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Most people are aware of midsummer (the summer solstice) as a key time when the realm of the fairies overlaps with our own. Not as many realize though that there is another time of year when the veil is thin: the winter solstice, or Yule. It’s obvious when you think about it since characters like Santa, his elves, and Jack Frost are so connected to Yule.

Some branches of ancient and modern Paganism have close ties with fairies, with some revering the Good Neighbors as deities while others treat them more as spirits, sometimes even considering them to be the spirits of deceased humans. Few see Them in the stereotypical way portrayed by Disney and in children’s picture books.

There are many books on the topic and a growing fairy festival culture, like Renaissance festivals but devoted to fairies, and even magazines http://www.faeriemagazine.com and http://www.faemagazine.com/ for example.

The classic text that is most widely available on the topic is undoubtedly W.Y. Evans-Wentz’s “The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries.” It was originally published in the early 1900s and has been republished a number of times since by various publishers. It can be found in most libraries and bookstores, usually in the mythology and folklore sections.

Another classic which has been reprinted by a few publishers recently is “The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, & Fairies” by Robert Kirk. The book is purportedly based on Kirk’s personal encounters with the shining ones.

Both books can be found in free online editions at http://www.sacred-texts.com along with a wealth of other public-domain texts on fairies, occultism, and world religions. Use the search feature there to find lots of helpful pages!

Another author who wrote extensively about fairies from the late 1800s and early 1900s to hunt down is Fiona Macleod (a pen name used by William Sharp.) Macleod/Sharp was a member of the Golden Dawn magickal group and worked with W. B. Yeats in his attempts to establish a Celtic cultural and spiritual revival. In addition to the books written under the name Fiona Macleod, look for Steve Blamires’ book “The Little Book of the Great Enchantment” for an examination of what Fiona Macleod was all about.

There are a number of handbooks or encyclopedias giving capsule descriptions of fairies from various cultures. One of the classics that is well worth reading is Katharine Briggs’ “An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures.” Dr. Briggs was involved with the Folklore Society in the UK, and has an annual award named after her in honor of her work in folklore.

Folklore about fairies is not just a bunch of pre-1900s tales passed on in rural areas. There are a surprising number of stories, from all over the world, based on events that have happened quite recently. “The Good People” edited by Peter Narváez is a collection of essays including fairy encounters and fairy lore from recent times. It’s a scholarly book and sometimes rather eye-opening if you’ve only read stereotypical fairy lore.

There are a number of modern Pagan spiritual paths that focus on fairies. One recent example of this is the system taught by Orion Foxwood. His books “The Faery Teachings” and “The Tree of Enchantment” provide a solid, ecologically-conscious magickal spiritual path. Another prominent author (who Foxwood drew on as a source) is R. J. Stewart. The most representative book of his for working with fairies is “The Living World of Faery.” Look for Stewart’s other books too for a great foundation in magickal spirituality.

Another pair of recent books to look for are Kenny Klein’s “Through the Faerie Glass” and “Fairy Tale Rituals.”  They are a realistic look at human-faerie interaction without the usual saccharine veneer that is often associated with the Good Folk.

Witches, too, have a long history of involvement with fairies. Of particular note is the Feri Witchcraft system originally taught by Victor and Cora Anderson. Cora Anderson’s “Fifty Years in the Feri Tradition” and Victor Anderson’s “Etheric Anatomy” are must-reads for those wishing to learn more about this path.

Other books to watch for include John Matthews’ “The Sidhe.” It’s a daring book for Matthews, as he notes in the introduction he generally discounts “channeled” material until his own personal experience changed his mind. Then there’s “The Faerie Way” by Hugh Mynne; a great introduction to the role of fairies in magickal spiritual traditions, and including some never-before-published art by George “A.E.” Russell.

There are books and other items such as divination sets that encourage us to interact very directly with Them. Most popular are the work of Brian Froud’s fertile talent: his “Faeries’ Oracle,” “The Heart of Faerie Oracle,” and “The Runes of Elfland” are personal favorites of mine. If you can find their books such as “An Elfin Book of Spirits,” the stuff produced by the Silver Elves is pretty impressive too. You can find Brian Froud, his wife and son online at http://www.worldoffroud.com and the Silver Elves at http://silverelves.angelfire.com

And finally, to round out the list of interesting books on fairies I’d like to add two guidebooks to fairy sites. “The Traveller’s Guide to Fairy Sites” by Janet Bord lists locations in England, Wales, and Scotland. Paul Devereux’s “Fairy Paths & Spirit Roads” talks about the topic of magickal pathways in general and lists sites around the world.

Happy Yule, and happy reading!

That is a summary of the facts of the story recorded as part of the very real history of England.  Mary Sharratt’s touching novel “Daughters of the Witching Hill” adds flesh, blood, and bone to the impersonal facts.

The story starts with the narrative told from Old Demdike’s point of view.  She relates details about her childhood, how life changed as the Kings and Queens of England played their politics transforming the official (legally permitted) religion from Catholicism to Protestantism. We learn how she grew into the role of cunning-woman.  We see her as a very real person with real loves, disappointments, and problems which she tries her very best to resolve.  And in the background we know that she is doomed thanks to what is really nothing more than politics.

