Tag: art
Report: Vision Potion
Introduction:
Apart from the use of potent psychedelics psilocybe cubensis, banisteriopsis caapi, psychotria viridis, amanita muscaria and ipomoea tricolor for visionary purposes, I have had less experience with the gentler spiritual energies of other plants traditionally used in witchcraft and shamanic work. For this experiment an herbal infusion was made using the plant materials listed below, suspended in alcohol for the length of a waxing moon.
Procedure:
A blend of plants were prepared in a mortar and pestle. The plants and their main magical properties are listed below:
- Mugwort – (artemesia vulgaris – Luna) Dream herb, prophecy, used in flying ointments, divination, sacred to Artemis.
- Damiana – (turnera diffusa – Pluton) Clairvoyance, aphrodisiac. Sacred to Pan.
- Galangal – (alipinia galanga – Mars) Aphrodisiac, protection.
- Ginger – (zingiber officianle – Mars) Celerity, potency, passion, love
- Clove (syzygium aromaticum – Jupiter) Protection, banishing, purification, mental clarity.
- Peppermint (mentha piperita – Venus) Dream herb, protection, purification, sleep
- Nutmeg (myristica fragrans – Jupiter) Luck, fidelity.
- Dittany of Crete (origanum dictamnus – Venus) Spirit contact, spiritual vision, manifestation and astral projection.
The Alchemical Process
found over at Meanwhile Back in the Dungeon
Black Mountain Transmitter
Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, Boscastle
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. 
Very interesting to me personally is their research journal, The Enquiring EyeThe Enquiring Eye, which features academic level research topics on magic and witchcraft.
Go visit them!
All images courtesy of The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, Boscastle. Used with permission.
93! credit: /u/TetraStellana . More of her work here
Hortus Deliciarum, 1180 CE
Hortus Deliciarum, or The Garden of Delights, was a 12th century instruction book for religious novices at the monastery of St. Odile, Alsace. Imagine a time without the constant flood of art and media we have today. The original was destroyed, but facsimiles remain such as the Hell scene below. I really like this artistic style because it has medieval line styles but more modern dimensions and colorization. It also has the benefit of 700 years’ less deterioration than the original work.
Detailed 14th Century Illumination of Dante
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.
More found at the British Library
Agony Delayed!!
The game I’ve waited a year and a half for is being delayed indefinitely, again! I’m so sad.
Virgo, Isis, Mighty Mother
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.
The Book of Faustus 