Signs that someone uses dark magic and what to do.

[Torey]

Re: Signs that someone uses dark magic and what to do.

I don't think you understand. Dark sorcerers are actually more common than you think. It's not common but I wouldn't say it's quite rare either. There are definitely people who use magic for dark purposes so when I say dark magic I'm of course reffering to magic used for harmful purposes. Some intentions aren't evil because some are just untheical but still. Black magic is obviously not evil any more than blue or red magic. It's just a color and it all depends on how one uses it. I know of psycic vampires but there are some that use magic, especially if they are corrupt and make it to the top due to manipulation and deception.

Well, you and I are going to have to agree to disagree - there are not hundreds or even thousands or "dark magicians" wandering the streets looking to attack random people. I mean no disrespect, but what statistics are you drawing upon when you say that "dark sorcerers are more common than you think"? How do you actually know this? Because it seems to me as though you have worked yourself up and believe that the streets are full of them when, I'm sorry, but they simply are not. I have been practicing my Art for nearly twenty years and not once have I ever encountered another "dark sorcerer" with any capacity for true Maleficium - primarily, I have encountered flat-out weirdos, posers and teenagers pretending to be something that they are not.

I know and have read that magic used for harmful purposes usually requires a trade off. Where the person is willing to use such magic but they might give up a part of their sanity, they might become more vicious and hatefilled or cold and emotionless and suffer ill side effects such as aging.

I do, again, apologise, but this is purely rubbish and sounds like something out of a fantasy novel or film. Certainly, some "dark magicians" are going to be a little off-centered to begin with (so are many Wiccans, Ceremonial Magicians, etc.), but all of these things you are speaking of sound like hyped up paranoid theories conjured up by fluffy bunnies or teenagers playing too many video games.

I know of mentally ill people that have at least dabbled in such stuff and probably suffered because they dabbled in it.

Well, if the only people you know in your life who "dabbled" in "dark magick" were already mentally ill, then you have obviously never met a true "Dark Sorcerer".

I know of some creepy people that practice magic, and look like they are in their mid 30s when they're really in their early 20s so it might age one over a period of time. The way I see it, it's sort of like the Sith from Star Wars, when they use the dark side, their eyes turn yellow and sometimes their skin changes too.

I hate to sound patronising, but are you actually serious when you say these things? If someone is truly practicing magick in which the effect is that they "age beyond their years", then they are losing some serious amounts of vital energy and cannot truly know what they are doing to begin with - competent magicians of any inclination would not suffer such effects.

I know people have tried to coerce me into using magic for unethical purposes which I of course refused but they would try to trick me into thinking it's good or that it'll improve my life better, when I know magic can also be extremely dangerous and uncontrolable and before I would use any spell, I'd know exactly what I'm dealing with first and I would never use it for unethical or bad purposes.

Fair enough, but I can't really understand why someone would "coerce" someone into using magick at all, much less "dark magick". :/

I feel scared a lot knowing there are people that wield such power and I have no way of defending myself or defending others. I of course can take advice here but practicing magic or channeling auras seem so risky. I even hear that sometimes people can become impaired for life because they did an incantation or ritual wrong and had to suffer for it for quite a long time.

I'm not sure what you mean by "channeling auras" - unless you misinterpreted "cleansing auras" which is entirely different. I do hope that you are actually reading what others are writing here, mate - otherwise we are all wasting our breath. Take the advice given to you - some of the people here have practiced magick for nearly as long as they have been living. It seems to me as though you are taking all of these "horror stories" or magick gone awry and fixating on them instead of focusing on the good effects and benefits of it. Where are you actually hearing or reading all of these things? Because I certainly would like to know who is responsible for spreading all of this paranoia. Granted, caution is a great thing - but being scared to death of "dark sorcerers" and all of these rare horror stories about magick going wrong is just a little silly.

It's probably wiser to have a mentor that actually knows magic but even that's risky since the person can claim they're teaching me magic for good purposes but might lead me astray and have me use magic for harmful purposes without even realizing it. It's so difficult to trust someone nowadays...and I know I sound paranoid but when you first doubt that such power exists which I did at first and then hear and read and witness people using such power, it's really scary knowing how they can hex you and you'd have no way of countering it unless you knew magic.

Well, honestly you do seem a bit over-the-top with all of these fears you have - but I'm not judging you. I can't imagine that someone is going to randomly target you for a magickal attack unless they are these "mentally ill black magicians" you keep referring to who seem to be trying, for some gods-unknown reason, to coerce you into using black magick. And if you are that frightened of magickal attack, then the first thing that you need to do is to call the heck down and actually listen to what people are telling you. I do hope you find what you're looking for, mate - I really do.

