folk magic
Traditional healing practices
Folk magic is the traditional magical practices of ordinary people, passed down through generations rather than learned from formal occult texts.
It encompasses herbalism, charms, protective rituals, and healing spells rooted in local custom and belief: The Appalachian granny women practiced folk magic, folk magic remedies for warts.
Folk magic blends practical knowledge with supernatural assumptions, often coexisting with organized religion in communities where practitioners might attend church on Sunday and consult a cunning woman on Monday.
- hoodooFolk magic tradition
- root workFolk magic tradition
- witchcraftPractice of supernatural magic
- spellcastingPerforming magical incantations
- talismansObjects imbued with power
divination · animism · conjure · mojo bag · hex · oral traditions · brujería · kitchen witch · candles · sorcery · charm · bones · warding · ritual cleansing · oils · crystals · moon water · ethnobotany
- folklorefairy tales, fairytales, folktales, fairy tale, folktale
- magicwizard, wand, sorcerer, witchcraft, mage
- folklore fictionfairy tales, folktales, legends, fables, myths
- folktalesfolktales, animal fables, folktale, moral fables, fairy tales
- witchcraftwitch, spell, spellwork, witches, spells
- folk traditionsfolklore, harvest festivals, wedding traditions, wedding rituals, regional crafts
folk magicceremonial magic
Formalized supernatural invocation practice
ritual magic · Kabbalah · theurgy · occultism · Freemasonry
folk magicscience
Systematic study through observation
scientific method · empiricism · rationalism · materialism · naturalism
folk magicorganized religion
Structured communal belief systems
established church · Scholasticism · catechism · state religion · papal authority