So it is all too often the case that we keep access to our own teachers and resources private. This is because we share a human condition which seeks to retain privilege and exclusivity at all costs.

 I will be clear that one of the fellow travellors who has been both a teacher and an examplar for me over the  years is Rudy Rucker.

I was privileged to have him write a character in one of his Novels based upon me. After being bent out of shape for a day or two  because the characterisation was unflattering I came to the realisation thyat he had pegged me pretty well.

That's when I realised it was worth whiole paying attention to this guy who could flay me to the bone and still be my buddy.

Recently Rudy posted an interesting Youtube entry.

 Pay attention, this guy is a treasure.

F rom

"The Watersons" album (CD) 
"A Yorkshire Garland"

Chickens In The Garden  

Gods I L O V E this song

As we count down the days from thr ingress of spring

to summer this tune empowers us all 

Earth Hour 2009 

8:30PM local time, wherever you live on planet earth. Saturday 28 March 2009 

http://www.earthhour.org/home/

This is a global political event that inherits energy from the Pagan Practice

of the "Needfire" in which all  fires are extinguished  and relighted from a

single flame as a rite of renewal.

This Earth Hour event is a symbolic  event, and who knows the power

of symbolism better than Witches.

 Pagans, NeoPagans, Witches, Wiccans, Fluffie Bunnies and hard core

Traditional Witches are all at the same peril of a world on the edge

of  Global Climate Change.

Perhaps  those with eyes to see and ears to hear can excersize their mouths

to give voice to a Magickal intention of making change in their own lives

and minds then excersize their hands to take a simple symbolic action as

a seed for future changes in the larger world.

Beyond just turning off electric lights for an hour consider convening

with your kith and kin  to add active value by repairing to a site of active

darkness, striking new light via flame to illuminate your space then

spreading that light to the extents of your domain at the end of the hour.

I've made no secret of my association and friendship with

Gwydion Pennderwen who was the Bard of the American Pagan Movement

and until the day I die his spirit will be with me and inform my sojourn along

this crooked path.

 But to be blunt he is dead, gone to the underworld where he has taken his

place with our ancestors. And we who remain amongst the host who maintain

body temperature and respiration require a Bard to sing us merry songs which

stir our blood and animate our corpus.

Damh [Dave] The Bard is one such.

During my holiday to the old Sod last year I made it a priority to collect

every one of his available CD's, and I urge each and every one of you to follow

in suit whether you do so by holy  pilgramage or simple amazon surfing.

The spirit of Albion 

I would be remiss if I did not present you with a video of Damh performing live.

The previous Youtube entry was some wankers game bullshit set to an album cut.

Here is the real deal.

But you really need to buy Damhs CD "The Hills they are Hollow"

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00129E01S/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1237705648&sr=8-10

to apreciate the whole thing.

Damh paying his tribute to Gwydion.

Thanks Dave

My love and devotion for the DarkerShade of Pagan podcast is unending.

And The 03/15/09 edition has brought me to orgasmic heights.

Unto Ashes, Marissa Nadler, The Moors, Fever Ray, Faun, Ex Reverie.

Oh my.

 This music moves my soul.

And it also moves my fingers to surf to the respective websites

of these bands then compells me to purchass their wares.

Go there.

 http://www.adarkershadeofpagan.com/

Go there NOW. And then  exercise your option as lovers of the dark

and twisting path to support these artists.

[Probably their most accesable cut ever]

 Another Band you've probably never heard of.

The singer Aneli Drecker has a voice like an Angel, and the  tune is from Geir Jenssen who went on to create the equally obscure techno styles of "Biosphere".

Granted some readers of this blog will wonder what these youtube postings have to do with Traditional Witchcraft.

Perhaps there is no connection at all except for the fact that these are pieces which have sustained me through the years.

It is my belief that magic is raised by sound motion and emotion and these are examples of what moves me on all three axis of that formula.

I

L O VE 

THIS BAND

You can download their entire "Momento Mori" album for free at

http://thebastardfairies.com/ 

Delicious.

You and me

At the dark end of the street.

Take a walk on the Shadow side with the Albion Band.

Shake it like you mean it boys!

Natacha Atlas

I put a spell on you.

 Rounding out tonights Music Video posts with the TomTom club.

So what the HELL does this have to do with Traditionalist Witchcraft?

Well for one thing if it doesn't get you out of your chair shaking your booty and waving your hands in the air there is something wrong with you.

