Magic was born with humanity itself. It was present when the first Homo sapiens stood upright. Magic was a benefactor when people led safe lives, and it took an evil form when they suffered from all kinds of misfortunes and disasters. Magic left its traces in grottoes and caves in the form of symbolic drawings intended to appease the hidden forces and secure success in the goals people had set themselves.
In later ages magic was refined and became part of the classical civilisations of the Middle East – Egypt, Babylonia and Assyria.
The beginnings of the division of magic into white and black are found in Egypt and Chaldea, where magical religions prevailed. Magic then moved to Greece, where it was somewhat idealised, and later to Rome, where it endured for many centuries.
In the Asian countries, a completely different kind of magic developed. While Western magic tries to reach outwards, acting on nature and asking about the future, Eastern magic – in India, Tibet, China and Mongolia – is directed above all inwards.
Today magical traditions blend and mix, using the rites and systems of both.
Magic was separated from religion in the Middle Ages, and a clear line was drawn between Good, served by religious practices, and Evil, aided by magical ones. This is how the Church separated the two practices. It also declared that the Devil, Satan, was closely bound up with magic, which led great thinkers to turn away from magical practices for a time.
The famous ecclesiastical tribunal, the Inquisition, was established, and together with the secular courts it sentenced to death tens of thousands of innocent victims accused of dealings with the Devil and unclean forces. It is estimated that this hatred of Satan and magic cost Europe 40,000–60,000 victims. According to some researchers, this figure understates the historical truth.
These activities peaked around the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, after which the witch hunts began to die down. In the 17th century magic moved into the salons, and new magical techniques appeared, such as dowsing.
The French Revolution ushered in a new period for the growth of Romanticism, and it was then that the magical sciences began to flourish once more. Spiritualism – spiritism – emerged and enjoyed enormous popularity. This was followed by a look back at old magical practices, rituals and spells, all of which were studied, analysed and refined. This gave rise to the magic of the 20th century.
First published (Polish original): 16 March 2010. Written by astrologers and esoteric specialists working with our editorial team; edited and translated for HOROSCOP.SPACE. © All rights reserved.
