Occult – Listorati

10 Foods Have Secret Occult Powers

Brian Sepp — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 07:00:52 +0000

10 foods have the uncanny ability to whisper the future if you know how to listen. Wondering what lies ahead? You don’t need a crystal ball or a pricey app – just head to the pantry. Long before horoscopes and online psychics, people turned to the most reliable commodity at hand: food. While most of us recognize tea‑leaf or coffee‑ground readings, a whole pantry of ordinary edibles has served as tools for divination throughout the ages.

Why 10 Foods Have Hidden Powers

From ancient tablets to modern internet forums, kitchen divination—sometimes called culinary scrying—has resurfaced thanks to a renewed fascination with pagan practices. Below we count down the ten most intriguing foods that have been believed to possess occult abilities, complete with the rituals that made them famous.

10 Flour

Divining with flour is known as aleuromancy, a term that comes from the Greek “aleuron” meaning flour. Archaeologists have uncovered cuneiform tablets dating back to the second millennium BC that describe predicting outcomes by studying tiny piles of flour. In classical Greece, the practice was a communal affair overseen by Apollo, who earned the epithet Aleuromantis for his role as flour‑seer.

The Greeks would inscribe symbols or messages on cloth or papyrus, tuck those slips into dough, and bake them into small cakes. After the cakes were mixed nine times and redistributed, a priest or diviner would interpret the hidden sign embedded in each bite, revealing the eater’s destiny. The modern fortune cookie, a 20th‑century invention by Chinese immigrants in the United States, is a direct descendant of this ancient technique.

Other variations include tossing a handful of flour onto the floor and reading the shapes that form, or blending flour with water, pouring the mixture into a bowl, and interpreting the patterns left behind once the liquid is drained.

9 Salt

Spilling salt for bad luck or flinging it over a shoulder for good fortune are remnants of alomancy, the ancient art of salt divination. Salt’s preservative qualities gave it a reputation for magical potency, leading cultures worldwide to incorporate it into rituals of purification, protection, and blessing. Early magicians would sprinkle a pinch of salt in each corner of a room before casting spells.

In ancient Egypt, practitioners hurled salt into the air and read the falling patterns for omens. Greeks and Romans mixed salt into sacrificial cakes offered to their deities. The residue left in a bowl after a salt solution was poured out was also examined for hidden messages, while tossing salt into a fire was another source of occult insight.

Contemporary witches sometimes pour salt into a square or rectangular pan to a depth of three inches, hover a pencil over the center, and ask a question. The pencil is believed to move on its own, tracing symbols: a “Y” for yes, “N” for no, “P” for perhaps; a long line for a journey, a short line for a visitor; a large circle for misfortune, a triangle for success; a square for obstacles, a heart for love, and a broken heart for separation.

8 Barley Bread

The ancient lie‑detector known as alphitomancy employed barley bread to reveal guilt. Suspects were fed a loaf made from barley, and the guilty party supposedly suffered an acute bout of indigestion. This gave rise to the oath, “If I am deceiving you, may this piece of bread choke me,” which echoes the practice.

Beyond criminal investigations, the test was used to expose unfaithful lovers and dishonest husbands. Pure barley flour was combined with milk and a pinch of salt, left unleavened, rolled in grease, baked, and then rubbed with verbena leaves. The accused cheater was given a piece; those unable to digest it were deemed guilty.

Legend tells of a sacred forest near Lavinium, ancient Rome, where blindfolded girls carried barley cakes on a ritual to test their purity. Priests supposedly kept a serpent or dragon in a cavern; the creature would devour cakes belonging to pure virgins and reject those from less chaste girls.

7 Cheese

The alchemical transformation of liquid milk into solid cheese has long fascinated humanity. The 12th‑century mystic Hildegard von Bingen described cheese‑making as “the miracle of life.” Since milk has been linked to love, spirituality, sustenance, and nurturing, cheese inherited associations with the Moon, grounding, health, joy, and fruition. Ancient Sumerians offered cheese to the goddess Inanna, and the dairy product featured in spell‑casting for centuries.

Tyromancy, or cheese divination, first appears in the writings of 2nd‑century Greek historian and diviner Artemidorus of Ephesus, who complained that charlatan cheese‑readers tarnished the reputation of genuine seers. Because cheese was cheap and abundant, it became a popular fortune‑telling tool among rural folk, reaching its zenith in the Middle Ages and early modern era.

Medieval diviners examined a cheese’s shape, the number of holes, mold patterns, and other quirks to draw conclusions. An odd number of holes, for example, signaled misfortune. Young women would carve the names of crushes onto cheese pieces; the first to develop mold would reveal the perfect match. Though tyromancy waned in the 1920s in favor of tarot, recent interest has revived it, spurred by video‑game series such as The Witcher and Baldur’s Gate.

6 Fruits

Across cultures, various fruits have served as potent symbols. An apple, for instance, stands for health, wisdom, and knowledge, while a lemon suggests cleansing and purification. Practitioners of fructomancy, the art of fruit divination, read a fruit’s size, shape, colour, texture, blemishes, and even its scent to extract meaning. They also feel the fruit’s surface and smell it for additional clues.