And for another, Witches ought to understand the esoteric meaning of "Genius"

Mohannon.

I have no words for this except that it is one of my favorite pieces of Music - E V E R .

For me this particular Bjork song is one of her most Magical pieces.

On the one occasion when I was gifted with the opportunity to attend a Live Bjork show, this particular tune was the one which convinced me that she is a magic User.

Because it IS in your hands!

I am indebted to Jason Pitzl-Walters  and his Podcast 

"http://www.adarkershadeofpagan.com/"

for helping me find this Video of "The Moors" - The Hunter.

Julie Felix.

"Fire Earth Water and Air" From her spectacular Album "Clothos Web"

What manner of wise have you discovered?

How do you show it in your private life? How do you manifest it in your public life?

How does it manifest in your craft?

This is not a joke, nor is it an excersize in displaying your efforts to be "More Pagan than thou". This is not a contest to determine who can attract more sycophants and "Me-too" bullshit artists. 

 If your energy is primarily engaged in juvenile attempts to diminish the efforts of others or disparage the path others follow then In My Not So Humble Opinion you have missed the point entirely.

 If your  energy is not primarily engaged in connecting you with that which carries your light forward then you are lost in a futile struggle which diminishes YOU.

Look in the Traditional Witchcraft forum for a thread to discuss this item,  

There was a battle in heaven between the forces of Light and the forces of Darkness. One side, the host loyal to the Angel Lucifer/Lumiel - Lord of Light - took "wives" amongst the terrestrial inhabitants who bore them children. The other side - apparently the hosts of darkness - complained that by doing so their wisdom and power had been diluted so ordered the children destroyed.

 Now this implys that both sides were originally from the same  origin - IE - Sons of God.

In this battle Lucifers forces lost the war and were banished to Earth to live their lives amongst the aboriginal people with whom they had  shared their Stellar largesse. It seems the winning forces who retained control of the heavens had no ability to force their will regarding their desire to destroy the results of the transgression they so bitterly opposed.

These offspring of the Angels fallen from Grace of the victors were considered giants amongst the other Earthly denizens.

Now clearly this is all alegory. I don't think anyone expects that Alien Greys arived in spaceships and found the primititive primate chicks to be such hot stuff that they couldn't keep their sacred "grey units" in their pants.

So what does it really all mean?

talk to me 

Albion Band.

PS this the Mekons "Robin Hood" with Michelle Shocked 

The new breed call it Imbolc, but the Old Craft knows it as Candlemass.

It is a time of ignition, initiation, integration.

In our current experience the wise will use it to ignite a new flame which initiates a renewed will to survive and personally reintegrates the strength of all Witchdom in compact to impell our desire and belief by force of our collective will.

You know what to do.

 http://www.adarkershadeofpagan.com/

I've submitted a review of Jason Pitz-Walters podcast " A Darker Shade of Pagan" as my annual contribution to the next issue of "The Witches Almanac" but I just can't wait for my gentle readers to wait next Falls Publication to hear my praise. I am an aging Hippy, having reached the august age of 61 years young and as a true son of my generation music feeds my soul. I am not one who normally waits for another to inform my musical judgement, but Good Jason has earned his pearch upon the top pedastal of my musical mentors for this new millenium. 

Each Week this incredible experience steals me away to greater heights of ecstacy. Go there now. Do not hesitate.

http://www.amazon.com/Right-Wantonly-Mumming-Seasonal-Celebrations/dp/B000QUUE7S/ref=pd_bbs_sr_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1232790894&sr=8-5

Many years ago, when I had recently moved hearth and home to Northern California I also reconnected with an old chum who went by the name Gwydion Pendderwen. We had first become friends when I lived in the SF Bay Area during the 1973/1974 time frame and had discovered that we had both become embroiled in machinations with the infamous Rhyddlwm Gawr (Bill Wheeler) of Y Tylwyth teg. The truth of the matter was that Bill had engaged in serial fishing expeditions by sending Gwydion stuff that he conned out of me, and further tempted me with stuff he conned out of Gwydion. (Note to Bill if you are reading this - I encourage you to sue me, because I still possess  the original letters in your own hand that you sent both Gwydion and myself admitting that you are a liar and a cheat and confessing that you stole from your various correspondents in order to fluff your credibility. So Please Bill be my guest) 

But this posting isn't about that shitbird, it's about finding connection to the spirits of place, about the sort of Withcraft that does not depend upon written ritual form or the kind of thing you can steal from others because if it isn't felt in your heart and mind it doesn't matter.

