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[NightmareX]

Shadow Magic
Originally a form of dark paganism that started as a blend nascent magical practices with the Gothic chic of the late 20th century, shadow magic only really came into its own a couple of decades after the Awakening. Many individuals involved in paganism and similar forms of spirituality saw the Awakening as the beginning of a new, better world than the one in which they were currently living. When dream didn’t come to pass, and the resurgence of magic had in many cases actually made the world a worse place than before, some of these pagans and former Goths embraced a more nihilistic view of their own beliefs. Combined with a number of elements taken from the Hermetic tradition, this collection of dark pagan beliefs and Gothic nihilism eventually developed into the tradition of shadow magic as we know it today.

Modern followers of shadow magic rely heavily on introspection, ritual, and contact with spirits to advance in their magical understanding. To a shadow magician, magic is the lifeblood of existence, and the only thing with any real meaning. Everything else is transitory. Shadow mages summon spirits of the elements – fire, water, earth, and air – for power and practical knowledge, but their real fascination is with spirits of man, who they conceive of as the literal ghosts or shades of the dead.
Drain: Willpower + Intuition
Spirits: Combat spells – Fire spirits; Detection spells – Air spirits; Health spells – spirits of Man; Illusion spells – Water spirits; Manipulation spells – Earth spirits
Tools and Trappings: Magical tools in shadow magic include the dagger (athame) and pentacles common to both black magic and witchcraft. Gothic and dark elements, such as black candles, blood letting, skulls (real or fake), and copious amounts of incense are common elements of this tradition’s practices. Tarot reading and scrying are common methods of divination in shadow magic, while chanting in Latin or Greek is a common method of Centering. Some groups of shadow magicians who delve too deeply into the darkest aspects of their tradition learn the Sacrificing metamagic, thus becoming magical threats.