MIPC: To Raise and Control the Dead

MIPC stands for Magic in Popular Culture and it is a series of posts in which I take a spell, ritual, tradition, or belief from a work of fiction such as television, a book, movies, or a comic book and analyze it against real world magical theory and practices. 

The Spell 

Conspire to obtain an object which belonged to the deceased in life. Secret the object away to a private place where you have erected an altar lit by seven candles and on which rest a large flat stone. Draw a pentagram on the flat-stone in gun powder and lay the object upon it.

When all is ready say these words:

“Spirits of darkness, spirits of pestilence and pain. Hear me now.”

Cut your palm with an athame until you draw blood and let this fall upon the object. Say:

“Hear me….Grant me a soul from the distant shores. My warm blood for the blood frozen forever in his veins. Bring him back to me from the darkness Hear me! Rise up and do my bidding! Rise up and do my bidding!”

The spell results in the physical body of the deceased being reanimated, rising out of the ground and in control of the witch that conjured the dead. 

Dark Shadows (Revival)

Episode 9 Air Date: 3/1/1991

The Analysis

The spell begins with collecting something that belonged to the target of the spell. This is a common practice in magic and is based on contagious magic, that is, that  things once associated are about to affect one another after they are separated. 

Angelique also lights seven candles, these could be associated with the seven planets in classical astrology (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) and the seven days of the week. Alternately, seven is a mystical number associated with good luck and wishes. However, it could also simply be a coincidence that the set director set up seven candles. Either way, seven is a good number. 

The pentagram has long been associated with witches and witchcraft. It is a powerful symbol. In this case, I believe it represents the body of the deceased (head, arms, and legs) similar to the Vitruvian Man. Angelique calls on primal forces to power her spell and including her blood forms a psychic link between her and the deceased. Also blood is associated with life and she wants to bring the dead back to life. However, something more is needed. What Dr. Frankfurter calls "that elusive ingredient ... that spark that is the very breath of life". And so Angelique lights the gunpower on far creating an explosion (divine spark) which is the secret to life itself. Her spell is successful! 

Does this ritual have the potential to work? I would say yes, but not in the manner in which is was depicted within the context of the tv show. Rather than the body, you might be successful in the conjuration of the spirit of the deceased. 

You can increase your chances of success by burning incense that is said to aid in the conjuration of the spirits of the dead (gum arabic resin)  and perform your spell or ritual at certain times of the day or year - such as at midnight or All Hallow's Eve (or both!) 

Finally, if you are uncomfortable with the use of the pentagram or don't feel a connection to that symbol, you can use a Holy Cross which (symbolically) can represent a human body standing straight, legs together, with arms stretched out forming a T shape. 

- Carolina Dean