I was recently on a website that was promoting Egyptian magick. As I read, I was in awe over all the great information on this ancient and powerful form of magick. Then I started reading what the website had to say about other, non-Egyptian magick and came across a line which read:
“Widespread use of Wicca, or evil magic against innocent people for tailored purposes.”
I was shocked and frustrated as this is an example of someone writing what they want to be an authoritative article on Egyptian magick without doing any research whatsoever on other magick forms. To make it worse, they grouped Wicca under Voodoo.
Anyone who has real experience in any of the above fields would know that is not true.
The next thing I read was even more shocking!
“Voodoo magic is practiced by witches, sorcerers, shamans, fetishists – makers of charms, or bonesetters.”
What?! How disappointing. This could have been a great article about Egyptian magick but turned into an item that was obviously designed to elevate one practitioner’s form of magick over others. Ridicules.
Does this author not realize Voodoo is also a religion? That Hoodoo and Voodoo are different? That Shamans don’t practice either! That not every witch is going to work with Voodoo.
What is Magick?
So what exactly is magick?
Magick is anything one does, which creates something on one plane of existence (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, astral, etc.) and then transmutes into another plane with the intention of creating. For example, for all intents and purposes, the law of attraction can be considered a form of magick, as you think (mental plane) to create or attract to you in the physical world.
Prayer is also a type of magick, though most people that practice traditional Catholic or Christian prayer would disagree. It’s something we say and think many times with the hope of creating either on the spiritual or the physical.
Shamanic rituals would be considered a type of magick. Shamans do and think (mental) things in the physical (drumming, chanting, etc.) and astral to create results in either the physical or astral.
Lighting candles hoping that it will help you, bring money to you, etc. is a magick act. You’re doing something in the physical and mental in hopes of creating a result in the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.
Voodoo, Wicca, and Santeria, which are other religions, do religious rituals, which again can be considered magick. However, these are all three different religions and should not be viewed as being one and the same.
Witchcraft and Hoodoo are other forms of magick. It’s essential to understand that not every person who practices Witchcraft considers themselves Wiccan, and most people who practice Hoodoo are certainly not part of the Voodoo religion. Witchcraft and Hoodoo are not related, nor do they believe themselves to be linked in any way.
As can be seen, there are many types of magick practitioners and schools of magick. A person would do well to investigate the historical roots of each before beginning to practice magick.
Two Types of Magick
In reality, I think the Egyptian magick article writers were trying to present to people the idea that there are two types of magick: High magick and low magick.
High Magick is associated primarily with ceremonial magick. However, not all ceremonial magick will be high magick. In essence, high magick is anything that works on improving the spiritual or higher self. Many shamanic rituals fall under this umbrella.
On the other hand, low magick would be things like love spells, prosperity spells, and those types of magickal works that deal with the earthly world.
Protection magick may fall under either and occasionally both, depending on various factors.
Neither is bad. Just different from each other. Most magick practitioners will practice both forms at various points and times.
Good Magick Vs Bad Magick
I believe that the article was also trying to distinguish between good and bad magick. Good magick, which is typically called white magick, aims to help the self or another without interfering with someone’s free will. It’s also usually seen as healing or protective in nature.
To be considered white magick, healing work requires that permission is given from the person you’re doing the healing work on or that the person’s higher self agrees to the healing work. In doing a love spell from a white magick perspective, the focus is on attracting the right mate without naming a specific person. These are just some examples of white magick.
Black magick, on the other hand, is any form of magick which does interfere with the free will of another or that works to directly harm someone. Thus, if not done correctly, a love spell can fall into the realm of black magick. If, for example, you try to cast a spell to make someone fall in love with you, this falls under the domain of black magick. Any spell that attempts to cause something to happen to another person or tries to manipulate or make another person take some form of action is black magick. Likewise, to curse, punish, or hex someone, etc., this would also fall under black magick, as one would be seeking to harm another. This is true even if you’re causing harm to another person as a means of protecting the self or with the purpose of it being for that person’s own good.
This is one reason why the wording is so important when it comes to magickal work. How you say something and your intention can go a long way in making a particular spell white or black in nature.
When in doubt, most people that practice magick will add a phrase with a spiritual safety clause to their spell. An example would be “may this be done in the highest good of all without harm, hurt, or interfering with the free will of others.”
Gray Magick
There is a third type of magick, which is not often talked about. It’s called gray magick.
Gray magick is the realm between white and black magick. It’s when you’re doing a magickal act that you believe will be good but aren’t 100 percent sure.
An example would be casting a prosperity spell to help you do well in the interview you’re going to have. While the intentions are good and you’re not directly seeking to interfere with someone else’s free will, there’s a chance that someone’s free will could be affected. In other words, the guy interviewing you may have his free will impacted instead of the spell helping you to be more confident, speak better, know the right things to say, etc.
Another example would be if there is a conflict you want to resolve and you cast a spell to help resolve the conflict. What if the person you’re in conflict with isn’t really ready for the conflict to be resolved? What if they want to hold onto the grudge? They have a right to their own feelings and to live life as they choose. The spell could force them to resolve the conflict – a manipulation of free will.
Most spells fall under Gray Magick. If there is a chance it can influence the free will of another, but you can’t be sure, then it’s Gray Magick.
Advanced practitioners typically will do some divination before doing such magick. Diviation is the act of using a tool to get information – astrology, tarot, runes, tea leaves, crystal gazing, and pendulums are all examples of divination systems. This is to help them understand understand if they actually should be doing the spell or not.
Why is Black Magick so Bad?
Black magick is considered harmful due to the karmic consequences that go along with it.
Bottom Line: Magick is not something to be scared of, nor is all magick bad. Magick should, however, be respected for the power it has. It’s essential to be educated on what magick is, magick types, and the various forms that magick can take, including the different types of religions that may practice them. Only with this information will a person work with magick safely, productively, and understand what they are doing.
