



Home Blessing Ritual
Supplies Needed As Follows: 1.Small piece of Rose Quartz. 2.Frankincense(Incense). 3.Small size bowl(Glass works best). 4.Sage(Smudge Stick). 5.Wand 6.White candle. 7.olive oil 8.Matches(Lighter). 9.Candle snuffer 10.Candle holder 11.Spring,river,creek,or rain water.(Living water always works best for me)! 12.Sea Salt A.)Get all your supplies and take them to your Altar Area. B.)Scratch A Pentagram in your white […]

A Formal Ritual To Restore Prosperity
Such a ritual could be used, for example, to boost employment in a town that has become an urban wasteland. * Set four floor candles in the elemental colours in the four main compass points of what will be the circle. The altar is in the centre. * Place a single large beeswax candle in […]

Libation
For a Wiccan, this is “cakes and ale” and is a sharing of food and drink that has a great deal of symbolism and meaning attached to it. For the Traditional Crafter, this goes deeper still. Known most often by its Cornish name of “Houzle”, the coming together of white bread and red wine or […]

Preparing For Ritual
Preparation for ritual is important. Despite this, even magick has to conform to the needs and customs of the modern world, and so witches today often do not fast for 24 hours or abstain from sex for the same period. But you should try to slow your activities down in the hours before a formal […]

Components of Ritual Magick
1. Choose the timing of a spell 2. Outline the ritual and prepare your tools and materials 3. Purifying yourself 4. Purifying the working space 5. Creating a sacred circle 6. Have an invocation 7. Performing the ritual observance 8. Raise and direct energy 9. Earth (ground) the residual power 10. Take some refreshment 11. […]

What is a handfasting
A handfasting is a wedding or betrothal ceremony, and to be handfasted is equivalent to being married or betrothed. Before we get into the details, let’s back up a bit and have a quick history lesson. In most of pre-Christain Europe, weddings were fairly straightforward affairs, and this was especially true for northern Europe and […]

A Ritual For Harmony
This ritual can be used when, for example, a colleague, family member or friend is intruding in your life, but you do not want to hurt their feelings. It can be very successful if you have received one too many phone calls or visits at inconvenient moments from a friend or neighbour. It may help […]

A Healing Ritual For An Absent Person
This simple healing ritual is for someone who has a virus or other debilitating condition. The virus may be affecting the whole body and not responding to treatment. . As the ritual is intended to stimulate the body’s immune system, it is best done on the gentle early waxing moon energies Through magick, a concentrated […]

A Sun Magick Ritual For Energy
Because it can be dangerous to look directly at the Sun, catch your sunlight close to noon in a large crystal or in water in a brass dish. As before, ‘inhale’ the sunlight via the crystal or water with your eyes open. Hold the Sun breath, counting ‘One and two and three’, then close your […]

A Ritual Using Light And Cosmic Power
The following ritual can be carried out anywhere at all, as direction is not important. It is most powerful when performed standing beneath a tree that perhaps has stood for hundreds of years. If sunlight is filtering through the leaves, so much the better. You can work alone, with a group of friends, or in […]

Personal Blessings Ritual
This ritual has two purposes: to give thanks for the blessings that you already have and to draw additional blessings into your life. As with all rituals, the more often that it is performed, the stronger, more effective, and more meaningful it becomes. This is not a fixed, immutable ritual; it is one that you […]

Treading The Mill
Unlike raising the Cone of Power, this practice is less about raising energy, and more about creating a vortex. Also known as the Widdershins Walk, this is the way to descend to the Wasteland, where we can work directly with our most ancient Ancestors. Craftings involving treading the Mill are generally concerned with moving between […]

The Ritual Method for Goetic Words of Power
1. Tune in to how you are feeling in your current state. Feel what brought you to this magick regardless of what it is. Breathe and tune into your current state of being. 2. Feel what your desire is and feel that sensation of lacking your desire. How does it make you feel emotionally? Allow […]

Sunday Magick
Associated with our most powerful planetary influence, the Sun, which rules over things such as individuality, creativity, vitality, will power, and optimism, Sunday is the perfect day to celebrate who you are as an individual, and ideal time for self-expression, creative projects, music, dancing, and perhaps spending time with loved ones. Today, I recommend taking advantage of its power, energy, wealth of spirit. If weather permits, this […]

Gris – Gris
In Vodun, charms or talismans kept for good luck or to ward off evil. The original gris-gris were probably dolls or images of the gods, but most gris-gris today are small cloth bags filled with herbs, oils, stones, small bones, hair and nail clippings, pieces of clothing soiled with perspiration and/or other personal items, gathered […]

Center and Ground
This is an essential magical technique that ties especially well into self-care. It’s a practice that can calm agitated personal energy, replenish low personal energy, and create a sense of belonging, connection, and reassurance. Center and Ground This is the first thing you should do before engaging in any kind of magical work, to ensure […]

SAFE & ETHICAL GUIDELINES FOR WILDCRAFTING
Wild crafting, as we practice and promote it, is making a commitment to deepen your connection to the natural landscape and take responsibility for its regeneration. It is learning about the plants around you, how they reproduce, where they live, and what they need to thrive. It’s about stewardship, taking responsibility for the health and […]

Winter Solstice
Time: For three days from sunset on or around 20 December (20 June in the southern hemisphere) Focus: Rebirth, the return of light, the triumph of life over death, spiritual awakening, light in the midst of darkness, faith that the Wheel will turn and the life cycle begin anew. The mid-winter solstice pre-dates organised religion. […]

Beginning Herbalism
Herbalism, like midwifery skills, is one of the oldest parts of teaching within the craft, but is also one where we have lost a huge amount of information and where science has yet to catch up. Every pagan culture has utilized the herbalism of its particular region, and I have found no one source or […]

Herbs and the Minerals they Contain
Herbs and the minerals they contain is a very involved subject and should be we researched well beforehand. MINERALS ***CALCIUM This mineral builds and protects bones and teeth. Helps maintain regular heartbeat. Preventsmuscle cramping. HERBAL SOURCES: Alfalfa, burdock root, cayenne, chamomile, chickweed, chicory, dandelion, eyebright, fennel seed, fenugreek, flaxseed, hops, horsetail, kelp, lemongrass, mullein, nettle, […]

Herbs for Magical Intention
Anger– alyssum Animal Magic – cloth of gold Anti-Theft – Garlic, Juniper, Arthritis – buckeye Astral Projection – belladonna, Dittany of Crete Awareness – anise Balance – Holly, pine Banishing – black salt Beauty – aloe, Avocado, Catnip, Flax, Ginseng, Maidenhair, marigold, passion flower Binding – black salt, dragon’s blood Birth – Birch Blessings – elder flowers, lemon, myrrh Bullet-Proofing – edelweiss Business – cinnamon, marigold Calling Spirits – […]

SOME REASONS HERBS MAY NOT WORK
More and more people are turning to herbs because there is a growing disappointment with using pharmaceuticals for chronic illness. Many people are getting fed up with taking a pill that never really cures their illness and gives them awful side effects. Maybe they are concerned about acetaminophen giving their young child asthma (1) or […]

Night Shade
(Atropa belladonna) Poison Folk Names: Banewort, Black Cherry, Deadly Nightshade, Death’s Herb, Devil’s Cherries, Divale, Dwale, Dwaleberry, Dwayberry, Fair Lady, Great Morel, Naughty Man’s Cherries, Sorcerer’s Berry, Witch’s Berry Gender: Feminine Planet: Saturn Element: Water Deities: Hecate, Bellona, Circe Ritual Uses: The priests of Bellona, according to ancient tradition, drank an infusion of belladonna prior […]

Herbal Cures for anxiety: LEMON BALM
This zesty scented herb is actually part of the mint family and is said to promote a feeling of calm. Like lavender and chamomile, lemon balm is also said to encourage restful sleep and is a powerful antioxidant.

Cherokee Herbology
A Beginning of Understanding Agrimony (Agrimonia Gyposepala). Drink tea of burs to check bowels, and for fevers; root tea to build up blood. Alder, red/smooth/tag (Alnus Serrulata). For pains related to birth, ingredient in tea for menstrual period – acts as an emetic and a true purgative. Alder, white (Clethra Acuminata). Decoction of bark and […]

GROWING YOUR HERBS INDOORS
Many herbs will grow well in pots on sunny windowsills, in window boxes, hanging baskets and in tubs or barrels in a sun room or on a balcony. There should even be enough space on one large, south-facing windowsill to grow a selection of the basic flavoring herbs or a row of scented herbs that […]

Basil
Other Names Albahaca, St. Joseph’s Wort, Sweet Basil General Information Basil is a member of the mint family with a characteristic square, hairy stem, labiate flowers and opposite leaves. It has a rich, spicy aroma reminiscent of the other mints with a hint of clove. Flowers appear as a whorl in summer and are usually […]

Dill
(Anethum graveolens) G Folk Names: Aneton, Dill Weed, Dilly, Garden Dill, Chebbit, Sowa, Keper, Hulwa, Buzzalchippet Gender: Masculine Planet: Mercury Element: Fire Powers: Protection, money, Lust, Love Magical Uses: The herb is protective when hung at the door and carried in protective sachets. Placed in the cradle it protects children. If it is placed over […]

A Witch’s glossary of herbs
A handy key to the herbs of witchcraft. Each of the herbs listed has its own character and magickal properties. They are revealed to the Witch through study, meditation, and practice. For this glossary, we’ve limited the description of each herb to a few words. Many herbs have their own articles with more in-depth information, […]

Herbal Cures for anxiety: PASSIONFLOWER
Similar to valerian, passionflower is recognized for its calming and sedative actions which are effective in helping to combat anxiety, fatigue, and sleep issues. It contains alkaloids, glycosides, and steroids, with alkaloids being the main active ingredient. What you need to know before taking passionflower: • It should not be taken during pregnancy or breastfeeding. […]

Preparing Herbs for Use
Capsules Use all natural gelatin capsules when using powdered herbs. Many herbs have a bitter taste, this often is the medicinal value in the herb, but makes teas unpleasant. Capsules can be used to take herbs quickly and pleasantly. Decoction This is a preparation made by boiling herbal substances in water for a considerable period […]

Cleansing Detox Herbs
Garlic–blood cleanser, lowers blood fats, natural antibiotic Red clover blossoms–blood cleanser, good during convalescence and healing Echinacea–lymph cleanser, improves lymphocyte and phagocyte actions Dandelion root–liver and blood cleanser, diuretic, filters toxins, a tonic Chaparral–strong blood cleanser, with possibilities for use in cancer therapy Cayenne pepper–blood purifier, increases fluid elimination and sweat Ginger root–stimulates circulation and […]

PLANT AND HERB MAGICK
Plant magic is an age old tradition dating back to ancient Egyptian times, it has been used for many purposes, such as healing, self empowerment, love spells and protection. Each plant has its own magical properties and strengths and can be used to add power to any kind of spell. Plant magic will have the […]

HERBS USED IN HAIR CARE
Herbs for Dry Hair: Burdock root, comfrey, elderflowers, Lavender , marsh mallow, parsley, sage, stinging nettle. Herbs for Damaged Hair: sage, rose, calendula, chamomile, burdock, thyme, rosemary Herbs for Oily Hair: Calendula, horsetail, lemon juice, lemon balm, lemongrass, lavender, mints, rosemary, southernwood, witch hazel and yarrow. Herbs to Prevent and Treat Dandruff: burdock root, chamomile, […]

