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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Alternative belief systems > Occult studies > Witchcraft
'I really enjoyed this read. It was well written with a captivating
storyline and well developed characters . . . [An] evocative and
tender book . . . everyone who reads it will be enchanted like I
was' reader review 'Propulsive and poignant, Black Candle Women
concocts an intoxicating potion of warmth, wisdom, and wonder. This
gorgeous debut novel is a sweepingly fashioned love story where
romance and rebellion intertwine with fear and family. And the
stakes are epic. I was completely and gladly under Ms. Brown's
spell' AVA DUVERNAY 'A big-hearted debut, with complex, flawed, and
compelling characters I was rooting for every step of the way' E.M.
TRAN 'Richly imagined and elegantly told, with plenty of satisfying
secrets, heartaches, and twists' SADEQA JOHNSON 'A spellbinding
romp. The Montrose women will have you clutching your pearls on
this rollercoaster of a debut' CAROLYN HUYNH 'Written with warmth
and an eye for detail, Diane Marie Brown's Black Candle Women
explores the bonds of family and the magical power of belief to
transform our lives' SHAUNA J. EDWARDS & ALYSON RICHMAN 'Black
Candle Women is a compassionate novel about motherhood, sisterhood,
independence, and the reflection and forgiveness required to break
generational curses' DE'SHAWN CHARLES WINSLOW 'Brown deftly
portrays an insular family of women in all of its complicated glory
. . . The spiritual angle gives this powerful family drama a
magical twist that will delight readers' BOOKLIST (starred review)
'Black Candle Women is a bold and tender story about three
generations of women each attempting to find their way amidst the
gifts and curses they've inherited . . . This novel is a wondrous
celebration of womanhood' CLEYVIS NATERA
************************************* 'All of you are cursed, you
hear me? An ugly death for the ones with whom you fall in love' For
generations, the Montrose women have lived alone with their
secrets, their delicate peace depending on the unspoken bond that
underpins their family life - Voodoo and hoodoo magic, and a
decades-old curse that will kill anyone they fall for. When
seventeen-year-old Nickie Montrose brings home a boy for the first
time, this careful balance is thrown into disarray. For the other
women have been keeping the curse from Nickie, and revealing it
means that they must reckon with their own choices and mistakes. As
new truths emerge, the Montrose women are set on a collision course
that echoes back to New Orleans' French Quarter, where a crumbling
book of spells may hold the answers that all of them have been
looking for... Rich in its sense of character and place, Black
Candle Women is a haunting and magical debut from a talented new
storyteller. ************************************* Early readers
are LOVING Black Candle Women! 'I LOVED IT SO SO MUCH. Magic? A
cursed family tree? Badass women? This was an adventure from start
to finish and it was my pleasure to read' 'What a fascinating story
about some amazing women. I was caught on page one and stayed
captivated until the very end. Bravo!!' 'This book was amazing from
start to finish. I was so captivated by each of the characters' 'I
was invested from the first page and really loved these characters
and their story'
By the spring of 1645, civil war had exacted a terrible toll upon
England. Disease was rife, apocalyptic omens appeared in the skies,
and idolators detected in every shire. In a remote corner of Essex,
two obscure gentlemen began interrogating women suspected of
witchcraft, triggering the most brutal witch-hunt in English
history. Witchfinders is a spellbinding study of how Matthew
Hopkins, 'the Witchfinder General', and John Stearne extended their
campaign across East Anglia, driven by godly zeal. Exploiting the
anxiety and lawlessness of the times, and cheered on by ordinary
folk, they extracted confessions of satanic pacts resulting in
scores of executions.
This book analyzes the gendered transformation of magical figures
occurring in Arthurian romance in England from the twelfth to the
sixteenth centuries. In the earlier texts, magic is predominantly a
masculine pursuit, garnering its user prestige and power, but in
the later texts, magic becomes a primarily feminine activity, one
that marks its user as wicked and heretical. This project explores
both the literary and the social motivations for this
transformation, seeking an answer to the question, 'why did the
witch become wicked?' Heidi Breuer traverses both the medieval and
early modern periods and considers the way in which the
representation of literary witches interacted with the culture at
large, ultimately arguing that a series of economic crises in the
fourteenth century created a labour shortage met by women. As women
moved into the previously male-dominated economy, literary backlash
came in the form of the witch, and social backlash followed soon
after in the form of Renaissance witch-hunting. The witch figure
serves a similar function in modern American culture because
late-industrial capitalism challenges gender conventions in similar
ways as the economic crises of the medieval period.
