Living practices
Practised today by communities who hold it as their own.
- Living
- Revived
- Fading
- Historical
- Legendary
- Performed
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreJiaobei筊杯 (jiǎobēi)
Wooden crescent blocks thrown in pairs to ask temple deities yes or no questionsOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇹 Italy and 2 morePiedmontese tarotTarocco Piemontese
A 78-card Italian deck used for trick-taking games in northern Italy and beyondTradition · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇹🇭 Thailand and 1 morePalad khikปลัดขิก
A Thai phallic amulet believed to bring luck and protectionCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreTarocco Bolognese
A 62-card Italian tarot deck from Bologna used for games and cartomancyText · Wonder and entertainment · Seeing and foretelling Living
🇺🇸 United StatesFeri Tradition
An American ecstatic witchcraft tradition founded on the West Coast in the mid-twentieth century.Tradition · Power and authority · Change and initiation Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreAsian witchcraft
A broad overview of magical practices and persecution across Asian culturesTradition · Cursing and harm · Protection Living
🇹🇼 Taiwan and 1 moreOng Yah王爺 (Ông-iâ)
Royal Lord deities of Fujian and Taiwan who tour the land, driving out diseaseBeing · Protection · Healing Living
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreCoin-sword辟邪劍 (bì xié jiàn)
A Chinese numismatic talisman made of cash coins strung on a rod to ward off evil spiritsCharm · Protection Living
🇷🇺 RussiaReindeer in Siberian shamanism
The role of reindeer as spirit helpers, ritual tools, and burial vehicles in the shamanic traditions of Northern AsiaTradition · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreFriday the 13th
A Western superstition marking a specific calendar date as unluckyBelief · Cursing and harm Living
🇹🇳 TunisiaStambeli
A Tunisian music and possession rite practiced by Black communities of slave descentTradition · Healing · Protection Living
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic and 1 moreDominican VudúVudú Dominicano
A syncretic Afro-Caribbean religion on Hispaniola with its own spirit lineages and titles.Tradition · Protection · Love and attraction Living
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreAmulet
A portable object worn or carried to ward off harm and invite protection.Charm · Protection · Healing Living
🇮🇩 IndonesiaIndonesian numismatic charmUang Gobog
Coin-like amulets from Indonesia used for protection and ritual offerings.Charm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇯🇲 Jamaica and 2 moreKromanti
A ritual language spoken by ancestral spirits in Jamaican Maroon ceremoniesBelief · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇹🇭 Thailand and 1 morePra Jiadประเจียด
A Muay Thai armband worn for luck and confidenceCharm · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living
🇮🇪 IrelandStatue rubbing
A tourist custom of touching statues to attract luck, love, or a return visit.Belief · Luck and prosperity · Love and attraction Living
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago and 4 moreTrinidad Orisha
A syncretic Afro-Caribbean faith blending Yoruba spirit work with Christian and other traditions in Trinidad.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Healing Living
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreNeopagan witchcraft
Modern pagan traditions that practice magic and draw on historical witch beliefs.Tradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreRegional forms of shamanism
A global overview of indigenous spirit-interaction practices across Asia and the Americas.Tradition · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇵🇰 PakistanShamanism in Pakistan
A shamanic tradition of the Hunza region where spirit guides select healers who enter trance states through music and riTradition · Seeing and foretelling · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇯🇵 JapanMisaki御先
Japanese spirit-like entities that serve gods or possess humans with illness and calamityBeing · Cursing and harm · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇺🇸 United StatesOinomancy
A divination method that reads the future in wine patterns and sedimentOracle · Seeing and foretelling Living
🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreJapanese numismatic charm絵銭
Coin-shaped charms from Japan used for protection, luck, and blessings.Charm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇨🇺 Cuba and 1 moreHaitian Vodou in CubaVodú Haitiano
A Caribbean religious tradition brought by migrants and maintained in eastern CubaTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living
🇺🇸 United StatesThe Gray Man
A coastal ghost from South Carolina said to warn of hurricanesBeing · Protection Living
🇮🇹 ItalySmorfia
A Neapolitan dream book that turns visions into lottery numbersOracle · Luck and prosperity Living
🇦🇺 Australia and 2 moreTheatrical superstitions
Beliefs and rituals among actors to avoid bad luck and ward off spiritsBelief · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇳 IndiaVelichappaduവെളിച്ചപ്പാട്
A Hindu temple oracle in Kerala who channels deities through trance and danceBeing · Seeing and foretelling · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇪🇸 SpainDetente bala
