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Overview
A "wild witch" is someone who has discovered the true source of magic. She finds her magic in the elements of the earth, the ways of healing herbs and scented flowers, the ocean’s tides, the cycle of the moon, and the energies of the planets. By becoming intimate with nature, a wild witch comes to see the living spirits in all things—everything is alive. She learns that these spirits must be honored and then they will act as trustworthy guides. In essence a wild witch is a child of nature, a wise woman, a lore master, and a healer.
In this book you will learn how to use:
- Herbs, plants, and trees
- The element of fire through candle magic and spell casting
- The hidden spirit of water through purification, dosing, and scrying
- The language of flowers and scents
- The rhythms of nature, the seasons’ cycles, and rituals of sacred days
Embrace your wild witch and rediscover the natural magic in your life.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781578636877 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Red Wheel/Weiser |
| Publication date: | 10/01/2019 |
| Pages: | 208 |
| Sales rank: | 633,889 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.80(w) x 6.80(h) x 0.90(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Working with Nature
Probably the hardest thing we modern, technological people have to face is the reality of magic: that it is an invisible force which, like any other energy source, obeys certain laws and can be produced and controlled by those who know how to use it. Anyone, by personal dedication, study and practice, can learn its mastery. It is often an unperceived facet of our everyday lives, for the most obvious aspect of magic is that of change or transformation.
CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION
It is in the service of change that all works of magic manifest themselves. Some of those changes occur to the 'magic-maker' or witch, some happen outside him or her to the physical world. All other changes take place on different levels of reality or in what might appear to us as other dimensions of time or space.
Our first step towards understanding what magic can do is to acknowledge change as a part of the world in which we all live. No one can deny that they have changed since they were children; not only in physical shape, but also in mental attitudes, ideas and basic understanding. We may have changed our job, our partner or our home many times. Some of those changes will have come about because we made a decision to alter something and then went through the right stages in order to achieve it. Sometimes, other factors may cause changes which we have not set in motion ourselves, for example, the loss of a job through redundancy, the loss of a member of the family through death or a change of home due to road improvements. You will be able to think of many examples in your own life.
The third sort of changes may not be so common. These are the transformations that you wish to take place, but appear to have no lever by which you can bring them about. That is where magic might well come into play. But magic is not the tool of greed, selfishness or covetousness, for everything you obtain by magical means has to be paid for, just as those ordinary things in your life cost money, effort or some kind of exchange. It is by grasping these basic concepts, which are parts of Nature – that arch-mistress of change (for she governs time, the Earth and its seasons) – and by learning to work within a natural framework, that magic can be brought into your life.
MAGICAL SKILLS
Magic is an ancient aspect of our heritage, but many of its skills – being those of the mind and inner sight rather than the eye and hand of ordinary work – are not taught to us in schools. Most people who take up the practice and study of the magic arts usually do so at least as teenagers, and often as quite mature adults. All children have an appreciation of the laws of magic, but once they go to school, start to learn to read and cope with the world around them, they have little time for the unseen which they knew so well before. Beginning to study such a vast and intricate subject, which spans much of mankind's evolution on Earth and is found in every land, religion and culture, is no easy task. Often, seeing only an overview, some students are deterred from ever starting on the practical work. Nevertheless, although the entire subject is enormous, many parts of it are both simple and within our daily reach. These are the frequently overlooked arts of natural magic.
Since the 1950s there has been an increasing interest and awareness in the old ways – many books on different approaches to magic, divination and witchcraft have been written or reprinted, and the market appears to be continuing to expand. We all have a longing to explore the unseen, a fascination with the future, a curiosity about other kinds of beings or different dimensions of reality. Somehow we know they exist, yet seemingly have no magic key with which to open any doors to the strange realms which we might encounter beyond.
However, it is really a lack of knowledge, rather than a lack of either key or door, for both are within easy reach once you know where to look for them. They are to be found within your 'inner self', that is, the levels of your unconscious mind which are usually only discovered during dreams and daydreams. Dion Fortune, one of England's greatest magical ladies, wrote, 'Magic is the art of causing changes in consciousness according to the will ...' and that simple statement is the most important concept in the appreciation of all the magical arts. Learn to control and change your consciousness, your perceptions on several levels, and you can change the entire universe.
In everyday life we think of two conditions of consciousness – being awake or being asleep. We do not recognize generally that there are many gently graded stages between those fairly clear states. The first arts of magical work, in both Eastern and Western traditions, recognize these intervening states. Meditation and mind-training exercises gradually grant control of these states, so that the practitioner may enter the level of consciousness which aligns with the level of perception he requires for his magic.
