By The Pale Moonlight - Musings in modern Traditional Witchcraft.

Wyrd Witchcraft

December 16, 2018 By Ian Chambers

“Wyrd”, says one scholar, “is the compelling power and final destiny which no man and no thing may escape”. We can’t escape time: it is. We can’t escape our fate, our wyrd: it is… But there’s always a choice, there’s always a twist… [Graves, 1995] Witchcraft and magic is a funny thing. There are multiple theories, from ancient to modern, and techniques to work, not all necessarily in agreement. Many require the use of tools, props or equipment, while other techniques call… Read more

Considering An Historic Witchcraft

September 2, 2018 By Ian Chambers

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A lot has changed with witchcraft, both socially and individually. Historic witchcraft may, in fact, be sufficiently removed from its modern counterpart as to be unrecognisable in a time when there has never been more positive media exposure as with the rise of the aesthetic, social and lifestyle witchcrafts which affirm individuality and “…empower us to grow, change and heal.”[1] There are some common and easily identified mistakes with this vogue understanding of witchcraft, which is little helped by some… Read more

Flags, Flax and Fodder – A Benediction Explored

August 20, 2018 By Ian Chambers

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Fýr, fleax, fódder, frið (Fire, Flax, Fodder & Frith) Since the private letters of Robert Cochrane became discretely distributed throughout the witchcraft communities, and amongst those pagans who picked up titbits here and there, there has been a saying that has flourished. Described as an Anglo-Saxon blessing, Cochrane signed his letters to American founder of the 1734 Tradition, Joe Wilson, in the 1960s with the letters fff, signifying, he says, ‘flags, flax and fodder’, or a home, clothing and food:… Read more

Warlock – Breaker of God’s Covenant

August 7, 2018 By Ian Chambers

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“Lo, I have not been mindful of the sons of men, but the tribe of Cain hath sorely angered me.” Genesis A & B Book 20. Line 1255 Warlock = from OE wærloga, one who is false to his covenant The AS Genesis B Text (part of the Caedmon MS) recounts the story of Cain and Abel and attributes earthly sin to Cain for the slaying of his brother. This is a remarkable rendition of the Biblical story in that… Read more

Blood Moon: The Lunar Eclipse At Lammas

July 26, 2018 By Ian Chambers

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Friday 27th July, 2018, marks a phenomenal lunar phase, whereby circumstances conspire, combine and coalesce as Selene rises in the night sky in two most magical conditions: full and totally eclipsed. Described as a ‘Blood Moon’, due to its reddish hue, the lunar sphere will appear in the night sky (UK) at 20.50pm in the evening, already in total eclipse. During this phenomenon, the earth is perfectly between the solar and lunar orbs, fixed in that liminal space betwixt the… Read more

Meditation – Something To Think About

July 14, 2018 By Ian Chambers

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Being able to meditate in solitude is fine. Being able to meditate in a crowd is bliss. One of the fundamental practices which constitutes a foundation of any successful magician’s toolkit is meditation. In his seminal work, Sorcerer’s Secrets, professional sorcerer Jason Miller advocates the incorporation of meditation techniques within basic daily routines. Similarly, the topic of meditation is one that arises quite frequently among pagans, witches, druids, Thelemites and those who practice magic, and with good reason. In our interview… Read more

Interview With A Witch – Stuart Inman On Alex Sanders, Buddhism & 1734 Witchcraft

July 13, 2018 By Ian Chambers

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Stuart Inman has been a respected and revered friend and colleague for a long time now and is one of those people who has experience and knowledge aplenty. From his earliest involvement with Wicca under the tutelage of Alex Sanders, immersion in Tibetan Buddhism, to becoming one of the foremost exponents of Traditional Witchcraft and a guardian of the 1734 tradition and method, Stuart is an authority on Surrealism and also the magister of the Clan of the Entangled Thicket…. Read more

The Ever Changing Face of Witchcraft

July 10, 2018 By Ian Chambers

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Anybody with an Instagram account has probably become aware of a social and cultural movement that is focussed upon the enabling of young people, in particular women, to take personal sovereignty over key facets of their lives. Described as ‘witchcraft’, with tags such as #witchesofinstagram, this is not spellcraft, charming or cursing as we have understood it in the past. Rather, it is a lifestyle movement that empowers the ‘witch’ to that personal sovereignty using such methods as power moves,… Read more

Visualisation – Eyes Wide Open

July 6, 2018 By Ian Chambers

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Visualisation (or visualization in the USA), is one of those skills that is referred to in a common parlance, dropped into conversation concerning magic, mysticism and the esoteric arts with a frequency that assumes not only understanding but ability. Furthermore, new and aspiring occultists might infer from the regularity of the term that it is a basic ability with which everybody is familiar, that all occultists are capable of conjuring a blue white pentagram before them at will. Allow me… Read more

Midsummer Celebration at The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic

June 25, 2018 By Ian Chambers

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Boscastle, Cornwall, UK. 23rd June 2018. The Midsummer went off in a traditional manner at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Cornwall, UK, with a celebration that marked the fire festival in a beautiful way. Nestled on the horn of land which is Cornwall, tucked away in the North Cornish coast and hidden in the valley by the craggy, rolling scoops of hills, Boscastle is a place where two rivers conjoin before winding out into the harbour to meet… Read more