Trad Witch

That’s not entirely true - I cannot really vouch for meditation, as I do not practice much of it (that is, not in the traditional sense), but as for visualisation, I do find it important in my own craft (though it admittedly qualifies probably more as a kind of double-sight). Particularly, visualization seems to me valuable in entering the oneiric sabbat, and to force the change of consciousness through hypnagogia. Others could argue this is important in other trance attaining techniques. I think this is what it is all about : visualization and meditation are merely just spiritual and psychological techniques, which can also be tools of the craft. If they serve a purpose for you, great, employ them, and if not, you may not use them. Perhaps you will find them relevant later, perhaps not. Your path is your own.

You know what you are doing has magical power because you obtain magical results. Such results are informed by the strength of your spirit alliances, the steadiness of your hand, and how brazen you own fire. Power needs fuel. Different witches do different things, but folk magic and so called traditional witchcraft are profoundly animistic at their core - based on the belief in unseen forces that can be cajoled or propitiated, raised or laid to rest. Spirit forces.

In spirit work, we often connect with the spirits that have crossed over and are present in the physical world. However, there are also ways to cross over into the spirit world and connect with spirits in their home environment.

Pathworking

As I mentioned in a previous post, a pathworking is a specific type of meditation where you go on a psychic journey, but are still anchored to your physical body. It’s sort of like dipping your toes into the spirit world.

There are two important elements to a pathworking: a clear entrance/exit point and a way to retrace your steps. Pathworking journeys are typically cyclical — there is both a journey out and a return where you go back the way you came. This makes it easier to fully return your consciousness to your body, and failing to do so can cause you to feel disoriented upon the return.

Your entry/exit point can be absolutely anything, but common examples include a door, a gateway, a tree (or sometimes The World Tree), a cave/tunnel, or a natural landmark like a beach or mountaintop. What’s important is that it’s recognizable and easy to find your way back to.

If you want to try pathworking, make a rough “road map” of your journey beforehand. This doesn’t have to be super specific, but it should contain the following: a goal for the pathworking (such as to connect with a certain spirit), an entry/exit point, and a general idea for the route you’re going to take. If you’re worried about getting lost, author Thea Sabin recommends using “the Theseus trick.” Like in the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, you can tie a golden thread or rope to your entry point and the other end to your astral body. If you get lost, you can follow the thread back.

Pathworking is fairly beginner friendly, and I highly, highly, highly recommend starting with pathworking and becoming comfortable with this method before trying astral travel. Even for more advanced witches, pathworking is often a better option than astral travel because it’s less involved and requires a little bit less effort. I personally prefer pathworking for most situations.

Performing a Pathworking

Before you begin, establish a clear goal for your pathworking and write out a rough “road map.” At the very least, you should know what your purpose is, where your entry point is, and how to find your way back.

Begin in a dark, quiet room. Cleanse the room by burning incense, diffusing or spraying essential oils, or using a ritual broom to sweep out old energy.

Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down and begin meditating. You may want to play meditation music, practice breathing techniques, or use some other method to help you reach a meditative state.

Once you reach a meditative state (you should know what this feels like if you have experience with meditation), see yourself standing at your entry point. This is your entrance to the astral realm.

Set out on your pathworking.

When you are ready to leave the astral realm, you will need to find your way back to your entry point. Once you reach your entry point, it should be fairly easy to return to your body.

Once you’re fully present in your physical body, use your favorite method to ground yourself.

Write down everything you experienced during your pathworking in a journal.

Astral Travel

If pathworking is dipping your toes into the spirit world, astral travel is diving in the deep end. Also called spirit flight and hedge riding, astral travel includes actually sending your soul/consciousness out of your body and into the spirit world. As you might guess, this is more complicated and requires more effort than pathworking. For this reason, astral travel is not beginner-friendly. If you are completely new to meditation, witchcraft, and spirit work, it’s best to learn to pathwork before you attempt astral travel.

A word of warning: you may want to avoid astral travel at times when you’re in a very vulnerable or volatile emotional state. Some days you just aren’t up for it, and that’s okay. On those days, a pathworking or another form of spirit work may be a better option.

