Q: How did ancient societies view Magic (and Magicians)?
A: Greeks:
A Magician is a member of society to be feared. They lived on the fringes of society. This is probably due to their encounters with the Persians during invasions, who brought Magi with them; however, the Greeks are where we get a large bulk of our Magical manuscripts. They are mostly translated from Coptic into Greek, and many are available online. (Unsure of webaddress, but Skip says they’re at the U of Michigan Library, and on their Website.)
Romans:
Much the same here, a Magician was feared, and there were laws on the books against the practice of Magic. Only two types of spells were allowed: Love spells and Weather Magic.
Celts:
The Magicians in Celtic society were the Druids. They were on the same level as kings in respect; indeed, even kings differed to their wisdom. Those who could work Magic were revered, and nearly everything knew something of Magic. The Druids were able to shapeshift, become invisible, work the weather, divine the future, and do all the other things we expect a Magician or Wizard to do. The Druids were also judges, priests, and (in rare instances) warriors.
Vedic:
Again, the Magician was not feared, though s/he doesn’t seem to be revered on any great scale. The Vedas speak of Magic, and tell exactly how to do it. The most descriptive (according to Skip) is the Arharva Veda Samhita (Trans. Whitney).
Persians:
Their class of Magicians was called the Magus (thus the derivation of the word Magic). The Magus was respected, but did not act in a priest capacity.
Egypt:
Magicians were feared, and placed on the fringes of society here; however, Egyptian Magic is the basis of Greek and Roman Magic.
Q: Why is it that some Indo-European societies fear Magic and others respect it?
A: Skip noted the fact that rural societies tend to look favourably on Magic while urban societies tend to look down on it. Possible explanations for this were as follows:
The Greeks (from whom the Romans learned much) were invaded several times by the Persians, who certainly brought their Magi with them. This being the case, they grew to either fear them as a power or hate them as an enemy. Either way, that would be cause for the Greeks to fear the Magi.
According to Malinowski, Magic is a function of desiring to control forces you cannot. In a rural setting, there is a requirement for a person to control many, many variables (weather, fertility of animals, and protection from nomadic peoples). In an urban setting, fewer factors need to be controlled to such a level, and those factors that do can be controlled by non-magical means.
Q: What are the good books that those studying Magic should read?
A: The books presented at the workshop were:
Arharva Veda Samhita (trans. Whitney)
Arcana Mundi
Magicka Hiera
The Magic Arts in Celtic Britain (Spence)
Magic in the Ancient World (Graf)
Q: How are Guilds in the ADF ordered?
A: Along the lines of ___________’s tripartite system for societies.
The guilds are of three classes,
The Priests or Kings
The Warriors
And the Workers/peasantry/craftsmen
The Magicians’ Guild falls into the “Priests and Kings” section.
Q: What is the knowledge set required for one to enter the third circle of the Magicians’ Guild?
A: The Magician must be fully competent in several areas, with particular attention paid to subdivisions of those areas: Liturgical skills, Seership skills, Scholarly skills, Bardic skills, and Spellbinding skills. They must also have an extensive knowledge of one Indo-European culture and society.
Liturgical skills include the crafting of ritual tools, consecration Magic, knowledge of what the tools are capable of as well as what other tools are capable of, and the comprehension and performance of rituals in the ADF style.
Seership skills include the mastering of one form of divination (“mastering” means that the Magician is able to teach the divination style), a working knowledge of at least two other forms of divination, counseling training, and trancework (some shamanic practices).
Scholarly skills include a full immersion in the culture being studied, including learning one of the surviving Indo-European languages. The object here is to make the person respected enough as a scholar that they are able to be published not only within the ADF, but outside it as well.
Bardic skills include a working knowledge of the culture’s tales and stories, as well as learning the “Magical Voice” of command, which is required for many things the Magician must do.
Spellbinding skills are the most diverse skills set. They include the Spirit Arc, or the ability to have spirits aid the Magician; energy manipulation; the comprehension of the psychic mode; Thaumaturgy; herb work; stone work; colour Magic; candle Magic; the mastery of the three types of spells; and psychosophy.
Q: What is the Guild looking to do in the near future?
A: The plan is to institute mystery initiations, and to work out the testing procedures for the circles. It is also desired that the first and second circles will be fully worked out.