Visions of Magick Magazine
Ness Bosch Editor of this magazine, a complement of the SPF Visions of Magick Online Conference 2020 she has coordinated for the SPF.
Ness Bosch Editor of this magazine, a complement of the SPF Visions of Magick Online Conference 2020 she has coordinated for the SPF.
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The SPF Online Conference 2020 Magazine
Visions of Magick
Special Guests:
John Matthews, Danu Forest,
Rachel Patterson, Morgana Sythove
Featuring
The Witches of Pollok
The Scota Goddess Temple
Initiatory Wicca: Views from a Scottish Coven
Interview with
Morgana Sythove
Article on Folk Belief and Magic
in Early Scottish Literature
1
Visions of Magick Magazine
Table of Contents
p. 1
p. 4
p. 12
p. 19
p. 29
p. 36
Opening:
Editor’s Greeting
Message from the SPF President
Specials:
Morgana Sythove: 40 years in Wicca
Danu forest:
John Matthews:
Derek Simpson:
Cunning Folk Lore TBC
Breaking the Circle
Folk Belief and Magic in
Early Scottish Literature
Rachel Patterson: Kitchen Witchcraft and
Magical Herbs and Plants
p. 45
p. 48
p. 52
Micro Interviews:
Morgana Sythove
Emily Carding
Cara Hamilton
p. 56
p. 68
p. 72
p. 76
p. 82
p. 88
p. 93
p. 96
Featuring:
Fee and
JD Aquila:
Marysia
Kolodziej:
Cara Hamilton:
Aria Ardhallow
Druid:
Initiatory Wicca; Views from
a Scottish Coven
Trance States and
Scottish Witch Trials
The Witches of Pollok
A Druid in the 21st
Century Scotland
About The Scota Goddess Temple
Thomas “Duir” Birth of the Scottish
Lanting: Pagan Tartan
Jade Melany: Inner Goddess Pathworking
Yuriy Marinov: Urban Deities
2 3
www.freevector.com
EDITOR’S GREETING
W
elcome to Visions of Magick Magazine. When I was asked by the Presiding
Chair of the SPF to coordinate and put together the SPF 2020 Conference
online, I had very clear that I wanted a publication to enrich the experience
of people who are participating online from home. Not only do we expanded the
program of conference talks but also with the collaboration of several people you
can also read this magazine full of wonderful articles! Knowing that this conference
was going from being a local celebration in Edinburgh to an international online
conference with global access, I contacted different people from the Scottish Pagan
Community to see if they could share with me some of their practices and work, in
order to deliver to those who are far away, a little about the Scottish Pagan Scene.
Now the Scottish Pagans have their own Tartan and we tell you how it was created,
we also have Aria Draoidh a local druid who shares her experience following this path
in Scotland in the 21st century. One of our special articles is about Folk Belief and
Magic in Early Scottish Literature and one of our guests, Danu Forest, shares with
us about Cunning folk and fairy lore. We have also an article about a Scottish Coven
and about Trance States and the Scottish Witch Trials! And there is much more but
of course you will see it in the contents! Have you seen the rest of special guests?
John Matthews, Rachel Patterson and Morgana Sythove that shares with us about her
experience of 40 years as a wiccan!
I would like to thank those who have helped so that you can enjoy this congress
especially to those who contributed with a talk or an article for the magazine, to
Julia Jeffrey for letting me use her wonderful artwork, to Steffy Vonscott for helping
me to hold this conference together, to Matt, Helen and Jules for their time, energy
and patience and to amazing Yuri for helping me with the magazine. To those who
supported me so I could deliver this and to my children for being super patient with
mama while I was working long hours.
I hope you enjoy it!
Blessings.
Ness Bosch
Head of the Scota Goddess Temple in Scotland
MESSAGE FROM THE SCOTTISH PAGAN FEDERATION
PRESIDING OFFICER
Steffy VonScott
Dear Friends,
I hope you are all keeping safe and well. I would like to thank you for all the support
you have given over these difficult times. We find ourselves in the midst of a global
pandemic the likes of which has never been seen in our lifetimes. The death toll has
been significant. Many of us are losing friends, family and loved-ones across the
Country, and indeed across the World, and many of the Healthcare Professionals who
were caring for them. All theatres, bars, museums, schools, and restaurants have been
closed now for some time. Life as we knew it has stopped, and it has been replaced by
uncertainly. It is a worrying time for many of us.
In the midst of all this turmoil our Flagship Annual Scottish Pagan Conference, a
year away from its 30th Anniversary, had to be cancelled for the safety and wellbeing
of our community. But rather than everyone losing out, we decided to put the entire
Conference online, and create a week-long event as a gift the community. To help
us deliver this we drafted in the amazing Ness Bosch, coordinator of several very
successful online Pagan events including: The International Congress of Witchcraft
Magic and Fellowship of Isis International Symposium.
We had the first legal Pagan same-sex marriage conducted in Orkney as our
Celebrancy Team continues to grow. We are still working on our Pagan Faith Display
with the Curator of Saint Mungo’s Museum of Religious Life. The display will sit in
their Children’s Gallery, and help normalise Paganism for the next generations of
Scottish Schoolchildren. This year we also launched the Scottish Pagan Tartan, and
you can read more about that in this magazine.
Paganism in Scotland has never burned brighter. It gives me hope for the future,
even in these challenging times. By working together for the benefit and betterment
of the Pagan community, we can achieve great things. Many thanks for all your
support, and please stay safe everyone.
Feel free to reach out if you need anything. We will get through this.
The magazine you now read owes its creative passions and thanks to Ness, who
took it off her own back to pull together something to showcase the Scottish Pagan
community. We have some amazing articles by our star guests in here, but also
articles from our local community including Aria Ardhallow on Druidry in 21st
Century Scotland, Derek Simpson on Folk Belief and Magic, Cara Hamilton on The
Witches of Pollok, and much more.
Scottish Paganism is making massive strides forward in terms of rights and
recognition. This year the Scottish Pagan Federation finally won our twenty-year
battle to have Paganism included in the National Census for Scotland. This victory
followed on from our comprehensive letter writing Campaign to Scottish MP’s and
MSP’s, urging their support, and I would like to thank our wonderful Community for
helping us in this endeavour. You should all be proud.
Pagans today still continue to make history and push boundaries. Last year we
had a Scottish Pagan, and one of our Officers, become the first LGBTQ+ University
Chaplain in the UK. We also had a Pagan Chaplain appointed in St. Andrews
University. Following on the back of that, we had an unprecedented amount of
enquiries for Pagans Chaplaincy across the Country, so much so we had to appoint
two Chaplaincy Coordinators to help grow our services in this area.
Steffy VonScott | Presiding Officer of the SPF
40 YEARS WICCA - A REFLECTION AND GLANCE TO THE FUTURE
W
e should have been celebrating
our Silver Circle 40th anniversary
at Spring Equinox 2020 but
as like many other events it had to
be postponed. So too the Scottish PF
conference. Ness Bosch approached
me and during our conversation she
told me that their conference has also
been cancelled. However there was the
possibility of organising an online event.
So, this was the result. We decided that
the celebration of the 40th anniversary
could be form the basis of a talk about my
experiences of being a Wiccan Priestess,
Gardnerian Witch during the last
40-years.
How did it all begin?
As a child I wanted to become a
Priestess. I spent my early years in the
North of England, mainly in Lancashire,
although I was born in Wales. However it
wasn’t until I moved to the Netherlands,
in 1974, as a young teacher that I became
aware of WICCA as a modern day religion.
I left the Netherlands in 1977 for a year
or so to continue my search ‘to become a
Priestess..’ and travelled overland to India.
During my travels I learnt a great deal
about different cultures and spirituality,
but the main realisation was that my
future lay in the West so I returned back
to Netherlands and Merlin. We started
our search for Wicca in earnest.
Morgana Sythove
1979 however was the year when things
changed dramatically. We had done quite
a lot of the Natural Magic Course/ Marian
Green. However I lost my job as a teacher
and I lost my room because my landlord
wanted to move. Merlin also had to move
to a new house... What should we do?
Of course fill the car with as much as we
could and go to England for a holiday.
And what a magical journey it turned
out to be! It started with a visit to the
Atlantis bookshop in London. Merlin
found a newsletter with a call for new
members in a coven in Brighton. No
email address of course, not even a phone
number, just an address.
In those days one wrote letters and
waited for a reply, but we didn’t have
the time for that. We had to go back to
Holland. So we after visiting Avebury,
Glastonbury, Tintagel and the New Forest
we decided to call in at Brighton. There
one late afternoon I knocked on the
door of an old Victorian house. The door
opened and a man - the spitting image of
Gerald Gardner - stood before us. But he
just took a look at us and closed the door!
A minute later the door re-opened - he
said, “I have to pick up my wife, would
you like to come?” So 2 seconds later we
were in a car with a complete stranger
heading for the centre of Brighton.
We met a lady - in her late 30’s early 40’s.
She looked at us and said “Aha...” Later
she told us that they had been expecting
us! We joined them for dinner and talked
and talked.
Who were we? What were we looking for?
Who were they? We met them once more
before leaving back to Holland.
Back to - no job, no home. It didn’t take
too much time before we found a room
albeit way too expensive for a student and
unemployed teacher. 3 weeks later we
got a telephone call “would we like to be
initiated?” At Autumn Equinox 1979 - we
went back to Brighton and were initiated
1st degree Gardnerians.
As we started to practice the tradition
in the Netherlands, we quickly realized
that the flow of forces and spirits of the
land in this country were different from
those in Britain. We listened to the feel of
the land, experimented with the flow of
power, and worked on integrating some
of the local folk customs into our wicca
practice.
One of the first things we did was to
create the Silver Circle network with the
quarterly magazine Wiccan Rede as our
newsletter. It was officially launched at
Spring Equinox 1980
It is described as being “a Dutch/English
magazine with articles on Wicca and
Witchcraft. Wiccan Rede Online is the
successor of the paper magazine Wiccan
Rede that appeared from Spring 1980
until and including Lammas 2010.
Wiccan Rede has its roots in Gardnerian
Wicca, of course but has always presented
views from other traditions both Wiccan
and Pagan. We also pointed out that
“Wicca, or modern Witchcraft, is an
initiatory path, open to those who want to
become a priestess or priest and to follow
the path of initiation and training within
a regular coven. G.B. Gardner was the first
to document this tradition, and the word
wicca. Wicca is on one hand a nature
religion, revering a Goddess and a God,
celebrating eight seasonal festivals and
thirteen full moons, and working magic.
Many people nowadays use the word
Wicca to describe solely the religion. The
words Witchcraft and solitary Witchcraft
are used as well by the ones that want to
connect individually with the Goddess
and the God, without following the
initiatory path.”
We, of course, weren’t the only ones
to be publishing newsletters in the
1980’s. In fact many of our Wiccan and
Pagan contacts were made when we
corresponded with other editors and
exchanged magazines. The majority of
contacts were from the English speaking
world - the UK, USA, Canada and
Australia. The introduction of Internet
and use of email – in the mid 1990’s issued
a death-toll for many of these newsletters.
The emergence of ‘Goddess Spirituality’
especially from America however thrived
on the worldwide web and made a huge
Morgana Sythove
2 3
impact in Europe and on the neo-pagan
movement.
Later When looking at the development
of (Neo-) paganism in Europe since the
1860’s, when the term was first coined,
I started to realise that if we saw it as
a cultural phenomenon – it became
easier to pin-point differences and
commonalities. However, even more so
than in the US, the cultural differences
between European countries and the
shift of political boundaries in the last 150
years made it more difficult to generalize.
As a practitioner though I have seen – in
the last 40 years – that there has been a
gradual emergence of what one could call
“Western European-style Paganism” with
a great emphasis on Goddess spirituality
and the reverence for Nature and “Eastern
European-style Paganism” with a greater
emphasis on male leadership and
heroism.
However, as people intermingle and share
rituals there is a shift in emphasis.
A term used with respect to the Western
European-style Paganism is Wiccanish/
Wiccanesque, alluding to the early work
of Gerald Gardner, and others, and
the influence Wiccan ritual practice
and philosophy has had on the neopagan
movement. Even though a group
today may call themselves, for example
Heathen, many of their practices are
recognizably Wiccan including a duopolytheistic
‘god-head’, the drawing of a
magical circle, calling the four quarters,
following the Wheel of the Year and
celebrating 8 seasonal festivals.
I always think this is perhaps the biggest
compliment that Gerald Gardner could
have ever wished for. That his interest in
folklore, connection with the Goddess,
interest in naturism and many other
things, leading to the creation of Wicca,
has evolved in itself into a cultural
phenomenon and not just a religion.
Undoubtedly the emergence of internet
and social media has encouraged and
influenced many people to look at their
own cultural roots.
How do I think Wicca is going to
change?
It’s one of those things I keep wondering
about. I have been involved in Wicca for
40 years and I’m thinking about what has
survived and grown and where we are
going. Also, I was thinking about what
ideas I had when I started. In my
experience things will continue to
develop in a natural way.
I remember at one point when there
were all these groups mushrooming
up and at that point, I felt kind of
responsible for them.
Lots of people were running around,
saying there were claiming to be this and
that. I was thinking that I had to correct
people all the time but then I thought
well this is really not useful or productive
because things will evolve how they’re
meant to evolve anyway. So you might
have an idea but often things don’t
turn out quite as you expect them to.
One of the things I’ve been
thinking about recently is what are
the expectations of people who are
searching for the craft right now and
what we can give them or offer them
and that’s perhaps an indication of how
we’re going to evolve.
First of all, the thing that’s really
changed is the amount of information
that’s available. When I was looking
for the Craft, there was very little
information. This change is connected
to how people communicate nowadays.
There’s social media, so now people
can go through the training living in
different parts of world thanks to email
and other forms of social media.
Also, how we’re going to practise our
craft will change. I try to do the rituals
outside as much as possible and try to
connect to the Spirits of the Land. Even
in small groups, we have people from all
over Europe using different languages.
Recently at my celebration of 40 years
of Wiccan practice, there were people
from many different countries speaking
a variety of different languages. I
realised how much has changed. We’re
much more mobile, using the internet,
even if we don’t travel physically.
But then I thought maybe in fact
nothing has changed that much,
because we’ve always communicated
on an astral level, in a very intuitive
way. So in the physical world things are
developing actually more and more as
to how we communicate in an astral
sense. How is it going to change? I think
we’re going to
become much more aware about
how to develop this kind of virtual
communication. This is a development
4 in consciousness that many young
5
people are aware of. Maybe in the next 30
years we’ll be connecting even more in
that sense.
The one thing about the COVID-19
outbreak was the immediate change
to ‘online-meetings’. No doubt if and
when the lockdowns are over this way of
communicating will continue.
Somebody asked me recently how I can
continue practising in an international
coven, when we don’t really meet that
often physically. I replied that it’s never
been a concern of ours. We’ve always
managed to work on an astral level, and
well, I’ve been doing it for 40 years! Of
course, there will be those moments
when physical contact will be preferable,
like initiations, but maybe in 30 years
someone will do them astrally.
The other thing is about the level of
acceptance and I think in the future
that various ways of working will
become more acceptable as much as
the connections we have with people as
unique human beings. There’s obviously
this thing about whether it matters if
someone is male or female, because
of the change of perception in gender.
Gender fluidity. I think it’s the next big
change that there is going to be a greater
acceptance of people being individual.
And yet we can also have this collective
experience. I think this is another huge
change that people started to realize
already that we can’t define our covens
by male or female, that we have to start
thinking in terms of people as people. I’ve
always said that “we stand as witches in
the circle”.
I realized when I was looking back at
40 years that one of the things, I’ve never
really had a big problem with the fact
that people can identify as neither male
nor female. I’ve always realised that it’s
all right. I see people as being unique
and I think that’s going to have a greater
acceptance in the future as well.
Some people in the craft are going to
stick to the tradition and will keep to a
very heterosexual attitude. I think that
particular way of working is going to
fade out at least in the sense that it’s not
going to be the norm. I think the norm is
going to be a much wider acceptance of
people as human beings and being part of
human nature.
I think we’ve only really started
understanding what we can do from a
conscious point of view and our abilities
and potential as human beings. So I
think that the sooner we accept that
everybody has a huge potential, whether
they’re male or female, you come also
to the idea of people who are less able,
or differently abled. Anyway, what is less
abled? Some people could be seen as such
in comparison to fully abled, but they
can have other talents, like having an
inner eye. We’ll be realizing that people
have different abilities and we will have
the greater understanding of how people
can work magically, heal, understand
in different way. We will experience the
human being in all its potential so I think
that’s a big change as well.
Thinking about the tradition itself?
Well, first of all, tradition is not set
in stone. It can also evolve. What does
tradition actually mean? I understand it
means something which is rooted/has
roots. It has a definite root in a specific
culture, for example, so I think what we’re
actually looking at is how this tradition
itself is going to change naturally.
Tradition is also something that connects
us to the family, to the land.
For me Wicca is organic, it changes
naturally because anything which is
organic will evolve by its very nature. The
more the tradition evolves, the greater
chance is that it will survive. It should
be used as a reference. We can use it as
a point of learning, to know how our
ancestors worked, and learn from it,
but we must look at it critically, otherwise
we’ll do it a disservice.
Personally, I celebrate the fact that the
tradition evolves, and yet it reflects our
ancestors hopes, our hopes. In a way, one
of the things I’d like to do in the craft is
to fulfil my ancestors’ dreams. To follow
their steps and to heed the messages that
they had from the Gods.
You can argue that some of the things
from the past were not necessarily
something to strive for, but, as I said, we
can be critical, we should look at what
our ancestors did and why they did these
things.
With regard to homosexuality and the
topic of gender expression.
With regard to the question about
homophobia and the notion that Gerald
Gardner was homophobic I would like to
point out that the culture and the time he
was living in did not accept homosexuality.
In fact, during his lifetime it was illegal.
His views reflected the attitudes in the
society of the day. But I wonder whether
if Gerald lived today, he would be
homophobic? Probably not!
Gerald was a naturist. I remember asking
Eleanor Bone about being naked in the
rituals. She pointed out that Gerald could
have been arrested as a pervert at the time
if he had been caught holding rituals
where people were naked. I also remember
Doreen Valiente at one of the Pagan
Federation conferences in the 90s, hinting
that she was very pro-gay. And taking into
consideration that in Gerald’s
time they could have been arrested for
participating in naked rituals, we can
assume that things definitely would have
changed for these older Wiccans who
– at the time were openly anti-gay. As I
6 7
said, Doreen was incredibly open about
homosexuality and outspoken in her
views. Also, I would never call Gerald
a saint, but he was like a visionary,
and Doreen surely was a visionary. The
only person that I know who was very
homophobic was Lois Bourne. She wrote
in one of her books that Gardner was
homophobic and she agreed with him.
And what about gender?
Coming back to the gender issue. In the
90’s, I remember, people were making a
huge thing of polarity, nearly everything
was polarised to ‘male and female’. I
think people got The Law of Polarity
mixed up with The Law of Gender. It
has everything to do with genetics, of
becoming, The Law of Polarity has to do
with things that are seemingly opposite.
We have a creative dynamism between
two absolutes, two poles of hot and cold,
up and down. Do we have a male-female
polarity? Well, males and females as
human beings all have certain aspects
within that represents a polarity. But I
think what happened was that people
didn’t really have the understanding
that when we were talking about male
or female polarity, we were not always
talking about the genetic side of people.
To me, when we talk about polarity, we
talk about dynamic forces. Of course, in
a circle of males and females we do create
this tension and there is sexual energy.
But again, I don’t think we should mix
that up. To me, we work with erotic rather
than sexual energy. Erotic energy that
we work with in the circle is immensely
powerful. I think, when it comes to
gender, people should be more aware
about how energies are being called up
or invoked or evoked. From a genetic
point of view, everyone in the circle is
unique. If I see a man standing before
me in a circle, I don’t necessarily see him
as having male energy only. Body parts
do not automatically create a specific
set of rules and regulations. In the end,
we talk about individuals. Some people
will identify more with male or female
aspects, and it can change from ritual to
ritual. Sometimes I can feel extremely
male, even as far as being stereotypical. I
can get quite aggressive and assertive, but
then again, is aggression a male quality?
