THE ART OF MAGIC

Magic is a conjuring word that enchants all groups of people starting from children till grown
adults. This is because of the endless fantasies that magic may create. Based on the Oxford
Dictionary, magic is defined as the secret power of making impossible things happen by saying
special words or doing special things. In other word, magic is the art of doing tricks that seem
impossible in order to entertain people. The belief in and the practice of magic has been present
since the earliest human cultures and continues to have an important religious and medicinal role in
many cultures today. Magic is often viewed with suspicion by the wider community and is
sometimes practiced in isolation and secrecy. Well, yes friends, my speech for today is on magic. The
three major points that Im going to focus today would be the history of magic, the types of magic
and how magic is being misused by certain people.

As I said earlier magic has been practiced for a very long time. In fact it goes back as far as
50,000 B.C. Can you believe it; 52,000 years ago magic was started? Prehistoric people who buried
cave bears probably started "magic". They probably did this as a magic rite (spell). Scientists believe
those drawings and carvings are a form of magic. For example, hunters would probably draw
animals or hunting scenes before going on hunting trips. They probably believed that the drawings
would come to life while they were gone. They believed in its power but it didnt actually work. By
drawing the scenes they gave themselves self-confidence. That was their magic.

During the middle ages, Europeans believed strongly in magic. Almost all Europeans believed in
its power. At that time alchemist (chemists) searched for two very valuable substances, the
philosopher's stone and the elixir of life. The philosopher's stone was believed to change iron, lead,
and any other metals into gold. The elixir of life was a miraculous substance that could cure diseases
and lengthen life.

From the 15
th
century to the 17
th
century, belief in magic continued to spread around the world.
Even the highly educated people believed in its power. For example, Sir Isaac Newton studied
alchemy. After 16
th
century magic lost our attention because of scientific advances. Scientists
revealed that magic was not real; it was our mind playing tricks. Magic today is way different than
hundreds of years ago. Some people still believe in witchcraft or still read their horoscope in the
daily newspaper, but we mostly use it as entertainment.

As we all know, magic can be grouped under various types. Today Im going to emphasize on
four major types of magic. First of all, lets look into escapology. Escapology is the branch of magic
that deals with escapes from confinement or restraints. This type of magic is considered very
dangerous and only certain talented magicians can perform this trick.

Next is street magic which is a form of street performance that employs a hybrid of stage magic
usually performed 'in the round' or surrounded by the audience. The term "street magic" has also
come to describe a style of 'guerilla' performance in which magicians approach and perform for
unsuspecting members of the public on the street.

Furthermore, micro magic is another type of magic which is popular too. Its also known as
close-up magic and is performed with the audience close to the magician. It usually makes use of
everyday items as props, such as cards, coins and seemingly 'impromptu' effects.

On the other hand, shock magic is a genre of magic that shocks the audience. Sometimes
referred to as "geek magic," it takes its roots from circus sideshows, in which 'freakish'
performances were shown to audiences. Common shock magic or geek magic effects include eating
razor blades, needle-through-arm, string through neck and pen-through-tongue.

Moving on to the next point which is how magic is being misused by certain. Many potential
individual tend to use magic tricks especially black magic to harm others. Magical power has dual
functions, they can heal as well as harm, and they can benefit as well as damage any person, place
or thing. Human being has a strong composition of both desires in him or her, good and bad, either
to help self and others or to harm others. There are certain people who have high proportion of
negative energy in their specific genes. They obtain pleasure by harming others by using black magic
either to gain something in exchange or to get enjoyment out of it. This practice has been common
since a long time.

In short, I hope that Ive clearly explained the history of magic, the types of magic and how
magic is being misused by certain people. In my personal opinion, magic is a performing art that
entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions. It should be used as sheer entertainment.
Misusing magic for any negative purposes should not be encouraged at any cost. Before I end, just
remember one thing; the world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it.