Foreword by Edward Bever, Ph.D.
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
1 Helen’s Tears
2 In the Silence of Deepest Night
3 The Heretics’ Potion
4 Roots of Bewitchment
5 Veneficia
6 Soporific Spells
7 Inception of the Satanic Witch
8 Lamiarum Unguentum
9 Morning on Bare Mountain
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Thomas Hatsis is a historian of psychedelia, witchcraft, magic, pagan religions, alternative Christianities, and the cultural intersection of those areas, who holds a master’s degree in history from Queens College. The author of The Witches’ Ointment and Psychedelic Mystery Traditions, he runs psychedelicwitch.com, a site dedicated to promoting the latest and best information pertaining to the Psychedelic Renaissance. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
“The Witches’ Ointment is, remarkably, the first full-length
treatment of a topic that is central to our understanding of
European witchcraft. Did the witches use psychoactive substances or
not? This has long been debated but often on the basis of prejudice
or inadequate information. We are fortunate that Hatsis has written
an authoritative account, drawing deeply on primary sources and
pursuing original lines of thought. Entertaining and highly
readable, this book seems destined to be the definitive work on the
subject. No doubt it will inspire others to see the witch cult in a
new light. Highly recommended to all those who are interested in
witchcraft, the history of drugs, and the more unusual byways of
culture. A fascinating book.”
*Richard Rudgley, author of The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive
Substances*
“Hatsis’s treatment of this woefully neglected area in the body of
drug history scholarship is sublimely applied and will no doubt
become an important fixture in the canon of pharmacography.
Superb!”
*Robert Dickins, publisher and editor of Psychedelic Press UK*
“Tales of witches and toads, broomsticks and belladonna--documented
herein are the exotic herbal potions and demonic flights of fancy
that terrified and confounded the religious authorities of the
Middle Ages. Exquisitely written and meticulously researched,
Hatsis clears the supernatural mists of yore and roots out the
various psychoactive agents lying at the heart of European
witchcraft. A remarkably informative and wholly compelling
read!”
*Simon G. Powell, author of Magic Mushroom Explorer and The
Psilocybin Solution*
“In this remarkable book, Thomas Hatsis reveals the hidden truth
behind history’s most legendary ointments--the medieval bewitching
potions--that supposedly lubricated broomsticks and fueled
extracorporeal mystical journeys and hallucinogenic night flights,
setting the stage for strange entity encounters and unholy
copulations, animal transformations, and miraculous healings as
well as diabolical poisonings, dangerous delusional deceptions, and
harmful “black magic.” In this impeccably researched and
compulsively readable volume, Hatsis recovers the lost history of
these magical medicinal brews and psychoactive formulas that have
been hidden for centuries and hinted at in the mythic portrayal of
witchcraft and sorcery. Hatsis’s scholarly research shines an
illuminating spotlight on what is actually known about these
visionary (and sometimes deadly) herbal mixes, and he expertly
blends his meticulous studies with keen intuition in this uniquely
envisioned volume, overflowing with rare historical treasures and
fascinating speculations as well as the secret psychedelic
ingredients for re-creating the legendary ointments. This book will
appeal to anyone interested in herbal folk remedies, entheogenic
medicine, the relationship between alchemy and science, and how
heretical notions of healing influenced Western religious systems
and modern medicine. A few words of caution: history compels you to
use this book wisely or you may get burned at the stake!”
*David Jay Brown, author of The New Science of Psychedelics and
Frontiers of Psychedelic Consciousnes*
“This wonderful book brews up a heady potion of folk herbs and
psychedelics to intoxicate the conspiracy theorists and passionate
disbelievers alike. With his objectivity and beautiful writing,
Hatsis shines a light on the destructive Christocentric misogyny of
the medieval world, whose holistic pagan medicine was certainly no
more diabolical than our own modern Pharma Industry.”
*Ben Sessa, MBBS, MRCPsych, author of The Psychedelic
Renaissance*
“A Historian of witchcraft, magic, Western religion, contemporary
psychedelia, entheogens and medieval pharmacopeia, Thomas Hatis is
well qualified to describe dozens of psychoactive formulas and
recipes gleaned from rare manuscripts from all over the world as
well as the practices and magical incantations necessary for their
preparation. He also examines the various forms of sorcery such as
poison magic and ecstatic trance, and explores the connections
between the ointments and spells for shape shifting, spirit travel
and bewitching magic. ”
*New Dawn, Robert Black, December 2015*
This book is fascinating and reads like a well-written novel. But
it is not a novel; it is a meticulously researched history, based
on primary sources that were not easy to find. It is the beautiful
fruit of a long, arduous scientific investigation that is presented
in a light, easily readable style.
*Giovanna Serenelli, Journal of Folklore Research*
Ask a Question About this Product More... |