Triggering Spirit Flight

In astral travel, a trigger of some kind is used to help disconnect the soul from the physical body. Common triggers include drumming, special music, shaking a rattle, chanting, and dancing.

You can find shamanic drumming tracks on YouTube that can help you achieve astral travel. If you find that repetitive motion helps you trance out, you may look into getting a small drum or rattle to play.

Animal Guides

In many cultures, those who travel into the spirit world do so with the guidance and protection of an animal spirit. From the Norse fylgja, to the shamanic power animal, to the witch’s familiar, history is full of examples of these types of guides.

Before you begin astral travel, do a pathworking to meet your animal guide. It’s important to note that you aren’t choosing an animal guide — only meeting one that has always been with you. Your guide may be an animal that you like or identify with, or it may not. When I first began experimenting with astral travel, my guide was a coyote — an animal I had never identified with before, but who I learned was deeply connected to my inner self.

It’s important to always have your animal guide with you when going on astral journeys, as they are an important source of protection and power. They may also literally guide you to the things you need to see and the spirits you need to meet.

Flying Ointments

Historical accounts describe witches using “flying ointment” to help them achieve spirit flight. These traditional flying ointments contained toxic and/or hallucinogenic plants like belladonna, datura, henbane, mandrake, and opium poppies. For obvious reasons, most modern witches do not use these herbs.

Please do not try to create your own flying ointment with poisonous plants. If you’re a true traditionalist and feel like you just have to try a historically accurate flying ointment, Bane Folk Apothecary sells several. Bane Folk is run by Sarah Anne Lawless, a kickass witch who knows her stuff and produces safe, medicinal products inspired by traditional flying ointment formulas. I am usually very pro-DIY, especially when it comes to witchcraft, but this is one case where it really is best to defer to a professional.

To create a modern, non-toxic flying ointment: heat eight ounces (or one cup) of poppy seed oil over low heat on the stove. Once the oil is warm, add 2 ounces (or ¼ cup) of beeswax into the oil. (Use carnauba wax for a vegan alternative.) Take the mixture off the heat, and allow it to cool off a bit. Once it has cooled (but before it’s begun to solidify), add nine drops each of mugwort essential oil, star anise essential oil, and peppermint essential oil. Pour the mixture into a mason jar and seal tightly. To extend your ointment’s shelf life, add a few drops of Vitamin E oil and store in the refrigerator. If you don’t have access to essential oils or prefer a more traditional method, you can buy dry herbs and infuse them into your oil instead — to do this, crush up 2.5 ounces (or 1/3 cup) each of dried mugwort, star anise, and peppermint and add them to a mason jar; add enough oil to the jar to cover the herbs completely, with about an inch of oil above them; seal the jar and place it in a sunny window for 2-3 weeks to infuse; and finally, strain the herbs out of the oil with a mesh sieve or a cheesecloth. You can then add your Vitamin E oil and beeswax to create an ointment.

This modern recipe does not contain hallucinogens, but it does contain plants that are commonly used in magic to increase psychic abilities and aid in astral travel. You can say an incantation over this ointment while making it to add some extra magical potency. Applying the flying ointment can also become a sort of ritual that prepares you for spirit flight by helping you slip into a more spiritual head space.

Performing Astral Travel/Spirit Flight

Before you begin, know why you are journeying to the spirit world. You should always have a clear goal for your astral journeys.

Begin in a dark, quiet room. Cleanse the room by burning incense (mugwort incense aids in astral travel), diffusing or spraying essential oils, or using a ritual broom to sweep out old energy.

Use your favorite method to ground yourself.

If you are choosing to use a flying ointment, rub it on your skin now.

Hold a protective item in one of your hands. I like physical items for protection during spirit flight, because they can ground you and help you find your way back to your body. Examples of protective items include a sprig of rue, a piece of iron, or a protective crystal like black tourmaline. If you ever feel scared or uncomfortable during your journey, you can bring this object into the astral realm to protect you. It will also keep your body safe while your consciousness is occupied.

Start up your trigger, whether this is drumming, rattling, dancing, etc.

Allow yourself to drift into a trance state, and then to disconnect from your body.

Call your animal guide to you.

