Starting in the 15th century, a fear of witchcraft and alternative practices grew into a hysteria. Because witches were suspected to be devil worshippers, they were considered heretics to the Christian church. Consequently, the Christians launched a crusade against these women and men. Matthew Hopkins was not only among the greatest supporters of this crusade, but also one of the most active participants. In just over a year, Matthew Hopkins, a self-proclaimed "Witchfinder General", killed over one hundred people. While the witch hunt hysteria infected much of the 17th century society in England, there were still those who opposed the accusations and discrimination against witches. After being criticized for his work, Hopkins decided to publish a guide to witch hunting, including methods to discover a witch, how to torture them into a confession, and how to prosecute them. Along with outlines of torture methods, such as sleep deprivation and forced physical activity, The Discovery of Witches also addressed the questions and concerns raised by those who did not support Hopkins. Under the guise of being a man of God, Hopkins claimed to have been sent on a divine mission to manipulate other religious groups into joining his cause. As Hopkin's practices brought him lucrative success, he rose to a short-lived power, but his published doctrine spread his influence for years after his death. The Discovery of Witches by Matthew Hopkins is a short text of immeasurable insight. Though now recognized as zealot propaganda, The Discovery of Witches depicts a chilling perspective of a heinous time in history, including the concerns of those who opposed it. While Hopkin's work immortalizes a fascinating yet repulsive historical movement, it also invites readers to reflect on the ways the spirit of his manipulation is still present in modern society. This edition of The Discovery of Witches by Matthew Hopkins features an eye-catching cover deign and is printed in an easy-to-read font, making it both readable and modern.

Filled with dozens of magical exercises, tips, recipes, crafts, spells, and rituals, Llewellyn s Little Book of Yule shares everything you need to make your Yuletide memorable and enchanting. Learn how to honour the fairy folk of Yuletide, make a batch of Saturnalia wine, and discover tips for hosting a solstice vigil. Explore traditional activities like wassailing and chalking the door. Discover the Italian holiday witch known as La Befana and the true meaning of Krampus. From mistletoe to marzipan, this book delves into familiar traditions as well as observances that may be brand-new to you making it an invaluable resource for bringing a deep sense of meaning and magic to your holiday season.

The author of The Green Witch, shows you how you can create your own green witch grimoire to record your favourite spells, recipes, rituals, and more. A grimoire is essential for any witch wanting to capture and record spells, rituals, and secret ingredients. And for a green witch, a perfect place to reflect upon the power of nature, and document the stones, plants, flowers, oils, and herbs used in her practice. The Green Witch's Grimoire finally is a place for all your prized knowledge. Experienced witch Arin Murphy-Hiscock guides you on your path to creating your own personal book of your most cherished magic. Continue to hone your craft and grow into the green witch you've always dreamed of as you personalize your own Green Witch's Grimoire.

The art of manifestation is not only about connecting to the universe to help you to achieve an outcome, but also about self-understanding, self-discovery and truly believing in your desires and intentions. Manifesting your goals and dreams is about making the things you want to happen, well, happen. By drawing on Wiccan wisdom, you will amplify and enhance all aspects of realising those desires. This book shows you how to connect to your inner witch, cultivate confidence, self-belief, awareness and how to set powerful intentions. It also tells you the secret magic of the numbers 3,6, 9, and their use in manifestation techniques. This book also explains what manifestation is and isn't, and it teaches you all the basics of Wicca, such as how to work with solar and lunar cycles, deities, symbols and the five magical elements, create a sacred space and a 'book of shadows' to empower and amplify your intentions and manifestations. Along with a variety of Wiccan rituals and spell-casting, you will discover how to conjure positivity to attract the results you seek.

Advancing to higher levels of ritual magic with purpose and power requires an exaltation of consciousness-a spiritual transformation that can serve as an antitode to the seeming banality of modern life.
Based on Kabbalistic techniques, the teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and an Hermetic tradition spanning nearly two thousand years, this innovative new work introduces the history of the Golden Dawn and its mythology, the Tree of Life, Deities, demons, rules for practicing magic, and components of effective ritual.
A comprehensive course of self-initiation using Israel Regardie's seminal "Golden Dawn" as a key reference point, "Kabbalah, Magic and the Great Work of Self-Transformation" guides you through the levels of the Golden Dawn system of ritual magic. Each grade in this system corresponds with a sphere in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and includes daily rituals, required reading, written assignments, projects, and additional exercises.
Knowledgeable and true to tradition, author Lyam Thomas Christopher presents a well-grounded and modern step-by-step program toward spiritual attainment, providing a lucid gateway toward a more awakened state.

