Black magic
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Black magic has traditionally referred to the use of
The links and interaction between black magic and religion are many and varied. Beyond black magic's historical persecution by Christianity and its inquisitions, there are links between religious and black magic rituals. For example, 17th-century priest Étienne Guibourg is said to have performed a series of Black Mass rituals with alleged witch Catherine Monvoisin for Madame de Montespan.[2] During his period of scholarship, A. E. Waite provided a comprehensive account of black magic practices, rituals and traditions in The Book of Ceremonial Magic (1911).[3]
The influence of popular culture has allowed other practices to be drawn in under the broad banner of black magic, including the concept of Satanism. While the invocation of demons or spirits is an accepted part of black magic, this practice is distinct from the worship or deification of such spiritual beings.[4] The two are usually combined in medieval beliefs about witchcraft.
History
The lowest depths of black mysticism are well-nigh
as difficult to plumb as it is arduous to scale
the heights of sanctity. The Grand Masters of
the witch covens are men of genius – a foul genius,
crooked, distorted, disturbed, and diseased.
Montague Summers
Witchcraft and Black Magic
During the Renaissance, many magical practices and rituals were considered evil or irreligious and by extension, black magic in the broad sense. Witchcraft and non-mainstream esoteric study were prohibited and targeted by the Inquisition.[7] As a result, natural magic developed as a way for thinkers and intellectuals, like Marsilio Ficino, abbot Johannes Trithemius and Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, to advance esoteric and ritualistic study (though still often in secret) without significant persecution.[7]
While "natural magic" became popular among the educated and upper classes of the 16th and 17th century, ritualistic magic and folk magic remained subject to persecution. Twentieth-century writer Montague Summers generally rejects the definitions of "white" and "black" magic as "contradictory", though he highlights the extent to which magic in general, regardless of intent, was considered "black" and cites William Perkins posthumous 1608 instructions in that regard:
All witches "convicted by the Magistrate" should be executed. He allows no exception and under this condemnation fall "all Diviners, Charmers, Jugglers, all Wizards, commonly called wise men or wise women". All those purported "good Witches which do not hurt but good, which do not spoil and destroy, but save and deliver" should come under the extreme sentence.[8]
In particular, though, the term was most commonly reserved for those accused of invoking
In a modern context, the line between white magic and black magic is somewhat clearer and most modern definitions focus on intent rather than practice.[5] There is also an extent to which many modern Wicca and witchcraft practitioners have sought to distance themselves from those intent on practising black magic. Those who seek to do harm or evil are less likely to be accepted into mainstream Wiccan circles or covens in an era where benevolent magic is increasingly associated with new-age beliefs and practices, and self-help spiritualism.[4]
artes prohibitae and artes magicae
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Artes Prohibitae |
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Seven artes prohibitae or artes magicae were arts prohibited by canon law as expounded by
Voodoo
Voodoo has been associated with modern black magic; drawn together in popular culture and fiction. However, while hexing or cursing may be accepted black magic practices, Voodoo has its own distinct history and traditions.[11][4]
Voodoo tradition makes its own distinction between black and white magic, with sorcerers like the Bokor known for using magic and rituals of both. But practitioners' penchant for magic associated with curses, poisons and zombies means they, and Voodoo in general, are regularly associated with black magic.[12]
In popular culture
Concepts related to black magic or described as black magic are a regular feature of books, films and other popular culture. Examples include:
- Hammer Studiosin 1968.
- Rosemary's Baby (1968) – a horror novel in which black magic is a central theme.
- The Craft (1996) – a horror film featuring four friends who become involved in white witchcraft but turn to black magic rituals for personal gain.
- Harry Potter book series (1997–2007) – black magic spells and curses are referred to as "the dark arts" against which students are taught to defend themselves. Made into a film series (2001–2011).
- Sherlock Holmes (2009) – the first of the three Sherlock Holmes films directed by Guy Ritchie includes elements of black magic although they are later discovered to be false.
