The Surnateum is far more than a website designed to entertain and enlighten you. It is the virtual front-end for one of the most astonishing collections of authentic magical artefacts and strange stories gathered from around the world by the Collectors and Curators for more than a century.
The Museum invites you to explores the galleries of space and time and to plunge headlong into a view of the world unbounded by scientific rationality. A world where numbers are divine, where extraordinary creatures and entities live alongside us, in symbiosis or in conflict, a world which seeks refuge behind the covers of books read with a slightly sardonic smile. Strange charms, forgotten incantations, cursed antique objects, legendary grimoires, forbidden knowledge - clearly the stuff of fiction and fantasy. And yet, we have real objects to remind us that anything might be real, anything was once real - and anything might still be real.
In today's world, there still exist shamans who travel in the dream world, misunderstood prophets, spellbinding storytellers, hard-core alchemists and magicians. Real magicians who still 'dream their world', fashioning it each and every day.
The Museum would like to take this opportunity to remind you that it can be dangerous to play with forces that you do not control and in which you do not really believe. We will tell you about the time we tracked down a vampire, the time we tried to break the time barrier and the time we tried to overcome the narrow constraints of ordinary reality. The Museum will show you what, deep down, you already knew, but never dared say: namely, that the frontier between the natural and the supernatural is blurry indeed.
Surnateum
A Museum of Haunted Antiquities by Christian Chelman.
That is probably the world’s foremost collection of strange and enchanted relics and artifacts, going from ancient magician props to Egyptian papyrs for enchantment and spells, to the original photos of fairies signed by Arthur Conan Doyle. A human horned skull is not missing.
Christian Chelman is difficult to define. He is at the same time a Collector, Writer, Storyteller, Anthropologyst, Occultist, Chryptozologist, Surrealist, Shaman ...
Some of the sites are working better in the French version, e.g. "Latest Acquisitions" with the "Vampire Killing Kit" (!) ... anyway - don't miss it!
See also Hauntiques - The Bizarre Magick of Christian Chelman.
Magic The Black Arts and the Occult: The basis of many a fantastic tale involves an invisible world of secrets, accessible with a particular kind of knowledge.
Magic, alchemy and the occult are thus keys that allow entry into certain zones of the Fantastic. More important, they drive the intellectual engine of the Fantastic; even as they wane, they preside over the gestation of science fiction. The grimoire of the Magus becomes the mad-scientist’s user’s manual. Our selections include depictions of witches and sorcerers, instruction pages from the classic work of secret sciences entitled The Magus, illustrations of alchemical workshops, cabalistic mappings of biblical passages, and cover illustrations from the first issues of Amazing Stories, Hugo Gernsbach’s celebrated pulp journal devoted to science and fantastic fiction.
The religious supernatural recognizes\zed a self torn between transcendent forces that fought for its possession. The Devil and his minions, the Demons, engaged in a struggle for the soul with the angels and guardian spirits. When the religious supernatural expresses the search for salvation in terms of conflict and terror it anticipates the universe of Fantastic anxiety.
A particular interest in this cluster of images is the material drawn from Cornell's extensive Witchcraft collection.
Picture: Stanislas de Guaita Le Serpent de la Genèse: Le Temple de Satan
Click the picture for a larger view
Johannes Ionstonus - Historiæ Natura Click the picture for a larger view
An extraordinary compilation where the paradigmatic struggle between observation and vision so crucial to the Fantastic is constantly played out. By the time of the early Enlightenment, the Bestiary, like its more recnent relative the Encyclopedia, participates in the totalizing intent of a catalogue whose purpose is the scientific understanding of the world. Empirical observation banishes from these increasingly imposing tomes any creatures that have not been observed in their environment. So the unicorn and the dragon, the griffon and the sea serpent, and all their relations take refuge in the annals of folklore, until the fantastic and its adjudant, surrealism, release them once more into literary discourse from the prisons where rational inquiry had consigned them.
