Raven Grimassi Interview Exploring The Magic Of The Ancients

Book: Raven Grimassi Interview Exploring The Magic Of The Ancients by Michael Night Sky

I personally feel that the origins of Witchcraft are Prehistoric and evidence of it is found in a combination of ancient literary works and historical references. The writings of Homer, Horace, Lucan and Ovid, just to name a few all refer to Witches and Witchcraft. By also factoring in the etymology of words translated as “Witch” and “Witchcraft” we can also uncover evidence that Witches existed in ancient times. What is important here are references to non-supernatural, magic-using beings. For example, one of the earliest words used to indicate Witchcraft is the Greek word pharmakis, which indicates dealings with the properties of plants. Our English word pharmacist is derived from the Greek word for Witchcraft.

Within ancient literary works, we find the themes of earlier oral tales; though such tales are largely fiction, they are based upon known elements of culture and society to make the story more believable. For example, the ancient tales about Medea, written by Lucan and Ovid, include magic, cauldrons, ritual circles, wands, and aid from deities and spirit forces. These elements fit into what we know of the religious and magical systems of the period, and so it is reasonably safe to assume these elements are reliable. The writings of Horace (in his Epodes) depict the “Witch” as a woman who calls upon the goddess Diana and works magic of an Astronomical nature. Lucan references the concept of a Triple Goddess associated with Witchcraft: Hecate, Diana, Persephone. (Raven Grimassi)

Buy Michael Night Sky's book: Raven Grimassi Interview Exploring The Magic Of The Ancients

Books in PDF format to read:

Paul Foster Case - An Introduction To The Study Of The Tarot
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Cave Of The Ancients
John Dee - Grimoirium Imperium Or The Book Of The Old Spirits
Michael Night Sky - Raven Grimassi Interview Exploring The Magic Of The Ancients

The Calling To The First Of Witch Blood An Invocation Of Cain

Book: The Calling To The First Of Witch Blood An Invocation Of Cain by Michael Ford

A short dedication to the Luciferian Sabbat and those seeking their own light within the gnosis of the Adversary. The initiation of the witch into the Circle of Cain, the living Son of Satan and Lilith, the great Harlot and Demoness, the Adversarial deific force of dark instinctual desire and willed continual existence.

Download Michael Ford's eBook: The Calling To The First Of Witch Blood An Invocation Of Cain

Suggested free e-books to read:

Anonymous - The Teachings Of The Rosicrucians Of The 16th And 17th Centuries
Michael Ford - The Calling To The First Of Witch Blood An Invocation Of Cain

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

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

Mastering Witchcraft

Book: Mastering Witchcraft by Paul Huson

This is the closest you will ever come to read about true genuine authentic witchcraft if you can omitt the Lords Prayer backward section. The recipes, spells, initiation, witches pyramid (very important), tools and coven chapters are a must for true witches. Mr Huson's recipes are not only genuine but centuries old. His version of Cernunnos oil is none other than the centuries old "Oil of Immortality". The coven section dealing with how to form one and initiation are absolutely a must for anyone trying to start their own coven. Unlike the corny goody good magick and goddess worship femmenist crap found in most wicca books this book is about TRUE authentic Witchcraft or the Craft of Witches not to be confused with Wicca a Neo-Pagan religion founded by Gerald Gardner which is based on Goddess worship. Witchcraft is not a religion but an art or craft. It is the art of causing changes to occur in comformity with will. The art of bending or shaping your life, futu! ! re, events, etc. You can be a witch and not necessariy be wiccan. This book is a must for anyone interested in TRUE Witchcraft, but I must say it is not for beginners, faint of heart or wiccans. I also recommend Huson's "Mastering Herbalism" which I believe is currently out of print. Good fortune and much power to you all.

