A Luxryne course
Spiritual Defense & the Dark Arts
Understanding the dark arts, and the traditions of protection
An education in what the 'dark arts' were, from Roman curse tablets to the witch trials and the grimoires, and in how many traditions have defended against perceived spiritual attack: discernment, cleansing, warding, the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, amulets, psalms and cord cutting. Defensive and educational only.
By the end of this course you will
- Explain maleficium, curses, hexes, the evil eye and the left-hand path historically
- Practise calm discernment and rule out ordinary causes first
- Cleanse and ward a home with traditional methods
- Perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram
- Use amulets, runes and psalms with understanding
Curriculum
Module I
Understanding
The dark arts in history, and discernment.
- What Were the Dark Arts?Maleficia, curse tablets, hexes, the evil eye, the left-hand path and the grimoires, and how traditions understood spiritual attack.Foundation · 4 min read · Free
- Discernment: Recognising Perceived Spiritual AttackPremiumThe signs traditions describe, the ordinary causes to rule out first, and a calm method of discernment.Intermediate · 3 min read
Module II
Cleansing and Warding
Clearing the self and guarding the threshold.
- Cleansing: Salt, Water, Smoke and SoundPremiumTraditional ways of cleansing the self and the home, and how to do them safely and respectfully.Intermediate · 3 min read
- Warding the ThresholdPremiumApotropaic marks, witch bottles, rowan and iron, the nazar and hamsa, and a modern home ward.Intermediate · 3 min read
Module III
The Protective Arts
Banishing, amulets and release.
- The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the PentagramPremiumThe Golden Dawn's foundational ritual of protection and centring, step by step.Advanced · 4 min read
- Protective Amulets, Runes and PsalmsPremiumAlgiz and the Helm of Awe, the protective psalms, Solomon's pentacles and the ethics of amulets.Advanced · 4 min read
- Cord Cutting and the Mirror WardPremiumReleasing unhealthy attachments, and a boundary ward that sends nothing back: protection only, never harm.Advanced · 4 min read
Course reading list
- John G. Gager (ed.), Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World (1992)
- Brian P. Levack, The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe (1987)
- Dion Fortune, Psychic Self-Defence (1930)
- Owen Davies, Grimoires: A History of Magic Books (2009)
- Alan Dundes (ed.), The Evil Eye: A Casebook (1981)
- Christopher C. French & Anna Stone, Anomalistic Psychology (2014)
- Scott Cunningham, Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (1988)
- Spike W. S. Lee & Norbert Schwarz, 'Washing Away Postdecisional Dissonance', Science 328 (2010)
- Ralph Merrifield, The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic (1987)
- Brian Hoggard, Magical House Protection (2019)