The story switches in the last half to the perspective of Alizon, one of Demdike’s granddaughters, who was the one destined to carry on her grandmother’s Craft and therefore also doomed to face the witchhunters.  Alizon is a sympathetic, intelligent, appealing young woman who did amazingly well considering the circumstances.  It broke my heart knowing that the end was shrouded in degradation and finally death for all the very loveable main characters.

As with any historical novel the author had to speculate about a lot of the details as we don’t have anything like personal diaries of the main characters from which the story could be told.  Despite that the author’s preparation and research were evident – she clearly did her homework in figuring out how life would likely have been for people like Demdike and her neighbors in that period in history.  She drew on the trial records to build up a picture of how Demdike likely practiced her cunning-craft, and showed how easy it was to twist evidence to support the claim of Satanic cult activity and destructive magick which was used to condemn the accused.

“Daughters of the Witching Hill” transported me to a sad time in history and helped me to understand the tragedy of what happened.  I cried when it was over because I felt so close to the characters and felt grief over their fates.  Thank you Mary Sharratt for bringing Demdike, her family, friends, and neighbors to life for me.

Sharratt’s novel “Daughters of the Witching Hill” is available from Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats.  Look for it in your local bookstores!

Ellen Cannon Reed has been a visible member of the Wiccan community for years.  She has been a practicing Wiccan since 1975, and was the high priestess of the Sothistar coven in California.  She is the author of “The Witches Qabala” (Weiser: 1997), “Invocation of the Gods” (Llewellyn: 1992), and “The Witches Tarot” (Llewellyn: 1989).  Her tarot deck is probably the best known of her works; it has become a modern standard commonly found among Wiccan working tools.  She passed away in 2003.

“The Heart of Wicca” includes chapters explaining in some detail Ellen Cannon Reed’s personal understanding of the following:

• What Is Wicca?
• Traditions
• Covens and Coven Leadership
• Training and Study
• Initiation
• Symbology
• Deities
• The Sabbats
• Shamanism
• Magic
• The Rede, Karma, and the Law of Three
• Your Own Quest

There are a few bits of extra material at the end, including a message to those who choose to follow the author’s path, along with a list of unfortunately out-of-date internet links, a recommended reading list, index, and brief author bio.

The book starts off with a litany of gripes about how others interpret and practice Wicca, while claiming that her Wicca, which she describes as being “traditional Wicca,” is not at all like those she decries.  For instance, she dismisses people who choose to perform their rituals using clearly modern mythical systems.  She objects to the philosophical perspective that goddesses and gods are aspects or facets of a universal goddess or god, or elements of an all-encompassing divine force that is beyond human understanding in its totality.  She questions whether one can be Wiccan if one doesn’t also practice magick.  And she objects to the idea that you can honor the Lord and Lady if you don’t perform specific rituals such as casting a circle.

The author defines her tradition, which she calls “traditional Wicca,” as an initiatory Mystery religion.  She says that this is very distinct from the social, political, or support types of groups which also claim to be Wiccan, implying that they do not deserve the right to call themselves Wiccan.  She says in her introduction, on page ix:

“We are few, and have looked about us in dismay, realizing that other kinds of covens have proliferated… and that most newcomers to the Craft are not aware that our type of tradition exists.”

Immediately after the introduction the author explores the concept of “tradition,” defining it as “a specific way of doing things within our group” (page 17.)  She makes it clear that her coven, and another coven she feels represents “traditional Wicca” best, are not consensus covens but follow a strict degree structure with High Priestess leading.  She states that people she considers “traditional Wicca”  are all “firm believers in the value of tradition.”  Yet by her own definition, people who practice Wicca using modern mythology systems are traditions as valid as hers despite her claims otherwise – they are, after all, doing things a specific way within their own group.  It might not be the same way that her group practices, but it is a system they have worked out and are following within their practice.  The author can’t really claim that her specific coven’s way of doing things is the only “traditional” way, either, since she freely admits the other coven she holds up as an example of a “traditional” coven, the Coven  Ashesh-Hecat, does not follow the same tradition as hers.  Her definition of “tradition” is so broad that it easily includes anyone who wants to call themselves Wiccan, despite the author’s attempts to assert that there are many Wiccans who are not traditional, or are not following a tradition.

Ellen Cannon Reed states that neither of the covens she holds up as exemplars of “traditional Wicca” are either Gardnerian or Alexandrian (page 17).  She also acknowledges that it is perfectly normal for Wiccans to create, add, and evolve bits and pieces of their practice over time.  No Wiccan group can honestly claim to have a tradition which has been passed down to them in an unbroken line from pre-Christian times.  Yet in her introduction to the book the author talks about “gritting her teeth” in frustration when she hears about other Wiccans who choose to create their own new traditions using modern myths which speak to them.

The topic of initiation is the other key element at the core of her frustration with Wiccans she tries to dismiss.  The chapter on initiation describes the two forms that it takes: “small I initiation” which is a ritual of acceptance into a group, and “big I initiation” which is a personal experience involving a life-changing step in the spiritual maturation process.  While other Wiccans perform the “small I initiation,” only a goddess or god can perform the “big I initiation.”