It is something you should be careful
about.
I think in this case it has more to do
with Astrology. It definitely has a role in
understanding how people work. I’m an
Aries, and I have a lot of Martian energy
which may account for my assertive
behaviour. So, while doing magic we have
to understand the mindset of a specific
person we do this magic for, and in the
circle we have to understand people’s
backgrounds.
I think the most important thing is
that gender fluidity is something which
we all need to be aware of, but also we
must remember about other things such
as someone’s biography, whether they
had the history of abuse, and so on. All
these things count. Sometimes we must
do it on a very intuitive level. We have to
use our own intuition to do successful
magical work also if it comes to polarity
and gender. We have some stereotypes,
because it helps to get a bigger picture,
but ultimately we have to make our own
decisions about how we actually act
and in this sense we’re coming to the
ethical side of things. We cannot use the
argument of ‘it’s the Tradition’ without
really thinking about what we’re doing.
What is the future of Wicca and
spirituality in modern world?
I think Wicca has its place as a religion,
as a mystery tradition. It wouldn’t,
though, I think, if people are going to try
to make it a doctrine or more dogmatic.
That form of Wicca will probably not
have future. In my opinion, if more and
more people realize that religion, the
word itself, means to link people with
something greater, then Wicca definitely
will have a place, if we prepare to link
with other people and to be open to other
ways, other people, reach out to other
cultures, to not be afraid of them. I think
we have a lot to offer certainly if it comes
to our connection with the earth, with
nature, with the starry heavens, with the
cosmos.
But I’d say that one of the biggest things
we do have to offer is that we have this
direct communication with the gods
which is also often found with indigenous
people, so I think in that sense we have
a lot to offer young people because we
don’t necessarily have to have a system,
we don’t necessarily have to be initiated
into a specific tradition like Wicca. You
can still have the Wiccan idea of e.g.
connecting with the Sacred Feminine, the
goddess side. It is particularly important,
so I don’t think that side of will fade away.
I think more and more people begin
to connect to this idea of the earth as a
living entity. I mean it’s kind of bizarre
that people haven’t held on to that, that
the earth is a living entity. This is exactly
what I think sometimes the Church and
Christianity and the Abrahamic religions
lost: this sense of the earth as being a
living entity, and the respect for Mother
Earth, and the devotion the early mystics
had. But again, many of the indigenous
people have continued that practice, so
I think people involved in Wicca should
be more and more prepared to be open to
ideas from indigenous people and react
to their ways, of course in a sense that
we can join in without misappropriating
their cultures. Thus, we’ll have more and
more respect for the land, more respect
for other people’s cultures.
I think religion also has a very cultural
aspect. The more we become accepting
of different views, the more likely we’ll
be able to continue and preserve Wicca.
But it’s only if people are willing to be
a little bit more organic about things.
It seems that people are looking much
more for a natural approach, however you
define natural. And even more people
are looking for a one-to-one connection,
so even atheists are doing this, because
what they want to do is have their own
one-to-one experience. They don’t want
rules by the Pope or anybody else. I
can get on with atheist, because I can
appreciate scientific progression and we
have a common ground to appreciate
certain things, like art or the creative
process. Religion can help us to be linked,
but it requires much more openness and
acceptance that we are all part of the
earth, we are responsible for it.
8 9
It depends on how willing we are to alter
our consciousness and to be really very
flexible. I think that we should, like the
indigenous people, try to understand the
essence of being.
On understanding the nature of
sacred in Wicca, and our connections
to it.
The important thing is that we try to
connect to this life force, that we have
this sense of wonder, and engage in
a mystical experience. I think it’s this
idea, which children have naturally
and this is a kind of continuance of this
wonderment. Whether you express that
in connection with a god or a goddess or
a nature spirit, it is connecting with the
divine, but it’s perhaps more than that.
It’s actually also following the footprint
of the gods and the rivers.
When people come to me and want to
for example join our guidance course
then one of the first things I’ll ask
someone is, ‘who are you, where are you
coming from, who were your ancestors,
what’s your connection with the lands,
the connection to your own town etc. It is
mainly to let people realize that perhaps
as a child they had a secret place where
they felt at one with surroundings, or
a favourite tree, or a particular stone or
connections with an animal and so on. It
doesn’t necessarily have to be a place in
nature, it can be a book, or an object like
a stone, too. Then, they actually realise
that when they’re doing the guidance
course, they’re in fact reconnecting and
then in some cases realise that they
have never actually lost that connection.
It’s something that inspires them and
whether it’s the myths that they loved or
the fairy tales that their parents would
read to them or tell them the stories
it’s this connection that inspires you, it
‘lifts’ you. Connecting to this mystical
experience is so important now.
Our roots and background are
particularly important, or not?
As I said earlier many of us have
Pantheon’s to which we feel more
connected to. It again tells us something
about our own paths, about our own
ancestors so I think this is why it’s really
vitally important that people continue
that, even if you travel. For example, I’ve
had people, say, in Australia, but they still
feel connected to the English countryside
or if they’re Irish and they’ve moved
to America, they still feel connected
to Ireland. All these different things
which make up our personality are all
important. I have an English background,
and it’s so important to me to really
connect with it, with the Spirits of the
Land, because that’s what connects you to
your ancestral. People may come across a
few things which they’re not particularly
proud of, you know, I mean I as somebody
who was born in in England or Wales
having a British background I can say
British have had a lot of black pages in
their history, the colonial past, and all the
rest of, it but even that is very important
to recognize and acknowledge.
Educators always said that the first
seven years of a baby’s life are the most
important so wherever you were in
those first seven years that would be so
significant for the rest of your life, you
cannot ever erase that and how many
people try to forget, I will try to put it
out, and it always leads to problems In
the Netherlands we have people who are
from Suriname, but they’ve got a Hindu
backgrounds, coming from Indonesia,
and even though they have lived in
Europe or being born here, they still have
this feeling that something is not quite
right, so if their grandparents don’t want
to talk about what’s happened to them
then, it starts to be a big problem. So I
also think it’s actually quite good right
from the beginning to acknowledge and
familiarise myself with my background;
what do I feel naturally drawn to,
when and in which situation do I feel
comfortable. It’s all coming back down to
a recognition of who we are as a soul, as a
sentient being. Thus, we’re also becoming
able to understand other people.
In magical work, perhaps we have
to reach out a little bit further than
other people. I’m interested in their
background because it helps me to
understand my history as well.
Further information:
Silver Circle is a living and growing
organization. New seekers come looking
for tradition all the time. I am still
working hard to ensure that Silver Circle
is open to seekers from other countries.
I still run introductory correspondence
courses in English. In order to join the
course, the applicant must send her
a letter of introduction, explaining
why they want to take the course and
describing some of their own experiences.
This course is not designed to teach the
Gardnerian tradition, but to introduce
people to the Wiccan path. Nevertheless,
this course is valuable to seekers, because
it enables them to evaluate whether the
Wiccan path is right for them and helps
them acquire the knowledge base and
skills any modern pagan/witch needs
these days.
This path requires a great deal of
patience, willpower, the ability to
motivate oneself, the ability to learn
independently. This path is also not for
everyone. However, this is how Initiatory
Wicca usually spreads into different
countries.
These days, a well-developed network of
modern information technology, such as
Skype, email, and social networks, allows
people to communicate with each other
over long distances free of charge. Foreign
seekers can easily find the various Silver
Circle websites, currently operational
in English/Dutch, German Russia and
Spanish. Back issues of Wiccan Rede
Online are also available, from 2010
onwards. Contact details:
morgana@paganfederation.org
Links: Silver Circle | Wiccan Rede Online
PFI Forum | PFI/Pagan Federation
International | Facebook | Google+
YouTube channel
10 11
‘I
wes in the downie hillis, and got
meat ther from the qwein of fearrie
mor then I could eat: the qwein of
fearie is brawlie clothed in whyt linens
and in whyt and browne clothes etc and
the king of fearie is a braw man weill
favoured and broad faced…’
Isobel Gowdie confession one, April 1662,
Auldearn. 1
Images of faeries and magical spirits
of all kinds have captured the popular
imagination for hundreds of years, from
Shakespeare’s pretty Pease blossom to
Peter Pan’s Tinkerbell. But it is seldom
understood that far from glittering fancies
of our imaginations, faeries have held a
place as the spirit nations of these Isles
from time immemorial, and have been
the foundation of much of our original
magical history and practice. Fairies can
be many things, and it has always been a
broad term, whose application depends
largely on who is using it. Historically
one person’s fairy can be another person’s
angel, saint, ghost or demon, as well as
a wide variety of what can be termed
landscape or nature spirits. Equally
their appearances can vary widely from
location to location and over time. Add
to this that ideas of the Otherworld and
its inhabitants varied over Brythonic
and Gaelic literary and oral traditions,
and was often blurred with the realm of
the dead, which in turn seemed to coexist
with Christian theology and yet be
strangely unaffected by it. Sometimes
Cunning FOLK AND THE FAIRY FAITH
Danu Forest
Illustration inset at page 86 of_Indian Fairy Tales
(1892)
they dwell in the land itself, sometimes
they come over the water. Sometimes they
ride in great processions and fierce hunts
over hill and dale, with the dead as part of
their retinue.
Folk belief and the Fairy Faith, known
as the Creideamh Sí, in Irish, has carried
examples of these beings with which
we share the wilder quieter parts of our
landscape, along with various cautionary
tales and examples of practices, repeated
and handed down through the centuries,
across the whole of Britain and Ireland
from the west coast of Clare to the east
coast of Scotland and England. Leave
them offerings of milk and cream, spare
their thorn trees and hollow hills from
the axe and the plough, have a little rowan
or iron over your doors and beneath
your babies cribs, beware their flickering
lights when in the wild places…some are
friendly, some are to be feared, but all the
Otherfolk must be respected and treated
with care, lest their vengeance be upon
you. Turn your coats for fairy folks live
in old oaks is a saying found in Somerset
and Ireland with equal regularity.
Yet not all people have had to be so
wary of the Other Crowd. There has
always been some, the cunning folk,
the poets, the musicians, the healers
and storytellers, who carry our wisdom
from one generation to the next, who
have found themselves able to have
good relations with the faeries. In stark
contrast to the upper-class magicians
of the 16th and 17th centuries, the
cunning folk, the magical practitioners
of the villages and the poorer parts
of our society made their professions
offering healings and simple services,
such as finding lost goods with the help
of faeries, all the time. In Scotland the
witch trials attest to a combination of
faerie faith and devil worship amongst
those who were accused. However, while
thrilling details such as pacts with the
Christian devil are now lain largely down
to the inducements of those interrogating
these usually lower class defendants,
the Fairy Faith appears in a small but
significant proportion of trial documents
attesting clearly, in unison with the
folklore and other evidence, that such
belief was likely to be widespread among
the less literate parts of society, who
maintained their belief and practices
alongside the Christian faith. This
acceptance of two largely opposing beliefs
is known as syncretism, whereby people
can hold seemingly contradictory ideas
at the same time without difficulty. It
seems likely that while Christianity was
the de facto religion of all the British Isles
and Ireland, and when asked, even the
lowest strata of society would consider
themselves to be Christian, in practice
this was far more the belief of the State
and upper classes. When push came to
shove, the people would continue the
rituals and customs they always had;
referring to wisewomen and cunning
men, to fair folk and the spirits of their
ancestors for support rather than taking
their troubles to the clergy. We know this
due to the wide discrepancies between
the span of the far-reaching State religion
and actual church attendance, as well
as the many criticisms lain at the lower
classes from their upper-class landowners
and local lords, who commonly accused
the ‘peasant’ class of understanding little
of Christian theology.
‘There is plenty of evidence to suggest
that throughout seventeenth century
Scotland, and in the Highlands in
particular, many ordinary people
were ignorant even of the basics of
Protestantism…Isobel’s (Gowdies)
Protestantism and that of her peers,
would not only have differed from that
of the lairds and ministers by virtue of
its theological naivety, but also because
it incorporated into itself a variety of
unorthodox, or as they were termed by
the Protestants, ‘superstitious’ beliefs and
practices. Most of the latter were rooted
in residual Catholicism which was in
itself, in turn, a more or less harmonious
Witch paying homage to the devil
12 1 Emma Wilby ‘The Visions of Isobel Gowdie- Magic, Witchcraft and dark Shamanism in Seventeenth Century
13
Scotland’ Sussex Academic Press. 2010. p 40.
amalgam between the teachings of
the early and medieval church and the
non-Christian beliefs and practices that
preceded them.’2
In day to day practice the Christian
god had little to offer the poor rural
communities of Scotland and Ireland,
whereas the fairies and those who worked
with them were known to practically help
those in need with their daily concerns,
and with tangible results. In fact, the
cunning folk’s reputation rested solely
on their ability to visibly heal and help
those who engaged their services. An
example is Perthshire cunning man John
Gothray whose community held that his
communications with the dead and the
fairy folk qualified him as their healer.
‘Having stayed with the fairies for some
time, he was released with a gift for his
trouble, in the form of healing power,
renewed periodically by visits from ‘that
little lad who comes to him once in a
month and shows him such and such
herbs and tells him for what use they
serve.’’ 3
While many will have heard of Isobel
Gowdie, and her fusion of fairy and
maleficent practices, there are accounts
of a great many others who worked
exclusively with fairy. The Scottish
examples with their stories of demonic
pacts along side the fairy contacts differ
widely from those found in Ireland, where
demonic practice seems only to have
been in evidence in areas with Protestant
and Norman influence. Elsewhere, as in
the famous case of Biddy Early, cunning
folk worked exclusively with fairy allies
and were only known to do malevolent
magic in defence of themselves on rare
occasions, to insist on the respect that
their communities usually gave them in
abundance. These were not the magicians
of the upper classes, or the malevolent
witches of Protestant fantasy, but valued
healers within their own communities,
who understood and were deeply rooted
in their own cultural context; of village
life, of tenant farmers and their families,
who knew the needs and sufferings of
those forgotten by the rich and societally
powerful. Instead these people were
understood to have power from the land
and its spirits, to help those who lived
within and upon it every day.
‘There was others in league with ‘em- like
Biddy- that could get concessions of ‘em, or
gifts. But they were exceptional people,’
Cullane, Tulla, 1982 4
Wicked Witch of the East
Biddy Early (1798- 1874) was a renowned
healer and bean feasa- a wisewoman,
who dispensed her assistance to a wide
community throughout County Clare in
Ireland. Fabled for her healing power and
psychic abilities we have been left with a
huge amount of tales relating to her deeds
and relationships with those around her.
Her power was said to be immense, and
stem entirely from her relationship with
the fairies, who functioned as her spirit
helpers, and granted her the ability to see
psychically with the use of a magic bottle
that she would look into for guidanceusing
the blue glass as a focus for scrying
with legendary accuracy. Her son Tom
died as a young man, and her famous
bottle was said to have been a gift from
him from the Otherworld, where he dwelt
with the fairies, to allow her to make a
living after his passing. 5
Similarly her skill with herbs was said
to be exceptional and the well by her
house was said to be a source of profound
healing for anyone who drank its watershearkening
back to the well cults of her
Celtic ancestors. While she demanded
Page 212 illustration in English Fairy Tales
The Devil in Britain and America, 1896 “Wellcome”
great respect in her community, and
examples of her retribution against
those who besmirched her good name
do exist, there is little doubt that she
was considered a truly beneficent figure,
using her skills and connection with the
spirits for the support of her community.
She is still held in great renown and
affection in Clare to this day.
The difference between witches of the
early modern period, and cunning folk,
may seem to be wide and based along
religious lines, but in practice it is likely
that it was never so simple. In Ireland,
where the Protestant witch craze was far
less prevalent, cunning folk were seldom
considered to be witches and received far
less censure from the church. However,
in Scotland, practitioners with usually
benevolent reputations could easily
become entangled with accusations of
witchcraft seemingly on the whim of their
neighbours. Rather than two opposing
magical practices, the term cunning man
or woman and ‘witch’ were more often
applied to the same individual depending
on the intentions and beliefs of those
around them. One could slip easily into
being called a witch and undergo trial
merely on the paranoia or ill will of those
around you. However, in places where the
14 2 Ibid. p23-25 4 Eddie Lenihan. ‘Meeting The Other Crowd- The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland.’ Gill books. 2003. 15
3 Margo Todd. 2002 ‘The culture of Protestantism in early modern Scotland.’ Yale University Press. 2002. p.356. 5 ‘Biddy Early The Magical Lady of Clare’ http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/people/biddy.htm.
church did not lean so heavily into ideas
about devils and witchcraft, communities
seldom saw their folk magic practitioners
in this light, instead viewing their abilities
as existing in a range of visionary and
spiritual experiences which were normal
for all, to varying degrees. The idea
of a devil constantly trying to ensnare
the souls of the people was simply not
there in Gaelic village culture without
a Protestant overlay, and thus neither
were those who were said to worship
him. Instead, it was the fairies and the
ancestors, often perhaps one and the
same, who roamed unseen, and touched
the lives of this one and that, as they
chose.
“The usual type of European witch was
unknown in the Celtic tradition, and
only existed in the parts of Ireland under
Norman influence…According to Celtic
folk belief access to supernatural power
in the forms of spells and charms and
entrance to the fairy world (for good or
evil), was available to anyone who wished
to make use of it. No contract with a
particular figure of evil was necessary,
nor did it make sense to those who had
not been exposed to the churches formal
teaching on diabolical dealings. ‘6
When considering our ‘Celtic’ folk
beliefs as well as the fairy folk, we need to
be aware that these are all broad terms.
We need to take note of the distinct
regional differences across Britain and
Ireland as well as Northern Europe, in
contrast to the now outdated idea of a
unified and consistent ‘Celtic’ culture
either existing in the distant past or
surviving to the modern period. However,
by contrast it must also be noted that
while regional differences most certainly
occurred both geographically and over
time, the similarities in practice between
say Gaelic Scotland and Ireland are still
substantial, as well as between these
and the Brythonic customs of Wales
and Brittany, and even across England.
‘Celtic’ must be understood as a wide
umbrella term that refers not to genetics
but to language and cultural phenomena,
and in this sense the practices of the
Fairy Faith across Britain and Ireland
are remarkably similar when the effects
of the overarching Christian religion or
lack of it, are taken into account. Equally,
while the enthusiasm of earlier Celticists
to see the pre-Christian elements of
Celtic culture surviving untouched in
our myths and legends is now seen as
somewhat misplaced, the ‘anti-nativist’
arguments of the last couple of decades
are equally wearing thin, and it is now well
established that pre-Christian elements
remain to some extent at least, in the
folk beliefs of Britain and Ireland, albeit
altered over time. This is seen particularly
with regard to the Fairy Faith which
was held with such reverence by rural
communities well into the modern period,
and even until this day in various pockets.
This must be due largely to the fact that
they remain as ever, a recurring part of
people’s spiritual experiences, continuing
to be held with a certain reverence in the
hearts and imaginations of many who
feel these traditions speak to them. After
all, these are the spirits of these lands.
The traditions are not unchanged, not
untouched, any more than the Christian
faith it has travelled alongside remains the
artist unknown
same as it was 2000 years ago. Instead
they have adapted and evolved over time,
to remain relevant to the communities
they serve and as a reflection of their own
visionary and mystical contexts. Just as
the spirits remain, in all their forms, so
does our experience of them.
To look deeper into our folk beliefs and
cunning practices, we need to first learn
the stories of our land, wherever that
may be. We need to learn the history as
well as the fauna and flora of the place
where we stand. We need to begin to see
our spiritual and magical lives within a
cultural context that is as old as the hills
themselves, and to come to a place where
we can reach out and contact the spirits
of the land where we dwell, for ourselves.
