Peter_Haining_-_The_Warlocks_Book.pdf

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THE WARLOCK’S BOOK

Secrets of Black Magic from the Ancient Grimoires

By PETER HAINING

ILLUSTRATED BY GEORGE UNDERWOOD BASED ON ORIGINAL WOODCUTS

UNIVERSITY BOOKS INC. New Hyde Park, New York

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Queries for rights and permissions should be addressed to University Books, Inc., New Hyde Park, N.Y. 11040

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Introduction

On a chill November morning in the year 1654, a condemned witch, one Janet Haining, was burned at the stake before a small and silent crowd of onlookers in the rural Scottish village of Laight. There was nothing particularly out of the ordinary about the ex- ecution—Scotland had, after all, suffered only slightly less from her kind than Germany, “the most witch-plagued country in Europe” —and hadn’t Janet herself admitted to knowledge of “certain charmes and Spells” before the judges? Still, for a few, brief hours her name was on the lips of a hundred or so superstitious lowland farmers and crofters before it faded from memory to become just one more number in the ever-growing figure of witches put to death.

For the people of the district, there was probably only one fact from Janet’s perfunctory trial that had any real significance, confronted as they were with such events week in and week out— that she had allegedly owned a “black boke of devil’s lore.” The book itself, however, was not produced at the trial nor was any trace of it ever found in the village. Janet, indeed, fought hard to deny its existence. But volumes were a rare enough sight in Scot- land, and three of the witnesses were more emphatic on this point than any other: that they had seen the old woman poring over a

manual of “strange symbols” in her tiny, dark cottage.

As Janet—like so many of her time and disposition—could certainly not read or write, there may seem little point in pursuing further what could well have been another convenient invention on behalf of the prosecution to hurry the old lady to the pyre.

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14 • THE WARLOCK’S BOOK

the work of an Elizabethan warlock that had been painstakingly preserved through several generations by hand-copying—and was compiled in such a way that, with a little basic instruction from another practitioner, even an illiterate witch could devise from its symbols and codes the secrets of Black Magic.

My evidence, certainly, is scanty. Only three other Scottish witchcraft trials at this period make any reference to books on the Black Arts—but one states with some fervor: “There have in our times been black bookes of spells passed among the witches and warlocks of this country and they all be the work of one Edinburgh

warlock who did compose it from earlier works circa 1600." It is one of these, I believe, that Janet used and then hurriedly dis- posed of, or passed on, before she was seized by the authorities.

If this was the case, we know with reasonable accuracy that the book contained “characters, circles, exorcisms, and conjurations” probably originally written on “twenty-three leaves of fair vellum bound in hide.” In fact, such a book exists in the British Museum, where it is described as An Elizabethan Devil-Worship-

per's Prayer-Book.

Of the author, there is naturally very little indication; but we can deduce that he must have been a man of some scholarship, as the rituals and spells he recorded had in the main been taken from earlier volumes not only in English, but also Latin and Greek. The result was a unique and extraordinary book, which in skilled hands could be used to perform a variety of Black Magic rituals for a better life in general and sensual pleasures in particular. It is remar-kable, too, because, unlike most other grimoires, it is not just a list of high-flown spells for raising the devil and his demons and generally performing impossibilities. Rather, it serves practical (if not moral) purposes, such as overpowering women for seduction, drug-taking, the furtherance of one’s ambitions, and all the elements of well-being. It was, in a nutshell, the work of a practical man much more concerned with self-indulgence than concourse with the powers of darkness.

So, with this in mind, and using the British Museum’s Devil-

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INTRODUCTION • 15

to recreate here that Elizabethan warlock’s Black Book which my distant relative sought to conceal with her life. Of course, while some of the rites which follow were undoubtedly recorded in the original volume, others may well not have been. The element of conjecture cannot be ignored. But all were known to be in use in

England and Scotland at the beginning of the seventeenth century, and this has been my guideline in researching and compiling the work.

The ceremonies - some of which can be seen to be rooted in common sense and clearly operable, while others should not be taken too seriously - were presented originally in a style not

dis-similar to the one I have adopted here, without explanation or undue embellishment, mainly as a form of protection for the owner should the book be seized. It was reasoned, justifiably, that, if the authorities picked a spell at random to try, the chances of their selecting a highly colored but ineffective ritual were good, and thus the owner’s complicity with evil might not be felt to have been automatically established.

It needs also to be said that most of the material herein has been taken from the original sources: handwritten manuscripts and volumes of the Elizabethan period now residing in museums and private collections throughout Europe. In some instances, too, I have actually excluded rituals which may well have appeared in the original volume because of their constant reprinting in modern studies of witchcraft and Black Magic. To this end, a great many of the details which follow have never been in print before (except, possibly, in privately printed papers or memoirs) and they undoubtedly throw a new light on the practice of Black Magic— as distinct from witchcraft—in one of the most widely discussed periods of occult history.

At the dawn of the seventeenth century, both England and Scotland—under their respective rulers, Elizabeth I and James VI (to become James I of England after the unification of the two countries in 1603)—were going through an intense period of change. As Professor Thomas Spalding has put it in his study

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16 - THE WARLOCK’S BOOK

light of mediaevalism into the full light of political and religious freedom.” True as this was, blind prejudice and credulity were still rampant,* and in both countries this led to the most flagrant abuse of human rights. The Witch Trials, born out of hysteria and the church’s bloody drive to root out all opposition and gain complete obedience through persecution, were being conducted on both sides of the border with great frequency. Indeed, each country had its witchcraft acts, which recommended trial and punishment with the utmost severity.

Scotland, of the two nations, put down its suspected practitioners with perhaps greater brutality and certainly with more bigotry. Rich and poor alike suffered from the “inquisition” run by the Presbyterian Church. Those of education and a scholarly bent probably suffered more than any—for, in the words of their prosecutors, they should “know better than to question the works of the Lord God.” Indeed with the notorious trial of the North Berwickshire Witches having run its savage course (seventy victims tortured and tried) and the publication in 1597 of King James’s Demonology, which attacked witchcraft—or anything

thought to be witchcraft—with unreasoning fury, Scotland was a dangerous place for anyone of occult leanings to live.

It was against this kind of background, then, that both Janet Haining and the original creator of the Warlock’s Book lived.