A beloved Halloween party game in Britain involves writing each guest’s name on an apple, then tossing the inscribed apples into a tub of water. Participants plunge their heads in and try to snatch a floating apple; the name on the fruit supposedly belongs to their future spouse.

In 2018, British TV host Holly Willoughby performed a “psychic banana” test on This Morning” to predict the gender of Prince William’s and Princess Kate’s third child. She sliced the banana’s tip and observed a Y‑shaped cross‑section, which indicated “Yes” – a boy. A dot would have meant a girl. Prince Louis was indeed born a short while later.

5 Onions

Onions, with their pungent aroma that either repels or attracts, have long been linked to occult practices. Ancient Egyptians believed they could repel evil spirits. Even today, some people pin onions to windowsills to keep malignant forces at bay, and placing an onion beneath one’s pillow is said to reveal a future partner in dreams.

Cromniomancy, onion divination, flourished in medieval Europe. The colour, smell, direction, and sprouting pattern of an onion were interpreted as omens. Wishes or questions were sealed inside onions, then buried; the first sprout to emerge was taken as the answer. Burning onion skins in a fire was also thought to grant wishes. Unmarried women would carve suitors’ names onto onions and set them by the fire on December 1; the first to sprout indicated “The One.”

In Urbania, Italy, onions still forecast the weather, a tradition dating back to before modern meteorology. Every January 25, a local diviner slices a yellow onion into twelve pieces—one for each month—sprinkles salt over them, and leaves them overnight facing east. The next morning, the interaction between salt and onion guides the prognostications for the year.

4 Corn

For ancient Mesoamerican societies, corn (maize) was far more than a staple; it was a divine conduit. The Popol Vuh, the Mayan creation epic, recounts how gods fashioned humanity from yellow and white corn. In Mexico, maize was a gift from Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent deity, making it a natural medium for divination.

Dozens of corn‑based oracular techniques existed in ancient Mexico and persist among indigenous peoples today. Typically, practitioners cast a handful of kernels—anywhere from four to a hundred, sometimes of varying colours—onto a white cloth or into a basin of water, then interpret the resulting patterns. Some readings depend on whether kernels float or sink.

After corn’s introduction to Europe in the 15th century, it found a place in Halloween fortune‑telling. Scottish poet Robert Burns described a ritual: “You go to the barn, and open both doors… then take that instrument used in winnowing the corn… repeat it three times, and the third time, an apparition will pass through the barn… marking the employment or station in life of your future spouse.”

3 Eggs

Easter eggs remind us that many cultures have imbued the humble egg with mystical significance. Symbolising life, rebirth, the soul, and fertility, the egg appears in creation myths from Greece to China, where the universe is said to have emerged from a cosmic egg.

Throughout history, eggs have been employed in spells for prosperity, love, protection, and transformation. Druids crafted egg amulets believed to possess healing powers. Ovomancy, the practice of reading eggs, includes several methods: pouring egg white into barely simmering water and interpreting the shapes, cracking a hard‑boiled egg and studying the lines on its shell, or observing the patterns formed by the shell, white, and yolk when the egg is smashed onto a surface.

Eggs also serve as cleansing tools. A raw egg can be rolled over a person’s body to absorb negative energy; once the ritual ends, the egg is cracked open and examined for tell‑tale signs—webbing, blood, black spots—that indicate ailments. The egg is then discarded at a crossroads.

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692‑93 were ignited by an egg‑reading incident. In Reverend Samuel Parrish’s strict Puritan household, girls dropped an egg into a glass of water to divine future husbands. They claimed to see a coffin, began screaming, and the townsfolk concluded they were possessed. The hysteria led to 19 hangings and one crushing death.

2 Wine

In ancient Greece and Rome, wine was offered as a libation to the gods. Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, was believed to grant inspiration and foresight. A popular symposium game called “kottabos” had participants fling wine from their cups at a bronze disk; the resulting splash patterns were sometimes read like inkblots for messages.

Rome’s wine deity, Bacchus, employed priestesses known as Bacchantes to perform wine oracles. Oinomancy, the divination of wine, took several forms: examining the sediment left in cups or casks, assessing its colour, taste, and texture, or gazing into a wine‑filled glass illuminated from behind by a lamp to seek answers in the reflections.

While wine reading has largely given way to cheaper fortune‑telling methods such as tarot and horoscopes, it still survives in exclusive circles that value its aristocratic heritage.

1 Beans

Favomancy, bean divination, enjoys popularity across the Balkans and Russia and may trace its roots back to the Middle East, possibly Iran. A legend recounts that Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, secretly practiced bean reading. When Muhammad discovered her, she hid half the beans under her dress, giving rise to the belief that every oracle contains half‑truths and half‑lies.

The typical favomancy ritual involves scattering beans and interpreting the patterns they form. In Bosnia, diviners use exactly 41 beans in a ceremony called “bacanje graha” (bean throwing). Verses from the Quran are recited over the beans, which are then tossed three times—each toss representing the past, present, and future.

During the Renaissance, Italian practitioners also employed favomancy, and many women were prosecuted by the Inquisition for tossing beans, an act the Church condemned as summoning demons to predict the future.

