Does our culture promote an accurate picture of pagan traditions and beliefs? We think not. It is skewed by religious prejudice. Let’s take a philosophical approach to magic and reveal what the facts say.
You don’t have to follow a religion to have spiritual beliefs. Many people have beliefs about a higher power and the afterlife. Beliefs about the supernatural and paranormal are also common. These concepts share elements of mysticism and magic.
Magical Practices Through the Ages
Magic is a concept found in many cultures. Western theology comes from the ancient mystery religions of the Mediterranean. The Mesopotamian region was a fertile ground, not only for agriculture by religion. This is the home of the dying-god mystery religions. The mystery religions of Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, and Persia developed alongside each other. They borrowed ideas and techniques from mythology and superstition. Mastering the art of magic was part of the culture.
Taking A Philosophical Approach to Magic
When discussing magic, it’s important to have a common understanding of what it is. Magic is an invisible power that influences things. So, in this respect, magic is like gravity. You can’t see the invisible power of gravity, but it influences everything. Magic differs from gravity because it is a power that is directed or controlled by someone.
The practice of magic refers to the use of a supernatural power, a mysterious force. Religion uses magic under the power of a divine force. It operates through the process of faith and intent.
The Abrahamic traditions (1) of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all have roots in the ancient mystery religions. In truth, they are the rebranding of these ancient systems. The Abrahamic religions created nothing new. They copied the mind control tactics which use myth and superstition to make devotees. They have been using magical practices through the ages while denying it.
If you ask followers of these religions if they believe in magic, most will say no. They have been programmed to regard magic as evil. They don’t understand that their entire belief system hinges on the belief in magic.
Mastering the Art of Magic in Western Culture
Mastering something takes practice, and magic is no exception. Half the world practices magic and doesn’t realize it.
The Process of Mental Magical Mystical Appropriation
Here is an example of magic in the Abrahamic tree. It’s the key process for salvation, the ultimate reason for this belief system.
Here’s how the process works. You reach out with the power of the mind, which is empowered by mystical power through a divine formula. The formula is mental, mystical, and magical appropriation. With this formula, you obtain salvation or other things like healing and wealth. It is identical to other so-called pagan traditions and beliefs.
The formula may include invoking the sacred name or ceremonial cleansing (baptism by water). This mystical formula or spell enables you to get the desired object. Sacred names or sacred word sects prioritize word pronunciation with utmost concern.
Mental mystical magical appropriation operates by faith. Faith requires mastering the art of magic with intent and belief. If you say the words correctly, you get the desired result. The right formula is key to the concept of salvation. These methods are identical to ceremonial magic. Other cultures use this same type of sacred formula.
This process is found in the Sacred Name Sects of Christianity. These sects claim to know the correct pronunciation of god’s name, which they believe gives them the power to summon god. Some sects use the Tetragrammaton (the Hebrew reference for god), while others say it applies to the Greek name of Jesus—Isous.
Use of the magical name gets you membership in a special club! Now, you can call on the name of the Lord for everything from salvation to healing and wealth. Plus, it comes with an entry ticket to an afterlife in Heaven while everyone else goes to hell. You see, god loves everyone so much that he created hell for those who don’t believe in him.
By taking a philosophical approach to magic, we uncover the way magical practices through the ages. The Abrahamic traditions may have borrowed their systems from ancient mystery religions, but they don’t want their followers to know it.
Delving Into Pagan Traditions and Beliefs
Paganism is demonized because these beliefs compete for the same customers as the Abrahamic traditions. Pagan systems are nature-based practices that existed before the Abrahamic religions. What is wrong with nature, and why did the Church demonize them?
Many scholars tell us the primary purpose of the Church was to create an efficient cash flow system to fuel the Roman Empire. They did this by taking over the religions of the area and unifying them under one umbrella. (2) The references are English Revised Version. (3)
1 Samuel 15 23 For rebellion – unbelief is as witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
The Danger of Unbelief in the Bible
Unbelief in the Abrahamic paradigms means a lack of confidence in religious ideology. They are referred to as unbelievers.
In modern times, they are called atheists, who reject the existence of God or God because of a lack of evidence. Sometimes, they are called agnostics. They believe it is impossible to have credible knowledge or evidence for unseen supernatural forces. Others call them freethinkers who form their opinions using reason and evidence.
If you do not believe in the authority of the Church, it is the same as rebellion and the rejection of god. To think for yourself is like idolatry, and idolatry or the worship of idols is the same as witchcraft. Teraphim are small images or objects used commonly by Semitic tribes of the 1st century.