Finalist for the Coalition of Visionary Resources Award for Best Magick/Shamanism Book

How was magic practiced in medieval times? How did it relate to the diverse beliefs and practices that characterized this fascinating period? This much revised and expanded new edition of Magic in the Middle Ages surveys the growth and development of magic in medieval Europe. It takes into account the extensive new developments in the history of medieval magic in recent years, featuring new material on angel magic, the archaeology of magic, and the magical efficacy of words and imagination. Richard Kieckhefer shows how magic represents a crossroads in medieval life and culture, examining its relationship and relevance to religion, science, philosophy, art, literature, and politics. In surveying the different types of magic that were used, the kinds of people who practiced magic, and the reasoning behind their beliefs, Kieckhefer shows how magic served as a point of contact between the popular and elite classes, how the reality of magical beliefs is reflected in the fiction of medieval literature, and how the persecution of magic and witchcraft led to changes in the law.

Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft has influenced and guided countless students, coven initiates, and solitaries around the world. One of modern Wicca's most recommended books, this comprehensive text features a step-by-step course in Witchcraft, with photographs and illustrations, rituals, beliefs, history, and lore, as well as instruction in spellwork, divination, herbalism, healing, channeling, dreamwork, sabbats, esbats, covens, and solitary practice. The workbook format includes exam questions at the end of each lesson, so you can build a permanent record of your spiritual and magical training. This complete self-study course in modern Wicca is a treasured classic--an essential and trusted guide that belongs in every Witch's library.

Praise: "A masterwork by one of the great Elders of the Craft. Raymond Buckland has presented a treasure trove of Wiccan lore. It is a legacy that will provide magic, beauty, and wisdom to future generations of those who seek the ancient paths of the Old Religion."--Ed Fitch, author of Magical Rites from the Crystal Well

"I read Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft with much pleasure. This book contains enough information and know-how for all approaches: the historical, the philosophical, and the pragmatic . . . quite entertaining, as much for the armchair enthusiast as for the practicing occultist."--Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of The Mists of Avalon

"Never in the history of the Craft has a single book educated as many people, spurred as many spiritual paths, or conjured as much personal possibility as Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft."--Dorothy Morrison, author of The Craft

Crowley's most famous novel. It deals with the endless battle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. A young girl is drawn into a magical war between two men and is forced to choose between them. The reader is taken through an incredible series of magical intrigues involving a Black Lodge.

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).

This book presents a tale with a complete, concise, compelling narrative that conveys some of the essence of the discovery, adventure, and learning of twenty years of field work of the author about the ancient religion of the Aztecs in Mexico. .

"Italian Witchcraft "(previously titled "Ways of the Strega)" by respected author Raven Grimassi is more than just a book about Witchcraft. It is a complete Book of Shadows. In it you will find the history of this ancient tradition, its legends and myths, as well as the rituals and rites that you can do today. You can be a Strega
The book includes a full set of rituals that you can do. You'll find rituals for all of the Italian Witchcraft holidays including Shadow Fest, Lupercus, Tana's Day and more. You'll also find rituals for the Full Moon, births, funerals.
There is a practical side to this book, too. It is filled with instructions so that you can cast spells and work with the powers of incense, oils, herbs, and candles. You'll learn to work with the magick of the Moon and Stars. You'll be able to do protection rituals and learn how to cure someone who has received the "Malocchio" (Evil Eye).
Many of the mysteries revealed here have never been published before. You'll learn secret gestures of power and secret symbols. And you can use them all Also revealed are the secrets of the tools of the Italian Witch. You'll learn how to prepare the "Spirit Blade" and the ritual wand. You'll learn how to make the Spirit Bowl and use to consecrate other tools and talismans.
If you're looking to discover real Witchcraft, or if you're already a Witch but are thinking about other traditions, this is the book for you.

