Criminal Witchcraft?

As reported earlier, I picked up Paul Huson's Mastering Witchcraft. I found Huson after reading Jason Miller's excellent book, Protection and Reversal Magick. Mastering Witchcraft is in the bibliography of that work.

Despite my opinion of Jason's book, I was not impressed with Huson. I put Mastering Witchcraft down after reading it halfway through.

Several things made this work incompatible with my world view. The first was referring to the target of a spell as 'the victim'. This wording was even used when discussing seduction magick. If you're trying to get laid and refer to your potential partner as a victim, I'd say it is pretty likely you're a predator. At the very least, you probably have no respect for the other person involved. Words matter. He flatly says engaging in sex is the first duty of a witch. I'd not follow a god or goddess that took such a disrespectful/near rape coupling as an offering. This wasn't some sort of BDSM kinky "near rape" thing, the word 'victim' applies.

I found one portion laughable -- the large chapter on seduction magick. Magickally, he says to add this and that to the food of your 'victim' and to get the person (a word he doesn't use) to look into a charged bobble. He then goes on to suggest that very mundane activities such as low candle light, looking someone in the eye, preparing his favorite food, and giving him some alcohol are part of the magick. Frankly, if you did everything in this elaborate seduction scene and left out all of the so-called magick, you'd have just as good a chance of getting laid and probably better. Most people I know have a 'creep-o-meter' that would have gone off long before Huson and his ilk got into anyone's pants. While I agree mundane settings can enhance what you do as a magician/witch, this was the equivalent of calling the act putting a key in an ignition part of magickal act of driving to work in the morning. Give me a break.

Before my reader thinks that I believe using magick to gain a partner either for the night or for life is immoral, let me put that to rest here. There is simply an underlying creep factor to this book that makes my blood run cold.

There was nothing about self-exploration or building relationships with the gods. It is rare to read a theurgic book without some reference to thaumaturgy. I assumed that reading about thaumaturgy would at least contain some reference to theurgy but no. This book never even asked you to explore why you want this particular victim in your bed.

I did read some words regarding making offerings but these referred to quid pro quo activities not what solid friendships/relationships are made of -- as above so below. Even though I think those offerings and interactions would eventually lead to relationships and spiritual integration that is not the point of Huson's work. I can't place my finger on any wording that lead me to this conclusion but his interaction with gods bordered on disrespectful.

His work is about controlling others to meet your basest needs. Others may find that appealing, I do not.

I do recognize that there is no part of me that is not of the gods. That would include base wants and desires. However, that doesn't mean we have to pander to such things in such a violent manner. By violent, I mean actions that take place with no consideration whatsoever about their effect on the 'victim'. Shudder.

Please Note:

I believe Jason found this work to be influential and it may have been in his early years. Yet I can not imagine the present day Jason having such a negative or even such a "non-thought" attitude regarding a potential lover, even if that lover was a one night stand. I mean no disrespect to Jason by panning something he found useful.

I also recognize that the buzzword victim may have soured my attitude to this writer that I may have missed other useful things. But as I said above, words do matter. I did make an earlier post about his ideas for using a kamea that I did like.