Sabbats were held and what our Christian Brothers and Sisters would call miracles  occured. People were fairy led out into the Mendocina hillsides, and the night skys came to life singing songs of life death and resurection. 

I think the most amazing event I witnessed was a "Multiplication of Bread".

It was a Samhain Eve and

African Head Charge - Chant For The spirits

----------------------

Woe betide ye who divide the world of Spirit.

Our blood is the fire which stokes the forge of Heaven.

The still force which is unitary, and which is our boon.

 {mp3}AHC_DervishChant{/mp3)

[Get the fuck up out of  your chair and dance!]

Find solace in division if you will

But rejoice with reunion when it comes.

Before I start Please play this Audio File.

We have passed through the fires of Hells Hall,

the Samhain blaze that reduces us to dust of the Earth and Stars.

These are times that try the souls of those with nothing but clay

and pottery shards to speak for their sojourn.

But for those with the forgemaster at their heels this is a clarion call.

You have yourself and those of your kin to serve and the time is now

for you to sharpen your blade and cut through the layers which bind

the unknowing to turmoil and strife.

Fail not my Brothers and Sisters, Fail not.

Join me in the forum

http://tradwitch.com/component/option,com_fireboard/Itemid,36/func,view/catid,11/id,564/#564

talk to me.

The Whole Earth catalog was a hippy extravaganza which informed my generation. We gave you Free Sex, the idea that spiritual enlightenment could be gained by the use of drugs (Psychic Stimulants), and Rock N Roll.

We also presided over the Pagan Renaissance of the latter third of the Twentieth Century. Yes we were idealistic and suffered from the sin of being brash youth. But werever you are now, you didn't get here without our efforts , naive as they may have been.

I will leave the gentle reader to peruse Wikipedia and other sources to discover the salient facts behind the history behind the WEC. But why stop there. Do your own Archeological digging. the entire thing is now online.

http://www.wholeearth.com/issue-electronic-edition.php?iss=2064

As a teaser please allow me to point you at "Plant Teachers and the Path of Eve" by Dale Pendell, published in the Winter 1998 issue. NINETEEN NINETY EIGHT!

http://www.wholeearth.com/issue/1340/article/60/plant.teachers.and.the.path.of.eve

Extraterrestrials, Carbon Atoms, and Mystical Poetry - Oh My!

 Quelle Surprise!

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -  A burglar who broke into a house claims he was held captive by a "supernatural figure" for three days without food and water, officials said.

Police official Abdul Marlik Hakim Johar told The Star newspaper the house's owners found the 36-year-old man fatigued and dehydrated when they returned from vacation Thursday.

He says they called an ambulance to take him to a hospital.

The man told police that every time he tried to escape, a "supernatural figure" shoved him to the ground.

Tonight I was communicating with some off shore Sys Admins that work in my group.  Oct 9th is an important festival in their calendar,  Dasara which commemorates the triumph of good over evil and which honors Mother Durga amongst others in their pantheon.

At the end of doing our business , I sent him the line "Jai Mata Durga" and he responded with "Jai Mata Di.

I regularly speak with these guys who are on the same team with me but who live on the other  side of the planet. They are quite interested that I understand some aspects of their faith, and honor their pantheism. Most of the other American team members know absolutely nothing about their lives and their ways.

The Black Moon of August 30, 2008

Nearly everyone has heard the phrase ‘Once In A Blue Moon’, referring to the rare and serendipitous occurrence of two Full Moons in a single month. Far fewer know of the Black Moon. The Black Moon, despite its sinister title, is equally lucky, but more mysterious. The Black Moon is the second New Moon in a single month. Usually about three to four years will pass between either Black or Blue Moons. The wise will make the most of the promise of the special magic the Black and Blue lunations invoke. The Black Moon opens a portal to other dimensions. It’s a time to connect with ghosts, the world of faerie and the planes of the ascended masters. Deep meditations under this cycle can bring guidance and answers on many levels. The intent is to help us all to cope with and understand the current planetary, political , cosmic and economic changes!