In the circle of firelight which we are pleased to call an enlightened scientific civilization, we usually feel secure in the knowledge that most of our worst childhood terrors and nightmares were merely fantasy. But if and when the firelight happens to dim, at those times when the unknown presses hard upon us, in the presence of death or insanity or insurmountable calamity, we again know instinctively that science is ultimately irrelevant, and we once again experience the old childhood terrors. We are still powerless in the face of overmastering fate. Science still completely fails to come to grips with that outer darkness beyond the flickering ring of light.

Whether you believe the Christian bugaboos and fear to lose your soul in return for the powers or, like us, consider the gamble well spent, is up to you. Should you decide the former, then read no further. The aim of this book is solely to teach you the first steps to becoming a witch or warlock. But remember, the choice was yours. We take no responsibility for the results you may achieve, good or bad. Witchcraft is witchcraft. The seeds of success or destruction lie within you and you alone. Night is jealous of her secrets and guards them in many ways; but those who succeed in wooing her may reap many rewards. On the other hand, those who timidly shun the darkness win temporary respite only, until such a time as the darkness itself reaches out and takes them when they are least forearmed.

Buy Paul Huson's book: Mastering Witchcraft

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Swain Wodening - Anglo Saxon Witchcraft
George Lyman Kittredge - Notes On Witchcraft
Ann Moura - Green Witchcraft
George Moir - Magic And Witchcraft
Paul Huson - Mastering Witchcraft

Self Initiation For The Solitary Witch

Book: Self Initiation For The Solitary Witch by Shanddaramon

In Hellenistic Greece and, most likely, far earlier in history, there existed several mystery schools. These spiritual schools existed, in theory at least, to teach people about the Great Mysteries of the gods. This learning took place in stages or degrees. Students began by dedicating themselves to a particular school of study. With each successive degree, the initiate delved into a deeper and more profound learning of these mysteries. This book brings the learning style of the mystery school to the path of the practitioner of Wicca. It divides intense learning and practice into five different degrees. Each chapter discusses a level in detail and contains a listing of the degree associations, a list of goals, a discussion of the focus of each level and its related Great Mystery, and a detailed explanation of each step in the degree, followed by a brief review. For each degree there is a color, title, prefix, number, and a list of goals.

The seeker may use these as needed. For example, the color could be used for the decoration of a robe, belt, or pendant to indicate to others the degree earned. The title can also indicate your level. The prefix can be used when referring to your name (common or magickal), and the number can refer to the level of the path. As always, these trappings are to be used only if doing so appeals to you. For those who do not wish to wear robes, pendants, or fancy belts, or who do not wish to discuss or share with others their progress, these adornments are pointless. If, however, they create a sense of fun and mystery for the seeker, then use them in this manner—for fun is a great part of this religion. Using any of these items to differentiate you from others solely for the purpose of elitist fancies is against the theme of this path. Constant vigilance against this attitude is necessary for the dignity of this tradition. More than that, however, is the fact that such arrogance is a hindrance in spiritual development.

Each chapter also includes several charts, graphs, and tables to help you understand the concepts discussed. These are listed as Items and are numbered. These Items should be transferred to your journal or collection of notes (such as a Book of Shadows) so that you will have a quick and easy reference as you continue to study. Each of the degrees also suggests that the seeker perform a final ritual. These rituals can be as simple or as complex as desired, and may be enacted singly or with a group of people that support such an activity. It is important to mark one’s progress, and such rituals are a fitting and meaningful way to do so. The first ritual that will be introduced will be the Dedication ceremony. Strictly speaking, this ceremony will not be a full-blown Wiccan ritual because little of the ritual practice will have been learned at this point. It will, instead, be a simply designed ceremony. Learning how to do rituals will be a main focus of early development, and the initiation ritual practiced at the end of every degree is a good way to practice and refine what has been learned. I recommend that each degree take a minimum of a year and a day of study, but you will be able to best determine your own rate of development.

