Greetings!
> ut what is the definition of magic??
Various publication projects have led me to look a little at how some
societies in the past have defined magic and witchcraft. We should
remember that it could be a legal question with very specific acts
defined as witchcraft. In 17th Century England an influential text was
William Perkins, Discourse of the Damned Art of Witchcraft published in
1608. In regards to evidence of witchcraft Perkins states that definite
evidence proving witchcraft requires either a confession or the
testimony of two witnesses that the accused either "…hath made a
league with the devil. Or hath done some known practices of witchcraft.
Such as hath invocated and called upon the devil; hath entertained a
familiar spirit, and had conference with it in form or likeness of a
mouse, cat or some other visible creature. Or have used glasses" (ie
skrying).
Now what interests me is an anonymous 17th Century text which I will be
publishing which gives detailed information as to how to obtain a
familiar spirit, how to skry in a crystal and how to invoke infernal
spirits (though there is nothing of making a pact with the Devil). It
also describes the experience of magical flight. If you are interested
in more information please email me off-list and I will place you on my
list to receive notification and more details when it comes back from
the binders.
Whilst researching this text and trying to place it into context I have
been moving towards certain positions:-
Nowadays people might define themselves as witches however in the past
the term witchcraft tended to be applied to a real or imagined act of
malevolent magic practised by someone considered to be your enemy. What
might now be called witchcraft (eg rituals of protection) were often
done with the intent of protecting oneself from "witchcraft".
Whilst modern self-defined witches may distinguish themselves from
ceremonial magicians, astrologers and so forth this compartmentalism may
be a modernism. In the past magicians practised the acts for which
witches were condemned, astrologers invoked spirits to charge talismans
and so forth
My best wishes
Ben
--
Ben Fernee
Caduceus Books
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