Paper 88 Overview: Fetishes, Charms, and Magic

The concept of spirits entering objects, animals, or humans is an old belief that led to fetishism. People did not worship the fetish itself but rather the spirit they believed lived inside it. This kind of belief system grew to include ideas about ghosts, souls, spirits, and demon possession.

As human thinking evolved, the idea of fetishes expanded from objects to places and even to words. Many modern religious practices have roots in these ancient beliefs. Magic developed as humans tried to control or influence the spirit world, which they believed controlled events in the physical world.

The belief that a spirit could enter an object, animal, or human is very old and respected in human history. This belief is called fetishism, and it has existed since the beginning of religion. Primitive people did not worship the fetish object itself, but rather the spirit they believed lived within it.

At first, people thought the spirit in a fetish was the ghost of a dead person. Later, they came to believe that higher spirits could live in fetishes. Eventually, fetish worship grew to include all primitive ideas about ghosts, souls, spirits, and demon possession.

Primitive humans wanted to make anything unusual into a fetish, so chance often determined what became one. When a sick person got better after something happened, that thing might become a fetish. Objects connected to dreams often became fetishes, as did shooting stars and meteors, which were seen as visiting spirits.

The first fetishes were special stones, and some sacred stones like the Kaaba are still revered today. Fire and water were also early fetishes, and fire worship and belief in holy water still exist. Over time, fetishes included trees, plants, animals, and even body parts like hair and nails. Some days of the week and numbers were also considered lucky or unlucky.

People believed that ghosts preferred to live in objects that belonged to them when they were alive. This explains why ancient people revered the bones of their leaders. Even today, people make pilgrimages to the tombs of great men, showing how this belief continues.

The belief in relics grew from the fetish traditions of primitive people. Religious shrines, temples, and altars were first fetish places, often because the dead were buried there. Words also became fetishes, especially those thought to be God's words, which led to sacred books becoming like prisons for spiritual imagination. People's respect for wisdom and truth today shows they are moving away from fetish thinking.

Fetishism was found in all primitive religions, from belief in sacred stones to idolatry, cannibalism, nature worship, and totemism. Totemism combined social and religious practices based on respect for a particular animal believed to be related to the group.

Originally, people thought respecting their totem animal would ensure they had enough food. A totem was both a symbol of the group and their god, representing the clan as a whole. Over time, totems evolved into flags and national symbols of different countries. Even today, people show respect for flags and other national symbols much like ancient people did for their totems.

Civilized humans use science to solve problems in the real world, while primitive people tried to solve problems in what they saw as a ghost environment through magic. Magic was a way to get spirits to cooperate or to force their help by using fetishes or more powerful spirits.

Magic and sorcery had two main goals: to see into the future and to influence the environment. These goals are the same as those of science today. Humans are progressing from magic to science not through thinking and reasoning but through long experience, step by step. Science allows humans to face forward, while magic was an early form of experimentation needed for survival.

Since anything connected to the body could become a fetish, early magic often involved hair and nails. People were scared that enemies might use parts of their body for harmful magic, so they carefully buried all body waste. They even avoided spitting in public and always covered saliva because of fear it might be used in magic.

Magical charms were made from many things like human flesh, animal parts, poison seeds, snake venom, and human hair. People believed in love charms and thought blood and other body fluids could ensure love. Effigies (doll-like figures) were used in magic, as were the milk of black cows, black cats, wands, drums, bells, and knots. Names were treated with respect, especially gods' names, which were considered powerful.

Magic was practiced using wands, rituals, and special words, usually with the practitioner working without clothes. Women were more often magicians than men. In magic, "medicine" meant mystery, not treatment, and primitive people never treated themselves but relied on magic specialists.

Magic had both public and private forms. Medicine men, shamans, or priests performed public magic for the good of the tribe. Witches, sorcerers, and wizards provided private magic for personal gain or to harm enemies. Magical practice included chants, hand gestures, and rituals that eventually evolved into prayers. Science is gradually removing the gambling element from life, but if education failed, people would quickly return to belief in magic.