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Episode 5·intro

Methodologies for the Study of Magic

Magic is at the heart of western esotericism. Since the earliest times, magic has been generally defined as ‘bad ritual’, the ceremonial practice of suspect outsiders, and the opposite of the ‘good’, legitimate rituals practiced by mainstream religions.

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Primary Sources

The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion

James George Frazer · 1890 · English · 422 pages

This text argues that human religion evolved from a desperate attempt to manipulate nature through sympathetic magic. Frazer links ancient agricultural rites, like the ritual killing of animal deities, to the development of complex social institutions. He claims that many myths exist merely to expla

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