The Anathomy of Whichcraft
The Anathomy of Whichcraft
The Anathomy of Whichcraft
The
Anatomy of
Witchcraft
PETER HAINING
INTRODUCTION 11
1 . WITCHCRAFT IN BRITAIN 17
Appendix I : The Initiation of a Witch 51
Appendix II: Ritual Magic 57
2. THE GROWTH OF BLACK MAGIC 61
3. THE WITCHES OF AMERICA 96
4. EVIL ON THE COAST 113
Appendix : The Satanic Ritual 133
5. THE ANCIENT CRAFT IN EUROPE 138
6 . WITCHCRAFT BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN 164
7. VOODOO-BLACK WITCHCRAFT 181
Appendix : The Voodoo Blood Sacrifice 205
8. THE REST OF THE WORLD 208
Bibliography 219
Acknowledgements 221
ILLUSTRATIONS
Dennis Wheatley.
INTRODUCTION
WITCHCRAFT IN BRITAIN
witches have (and may well still do) take drugs . According
to my experience certain strong incenses and narcotics are
burned at witch meetings and these-linked with the lively
dancing and chanting-almost certainly induce a "high" or
psychic awareness . I have seen it suggested, too, that an-
other manifestation of witchcraft is the "elementals", entities
primarily of energy rather than visible form, which practi-
tioners can raise at will. These must be just as elusive as
poltergeists and while I dislike dismissing any area of the
occult without thorough personal enquiry, I find these "crea-
tures" about as credible as the so-called "familiars", the
possession of which condemned so many thousands of
unfortunate old men and women to death during the witch
purges . They were invariably small animals or pets and I
think a similar explanation could be found for most of the
stories of "elementals" .
Up to this point we have been referring to witch "magic"
as being practised by groups, but it is true to say that it can
also be performed by a single devotee . Although it is usual
for a witch to have his or her own temple for this work,
magic can be performed virtually anywhere as long as the
requisite tools and tranquil atmosphere are available . Many
of the studies of witchcraft which have been written over
the past hundred years or so stress the length and complex-
ity of a good deal of witch magic, but they are, in fact, only
repeating the extraneous material included in the instruc-
tions to confuse the outsider. The true practitioner versed in
the arts, knows exactly what is required and, more impor-
tant, how to prepare himself and, in particular, his state of
mind to carry the act through to success . As much witch
magic consists of "willing" action at some point perhaps
distant from the magician, the importance of this attitude of
mind can easily be understood . Witches claim they can
sense if a spell is working, or if the power they are attempt-
ing to raise is developing, by a "tingling" sensation not un-
Witchcraft in Britain 29
like a stream of cold water running through the bones . This
sensation can increase to become a roaring in the mind
which gives the impression of floating-or die away to a
mere prickling of the nerve ends in the toes or fingers . When
this phenomenon has manifested itself, the witches say they
have "raised a cone of power" which can then be "sent off"
to perform the required task . Not surprisingly, the magi-
cians say they experience considerable palpitation and loss
of breath after such a performance . Of course, it is only fair
to say that there are people with the ability to carry out
such magic who are not witches and have no connection
with witchcraft. Today's witches do not make an exclusive
claim to ritual magic although they are always more than
anxious to recruit those with psychic abilities to their ranks .
"Sex magic" figures prominently in the history of witch-
craft and the renowned poet and student of the occult,
Robert Graves has given careful attention to it in his work .
He has reported, and indeed the witches have agreed with
his conclusions, that the sex act has been held traditionally
to "raise great power" and can form the natural conclusion
to a ritual designed to conjure up strong emanations . The
union of the man and woman, however, must be preceded
by their working most closely together in the earlier stages
of the ritual, the sex act providing a climax of determina-
tion . Despite sensational reports in the national press to the
contrary, today's witches do observe contemporary stand-
ards of morality (many, indeed, are social workers and
practising Christians, a strange volte face at first sight, but
not on deeper examination of witch motives) and inter-
course between partners who are not married or at least
closely involved emotionally, is not encouraged . Robert
Graves sees the union as the creation of a "whole person",
male and female, and the linking of minds seeking the great
desires of mankind since earliest times-procreation and
sustenance . The witches also actively encourage great sex-
30 The Anatomy of Witchcraft
ual harmony among their members to ensure a happy home
life and the eventual introduction of any children to the
cult . Children below the age of fifteen or sixteen are not
normally allowed into the covens and instances where boys
or girls below this age have been brought to meetings have
usually caused annoyance and distress to the older practi-
tioners . The witches strongly resist suggestions that they
force their offspring into the cult or that they encourage
promiscuity by proposing a religion that practises nudity
and sex magic . As one witch put it to me, "It is a prepos-
terous allegation . There is no more reason for our children
to `go off the rails' than those of any other parents . Indeed
we believe it has a more balancing effect on a child to see
his parents in the nude and obviously adoring each other
than making something furtive and behind-closed-doors out
of their love . Witchcraft propounds love to all and we have
a saying which beautifully summarises what I mean, `Evil
be to him that evil thinks' ."
