There are thousands of us working each month to eradicate the Trump pestilence from the White House, and remove his influence from all our sacred halls of government. I wonder where the world we be now if we had not been taking on this task since the beginning. Even though at times it feels like things are getting worse and worse, I believe that the unseen forces at work in the world are building up against this evil. The storm seen on the horizon is slowly looming toward us, ready to strike and bring the Tower tumbling down!
Find (and most importantly PERFORM) the ritual, found here.
The fishing village of Boscastle, in the southwest of England, contains a wildly unique privately owned museum dedicated to the history of witchcraft and magic in England. The collection includes over 3,000 objects and 7,000 books and manuscripts. Founded by Cecil Williamson, the museum also lays a claim to fame through their resident witch in those early days, William Gardner himself, who founded modern Wicca and led a cultural revival of folk magic in Britain. The museum has been known in its current form since the 1960’s and has become a site of magical pilgrimage for witches in the present day.
Objects include artifacts from the time of Roman occupation up to the present day, including items of particular interest from the original OTO/A.’.A and Golden Dawn systems. There is currently an exhibit ongoing that highlights ritual tools and artifacts of the 19th/20th century high ceremonial currents of magick. Looks very intriguing.
As promised, my first Black Mass has been completed. It was a cathartic experience mixed with fear, anger, joy and release. Click to read the rather lengthy report.
This blog has been somewhat slow this month, due to school deadlines and lack of free time. However I’m pleased to announce upcoming content about:
My recent experiment with a vision potion
New art history posts
Updates on the Greek magical papyri project
Book reviews from my recent readings
And finally I’m happy to say I will be hosting my first Black Masson Walpurgisnacht, 2018. This invite-only ritual will be based on my current research of Medieval and early modern accounts of the Black Mass in history, using a ritual based on an inversion of the Ordo Ritus of the Christian Mass as it was around 1570. This Messe Noire is going to be fantastic, with a full retinue of ministers and dis-sacramental ornamentations, expertly accompanied with moving heavy metal sounds, culminating in a fun host desecration. I might even have fireworks, we’ll see.
Priamo della Quercia (active 1426-1467) masterfully illuminated these miniature scenes of Inferno and Purgatorio only a century after Dante’s time. Together with illuminations by Giovanni di Paolo, this Yates-Thompson manuscript contains 110 miniatures in brilliant pinks, blues, greens and gold.
Hail Isis, representative of all motherhood, new life, and goddess of magic and wisdom!
Apuleius, Prayer to Isis, Metamorphoses, lib XI cap XXV
O holy and blessed dame, the perpetual comfort of human kind, who by Thy bounty and grace nourishes all the world, and bearest a great affection to the adversitities of the miserable as a loving mother, Thou takest no rest night or day, neither art Thou idle at any time in giving benefits and succouring all men as well on land as sea; Thou art she that puttest away all all storms and dangers from men’s life by stretching forth Thy right hand, whereby likewise Thou dost unweave even the inextricable and tangled web of fate, and appeases the great tempests of fortune, and keepest back the harmful course of the stars. The gods supernal do honour Thee; the gods infernal have Thee in reverence; Thou dost make all the earth to turn, Thou givest light to the sun, Though governest the world, Thou treadest down the power of hell. By Thy mean the stars give answer, the seasons return, the gods rejoice, the elements serve: at Thy commandment the winds do blow, the clouds nourish the earth, the seeds prosper, and the fruits do grow. The birds of the air, the beasts of the hill, the serpents of the den, and the fishes of the sea do tremble at Thy majesty: by my spirit is not able to give Thee sufficient praise, my patrimony is unable to satisfy Thy sacrifices; my voice hath no power to utter that which I think of Thy majesty, no, not if I had a thousand mouths and so many tongues and were able to continue forever. Howbeit as a good religious person, and according to my poor estate, I will do what I may: I will always keep Thy divine appearance in remembrance, and close the imagination of Thy most holy godhead within my breast.
