format_quote Originally Posted by
Thinker
There is no such thing as black magic or evil spirits.
If ‘black magic’ exists or any kind of evil spirit stuff why is it that it only affects people in third world countries with restricted education?
If ‘black magic’ exists I spit in it’s eye – now tell me why I am not struck down by these spirits?
actually such things do exist, whether or not you choose to acknowledge them is an entirely different story and not merely in
under-educated third world countries-- seems the
civilized world is equally obssessed, all I need but turn on my TV to the discovery/TLC/LMN Chanels to have my pick of 'haunted castles' 'life among the dead with Lisa Williams' or turn on my Internet to see paganists celebrating at some druid site -- etc..
whether or not they are affecting this young lady's life, I have my strong doubts.. science dictates to me that common things are common and rare things are rare.. I'd yield more to the Botox therapy explanation before thinking of something as esoteric as Meretoja syndrome ( as an example)
and her case is no different.. once scientific explanations cease would I then seek a more visceral explanation if at all...
here are some westerners explaining their magic/magik to you:
How Witchcraft Works
by
Lee Ann Obringer
Obringer, Lee Ann. "How Witchcraft Works." 29 October 2004. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://people.howstuffworks.com/witchcraft.htm> 22 June 2009.
Inside this Article
- Introduction to How Witchcraft Works
- Witch Hunts
- Modern Witchcraft
- Wicca
- Practicing Wicca
- Learning the Craft
- See more »
People Videos
Modern Witchcraft
Photo courtesy
Witch’s Voice
Starfest 2004, a pagan festival
Witchcraft is a
pagan religion. Pagan religions worship
multiple deities rather than a single god. Paganism is one of the oldest religions and includes all religions that are not Christian, Muslim or Jewish, meaning Paganism includes the Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian and American Indian religions as well as all other nature-oriented religions. According to the 1998 Cambridge Fact Finder,
Paganism accounts for 50 percent of all religions. The word "Pagan" actually stems from the Latin
Pagini or
Paganus, words meaning "hearth" or "home dweller" or, more simply, "country person" -- those labeled as Pagans were considered inferior to those living in cities. It didn't, however, mean those people were "bad." It wasn't until the 1450s that fear of witchcraft became more prevalent, and people began associating witchcraft and paganism with devil worship, evil hexes and spells. Magic vs. MagickBooks and other references about witchcraft use the spelling "magick" rather than "magic." While this spelling isn't in some dictionaries, it is the accepted spelling within Wicca (and possibly other Pagan religions that use magic). The alternate spelling is to differentiate what the witch does from what a magician does -- in other words, magic that invokes a deity to channel power as opposed to illusion. In this article, we will refer to the magic of witchcraft as "magick."
Types of Witchcraft
There are many types of witchcraft, many of which overlap and all of which can be defined in different ways by different people, but here are some rough guidelines for their designations:
- African witchcraft: There are many types of witchcraft in Africa. The Azande of central Africa believe that witchcraft causes all types of misfortune. The "gift" of witchcraft, known as mangu, is passed from parent to child. Those possessing mangu aren't even aware of it and perform magick unconsciously while they sleep.
- Appalachian folk magic: Those who practice witchcraft in the Appalachian mountains see good and evil as two distinct forces that are led by the Christian God and Devil, respectively. They believe there are certain conditions that their magick cannot cure. They also believe that witches are blessed with paranormal powers and can perform powerful magick that can be used for either good or evil purposes. They look to nature for omens and portents of the future.
- Green witchcraft: A Green witch is very similar to a Kitchen/Cottage witch (see below) with the exception that the Green witch practices in the fields and forest in order to be closer to the Divine spirit. The Green witch makes his or her own tools from accessible materials from outdoors.
- Hedge witchcraft: A Hedge witch is not part of a group or coven. This witch practices magick alone and works more with the green arts, herbal cures and spells. In the early days, Hedge witches were local wise men or women who cured illnesses and gave advice. They can be of any religion and are considered traditional witches (see below).
- Hereditary witchcraft: Hereditary witches believe in "gifts" of the craft that are with a witch from birth, having been passed from generations before.
- Kitchen/Cottage witchcraft: A Kitchen witch, or Cottage witch, practices magick around the hearth and home. The home is a sacred place, and the use of herbs is used often to bring protection, prosperity and healing. Kitchen witches often follow more than one path of witchcraft.
- Pennsylvania Dutch hexcraft or "Pow-wow": When the Germans first arrived in Pennsylvania, Native Americans were there, so the term "pow-wow" to describe this practice may come from observations of Indian gatherings. Pow-wowing includes charms and incantations dating back to the Middle Ages, as well as elements borrowed from the Jewish Kabbalah and Christian Bible. Pow-wowing focuses on healing illnesses, protecting livestock, finding love or casting or removing hexes. Pow-wowers consider themselves to be Christians endowed with supernatural powers.
- Traditional witchcraft: Traditional witchcraft often follows science, history and the arts as its foundation. While sharing the same respect for nature as the Wiccan witch (see below), traditional witches do not worship nature nor the god or goddess of Wicca. They contact spirits that are part of an unseen spirit world during rituals. Magick is more practical than ceremonial and focuses greatly on herbs and potions. This sect of witchcraft also has no law of harming none, but does believe in responsibility and honor. Hexes and curses, therefore, can be used in self-defense or for other types of protection.
- Wicca: Wicca is one of the modern Pagan religions that worships the Earth and nature, and it is only about 60 years old. It was created in the 1940s and '50s by Gerald Gardner. Gardner defined witchcraft as a positive and life-affirming religion that includes divination, herblore, magic and psychic abilities. Wiccans take an oath to do no harm with their magick.
For a list of even more types of witchcraft, visit
Neopagan.net: Classifying Witchcrafts.
Most of those who call themselves witches today belong to the
Wiccan religion, so we'll focus on Wicca for the duration of this article.
http://people.howstuffworks.com/witchcraft2.htm
why has it not affected you? I suppose for the reasons it hasn't affected many others.. it isn't something you seek.. which would as well be my advise to the OP:
Islam doesn't condone incantations, voodoo doctors and other quacks -- all you need to do is follow the Quran and Sunnah and give your GP a visit when having strange symptoms!