Magic in the Church: Romanian Traditional Magic and Christian Church Intertwined
- Alex Raven
- Nov 19
- 10 min read
Introduction
The church and Christianity in what is now Romania have had a major impact from ancient times to the present. Long before the modern Romanian state existed, in the land of the Dacia the Dacians venerated deities such as Zalmoxis. With the Roman occupation and the spread of Christianity, religious life changed profoundly. Over the centuries, Christian traditions became intertwined with older pagan beliefs, and in Romanian folk culture the result is a unique blend: magic, church rituals, Christian symbolism and ancient traditions all mixing.
That’s why Romanian traditional magic today feels so unique. It’s not only Christian or pagan, it’s both. It’s the kind of spirituality that lives in our villages, in our grandmothers’ stories, and sometimes… even inside the church itself.
Many people get scared when they hear about spells or charms being done in a church. They say it’s a sin. But I’ve always believed that if God gave us the gift of intuition and the ability to work with magic, it must have a purpose. Magic, for me, is not evil. It’s a way to heal, to find justice, and to understand the world when society feels unfair.
How Religion Changed But Never Died
Posibil Zalmoxis din movila Alexandru (Bulgaria)
Long ago, the Dacians worshipped Zalmoxis. They believed in immortality and in the spiritual power of nature. When the Romans came and introduced Christianity, the beliefs of the Dacians slowly blended with the new religion. The saints took the place of old gods, the holy water replaced sacred springs, and rituals of healing and protection continued, only now they were “Christian.”
That’s why Romanian folklore is full of traditions that mix magic and faith. You can see it everywhere: women tying red threads for protection, people putting basil blessed at church under their pillow to dream of their destined one.
My Connection to Magic
For me, magic has always been personal. Since I was a child, I felt drawn to it, like it was something natural, not something I learned from books. Over time, I realized it helped me survive things that could have broken me: social injustice, discrimination, and pain.
I’ve used spells to heal, to protect myself, and to fight back. Some people might judge me for saying that, but when life feels unfair, sometimes you need to take justice into your own hands. I’ve seen how magic works. Those who hurt me deeply often ended up with very bad luck. Magic changed my life. It gave me back my strength when I felt powerless.
The Church and the Witch: My Aunt’s Story
One story I’ll never forget is about my aunt. She’s a woman who practices traditional Romanian magic, a real vrăjitoare, but she also goes to church. She believes in God and in the saints, but she also believes in herbs, spells, and destiny.
One day, she went to church to do a small ritual for love, just something to bring two people together. She entered the church quietly, holding her materials and her candle. But as soon as she walked in, the priest saw her and said,
“I know why you’re here. Be honest with me.”
She got nervous and told him she only came to pray.
But he looked at her and said,
“Don’t lie. I know what you do.”
She was shocked, he had never met her before, but he could feel her energy. He had his own kind of power, a spiritual intuition, a har as we call it in Romanian. My aunt left the church that day frightened, but also amazed. She realized that not only witches and healers have gifts, some priests do too.
That story taught me something important: power recognizes power. Even if the church rejects magic, deep down both come from the same source: faith, energy, and power.
What the Bible Says About Witches: “Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Witch to Live”
The Gutenberg Bible, published in the mid-15th century by Johannes Gutenberg, is the first published Bible.
There is a famous line from the Bible that many Christians use against witchcraft:
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”
— Exodus 22:18 (King James Version)
This verse has been used for centuries to justify fear, persecution, and violence against witches, especially during the Middle Ages and the witch trials in Europe and America.
In the Old Testament, there are also passages that condemn “sorcery,” “divination,” and “magic.” For example:
Deuteronomy 18:10–12 : condemns diviners, mediums, and “one who casts spells.”
Practices forbidden in Deuteronomy 18:10-12
Child sacrifice: "There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering".
Divination and soothsaying: Practices like interpreting omens, reading the stars, or using magical objects to predict the future.
Sorcery and witchcraft: Using spells, charms, or other magical means to manipulate events or influence people.
Communicating with the dead: Consulting mediums, spiritists, or necromancers to contact spirits of the deceased.
Leviticus 19:31: warns against seeking mediums and familiar spirits.
Leviticus 19:31 warns against seeking mediums and familiar spirits, stating:
Do not turn to mediums or consult spiritists, or you will be defiled by them; I am the Lord your God". This warning cautions against seeking spiritual guidance or information from sources other than God, emphasizing that such
practices are defiling and should be avoided.
Prohibition against the occult: The verse is one of several in the Bible that strongly condemns practices like spiritism, witchcraft, and seeking out the dead for advice.
