With so many of us currently self-isolating, and a lot of us feeling a mixture of both worry about a literal pandemic and disappointment at cancellations and rescheduled plans - not to mention the possibility of creeping cabin fever - I wanted make some of my class-bundles more easily available. So here they are with a discount for the next month for everyone feeling stuck at home.
These class-bundles are downloadable one-off classes that give both an overview of a subject, and a number of primary and secondary sources that let students get a more in-depth understanding of it. They feature a recording of a long-form illustrated lecture, full scans of cited documents and literature - from pre-modern books of magic to treatises on occult philosophy and a variety of related sources - as well as bibliographies and recommended further reading lists, and supplementary supporting material - lecture notes, slides, and so on. They are each free-standing independent modules on a variety of topics drawn from my research and practices: from necromancy to cats, and from geomancy and planetary magic to cursing and humoural theory. I've broken them down with some introductions below. Feel free to drop me a line with any questions to consultantsorcerer[at]gmail.com. Enjoy!
Raising the Dead: A History of Early Modern British Necromancy
A self-contained one-off class on necromancy in early modern Britain (1500-1700), combining a long-form illustrated lecture with access to full scans of the thirteen primary sources cited and explored, with a full set of suggested reading to follow up this class. The material focuses on three main areas of necromancy: death, dying and funerary contexts in the early modern British Isles; the uses of corpses as spell components; and nigromancy, 'Geocie', witchcraft, and ghostlore.
A self-contained one-off class on occult perspectives and magical techniques for tattoo design and ritual, combining a long-form illustrated lecture with access to full scans of the pre-modern magical texts cited and explored, with a bibliography and full set of suggested reading to follow up this class.
Rediscovering Geomancy: An Oracle Of The Elements And Planets
A self-contained one-off class introducing the divinatory art of geomancy, and offering foundational teaching in how to start studying and reading this oracle. Consisting of almost two hours of illustrated lecture; copies of the lecture slides and notes; a range of full scans of geomancy handbooks from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; and a list of further recommended reading.
Planetary Sorcery 101: A Primer Of Seven Astrological Magics
A self-contained one-off class introducing the Seven Classical Planets, combining a two-hour long-form illustrated lecture with access to full scans of early modern primary sources on astrological magic, along with the illustrated slides and further recommended reading. No prior knowledge of astrology or magic is assumed.
Cat Magics: The Feline In Religion, Witchcraft & Sorcery
A self-contained one-off class package exploring the wealth of magic, folklore, mythology, and mysticism focused around cats; combining a 90-minute long-form illustrated lecture with access to full scans of pre-modern primary sources on the magic of cats, along with the illustrated slides and further recommended reading.
The Devil's Bath: Curse-Craft And Humoural Theory
A self-contained one-off class introducing the Four Humours of fiery choler, airy blood, watery phlegm, and earthy melancholy, and exploring how they can be manipulated to both heal and harm. This class-bundle combines a two-hour long-form illustrated lecture with downloads of full scans of twenty-three early modern primary sources on occult medicine, cunning-craft, cursing, witchcraft, astrological magic and physick, (including fully searchable txt files scans of these sources), along with the illustrated slides themselves, and a fairly extensive list further recommended reading. No prior knowledge of humoural theory or the Four Elements is assumed.