Set out on your journey in the spirit world.

When you are ready, feel yourself returning to your physical body. Allow yourself to come back slowly — don’t rush it.

Ground yourself. One good way to ground after astral travel is by eating a snack.

Write down your experiences in a journal.

Resources:

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon

Hedge Riding by Harmonia Saille

Celtic Umbrella

This lesson is largely focusing on the insular Celtic nations & Brittany (Ireland/Eire, Scotland/Alba, Wales/Cymru, Cornwall/Kernow, Isle of Man/Mannin, & Brittany/Breizh) - traditionally regarded as 6 out of the 7 Celtic nations. Galicia/Galizia is the 7th, but because of a mix of the below + my own lack of knowledge, I won't be covering them.

The vast swath of Continental Celtic cultures are a different but equally complex topic thanks to extinction, revival, varying archaeological artefacts and the work of modern practioners to piece unknown parts back together.

This will serve as a quick 'n' dirty guide to the insular Celtic nations, Celtic as a label, blood percentages and ancestry, the whats and whys of "Celtic soup", and how to unblend practice.

The insular Celtic groups are split into two language groups: Brythonic languages and Gaelic languages.

Brythonic languages are Cymraeg/Welsh, Kernewek/Cornish, & Breton

Gaelic languages are Gàidhlig/Scottish, Gaeilge/Irish, & Gaelg/Manx.

The language split leads to certain folkloric and religious figures & elements being more common within the language group than without. All of these nations had historic cultural exchange and trade routes via the Celtic sea (and beyond). Despite this, it is still important to respect each as a home to distinct mythologies.

Pros/Cons of a broad Celtic umbrella

Pros

- Used within celtic nations to build solidarity - Relates to a set of cultures that have historic cultural exchange & broad shared experiences - A historic group category - Celtic nations’ culture is often protected under broad legislation that explicitly highlights its ‘Celtic-ness’.

Cons

- Can be used reductively (in academia & layman uses) - Often gives in to the dual threat of romanticisation/fetishisation & erasure - Conflates a lot of disparate practices under one banner - Can lead to centring ‘celtic american’ experiences. - Celtic as a broad ancestral category (along with associated symbols) has also been co-opted by white supremacist organisations.

In this I’m using ‘Celtic’ as a broad umbrella for the multiple pantheons! This isn’t ideal for specifics, but it is the fastest way to refer to the various pantheons of deities that’ll be referenced within this Q&A (& something that I use as a self identifier alongside Cornish).

What about blood % or ancestry?

A blood percentage or claimed Celtic ancestry is NOT a requirement to be a follower of any of the Celtic pantheons. The assumption that it does or is needed to disclose can feed easily into white supremacist narratives and rhetoric, along side the insidious implications that a white person in the USA with (perceived or real) Celtic ancestry is 'more celtic' than a person of colour living in a Celtic region (along with other romanticised notions of homogenously white cultures).

Along side this, a blood percentage or distant ancestry does not impart the culture and values of the Celtic region or it's recorded pagan practices by itself. Folk traditions are often passed down within families, but blood percentage is not a primary factor within this.

Connecting with ancestry is fine, good, and can be a fulfilling experience. It stops being beneficial when it leads to speaking over people with lived experiences & centres the USA-based published and authors - which can lead to blending/souping for reasons further on.

What is 'soup'?

Celtic soup is a semi-playful term coined by several polytheists (primarily aigeannagusacair on wordpress) to describe the phenomenon of conflating & combining all the separate pantheons and practices from the (mainly) insular Celtic nations into one singular practice - removing a lot of the regionalised folklore, associated mythos, & varying nuances of the nations that make up the soup.

Why does it happen?

The quick version of this is book trends and publishing meeting romanticisation and exotification of Celtic cultures (especially when mixed with pre-lapsarian views of the Nations). It's miles easier to sell a very generally titled book with a lot of Ireland and a little of everywhere else than it is to write, source and publish a separate book on each.

This is where centering American publishers and authors becomes an issue - the popular trend of USA-based pagan publications to conflate all celtic nations makes it hard to find information on, for example, Mannin practices because of the USA’s tendency to dominate media. Think of Llewellyn’s “Celtic Wisdom” series of books.

