A person who can use magic. For a list of Practitioners, see List of Practitioners.
General[]
Practitioners are users of magic. The way they approach and use magic in is called their Practice. They can be either human or supernatural, but supernatural beings need to be able to use magic directly in order to be called Practitioners, and not only be limited to their innate magical abilities. Human Practitioners make up one of the more important elements of the Shadows.
Depending on context and their exact Practice, a Practitioner might label themselves a Hermetic, Occultist, Scholar, Shaman, Sorcerer, Witch, or something else. The words wizard and mage are however seen as a slur or belittling by at least some Practitioners. Religiously oriented Practitioners are often labeled as Believers, though they usually prefer to be called by their faith. The two known such groups are the Grecians and the Evergreeners.[1]
Not every user of magic is necessarily a Practitioner. For this purpose, a Practitioner should self-identify as a user of magic and be able to use magic for general purposes.
Learning magic[]
Different requirements have been stated for learning magic and becoming a Practitioner. Molly stated an “an open mind and discipline” were the two important qualifications for learning magic.[2] Sunday on the other hand stated that a strong sense of intuition was the first requirement for a Practitioner.[3] A way to reconcile the two statements is that Molly was talking about learning some magic while Sunday was talking about being good at it and able to make it one’s primary focus in life.
Most people learn magic from mentors or from books. Some manage to perform magic by mistake, which has happened with ouija boards.[4] Some very few—like Molly and even more so Onyx—are naturals.[2]
Using magic[]
Most Practitioners draw their power from the surrounding area, and this power is shared by all the established Practitioners there. Practitioners can still use magic in areas unfamiliar to them, but they are not as powerful or capable as they are at home.[5] Some very few Practitioners however draw from other or additional sources. Making a deal with a demon is one such way, and it is likely that Leon made such a deal.[6] Another case is Evan Murphy, who possibly draws on the stars through Mitu.[7]
Generally, the more skilled and capable a Practitioner is, the less dependant they will be on tools, devices, or elaborate preparations.[8][9]
Practitioner culture[]
Groups of Practitioners working together are usually called circles. The relation between individual Practitioners largely depend on which—if any—circles they belong to and their respective Practice. In most cases, a Circle is made up of members using the same or similar Practices.[1]
As with many elements of the Shadows, there are few set rules, little trust and much mutual prejudice between Practitioners. One exception to that is that libraries, bookstores and other locations for selling and distributing books are usually seen as neutral ground.[10][11] Neutral within Practitioner culture seems to carry a wider meaning than simply non-aligned, and also implies a safe place where force isn’t used against other Practitioners.[12][4]
Money plays a role for Practitioners, but trade between them often takes the role of barter, with exchanges of favors, knowledge, and sometimes magical items.[4][13]
Practitioner culture is largely extra-legal, that is, their interactions amongst themselves are largely kept away from the government or other mundane authorities. Some Practitioners interface with the mundane world in various ways, e.g. by holding down mundane jobs. One such example is Kate Oakwood, who works as a lawyer.[14] Hector Kingston makes a living out of his Practice by owning a gun shop where he does “custom work”.[15] Others live entirely black lives, unknown to authorities. An example of that is Ms. Black, where the FBI failed to identify her body.[16]
Non-magic using helpers to Practitioners are usually called muscle. In most cases these are mundane humans, but there are a few cases where Practitioners have used vampires, werewolves, or other supernatural beings as muscle. The most prominent such example is the Family.
Guardian angels[]
Angels considers that humans using magic no longer require the aid of a guardian angel, as the person in question now should be capable of navigating the Shadows on their own and responsible for their own self-defense. Another factor is that many Practices involve unethical or evil actions, driving away the guardian angel.[17] In ancient times, some Practitioners were known to have guardian angels until evil actions drove them away, implying that the self-defense reason developed later.[18]
Sources[]
Practitioners and use of magic play an important part in the following stories:
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Personal Demons, chapter 5
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Personal Demons, chapter 15
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 9
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 “Legitimacy”
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 17
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 23
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 24
- ↑ Personal Demons, Prologue
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 25
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 4
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 10
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 10
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 2
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 4
- ↑ “Authenticity”
- ↑ Natural Consequences, Prologue
- ↑ Good Intentions, chapter 15
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 20