Smoke, Stars, and Sacrifice: Magic in the Picatrix

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Societas Magica

Organizer Name

David Porreca

Organizer Affiliation

Univ. of Waterloo

Presider Name

Edgar W. Francis IV

Presider Affiliation

Univ. of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Paper Title 1

Honoring the Outermost: Saturn in the Picatrix

Presenter 1 Name

Daniel Attrell

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Univ. of Waterloo

Paper Title 2

An Occult Kaleidoscope: Color Symbolism in the Picatrix

Presenter 2 Name

David Porreca

Paper Title 3

Response

Presenter 3 Name

Liana Saif

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Warburg Institute

Start Date

10-5-2019 10:00 AM

Session Location

Schneider 1120

Description

The modalities through which occult operations could manifest were numerous in the magical texts that survive from the Middle Ages. One of the more extensive such texts that survives is the astral magic compilation entitled Picatrix, translated from Arabic to Spanish, and thence into Latin ~1300. This text is rich in both lofty theory & numerous recipes that rely on bridging astrological positions, ancient polytheistic religious liturgies and practices, and mixtures of more-or-less exotic (and toxic) ingredients to be used in ritual suffumigations. This session aims to explore the intersection of the three elements listed in the title, bringing together aspects of the heritage of the Mediterranean classical tradition, Islamic/Platonic speculative cosmology, and the practicalities of ritual preparation and performance as they manifest in the Picatrix. David Porreca