Spirits are God

The notion that JS Thompson is echoing in these quotes is that magic is simply a methodology to alter the natural world to fit the desires of the practitioner. That 'primitives' wanted to manipulate nature, alter her to do their magical bidding, no matter the cost. In contrast to these 'savages', most modern (and Christian) philosophers would argue that their own longing for God is different, since it simply accepts the will of their deity in the world without any further pretension of changing its creation. This fatalist idea is a pure concoction of the Reformers, albeit an interesting one. But how does that square with the fact that primitives are also further accused of worshipping nature to the point of focusing all of their rites on appeasing her? Said pantheist tend to be obsessive about making sure that all of their rubrics conform to basic notions of naturalness so that her forces assist in providing the needed 'fortune'. How can 'primitives' be accused of simultaneously desiring to adore and rape their mother?

The clue to this conundrum lies in the dialectics of idealism and immanentism. To the Abrahamic systems, their god is a transcendental and simple essence, he can only be immanent through energies or creations. Nature to them is thus a creature, an object that is there to serve the will of their god. To the 'animists', the deity is absolutely immanent and thus active in every particle and object in their universe. Nature per se is a living being that cannot be 'overcome', it is a living being composed of innumerable emanations and manifestations. 

The shamanic magician wishes to communicate, commune and participate in the metaphysical dynamics of existence, not simply play with them as a child would a toy. The Abrahamic magician, on the other hand, wishes to know the operations of creation so that he can both navigate it and overcome it entirely. The modern scientist is basically a skeptical Abrahamist. 

​As above, none below!