Perhaps the question most frequently posed to the cult in
today's materialistic society is, simply : what do the witches
hope to gain from it all? The answer would certainly con-
tain a little of the elements we have discussed, but probably
uppermost of all would be the promise of reincarnation . For
it is a basic teaching and belief of the old religion that every-
one can return to this life after their "death" in a new form
and thereby continue the "journey" in eternity "learning ever
more as we progress" . The old phrase, "Once a witch, al-
ways a witch" evolved from this tenet and the practitioners
believe that it is possible for them to return at the same
time as their loved ones and, should they die first, make
contact with those close to the survivors, through what I
can best describe as "supernatural" means . Whether the
reader is prepared to accept the concept of reincarnation I
can only leave to his judgement, and thereby form his own
conclusions about the goal of witchcraft .
Witchcraft in Britain 31
If reincarnation is the highest achievement the witches
seek after death, what absorbs them in life? In a word :
magic . And by this they mean not only the successful per-
formance of rituals and spells, but also the filling of one's
life with magic . "The earth is full of magic", one witch told
me, "magic is a result of loving each other . It causes the
plants to grow, the birds and animals to flourish and gives
man the will to live and prosper . To lose the magic in one's
existence is to be dead in life, to see and feel and act, but
without purpose ." To some that whole feeling may be sum-
marised not by the word "magic" but by "nature" .
THE INITIATION OF
A WITCH
RITUAL
The Priestess and the Novice first bathe in warm water,
and then stark naked enter the temple of the Initiation to-
gether . The priestess now enters the Grand Magic Circle
alone, leaving the novice outside it . She re-draws the Circle
using her Athame, and leaving a doorway. On coming to
the doorway again she lifts her Athame in an arc and com-
pletes the circle . She now circumambulates three times sun-
wise with a dancing step, calling on the Mighty Ones of the
EAST, SOUTH, WEST and NORTH to attend, then dancing
around several times in Silence chants :
"CHANT"
"Eko : Eko : Azarak, Eko : Eko : Zomelak"
"Bagabi Lacha bachabe
Lamac cahi achababe
Karrellyos
RITUAL MAGIC
PREPARATION
First of all the washing preparation of the body takes place .
A large tub of very warm water is prepared and the High
Priest enters saying :
"I exorcise thee, 0 Creature of the Water, that thou cast out
from thee all impurities and uncleanliness of the spirits of the
world of phantasms so they may harm me not, through the vir-
tue of God the Almighty, who reigneth in the Ages of Ages .
Amen .
"Mertalia, Musalia, Dophalia, Onemalia, Zitanseia,
Goldaphaira, Dedulsaira, Ghevialaira, Gheminaiea, Geg-
ropheira, Cedani, Gilthar, Godieb, Ezoiil, Musil, Grassil,
Tamen, Puri, Godu, Hoznoth, Astachoth, Tzabaath,
Adonai, Agla, On, El, Tetragrammaton, Shema, Ariston,
Anaphaxeton, Segilaton, Primarouton ."
The High Priestess also washes in the water, and he pours
the water over himself and the High Priestess, saying :
"Purge me, 0 Lord, with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash
me and I shall be whiter than snow ."
The High Priest now takes salt and blesses it saying :
"The blessing of the Father Almighty be upon this Creature
of Salt . Let all malignity and hindrance be cast forth hencefrom,
and let all good enter in . Wherefore I bless thee, and invoke
thee that thou mayst aid me."
58 The Anatomy of Witchcraft
Casting the salt into the water they both enter it, wash
again saying :
"Imanel, Arnamon, Imato, Memeon, Hectacon, Muobii,
Paltellon, Decaion, Yamenton, Yaron, Tatonon, Vapho-
ron, Gardon, Existon, Zagueron, Momerton, Zarmesiton,
Tileion, Tixmion."
Both put on, from head to foot, white linen perfumed
robes after they have dried themselves thoroughly .
Previous to this cleansing, the whole floor has to be
cleaned-and also before the ceremony with a damp cloth
so that no dirt exists, perfume to be used-hands must be
washed again after the floor has been wiped-then perfume
it.
obscenity and the others who are tricked into joining, think-
ing such a group is a relatively harmless body with a pre-
dilection for the ancient mysteries and sex . Once they have
gained admission, terror, coercion and even blackmail are
readily employed by the organisers to prevent their leaving .
The main line of procedure is always an insidious under-
mining of the neophyte's moral standards . Doctrines are
expounded to the effect that evil is only a relative term ;
that people have to be "freed" by Black Magic to see the
beauty in so-called wickedness ; that sin has no reality and
that the only way to a full life is to ignore ordinary stand-
ards of honesty, purity and kindliness, because the exercise
of these qualities prevents people yielding to all their im-
pulses and limits their material attainments. Until, at
length, the individual who is not strong-minded, begins to
believe that his or her standards were foolish and non-
progressive . Usually someone already an initiate is assigned
to "guide" the new member ; cleverly finding out his weakest
points, such as love of money, jealousy or repressed sexual
desire, and dangling before him tempting suggestions as to
how he may achieve his ends by entering wholeheartedly
into Satanism .
At the very heart of the practice is the Black Mass, the
legendary ritual which is frequently taken to be the whole
of Black Magic. The new initiate learns through it and its
revolting acts, the ideal of utilising evil for its own sake .
Today's practitioners of the Black Mass are in fact de-
scendants of the superstitious people of medieval times who
chose to give homage to the Prince of Darkness rather than
the high and authoritarian Church . To them the choice lay
between the stern priests with their threats of hell-fire and
damnation on one side and the "devil worshippers" on the
other, promising wealth and sexual gratification. While
they may not have obtained a great deal of the former, it
did not prevent the men and women of those times from
64 The Anatomy of Witchcraft
joining the groups for a great deal of the joys of the flesh!
