Low Magick: What is it & its Purpose Explained

Low Magick is practical magick; magical activities undertaken in order to achieve a practical, usually material result.

What is Low Magick?

Low Magic, also often referred to as folk magic, was historically practiced by the lower classes- those people whose primary concern was survival.

Low magical practices were usually simple, revolving around simple charms and brief rituals, with more elaborate rituals being reserved for special occasions and often including the community (harvest and planting rituals, for example).

Purpose of Low Magick

The goals of low magick were often practical and related to the survival of the individual, the family or the community: to secure a good harvest, a mate, children, to protect from disease and misfortune.

Its Origins

In every land, in every culture, there are living traces of ancient magical knowledge related to protection, healing and harmony with invisible forces.

These popular traditions, often guarded and passed down in silence, have their roots in a remote past, when human beings lived in deep contact with nature and its spirits.

Although each place brings with it its own customs, symbols and rituals, it is possible to recognize, beneath the surface of the differences, a common language: gestures, words, prayers and spells that speak of protection, blessing and healing, according to a shared ancestral wisdom.

It is not uncommon for this knowledge to have intertwined over time with more recent religious practices, giving rise to forms of popular spirituality in which pagan elements, natural symbolism, and sacred references coexist.

Even today, those who follow the path of popular magic can find these precious legacies, hidden in simple gestures, in whispered formulas, in amulets hanging on doors or in natural remedies prepared with devotion.

Because wherever there are humans listening to the rhythms of the Earth, ancient magic lives on.

Purpose of Low Magick

The goals of low magick were often practical and related to the survival of the individual, the family or the community: to secure a good harvest, a mate, children, to protect from disease and misfortune.

Main features of Folk Magick

The “Chosen Ones”

 In many folk traditions related to healing magic, it was believed that some people were born with a special gift.

A power that was not learned from books, nor sought: it was granted from birth, as a sign of destiny or the will of divine forces. It was said that this gift manifested itself in those who came into the world in particular conditions – wrapped in the amniotic sac, for example, or seventh children in a long lineage.

These birthmarks were read as symbols of a spiritual calling: ancient souls, destined to take care of others through sacred gestures, secret words and ancient blessings.

In some places, it was the midwife herself – a figure of great knowledge and a bridge between worlds – who recognized the chosen one, performing small initiatory rituals immediately after birth.

Sometimes, it was customary to place a symbolic object in the hand of the newborn linked to the type of healing that he or she would be able to give: a coal to cure the fire, a stone to ward off evil, a herb to heal invisible wounds.

A Power to the Feminine

Women were often the main custodians of this knowledge. Not only because they were mothers, midwives or healers, but because they had always been linked to the cycles of life, to the earth and to the mystery of the invisible worlds.

This did not exclude the presence of men who held healing or protective powers, but in many traditions,  it was believed that only women could fully pass on these gifts to other people.

Female hands, accustomed to nourishing, caring for and supporting, were considered natural channels for healing energies.

From birth to death, in moments of transition, in secret rites and in daily gestures, it was (and still is today) women who guard and protect the invisible threads that bind human beings to the sacredness of life.

The Transmission of the “Gift”

The ability to “mark” was both a birth gift and a power passed down through female lines—mother to daughter, godmother to goddaughter, or mother-in-law to daughter-in-law. Known as a “legacy,” this inherited magical ability was viewed as a true will.

If a woman with the gift had no direct heir, she could choose a successor based on signs—like being one of twins of different sexes, or sharing a wedding date with an elder healer.

Above all, the chosen woman had to be compassionate, generous, and motivated by a spirit of service rather than pride, and she had to vow to preserve and continue the Tradition.

Originally, the legacy was passed on only when the comare (healer) was too old or sick to continue, often on her deathbed, as it was believed that sharing the secret words meant losing the power.

Later, this changed—healers began passing on their powers earlier and to up to three people.

Ritual dates such as Christmas Eve, Easter Eve, Good Friday, or most notably, June 24 (St. John’s Night near the summer solstice), were considered ideal for the transfer.

Despite this tradition, many modern signers now choose not to pass on their knowledge, as younger generations increasingly reject these ancient practices.

Evil Eye

In every magical culture in the world, there is the awareness that the gaze possesses an invisible but real power.

Through the eyes, energy is transmitted: love and blessing, but also envy, desire or jealousy.

When a gaze is full of intense and unbalanced emotions, it can become a thin arrow that hurts the soul, weakens the body, or creates disharmony.

Some call it the evil eye, others charm, enchantment or energetic bond.

But everywhere the importance of protecting oneself from such influences is recognized.

For this reason, in popular rituals of protection, secret words, sacred gestures and universal symbols are used: to bless, to dissolve unwanted bonds and to restore balance to those who have been affected.

It is not fear, but awareness: knowing that invisible forces exist means learning to live in harmony with them, with respect and with the heart rooted in the light.

Conclusion

Low magick is basically folk magick, a magick that is all about basic and ancenstral approaches towards the world and the spirit. Using it means to honor our roots in an easy and practical but yet, powerful way.