Magic (supernatural)

Concepts

Etymology

The origin of the word magic is very discussed. Some see only the Greek root there magia , whereas others go back to the Perses period mazdéenne, at which the magoï was an important personality in the religious system of the Zoroastrisme. Others, finally, look towards the Semitic people the Middle East, seeing its origin in the word Akkadien magdim .

Magic and Science, the conflict of the paradigms

A very large majority of people oppose the magic and science, whatever the Paradigme (scientific or magic) that they take for reference to judge these two concepts. Some however consider that one like the other models the world with its way, and try a synthesis of these two paradigms (model of apprehension of the world and its operations), each one having its own faults.

Holding of the scientific paradigm

Those which are attached to the scientific paradigm to judge reality contribute to categorize the belief in the magic like a Superstition, and to reduce the magic phenomena to:

a fortuitous coincidence in what touches with the supposed events, by the magician or the people implied in the known as events, to be induced by magic (see Synchronicité);
the ignorance or of the negation of identifiable physical causes in the case of possible but claimed physical phenomena, by the individuals there having assisted, to be caused by magic;
a process of Autosuggestion , even of a symptom Névrotique , with regard to phenomena touching with the spirit of a person asserting the magic origin of its psychic state.
a process of Somatization in the case of an individual " physiquement" affected, and asserting a magic cause with this affection (“envoûtement”…).

Holding of the magic paradigm

Contrary, those which are affiliated with the magic paradigm reproach science:

its claim with the absolute truth . It is moreover about a tendency common to all the paradigms: very model of apprehension of reality tends to confuse its conclusions with reality itself although the theorized models are essentially only assumptions, certainly based on observations rigorous but not necessarily representative of all the possible observations. Science, following the example whole paradigm, is only one prospect on the world among others.
a too constraining procedure to put to the test some practical magic. The procedures of science would not be adapted by nature to even check certain phenomena, which would make the experiment useless because necessarily ineffective, would prevent the magic from operating. It is the most litigious point there, the scientific community refusing very often to consider that its procedures can be inadequate with certain experiments. The magic being irrational, therefore not rationalisable, it would enter then a particular field of science, between observed and the forgery: theverifiable one.
its lack of open-minded concerning certain points potentially rationnalisables. The scientist would be blocked by the fear of ridiculous to grant credit to the assumptions " magiques" : if necessary, it puts to the test its " at it; pertinence" vis-a-vis its pars.

The synthesis of these two approaches

Certain people try sometimes a retreat with respect to these two paradigms, refusing the traditional opposition made between these two fields. A possible synthesis can be done by considering them for what they are, that is to say paradigms, i.e. two different manners to apprehend the world. It is important to make this synthesis to perceive well the differences in nature between science and the magic.

The natural laws, whatever they are, can be considered according to a scientific or magic approach, considering that they are from two different points of view on the same thing even if the totality of reality is still far from to be modelled by these two approaches. The crossings are however perfectly possible: for example, certain scientific popularizations are often a manner of making enter a little magic, instincts, of symbolism and feelings in a world perceived as disillusioned by the scientific paradigm.

Psychology indeed allows an intrusion of science in the field usually described by the magic. (Even if it shown there certain a flexibility as for the checking of its assumptions, which makes that some criticize the membership of the scientific disciplines of it). Besides one observes many crossings between magic and psychology, seen with apprehension by many people, these crossings being often used by Secte S to reinforce their influences on their members.

Magic fields (white, black Magic etc…)

The mediums practitioner the magic, following the example scientific circle, are not unified in their convention of language or categorization. Each tradition or culture has its own definitions of the magic categories, the colors for example do not have the same directions according to the cultures. Categorizations about which we speak here are not thus absolutely universal conventions, and their direction can vary according to the community which uses them. Especially it is thus a question of proceeding with prudence when one seeks to define or include/understand the characteristics of the magic, and of paying attention not to be made of amalgam by confusing for example categories named by the same word but not having the same direction according to the mediums esoteric.

