Witchcraft And Superstitious Record In The South Western District Of Scotland

Book review: Witchcraft And Superstitious Record In The South Western District Of Scotland by John Maxwell Wood

Witchcraft persecutions really began in England in 1563 with the statute of Elizabeth I, much later than elsewhere in Europe, but did not really become fully developed until the reign of James I. Various estimates have been given of the number of persons hanged as witches in England during the period of laws against witchcraft ( 1542-1736) but the probable number is around 1,000. The first person definitely known to be hanged for witchcraft in modern times was Agnes Waterhouse at Chelmsford in 1566, the last was Alice Molland at Exeter in 1684. The last person to be found guilty of the crime of witchcraft was in 1712 when Jane Wenham, the Wise Woman of Walkern. She was reprieved.

English witchcraft trials took a different direction from those of Europe. In England there were generally no elements of extreme torture, such as those used by the Inquisition, nor were witches burned at the stake as was the universal practice elsewhere. Under English law burning was the penalty for treason and those witches who were burned in England suffered this fate because they were convicted of the crime of “Petty Treason”, usually for murdering their husbands.

Nor were there mass executions in England such as those in France and Germany. The largest groups in England were nineteen witches hanged at Chelmsford in 1645, and the nine Lancashire witches sent to the gallows in 1612.

Peculiarly English features of witchcraft trials were the concepts of “pricking” to locate the devils mark and the use of “possessed”children as accusers, a feature that was to recur in the Salem trials in America. The relative simplicity of English trials and the absence of many of the satanic features of their continental counterparts was probably due to the absence of a centralised persecuting body such as the Inquisition. In England too there was open debate about, and opposition to, the concept of witchcraft which acted as a restraining influence.

Download John Maxwell Wood's eBook: Witchcraft And Superstitious Record In The South Western District Of Scotland
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In The Devil Snare The Salem Witchcraft Crisis Of 1692

Book: In The Devil Snare The Salem Witchcraft Crisis Of 1692 by Mary Beth Norton

Every historian dealing with the Salem witchcraft episode has attempted to explain "why Salem?" in terms of their own times. Reasons why have ranged from sheer fakery to mass hysteria to land greed or medical causes. Noted historian Mary Beth Norton has throughly combed through the surviving original records to arrive at a new and convincing explanation of the infamous 1692 witch crisis: the very real fear of Indian attacks on settlements in Massachusetts and Maine. Norton explores the news and letters of the times before and during 1692 to discover that Essex County MA residents were primarily concerned with the hit and run attacks on homes and settlements by Native Americans(some with French support). She bases her thesis on what she has found in original documents, rather than use the records to support her thesis. Puritans and others had very real reasons to be obsessed with the Devil in Massachusetts as they considered Native Americans Satan's agents.... Norton's narrative is most absorbing in relating the cause and effect of Native American attacks on colonial settlements.

The story of the Salem witchcraft trials is well known, from both historical accounts and dramatic retellings, such as Arthur Miller's play The Crucible. Cornell historian Mary Beth Norton now offers a significant reinterpretation of the events that (by her count) led to legal action against at least 144 people, 54 confessions of witchcraft, 19 hangings, and one "pressing to death ... by heavy stones." Norton's contribution is to contextualize what happened. She studies not just Salem itself, but all of Essex County and Northern New England, because so many of the people involved in the witchcraft crisis didn't live in Salem proper. She also says these grim events must be understood in relation to King William's War, which the early Americans called the Second Indian War. This frontier conflict and the religious interpretations thrust upon it created the conditions for what happened in Salem and the surrounding region, which, says Norton, would not have occurred in the war's absence. As might be expected, her narrative does not proceed along traditional lines. It is driven more by the academic imperative to break scholarly ground than by the urge to tell a harrowing story. For readers interested in knowing what really happened at Salem, though, In the Devil's Snare may be the best source.

Two factors in Norton's work are most striking: 1)Just about everyone involved in the Salem witch episode had or knew of someone who had suffered losses in the eras now called King Philip's and King William's Wars, and 2)Nearly everyone involved was related to everyone else in some degree.

Norton rights many historical fallicies concerning the Salem witch episode(which she accurately terms Essex County witchcraft), focusing on the Andover area which had the highest concentration of witchcraft accusations and confessions, as well as Salem Town and Salem Village. Norton brings to light some "lost" information on accusers and accused as well, however noting that many documents may be forever lost due to deliberate destruction by either the originators and/or decendents of both accused and accusers, all wanting to preserve their families good names.