As far as we can tell the first Black Masses per se were
being celebrated in Europe at the time of the Battle of
Cressy in 1346 . According to the historian Flammermont,
writing on the period, ritualised satanism was born because
of "an outbreak of hatred which had accumulated during
the centuries in the hearts of the peasants against church,
landlord and noble". He noted, too, that the Church, which
might have been expected to provide a refuge and solace
for the harassed peasantry, was just as riddled with cor-
ruption and vice as the state . Nuns and priests were fre-
quently seen drinking in taverns and inns and there was
good reason for suspecting that many of them cohabited
together .
Not surprisingly, much of the peasantry felt that God
had turned His back on them and did not care whether
their morals or dignity were abused . In the last throes of
despair they sought the only escape open to them-as serv-
ants of the Anti-Christ . So they signed a pact with Satan
through the Black Mass conducted at the now infamous
Sabat . These Sabats were a development of the earlier
Sabasia, rustic festivals of drinking and debauchery . In the
hands of the devil worshippers they were dedicated to the
perpetration of evil and a "deliberate and deadly defiance
of Jesus", to quote one clerical authority .
At these nightmarish gatherings held in secluded woods
and groves, the initiated were taught that hatred of their
condition and those who ruled their lives was not enough ;
they must also hate God . They must be prepared to defile
His image and spit upon the Cross . They must despise all
that was good and dedicate their lives to the service of
Satan . In return he would bring pleasure into their lives by
providing merrymaking, promiscuity, and drinking and
give them the wherewithal in the form of potions and spells
to revenge themselves on their tyrannical masters .
The Growth of Black Magic 65
Before a neophyte could be admitted to the ranks of the
devil worshippers, however, he had to declare all the sins
he had committed in his life . This was the leader's safe-
guard against loose tongues being tempted to inform the
landlords-a formula which is still being successfully em-
ployed in the twentieth century .
In the centuries which followed, the appeal of the Sabat
and the Black Mass was to remain as strong as ever and
even when the Church became less authoritarian and closer
to its people, and officialdom similarly more responsible,
the Satanists merely channelled their evil into a more gen-
eral hatred of society as a whole . Authority was often
aware of the presence of these people but not always in-
clined to move against them . The terrible witch-hunts in
the main missed the devil worshippers, due to a blindness
and bigotry which was more dedicated to convicting the
innocent than searching out real evil . Those who followed
Satan were skilled at escaping the arm of the law and in-
deed have never lost this accomplishment .
By the seventeenth century we find the Sabats were
totally unrestrained in their licentiousness and the Black
Mass had found a format which would remain unchanged
for all time . Its component parts do not make for the most
pleasant reading .
The classic Mass was performed in a deserted coppice
by an expelled, unfrocked or renegade priest wearing a
black cloak decorated with fir cones . (He could, alterna-
tively, wear purple or scarlet robes .) His acolytes or assist-
ants were females wearing church vestments . One, dressed
in red, was a prostitute while the other in white was
required to be a virgin .
The altar, usually just a stone slab, was covered with a
black cloth on which were placed candles, a skull and vari-
ous sacrificial bowls . The candles were made with fat
(allegedly human) mixed with sulphur and coloured
66 The Anatomy of Witchcraft
black. The candle-holders represented the zodiac and were
made of ebony . The incense was a mixture of sulphur,
alum, asafoetida and herbs, often foul-smelling . The cruci-
fix was turned upside down as was the Holy Bible when
used . The latter was supposedly bound in the skin of an
unbaptised infant who had died at birth .
The Host was black instead of white and often made up
of body wastes, with markings or images considered blas-
phemous by the church . Not infrequently it had an image
of Satan stamped on it. The chalice was of either wood or
metal-though preferably the skull of a dead criminal . In-
stead of wine the chalice more often than not contained
blood and sometimes urine . In the more debauched of the
Black Masses the blood of a sacrificed child or female was
mixed with the wine and given to the celebrants .
The ceremonial began with an invocation to the Devil .
The Lord's Prayer was next recited backwards ; then fol-
lowed a mock confession, the Sign of the Cross being made
with the left hand in reverse . The chalice was then passed
around and the celebrants drank the wine mixed with blood
and urine . The High Priest then stabbed the host with the
same knife as used in the blood sacrifice . He finally spat on
it and threw it on the ground, where the celebrants tram-
pled it underfoot. After this the contents of the chalice were
poured over the desecrated and dissected host. The ending
of the Black Mass was usually an orgy where everyone ate,
drank and indulged themselves in all kinds of sexual acts
and perversions .
Although historical records would have us believe that
the Devil did appear at these gatherings, this merely seems
another legend invented about the dark practices of the
past. Like today's practitioners of Black Magic, the dis-
ciples of the past did not actually try to conjure up Satan
in physical form ; although they did believe it was possible
to see a vision of him if they smeared their faces with the
The Growth of Black Magic 67
blood of a goat which had been boiled with vinegar and
crushed glass!
