Within the milieu of neopaganism, and nature-based religious movements that lie at the heart of modern Wicca and Druidry, as well as the magical arts in a broader context, the ancestors holds high office. When we talk of ancestors, most frequently we are thinking purposefully and immediately of deceased familial groups, past family members and direct lineal predecessors who now occupy the space of spirit. Indeed, there is a persistent regard for such ancestral notions in the Western world, through… Read more
April 19, 2021
Whistling the Winds of Beltane
April 19, 2021 By Ian Chambers
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“South wind —heat and produce, North wind—cold and tempest, West wind—fish and milk, East wind—fruit on trees.” (Gregorson Campbell, 1902) [1] Celtic beliefs of the last century, as found in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, testify to a belief in the faery folk, weather lore and the winds, or airts, intimately connected in a magical worldview. The Scottish folklorist, John Gregorson Campbell (1836-1891), recalls a faery belief that persisted in the Scottish Highlands of the nineteenth century. Indeed, memoirs pieced together from John’s… Read more
February 21, 2021
Punk Witchcraft !
February 21, 2021 By Ian Chambers
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In terms of witchery, I firmly believe that the origins and persistent ethos of the witch is one that embraces the Punk attitude. Read more
January 30, 2021
Discussing the Late Witch Ralph Harvey with Richard Gordon
January 30, 2021 By Ian Chambers
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“…there was a whole lot of secrecy involved due to the fact that, at the time, you could still be imprisoned for what may be seen to be practicing witchcraft.” Richard Gordon is a freelance author, philosopher, occultist, artist and owner operator of Lilith Mandrake Books. Amongst the stable of authors at Lilith Mandrake Books is the late witch of the ‘old school’ Ralph Harvey, who unfortunately passed in 2020. Ralph was of a generation that saw the repeal… Read more
January 18, 2021
The Saining of Brigit – A Ritual For Candlemas (Imbolc)
January 18, 2021 By Ian Chambers
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This ritual for Imbolc, Saining of Brigit, appeals to Brigit in the context of initiation and purification, in order to receive blessings upon this occasion. #Imbolc #Brigit Read more
December 20, 2020
Punk Witchcraft: A Manifesto?
December 20, 2020 By Ian Chambers
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Witchcraft has been a subversive facet of culture since time immemorial. Incorporating inversion, reversion and subversion, witchcraft historically is experienced as the folkish expression of rebellion and liberty against established political and religious elitism. From the inquisitorial and secular witch trials, we learn of the diabolic nature of the witch pact, the inversion of religious Mass and Sacrament, the reversion to atavistic impulse and the subverting of a perceived societal order which maintains the monolithic institutes of the establishment. Witchcraft,… Read more
December 5, 2020
The Black Fast – The Witch Trial of Mabel Brigge and Fasting as Magic
December 5, 2020 By Ian Chambers
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The Black Fast In the Year of Our Lord, 1537, the potato arrived in Europe, the Dissolution of the Monasteries (which commenced the year prior) was under way in England and the ten year old John Dee (derived from Welsh du, meaning ‘black) attended Chelmsford Chantry School. In the Summer of that same year, Mabel Brigge, a widow and serial faster, house servant to the Lokkar family in the East Riding of Yorkshire, was hired to perform the Black Fast…. Read more
December 1, 2020
AvalonCon Debut in Glastonbury 2021 – Lineup & Tickets Launched
December 1, 2020 By Ian Chambers
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What better way to kick off 2021 than with a brand new occult and paranormal conference from seasoned connoisseurs of high strangeness and magick at the historic and mythic town of Glastonbury, Somerset. Let’s be honest, 2020 has been, at best, a write off. There have been admirable conferences hosted online, and some creative solutions to the challenges of this uniquely difficult and collective annus horribilis. Of course, 2021 will bring with it its own share of struggle, but there is much to… Read more
November 27, 2020
Pax Deorum – The Formula of Do ut Des & Making of Offerings
November 27, 2020 By Ian Chambers
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Pax Deorum Being the First Book of the Wanderer (previously unpublished © Ian Chambers 2018) The following is taken from the privately published work Pax Deorum, and introduces the philosophy behind the working relationship between deity or spirit and operator in the Classical Roman period which informed early medieval Europe. The formula is further expanded upon throughout the book and leads elegantly into the subsequent (and as yet unpublished) companion and follow up, Pax Diaboli. All that is gold does not glitter,… Read more
November 25, 2020
Cain – The Witchfather in Traditional Witchcraft (Part 1)
November 25, 2020 By Ian Chambers
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Traditional Witchcraft has become rather popular among the neopagan and occult milieu today, allowing freedom to explore through personal experience and learning. A decade or two ago, things were a little different and there were certain phrases and sayings you might hear in studying this area. One example is the Crooked Path, a reference coined by the late Andrew D. Chumbley in reference to a particular aspect pertaining to Sabbatic Witchcraft embodied in the outer through the conclave known as… Read more
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