Tu quidem sancta et humani generis sospitatrix perpetua, semper fovendis mortalibus munifica, dulcem matris adfectationem miserorum casibus tribuis. Nec dies nec quies nulla ac ne momentum quidem tenue tuis transcurrit beneficiis otiosum, quin mari terraque protegas homines et depulsis vitae procellis salutarem porrigas dexteram, qua fatorum etiam inextricabiliter contorta retractas licia et Fortunae tempestates mitigas et stellarum noxios meatus cohibes. Te superi colunt, observant inferi, tu rotas orbem, luminas solem, regis mundum, calcas tartarum. Tibi respondent sidera, redeunt tempora, gaudent numina, serviunt elementa. Tuo nutu spirant flamina, nutriunt nubila, germinant semina, crescunt germina. Tuam maiestatem perhorrescunt aves caelo meantes, ferae montibus errantes, serpentes solo latentes, beluae ponto natantes. At ego referendis laudibus tuis exilis ingenio et adhibendis sacrificiis tenuis patrimonio; nec mihi vocis ubertas ad dicenda, quae de tua maiestate sentio, sufficit nec ora mille linguaeque totidem vel indefessi sermonis aeterna series. Ergo quod solum potest religiosus quidem, sed pauper alioquin, efficere curabo: divinos tuos vultus numenque sanctissimum intra pectoris mei secreta conditum perpetuo custodiens imaginabor.
In case you were wondering, there are actual books out there that have meticulous classified details about the penises of Satan and other spirits. Part of the Summa Theologiae (1485)even discusses whether Satan or other spirits can possess physical forms or not. This was later expanded upon in Malleus Maleficarum (1486/7) which ultimately determined that, though demons may take on the appearance of a living body, it is a total material fabrication. If you find out a demon has impregnated you, its likely by using stolen human semen (FYI).
“The Devil’s penis was the obsession of every Inquisitor and the “star” of nearly every witch’s confession. The women invariably said it was cold but there was disagreement on other details. Some located his penis at his rear. Some said he had two, other that it was forked. Most reported it was black and covered with scales. Several said “there was nothing where scrotum and testicles should be hanging.” One likened the Devil’s penis to that of a mule, which the Evil One constantly exposed, so proud was he of its massive size and shape. The Devil’s ejaculate was said to exceed that of one thousand men. But others claimed his penis was smaller than a finger and not even as thick. This lead a French Inquisitor to guess that Satan served some witches better than others… These confessions say something about the fantasies of women, but they reveal much more about the anxieties of men, especially those regarding their defining organ.” (Emphasis mine).
What was once in pagan times a symbol of creative power, virility and force, became the shameful icon of Man’s sinful and disgusting body (according to the Christians, poor blokes!). The reason the Virgin Mary was considered the ideal for all women and mothers was because she had never had contact with the defiling, monstrous and icky penis!!!
Research taught me that Germans really, REALLY thought the Devil was carting his giant cock around in a wheelbarrow.A witch might have sex with Satan numerous times, feeding him the children she bore or using them for wicked spells.Satan’s bestial schlong. Intimidating the celebate clergy for centuries.Satan’s dick has a personality all its own. Hey just like mine! Detail of exterior of Lincoln Cathedral.Priapus from a mural in Pompeii’s House of the Vettii. Possible (definite) inspiration for the imagery surrounding Satan’s dick. And yet another Christian perversion of noble, and more ancient themes.
Jules Michelete’s La Sorcière (1862) has an entire chapter dedicated to a description of a typical Messe Noire held by the peasants of 13th century France to 1) Share food resources in a communal feast, and 2) stage a rebellious party against the Church and the nobility. Whether there were real witches among the group is unclear, but Michelete’s lengthy description describes how each part of the Christian Mass was inverted in this Black Mass. It is a pagan revelry of Bacchic proportions, which may have included psychotropic potions of belladonna to fuel their wild dancing. Sounds like a fun Saturday night to me.
