ABSTRACT
The origins of magic lie at the very beginnings of human history when man first appeared and was faced with a strange environment and a mysterious existence. It was in search of an explanation for, and the ability to exercise some control over these powers, that man developed magic. Indeed, one author has described magic as ‘a system of archaic psychology’. As his adaptation to and control of the environment increased, and his dependence on the forces of nature lessened, magic became more speculative, and less concerned with the everyday needs of survival. A religious system developed to provide a mythology for the general populace, while magic remained the domain of a few, for the rest turned in times of need. As science and technology relieved the more urgent needs of man, and made the hostile world less hostile, magic turned inward to become a science of mind, and developed away from the search for control of the physical environment.
