Journal #3 – On Real World Magic

In her essay Magic for Daily Use and Profit, Birgit Wiedl discusses the forms of magic in the Muggle world. She mainly focuses on the use of magic before the Statute of Secrecy was signed in the late 17^th century, examining the real medieval crafts and pagan rituals that many people regarded as witchcraft. Harry Potter may not be allowed to cast spells around Muggles, but the use of magic is deeply rooted in the Muggle world and continues today.

Bezoars, for example, seem like figments of J.K. Rowling’s imagination. A stone that cures poisoned people sounds incredible. They are, however, very real objects that even Muggles prized. Wealthy individuals kept bezoars for their healing properties, as well as for the status associated with them (Wiedl, 20). They were not cheap, as they came from the stomachs of ungulates and were praised as the exemplar of all antidotes. If someone tried to spike an aristocrat’s food with poison, having a bezoar nearby came in handy. Although we do not hear much about bezoars in the age of modern medicine, its historical popularity was widespread.

When it comes to casting spells, Professors Flitwick and Lupin would probably disagree about the importance of incantations. The Christian church, when squashing pagan rituals, tried to make clear the distinction between prayers and incantations (Wiedl, 22). Spells, however, were more similar to religion than the church probably would have cared to admit. Even exorcisms, highly religiously-charged rituals, rely on a kind of verbal magic. Spells and charms often use words or phrases to charge the magic, making them more powerful and effective. Sigils use letters and symbols to cast their magic, and are charged through intent as well as by physically writing or drawing the desired sigil.

Astrology, as taught to Harry Potter and friends by the centaur Firenze, did not exist in the form it does now. Although Firenze tells his students that fortune is written in the stars, medieval astrology was a far cry from the newspaper horoscopes we read today (Wiedl, 27). Little difference separated astronomy from astrology. The craft included observation, interpretation, and theory, and many famous stargazers (Galileo Galilei, for example) engaged in astrological thought because it was not perceived to be superstitious (Wiedl, 28). The rise of Christianity pushed the “magic” from the craft, but still relied on the positioning of the stars to set dates. Nowadays, astrologists are not as praised. Just as Hermione and Professor McGonagall disliked Professor Trelawney’s imprecise magic, many people believe that astrologists (and others who practice magic such as soothsaying, scrying, and palm-reading) are frauds.

Modern witches are often snubbed for practicing magic. In our see-it-to-believe-it world, people turn up their noses at spells and charms. Witches are mocked for believing in something that “isn’t real.” I think that magic, along with almost everything else intangible in the world, works if one wants it to work. Religious individuals use verbal magic through prayer and blessings. They also rely on the power of symbols, communion, and intent. To me, drinking the blood of Christ and praying to a higher power is comparable to brewing a potion and paying tribute to the earth. If their beliefs are legitimate, why aren’t those of a Wiccan? The use of magic as a spiritual outlet has been prevalent throughout history, and I think that its ridicule in modern society is misplaced.

Works Cited

Wiedl, Birgit. “Magic for Daily Use and Profit.” Harry Potter and History. Ed. Nancy R. Reagin. N.p.: Wiley, 2011. 9-37. Print.