Necromancy

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 18 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

blue_fusion	18 Jul 2002
I searched the entire forum for necromantic activities or discussions and I only found a handful. Well, in this thread I’d like to talk about necromancy. And I don’t mean just the divinatory practice of communicating with the dead to see the future. I would want to talk about skillful mastery and utilization of the death essence around us. Perhaps we could share spells or rituals, or even advices and the like with regard to this much misunderstood craft. :)

Phoenix	18 Jul 2002
I would personally love to know more about Necromancy.

meatbox666	18 Jul 2002
Post one of your spells and i'll be willing to try.

blue_fusion	18 Jul 2002
well, i haven't done spellcasting in a very long time (the last time being back when i was in high school), but i still do the ritual graveyard visits... for meditation, of course. i'll look for my old book of shadows in my severely disorganized room, and share a spell... later. since i have to go to class now. :)

Mermaid	19 Jul 2002
What is necromancy? :confused:

joya250	20 Jul 2002
LOL Blue-fusion! we must think alike! haha. I was going to post the following link the other day: http://www.westgatenecromantic.com/index.htm I don't have much direct experience with necromancy ... as I have just come across it myself. Pretty intense. Care to share some of your experiences? :) btw, have you read the book "We are Melancholy" ? that's top on my "to buy" list at the moment...

Emily	20 Jul 2002
I'm with Mermaid - What is Necromancy? I've just been to the web site link and I'm none the wiser

joya250	20 Jul 2002
hi Emiliy. well, from what I can gather it is the recognition, working with, and the LOVE of the death energy / Angel of Death. I'm sure Blue F can elaborate though...

blue_fusion	20 Jul 2002
its actually the utilization of the death essence (similar to life essence), the decay in all things.... and i still can't find that damn book of shadows. sorry meatbox666. i'll try to make a spell for you. :) it is the branch of magick that deals with death, decay, and the underworld. :) here's a rather useful link, not just for necromancy, but for other branches of magick as well. http://www.angelfire.com/mi3/tomekeeper/index.html oh. and don't be fooled by the necronomicon.... the myhtology behind it is quite factual (to some extent) but the spells are another thing....

Emily	21 Jul 2002
Thanks Joya250 and Blue_fusion20. How are these spells conducted? Do you call on the death energy to help with the spells? - you've got my interest, might look into it a little further. Edited to say:- The only information I could find out about necromancy in my library of books was that spirit boards used to be used to contact the spirits.

kayne	21 Jul 2002
Hmm... Something makes me feel very uneasy when talking about death energy as opposed to life energy. I think life is more appealing to me, but I have not researched necromancy, just a gut feeling.

debins	21 Jul 2002
I am intrigued by our intrigue, no intention to sound ridiculously circular in statement. But if life and death are like two sides of the same coin I am just wondering why we embrace the one and tend to harbour strange feelings about the other. I have read a little about death and it seems that death is not overtly apparent to us while we live on earth for a good reason: we are to be about our earthly business while on earth. From what I have read, death is part of a journey which we shall get to in due time. No need to fret or devote undo study. There is plenty of time for the contemplation of death at the time of death and thereafter. No harm in curiousity, though. I just think that the bulk of our attention should be directed towards the life we are experiencing now. After all, we have eternity, don't we? All things shall occur at their rightful times. What do you think? Namaste, debins.

blue_fusion	21 Jul 2002
a little sermon: death energy is life energy. it is that which is inevitable, that which leads us to our -based on the philosophy of heideger - our ultimate possibility. and this denial of the inevitability of death is what is causing us to feel awkward about it: that we ourselves are going to be ultimately subjected to it. this of course does not mean to say that we should be pessimists and view our lives as hopeless (and this applies to our relations with others as well). on the contrary, this should make us aspire to make our very short lives more meaningful, as well as our relationship with others. necromancy is, just like other forms of magick, a means to an end. in this case, it utilizes the death essence to that particular means. though we ourselves have death essences. it is much more concentrated in areas where death is more physically present (such as cemeteries, crematoriums, etc.) it also involves the contacting of spirits, for the necromancer's purposes. :)

joya250	21 Jul 2002
Kayne -- ask yourself what makes you feel uneasy about it. maybe it is something you need to confront? ??? just a thought. Debbins -- I hear what you are saying. However, IMO, I think it is important to recognize the Death energy -- and embrace it. Not to sound like a freak or anything.... and believe me, I do not know much about Necromancy practices... so I'm sure some necromanics do some freaky stuff, just as some Christians do some freaky stuff, just as some NewAgers do some freaky stuff, etc., etc. ... but I think studying such an uncomfortable subject will enhance Life and the Love for all -- cause, like you said... they are two sides of the coin... and Balance is crucial. So, I don't believe Death can be given "undo" study .... he deserves it! LOL --- " I just think that the bulk of our attention should be directed towards the life we are experiencing now" ... well, yes, but He plays a BIG role is that. Many people are afraid of death... and even if you (not neccessarily you, Debbins, but the generalized you) say you are not... at some level you are, unless of course you Understand him... and the lessons we are here to learn, seem to revolve around facing our fears... so, I would think that this is a very important energy to familiarize yourself with. haha. However, I'm not saying you have to emerse yourself in it -- or hang out in cemetaries... :) what do you guys think?

