Author: A Solitary Pagan

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, horses and wolves. The Devil had the power to pick people up and whisk them t...

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 cardinal direction to invoke the presence of its associated Element and, if...

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 Whole Kingdome”. This supposed portion of the word of God has been ...

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 witch. Great care had to be taken in preparing t...

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 all her mental energy and will-power upon some particular object. This was usually to cau...

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 is based on the tradi...

Between earthly incarnations, witches believe the soul rests in the Land of Faery, a pagan paradise like the Celtic Tir-Nan-Og, the Landof 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 gates, but a country like the old dreams of Arcady. It is conceived of a...

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? In Witchcraft, the term refers to something that is holy or that has a direct r...

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, seems to possess rather an antiquarian than a living interest. No one can t...