This is what I have written, at the peril of my life. For that which countless censors would like to block from the magickal world has been unleashed. May the Dark Forces have mercy on my soul…

Or something like that.

Seriously, the Nocturnicon was probably the part of the Gothic Grimoire that I enjoyed writing the most. In this codex of dark rites that closes the book, I get to share some spells and techniques that can be done at most any stage of magickal development. And, more importantly, the rites can be used to help with the peculiar types of problems that we dark ones often face.

Yet it's also the reason my new book comes with a disclaimer. Go figure.

Mastering Melancholy
While there are some fairly altruistic rites in the Nocturnicon, such as ones to help you gain better concentration during the day or bring an ideal date into a forthcoming night, a majority of the ready-to-use spells deal with more melancholy topics. Some readers may find these rites to be too dark, but that's pretty much the point. I mean, this book is written for those who embrace everything that comes under the cover of shadow.

Not that being dark is a bad thing, but more than a few nightkind tend to find themselves in potentially depressing situations. Never being understood by the mainstream masses can lead to feelings of alienation. This is a touchy subject, but not one that falls outside the influence of magick. One of the most powerful rites in the Nocturnicon is designed to alleviate much if not all instances of depression.

Realize that some of the people who misunderstand us dark ones can do a lot of tangible things to cause us misery. This is why the Nocturnicon also deals with mystical ways of stopping emotional or physical abuse.

Realize, though, that we can be our own worst enemies. Sometimes, in our need to be accepted by others or to just be more tolerable to our own standards, we may harm ourselves to meet some perceived ideal.

Social situations can bring about more than a mild sampling of dangerous substances. This is why I included a rite designed to help kick a possibly dangerous addiction that may result from too much social play. As magickians, we should always be in control and should never depend on something artificial to make us feel, well, artificial. Not preaching total abstinence here, but moderation can be attained through moderately challenging mystical means.

And there's the part of the Nocturnicon where I share a personal problem I had to overcome, along with the method you can use to do the same. Let's just say that, while it's in to be thin, it's wise to maintain a safe weight without allowing an eating disorder to rule you.

Not for the Faint of Heart
To face the powerful emotional forces associated with the rites in the Nocturnicon, you have to sometimes use extreme methods. One of the rites, for instance, may cause minor physical pain in addition to the emotional woes that lead to its performance. But the little stings of candle wax in that one are minor in comparison to the rewards of defeated depression.

Christian extremists will have a field day with my use of blood in one of the rites. Yet even sensible people might object to the use of blood. To both types I say that sympathetic magick relies on having a close link to the real-world representation of what is being acted on magickally. If a problem is literally taking place in your bloodstream, thanks to what you feel the need to put into said bloodstream, then to your blood you should go in the curative rite.

And there's also the rite for opening the gates to the Underworld. Coming face to face with the guardian of the land of the dead, and then the dead themselves, is certainly not for everyone.

Powers You Can Use Nightly
Besides helping with particular needs you might have, the Nocturnicon also can show you how to master some truly useful powers. Like the rites, these powers are ones you can get working for you at any stage in your magickal development.

Would you like to be able to see better in the dark? What nightkind couldn't use that?

You'll also learn how to dissolve clouds, providing you with a glimpse of the moon or some starlight whenever you need it.

And, because it can supercharge just about any rite, a sex magick technique is revealed. It's as fun to see the results of this technique as it is to practice it.

But remember, you've been warned. If only this one fifth of Gothic Grimoire contains such dangerous power, consider carefully if you should dare read the rest of it. Maybe you should flee now, while there's still time!