joya250	21 Jul 2002
LOL Blue Fusion -- looks like we were posting at the same time. :P

blue_fusion	21 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by joya250 LOL Blue Fusion -- looks like we were posting at the same time. :P yeah. guess so. you me and debins. we both said the same things. :)

blue_fusion	13 Sep 2002
it's been a long time since i last posted here. i was recently going through my files, and then i saw this... i'd just like to share (by the way, i found this on the net on www.angelfire.com/mi3/tomekeeper/index.html ) Rather informative for you guys who do wnat to delve into the art of the dead... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Necromancy: An Overview of the Infernal Art of Death Often the name "Necromancy" itself conjures images so foreign, outrageous, and horrible that even the magick user can scarce believe such things exist. Rumours of necrophilic rites, blood rituals, meanderings with the recent deceased, and others saturate the mythos surrounding this widely misunderstood art. The rumours of what is possible have clouded the nature of the art, the methods of the art, the multiple purposes thereof, and even the origins to all but the initiated few. Shrouded in a infernal aura of decay, Necromancers have been shunned from almost every group of society -- both mystic and mundane. They have been reduced, over time, to only being allowed to practice a lesser ability of the ancient Necromancers: To summon the dead spirits of ancestors in rites of mediumism. Now, with the relative "freedoms" of society, a lesser resurgence in the full art of Necromancy has begun -- but with it a need for understanding. During the length of this very brief overview I hope to reveal the crude beginnings of Necromancy, briefly its development through to the present since the medieval period, and the different aspects of the practice of the infernal art in present times. I should note to the reader from the outset that the explication of Necromancy's history will be incredibly brief since it really is only a matter of trivial pursuit -- of value only to those that cherish tidbits of random history. The study and codification of the arts of the dead began as an avocation of the ancient Egyptians. As a result, books such as the Papyrus of Ani (aka. The Book of the Dead) rose from the culture, and a high reverence for the ceremonies of death emerged. Other peoples and nations showed a fascination for death as well, but their contributions and studies into it were limited. The foundation of death gods and lords of the underworld in many cultures started soon after the creation of the papyrus. From there, a more practical application of death magics emerged in northern Europe circa 700 AD with the emergence of the second half of Necromancy: War Necromancy. The first half, being Divinatory Necromancy, was the perfect precursor for this more rigorous and deadly incarnation of the infernal art. From the northlands, it caught on in Britain around the time of the Crusades and became an outlawed art instantly. Odd scenes of Necromancers and their undead rites still remain in certain witchcraft frescos and can reveal the divinatory roots of the latter developments. From the time of the crusade and onward Necromancy was blatantly illegal in all of Europe until at least the 1600s, at which time the notion of "freedom of association" started to move. Though still practised in secret, a few grimoires mentioning Necromancy, even if only in passing, can be found. From that point onward, Necromancy was consistently "civilized" and restrained and cut down and restricted until it became synonymous with "mediumism". That effect can still be seen even today. As the late 1800s passed, Necromancy could be openly spoken of and thus began to reclaim its lost aspects even into the present day. Anyhow, with that said, the more important aspects of Necromancy can be approached: The Modern Necromancer, theory, and practice. The Necromancer of the current day is now interested, primarily, in the ancient branches of War Necromancy. Since Divinatory Necromancy has virtually no place in the world of modern mysticism (having long ago been replaced by diviners, fortune tellers, prophets, seers, scryers, conjurers, and a plethora of other prognosticators of one strain or another) they have turned to the study of the potent forces of decay itself in hopes of perfecting its methods and completing a working knowledge of life and death. The modern Necromancer is enthralled with the potential uses of that which may decay, both for good and for ill, and fully explores the process of imposing a mystic necrosis. The ability to rot and decay that which once was thriving, to blind, to mute, to rend deaf, make dumb, to cripple, to weaken, to sicken and disease and even to cause death are all objects of intense facination to the Necromancer. These abilities are the trademark of the entire art, along with the astounding power of undeads. The Necromancers are preoccupied with the powers which rob and deteriorate, for these are the powers which define their studies and, to an extent (though not as a rule), their personalities.