The old man, as we have said, was a student of the dark arts primarily for immoral purposes. He sought excitement and carnal pleasures rather than summoning up demons and devils—in which, unlike his persecutors and a great percentage of the population, he probably did not completely believe. And, indeed, while other witches endeavored to call up the devil himself in human form (and sometimes thought they did!), our warlock conducted his Sabbat

* Evidenced, for instance, by the tale recorded by Archbishop Thomas Cranmcr of a monk who preached a sermon at St. Paul’s Cathedral and told the following story as “in all aspects to be true”: “A maid of Northgatc Parish in Canterbury, in pretence to wipe her mouth, kept the host in her handkerchief; and, when she came home, she put the same into a pot, close covered, and she spitted in another pot, and after a few days, she looking in the one pot, found a little young pretty babe about a shaftmond long; and the other pot was full of

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INTRODUCTION • 17

with a man or beast dressed as the Evil One, held a perfunctory “ceremony” of obedience to evil—doubtless to heighten the excitement—and then got straight on with the important business of feasting and sating lust.

He sought instructions for his rites in the old manuscripts and volumes of others like himself, and from these grew his book of the black arts. In his hands, it was a kind of guidebook to dark pleasures. In those of the authorities, it was a “vile book of traffic with Satan” and constituted all the proof needed to condemn the pos- sessor as a warlock and heretic to the stake. How we should view it today, you can now judge for yourself.

Finally, I should mention that, in reconstructing the original manuscript, I have assumed that my reader has a basic knowledge of the practices of witchcraft and Black Magic, and in consequence I have not elaborated certain widely discussed points so as to avoid impeding the general flow of the book. For easier reading, too, I have Anglicized—and in certain cases slightly simplified—some of the rituals and spells, but all remain faithful in every other detail to the originals. The illustrations, also, have been exactingly re- drawn from contemporary sources so that all the elements are clearly shown and aid a fuller understanding of the text.

In conclusion, the reader should be warned of the danger in- herent in a great many of the rituals and potions—and, also, that neither the compiler nor the publisher will accept responsibility for anything that happens should they be tried out!

Peter Haining Essex, 1971

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Preface

—from the first page of a sixteenth-

century Black Magic grimoire be- lieved to have belonged to a Scottish warlock and now lodged in the Brit- ish Museum

Keep a book in thine own hand of write. Let brothers and sisters copy what they will but never let this book out of thy hand, and never keep the writings of another, for if it be found in their own hand of write they will be taken and tortured. Each should guard his own writings and destroy them whenever danger threat- ens. Learn as much as ye may by heart and when danger is past rewrite thy book. For this reason if any die, destroy their book if they have not been able to do so, for if it be found, ’tis clear proof against them. “Ye may not be a Warlock alone,” so all their friends be in danger of the torture, so destroy everything unnec- essary. If thy book be found on thee, ’tis clear proof against thee; thou mayst be tortured.

Keep all thoughts of the cult from thy mind. Say ye had bad dreams, that a devil caused ye to write this without thy knowledge. Think to thyself, “I know nothing; I remember nothing; I have forgotten all.” Drive this into thy mind. If the torture be too great to bear, say “I will confess. I cannot bear this torment. What dost thou want me to say? Tell me and I will say it.” If they try to make thee tell of the Brotherhood, do not; but if they try to make thee speak of impossibilities such as flying through the air, consorting with the Devil, sacrificing children or eating man’s flesh, say, “I had evil dreams. I was not myself. I am crazed.” If

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20 • THE WARLOOK'S BOOK

ye confess aught, deny it afterwards; say ye babbled under torture, ye knew not what ye did or said. If ye be condemned, fear not, the Brotherhood is powerful, they may help ye to escape if ye be steadfast. If ye go steadfast to the pyre, drugs will reach thee and ye will feel naught. If ye betray aught—Beware—There is no help for ye in this life or in that which is to come.

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Both witches and warlocks cared greatly for sensual delights. For them there was the sadistic ecstasy, the thrill of all the devilish rites and observances, the Baccanalian orgies of the great Sabbat, the social pleasure of periodic meetings with their fellows, the excitement of secrecy, danger and sin, the charm of all things horrible.

—Douglas Percy Bliss

The Devil in Scotland

In many people’s eyes the Sabbat has been, since the Middle Ages, the very epitome of witchcraft. Widely illustrated in the most graphic and lurid details, constantly written about and discussed by student and layman alike, it has emerged as a confusion of half fact and half fiction, half reality and half illusion. Indeed, its whole existence has sometimes become the subject of doubt, and reports of the orgies of debauchery and concourse with the devil have been believed in one generation, derided the next, and then restored to general credence in a third. Should we, then, take the “black” Sabbat for a fact or an invention of overfertile imagina- tions?

The secret manuscripts and Black Books which are the source of our material leave us in no doubt as to its existence and inform the practitioners not only of its rituals but also its “prayers” and observances. They paint a picture of a gathering held to honor evil, at which superstitious terror, general festivity, and carnality were mixed together to allow men and women an escape from the rigors of life for a few night hours.

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24 • THE WARLOCK'S BOOK

the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries shows two diametrically op- posed viewpoints: There were scholars who maintained that the Sabbats were nothing more than the drug-induced hallucinations of a few crazed old men and women. Others (notably the clergy) plumped for the actual existence of assemblies where the faithful not only indulged in the most obscene rites but caused the devil himself to appear with his cohorts, and all copulated together in a riot of vileness and debauchery.

As we shall see, there is a little truth in either viewpoint— this often being the case where information is extracted from un- willing victims by torture. From the grimoires, we can recreate the “black” Sabbat as it was actually experienced by such warlocks as the writer of our original book. We shall see, too, that the confusion about the ceremonies was often engendered by the practitioners themselves, deliberately varying their rituals and allowing adaptation wherever it was felt appropriate.

The black magicians we are considering gathered primarily to enjoy themselves, to shout a black prayer of defiance at authority, and to seek what man has so often sought of women: the joys of sex. Their ceremony was kept to a minimum—and what existed was aimed at encouraging, by fear if necessary, a vow of secrecy about what occurred.

Despite what some authorities would have us believe, the black grimoires leave no doubt that many witches and warlocks of the Elizabethan era did not believe in the existence of the devil as a

being. And, while they accepted the actuality of certain spirits who could be summoned for dark purposes, they merely addressed the devil, Satan, Lucifer—call him what you will—as a personification of the evil they wished to practice.

Eliphas Levi, probably the greatest student of the secrets of Black Magic and the occult, wrote on this issue with some vehe- mence: “Let us declare emphatically that Satan, as a personality and a power, has no existence. The Devil, in Black Magic, is the Great Magic Agent employed for evil purposes by a perverse will.” 1

Levi’s research into the dark arts indeed opened a great many doors to later students in interpreting the scrolls and manuscripts left by

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THE BLACK SABBAT • 26

the evil magicians. It also helped establish the purpose of the Sab- bat, when so many others wished to dismiss it as fantasy, pure and simple.