Familiar spirits: These are described as demonic spirits that can impersonate the dead to deceive people.
Spiritual defilement: Engaging with these practices is seen as a way of being spiritually contaminated or "defiled".
Deception: The Bible teaches that these spirits are deceptive and are not a godly source of information, sometimes even pretending to be something helpful or innocent at first, notes Bible Study Tools.
Divine authority: The commandment is reinforced by the statement "I am the Lord your God," which grounds the prohibition in the authority of God himself, says Bible.com.
So, if someone reads these verses literally, it sounds as if the Bible demands the death of anyone who practices magic.
But that’s only the surface. When we look deeper, historically, linguistically, and spiritually, the story becomes very different.
Why This is More Complicated:
Contradictions, Mistranslations, and a History of Control
This is where things get interesting, and honestly, a bit ironic.
1. The Original Text Doesn’t Clearly Say “Witch”
Biblical scholars explain that the original Hebrew word used in Exodus 22:18 is “mekhashepah.”
This word does not mean “witch” the way we understand it today.
It meant someone who poisoned people, or someone who used harmful toxins.
So the more accurate translation is closer to:
“Do not allow a poisoner to live.”
When the Bible was translated into English during the Middle Ages, the translators chose the word witch, because back then society believed that women with knowledge,healers,midwives & herbalists were dangerous.
So the verse was not actually written about witches, magic, or folk practices.
It was a translation influenced by fear, politics, and patriarchal power, not by the original meaning.
Even theologians and Christian historians admit this.
2. The Bible Contains Magic Itself
If we are honest, many Christian rituals would be called “magic” in any other religion:
Turning water into wine (Jesus)
Healing the sick with touch
Casting out spirits
Miracles with bread and fish
Prophecy and divination (dreams, visions)
Blessing objects to give them spiritual power
Sacred water and salt for protection
In another religion, these would be called spells, charms, or ritual magic.
But because they are Christian, they are called “miracles.”
So how can magic be forbidden, if the Bible itself is full of supernatural acts?
3. Christianity Was Built on Older Magical Traditions
Historically, Christianity didn’t appear out of nowhere.
It absorbed beliefs from:
ancient Judaism
Mesopotamian magic
Greek mystery religions
Egyptian spiritual rituals
Incense, sacred oil, holy water, candles, fasting, exorcism, these existed thousands of years before Christianity.
Even the idea of Eucharist (bread becoming the body of Christ) is a magical ritual of transformation.
So to say “magic is evil” while practicing rituals of magic in church is a contradiction.
4. People in Power Used These Verses for Control
In history, powerful leaders: kings, priests, politicians, used the “witch” verse to:
silence women with knowledge
destroy healers and midwives
control spiritual power
eliminate rivals
It was easier to call someone a “witch” than to admit they were intelligent or powerful.
So the verse became a political weapon.
Even today, some churches use it to scare people and keep control over spiritual knowledge.
5. The New Testament Doesn’t Kill Witches
The harsh laws come from the Old Testament, which is full of ancient legal codes.
But Jesus, in the New Testament:
never killed witches
never condemned magic
healed the sick
spoke to spirits
protected women that society wanted to kill
In fact, Jesus said:
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Which is the opposite of killing witches.
So the idea that “God wants witches dead” doesn’t match Jesus’ teachings at all.
So Is the Bible Against Magic?
The realistic answer: it depends who is reading it and for what purpose.
Literal, old-fashioned readers say yes.
Scholars, historians, and spiritual Christians say no, the verse was mistranslated and misused.
Many believe the Bible supports good magic, healing, and spiritual gifts.
And in Romanian culture, that’s exactly what we see: the church and magic live side by side, whether priests want to admit it or not.
Women of the Bible Who Had “Magic” But Were Loved, Not Condemned
If the Bible truly wanted all “witches” dead, then the book would not contain so many powerful spiritual women who used rituals, prophecy, herbs, dreams, and intuition.
But it does,and that’s another contradiction.
Miriam, the Prophetess
Heritage Images / Contributor / Getty Images
Miriam, the sister of Moses, was a prophetess who used music, dance, and ritual to call spiritual power and celebrate God’s intervention. In many cultures, prophecy and ritual dancing are considered magical acts, yet Miriam was blessed, not punished.
The Wise Women of the Old Testament
In the Iron Age Levant, in what the Bible describes as the Kingdom of Israel, there were women known as “wise women” (2 Samuel 14:2).
They were spiritual healers, counselors, mediators, exactly like the village witches or herbal women in Romanian tradition.
Instead of being killed, they were respected.
The Magi
The Three Magi, Byzantine mosaic, c. 565, Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy (restored during the 19th century). As here, Byzantine artusually depicts the Magi in Persian clothing, which includes breeches, capes, and Phrygian caps.
