The history of magic

Welcome to. 

The curiosity of. 

A child. 

This is a particularly scary episode, as it's for Halloween, so it may not be appropriate for younger listeners as we will be doing some real magic actually on the show. I'm hoping it goes OK, but we are trained practitioners so please do not try this at home. Are you nervous, Anton? 

A little bit, but as you said, we're trained. We've done this many times before, just not on the podcast. 

No no, so we've got our Pentangle on the floor and we've got our candles lit and it's dark outside. It's nearly Halloween. Uhm, so remember you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Just search for Kiwi tripod and you'll find us. But this this could be our last ever show and so please follow us and leave a review. In our memories please. 

Yeah, I always get a bit worried because almost every episode we say this could be our last. 

Show I mean at this time. Are you ready? 

We'll see. 

It's Halloween and the barrier between the world is then, which is patrolled the night there cakuls carried on the wind. Demons lurk just beyond our vision, clawed hands, waiting to pull us down into the depths in every corner and every shadowed danger and monstrosities await. Now it's the time of otherworldly power of magic, of luck, of fate, of Charms, and have long forgotten mysticism. Every curious today we will harness this power, bending the forces of the occult. To our will. But to do this we need to have a good understanding of the history of magic. We've got to uncover it sequence and learn the recipe for the perfect spell. So what do you think we're going to need to learn about Anton? What do you think we're going to need to know to perform magic? 

I think we might need. Something to protect us. Uh A1 set to cast spells and learning about some. Uhm, plants and herbs as well. 

Sounds good, yeah, maybe some understand some of the rituals and the talismans. And yeah, different things that are needed because magic is a very broad subject and there's actually a very deep history to. 

It I think maybe. We need to see if we can find our luck. Potentially if we've got anything like that. 

Oh yeah, yeah, that's a good idea. What sort of spell do you want to cast today? 'cause I was thinking along the lines of maybe trying to summon something. 

Yeah, something sounds good to me. 

Yeah, and like you said lock and maybe some form of protection as well, just in case what we summon goes out. 

Of control, I mean, we're gonna need that when we have become. The gods of the world. 

Well, magic and religion needs to be very closely linked together. That's actually the ancient Greeks who started to separate them into two different disciplines. So shall we start right at the beginning with some of the earliest node magic and ritual and belief? 

OK, approximately 5500 years ago, monuments such as Stonehenge were being built before this early man had been making Marks and paintings on the walls of caves. Earlier still some. 95,000 years ago Neanderthals carefully buried their dead wow ritual, mark making and symbolism, places of power, and worship with ancestors or deities. All form part of early magic. The cycles and the rhythms of the natural world, the seasons, the celestial bodies all form important pieces of magical practise. 

Yeah, so a lot of early magic you could say was around. Maybe the rhythms of the natural world, but the most important and powerful part of all of this, I think, is belief if people believe they truly think what you say is going to happen or has happened, then it will become true. It becomes the truth. 

A bit like tulpas if you believe enough then the actual thing does happen, yes. 

Their torpor is a thought form where you put energy into it and it manifests itself. So to create belief though or to create magic, we need rituals and we need tools and we need to understand the symbols and the secrets that they use. So I think the first thing that we need for our spell is to know if the universe is on our side. What does the future hold? I want to know that Russia can be safe when we're doing this. 

I don't know. 

Yeah, so should we have a look at our horoscopes? Yeah, so do you believe in them? OK, let's see. So let's do you first or Leo. We're going to do. This live OK horoscope com. 

Try not to overanalyze your actions if you continue to pick apart every aspect, you will end up getting nowhere. This principle applies to your emotions. To be sure that you aren't trying to make rational sense out of every feeling that comes your way, OK. Feelings are there for you to experience. Allow them to flow through your heart and not necessarily your head. 

I think that fits perfectly with the Magic theme. Actually it's actually you gotta feel the essence. 

Yeah, I gotta feel the magic. Don't think about it so we shouldn't be learning about any of the history at all. Just get straight into it. Feel the magic. 

