Spells of Craft

”Reconstructionist” Traditional Witchcraft is the Reconstructionist approach to the Historical Witchcraft of the X-XVIII centuries (and in some cases even later, for example there are attestations of Donne di Fuori - Sicilian practitioners - who are from 1980s). Although these cults have a pre-Christian origin, they are not exactly copies of the Religions of the Gentiles (Roman, Greek, Celtic, Germanic, etc.) because around the tenth century, as attested by the Canon Episcopi (906 CE), in the Franco-Germanic area there was a particular mixture of both Pagan and Christian elements that gave rise to the Medieval Witchcraft complex. The fundamental difference with respect to the Religions of the Gentiles is that although their figures remained, the Gods were no longer defined as Deities, but people moved towards an animism, in which even the Gods were considered simple Spirits, more powerful than the others but still Spirits. The Spirits with which the witch worked, her allies, were called Familiar Spirits, and therefore we can say that Witchcraft was a cult of the Familiar Spirits. From the Franco-Germanic area the T.W. complex spread gradually throughout Europe, both thanks to the simple talk, but above all by virtue of the sermons of Christian preachers AGAINST these beliefs, which however had the opposite effect, spreading them throughout the Continent. By merging with the local pre-Christian remains of the various countries, of the various regions and of the various cities, the theme of the T.W. created different variations in every place in which it arrived. So, we will have a Sicilian Traditional Witchcraft, where the practitioners were called Donne di Fuori and worshipped the Queen and the King of Fairies, a Calabrian one, linked to the cult of the Fatae, and so on. This is the theory, but the practice? How to begin? I think it’s very useful for a beginner to: 1.) Find his or her patron God/dess (or, as it would be better called, the Major Spirit) by analyzing legends, folklore and/or trials in the area in order to see the names of the beings who are leaders of the witches, of the fairies or of the Wild Hunt, and/or that are of pagan origins; 2.) To start doing offerings to him/her (in the past, Ginzburg reveals, the offerings were tables full of food and drink, preceded by a cleaning and ordering of the house, to leave for the night in which the procession of the Major Spirit would have come to eat, drink, dance and give blessings to the home). 3.) The Sabbath is also very important, but in order to celebrate it we have to discover the days in which we can do it: it’s possible to see in legends books of a certain region the days in which witches gathered together, and to take these as the days for the Sabbaths for the tradition of witchcraft of that area. The Sabbath would be: - a bowing to the representation of the Major Spirit, - an offering of candle, - the banquet: some food and drink to eat in honour to the Major Spirit, - a dance for him/her, - and finally a sexual intercourse in honor to him/her (after a divination in which to see if it’s an appreciated thing or not for the Spirit). 4.) It’s possible to use hydromancy (the most used method of trance after the astral travel in European trials) or other trance techniques or dreams/astral projection in order to contact the Major Spirit and let him/her taking you to: - the procession from house to house with the Major Spirit to eat the food let for you, dance and bless with a wand the house and its inhabitants; - or the Wild Hunt; - or the Oneiric Sabbath; - or the Other World (also called Elphame/Sybil’s Paradise/etc. and with many other names, depending on the area that is considered); - or to the Battles in Spirits (like those of Benandanti, Mazzeri, Taltos, Kresniks, etc.). 5.) It’s possible to ask during these visions or dreams in the Oniric Sabbath to receive the Animal Familiar Spirit. 6.) Beyond to the Major Spirit, it’s possible to do offerings for other Familiar Spirits (I repeat: with Familiar Spirit I mean every helpling spirit), the external ones such as: - the House Spirit/Household Fairy (in Great Britain also called “brownie”, “hobgoblin”, etc.); - the Genius Loci/Fairy of a natural place; - the Ancestors; - the Plant Ally (such as the Mandrake Familiars).

Or/and the internal one: - the Animal Familiar, that can help as a guide during trance and dream travels, if it’s discovered.

Usually the offerings are of food and drink but for the ancestors, which have usually candles and flowers, as it’s possible to see in classical household catholic shrines to the dead and in cemeteries.

The Way of Perfection by Theresa d'Avila is well worth the read pertaining to angelic experiences and purification.

The Dark Night of the Soul by Saint John of the Cross is sort of like a gnostic understanding of meeting with oneself in a dark place, a bit like crossing the Abyss. (I mention St. John of the Cross and St. Theresa because some of their writings are highly symbolic and progenitors of ideas found in later Christian Cabala, which makes sense considering both of them were Spanish.)

The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius is like a Medieval form of CBT and is great for things like single point meditation, redirecting the focus of the mind, and purity exercises that could be useful before spirit work.

The Big Book of Christian Mysticism by Carl McColman is an excellent place to start understanding the many varied traditions of Christian theurgy.

If you’re looking to read something darker like infernal and demonic experiences I will always recommend Malachi Martin’s Hostage to the Devil: the Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans and Father Gabriel Amorth’s An Exorcist Tells His Story.