Cleansing your Lungs
For Smokers and Ex Smokers Needed Ingredients: 1 pound of onion Ginger root (size of a thumb) 2 tablespoons of turmeric 1pound of sugar (you can use honey or maple syrup) 1 quart of water Preparation: In a pot pour the water and then include the sugar. Place it on heat and start boiling it, […]

Herbs Listed by Medical Symptom
Always double check before attempting to take the herb. Some herbs are poisonous!Aches: rosemary Acne: rosemary, thyme, witch-hazel Allergies: nettle Amenorrhea: chaste tree berry Antibacterial: lemon, thyme Antibiotic: calendula, comfrey, garlic, marigold, mullein, raspberry, sweet woodruff, thyme, tumeric Antiseptic: lavender, lemon, marigold, mint, pine, sweet woodruff, thyme Antiviral: thyme Anxiety: valerian Aphrodisiac: coriander, damiana, hibiscus, lavender Arthritis: ash leaves, bladderwrack, buckbean, nettles, parsley, rosemary, yarrow Asthma: coltsfoot, […]

Ratio of Fresh Herbs to Dry Herbs
When cooking with fresh and dry herbs, there is a general rule when it comes to the ratio of fresh to dry. Because dried herbs are generally more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs. 1 tablespoon fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs If you are working with dried ground herbs like ground ginger which […]

Herbal Oils
Though extracting oils by steam distillation and other methods is almost prohibitively expensive, we are spared this cost by the wide availability of essential oils and synthetics on the market today. Many so-called “essential oils” are actually synthetic; this does not negate their use in magic, however. If they smell good, use them. Essential oils […]

Cherry
(Prunus avium) Seed and wilted leaf: X Folk Names: Sweet Cherry, Mazzard Cherry Gender: Feminine Planet: Venus Element: Water Powers: Love, Divination Magical Uses: The cherry has long been used to stimulate or attract love. A beautiful Japanese spell to find love is simple: tie a single strand of your hair to a blossoming cherry […]

Lavender
(Lavendula officinale orL. vera) Flower: G Folk Names: Elf Leaf, Nard, Nardus, Spike Gender: Masculine Planet: Mercury Element: Air Powers: Love, Protection, Sleep, Chastity, Longevity, Purification, Happiness, Peace Magical Uses: Lavender has long been used in love spells and sachets. Clothing nabbed with fragrant flowers (or lavender placed in drawers with clothes) attracts love. A […]

Willow Herb Epilobium
Epilobium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, containing about 197 species. The genus has a worldwide distribution. It is most prevalent in the subarctic, temperate and subantarctic regions, whereas in the subtropics and tropics Epilobium species are restricted to the cool montane biomes, such as the New Guinea Highlands. The taxonomy […]

FUNERAL HERBS
Since ancient times herbs have played a part in funerals. They’ve been used to scent graves and cremation fires, to fill amulet bags and in making wreaths to decorate burial places. BASIL: Protection, Love BAY LAUREL: – Communication with the dead, protection, triumph, used in funeral wreaths. BIRCH: Rebirth. CEDAR: Prosperity, Purification. COMFREY: Healing. CYPRESS: […]

Sacred Herbs of the Saxons
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris): Mugwort is well known as the premier herb for dreamwork. The silver on the underside of the leaves shows an affinity for the moon and the female reproductive system. Mugwort tea and essential oil help ease PMS symptoms. The essential oil also helps to relax the brain, improve circulation and aids in delivering […]

An Explanation of Herb Magick
In the practice of magical herbery, the collections of what might be considered “herbs” is far greater than in the study of medicinal herbology. Magic can encompass so many thing, the possibilities are virtually endless. The following are generally considered “herbs” when dealing with most forms of herbal magic. All leaf varieties of plants, both […]

Herbal Baths
Baths are often used in herb magic, for they are an easy way to spread an herb’s power over the entire body. There are two methods; one, make a sachet (use about one-half to one cup of the appropriate enchanted herb) of cheesecloth. Drop this into the warm bath water. A better method entails the […]

Herbal Ointments
An old form of herb magic as well as medicine, an ointment is simply any fatty substance to which powdered herbs and/or oils have been added. A good example of this is found in the text under MALLOW. In the past, lard was generally used as the base, but today vegetable shortening is usually substituted. […]

Wolfsbane
(Aconitum napellus, Arnica latifolia, Arnica montana) Poison Folk Names: Aconite, Cupid’s Car, Dumbledore’s Delight, Leopard’s Bane, Monkshood, Storm Hat, Thor’s Hat, Wolf’s Hat Gender: Feminine Planet: Saturn Element: Water Deity: Hecate Powers: Protection, Invisibility Magical Uses: Wolf’s bane is added to protection sachets, especially to guard against vampires and werewolves. This is quite fitting, since […]

Smudging Herbs and their Properties
Smudging Herbs will drive out negative energies, spirits and influences. Use this as a smudge to purify people and places before any sacred ceremony. There are many varieties of sage, and most have been used in smudging. White Sage This sage is used just like desert sage, but many people prefer White Sage because of the […]

Powerful Healing Herbs in Your Kitchen
The humble herb and spice rack in your kitchen today need not be just a decorative feature, although they look quite pleasing to the eye hanging on the wall, in both modern and old fashioned styled homes. They can in fact hold a plethora of natural healing ingredients that can also add great taste to […]

Enchanting Herbs
Prior to actually using herbs in magic, they can be enchanted. Enchantment (in a magical context) aligns the vibrations of the plants involved with your magical need. Thus it is a process which increases the effectiveness of the herbs. Enchantment may be performed on a single herb or a mixture, but should not be done […]

Herbal Incense
Incense composition and use is an art form in itself. Basically, an incense is any combination of plant materials, perhaps combined with essential oils and a base, which are mixed together and burned or smouldered on charcoal. (This type of incense is known as “raw” or “granular.” It is usually used in magic, rather than […]

Moss
Powers: Luck, Money Magical Uses: To carry moss (any type) taken from a gravestone in your pocket is a good ensurer of luck, especially financial luck. Moss is used to stuff general-purpose poppets

Camomile
StatusAmber – Vulnerable and Near-ThreatenedBest Time to SeeJune, JulyColourYellow, WhiteHabitatGrassland A SMALL, ATTRACTIVE, CREEPING PLANT WITH DAISY-LIKE FLOWERS AND FEATHERY LEAVES. This perennial wild plant is low growing and spreads by rhizomes. It has a fresh apple scent when crushed and for this reason, Elizabethans planted Chamomile lawns and seats. WHERE TO FIND CHAMOMILE. It […]

Orris root
Orris root (rhizoma iridis) is the root of Iris germanica and Iris pallida. It had the common name of Queen Elizabeth Root. Constituent chemicals The most valued component of orris root is oil of orris (0.1–0.2%), a yellow-white mass containing myristic acid. Oil of orris is sometimes sold as orris butter. Other components include fat, […]

Herbal Cures for anxiety: VALERIAN
Valerian, native to Europe and North America, has long been used to treat anxiety, stress, muscle tension and insomnia. It contains valerenic acid and valeranon that help the body relax into a calm state so that sleep can come naturally. What you need to know before taking valerian: • It should not be taken with […]

Parsley
The next time you pass over that bit of green garnish on your plate, stop and think again, for that parsley — so commonplace as to go almost unnoticed — is one of the oldest, tastiest, most nutritious, and easiest to grow of all our culinary herbs. The cultivation of parsley predates written history. Native […]

Clove
Folk Names: Mykhet, Carenfil Gender: Masculine Planet: Jupiter Element: Fire Powers: Protection, Exorcism, Love, Money Magical Uses: Burned as an incense, cloves attract riches, drive away hostile and negative forces, produce spiritual vibrations, and purify the area. Cloves are burned as incense to stop others from gossiping about you. Worn or carried, cloves attract the […]

Sources Of Herbal Minerals & Vitamins
VITAMIN A ~ Alfalfa, Burdock, Cayenne, Dandelion, Garlic, Kelp, Marshmallow, Papaya, Parsley, Raspberry, Red clover, Saffron, Watercress, Yellow dock THIAMINE B1 ~ Cayenne, Dandelion, Fenugreek, Kelp, Parsley, Raspberry RIBOFLAVIN B2~ Alfalfa, Burdock, Dandelion, Fenugreek, Kelp, Parsley, Raspberry NIACIN B3 ~ Alfalfa, Burdock, Dandelion, Fenugreek, Kelp, Parsley, Sage PYDIDOXINE B6 ~ Alfalfa, Wheat, Corn, Mugwort COBALAMIN […]

The Egg Hex
Supplies needed are as follows: 1)One egg, (Fresh eggs are the best) 2)Magic marker 3)shovel or digging tool 4)black candle 5)sage 6)matches or lighter 7)cinnamon incense 8)pepperment oil, or olive 9)angel trumpet pedals (Beware, angel trumpets are poison) *Handle with care! If you don’t have angel trumpets Mistletoe will work, hemlock works, point settas, or […]

How To Make A Hex Sign
Be sure you have all the tools you will need to complete the sign you have designed or found. If you are doing an original drawing, plan it out first on a blank piece of paper. Be sure that the picture will represent the result you desire. On a round disk of wood or metal, […]

Hex Signs
Round magical signs and symbols used by the Pennsylvania Dutch, primarily to protect against witchcraft but also to effect spells. Hex signs are both amuletic and talismanic (see amulets; talismans). Traditionally, hex signs are painted on barns, stables and houses to protect against lightning, ensure fertility and protect animal and human occupants alike from becoming […]

Hex Breaking
Now the nature of the hex is simple. It’s basically a dark cloud that follows someone causing havoc and misery. This is what we will learn to break today. First you must be able to sense the hex. Write down the person’s name whom you think may be hexed. If you start to feel a […]

Hex
A spell or bewitchment. The term comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch, who borrowed it from their native German word for “witch,” Hexe, which in turn is derived from Old High German hagazussa or hagzissa (“hag”). In common usage, hex means an evil spell or curse, but among the Pennsylvania Dutch, for example, a hex can […]

Hexes
The term hex comes from Early American Folk belief, and implies the use of magick to hurt or harm another person’s body, family, or property. The hex was usually cast by a hex-doctor or sorcerer, who used deep concentration and symbolic imaginary to affect his or her target. Although the hex is considered to be […]

Negativity/Hex Removal Bath
Sometimes we feel like we’re carrying around some excess negativity, bad luck or even possibly hexes. First thing to do is to assess why and how you feel that this negativity is weighing on you! For example… you could be cursing yourself! If you decide that you need to do something to spiritually remove it, […]

Herbs according to you birth sign
Herbs can be mixed and combined to produce a “recipe” that’s just right for each of us. Since the Sun sign you were born under has such an amazing influence on your health and well-being, using the herbs that correspond with that sign alone can be a tremendous help in times of stress or illness. […]

8 herbs for healing and happiness
Gardening is one of the most creative things you can do and an exercise in mindfulness. It keeps you grounded with a deep connection to the earth. Growing herbs to use in remedies and spellcraft is doubly rewarding; with each passing season, you will grow in your wisdom and skill. Your garden—whether it is a […]

Overlooked Herbs
Again and again, some herbs seem worth the effort that don’t get nearly enough praise or press . . . in my opinion, anyway. You might want to give them a try if you haven’t already. 10.Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) This tall sage has light green leaves and red, trumpet shaped flowers that bees and butterflies […]

Herb Magick
Centuries ago, our ancestors used herbs for more than just seasoning soup. As a matter of fact, herbs were used for healing and Magick long before they were used as seasonings. But the Witches and the Wise Ones all knew the Magickal use of herbs. They used herbs in potions, incenses and amulets to ward […]