Download Shanddaramon's eBook: Self Initiation For The Solitary Witch

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Alice Bailey - Initiation Human And Solar
Gerald Elmore - Mantle Of Initiation Or Al Khirqah
Shanddaramon - Self Initiation For The Solitary Witch

How To Create Your Clean Wicca Witchcraft Altar

The first step is to thoroughly clean the room that will contain your altar. It is best to mix sea salt into water. If you can't find any sea salt to use (any new age shop should have some), just use cleaning supplies you would normally use.

Scrub down the walls, ceiling and floor (if you don't have a rug). Make sure to pick up the clutter, and organize the room as best you can. The less clutter and mess, the easier it will be to control the energy that collects.

Now, you need to determine where North, South, East, and west are. You can use a compass, or ask someone who knows (if you don't). Once you figure them out, make sure to mark them using any small objects so that you won't forget. The reason you are doing this is because your altar will be setup-facing North because it is the direction of "Earth" and the primary energy you will connect to.

Next, you need to mark your circle. You can use white cord, or any small objects that are sacred to you. (such as candles or figurines) If you have enough room, try to mark the circle between 5 to 9 feet in diameter. (If you don't have enough space your circle can be smaller, but it may be a little more difficult to stay inside of the circle when doing your spell work.

When you mark the circle start in the East and move clockwise around the circle, finishing again in the East. Think of this is a "permanent" circles that you will "redraw" each time you do ritual or spell work. (You'll see how to redraw it later)

Now it is time to decorate your temple (the area around your circle). You can hang meaningful posters, fabric, and pictures. You can set up candles all around the room in any way that feels right for you. Try to set up a mystical feel, one that builds strong emotions for Magick work. The decorating can be simple or elaborate, whatever evokes strong feelings inside of you.

Next, you need to do an initial cleansing and purification of your space. So you must first prepare the cleansing water for this ritual. You will "charge" the water with positive and pure energy from your heart. Then you will use this water to cleanse your space.

This purification is very important to perform correctly or your space will be tainted - and it will never "feel" right. Your Magick will probably suffer as a result.

I can't stress how important the preparation of your cleansing water, and the actually cleansing and purifying of your space is. It so critical for you to actually see the rituals being done that I have included a DVD section on them in the full witchcraft Academy. Not only is there a detailed step-by-step guide for you to follow (with pictures and images), but you will actually see a demonstration of this powerful (and important) ritual.

Once you have fully cleansed and purified your space, it is time to set up your altar. Throughout this process, keep in mind that you can use any materials to set up an altar - but it is best to avoid using synthetic or metal materials. You can use a small wooden table that is between knee and chest high (you may even consider a circular table - which are popular for altars) The idea here is to maintain the natural energies of the Earth by using materials coming directly from the earth (if possible).

Set up your feminine diety elements to the left, and your mail diety elements to the right. (For Wiccans, Goddess elements to the left, and your God elements to the right)

If you want to see a full layout of elements and how to arrange them on your altar to heighten your connection to Magick - see the Home Academy to follow the exact steps. It also includes pictures of different altar setups and a video demonstration of setup and "consecration" of tools and other items on your altar. (This is a must to harmonize the energy within the tools with the energy of the altar and your sacred space)

Replace the markers you used to define the directions (North, South, East, and West) with white candles. In the DVDs you will also see how you can use colored candles that represent each of the elemental colors of the four directions. I like to place more candles around the border of the circle because I like to work my magic by candlelight.

Finally, repeat the purification ritual in the Home Academy for your altar and the circle. Then take a broom, or use your arm to clear out the space of the circle and push any negative or dark energy away.

