Name mood board for Mira @thehwns -Pastel
dirt enthusiast

PR's Tumblrdome
Sweet Seals For You, Always
YOU ARE THE REASON
Monterey Bay Aquarium

โฃ Chile in a Photography โฃ
Cosmic Funnies
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
RMH

trying on a metaphor

blake kathryn

titsay
Keni
TVSTRANGERTHINGS

tannertan36
Misplaced Lens Cap

Kiana Khansmith

Discoholic ๐ชฉ

seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Indonesia

seen from United States
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seen from Germany

seen from Japan
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom

seen from Germany
seen from Canada

seen from Malaysia

seen from Japan
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@calliefairy
Name mood board for Mira @thehwns -Pastel

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Black Hole Grounding ๐ซ
Many practitioners like to use various elements and other sources to ground their loose, extra, or negative energy - one of my favorite methods of doing this is Black Hole Grounding. This method ensures that the energy youโre trying to ground or get rid of is compressed into something so small and insignificant that it practically doesnโt exist, instead of just being transferred to another source. This method traps the grounded energy, similar to how the force and gravity of a black hole is so strong that not even light can escape it.
Method:
Dim the lightsย
Sit comfortably, whether it be outdoors under the stars or inside - your choice
Feel free to play some ambient music on your computer or phone, perhaps something on YouTube with a backdrop of the cosmos
If you have a crystal you like to use to help you ground, grab it now and hold onto it
Similarly, light a candle or incense that you like to use to help you ground, if you wish
Close your eyes and begin breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth until you reach a relaxed state of mind
Visualize the energy you wish to ground traveling up your spine, out of the top of your head, and into the cosmos - once you can visualize this energy floating in empty space, imagine it being sucked into a black hole until you can no longer see it
Continue rhythmic breathing until you come back to reality, and go about your day as usualย
Crystals to aid in Black Hole Grounding:
Astrophylliteย
Black Calcite
Black Obsidianย
Black Tourmaline
Bronziteย
Dolomite
Halite
Hematite
Lodestone
Magnetite
Meteorite
Nebula Stone
Onyx
Smoky Quartzย
Tigerโs Eye
Scents to aid in Black Hole Grounding:
Basil
Cedar
Cinnamon
Coffee
Cypress
Fir
Frankincense
Ginger
Jasmine
Myrrh
Patchouli
Pine
Sage
Sandalwood
Spruce
๐ฎ๐ ๐๐
Iโve been laughing atย โyou kick her body like the football?โ for days.
Me, lightly nudging Mochi out of the way so I donโt drop a hot pan or something similarly dangerous on both of us: Kitty, Please.
Mochi: Iย ย A Mย ย S O C Kย ย N O W.
[id: tweet by @TriciaLockwoodย โme, lightly touching miette with the side of my foot: miette move out of the way please so I donโt trip on you
miette, her eyes enormous: you KICK miette? you kick her body like the football? oh! oh! jail for mother! jail for mother for One Thousand Years!!!!โ]
The St Cyprian Scholar
An interview with Josรฉ Leitรฃo.
Josรฉ Leitรฃo is an author and scholar as well as a Portuguese Saint Cyprian devotee. Besides a PhD in experimental physics from the University of Delft, the Netherlands, his current research focuses on using ethnographic and folkloric methodologies to map the concepts of folk magic, sorcery, and witchcraft as described in the records of the Portuguese Inquisition.
The translator of โThe Book of St Cyprian: The Sorcererโs Treasureโ, and the Bibliotheca Valenciana", both on Hadean Press as well as his collection of Portuguese folk tales related to the Cyprian Book โThe Immaterial Book of St Cyprianโ on Revelore Press and numerous articles he is developing a considerable body of Portuguese language works translated for the first time into English.
In my travels to Portugal for field research I cross paths with Josรฉ in the university town of Coimbra, where he is currently conducting research. Over a handful of coffees I managed to get him to give me an interview about his work and research. He is almost as much of a recluse as I am!
+++
For a man with a background in physics you are making a considerable mark on the history of occult literature in the early 21st century. Is there some long term plan or are you more of the wandering academic/perpetual scholar type?
Letโs not start making history before it happensโฆ youโre not the only skeptic around here. From what Iโve observed occult literature shifts its focus often and in unpredictable ways. I may yet be a one hit wonder.
That being said, I suppose it might be a bit of both, or perhaps neitherโฆ at least in regards to my written material. To be honest I had no plan behind my first book, it was something that just kind of happened due to a number of circumstances in my life and at the time I really didnโt think I would be writing anything else besides that.
Itโs hard for me to describe this in detail at this point, because itโs difficult to tell what where my genuine feelings then or what are later rationalizations. The fact that I have a physics PhD is largely circumstantial, it barely has anything to do with anything Iโm doing right now and Iโve turned my back on that world probably permanently. Thereโs likely no real point in going into details here, but after a very long time in that world I simply came to the realization that that life was not conducive to my happiness; a reflection which was very much aided by my work and translation of The Book of St. Cyprian. Once I figured that out I started doing everything I could to walk away from where I was, and thatโs what Iโm still doing. So, itโs not so much about being a wandering or perpetual academic, itโs really about the path of least emotional resistance and unpleasantness at this point.
But, of course, I could have chosen to go down the purely โpractitionerโ way, but I chose academia instead. Iโve also come to realize that I canโt function properly outside of a university or a university-like environment, so I fully identify as an academic at this point, and indeed there is a lot of wandering involved in that.
When we talk about the myths and folklore of the people of the Iberian peninsula very little of the primary sources have made their way into English translation. Why now, what do you think is driving the growing interest in Iberian folk magic?
I think there are a number of issues at play simultaneously, and I donโt ascribe a necessarily โsupernaturalโ origin to any of them. It reads a lot like regular human geography and white people taking their heads out of their asses (btw, Iberians arenโt white; we simply think we are because weโve always had somebody darker to compare ourselves to).
I read this as the reality that the major trendsetting countries (USA mostly) have had an increasing immigrant population from Portuguese and Spanish speaking countries for years now, but what makes this moment different is that the white people living there, due to contemporary political reasons, have started to pay them attention (and not always in the good way). This means that, right now, a lot of new concepts are being brought into cultural visibility which were exclusive to Iberian and South and Central America until very recent, not because they were hidden, but rather because no one gave a fuck.
You need to also remember that besides the long standing white disdain for anybody south of the American border, in Europe we still suffer the stigma of the Black Legend. The narratives of accepted modernity have always been historically presented, firstly, by Protestantism and, secondly, by the Enlightenment, both of which were (and are) ultimately profoundly hostile to Catholic Iberia, so the situation wasnโt (or isnโt) much better here. We have a European stigma associated with emigration and typical association with menial labor in central and north Europe. Iberians are still exotic and given to stereotyping as under educated simpletons (think Manuel from Fawlty Towers); a nice place to visit during the summer and be entertained by our quaint non-Europeaness.
So, a reappreciation of both these cultural spaces is happening right now, but I see this as happening mostly for mundane reasons. But alsoโฆ regarding the Iberian aspect in itself in Americaโฆ Iโm going out on a limb here, so feel free to call bullshit on what follows, but I also think that there might still be some extra racism involved in this. โIberianโ sounds old and ennobled; you get images ancientness, castles, knights errant, good food and wine and beautiful dancing gitana girls. For a white American, it removes the source of the practice from your immediate (brown) neighbors and places it in an old (assumed white) Iberian no one really knows anything about.
Lusitanian culture specifically is of particular interest to me personally. Remnants of pre Roman cultural ideas seem to be scattered within the larger dynamic of Portuguese culture. Do you think that forms of folk magic practice found in say the 2nd or 3rd century have continued down through the ages?
Interesting you mention the Lusitanian. One of the major (unintentional) overarching themes of my next book is actually Portuguese cultural identity, and I offer some criticism on the Lusitanian problem from a contemporary practitioner perspective.
This is really the sum of it: the identification of the Lusitanian as the par excellence pre-historical Portuguese (the Portuguese before there was Portugal) is a politically motivated construction of the Estado Novo for identity and cultural control. The Lusitanian continuity thesis was one of Vasconceloโs babies, but this was far from being universally accepted and during its time it received very heavy criticisms, mainly from Alexandre Herculano, one of the greatest and most cursed Portuguese historians. However, due to this and other difficult issues regarding the, at times, overly romantic Portuguese historiographic tradition, Herculano was for a long time largely ignored, and Vasconcelos pretty much became the regimeโs scholar of choice.
