Thomas Waters
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780300221404
- eISBN:
- 9780300249453
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300221404.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This book unveils the enduring power of witchcraft, curses, and black magic in modern times. Few topics are so secretive or controversial. Yet, whether in the 1800s or the early 2000s, when disasters ...
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This book unveils the enduring power of witchcraft, curses, and black magic in modern times. Few topics are so secretive or controversial. Yet, whether in the 1800s or the early 2000s, when disasters struck or personal misfortunes mounted, many Britons found themselves believing in things they had previously dismissed — dark supernatural forces. The book explores the lives of cursed or bewitched people, along with the witches and witch-busters who helped and harmed them. It takes us on a fascinating journey from Scottish islands to the folklore-rich West Country, from the immense territories of the British Empire to metropolitan London. We learn why magic caters to deep-seated human needs but see how it can also be abused, and discover how witchcraft survives by evolving and changing. Along the way, the book examines an array of remarkable beliefs and rituals, from traditional folk magic to diverse spiritualities originating in Africa and Asia. This is a tale of cynical quacks and sincere magical healers, depressed people and furious vigilantes, innocent victims and rogues who claimed to possess evil abilities. Their spellbinding stories raise important questions about the state's role in regulating radical spiritualities, the fragility of secularism and the true nature of magic.Less
This book unveils the enduring power of witchcraft, curses, and black magic in modern times. Few topics are so secretive or controversial. Yet, whether in the 1800s or the early 2000s, when disasters struck or personal misfortunes mounted, many Britons found themselves believing in things they had previously dismissed — dark supernatural forces. The book explores the lives of cursed or bewitched people, along with the witches and witch-busters who helped and harmed them. It takes us on a fascinating journey from Scottish islands to the folklore-rich West Country, from the immense territories of the British Empire to metropolitan London. We learn why magic caters to deep-seated human needs but see how it can also be abused, and discover how witchcraft survives by evolving and changing. Along the way, the book examines an array of remarkable beliefs and rituals, from traditional folk magic to diverse spiritualities originating in Africa and Asia. This is a tale of cynical quacks and sincere magical healers, depressed people and furious vigilantes, innocent victims and rogues who claimed to possess evil abilities. Their spellbinding stories raise important questions about the state's role in regulating radical spiritualities, the fragility of secularism and the true nature of magic.
George M. Young
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199892945
- eISBN:
- 9780199950577
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199892945.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter discusses elements from Russia’s esoteric tradition that reappear in new form in the writings of the Cosmists. Topics include the search for “Deep Wisdom” in medieval Russia; popular ...
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This chapter discusses elements from Russia’s esoteric tradition that reappear in new form in the writings of the Cosmists. Topics include the search for “Deep Wisdom” in medieval Russia; popular superstition and folk magic; alchemy, Freemasonry, and Rosicrucianism during and after the time of Peter the Great; Theosophy, Anthroposophy, and other nineteenth- and twentieth-century esoteric movements.Less
This chapter discusses elements from Russia’s esoteric tradition that reappear in new form in the writings of the Cosmists. Topics include the search for “Deep Wisdom” in medieval Russia; popular superstition and folk magic; alchemy, Freemasonry, and Rosicrucianism during and after the time of Peter the Great; Theosophy, Anthroposophy, and other nineteenth- and twentieth-century esoteric movements.
William L. Davis
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- May 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781469655666
- eISBN:
- 9781469655680
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469655666.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
Chapter One contextualizes Joseph Smith's use of a "seer stone" to compose the Book of Mormon within contemporary folk magic practices, the philosophies of Western esotericism, and Christian ...
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Chapter One contextualizes Joseph Smith's use of a "seer stone" to compose the Book of Mormon within contemporary folk magic practices, the philosophies of Western esotericism, and Christian occultism. The seer stone (sometimes described as a "Urim and Thummim") represented one of several folk magic practices that the Smith family pursued, most notably in relation to "money digging" or treasure hunting with mystical objects as guides. Such mystical pursuits entangled esoteric thought with religious efforts to discover God's mysteries, and Smith's practices reflected this magical worldview.Less
Chapter One contextualizes Joseph Smith's use of a "seer stone" to compose the Book of Mormon within contemporary folk magic practices, the philosophies of Western esotericism, and Christian occultism. The seer stone (sometimes described as a "Urim and Thummim") represented one of several folk magic practices that the Smith family pursued, most notably in relation to "money digging" or treasure hunting with mystical objects as guides. Such mystical pursuits entangled esoteric thought with religious efforts to discover God's mysteries, and Smith's practices reflected this magical worldview.
William L. Davis
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- May 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781469655666
- eISBN:
- 9781469655680
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469655666.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
The introduction situates Joseph Smith's oral composition of the Book of Mormon within the religious and rhetorical culture of early nineteenth-century America. In an extended oral performance, Smith ...
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The introduction situates Joseph Smith's oral composition of the Book of Mormon within the religious and rhetorical culture of early nineteenth-century America. In an extended oral performance, Smith gazed into a seer stone and dictated the Book of Mormon to his scribes. The study focuses on orality, oral performance, and the oral composition techniques that Smith used to dictate the work. The introduction also includes a brief summary of the Book of Mormon narratives, along with a discussion on the academic framework for understanding seer stones in the context of Western esotericism and folk magic.Less
The introduction situates Joseph Smith's oral composition of the Book of Mormon within the religious and rhetorical culture of early nineteenth-century America. In an extended oral performance, Smith gazed into a seer stone and dictated the Book of Mormon to his scribes. The study focuses on orality, oral performance, and the oral composition techniques that Smith used to dictate the work. The introduction also includes a brief summary of the Book of Mormon narratives, along with a discussion on the academic framework for understanding seer stones in the context of Western esotericism and folk magic.
Sera L. Young
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231146098
- eISBN:
- 9780231517898
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231146098.003.0004
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health
There are a number of places in which earth is ingested or topically applied because of its purported religious properties. This chapter presents stories of modern-day religious geophagy from around ...
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There are a number of places in which earth is ingested or topically applied because of its purported religious properties. This chapter presents stories of modern-day religious geophagy from around the world, in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and hoodoo folk magic. Although it may at first seem tangential to the main storyline, since religiously prescribed geophagy is not pica, the healing properties frequently ascribed to earth allude to the potential curative powers of geophagy. They also help shift geophagic earth away from its lingering “dirty” connotations; in many of the examples in this chapter, earth is considered pure and holy.Less
There are a number of places in which earth is ingested or topically applied because of its purported religious properties. This chapter presents stories of modern-day religious geophagy from around the world, in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and hoodoo folk magic. Although it may at first seem tangential to the main storyline, since religiously prescribed geophagy is not pica, the healing properties frequently ascribed to earth allude to the potential curative powers of geophagy. They also help shift geophagic earth away from its lingering “dirty” connotations; in many of the examples in this chapter, earth is considered pure and holy.