An important share of the modern Adepte S of the Magic consider that the magic is one, coming from the laws even of the world, and that it is only its particular use and our intentions which make it possible to categorize it. The magic would thus not be divided by nature, but its separation in various categories allows to classify more easily the various practices, to pay special attentions to some " tendances" attached to certain types of ritual, practices. For some, this categorization of the magic is only used to improve the concentration of the practitioners, while enabling them to make use of the force of certain symbols (color or other) for better placing itself in certain frames of mind, more effective for the objectives than they were fixed. The categorization of the magic, in this case, would not be whereas a useful technique , but would not depend on the nature even of the magic. Certain techniques usually classified in black magic could thus for example be used for the good, and others of white magic for the evil.

White magic/black Magic

The Anthropologie showed that the man traditionally made the distinction between two kinds of practices, according to their goals: the white magic and the black magic (in the past named " Théurgie " and " Goétie "). The first relates to a use of the Magic to fine altruists, or preventive when it is practiced for oneself. The second indicates a Magic moved by ends of revenge, and aiming to the failure of a victim (or a community of victims) in a particular field of its (their) life. The followers of the black magic pass to be harmful at the company, of which they are évertuent to disturb balance, while the followers of the white magic are supposed to rectify these disorders, or to prevent them.

Thus, from the companies which grant a certain credit to the magic practices until in the imaginary popular one, the magicians can be side of the Mal (if the use that they make of the Magic is egoistic, and/or is cause, at others, of suffering, or inclined situations to cause suffering) or Bien (if they use the Magic with fine altruists, or at least who do not cause a wrong to others).

Other visions much more modern sought to separate the white magic and the black magic by using other elements that " the bien" and " the mal". The morals varying from one company to another, and this concept of good and evil being too often turbid and not very precise, nothing not being never very white or any black. The white Magic would be then a magic used to initially satisfy a will of harmony and perpetuation of operation " sain" world, independently of the personal and individual will of the magus (and sometimes even requiring a personal sacrifice of the magus) Black magic being a magic seeking on the contrary to disturb the harmony or the operation ordinary of the world in the personal interest and individual of the magus. It is then either of a demarcation well/badly, but about a demarcation individual interest/collective interest. The " collectivité" including often much more than humanity alone.

Red magic

In 1830, vis-a-vis a demarcation black white/very often used, a new demarcation appeared (several centuries afterwards) to categorize another form of magic, called red. It has many different definitions, some use this demarcation to divide the black magic into two part distinct. With on the one hand the magics (black) aiming to destroy or curse but bringing anything else to the magus only one sadistic pleasure vis-a-vis misfortune and to the frustration which its operations cause (or are supposed to cause) at the victim. And in addition magics (red thus) having a more egoistic goal, aiming at bringing to the magus tangible or carnal properties and pleasure (but not necessarily in connection with sexuality.)

However, the majority of the definitions of the red magic have a relatively common characteristic, directly associated with sexuality, the love, the seduction and the pleasure carnal or in love. The red magic is then primarily relational (dealing with the particular relationship between two human). There exist however two currents among those which use this red categorization in love and/or carnal.

Those which consider that the red magic contains primarily the tempting charms and enchantment, like the philters of love, or all the magics seeking to allure and obtain capacity of seduction on the charmed individuals. This categorization is often illustrated by the judicious witches to have obtained the heart of certain already married, or inaccessible people socially, by envoûtements, and that (of course) against the liking of these last.

Others consider that these practices are egoistic Enchantement S and handling to classify only in the black magic, and place in the red magic only the practices and ritual not aiming handling, but revealing already existing feelings, or at developing them. In this vision, the white magic is resulting from a person to help the community, the black magic draws benefit from the outside world for the personal needs for the magus and the red magic is based on the voluntary love and exchanges between the two participants in this magic. For example certain ritual between in love basing itself on their love to make themselves stronger, or to fight against a disease or a particular affliction of the one of the members are example of this red magic " non-manipulatrice".

