Differences between Homeopathic and Contagious Magic are as follows:
In almost all John Bellairs books, magic is used in either a good or bad way throughout the story. Almost all of Bellairs’ characters are conscious of the good and bad powers of magic. They know it should not be dealt with lightly. Many different magical creatures appear in the books. Some of these magical creatures include demons, warlocks, spirits, a skin-sucking hooded figure and a strange floating statue that is actually Horus, the Egyptian god of the sky.
Magic is used, by people, of any unnatural or superhuman power used to control actions. Magic may seem to get results, but magic may not be why the event actually happened. Since the beginning of the world people have practiced magic. It wasn’t until the 1600’s when scientists were able to really discover why events that were supposed to be caused by magic were really caused. At that time, people began to stop depending and believing in magic. Nowadays people still do magic, although there is no proof it actually works. Fortune tellers and clairvoyants claim to use magic to tell horoscopes and predict a person’s future.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Magic dates back to 50,000 B.C. when cavemen performed rituals like burying cave bears as a sacrifice. The cavemen thought that would help them in hunting. In ancient Egypt over 5000 years ago, people used amulets and trinkets to help protect them from evil forces. In the Middle Ages, all Europeans believed in magic. There were people called alchemists who believed in the philosopher’s stone, a magic substance that changed any material into gold. In the present, magic still exists. People all over the world continue to practice magic in the form of voodoo, witchcraft, and horoscopes. However, fewer people than in the past believe in it.
When practicing magic there are certain objects, words, and actions that are needed or spoken to perform the magic. Usually, the person performing the spell will say a series of words in a special sequence. That is called an incantation or a spell. To accompany the magic words, the person will do some kind of action to go along with the words he said. Magic objects like plants, stones, and wands are used. Any such object is called a fetish.
The magic objects are believed to work because a spirit supposedly lives inside of it. In most cases, all or some of these things are included in a magic act. Anthropologists classify magic as either homeopathic or contagious according to its basic principle. Others divide magic into black magic and white magic. Black magic is portrayed as hurtful magic and white magic as good magic. In homeopathic magic, the person performing the spell will act out what he wants to happen.
They also use a model or replica of what they want to affect. Voodoo magicians and witches use homeopathic magic. Contagious magic comes from the belief that after a person has had contact with certain things, they will continue to influence that person. Common examples of contagious magic involve things like fingernails or hair that someone has lost. If you damage a person’s fingernail, the person who lost the fingernail should be affected.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
People turn to magic as a form of help. For example people use charms to help them with something. If they succeed, then they will say that the charm helped them. Some events may happen by themselves, and people may still credit magic for the happening. People tend to forget how many times magic fails. Even if magic works only ten percent of the time, people still believe in the power of magic. Many people believe in magic because they feel the need to believe in something. They resort to magic when they feel uncomfortable and uncertain.
Long ago, people believed highly in magic and witches. People looked for someone to blame when a terrible event happened. They would single out a peculiar person mostly a woman and say the woman, having been given powers from the devil, was responsible for the tragedy. Women accused of witchcraft were called witches and the men accused of witchcraft were called warlocks. Witches and warlocks were believed to be in league with the devil and possess satanic powers. They were thought to be able to fly on broomsticks and transfigure themselves. Often innocent people were tortured for what they had supposedly done and were forced to confess even if they were innocent. Few people believe in magic now.