Magical gestures have been an integral part of many cultures and societies throughout history. These gestures are believed to possess the power to manipulate and direct supernatural forces for various purposes. In many ancient civilizations, such as Egypt and Mesopotamia, magical gestures were commonly used in religious and spiritual practices. These gestures were often performed by priests or shamans during rituals to commune with the gods or to invoke blessings and protection. These gestures were seen as a means to harness the divine energy and channel it towards specific intentions or outcomes. In addition to religious contexts, magical gestures were also prevalent in folk beliefs and practices.

Body language that conveys power

Verbal language is perceived by the cerebral cortex, the most highly developed part of the brain. But body language is perceived by the limbic system, a more primitive set of structures that govern emotions, mood, pain and pleasure. “This information bypasses your conscious processing center, giving you an innate understanding of whether a person is weaker or more powerful than you without them saying a word,” Maeve McDermott writes on National Geographic’s Inside NGC blog.

Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight

So if you’re in a situation where you want to convey strength or dominance, McDermott suggests a few simple body moves, accompanied by videos from NatGeo’s “Brain Games” television show.

Perhaps the most surprising power point is this: your thumbs. “The thumb is your dominant finger, strongest in motor function,” McDermott writes. “Others may see you as fearful or lacking confidence if your hands are fidgeting and your thumbs hidden.” A video showing a woman with thumbs tucked under her palms at a boardroom-type table makes the point; indeed, when the camera focuses on her fidgeting hands, you realize she seems weak.

Another way to use your hands effectively is to make a tepee with your fingers, lightly touching your fingertips with your hands pointed up. “A popular move among world leaders, placing your hands in a steeple gesture signals . . . dominance over others,” the author says. “The light touch is important — using this posture too forcefully can convey arrogance.” That same fingertip-touching pose, but with fingers pointed down, conveys attentive listening.

Other powerful stances: Hold your head high, consciously extending your neck. Take up extra space, extending your arms outward. To make the strongest point, stand up.

As you look at the videos, you recognize all of these gestures: They’re not unfamiliar, and every actor makes use of them. The point is, do you?

Magical Gesture

[Goku raises his hands up.]
Freeza: What are you doing?
Goku: [thinking to himself] I have to use the Spirit Bomb! It's my only chance!
Freeza: Seriously what. what is this all about? Are you trying to tell me you once caught a fish that big?
Goku: I'm just. stretching.
Freeza: In the middle of a fight?
Goku: . yes!

Any physical activity required for magic, ranging from simply pointing at the target up to day-long ritual dances.

At its simplest, this is just a way of showing the wizard is actually doing stuff. They will point at the target, wave their hand around to move it, and close their fist to crush it. Moving up a step, some types of spell require precise gestures to work, leading to wizards with very nimble fingers as well as an excuse for them not to wear armor involving the restriction of mobility. The precise gestures have to be memorized as part of the spell.

The more time-intensive forms of Ritual Magic also often require magical gestures: stir the cauldron nine times widdershins, point the sword at each compass point in turn.

If the action isn't simply a gesture, but a heavily physical action, then it's Full-Contact Magic. Set it to rhythm and you have Magic Dance.

Compare with the Pstandard Psychic Pstance. Contrast Geometric Magic (spells come from shapes), Language of Magic (spells come from words), and Powers Do the Fighting (spells don't give a damn about gesticulation). See also Badass Finger Snap, when magic isn't necessarily involved for some interesting effect. Contrast Idiosyncratic Cultural Gesture.

In addition to religious contexts, magical gestures were also prevalent in folk beliefs and practices. In European folklore, for example, witches and sorcerers were believed to possess the ability to cast spells and perform magical gestures to achieve their desired effects. These gestures often involved intricate hand movements and motions, which were thought to enhance the power and effectiveness of the spell.

