"Does Witchcraft Work?" by Professor Ronald Hutton

Professor Ron Hutton @ 5X15 Bristol from 5x15 on Vimeo.

Ronald Hutton is Professor of History at Bristol University and the historian on the trust which runs English Heritage. He is a leading authority on the history of the British Isles in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, on ancient and medieval paganism and magic, and on the global context of witchcraft beliefs. He has published fifteen books and seventy-four essays, on a wide range of historical subjects.

The Craft of Scottish Witches

I have decided to treat myself and attend this lecture.  It has been such a long time since I been to Treadwells, and, well, the subject of Scottish Witches is of particular interest to me.

Corp Criadhach

Unfettered Wood has done a blog post on the Corp Criadhach, the doll, or poppet in Scottish witchcraft.

People who had the evil eye were regarded as witches | Tobar an Dualchais

You can listen to an excerpt of a recording of Anne Ross speaking to a gentleman about the "Evil Eye" in Scotland here.

Change of Address

As readers of this blog may have noticed, the url address has changed.  It is now located at http://www.ancestral-gael.com/  So, why the change?

Over the last few years, I have been refining my polytheist leanings and focussing on one particular area, more particularly polytheist traditions of the highlands of Scotland.  Also, I continued to undertake genealogical research, discovering the majority of my ancestors originate from the south-west of Ireland, but also, it seems there are links to Scotland and the Northern Ireland plantation settlers.   In light of this, I felt I better understood the pull that the north-west, particularly Wester-Ross, has on me. 

I also attempted to learn Scots Gaelic, was forced to take a break shortly after I started, but I hope to return to it.   I also started reading blogs and books by Gaelic Polytheists and felt this better suited me, too.  To that end, I still  read around Irish and other related myths, and I continue to learn more about Irish witchcraft traditions as there is very little on the polytheist and magical practices of Gaelic Scotland, presumably because it is thought the language, and culture(?) originated with northern Irish settlers/invaders some time in the fourth century [correct me if I am wrong].

In all this, I learned that the word "celtic" was generally applied only to the languages, and not necessarily the modern cultures most people refer to when they use the word.  So, I decided "gael" was a more appropriate word to apply to my user name.   It has taken some time to make the change - it's never as easy as you think - and change links, domains, email, etc.  The look and appearance of this blog have not changed because that is simply too technical for me, and I'm just not that creative.

My hope is that this doesn't inconvenience readers, and followers of this blog too much; and I hope, too, that the change is understandable.

Ebay Bans: spells; curses; hexing; conjuring; magic; magic potions; and more

This from Ebay's 2012 Fall Seller Update:

The following items are also being added to the prohibited items list: advice; spells; curses; hexing; conjuring; magic; prayers; blessing services; magic potions; healing sessions; ...

And the following categories are to be removed:

Discontinued categories:

• Metaphysical: Psychic, Paranormal; Readings
• Metaphysical: Psychic, Paranormal; Spells, Potions
• Metaphysical: Tarot Readings

I'm a little ambivalent about this.  It's not as though this is a direct attack on pagans or witches, as prayers are also included; however, it does seem to be targeting a certain set of beliefs and, rather interestingly, I could not find miracles listed among the banned items.

This ban may go some way to stopping the charlatans, but I am one of those people that feel if someone wants to spend $5,000 on a magic candle to cure their ills, then let them so do, because, generally, I am not very keen on the nanny state.   Technically speaking, a seller can still list a ring believed to have been owned by the Grand Magus, Quezacotl Doom Sayer, imbibed with his personal magic, because what they are really selling is the cheap, silver plated ring not the magic attached thereto.  So, these bans and removals Ebay is instigating may not be terribly effective at stopping fools from parting with their money.

Ebay is a business and, as such, reserves the right to refuse anyone from trading with them.  Still, the specific categories being removed, and the items being targeted - although intangibles - are related to a particular sector of society, which gives it a hint of a smell of - what's the right word here? - discrimination against occultists.

Ah well.  Does it really matter to me?  No.  This update will have no affect on me, nor my dealings with various auction/trading sites.   Real occultists are likely to remain unaffected, because, as occultists, everything is generally hidden and not displayed for sale, and the unscrupulous will always find a way to take advantage of the unwary.

Caveat Emptor!

No Price on Friendship

I am lucky to know a few people who are talented indeed.  Not all are friends, some are acquaintances and some I know only through the internet.   One (now lost) internet connection led me to meet a wonderful lady of the witchy persuasion who has become a great friend indeed.

Over the years I have known her, this friend has helped me on a number of occasions and I think we have learned a lot from each other.   My friend runs a pagan shop and does relatively well - though she would probably say she would like to do better - and, despite this, she still finds time to look after others.   I am one of those lucky people for whom she cares.

When I first moved to London, I developed an annoying reaction to the water during the Winter months: my skin would itch, turn red, blotchy, cracked and papery and, aged just 26, my hands and lower arms would resemble that of someone in their 90s. Over the years, I have sought various treatments for it, GPs, hand creams, homeopathy, oat-filled muslin bags, supplements, etc., but nothing touched it. Last winter, my friend created a cream from ingredients fetched from a local graveyard and the results were magical. Now the winter water doesn't cause so much damage. Every time my hands go in the water I use the cream and my hands are age appropriate, i.e. soft, smooth and sans sores.

I know that this friend, along with some help, spends a fair bit of time collecting the ingredients, preparing them and making the cream, but she never charges me for it, even though she should and I offer. I am ever so grateful to know such a wonderful, talented, caring person I might never have met were it not for the internet, but one whose friendship is priceless.

Defences Against the Witches' Craft

Title: Defences Against the Witches' Craft: Anti-cursing Charms from English Folk Magick, Traditional Witchcraft and the Grimoire Traditions
Author: John Canard
ISBN: 9781905297184

No preaching, just practical ways of preventing and combatting curses and hexes. I only had one small quibble on a historical matter, but other than that a superb book that every witch should own.

Defences Against the Witches' Craft is a slim book packed full of useful information on charms, amulets and other ways of dealing with malefic magical forces; taken from history, but still used in modern times.  The author, John Canard, provides methods of preventing and combatting curses and hexes using a wide variety of English practices including herbs, poppets, special stones and other traditional tools.  The source of information is provided in all cases, most of which is very much rooted in England, but is supplemented by similar practices from other cultures, and a small bibliography is provided for the reader who wishes to explore further the historical uses of the various items mentioned in the book.  For the most part, it is assumed the reader has a working knowledge of magic, with step-by-step instructions provided only for a few methods.

The book is well written, in a friendly manner, and refrains from preaching on ethical matters.  I recommend this book and I am considering it as a birthday present for more than just one of my witchy friends.

Rating: 4½/5.

Moon Paste

Was reading a book on Scottish folklore and belief, when reference was made to Isobel Goudie and the making of moon-paste, the formula for which was still current in Morroco and Brittany (the book was written in the 1950s).

So, after extensive googling, which resulted in two pagan-y boards which made only a passing reference, I know very little about this paste.   I found a reference to it in R. A. Gilbert's "The Sorcerer and His Apprentice", which states it was referenced in another book, "The Devil's Mistress".

"The details of the making of Isabel Goudie's moon-paste I have recorded in The Devil's Mistress, the lacunae in the Scottish accounts being supplied from Morocco, the processes being obviously identical. In the trial of Lady Monro of Fowlis, June 22, 1590, the material was clay. "

... a quote which is mentioned in other forums, but only to say that there was reference to the paste in that book, too. Not the formula, nor any other information on its use in Brittany or Morocco.Is anyone is a position to enlighten me?

It also rates mention in "A Highland Chapbook" by Isabel Cameron (page 97):

Moon paste, perhaps the most mysterious of all magic mediums, is also one of the oldest. The making of it was known and practised in ancient Thessaly; magicians in Morocco and in Brittany knew of it, and except for the language being different, the ideas and forms were the same as were used in Scotland so lately at the end of the seventeenth century. Water from seven wells, herbs gathered at certain phases of the moon, clay taken from a special place, and dried in the fire, and afterwards pounded into fine dust, all played their part in the making of the paste. It required, however, the magic of the full moon, and this could only be got by incantations, sung widdershins, and a most elaborate ritual. This paste could unite sundered lovers; it could cure illness; and if its owner so willed it, it was capable of bringing disaster upon one's enemies; in fact, it was capable of working magic; both black and white.

And on page 61:

Witches who had attained a very high standard of their art used, as a medium of black magic, moon paste. As the name implies, this was made by the moon being pulled out of the sky. This medium had to be made when the moon was full. Certain herbs had to be pounded and mixed; water taken from seven different wells and the whole thing had to be kneaded in a trough in a kirk yard with chantings and muttered words and turnings innumerable to "widdershins." Images made of this paste were capable of bringing weal or woe according to the wishes of the witch who owned it. Isabel Goudie used it to help Jean Gordon of Gordonstown, but she used the same medium to bring sickness and death to the house of the Laird of Park

Again, no reference to which herbs, gathered when, which "special place" to beget the clay, which incantations and so on. I was hoping an historian or someone who lives in Scotland might have further information.

