There are many instances where magical rituals were used to portray an individual's strength when it came to matters of representing their strength in spiritual belief. Many civilizations throughout the past have used magical spells and encantations to display their knowledge of cultural backgrounds and personal strongholds in supreme levels of spirituality. Given the popularity of card games like 'Magic: The Gathering,' where players battle one another using mystical descriptions on cards, and video games like World of Warcraft where players can transform themselves into a warrior ready to battle or a sorcerer prepared for the same, it is not surprising that the notion of magic seems to have captivated many minds these days. Magical elements are commonly present when one begins to read books of history. Magicians have been apparent from the ages of ancient China to the Native American history that made its start here in the United States.
There is more than one type of mystical element and expression present in the world today, one that demonstrates both illusion and slight of hand in order to amaze audiences, and another that concentrates one's personal and environmental powers in order to achieve an inner desire. Both types are indeed authentic, but one is more for show, while the other is more of a private personal experience. Small groups may be present for either magical accomplishment, but typically these individuals are all like minded and bent towards reaching the same shared goal. Among the well known magicians that perform for show and can be found here in the US are the individuals like Houdini and Criss Angel, among others.