Your first Witchcraft alter is born, congratulations! Now you can gradually increase it's power to attract the Magick energies you will need in your spell work by adding meaningful objects to it. There are many specific examples of altar setups, and examples of objects that you can add. Above all, these objects must be a reflection of you. The more of "you" that goes into your altar, the more power you will be able to draw from it - and the more protection it will offer as you do your Magick.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Herbert William Magoun - The Asuri Kalpa A Witchcraft Practice Of The Atharva Veda
George Lyman Kittredge - Notes On Witchcraft
Gordon Ireland - Faq On Wicca And Witchcraft And More
William Frederick Poole - Cotton Mather And Salem Witchcraft
Alexander Roberts - A Treatise Of Witchcraft

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

A History Of Magic And Experimental Science

Book: A History Of Magic And Experimental Science by Lynn Thorndike

Lynn Thorndike's History of Magic and Experimental Science, in 8 volumes, is still the premier reference work for the history of magic in the west. The first 2 volumes cover late antiquity through the 13th century, and volumes 3-4 cover the 14-15th century. These are strong volumes, copiously researched and well-indexed, and a major source for work on the period. But it is the last 4 volumes that are the heart of the work. Covering the 16th, and 17th Centuries (2 volumes each), these four volumes remain entirely unsurpassed. Thorndike has chapters on almost everything, from major figures (Agrippa, Cardano, Bruno, etc.) to broad themes (Astrology, pseudo-Aristotelian works, etc.). Just about everything worth mentioning is at least mentioned here; the index alone is worth the price of admission...Now to whom would this set be useful? Well, anyone who has a good reason to want to investigate something in the history of magic fairly thoroughly. The primary difficulties with the book, you see, are (1) it was completed in the early 1950s, so none of the more recent Scholarship (e.g. any of Frances Yates's work) is taken into account, and (2) Thorndike was something of a positivist, and so he tends to pass rather summary judgment on the more unabshedly magical of his subjects --- note his hatchet-job on Cornelius Agrippa, a personal favorite of mine. If, however, you expect to do any scholarly research on some figure or problem in especially 16th-17th century magic, you need to read Thorndike on the subject. Sure, his judgments may be dated, and his scholarly methods even more so, but you will never find another reference work on magic which packs so much information so densely. Every library which claims to be a research library needs this boook; for private individuals, nobody can really claim to have much of a "magical library" (for whatever purpose) unless he or she has shelled out for this set. Scholars of the subejct who don't know about this ought to be ashamed of themselves. And any occultists take note: chuck out that dreadful Man, Myth, and Magic set, and buy this instead!

Download Lynn Thorndike's eBook: A History Of Magic And Experimental Science

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Joseph Ennemoser - The History Of Magic Vol 2
John Campbell Colquhoun - An History Of Magic Witchcraft And Animal Magnetism
Lynn Thorndike - A History Of Magic And Experimental Science

Witchcraft For All

Book: Witchcraft For All by Louise Huebner

There are real witches today. Contrary to folk tales, they don't go riding about by night on brooms. They don't cavort in the nude unless they have something very normal in mind, and they don't cackle over cauldrons of vintage LSD.They do dabble in spells and chants, burning candles and employing powerful processes, but once the mystery is stripped away, there is nothing much more strange connected with witchcraft than the mysteries of love and religion. In fact, when lovers light candles for dinner, and when churchgoers light candles in prayer, they invoke a force that witches have always known to be beneficial.As to whether witches are good or evil, that depends upon your point of view about what's good and what's evil.

Download Louise Huebner's eBook: Witchcraft For All

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Anonymous - Witchcraft A Guide To Magic
Fransis Bragge - Witchcraft Farther Displayd
Tom Peete Cross - Witchcraft In North Carolina
Gerald Gardner - Witchcraft Today
Louise Huebner - Witchcraft For All

Spirituality And Gender

Book: Spirituality And Gender by John Nash

A major crisis in the world today concerns women and spirituality. Women everywhere are experiencing a rapid expansion in consciousness that has opened up new avenues to self-expression and fulfillment. From the limited fields of the home, teaching, and nursing, women now enjoy opportunities in virtually every field of endeavor: the professions, politics, the military, business, manufacturing and construction industries, entertainment, sports, and many other areas. Although they have met some resistance, the response from male colleagues to women's entry into these fields has been overwhelmingly positive. For the most part, men are readily sharing in women's consciousness-raising. Government and industry leaders stress the contribution that this previously untapped human resource can make to growth and prosperity. Today's women can do anything men can do, outside the realms of physical sex and religion.