Herbal Magic
What’s the difference between herbal magic and herbalism? Herbalism works on a medicinal level. Magic works with the energies of the plant. The two are not mutually exclusive. Mainly, however, the energies of flowers, shrubs, herbs, and trees are used to support and encourage self-care magically as opposed to medicinally for the physical body. Herbal […]

Thyme
Thyme has a powerful ability to kill off bacteria, viruses, and should be taken at first signs of a cold or illness. It is a rich source of several essential vitamins,such as vitamins A, E, C, K, B complex,and folic acid. It is also one of the best sources of calcium, iron, manganese, selenium, and […]

Herbal Protection Pouch Spell
Use this spell to protect your property or a loved one you may feel is in danger. Items needed. One black candle, one small stone from a cemetery, black cloth pouch filled with a pinch of each of the following herbs and plants: Vervain, Wormwood, Thyme, Oak bark, Spanish moss, On the night of the […]

The Usage of Basil
Basil has been called “the Witches Herb” for centuries. Basil has been used for exorcism, protection, in “flying ointments”, and love potions. “Where Basil grows, no evil goes!” and “Where Basil is, no evil lives,” goes the old adages. Basil, given as a gift, will bring good luck to a new home. Sprinkled around the […]

How to Harvest Plants and Herbs
Four Methods of Drying Plants and Herbs Plants and herbs dried in a controlled heat environment are generally superior to ones dried in the sun with reference to their flavor, color, and nutrition. Another plus for drying the plants in controlled heat is they’ll be free from bugs and flying insects. (Less cleaning afterwards.) But […]

Hemp
Folk Names: Chanvre, Gallowgrass, Ganeb, Ganja, Grass, Hanf, Kif, Marijuana, Neckweede, Tekrouri, Weed Gender: Feminine Planet: Saturn Element: Water Powers: Healing, Love, Visions, Meditation Magical Uses: Marijuana, or hemp as it was commonly named, was once widely used in magic. Due to laws enacted during the 1930’s which restrict its use and sale, many of […]

Tools Necessary for Herbalism
The first step in herbalism is to gather the tools you will need, and that is the main point of this first message. I have found the following useful and in many cases vital to learn and practice the use of herbs. 1) A Good mortar and Pestile, one of stone or metal is prefered. […]

Herbal Infusions
As well as magical sachets, you can make herbs into infusions. Add one level teaspoon (5 ml) of coarsely chopped dried herbs or two level teaspoons (10 ml) of freshly chopped leaves or flowers to a cup of boiling water; leave it for five minutes and strain. Once the liquid has cooled, you can sprinkle […]

Guide to Magical Herbs
All herbs and plants are magic: they are the pure embodiments of the Earth’s spirit, sustaining themselves with sunlight, vibration, water, and stardust (minerals). Herbs and plants feed us, nourish us, and heal us. Indivisibly, they are a necessary and integral part of our magical and spiritual lives as well. There are certain herbs that, […]

Theories of how Herbal Magick may Work
How does herbal magick work, anyway? A sachet of leaves tucked under a pillow, a handful of berries strewn across a doorway: Herbal charms and remedies are one of the most familiar forms of magick. Herbal (“green”) witches keep elaborate pantries of herbal ingredients, each with a different power to enlighten or heal, bother or […]

French Tarragon
French tarragon is the variety generally considered best for the kitchen. Russian tarragon can be grown from seed but is much weaker in flavour when compared to the French variety. It seems to be one of the least familiar of the culinary herbs that is commonly found in dried and fresh forms in grocery stores. […]

Magickal Uses for Herbs
Herbs by themselves have little magickal power. In order to practice powerful witchcraft using herbs, the herbs must be infused with power. This is advanced magick and requires the ability to invoke/evoke and direct the elements. Each herb carries elemental properties that correspond to its medicinal uses. These can be found under planetary rulerships. In […]

The Hedge Craft – NETTLE (Urtica Dioica)
NETTLE (Urtica Dioica); Plant Family: (Hamamelids) Parts Used: Leaves, buds, rhizomes and roots. Collection season: early spring for leaves and buds until they flower, seeds and roots in autumn. Soil and Environment: Universal throughout British Isles and most of temperate world, found in forests, woods, river banks, under shrubs and bushes, wasteland – pretty much […]

Myrrh
(Commiphora myrrha) P Ub Folk Names: Gum Myrrh Tree, Karan, Mirra Balsom Odendron Gender: Feminine Planet: Moon Element: Water Deities: Isis, Adonis, Ra, Marian Powers: Protection, Exorcism, Healing, Spirituality Ritual Uses: Myrrh was burned to Ra at noon in ancient Egypt and was also fumed in the temples of Isis. Magical Uses: Burned as incense […]

The Powers of Herbs
How does it work? When people discover I’m a magical herbalist, this is one of two questions asked. The other usually refers to my state of mental health. Nonetheless, the first question is a valid one and has never been satisfactorily explained. The basis of herb magic—and all magic—is the power. This power has worn […]

Herbs
Herbs provide us with an abundance of medicinal, as well as magickal substances. Most herbs are easily grown and cared for because in reality, they are weeds. Herbs will grow in the shade, in between rocks, thrive in sandy soil, and can go for long periods of time without water. Once planted, herbs return year […]

Herbal Protection Bath
This spell is intended to add extra protection to you personally, not your home like the two spells above. The exact amounts of the herbs are up to you. You need: • Rosemary • Rue • Lavender • Basil (fresh if possible) • Mint • A handful of coarse salt Run a hot bath, and […]

Healing Herbs For Anxiety & Stress
Anxiety is a normal response to a stressful situation. It is an emotion that we all experience at some point. It keeps us alert and ready for action as a survival mechanism, allowing us to react quickly to life-threatening situations. In short, a marvellous medley of hormonal changes and physiological responses serve to help us […]

HERBS FOR EVERY SIGN
Herbs can be mixed and combined to produce a “recipe” that’s just right for each of us. Since the Sun sign you were born under has such an amazing influence on your health and well-being, using the herbs that correspond with that sign alone can be a tremendous help in times of stress or illness. […]

Meadowsweet
Meadowsweet is a member of the rose family and can easily be found growing wild along streams and rivers, as well as damp woodlands. It is a high altitude plant that can grow as high as 3,300 feet. It is native to Europe and Asia and was successfully introduced and naturalized in North America. It […]

The Hedge Craft – Elder (Sambuccus nigra)
Elder (Sambuccus nigra) – flowers and berries • febrifuge – used to break fevers (blossom) • flowers support circulation (lymphatic system), promotes elimination through urinary tract, cuts congestion and inflammation of upper-respiratory tract, breaks up catarrh • reduces symptoms of hay fever, often used with nettle in this instance • berries reduce the length and […]

Magickal Usage for Herbs and Plants
Animals* marjoram, oregano, peppermint, savory, spearmint, tarragon, wintergreen *Beauty* celery seed, lovage *Binding * ginger, mustard seed, pepper, poppyseed *Blessings* dill, lavender, rosemary *Business* sage *Calming* tarragon *Chastity* lavender *Clairvoyance* anise, basil, bay, cinnamon, cloves, coriander/cilantro, garlic, lavender, mace, nutmeg, onion, parsley, poppyseed, saffron, sage, star anise, thyme *Cleansing* anise, cloves, lavender, lovage, marjoram, onion, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, saffron, sage, thyme *Commanding* basil, fennel, garlic, […]

Herbalism
The following is meant to be a quick guide to common herbs one might find in the home or garden and their usages. This is for general information only. As with all alternative medicines, please consult with your doctor or medic and please do not exceed the recommended dose. AGNUS CASTUS – menstrual problems e.g. PMT, menopause […]

The Magick of Everyday Herbs and Spices
Did you know that your kitchen is filled with tons of amazing spices that are not only excellent for cooking, but are also excellent in spell work? That’s right! Cinnamon does more than make amazing coffee cake, and black pepper does more than put decorative specks on your fried eggs! The spice pantry of your […]

Threatened Magical Herbs
While many witches and other magic-users enjoy wild crafting for the ingredients for their rootwork, elixirs, spells and healing preparations, some herbs are threatened by over collection or loss of habitat and should never be collected in the wild. Some are threatened only in certain places and grow in abundance elsewhere. Always check your local […]

Herb Lore and Magick
Aloe Vera Growing an aloe vera plant in the kitchen will help prevent burns and mishaps while cooking. It will also preven household accidents, and guard against evil. Anise Anise mixed with bay leaves provides an excellent bath additive prior to ritual. Using anise in potpourri around the house wards off evil, and anise in […]

Magickal Herbs
“EARTH GROWN HERBS, A WITCHES BREW, YOUR ENERGY MAKES MY DREAMS COME TRUE. HEARKEN TO MY DEEP DESIRE AMIDST THE CANDLES RADIANT FIRE HERBS OF LUCK, PROSPERITY, HEED MY CALL AND BRING TO ME FINANCIAL ABUNDANCE AND SECURITY AS I WILL SO MOTE IT BE!” Nature has provided a veritable magical pantry in the plants […]

Borage ( Borage offcinalis)
It originates in Europe all over and was well-known to the ancient Celts , Greeks and Romans , who believed it holds the ability to endow those who ate it with courage , hence wine which they carried and drinking before war to give them courage . It stimulates the mind and the magic uses […]

Hemlock
Folk Names: Beaver Poison, Herb Bennet, Keckies, Kex, Musquash Root, Poison Hemlock, Poison Parsley, Spotted Corobane, Spotted Hemlock, Water Parsley Gender: Feminine Planet: Saturn Element: Water Deities: Hecate Magical Uses: Another poisonous plant, hemlock was once used in magic to induce astral protection, and in spells to destroy sexual drives. Its juice was rubbed onto […]

Herbal Cures for anxiety: ST JOHN’S WORT
Used for nerve disorders for over 2,000 years, St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum L) is a perennial, with bright yellow flowers, which grow wild in Europe, Asia, and America. A number of studies have shown St John’s Wort to have a beneficial effect on those who suffer from mild anxiety and depression, although it is […]

Herbal Cures for anxiety: ASHWAGANDHA
Ashwagandha, an ancient medicinal herb, is an evergreen shrub that grows in Asia and Africa. Commonly used for stress, it’s an analgesic that soothes the nervous system from pain response

Herbal Etiquette
When studying herbology within witchcraft, it is important to learn about how plants work and the best ways to gather our stores, whether they come from wild plants or plants in our garden. There is more to herbs and trees than meets the eye. All things have a soul: rocks, trees, animals and people. The […]

The Active Constituents of Herbs
The active constituents of plants have only relatively recently been isolated. The active constituents in plants are the chemicals that have a medicinal effect on the body. They have been divided into 16 main groups: Alkanoids These plants contain a nitrogen-bearing molecule that makes them particularly effect as medicines. An example is Deadly Nightshade. Anthocyanins […]

Hedgewitch: Circle of Influence
No HedgeWitch is an island. We have friends, those we love, perhaps children, significant others, parents, partners, co-workers-people that we allow to exert influence over our lives because we like them, because we love them, or because our environments somehow overlap. All of these people are in some way affected by our behavior, and our […]

Hedgewitch: The Fertilizer of the Mind and Belief
I’m sure you’ve read many spiritual articles over the past several years that have in one way or another discussed the universal connection of all beings and how we are all an integrated part of the whole. Writers teach about how to access what you most desire by using techniques and ideas that have worked […]

