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magic: A broad term with many varying definitions. In short, any art which seeks to influence the physical world through the use of supernatural phenomena.

magic square: A square array of numbers in which the sum of each row, column and diagonal is the same. In some ancient cultures, thought to have magical powers.

magician: A person who practices some form of magic. In popular culture a magician is an entertainer, although this type of magician is more properly referred to as an illusionist.

Mahatma: A master of esoteric knowledge, a guru.

maleficia: "Evil happenings", misfortunes and catastrophes with no obvious earthly cause, attributed to the influence of witchcraft, evil spirits, etc.

Malleus Maleficarum: Latin for "Hammer Against Witches", a medieval text written by Dominican friars Jakob Sprenger and Heinrich Kramer, and published in 1486.

Mammon: Demon mentioned in the New Testament (Matthew, 6,4). Has come to be known as the demon of money, or the demon of love of money.

mandala: In Buddhism and Hinduism, a symbolic diagram of the universe used for ritual purposes.

Mapinguari: A prehistoric cryptid that reportedly lived in the Amazon rain forests of South America.

materialization: The appearance of objects or living beings from thin air. A popular trick at seances in the late 19th and early 20th century.

medium: A person who is said to have the ability to communicate with the dead.

men in black: A phenomena associated with UFO sightings, in which men dressed in black appear. It is claimed that these men assist in cover-ups and discourage witnesses from speaking publicly. This phenomena was made famous in the "Men in Black" movies.

Merlin: Legendary sorcerer and counselor of Uther Pendragon and his son King Arthur.

Mesmer, Franz Anton (1734-1815): An Austrian physician who believed that the human nervous system is magnetised. He developed a therapeutic regime based on restoring magnetic balance. His technique of slowly waving his hands or a magnetic wand in front of a patient led to the the term "mesmerised".

Mokele-mbembe: A lake monster said to inhabit the swamps in the Republic of the Congo and central Africa.

Moon: A natural satellite of a planet. "The Moon" is the official name of Earth's only natural satellite. The Moon is a common and powerful force in many systems of belief and folklore.

Mothman: A creature reportedly sighted numerous times in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, USA, between November 1966 and November 1967. Mothman was said to be a man-sized creature with wings and large reflective or luminous eyes.

mystery helicopters: Unmarked helicopters, often coloured black, which have been reported flying near the scenes of unusual paranormal activity (e.g. cattle mutilations, UFO sightings).

mythology: The accumulated collection of myths, folklore, legends and ancient stories from a given culture.