Women have long been welcome in organized religion in service roles. Nuns could teach in schools and nurse the sick, female parishioners could arrange flowers on the altar, women could teach children and other women in Sunday school and could serve as volunteers in the great many jobs needed to keep a church operating. Now women are knocking on the seminary doors and demanding entry to the ministry. Some Christian denominations have admitted women to the ministry on an equal footing to men--in a few cases even to senior ranks such as bishop. Reform Judaism welcomes women to the rabbinate, and women have made some inroads into the priesthood of Hindu and Buddhist temples. However, other Christian denominations and Islam adamantly refuse even to discuss the issue of female ordination. After all, as the fundamentalists are quick to point out, it was through women that sin came into the world. Furthermore, the Savior/Prophet was male, so that's that.

For much longer, women have played a distinct spiritual role, although this role has received scant support from male-oriented society. The goddess culture of ancient times was destroyed by patriarchal invaders, notably the Hellenic Greeks. Priestesses and vestal virgins continued to play a significant role in religious life during the Greek and Roman periods, although large numbers are reported to have been raped or murdered. Others went to war, often fighting to the death or taking their own lives before they could be captured.

In the later Christian era, a few women, like Hildegard of Bingen and Theresa of Avilla were revered as mystics, but many more, including Joan of Arc, were burned at the stake. Historians attribute much of the appeal of Medieval Witchcraft to women's unfulfilled saccerdotal ambitions. Even today, Wicca attracts women who might in other circumstances be attracted to the priesthood available to their male counterparts.

Download John Nash's eBook: Spirituality And Gender

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Starhwak - The Spiral Dance
Jaroslav Nemec - Witchcraft And Medicine
Raym - Spirit Guide A New Life Guide
Andrew Lang - Myth Ritual And Religion
John Nash - Spirituality And Gender

Witchcraft As A Means For Subduing Female Influences

The subservience of women to men was a common theme in early Christian writings -- an outgrowth of both traditional patriarchal attitudes and the extreme hierarchical nature of the church itself. Groups which did not hold to hierarchy in any form were attacked immediately. There is no shared authority between the genders in traditional Christianity, either in the church or in the home. Homosexuality would be particularly threatening to this ideology, as it raises the potential of redefining gender roles, especially in the home.

Witness how the recent attacks upon homosexuality in society has progressed hand-in-hand with the mindless promotion of vague "traditional family values," particularly those which "put women in their place" and reinforce male dominance in the home. With a married couple of two women or two men, who exactly is supposed to be in charge and who meekly obedient? Never mind that the Christians who fear such relationships will never be asked to make those decisions themselves -- the mere fact that people are making such decisions on their own rather than obeying someone else's religious proclamations is quite enough to give them fits of apoplexy.

The perception of women as inferior to men, and possibly the enemy of proper religious or social order, has survived down through this day in the most conservative and fundamentalist religious movements around the world. Religious institutions and doctrines are a primary repository for ancient beliefs about the social, physical, political, and religious inferiority of women. Even if the rest of society is moving on and improving women's status, religion remains a main source of beliefs and attitudes which retard that progress in the hopes of reversing it completely. And, where women cannot be attacked directly, they are attacked indirectly through negative stereotypes about "feminine" values as compared to positive stereotypes of "manly" or "masculine" traits.

