The books in the Folk Necromancy in Transmission series examine the folk magical expressions and interrelations of the histories, philosophies, and practices of spirit conjuration, ghost-lore, eschatology, charm-craft, demonology, and the mass of rituals, protocols, and beliefs signalled by the terms ‘nigromancy’*, ‘necromancy’ and their various equivalents in traditions across the world.

Here we take the canonical and reveal the folkloric expression; here the historical text inspires new practice and discourse. This series does not simply chart the print history of grimoires, or their socio-political context, but also explores their actual magical usage. Within this exploration is the necessary inclusion of and discourse on and with those traditions, extant or extinct, deemed ‘necromantic’ that are passed through oral transmission.

Raising the dead, we acknowledge the raising of necromancy itself, for it is still the breath of the reader that gives new life to the Dead from the bones of old Books. This is a folk necromancy that is at once extant and revived, inspired and yet-to-be. Here we walk hand-in-hand with the patrons of this particular Art.

*Nigromancy (n) /ˈnɪɡɹə(ʊ)mansi/ : From the Anglo-Norman nigremancie and the Middle French nigromancie, alterations of nigromance, after the Late Latin nigromantia, an alteration of the Classical Latin necromantīa, by association with niger (“black”) (compare black art); magic involving death [from the 14th C].

Dr Alexander Cummins is an historian, poet, diviner, and consultant sorcerer. His work focuses on grimoires, divination, folk magic and the sorcery of the passions, as well as necromancy. His first book, The Starry Rubric – on early modern astrology and astrological magic – was published by Hadean Press in 2012. Since then he has written a host of papers and articles on topics including herbalism in magical handbooks, the material history of amulets, planetary sorcery, and the cutup technique of Brion Gysin and William Burroughs.

Dr Cummins presents classes and workshops online and around the US and the UK. He is also the shorter, Englisher half of Radio Free Golgotha, a podcast he runs with his co-editor on the Folk Necromancy in Transmission series, Jesse Hathaway Diaz. Al can be found and booked at www.alexandercummins.com, and his cache of primary source scans of early modern magical texts is at grimoiresontape.tumblr.com.

Jesse Hathaway Diaz is a folklorist, diviner, artist and performer living in New York City. With initiations in several forms of witchcraft from both Europe and the Americas, he is also a lifelong student of Mexican Curanderismo, an initiated olosha in the Lucumí orisha tradition, and a Tatá Quimbanda. Fascinated with Saint lore and Catholic permutations of witchcraft in the New World, he has published on various topics including on curanderismo and Iberian and Pyrenean witchcraft, Quimbanda, and comparative magical herbalism. He is half of Wolf & Goat, a store specializing in occult art, esoterica and materia magica from many traditions including Traditional Craft and Quimbanda.

Have a project proposal for Folk Necromancy in Transmission? Contact the editors at justina [at] revelore [dot] press