MAGIC:
the production of effects in the world by means of invisible or supernatural
CAUSATION. Action based on a BELIEF in the efficacy of SYMBOLIC FORM which perform in an
automatic manner. Magical belief holds that if a RITUAL is performed correctly then the
desired result will of necessity be attained. The appropriate magical action leads
automatically to an intended end. In the past magic was seen as separate from and
essentially to a more primitive thought FORM than RELIGION but recent scholarship has
tended to blur the distinction between religion and magic.