The following is a method of banishing and casting which I find very useful, and helps me focus and stabilize. I suggest familiarizing yourself with the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram if you haven't already. It's a huge part, and a huge help.
Begin by facing the east, standing with your weight leavied equally on both legs. Imagine yourself being almost ant-sized, surrounded by all of the things which surrounded you before, however, only gigantic as compared to your ant-like mass.
Take all of this in, the feeling you may receive when realizing your size. Once accustomed to this, imagine the love of the Goddess/God filling you, causing you to grow slowly, to your normal size, only the growing doesn't stop there. Visualize yourself continuing to grow until you out grow the room/building/area, until you are standing on top of the world.
At this point, with your athame, or index finger, while surrounded by the billions of stars, focus on one star in particular.
A star which should call to you, be it a part of a constellation, or a star which seems to have its own individuality. The other stars should soon disappear as you draw the light toward you, or as the star itself moves towards you, towards your athame/index finger/what have you ...
The moon is one of the most prominant and important symbols in Wicca. It represents our Goddess and the cycle of time. But the moon also plays an important role in our magickal workings. In these lessons, you will learn how to take advantage of the moon's energy to get the most out of your magick.
Learn the steps to perform and write your own rituals. This is a basic beginner's class to learn the what, hows and whys of ritual practices. Topics covered include creating sacred space, casting/opening the circle, calling the quarters, invoking the deities, statement of purpose, energy and ritual workings.
Visualization is a very powerful tool in Witchcraft. It is the ability to "see" things that aren't physically present before you - to see with your mind and not your eye.
Nearly everyone possesses the ability to visualize. We did it as children when we played pretend or had an invisible friend. Some of us lost that ability as we grew up and grew serious. As a result, some people might need to practice to reconnect with this forgotten talent and turn it into a strong skill.
Here's a progressive, four-step visualization exercise to help you sharpen your skills. Don't force yourself to complete each step in only one session. It takes time to develop great skills.
This rich site bring you all you need to aid you in the practice of The Craft. Here you'll find spells, rituals, moon phases, herb and stone meanings, color and day correspondents, and much more:
This online collection is a small subsection of Cornell University Library's Witchcraft Collection. The full Collection (not all available online) contains over 3,000 titles documenting the history of the Inquisition and the persecution of witchcraft.
The majority of the Witchcraft Collection was acquired in the 1880s through the collaborative efforts of Andrew Dickson White, Cornell's first President and a prodigious scholar and book buyer, and his first librarian, George Lincoln Burr. Due to the foresight of White and Burr, the Witchcraft Collection is a rich source for students and scholars of the history of superstition and witchcraft persecution in Europe. It documents the earliest and the latest manifestations of the belief in witchcraft as well as its geographical boundaries, and elaborates this history with works on canon law, the Inquisition, torture, demonology, trial testimony, and narratives. Most importantly, the collection focuses on witchcraft not as folklore or anthropology, but as theology and as religious heresy.
Significant in the collection as well are a small and extremely rare number of examples of the works of theologians who opposed the Inquisition, such as those of Cornelius Loos, the first theologian in Germany to write against the witch hunts. The most important materials in the Witchcraft collection, however, are the court records of the trials of witches, including harrowing original manuscript depositions taken from the victims in the torture chamber. These documents, in both original manuscript and in print, reveal the harsh outcome of the more remote doctrinal disputes. Perhaps the most significant of all manuscripts in the Witchcraft collection is the minutes of the witchcraft trial of Dietrich Flade, a sixteenth-century city judge and rector who spoke out against the cruelty and injustice of the persecutions in the 1580s.
Most know as "The Witches" is a documentary about the history of witchcraft, told in a variety of styles, from illustrated slideshow to dramatised events of alleged real-life events, right up to the early twentieth century. Directed by Benjamin Christensen, 1922. Depending on which version you're watching, the commentary is either in the form of intertitles or narration by William S.Burroughs, recorded in the mid-1960s. This version has subtitles in English. (Source IMDB)
This documentary is a scientific study on Henbane, a plant used by witches.
