For a long time mankind has been interested in mysticism and various inexplicable phenomena. Today, almost every inhabitant of the earth has heard about psychic abilities, witches, sorcerers, clairvoyants. In different cities you can find people with a certain gift and offering their services. But has it always been this way? Where did sorcerers come from in the 21st century?
Where did psychics come from? Even in ancient times, there were wise men in Russia. They were considered mediators between man and God on earth, and they were consulted for advice. They were the keepers of all secret knowledge, they were engaged in predictions and could heal many diseases. In the days of paganism, the Magi were actually the second power. Between them and the existing rulers periodically there was a struggle for leadership. It is the Magi who can and should be considered the “progenitors” of modern psychics.
After the Baptism of Rus, the Magi did not disappear, but lost their influence. At the same time, they remained the keepers of all secrets, diviners and healers. But their vigorous activity almost completely ceased. For several centuries, the Magi were hardly remembered.
However, the belief in miracles and magic among the people has not disappeared anywhere, it is she, perhaps, that feeds the enthusiasm for the paranormal and psychic in the modern world. Many ethnographers say that magic originated in primitive society and developed thanks to the eternal desire of people to subjugate nature and learn all the secrets of the world.
In the 19th century, the English ethnographer J. Fraser predicted that the worldview of people would develop in the following sequence: magic - religion - science. However, today we can say that all three components exist and develop in parallel, the transition from one sequence to another has not yet been observed.
Today on the territory of Russia there are about a million registered specialists involved in magic, witchcraft and healing. At the same time, there are much more of those whom only a narrow circle of people knows about.
According to sociological studies conducted in recent years, about a quarter of the population sincerely believes in miracles and various signs. Almost half of the country is into magic, witchcraft, transmigration of souls and ghosts. Many businessmen and employers began to use the services of fortune-tellers, astrologers, palmists, and other specialists providing magical services. Among the general population, the services of sorcerers, mediums, fortunetellers, witches, healers, tarologists, etc. used by almost every third. Naturally, with such a faith, the number of newly appeared "Magi" only increases, because "according to your faith, let it be unto you."