Examples

• A handful of characters in Bleach, most notably Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. When he activates his Bankai, he doesn't have to use the gestures and such to control the storm of blades, but he states that it does help, and increase his speed. Kido spells also involve hand gestures, with some having more than one gesture that will work.
• Most signature attacks in Dragon Ball involve some unique gestures — the most famous being the Spirit Bomb (hands upraised to collect spirit energy before bringing them down to drop the bomb) and the Kamehameha (hands cupped to the side to gather ki before thrusting them forward).
• Many wizards, especially those who use Maker Magic, in Fairy Tail utilize these. While nearly everybody in the series uses Full-Contact Magic as well, gestures are often used for more powerful magic, like Makarov's Fairy Law or Zeref's attack to kill Hades.
• Ga-Rei — Releasing Byakuei's seal requires a certain hand gesture. * Clasp fingers together with the heels of both palms touching, then touch the tips of each pointer finger together. Kagura's actually put out of action because her hands are shot and she can't make the seal.
• In Harukanaru Toki no Naka de, Tenma, Inori, Shimon, and Tomomasa use specific mudras for performing attacks; for the first three characters these are single gestures taken from kuji-kiri ("pyou", "tou" and "sha", respectively). In the anime series, Yasuaki performs a full-blown kuji-kiri sequence along with the required mantras.
• In Inuyasha, Kikyo, Kaede, and Miroku use what seem to be a mudra (Kapittaka? Pran? First two fingers straight out, next two curled, with the thumb touching the top of the third finger) when focusing their spiritual powers.
• Naruto has hand seals. Influenced, if not completely derived from, Kuji-Kiri and mudras. Shikamaru's concentration gesture is a mudra.
• Trafalgar Law is one of the few One Piece characters who does this. He has a couple of very distinctive gestures for creating his 'room' and controlling things inside it. It appears as though he actually needs his hands, if not the gestures themselves, to use his ability effectively.
• Spells in Slayers involve complex gestures manipulating glowy magical energy. For example, the Flare Arrow spell needs a gesture like firing an imaginary bow (and, indeed, a glowing bow made of fire appears during the casting of the spell).

• Sistine Chapel: God stretches his finger out to touch the fingertips of the first man as part of his creation. It's evident that God has his eyes laser-focused on this finger as if He's channeling His thought through it and into the first man, who will only now receive the spark of life.

• As shown in the page image, Doctor Strange uses particular positions of his hands to cast spells. He often holds one or both hands up with the middle and ring fingers folded inward (c.f. the "I Love You" gesture or the "Metal Horns").
• The Scarlet Witch has a similar gesture to activate her probability-altering powers. In fact, in the early days, if she accidentally made the gesture, random misfortune would happen to whoever was in its general direction without her intending.
• Sabrina the Teenage Witch's gesture varies Depending on the Writer. Sometimes she tugs her earlobe, sometimes she points her index finger (as seen in the live-action TV show), sometimes she snaps her fingers.

• Dungeon Keeper Ami: In the third chapter, the Horned Reaper's fireball spell is mentioned to need specific motions to work:

he could unleash a fireball in a pinch. Or would have been able to, had the ice not prevented him from going through the necessary motions.

• The Genie from Disney's Aladdin makes all sorts of gestures. Sometimes they appear to be explicitly necessary for the magic he's casting, but other times it appears to be just plain showmanship.
• In Turning Red, the red moon ritual requires a coin sword with a jewel in its hilt to be aligned with the moon and the forehead of the person undergoing the ritual.