It would be a mistake to assert that the Christian persecution of witches and witchcraft was nothing but an attempt to suppress women and feminine influences. Christian society, politics, and theology at the time simply wasn't that simplistic. At the same time, it's hard to overestimate the role misogynistic attitudes and repressed male sexuality played in the persecution of witches. It seems likely that if they didn't exist, the extreme violence directed at women and alleged witches probably wouldn't have occurred.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Peter De Abano - Heptameron Or Magical Elements
Louise Huebner - Witchcraft For All
Richard Weiss - Recipes For Immortality

Witchcraft And Sorcery

Witchcraft and sorcery are almost identical terms as both use the magic spells, mystical or paranormal means to harness occult forces to produce desired results. Ideally speaking, persons pursuing witchcraft do not aim at producing evil results. Somehow the term sorcery is used pejoratively to denote the use of supernatural powers to produce unnatural and negative course of events.

Another factor that differentiates witchcraft from sorcery is that while sorcery can be learnt and practiced by anyone, witchcraft is considered to result from inherent mystical powers and is practiced by invisible means. Modern witches, however, claim that witchcraft can be acquired through learning as well.

Both Witchcraft And Sorcery have existed since times immemorial in all the societies and cultures around the world. In ancient Greece, witchcraft existed as early as the time when Homer lived. The legendary Medea was considered as the best known sorceress in classical times. The Roman Horace describes two witches in his famous Satires. There are several references to witches in Bible. Saul (1 Samuel 28) consulted Witch of Endor.

Though witches were hounded and persecuted as being aligned with evil spirits in the past ages, Witchcraft has acquired respectability with the passage of time. It has washed away the stigma attached to it and cleared many popular misconceptions about it.

In twentieth century, witchcraft movement termed as wicca the Craft, the Wisecraft is professed and practiced as religion.
The term wicca comes from an old English word wicca which has its origin from the Germanic root ‘wic’ and means ‘to bend or turn’. A witch is supposed to bend or turn the course of events for a good cause. Earlier the female practitioners of witchcraft were called witches, while their male counterparts were called wizards. But now the term witch is used both for male and female practitioners of witchcraft.

Witchcraft as a religion was developed in the United Kingdom by Gerald B Gardner, a British civil servant. Gardner had a life long interest in occult and supernatural forces. Witchcraft is now openly and proudly practiced in almost all the English speaking countries including the United States of America besides many traditional societies and cultures around the world. In Africa people seek medical aid for external physical problems and consult witch doctors for internal illnesses.

It is now widely believed that witches cast their spells for good objectives like love, health and wealth. Genuine believers in witchcraft do not cause harm to others. They worship God or deity or Mother Nature which is believed to possess both male and female aspects. They, however, emphasize on the female aspect or the Goddess side of the deity. Wicca is a religion of fertility. It celebrates the seasonal cycles of the nature that are central to the farming communities. The religious rites are tied to the cycles of moon which is the symbol of the power of the Goddess and also the seasons of the year.

Religious witches use their craft for the benefit of the people. They religiously follow their golden rule called The wiccan Rede which says: "An' it harm none, do what ye will.” They believe in the theory of karma that any act of witchcraft will return to its practitioner magnified three folds, whether it is good or evil.

Wicca is the most democratic and free religion in the world. There is no central authority. The witches work in loosely organized groups called covens. Some covens are made up exclusively of women, some of men while others have mixed membership. There are witches who do not join any coven at all and practice their faith alone as solitaries.

Modern witchcraft is a recreation of pagan, folk and magical rites selected from the major cultures and societies across the world such as Babylonian, Celtic, Egyptian, ancient Greek, Roman, and Sumerian Buddhism, Hinduism, and the rites of American Indians.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Aj Drew - Wicca Spellcraft For Men
Gabor Klaniczay - Witchcraft Mythologies And Persecutions
Louise Huebner - Witchcraft For All
Gerald Gardner - Witchcraft Today
Jaroslav Nemec - Witchcraft And Medicine

Witchcraft And Christianity

The earliest Christian document to examine witch craft was the Canon Episcopi, which appeared in round year 906, even though it may have been written centuries earlier. The canon was intended as a guide for the use of bishops in carrying out their duties.

