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In this article we will discuss about the magical approach of life.
Introduction to Magical Approach:
There are two ways of tiding over various crises of life. One is the religious approach which means worshipping and offering prayers to the Higher Power in order to earn Divine grace. The other is the magical approach which is a system of manipulation by which some superior power or powers are sought to be coerced into service.
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Such manipulative action is not obviously validated by scientific knowledge. In Golden Bough Frazer made a detailed study of magical practices on the basis of evidence collected from different parts of the world.
Principles of Magical Approach:
He found that magical formulae are based on two principles:
1. Like produces like,
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2. Once in contact always in contact. He reduced these two principles into laws.
1. The first one is the law of similarity. The magic based on it is called homoeopathic or imitative or mimetic magic. Some examples may be cited. In Chota Nagpur (in Bihar) some tribal groups believe that thunder with its rumbling noise is the direct cause of rain.
Because of this belief, when they want rains, they go to a hill top, sacrifice a hen or a pig, and then start flinging down stones, rocks and boulders down the hill, expecting rain to follow the rumbling noises created by their action, just as it follows thunder.
Burning of effigies is yet another common form of imitative magic. To get rid of an enemy, an image of him may be made and then burnt or nails driven into it. It is believed that its original will also suffer likewise.
2. The second law is the law of contact or contagion. The magic that is based on it is called contagious magic. The law of contact or contagion is based on the assumption that a part is always associated with the whole to which it belongs or belonged—that is, once a part, always a part. This association is extended to clothing, nail and hair trimmings, excreta, utensils, personal effects and so on.
It is because of such belief that the personal effects of the dead are not made use of by many primitive groups but are installing buried or cremated along with the dead body. Contagious magic operates on the principle that whatever is in contact with the supernatural power would be affected by it.
Thus, many people wear a mascot or talisman to ward off evil spirit. The magical practice of neutralizing the effects of the evil eye by the application of black mark on the foreheads is found both among tribals and non-tribals.
Fetishism:
Magic is often associated with fetishism. According to this belief, certain objects are supposed to be possessed of powers to help man out of various difficulties or in achieving his desires. Such objects are called fetishes. Such an object may be a feather, a skull or an amulet. Its test is its efficacy.
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Totemism:
According to Goldenweiser, when we refer to totemism, we mean that a tribe has a social organisation, usually of the sib pattern, which is associated with a form of supernaturalism, consisting of certain typical attitudes towards species of animals or plants or classes of natural objects.
This attitude manifests itself in several different ways. Thus, descent may be traced from the totemic animal or plant (a totem is generally an animal, rarely a plant).
The killing and/or eating of the totemic species may be taboo, but may be permissible on ceremonial occasions. The death of a totemic animal may be ceremonially mourned. The totemic animal may be looked upon as a sort of guardian-angel of the tote-mite.
Taboo:
The word ‘taboo’ has been derived from the Polynesian tabu meaning ‘to forbid’ and ‘forbidden’. Taboo is used to characterize all the restrictions, communicated through verbal Don’ts and Do’s, and generally associated with ritualistic behaviour which a member of a primitive society has to submit to. Taboo has been called the unwritten law of savage society. But society does not deal with cases of violation.
The culprit himself becomes the chastiser. He fears a calamity. Taboo may, therefore, be said to have a supernatural or magical sanction behind it. “The aim of taboo appears to be to limit an individual to the norms of his society. It is society which is vitally affected by the observance or non- observance of taboo. Yet the initiative for enforcement of taboo always rests with the individual.
It has been very well said that the woof and warp of magical beliefs and practices is made up of positive and negative strands. Taboo represents the latter. Its purpose is threefold : productive, protective and prohibitive. Taboos associated with the process of cultivation are designed to be productive.
There are taboos which keep, for example, women and children away from certain places or actions. These are protective in nature. The prohibitive taboos are those which seclude a person or limit contact with him or her. These are designed to be prohibitive in the sense that they prohibit the persons tabooed from doing harm to others. Protective and prohibitive taboos are the same.