[Kahlenda]

Re: Signs that someone uses dark magic and what to do.

Ok so i have an ability to tell if someone is a good person or a bad person, i dont know how i do it, its just a visual feeling i get. best way of explaining it i can come up with is the way roald dahl said it in the twits.

If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until it gets so ugly that you can hardly bear to look at it.

A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sun beams and you always look lovely.

now ill admit thats a little off because people dont develope ugly features they look just the same as everyone else, in fact they can be extreamly beautiful, and yet to me i "see" their ugly thoughts and i dont find them attractive, and yet those with good thoughts i see them as attractive. its not a physical thing and i dont know if its from experience working with energies that makes me more reseptive to feelings good and bad energies from people, or weather its just a natural talent of being a good judge of character. but anyway this isnt so specific as weather they practise dark magicks or not, it isnt that accurate.

just weather they are a nice person or a not nice person. as the advice has been given further up the page. just stay away from people that give you bad vibes.

and as for protecting yourself. malicious dark magick is rarely any where as powerful as good intentions.
a good example is a few years back, my grandma's naibour (who practised magick) and my grandma had a bit of a falling out. so this naibour sent my grandma a cursed gift. now i didnt know that the naibour had done it and i cirtainly didnt feel anything bad from her, but i cirtainly never felt comfortable around that gift and when we eventually come to realise what it was. i disassembled the curse. and ill point out here i was quite young only 15 and id only recently come out from my posing meddling stage and actually started to believe and work seriously with magicks. where as the naibour had years and years of experience on me. and yet i managed to break down a destroy a curse she had created relatively easily.

my point is you shouldnt go round being intensly fearful of being the victim of malicious dark magic, because in all reality (from my experience anyway) you can usually tell when you encounter it, and once you identify it it usually doesnt take alot to dispel

[Alienist]

Re: Signs that someone uses dark magic and what to do.

I sincererly feel people have been really missing my point...I'm notbeing over the top nor am I doing this because I've watched too much tv or something. When I say powerful dark sorcerers I don't literally mean people running around in dark robes in cities with power rivaling Voldemort. I'm just saying there's always been people who have dabbled in things they shouldn't have and have tried to hurt others from it. Obviously there are people that have been hexed or cursed by some people or have been coerced by someone who they thought was good but turned out to be malevolent., I know that some dabble into harmful magic and become changed. Like they sold their soul to the Devil, although probably not literally but usually such power doesn't come without a price. Some of these people are neighbors, politicians, or other high ranking offiacls. You'd think such people would hide from the public but that's not always the case. Sometimes they are out in the open but are able to mask it well. I have heard from others who sense auras. I have had people said they sensed by aura but when they sensed someone else, they couldn't see anything or if they did, they sensed something uneasy and abnormal, which leads me to think that person is purposely masking his aura to not be suspected by anyone and that person might have bad intentions, which is why I ask if anyone can sense auras, like the Jedi who sense the dark side in the Sith.

I don't believe I am being paranoid either. I know I have dealt with people that use magic for harmful purposes or unethical purposes and it scares me to know that if I cross this person the wrong way, I may be cursed. Doesn't anyone at least understand why I might be a little worried when there are people with this kind of power running around? And no I don't mean there's thousands of them everywhere and they're all out to get me, but knowing that there are people like that can be scary, can't it? Doesn't anyone understand why I might want to know some sort of magic to at the very least protect myself?

[wisp]

Re: Signs that someone uses dark magic and what to do.

First of all, I understand why you would be scared and I think it's valid in that it's something you're feeling. However, just because you feel that way doesn't mean you have to. Yes, there are things and people and entities out there that you need to be cautious of. Yes, depending on your beliefs, there are even some things that you should avoid. However, these things are not so big and so threatening that they need be feared on a day to day basis. Auras are a tricky thing and sometimes people who are simply private, or who feel depressed can have small or hard to read or dark auras. Auras aren't books, they're clues.
There are dangers in the world, very real ones. BUT you don't need to give them more power than they have by hyper-focusing. Negativity often begets negativity. If you spend a lot of time perceiving evil in the world, you're going to start to both see it where it isn't and attract it to yourself. Bullies pick their targets. If you're already worrying more than you need to, you become a target.
If you are comforted by it, as others have already said, carry a talisman or some protective stones or wear protective symbols. Ground yourself and practice psychic defenses. But don't live in fear. Malicious people exist, magical or otherwise, it's a part of life. The best thing you can do is just keep living. Be aware, sure, but just keep living.