It has also been furthered by 'quick research guides'/TL;DR style posts based on the above (which have gained particular momentum on tumblr).

The things that have hindered the process in unblending/"de souping" is the difficulty in preserving independently published pamphlets/books from various nations (often more regionalised and immediately local than large, sweeping books generalising multiple practices) along with the difficulty of accessing historic resources via academic gatekeeping.

All of this has lead to a lack of awareness of the fact there is no, one, singular Celtic religion, practice or pantheon.

Why should I de-soup or unblend my practice?

Respecting the deities

It is, by and large, considered the bare minimum to understand and research a deity's origin and roots. The conflation of all insular Celtic deities under one singular unified pantheon can divorce them from their original cultures and contexts - the direct opposite to understanding and researching.

Folklore and myth surrounding various Celtic deities can be highly regionalised both in grounded reality and geomythically - these aren't interchangeable locations and are often highly symbolic within each nation.

Brú na Bóinne, an ancient burial mound in Ireland, as an entrance to the otherworld of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Carn Kenidjack & the Gump as a central site of Cornish folk entities feasts and parties, including Christianised elements of Bucca’s mythology.

The Mabinogion includes specific locations in Wales as well as broad Kingdoms - it’s implied that Annwn is somewhere within the historic kingdom of Dyfed, & two otherworldly feasts take place in Harlech & Ynys Gwales.

Conflating all celtic pantheons under one banner often leads to the prioritisation of the Irish pantheon, meaning all of the less ‘popular’ or recorded deities are sidelined and often left unresearched (which can lead to sources & resources falling into obscurity and becoming difficult to access).

Respecting the deities

Deities, spirits, entities, myth & folklore are often culturally significant both historically and to modern day people (just average folks along with practitoners/pagans/polytheists and organisations) located in the various Nations

A primary example is the initiatory Bardic orders of Wales and Cornwall.

Desouping/Unblending makes folklorist's lives easier as well as casual research less difficult to parse. The general books are a helpful jumping off point but when they constitute the bulk of writing on various Celtic polytheisms, they become a hinderance and a harm in the research process.

A lot of mythology outside of deities & polytheisms is also a victim of ‘souping' and is equally as culturally significant - Arthurian mythology is a feature of both Welsh and Cornish culture but is often applied liberally as an English mythology & and English figure.

Celtic nations being blended into one homogenous group is an easy way to erase cultural differences and remove agency from the people living in celtic nations. Cornwall is already considered by a large majority of people to be just an English county, and many areas of Wales are being renamed in English for the ease of English tourists.

How can I de-soup?

Chase down your sources' sources, and look for even more sources

Check your sources critically. Do they conflate all pantheons as one? Do they apply a collective label (the celts/celts/celt/celtic people) to modern day Celtic nations? How far back in history do they claim to reach?

Research the author, are they dubious in more ways than one? Have they written blog articles you can access to understand more of their viewpoints? Where are they located?

Find the people the author cites within their work - it can be time consuming but incredibly rewarding and can also give a good hint at the author's biases and research depth. You may even find useful further reading!

Find primary sources (or as close too), or translations of the originating folklore, e.g The Mabinogion. Going to the source of a pantheon’s mythos and folklore can be helpful in discerning where soup begins in more recent books as well as gaining insight into deities' actions and relationships.

Ask lots of questions

Question every source! Question every person telling you things that don't define what pantheon or region they’re talking about! Write all your questions down and search for answers! Talk to other polytheists that follow specific Celtic pantheons, find where your practices naturally overlap and where they have been forced into one practice by authors!

Be honest with yourself

There’s no foul in spreading your worship over several pantheons that fall under the celtic umbrella! A lot of polytheists worship multiple pantheons! But be aware of the potential for soup, and make sure you’re not exclusively reading and working from/with sources that conflate all practices as one.

North, the air, the wind's true home

East, the fire, the sun's bright throne

South, the earth, flesh, fur, and bone,

West, the water, where shadows roam.

Now mark the edge where Wyrd is known,

The aither coils, serpent’s black inferno;

Thout-tout-a-tout, as the myrk-riders go!