The author’s hang-up regarding initiation centers on the fact that she feels that to be Wiccan, you must have undergone a “big I initiation.”  You must have achieved a minimal level of spiritual maturity, have undergone a life-changing spiritual experience, in order to call yourself a follower of Wicca.  She feels that any Wiccan groups which are not made up of Initiates (the title she chooses to use to identify those who have experienced a “big I initiation”) are not really Wiccan.  This narrow viewpoint is one which I’m afraid is one which the author must re-examine.  There are a number of reasons for this.

Many people come to the Wiccan religion as the result of personal searching and examination of personal philosophy.  Wicca is not a proselytizing faith – followers are not encouraged to actively recruit others.  Choosing to self-identify as Wiccan is rarely a whim – and for those whom it might be a fashion or political statement, Wiccan involvement is usually brief as they realize it is a faith that requires individual work.  Wicca is a personal faith, not an institutional one.  Answers are not prepackaged for acceptance by the faithful, but something that each of us work out for ourselves.  It could be said that each person who chooses to call themselves “Wiccan” has in fact received a “big I initiation” in order to have the courage to come out of the broom closet to themselves as Wiccan.

An analogy can be drawn from the gay/lesbian/bisexual community.  When someone comes to the realization that their sexual orientation is not strictly heterosexual, they can honestly say that they are gay, lesbian, or bisexual regardless whether they are celibate or not, whether they are “out” to others or not.  That “coming out of the closet” to one’s self is the equivalent of a “big I initiation,” as it is a significant step in one’s path through life.  People who realize that they feel most aligned with Wicca, and who choose to follow this path, have indeed been touched by the divine.  They have searched their hearts, and have uncovered a part of themselves that they might not have paid attention to before.

Wicca as a religion is also more than just a small sect of dedicated mystics, in the same way that in the Roman Catholic faith, all followers are not expected to be nuns or monks.  Within Wicca many groups already recognize this – many follow a degree system, with first degree being “rank and file” Witches, second degree for those worthy of the title “High Priestess” or “High Priest,” and a third degree for “Elder.”  Other traditions within Wicca don’t bother with degree systems, choosing instead to recognize each practitioner as more or less an equal, with plenty of room for different roles which may change over time, and a different focus for worship or practice for each individual as they see fit.  Those who clearly have more advanced understanding might be honored with the title “Elder,” but this is again sometimes done on an individual basis.  Those who start out on the path do not need to be expected to be full-fledged Initiates dedicated to a mystical path, but there is certainly that element at the core of the religion.  The mystical core should be nurtured and encouraged, but it is a mistake to assume that it is the only part of Wicca which is valid as a focus of practice.

If the author’s concern is that the Mystery element of Wicca is being lost, she should perhaps examine her understanding of Mystery.  A good explanation of the Mystery element of Wicca is explained as follows:

“A mystery religion is not like Catholicism where a Priest is the contact point between the worshiper and the Deity, nor like Protestantism where a sacred Book provides the contact and guidelines for being with the divine. Rather a Mystery Religion is a religion of personal experience and responsibility, in which each worshiper is encouraged, taught and expected to develop an ongoing and positive direct relationship with the Gods.”  (from the essay “An Introduction To Traditional Wicca” by Keepers of the Ancient Mysteries, found online at http://www.paganlibrary.com/introductory/introduction_wicca.php)

The vast majority of Wiccan practitioners and groups encourage the understanding that religion is all about a direct relationship between the individual and the divine.  Wicca, in all its many varieties and traditions, “traditional” or not, tends to emphasize this fact over any separation of individual from the divine through the need of an intercessor such as a priest, priestess, or divine scripture.  By this definition of Mystery, Wiccans off all types definitely meet the test as few if any try to establish a requirement of formal intercessors between the individual and divine.  Mystery is not just a specific set of rituals.  Ellen Cannon Reed’s concern that Wicca is losing the Mystery element would have to be based on a completely different understanding of what Mystery is, something which she fails to define in “The Heart of Wicca.”

As a largely ecologically-centered religion, Wicca quite naturally also includes political, social, and ethical concerns which might not be the focus of one following an exclusively mystical path.  Starhawk and her very visible coven Reclaiming are a clear example of a Wiccan group with more than just a mystical focus.  Alex Sanders and Gerald Gardner are also perfect examples of Wiccans who did not have an exclusively mystical focus – they were both heavily involved in documenting and publicizing the existence of Wicca to ensure it did not die out.  Ellen Cannon Reed herself, despite her claim that her own focus in Wicca is as an Initiate, obviously also puts a lot of her energy into attempting to teach others about the Craft through her writing.  The author’s insistence that only the mystical focus is valid rings hollow.  Wicca is a living, organic, growing entity which will naturally encompass numerous elements and goals as it evolves.  To try and force it to not grow would be to force it to fossilize into mere dogma.

With her very restrictive views of what “real” Wicca is all about, I wonder if the author would have considered Gerald Gardner, Alex Sanders, or Doreen Valiente to have been Wiccan.  There is no question in my mind that they were.  Yet each of them were largely responsible for highly eclectic assembling, changing, and reworking of materials into what a lot of us today take for granted as being basic to Wicca.  Gerald Gardner in particular had a very obvious goal of popularizing Wicca in addition to any mystical aspirations he had.  These three very influential founders of Wicca probably wouldn’t fit Ellen Cannon Reed’s narrow definition on what a “traditional Wiccan” is.