• In Absolutely Anything, Neil is completely omnipotent. Unlike Bruce Almighty, however, whose powers are controlled by mere willpower, Neil actually has to state what he wants to happen and wave his right hand or it won't work.
• The title character in Bruce Almighty has a habit of doing this whenever using his divine powers. Being near-omnipotent, he doesn't need to do them, he just does for fun.
• Played with in Doctor Strange (2016) — Strange complains that he can't make the spellcasting finger moves because of the damage to his hands, and the Ancient One shows him that the gestures aren't really necessary — one of the masters is missing a hand but controls magic just fine.
• Nerissa from Disney's Enchanted tended to wave her arms and then throw them up or outward as part of her incantation process.
• The witch seen in the opening scene of Night Watch uses both incantations and magical gestures in her spells. To successfully complete her ritual to kill an unborn child, she needs to clap her hands together and they need to touch — when an object is interposed between her hands as she claps, the ritual fails.
• Parodied by Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, where Gideon uses hand gestures that are suspiciously similar to Naruto to power up into his "ultimate form".
• Star Wars:
  • Using The Force. As with many examples, it's not absolutely necessary, but it helps with focus.
  • The famous "mind control hand wave" gesture is lampshaded and mocked in The Phantom Menace when Qui-Gon tries it on an alien and it fails to work. ("What, you think you're some kind of Jedi, waving your hand around like that?")
  Literature
  • Hand gestures are often used by sorcerers in The Belgariad, especially when using telekinesis. They aren't strictly necessary, they just help the user focus their will in the right direction. As such, making a "mystical hand gesture" quickly becomes a visual shorthand for doing sorcery. Ditto for most spellcasters in Eddings' other works. This is lampshaded by Belgarath, who makes a few snide remarks over the centuries about how Polgara feels the need to accompany every release of Will with an airy hand gesture.
  • Magic in Birthright (2017) is performed with a series of gestures that range from hand signs, to full-body movements. The gestures are a language used to communicate with a goddess in order to ask for a desired spell, meaning they can get quite complex. This only applies to human magic; dragons are able to use their shapeshifting magic without any movements at all.
  • Completely averted, but lampshaded in The Black Magician Trilogy, magicians are capable of using their powers as long as they are conscious and have a flicker of life left in them, and Sonea is advised that any good Warrior will not move his hands at all in battle, to avoid telegraphing his attacks.
  • The Sartan from The Death Gate Cycle have to trace runes with their hands in midair for many of their spells (and trace other runes on the ground with their feet for some of the more powerful ones, lending a spellcasting Sartan the look of someone engaging in a bizarre interpretive dance routine). Their rivals the Patryn do this a little, but not as much (their runes are tattooed directly onto their bodies).
  • Discworld: Parodied in Interesting Times, when Rincewind makes the finger gesture that's described as the traditional one used to banish demons. As it turns out, it's the same gesture used to banish people, too.
  • In The Dresden Files, magic can be done without motions, words, or anything else but their use is still quite common. In general intention and emotion are very important when casting spells, so at least some wizards attach the use of words in a langues they don't speak to spells (Harry uses a few different Italian and Spanish words, for example). Of course many of the Wizards we see in action taught, learned alongside or were taught by Harry to some extent, so it's not entirely clear how standard this for others.
    • Harry's was also taught that the right hand is used to project energy, while the left hand draws in energy, although again it's somewhat unclear how much of this is mental and how much is required. Given that his main mentor, Ebenezar, literally wrote the White Council's textbook on introductory magic, it's probably very common for wizards to practice this even if it's not mandatory.
    • Conversely, Cold Days describes how for the Fae, their magic is bound into their actions; for them, movement itself is magical, and their dancing even more so.
    • In The Half-Blood Prince (the sixth book), the making of a particular potion requires it to be stirred clockwise. But the notes of the Half-Blood Prince say it's faster if you stir 1 time counterclockwise for each 7 clockwise.
    • This is seen in the first book as well, when Hermione describes the proper method for Wingardium Leviosa.
    • Supplementary materials reveal that African wizards don't even need wands; the hand gestures are enough. It has also been noted that exceptionally skilled and powerful wizards, such as Voldemort and Dumbledore, can cast spells without the use of wands; the use of a wand just makes magic easier.