Discover the art of spell casting to add some magick to your daily
life. Whatever your hopes and dreams, learn how to successfully set
your intentions, raise and direct energy, and manifest your desires
with 150 simple rituals. From protection and banishment spells, to
empowering incantations and folk charms for good fortune - each
page offers steps to enhance a different aspect of your life,
allowing you to take the practice into your own hands and connect
to the magick within. Each spell is set out in simple,
easy-to-follow steps, ideal for those beginning their witchcraft
journey. Beautifully illustrated throughout, this book includes an
introduction into witchcraft, the tools you may want to include,
and an extensive correspondence of herbs and crystals, as well as a
simple guide to create your own unique spells and rituals. Dive
straight in to discover: -150 different spells, recipes, and
practices to create change, connect with, and call magick into your
life -Powerful rituals inspired by folk magick and contemporary
witchcraft, including meditations, rune and sigil crafting,
protection and banishment, and more -Structured into sections,
making it easy to find the best magical solution for every
modern-world situation or problem The Book of Spells is fully
illustrated in colour. The striking illustration style and special
finishes make it a perfect high-end gift purchase for the wonderful
witch-lover in your life!
Most scholarship on sorcery and witch-craft has narrowly focused on
specific times and places, particularly early modern Europe and
twentieth-century Africa. And much of that research interprets
sorcery as merely a remnant of premodern traditions. Boldly
challenging these views, "Sorcery in the Black Atlantic" takes a
longer historical and broader geographical perspective, contending
that sorcery is best understood as an Atlantic phenomenon that has
significant connections to modernity and globalization. A
distinguished group of contributors here examine sorcery in Brazil,
Cuba, South Africa, Cameroon, and Angola. Their insightful essays
reveal the way practices and accusations of witchcraft spread
throughout the Atlantic world from the age of discovery up to the
present, creating an indelible link between sorcery and the rise of
global capitalism. Shedding new light on a topic of perennial
interest, "Sorcery in the Black Atlantic" will be provocative,
compelling reading for historians and anthropologists working in
this growing field.
With their dramatic descriptions of black masses and cannibalistic
feasts, the records generated by the Basque witch-craze of 160914
provide us with arguably the most demonologically-stereotypical
accounts of the witches sabbath or akelarre to have emerged from
early modern Europe. While the trials have attracted scholarly
attention, the most substantial monograph on the subject was
written nearly forty years ago and most works have focused on the
ways in which interrogators shaped the pattern of prosecutions and
the testimonies of defendants. Invoking the Akelarre diverts from
this norm by employing more recent historiographical paradigms to
analyze the contributions of the accused. Through interdisciplinary
analyses of both French- and Spanish-Basque records, it argues that
suspects were not passive recipients of elite demonological
stereotypes but animated these received templates with their own
belief and experience, from the dark exoticism of magical
conjuration, liturgical cursing and theatrical misrule to the sharp
pragmatism of domestic medical practice and everyday religious
observance. In highlighting the range of raw materials available to
the suspects, the book helps us to understand how the fiction of
the witches sabbath emerged to such prominence in contemporary
mentalities, whilst also restoring some agency to the defendants
and nuancing the historical thesis that stereotypical content
points to interrogatorial opinion and folkloric content to the
voices of the accused. In its local context, this study provides an
intimate portrait of peasant communities as they flourished in the
Basque region in this period and leaves us with the irony that
Europes most sensationally-demonological accounts of the witches
sabbath may have evolved out of a particularly ardent commitment,
on the part of ordinary Basques, to the social and devotional
structures of popular Catholicism.
Witchcraft in Early Modern England provides a fascinating
introduction to the history of witches and witchcraft in England
from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. Witchcraft was a
crime punishable by death in England during this period and this
book charts the witch panics and legal persecution of witches that
followed, exploring topics such as elite attitudes to witchcraft in
England, the role of pressures and tensions within the community in
accusations of witchcraft, the way in which the legal system dealt
with witchcraft cases, and the complex decline of belief in
witchcraft. Revised and updated, this new edition explores the
modern historiographical debate surrounding this subject and
incorporates recent findings and interpretations of historians in
the field, bringing it right up-to-date and in particular offering
an extended treatment of the difficult issues surrounding gender
and witchcraft. Supported by a range of compelling primary
documents, this book is essential reading for all students of the
history of witchcraft.