We can and should utilize the old ways,
and learn from the cautions and etiquette
our ancestors applied when considering
the Other Crowd, and find a place for
them in our modern lives. To leave water
for them to use in the kitchen overnight,
to leave them offerings of friendship on
the land that will do no harm and leave
artist unknown
16 6 Nancy Schmitz. “An Irish Wise Woman: Fact and Legend.” Journal of the Folklore Institute 14,
17
no.3 (1977): p169.
no trace. To never damage their places, or
cut their trees, to bless our homes with
the herbs of our lands on their sacred
days…it is not so hard. We can if we try,
see the world around us with new eyes
that are in practice so, so, old that they
see our footsteps as part of a continuum
of relationship with the unseen, that goes
back as far as those who first came here
as the ice retreated. We can if we choose,
approach the liminal places upon the
land as well as within ourselves, with a
quiet kind of respect- and reach out our
hand. If we are lucky, and careful, we
may find friends there who can show us a
world beyond the fields we know. If not,
well, that is what the iron is for…
©Danu Forest 2020
John Matthews
I
n December last year my wife
bought me a copy of a CD. It
was called Chanctonbury Rings
by Justin Hopper & Sharron Kraus and is
a musical soundscape evoking the power
of place. 1 I sat down to listen with some
trepidation, knowing it would bring
back memories I had not thought about
for many years. It did. I was transported
back almost 50 years, to a time when, as
a 19-year-old, I experienced a journey
which set me on the road to where I am
now. When I was asked to speak at this
conference, I took the decision to say
something about these things in public
for the first time. It seemed the right
time to do so, because I felt, having
reached a good age, I should leave behind
something of my journey. In the light of
more recent events, this seems even more
important.
I chose to tell the central part of the
account as though I was observing it
from outside which, so many years on, is
actually how I remember it. These things
happened, it now seems, to another
person – yet I recall them all as clearly
as if they happened yesterday. I’m not
even sure how much of it will seem real
to you, but in the end it’s up to everyone
to decide for themselves what to think.
I offer it here, as a chapter in a life spent
very much in the service of the gods –
which might never have happened if I
had not taken a fateful bicycle ride in
1967.
BREAKING THE CIRCLE
Of the Tradition
First of all, a few thoughts to open
up the background of this adventure.
Following on from the story I am going
to tell here, I did a lot of research. The
results of that follow here, before my
personal story, to establish a context.
Of all the different kinds of Craft (the
term for all Wiccans that I grew up
with and which I hope is still politically
correct?) ‘Traditional’ is the hardest to
substantiate, the least clearly defined,
the most intractable of understanding.
Trying to explain, to those trained in
Hereditary, Gardnerian or Alexandrian
groups, what is different about
Traditionals is the hardest task of all,
since most answers to questions consist of
(1)
18 19
negatives: ‘No, we didn’t do that’, ‘No, we
never used those’, and so on.
In part this stems from a totally
different outlook, intent and purpose.
Traditional groups meet in a rural
setting which they have probably used
for generations, and which is their own
native space; their members are drawn
from local, rural communities (with
occasional exceptions, such as myself);
they are concerned with the seasons,
with the right relationship of mankind
to the earth. They are not interested in
power, either personal or general; nor do
they work needlessly or from habit. What
they practise is neither exactly a religion,
nor is it exactly magic; yet both labels, if
applied in their broadest sense, describe
something of the way Traditionals
function.
Their observance of the seasons is as
precise as their ancestors’, whom they
remember, fondly, as links in a chain
stretching back into the distant past.
They are thus, in as much as they are like
anyone, closest to the Hereditary families
of wise people, who like them seem to
have no roots but to gravitate to one
particular place and lock onto its energy
centre. They themselves scorn labels,
seeing what they do, and are, as so much
a part of natural living that it needs no
categorizing.
Many are Christians, who attend
local church services and honour a god
who is younger than theirs but who
nevertheless stands for many of the same
principles. They see nothing strange in
this, being above all supremely adaptive
and knowing that all gods are one god.
Nor are they to be confused with the
medieval idea of ‘Witches’, burned in
their hundreds by zealous Christians.
Most of these, they well know, were
harmless old women fear of whom was
fuelled by horrific images conjured up
every day in the local church. Despite
this the Traditionals were always there,
silently looking on, following a path that
is at least as old as the bones of the earth
herself.
It is no longer possible to say with any
certainty how much their practices have
changed with the centuries. Sometimes,
one might say, hardly at all. Yet they have
ever been adaptive, taking what they
needed from each successive influx of
peoples into these islands, so that one
may hear more than one archaic language
in their chants and more than one set of
beliefs in their teachings.
(2) (3)
The place of the Traditional in the
contemporary Craft revival is complex.
Among the many covens formed since the
repeal of the Witchcraft Act in 1951, there
has come to be felt a great need to get to
the roots of their tradition. But while the
revivalists feel that Traditionals should
make themselves, their material and
their working methods freely available
to everyone - if only in order to set the
record straight - this is really unnecessary,
since both ways of working are, in their
own right, perfectly valid. The more
recent revivals are really more of an urban
reaction to a still deeply felt need to
know and understand the relationship of
mankind with the earth. But what really
are the differences between Traditionals
and other members of the Craft? Is the
discrepancy so vast that it cannot be
breached?
For a start, Traditional groups (which
are not called covens) vary greatly from
place to place, so that what may be true
of one may not be true of another. They
were often established and worked in
isolation from each other, so that local
practices and usages were employed
according to each place. Some groups
had ‘masters’, some had ‘ladies’ (never
high priest or high priestess.) Some had
no leaders at all but shared the guiding
inspiration for each meeting in rotation.
For the most part, they work robed, not
naked, except for initiations or certain
rituals. Because they do not derive their
working methods from books, nor
commit their work to writing, there are
no records, no ‘Book of Shadows’, no
written spells or charms. In the same
way there are no ‘weapons’, such as the
athame - the thought being that one had
fingers, and therefore required nothing
else. The working methods tend to be
inspired by the needs of the moment or
dictated from long custom.
Traditional Craft is thus perhaps one of
the last bastions of ‘tribal consciousness’
— that unspoken, unwritten sense of
communication with the ancestral land.
Its wisdom, native indeed, but common
to all peoples, is part of the very fabric
of creation. As such, it is not surprising
that the most unique way of working
among Traditional groups consists of
their use of sound. The chants which
resonate throughout their workings are
perhaps echoes of the first sounds made
by our ancestors in ritualized response
|to their environment. Similarly, methods
of working which includes a wide use
of trance states, out-of-body travel and
dream-reading (a method of foretelling
future events which is astoundingly
accurate; a single image implanted before
20 21
(4)
the sleeper begins to dream, which
expands to fill the whole dreamscape). All
are based on extremely ancient methods
— simple, direct, drugless, ultimately safe.
Above all there is always a sense of a job
to do. Members turn up at the meeting
place, do what they are there to do, and
then depart again.
There is almost none of the cheerful
back-slapping and general horseplay
experienced in many neo-pagan circles –
not that I’m saying I have not enjoyed a
good number of these over the years! This
is not to say that all meetings are deadpan
affairs. Celebrations do take place,
stories are told, thoughts exchanged,
jokes cracked. Yet it remains still harder
to describe what is done than what is not.
The lack of definition is perhaps
summed up best by saying that the
Traditionals follow the laws and customs
of the land, dressing, speaking and
behaving like everyone else in their
locality. They blend into the landscape
and, though their fellow villagers know
they follow old ways, they are neither
offended nor scandalized by this; it is
considered as much like a public duty
as jury service or sitting on the district
council.
All in all, there is nothing special about
being a Traditional. Witches of the revival
may demand to know about glamorous
rituals and strange, antique practices;
the only problem being that there are
none. It is not even a matter of being
unwilling to share the old wisdom; the
sheer impossibility of communicating
a sense of belonging to the land and its
subtle, ordinary rhythms creates its own
barrier. Finally, and most importantly
perhaps, there is really no need for
dialogue between the revivalists and the
traditionalists. Despite having almost
no common words with which to do so,
they are both still speaking the same
language. The distance between the one
and the other is sometimes great, but the
unifying principles, in whatever form they
take, are still the same. It is to a better
understanding of this that the writing
that follows is dedicated.
More than this is difficult to say. What
follows is an attempt to record the
incommunicable in a manner that will
be understood by all. It is also a deeply
personal response to a network of images,
dreams and memories stretching back
some 50 years and so recently revived
by listening to The Chanctonbury Rings.
Sometimes, indeed, the edges are blurred
— but the essence of deep joy and primal
energy experienced remains as clear
now as then. The Traditionals, who are
unimpressed by such labels, remain
because there has always been a need
for them, a function for them to fulfil. If
ever that need vanishes, they will quickly
follow suit. When, if ever, that happens,
the earth will in some way be made
poorer by their going.
So, here is my attempt to remember
what happened, all those years ago, partly
to me and partly to the boy who borrowed
a bike and cycled out to a famous local
landmark, famed for its Roman ruins and
maybe older foundations beneath them.
Most, I hope, is as accurate as I can make
it. I kept few notes at the time and have
only seldom returned to the Ring since
then.
In the Circle
They always met on hilltops — to be
between earth and sky - and because of
the numen of the place, whose influence
was to be felt in all that they did and
was ever present. There was no sense
of worship - simply of respect. Higher
devotions were kept for the principles
of earth and sky, usually referred to as
‘she’ and ‘he’, or more often ‘Her’ and
‘Him’, said not with disrespect, but with
a jerk of the head or a lifted hand in
acknowledgement of the shaping powers.
Meetings were regular, moving with the
seasons. The changing moods of the land
dictated the mood of the celebrations
— to call them rites in the way that the
word is used today would be wrong. There
was, above all, an underlying strength
about them, something born of the
impervious earth, which knows nothing
of the sufferings of humanity, but which
yet knows everything, is mother to us
all. Thus, they always wore some scrap
of green about them “in token that the
Mother keep her fair face”; and this
memory brought others, that “wearing
the green” meant something else, but also
the same thing.
The Green Door was for the
Otherworld, the Red Door for Paradise;
and it was through the green door that
he – the boy - went, over and over again,
to meet in a place that was part of a
far greater landscape, where there was
another version of the hill itself.
There, they did many things to ‘help the
flow’, to ‘set the seasons in their places’,
to ‘spin the wheel and turn the weaving
until the pattern is complete’. That was
how he remembered it, afterwards; the
healing and the putting of things in their
22 23
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ritual place. For within their own universe
they were supreme, kept to the laws that
ruled there, tried never to offend those
who shared it with them, who were, by
definition, other...
The Red Door was less often used, a
more private entry point into another
kind of Otherworld. Here, Paradise was
the home of the dwellers’ own soul, where
he or she fought personal battles, won
or lost, a place of honour or dishonour
– a place of the Gods. There were no
hierarchies within the group, no ‘higher’
or ‘lower’ powers — Paradise, through
the Red Door, was in no way superior; it
simply was.
There, he saw and understood the
meaning of his own visions, heard the
song of the ineffable spheres and joined
with them in a song of his own devising.
He came upon them by chance as it
seemed, cycling through deepening dusk
to come at length to the foot of the hill.
Looking up through clustering branches,
leaning outwards into the air like crones
at a well-side, he almost turned away.
But something, curiosity perhaps, or a
stubborn streak that refused to relent
after the long ride, pushed him on.
Somewhere, at the top, was an ancient
temple of Roman gods — his purpose for
coming. There would be little enough to
see, even by day, but still... he pushed the
bike into the shelter of some bushes and
began to climb.
There, near the summit, was the circle;
a random grouping of trees and bushes
that made a place set apart. There he saw
figures move, silhouetted in firelight,
and he heard them chanting, the rise and
fall of sound, the calls and the answers,
(6) (7)
male voices pitched against female, then
joining.
Hesitating, he almost turned away,
until one came through the circle towards
him, arms outstretched, welcoming. “You
are awaited. Enter.” Four words only to
change a life. Yet from that moment his
was never again the same.
Two years of training followed, often at
a distance because he ‘lived away’. Books
were distrusted, some that he showed
them laughed at. Sometimes, a dream
would come, and he would walk again
through the Green Door, and learn what
he could and strive to retain it afterwards,
in the cold light of day. He learned to fly
in these dreams, not on some besom, but
on his own wings of thought, fleeting
across the green land, seeing it — the
same, yet different — with new eyes. And
he learned the chants. Some of them
wordless, ancient, springing from the
deepest roots of the earth herself; others,
a strange mixture, some Greek words that
he knew, some Latin, others unknown —
‘We take what we find and make it ours.’
These chants could do many things;
conjure rivers from dry rock, split
boulders or raise a storm — all of this in
the green world where its effects were like
the merest shadows on the surfaces of
the world outside, but where the people
met and talked and discussed the way
of things, as they had always done, in a
timelessness place.
Regularly, in those two years, a
summons would come, an envelope
containing a single sheet of paper on
which was written in fine copper plate
handwriting, his name, the new name
they had given him: “A passing name,
until you be ready for another.” Then he
would go, and be permitted to watch, as
he had done that first time, apart and yet
part of; sometimes asked for a comment,
a pronouncement. “Shall we call upon the
Swift Steed or the Slow?”; “Is it time yet
to show the Dream to those who know it
not?”
He learned the words he was taught.
There were few since “spells and stuff of
that sort are for the late comers” by which
they seemed to mean anything from the
Romans to more recent walkers of the
Old Ways. Only once did he dare ask for
knowledge of their history, to be told:
“Not taught. Not remembered. We were
drovers’ wives once, that came together to
do what men forgot. But the way is older
— no names, no times. We are what we
are and nothing more.”
But they were something more:
dreamers who never dreamed, teachers
who never taught, thinkers who never
thought. And yes, there was a kind of
unconscious cruelty about them — they
were impersonal and did what they did,
not only because they had always done
it, but because it was always meant so to
be done. Thus the ‘initiation’, a foreign
concept they found hard to accept until
he told them more, at which it was said:
“Ah, the key in the lock; the opening of
the door”. The initiation he underwent,
which he afterwards thought of as relearning
the things he had been born
knowing but had forgotten, had its own
share of savagery...
(He paused in his memorizing of these
things and fingered the green man head
that hung on a thong at his neck. They
had no images of their god, nor of their
goddess. These were two impersonal
polarities that held the whole of life in
balance.) The initiation then — the only
time for nakedness, “because it’s only
24 25
right that you enter as you were made”,
entering this time between the sturdy
legs of one of them, into the bright and
burning circle.
Then the words, murmured in his
ears though none stood close: “Be that
you be, see that you see; shine, and in
the shining, show what you be” Ancient
words? Perhaps an echo. But by whoever
or whenever first spoken, potent now as
then. He felt enclosed, safe, yet at the
same time set free, poised on the breath
of a great beginning.
Other words, forgotten now, spoke of
the year’s turning, of the part each must
play in its continued restoration, its
endless making.
Then, the touch of hands, seven pairs,
on his back and arms and thighs, and
more words, whispered now, that he
could not catch. Then the thronged
‘punisher’ ‘To remind you always, who you
are.” The seven strokes and the three, and
then the five, and with the last, released
from the hand that had held it in check, a
thong on which was tied an arrowhead of
a long-past time.
Brief, burning pain. Some blood, soon
cleansed, salve applied that brought swift
relief and healing. Gentleness now in the
hands that touched brow and shoulder
and foot. Last words, half remembered:
“Shallow is the shadow world. deep
the world of earth and stone, where the
Seasons turn...”
Like a waking he hears them again,
remembers the thoughts they conjured,
that between the two worlds lay very little
space, and that they often overlapped.
That was only a part. Other truths
followed: that to be part of life was to
feel the flow of the earth’s own blood,
through the feet, mounting to the body,
until the head was filled with its fire; that
to be one with Creation was the greatest
gift, though little known and rarely
understood. They had always known,
had always sung or chanted its rhythm,
celebrating the round of the year in all its
patterns, below ground and above.
Thus, there could be no set initiations
in the understood sense; the coming
in was merely the open hand, the word
“welcome”, which had its own magical
volition. Beyond this, he was considered
ready, ready to have the key turned in the
lock, so that his understanding flowered
within him and he was attuned to the
inner harmony of the group, where no
one, man nor woman, spoke of having
greater authority, the seal of manstrength
or woman-power. He saw again,
more clearly now, the balance within
the group, the polarized strengths that
worked for one direction and that all
theirs, the ‘will’ of Creation.
Each acted out that will, singly and
in chorus, as the laws governing chant
allowed for one voice or two, three or
many, according to the song of the hour.
Earth sang, the Mother sang in answer,
and the stars fell into alignment, those
above reflected by those below.
He reflected, briefly, that there was
greater similarity between the concepts
of ‘High Magic’ and the work of the
family, than most would acknowledge; the
working in harmony with the inner realms
was at the heart of all their work.
Then, the last night, remembered still
with difficulty and some pain. A big night,
season-changer, a night of song and story.
Then, a summoning, all of them, and
he, drawn close and tight in the Circle,
chanting the end note and the dawn note
in changing harmonies, drunk with the
sounds, drawing ragged breaths full of
the night. And he, focused, no longer
aware of anything but the circle of light
before him and the power he sought to fill
with...
But what came there, what filled the
circle, overflowed across dark hill, drove
back the rest, overwhelmed them, was
something other. A man-shape cut out of
the night, a vast-seeming darkness that
shut out the moon and the stars, a great
voice roaring in his head: COME!
Just as violent was his response,
his silent-shouted NO! And then the
reverberation, the tearing aside of the
curtain, and the circle of faces, some
shocked, some bewildered, two at least,
angry. He remembered the anger for
a long while after, the shouted words:
“‘Be darkness and be fear and be not
of us!” After, long after, when he could
think again of these things, could seek
interpretation and meaning, he wondered
what had really occurred. Was it his own
psychism which had acted as a catalyst
to some waiting energy, releasing it like
a volcano from within the hill? Or were
they to blame, as another to whom he
spoke of this had suggested; had they
sought him as a gift to the numen of the
hill? But would they not, at the least,
have asked this of him? To go unwillingly
was not to go at all — or so he believed
- and trusted they would. Whatever the
truth he left that night and saw none of
them again. Not banished, but with the
unspoken understanding that the time
with them was over.
Was it, then, simply the
unexpectedness of the thing, for none
had foreseen it, least of all he? For many
years he was to wonder, following another
course that brought him back to that
broken circle, to that hilltop night, again
and again.
Often, he was asked the question
“Come, give up yourself, be part of the
circle again” meaning other circles, never
the first which was forever closed. But
always he refused, until another came,
who knew all the ways by intuition,
who was gentle and taught him again
the meaning of the way, until he was
able, in part, to teach her. But all was
fragmentary, forcibly suppressed through
26 ILLUSTRATIONS 1 - 8 BY JULIA JEFFREY .
27
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the years of being dark, of being fearful
and ‘not of us’. Only when making this
writing he remembered the deepest joy of
all, the quickening of the earth beneath
him, the answering heartbeat when his
hands, their hands, struck it in rhythm;
or when their voices, rising and falling,
seemed to snare the moon.
And he remembered the trees, that
seemed more than trees, and that beyond
the Green Door were more than trees.
Best of all he remembered the meetings
on the inner hill, beneath a moon that
was always full and yellow, where he saw
and understood the blurring of many
tracks into one, and saw that he and his
were truly appointed guardians of the
earth, to see that it always held true to
them and they to it. Right relationship
with the living earth was their true
calling; his also now.
Then he remembered something else.
That theirs was a religion of love and of
light; that they celebrated the natural
world, its greenness and its brightness,
because these were sacred things. That
knowledge brought its own release, and
he recalled some words from a book
supposedly meant for children, which yet
said all that he would wish said of these
things:
was magic everywhere; every race and
country, every tribe and tributary had its
magic-handlers, its wise witch-people. Magic
is another word for Creation, for the creation
of the world was the biggest magic of all.”
The Witches and the Grinnygog by Dorothy Edwards.
What happened after? I left the group,
some of whom seemed less than happy
with my presence as an ‘outsider’ and as
a possible cause of the events on the hill.