Iโm not disparaging Vasconcelos, he was good at what he did, but scholars need to be given the right to be wrong. His work has, in the past, been used for sinister purposes and that shouldnโt be ignored anymore. You see, if you are a heavy paternalistic right wing clerical regime and you do a hard streamline to the Lusitanian, a people we still donโt really know that much about, as the โarchaicโ Portuguese, you are able downplay every other major population influx into Portugal and fashion our โarchaicโ identity in whatever way you see fit. This means that you get to downplay Neolithic dolmens and standing stones, Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek, Roman, Jewish and Muslim/North African influences, and construct an idealized and racially pure Christian Portugal. The Lusitanian, as an identity, are essentially nothing.
But obviously I canโt say that there arenโt Lusitanian influences in what Portugal is or that this doesnโt exist in Portuguese folk magic. That would be another form of insanity, mainly because we simply donโt know what the Lusitanian did. But to isolate the Lusitanian like that is historically problematic. Soโฆ no, I donโt think 2nd or 3rd century practices are particularly visible, at least not more than Roman, Jewish or Muslim ones.
The idea of โLusitanianโ culture being used as a kind of nationalist symbol in which to rally people in support of a regime is fascinating. Years ago I studied kaballah with Lionel Ziprin in NYC and he had a whole theory about the โpublicly accepted kaballahโ that was presented by Gershom Scholem. How the texts that get translated and the things that are accepted as truths were part of a broader narrative meant to occlude certain aspects of historic kaballah. How involved do you think the church was in the utilization of this โLusitanianโ national identity?
Thatโs hard to sayโฆ one thing that also needs to be understood is that, even if the regime guided itself by Catholic morals and ideals, and the Church did draw immense social advantage from this, the Catholic hierarchy actually had very little power to influence the political decision making. Ultimately, by the accurate manipulation of words and an irreducible concordat, Salazar could instrumentalize the Church for political gain and identity and behavior control, and it ended up becoming as much a prisoner of the state as anybody else, leading to Catholic dissension in the 50s. So, probably the Church didnโt really have an active role in the utilization of the Lusitanian, it was simply another tool the regime could manipulate and fit together to selectively construct a useful identity and narrative of itself. Although Iโm sure many within the religion didnโt really mind this.
In reading your โThe Book of St. Cyprian: The Sorcererโs Treasureโ on Hadean one concept that really interested me was this idea of the โmar Coalhadoโ or Curdled Sea. It struck me as both an afterlife in the model of the Norse Hel, but also some kind of purgatory or abyss. Though I have been unable to find much in English! Is this concept still common in Portuguese culture?
Thatโs also one of my favorite concepts, interestingly. This is something which is pretty much still in the air for me.
Ultimately, on a general or โglobalโ scale, I donโt think I can give you any actual answer to what this concept might beโฆ or any such concept to be frank. If weโre going back in time to look for such ideas we must remember that weโre going into circumstances when the circulation of information had its limits. Most researchers tend to bypass this problem by implicitly assuming that such folk concepts are โancientโ or โarchaicโ, which meant that they should have had time to spread homogeneously across large geographical areas. I tend to avoid this approach because it removes active agency and imagination from the non-contemporary, non-educated, or non-white individual practitioner. That being said, a few other scholars have noted the occurrence of mentions to the โMar Coalhadoโ or something of apparent equivalence in a few procedures. Most often nobody ever offers anything on it except its occurrence, but I recently ran across a particular book by a fellow Coimbra researcher called Antรณnio Vitor Ribeiro, O Auto do Mรญsticos, which seemed to shed some light on the matter. Itโs a cool text, exploring ideas, descriptions and practices of mysticism in Portugal from the clerical and literary circles down to the folk and rural levels. Itโs a very ambitious work, but he tend to do really clumsy simplifications and linearization via some sneaky moves using Ginzburg or Eliade, and he uses words of complex meaning and implicit significance very frivolouslyโฆ I like my methodologies to be more hygienic. Anyway, in one of the many interesting Inquisition documents he finds there is a mentioning of something referred to as the โAguas Salgadasโ, or โSalty/Salted Watersโ. Itโs not a perfect fit, but it does seem like somewhat similar to what weโre discussing. But whatโs more interesting is that this isnโt in an actual Inquisition processes and this wasnโt mentioned as part of a particular folk magic procedure.
You see, there is a secondary collection of Inquisition documentation in Portugal called the โCadernos do Promotorโ, or the Prosecutorโs Notebooks, collections of denunciations, confessions or observations taken by Inquisition prosecutors that never made it into actual processes. There are several reasons for this, most often no crime was actually identified for a prosecution to be mounted, and other times it was because the reports and accusations are so outlandishly bizarre that the Inquisitors couldnโt make any theological sense of them in order to determine if what was being described actually constitutes heresy.
In this case, what was being reported were apparent visions, visitations and possessions by Mouras. Thus, a woman called Maria Leamara would fall into possession โrolling on the ground making it quake and making great arches with her feetโ, saying while in this state โLet us go, let us go, let us go, let us go to the burrow of the moura, let us go, let us go, let us go, let us go across the salty waters, let us go, let us go, let us go, let us go to the Boulder of the Seeโ. Then, when questioned about what any of this meant, she would only say that โtheyโ wanted her to deny Christ, and that the โsalty watersโ meant outside of Christianity.
This whole thing then seems very akin to an anti-world, or ante-world, particularly evident by this apparent connection with Mouras, who apparently live across the Salty Waters and potentially the Curdled Sea. If Mouras are described and interpreted as these strange being of extremely remote existence, echoes and inhabitants of a bygone time, the banishing of something to this space would be akin to banishing it to somewhere outside of creation; this cosmic-now, or Christianity as that which created and defines the cosmic order we currently inhabit.
But in truth you have a number of varieties of this type of concept all across Europe. Very common formulas for the banishing of illnesses, bad weather or evil spirits into this type of space usually go along the lines of โgo to where no baby cries, no roster sings or no dog barksโ, for example, and I do see these as being somewhat equivalent concepts, as they both seem to describe a place removed from a humanly conceived cosmos, but these punctual examples of Moura crossovers do give it a particular local flavor.
If you think about it this is actually an extremely violent form of banishing. Youโre basically casting something out of creation itself (as an anthropocentric concept). I think Jonathan Roper (one of my favorite folk magic scholars) has some material on this if youโd like to look him up.
But if you want to talk about actual applicationโฆ even if some people might still use this concept (and it is quite common), I donโt think that what it actually signifies really is of much concern, even if it might be understood as significant. When youโre talking about magical formulas you always need to admit that there might be an aspect of simple habit or โtraditionโ in the use of certain words and expressions. The impulse to break down an idea like that into tangible and rational concepts is pretty much a โlearnedโ and contemporary preoccupation. In all truth, a much more common occurrence in inquisition processes and documentation is that when an accused is questioned about a particular procedure he was witnessed as using, and which apparently calls upon a variety of spirits and characters, if asked who these characters are he will most likely answer that he simply donโt know. My reading of this is that itโs not their job or preoccupation to know; the words donโt have to have a rational meaning, which is something also supported by the observation that these types of traditional magical formulas frequently use nonsensical expressions, onomatopoeias or forced alliterations. The complete understanding of every single words and expression used beyond the cultural meaning of the procedure itself as a whole is a preoccupation which is mostly non-existent in the environment where these procedures occur. Both contemporary scholars and contemporary occultists are descendants from this overly analytical mentality, and it seems to me that the first step in actually understanding these is to admit that we are ultimately alien to this form of thinking.
You brought up the โCadernos do Promotorโ, or the Prosecutorโs Notebooks, which seem like a massive untapped resource in the folkloric study of witchcraft belief. Do you know if these types of records are only found in Portugal? How extensive are these documents?
To be honest, Iโm still pretty new to that particular database and Iโm not that familiar with the bureaucratic functioning of other Inquisitions in order to answer that question. However, in terms of how extensiveโฆ Iโve counted 352 volumes, some of which are 14 centimeters thick.
These are it. The thousands of processes everybody likes to talk and fetishisize about are just the tip of the iceberg; this is the real deal. Pure, uncut, unadulterated, untortured, uninterrogated words. No leading the witness, no feeding the answers to the accused, no theological projection, no nothing; just people voluntarily and spontaneously saying the crazy shit they saw, crazy shit they did and the crazy shit that was done to them.
