Magic paranormal: Encyclopedia II - Magic paranormal - Varieties of magical practice

Magic paranormal - Varieties of magical practice

The best-known type of magical practice is the spell, a ritualistic formula intended to bring about a specific effect. Spells are often spoken or written or physically constructed using a particular set of ingredients. The failure of a spell to work may be attributed to many causes, such as failure to follow the exact formula, general circumstances being unconducive, lack of magical ability or downright fraud.

Another well-known magical practice is divination, which seeks to reveal information about the past, present or future. Varieties of divination include:

• Astrology
• Augury
• Cartomancy
• Dowsing
• Fortune telling
• Geomancy
• Consulting the I Ching
• Interpreting omens
• Reading tarot cards

Necromancy is another practice involving the alleged summoning of and conversation with spirits of the dead (necros). This is sometimes done simply to commune with deceased loved ones; it can also be done to gain information from the spirits, as a type of divination; or to command the aid of those spirits in accomplishing some goal, as part of casting a spell.

Varieties of magic can also be categorised by the techniques involved in their operation. One common means of categorisation distinguishes between contagious magic and sympathetic magic, one or both of which may be employed in any magical work. Contagious magic involves the use of physical ingredients which were once in contact with the person or thing the practitioner intends to influence. Sympathetic magic involves the use of images or physical objects which in some way resemble the person or thing one hopes to influence; the Voodoo dolls of "New Orleans Voodoo" are an example of this.

Other common categories given to magic include High and Low Magic (the appeal to divine powers or spirits respectively, with goals lofty or personal as accords the type of magic). Manifest and Subtle magic typically refers to magic of legend rather than what many individuals who practise the Occult claim to use as magic, where Manifest magic is magic that immediately appears with a result, and Subtle magic being magic that gradually and intangibly alters the world.

Academic historian Richard Kieckhefer divides the category of spells into psychological magic, which seeks to influence other people's minds to do the magician's will, such as with a love spell, and illusionary magic, which seeks to conjure the manifestation of various wonders. A spell that conjured up a banquet, or that conferred invisibility on the magician, would be examples of illusionary magic. Magic that causes objective pysical change, in the manner of a miracle, is not accomodated for in Kieckhefer's categories.

Magic paranormal - Magical traditions

Another method of classifying magic is by "traditions," which in this context typically refer to complexes of magical belief and practice associated with various cultural groups and lineages of transmission. These traditions can compass both divination and spells. Examples of these traditions include:

• Alchemy
• ceremonial magic
• Chaos magic
• Hermeticism
• Hoodoo
• Huna
• Nagualism
• New Age
• Palo Monte
• pow-wow (folk magic)
• Reiki
• Santería
• Satanism
• Seid
• Thelema
• Vodun
• Wicca

Some of these traditions are highly specific and culturally circumscribed. Others are more eclectic and syncretistic. When dealing with magic as a tradition, the distinction between magic and folk religion often becomes blurry.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Varieties of magical practice", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki