History Of Magic~ first year students
Written by: Professor Katie Jenkins

Magic Introduction A Brief History of Magic


Way back in time, Magic, supernatural magic, the kind you read about in Fairy Tales, was another name for the art of sorcery. And Sorcery was the art of getting what you wanted through supernatural means. These means could include, acting out the hoped for result, casting spells, chanting and combining, supposedly powerful ingredients like say eye of newt with the spells and chants.

Magicians or sorcerers were thought to be able to control natural forces like lightening, rain and thunder, by use of supernatural powers. Magic was part of many religious rituals and celebrations. Its worshipers believing their gods would grant them good harvests, health and success.There are basically three kinds of the old magic, the supernatural magic , homeopathic , sympathetic and contagious magic.

Homeopathic imitates what the practitioner would like to see happen. A small model of the objective is made and the desired result is acted out, rather like a play. A fisherman makes a clay fish and acts out catching it. Hoping this is what will really happen when he goes fishing. Indian rain dances and or European folk dances were often performed in hopes of good harvests. In other words, it's an acting out of the persons hope with the belief this hope will become a reality.

Sympathetic is the kind of magic, that uses an object to represent the thing or person whose future, or destiny, you are trying to control. This object is said to be in sympathy with it. You act upon this sympathetic object and effect an outcome. Like sticking pins into a doll, the doll being the person you want to effect.

Contagious magic, takes control of an object thought to be magically charged or empowered by its owner, in order to get control over him. A person's lucky penny, or a rabbits foot, might be considered to be empowered by its owner and taking control of this amulet or lucky item is believed to be taking away the owners power.

All of these magics use correspondences, or what it believes is the hidden relationships between man and the universe, to make things happen the way the practitioner, or practicer, wishes.

The Egyptians and Romans believed in Magic. Egyptians carried amulets and magic figures and the Romans went to priests called Oracles . The Oracles were thought to be able to speak with the gods.



Next: Elders/Avatars~ coming soon

Elders/Avatars

Elders are a group of people who oversee good magic. Originally, they are referred to as "The Founders"


Elders mainly keep track of witches, watching from the Heavens. They communicate with those on Earth through their helpers and messengers, the Whitelighters. The Elders decide who may become a Whitelighter, and give and take their powers. A Whitelighter's ability to heal is channeled directly from the Elders.

It appears that most, if not all, of the Elders were Whitelighters themselves at one time. Though most Elders have powers much like Whitelighters, at one point the Charmed Ones protect a retiring Elder who cannot orb or fight, but can only wield mental powers.

Though Whitelighters are not allowed to kill, the Elders have powerful fighting abilities. When witches need advice on demons they know nothing about, they can ask the Elders by sending their Whitelighter. The Elders are not all knowing, however; in some cases, they know no more than we do. The Elders do not allow witches or any other magical being besides themselves and Whitelighters to enter the Heavens.

Very few Elders ever come to Earth. Leo and Gideon were rare examples who spend most of their time outside the Heavens. A few come to Earth to speak directly about important issues. Overall, as a group, the Elders prefer to take a background role and remain largely unseen in the day-to-day affairs of even the magical world.


Purpose

Preserving "the greater good"; commanding Whitelighters and cupids; protecting witches.


Powers

Orbing
Healing
Glamouring
Invisibility
Sensing charges
Memory manipulation
Mind control
Telepathy
Lightning Bolts
Clairvoyance
Overseeing the world
Heat generation
Telekinetic Orbing
Hovering

Membership Current known Elders

Odin
Sandra
Kevin
Roland
Kheel
Jonas
Aramis
Alastair


Former Elders

Leo Wyatt


Deceased Elders


Cecil
Ramus
Gideon
Zola



Avatars

Avatars are an ancient group of magical beings who can bend the very fabric of time. Their power is often described as the ability to manipulate time and space. Unlike witches, warlocks, demons, Whitelighters, Elders, and other forms of magical beings, their power is said to be unlimited. Avatars are not categorized as good or evil; they are neutral. The desire is to shape the world to their own design making it a perfect world and will do anything in order to keep Utopia safe and without violence. Avatars exist outside of time and space.

At one point in time, Avatars ruled over the entire world, but eventually the magical community started to revolt and created a very powerful potion with which to destroy them. Unlike most magical creatures in the Charmed universe, Avatars are magically connected to each other. If one member of the collective dies, it affects all Avatars, making them weaker and less powerful both individually and as a group.

Avatars are depicted as a peaceful, yet powerful collective whose sole purpose is to create their version of Utopia, by putting all humans to sleep temporarily and ridding the earth of all demons/evil beings during the slumber. The Avatars promise that upon awakening, the war between good and evil will be over and we all can lead normal lives. However, the promise of Utopia comes with a very high price: if any person creates 'conflict', that person will be removed from existence by the Avatars.


Purpose

Creating utopia; ridding the world of "good" and "evil"; recruiting powerful beings to add to the collective.


Powers

As the avatars, they have a collective power, which includes:

Rewind Time
Teleportation
Pausing Time
Altering the world
Stopping the use of teleportation (orbing, shimmering etc.)

Membership Current Known Avatars


Alpha
Gamma


Former Avatars

Leo Wyatt
Cole Turner

Deceased Avatars

Beta

Definitions of Magical Terms







Oracles




An oracle is a person or persons considered to be the source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion; an infallible authority, usually spiritual in nature. It can also be a prediction of the future, from deities, that is spoken through another object or life-form. In the ancient world many sites gained a reputation for the dispensing of oracular wisdom: they too became known as "oracles", as did the oracular utterances themselves, whose very name is derived from the Latin verb orare, to speak.


Athames


Also known as rituals knifes, athames are black-hilted knifes carried by witches. Supposedly having magical properties of it's own, it always had a black handle and often bore magic symbols on the blade.

In neo-pagan withchcraft the athame is used only for casting the circle and never for cutting. Other older traditions use the knife as much as possible in the belief that it's power increases with use. The athame is associated with the element of fire ( in some traditions, air ) The athame is also used in many invocations, evocations, calling the watchtowers, LBRP ( lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram ), spellwork, ceremonies, initiations and various rituals and rites.

An athame can take many forms. It normally has a double-edged blade with a sharp point, and a handle which is often, but not always, black. Some traditions require that the blade be dull, curved, wavy, or a variety of other specifications. The handle may be inscribed with particular symbols dictated by the tradition.

In "eclectic" forms of witchcraft the handle decorations range from astrological glyphs to runes, the symbols being chosen by the owner.

The athame's primary use is for ritual and magical purposes only, to direct energy; if things such as herbs or cords need to be cut, another knife called a boline - a white-handled knife - is used. An exception is the "kitchen witchcraft" philosophy, which actively encourages the use of magical tools for mundane purposes to increase the witch's familiarity with them.

As a masculine principle, it is often used in combination with the chalice (cup), as feminine principle, evoking the act of procreation, as a symbol of universal creativity. This is a symbol of the Great Rite in Wiccan rituals.

The prominence of the athame in Wicca is in distinct contrast to some other forms of witchcraft, which forbid the ritual use of blades in general, or else specifically of iron blades, instead prefering alternatives such as copper or bronze. This is most common amongst traditions that have a particular fondness of the Sidhe, to whom iron is supposedly harmful.

Many traditions associate the athame with the masculine principle and with the element of either air or fire. They add that a witch should always choose the association which seems the most correct to them.

Touching another person's athame without permission is considered an intrusion of the owner's personal space. There are rituals of consecration for a newly acquired athame, be it new, or acquired from another person.


Warlocks~ male or female



All witches must follow the important rule from the Wiccan Rede: An harm it none, do as ye will. When a witch crosses the line, and uses his or her magic to harm others, he or she will cross over to the dark side and become a warlock.

Like a human, a warlock is born and grows, naturally coming from either warlock parents or from a witch heritage and betraying their oath - but unlike mortals warlocks do not bleed and possess eyes that are extremely sensitive to flashes of light. Considered one of the lowest forms of evil and looked down upon by higher demonic beings, warlocks are the dark equivalent of witches.

Half-warlocks with mortal parents are not inherently evil, though they can be swayed to the dark side. There is a way to cleanse themselves of their warlock nature, but it requires an "ultimate commitment to good", such as entering the priesthood. A half-warlock has normal human frailties, but possesses warlock powers.

Warlocks look and act human but have one very specific and dangerous goal: to kill good witches and steal their powers. At the point of death a warlock captures the magic flowing from a Witch’s body, obtaining their abilities. Their primary targets are witches but they are also capable of stealing the abilities of other supernatural beings they vanquish, though they risk incurring demonic wrath by killing those that serve evil.

Like witches, warlocks possess a wide variety of individual powers as well as the ability to perform magical feats, such as spell casting. We identify any being with the power of blinking as a Warlock, but not all warlocks have demonstrated this ability. Due to their sensitivity to light, a dazzling burst will disorient them, temporarily leaving them unable to blink. Some warlocks also possess abilities such as shapeshifting, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, freezing time, memory absorption and astral projection. The main ability all warlocks possess though is the power to absorb witch powers from witches they have killed.


Warlock subspecies

The Collectors:

Warlocks who are able to drain knowledge through needle like finger protrusions. They also happen to share the ability to blink and invulnerability. After draining their victims information from their head, the victims lose part of their memory and become catatonic. A Collector can also put the information back in someone's head, which revives the person. A Collector's greatest weakness is his thirst for knowledge.

Dragon Warlock:

Known to be the most feared and powerful witch killer there is. He has the power to breathe fire, fly and he possesses superhuman strength. The Dragon Warlock is rumored to be the spawn of a dragon and a sorceress.

Familiar Warlock:

When a witch's Familiar decides to betray its charge, it becomes a Warlock, taking human form. The familiar's dead witch's powers are transferred to the new warlock in the process. Once this is done, the new Warlock must shed the last of its familiar nature before midnight of the next New Moon in order to become invincible. In the case of a feline familiar, the warlock must die 9 times in order to gain a 10th life of immortality.

Three-Eyed Warlock:

A Warlock from the future that has a third eye which emits a deadly beam to kill innocents.


The Witchs Creed




Hear now the words of the witches,
The secrets we hid in the night,
When dark was our destiny's pathway,
That now we bring forth into light.

Mysterious water and fire,
The earth and the wide-ranging air,
By hidden quintessence we know them,
And will and keep silent and dare.

The birth and rebirth of all nature,
The passing of winter and spring,
We share with the life universal,
Rejoice in the magical ring.

Four times in the year the Great Sabbat
Returns, and the witches are seen
At Lammas and Candlemas dancing,
On May Eve and old Hallowe'en.

When day-time and night-time are equal,
When sun is at greatest and least,
The four Lesser Sabbats are summoned,
And Witches gather in feast.

Thirteen silver moons in a year are,
Thirteen is the coven's array.
Thirteen times at Esbat make merry,
For each golden year and a day.

The power that was passed down the age,
Each time between woman and man,
Each century unto the other,
Ere time and the ages began.
When drawn is the magical circle,
By sword or athame of power,
Its compass between two worlds lies,
In land of the shades for that hour.
This world has no right then to know it.

And world of beyond will tell naught.
The oldest of Gods are invoked there,
The Great Work of magic is wrought.

For the two are mystical pillars,
That stand at the gate of the shrine,
And two are the powers of nature,
The forms and the forces divine.

The dark and the light in succession,
The opposites each unto each,
Shown forth as a God and a Goddess:
Of this our ancestors teach.

By night he's the wild winds rider,
The Horn'd One, the Lord of the Shades.
By day he's the King of the Woodland,
The dweller in green forest glades.