    • The sequel reveals that Penny eventually found a way around this by utilizing a form of magic based on subtle muscle movements .
    • Played with even further. Some people claim to be able to tell which Aes Sedai a channeler learned techniques from, simply by the motions. While the Aiel Wise Ones, as well as the Sea Folk Windfinders, can do the techniques without the motions. As such, they are much more efficient and much quicker.
    Live-Action TV
    • In Bewitched, Samantha Stevens has her famous nose wiggle.
    • In Charmed (1998), binding witches' hands to their backs often makes them unable to use their powers, even if some have learned to "point" with the eyes instead.
    • In Emerald City, part of Mombi's process for making Tip's medication involves reciting an incantation over the mixture while making various hand gestures.
    • The powers in Heroes and its follow-up Heroes Reborn are usually accompanied by subtle gestures. Sylar slices heads open by using his finger as a sort of psychic scalpel; Hiro teleports, time travels and freezes time by scrunching up his face and closing his eyes; Greg Grunberg described psychic cop Matt Parkman as having "the power of leaning".
    • In H₂O: Just Add Water, Cleo, Rikki and Emma each have a different water-based power accompanied by a unique magical gesture, which physically correlate to each power. Cleo manipulates water by rotating her hand, Rikki boils it by slowly making a fist, and Emma pushes her flat palm towards water to freeze it. In Season 2, Charlotte gains all three powers, and uses both hands to manipulate it. In Season 3, Bella twists her wrist with her fingers outstretched to turn water into gelatinous and crystalline substances.
    • In I Dream of Jeannie, Jeannie crosses her arms and nods her head, then blinks.
    • In Lab Rats, Chase gets mocked for holding his index/middle fingers to his temple while using his bionics. Since his powers are mostly scanning and wireless communication, physically unremarkable, makes him look silly to onlookers.
    • The Magicians (2016): The series is famous for using extremely complex hand and finger gestures in its magic. This of course is a holdover from the book series, but it's more impressive since the actors actually have to learn all the proper gestures. It also leads to a rather funny scene when Penny and Kady meet a deaf magician who signs to them, and Penny instinctively ducks like she pulled out a gun.
    • In Merlin (1998), magical gestures are said to be used by intermediate wizards, called Hand Wizards. Stronger wizards could use magic without gestures, while weaker ones had to rely on words and incantations. Merlin himself is an intermediate wizard.
    • Star TrekReality Warper Q sometimes gestures or snaps his fingers (finger-snapping became more and more common as time went on) but it's purely for drama's sake. Other members of the Q Continuum use other gestures, such as Amanda Roger, a human-borne Q who waves her hands; and the Q from the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Death Wish", who raises two fingers upward.
      • In one instance of Q appearing on the Enterprise, Guinan raises her hands in a defensive gesture which hints that she may have some ability to repel Q's powers (though she can't stop him from flinging the Enterprise across 7,000 light-years of space).
      Newspaper Comics
      • Mandrake the Magician casts his illusions by gesturing with his hands at his target — almost inevitably accompanied by a caption box reading "Mandrake gestures hypnotically. "
      Roleplay
      • In Dawn of a New Age: Oldport Blues, Sebastian needs to perform specific gestures with his hands in order to command the shadows under his control.
      Tabletop Games
      • Though gestures are not necessarily needed to cast a spell for most practitioners of hermetic magic in Ars Magica, there is a penalty for not using gestures or using only subtle gestures. Certain virtues remove this penalty in specific cases, or outright.
      • In Dungeons & Dragons, any edition that specifies the need or lack of need for these calls them "somatic components". Generally, somatic components for arcane spells need to be so precise that armor, or at least too much armor, will get in the way, while for divine spells, as long as you can move at all, you're good to go.
        • Then there are feats and prestige classes that allow an arcane caster to bypass many of these limitations.
        • Changeling: The Dreaming's bunks. A changeling can do just about any kind of magical effect (stats permitting) as long as they can do a bunk that makes it "possible".
          • Bunks, however, are a bit more complex. A bunk is something to make the magic work which the Changeling recognizes is silly and needless, but it makes the magic easier because the Dreaming runs on Clap Your Hands If You Believe and fantasy tropes. So a simple bunk for the Sovereign Art (magic of rulership and leadership) might be speaking in an imperious, feigned accent, while an extremely powerful bunk might involve gathering your whole court, having your retainers strip you of all your regalia, kneeling before your mother's sword, swearing eternal vengeance on the enemy you are casting the magic on, then having your son bring you an iron knife with which you give yourself a permanent scar across the cheek before having your retainers return your regalia while declaring their loyalty to you and the justice of your cause.