Of it and more energy. Well, I think we still need to get some of the history and say well look it somehow. It's guessed what I am on Google, right horoscope Scorpio Auto into horoscopes.com OK let's see what mine says. We actually had a technical glitch just then, as the audio cut out, so this is ominous. OK, so you score a for me. What you think may happen today is ABT to be the opposite of what actually happened, Scorpio oh God. It could be that you have a strong mental picture of how things should proceed, but end up taking a completely different action. Try to engage every part of your body, mind and spirit so that all on the same page, regardless of what activity you actually do. 

That sort of links to what I was just saying. Screw the history or no. 

Or it just means I suppose going to go totally wrong and I'm going to be sucked into some. Other realm, wasn't they or. And A&D, more controlled by demons, can become their little slave or something. 

I'm a demon. This yeah this cannot be scripted. 

Wow, OK right? There are horoscopes ready. Let's carry on some of the earliest writings on astrology come from ancient Babylon. You may be thinking how is this magic? Well, it's what's called divination, so that's the attempt to see the future or understand the future. So picture the great City of Babylon sitting between the Tigris and Euphrates and modern day Iraq. There was no light pollution, so scholars would have a perfect view of the stars and the wandering planets and their movements and their actions. Would hotel what was to come? These omens were then collected and written on uniform tablets, and the most important collection being called the Enuma. Anu and Lil. 

You've read something correctly. Wow, that see it's not going to plan. You actually read something, right, yeah? 

Hunky and this. Plastic and it actually consists of 70 tablets and they contain approximately 7000 omens, which would be predicting the future. We Sir mythology and astronomy were very closely linked. 

So here's an example. If the moon becomes visible on the first day reliable speech, the land will be happy. If the day reaches its normal length of reign of long days, if the moon at its appearance wears a crown, their king will reach the highest rank. 

And I reckon that means. 

Uhm, magic. 

Yeah, magic, yeah, definitely the truth there. Yeah, in in the 2nd century Greek scholar Claudius Ptolemy rate 2 works first was Almagest, which would be the definitive book on astronomy for over a Millennium. And the other was treachery. Believe us, which became one of the foundational texts on astrology. And it's where we get the modern Zodiac from the use of astrology has a very mixed history with the church, often seeing it as an occult practise, but has managed to last in today, so there must be something in there. Right, so weird. Our star signs. We know a little bit of the history there of this foundational topic. We know that the universe is probably more with you than it's with me at the moment. And so before we go any further, I think we need some protection against any malevolent forces that wish to do harm. To us particularly. And so I made you a gift. So if you look in a big paper in front of you, that's it, yeah, and I want you to put this on. 

Is a paper OK? I'm scared I'm really scared. 

So don't be scared it's. 

One second I'm just going to go quiet for a minute. Yeah, this is amazing. We might have to do we we might put this in the show notes will cheque. 

He's just taking off his headphones because I've given him an omelette. 

Thank you very much. I should be safe. It really symbolises me. 

So can you describe it please? 

It's just the almighty my favourite word. A penis? 

Well, it's a winged penises. It's a a sinus or the divine F Alice. Now you may be wondering, you've got that. 

Yeah, no, not really I. I I want to find out anyway for the lessons. 

OK yeah, well Raymond boys would be given one to protect them from the evil eye or from becoming bewitched. Now Marcus Terentius varro. Here's one the great scholars of ancient Rome. He noted how similar amulet should be hung around the necks of babies as well. The way that they thought they worked was that the laughter, shame, and embarrassment of the phallus. Would deflect the power and the direction of the void and would keep the wearer safe. At the time there was a real belief that some people had the power to harm others just by looking at them, then look at me, please. And this is an idea that actually has continued into modern times. You get that in modern witchcraft as well. The word fascinate actually derives from the Latin as synonym. And what does fascinate mean? 

Least amaze. 

Yeah, it's also to be transfixed by something like you bewitched by as if you're fascinated by something. O, now that you're wearing the divine phallus, do you feel safer? Yes. I recommend that you wear at all. 

Times, yes, when we go to the. Shops later, yeah, yeah. 

You might get some odd looks. Maybe the evil eye, but you won't have to worry. No, actually, I forget the easy way. 

I'll probably just be holding it be like stand back. Oh wait, I put it on the wrong way anyway. Magic was a big part of Roman life and their first law code, the 12 tablet compiled. In 451 BCE prohibited spiriting away and neighbours crops. 