It is an extremely simple thing to say; but then it might seem quite easy to describe how to play the piano by just putting your fingers on the keys and pressing. Everyone recognizes that it is not quite as simple as that! Mastering the changes in perception whilst keeping these under control is actually very difficult. It requires both relaxation and attention, a serious objective and a playful mood; yet once you have managed to strike the right balance, it is not hard and gets more and more interesting once the basic technique is mastered.
Like most of the practical arts and crafts of magic, if they are properly applied, they are safe, useful and beneficial in a wide variety of ways. When taken up by foolish people, however, trying to gain 'instant enlightenment', these gentle arts can be dangerous and destructive. In magic a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, but if you always apply common sense and take your explorations or inner journeys slowly, venturing step by careful step into the hidden places of your mind, you will always be able to cope with whatever turns up. That is not to say that you will enjoy every stage, or that you may not be frightened, unsettled or confused by what happens to you. If you are serious about your interest, then the forces of the inner worlds will treat you gently, but if you barge into their subtle levels, demanding help, gain or changes which are purely selfish, you will be in for a rough and unpleasant ride.
The forces of magic move the entire galaxies in their courses, and when you first get in among them they can shake you up and twist you round, just as if you were going through some kind of massive launderette machine. In one sense you probably are doing just that, for cleansing and purification have always been early stages in the practices of both religious and magical work.
NATURE – BOTH INNER AND OUTER
In the study of witchcraft you will need to begin by looking at Nature. If you are intending to use the forces of the tides and seasons you will need to explore these, appreciate them on more than just a superficial level, and immerse yourself in their amazing currents until they are familiar and comfortable. There are lots of people who claim to be witches or shamans, but who do not have the slightest idea what the moon phase is or which way the tides of the seasons are running. In their 'Book of Shadows' (the handwritten book of dreams, rituals and spells kept by every witch) a lot of space is given over to the words of rituals to be performed in honour of the Goddess of the Moon or Earth, celebrating her power or story, yet ignoring what she is actually doing outside the building – inside which, inevitably, the witches are performing their rite. It is a much better, safer and more exhilarating experience to be out there, under a bright Moon, watching falling stars flash across the dark sky in answer to your prayers.
Nature has all the answers; she is our mother for, like everything in the visible universe, we are all parts of one another. We are the stuff of stars; our atoms, which we have taken in with our food, are the same atoms which came out of the Creation of the Worlds! Every tree, plant, animal, jewel and other person shares this ancient heritage. Nature may, over the millennia, change one thing into another, for she is mistress of arcane alchemy, but in due time all things return to her and are recycled. Because we are essentially part of Nature, we have a kinship with all parts of Creation. It is this link which helps us to change things around us, and also to permit us to be changed by forces over which, for the timebeing, we have little control. We cannot actually cease to age, although for vanity's sake, we can cheat and try to prevent this natural process showing. We can pretend to be older, or different to how we actually are, but that will be of little benefit to us in the long term, or in our magical work.
Not only do we need to learn to acknowledge that we are part of Nature, but we absolutely have to find out who we are, what advantages and disadvantages we might have, what forgotten or overlooked skills and talents may be there. That is one of the hardest exercises of any form of magic, yet it is the key to our ultimate strength as a person and power as a magician: to be completely aware of our existing characteristics and of our potential skills is a vital step in the acquisition of arcane abilities.
All good schools of magic will insist that during the first part of their training all students look closely at who they are, where they have come from and where they think they are going. This form of psychoanalysis is painful; it is intended to be thorough and is essential to anyone setting out upon the inner paths.
If you are studying alone or with a group of friends, you will each have to make these inner assays into your personal history, character, needs and ambitions. The best way is the use of a secret diary. It must be secret, for you will find it very hard to be absolutely honest if you believe that someone else will read it. It is never supposed to be a boastful document, confessing faults and failings to an amazed audience who might be astounded by your frank confessions, for that too is a false premise under which to perform this act of self-evaluation.
It is important to take time over this: look back through your life, noting the successes and failures, from the earliest moments in your memory to yesterday. Think of your early ambitions and aims in life, see what you have made of them. How many of the things you really enjoyed as a child have long been put aside? How much joy might you derive from those simple pleasures if you took them up again now? Are you still influenced by your family's attitudes, their ideas and standards, or have you developed your own ethical codes? How have your aims changed? What started your current interest in magic? What are you going to do about it?
The other aspect which it is important to look at is your own relationship with Nature. On the simplest level, this is a matter of looking at whether or not you enjoy working in the garden, walking in the country, and if you see trees and plants as living beings, rather than nice green lumps in the landscape. How do you feel about herbs and flowers? Do they merely flavour your food or brighten up a dull corner of the house, or do you see them as living and healing entities with great powers to restore your zest for living?