Ellen Cannon Reed argues in “The Heart of Wicca” for more scholarly research into the history and mythologies of the cultures on which we are basing our traditions.  On this there is no quibble – our greatest problem in the past and even today is that too often we are sloppy or sometimes outright deceitful in factual claims.  For instance, it is said far too often that Wicca is an old religion, that it is pre-Christian, that it is “old fashioned” (see page 127 of “The Heart of Wicca” for Ellen Cannon Reed’s contribution to this misinformation.)  Historical scholarly works, in particular Ronald Hutton’s excellent book “The Triumph of the Moon” (Oxford University Press: 1999) have made it difficult to maintain the myth that Wicca is a continuation of a pre-existing religion. If anything, the evidence strongly suggests that what we know of as Wicca did not exist prior to Gerald Gardner’s involvement.  He was definitely introduced to some non-Christian ideas and practices, but the religion of Wicca which he presented as whole cloth was largely his own created “tradition.”  He obviously felt a need to flesh out the very rudimentary ideas he had been given by his initiator Dorothy Clutterbuck, which were very likely based on Margaret Murray’s thesis on witchcraft popular at the time.  Gardner enriched it with Aleister Crowley’s ideas (most likely the primary source of “An it harm none, do what you will,”) classical occultism from available printed sources such as the Key of Solomon grimoire, Freemasonry, and other sources available to him at the time.  Wicca is more honestly regarded as a modern religion drawing its sources from ancient as well as modern material.  Ellen Cannon Reed can be forgiven some of her historical mistakes in “The Heart of Wicca” because Hutton’s book came out after hers, but she could have refrained from making historical claims she could not back up.

The author’s view of deity is another example of how she holds a very specific personal definition, which is fine, but feels that her definition is somehow the “correct” one, which means everyone else is wrong.  Wiccans who do not hold her specific philosophy of the divine are therefore classified as not “real” Wiccans.  This is highly questionable.

Ellen Cannon Reed’s insistence that each goddess and god is independent, unique, and definitely not an aspect or face of a greater divine force, is not supported by the earliest established Wiccan practices.  “The Charge of the Goddess,” one of the core ritual pieces from early Gardnerian Wicca, clearly supports the Theosophical idea that all goddesses are one goddess, all gods are one god.  It starts with the statement: “Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who was of old called amongst men Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Diana, Arianrhod, Bride, and by many other names…”  If traditional Wicca consists solely of Ellen Cannon Reed’s view of deity, then “The Charge of the Goddess” can not be considered “traditional Wicca.”  And that would mean that the oldest Wiccan traditions, Gardnerian and Alexandrian, are not “traditional Wicca” since “The Charge of the Goddess” is a central component.  Evidently, “traditional Wicca” must not be defined by a specific philosophy of deity.

It goes along with encouraging honest scholarship that Wiccans should be more rigorous in their research of mythology.  It sets us up as laughingstocks in scholarly circles when we confuse deities, ignorantly giving the attributes of one to another.  On the other hand, we should also be aware that the stories of the gods and goddesses have always evolved.  It is likely only since the advent of the printing press that the whole idea of an “official story” fixed on paper has come about.  Oral transmission is notorious for changing the wording and often the meaning of things from one telling to the next.  Many societies prior to the printing press were eager for new stories and gossip from outside their immediate community; it is easy to see how this would encourage the development of new tales, fabrications and embellishments of historical events, and the development of new myth.  To assume that myth is fixed and unchanging is naïve and perhaps insulting.  The deities, while perhaps eternal, are not necessarily unchanging.

The author does make some other excellent suggestions encouraging Wiccans to take their religion seriously, deepening the meaning to make it more than just a hobby or pass-time.  It really should be a way of life.  Wicca can be a strengthening bond between a practitioner and the place and circumstances of their life.  It is a philosophy of relating to those around us, to our environment, to our lives, and to the unknowable in a way that encourages us to take responsibility for our personal growth.  It can be very hard work but the benefits that come from greater maturity and responsibility for our own lives makes it worth the effort.

Ellen Cannon Reed does a good job of expressing what the core of Wicca is for her personally in “The Heart of Wicca.”   Because she frequently asserts that her way is “traditional Wicca” and attempts to put down other Wiccans who do not practice the way she does, I would not recommend this book to those new to the path.  It could leave the false impression that she is correct – that there is such a thing as a “One True Way” in Wicca.  The myth of the “One True Way” is something I would prefer we leave to the monotheistic religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.  As Wiccans, with the lessons of the Burning Times of the Inquisition firmly planted in our philosophical past, we should know better than to fall for the “One True Way” fallacy.

For those who approach the book with a skeptical but open mind, who are willing to question statements presented as fact, “The Heart of Wicca” is an invigorating read to make you think.  For those who are just starting out on the Wiccan journey, I would recommend you leave this one for later, once you have a solid grasp of the basics, have developed a healthy skepticism, and preferably after you’ve read some historical works such as Ronald Hutton’s “The Triumph of the Moon.”