A cloth charm worn by Spanish soldiers to stop bullets in the name of JesusCharm · Protection Living
🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreAnimal TarotTiertarock
A family of playing card decks featuring animal imagery instead of traditional tarot scenesTradition · Luck and prosperity Living
🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreGuillotine (magic trick)
A stage illusion where a blade passes through a neck or finger without harmIllusion · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇯🇵 JapanChinkon kishin鎮魂帰神
A Japanese spiritual practice combining soul calming with spirit possessionRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Healing Living
🇨🇲 Cameroon and 2 moreNggam
A divination practice in western Cameroon using spiders and crabs to answer questionsOracle · Seeing and foretelling Living
🇮🇷 IranSkandolasikina ḏ-aula
An iron talismanic seal used by Mandaeans to ward off evil and mark life transitions.Charm · Protection Living
🇮🇳 IndiaApeswari sabha
An Assamese healing rite where village women invoke a goddess to cure illnessRite · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇧🇷 BrazilPro-VidaPró-Vida, Integração Cósmica
An occultist group founded in Brazil that promises cosmic consciousness and earthly paradise.Tradition · Change and initiation · Power and authority Living
🇯🇵 JapanDōbutsu uranai動物占い
A Japanese divination system that sorts people into animal types based on birthdate and personality axes.Oracle · Luck and prosperity Living
🇺🇸 United StatesLemon pig
A carved fruit figure made for amusement and later linked to New Year luckCharm · Luck and prosperity Living
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreZhengde Tongbao正德通寶
A fantasy cash coin used as a Chinese and Vietnamese amulet for luck and protection.Charm · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living
🇯🇵 JapanJapanese superstitions
Common beliefs in Japan about luck, numbers, and omens rooted in language and customBelief · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreOomancy
Divination by eggs, reading shapes and signs to foresee events or diagnose spiritual statesOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Healing Living
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreAfrican divination
Methods used across the continent to understand present realities and predict future events.Oracle · Seeing and foretelling · Healing Living
🇮🇱 IsraelSegulaסגולה
A Jewish charm or ritual believed to bring protection, healing, or blessings.Charm · Protection · Healing Living
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreFriday the 13th
A Western superstition that a specific calendar alignment brings misfortuneBelief · Cursing and harm Living
🇦🇷 Argentina and 1 moreSpiritual mapping
A Christian practice of mapping locations to identify and pray against territorial demonsBelief · Protection · Cursing and harm Living
🇮🇱 Israel and 4 moreAngelמלאך
A supernatural messenger or intermediary spirit found in many religious traditions.Being · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreFalun Gong法轮功
A Chinese cultivation practice blending meditative exercises with moral principlesTradition · Healing · Protection Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Guillotine (magic trick): Reginald Scott, Public domain, source
- Louisiana Voodoo: I cropped, original authors are Ridpath, John Clark, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Divination: Amcaja, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Amulet: Anonymous ( Egypt ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Chinkon kishin: Tomokiyo Yoshisane (友清歓真), also known as Tomokiyo Kyūgo (友清九吾), Public domain, source
- Oomancy: Rollcloud, CC BY 3.0, source
- European witchcraft: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Animal Tarot: Cards: anonymous; Photo: Andreas Praefcke, Public domain, source
- Egungun: Ìṣẹ̀ṣeAssembly, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Piedmontese tarot: Argonitros, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Palad khik: deror_avi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tarocco Bolognese: Countakeshi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Friday the 13th: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
- Jiaobei: Jnzl's Public Domain Photos, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ong Yah: Suzuki1314 at Chinese Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Stambeli: Youssefbensaad, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pra Jiad: Samy Sana, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Statue rubbing: Matthias Rosenkranz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Haitian Vodou in Cuba: Dr. Anthony R. Picciolo, NOAA NODC, Public domain, source
- Lemon pig: GenesisNZ, CC0, source
- Skandola: Akamanda, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Falun Gong: longtrekhome, CC BY 3.0, source
- Angel: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Coin-sword: Etnografiska museet, CC BY 2.5, source
- African divination: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Asian witchcraft: Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Public domain, source
- The Gray Man: Phoebe, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Reindeer in Siberian shamanism: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Regional forms of shamanism: Man Sing, Public domain, source