Theurgy

Theurgy, also called Theosophy, Theosophical magic or holy magic, is a style of magicplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigMagic styles

Throughout history there have been a number of styles of magic, including spoken and gestural languages used to communicate with silfs, and magic scripts used to record those languages, often surrounded by the paraphernalia of costume and ritual with which some societies dressed up otherwise simple thaumaturgy.magicmagicmagicmagicMiyarris that instead of using the power of an ordinary elemental, invokes the power of a deital or god-spirit. Theurgy requires no understanding or even awareness of thaumaturgy or other styles of formal magic. Instead, practitioners follow a specific ritual format depending on the action required, usually involving ritual prayer, sacrifice and other activities which induce a heightened level of consciousness.

Practitioners of thaumaturgy dismiss theurgy as a mechanistic debasement of their art, whilst the faithful seeing 'magic' as a demeaning term for the invocation of holy power.

Deitals have a degree of self-awareness so cannot be commanded and instructed in the way that simple elementals can. Theosophical magic requires following a set of codified rituals, where the supplicant achieves a certain result, in exchange for benefitting and empowering the god in some way.

Theurgy is used for many practical purposes: turning aside storms and bad weather, quelling fires, rescuing people from floods or collapsed mines, or protection from wild animals or human attackers. Theurgy can also be used to attack armies, or kill human opponents of the faith.