What does "practical magic" mean?

[scaravich]

How do YOU define the term "practical magic?" I want to know your definition without recent influences, so please do not read any other answers before posting, and don't think too much about it. Just post right now with the first thing that comes to your mind! It's important not to look at other responses at all, even if you're trying not to read them or let them influence you. You don't even have to read the rest of this post

Of course, after posting, feel free to respond to other answers and have a discussion, but my goal is to see people's first impressions just after hearing the term, without thinking much about it or having nearby answers influence them. Of course, you may have a definition you came to from hearing other definitions in the past, but I want to know what it means to you right this moment based on what you've heard before and not what you're about to hear from reading

If you do post more after your initial response, make sure it's clear what was the original response and which was written after thinking more or after reading other posts.

I'm curious becuase not only am I interested in personal lexicons and linguistics, but also because a distinction between this and another idea I have is important for a book I'm writing (both the tea book and another one I'm considering).

I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to influence answers. It's very important that the answers are not influenced. I'll post what I think and discuss, too, later... as well as describe what I'm looking for, too.

Thanks for your responses!

[Heartsong]

Practical magic, to me, means magic that is both at once not overly complex and doesn't require a great deal of elaborate preparation. However, I also think that it can mean magic that has a practical use, like a spell to protect one's home or to help a plant flourish. It is magic that is useful to the caster, perhaps helping in a further spell later, consecration being one of the best examples I can think of right now.

Hope that's a clear enough definition.

[Holdasown]

I would agree with Heartsong. It's got to be something you can whip up easily with little to no tools so I guess personal magic. I would also agree with spells that help with daily living or keeping your space clean, safe and negativity free.

[Firebird]

He he...well I didn't think of the "Movie" first...(yeah I did)
...but I would think this involves actually working magic rather than thinking about it. Since the word derives from "practice". So to me I'm thinking one has studied a lot, and now are going to take what one has learned and put it to use...from theorem to practice.
?
Blessings, Firebird

[Xiao Rong]

Okay - having done no research on the term "practical magic", I'll tell you what my gut reaction is ...

There seems to be (broadly speaking) two major reasons for performing magic - the first is what I would call "celebratory" - to honor the presence of the divine in the world and our relationship to it, to mark things as sacred. For example, one celebrates the Sabbats and the cycle of seasons, or one declares a marriage bond as sacred to a community through a handfasting, or one leaves a daily libation for the gods, etc. This kind of magic can produce psychic transformation, ecstatic experiences, etc.

Then there's what I think of as "practical magic", which is more utilitarian. I think this is what attracts a lot of younger folks to witchcraft - the idea that one can have real, concrete power over the mundane world, whether it's the ubiquitous love spell, or prayers to heal a loved one, a talisman for protection, or simply an incantation to find your car keys. I think this type of magic can sometimes call upon the divine, but the purpose is not to celebrate our connection with the sacred, but to use it to effect change in the non-magical world.

[Greek_Male_Witch]

Well to me seems like the quick but effective spells, practical magic, you don't need a lot, and you don't need to do a lot but still the spell will work...

[Pinkpower_80]

To me it is Magick that is practiced on a regular basis that is fairly easy to do, as in being practical & doesn't require a lot of "fancy" ingredients.
I also think of the book & movie.

[MsMollimizz]

Hmmm? Practical magick ?
Using magick around the house to help household cleaning go quicker,
protecting the house from dangerous happenings, blessing the children
to keep them safe and to help them thru out their childhood.

Gentle Light
MsMollimizz

[scaravich]

Thanks everyone for your answers so far! As expected, there is a lot of variety... but that's okay. Part of why I asked to see if there was a general consensus or idea -- perhaps keywords or repeated feelings that were used commonly. But it seems perhaps not... but I'd like to hear more answers too

(And haha, I completely forgot about the movie when I was asking... IDK how I could ever forget it!)

[Vervain]

To me, practical magic is... most magick.
First I think of things like blessing a space or a tool, or healing, but then, if a spell to change my attitude toward a situation sets my mind at ease and makes me more efficient, then is that not also practical?

My other definition would be anything that is practical to do--not overly ceremonial, should be able to do it with whatever's in your pockets or purse and the world around you, you shouldn't need to go shopping, and it should take just a minute or two--that is to say, practical to do in the middle of the day, wherever you are. That might be my preferred definiton, now that I've thought of it.

Now to read what the others have said.

[Vervain]

You say there's a lot of variety, but it seems to me most of us have similar thoughts:
-not complex
-not much preparation
-utilitarian
-effects changes on the physical plane
-around the home

vs.
-celebratory
-ritual
-ceremonial
-showy, elaborate, complicated
-uncommon or many ingredients/tools/etc

I'd be interested to know where you're going with this, though.

[loona wynd]

How do YOU define the term "practical magic?"

Practical magic for me is working magic by combining herbs into a tea and drinking the tea for an effect. No complex rituals required. Just drinking the tea mindfully knowing that the herbal infusion running through the body will bring about change. Practical magic is also working with spices mindfully in cooking like adding cinnamon to bring prosperity into your life to cereal, toasts, or baked goods. It can be sewing a patch quilt for a newborn babe. It can be hanging herbs for protection by a window in the home. There are many different forms that practical magic can take. Often times these are folklore spells. Hoodoo is a common practice of practical magic. European folk traditions have a lot of practical magic in them as well.