To live in a magical world : A literature study of three influental Neopagan authors' views of magic

The purpose of this essay is to study the pluralism of notions of magic and magic ritualization by doing an analysis of three influential books by three Neopagan authors. The works that were used as material for this essay were Witchcraft today by Gerald Gardner, Wicca by Scott Cunningham and Instant Magick: Ancient wisdom, modern spellcraft by Christopher Penczak. The study answers two main questions: Which views on magic does each author express, regarding what magic is and how it should be practiced? How can each author’s views on magic be explained by studying the society the author lived in and the Neopagan traditions he came into contact with? For this study, I have been inspired by Åsa Trulsson and Catherine Bell. I use Bell’s concept of ritualization in order to provide a perspective where the practitioner is put in the center of attention, not the ritual itself. This essay showed that the authors’ views of magic and how it should be practiced can be explained by studying the societies they lived in as well as which Neopagan tradition they belonged to. Gardner has a much more rigid view on what magic is and how it should be exercised, compared to Cunningham and Penczak, which can be explained by the more traditional view on religion and ritual that existed during Gardner’s life, and his wish to legitimize the tradition he presented to the world. Furthermore, this essay shows that Gardner has influenced both Cunningham and Penczak, who have also been influenced by more diverse traditions than Gardner, such as Kabbalah, Reiki et cetera. This more diverse inspiration from other traditions also explains the differences between Gardner and the other two authors