Witchcraft and the Occult

Flashcards covering key concepts, definitions, and theories related to witchcraft, magic, and the occult from the lecture notes.

What are the key questions addressed regarding witchcraft, the occult, and magic?

What are they, how are they related, why do people engage in them, and how do they relate to religion and science?

What is the proposed tripartite structure for understanding witchcraft, magic, and the occult?

Science, Witchcraft/Magic/the Occult, and Religion.

How are witchcraft, the occult, and magic often defined?

In contrast to religion and, occasionally, science.

How is religion defined as a categorical construction?

Religion is a concept some people apply to various actions, ideas, or productions.

How is science defined in the context of these lecture notes?

Science is the pursuit and application of knowledge through experiment and observation for identification and description.

What do definitions and classifications largely rely on?

Correlation and contrast, such as 'Good' and 'Bad,' or 'Short' and 'Tall.'

What concept did Aristotle argue about definition?

A definition provides the essence of a term through limitations and marking boundaries (horismos).

What is a common conceptual distinction made between 'religion' and 'spirituality'?

Religion is often seen as dogmatic, external, and fear-based, while spirituality is open to interpretation, internal, and love-based ('Spiritual but not religious').

What are some key aspects to consider when distinguishing between religious ritual and magic?

Their public perception, how they intersect and contradict, who makes the distinction, and the significance/ramifications of separating them.

What is an example of language used in religious rituals that has been linked to magic?

The phrase 'Hoc Est Corpus Meum' (This is my body) during Catholic Mass, which some argue led to the term 'Hocus-Pocus.'

From what Old English terms does 'Witch' derive?

Wicca and Wicce, stemming from the verb Wiccian ('to cast a spell').

Is there a ubiquitous definition for 'Witch'?

No, there is no ubiquitous or consensus definition; the term can be defined numerous ways and includes both sexes, though witches are more often seen as female.

What is a simple, loose definition of a 'Witch'?

'A witch is someone designated as such according to the legislation and communal beliefs of her or his particular region during the period of her or his lifetime.'

Name at least three distinguishing characteristics of a witch mentioned in the notes.

Causes harm by uncanny means, is an internal threat to a community, works within a tradition, is 'evil,' and can be resisted.

What does the term 'Warlock' mean?

An 'oath breaker.'

From what French and Latin terms is 'sorcery' derived?

Sorcier (French) and Sortiarius (Latin).

To whom was the Greek term 'Magos' originally allocated?

The Iranian astrologer priests.

How was 'Magic' often perceived in contrast to 'sorcery'?

Magic (or the Magician) was often implied as a more sophisticated intellectual system, whereas sorcery was viewed as cruder practices.

What is the basis for 'High Magic,' 'Intellectual Magic,' and 'Sophisticated Magic'?

The belief and study of the Kosmos, a harmonious, adorned, ordered, and coherent universe in which all parts are interrelated.

What is 'Low Magic' employed for?

To achieve or attain something practical through a mechanical ritual, such as love potions or sacrificing animals to fertilize a field.

What are the two main distinctions of witchcraft discussed?

(1) Witchcraft as a preternatural power inborn and inherited, and (2) witchcraft as a set of magical techniques that may be taught and learned.

What was the focus of E.B. Tylor's 'Primitive Culture'?

Animism, magic, and religion.

What is E.B. Tylor's 'doctrine of 'survivals''?

The idea that certain superstitious 'folk' practices still linger, or are 'leftovers,' from previous thought as cultures 'evolve' at different times.

What two principles form the basis of magic according to Tylor?

(1) Connection: people can connect through distance via physical objects, and (2) Symbolic Representation: something that resembles something else.

According to James George Frazer's 'The Golden Bough,' what two systems of ideas governed 'primitive' thinking?

Magic and religion.

What are the two types of 'Sympathetic magic' identified by Frazer?

(1) Principle of Similarity: magic that connects things on the principle of resemblance, and (2) Principle of Contagion: magic through contact.

According to Frazer, why did religion supersede magical practices?

People realized that magic ritual did not assure desired outcomes and recognized the natural world's uncertainty, leading them to employ prayer instead of spells.

What concept did Rudolf Otto introduce in 'The Idea of the Holy' to describe mysterious and awe-inspiring events resembling magical elements?

'Numinosity,' referring to rising emotions from something mysterious, awe-inspiring, beyond the ethical realm, and sui generis.

How does Marcello Truzzi define the occult?

As a 'residual category' or 'wastebasket' for knowledge claims that are deviant or do not fit the established claims of science or religion.

What is the Latin root of the term 'occult' and what does it mean?

Occultus, meaning 'hidden.'

Name two common definitions of the Occult.

Beyond the range of ordinary knowledge (mysterious); secret (disclosed only to the initiated); pertaining to magic, astrology, and alleged sciences; or driven by the conscious rejection of the 'disenchantment of the world.'

Why does the occult lack social acceptance compared to religion or science?

It usually lacks the authority and social acceptance granted to religion or science, often characterized by secrecy and esoteric elements rather than publicness.

According to J.B. Russell, how are witchcraft, sorcery, magic, science, and religion similar?

They all attempt to understand the world.

What is the primary difference in method between science and magic?

Science emphasizes and employs empirical evidence to arrive at conclusions, while magic is intuitive rather than analytical and usually inspired by intense emotional experience.

What vital social function does sorcery, magic, etc., serve according to J.B. Russell?

To relieve social tensions, define and sustain social values, and unite people against such practices, affirming community boundaries and enhancing solidarity against perceived 'evil' outsiders.

What is often true about witchcraft accusations regarding social lines?

Witchcraft accusations are not random, but rather follow observable social lines, often exploited in personal social tensions like family feuds or divisions.