As a complementary volume to the author's 'History of Witchcraft and Demonology', this volume traces the practice of witchcraft in various regions across Europe. The author moves from the general to particular incidents, stories and histories.

From the ancient misty Highlands of Scotland to modern-day America come the secrets of solitary Witchcraft practice. The author of Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft introduces "PectiWita," or the craft of the Picts. Learn the history of these mysterious early Keltic people, their origins, beliefs, and celebrations. This book also explores the magic, sacred tools, herbal lore, song and dance, and recipes of the Scottish PectiWita tradition.

Witchcraft has proven an important, if difficult, historical subject to investigate and interpret over the last four decades or so. Modern historical research into witchcraft began as an attempt to tease out the worldview of ordinary people in 16th- and 17th-century England, but it quickly expanded to encompass the history of witchcraft in most cultures and societies that have existed with scholarly studies now extending back to the time of earliest law code that punished sorcery, the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.E.), and forward to the last witchcraft cases in England, those of Helen Duncan and Jane Yorke, tried in 1944. There has also been a significant amount of interest in the development of the modern religion of witchcraft, or Wicca, as various forms of neo-paganism continue to attract adherents. The second edition of Historical Dictionary of Witchcraft covers the history of the Witchcraft from 1750 B.C.E. though the modern day. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 300 cross-referenced entries on witch hunts, witchcraft trials, and related practices around the world. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the history of witchcraft.

Discover how to make your magic burn brighter than ever with this amazing book's spells, rituals, folklore, and recipes. Third in Llewellyn's essential Elements of Witchcraft series, Fire Magic makes it easy to bring this element into your practice. Explore candle and bonfire magic throughout history, how fire is used in folklore and pop culture, and fire-related activities for the Wheel of the Year. Learn about elemental correspondences, sacred herbs and woods, and how to stay safe while honoring the sacred flame. Author Josephine Winter guides you on a deep exploration of fire and how it can bring new meaning to your spells, rituals, and celebrations. Featuring guest contributors, mythical fire beasts, crystals, and more, Fire Magic inspires you to reignite your passion for magic.

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.

Everything you need to know to create your very own sacred space-perfect for practicing home-based witchcraft including spells, rituals, herbalism, and more-from the author of The Green Witch and Spellcrafting. Your home is an important part of who you are-it makes sense to tie your practice of witchcraft closely to the place where you build your life. In The House Witch, you'll discover everything you need to live, work, and practice in your own magical space. Follow expert Arin Murphy-Hiscock on a journey to building and fortifying a sacred space in your own home, with essential information on how to: -Create magical cookbooks of recipes, spells, and charms -Prepare food that nourishes body and soul -Perform rituals that protect and purify hearth and home -Master the secrets of the cauldron and the sacred flame -Call upon the kitchen gods and goddesses. -Produce hearth-based arts and crafts. ...and much more! Learn how easy it is to transform your home into a magical place that enhances your practice and nurtures your spirit!

"In the sixteenth century, a rise in sexual violence in European society was exacerbated by pressure from church and state to change basic sexual customs...As the centuries since have shown escalating levels both of violence, general and sexual, and of state control, the witchcraze can be considered a portent, even a model, of some aspects of what modern Europe would be like."

Over three centuries, approximately one hundred thousand persons, most of whom were women, were put to death under the guise of "witch hunts", particularly in Reformation Europe. The shocking annihilation of women from all walks of life is explored in this brilliant, authoritative feminist history Anne Llwellyn Barstow. Barstow exposes an unrecognized holocaust -- the "ethnic cleansing" of independent women in Reformation Europe -- and examines the residual attitudes that continue to influence our culture.

Barstow argues that it is only with eyes sensitive to gender issues that we can discern what really happened in the persecution and murder of these women. Her sweeping chronicle examines the scapegoating of women from the ills of society, investigates how their subjugation to sexual violence and death sent a message of control to all women, and compares this persecution of women with the enslavement and slaughter of African slaves and Native Americans.

Ultimately Barstow traces the current backlash against women to its gynophobic torture-filled origins. In the process, she leaves an indelible mark on our growing understanding of the legacy of violence against women around the world.

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.