Major Religions And Magic: Daoism

Chapter 13

The focus of Daoist beliefs is spontaneity, and connecting with nature. Thus, Daoist magic was completely unstructured, and revolved around nature spells. This nature magic varied from forming rivers through Gouging Spells and an early form of Aguamenti to affecting the weather in much more complex ways than the modern curses and Atmospheric Charms. One wizard, by the name of Huai Bai is known for his ability to summon or stop rain without speaking a word.

He wrote:

The rain inside me

Commands me to let it out

Falling upon us

Many similar poems exist, and some modern historians believe that this poetry was actually a means of forming spells. However, they have not worked in various modern experimental settings, leading to the conclusion that they involved some other movement or substance, or that the magic behind them has ceased to exist.

This interest in nature also leads to astounding strides in Herbology. Daoist wizards and Muggles discovered countless useful herbs and fungi, including Finger Root and Sea Buckthorn. They worked together to develop methods for herb maintenance and use, advancing the field of potion-making as well. However, due to the Daoists’ wishes for spontaneity, the procedures for most of the potions were never recorded, and cannot be replicated.

Within the Daoist community, there was no distinction between Muggles and wizards. Most Muggles believed that they had the same powers as wizards to control their surroundings through magic. Through Daoism, wizards and Muggles collaborated freely, without conflict.