica - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with Magic of Lights NY. The displays were underwhelming and not very creative. I expected to see more elaborate designs and vibrant colors, but everything just seemed lackluster. Additionally, the event was overcrowded and it was hard to enjoy the lights with so many people pushing and shoving. Overall, it was a subpar experience and I wouldn't recommend it.
2. Mike - 1 star - I had high expectations for Magic of Lights NY, but it fell far short. The lights were unimaginative and poorly executed. I've been to other light festivals that blew me away with their stunning displays, but this one was a major letdown. The ticket prices were also quite expensive for what was offered. I regretted spending my money on this event and won't be returning in the future.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I was really excited to attend Magic of Lights NY, but it ended up being a disappointment. The event was disorganized and it took forever to get in. Once inside, the lights were just average and not worth the long wait. The staff seemed uninterested and unhelpful, which added to the overall negative experience. I had much higher expectations for this event and unfortunately, it didn't live up to them. Don't waste your time and money on it.