This particular topic was brought to my mind recently by a member of one of the teams that I manage. A bunch of ladies came in early from lunch and I overheard them talking. They had picked up some magazine, something like the IS magazine or similar. There were some articles about alternative lifestyles and trends in the magazine and they started talking about spiritual stuff. From there the conversation strayed into the supernatural.
One of the ladies started saying that people who stared into crystal balls (I think she was thinking about the carnival gypsy types) made her nervous because she was sure they were doing some black magic. I then made a comment to the effect that I didn't think that staring into crystal balls had anything to do with "black magic" and that most of her examples of "magical" practices were done by people who likely based the ritual off some kind of superstition.
Well, I think she might either have had an experience with magic that went wrong or she had heard tales about it from friends or family. Either ways, she seems to believe that some kinds of magic are real and that its something to be afraid of. I also think she misinterpreted my statement to mean that I thought magic was some kind of crazy, unscientific superstitious belief. In truth, if I were in her shoes, I would have also have misinterpreted what I said to her.
Being in Asia, it is okay to express a belief in the spirit world and admit to occasional ghostly sightings, even if you work in an organisation that places strong emphasis on science, hard facts, empirical knowledge and evidence gathering - which quite simply describes my current work environment. However, I think even the most tolerant of my co-workers would balk at the idea of one of us engaging in the active practice of magic. Naturally, none of my colleagues know of my "alternative lifestyle practices". Anyways, this conversation sort of brought up the topic of black magic.
In Singapore, mention "black magic" and the images of either Adrian Lim (a medium who had murdered some people in ritualistic style in the 80s) or of a bomoh in a dark room with spirits and lots of blood. I the minds of most people black = bad. And I guess to most non-practitioners of magic, all magic would be "black magic" no matter who does it or why.
Reading forums and websites by members of the alternative beliefs community, there seem to be those who hold to the notion that there are some magical practices which are "black" or evil or dark. And others that are "white" or good. As to what constitutes black or white magic, well, opinion is divided.
I don't know where this notion of "black" magic first came up in history. I don't think the ancients (eg. Egyptians, Sumerians... etc...) had a specific notion that magic was colour / morality - coded in any way. Magic was magic, it was simply a tool. Or a force of nature. "Good" Egyptian heroes were just as likely to engage in communicating or working with the dead for instance... (some form of necromancy... if you think about it) as the evil villains. And "evil" villains were just as likely to perform blessings and beneficial spells on those they favoured.
I suppose, with the evolution of faiths that have strongly defined polar opposites of good and bad, the notion that some practices are "black" as opposed to "white" might develop in the popular cultural mindset of the civilization where those beliefs are widespread. For example, communicating, calling upon, summoning and working with spirits that are considered "evil" or "demons" or even the "dearly departed" is bad (the last one, because it is some form of necromancy), but working with, summoning or communicating with beings that are regarded as "good" or "angels" or communicating with the dead via angelic assistance is considered okay or even good.
As a person engaged in the study and practice of magic, I find that whole "black-white" divide rather... superficial and certainly silly. Ironically, it was a tract from a particular monotheistic religion that put the entire black-white argument for me in perspective. In the tract, which was written in the form of the story, the witch character binds the tongue of an opponent by calling upon some beneficial or benevolent being. Although she regards herself as a "white" witch, at the end of the day, she finds out that all magical acts (the doing of miraculous acts via some other power other than that of the belief's official divine being) are the same. There is no such thing as "black" or "white" magic. In the writer's opinion at least, ALL magic is "black" and therefore bad.
Now, I don't agree with the writer of the tract with regards to his points about the "evilness" of magical practice, but I have to say that in terms of the logic behind the belief, he is at least consistent. In his world view, acts such as drawing a circle, summoning a being, even an "angel" via the practice of muttering certain secret mystical words to call forth said being for assistance, is an act of magic and therefore "evil". In fact, the only legitimate means of communicating or working with the spiritual world is via prayer, and even then, prayer is to be directed at the official divine being and NOT at some other beneficial being, even though they might be working for or with the divine being on the same side.
Like I said, I don't agree with the portrayal of magic in the tract, but at least the writer has made a logical argument based on his world view.
Now HERE is what I DON'T understand. I what is the difference between summoning the dead to talk with them and using mystical rites to summon the assistance of an angel to speak with the departed? Does this mean if you call upon an "angel" so you can talk with your late grandpa, that is not some kind of necromancy? In the same fashion, it's "black" magic if you go to the graveyard and beg the spirits that are there with rites and offerings for guidance, but it is okay to have a spirit guide (some of whom are drawn from the ranks of the departed) to assist you in everyday decision making? And that does not make you a necromancer? ... I'm using the example of necromancy because in popular culture at least, this practice seems to be the default practice of most evil wizards.
