In the early Middle Ages in Europe, the healing process - physical, psychological and spiritual - was based on what we now call "ritual magic". At that time, the view that Humanity had about the world was different from the scientific view we have today. Many explanations and cures were based on connection to the natural world and on the few chosen by the deities, who held the power and ability to connect to it.
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Magic Spells as a Natural Art
All magical practices, rituals and spells draw their foundations to the natural world, to the power of what is felt but not seen, by the force of faith and the will to change situations and events. In the beginning, practitioners of magic were the "sages", the most respected people in the community. This figure was understood to be the guardian of cultural traditions, the oracle, the prophetic and the healer. All of society gravitated towards his wisdom, from the top of the hierarchy to the humblest servant. Many important decisions were made on the basis of the words spoken in trance by the shamans and the divination power of the oracle.
The natural arts consist of prayers and rituals to imprison evil and negative energies in a plane far removed from humans. Being a sorceress - or a sorcerer, was described as the work of a God-given gift.
The cure was based on magic, or on the notion that what is similar attracts its counterpart. A red cloth was used to bring down fever, red flowers for the blood disorders, and yellow objects to cure jaundice. The numbers are considered to be very powerful, especially three and seven.
It was believed that the Moon and the Sun guided the course of the disease and marked the times of harvesting and planting. Medicinal herbs were collected on specific days, according to the phases of the Moon.
Magic Spells and the Power of Healing
Magic spells works on the principle that in the universe all things are related and that the part influences the whole. Together with the power of conviction, the strength of believing that the desire has already come true and with the help of the energy of the cosmos, it is possible to cure, achieve happiness, fulfill desires and find the path that will fulfill the life mission of each one.
Based on this assumption - that all things are related and that the part influences the whole, things could be associated either by colors or physical properties. In the Modern Age it was thought, for example, that certain metals, such as silver and mercury, had a special affinity with the Moon, due to their color, brightness, changeability and other characteristics.
The magic and healing of the ritual had an intense social and psychological importance and deeply rooted in societies and that, many times, is ignored in the current world, which values, above all, scientific knowledge rather than the sensitive and natural.
The Search for Answers, the Self and the Magic Spells
The search for answers has always fascinated us, and that is why we have looked to the sky and natural events to find them since the dawn of time. The astrological system has developed in several more advanced civilizations, but the search for a cure for the ailments that afflict all people, in all cultures, was - still is - a transversal concern to all Humanity.
We all seek a cure for a disease, we all seek to maintain a balance between the physical world (which we recognize through our senses) and the spiritual world, domain of the gods and the occult. We all bow down to our finitude, to the uncertainty of what happens in the world beyond death.
But on the other hand, we all want something or something. All people seek to have a life that satisfies them, regardless of what they most value for themselves. Get more and more power, gain recognition from others, have economic security, achieve peace of mind, build a family, among many other things. And, over time, we found ways to do it.
Ritual magic is, at its origin, a healing process and, as such, it can be understood and practiced to attract someone you want, money, health or protection. On the other hand, already in ancient times, the importance of the psychological part in the healing process was recognized. Currently, rituals are also seen as a process that allows us to stop to think, to meditate, to have time to abstract from the distractions and routines that are imposed on us on a daily basis and that help us to channel vital energy into the Self, which is, after all, the center of reality for each of us.
For Astrology, for example, the birth chart puts the person at the center. The universe is around you but, in its essence, what it intends to do is reveal the location of the stars in the Cosmos at the exact moment of the date and time of our birth to, from there, draw the guide of our astral personality. The Self remains at the center. It is, therefore, a process of self-discovery and self-knowledge.
