In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome, with a sprinkling of Egyptian occult practices. Each lecture introduces a particular type of magic; is extensively illustrated with archaeological evidence; features excerpts from ancient writing; and includes a fascinating reading list for those interested in pursuing the topics in more detail.
The Tools of the Ancient Magical Practitioner: Aug 27th – Lecture VI
While we may think that magical wands, effigies or poppets, spell books and animal parts are the stuff of our imagination when it comes to witchcraft, all such things were used to work magic in the ancient world. From the magisterial wands from Mycenaean Greece to the exotic ingredients required for spells (including hair and other items from an intended victim, to bats, toads, feathers and eggs), the practitioner of magic possessed a cornucopia of tools. In this talk we consider some of these necessary items in the magician’s tool kit and think about the ways in which they were used.
Marguerite Johnson is a cultural historian of the ancient Mediterranean, specialising in sexuality and gender, particularly in the poetry of Sappho, Catullus, and Ovid, as well as magical traditions in Greece, Rome, and the Near East. She also researches Classical Reception Studies, with a regular focus on Australia. In addition to ancient world studies, Marguerite is interested in sexual histories in modernity as well as magic in the west more broadly, especially the practices and art of Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton. She is Honorary Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Queensland, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome, with a sprinkling of Egyptian occult practices. Each lecture introduces a particular type of magic; is extensively illustrated with archaeological evidence; features excerpts from ancient writing; and includes a fascinating reading list for those interested in pursuing the topics in more detail.
Potions (pharmakeia) of the Ancient World: July 23rd – Lecture V
Potion-making or pharmakeia was a common theme in the fantasy literature featuring witches in Greek and Latin literature. While the effects of such literary potions are incredible and amazing, the ancients did employ potions in real life. From mundane poisoning to the use in magic and occult rituals, pharmakeia involved extensive preparations and sometimes extraordinary ingredients. Additionally, the process of making potions reveal the extensive knowledge of plants in antiquity. In this talk, we look at all forms of pharmakeia, including some real spells.
Marguerite Johnson is a classical scholar who works on ancient Mediterranean cultural studies, particularly gender, sexuality, and the body. She also researches ancient magic, particularly the portrayal of witches, in Greek and Latin literature. When she’s not thinking about the ancient world, Marguerite researches and writes on the 20th-century Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton, with whom she has held a fascination since childhood, as well as modern aspects of sexuality and gender. Marguerite was, until 2022, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Newcastle, Australia. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities.
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome, with a sprinkling of Egyptian occult practices. Each lecture introduces a particular type of magic; is extensively illustrated with archaeological evidence; features excerpts from ancient writing; and includes a fascinating reading list for those interested in pursuing the topics in more detail.
Amulets in the Ancient World: June 25th – Lecture IV
Considering the widespread practice of magic – both healing and harmful – in ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt, the use of amulets was widespread. From charms to protect babies and children, to the ithyphallic wall plaques in Pompeii to protect homes and business, amulets adorned and decorated the bodies and buildings of antiquity. In this lecture we look at some of the most precious and ornate amulets, to the cheaper ones for people on a budget, as well as some examples of instructions on how to make them as preserved in magical papyri.
Marguerite Johnson is a classical scholar who works on ancient Mediterranean cultural studies, particularly gender, sexuality, and the body. She also researches ancient magic, particularly the portrayal of witches, in Greek and Latin literature. When she’s not thinking about the ancient world, Marguerite researches and writes on the 20th-century Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton, with whom she has held a fascination since childhood, as well as modern aspects of sexuality and gender. Marguerite was, until 2022, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Newcastle, Australia. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities.
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome, with a sprinkling of Egyptian occult practices. Each lecture introduces a particular type of magic; is extensively illustrated with archaeological evidence; features excerpts from ancient writing; and includes a fascinating reading list for those interested in pursuing the topics in more detail.
Spell Books in the Ancient World: May 28th – Lecture III
In ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt, spell books were expensive, precious and a major item in the toolkit of the professional magician. Despite various emperors attempts to rid the ancient world of these collections of papyri, several significant artefacts still remain, including the famous Greek Magical Papyri. In this illustrated talk, Professor Marguerite Johnson discusses the collection known as the Greek Magical Papyri, a spell book belonging to a magician from Graeco-Roman Egypt, which was buried with him (perhaps to assist him in working magic in the afterlife). The features of the Greek Magical Papyri, such as the inclusion of magical words, potent drawings, and sigils will be discussed to shed light on some of the intricacies of ancient magical practices.