And in case you might be thinking that I am somehow distorting the definition of the word, here is the official meaning from dictionary.com .
One of the ladies started saying that people who stared into crystal balls (I think she was thinking about the carnival gypsy types) made her nervous because she was sure they were doing some black magic. I then made a comment to the effect that I didn't think that staring into crystal balls had anything to do with "black magic" and that most of her examples of "magical" practices were done by people who likely based the ritual off some kind of superstition.
Well, I think she might either have had an experience with magic that went wrong or she had heard tales about it from friends or family. Either ways, she seems to believe that some kinds of magic are real and that its something to be afraid of. I also think she misinterpreted my statement to mean that I thought magic was some kind of crazy, unscientific superstitious belief. In truth, if I were in her shoes, I would have also have misinterpreted what I said to her.
Being in Asia, it is okay to express a belief in the spirit world and admit to occasional ghostly sightings, even if you work in an organisation that places strong emphasis on science, hard facts, empirical knowledge and evidence gathering - which quite simply describes my current work environment. However, I think even the most tolerant of my co-workers would balk at the idea of one of us engaging in the active practice of magic. Naturally, none of my colleagues know of my "alternative lifestyle practices". Anyways, this conversation sort of brought up the topic of black magic.
In Singapore, mention "black magic" and the images of either Adrian Lim (a medium who had murdered some people in ritualistic style in the 80s) or of a bomoh in a dark room with spirits and lots of blood. I the minds of most people black = bad. And I guess to most non-practitioners of magic, all magic would be "black magic" no matter who does it or why.
Reading forums and websites by members of the alternative beliefs community, there seem to be those who hold to the notion that there are some magical practices which are "black" or evil or dark. And others that are "white" or good. As to what constitutes black or white magic, well, opinion is divided.
I don't know where this notion of "black" magic first came up in history. I don't think the ancients (eg. Egyptians, Sumerians... etc...) had a specific notion that magic was colour / morality - coded in any way. Magic was magic, it was simply a tool. Or a force of nature. "Good" Egyptian heroes were just as likely to engage in communicating or working with the dead for instance... (some form of necromancy... if you think about it) as the evil villains. And "evil" villains were just as likely to perform blessings and beneficial spells on those they favoured.
I suppose, with the evolution of faiths that have strongly defined polar opposites of good and bad, the notion that some practices are "black" as opposed to "white" might develop in the popular cultural mindset of the civilization where those beliefs are widespread. For example, communicating, calling upon, summoning and working with spirits that are considered "evil" or "demons" or even the "dearly departed" is bad (the last one, because it is some form of necromancy), but working with, summoning or communicating with beings that are regarded as "good" or "angels" or communicating with the dead via angelic assistance is considered okay or even good.
As a person engaged in the study and practice of magic, I find that whole "black-white" divide rather... superficial and certainly silly. Ironically, it was a tract from a particular monotheistic religion that put the entire black-white argument for me in perspective. In the tract, which was written in the form of the story, the witch character binds the tongue of an opponent by calling upon some beneficial or benevolent being. Although she regards herself as a "white" witch, at the end of the day, she finds out that all magical acts (the doing of miraculous acts via some other power other than that of the belief's official divine being) are the same. There is no such thing as "black" or "white" magic. In the writer's opinion at least, ALL magic is "black" and therefore bad.
Now, I don't agree with the writer of the tract with regards to his points about the "evilness" of magical practice, but I have to say that in terms of the logic behind the belief, he is at least consistent. In his world view, acts such as drawing a circle, summoning a being, even an "angel" via the practice of muttering certain secret mystical words to call forth said being for assistance, is an act of magic and therefore "evil". In fact, the only legitimate means of communicating or working with the spiritual world is via prayer, and even then, prayer is to be directed at the official divine being and NOT at some other beneficial being, even though they might be working for or with the divine being on the same side.
Like I said, I don't agree with the portrayal of magic in the tract, but at least the writer has made a logical argument based on his world view.