An often overlooked book about rather dark psychic and magical experiences within Catholic paradigm are The Forty Dreams of Saint John Bosco, in which the saint chronicles his time as a teacher at a boy’s school and seeing the malevolent spiritual influences that were drawn to his pupils and to the saint himself. It was his belief that often his dreams allowed him to “read the hearts” of those around him (a gift found in other canonized saints), seeing into the future, and the ability to physically see the manifestation of smaller malevolent entities as well as larger, uglier demons. In some of the dreams, spirits (good and bad) wove spiritual parables for him which were highly symbolic and often relayed worldviews held by the spirits themselves. Many of the dreams disturbed Bosco but are not unlike the experiences of many goetes in their contents.

(Manihot esculenta)

An important crop in Latin America, Asia, and parts of Africa, the root is cooked in much the same way that potatoes are. A starchy flour derived from the root is used to make tapioca pudding and bread. There’s just one problem: cassava contains a substance called linamarin that converts to cyanide in the body. The cyanide can be eliminated through careful preparation that involves soaking, drying, or baking the root, but this process is imperfect and can take several days. In times of drought, cassava roots may produce higher levels of the toxin, and people in famine-stricken areas may eat more root and take less care with preparation.

Cassava poisoning can be deadly. Even at lower levels it can cause a chronic condition known in Africa as konzo. Symptoms include weakness, tremors, a lack of coordination, vision problems, and partial paralysis.

(Prunus domesticus) Seed and wilted leaf: Not recommended for internal use.

Gender: Feminine. Planet: Venus. Element: Water. Powers: Love, Protection.

Magical Uses: Plum branches placed over doors and windows guard the home against evil intrusions. The fruit is eaten to inspire or maintain love.

Carry burning brands of aromatic herbs from the Midsummer’s bonfires through your home to cleanse, purify, and protect.

”Reconstructionist” Traditional Witchcraft is the Reconstructionist approach to the Historical Witchcraft of the X-XVIII centuries (and in some cases even later, for example there are attestations of Donne di Fuori - Sicilian practitioners - who are from 1980s). Although these cults have a pre-Christian origin, they are not exactly copies of the Religions of the Gentiles (Roman, Greek, Celtic, Germanic, etc.) because around the tenth century, as attested by the Canon Episcopi (906 CE), in the Franco-Germanic area there was a particular mixture of both Pagan and Christian elements that gave rise to the Medieval Witchcraft complex. The fundamental difference with respect to the Religions of the Gentiles is that although their figures remained, the Gods were no longer defined as Deities, but people moved towards an animism, in which even the Gods were considered simple Spirits, more powerful than the others but still Spirits. The Spirits with which the witch worked, her allies, were called Familiar Spirits, and therefore we can say that Witchcraft was a cult of the Familiar Spirits. From the Franco-Germanic area the T.W. complex spread gradually throughout Europe, both thanks to the simple talk, but above all by virtue of the sermons of Christian preachers AGAINST these beliefs, which however had the opposite effect, spreading them throughout the Continent. By merging with the local pre-Christian remains of the various countries, of the various regions and of the various cities, the theme of the T.W. created different variations in every place in which it arrived. So, we will have a Sicilian Traditional Witchcraft, where the practitioners were called Donne di Fuori and worshipped the Queen and the King of Fairies, a Calabrian one, linked to the cult of the Fatae, and so on. This is the theory, but the practice? How to begin? I think it’s very useful for a beginner to: 1.) Find his or her patron God/dess (or, as it would be better called, the Major Spirit) by analyzing legends, folklore and/or trials in the area in order to see the names of the beings who are leaders of the witches, of the fairies or of the Wild Hunt, and/or that are of pagan origins; 2.) To start doing offerings to him/her (in the past, Ginzburg reveals, the offerings were tables full of food and drink, preceded by a cleaning and ordering of the house, to leave for the night in which the procession of the Major Spirit would have come to eat, drink, dance and give blessings to the home). 3.) The Sabbath is also very important, but in order to celebrate it we have to discover the days in which we can do it: it’s possible to see in legends books of a certain region the days in which witches gathered together, and to take these as the days for the Sabbaths for the tradition of witchcraft of that area. The Sabbath would be: - a bowing to the representation of the Major Spirit, - an offering of candle, - the banquet: some food and drink to eat in honour to the Major Spirit, - a dance for him/her, - and finally a sexual intercourse in honor to him/her (after a divination in which to see if it’s an appreciated thing or not for the Spirit). 4.) It’s possible to use hydromancy (the most used method of trance after the astral travel in European trials) or other trance techniques or dreams/astral projection in order to contact the Major Spirit and let him/her taking you to: - the procession from house to house with the Major Spirit to eat the food let for you, dance and bless with a wand the house and its inhabitants; - or the Wild Hunt; - or the Oneiric Sabbath; - or the Other World (also called Elphame/Sybil’s Paradise/etc. and with many other names, depending on the area that is considered); - or to the Battles in Spirits (like those of Benandanti, Mazzeri, Taltos, Kresniks, etc.). 5.) It’s possible to ask during these visions or dreams in the Oniric Sabbath to receive the Animal Familiar Spirit. 6.) Beyond to the Major Spirit, it’s possible to do offerings for other Familiar Spirits (I repeat: with Familiar Spirit I mean every helpling spirit), the external ones such as: - the House Spirit/Household Fairy (in Great Britain also called “brownie”, “hobgoblin”, etc.); - the Genius Loci/Fairy of a natural place; - the Ancestors; - the Plant Ally (such as the Mandrake Familiars).

