Magic is the science and practice of utilizing energies beyond the scope of modern science, usually by mental, physical or chemical means, specifically in the form of wizardry, witchcraft, sorcery and mysticism. All human beings have the potential to practice and tap into the mystical arts, but each person is limited by their own amount of training, discipline, knowledge, enlightenment and mastery of the mystical arts, although some people like individuals have for more potential and aptitude for it than others. Due to this fact, most magic-users tend to traffic with others inclined to magic and most often propagate with their own kind. It is believed the ability to tap into and manipulate magic is one of several recessive traits passed down from when gods trafficked with mortals and sired children with both godly and mortal characteristics ("demigods"); by intermingling with other magic-users, whether witch or wizard, magic-users can almost certainly insure progeny with specific proclivity to the mystical arts. For this reason, most mystical communities discourage relationships with normal humanity.

In most mystical communities, magic-users often refer to normal humanity as "mortals," but this is a misnomer. Although most magic-users use mystical means to retard the aging process and extend their lives, magic-users are not true immortals like the Gods of Olympus or any of the other known gods of Earth. All known spell-casters and magic-users are vulnerable to death although they may use mystical means to prevent it. In Great Britain, wizards typically refer to non-magic folk as "muggles."

There are several different means to practice magic, all magic-users share common characteristics in their propensity to tap into the mystical arts. Traditionally, there is no difference between wizards and sorcerers; however, wizardry is often applied to magicians still limited to using a wand in the precision of their spells while sorcerers have risen above using such mediums. Witches, however, differ from other magicians and spell-casters through their use of potions and formulas using exotic materials with unique and individual properties to achieve desired results or aid in the precision of their spells, contrary to wizards who often use wands to direct their spells. Contrary to belief, sorcerers and wizards are not more "powerful" than witches. Each realm of influence has its own depth of mastery and experience; a trained witch can easily over-power a novice wizard. Some magic-users, such as Angelique Collins, have become adept from taking spells from different realms of influence. Although technically a witch, Angelique has become quite knowledgeable in the voodoo art of transfixing spells through dolls and similar totems.

Historically, all magic derives from three main sources: personal powers of the mind/body/soul derived from one developing their own psychic powers (such as telepathy, psychokinesis, telekinesis, clairvoyance, psychometry...), powers gained by tapping into the universe's store of ambient energies for specific results (teleportation, transmutation of objects...) and powers gained by the invoking of gods and/or other-dimensional beings in worlds tangent to their own (dimensional travel, manipulation of energy....). The latter means of power is usually gained by the recitation of spells or incantations, either ritualized ones found in ancient mystical texts or by original spells invoking gods and other extra-dimensional beings. Nearly all families of wizards or witches have mystical tomes or spell-books describing the history of their families with their accumulated mystical knowledge, such as the Russos or the Spellmans.

Most so-called "magic" actually appears to be an advanced form of telekinesis, psychokinesis and teleportation. All magic-users can affect matter on the atomic level (changing the properties of an object into another object), on the molecular level (altering an object into another similar object) or on a whole (telekinetically moving an object). The art of conjuration allows witches and wizards to manifest their thoughts into physical objects or to mentally teleport small objects, such as money, from existing areas without creating it anew from nothingness. Very few witches and wizards have the ability to teleport themselves since it requires such a massive expenditure of energy. The exact perimeters of this spell are unknown, but it appears to involve mentally warping and connecting two separate areas of space to over-lap so that one appears to vanish from one area and reappear in another without any observable lapse in time in between. Spell-casters such as Alex Russo and Sabrina Spellman can seemingly teleport themselves between any two places on Earth, but they are unable to traverse between different planes of existence or through dimensional barriers, instead resorting to using naturally occurring dimensional access points on Earth to do so. Sabrina used one such portal in her aunt's linen closet for reaching the Magic Community, and Alex used one located in the attic of her parent's sandwich shop, a room secretly accessed by a minor portal within their ground floor restaurant.

