This is the only book of its kind on witchcraft that has been written by a practising witch. It is intended to be not merely a history, but a guide to the many strange byways of a vast and fascinating subject. Witchcraft is as old as the human race, and it is actively practised today, by people of all classes. To its devotees, witchcraft is more than spells and charms, or even secret meetings and rituals; it is a philosophy and a way of life. It claims to be the oldest form of religion, that of nature-worship and magic. Since the last Witchcraft Act was repealed in 1951, the revival of public interest in witchcraft has been the subject of continuous controversy. This book is a serious contribution to the study of a subject too long obscured by prejudice and sensationalism.

Sir Walter Scott wrote "Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft" for Murray's Family Library (a series of books on diverse topics to be published in cheap five shilling volumes) at the request of his son-in-law, J.G. Lockhart. The books does indeed take the form of letters covering areas of demonology and witchcraft from biblical times to current day. Scott's approach to the subject is one of skepticism and rational thought -- superstitions and beliefs are often the cause of a lack of understanding of strange cultures and religions. He ends the book with an fervent hope for his countrymen that ." . . the sense of humanity is too universally spread to permit them to think of tormenting wretches till they confess what is impossible, and then burning them for their pains."

Cunningham's classic introduction to Wicca is about how to live life magically, spiritually, and wholly attuned with nature. It is a book of sense and common sense, not only about magick, but about religion and one of the most critical issues of today: how to achieve the much needed and wholesome relationship with our Earth. Cunningham presents Wicca as it is today: a gentle, Earth-oriented religion dedicated to the Goddess and God. "Wicca "also includes Scott Cunningham's own Book of Shadows and updated appendices of periodicals and occult suppliers.

A year-long magical adventure with everything the modern witch needs to develop their witchy practice. Have you ever looked at a full moon on a clear winter night and shivered? Have you walked in an ancient forest or sat in a stone circle and felt a deep sense of peace and belonging? Do you wonder if there is more to life than the grind of the everyday? Do you believe in magic? If the answers to any of these are yes, then you need witchcraft in your life. No longer tainted by notions of sorcery, hexes and cobwebs, witchcraft has been rediscovered by those of us yearning for re-enchantment. This book will guide you through a year of magic. Based on the cycles of nature and guided by the seasons, it will give you the tools and knowhow to unveil the magic that surrounds us. By celebrating the eight sabbats of the Wheel of the Year, you will work with nature to activate your hidden power and trigger miraculous happenings. Witchcraft can attract love, give your career a boost, protect your home and help with healing. It will enrich your life. Packed with information and inspiration, this book boosts well-being, self-worth and happiness by tapping into the healing power of nature, the cycle of the seasons, the pull of the moon, the wisdom of ancient trees and forgotten paths, and the spiritual rewards of creativity. It includes: Seasonal spells, remedies, rituals and affirmations that use the power of plants, herbs and stones to offer guidance and healing. Features including crystal gazing, dowsing, reading the Tarot, the magic of stone circles and folklore traditions, to increase knowledge and inspire curiosity. Creative projects with a witchy purpose that can be used in rituals and spells. Whether you are a solitary hedge witch, part of a coven, a practising witch or an aspiring one, this book will furnish you with the vital knowledge to enrich your journey and to sprinkle magic and enchantment over every day.

Invite joy and healing into your life using your own magic with this self-help guide from the author of Witchcraft Therapy, Mandi Em. Witchcraft is a practice where everyone can self-soothe and find their alignment again through performance, play, following impulses, and inviting joy into their lives. Beyond spell jars and candle magic, there's a whole world of uncommon ways to inject some childlike wonder and play therapy into your daily practice. Now you can pursue joy, healing, and fun, with this guide to finding happiness through magic, filled with straight-talk self-care advice backed up by magical spells, rituals, recipes, meditations, and more! Happy Witch is an uncommon spell book full of witchy self-care spells and rituals that think outside the box of what a witch's practice usually looks like. From kinetic cloud dough play for moving through your emotions to using dance as a form of manifestation, Happy Witch brings out your inner child to help you undertake your healing through magic. Woven through with BS-free empowering messages, suggestions, and encouragement on how to build your intuitive practice that you love, this self-help guide is your perfect companion for magical healing.