10 Dark Esoteric: History’s Most Mysterious Occult Practices

Johan Tobias — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 02:45:03 +0000

The 10 dark esoteric practices listed below reveal humanity’s fascination with forces beyond comprehension. Throughout time, religious ideology and belief in the supernatural have both helped and terrified human beings. As prehistoric cave paintings have demonstrated, the belief in forces beyond our control and comprehension predates agriculture, civilization, alphabets, and other aspects of human life, which came about when the hunter‑gatherers first tamed the land and the animals.

10 Dark Esoteric Practices Overview

10 Seances

Seances are occult practices conducted by mediums, almost always intending to contact the dead or persons who’ve crossed over to another plane. The French word “seance” translates to “sitting” in English, where practitioners would “sit” with spirits from another world.

Usually, practitioners sit in a circle of six to eight people, hold hands, and attempt to diminish any distractions which may hinder their desired result of summoning the dead. Sometimes, mediums report hearing otherworldly voices along with seeing ghosts manifest from another world.

At times, it is believed that the ghost speaks through the medium. Reportedly, ghosts have also used instruments to write, such as the famed Ouija board or pens or pencils that inscribe some communication on an object.

As the focal point of the seance, the medium is believed to make otherworldly contact with the dead. Some reports claim that a medium levitated in the air during a seance. However, it’s doubtful that modern science has developed any concrete evidence of such an event actually happening.

So what is it? Does a seance manifest real supernatural powers? Or is it just another case of people believing what they want at the expense of their reason?

9 Symbology

In the occult, symbolism carries a lot of meaning, whether to connect us to hidden worlds or to awaken things that are unconscious. The pentagram, one of the more popular symbols in our culture today, has a rich history that dates back to ancient Babylon. The star represented the pattern that Venus seemingly made in the sky as well as various beliefs. It has evolved to mean different things to different people.

Sigils are basically signatures of various deities, other angels, or demons. They are inscribed to manifest certain properties of those entities. This is one way that practitioners reach out to these powers for guidance or strength that they normally would not possess.

And then there is Baphomet, one of the best‑known occult symbols, which dates to heresy and witchcraft trials of medieval times. It started with The Order in 1118 and served as a protective symbol for Christians when traveling in the Middle East.

Baphomet is the well‑known goat with the pentagram on his head. Once The Order and the various Christian groups which subscribed to Baphomet became large enough to be considered a political threat to the Church, the symbol changed hands and was banned from the Church through a series of political maneuvers.

In time, this became a symbol of torture at the hands of the Church, which was administered to heretics.

8 Necropants

Necropants are an extremely odd bit of occultism stemming from Iceland. They consist of the skin of the legs and feet of the dead and are worn by the living. In fact, the Icelandic people of the 17th century were infatuated with rituals using the bodies of the dead, taking ribs here, skin from sheep there, and mixing it all together into these nightmarish, hodgepodge creatures that are left over to mortify us today.

When it came to necropants, a sorcerer had to get permission to use that person’s skin as pants for it to be the right thing to do. This would apparently bring the wearer greatness, good fortune, and even wealth, supposing they could stomach the macabre ritual.

At first, necropants were believed to be things of myth. But many of them have turned up and now reside in museums.

7 Divination

Divination is the attempt to gain foresight and knowledge about the future through various methods—from fortune‑tellers to Magic 8 Balls to chance readings of a tea leaf or your palm. Psychics and tarot cards also fall under this category.

Sometimes, practitioners turn to crystal gazing. Other times, they stare into candlelight or even pools of water. These latter practices involve using the practitioner’s guidance and intuition to let the necessary messages come through and gain some sense of spiritual understanding about future events.

These practices have a long, dark history of bloodshed and oppression at the hands of the Church, which still sees divination as an evil incarnation of Satan. However, the occultist doesn’t see it that way.

Dating to St. Augustine of Hippo in the fifth century AD, who stated that any pagan traditions and religious practices were of the Devil, the Christian Church became increasingly brutal in its punishments of these practices. By the 13th century AD, any divination or attempt to understand future events was considered demon worship.

Between 1450 and 1600, the active period of punishing divination and similar practices, the Christian Church was responsible for the death, torture, and mutilation of tens of thousands of supposed “witches.”

6 Satanism

Although Satanism and the occult aren’t the same thing, both practices have borrowed heavily from one another throughout the centuries. The origins of true Satanism are quite mysterious as the Church has destroyed these cults rapidly wherever they popped up. But Satanic cults have been officially documented in Europe and North America as far back as the 17th century.

Satanism finds at least some of its roots in dark figures who were also synonymous with the occult throughout the centuries. Examples would be Hades, the ancient Greek god of the underworld, and Marduk. Thousands of years of worship of these figures have linked Satanism to occult practices because these figures are technically pagan gods and not Satan himself.

By the 20th century, Satanism was in full swing. The Satanic Church was established in America in the 1960s. Small cults have also sprung up worldwide. While the members of these groups don’t number in the millions like those of other religions, the strange and sometimes violent practices—like murder or suicide—by Satanic cults make it a well‑known movement.

Despite their differences, Satanism and the occult are one and the same in the eyes of the Christian Church.

