9/7/2019 Black magic - Wikipedia

Black magic
Black m agic has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for ev il and selfish purposes. [1 ] With respect to the left-hand path and right-hand path dichotomy , black magic is
the malicious, left-hand counterpart of the benev olent white magic. In modern times, some find that the definition of "black magic" has been conv oluted by people who define magic or ritualistic
practices that they disapprov e of as "black magic". [2 ]

Contents
History
Satanism and devil-worship
Shamanism
Voodoo
Black Magic In Hinduism
Black magic and religion
Practices and rituals
In popular culture and fiction
See also
John Dee and Edward Kelley using a
References
magic circle ritual to invoke a spirit in a
church graveyard.

History
Like its counterpart white magic, the origins of black magic can be traced to the primitiv e, ritualistic worship of spirits as outlined in Robert M. Place's 2009 book, Magic and Alchemy. [3 ] Unlike white magic, in which Place sees parallels with
primitiv e shamanistic efforts to achiev e closeness with spiritual beings, the rituals that dev eloped into modern "black magic" were designed to inv oke those same spirits to produce beneficial outcomes for the practitioner. Place also prov ides a
broad modern definition of both black and white magic, preferring instead to refer to them as "high magic" (white) and "low magic" (black) based primarily on intentions of the practitioner employ ing them. He acknowledges, though, that this
broader definition (of "high" and "low") suffers from prejudices because good-intentioned folk magic may be considered "low" while ceremonial magic inv olv ing expensiv e or exclusiv e components may be considered by some as "high magic",
regardless of intent. [3 ][4 ]

During the Renaissance, many magical practices and rituals were considered ev il or irreligious and by extension, "black magic" in the broad sense. Witchcraft and non-mainstream esoteric study were
prohibited and targeted by the Inquisition. [5 ] As a result, natural magic dev eloped as a way for thinkers and intellectuals, like Marsilio Ficino, abbot Johannes Trithemius and Heinrich Cornelius
Agrippa, to adv ance esoteric and ritualistic study (though still often in secret) without significant persecution. [5 ]

While "natural magic" became popular among the educated and upper classes of the 16th and 17 th century , ritualistic magic and folk magic remained subject to persecution. 20th century author
Montague Summers generally rejects the definitions of "white" and "black" magic as "contradictory ", though he highlights the extent to which magic in general, regardless of intent, was considered "black"
and cites William Perkins posthumous 1608 instructions in that regard:[6 ]

All witches "conv icted by the Magistrate" should be executed. He allows no exception and under this condemnation fall "all Div iners, Charmers, Jugglers, all Wizards, commonly called wise
men or wise women". All those purported "good Witches which do not hurt but good, which do not spoil and destroy , but sav e and deliv er" should come under the extreme sentence.

In particular, though, the term was most commonly reserv ed for those accused of inv oking demons and other ev il spirits, those hexing or cursing their neighbours, those using magic to destroy crops,
and those capable of leav ing their earthly bodies and trav elling great distances in spirit (to which the Malleus Maleficarum "dev otes one long and important chapter"), usually to engage in dev il-
worship. Summers also highlights the ety mological dev elopment of the term nigromancer, in common use from 1200 to approximately 1500, (Latin: Niger, black; Greek: Manteia, div ination), broadly
"one skilled in the black arts". [6 ]
Malleus Maleficarum, 1669 edition
In a modern context, the line between "white magic" and "black magic" is somewhat clearer and most modern definitions focus on intent rather than practice. [3 ] There is also an extent to which many
modern Wicca and witchcraft practitioners hav e sought to distance themselv es from those intent on practising black magic. Those who seek to do harm or ev il are less likely to be accepted into
mainstream Wiccan circles or cov ens in an era where benev olent magic is increasingly associated with new-age beliefs and practices, and self-help spiritualism. [7 ]

Satanism and devil-worship

The influence of popular culture has allowed other practices to be drawn in under the broad banner of "black magic", including the concept of Satanism. While the inv ocation of demons or spirits is an
accepted part of black magic, this practice is distinct from the worship or deification of such spiritual beings. [7 ] The two are usually combined in mediev al beliefs about witchcraft.

