Fascination
From Traditional Witchcraft Wiki Project
Fascination is the ability to magically influence people & things through the medium of the eyes. The art of fascination was first recorded as being the province of witches & serpents, who were said to be able to cast their magic by gaze alone, rendering one powerless to move or resist.
>==Etymology== The word comes from the Middle French fasciner, which comes from the Latin fascinare, meaning to "bewitch" or "enchant". This in turn comes from the word fascinus, meaning "witchcraft". The use of the word "fascinate" to mean "attract" or "delight" is a later use first recorded in 1815.
Fascination And Serpents
Snakes have long been held to have the power to charm by gaze alone, and this was known as fascination. It was believed the snake used the art of hypnosis to compel birds and rodents to stop still in their tracks or to approach against their wills. The victim would either move straight into the jaws of the rattler or, often, simply drop dead of fear. Such fascination is often associated with swaying. This belief is encapsulated also in mythology, such as the myth of the serpent-haired Medusa whose look could turn mortals to stone, and the Basilisk who could kill with a single glance.
Fascination & The Evil Eye
It is unsurprising to note that the art of fascination became linked with the concept of the Evil Eye, yet in truth the arts of fascination may be turned to both bane & blessing.
Fascination In The Occult Tradition
Many occultists have expounded upon the arts of fascination, but perhaps nowhere has it been treated of in such depth as by Francis Barrett in his book "The Magus":
OF THE ART OF FASCINATION, OR BINDING BY THE LOOK OR. SIGHT.
"WE call fascination a binding, because it is effected by a look, glance, or observation, in which we take possession of the spirit, and overpower the same, of those we mean to fascinate or suspend; for it comes through the eyes, and the instrument by which we fascinate or bind is a certain, pure, lucid, subtil spirit, generated out of the ferment of the purer blood by the heat of the heart, and the firm, determined, and ardent will of the soul which directs it to the object previously disposed to be fascinated. This doth always send forth by the eyes rays or beams, carrying with them a pure subtil spirit or vapour into the eye or blood of him or her that is opposite. So the eye, being opened and intent upon any one with a strong imagination, doth dart its beams, which are the vehicle of the spirit, into whatever we will affect or bind, which spirit striking the eye of them who are fascinated, being stirred up in the heart and soul of him that sends them forth, and possessing the breast of them who are struck, wounds their hearts, infects their spirits, and overpowers them.
Know, likewise, that in witches, those are most bewitched, who, with often looking, direct the edge of their sight to the edge of the sight of those who bewitch or fascinate them; whence arose the saying of "Evil eyes, &c." For when their eyes are reciprocally bent one upon the other, and are joined beams to beams, and lights to lights, then the spirit of the one is joined to the spirit of the other, and then are strong ligations made; and most violent love is stirred up, only with a sudden looking on, as it were, with the darting a look, or piercing into the very inmost of the heart, whence the spirit and amorous blood, being thus wounded, are carried forth upon the lover, and enchanter; no otherwise than the spirit and the blood of him that is murdered is upon the murderer, who, if standing near the body killed, the blood flows afresh, which thing has been tried by repeated experiments.
So great power is there in fascination that many uncommon and wonderful things are thereby effected, especially when the vapours of the eyes are subservient to the affection; therefore collyries, ointments, alligations, &,c. are used to affect and corroborate the spirit in this or that manner: to induce love, they use venereal collyriums, as hippomanes, blood of doves, &c. To induce fear, they use martial collyriums, as the eyes of wolves, bear's fat, and the civet-cat. To procure misery, or sickness, they use saturnine, and so on.
Thus much we have thought proper to speak concerning Natural Magic, in which we have, as it may be said, only opened the first chamber of Nature's storehouse; indeed we should have inserted many more things here, but as they fall more properly under the heads of Magnetism, Mummy, &c., to which we refer the reader, we shall take our leave of the reader for the present, that we may give him time to breathe, likewise to digest what he has here feasted upon; and, while he is preparing to enter the unlocked chambers of Magic and Nature, we will procure him a rich service of most delicious meats, fit for the hungry and thirsty traveller through the vast labyrinths of wisdom and true science."
