Magic

"It's magic, I can tell."

- Tara Maclay

Magic (also referred to as magick, mojo and the whammy) was the accumulation of mystical energy inherent to the Earth and all its inhabitants, due to the Seed of Wonder, as well as existing in other dimensions.

Everyone (both humans and non-humans) were connected to this power and were able to access it through practice and study, allowing them to perform extraordinary, reality-altering feats which ranged from modifying one or more aspects of reality to reshaping the nature of an entire world. Magic was a supernatural force that thrived within the universe that did not actually violate the natural laws of nature, but was simply a law unto itself that remains a mystery by scientific means.

Overview
Dawn: OK, but if another witch was to do it, where would she start?

Willow: ''Uh, physics, principles, basic laws...  Dawn: Such as?  Willow: Uh, conservation of energies. You can't really create or destroy anything, only transfer.''

(Anya scoffs)

Dawn: I'm sorry, are you helping?

Anya: No, but at least I'm not galloping off in the wrong direction.

Willow: Magic works off physics.

Anya: ''Not without a catalyst. If you're talking about transferring energies, you need some kind of conduit.''

Magic did not rewrite the laws of physics, but instead "works off physics"; adhering to the basic physical laws of nature. Consistent with the Law of Conservation, magical energy could not be created nor destroyed, but transferred with the help of a catalyst (for example, Kraken's tooth, skin of Draconis, ground up Balthic stones etc).

Magical energy
Magical energy — in its raw form — resembled electrical discharges, though its appearance varied between different spells where it could manifest in various colors and textures. This energy fueled the applications magic allowed and using too much magic at any given time would make the user lose that energy and thus limit their capacity to perform magic for a period of time, requiring the user days to recuperate. It could be drawn from external sources like specific objects (such as the Scythe), be granted by higher beings (like Yeska) or even drawn from the Earth itself; which according to Rupert Giles was where the true essence of magic came from. Certain spells could also cause a significant surge of power into the caster. An example of this includes the Ritual of Restoration performed by Willow Rosenberg. Rupert Giles claimed that this could "open a door that that you [Willow] might not be able to close", meaning that this spell led her to becoming a powerful witch.

Any being was capable of harnessing this power. This included humans, demons (such as Cyvus Vail), vampires (such as Kumiko Ishihara) and even cyborgs as a whole cell of them employed glamours to disguise themselves and the cyborg duplicate of Roger Wyndam-Pryce could activate the Staff of Devosynn.

Residual energy
When a person casts a spell, they are channeling magic through themselves and a portion of that magic remains within them. The magical energy was detectable by certain beings (such as Sweet and Rack) who could sense that energy from practitioners which could inform them of that person's magical power, including what spells they cast, how much power they had, if that power was depleting and what they intended to do with it. Jonathan Levinson, a magical practitioner of a fair degree of skill, could "practically feel" that Willow was running out of magicks, while Rack immediately knew that Amy Madison was previously a rat years after they last had contact, and a coven from Devonshire sensed the dangerous magical force Willow possessed fueled by her grief. Casting powerful spells could exert a notable amount of energy that was capable of interfering with the casting of lesser spells and make the location of the casting susceptible to being discovered.

The Twilight Group possessed technology that detected large amounts of magic usage, but it wasn't easy to pinpoint the exact origin of the energy as it was abundant in all magical beings (which encompass beings that were inherently magical, possessed magic, and/or used magic). While all beings on Earth were connected to magic, beings like Slayers, witches and Werewolves (in their lupine form) possessed a greater concentration of energy. As this fact made the Slayer Organization more detectable to Twilight, they decided to withdraw their energy by practicing the tradition of Bon, which stated that a person could make their internal magical energy flow out of themselves and redirect it back into the Earth. They did this by performing hard labor on Oz's farm without using their super strength. This method also allowed werewolves, such as Oz, to control their lycanthropy. It was later revealed that they were actually redirecting their magic to a trio of earth-bound goddesses who protected the monastery in exchange (but eventually ended up attacking the Slayers due to their confusion).

It was stated that it took many months for a person to completely clear themselves of magical energy. This was demonstrated when Willow successfully summoned the god Osiris without any tools after months of not using any magic.

Transfering energy


Magical energy could also be shared among other users, or forcibly taken. This usually required physical contact, but an exceptionally powerful practitioner could drain that energy without any contact and not only drain the energy without the other person knowing, but also decode it to manipulate as they wished.

