#witch fire

The witch path & freedom

They say that your knowings of the way of the witch & the craft flow in your witch-blood. But this remembering of witchery through the blood is not so much a genetic/molecular inheritance as such, but due to higher order characteristics that emerge from blood (as carrier of signals)— that can be triggered— one way or another— so that you entrain with a living current of intelligence— a memory store of knowledge— we may call the dragon.

Blood, being the physicalised aspect of the life-force current— flows in coherence with the cosmic dragon current— & you tune in to its knowledge memory store. Science may finally offer some possibilities for a future energy- & field based paradigm.

The living serpentine currents not only traverse & circulate through the body, but also flow through the earth— & the body of flesh & the blood can tune in to & exchange information with the earth— the ancient Witch mother herself. Witch knowledge emanates from the Earth & Nature.

So we say— the Witch religion or tradition cannot be found in historical records as it has never been organised & institutionalised as such— it escapes concretisation & capture— therefore remains ever hidden. It is the empty tradition.

Yet it can speak to you anywhere & anytime— because it speaks, through landscape, rocks, clouds, the woods, the fields & the seasons.

Tasting a herb can be a whisper from the Witch.

Even saying it is a primordial tradition is going too far. It cares nothing for tradition. It spontaneously emerges into human consciousness where the human makes fruitful contact with the intelligences of the environment— & he apprehends pre-verbally the unity of self-environment within the one I.

It remains eternally free of tradition & institutionalisation. The coven, may be a group, but is first & foremost, nonlocal— you find your place in a circle (field) that is outside of time & space. You may walk solitary in this life-time— but be a part of this greater circle. It is access to the field of knowledge that emanates from the earth & Nature that is the teacher.

''Anything worthwile is

dangerous''

Like the Witch Father, the Witch Mother is the dual-natured Archetypal Divine Feminine. She is life and death, creation and destruction, She is all. In Traditional Witchcraft, She is an initiator into witchcraft and the being that creates and molds the world to Her whim. The Witch Mother is essentially Witchcraft itself. 

In the same way it is hard to define and pinpoint the Witch Father, the Witch Mother is another enigmatic spirit essential to Traditional Witchcraft. Across cultures and centuries, She has been known by many names. Diana, Herodias, Frau Holle, Baba Yaga, Sa Rejusta, the Queen of Elphame, and Nicnevin are some of the names that She has gone by. 

As it stands, the Witch Mother is the Mother of all Witches. From her, we begin to learn the ways of the Crooked Path. Usually, it is by chance encounter that we meet Her, or one of Her emissaries, and we are put through trials. Through these trials, however, comes the enlightenment of the Path and we find our Witch Fire lit. With Her blessings, we are granted access to the unseen. 

The Witch Mother is a Dark Feminine Great Spirit. She is the primordial womb from which all life emanates. She forms the Earth to Her liking. The Witch Mother holds sway over life and death, the seasons, and even the turning of the day. She is the Magna Mater. She fiercely protects Her children and gives us the knowledge and tools that we need in order to defend ourselves from those wishing us harm. 

Her lore can be dark and sometimes violent. But it’s necessary as a protectress for Her family. When we prove ourselves to Her, She becomes a Great Ally for us in our paths. 

Baba Yaga

In Vasilisa the Beautiful and Baba Yaga, we come to learn that Baba Yaga has mastery over the world. Through her servants, the days and nights turn over. In the story of Natasha, Baba Yaga has a towel that can create rivers and a comb that can create forests. Baba Yaga occupies the archetype of Witch Mother as the initiator and creatrix of the world. She gives these girls tasks which at first glance seem impossible but by their wit and cunning natures, they overcome them. This leads to Baba Yaga fulfilling her promise and granting them the boon they came to her for. For Vasilisa, the fire she seeks also burns her stepmother and sisters to ashes leaving her free from their oppression and hatred. 

Frau Holle or Mother Hulda

In the story of Mother Hulda, two step-sisters end up in the Otherworld and in service to Her. The first sister is hardworking while the other one is lazy. The hardworking sister drops her spindle into the well while trying to clean it and must figure out a way to get it out. She falls in and comes out in the Otherworld. She meets an apple tree asking for help to get its ripe fruit down from its branches and a loaf of bread asking to be taken from the fire before it burns.  Naturally, she obliges. Coming to a house in the meadow, she meets Mother Hulda who asks her for help around the house. This sister is very hardworking and listens to all of Mother Hulda’s requests, including how to fluff her pillows so the feathers fall so it will snow on Earth. Accomplishing this and asking to return home, she is sent back with gold falling all about her to keep.

The second sister, being lazy and greedy jumps into the well and into the otherworld wanting her own gold. She marches past the apple tree and the bread not stopping to help them, and comes to meet Mother Hulda and agrees to work for her as well. She performs well on the first day and gives way to laziness in the coming days. When she asks to go home, expecting to be showered in gold, she is told to “get lost” and is instead showered in tar. 

In this story, we see Her control over the weather and her home in the Otherworld. She has the power to bless and to curse. She expects those who want to learn witchcraft and the occult arts to hold up their end of the bargain. She grants power to those who are willing to work for it. 

Queen of Elfame

In several witch trials in Scotland, we see the Queen of Elfame make an appearance. In the trial of Bessie Dunlop (1576), she confesses that she has traveled to the Otherworld and has communed with the Queen of Elfame several times. For her kindness when in the guise of an old woman, Bessie is granted a familiar who teaches her natural remedies, knowledge of where to find lost items, and information about prophecies.

Several years later, in 1588, Alison Pearson (also styled as Alesoun Peirsoun) was burned at the stake for communing with the Queen. In Elfame, she learned of medicinal herbs, healing arts, and how to make charms and potions which she sold. 

In 1597, Andro (Andrew) Man confesses that he has lain with the Queen of Elphen and they begot many children together. He further confessed that through her, he would become knowledgeable in all things, help and cure all sicknesses except death. In his confession, Andro Man goes on to explain that “the Queen of Elphen has a grip of all the craft, but Christsonday (the Devil) is the husband and has all power under God.” They also have spirits in their company that are known to Man. 

Aradia: or the Gospel of Witches

In Aradia, it is attested that Diana is the Mother of Witches. She teaches her daughter, Aradia, witchcraft and charges her to go to Earth to teach humans this art. Specifically, Aradia is sent to teach the poor and the slaves witchcraft in order to free themselves from their lot in life. 

“Sorcery is one arena where gender grants no advantage. In fact, the formative spirit of universal mysticism is primal female spirit Hecate, before her role is usurped by the vengeful witch Circe. Modern magicians have no steadfast relationships. Friends, archenemies, and rivals all scrupulously respect nonaggression pacts and areas of neutrality like the Oblivion Bar, painfully aware that a misstep might destroy the locality and transgressors.

Zatanna’s path is paved with good intentions but strewn with pitfalls. Her efforts to aid novices Traci 13 and Misty Kilgore result in angst, acrimony, and attempted murder, while occasional allies Nightmare Nurse, Witchfire, Black Alice, Enchantress, and Nimue Inwudu, aka Madame Xanadu (pictured), have simultaneously saved and imperiled humanity. Xanadu is a recurring problem. The powerful, centuries-old sister to Morgaine Le Fey, and founding member of the Demon Knights and Justice League Dark, has always used her sorcery and gift of prophecy to benefit the world—but only according to her own strongly held opinions and interpretations.”