How do you feel about the animal kingdom? Do you 'own' any pets or keep larger animals for pleasure or profit? What are your views on a vegetarian diet, wearing fur coats, modern farming methods and field sports? If you take up the practice of natural magic you will need to look long and hard at all of these factors, for you cannot ignore them and pretend they do not matter. If you expect to receive help or guidance from Mother Nature you are going to need to be able to express your feelings on these and many other matters.
THE ELEMENTS
If you seriously intend to approach the Old Religion or take up our heritage of arcane knowledge, another deeper aspect of your current life which will need to be examined in detail is that of how you relate to the elements at large. How do you personally respond to the tides of the sea or any tidal river? Are you aware of the phases of the Moon? Do they pattern your dreams? Do you enjoy being out in the sunshine and the rain? Which season do you prefer and which do you like least?
Each of these attitudes and inner feelings is prompted by your association with Nature all around you, usually unseen and unsensed, or taken for granted. When you begin your first tentative steps in the direction of the mastery of Wild Witchcraft, you will find all this vaguely seen and sensed data suddenly taking on a new dimension of importance and power. Once you set out into Nature's own realm you will encounter many fascinating and strange things, most of which stem from the inner links you already have with the world of Nature about you. If those links are weak or undeveloped, it will take time and effort to make them strong enough to bear the brunt of the work you will do.
We are becoming a sensually deprived people, we who dwell in cities and have our being among man-made objects. We do not feel the wind and rain upon our faces, we do not watch the ever-changing glimmers of the stars, we do not walk in the wide, wild places of the spirit and sense the powers of the Old Gods in their habitations. We do not touch the Earth, the trees' rough bark, the leaves' velvet surfaces. It is only in the dreams of an unspent childhood that we can paddle in a sparkling stream of water that is fresher than bottled mineral water, play with wild animals, talk to trees, fly high like kites in unspoiled azure skies of endless summer days: or is it? If we are willing to cast off the dark cloak of ordinary sight, turn away from the convenience of having everything made easy for us and find those overlooked aspects of the inner wilderness which lie all about our towns and cities, we may find the Gates to the Otherworld.
Nature has hidden her secret entrances to the place where dreams come true (for it is the place where dreams come from). Nevertheless, if we acknowledge her power and presence – albeit unsensed in ordinary terms – we can travel into that lost land and dwell there for a short space of time, to recharge our spiritual batteries, learn something of her undying wisdom and become more effectively whatever it is we want to become.
We must first begin to attune to those senses we have forgotten about; learn to see what is actually all around us, before we are able to perceive those paradoxical beings from other worlds. We must retrain our hearing to listen for fairy music heard above the din and clatter of the mundane world, for the music of the spheres is real and cannot be out-blasted by the worldly cacophony. We must learn to feel anew, not only with our bared nerves, but also with our hearts and inner senses. We need to appreciate the feeling of those around us, especially our nearest and dearest ones, for much of what they really wish to communicate is not in words, or even overt gestures. We need to discover, just a little, the basic feelings of others we encounter on our daily round, to sense their fears and distrust, their hopes and desires from moment to moment.
The most obvious need is to learn to appreciate our environment, hear what the trees are saying, what the wind is whispering in our ears, what the clouds are foretelling of the weather to come. These things all seem real to most children, although adults mostly consider such notions to be childish – yet it is from these intangible sources of ancient data that the Old Wise Ones drew their knowledge and foreknowledge of what was to be. They certainly had magical powers, for they were closely attuned to the patterns of Nature and she would assist them in their abilities to heal, to discover the lost, console the lonely and magically change the future.
Once you can appreciate that there is a natural pattern within the whole of life, and see how it can be fitted closely into your own pattern of hopes and wishes, then the vast forces of Creation will begin to flow as you would wish them to from the microcosmic to the macrocosmic level. Much of natural magic is common sense, but that sense too has been eroded by modern living, where decision-making has often been taken out of our hands and so much of our lives is shaped by the conditions we live in, the State and the authorities. We have lost a great deal of our freedom; not that it has been seized from us by anarchic powers, but because we have forgotten how to choose, how to decide what we want and how to get it. It is only when we are jolted out of our unaware state by a sudden realization about, and an appreciation of, magic, for example, that the whole pattern and situation of our lives come sharply into focus, and force us to reassess our position.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Wild Witch"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Marian Green.
Excerpted by permission of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Prologue,
Introduction,
1 Working with Nature,
2 Herb, Plant and Tree Lore,
3 The Sacred Waters,
4 The Flame and the Form,
5 Scents and Sensitivity,
6 Immanent Deities,
7 Seasons, Cycles and Feasts,
End Word,
Recommended Book List,
Useful Addresses,
Index,
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