Christian: magic in this belief world
Blessings, saints' relics, exorcism, folk charms and the long Church argument about magic.
Christianity has had a long, tense relationship with magic. The Church blessed objects, honoured saints and relics, performed exorcisms, and also condemned sorcery and witchcraft. Folk Christianity around the world mixes prayer, charms, holy water, saints' medals and healing rites. This page covers how Christian churches have defined, absorbed and punished magic, and how the story differs across continents. Christianity includes Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostal and independent African and Asian churches, each with its own view of magic.
Blessing and the sacramental world
Catholic and Orthodox Christianity have a rich set of blessings and sacramentals: holy water, candles, medals, icons, relics and the sign of the cross. Believers hold that these work through God and the Church, not by themselves. Protestants largely rejected this system as superstition, and Pentecostals have developed their own deliverance and healing practice. The Orthodox churches give the blessing of homes, boats and fields a central place, and Catholic practice includes pilgrimage, processions and prayer to saints for specific needs, such as St Jude for hard cases.
Exorcism, witch trials and the Church
The Church has a formal rite of exorcism, used rarely and by authorised priests. European witch trials, which involved both Catholic and Protestant courts, killed tens of thousands between about 1450 and 1750. Historians such as Brian Levack stress that most trials were run by secular authorities. Modern accusations by some churches against children in parts of Africa have led to abuse. Protestant reformers broke with this system, and from the sixteenth century the burning of witches was supported by many Protestant authorities and many Catholic ones, though other clergy and judges spoke against it.
Missions and renaming
Missionaries often labelled Indigenous religions as devil worship and fetishism, and suppressed rites. In Latin America and Africa, many practices went underground or fused with Christianity: Santeria with Catholic saints, Vodou with Catholic imagery, Andean offerings with saints' days. Independent African churches and the Brazilian Spiritists grew from these meetings. Pentecostal and charismatic churches, which have grown fast in Africa, Latin America and Asia, offer healing, prophecy and deliverance as part of their worship, and are criticised by some for demonising local traditions.
Folk practice and today
Folk Christianity includes St Anthony charms for lost items, the St Christopher medal for travel, the Orthodox Easter fire, and the Mexican cult of Santa Muerte, which the Church rejects. Prosperity preaching sells faith-linked results, and some pastors charge for miracles. Scholars note that the line between religion and magic was drawn largely by Christian writers. Historians, such as Eamon Duffy and Keith Thomas, have shown that medieval Christianity was shot through with practices that later reformers redefined as magic.
Christian on EveryJaadu
The entries written up so far, best known first.
馃嚝馃嚪 FranceHoly GrailSaint Graal
A cup or stone from Arthurian tales that grants healing and eternal lifeFigure 路 Healing 路 Luck and prosperity Legendary
馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 2 moreHaitian VodouVodou
An Afro-Haitian religion blending West African traditions with Catholicism and FreemasonryTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 2 moreLouisiana Voodoo
An African diasporic religion practiced in Louisiana from the 18th to early 20th centuriesTradition 路 Healing 路 Protection Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 5 moreKardecist SpiritismSpiritisme
A French spiritualist doctrine based on communication with spirits and reincarnation.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyMarsilio Ficino
A Renaissance priest and philosopher who revived Plato and blended astrology with Christian theology.Text 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Healing Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 2 moreS茅ance
A gathering to communicate with spirits, ranging from religious services to stage performances.Rite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Healing Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 3 moreCurandero
A folk healer in Latin America and the United States who blends indigenous and Catholic traditions.Tradition 路 Healing 路 Protection Living
馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil and 2 moreCandombl茅
An Afro-Brazilian religion blending West African spirits with Catholic imageryTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Healing Living
馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 2 moreLwa
Spirits in Haitian Vodou that mediate between people and the creator god.Being 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚡馃嚥 Jamaica and 5 moreObeah
A Caribbean tradition of ritual healing and spell-casting with African rootsTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚦馃嚞 Nigeria and 3 moreYem峄峧aYemoja
A mother spirit of rivers and oceans worshipped across Yoruba and diaspora traditionsBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚠馃嚦 IndiaUnicorn horn
A legendary object believed to neutralize poison and cure disease, traded as narwhal teeth for centuries.Charm 路 Healing 路 Protection Historical
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 3 moreFolk saint
Unofficially recognized holy figures venerated by local communities for intercession and miraclesBelief 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 3 moreHoodoo
A spiritual tradition of the African diaspora in the American South using herbs and charms for protection and justice.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreLaying on of hands住诪讬讻讛
A physical gesture used across religions to convey authority, healing, or spiritual presence.Rite 路 Healing 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 5 moreRelic
An object or body part kept to honor a holy person and mark their connection to the divineCharm 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚞馃嚬 Guatemala and 3 moreMaya religion
The living spiritual practices of the Maya peoples, shaped by centuries of contact with Catholicism.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina and 5 moreGauchito Gil
A folk saint from Argentina who protects the poor and outcastsBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreSnake worship
Veneration of serpents as divine or ancestral beings across global culturesTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚝馃嚪 FranceThree Books of Occult PhilosophyDe occulta philosophia libri III
A Renaissance treatise on elemental, celestial and divine magicText 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil and 5 moreSanto Daime
A Brazilian syncretic religion using ayahuasca for spiritual work and healingTradition 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreMarie Laveau
A New Orleans priestess and herbalist who led Louisiana Voodoo in the nineteenth centuryTradition 路 Healing 路 Protection Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 5 moreVotive offering
Objects left in sacred places to honor a deity or fulfill a vow, never to be recovered.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 5 moreHoly well
A water source revered for healing and ritual across pagan and Christian traditionsTradition 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreSacred dance
