Witchcraft And Secret Societies Of Rural England

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Witchcraft and Secret Societies of Rural England

Author : Nigel Pennick
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1620557614
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (25 download)

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Book Synopsis Witchcraft and Secret Societies of Rural England by : Nigel Pennick

Download or read book Witchcraft and Secret Societies of Rural England written by Nigel Pennick and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-04-09 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive account of the rich folk culture preserved in the rural secret societies of the British Isles • Describes the secret rites, ceremonies, and initiation rituals of guilds and rural fraternities such as the Shoemakers, Horsemen, Toadmen, Mummers, and Bonesmen • Explains their use of masks, black face, and other disguises to avoid persecution • Draws not only on scholarly research but also the author’s personal contacts within these still living traditions Centuries ago the remote, marshy plains of eastern England--the Fens--were drained to create agricultural land. The Fens remained isolated up until the nineteenth century, and it was this very isolation that helped preserve the ancient traditions of this area, traditions ruthlessly eradicated elsewhere in the British Isles. These magical folk traditions also owe their survival to secret rural societies, from craft guilds and trade unions to Morris dancers and village bands. Exploring the folk customs and magical traditions of guilds and rural fraternities such as the Shoemakers and Horsemen and the secrets guarded by the Free Gardeners, Witches, Toadmen, and Bonesmen, Nigel Pennick shows how the common working people of the Fens belonged to secret societies based on their specific trade. He details the hidden aspects of rural life that most historians ignore--the magical current that flowed through the lives of working people--and describes the secret rites, ceremonies, oaths, and initiation rituals of the guilds and fraternities to which the folk belonged. Drawing not only on scholarly research but also his personal contacts within these still living traditions, Pennick explains their use of masks, black face, and other disguises to avoid persecution and describes how wise woman healers and witches in rural villages were sought-after for their remedies. He shares the secrets of the toad-bone rite, which gave the Toadman control over animals and members of the opposite sex, and explores the guardian spirits thought to inhabit the Fens, including those of the Wild Hunt. Providing insight into a world that has largely disappeared, one whose magic still echoes in lore and legend, Pennick shows that the rites, customs, and ceremonies of guilds and rural fraternities connect individuals to a wider community and, through collective action, to the power of Nature and the Cosmos.

Secrets of East Anglian Magic

Author : Nigel Pennick
Publisher : Holmes Publishing Group Llc
ISBN 13 : 9781861632432
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (324 download)

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Book Synopsis Secrets of East Anglian Magic by : Nigel Pennick

Download or read book Secrets of East Anglian Magic written by Nigel Pennick and published by Holmes Publishing Group Llc. This book was released on 2005-08 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ...amounting to a grimoire of the outlook and practices of cunning folk in East Anglia, but it is also so much more than this...Not to be missed Runa A new edition of this excellent book with many new illustrations making it much superior to the original version. A rich sourcebook for talismanic magic, charms against evil, household and animal magic, folk recipes, ceremonies of protection, curative spells and recipes, offering a unique and fascinating insight into the little-known techniques and traditions of East Anglia, with emphasis on the practical, useful nature of nameless art as a magical path to self-awareness. From the magical realms of eastern England comes the nameless art , the magical spiritual inheritance of East Anglia, land of horse-whisperers, wizards and witches, cunning men and wise women. With its roots in the pagan traditions of the ancient Anglians and Danes who lived there in former times, East Anglian magic has rarely been written about, and never before in such depth. This is the first practical guide to these traditional secrets. Containing a wealth of information, this book gives not only a history of magic in this region, but also explains the current use of its ancient skills and wisdom, revealing the origins and mysteries and explaining the underlying principles of this magic, enabling the reader to come into a dynamic interaction with nature, personified by spirits, becomes approachable.

Operative Witchcraft

Author : Nigel Pennick
Publisher : Destiny Books
ISBN 13 : 9781620558447
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (584 download)

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Book Synopsis Operative Witchcraft by : Nigel Pennick