From the podcast host of The Witch Wave and practicing witch Pam Grossman-who Vulture has dubbed the "Terry Gross of witches"-comes an exploration of the world's fascination with witches, why they have intrigued us for centuries and why they're more relevant now than ever. When you think of a witch, what do you picture? Pointy black hat, maybe a broomstick. But witches in various guises have been with us for millennia. In Waking the Witch, Pam Grossman explores the impact of the world's most magical icon. From the idea of the femme fatale in league with the devil to the bewitching pop culture archetypes in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Harry Potter; from the spooky ladies in fairy tales to the rise of contemporary witchcraft, witches reflect the power and potential of women. Part cultural analysis, part memoir, Waking the Witch traces the author's own journey on the path to witchcraft, and how this has helped her find self-empowerment and purpose. It celebrates witches past, present, and future, and reveals the critical role they have played-and will continue to play-in the world as we know it. "Deftly illuminating the past while beckoning us towards the future, Waking the Witch has all the makings of a feminist classic. Wise, relatable, and real, Pam Grossman is the witch we need for our times" (Ami McKay, author of The Witches of New York).

Dark Goddess Magick introduces 20 of the most powerful shadow goddesses and guidance on how to connect with them. Light magick is all well and good, but sometimes you can't just "love and light" your way through challenging circumstances. The potent shadow goddesses you meet here, however, can guide you through the darkness. Authored by Ara Campbell of the wildly popular Goddess Circle school and community, each dark goddess entry includes spells, invocations, and practices to utilize the goddess's magick and wisdom for embodying strength, setting boundaries, and transforming your life. Often, it is in the darkest times that we find our strength and reclaim our power. Someone poaching on your lover, your home, or your business? Call on Kali, The Warrioress, to release your fear and stand your ground. Is your world falling apart or are you processing deep trauma or grief? Call on Persephone, The Dark Queen, to help guide you through your emotional underworld and find a new beginning. Trying to shake your "nice" girl or people-pleaser tendencies? Call on Lilith, The Rebel Renegade Goddess, to reclaim your freedom. Feeling stuck in some life situation that won't move forward? Call upon Morrigan, The Phantom Queen, to shapeshift the circumstances. When life gets hard and messy, Dark Goddess Magick gives you spells, practices, and dark goddesses you can call on.

This complete history of witchcraft from Ancient Greece to the present day charts the rise and development of witchcraft and the modern witchcraft religion of Wicca. Today witchcraft is on everyone's lips, on television, in film and in literature, but few know, or are even able to guess at, its shadowy history. This in-depth investigation discovers how the ideas we have about witchcraft took shape thousands of years ago in the myths and religions of the ancient world. It also looks at why these ideas were expressed so violently during the era of the witch trials. Finally, it reveals how witchcraft has been transformed into one of the most radical and fastest growing religions of our age - a religion of equality and compassion that still has the power to unsettle even the bravest amongst us. With new analyses, fresh insights and groundbreaking material drawn from the author's doctoral research into the mysticism, magic and social meaning of Wicca, this is the first book to bring witchcraft fully out of the shadows.

Tap into the magic all around you with Witchcraft, an illustrated guide to ancient potions, spells, chants, rituals, and incantations from around the world. Learn how to form a spirit circle with coven members, what instruments you need for your craft, special conjurations for each day of the week, and hundreds of crafty spells and potions that will allow you to: Banish headaches Keep your home safe Envision your future spouse Win riches Communicate with animals Conceive a child Summon the dead Make it snow Separate lovers Know your future And more! Spells are conveniently organized by purpose: safekeeping spells, healing spells and potions, spells against enemies, counter-spells, luck and fortune spells, love and matchmaking spells, weather and earth spells, spells to cast on animals, power spells, and communing with the dead. With stunning linoleum-cut illustrations by artist Melissa West that bring the magic of the past to life, this comprehensive compendium is also a delightful page-turner that's full of unexpected treasures. Place it in a sacred place in your home-and make sure no enemies find it to access its inestimable powers! The Mystical Handbook series from Wellfleet takes you on a magical journey through the wonderful world of spellcraft and spellcasting. Explore a new practice with each volume and learn how to incorporate spells, rituals, blessings, and cleansings into your daily routine. These portable companions feature beautiful foil-detail covers and color-saturated interiors on a premium paper blend. Other books in the series include: Love Spells, Moon Magic, Moon Magic Journal, Knot Magic, Superstitions, House Magic, Herbal Magic, Book of Shadows, and Goddess Magic.

Salem witchcraft will always have a magnetic pull on the American psyche. During the 1692 witch trials, more than 150 people were arrested. An estimated 25 million Americans--including author Diane Foulds--are descended from the twenty individuals executed. What happened to our ancestors? "Death in Salem" is the first book to take a clear-eyed look at this complex time, by examining the lives of the witch trial participants from a personal perspective. Massachusetts settlers led difficult lives; every player in the Salem drama endured hardships barely imaginable today. Mercy Short, one of the "bewitched" girls, watched as Indians butchered her parents; Puritan minister Cotton Mather outlived all but three of his fifteen children. Such tragedies shaped behavior and, as Foulds argues, ultimately played a part in the witch hunt's outcome. A compelling "who's who" to Salem witchcraft, "Death in Salem" profiles each of these historical personalities as it asks: Why was this person targeted?

