Egyptian magic was about granting humans the ability to compel both friendly and hostile powers, and later even God himself, to serve their wishes, whether they wanted to or not. The belief in magic, in its most original sense, is older in Egypt than the belief in God, and it is clear that a significant portion of the religious ceremonies in Egypt, which later became an essential part of the highly spiritual worship services, was rooted in superstitious practices that date back to a time when God—under whatever name and in whatever form—played no role in the Egyptians' imagination.