The writer of this text equates their historical practices with witchcraft. They wanted this kind of home-grown practice to stop. They took the practice of anything outside of their belief system as an attack, as rebellion. That’s important to know because rebellion is punishable by death.
Exodus 22:18 You must not allow any woman to do evil magic. If she does magic, you must not let her live.
1 Chronicles 10: 13 So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance.
Heretics, Mediums, Soothsayers, and Witches
Yes, talking to people considered spiritual guides outside the Church is punishable by death. Read the contract of the ten commandments in Exodus 20:3-17. The first five are all about god and what he’ll do if you disobey or think for yourself.
Exodus 20:3 You must not worship any other gods except me.
It sounds insecure and narcissistic for a being that is supposed to be perfect.
4 You must not make any idols. Don’t make any statues or pictures of anything up in the sky or of anything on the earth or of anything down in the water.
Here, it’s beginning to sound like a jealous stalker.
5 Don’t worship or serve idols of any kind, because I, the Lord, am your God. I hate my people worshiping other gods. People who sin against me become my enemies, and I will punish them. And I will punish their children, their grandchildren, and even their great-grandchildren.
If you obey and worship me, then I’ll be nice to you. But don’t make fun of me or my name otherwise you will be punished.
6 But I will be very kind to people who love me and obey my commands. I will be kind to their families for thousands of generations.
7 You must not use the name of the Lord your God to make empty promises. If you do, the Lord will not let you go unpunished.
Here’s where you must promise to obey; otherwise, the loving god will lay you to waste. He may have created Heaven because he loves you, but don’t forget, he created hell for those who don’t obey. Extortion is when the same person offering you a bribe is also threatening you with punishment if you don’t go along.
8 You must remember to keep the Sabbath a special day.
The Sabbath is better known as Show Me the Money Day.
9 You may work six days a week to do your job. 10 But the seventh day is a day of rest in honor of the Lord your God. So on that day, no one should work—not you, your sons and daughters, or your men and women slaves. Even your animals and the foreigners living in your cities must not work! 11 The Lord worked six days and made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. And on the seventh day, he rested. In this way, the Lord blessed the Sabbath—the day of rest. He made that a very special day. 12 You must honor and respect your father and your mother. Do this and you will have a full life in the land that the Lord your God gives you. 13 You must murder no one.
Do Not Kill Unless God Says It’s Okay
Of course, you should not kill unless god tells you to do so, which is what he does in the next book, Leviticus 17-26. This script is known as the Holiness code, where god outlines the ways to kill those who disobey, including stoning and burning. Both are still popular among religious extremists today.
14 You must not commit adultery. 15 You must steal nothing. 16 You must not tell lies about other people.
Here, we have a built-in cavitate. God doesn’t say you should not lie, just not lie about others, which leaves a lot of other things you can lie about and still be okay as far as god is concerned.
17 You must not want to take your neighbor’s house. You must not want his wife. And you must not want his men and women servants or his cattle or his donkeys. You must not want to take anything that belongs to another person.
Unbelief is a Mortal Sin
All the “shalt not” commandments are a fundamental part of the Bible, which establishes social control. Unbelief in the Bible undermines this psychological control. The danger of unbelief for the Abrahamic religions is real. If you don’t believe what they tell you, you can’t be controlled. Committing a moral sin is bad. It means you are completely separated from god. Many Christian cultures feel the same way and ostracize those who question the Bible or the Church. The demonization of the Abrahamic tree taints magical practices through the ages.
Witchcraft and Other Pagan Traditions and Beliefs
Taking a philosophical approach to magic gives us an umbrella under which we find many types of magic. But one must be careful because some things are evil. Our cultural programming is the source of our judgments about this subject. Those things we think are evil are programmed with a purpose.
Witchcraft
Witchcraft is a historical name given by the Church in Europe to those who practiced any indigenous spiritual beliefs. If the Abrahamic religions wanted your property, you might be branded a witch. This branding gave them the authority to take your land and torture you into confessing you were a witch. The same thing happened if you practiced any healing arts or celebrated indigenous holidays. If you practiced traditional religious beliefs, you were likely branded a witch.
People think witchcraft and paganism are the same thing, but they are not. The modern meaning of paganism is any religion other than Christianity, whereas witchcraft is mastering the art of magic through specific processes.
Witchcraft has ties to traditions that pre-date written history. The people who practice Witchcraft have much in common with our indigenous cultures. You can see the practices of witchcraft mirroring techniques from ancient shamanic cultures. Witches individualize their Craftwork much like the ancient traditions of the Crone.