          Video Games
          • Mages in Aetolia can craft enchanted items, but doing so requires specific rituals involving magical gestures such as ringing a bell, waving one's arms, flipping a coin, lighting a candle, spinning around, and "squaring the circle" note the impossible geometric task of creating a square with the same area as a given circle using a limited number of steps with only a compass and straightedge .
          • In Arx Fatalis, you the player cast spells via mouse gestures.
          • For an RPG character in an SNES game, Magus from Chrono Trigger pulls off some fairly elaborate hand gestures during his magic attacks.
          • Some of the ninja in Dead or Alive, such as Ayane, utilize hand symbols in their magic. In fact, Ayane and Kasumi, who both use these, became Canon Immigrants to Ninja Gaiden, mentioned above.
          • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion featured three main gestures: open palms pushed forward for touch based spells, a throw gesture for ranged spells, and a closed fist held high for on-self spells. Oddly, there was no discernible difference to a spell's effect if this was done one-handed, two-handed, or carrying a weapon.
          • Final Fantasy:
            • In Final Fantasy VII, magic is commonplace, so most characters just throw up their hands when they cast a spell. Cid, on the other hand, goes into a full-on onmyoji routine during his incantations.
            • In Final Fantasy XIV, the Ninja job class uses Hand Seals called "mudra" to execute ninjutsu techniques. There are three gestures: "Ten", "Chi", and "Jin", correlating respectively with "Heaven", "Earth", and "Man". The order and combination of these mudra evoke different effects, such as using "Chi" and "Ten" to summon fire, "Jin" and "Chi" to conjure lightning, or "Chi", "Jin", and "Ten" to harness wind and increase attack speeds.
            • In Final Fantasy Tactics, the charging animation for spells is raising both arms over the head until the spell is cast, singing Magic Music is done with one arm raised in a dramatic gesture (while singing), and the Magic Dance is pulled off by a combination of right arm raised, left arm raised, both arms raised, and spinning in place.
            Webcomics
            • In El Goonish Shive, Elliot's (and by extension Ellen's) "Tamashii Gekido"attack requires arm movement. This isn't readily apparent the firsttwo times it is used, but becomes obvious when Elliot tries it while tied up.
            • Played with in Mob Psycho 100. It's entirely possible to use telekinesis with little to no gesticulation. However, since most espers are either emotionally-stunted manchildren or literal children, most of them needlessly employ often silly-looking gestures out of an immature desire to look cool. The worst offender is Ritsu , who borrows many of his from action anime.
            • The Silver Eye: Velvare/Bhatair does a specific hand motion touching his chest and the afflicted's face whenever he breaks Sylar's curse on someone. When his children try to break the curse they copy the motion but are unable to help those under it, though Enel figures out a way to do so by touching the Silver Eye with one hand and the afflicted with the other.
            Web Original
            • Many DPIs in Phaeton learn to bind their powers to movements to prevent themselves from using them by accident.
            • Queer Kid Stuff: Lindsay would make things appear/happen by snapping her fingers, followed by a flash cut.
            • In Through the Motions, magic is cast by drawing symbols in the air with a magic wand, and then thrusting or flicking the magic wand toward the target.
            • In the Whateley Universe, Fey has done some hand movements so magical that it hurts other people to look at them.
              • Although the "painful to look at" aspect may be specific to Ayla, rather than humanity in general, since Ayla and the Mad Scientist mentions that the same gesture that makes Ayla queasy just looking at it out of the corner of his eye goes completely unnoticed by anyone else.
              Western Animation
              • In He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2021), magic can be cast through various means. "Hand Witches" like Teela perform hand gestures called "tuts" to work their magic, though Teela doesn't need to when transformed into Sorceress.
              • Much of the Fake Interactivity in Little Einsteins involves performing various gestures to make on-screen magic happen.
              • Sent up by the "Karate Island" episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, of all things. Looked at frame by frame, Sandy uses actual mudras rather than made-up symbols.
              • Thundarr the Barbarian: All of Ariel's spells require her to gesture with her hands over her head; therefore restraining her arms serves to incapacitate her.
              • Tree Fu Tom: The main character Tom cast spells by using various hand gestures and body movements. He finishes the spell by then calling out the spell's name.

