Cunning Folk

Cunning folk: The term "cunning man" or "cunning woman" was most widely used in southern England, the Midlands and in Wales. Such people were also frequently known as "wizards", "wise men" or "wise women" or "conjurers". In Cornwall they were sometimes referred to as "pellars", which originated from the term "expellers", referring to the practice of expelling evil spirits. Folklorists often used the term "white witch", though this was infrequently used amongst the ordinary folk as the term "witch" had general evil connotations. The relationship between cunning-craft and witchcraft is controversial. The original cunning folk were oftentimes witch hunters; condemning an individual as a witch responsible for some evil or affliction and cunning crafters were called upon to perform curses against the supposed offender. Today“Cornish Witches” are often mistakenly referred to as cunning folk.

Suggested free e-books to read:

Phil Hine - On Cursing
Aleister Crowley - Concerning Blasphemy

Finding A Mentor Or Guide

As I have mentioned in a couple of other places on this site, there is and always has been a great deal of concern regarding Cults throughout the world. While Wicca, Paganism and Witchcraft are clearly Spiritual Belief systems and a way of life instead of "Cults," there are some out there who do seek power and desire to manipulate or control others for their own gain.

As is the case in all walks of life, there really isn't a way to block or keep these types from infiltrating the Pagan, Wicca and Witchcraft community. I suppose that in some way's we are even more prone to it than other groups because that type of person generally has a limited grasp on reality and probably believes that following the Old Way's will offer them the ability to master the outlandish and ridiculous skills and powers that Hollywood has led some to believe Witches posess.

When your comfort level with the concepts of the Pagan path have grown to the point where you are certain that this is the lifestyle you wish to follow, you will undoubtedly wish to share that fellowship and comradery with others of like mind and spirit. To avoid being drawn into a group where the intent is less than honorable, there are a couple of things that may assist you in avoiding contact with the nuts out there.

The first and most important thing is to listen to your Spirit Twin, Guide, Little Voice, Gut Feeling or whatever you choose to call it. Most of us have found that this inner voice is rarely wrong and you "WILL" know when something simply does not feel right. If you get that uneasy feeling about someone or a group, back or run away as quickly as possible.

When you initially make contact with someone, especially here on the internet, you have a great advantage in that you can limit your contact to relatively anonymous contact through e-mail. While this is not always fool proof, and there are some great deceivers out there. This does offer you some protection. Exchange mail withholding all personal information until you are absolutely certain there are no safety risks. If someone keeps pressuring you for personal information, break off all contact with them immediately. If they persist in bothering you after you politely tell them you no longer wish contact with them, contact your ISP and lodge a formal complaint giving this persons e-mail address and their host name. There are federal laws regarding electronic stalking and harassment, something of this nature would qualify for assistance from various federal agencies in getting that person to leave you alone.

Finally, Issac Bonewits developed a small questionnaire in 1979 (Advanced Bonewits Cult Danger Evaluation Frame) that you can use which will help your inner voice when determining if an individual or group poses above average risk. That questionnaire is provided here with his permission as well as a link to his web site for your further information and studies.

Be Well, Be Safe and Many Blessings!

Free e-books (can be downloaded):

Rabbi Michael Laitman - Attaining The Worlds Beyond
Sandra Ingerman - Shamanic Journeying A Beginner Guide

Keywords: bhikkhu bennett aleister  studied thesis john  heathens heathen some  passed years  logos egyptian magic  classics spiritual present  rune might century  

Rites That Go Wrong

Book: Rites That Go Wrong by Phil Hine

I am indebted to the indomitable Reg for suggesting the subject of tonight's talk. Magicians are all too eager to hold forth about the rituals that work - the superb invocations, the powerful evocations and the money-working spell after which you find a tenner lying in the street. But what about the rituals that don't come off as planned - the invocations when the deity doesn't manifest, the Results Magick that doesn't come up with the goods, and the workings which leave you with a sense of 'was that it?' Tonight I'll be looking at some of the magical 'wobbles' that I've experienced, and discussing how they changed my life - or perhaps didn't, and some 'wrongs' that have occurred to colleagues. On rereading, it looks like yet another Hine excuse for multiple anecdotes, but what the hell, eh? (Phil Hine)

Download Phil Hine's eBook: Rites That Go Wrong
Keywords: heathens heathen some  passed years  logos egyptian magic  classics spiritual present  rune might century  

Magic For Beginners

Book: Magic For Beginners by Kelly Link

Stories from Magic for Beginners have been published in McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales, Conjunctions, The Dark, and One Story. "Stone Animals" was Selected for The Best American Short Stories: 2005. "The Faery Handbag" received the Nebula, Locus, and Hugo Awards and was a finalist for the British Science Fiction Association and World Fantasy Awards. "Magic for Beginners" received the Nebula, Locus, and British Science Fiction Association Awards and was a finlaist for the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire,
Hugo, Sturgeon, and World Fantasy Award.

Magic for Beginners is being released as a Free Download under Creative Commons license for the period of one year on October 2, 2008, to celebrate the publication of Kelly Link's first young adult collection, Pretty Monsters. Kelly Link and Small Beer Press would like to thank Harcourt (USA) and HarperPerennial (UK) for their willingness to particpate in making these stories available online. Due to contractual obligations, "The Faery Handbag" and "Magic for Beginners" are not included in this download.