Year 1324 in Ireland, in one of the most bizarre cases in the history of witch craft, this barrier collapsed as sorcery and rising religious concepts of the devil became inextricably entwined. The victim, Ireland’s first major witch, was neither helpless nor an aging crone, and desire for her property and power was certainly a significant motivation behind her trial. For lady Alice Kyteler was the wealthiest woman in Kilkenny when she was accused of being a witch. Her accuser, Bishop Richard de Ledrede, a Franciscan trained in France, was at the time less powerful than Lady Alice.

Among the charges brought against Lady Alice were that she denied Church allegiances, parodied religious ceremony, sacrificed animals, using the words ‘fi, fi, fi, amen’, creating powders and ointments containing worms, herbs, parts of dead men and unborn baby, and engaged in intimacies with a man who appeared as a cat and a black dog.

Even though she certainly was involved in practice of some sort of ritual magick, Lady Alice fought the charges repeatedly before finally seeking refuge in England. Unfortunately she left her maid Petronilla behind, and Petronilla was tortured until she admitted that her mistress was a sorceress of extraordinary talents and a participant in lavish nocturnal orgies.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Max Heindel - Teachings Of An Initiate
Samuel Sharpe - Egyptian Mythology And Egyptian Christianity
Jaroslav Nemec - Witchcraft And Medicine

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

Witchcraft Magic Spells

The word ‘witch’ is a part of the larger word witchcraft. ‘Witch’ means magic maker. So witchcraft is the art or craft of making magic. Modern witchcraft is now closer to wicca, which besides meaning ‘wise’ also means to ‘bend’. The word ‘ bend’ brings witchcraft closer to magic or spells.

Every human heart is filled with needs, dreams and desires. They may relate to health, wealth, love, marriage, revenge, fame, success, sex, litigation, rivalry, home, job, cars, tours and travels. The list can be as long and as varied as the human needs and desires are. We make every effort including witchcraft and spells to achieve our aims.

Witchcraft magic spells are an irresistible and dominating influence, which wields great power over the animate and even inanimate objects of the natural world. Spells are a potent tool of the witchcraft. Spells may be used in many forms. They can be used as love spells, lost love spells, sleep spells and so on.

Spells are a form of magic. They can empower you to achieve your aims and transform your life from one of deprivation to that of opulence and luxury, from ugliness to beauty and charm. witchcraft magic spells are cast by observing certain rituals like the ritual of the pentagram.

The first step of the ritual involves casting a circle and calling the quarters to perform the Qabalistic Cross. The second step is to inscribe the circle. In the third step you invoke the Archangels of the Four Quarters. The last step is to perform the Qabalistic Cross Again.

Spells can be good or evil. It is the responsibility of the practitioner of spells not to misuse them in a negative way, to harm others or do something against the will of God. He can, of course, use them in a positive way for his own good and also for the good of others. The practitioner of witchcraft magic spells cannot escape the responsibility of the consequences of his actions.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Jaroslav Nemec - Witchcraft And Medicine
Louise Huebner - Witchcraft For All
Simon - The Necronomicon Spellbook
Kenneth Grant - Magical Revival

Witchcraft And Satanism

Witchcraft & Satanism: Linking Witches & Satan out of Ignorance, to Encourage Fear and Hatred

Christians in medieval and pre-modern Europe believed that Satan was a real being and that Satan was actively involved in the affairs of humans. Satan's goal was the corruption of humanity, the destruction of everything good, and the damnation of as many people as possible in hell. One means by which it was believed he accomplished this was through human agents to whom he gave supernatural powers.

Witches were easily categorized as servants of Satan. No longer merely adherents to a more ancient religious tradition, witches were targeted for prosecution as slaves of the cosmic enemy of God, Jesus, and Christianity. Instead of a healer or a teacher, the witch was made into an instrument of evil. The witch was portrayed -- and treated -- as worse than a heretic. This tactic was not limited to the medieval church's pursuit of witches.