5 Human Sacrifice

Human sacrifice has occurred in some occult practices even to this day. In 1995, a 15‑year‑old girl named Elyse Pahler was lured to a eucalyptus grove and murdered. Her body was discovered eight months later. The suspects were 17‑year‑old Royce Casey, 14‑year‑old Joseph Fiorella, and 16‑year‑old Jacob Delashmutt.

This murder had all the hallmarks of an occultist or even a Satanic rape and killing. The teens returned to have sex with Pahler’s dead body over the ensuing weeks. When Casey confessed, he said that the rape and murder were sacrificial and for Satan. To the authorities, this was definitely an occult human sacrifice, not too unlike ancient times.

Many such instances have popped up worldwide. There was a media frenzy about these types of murders in the 1990s in the United States. A notable one was the Vampire Cult, led by Rod Ferrell, and its ritualistic and sacrificial killing of a Florida family. Ferrell was only 16 years old at the time of the murders.

The teens in this cult took drugs, performed blood and sex rituals, and eventually traveled from Kentucky to Florida to kill Naomi Ruth Queen and Richard Wendorf. Though rare, human sacrifice has definitely found its way into today’s society, often as an exercise in occultism.

4 Magick

Magick (alternate spelling to distinguish “magic” from “sleight‑of‑hand” or “stage” magic) in occultism entails efforts to call on extra‑sensory forces to know and rule the “spirit” world and even control humans and inanimate objects. The term itself is an Early Modern English spelling for magic, used in works such as the 1651 translation of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s De Occulta Philosophia, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, or Of Magick. Aleister Crowley defines magick as the “Science of understanding oneself and one’s conditions. It is the Art of applying that understanding in action.”

Magick ceremonies and those who practice them are seen as channels through which supernatural power affects change in human events and conditions. Those who practice “white magick” seek to produce positive or favorable outcomes. “Black magick” practitioners intend harm and evil results. Aspects of ritual in magick include banishing, invocation, evocation, purification, consecration, and divination (already discussed in this list).

Magick is as old as humanity and had its beginnings in humankind’s attempts to control one’s environment, survival, and destiny, either by controlling natural forces or appealing to higher powers for help. Anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski defined magic as having three functions and three elements. The three functions are to produce, to protect, or to destroy. The three elements are spells and incantations, rites or procedures, and altered states of consciousness accomplished through fasting, meditating, chanting, visualizing symbols, sleep deprivation, dancing, staring into flames, inhaling fumes, taking drugs, and so forth. Magick is practiced universally by skilled individuals who are either born into their powers or train themselves to acquire their abilities.

3 Demonism

With demonism, a practitioner seeks to summon the power of actual demons to bend to their will. According to Christianity and some occultist practices, demons are fallen angels sworn to subvert all good things and to carry out only evil in the world.

The Christian religion dating back to the times of the Holy Bible and the first teachings of the early Christians speaks of these dark figures, and they have been a consistent theme in much of recorded history. Some dark figures, like Santa Muerte, Our Lady of Holy Death, an actual death saint, even appear outside of the Christian doctrine, dating back tens of thousands of years.

John Milton’s Paradise Lost, which was published in 1667, describes these fallen demons cast out of Heaven in the Christian doctrine. After having been thrown into the dark, fiery abyss, Satan speaks to the demons thus:

Fall’n Cherube, to be weak is miserable
Doing or Suffering: but of this be sure,
To do ought good never will be our task,
But ever to do ill our sole delight,
As being the contrary to his high will
Whom we resist. If then his Providence
Out of our evil seek to bring forth good,
Our labour must be to pervert that end,
And out of good still to find means of evil.

Since ancient times, occultists have believed that they can harness these dark spirits to do evil. The practitioners have used ritualistic incantations to summon different demons for various purposes in many cultures throughout history—starting from Satan, the leader of all demons, to Ukobach, the demon in Hell, which attends to the flames.

Ihrinwe (aka “The Lord of Blood”) is believed to be responsible for humanity’s most violent acts. Serial killers and brutal dictators have been thought to be under the control of this demonic influence, perhaps even causing most of humanity’s atrocities.

2 Old Moore’s Almanac

Dating all the way back to 1697 in Ireland, Old Moore’s Almanac is a fun little occult publication with apparent prophecies of the future. It’s one of the oldest continual publications which contain horoscopes and other such means for people to supposedly dictate their futures.

What was once an anonymous publication is now a magazine complete with an interactive website and plenty for anyone who wishes to see what occult wisdom has in store for them. It also gave weather forecasts.

In time, it spawned numerous replicas and fakes. By 1851, an Irish man named John Francis Nugent created a spin‑off called Nugent’s Old Moore’s Almanac. He didn’t hide the fact that it was plainly a rip‑off, even though the original publication had already been around for over a century.

Both almanacs were competitors until Nugent died in 1866. The editor for Old Moore’s Almanac also signed up to be the editor for Nugent’s Old Moore’s Almanac and worked for both publications for years.

1 Hermeticism

Hermeticism is the ancient practice of esoteric wisdom overall and contains a lot of texts and ideas under its umbrella. It is one of the oldest occult practices of all time, beginning with the intermingling of the Greco‑Roman and Egyptian cultures and philosophy meeting mysticism.

While “popular” Hermeticism is the practice of more common things like astrology, “learned” Hermeticism is a bit deeper and more in tune with the modern concept of Gnosticism. The main goal was to gain a true understanding of God’s knowledge and make the natural out of the supernatural through understanding.

