sympathetic magic

noun
1.
magic predicated on the belief that one thing or event can affect another at a distance as a consequence of a sympathetic connection between them.
Compare contagious magic, imitative magic.
Origin
1900-05
Examples from the web for sympathetic magic
  • They belong to that branch of sympathetic magic which may be called contagious.
  • The show itself is arranged as a piece of sympathetic magic.
British Dictionary definitions for sympathetic magic

sympathetic magic

noun
1.
a type of magic in which it is sought to produce a large-scale effect, often at a distance, by performing some small-scale ceremony resembling it, such as the pouring of water on an altar to induce rainfall