Best of
Witchcraft

2000

Spell Crafts: Creating Magical Objects


Scott Cunningham - 2000
    Tap into that power! Carve a symbol, dip a candle, mix fragrant herbs, sculpt clay, and make your life all that you want it to be. When crafts are used to create objects intended for ritual or to symbolize the divine, the connection between the craftsperson and divinity grows more intense.This second edition of Spell Crafts, the much-loved and oft-read guide to magical handwork, features new illustrations and a new preface by David Harrington. Learn how to create and use all of the following:Magical simmering potpourris A beaded psychic mandala Clay pentacles, plaques, and runic dice A shaman's arrow Sand paintings Corn Mother A magical spell broom Protective hex sign Witch bottles Flower garlands Spell banner Magic mirror Prosperity trivet Wheat weaving

The Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices


Claude Lecouteux - 2000
    They show that a house is more than a building: it is a living being with a body and soul. Examining the extensive traditions surrounding houses from medieval times to the present, Claude Lecouteux reveals that, before we entered the current era of frequent moves and modular housing, moving largely from the countryside into cities, humanity had an extremely sacred relationship with their homes and all the spirits who lived there alongside them--from the spirit of the house itself to the mischievous elves, fairies, and imps who visited, invited or not. He shows how every aspect of constructing and keeping a house involved rites, ceremony, customs, and taboos to appease the spirits, including the choice of a building lot and the very materials with which it was built. Uncovering the lost meaning behind door and window placement, the hearth, and the threshold, Lecouteux shares many tales of house spirits, from the offerings used to cajole the local land spirit into becoming the domestic house spirit to the good and bad luck bestowed upon those who seek the help of the “Little Money Man.” He draws on studies and classic literature from old Europe--from Celtic lands and Scandinavia to France and Germany to the far eastern borders of Europe and into Russia--to explain the pagan roots behind many of these traditions. Revealing our ancestors’ charms, prayers, and practices to bestow happiness and prosperity upon their homes, Lecouteux shows that we can invite the spirits back into our houses, old or new, and restore the sacred bond between home and inhabitant.

Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plant-Lore and Healing


Stephen Pollington - 2000
    Three key Old English texts are reproduced in full, accompanied by new translations: Bald's Third Leechbook, Lachunga, and Old English Herbarium.

Charge of the Goddess: The Mother of Modern Witchcraft


Doreen Valiente - 2000
    

The Wicca Handbook


Eileen Holland - 2000
    This book is both a tutorial for new witches and a reference book for experienced practitioners. Covers the many ways there are to be a witch -- as a solitary practitioner, or part of a coven following one of many traditions. Holland shares useful information for writing spells, creating rituals, and making tools, charms, and potions. She also includes an index of spells, ancient and modern, making this an all-inclusive reference manual for all skill levels. Glossary. Index. Bibliography. 320 pp.

Wiccan Warrior: Walking a Spiritual Path in a Sometimes Hostile World


Kerr Cuhulain - 2000
    In the Wiccan community these include Maiden, Healer, Mother, Bard, and others. In Wiccan Warrior by Kerr Cuhulain, you will learn of eight new yet traditional archetypes that Wiccans can model their lives and goals upon. You'll also find that they are completely appropriate for any person following a spiritual system.These eight are:The Balanced Warrior, for whom all comes from the Divine and must be treated as such. The Creative Warrior, who masters myths and can use them to share wisdom. The Rational Warrior, who avoids all types of fundamentalism. The Energized Warrior, who can raise and direct energy. You'll learn to do this with toning, mantras, dance and drumming. The Dreaming Warrior, who knows how to alter consciousness. Here you will learn meditation, concentration and breathwork. The Magickal Warrior, who knows and can do magick. The Ritual Warrior, who helps revitalize rituals with knowledge, understanding, energy and love. The Initiated Warrior, who knows and shares the value of true initiation. There are five cornerstones to the magick of being a Wiccan Warrior. These are the well-known To Dare, To Will, To Know and To Keep Silent. To these Cuhulain adds To Imagine. For to imagine is to be able to clearly visualize your objective, to develop and use a creative imagination. The book is filled with ideas and insights that will guide you on your way to becoming a true Wiccan Warrior, a person freed from limitations.This book is a must for Wiccan and Witches of all stripes. If one of the Warrior archetypes doesn't fit your needs, another (or several others) will. People who are not Wiccans will find much to admire and make use of, too.Winner of the 2001 Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Award for best Biographical/Personal Book

The Heart of Wicca: Wise Words from a Crone on the Path


Ellen Cannon Reed - 2000
    It takes us far beyond the currently popularized images and surface understanding into a world that few are privileged to enter.Ellen Cannon Reed guides us past misunderstanding and false conceptions into the lifestyle, mind set, and religious dedication to spiritual growth that lie at the heart of this lifetransforming practice. She talks about life in a coven, the magical family of brothers and sisters who love and care for one another, who work together magically, circle together, study together, celebrate and laugh together, and lift each other up when one falls.From the wisdom developed through many years of Wiccan practice, she talks about the nature and complexity of symbols, and explains how their layered, deeper meanings are vehicles of communication that bypass ordinary conscious thought and go directly to our deep or unconscious mind. She says that we can develop a personal relationship with the Deities, for that is the very soul of Wicca. Learning to honor the ancient Gods and Goddesses through study, meditation and other forms of magical or ritual dedication, opens up direct communication which leads to everincreasing levels of healing and guidance. She discusses about practical issuesfinding a teacher, coven leadership and tradition, training, rituals, the various types of initiation, the ethics of spell casting, and the importance of the Wheel of the Year (the eight Sabbats).The Heart of Wicca is like having a personal conversation with a wise crone.

Magic of Believing


Ted Andrews - 2000
    Here they can learn what every magician, priest, priestess, shaman, witch and wise one throughout history had to learn. In Vol. 1, they will begin to understand the power of imagination and belief. As they work the exercises in this book, developing their psychic abilities if they wish, teens will realize how magically wonderful they really are.

Titania's Fortune Cards


Titania Hardie - 2000
    It is easier to understand and more fun than the tarot. The cards are combined with a guidebook on layout and interpretation.

Beyond the Mist: What Irish Mythology Can Teach Us About Ourselves


Peter O'Connor - 2000
    Beyond the Mist is an introduction to Irish mythology which also explores its contemporary relevance to the mysteries, unknowns, and vicissitudes of life. It explores the various divine and other figures as symbolic aspects of the individual psyche and the unconscious mind, while providing insights into these repressed aspects of our inner life and suggesting appropriate ways of relating to and integrating these qualities.

The Twelve Wild Swans: A Journey to the Realm of Magic, Healing, and Action


Starhawk - 2000
    The long-awaited continuation of the bestselling classic The Spiral Dance

Practicing the Presence of the Goddess: Everyday Rituals to Transform Your World


Barbara Ardinger - 2000
    In Practicing the Presence of the Goddess, Barbara Ardinger offers a wide variety of meditations and personal rituals to help women honor the feminine spirit and commune with the Goddess. These include creating a sacred space at home, building a meaningful altar, using ritual and meditation to enrich awareness, and inventing new rituals to celebrate personal events. The author's wry, gentle humor and loving attitude shine through the text, which offers possibilities ranging from bringing love into one's life to having a heart-to-heart with the Goddess.