The amount of work needed to work this source is soul crushing, but the potential is just breathtaking. Even beyond just the information in themโฆ Iโve only scratched the surface on these, Iโve so far mostly been reading what other people have written about the reports in the Notebooks, but the things in there are dangerous on a cognitive level.
This goes back to the whole issue of the contemporary analytic mind, you need to remember that this is a window into a whole cosmology, worldview, understanding and interaction with the universe we simply donโt understand and are irreducibly alien to. Reading a few snippets has been enough for me to start to question realityโฆ the ease and apparent normality which some things are described is just disturbing. And it gets Lovecraftian at the drop of a nickelโฆ like โI was making a sandwich when all the sudden a door opened on the dark corner of my room. A Mouro with a red hat and shiny shoes walked out and lead me into a palace where the other Mouros were dancing and I met the Virgin Mary, who had the face of a monkey, her sister Saint Quiteria and King Sebastian and his five children. This has been happening every night and my husband complains that he wakes up when the Mouro takes me away during the nightโโฆ itโs stuff at this level and worst (or better).
With your recent complete translation of Jerรณnimo Cortezโs โBibliotheca Valencianaโ you break into a realm of seeing and understanding the cosmological context in which much of the Cyprian magical traditions are rooted. A point before hard science, where the role of magician/scholar/alchemist merge and formed a kind of proto-scientist. What in Cortezโs opus do you see as the most valuable content for those trying to understand the context of Cyprianic magic and early modern Iberian cultural beliefs in general?
Wellโฆ thereโs a point in your question I canโt let slide. There is no such thing as a โproto-scientistโ. The only way you can say that is if you root yourself in the contemporary time, take the definition of โscientistโ as it exists currently and project back in time to where it didnโt exist nor did it make sense (thatโs the way most scientists think and why you canโt trust them to write their own history). So, the Cortez books donโt describe proto-science, they describe the science of their time, which is just as valid in its time as ours is in our time.
But regarding your question, there are a few points I wanted to make with the Bibliotheca Valenciana. The first of these is pretty straightforward: the Cortez books are not only one of the major sources for some of the later forms of the Cyprian Books, but they are themselves one of the major resources for your average Portuguese (and Brazilian) folk practitioner. While the reference to Cortez is actually fleeting in The Book of St. Cyprian I translated, as you move along the literary tradition of Cyprian Books, the repacking of material from the Physiognomy and the Lunario becomes ever increasing, particularly in Brazil. This by itself, in my own conception of what the work Iโm supposed to be doing is meant to be, not only justifies the writing of that book but actually demands it.
The second point is probably more on the line of what you are alluding to. Besides the immediate relevance these books would have for someone interested in St. Cyprian related practices, they very efficiently describe what would be the early modern Catholic cosmology in purely functional terms and straight across social classes, even if this might at times not be completely explicit in the text. Note that there isnโt a distinction here between science and religion. Those are western academic categories and a person placing herself in the environment from where those books come from would not make this distinction in any way.
So, the point was not to simply offer context for St. Cyprian practices, but really to try to open up early-modern Catholicism as a still functional magical worldview and to offer the chance to approach the spiritual structures of the Church with an eye for (a rogue) practicality. If, as you say, Iberian folk magic is in fashion, if you try to reframe many of these practices into a Protestant cultural background (which is where Anglo-American occultism is based at), and if youโre serious about what youโre doing, youโll run into more than a few bumps on the road. So the point was to offer a cosmology for when (or if) a cosmology is necessary.
And my final point with that book was part of a personal issue Iโve been working around regarding the nature of grimoires. Iโm sure there are some purists out there who will vehemently disagree with me, and they might have a point; but Iโve come to think that that title cannot be solely given to a book by its author. If you analyze the way, historically, certain books are reacted to by the environments they enter you start to realize how arrogant it is to claim that one book is a grimoire in exclusion of another. โGrimoireโ should at times be a behavior description. It shouldnโt be about โthis book is a grimoireโ, but rather โI act towards this book as if a grimoireโ. Once again, I believe that the denial of this is a โlearnedโ issue, a thing of high society and a claim of authoritarian elitism. So, to me, the Cortez books looked like Catholic grimoires in form and function, and they were certainly treated as such by people over here for hundreds of years, and logically they overlap with The Book of St. Cyprian. This is a line of work I intend to keep on exploring, and Iโm actually right now planning on putting together something else further articulating this; some 18th century Catholic books Iโve recently fallen in love with.
When you talk about the Cortez books being used like grimoires, were his books perceived in Iberian society as โdangerousโ or otherwise taboo in the way that Cyprianโs Book was? Or do you mean more from a practical standpoint that the material in the book was used in much the same way one uses material in a grimoire?
I mean it from a practical standpoint mostly. This is something Iโm still trying to figure out completely, but the construction of fear around the Book of St. Cyprian seems to be quite more recent than the Cortez books.
Overall I havenโt found that many references to Cyprian in the 17th-century, so itโs hard to say for certain what the image of The Book was for people familiar with it back then. But anyway, the emotional reactions to the two were probably very different. Although Cortez was a pioneer in the general prognostication literary genre, books of that sort werenโt particularly new or persecuted. They could at times be frowned upon (which lead to many being given false publication cities), and used as circumstantial evidence to prosecute someone accused of illicit practices, but they were never a particularly fearful thing in anyoneโs eyes.
Witchcraft in Portugal is very under researched. Itโs my understanding that the history of witchcraft and its persecution is very different in Portugal than in neighboring Spain due to lack of an Inquisition in Portugal. What facets have shaped what we would call witchcraft practices that separate Portuguese and Spanish traditions?
First of all, a correction: Portugal did have an Inquisition. It started off slightly later than in many other countries, in 1536, but it lasted into 1821, so we had plenty of it over here. Now, what usually distinguishes it from many other such similar institutions was the absence of witch-hunting. While the practices perceived as witchcraft were still very much against the law, and if found these would be persecuted, there was no major active effort by any institution to actively search and persecute โwitchesโ.
The only period where we do have anything close to a witch-hunt is actually in the 18th century, when you have a marked rise in related accusations. This instance had, for a long time, been somewhat of a mystery, but Timothy Walker in his Doctors, Folk Medicine and the Inquisition has very efficiently related this to an active effort by Coimbra trained doctors to eliminate folk healers and New Christian competitors from the market by becoming Inquisitional snitches. But overall, the number of witchcraft cases (and we can throw โsuperstitionโ, โmagicโ and โsorceryโ in there) on the Portuguese side of things are actually quite reduced, seeing as the Inquisition was much more preoccupied with the persecution of hidden Jews (real or imaginary).
One other side of this is that the narratives of diabolical witchcraft popularized in other European countries didnโt find a very strong foothold here, leaving many of the descriptions of practices and โfolk magicalโ procedures free from learned projections, interpretations and prosecution. And finally, one other important particularity here was that witchcraft accusations didnโt seem to have a very pronounced female persecution aspect to them, with the divide being 40% male and 60% femaleโฆ which really throws a wrenched into essentialist feminist witchcraft narratives.
What must be remembered is that witchcraft image construction is always culturally located, and to weave a Pan-European narrative is to fall into historical fallacies and anachronisms. Over here the typical targets of persecution were individuals who had no clear connection to any โpublicโ or ecclesiastic institution and had an uncertain source of income. In this category you then have widows, beggars, vagrants, Jews or day to day swindlers and small fry businessmenโฆ and there are no significant Sabbat descriptions.
Comparing the case with Spain (of which Iโm not an expert in by the way), it should also be noted that the usual portrait of the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition, in regards to witchcraft persecution, are inaccurateโฆ that is another echo of the Black Legend. In Spain there were actually three parallel tribunals with authority to persecute witchcraft and related practices: the Secular, the Episcopalian and the Inquisitorial (mostly active in urban centers), and out of all of these the Inquisitorial was actually the most lenient. This has to do with the very Inquisitorial process, which tended to be extremely bureaucratic (leaving an immense paper trail which can be followed today, contrarily to the other tribunals which didnโt keep much of a record and consequently become less historically visible) and it was actually quite complex in terms of finding anyone guilty of such โimmaterialโ crimesโฆ again, against popular opinion and whatever savage nonsense was happening in Protestant Inquisitions. In order to condemn anybody to death for witchcraft, there needed to be proof of an explicit satanic pact, which was nearly impossible to achieve. Consequently, what we see with the Spanish Inquisition is that people accused of witchcraft or magical practices in rural areas would frequently flee to a city in order to be judged by an Inquisitional court because, even if they could end up condemned of something, the chance that they would be sentenced to death was much smaller. Maria Tausiet has a nice book on this actually, Urban Magic in Early Modern Spain, although she makes some horrible mistakes in her dealing with magic and folklore in general, going as far as quoting the Libro Magno de San Cipriano (from the 19th century) to explain spirit summoning in the early modern periodโฆ