Some fifteen years after I went back to
visit the hill, found the place where we
used to meet, observed the blackened
remains of many recent fires. But when
I went to the local pub and asked after
named members of the group I was met
with shaken heads or silence. In spite of
everything, time has not changed the
ways of villages or the natural secrecy
of the Traditional groups. I still think of
them with fondness, and I know that I
owe them a lot. They took my nascent
psychism and formed it into a tool I use to
this day. Wherever they are, I greet them
gladly across the years.
1: Chanctonbury Rings: Justin Hopper
& Sharron Kraus with the Belbury Poly.
2019. Ghost Box GBX033.
contact@ghostbox.co.uk
©John Matthews, 2020
FOLK BELIEF AND EARLY SCOTTISH LITERATURE
S
cotland has a rich cultural heritage
steeped in magic and lore. One
of our greatest treasures is that for
hundreds of years many of these tales
and beliefs have been written down so
they can still be remembered today. This
article gives a brief look at a little of the
early literature on these subjects. I’ve
taken the liberty of translating some of
the archaic words and language used in
the books for ease of reading.King James
the VI of Scotland wrote and published
“Daemonologie” in 1597; a serious
discussion about belief in magic, sorcery,
witchcraft, fairies and demons in those
days.
In the book he talks about the “Deuilles
rudimentes” (Devil’s rudiments) which
are “all that which is called vulgarly the
virtue of word, herbe, & stone: which
is used by unlawful charms, without
natural causes. As likewise all kind of
practices, freites (an archaic word for spell
or charm), or other like extraordinary
actions, which cannot abide the true
touch of natural reason.” King James gives
away some of the folk practices when he
explains what he means by “charms”;
Derek Simpson
knots upon a point at the time of their
marriage). And such-like things, which
men use to practise in their merriness:
For unlearned men (being naturally
curious, and lacking the true knowledge
of God) find these practises to prove true,
as sundrie of them will do, by the power
of the Devil for deceasing men, and not
by any inherent virtue in these vain words
and charms; & being desirous to win a
reputation to themselves in such-like
turns, they either (if they be of the shy
sort) seek to be taught by some that have
experimented in that Art, (not knowing
it to be evil at the first) or else being of
the grosser sort, run directly to the Devil
for ambition or desire of gain, and plainly
contracts with him thereupon.”
“I mean either by such kind of Charms
as commonly daft wives use, for healing The true extent of how widely people
of forspoken goods, for preserving them practiced magic is demontrated when he
from evil eyes, by knitting rowan-trees, argues:
or sundriest kind of herbs, to the hair or
tails of the goods: By curing the Worm, by “But how prove you now that these
stemming of blood, by healing of Horsecrooks,
by turning of the riddle, or doing unlawful: For so, many honest & merry
charms or unnatural practices are
of such like innumerable things by words, men & women have publicly practised
without applying any thing onto the part some of them, that I think if you would
“Long ago, when the world started there
offended, as Mediciners do; Or else by accuse them all of Witchcraft, you would
staying married folks, to have natural affirm more or you will not be believed.”
28 ado with other, (by knitting so many
29
Almost one hundred years later George
Sinclair was a professor at Glasgow
University. Sinclair was a respected
mathemetician and engineer but, more
famously, he was a demonologist. Sinclair
firmly believed in the supernatural
and his book “Satan’s Invisible World
Discovered” published in 1685 offered
proof of the existance of “devils, spirits,
witches, and apparitions, from authentick
records”. Sinclair also discussed some of
the folk beliefs of the day;
“It is likewise a sort of charm which
many witches have, namely, to cut the
rowan tree between the two Beltane days.
If any man or woman, horse, or cow, shall
have a piece therof upon them, no devil’s
or fairy will have the power to meddle with
them. An old woman whom I read of, used
this charm when she went to bed,
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
The bed be blest that I lie on.
And another old woman taught her
neighbour this charm, when the butter
would not churn,
Come butter, come,
Come butter, come;
Peter stands at the gate
Waiting for a butter’d cake,
Come butter, come.”
until it fell into the hands of Walter Scott
in 1815. Kirk had this to say about
“Fairie-hills”;
“There be many Places called Fairiehills,
which the Mountain People think
impious and dangerous to peel or discover,
by taking Earth or Wood from them;
superstitiously believing the Souls of
their Predecessors to dwell there. And for
that End (say they) a Mote or Mount was
dedicated beside every Church-yard, to
receive the Souls till their adjacent Bodies
arrive, and so become as a Fairie-hill; they
using Bodies of Air when called Abroad.
They also affirmed those Creatures that
move invisibly in a House, and call huge
great Stones, but do no much Hurt,
because counter-wrought by some more
courteous and charitable Spirits that are
everywhere ready to defend Men, to be
Souls that have not attained their Rest,
through a vehement Desire of revealing a
Murder or notable Injury done or received,
or a Treasure that was forgot in their
Lifetime on Earth, which when disclosed
to a Conjurer alone, the Ghost quite
removes.”
As Scotland entered the 1700’s, books
on travel became popular and the
romance of the Scottish hills, lochs, and
northern-most islands captivated readers’
imaginations. As well as picturesque
descriptions of places to visit, the books
recorded rural life in Scotland and, in
doing so, they captured many beliefs
held in local communities. One treasure
trove of information is Martin Martin’s
“Description of The Western Isles”
published in 1703. In his book, Martin
describes how the locals left offerings for
the Brownie;
“THEY had an universal Custom, of
pouring a Cow’s Milk upon a little Hill,
or big Stone, where the Spirit they called
Browny was believed to lodge: this Spirit
always appeared in the shape of a tall
Man, having very long brown Hair. There
was scarce any the leaft Village in which
this superstitious Custom did not prevail.
I enquired the reason of it from several
well-meaning Women, who, until of late,
had practised it; and they told me, that
it had been transmitted to them by their
Ancestors succefsfully, who believed it was
attended with good Fortune.”
He also captured an ancient ritual used
for a bountiful harvest;
“The Inhabitants of this Island had
an ancient Custom to sacrifice to a Sea
- God, called Shony, at Hallow-tide, in
the manner following: The Inhabitants
round the Island came to the Church of
St. Mulvay, having each Man his Provision
along with him; every Family furnished
a Peck of Malt, and this was brewed into
Ale: one of their number was picked out
to wade into the Sea up to the middle, and
Around that time Robert Kirk was the
minister of the Aberfoyle parish. His
life and death have become the stuff
of legend as he reputedly befriended
the fairy court in nearby Doon hill
and wrote a manuscript, “The Secret
Commonwealth”, recording what he had
learned from them with further notes on
other beliefs such as second sight. The
story goes that in 1692, for betraying the
secrets of the fairies, he was carried away
by them. Robert Kirk’s mauscript was
kept hidden and remained unpublished
30 31
carrying a Cup of Ale in his hand, standing
still in that pofture, cryed out with a loud
Voice, saying, Shony, I give you this Cup
of Ale, hoping that you’ll be so kind as to
send us plenty of Sea-ware, for enriching
our Ground the ensuing Year: and so
threw the Cup of Ale into the Sea. This was
performed in the Night-time. At his Return
to Land, they all went to Church, where
there was a Candle burning upon the
Altar; and then standing silent for a little
time, one of them gave a Signal, at which
the Candle was put out, and immediately
all of them went to the Fields, where they
fell a drinking their Ale, and spent the
remainder of the Night in Dancing and
Singing, &c.
THE next Morning they all returned
home being well satisfied that they
had punctually observed this Solemn
Anniversary, which they believed to be
a powerful means to procure a plentiful
Crop. Mr Daniel and Mr Kenneth Morifon,
Ministers in Lewis, told me they spent
several Years, before they could persuade
the vulgar Natives to abandon this
ridiculous piece of Superstition”
Rituals involving dancing and drinking
brings me neatly to Scotland’s most
famous poet, Robert Burns and, in
connection with folk beliefs, his most
celebrated poem “Tam O’Shanter” first
published in 1791.
The poem tells the tale of how drunken
Tam happens upon witches, warlocks
and ghosts dancing in the Old Alloway
Kirk accompanied by the devil paying
bagpipes. He forgets himself while
watching the fun and shouts out “Weel
done, cutty-sark!” which gets their
attention. A chase ensues with Tam only
just escaping by crossing the Brig O’
Doon (Bridge Of Doon). His poor horse
Meg, however, loses her tail as the witches
manage to grab hold of it just as their
about to cross the bridge.
The poem contains several references to
old beliefs, such as the idea that disused
churches will be haunted, but the most
telling superstition is hinted at when Tam
makes his escape; he knows he will be
safe if he gets over the bridge - the powers
of evil cannot cross running water;
“There at them thou thy tail may toss,
A running stream they dare na cross.”
At the time of publication most people
will have known this superstition. Only
a few years after the publication of Tam
O’Shanter, Walter Scott began his literary
career but it was not until 1802 that Scott
began to write books sharing Scotland’s
rich cultural heritage with the rest of the
world.
From a young age Scott had been
entranced by the old ballads, the tales
of Scotland, sung by ancient minstrels
and bards. He set upon a labour of love
collecting the ballads and published them
as the “Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border”
in 1802.
The added bonus for those interested
in folklore is that Scott wrote essays to
accompany the ballads explaining the
stories and beliefs behind them. In the
“Introduction To The Tale Of Young
Tamlane” he talks about the “Fairies Of
Popular Superstition” and the belief in
the magical fern seed;
“Some faint traces yet remain, on the
Borders, of a conflict of a mysterious and
terrible nature, between mortals and the
spirits of the wilds. The superstition is
incidentally alluded to by Jackson, at the
beginning of the 17th century. The fern
seed, which is supposed to become visible
only on St John’s eve, and at the very
moment when the Baptist was born, is
held by the vulgar to be under the special
protection of the Queen of Faery. But, as
the seed was supposed to have the quality
of rendering the possessor invisible at
pleasure, and to be also of sovereign use
in charms and incantations, persons of
courage, addicted to these mysterious
arts, were wont to watch in solitude, to
gather it at the moment when it should
become visible. The particular charms,
by which they fenced themselves during
this vigil, are now unknown; but it was
reckoned a feat of no small danger, as the
person undertaking it was exposed to the
most dreadful assaults from spirits, who
dreaded the effect of this powerful herb in
the hands of a cabalist.”
The 1800’s also brought an explosion of
world-wide interest in folklore. The fact
that oral tradition and many old beliefs
were still practiced in the Highlands and
Islands, and in rural areas of Scotland,
gave a wonderful opportunity to record
them before they were lost. This led
to the first book written purely about
Highland Superstitions;
“Popular Superstitions And Festive
Amusements Of The Highlanders Of
Scotland”
by William Grant Stewart
published in 1823
It was the first time anyone had
categorised the supernatural creatures
of Scotland and it was broken down into
chapters about Ghosts, Fairies, Brownies,
Water-Kelpies, Spunkies, Witchcraft and
also the traditions practiced throughout
the year. One of the secrets that Stewart
revealed about Hallowe’en was;
“The good- natured matron, being
happy at her husband’s felicity, and averse
to chide, they both tacitly connive at the
family’s indulgence in the customary
arts of divination. Generally the first
spell they try is pulling the stock of kail.
Joining hand in hand they go forth to the
kail-yard, previously blind-folded, lads,
lasses, and children, equally anxious to
have their fortunes told as their seniors.
Pulling the first stock they meet with,
they immediately return to the light to
have an examination of its qualities; its
being large or little, straight or crooked,
is prophetic of the size and shape of its
puller’s conjugal companion. If any earth
adheres to the root, it indicates tocher or
fortune ; and the taste of the custoc or
stem, whether sour or sweet, shows the
32 33
nature of his disposition.”
In the same year Walter Scott
approached his publisher, Constable,
about writing a book on Popular
Superstitions but the idea was turned
down. It didn’t put Scott off his stride
as in 1830, when he was recovering from
a stroke, his son-in-law suggested that,
because of his interest in witchcraft,
he should keep himself occupied by
writing a small volume on the subject for
‘Murray’s Family Library’. The result was
“Letters on demonology and witchcraft,
addressed to J.G. Lockhart, Esq.”
published in the same year. In the book
he offers the following information about
the word “Hex”;
“This peculiarity in the habits of the
North was so general, that it was no
unusual thing to see females, from respect
to their supposed views into futurity, and
the degree of divine inspiration which was
vouchsafed to them, arise to the degree
of HAXA, or chief priestess, from which
comes the word Hexe, now universally
used for a witch; a circumstance which
plainly shows that the mythological
system of the ancient natives of the North
had given to the modern language an
appropriate word for distinguishing those
females who had intercourse with the
spiritual world”
eighty years ago, says, was denominated
Bourjo, a word of unknown derivation,
by which the place is still known. Here
an universal and subsisting tradition
bore that human sacrifices were of yore
offered, while the people assisting could
be hold the ceremony from the elevation
of the glacis which slopes inward. With
this place of sacrifice communicated a
path, still discernible, called the Haxellgate;
leading to a small glen or narrow
valley called the HaxelleIeuch-both which
words are probably derived from the Haxa
or chief priestess of the pagans.
“Letters on Demonology” was an
immediate success and opened the
door for future books on pagan beliefs,
witchcraft and magic. It was an
opportunity that Scottish writers and
folklorists could not miss and to this day
there is still a steady stream of literature
on the subject.
It may be worth while to notice that
the word Haxa is still used in Scotland in
its sense of a druidess, or chief priestess,
to distinguish the places where such
females exercised their ritual. There
is a species of small intrenchment on
the western descent of the Eildon hills,
which Mr. Milne, in his account of the
parish of Melrose, drawn up about
34 35
K
itchen Witchcraft is not only
an ancient practice but quite
possibly something that
everyone does without even knowing it.
The term ‘Kitchen Witch’ seems to have
been hijacked by the media and turned
into a trendy term to refer to someone
that is a good cook and although that can
be loosely linked to Kitchen Witchcraft
the term covers so much more.
The kitchen is the heart and soul of the
home…everyone is found in the kitchen
at parties right? The kitchen would
originally have been the focus of any
household even going back to mud huts
when the fire would have been used for
heat and for cooking.
The idea of Kitchen Witchcraft conjures
up someone in the kitchen creating
bottles and jars of lotions and potions
and that does cover part of it but it is also
a witch that works with herbs on all sorts
of levels from medicinal to magical to
culinary, the herbs usually being grown
in their own garden or foraged from the
hedgerows.
When a friend is poorly a Kitchen
Witch will work a spell to aid, but will
also make some homemade soup, (the
Jewish mother making chicken soup is
not a myth, it has real magic) putting
healing energy into making it, adding
healing energy with each vegetable and
herb that is added.
To connect with the divine a Witch
will step outside, take a cup of tea and
sit in the garden, to be outside with
KITCHEN WITCHCRAFT
Rachel Patterson
nature …that is where the connection
is. Feel the wind in your hair, the sun on
your face, feel the grass beneath your
feet, the free and wild feeling of being at
one with nature, Mother Earth and her
bounty. A Kitchen Witch will also get
that connection in the kitchen, working
with herbs, spices, plants and produce.
Everything a Kitchen Witch makes is
made with love, affection and a little bit
of magic.
A Kitchen Witch will also bring magic
into their food via cooking. Food is
magical, not just because of the amazing
tastes, flavours and aromas but also for
the magical properties it holds. The
magic starts with the choice of food to use
and it can then be added in whilst you are
preparing and cooking then the magic
unfolds as people enjoy your food. Dishes
can be created for specific intents, moon
phases, and rituals, to celebrate sabbats
or just to bring the magic into your family
meal.
Every herb, every spice and every
ingredient has magical properties and
these can be brought into meals and
recipes. Just the art of cooking itself has
magic, stirring the pot deosil (clockwise)
brings in positive energy, peeling onions
can be releasing and washing dirt
from vegetables can be cleansing and
purifying.
You can bring intent into any meal
with very little effort think about the
ingredients you use and what magical
properties you believe them to have.
There are the traditional ones such as
oysters and asparagus adding a bit of va
va voom to your love life but there are
spices, herbs and foods for every intent.
What food do you think is stuffed full
of psychic energy? The answer is pasta…
yep good ole standby easy supper pasta.
But it does depend on the shape. If you
want to create a meal brimming with
psychic powers then use a twisty pasta
shape because the pattern holds the
magic, forget lasagne sheets coz the
magic just rolls off… who would have
thought of psychic pasta? Just by adding
a few herbs into a dish will bring in the
magical properties, help them along by
giving them a power charge with your
intent before you throw them in the pot.
Purely by cooking, heating, frying and
baking something you add in a boost of
fiery energy.
Go with your own instinct and intuition
but for starters try adding a sprinkle of
cinnamon for love and success, a dash
of pepper for protection and don’t forget
your fruit and veg, it isn’t just healthy
but carrots bring the magical properties
36 37
of fertility and passion (a dangerous
combination…), pears bring prosperity
and luck and if you are a meat eater then
you bring the element of fire onto your
plate along with the magical properties
of the animal you use. If you sprinkle
cheese on top you also add in success
and happiness…because everything is
made better with a sprinkling of cheese
except maybe cake but that in itself has
the magical powers of happiness and
celebration.
And don’t forget to compost your fruit
and vegetable peelings, leave offerings to
your plants or in the hedgerows that you
forage from (bio-degradable please) and
honour the animals that provided your
meal. A nod to the kitchen deities won’t
go amiss either.
A Kitchen Witch doesn’t tend to use
fancy tools although we usually have a
few because hey we like pretty things
too. A Kitchen Witch will use whatever
is to hand; a finger or a wooden spoon
becomes a wand and an old casserole dish
creates a useful cauldron. We also work
very intuitively preferring to use magical
ingredients because they ‘feel right’ rather
than checking a list and if we don’t have
what we need, we substitute from our
kitchen cupboard.
And our kitchens will usually be
crammed full of herbs and spices not
just in the cupboards but drying from
the rafters too. OK so not many houses
have rafters any more but you get the
idea, I actually dry all my own herbs in
the conservatory because it is warm in
there. But my kitchen serves not only as
a place to bake cakes and make meals
for my family it is also a sacred space,
a place that I feel most comfortable
in. It is functional in that it has all the
usual kitchen appliances, all of which
I am especially nice to, they don’t have
names (that would be slightly loony…but
then…) however I am always nice to them,
electricity and gas are energies and if they
are upset they tend not to work.
I have a small kitchen altar, nothing
huge, nothing fancy just a little green
man shelf that has a small vase on which
is actually a small glass candle holder
but it is perfect to hold one flower bud
(Kitchen Witch making do with whatever
is to hand in action there) and it has
representations of the four elements on;
a small pebble for Earth, a tiny feather for
Air, a red crystal for Fire and a shell for
Water. When I enter the kitchen to start
cooking or creating I just give a quick
blessing to the kitchen deities (there are
a huge number of kitchen deities across
all the pantheons) just to ask that my
cooking will be successful or my lotions
and potions will turn out well.
I’m sorry…but you also have to clean
and clear up…a messy untidy kitchen
will not help the flow of good energy
and unless you have a resident Snow
White you will have to grab the mop and
bucket yourself. Dirt, dust and clutter
harbour negative energy and cause
magical blockages so you do have to get
your shimmy on and clean and clear, it
will help the magic flow much better I
promise.
I do like to eat seasonally too, it is
so easy to go to the supermarket and
purchase whatever fruit and vegetables
you fancy but let’s face it strawberries in
December are tasteless and how many
miles and how much fuel and eco damage
has been done to get them to our shops?
Food that is in season not only tastes
better but tends to be cheaper too. I do
have an organic vegetable box delivered
weekly, it is a bit more expensive and I
do have to top it up with extra vegetables
purchased at the market but the taste
is so much better and the produce is all
local. I do eat meat but I only ever buy
farm assured product and we don’t have
meat every day, farm assured or organic
meat comes at a higher price (and I do
understand why, I have lived on a farm)
but I am not a millionaire so I have
to be money conscious, if that means
eating less meat so that I can purchase it
knowing that the animal has been well
cared for and looked after then so be it.
When we do have meat I give honour to
the animal and whenever possible, for
instance with chicken I use the bones for
magic as well, making use of as much of
the animal as possible.
