Traditional Witchcraft

Traditional witchcraft is a wild beast with many parents and even more children. At its very core, it is a chimera of folk magic, shamanism, history, ancestor veneration, and respect for the land, but it can be a little difficult to pin down its actual definition. Essentially, traditional witchcraft splits into two main categories: magickal traditions and cultural practices. You can find a number of modern magickal traditions under its overarching umbrella — the Clan of Tubal Cain, Victor and Cora Anderson's Feri, 1734, and the Cultus Sabbati — all of which have been influenced by early modern witchcraft and personal gnosis. The traditions that fall under this banner also tend to eschew dogma in favor of symbolism and imagery steeped in folklore. These paths are magickal in nature and heavy in historical research and individual responsibility, with an emphasis on connecting with the environment.

On the other side of the definition, traditional witchcraft also encompasses widespread cultural practices like Seidr, Hoodoo, Brujería, and Curanderismo, which also involve the use of rituals, energy work, folk magic, divination, and close contact with spirits. These are all integral aspects of witchcraft itself, although individual practitioners of these paths may not actually refer to themselves as"witches" and we must be careful not to disrespect their individual self-identification when discussing them.

Blacktree witchcraft, the tradition behind this book, draws elements and style from both the magickal and the cultural sides of traditional witchcraft and blends them into a cohesive whole. It is generally North American in nature (after all, that's where we're from), but can easily be applied to any region. In addition, it owes a particular debt to the work of Roy Bowers, better known as Robert Cochrane (1931–1966).

It is simply impossible to discuss traditional witchcraft in any capacity without bringing Robert Cochrane's name into it. Cochrane emerged on the English scene in 1963, just when witchcraft was enjoying its modern revival in the United States and Britain. Despite his short three-year involvement, he made a lasting impression that echoes still. Whether this impression was good or bad depends on whom you ask. Cochrane was a firebrand who loved nothing more than stirring the pot, and he gathered as many enemies as friends. In his opinion, magick was a by-product of the search for truth, and he spoke of a witchcraft that was more mystical in nature — focused on the realization of truth, rather than its illusion. In his opinion, magick grew out of the search for truth. He suggested a re-examination of all sacred cows to see if they still produced milk and sought a reinvestigation of past cultures and practices in order to determine if they held any useful truths.

Traditional Witchcraft, as presented in this book, takes Cochrane's notion of witchcraft a step further. Instead of basing our magickal practice on the past in an attempt to achieve authenticity, why not also look to the present? Or to our immediate surroundings? Why not contact the local land spirits? If witchcraft ever existed in the world, then it exists just as much in the here and now as it ever did in the past. The notion that witchcraft is solely a phenomenon of the past, or that it must be sought in faroff lands, or that it's only found by studying and embracing ancient cultures or deities ignores the very reality of the practice itself, as well as the power and connection we already have to our immediate surroundings. The substance, lore, and magick that we can acquire from our regional landscape are far more personal and substantial than any other connection we could ever hope to establish with any antiquated worldview or culture that is foreign to us.

This book contains a new approach to witchcraft. It brings you into a territory that may seem alien at first, but one that will swiftly begin to feel like home. Our approach bypasses all the romanticized New Age fertility rites, harvest festivals, and medieval role-playing that have become so persistently intertwined with modern Paganism and witchcraft, and emphasizes a deeper engagement with the land itself. Rather than enjoining you to commune with far-flung and aloof deities, this witchcraft leads you to interact with your ancestors, both nameless and blood-bound. We encourage you to make contact with the spirit of your own personal place in this world and to be unafraid of getting your hands dirty doing the work you aspire to accomplish.

What Is Witchcraft?

When we examine the history and cultural diversity of witchcraft, we learn that it is not actually a religion, but instead a practice. Cochrane might argue that witchcraft is not Paganism, although it retains the memory of ancient faiths. Someone living in Europe several centuries ago might have described it in terms of sorcery, cursing, consorting with devils and demons, or performing necromantic acts. In those days, as now, many perceived witchcraft as a transgressive act, furtively performed in private and hidden from view. The terms"witch" and "witchcraft" were not viewed as positive; instead, they were pejoratives used to denounce, demonize, and condemn folk practitioners — or anyone else for that matter — who were unfortunate enough to draw the wrong attention or upset the wrong types of people. While over the last century, a distorted and privileged view of witchcraft emerged, at least in first-world countries. Indeed, prior to its 20th-century revival, witchcraft wasn't considered a comfortable or safe practice. It was not viewed as a community faith tradition that was open and welcoming to the public, let alone one that came complete with children's groups, bake sales, and petitions for societal recognition.

It's important to understand that, outside the bounds of modern Neo-Paganism, witchcraft is not about the Goddess or a Goddess. It is not about the God or a God. It is not about seasonal celebrations commemorating the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. It is not about procuring a good harvest, literally or metaphorically. It is not about reliving the past or dancing in a cloak while drinking wine or wearing flowers in your hair. It's not even necessarily about being Pagan. Witchcraft is about sovereignty.

Witchcraft and Sovereignty

Witchcraft ties deeply into matters of personal governance and individual control. It addresses, with blood and sweat, the ills of life and society. In the hands of those who won't sit idle as life just happens to them, it's a tool for change. It's about magick and spells, herbs and spirits, flying and divining. It's...