imitative magic

American  

noun

1. magic that attempts to control the universe through the mimicking of a desired event, such as by stabbing an image of an enemy in an effort to destroy them or by performing a ritual dance imitative of the growth of food in an effort to secure an abundant supply; a branch of sympathetic magic based on the belief that similar actions produce similar results.

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Example Sentences

“Consumers use contagious and imitative magic to imbue replica instruments with power,” Dr. Fernandez and Dr. Lastovicka write in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.

From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2011

That is a belief in what is also called imitative magic: things that resemble each other have similar powers.

From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2011

The acts appear to be simply procedures of imitative magic, customs sanctified by long usage.

From Introduction to the History of Religions Handbooks on the History of Religions, Volume IV by Jastrow, Morris

On the principles of homoeopathic or imitative magic it might be thought that the higher the priests swing the higher will grow the rice.

From The Golden Bough by Frazer, James George, Sir

There are many other curious instances of imitative magic.

From The Next Step in Religion An Essay toward the Coming Renaissance by Sellars, Roy Wood