The Torments of Venus: An Occult History of Love Magic

The love spell is perhaps the most iconic of magical operations. The witch may call a storm or raise the dead, but she is at her most miraculous when she is able to turn the hearts of mortals toward love, and even obsession. These works are used to ensure fidelity and capture affections, exployed for ends both pure and predatory. By philtres, fumes, brews, and charms, she elicits a "love not induced by the Fates," and such unnatural romance is often accompanied by consequence.

Join us for a discussion of powerful love magic through the ages, from the malevolent to the divine. This exciting deep-dive will discuss romance rituals and love curses, exploring a spectrum of desire mediated by the tools of the magical arte. We will examine historical recipes for love potions, read from spellbooks of ancient love-magicians, and encounter both the good and the grotesque of historical love…