The same thing is true of Portugal. Magic and witchcraft cases very rarely ended in death. It was much more common to give the accused a tap on the hand, give him or her a fine, have them make a public abjuration and them ship them off to one of the colonies or some forsaken place in the country. But you do start to find more common death sentences in relapse trials, but this once again wasnโt related to witchcraft itself, but rather because this implied that your original confession and abjuration had been a lie, which constituted sacrilege and was a considerably worst offense.
Ultimately, what in my opinion would distinguish both countries in terms of witchcraft narratives is something that goes beyond this straight duality of Portugal and Spain. True, we have had our borders nicely established for many hundreds of years and there are indeed certain distinctions that can be made between one side of the line and the other, but the error that this carries is that it is often assumed that whatever exists on either side of the border is itself homogeneous. There are some clear overarching motives and witchcraft narratives both in Portugal and Spain, but given the particular persecution circumstances, there are probably much stronger regional distinctions than national distinctions. Thereโs a very interesting book by Gunnar Knutsen, Servants of Satan and Masters of Demons, which very clearly demonstrate how ethnical and cultural differences between Northern and Southern Spain actually give rise to different forms of witchcraft narratives. I believe this should also be detectable in Portugal, and you could expect clear narrative distinctions between the North and the more Muslim influenced South.
Witchcraft image construction and narrative distinction is a very subtle field of work, and why I usually avoid talking about these issues with self described witchcraft practitioners. Contemporary witchcraft narratives tend to be monolithic and essentialist, and these are all pseudo-historical construction. I donโt mean this as an offense in any way; contemporary witchcraft has its own real history, and this is not in any way less โnobleโ or worthy, but itโs most often not the history it tells of itself.
Contemporary feminist witchcraft, for example, while having a concrete and positive purpose in todayโs society needs to be understood as being constructed over a particular narrative which is entirely local and politically motivated. The general tendency to want to apply this particular narrative, constructed by characters such as Margaret Murray and Gerald Gardener based on flawed and biased reading of historical documents, is a violent form of colonialism (curiously, a Patriarchic mode of behavior), frequently using anti-intellectualism claims in order to deny concrete historically observed practices and traditions that donโt fit a particular worldview.
Established religious traditions, be them Christian or Pagan, tend to have the same responses to what they perceive as attacks on their theological legitimacy and power monopoly. Itโs the same mentality with a different opinion.
That was a bit of a tangent to your question I supposeโฆ but as far as a distinction goes, thatโs my position. I think a clear blind spot in Iberian Inquisition and witchcraft studies (and not just Iberian) is the common disregard for folklore and local culture to help frame and contextualize the several different practices being placed under the same category of โwitchcraftโ. This is once again a reflection of the โlearnedโ position of academic culture which is still a direct descendent of the actual Inquisitors who created this category in the first place (Wouter Hanegraaff has some nice material on thisโฆ although he doesnโt explicitly deal with the Inquisition and certainly not Southern Europe).
What projects do you have coming up?
I have a few things in the air right now. First and foremost, I spent most of last year traveling and researching for a new Cyprian book, and Iโm hoping to have that published before the end of this year. This is one Iโm very proud of and I think itโs safe to say that I found documentation that probably nobody had ever looked at (people have surely seen it, but not really looked).
Itโs going to be something quite big I think, in the literal senseโฆ itโs about 400k words long.
Other than this I have a few things on the drawing board. Like I already mentioned Iโm playing around with a few 18th-century Catholic books from which I can make a very cool compilation of very pragmatically practical procedures involving Saints, exorcism and blessings. I think a thing like that would work very well with the Bibliotheca Valenciana, since the Bibliotheca is all about describing a Cosmology and this other one is all about practicality.
I have also a good list of papers and essays Iโm working on, both as part of my current academic studies and my general writing. Most of these are based on particular selections of Inquisition processes of interest. There isnโt much of a study of magic and esotericism in Portugal, so this is the type of work that needs to be done in order to bring attention to understudied intellectual and religious currents over here. And, logically, in about four year I hope to have a thesis on folk magic and religion written.
Josรฉ has organized a spectacular one day conference, โColรณquio Peculiar: Transdisciplinaridades improvรกveisโ, on occult and esoteric subjects to take place 8 June, 2018 at the University of Coimbra.
Free Portuguese Resources
Beginner Resources for European Portuguese
Memriseย Iโm sure you all know about Memrise, here you can find loads of different Brazilian or European Portuguese courses, not only for beginnerโs but intermediate and advanced.
RTP Zigzagย RTP is Portugalโs public broadcasting network, and Zigzag is its section devoted to kidsโ videos. Most are educational, covering geography, history, and general fun facts. Each video is only a few minutes long, fun and educational way to learn.
Learn Portuguese with Rafaย This site is incredible, itโs targeted at learners of European Portuguese but can be of use to Brazilian Portuguese learners. It has everything from grammar lessons to vocab traditional Portuguese recipes.
Beginner Resources for Brazilian Portuguese
Duolingoย Iโm sure you donโt need an introduction to Duo but itโs great for beginners, free and the Portuguese course just so happens to be Brazilian Portuguese. PSA: if you click on theย โLabsโ link in the header of the desktop site, you can find fun interactive short stories.
Semanticaย Unfortunately the entire course isnโt free but it has a whole bunch of article ranging from grammar to vocabulary for all level learners. Itโs pretty fantastic.ย
Intermediate + Advanced Podcasts, Videos & Moreย
Intermediate European Portuguese
Practice Portugueseย This site has free podcasts and videos based on real life situations, itโs great asย listening comprehension practise. The speakerโs voice is slow and clear, so it is perfect for listeners who are still getting used to spoken Portuguese.
Portuguรชses no Mundoย I donโt know about you but I love podcasts about travel!ย This free podcast is about world travel and it is useful for Portuguese learners because each episode follows the same structure. In each episode, the host interviews a Portuguese person whoโs living in another country, the host asks the same questions to each guest (โWhy did you move to that country?โ, โWhat surprised you the most about living there?โ, โWhat do you miss most about Portugal?โ, etc.).ย
Visiokids: Ciรชncia para Crianรงasย For science lovers, who arenโt quite ready to learn about astrophysics in Portuguese, this site contains science videos for kids! Super educational, why not learn science whilst practising your listening skills?
Camรตes Instituto da Cooperaรงรฃo e da Lingua Portugal Under โA Lerโ (โreadingโ) thereโs an assortment of books including story books (with accompanying audio!), mini biographies (with accompanying quizzes!) and a reference guide for everyday situations. Check out โA Falarโ (โspeakingโ) for videos about spoken Portuguese, โA Ouvirโ (โlisteningโ) for a variety of audio exercises, and โA Brincarโ (โplayingโ) for some games.ย ย
ย Intermediate Brazilian Portuguese
NHK World Radio Japรฃoย This is great for intermediate and advanced speakers you can accustom yourself to listening to native speakers who are talking clearly at full speed.ย HK World News broadcasts a daily news program from Tokyo in dozens of languages, including Brazilian Portuguese.
Cinem(aรงรฃo)ย This is a popular film-related podcasts in Brazil. It airs weekly, the hosts chat about one or more films released that week. Yu can also use this as a source of film recommendations.
Advanced European Portugueseย
Conta-me Tudo (Tell Me Everything) Each episode of these podcasts features a different speaker telling his or her fascinating tale to an audience. Topics are varied and include narrow escapes from death, odd ways to begin a career, and a terrible idea for a birthday present. The speakers all speak quickly, so the stories are perfect for advanced learners.
Advanced Brazilian Portuguese
CBTV Canal Brasil for iOS, Android and Roku is a completely free live TV channel, unfortunately itโs only available in the United States. It broadcasts from Florida and includes news, sports, history, health, and even pets! Because itโs intended for native Brasileiros, the content is pretty advanced.

