Re: modern popular concept of magic

Jani wrote:
"janet" <janetifimust@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:3th5cdFsn2vbU3@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jani wrote:

"janet" <janetifimust@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:3th36bFsqn7mU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Romauld wrote:

Recently, a script from janet arrived, in which they said:


Hammer of those who use magic evilly or use evil magic or use 

magic

for evil - or something... 

Isn't the root of it

mal(e) evil, bad
ficarum to do? (as in the modern French 'fait' and similar


words)

Yup - those who do bad (things)
However, the assumption must surely be that it's bad with/by


magic,

as it's not about how to deal with theives, etc...

Therefore, bad in the sense of the illicit, non-mainstream 

practices

which Melusine was talking about in the first place? 

Not really or not only - because as I say, they do discuss how to
deal with a witch (English trans and I don't have time to find it
and find the Latin and puzzle it out atm) who does good...


Yeahbut a witch who does good wouldn't be outside of "the system", really. 

Not necessarily.

In most ancient cultures, healing/finding/love spells and other basic "witchcraft" was carried out at a fairly common (in the double sense of low-brow and frequent) level, by both men and women. Magical healing was also undertaken by medical professionals, all of whom were men. The former is universally condemned in the literary evidence (the authors of which are necessarily educated males) the latter kind is condemned by a couple of people who have a vested interest in religion or medicine and whose on practice was threatened by the presence of incantatory techniques in medicine, but ignored by everyone else.

So the doctors/healers who used magic were definitely "inside the system". However, because of this, people whose definition of magic hangs on whether or not it was "official" tend to argue that that wasn't actually magic. They claim that if it was in the system it can't have been magic because magic is *by definition* against rather than within the establishment. The fact that the same Greek words are used to describe both "official" and "unofficial" magic seems irrelevant to them... which is why, in principle, I prefer the emic approach, although it's bloody impossible in practice.



--
melusine at gwydion dot net

Coarse and violent nudity. Occasional language.
.

Relevant Pages

  • prostatitis green therapy medicine using instruction
    ... CHINESE MEDICINE ... You not only practice breath but also practice ... When you draw the deep breath, imagine the tree's air or the ... breathe out slowly, you palm can draw back a little. ...
    (sci.med.prostate.cancer)
  • prostatitis green therapy
    ... The prostatitis green therapy medicine using instruction ... You not only practice breath but also practice ... When you draw the deep breath, imagine the tree's air or the ... breathe out slowly, you palm can draw back a little. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • A prostatitis patient recovered experience with chinese herb
    ... The prostatitis green therapy medicine using instruction ... You not only practice breath but also practice ... When you draw the deep breath, imagine the tree's air or the ... breathe out slowly, you palm can draw back a little. ...
    (alt.med.fibromyalgia)
  • cure prostatitis with chinese herb
    ... The prostatitis green therapy medicine using instruction ... You not only practice breath but also practice ... When you draw the deep breath, imagine the tree's air or the ... breathe out slowly, you palm can draw back a little. ...
    (alt.support.arthritis)
  • Demand Growing for Corporate Practice of Medicine
    ... Demand Growing for Corporate Practice of Medicine ... their patients by e-mail is that many insurance companies will not pay ... beginning to see the benefits of e-consultations, as are physicians. ...
    (alt.support.mult-sclerosis)