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

THEURGIC MAGICK (aka Theurgy)

From the Greek, theourgia, "working things pertaining to the gods". Theurgy is Magick that calls upon the aid of supposedly beneficent spirits and is akin to religion. Theurgic Magick is based upon a blend of doctrines of Plato and other Greek philosophers (see PLATONISM), Oriental mysticism, Judaism and Christianity and currently is divided into three forms : Enochian, Thelemic and Eclectic.

Enochian Magick originated with John Dee and Edward Kelly in the 16th century and communication with spirits involved the Nineteen Calls (or Keys): incantations in the Enchonian language, a complex language of unknown origin.

This system of Magick was revived by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and studied at length by Aleister Crowley. In turn, Crowley developed the Thelemic Magick system from his studies and Ceremonial Magicians have since expanded to develop Eclectic Magick systems based on a variety of different systems, inclusive of Alchemy, Egyptology, Kabbalistic doctrines, Chaos Magick etc.

Theurgic Magick requires a rigorous discipline and has an intellectual appeal, the mage derives power from God (or rather Kabbalistic version of the Judeo-Christian God) through the successful control of spirits, usually Demons, which are believed easier to control than angels.

In Theurgy, Demons may be considered good, evil, or neutral. In its highest sense, Theurgic Magick is a transcendental experience that takes the magus into mystical realms and into communication with the Higher Self.

see also: RITUAL or CEREMONIAL MAGIC.

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