I'm right, you're. 

Saying in 331 BCE, 170 women were executed for creating magical poisons. Ah, but you weren't always put to death in 158CE furrlough. Philosopher our puulei use of Madura very sorry I was tried for using magic to seduce a rich widow. I am not sorry anymore. 

I think that's a fantastic idea. 

He wasn't convicted, however, thanks to his brilliant defence speech. He said his magical operations were indispensable scientific experiences as a follower of Aristotle and Hippocrates. 

He's also best known for writing the Golden ****, another weather hero, Lucius accidentally turns himself into a donkey through magical means. 

I hope this doesn't happen with my nice Talisman not wearing. 

That's not nice, mate. 

Yeah, I know, but still it would be worse. 

I still think we need a bit more protection. They to perform magical spells. You often require something from the target, maybe a look of hairs and blood or teeth. There's a lot of fake claw around teeth, perhaps because they fall out from your body and they get replaced and they're hard, aren't they? And there's there's another thing to come from the body. I think, and they're symbol of growth and change, and I happen to have some of your teeth. This sweet tooth fairy didn't want. It's an odd thing that parents do, so you can see some sort of odd ritual or waste continuing there, can't you? There was a belief that children teeth should be burnt to stop them falling into the hands of a witch, which would give. Them complete control over you. This bedding is also important to ensure safety in the afterlife. 

There's some stories as well about like witches or evil fairies or something taking children teeth and and there's some where they like make castles out of the teeth as well. 

I think. The modern tooth fairy probably stems from these ideas, but it's being sanitised a bit like lots of fairy tales have to make it more child friendly. Children teeth. They could also be used as a protective charm. Viking warriors would often wear string of them, run their neck when they're heading into battle, so those big burly men, meaning that their child's tooth will protect them. Stevie may see, hide them under pillows. But what if you do that and someone or something that shouldn't take it does take it? They look after your teeth, so you've got a tooth there actually, and one of your pots that I. Put on the. Table for you, Yep, should I pick it up? Uh, no, this lady just have it ready though. OK, just make sure you know where it is because it could be useful. For protection, OK. Actually, it's your safety, your life worth the small monetary reward of maybe a pound coin that you find under the pillow. Probably not no. So we've got a choice then OK? We can either try burning her tooth immediately for protection. You can wear them as a protective shield, but I think you've got that covered of the fellows already, yeah, or we can keep them. As a. Bargaining chip. And so if we do summon a demonic entity and it threatens us, we can give it your tooth and then it can become your Lord and master. And I can. 

Escape OK, I know which one you want to do. And I don't really want to burn my teeth and it might take too long for the episode, so we'll do option 3. 

OK, yeah, we'll keep it just in case I need to escape. So as well as protection we need something that will channel your powers and allow us to go on the offensive. If the spell goes wrong. So we need a wand. 

A wand. 

Yes, the ones I've got my one. The divine phallus does not counters of wonderful things. That's a Talisman to protect you. So once their magical instruments allow the practitioner to harness and focus their powers and they allow you to direct the energies of a spell. So if you picture the typical classic ones, you probably think of a. Long stick Whitney, yes. 

Like my divine phallus. 

Yes, yeah. Gotta stop this. You you've become fascinated. So the one that's perfect for pointing at things or drawing symbols in the dirt as part of a spell. Now the Egyptians, they would actually use hippopotamus ivory carved with protective symbols as a wand. And like the divine phallus, they were commonly used to our children against evil forces. Now the task would be split down the middle along its length, which would create 2 ones out of it, and on the inner side where it being cut it be inscribed with protective spells. And here's an example. 

Cuts off the head of the enemy when he enters the Chamber of the children, whom the lady has born. 

Yes, I'm not actually convinced that's magical advice that seems more like. Cut the head off somebody who's going to try and take your child. And I've got picture here which I put in the show notes. 

Simply meringue. 

And it doesn't like being lanky. Yes, it's very curved their tasks and what I find interesting is the carvings. They don't look like typical Egyptian hieroglyphics to me. 

Right? 

Bit more like sort of cave painting sort of thing, but lying instead of full look. 

Ah yeah. I like the Chapman left. 