Magic users could also likewise give some of their own magical energy to others, shown when Amy transferred a portion of her energy to Willow via a spell. Absorbing unexpected bursts of magical energy can have unwanted effects, such as vomiting, one's eyes color changing and unintentionally magically effecting one's surroundings.

Draining too much energy from one user could kill or at least weaken them as it drained their life force. Magic could also be transferred into a host for a limited time, as was the case with Rupert Giles, who had immense magical power bestowed upon him by a very powerful coven in England who then sent him to Sunnydale in an attempt to stop a rampaging Willow from destroying the world.

Methodology
Practitioners of magic, commonly known as witches, warlocks, sorcerers, wizards, mystics, alchemists and shamans, employed a number of ways to perform magic:
 * Spells: The recitation of text which summoned a particular force: demons, spirits or deities, in order to affect reality in a determined way. All spells left a trace signature after they were cast which weren't perceptible to the human eye unless the ritual Tirer La Couverture was preformed.
 * Rituals: A combination of physical actions, spell recitation and use of talismans, potions and other ingredients to manipulate reality. Sometimes they also required specific times and locations.
 * Potions: Substances created from the mixing of certain ingredients.
 * Tools: Magic Practitioners used various tools to perform magic, such as candles, colored sand, crystals, charms etc.
 * Talismans: Physical objects that had been imbued with mystical properties.
 * Cauldrons: A container used to mix ingredients in.

Training and potency
With proper training, magic practitioners become capable of performing feats of magic through sheer will. These acts ranged from minor telekinesis, levitation, and glamours to more complicated feats of transmogrification, conjuration and summoning of energy blasts or lightning bolts. Some people, Willow Rosenberg for example, had a greater inherent talent for magic than others. There also seemed to be a commonality between magical power and family heritage, particularly on the maternal side. For instance, both Tara Maclay and Amy Madison were powerful witches and both of them had mothers who were also adept at using magic. Though all living beings, humans and non-humans alike, could perform spells with the usage of artifacts and incantations, witches and warlocks typically had greater knowledge and power over such forces. The technopagan Jenny Calendar, while able to cast spells and use methods of divination, did not call herself a witch because she "didn't have that kind of power". The Watcher's Council rated a magical practitioner's power by a "magical proficiency level". Though how such a scale functioned was never explained.

Deities
Many spells called upon higher beings or named gods in their incantations. Multiple beings could also be called for a single spell. Such named gods and their specialties included: Other spells called upon demons such as Proserpexa. Whether these gods granted the practitioners wish was dependent on the situation. For example, Osiris refused to resurrect Tara Maclay since her death was caused by another human which was either not his jurisdiction or beyond his power. Another instance included Hecate, who was known for her impatience, seemingly refused to de-rat Amy when Willow summoned her, even though Amy originally summoned Hecate to turn her into a rat, as Willow wasn't as powerful as Amy at the time. Also, the Davric Demon Yeska, falsely considered a goddess among wizards, granted them power on their 50th birthday in exchange for a virgin sacrifice.
 * Aradia: Guiding spell
 * Asmodea: A presumably offensive spell
 * Cadria: Blinding curses
 * Kali, Hera, Kronos, Thonic and Cassiel (though the last two aren't actually gods): The Thick air spell
 * Corsheth and Gilail: Reversal spells and the Curse of Corsheth (Corsheth only)
 * Diana: Love spells
 * Eligor: The Vampire Restoration Ritual
 * Granath: Reanimation spells
 * Hecate: Transmogrification spells.
 * Janus: Halloween transmogrification spell
 * Kokopelli: Presumably spells about fertility
 * Osiris: Resurrection spells
 * Thespia: The Demon Locator Spell

Types of Magic
There were several branches of magic that focused on a specific application and differed with the level of difficulty associated with performing them.
 * Conjuration: involved creating matter out of thin air. It was considered a powerful form of magic and inexperienced practitioners were discouraged from conjuring as it was hard to control what was conjured.
 * Transmogrification: involved transforming the shape and appearance of an object into something different. This form of magic could be preformed by first-year practitioners but wasn't advised as it was harder to reverse the affects.
 * Glamouring: involved altering how objects and individuals were perceived, both in terms of how they were seen, heard and touched. It was considered a basic form of witchcraft that could be easily learnt and taught to non-practitioners.
 * Divination: involved the use of tools to predict future events. It was apparently a rather simple form of magic as those with little power or experience with magic were known to use it, though this could depend on the method of divination that was used.
 * Flesh Magic: an ancient form of magic that relied on flesh and blood rather then words or incantations. It was considered more powerful than word-based magic.