This fascinating and informationally dense book kept me up late two nights running to finish it. Norton also provides nearly 100 pages of notes and source materials, mostly of interest to serious amateur and professional historians, but full of interesting facts and further explanations.

The only real flaw in this best book I've encountered of the 1692 Witch Crisis(and I've read all of them, I believe) is that Norton uses the "they must have thought such and such" language of many of today's historians, rather than write "may" or "might", instead of "must"or "should". Norton does back up these "must" conclusions with evidence, however the reader may silently disagree upon rare occasion.

Altogether, this is a must-have book for those interested in "Salem 1692."

Buy Mary Beth Norton's book: In The Devil Snare The Salem Witchcraft Crisis Of 1692

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

John Mcdonald - The Devil Mark And Witch Prickers Of Scotland
Paul Boyer - The Salem Witchcraft Papers Vol 3
Paul Boyer - The Salem Witchcraft Papers Vol 2
George Miller Beard - The Psychology Of The Salem Witchcraft Excitement Of 1692

Magikal Path Labels

There are typically 3 labels used to define the practice or an individual within the Craft community.

* Solitaire - A person who has dedicated their spiritual life to a pagan path and are practicing alone or within their immediate family unit.
* Practioner - A person who has dedicated their spiritual life to a specific tradition and practices alone or within their family unit.
* Coven Memeber - A person who has been initiated within a formally organized coven, clan, grove or the like

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Kenneth Grant - Magical Revival
Aninymous - The Angelical Alphabet
Al Selden Leif - Pagan Spells Bath Spells
Aleister Crowley - Magick Without Tears
Nu Isis Working Group - Magical Scripts And Cipher Alphabets

Czechoslovak Fairy Tales

Book: Czechoslovak Fairy Tales by Parker Fillmore

This popular classic work by Forrest J. Ackerman is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Forrest J. Ackerman then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

Download Parker Fillmore's eBook: Czechoslovak Fairy Tales

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Ea Wallis Budge - The Book Of Am Tuat
Peter Henry Emerson - Welsh Fairy Tales And Other Stories
Parker Fillmore - Czechoslovak Fairy Tales

A Short History Of The Salem Village Witchcraft Trials

Book: A Short History Of The Salem Village Witchcraft Trials by Martin Van Buren Perley

This short history meets that earnest desire; it gives the origin, growth, and death of the hideous monster; it gives dates, courts, and names of places, jurors, witnesses, and those hanged; it names and explains certain "men and things" that are concomitant to the trials, with which the reader nuiy not be conversant and which are necessary to the proper setting of the trials in one's mind; it compasses the salient features of witchcraft history, so that the story of the 1692 "delusion" may be garnered and entertainingly rehearsed.

The careful reader may discover, between the lines, in questions, in answers, and in the strange exhibitions, the real state of mind pervading all, which has been mildly characterized as a "delusion"; also he may be able to compare the Mosaic, the 1692, and the modern spirit manifestations, and advantageously determine for himself what is worth while in modern spiritualism, mindreading, clairvoyance, mesmerism, and the rest.

Though men of education, religion, titled dignity, and official station, of the professions and the 61ite, were responsible for the horrible cataatrophy, and in one instance or more forced the yeoman jurors to convict (who at the end signed recantations and expressed their grief), — religion and education must not be undervalued; a religious education will yield the highest type of manhood.

Download Martin Van Buren Perley's eBook: A Short History Of The Salem Village Witchcraft Trials

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe - A Historical Account Of The Belief In Witchcraft In Scotland
John Campbell Colquhoun - An History Of Magic Witchcraft And Animal Magnetism
Martin Van Buren Perley - A Short History Of The Salem Village Witchcraft Trials Ocr Version
Martin Van Buren Perley - A Short History Of The Salem Village Witchcraft Trials

The Book Of The Witch Moon

Book: The Book Of The Witch Moon by Michael Ford

Presenting the forbidden works of Chaos, Vampiric and Luciferian Sorcery. A grimoire which explores the dark feminine current of HECATE, Witch Moon explores ritual and dream Lycanthropy, Chaos Sorcery and Luciferian Ritual practice as well as the darksome practice of Vampirism and Predatory Spirituality. The Nine Angles and the Trapezoid workings, inspired by Anton LaVey and presented around the cult of Daeva-Yasna, the persian demon-sorcery of Yatuk Dinoih. Contains the rituals of Dream, ritual and astral vampirism as an initiatory tool, other Cabalistic workings presenting the Qlippoth. Contains the Grimoire based on Ancient Egyptian Vampirism, LIBER AAPEP, Luciferian Magick practice, The Chaos Cult Workings of Choronzon as Vampire, The Rites of Hecate, the Infernal and Luciferian Sabbat, and the foundations of Satanic practice in Magick.