The August 30, 2008 Black Moon is at the 7th degree of Virgo, applying to conjoin Saturn and trine Jupiter. Serious issues involving the Earth and security are in the thoughts and hearts of many. Healing, service, animal companions, idealistic standards, communication and precision are the keynotes. The Sabian symbol is “a dance class instruction”, suggesting excellence in skill, cooperation and moving in harmony with others. The fixed star Zosma , a triple star of pale yellow and violet, hovers near a Virgo stellium involving the Sun, Moon and Saturn. The message is to rise above melancholy and altruistically consider the needs of others. Honor the greater good. Zosma does not favor the self serving. Riches and rewards will come to those who help others and are willing to grow.

The carnelian agate (health) and sapphire (peaceful love) are favorable crystals to wear or carry, colors to select for candles and wardrobe include mauve, navy, grey and lime. The aromatherapy fragrances of lavender (cheerful friends) and raspberry (anti stress) are desirable. Connect with Guardian Angel Auriel for blessings and favor.

The influence of the Black Moon stays in force until the next New Moon on September 29, 2008.

 The following is the bulk of a posting I made on Dawn Jacksons "Traditional Witchcraft" yahoo list. It was in response to some discussion regarding the co-option and "Dumbing down" of the concept of  Traditional Witchcraft.

 In the early 1970's, at least here in America, there were three women
who publicly identified the Craft Current they followed as Traditional
in the Pagan Press/Zines of that era.

Those three were:
Gwen Thompson in Connecticut
Bonnie Sherlock In Wyoming
Kitty Lessing in Florida

Victor Andersons people, wisely chose to eschew that particular "Name
Game" and have homegrown their own Feri/Faerie brand which is to their
credit.

This can be verified by even a casual investigation of the "Green Egg"
which was the paramount journal in circulation here in the States
during that decade.

Mikes "The Cauldron" was known about but from my experience was not
commonly subscribed to.
Mike: I'd really be interested if you had any figures you could share
on how many American subscriptions you had in a typical year circa
1970 to 1990.


Anyway, in the 1970's the Craft groups who followed the paths as set
out By Gardner and Sanders never EVER used the term Traditional or
Traditionalist. They strictly adhered to the monikers of Gardnerian,
Alexandrian, or the sometimes confusing Al-Gard for those who followed
a mixed lineage.

The self identified Traditionalists made it clear that they were a
different breed of Witch from those groups which derived from Gardners
Wica and Sanders Neo-Classical Paganism and I do not recall a single
objection to the contrary. In fact the American Traditionalists were
happily singled out as "Not Like Us" by the American Gardnerians
Alexandrians and Al-Gards.

The Traditionalists were (and still are) decidedly Old Craft and
Luciferian in both Style and Lore, something that the typical 1970's
era Witches were desperately trying to deny and live down.


Gwen Thompson and Bonnie Sherlock bonded in a vivid and prolific
correspondence relationship, which led to them both sharing their
holdings fairly freely.

Kitty Lessing tended to march to the beat of her own drum, and she
disappeared from the scene well before the onset of the 1980's decade.
(If anyone out there holds a kinship to her, feel free to contact me
off list, I have a few personal letters from her which might be
valuable assets to your archives)


Bonnie Sherlock suffered from type one diabetes and while I do not
recall the exact year of her passing, I'm quite sure it was very early
in the 1980's or in the late 1970's.
I know that there were people she trained, but if they have retained a
continuing presence I am not aware of it. (I can make the same offer
in regard to personal correspondence from Bonnie, along with my
recollections of a single visit to meet her circa 1973)

Somewhere around the mid to late 1980's, after all three of these
Ladys had exited the scene or passed on, the terms "British
Tradtional" started being usurped by The Gardnerian and Alexandrian
groups that had previously shunned it as unclean due to its perceived
diabolical connections. And thus we have the current disparity in
which American Gardnerian and Alexandrian lineage Witches call
themselves "British Traditional" while their kin in the UK do no such
thing.

In recent years I have noticed, much to my dismay, that the term
"Traditional Craft" is becoming similarly co-opted

It has been suggested to me that those who have identified as
Traditionalist since the aegis of publicly acknowledged Witchcraft in
modern America ought to now abandon that term and "move on" to
"Traditional Initiatory Witchcraft" (TIW) to which I boldly reply

BULLSHIT!

My suggestion is that they really ought to roll back to their (one C)
Wica and be happy with it. I recommend abandoning their quest to
hijack every term that seems to be du jour and thus a suitable target
for adoption.