In a very real way, this fundamental concept was the obscure, humble beginnings of our scientific advancements today by taming the unknown and making it known. Alchemists, Freemasons, and Gnostics all fall under the branch of Hermeticism.

Scholars have suggested that alchemy was never about creating gold but about the lessons learned along the way. Mixing metals to forge gold was never intended to be a realistic possibility. Instead, it was symbolic of the pursuit of knowledge and the futility of attaining material things like gold and wealth.

Considering that Hermeticism comes from Pythagoreanism, which is based on mystical teachings of natural harmony, this is a good possibility. Pythagoras was obsessed with finding the secret fundamental substance of the cosmos, which is in line with the goals of all occultism. Alchemy grew out of this tradition.

However, Hermeticism differs from science in its aims. Where science seeks to study the natural world, Hermetics seeks to study the supernatural realm in hopes of gaining an understanding from that which isn’t readily apparent or intuitive. Ancient religions aside, Hermeticism is the all‑encompassing concept of the search for a deeper, more fundamental knowledge that is the foundation of all occultism.

Top 10 Ways the Occult Is Sneaking into Social Media

Johan Tobias — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 01:28:19 +0000

When you think of a practitioner of the occult, the mental picture often jumps to a hunched‑over sage from the sixteenth century, poring over cryptic runes and dusty grimoires. In reality, today’s modern magicians are more likely to be typing away on a MacBook, sharing herbal recipes on Twitter, or livestreaming a ritual to a global coven. These ten examples illustrate the top 10 ways the occult is slipping into every corner of social media, from political hexes to emoji enchantments.

Top 10 Ways The Occult Is Infiltrating Social Media

10 Trump Witches Hex The US Election

The 2020 presidential race turned out to be one of the most polarizing contests in American history, with Joe Biden’s victory sparking both jubilation and fury, while former President Donald Trump and his followers loudly alleged voter fraud. Yet some claim there was an unseen, magical factor that nudged the outcome in Biden’s favor. According to a cadre of occult activists, a coordinated spell was launched just days before the election to sway the nation away from Trump.

On Halloween, three days prior to the vote, magical activist Michael M. Hughes rallied thousands of witches to join an online ritual aimed at banishing President Trump. Participants were instructed to chant cleansing spells, light candles adorned with political colors, and coat maps of the United States in blue paint, all beneath the glow of a full blue moon. The ceremony was meant to summon ancestral spirits and generate a ‘mighty blue wave’ to propel Biden into the White House.

Hughes asserts that the collective incantations succeeded in raising that very wave, which he believes will wash away what he describes as the corruption, injustice, and wickedness associated with Trump and the Republican Party, ensuring a peaceful transition of power. While political magic might seem a contemporary invention, its roots stretch back centuries; during World War II, Britons invoked magical protection against Nazi invasion, and in the 1960s the feminist group W.I.T.C.H. staged magical protests on Wall Street, a tradition that continues today.

Whether or not any supernatural force truly altered the election, the episode illustrates how modern occultists harness digital platforms to coordinate large‑scale spellwork, turning political activism into a form of modern mysticism.

9 Casting Spells With Emoji Magic

Runes and symbolic glyphs have long been prized tools for black‑magic practitioners, enabling them to focus intent and summon desired outcomes. Historically, sigil magick—an image‑based tradition dating back to medieval Europe—relied on hand‑drawn symbols. In the digital age, however, a new generation of sorcerers has swapped stone tablets for the ubiquitous emoji, giving ancient practices a sleek, contemporary makeover.

Proponents of emoji magic argue that the key to a successful spell lies in crystal‑clear visualization, followed by translating that vision into a string of emojis and sending it out into the ether of the internet. For instance, someone searching for misplaced keys might combine a magnifying‑glass emoji with a key icon, while a seeker of romance could string together a series of heart emojis interspersed with symbols representing desired personality traits.

Critics may dismiss emoji spells as frivolous, but practitioners maintain that the very absurdity and novelty of the method amplify its power. As a Californian witch told Vice, “Being silly and strange is part of being a witch,” suggesting that the playful, unconventional nature of emoji magic is itself a potent catalyst for intention.

8 Black Magic Healers On Instagram

The resurgence of black magic, especially the West African tradition known as juju, has found fertile ground online. Influential figures such as British rapper J Hus have helped thrust these practices into mainstream awareness, and a growing legion of spiritualists are now amassing hundreds of thousands of followers on platforms like Instagram.

On Instagram, West African spiritual leaders—often called babalawos—market themselves as relationship therapists, offering a variety of magical artifacts and herbal concoctions. A young woman seeking a wealthy partner might invest in a bespoke herbal blend, while a betrayed spouse could purchase a blue‑eye bracelet designed to draw a wayward lover back home. The platform’s visual nature allows practitioners to showcase their offerings with polished aesthetics, turning ancient rituals into a modern e‑commerce experience.

As the popularity of juju expands, ethical questions arise. Skeptics question the morality of using ritual magic to manipulate personal relationships, noting incidents such as a 2019 scandal where a woman admitted to slipping her menstrual blood into a lover’s meals. Despite controversy, the demand for black‑magic services persists, underscoring the lucrative potential of occult commerce in the digital era.