It is perhaps quite fair to say that only in the very earliest
times did these people actually believe that the Devil, as a
person, existed . For most of the time in which Black Magic
has been recorded the disciples believed in the existence of
evil itself as a living force rather than in a being with horns
and a forked tail . However, they have continued to ac-
knowledge their debt to their "founder", the Devil, the leg-
endary Father of Evil, by having one member dressed in a
style to represent him . In a nutshell, the "Goat" figure is
there to symbolise the many powers of evil and not to be
the actual recipient of worship .
Today's groups of Black Magicians are known gener-
ally as the "Fraternity of the Goat" or "The Brothers of the
Shadows" . Like the practitioners of witchcraft they nor-
mally assemble in groups of 13, although it is not unusual
for the number to be much larger . Unlike witchcraft, how-
ever, women do not play the leading part in Black Magic,
instead their role is very limited, being frequently reduced
to that of a sex object for the use of the male participants .
Each group is administered by "The Goat", or High Priest,
usually an elderly man who takes little part in the physical
side of the ceremonies and sometimes keeps his identity
secret beneath the grotesque goat mask . There are few set
dates on which they meet, these being governed by the
availability of some secluded spot to avoid the chances of
discovery.
Although outsiders find it extremely difficult, in fact
virtually impossible, to identify these people in everyday
life, Black Magic practitioners can make contact with each
other if the need arises . Not surprisingly, the cult does not
encourage communication, reasoning rightly enough that
a person in touch with a lot of people has more to reveal
should he try to break away. Should one group need to con-
68 The Anatomy of Witchcraft
tact another, however, adequate provision has been made
through a complicated system of "fronts" . These test the
urgency of the matter and the advisability of a contact .
Individual members can, nevertheless, side-track the "mid-
dle" men, recognising other practitioners by finger signs not
unlike those used in Freemasonry .
With secrecy being of the utmost importance, the hier-
archy of the groups watch their followers very closely . Any
member suspected of breaking his ritual oath of silence
will be put under constant surveillance. His every move
will be observed by fellow devotees and regular reports
supplied to the leaders on his conduct, where he goes and
whom he meets. Members are even encouraged to spy on
each other and are promised favours for their information .
Gaining admission to a coven of Satanists is by no means
an easy task and, in fact, the groups usually tend to recruit
their own new members from the fringes of the occult
world-the areas of grey around "white" witchcraft and
spiritualism when certain members have become dissatis-
fied with the controlled sensuality and seek more positive
"rewards" . One such person was introduced to me while I
was researching for this book and subsequently prepared
a statement about her experiences which I shall now re-
produce . It is not a pleasant report and underlines the
dangers inherent in Black Magic .
The "victim", a woman now in her middle thirties was,
before her experience, a gay and lively person, attractive
and popular in the Midland business circles in which she
moved after office hours . She delighted in parties and
through meeting a practitioner of Wicca at one such gather-
ing, decided to join a coven . At first, she says, her interest
was sincere and she was eventually admitted into a coven
based in Manchester. Not troubled by inhibitions, she en-
joyed the sexual side both with her chosen partner and,
separately, with others from the group at secret rendezvous .
The Growth of Black Magic 69
M:.
A Black Mass in progress .
(Tom. Oxley)
Rollo Aluned .
(Sunday Pictorial)
The comuiercialisation of
Witchcraft 1 : A scene from the
film 'Legend of the Witches' .
(Border Film Productions)
The legendary meeting place of witches in Europe was the Bockshcrg in the Harz Moun-
tains . Today the event is still marked by an annual gathering of local people on May
Eve when the `devil' is summoned from the skies . (herstonel
A photograph from the trial of German `witch master' Hermann Dreher and those who
conspired with him to declare a young housewife a witch . (Keystone)
year . She was then sold to pay her jail fees-her food and
the manacles she wore .
The hysteria which gripped the village led to further
accusations and the testimony still preserved at Salem shows
how the examining magistrates meted out their "justice"
with bigotry and prejudice . When, eventually, a higher
court revoked the sentences, the villagers' black record of
persecution was too deeply engrained and too widely known
to ever be forgotten . Even the subsequent attempts to com-
pensate the descendants of those executed as witches could
not obliterate the stain .
Today the courthouse, at 34 Federal Street, has an exhi-
bition of the evidence of the trials . Here, one can see the
County Seal (dated 1687) which was stamped on the war-
rants for the arrest of those charged with witchcraft . Here,
too, is the death warrant of Bridget Bishop, believed to be
the only such warrant in existence. Mrs . Bishop was the first
woman hanged as a witch in Salem .
Ten pins, two of them twisted and bent, which were
produced in court as the pins the witches allegedly used to
pierce their victims, are also on view. Nearby, manuscripts
in the handwriting of the Reverend Parris contain the direct
examination of Rebekah Nurse, who was also convicted
and hanged.
At the back of the exhibition case, beside great volumes
of testimony, is a yellowed print of the Witch House (corner
of North and Essex Streets), the home of Magistrate Corwin .
It is the sole surviving home of the period, having been
restored and furnished in comfortable 17th-Century style .
A further and more comprehensive collection of witch-
craft memorabilia can be found at the Essex Institute at
132 Essex Street, which includes typed transcripts of court-
house records and a library .