Hedgewitch: Prove It to Yourself
Just because something is written, it doesn’t mean you have to believe it. So I’d like you to do an experiment for yourself. I’d like you to take one thing you complain about all the time, and I’d like you to totally rearrange your thinking on the subject. Remove words like don’t, not, hate, dislike, […]

Rite of the Mountain
Light incense. On a purple candle, inscribe the word mountain with a pin, nail, or clay inscribing tool. Place the candle in a safe holder, and light. Intone the following mountain charm: Herbal magick, speak to me Of mountain’s sacred journey Of strength and will along the way Of choosing carefully what I say. Treasures […]

The Hedge Craft – The Middleworld (Abred)
The Middleworld is the place where we live most of our lives. Yet it is not “ordinary” or dull in any sense in comparison to the other worlds. The Middleworld is a place where the worlds of Upper and Lower come together and dance right before our very eyes. It can be a wondrous hill […]

Hedgewitch Nature: Your Secret Shifter
Nature acts as a secret shifter, gently filling us with the power to change our circumstances whenever we choose. Interacting with Her allows us to switch mental gears in an instant, helping us to overcome boredom, fear, depression, anger, frustration, sadness, and a host of other negative emotions that sap our personal well-being and block […]

Hedgewitch: A Conscious and Subconscious Mind: Your Personal Filter
There is a really good reason why your subconscious and conscious minds don’t readily believe the same thing, and at this point, you may wish you didn’t have a subconscious at all, because it manages to be a major pain on certain issues and definitely can stand in the way of what you want. Both […]

What is a Hedge Witch
A Hedge Witch is a solitary practitioner of the herbal arts – both, medicinal and spiritual. She is the person you call when you develop a rash or get a toothache, and the doctor or dentist is unavailable. She is the person you consult when strange things go bump in the night, or you are […]

The Hedge Craft – The Upperworld (Gwynfed)
This is the realm of inspiration, where immortal beings dwell, The Shining Ones. It’s a place of divine beings and teachers of tradition. It is the place where the spark that begins the intention is formed, to come into manifestation. It is the waving boughs of the world tree, reaching towards the heavens, yet connected […]

The Hedge – The Lowerworld (Annwn)
Annwn translates as “in-world” or “the very deep place”. The translation of “Ceugant” most roughly approximates “infinity”, or finding or returning to some sort of “source” or “god”. It is found at the base of the World Tree, deep within its roots. It’s a place of mystery, of power, memory and grounding. In the Hedge […]

The Hedge – The Three Worlds and the World Tree
In the Hedge Druid’s Craft, we work with the concept of the World Tree, which is divided into three realms: the Lowerworld, Middleworld and Upperworld. As we like to use the hedge motif, when we are “hedge riding” we are riding along the axis of the World Tree, travelling between the worlds. As Druids, who […]

Hedgewitch: The Magickal Garden of Your Mind
Deep in the forest glen of your mind, where the shadows never quite release the world, sits the ancient establishment of the HedgeWitch Academy. A learning center for young and old alike, this edifice of enchanted scholarship welcomes anyone truly magickal at heart who desires to improve the quality of their being. Here, students harmonize […]

Hedgewitch: A Universal Telephone Line
Remember Harvey? And do you recall how he said that his house insurance was cancelled? Here is the creative way in which he handled it: “I got this darned letter in the mail that said ‘your house insurance is cancelled because your windows have peeling paint.’ I’d just finished arranging for a new loan on […]
The Hedge Craft – The Celestial
The sun, moon and stars have equal importance in the Hedge Druid’s Craft. With the cycles of the sun we find ourselves travelling through the year with agricultural festivals as well as the solstices and equinoxes being celebrated. The earth’s orbit around the sun gives us our year, and its axis gives us our seasons. […]

Hedgewitch Nature: Your Secret Shifter
Nature acts as a secret shifter, gently filling us with the power to change our circumstances whenever we choose. Interacting with Her allows us to switch mental gears in an instant, helping us to overcome boredom, fear, depression, anger, frustration, sadness, and a host of other negative emotions that sap our personal well-being and block […]

Hedgewitch: The Fertilizer of the Mind and Belief
I’m sure you’ve read many spiritual articles over the past several years that have in one way or another discussed the universal connection of all beings and how we are all an integrated part of the whole. Writers teach about how to access what you most desire by using techniques and ideas that have worked […]

Totem Representations
You may also wish to collect images of the HedgeWitch totem representations for your personal altar. If these totems don’t suit you, simply change them to what you feel best matches your needs and personality. The Praying Mantis of wisdom The Butterflies of Communication The Toads of Luck and Prosperity The Bats of Earth’s Center […]

Winter Solstice Rites and Rituals for a Hedgewitch
As this is the time of the longest night, holding an all-night vigil is a great way to attune yourself to the energy of darkness and rest, of winter and the earth. And when the sun rises in the morning, allow its light to wash over and inspire you. The Druids performed a ritual called […]

The Hedge Craft – Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) – flowers • analgesic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic (good for arthritis sufferers • thins the blood, is astringent and also works as a diuretic • balances stomach acid as is good for treating diarrhoea, and is also good for treating colds and flu, headaches and reduces fever • excellent pain reliever and […]

The Hedge – The Ancestors
The ancestors are a very important part of the Witches’ tradition. They have a lot to do with moral and ethical frameworks. As we realize the interconnectedness of all things, we come to the point where we know that we are all related. We all came from the single-celled life forms that emerged from the […]

Hedgewitch: Celebrating Your Personal Environment
Live your own wheel of the year as you feel most comfortable and secure. I have been writing spiritual books for many years, and my work is read all over the world, which means your climate and environment may be very different from mine. Although I built the HedgeWitchery concept here in south central Pennsylvania, […]

The Hedge – Hedge Riding
Hedges have long been used by Witches in the community, who were often termed “Hedge Riders”. They were those who worked between the boundaries of the everyday and those of the wilderness; the wild spirits that dwelt therein. It is about finding the balance between our modern civilized world and that of the natural world. […]

Hedgewitch: Primal Language Exercise
Unchecked mind chatter or verbal communication complicates your life by sending mixed signals to the universe. Superfluous words can actually block your desires. Negative words will bring you things you truly didn’t want. To get what you want, try the minimalist approachstart thinking only in nouns. Typically, when we want something, we begin listing and […]

Hedgewitch: Shifting with Nature
The basic idea of manifesting anything you want is to say exactly what you want, visualize it, feel good about it, and as soon as you open your eyes, think of something (anything) that makes you very happy. Then let the thought go and make the effort t0 release ideas, thoughts, and physical objects that […]

Starting the Day the Hedgewitch Way
Begin in the morning by reading the affirmation for the day. Today’s segment concentrates on the wind, associating this energy with that of Spirit. Close your eyes, quiet your mind, and allow Spirit to fully enter your body. Then repeat the word wind softly, conjuring your vision of wind in your mind. Open your eyes, […]

The Hedge Craft – Connecting to the Upperworld
In those lofty realms of the sacred bile, the world tree of the Celts, is the realm where the gods are said to dwell. It is often said that the ancestors belong to the Underworld, we are in the Middleworld, and the gods reside in the Upperworld. Of course, we know that all beings can […]

The Hedge – Boundaries Between the Worlds
Physical boundaries such as stone circles or hedges can also delineate a boundary between this world and the Otherworld. In Witchcraft, Wicca and Druidry it is generally acknowledged that there exist beings that are separate from us, yet which also live alongside us in parallel worlds. These beings are often called the Fair Folk, Faeries, […]

The Hedge – The World of the Hedge Craft
The world of the Hedge Druid’s Craft is one where we take inspiration from nature, and allow traditional folk customs, history and mythology to blend with the powers of nature so that we can better work in harmony. As we walk between the worlds, we open ourselves up to the wisdom of plants, animals and […]

Hedgewitch: Circle of Influence
No HedgeWitch is an island. We have friends, those we love, perhaps children, significant others, parents, partners, co-workers-people that we allow to exert influence over our lives because we like them, because we love them, or because our environments somehow overlap. All of these people are in some way affected by our behavior, and our […]

Hedgewitch: Draining and Irrigating Your Mental Garden Release
We’ve talked about how to enrich the soil of our minds by learning the right fertilizer (primal language) to use. The next step, as in any good garden, is to provide an adequate drainage and irrigation system that allows your desires to manifest. If there is no release, there can be no growth! Your desires […]

Hedgewitch: Your Personal Primal Language
Discussing the law of attraction and release based on your thoughts, words, and deeds and supported by your belief isn’t new. It is very likely that it has been done for centuries through different venues, especially in magickal circles. It is however possible to personalize your primal language for it to work for you continuously. […]

The Hedge Craft – OAK (Quercus robur)
OAK (Quercus robur) Plant family: Beech family (fagaceae) Parts Used: Bark, leaves, acorns, galls (“oak apples” created by gall wasps on leaves and also acorn or knopper gall, on acorn). Soil and Environment: Hedgerows, woods, parkland. Copes well in moist and even poor soil. Interbreeds with other oak, such as sessile and downy oak. Grows […]

The Hedge – Ritual to Enter the World of the Hedge Witches Craft
This rite can be used to dedicate yourself to The Hedge Witches Craft, to walking between the worlds. If you can, begin your work by standing in or near a hedgerow itself, looking away from civilization. If this is not possible, you can create a hedgerow by standing between two plants. Many potted trees will […]

Hedgewitch: Dollars and Cents Aren’t Always Required
Your response to my sofa story may have been, why didn’t you just go out and buy one? Except the kind of sofa I wanted was a large purchase, and that costs money, doesn’t it? In a marriage, you usually agree on large purchases, or maybe we just didn’t have the money for a new […]

The Hedge – Boundaries and Walking Between the Worlds
The term “hedge” in relation to a spiritual path often simply means that one is not dedicated to any particular path or organisation. However, in an earth-based tradition, the word also takes on a deeper meaning. In a community, there were certain boundaries between the human world and the rest of the natural world. Though […]

Hedgewitch: Your Key to the Universe
Consider your life as a fertile patch of ground, ready for planting your personal den of potential. Take a few moments, and think of what you’d like to grow there. Success? Good health? Financial gain? Happiness in relationships? All of what I’ve just listed and more? Every moment of your life is that fertile piece […]

Personal Empowerment for the Hedgewitch
The HedgeWitch guide is separated into fourteen segments, each segment entitled a “night” because that is the time normally scheduled for the rite. Begin in the morning by reading the affirmation and the focus for the day. For example, the first-night segment concentrates on wind, associating this energy with that of Spirit. Close your eyes, […]

Rite of the Enchanted Woods
There are two ways in which you can perform this rite. You can visit the physical woods (with a friend) in a safe area sometime throughout the day or afternoon, or you can use the magickal wood chosen under the “herbs for today” category and creatively visualize, in quiet surroundings, a trip to the woods […]

Clutterbuck, Old Dorothy (1880–1951)
The high priestess of a coven of hereditary Witches in the New Forest of England, who initiated Gerald Gardner into Witchcraft in 1939. Little was known about Clutterbuck for many years, prompting some outside observers to speculate that she had never existed at all but was fabricated by Gardner. In 1980 Doreen Valiente, English high […]

CROWLEY, ALEISTER by Doreen Valiente
Aleister Crowley earns a place in witchcraft, not because he was a witch, but because he was not ! This, of course, does not stop Crowley’s name being dragged into every Sunday newspaper’s latest “Exposure of Witchcraft and Black Magic” (they seldom know the difference). But perhaps if a brief sketch of Crowley’s life is […]

