Journeying to the Underworld: Katabasis as Fact and Method

This is a 120-minute foundational through intermediate level lecture, located in The Pickman Room (second floor)

Building on his paper “Every Nekuomanteia is a Katabasis: Ancient Insights for Contemporary Goetic Practice” from Conjure Codex V and Chapter Six “Necromancy as Katabasis” of his book Learning from Legendary Practioners, in this class Kadmus will present the history of the underworld journey and its fundamental roll in both the practice of necromancy and goetia more generally. Looking closely at the history and lessons to be learned in tales of katabasis from The Descent of Inanna, through the Odyssey and Aeneid, to the folklore of Christ’s harrowing of hell with glances at more popular plays and poetry from the Hellenistic, Roman, and even the Renaissance periods this class will seek to glean practical methodological guidance from the practice of necromancy and goetia both understood as necessarily involving journeys to and from the underworld.…