Religion and Magic

[Chad]

I'd like to ask, and I apologise if I hadn't noticed it being covered before. If any of you wish to share: With there being scant historical attestment of the subject as it applies to Ancient Britain, do any of you practice magic or witchcraft? If so, and if you are willing to share, how do you incorporate this with your spiritual practices?

[Lee]

By and large magic was always something i 'assumed' went hand with paganism in general way back when i got into it at about 14, and as such was always something that formed part of my practice. that has pretty much been the case up until a year or two ago. until that point i had investigated various forms of witchcraft and got myself initiated into a Gardenarian coven and as such the connection between the two was maintained.

these days my views have changed completely and i am more of the view that magic in the sense of herbs, animals etc having innate magical qualities is tosh. IF i were to say i incorporate magic it is more in the form of petitioning gods and ungods for something, objects such as plants etc now merely form part of the 'offering' used to entreat such assistance.

[Chad]

I believe in the medicinal value of herbs, I don't equate that with magical properties, personally. Most of any magic I do is similar to what you speak of. I petition to the gods, well, Taranis. So far, it's about the extent of the magic I do.

[redraven]

There is a danger now-a-days of reducing the meaning of magic from what our ancestors thought of and perceived and the reality that science now provides us with. I have no doubts that magic was very much observed, and probably more importantly, felt, by our ancestors. And probably in things we now don't give a second thought to. So it appears to me that although the word remains the same, it's context is / has changed. As to witchcraft, I never engaged with it and still don't.

[lorna]

When I first got into paganism I also thought spellcraft was one of the essentials... and was pretty bad at it...

However one of the things I have learnt, which applies both in crafting words for rituals and in poetry is that words have power. Words shift our perception, hence the way we view reality, which in turn affects the way we live.

For me the written and spoken word are ways of communing with and honouring the land, gods and ancestors. The writing process, for me, is an act of divination, and of revelation. Hence I see writing and speaking, with the intention of seeking and honouring the sacred, as a magical act.

[potia]

I do a bit of healing work and sometimes some protection work always for people that have either asked or I know of their need, offer and they accept. Megli once described spells as embodied prayers and this very much resonates with my view of any spell work I do.

[Chad]

Thank you for your answers, everyone. Much appreciated!

[mooncrone]

I was raised to believe in the power of will, and the taking of certain, er, let's call them steps (ritual, path-working, spell casting, poppit making, herb treating, root working, cursing, hexing, or call it what you might) to push that will more firmly on it's way... to varying results or degrees of what might be called success... I guess some might call that witchcraft, or magic(k).

It can, of course, be put to positive, constructive aims, or not so. At the risk of being called "soft" I prefer the former rather than the latter, myself, I am a real pacifist by nature, and generally hate, loathe, detest and avoid confrontation at all costs, I do fully understand the difference between justice and revenge, but I have been known to "turn" on those who have harmed me or mine sufficiently to fetch that rise in me, I am almost ashamed to admit. However, living with the responsibility of the consequences of that kind of reaction is never easy and ~I have paid a high price in one or two situations. Some might call that karma or maybe lore of return, reap as ye sow, or whatever.

I have found that to be in control of ones' senses, and in tune with ones' instincts and intuition and empathy and so on... to the degree I have been sometimes able to, can be both a blessing, and a curse. I try to use my talents and gifts in a caring, helpful supportive way as best I can most of the time. I do seem to get a lot of folks who come seek me out when they have issues to deal with. I do seem to be the shoulder to cry on, the healer to call on when somebody is sick, the person who knows a way, the wize one. It has brought me friends and supporters, and it has formed me enemies, well, such is life!

Since taking up the study and practice of Druidry, as I understand it to be, many of those skills/challenges translate into my understanding of the Ovates "calling",
however, to be mindful of the effect I have on the world around me and the folks and creatures living in it, and the ancient elders and shining ones opinions of me, and so fourth, I no longer apply my will in quite the same manner these days as perhaps I once did, I have to admit. I question everything far more deeply first now.
I have done little "magic(K) since I took up this new journey, it feels like I've less drive to try or need to perform as it were. The people I now mix with have different lives, different agendas, different motivations and so on. My life is calmer, slower, safer, more reflective... Now the magic(k) I deal with comes more from turn of fate... connected more to where I live.. the environment, the folklore, the history and all of that. In a way I feel less "enpowered" more of a passenger, really, but it's now kind of pro-active, as opposed to reactive, if you can follow what I struggle to express. Because I am more "at one" with everything, stuff doesn't tend to creep up on me so much, go "wrong" so often.. that sort of thing. The calls I get now seldom involve helping just one person... a lot of the good that I do now affects more people, like ripples on a ponds surface. I want to pass to the next life knowing I've left a positive legacy, that's the difference. I hope you can follow my ramblings and make some sense of them (and that I've not made a total fool of myself) Be gentle, I feel all exposed!!!

Yeah, this is a hard thing to think and talk about, but I've tried. I'll probably come back to this one day and squirm at how badly I've put it. But I really wanted to contribute.

[lorna]

'Now the magic(k) I deal with comes more from turn of fate... connected more to where I live.. the environment, the folklore, the history and all of that.'

I can relate to this a lot. In many senses these things ARE the magic

[gruffudd]

Older post but thought I'd answer anyway...
I see magic as more of the acts of divination, trance states and as was said before, prayer.
I use herbs for healing, altered states (for spiritual purposes, not to get high) but don't see this as sorcery or what not. I do like the term "magic."
I may sound like a new ager with this but just because we understand say, photosynthesis, does this take the "magic" away from a plant producing food from air using the sun? In my eyes this is miraculous, measurable and understandable, but miraculous non the less.