Writing Magic — Part 2

Last week I pointed out that the various systems of Western magic fall into two rough categories, folk magic on the one hand and on the other, natural philosophy, the attempt on the part of European intellectuals of the Renaissance and Reformation eras to develop a unified view of the universe from a magical/mystical point of view. The two categories have certain ways of thinking in common while differing wildly in others.

The roots of both, however, go back to very ancient times. Folk charms...