There is a lot of traditional Witchcraft,
Craft of the Old Ways, the Wise woman/
man, Hedge Witch and Green Witch in
Kitchen Witchcraft and at the end of the
day…it’s only a label anyway…Witch I am,
Witch I be.
Magical Herbs and Plants
A figure hunches over a cauldron;
stirring it every so often and then
dropping mysterious ingredients in,
cackling to herself “wing of bat, Devil’s
dung and ear of an ass”…as they splosh
into the swirling liquid. This could be
a wise woman from centuries ago but it
38 39
could be you or me in our modern day
kitchens…possibly without the cackling…
the ingredients are actually folk names
for herbs and plants. Wing of bat is holly
leaves, Devil’s dung is asafoetida (which
let’s face it smells like dung) and ear of an
ass is comfrey…not quite as intriguing but
useful just the same. Jump forward a few
hundred years and the Victorians were
using flowers as a complete language of
their own. If a suitor presented you with
a bouquet that contained asters, white or
red camillias and red chrysanthemums
then you were sorted…pick the wedding
cake and wait for the wedding bells to
chime because all of those flowers meant
love and passion. Although if you received
a bunch of sweetpeas beautiful as they
might smell, the message was “goodbye”,
well at least you got a bunch of flowers
out of it…
The world of herbs, plants and flowers
has historically been one of mystery
but also one of healing and magic. Each
plant has a spirit, an energy that if you
ask politely, can be used for all sorts of
magical uses.
You don’t have to go far to source
magical ingredients just open your
kitchen cupboard and sort through
your spice rack. An herb doesn’t have
to come from some far flung corner of
the universe or have a long complicated
name that no one can pronounce to be
useful or magical. The pot of wilting basil
on your windowsill that came from the
supermarket still has magic inside it.
I am by nature a Kitchen Witch which
means that I use whatever is to hand,
I don’t often look up meanings and
correspondences I go by instinct. I get an
intent in mind and then I look in my herb
cupboard, go through my spices and poke
about in my collection of dried flowers
and leaves. The correct plants and spices
that I need to use have a habit of jumping
out at me…not literally obviously because
that would just be freaky.
I don’t have a huge garden but I make
the most of the space I have by growing
lots of herbs and plants in pots then
I collect and dry everything…flowers,
petals, leaves, seeds – you name it, if it
looks like it might be useful I harvest it,
dry it, label and store it. If you don’t have
space to grow anything then beg, borrow…
no don’t steal…but ask around because
lots of people will have gluts of plants at
some point in the year. Or forage in the
hedgerows, fields and woodlands – just
make sure you identify the plant correctly
because there are some real nasties
out there, Mother Nature has a wicked
sense of humour... If you have an Asian
supermarket in your locality I encourage
you to visit, they are amazing places with
a huge variety of dried herbs and spices
sold in big bags for silly prices, definitely
the cheapest place to stock your magical
herb chest with. Local markets and farm
shops are also useful places to source
herbs and spices but failing that the good
ole supermarket, although probably the
most expensive place they will have what
you need.
Obviously my first thought when
wishing to gain the magical properties
from herbs is to eat them…but they can
be used in all sorts of magical ways (bear
in mind that some aren’t edible and in
fact can be downright deadly); witches
bottles, medicine pouches, offerings,
incense blends, charms, spell work,
candle magic, poppets, magic/sachet
powders, body powders, ritual bath salt
blends, fascinations, scented oils and any
number of other ways, the only limit is
your imagination.
There are a huge amount of books and
lists with ‘traditional’ and more common
magical correspondences for each plant,
each one usually has several magical uses
such as love, protection, healing etc but
they will also correspond to an element
(earth, air, fire, water), a ruling planet, a
sun sign (horoscope) and a gender all of
which can be used to add magical power
to your spell work. Each month of the
year, sabbat and most deities have specific
herbs and plants that correspond with
the particular energies …but trust your
intuition, if it feels right to you go with it.
Get to know your plants, connect with the
spirit of your herbs and you will find yourself
transported to a whole other world filled with
magical possibilities…
40 41
42 43
visions of magick micro interviews
About the Interviews
Morgana Sythove
As you will see below we have three wonderful and extraordinary women in this
section, Morgana, Emily and Cara. The intention was not to do super long interviews
or focused on their work because you can find information about it in different media.
If you Google their names you will be surprised.
These micro interviews have a more of personal focus, something that somehow
brings us closer to the person behind the great work. They are simple questions,
nothing out of the ordinary, do not expect transcendental questions, but rather
something that possibly you would ask someone you just met. I hope you enjoy them!
Ness Bosch.
My name is Morgana and I live in the Netherlands. I am the International Coordinator
for PFI/ Pagan Federation International and practicing Gardnerian High Priestess
1. If you had to define yourself, how would you do it?
A true Arian born on April 15, I am energetic, impulsive, a pioneer, soloist..
2. Why would you like to be remembered for?
Do I want to be remembered?? Okay, for my perseverance and dedication
3. What attracted you to paganism?
I can’t remember. I knew at one point – when I was about 8-years old that I could
travel ‘in my head’. Later I wanted to be a Priestess.
4. What was your first experience?
I had some weird experiences as a child, but who doesn’t? My first real experience
which I later felt was a ‘mystical experience’ was in about 1972 when I was visiting
one of the Greek Islands.. Amorgos.
5. What got you into that?
It was totally unexpected. I was visiting a friend in Greece – one of my first long
distant journeys. I loved it in Greece and still see it as my first physical connection
to ‘the East’.
6. How old were you then and now?
I was about 20 ..now I am 65+
7. Can you list any experiences that have marked you?
Morgana Sythove Emily Carding Cara Hamilton
Giving birth. The most amazing experience ever.
44 45
8. Would you erase some of the experience of these years?
No …. although some of them I don’t particularly want to go through again. I’ve
learnt my lesson(s)
9. What has changed in these years since you started on this path?
I think I’m probably less naïve .. less innocent .. although I still try to see some
things as if it is for the first time. Things like Springtime
10. What would you like not to change?
I wouldn’t want to see the open-mindedness of the Dutch change. I am so glad that
I moved here. I am able to do so many things here that I may not have been able to
in the UK.
11. What would you mark as special achievements on your pagan path?
Introducing Gardnerian Wicca in the Netherlands in 1979. Later I would help to
establish PF International (1997) and in 2005 established the PFI Foundation and
continued since then to be active internationally.
12. What would you say to someone young who enters paganism?
Be discerning. Be courageous to ask questions and think carefully about the
answers you receive and act accordingly. You don’t need to heed to the advice you
are given – but take full responsibility for your actions, deeds & thoughts.
13. Can you name someone you admire from the pagan world?
I can think of a number of people who have influenced me, but not necessarily
pagan – Marian Green, Dolores Ashcroft Nowicki.. come to mind. From Wicca.. it
has to be Eleanor Bone, Doreen Valiente, Gerald Gardner. Selena Fox, from the
US – Circle Sanctuary - is someone I greatly admire.
14. Do you have a preference for a Deity or pantheon? Who / which and why?
Not one particular preference – although I have been aware of a ‘guide’ since early
age, My roots are in English - Germanic & Celtic – folklore and magic. However I
have a special connection with Mesopotamia and specifically Anatolia. I wrote a
series of articles for ‘Wiccan Rede’ called ‘Tales of Anatolia’ recalling my travels in
Turkey and connection with Hekate, the Hittites .. and the Bees
15. What is your favourite planet or star?
.. hrmm not sure I have a favourite planet. Venus.. yes I am on a ‘Venusian- path’
but Mercury, Saturn and so on are all important. Of course engaging in a Lunar
Religion .. my connection with the Moon is daily.
16. What is your favourite plant?
Rose
17. What is your favourite item and why?
My mind and heart – if I was to lose them I would... well be dead.
18. Do you have a favourite colour?
Blue.. Turquoise
19. And a favourite song or band?
‘All along the Watchtower ‘ – Jimi Hendrix and ‘Rhiannon’ – Stevie Nicks. Both have
very special memories.
20. Do you have a favourite type of magic fetish?
Nope.. I love candles of course.
21. What is your favourite drink?
Coffee – The Sufis used it to keep awake during their night vigils. Good enough for me
22. Can you recommend a book? and a movie? (They don’t have to be pagan)
David Attenborough’s nature films are amazing. ‘Planet Earth’ / 2006 was
fascinating. His enthusiasm and detail is fabulous. A truly inspiring person.
I also admire and highly recommend Jimmy Nelson’s photography. He has captured
so many different indigenous people. Amazing
46 47
Emily Carding
1. If you had to define yourself, how would you do it?
Generally I like the term Universal Mystic
2. Why would you like to be remembered for?
Things I haven’t done yet. Perhaps something I achieve at the age of 111.
3. What attracted you to paganism?
It’s that it fitted what I already felt and believed before I had a name for it, more than
that I was attracted to it. I found it and knew it was already mine.
4. What was your first experience?
As a child I used to go on missions for the faeries in my dreams.
5. What got you into that?
Going to sleep, I suppose…
6. How old were you then and now?
I’m not very good with ages…maybe 7? I’m 45 now.
7. Can you list any experiences that have marked you?
Hmmm. There are many. All of which were valuable lessons, especially concerning
corrupt or misguided mentor figures.
8. Would you erase some of the experience of these years?
No, but I might like to go back in time and slap sense into myself.
9. What has changed in these years since you started on this path?
The major shift, and I’m sure many will say this, is the advent of social media and the
extraordinary connectedness it brings. Though it has many downsides I hope that
it will lead to a greater understanding that we are all one. That is especially evident
now in face of the current global pandemic.
10. What would you like not to change?
I hope people don’t lose touch with the need to be out in nature and connect in real
life (when we are able to). Virtual ceremony doesn’t really appeal to me, it does not
have the juice. The primal experiences must be preserved, we need them, and we need
to maintain contact with the elemental realm.
11. What would you mark as special achievements on your pagan path? And on a
personal level?
I think feeling less of a need to show off my achievements is more of an achievement
than the achievements.
12. What would you say to someone young who enters paganism?
Work on discernment and protection before anything else. Learn directly from
nature, always be prepared to listen and be humble.
13. Can you name someone you admire from the pagan world?
When I started off I had many books by John and Caitlin Matthews and also their
Hallowquest tarot as I have a strong connection with the Arthurian Mythos. Now I
am fortunate enough to count them as friends. Also my dear friend Sorita D’este and
my partner, Stephen Ball, who is also an author.
14. Do you have a preference for a Deity or pantheon? Who / which and why?
I’m dedicated to Hekate, she is all-encompassing and extremely effective.
48 49
15. What is your favorite planet or star?
I’m rather attached to Earth of course…and the pleiades hold a special place. The
planetary influence of Mercury is most in line with my work and lifestyle.
16. What is your favorite plant?
Yew trees and bluebells
17. What is your favorite item and why?
Hmm. Possibly my bed. Otherwise I have so many lovely, quirky, special and magical
things…oh my Hekate statue…it’s unique, I believe.
18. Do you have a favorite color?
My favourite combination of colours is purple and green. I’m very fond of teal at the
moment, and yellow. Truthfully, I adore the whole rainbow.
19. And a favorite song or band?
Heroes, Bowie.
20. Do you have a favorite type of magic fetish?
I collect hag stones.
21. What is your favorite drink?
Tea. I remember when I was young thinking John Deacon (bass player of Queen), was
so boring for answering that, but here we are.
22. Can you recommend a book? and a movie? (They don’t have to be pagan)
Pan’s Labyrinth is one I’m feeling I shall watch again soon. I’m just reading Ursula le
Guin’s Earthsea books at the moment and they are just the right sort of pace and feel
for the current state of things.
50 51
Cara Hamilton
No, some may be unpleasant but they were educational.
9. What has changed in these years since you started on this path?
1. If you had to define yourself, how would you do it?
A woman who created herself later in life
2. Why would you like to be remembered for?
Not for being universally liked. You break eggs to make an omelette. I want people to
think, she made a difference.
3. What attracted you to paganism?
The strange and intoxicating feel of standing stones at sunset as a child.
4. What was your first experience?
There was an experience that was markedly important when I knew what being
pagan was and my path as Scots/Irish, aged 15. Standing in a willow grove, I was
conducting a Full Moon ritual, the moon was red and small dots of light began to
pulse and a dance of sidhe was around me in that swirl of light. So beautiful and so
special.
5. What got you into that?
How I got to that place was learning of it’s history as prior I did not know why it
drew me. It was a large Sun Temple at one time overlooking the river Clyde
6. How old were you then and now?
At that time I was 15, now I’m approaching 50.
7. Can you list any experiences that have marked you?
What I do professionally constantly marks me, occasionally physically, but it is what
I wanted. Anyone who has seen my presentation “Espiritisme” knows I show some
very arcane work. In one item I tell a personal piece of history of Irish Horror writer
Sheridan le Fanu and something strange always happens during it. The last time
every candle snuffed out. It tells me, memories and spirit can still reach through the
veil.
8. Would you erase some of the experience of these years?
The more I learned and aged, I realised you do not know more, you just know what
is wrong for you. You learn quickly Paganism is not about experiences but the quiet
“knowing” in your soul.
10. What would you like not to change?
I would not like to change my path. It is simply my soul.
11. What would you mark as special achievements on your pagan path? And on a
personal level?
My life is an interwoven mix of who I am, my beliefs and my performance. Creating
this life has taken blood, sweat, tears, years and realisation. I do not feel like like a
success or lucky, but it is giving me the life I wanted.
12. What would you say to someone young who enters paganism?
Don’t seek acceptance, don’t try and fit to another’s idea of what a pagan is. Just be
you and most of all read widely, the old mythological works especially. You gradually
figure out what works for you.
13. Can you name someone you admire from the pagan world?
One person has the soul I deeply appreciate, the poet William Butler Yeats.
14. Do you have a preference for a Deity or pantheon? Who / which and why?
Scots/Irish Celtic is my belief, I do have a real connection to Maebh and Macha. I
visit locations of both regularly and work ritual there.
15. What is your favorite planet or star?
Ursa Major and the Pole star have always been the first stars I look for in the sky. As
someone who is also an Astrologer to as me what is my favourite outwith this would
make this answer the length of Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”.
16. What is your favorite plant?
Upon this I am quite fleeting. They would come under the grouping “Terminal
Pharmacology” however.
52 53
17. What is your favorite item and why?
As to an item I use now, it would be my Hand of Glory, I am honoured to have it and
show it in my Performances and Demonstrations.
18. Do you have a favorite color?
That is quite varied, from matt black to velvet black.
19. And a favorite song or band?
I am a massive Stevie Nicks, Robert Plant and Sandy Denny fan
20. Do you have a favorite type of magic fetish?
In performance I use historic clay and wax efigies and they are powerful to me.
21. What is your favorite drink?
Tea, whilst I am fond of Guinness and of red wine, I could stop them in an instant,
but tea, that’s a different matter.
22. Can you recommend a book? and a movie? (They don’t have to be pagan)
Sheridan le Fanu’s Carmilla is simply a wonderful novella. William Hjortsberg’s
Falling Angel is a super page turning Occult detective story and the film Angel Heart
came from it and in my opinión the film is far better than the book and whilst I adore
Charlotte Rampling as Margaret Krusemark I intend to keep my heart in my chest.
54 55
INITIATORY WICCA - VIEWS FROM A SCOTTISH COVEN
Fee and JD Aquila
W
elcome! Such are the myths that
circulate on public media about
initiatory or British Traditional
Witchcraft , that we’re tempted to
open this piece with one of those 3 box
photo sets, “What the public thinks we
do” (cue very scary photo of a hideous
crone barbecuing a small child), “What
my Granny thinks we do” (cue photo of
Morticia kissing an inverted crucifix),
ending with “What we actually do” (cue
photo of a woman gazing at an open
flower in her garden).
This brief article scrapes the surface of
some aspects of initiatory Wicca – where
it came from, what we do and where to
find out more. We are writing this piece
with two limitations. Firstly, an important
rule of initiatory Wicca is that you should
“Never out a witch”. The second is that we
have vowed never to reveal what we do!
This clearly places some constraints on
what we can share.
We will, however, write what we
can about how Wicca works and offer
some further reading by authors who
appear well versed and who have spent a
considerable amount of time researching
the history of the Craft. There should be
enough information there to keep you
occupied for some time.
What is Initiatory Wicca?
To us, being a Wiccan has a very specific
meaning but due to modern usage we
should probably describe what we are
talking about. Wicca (with a capital
“W”) is a system of practices shared by
people who have undergone a formal
initiation by someone who themselves
was initiated in the tradition. This “family
tree” of initiations goes back though
several generations to a man called Gerald
Brousseau Gardner who described them
back in the 1950s.
Initiation not only makes the initiate
a Wiccan but it also brings them into a
Coven. The initiation follows a period of
training and every Wiccan initiate goes
through that same initiation ritual. We
are a family and like any family we may
not always get on, but we are there for our
brothers and sisters. We laugh with them
in good times and comfort and mourn
with them in bad ones.
Usually the training is the responsibility
of the Coven High Priestess or High
Priest and those seekers who successfully
complete the training and undergo
initiation will in time, pass their learning
to their own seekers. Following initiation,
training does not stop and all initiates at
all levels continue to learn and develop.
Initiation is just the beginning of a
lifelong journey.
It is very important to note that while
coven leaders do not charge money
for training, there is however a level of
commitment expected of the seeker. A
seeker will not learn any ‘secrets’ preinitiation,
and one primary function of
the time spent with a seeker is to ensure
they will fit with the existing coven.
Anyone who has studied group dynamics
will be aware that a new member to any
group can impact significantly on how
the existing group operates. Care must be
taken, on the part of coven leaders, that
anyone new coming in will not disrupt
the working dynamic which may have
taken years to evolve.
The History of Wicca
Gerald Gardner was a very interesting
man. He suffered poor health, and
because of this was advised to move
abroad. He did so and spent his working
life running rubber plantations in
Borneo. He was interested in magic and
anthropology and used his time there to
study the magical practices of the local
people. Philip Heselton’s book, Wiccan
Roots, outlines the Gardner’s journey
towards founding Wicca.
On his return to England when he
retired, Gerald’s interest naturism and
folklore brought him into contact with
an esoteric magical group and, in turn, a
family of hereditary witches into which
he was initiated. The naturist club, of
which he was a member, became the
meeting place for his coven. Those early
Wiccans, whom Gardner initiated,
contributed greatly to the Craft and their
influence is still seen today.
As well as the people mentioned
above, Gardner was influenced by
Aleister Crowley and was involved in the
O.T.O., he was also involved in Masonic
practice. It is worth pointing out that
Aleister Crowley was a very complex
character who courted the press in a
way which resulted public revulsion.
His words, if taken literally, make him
out to be a monster but when read
56 57
with understanding have very different
meanings. His autobiography paints a
fascinating portrait. Doreen Valiente, one
of Gardner’s High Priestesses, is said to
have disliked the influence of Crowley
on some ritual content and worked hard
to ‘de-Crowley’ some rituals. She was a
gifted poet who has given us iconic pieces
such as “The Charge of the Goddess”.
Other well-known authors such as
Patricia Crowther and Lois Bourne have
significantly influenced the Craft and
written about their experiences.
Despite the current insistence on not
revealing practices, Gardner himself was
known to have caused some disagreement
within his original group by courting
the press. This seems hypocritical and
certainly caused tensions and fallings out
with some of the people that he worked
with. However, without the publicity he
sought and contributions of his initiates,
we would not have Wicca in its current
form today. These writers have provided
those who have not be able to find a
coven or who choose to work as solitary
practitioners with the information they
require to do so.
Another important character was
Alexander Saunders. He founded another
tradition of initiatory Wicca, similar in
many respects to that of Gerald Gardner.
Nowadays the two strands – Gardnerian
Wicca and Alexandrian Wicca mostly
mix and mingle freely – sharing ideas and
practices. Many practitioners have “dual
lineage” – that is they have training in
both aspects and can trace their “family
tree” to both founders.
Other influences of Wicca are Folklore,
Shamanism, Western Hermeticism and
Kabbala.