These terms are NOT orphans, they are NOT seeking a new home!


Now all this said, I am well aware that I will probably have bruised
the feelings of many Neo Pagan Wic(c)ans whom I've befriended over the
years and for that I can only say "Deal With It"

Feels free to come yell at me or otherwise discuss this issue in the FORUM

Many years ago I had a fascinating experience at the exploratorium in San Francisco. I found myself standing in front of a small cloud chamber watching a most incredible miniature light show. The Cloud Chamber is a sealed environment containing a supercooled, supersaturated water or alcohol vapour and which detects and makes visible electrically charged particles moving through it.

 Larger Image here:

Looking inside I could see the swirling real time tracks forming and trailing away in full three dimensional goodness. I was struck that if these invisible particles were penetrating the space in front of me then they were also penetrating the space inside of me. Inside my gut, inside my heart, inside my brain. There it was for the eye to see. Cosmic interplay that is older than life, older than consciousness, older than everything we can conceive of. Straight lines and Spirals combining in an orgasmic sigilic frenzy. Are their paths fated ? Is this the order in chaos? Is it an illusion, a clever trick of some power unknown to our comprehension? I don't know but I think it is some kind of clue to things we as Witches pursue. This blog entry came about via the catalyst of a posting in our forum in the "Musings on our Arte - 2008" thread.

Due to a schedule that was very densely packed with things to do, places to go and people to see combined with very limited network access I was not able to blog directly during my recent pilgrimage to the Blessed Isles. Since returning I have been navigating the accumulated work load that awaited me along with the obligatory parting gift of a nasty cold picked up in that toxic petri dish called Heathrow. However this seems like as good a time as any to write up my experiences for the blog.

We arrived In London on the morning of the 28^th (Greenwich Time) and picked up our rental vehicle ready to head out and encounter the wonders of the landscape on our way to Wales. The two main items on the agenda were the White Horse of Uffington and the Roman remains in Bath. We would be lead on our quest by the tutelary spirit of the rented Satellite Navigator “Tom Tom”, which was a strange name considering the voice which came forth was decidedly female. Being a devotee of my Magellan unit back home, I quickly found that Tom Tom did not respond readily to the invocations and spells I was already familiar with. It was necessary to delve into the 93 page Grimoire (User Manual) that purported to reveal arcane secrets for the proper prayers and mudras required to get “Tom Tom” to communicate in a comely form. Fortunately the 93 pages were actually only three real pages of instructions printed in 31 different languages. Unfortunately the three real pages of instructions weren't very much help at all. So we lumbered on and managed to elicit directions to Uffington itself, but we were on our own as to how best to get to the horse. This is where experience with being “fairy led” comes in handy, and we managed through a serious of totally coincidental moves to find a car park designed to the bustling traffic of visitors thankfully to find we were the only ones. I guess Friday Morning isn't exactly peak traffic time at the White Horse. It quickly became obvious that the vantage point from the car park was designed to discourage walking out the the chalk figure itself and I allowed my mind to range a bit and became convinced that we should consider driving up the road some more and see what that offered.

Two weeks from today I will be winging my way across the Atlantic for a long overdue UK visit. The first week of the trip will be spent in Wales and then down in the south western countryside. This will be  my first visit to the Witchcraft Museum in Boscastle and then we will wind our way back to London stopping in Glastonbury and Cerne Abbas. The dollar is in the tank but a Witch has got to do what a Witch is gonna do. It has been over twelve years since my last "Somerset Fix" and I'm ready to soak up some of the magickal mist that can only be found in Avalon. I also need to replenish my supply of sacred well water.

My excuse for not posting a blog entry in weeks isthat I've been super busy with planning and preparation not to mention trying to get the load of my "Day Job" managed so that I can relax while I'm away. It's no vacation if you have to work three times as hard for a month after you return!

I'll have a laptop with me and hope to be able to post pictures along the way.

Eastward - HO!!!!

In 1972 Robin Williamson released "Myrrh", his first solo effort after the demise of "The Incredible String band".

One track stands out as a complete departure from anything you have ever heard before or since. Many ballads tell us tales of the Fairys and Fairy abduction, but for the most part they tell their story from the perspective of the Humans involved and it is the Fairys who purloin Human victims. 'The Dancing of the Lord of Weir' turns that script on it's head and tells us the tale of how a local Noble, The Lord of Weir, steals a Fairy Princess away to his castle keep and how her Fay Kin rescue her from bondage.