Or/and the internal one: - the Animal Familiar, that can help as a guide during trance and dream travels, if it’s discovered.

Usually the offerings are of food and drink but for the ancestors, which have usually candles and flowers, as it’s possible to see in classical household catholic shrines to the dead and in cemeteries.

”Reconstructionist” Traditional Witchcraft is the Reconstructionist approach to the Historical Witchcraft of the X-XVIII centuries (and in some cases even later, for example there are attestations of Donne di Fuori - Sicilian practitioners - who are from 1980s). Although these cults have a pre-Christian origin, they are not exactly copies of the Religions of the Gentiles (Roman, Greek, Celtic, Germanic, etc.) because around the tenth century, as attested by the Canon Episcopi (906 CE), in the Franco-Germanic area there was a particular mixture of both Pagan and Christian elements that gave rise to the Medieval Witchcraft complex. The fundamental difference with respect to the Religions of the Gentiles is that although their figures remained, the Gods were no longer defined as Deities, but people moved towards an animism, in which even the Gods were considered simple Spirits, more powerful than the others but still Spirits. The Spirits with which the witch worked, her allies, were called Familiar Spirits, and therefore we can say that Witchcraft was a cult of the Familiar Spirits. From the Franco-Germanic area the T.W. complex spread gradually throughout Europe, both thanks to the simple talk, but above all by virtue of the sermons of Christian preachers AGAINST these beliefs, which however had the opposite effect, spreading them throughout the Continent. By merging with the local pre-Christian remains of the various countries, of the various regions and of the various cities, the theme of the T.W. created different variations in every place in which it arrived. So, we will have a Sicilian Traditional Witchcraft, where the practitioners were called Donne di Fuori and worshipped the Queen and the King of Fairies, a Calabrian one, linked to the cult of the Fatae, and so on. This is the theory, but the practice? How to begin? I think it’s very useful for a beginner to: 1.) Find his or her patron God/dess (or, as it would be better called, the Major Spirit) by analyzing legends, folklore and/or trials in the area in order to see the names of the beings who are leaders of the witches, of the fairies or of the Wild Hunt, and/or that are of pagan origins; 2.) To start doing offerings to him/her (in the past, Ginzburg reveals, the offerings were tables full of food and drink, preceded by a cleaning and ordering of the house, to leave for the night in which the procession of the Major Spirit would have come to eat, drink, dance and give blessings to the home). 3.) The Sabbath is also very important, but in order to celebrate it we have to discover the days in which we can do it: it’s possible to see in legends books of a certain region the days in which witches gathered together, and to take these as the days for the Sabbaths for the tradition of witchcraft of that area. The Sabbath would be: - a bowing to the representation of the Major Spirit, - an offering of candle, - the banquet: some food and drink to eat in honour to the Major Spirit, - a dance for him/her, - and finally a sexual intercourse in honor to him/her (after a divination in which to see if it’s an appreciated thing or not for the Spirit). 4.) It’s possible to use hydromancy (the most used method of trance after the astral travel in European trials) or other trance techniques or dreams/astral projection in order to contact the Major Spirit and let him/her taking you to: - the procession from house to house with the Major Spirit to eat the food let for you, dance and bless with a wand the house and its inhabitants; - or the Wild Hunt; - or the Oneiric Sabbath; - or the Other World (also called Elphame/Sybil’s Paradise/etc. and with many other names, depending on the area that is considered); - or to the Battles in Spirits (like those of Benandanti, Mazzeri, Taltos, Kresniks, etc.). 5.) It’s possible to ask during these visions or dreams in the Oniric Sabbath to receive the Animal Familiar Spirit. 6.) Beyond to the Major Spirit, it’s possible to do offerings for other Familiar Spirits (I repeat: with Familiar Spirit I mean every helpling spirit), the external ones such as: - the House Spirit/Household Fairy (in Great Britain also called “brownie”, “hobgoblin”, etc.); - the Genius Loci/Fairy of a natural place; - the Ancestors; - the Plant Ally (such as the Mandrake Familiars).

Or/and the internal one: - the Animal Familiar, that can help as a guide during trance and dream travels, if it’s discovered.

Usually the offerings are of food and drink but for the ancestors, which have usually candles and flowers, as it’s possible to see in classical household catholic shrines to the dead and in cemeteries.

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autumn quest

Oregon forests

Knowledge is power.