Confusing these terms started in the fourth century when Christians identified those who practiced polytheism as pagans. Although, technically, Christianity is also polytheistic. It has the trinity of good gods plus the evil god Satan. The process for salvation in the Christian paradigm is the practice of magic ritual.
It was a way of segregating those they did not desire, which entitled the Catholic Church to ostracize at a minimum. It often led to the confiscation of property and public torture and execution. The Church does not like competition. The truth about the origins of Witchcraft and paganism is an embarrassment to the Church. They stole all of their doctrines, practices, and rituals from these earlier traditions.
Demonizing makes people and things socially unacceptable. This act is an admission to the substance of these systems. It means there’s something here that is a direct threat. Otherwise, why would they need to demonize them?
Paganism
If you enjoy nature, you have a lot in common paganism. Paganism respects the Earth. It is based on Animism, which is the root of all religions. Here is where nature became personified as the ancient gods. The anthropomorphic entities are metaphors of people with animal characteristics. Magical practices through the ages have long used analogy and metaphor in their rituals.
In the Abrahamic paradigm, paganism is defined as belief in any other system. Each branch of this tree asserts that it has the only correct interpretation of its sacred texts and religion. So, even other forms of the Abrahamic tree are pagan.
We know the Abrahamic tree has its origin in pagan traditions and beliefs; it just doesn’t want to admit it. It is the rebranding of earlier religions sown together from the Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, and Persia mystery religions. There is nothing new in the tree of Abraham, and the leading Christian authority, The Catholic Church, admits to its origins in a most poetic manner.
“Symbolism in a greater or lesser degree is essential to every kind of external worship, and we need not shrink from the conclusion that in the matter of baptisms and washings, of genuflection’s and other acts of reverence, of lights and sweet-smelling incense, of flowers and white vestitures, of spiritual unction’s and the imposing of hands, of sacrifice and the rite of the Communion banquet, the Church has borrowed without hesitation from the common stock of significant actions known to all periods and all nations. In such matters as these, Christianity claims no monopoly or originality.” ― The Catholic Encyclopedia and International Work, Vol. 14 (1907).
What is The Craft?
Most people associate the term The Craft with witches and Wicca. However, the elements used in The Craft are nearly universal to all rituals. When you break it down, The Craft is simply a ritual combined with intent.
Those who practice the Craft often learn to use the synergistic power of the circle. The fire and drum circle are ancient community-building tools. When people gather united around a positive central purpose, you can feel the energy.
They may also observe specific moon phases, eclipses, and other feast days. Some use a branch of the Witch’s art, such as herbal medicine or divination. That’s it. That’s a Witch. They follow the seasons, use natural remedies, and walk in harmony with nature and other people. Many cultures trace their lineage to 13-month calendars based on the moon’s cycles rather than the Gregorian calendar, which was adopted in 1582.
Many believe your own rituals are more effective than using rituals created by others. When you create your own ritual, you infuse it with the power of your intention, emotion, and meaning. This makes the Craft a powerful vehicle for ceremonies.
The Craft includes using words of power, such as Mantras and Sutras. Mantras and sutras are sound word formulas associated with Indian traditions. We also find formulas or words of power in the Abrahamic sects. It’s an essential component of Kabbalah and Christianity’s sacred name sects.
The bottom line is that the Craft is a process involving formulas to achieve a purpose. The formulas include intent, emotion, meaning, and sound (spoken or non-verbalized words or phrases).
Spellcasting
Spellcasting is the act of harnessing energy with focused intent, like the process in the Abrahamic paradigm used for gaining salvation, “mental, magical, mystical, appropriation.” It’s the same as witches mixing potions. Others call this ritualistic prayer. or ritualistic magic.
Religions from Buddhism to Catholicism use ritualistic prayer in ceremonies and masses. It’s virtually the same whether you evoke a higher power for healing or material wealth. It’s the same for charging or cleansing a crystal. The exact process is at work when altering a situation or the vibration of an object. Spellcasting uses the same process as using a candle or mirror to enter a trance state. (3)
Magic relies on the practitioner’s personal power. The process may use a variety of objects, natural or metaphysical. However, it is the practitioner who provides energy for the work. Witches often use a Book of Shadows to record and pass along these processes and their outcomes. Many other religions and philosophies use a journal. We refer to this as a spiritual journal. Whatever you call it, it is a valuable tool.
The Modern Wiccan Movement
This movement started in the 1940s in the UK. Some Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccans. A Witch is someone who is involved in mastering the art of magic. They follow the Turning of the Wheel, celebrating the movements of the Sun, Sabbats, or “turning of the Moons,” Esbats.