blue_fusion	13 Sep 2002
(continuation) There are always those magi sure to capitalise on the gory and sinister reputation Necromancy, of course, and those who try to drain all possible negative attention from it before switching to another theme for shock effect; those, however, are the worthless spawnlings of incompetence that do nothing but add to the "smoke and mirror" of Necromancy by perpetuating far tales of raising the physical dead (among other things (a favourite of which seems to be far fetched necrophilic rites and bizarre bestial preparations)). Necromancy is so much more than its undead servants (which will be discussed more fully in the second part) but has the bulk of its reputation based around them. Necromancy is the study of *all* things which drain life, not just the resurrection of fearful creatures. The Necromancer studies, as part of their meanderings into death, the mystic means to induce all varieties of trauma and ailment. This includes (but, of course, is not limited to) sickness, disease, paralysis, minor demonic studies, weakness, frailty of all kinds, terminal illness, plagues, and the ever-famous summoning of undeads. Though often frowned upon, Necromancers take seriously the study of inducing cancer, or perhaps how to cause a heart attack. Inducing blindness and other major (or minor) deteriorations are key methods of judging one's success. These are taken as indications of successful use of the acrid "death essence" -- the foundational power of Lesser Necromancy. Insofar as Necromancers can be stereotyped, I have found it a common trend that there is always a studious and independent mind behind the seething and often bitter exterior. True Necromancers, if I may emphasize this point a bit further, are *not* in it for the shock effect. Necromancers work alone due to the nature of the art itself. Keeping company with others becomes an issue of the worst sort due to excessive amounts of residual essence often soaking into all that one may touch. The stereotypical pale-skinned, thin, weak, frail, sickly looking death magician is based in fact. As a source of power, the death essence must be harvested, but its degenerative volatility harms the practitioner. In what many consider an act of insanity, the Necromancer sacrifices their health for the ability to use the deep powers of the infernal art. The two branches of Necromancy are called Lesser and Greater Necromancy, but within them there are two more divisions of ability: Movements of Essence and Congealing (aka Draining and Summoning, respectively). I have used the former pair of terms only for accuracy's sake; it should be noted that the latter two are the common terms used in colloquial speech among practitioners. Movements of Essence are the abilities which never manifest visibly, but only if effect. This includes draining, energy vampirism, "aura poisoning", and a slew of other skills. Congealing is the other branch of the art, focussing solely on the creation of undead servitors. Why do I say creation? Because the raising of the physical dead from their physical tombs to physical animation is physically impossible. How have Necromancers compensated? Undead horrors such as Skeletons, Zombies, and the whole legion of things accredited to a decent Necromancer's repertoire are all created by the condensing the death essence. With enough compression and concentration (to keep the whole construction together), a visible Necromantic servant can be created. These are usually held in a ghastly undead and legendary form to induce psychological terror, but could just as easily (?) take the form of a rabbit or kitten. To dare to touch one of these creatures means certain death to the hand or part that makes such a foolish motion; such concentrated death essence will stun and potentially kill anything it comes in contact with. Having come this far, the key elements of beginning this art should be mentioned. First, a thorough reading of internet sites, books, and historic literature should be undertaken. Necromancy has had many different faces throughout the ages; some focus on the death essence, some on gods of death, some on the Angel of Death (Azrael), and some on graveyard rituals. The method I am about to discuss focusses on the death essence. To explain the practical use of Necromancy I will focus back on what I meant earlier in saying, "In what many consider an act of insanity, the Necromancer sacrifices their health for the ability to use the deep powers of the infernal art." The key of using this art is to harvest the death essence and put it to use. This poses a problem for most: to put it mildly, death essence is less than abundant in a normal environment. To mend this problem, the Necromancer begins a degenerative cycle at first, one simply absorbs as much of this energy as can possibly be found and does not discharge it. When asked "What does the death essence feel like?", I respond with something along the following lines: "When your body goes numb, your limbs feel dead, your skin feels both icy cold and blazingly hot, your joints ache, your organs burn, and everything about touching this energy feels wrong, you've found the death essence". Through constant gathering of this energy, the body of the practitioner will slowly begin to die. This catalyst is sufficient to make the Necromancer's own body a pungent source of the necrotic force. It emanates from the practitioner and starts a "snowball effect", rapidly aging and decaying the user, but benefits by making Necromantic energy abundant. In an exchange of health for power, the tremor which starts as a small-scale collection of the death essence turns into the proverbial avalanche which becomes all-consuming. After setting your body on the path of self-destruction, the experimentation may commence. After sufficiently theorising the possibilities and working through enough attempts to put the theories into practice, one may shortly learn of the vast destructive powers available to the seasoned Necromancer. I will leave it as such: to dabble in Necromancy is to work with true Terror. Thus we have a brief overview of the entire art of Necromancy -- start to finish including the foundational elements of practice. The old art of divination finally and gloriously restored to the ancient art of inducing mystic necrosis. It's a lonely path, involving a great deal of study and many lonely nights toying with the painful death essence, but one which I believe to be quite rewarding.

Laurel	13 Sep 2002
Thank you for posting that and renewing this thread. I hadn't noticed it before. Like Kayne, my instinctive reaction has always been to avoid necromancy and the study thereof.. but everything you have shared is marvelous food for thought. I'll ponder it for a few days and follow those links. Laurel

The Necromancy thread was originally posted on 18 Jul 2002 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.