Black magic or dark magic is a form of sorcery that draws on assumed malevolent powers. This type of magic would be invoked to kill, to steal, to injure, to cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences to others. As a term, "black magic" is normally used to describe a form of ritual that some group or person does not approve of. Not everything that is called black magic truly has malevolent intentions behind it, and some also consider it to have beneficial and benevolent uses, such as killing off diseases or pests (or rather, the effect itself is malevolent by causing death to insects, but as an indirect consequence of black magic, good sometimes results, in the form of less pests around, etc). In fiction it refers to evil magic. In many video games, such as Final Fantasy, black magic is simply used to distinguish between healing/defensive spells (such as cure) and offensive/elemental spells (such as fire), and does not carry an inherent good or evil connotation. [edit] Black and white magic The opposite of black magic is white magic. The differences between black magic and white magic are debatable, but theories generally fall within the following broad categories: - All as One: All forms of magic are evil, or black magic. This view generally associates black magic with Satanism. The persons that maintain this opinion include those belonging to most branches of Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. Some people on the left-hand path would agree that all magic, whether called "white" or "black", is the same. These people would not contend that all magic is evil so much as that morality is in the eyes of the beholder -- that any magic can have both good and bad consequences depending on who judges those consequences. In this school of thought, there is no separation between benevolent and malevolent magic because there is no universal morality against which magic can be measured.
- Dark Doctrine: Black magic refers to the powers of darkness, usually seen from a Left-Hand Path point of view. This may or may not contrast with white magic, depending on the sorcerer's acceptance of dualism.
- Formal Differences: The forms and components of black magic are not the same due to the different aims or interests of those casting harmful spells than those of white. Harmful spellcasting tends to include symbolism which seems hazardous or harmful to human beings, such as sharp, pointed, prickly, caustic, and hot element(s) combined with very personal objects from the spell's target (their hair, blood, mementos, etc.). This distinction is primarily observable in folk magic, but pertains to other types of magic also.
- No Connection: Both black and white magic are forms of sorcery, but are completely different from the base up and are accomplished uniquely, even if they achieve similar effects. This stance is often presented in fiction. In such books, the two classes of magic-users are portrayed as being both ideologically and diametrically opposed. In The Lord of the Rings the elves find it strange that Humans and Hobbits can even use a single word, "magic", which refers to both - since the Elvish tongues regard them also linguisitically as completely separate and unrelated.
- Separate but Equal: Black and white magic are exactly the same thing, differentiated only by their end goals and intent. According to this theory, the same spell could be either white or black; its nature is determined by the end result of the spell. The majority of religions follow this belief, as does the remainder of fiction that does not follow the No Connection theory. By this interpretation, even such spells commonly seen as good can be misused, so healing could be used to regenerate the body to the point of cancer, for instance.
[edit] "White" Magic Depending upon how loose the denomination's philosophy is concerning magic, certain things may be allowed (even in Christianity, which often shuns any use of magic). This list is largely based on the "Separate but Equal" Philosophy listed above, rather than the "No Connection", as there are branches of any type of magic that may be better or worse than others, not to mention there is the intent of the user to consider. This list is based upon the stances of churches and temples of various faiths concerning practices: - Sutra (Spoken or written word is little different from prayer, although intent is important)
- Mudra (Religion typically allows mudras, or hand signs. For instance, the sign of the cross)
- Protection (Represents a desire to protect loved ones, so this is generally good. It can however, also be used in binding and sealing others.)
- Weather Magic (prayers or the like for rain or sun are done, even by the Church)
- Healing/Exorcism (The art of healing is seen as a miracle, and is done by the origin of Christianity, Jesus. Exorcism is allowed for the same reason, though exorcism rites are uncommon)
- Divination/Dowsing (Aside from the branch of divination known as necromancy, divination is regarded more as a spiritual gift than a form of magic)
- Alchemy (Potion making is part of healing above, although intent is once again an issue)
- Blessing People/Objects (This is a grey area, due to the laws on graving images, but even certain priests have staffs related to their office. Generally, it is considered acceptable)
[edit] Black Magic Due to the laws of Christianity and other religions, there are certain taboos surrounding forms of magic. Although culture may place certain forms of magic in one side or another of this spectrum, there are in fact some cultural universals about conduct: - Love spells (Although love is seen as a cultural good, compelling one to love another against their will is an enchantment, and is typically seen as mind control. The only acceptable love spell is one that attracts good fortune in love, without tampering with free will)
- True Name spells(The theory is, that knowing a person's true name allows control over the other, making this wrong for the same reason. This can also be used as a connection to the other person, or to free them from another's compulsion, so it is in the grey area)
- Voodoo(This is associated with the Law of Contagion in magic. Although the Law of Contagion can also be used for benevolent uses, such as finding missing persons, the act of voodoo or causing harm using this connection is inherently evil)
- 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. 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.)
- 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 dead bodily, as opposed to resurrection or CPR)
- Curses/Hexes (This is the spoken equivalent of voodoo, and is essentially a prayer gone bad. It can be as as simple as wishing something bad would happen to another, to a complex ritual. The difference between this and voodoo, is that it does not involve the law of contagion, but instead involves spoken or written words, and possible the true name of the target)
- Demon Summoning
[edit] Black Magic as Part of Religion It is also worth mentioning that many rituals done by black magic practitioners mentioned on TV are mentioned as having aspects similar to Christianity, but a perverted form of it. In other words, not only is black magic not synonymous with Wicca, but it appears to be universally based upon a religion, but using perverted rituals to suited the needs of the user. For example, Wiccan black magic users might invert their pentacle, just as Christians have an inverted cross. Likewise, corrupted rites or sacrifice may substitute blood or feces for the water or wine. Take this way, the distinction between black and white magic would be simple: - White magic is the original rituals, which embody the tenets of the religion in question. For Buddhism or Hinduism, this might be long and complex prayer sutras. Taoist and Shinto magic would largely be based upon fertility and nature rituals.
- Black magic is a corruption or misuse of such rituals, turning the cultural mores of the religion into self-serving or destructive. This could be something like making hexing dolls (which is explained in detail about how the original ritual came about as a result of attempting to honor the gods by making representations, in an entry on Chinese Taoist sorcery).[1]
[edit] References - ^ Chinese Taoist Sorcery: The Art of Getting Even, Page 64.[1]
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