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Apollo is a confirmed science nerd and I wanna throw this into the face of everyone who thinks Apollo's is dumb.
(Statius, Thebaid 6.355)
Tumblr: Apollo is so dumb
Me: how?! He's The God of Science!!!
Atheist: do you believe in God or science?
Me: Apollo is The God of Science so...both.
Here's another fun fact about Apollo, he's also the god of MATH and PHILOSOPHY... Have you ever done a philosophical research paper? It's intellectually exhausting and don't even get me started on math and all the scientific advances. I'm in the middle of doing a paper on the Pythia and she is literally all about probability!!! Her form of prophecy is PROBABILITY!!! STATISTICS!!! I literally DO NOT UNDERSTAND people who think Apollo is dumb.
Apollo is the god of knowledge.
He is NOT a dumb god!
Philosophy is a very specific subject now but back in ancient Greece and up until the 19th century it was basically a synonym for science: philosophy encompassed any body of knowledge.
@rosegoldtunicโ
Oh, can you explain more about the Pythia working with probability?
@aimee-maroux of course!
So according to certain sources, the pythia only gave prophecies for one day per month minus the winter months since those were the months Dionysus ran the temple. (This rule changed depending on the time period but for the sake of this example, let's focus on this rule.)
Due to this rule, those who required a personal or political prophecy needed to come to Delphi days in advance and literally people from all over the ancient Greek world came. Even those from outside of Greece came to see the pythia.
Because they had to wait for days before they got their prophecy, they hung around Delphi and had dinners and spoke to Delphic people and Delphic priests.
By nature, the ancient Greeks openly spoke about political stuff, in fact politics was a sign of being well off and it was seen as being a well educated person.
All of these conversations came back to the Pythia.
The Pythia herself was a woman who regularly talked politics to others in casual conversation because she was well respected.
The women in Delphi we're all involved in political conversation and were well educated in case any of them became the next Pythia which was required to be over the age of 50 regardless of whether or not she was already married with children.
Plus the Greeks asked the pythia questions that required guidance rather than seeing the future. They usually went "between x or y, which would be better for me?" Or "which god should I pray to if I want to do x?"
The philosopher Heraclitis even said:"The god neither reveals, nor conceals but indicates."
So let's say that Athens is thinking about fighting Sparta and both Athenian and Spartan politicians are there. They don't fight because Delphi is a neutral space, but they are telling Delphic priests and people about their military preparations. Spartans tell Delphic priests that they are amazing on land but they are not very confident battling at sea. So when the Athenians ask: "between fighting the Spartans on land or sea? Which is better for Athens?" And the Pythia tells them to try to fight them at sea. This is statistics. Their chances of beating the Spartans went up if they did it at sea.
Another thing, because the Pythia was so vague, people would often call Apollo- Apollo Loxias or "Apollo, the ambiguous one."
This is another reason why "know thyself" was a Delphic Maxim, because the Pythia was expected to be so vague and criptic that politicians that came to ask questions on behalf of their cities, went back so their City to further debate what the pythia said and what Apollo meant by that.
The biggest example of "know thyself" is from what happened to the king of Libya who asked the pythia what would happen if he took on the Persian empire. The Pythia told him he'd be destroying an empire. He assumed she was talking about the Persian empire but it was HIS empire that got destroyed.
*I hope this helps!
Names, Titles, and Epithets
I was thinking about this earlier, and I decided, hey, why not make a post about it?
Most, if not every, gods have several different names/titles their followers call them by. ย Several people also come up with epithets that are very personal, usually descriptors of how they see the god in question or something relevant to their relationship with the god.
When it comes to Lucifer, there are several titles and epithets available for use, and Iโd like to break each of them down.
Lucifer/Lightbringer/Light Bringer: This one comes first. ย The root words to keep in mind here areย lucis,ย meaning light, andย ferre,ย meaning carry. ย Lucifer, then, means โlight-bringer".ย He is called light-bringer,ย I believe, because it is his โjobโ, in a sense, to bring enlightenment to humans. ย If we assume, as many do, that he was in fact the serpent in Eden, then it is he who convinced Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge, and share the fruit with Adam. ย When a person gains knowledge on a subject that they were previously ignorant in regards to, we consider them to be enlightened, and in this way, Lucifer is โlight-bringer".
However, this title could also apply in other cases, such as Lucifer being somewhat of a guiding hand to those who follow him. ย Several Luciferians that I have seen have been led, in their paths since following Lucifer, through what I understand to be shadow work. ย They are faced with the darkest part of themselves, of their pasts, of their personalities (โdarkโ here used to mean difficult, trying, challenging, frightening), and they learn to come to terms with it, to accept it as a part of themselves, to better these aspects if necessary, to grow and to learn from them. ย Lucifer, in these cases, could be seen as a beacon of light, a gentle hand leading the way home, so to speak, and he embodies the title of Lucifer/Lightbringer in this way.
Satan: The etymology of โsatan", according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, is as follows:
Old Englishย Satan, from Late Latinย Satanย (in Vulgate in Old Testament only), from Greekย Satanas, from Hebrewย satanย "adversary, one who plots against another,โ fromย satanย "to show enmity to, oppose, plot against,โ from rootย s-t-nย "one who opposes, obstructs, or acts as an adversary.โ In Septuagint (Greek) usually translated asย diabolosย "slanderer,โ literally โone who throws (something) across" the path of another (seeย devilย (n.)), thoughย epiboulosย "plotter" is used once.
Satan is also often understood to mean โaccuser". ย This is the name/title most commonly used within the Christian community (not the only name, however, I do know of Christians who acknowledge and even use the title of Lucifer, and other Christians may use other titles. ย I should say, more accurately, that this is the title/name most commonly used by the Christain communityย around me, growing up). ย Oftentimes, it is thought of that this name is used because Satan slandersย God, and accusesย Him of terrible deeds, trying to turn followers away from him. ย While this may be truth (though Iโve never experienced it personally myself, Iโm sure that there are stories of it), Satanโs accusations may also find targets in Godโs followers. ย This is what he does. ย He throws accusations at Godโs followers, challenges them toย prove their faith, toย showย that they believe that God is there for them, will forgive them, will save them. ย Whatever the end result - be it faith shattered under the pressure, or faith strengthened by hardship - does not truly matter to him. ย Either end result comes from a job well done. ย However, considering his powerful love for God, I think that he is most satisfied when the end result is a strengthened faith. ย But thatโs only my opinion.
Also, if we believe this to be derived from the Judaic โHa-Satanโ, it could be said that being an adversary and accuser to humanity was a job entrusted to him by God, in order to test them and lead them closer to him.
Morning Star: The morning star is often considered to be the brightest star in the sky. ย You can see it in the early morning as the sun begins to rise, even after all the other stars in the sky have faded in the sunโs light. ย My understanding is that Lucifer was given this title because, before his Fall, he was considered the brightest and most beautiful of Godโs angels. ย He is still beautiful now, and he shines brightly to those that he appears to, bright enough that he demands the attention of those who can see him, even without actually demanding it. ย His is the sort of beauty that catches the eye and doesnโt want to let go. ย He persists, and stands out, even among other beautiful, eye catching things. ย Morning Star is a title of compliments, of acknowledgment of beauty.
Mourning Star: ย A slight variation off of the previous title, with a very different meaning. ย Mourning is define as โthe expression of deep sorrow for someone who as died". ย Frequently, I see Morning Star and Mourning Star used interchangeably, and Iโm not sure if thatโs the result of a language barrier or a dialect shift (like โcolor" vs. โcolour"), but there is a very clear difference, in my eyes, between the two. ย I almost consider โMorning Star" the before-the-Fall title, and โMourning Star" the after-the-Fall title. ย This title acknowledges that he is still bright, still beautiful, still an angel or star, but it also acknowledges that he may be in mourning after his Fall. ย He may not show this side to everyone, and most days he may not feel this way, but I believe that for a time, and maybe even now and then lately, so many years later, that he felt a true mourning for what happened. ย Heaven was his home, after all, and Yahweh his Father, and no matter how it came about or why, the chances are probably good that he mourned that loss, even if he does so rarely or even not at allย now. I too differentiate between Morningstar and Mourningstar, and refer to the latter heavily in my own writing, although I want to give credit to the person who I think originally came up with the variation of 'mourningstarโ. I first came across it through their wordpress blog, O Mourning Star, and since then it has just stuck with me.