Download Michael Ford's eBook: The Book Of The Witch Moon

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Benjamin Rowe - The Book Of The Seniors
Aleister Crowley - The Book Of Thoth
Margaret Alice Murray - The God Of The Witches
Albert Pike - The Book Of The Words
Michael Ford - The Book Of The Witch Moon

Hierarchical Titles In Witchcraft

Titles are a little different than labels. Titles are labels that are earned. Not taken on to be impressive or to create a false sense of importance. So when it comes to saying you're a Shaman, Priest or High Priestess, make sure you have the right to take on those titles and you're not misrepresenting yourself to others. There are many Hierarchical labels, Wizard, Mage, Sage, Sorcerer/Sorceress and so on. Each tradition might take on a variation of these labels to represent different initiation levels within the tradition as well. Or to represent different roles and/or responsibilities.

The most common titles are:

* Initiate -
A person who has been invited to join a specific coven. Most traditions have varying levels of initiation. The first is always an invitation by the coven to join their group. Each level after is often based on learning, knowledge and demonstrating one's ability within the coven and beliefs of the practice.
* Junior Initiate -
A person who has been invited to join a specific coven and who has reached the second level of initiation within that coven.
* Senior Initiate -
A person who has been invited to join a specific coven and who has reached the third level of initiation within that coven.
* Priest/Priestess -
A person who has completed the training of a specific coven and has demonstrated their ability to teach and lead. Then has been initiated by another Priest or Priestess into that traditions Priesthood.


Here's another example in detail. Within my clan each level of membership defines an individuals role within the Clan and the Clan community at large. These titles are earned, they are not given out just by being a member of our organization.

* Member at Large -
A 1st level initiate. A practioner of the faith and member of the Clan. Some take on the label Celtic or Clan Witch to define this role within our community.
* Clan Administrator -
A 1st level initiate. A volunteer within the Clan who is assigned to administrative duties within the Clan.
* Clan Mentor -
A 2nd level apprenticing initiate, assigned to mentor other members of the Clan in a specific specialized area of study.
* Clan Sage
A 3rd level initiate dedicated to sharing the knowledge and wisdom of the faith and a specialized area of study such as divination, magik, or healing.
* Clan Shaman / Shamanka (Clan Leaders)
A 4th level initiate dedicated to sharing the knowledge and wisdom of the faith, proven gifts of divination, expert knowledge of Holistic Healing, with leadership capabilities of the Clan, and it's practices.
* Clan Elder
A 5th level initiate dedicated to providing services, leadership and teachings to all members within and outside the Clan. Who through action and deed has continually demonstrated a high level of ethics, knowledge and wisdom.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Michael Harrison - The Roots Of Witchcraft
George Lyman Kittredge - Notes On Witchcraft
Michael Bailey - Historical Dictionary Of Witchcraft

Wishcraft

Based on my experiential knowledge, I have found that Wishcraft, or the act of conscious wishing, is real; I have used it for most of my life. But, as with any Craft practice, take it with a grain of salt; there are no absolutes. In this article, I hope to give a clearer view of Wishcraft so the reader could better understand how it operates as well as present its place in magic.

The difference between a wish and a spell is that a wish can be used on a smaller scale than a spell. There are typical mundane props which are used in a spell. With a wish, nothing mundane is used. Think of the difference between a wish and a spell like the difference between a full three course meal and a sandwich and drink. Both would fill you up and both would be healthy. But a sandwich is much more convenient; it could be eaten anytime.

Here is a barebones definition of Wishcraft. According to dictionary.com: to "wish" is to “feel or express a desire or hope concerning the future”; "craft" is a “skill in doing or making something, as in the arts; proficiency.” Thus, Wishcraft is an informed individual expressing an active desire through the force of will—in other words, making a “smart wish.” For example, instead of randomly wishing for money, the caster would consider how the money would be achieved. Rather than accidentally kicking off Aunt Bea for her inheritance, take into consideration the wording of your wish. There are many ways of wishing and many things for which one might wish, but caution must take precedence.

