Butser Ancient Farm, Hampshire, UK Saturday 5th May – Beltane. As the heady temperatures of the UK continued into the Bank Holiday weekend, without the customary threat of rain on the horizon, and the hour crept later in the afternoon, there seemed little else for it but to heed the call of Beltane and an appointment with the Wicker Man. Butser Ancient Farm is an ‘open-air research laboratory’ into the past, an experimental archeological farm that is exploring the past... Read more
What does it mean to practice witchcraft? Rather, before that we should ask another question; what is witchcraft? What is it for. My mentor, who was a genuine and committed student of Alex Sanders, often quotes Sanders as saying that he “didn’t teach witchcraft, he taught magic”, and therein lies a pertinent distinction often lost in today’s Wiccan milieu, popularised beyond recognition through the surge of social media (#witchesofinstagram). Within the teachings passed to me so far from my teacher... Read more
To Every thing there is a season, a time to every purpose under Heaven (Ecclesiastes 3 King James Version (KJV)) Modern Traditional Witchcraft uses a compass system, as opposed to the more familiar Kabbalistic Tree oriented systems which were so popular throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first century. For a better understanding, we must consider that the witch, like the metaphysical philosophers before her, makes use of the character and spirits of a particular aspect of the compass, identifying and working... Read more
There are twelve months in all the year, As I hear many men say, But the merriest month in all the year, Is the merry, merry month of May. (Child Ballad 140B.1 – Robin Hood Rescuing Three Squires) The vibrant verdant land, having woken from its winter slumber in bursts of leaf and bud, with long days and the promise of warm golden sunshine, brings with it the assurance of fertility. The covenant of life and peace is displayed upon... Read more
Robert Cochrane has become well known in association with the 1734 Tradition of Witchcraft following his brief correspondence with Joe Wilson. Wilson founded the tradition following this flurry of letter writing under the guidance of his mentor ‘Sean’, as well as influence through Ruth Wynn Owen of the hereditary tradition Y Plant Bran. The philosophy of the number itself has spawned much speculation over the years as the letters to Wilson have come to the attention of seekers. There is... Read more
Or how to tread the mill There are three rings of power that are distinct and often referenced by those adherents to a traditional witchcraft deriving from the works of Robert Cochrane, sometimes conflated and confused. Within the writings of Cochrane there is made use of terminologies that have become incorporated as general canon of traditional witchcraft. In the document known as the Basic Structure of the Craft among students of his work, Cochrane makes plain that there are five... Read more
The Planetary Hours and the Traditional Witch’s Compass There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Who uses the Planetary Hours? The answer, quite simply, is that we all do each and every day. The days of the week are named for the classical planet which rules the first hour as opposed to the traditional sequence of the planets one might expect. Therefore, however you call the 24 hour period which... Read more
Review of the Ced Tarot Tarot in Traditional Witchcraft has a strange relationship and many have wished for a deck which reflects the themes of this current. Sadly, those that do profess to be a Traditional Witchcraft Tarot fall somewhat short, expressing nothing more than an adaptation of the Rider-Waite deck with alternative names. In this, people fail to understand that the tarot itself is a system, and a complete one, that needs little improvement by alternating names or associations... Read more
To the West lies an island, far across the sea and nestled upon the horizon, waves lashing at its shore like blue green flame, white foam billowing like gentle clouds that batter the rocky outcrops. A single inlet cuts in to the heart of the island, a tidal river flowing inland drawn by the moon like breath, coursing in and out with a pulsating beat. Within the island, the river terminates in high wall of smooth rock, cold and silver... Read more
A name frequently heard and repeated amongst Old Craft adherents is Tubal Cain - tutelary deity in Traditional Witchcraft. There has been a great deal of speculation and interesting cogitation with regards the first Biblical smith and his significance in Craft circles. Read more
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