Types of Magic

Divination and Fortune-Telling

Divination

The practice of seeking knowledge of the future or unknown through supernatural means. This broad category encompasses numerous specific methods and has been practiced in virtually every culture throughout history. Divination assumes that hidden knowledge can be revealed through interpreting signs, symbols, or supernatural communications.

Scrying

The practice of gazing into reflective surfaces or transparent media to receive visions or divine knowledge. Common scrying tools include crystal balls, mirrors (especially black mirrors), bowls of water, flames, or smoke. The scryer enters a trance-like state and interprets the images, symbols, or visions that appear in the medium.

Numerology

The belief in mystical relationships between numbers and events, personalities, or cosmic forces. Practitioners assign numerical values to letters, names, birth dates, and other significant data to reveal hidden meanings, predict future events, or understand personality traits. Different systems exist, including Pythagorean, Chaldean, and Kabbalistic numerology.

Astrology

The study of celestial bodies' movements and positions to understand their influence on human affairs and natural events. Astrologers create birth charts (horoscopes) based on the exact time and place of birth, interpreting planetary positions, aspects, and house placements to provide insights into personality, relationships, and future trends.

Tarot Reading

Divination using a deck of 78 cards divided into Major Arcana (22 trump cards) and Minor Arcana (56 suit cards). Readers interpret card combinations, positions, and symbolic meanings to provide guidance on questions about love, career, spiritual growth, and future possibilities. Various spreads and interpretive methods exist.

Palmistry (Chiromancy)

The practice of reading palms to divine character traits, life events, and future possibilities. Palmists examine lines, mounts, finger shapes, and other hand features. Major lines include the life line, heart line, head line, and fate line, each believed to reveal different aspects of a person's destiny and character.

Rune Casting

Divination using ancient Germanic alphabet symbols carved on stones, wood, or other materials. Practitioners cast or draw runes and interpret their meanings based on the symbols revealed, their positions, and combinations. Each rune represents concepts like strength, journey, harvest, or protection.

I Ching (Book of Changes)

An ancient Chinese divination system using 64 hexagrams composed of broken and unbroken lines. Practitioners traditionally use yarrow stalks or coins to generate hexagrams, then consult the text for interpretations. The I Ching is considered both a divinatory tool and a philosophical work on the nature of change.

Bibliomancy

Divination by randomly opening sacred or significant books and interpreting the first passage seen. The Bible, Quran, works of poetry, or other meaningful texts may be used. The chosen passage is believed to provide divine guidance or answer the seeker's question.

Augury

The ancient Roman practice of interpreting omens from bird behavior, including flight patterns, feeding habits, and calls. Augurs were official priests who advised on important state decisions based on these observations. The practice extended to interpreting other natural phenomena as divine signs.

Death and Spirit Magic

Necromancy

The practice of communicating with or commanding the dead, often for divination or to gain hidden knowledge. Necromancers might summon spirits of the deceased to answer questions about the future, reveal secrets, or perform tasks. This practice is found in many cultures and is often associated with dark or forbidden magic.

Mediumship

The ability to communicate with spirits of the deceased, typically to deliver messages to the living. Mediums may use various techniques including automatic writing, channeling, séances, or spirit boards (Ouija boards). Unlike necromancy, mediumship is often viewed as a spiritual gift rather than learned magic.

Spiritualism

A religious movement based on the belief that spirits of the dead can communicate with the living through mediums. Spiritualist practices include séances, spirit photography, and various forms of spirit communication. The movement gained popularity in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Ancestor Veneration Magic

Magical practices focused on honoring and communicating with ancestral spirits for guidance, protection, and blessings. Common in many African, Asian, and indigenous traditions, these practices may include offerings, rituals, altar maintenance, and specific ceremonies to maintain connection with deceased family members.

Elemental and Natural Magic

Elemental Magic

Magic based on working with the classical elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Practitioners might specialize in one element or work with all four, using their corresponding energies for spells, rituals, and magical workings. Each element is associated with specific qualities, directions, colors, and magical applications.

Herbalism/Green Magic

The magical use of plants, herbs, flowers, and trees for healing, protection, love spells, and other magical purposes. Practitioners study the magical properties of plants, create potions, sachets, and incenses, and may grow their own magical gardens. This practice often overlaps with traditional folk medicine.

Crystal/Stone Magic

The use of crystals, gemstones, and minerals for their believed metaphysical properties. Practitioners select stones based on their supposed energetic qualities, using them for healing, protection, meditation, or spell work. Different stones are associated with specific chakras, planets, or magical intentions.

Weather Magic

Attempts to influence meteorological conditions through magical means. This might include rainmaking ceremonies, storm summoning or calming, wind calling, or seasonal rituals. Weather magic is found in many agricultural societies and shamanic traditions worldwide.

Animal Magic

Working with animal spirits, totems, or familiars for magical purposes. This may include shapeshifting beliefs, animal spirit guides, using animal parts in magical workings, or communicating with animals. Many shamanic and indigenous traditions emphasize strong connections with animal spirits.

Transformation and Manipulation Magic

Alchemy

An ancient practice combining proto-chemistry, metallurgy, physics, medicine, astrology, mysticism, and art. Alchemists sought to transmute base metals into gold, create the philosopher's stone, and discover the elixir of life. Spiritual alchemy focuses on personal transformation and enlightenment rather than physical transmutation.

Shapeshifting

The magical ability to transform one's physical form into that of an animal or other being. Found in folklore worldwide, shapeshifting might be temporary or permanent, voluntary or involuntary. Common forms include werewolves, selkies, and shamanic animal transformation.