Edited because my tablet's keyboard gets creative sometimes :/

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Signs that someone uses dark magic and what to do.

Alienist, I was brought up in a family of witches who did nothing but hex. Hex it once, hex it twice, it never stopped.

I doubt if anyone would have been able to tell just by looking at them that they were different. They certainly didn't think they had sold their soul to the Devil.

Now - the point I want to make is that you can protect yourself. Others have given you good advice here - shielding, cleansing, amulets. Try them all. See what works.

If you're still worried I would strongly suggest visualising some protecting armour for yourself, so whenever you feel under threat, you put it on and take up your sword and shield etc. It works very well, but use it sparingly because it can be tiring.

Always remember that fear acts as a magnet for psychic bullies. If they sense you're afraid they'll home in. Hope this helps, and good luck!

[Alienist]

Re: Signs that someone uses dark magic and what to do.

I understand why I must not be afraid of such things. It makes me uneasy that malevolent people can use this power therefore making them even more dangerous. It's hard to not be afraid and I wish it was that simple. I'll see what I can do. I appreciate the tips because that's one of the reasons why I joined here was for magical help. I mean when you doubt such power exists and then witness it and realize how much damage it can cause if it's in the wrong hands, the world can be a very terrifying place to live in. I asked if there were symptoms of dark magic. I figure if one used energy in a negative way, it would effect them negativley physically and mentally. I also see that people who use it for bad or unethical purposes might get addicted. After all, magic is power and power is addicting isn't it? It'd be sort of like a drug, where if they use it unwisely or too much, it might drain their life force and cause them to age, or make them lose a part of their sanity make them more cold or hatefilled and distant from others. Sort of like if you hang around the "wrong crowd" Bad company corrupts good habits and I figure if someone uses negative energy they receive negative energy just like if they use postive energy they receive positive energy. All I ask is enough power to protect myself and those I care about. I appreciate any help and advice and I will do what I can. Magic can be unpredictable and I must be careful. Sometimes I think that's how people get corrupt when they misuse it and suffer unless they are blessed or cured. I will do what I can to protect myself and practice "visualizing" as well as the amulets.

[toxicyarnglare]

Re: Signs that someone uses dark magic and what to do.

Probably the best way you can start with protection is just stop looking for them. I know it's really difficult, and while this is slightly on a different scale, I did used to spend a lot of thought energy judging people's intellectual capacity by looking at them. It was completely stupid, and trying to quit that habit wasn't easy, but I did break it. If don't really look for them in daily life, a lot of the fear can go away along with it.

Overall though, if you go into spirituality with a positive mindset, rather than a fearful one, I think you'll be able to reap a lot more benefits.

[Rae'ya]

Re: Signs that someone uses dark magic and what to do.

I have been following this thread for a bit now, and I've not really been sure how to go about a reply. Alienist, there is so much about your concerns that is tricky to address, and I don't want you to feel as though you've been belittled by anyone here. But I'm going to give it a go, because I think that it's important that we try to help you feel a bit more comfortable about the world of magick. It seems to me that you're not only worried about so called 'dark magicians', but also about the potential dangers of performing magick in general? Am I right?

Several of the others have given really good advice about defensive options for you, so I don't think I need to rehash any of that. In fact, there's not a single reply in this thread so far that I don't agree with. Having the skills to defend yourself against magick and malevolent energy or entities is something that most people would benefit from, just as most of us would benefit from a defensive driving course.

However, malicious or malevolent people can do just as much damage without magick as they can with magick. I don't want to make you more scared of the world, just put things in perspective. You seem to be worried about the damage that a well placed curse can do. Why focus on that over the damage that a drunk person can do behind the wheel of a car? Or a freaked out person can do with the gun that they 'only keep for protection'? Or the snarky vindictive co-worker who spreads damaging rumours with their malicious gossip? Or the co-dependant friend who drains you of every last ounce of positivity that you can muster every time you see them because they're just so selfish and shallow and needy.

The reality is that the vast majority of people who could hurt you are NOT magick workers of any kind. And the majority of people who do use execration magick and maleficium are actually not going to hurt you unless you do something to deserve it.

Now onto some specific points... you've repeated yourself a few times so I'll just quote the first time you said a particular point rather than hash everything together. Forgive me if you feel that I'm taking a statement out of context, that's not my intention, I'm just trying to put my responses into an order that's easier to follow and I'm having trouble staying within the word limit.

I wonder if anyone has noticed any signs that someone uses magic for harmful purposes.

