Perhaps to a lesser degree than the word Witch, the word magick is also generally met with derision outside the Pagan community where it is seen as referring to nothing more than slight-of-hand conjuring or belonging to the realm of fantasy. Yet many Pagans not only keep on using this term but they have also reclaimed it.

And there is a very good reason for that: magick is what binds crucial elements of our Pagan identity together.

In some societies the knowledge required and the ability to perform magick are restricted to specialists who have undergone extensive training, while in other societies they are available to the common person and are learned as part of the enculturation process. In most forms of contemporary Paganism magick is considered to be a dimension of our religious and spiritual thought and practice.

In Paganism, magick can be said to have a two main (non-magickal) roles.

First of all, magick is a link to the past. Virtually all forms of Paganism depend to a greater or lesser degree on the past. Reconstructionists seek explicitly to re-create what was historically practiced. Others are less concerned with historical accuracy but still draw the greater part of their inspiration from the Ancient Ways.

The people of pre-Christian Europe were magickal people. They had mages, druids, seers, shamans, oracles, cunning folk, diviners, wizards, witches, and many more users of magick. When contemporary Pagans adopt magick as a serious Path, they draw an analogy that allows modern people to assert a certain continuity between old and new. By the same token it invests Pagan identity with a measure of age, tradition, and authority - accusations of “playing dress up” do not take away from the seriousness and reality of magick and its the link to the past.

The second major way that magick functions is its relation to present cultures. First of all, it cannot be denied that magick is kind of an anomaly to most people within Western society. As mentioned, it has dwindled to such a minute form that most people outside the magickal community consider it an unreal fantasy fit mainly for entertainment. In the popular mindset the idea of taking up magick as a mature spiritual practice is not credible to many, and this is why that when someone does take it up as a serious practice it is in fact a firm statement against the norm. In most cases, to affirm magick is also a way to affirm one’s identity as Pagan. It is a powerful sign to both self and others that one is Pagan (I am aware that some Pagans do not practice or acknowledge magick).

As far as relations with the non-Pagan world is concerned, it is important to note that Pagans live in areas dominated by other religions or some form of scientific rationalism. Both of these more often than not give an ice-cold shoulder to magick. Thus to practice magick is to be different, and to practice magick also serves to emphasise a break by many Pagans from former religions.

But magick also defines the Pagan community in general. It makes a strong link to others of like-mind. Since the majority of non-Pagans do not accept magick, while the majority of Pagans do, it becomes a defining characteristic. Pagans can talk with each other about magickal experiences in a way they cannot with outsiders. Magick is thus a vital instrument of both self- and group identification.

From this it can be seen how significant magick is to Pagan identity. It seems that the term functions so well in prescribing group boundaries that it is apparently worth the risk of censure from other “hostile” religious groups. Perhaps it is even by virtue of this risk that it functions and perhaps Pagans in fact sort of “sign-up” for censure - the most explicit target for suppression, historically, was Witchcraft and today’s most popular form of Paganism is Wicca, Wiccans, who are known as Witches.

So do Pagans in fact sow unity by cultivating the perception of a hostile “out-group”? Perhaps this is but one way that magick strengthens the “in-group”.

Whether magick takes the form of spell-casting, divination, worship, meditation, self-help, alternative medicine, etc it fulfils these functions. So why do Pagans use the term magick? Perhaps it is because it is so useful to Pagan identity. By wielding and claiming a term that is not used by other religions, Pagans forge for themselves an unmistakable identity.

“Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business.” - Tom Robbins

(SOURCES: Witchvox; http://science.jrank.org; Wikipedia; bruceowen.com; www.witchcraftoutoftheshadows.com; www.paganeducationalnetwork.org; www.spelwerx.com/witchcraft.html; http://thinkexist.com/quotations/magic/3.html)