From the grimoires we can see that there was no specific day or days on which the Sabbat should be held and, also—again contrary to general opinion—no stipulation about the exact location. (Obviously isolation was of some importance, but it was hardly felt necessary to stress this.) The witches and warlocks attended in their normal clothes and rarely—despite the stories—brought their young children. Nor did they practice what has become known as the “Black Mass,” the offering of a human sacrifice to the devil and the parody of a Christian Mass. This was a much later invention of a group of French nobles in the seventeenth century.*

At the center of the clearing chosen for the meeting would stand the black altar. A sixteenth-century manuscript describes it thus:

A large stone be best, but a wooden table will suffice. On it stands two candles of human fat set in black wooden candlesticks like the feet of a goat; a magical sword with a black handle; a copper vase containing blood; a censer holding perfumes, namely, incense, camphor, aloes, ambergris and storax mixed together with the blood of a goat, a mole and a bat; four nails taken from thecoffin of an executed criminal; the head of a black cat which has been nourished on human flesh for five days; the horns of a goat and the skull of a parricide.2

Of course, not all these items were essential, and it was not imperative, for instance, for the candles to be made of human fat or for the skull to be that of a man who had killed his mother or father. But the details were sufficiently chilling to overawe the newcomer and deter the intruder.

Just behind the altar would sit the “goat figure” representing the Devil. According to the grimoires, this could either be a goat tied firmly upright in a chair with a lighted candle placed between its horns, or a large black cat with its head shorn and a cloak thrown over its tightly restrained body. A huge, erect phallus was

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usually placed between the legs of this figure. On either side would sit two beautiful “witch maidens,” the symbolic “brides” of the devil, who would disrobe and join the general festivities after the initial “service” of adoration.

When the company arc assembled in a semicircle facing the altar, the designated “high priest” (wearing a simple black cloak with the Black Magic pentagram on the back) steps forward to the goat figure and presents a black turnip with the words, “Master help us.” (The stories that an animal was sacrificed have little foun- dation. However, the use of live birds or beasts in spells was a dif- ferent matter, and this we shall come to in later sections.)

The man then pauses, takes a further step forward and repeats: I will come to the altar. Save me Lord Satan from the treach- erous and the violent.3

Next follows the “Prayer to Satan,” which is read from the Black Book and can be repeated after the priest by the assembly:

O Satan, thou who art the shadow of God and of ourselves, I speak these words of agony for thy glory.

Thou who art Doubt and Revolt, Sophism and Impotence, thou livest again in us and round us, as in the troubled centuries when thou didst reign, blood-stained with tortures, like an obscene martyr, on thy throne of darkness, shaking in thy left hand the abominable sceptre of a bloody lingham.

Today thy degenerate sons are scattered, and celebrate thy cult in their hideouts. Thy traditional pontiffs are blind shepherds, vile jades, presumptuous magis, poisoners and pariahs.

But thy people have increased, and Satan, thou canst be proud of the multitude of thy Faithful ones, as false as thy will has desired. This world which denies thee, thou inhabitest it, thou wallowest in it as on the dead roses of a mouldy, smelly midden.

Thou hast won, O Satan, though anonymous and obscure for a few more years yet; but the coming century will proclaim thy revenge. Thou shalt be reborn in the Anti-Christ. The science of mysteries, spurting suddenly in a black wave already quenches the thirst of the curious and the uneasy; young men and women see themselves mirrored in these waves of illusion which intoxicate and madden.

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gluttony, and I have fallen in love with thy tearstained face, beautiful as an eternal and defeated grudge.

O hideous Satan! I have uncovered thy ignominy to reveal thy wildness. If thy involuntary torment has the noble appearance of being irrevocable, and is illumined by the honour of becoming a redemption. O scapegoat of the world, thy beating heart of a dead man covets the immense, the final depth—thou utterest the sobs of a Messiah, but thou corruptest and degrades like a damna- tion.

Therefore I will tell of thy infamy, and thy attraction, I will sing of thine infinite lament. Thou art the last ideal of fallen man; but if thy cherub’s wings seem to be impregnated with heaven, if thy woman’s breast drips a soothing pity, thy scaly belly and thy animal’s legs exude stinking idleness, forgetfulness of courage, and consent to abjectness.

O holy and impious Satan, symbol of the degenerate universe, thou who knowest and sufferest, may thou become, according to the word of the Divine Promise, the atoning genius of Expiation! 4

This prayer, which can be found in slight variations throughout Europe and must be of considerable antiquity, leads naturally into the initiation of new “disciples,” if such there be. This ceremony contained probably the most obscene element of all, for the new member was required to bring with him or her a liquid made from the flesh of a child. (Authority has it that it was possible to duplicate this fluid without much difficulty, and consequently many false potions were doubtless presented.) A sixteenth-century manuscript relates how the liquid was made:

Those to be called to the Devil’s service lie in wait for chil-dren. These are often found dead by their parents; and the simple people believe that they have themselves overlain them, or that they died from natural causes; but it is we who have destroyed them. For that purpose we steal them out of the grave and boil them with lime, till all the flesh is loosed from the bones, and is reduced to one mass. We make out of the firm part an ointment, and fill a bottle with the fluid; and whoever drinks with due ceremonies of this, belongs to our league, and is already capable of bewitching.6

Armed with a vial of this liquid, the initiate is brought naked and blindfolded into the assembly, “he being made to pass between

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great fires and alarming noises to test his character,” according to one report. “And when his face was uncovered,” it goes on, “he found himself in front of a monstrous goat and must drink his potion in salute.”

Next the initiate must affirm his belief in Black Magic and, from a manuscript of the same period, we find a list of the promises the new recruit had to make, each being echoed back by the assembly after he had spoken:

I denie God, and all religion.

I cursse, blaspheme, and provoke God with all despite. I give my faith to the Devil, and my worship and offer sacrifice to him.

I doo solemnelie vow and promise all my progenie unto the Devil.

I sweare to the Devil to bring as manie into his societie as I can.

I will always sweare by the name of the Devil.

This completed the ceremonial. All that remained was for the new adept to perform the osculum obscoenum, a kiss on the goat-

figure’s backside. This done, he was allowed to copulate “with whichsoever maid there present did take his eye, and to the delight of all the company.”

The rituals now over, the legendary banquet or feast began, at which wine, meat, broth, bacon, and bread were consumed. Some authorities have stated that no salt was allowed, but this seems merely a convenient invention, as one black book records that “they did indulge themselves on any viands and drink which pleased them.” 7_{Talk of eating human flesh is also without foun-}

dation, but the suggestion that the food and drink were “spiked” with aphrodisiacs is almost certainly accurate. In Scotland, it is noted, whiskey was drunk in large quantities and no doubt con- tributed to the reports that the feasts and orgies of the Scottish witches “surpassed all others in the kingdoms of Europe.”

For those who wished, dancing took place—during which those who were still dressed took off their clothes—and the shout went up: “Ha, ha! Devil, Devil! Dance here, Dance here! Play

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Witches receiving instruction in the Black Arts from an old Scottish warlock

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here, Play here! Sabbat, Sabbat!”8_{At some gatherings the out-}

lawed “back to back” dancing was encouraged whilst at others we find reports of the game—played Black Magic style—which we know today as “Blind Man’s Buff.” (This game, now the preserve of small children, was created by the witches, who would play it naked with a young warlock [also naked] blindfolded and set loose among them. Whoever he caught hold of, he was free to make love to. Needless to say, the men always hoped to “catch” a young girl, as sex relations were obligatory with the witch he caught, regardless of her age or disposition!)

Drugs, potions, and ointments were, naturally, much in evidence, and we shall be examining these individually in a later section. Also, the conducting of certain spells and rituals, which are best dealt with separately.

Of the sex acts, most followed traditional lines. In the cases of women who claimed intercourse with the devil or demons, all can be ascribed to the use of an artificial phallus, while the popu- larity of sodomy may be put down to the fact that in many Euro- pean countries it was regarded as a crime punishable by death, and this doubtless gave it an added attraction to those dedicated to evil. An Elizabethan manuscript in the British Museum also notes that those witches and warlocks not totally overcome by their frenzy for each other recited the following chant to prolong their orgasms (it was, apparently, only operable at the Sabbat!):

Ofano, Oblamo, Ospergo. Hola Noa Massa

Light, Beff, Clememati, Adonai, Cleona, Florit,

Pax Sax Sarax Afa Afca Nostra

Cerum, Heaium, Lada Frium.*

The remainder of the proceedings continued as the witches and warlocks chose, but they were required by common consent to disperse by daybreak, making sure before they left to eradicate all traces of their activities.

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oppor-30 • THE WARLOCK’S BOOK

tunity of consulting the “Black Books” brought along especially by the more senior members. These would be available for copying to the trusted (and literate, of course) member; and from them would grow yet another handwritten Black Book. Their rarity is due primarily to the fact that so few people at this period in history could read or write, and, although no member could deny another access to his work (which he had himself copied from some earlier hand), there were few who could take advantage of this fact.

But those who did carefully copy down the notes and instructions left the Sabbat with a unique textbook on Black Magic which could, undoubtedly aid them in many nefarious activities. The kind of instructions they received constitute the sections of this book which now follow.

REFERENCES

1. Transcendental Magic. 1856. 2. Sloane Ms. British Museum. 3. De Magia Vereum. Frankfurt, 1686.

4. Seventeenth-Century Ms. Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. 5. Grimorium Verum. Ms. 1517.

6. Discoverie of Witchcraft. 1584. 7. De Natura Demonum. 1581. 8. Rawlinson Ms. British Museum. 9. Sloane Ms. British Museum.

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If you wish to make contact with hell, select a lonely place where the conjuration may proceed undisturbed. Old ruined castles are excellent, for spirits like decayed buildings; a remote room or basement in your house may do equally well.

—Sanctum Regum

For the practice of Black Magic, secrecy has always been essential. From the very earliest grimoires, instructions are ex- plicit that it is important that no interference should be risked during the ceremonies, as these could prove dangerous to both the adept and his assistants. Whether the rites are conducted in some lonely spot or in a house is not important—although those who wished to summon up spirits believed that they would come more easily if conjured in the open air—but a close and exact observation of all instructions is emphasized time and time again.

Although many scholars have come to regard the practitioner of Black Magic as primarily a “loner,” most grimoires stress the need for two assistants—male and female—to assist in the spe- cial circle during the conjurations. These must be people of a strong resolve like the master, and not subject to panic as the rites progress. The clothes and equipment they need are clearly laid down in the following Elizabethan grimoire:

Their garments they compose of black cloth, black cat skins, or swine’s skins; The linnen because of its abstract quality for magick: The skins by reason of the Saturnine and Magical qual-

ities in the particles of these beasts; Their sowing thread is of silk, cats-guts, mans nerves, asses hairs, thongs of skins from Men, Cats, Bats, Owls, Moles, etc: Their needles are made of Hedge-hog prickles, or bones of any of the above-said animals: Their Writing

Pens are of owls or ravens, their Ink of man’s blood: Their oynt- ments mens fat, blood, Usnea, hoggs-grease, Oyl of Whales:

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Their Characters are ancient Hebrew or Samaritan-. Their speech

is Hebrew or Latine. Their paper must be of the Membranes of

Infants, which they call Virgin-parchment, or the skins of Cats or

Kids: Beside they compose their Fires of sweet wood, Oyl or Rosin: And their Candles of the Fatt or Marrow of Men or Chil- dren: Their Vessels are Earthen, their Candlesticks with three

feet, of dead mens bones: Their Swords are steel, without guards, the poynts being reversed.1

If we examine this text and some of the other grimoires more closely, we can define exactly what garments were required for the most important rituals, for changes were often prescribed to insure the efficiency of the various conjurations.

For the primary purpose of Black Magic, a seamless and

sleeveless robe of black linen should be worn with a cap of thin lead which is inscribed with the signs of the Moon, Venus, and Saturn and the words ALMALEC, APHIEL, ZARAPHIEL. The tiara

to be employed must be made of vervain and cypress, while the perfumes burned should be aloes, camphor, and storax.

If the ceremony is to be directed to bring misfortune or death on somebody, the vestments must be black or dark brown, while a necklace of lead is worn at the throat. The adept must wear a ring set with an onyx, and the head garlands should be twined of

cypress, ash, and hellebore. The perfumes required are sulphur, scammony, alum, and assafoetida.

For vengeance, the robes must be the color of blood, flame,

or rust; a belt made of steel for the waist; bracelets for each wrist; and a simple ring set with an amethyst for the small finger of the left hand. It is important for all these accessories to be made

of the same metal. The tiara must be woven of absinthe and rue and bound with gold.

To work sex magic, the vestments must be of sky-blue, the

ornaments of copper, and the crown of violers. The magic ring must be set with a turquoise, while the tiara and clasps are made

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THE BLACK MAGIC RITUALS • 35

of lapis lazuli and beryl. Roses, myrtle, and olive are the symbolic flowers if required.

In the harmless areas of white magic, which we are not

particularly concerned with here, the robes should be white for most ceremonials, with the occasional use of green. A necklace of pearls and hollow glass beads enclosing mercury should be worn about the neck, if knowledge of the future is sought.