There are no signs. There are signs that a person is generally not a nice person and is allowing themselves to wallow in maliciousness, malevolence, bitterness or other personality traits that cause them to harm the people around them. But that's not a magick thing... that's a personality thing. I'd be more worried about the person who spreads rumours and gossip just for fun than the person who curses the jerk who broke into their house and stole their possessions.

I don't think you understand. Dark sorcerers are actually more common than you think. It's not common but I wouldn't say it's quite rare either.

Torey isn't saying that there are none. He's saying that they're not running around looking for people to cast their 'dark magick' on. He's saying what everyone else is saying... there are awful people in the world, only a tiny percentage of those awful people use magick, and ironically enough the majority of people who do use magick for harmful purposes are not going to be coming after you personally.

Also, psychic vampires are not necessarily harmful. Some are unethical in their feeding habits, but most actually aren't. There are many psychic vampires who have very strict morals and ethics regarding when, where and who to feed from. I imagine there are a number of psychic vampires here at Pagan Forum, just as I imagine that there are people who use execration magick and maleficium here, and people who work with 'dark' deities, Demons and/or Satan (I'm one of them). Please be aware that some of the generalised assumptions you are making in these posts about magick and psychic vampirism could be considered an insult to those who do these things. We aren't all black magicians running around looking for people to zap with our awesome dark powers. We're just people. No different to the person who owns a gun and knows how to use it properly.

As a person who does a lot of magick that people consider 'dark' I can tell you that 'dark' and 'harmful' are not the same thing. I understand that you mean harmful when you say that and you did explain this in an earlier post, but this is part of the reason that many of us are having difficulty relating to your worries, because you are using terms out of context and trying to explain yourself with examples from movies and fiction. This gives the impression that you view magick the way that it is in the movies. It's not like that.

I know that some dabble into harmful magic and become changed

Dabblers are very, very different to experienced and skilled magicians. Dabblers are more dangerous, funnily enough, because if they do happen to fall into a deep enough 'cosmic groove' that's been formed by a powerful enough spell, then they can set off magick that they don't understand and therefore can't control. A bit like a child who picks up a gun. Luckily most of the ancient and powerful spells weren't recorded completely in a single book, and therefore it's actually really difficult to hit their groove if you are just reading out of a book (ie if you don't have the background knowledge and skill). And ironically, an altruistic neo-Wiccan who gets a bee in their bonnet and decides to throw a binding spell at someone 'for their own good' is more dangerous than a magician who is skilled in execration magick. Skilled magick workers can control their work, dabblers generally can't.

I know people have tried to coerce me into using magic for unethical purposes...

Ethics are a matter of opinion. 'Good' and 'bad' are subjective terms. What you feels is ethical may not be what another person feels is ethical. There is no one Universal set of ethics that EVERYONE in the whole world abides by. Some people in Western cultures like to think that their ethics are universal and that the rest of the world agrees, but that's just not true. Your user info says that you're Buddhist. If this is true then you probably have different ethics to most of us simply because of religious and philosophical differences.

I of course can take advice here but practicing magic or channeling auras seem so risky.

I'm a little confused by your worry that magick is extremely dangerous and uncontrollable. Magick is just a tool. In and of itself it's not dangerous. A car is inherently more 'dangerous' than magick is. Unless you have the right will, intent and focus, magick wont even work for you. And non-magick workers who have a focused enough intent can cause an effect whether they believe in it or not. I'm also not sure what you mean by channeling auras because that's not a term I'm familiar with. Seeing auras is hardly dangerous. Channeling spirits can be dangerous. Which do you mean?

Like they sold their soul to the Devil, although probably not literally but usually such power doesn't come without a price.

Are you aware that there are Satanists here? I personally don't feel that Satan and 'The Devil' are the same person (that's a long, complicated explanation) but my point is that there are people who work with Demons and/or Satan in the same sense that there are people who work with Zeus or Cernnunos or Brighid. Some people make bargains with their deity for training, skills or help. But it's not like in the movies. It's not normally a case of 'sell your soul to the Devil for unlimited dark magick powers and give up your first born son as payment'. Which in itself is kind of silly, because when you sell your soul... well, your SOUL is the price that you pay. Sure, there are people who try to do this sort of thing, but it's not really a common scenario. And you could argue that any person who makes a bargain with a deity is selling their soul. If you ally yourself with Odhinn you'll probably end up his property after death and be forced to fight in Ragnarok when it comes.

I know I have dealt with people that use magic for harmful purposes or unethical purposes and it scares me to know that if I cross this person the wrong way, I may be cursed.

I'd be just as worried about cutting off a guy at an intersection and being the victim of road rage, if I were you. It's probably more likely.

