Historical Uses Of Magic

Hi all and welcome to Spirit’s blog. Today I figured we could discuss magic.

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines magic as, the use of spells or charms, to have power over natural forces.

Other words for “spell” are incantation, charms, chants, and bewitchment.

Etymology

The word “magic” is an Old English word, it shares a root with, “mage” and “magician”. This root is ancient Latin word “magus”. This word means sorcerer, trickster, conjurer or charlatan.

Mesopotamian Magic Use

The Mesopotamians used magic for protection from evil forces and practitioners. They would perform rituals to alter their daily lives, and incantations to purify themselves.

They believed magic was the only recourse for ghosts, demons and curses. They used incantations and potions to cure people who fell ill. Any energy that was unwanted would be taken care of in a magical way. Take the ritual Surpu, or “Burning”. In this ritual they place an intention to an image of a person and then burn the image.

Ancient Egyptian Magic

In Ancient Egypt magic was an important part of culture. It was even given a divine personification.