Other colors

Other colors are sometimes used same manner, to differentiate some practical. (However their use is definitely officially agreed still than differentiations white/black/red. These categories are thus often prone to important variations of significance, according to the magic communities which use them)

This separation between two possible visions of the red magic, (see preceding chapter), with given rise to the name of pink magic (red tinted of white) with the red magic " not manipulatrice" , then leaving the red title of magic exclusively to the egoistic charms and tempting magic handling.

The pink magic is then based on the love and the communion of in love, and the red magic on the seduction and the reports/ratios of capacities between the individuals.

the green magic often makes it possible to separate from the magic " blanche" (or of black sometimes) magics relating to only the vegetable natural order (see animal, if they are wild.)

the term of blue magic is sometimes used to categorize all the magics of protections (white traditionally). The blue magic thus does not aim actions themselves, but to prevent the bad fates (or the more natural misfortunes) from reaching us.

Not-coloured categorizations (elementary, Nécromancie, Divination…)

All the demarcations seen previously related to the color, but the color is not the only demarcation existing symbolic system. There exist other possible categorizations, which are not recut with the coloured categories of the magic. sometimes

One distinguishes in certain communities the magic Élémentaire .

Exit of division by the alchemists of the world in 4 inert elements. This magic thus relates to these elements, and under is divided into magic of fire, water, the ground and the air. (Or in mixtures of these elements)

note: The Alchimiste S categorized a fifth element composing the living beings, a noninert element thus: the heart or ether.

a current categorization relates to the magic of dead and the spirits of the dead ones: the nécromancie .

This category includes, inter alia, the famous magics concerning death-alive, like those not least famous of the discussions with the hearts of deaths. It grew rich much by the exchanges between the Western magic and the African magic Vaudou. The nécromancie is often apprehended as if it were about a black magic, because death is considered obscure and malfaisante in occident, and often associated with the symbols of color black. However, this categorization of the magic does not correspond to categorization " noire" magic: death, even if it is often pushing back and alarming not being " mauvaise" by nature. The nécromancie being able to be good or bad, this demarcation is often independent of the other categorizations coloured by those which practices it.

the Divination , is a categorization of the magics aiming at the prediction of the future.

(It can be recut sometimes with the nécromancie, when it is a question of implementing the spirits of deaths.) It includes a very large variety of magic practices, which it is for example about the Tarot of Marseilles, of the famous ball of crystal, very old the Astrologie, the Numérologie, etc

Magic traditions

Left to develop.

There exist various systems, or traditions, magic. One can quote shovel-mixes:

the tradition Rosicrucian brotherhood and one of its affiliations the Sorcery;
the elaborate Magic énochienne in XVIe century by the magus élizabéthain John Dee;
magic of the Golden delicious Dawn, prestigious occult institute of the XIXe century whose practices were in particular codified by Samuel Mathers;
magic known as " thélémite ", developed by Aleister Crowley;
the Magic of Chaos;
the magic Voodoo
and well of others still…

Principles of the magic action

The practice of the Magic rests on the belief which the human spirit is the Almighty on the world which surrounds it and which a determined thought, directed well, concentrated well, can concretize, influence the things and the beings. But how this concretization of the thought be would possible? According to the spirits Materialists and the majority of the scientists, it is about a physically impossible phenomenon and not having any scientific base. According to the magicians, a to be able or a secret force would be used as intermediary between the mental world and the plan of physical reality.

The Magic is indeed presented by its followers like the use of a to be able or a force to influence a given target (the expert himself, a third person, a community of which the magician forms part or not) and the events relating to it. The followers of the contemporary Western Magic define the role of the magic practices thus: to put in action this famous force or this capacity to influence the destiny of a target. Connection can be facilitated by accessories, like the incenses or of the ingredients.

The psychic Connection with the target

According to the magic theories, the operator must establish a connection Psychique (what would be possible by means of the evoked force) with the target of his action. He must then imagine this target in the situation which it wishes to see him arriving. All that is carried out of course by concentration and mental visualization, but the magicians also help themselves of the word (then called Incantation).

