Healing Through Magic

The powers of magic, the purposes magic serve, and the history of magic are far from uniform. Magic is not just slight of hand and fancy tricks as seen by magicians in the United States, nor is it people’s favorite Harry Potter fantasies; it is much more than that. While people may think of magic as just those cool party tricks or fantasy books and movie series, it is rather a practice that has been followed by many cultures for many generations. One example of practicing magic is its healing uses in Russia. While westerners today may think of this as an illogical practice Magic’s ability to heal has been looked at and treated as a valid solution to help people overcome their health ailments for generations. We must attempt to understand the …show more content…
In Russia this practice, though not as prevalent as it once was, due to a globalized economy, the improvement of science, and medicine, and higher education, still exists. There are people known as healers, whose job it is to attend to sickly individuals, through the art of magic rather than through typically modern day medical practices. Surprisingly, to this day these healers are able to get substantial business. In fact, one could consider magic to be a quite a lucrative business in Russia as “Opinion polls show that one in every five Russians has resorted to witchcraft services at least once in their life.”( Smetanina, Svetlana, 1) It is a market worth an estimated two billion dollars annually in Russia. While much of the magic and witchcraft used by Russians for business is unrelated to health, there is a significant amount of Russians who have used witchcraft to heal, in addition to other reasons such as going to fortune tellers to see their future, or going to a specialist who promises to magically restore marriages. While these forms of magic and witchcraft are all different there is a simple sociological component to why they are all able to be so successful to this day. That is, people want to have solutions to their problems, healers; like doctors provide people with a way to solve their problems whether mental or physical. As a result, more spiritual people, such as the …show more content…
Many people may turn to religion as a coping mechanism, for not having the answers to all of the ills of the world, others may turn to magic. Magical thought is a common way of thinking as it is means for humans to feel more in control of their own destiny, and it is a very much a moral question and it demonstrates how people would and do use their talents or wish to use their powers. This is to be expected as “the appetite for such beliefs appears to be rooted in the circuitry of the brain, and for good reason. The sense of having special powers buoys people in threatening situations, and helps soothe everyday fears and ward off mental distress.”(Carey, Benedict 1) Essentially, this means there is a greater psychological benefit to believing in magic, as it calms people down. Whether, magic is being performed on an individual, by another person or by oneself, it is often therapeutic and gives people faith. This is applicable to healing magic in Russian society as many Russians use it for this specific purpose. The hope magic provides to people who often otherwise feel hopeless. Whether it is their health, living in poverty, or their worst fears, magic is an outlet and it provides solace for many Russians. In resorting to magic, these individuals often want to believe in