Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

IMAGE MAGIC

The technique by which a clay or wax effigy of a potential victim was sculpted and stuck with pins in the part of the body intended to be affected. Image Magick can be traced back to ancient times and was practised by the Anglo-Saxons. It was prevalent throughout the Tudor and Stuart reigns in England and was occasionally the subject of witch-trials. This type of damage-by-proxy could also be effected by burying some of the victim's clothes and, on occasions, it reportedly extended to Necromancy, using a skull or a toxin prepared from a decomposing corpse.

see also: MAGIC; MAGICK, Theory of; WITCHES' PYRAMID

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc

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