| MYTHOLOGY
OF NECROMANCY
|
There are also many references to necromancers,
called "bone-conjurers", in the Bible.
The Book of Deuteronomy (XVIII 9–12) explicitly
warns the Israelites against the Canaanite practice
of divination from the dead. This warning was not
always heeded: King Saul has the Witch of Endor
invoke the shade of Samuel using a magical amulet,
for example. Later Christian writers rejected the
idea that humans could bring back the spirits of
the dead, and interpreted such shades as disguised
demons, thus conflating necromancy with demon-summoning.
Proof for the common knowledge of necromancy and
belief in its power is also evident in the New Testament.
Others in the court believed Jesus to be Elijah,
another deceased prophet. This account is written
in Christian Canonical Scriptures, mainly the book
of Mark, chapter 6:14-16. “King Herod heard
about this, for Jesus' name had become well known.
Some were saying, ‘John the Baptist has been
raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous
powers are at work in him.’ Others said, ‘He
is Elijah.’ And still others claimed, ‘He
is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.’
But when Herod heard this, he said, ‘John,
the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”
Caesarius of Arles (Kors and Peters, 48) entreats
his audience to put no stock in any demons, or “Gods”
other than the Christian God, even if the working
of spells appears to provide benefit. He states
that demons only act with divine permission, and
permitted by God to test Christian people. Caesarius
does not condemn man here; he only states that the
art of necromancy exists, although it is prohibited
by the bible.
The True Art of Scrying
Scrying can be an auto-deepening trance process
that progresses in stages using tools such as a
crystal ball, or other medium. Initially, the medium
serves as a focus for the attention, removing unwanted
thoughts from the mind in the same way as a mantra.
Once this is achieved, the scryer begins a free
association with the perceived images suggested,
for instance in a crystal ball, by the tiny inclusions,
web-like faults and/or the cloudy glow within the
ball under low light (i.e. candlelight).
The technique of deliberately looking for and declaring
these initial images aloud, however trivial or irrelevant
they may seem to the conscious mind, is done with
the intent of deepening the trance state, wherein
the scryer hears their own disassociated voice affirming
what is seen within the concentrated state in a
kind of feedback loop. This process culminates in
the achievement of a final and desired end stage
in which visual images and dramatic stories seem
to be projected within the mind's eye of the scryer,
like an inner movie. This overall process reputedly
allows the scryer to "see" relevant events
or images within the chosen medium.
Scrying has been used for thousands of years by
different cultures. Ancient Egypt used scrying in
their Initiations. This included water scrying,
dream scrying, oil scrying, and mirror scrying.
One legend states that the goddess Hathor carried
a shield that could reflect back all things in their
true light. From this shield she allegedly fashioned
the first magic mirror to "see."
Ancient Persia -- the Shahnama, a semi-historical
epic work written in the late 10th century, gives
a description of what was called the Cup of Jamshid,
used in pre-Islamic Persia, which was used by wizards
and practitioners of the esoteric sciences for observing
all the seven layers of the universe.
Ancient Greeks and Celts practiced scrying using
beryl, crystal, black glass, polished quartz, water,
and other transparent or light catching bodies.
Nostradamus is believed to have employed a small
bowl of water as a scrying tool into which he gazed
and received images of future events. Alchemists
Edward Kelley and John Dee employed a form of scrying
using a small crystal ball or shewstone - a piece
of polished obsidion. The crystal ball and wax tablets
used by Dee and Kelley are on display at the British
Museum in London.
Scrying is the occult practice of using a medium,
most commonly a reflective surface or translucent
body, to aid perceived psychic abilities such as
clairvoyance. The media often used to "see"
are water, polished precious stones, crystal balls,
or mirrors. Scrying, in this context, uses a "visual"
process. There are some who believe the art of scrying
is not limited to the use of "reflective"
or "translucent" bodies only, but includes
other media. Scrying has been used in many cultures
as a means of seeing the past, present, or future;
in this sense scrying constitutes a form of divination.
It is believed that this particular black obsidian
mirror was used by Dee to communicate with the spirit
world. Sir Horace Walpole had acquired the mirror
in 1771, and had added a label to the case which
referred to the mirror as the ‘Black Stone
into which Dr Dee used to call his spirits…’.
It is believed that it is to this mirror that Samuel
Butler refers in the lines from ‘Hudibras’
where he writes -
Kelly did all his feats upon
The Devil’s looking-glass, a stone
Where, playing with him at bo-peep,
He solv’d all problems ne’er so deep.
More recent findings
The most darkest of all the infernal black arts
is necromancy, the most ancient method of communication
with the dead. For practicing this you are said
to be damned for all times by God.
The art of raising the dead and controlling their
spirits takes its name from Greek words meaning
"dead" and "divination".