 Follow the link back to our Forum where I have posted a copy of this fascinating  song and it's Lyrics. You won't be sorry you did. This is a very different kind of Fairy tale.

The Crooked Path is mandated by the Science of Chaos.

There is no such thing as a straight line, it is a fantasy which prevails amongst the men of clay in order to prevent them from following the path of light.

Whenever you THINK you are on an "Olde Straight Track" you have forgotten that the Triad of Fate Time and Circumstance conspire to masquerade in a way that prevents you from observing that you exist on a shifting platform thus creating an illusion of stability beneath the ever shifting reality only understood by those with access to the mystic realm.

The point of realization where this paradox collapses the state vector of your consensus reality creates a sacred well that taps into the stream of consciousness running beneath the terrestrial surface, otherwise known as the underworld.

If you dare sup from that which wells up then thrice blessed are thou and from thenceforth shall thy blood become infused with the character of all those who have gone before within the current. Thou shall be called to the Grand Sabbat, and there shall thou dance in ecstasy until thy soul be satiated with the Serpent fire.

Be thou Wise, Fare forth upon the path when the entrance is presented to you. It may not come to you a second time, fail not.

Discuss this transmission in our Forum

I have just installed a Tarot Card Module which you will find over on the left margin of the site screen. It features four different kinds of spreads.

The Tarot card designs are quite nice, being the work of  

http://nerrawsoft.com/hosting/

Recently a topic about Margaret Murrays work and the treatment of same in Ronald Huttons

research was being discussed on Dawn Jacksons "Traditional Witchcraft Yahoo List"

and the following is a rant that I posted as a response.

I'm converting it to a blog entry here and pointing it at

a Forum Posting for further discussion

I confess that I had never read Huttons books in full and have thus
far relied upon smaller articles and paraphrasing of his findings by
others.

Recently I encountered a rather strongly worded polemic with negative
connotations regarding Andrew Chumbley and the Cultus Sabbati which
cited Hutton as evidence for some of the the accusations. I was rather
taken back by that as I had not previously encountered anything
negative regarding that institution and it's most illustrious member.

This led me to purchase a copy of the most recent Edition of Huttons
"Triumph of the Moon" allowing me to look the citations up myself.
I found that the sections cited not only did not support the claims I
had read, IMNSHO they asserted quite the opposite.

At that point I decided I might as well read the whole book since I
had it in hand.

I'm only about five chapters into it, and I can see that Professor
Hutton is taking a massively comprehensive approach and leaving very
little off the table in setting up the modern historical conditions
which led us to the revival of interest in Witchcraft that some of us
old farts experienced during the second half of the twentieth century.

Undoubtedly this makes for tedious reading for those who may only be
interested in building a stage for their pet Neo-Neo Romantic notions
regarding survival of Pagan Theology and I can see how some might wind
up glossing over Huttons extensive treatment of the details involved
in the 19th century Greek Revival, Celtic Revival and other Neo
Romantic flotsam that entered the popular vernacular in the first half
of the twentieth century.

The sense I get is that Hutton does not heap particular scorn or blame
on Murray but rather includes her as just ONE of many who succumbed to
the "tone of the times" and like so many even today she simply sought
to prove what she already believed for all the best reasons.

I think one of the things that bugs me the most is our all too human
tendency to throw shit on others and then complain that they stink.

I get particularly annoyed that derision is often cast on some public
and semi public figures from the Neo Pagan Revival of the last
century for erroneously believing the Wiccan Hype and making specious
claims to cover up their adoption of such material in an attempt to
backfill what seemed to be gaps and holes in otherwise traditional
holdings. While at the same time those throwing the rocks claim
Cochranes overt efforts of "Truth bending" cleverly renamed "Grey
Magic" was perfectly acceptable.

I prefer to believe this was mostly done for "all the best reasons"
and I tend not to buy into the invective that they were just trying to
feather their own nest for personal gain. If Cochrane lied his ass off
to impress his audience and is lauded for doing so, then I don't see
why others should be tarred and feathered for doing the same thing.

I suspect that getting others to believe you is a core skill of the
cunning art and that the true masters of our art, like the master of
the illusory arts of legerdemain, never descend to the scurrilous act
of attempting to raise their own credibility at the expense of others.
(IE: Stage Magicians do not expose the secrets of how their
competition achieve their effects.)