Magical practices
The approach to performing magic varied widely and there were different types of magical practice based on what methods the practitioner used and what results they hoped to accomplish. These practices could also serve as the practitioner's religious/spiritual belief system.
 * Witchcraft: Practiced by Witches and Warlocks.
 * Wizandry: Practiced by Wizards.
 * Necromancy: Practiced by Necromancers.
 * Alchemy: Practiced by Alchemists.
 * Shamanism: Practiced by Shamans.
 * Technopaganism: Practiced by Technopagans.
 * Voodoo: Practiced by Voodoo Priests.

Good and Evil
Different magicks could be defined by their moral implications, power and source. Dark magic was often associated with powerful spells that posed a risk to others, the universe or the caster, and often involved subjects that were considered against nature, such as Resurrection spells. These magicks could be found in certain books and came from a "place of rage and power". Good magic could be channeled for equally powerful spells and were sourced from things like the Earth and the Scythe.

Limitations
"The thing about magic - there's always consequences - always!"

- Spike on magic

Magic also had its limits and could have negative consequences on the user and those around them, both physically and mentally.

Addiction
"Willow, you are using too much magic!"

- Tara Maclay

Overuse of magic could lead to a drug-like addiction which, if left untreated, caused the practitioner to eventually disintegrate or burn out. For example, a group of African shamans became addicted to dark magicks to the extent that they eventually died. A prime example of magic addiction was Willow who originally started to practice magic as a way to aid Buffy Summers in fight evil, but as her power grew, she began to using magic for her own enjoyment and to solve her own personal problems. The real problems started to arise after she de-ratted Amy who introduced her to the warlock Rack. Rack supplied the girls with magicks that fueled them for days without any burn-out factor. These magicks created notable changes in their behavior, making them spaced-out and irresponsible, giving them symptoms characteristic of what one would receive under the influence of stimulants. It also caused physical changes in Willow who's eyes turned black and began emitting magical energy from her body. It was after the event wherein one of her spells caused the creation of a demon when she realized things needed to change. She relinquished all of her magical items, such as crystals, tarot cards, crystal balls and herbs, and vowed never to use another spell again. She was even unable to make potions. Despite dealing with some problems along the way, such as performing strange acts like carefully arranging straws and highlighting entire pages of a book, Willow managed to overcome her addiction until the death Tara which caused her to absorbed the magical energy from dozens of books and go on a murderous rampage. During this time, she didn't exhibit any of the drug-like symptoms she did until she absorbed the collective energy via a coven from Devon. After being convinced not to destroy the world, Willow received rehabilitation in England, learning to draw energy from the Earth while also still struggling to keep herself from becoming addicted again.

Physical repercussions
Since magic required physical energy in order to function, only so much could be used at any one time as posited by Willow Rosenberg in her battle against the hell God Glory and after resurrecting Buffy Summers. Likewise, after a night of heavy magic use, Willow returned home exhausted and unable to use even simple magic to close her blinds. This clearly indicated that overuse of magic and lack of energy had localized detrimental effects on the practitioner's magic use. Magic could also cause mental duress and painful headaches, e.g., after Willow used a very powerful teleportation spell on Glory, she had recurrent headaches for roughly a week or so after. Heavy nose bleeding was also common of magical overuse or after completing a very powerful spell as was the case with Willow Rosenberg a number of times, e.g., creating a large force field when the Scooby Gang were on the run from Glory and the Knights of Byzantium and, likewise, when Willow created a force field to defend the Summers' home against a Turok-Han. When the Slayers' base was under attack by Twilight's army, a few of the witches protecting the keep had what appeared to be brain aneurysms through severe overuse of magic, one of them even collapsing dead after having what Willow called a "brain fry". Despite all the negative effects, using magic can have a good effect on the user. After casting the Slayer Activation spell, Willow was overcome with a powerful force of transcendence as the spell took effect, leaving her in a spent yet gleeful state as she collapsed on the floor.

