Magic to light up your life

    Magic have attracted the attention of people young and old over thousands of years. Magic can be categorized in three ways. First, the most common, is stage magic, using tricks of misdirection and sleight of hand. Second, fantasy such as is found in movies and books of the Harry Potter kind. The third category is the “magic” practiced by “witches”. The term warlock is a literary invention, deriving from the Scottish word for traitor, and is rarely used seriously by anyone involved in the craft.

Witch itself is a word with many meanings. In medieval times it was the term used by the Catholic and later the Protestant church for women who, as contemporary researchers would have it, upset the power of the Church by practicing the healing (herbal) arts, a skill that by law could only belong to men, and/or by clinging to the pre-Christian pagan religions. This categorization led to the infamous witch burnings of the medieval period, even lasting up to the 17th century in some countries, and witchcraft of this kind was the main target of the Inquisition. In anthropological terms, witch is the term given by many so-called primitive societies to those who were different or to explain the otherwise inexplicable happenings in daily life. In the modern era the term refers to the neo-Pagan religions, including Wicca and neo-Druidism.

These modern “witches” provide a useful collection of magic items to discuss. Most of the modern forms use the ancient pattern of the four quartered circle, each quarter representing one of the four elements, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, with the circle itself representing, among other things, Spirit. Each quarter is devoted to different aspects of magic and each has a magical implement. For Air they use the ubiquitous wand, which is also found in modern Ceremonial Magic (e.g. the Golden Dawn of Alistair Crowley fame) and in virtually every form of fantasy magic and stage magic. It is usually made of some sort of wood, and is consecrated to magic through various rituals. Each witch is expected to make their own wand. Fire is represented by the candle, and sometimes also by a cauldron, and again candles play a major part in most other Western forms of magic. Water is often represented by a chalice, or goblet filled with liquid. Earth is usually represented by some form of natural formation, a rock for instance, which has also been ritually consecrated. A most important magic item for witches of this kind is the athame, a (blunted) two-edged ritual knife with which the circle is drawn and which is used to represent the male energy in some rituals, a chalice being also used to represent the feminine. And one should not forget the pentagram, an encircled five-pointed star which represents both humanity and the elements and the points of the compass (with the fifth point being infinity).

All of these items and the rituals in which they are used are symbols to aid in the process of altering normal consciousness, going into a form of trance, in which “magic” can be worked. This is seen as occurring through a connection with one’s inner divinity and participating in the universe at an unearthly level. Many witches also practice the divinatory arts, and use a variety of magic items to help with focusing their intuition. Tarot cards, crystal balls, candles, tea-leaves and crystals are among the most commonly used.

It is an indication of the depth of the human need for a connection with the unknowable that all of these items have been in use, in some form or another, throughout recorded human history, and the archeological evidence suggests that most have been with us since long before that. The fact that all of these items are found in practices as different as neo-paganism, ceremonial magic, the quasi-Christian and Jewish Qabbalistic arts and also modern stage magic attests to this need.

Many people long for the amazing capability of capturing people’s attention and curiosity with extra-ordinary perfection and skill is something everyone admires or wishes they too could do it. Magic shows can range from a light entertainment at a kid’s party to amaze-the-whole-world professional show. All you need is some magic items and magic kits to get you started.

Several magic kits are available in the market. They can range from beginner’s magic kit to advance kit. One can also find more occasion-specific kits like party kits or exclusive magic kits. Magic kits usually come with lots of magic items, instruction manuals and training videos. Magic kits are an ideal way to get kids started with magic. Lots of children’s magic kits are available in the market. Most of the children magic kits require little or no skill to perform. Learning how to use the items in the kits turns into a magic trick. Older people may not like to use kits. For them, a couple of good magic books and magic DVDs are a must. Most magic books for beginners contain tricks that will make use of basic magic items like coins and cards. Coin and card tricks usually take a few hours to days to learn. Mastering the skill depends on the learner. Magic tricks performed with coins and cards are ideal for fooling around with friends or do a magic show in small gatherings like family or friend’s get-together and kid’s party. Perfecting a couple of harder card and coin tricks can make you look like a pro-magician. Being exceptionally good at talking can also leave the audience immersed in the magical world and make a simple magic trick a big hit.

A magician without his basic things doesn’t look like a magician and the show they perform may not be that exciting. Magician’s outfits, items and accessories are also easily available in the market. Some of the popular magic items one can see and make use are coins, cards, rabbits, dove, locks, chains, swords or knives, etc. Magical outfits like black suits, cape, hat, handkerchiefs, and wands are must to look like a real magician. If one wants to pursue farther, having the above items and learning some tricks using these items is advisable. Visiting magic shows whenever possible will help much. Not only will one learn how to deal with audience more professionally, see new tricks or compare yourself, but also learn a few tricks and make friends. Learning and performing magic is not that hard with a little bit of talent, practice and right amount of magic items and tricks. Lastly, get a unique magic word. A magician or a magic item is not exciting when there is no magic word like “Abracadabra”. When it can be as easy as that, go ahead and bring a little magic into your life starting today!