Of course, it must be added that sometimes the warlock could not afford to obtain all these items, in which case he would depend on his simple black vestments with the Black Magic pentagram embroidered on it in an orange-colored silk.

The old works also indicate that there were certain days of the week most propitious for the various forms of magic: Satur- day for general Black Magic; Tuesday for causing misfortune, vengeance, or death; and Friday for sex magic.

Being now ready on the most suitable day and in the right garments, the warlock can proceed to prepare his magic circle. The instructions for this are given specifically in the most famous of all Black Books—The Great Grimoire-.

When the night of action has arrived, the warlock shall gather up his rod, goatskin, the stone called Ematille, and shall further provide himself with two vervain crowns, two candlesticks, and two candles of virgin wax, made by a virgin girl and duly blessed. Let him take also a new steel and two new flints, with sufficient tinder to kindle a fire, likewise half a bottle of brandy, some blessed incense and camphor, and four nails from the coffin of a dead child. All these must be carried to the place chosen for the great work, where everything hereinafter laid down must be scrupulously performed, and the dread circle must be described in an accurate manner.

You must begin by forming a circle with strips of kid’s skin, fastened to the ground by means of your four nails. Then with the stone called Ematille you must trace the triangle within the circle, beginning at the eastern point. A large A, a small E, a small A, and a small J must be drawn in like manner, as also the sacred name of Jesus between two crosses. By this means the spirits will have no power to harm you from behind. The Warlock and his assistants may then fearlessly proceed to their places within the

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A contemporary drawing of the Black Magic Circle.

triangle, and, regardless of any noises, may set the two candlesticks and the two vervain crowns on the right and left sides of the triangle within the circle.

This being done, the two candles may be lighted, taking care that there is a new brazier in front of the Warlock, piled with newly consecrated charcoal. This must be kindled by the Warlock casting a small quantity of the brandy therein and a part of the camphor, the rest being reserved to feed the fire periodically, in proportion to the length of the business. Having punctually performed all that is mentioned above, the chief operator may repeat the following prayer:

“I present thee, O great ADONAY, this incense as the purest I can obtain: in like manner, I present thee this charcoal prepared from the most ethereal of woods. I offer them, O grand and omnipotent ADONAY, ELOIM, ARIEL and JEHOVAM, with my whole soul and my whole

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heart. Vouchsafe, O great ADONAY, to receive them as an acceptable holocaust.'’’

Now that the Black Magician and his two assistants are prepared and their circle completed, they can proceed with whatever ritual they have selected.

Since time immemorial, it has been considered necessary, firstly, to appease the “spirits of darkness” before asking for help from the black powers, and most Elizabethan warlocks took their text for this work from The Key of Solomon:*

In many operations it is necessary to make some sort of sacrifice unto the Demons, and in various ways. Sometimes white animals are sacrificed to the good Spirits and black to the evil. Such sacrifices consist of the blood and sometimes of the flesh.

They who sacrifice animals, of whatsoever kind they be, should select those which are virgin, as being more agreeable unto the Spirits, and rendering them more obedient.

When blood is to be sacrificed it should be drawn also from virgin quadrupeds or birds, but before offering the oblation, say: —

"CAMIACH, EOMIAHE, EMIAL, MACBAL, EMOII, ZAZEAN, MAIPHIAT, ZACRATH, TENDAC, VULAMAHI; by these Most Holy Names, I conjure thee (whatever animal it may be) that thou assist me in this opera-tion, by God the True, God the Holy, the God Who hath created thee, and by Adam, Who hath imposed thy true name upon thee and upon all other animated

beings.”

After this, take the Needle or other convenient Instrument of Art, and pierce the creature in the vein which is on the right side; and collect the blood in a small vessel over which thou shalt

say:—

“Almighty ADONAI, ARATHRON, ASHAL, ELOHIM, ELOHI, ELION, ASHER, EHEIEH, SHADDAI, O God the Lord, imma-culate, immutable, EMANUEL, MESSIACH, YOD, HE, VAU, HE, be my aid, so that this

* Scholars have noted how persistently the name of God—the Christian God —is employed in witchcraft and Black Magic rituals. They are agreed that, be cause He was believed to be the most powerful of all deities, any command given in His name could not be ignored by inferior spirits. Those who dabbled with the powers of darkness also considered His name a protection against danger from any entities that might be evoked. It could further be argued that the Black Magician not wholly dedicated to evil was also trying to build up store in both heaven and hell!

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blood may have power and efficacy in all wherein I shall wish, and in all that I shall demand.”

Perfume it and keep it for use.

When it is necessary, with all the proper Ceremonies, to make Sacrifices of fire, they should be made of wood which hath some quality referring especially unto the Spirits invoked; as juniper of pine unto the Spirits of Saturn; box, or oak, unto those of Jupiter; cornel, or cedar, unto those of Mars; laurel unto those of the Sun; myrtle unto those of Venus; hazel unto those of Mer- cury; and willow unto those of the Moon.

But when we make sacrifices of food and drink, everything necessary should be prepared without the circle, and the meats should be covered with some fine clean cloth, and have also a clean white cloth spread beneath them; with new bread and good and sparkling wine, but in all things those which refer to the nature of the Planet. Animals, such as fowls or pigeons, should be roasted. Especially shouldest thou have a vessel of clear and pure fountain water, and before thou enterest into the Circle, thou shalt summon the Spirits by their proper Names, or at least those chief among them, saying: —

“In whatsoever place ye may be, ye Spirits, who are invited to this feast, come ye and be ready to receive our offerings, presents, and sacrifices, and ye shall have hereafter yet more agreeable oblations.”

Perfume the viands with sweet incense and sprinkle them with exorcised water; then commence to conjure the Spirits until they shall come.

This is the manner of making sacrifices in all arts and operations wherein it is necessary, and acting thus, the Spirits will be prompt to serve thee.2

Of all the rituals recorded in the grimoires, probably the blackest of all is The Rite of Sacrifice or “Method of Honorius,”

as it has become known. This was certainly much practiced through the Middle Ages, and its terrible profanity has caused widespread discussion among scholars. As accurately as possible, this was how the rite was known and recorded in the sixteenth century:*

* In hindsight, the ritual’s sole purpose seems to have been to test the warlock’s dedication to the Hlack Arts through repeated affront to the symbols and litany of Christianity.

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After the Consecration of the Emblems, the Magician shall recite the following prayers, kneeling.