Now HERE is what I DON'T understand. I what is the difference between summoning the dead to talk with them and using mystical rites to summon the assistance of an angel to speak with the departed? Does this mean if you call upon an "angel" so you can talk with your late grandpa, that is not some kind of necromancy? In the same fashion, it's "black" magic if you go to the graveyard and beg the spirits that are there with rites and offerings for guidance, but it is okay to have a spirit guide (some of whom are drawn from the ranks of the departed) to assist you in everyday decision making? And that does not make you a necromancer? ... I'm using the example of necromancy because in popular culture at least, this practice seems to be the default practice of most evil wizards.
And in case you might be thinking that I am somehow distorting the definition of the word, here is the official meaning from dictionary.com .
Nec-ro-man-cy
–noun
1. a method of divination through alleged communication with the dead; black art
2. magic in general, esp. that practiced by a witch or sorcerer; sorcery; witchcraft; conjuration.
Origin
1250–1300; necro- + -mancy; r. ME nigromancie < class="ital-inline">nigromantīa for LL necromantīa < class="ital-inline">nekromanteía; by folk etymology nigro- (comb. form of L niger black) was substituted in ML for original necro-
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
–noun
1. a method of divination through alleged communication with the dead; black art
2. magic in general, esp. that practiced by a witch or sorcerer; sorcery; witchcraft; conjuration.
Origin
1250–1300; necro- + -mancy; r. ME nigromancie < class="ital-inline">nigromantīa for LL necromantīa < class="ital-inline">nekromanteía; by folk etymology nigro- (comb. form of L niger black) was substituted in ML for original necro-
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Necromancy
Nec"ro*man`cy\, n. [OE. nigromaunce, nigromancie, OF. nigromance, F. n['e]cromance, n['e]cromancie, from L. necromantia, Gr. ?; ? a dead body (akin to L. necare to kill, Skr. na(?) to perish, vanish) + ? divination, fr. ? diviner, seer, akin to E. mania. See Mania, and cf. Internecine, Noxious. The old spelling is due to confusion with L. niger black. Hence the name black art.] The art of revealing future events by means of a pretended communication with the dead; the black art; hence, magic in general; conjuration; enchantment.
--Drayton.
--Drayton.
It seems to me that for the most part the decision of what's "black" and "white" is made not based on logic, but on whatever the individual believes. I think also, people tend to categorize what they do not understand or fear as being "bad". It is just human nature I guess. I did the same thing too when I was a lot younger and a fanatic.
Personally, I don't think there is anything like "white" or "black" magic. For me at least, magic is a tool, like an axe, which can either be used to chop wood and build houses or harm and kill. What makes something good or bad is the action and intent of the person doing the deed, not the instrument by which the deed is done. Is the pen evil because an assassin used it as a stabbing knife on the eye of his victim? (I am reminded of this particular killing from a movie. I believe it was from the Godfather trilogy.)
I think that for people certain faiths, the labelling of magic as something bad or "black" might result from a notion of where the magician's powers originate. It is in the belief system of quite a few religions that supernatural works are the domain of either the official divine being or his opponents. No magical power is attributed to or originates from Mankind. Therefore, in belief systems that hold this to be true; if supernatural works from an individual cannot be attributed to the official deity, then it must come from the opposing side.
However, I am of the belief that when the original creator made everything, he made it so that working magic is possible for members of the human race. That we do not have to call upon beings in the "spirit" world for magical knowledge or power. Personally, I don't think there is a definite distinction between the so-called "material" and "spiritual" worlds. We all live in one universe - Man, ghosts, spirits, "demons", "angels" and whatever unnamed races or species wander around out there and all around us. We are not separated by a "veil" that divides the material and mundane from the incorporeal and spiritual. The same rules that govern us... also govern those that we cannot see.
I also don't think that those in the "spirit realm" so to speak are at a "higher" or "different" level of evolution compared to us. Neither do I think that they are in some other "dimension". We probably don't see them, because like the severely myopic or blind, we only see what we are capable to perceiving with our limited human vision, but not everything that is actually THERE. For all we know, giant coloured balls of ethereal light course down Orchard Road on a daily basis. Just because we don't see them doesn't mean that they are not there.
In case your mouth is dropping open now, think about this. Science and knowledge as we know it defines the universe through "rules" and "laws" discovered by its adherents. But truly, are the "laws" of science that we know today, truly the laws that govern our universe?
If you look past flesh, blood and bone, we consist of trillions of atoms - quite literally constructs of energy. I'd go so far to say that we are, in effect, beings of energy, just like members of the "spirit" world. If that is so, then we are equally capable of magical / supernatural or energetic acts often attributed to denizens of this "spirit" world.
I guess I have deviated quite a bit from the original topic. Before I digress any further, now is a good time to stop.
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