Robert M. Place's 2009 book,
Magic and Alchemy describes the origins of black magic as being like its counterpart
white magic: traced to the primitive, ritualistic worship of spirits. Unlike white magic, in which Place sees parallels with primitive
shamanistic efforts to achieve closeness with spiritual beings, the rituals that developed into modern black magic were designed to
evoke those same spirits to produce beneficial outcomes for the practitioner. Place also provides a broad modern definition of both black and white magic, preferring instead to refer to them as "
high magic" (white) and "
low magic" (black) based primarily on intentions of the practitioner employing them. He acknowledges, though, that this broader definition (of "high" and "low") suffers from prejudices because good-intentioned
folk magic may be considered "low" while
ceremonial magic involving expensive or exclusive components may be considered by some as "high magic", regardless of intent. During the
Renaissance, many magical practices and rituals were considered evil or irreligious and by extension, black magic in the broad sense.
Witchcraft and non-mainstream
esoteric study were prohibited and targeted by the
Inquisition. As a result,
natural magic developed as a way for thinkers and intellectuals, like
Marsilio Ficino, abbot
Johannes Trithemius and
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, to advance esoteric and ritualistic study (though still often in secret) without significant persecution. ==
Artes prohibitae and
artes magicae==