How does Wishcraft work? You would focus your energy and thoughts into one simple sentence, say “I wish…” and let loose the wish. Energy wise, I will explain the process of a wish. One example is the annual occurrence that we experience—a birthday. Remember the cake with all its candles and icing? The moment your parent said “Make a wish!” was the moment you first did magic, pagan-style. The intricacies of your wish can be explained in a simple manner. The cake was the focus point and the candle-blowing was where you focused Energy. The Wish was your will becoming a conscious entity. This is using Wishcraft in its simplest form.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Paul Huson - Mastering Witchcraft
George Lyman Kittredge - Notes On Witchcraft
Louise Huebner - Witchcraft For All
Gerald Gardner - Witchcraft Today

Structure Your Gathering

If you’re gathering for a ritual to celebrate and esbat or sabbat, then a circle is the ideal format. But if you’re gathering for a homily, then a standard platform/audience set up might be the better environment. Most covens like to gather in Circles. Typically a circle is 9 feet in diameter. But if you have a larger group of people, you might want to make your circle larger. Or create two lines of the circle (or a circle within a circle).

As I mentioned, not everyone uses a circle. There are some groups who feel very connected to a spiritual trinity and prefer to gather in the shape of a triangle. I’ve even participated in a ritual where the group had enough members to gather in the shape of a pentagram. I know of an Egyptian group who tries to recreate the Great Pyramid and gather in a perfect square, with the Priestess standing on a small platform in the center to represent the center point of the pyramid.

The format you use to gather depends on what you feel drawn to. What you want to align your energies with and how you think you can best do that.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Emilie Kip Baker - Stories From Northern Myths
William Wynn Westcott - Historic Lecture Golden Dawn
Anthony Arndt - Asatru The Northern Way

Mysterious Delusions Witchcraft In Salem

Book: Mysterious Delusions Witchcraft In Salem by Walter Rowe

The Salem witchcraft trials are events that most Americans have heard of, but about which they actually know very little. For example, some people believe that witches were burnt in Salem. Actually, the prescribed punishment for witchcraft under English law was hanging. Another commonly held belief is that the witchcraft hysteria started when a group of young girls in Salem, under the tutelage of Tituba, an African slave, used magical spells to try to find out the occupations of the men that they would marry. This cluster of beliefs now has the status of an academic urban legend. The notion that a group of girls was using magic to find out about their future husbands stems from a careless reading of a remark of Rev. John Hale, who wrote that one of the young accusers had confided to him her own use of magic in this way. (by Walter F. Rowe, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Forensic Sciences The George Washington University Washington, DC)

Download Walter Rowe's eBook: Mysterious Delusions Witchcraft In Salem

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Michael Harrison - The Roots Of Witchcraft
Paul Huson - Mastering Witchcraft
Walter Rowe - Mysterious Delusions Witchcraft In Salem

Getting Started In Traditional Witchcraft Now

If you are interested in becoming a Traditional Crafter, a Traditional Witch, here is where to start. With all the misinformation drifting around about this topic it is best to start with some basic essentials. When I was first starting out I wanted to get into the “fun stuff” you know, when do you get to work with tools? And rituals? Spells? Those are all interesting aspects of the Craft but you really must learn some central skills and techniques that will be useful in all those activities later on. Fortunately it is easier than you may think.

Let me share some of my own experience. I can vividly remember visiting an old family friend in the woods to the north of where I lived, it was a small home he owned and built himself. For as long as I can remember he had been a Crafter and I was always interested in what he practiced. I would always knock three times and then he would answer, the smell of aromatic dried herbs hit you as you walked into his small cottage. The first time I visited him I was not sure what to expect, would he teach me a spell, or some sort of ceremony?

I could not have been more mistaken. When I got there he took me out the back door that opened directly into the forest. We walked deep into the woods where the ancient trees grew. Finally he stopped and told me to sit on an old stump. He told me to sit perfectly still, to close my eyes and calm my mind. After a while I became very aware of my surroundings and sensitive to nature itself. I could feel the sway of the trees and the breeze that moved them; I could hear the flutter of even the tiniest of winged insects, smell the amber colored leaves as they fell from the trees, and even tastes the lingering moistness left over from summer rains. It was peaceful and wonderful, nothing had even felt this real to me.

He explained afterward that the lesson he was trying to teach me was to “Go Within,” to focus the mind, it is what some might call meditation. Being in the forest is a great place to Go Within, and to grow closer to nature. These are the first two steps a new seeker should take: Go Within, and become closer to nature.

