Re: VMs: Stregheria mini-bibliography....

[Pamela Richards <spirlhelix@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi, Nick

How about some older sources which show the typical
European use of "black magic?"  That is, magic which
relies on borrowing the powers popularly referred to
as evil spirits, traditionally known as "witchcraft".

Church-(and royalty-)sanctioned astrologers had to be
careful not to appear to cross the line and appear to
perform more than white magic--natural magic, which
utilized astrology to time rituals and collected
appropriate items of nature along with the operator's
own ability to align himself with the forces of the
movements of the planets to bring about his intended
effects.  Ficino used this form of astrological magic.
  

Use of spirits to carry out the operator's intentions
was considered black magic and was grounds for a trial
for heresy, witchcraft, or treason.  Royalty tended to
be paranoid about this form of magic and were known to
persecute its practitioners heavily.

The books below would be useful material for contrast
or comparison with Strega material: 

_The Picatrix_ 1000 AD, author not named

This is a book about the mansions of the moon (not the
same as the phases of the moon) and how they are used
in magic.

_The Three Books of Occult Philosophy_ by Cornelius
Agrippa 1531

_The Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy_ attributed to
Cornelius Agrippa and published approximately 30 years
post mortem in 1563

_The Key of Solomon_ This is a grimoire, or book of
spells attributed to Solomon.  Dated to the sixteenth
century, although it was passed down in manuscript
form until its first publication in the 18th century.

_The Malleus Mallificarum_ by Heinrich Kramer and
James Sprenger 1486

Warmly,

Pam 


--- Nick Pelling <nickpelling@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hi everyone,
> 
> (1) "Aradia: Gospel of the Witches" Charles G.
> Leland (Phoenix Publishing, 
> 1990; orig. 1890)
> 
> (2) "Witchcraft: The Old Religion" Dr. Leo Martello
> (Citadel Press, 1973)
> 
> (3) "Italian Witchcraft: The Old Religion of
> Southern Europe" Raven 
> Grimassi [note that this is an updated version of
> the same author's "Ways 
> of the Strega"]
> 
> (4) "Ecstasies : Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath",
> Carlo Ginzburg (2004)
> 
> (5) "The Night Battles: Witchcraft and Agrarian
> Cults in the Sixteenth and 
> Seventeenth Centuries"
> Carlo Ginzburg, Anne Tedeschi (1992)
> 
> (6) "Witches & Neighbors: The Social and Cultural
> Context of European 
> Witchcraft", Robin Briggs (1998)
> 
> And see also Jacob Burckhardt's:-
>
http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/hst/european/TheCivilizationoftheRenaissanceinItaly/chap47.html
> 
> Cheers, .....Nick Pelling.....
> 
> PS: is there anything obvious missing from this
> list?
> 
> 
>
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=====
"I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing, than to teach ten thousand stars how not to dance."

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