Shaytan/Shaitan/Iblis: ย These are, to my understanding, the Islamic names/titles according to the Koran/Quran. ย I havenโt read the text myself yet (I havenโt found it in English), and I am not a member of Islamic faith, so I donโt feel comfortable attempting to give explanations for these names. ย However, I believe that Shayan/Shaitan translates roughly to enemy, rebel, evil, or devil, and Iblis is the proper name attributed to the angel in the Koranโs version of Genesis. From what I understand, Shaytan is derived from the arabic word 'shatanaโ which means 'to be far fromโ. While in its original context it refers to him as being far from Truth, I also attribute it to being far from God. Iblis, on the other hand, stems from 'balasaโ, which is said to mean 'to give up hopeโ or 'despairโ.
Malek Taus: is the Yazidi name/title, and translates to Peacock Angel. ย Here, Iโll stop and admit that learning this name/translation made me have to stop researching to giggle, and I may or may not have offended Lucifer just slightly. ย But come on. ย Peacock Angel. ย
Anyway, Iโm also not a member of this faith, and canโt speak very definitively about it, but I can say that I think the name is very fitting and just a little bit adorable.
โ
All of the names/titles provided here have been used to describe/identify the angel Lucifer. ย Some of these titles have also been used as descriptors for other prominent religious figures (Jesus, for example, has also been given the titles of Lucifer and Morning Star, and Shaytan can be attributed to any jinn that disobeys Allahโs commands). ย Some people who work with or follow Lucifer may use other titles than what Iโve listed here, and some of them may even have been told by him โno, donโt use that title for me, I donโt want you to call me that" for whatever reason. ย Some Luciferians do not consider Lucifer and Satan to be the same beings (and this could be true of course, they could attribute the title to another being, because thatโs all it is: a title).
On this blog, and in casual conversation with others, the title I most of use is Lucifer. ย In some prayers, I may use Morning Star or Lightbringer. However, in direct conversations, through Dream Walking or travelling, and even in most prayers, I use a name. ย Itโs a very specific name, not a title, and although it is not hisย only name, it is the name he and I have agreed to use. ย It is a name that makes my heart swell (metaphorically, I promise I donโt have any health conditions due to a name), my spirit soar, and even makes my eyes water, at times. ย Although the name is publicly available, and anyone could find it if they looked hard enough, I will not be sharing it on this blog, because of how personal it is, both to me and Lucifer.
โ
If there was any information that was inaccurate or problematic, please let me know.
Iโm so glad you wrote this. I had been meaning to do so for a while, but it kept being pushed back for other things. Iโve added my own comments in bold.
Iโm still really quite upset that Theoi is not as accurate as I always relied on it being. Or, rather, that the sources that Theoi uses that are not primary sources sometimes have inaccuracies in them.
Case in point: Theoi has a list of epithets on Artemisโ page that are taken from the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Letโs take a look at one that vexed me this week.
MELISSA (Melissa), a surname of Artemis as the goddess of the moon, in which capacity she alleviates the suffering of women in childbed. (Porphyr. De Antr. Nymp,. p. 261.) Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
However, I know from writing The Beeoi that โMelissaโ literally meansย โbeeโ.ย
ฮผฮญฮปฮนฯฯฮฑ 1 ฮผฮญฮปฮน I.a bee, Lat. apis, Hom., etc. 2.one of the priestesses of Delphi, Pind.II.= ฮผฮญฮปฮน, honey, Soph. Source: Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon
Where does โbeeโ fit into goddess of the moon? I wasnโt necessarily arguing, but I decided to check the source of that epithet. That brought me toย De antro nympharum by Porphyrius.
Quin & mulieres Cereris facerdotes, tanquam inferorum Deรฆ Antistites, olim apellatรฆ funt apes, & filia ejus Proserpina mellita. Prรฆterea Luna generationis regina, apis nomenclaturam apud priscos habebat, Sed alia quoque ratione: invehitur enim tauro, & exaltatio Lunaรฆ taurus Est. Apes vero e bubus procreantur, inde.
Book found on Google Books
Unless you know a language related to Latin or Latin itself, thatโs going to be a bit difficult to read, so letโs find a translation:
8. The priestesses of Ceres, also, as being initiated into the mysteries of the terrene Goddess, were called by the ancients bees; and Proserpine herself was denominated by |24 them honied. The moon, likewise, who presides over generation, was called by them a bee, and also a bull. And Taurus is the exaltation of the moon. But bees are ox-begotten.ย
Translation by Thomas Taylor
Basically it saidย โThe moon [Artemis] was called by the ancients a bee and also a bull.โ This was even more confusing. How does the definition of the epithet given by the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology?ย
Poryphrius called Artemis the moon, yes, but he didnโt state that the epithet of Melissa referred to her as goddess of the moon. He just said that she, going by the name of the Moon/Luna (probably Artemis-Selene, if you want to be specific) was also calledย โbeeโ, which would be Melissa in Greek.
My best guess as to what happened? The secondary source misinterpreted what Porphyrius was saying and drew conclusions that didnโt match the meaning of the epithet itself.
Lesson learned: always check the sources of your sources.
What thatโs actually saying is this:
Porphyrius: Priestesses of Demeter (Ceres via interpretatio Romana) were called Bees.
Porphyrius: These priestesses also referred to Persephone as The Honied One.
Porphyrius: These priestesses also called the moon a Bee because a) bees are associated with creation of life and honey, which never goes bad, is associated with immortality; and b) because the moon never dies but always returns, and is associated with cycles of crop generation as well as cycles of life.
(Porphyriusโ side note regarding bulls: there was an old belief that bees were born magically out of bovine carcasses, because bees tended to make hives in those carcasses and sometimes humans jump to conclusions. ย So bulls give birth to bees. ย Astrologically, the sign Taurus is the constellation in which the Moon is exalted. ย So bulls, and deities associated with bulls, automatically have bee, and therefore lunar, associations.)
Not Porphyrius: we know that Artemis was given the epithetย โMelissa,โ meaningย โbee,โ in various iterations of Her cultus.
By associative property: Artemis has connections, via bees, to the moon, and via the moon, to the bulls that give โbirthโ to the bees, AND, via bees and bulls and the moon, to the creation of new life.
Ancient religion is fucking amazing!
Diana by David Gray
Cleansing and Charging
Cleansing and charging are important in any spell, but often overlooked or skimmed over. Cleansing your ingredients, tools, and workspace is the best way to ensure that the intent of your magic is not muddled by any pre-existing negative or stray energies. There are several ways to cleanse your object.
By far the simplest is by visualisation. Picture any dark, murky energy in your tool being drained out. Take your time if need be, and be sure to remove all of it. The energy that is drained out can be left to sit, but I find that itโs simple and easy to envision it burning, washing or blowing away, or being drained down into the ground.
If you have trouble with visualisation you can always use the elements. This can be done on the spot, at an altar, or in a more ritualistic setting โ itโs up to you โ by using one or more of the elements to cleanse your object or workspace. Salt or dirt is often used to represent earth, incense to represent air, a candle for fire, and water for itself. Scatter, waft, and hold these over your object or around your workspace. Visualisation is still key here, and it helps to picture the energies of these objects enveloping the room. By personal preference I treat the elements as entities and I verbally ask them to help me. โWash away the negativity,โ โmay winds sweep away stagnation,โ blah, blah, improvise or write it out. Whatever works best for you.
You have the other option of asking somebody or something else to do it for you. It probably wouldnโt pay to ask your favourite god to cleanse every little ingredient for you, so perhaps steer clear of petitioning deities unless you already have a good relationship with them. Other entities (spirits, fey, astral creatures, etc) might be more willing to help, but Iโd still make sure youโre on good terms with your โbenefactorโ before asking for favours. Be wary that they might expect a favour or offering in return.
Next you have to charge your object. I will admit that I donโt always put much effort into this, but I really should because charging my ingredients or the finished charm really, really helps. Charging something (or some people call it programming, especially in the context of stones and crystals), is when you draw new energies โ specific energies โ into it.ย Say I want a peace charm? Iโd pour in nice, relaxing, soothing energies into it. Focusing on your intent is important. Whatโs the point of carrying around a bag of salt and herbs when itโs got no juice? You need to fill it with power.
This can be done in a similar way to your cleansing. You can raise your energy in whatever method you prefer, and then pour your own energy into the object, or you can channel elemental energy into the charm. As previously mentioned, this can be done with verbal aid, โI ask fire to fill this thingie with its comforting warmth,โ โearth please fill this bottle with your stability,โ etc. You can use the physical elements once more, or you can call in the favour. Do what you feel is best, and most effective for you.
Stay tuned for more tips, information, and posts like these. Have a good one.

