The homeland is quite possibly the most important aspect of traditional Witchcraft. The homeland is the home of the Gods, and in many beliefs the two are synonymous. The early inhabitants of Europe believed that the Gods they venerated inhabited the land itself. Many were migratory people, and so as they traveled across the continent they took their Gods with them. As they traveled, though, these people often looked toward the North Star, Polaris, for guidance. It was a fixed point in the night sky that they used as a reference point.
When these early Europeans wished to honor their Gods, they created a connection between their homeland, where their Gods resided, and the land where they stood. In this way, the new land became a part of the homeland. The elemental correspondences to the cardinal directions act as a way of aligning yourself with the homeland.
When a witch is within the land that is within the boundaries of the homeland, they do not need to use the correspondences to make a connection, instead, they evoke (or invoke) the land itself. The concept of the homeland is something very integral to the religion of Witchcraft, but also something that is completely missing from Neo-Paganism.
Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):
George Lyman Kittredge - Notes On WitchcraftAllen Greenfield - A True History Of Witchcraft
Alexander Roberts - A Treatise Of Witchcraft
