WICKED WITCHCRAFT SPOOKS DR. RICHARD MOSSEY RING 41 MEMBERS

It was a dark and dreary night…just perfect for some wicked witchcraft to appear at the October meeting of the Dr. Richard Mossey Ring 41.

Rather than emphasizing the traditional October meeting themes of ghosts, goblins, and Houdini, Ring 41 zeroed in on the witchcraft roots with presentations from three guest speakers.

Our Ring namesake, Dr. Richard Mossey began the evening program with fascinating insights into the infamous book,  The Discoverie of Witchcraft by Reginald Scot (1584). Mossey explained that Scott was a justice of the peace who was distressed that people were being tortured and killed for being witches for events such as the burning down of a barn that appeared to have no logical or scientific explanation. Scot wrote the book because he wanted to show that unexplained, mysterious events could be explained by natural means. To prove his point, Scott tracked down a working street magician or busker, John Cautores to show him how his magic tricks were performed. That was his source for the magic section in the book. Dr Mossey kept everyone on the edge of their seats as he recounted many stories from the timeframe that related to Reginald Scot and the famous book’s origin. Dr Mossey may not have lived during the timeframe of the book but he told each story like a sixteenth century troubadour!

[Dr. Richard Mossey reporting on the meta-messages in The Discoverie of Witchcraft.]

Witchcraft is something that many of us have heard about but never experienced firsthand. That’s why we were enchanted to hear about the personal experiences that Dr. Kingsley Ngange has had with witchcraft. Dr. Ngange is a Professor of Mass Communications at the University of Buea in Cameroon, who happens to be visiting Dr. Lynn Miner. Dr. Ngange noted that  75% of the people believe in witchcraft and 50% practice it actively in his West African country. Many believe that anything which can’t be explained or understand is due to witchcraft. He told a story of how a witchcraft hex was recently intended to kill his family. Dr Kingsley explained that witchcraft is often used against people because of jealousy, envy or retribution. Many of his stories were hard to fathom when looked at from the perspective of todays modern day society. Dr Kingsley recounted stories of villages that believe elephants harbor human spirits and how nasty written messages and pictures appear in the belly of dissected python snakes.

[Dr. Kingsley Ngange explains his Cameroonian life among many believers of witchcraft]

Our final presenter was Ring 41 member and President of Ring 31, Dr Dan Feaster. He spent 10 years serving on an international board of directors dealing with cult groups and an additional 10 years on the faculty of an international gang conference teaching workshops on witchcraft, occult, and Satanism. Part of his doctoral work focused on destructive groups including witchcraft and Satanism. He has spent over 30 years as a psychotherapist treating individuals with dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder) who reported involvement with Satanic ritual abuse. He shared his experiences on how witchcraft and occult groups use magic and deception to deceive and control. He stressed that whether witchcraft or Satanism is real nor not, it IS REAL to those people involved.

[Dr. Dan Feaster presenting his experiences as a psychotherapist  counseling people who believed in witchcraft and Satanism.]

After a short break, the evening’s program shifted from presenters to performers.  Five Ring 41 members and guests presented “Spooky Magic Tricks.” First up was Wayne Peterson, Ring 41 member and Vice President of The Ben Bergor IBM Ring 31 from Madison, WI. Wayne presented a full routine that included a floating handkerchief, appearing and disappearing eye balls, and a makeshift ventriloquist routine using a “live” volunteer from the audience. Tony Barnhart, a first time visiting guest, performed a terrific ring and rope routine that amazed and fooled everyone in the audience. Our own Dr William Crowley did a spirit deck trick where the “spirits” were out drinking spirits for the evening. Scott Edward Lane, President of the Dr Richard Mossey Ring 41, performed a card trick that was reminiscent of mental epic, where three randomly chosen cards from the deck were predicted in advance. Finally, Bob Rath rounded out the evening with a series of coin tricks that baffled even the most astute observer.

Suffice to say that the meeting was one of the most intriguing, informative and memorable October themed meetings our ring has had in recent memory.

[Ring 41 members learning about Wicked Witchcraft]

Milwaukee is the epicenter of magical happenings and if you are in the area please feel free to attend one of out monthly meetings. Guests are always welcome!

Would you like to lecture for one of our club meetings? Please send an email to [email protected] for scheduling information.

Scott Edward Lane

Photos by Gerald Michels