It is probably true to say that America has never quite
got over her shame about the Salem outrage and indeed the
The Witches of America 99
modern practitioners of witchcraft I met after my journey to
Salem tended to agree with this . Several maintained that
the old religion of witchcraft was never practised in any
form at Salem ; the remnants of medieval superstition in
the minds of one or two people were the root cause of the
plague of superstition . Wicca, the real Witchcraft, say these
people, has only been established in the United States for
the past hundred years .
A subscriber to this viewpoint is New England's most
famous modern witch Mr . Ted Rabouin who lives in
Westboro, Massachusetts and belongs to a coven which
meets in the vicinity of Salem. He describes himself as a
hereditary witch and proudly makes this known when he
lectures to psychology classes or appears on radio or televi-
sion. The house where Mr . Rabouin lives is instantly recog-
nisable by its black paintwork ; yet he is anything but a
sinister person . He has exorcised harmful spirits from
haunted houses, helped authorities to find fourteen missing
persons, and on one occasion, according to a magazine
interview, projected himself astrally to attend a witches'
convention in Chicago.
It is difficult to pinpoint in time when a significant num-
ber of people were seriously practising the art, but records
do indicate that at the turn of the century a Scottish immi-
grant named Longfellow was leading a rather unsavoury
cult in Boston, that New York boasted two covens under
the auspices of a European antique dealer and there were
vague stories from the West Coast of witches conducting a
nude ritual on the beach at Malibu on Midsummer Eve .
Perhaps the most obvious part of the country was Penn-
sylvania in the area of the German (miscalled Dutch by the
corruption of Deutsch) settlements where "wise" men and
women openly sold cures and "drove off" the spirits of evil
demons .
In 1828 one of the strangest trials on record took place
100 The Anatomy of Witchcraft
in York County, Pa . when a man and two teenage boys were
tried for the murder of an alleged witch (or "powwower" as
they were called) who was said to have "hexed" them . Dur-
ing the trial it was revealed that the three men were also
witches and that beneath the surface of this apparently
tranquil community there existed a veritable hive of "super-
natural practitioners" whose services were much used when
those of traditional helpers failed . The citizens who sat in
judgement, however, were not convinced and the judge di-
rected them to ignore such "tales of devilry" . The story of the
trial was relayed in newspapers throughout the United
States and undoubtedly resulted in a number of small, (and
thankfully not fatal) witch-hunts .
Another area which housed such unsavoury business was
the Kentucky Hills, a part of America where it has been my
pleasure to stay while researching this book . In this area
rural magic has been an accepted part of life for genera-
tions, the power to perform it passing from father to son
and mother to daughter. Superstition and legends of witches
and warlocks abound in the hills and while the people are
reluctant to speak of them, a picture of their craft can be
assembled.
The Kentucky witches are, in the main, "healing"
witches, not unlike those "wise" men and women of Europe
who have been so often persecuted through the ages . Se-
cretly much in demand among their kinfolk, they have
been credited with miraculous cures and even the restoring
to life of the dead . (Through these stories one or two of
the most remote settlements have become known to outsid-
ers as "Villages of the Devil's Children") .
While some of these witches rely on the use of roots,
bark and various herbs to heal the sick, others are believed
to have certain inherent psychic powers, so that they can
heal simply by the "laying on of hands" . This is of course a
very old belief dating back to Biblical times . Some of the
The Witches of America 101
men and women actually specialise in certain kinds of heal-
ing and there are, for instance, "Blood-stopping" healers .
They need only touch a patient who is bleeding to stop the
flow . Other witches are said to be able to heal even severe
burns with a touch of the hand, accompanied by a particular
spell or charm . Still others specialise in curing less serious
ailments such as sprains, boils and warts .
Unlike most of their brothers and sisters elsewhere in
the world, the healing witches of Kentucky are invariably
loners and there are no records of a coven, or covens, ever
having been established in the famed Blue Hills . (It has
been suggested that many of the witches' charms and skills
worked in this area are of English origin and as it was much
settled by people from the British Isles this seems not an
unreasonable suggestion : certainly I learned here a number
of spells which are recorded in English grimoires long before
America was colonised .)
However, all this only adds up to a scattered and pass-
ing interest in witchcraft in early America, and according
to my informants the rise of the cult coincided, as did that
in Britain, with the publication of the works of Margaret
Murray, (with her revelations about the ancient fertility re-
ligion in God of the Witches), and the practical experiments
of Dr . Gerald Gardner .
As far as the general public was concerned, the crucial
date was probably 1958 when what had been expected to
be a modestly successful film, Bell, Book and Candle based
on a play about witchcraft by John Van Druten and starring
Kim Novak and James Stewart became an overnight box-
office sensation . (Its phenomenal success has probably only
been repeated by one successive movie, Rosemary's Baby
the satanic tale by Ira Levin!) The crush to see the film
prompted Look magazine to interview Van Druten and
in his comments he claimed that witchcraft was still prac-
tised, and indeed flourished, right there and then in the
102 The Anatomy of Witchcraft
heart of sophisticated New York . In the subsequent articles
Look scoffed at the claim-only to be overwhelmed by calls
and letters from those who said they were modern witches .
Other papers and television took up the story-and witch-
craft in twentieth century America was on the map!
