| Magical Myths 101 Lesson Four |
| We spoke of the rise of �natural magic� during the Renaissance, but the possibility of �rising spirits� was never totally forgotten, between the 15th and 18th centuries, a series of books known as �gimoires� (or Black Books) appeared throughout Europe. These books appeared in many languages and most were written anonymously but attributed to ancient sources, including Moses, Aristotle, Noah, Alexander the Great and most famously King Solomon. These books were at first sold and circulated in secret as using it was against the law. They were supposed to show the reader how to conjure up spirits and demons from ancient times. The gimoires promised magic for everything from gaining love, riches, beauty, health, happiness and celebrity; defeating, cursing or killing enemies, (the forbidden curses, maybe?); starting wars, healing sick, making the healthy sick, becoming invisible (What? Without a cloak?), finding treasure, flying, (What, no broom?) foretelling the future and unlocking doors without keys! (Perhaps �Alohomora� would be in the book!) This made the book very popular especially during the 17th century where cheap editions became widely available!
Because they involved elaborate ceremonies and rituals, the procedures taught in the gimoires were known as �ritual magic� or �ceremonial magic�. These rituals were very similar to the steps of summoning gods and spirits of thousand years earlier. First the magician drew a large circle, inscribed it with magic symbols, and chanted sacred names. Then he stepped into the circle (which protected him from the spirits he raised), uttered the incantations that would make the demon appear and grant his wishes, made his demands, and sent the demon on it ways, that, at least, what was suppose to happen. |
| Course before this, many weeks of preparation had to be made, this could even take months! According to the many grimoires, all of the apparatus used during the ceremony, candles, perfumes, incense, the sword used to draw the magic circle, the magic wand, all had to be brand new. Not could you simply buy what you needed in Diagon Alley!
Ceremonial candles had to be personally molded by the magician using wax made by bees that had never made wax before�the magic wand had to be freshly carved from a hazel branch, hewn from a tree with one blow of a newly made sword. If that wasn�t enough rules, the inks used to draw magical talismans had to be freshly prepared and kept in a new inkwell: and according to one of the best known of the grimoires, The Key of Solomon, the quill pen used to draw the talismans had to be fashioned from the third feather of the right wing of a male goose! And if that wasn�t enough, each step had to be carried out according to the principles of astrology! Under the influence of the appropriate planets at the right times of year could these things take place or gathered. The magician also had to prepare himself spiritually for the ceremony by special diet, fasting, ritual bathing, and other purifying practices! None of this, of course, was a guarantee that anything would happen during the ceremony. In fact, instructions were so elaborate, so specific, and usually so bizarre that they were virtually impossible to actually carry out as describes. Ti was no wonder, then that despite repeated pleadings, incantations, and sincerity, spirits routinely failed to appear, except in the imaginations of some practitioners and grimoire writes! Failures, however, were also easily explained. With so many details, somewhere, somehow, something had been overlooked�gee could it have been them bees lying about not making honey before? Or was the guy who brought the hazel tree down with one swipe of his sword just bragging? Our next lesson will be �magic today� and we will start on some of the items needed in making �magic�! |
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| Quiz:
1.) What are the 'gimoires'? 2.) What did they promise the reader? 3.) Give me 3 examples of how this book is connected to Hogwarts. 4.) Explain what 'ceremonial magic' is all about. 5.) Was this ceremony easy to make, if not, why? 6.) How was ever object, that was used in the ceremony, to be prepared? 7.) How did the magician have to prepare himself? 8.) How does astrology factor into the ceremony? 9.) After doing all of this...was it 100% sure that the ceremony will turn out ok? What could happen? |
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