“The Heart of Wicca” is available through Amazon in printed and ebook formats.

Mike Nichols - Image via Wikipedia

Back in the pre-internet days computer geek Pagans like me would use our dial-up modems to connect with bulletin board systems where we could download text files, send and receive email, and participate in online discussion on a wide variety of topics.  There were dozens of different networks that individual BBSs would hook into covering all sorts of interests – including PODSNet, which specialized in Pagan topics.

We didn’t have a lot of material widely available back then.  There were only a handful of relatively good books available on Pagan topics, and they were often hard to find in local bookstores unless you knew the title or author and could special-order them.  If you were lucky enough to have bumped into some Pagan people who lived nearby you might have someone to share with and learn from.  A lot of information was fragmented.

Computer networks such as PODSNet, and then later the Internet, changed everything.  Information became easier to find.  Online stores like Amazon.com made it simple for anyone to find even the most obscure books to purchase.  People shared bits and pieces of things they’d created themselves, or things they were taught or borrowed from others, through email and discussion boards irrespective of geographical boundaries and distances. Since electronic bits of information are so easy to pass along things that were being taught in one community could easily start cropping up all over the place courtesy of computer networks!

Mike Nichols first established himself in the Pagan community in Missouri where he taught Witchcraft classes starting in the 1970s.  He also ran a bookshop and published his own Pagan newsletter.  His famous sabbat essays started as material for his classes and articles in his newsletters.  In those days there wasn’t a lot of information of this sort that was freely available.  Pagans are ever hungry to learn more about our history and ideas about how our ancestors might have practiced so Mike’s essays were eagerly received.  And they weren’t just read and then filed away either – they were shared, and shared widely, until they could be found all over PODSNet and then later all over the internet.

The next stage in the lives of these essays saw them brought together in a single website with Mike’s stamp of approval.  The copied and recopied and rerecopied versions that were floating around sometimes had mistakes in them, omissions, or outright changes.  Mike’s website at http://www.witchessabbats.com/ (originally hosted at Geocities — remember them?) corrected that by making the essays available in their complete form.  The essays remained popular and to this day when you search for “witches sabbats” on Google.com you will get Mike’s website as the first returned result.  Mike’s essays are considered the classic historical explanation of the Wiccan wheel of the year.

In 2005 this important collection of essays was finally put into paper-published form thanks to Acorn Guild Press.  Mike’s essays can reach an even wider audience and will be ensured their rightful place in Wiccan history.

The printed collection of Mike’s sabbat essays goes further than his website, though.  Sure, the essays are there in their intact glory, but Mike’s skilled pen has produced an insightful introduction and further essays to accompany them.  Additional historical context is also provided in a foreword by Wren Walker, one of the founders of the popular Witchvox.com website.  The additional materials alone are worth the price of the book.

Some of the extra essays take the sabbats further by providing insights into larger thematic cycles to tie the holidays together.  We also get a glimpse into Mike’s observations of changes in the Wiccan and Pagan communities, particularly the growth of the festival circuit, from the vantage point of one who has participated for decades.  He also shows us with a gentle sense of humor how we might get bogged down in our own individual opinions of the Divine and need to learn to see the larger picture.  He demonstrates how our spiritual paths can be enriched through examination of specific mythological narratives, and how psychological groundwork such as correspondence tables need to be understood rather than merely accepted as dogma in order to be most effective.

The only weakness with the book, which Mike openly acknowledges, is the lack of sources cited within the original sabbat essays.  The essays were written so long ago, and for a very informal audience at the time, that it’s impossible now to identify all the sources used for the essays.  Instead a bibliography of relevant books is listed so that readers who want to learn more, or who would like to try and track down some of the likeliest sources, can do so.

There are quite a few other books available today that examine the Wiccan sabbats.  Most of them owe a debt of gratitude to Mike Nichols and his original sabbat essays, which started the journey for so many.  “The Witches’ Sabbats” by Mike Nichols is a must-read for anyone involved in Wicca, and should be on the required-reading list for training covens.

“The Witches’ Sabbats” is available directly from the Acorn Guild website, or at online bookstores such as Amazon.com.

Feri witchcraft teaches the theory of the tripartite self: each of us has three distinct spiritual bodies that together make up the human soul. This book explains the three parts of the soul, describing their composition and function, explaining them by drawing on a variety of spiritual and mystical traditions in a logical synthesis. Victor and Cora use poetic yet straightforward language. As you read the book it’s easy to imagine you are sitting next to them on a porch gently rocking in rocking chairs as they talk to you. Cora and Victor speak like loving relatives sharing their knowledge; they do not talk down to their students or lecture as some nonfiction authors do. Their genuine, practical mysticism comes across clearly in what they say and teach.

Sensual experience is celebrated in Feri teachings rather than denigrated or rejected as a distraction as in some spiritual paths. Sexual expression, Victor and Cora assure us, exists on the spiritual planes and in fact is freely shared without the social stigma present on the physical plane. The book explores the topic of astral sex with honesty and tact. Astral work is an integral part of existence in the mundane world, complementing and enriching our regular lives rather than replacing them.

