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Your Sight shall be in my Sight

in whose name you rest here

I will not disturb you

but hoped that you

in the name of peace may sleep

so that I may see the Hidden

and see its power

hear in celebration

and help in need.

Could you

O Holy Ghost

give to me of your power

In the name of the Holy Crucified One

Amen.

— From The Graveyard Wanderers— The Wise Ones And The Dead In Sweden by Thomas Johnson

These words were uttered as their speaker crossed themselves over a gravestone in a churchyard. When the speaker had finished the invocation, they then made the sign of the cross over each of their eyelids, three times. To the Klok— “The Wise Ones”, the folk healers and magicians of Scandinavia— graveyards, burial mounds, old execution sites and other such areas where the spirits of the dead dwelt were sacred places. In Sweden, these individuals were known as Kyrkogårdsgångare, or Graveyard Walker. The term is related to gengångare, which in Swedish means “those who walk again”. The word can be translated as “ghost”, but their form is entirely corporeal; not see-through or specter-like as phantoms in the Anglosphere tend to be.

The dead serviced the Graveyard Walkers in many ways. One could summon the spirits of the departed and ask for their service in everything from revealing secrets and hidden knowledge to obtaining lottery numbers. Or, a Graveyard Walker could utilize the dead in a more tangible fashion: both the left collar bone of an elderly man and the left ring finger of a corpse were considered to be among the best amulets for protection. (However, before the Wise One left the earthly plane, they must of course return the borrowed bone back to its original resting place.) Everything, right down to the very soil of the graveyard, was used: from rubbing Graveyard dirt on the skin to cure rashes, to drinking it in a slurry to restore a loss of appetite.

But how did one become a Graveyard Walker and a Wise One? There is the aforementioned invocation of course, but there was also the ancient practice of Uttesittning. Uttesittning is a ritual where one meditates in nature from sunset to sunrise, opening the soul and merging with the world of the spirits. There is one legend where one would go to a churchyard or any other places affiliated with burial or the dead for three consecutive Thursday nights to perform an Uttesittning ritual (Thursdays were important, as they were sacred to the old god Thor). On the third and final Thursday, a dark man might perhaps appear and reward the one performing this ritual with a gift. There are some stories that claim that the gift was a Book of Black Arts— a Svarteboken, or “black book”, also known as a Cyprianus (named after St. Cyprian). It was said these Black Arts Books would be written in blood, or written on black pages with white ink. A Wise One would keep all their spells in such books, which contained everything from Kabbalist literature to farm and home recipes.

The Wise Ones and Graveyard Walkers are endlessly fascinating to me, as well as folk magic in general. I hope to create many more artworks inspired by this topic, and I hope that I’ve piqued your interest in it as well!

For more books on this subject:

Gårdbäck, Johannesburg Björn. Trolldom: Spells and Methods of the Norse Folk Magic Tradition. The Ironwode Institution for the Preservation and Popularization of Indigenous Ethnomagicology (YIPPIE), 2015.

Johnson, Thomas. The Graveyard Wanderers — The Wise Ones and the Dead in Sweden. Society of Esoteric Endeavor, 2013.

Sibley, J.T. The Way of the Wise. XLIBRIS, 2013.

A special thanks to my friend Eli, for all your insight into Swedish folklore and folk magic!

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The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel

Anneliese Michel was born September 21, 1952, to a devoutly religious family. At 16, she began suffering seizures and was diagnosed with epilepsy, however prescribed drugs didn't help.

Within 3 years, she became depressed and heard voices that told her she was 'damned' and 'would rot in hell'. She even grew an aversion to churches and crucifixes. On a Christian pilgrimage to San Damiano, a family friend concluded that Anneliese was possessed. "[She] was unable to enter the shrine. She approached it with the greatest hesitation, then said that the soil burned like fire and she simply could not stand it...She looked at the people who were kneeling...and it seemed to her that while praying they were gnashing their teeth...she had to avert her glance from the picture of Christ...she could no longer look at medals or pictures of saints; they sparkled so immensely that she could not stand it." - Father Alt

Her family consulted a priest about an exorcism, though the priests declined and suggested medicine. Anneliese soon began growling, throwing things, self-injuring and drinking her own urine. She even ate insects, coal, and once bit the head off of a dead bird. Despite taking numerous neuroleptic medications, her symptoms persisted.

In 1975, Bishop Josef Stangl allowed priest Arnold Renz to exorcise. Father Renz performed the first session on September 24, 1975. In total, 67 exorcisms were performed, twice a week, for up to 4 hours each time.

On July 1, 1976, Anneliese died at home from malnutrition and dehydration after undergoing self-starvation for a year during her exorcisms. She weighed 68 pounds at the time of her death and had broken knees from continuously kneeling to pray.

After an investigation, it was determined that Anneliese's death could've been prevented. The state charged her parents, Father Alt, and Father Renz with negligent homicide.

During the trial, tapes of 42 exorcisms were played. In them, Anneliese speaks as a demon and identifies as Lucifer, Cain, Judas, Hitler and Nero. Anneliese's parents, Father Alt, and Father Renz were all found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 6 months in jail.

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candy (1968)

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sex & astrology, 1970

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yes, daddy. 

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“Reality depresses me. I need to find fantasy worlds and escape in them.”

— Noel Fielding

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forever and always ~

∞

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Even though I still don’t know how to use watercolors properly, one of my favorite things about them is that you never, never know what the result will be. And considering that I’m always sort of afraid  to make mistakes in my drawings, I find it challenging and really, really fun! Btw, have you ever watched/read this series? I started to rewatch it a couple of days ago and I’m obssessed with it. It’s strange to see that some stories and words from the characters make a lot of more sense now… also, Dieter is so cute I just want to hug that kid!!!!

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I woke, and sat up, motionless for a time. Mildly observing, as death languidly snaked back into my veins.

Another day with venom in my blood.

Another day, poisoned, dead.

~ Helaena C Moon @ http://hapless-hollow.tumblr.com/

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Wheat nymph in Song of the Forest (1963, Viktor Ivchenko).

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Edward Hartwig: Wiosna / Spring 1930/1950

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「刺すよ」/「花子【元toromi】」のイラスト [pixiv]

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At dusk We’ll coax the old brook to sing A hymn To quell the will of the night. Restless, We’ll sway to its primeval song, Enchanted By the fires burning within. Restless At dawn We’ll sing the old brook to sleep. A hymn To quiet the roar of the day. In stillness, We’ll lay on its primeval banks, Weary From the fires burning within. Stillness… Stillness by Inter Arma From “Sulphur English” (2019) Sludge / Progressive / Doom / Psychedelic

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God never wanted us, like a mother obligated to give birth.