Enquiry since that date has shown a similar growth in the
craft to that in Britain with the membership likewise drawn
from a cross-section of the community and scattered across
the continent-with a predominance, as I have said earlier,
on the East Coast . Serious adherents call their practice the
"Craft of the Wise" and frequently use the old Anglo-Saxon
word of Wicca . As in Britain, the craft attracts its fair share
of perverts and cranks and the increasing interest of young
people in the occult in recent years has led to a number of
outrageous attacks on its people and practices . To counter-
act this as much as possible most of the genuine covens
have tightened up their methods of admission and it is now
no easy matter for the insincere to get in or, if they do, hold
membership for very long .
Witchcraft in America is, not surprisingly, closely mod-
elled on that in Britain and Europe, and although there are
variations, the main ceremonies and litanies practised are
those devised and modelled by the late Gerald Gardner .
This has led to many witches referring to themselves as
"Gardnerites" and also explains why the two most important
figures in American witchcraft are not only of English ori-
gin, but also followed closely in the footsteps of Dr . Gard-
ner. They are Raymond Buckland and Sybil Leek.
blonde wife of the High Priest, will open the door and show
them courteously into the "Ritual Chamber" as the main
lounge is called. Dominating the room are a tombstone
124 The Anatomy of Witchcraft
with legs (serving as a coffee table), an old operating table,
a skeleton and a vast array of occult books-primarily on
Black Magic.
Anton La Vey, who calls himself a Doctor of "Satanic
Theology", had become known as the most notorious prac-
titioner of the black arts since Aleister Crowley and obvi-
ously delights in heightening this legend by his life style and
setting . He dresses in a black suit with Roman collar and
wears the Satanic Pentagram of Baphomet, the Black Goat,
on a silver chain around his neck . (Illustrated on page 123.)
Outdoors, he strides along in a flowing black cloak .
Born in 1930 of Russian parents (who brought him up
on tales of vampires and the supernatural, he says) La Vey
was a circus artist, animal trainer and police photographer
before founding his cult on Walpurgisnacht, April 30th,
1966.
"In effect I started the church even before 1966," he re-
calls, "because I had set up a magical circle in the Bay Area
of San Francisco for people who were already students of
the Black Arts . We had about 50 members with a hard
core group of 25 or so meeting once a week for seminars
of practise. I had developed a synthesis that I was putting
into practice and I found that it worked .
"Basically the principles of Satanism are contained in
the first words of Faust's Homunculus, `I live, therefore I
must act.' We're here, and we'd damned well better make
the best of it and not look beyond this life . There is a
demon inside man and it must be exercised, not exorcised
-channelled into ritualised hatred ."
The impact of the cult was not long in being felt and
today La Vey claims to have a membership of around
10,000 people in the United States and "branches" in most
major countries of the world, including several European
nations, Great Britain and even Australia . According to
him, these people are aged between 25 and 45 and practice
Evil on the Coast 125
a "controlled form of hedonism" . In this they acknowledge
Satan as a symbolic personal saviour who advocates sexual
freedom . They make a great point, too, of informing every-
one that the word traditionally associated with their master,
EVIL, is actually LIVE spelt backwards . Their ceremoni-
als, as we shall see later, are designed to eliminate all
inhibitions and include a naked woman as the "altar" and
the use of phallic symbols for benediction .
La Vey encourages his members to indulge in the Seven
Deadly Sins because they are the things we do naturally,
he says . They hurt no one ; besides, they were invented by
the Catholic Church to instill guilt in the faithful . Actually,
the Seven Deadly Sins are virtues, he reasons, because they
all lead to physical or mental gratification, and how can
you be good to anyone else if you aren't good to yourself?
"If we didn't have pride, we wouldn't have any self-
respect . Anger? If people exploded, there might not be ul-
cers . Lust? If it weren't for that we wouldn't be here . Envy?
How could one get ahead if he didn't envy? It's the same
for gluttony, greed, slothfulness ."
He practices what he preaches, too, and points to what
happened to attorney Sam Brody as proof . Brody was the
boy friend of actress Jayne Mansfield, who was a member
of La Vey's church .
"Jayne and I were very close," the Satanist leader
says, "but she had strong masochistic tendencies, a self-
destructive urge .
"Sam Brody hated my group . He threatened to make
trouble, all kinds of scandal for me . I told him I would see
him dead within the year, and I went through a ritual
Satanic curse, conjuring up forces to destroy him . I told
Jayne that he was under a dark cloud and that it was fool-
ish for her to be with him . I urged her to stay out of cars
with him and not be alone with him . I made it clear to her
that it would happen within a year ."
126 The Anatomy of Witchcraft
Within a year, in June 1967, Brody was killed in a car
crash on the road to New Orleans . Jayne Mansfield, who
had been named co-respondent by Brody's wife in a court
suit, was decapitated in the same accident .
"She was the victim of her own frivolity," pronounces
La Vey .
If this statement gives the impression that the High Priest
has a certain lack of compassion, he can be heard at his
most disparaging when it comes to discussing white witch-
craft.
"Satanism differs greatly from all self-righteous and
supercilious religions who protest that their members use
the powers of magic only for altruistic purposes . Satanists
look with disdain upon `white' witchcraft groups because
they feel that altruism is sinning on the lay-away plan . It
is unnatural not to have the desire to gain things for your-
self .
"Satanism advocates practising a modified form of the
Golden Rule," he goes on . "Our interpretation of this rule
is : `Do unto others as they do unto you' ; because if you `Do
unto others as you would have them do unto you', and they
in turn, treat you badly, it goes against human nature to
continue to treat them with consideration.