Alex Sanders. A Magic Childhood
Left to himself, Alex might have ended his foray into witchcraft there and then, but family circumstances forced him into contact with his grandmother almost daily and before long he found himself becoming interested and then totally absorbed in the secret teachings. A quick learner-he had been able to read at the age of three-he […]

Margaret Murray (1863 – 1963) Part Two
Murray, seeing parallels with her Egyptology work, started digging through documents, and in 1917 she published “Organizations of Witches in Great Britain” in the Folklore Journal. That dry-sounding paper became her book, The Witch-Cult in Western Europe, and kickstarted a vein of research that would fundamentally change the face of witchcraft as we know it. At that […]

Doctor John (19th century)
Famous American witch doctor, Doctor John (also called Bayou John and Jean Montaigne) was a free black man who owned slaves in antebellum New Orleans. A huge man, Doctor John claimed he was a prince in his homeland of Senegal, sent into slavery by the Spaniards and taken to Cuba. There he became an excellent […]

Alex Sanders- The Haunted Hill
In 1939 David was born, the sixth and last of Alex’s brothers and sisters, and soon afterward war broke out. Alex, with most of the other children in Manchester, was evacuated to the country to escape air raids. It was a wrench leaving his parents, and his sisters and brothers, who were sent to separate […]

Margaret Murray (1863 – 1963) Part One
Margaret Murray was noted Egyptologist, archaeologist, anthropologist, folklorist, and first-wave feminist, she is now best-known for a series of books on witchcraft that profoundly shaped the modern Wicca faith. Today, her work by some has been thoroughly debunked and disproved. So how did Margaret Murray go from being the world’s foremost authority on witchcraft to […]

Hohman, John George (d. ca. 1845)
Hohman, John George. The most famous braucher in the powwowing tradition of folk magic, spells, hexes and healing. John George Hohman was a German immigrant to America and the author of the widely circulated magical text The Long Lost Friend. Little is known about Hohman’s life. In 1802, he and his wife, Anna Catherine, […]

Alex Sanders – Calling Down the Spirits
When Alex was seventeen he met a girl who was a keen spiritualist. Learning of his interest in the occult she invited him to a meeting. He was curious to see if it had anything in common with witchcraft and went along with her. During the evening a medium in a trance singled him out. […]

Duncan, Helen (1898–1956)
Duncan, Helen (1898–1956) British Spiritualist whose conviction on flimsy charges of witchcraft led to the repeal of Britain’s Witchcraft Act of 1736, thus clearing the way for the public practice of Witchcraft. Helen Duncan, a Scotswoman, was renowned for her natural mediumistic abilities by the 1920s. During the 1930s and 1940s, she travelled around Britain […]

Bury St. Edmonds Witches
Bury St. Edmonds Witches Of the various witch trials of Suffolk, England, conducted in Bury St. Edmonds during the 17th century, two episodes stand out. In 1645, 68 witches went to their deaths on the gallows, victims of the witch-hunting zeal of Matthew Hopkins and John Stearne. Seventeen years later, in 1662, Sir Matthew Hale […]

Alex Sanders – The Young Initiate
There was nothing about the day to suggest it would change the course of his life and influence him until the day he died. It was grey and cheerless, like many other days in Manchester, and Alex was an undersized seven-year-old passing through mean back streets on his way from St George’s Primary School in […]

Biddy Early (1798–1874)
Irish seer and healer often described as a witch. Most of what is known about Biddy Early has been collected from oral tradition, and many of the stories about her have numerous variations. Nonetheless, Biddy seemed to have possessed real powers, and many people from all over Ireland and even England came to her for […]

Gardner, Gerald B(rousseau) (1884–1964)
Gerald Gardner (1884–1964) English Witch and founder of contemporary Witchcraft as a religion. Hereditary Witches and practitioners of family tradition witchcraft object to Gardner being credited as the “founder” of the religion of Witchcraft, pointing out that family traditions have existed for centuries. Nonetheless, there is no evidence that the organized religion of Witchcraft and […]

Dafo
The pseudonym or magical name of the woman who initiated Gerald Gardner into witchcraft around 1939–40.The identity of Dafo remains uncertain. She is sometimes confused with Old Dorothy Clutterbuck, who was Gardner’s first high priestess. He described her as his teacher and an authority on witchcraft. Little is known about Dafo’s life. She lived in […]

Crowley, Aleister (1875–1947)
The most controversial and perhaps least understood magician and occultist of his time, Aleister Crowley has been both vilified and idolized. He was a man of both low excesses and high brilliance. He considered himself to be the reincarnation of other great occultists: Pope Alexander VI, renowned for his love of physical pleasures; Edward Kelly, […]

Abramelin the Mage (1362–1460)
A Jew from Würzburg, Germany, Abraham, or Abramelin, created a body of magical works that for centuries influenced magicians, including Aleister Crowley. An expert on the Kabbalah, Abramelin said he learned his magical knowledge from angels, who told him how to conjure and tame demons into personal servants and workers, and how to raise storms. […]

Fortune, Dion (1891–1946)
The magical name of Violet Mary Firth, British occultist and author whose books continue to have an impact on modern witchcraft and Paganism. Considered one of the leading occultists of her time, Dion Fortune was an adept in ceremonial magic and was perhaps one of the first occult writers to approach magic and hermetic concepts […]

Leek, Sybil (1923–1983)
English witch and astrologer who moved to America in the 1960s and gained fame by publicizing the renaissance of witchcraft in the Western world. Her trademarks were a cape, loose gowns and a jackdaw named Mr. Hotfoot Jackson who perched on her shoulder. She always wore a crystal necklace, passed on to her, she said, […]

Cornelius Agrippa
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim, 1486-1535, German mystic and alchemist. Agrippa of Nettesheim was born of a once-noble family near Cologne and studied both medicine and law there, apparently without taking a degree. In 1503, he assumed the name, Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim, adopting the von to suggest a noble background; three years later, he […]

Aleister Crowley, (1875–1947)
Aleister Crowley, (1875–1947) The most controversial and perhaps least understood magician and occultist of his time, Aleister Crowley has been both vilified and idolized. He was a man of both low excesses and high brilliance. He considered himself to be the reincarnation of other great occultists: Pope Alexander VI, renowned for his love of physical […]

Eleanor Bone
English Witch, one of the original high priestesses initiated by Gerald B. Gardner. Eleanor “Ray” Bone followed Gardner’s footsteps in the media attention and was sometimes called the Matriarch of British Witchcraft. Bone was born in London; her mother was a school headmistress. As a child, she saw the ghost of a pet, which stimulated […]

To be a Witch
A witch is either a woman or a man who knows that he or she is a witch. A witch is a natural. A witch realizes certain powers; represents, rather than worships them; calls them Goddess and God (without it being a fixed, or boxed, ideology) and invokes them; fuses with them emotes and lives […]

Metamorphosis
The ability of witches, sorcerers and other magically empowered persons to transform themselves and other humans at will into animals, birds and insects. In witchcraft trials, people testified that the accused witches had appeared before them or tormented them in some nonhuman shape. For example, in 1663 Jane Milburne of Newcastle, England, did not invite […]

Levitation
A paranormal phenomenon whereby a body or object is raised up into the air in defiance of gravity. Levitation has been reported in cases of bewitchment, hauntings and possession; it also is attributed to saints and holy persons. In 1550 in Wertet, Brabant, a group of nuns reportedly levitated into the air, climbed trees like […]

Sacred Space in Witchcraft
Sacred space means different things to different people. So really, the only way I can get around that is to tell you what it means to me. Sacred space is an enclosure we create, if you like, an artificial bubble in mundane reality, inside which we create an environment that is conducive to whatever type […]

Witchcraft in Brief
Witchcraft is the ability to harness and use the powers of nature and one’s own personal energy in order to create a desired effect in the world. It is ancient and found the world over, in various forms under different names and titles. It is often seen as an innate ability, something that one is […]

Ill-Wishing in Witchcraft
A curse that is the product of envy, revenge and anger. In earlier times, people commonly blamed their misfortune on the ill-wishing of others. If two people argued and then one suffered a mishap, became ill or had other problems, the other party was suspected of ill-wishing them. Remarks such as “You’ll be sorry” were […]

The Brocken: A Witches Meeting Ground
The Brocken, also called the Blocksberg, was the most famous meeting place for witches in Europe. An old-fashioned poet, Matthison, wrote of it with gruesome awe. The horn of Satan grimly sounds; On Blocksberg’s flanks strange din resounds, And specters crowd its summit high. One wild story even claimed that here on Walpurgis Night (30th […]

Witchcraft The Key to Manifestation
It is advantageous that you realize just what is accessible through this technique. I have spent many years charting and understanding the concept of thought and the body of the mindscape as a way of understanding and tapping into what I was sure was there as a latent or uncontrolled power. I have always been […]

Witchcraft & Service
Let’s not confuse the word service with the word servitude. You service the forces with which you interrelate. You are in service to life itself. This is our deity, which we consider both our Goddess and our God. This is Witchcraft at the core. Your service is to the truth of that which you perpetuate […]
Witchcraft Distribution & Disassociation
The term “harm” is perpetrated through either ignorance or intent. Ignorance is a social problem brought about because the flesh we eat is prepackaged and is often not considered flesh; because our fruit and vegetables are all stacked on the shelves at the local shop and other foods are boxed or jarred or tinned or […]

Witchcraft & Self Analysis
The biological animal and the soul that infuses it has an innate ability to handle its own life and transcend both the internal and the external problems that arise through merely being alive (in this time, within certain conditions). I will begin this section by throwing into the ring a particular word that is […]

Contemplation in Witchcraft
Contemplation is a very natural way of focusing and inspiring the mindscape. It is best accessed through an activity (sometimes repetitive) that doesn’t require the mental concentration of reading or learning (e.g., rocking, watching a fire, simple weaving, unhurried gardening, unhurried cleaning, unhurried, purposeless walking). Contemplation is a time-to-spare active meditation that also gives surcease […]

Mulengro in Witchcraft
Mulengro is the name of an entity that is like an alien barb; one that has become an out-of-control arrow that pierces generation upon generation with its poison. It feeds on its own likeness, and people are its host. Mulengro could be considered to be like the Qliphoth of Qabbalah and the devil that Christianity […]

Witchcraft, The Ethics of Personal Power
The lifescape of magic and Witchcraft is a place and a way of being rather than the paradigm of something one does. We know each other by recognizing the way in which we live and that which is within each of us that has lived, thus, forever. It is the recognition of the quest. The […]

A Witches Personal Power
Personal power is a natural growth process that develops as a result of the life you live in the way of the witch. Others will notice you even when you do not desire to be noticed. Therefore, personal power is the ability to disappear when you want to and appear when you want to. It […]

Intention in your Witchcraft
Know, at all times, why you are doing what you are doing. Know your own motives well. Exercise caution in your undertakings, as each action, each thought, is to be clearly of your own choosing. Each thought and every action will engender, progressively, a response relative to it for which you are solely responsible. I […]

What is Green Witchcraft
Green Witchcraft is a term often used interchangeably with the descriptor Hedge Witch. There are certain similarities between the paths but the fundamental core of each path is very different. Where the Hedge Witch is focused on journeying to the Otherworld and receiving wisdom from the spirits she encounters, the Green Witch’s focus is much […]

Witches and Witchcraft Moving Forward
Alister Crowley’s “love under will.” When we consider Wilt. The saying goes love under will. But he says do what thou wilt. Turning will…into a verb. This could possibly be of some great importance. It may indicate the opposite of static nature. As a witch, you may be for ever-changing and hopefully learning as you […]