Oh yeah. 

So we have that in the show notes and probably on our Twitter as well. Now the use of ones actually continued as a Greek and Roman tradition, and you even get Jesus pictures using one in 3rd and 4th century Roman sarcophagus. 

Once became connected with more occult practises in the 13th century there mentioned in this one book of on nurius this rhyme or is an influential and important book on magic. It reportedly contains the collected knowledge from a group of magicians wanting to concentrate their power. It contains instructions on magical operations, including how to summon spirits and demons. Perfect originally written in Latin, it was translated to English in 2016, so a really long time ago. 

And very recently. Maybe a few years. 

We cancelled each other out. I need to start talking at the. Same time, sorry. 

I don't have a copy of this book, so we need another one. OK, but I have found a brilliant book here. Fear not. I found a text written by one of today's leading occult practitioners, S Rob. He's the author of over 600 books. Magic with AK topics and I downloaded this one from Amazon. 

OK, S Rob Earth magic of the carrot wand. 

Yeah, the carrot land. 

I like carrots. 

That was one of my questions coming up. Fantastic, you've answered that already. You're already divining the future. 

I'm just feeling it, you know, like my horoscope. 

A wand is. More than a simple instrument of magic. To fully realise its power you need to form a close bond with it. You need to put energy into it. You could even say that ones are hand side. They're inanimate objects, but they also have their own mind or soul, and this idea of panpsychism also carries across into plants in the natural world, particularly herbs which are said to have their own powers and intents. So to get the most out of the ones you need to give it power you you do like carrots. 

I do like hearts. 

Yeah, that's my question. Yeah, and we've learned some of the garden a few months ago and there since. Been tending to them and we've been putting our essence and energy into their growth, and we went outside earlier or I did. I went outside earlier and harvested one for you. And so we have a carrot well and, well, you'll see it in a minute. Now. It's probably makes it very clear that you need to wash your carrot before. Using it for magic, which I've already done, and if you open up the bit of kitchen roll in there, you'll find your carrot wand. 

All right, I'm very excited for this. 

Oh my God. 

Oh my God, it's amazing. It's it's. It slightly matches with my divine phallus. 

Yeah, is this a big current one or. A small car at. 

10 It's quite small. 

It's a tiny Carol, and so it yeah. 

I'm so happy. Thank you. 

Right, just put it down for. The moment please OK. 

I'm already connected to it. 

Yeah, well, we've been putting our essence into that. Through the growth. And So what are the four elements of magic? 

Earth, water, wind and fire. 

Yeah, so which one do you think the carrot embodies? Why is? 

That because it comes from the earth. 

That's right, yeah, come from the ground so it's imbued with Earth magic. And this is actually a really good element because it's seen as passive, so it will simply add any power to our spells. And your star sign, Leo? That's governed by the Sun. O your element would be. But we also want to be able to charge your wand up with even more fire, so we can multiply its potential. Now, BVD mentions that herbs of the rain powers. You can look back on a long history of witchcraft and find stories of them being used to in brewing spells and patients. But it wasn't all bad healers and wise women would have long understood the medicinal properties of these different plants. There's many modern medical compounds have their origins in this knowledge. When I dug up the carrot, also grab some herbs from the garden. See do you? 

Know the ones you got in front of you. OK, let's have a look one second. Sage, yes. Razmi yeah, gotta smell this one. I'm not sure about the last one. 

You've got Bay as well. Yeah, this is something I read the other day. Slight side note is there was a plant in Roman times called silphium and it was. 

Bay. OK, I thought it might have been that potentially. 

The most amazing plant and it got harvested into extinction, which it said that Nero had the last ever piece because you could add it to any food and make it taste better. And you could use it to cure any illness. It's like the ultimate hub, and I read an article just a couple of weeks ago how there's somebody who thinks he's Actually found it again. 

I hope he. 

Has yeah yeah, I I I've never been so excited reading about a plant in my life because I was waiting to get to the end tonight. Does it taste good? Does it taste good and it could well be? Maybe not a direct relative, but it could be one, and it's gonna be full of magical properties too, I'd imagine. 

I'm sort of split because I hope it has been rediscovered because that's really cool, but at the same time I hope it hasn't so that we are like confirmed as the gods of the world. But no, no one is even close by eating that divine. Ask plant. 

