Magick Matters

“Scent of a Witch: The Power of Perfume” by Melusine Draco (ARCANUM)

"Magic and scent were conceptually linked in antiquity. Ancient authors sometimes treated magic as a type of smell; at other times odors were treated as a medium through which magic worked. Some authors compare the effect of smells to magic; others described scent and magic as different things but impossible to distinguish. Magicians used incenses and perfumes liberally to set the scene for their rituals and please the gods, as demonstrated by the corpus of spell books that survive from Greco-Roman Egypt; meanwhile, ancient deities signaled their presence by their divine fragrance.’ So writes Britta Ager in her academic paper for Penn State University, Magic Perfumes and Deadly Herbs: The Scent of Witches’ Magic in ...>>

“Sacrifice to the Gods” by Melusine Draco (ARCANUM)

"The act of propitiating or appeasing the gods is as old as humankind. And, it is just as much an integral part of pagan worship today as it was when our Mesolithic ancestors first began leaving their mark on the landscape — both to honour the gods in times of plenty and to appease them in times of trouble. For the tribes that were beginning to track their footsteps across the open plains of the vast continents, they left behind evidence of their 'holy places' — where they periodically stopped and gathered together in the act of honouring the Gods, the Ancestors and denizens of Otherworld, according to the light of their times ... and ...>>

“Practical Shamanism, a Guide for Walking in Both Worlds” by Katie Weatherup

"There are worlds of healing, protection, and insight available to you just beyond ordinary reality. The knowledge to simply, powerfully journey to these worlds, to connect with your spirit guides, to build a vision of yourself as healthy, intuitive and psychically alive, is within this book. Whether you are just beginning to seek a truer and more meaningful existence, or you are an experienced traveler of worlds, this book provides a reliable, straightforward, friendly and practical guide to basic shamanic practices, including more advanced instruction in past life healing, shadow work, and soul retrieval."...>>

“Borderland Phenomena Volume One: Spontaneous Combustion, Poltergeistry and Anomalous Lights” by Louis Proud

"Society's concept of the natural world has little or no room for such phenomena as spontaneous human combustion, poltergeistry and anomalous lights. Rather, these weird and baffling occurrences are either ignored altogether or unfairly and inaccurately labelled "supernatural" and hence assumed to exist "beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature." In Borderland Phenomena: Volume One, Proud adopts a richer, broader concept of the natural world, one that views paranormal phenomena not as foreign or magical but as occupying a position on the margins of this reality, in what he refers to as the "borderland." In a balanced and objective investigation that spans many topics, including ball lightning, earth lights, strange rains, mysterious fires, ...>>

“Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and Genies from Arabia to Zanzibar” by Robert Lebling (kindle ebook version)

"According to Islamic tradition, Allah created three types of beings: angels, made of light; humans, made of earth; and jinn, made of smokeless fire. Supernatural, shape-shifting, intelligent and blessed with free will and remarkable powers, jinn have over the ages been given many names — demon, spirit, ghoul, genie, ifrit and shaitan. Neither human nor immortal, they roam the earth inhabiting dark and empty places, luring humans to their deaths or demonically possessing them if harmed or offended. Despite the fact they cannot be seen, jinn are said to be strangely human-like — marrying, bearing children, forming communities and tribes, eating, sleeping, playing and facing judgment like any other human. They are ever-present partners in ...>>