Prayer

“My Sovereign Saviour Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Thou who for the salvation of man didst suffer the death of the Cross; Thou who before being abandoned to thine enemies, by an impulse of ineffable love, didst institute the Sacrament of thy Body; Thou who has vouchsafed to unworthy creatures the priv- ilege of making daily commemoration thereof; do deign unto Thy servant, thus holding Thy Living Body in his hands, all strength and ability for the profitable application of that power with which he has been entrusted against the horde of rebellious spirits. Help me now oh thou Salvation of men in my desires. Amen.”

After sunrise, a Black Cock must be killed, the first feather of its left wing being plucked and preserved for use at the requi- site time.

The eyes must be taken out, and so also the tongue and the heart; these must be dried in the sun and afterwards reduced to powder.

The remains must be interred at sunset in a secret place; a cross of a palm in height, being set upon the mound, while at each of the four corners the signs which follow must be drawn with the thumb:

On this day the Warlock may drink no wine, and will also abstain from eating meat.

On Tuesday, at the break of day, let him place the feather, taken from the bird, upon the altar together with a new knife. The signs hereafter represented must be inscribed on a sheet of Virgin Parchment or Paper with wine which is the Blood of Jesus Christ:

They should be written upon the altar, and, at the end of the sacrifice, the paper should be folded in a new veil of violet silk,

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to be concealed on the morrow, together with the oblation of the sacrifice and a part of the consecrated Host. On the evening of Thursday the Warlock must rise at midnight and, having sprink-led holy water about the chamber, he must light a taper of yellow wax, which shall have been prepared on the Wednesday and pressed in the form of a cross. When it is lighted he shall then begin the Office of the Dead with great veneration to the Living God. He shall recite Matins and Lauds, but in place of the versicle of the ninth Lesson he shall say:

“Deliver us, O Lord, from the fear of Hell. Let not the demons destroy my soul when I shall raise them up from the Deep Pit, when I shall command them to do my will. May the day be bright, may the sun and moon shine forth, when I shall call upon them. O, Lord, deliver me from those of dread visage, and grant that they shall be obedient when I shall raise them up from hell, when I shall impose my will on them.”

After the office of the Dead, the Warlock shall extinguish the taper, and at sunrise shall cut the throat of a male lamb of nine days old, taking great care that the blood does not gush forth upon the earth.

He shall skin the lamb, and shall cast its tongue and heart into the fire.

The fire must be freshly kindled, and the ashes shall be preserved for use at the proper time. The skin of the lamb shall be sprinkled four times every day with holy water.

On the tenth day, before the rising of the sun, the lambskin shall be covered with the ashes of the heart and tongue, and with the ashes also of the cock.

On Thursday, after sunset, the flesh of the lamb shall be interred in a secret place where no bird of any kind can come, and the Warlock with his right thumb shall inscribe on the grave the characters here indicated:

Moreover, for the space of three days he shall sprinkle the four corners with holy water, saying,

Prayer

“Christ Jesus, Redeemer of men, who, being the Lamb without spot, was immolated for the salvation of the human race, who alone was found worthy to open the Book of Life, impart such

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virtue to this lambskin that it may receive the signs which we shall trace thereon, written with thy blood, so that the figures, signs, and words may become efficacious; and grant that this skin may preserve us against the wiles of demons, that they may be ter- rified at the sight thereof, and may only approach them trembling, through Thee, Jesus Christ, who reignest through all ages. Amen.”

The Litanies of the Holy Name of Jesus must then be repeated, but instead of the Agnus Dei, substitute:

“Immolated Lamb, be Thou a pillar of strength against the evil spirits.

Slain Lamb, give power over The Power of Darkness. Slain Lamb grant power, favour, and strength unto the binding of Re- bellious spirits. So be it. Amen.”

The lambskin shall be stretched for eighteen days, and on the nineteenth day, the fleece shall be removed, reduced into powder, and interred in the same place. The word VELLUSshall be written above it with the finger, together with the following character and words: “May this which hath been reduced into ashes preserve against the demons through the name of Jesus”

Also these signs:

Lastly, on the Eastern side, the skin must be set to dry in the sun for three days, the ensuing characters being cut with a new knife:

This being accomplished, recite Psalm IXXI. Then cut the following characters:

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“Af-42 • THE WARLOCK’S BOOK

ferte Domino, Patriae gentium” occurring in Psalm XCV: Cantate Domino Canticum Novum, of which the seventh versicle is: “Of- ferte Domino, Fillii Dei,” and cut consequently these characters:

Next recite Psalm IXXVII, “Attendite popule meus, legum meam," and complete the following figure:

This being accomplished, recite “Quare fremuerunt gentes et populi meditati sunt inania?”

Then make the figure as doth follow:

And recite Psalm CXV. “Credidi propter quod locutus sum.” Finally, on the last day [on the last day of the month] a Mass shall be said, for the Dead. The prose shall be omitted and also the Gospel of St. John, but at the end of the Mass the Warlock shall recite: “Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus.”

In honour of the Most Holy and August Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, Amen.”

One can imagine from the complexity of this ritual, and the time involved in carrying it out, that real dedication to evil was required. It was said that no practitioner could expect success in his later experiments without having first fully and carefully observed this rite—and once having accomplished it could regard himself as truly having joined in league with the powers of darkness.

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been directed at the claims of witches and warlocks that they could raise demons and spirits, there can be no doubting that some of them did try very earnestly. One alleged method of calling a spirit to obtain any wish by way of making a pact is carefully recorded in several manuscripts under the title of The Grand Clav- icle:

The Grand Clavicle is the conjuration of a spirit with whom it is sought to make a pact.

Conjuration

Emperor Lucifer, Master of the revolted Spirits, I entreat thee to favour me in the adjuration which I address to thy mighty Min ister, Lucifuge Rofocale, being desirous to make a pact with him.

I beg thee also by the Power of Tetragrammaton O Prince Beelzebuth, to protect me in my undertaking. O, Count Astorat, be propitious to me, and grant that this night the great Lucifuge may appear unto me under a human form, free from evil smell, and that He may accord me in virtue of the pact which I propose to enter into, all the desires I make.

O Grand Lucifuge, I pray thee now to quit thy dwelling, wheresoever it be, and hasten hither to speak with me.

Otherwise will I compel thee by the power of the strong Liv- ing God, His beloved Son, and the Eternal Holy Spirit. Obey promptly, or thou shalt be eternally tormented by the power of the potent words of the Grand Clavicle of Solomon the King, wherewith by the Power of Magick he was accustomed to compel the rebellious spirits, to receive his compact. Then straightway appear, or I will unhesitatingly torture thee by the virtue of the Great Words of this Clavicle. Aglon, Tetragram, Vaycheon, Stim- ulamaton, Ezphares, Retragrammaton, Olvaram, Irion, Estiyon, Existion, Eryona, Onera, Orasym, Mozm, Messias, Soter, Emanuel, Sabaoth, Adonay, te adoro, et te invoco, Amen.