Henbane - Hyoscyamus niger - also known as Hen Pen, Henbell, Devil's Eye, Hog's-bean, Jupiter's-bean, Symphonica, Cassilata, Cassilago, Deus Caballinus, and Jusquiame - Henbane is one of the herbs of the underworld. Ritually it is used to summon spirits, relatives who have passed into other lives, and beings who live in the astral realms, though this sort of work should not be undertaken lightly and only if you are adept in this area. Common usage of Henbane is in working with increased psychic perception and clairvoyancy. Due to its toxic nature of this herb, it is best used as an incense. The root is the safest part of the plant and as such it can be gathered, dried and worn as an amulet. You can hang bunches of Henbane up to dry by the hinges of outer doors to protect against negative energy. Henbane was used ritually in ancient Scotland, apparently in connection with the dead. In Greek mythology, the dead who wander the shores of the River Styx are crowned with henbane, most likely because of its real life ability to make one forget oneself. Planetary Ruler is Saturn.
Magickal Athenaeum - a large collection of magickal books online, with 288 files. All books are in PDF Format. (English)
Top 10 Downloaded PDFs:
The Grand Grimoire
Witchcraft Today
by Gerald B. Gardner
The Black Book of the Yezidis
The Gardnerian Book of Shadows
The Book of Ceremonial Magic
by A.E. Waite
The Golden Bough
by Sir James George Frazer
The Rosie Crucian Secrets
by John Dee
Book T - The Tarot
Golden Dawn
The God of the Witches
by Margaret Alice Murray
The Pictorial Key to the Tarot
by A.E. Waite
Witchcraft is a belief system that incorporates the use of magic. Witches effect change by using magic.
Records of witchcraft go back to ancient times and are found around the world. Witches and magic have always played an important role in the day to day life of village and towns folk.
Modern witchcraft is a nature-based religion and lifestyle often called Wicca. Its practitioners celebrate the changing cycles of the year, worship ancient deities and use magic. Many believe that there are remnants of early pagan religions within the rituals used by Wiccans.
Other than court confessions and trial documents little is recorded of' the village Wise Women and Cunning Men that were the predecessors of modern witchcraft. These important people were healers, councillors and therapists and were an essential part of village life. There is also evidence that some of these village witches could and would curse or ill-wish anyone who upset them. Some witches made their income from lifting or banishing curses.
This picture is from The Richel Collection. Feathers are used as quills to write spells with home made magical ink, and they represent the element "air" in modern Wiccan ceremonies.
More from the Richel collection:
The Pentacle, or five-pointed star, is a protective symbol. It represents the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water and the fifth element, aether or spirit. According to the Golden Dawn system of magic, the pentagram with the point uppermost is the "Sign of the Microcosm" and represents a man with arms and legs extended. When the pentacle has the point downwards it can represent the Horned God.
This picture shows a pentacle, carved in wood, used as a Pendulum for dowsing.
Talismans are an ancient form of charm traditionally written on virgin parchment, wrapped in white fabric, and hung around the neck or kept in a pocket.
They can be used for protection or finding love, wealth or happiness. Most of the parchment style talismans in the Richel collection appear to relate to ceremonial and angelic magic with many references taken, and adapted from, the Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon. Hebrew letters and various magical sigils are used throughout. The angels represent the elemental forces of the planets and are used to invoke the energies of each planet for magical workings. The "Spirit" represents the raw, inhuman energy of the planet and the "Intelligence" represents the filter that makes the energy usable by humans.
Hagiel is the Intelligence of Venus when it enters Taurus or Libra. The Cabalistic number is 49. Kedemel is the Spirit of Venus.
