Untitled Quiz

Key Concepts in Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion

• Animism:

  • Belief in spirit beings that animate nature.

• Animatism:

  • Concept that the world is energized by impersonal supernatural forces.

• Illness:

  • Culturally defined perception of health and emotional states.

• Society:

  • Group of individuals sharing a local environment, culture, and language.

• Holistic Approach:

  • Anthropology perspective that examines ideas comprehensively.

• Prophet:

  • A religious leader characterized by personal revelations and charisma, leading social change through religion.

• Shaman:

  • A religious healer with supernatural powers, often identified through unique physical traits or symptoms.

• Myth:

  • Sacred stories that explain the origins and current state of the world.

• Religion:

  • A system of rituals backed by myths that harness supernatural forces for transformation in nature and people.

• Witchcraft:

  • Belief that individuals possess psychic abilities to inflict harm and cause misfortune.

• Polytheism:

  • Belief in multiple gods or deities.

• Liminal:

  • State of being in transition; "betwixt and between."

• Monotheism:

  • Belief in one supreme deity.

• Kala Jadu:

  • Refers to the practice of black magic.

• Cosmology:

  • Understanding of the fundamental structure of the universe.

• Mal ojo/Mal de ojo:

  • Concept of the evil eye that causes harm through envy.

• Mal ser:

  • Reference to malevolent spirits.

• As'sihr:

  • Islamic context of sorcery practices.

• Ritual:

  • Formal behaviors related to mystical elements, distinct from ordinary routines.

• Barrida:

  • Ritual sweeping, often to cleanse an area of negative influences.

• Priest/ess:

  • Ritual leaders with knowledge passed down through designated family lineages.

• Latmiya:

  • Ritual self-flagellation expressing grief.

• Salvation cocktail:

  • A controversial drink used by snake handlers as an act of faith.

• Multivocal Symbols:

  • Symbols that carry multiple meanings in different contexts.

• Syncretism:

  • Blending of belief systems resulting in a new, unique system.

• Symbol:

  • Fundamental unit of ritual that encapsulates various ritual properties.

• Mana:

  • Concept referring to a spiritual force or power.

• Culture:

  • Collective values and beliefs that shape behavior and experiences.

• Possession:

  • State where spirits, whether benevolent or malevolent, inhabit a person's body.

• Cultural Relativity:

  • Understanding a culture based on its own values and perspectives.

• Ethnocentrism:

  • Judging another culture through the lens of one's own.

• Magic:

  • Manipulation of supernatural powers to influence events for beneficial or harmful ends.