However, the human being cannot remain concentrated well a long time on the same object, and psychic connection established between the magician and his target - a need with the eyes of the followers of the Magic - thus suffers from brittleness. It is to cure that the magicians use a “magic Objet” (also called “witnesses”). The latter, put in scene in a Ritual , have as a function to facilitate connection in question, by helping the expert to concentrate on his target on the one hand and the effect which it wishes D `another share.

Tools of the Magic: pilot

There are traditionally two kinds: pilot of action (representations of the wished effect, of the situation such as one would like that it is) and the witness-targets (representation of the individual or the community concerned). Both enter the basic factors of the magic action.

Basic factors

The factors of the magic action are:

the pilot of action (representing the desired effect),
the pilot target (representing the target of the action), and
the force , the to be able of the magician (who feeds connection between L `spirit of the expert and his target)

Pilot of action

The witnesses of action have as a function to help the magician to concentrate on the wished effect, with S `“ immerger ” in its desire. The witnesses of action can be Dessin S, Symbole S (astrological,…), of the Incense, the candles of a certain color, oils… having a “ correspondance ” of Conceptual type, archetypal (with the psychoanalytical direction jungien), with the desired effect. Example:

In the case of a fate of love, the witness of action can be:

the drawing of a heart
the symbol of the planet Venus, owing to the fact that this one is associated in Astrologie with the love
of the incense of pink, owing to the fact that the pink is traditionally associated with the concept of love
of the essential oil of pink, for the same reason as that evoked above
one or more candles of red color, this color being associated with passion;
etc

the correspondences can even go until applying to the quantity of candles: the 15 will be here of rigor, this last being, in Numérologie, the figure of the love.

All in all, a witness of action is the notation symbolic, archetypal E, of the desired effect. (see also with hermetic Correspondences).

The pilot target

The target witness is an object which represents the target of the magic operation. This target can be the magician himself, another person, or an entity made up of several people (like an association, a group, a company…).

It witness-target must help the magician to concentrate on the individual or the community concerned. Thus, the alleged force emitted by the thought of the magician - this thought being entirely turned towards the desired effect thanks to the witnesses of actions - is supposed to be useful of this concentration towards the target, this supposed psychic connection established between the magician and his target, like support to arrive to this same target and to affect it.
It should be noted that it witness-target is not always used as an object to contemplate, but which it is sometimes handled. This handling is a “setting in scene” of the action wished on the target, and is supposed to facilitate in the latter the concretization of the desired effect. This type of practices, called envoûtement , rests on the psychological process of the thought by analogy and obeys so that the Anthropologue James George Frazer named the Principe of similarity : the magician, considering that to perceive the representation of a thing “connects it” to the thing and “it makes main” of this one, known as able to act on this thing while acting on his representation. Famous the Dagyde or Poupée voodoo is the example par excellence of this principle, according to which one can psychiquement assign an individual only while carrying an action on an object the representative.
Another practice, aiming for the magicians at reinforcing to it witness-target, consists in incorporating in this last of the fragments of the body of the real person: hair, nails, blood drops, of saliva… James George Frazer calls this concept the Principe of contagion : very reached with an “impregnated” object of a person is supposed to reflect on the person itself.

Divergences of the cultures

It is interesting to see that the Procedure diverges according to the cultures: the magicians of certain traditions will privilege practices which will be seen neglected in others. For example, magic practices specific to the companies known as " primitives" , or those formerly very widespread in European rural environments, use much of dagydes and other effigies, and do not resort to the witnesses of action. On the other hand, in the Western magic traditions where symbolism holds a great place, the followers have habit to bring into play the hermetic Correspondances through the use of witnesses of action (candles, incense, etc).

Magic and religion

Can one speak in religious fact for the magic, or contrary: is the magic thought the base of the religious thought?