The Mandrake is a very mysterious root, which on account of its resemblance to the human form, was believed to possess occult properties which could cause it to become animated. On account of its potency, it was much sought after by magicians, but as it could not be uprooted without danger of death, a dog was tied to the root. When pulled, the root would give a shriek, and the dog would immediately fall dead. Mandrakes were often dressed in miniature human clothes and kept in tiny coffins on a mantle piece or in a convenient nook about the home. They were revered and considered to be powerful protection charms as well as being valued as aphrodisiacs and powerful anaesthetics. It is almost impossible to see or handle a mandrake without talking to it. They really do have personalities. The Richel images capture the personality and spirit of these wonderful ancient magical roots.
One of the simplest of magical arts which comes under the heading of natural magic is candle burning. It is simple because it employs little ritual and few ceremonial artifacts. The theatrical props of candle magic can be purchased at any department store and its rituals can be practiced in any sitting room or bedroom.
The size and shape of the candles you use is unimportant, although highly decorative, extra large, or unusually shaped candles will not be suitable as these may create distractions when the magician wants to concentrate on the important work in hand. Most magicians prefer to use candles of standard or uniform size if possible. Those which are sold in different colors for domestic use are ideal.
The candles you use for any type of magical use should be virgin, that is unused. Under no circumstances use a candle which has already adorned a dinner table or been used as a bedroom candle or night-light. There is a very good occult reason for not using anything but virgin materials in magic. Vibrations picked up by secondhand materials or equipment may disturb your workings and negate their effectiveness.
More: Basic Candle Magick - A simple method for performing candle magick, including a candle color chart.
The ability to think seems to set us apart from other creatures. And although we are concerned with living in the physical world, we are mental beings. The fact is we are thinking all the time. We plan, we brood, we get depressed or elated -- all of it is thought. But the universe is mental too, and if we could control our thinking we would see magnificent results in the everyday world.
Many systems have been developed over the ages to help us control our thoughts. A great amount of dogma too has been kicked around in an attempt to make us into better people.
Magick (the occult kind, spelled with a 'k') is one of the oldest and most general of these systems. Magick is the study and application of psychic forces. It uses mental training, concentration, and a system of symbols to program the mind. The purpose of magick is to alter the self and the environment according to the will.
If you are new to Paganism or magick, or if you are just interested in finding out about Paganism and magick, this page help provide basic information: The Cauldron's Magick Library (English)
Check also the small selection of simple spells and incense recipes is available in The Cauldron's Grimoire. There are spells for banishing, binding, healing, job hunting, love, money, protection, and more.
Amulets -- protective devices worn around the body, or placed next to other objects, to protect them from various evils -- were common in all societies and all periods of antiquity, and their use was accepted as normal by secular, religious, and "scientific" authorities (i.e., the physicians). Almost anything could serve as an amulet -- a red string wound around the wrist, a stone carried in a small pouch around the neck, or a piece of iron tied to one's bed. Such amulets could be prepared at home, and called for no special knowledge or technical skills. Given their mundane nature, such amulets often are hard to identify -- for when we come across a decorated ring, for example, how can we tell whether it was an amulet or merely a piece of jewelry?
The study of ancient magic can teach us much not only about ancient society, but about human nature and human social structures in general, especially as they relate to the generation, accumulation, and transmission of knowledge about the powers above and the powers below. Magic, after all, is just another manifestation of the innate human desire for control -- to control our natural environment, to control our social world, and eventually to control our own destiny. The techniques may have changed over the last fifteen centuries, but the goals remain the same.
The exhibition is divided into three sections: one deals with manuals of magical practices, another presents various protective devices, and the third presents some of the more aggressive uses of ancient magic.
Preparation: Make or buy a purification incense. Common ingredients are sandalwood,
frankincense, bay, or camphor. Ingredients for one incense follow:
* 3 parts Frankincense
* 2 parts Sandalwood
Ritual: Burn this in a censer in the middle of the area to be purified. If you are purifying a multi-level house, one censer every other level will suffice.
When you set this, open all the windows in the house. Say a prayer to the Lady offering thanks to her for the cleansing of your house. Leave for a few hours, until the smell from the incense is gone. Close the windows, and set a protection spell of some sort, if you wish.