Download Kelly Link's eBook: Magic For Beginners

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Sandra Ingerman - Shamanic Journeying A Beginner Guide
Samael Aun Weor - Magic Runes
Rabbi Michael Laitman - Kabbalah For Beginners
Kelly Link - Magic For Beginners

Are Witches Only Women

Although women do seem to predominate in the Craft and some traditions have only women practitioners, just as many others have men. A male witch is simply called a witch and never a warlock. The word "warlock" actually means "liar and oath breaker" and it is considered an insult to call a male witch a warlock.

Suggested free e-books to read:

John Musick - The Witch Of Salem
Marian Green - A Witch Alone

Doctors And Witchdoctors Witch Doctors Are Witch

Book: Doctors And Witchdoctors Witch Doctors Are Witch by Larry Briskman

A Witch Doctor originally referred to a type of cunning man who treated ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. It is currently used to refer to healers in some third world regions, who use traditional healing rather than contemporary medicine. In the first world it usually refers to homeopaths, chriopractors and faith healers.

In its original meaning, a witch doctor was emphatically not a witch himself. Witchcraft-induced conditions were his area of specialization.

In the north of England, the superstition lingers to an almost inconceivable extent. Lancashire abounds with witch-doctors, a set of quacks, who pretend to cure diseases inflicted by the devil. The Practices of these worthies may be judged of by the following case, reported in the "Hertford Reformer," of the 23rd of June, 1838. The witch-doctor alluded to is better known by the name of the cunning man, and has a large practice in the counties of Lincoln and Nottingham. According to the writer in "The Reformer," the dupe, whose name is not mentioned, had been for about two years afflicted with a painful abscess, and had been prescribed for without relief by more than one medical gentleman. He was urged by some of his friends, not only in his own village, but in neighbouring ones, to consult the witch-doctor, as they were convinced he was under some evil influence. He agreed, and sent his wife to the cunning man, who lived in New Saint Swithin's, in Lincoln. She was informed by this ignorant impostor that her husband's disorder was an infliction of the devil, occasioned by his next-door neighbours, who had made use of certain charms for that purpose. From the Description he gave of the process, it appears to be the same as that employed by Dr. Fian and Gellie Duncan, to work woe upon King James.

Download Larry Briskman's eBook: Doctors And Witchdoctors Witch Doctors Are Witch

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Tom Peete Cross - Witchcraft In North Carolina
Hesketh Bell - Obeah Witchcraft In The West Indies
William Eliot Woodward - Records Of Salem Witchcraft Copied From The Original Documents Vol 2
Janet Farrar - A Witches Bible The Complete Witches Handbook
Larry Briskman - Doctors And Witchdoctors Witch Doctors Are Witch

Andersons Feri Tradition

Feri is a pre-Gardnerian initiatory witchcraft tradition founded in the United States by Victor and Cora Anderson. Victor was a member of the Harpy coven, a pre-Gardnerian witchcraft group practicing during the 1920s and ’30s in southern Oregon. Cora was born in rural Alabama, and her family were known to practice folk-magic, her grandfather being a cunning man and her aunt a herbalist and midwife. Shortly after their marriage in 1944, Victor initiated Cora and the foundations of the Feri tradition began. They started teaching as early as the 1950s. The tradition was originally called Vicia (pronounced as in Italian: vee-chyah not related to the word vecchia, but to vitka), was then called Pictish (not to be confused with Scottish reconstructionism or Picti-Wicca), and has also gone through the various spellings of Feri (Fairy, Faery, Faerie). The Feri tradition is essentially an oral tradition based on the unique combination of indigenous folk religions, Vodou and hoodoo practices, American folk-magic, fairy-faith, shamanism, and witchcraft. While outsiders may view this as eclecticism, Victor saw it as incorporating parts of his cultural heritage, focusing on the similarities instead of the differences.

Working with his wife Cora, the two of them initiated some famous personalities including Starhawk and Gwydion Pendderwen, as well as many others, with the tradition expanding and evolving over the course of time. The Andersons continued teaching until Victor’s death on September 20th of 2001 and Cora’s passing seven years later on Beltaine of 2008.

“Feri is an oral tradition with no canonical book of rituals and lore. It also places a high value on poetic creativity and individual exploration. This has naturally led to variations between the practices of different lines.” (Phoenix Willow, “The Feri Tradition“)

In 1994 on their 50th wedding anniversary Cora published her labour of love, Fifty Years in the Feri Tradition. Victor’s poetry was published in two books: Thorns of the Blood Rose, originally in 1970, and Lilith’s Garden, posthumously in 2005. His book Etheric Anatomy: The Three Selves and Astral Travel was published by Acorn Guild Press in 2004.

Books in PDF format to read:

Michael Night Sky - Oberon Zell Interview A Wizard Vision
Marcus Cordey - Magical Theory And Tradition
John Moore - A Modern Master Extract
Bylaws - Unicorn Tradition Of Wicca
Franceska De Grandis - Goddess Initiation