Animal Magnetism and Wiccan Magic

Anton Mesmer was a weird dude in the late 18th century who put forward a (now thoroughly debunked) theory of "animal magnetism." In this video, I talk through a little bit of what Mesmer thought and how I think it's connected to the way early Wiccans understood their magic.
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[@johnstiteler4088]

You make a compelling case for early Wiccan magic being deeply indebted to Mesmerism. I'm left with the disquieting question though, that if Mesmerism didn't work, did early Wiccan magic work? Gardner certainly believed it did, and modern practitioners do to!

[@JackChanek]

It's an uncomfortable question, to be sure! My apologetic on behalf of Gardnerian magic would be this: Mesmer's ideas were bad science, but I don't think that makes them bad magic. Lots of occult ideas (e.g. the four elements or the geocentric model of the solar system used in astrology) originated as scientific theories and have since been replaced by better science, but they still have a valuable place in magic. I'd class mesmerism along with them.

[@ventusheart5733]

Always thought that idea of witch power was basically a western adaptation of QiChong.