Excerpts from Chapter XI-
In its earliest phase the Black Mass seemed to betoken this redemption of Eve, so long accursed of Christianity. The woman fills every office in the Sabbath. She is priestess, altar, pledge of holy communion, by turns. Nay at the bottom, is she not herself as God?…
They decked an altar to the arch-rebel of serfs, to Him who had been so wronged, the old outlaw, unfairly hunted out of heaven, “the Spirit by whom earth was made, the master who ordained the budding of the plants.” Such were the names of honor given him by his worshippers, the Luciferians, and also, according to a very likely opinion, by the Knights of the Temple…
Figure to yourself, on a broad more, and often near an old Celtic cromlech, at the edge of a wood, this twofold scene: on one side a well-lit moor and a great feast of the people; on the other, towards you wood, the choir of that church whose dome is heaven. What I call the choir is a hill commanding somewhat the surrounding country. Between these are the yellow flames of torch-fires, and some red braziers emitting a fantastic smoke. At the back of all is the Witch, dressing up her Satan, a great wooden devil, black and shaggy. By his horns, and the goat-skin near him, he might be Bacchus; but his manly attributes make him a Pan or a Priapus. It is a darksome figure, seen differently by different eyes; to some suggesting only terror, while others are touched by the proud melancholy wherein the Eternally Banished seems absorbed…
In my spare time (of which there is currently little) I’m currently doing a survey of spells from a collection of ancient Greek magical papyri. Meanwhile, I stumbled upon these two neat videos from Irving Finkel of the British Museum about Mesopotamian magic. Enjoy!
Picture it! Last weekend, St. Augustine, Florida. About 3 drinks, 2 bowls, and a very potent THC edible settling nicely in my tummy. This was the night of the trip I’d been waiting for, our paranormal investigation and ghost tour through the historic city. While for most of the group, it was an entertaining story time, for me there was a moment of pure fear.
St. Augustine has been a continually occupied settlement since Spanish explorers set up camp there in 1565. It’s 450 year history means it’s a great place for antiquities, archaeology, and local legends.
About 30 minutes into the tour, my brain was total mush, so all the facts I learned about St Augustine ghosts I had to read about later. However one stop I remember in vivid detail was at Antiques and Uniques on Aviles St. This part of the town has been developed ever since the first Spanish period. The building we entered was once the City Jail, and prior to that had been part of a military hospital complex. Archaeological evidence found in the 21st century revealed human remains under the building. According to legend there were also ghosts of children who haunt the place, so instead of calling out to the rapists and murderers, we decided to try to communicate with the kids.
The creepiest collection of clown dolls and other junk in town, which my stoned ass decided entering in the middle of the night would be a good idea.
We powered up our KII EMF meter and took our dowsing rods. As we all crammed into a narrow closet, which was at one time the alley behind the jail and a site of more than one grisly murder, the silence overtook the place. With a single flashlight we filed in and tried to call the child ghosts by name. Now, being in the middle of an edible session, my mind went all kinds of weird places. Time stood still. I became claustrophobic and paranoid. All of that I could easily attribute to the THC. But then shit started getting too real.
There are at least 5 ghosts in this photo alone!
The flashlight begins flickering (of course), sending a thousand memories of scary movies flooding through my head. A creak in the distance and footsteps clamoring above us strike momentary fear into my heart. It feels like I am being watched. My boyfriend decides to go in deeper to the closet (I was too afraid, and relieved that he was standing next to the murder hole and not me). After a while, we ask the kids to manipulate the dowsing rod. Slowly, the rods begin to separate out at 180 degrees from each other. Our KII meters are spiking left and right near the rods, the flashlight is fucking with my peripheral vision and now I’m seeing things that are hopefully not there. I take my KII meter and move it around the other meters that are spiking off. The activity stops about four feet above the ground–right about at the height of a 10 year old child. I am having a legit paranormal experience, and I am almost paralyzed with fear. Well, fuck me. Even though I study and do magic and all that entails, this experience is just a little too real for my stoner brain. I was definitely relieved when the 3 hour investigation (which was actually only 20 minutes) was over.
Other fun highlights from the tour, after the jump.
The Book of Faustus 