“Etheric Anatomy” is an engrossing glimpse into the core teachings of a vital spiritual path. Students of Feri will find a lot to consider in this book, and initiates of other spiritual paths will find ideas and inspiration that can help them deepen their own personal spiritual practice. Unfortunately Victor passed away in 2001, and his wife Cora followed in 2008, but his teachings live on, surviving in the many initiates of the Feri tradition.

“Etheric Anatomy” is available from Amazon as well as other bookstores: Etheric Anatomy at Amazon.com

Astral Cup Meditation (490)

Astral Cup Meditation - Spoken Word Only (305)

Astral Tower Meditation (368)

Cerridwen's Cauldron (401)

Night Ride On A Broomstick (505)

(The numbers after the name of each download link indicate how many times the file has been downloaded since it was posted here.)

Note: As I add some of the older material I’ll be backdating the content to give a better indication when it was originally written.  Be sure to look back through the archives as older articles will appear over time.

Over the years the WitchGrotto site has grown, expanded, and become more complex.  Unfortunately that includes the software that was needed to run things on the web host.  As the internet has grown we’ve also had a proliferation of malicious users who derive pleasure in damaging or wrecking other people’s websites.  The more complex a website is and the more visibility it has the more likely it is to be targeted by hackers.  WitchGrotto has not been immune to this negative attention.

The hackers have not won — WitchGrotto still lives and will become even better!

I’ve decided for now to keep the site stripped down to basics.  It will still be a content-rich site focusing on providing practical information for modern Pagans, Witches, and occultists.  It will  be regularly updated with new material to keep things fresh.  The site will focus on its strong points rather than trying to include lots of extra features. There’s no need to make the site more complex and an easier target for hackers.

So have a look around at the new leaner WitchGrotto.  If there’s something that you are missing please let me know (by emailing or by leaving a comment) as I can point you to where you can find what you’re looking for either on this site or another one on the internet.  I promise to work hard to make WitchGrotto into a valuable resource with relevant practical information for people practicing magickal spiritual paths.

Blessed be, WitchGrotto visitors!

Ben Gruagach

Some explain these dream figures as parts of ourselves that manifest through our subconscious when we are asleep. Others believe that these figures have their own independent existence. Perhaps they are the astral forms of living people. Maybe they are discorporate spirits or ghosts, angels or demons, perhaps even Gods and Goddesses. It doesn’t really matter how we explain their existence. There are things we can learn from them regardless how we explain their presence.

Dream characters have fluid forms. They can take all manner of shapes and appearances. Just because they appear to us as family, friends, or people we recognize it doesn’t mean they really are those people. A dream figure might appear as one of your parents in one dream and then come back to you in another dream in the guise of a well-known celebrity, or as a stranger. They might appear as humans, animals, mythical creatures, or even as inanimate objects. Sometimes we might recognize a dream character as being familiar to us even though it has taken a new form. Sometimes we don’t realize that a dream figure has appeared to us before in another form.

Some people are lucky enough to be able to remember most of their dreams and can even choose to go back into a particular dream and continue it. More often, though, we only remember bits and pieces of our dreams and not the whole narrative. Remembering a whole dream, let alone going back into a particular dream, can be difficult. There are other ways though we can reach into our dreams and draw meaning from them.

Think about dreams that you do remember regardless how much of the dream comes to mind or whether any of it makes any sense to your logical mind. Are there any people in your dreams, human or animal, that feel important to you? Were there any that you felt particularly drawn to, or conversely felt were scary? Strong emotion, whether it is positive or negative, can indicate that a particular dream figure is important for you.

Perhaps there is a particular dream figure you find intriguing. Was there someone you wanted to spend more time with in your dreams? Someone you thought might be a good friend if you gave the relationship a chance? Perhaps there was someone who might have information that can help you with a particular problem. Maybe that dream figure is antagonistic towards you but you can still gain valuable information by talking with them, even if you know they might be lying.

Dream figures are often most helpful if we treat them like they are real people with their own opinions, desires, and emotions. Don’t assume that they will always tell you the truth, or even if they are telling the truth, that they are telling you the whole story. Ask them for their opinions but take what they say and balance it against your own better judgment. Just because a dream character appears to you in the form of close friend does not mean that they are who they appear to be. They might not be able to tell you things that their real-life counterpart would know. Treat them like you would any stranger until you really have established a solid relationship with them. As you start to establish a relationship with them, ask them questions that you can easily confirm so you can try to guarantee the dream figure’s identity and the value of their information.

It’s wise to start your dream figure dialogs with some ritual designed to protect you. You wouldn’t just throw your front door wide open and invite any random stranger to come into your home to talk with you. Spiritualists recite the Lord’s Prayer or other prayers requesting protection before attempting to contact spirits. Ceremonial magicians attempting to summon spirits often use carefully constructed magick circles and triangles of manifestation. Wiccans usually cast a circle, or at the very least recite some protective prayers to the Divine, and maybe light some protective incense or sprinkle blessed water to cleanse and protect. Do whatever makes sense to you so that you feel grounded, centered, and safe before you start.