Download or read book Operative Witchcraft written by Nigel Pennick and published by Destiny Books. This book was released on 2019-10-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive look at the history and practices of rural English witchcraft • Explores witch’s familiars and fetches, animal magic, and the forms of witchcraft practiced by rural tradespeople, such as blacksmiths, herbalists, and artisans • Offers practical insight into spells, charms, folk incantations, herbal medicine practices, amulets, sigils, and tools of the craft • Details the evolution of public perception of witchcraft throughout England’s history, including the laws against witchcraft in place until the 1950s and witchcraft’s contentious relationship with the Christian church In this practical guide, Nigel Pennick takes the reader on a journey through the practice of operative witchcraft in the British Isles from the Middle Ages and the Elizabethan era to the decriminalization of witchcraft in the 1950s and its practice today. Highlighting uniquely English traditions, Pennick explores fetches and witch’s familiars, animal magic, and the forms of witchcraft practiced by rural tradespeople, such as blacksmiths, herbalists, and artisans, to enhance their professional work and compel others to do their bidding, both man and beast. He provides actual spells, charms, and folk incantations, along with details about the magical use of a variety of herbs, including nightshades, the creation of amulets and sigils, protection against the Evil Eye, and the use of aromatic oils. Pennick explains the best times of day for different types of magic, how to identify places of power, and the use of the paraphernalia of operative witchcraft, such as the broom, the witches’ dial, and pins, nails and thorns. He explores the belief in three different types of witches: white witches, who offer help and healing for a fee; black witches, who harm others; and gray witches, who practice both white and black magic. Examining witchcraft’s contentious relationship with the Christian church, he investigates the persecution of witches throughout the UK and the British West Indies up until the mid-20th century. He offers a look into the changing public perceptions of witchcraft and the treatment of its followers as well as revealing how English churchmen would offer magical solutions to the perceived threat of black witchcraft. Painting an in-depth picture of English witchcraft, including how it relates to and differs from modern Wicca, Pennick reveals the foundation from which modern witchcraft arose. He shows how this context is necessary to effectively use these ancient skills and techniques and how the evolution of witchcraft will continue harmonizing the old ways with the new.

The Triumph of the Moon

Author : Ronald Hutton
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191622419
Total Pages : 512 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (916 download)

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Book Synopsis The Triumph of the Moon by : Ronald Hutton

Download or read book The Triumph of the Moon written by Ronald Hutton and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2001-02-15 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ronald Hutton is known for his colourful and provocative writings on original subjects. This work is no exception: for the first full-scale scholarly study of the only religion England has ever given the world; that of modern pagan witchcraft, which has now spread from English shores across four continents. Hutton examines the nature of that religion and its development, and offers a microhistory of attitudes to paganism, witchcraft, and magic in British society since 1800. Its pages reveal village cunning folk, Victorian ritual magicians, classicists and archaeologists, leaders of woodcraft and scouting movements, Freemasons, and members of rural secret societies. We also find some of the leading of figures of English literature, from the Romantic poets to W.B. Yeats, D.H. Lawrence, and Robert Graves, as well as the main personalities who have represented pagan witchcraft to the world since 1950. Densely researched, Triumph of the Moon presents an authoritative insight into a hitherto little-known aspect of modern social history.

England's Witchcraft Trials

Author : Willow Winsham
Publisher : Grub Street Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1473870968
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (738 download)

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Book Synopsis England's Witchcraft Trials by : Willow Winsham

Download or read book England's Witchcraft Trials written by Willow Winsham and published by Grub Street Publishers. This book was released on 2018-08-30 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the author of Accused comes “an entertaining as well as illuminating” history of Britain’s most infamous witch hunts and trials (Magnolia Review). With the echo of that chilling injunction, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,” hundreds of people were accused and tried for witchcraft across England throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. With fear and suspicion rife, neighbor turned against neighbor, friend against friend, as women, men, and children alike were caught up in the deadly fervor that swept through villages. From the feared covens of Pendle Forest to the victims of the notorious and fanatical Witchfinder Generals Matthew Hopkins and John Stearns, so-called witches were suspected, accused, and dragged to trial to await judgement and face their inevitable and damnable fate. In this “interesting, informative and insightful” book, historian Willow Winsham draws on a wealth of primary sources including trial transcripts, parish, and country records, and the often sensational—and highly prejudicial—pamphlets that were published after each trial. Her exhaustive research reveals just how frightening, violent, and terribly common the scourge really was, and explores the social conditions, class divisions, and religious mania that stoked its flames (All About History).

The Witches

Author : Roald Dahl
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780141326214
Total Pages : 199 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (262 download)

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Book Synopsis The Witches by : Roald Dahl

Download or read book The Witches written by Roald Dahl and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A young boy and his Norwegian grandmother, who is an expert on witches, together foil a witches' plot to destroy the world's children by turning them into mice.

