Contrasting Traditional versus Modern Views of Magic and Spirit Work

Before I begin, let me say that this is not a matter of which is better than the other. Each practitioner’s path is their own, and what path is most fitting is up to them based on their own lifestyle and obligations. Therefore, this post is written specifically for those who feel that their current path does not fit them, who seek to analyze their goals and what is wanted from magic. Please note that this post is speaking in broad generalizations to give a very general overview of differences. Additionally, the modern magic section is particularly US-centric so may or may not apply to those in other countries. 

The Priests and the Laypeople

Both Traditionalists and New Agers in the West fight a lot. When not concerning cultural appropriation, it’s super unnecessary; Westerners forget that many religions and established spiritual traditions literally have terms for different people depending on how invested they are into it, and that both the requirements and results of magic are based on such status. In other words, the distinction between the “Priests” and the Laypeople.

I say “Priests” to mean anyone heavily invested into magic and spirituality; shamans, cunning men, traditional witches, and so on; simply for brevity I will refer to all of them as “Priests” within this article. Laypeople are everyone else, namely those who are interested in spirituality but have no plans to dedicate their entire life around it. Most New Agers and general modernists  fall under this. 

Much of this unnecessary Western fighting is that traditional paths and new age paths differ greatly on how they view magic. This causes many disagreements between the practitioners of each type: traditionalists anger that many new agers aren’t taking magic seriously enough, and new agers do not want to be as equally invested as traditionalists. It can be very problematic trying to reconcile new age and traditional views, especially when both are so harsh towards the other. 

However: I think it is very important for both traditionalists and new agers to realize that both styles of interacting with spirituality have always been here. 

That may sound confusing, but consider this: traditional magic is very Priestly, whereas modernists (minus cultural appropriation) represents a typical historical Layperson. 

For example: do you really think, back in ancient Greece, that the local bread baker was getting intense visions and going on journeys to the spirit world with the occasional prayer to Hestia or Demeter? Or did the occasional candle or bread offering simply provide a serene moment of spiritual security? 

Those goddesses probably did not ask much of the bread baker in terms of spiritual responsibilities; they’re a bread baker, not a priestess. As a non-priestess, probably the occasional prayer sufficed. 

But if a priestess, someone who devoted their life to the study of magic and divinities, skipped prayer for several days, those goddesses would likely be furious.

It is important to remember that laypeople are the vast majority in any religion. In other words, the vast majority of people are not priests, and have no interest in being priests. Most people want to engage with their spirituality in a way that is safe and comforting, rather than seeking magical power and be bound by the demands that come with it. 

So it is very irrational for a traditionalist to go and tell New Agers to throw their mundane life away for magic. That is akin to a Catholic Priest yelling at everyone for not becoming priests during a sermon. Or like a Buddhist Lama chastising everyone else for not dedicating their life to becoming a Lama. The vast majority of people do not want to discard their mundane life in favor of a wholly magical one. 

However, it is also very irrational for New Agers to expect the same results and effects of magic as a “Priest”, without dedicating a large amount of time to magic’s study and cultivation. Magic is a skill and traditionalists, aka “Priests”, are not exaggerating the amount of effort it takes to make magic work on an objective basis. 

The goals of both paths are different. For those seeking an overview of both sides, let me compare and contrast the two paths. Though as a reminder: please note that this post is speaking in broad generalizations to give a very general overview of differences. Additionally, the modern magic section is particularly US-centric so may or may not apply to those in other countries. 

Traditional Views on Magic and Spirit Work

Traditional magic overall is very results-oriented. Magic is a genuine force to be reckoned with, that can change lives for the better or worse. Because it is a genuine force, it must be used with proper training and knowledge. In other words, there are right and wrong ways of performing spells, rituals, and prayers. Right ways lead to good and consistent results. Wrong ways can lead to rituals backfiring, unforeseen consequences, and so on. 

