Three Hands Press – förlag

The discipline of Occult Herbalism encompasses the knowledge and use of the magical, spiritual, and folkloric dimensions of plants. This perennial wisdom animates many global spiritual traditions, especially those which have maintained their integrity of transmission even in the face of industrial development and cultural destruction. Often concealed within the deepest strata of the Western Esoteric Traditions, this green strand of wisdom is a potent legacy of all magic, sorcery, and occult science. In addition to the hard sciences of botany, ethnology, agriculture and ethnopharmacology, a number of pathways can assist the magical herbalist in furthering the depth of understanding and integrity of personal approach. ''Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism'' circumscribes the metaparadigm of herbal magical practice, providing useful examples of its manifestation, as well as demonstrating its time-honored routes of inquiry.

In the historical records of European Witchcraft, one of the most notorious allegations against the accused was the use of a magical salve to gain the power of nocturnal flight. Rubbed on the body, it was said to be compounded of toxic herbs, animals, and noxious constituents such as human fat, and could effect ‘travel’ by the witch over great distances. According to legend, the ointment, or the instructions for its manufacture were given to the witch directly by the Devil himself in the midst of their frenzied Sabbats. Despite the persistence of these features of the witches’ ointment in lore, actual recipes for it were rare and often speculative.Initially the obsession of clerical and legal authorities, then of writers on Natural Magic, the ointment continued to perplex researchers well into the Age of Enlightenment. In more recent times, it has become the fascination of pharmacological speculation, psychology, entheogenic theory, and occult experiment. Despite the curiosity it has generated over the centuries, the mystery of the witches’ ointment abides.Bringing a much-needed approach of plant lore and folk magic to the subject, The Devil’s Ointment examines the witches’ salve against the broader historical use of magical unguents and greases, considering supernatural contexts in addition to witchcraft. This is complimented by the additional investigational viewpoint of folk medicine, which made therapeutic use of many of the toxic plants ascribed to the ointment. Rationales for use, source materials, and symbolical ingredients of the european pharmacopoeia are also examined, revealing the witches’ ointments as but one small part of the essential and timeless accoutrements of European occult practices.

Trutmezzer: A Blade of Two Ways is a study of the Old German witch-knife, a festishistic magical weapon used for protection of the body and the spirit.

Irish Witches, Magicians and Fairies is the fifth and final book in Micael Howard's 'Witchcraft in the British Isles' series.It examines the history of Irish magic and sorcery, and their convergence with the era of witchcraft persecutions. Including historical  personages and actual occult witchcraft practices over the centuries, the book also examines the relationship of faery lore to folk magical practice.

The Lexicon of Witchcraft is an illustrated compendium of witchcraft terminology, encompassing rituals, symbols, spirits, objects, and other specialized concepts of witchcraft. Focusing on the European medieval witch and her modern occult legacy, the work contains over 600 terms, many rare or obscure, and also includes the phenomena of contemporary witchcraft practices. Supplemented by the arresting imagery of witchcraft artist Adrienne Rozzi, the book contains over 55 of her original images, specially commissioned for the work. Contributing authors to the Lexicon include Michael Howard, A.D. Mercer, Júlia Carreras-Tort, Andrew D. Chumbley, Daniel A. Schulke, Corinne Boyer, and Robert Fitzgerald.