Once you feel ready, calm your mind and take a few deep breaths, then think about the dream figure you wish to contact. Think about how they appeared in your dream, what they looked like, and how they sounded if they spoke. Remember as many details as you can about them. If they used a particular name in the dream, think of that name and repeat it to yourself either silently or out loud.

Some people are able to visualize the dream character well enough that they can start to interact with it immediately. Others might find it more helpful to use props to aid in the communication – perhaps gazing into a crystal ball, a bowl of water, or a skrying mirror. Some find they have great luck using a pendulum. Personally, I find that using the tarot works really well.

When you feel that you’ve made contact with a dream figure, start with simple yes and no questions. Shuffle the deck, think of a particular question, and then turn over a card at random when it feels right. The card that is turned over gives a basic answer: an even numbered card means yes, an odd numbered card means no, and a court card means the dream figure doesn’t know or can’t answer that particular question right now. Once you’ve got an answer, put the card back in the deck and shuffle some more and ask the next question. Sometimes a question needs to be asked a number of times, worded slightly different ways, to turn up a solid response. As always, treat the answers as just this dream figure’s opinion and not necessarily as proven fact.

Often simple yes and no questions are not enough and you want to move on to a more sophisticated discussion. The tarot is perfect for this sort of communication too. There are many different layouts that you can use which can focus on different types of information.

A simple layout I often use is a basic four-card spread. I’ll ask the dream figure a question, and then turn up four cards. The first card represents the dream figure’s way of explaining the key part of the question I asked. The second card represents positive aspects of the question. The third card represents negative aspects of the question. Finally, the fourth card tells me what the dream figure suggests as a possible way to resolve the question.

Four cards just aren’t enough sometimes. In those cases, lay out further cards for specific aspects of the four-card reading. Ask, “What else can you say about this part?” for a particular position you need clarified and then lay out a new card along with the card that is already turned up for that position. Interpret the new card as modifying or adding on to the card that is already there. This can go on for a while with lots more information turning up. Of course, other more complex tarot layouts can be used as well if the basic four-card spread isn’t satisfying.

When you communicate with a dream figure treat them like real people. Show them respect, and accept that they might not want to tell you what you are asking. Ask them to talk about themselves, listen to what they have to say. When your discussion is over be sure to thank them for talking with you. You might find you are rewarded with a new friend!

Further Reading

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/links/spreads.shtml Links to explanations of different tarot layouts or spreads.

Raymond Buckland “Buckland’s Book of Spirit Communication ” (Llewellyn: 2004.) A good overview of spirit communication methods that also work when communicating with dream figures.

Dr. Ann Faraday “Dream Power ” (Berkeley Books: 1972.) A small paperback that discusses dreams, dream interpretation, and some ways to explore dreams by interacting with dream figures.

Strephon Kaplan-Williams “The Jungian-Senoi Dreamwork Manual ” (Journey Press: 1988.) An excellent collection of dreamwork techniques. Unfortunately this book is out of print and tends to be hard to find.

The Roman Catholic Church has an office within its organization called the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. In previous times this office had another name: the Holy Office of the Inquisition. Despite the name change the office’s role has remained the same. It is responsible for keeping doctrinal discipline and confronting and eliminating deviations in doctrinal thought. It’s all about maintaining the authority of the Vatican and the Pope and ensuring that all Roman Catholics are following the same religion and respecting the established hierarchy.

Wicca is a religion based on autonomy. It draws its basis from Pagan religions of the past but primarily from lore about Witches and Witchcraft. Most today consider Wicca to trace back directly or indirectly to a single man, Gerald Gardner, who promoted the religion starting in the 1940s or early 1950s in Britain. Gardner described Wicca as based on covens with each coven being autonomous. If there was dissent within a coven the rules as Gardner presented them allowed for the dissenting parties to separate and form new covens. This way of dealing with conflict resulted in encouraging diversity within Wicca and reinforced the idea that there was no central authority which would dictate that one coven was wrong and another right on matters of philosophy or practice.

Gardner also insisted that there were other Wiccans out there that he did not know about who had been practicing before he was initiated. He did this partially to promote the debatable claim that he was merely passing on an intact ancient religion. One consequence of this is that it left the door open for others to come forward and claim they were Witches or Wiccans too from a common mythical ancestry and Gardner could not really insist they were wrong. Even if these other Wiccans practiced things differently, Gardner’s “old laws” clearly made it acceptable for variety in the way covens and practitioners did things. He might not have intended to do so but Gardner’s decisions regarding how to handle things in his own group had set the stage for Wicca to become much more than just his own teachings in his own groups.

The result of all this was that Gardner essentially gave away the right to exclusive ownership over the label Wicca for his groups and those directly descended from them. He might not have anticipated this possibility but in any case it is what happened. Many groups, sometimes with conflicting philosophies and ways of doing things, have come forward under the banner of Wicca. New groups have been created and old ones have splintered into other quite distinct groups. Autonomy was there so of course it was exercised!

Not everyone has been happy about this. Some of Gardner’s direct spiritual descendants have argued that only they and a few select groups that they approve of should have the right to call themselves Wiccan. However the autonomous structure had already been set up and no one group has the authority to dictate to the rest of the community. Wicca did not have a central authority structure in the past and it does not have one now. It is highly unlikely at this point that a central authority could be established which the majority of Wiccans would respect.