Witchfinders

Author : Malcolm Gaskill
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674025424
Total Pages : 390 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (254 download)

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Book Synopsis Witchfinders by : Malcolm Gaskill

Download or read book Witchfinders written by Malcolm Gaskill and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2007-10-31 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By spring 1645, two years of civil war had exacted a dreadful toll upon England. People lived in terror as disease and poverty spread, and the nation grew ever more politically divided. In a remote corner of Essex, two obscure gentlemen, Matthew Hopkins and John Stearne, exploited the anxiety and lawlessness of the time and initiated a brutal campaign to drive out the presumed evil in their midst. Touring Suffolk and East Anglia on horseback, they detected demons and idolators everywhere. Through torture, they extracted from terrified prisoners confessions of consorting with Satan and demonic spirits. Acclaimed historian Malcolm Gaskill retells the chilling story of the most savage witch-hunt in English history. By the autumn of 1647 at least 250 people--mostly women--had been captured, interrogated, and hauled before the courts. More than a hundred were hanged, causing Hopkins to be dubbed "Witchfinder General" by critics and admirers alike. Though their campaign was never legally sanctioned, they garnered the popular support of local gentry, clergy, and villagers. While Witchfinders tells of a unique and tragic historical moment fueled by religious fervor, today it serves as a reminder of the power of fear and fanaticism to fuel ordinary people's willingness to demonize others.

Pagan Book

Author : Nancy Pennick
Publisher : Inner Traditions
ISBN 13 : 9780892813698
Total Pages : 152 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (136 download)

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Book Synopsis Pagan Book by : Nancy Pennick

Download or read book Pagan Book written by Nancy Pennick and published by Inner Traditions. This book was released on 1992-09-01 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guide to the festivals, traditions, and sacred days of the year.

Witchcraft

Author : Raven Grimassi
Publisher : Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 296 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Witchcraft by : Raven Grimassi

Download or read book Witchcraft written by Raven Grimassi and published by Llewellyn Worldwide. This book was released on 2004 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding the Mystery Teachings of Witchcraft is essential for anyone wishing to enrich their Craft. World-renowned author and scholar Raven Grimassi guides readers down the well-worn path to these Mystery traditions by exploring their roots in myths, legends, verses, and lore. Witchcraft: A Mystery Tradition provides a cultural and mythical context that helps readers gain insight into these Mystery themes. Drawing upon the long-standing traditional European Witchcraft and occult concepts and tenets, Grimassi constructs a cohesive mythos that supports and unifies the Sabbats and their associated deities. Also provided are techniques for aligning with the "momentum of the past," a powerful current of knowledge and energy available to all Witches.

Encounters with Witchcraft

Author : Norman N. Miller
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 1438443595
Total Pages : 243 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (384 download)

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Book Synopsis Encounters with Witchcraft by : Norman N. Miller

Download or read book Encounters with Witchcraft written by Norman N. Miller and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-04-26 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Encounters with Witchcraft is a personal story of a young man's fascination with African witchcraft discovered first in a trek across East Africa and the Congo. The story unfolds over four decades during the author's long residence in and many trips to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. As a field researcher he learns from villagers what it is like to live with witches, and how witches are seen through African eyes. His teachers are healers, cult leaders, witch-hunters and self-proclaimed "witches" as well as policemen, politicians and judges. A key figure is Mohammadi Lupanda, a frail village woman whose only child has died years before. In her dreams, however, she believes the little girl is not dead, but only lost in the fields. Mohammadi is discovered wandering at night, wailing and calling out for the child. Her neighbors are terror-stricken and she is quickly brought to a village trial and banished as a witch. The author is able to watch and listen to the proceedings and later investigate the deeper story. He discovers mysteries about Mohammadi that are only solved when he returns to the village three decades later. Today, witch-hunting and witchcraft-related crimes are found in more than seventy developing countries. Epidemics of violence against alleged witches, mainly women, but including elders of both genders, and even children is on the increase in some parts of the world. Witchcraft beliefs may lie behind vigilante murders, political assassinations, revenge killings and commercial murders for human body parts. Through African voices the author addresses key questions. Do witchcraft powers exist? Why does witchcraft persist? What are its historic roots? Why is witchcraft-based violence so often found within families? Does witchcraft serve as a hidden legal and political system, a mafia-like under-government? The author holds up a mirror for us to think about religious beliefs in our own experience that rely heavily on myth and superstition.

