Black Magic

Magic was defined as "The art or science of causing change to occur in conformity with will". And since man is basically motivated by his or her emotions of love and hate, magic has developed into two forms: one which is motivated to benefit mankind, commonly termed 'white' magic, and that which is geared to injure mankind, termed 'black' magic.

It is usually misconstrued that anyone who successfully practices magic is a witch. This is not true, because magic in itself is a practice. Therefore, anyone may learn and use magic in their life. Such a person is properly referred to as a 'magician'. A witch is a person who belongs to the old religion of pre-Christian Europe commonly called witchcraft and often referred to as Wicca today.

Magic that asserts your will over someone else in a strong, binding, and permanent way, or that is meant to cause damage, harm, or death. For example, a spell to cause pain, damage property, or exert control or power over someone. These are the kinds of spells that sorcerers do. These purposes are highly unethical, and should be avoided by Wizards.

The simplest form of low magic is sorcery, in which a certain physical act is performed to achieve a particular result. For example, a wax image is melted over a fire to make a victim die; blood is scattered over a field to ensure a bountiful harvest in the next growing season; knots are tied in a cord to store wind for a sea voyage. Sorcery forms the bulk of folk magic, and is often popularly referred to as "Black Magic".

One of the reasons for this color association is that much of such magic originated in Egypt, called Khem, meaning "black". This is because the fertile flood-deposited soil of the Nile Delta was black, in contrast to the barren sands of the surrounding deserts, which were red. In Egypt, therefore, black was good and red represented evil. Also, black is the skin color of many people who live in equatorial latitudes, such as Africa, India, Australia, the Caribbean, etc. Many Egyptians were dark-skinned, reinforcing that color association with their land.

It is the intention of the magician which determines the purpose and alignment, not the color of the magic. Black magic itself is not necessarily evil, any more than any other color. Fundamentally, this color of the magical spectrum is about power and control - power to do things, power to control the world, and power to dominate others. And just as weapons may be used either in aggression or defense,this form of magic is also the color of protection.

Now people talking about this type of magic are generally referring to magic used for selfish purposes rather than helpful to others. In particular, dominating and manipulating people against their will; compelling people to do things they do not wish to do; working against the best interests of others; intentionally inflicting harm on others; threatening, oppressing, controlling, power-tripping, ripping off and screwing over - all these are considered practices of the Dark Arts. True Wizards, by definition, simply do not use magic in this way.

Another form of black magic is necromancy, in which the spirits of the dead are conjured up for consultation. This is what happens in a séance, where a medium goes into a trance, summoning and allowing spirits to temporarily inhabit her or his body and speak through his or her mouth. This is most often done at the request of a living relative who may wish to question the departed soul regarding some important matter, or even just seek reassurance that they are happy in the Afterlife.