In 1631, at the epicenter of the worst excesses of the European
witch-hunts, Friedrich Spee, a Jesuit priest, published the Cautio
Criminalis, a book speaking out against the trials that were
sending thousands of innocent people to gruesome deaths. Spee, who
had himself ministered to women accused of witchcraft in Germany,
had witnessed firsthand the twisted logic and brutal torture used
by judges and inquisitors. Combined, these harsh prosecutorial
measures led inevitably not only to a confession but to
denunciations of supposed accomplices, spreading the circle of
torture and execution ever wider.
Driven by his priestly charge of enacting Christian charity, or
love, Spee sought to expose the flawed arguments and methods used
by the witch-hunters. His logic is relentless as he reveals the
contradictions inherent in their arguments, showing there is no way
for an innocent person to prove her innocence. And, he questions,
if the condemned witches truly are guilty, how could the testimony
of these servants and allies of Satan be reliable? Spee's
insistence that suspects, no matter how heinous the crimes of which
they are accused, possess certain inalienable rights is a timeless
reminder for the present day.
The Cautio Criminalis is one of the most important and moving
works in the history of witch trials and a revealing documentation
of one man's unexpected humanity in a brutal age. Marcus Hellyer's
accessible translation from the Latin makes it available to
English-speaking audiences for the first time.
Studies in Early Modern German History
When the world around you turns dark, tap into the light. If you're
having a hard time finding that light, facing trauma and division,
or want to send healing vibes to a friend, the inspired, easy-to-do
spells of Light Magic for Dark Times can assist. Luna Luna
magazine's Lisa Marie Basile shares inspired spells, rituals, and
practices, including: A new moon ritual for attracting a lover A
spell to banish recurring nightmares A graveyard meditation for
engaging with death A mermaid ritual for going with the flow A
zodiac practice for tapping into celestial mojo A rose-quartz
elixir for finding self-love A spell to recharge after a protest or
social justice work These 100 spells are ideal for those
inexperienced with self-care rituals, as well as experienced
witches. They can be cast during a crisis or to help prevent one,
to protect loved ones, to welcome new beginnings, to heal from
grief, or to find strength. Whether you're working with the earth,
performing a cleanse with water or smoke, healing with tinctures or
crystals, meditating through grief, brewing, enchanting, or
communing with your coven, Light Magic for Dark Times will help you
tap into your inner witch in times of need.
Mephistopheles is the fourth and final volume of a critically
acclaimed history of the concept of the Devil. The series
constitutes the most complete historical study ever made of the
figure that has been called the second most famous personage in
Christianity.In his first three volumes Jeffrey Burton Russell
brought the history of Christian diabology to the end of the Middle
Ages, showing the development of a degree of consensus, even in
detail, on the concept of the Devil. Mephistopheles continues the
story from the Reformation to the present, tracing the
fragmentation of the tradition. Using examples from theology,
philosophy, art, literature, and popular culture, he describes the
great changes effected in our idea of the Devil by the intellectual
and cultural developments of modem times.Emphasizing key figures
and movements, Russell covers the apogee of the witch craze in the
Renaissance and Reformation, the effects of the Enlightenment's
rationalist philosophy, the Romantic image of Satan, and the
cynical or satirical literary treatments of the Devil in the late
nineteenth century. He concludes that although today the Devil may
seem an outworn metaphor, the very real horrors of the twentieth
century suggest the continuing need for some vital symbol of
radical evil.A work of great insight and learning, Mephistopheles
deepens our understanding of the ways in which people in Western
societies have dealt with the problem of evil.
"Evil—the infliction of pain upon sentient beings—is one of the
most long-standing and serious problems of human existence.