Some witches have the ability to shape-shift, enabling them to alter their appearance into other people and/or animals, and yet retaining their own minds and personalities, but because of undefined restrictions with this power, very few magic-users employ it. Witches generally change themselves into cats which are considered sacred in witchcraft, but they have also turned into dogs and mice among other creatures. In this form, they are unable to perform any other spells except restoring themselves to their true form, but there is always a risk of becoming mentally trapped in this form or being unable to transform back to normal. Witches and wizards have often changed other people into animal forms, like frogs, dogs and mice; in fact, lycanthropy (werewolfism) has its origins in this spell. In Ancient Greece, the Olympian Gods often turned immoral human beings into animals, such as deer, spiders, wolves, fish and birds.

Another frequent form of magic are hexes and jinxes, small bursts of psychokinetic energy that can be conjured and released to cause either positive ("good luck") or usually negative results ("bad luck). Both Sabrina and Alex have used spells to invoke human responses and circumstances in other individuals, causing effects akin to subliminal hypnotic suggestion. Samantha Stephens could use hexes to cause certain individuals to perceive hallucinations no one else can see, and place anyone of her choosing to enter into a "deep-freeze," a spell which momentarily halted the physical, verbal and conscious movements of certain individuals. In this state, the potential subject entered into a submissive state where they were more suggestive to Samantha's whims, allowing her to force them to forget or perceive certain events. Most of these results are almost never severe and are often used to insure some balance of karma to keep others from obtaining means through deceit or trickery.

Wizards and witches also have the ability to create spells and enchantments, acts which can affect the physical properties of other people and/or objects. This ability seems akin to psychokinesis or converting thoughts to mass; thus allowing magic-users to alter the properties of other objects to increase their natural attributes (for example: making a object indestructible) or increasing the perimeters of other living beings (for: example: increasing the physical, mental or senses of others). Alex was able to grant Harper both extraordinary mental and physical attributes on several occasions, and Samantha was able to enchant ordinary objects to grant good luck upon others, sometimes with predetermined expiration periods. 

Another form of magic is the ability to create and conjure luminescent mystical energy. Harry Potter could conjure low level energy with the power of almost a hundred candles to light his way, but a fully trained wizard, such as Merlin or Albus Dumbledore can conjure enough energy to explode on contact, anywhere from a hundred pounds of concussive force to the equivalent of a hundred pounds of dynamite. Mystical energy can also be used to conjure shields and artificial platforms on which to levitate. Wizards and witches can also tap into and manipulate other forms of energy, such as fire for heat and the life energies of others. Stephen Strange is able to depart his physical body for brief periods of time with a form of astral projection, and Alex was briefly able to exchange her body with Harper by exchanging their life-forces between their bodies.

Contrary to belief, magic is not always infallible, and although vast, there are numerous limitations inherent to wielding such power. Magic-users are unable to affect reality on cosmic scales. Sabrina, Alex and Tabitha were able to conjure small minor worlds based on works of fiction, possibly within small pockets of inter-dimensional space, but these abilities are extremely taxing to the magic-users involved. Time travel is another power that requires a great expenditure of power which very few wizards and witches dabble; it is impossible for a single magic-user to conjure the level of power to time travel. Even when Sabrina has created a world of her choosing, she has actually used ingredients of matter manipulation and hypnosis to create her desired effect. 

Most magic-users use similar mystical items, such as crystal balls and flying carpets, but these objects are usually regular items for the users to channel their own power. Just as witches use brooms to balance their levitation on to fly, so did Eastern mystics to fly on carpets. Crystal balls actually have no power but to focus a wizard's own clairvoyant or precognitive abilities. Even the wands of wizards such as Justin and Alex Russo have no powers except to use in the precision of their spells. In recent years, witches like Hilda and Zelda Spellman have enchanted regular mortal devices for other means, such as a toaster to receive mystical messages. Another form of medium are potions and elixirs used to define strict spells demanding precision or transfer spells from a distance on specific individuals. Most potions involve the natural anathema of plants, herbs and minerals for very specific results, such as sleeping potions and truth serums. Several adept wizards, such as Amadeus Bombay, can use such elixirs to counter the effects of other spells and hexes.

