The Sabbath is a project that captures the evocative and seductive emotions of the folklore surrounding witches and their nocturnal meetings known as the Sabbaths. These Bacchic rites let loose our inhibitions and seduce us with their promise of power and grandeur. Gaze upon this dark world and enter the forbidden.
Project year: 2016 – (ongoing)
“…certain angels fell from heaven and are novv devils, and vve are bound to acknovvledge that by their very nature they can do many vvonderful thigns vvhich vve cannot do. And thoſe vvho try to induce others to perform ſuch evil vvonders are called vvitches.”
“They ſing in honour of The Devil the moſt obſcene ſongs to the ſound of a bavvdy pipe and tabor played by one ſeated in the fork of a tree…”
“… but vvhen they prefer to keep avvake and yet ſee vvhat is done at The Sabbath as if they vvere preſent at it, then by ſome Devil’s vvork they ſend a thick vapour from their mouths, in vvhich they can ſee all that is done as if in a mirror.”
“As to their conſultations thereupon, they uſed them ofteſt in the churches, vvhere they convene for adoring (The Devil); at vvhat time their Maſter enquiring of them vvhat they vvould be at, every one of them profeßing vvhat vvicked turn they vvould have done, either for obtaining of riches, or for revenging them upon and vvhom they have malice at…”
“VVhom I bid to come here at this hour, and he has heard my ſong through the ſelf-bored ſtone.”
“Belial, the dißoluteſt Spirit that fell, the ſenſualiſt, and after Aſmodai, the fleſhlieſt Incubus.”
“It vvas ſaid in the trials that Akerbeltz preſided over the vvitches’ gathering, vvhich happened every Monday, VVedneſday, and Friday. Theſe gatherings came to be called Akelarre, the goat-meadovv.”
Conſtruction of the vvitch’s altar is ſimple. Firſt acquire an idol for your Gods of ſorcery. This can be a ſtatue, icon, or goat ſkull vvith a candle holder affixed betvveen the horns. Your Great Book should be kept there along vvith all inſtruments of magic. There should be candles, chalices for libations, tools for cutting, containers of ingredients, and a cauldron or veßel to carry fire or for mixing potions.
“But it muſt be known that before they go to The Sabbath they anoint themſelves upon ſo parts of their bodies with an ungent made from various foul and filthy ingredients…”
“Then follovv dances, vvhich are performed in a circle but alvvays round to the left…”
“For no beautiful man or vvoman vvould remain undefiled, no ruler or prince vvould be ſafe if demons vvere allovved to liſten to and fulfill men’s evil deſires.”
“I vvill come to the altar. Save me Lord Satan from the treacherous and the violent.”
“… in caſting a ſpell on the crops ſo they are deſtroyed by leeches or vvaſted in ſome other vvay”
“I anſvver that this vital force is not in the devil, but in the ſemen itſelf; juſt as the vvarming virtue of vvine is not in the vat or the goblet, but in the vvine itſelf.”
Nightſhade, or Belladonna, is one of the moſt important ingredients in vvitch’s flying ointment. It produces the phyſical feeling of flight and can produce vivid hallucinations. It can be taken in ſmall doſes ſafely but as many as 2 berries or one leaf can be fatal!
“The places beſt fitted for exerciſing and accompliſhing VVitchcraft are thoſe that are concealed, removed and separated from the habitation of men; vvherefore deſolate and uninhabited regions are moſt appropriate, ſuch as the ſhores of lakes, foreſts, dark and obſcure places, old and deſerted houſes, vvhither rarely and ſcarce ever men do come; mountains, caves, caverns, grottos, gardens, orchards, but beſt of all are croßroads, and vvhere four roads meet, during the depth and ſilence of the night.”
“Har har, hou hou! Eman hetan! Eman hetan! Har har, hou hou! Janicot! Janicot! Janicot! Janicot! Har har, hou hou! Jauna Gorril, Jauna Gorril, Akhera Goiti, Akhera Beiti.”
In vvitchcraft vve commit certain items to fire as a proceß of tranſmutation. Like the Phoenix, fire cleanſes, deſtroys, and it paßes our ſpells to the ſpirit vvorld. The aſhes are then uſed as ingredients in our potions. VVe burn pictures of our targets and rub the aſhes on vvax images, vve burn bay leaves that are inſcribed vvith our vviſhes, and vve burn incantations to enliven the flames.