7 Romania’s Supernatural Revolution

In Eastern Europe, especially Romania, the figure of the sorceress—known locally as a vrajitoare—has long commanded respect. Traditionally, girls were taught mystical practices from a young age, passing down rituals through generations. Today, a new wave of Romanian witches is leveraging the internet to broaden their reach, attracting clients far beyond their villages and turning their craft into a profitable enterprise.

The Romanian government, noticing this digital boom, has introduced tighter regulations over the past decade. In 2011, President Traian Băsescu instituted an income tax specifically for witchcraft earnings, sparking debate among practitioners. Some welcomed the tax as a step toward legitimizing their work, while others reacted dramatically, allegedly dumping poisonous mandrake into the Danube to protest the new fiscal burden.

6 School Of Black Magic

Occult knowledge has historically been transmitted from master to apprentice, often through secretive, in‑person mentorships. In the modern era, however, the entire curriculum of the dark arts can be accessed from a computer screen, thanks to the efforts of eccentric magician Jason Louv. Louv’s eclectic career spans AI development at Google, participation in Buzz Aldrin’s Mars colonization project, and collaborations with avant‑garde musician Genesis P‑Orridge.

Now he runs magick.me, the sole online school dedicated to teaching a wide array of mystical subjects. Students can explore topics ranging from neuro‑linguistic programming and psychic protection to the meditation techniques of infamous English occultist Aleister Crowley, who famously billed himself as “the wickedest man in the world.” The platform democratizes esoteric education, allowing anyone with an internet connection to delve into the mysteries once guarded by secret societies.

While the school’s brochure teases a series titled “10 Unsolved Murders With Strange Links To The Occult,” the core offering remains a comprehensive, digitally delivered apprenticeship in the arts of magic.

5 TikTok Witches Curse The Moon

TikTok is often associated with fleeting dance challenges and lip‑sync videos, yet beneath its glossy surface lies a shadowy network of magicians, astrologers, and niche spiritualists. In the summer of 2020, a small group of amateur witches attempted to cast a curse on the moon, believing that the celestial body held sacred significance and that defiling it would have profound metaphysical repercussions.

Although the lunar curse had no observable impact on the actual moon—its phases continued unabated—the attempt ignited outrage among believers who view the moon as a holy symbol. Critics argued that such an act was deeply disrespectful, fueling heated debates across social media platforms about the ethics of attempting to manipulate cosmic forces.

The incident highlights how even the most light‑hearted social apps can become arenas for serious occult experimentation, blurring the line between entertainment and genuine mystical intent.

4 Haunted Items For Sale On eBay

Centuries ago, the exchange of haunted artifacts would have taken place under the cover of night, at discreet rendezvous where conspirators could avoid the scrutiny of witch‑hunters. Today, the trade of cursed objects has migrated to mainstream e‑commerce sites like eBay, where collectors can purchase haunted dolls and other macabre trinkets with just a few clicks.

The marketplace hosts a niche industry devoted to selling supposedly possessed items, especially dolls that allegedly exhibit paranormal behavior. For example, a wide‑eyed figurine named Polly is rumored to manipulate room temperature, while a wool‑capped clown called Charles is said to bang doors and emit eerie howls. Prices range from modest tens of dollars to upwards of $7,000 for particularly notorious pieces.

Vendors emphasize that their motivation isn’t profit but rather a desire to help the spirits trapped within these objects find peace, positioning the trade as a form of compassionate exorcism rather than mere commercial exploitation.

3 Coven Meetings On Zoom

Shakespeare’s iconic witches from Macbeth conjure images of thunderous incantations in dimly lit chambers. In the age of COVID‑19, however, these covens have migrated to virtual meeting rooms, convening over Zoom instead of fog‑shrouded forests. The pandemic forced witches worldwide to abandon face‑to‑face gatherings, prompting a rapid adaptation to digital platforms.

Online covens now use video conferencing to share tarot readings, practice occult writing, and study mystical texts together. A notable example occurred when a Michigan shop hosted a Spring Equinox celebration on Facebook Live, drawing a record crowd of roughly 4,000 participants eager to partake in the ritual from the safety of their homes.

This shift demonstrates the resilience of magical communities, showing that even ancient practices can thrive in the modern, screen‑dominated world.

2 WitchBlr

The surge of online dark‑arts enthusiasm has attracted personalities from all walks of life, including multi‑platinum musicians. In 2017, Lana Del Rey declared herself “a bit of a mystic at heart” and announced plans to cast a curse on Donald Trump. Her revelation resonated strongly within Tumblr’s burgeoning witchcraft community, known as WitchBlr.

WitchBlr serves as a vibrant subculture where aspiring mystics exchange knowledge on crystals, candles, curses, and palm reading. The community blends stylized aesthetics with earnest spiritual practice, and Lana Del Rey’s endorsement has helped propel its reach, inviting a wider audience to explore occult traditions in a contemporary, internet‑friendly format.

1 Church Of Kek

While the occult has found a foothold among liberal circles, it has also captured the imagination of the alt‑right. A particularly noteworthy development is the emergence of the Cult of Kek, a quasi‑religious movement inspired by the internet meme Pepe the Frog and tracing its mythic roots back to an ancient Egyptian deity named Kek, who was depicted with a frog’s head and associated with chaos.