I I don't know if we're going to have the magical power to become as. Powerful as you are heaping here. Anyway, back to our herbs. So what can you tell me about them please? 

Uhm, the Bay protects the wearer from illness, curses, demonic possession, and lightning strikes. 

Always useful. 

It's a slow growing plant and is seen as noble and it brings success. If you eat enough of it, you can enter a trance like state conductive to divination, placing it under your pillow hopes your dreams reveal the future, and it's also believed baterries carry the souls of wood nymphs. 

Yeah, that's right. And what about rays? Three because I know it's good for memory. As Shakespeare wrote in Hammett, let's raise me. That's for remembrance. Free you love remember? 

Well, it's traditionally used in funeral ceremonies putting their deceased soul at ease and ensuring they will never be forgotten. Again, it was off evil. 

Perfect, so why have we got Rosemary and Bay? 

To protect us or to maybe enhance our powers as well. 

That's right, yes, they are linked to the fire element, which is your element. I think we should be using them to charge our pure want. So do you want to put them in the pestle mortar please and just? Start mixing them up just the Bay and the. 

Rosemary or everything, not the other pieces you don't know. 

What magical effect? That will have nipping heck. 

Oh OK, no carrot, no carrot. 

Oh yeah, no. Because like how you don't want to miss that. Your wand. 

Razmi yeah all of it. I'm nervous, I put all the Bay in, but I'm leaving a bit of Rosemary just in case it can. 

Got it. 

Like if it's whole, it awards off the people. 

A bit more. Many plants really do seem to have magical properties. They're used for healing, easing pain and illness, and some water course hallucinations. And a concoction of various plants may have actually been used to help witches fly. Right, OK, that's good. So now you've charged up your wand with the magical power of the fire herbs. Yeah, OK as I was saying, there's a concoction of herbs that was believed to help witches fly. 

Yeah, in 1458 a man called Abraham the Jew published an account of flying. He'd been given an ointment by a witch in Linz, Austria and told it to spread it over his post points. He soon had the sensation of flying through the air to his desired destination. His senses must have been must have become clouded as he found himself waking on the floor beside the witch. Curious, he asked her to use the ointment whilst he watched. She did so and collapsed motionless for several hours. 

And So what do you think can which is really fly or? 

What do you think was going on there? It's a dream. It's like a hallucination, anything. 

I've actually found a recipe for flying ointment and you can apply it to inanimate objects to persuade flight, but if it comes in contact with your skin, it's toxic or hallucinogenic and you need one part aconite juice, you need deadly nightshade fruits. You need fresh moonwort fonts and then use four parts base plus water. 

OK. 

Please don't make this recipe at home as we are trained magic practician. 

Deadly Nightshade is a dangerous toxic plant. I repeat a dangerous toxic plant. Do not use it. 

That's right. Yeah, do you not use it and it's heavily associated with witchcraft and they say that the plant is actually the property of the devil and he tends to the bushes at night. Do you know what else which is added to the ointment to help it be absorbed into skin, uhm? Yeah, well fat. 

Fonts OK. 

They would use the fat of infants. 

And that's why I'm wearing the magical divine phallus. 

That is, and they preferred babies who hadn't been baptised as their sole, was still in limbo, and we've got a winter coat here from a 1608 witch hunters manual compendium, Maleficarum. And if you have a look at it closely, you'll see a small child being wasted in. 

The flames, yeah it's. 

Delightful, isn't it? Many tales of flying which is. Have them attending Sabbath. And surely the only place to hold a Sabbath is in a very powerful location. And for the perfect spell, we also need such a location somewhere where magic is leaking into our realm. 

And we recently visited a known site of witchcraft in Guernsey during the 1600s. We are down at raw Cane Bay at La Curphey dolmen, which you might have remembered if you're an old list now from the first episode. 

There's actually a small Fort near here called Fort Grey, which was named after the first out of Grey. He was the Governor of Guernsey from 1797 to 1807, and his son the second hour of Grey is probably what the famous teas named after what we're actually down here. Because it's a old police are power, isn't it? Must be lots of magic here and back in the 1600s. This was an important place for which is. It's a meeting place for. And they actually met the devil himself here in 1886. John Linwood Pitts released a book called Witchcraft and Devil on the Channel Islands and he actually translated several counts of witchcraft and which happened on the island. 