Although several forms of magic involve potions and other physical means, most magic-users are able to perform feats of magic unaided. Witches like Samantha and Sabrina can cast spells by simply pointing with their index finger extended to imitate using a wand or by highly elaborate gestures and movements. Merlin could command the weather with extreme ease while Samantha could pull off subtle spells by twitching her nose or pulling on her ear. It seems the power of the spell is often connected to the size of the gesture involved. Samantha could induce forgetfulness with a subtle gesture while Harry Potter was required to wave his wand to conjure his patronus or "animal spirit."  

It should be noted that magic-users are often susceptible to maladies and afflictions which can interfere with their magic; most of these are conjurations by rival magicians or mystics or limitations caused by atmospheric and even astrological phenomenon. Both Samantha and Sabrina's magic could be temporarily knocked-out by a high altitude or by their families' allergies to specific foods. It should be noted that the individual mystical energies of certain magic-users are often incompatible with those of other magic-users. Samantha could not restore a human changed into another form by undoing the original spell, but she could add to it by giving that individual another form. Wizards and witches are unable to undo the spells of gods or other dimensional-beings.

It is believed the first human magic-users came into being sometime during the Sumerian Empire, although magic seems to have also come into being in Ancient India and Ancient China. Early magic-users were recruited by powerful kings and rulers to protect their native homelands with witchcraft developing in Ancient Greece during the time of the Gods of Olympus. In the Far East, some mystics made dark pacts with demons and evil gods to practice dark arts similar to magic but instead involving the sacrifice of animals and human beings. True magic does not involve any such practice, but the Early Christian Church renounced the use of magic, instead turning to faith, and most wizards and witches were forced into anonymity, retreating to hidden villages and communities outside the realm of normal man. Some of these hidden communities still exist today, while others, such as Diagon Alley, have popped up in recent times. Several magic-users, however, such as Angelique Collins, Alex Russo and Sabrina Spellman, preside in regular society, carefully keeping secret their powers from the general public.

Although some magic-users freely use their powers in public, often living beyond their means around royalty or wealthy individuals, the general populace of Earth is unaware magic exists, instead blaming major feats of magic, such as the Tunguska Explosion of 1908 and the 1965 New York Black-Out, on rational and logical circumstances. The modern mystical community is governed by a small hierarchy of judges and politicians centered in London with smaller headquarters around the world. Their duty is to regulate mystical affairs and prevent magic from becoming public and enforce laws on certain spells. Some of their laws prevent magic-users from counterfeiting money, honoring the copyright of established merchandise and using magic to try to affect free will. Another rule among magic families was that only one family member was ever allowed to practice magic, but this rule now seems out-dated as barely anyone honors it anymore. It is known that witches and wizards are not allowed to conjure love spells since it affects free will. It is known that in prehistory that unregulated magic resulted in the creation of mystical deviations such as vampires, werewolves and zombies. Most magic-users can summon the spirits of the dead ("ghosts"), and as a result, séances along with the art of divination are the two mystical ceremonies common between both magic-users and non-magic-users. 

Today, the general public does not believe that magic exists; very few people are aware of its existence, usually through associations with known magic-users such as Sabrina Spellman, Alex Russo and Harry Potter. It is unknown exactly how many hidden mystical communities there are in the world, but in addition to keeping magic secret and protecting the Earth from beings of malevolent intent, the magic community also tries to remain aware of new wizards and magic-users, sending them to private academies, such as Hogwarts and the Mecklenburg Academy (aka "Wiz-Tech"), for developing their mystical prowess. Several of these schools are located near isolated magic communities with both normal and magic folk, like Hogsmeade, Scotland, but it is known that the majority of most magic-users preside in regular society, such as the Halliwell Sisters, sometimes selling charms and magic relics to tourists under the New Age belief. It is also believed that some of these schools are also frequented by modern demigods, the children of gods like Poseidon and Aphrodite. The vicinities of these communities are also often frequented by other beings, such as elves, faeries, gnomes, trolls, shape-shifters and centaurs. 

Adapted from the Doctor Strange bio in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II #4 as well as from numerous mystical references.