See also: 01 Three Laws Named in the Sympathetic Magic section for the canonical treatment of this concept.

The Laws of Sympathetic Magic

The author draws on Frazer’s Golden Bough and Cultural Psychology to explain WHY War Magic works. Three laws govern it:

The three Laws of Sympathetic Magic are Contagion, Similarity, and Opposites. There’s really only two which are Contagion and Similarity. Law of Opposites is usually classified as being a part of the Law of Similarity.

Source: Podcast: Combatting Russia’s Mental War

The Law of Contagion explains how disinfolklore spreads: once an idea touches your mind, it has its own energy and works away by itself. The Law of Similarity explains mirroring: accusing others of what you yourself do. The Law of Opposites explains inversion: pagan Russia posing as protector of Christianity; MAGA as “greatness” when it is America’s nadir.

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