Transmutation

The magical changing of one substance or form into another. Beyond alchemical metal transformation, this might include changing emotional states, transforming negative energy into positive, or altering the essential nature of objects or situations.

Glamour Magic

The art of creating illusions or changing appearances through magical means. Glamour might make someone appear more beautiful, hide their true form, or create entirely false visual impressions. This magic is often associated with faeries and Celtic traditions.

Healing and Harmful Magic

Healing Magic

The use of supernatural or spiritual means to cure illness, injury, or emotional trauma. This encompasses energy healing, magical herbalism, prayer healing, laying on of hands, chakra work, and various shamanic healing practices. Healing magic often involves diagnosing spiritual causes of illness.

Curse/Hex Magic

The practice of directing negative magical energy toward a target to cause harm, misfortune, or suffering. Curses might target health, relationships, finances, or general luck. Methods vary widely across cultures and may involve ritual objects, spoken words, or sympathetic magic principles.

Protection Magic

Spells, rituals, and talismans designed to shield against negative influences, harmful magic, evil spirits, or physical danger. Protection magic might create barriers, deflect attacks, or make the practitioner invisible to threats. Common tools include amulets, protective circles, and blessing rituals.

Banishing/Exorcism

The practice of expelling unwanted spiritual entities, negative energies, or harmful influences from people, places, or objects. This might involve commanding spirits to leave, purification rituals, or invoking protective deities or forces to remove the unwanted presence.

Love and Relationship Magic

Love Magic

Spells and rituals designed to attract love, enhance romantic relationships, or influence someone's romantic feelings. This might include attraction spells, binding rituals, or magic to improve existing relationships. Love magic raises ethical questions about free will and consent.

Fertility Magic

Magical practices aimed at enhancing fertility in humans, animals, or crops. These might include rituals for conception, pregnancy protection, safe childbirth, or ensuring abundant harvests. Fertility magic often involves seasonal celebrations and agricultural cycles.

Binding Magic

Spells that create magical connections between people, objects, or energies. Binding might be used to strengthen relationships, ensure loyalty, connect magical tools to their users, or link magical workings to their targets. Binding can be beneficial or harmful depending on intent.

Ceremonial and Ritual Magic

Ceremonial Magic

Formal, elaborate magical practices often involving complex rituals, sacred tools, specific timing, and detailed procedures. This tradition draws heavily from medieval grimoires and includes practices like invoking angels or demons, creating magical circles, and performing lengthy ceremonial workings.

Chaos Magic

A modern magical approach emphasizing pragmatic results over specific beliefs or traditions. Chaos magicians use whatever techniques work best for them, often combining elements from various magical systems. The practice focuses on belief as a tool and emphasizes personal experimentation.

Sympathetic Magic

Magic based on the principle that like affects like (similarity) or that things once connected remain connected (contagion). Examples include using a photograph in a spell to affect the person pictured, or using hair or nail clippings to create a magical link to someone.

Ritual Magic

Structured magical practices involving specific actions, words, tools, and timing to achieve magical goals. Rituals might mark seasonal changes, life transitions, magical initiations, or specific spell work. The power is believed to come from the precise performance of traditional procedures.

Cultural and Traditional Magic Systems

Shamanism

A practice involving a practitioner (shaman) who enters altered states of consciousness to interact with the spirit world for healing, divination, and community guidance. Shamanic practices include soul retrieval, spirit extraction, journeying to other worlds, and serving as intermediaries between human and spirit realms.

Witchcraft

A broad category of magical practices often emphasizing connection with nature, lunar cycles, seasonal celebrations, and folk magic traditions. Modern witchcraft includes Wicca, traditional witchcraft, and eclectic practices drawing from various cultural traditions.

Voodoo/Vodou

African-derived religious and magical practices combining African spiritual traditions with elements of Christianity and indigenous American beliefs. Practitioners work with spirits (lwa), use ritual objects, perform ceremonies for healing and guidance, and maintain connections with ancestral traditions.

Santeria

An Afro-Caribbean religion combining Yoruba spiritual practices with Catholicism. Practitioners honor orishas (spirits) through ceremonies, offerings, divination, and magical workings. Santeria includes healing practices, spiritual cleansings, and rituals for protection and prosperity.

Kabbalah

Jewish mystical tradition involving esoteric interpretations of religious texts, meditation practices, and magical applications of Hebrew letters and numbers. Kabbalistic magic includes creating talismans, using divine names, working with the Tree of Life, and seeking direct divine connection.

Tantra

Hindu and Buddhist spiritual practices that can include magical elements such as mantra recitation, yantra creation, deity visualization, and energy manipulation. Tantric practices aim for spiritual transformation and may include magical siddhis (supernatural powers).

Modern and Contemporary Magic

Energy Work

Practices involving the manipulation of subtle energies for healing, protection, or magical purposes. This includes working with chakras, auras, chi/qi, and other energy systems. Practitioners might move, direct, or transform energy through visualization, intention, or physical techniques.

Technomancy

Modern magical practices incorporating technology, including cyber-magic, digital sigils, online rituals, and using electronic devices in magical workings. Some practitioners create spells using computer programming concepts or perform rituals in virtual spaces.

Urban Magic

Magical practices adapted for modern city living, using urban environments, technology, and contemporary materials in spell work. This might include using subway systems as magical transportation, incorporating street art into magic, or finding sacred spaces within urban landscapes.

Psychological Magic

Approaches to magic that emphasize psychological mechanisms such as suggestion, symbolism, and altered states of consciousness. These practices might use magical techniques primarily for personal development, therapy, or understanding the unconscious mind rather than seeking supernatural effects.