The trials he recounts state from the 1600s and many mentioned this very headland, where they see the power of the Atlantic Ocean crashes upon this shore. 

And let's go into another story. So it's the 4th of July 1617 and collecting wants. Her daughter and Isabel Bueckert. They were actually sentenced to death for witchcraft and the official court records mentioned that there was clear evidence that for many years the women had practised the diabolical art of witchcraft. By having not only cast their spells upon inanimate objects, but also having retained a language through strange diseases and also cruelly hurt a great number of men, women and children, and caused the death of many animals. 

This is why I don't want to go into the door window. 

Yeah, if he's I think that's where some of the rituals happened and also down at the Fort that we mentioned earlier there was an old militia fought there, which is in a state of disrepair, and this would be when the two places in this headland where the witches would actually perform their dark hearts. But as you know, what's the only way to get confession out of a witch? Yeah, so they tortured them and then under confession when the witches said. 

She said the devil first appeared to her in a form of a cat one day when she was returning from her cattle and encouraged her to take revenge on her neighbours. Other times he appeared as a dog and said she should kill those who. Had angered her. 

Yeah, so the devil. He would actually appear as dogs or hares or sometimes gates and all different animals. And but how they really got their powers when he invited them to this Sabbath. And this is when they would come visit him on dark evenings in locations such as where we are now, and often when their husbands were away at sea fish. 

Women would be given a black ointment by the devil which they would rub on their belly. Then the moment they stepped out of their house, they would be carried through the air at great speed to rakhain. 

Yeah, so can you see any at the moment? 

Thankfully not, unless the devil is in a no bad form. 

It could well be, but it's actually my sunny day at the moment. This is why we've come down now, not at the middle of the night. Although it is nearly Halloween and I can actually feel the veil between the world's kind of weakening. Can you? I'm scared, let's step towards the dolmen now. Now there could be as many as 15 witches or Wizards present and many devils in the form of cats and dogs and hares, and they would dance to perform other acts. So let's go inside. 

I don't want to. They also ate and drank wine, which wasn't meant to be a very good quality, apparently, but there was never any salt. 

Yeah, it's odd. They mentioned the wine in a couple of cases saying it was poor quality, but this actually reminds me of the eating of bread and wine like Holy Communion so you could see it as a corruption of that ritual. 

The witches were given a black powder which they'd throw over anything or anybody they wanted to cause harm to. 

That's right, yeah. So we're going into the domain now. See could you imagine them all? Kind of dancing in here like the flipping flames and candlelight and think of the different smells and everything that was going on. I mean, it must be in quite a scary event and you could see the power coming from them. I'll just bump my head on the top of the Dome and that's how tall I am. Yeah, now there's actually the Royal Court record records their punishment. As such. It has been ordered by the court that these said women shall be presently conducted with halters about their next to the usual place of punishment, and shall there be fastened by the executioner to a gallows and be hanged. Strangled, killed and burnt until their flesh and bones are reduced to ashes, and the ashes shall be scattered, and all their goods chattels, and the states, if any shall exist, shall be fortified to His Majesty. So you can see why this would be a good location for us to find the power to make our ultimate spell this episode. 

I'm so scared I don't want. 

Why is that? Do you actually feel something coming from the domain itself? 

It's just dark. 

But we've been here before was isn't this the one the fairy door? 

Yeah, if you want to hear the story about that I think was episode one. 

Yeah, one or two yeah. OK so should we go back out into the sunlight now where we feel a little bit safer. Now I find these stories of flying ointment really interesting, and there's similar stories from many countries, including here in Guernsey. I want to know how did what is seen as such a dark and dangerous practise? How did that spread so wide? And how did it get to somewhere? Like burns in it. 

They clearly flew on their finger sticks. 

Now after our recording, we actually had some bad luck, didn't we? And I think we may have been caught. 

Yeah, because our car broke down. 

Yeah, we're driving back home and there's some bunk and it stopped working. Was a black cat came to the door our French doors as well. Now that we've found there's definitely a really powerful place of magic quite near us, do you want to go there? And perform our spell no. 