Blessing The Earth For Planting
O gentle Air, we do come before Thee
To ask that your gentle tender breezes kiss
The plants that will come forth.
O fearful Fire, we do come to ask that
Your hot heat be but a gentle warmth
To help the plants grow.
O Water of Life, we do come before Thee
To ask your gentle waters to bring life
To the tender plants that come forth.
O Great Mother, let thy dark womb care
For the tender seeds, to push them up when
The time is right for the plants to come into full bloom.
We do thank Thee Diana. Mother of All Living Things and Giver of Life.
Blessed Be.
(offer wine to Lord & Lady – ground may be consecrated with element before
planting)
Lady of the Earth by Lady Selina (Enlish)
This is an online resource for Wiccan, Pagan, Witch, Wicca, Earth Based, Shaman and New Age information. The Resource Pages hold numerous files in many different categories.
A very vast collection of spells and rituals! Enjoy!
The Alter is the place where we perform the majority of our magickal work. Pagans who do not like the idea of the word "Alter" also refer it to as the workspace. You can call it by any name you wish, it really doesn't matter.
Firstly, the Alter can be whatever you like. A small table, a chest as shown above (this picture is of my personal Alter), or even a large stone or tree stump if working outdoors. Even a cloth spread on the floor will do. I know this is how I began! It really doesn't matter what your Alter is, it is what we do with it that matters.
Ritual plays an immense part in the spiritual life of a Witch.
It is a way for us to honour the divine Mother earth and Father Sun, and also for us to attune ourselves with the energies needed for Magickal workings.
Every Witch and Pagan will vary in the degree to which they use ritual. Some do not see Paganism as a religion at all, and therefore steer away from ritual altogether. This may come from being brought up in a strict religious way, and so they do not want to hark back to those oppressive days. The beauty of Paganism and Witchcraft is that there are no rules. Witches can still practice Magick without elaborate ritual, simply using what nature has provided us with, the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
"In ancient times, plants were gods and goddesses; spirits and magicians lived within gnarled oaks and whispered from flowers.
Our ancestors discovered the forces present in plants and harnessed them to improve their lives.
Today the weeds and wildflowers that grace our cities and wildernesses, the ornamental and food plants in our gardens, even common house plants still possess incedible powers. Magickal herbalism is the use of these powers."
Scott Cunningham
Giambattista della Porta (also known as Giovanni Battista Della Porta or John Baptist Porta) was a polymath who dabbled in nearly everything. "Magiae Naturalis", his first book, is also his best known work and the basis of his reputation. The first edition, which consisted of four books, appeared in 1558; an expanded edition of twenty books was first published in 1589. Della Porta was a hugely influential figure in Naples around 1600.
From Della Porta’s book published in English as Natural Magick in 1658:
There are two sorts of Magick; the one is infamous, and unhappy, because it has to do with foul Spirits, and consists of incantations and wicked curiosity; and this is called Sorcery; an art which all learned and good men detest; neither is it able to yield an truth of reason or nature, but stands merely upon fancies and imaginations, such as vanish presently away, and leave nothing behind them; as Jamblicus writes in his book concerning the mysteries of the Egyptians. The other Magick is natural; which all excellent wise men do admit and embrace, and worship with great applause; neither is there any thing more highly esteemed, or better thought of, by men of learning. The most noble Philosophers that ever were, Pythagorus, Empedocles, Democritus, and Plato, forsook their own countries, and lived
abroad as exiles and banished men, rather than as strangers; and all to search out and to attain this knowledge; and when they came home again, this was the Science which they professed, and this they esteemed a profound mystery. They that have been most skillful in dark and hidden points of learning, do call this knowledge the very highest point, and the perfection's of Natural Sciences; inasmuch that if they could find out or devise amongst all Natural Sciences, any one thing more excellent or more wonderful then another, that they would still call by the name of Magick.
Nature Magick - in twenty books - by Giambattista della Porta (I538-I6I5).
