Description
Lecture: De Metzineria Pirenaica: Intoxication as a vehicle towards Illumination in Medieval Witchcraft
The Pyrenean territory was scenario to the consolidation of the important role of Poisons and Intoxication in relation to Witchcraft, shaped and encapsulated under the now forgotten concept of Metzineria, a term that bears an enormous historical burden containing a valuable amount of hidden -and often deviant- wisdom. While observing the ways in which the path of Metzineria developed through time and space, other mysteries unfold; such as the importance of the process of Intoxication as a key for interacting with the Unseen, hiding behind the arcana of the Flying Ointment. Through an analysis of the implications and evolution of herbal knowledge in the context of Metzineria and Poison making, it is possible to see the true face of the Witch Toxin and its current relevance in the Crooked Path of Traditional Witchcraft.
Biography
Known as Semproniana Tort, she is a researcher and one of the founding members of the Gremi de l’Art (The Art’s Guild), an initiative whose goal is to spread the magical traditions and lore of the Iberian peninsula through academic insight and both individual and collective practice, in order to give cohesion and support among the practitioners of the Arte, always bearing in mind not only the existing Old Craft but also its new resulting forms.
She is also owner of Occvlta, an endeavour focused on the recovery and diffusion of the path of Metzinera, or Pyrenean folk medicine and magic, crafting high quality herbal products and artifacts for the alchemist, the poisoner, the apothecary, and the witch. She now resides in the Catalan Pyrenees and her practice revolves around the awakening and remembrance of forgotten witch and plant lore.