Folklore
Throughout the British Isles there is
a long history of rites practiced within
communities going back generations
and often to pre-Christian times. Ronald
Hutton’s Stations of the Sun is an
excellent resource on the folklore and
rites practiced by our ancestors. It takes
little imagination to see that, during
pre-Christian times when the failure of
harvest could have dire consequences,
practices were developed to protect
lives, crops and livestock. A lot of these
practices were frowned upon with
the coming of Christianity but as the
influence of the church wanes we are
free to connect again with a world not
governed by Christian philosophy. We
look to the practices of our ancestors and
try to connect with those who have gone
before, to walk in their footsteps. In a
capitalist world where profit is all we step
back to that place where the seasons and
nature are our gods. This doesn’t mean
that we cut ourselves off from the modern
world, but simply that we have a different
perspective of that world and the beings
upon it.
Shamanism
Shamanism has existed for thousands
of years and across all cultures. Simply
put it involves the use of techniques
such as drumming, to alter the state of
consciousness to take the practitioner
to a place where they can work with the
hidden world of spirit directly. Seidr
(pronounced ‘seethe’) can be used to
connect on a deeper level to ourselves
and the hidden realms of nature. The
relationship to Deity and ancestors can be
deepened and the experienced shaman
can heal a fractured soul. Shamans were
valued people within communities and
proficiency in healing and acting as a
guide for souls of the dead are practices
which require considerable learning.
Western Hermeticism
We cannot discuss Wicca without
considering the long history of Western
Hermeticism. A lot of the tools we
use and practices such as the casting
of a circle in which to practice, come
from this tradition. We shall the leave
the exploration of the various texts of
Cornelius Agrippa and grimoires such
as the Clavicula Salomonis to your
good selves. Owen Davies’ book “The
History of Magic Books” is a fascinating
exploration of how magic texts, usually
banned by the church, made their
way across continents and influenced
practices. The fact many of these texts
survived indicates that the content
within them is what people wanted. It
demonstrates that human nature has
changed little over the centuries and, as
ever, we still want to get rich, fall in love,
reek revenge and protect our homes.
The influence of the planets, the herbs
and minerals used in practice come in
a large part from hermeticism. Please
don’t be under the misapprehension that
we engage in some of the less savoury
practices suggested in some texts!
Kabbala
Jewish Mysticism? Correct! Kabbala,
Qabalah Cabala – whichever spelling
you may wish to use, provides a method
by which an individual can work to
58 59
connect with deity. Kabbala has informed
practices within Western Hermeticism
and more recently the Golden Dawn,
which in turn has influenced current
esoteric practice. Many of you may have
practiced the Lesser Banishing Ritual of
the Pentagram for instance.
Why is Wicca described as an experiential
mystery religion or practice?
To be Wiccan, one has to experience
Wicca. There are many publications on
the internet that purport to be genuine
but, even if one could find a real one,
an uninitiated reader would not have of
the experience of learning and working
as part of a group to practice the rituals
as shown to them by a High Priest and
Priestess. Many of you will be very
aware that your spiritual journey is an
individual one, you could not possibly
replicate your experiences on paper, nor
find the words to adequately describe
that experience. The written rituals are
but mere “shadows” of the real deal!
Training then, is not about reading all
the books you can lay your hands on,
but supervised practice within a coven
setting. Realisation and understanding
comes in moments of blinding clarity that
it’s impossible to speak of with any sense.
The role of a High Priestess and Priest
is to guide the coven members through
that journey of realisation and learning.
For some it will be a longer process
than others. All members are different
people with different life experience and
knowledge, and all have something of
value to contribute.
Divinity
Wicca has no prescribed definition of
divinity. Whilst we traditionally focus
on the male and female aspects of deity
it’s not unknown for some to see deity
as a series of archetypes. How we see
deity, however, is an individual thing and
which can evolve over time and through
experience. Some Wiccans are hard
polytheists, some soft polytheists, some
describe Deity as the universal energy
personified by all that exists in nature.
Some Wiccans are atheists! There has
previously been a perception that Wicca
is homophobic but, whilst some time
ago some practitioners held views which
would no longer be acceptable, this is no
longer the case and the sexual or gender
identity of a seeker is not an issue.
What do Wiccans do?
As we initially stated we cannot give
details of our practice. In general, our
rites are performed at, or near, the time
of the full moon – Esbats, and at the eight
festivals – Sabbats – of the year that most
pagans will be familiar with.
Esbats are usually used to renew
our energies, to worship or venerate
our particular deity or deities, and are
a powerful time to work magic. The
Sabbats are a celebration of the turning
of the wheel and encourage us to look
anew at the changes in the world as the
year passes. We also look inward at these
times to look at the changes within and to
use the energies of that particular season
to grow ourselves.
As Wiccans we think it important
to be the best that we can be. Selfimprovement
through magical practice,
meditation, path-workings and by
seeking a closer relationship with our
Gods are all important ways of achieving
this. For many of us this is one of the
most important things that we do.
Debunking common myths
Wiccan practice involves sex and orgies
Some are drawn to Wicca in a mistaken
belief that it’s all sex and orgies. If that’s
their reason for seeking they’ll be very
disappointed! Often brought up is the
matter of working skyclad. In short, we
do, but the last thing that’s to do with is
image by www.paintingvalley.com
sex. For many seekers that’s a tough thing
to get their head around. We don’t know
of many seekers who didn’t struggle with
this including ourselves. It was a real leap
of faith and trust to take that step. The
role of the High Priestess and Priest is
to support, guide and enable you to take
that step whilst feeling safe.
There are bad people in all walks of life
and one of the problems inherent upon
any group with “secrets” is that some
try to take advantage. Almost invariably
those doing this are not initiated Wiccans
at all. An example is people claiming that
they are a High Priest and, “all initiations
are sexual”. They are talking absolute
tosh and you should, without hesitation,
head screaming for the hills and, if
sensible, report them to the Scottish
Pagan Federation. Please don’t keep this
information to yourself.
Initiates are a close-knit family
and most of us know most others. If,
therefore, someone pops up and says they
are a third-degree High Priest, it usually
gets someone’s attention fairly quickly.
If they say they are a third-degree High
Priest looking to recruit young women for
their new coven, that will get attention
even more quickly.
60 61
If, as a seeker, you have any qualms
about people you meet and want to
approach about training, speak to the
SPF. They have contacts who can establish
very quickly who is or isn’t bona fide.
Despite the fact Wicca is all over the
world. we know who we are, who to talk
to for information and we will protect the
reputation of Wicca.
Wicca is Devil Worship
No, we don’t worship the devil. We don’t
even believe in the devil – he’s a Christian
creation.
Our Horned God is of pre-Christian
origin. We think that should say it all,
although we’re sure it would not satisfy
someone of fundamentalist Christian
views. That’s unfortunate but not
something we’ll lose sleep over nor take
up more of your valuable time trying to
explain.
Wicca is a Cult
The early Wiccans used to speak of the
“Witch Cult”. Nowadays the word ‘cult’
tends to cause a little anxiety. This is
not without reason when one thinks of
various abusive organisations/individuals
in the United States some of which have
resulted in multiple deaths. There are
now handy Cult questionnaires you can
find on the internet which should provide
information about what a cult is. A
Photo by Diego Medrano from FreeImages
healthy Wiccan coven most certainly does
not meet the criteria. Coven leaders do
not require money for training, although
you might be expected to bring along a
packet of hobnobs to keep blood sugar
levels up and perhaps some bread and
other nibbles for lunch.
Although the High Priestess has overall
responsibility, she and her High Priest
oversee organising training, rituals
etc. every coven member is expected
to contribute as they can. This doesn’t
involve money changing hands though
there may be a contribution expected
towards incense, candles and other
consumables. The contribution often
takes the form of writing a meditation
or a ritual and others to supply the cakes
and wine (other, non-alcoholic, drinks
are available) or flowers for the altar.
A High Priestess should not dictate
who you socialise with or when you can
see your family or other friends. If anyone
claiming to be a Wiccan asks this of you
there is a problem. Having said this, if
you chose to go to the cinema instead of
attending training that had previously
been organised, expect the High Priestess
to be miffed! She did not spend her
morning hoovering the house and
cleaning the toilet for you to call and say
you’d received a fabulous invitation from
a mate to go and see ‘Fast and Furious’.
Wiccans see themselves as superior to
other pagans
This is so not true. We recognise that
everyone is entitled to their own beliefs
and to follow their path in their own
way. We practice in groups – that’s not
for everyone. We undergo a specific
initiation – that’s not for everyone. We
are following our hearts and would wish
others to follow theirs.
Confidentiality
We mentioned earlier that there is a
fundamental practice of not outing a
witch. Similarly, a High Priestess and
Priest take the privacy of their seekers
very seriously and should guarantee that
they will never disclose who their seekers
are. The only exceptions would be if there
were concerns around the well-being of
a seeker or if any challenges arise and
advice needs to be sought from a trusted
person. Needless to say it’s not only
courteous but essential that seekers do
not to blab all over the internet that Freda
and Jimmy are their new best buddies
and Wiccan.
What is Wicca not?
We’ve spoken about what Wicca is
and it’s perhaps important to note what
Wicca is not. It’s not a counselling group
and we would advise that if anyone has
any unresolved trauma experiences, that
they seek appropriate professional advice
or counselling before considering Wicca
as a spiritual path. Many damaged souls
come to various religions seeking solace,
a sense of peace and an understanding of
the world. Wicca will not necessarily give
you that and especially as there are clear
parallels in the journeys of the Gods and
the emotional exploration of a person’s
journey through life. Understanding
yourself and your place in the universe
is often not an easy journey and it is
important to recognise that most High
Priestesses and Priests are not qualified
counsellors or psychotherapists, they
are not therefore equipped to safely
address psychological distress. This is not
62 63
something you should expect of them
nor should they expect this of themselves
without professional training.
Wicca is not the same as the badminton
club, knitting group or book club.
It is a spiritual path that demands a
level of commitment that it impacts
immeasurably upon your life. It isn’t
something you dip in and out of and, if
you treat it as such, then perhaps being
part of a coven isn’t for you. There are
times in everyone’s life where making that
sort of commitment isn’t possible so we’re
not for one minute suggesting that it’s a
character flaw but simply emphasising
that there’s a bit more depth to this choice
than others you might make.
No-one is entitled to be a member of a
coven and ultimately, it’s for the coven to
make the decision on whether someone
would be a good fit for the group or not.
The group comes first. This does not
mean someone is unworthy but simply
that they’re not right for a particular
group. We all know people we don’t gel
with and Wiccans are no exception. It
may be there’s another group out there
that would be a good fit and if this is an
option the High Priestess will advise.
Finding a Coven and training
If you are truly drawn to initiatory
Wicca, you need to have a good idea what
it involves and a willingness to make
a significant commitment. As well as
deciding why it might be the path for you,
you will also need to do a little research to
see who is out there and who might offer
a good level of training. A local moot is
a good starting point, but not all coven
leaders have time to attend local moots
and most certainly do not advertise.
Coven leaders will always arrange to
meet you in a public place and it’s much
safer not to go somewhere where alcohol
is involved. Not that we don’t enjoy a
good glass of wine or two, but there are
occasions it’s not appropriate. It will be
understood if wish to bring a friend.
It’s not uncommon for coven leaders
to suggest that you go and read some
materials and get back to them when
you’ve done this. It gives the seeker
some information on which to base
the decision of whether they do wish
to proceed towards training or not. It’s
perfectly okay to change your mind. Do
expect to travel, it’s highly unlikely there
will be a coven on your doorstep. We’ve
known of people travel across Europe to
attend training and it certainly answers
the question of how committed a person
is.
Training someone towards initiation is
a huge commitment of time and energy
and no-one is accepted for training unless
there a reasonable chance they would be
suitable and in time become a valuable
coven member. It may be that the first
coven leader you meet to discuss training
is not the best option for you (or indeed
you for them). Hopefully they will be able
to suggest others you could talk to.
Conclusion
We hope you’ve learned something
about Wicca you may not have known
before. We’re heading out into the garden
again tomorrow, to tend our little part of
this beautiful planet. These times have
given pause for thought and how we as
humans have changed and can change.
It is a desperately hard lesson, a time for
sadness and yet a time of hope. The wheel
still turns, the sun rises and sets, and we
are blessed to see the beauty of the stars.
We shall walk and see the blossom of
spring and listen to the birdsong. There’s
some ritual preparation we need to do
and we’re looking forward to a couple
of internet meetings, chats and seeing
wonderful friends again.
Initiatory Wicca isn’t for everyone
but for those of us to whom it is, a very
common description is that it feels like
coming home to a family that has always
been there waiting.
As we mentioned earlier you are not
going to learn ‘secrets’ prior to initiation
and if that’s your only motivation perhaps
it’s the wrong one. If you’re wanting to
find how to exercise power over those
who have wronged you, perhaps it’s not
the right motivation. There are grimoires
full of that stuff you don’t need Wicca.
No High Priestess or Priest is a fount
of wisdom, we’re on the same path but
perhaps just further along it, still trying,
still learning and still having a blast in the
process.
64 65
Suggested Reading
Reginald Scott The Discoverie of Witchcraft
(Various Publishers)
Philip Heselton. Wiccan Roots; Gerald Gardner
and the Modern Witchcraft Revival. Pub Capall
Bann Publishing 2000. ISBN 186163 110 3
J.L. Bracelin. Gerald Gardner: Witch. Pub
I-H-O Books 1999. ISBN 1-872189-08-3
Doreen Valiente. The Rebirth of Witchcraft. Pub
Robert Hale- London 1989. ISBN 978 0 7090
8369 6
Philip Heselton. Doreen Valiente; Witch. Pub
Doreen Valiente Foundation 2016. ISBN 978-0-
9928430-6-9.
Doreen Valiente: The Charge of the Goddess.
Pub Doreen Valiente Foundation 2014. ISBN
978-0-9928430-0-7
Gerald Garner. The Meaning of Witchcraft. Pub
Aquarian Press 1959. ISBN 1-57863-309-5
Lois Bourne. Witch Amongst Us; The
Autobiography of a Witch. Pub Robert Hale
1979. ISBN 0 7090 3761 9
7387-0303-9.
Owen Davies. Grimoires; A History of Magic
Books. Pub Oxford University Press 2009.
ISBN 978-0-19-920451-9.
Ronald Hutton. The Triumph of the Moon. Pub
Oxford University Press 2019. ISBN 978-0-19-
882736-8.
Ronald Hutton. The Stations of the Sun; A
History of the Ritual Year in Britain. Pub
Oxford University Press 1996.ISBN 0-19-
820570-8.
Runic John. The Book of Seidr: The Native
English and Northern European Shamanic
Tradition. Pub Capall Bann 2004.ISBN 186163
229 0.
Trans S. Liddell Macgregor Mathers. The Key
of Solomon the King (Clavicula Salomonis).
Pub Weiser Books 2000.
Thorn Mooney, Traditional Wicca; A Seekers
Guide. Pub Llewellyn 2018, ISBN 978-0-7387-
5359-1.
Patricia Crowther. Lid of the Cauldron; A Wicca
Handbook. Pub Samuel Weiser 1985. ISBN
0-87728-629-9
Vivianne Crowley. The Magickal Life; A
Wiccan Priestess Shares Her Secrets. Penguin
2003. ISBN 0 14 21.9624X
Vivianne Crowley. Wicca; A Comprehensive
Guide to the Old Religion in the Modern World.
Pub Element 2003. ISBN 978-0-7225-3271-3
Aaron Leitch. Secrets of the Magickal
Grimoires; The Classical Texts of Magick
Deciphered. Pub Llewellyn 2016. ISBN 978-0-
image by www.paintingvalley.com
66 67
TRANCE STATES AND THE SCOTTISH WITCH TRIALS
W
hat is one thing every child
knows by the age of about 5?
Witches ride broomsticks.
Medieval demonologists and illustrators
agreed firmly, and so has everyone since.
But why do witches ride broomsticks?
The tradition of witches riding in
groups at night is a fascinating one drawn
from the Europe wide Wild Hunt and
Fairy traditions. Carlo Ginzburg recorded
16-17 th century tales of night battles
fought in the air by Italian witches. The
court records of Scotland record multiple
mentions of witches and riding items
such as brooms, bean stalks, straws and
other hollow stems.
The wild hunt or fairy host was said
to be led by many figures depending
Marysia Kolodziej
on country and time period, including;
Diana (Italy), Nicneven (Scotland), Holde
(Germanic), and Odin (Scandinavia).
The idea of riding to or witnessing night
battles is common across the world
and seems to have developed as a way
explaining dreams and hallucinations
and of understanding, prophesying, and
feeling more in control of inexplicable
deaths. It is well understood that the
more understandable something is and
the more we feel some aspect of control
or pattern to it, the less traumatic that
thing becomes. The belief doesn’t have
to be based in fact, it is the feeling of
understanding itself that cushions us
from psychological damage and helps us
to be less afraid. We do not deal well with
the complete unknown. So the role of
witch or shaman in society partly exists
La caza salvaje de Odín, by Peter Nicolai Arbo
to take some of the blame for sickness
and unexpected/inexplicable death. If it
was caused by fairies, ghosts or witches
then these are creatures that can be
propitiated. If someone in your village has
the power to ride with these hunts, then
they may also have the power to protect
you from them.
The flights of witches, their animal
transformations, and the commonality of
their meeting with the dead, fairies and
the Devil speak to shamanic visionary
practices of a type that are still common
in less industrial societies (for example
West Africa and Papua New Guinea)
but rarer in their original forms in the
modern world, where we have less need
for explanations of and protections from
inexplicable death and are less likely
to experience extremes of exhaustion,
starvation and illness which can facilitate
such experiences.
The tangle of information we have from
the Scottish witch trials is a mish mash
of lies put into the mouths of people by
interrogators, made up stories to make
the pain stop, and genuine reporting of
folk magic viewed through the lens of
Christians obsessed with the Devil. In
this can be found the traces of visionary
and dream work similar to that seen in
modern magical societies, but largely lost
in our own. Let us look at the texts...
From the trial records of Isobel Gowdie,
April 1662, we read the following;
“When we go to any house we take meat
and drink, and we fill up the barrels with
our own piss again, and we put besoms
in our beds with our husbands till we
return again to them, we were in the Earl
of Murray’s house in Darnvay and we got
anewgh there and did eat and drink of the
best, and brought pairt with us we went
in at the windows I had a little horse and
would say horse and hattock in the Devil’s
name, and then we would fly away where
we would be even as straws would fly upon
an high way, we will fly like straws when
we please wild straws and corn straws will
be horse to us when we put them betwixt
our foot, and say horse and hattock in
the Devil’s name, and when any sees
these straws in the whirlwind, and do not
sanctify themselves, they we may shoot
them dead at our pleasure, any that are
shot by us, their soul will go to heaven but
their bodies remain with us, and will fly as
horse to us all as small as straws.”
A more explanatory text is found in Dr.
Johnne Feann/Fian’s trial record of 1590 in
North Berwick;
68 69
“where he was struck in great ecstacies
and trances, lying by the space of two
or three hours dead, his spirit taken;
and suffered himself to be carried and
transported to many mountains, as
though through all the world”...
“for the suffering of himself to be
carried to North Berwick Kirk (he being
lying in an close bed in Preston-pans) as
if he had been flying fast across the earth,
where Satan commanded him to make
homage with the rest of his servants”…
“for suffering himself to be carried to the
fairy with Satan; and at the first, he was
skimming over all the fairy out of sight of
land, in a boat” …
“and for the sending of a letter to Marion
Linkup in Leith, to that effect, bidding
her to meet him and the rest, in the fairy,
within five days.” … “in the which chase, he
was carried high above the ground, with
great swiftness, and as lightly as the cat
herself, over a high dyke”
John was accused among other things of
bewitching people, raising winds, sinking
ships, and prophesying people’s deaths.
His confession was only made after severe
torture and he later denied it despite
further torture.