Movement used in worship to honour deities, heal communities, or connect with the spirit world.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreMojo bag
A cloth pouch holding charms for protection, luck, or love in the Hoodoo tradition.Charm 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreTalisman
An object believed to channel specific forces for protection, healing, or influence.Charm 路 Protection 路 Healing Historical
馃嚚馃嚭 Cuba and 2 moreSanter铆aRegla de Ocha
An Afro-Cuban religion blending Yoruba beliefs with Catholicism and SpiritismTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreScottish folkloreBeul-aithris na h-Alba
The myths, creatures and beliefs of the Scottish people, recorded from ancient times to the present.Tradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Protection Living
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 moreMedieval European magic
A broad category of ritual and natural practices in the Middle Ages, blending healing, divination, and religious belief.Tradition 路 Healing 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚚馃嚭 Cuba and 5 morePalo
An Afro-Cuban religion centered on spirit vessels and ancestral powerTradition 路 Healing 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 5 moreSator Square
A five-word Latin palindrome found in Roman ruins and medieval churchesCharm 路 Protection 路 Healing Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 3 moreRenaissance magic
A 15th and 16th century revival of magical arts blending philosophy, astrology, and hidden knowledge.Tradition 路 Power and authority 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreQuyllurit'iQoyllur Rit'i
A syncretic Andean pilgrimage celebrating the Pleiades and the Lord of Star SnowTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 morePilgrimage
A journey to a sacred site for spiritual growth or religious dutyTradition 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreFolk Catholicism
Local religious customs that blend official Church teaching with indigenous or regional traditions.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 3 moreEx-voto
A gift left in a shrine to mark a vow kept or a miracle receivedCharm 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomCharmer
English folk healers who used gifts or verses to treat natural ailments without chargeTradition 路 Healing Historical
馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina and 2 moreSan La Muerte
A skeletal folk saint venerated in South America for protection and favorsTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 4 moreCunning folk
European practitioners of folk medicine and helpful magic from the Middle Ages to the twentieth centuryTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesBraucherei
A Pennsylvania German folk healing tradition using prayers and gestures to cure illness and remove curses.Tradition 路 Healing 路 Protection Fading
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreAsian witchcraft
A broad overview of magical practices and persecution across Asian culturesTradition 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Living
馃嚬馃嚬 Trinidad and Tobago and 4 moreTrinidad Orisha
A syncretic Afro-Caribbean faith blending Yoruba spirit work with Christian and other traditions in Trinidad.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Healing Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreAmulet
A portable object worn or carried to ward off harm and invite protection.Charm 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreAfrican divination
Methods used across the continent to understand present realities and predict future events.Oracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Healing Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreMagic in Anglo-Saxon Englandgaldorcr忙ft
Healing charms and protective rituals practiced by early English tribesTradition 路 Healing 路 Protection Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 2 moreAetherius Society
A new religious movement blending theosophy, UFO claims, and spiritual healing to aid humanity.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚢馃嚜 Kenya and 5 moreLegio Maria
A Kenyan church blending Catholic rites with beliefs in a Black Christ and visionary apparitionsTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Maya mythology: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Bald's Leechbook: Unknown, the Internet Archive scan is low quality, and some of the tex, Public domain, source
- Folk healer: calliopejen, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Haitian Vodou: Sam Fentress, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Louisiana Voodoo: I cropped, original authors are Ridpath, John Clark, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Amulet: Anonymous ( Egypt ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Kardecist Spiritism: Coprosme, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Egungun: 脤峁ａ汗虁峁Assembly, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Marsilio Ficino: Marsilio Ficino, Public domain, source
- S茅ance: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Candombl茅: Andr茅 Koehne, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lwa: Hector Hyppolite, Public domain, source
- Obeah: Various, published by David Nutt, Public domain, source
- Yem峄峧a: Samuel Tobbytex007, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Unicorn horn: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Folk saint: Sergio Serrano, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Medieval European magic: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Palo: Burkhard M眉cke, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sator Square: M Disdero, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Renaissance magic: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Quyllurit'i: AgainErick, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pilgrimage: Ali Mansuri, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Folk Catholicism: Calvin Hennick, for WBUR Boston, CC BY 3.0, source
- Aetherius Society: Hjamesberglen, CC0, source
- Ex-voto: JTSH26, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Cunning folk: Midnightblueowl at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- African divination: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Hoodoo: Hoodoowoman, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Legio Maria: Comondi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Laying on of hands: User:Lipsio, CC BY 3.0, source
- Relic: MathieuGuy, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Asian witchcraft: Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Public domain, source
- Snake worship: Alexandermcnabb, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Three Books of Occult Philosophy: Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, Public domain, source
- Santo Daime: Tonelada, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Marie Laveau: E. W. Kemble, Public domain, source
- Votive offering: Walter J. Pilsak, Waldsassen ( W.J.Pilsak at de.wikipedia ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Holy well: The Speckled Bird, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Holy Grail: Photographed by the National Library of Wales, CC0, source
- Sacred dance: Jorge Barrios, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mojo bag: Liza Khomenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Talisman: Sasha India, CC BY 2.0, source
- Santer铆a: Jorge Royan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source