—————————————————————

It occurs to me that the witches compass is an inside-out hedge. You’re circling in the Other and circling out the ordinary daylight world. But in that encircling you are also saying the two are deeply connected and reflective of one another. There is a backwards-ness to it, an inversion like the inside of the sacred mountain or Faery hill.

In the Faery Tradition practiced by our coven, we recognize that the elemental round of the compass is a function of the Black Serpent-powers, an iteration of black fire that gives form/architecture to the substance of the Other, in spirit interaction with the waking world. The black coil of the primal elements are how the stars are bound to the Land.

waking: most especially relevant for dried herbs or other preserved material. rouse what lies dormant with breath and touch and whisper.

speaking (or writing, etc): ask for assistance, don’t demand it. give praise, throw in some epithets. make deals, discuss terms and conditions. say thank you. say what you mean.

listening: now shut up for a bit. anticipate communication. words, song snippets, images, colours, feelings, whatever. look out for a “no” and be ready to honour it–it may hit hard in the chest or the guts. we have two-way streets here.

giving: praise, prayers, food, drink, candles, incense, crafts, all the usual suspects and more… reciprocity is key, no one likes a perpetual taker. some situations call for altruism, others for hard-nosed contracts, others for a secret third thing.

feeding: giving again, but specifically to maintain or revive longer workings. remember what the dormouse said…

sourcing: the perfect is the enemy of the good, but it makes a difference. grow, make, forage (responsibly) as much as possible. listen & give when sourcing things from the earth. shop ethically, re-use, thrift.

paring down: if it seems like a lot to go through for everything you want to include in your spell, then good. depth before breadth. use fewer herbs/stones/whatever that you know well, and that really need to be there. god i hate 12-ingredient spell jar recipes with #babywitch stuck on them. yes i will probably stick #babywitch on this. sue me.

to me these follow logically from the premise that plants, stones, bones, bits & bobs have spirit, not just energy. because that implies that their power must be given, it isn’t just there to be channelled (energetic model) or derived from the practitioner’s mental associations (psychological model). i claim nothing of reality and little of truth, but this premise has served me well.

There are a lot of answers to this, and more folkloric history than I can sum up here or do justice to.

The folk devil (or really, devil(s)) go way way back as the bestower of power to witches, among many other things. In the old stories, witches would use flying ointments, brooms, etc, to meet in the forest, where they would convene with the devil and dance wildly. In trade, they would receive magical powers and desires, usually at some cost.

There are theories that historical “devils” were Old Gods erased throughout the rise of Christianity and renamed as “devils”, their true names lost to history.

To me, the folk devil is the dualistic God/spirit of all things. Birth and death, creation and destruction, winter and summer, storms and sunshine. They are the bestower of magical power, and the father of witches. They are the Old One. The ancient horned God of the world we live in. The cruelty, kindness, chaos and beauty of the world.

My UPG is heavily related to Gemma Gary’s depiction of them, as I connect most with this imagery. The Old One transcends all imagery, however, and will be seen in a unique way by each person.

(I’ve been using they/them pronouns because duality also often implies masculine and feminine, however in my eyes, the Old One transcends any gender spectrum humans follow. They are often also described as “The Man in Black”, “The Witch Father”, and other masculinized names.)

Some books if you want to learn more:

“The Devil’s Dozen: Thirteen Craft Rites of the Old One”- Gemma Gary. (To be read after “Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways”. )

“Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches’ Sabbath”- Carlo Ginzburg

A simple food for plant spirits can be made from corn flour, rice, oat meal, and barley (or brown bread flour), which is then used to draw a cross at the base of a tree as a sign of offering and devotion.

A tincture of coriander or damiana can be used to stimulate the rut in a man or woman, making it useful for sex magic.

A normal coloured candle can be dipped in the molten wax of a black crayon to create a reversal candle.

When you leave a crossroads, never look back. This is for two reasons. One, it is seen almost like you doubt the work you are doing and, two, what you leave in the spirit world (at the crossroads) is in the spirits' hands so it is not wise to turn back.

Caves that go deep into the earth were considered in ancient Greece as portals to the underworld and some temples that made use of necromancy as an oracular system had parts that were subterranean. If you have access to these areas, they are an opportune place for necromancy.

