Khem and Harold,
Let me sketch out what I'm looking at. I have the 1960 "Hexensalbe"
article - which, I should add, Peuckert didn't bother to put in his own
bibliography published the same year - in front of me. My German's not
great, but between what I know, Babelfish, and some subject knowledge, I
can get a pretty good idea of what's going on.
What I see are a great number of recipes taken from Porta, Hartlieb, and
de Spina on the contents of the witches' ointment, along with
speculation as to the inclusion of certain plants and thoughts on its
relation to cohabitation with the devil. He does very briefly treat of
his own experiment with the ointment, stating that it took place in
Breslau twenty years ago and that the newspaper accounts are mostly
accurate, but there's nothing on the experiment itself. I know I've
seen more detailed reports elsewhere.
Didn't Peuckert write up anything scholarly on the experiment itself?
Right now, all of the literature, scholarly and popular, on the topic
seems to lead back to Newsweek and possibly some unnamed German
newspapers.
Thanks,
Dan Harms
Coordinator of Instruction Librarian
SUNY Cortland Memorial Library
P. O. Box 2000
Cortland, NY 13045
(607) 753-4042
-----Original Message-----
From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Khem Caigan
Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 4:47 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Peuckert's Witch-Ointment Experience
Daniel Harms doth schreibble :
>
> I've been trying to track down Will-Erich Peuckert's
> original account of his experiences with the recreation
> and use of a witches' ointment from Porta's Magia Naturalis.
>
> It's mentioned quite a bit in the literature, but I've yet
> to find an original reference. Any ideas as to where it
> might be?
Hi, Dan ~
The article you are looking for is located in Merck's
*Medizinischer Monatsspiegel* [ " Medical Monthly " ],
volume 9, issue #8 for August, 1960, on pages 169-174,
and is titled *Hexensalben*.
And, if you haven't read it yet, you might also wish
to take a look at Caelum Rainieri's LiveJournal thread
on the subject, located here :
Going to Hell, or, The Underworld Journey
http://tinyurl.com/2nvazd
I first learned of Peuckert's experience with the
Witch's Salve from an issue of *Fate* magazine back
in the 60s, which is possibly the earliest reference
to this article to appear in English.
I was living in Oakland, New Jersey at the time, and
the similarities with my own ASP-experiences set me
off on a quest to recreate this Salve.
With an assist from a friend's father < who rather
handily worked at the Sandoz labs in New Jersey and
was no stranger to the subject >, I eventually
succeeded in reproducing a version of it for myself
using materials that were once commonly available
as over-the-counter preparations from the local
pharmacy.
Please forgive my tardiness in replying to your
emails, Dan.
This is my first post since moving to our new home,
and coping with over 3000 messages by way of dial-up
has been difficult.
Cors in Manu Domine,
~ Khem Caigan
<[log in to unmask]
" Seek out the channel of the soul, from where it descended
in a certain order to serve the body; and seek how you will
raise it up again to its order by combining action with a
sacred word. "
~ Chaldaean Oracles, Fragment 124.
" That is, seek the source of the soul, from where the soul
had been led into your body; and how, by raising it up and
awakening it by means of telestic rites, you may lead it
back up from where it has come. "
~ Michael Psellus [c.1019-1078]
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