The working witch experiences, indeed cultivates, a deliberate stepping out of the accepted and everyday worldview and seeks the patterns of the subconscious, the underworld, traversing the layers within which it operates through intuitive belief. Read more
“…the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom – Lucifer.” Rules for the Radicals, Saul Alinsky 1971 Full Disclosure, the ideas presented here are not original to the author but have a long history of use by the subversive, the romantic, libertarians, rebellious and disruptive, even anarchistic, as well as occult and Gnostic philosophies both historic and modern. Indeed, a host... Read more
無 Wu – emptiness, the pregnant void Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub; It is the center hole that makes it useful. Shape clay into a vessel; It is the space within that makes it useful. Cut doors and windows for a room; It is the holes which make it useful. Therefore profit comes from what is there; Usefulness from what is not there. Tao Te Ching, Lao-Tzu, Ch 11 For many years, I have harboured a secret and sincere... Read more
“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
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
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
“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
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
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
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
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