Spirits are the primary source of magic. They must be seen as completely real: seeing spirits only as psychological manifestations that will have no real effect on your life will put you in danger. And seeing as they are real, genuine beings with their own life, it can be incredibly offensive and self-centered to see these otherworldly beings as figments of your own imagination. Imagine approaching an Ancestor, only to tell them that they are just an imaginary figure. That Ancestor probably wouldn’t want to work with you anymore…Much less if you approached other spirits, or even divinities, with the same attitude. 

As Spirits are real, interacting with them incorrectly or improperly can have grave consequences…Hopefully that Ancestor would be patient and understanding, knowing that many people struggle to decolonize and de-imperialize their own spiritual beliefs in our modern world. But if they are not feeling so benevolent…well, let’s just say that some spirits are happy to prove they are real the hard way. 

Magic is Culturally Bound

Culture and traditions are the home of magic. There is magic in the food we eat, the area we hail from, the ways of life, and so on. Many cultures, followed traditionally, have complete cosmologies and methodologies of spirituality. Meaning that borrowing specific magical components from other cultures to form a complete practice is not necessary. That is not to say that cultural mixing never occurs; rather, it means that they mixed in such a way that both cultures still have complete practices without full knowledge of the other. 

Magical Success and Failure

Magic is a true and real force. Therefore it has real effects on the world, and real consequences when performed improperly. There are many rules to performing magic properly, and the following or denial of each rule will factor in why spells do or do not work. There is always a reason spells do not work; spells do not fail “just because”. This means that results can and should be repeated. 

The Capability of Magic is High, With Proper Investment

Magic taken seriously, fully, and wholly, will change your life. However, like many things in life, it is a skill which must be honed. What sounds entirely ridiculous to a beginner, can be feasible by a master.  

Making something already likely to happen, happen, is not an amazing feat of magic. Finding a good deal at a thrift shop…A correct future divination for the week, when you knew you had no major life events going on…These are baseline. 

Making something very unlikely to happen, happen, is an amazing feat of magic: spontaneously making someone’s cancer disappear, with no recurrence. The local asshole millionaire losing all his money overnight. Predicting life events with exacting detail, several years into the future…These are what masters can do. 

What is “realistic” for magic depends wholly on your level of investment. As a beginner artist cannot expect to be featured in high-class art galleries…Nor can a 6th grade recorder player expect to be invited to a professional orchestra…Do not expect the crazy amazing like above, unless you devote your life to the rigorous study of the subject. 

Cost of Magic

Magic is also not free, nor is it cheap. All magic has a cost, and the more powerful the magic, the more expensive the spell is. This cost is often covered by physical materials, intentional self-cultivation, devotion to, or assistance received from spirits. 

Spell Ingredient Substitutions

A long list of materials, or long preparation process is never that long solely for the sake of making a ritual more complicated. It is because to purposefully manipulate reality in such a way, requires that much precision and finesse. Every item is a special ingredient that serves a specific purpose towards affecting reality in an exacting way. 

These materials and spirits are real portions of the spell. They cannot be substituted without great research, for the power and meticulousness of ingredients cannot be summarized in a bulleted list. 

The Nature of Spirits and their Realms

There are an innumerable type of spirits. Spirits of places…of materials…of dreams…of nature…divinities…And each one may act completely differently and have varying levels of power, based on their type. 

For those that are individuals, they are real beings with their own lives, in the various words they reside in. 

However the vast majority of spirits in the world are not guiding spirits; most spirits are not interested in humans at all unless you give them a reason to be. In the traditional view, it is incredibly self-centered to believe the lives of most spirits revolve around humans. 

Views of Deities

Lore Tells the Truth

Pay attention to the lore. Lore cultivated over thousands of years does not lie about the temperament of the pantheon’s deities. And because views of gods differ wildly from culture to culture, it is paramount to keep the culture in mind and not compare deities of different cultures. 