Include the origins of ancient magic, the definition of a magician throughout history and across cultures, magic's medicinal applications, plus miscellaneous material under chapter headings such as "Of the Generation of Animals", "Of the Production of New Plants", "Of Changing Metals", and "Of Physical Experiments".
He wrote on cryptography, meteorology, physics, astrology, physiognomy, mathematics, and fortification. Further observations upon geology, optics, medicines, poisons, cooking, metallurgy and magnetism as well as cosmetics, perfumes, gunpowder and invisible writing.
The Rare Book Library, University of Sydney, contains a significant collection of works on witchcraft, demonology, exorcism and the occult. Here also may be found related works on canon and civil law, reports of trials, the Inquisition, torture, prophecy and alchemy, and more modern texts on occult practices by writers such as A. E. Waite and Aleister Crowley.
The collection focuses on European, British and American witchcraft, looking at its theological and heretical aspects rather than at the level of folklore or anthropology. Here may be found many early texts from the 16th and 17th centuries, the period when the theories of the heretical aspects of witchcraft were being formulated. Among these are four editions of one of the more sinister works on demonology, the Malleus Maleficarum, a book that codified church dogma on heresy for centuries.
DEL RIO, Martin Antoine
Disquisitionarum magicarum libri sex: quibus continentur accurata curiosum artium, et vanarum superstitionum confutatio.
Coloniae Agrippinae: Sumptibus Hermani Demen, 1679
The Disquisitionem, the most famous work of the Jesuit scholar and theologian Martin Del Rio, was first published in 1599. After about 20 editions it last appeared in 1747. Even so, few copies survive today so heavily was it used. In many ways the most complete of all the works on witchcraft it was renowned in its time as the Malleus Maleficarum.
Under a veil of moderation, Del Rio, for example, permitted legal council for witches, the book revived many of the earlier theories and practices. Much of the thrust of the work is against those who questioned the trials, adopting the line that anyone who opposed the concept was themselves suspect of complicity.
Ich bin auch dabei. Es stimmt- deine Arbeit ist wunderschön und wir vermissen deine Präsenz. Deshalb besuchen wir dich immer mal wieder und hoffen, dass es dir gut geht. Viele liebe und dankbare Grüße Von Mona
I think the focal point of mainstream religion has changed - http://www.ebook-search-queen.com/ebook/reli/religion+and+ethics.all.html .That’s part of the “see the world in black and white” that the fundamentalists find so important about their “my way or the highway to hell”. Its far easier to use religion as the label for making oneself feel better or more important than someone else. I don’t murder, so I’m better/God loves me more than…
I have to link to this blog because I think that is so important when it comes to manifestation and getting what you want in life. All the great successful people in the world today did some form of visualization. And a vision board is one of the most powerful manifestation tools to date in my opinion.
Looking so Kumbh Mela of 1895 is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such.
Nice work done agree with you that positive affirmation can lift your life up decide your goal before you start something.Keep sharing love all your ideas.
Only a supremely powerful intellect could pierce of veil of hypnotic deception to bring the truth to the teeming masses of smooth-brained mouthbreathers that we all must be. Such courage and mental prowess in the mind of a single person. Thank you so much for attempting to free me of my mental prison of hypnotic malaise. His neck must be substantially stronger than the average “man-on-the-street” to…
idk if they are real or not. i’ve never seen them. but as big as this earth is, wt makes you think we’re the only one’s here. we have animals. y wouldn’t there be any other animals we don’t know about? think about it. there is a lot of things we thought were real a long time ago that wasn’t. like the world being flat. n things we thought…
of course mermaids and mermen are real, maybe not thease ones but were d yu think thay got the idea from,if no one believes in thease myths then christmas wouldnt be, all the stories for children wouldnt be oh how sad, and thats coming from me a banshe with a leprichourn for a husband lol..x
I won my first web award, and hopefully not my last because it's a great feeling!
The Swiss magazine "anthrazit" selected the 200 best from thousands of Swiss websites. My website belongs to the 200 best websites of Switzerland! Rank 4 in the category "celebs".