Even the New Testament has spiritual practitioners:
The Three Magi who followed a star to find baby Jesus.
The word Magi literally means magicians / astrologers.
So if magic was evil, why were the first people to find Jesus… magicians?
Jesus and the Woman with Spices
When Jesus’ body was taken from the cross, women came with oils, herbs, and spices for spiritual anointing, a ritual used in many magical traditions for protection and passing of the soul.
Nobody called them witches. They were honored.
These stories show something important:
Magical women were not always enemies.
Sometimes they were part of God’s plan.
Saints Who Worked Miracles, Or What Other People Would Call Magic
Many saints in Christianity did things that in any other religion would be called spells:
Saint Cyprian was a magician before becoming a Christian saint
Saint Nicholas performed miracles of protection
Saint Teodora / Parascheva are believed to give dreams, signs, and healing
Exorcists and priests use ritual words, blessed objects, incense, and holy water, just like traditional magic
So Christianity does not reject supernatural power.
It just gives it different names.
When Faith and Magic Walk Together
In Romanian culture, this connection is strong.
Even today:
People take holy bread home for blessings
They put basil and holy water in their houses for protection
They light candles for love, luck, and healing
They ask saints for miracles
If these actions were done in a different religion, they would be called spells.
Inside the church, they are called faith.
So the divide between magic and religion is not real, it is created by people who want to decide what kind of power is “allowed” and who is “dangerous.”
Traditional Magic and the Christian Church Intertwined
One of the most surprising (and taboo) parts of Romanian traditional magic is that many spells are not done in forests or secret hideouts, but directly in the church.
Even though the priest might preach that magic is a sin, the reality of Romanian folk culture is different: witches and healers often go to church to perform rituals, take blessed objects, or use holy energy for their spells.
For outsiders, this looks shocking:
“How can someone do magic in the house of God?”
But in Romanian tradition the church is not just a religious building, it is a place of spiritual power.
If something is blessed, prayed over, or touched by holy fire, then in folk magic it becomes stronger.
Candles: Between Prayer and Spell
In every Orthodox church there are two candle stands:
Foto: pixabay.com
one for the living
one for the dead
Lighting a candle for a living person is a blessing: for health, protection, love, or good fate.
Lighting a candle for the dead is for the souls that have passed into the next world.
Here is where folk magic changes the meaning:
Many villagers believe that if you want to send misfortune or punishment to someone who is alive, you place their candle with the dead, turning the candle upside-down.
It’s not an official Christian ritual, it’s a piece of deep folklore.
The idea is symbolic: you are giving the person the energy of endings, silence, misfortune.
And for centuries, people have done this in secret, hidden in the corner of a quiet church.
So even inside the holy space, magic does not disappear, it adapts.
Love Magic and the Church: The Wedding Candle
A lot of it is about love, healing, and reconciliation.
One of the most sacred magical objects in Romanian folklore is the wedding candle (lumânarea de cununie).
The Wedding Candle
It burns during the religious marriage ceremony
It holds the blessing of unity, fidelity, and a promise made in front of God
It symbolizes sacred love and harmony
Because of that, in traditional magic the wedding candle is believed to carry special spiritual power.
If a candle burned at a happy wedding, it can bring two hearts back together.
In folklore, pieces of wax from a wedding candle were kept as talismans for:
healing relationships
reconciling couples
keeping a family united
protecting a marriage from jealousy or breakup
The candle has power because a priest blessed it, and because two people promised their souls to each other under its light.
So the object becomes half Christian, half magical.
The Holy Basil (Busuioc): The Most Famous Church Herb
Another example is holy basil, blessed at the church.
In Romania, basil is not just a plant, it is a spiritual tool.
People keep blessed basil for:
purification
protection of the home
health
luck
love
success
And of course, the famous folk belief:
Put holy basil under your pillow on a sacred holiday, and you will dream of your destined one.
Even if the church would call that superstition, the truth is:
the basil is blessed at church, touched by holy water, sometimes even by the priest’s own hand.
So again, magic and religion walk together.
Church Magic Is Not a New Idea
For someone from outside Romania, all of this seems strange.
But for Romanians, especially in villages, this is normal.
People pray, light candles, take holy water, kiss icons, and then go home to use those objects in folk rituals.
It proves something powerful:
Magic never left the church.
It just changed names.
Prayer, blessing, candle light, holy herbs, these are forms of magic too.
And in Romanian culture, people never separated faith from magic.
They used both, because in the end, both come from the same place: hope, love, protection, and the desire to change destiny.
Alex Raven
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