Enochian Magic

Enochian magic is a system of ceremonial magic based on the evocation and commanding of various spirits. It is based on the 16th century writings of Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley, who claimed that their information was delivered to them directly by an angel. They created the Enochian script, and the table of correspondences that goes with it. It claims to embrace secrets contained within the apocryphal Book of Enoch.

History


Origins
Dee and Kelly claim they received these instructions from an angel and wrote them down. This account is taken at face value by most occultists. However, some of them have pointed out remarkable similarities to earlier grimoiric texts such as the Heptameron known to Dee. Doubts surrounding Kelly in particular have led many non-occultists to the assumption the whole system was originally a fraud devised by Kelly in order to receive more financial support from Dee. The system claims to relate to secrets contained within the apocryphal Book of Enoch.



Rediscovery
It is not quite clear how much of Enochian magic was put to use by Dee and Kelly. However, rediscovery of Enochian magic by the Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn has sparked remarkable publicity for it in modern occultism. Aleister Crowley, who worked with, and wrote about, Enochian magic extensively, has contributed much to its comparatively widespread use today.



Enochian magic today
Compared to other theories of magic, Enochian magic is strikingly more complex and difficult to understand. This has allowed numerous interpretations to arise, some of which have solidified into schools of thought with individual bodies of interpretative literature. Almost all schools agree, however, in that Enochian magic is a particularly powerful and dangerous form of magic.

Some practitioners hold that Enochian magic is inherently destructive to the magician. In particular, its use is forbidden for members of the Builders of the Adytum and Servants of the Light.

External links
History of Enochian Magick


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enochian_magic

Spells

The spell is a magical act intended to cause an effect on reality using supernatural means of liturgical or ritual nature. Spells are a substantial component of many Pagan religions and can also be found in some monotheistic religions. Others, like Islam and Christianity, explicitly forbid this practice. Medieval collections of spells were called grimoires.


History of spell
Spells were probably developed during the Neolithic magical belief period and have been practiced since then both in accepted and clandestine environments. They were common in Pagan societies as part of massive official holidays promoted by authorities: this activity is well documented in a number of historical sources and has even survived in vodunist or shamanic religion areas. On the opposite, practitioners were harshly prosecuted in other places and ages, specially in areas whose state religion was Christianity. Nowadays practitioners are protected under the freedom of belief, a fundamental right regarded by most democratic countries.


Typical characteristics of a spell
Typically, a spell can be a symbolic representation of a purported effect, performed under the invocation of a deity, a call for aid from a higher power, or the assemblage, direction, focus, or incorporation of the forces of nature. It can even be an unwilling instantaneous action with no specific shape. But in more developed Pagan beliefs, spells have the following general structure:

Preparation, when all needed products are disposed in the appropriate location and the involved individuals perform preliminary activities like fasting, praying, etc.
Overture to start the ritual or liturgical performance, create an appropriate, solemn "magical environment" and reinforce the communion effect among participants.
Invocation, when the cooperation of supernatural forces is requested to take the spell to reality.
Execution, where all ritualized magical acts belonging to the spell are precisely performed.
Closure, to solemnize the end of the act and dissolve the "magical environment" created during the overture.
The similarity between this structure and the liturgy of more modern monotheistic religions, from which these practices are derived, is quite noticeable. An excellent example of such a parallelism is the ritualism of Catholic Mass.


Black magic and white magic
When the goal of the spell and the means used to achieved it are regarded as immoral, illegal, or pernicious by a certain society, it is defined as black. If a society accepts both the goal and the means as innocuous, it is defined as white. While these terms are used by practitioners to convey to non-practitioners the difference between positive and negative magics, the terms 'black' and 'white' are not generally used amongst practitioners themselves, probably to avoid any racial connotations the terms could hold. Nowadays, a number of Neopagan religions like Wicca have recovered the usage of spells and vindicate it. Many people perform them privately for themselves, for others or for a price, usually following the instructions of occultist books or other sources, commonly seeking health, wealth and love although sometimes also for revenge or hate. It must be noted, however, that several branches of Neopaganism, such as Wicca, expressly forbid the use of magic if it harms others. Additionally, within the bounds of Wiccan ethics, if a spell is to be used on another human being, his or her consent must generally be obtained.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spell_%28paranormal%29