It's too scary. 

OK. 

Look, we're not getting even more bad luck. 

That's fine, so I think there's probably enough magic on this island and it's near Halloween, so I think we should be able to harness that. So what else do we need? So we've checked the stars so we understand our fate. Yours is probably good. Mine is really bad. Uhm, we've got. Well, you've got a protective Talisman. You've got a powerful wand, and our location is probably OK. So what else do? 

We need, ah, magical. 

Books, yeah, Magic Books is a vital part of Spellcraft. And there are some kept not very far from our current location. They are known as the black books. 

Done, done. 

I actually remember hearing about these from my friends at school. When I was about. Your age they are dark, powerful books full of evil. One was actually used near where we recorded that the past is grave the other day. And not far from the curphey there's a island called Leo, just off the case, and you can actually reach there by a Causeway. At late I'd and on the island there's the ruins to an old monk Priory. And the story goes that in the past, but in the 1600s, the head monk, he was more interested in the black books than he. Was in the Bible. And one day he crossed over the Causeway to gansey with a servant who was carrying the Grand Albert, which is the larger of the two black books and his servant. He had distinct instructions not to open it. Now there prior he actually spent the day discussing an incantation to the devil with a priest over here and gansey. He was equally interested in the dark hearts. Then as evening fell the prior he had to return to leave before the tide came up. But the CR still very very far off because it was a spring tide and the monkey. Got half way across the Causeway by the time his servant reached the start of it and he was lagging far behind his countless heavy book, supplying an opportunity to look inside the forbidden tomb, he sat on a rock and. Opened it and as he did, he felt the crackle and darkness surge into his very being and the corrupting forces disrupting his soul. His voice boomed. A demonic frenzy as the word sparked of his lips. May there seereisen cover the land? The anger of the waves consume all those who trespass and poseidons domain. I demand in the name of the devil himself that I'd swallow the Causeway. And with that that waters rose, the monk called out to him to stop to read the spell backwards, but he was taken by the sea. 

Oh my God. 

He's not the only dark monk to visit these shores, either. Do you remember Eustace, the Black Monk from upside 20? Yes, he was in Necromancer and regarded as one of the most powerful practitioners of the dark arts and make sure you. Listen to that episode. 

The black books are meant to be impossible to destroy. There is a story of a local wizard called Mr Saar who wanted rid of these books. He took them to the beach 1 low tide, dug a large hole in the sand and buried them happy. He wiped the sand off his hands and went home, but when he returned, sitting on his kitchen table were the very books he just tried to bury, clean and dry. 

That's right, and they can't be destroyed by fire either. 

No, my my ability. 

Yeah, it's thinking that well, we we want to use these books. And there's another tale of a copy of them being thrown. On a fire and. Uhm watched as they burnt and the pages shrivelled only to magically reappear on the bookshelf the moment the person bone them turned around. 

O the only way to stop them coming back is to bury them with the owner when they die. 

Yeah, that's quite a common idea with magical books. And getting rid of them. 

So wait, does that mean we have to bury them with Granny evil witch? 

And I think she's got any. Then he's not evil, she's a. 

Good witch yeah sorry I kind of mixed up my words as meant to say good. 

Yeah, easy mistake to make. 

I'm scared. 

So do you think we should try and acquire a copy of these books? 

OK. 

So we have to break into the museum down the road then. 

All right, we're back. 

Yeah, that didn't go very well. So do we have enough things to? Begin our spell. 

I think. So we've got our protection. We've read our star signs. We know about the herbs I've got, my wand, we've gone to the places of power we've just read about the books. I've got my all important divine farnace, so I think we're good to. 

Go fantastic so we just need to spell. Now I was hoping to summon a little imp to help us out around the house. Maybe look for treasure and probably edit podcast episodes as well. But I couldn't find a spell for that and I think it really smell bad. I mean, you're bad enough. And so instead I thought we would summon a banshee. 

That's scarier. 