Further references from this large trial
come from Agnes Sampson; “that upon
the night of Allhallow Eve last, she was
accompanied, as well with the persons
aforesaid, as also with a great many other
witches, to the number of two hundred,
and that they all together went to sea,
each one in a sieve, and went into the
same very substantially, with flagons of
wine, making merry and drinking by way
of the same sieves, to the Kirk of North
Berwick in Lothian” Eight trials in total
mention sieves.
Isobell Elliot in 1678 reported how “she
left her bodie in Pencaitland, and went in
the shape of a corbie (crow) to Laswade”.
The likely explanation of such beliefs
is a mirror of that seen in modern trance
based shamanic type journeys. During
certain types of trance or visionary
experience the person lies stiff and still
as if dead. It was sometimes believed
that what lay there was just an image of
the person and not their true self, often
made out of wood or an item bewitched
to appear as the person. Complications
come from the various beliefs in multiple
types of body, spirit and soul. Commonly
it was envisioned that there is a physical
body, but also a lighter spiritual or subtle
body that can travel unseen, and thirdly
a soul. This tripartite concept was likely
created during the medieval period to
explain how you can go to heaven and
yet seem to remain on earth as both a
ghost/ancestor and a separate rotting
dead body. But multiple variations of
Christian belief complicated matters
and there was huge variation in the
understanding of the spirit, soul and
body. Many versions of these ideas can
be found across the world. People could
only explain their vivid dream and trance
visions by assuming they must have a
subtle body that can travel unseen or in
the form of an animal or indeed flying on
a bean stalk. What they experience feels
so real that it must be real. Other people’s
claims that their bodies are still there can
only be explained away by saying that
is something left behind to fool people,
either their empty physical body or
something else such as a besom (broom)
transfigured into the likeness of their
body.
What does this mean for us as witches?
Working with dreams and visions is a
tricky area in the modern world. Extreme
forms of trance work such as dancing
for hours, fasting for days and taking
hallucinatory toxins have become less
common. Dreams are understood by
society to be fantasy not reality. If we
dream of flying we don’t assume we must
have actually flown.
Certainly several aspects of medieval
Scottish life made dream visions and
trance states more likely and to be taken
more seriously. Deprivation, exhaustion
and illness all increase the likelihood of
experiencing hallucinations and trance
states, as does long and repetitive labour
such as spinning. Another important
facet are the different sleep patterns that
abounded in that time period. Having
no electrical light, little work could
be accomplished during the hours of
darkness, and that at some times of year
accounted for as much as seventeen hours
of the day (at winter solstice). As such
a pattern of two periods of sleep with
an hour or so of light repose in between
during the depths of night was commonly
experienced. This hour or so of light
repose lent itself to both trance states and
better remembrance of dreams.
The belief that the subtle body could
leave behind the sleeping body and travel
across the world, meet with people and
enter the world of the Elves meant that
experiences that occurred during dream
and trance state were often understood
to have actually happened despite any
evidence to the contrary.
The question that impresses itself upon
me is whether we can still experience the
trance states and spirit communications
that our ancestors experienced so
strongly? And what information do we
or should we hope to gain from such
experiences?
Bibliography
https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/piercing_
the_veil.pdf
Piercing the Veil: The Experience of Trance in
Early Modern Scotland
The Visions of Isobel Gowdie by Emma Wilby
Scottish Witches and Witch-Hunters edited by
Julian Goodare
Criminal Trials of Scotland Volume 1 – Pitcairn
70 71
THE WITCHES OF POlLOK
Cara Hamilton
C
ara Hamilton is a Witch originally
from Dusseldorf, Germany but
has lived most of her life in
Scotland. She specialises in historical
Witchcraft and Séance phenomena
She is a prominent media Occult
Consultant, Newspaper Astrologer and
stage Mindreader who has performed
extensively across Europe and North
America with her Occult Stage Show
“Espiritisme” as well as several years of
sell out performances of The Witches of
Pollok.
Cara on stage at the 2019 Scottish Pagan Conference Photo by Andy Burns
In 2019 I was honoured to be the
headline performer at the Scottish Pagan
Federation Conference with my “Witches
of Pollok” presentation. It is a tale of
Scotland in the 17 th century, of Witches,
Covenanters, Necromancers and Weimar
German Psychic wonders.
The whole concept of The Witches
of Pollok is multi-layered. Its starting
Sir George Maxwell by unknown artist
point being the story of King James VI
of Scotland, his role in the witch panic,
how Sir George Maxwell of Pollok, former
Covenanter and prominent Witch hunter
was struck down by demonic affliction
on his way back from a Witch Trial in
Greenock and how the accused Witches
were burned at the stake for their crimes.
In 1676 Janet Mathie Stewart, her son
John Stewart, Margery Craig, Bessie Weir
and Margaret Jackson were implicated
by a young servant called Janet Douglas
who just happened to know where to find
a wax effigy with pins in it within Janet
Mathie Stewart’s house. The five witches
were burned at the stake in Paisley in
February the following year. The servant
Janet Douglas later became a Minister’s
wife and set up home in Edinburgh. She
was later sent to the colonies in disgrace,
as once settled in Scotland’s capital she
accused a great many of being witches,
and people got very tired of it, knowing
how serious the accusation could pr ove
to be. She even made lewd accusations of
the demonic sexual gymnastics engaged
in by the Judge at her trial.
This presentation is held 5-6 times
a year at Pollok House in Glasgow and
tickets sell out in hours.
and top hat was gunned down in an act of
anti-Semitic execution.
“To begin at the beginning” as Dylan
Thomas scribed in Under Milkwood. The
point of “The Witches of Pollok” is to
provide a framing of the times and where
it leads; the experiences, the skills and
arts the witches of the time were said to
possess.
Bookstores and library shelves are
groaning with works on historical
witchcraft and many read old records,
folklore and recollections. However,
that does little to provide an actual
understanding of the emotions and
thoughts at play in the era. It makes the
modern mind reach back and feel those
emotions and process them. As only once
you can see first-hand can you truly relate
to it.
The Witches of Pollok steps beyond
the tale of those tied to wooden stakes,
strangled before being burned, their flesh
bubbling, fat spurting with the fresh sap
of the stakes. The tale ventures far deeper
and travels far further than might be at
first imagined. It leads to a forest outside
Berlin where a 43 year old man in cloak
Photograph by Elsie Wright in 1917 showing Frances
Griffiths with the fairies
72 73
In short, the audience not just sees
historical witchcraft artefacts from my
personal collection, but actually witnesses
them used for the very purposes they were
popularly ascribed. If you have not seen
my presentation, ask yourself honestly
how you would feel if you saw a Witch
grip a wax effigy and before your eyes
observed a completely innocent soul feel
the effects?
A rare still of Hanussen working the Blocksberg Tryst
The first performance proved to be
deeply controversial as when I conducted
that feat, some audience members
thought it was an illusion with a plant,
paid to sit in the audience. In fact, they
were very vocal about it. Since then
however it has been recognised that there
are no such plants. Everyone is a genuine
member of the audience.
I have two effigies with me at these
performances, one being clay from 17 th
century Glasgow and a wax one from
1900 West Yorkshire. The finding of the
clay effigy will remain private. The Wax
effigy comes from Cottingley, the town
near Bradford, made famous because for
the fairy photographs, held as clear and
genuine proof of psychic phenomena by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
There is a connection with the Wizard
of West Bow, Thomas Weir, Covenanter,
darling of the Kirk and self-confessed
Devil worshipper and committer of incest
with his sister Grizel. Both were burned
at the stake in Edinburgh. His walking
cane given by the Devil was thrown into
the flames and onlookers were in shock
as it danced with glee in the flames.
Research revealed the Wizard came from
the same area as Pollok witch Bessie Weir
and Weir being a very minor surname in
this period; gives rise to great speculation;
as surely they were related.
Weir was known to conduct a
Necromancy ritual known as the
“Black Mirror” which used a particular
concentration technique that would later
be employed by Weimar Berlin Psychic
superstar Erik Jan Hanussen. Real name
Hermann Steinschneider, this Hitler
favourite was to turn a goat into a man
with a ritual called the Blocksberg Tryst.
This ritual conducted at the German
Witch mountain of Brocken. SS Runic
Magicians could not accomplish this.
Hanussen however did, and before
an audience of Nazi High Command,
completely surrounded and on film too.
Even today Illusionists cannot
explain a method of how this could be
accomplished by trickery. Hanussen in
his Occult Nightclub “The Palace of the
Occult”, took the stage and performed
a particularly arcane mind reading act.
This in fact was a redressing of the Black
Mirror. Eventually Hanussen’s world fell
apart, he was exposed as an Austrian Jew.
The authorities took him into the forest
and sprayed him with a hail of bullets. I
have heard people say “he should have
escaped when the Nazis took power;
but how can you when you are the most
famous psychic and stage performer in
the world. There would surely be a dagger
in the dark somewhere, and he knew it.
The presentation concludes with me
attempting the Hanussen Black Mirror
ritual with the entire audience involved.
It pleases me my presentation has been
successful in revealing to the general
public the true nature of why people
were burned at the stake. Staunch
Roman Catholics have said their eyes
were opened and they felt so awful
for the poor women and men burned
as Witches. Wiccans, Pagans, OTO,
Buddhists, Satanists, Christians of
several denominations, Spiritualists and
Atheists have all seen the presentation
and found it very educational and highly
entertaining. The story of our Witchcraft
and trial by popular superstition
continues in many places around the
world however and it is my earnest prayer
that it can be stopped.
A builder found the Cottingley effigy
under floorboards of an old terrace house.
He left it in place for me to remove and
investigate. I dated the effigy as 1900,
after checking old nail patterns. Some
aspects of the presentation I wish to keep
cloaked as I do not wish to ruin it for
Effigies
future audiences.
You can find out more about Cara on her websites:
74 www.carahamilton.co.uk
www.secret-tarot-garden.com
75
“W
ere
A DRUID in the 21st century scotland
Star Seeds planted by the
Druids, and what is a Druid in
21st Century Scotland.“
By Aria Ardhallow Druid.
Druids were a huge part of Celtic
culture. They were recognised as pagan
religious leaders, Astronomers who
charted and looked to the skies, for signs
and directions, they used their skills as
Sages for foretelling how events would
turn out in battles etc. , They were
Bards, that told stories around the fire
side, ancient story tellers that used their
captive audience as a way of passing on
this ancient knowledge, sowing the seeds
for future generations. The knowledge
that has survived today in one way or
another, through our Celtic lore, and
Mythology, and chiefly the written words
by the Roman emperor “Caesar”about the
character and functions of the Druids.
I personally believe that it’s imbedded
in our DNA, and comes to the surface
through dreams, visions, and Shamanic
journeys of the mind.
Events in England in the 1940’s and
50’s which eventually filtered down into
Scotland, was the growth of a universal
Belief system that bloomed, and became
known as the “Ancient Druid Order” this
attracted two figures, who would act as
catalysts shedding light, and regrowth of
the old ways, that which we call Paganism
today. Their names were Gerald Gardner,
and Ross Nichols. Gardner, who became a
Aria Ardhallow Druid
well known figure in the promotion of the
religion of Wicca, or pagan witchcraft,
while Nichols developed Druidism,
by focusing on the seeds planted by
the Druids, searching through Celtic
lore, and mythology. Both Nichols and
Gardner adopted the eightfold cycle of
observances, which now lies at the heart
of both Druidry, and Wiccan, to this
present day.
Druids core beliefs remains unchanged
to this day, but like all things to survive
in an ever changing era, you must adapt
to the world that surrounds you. Druids
still hold reverence to all life on Mother
Earth. The Sky father above and the
Mother below us. Druids are still open
to the magick of being alive on this ever
changing earth, using the bounty of the
Mother, like the use of herbs for healing
and also knowledgeable of their magickal
properties. The polytheistic Druids still
maintaining a strong connection, and
reverence for the old gods.
Druids observe the eightfold cycle of
festivals here in Scotland, by gathering
in a grove, or beside a nearby loch, or
just celebrate on their own. Druid groups
are similar to “Druids of the Awen ,“ the
group I practice with, although there
are subtle differences, there would be a
shared lunch among fellow Druids. It’s a
time of exchanging gifts, and the energy
within this sacred space sparkles with
earthen vibrations, that you cannot see
nor touch. The person who organises the
ritual on the day, is called “The Ancient. “
The Ancient will speak about the time
of year, and its significance, with perhaps
storytelling, music, or poetry. Druids
during their ritual may have a healing
pool, where a stone is put in the water
with the intent and energy for healing.
Druid ritual in many traditions usually
begins with what is known as “The Call
for Peace”. It is an affirmation that there
is peace between everyone involved, and
that there be peace sent throughout the
the whole earth.
“The Druid’s Vow” also is a common
aspect of many Druid rituals. It is said
by holding hands in the form of a circle.
It is known as a bond ritual, bringing the
group closer together as one. The words
are said 3 times,
“We swear by peace and love to stand,
Heart to heart, and hand in hand, Mark!
O Spirit, and hear us now, Confirming
this, our sacred vow”.... also the Awen is
chanted 3 times, pronounced A~Oo~N.
Prayer and devotional practices are
central to many Druids spiritual life.
In ancient times it has been said that
it took 20 years of training before you
could call yourself a Druid, but times
have changed. If you are dedicated you
could do an on line course, for example
like myself join O.B.O.D. and complete it
in as early as 2 years, or you may wish to
find your knowledge, through practicing
Druidry within a group. The Scottish
groups I have known personally are
“Druids of the Awen”, based in Argyll.
“The Druids of Caledon”, and “ Tuatha
de Bridget “ that both gather in Glasgow.
These groups can be found online, and
there may also be other group’s you could
find local to where you live.
One characteristic of modern day
76 77
Druidism is the degree to which it is free
of dogma, or sets of beliefs or practices.
Druids like other Earth based practices,
feel they are at home in the natural world,
Druids feel the inspiration of the Awen
flowing through their veins, they work
with nature, in engaging in practices
of Creativity, spirituality, Herbalism,
Healing, Storytelling, Mindfulness, and
have a Deep connection with Mother
Earth.
In this modern world today Druids try
to leave as small a foot print as possible, if
only by recycling a small piece of plastic,
to joining demonstrations to prevent the
oceans from being polluted. Most Druids
will have Planted a tree, or even a Celtic
tree Circle, like the one we planted at
Roukinglen in Glasgow, when I was part
of “The Druids of Caledon”. Mother Earth
needs all of our help, as Druids we are
conservationist, and try to get across the
warning not to allow chemicals into our
water ways, thus preserving the womb of
the Mother.
Animals are revered as sacred by the
Druids, as we believe that animals exist
both in the physical world and in the
other realm. Druids do their best to
protect these animals in what ever way
they can, as their habitats could possibly
be disturbed or destroyed by developers,
or by other careless humans.
Over the years I have been asked many
questions, but not as often as , “what dose
a modern day Druid look like ?”and “do
they walk about in white robes and bare
feet.?“ Well to answer that question. I am
a Druid and if you see me out in Nature,
I will be wearing hiking boots, jeans, a
fleece and a warm hat, ready for what ever
the Scottish weather shrouds me in. But I
look forward to don-ning my white robes
and attending our sacred gatherings, in
celebration of the ever changing seasons.
The festival prior to writing this was
the “spring Equinox”, or “Alban Eilir”. In
flowing hooded white, I stood bare foot
on the stones of free speech (the Earth),I
burned the first fire of spring as I lit our
bone fire, and In my hand, my gnarled
staff, my spirit. The water and the seeds
were blessed by the lady of Alban Eilir,
before returning the seeds to the Earth,
and the water to the Loch. A stone was
put in the Healing pool for all in need of
support. The beat of the drum echoed
across the mist shrouded Loch, as we gave
offerings to the Cailleach or Biera. I stood
there in our circle of Magick. I wondered
how similar our ancestors gatherings
would have been to ours, would they
have been much different. We can only
speculate or dig deep into our psyche for
an answer.
The Druid magic of the ancients still
shines and flows through us all, like our
Druid ancestors before us. The Awen of
inspiration shines, we are Bards, healers
and astronomers, charting the Skies. If
you take a moment, and go even more
deeper into your inquisitive mind, ask
yourself were star seeds planted by
our Ancestors, the soil then turned
shedding light into the darkness in the
20th century, and are we now nearing
that harvest in the 21st century, now that
man’s creative mind has ventured to
explore the stars and beyond.
My thoughts as a Druid is that
technology should not replace, nor
remove the human psyche, we must
maintain our own time, and space,
allowing us to maintain, and sustain the
balance of nature, and Mother Earth,
until the day comes that we leave our
Mother, and venture for the stars...
78 79
80 81
W
hen Ness Bosch came to
Scotland she did so with at the
behest of her gods, in blind faith
and without the full vision of what they
were asking of her. Even so, she packed
her bags, closed her Goddess Temple in
Spain and followed that call of the gods
to Scotland, trusting that they would
continue to guide her. Already settled in
Scotland, that vision is now much clearer
and if everything continues on the same
track we will have a temple of the goddess
in Scotland.
Here less than a year, Ness already
organizes moots and groups and intends
to continue doing so after this Pandemic
Passes. She also began the training in
the first spiral of the priesthood of the
goddess in December last year, though it
has had to move online for the moment.
ABOUT THE SCOTA GODDESS TEMPLE
Interview with Ness Bosch
and I have always felt very connected to
Egypt since I was a child. Somehow it
seemed to me a parallel to my own life,
although I am not a princess hahaha.
What can you tell us about the Temple
Logo?
Well the intention was that it had to
be kind of Scottish. I found an ancient
pictish symbol of a mermaid and used it
as a base, modifying it to create the logo.
Scotland is land of selkies and mermaids,
they are not only glens and deer, it is also
sea, islands, water... So it had to have
the element represented in some way.
The mermaid seemed ideal to me. A
horned mermaid holding a thistle and a
unicorn horn. The antlers representing
the highlands. I think it’s pretty clear!
The last thing I added was the detail of
the ank in the belly button, for Scota the
princess of Egypt.
What is the Scota Goddess Temple?
The Scota Goddess Temple is a Pagan
Temple, based Kilmarnock, Ayrshire,
but also open to celebrate moots and
rituals in other places. We intend to keep
meeting in Kilmarnock and Glasgow,
but I am hoping to be able to have events
in other cities in Scotland if people is
interested. The Temple is open to anyone
in path of search in the Spiritual Realms,
based on mutual respect, personal
responsibility and honor, as long as they
define themselves as earth centered and
polytheistic. We do have a minimum age
to enter the training, but moots are open
to families also. Our tutelary deity is the
Cailleach.
The Objectives of the Scota Goddess
are:
1º Serve the Mysteries and the Divinity
in any of its forms and manifestations,
and built Community.
It is not easy to define Ness Bosch,
because she has so many different aspects
to her, but if there is something that
becomes clear when you meet her, it
is that she is unique for many reasons,
a strong woman who shines for her
knowledge, a true seeker and without a
doubt an exceptional priestess.
In this interview we are going to find
out a bit more about the Scota Goddess
Temple.
Why Scota Goddess Temple?
Because Scota is for some the mother
of Scotland, her descendants the Scots
settled in Argyll and ended up giving the
country its name. I thought it would be
a good way to honor her. Although her
story reaches us orally, we know that she
was exiled from Egypt in Iberia and from
there her family arrived in Ireland and
Scotland bringing with them something
as important to the Scottish people as the
Stone of Destiny. Some think that Scota
was Meritaten, daughter of Akhenaten
and Nefertiti. I come from Iberia myself,
like the Milesians descendants of Scota
82 83
2º Our main dedication is to Mysteries
and Deities in Alba (the local ones and
those who came with people who made of
Scotland their home bringing their deities
with them), to serve as a center for study
and research.
3º To serve the Goddess and provide
teachings and support to anyone
who wishes to be a candidate for the
priesthood, here in Scotland or in any
other country via internet.
4º To celebrate activities and events
to involve the members and the Pagan
Community not only in Scotland, but
internationally. To promote the Pagan
Heritage of this amazing land.
5º Create Activities, Collaborate and
Participate with other Members or
Groups of the Pagan Community.
6º Promote respect for mother earth
and her living creatures and events
related to ecology.