Religious and political authorities of various eras and different cultures have always found it convenient to associate their enemies with the worst possible evil they could imagine. In the Christian west, this generally meant associating enemies with Satan. These sort of extreme demonization allows a person to stop seeing their enemy as entirely human and the conflict as something which does not require mercy, traditionally just procedures, or anything of the kind. The only just outcome is not merely the defeat the one's enemy, but their complete extermination. In a battle where one's very existence is at stake, survival becomes the only moral value worth upholding.

The above image depicts the "Witch's Kiss." It was believe that part of the rite of becoming a witch in Satan's service involved kissing Satan's rear. It should be remembered that insofar as there existed anyone who practiced the healing and divination techniques of older pagan traditions, they wouldn't have had anything to do with Satan. After all, Satan is a creation of Christianity and monotheistic traditions. Any "witches" who existed were pantheists or polytheists and wouldn't have believed in a Satan.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Wouter Hanegraaff - Dictionary Of Gnosis And Western Esotericism
Michael Majerus - Atalanta Fugiens
Vovim Baghie - The Grand Satanic Ritual
Gabor Klaniczay - Witchcraft Mythologies And Persecutions
Jaroslav Nemec - Witchcraft And Medicine

Welsh Fairy Tales And Other Stories

Book: Welsh Fairy Tales And Other Stories by Peter Henry Emerson

In olden times fairies were sent to oppose the evil-doings of witches, and to destroy their power. About three hundred years ago a band of fairies, sixty in number, with their queen, called Queen of the Dell, came to Mona to oppose the evil works of a celebrated witch. The fairies settled by a spring, in a valley. After having blessed the spring, or "well", as they called it, they built a bower just above the spring for the queen, placing a throne therein. Near by they built a large bower for themselves to live in.

Download Peter Henry Emerson's eBook: Welsh Fairy Tales And Other Stories

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Dion Fortune - Esoteric Orders And Their Work
Louise Jackson - Witches Wives And Mothers
Andrew Lang - The Witch And Other Stories
Aleister Crowley - The Stratagem And Other Stories
Peter Henry Emerson - Welsh Fairy Tales And Other Stories

Salem Witchcraft Trial

The Salem witchcraft troubles all began in New England in the winter of 1692, a year of political uncertainty throughout the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

In the kitchen of the Salem parsonage, a West Indian slave named Tituba amused the minister's 9 year old daughter, Elizabeth Parris and her 11 year old cousin, Abigail, with Witchcraft, tricksand spells and tales of the occult. Sometimes Tituba told fortunes by studying patterns of egg whites in a glass, a pastime that to the 17th century Puritan was devilry, but one that captivated the adolescent neighbour girls who visited Tituba's kitchen.

As winter wore on, the girls began to behave bizarrely. When the village doctor called and could find nothing physically wrong with the girls, he concluded that the evil hand is on them.

Mr. Parris begged the afflicted girls to name the witches, and so Elizabeth blurted out the name of Tituba and other names such as Sarah Good, a despised pipe-smoking beggar, and Sarah Osborne, who had scandalized the village by living openly with a man before marriage. At a hearing in early March the Salem Witchcraft Trial began. Tituba confessed that she was indeed a witch. She also claimed that she was one of many witches in the village and that a tall man from Boston had shown her a book listing all the witches in the colony.

With that, the Salem Witchcraft trial began.

In seven months time, seven men and thirteen women were executed for practicing Witchcraft, many on the basis of the testimony of ghosts and specters. Those who would not confess were killed and Tituba was spared and sold by the Parrises.

When the frenzied accusations reached the apex of colonial society, public opinion turned. Within 18 months, Governor William Phips had pardoned all suspected witches who had not been executed, even the executed were exonerated, though the name Salem endures as a symbol of societal madness.



Books You Might Enjoy:

Tarostar - The Witchs Spellcraft Revised
Louise Huebner - Witchcraft For All
Gerald Gardner - Witchcraft Today