Risk factor
Practicing magic was a risky operation as things could go easily wrong, resulting in an unwanted or even harmful after-effect. Maintaining control while preforming a spell was challenging in itself and required concentration. Willow could levitate a pencil at her will so as long as she retained "emotional control" and upon hearing something to her dislike, she accidentally torpedoed the pencil into a tree. When imprisoned in a frat house under the influence of a demon, Buffy warned Willow, only then a witch practicing since last year, that she shouldn't cast a conjuring spell and her spells were just "50/50". A stubborn Willow proceeded to perform the spell anyway and it ended up backfiring. Tara seemed nervous in summoning the goddess Thespia and she, along with many others expressed hesitation that Willow would be able to pull off a resurrection where the ritual itself was a trial of torture. Although Willow ended up successful, the offering was ruined. Spells could have unwanted results if things were to go wrong during the performance of one. A love spell that Xander Harris had Amy perform on Cordelia went wrong, resulting in every woman in town falling for him as Cordelia already loved him. Willow tried to alter the memories of Buffy and Tara but ending up removing all the memories from them, herself, Xander, Rupert Giles, Spike and Dawn Summers, simply because she unknowingly left a bag of Lethe's Bramble to burn, a necessary ingredient which enhanced the effects of the spell.

Physical Effects
"I'm so angry at me, I cannot believe these aren't black."

- Willow Rosenberg, commenting on how she usually changes eye color due to magic.

Magic could also have manifestly visible and bodily changes on the caster, the most common of which was the caster's eyes turning completely black when using very powerful magic, or when wielding magic with evil intent or uncontrolled emotions. This was shown in Catherine Madison and her daughter when preforming feats of transmogrification and to Willow several times. Willow was subject to severe physical change after she absorbed the latent magical power confined within dozens of spell books, which turned her hair and eyes black and caused dark veins to sprout up on her face. After this point, whenever Willow over exerted herself, her hair and eyes turned black and her voice often deepened and had a slight echo to it. Willow used the power of the Slayer Scythe to turn every potential in the world into the real Slayer. This temporarily caused Willow's hair to turn white and her whole body to glow with a godly light. After Tara was shot, Willow's eyes turned blood red. When combining her essence with the essences of Willow, Giles, and Xander during the Enjoining spell, Buffy's irises turned orange.

Views and perceptions on Magic
Users of magic have received persecution throughout history. The demon who assumed the guise of two deceased children caused strife among communities for centuries by making residents believe witches were responsible for the deaths of children. The Salem Witch Trials was a notable event in the history of witchcraft, though Anya Jenkins claimed that it wasn't that bad as the witches-in-question could have just used magic to escape, though, this did not apply to those who were falsely accused of being witches.

The Maclay family claimed that the magical talent possessed by the females of the family was because they were part-demon, though this was merely a lie formulated in order to control their women. The idea of magic as an actual functioning force was not known in mainstream society. While the Watcher's Council was aware of magic and Watchers themselves were known to possess a degree of magical skill as well as employing alchemists, the Initiative, a government agency tasked with studying demons, were unfamiliar with the power magic had and failed to take it seriously. However, Dextralcorp Recycling Technologies, a government-run organisation, seemed to possess better knowledge on the subject. According to the Watcher's Council, witches were required to be "registered". The Daughters of Gaia was a Wicca group based in UC Sunnydale that consisted of nothing but "wannablessedbes" who actually didn't know anything about real magic, up until 2003 when they consisted of real magic practitioners.

Technopaganism was the usage of modern technology, such as computers, in magic rituals.

Modern witches were subject to stereotypes in maintain stream society. Willow Rosenberg was especially vocal about this, apparently complaining about the usage of a cauldron in a witch-themed movie (which is actually used by real witches) and refusing to sell a book about witchcraft to a trick-or-treater dressed as a stereotypical witch with warts, a pointy hat and a broomstick.

Terminology
Magic was referred to by many names and terms. The term magick was used as a countable noun (for example, potent magicks or the magicks). Colloquially, magical energy or magic in general has been referred to as mojo  and the whammy.

The End of Magic
See End of Magic

Early in the 21st century, Buffy destroyed the Seed of Wonder. The doors to other dimensions were closed off from the earth, meaning that witches and warlocks could no longer draw on magic from demons, gods or other realities. While magical beings, such as Slayers, demons, and vampires, already present in this reality continued to exist, the Slayer line was rendered dormant and all vampires sired after the Seed's destruction were mindless. Earth was essentially without magic. In a dream, Buffy discovered that the Slayer Scythe was the key to restoring magic to the world. After regaining her own magic, a new Seed of Wonder was spawned directly in Willow Rosenberg's body, rendering her powerless in the process. Severin proceeded to age the new Seed to completion, restoring magic to the world, albeit with different rules than before; for example, new vampires were now immune to sunlight and could morph into giant bats.