What is Witchcraft
Witchcraft is the set of beliefs and practices employed by Witches in ritual and spellwork. Often, magical work is incorporated into the Shabbat and Esbat celebrations observed by covens and solitary Witches, though spellwork may be employed on its own on other occasions. In fact, many Witches consider themselves to be constantly “practising” their Craft […]

A Witches Personal Power
Personal power is a natural growth process that develops as a result of the life you live in the way of the witch. Others will notice you even when you do not desire to be noticed. Therefore, personal power is the ability to disappear when you want to and appear when you want to. It […]

To be a Witch
A witch is either a woman or a man who knows that he or she is a witch. A witch is a natural. A witch realizes certain powers; represents, rather than worships them; calls them Goddess and God (without it being a fixed, or boxed, ideology) and invokes them; fuses with them emotes and lives […]

A Witches Goddess
A witch’s primary power (deity) is her or his Goddess. She is known by many names, derived from many cultures, and all are aspects of the One. The Moon in its waxing and waning, in its phases of full, new, and dark, is how witches dance with the birth, life, and death of their undertakings […]

What is Witchcraft
Witchcraft is the set of beliefs and practices employed by Witches in ritual and spellwork. Often, magical work is incorporated into the Shabbat and Esbat celebrations observed by covens and solitary Witches, though spellwork may be employed on its own on other occasions. In fact, many Witches consider themselves to be constantly “practising” their Craft […]

Some Basic Beliefs of Witches, Part One
One of the witches’ most important basic beliefs, obviously, is the reality and possibility of magic. This involves the idea that the physical world is only part of reality, the part that we are able to apprehend with our five senses. Beyond are vaster realms; and in these the witch seeks to venture. This, again, […]

Traditional Witchcraft
Traditional witchcraft is an umbrella term that includes many traditions. Essentially traditional witches are practitioners of forms of witchcraft that pre-date Wicca and new age practices. Some of these traditions may be passed down as family traditions, whilst others are cultural, where witches follow the traditions of their own or a specific culture. Traditional witchcraft […]

The Witches’ Darkened Room
Within the corner of a darkened room, a woman sits on a chair and hums a repetitive tune. Her eyes are closed and she rocks back and forth, back and forth, back and forth-seeming to sway in some invisible wind like the rushes on a lakeshore. Her hands are moving between threads as she weaves […]

Antiquity in Witchcraft
Witchcraft is as old as the human race. It dates from the days when, by the flickering light of a clay lamp, a Stone Age artist worked in the silent depths of a cave sanctuary, drawing upon the walls the great beasts he hunted for his food. Sometimes he depicted the beasts with arrows and […]

Cunning Man /Cunning Woman
Village witch or healer who provided cures, remedies, charms, spells and divination, usually in exchange for a fee or gift. “Cunning” comes from the Old English term kenning, meaning “wise” or “knowledgeable.” Other terms for cunning man and cunning woman are wise man, wise woman, sorcerer, wizard, conjurer, charmer, blesser, white witch and witch. Traditionally, […]

Witchcraft in the Bible
The best-known Biblical text referring to witchcraft is verse 18 in the twenty-second chapter of Exodus, which states: “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” It is printed on the title-page of The Discovery of Witches by Matthew Hopkins, the notorious Witch-Finder General. His book was published in 1 647, “For the Benefit of the […]

Crossroads A heavily charged place of Magick
The Greek goddess of witchcraft, Hecate, was also the goddess of the crossroads, and animals were sacrificed to her at such locations. It was believed that Hecate appeared at crossroads on clear nights, accompanied by spirits and howling dogs. Offerings were placed there to propitiate her and ask for her intercession in cases of madness, […]

Some Basic Beliefs of Witches
One of the witches’ most important basic beliefs, obviously, is the reality and possibility of magic. This involves the idea that the physical world is only part of reality, the part that we are able to apprehend with our five senses. Beyond are vaster realms; and in these the witch seeks to venture. This, again, […]
African Witchcraft
In African tribal traditions, witchcraft is part of the accepted supernatural landscape and is generally something to be feared. Study of African tribal religions illustrates the African ancestry of modern Vodun, Santería and Candomblé. There is a fairly universal belief in a supreme God, who manifests himself in light and brightness: a shining, snowcapped mountain, […]

Metamorphosis
The ability of witches, sorcerers and other magically empowered persons to transform themselves and other humans at will into animals, birds and insects. In witchcraft trials, people testified that the accused witches had appeared before them or tormented them in some nonhuman shape. For example, in 1663 Jane Milburne of Newcastle, England, did not invite […]

A History Of Witchcraft
Witchcraft probably originated about 25,000 years ago in the Palaeolithic era. At that time, humankind and nature were seen as inextricably linked. People acknowledged every rock, tree and stream as deities in the life force, and the Earth as mother, offering both womb and tomb. Early man used sympathetic, or attracting, magick – in the […]

A Call for Respect of your fellow Witches
I respect the solitary witches who blaze your own trails, walk your own paths, and listen to your own gods. It can be a lonely, yet rewarding, life. It is not for the faint of heart. From the solitary we can all learn self-reliance and how to listen to our intuition. I respect the witch […]

The Compass Round in Traditional Witchcraft
A lot of traditional witches do not cast a circle at all as this is not traditional witchcraft but some do cast a compass which is not a circle. It is very different. Rituals in Traditional Craft are very different from those that are Wicca and ceremonial based in that they are not scripted, […]

Canewdon Witches
According to a prophecy by the famous 19th-century cunning man James Murrell, the Essex village of Canewdon, located in England’s “witch country” of East Anglia, would be populated with witches “forever.” Indeed, the village and the surrounding area have been steeped in witch lore since at least 1580, when a woman named Rose Pye was […]

Esbat’s
An Esbat is a regular meeting of a coven of Witches at which religious worship is conducted, business is discussed and magic and healing work is done. The frequency of esbats depends on the coven. Most covens meet at the full Moon, which occurs 13 times a year. They may also meet at the new […]

Witches Curse
A curse is a spell intended to bring misfortune, illness, harm or death to a victim. Curses are the most dreaded form of magic, as curses are universal. They are “laid” or “thrown” primarily for revenge and power but also for protection, usually of homes, treasures, tombs and grave sites. A curse can take effect […]

The Setting of an Exorcism.
There is a special connection between the spirit and its possessing location, most often the victim’s bedroom or personal place. Anything that can be moved is taken out, such as rugs, lamps, dressers, curtains, tables and trunks, to minimize flying objects. Only a bed or couch remains, accompanied by a small side table to hold […]

Great Rite in Witchcraft
In contemporary Witchcraft, a powerful, magical rite of sexual intercourse that pays homage to the male/female polarity that exists in all things in the universe. The Great Rite expresses the physical, mental, spiritual, and astral union between man and woman and the union of the Goddess and God. The Great Rite is the hieros gamos, […]

Baphomet, An Explanation
This name was given to the statue of a mysterious deity alleged to be worshipped by the Knights Templars. The latter, although a powerful and wealthy order of chivalry, came to be distrusted by Church and State at the beginning of the fourteenth century, and were disbanded. They were accused of heresy, of worshipping the […]

Granny Magick
The Appalachian Granny Magic Tradition of Witchcraft is one that is only recently being heard of. Though the tradition is a very old one, dating all the way back to the first settlers of the magical Appalachian Mountains who came over from Scotland and Ireland in the 1700’s. They brought along their even older Irish […]

Words on Witchcraft
In Witchcraft there is no formal priesthood although some witches working in a group or coven will have a High Priestess and High Priests who are leaders of that group. The fact that they are High Priestess and High Priests may not make them better witches, it simply denotes their standing and authority within the […]

Evil Eye
The causing of illness, misfortune, calamity and death by the looks of strangers and by envious looks, amulets and incantations ward the danger off. The evil eye exists around the world, dating to ancient times. The oldest recorded references to the evil eye appear in the cuneiform texts of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians, about […]

The Season of the Witch
From the Autumn Equinox until just after the Wild Hunt rides out around Samhain is the Season of the Witch. People all over the United States seem to know that this is true without being told so. The stores decorate for Halloween, reporters develop stories about local Witches, and Witches themselves feel a certain thrill in the chilly autumnal […]

The Mechanics Of Witchcraft
Magick takes place at what TS Eliot in The Four Quartets called the ‘still point of the turning world’, that moment of timelessness that enables thought to be turned into reality on the material plane. It operates on the principle As above, so below’. This phrase comes from the beginning of The Emerald Tablet, attributed […]

Hermetica
Hermetica Forty-two sacred books of mystical wisdom attributed to the mythical Hermes Trismegistus, or “thrice great Hermes,” the combined Egyptian and Greek deities of Thoth and Hermes, respectively. The books, which date from somewhere between the third century b.c.e. and first century c.e., had an enormous impact on the development of Western occultism and magic. […]
The Theban Alphabet
The Theban alphabet otherwise known as the witch’s alphabet or runes of Honorious is believed to have emerged in the medieval period when cabbalistic practices were prominent among European magicians. Theban was first published in a book called the Polygraphia in 1518. This book was written by Johannes Trithemius. Before the first book was published, […]

Lycanthropy
The transformation of a human being into a wolf. There are two types of lycanthropy: a mania in which a person imagines himself to be a wolf and exhibits a craving for blood; and the magical-ecstatic transformation of a person into a werewolf (“man-wolf,” from the Old English werewolves , man, plus wolf), usually accomplished […]

Witchcraft & Flying
A belief during the witch hunts, that the Devil, his demons and witches could transport themselves and others through the air. Flying (also called transvection) was done with the aid of a broom, fork or shovel, according to lore; some witches were said to ride demons who were transformed into animals such as goats, cows, […]

Pagan Library
Please Click books for information and Pricing

Calling the Quarters
Also referred to as “drawing the quarters” this is a way of acknowledging the four cardinal directions and their Elemental associations, as well as the chosen deities of the coven or solitary Witch. In a coven, either the High Priestess, the High Priest, or another coven member will walk around the circle, stopping in each […]

Blasting
The ability of witches to interfere with or destroy the fertility of man, beast, and crop. This malicious destruction was considered a common activity among witches, and remedies and preventive actions circulated in folklore and magic. Blasting is the antithesis of rituals to enhance fertility, and accusations of it date to the second century c.e. […]

Caul
The amniotic fetal membrane that sometimes clings to a newborn’s head or body after birth. Being born with a caul, or veil, has significance in folklore related to magical powers. A person born with a caul was believed to have psychic gifts such as the ability to see ghosts and spirits and to divine the […]

References to Witchcraft in the Bible
The best-known Biblical text referring to witchcraft is verse 18 in the twenty-second chapter of Exodus, which states: “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” It is printed on the title-page of The Discovery of Witches by Matthew Hopkins, the notorious Witch-Finder General. His book was published in 1 647, “For the Benefit of […]

The Season of the Witch
From the Autumn Equinox until just after the Wild Hunt rides out around Samhain is the Season of the Witch. People all over the United States seem to know that this is true without being told so. The stores decorate for Halloween, reporters develop stories about local Witches, and Witches themselves feel a certain thrill in the chilly autumnal […]

Flying Ointment
This greasy, trance-inducing substance was traditionally made of hallucinogenic (and often fatal) herbs that had been boiled in pig fat and then strained. It was called “green salve” or “witches’ ointment” and it some of the stock ingredients (solinicaeds) caused a “flying” sensation as the hallucination began — hence the popular image of the flying […]