“I call thee, evil ſpirit, cruel ſpirit, mercileß ſpirit. I call thee bad ſpirit, vvho ſittest in the cemetery and takes avvay healing from man. Go and place a knot in (victim’s) head, in his eyes, in his mouth, in his tongue, in his throat, in his vvindpipe: pit poiſonous vvater in his belly. If you do not go and put poiſonous vvater in his belly, I vvill ſend you the evil angels Puziel, Guziel, Pſdiel, Prziel. I call thee and thoſe ſix knots that you go quickly to (victim) and put poiſonous vvater in his belly and kill (victim) becauſe I vvish it. Amen. Amen. Selah.”
“They pray to the Devil to ſtrike them out of the book of life, and to inſcribe them in the book of death. So vve can read vvritten in a black book the names of the vvitches…”
“Thy body ſhall be ſtrong and unaffected by any diſeaſe. Life vvill be thine, I promiſe it; enter this aſcending never-periſhing, age-old chariot.”
“For falſe chriſts and falſe prophets vvill rise and ſhovv great ſigns and vvonders to deceive, if poßible, even the elect.”
“… Black it ſtood as night, fierce as ten Furies, terrible as Hell.”
“They dig out all kinds of philtres from everyvvhere: they ſearch for the agent that arouſes mutual love: pills and nails and threads, roots and herbs and ſhoots, the tvvo tailed lizard, and charmes from mares.”
“Men ſeek the magic arts, not for themſelves but for the earthly happineß or from an overpovvering curioſity.”
“As far as I thus leap from Chriſt, so much nearer may I come to the Devil!”
“Juſt as this is true, you vvill tell me vvhat I aſk… Bones, tell me the truth about this vvhich I aſk you…”
“I am the hand the deed hath done…”
“At that moment, as I recall, the earth yavvned open by the povver of vvitches. I caught a glimpſe of Tartarus deep belovv, and of Cerberus vvaiting to make a meal of me to relive his hunger.”
“Novv, let the trumpet ſound the blaſt; ring out a luſty call.”
To Hex an Enemy (Repeat Thrice) “I, NN, vvill breathe on thee, (victim’s name), three drops of blood I dravv from thee. The firſt from thy heart, the ſecond from thy liver, the third from thy vigorous life. By this I take all thy ſtrength, and thou loſeſt the ſtrife!”
“… it has been the experience of all times and all nations, that vvitches practiſe coition vvith demons…”
“The Devil is preſident of the Aßembly and ſits on a throne in ſome terrible ſhape, as of a goat or dog; and they approach him to adore him…”
“…and ſo anointed they are carried avvay on a covvl-ſtaff, or a broom, or a reed, a cleft ſtick or a diſtaff, or even a ſhovel, vvhich things they ride.”
“…they call both Pan and the Goat of Mendes, and both vvere vvorſhipped as gods of generation and fecundity…”
“At times they are mounted upon and ox or a goat or a dog, and ſo are carried to their feaſts”
“Theſe are ſpirits that are created for vengeance, and in their fury they lay on grievous torments.”
“Pano, Pano, Pano! Inginnochio in un’ campo, ſono a lume della luna, in nome della tua bella che tanto amavi, che da un campo di ſera via ti fu portata e ti fu ucciſa, per il pene di quella ti prego di farmi queſta grazia!”
He goes forth from his cabin, clad in horns, bare of foot, to pay homage to Night, and all the VVild Gods.
“The man vvas a fabulous dancer and vvooed many of the ſeñoritas in attendance. It vvas then, amidſt a flurry of gaſps and ſhrieks that the patrons noticed the man’s ſhoes had tranſformed into long, clavved chicken’s feet.”
“Spirits, vvhoſe aßiſtance I require, behold the ſign and the very Hallovved Names of God full of povver. Obey the povver of this our pentacle; go out your hidden caves and dark places; ceaſe your hurtful occupations to thoſe unhappy mortals vvhom vvithout ceaſing you torment; come into this place vvhere the Divine Goodneß has aßembled us; be attentive to our orders and knovvn to our juſt demands; believe not that your reſiſtance vvill cauſe us to abandon our operations. Nothing can diſpenſe vvith your obeying us. VVe command you by the Myſterious Names Elohe Agla Elohim Adonay Gibort. Amen.”