Magical Handbook (P.Lond. I 121 = Greek Magical Papyri VII), Egypt 3rd Century CE. British Library.
Bio:
Marguerite Johnson is a classical scholar who works on ancient Mediterranean cultural studies, particularly gender, sexuality, and the body. She also researches ancient magic, particularly the portrayal of witches, in Greek and Latin literature. When she’s not thinking about the ancient world, Marguerite researches and writes on the 20th-century Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton, with whom she has held a fascination since childhood, as well as modern aspects of sexuality and gender. Marguerite was, until 2022, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Newcastle, Australia. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities.
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome, with a sprinkling of Egyptian occult practices. Each lecture introduces a particular type of magic; is extensively illustrated with archaeological evidence; features excerpts from ancient writing; and includes a fascinating reading list for those interested in pursuing the topics in more detail.
Ghosts in Antiquity and in Magic: April 30th – Lecture II
Ghosts played a major role in the belief system of the ancient Greeks and Romans. They featured in magic, helping spell-casters to ensure their curses were enacted and successful. They haunted all sorts of places – from battlefields to houses and the crossroads – sometimes to such an extent that professional magicians (and sometimes priests) were called upon to exorcise them. We end this lecture with some ancient ghost stories.
The Greek Stoic Philosopher Athenodorus Rents a Haunted House. Henry Justice Ford, c. 1900.
Bio:
Marguerite Johnson is Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Newcastle, Australia. Her research expertise is predominantly in ancient Mediterranean cultural studies, particularly in representations of gender, sexualities, and the body. She also researches Classical Reception Studies, and ancient magic. Marguerite has published on magic, particularly the portrayal of witches, in Greek and Latin literature and was dramaturg on professional productions of Theocritus’ Idyll 2 (‘The Sorceress’) in 2019 and Euripides’ Medea in 2021. She also researches and publishes on the Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton, with whom she has held a fascination since childhood. Marguerite delivers one of the few undergraduate courses on ancient occultism (AHIS2370: Magic and Witchcraft in Greece and Rome) and supervises several PhD students working on aspects of historical and literary magic.
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome, with a sprinkling of Egyptian occult practices. Each lecture introduces a particular type of magic; is extensively illustrated with archaeological evidence; features excerpts from ancient writing; and includes a fascinating reading list for those interested in pursuing the topics in more detail.
Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses’ (1891). Oil on canvas, 148 cm × 92 cm. Gallery Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Public Domain
Attendees will receive a recording of each lecture valid for 4 weeks.
In this illustrated talk, Professor Marguerite Johnson takes us on a tour of the intriguing and widespread practice of cursing in the ancient Mediterranean. The focus is on curse tablets and binding spells; a discussion of the many examples of curse tablets and binding spells; the uncanny poppets that sometimes accompanied these spells; and a deep dive into the many and varied reasons for employing them. Finally, we ask: Did they work?
Ghosts played a major role in the belief system of the ancient Greeks and Romans. They featured in magic, helping spell-casters to ensure their curses were enacted and successful. They haunted all sorts of places – from battlefields to houses and the crossroads – sometimes to such an extent that professional magicians (and sometimes priests) were called upon to exorcise them. We end this lecture with some ancient ghost stories.
In ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt, spell books were expensive, precious and a major item in the toolkit of the professional magician. Despite various emperors attempts to rid the ancient world of these collections of papyri, several significant artefacts still remain, including the famous Greek Magical Papyri. In this illustrated talk, Professor Marguerite Johnson discusses the collection known as the Greek Magical Papyri, a spell book belonging to a magician from Graeco-Roman Egypt, which was buried with him (perhaps to assist him in working magic in the afterlife). The features of the Greek Magical Papyri, such as the inclusion of magical words, potent drawings, and sigils will be discussed to shed light on some of the intricacies of ancient magical practices.
Considering the widespread practice of magic – both healing and harmful – in ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt, the use of amulets was widespread. From charms to protect babies and children, to the ithyphallic wall plaques in Pompeii to protect homes and business, amulets adorned and decorated the bodies and buildings of antiquity. In this lecture we look at some of the most precious and ornate amulets, to the cheaper ones for people on a budget, as well as some examples of instructions on how to make them as preserved in magical papyri.
Potion-making or pharmakeia was a common theme in the fantasy literature featuring witches in Greek and Latin literature. While the effects of such literary potions are incredible and amazing, the ancients did employ potions in real life. From mundane poisoning to the use in magic and occult rituals, pharmakeia involved extensive preparations and sometimes extraordinary ingredients. Additionally, the process of making potions reveal the extensive knowledge of plants in antiquity. In this talk, we look at all forms of pharmakeia, including some real spells.