Some cultures have gods that are canonically malevolent along with canonically benevolent gods. Other cultures may say that if a being is not strictly benevolent, then it is not a god or does not deserve to be one. 

Some pantheons are omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient; all-powerful beings who will hear all prayers. Others can only be properly invoked by priests, or only prayed to on certain days according to the culture’s ritual calendar. They will not hear random prayers by a layperson. 

Some pantheons say their gods are completely immortal and can never lose power. Others say that their gods may die (though after a very long period of time), and that they may lose power through certain actions. 

For one example that may surprise many Western readers, take the Chinese pantheon. In this pantheon, the gods are defined as solely benevolent beings. And to make sure that all gods are benevolent, gods who do not do their job, or who become malevolent, will be punished by a higher god, the Thunder God Leigong. Through this, malevolent gods can lose their power and be transformed into a lowly normal spirit. 

Take them Seriously

Divinity should be approached seriously and with caution. They can be incredibly benevolent, bestowing great boons and blessings to their followers. But those with canonically capricious lore may also be quick to anger, petty, and hurt people for simply their own amusement. Some genuinely love and care for humans; but others view them simply as an entertaining pastime. This is why it is so important to pay attention to the lore, so you know what type of deity you are approaching.  

By nature of being powerful beings, deities cannot be your friend, and it may be dangerous to view them in such an informal manner. You are dealing with spiritual authority. However this does not mean that gods cannot be a powerful benevolent force in your life. 

Gods are Aware of their Power

Gods are fully aware of how powerful they are. Those that are capricious know that no matter how many humans they hurt for sheer amusement, many other humans will always want to worship them. Therefore it is wise to ask for others’ experiences with a deity when lore is hard to find; others’ experiences can tell you about the deity’s benevolence versus capriciousness.

When Approached the Traditional Way, Fake Divinities are Almost Never a Concern

As stated in the intro above, there are right and wrong ways to do magic. Traditional prayers, incantations, and so on are passed down because they work. Therefore traditional methods of calling on a divinity are generally met with extremely high success rates.  There are also many prayers and rituals for consecrating items that the divine will inhabit; such as an altar, a statue, etc. These consecration rituals are meant for the exact purpose of preventing imposter spirits from attempting to take the place of the divine. 

Dealing with Spirits and Deities

What you give is what you get. Do not ask for priestly results with a layman’s approach. 

New Age Views on Magic and Spirit Work 

This is mainly written from a modern Western USA point of view. What is outlined here may or may not apply to those in other countries. 

Modern, New Age, and laypeople magic is very internal validation-oriented. It is more about connecting with spirituality for the sake of it, without the need of results. For many people, it is highly validating to say a prayer to divinity, even if they do not hear anything back. Regardless of a response or not, it still provides a sense of peace and security, simply because it can feel good to trust in mystical, powerful forces. The connection to spirituality itself is enough. 

All Aspects of Magic Are Universal

Magic isn’t really culturally bound, so it is considered fine to mix whatever from any cultures. Sometimes this is from the view that all magic is universal: that all spirits, all divinities, all methodologies, from all cultures are the same. 

Magical Success and Failure

In many modern views, it is completely normal for spells to fail or misfire. There are multiple ways of viewing magic that all doubt it as a “real force”. The first is that magic is a force that is based on chance, so spells can fail for no reason. 

The next is that spells are simply psychological; they are tricks of the mind using the placebo effect. Therefore, internally they “trick” you into believing a change has happened, and externally spells “prime” you to notice more opportunities or take certain actions by acting as a ritualistic reminder. 

Magic is Mostly Just Cool

Magic doesn’t really change lives, and most of the crazy magic stories in lore are just tall tales. Magic can mostly make minor good coincidences occur: finding a good deal at a thrift shop…A correct future divination for the month, when you knew you had no major life events going on…This is pretty much the most magic can do. 

