History Main / MagicalSociety

* In ''TabletopGame/GURPSTechnomancer'', magic-users have unionised. The most powerful mage organisation in the US is the Elementalists' Union ("Big El"), which represents Earth mages in the construction and mining industries and Water mages in the weather control programs, while Mexico has SNTBC Quetzal (Syndicado Nacional de Trabajadores en Brujera y Curandera or National Syndicate of Workers in Witchcraft and Magical Healing). Outside the manabelt, it's assumed there just aren't enough mages for such organisations to exist.

* In''TabletopGame/GURPSTechnomancer'', magic-users have unionised. The most powerful mage organisation in the US is the Elementalists' Union ("Big El"), which represents Earth mages in the construction and mining industries and Water mages in the weather control programs, while Mexico has SNTBC Quetzal (Syndicado Nacional de Trabajadores en Brujera y Curandera or National Syndicate of Workers in Witchcraft and Magical Healing). Outside the manabelt, it's assumed there just aren't enough mages for such organisations to exist.

* Literature/HarryPotter has the Wizarding World as a whole. They are organized in a bureaucratic government called the Ministry of Magic, and they have an extensive schooling system, of which Hogwarts is a part.
** The Order of the Phoenix is something of a SecretCircleOfSecrets within the larger magic community

* The Palace of the Prophets in [[Literature/SwordOfTruth The Sword of Truth]] series. It's also suggested that something of this nature existed within the Wizard's Keep at Aydindril, but is no more because there are so few wizards left.

* The {{Franchise/Nasuverse}}'s Mage Association is both this and a WizardingSchool. It's presently at an uncomfortable truce with TheChurch, at war with vampires, is riddled with inter-branch rivalry - most notably between the 'Three Great Branches' [[UsefulNotes/{{Alchemy}} Atlas]], Sea of Estray, and Clock Tower - and the headquarters itself, Clock Tower, is peppered with rivalry between factions of [[BlueBlood noble]] magi. And that's not counting the actions it takes against individual outsiders and other magical organizations outside of Europe.

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', the White Council exists as a sort of union of the world's more powerful human wizards. Membership isn't strictly compulsory, with it being described as more of an acknowledgement of ability rather than power (though power ''is'' required - they have strict minimum criteria and only except the top one percent of practitioners), with Dresden comparing it to being like having a black belt. However, like the Aes Sedai, they're very reluctant to let someone with real power out of their grasp, and in addition to protecting humanity from various non-human factions (vampires, etc), it enforces Seven Laws of Magic over both its own members and all other human ('mortal') practitioners. As in, if someone breaks one of the Laws, even in ignorance, they're performing dark magic and unless a Council Member is willing to take the offender on probation as an Apprentice and can persuade the Senior Council that they're salvageable, they'll execute them on the spot.

* The {{Franchise/Nasuverse}}'s Mage Association is both this and a WizardingSchool. It's presently at an uncomfortable truce with TheChurch, at war with vampires, is riddled with inter-branch rivalry - most notably between the 'Three Great Branches' [[{{Alchemy}} Atlas]], Sea of Estray, and Clock Tower - and the headquarters itself, Clock Tower, is peppered with rivalry between factions of [[BlueBlood noble]] magi. And that's not counting the actions it takes against individual outsiders and other magical organizations outside of Europe.

-->--''Literature/JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell''

-->''Some years ago there was in the city of York a society of magicians.''
--->--''Literature/JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell''

* ''TheWitcher'' has the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, which fell apart, and the Lodge of Sorceresses, a secret organisation created afterwards by a group of women who had belonged to it. Their membership is not particularly large, but they can have a considerable impact on politics, and have reputations as untrustworthy schemers.

* The TabletopGame/VictorianaRPG has The Guild. Originally the Mages' Guild, this trade organization acts much like any other: They set the standards (and standard pricing) for their practitioners, police their own, and come down like the proverbial ton of bricks on anyone that breaks the rules. They especially hate necromancers and demon summoners, while petty magics (non-Guild magics that aren't nearly as impressive as "proper" thaumaturgy (and as of Second Edition wlon't work for Guild mages, as [[YourMindMakesItReal they can't believe that such spells work]])) are generally derided as useless foolishness.

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', the White Council exists as a sort of union of the world's more powerful human wizards. Besides holding various non-human factions (vampires, etc) at bay, it enforces various laws of magic over both its own members and those of lower levels.

* ''Literature/SecondApocalypse'': has the various Schools of Sorcery, which are a sort of combination WizardingSchool and fraternal organization. Because the holy text of the continent, the Tusk, states that sorcery is blasphemy, the schools originally rose as a means of self-protection. Those who resist membership are called Wizards and typically lead very short lives. At the time of the first trilogy, the Schools include:

* The Enchanter's Guild in Pratt and [=DeCamp=]'s "[[HaroldShea The Mathematics of Magic]]."