She is youthful or old as she pleases,
She sails the torn clouds in her barque,
The bright silver lady of midnight,
The crone who weaves spells in the dark.

The master and mistress of magic,
That dwell in the deeps of the mind,
Immortal and ever-renewing,
With power to free or to bind.

So drink the good wine to the Old Gods,
And Dance and make love in their praise,
Till Elphame's fair land shall receive us
In peace at the end of our days.

And Do What You Will be the challenge,
So be it Love that harms none,
For this is the only commandment.
By Magic of old, be it done!

History of Magic Alexis Rhodes


.....Magic has evovled over the years in many aspects such as: Personal Gain, Warren Line, Wicca, Protection, Forms of magic. There are also mainly three types of magic: Black Magic, White Magic, and Practical Magic.
...Personal Gain is when a witch decides to use his or her power for the benifit of themselfs, Everytime a witch uses thier powers, or casts a spell for thier own personal gain it will backfire, and if that witch doesnt fear personal gain there are normally unforseen consquences, maybe not for the witch but for someone else along the way.
....The Warren Line of witches are the most famous witches of all time.
They have had a great influnce on magic today. Melinda Warren was the start of the line of witches that changed magic forever. Her wisdom and courage gave way for evolution. And in a "curse" when she was being burned at the stake she vowed that in her future lines the witches would get stronger and stronger untill 3 sister witches, known today as the Charmed Ones, would come about, and they would be the strongest witches the world has ever seen, One of the sisters, Paige, saved magic school from the elders. Giving it to leo.. Then to Ethan, who has control of it today.
....Wicca is for those who practice the craft, but have no active powers, wicca today has become like a religon in that people follow the ways of the actuall witches with active powers. and all rules for the real witches apply to those who choose to practice wicca, even though they normally never see any demons in there lifetime, i still consider them witches, along with the rest of us.
.....Another way that magic has evovled is through the way the used the craft, the example i am going to use for this paper is Protection. They used things like brooms, to sweep away evil, dolls,the wisdom of the ones before us, pointed hat, center point. consintrates power, apple, contains a pentagram in the center,lavender a protection herb and last but not least the pumpkin, to scare away evil.
.....The forms have magic have changed also. Back in Melinda warrens age there was 2 types of magic, black and white. though they worked the same one the only diffrence was the purpose. Black magic, of course, was to spread violence, rage and distruction. White magic was to spread peace hope and love.
Now black magic hasnt changed, though works in a diffrent way, white magic however is now used to clean up after the black magic and riding the world of evil, along with spreading peace hope and love.
....The first type of Magic is White magic. White magic contains Guide lines, That is one of the distinguishing factors, also white magic should never be used for personal gain, or for revenge, white magic's main purpose is protecting the innocent. Once a witch goes from protecting the innocent to punnishing the guilty they are considered evil.
.....The second type of magic is Black. Black Magic has no guide lines, and ultimatly no faults for there personal gain, although they can use there powers at will, witches are normally stronger, Black magics ultimate goal, is to over take the world, and steal witches power, the underworld is where most demons, which use black magic, are. Although they sound pretty easy in the text book, they are not.
....Our last time of magic is Practical. As i have stated before, this type of magic is for those who follow the wiccan Coven but donot possess powers of there own, the same rules apply to them as the white magic. Most wiccan followers will never encounter a demon in there lifetime, those who do rarely survive.
....Our last topic of the day is Healing. Most witches are assgined a whitelighter who, by the power of the elders are able to heal, though whitelighters cannot heal the dead, they can heal any wound, as long as there charge, the witch assaigned, is still breathing. On the other hand the wiccan followers donot have whitelighters of the own so most turn to herbal healing, if you combine the right herbs you can make a remede that can heal just as bout as good as a whitelighter, although not as fast.
.....In conclusion, magic has evovled not by luck, and not by just watching it, witches have had to fight, through tears, pain, and sweat. witchs have changed there history, demons however have just tagged along for the ride. and soon they will be gone. that is a future i look forward to living.