The evolutionary current: the magic is the “first stage”

In its work the gold Branch , James George Frazer, anthropologist of the evolutionary current , theorizes the hypothetical passage of humanity by three intellectual stages - magic , religion , science - and by there simplification “progress adapts = rationalization”. It distinguishes in addition, in its analysis of the practice of magic, two intellectual laws in the magic act: the law of sympathy (“the similar one calls the similar one”) and the law of contagion (“what was put in contact continues to act remotely”). Another evolutionary anthropologist, Edward Tylor, does not make a radical difference between magic and religion, preferring a broader category: the “supernatural one”. He for that was largely criticized by Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard.

The French School of Sociology: complementarity and differentiation of the magic and the religion

In the elementary forms of the religion , Emile Durkheim separates magic and religion by the number of participants and believers: the magic does not lend to collective demonstrations. For Hubert and Mauss, the religion is collective and prone to sacrifices , while the magic is individual and prone to evil spells .

Malinowski: psychological explanations?

For Bronislaw Malinowski, the magic is pragmatic, answers precise goals, and is individual. One seeks his effectiveness and finds his ends by the Rite S. the religion more abstract, is satisfied, and one finds his ends in the rites. Magic as religion have as a common denominator their function alleviating during periods of disorders or doubts psychological.

Lévi-Strauss: bonds between magic and religion

Claude Lévi-Strauss distinguishes magic and religion to prefer to it parallel magic Psychanalyse. However the magic resembles a science because she seeks to intervene on the elements. “ the religion contains necessarily magic and the magic contains necessarily religion ”.

Criticisms

Evans-Pritchard prefers not to make too rigid cutting between magic and religion: the magic must be placed in the general social context. It makes however the distinction between white magic preventive and black magic offensive. One also raised the problem of “classifications”, those often rigidifying reality and reducing the approach to Ethnocentrisme. Is it necessary to define the religion by what it is not (the Philosophie, the Idéologie, magic…)?

History of the Magic in the western world

Left to develop more.

Prehistory with the Antiquity

As regards the Western part, the magic would come from the Chamanisme former to the Christianisme, which would be its oldest source and most plausible. The concepts of symbology used by the magicians of today would go up then at the time of the cave man. The Shaman of the time made use of ritual and sacrifices to require of the Gods to modify the events. The Chamanisme would have been spread relatively quickly with the whole of planet, and thus until in America and Europe (ref. The Standing Stones Book off Shadows of Scott Cunningham).

The shamanism is based especially on the Théurgie.

In Antiquity

In the ancient Greece, the magic recovered three concepts: the term maghéia , the " magie" itself, corresponded to a Corpus of mystical practices of Eastern origin (whose theoretical slope constituted the Hermétisme) allowing the Initié to penetrate the divine Mystère S and to reach the perfection. The two other sections were on the one hand the pharmakéia , or " Pharmacopeia " , the art of the knowledge of the plants and their therapeutic use, and in addition the goetéia , the " Goétie " or " Sorcery " , that is to say art to influence others or the course of the things.

With the the Middle Ages and the Rebirth

With the Middle Ages, the first Witch S practitioner the magic, of descent Druidique S for the majority, underwent " foudres" Catholic church. Even supposed members of secret societies like the Rosicrucian brotherhood, started to gather in secrecy after having been in great number marked of Sorcellerie, for the majority practitioner simply the Occultisme.

Magic with XIXe, XXe and XXIe centuries

In the last third of the XIXe century, the Magic acquired an important place in the movement of the Occultisme. A member of the company of Rosicrucian (Gerald Gardner) has even founded a tradition of wizard and witch which became the Wicca after abolition in England of the capital punishment imposed to the witches. The tradition names today Wicca Gardnerienne and an important stress is laid on the magic it does not matter its type and this one resembles enormously the Magic which characterizes the work of Joanne Kathleen Rowling: Harry Potter .

References

Quotations

All sufficiently advanced Technologie is impossible to distinguish from the magic | Arthur C. Clarke

Random links: