People have always been fascinated by magic spells.  Believers and non-believers alike are drawn to them for their promised ability to affect physical change in the world with little more than willpower.  Magic has held a central role in literature and folklore throughout history, and unexplained phenomena and new scientific advances were often believed to be evidence of magic in the world.  Many of the symbols and tools used by those who practice magic today are grounded in the religion and beliefs of ancient civilizations.

Much of today’s magic can be traced to the religions of Ancient Egypt and Greece.  Often, priests were believed to be in possession of magic powers, and some writings that have been recovered from those regions are thought to be spells.  It is here that wands are first used, and priests in these cultures were the first to employ magic circles both as defense against evil as well as to aid in the conjuring of spirits.  Both the Egyptians and Greeks were deeply spiritual, and called upon magic and the actions of the gods to explain major natural disasters and topographical features in the earth.  What would now be considered practices of ritualistic magic were often used to speak to the spirits of the dead or interpret omens.

The traditions of Northern Europeans who celebrated Norse and Celtic gods are echoed in the practices of modern Wicca.  The Wiccan New Year is meant to coincide with the Celtic one, and much of the runic magic still studied today is patterned after ancient Norse runes.  Both these religions relied heavily on the lunar calendar and their religious symbols were generally based on objects in the natural world.  The central symbol in Norse mythology was a tree from which all life was said to sprout. This became a meeting place for pagans in Northern Europe even after Christianity had begun to take hold.  Long after a forced conversion, stories of these rituals were passed on in folklore and continued to be practiced in addition to the rituals associated with the practice of Christianity at the time.

Paganism and an interest in the occult never entirely died down.  Even throughout the 18^th and 19^th Centuries in Western Europe, pagan sects continued to operate, though in smaller numbers than in the past.  Some pagan rites, such as the séance, were co-opted as bourgeois parlor games.  Certain aspects of magic were adopted into the mainstream, and European practitioners of magic saw greater legal protections in their rights of religious expression than ever before.  While Europe was becoming more accepting of witchcraft, the United States was dealing with the aftermath of the Salem Witch Trials, offering reparations to victims and their families and acknowledging the failing of the justice system.

Today, magic spells are primarily used by members of Wiccan covens.  They maintain many of the fixtures of ancient magic, such as wands, cauldrons and incense.  Though the number of Christians and Jews in this country still far outnumbers Wiccans, there are still many active adherents in the United States.