Cost of Magic / Spell Ingredient Substitution

There isn’t really a cost to spells. Intention alone is enough to cast a spell, and you can use whatever materials you want as long as you have the right intention. The only cost to spells is just the time and energy put into whatever materials that were gathered. 

The Nature of Spirits and their Realms

One school of modern thought believes spirits are solely psychological. Spirits are just representatives of different portions of our psyche, and working with them is just working with ourselves. Therefore spirits do not need offerings, nor do you need to wear protections against them. Under this psychological model, other astral and spiritual realms either do not exist at all, or are also considered parts of our psyche. 

Another school of thought does believe that spirits are real, with their own lives and realms. However, there are doubts about the powers of spirits. They can’t do anything in their lore; their magical capabilities are similar to that of humans, if they are capable of changing lives at all. 

Spirits are Benevolent & Malevolent Spirits is Just Crazy Talk

Spirits and divinities are always able and willing to help you, and simply asking is enough to be granted their blessing. Offerings are optional. 

Malevolent spirits aren’t real. There is probably a non-magical cause for whatever negative event occurred in life. 

Most malevolent spirits in lore are just super misunderstood. Psychology is often looped in- malevolent spirits are often considered representations of characteristics we have been socialized to hate. 

Where Spirits Live

In the psychological view, spirits are just our imaginations, so they would reside in our heads. 

For those that do believe in external spirits, honestly I (the writer) haven’t really gotten a cohesive answer from modern folks. They might believe in the other realms of spirits, but at the same time, believe that astral travel is fake. Or they might believe there is no such thing as other realms at all; all spirits reside on earth only. 

Overall there are a lot of ideas of what is “realistic” for spirits or not, without having any basis in actual lore, or any real differentiation of types of spirits. There is an underlying idea that all spirits are the same. 

Views of Deities

Lore is Just Stories

All deities are benevolent, no matter what their lore or traditional worship says. Even if the lore or traditional worship claims them as malevolent, that is simply because someone had to fill the evil role, to demonstrate balance in the universe. 

ALL Deities are Solely Benevolent, Even Canonically Malevolent/Capricious Ones

Deities do not harm humans without a just cause. If they ever harm humans, that is divine retribution; the human is being punished for some injustice. The person must have done something terrible to warrant the punishment. Gods are never cruel for fun, and all gods are above emotions such as vengeance, spite, or anger at insubordination.

It’s Normal for Deities to be Unresponsive or Not Produce Results

It is normal to pray to a divinity, seeking to become their worshiper, for months on end with no signs of acceptance or mystical dreams. Gods are always supporting us, even if they do not communicate any signs of it. 

You can pray for something to happen, perhaps even make a small offering, but it’s normal if nothing happens. 

Deities Have No Expectations

It’s ok if you forget about your deity for a long time. Deities will always understand! Even if you ignore them for months and suddenly show up one day, you can be sure that there will be little consequence and much forgiveness. All gods love us unconditionally. 

Commentary

Summary

Traditional magic overall is very results-oriented. Magic is a genuine force to be reckoned with, that can change lives for the better or worse. There are right and wrong ways of performing spells, rituals, and prayers. Because magic and spirits are genuine forces that produce results, magic and spirits must be seen as completely real. As they are real, interacting with them incorrectly or improperly can have grave consequences. Like any skill, magic takes commitment to fully develop and wield properly.

On the other hand, modern magic is very internal validation-oriented. It is more about connecting with spirituality for the sake of it, without the need of results. For many people, it is validating to say a prayer to divinity, even if they do not hear anything back. Regardless of a response or not, it still provides a sense of peace and security, simply because it can feel good to trust in mystical, powerful forces. The connection to spirituality itself is enough. 

When would you pick one over the other?

Connecting with Culture

If you are looking to connect with the true, legitimate traditions of your culture, then definitely the traditional path. I cannot speak for other countries, but at least in the US, a lot of modern magic is completely stripped of its original cultures. The vast majority of new age magic in the US is highly appropriated Buddhist and Hindu concepts. (Which is incredibly sad, because Mahayana Buddhism is completely open.)