The Compass Round in Traditional Witchcraft
A lot of traditional witches do not cast a circle at all as this is not traditional witchcraft but some do cast a compass which is not a circle. It is very different. Rituals in Traditional Craft are very different from those that are Wicca and ceremonial based in that they are not scripted, they […]

The Brocken
The Brocken, also called the Blocksberg, was the most famous meeting place for witches in Europe. An old-fashioned poet, Matthison, wrote of it with gruesome awe. The horn of Satan grimly sounds; On Blocksberg’s flanks strange din resounds, And specters crowd its summit high. One wild story even claimed that here on Walpurgis Night (30th […]

Glyph
In Witchcraft and magick, glyph is a term used to describe a powerful symbol that represents a person, place, or thing. When the glyph is consecrated, and/or acted upon, it can ward off psychic attack, illness, and bad luck. Most glyphs are a combination of an individual’s name and birth date. These are inscribed upon […]

The Black Fast
This ritual was one of fasting to aid concentration, for some particular purpose. It was alleged to have been used by Mabel Brigge, who was executed for witchcraft at York in 1 538. The fast involved abstaining from meat, milk, and all food made with milk. During the period of the fast, the witch concentrated […]

Traditional Witchcraft
Traditional witchcraft is an umbrella term that includes many traditions. Essentially traditional witches are practitioners of forms of witchcraft that pre-date Wicca and new age practices. Some of these traditions may be passed down as family traditions, whilst others are cultural, where witches follow the traditions of their own or a specific culture. Traditional witchcraft […]

Some Basic Beliefs of Witches, Part Two
Between earthly incarnations, witches believe the soul rests in the Land of Faery, a pagan paradise like the Celtic Tir-Nan-Og, the Land of the Young. Many references to this pagan otherworld can be found in British and Celtic legend. It is a very different place from the Christian heaven, involving no harps, haloes nor golden […]

Guazzo, Francesco-Maria (17th century)
Guazzo, Francesco-Maria (17th century) Italian friar who became well known as a demonologist and opponent of witches. Francesco-Maria Guazzo is best known as the author of Compendium Maleficarum (Handbook of Witches), a leading inquisitor’s guide. Little is known about Guazzo’s life. He joined the Brethren of St. Ambrose ad Nemus and St. Barnabas in Milan. […]


Your First Steps to Witchcraft
Our first steps on the path of Witchcraft require us to connect to the earth and at least wonder about its inherent value. Could the earth, its seasons, and the natural realm really have value beyond material or monetary advantage? Could it be (as indigenous people across the globe say) “sacred?” What does sacred mean? […]

THE BEGINNINGS OF ENGLISH WITCHCRAFT 1.1
It has been said by a thoughtful writer that the subject of witchcraft has hardly received that place which it deserves in the history of opinions. There has been, of course, a reason for this neglect—the fact that the belief in witchcraft is no longer existent among intelligent people and that its history, in consequence, […]

Different Types & Traditions of Modern Witches
Alexandrian – Founded in England during the 1960’s by Alexander Sanders, self-proclaimed “King of the Witches”. An offshoot of Gardnerian, Alexandrian covens focus strongly upon training, emphasizing on areas more generally associated with ceremonial magic, such as Qabalah, Angelic Magic and Enochian. The typical Alexandrian coven has a hierarchical structure, and generally meets on weekly, […]

Witchcraft Theory & Practice – Self Analysis exercises Two
This exercise makes use of what is called the Book of Elements. It’s going to be one of your primary grimoires. The technique is commonly used by most of the occultists whom I have known (myself included), and it works on the premise that practitioners will consistently work at erasing any mundane conditioning complexes that […]

Witchcraft Theory & Practice – Self Analysis exercises one
Exercise 1 1. Choose a quiet place where you will not be interrupted. If you are working the technique alone, you will need pencil and paper. If you are working with someone else, they will need the pencil and paper. They will question you and record the replies. 2. Write at the top of one […]

To Be a Witch
A witch is either a woman or a man who knows that he or she is a witch. A witch is a natural. A witch realizes certain powers; represents, rather than worships them; calls them Goddess and God (without it being a fixed, or boxed, ideology) and invokes them; fuses with them emotes and lives […]

The Witches Cauldron
The cauldron, like the broomstick and the black cat, is one of the features of any scene of witchcraft as pictured in the popular mind. Some of the belief derives from Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, where the witches’ cauldron is introduced on the stage, with its accompanying dances and incantations. Actors regard Macbeth, because of the […]

Witchcraft – The Four Fire Festivals
The Fire Festivals interweave themselves with the lesser Sabbats of the solstice and equinox, but whereas the solstices and equinoxes mark the transitions of the Sun in its association with the Earth, the Fire Festivals mark the transitions of the seasons of Earth, the initiation of the transitions that are actualized and obvious at solstice […]

Witchcraft The Disciplines
Hallowed Be Thy Name Hailed, and walled, with garnet and with topaz The Temples of my Family! Deep in scarlet velvet and in black Come lay with me Entwine and sweat and softly moan before the Fire; Beneath the Veil of candles Lit to show the Way But slightly, darkly Unto the music of ghosts; […]

Witchcraft, The Law of Congruity
The Law of Congruity is the law of cause and effect: every action has an equal and opposite reaction. That does not imply that the effect is either relative or recognizable in any human evaluation-it simply is what it says it is. The Law of Congruity does not apply to matter only, but to thought […]

Chimes outside your Door
Try hanging a set of chimes outside your door or a bell. Ringing bells and chimes are said to ward off and dismiss those negative energies that may wish to imprint themselves on your life.

Witches Besom with Bristles Up
Try placing a besom or a broom with its bristles up near the entry of your home. Any spirits with the intention of harm will have to pass through the bristles in order to get to you.

Magnetic Oil Charged Water
Try placing a bowl of magnetic oil-charged water in your rooms to soak up negativity. Float candles in it to make it a little less obvious and use black stones or black glass marbles to purify.

Guardian Totem
Place a small guardian totem such as a dragon or gargoyle and explain it’s duties. People will just think you like statues of animals, usually.

Witchcraft Supplies & Tools
The most important thing to note when getting into witchery is that supplies are anything at your disposal. You don’t need fancy materials. A simple candle or a small necklace is more than enough. Whatever feels right to you works. Whatever you have space for works. Whatever you have the budget for works. Spirituality is […]

Witchcraft, Wicca and Modern Druidry
Wicca and Modern Druidry began in the 1950s. They have their roots and inspiration in the old traditions of Witchcraft and the Druids, yet were formed in order to create branches of a modern Western Paganism that celebrated Nature in all its glory. Two friends, Gerald Gardner and Ross Nichols met around a decade earlier […]

Glyph
In Witchcraft and magick, glyph is a term used to describe a powerful symbol that represents a person, place, or thing. When the glyph is consecrated, and/or acted upon, it can ward off psychic attack, illness, and bad luck. Most glyphs are a combination of an individual’s name and birth date. These are inscribed upon […]

Witchcraft Focus
Focus is rather difficult to describe in a linear fashion. It is achieved when you link emotion and intellect in one function for the purpose of actualization, by will, of the desired outcome. It does not allow the ego to interfere with its function. It is the deep stillness. It is the silence behind all […]

Witchcraft Preparation
The preparation required of you when working magic, as well as ritual, if possible should be done with the idea of excellence kept clearly at the forefront of your thoughts. Should you be preparing a sacred space in which to work magic and ritual, seek to personalize the entire process by doing the best you […]

Forgetting Humans. The Secret Granary and the Cup That Must Be Broken
For all of the people out there who are looking to spiritual systems, whether exoteric or esoteric, or who look to sorcerous systems and metaphysical pursuits to make themselves into better people, find peace, increase their overall well-being, to them I say “keep looking and good luck.” Exoteric religions alone among those various interests may […]

The Hermetic Principles
Witchcraft can be said to employ the Law of Attraction in a sense, though magic can be much more complex than simply focusing one’s thoughts on the desired outcome. It might be more accurate to say that Witches employ rituals, tools, words, and gifts from the natural world to enhance and expand their work with […]

No Turning Back from Witchcraft
Once you have chosen to take upon yourself the obligations of the practice of Witchcraft, then the effects, or the immanence, of this way of life will be bestowed on you from aligned intelligence, and so will the tests that accompany them. Anyone who willingly opens themselves to powers beyond the veil of manifestation (as […]

Learning Witchcraft
Whether reading grimoires or studying under a teacher, it can be difficult to truly know how to discern true value from innocent babble or even outright deception. As such, when one is Seeking out there, it behooves us to maintain a standard of discernment to help us consider what we discover. The Measuring tape: Consider […]

Types of Witchcraft
Witchcraft is the magical manipulation of energy to bring about change. The energy used by a witch may be environmental, from herbs, stones and other natural objects, or it may come from the witch herself or it may be channeled through the witch from a God or Goddess or from the Earth or Universe at […]

Witchcraft Awareness
Don’t miss anything. In all of your undertakings, have all your senses working at their fullest potency; this is necessary in your magical, ritual, and personal activities. Of primary significance is the activity of your sixth sense, which will have been triggered/awakened by the preceding exercises, and which will pick up the exchanges of energy […]

Understanding The Terms of Witchcraft
The Terms of witchcraft are meant to transport the practitioner into the heart of life itself, where words are ultimately limitations and qualifiers. More specifically, they can guide practitioners toward a direct mystical experience of deity, nature, and the individual spirit. Words are obliterated and become meaningless when the practitioner achieves this experiential state of […]

Cauls use in Witchcraft
The amniotic fetal membrane that sometimes clings to a newborn’s head or body after birth. Being born with a caul, or veil, has significance in folklore related to magical powers. A person born with a caul was believed to have psychic gifts such as the ability to see ghosts and spirits and to divine the […]

Exorcism
The expulsion of evil spirits by commanding them to depart. The expulsion is often done in the name of a deity, saints, angels or other intercessory figures. Exorcism comes from the Greek horkos, meaning “oath,” and translates as adjuro, or adjure, in Latin and English. To “exorcize,” then, does not really mean to cast out […]

Lucius Apuleius
Lucius Apuleius is best known to us as the author of The Golden Ass, one of the most famous romances in the world, containing as it does the story of Cupid and Psyche. His importance to the study of witchcraft rests on the fact that The Golden Ass is a romance of witchcraft, and illustrates […]

Blasting in Witchcraft
The ability of witches to interfere with or destroy the fertility of man, beast, and crop. This malicious destruction was considered a common activity among witches, and remedies and preventive actions circulated in folklore and magic. Blasting is the antithesis of rituals to enhance fertility, and accusations of it date to the second century c.e. […]

Mathew Hopkins
Hopkins, Matthew (?–1647?) England’s most notorious professional witch-hunter, who brought about the condemnations and executions of at least 230 alleged witches, more than all other witch-hunters combined during the 160-year peak of the country’s witch hysteria. Hopkins was born in Wenham, Suffolk, the son of a minister. Little is known about him before 1645, when […]

Fairy Witch of Clonmel (1894)
Fairy Witch of Clonmel (1894) A young woman named Bridget Cleary, of Clonmel, County Tipperary, who was tortured and burned to death because her husband believed the fairies had spirited her away and substituted in her place a witch changeling. Changelings are sickly fairy infants that fairies leave in the place of the human babies […]

Hibbins, Ann (d. 1656)
Hibbins, Ann (d. 1656) Prominent Boston woman convicted of witchcraft and executed. Her chief crime as a witch seemed to have been a bad temper, which was disliked by her neighbors. Ann Hibbins was married to William Hibbins, a well-to-do merchant in Boston. She also was the sister of Richard Bellingham, deputy governor of Massachusetts, […]

