Parallelle verdener. Magisk og rituel praksis blandt moderne hekse i Danmark.

Resumé

Parallel Worlds - Magical Practice Among Modern Witches in Denmark

The purpose of the present article is to make a contribution to an understanding of what it means to be a witch in Denmark today. The article thus reviews the extent of the magical circle in Denmark and highlights special characteristics of the modern witch. The magical practice of the witches is elucidated and  analysed through a ritual case, since the very magical practice appears to be characteristic of the witches and defines them in contrast to other similar new religious groups and communities.

The article advocates an analytical approach to magic; rather than studying magic as a symbol of something else, for instance as a way of handling uncertainty in difficult times, magical practice should be seen as an emic concept, and the way in which the witches exist in and understand this world. In this  context, the understanding of the existence of two parallel universes is important: the profane and the magic universe, since it is the movements of the witches across the two that make magic possible and explain it. In continuation of this the questions are asked: What do the witches use the magic for, and how is magical practice meaningful in a wider social context? The article argues that the motivations and the subtle shades of the magical practice are overlooked if the analysis does not include the above questions and approach, and it underlines the importance of physicality in the magical practice.