You can Go Within in your home, outside, or anyplace. The idea is to focus, to turn off all the distractive thoughts that race through the mind every second of our lives. This “mental noise” prevents us from seeing clearly; but if we can focus on just one thing we can tune out all the other distractions. This is a vital ability in the Traditional Craft, and is a basic skill used in Traditional Magic. Our modern society has become dominated by industrialization and commercialization; too non-thinking, hectic, and automatic. nature is often an afterthought, but getting close to nature is exactly what a new seeker needs to do.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Howard Williams - The Superstitions Of Witchcraft
Swain Wodening - Anglo Saxon Witchcraft
Alexander Roberts - A Treatise Of Witchcraft
Michael Bailey - Historical Dictionary Of Witchcraft

The Complete Idiots Guide To Wicca And Witchcraft

Book: The Complete Idiots Guide To Wicca And Witchcraft by Denise Zimmermann

An invaluable resource for beginners and adepts alike, this best-selling and frequently Recommended book on wiccan magick and witchcraft has been updated and revised, now featuring a Year-and-a-Day calendar for the solitaire who is beginning to explore Wicca on his or her own.

- Loads of new spells
- New for this edition—a Year-and-a-Day calendar
- Expanded information on creating a personal grimoire and book of Shadows—the witch’s spell manual and "bible"

This guide offers a beginner's look at the history of paganism, Wicca, and witchcraft, from the Druids and Celts to the witches of today who practice an earth-based religion, cast spells, and perform natural magic. The book, written by a practicing witch, reveals details of the witches' Sabbaths, ceremonies, and altars.

Don't get me wrong, fellow pagans, I recommend Cunningham' Guide for a Solitary Practitioner and other well known books. But sometimes it is easy to start from the very beginning. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft, does just that. It lays the foundation for other works (such as those by Cunningham) to contiune the way. This book introduces you to concepts and theories as well as jargon and even how to lead you in circle casting and ritual work. It presents the information in an easy to understand and comprehend manner. It breaks down complex ideas and explains them to you one piece at a time. It also offers tidbits of information throughout the book that are fun and informative.

This book has gone on my top ten of books to recommend to new people. I also recommend this book to people wanting a refresher on Wiccan basics. Kudos!

Buy Denise Zimmermann's book: The Complete Idiots Guide To Wicca And Witchcraft

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Howard Williams - The Superstitions Of Witchcraft
Frater Fp - Pocket Guide To Witchcraft
Denise Zimmermann - Complete Idiots Guide To Wicca And Witchcraft

Nocturnal Witchcraft Magick After Dark

Book: Nocturnal Witchcraft Magick After Dark by Konstantinos

I found this book very useful. Although it is not a Complete Course in magick, it does offer a unique perspective and approach I have not found in any other Wicca or witchcraft books. I agree that it may seem a little trendy to the casual observer, but honestly what mass produced books on Wicca aren't trendy these days? I thought the book was a refreshing change from the New Age/wicca books currently flooding the market.

But this book isn't for everyone. If a person has a deep love of the entity known as night then the book will resonate with them. Otherwise it is easy to dismiss it as a trendy goth work (although the author doesn't spend much time discussing that particular sub-culture). Personally as a non-Goth I appreciated the author's insights into the night. His approach is more about a naturally based identification with the night than a socially based one.

As far as modern reworkings of the old magicks go, I think Konstantinos has done a good job with this book. Of course it isn't a stand alone work, but it is a good primer for those who love the night and want to work with it in a deeper way.

Konstantinos is a genius is explaining this issue to a new level. I have read his books before and am by no means new to magic or the dark night, but he has outdone himself once again. I look forward to reading his next publication. I already knew most of what he was saying in the book, but it helped make it easier to clarify some of the things I was already doing. This is a love it or hate it book, so if you are not nocturnal...... you might wanna pass.

This book is what anyone who wants to know more about shadow magick should get. Even though there are books out there that deal with this topic, Nocturnal Witchcraft takes it steps further. Konstantinos excellently tells what exactly the shadows are to witches and how it can be used in everyday magick. Plus, he adds extra information(a listing of the deities, herbs used during certain rituals) to help the novice or experienced witch what they need in order to come closer to the shadows. He does not try to candy coat anything, just explains with detail and his own personal experiences with this magick.

I have already told many people about this book and I hope through this review and many others, that witches do purchase this book. Such a wonderful insight into the shadows...

Buy Konstantinos's book: Nocturnal Witchcraft Magick After Dark

Books in PDF format to read:

Paul Boyer - The Salem Witchcraft Papers Vol 3
Hesketh Bell - Obeah Witchcraft In The West Indies
Fransis Bragge - Witchcraft Farther Displayd
George Lyman Kittredge - Notes On Witchcraft Ocr Version

Using The Seven Pins In Candle Magick

In Hoodoo and Voodoo, use of the seven-day candle, or "7 day vigil candle" is commonplace. The seven day candles are used in difficult cases and cases where concentrated energy is needed. The candle is burned over a period of seven days whereby the practitioner pays attention to revealing and divinatory signs from the candle.