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The Goddess of Traditional Witchcraft
So as my practice and study of traditional craft grows and matures, Iโve found myself musing on the split I see between traditional witches who follow a deity-paradigm similar to that of Wicca, with both Olโ Hornie and with a goddess figure such as Frau Holda, Dame Venus, the Queen of Elphame, etc, and those traditional witches who focus more on just the Horned One as their patron deity (For the purpose of this post I am excluding traditional witches who donโt deal with deities, since thatโs not relevant to my own path. All good, no shade on any godless witches, itโs just not where I feel pulled). Now for the moment ignoring the debate as to whether traditional witchcraft is a religion or not (not opening that can of worms!), Iโm curious as to why the Devil-focused traditional witches excluded a witch-goddess. Is it because it seems too Wiccan? Was a goddess figure not a particularly appealing form of divinity to you for one reason or another? Was the decision based on historical accounts, which certainly seem to favor a single, maleย โGod of the Witchesโ over a duo? On the other hand, for goddess-inclusive traditional witches (who seem to be the minority on tumblr), how why does a goddess figure fit into your practice? What historical or folkloric sources do you draw your goddess figure from? ย ย In front of me I have all my books on traditional craft. They vary in quality and usefulness to me, and Iโm certainly far from done with my study and with obsessively hording books. But going by the eleven books I have, eight deal with a god/goddess duality and two focus solely on the Horned One, while one doesnโt bother much with gods at all. This seems awful lop-sided towards theย โWiccanโ set up when again, from my (admitted journeyman at best) understanding, history seems to favor the Devil alone, and tumblrโs traditional craft community are also mostly Horned God-centric.
I want to stress I am absolutely not saying one way is right or better. What I am doing is standing at a crossroads of my own particular practice (a good place to be for any witch) and trying to decide which avenue I should go down. I would really love any input, opinions, answers, or corrections as you should see fit to give me.
ย Firstly, I would like to say that a relationship with the Black Goddess of Witchcraft should be garnered with experience over theory, and come from a place of divine inspiration and yearning for that which is hidden, and not from the opinions/writings of others, or a desire to disassociate from Wicca or Christianity. Both cunning-folk AND ceremonial magicians make heavy use of Abrahamic prayer, especially of the Psalms; and Wicca is rooted in Grimoire High Magick.
ย The concept of a Goddess of Witchcraft is consistent in Traditional Witchcraft, though often avoided simply because Traditional Witchcraft is so very history based that her identity changes based on the cultural context of the Witchcraft you happen to be studying. I believe that in regard to the Court of Elphame versus the Infernal Host: It comes down to cultural context and personal perspective. My Gods could be anotherโs Demons.ย On that note, let us begin with the Devil, which we all seem to agree has been accepted by the Traditional Witch as Lord and Master, and work backwards. Below is a plate from Eliphas Leviโs Rituel et Dogme de la Haute Magie portraying theย โGod of Witches,โ c.1854:
ย While it is speculated that the Baphomet is in fact the same Goat of Mendes worshiped in Ancient Egypt, or the heathen idol of the Knights Templar is beside the point, and I will leave this to you to explore if you deem so. I wish only to make the point that this is widely accepted as the Sabbatic Goat, and to draw attention to the obvious duality theme, as well as the decision to depict the Witch God as hermaphroditic; the Caduceus of Mercury forming the phallus, here. I believe the implication is to make reference to a line of myths: First to the Talmud, in which Adam and Eve are created as one entity at first, subsequently split by Yaweh. This is mirrored in the myth from the Alphabet of Ben Sira surrounding Lilith and Sammael, in which they join sexually and become one, in their perfected form. This is even echoed in the myths of Dame Venus and Dionysus, who were also both created as hermaphrodites in certain ancient versions of their myths. Also, Aphroditeโs child by Hermes is Hermaphroditus, who shared this trait.
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Witch Mother
After prompting from a delightful Anon, Iโve decided to write up a small something on the enigmatic Witch Mother.
I certainly wonโt say this is an exhaustive description, for She is too vast to contain in simple words.
Within many strains of Traditional Witchcraft, there is a Great Spirit known as the Witch Mother. The Witch Mother is the Mother of all Witches and creatures of old. She is one of the Great Initiators, helping to light the Witch Fire and teach new witches the ways of the Crooked Path. She is often seen as a consort or partner to the Witch Father, though She is certainly autonomous in Her dealings.
The Witch Mother can be seen two ways, either as an archetype that many spirits can fulfill (a hard polytheistic view, like saying the Witch Mother role is fulfilled by Lilith to one witch and by Melusine to another) or as a spirit that takes on many forms but it still one (a softer polytheistic view, like saying The Witch Mother is one spirit but she presents to people under different guises and names). She goes by names such as Lilith, Hecate, Babylon/Babalon the Great, Melusine, Frau Hulda, Nicnevin, etc. By simply searching these names, youโll find rich mythologies and a common fulfillment of the Witch Mother archetype.
The following pertains only to my practices and is not universally shared by followers of the Crooked Path.
I personally see the Witch Mother as a Great Spirit that takes on multiple guises to best commune with Her children. In my practice, I engage with Her through a Gnostic lens. I worship the Witch Mother through two different guises: as the Dark Mother and Babylon the Great. The Dark Mother is the primordial predecessor of all things, She is the beginning and end forevermore. I see Her best personified as the entropy of the universe, the chaos found at the center of a blackhole. I donโt believe She can be reached by us, as She is so far removed from this world. Thus, I see Her other guises as emanations of Her we can readily access. This is a very Gnostic concept, indeed. My tags for the Dark Mother is #ourladyofthevoid
The primary guise of the Witch Mother I work with and worship is Babylon the Great. Babylon the Great can be found in Christian writings and is known as the Mother of Abominations. A quick search of Her name will give a better background of Her than I ever could. My tags for Her are #babylonthegreat #redmother and #redgoddess
On a personal note, the Witch Mother was not my Initiator into Traditional Witchcraft. Nevertheless, She holds a special place in my Craft. I do hope this was informative and as always, please feel free to send me more questions on the subject. I hope this finds you well, Anon
Cosmic Witchcraft: Tools & Associations
Tools:ย Alien Shapes/Toys, Astroglobe, Astrolabe, Beads, Celestial Globe, Constellation Globe/Map, the Constellations, Dice, Fairy Lights/Garden Lights, Galaxy Patterns, Glitter/Edible Glitter, Glitter Jars, Glitter Lamps, Glitter Wands/Sticks, Glowsticks, Glow-In-the-Dark Stars/Planets, Glow-In-the-Dark Objects or Items, Images of Space/Planets/Stars/Astronomical Objects, Live-feed/Video of Sky/Astronomical Objects/Events, Lunar Calendar, Moon/Planet Lamps, Moon/Stellar Water, Night Sky, Pendulum, Pendulum Board, the Planets, Sky Maps, Star Charts, the Stars, Telescope
Colors: Black, White, Blue, Purple, Yellow, Magenta
Corresponds to: The Mind, Divination, Knowledge, Wisdom, Travel, Beauty, Justice, Cleansing, Empowerment, Astral Energy and Banishing
Crystals: Moonstone, Selenite, Pearl, Goldstone, Opal, Jade, Peridot, Amethyst, Obsidian, Snowflake Obsidian, Hematite, Garnet, Opalite, Fluoriteย
Metals: Gold, Silver, Mercury, Iron, Lead and Bronze
Plants/Herbs: Lavender, Sandalwood, Parsley, Hibiscus, Passion Flower, Thyme, Violet, Cloves, Skullcap, Willow and Nightshade
Animals: Rabbit, Wolf, Owl, Dolphin, Sheep, Ram, Fox, Goat, Dog, Bear, Deer/Stag, Bull/Cow
Beasts & Creatures: Tiangou, Kitsune, Ziz, Sylphids, Water/Ocean Nymphs, Moon Nymphs, Werecreatures, Vampires, Moon Hare, Munpipuru (โPeople of the Moonโ), Jade Rabbit, Pegasus, Phoenix,ย โWhite Tigerโ, Nemean Lion, Azure Dragon, Lunar/Sky Dragons, Capricorn, Centaurs, Moon Men, Cosmic Horrors
Sense: Sight/Vision