The Mirror Crack’d

I was ill over Samhain, so was not able to do my usual ritual. Instead, I read some unique folklore and thought I would give it a try. In order to do this, I needed to use a mirror and I thought I would use my obsidian mirror, which I keep in a wooden chest along with other particular items.


All well and good, except when I unravelled the silk in which it is wrapped, I found the wooden frame was cracked. The damage wasn't too bad, so I used the mirror anyway and proved the merit of this particular piece of folklore.


My only dilemma now is how to get the mirror repaired. I don't want to use superglue as this might affect the integrity of the original work, which is beautiful. I might have to contact its maker and send it away for repairs, but I am loathe to part with it, in case further, irreparable damage occurs. Still, I can't leave it as it is.


What to do?

"Witchy Living" Podcast

I have recently been searching various podcasts to find things that might hold my interest on the commute to and from work (which can be anything from 45 minutes to 2 hours).   I have listened to some very good podcasts, that have almost professional production values, and I've heard some awful ones where the quality was poor and it wasn't worth the hassle of downloading and listening if only to save getting a headache.

One of the more interesting of podcasts I found was "Witchy Living" on Blog Talk Radio.   Although the hostess, Cairelle, seems to struggle with sound quality, the topics are interesting and it's well worth the odd bit of interference.   Combining hoodoo and witchcraft practices, the show has looked at the lighter (funnier) side of magic so far.   That said, the topic of hexes has arisen, so this blog does not shy away from ethical issues surrounding magical work.   When "Witchy Living" is going out live, there is a chat discussion at the fan website held concurrently, and it is possible to telephone the hostess and interact direct.   Despite these distractions for Cairelle, she does produce a podcast worth listening to.

I will continue to subscribe and I hope others give this unique blogging podcast a chance.

£50,000 job for a witch ...

Wookey Hole is currently witchless

A Job Centre is advertising a "witch" vacancy with tourist site Wookey Hole, in Somerset, for £50,000 a year.

The witch, who has to live in the site's caves, is expected to teach witchcraft and magic.

Wookey Hole staff say the role is straightforward: live in the cave, be a witch and do the things witches do.

The advert for the post, placed in the local press as well as job centres, says applicants must be able to cackle and cannot be allergic to cats.

The job has come up after the previous witch retired from the role.

"We are witchless as the moment so need to get the role filled as soon as possible," said Daniel Medley from the tourist destination.

Read the rest of this article at: BBC News.

What I Believe ... continued

Further to my post of 18 February 2009, "What I Believe", I have considered other people's ideas and am now able to add to my list:
I believe in:

1. the pre-Christian gods of the British Isles;
2. genius loci, i.e. spirits of place and/or landscape;
3. animism, i.e. spirits in plants, animals and some objects scientist might deign inanimate;
   ancestor worship;
4. an energy, or force that permeates everything, though I am unsure as to its source (it could be the gods, or perhaps they are a part of it, like us);
5. the effectiveness of magic and/or witchcraft, i.e. the ability of humans to source and utilise that energy and/or force;
6. the ability to craft magic is unconnected with religious beliefs;
7. crafting magic is a gift, in the blood, not a skill anyone can harness;
8. the connectiveness of all, not unlike the heathen Web of Wyrd;
9. the gods are separate from us, external, not something we project;
10. (most of) the gods/goddesses are separate individuals and not aspects of just one;
11. the gods are superior to us in some ways, mostly their ability to wield power/magic/energy;
12. the gods are fallible, just like us;
13. there are planes of existence other than this one, and they touch at certain points, even interact, with ours;
14. it is possible to know the non-human denizens of the Otherworlds, such as the Sidhe and other beings, and that we can communicate with them.

I am sure I will add to this list as time goes on and I read the offerings from other pagans.

Paganism is the Worship of Nature?

This was a topic at one of the various fora I occasionally browse. Apparently, in order to be a bona fide pagan you have to worship nature.

Well, you can imagine some of the responses: "... the rede says harm none", etc., wherein the majority seem to forget that many pagans are not Wica, Wicca, wiccans or weekenders, but follow a tradition outside of witchraft and magic.