Graves, William (17th century)
Graves, William (17th century) Connecticut man accused of witchcraft over a dispute with his daughter and son-in-law. Though no legal action was taken against William Graves, his case indicates how easily personal squabbles could be turned into serious witchcraft charges. Graves’ daughter, Abigail, married a man named Samuel Dibble. Graves may not have approved of […]

Bamberg Witches
At the center of the worst witch tortures and trials in Germany was Bamberg, a small state ruled by Gottfried Johann Georg II Fuchs von Dornheim. The Hexenbischof (Witch Bishop) von Dornheim, as he was known, ruled the state from 1623 to 1633 and established an efficient witch-burning machine aided by the Inquisition. By the […]

Hawkins, Jane (17th century)
Hawkins, Jane (17th century) Massachusetts midwife and healer expelled on suspicions of witchcraft in the delivery of a deformed, stillborn fetus. The witchcraft accusations were mixed with a religious controversy affecting Jane Hawkins as well. Hawkins, married to Richard Hawkins, was well known for her midwifery skills and medical remedies. She also was associated with […]

The burning alive of Father Louis Gaufridi
The burning alive of Father Louis Gaufridi for bewitchment of the nuns at Aix in 1611 formed the legal precedent for the conviction and execution of Urbain Grandier at Loudun more than 20 years later. This case was one of the first in France to produce a conviction based on the testimony of a possessed […]

Gruber, Bernardo (17th century)
German trader accused of sorcery by Pueblo Indians in northern New Mexico. Bernardo Gruber was imprisoned. He escaped but died a strange death. In 1668, Gruber arrived in New Mexico with a pack train of mules bearing fine goods. It was said that he was fearless and traveled through the lands of the fierce Apache […]

Arras witches (1459–1460)
A mass witch hunt in Arras, northern France. The accused were brutally tortured and promised their lives, then burned at the stake. The incident roused the ire of the duke of Burgundy, and eventually those executed were posthumously exonerated. The witch hunt was one of the earliest in the region. Inquisitors used charges of witchcraft […]

Ladder
Widely held superstitions that it is bad luck to walk beneath a ladder are related in part to fears about witches, especially during the witch hunt times in colonial America. Not all witches were burned—for example, in England and in the American colonies, witches were hung. When they dropped, they fell below the ladder leading […]

Chelmsford witches
Chelmsford witches Four major witch trails in the 16th–17th centuries that resulted in numerous convictions and executions. The first trial occurred in the summer of 1566, under the rule of Queen Elizabeth, whose Parliament had passed the second of England’s three witchcraft acts in 1563. The Act of 1563 tightened penalties for witchcraft, making it […]

Corey, Giles (d. 1692)
Executed in the Salem Witches hysteria of 1692–93 by being pressed to death for not acknowledging the right of the court to try him on charges of witchcraft. Giles Corey was a well-to-do man of Salem Town, in his 80s when the hysteria started. He owned a farm of 100 acres and other properties as […]

Butters, Mary (late 18th–early 19th centuries)
An attempt to cure a cow of bewitchment with white magic ended in disaster for Mary Butters, the “Carmoney Witch,” who narrowly escaped a trial in Carricfergus, Ireland, in March 1808. Butters was a reputed wise woman, skilled in herbal knowledge and various spells. In August 1807 Butters was hired by Alexander Montgomery, a tailor […]

Corey, Martha (d. 1692)
The fourth person to be accused of witchcraft in the Salem Witches hysteria of 1692–93, who was tried and executed. Martha Corey was the wife of Giles Corey, who also was executed. The Coreys were well-to-do, pious residents of Salem Town. Martha’s age at the time of the trials is not known. Presumably, she was […]

Burroughs, George (d. 1692)
Burroughs, George (d. 1692) Minister accused of witchcraft and executed in the Salem Witches hysteria in Massachusetts in 1692 to 1693. George Burroughs served as minister of Salem Village from 1680 to 1682. He was a man of good reputation, having graduated from Harvard in 1670. He had distinguished himself as a preacher in Maine, […]

Gowdie, Isobel (?–ca. 1662)
Scottish witch whose stories of wild sexual escapades with the Devil titillated and shocked her stern neighbors and reinforced the prevailing beliefs in witches as evil creatures bent on destroying their fellow man. Isobel Gowdie, an attractive woman with red hair, a color associated with witches, voluntarily confessed to witchcraft on four occasions in April […]

Cole, Ann (17th century)
Accused witch in Hartford,Connecticut, who was believed to be under demonic possession. The case was recorded in a letter written by Reverend John Whiting, which in turn was published by Increase Mather in An Essay for the Recording of Illustrious Providences (1684). Ann Cole was described by Mather as a woman of great integrity and […]

Greensmith, Rebecca (17th century)
Hartford, Connecticut, woman accused of witchcraft, who confessed and was executed. Rebecca Greensmith and her third husband, Nathaniel, lived next door to Ann Cole. The couple were reasonably affluent, but Rebecca was considered a “lewd and ignorant” woman. In 1662, when Cole was brought up on charges of witchcraft, Greensmith was already languishing in prison […]

Good, Dorcas (17th century)
The youngest victim of the Salem Witches hysteria of 1692–93. Dorcas Good was the daughter of Sarah Good, one of the first persons to be accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. Only four years old, Dorcas was also accused of being a witch. In childlike fashion, she readily confessed to witchcraft, which she […]

Burning Times
A term used by Witches and Pagans to refer to the period in Western history of intense witch-hunting and executions, generally the mid-15th to mid18th centuries. Burning, one of the most extreme forms of execution, was urged by St. Augustine (354–430), who said that pagans, Jews, and heretics would burn forever in the eternal fire […]

Bodin, Jean (1529–1596)
Bodin, Jean (1529–1596) French demonologist and political theorist who encouraged the vicious persecution of witches and helped fan the fires of the Inquisition throughout Europe. Jean Bodin said that people who denied the existence of witchcraft were witches themselves and said that, with rare exceptions, no accused witch should go unpunished. Bodin was born in […]

Bishop, Bridget (d. 1692)
Bridget (d. 1692) The first victim of the Salem Witches hysteria in Massachusetts in 1692–93. Bridget Bishop was the first to be accused and examined, and the first to be tried and executed. Bishop was an easy target when the hysteria began. She was not well regarded by her neighbors, for she owned a tavern […]

Women who Burned
“It was not witches who burned. It was women. Women who were seen as Too beautiful Too outspoken Had too much water in the well Who had a birthmark Women who were too skilled with herbal medicine Too loud Too quiet Too much red in her hair Women who had a strong nature connection Women […]

Burning at the Stake as a Punishment for Witches
Contrary to popular belief, witches were not burned at the stake in England, after the Reformation. Instead, death sentences were carried out by hanging. In Scotland, however, the sentence of burning was still inflicted. However if the witches had confessed what they were ordered to confess, they were accorded the mercy of being strangled before […]

The Persecution Of Witches
n medieval times, there were possibly many issues, political, religious, and otherwise, that brought about the persecution of witches. Amongst other things, These issues included the religious emphasis on the sin of Eve and the belief in the inferiority of women. The belief in the inferiority of women had existed since the time of St […]

The Hedge – The eight festivals and their corresponding times
The eight festivals and their corresponding times are: • Samhain – sunset of 31st October to sunset 1st November. If working by the moon, it is the first full moon when the sun is in Scorpio. If working by the natural landscape, it is when the first frosts bite. Samhain was termed the Celtic New […]

Witchcraft Theory & Practice – The Eight Fold Wheel of the Year
Sabbat Southern Hemisphere Northern Hemisphere Samhain May 1 October 31 Winter Solstice June 21 (approx.) December 21 (approx.) Feast of Bride August 2 February 2 Spring Equinox September 21 (approx.) March 21 (approx.) Beltane October 31 May 1 Summer Solstice December 21 (approx.) June 21 (approx.) Llughnassad February 2 August 2 Autumn Equinox March 21 […]

Witchcraft Theory & Practice – SYMBOLISM OF SOLSTICE AND EQUINOX
Winter: Rebirth of the Sun God. The boyhood and training of the once and future king. Spring: Symbolic and actual mating of the Sun King with the daughter and priestess of the Moon. His initiation as both priest and king. Summer: Sacrifice of the Sun King, leading to the harvest of his reign. Transformation. Autumn: […]

Witchcraft Theory & Practice – Solstice and Equinox
The Wheel of Solstice and Equinox is as follows: Winter Solstice (known as Yule); to Spring Equinox (known as Ostara); to Summer Solstice (known as Litha); thence to Autumn Equinox (known as Mabon). This is the Solar/Earth Wheel. We ritually acknowledge the solstice and equinoctial processions to align ourselves with these cycles, both personally and […]

Problems with the Climate
Are you troubled about traipsing through the chill of the night? Do you get singed in the sun or think an icy downpour is a downer? Wicca is a spiritual tradition that includes many practices that bring the practitioner into direct contact with nature. It seeks to harmonize the Witch with life as it is […]

Weather Magick
Witches were once believed to be able to raise the wind at their pleasure. In a confession made at Auldearn in Nairnshire in the year 1662, certain women accused of sorcery said, “When we raise the wind, we take a rag of cloth and wet it in water, and we take a beetle and knock […]

The Hedge Craft – Weather Lore
The local Wise Woman or Cunning Man would have a pretty good grasp on predicting the weather. So would local farmers, if they paid attention to their landscape, which, given it was their livelihood, I should imagine was the case! Get to know the weather patterns in your area, and make notes so that you […]

Visualization in Witchcraft
Proficiency in visualization is most important to all occult training. The receptacle of the imagination is integral to the processes of creation. Change through intent begins with inspiration, passing through the realm of the imagination, This can be manipulated by the emotions of enthusiasm, desire, empathy, and compatibility and is transformed into a manifest outcome […]

Pentacle Tarot
● Ace- material gains, growth, happiness; (R) immobility, empty wealth ● King- sensible, worldliness, manifest ideas; (R) inability, corrupt ● Queen- stability, culture, plans become reality; (R) neglect, delays ● Prince (Knight)- mature, responsible, implementation; (R) reckless, no gains ● Princess (Knave)- completion, study; (R) dissipation of energy, unrealistic ● 10- prosperity, stability, joy; (R) […]

Tarot Cards ( Breaking in a New Deck)
When breaking in a new deck, you may wish to do so with a dedication using incense. Maybe you could use incense-like Frankincense, and sprinkle an herb (such as rue, betony, cinquefoil, burdock, elder, lavender, marigold, mugwort, or wormwood). When done with the sprinkle, the herb may be burned with the incense, dropped into a […]

Symbols Of Magick
Although you can carry out rituals using absolutely anything, you may like to create a special set of symbols for a variety of rituals. These you can keep in a separate box within your main store of magick artifacts so they do not get scattered or broken. You may include a thimble to symbolize domestic […]

Ostara Blessing
Ostara Blessings to all. Today is the Spring Equinox when night and day are both at equal length. If you go out late afternoon you might just catch the rising Moon in the sky at exactly the same time the Sun is about to set. Early in the next morning you can also see the […]

The Spring Equinox / Ostara, Explained
The Time of The Spring Equinox is From sunset on or about 20th March for three days Its Focus is The triumph of light over darkness, resurrection, new beginnings and opportunities; spring cleaning and casting out what is no longer of worth; fertility and conception, the winds of change. At the spring equinox, the Sun […]