https://biblehub.com/greek/5331.htm
This single word is one of the biggest redpills in The Bible.
I have done a lot of research into black magic, Obeah, Hodoo, etc. in the colonial period and some research into the medieval too. Reading all the books I could find and taking note of colonial attitudes and other things I found of interest trying to understand the time period.
The vast majority of that which was called sorcery was simply drug use and poisoning. When they banned these practices in the colonies they were banning drugs and poisons. The Obeahmen killed huge numbers of slaves with mass poisonings. The very, very few who fit into the /fringe/ definition of magick aka mentalism also were not historically persecuted in the way these poisoners/druggists were. Healers (non-fraudulent ones) for example were universally respected.
When the people were prohibiting sorcery it does not mean mentalism, prayers, high powers, meditation, or mantras (although in other parts of the bible it says not to use vain repetitions but that is separate matter which is good advice). It's talking about drugs and poison.
If you actually understand the Bible and the history behind it, it is pretty well a manual for achieving the highest virtues, and becoming a powerful hermetic adept. It teaches humility, following the highest good, developing a well-rounded personality, self-transformation, self-control, everything needed for the redemption of humanity. It is the influence of post-modernist culture that is making Christians and non-Christians alike blind to the real meaning of the Bible.
I have not been raised Christian and I used to be against Christianity because the way it was presented to me as a child was not the same as the Christianity I discovered through theology and through talking with Christians who are much more advanced in the faith. In a very real sense I was only reacting to false Christianity and I was right to condemn it. However my upbringing has brought me so many years of needless suffering and struggle that could have been avoided by being raised in the truth alone.
I still don't identify as a Christian but I see the Bible as one of the greatest books ever written and worthy of being read by all. I won't identify as a Christian probably ever because the Christian identity is corrupted and those who call themselves Christians today are all deceived by man. Also furthermore I never want to be held as an authority by anyone where people take my doctrines and hold them as solid ground to stand upon when one must be prepared always for the instruction of God alone in all matters, I've had to be really careful that people don't form a cult around me because they are impressed with my knowledge. My knowledge is nothing compared to the Absolute.
I also don't know if The Book itself has been corrupted. It testifies that his word will be preserved through the generations but even so we've got all these corrupted translations and our minds have been corrupted too with falsehoods making us unable to understand the ancient wisdom. I am always prepared to throw away an identity the moment Truth reveals itself to be outside of it though so far diligent study and insight hath only revealed profundity after profundity in this religion.
Don't do drugs. Watch the fools who do it instead and talk to the older drug-addicts who've burnt out, don't just look at the young people who've just got started on drugs. The only time drugs really can be recommended is when the drawbacks are worse than not doing it and that's it. Don't ruin a perfectly good constitution or make worse a bad one by the use of drugs when there are other solutions. In all my years I can only thing of one person who actually used drugs and succeeded magically and they were dealing with a very hard situation and they knew there'd be drawbacks but were prepared to painstakingly deal with them over a period of years. Our ancestors have seen how these things go, generation after generation, and have wisely warned us throughout the ages. Let us heed their warnings and be sober-minded.
Think of it like this. You don't normally want to ever cut off your hand. Yet if it's infested with gangrene and you're not a buddhist monk able to sit and meditate for months on end to heal yourself of gangrene ( http://thespiritscience.net/2015/11/26/the-tibetan-lama-who-says-he-cured-his-gangrene-with-meditation/ ) you go ahead and amputate the hand to save the rest of your body. Drugs are self-harm with some benefit that often can be derived through other means and should only be used when truly there is no better option. The worst thing ever to me is seeing normal healthy young people get on drugs because of boredom or misinformation and ruin themselves for nothing. This applies to any and all drugs btw; street drugs and the stuff doctors push.