What it is for
Protection, healing, foretelling, luck, love, cursing, cleansing, speaking with spirits, change, binding, power and wonder: the aim a practice is said to serve.
ProtectionWarding off the evil eye, spirits, illness and bad luck: amulets, wards and thresholds.87HealingFolk and spiritual healing, said as tradition and never as medical advice.39Seeing and foretellingDivination, omens and oracles: asking what is hidden or still to come.30Luck and prosperityCharms for fortune, success, a good harvest and a safe journey.64Love and attractionCharms and rites for love, marriage, fertility and desire.7Cursing and harmCurses, hexes and sorcery as people describe and fear them, with the counter-magic against them.73Cleansing and purificationSmoke, water, salt, fire and sound used to clear a person, house or object.11Speaking with spirits and the deadMediumship, ancestor rites, possession and the offerings made to the unseen.68Change and initiationRites of passage, alchemy and ceremonial work aimed at changing the practitioner.6Binding and oathsKnots, seals, vows and spells that tie, hold or seal.1Power and authorityMagic as kingship, priesthood and status: the sorcerer-king, the court astrologer, the rainmaker.57Wonder and entertainmentIllusion, sleight of hand and the pleasure of being fooled.18