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
馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 1 moreTurkish folkloreT眉rk halk k眉lt眉r眉
A rich body of oral tales, jokes, and rituals from Turkey and the Turkic worldTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚪馃嚭 RussiaSlavic folklore
The traditional beliefs and stories of the Slavic peoplesTradition Living
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandIrish folkloreb茅aloideas
The oral traditions, myths and customs of IrelandTradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyCornicello
A twisted horn charm worn in Italy to ward off the evil eye and invite luck.Charm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreStage magic
A performing art of tricks and illusions that entertain audiences using natural meansIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 2 moreEaster FireOsterfeuer
Bonfires lit at Easter to mark the Resurrection and spring renewalRite 路 Cleansing and purification 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 3 moreReliquary
A container for sacred remains or objects, crafted across many faithsCharm 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 4 moreR茅veillon
A long Christmas or New Year's Eve dinner held to stay awake until morningTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment 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
馃嚭馃嚘 Ukraine and 5 moreMugwort褔芯褉薪芯斜懈谢褜 (chorn贸byl')
An aromatic herb used in folk medicine, cooking, and magical protection across Eurasia.Substance 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreMentalism
A stage art that mimics psychic powers using psychology and sleight of handIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 5 morePepper's ghost
A stage illusion using angled glass to project hidden actors as visible ghostsIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreBullet catch
A stage illusion where a magician appears to catch a fired bullet in their mouth or handIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreAnthroposophy
A spiritual movement founded by Rudolf Steiner to explore the intellectual side of the unseen worldTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomTarot (sample)
A deck of cards read for guidance.Oracle 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomEvil eye bead (sample)Nazar boncu臒u
A blue glass bead hung to turn aside envy.Charm 路 Protection Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreBiodynamic agriculture
An organic farming system with esoteric roots and spiritual practicesTradition 路 Healing 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚚馃嚟 Switzerland and 4 moreEurythmy
An expressive movement art that translates music and speech into gestureTradition 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚚馃嚟 SwitzerlandPsychological astrology
A system that maps horoscopes to psychological theories and archetypesTradition 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyBadaliscBadalisch
A mythical goat-headed creature from the Italian Alps, captured and mocked during Epiphany celebrations.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 4 moreThelema
A Western esoteric philosophy centered on discovering and following one's True WillTradition 路 Change and initiation 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚪馃嚭 RussiaCarromancy
A divination method that reads the future from molten wax or candle flamesOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 2 moreLocational astrology
A branch of astrology that maps planetary influences to specific places on Earth.Tradition 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyArcheosofica
A school of esoteric Christianity founded in Rome that teaches ascetic disciplines and magical theory.Tradition 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 2 moreTarocco Bolognese
A 62-card Italian tarot deck from Bologna used for games and cartomancyText 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 2 morePiedmontese tarotTarocco Piemontese
A 78-card Italian deck used for trick-taking games in northern Italy and beyondTradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreNeopagan witchcraft
Modern pagan traditions that practice magic and draw on historical witch beliefs.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandStatue rubbing
A tourist custom of touching statues to attract luck, love, or a return visit.Belief 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Love and attraction Living
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 1 moreOomancy
Divination by eggs, reading shapes and signs to foresee events or diagnose spiritual statesOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Healing Living
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainDetente bala
A cloth charm worn by Spanish soldiers to stop bullets in the name of JesusCharm 路 Protection Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreGuillotine (magic trick)
A stage illusion where a blade passes through a neck or finger without harmIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 4 moreAnimal TarotTiertarock
A family of playing card decks featuring animal imagery instead of traditional tarot scenesTradition 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalySmorfia
A Neapolitan dream book that turns visions into lottery numbersOracle 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreEaster Bunny
A German folkloric hare that judges children and delivers colored eggs for EasterBeing 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 4 moreTutelary deity
A guardian spirit or god assigned to protect a specific place, person, or group.Being 路 Protection Living
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainCatalina Lercaro
A ghost story from Tenerife about a woman who took her own life on her wedding dayBeing Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 5 moreRinging Cedars' Anastasianism写胁懈卸械薪懈械 芦袗薪邪褋褌邪褋懈褟禄
A Russian new religious movement based on books about a Siberian mystic and nature worshipTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreElwetritschElwedritsch
A chicken-like creature from German folklore that tames the fear of sleep paralysisBeing 路 Protection Living
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
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 7 moreOgnyena Maria袨谐薪械薪邪 袦邪褉懈褬邪
A Slavic fire goddess linked to lightning, rain, and seasonal fire bansFigure 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreWestern Sufism
Adaptations of Islamic mysticism in Europe and North AmericaTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 5 moreSaint Michael
A Christian archangel who defends the faithful and weighs soulsBeing 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚪馃嚧 Romania and 1 moreS芒nzian膬
Romanian fairies and a summer solstice festival of flowers and magicBeing 路 Protection 路 Love and attraction Living
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandFellowship of Isis饟姩饟弿饟亹饟尀饟嫶饟叡饟偦饟惏饟彞
An international spiritual fellowship honouring the Divine Feminine and the goddess IsisTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 3 moreYehowists懈谢褜懈薪褑褘
A Russian Spiritual Christian group founded by Nikolai Ilyin in the 1840sTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚨馃嚬 Portugal and 1 moreCabra cabriola
A fire-breathing goat bogeyman used to frighten children in Portuguese and Brazilian folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 1 moreNew Israel袧芯胁褘泄 袠蟹褉邪懈谢褜
A Russian sectarian movement that established a farming commune in UruguayTradition Living
馃嚪馃嚭 RussiaAiy袗泄褘褘 (Ay谋谋)
Benevolent spirits of the Upper World in Yakut mythologyBeing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Eurythmy: Awslibrary, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Guillotine (magic trick): Reginald Scott, Public domain, source
- Levitation: Godot13, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Anthroposophy: Wladyslaw, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Biodynamic agriculture: Martist, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sex magic: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Ognyena Maria: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Pepper's ghost: The original uploader was Wapcaplet at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Badalisc: Luca Giarelli, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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
- Piedmontese tarot: Argonitros, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Carromancy: Peter Becker, CC BY 2.0, source
- Archeosofica: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Brownie: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Tarocco Bolognese: Countakeshi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Statue rubbing: Matthias Rosenkranz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bullet catch: Dave Fayram, CC BY 2.0, source
- Irish folklore: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Cornicello: Antonio Cavallo, Public domain, source
- Easter Fire: J眉rgen Eissink, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Easter Bunny: Dr. Bernd Gross, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Elwetritsch: AnRo0002, CC0, source
- Aetherius Society: Hjamesberglen, CC0, source
- Ex-voto: JTSH26, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mugwort: Prahlad balaji, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Reliquary: Attributed to Jean de Toul, also written Jehan de Touyl in one source, CC0, source
- Turkish folklore: Biser Todorov, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ringing Cedars' Anastasianism: 袥芯斜邪褔械胁 袙谢邪写懈屑懈褉, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mentalism: The U.S. Printing Co., Russell-Morgan Print, Cincinnati & New York., Public domain, source
- Saint Michael: Francesco Botticini, Public domain, source
- Catalina Lercaro: tivity.es, CC BY 3.0, source
- S芒nzian膬: Saturnian, CC BY-SA 3.0, source