"White witchcraft groups say that if you curse a person,
it will return to you three-fold, come home to roost, or in
some way boomerang back to the sender . This is yet an-
other indication of the guilt-ridden philosophy which is
held by these neo-Pagan, pseudo-Christian groups . White
witches want to delve into witchcraft, but cannot divorce
themselves from the stigma attached to it . Therefore, they
call themselves white magicians and base seventy-five per-
cent of their philosophy on the trite and hackneyed tenets
of Christianity .
"Anyone who pretends to be interested in magic or the
occult for reasons other than gaining personal power," he
Evil on the Coast 127
maintains, "is the worst kind of hypocrite . The Satanist
respects Christianity for at least being consistent in its guilt-
ridden philosophy but can only feel contempt for people
who attempt to appear emancipated from guilt by joining
a witchcraft group, and then practise the same basic phi-
losophy as Christianity .
"White Magic is supposedly utilised only for good or un-
selfish purposes, and black magic, we are told, is used only
for selfish or `evil' reasons . Satanism draws no such divid-
ing line . Magic is magic, be it used to help or hinder. The
Satanist, being the magician, should have the ability to
decide what is just and then apply the powers of magic to
attain his goals."
To summarise all his beliefs, the High Priest of Satanism
recently wrote a book titled characteristically "The Satanic
Bible". In this he propounds his tenets which, simplified,
read :
1 . Satan represents indulgence, instead of abstinence!
2. Satan represents vital existence, instead of spiritual
pipe dreams!
3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom, instead of hypo-
critical self-deceit!
4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, in-
stead of love wasted on ingrates!
5 . Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other
cheek!
6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible, in-
stead of concern for psychic vampires!
7. Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes
better, more often worse than those that walk on all
fours and who, because of "his divine spiritual and in-
tellectual development", has become the most vicious
animal of all!
8 . Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead
to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!
128 ThE Anatomy of Witchcraft
9. Satan has been the best friend the church has ever had,
as he has kept it in business all these years!
And so on. The book is a history not so much of blas-
phemy as complete opposition to all the teachings of Chris-
tianity. La Vey claims, "What we advocate is what most
Americans practise whether they call it Satanism or not .
We are the new establishment and ours is the way for the
future ."
It is perhaps only in the State of California, that La Vey
could report truthfully that his "Church" is recognised by
the government and the state as a religion. "We have all
the advantages from the point of view of taxes and our
weddings (in the name of Lord Satan) funerals and bap-
tism (also held over the body of a nude woman) are rec-
ognised and registered ."
La Vey has carried out these rites in the full glare of
publicity and, not surprisingly, has received a great deal
of abuse and condemnation-particularly when he "bap-
tised" one of his own two daughters, Zeena, aged 6 . All this
he accepts cheerfully and indeed the new visitor to the
house (or "Devil's Chapel" as he prefers to call it) will in-
variably be shown his bulging scrapbook. A conducted tour
of the house is also reminiscent of a guided tour of occult
history, crammed as it is with horned masks, crystal balls
(La Vey is also an accomplished hypnotist and this does
give a pointer to the basis of some of his skills) a black
coffin, an organ and the Master's study which bears a head-
board "The Den of Iniquity" . As if this were not enough,
there is also a bed of nails which La Vey claims to use regu-
larly.
During the week, apart from being regularly consulted
by would-be members of the Church (admission fee $10),
Anton La Vey answers a voluminous mail, writes for mag-
azines and shows private clients how to cast their own
spells . Friday he gives over to the preparation of his weekly
Evil on the Coast 129
"Satanic Mass" which takes place in the evening and draws
a dozen or so followers from around the San Francisco
area. M Y schedule in the town did not permit me to stay
on for this ceremony, but the following graphic report was
specially prepared by a young and perceptive journalist,
Judith Rascoe . It describes, as Miss Rascoe puts it, "just
exactly what goes on in a quiet backwater of San Francisco
every week . . ."
"Late on Friday evening I drove to San Francisco to at-
tend a Satanic High Mass . A heavy fog, like the back-
ground of a Flemish hell, smothered the city ; the streets
were empty . I knocked on the door of the Church of Satan
-it was so dark and misty I could not find the bell-and a
young security guard in a black uniform admitted me cau-
tiously .
"Several young warlocks, wizards, and priests were
lounging and chatting in their black robes in the little hall-
way. In the hyacinth parlour half a dozen more people
were waiting for the service to begin . Two elderly fellows
sat on the sofa, dismayed or pleased by the fact that the
other Satanists were a youthful lot .
"Looking around, I saw that everybody except me and
the old fellows and a young girl in the corner wore the fa-
miliar Satanic medallion : a ram's head in the centre of an
inverted five-pointed star .
"The light dimmed. Wagner filled the room, and soon
we sat in warm, voiceless darkness, submerged beneath
waves of the Ring Cycle. After a long, long time, Wagner
subsided, giving way to organ music from another room .
"Suddenly the door opens and a priestess carrying a can-
dle beckons us to follow her to the Ritual Chamber, where
we grope our way on to folding chairs and are plunged into
impenetrable darkness once again . The organ booms on
and on, making me wonder how the organist can find the
keys .