“For ſince he already poßeßes the vvicked, but not the good, he tries the harder to ſeduce into his povver the good vvhom he does not, than the vvicked vvhom he does, poßeß.”
“As this puppet melts for me before Hekate, ſo melt vvith love, e’en ſo ſpeedily, Delphis of Myndus. And as this vvheel of braß turns by grace of Aphrodite, ſo turn and he and turn again before my threſhold. VVrynck, vvryneck, dravv him hither”
“Ego ſum Papa”
“And even if you are alone, and you undertake the things communicated by the god, you ſpeak as if prophecying in ecſtasy. And if you alſo vvish to ſhovv him, then judge vvhether he is completely vvorthy as a man…”
“Then he ſummons his familiar vvho alvvays vvorks vvith him in everything, and tells him that he vviſhes to milk a certain covv from a certain houſe … And ſuddenly the devil takes the milk from the udder of that covv, and brings it to vvhere the vvitch is ſitting, as if it vvere flovving from the knife.”
“The Incubus can aßume a male ſhape; ſometimes he appears as a full grovvn man, ſometimes as a ſatyr, and if it is one vvho has been received as a vvitch, he generally aßumes the form of a rank goat.”
“By Oak, Aſh and Thorn,’ cried Puck, taking off his blue cap, ‘I like you too. Sprinkle plenty of ſalt on the biſcuit, Dan, and I’ll eat it vvith you. That’ll ſhovv you the ſort of perſon I am. Some of us’ — he vvent on, vvith his mouth full — ‘couldn’t abide Salt, or Horſe-ſhoes over a door, or Mountain-aſh berries, or Running VVater, or Cold Iron, or the ſound of Church bells. But I’m Puck!’”
“…vvho from the entrails can reveal the fates, vvho can explain the birds, vvho can obſerve the lightnings of heaven and ſearch the ſtars vvith Aßyrian care…”
VVhat vve call “Devils” vvere once great Gods of Foreſts and the VVild. They are the ſhadovvs of the Panes and Satyrs, Lecherous and Luſtful fauns.
“Further I hold it to be very true that ſometimes vvitches are really tranſported from place to place by The Devil vvho, in the ſhape of a goat or other fantaſtic animal, both carries them bodily to the Sabbath and himſelf is preſent at its obſenities”
“By the myſteries of the Deep, by the flames of Banal, by the povver of the Eaſt, and by the ſilence of the Night, by the holy rites of Hekate, I conjure and exorcize thee thou diſtreßed Spirit, to preſent thyſelf here, and reveal unto me the cauſe of thy calamity, vvhy thou didſt offer violence to thy ovvn liege life, vvhere thou art novv in being, and vvhere thou vvilt herefore be.”
“And when We said to the angels: ‘Prostrate yourselves unto Adam.’ So they prostrated themselves except ‘Iblis’ (Shaitan). He was one of the jinn; he disobeyed the command of his Lord”
“Hovv art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, vvho didſt riſe in the morning? Hovv art thou fallen to the earth, that didſt vvound the nations?”
“The dancing over, the vvitches gave themſelves over to copulation…”
Take a veßel in the likeneß of a ſkull if one cannot be obtained. VVaſh the ſolid ingredients in ſpring vvater ſteeped vvith leaves ſacred to the Spirit being enthroned. Create a ſigil on parchment to be placed vvithin the veßel and add it. Add novv the ſolid materials along vvith any other bones, coins, metals, plant ſeeds, dirts, tree ſhavings, ſtones, and other things ſacred to the entity. Having added a capſule of mercury, offer the entity libations of vvine or alcohol, fumigations, and blood. VVhiſper the prayer or incantation and blovv air into the veßel and ſeal vvith beeſvvax. For the next three nights light a candle and pray to the entity.
“And ſometimes the VVatcher appears as a Man, ſhaven, vvith eyes that never loſe their ſtare.”
“This one thing I vvill add; that no hour of the night are more ſuſpect nor more favorable to the apparition of fearful and terrifying ſhades”
“Millions of ſpiritual creatures vvalk the earth unſeen, both vvhen vve vvake and vvhen vve ſleep…”
You can never take too much care over the choice of your sunglasses and jewlery.