Apart from the occult significance attached to
the obsidian mirror just by virtue of it belonging
to John Dee, research and discoveries of more modern
times show interesting facts. Obsidian is extrusive
igneous rock, i.e. a rock of volcanic origin. It
has been found by archaeological excavations to
have been used as weapons, cutting tools and for
ceremonial rituals. The presence of iron and magnesium
can give natural obsidian a dark green to black
colour. Obsidian is very similar to quartz in properties,
but with an absence of the piezoelectric and optical
properties associated with quartz, as it does not
have its own crystal structure. In modern times,
large obsidian mirrors ar being researched and used
for purposes of astrophysics. Some present day astrologers
believe black obsidian brings to the fore ones insecurities,
fears and ego and can cleanse them and they advocate
their use as meditation stones.
Dee remains as much a figure of controversy today
as he was when Mary Tudor came to the throne. His
magic and research both remain the subject of conflicting
views and opinions of later researchers. I myself
believe he was onto something pathbreaking. But
then, maybe its just because we share an initial,
a degree, professional occupations and occult interests.
Many medieval writers believed resurrection was
impossible without the assistance of the Christian
God. They translated the practice of divination
as conjuring demons who took the appearance of spirits.
The practice became known explicitly as demonic
magic and was condemned by the Roman Catholic Church,
(Kieckhefer 152). Though the practitioners of necromancy
were linked by many common threads, there is no
evidence that these necromancers were ever organized
as a group.
Medieval necromancy is believed to be a synthesis
of astral magic derived from Arabic influences and
exorcism derived from Christian and Jewish teachings.
Arabic influences are evident in rituals that involve
moon phases, sun placement, day and time. Fumigation
and the act of burying images are also found in
both astral magic and necromancy. Christian and
Jewish influences are found in the symbols and conjuration
formulas used in summoning rituals. (Kieckhefer
165-166)
Practitioners were often members of the Christian
clergy, though some nonclerical practitioners are
recorded. In some instances, mere apprentices or
those ordained to lower orders dabbled in the practice.
They were connected by a belief in the manipulation
of spiritual beings, (esp. demons), and magical
practices. These practitioners were almost always
literate and well educated. Most possessed basic
knowledge of exorcism and had access to texts of
astrology and demonology. Clerical training was
informal and admission to universities was rare.
Most were trained under apprenticeships and were
expected to have a basic knowledge of Latin, ritual
and doctrine. This education was not always linked
to spiritual guidance and seminaries were almost
nonexistent. This absence allowed some aspiring
clerics to combine Christian rites with occult practices
despite its condemnation in Christian doctrine.
(Kieckhefer 153-154)
Medieval practitioners believed they could accomplish
three things with necromancy: will manipulation,
illusions, and knowledge. Will manipulation affects
the mind and will of another person, animal, or
spirit. Demons are summoned to cause various afflictions
on others “to drive them mad, to inflame them
to love or hatred, to gain their favor, or to constrain
them to do or not do some deed,” (Kieckhefer,
158). Illusions involve reanimation of the dead,
food and entertainment, or conjuring a mode of transportation.
Knowledge is discovered through demons. Demons provide
information on various things including identifying
a criminal, finding items, or revealing future events.
The act of performing medieval necromancy usually
involved magic circles, conjurations, and sacrifices
as shown in the Munich Handbook. Circles were usually
traced on the ground, though cloth and parchment
were sometimes implemented. Various objects, shapes,
symbols, and letters may be drawn or placed within
that represent a mixture of Christian and occult
ideas. Circles were believed to empower and protect
what was contained within, including protecting
the necromancer from the conjured demons. Conjuration
is the method of communicating with the demons to
enter the physical world. It usually employs the
power of special words and stances to call out the
demons and often incorporated the use of Christian
prayers or biblical verses. These conjurations may
be repeated in succession or repeated to different
directions until the summoning is complete. Sacrifice
was the payment for summoning. Though it may involve
the flesh of a human being or animal, it could sometimes
be as simple as offering a certain object. Instructions
for obtaining these items were usually specific.
The time, location, and method of gathering items
for sacrifice could also play an important role
in the ritual. (Kieckhefer, 159-162)
The rare confessions of those accused of Necromancy
suggest that there was a range of spell casting
and the related magical experimentation. It is difficult
to determine if these details were due to their
practices, as opposed to the whims of their interrogators.
John of Salisbury is one of the first examples related
by Kieckhefer, but as a Parisian ecclesiastical
court record of 1323 shows, a “group who were
plotting to invoke the demon Berich from inside
a circle made from strips of cat skin,” were
obviously participating in the church’s definition
of “necromancy.” (Kieckhefer, 191)
Norse mythology also contains examples of necromancy
(Ruickbie, 2004:48), such as the scene in the Völuspá
in which Odin summons a seeress from the dead to
tell him of the future. In Grógaldr, the
first part of Svipdagsmál, the hero Svipdag
summons his dead Völva mother, Gróa,
to cast spells for him. In Hrólf Kraki's
saga, the half-elven princess Skuld was very skilled
in witchcraft (seiðr), and this to the point
that she was almost invincible in battle. When her
warriors fell, she made them rise again to continue
fighting.
