The Persian term may have led to the Old Sinitic *M γag (mage or shaman). The Old Persian magu- is derived from the Proto-Indo-European megʰ- *magh (be able). The English words magic, mage and magician come from the Latin term magus, through the Greek μάγος, which is from the Old Persian maguš. One of the earliest surviving accounts of the Persian mágoi was provided by the Greek historian Herodotus. Wicca and LaVeyan Satanism) and magical systems (e.g. This definition was popularised by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an influential British occultist, and since that time other religions (e.g.

In modern occultism and neopagan religions, many self-described magicians and witches regularly practice ritual magic defining magic as a technique for bringing about change in the physical world through the force of one's will. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Western intellectuals perceived the practice of magic to be a sign of a primitive mentality and also commonly attributed it to marginalised groups of people. Within Western culture, magic has been linked to ideas of the Other, foreignness, and primitivism indicating that it is 'a powerful marker of cultural difference' and likewise, a non-modern phenomenon. Īlthough connotations have varied from positive to negative at times throughout history, magic continues to have an important religious and medicinal role in many cultures today. It is a categorical yet often ambiguous term which has been used to refer to a wide variety of beliefs and practices, frequently considered separate from both religion and science. Magic, sometimes spelled magick, is an ancient practice rooted in rituals, spiritual divinations, and/or cultural lineage-with an intention to invoke, manipulate, or otherwise manifest supernatural forces, beings, or entities in the natural world.

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