** The Order of the Black Worm is another more secretive and morally questionable Magical Society founded by Mannimarco, the [[AppropriatedAppellation King of Worms]], the [[OurLichesAreDifferent first Lich]], and, after the events of ''Daggerfall'', the [[DeityOfHumanOrigin God of Worms]]. The Order focuses more on the ''darker'' aspects of magic, including [[YourSoulIsMine Soul-Trapping sapient souls]] and {{Necromancy}}. They are extreme rivals to the Mages Guild and, after the Mages Guild formally banned its members from practicing Necromancy (it had previously been tolerated within the limits of the law though frowned upon), many former members flocked to the Order. The Order serves as the main villain in ''Oblivion'''s Mages Guild questline.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' has the Mages' Guild, which seems to be pretty much what the name says - just a guild for mages. Players can join it if they want. It also has a sub-organization, the Order of the Lamp, which is for people who ''aren't'' necessarily mages (specifically it was meant to be a counterpart to the temples' Templar Orders, a knightly order dedicated to the protection of mages and magic, although the only game in which they explicitly show up [[DummiedOut didn't have the joining them part finished]]).
** The background features the Psijic Order, a more reclusive and restrictive society that the Guild of Mages and the Necromancers (the loose organisation, not the class of mages) sprung from. They are still around, though less important than in their glory days (way back in the 1st and early 2nd Eras), but it took until ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' for them to make an appearance in one of the games.

* ''TheWheelOfTime'' has the Aes Sedai. In theory, long-term membership is not compulsory, but they do insist that anyone with power undertake training, and it's implied that the Aes Sedai are ''very'' reluctant to let go of anyone with serious potential. They also crack down on anyone being too obvious about using the One Power outside their ranks, as many people consider "can use the One Power" and "is Aes Sedai" to be the same thing. Over the course of the books, it emerges that they're not actually doing as well as they think - there are plenty of people who would make strong Aes Sedai but who, one way or another, are not signed up.

* Creator/RobertAHeinlein's "Magic Inc." involves an attempt to create a non-profit association that would test and license magicians. It turns out to be a diabolical (literally) plot to take over control of all magic use in the U.S.

* The NasuVerse's Mage Association is both this and a WizardingSchool. It's presently at an uncomfortable truce with TheChurch, at war with vampires, is riddled with inter-branch rivalry - most notably between the 'Three Great Branches' [[{{Alchemy}} Atlas]], Sea of Estray, and Clock Tower - and the headquarters itself, Clock Tower, is peppered with rivalry between factions of [[BlueBlood noble]] magi. And that's not counting the actions it takes against individual outsiders and other magical organizations outside of Europe.

* Wiccan Covens are, according to their believes at least, Magical Societies.
* Several Esoteric groups and societies has been existing for many centuries and some of them claim to study magic in real life, to name a few; Rosicrucians, Neo-Gnostics, Theosophists, Thelemites, Setians, La Veyans, members of the Ordo Templi Orientis, Dragon Rouge, etc. Most of these groups have a closed membership.

*** Later in the timeline, other magical organizations (such as the Grey Knights of the Thorn, a subgroup of the Dark Knights of Takhisis/Neraka) start springing up which are powerful enough to exist independantly of the Orders, as do other forms of magic-users such as mystics and primal sorcerers whose magic doesn't come from the moon gods and therefore lies outside the Orders' jurisdiction.

* ''Literature/TheSecondApocalypse'' has the various Schools of Sorcery, which are a sort of combination WizardingSchool and fraternal organization for accomplished practitioners. The major Schools are all powerful organizations and usually have some sort of overriding mission or theme; the Scarlet Spires [[TheMagocracy fairly openly run the nation of High Ainon]] and are known for their political ambitions more generally; the Imperial Saik work as {{Court Mage}}s for the Nansur Imperium; the Mysunsai are mercenary sorcerers who hire themselves to the highest bidder and are generally looked down upon by other Schools; the Mandate are sworn to watch for the return of [[AncientConspiracy the Consult]] and are the only School to practice the powerful form of sorcery called the Gnosis - they're simultaneously envied for the Gnosis and ridiculed for their seemingly pointless mission by the other Schools. A sorcerer who isn't part of a school is called a wizard, but these are extremely rare due to the fact that they tend to either get pressured into joining a School, join a ''different'' School to protect themselves from said pressure, or get killed by weight of numbers if they just won't join at all; at the time of the series, the only wizard who practices openly in the Three Seas region is [[spoiler: Achamian]].

* The Palace of the Prophets in [[SwordOfTruth The Sword of Truth]] series. It's also suggested that something of this nature existed within the Wizard's Keep at Aydindril, but is no more because there are so few wizards left.

* The TabletopGame/VictorianaRPG has The Guild. Originally the Mages' Guild, this trade organization acts much like any other: They set the standards (and standard pricing) for their practitioners, police their own, and come down like the proverbial ton of bricks on anyone that breaks the rules. They especially hate necromancers and demon summoners, while petty magics (non-Guild magics that aren't nearly as impressive as "proper" thaumaturgy (and as of Second Edition won't work for Guild mages, as [[YourMindMakesItReal they can't believe that such spells work]])) are generally derided as useless foolishness.

* Several Esoteric groups and societies has been existing for many centuries and some of them claim to study magic in real life, to name a few; Rosicrucians, Neo-Gnostics, Theosophists, Thelemites, Setians, LaVeyans, members of the Ordo Templi Orientis, Dragon Rouge, etc. Most of these groups have a closed membership.