- In the
See also
- Artes prohibitae – Types of Magic.
- Dakini – female demon or witch in Hinduism
- Demonology – Study of demons or beliefs about demons
- Filipino witches– Users of black magic in Philippine folklore
- Gray magic – Form of supernatural magic
- Gu – Venom-based poison associated with cultures of south China, particularly Nanyue
- Magical organization – Organization for the practice of occult magic
- Seiðr – Old Norse term for a type of shamanistic sorcery
- Sexuality in Christian demonology (incubus and succubus)
- Sorcery – Magical practice involving evocation of demons
References
Citations
- ^ Melton 2001.
- ^ Summers 2013, p. [page needed].
- ^ Waite 2011.
- ^ a b c Lewis 1996, p. [page needed].
- ^ a b Place 2009, p. [page needed].
- ^ Evans-Pritchard 1931.
- ^ a b Zambelli 2007, p. [page needed].
- ^ a b Summers 2012, p. [page needed].
- ^ Heiduk, Herbers & Lehner 2020, p. 834.
- ^ Herzig 2011, p. 1028.
- ^ Long 2002.
- ^ Owusu 2002, p. [page needed].
- ^ Gault 2022.
- ^ van Brugen 2022.
Works cited
- S2CID 146139860.
- Gault, Matthew (5 May 2022). "Russian State Media Claims to Discover Militarized Ukrainian Witches". Vice. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- Heiduk, Matthias; Herbers, Klaus; Lehner, Hans-Christian, eds. (2020). Prognostication in the Medieval World: A Handbook. De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3110499773.
- Herzig, Tamar (Winter 2011). "The Demons and the Friars: Illicit Magic and Mendicant Rivalry in Renaissance Bologna". Renaissance Quarterly. 64 (4): 1025–1058. S2CID 162081348.
- ISBN 978-0791428894.
- Long, Carolyn Morrow (October 2002). "Perceptions of New Orleans Voodoo: Sin, Fraud, Entertainment, and Religion". Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. 6 (1): 86–101. .
- ISBN 0-8103-9488-X.
- Owusu, Heike (2002). Voodoo Rituals: A User's Guide. ISBN 978-1402700354.
- ISBN 978-0791093900.
- ISBN 978-0486411255.
- Summers, Montague (2013) [1927]. The Geography of Witchcraft. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415847933.
- van Brugen, Isabel (6 May 2022). "'Witches and Sorcerers': Russian Media Peddles Ukraine Black Magic Claims". Newsweek. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ISBN 978-1614271567.
- Zambelli, Paola (2007). White Magic, Black Magic in the European Renaissance. ISBN 978-9004160989.
Further reading
- Bergstrom, Lisa A. (2011). "Nigromancy in the Later Middle Ages". Inquiries. 3 (6).
- Kosloki, Philip (9 October 2018). "What is a "Black Mass"?". Aleteia. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- Luck, Georg (2006). Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Collection of Ancient Texts (2nd ed.). The Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Mathews, Chris (2009). Modern Satanism: Anatomy of a Radical Subculture. ISBN 978-0313366390.
- Pegg, Carole (2001). Mongolian Music, Dance, & Oral Narrative: Performing Diverse Identities. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0295981123.
- Petersen, Jesper Aagaard (2009). Contemporary religious Satanism: A Critical Anthology. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7546-5286-1.
- Shimamura, Ippei (2004). "Yellow Shamans (Mongolia)". In Walter, Mariko Namba; Neumann Fridman, Eva Jane (eds.). Shamanism: An Encyclopedia of World Beliefs, Practices, and Culture. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO. pp. 649–651. ISBN 978-1576076453.
- Thorndike, Lynn (1923). A history of magic and experimental science. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0231088008.
- Turner, Kevin B. (2016). Sky Shamans of Mongolia: Meetings with Remarkable Healers. North Atlantic Books. ISBN 978-1583949986.