To use your pins with a candle, you start with
a regular offeratory or large candle and seven pins of the seven colors. The candle is divided into seven equal parts by sticking the pins into the candle at seven equal intervals. The seventh pin goes into the top or bottom of the candle. Make sure the pins go all the way in the candle. Take a piece of parchament paper (best to start with a rather large piece of paper) and write down seven wishes. Fold the paper at a 90 degree angle and write your full name over your wish, then fold again and write your name again, proceeding with this process seven times. Dress your candle with the appropriate oil and place the folded paper under the candle. The candle is burned for seven nights, with the flame pinched out each time a pin falls. Save all of the pins and when the last needle falls, stick the pins into the paper so that it looks like the one in the picture. According to the law of attraction, bury the paper, pins and leftoverwax under your doorstep to attract your wishes to you. If your wishes are of the repelling type, throw the ritual remains in a crossroads, graveyard, or in a moving stream or river.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Thirteenth Candle
Julian Wilde - Grimoire Of Chaos Magick
Thomas Moore - Candle Magick For Love
Ophiel - The Art Practice Of Caballa Magic

What Goes In A Book Of Shadows

The book of shadows is a reference, a guide, a journal, a means of record-keeping. Within it's pages you will keep details of spells cast and the results, of rituals conducted with a note of the intention and any work done, you can record dreams, divinations, thoughts and ideas. Basically, anything that you find important as a pagan or a witch.

Our family BOS starts off with our family history. My husband and I decided that we wanted ours to be very much used like an old-fashioned family bible. We therefore printed up the family line for both of us back 2 generations, and have left space for future generations. Future additions will be handwritten in.

After that, I have put a drawing of my preferred altar set up with explanations of what goes where as I have detailed in Tools of the Witch.

The remaining pages are used for recording rituals that we have done as a family. Sometimes we have a formal ritual with all the smells and bells, other times we just invite family around for an informal dinner.

Some rituals that can be found in our family BOS include Circle Opening and Closing rituals, symbolic great rite, initiation rituals, naming ceremonies and a handfasting ceremony. The naming and handfasting ceremonies are detailed in Life Rituals.

My personal BOS also contains information on spells I have done and divinations I have done using either a tarot deck or my amulets, dreams, and things seen during guided imagery sessions.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Ancient Grimoires - The 8th Book Of Moses
Sekhet Sophia - The Alexandrian Book Of Shadows
Gerald Gardner - The Garnerian Book Of Shadows
Sasha Fierce - The Book Of Shadows

Modern Witchcraft On Wikipedia

To show and prove the misconception of witchcraft (which stemmed from Judaism and the Kaballah.) " ...historically notably in Early Modern Europe, where witchcraft came to be seen as a vast diabolical conspiracy against Christianity, and accusations of witchcraft led to large-scale witch-hunts..."

Witchcraft, in various historical, anthropological, religious and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. Witchcraft often refers to the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers in order to inflict harm or damage upon members of a community or their property. Other uses of the term distinguish between bad witchcraft and good witchcraft, with the latter often involving healing, perhaps remedying bad witchcraft. The concept of witchcraft is normally treated as a cultural ideology, a means of explaining human misfortune by blaming it either on a supernatural entity or a known person in the community.Pocs 1999, pp. 9?12. A witch (from Old English wicce f. / wicca m.) is a practitioner of witchcraft.

Belief in witchcraft, and by consequence witch-hunts, is found in many cultures worldwide, today mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa (e.g. in the witch smellers in Bantu culture), and historically notably in Early Modern Europe of the 14th to 18th century, where witchcraft came to be seen as a vast diabolical conspiracy against Christianity, and accusations of witchcraft led to large-scale witch-hunts, especially in Germanic Europe."Witchcraft". Encyclop?dia Britannica.