Those lines, though, continue to be blurred by the inclusion of spirit rituals from otherwise "white magicians" in compilations of work related to Satanism. John Dee's sixteenth century rituals, for example,
were included in Anton LaVey 's The Satanic Bible (1969) and so some of his practises, otherwise considered white magic, hav e since been associated with black magic. Dee's rituals themselv es were
designed to contact spirits in general and angels in particular, which he claimed to hav e been able to do with the assistance of colleague Edward Kelley . LaVey 's Bible, howev er, is a "complete contradiction"
of Dee's intentions but offers the same rituals as a means of contact with ev il spirits and demons. [8 ] LaVey 's Church of Satan (with LaVey 's Bible at its centre), "officially denies the efficacy of occult ritual"
but "affirms the subjectiv e, psy chological v alue of ritual practice", drawing a clear distinction between. [8 ] LaVey himself was more specific:

White magic is supposedly utilised only for good or unselfish purposes, and black magic, we are told, is used only for selfish or "ev il" reasons. Satanism draws no such div iding line. Magic is
magic, be it used to help or hinder. The Satanist, being the magician, should hav e the ability to decide what is just, and then apply the powers of magic to attain his goals.

Satanism is not a white light religion; it is a religion of the flesh, the mundane, the carnal - all of which are ruled by Satan, the personification of the Left Hand Path.

The latter quote, though, seems to hav e been directed toward the growing trends of Wiccanism and neo-paganism at the time. [8 ]
Illustration by Martin van Maële,
of a Witches' Sabbath, in the
Shamanism 1911 edition of La Sorciere, by
Jules Michelet.
In some areas, there are purported malev olent sorcerers who masquerade as real shamans and who entice tourists to drink ay ahuasca in their presence. Shamans believ e one of the purposes for this is to
steal one's energy and/or power, of which they believ e ev ery person has a limited stockpile. [9 ]

Voodoo
Voodoo has been associated with modern "black magic"; drawn together in popular culture and fiction. Howev er, while hexing or cursing may be accepted black magic practices, Voodoo has its own
distinct history and traditions that hav e little to do with the traditions of modern witchcraft that dev eloped with European practitioners like Gerald Gardner and Aleister Crowley . [7 ][1 0 ][1 1 ]

Voodoo tradition makes its own distinction between black and white magic, with sorcerers like the Bokor known for using magic and rituals of both. But their penchant for magic associated with curses,
poisons and zombies means they , and Voodoo in general, are regularly associated with black magic in particular. [1 2 ]

Black Magic In Hinduism

Chathan or Vishnumay a is a deity worshipped by Hindu's in Kerala. He is said to be the son of Lord Shiv a who took birth to kill the demon Jalandhara. One such battle with a demon lead to spilling of
chathan's blood and there arose many “kuttichathans” or child chathans, y ou may hav e seen the malay alam mov ie remake of kutti chathan into Hindi called “Chota Chetan”, its the same guy though not A Voodoo doll.
exactly like that of what shown in the mov ie. There are many famous and not so damous temples were Chathan is being worshipped in kerala as the main or secondary deity .Peringottukara
Dev asthanam (http://dev asthanam.com/) is the most ancient and the biggest Kuttichathan temple

Chathan sev a is a kind of black magic done to satisfy Chathan for fulfilling some personal benefits of the person in whose name or expense the pooja is performed. It is said to bring wishes true and y ou
can see such ads in newspapers and magazines. Its also done to bring destruction to y our enemies. But in the end it's like a boomerang which returns and does the same to the person who sends it. So the
person who uses it for ev il will face its consequences. If y ou wish to know more about it, y ou can contact any astrologer in Kerala through ads or through those who already did it.