The three-way crossroads is dedicated to Lady Hekate and thus serves the same way as the cave as Lady Hekate is a Mistress of Necromancy.

Raven Grimassi made mention of this really interesting idea called the Nanta Bag. Although I wouldn't trust Grimassi on matters of stregheria as far as I could throw a needle with my pinkie, the idea is still something reasonably interesting. One could make an altar vessel containing different aspects of their craft to act as a sort of artifact of power for their altar. Things that can empower their particular craft, such as graveyard dirt for necromancers. The bag may also be prepared as stated by Raven.

‘A Rite of Witch-Initiation & Dedication’

“At midnight, at the full of the moon, go to the churchyard bearing with you a hooded cloak, a candle lantern, a sharp and clean knife for use in the arte, a good bottle of drink and a small vessel of oil or grease mixed with soot. Have with you also a cord with which to mark out a circle large enough for you to kneel within with your other items.

When you have entered quietly through the gate, stop, and without words acknowledge the spirit wards of the churchyard and affirm the nature of your business there; for they must be assured you have not arrived to work damage or harm to the place they guard, but have come for a sacred purpose. One can also ask the spirit wards of a churchyard for aid in keeping one's work hidden from prying eyes.

Go to the north side of the church, and there mark out your circle and arrange the things you have brought with you. Remove your clothing and wrap yourself within vour hooded cloak. Light the candle in your lantern and begin the circumambulation. Backwards, and in the direction against the sun, slowly walk around the outside of the church. This is to be a contemplative act, in which one is walking the 'path of return' away from the ways of ordinary man and his separation from nature, the wild and the 'other', to tread the path of the witch, back into the shadows to find that hidden light and re-union with the divine spark from which all proceeds; symbolised this night by the lantern.

To do such a thing in a remote and darkened churchyard is perhaps not an easy task, and spirit presences may arise, taking an interest in your activity, and are likely to arouse fear, as are the mundane sights, sounds and sensations of the night. The mind however must be fixed upon the work, and any fear turned towards fanning the inner fire; setting one's prayers ablaze.

Upon reaching the circle for the ninth time, enter therein and kneel before the light of your lantern and speak, quietly, the following prayer of acceptance:

On this night and at this hour,

Of my own will and accord,

The secret Craft, its artes and power

I wholly accept by blood and word.

By hidden path and backwards Round,

By the Devil's lamp revealed,

By the toad and the hound,

The old pact made and be it sealed.

Blackened bull to lead the Wise

My call and prayer this night be heard,

Spirits of the Way arise,

Old One hearken to my word.

So Shall it be!

The right hand is now placed upon the crown of the head, and the left beneath the foot as the dedication is made:

Old One, Great Initiator,

Bearer of the light of All,

Illuminator of the Hidden paths of night.

I here do pledge all betwixt these my two hands unto thy secret Way,

To the curse and blessing of the Wise-Blood aflame!

Ever shall I keep the witch's silence,

Except it be unto a true brother or sister of the Arte.

By blood and word, sealed and bound,

Pledged and placed beneath the horns!

So shall it be in the Old One's name!

The knife is now taken up and a small nick is made to draw forth a little blood, perhaps from a fingertip, and a drop or two of blood is allowed to fall upon the earth. This act is not only an offering of the self, but the themes of death, rebirth, and light from the dark are enshrined within the union of one's life blood with the earth. Within this initiatory rebirth is found also the awakening of witch power, the vehicle and vessel of which is the witch's blood, and is itself enshrined within the witch's oneness with the land and its spiritual reality. The act of blooding has a long history in witch initiation, in which it is cognate with the tradition of the witch's Mark and the sealing of the compact.

In token of this rebirth unto a new life and the Craft, it is fitting that the witch should now take on a new and secret name. In a covine situation, this name would be known only to the witch's brothers and sisters in the arte. The new witch-name is now spoken in the act of anointing, also related to the tradition of the witch's Mark, and the 'Devil's baptism'. It is therefore an act that should be administered by the presiding witch guised in the role of the Old One during a rite of covine initiation.