From my own experience the era between the mid 1960's and our current
time has been riddled with a succession of "Witch Wars" and campaigns
of "Bad Mouthing" and I for one am just tired of it. When I see others
engage in it my first instinct is to back away and keep my distance
because I don't think it takes a huge store of Wisdom to know that
someone who "turns on" one associate will eventually get around to
working the same drill on others and that it should be no surprise
when the target winds up on your own back.

I'm fairly well read regarding the history of Witchcraft and it seems
to me that this tendency of modern Witches to savage each other over
differences in traditional belief has no analog in the past. If there
is I'm perfectly happy to be corrected on that score.


LUX ./. owen

So it seems that the Roman Catholic Church is  in an uproar over "The Golden Compass" a Movie adaption of "His Dark Materials" by religious skeptic Philip Pullman. They fear that it will indoctrinate their precious little babes into scorning the churches spiritual authority.  Call me a cynic, but I'm just not impressed by the Vaticans sincerity in opposing  the indoctrination of children into  religious dogma.  Considering the infamous Jesuit motto "Give me the child until he is seven, and I shall give you the man" and the theocratic blackmail that The Roman church exerts upon those who marry outside their faith I feel quite certain that the real beef is that they cannot stand anyone else elbowing in on what they see as "Their Territory".

Welcome to our world, Hollywood has been characterizing Witches and Witchcraft as everything that is evil in the western world since it's earliest era while largely giving the very real historical evils that were perpetrated in the name of Jesus a complete pass.  So they will just have to excuse me while I snicker softly to myself about their current consternation.

Please join me in discussion of this topic in our forum .

On my various travels around the Internet to other Witchcraft related sites and in a number of publications I run into jokes and statements of derison about "Fluffy Bunny Wiccans/Pagans".

It is quite a humerous term but I'm wondering what does it really mean?

A Site which advertises itself as "Wicca for the rest of us" presents one authors take of the subject of Fluffy Bunnies but frankly I find myself wondering about someone who describes Fluffies as " people who, most broadly categorized, give the rest of us a bad name, not by doing bad or objectionable things but instead being unserious, sophomoric, or just plain wrong" on one line and then "Those who refuse to learn, refuse to think and refuse to consider the possibility that they could possibly ever be wrong" three lines later.

Well - whatever - I really don't take serious issue with the article, it is quite fun and when it gets down to brass tacks sums it up as "Fluffy Bunnies are frequently attracted to Wicca for the sake of appearance".

I couldn't agree more.

I began my personal journey pursuing Witchcraft at a very young age, somewhere around nine years old. I didn't know what a Witch was but I knew I was one and I had a strong sense that Witches were not quite simply the characatures drawn in childrens books and modern versions of fairy tales.

My youthful fascination grew and was fueled by access to a library with an exceptionally comprehensive occult collection. I was a voracious reader and had absorbed most of the classics available prior to 1960 by the age of twelve. This included all eight volumes of " The History of Magic and Experimental Science by Lynn Thorndike". I can't tell you that I had any genuine grasp on the material but I read it and I imagine something of it must have embedded itself into my juvenile brain because this period of my life has colored all that has transpired since. The fascination waned in my early teens being replaced by an equally obsessive interest in Science but it never really went away, it simply lay close under the surface and I was ever vigilant to find connections between the two. I sought that elusive glue which I thought most certainly mediated the relationship between physics and metaphysics. In my early 20's I discovered the book "Witches USA" By Susan Roberts. This book spoke about Witches in a different way. It presented Witchcraft and it's practitioners

Welcome to our site, TradWitch.com. This site champions the Traditionalist form of Witchcraft which follows  forms of praxis and lore with roots in a multitude of traditional sources.

Shakespeare wrote  "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as sweet.".  The word Tradition is a noun and its simplest definition means "Something that is handed down" or " a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices". The word Traditional is the adjective form of the word Tradition. In it's simplest form Traditional means "in accordance with tradition". We are using the word Traditionalist which takes the form of both a noun and an adjective. In the former it means "Adherence to tradition, especially in cultural or religious practice" and in its adjective form means "stubbornly conservative and narrow-minded". We at Tradwitch.com are proud to be stubborn in our adherence to the Traditions of our Elder Faith  and narrowly focused on the cultural and religious praxis derived from them. 

 We are still working on building the site out however registration is open and we welcome your participation.