Black magic and religion

The links and interaction between black magic and religion are many and v aried. Bey ond black magic's links to organised Satanism or its historical persecution by Christianity and its inquisitions, there
Kuttichathan Seva
are links between religious and black magic rituals. The Black Mass, for example, is a sacrilegious parody of the Catholic Mass. Likewise, a saining, though primarily a practice of white magic, is a Wiccan
ritual analogous to a christening or baptism for an infant. [1 3 ][1 4 ] . In Islam, the Quran contains Surahs that are recited to protect against black magic.

Sev enteenth century priest, Étienne Guibourg, is said to hav e performed a series of black mass rituals with alleged witch Catherine Monv oisin for Madame de Montespan. [1 5 ]

Practices and rituals

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9/7/2019 Black magic - Wikipedia
During his period of scholarship, A. E. Waite prov ided a comprehensiv e account of black magic practices, rituals and traditions in The Book of Black Magic and Ceremonial Magic. [1 6 ]
Other practitioners hav e expanded on these ideas and offered their own comprehensiv e lists of rituals and concepts. Black magic practices and rituals include: The lowest depths of black mysticism are well-nigh
as difficult to plumb as it is arduous to scale
True name spells - the theory that knowing a person's true name allows control over that person, making this wrong for the same reason. This can also be used as a connection to the other the heights of sanctity. The Grand Masters of
person, or to free them from another's a compulsion, so it is in the grey area. the witch covens are men of genius - a foul genius,
Immortality rituals - from a Taoist perspective, life is finite, and wishing to live beyond one's natural span is not with the flow of nature. Beyond this, there is a major issue with immortality. crooked, distorted, disturbed, and diseased.
Because of the need to test the results, the subjects must be killed. Even a spell to extend life may not be entirely good, especially if it draws life energy from another to sustain the spell.[17] Montague Summers
Necromancy - for purposes of usage, this is defined not as general black magic, but as any magic having to do with death itself, either through divination of entrails, or the act of raising the Witchcraft and Black Magic
dead body, as opposed to resurrection or CPR.[18]
Curses and hexes - a curse can be as simple as wishing something bad would happen to someone, or as complicated as performing a complex ritual to ensure that someone dies.[19]

In popular culture and fiction

Concepts related to black magic or described, ev en inaccurately , as "black magic" are a regular feature of books, films and other popular culture. Examples include:

"Black Magic" – track off the Slayer album Show No Mercy 1983[20]
"Black Magic" – Lead single by British girl-group Little Mix released in May 2015, for their third studio album "Get Weird".
The Devil Rides Out – a 1934 novel by Dennis Wheatley – made into a famous film by Hammer Studios in 1968.
Rosemary's Baby – a 1968 horror novel in which black magic is a central theme.
The Craft – a 1996 film featuring four friends who become involved in white witchcraft but turn to black magic rituals for personal gain.
The Harry Potter series – black magic, including various spells and curses, is referred to as "the dark arts" against which students are taught to defend themselves.
Final Fantasy – a video game in which white and black magic are simply used to distinguish between healing/defensive spells (such as a "cure") and offensive/elemental spells (such as "fire") and do not carry an inherent good or evil connotation.
Charmed – a television series in which black magic is also known as "the black arts", "dark arts", "dark magic" or even "evil magic", and is used by demons and other evil beings.
The Secret Circle – A short-lived television series featuring witches, in which there are two kinds of magic. While traditional magic helps you to connect to the energy around you, more lethal and dangerous dark magic is rooted in the anger, fear and
negativity inside you. Only a few born with it can access dark magic and some are inherently stronger than others.
The Power of Five is an entire series by Anthony Horowitz about black magic and evil sorcerers. The antagonists are all black sorcerers and are all practitioners of black magic; black magic is a means of summoning the Old Ones from their prison, Hell.
Black magic often takes the form of mass murder and animation of inanimate objects.
Night Watch – In the Night Watch book (and movie) series the magicians are grouped into two sides "Light Others" and "Dark Others". The dark magicians are more motivated by selfish desires.
Supernatural (U.S. TV series) – The television series Supernatural features many events and characters that feature and participate in black magic.
Sherlock Holmes (2009 film) – The first of the two Sherlock Holmes films directed by Guy Ritchie includes elements of black magic although they are later discovered to be false.
Versailles (band) released a short film in 2009 which depicted zombies that were resurrected by Jasmine You through black magic.
Pizza II: Villa – An Indian Tamil suspense supernatural thriller film, written and directed by debutant Deepan Chakravarthy.
The Necromancers: The Best of Black Magic And Witchcraft – A collection of folklores and stories about black magic edited by Peter Haining.
Odiyan – An upcoming 2018 Indian Malayalam language film starring Mohanlal. It is based on the legend of Odiyan, who in Kerala folklore are men possessing shape-shifting ability, who can assume animal form and were used to assassinate or scare
people in the dark during the pre-electricity period.