Herbert Stanley Redgrove claims that necromancy
was one of three chief branches of medieval ceremonial
magic, the others being black magic and white magic
An Encyclopedia of Occultism states:
The art is of almost universal usage. Considerable
difference of opinion exists among modern adepts
as to the exact methods to be properly pursued in
the necromantic art, and it must be borne in mind
the necromancy, which in the Middle Ages was called
sorcery, shades into modern spiritualistic practice.
There is no doubt, however, that necromancy is the
touchstone of occultism, for if, after careful preparation
the adept can carry through to a successful issue,
the raising of the soul from the other world, he
has proved the value of his art.
The terms afterlife or life after death refer to
the continuation of existence of the soul, spirit
or mind of a human (or animal) after physical death,
typically in a spiritual or ghostlike afterworld.
Deceased persons are usually believed to go to a
specific region or plane of existence in this afterworld,
often depending on the rightness of their actions
during life. Some believe the afterlife includes
some form of preparation for the soul to be transferred
to another body (reincarnation). The major views
on the afterlife derive from religion, esotericism
and metaphysics. There are those who are skeptical
of the existence of the afterlife, or believe that
it is absolutely impossible, such as the materialist-reductionists,
who state that the topic is supernatural, therefore
does not really exist or is unknowable.
LISA LEE HARP WAUGH AND THE REAL
VOICES OF THE DEAD
The dead speak in many tones. If you listen to
EVP's and hear the sounds and many voices you know
they all sound different . It seems some ghosts
or spirits use normal sounds in any given area to
make their words heard.
Many
now a days use a form of Frank"s
Box or similar Necromantic equiment.
I have personally a Frank's Box knock off that
someone made for me and have been experimenting
with it recently.
"The spirits that come when called or sometimes
familiar to me and come and visit from the other
side on a regular basis." The same spirits
are now vocalizing on a Frank's Box I am experimenting
with at this time." Tells Waugh. " I do
a Ritual Of Necromancy then go back and review the
tapes film and video." "And have been
quite surprised to not only have one spirits in
the room and one on the Frank's
box carrying on a conversation between each other."
Frank's spirit receiver starts off with a standard
white noise generator which is fed through a random
voltage circuit of Frank's own design. The random
voltage is linked to an AM radio receiver which
reacts to the voltage by tuning to a specific spot
on the radio dial. This is known as voltage tuning
and is a common function of late 80s and early 90s
radio receivers. Though various radio stations are
turned in for a split second every so often along
with regular static, the devices also allows the
spirits to interact with the device and create their
own vocals through the receiver and for lack of
a better term, talk through the device.
A newer version of the box simply tunes back and
fourth through the AM band which Frank is calling
the "Sweep"method. At first, he believed
that the random voltage design is what allowed it
to work but after using the sweep method, he has
since changed his mind as it seems to do a better
job. Frank has made his plans available on the Internet
for anyone who is interested in experimenting with
his device. He also makes available his own receiver
plans for those who want to take it a step further
and create the entire box from start to finish.
Frank has created at least 30 versions of the box
to date and handed them to several individuals for
ongoing tests. The initial results have been pretty
positive and many people have experienced some kind
of communication which they would regard as evidence
that the box really works. Unfortunately, the difficult
part about Frank's design is his using the AM radio
band as the medium for receiving the voices. This
is one fact that makes it easy for any skeptic to
debunk the operation of his device. For starters,
the device will receive little snippets from various
radio stations as it scans through the AM band.
At any given minute the device could spew some various
words from passing stations that could be put together
as a sentence and claimed to be from a spirit when
in fact its just audio matrixing. Another possible
scenario includes a few parts from Radio Shack and
a couple of minutes of assembly could yield a small
yet powerful enough transmitter to broadcast over
the AM band and inject various words and phrases
into the box directly. Definite care should be taken
when operating the device to ensure the above scenarios
are not part of the equation. Using recorders and
other tools, such as an EMF detector, can help legitimize
the results. EMF detectors should be placed far
enough away as not to cause interference with the
box or produce false readings on the detector itself.
For many years Waugh worked exclusively with the
talented Medium Yvonne Brown until she moved to
Miami, Florida for her health.
Brown a gifted ghost hunter and medium does not
see or hear ghosts, she smells them. Read
More On Yvonne Brown here.
I Smell Dead People... I mean Ghosts!
Waugh
has also worked her Nercomantic pratice with
Gina Lanier in investigating
a real Texas haunted prison and hopes to work with
Lanier again in the near future. And
also withPARANOMAL EXPERT Craig Bottoms, AND the Great Mickey
Of Miami in Florida
investigating Hoodoo Voodoo Practices in the deep
south.
