Spells and Science: The Evolution of Magic in an Enlightened World

Journal THREE  

 During the 17th and 18th centuries, a European intellectual movement revolutionized art, philosophy and politics. The Enlightenment focused on reason, nature and humanity sparking a dismissal of magic in a literal capacity. Prosecution for witchcraft and magic switched from legitimate claims of practice to prosecution for deception on the basis of fraudulent magic and witchcraft. As mentioned in earlier entries, England’s passage of the Witchcraft Act of 1735 marked the end of witchcraft as a legitimate legal punishment. In fact, the act stated “anyone claiming supernatural powers, benign or malevolent, was self-evidently a fraud and prosecuted as such” (The History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult, 198). Furthermore, the death sentence for those guilty of practicing witchcraft was dismissed. 

    Nonetheless, magic remained an integral part in popular culture. In Europe, those still practicing folk medicine were referred to as “cunning folk.” Although they claimed ancient magic as integral, cunning folk were typically midwives with further knowledge in herbal remedies and natural healing. Additionally, with a reason-focused switch in popular opinion, magic began to take on an entertainment-focused nature. For example, fairy tales depicting “fairies, witches, transformative characters, spells, curses, and potions” became popular sources of entertainment for both children and adults in Europe” (The History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult, 201). Many of these fairy tales still reside in popular media today - Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. 

    The practice of magic with scientific foundations became a spectator pastime. For example, German doctor Franz Mesmer was an early-day pioneer of modern-day hypnosis. Hypothesizing mesmerism, the belief in magnetic energy in all sources of life, Dr. Mesmer would conduct energy re-balancing sessions with up to 20 affluent clients at a time. It is claimed that “these sessions were as much theatrical as medical” with low lighting and celestial music (The History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult, 210). 

    Tarot card readings, medium sessions, seances and palmistry became lucrative ways for individuals to rise in the ranks of fame, popularity, and wealth. Specifically, with high child mortality rates couples with the American Civil War, individuals were particularly drawn to communicating with those who had passed. Spiritualism refers to the practice of communicating with the spiritual world. Men and women under the guise of mediums would prey on individuals grieving lost loved ones for money and fame. Popular sister duo, Maggie and Kate Fox, were early-pioneers of this hoax.

    Perhaps most interesting is the rise in popularity of early stage magic. With scientific developments in the 19th century, illusions become more complex and spectacular. Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin was “by far the most influential of all 19th-century magicians” and “now known as “the father of modern magic” (The History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult, 234). Other magicians at the time include Isaiah Hughes, John Henry Anderson, John Nevil Maskelyne, and Alexander Herrmann. Today, stage magic still is a vital part of popular culture. Magicians like David Blaine, Criss Angel, and David Copperfield shock viewers with even more spectacular and seemingly impossible tricks. 

    The Enlightenment marked a pivotal turning point in the perception and practice of magic in Europe and beyond. While belief in supernatural powers was dismissed in favor of reason and science, magic lived on through other means of entertainment and spectacle. Though no longer a source of existential fear and prosecution, the mystical arts continued to capture imagination and curiosity. Elements of magic permeated stories, performance art, seances, illusionists' spectacles, and more. What endures is humanity's timeless fascination with the fantastical and inexplicable. While the context changed, the allure of magic never faded. Its evolution over the Enlightenment simply opened new avenues to unleash enchantment onto willing audiences. Whether through tales of fairy godmothers, eerie medium sessions, or a magician's disappearing act, magic found its place in the modern world.