The Practice and Method of Shrinking Heads

Thought to harness the spirit of an enemy and compel him to serve the desires of the “shrinker,” the practice of shrinking heads originally held a spiritual significance.  While head "hunting" is a practice documented in many areas of the world including ancient China, Mesoamerica, India, Japan, the Amazon, and various parts of Africa, the only known head shrinkers are a group of indigenous people from the northwestern region of the Amazon rainforest (Ecuador and Peru) collectively known as the Jivaroan peoples. Their most notorious tribe, the Shuar, live at the headwaters of the Marañón River.  Read more . . .

The History of Gambling: Ritual Beginnings

The roots of gambling can be traced back thousands of years to religious ceremonies conducted by many pre-historic societies.  Wide-spread cultural evidence indicates that early man created many rituals specifically to foretell the future or explain what was beyond mortal comprehension.  Initially involving the casting of lots–throwing a random handful of small objects such as pebbles, sticks, bones, shells, or nuts–the end results were then counted to ascertain an “odd” or “even” number; even generally equated with a positive outcome, odd a negative one.  Over time this process became more complex, also including the interpretation of the patterns various natural objects made as they appeared in the environment.  Read more . . .

The Method of Ritual Magic(k)

For many aspirants of ritual magic(k), it is with the acquisition of ritual tools that the magic(k)al journal actually begins.  In that magic(k) requires a vast selection of highly specialized tools, each chosen specifically for one and one purpose only, this process typically takes many years to complete.  For many adepts, the acquisition of ritual tools becomes an ongoing, lifetime mission, with instruments of higher magnitude replacing lesser ones as fate provides. Thus, as any ritualist will attest, establishing the proper “thinking” behind choosing one’s magic(k)al tools cannot be simplified or overemphasized.  Read more . . .

The Laws of Ritual Magic(k)

Throughout recorded history, the ability to influence the forces of nature has distinguished our greatest leaders–tribal chiefs, religious figures, and trusted imparters of wisdom.  From Ramesses II  to Solomon, Leonardo to Pope Benedict XVI, those believed to possess the ability to reach through the veil separating the realm of the mundane from the otherworldly have been afforded particular status, authority, privilege, and often, power.  While in ancient times the practice of magic(k) was commonplace–magicians said to be on every street corner–it was often a matter of whose magic(k) was more powerful that ultimately determined societal ranking; those able to demonstrate their skills on command afforded more social clout.  Read more . . .