A bird's eye view of the whole field of magic, covering divination, evocation, invocation, vision and initiation. Some of the practical tips on what used to be called "Scrying in the Spirit Vision" cannot be found elsewhere even in large and rarer texts, and the method of Tattva cards and the Qabalah are given with examples of results achieved. There are interesting explanations of the magical art in the light of Jungian psychology. Complete with full page plates of Tatvas for the serious reader/student to experiment with.
Magic has been an important term in Western history and continues to be an essential topic in the modern academic study of religion, anthropology, sociology, and cultural history. Defining Magic is the first volume to assemble key texts that aim at determining the nature of magic, establish its boundaries and key features, and explain its working. The reader brings together seminal writings from antiquity to today. The texts have been selected on the strength of their success in defining magic as a category, their impact on future scholarship, and their originality. The writings are divided into chronological sections and each essay is separately introduced for student readers. Together, these texts - from Philosophy, Theology, Religious Studies, and Anthropology - reveal the breadth of critical approaches and responses to defining what is magic. CONTRIBUTORS: Aquinas, Augustine, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Dennis Diderot, Emile Durkheim, Edward Evans-Pritchard, James Frazer, Susan Greenwood, Robin Horton, Edmund Leach, Gerardus van der Leeuw, Christopher Lehrich, Bronislaw Malinowski, Marcel Mauss, Agrippa von Nettesheim, Plato, Pliny, Plotin, Isidore of Sevilla, Jesper Sorensen, Kimberley Stratton, Randall Styers, Edward Tylor
A wide-ranging overview of how magic has been defined, understood and practiced over the millennia introduces it in today's world as a real force that helps people overcome misfortune, poverty and illness. By the author of Grimoires: A History of Magic Books. Original.
Pull back the curtain on the real history of magic – and discover why magic really matters If you read a standard history of magic, you learn that it begins in ancient Egypt, with the resurrection of a goose in front of the Pharaoh. You discover how magicians were tortured and killed during the age of witchcraft. You are told how conjuring tricks were used to quell rebellious colonial natives. The history of magic is full of such stories, which turn out not to be true. Behind the smoke and mirrors, however, lies the real story of magic. It is a history of people from humble roots, who made and lost fortunes, and who deceived kings and queens. In order to survive, they concealed many secrets, yet they revealed some and they stole others. They engaged in deception, exposure, and betrayal, in a quest to make the impossible happen. They managed to survive in a world in which a series of technological wonders appeared, which previous generations would have considered magical. Even today, when we now take the most sophisticated technology for granted, we can still be astonished by tricks that were performed hundreds of years ago. The Secret History of Magic reveals how this was done. It is about why magic matters in a world that no longer seems to have a place for it, but which desperately needs a sense of wonder.
Is there more to words than meets the eye? Let us tumble down the rabbit hole to explore the world of magic, words, and legalese, and I will show you proof that there is more to words than meets the eye. This magical journey will teach you how words can be used to empower or disempower you. Once you learn how powerful words are and know how to wisely apply them to your life, you can effectively use them to exercise your rights, manifest your desires, overcome your fears, achieve spiritual freedom, and motivate kings and governments to bow to you with awe and reverence. What Is Word Magic? Word magic is "the art of using sacred sounds and symbols, and hidden forces to direct and control energy to produce certain desired effects or marvels." All words have magic properties. However, certain words have more magic properties for the reason that they carry more energy and intention. This is why during magic rituals certain words are used more than others. Because word magic uses sacred sounds and symbols, and hidden forces to direct and control energy, it is one of the most effective tools for achieving desires, programming the mind, or changing reality. Its magic power to reprogram the mind, causing reality to change is one of the reasons that it is heavily used by corporations, such as religious institutions, banks, courts, and governments. Some of the word magic techniques that are used by corporations are shockingly revealed in this enlightening book. The empowering knowledge in Word Magic: The Powers and Occult Definitions of Words has the potential to unlock many doors of your mind, allowing you to explore a hidden world where you can use words to shape matter, control your destiny, and reprogram your mind. This enlightening book is not your average book because it explores magic and the power of words to the core of reality. By reading and exploring this empowering book, you will know how powerful words are; furthermore, you will know why using words wisely is important for achieving success and freedom, and restoring your kingdom of God.
Our foremost theorist of myth, fairytale, and folktale explores the magical realm of the imagination where carpets fly and genies grant prophetic wishes. Stranger Magic examines the profound impact of the Arabian Nights on the West, the progressive exoticization of magic, and the growing acceptance of myth and magic in contemporary experience.