Manifestation of the Spirit Lo I am here.

What dost thou seek of me? Why dost thou disturb my repose? Answer me.

Reply to the Spirit

It is my wish to make a pact with thee, so as to attain my de sires, at thy hands immediately, failing which I will use the potent words of the Clavicle to thy detriment.

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The Spirit's Reply

I cannot comply with thy request except thou dost give thyself over to me in twenty years, to do with thy body and soul as I please.*

Thereupon throw him your pact, which must be written with your own hand on a sheet of virgin parchment, written in the following words and signed with your own blood:

“I promise the grand Lucifage to reward him in twenty years’ time for all the bounties he will bestow upon me. In witness thereof I have signed myself,

..." In order to enforce his obedience recite the Supreme Appella- tion, with the terrible words of the Clavicle.

The Spirit will then once more appear and address you:

“Why dost thou torment me further? Leave me to rest, and I will confer upon thee the nearest treasure, on condition that thou dost set apart for me one coin on the first Monday of each month, and dost not call me oftener than once a week, to wit, between ten at night and two in the morning. Take up thy pact; I have signed it. Fail in thy promise, and thou shalt be mine immediately and everlasting.”

The Magician replies to the Spirit as follows: “I agree to thy request, subject to the delivery of the nearest treasure which I can at once carry away.”

Follow the spirit without fear, cast your pact upon the hoard, touch it with your rod, remove as much as you can, return into the circle walking backwards, place the treasure in front of you and recite the Discharge of the Spirit:

“O Prince Lucifer, I Am, for the time, content with thee. I now leave thee in peace, and permit thee to retire wheresoever it may seem good to thee, so it be without noise and without leaving any evil smell behind thee.

“Be mindful, however, of our engagement, for shouldst thou fail me, even for one moment, be assured that I shall eternally smite ‘A great many authorities have discussed the validity of this aspect of the pact and the idea that Lucifer expected to receive the body and soul of the adept after the twenty-year period was up. As the Black Magicians in the main did not believe in the devil as an actual being, it seems likely that this element was intro- duced as camouflage or coloring for the ceremony. And indeed, whether or not the ritual did cause the minister of the Fiend to appear, only a conscientious and careful reconstruction could hope to establish!

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thee with the Blasting Rod of the great Adonay, Eloim, Ariel, and Jehova. Amen.” 4

This same manuscript made allowance for the adept who might have difficulty in raising “Lucifuge Rofocale,” and went on with further instructions that would hasten not only his appearance, but that of any other “wicked and disobedient spirit” the warlock was trying to raise. Speaking in a loud voice, the practitioner must continue:

O, thou wicked and disobedient spirit, [name], because thou hast not obeyed, or answered, or regarded the words which I have commanded, the Glorious and Incomprehensible Names of the True God, I, by the power of these Names, which no creature can resist, do curse thee into the depths of the Bottomless Pit, to remain until the Day of Doom, in the Hell of unquenchable fire and brimstone, unless thou shalt forwith appear before this Circle, to do my will. Come therefore quickly, and peaceably, by the names,

Adonai, Zebaoth, Adonai-Amioram, come, come, Adonai, King

of Kings, commands thee.

Now if he delays his appearance, write his Name on Parch- ment; put it in a black box, with brimstone and other stinking perfumes: bind the box with Iron Wire, hang it on the point of your sword, hold it over the fire of charcoal, which shall be placed towards that quarter whence the spirit will come, and say first to the fire: I conjure thee, o fire, by Him who made thee, to torment, burn, and consume this spirit [name] everlastingly.

To the Spirit

Because thou art disobedient, and obeyest not these, my commands, nor the precepts of the Lord, thy God, now I, who am the servant of the Most High, and Imperial Lord, God of Hosts, Jehovah, having His Celestial Power, and permission, for this, thine averseness, and contempt, will destroy thy name, which I have in this box, will burn them with unquenchable fire, and bury them in unending oblivion, unless thou comest immediately, here, before this Circle, within this Triangle, assuming a fair and comely form, without harm to any creature, but giving reasonable answers to my requests, and performing my desire in all things: If he appear not at this point, say as follows: “Thou art still pernicious, willing not to appear and informing me upon that which I desire to know, now therefore, in the Name and by the power and dignity of the Omnipotent and Immortal Lord, God of Hosts, Jehovah,

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Tetra-46 • THE WARLOCK’S BOOK

grammaton, I do hereby curse and deprive thee of all thine office,

power, and place. I bind thee in the deepest depths of the Bottom- less Pit, there to remain until the Day of Judgement. May all the company of Heaven curse thee, may the sun, the moon, and the stars, the Light of the Hosts of Heaven, curse thee into fire unquenchable, into torments unspeakable, and even as thy name and seal are bound up in this box, to be choked with sulphrous and stinking substances, and to burn in this material fire so, in the name of Jehovah, and by the power and dignity of the three names,

Tetragammaton, Anexhexeton, Primematum, may all these drive

thee, oh thou disobedient spirit [name] into the Lake of Fire, prepared for the damned and accursed spirits, remembered no more by that God, who shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”

Set the box in the flame.

Thereupon he will speedily appear.

When he comes, quench the fire, and make sweet perfumes. Shew unto him the Pentacle on your vestment and then say: —

“Behold thy confusion, if thou be disobedient to man or beast.”

The Magician then puts the necessary questions and demands to the spirit.

License to Depart

Depart, I say, and be thou willing and ready to come whensoever exorcised, and conjured by the Rites of Black Magic.

I now conjure thee to withdraw, peaceably and quietly, and may the peace of God continue for ever between thee and me.

Amen. From study of the grimoires, it becomes obvious that, once a warlock had proved himself daring enough to tackle such diffi- cult spirits, he could progress into the dark area of necromancy: the raising of the dead. The purpose of this rite was to consult with the spirit of a dead man about the future and on particular matters concerning the living. In a manuscript of the same period as The Clavicle, we find the following dramatic instructions:

It is indispensable for he who would summon the dead first to assist at a Christian Mass. As the Host is raised, he must bow down and say in a low voice: Exurgent mortui et ad me veniunt,

“the dead rise and come to me.” After this, the necromancer must leave the church and go to the nearest graveyard. At the first tomb he shall say:

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“Infernal powers, you who carry disturbance into the universe, leave your sombre habitation and render yourself to the place beyond the Styx River.”

After a few moments of silence, he adds:

“If you hold in your power him whom I call, I conjure you, in the name of the King of Kings, to let this person appear at the hour which I will indicate.” Next, the conjuror takes a handful of earth and spreads it like grain, murmuring all the while:

“May he who is dust wake from his sleep. May he step out of his dust and answer to my demands which I will make in the name of the Father of all men.”

