Fantasy (part 2): Magic

If you look at 'magic' logically, it's usually just a power or powers that people don't usually have. Changing a man into a frog, healing wounds instantly, controlling water,... they're all impossible according to the laws of science. But, if you look at it logically, so was Jesus' walking on water, multiplying fish and bread, and Moses dividing the Red Sea with God's power.

Of course, all things have the ability to be either good or bad. There are good movies and bad movies. Good books, bad books. Holy power, evil power.

So while magic (in the normal sense of the word)--the art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation or various other techniques that presumably assure human control of supernatural agencies or of the forces of nature--is considered evil or dark, and otherwise forbidden, it can be said that it's not good or bad by nature. It becomes good or bad according to the person who wields the power. In this case, don't blame the magic, blame the magician.

Of course, there is one small alteration to the definition that has to be made if we're not just using our highly developed (and over-active) imaginations. Humans do not have this power, but God can channel it through people like it's demonstrated in many bible stories. Let's be honest, if some random guy showed up around your neighborhood and started healing people by laying his hands on their wounds, walked on water, and multiplied loaves of bread, would you automatically think "Hmmm...this guy's gotta be good. I mean, look at how he's helping these people!"? I know I wouldn't. I would be suspicious...and afraid. Just like the people in Israel were when Jesus dropped by on friendly neighborhood visits. 

My point (finally) is that 'magic' is a word that has, through the centuries, received a bad connotation. It's not usually associated with good things. I'm not saying magic as it's defined is definitely good. The ability to do these things that go against nature is not good or bad, it's not black and white. After all, both God (along with Jesus and other chosen) and Satan (or people with bad intentions) have used it. 

Now that my totally long-winded lecture is over (I am not long-winded at all in real life, by the way), I'm going to list some common abilities that magical people (or things) are able to wield. 

   1. The ability to change form of themselves and others.
   2. The ability to heal instantly. 
   3. The ability to form fire or weapons with some sort of inner power. 
   4. The ability to see the future and the past. 
   5. The ability to mix up potions that can do almost anything. 
   6. The ability to hear a person's thoughts or know what the person knows.
   7. The ability to be invisible.

There are loads more with many little differences that make them unique. There are loads of magic abilities. 

Here are some books that have a lot of magic in them:
                         
         

Both by Vivian Vande Velde. Although sometimes her books tend to lean towards the creepy and unusual, these two don't and(at least not the creepy) and are some of her best in my opinion.

    

    

     

This one is actually not a book you can borrow or buy. It's uploaded onto Wattpad.com, but it's really good (it's book 1 in the Dragon of Legend series by voif1d). 

             See ya's,

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