I understand why you're scared, I just think that you've lost perspective a little bit. And I think that you're focusing on one tiny group of 'malevolent people' when the vast majority of people who would harm you are non-magickal, everyday people. You probably know more co-workers who would slash your tires than you do magickal people who would curse you if you upset them.

[Starling]

Re: Signs that someone uses dark magic and what to do.

That is a great post, Rae'ya.

[Alienist]

Re: Signs that someone uses dark magic and what to do.

I understand what you mean and I appreciate your response since it is a very good reply. I am scared of using a force which I can't comprehend but I think it's natural to be. I mean magic can be devastating if misued. I see magic as a science and an art and a ritual is like a science experiement. If one adds too much or little of something the consequences can be anything from inconvenient to bad, which is why I worry practicing it in the first place, despite the fact that I want to learn it for my own protection. Practicing magic by myself seems risky and no one I know that I can trust knows magic around my area.

I already established that I have nothing against Satanists in general. The ones that don't really do any harm are the Church of Satan people. I'm talking about the actual hardcore ones that do sacrifices and stuff like that. I'm just using "Sold their soul to the Devil" as a figure of speech. It could be any deity really. But that what it seems like when they dabble in stuff and get in trouble or they get addicted to power and they become changed as if they were souless. Sometimes when a ritual goes wrong I hear sometimes people can be impaired because the ritual went wrong and they stay that way unless they are cured or blessed or something like that. I even practice Buddhism as a means of connecting my spiritual power and hope to increase it when I learn magic or spirtual energy. I know religion isn't required for magic but sometimes I hear ones power increases when they worship or honor someone.

I was asking what the signs were and I figure some signs would be more noticible than others. Some are good at masking it unfortunetly whether it comes to masking their signs or masking their aura. I was not sure if one can sense a "dark side". I thought a negative person would give out negative energy and would therefore be easier to detect. All I ask is for protection. I have had encounters and some have tried to coerce me into using magic for unethical purposes, in exchange for either money or they would offer any woman to me. i.e. help me find any woman I wanted to be with using spells and potions if I learned their magic. My ethics while different aren't that different. It's wrong to manipulate forces against someone to benefit you. Like tricking a woman to have sex with you. Magic is something I'm not familiar with. If I'm in a bad neighborhood, I just need a weapon but being physical condition or being clever or having a weapon to defend myself won't stop a curse though. That's why I'm scared. To know I have no defense whatsoever. I can at least defend myself in other ways but with magic, I know nothing about it, and therefore I am afraid of any who would curse me and I wouldn't know what to do afterwards on how to get rid of the curse. I only wish to learn enough to protect myself, that's all though. So I'll try out the tips here and I thank everyone for their help.

[Ophidia]

Re: Signs that someone uses dark magic and what to do.

I understand what you mean and I appreciate your response since it is a very good reply. I am scared of using a force which I can't comprehend but I think it's natural to be. I mean magic can be devastating if misued. I see magic as a science and an art and a ritual is like a science experiment. If one adds too much or little of something the consequences can be anything from inconvenient to bad, which is why I worry practicing it in the first place, despite the fact that I want to learn it for my own protection. Practicing magic by myself seems risky and no one I know that I can trust knows magic around my area.

You know, you don't have to practice magic or perform rituals if you don't want to, right?

Just out of curiosity, where are you from?

[toxicyarnglare]

Re: Signs that someone uses dark magic and what to do.

If one adds too much or little of something the consequences can be anything from inconvenient to bad, which is why I worry practicing it in the first place, despite the fact that I want to learn it for my own protection.

While I personally haven't practiced magic myself, I do think that this is a very strange way of looking at it. As far as my knowledge goes, magic in general can be a few things:

1) it can be used as a means of controlling energies of the universe (or with the help of the Great Divine),

2) One can work with the assistance of deities or spirits, to bring out a desired result (whether on a more "casual" level (such as some Wicca magic working with numerous different deities for different reasons) or in more of a "patronage" with a deity (a deeper connection with them)), or

3) one can attempt to control deities or spirits. this is, as far as I know, pretty common in "high magic," such as the medieval and renaissance grimoires, or Kaballah, which can attempt to control angels or demons.

With what you're suggesting with some kind of "scientific" approach to magic, it sounds like you're almost relating it to chemistry, where you add too much of one chemical and everything just blows up. As far as I'm aware, if you go into magic with vague intentions, you may be more apt to get results you don't desire, or if whatever deity you're asking for help feels like you aren't respecting them. Adding too much of one herb or 3 extra candles or something seems kind of like a weird way to get "catastrophic" results, if that's what you were referring to.

If anyone sees something wrong or misleading in this post, please feel free to correct me.