The "witch-cult hypothesis", a controversial theory that European witchcraft was a suppressed pagan religion, was popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the mid-20th century, Witchcraft has become the self-designation of a branch of neopaganism, especially in the Wicca tradition following Gerald Gardner, who claimed a religious tradition of Witchcraft with pre-Christian roots.Adler, Margot (1979) Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today. Boston: Beacon Press. pp. 45?47, 84?5, 105.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Anonymous - Witchcraft Dictionary
Jaroslav Nemec - Witchcraft And Medicine
Louise Huebner - Witchcraft For All
Gerald Gardner - Witchcraft Today

New England Other Witchhunt The Hartford Witchhunt Of The 1660

Book: New England Other Witchhunt The Hartford Witchhunt Of The 1660 by Walter Woodward

Although many teachers focus on the Salem witch-hunt of 1692, the history of Witchcraft in New England provides other important perspectives from which to examine this perennially interesting topic. Salem, as the most expansive and punitive single episode of witch-hunting in colonial New En gland, assuredly merits, and gets, significant attention. In the past decade, more than thirty scholarly works, a dozen educational video projects, at least nine major internet websites, and over a hundred primary and secondary supplementary curriculum re sources have been produced, all focusing on the Salem Witch hunt. As useful as much of this material is, concentrating exclusively on the events at Salem masks critical features of the cultural and historic importance of witchcraft as a continuous presence in New England's history. Witches, many students are surprised to learn, were an active force in New England From the early seventeenth century until well into the nineteenth century.

Download Walter Woodward's eBook: New England Other Witchhunt The Hartford Witchhunt Of The 1660

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Lover Of Truth - An Open Entrance To The Closed Palace Of The King
Damon Leff - A Pagan Witches Touchstone Witchcraft And Witch Hunts In South Africa
Solomonic Grimoires - The Grand Grimorie With The Great Clavicle Of Solomon
Walter Woodward - New England Other Witchhunt The Hartford Witchhunt Of The 1660

Witchcraft And The Inquisition

As the Inquisition proceeded through the 1400s, its focus shifted from Jews and heretics towards so-called witches. Although Pope Gregory IX had authorized the killing of witches back in the 1200s, the fad just didn't catch on. In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII issued a bull declaring that witches did indeed exist and thus it became a heresy to believe otherwise. This was quite a reversal because in 906 the Canon Episocopi, a church law, declared that belief in the existence and operation of witchcraft was heresy.

The additional persecution of anything which resembled feminine religiosity went to interesting lengths in that devotion to Mary became suspect. Today the figure of Mary is both popular and important in the Catholic church, but to the Inquisition it was a possible sign of overemphasizing the feminine aspect of Christianity. In the Canary Islands, Aldonca de Vargas was reported to the Inquisition for nothing more than smiling at hearing mention of Mary.

As a result of this, church authorities tortured and killed thousands of women, and not a few men, in an effort to get them to confess that they flew through the sky, had sexual relations with demons, turned into animals, and engaged in various sorts of black magic. The image here depicts what Christians imagined went on at a court of witches where Satan presided.

People typically fear that which they don't understand, so witches were doubly damned: they were feared because they were allegedly agents of Satan seeking to undermine Christian society and they were feared because no one really knew what witches did or how. In the place of real knowledge or information, Christian leaders made things up and created stories which were certain to cause people to hate and fear witches even more.

People trusted their religious and political leaders to provide them with accurate information, but in reality the "information" provided was simply whatever furthered their leaders religious and political goals. Creating an enemy of out witches served the goal of increased religious and political cohesion because people would want to draw closer together in order to confront the enemy who wanted to destroy them. Isn't that ultimately more important than whether the stories were true or not?

Books You Might Enjoy:

Gabor Klaniczay - Witchcraft Mythologies And Persecutions
Max Heindel - Ancient And Modern Initiation
Robert Wang - The Qabalistic Tarot
Jaroslav Nemec - Witchcraft And Medicine

Witchcraft The Festival Of Lammas

Dates:
February 1st (southern hemisphere)
August 1st (northern hemisphere)

Lammas is the first of the three Harvest Festivals in a witch’s seasonal cycle, the others being Mabon, and Samhain. Also known as Lughnasadh, by Irish-Gaelic traditions, it marks the end of summer and the coming of autumn; the days slowly become shorter, giving way to the growing nights.

This festival symbolizes the fading power of the Sun God, and calls attention to his willingness to sacrifice himself to the Moon Goddess so that we can make it through the coming winter with the fruits of the first harvest, knowing all the while that he will return to us again as the cycle continues.

It’s a time to give thanks for the people and things that we have, to feel grateful for what we have and share it with others, therefore planting the seeds for a future harvest.

The most common theme associated with this Festival, is that of “eating, drinking, and making merry”. A baker’s oven goes into over-drive making loaves to be broken with friends and family, and the message is that of sharing what we have with others so that they might benefit from our good fortune as well.

