MagicFrom TinWiki.org
Magic or Magick is a conceptual system that says asserts human ability to control the natural world through mystical, paranormal, or supernatural means. Sometimes known as sorcery, the term can also refer to the practices employed by a person asserting this influence and to beliefs that explain various events and phenomena in such terms. In many cultures, the concept of magic is under pressure from and in competition with scientific and religious conceptual systems. This is true in Western Christian societies, as well as the Muslim Middle East, where the practice of magic is generally regarded as blasphemous or is forbidden by religious leaders.
[edit] History[edit] Classical AntiquityIn antiquity, the typical "magicians" were a class of priests. The Greek mystery religions had strong magical components, and in Egypt, a large number of papyri, in Greek, Coptic, and Demotic, have been recovered. They contain early instances of much of the magical lore that has become part of Western cultural expectations about the practice of magic, especially ceremonial magic.
The use of spirit mediums is also documented in these texts. [edit] The Middle AgesMagic practice was actively discouraged by the church, but it remained widespread in folk religion through the medieval period. Magical thinking became syncretized with Christian dogma, expressing itself in practices like relic veneration. The relics had become amulets, and various churches strove to purchase scarce or valuable examples. Starting in the 13th century, the Jewish Kabbalah exerted influence on Christian occultism, giving rise to the first grimoires (textbooks of magic) and the scholarly occultism that would become Renaissance magic. The demonology and angelology contained in the early grimoires assumed a life surrounded by Christian implements and sacred rituals. If a magician fortified himself with fasting, prayers, and sacraments, and used the holy names of God in the sacred languages, he could use divine power to coerce demons into appearing and serving his magical goals. Astrology was also became more popular and accepted beginning in the 13th century. [edit] The RenaissanceDuring the Renaissance, science began to take the place of magic, and scientific explanations began to explain what was previously seen as magical. Chemistry replaced alchemy, scientific discoveries were beginning to be made, and other scientific theories restricted the scope of applied magic and threatened the belief systems it relied on. During this time, there were magical arts that were prohibited by canon law.
During this time, there was great uncertainty in distinguishing practices of vain superstition, blasphemous occultism, and perfectly sound scholarly knowledge or pious ritual. The intellectual and spiritual tensions erupted during the witch hunts and the witch trials in Germany, England, and Scotland. [edit] BaroqueThe study of the occult arts remained respectable well into the 17th century, gradually dividing into the modern categories of natural science vs. occultism or superstition. The 17th century saw the gradual rise of the "age of reason", while the belief in witchcraft and sorcery (along with the witch trials) receded. In Britain, the Witchcraft Act of 1735 established that people could not be punished for consorting with spirits, but would-be magicians pretending to be able to invoke spirits could still be fined as con artists. [edit] RomanticismRenewed interest in magic began in the late 18th century, and exotic spiritualities gained fame in Western society. Hindu and Egyptian mythology appear frequently in 19th century magical texts. [edit] 20th CenturyFurther revival of interest in magic was heralded by the repeal of the last Witchcraft Act in England in 1951. The repeal opened the door for the popularization of Wicca, which was then seen as a combination of magic and religion that caused people to question the boundaries between the two subjects. In the 1960s and 1970s, the counterculture of the hippies also spawned another period of renewed interest in magic, divination, and other occult practices. The various branches of Neopaganism and other Earth religions that have been publicized since the 1950s tend to follow a pattern in combining the practice of magic and religion. Some feminists launched an independent revival of goddess worship. Some people in the West believe in or practice various forms of magic. Western magical traditions include ceremonial magic, as well as Wiccan and some other Neopagan religions. Definitions and uses of magic tend to vary even within magical traditions. The belief in magic is often considered superstitious, although some magical practices rely on widely accepted psychological principles and are only intended to promote internal personal changes within the practitioner. Visualization techniques, widely used by magicians, are also used in fields such as clinical psychology. [edit] Theories on MagicThe belief that one can influence supernatural powers, by prayer, sacrifice, or invocation, goes back to prehistoric religion and is present from the earliest records of a cultic nature. Adherents to magic believe it may work by one or more of the basic principles.
Key principles of utilizing magic are often said to be concentration and visualization. Many who cast spells attain a mental state called the "Trance State" to enable the spell. The Trance State is often described as an emptying of the mind, akin to meditation. [edit] Varieties
[edit] External Links[edit] Relevant discussion threads on AboveTopSecret.com |
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