Cursed Britain

Author : Thomas Waters
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300249454
Total Pages : 375 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis Cursed Britain by : Thomas Waters

Download or read book Cursed Britain written by Thomas Waters and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2019-10-07 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The definitive history of how witchcraft and black magic have survived, through the modern era and into the present dayCursed Britain unveils the enduring power of witchcraft, curses and black magic in modern times. Few topics are so secretive or controversial. Yet, whether in the 1800s or the early 2000s, when disasters struck or personal misfortunes mounted, many Britons found themselves believing in things they had previously dismissed – dark supernatural forces.Historian Thomas Waters here explores the lives of cursed or bewitched people, along with the witches and witch-busters who helped and harmed them. Waters takes us on a fascinating journey from Scottish islands to the folklore-rich West Country, from the immense territories of the British Empire to metropolitan London. We learn why magic caters to deep-seated human needs but see how it can also be abused, and discover how witchcraft survives by evolving and changing. Along the way, we examine an array of remarkable beliefs and rituals, from traditional folk magic to diverse spiritualities originating in Africa and Asia.This is a tale of cynical quacks and sincere magical healers, depressed people and furious vigilantes, innocent victims and rogues who claimed to possess evil abilities. Their spellbinding stories raise important questions about the state’s role in regulating radical spiritualities, the fragility of secularism and the true nature of magic.

Creating Places of Power

Author : Nigel Pennick
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1644115859
Total Pages : 478 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (441 download)

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Book Synopsis Creating Places of Power by : Nigel Pennick

Download or read book Creating Places of Power written by Nigel Pennick and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-11-29 with total page 478 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exploration of the traditional rites of auspicious building and crafting • Explains the ceremonial beginnings and Hermetic principles in the laying out of foundations not only for sacred buildings like temples but also for homes and barns • Examines the principles and ceremonies of electional astrology and details how to compute natural time, as opposed to clock time • Shares examples from ancient Egypt, Iran, India, and Europe that range from the Stone Age to the Renaissance and include secret societies When we make things--whether a building, a sacred space, or a magical object--there is a precise moment when the artifact comes into being as a separate entity. That moment in time possesses its own unique quality, and because of this, there is a right time to do something and a wrong time. And, as Nigel Pennick reveals, we have the power to select favorable moments for our creations, just as our ancestors did. Illustrating ancient principles of divination, chronomancy, and electional astrology, Pennick examines all the factors behind the ancestral art of geomancy: the auspicious creation and alignment of sacred buildings as places of power. Sharing examples from ancient Egypt, Iran, India, and Europe that range from the Stone Age to the modern day, including secret societies like the Rosicrucians and the Freemasons, he explains how many cities were constructed on specially selected sites and founded ritually at precise, predetermined moments. Looking at the traditional rites of creating places of power, Pennick explains the ceremonial beginnings and Hermetic principles in the laying out of foundations as well as the use of sacrifice in the building of many notable structures. Examining the role of sacred geometry in geomancy, Pennick explains the Hermetic meaning assigned to each direction in traditional European cultures as well as the principles of natural measures and the science of understanding lucky and unlucky days. Revealing how geomantic principles are rooted in the structure of the world and the cosmic patterns of space and time, the author shows how they transcend the ages and are just as meaningful today as they were to our ancestors.

The Devil's Plantation

Author : Nigel G. Pearson
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780738765815
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (658 download)

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Book Synopsis The Devil's Plantation by : Nigel G. Pearson

Download or read book The Devil's Plantation written by Nigel G. Pearson and published by . This book was released on 2020-02-08 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Taking its name from the lost "black book" of a famed Cambridgeshire witch, this book guides the reader through the traditional witchcraft of East Anglia, which teems with land wights, mermaids, giants, wort cunning, toad lore, folk magic, and witchcraft. Within these pages, you will discover the secret practices of "the good folk" that have been nurtured in England's "Witch Country."

A History of Witchcraft in England

Author : Wallace Notestein
Publisher : The Floating Press
ISBN 13 : 1776536010
Total Pages : 448 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (765 download)

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Book Synopsis A History of Witchcraft in England by : Wallace Notestein

Download or read book A History of Witchcraft in England written by Wallace Notestein and published by The Floating Press. This book was released on 2014-05-01 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many historical treatments of witchcraft tend to be somewhat sensationalistic and cartoonish. Not so with Wallace Notestein's measured, intellectual take on the subject in A History of Witchcraft in England, which offers not only a thorough historical narrative, but also puts the practice into social and political context.