There have been attempts to seize power and establish a central Wiccan authority but these have all failed. One example is when Alex Sanders proclaimed himself the King of the Witches but it was quickly pointed out, particularly by Gardnerian Wiccans, that he did not have any authority outside of Alexandrian Wiccan covens. Another example is when in 1974 at the Witchmeet gathering in Minnesota, Lady Sheba (a.k.a. Jessie Wicker Bell) declared herself the leader of American Witches and demanded that everyone hand over their Books of Shadows to her so that she could combine their contents and then establish a single authoritative Book of Shadows which all American Witches would be expected to follow. She was laughed at and needless to say was not successful in establishing the central authority she sought.

It was at that same 1974 Witchmeet where we had probably the closest thing to a central Wiccan authority created in the declaration of the Principles of Wiccan Belief. This set of thirteen principles attempted to outline in a very general way the basic foundation of Wiccan philosophy. The concept of autonomy of both groups and individuals is clear in the document. It also specified that lineage or membership in specific groups was not a requirement in order to be Wiccan. Many Wiccans, both as groups and individually, consider the Principles to be the foundation of their spiritual path. However, true to the autonomy inherent in Wicca, there are some Wiccans who do not consider the Principles to be part of their individual or group philosophy.

Some are not satisfied with how things are in the Wiccan community and actively work to establish a central authority with their own particular outlook of course identified as the One True and Only Way. They are not satisfied with the fact that the autonomy they personally enjoy in Wicca also means that other Wiccans are free to follow their own different paths. These are the Wiccan fundamentalists who see variety as heresy. As far as they are concerned, if you’re not practicing things the way they personally do, and don’t believe things exactly the way they personally do, then you must be wrong and should either correct your ways or else stop calling yourself a Wiccan.

Perhaps these attitudes are carried over from previous religious education where the idea of One True Way was key, such as in many varieties of monotheism, particularly the evangelical and literalist varieties. Often the Wiccan manifestation of the One True Way idea comes through as a literal and absolute belief in the truth of a particular teacher’s work. Most often the teacher elevated to the status of never-to-be-questioned guru is Gerald Gardner since he was the one who began the Wiccan movement in the middle of the twentieth century. In the mind of many Wiccan fundamentalists, if Gardner taught it then it must be absolutely true!

Unfortunately for the literalists Gardner has turned out to be a mere human being just like the rest of us. Some things he got right and some things he got wrong. The history of Wicca that Gardner presented, especially the part that explains what came before Gardner was initiated, has proven to be largely speculation with very little evidence to support many of its major claims. Historians aren’t completely ignorant of what happened prior to the 1950s in England. We have enough evidence to know that Gardner’s historical claims were not completely accurate nor were they completely supported by the evidence.

A religion’s value does not depend on the literal truth of its historical claims. Many millions of people find Christianity to be meaningful despite the fact its history is not absolutely settled. Buddhists seem to still find their religion to be valuable despite the questions regarding the provable history of the religion’s founders. Wicca too is a precious treasure for those who practice it even if they don’t believe one hundred percent of the historical claims made by Gardner.

Some religions do consider blind obedience to authority to be a virtue the faithful are expected to cultivate in themselves. Wicca though cherishes autonomy and this is in direct conflict with blind obedience. Wiccans who value blind obedience are welcome to make that a part of their religious practice but they are out of line in expecting others to abide by their dictates. Wicca does not have an Office of the Holy Inquisition and many Wiccans will actively fight against the establishment of such. And that is to be expected.

Wiccans who play the fundamentalist mind-game of proclaiming that those who do not agree with them are not “true Wiccans” deserve the same reaction that Lady Sheba got back in 1974 when she declared herself Witch Queen of America – they should be laughed at and then ignored. Wicca is not a One True Way religion and never has been. Those who would make it over into one are in for a long hard struggle that they will likely never win. Is it really worth it for them? After all, if they wanted a One True Way religion there are plenty of those out there for them to join.

Wicca is for those of us who are free-thinkers, rebels, nature-worshippers, who laugh and love and dance in the name of our Gods and Goddesses in spite of what the stiff-shirt self-declared authorities around us tell us is right and proper. Others can try to co-opt our religion and turn it into yet another fossilized dogma of right and wrong to be blindly followed on pain of excommunication or threats of torment in other lives. The Witch’s cat is already out of the bag and has been for some time now, and we’re all enjoying the nighttime revels and the daytime ignoring of arbitrary conventions too much to just follow what someone else tells us is the One True Way.

Footnotes
Bonewits, Isaac. “Witchcraft: A Concise Guide.” (Earth Religions Press, 2001.)
Heselton, Philip. “Gerald Gardner and the Cauldron of Inspiration.” (Capall Bann Publishing, 2003.)
Hutton, Ronald. “The Triumph of the Moon.” (Oxford University Press, 1999.)
Lamond, Frederic. “Fifty Years of Wicca.” (Green Magic, 2004.)
Valiente, Doreen. “The Rebirth of Witchcraft.” (Phoenix Publishing, 1989.)