That sounds very interesting, could
you tell me something more about the
role of the Priestess and the training
you offer from the Temple?
Training as a priestess or priest of the
goddess is not difficult, the difficult thing
is to stay in service and be constant.
Many people think that being a Priestess
of the Goddess is something glamorous
but in reality it is a lot of work. There
is work that is seen, for example, when
you are holding a moot or a celebration,
but there is also a lot of invisible work.
For example, I have worked tirelessly to
coordinate the SPF Visions of Magick
Online Conference, nobody has any idea
of the long hours I spent doing so, but it
is part of my work as a priestess, to bring
my knowledge or gifts to the service of the
Pagan community.
Ness and Garry Jeffrey
In addition, to help the pagans who are
quarantined by the pandemic, I decided
to offer the training of the First Spiral of
the Temple Online and free of charge.
It does normally have a small donation
per encounter, to cover material for the
temple and altars, transport or the rent
of venues for meetings. This offer was for
people not initiated into the mysteries,
neophytes. I thought it would be a way
to sustain others and keep the flame of
the goddess alive, as a priestess, even if
it was in the distance. In exchange for
this offering, my energy and guidance,
of course, work and commitment are
required.
The training of the Temple itself as I
say is not difficult. All the members who
seek ordination with us would serve a
basic training and preparation divided in
3 spirals:
· 1st Spiral: the Path of the Melissae. 1
year training to unfold the first steps into
the Priesthood. A beautiful opportunity
to Open the Invisible Realms to bring the
Ancient Ones.
· 2nd Spiral: The Path of the Walking
Seed. 1 year training to go deeper into the
Mysteries and embody the Seed of the
Sacred Priestess.
· 3rd Spiral: The Path of the Priestess.
9 Months training We go deeper into the
Work of the Priestess and Mysteries and
you will embody your Goddess/Deity at
Heart to be able to serve the Community
as Priestess.
It seems to me an extraordinary
offering. How have people responded?
Well in truth, considering that there is
a selection process by age and experience,
right now there is a nice group. There
are people from Scotland but also from
countries like Egypt, Serbia, Spain or
USA. The year work calendar and the
deities in Scotland I had already, but for
the others who are in other countries it
has been wonderful to help them too, and
see how they have taken my guidance to
enable them to create their own calendars
with local deities and the Shrines. I am
particularly excited about the one we
have created for the USA with Native
American deities from the 4 Directions
of the Continent and the Center using
the Medicine Wheel and while including
tribal deities from those directions. I am
especially proud of it since I myself am
a student of Amerindian cultures and I
followed the red road for several years.
The truth is that what you tell gets
more interesting with each question!
What about deities in Scotland? Can
you tell us more about them?
Yeah sure. All the info is in our Website.
We have a deity for each month of the
year, local deities, some of whom we
know quite a bit like Cailleach but also
others of whom we know very little and
whose name hardly reached us because
they were collected by the Romans,
such as Nigra Dea, for example . We also
work with Gods who came to Scotland
brought by people who came to this land,
Vikings, Celts, Romans... To think that
deities belong to a place is kind of a small
mistake, the deities travel with people, in
their hearts.
Although it is a first spiral, we could
say the work to be advanced in some
way because we do not limit ourselves
to the information that we have, it is
a very shamanic priesthood and I use
Dick Institute in Kilmarnock
84 85
Journeys through realms to take people
to communicate with the gods and get
information from them first hand. This
is extremely valuable when they are
gods that are practically unknown and
also for shamanically traveling to the
Shrines. When we travel shamanically
we can see things that we do not see
when we physically move, we can meet
magical creatures etc. It is very exciting.
I have read wonderful experiences on
these journeys and they are extremely
transformative. But as I said it is a lot of
work, I do not give anything if I do not see
an answer. Who does not work does not
continue.
It seems that it is not the typical
priesthood from what you tell us. How
was your training as a priestess?
It’s funny but I came to the path of the
priestesses after many years in a shamanic
path and as a solo practitioner of magic.
After facing a tumor, I survived but the
experience transformed me in many
aspects, took me to very deep places
and ended up studying the Sea Priestess
training that helped me dive into the
depths of this new self, which by the way
is also very Shamanic. I expanded the
priesthood that I took, it somehow spit
me on the beach after a terrible storm
but I saw that I could do much more with
it. I began to impart it in Spanish to the
international Hispanic community in
2012 but of course I also do it in English.
From that Priesthood and the Temple of
Waters, The Covenant of the Waters was
born. I continue guiding those who look
for me to the depths of the element of
water and their own shadow.
In 2015 I began my relationship with
The Fellowship of Isis. I am a Hierophant
Priestess and I hold a Lyceum, in addition
Steffy Vonscott and Ness
to also belonging to other Orders within
the FOI. There are people who work
more, others less. It all depends on each
one, I usually work a lot and that is
reflected in my own work. Not everyone
who has a title of Priestess or Priest of the
Goddess has obtained it in the same way.
Every teacher is different. I feel fortunate
for the teachers I have had, for those who
demanded little from me too, because
I learned that I could improve and in
the end I found better teachers. I now
have a reputation for being a demanding
or tough teacher. I don’t care, I really
prefer it. I can’t be fluffy coming from the
Red Road where everything is so hard
and after having lived such difficult life
experiences. But I’d rather have a hand
full of students than a school full of
people who don’t work.
How do you see the Scota Goddess
Temple in a few years?
I would like to be able to continue doing
my work as a priestess, helping whoever
seeks the gods or seeks themselves, it is
actually part of the same quest. I wish
I could open the temple several days
a month and be able to receive people
there, celebrate, and decorate the
altars together. See new priestesses and
priests working for their gods and the
community. I want to see a living temple
in Scotland.
And where do you see yourself?
Holding community, bringing the
sacred, it is something that I will not stop
doing. I hope to continue traveling with
my shamanic teachings. In early March,
and with great luck, I returned from a
retreat in Egypt when the crisis was just
breaking out in Europe. I have traveled
through different countries with my
teachings and I hope to continue doing so
after this pandemic. I thank the gods for
bringing me to Scotland because I am so
happy here.
I met wonderful people. I have felt
welcomed from the first day by the pagan
community. Garry Jeffrey was one of
the first pagans I met here in Scotland
in a moot he organized in Glasgow.
He is a highly respected person in the
community and super active, always up
to something. At yule he organized a
wonderful dinner and workshop at his
Grove and we had a great time. He is
always there for you, he was the one who
introduced us also! He has a wonderful
circle of people around him and he is
certainly one of my great supports here
and a good friend. A person to admire. As
I said I’m happy here, Scotland is now my
home. I feel at home.
Thank you Ness. I look forward to the
future of the Scota Goddess Temple!
Steffy Vonscott.
https://scotagoddesstemple.jimdosite.com/
On Facebook: Scota Goddess Temple
86 87
2020 is going to be a very exiting year
for the Scottish Pagan Federation with
the Official Scottish Pagan Tartan
being released. It has been catalogued
and registered by the Scottish Tartan
Authority as an official tartan under
Scottish Pagan Federation where upon
weaving it will be given an Official name
of Official Scottish Pagan Tartan. Though
it has been created with the blessings of
the SPF it will be for ALL pagans not just
those belonging to the SPF.
Deciding on the creation of a Pagan
Tartan has been a journey that we wanted
the pagan public to be part of and thanks
to Facebook we have been able to do just
that. From keeping people up to date,
asking for thoughts via opinion polls
and finally announcing its creation and
registration, it’s been something that
we hope everyone can be proud of as a
community.
Here is its story.
Through the later part of 2019 talk
began initially based on the SPF’s role
within the Interfaith movement and the
tartans already created by the Muslim,
Jewish and Catholic religions amongst
others. Understanding Tartan and its
role in showing community as well as
Paganism now having a strong voice and a
level sitting with Scotland’s other beliefs,
made the Pagan Tartan an obvious next
step on this journey of belonging.
Birth of the scottish pagan tartan
Thomas “Duir” Lanting
Mosman; John Campbell (1749)
Steffy our SPF Presiding Officer, Bren
our pagan history buff and myself got to
chatting about what a Pagan tartan not
only should be but why it is important.
We looked at the other religious /
spiritual group tartans to get an idea
of why they chose what they did. The
Muslim tartan was of particular interest
and provided great inspiration. Its clear
importance that was displayed to tell a
story of its origins and principles.
As the Scottish Pagan Federation
represents all pagan belief structures in
Scotland, the real question was how best
to reflect our eclectic community within a
tartan. Recognising that this was not just
a challenge to create and represent not
just Scottish pagans but those who feel a
connection to Scotland as well as pagans
around the world who feel drawn to call it
their own.
The first idea worked on was to follow
the wheel of the year via the changing
tree of life sticking to traditional earthy
colours. The outcome was a beautiful
traditional plaid of greens, oranges and
browns. Lovely as it was, I wanted to play
around with other aspects that bring us
all together.
I wanted the tartan to have it’s central
core around our ancestors, after all they
are the foundations of our culture, D.N.A
and magic that runs through ALL pagans.
The shade of blues was chosen to
represent the Picts, the ancient race
from was known to the Romans as being,
fierce, blue and magical. The Romans
gave them the name Picts due to the blue
decorations on their bodies.
A creamy white was chosen to represent
the Druids. The magical keepers of
the Celtic lands. The druids were well
known to the Romans, well known but
mysterious. To the Picts and Celts the
druids were spiritual teachers, healers
and mentors.
Linking our ancestral practices and our
own we are interconnected to two outer
spheres. The Sun representing the strong
masculine and the Moon representing the
sacred feminine. It only made sense to
interlink a white and gold line around our
ancestors.
Though we may follow different paths
within the same belief structure we
are all joined by 5 principle points. five
elements that without them life would
cease. Wherever we are on the planet,
Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Spirit are
intertwined in our stories, myth’s, legends
and workings.
However, we work with these elements
their energies remain stable so invoking
these colours into the tartan after the Sun
and Moon made sense.
The last colours added were thicker
lines of Green, Purple and Blue. The
shades of Purple and Green though they
serve as the SPF colours, I didn’t want
to make in exclusive, so the blue was
added. Green and purple represent the
landscape and flowers (heather) while
the blue represents the lakes, rivers and
streams that give life to ALL land and it’s
inhabitants.
88 89
Having created a tartan using these.
We gave the online public a choice of the
original and the newer one. With more
votes the latter was chosen.
Shades of colours were played around
with and with the final tweaks the result
was what we have today.
A wee history of Tartan.
You’d think this subject would be
straightforward but like much of Scottish
history it is not. Tartan has quite a
confusing heritage, with many countries
including ancient China having produced
forms of tartan weave. China dating back
more than 3000 years.
One of the earliest learnings of Scottish
tartan comes from the Italian historian
Diodorus Siculus (90BC – 30BC) who
wrote “the way they dress is astonishing:
they wear brightly coloured and embroided
shirts, with trousers called bracae and
cloaks fastned at the shoulder with a
brooch, heavy in winter, light in summer.
These cloaks are striped and cheqered
in design, with the seperate checks close
together and in various colours”.
Scotlands earliest traditional form of
tartan is the Falkirk Tartan dating back to
the 3rd century BC.
Original tartan symbolised the region
you belonged to and due to available
natural dyes were more muted greens,
browns, blues and purples. Worn as plaids
(Gaelic feileadh-mór, meaning “great
wrap), these long tartan fabrics were a
source of warmth in the highlands as well
as bedding but in lambing season it was a
great way to keep a poorly lamb warm.
By 1471 James 3rd is noted as using blue
tartan to line his cloak as well as his wifes
dress.
artist unkown
Seen as a Scottish symbol both the kilt
and the tartan were outlawed under the
1746 Act of Proscrption in an attempt to
control the Highlanders who supported
the Jacobite Rebellion. After the Battle
of Culloden and the exile of Scotlands
King Charles E Stewart, the tartan almost
disapeared.
The act was repealed in 1782.
With King George’s visit to Edinburgh
in 1822 this changed. Sir Watler Scott the
Scottish romantasist, poet and author
had become friends with the king since
the publication of his novel Waverley
in 1914. It was Sir Walter Scott who is
credited (historicaly / factualy are 2
seperate things) with bringing back the
tartan, not just as a deffinition for the
Highlands but for ALL original CLANS of
Scotland.
Sinclair_(R._R._McIan)
A great book was released about the
original clan tartans by the fraudulant
Sobieski brothers who to sell the book
alleged they were grandsons of Bonnie
Prince Charlie.
With the arrival of Queen Vistoria
and her husband Albert in 1842, tartan
realy took off. Both the Queen and her
husband adored Scotland its games and
dress. When the Queen and her husband
turned up to the Great Exhibition in 1851
with her young sons, Albert and Alfred,
decked out in full Highland attire, it
made Tartan a world wide phenominom.
Being adopted by schools throughout
the Empire as schoolwear and fabric for
pencil cases and purses.
Regiments took up tartan to distiguish
themselves around the world. Thanks to
litmus dye and modern weaving process
tartan began the explosion that we now
see today.
90 91
important sense of belonging.
With all this in mind, creating a tartan
for paganism was not just to have one but
to have something that tells a story and
give dignaty in deiverance.
AWAKENING YOUR INNER GODDESS
Jade Melany
Tartan quickly moved to being trendy
moving from the Punk scene with
designer Vivian Westwood to being
adopted by the fashion culture of Japan,
with sales of Harris Tweed sky rocketting
and Hello Kitty even having her own
tartan.
Today Tartan is a proud representation
of belonging. Every country in the world
has developed tartans, whether that be
a family (Clan), golfing club, buisness,
Armed Forces or now a belief.
Tartan has devolped into something
that is synonimous with Scotland. It
promotes, pride, honour and gives an
Like Scotland, paganism down to its
earliest forms gives identity and pride to
many, whever we are in the world it is a
form of Clan and like a Clan tartan, the
Scottish Pagan Tartan hopefully has been
created to allow ALL pagans the ability to
wear who they are with pride.
Though the tartan will be produced
as kilts, waistcoats and ties, the Scottish
Gemini Aspect will be creating cloaks and
robes with wide Scootish Pagan Tartan
edging.
Thank you everyone involved and may
you all find a connection and pride in our
Tartan.
Love and Blessings
Thomas ‘Duir’ Lanting
T
he Priestess of the Silver Star
or High Priestess archetype,
in terms of your journey into
spiritual awakening, is the act of willingly
retreating within to a place of healing and
sanctuary. You must create this yourself,
so that you can commune
with your inner knowing and the
ancestral pool of resources from which
you originated.
The Gnostics call this archetype the
goddess Sophia who is the embodiment
of Wisdom. Your physical body is the
temple through which you can receive
the illumination of the Goddess and your
vessel needs to be cared for with respect,
dignity and love. It needs to be properly
nourished on all planes of existence,
physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
Listen again for that small but audible
voice telling you what you ought to do, if
only you would let it speak and be heard
above the noise and chaos of daily life.
This is the realm of dreams, mystical
states, otherworldly experiences and
visions, and getting in touch with your
intuition. In the stillness of silence turn
the attention inwards and seek out that
voice which speaks with inner knowing,
and has waited a long time to be heard,
acknowledged and awakened.
High Priestess artist unknown
Pathworking
Awakening your inner Goddess.
As this is a night time meditation it may
help to do this when it is dark, but if this
is not possible. then block the light by
putting something over your eyes. Total
darkness is best for the desired effect.
With or without gentle music.
It is a good idea to perform this
pathworking at the time when the moon
has just appeared in its crescent form, to
fully appreciate the difference between
the crescent and the full moon energies.
The moon pathworking is very different
to that of meeting the goddess/healer
within.
92 93
Take a moment to bring your energy
and attention within as it is time to
go deep inside yourself. We begin by
regulating your breathing and counting,
and with each inhalation and exhalation
you feel more relaxed. Breathe in to the
count of four and then out to the count
of four. Breathe in to the count of 4 then
breathe out to the count of 4. Repeat this
process until enough time has been given
to get the mind into a peaceful serene
state. Anywhere between 1 minute and 5
is good.
All around you is the dark blue of velvet
midnight and you feel peaceful, calm
and totally relaxed. Enjoy the stillness in
this moment as you become accustomed
to this twilight realm. Look above your
head at the night sky. The deep midnight
blue is pierced with tiny stars twinkling
behind a misty haze. You concentrate and
focus all of your thoughts on the sky and
almost immediately the misty haze begins
to clear.
A tiny sliver of a crescent shines down
upon you and you smile inside at the
horns of the moon revealed to you in this
moment. Your feel a gentle breeze and
sense movement all around you but you
can’t tell where its coming from.
Taking your gaze away from the moon
for a second you notice that the path
underneath your feet is shining with
a silvery luminescence. You feel the
presence of another with you, though
can’t see her, but you feel her and you
shiver with excitement. The path extends
away from you and you can’t see where it
ends, but you feel compelled to follow it
anyway. As if you are being guided by an
unseen source. you begin to move. You
are light on your feet as you travel along
this sacred path.
You can hear the sound of running
water and you notice that there are two
streams either side of you, running
parallel to the path. Keep walking
and follow this path until you reach a
waterfall. The two streams now both
cascade over the edge of this moonlit
waterfall, and as you look over the edge
you see that they fall into a deep inviting
pool a couple of metres below.
You hear a voice whisper to you that you
have to trust your instincts and go down
to this pool. How you get there is your
choice, but know that however you make
the leap, in a few moments you are going
down to bathe in this sacred healing
pool. So pause a few moments for the
transition.
The gentle breeze against your skin
makes you feel alive and you boldly walk
back along the silvery path, taking with
you all of your experiences. The presence
of the horned moon guides you back
along the path to where you began your
journey underneath the night sky. Take
a few deep breaths. Wiggle your toes.
Stretch and open your eyes.
Write your experience into your journal
and remember to leave it somewhere you
can reach it in the morning upon waking,
so that you can record any dreams that
you remember. When recording dreams
is is good practice to note the time of
the lunar cycle, date and any significant
symbols and recurring themes.
©jademelany2019
The Above is an excerpt from the
Forthcoming title Initiate’s Way by
Jade Melany, published by Mandrake of
Oxford.
The recorded version of this can be found here…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWaNt3C-
WHs
You feel the water against your skin.
It is more wonderful than anything you
have ever experienced before. You feel
cleansed, refreshed, and all of your cares,
worries and concerns have gone. This is
your sanctuary and you can visit as often
as you like when you the need healing
and peace of this moonlit pool. Allow
memories to surface here, open yourself
up to the whole of your consciousness
and bathe in the stream of all that is you.
The cards are here
www.initiatesway.co.uk
Take as much time as you need. When
you are ready step out of the water. The
air is just right. Not too warm and not too
cold.
artist unknown
94 95
urban deities (photographic series)
Selene
Urban Deities is a conceptual portraiture
series. For this series I drew inspiration from
Greek Mythology; I focused on a few deities
and tried to represent them as if they were
living amongst us in the 21st century.
This is the triple-form representation for
Selene, the goddess of the moon.
96 97
© Yuriy Marinov
Gaia
The universal archetype for mother. The
mother of all humanity regardless of the
culture or religion we all come from. Red
is the blood that runs in our veins and blue
is the sky we all see. We used the treasures
of the earth to build the societies we live
in. ow we mistreat our mother and we take
advantage of her gifts. Look! She’s even a
fashion icon now and she is in despair.
We are all brothers and sisters on the
same sphere we call The Earth. We are
born and we die on that small planet and
the meantime is what we call life. To
appreciate nature is to appreciate life. She
is the mother. She is the creator. She is the
alchemist of all beings. She has been here
long before us and will be long after us. She
doesn’t need us but we need her.
We, the children of The Earth.
© Yuriy Marinov
Photography and Design
98 https://www.behance.net/yuri_marinov 99
contact: y_marinov@yahoo.com
(1)
Credits
Creative Direction:
Ness Bosch
Cover Illustrations:
Julia Jeffrey
Layout and Design:
Yuriy Marinov
(2) image by www.paintingvalley.com
100 1,2
101
urban deities: the Oracle by Yuriy Marinov
102
© Julia Jeffrey