Daughters of the Witching Hill

Author : Mary Sharratt
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN 13 : 0547488483
Total Pages : 379 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (474 download)

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Book Synopsis Daughters of the Witching Hill by : Mary Sharratt

Download or read book Daughters of the Witching Hill written by Mary Sharratt and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2010-04-07 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of The Dark Lady, a novel of England’s trial of the Pendle witches of 1612 and a family struggling to survive the hysteria. Bess Southerns, an impoverished widow living in Pendle Forest, is haunted by visions and gains a reputation as a cunning woman. Drawing on the Catholic folk magic of her youth, Bess heals the sick and foretells the future. As she ages, she instructs her granddaughter, Alizon, in her craft, as well as her best friend, who ultimately turns to dark magic. When a peddler suffers a stroke after exchanging harsh words with Alizon, a local magistrate, eager to make his name as a witch finder, plays neighbors and family members against one another until suspicion and paranoia reach frenzied heights. This e-book includes a sample chapter of Illuminations. “Daughters of the Witching Hill offers a fresh approach with witches who believe in their own power and yet, in many ways, are still innocent. Sharratt’s readers—like the magistrate who took the women’s confessions—are likely to be spellbound by their stories.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Full of the reality of the day, this story is stark and real, but Sharratt’s descriptions of landscape and the daily life of the poor at the time are rich enough to feed the senses. The author weaves this vast canvas of changing culture into the personal stories of these women, and in the process transports us to a distant land, a distant time—and deep into the story of people we sympathize with and care about.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies: The Ultimate A–Z of Ancient Mysteries, Lost Civilizations and Forgotten Wisdom

Author : John Michael Greer
Publisher : HarperCollins UK
ISBN 13 : 0007359179
Total Pages : 27 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (73 download)

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Book Synopsis The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies: The Ultimate A–Z of Ancient Mysteries, Lost Civilizations and Forgotten Wisdom by : John Michael Greer

Download or read book The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies: The Ultimate A–Z of Ancient Mysteries, Lost Civilizations and Forgotten Wisdom written by John Michael Greer and published by HarperCollins UK. This book was released on 2010-06-10 with total page 27 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover everything you ever wanted to know about secret societies like the Freemasons, the historical mystery of Atlantis, why King Arthur, Leonardo da Vinci and Hitler are key figures, plus conspiracy theories, forgotten sciences and ancient wisdom.

Familiars in Witchcraft

Author : Maja D'Aoust
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1620558475
Total Pages : 227 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (25 download)

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Book Synopsis Familiars in Witchcraft by : Maja D'Aoust

Download or read book Familiars in Witchcraft written by Maja D'Aoust and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-07-16 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive exploration of familiars and their many forms and powers • Explores witch’s familiars in folklore, shamanic, and magical traditions around the world, including Africa, India, Scandinavia, ancient Greece, and China • Explains how familiars are related to shamanic power animals and how the witch draws on her personal sexual energy to give this creature its power • Examines the familiar in alchemical, Hermetic, and Egyptian magical literature, including instructions for procuring a supernatural assistant Exploring the history and creation of a “witch’s familiar,” also known as a spirit double or guardian spirit, Maja D’Aoust shows how there is much more to these supernatural servant spirits and guardians than meets the eye. She reveals how witches are not the only ones to lay claim to this magician’s “assistant” and examines how the many forms of witch’s familiars are well known in folklore throughout Europe and America as well as in shamanic and magical traditions around the world, including Africa, India, and China. The author explains how familiars are connected with shapeshifting and how the classic familiars of medieval witchcraft tradition are related to the power animals and allies of shamanic practices worldwide, including animal guardian spirits of Native American traditions and the daimons of the ancient Greeks and Romans. She examines the fetch spirit, also known as the fylgia in Scandinavian tradition, and how the witch or sorcerer draws on their personal sexual energy to give this creature its power to magnetize and attract what it was sent to retrieve. She looks at incubus, succubus, doubles, doppelgangers, and soul mates, showing how familiars can also adopt human forms and sometimes form romantic or erotic attachments with the witch or shaman. Reviewing alchemical, Hermetic, and Egyptian magical literature, including the nearly forgotten alchemical works of Anna Kingsford, D’Aoust explores their instructions for procuring the attention of a supernatural assistant as well as an extensive description of the alchemical wedding and how this ritual joins the magician and familiar spirit into a single unified consciousness. Exploring fairy familiars, she reveals how a practitioner can establish a “marriage” with a totemic plant or tree spirit, who, in return, would offer teachings about its medicinal and visionary powers. Delving deeply into the intimate relations of humanity with the spirit world, D’Aoust shows how forming connections with living forces other than human enables us to move beyond the ego, expand our magical abilities, as well as evolve our conscious awareness.