As the Africans learned more about the land, they became better at using herbs for healing and predicting the movement of planets and weather. Chukwu, Nyame, Olodumare, Ngai, Ogoun, Da, Agwu, Esu and Mbari are some of the deities in African culture.
Egyptian Magick As the magickal cultures spread from Africa to the other continents, Egyptian magick was born. Ancient papyri found in recent times prove that there existed in Egypt a thriving population which even 5000 years ago had knowledge of surgery, medicinal treatments as well as herbal remedies for all health problems. Egyptian deities were worshipped and feared. Daily offerings were made in temples daily to appease the deities. Ra, Amun, Ptah, Isis, Nephthys, Anubis,Osiris and Seth were the Gods who commanded everything around them. The evil eye symbol is said to have been derived from Egyptian magick. Vedic Magick Indo-European cultures merged to create this off shoot of magick in ancient times. The Hindu religion which still follows many of the rituals and rites for the past 5000 or more years is the oldest religion that still practices magickal ways of life. It is the third largest religion in the world and growing. As people get tired of the conflicts between God’s will and man’s wishes as explained and taught in Judeo-Christian religions, many are moving towards peaceful, nature loving religions such as Hinduism and Wicca. The concept of Karma and Dharma was first mentioned in Vedic Magick. In Hindu homes, there is a pooja room (the altar) with incense and herbs burnt while the practitioners chant mantras (incantations) in one of the oldest languages, Sanskrit. Some of the deities worshipped in Vedic Magic are Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Krishna and Shiva.
Native American Magick The Mayan, Aztec and the Inca civilizations were the most powerful empires in the American continent. The Mayan civilization was the oldest of the three. The Aztecs built huge pyramids for their deities. The Incans were experts in building roads through the mountains. These civilizations were well know for their knowledge in art, mathematics and astronomy. The Incas are said to have practiced brain surgery thousands of years ago. Aztec gods and goddesses include Chalchihuitlcue, Coatlicue, Cinteotl, Eueucoyotl, and Huitzilopochtl. Similar to other magickal religions of their time, these Gods represented forces of weather, crops, fertility and hunting. Celtic Magick. The roots for the modern witchcraft religion Wicca lie in the magickal cultures that existed in Northern Europe in earlier times. Wise people called the Druids imparted their knowledge of nature to the local people. This knowledge was so valued that even the royalty consulted the wise ones before they made any decisions. No one knows where these wise people originated from, but their teachings more or less mirrored the magickal religions of that time.
Christians created an entity called Devil that they used to instill fear into the hearts of simple villagers and force them to convert. During the dark ages, many innocent people were hunted down in Europe and killed by the order of the pope just on the suspicion that they practiced a religion which was evil. Fortunately, people are now even more aware that Satan or Devil is a Judeo-Christian creation and that most people can live in harmony without belonging to any monolithic organizations.
As we can see, magickal religions existed from the earliest times and have helped us see the immense power that exists within us. This innate power enables us to visualize and create our future. It also helps us understand the importance of preserving our environment and our natural way of life.
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