The Crossroads of Magic and Religion 

There has been a lot of confusion about religion, magic and witchcraft throughout the Western world, partly due to a mis-translation found in the King James version of the Bible, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” (Exodus 22:18) The word, translated here as “witch,” actually means “poisoner” in the original text.

But the word “witch,” if you look at its root, really means “spell caster.” A spell caster is not a poisoner! A spell is simply an intention that is enhanced with words (i.e. spelling), ritual, and/or symbol.

This simple (and probably deliberate) twist of meaning led to the torture and burning of hundreds of thousands of people — about 75% of them were women (others were Romanies, Jews and anyone else who didn’t swear allegiance to the church).

It was the Inquisition of the Catholic church that was responsible for burning “witches” at the stake over a 400 year period. Hardly a “Christian” way to behave!

Even today, there are still a number of fundamentalist religions that preach against anything having to do with magic or witchcraft — even to the point of denouncing the fictional Harry Potter books and films!

This comes from an unfortunate misunderstanding of what magic really is.

True Magic is Alignment with Universal Laws

Magic is all about living in harmony with the Universal Energy that religions call God. It is against the ethics of most magical practitioners to try to control or harm another person, or interfere with the balance of nature.

As magical initiates, we honor all creation as the embodiment of Creative Life Energy. Though we may effect changes in the physical world, our main purpose is to align and balance our inner reality.

So magic is essentially a personal spiritual pursuit.

Pagan Cultures were Magical Cultures

Earth-based or Pagan religions of all cultures are usually the ones associated with magic, because they are still connected with the ancient practices of their ancestors and are closely aligned with nature.

Yet every religion has roots in a magical or esoteric tradition that only a chosen few were able to access. Kabbalah, Rosicrucian, Mason, Knights Templar, and other so called “secret societies,” are all based in magical tradition, as is the Catholic church.

Though much of their history has been lost, we can trace most religions back to Magical Mystery Schools of ancient cultures like Egypt, Greece, Persia and the Druids of Ireland. Some speculate that all these Mystery Schools had their roots on the lost continent of Atlantis, or even as far back as Lemuria.

Christian Magic

Since the Western world is so heavily influenced by a Christian tradition that has sought to stamp out magic, it makes sense for us to look at magic in the context of Christianity.

The first mention of magic found in the New Testament of the Bible is the story of the three Magi (magicians of Persia) as they visited the baby Jesus.

It is no coincidence that the Magi went to visit the child Jesus, nor that they brought the magical gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They knew from their study of the stars that Jesus was destined to be a great mage and they quite possibly contributed to his education.

There are striking correlations between this New Testament story and many other mythical accounts of virgin births (i. e. Mithra, Krishna, Dionysus, and even Osiris), all connected with the movement of the stars of the zodiac in the heavens. But our focus now is on the recorded life of Jesus.

Jesus taught the Magical Law of Attraction to the masses (i.e. “Ask and you shall receive.” and “As you sow, so shall you reap.”), which was seen as threatening by those who wanted to keep the power of magic to themselves.

Whether you believe that Jesus is God, or man, or a combination of both, it is clear from the few records passed down to us that he knew and taught the principles of magic.

At the Last Supper, Jesus shared an ancient alchemical ritual of bread and wine with his initiates, now known as “communion” or the transubstantiation of the bread and wine.

This ritual was common in ancient, pre-Christian magical practice and is still used in modern magical rituals. It was passed down through the Order of Melchizedek, which is an order of teachers and healers from the mystical Great White Brotherhood.

The Order of Melchizedek and the Four Sacred Hallows

One of the purposes of The Order of Melchizedek may be to safeguard the Four Sacred Hallows of the Faery realm — the Cup or Cauldron of Plenty, the Spear of Victory, the Sword of Light and Truth, and the Stone of Destiny.

The Cup, Sword, Stone and Spear play important roles in the New Testament Gospel stories (from the Last Supper through the Resurrection), the Stone being represented by the stone rolled away from the tomb on Easter morning, the sword Peter used to cut off an ear, the spear used to stab Jesus on the cross, and of course the famous cup used at the Last Supper.

These symbols have also appeared repeatedly in the Arthurian legends in connection with the Grail.

Where did these Hallows come from?

Though the origins of the Four Sacred Hallows are shrouded in mystery, legend tells us that they were first brought to Earth by the Tuatha de Danaan, now called the Faery race or Sidhe of Ireland.

Why, as a priest of the Order of Melchizedek, would Jesus bring the Faery Hallows to the attention of his followers? This is one of the magical mysteries of Christianity.

The Gospels clearly state that Jesus was “a priest of the Order of Melchizedek,” and they are full of references to the Law of Attraction, which is the very basis of magic.

Though some fundamentalist Christian religions make a point of condemning magic, they fail to recognize that Jesus often taught and performed magic and encouraged his followers to do the same.

Since magic is nothing more than using the unchanging Laws of the Universe to improve our lives, and Jesus (as a teacher and healer of the Order of Melchizedek) was most likely trained in the magical arts, it makes sense that he would share these Laws of the Universe with his followers.

Fear of Magic

Unfortunately, there were leaders in the early Christian churches  who wanted to keep all the power to themselves. They made a point of teaching their followers to mistrust their own Inner Guidance — their intuition and their feelings.

They taught the faithful to trust only external guidance from priests, ministers, and popes, threatening them with excommunication, burning at the stake, and Hell fire if they did not follow their teachings.

Out of fear, people were persuaded to give up their own personal connection with Spirit and to trust the priests to guide their spiritual direction.

Even today most Christian churches, aside from Quakers, continue to follow this model. Yet it is far from what Jesus taught — “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father/Mother in secret.” (In the Aramaic tongue the word now translated as “Father” also means “Father/Mother,” the balanced Source from which all things come.)

I will not repeat all the related New Testament verses here. If you are interested I encourage you to read the words and accounts of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels, as well as in more recently discovered documents (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls), with a magical eye.

If your mind is open you will certainly find ample proof that Jesus repeatedly taught the Law of Attraction and performed miracles to prove its validity.

Look into your own heart and find the truth within.

Trust what you know.  “The truth will set you free.”

Learn more about the Four Sacred Hallows, the Order of Melchizedek, and other magical mysteries — sign up for the Celtic Mystery School Magic Foundation Course.

Learn more about using real magic in your daily life here: Practical Magic

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