An Interesting Lecture

[Nuhad418]

Greetings All,

I just wanted to mention that I attended an interesting lecture yesterday on an area I knew nothing about. It turns out that Gilbert (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humphrey_Gilbert) and Davis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Davis_%28English_explorer%29) were involved in ritual magic and necromancy. Their grimoirs and records, at least what was shown, were remarkable :

Rose McGuire Lecture - Conjuring Spirits: Ritual Magic and the Early Scientific Revolution (http://www.carleton.ca/cgi-bin/webevent.cgi?cmd=listevent&ncmd=listevent&cal=cal4&id=24302&ncals=&cat=&sib=1&sort=e,m,t&ws=0&cf=list&set=1&swe=1&sa=0&de=1&tf=0&sb=0&stz=Default&d=28&m=03&y=2007)
Event Location: Paterson Hall, Room 303 (Humanities Lecture Theatre)
Department: College of the Humanities


Details:
In 1568, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, educational reformer, early explorer of the
Northwest Passage, and half-brother to Walter Raleigh, and John Davis, the
navigator, technical innovator, and namesake for the Davis Straight, conjured
demons and talked with the spirits of various saints and history's greatest
magi. Frank Klaassen (http://www.usask.ca/history/faculty_fklaassen.shtml) tells the story of their conjuring operations and
describes the medieval ritual magic traditions upon which they drew. He
explores the relationship of these activities to the early scientific
revolution and current assumptions about science and magic.

[Okazaki Castle]

Hey Nuhad, interesting.

So how did they run their necromancy, as described in the lecture? What did that term mean to them and how did they go about it, and what sort of results are we talking here?

A fascinating field necromancy, in its own way, I find.

all the best,
Oazaki.

[Nuhad418]

Hey Nuhad, interesting.

So how did they run their necromancy, as described in the lecture? What did that term mean to them and how did they go about it, and what sort of results are we talking here?

A fascinating field necromancy, in its own way, I find.

all the best,
Oazaki.

Hello Oazaki,

Although the term necromancy was used in the lecture I'm not sure I would have used the term in the same context. Basically they worked a stripped down form of magic similar to Argippa's work. They did contact spirits of dead magi such as Adam, Solomon, Agrippa and one other who's name espcapes me. There was also a great deal of angelic magic as well. It was mostly high ritual magic in the same vein as Dee. On acted as a seer in a shew stone while the other asked the questions. There also seemed likelt that there was an individual acting as scribe.

[Okazaki Castle]

Ah, getcha, generally speaking. I'm not familiar with Agrippa's work/methodology, have to say...

Thanks for the explanation.

all the best,
Oazaki.

[Nuhad418]

Ah, getcha, generally speaking. I'm not familiar with Agrippa's work/methodology, have to say...

Thanks for the explanation.

all the best,
Oazaki.

;) Anytime. I'm not big on Agrippa either (I mean I've read his stuff but not really dwelled on it). I believe most of his stuff is free online.