Frequently and in many cultures evil has been personified. This
book is a history of the personification of evil, which for the
sake of clarity I have called 'the Devil.' I am a medievalist, but
when I began some years ago to work with the concept of the Devil
in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, I came to see that I could
not understand the medieval Devil except in terms of its historical
antecedents. More important, I realized that I could not understand
the Devil at all except in the context of the problem of evil. I
needed to face the issue of evil squarely, both as a historian and
as a human being."—from the Preface This lively and learned book
traces the history of the concept of evil from its beginnings in
ancient times to the period of the New Testament. A remarkable work
of synthesis, it draws upon a vast number of sources in addressing
a major historical and philosophical problem over a broad span of
time and in a number of diverse cultures, East and West. Jeffrey
Burton Russell probes the roots of the idea of evil, treats the
development of the idea in the Ancient Near East, and then examines
the concept of the Devil as it was formed in late Judaism and early
Christianity. Generously illustrated with fifty black-and-white
photographs, this book will appeal to a wide range of readers, from
specialists in religion, theology, sociology, history, psychology,
anthropology, and philosophy to anyone with an interest in the
demonic, the supernatural, and the question of good and evil.
Strange Histories is an exploration of some of the most
extraordinary beliefs that existed in the late Middle Ages through
to the end of the seventeenth century. Presenting serious accounts
of the appearance of angels and demons, sea monsters and dragons
within European and North American history, this book moves away
from "present-centred thinking" and instead places such events
firmly within their social and cultural context. By doing so, it
offers a new way of understanding the world in which dragons and
witches were fact rather than fiction, and presents these riveting
phenomena as part of an entirely rational thought process for the
time in which they existed. This new edition has been fully updated
in light of recent research. It contains a new guide to further
reading as well as a selection of pictures that bring its themes to
life. From ghosts to witches, to pigs on trial for murder, the book
uses a range of different case studies to provide fascinating
insights into the world-view of a vanished age. It is essential
reading for all students of early modern history. .
'An important and timely book.' - Philippa Gregory Joan of Navarre
was the richest woman in the land, at a time when war-torn England
was penniless. Eleanor Cobham was the wife of a weak king's uncle -
and her husband was about to fall from grace. Jacquetta Woodville
was a personal enemy of Warwick the Kingmaker, who was about to
take his revenge. Elizabeth Woodville was the widowed mother of a
child king, fighting Richard III for her children's lives. In Royal
Witches, Gemma Hollman explores the lives of these four unique
women, looking at how rumours of witchcraft brought them to their
knees in a time when superstition and suspicion was rife.
This sourcebook provides the first systematic overview of
witchcraft laws and trials in Russia and Ukraine from medieval
times to the late nineteenth century. Witchcraft in Russia and
Ukraine, 1000-1900 weaves scholarly commentary with
never-before-published primary source materials translated from
Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian. These sources include the earliest
references to witchcraft and sorcery, secular and religious laws
regarding witchcraft and possession, full trial transcripts, and a
wealth of magical spells. The documents present a rich panorama of
daily life and reveal the extraordinary power of magical words.
Editors Valerie A. Kivelson and Christine D. Worobec present new
analyses of the workings and evolution of legal systems, the
interplay and tensions between church and state, and the prosaic
concerns of the women and men involved in witchcraft proceedings.
The extended documentary commentaries also explore the shifting
boundaries and fraught political relations between Russia and
Ukraine.
Make your sabbat celebrations more meaningful and enjoyable with
this exceptional book full of unique rituals designed to perfectly
fit your needs, whether you re a solitary practitioner or part of a
group. Jason Mankey provides three all-new rituals for every sabbat
one for solitaries, one for covens, and one for large gatherings.
Each ritual is flexible enough for you to pick and choose the
components that best suit your intentions. Explore the history and
traditions of all eight sabbats and discover why and how rituals
became such an important part of Witchcraft. Learn the ins and outs
of ritual practice, including guidance on planning, decorating,
presenting, and adapting. Witch s Wheel of the Year is incredibly
versatile for any Witch looking to enhance their craft and their
connection to the sacred sabbats.
Unlock the mysteries of the heart... Love is at the heart of
everything we do. It is the intensity and ferocity with which we
give ourselves to another. It is the unlimited, uncomplicated
affection we have for our friends. It is the respect and small
kindnesses we show ourselves each day. It is the magical essence
that nourishes and animates all things. Featuring stunning
illustrations by the author, this little guide will teach you to
honour love's divine magic through spells, rituals and enchantments
that will nurture your innate intuition, cultivate self-love and
promote sensual well-being. The magic of an open heart will
encourage your relationships to flourish by strengthening true
bonds and healing old wounds. The Little Book of Love Magic enables
you to connect and draw on love in its many guises to truly find
the happiness you seek. Only through love can you take your
spiritual practice to another level.
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