For meme‑savvy alt‑right adherents, Kek embodies a mischievous yet powerful force, and they employ “meme magic” by flooding social feeds with Pepe images to influence reality. In the 2016 election cycle, Kek followers inundated the internet with Donald Trump‑related Pepe memes, believing that the sheer volume of imagery could sway public perception and outcomes.

Gary Lachman, a scholar of modern mysticism, explains that this blend of trolling and incantation mirrors historical propaganda tactics, noting that even the Nazis harnessed supernatural narratives to bolster their agenda. The Cult of Kek thus exemplifies how contemporary political movements co‑opt occult symbolism to amplify their messages.

10 Royals Who Dabbled in the Occult

Marjorie Mackintosh — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 23:13:59 +0000

Nowadays, matters of alchemy and the occult are largely regarded as pseudoscience, but in the past, supernatural practices were taken more seriously. For example, the idea of a philosopher’s stone that could turn base metals into gold and grant immortality goes back to at least ancient Greece. Throughout the centuries, many people sought (and failed) to prove its existence. The occult was also a hot topic during the Renaissance; astrology was sometimes studied as a science, while the fear of dark magic led to feverish witch hunts. Here are 10 royals, historical and modern, who have dabbled in the occult.

10 Queen Elizabeth I

In 1555, John Dee was arrested for witchcraft after casting the horoscopes of Queen Mary I of England and Princess Elizabeth. However, he was exonerated and, a few years later, found favor with Elizabeth once she became queen. She even trusted him to select an auspicious coronation date for her, which was January 15, 1559, based on his astrological calculations. In 1564, he was “appointed Royal Advisor in mystic secrets,” and as her court astrologer, he also advised her on matters of state and science.

Elizabeth’s interest in mysticism seemed to stretch no further than astrology, while Dee delved deeper into the supernatural, believing he could communicate with angels through a medium. Dee fell out of favor when James I took the throne. He was once again accused of conjuring, and the new king refused to clear his name. James hated the occult and witchcraft so much that he published an entire book, Daemonologie (1599), devoted to the subject.^[1]

9 Queen Victoria

It has been speculated that Queen Victoria of England took part in séances, but nothing has ever been officially verified. This may be because the queen never actually had any interest in the occult. Or it could be because, after her death, her journals and letters were censored by her daughter, Princess Beatrice.

There is speculation that in 1846, Georgiana Elizabeth Eagle, a child clairvoyant, performed before Victoria and her husband, Albert, at Osborne House. Then in 1861, after Albert’s death that year, it is rumored that a teenage medium named Robert James Lees fell into a trance during a séance and channeled the departed spirit of Albert. Lees may then have conducted séances for Victoria to speak to her dead husband.

It has also been claimed that John Brown, Victoria’s favorite and long-rumored lover, acted as a medium to channel Albert. Still, there is no historical record of these conversations taking place.^[2]

8 Empress Alexandra Feodorovna

Alexandra Feodorovna was Queen Victoria’s favorite granddaughter and became a part of the Russian Romanov family when she married Emperor Nicholas II in 1894. Their son Alexei was born in 1904 and suffered from hemophilia, a condition where the blood does not clot properly. Alexandra believed in the occult, participating in séances and speaking with clairvoyants, and she sought the aid of Grigori Rasputin, now known as one of the world’s most famous mystics.

Alexandra and Nicholas brought Rasputin into their inner circle to heal their son, although some were riled by this, regarding him as a charlatan. But the couple were convinced of his magical powers, believing he could stop Alexei’s excessive bleeding. Some modern historians now think that it was actually Rasputin’s insistence that the boy not be treated with aspirin (which thins the blood) that caused his seemingly miraculous healing.^[3]

7 Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II

As well as juggling his many political responsibilities as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia, and Archduke of Austria, Rudolf II was also deeply involved in researching the occult. While matters of dark magic and witchcraft were criminalized during the Renaissance, astrology and alchemy were often regarded as legitimate scientific fields. When Rudolf moved the royal court to Prague Castle, the city became a center for the practice of alchemy.

Notable alchemists who visited his court include John Dee, Elizabeth I’s astrologer, and his companion-cum-medium, Edward Kelley. Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel also gained an audience with Rudolf, where the two discussed Kabbala, the Jewish mystic interpretation of the Bible. Rudolf is also the earliest known owner of the Voynich manuscript, one of the most famous texts written in a code or unknown language that remains undeciphered to this day. It is thought that he may have purchased the cryptic manuscript from Dee, but its history is unclear.^[4]

6 Queen Catherine de’ Medici

Catherine de’ Medici was born in Italy and became Queen of France in 1547 through her marriage to King Henry II. She was also the mother of the French kings Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III, and thus occupied a position of power for many years. Soon after the untimely death of Charles in 1574, a pamphlet circulated accusing her of witchcraft, which led to her becoming known as the Black Queen. It claimed that “through the wave of her wand and bewitching potions, she had changed us into wild beasts and torn out our humanity.”