130 The Anatomy of Witchcraft
"Finally the lights flicker a little at the other end of the
room, flare up, and reveal half a dozen ministers of Satan,
some with their heads covered with pointed black hoods,
gathered before the altar . On the altar-fireplace the red-
haired girl lies nude and artfully disposed on a fur rug, so
that her nudity is more suggested than explicit, especially
to the obliquely seated congregation .
"A very tall hooded figure steps forward and rings the
bell, and then Anton La Vey, who has been standing in
the shadows, his robed arm lifted before his face, begins the
`Satanic Solemn High Mass' .
"Tonight he is wearing a horned satin cap and heavy
satin robes . He seems seven feet tall rather than six ; his
gestures are slow and lordly ; his voice is full, cold and
dramatic . From one book he reads a Gospel of Satan ; from
another he recites the Enochian invocations . He chants the
names of Satan in litany with the congregation : 'Abaddon,
Apollyon, Asmodeus . . . Demogorgon . . . Moloch . . .
Typhon!' Priests and congregation respond smartly with :
'Shemhamforash! Hail Satan!'
"Members of the congregation are invited to come for-
ward and make their wishes known to Satan . A talkative
wizard steps forward and heaps curses on the name of his
enemy : `A snivelling swine, a rotten churl, a crawling, con-
temptible cur.' . . . `May slimy shapes rise from brackish
pits and vomit forth their pustulence into his puny brain .'
The ministers chant, the organ music rises to a crescendo,
and a blast of sound and a rifle crack of `Hail Satan' hurl
the curse towards the victim's doorstep .
"Then a sexy young Frenchwoman steps forward and-
we cannot hear her. Is she cursing somebody or using the
conjuration of lust? ('Send forth that messenger of volup-
tuous delights!') Another enthusiastic 'Shemhamforash!
Hail Satan!' sends her wishes on their way . The horned
Evil on the Coast 131
salute is given, the bell rings, the service ends, and the con-
gregation wanders back to the hyacinth parlour .
"Perhaps it was the late hour, but after it was all over it
occurred to me that, as Tolstoi might have said, all happy
churches are alike . Frank smiles and firm handshakes wel-
comed me to the congregation . And one of the elderly
fellows even asked me how I liked the service. . . ."
Explanation of this ritual is hardly necessary although
a few comments on certain specifics may be enlightening .
All the participants wear black robes (symbolic of the
Powers of Darkness) with cowls, so that the participant is
free to "express emotion in the face without concern" to
quote the "Satanic Bible" . The females are, however, urged
to wear garments which are "sexually suggestive" to stim-
ulate the male participants "and thereby intensify the
outpouring of bio-electrical energy which will ensure a
powerful working" .
The reason for the nude girl forming the altar is that
Satanism is a "religion of the flesh" and apart from serving
as a focal point, "woman is the natural passive receptor
and represents the earth mother"-to paraphrase from the
"Satanic Bible" again.
The bell-ringing also plays a significant role in the cere-
mony . The priest rings the bell nine times, turning counter
clockwise and directing the tolling towards the four cardi-
nal points of the compass . This is done once at the begin-
ning of the ritual to clear and purify the air of all external
sounds and once again at the end of the ritual to intensify
the working and act as a "pollutionary" indicating finality .
A phallic symbol is usually displayed at these rites (al-
though it was not noted by our young reporter) and, in the
words of the "Satanic Bible" represents "generation, virility
and aggression" . It is held in both hands by one of the as-
sistants and shaken twice towards each of the four points
of the compass, for the benediction of the house .
132 The Anatomy of Witchcraft
Further items which may be employed are candles-
both black and white, representing the Light of Lucifer,
bringer of enlightenment-a chalice made of silver from
which is drunk the "Elixir of Life" (a strong wine) "to in-
tensify the emotions" and a ritual sword occasionally used
during the invocation of Satan . The use of this sword has
led to charges against La Vey that, in the tradition of
Satanism over the ages, he continues the practice of human
sacrifice .
This he denies-in actuality . But he does say it can occur
symbolically in a Satanic ritual . Someone who has unjustly
wronged a diabolist or his loved ones can be destroyed by
ritual curse . The curse destroys the "sacrifice" in ways not
attributable to the magician . The police never come knock-
ing at the door, adds La Vey, but the one who has pro-
nounced the curse knows .
Anton Sandor La Vey and his "Church of Satan" are
just another manifestation of the Californian dream turn-
ing sour. He is perhaps better established and more organ-
ised than so many of the drug-taking cults of the state and
with his increasing membership, a long future seems fairly
safe to predict . Doubtless, too, his antagonism towards the
practitioners of white witchcraft is going to increase as
surely theirs will towards him . Whether either side accepts
the fact, both are playing with dangerous powers they may
not always be able to control . Should that happen, the dan-
gers could be real for all of us .
APPENDIX
(A)
To Summon One for Lustful Purpose or Establish
A Sexually Gratifying Situation .
(B)
To Insure Help Or Success For One Who Has Your
Sympathy Or Compassion (Including Yourself)
(C)
To Cause The Destruction Of An Enemy
VOODOO-BLACK WITCHCRAFT
In fact we can see that they are just one more link in the
amazing network of witchcraft practitioners spread across
the world who, as we have read through the pages of this
book, leave us with more puzzles and more unanswered
questions than perhaps any other group of people studied
on the "Frontiers of the Unknown" .
BIBLIOGRAPHY