Body: Head, Eyes, Spine, Core, Neck, Pelvis, Heart, Arteries
Cosmic Related Magic: Music, Astral, Energy Work, Dance, Cleansing, Banishing, Lunar, Stellar, Solar/Sun, Planetary, Dream Work, Communication, Divination, Trance Work, Psychic Work, Dowsing, Glamour, Illusions, Purification, Attraction and Deflection
*note: each planet and constellation may have specific correspondences related to them, use references for specifics when needed.ย These listed above are for basic overall correspondences for general work
Special Thanks to @moonfire-dahliaโ for assisting me with some correspondences!
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Of Imps and Familiars
The topic of Familiars in modern witchcraft is a bit ย misinformed as to what exactly these beings are. Some say they are simply a pet belonging to a witch; however, it is far from the case. In the hopes of clearing things a bit up for my followers, I am writing this to explain what Familiars are and the differences between the different types. This post will provide a brief summary of the topic
There are a few different types of Familiars to consider. There are:
The Familiar Spirit
Imps
Familiar spirits
Bloodline Familiars
Letโs discuss what they are and how they differ from another.
The Familiar Spirit
Tam Lin by Jane Yolen and Charles Mikolaycak
This is somewhat comparable to the Holy Guardian Angel found in various practices of high and ceremonial magic, such as the Order of the Golden Dawn. It is the human familiar spirit, the fairy lover, the demon lover, the spirit companion, the familiar self, the witchโs doppleganger. It is the you that is separate, yet it is its own entity. These are the beings that witches met when flying to the sabbat, their spirit lover. Typically, it is opposite to the witch, โIn 1633, Margaret Johnson, the Lancashire witch, stated that besides theire particular familiars or spirits, there was one greate or grand devill, or spirit, more eminent than the rest. Shee allsoe saith, yt if a witch have but one marke, shee hath but one spirit; if two, then two spirits; if three, yet but two spirits. Shee alsoe saith, that men witches usually have women spirits, and women witches men spirits,โ (source). It might be that these spirits are complete opposites to their witch counterpart; however, it may also be they take a form most desired by the witch. It is why some have Familiar spirits of the same gender, or spirits that change gender along with their witch.
Examples of The Familiar Spirit
Tam Lin (from the Ballad of Tam Lin)
The Queen of Heaven (from Thomas the Rhymer)
Cupid (from the tale The Most Pleasant and Delectable Tale of the Marriage of Cupid and Psyche)
Imps
The Witchesโ animal familiar, maleficent animals, divination animals, domestic familiars. These are, usually, physical creatures or vessels that act as the witchโs familiar. These are the creatures people typically think of when thinking of familiars. They are the witchโs pet, servator, companion, spy, and aid in the magical arts.
Now from this, there are 2 main sort of imps. A living creature of flesh such as a rabbit, cat, or dog. There are also imps that are merely spirits tied to a vessel. These vessels can be anything from stuffed animals to bottles or urns. The Familiarโs spirit possesses the vessel, which then it seeks to serve the witch. It can be an actual spirit or even created by a witch (or even by another spirit). Now the interesting part of this is that the living creatures can even act as vessels for familiar spirits.
Imps are the creatures you see depicted being fed blood from witches. Witches allow familiars to suckle blood from their witch marks to forge the pact between the two. The imp receiving care and food, and the witch receiving aid and power from the imp. The pact between the two is what makes an imp the witchesโ familiar (vs just a regular pet or spirit).
Familiar spirits
A witch can have many familiar spirits, which take many forms. Though, they tend to be animal in form. There are some known to be human or even โsupernaturalโ in form. There are descriptions of familiar spirits that are fairies, spirits of the dead, saints, devils, demons, and even angels. Some witches state they had certain plants as their familiars.
They take similar roles to spirit guides and spirit helpers; however, they, like imps, also require a pact as well. A witch can have many familiar spirits all that serve their needs depending on the reason for the pact. However, the pact isnโt always made through physical means vs the pact made with imps.
Bloodline Familiars
These are known as โTotemโ familiars (from the source). Bloodline familiars are those that are passed down from hereditary practices, from parent to child. Covens have also been known to have these, and can give access to these familiars through initiatory means. They are familiars that serve specific bloodlines or groups, and only grant their power and aid to those within it.
One can also argue that a Bloodline familiar is not truly a spirit, but rather an icon. A symbol of that family or coven, in which appears in dreams as a sign or omen. I attempted to do more research into this, but it was only mentioned in one of my texts, โThere is that which is used as the coven โtotemโ animal, mentioned earlier in connection with the symbolism of the witch bracelet. This symbolic animal form is decided upon at the formation of a coven by mutual agreement among the members and after much introspection and divination. The chosen totemic animal form or forms, for there may be several, is then ritually โassumedโ by coven members during the chain dance at the Sabbat itself, and also should they at any time wish to indulge in the practice of โsending for the fetch,โ commonly Omens and auguries of coming events may also be drawn by the seasoned practitioner from the appearance on the scene of one such specimen of a coven totem, a grey bird maybe or a large black cat. Part of this witchlore may have filtered out in the past and now be responsible for the common public beliefs about lucky or unlucky black cats crossing oneโs path, and so on,โ (Mastering Witchcraft by Paul Huson).
The Pact (how does one get a familiar?)
The pact is something that is spoken of within many witch confessions and trials. The witch obtains the familiar, forges a pact, and begins the relationship. Familiars were told to appear in a few different ways.
given from a spirit (the devil)
passed down from another witch
appearing by chance
created by the witchโs own โevilโ desire (this references that familiars can be created by the witch themselves)
appearing after a great rite or initiation
There are those that believe every witch will have at least one familiar, whether it be a physical creature or not. Though, familiars donโt appear in every witch lore. It is mostly common in western European witch lore.
What does the pact entail? Typically, it involved the feeding of blood to the familiar to strengthen the bond and forge the union. Iโve seen reference to a few other methods such as spiritual sacrifice, offering of milk or food from the same dish, or even scraping off bits of your kitchen table to feed the familiar. Others reference to rituals being performed to summon the fetch and create the bond. Though one thing is very important, the witch and familiar must be bound to one another body and spirit.
This allows the witch to travel to the Sabbat with their familiar, perform magical acts with them, or even hag ride them into the night.
Hope this helped clear a bit up! My resources are below. As a note: I do reference reading Margaret Alice Murray, not for her incorrect theories, but for her amazing resources. When reading her books focus on quoted references. You can also do further research by searching into her sources (though some are difficult to find).
reading list
Demonology: demons & devils / Spiritual Warfare By Dr. Phillip Botha
Witchesโ Familiars in England by M. A. Murray
Malevolent Nurture: Witch-Hunting and Maternal Power in Early Modern England by Deborah Willis
The Esoteric Codex: Supernatural Legends By Cedrick Pettigrove
The History of Witchcraft and Demonology by Montague Summers
Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic by Emma Wilby
The Visions of Isobel Gowdie: Magic, Witchcraft and Dark Shamanism in Seventeenth-Century Scotland by Emma Wilby
Traditional Crafte translated by Robin Artisan
Mastering Witchcraft by Paul Huson
The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer
The Witch-Cult in Western Europe by Margaret Alice Murray
Irish Witchcraft and Demonology by St. John D. Seymour
Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits
Reblog this on the first of the month for good luck all month long!

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