              Magical Gesture

              Any physical activity required for magic, ranging from simply pointing at the target up to day-long ritual dances.

              At its simplest, this is just a way of showing the wizard is actually doing stuff. They will point at the target, wave their hand around to move it, and close their fist to crush it. Compare with the Pstandard Psychic Pstance. Moving up a step, some types of spell require precise gestures to work, leading to wizards with very nimble fingers as well as an excuse for them not to wear armor involving the restriction of mobility. The precise gestures have to be memorized as part of the spell.

              The more time intensive forms of Ritual Magic also often require magical gestures: stir the cauldron nine times widdershins, point the sword at each compass point in turn.

              If the action isn't simply a gesture, but a heavily physical action then it's Full-Contact Magic. Set it to rhythm and you have Magic Dance.

              A common gesture for this trope is the Badass Finger-Snap.

              Examples of Magical Gesture include:

              Magical gestures were not limited to just hand movements, however. In some cultures, body postures, dance, and even vocal tones were considered as forms of magical gestures. For instance, in traditional Chinese culture, practitioners of qigong and tai chi utilize specific body postures and movements to cultivate and manipulate qi, the life force energy. These gestures are believed to balance and harmonize the flow of energy within the body, leading to improved health and spiritual well-being. The efficacy of magical gestures is often attributed to the belief in sympathetic magic. This concept suggests that actions performed in the physical realm can influence or bring about similar outcomes in the spiritual or supernatural realm. By performing certain gestures, individuals hope to align themselves with the desired outcomes and manifest them into reality. It is important to note that the effectiveness of magical gestures is largely dependent on the belief and intention of the practitioner. While some may dismiss these gestures as mere superstition or coincidence, others firmly believe in their power and continue to practice them in various contexts to this day. In conclusion, magical gestures have played a significant role in different cultures and traditions. These gestures served as a means to connect with the divine, manipulate supernatural forces, and affect the course of events. Whether they are seen as symbols of faith, tools of empowerment, or remnants of ancient wisdom, magical gestures continue to captivate the imagination and curiosity of people around the world..

              Reviews for "Harnessing the Energy of Magical Gestures for Healing and Manifestation"

              1. Samantha - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Magical Gestures". The plot was predictable and the characters felt one-dimensional. I didn't feel any connection or investment in the story, which made it difficult to care about what happened to the characters. The dialogue also felt forced and unnatural at times. Overall, I found the book to be underwhelming and not worth the hype.

              2. Michael - 1 star - I couldn't even finish "Magical Gestures". The writing style was confusing and disjointed, making it hard to follow the story. The pacing was also incredibly slow, and I found myself losing interest after just a few chapters. The lack of character development was another major flaw, as I couldn't find any reason to care about the main protagonist. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating and engaging read.

              3. Emily - 2 stars - "Magical Gestures" had an interesting premise, but it failed to live up to its potential. The execution of the magical elements felt forced and poorly explained. The world-building was also lacking, leaving many unanswered questions. Additionally, I found the writing style to be repetitive and tedious, which took away from my enjoyment of the book. Overall, I was left feeling unsatisfied and unimpressed with this novel.

              4. Daniel - 1 star - I was incredibly bored with "Magical Gestures". The story lacked any real excitement or tension, and the characters felt flat and uninspired. The plot twists were predictable, and I found myself skimming through pages just to get to the end. The writing style was also bland and unimaginative, making it difficult to feel immersed in the story. I regret wasting my time on this book and would not recommend it to anyone seeking an engaging read.

              5. Jennifer - 2 stars - "Magical Gestures" had a promising concept, but it fell short in its execution. The pacing was uneven, with long stretches of slow and uneventful moments. The dialogue was often stilted and lacked depth, making it hard to connect with the characters. The world-building also left much to be desired. Overall, while the book had potential, it failed to deliver a captivating and engaging story.

              Unleashing the Power of Magical Gestures: A Step-by-Step Guide