Hello everyone! I just joined this sub and am so glad I found a group of like-minded people. As such, I had a theory I wanted to share!
So, we all know there isn't any concrete proof for the magic and paranormal, but there's tons of instances of people personally having experienced something that makes them wholeheartedly believe in this stuff.
My theory about this is that what people are perceiving and experiencing is a reflection of their unconscious mind. As humans, the reality we perceive is absorbed through our eyes, computed, filtered, and then projected back onto the mortal plane by our brain. As such, our brain can create its own experiences under the right circumstances. Drugs can help to induce this experience, as can extreme emotion and poor lighting.
I would suppose this is sort of in line with Jungian psychology. What people perceive as outside entities and forces (deities, ancestors, spirits) are actually parts of the unconscious self manifesting through experiences (hallucinations, synchronicities) in an attempt to integrate with the conscious mind.
Just an idea! I'm probably not the first one to have it. Just wondered what y'all thought :)