Bending his knee, he turns his eyes to the east. Thus he must remain until the gates of the sun open, whereupon he gathers two human bones and holds them in the form of a St. Andrew’s cross. Then, leaving the yard, the magician shall toss the two bones into the first church he encounters. Afterwards, walking towards the north and having made exactly four thousand and nineteen hundred steps, he lies down upon the ground, outstretched, his hand on his legs, his eyes raised to heaven in the direction of the moon. In this position, he summons the deceased, saying: “Ego sum, te peto et videre queo.”

The spectre will appear readily and answer whatsoever is put to it.

It is dismissed with the words: “Return to the Kingdom of the chosen. I am happy about your being here.” Leaving the spot, the necromancer returns to the grave, where his experiment began, and with his left hand he traces a cross upon the stone.5

In the case of this ritual, the adept is cautioned: “Do not for- get the slightest detail of the ceremonial as it is prescribed. Other- wise you would risk falling into the snares of hell.”

Although not many of the grimoires record it, there was also a prayer which the adept was urged to repeat after his experiments with spirits to insure that they departed. It is, in effect, both a prayer to the Christian God to be once more placed under his protection and a threat to the spirits of the dark world that God is more powerful than they and all commands given in His name should be instantly obeyed:

Prayer to Dismiss Spirit

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scrv-48 • THE WARLOCK’S BOOK

ice and the convenience of men, we return thee most humble thanks for the benefits which, in thy great bounty, thou hast allowed us to experience this night, of Thine inestimable favours, wherein thou hast granted us according to our desires.

Now O Almighty God, have we realised all the scope of thy great promises, when thou didst say to us: Seek and ye shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened unto you. Do now then compel the spirit [name] here before this circle, in a fair and comely shape, to return whence he came and without hurt to me. And that if he do not obey then command him by the Most Holy and Glorious Names, Adonai, El, Elohim, Elohe, Zebaoth, Elion, Es- chence, Jah, Tetragrammaton and Sadai, which will most

cert-ainly cause him to depart in great fear and trembling. So be it. Amen” 6

A primary motive of many Black Magicians at certain periods of their lives was the “spelling” of enemies or bringing ret- ribution down on some person who had offended them. The power to achieve this successfully was certainly one of the main causes of the great hatred—and fear—directed against the practitioners by the populace in general. The warlock, as always, needed only to turn to his Black Book to find the most apposite method of fulfilling his evil desires.

One handwritten manuscript dating from the sixteenth century describes a spell which has continued to be used until quite recent times:

Take some earth from a grave newly dug. Then do rob a corpse of a rib bone and burn it to ashes most carefully. Mix these with a black spider still alive and the sap of the elder tree; this being the cursed tree from which the cross of Christ was made. Do mould this mixture into the shape of a frog or toad to represent the person to be spell-bound and into it put pins or thorns as you will. By the ninth day after he or she will be dead.7

This particular spell was reputed to be most effective against men, but the warlock who sought to attack a woman had merely to compose a wax effigy and melt it over the brazier in his con secrated circle reciting:

“O commanders and friends, I conjure and command you to obey this order wirhout hesitation: consecrate this figure in the name

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of... [victim’s name] so that you may draw from her the life which is so detestable to me. Thus go forth and do my bidding in the fear of His name.” 8

To insure death, it was essential that the adept thrust at least one pin into the heart and head of the effigy. To simply cause illness, the implements could be placed in the torso or limbs at the most suitable spot (bearing in mind any particular illness to which the victim was prone). The effigy made of red wax “about a span long and three or four fingers broad” was said to be most effective, but doubly so if a little human fat was added. Little woollen and linen dolls have also been recorded, but with these it is essential to combine hair and nail parings belonging to the victim for real success.

However, should these simple rites fail, the warlock had a further selection of more elaborate formulae to which he could turn. These notes are taken from a book which was widely used in Scotland and through the eastern counties of England:

These spells may be performed in several ways, but whether with Waxen Images or some other instrument, the particulars of each must be diligently and faithfully observed, to ensure success.

Should the day and hour fail thee, proceed by preparing the Image or other instrument proper to this effect in the order and manner thereof.

Fumigate with the necessary perfumes, and if writing be re-quired on the Image, let it be done with a needle.

Next recite the following words once over the Image: “ Visor, Dilapatore, Tentatore, Coficitore, et Seductore.

O all ye ministers and companions, I direct, conjure, constrain and command you to fulfill this behest, willingly, forthwith to con-secrate this Image, which is to be done in the Name of that as the face of one is contrary to the other, so the same may never more look one upon another.”

Deposit the Image in some place, perfumed with evil odours, especially those of the planet Mars, such as Sulphur, assafoetida. Let it remain there for the space of one night, having duly as- perged it, observing the proper hour and time.

Do likewise when the experiment is performed with Charac- ters and Names by the Art.

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But when the experiment is made by giving something to be eaten, the same must be performed on the day and hour proper to this work.

All things being prepared, place them before you and say: “Where are ye Soignatore, Us ore, Dilapidatore, and Dentore: Concisore, Divoratore, Seductore, and Seminatore?

“Ye who sow discord, where are you?

“Ye who infuse hatred and propagate enmities, I conjure you by Him who hath created you for this ministry, to fulfil this work, in order that whensoever... [victim’s name] shall eat of the like things, or shall touch them, in whatsoever manner, never again shall he go in peace without my authority.

Give then whatsoever you please to the person designated, and so will your aims be satisfied.” 9

The rites of punishment and death on enemies invariably seemed to conclude the section in the grimoires devoted to ritual Black Magic. Indeed, the practitioner who had worked his way through the ceremonies of sacrifice, the raising of spirits and of the dead, and the “spelling” of antagonists, was well prepared to indulge in the lower types of magic which came next. For here were more basic things: the procuring of compliant women for sex, the creation of mind-expanding drugs and potions, and the chance to experiment with the secrets of the ancient magis.

The passport, as always, lay in the close and careful observation of the secret rules.

REFERENCES

1. Sloane Ms. British Museum. 2. Harleian Ms. British Museum.

3. From Lansdowne and Sloane Mss. British Museum. 4. Sloane Ms. British Museum.

5. De Effectibus Magicis. Naples, 1647.

6. Sixteenth-Century Ms. Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. 7. Sloane Ms. British Museum.

8. Compendium Maleficarum. n.d. 9. Booke of Wizards. 1661.

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Peter_Haining_-_The_Warlocks_Book.pdf

THE WARLOCK’S BOOK

Contents

Introduction

Preface