More fuel was thrown on this fire when Jean Bodin’s book De la démonomanie des sorciers or On the Demon-Mania of Witches (1580) alleged that she had participated in a Black Mass during which a child was sacrificed. While there is no actual evidence of Catherine practicing (or, rather, attempting to practice) dark magic, she was certainly interested in astrology.

Cosimo Ruggeri served as her advisor and astrologer, and in 1555, she invited the seer Nostradamus to court after reading his predictions in Les Prophéties (1555). She had him draw up horoscopes for her children and, in the following years, made him Counselor and Physician-in-Ordinary to the young King Charles.^[5]

5 Emperor Yongzheng

Many historical Chinese emperors took alchemical elixirs in an effort to achieve immortality. Although the danger of these potions and pills was not unknown, numerous emperors succumbed to mercury poisoning in their quest for eternal life. The first Chinese emperor to die in this way was actually China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who died in 210 BC. The last to die via a so-called elixir of life was Emperor Yongzheng, and it was surprisingly recent, occurring in 1735.

At the time, officials said that Yongzheng died from exhaustion caused by overwork. A rumor then spread that he had been assassinated by Lü Siniang, who was seeking revenge for the execution of Lü Liuliang, her father or grandfather (accounts vary). Based on court records, it is now generally accepted that he died from mercury poisoning. The true cause of his death may have been concealed at the time because few people still believed in immortality-granting elixirs, and officials did not want to bring shame to Yongzheng’s name.^[6]

4 King Philip II

As well as greatly expanding Spain’s influence across the globe, Philip II of Spain was also a dedicated patron of the arts and sciences, including alchemy. In 1584, the magnificent royal palace of El Escorial was completed, containing within its walls a church, college, library, and even alchemical distillation laboratories. It became a center of knowledge, with Philip furnishing the library with great works of history, science, and literature and inviting alchemists to work in the labs.

In 1591, for instance, Philip brought Irish alchemist Richard Stanihurst to his court after hearing that he had concocted a panacea (a cure-all potion). However, Stanihurst’s experiments with the medicine failed to come to anything. Philip was also interested in transmutation and had people attempting to turn base metals into gold. These experiments likewise failed to produce results. Although panaceas and transmutation are now known to belong to mythology, Philip II’s interest in alchemy stemmed from scientific exploration rather than a preoccupation with the supernatural.^[7]

3 Crown Princess Hwi

In the early 1400s, during King Sejong’s rule of Joseon, now modern-day Korea, Crown Prince Munjong married Lady Kim, making her Crown Princess Hwi. Their marriage lasted just a couple of years because Hwi was deposed for practicing witchcraft, or in the words of King Sejong, using “the sorcery of yin and yang manipulation to obtain the favor” of her husband.

The princess had appealed to her lady-in-waiting, Hocho, for help in gaining the prince’s love. Hocho told the princess to do two things: first, to burn the shoes of her romantic rivals and mix the ashes into Munjong’s wine to make him reject them; second, to rub snake sperm onto a piece of cloth and wear it on her body to win his affection. Sundeok, another lady-in-waiting, found leftover pieces of shoe leather from the ritual and raised her suspicions with King Sejong. He questioned the crown princess, and she confessed to everything. Hocho was subsequently executed, and Hwi was stripped of her title and banished from the palace.^[8]

2 King Frederick William II

Rosicrucianism, a spiritual movement that began in the early 17th century and sought out esoteric knowledge, counted Frederick William II, King of Prussia, within its ranks. When he was still prince, Frederick William was a member of the Masons, but he yearned for more mysticism than the Masons could offer. He believed that he could hear the voices of ghosts and occasionally held séances to communicate with them. He met a man named Johann Rudolf von Bischoffswerder during the War of the Bavarian Succession (1778–79), and when he fell ill, Bischoffswerder cured him with an esoteric Rosicrucian elixir.

The experience left its mark, and in 1781, Frederick William was officially initiated into the Rosicrucian brotherhood by Johann Christoph von Wöllner. When he became king in 1786, both Wöllner and Bischoffswerder were placed in positions of power. Bischoffswerder had a machine that could supposedly summon spirits, and during one séance held at Charlottenburg Palace, the ghost of Frederick William’s namesake, Frederick William, “The Great Elector,” apparently appeared and told the king to stop seeing his mistress.^[9]

1 Princess Märtha Louise

Not all royals who were interested in the occult are long dead and buried. Princess Märtha Louise is currently fourth in line to the Norwegian throne and makes her living working as a clairvoyant. In 2002, she withdrew from the royal household, giving up her official “Her Royal Highness” title and her annual $1 million allowance. She has since made a career from her supposed clairvoyant abilities. She is a motivational speaker and, for a number of years, ran an “angel school,” where she taught clients how to speak to angels and the dead.

In 2019, she faced controversy for using her royal title for financial gain after titling a seminar series, “The Princess and the Shaman,” which she ran with her self-proclaimed shaman fiancé, Durek Verrett. She agreed to stop using the title and, as of November 2022, has officially withdrawn from all royal duties. Still, the couple continues to be criticized by the press for spreading pseudoscience. Verrett has claimed that he can cure illnesses (including cancer) and rotate the atoms in a person’s body to make them younger and that he’s not a regular human but rather a hybrid of “a reptile and Andromeda.”^[10]