Lammas ritual for the Solitary Witch

* Keep in mind that this ritual isn’t written in stone, you can change and adapt it to what best suits your needs as a witch.

Your altar and circle should be decorated with mostly grains, sheaves of wheat and barley, or, if you’re like me and like to use what you have on hand, a few handfuls of rolled oats will do in a pinch. The altar cloth should be red, or reddish-hued, while the altar candle should most certainly be orange. If you notice, the whole colour scheme is very “earthy” in nature.

Note: some witches prefer to have a ritual bath before they get started, that is, a quick dip in the tub to which herbs and salt have been added…it can help put you in the right frame of mind.

When you’re ready, cast your circle, call the elements and invoke the Gods, and then begin. Standing in front of your altar, take some of the grain or oats in your hand and hold it high.
Say something like:

Upon us is the First Harvest, a time when the fruits of nature sacrifice themselves so that we may survive. Now, as the Sun God prepares for death, I ask that his sacrifice helps me to understand and accept the sacrifices I must make in my own life.
Now, as the Moon Goddess’ power grows, I ask that she whispers her secrets and magickon the night winds, so that I can hear them and use her wisdom wisely.

Rub the oats between both hands so that it falls onto your altar. Then take a piece of fruit, like an apple, and bite into it, allowing yourself to fully experience the taste.
Then say something like:

I share in the fruits of the First Harvest, so that I might share in the wisdom it offers.
Goddess of the Moon, Mother of All
God of the Sun, Father to All
I thank you for that which you’ve given me. May I always remember “harm none”, and may all that I do be in reverence of you.

Now you can eat the rest of the fruit. Meditate, or reflect, on the good things that have happened to you thus far, and the sacrifices you had to make to get to this point. Think about how you’ve shared your good fortune with others, even if it only meant smiling at a stranger. Any magickal works should now be done, or write about your experiences in your Magickal Journal…if you have one.

Thank the Gods and the Elements for their attendance, and let them know that while you appreciate their presence, it’s now time to go. Release the circle, and then carry on with the Cakes and Ale ceremony, or so “eat, drink, and be merry” with some good friends.

Books You Might Enjoy:

William Phelon - Our Story Of Atlantis
Anonymous - The Mysticism Of Masonry
Aleister Crowley - The Litany Of Satan
Yacki Raizizun - The Secret Of Dreams
Reynold Nicholson - The Mystics Of Islam

Witchcraft Magick

Magick is the term used to classify different alternative and New Age practices into one category. All of these practices involve the cause of change by non-physical means, whether it be the power to transform oneself or others.

The word "Magick" was coined to differentiate serious magic from the staged, sleight of hand kind, such as is done by David Copperfield and others. In layman's terms, magick entails manipulating energy and focusing the will, often utilizing rituals and items containing certain properties, to accomplish a goal. This is admittedly a rather simple explanation, and the study and successful use of magick and magickal powers is a lifelong proposition. The annals of magickal history go back to the beginnings of mankind, and indeed, more information on magick has probably been lost in history than exists in all our resources today.

Magick is a powerful resource, and though it cannot be measured or proved by science, it cannot be disproved by science either. In and of itself, Magick is neither good or bad. The INTENT of the practitioner is what separates White Magick from Black Magick.

In modern America, the word Magick has become somehow intertwined with the wiccan religion, but this is not a very accurate correlation. Not every Wiccan practices Magick, and not everyone who practices Magick adheres to the Wiccan religion.

Magick and witchcraft are both essentially based on the fact that we, as spiritual beings, have innate powers to manipulate the world around us. The premise is that with practice, we can hone these innate powers to reach our aspirations and goals. Whether we use these powers for good or bad is up to us, and both scenarios will be covered on these pages. This page will strive to define the elements used in Magick and what they mean, pinpoint specific known properties of common magickal items and herbs, and provide tutorials aimed at tapping into the powers needed to successfully perform simple magick spells and rituals.

As always, if you have anything to contribute, we would very much appreciate hearing from you. Please feel free to visit the Message Board link below, or to privately E-Mail us. Also, do Bookmark and return often, as we update these pages daily.

Some of these practices include:
Alchemy: The process of trying to turn metal into gold.
Witchcraft/Wicca: Appealing to the God/ Goddess for change and healing.
Astral Projection: The practices of having a person’s soul leave the body for a period of time.
ESP: The ability to speak to another person without speech through use of their minds.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Gerald Gardner - Witchcraft Today
Jaroslav Nemec - Witchcraft And Medicine
Aleister Crowley - Intro Magick
Aleister Crowley - Magick