Occult & Esoterica
[DUFFY, Martin] The Devil's Raiments
[DUFFY, Martin] The Devil's Raiments
Three Hands Press Occult Monographs #2
Richmond Vista, CA: Three Hands Press, 2012. First Edition. (Occult Monographs #2). Hardcover. Octavo. Limited to 800 copies. 100pp. Red cloth over black paper covered boards with publisher’s device to front. With 5 original black and white drawings by Steve Damerell. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket.
In occult literature, the Vestments of the Art Magical are poorly understood, principally because few save the body of initiates behold them. The robe, mask, hood, mantle, garter, and veil, constituting the exterior arrayments of the witch, trace their pedigree to a number of magical sources, each constituting a mystery of form and function. These mystical underpinnings often possess a deeper arcanum, being both emblematic of specified witch-powers and serving a hidden ritual purpose. In this volume the author examines the relationship of the sorcerer to that which clothes him, with particular emphasis on the witch-cult. Also explored is the modern perception of the witch as the Naked Enchantress, as well as some of the older historical rationales for the portrayal of nudity in witchcraft.