It could be defined as using supernatural forces at the core of nature and the universe to produce chosen effects. Ritual magic uses that tool to focus the power of the individual or group, calling upon a spirit for a specific purpose. Part of the ritual is to induce and facilitate a change in consciousness, to enter trance. Ritual articles are considered special and kept from outsiders.
Members go through a series of initiations and degrees.
The magical knowledge of the group is kept secret. Most magical world views include a belief in reincarnation, alchemy, the Atlantis myth, and astrology and the other divining arts. Many groups have a sense of at least a partial common history. The works of the ancient mystery schools, the Gnostics, and more recently, Francis Barrett, Eliphas Levi, Louis Claude de Saint-Martin, MacGregor Mathers, and Aleister Crowley are all usually considered important. Groups vary in ritual, organization, in attitudes toward drugs and in the specific calendar used.