Yeah, do you know what banshees are? Well Banshee, their best name from Irish folklore, but there are also stories of Banshee like entities from Normandy and the General Islands where we are were historically part of Normandy. Now Banshee is a woman of the Fairy Mound, and their appearance heralds the death of a family member. You'll first be made aware of their presence when you hear a frightening screaming and wailing sound. Now my plan is we summon one and then we bind it under our control and we use it as an early warning system. So if it seems we know we're in danger, OK, does that sound good? 

Yeah, I'm I'm terrified now. 

OK, now if everything goes wrong. They're usually pretty small, so I thought we can probably overpower it and you can use your. 

And put it in a jar. Oh my ones, OK? 

Wand and put energy. Yeah yeah, you put in jars well. It's brilliant there. Yeah, so we've got our Pentangle on the floor already and the candles all lit around it. Now I hope that this doesn't go wrong though is I don't want this to be the last time that you ever hear us. If it is, please leave a review in our memories and thank you very much for listening. 

And if it isn't, do it. 

Anyway, exactly yeah and follow some Twitter and everywhere as well. And tell your friends. Or better spell on you. 

OK, OK, is this why this podcast is turned to? 

So he nervous. It is, yeah. 

I see anyway, we're going to make headlines. 

It is I love making headlines. Won't be the first time. Anyway, are you nervous? 

Yes scared. 

Perfect now, let's begin then. Now remember, please do not try this at home. O Anton, can you light the candle? 

I can try. All right, I've let it great work. 

OK, so you want to begin by burning some sage. 

OK. Am I doing that, yeah. 

We're doing magic. Of course you're doing it. 

Where do I? How do I? Do it, just Chuck it. In the candle track it just throw it in the candle literally just or should I hover right? 

Yeah, try not to put the flame out though. Now Sage it's known to expel negative energies and malevolent spirits as well as clearing the mind to aid focus. It's the perfect way to start. Is the candle still lit? 

Just about 

OK, fantastic. 

Now I'm hiking sounds nice. 

Now I want you to make a circle of salt on the floor. OK, this is our ritual space. The salt will. Form a protective barrier holding the banshee in place. 

OK. 

Next, sprinkles and cinnamon, which we should have in the table in front of you into the flame now. Cinnamon speeds up spells, particularly they use using the fire element so it should turbocharger wand, a little spark a bit as well. There we go beautiful. Real magic happening there, that's fantastic. 

This is amazing. When I thought it speeds up the throes of the fire, I thought it's just going to like set everything on fire. 

Anyway, So what we're performing here is ritual magic. Now this really gained momentum during the Renaissance, when Arabic books and magic were translated into Latin. They mixed elaborate diagrams, mathematics, alchemy, astrology into complex ceremonies and rituals. In the 16th century there cultist Simon Forman had a copy of one such book called The Picatrix, which can now be found in the British Library. He used its powers for many purposes, including helping a patient who was thrust with a leap year into his preview parts. 

Clearly didn't have a divine phallus no. Maybe I divided palace. 

Yes, yeah. I I don't know if it's in this book as well, but so informing he also had a recipe for making pigeon slippers a pigeon would slit and applied onto the soul of each foot. Not quite sure what that cured, but something. 

I mean, it definitely cure embarrassment like Steve's. 

Not at all. Or the pitch? You will seek your demand possessed by a spirit that always caused him to shout, gets minars to passerbys. Now another tool that would be commonly used word Jupiter squares and I've got one here. From 1651, and it's a four by four grid of numbers, which in any direction add up to 34. Now, I don't actually know how to use them, but what harm could it do? Say maybe we should just say a couple of the numbers out loud. 

OK, just any of those. 16612 ten 

Beautiful. Can you feel the tension on the power really rising in? The room now yes. Fantastic. OK, so I've got our spell ready here and it's from a, uh, powerful occult work called how to protect yourself from black magic and send curses back to the sender tenfold. Only, not a clickbait title that one. We need to start by entering a doorway through which the Banshee can enter. We will then ask the Banshee to release our pain and send it back to those who magically attack us and wish us ill. So you ready? I will start the. Thing to have your wand ready please. Yeah, OK, so you need to be putting your power into the Pentangle on the. Floor OK. It maybe dip it in the flame for a second to charge up from the cinnamon. Dip it back into the herbs. Are you ready, yeah? OK, I can smell all coming into me now. This is fantastic.