individual quest for they have no man-made dwellings, they are too great to be contained in four walls. They are sunlight and moonshine, starlight and the inner light that shines from the newly kindled fire within each one who walks in their ways. Their worship is joy and rejoicing and their rituals are freedom of the spirit, dancing in harmony with Nature, life-long to a peaceful end. Their benediction is in quiet rain which will bring cleansing, and in starlight, which will bring hope, and in the light of the moon which will offer inner vision to those who wish to see.
What I am writing is not ‘gospel’, it is not holy writ carved on tablets of stone, but a treasure trove of ideas, gleaned from the fields of life over many years. Working with various pagan and witch teachers, with healers and folk-herbalists, with ordinary country folk long steeped in traditional lore, I have gathered all sorts of experiences over the last thirty or so years. From these I have tried to set out a pattern of training, of practical exercises, of mental and psychic arts which can help any individual find a way to the doors of ‘Witchdom’, and a path to the feet of the Goddess, from whom, ultimately, all knowledge, magic and power flows.
This is not an easy path to follow, nor is it for all. Those who set out upon the hidden ways need to desire that secret knowledge, long for it in their hearts, yearn for it in their souls, and be willing, in turn, to offer continuing personal dedication, commitment and love. It is not a religion anyone should be forced to follow by outsiders, but an internal upwelling of feeling of belonging to the Earth Mother and her consort, the Lord of the Wild. Worship and prayer should be natural experiences, becoming a regular part of all witches’ daily life, as each one actually comes to know the forms of the Great Ones, their wisdom and power to change our lives. Like all human relationships, there has to be a coming together, a recognition of kinship, and an on-going desire to strengthen and renew that unity. Without these inner urges acts of ritual, of magic and of seasonal celebration are sham, and worthless in the eyes of the Eternal.
If you feel drawn to the old ways, to the rediscovery of abilities you have overlooked in this modern world, to a religious experience which offers direct and personal revelation to aspects of deities you will come to know, then perhaps the lessons and ideas set forth in this book will be helpful. It is only a guide book, a map of a possible journey, a description of what someone else has seen and felt. You will have to make the journey for yourself, being aware of your own circumstances, commitments to job and family, allocation of time and other resources. None of the paths of magic leads away from the world, setting you free from life’s troubles at a stroke; they lead you deeper in. They show you with unveiled eyes the reality of situations, relationships, and the need to come to grips with your own problems and solve them. The inner worlds are not an escape, but a harsh training school where the will is forged, the soul laid bare to the light of Truth, and any weaknesses shown clearly by the wisdom of the ages.
There will be many strange ideas to examine, many ancient arts to rediscover, much lore and folk tale, myth and symbol to be assimilated before it can be used. Magic offers many paradoxes, and you will undergo ‘culture shocks’ as your growing powers, abilities and sensitivity develop.
At the end of each chapter you will find a list of books to read, but these are by no means the only books worth looking at. Seek out others by the same authors or on the same subjects. It is possible that brand new titles which will help with your build-up of knowledge are being published now, so be willing to write to the various publishers and request their most up-to-date catalogues, or go on their mailing lists. Use your public library, requesting them to order some of the rarer or older books which may now be out of print. Don’t scorn book learning, but don’t imagine either that it holds all the wisdom you need.
You will also find, both in each chapter and at the end, some practical exercises for you to try. This is a matter for serious commitment, not just a skimmed read-through. Magic is at its most demanding and dangerous when it is dabbled with, so either try hard to work through the series of exercises in order, or ignore them altogether until you are ready. Many of them, like the mental exercises of Meditation in its various forms, Creative Visualization or Inner Journeying, Concentration, and understanding Symbols, are studies which will continue throughout your magical career, if you become willing to do the on-going work. Although these are taught here within an occult framework, you will discover that they are equally valuable in the everyday world. If you can visualize it will aid your memory, if you can meditate you will be able to find calm in frantic moments, if you can concentrate you can solve all problems.
Ideally you should set aside a regular half-an-hour every day to study, read or try out the various old arts. Some of those periods ought to be out of doors, if only in a garden or park, so that you can learn about Mother Nature, sense her moods and changes. Some exercises can be shared with friends, some really do need a companion, and others are best tried alone. Do your best, and the gods will bless you.
ONE A New Moon and a New Dream
What Traditional Witchcraft is really about on its practical side is the hidden powers of the human mind. These can be aided by traditional knowledge of techniques which will bring them out and develop them; but basically the powers of witchcraft, shamanism, magic or whatever one likes to call it are latent in everyone. This is one of the first things I was taught by Gerald Gardner also, so it is something about which there is a general agreement as a basic teaching.
DOREEN VALIENTE: The Rebirth of Witchcraft
As we enter the new century, many people are looking for new directions, in life, in philosophy and in religion. Some have set out on strange paths, beckoned on by the ideas and practices of foreign cults. Others have looked for a more homely, familiar tradition to follow, but this latter path is overgrown and lost in the modern world. Yet the longing remains. Somewhere there is a form of religious expression which appeals to the heart, is without dogma, brings the seeker close to the deities, from which spiritual comfort, healing and guidance may be received at first hand. Since the 1950s such a faith has been re-emerging under the title of ‘Witchcraft’. Witchcraft is not just a pagan religion, however, for it has at least two other interesting components. One is magic and the other encompasses a wide array of traditional crafts, from using herbs in healing to making talismans and charms.
Witchcraft, as a religious impulse, has never gone out to recruit or convert those of other faiths, nor does being a witch prevent you following an orthodox belief as well. Today there are Catholic witches, Quaker and Church of England witches, as well as Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist witches. The paganism of modern witchcraft is an expansive philosophy which holds all aspects of life as sacred. Its mythology includes many forms of gods and goddesses, both Classical pagan, like the pantheons of ancient Egypt, Greece or the Celtic and Norse lands of the North, as well as the magically born, annually dying and sacrificed hero gods, which can include Attis or Jesus. It is necessary to study all scriptures and holy books, and mythologies too, to reassess their teachings and values for the current world.
It is often thought that witchcraft involves the worship of a character which the Christians call ‘Satan’, but this is not true. The Satanists are not pagan witches but derive from Christianity, perverting the usual understanding of Good and Evil of that religion. Witches, on the whole, do not have any kind of evil deity. They worship Mother Nature, the Great Goddess who also rules over the triple phases of the Moon, and all the Waters, be they springs, rivers or oceans. Her consort, divine Son and Champion is the Lord of wild and tame creatures; he is the Hunter, the Corn King, the dying and reincarnating Sun God, bearing the antlers of the stag or the sun’s rays upon his brow. Each of these deities rules over patterns of change, the natural rebirth of the Earth’s green bounty in spring, its summer burgeoning, autumnal decay and winter rest. The Goddess is the Earth beneath our feet, our home and the substance from which our physical bodies are created. She is the water that refreshes and cleanses us, and the moonlight which, with its ever-fluctuating light, enriches our dreams, and if we are wise, awakens our magical powers of psychic vision. The Sun God lights up our world, giving it life, warmth and vital energy. Ultimately, it is from the Sun’s power that we receive our food for all green things are fuelled by solar reaction, and