Results vs Just Emotional Validation

If changing the reality of the world around you is incredibly important, then definitely go more traditional. But do expect quite the time and energy investment: it will become an active part of your lifestyle. Magical power is not free.

In my interactions with other practitioners, I have noticed that no matter what path you take, you will eventually end up at or adjacent to your own traditional cultures. I think this is because magic is the highest expression of your culture: the materials, the lifestyle, the spirits…being a part of that culture already literally makes you connect instantly. Therefore you already have a power connection to it. 

But I think there is a pragmatic aspect as well: appropriated magic is naturally weak and destabilizing…I see white male chaos mages absolutely rave over causing already probable events, such as finding something nice at a thrift store, as if that is an amazing achievement. It’s a nice thing, yes, but not anything astounding. 

I’ll also be completely opinionated for a second: I think heavily appropriated magic drives people crazy. It makes people emotionally unstable while also incredibly arrogant and entitled. Otherwise, why are the entirety of white chaos mages….like that…And also new age yoga chakra white moms…like that…….And of course there’s general racism, colonialism, and imperialism at play, but I also think something about being incredibly untrue to your own roots, while also trampling on the roots of others, fucks people up. Anyways…

The reason culture is so important to traditional magic, is because the power of magic is fueled by knowledge and connection. Someone of that culture has both, while someone outside of it has neither. 

Additionally, traditional magic is often complete cosmologies and practices in and of themselves. Therefore traditional practitioners don’t need to go searching hardcore in several other spiritualities, then try to find a way to mesh them all together. And what is passed down, is passed down because it works. So literally, by the very nature of removing a traditional branch of magic from its culture, you are stripping away its power. 

Just be aware that traditional magic goes ham in requirements. The spirits grant power and that power SURE as HELL is not free. Spirit initiations are often tough and scary. And spirits can be demanding of offerings…You’ll be able to do cool shit though. 

On the other hand, if you just want to dip your toes into spirituality and connect with your culture on a non-hardcore, not-heavy-investment way, then more modern. Some people are just seeking a serene setting filled with peaceful incense, candles, positive affirmations, and daily horoscopes. It’s what some people need to fill in the cracks, bring happiness into their lives, and find contentment and enjoyment in the everyday. Unlike intense traditional magic, it’s more about living a certain lifestyle, trust in the universe, and imagining your best life. 

I’m pretty modern/new-age, but want to go more traditional & hardcore. 

“I am tired of all this New Age validation. It is very warm and welcoming, but nothing about my life has changed significantly. I want results from my magic, even if it means investing a significant portion of my time and life into it.” If this phrase rings true for you, then going more “Priestly” may be right for you. 

When going into magic for results, you will need to discard a lot of the New Age ideals. Believing that all deities are benevolent, that spiritual retribution is the thing of dreams and fantasies…That will get you hurt. Power is not free, and with magical power comes responsibilities. 

I’m traditional & hardcore and it’s too much- what can I do to go back to simple laypeople spirituality? 

“I am exhausted by the demands my spirits and divinities place upon me. I miss the free time of watching TV for hours on end, and speaking freely with my mundane friends without having to remember to filter out conversations about my spirituality. I miss my mundane life.” 

In general, it is harder to get out of a traditional path than it is to get in it. (But perhaps there is bias there; many people do not want to leave.) 

You have already gone through the initiations, bonds, vows, and so on, with your spirits. To lighten the load of spiritual homework would require a lot of negotiating or release of those vows. A lot of exit offerings may be required. While I am not sure if full loss of power is possible, they will definitely go dormant; and you will need to accept that. 

But many times, the responsibilities can be too much, and to be highly magical in a majority mundane society can feel very emotionally destabilizing and isolating. There is no shame in returning to primarily wholly benevolent deities if that is what you need in your life. 

Post Edition: March 17 2022