Magic is a belief, ritual or practice that is said to manipulate natural or supernatural forces. Typically, magic is categorized separately from both religion and science because of its different beliefs and practices. Ritual wand of the god of magic of ancient Greek mythology Circe, giving the cup to Odysseus People who practice magic are called magicians. Although meanings have varied from positive to negative many times throughout history, magic "today has an important religious and medicinal role in many cultures." In Western European culture, magic is tied to ideas of the other, alien and primitive, suggesting that it is "a powerful marker of cultural difference" and, as such, a non-modern phenomenon. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Western intellectuals saw the practice of witchcraft as a sign of a primitive mentality and also usually attributed it to marginal groups of people. In modern occultism and neopagan religions, many self-described witches regularly practice r
