Thaumaturgy
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Thaumaturgy (from the Greek words thaumos meaning "miracle" and ergos meaning "work") is the branch of magic (or "magick", the term as employed by Crowley) that is concerned with the production of real-world, "objective" effects, e.g. "miracles".
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[edit] Thaumaturge
The English name for a practitioner, Thaumaturge, implied in the adjective thaumaturgical (recorded in 1621), derives from Thaumaturgus, the latinized form of the Greek word Thaumatourgos, meaning wonderworker. In pagan times, miraculous powers, such as healing, were ascribed to persons (as well as things) on account of various superstitions. Some survived long after Christianisation, such as the belief in the healing power of the hand of the Merovingian kings.
In its original Greek form, the name was ascribed to a number of Christian saints. In that sense it carries no associations with magick, and is usually translated into English as "wonderworker". Famous ancient Christian thaumaturges include Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea, also known as Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus, and Saint Nicholas of Myra. The Carmelite bishop of Fiesole Saint Andrew Corsini (1302-1373) was also considered a thaumaturge in his lifetime.
The word was first anglicized and used in the magical sense John Dee's book "Mathematicall Praeface to Euclid's Elements"(1570), about an 'art mathematical' called 'thaumaturgy... which giveth certain order to make strange works, of the sense to be perceived and of men greatly to be wondered at'.
[edit] The magic
While many believe that thaumaturgy is distinguished from theurgy, the branch which concerns itself with purely spiritual matters, this is not always the case. Thaumaturgy deals with producing a desired effect within the material world, but it is not necessarily opposed to or distinct from theurgy in that the material effect produced may simply be a theurgical result caused to emanate downward from the more subtle, spiritual realm into the dense, material sphere. In this way, thaumaturgy may simply be considered the visual manifestation of theurgy, just as the body is the visual manifestation of the spirit via the mind, as well as its vehicle.
If one is intending to imply that the change produced has no higher effect other than a material effect for the purpose of physical gratification, then it would be more accurate to refer to it as "low magic," in that it lacks any form of higher meaning or significance beyond self gain. High magic would then be used to refer to both theurgy and also thaumaturgy, if this is just a material impression or actualization of spiritual forces or potentials.
This term can be used in conjunction with such emanationist systems as the Kabbalah in order to explain how changes can be wrought in the created, material realm by making subtle changes in the higher, more subtle realms from which the physical sphere emanates. For instance, if a Magician made slight changes in the world of formation (Olam Yetzirah), such as within the Sefirah of Yesod upon which Malkuth (the material realm) is based and within which all former Sephiroth are brought together, then these alterations would emanate into the world of action (Olam Assiah). This idea is explained in light of the Hermetic Kabbalah and not the traditional Jewish Kabbalistic concepts as expressed within Chassiduth.
[edit] In fiction and popular culture
- Thaumaturgy is often used as a name for the magic in Terry Pratchett's Discworld
- Magic is almost always referred to as thaumaturgy in China Miéville's Bas-Lag books a fictional world that contains the city of New Crobuzon, the setting of Perdido Street Station.
- Thaumaturgy is also a magical discipline in White Wolf's role-playing game, Vampire: The Masquerade.
- Thaumaturgy is mentioned and used in the home made RPG Maker XP series Akasha Seal.
- In the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons the Thaumaturgist is a prestige class which specifically summons celestial beings.
- In Everquest 1, Thaumaturge is a title granted to a magician who has completed his epic weapon, proving the mage's mastery of the elements.
- In the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, Harry Dresden is a thaumaturgist.
- Tai al-Ardh
- In The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, written by Stephen R. Donaldson, Kasreyn of the Gyre is a thaumatugist with insidious plans for the main character
- In Magic:The Gathering, the card game, there is a creature named "Dwarven Thaumaturgist" who can temporarily flip other creatures' power and toughness values.
- In Dominions, by Illwinter Design, it is one of the branches your God can research.
[edit] Sources and references
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