The magi, or priests, of Persia had knowledge of all sacred rituals. They were wise men, but they also were diviners and astrologers who foretold the future.For thousands of year most people believed that remarkable things could be done by influencing spirits of mysterious powers to carry out one's desires. There were various names for the men who were believed able to do this. They were called magicians, sorcerers, witch doctors, medicine men, conjurers, or shamans.

There were various beliefs as to how a spirit or other agency could be influenced. Knowing a spirit's name already gave a person some power over him. A trace of that old belief is found in the fairy tale about Rumpelstiltskin. He loses his power over the queen when she learns his name.

Usually a proper ritual or "incantation" was necessary to influence the spirits. Certain words such as" abracadabra," and certain numbers, too, were supposed to have magical powers. In the story of Aladdin there is another of the many methods of summoning spirits: Aladdin rubs the lamp and the genie appears to obey him. The particular lamp Aladdin owned possessed magic qualities.

The Roman god Mercury (equivalent to the Greek god Hermes) is considered to be the founder of magic arts. How can Westerners take this ritualistic practice seriously? Is this simply an example of primitive superstition and cultist behavior?

Magic is the science of causing changes to occur in conformity with will. It is based on human willpower, which is a force as real as steam or the galvanic current. Magic is the directed use of power that we have labeled "thought pressure" (psychokinesis). Steam is lighter than air, yet it can drive an engine. Electricity is invisible, yet it can light a whole city. The will is intangible and invisible, yet magicians believe that, if properly directed, it can change the world.

We might expect ritual magic to be something that changes from age to age according to the temperament of individual magicians and the cultures to which they belong. Interestingly enough, the manner in which it has been used has altered little in thousands of years. Anyone who reads about the magic of the ancient Chaldeans or Chinese, or about the modern gypsies or dervishes, soon discovers that certain basic ideas and methods occur again and again. If magic is purely wishful thinking and nonsense, it has managed to be remarkably consistent wishful thinking and nonsense.

Magicians have always concerned themselves with the influence on human events and lives of the planets, and the sun and moon. These practitioners assumed a certain affinity or correspondence between specific planets, plants, metals, animals, and colors, and felt that they would be able to draw upon the power of the planets through the understanding and application of these correspondences.

This system of correspondences is the basis of all ritual magic. Some the main correspondences are shown in the table below.