Devil worship, black magic, and witchcraft have long captivated anthropologists as well as the general public. In this volume, Jean La Fontaine explores the intersection of expert and lay understandings of evil and the cultural forms that evil assumes. The chapters touch on public scares about devil-worship, misconceptions about human sacrifice and the use of body parts in healing practices, and mistaken accusations of children practicing witchcraft. Together, these cases demonstrate that comparison is a powerful method of cultural understanding, but warns of the dangers and mistaken conclusions that untrained ideas about other ways of life can lead to.

An interdisciplinary study of the supernatural and the occult in fin-de-siècle France (1870-1914), the present volume examines the explosion of interest in devil-worship, magic and mysticism both from an historical perspective and through analysis of key literary works of the period.

This grimoire is excellent for those new to the subject and also for the serious Satanist who wishes to deepen their knowledge, enhance their path and get a fresh view on Satanism and the practice of Traditional Witchcraft, how it can be used and incorporated into everyday personal workings. Satanism is the most misunderstood path and the path of the Spiritual Satanist is even more blackened with ignorance. Within these pages you will find hidden truth revealed about the misrepresented path of Traditional Orthodox Satanism and you will learn what it is to ride the serpent down the Devil's Road. Traditional Satanic Witchcraft the way of the Satanic Witch who can be either male or female, spiritual, traditional or religious. Satan's Sabbats, blood ritual & sacrifice, Satanic Creation theory, directory of the Infernal, working with Candles, Satanic chakra and meditation workings and attuning with the natural energy currents of the Earth are only a small part of what Natural Satanic Witchcraft is about. This volume is the first in a 3 part serious that is meant to open the gateway into the realm of the Current 616. Note: as a bonus the last section of this grimoire includes Ms.Ravenmoon's first published book "Gems of the Adversary" What you will find within these pages is a refreshing view on Satanism which will be a pleasant surprise for most readers

"Unseen Worlds offers a totally new Pastoral approach. Bernhard Udelhoven presents both a framework how pastoral care can rescue those who are afflicted by spirits, witchcraft and demons, and he presents numerous case studies and practical examples. These cases are often matters of death or life. Experience teaches that the possession by demons always is closely connected with and related to problems on an interpersonal level. Consequently, the core point of Udelhoven's approach is to thoroughly study and heal the frictions in these relationships. For me as a professional counsellor Udelhoven's path to healing coincides very often with methods developed in modern schools of psychology. The importance of his findings and proposals should not be underestimated. This book is a must for every pastoral agent." Dr Toni Görtz, MISSIO By building on cultural and relational experiences of life, UNSEEN WORLDS provides a new entry into the deliverance ministry. It goes beyond quick fixes and also beyond the timeworn divide of the superstitious versus the real. Religious beliefs in spiritual evil affect World Christianity in fundamental ways. This is true also in African settings, where the unseen world comes with a maze of pastoral problems for Christian communities and their pastors, which this book takes up: A person-centered approach for helping people who are or who feel attacked by spiritual forces (Catholic and ecumenical ministry in multi-cultural settings). Case studies from Zambia demonstrate how a pastor can help with simple but meaningful steps even in very complex cultural situations. Readers ready to be challenged by relational experiences of life and African notions of selfhood will find an easy entry into the theme of this book that goes beyond the timeworn divide of the "real" versus the "superstitious". The book has been developed in dialogue with theologians, historians, psychologists, anthropologists, traditional healers, pastoral teams with extensive experience in the ministry of deliverance, and - most of all - with affected families, the subject group of the book. Its person-centred method is applicable beyond Africa to multi-cultural settings, where different ideas about the occult stay side by side. Gap filled by the book: The reader will find concrete pastoral steps towards a deliverance ministry that work with African insights into the mysteries of life, not against them. The authentic case studies show the complexities of the deliverance ministry, which are rarely noticed in the available "prayer manuals" in which demons are but prayed away. How will the book be read? The book covers seven topical themes: The first draws out the successes and failures of mainstream, inculturation and charismatic approaches of combating evil spiritual forces in Africa on the example of Christian Zambia. The second outlines the principles of the person-centred approach, with its demands of listening and empathy, and introduces the notions of "inner worlds" and "outer worlds" through which the healer/pastor can clarify different levels of truths and the scope for public action. The next three themes deal with helping people who are or see themselves as victims of spirits, witchcraft, and Satanism. Another theme concerns helping people who stand accused as witches, looking at possible interventions from the time that rumours are expressed up to the time that suspicions turn into witch-hunting. The last part introduces biblical and theological concerns that give a place to people's own experiences with the unseen world.

How the persecution of witches reflected the darker side of the central social, political, and cultural developments of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This is the first book to consider the general course and significance of the European witch craze of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries since H.R. Trevor-Roper’s classic and pioneering study appeared some fifteen years ago. Drawing upon the advances in historical and social-science scholarship of the past decade and a half, Joseph Klaits integrates the recent appreciations of witchcraft in regional studies, the history of popular culture, anthropology, sociology, and psychology to better illuminate the place of witch hunting in the context of social, political, economic and religious change. “In all, Klaits has done a good job. Avoiding the scandalous and sensational, he has maintained throughout, with sensitivity and economy, an awareness of the uniqueness of the theories and persecutions that have fascinated scholars now for two decades and are unlikely to lose their appeal in the foreseeable future.” —American Historical Review “This is a commendable synthesis whose time has come . . . fascinating.” —The Sixteenth Century Journal “Comprehensive and clearly written . . . An excellent book.” —Choice “Impeccable research and interpretation stand behind this scholarly but not stultifying account.” —Booklist “A good, solid, general treatment.” —Erik Midelfort, C. Julian Bishko Professor Emeritus of History and Religious Studies, University of Virginia “A well written, easy to read book, and the bibliography is a good source of secondary materials for further reading.” —Journal of American Folklore

The author of Magic and Masculinity explores the history and development of magic and witchcraft in Western society. Broomsticks, cauldrons, familiars, and spells—magic and witchcraft conjure a vivid picture in our modern-day imagination. While much of our understanding is rooted in superstition and myth, the history of magic and witchcraft offers a window into the past. It illuminates the lives of ordinary people in the past and elucidates the fascinating pop culture of the premodern world. Blowing away folkloric cobwebs, this enlightening new history dispels many misconceptions surrounding witchcraft and magic that we still hold today. From Ancient Greece and Rome to the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Era, historian Frances Timbers details the impact of Christianity and popular culture in the construction of the figure of the “witch.” The development of demonology and ceremonial magic is combined with the West’s troubled past with magic and witchcraft to chart the birth of modern Wiccan and Neopagan movements in England and North America. Witchcraft is a metaphor for oppression in an age in which persecution is an everyday occurrence somewhere in the world. Fanaticism, intolerance, prejudice, authoritarianism, and religious and political ideologies are never attractive. Beware the witch hunter!

Michelet's classic study of medieval hexes and spell-casting.

This book looks beyond single-factor interpretations to offer a far more nuanced view of why the Salem witch-hunt spiraled out of control. Rather than assigning blame to a single perpetrator, Ray assembles portraits of several major characters, each of whom had complex motives for accusing his or her neighbors. In this way, he reveals how religious, social, political, and legal factors all played a role in the drama.