While we may think that magical wands, effigies or poppets, spell books and animal parts are the stuff of our imagination when it comes to witchcraft, all such things were used to work magic in the ancient world. From the magisterial wands from Mycenaean Greece to the exotic ingredients required for spells (including hair and other items from an intended victim, to bats, toads, feathers and eggs), the practitioner of magic possessed a cornucopia of tools. In this talk we consider some of these necessary items in the magician’s tool kit and think about the ways in which they were used.
In the west, the stereotype of the witch as a hag or, alternatively, as a femme fatale, has a long history that extends as far back as ancient Greece and Rome. Beginning with Homer’s exotic goddess-witch, Circe, to the murderous Medea, through to the truly horrifying and abject witches of Latin literature, we trace the origins of this stereotype and consider some of its most dangerous and deadly legacies as evident in the persecutions of later centuries.
Evelyn De Morgan, The Love Potion, 1903, De Morgan Centre, London
Bio:
Marguerite Johnson is a classical scholar who works on ancient Mediterranean cultural studies, particularly gender, sexuality, and the body. She also researches ancient magic, particularly the portrayal of witches, in Greek and Latin literature. When she’s not thinking about the ancient world, Marguerite researches and writes on the 20th-century Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton, with whom she has held a fascination since childhood, as well as modern aspects of sexuality and gender. Marguerite was, until 2022, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Newcastle, Australia. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities.
In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome, with a sprinkling of Egyptian occult practices. Each lecture introduces a particular type of magic; is extensively illustrated with archaeological evidence; features excerpts from ancient writing; and includes a fascinating reading list for those interested in pursuing the topics in more detail.
Curse Tablets, Binding Spells and Poppets in Antiquity : April 9th – Lecture I
In this illustrated talk, Professor Marguerite Johnson takes us on a tour of the intriguing and widespread practice of cursing in the ancient Mediterranean. The focus is on curse tablets and binding spells; a discussion of the many examples of curse tablets and binding spells; the uncanny poppets that sometimes accompanied these spells; and a deep dive into the many and varied reasons for employing them. Finally, we ask: Did they work?
The Louvre Doll. 4th century CE, clay and bronze. E 27145b. Louvre Museum, Paris.
Bio:
Marguerite Johnson is Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Newcastle, Australia. Her research expertise is predominantly in ancient Mediterranean cultural studies, particularly in representations of gender, sexualities, and the body. She also researches Classical Reception Studies, and ancient magic. Marguerite has published on magic, particularly the portrayal of witches, in Greek and Latin literature and was dramaturg on professional productions of Theocritus’ Idyll 2 (‘The Sorceress’) in 2019 and Euripides’ Medea in 2021. She also researches and publishes on the Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton, with whom she has held a fascination since childhood. Marguerite delivers one of the few undergraduate courses on ancient occultism (AHIS2370: Magic and Witchcraft in Greece and Rome) and supervises several PhD students working on aspects of historical and literary magic.
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
The Meaning of Hair in the Ancient Mediterranean – Professor Marguerite Johnson
Hair is a powerful symbol in ancient Greece and Rome, revealing extensive insights into specific aspects of their culture. This talk discusses the various meanings of hair in both Greek and Roman warfare, including a discussion of the Spartans’ attention to their hair before battle, to the Romans’ anxiety over the so-called unruly and outrageous hair of their enemies (evident in their accounts of Libyan, Ethiopian, Celtic and Gallic hair). Additionally, the Greek and Roman obsession with other people’s hair as a topic of ethnographical analyses and observations is also considered, including some of the outrageous accounts of uncanny hair (including tales of hirsute women). In short: ancient views on hair have their roots in ethnicity and in race, and these long, intertwining locks need to be untangled.
Bio:
Marguerite Johnson is a cultural historian of the ancient Mediterranean, specialising in sexuality and gender, particularly in the poetry of Sappho, Catullus, and Ovid, as well as magical traditions in Greece, Rome, and the Near East. She also researches Classical Reception Studies, with a regular focus on Australia. In addition to ancient world studies, Marguerite is interested in sexual histories in modernity as well as magic in the west more broadly, especially the practices and art of Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton. She is Honorary Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Queensland, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
Cunning Nigromancy: Goetia & ‘Unclean’ Spiritwork in English Folk Magic
In the pre-modern European mindset, there were two main ways one could work with demonic or dangerous spirits: by compelling them with the holy names of God; or bribing them with offerings and devotion, including entering into formal bargains or pacts. Such work was considered highly dangerous to one’s body, mind, and soul – but was also one of the main sources of earthly power outside of elite institutions that was available to the desperate and the needy. The Devil at the crossroads welcomes all.