Someone who practices Wicca, known as a Wiccan, follows a code of ethics known as the Rede. The central tenets of the Rede are the Three-fold law or the Law of Returns:
1. What you do will return three-fold.
2. Harm None, Do What Ye Will.
They expand this to include the four-step rule of To Will, To Know, To Dare, and To Be Silent. These rules apply to the practice of the Craft. The Craft embodies the rituals whereby the Wiccan appeals to the Universe for the desired positive outcome. Many Witches adopt these elements for their practices. Some Wiccans also worship a higher power, including male/female deities. Their rituals often honor and harmonize feminine and masculine attributes. Many refer to the Earth as a feminine entity. We are all familiar with the term Mother Earth. The modern Wiccan movement continues to evolve and expand.
Magic and Magik Interpretations Across Cultures
Magic with a K Magik is ceremonial magic with pagan roots. It is also known as Magick or High Magik. It comes from pagan practices that perform magic according to specific ordinances to produce the most beneficial outcome.
For example, the use of the circle transcends traditions. We see it practiced in Catholicism and Freemasonry. The Japanese Tea Ceremony is an example of Ceremonial Magick. They use choreographed movements to make and serve tea. The intention here is to develop presence. The ritual implements are ceremonial objects often charged with various types of energy. Magik interpretations across cultures celebrate the seasons, the sun’s cycles, and the moon.
For example, Judaism uses several ritualistic objects like the Torah Scroll and the tzitzis. Tzetze are Tassels that attaches to the tallit and tallit katan. It is like the magical underwear known as the Temple Garment, which you find in Mormonism.
Rituals
Many people are drawn to rituals because we are creatures of habit. A sense of intrigue surrounds the ancient rites, as their origins are veiled in secrecy. It doesn’t matter what belief system you ascribe. You can be an Atheist, Theist, or Deist and still be interested in or engage in habits associated with magic. The concept of magic permeates our lives—for instance, a rabbit’s foot on a key chain. If you take the time to study other traditions, you will find several similarities.
Shamanic Journey
The Shamanic Journey is likely the first form of magic. It is an ancient process for reaching an altered state of consciousness. This form of consciousness exploration is prolific and found in almost every ancient culture. The ancient practitioners, the shamans, are the original magical athletes of the spirit world.
Finally, any discussion on magic must include superstition. Many people believe magic is nothing more than superstition. The rabbit’s foot mentioned above is an example of a good luck omen. Not that it was good luck for the poor rabbit. This lucky charm is found in North American folklore. We can trace it to African-American folk spirituality known as Voodoo. Superstition means the belief in anything irrational. If that is the case, then most religions would be superstitious.
Science tells us many things that don’t fit nicely into our religious beliefs are true. Western religious leaders often discounted the proofs for higher states of consciousness. Scientists hooked up people meditating to an electroencephalography (EEG) and discovered unique ranges of physiological changes in brainwave patterns and breathing. There’s the proof.
A Little Logic Goes a Long Way
The science of logical reasoning helps us to understand that you can provide evidence to prove something doesn’t exist. You can’t prove gods don’t exist, but that doesn’t mean they do. You can’t disprove that Apollo, Zeus, Mithra, Dyonisys, or any other god doesn’t exist. But just because there is no proof they don’t exist doesn’t mean they do. Similarly, anecdotal evidence does not prove the existence of gods.
Does Odin Exist?
Here’s an example of how this argument works. First, no ice giants exist. Odin promised to wipe out the ice giants. So, since there are no ice giants, this is proof of Odin’s existence. Second, Odin is prolific in early paganism, dating back to oral traditions in Germanic mythology Odin (from Old Norse Óðinn). It’s this kind of evidence of anecdotal stories that are prevalent in ancient forms of paganism. In Old English, Odin is Wóden, and it shows up in Old Saxon as Wōden. He’s in stories from Germany as Wuotan or Wodan. With so much evidence from so many cultures, it’s evident that Odin exists. Maybe not.
The answer is no, you’re mistaken; these legends aren’t evidence of Odin’s existence. Sorry, but the absence of imaginary creatures does not represent evidence they ever existed. The lack of proof is not proof of absence. And telling stories, no matter their age, does not suffice as proof of Odin’s existence. These points apply to all gods, not just Odin.
Enhancing your critical thinking capabilities will help you break cultural programming.
Final Thoughts
This philosophical approach to magic provides food for thought. However, many equate magic with pagan traditions and beliefs. We see now that magical practices through the ages are at the heart of Western thought.
References
(1) Abrahamic Religions: Wikipedia
(2) Church History in Plain Language: goodreads.com
(3) Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft: scribd.com
All Bible Verses from the New English Bible.