Witchcraft and Demonology [antikvár]

Foreword Anyone wiio writes of" siihjocts such as witchcraft, denionology and black mi\pc is inevitably asked 'Do you believe in all that'? It is a question I have always found it impossible to answer with an unqualified yes or no. I do, of course, believe in the existence of people living at the present day who regard themselves as witches - indeed I know some of them. I also believe these people, or at least most of them, to be sincere, to have themselves done those things which they claim to have done. Whether or not some of them also possess supernormal powers is for me an open question. I am sure, however, that they have a knowledge of complex techniques involving ritual and the use of creative fantasy which can result in remarkable transformations of consciousness. As far as witchcraft in past centuries is concerned, I Jo not accept that there was ever a large scale witch cult of eitiier the sort believed in by the late Montague Summers, a conspiracy led by Satan, or a widespread survival of an ancient fertility religion. I am sure, however, that there have always been a number of people, either working individually or in small groups, who have practised witchcraft and magic, both black and white. And demons? Yes, I believe in them - but I am not sure whether they are objective beings or merely personifications of the darkness and evil which lurk, usually below the levels of consciousness, in the minds of each and every one of us, even the most saintly. Francis X. King First published in 1987 by The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limiled This edition first published in Great Britain in 1991 by Treasure Press Michelin House 81 Fulham Road London SW3 6RB © Copyright The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited 1987 All rights reserved. ISBN 1 85051 633 2 Printed in Hong Kong Endpapers: 17th-cenlury cngravirig of Walpurgis Night. Bibliotheque des Arts Décoratifs/Jean Loup-Charmet. Page 5: Temptation of St Anthony from ihe Isenheim Allarpiece. Unlcrlinden Museum, Colmar/Giraudon. Title Page: The Witch by David Ryckaert. Kunsihistorisches Museum, Vienna/The Aldus Archive/ BPCC.