GODS, SAINTS AND SPELLCRAFT

Religion and magic can often be confused by the outsider, as both operate beyond conventional rationality and science. Is it magic when the consecrated host used during Mass is transubstantiated into the literal body of Christ? Most Catholics today would say no, that there is no crossover between the magical and the miraculous. Yet throughout history there have been many who would consider themselves religiously orthodox that employed magic that called on powers – be they saints, Gods, or spirits.

Religion and magic

Spells, like prayers, are a method of converting speech and thought into change in the universe. Believers in either think that with the correct formulation and intent then the laws of the universe as we usually understand them will be suspended to fulfil their desire. In the ancient world of Greece and Rome, prayers were often accompanied by elaborate rituals. If even a single word was misspoken or a vital step forgotten then the prayer would go unfulfilled. At this formative period in European