Its the same with druidry; people assume its nature worship simply because of the way the modern movement conducts itself. Ancient druids were the lore/law keepers and, whilst they may have respected nature and learnt as much as they could about it, they did not worship it. They had their own, local deities whom they honoured and respected, but, again, it would appear they did not worship. Rather, a relationship was built and maintained.

Many pagans live in cities and, despite access to nature, do not feel the need to go off every day and commune with it, but rather live their lives pretty much the same way everyone else does. What makes them pagan is the gods or ancestors they honour, or the way they think about life (such as animists) and how that affects every aspect of their lives.

I understand many come to a pagan path through environmental concerns, or because they want to get more "in tune" with nature, but its a mistake to believe all pagans are vegetarian nature lovers. We're not. Most of us are quite aware that Mother Nature is "red in tooth and claw" and we do our utmost to respect her, but that doesn't proclude us from being hunters or, indeed, from greedily consuming all of her attributes. Most eco warriors would be appalled I'm sure. I kinow of one particular hard-nosed pagan who happily admits to eating ready meals, being single and unable to cook.

Just because those few who are nature worshippers tend to be the loudest, doesn't mean they are in the majority, either. In pagan circles, the majority appear to remain quite silent, getting on with things rather than actively promoting their various causes.

I am not saying that there aren't pagan traditions that worship nature. After all, whole cultures still exist which do, just that in western pagan circles, not everyone treads the same path.

Personally, I see nature as something to be understood, honoured and respected, but not something to be worshiped. I don't even worship my gods! My particular path doesn't call for such behaviour. I am learning as much as I can about my ancestors ideals in terms of personal codes of conduct and relationships with deity and I try to incorporate that into my everyday life. Not all of it relates to nature, nor should it. I am no Jungle Jane living self-sufficiently apart from the rest of society. I work in the city and reside in a semi-rural location. My choice of residence has more to do with peace and quiet than a desire to be near to nature in order to worship at its feet.

When entering a new landscape, I do try to connect with the spirit of place/wights/genius loci and usually leave some type of offering, but I do it in the hope of receiving a warm welcome and being allowed to explore, but isn't it just a form of respect? I mean, you wouldn't go and visit someone at their house without taking a little something would you?

I wonder how many reading this blog worship nature?

So, You Want to be a Pagan?

If you wish to practice a pagan religion you could do worse than to start with the following:

Learn herbalism: learn to identify, grow and harvest herbs at the right times. Culpepper lists the astronomical associations of each herb, so you will have some idea of the correspondences, etc. Learn about trees (thus, woods) and their mythology, growth patterns, etc. this will help with making tools, using correspondences - should that be the route you take.

Find a calendar of the moon, so you can watch its progress across the sky throughout the year and know how to keep track of it, eventually without the use of a moon chart/calendar. It is also good for everyone to know the night sky, so a basic map of the night sky that follows through the year would be good.

Information about the rural cycles of the year (times to sow, times to harvest, when the sap rises, when animals breed, give birth, etc.) will also be of benefit, when combined with books on local folklore and will help you get in tune with the natural energies around you. Information on weather lore, bird lore, etc. would also be of benefit; those old sayings have wisdom hidden in them. These books should be easily found in a library. Books do not have to be purchased and there are internet sites with this information, too.

Meditation - this should become a daily practice and you should also investigate visualisation techniques. These are basic skills that should not be ignored as a mastery of both will help you connect with the world around you. The more time you spend outdoors in natural surroundings, connecting with the spirits, the more you are likely to be able to conduct ritual in its proper setting in the future.

Write down what you currently believe about the cosmos and spirituality. Then, start reading books on myths so that you have an understanding of the various traditions and see which of those match your own understanding. Eventually, you will find one that fits close enough to examine it further. By reading the myths and history of your chosen tradition, you will come to know your own gods.

For instance, if you tend towards Celtic, try a copy of the The Mabinogion online followed by the celtic texts listed at Mary Jones's site. If you are interested in Egyptian, Roman or Norse gods see Encyclopedia Mythica, as it will have references to suitable texts.

If you prefer to read about the northern/norse gods, try the Northvegr site, which has articles and online version of original texts for those that prefer those gods/traditions.

Here is a list of further resources.

Sacred Texts - free books online.
Magical Library - more free books online.
Pantheon - information on gods and goddesses.
Edruid Press - online publishers of the most comprehensive herbal I have ever seen. Although, there is A Modern Herbal and Culpeper's Complete Herbal

There are plenty of good online resources. Just remember though, there is a huge difference between fact and fiction.