Customer Reviews

The Black Arts: A Concise History of Witchcraft, Demonology, Astrology, and Other Mystical Practices Throughout the Ages (Perigee)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is one of the best-written, most lucid accounts of black magic that I've read, and believe me, I've read a lot of them. I don't care if Cavendish believes a word of it, his review of what's what is fun.

Usually, the sceptics are too busy de-bunking, and the believers too busy being credulous, so the whole subject ends up being tedious. Unless, of course, you are determined to try some magic yourself, in which case, you will need all the credulity you can muster. Cavendish treats it all with a light hand, and gives a nice overview of the subject.

Have fun. Read this before you plunge into the study of the occult - it'll save you a lot of floundering around.

Being a natural cynic, i ordered this book more with the idea of picking holes in every single arguement it put forward, rather than as a serious interest of mine. When i recieved it, my first reaction was, " my god, what a cheezy cover!". Not being one to judge a book by the proverbial, however, i soon delved into the dubious pleasures inside... and was actually pleasantly surprised. Instead of preaching to the unconverted or unconvertable, Mr Cavendish has put forward a fine, well researched report into many different areas of the "black arts", from numerology to black magic, without sounding pretentious or subscribing to the usual "bow down to your master" playground psychology that these sort of authors usually find themselves hankering after. Hence he makes the book not only readable, but also very enjoyable, and in parts even made me wonder if there was more to all this mumbo-jumbo than first meets the eye. Well done, sir!

_The Black Arts_ by Richard Cavendish covers a great many topics dealing with the magical arts, particularly black magic. According to Cavendish, the primary motivating factor behind black magic is the hunger for power. This is expressed in the biblical story of the Garden of Eden in Genesis where the serpent tempts Adam and Eve by telling them that if they ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil they would be as gods. The traditional Christian perspective is that the black magician invokes demons or Satan himself and that his power comes from the Dark One. The magician however may believe that man and God are inseparable or that man can attain Godhood. The author begins by noting how magical principles operate, being based on the ideas of imitation, mimickry, and analogy. One fundamental principle believed in by most magicians is expressed by the phrase "as above, so below" meaning that the macrocosm is a reflection of the microcosm and vice versa. Indeed, it is in the writings attributed to the semi-mythical Hermes Trismegistus ("thrice-greatest Hermes") that this principle is most clearly expressed. In most traditional cultures, the left hand side is associated with evil, explaining why black magic is often regarded as the Left Hand Path among magicians. Cavendish next turns his attention to the modern magicians, including such figures as the notorious Aleister Crowley, Eliphas Levi, MacGregor Mathers, and A. E. Waite. The influence of secret societies such as the Golden Dawn and the O. T. O. of Crowley are explained and their role in the practices of these magicians is examined. Following this, Cavendish turns his attention to the mysteries of numbers and numerology. He explains how fortunes can be told by numbers associated with each letter in a name. The numbers 1 through 9 are given special meanings, along with the numbers 11 and 22. Cavendish also explains how numerology relates to cabbalism and the Tarot cards. Among the Hebrews, the practice of gematria, or assigning a number to each letter of a word, was common. This has been used to interpret various biblical passages. Cavendish also explains the "names of power", used by the magician to invoke spirits or to perform other magical rites. It was believed that a name holds special power over an entity, and the names of God, angels, and demons were especially powerful. The name of God was given to Moses in the Bible and is abbreviated as the four letter combination YHWH or the Tetragrammaton. But, some have suggested that God has a secret name which is not known (or even that the pronunciation of this secret name backwards may bring about the end of the world, or corresponds to the name of the Devil). The names of Jesus and Christ was also highly regarded by magicians. Cavendish next turns his attention to alchemy, including the making of the philosopher's stone, the turning of base metals such as lead into gold, and the search for the elixir of life. But, alchemy also had a more noble, spiritual purpose and the conversion of base metals into gold may be an allegory for the inner spiritual transformation of the alchemist. Following this, Cavendish discusses astrology (including natal astrology, mundane astrology, and astrology as applied to special events). Astrology is linked to numerology in many important ways, and each of the signs of the zodiac has a special interpretation. Cavendish next turns his attention to ritual magic. Here, he discusses the preparation of the magic circle, through which spirits cannot enter. He also discusses animal (and often human) sacrifice as a means to invoke spirits (or demons). The magician engages in a complicated rite which may involve various objects as well as the drawing of a pentagram or the Seal of Solomon in order to summon a spirit or demon to do his bidding. While performing this rite, the magician must remain within the magic circle at all times so that the entity called forth cannot interfere. Cavendish also discusses "the Lords of Darkness", the names of various demons which appear in various grimoires are often used by the magician to do his bidding. In addition, Cavendish mentions the practice of necromancy, in which the magician attempts to make contact with the dead, as well as the use of corpses and the creation of zombies in certain magical rites. Finally, Cavendish discusses "low magic" including the mandrake and various love spells. While the magician seeks to have demons and evil spirits do his bidding, the Satanist becomes servant of the Devil and does the bidding of his Dark Lord. Cavendish begins by discussing the origins of Satan in both the Old and New Testaments, including ancient Jewish tradition. Satan originally meant an "accuser", and his revolt against God may have been motivated by pride. Cavendish also mentions "the Watchers" from the Book of Enoch, who mated with the daughters of men and may have fallen because of their lust. Cavendish discusses Satanism, the outright rejection of God the Father and worship of Satan, as well as various heresies that arose out of Gnosticism. Cavendish next discusses witchcraft, distinguishing between scholars who believe that witchcraft actually existed in medieval Europe (including Margaret Murray who argued that witches represented a surviving pagan cult, and Montague Summers who argued that witches worshipped Satan) and those who rejected the reality of witchcraft. Cavendish explains the witches' Sabbat, the appearance of Satan to the witches in the form of a man or an animal such as a cat, a dog , or a goat, and the making of a pact with Satan. Cavendish also discusses the various magical uses to which the Roman Catholic mass has been put. He notes also the reality of the black mass, an attempt by Satanists to ape Christ, often involving orgies and human sacrifice. While much in this book should be taken with extreme caution, it offers a well-researched understanding of various magical practices throughout the ages.