So it was that the folk magicians, village sorcerers, and “white witches” collectively referred to as cunning-folk – especially those who frequently derived their knowledge and power from questionable spirits – were regarded with both respect and suspicion, if not outright fear. Spirits don’t work for free after all, and who knows what exactly she’s summoning out there…
In this class, contemporary cunning man and historian of magic Dr Alexander Cummins will lead us on an exploration of early modern goetia: from its roots in antiquity and ancient Greek funerary ritual, necromancy, and thaumaturgy; through its denigration as a Black Art of both dodgy nigromancers and fraudulent hucksters in later classical centuries; all the way to the formation of the spirit-list/s of the Goetia of Solomon in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, which catalogue various ‘unclean’ entities of an assortment of European traditions of spiritwork.
Along the way we will discuss fallen angels, infernal devils, bogeymen, elementals, tricksters, nymphs, thieving bird people, chimeras, and demonized pagan deities as well as those murder spirits who have just always been murder spirits. We will also consider various historical reports of the conjurations of these unclean spirits. Finally, we will go over some fundamental advice for making wise decisions in proceeding with such dark crafts in one’s own sorcerous work.
Bio
Dr Alexander Cummins is a contemporary cunning man and historian. His magical specialities are the dead (folk necromancy), divination (geomancy) and the grimoires. He received his doctorate on early modern magical approaches to the passions. Dr Cummins is the co-editor of the Folk Necromancy in Transmission series for Revelore Press and co-host of Radio Free Golgotha.
His published works include An Excellent Booke of the Arte of Magicke with Phil Legard (Scarlet Imprint, 2020), A Book of the Magi: Lore, Prayers, and Spellcraft of the Three Holy Kings (Revelore Press, 2018) and The Starry Rubric (Hadean Press, 2012) as well as contributions to collections by both academic and occult publishers on topics including talismanic objects, geomancy, planetary sorcery, cunning-craft, and nigromancy.
Dr Cummins gives classes and workshops online and in person. The Good Doctor’s work and services can be found at www.alexandercummins.com
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
Gazing into crystals, shimmering waters, polished metal, and even oiled thumbnails have each long been visionary means by which mystics and diviners discern underlying occult influences, predict the future, and glean knowledge-at-a-distance pertaining to any number of human concerns – from the internationally socio-political to intensely personal.
Such ways of knowing are most often facilitated by preparatory periods of purification and alignment leading to intense states of contemplation and empowerment, and commonly activated by incantations, prayer, song, and other forms of ‘calls’. Calling what, you might ask? Scrying not only provides knowledge but can facilitate action-at-a-distance too, by means of evocatory scrying techniques that call a spirit or angel into the stone (or bowl or whathaveyou) to present visions, to answer questions directly, or even be charged and bound through the stone to perform a task for its summoner.
The most famous of these sorts of operations are undoubtedly the angelical experiments of Dr John Dee and Edward Kelley. In this class, diviner, magician, and historian Dr Alexander Cummins will lead us on an investigation of the practices and results of not only these infamous Enochian works but also a variety of Dee and Kelley’s contemporary seers, scryers, and conjurors of the early modern period. From the more necromantic experiments of Gilbert and Davis’ The Excellent Booke, to the records of wise women and cunning men showing their clients the faces of future lovers in their stones and calling forth spirits of justice and vengeance alike from their glimmering enchanting mirrors. Join us as we explore not only the history and theory but also the practices of early modern scrying.
Bio
Dr Alexander Cummins is a contemporary cunning man and historian. His magical specialities are the dead (folk necromancy), divination (geomancy) and the grimoires. He received his doctorate on early modern magical approaches to the passions. Dr Cummins is the co-editor of the Folk Necromancy in Transmission series for Revelore Press and co-host of Radio Free Golgotha.
His published works include An Excellent Booke of the Arte of Magicke with Phil Legard (Scarlet Imprint, 2020), A Book of the Magi: Lore, Prayers, and Spellcraft of the Three Holy Kings (Revelore Press, 2018) and The Starry Rubric (Hadean Press, 2012) as well as contributions to collections by both academic and occult publishers on topics including talismanic objects, geomancy, planetary sorcery, cunning-craft, and nigromancy.
Dr Cummins gives classes and workshops online and in person. The Good Doctor’s work and services can be found at www.alexandercummins.com
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