See also
Demonology
Gray magic
Left-hand path and right-hand path
Maleficium (sorcery)
Necromancy
Seiðr
Ya sang

References
1. J. Gordon Melton, ed. (2001). "Black Magic". Encyclopedia of Occultism &
Parapsychology. Vol 1: A–L (Fifth ed.). Gale Research Inc. ISBN 0-8103-9488-X.
2. Jesper Aagaard Petersen (2009). Contemporary religious Satanism: A Critical
Anthology. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 220. ISBN 0-7546-5286-6.
3. Magic and Alchemy (https://books.google.com/books?id=2rD9r0kFY20C&) by
Robert M. Place (Infobase Publishing, 2009)
4. Evans-Pritchard. "Sorcery and Native Opinion". Africa: Journal of the
International African Institute Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jan., 1931) , pp. 22-55.
5. White Magic, Black Magic in the European Renaissance (https://books.google.
com/books?id=Tp6PhNsz43EC&) by Paola Zambelli (BRILL, 2007)
6. Witchcraft and Black Magic (https://books.google.com/books?id=qZPSWkRinH
MC&) by Montague Summers (1946; reprint Courier Dover Publications, 2000)
7. Magical Religion and Modern Witchcraft (https://books.google.com/books?id=-7
3lyxpbSVIC&) by James R. Lewis (SUNY Press, 1996)
8. Modern Satanism: Anatomy of a Radical Subculture (https://books.google.com/
books?id=mQrbsOWaOyUC&) by Chris Mathews (Greenwood Publishing
Group, 2009)
9. Campos, Don Jose (2011). The Shaman & Ayahuasca: Journeys to Sacred
Realms.
10. "Voodoo 2.0." Newsweek Global 163.9 (2014): 92-98. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 19 February 2015.
11. Long, Carolyn Morrow. "Perceptions of New Orleans Voodoo: Sin, Fraud,
Entertainment, and Religion". Nova Religion: The Journal of Alternative and
Emergent Religions, Vol. 6, No. 1 (October 2002), pp. 86-101
12. Voodoo Rituals: A User's Guide (https://books.google.com/books?id=2UNFPas
9KcgC&) by Heike Owusu (Sterling Publishing Company, 2002)
13. "Black Mass." Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (2014): 1p. 1. Funk
& Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 11 February 2015.
14. Macmullen, Ramsay, and Eugene Lane. "From Black Magic To Mystical Awe."
Christian History 17.1 (1998): 37. History Reference Center. Web. 19 February
2016.
15. Geography of Witchcraft (https://books.google.com/books?id=uV_kQksWgCoC
&) by Montague Summers (1927; reprint Kessinger Publishing
16. The Book of Black Magic and Ceremonial Magic (https://books.google.com/boo
ks?id=WyJnZ44K5kAC&) by Arthur Edward Waite (1911; reprint 2006)
17. "Immortality." Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (2014): 1p. 1. Funk &
Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 11 February 2015.
18. "necromancy". Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.). Springfield,
MA: Merriam-Webster. April 2008.
19. "Hex." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition (2013): 1. Literary
Reference Center. Web. 11 February 2015.
20. "Slayer – Show No Mercy" (https://www.discogs.com/Slayer-Show-No-Mercy/re
lease/404409). Discogs. Retrieved 8 May 2018.

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