Illustrates Horacio Gama
Edition Felipe van Deursen
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REPORT “SUPERNATURAL RITUALS”
– voodoo doll
– Jewish Golem
– Offering to the orixás
– Wiccan ceremony
– Islamic exorcism
– Hindu black magic
Necromancy Ritual
In theory, any ritual of contact with the dead, of any religion, can be called “necromancy” – the word derives from the combination of two Greek terms, “nekrós” (corpse) and “manteía” (prophecy, divination). The most traditional ceremony comes from the ancient Greeks themselves – it is mentioned in Odyssey, by Homer. In antiquity, other pagan religions in Europe adopted necromancy, but they were eventually supplanted by Christianity. More recently, some lines of followers of neopaganism have revived this ancient practice. The ritual includes some pretty nasty ways to get in touch with death, like cannibalism.
Religion – Neopaganism
Emergence – 19th century, Northern Europe
Where is it most practiced? – Europe, South America, USA and Australia
Practitioners – 3 millions
– (Horace Gamma)
1. WHEEL OF FIRE
Usually conducted by a woman, the ritual is performed at night, in a flat and open place. In front of a lit pyre, the priestess draws a circle around herself and those accompanying the event. The presence of many people is not allowed, except for the client (the person who hired the service to contact a specific dead person) and a few of his guests
2. OFFERS
The contractor takes animals to be sacrificed (preferably black sheep), clothes and jewelry that belonged to the deceased and, whenever possible, a piece of his corpse, such as a hand or leg. It is preferable that the person died recently – that way, he would still be close to the plane of the living and easier to locate.
3. CANNIBAL COOKED
To approach the world of the dead, the priestess dons the dead man’s clothes and jewelry. If there is a piece of the body, she must cook it and make a stew. But this ancient practice is very rare nowadays. It is more common to face some spoiled food, such as moldy bread. Drinking the blood of the sacrificed animal also helps in the process.
4. CRAZY SINGING
After eating the rotten food (or human flesh), the priestess invokes the dead person and starts chanting in search of a trance stage. The process usually takes several hours, until she manages to contact the spirit. In some cases, more people play musical instruments to help reach the heightened level of consciousness.
5. MESSAGES IN THE HEAD
When she finally enters full trance and locates her target, the priestess begins to hear it in her head. They talk. Only she hears what the spirit says. The others can ask questions, which he answers only to the priestess. If the process takes too long and the day gets light, the ritual is stopped and resumed again at night.
RESTRICTED CHAT
In general, communication follows the principle of the Greeks, who did not believe that spirits knew everything. So instead of big questions like “What is the meaning of life?” or “Does God exist?”, questions are asked that are more objective and related to the invoked person, such as how he died, who killed him, how are the souls close to him, etc.
– (Horace Gamma)