Take up the pot of soot-mixed grease or oil, and mark the hands and then the brow, the latter in the sign of the six- armed cross, speaking these words:

In the Old One's name,

Be I (name),

Marked and anointed as Wise One and witch.

So Shall it be!

It is at this point that the witch might choose to dedicate some of the working items of the arte, such as the knife and perhaps a staff or wand. In group situations the tools might now be presented and dedicated to their purpose before the covine. The item is taken up and held above the lantern with these words:

By the spirits of the Way,

And in the Old One's name,

I dedicate this my blade of Craft and Arte.

So shall it be!

The rite is concluded by pouring out some of the drink in offering and thanks to the place, its spirit wards, the spirits of the Hidden Path and the Old One before the witch drinks also.

The items of the rite are carefully gathered up and packed away, and the witch re-dresses to return quietly home to their bed, leaving no visible sign of their activities in the churchyard that night.”

—

2–‘Under the Horns: Dedication & Initiation of the Witch’

The Devil’s Dozen:

Thirteen Craft Rites of the Old One

There are a lot of answers to this, and more folkloric history than I can sum up here or do justice to.

The folk devil (or really, devil(s)) go way way back as the bestower of power to witches, among many other things. In the old stories, witches would use flying ointments, brooms, etc, to meet in the forest, where they would convene with the devil and dance wildly. In trade, they would receive magical powers and desires, usually at some cost.

There are theories that historical “devils” were Old Gods erased throughout the rise of Christianity and renamed as “devils”, their true names lost to history.

To me, the folk devil is the dualistic God/spirit of all things. Birth and death, creation and destruction, winter and summer, storms and sunshine. They are the bestower of magical power, and the father of witches. They are the Old One. The ancient horned God of the world we live in. The cruelty, kindness, chaos and beauty of the world.

My UPG is heavily related to Gemma Gary’s depiction of them, as I connect most with this imagery. The Old One transcends all imagery, however, and will be seen in a unique way by each person.

(I’ve been using they/them pronouns because duality also often implies masculine and feminine, however in my eyes, the Old One transcends any gender spectrum humans follow. They are often also described as “The Man in Black”, “The Witch Father”, and other masculinized names.)

Some books if you want to learn more:

“The Devil’s Dozen: Thirteen Craft Rites of the Old One”- Gemma Gary. (To be read after “Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways”. )

“Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches’ Sabbath”- Carlo Ginzburg

There is no 'one-size-fits-all' way of discerning spirit omens, as they can appear differently for different people, but I can talk about some of the ways they present in my Craft (which I know, from experience, are echoed in the Crafts of others too.)

There are four generalized categories I tend to sort spirit omens into:

Weather; This includes some of the simplest and most widespread forms of omen that a practitioner might come across. A classic example is the abrupt start or stop of a strong wind at a meaningful moment, such as the conclusion of a Prayer, the calling of a Sacred Name, or the striking of a Hallowed Gesture. Similar omens include the abrupt beginnings/endings of precipitation, or the unusual appearance of a meteorological phenomenon, such as a rainbow with no discernable rain.

Token; This is another fairly common way that omens can be interpreted, though it can look very different from one person to the next. Examples might include stumbling upon an item ornamented with a meaningful image—such as the time I found a loose pendant/charm in the shape of a peacock feather, shortly following an invocation of the Draconian Angel (also called the Peacock Angel)—or items otherwise associated in meaningful ways with the pertinent working—such as discovering Snail shells in places and instances that are significant to my work with the Fae.

Entity; This is one of the rarer ways an omen presents itself, but it is another established way to observe a spirit omen. It also tends to be a more direct and/or potent omen. One example is coming across a meaningful animal in a meaningful context—such as the time that I was approached by a wild white deer, directly following an important piece of Faerie Physic. Likewise, other omens can be observed through animal calls—such as hearing a sudden chorus of birds at a meaningful point in the course of a working, despite the fact that said bird would have usually already migrated out of the region. Most rarely of all, humans can serve as entity omens too—such as the time that I was winked at by a wizened man dressed in a black trench coat, black fedora, and carrying a gnarled walking stick, the day after an entreaty to the Man in Black.