Magick Matters

14.12.2021

“Magic. Whitechapel: Documents of Contemporary Art” edited by Jamie Sutcliffe

Magick Matters
"Magic. Whitechapel: Documents of Contemporary Art" edited by Jamie Sutcliffe
"From the hexing of presidents to a renewed interest in herbalism and atavistic forms of self-care, magic has furnished the contemporary imagination with mysterious and complex bodies of arcane thought and practice. This volume brings together writings by artists, magicians, historians, and theorists that illuminate the vibrant correspondences animating contemporary arts varied encounters with magical culture, inspiring a reconsideration of the relationship between the symbolic and the pragmatic. Dispensing with simple narratives of re-enchantment, Magic illustrates the intricate ways in which we have to some extent always been captivated by the allure of the numinous. It demonstrates how magical cultures tendencies toward secrecy, occlusion, and encryption might provide contemporary artists with strategies of remedial communality,...>>
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14.12.2021

“The Spirit Engineer” by A.J. West

Magick Matters
"The Spirit Engineer" by A.J. West
"Belfast, 1914. Two years after the sinking of the Titanic, high society has become obsessed with spiritualism, attending séances in the hope they might reach their departed loved ones. William Jackson Crawford is a man of science and a sceptic, but one night with everyone sitting around the circle, voices come to him — seemingly from beyond the veil — placing doubt in his heart and a seed of obsession in his mind. Could the spirits truly be communicating with him or is this one of Kathleen’s parlour tricks gone too far? Based on the true story of Professor William Jackson Crawford and famed medium Kathleen Goligher, and with a cast of characters including Sir Arthur...>>
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14.12.2021

“Barbarous Words: A Compendium of Conjurations, British Folk Magic, and other Popish Charms” by George Hares

Magick Matters
"Barbarous Words: A Compendium of Conjurations, British Folk Magic, and other Popish Charms" by George Hares
"Britain, a place steeped in its mystery and folklore but most of all its magic. Throughout the ages, there were those who practiced various forms of British folk magic and were known by many names such as witches, conjurers, and cunning folk. Sadly, there seemed a mass decline in these practices after the early 1900s. However fortunately in recent years, the incorporation of older styles of folk magic have made a comeback and started to influence many people's personal practices. Given here, is not only a compendium and compilation book of folk magic giving different examples and aspects of folk magic throughout the British Isles, but a book in which author George Hares demonstrates...>>
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14.12.2021

“Historiola: The Power of Narrative Charms” by Carl Nordblom

Magick Matters
"Historiola: The Power of Narrative Charms" by Carl Nordblom
"In the beginning was the word, and for as long as there has been language, there has been power within the use of words. Incantations and spoken charms apply nuance, narrative, rhyme, and cadence to achieve magical effects, commonly divided into healing, hexing, and procuring. Modern academic scholarship, focusing on their historical relevance, refers to magical narrative charms as historiolae, which are explored here within numerous cultures of antiquity including Sumerian, Egyptian, Greek, and Indian through to Norse and Christian examples. The author’s native Scandinavian tradition of troll formulae uses short narratives with a powerful protagonist (such as Jesus, saints, Mary, three maidens, mythical figures) performing the required action to heal, or hex. The narrative...>>
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