Cavendish's book is interesting insofar as it comes from an unusual perspective for those writing about the so-called Black Arts. His Christian bias is obvious, and nearly all examples he gives are shown through a Christian filter, but--unlike so many others--he isn't preachy. He doesn't condemn or support any of the practices within the book--this isn't a how-to guide or a religious tract, after all--despite his constant returns to the subejct of devil- or demon-worship. The quality of writing is fair and stays reasonably engaging throughout. The chief failing of this book--aside from the bias and emphasis on demon-worship--is his attempt to cover so much material in so little space. The chapter on the Kabbalah is particularly confused and rushed. He brushes past a great number of important details and doesn't always elaborate on his own discussions enough for the reader to pick up on the key details necessary for understanding.

This is one of the ABSOLUTE BEST books ever written on the subject of how-to magic. My favorite sections are the ones on Alchemy and "Low Magic". My favorite spell is the Hand of Glory. Only problem is, this isn't like the old days when someone could just walk to a gallows and cut off a dead guy's hand... It is an alltogether creepy book. Anyone who wants to know a little bit about the arts of the Old Believers should just read this book. Just don't get too scared...

Cavedish presents a good overview of occultism in general and this is an excellent text for beginners. The Black Arts is in much the same vein as Bonewits' Real Magic, without being caustic. The material is somewhat dated, though the scholarship, insofar as a brief overview goes, is superlative. If nothing else, this book has superb aesthetic appeal on one's bookshelf to convey that sinister magician feel we all love.

Richard Cavendish wsa an Atheist, and that fact is critical to understanding this book.

As a secular person, Cavendish understood that the power of ritual was in its ability to focus attention and energy through the use of symbolic representations, and not in any alleged supernatural powers (e.g. actual demons, gods, devils, etc.).

This understanding is critical to Satanists and others seeking to use "low magic" (personal rituals) or "high magic" (public acts designed to create or direct opnions, attitudes, etc.). The ability to control others through the use of symbols (be they flags, images, words, religious icons, or other objects) is a source of great power to the Satanist who understands the proper use and application of symbolic acts.

Religion is nothing but lies and hypocrisy, claims Cavendish. Unlike Wiccans and other neo-pagans who make sanctimonius claims on par with Christians and Muslims concerning their supposed "goodness", a "black magicican" is honest enough to admit to himself (or herself in the case of a Witch) that the purposes of magic are to enhence one's own wealth, popwer, sex life, etc., and to bring about the destruction of opponents, and those who would deny the needs & desires of a Satanist.

This is an "unspiritual" book, free of the hypocritical nonsense and pious idiocy that fills most "witchcraft" books. Recommended as a companion to "The Satanic Bible" and other works by Anton S. LaVey.

This is a well-written and entertaining book that wears its very real scholarship lightly. It is a high level introduction to occult practices. A very enjoyable read.

This book is one of the most useful and facinating reads I've experienced. Well worth the full cover price; this book explores numerology, the origins of Satan, traditional devil-worship as envisioned by frightened christians, necromancy, and curses by the dozen!

Also includes love spells, charms, and stories of 18th & 19th century Black Mass ceremonies. Highly Recommended!

Many reviewers here -- occultists, or would-be occultists -- here have reviewed this as though it were a "how to" book. Only a few seem to have picked up on some rather heavy hints that the author's outlook of sorcery and sorcerers is not exactly flattering. But for the most part, Cavendish writes in a neutral tone, as befits a scientific work of history or sociology, which is how this work presents itself. Thus his own attitudes rarely intrude on the text, making it often hard to tell if he is a disapproving Christian, a disapproving modern rationalist, or a practicing occultist with a frank and unsentimental attitude towards his own dark philosophy. Regardless, it is very informative, and told with a sense of humor.

The author makes no effort to distinguish between "black magic" and "white magic" (except to mention that sorcerers always apply the former label to the other guy -- never themselves). He apparently considers all sorcery to fall under the category of "Black Arts", and the phrase is apparently little more than a synonym for "Magic" -- at least to the extent that the term covers all the practices forbidden by (for instance) the Book of Leviticus.

An opening chapter describes the mind of the magician, which he characterizes as driven by the hunger for power and (ultimately) by the desire to become God. Subsequent chapters deal with the subjects of Numerology, Cabala & the Tarot, Alchemy, Astrology, Ritual Magic & Invocation, and (finally) Devil Worship. I found some chapters (for example those on Numerology) to be rather dry reading, compared to (say) the chapters on Ritual Magic or Devil Worship. But of course, you can always skip around.