Everyone has heard of black magic, and when pondering the question, "what is black magic?", the default assumption is that black magic spells are evil, bad, selfish and/or dangerous, something to be avoided at all costs or you risk bad karma, negative "payback", spirit infestation or a host of other black magic repercussions that will have you cowering in a corner somewhere, regretting your decision to use it.TV shows and films have popularised connotations of risk, peril and recklessness in association with users or practitioners of black magic spells, while linking its deployment with demon lovers, devil worshippers and Satanists. While there is some truth in the above stereotypes for some types of black magic practice, it must be understood that there are myriad systems of magic and therefore no one-size-fits-all-answer to the question of "what is black magic". Just as there are different shades of white, so too there are different shades of black. This metaphor must be applied to any discussion of black magic, for it is a misconception to view all black magic spells and black magic systems as tools used solely to unleash revenge, harm others or cause destruction. Let's delve into things a little deeper as we contemplate some common misundertandings...
Not all Black Magic Requires Working with Spirits or Demons
When the question "what is black magic" arises, invariably a mental picture of some dark clothed figure in a dimly lit room springs to mind. Pentagrams and candles flank the space as the witch reads aloud from some huge, ancient looking Grimoire, while a nebulous form begins to arise from the salt-rimmed circle on the floor - a Spirit is emerging, taking shape as the incantation progresses further....Okay, maybe this is a little on the dramatic side but this kind of presentation is not far off what we are most often fed via television shows and films. It's no surprise that black magic has become so stereotyped and misunderstood when the general populace has only ever heard of Aleistair Crowley or watched a season or two of Supernatural!
It is true that a great many practitioners of black magic do indeed work with spirits and entities of various kinds as they go about weaving their black magic spells. Among such types will be those who work with darker forces - demons, incubi, succubi are just a few examples - while others will engage with spirits and entities who are more neutral in nature. In either case, this is usually achieved through some type of ceremonial magic practice that works to "conjure" the required spirit or entity, who works on behalf of the magician or witch to do their bidding. This said, NOT ALL black magic spells are cast with the aid of any kind of demon, spirit or entity, and when they ARE, those beings are not necessarily those we would associate with "forces of evil". In my own practice of black magic spellcasting, I offer a wide array of black magic spells but only one of them involves working with any kind of entity, and the type of Spirit I work with is in no way, shape or form "evil" or "dark".
Not all Black Magic is Dark in Nature
If you polled 100 people with the question, "what is black magic", I bet the majority of respondants would reply with something along the lines of "it's a kind of dark magic, an evil magic". Unquestionably, there are many black magic spells a witch might employ that would indeed qualify as "dark magic", but it is my personal take that people are too quick to equate "power" with "darkness", and GREAT POWER is at the heart of black magic practice. Power is a force, and this deep, intense vibration can be harnessed through means other than those that involve working with spirits, demons or entities of any kind. The Creation Power of Life itself courses through our reality, our minds, our bodies, our hearts. There is no greater power in existence. This Great Power - a neutral force- can be accessed and harnessed by the black magic practitioner, providing an unparalleled intensity of energy with which he or she works as they wield this magnificent Force while weaving their black magic spell. In this context, it is preferable to switch out the term "Black Magic" for "Power Magic", as this is what such magic is, at its essential core - the Most Powerful magic. It is this Force that I work with when casting my own black magic spells. How this Force is utilised will depend on the individual witch; some will bend this energy for purposes that have a darker intent, while others will employ its power for neutral or benevolent intent.
Black Magic Practitioners are Not Always Satanists, or of Any Religious Denomination
Another popular stereotype that crops up when pondering "what is black magic" is the concept of black magick spellcasters being Satanists. While there may very well be witches out there who align themselves with this type of belief system, it is absolute nonsense to cast (excuse the pun) all black magic spellcasters into this group. People performing black magic spells will come from a variety of cultures, and a variety of religious backgrounds, while others may be Atheist or Agnostic.
Black Magic Spells and the Concept of Backfiring or Negative Karma
With the exception of those black magic spells that involve the cooperation of dark spirits, entities or demons, in my experience the concepts of backfiring spells and negative cause and effect related to performing any type of magic really, but specifically black magic, is another example of nonsense. I firmly believe that the mind is the greatest conjurer of all and that we will attract exactly those things we expect- or fear- we will attract. Everyone has heard of the Law of Attraction and the idea of Manifestation, and these concepts should be understood and appreciated by anyone seeking to have black magic spell work done, for they form the foundation of magical practice.
Spellcasting and Magic (in my personal opinion) is a dressed-up, powered-up version of The Law of Attraction. The very principles involved with Manifestation and Law of Attraction are shared with spellcasting and magic. When it comes to the notion of casting spells- particularly black magic spells- I lay the blame quite firmly at the feet of certain magical practices that shall remain un-named that have popularized this idea that a spell will backfire and come back on you twofold, threefold, or how ever many folds that system likes to talk about, "unless" that spell was done purely for selfless purposes. Hogwash! But personal beliefs and/or fears can certainly influence events and experiences in a person's life, so again, we come back to one fundamental point, and this point should never be underestimated: You shape your own reality to a great degree. Your mind is the greatest magician of all! Be careful what you think, be careful what you believe. If you fret that a black magic spell (or any type of spell) will backfire, you run the risk of generating an outcome that will subsequently appear to validate your fear, but YOU created it...
Black Magic Spells and the Concept of Violating Freewill
If you asked someone "what is black magic", I'm sure another type of common response is along the lines of how this kind of spellcasting turns people into puppets who do things against their own freewill. Sure, there are some mighty powerful witches out there working with intensely dark forces, and this kind of collaberation may very well result in an effect that manages to override a person's freewill, resulting in them doing things or acting in certain ways that are quite out of character. But this kind of black magic spellcasting is extremely rare. You are unlikely to come across it, and if you do, you'd probably be paying insane amounts of money to have it done.
A black magic spell works to influence a person, but there has to be a seed - however tiny - of willingness on their part to be led or steered in a particular direction. Many of the black magic spells that I perform simply focus on working with this "seed" - I view it as something is often buried deeply within a person under layers of emotional blocks or fears, and this seed just needs a bit of watering (through the black magick spell) to get it to begin to grow. As it develops, a certain energy is released that the person can choose to respond to -or not. At no time are they doing ANYTHING against their own freewill.
If you found this article after Googling "what is black magic", I hope that you have come away after reading it with a balanced view of black magic. Spellcasting is frequently shrouded in misundertanding and many stereotypes - I hope I've managed to successfully dispel some of those for you today!