Tap into the energy and archetypes of the Major Arcana for manifesting and amplifying desired outcomes with The Magickal Tarot Guidebook and Deck, a unique approach to tarot that includes a newly commissioned deck designed in the style of the iconic Rider-Waite. Tarot is a powerful tool for divination. Its magick, however, goes far beyond fortune-telling and prediction. Tarot cards represent situations we experience as we progress through the journey of life, with each card holding specific messages of perspective and guidance. Each individual tarot card holds rich symbolism that is imbued with energy and vibration. That energy can be applied to nearly all forms of manifestation, thus making your tarot deck a powerful magickal tool you can use to invoke specific outcomes in spells and ritual work. In the 160-page book accompanying your tarot deck, you'll learn the specific manifestation focus of each Major Arcana card as well as spells and rituals that align with each card: Use the Magician for confidence and glamour magick Use the High Priestess to assist in dreamwork and divination Use the Empress to support fertility and grounding of your creative projects Use the Emperor to aid in receiving a promotion or professional success After learning more about each Major Arcana card, use the full tarot deck included in this kit as your own magickal tool!

From Zeus and Hephaestus to Hades and Persephone, this book reveals the origins of nearly thirty Greek gods and goddesses, how they've been worshipped across the centuries, and how you can work with them in your own practice. Jason Mankey and Astrea Taylor introduce you to the gods one by one, presenting their history, unique correspondences, and a ritual or spell for connecting with them. You'll also enjoy insightful contributions from members of the Witchcraft community who actively work with these deities. Modern Witchcraft with the Greek Gods features other mythological figures as well, such as the Titans and Primordial Forces, and it explores the spell and ritual structures of ancient times. Everything you want to know about Greek gods and how to call upon them today is in this book.

Filled with spells, recipes, and crafts, this book helps you discover the magical rhythms of the natural world. Join Anna Franklin, bestselling author of The Hearth Witch s Compendium, as she shares time-honoured recipes and step-by-step instructions for bringing enchantment and joy into your life. You will discover dozens of incantations and spells to help you celebrate the cycles of the seasons, honour the gods and spirits, and release negative energy and anxiety. The world is filled with magic, if we can just slow down and learn how to channel it. The Hearth Witch s Year provides hands-on tips for sabbats, solstices, saints days, and more than 100 other auspicious dates so you can connect with the earth s natural energies and manifest your deepest desires.

Conjure calm and summon serenity with Calming Magic, a soothing introduction to the healing energy of mystical practices, aromatherapy blends, crystal rituals, and more. Use the power of intention, ritual, and spellwork to craft a more peaceful, connected life with Calming Magic. Harnessing ancient wisdom and profound magic, this enchanted guide pairs mindfulness with mysticism to help readers support the body, mind, and heart in times of stress. Organized into three sections -- Peace, Clarity and Creativity -- Calming Magic offers a pathway to tranquility, from quieting anxious thoughts and focusing the mind to cultivating the imagination. Each section incorporates magical practice that fortify the body (with teas, yoga practices and home remedies), the mind (with meditations, spells and feng shui), and the heart (with crystals, tarot readings and rituals). With primers on the foundations of mystical practices, and creative DIYs to customize rituals and spells, this beautiful volume brings magic and harmony into today's hectic world.

The past century has born witness to a growing interest in the belief systems of ancient Europe, with an array of contemporary Pagan groups claiming to revive these old ways for the needs of the modern world. By far the largest and best known of these Paganisms has been Wicca, a new religious movement that can now count hundreds of thousands of adherents worldwide. Emerging from the occult milieu of mid twentieth-century Britain, Wicca was first presented as the survival of an ancient pre-Christian Witch-Cult, whose participants assembled in covens to venerate their Horned God and Mother Goddess, to celebrate seasonal festivities, and to cast spells by the light of the full moon. Spreading to North America, where it diversified under the impact of environmentalism, feminism, and the 1960s counter-culture, Wicca came to be presented as a Goddess-centred nature religion, in which form it was popularised by a number of best-selling authors and fictional television shows. Today, Wicca is a maturing religious movement replete with its own distinct world-view, unique culture, and internal divisions. This book represents the first published academic introduction to be exclusively devoted to this fascinating faith, exploring how this Witches' Craft developed, what its participants believe and practice, and what the Wiccan community actually looks like. In doing so it sweeps away widely-held misconceptions and offers a comprehensive overview of this religion in all of its varied forms. Drawing upon the work of historians, anthropologists, sociologists, and scholars of religious studies, as well as the writings of Wiccans themselves, it provides an original synthesis that will be invaluable for anyone seeking to learn about the blossoming religion of modern Pagan Witchcraft.