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MI�H�L H0 WA RE>
ILLUS'f<RA-1€D BY
Cl€MMA ClARY
©MichaelH oward2,0 14
Illursattio©n sGemma Gary2,0 14
Firsptu blishiendG reaBtr itaiinn2 014b yS kyligPhrte ss,
210B rooklynR oad,C heltenhaGml,o sG L5l S EA
Allr ightrse serveEdx cepfotr theq uotatioofns horpta ssagfeosr t hep urposes
ofc riticiasnmd r evienwo, p arto ft hipsu blicatmiaoyn b er eproducesdt,o red
ina retriesvyaslt eomr t ransmittienda ,n yfo rm orb ya nym eanse,l ectronic,
mechanicaplh,o tocopyirnegc,o rdionrgo therwiswei,t houtth e prcioonrs enotf
thec opyrighhotl dearn dp ublisher.
MichaeHlo wardh asa ssertheidsr ightto b ei dentifiaesdt hea uthoorf t his
work.
Designeadn dt ypesbeytR ebsiFea irholm
PublisheDra:ni eSlt aniforth
Covera rtworbky G emma GaryT.e xturebda ckgrounadr tb yS aschDau ensing.
www.skylightpress.co.uk
Printeadn db oundi nG reaBtr itabiynL ightniSnogu rceM,i ltonK eynes
Typeseitn A dobeC asloPnr oT.i tlseest i nN ewcomena nd1 491C ancelleresca.
BritiLsihb rarCya taloguiinngP ublicatDiaotna :
A catalogrueec orfodr thibso oki sa vailafrbolme theB ritiLsihb rary.
ISBN9 78-1-908011-85-5
Imne mooafrylt lh ose
witoctfhh OeelsC d r aft
whpoe riasth hetadhn ed s
of wtihtec h-hunters.
�ON� €N�S
Introduction 7
PAR'f' ON€:P REPARING- FOR 'f'HW:€-1£ 8
chapotneer Toolosf t heA rte 21
chapttweor Enteritnhge C raft 38
chapttherre eC astintgh eC ircle 47
PAR'f''f' WO:"f< H€ WH€€L OF 'f'H€Y EAR
chapftoeurr Candlemas 57
chapfitveer LadyD ay 64
chapsixt er May Day 70
chapsteevre nM idsummer's Day 89
chapter Leaimghmtas tide 97
chapntienre Michaelmas 106
chaptteenr AllH allows 113
chapetleerv eYnul e 126
chapttweerl vTewe lfthN ight 134
PAR'f''f' HR€€:U BER NOX -'f'H€ W:-1£8
IntroductitooLn bieNro xa ndt heR ites 143
Castintgh eC ircloefA rte 152
Yulet:h eR itoe fR ebirth 163
Twelfth Nightt:h eR itoef B eginning 167
Candlematsh:eR itoe ft heW axingL ight 174
LadyD ay:t heR itoef B alance 180
May Day:t heG reatR ite 184
Midsummer Datyh:eR itoe fF aerie 189
Lammas:t heR itoef S acrifice 193
Michaelmatsh:eR itoef H arvesHto me 197
Hallowtsh:e R itoef t heM ightyD ead 201
Appenidxc.A: Chilodf E arth 209
AppendiCJJx:M agicaNla mesfo r theF ulMlo ons 210
Bilbioapghrryef,e ren&c fuerst hreera ding 211
Index 214
ODAY them ajoriotfyb ooksw ritteanbo utm odernw itchcraft
areb aseodn Wiccac reatbeyd G eralGda rdneirn t he1 940s.
Gardnearr ,e tirceidv sielr vawnhto h adl iveidnt heF arE astf or
manyy earbse forer eturnitnoEg n glanidn t hel at1e 930 sw,a si nitiated
intao ' traditionalc'o vewinin tt chhe N ew Foresitn 1 939.A fterh eh ad
boughtth eM useum ofW itchcraafntd M agica tC astletoownn t he
Isloef M an fromi tosw nerC eciHlu gh Williamsionnt he ea1r9l5y0 s,
Gardnewra sa lsion itiaitnetdoa loca'lr obecdo veno'fM anx witches
who claimedde scefrnot m theo ldc unninfogl ko n thei sland.
Inh isi ntroducttiooa nn unpublishmeadn uscriepntt itleMda gic,
Witch&c rFciftae riients h Ies efle M an,Ga rdnesra itdh atr emnantosf
the oldh istoriwciatclh crsatfti exlils teadn d he 'waam se mbero fs everal
Britiwsiht ccho vensH'o.w everG ardnesre emsto h avet urnehdi sb ack
on them oret raditifoornmaslo fw itchcrhaefth ade ncounterkendo,w n
collectiavste hleyO ldP athE,l deFra itohr O ld Crafta,n dc reatheids
own versicoanl lWeidc ca!.h ish eb elievweodu ldb em orea cceptatbol e
thep ubliacn db ecomea widesprenaedo -pagraenl igion.
Wiccah ass ometimebse end escribbeyd i tsc ritiacss' vanililtlea
witchacftr'!.h isi sb ecausientr yingt op opulartihseeC rafhti sc ritics
sayG ardnehra dt os anitiistre,e movinigg,n orionrgr epresstihnogs e
darkeerl ementosft heo ldw itcwha yst hath e knewt hem oderna ge
wouldr eje!chte.fa cti st hatth ew itchha sa lwaybse ena s piritrueablea l ,
socioault sidae rre,v ersaenrdo pposerm;a gai caplr actitiwohnoe cro uld
curea ndc urshee,x a ndh eal!.h eyw erea lspoe oplweh o literallilvye d
'beyotnhde p ale!'h.i wsa sa r eefrencteot hef enceo rh edgteh aste parated
civilisafrtoimo tnh ew ilderneBsesy.o ndi td weltth ep aagnoirc ountry
dwellesrtsi follll owintgh eO ldW ays,t he' heathewnhso' i nhabittehde
desolahteea tha,n dt hew olfheaodrso utlawwsh o hidi nt hea ncieanntd
enchantweidl dwoohda untebdy e lvegso,b liannsd fa erie!sh.e h edgeo r
fencew asa lssoy mboloifct hei nvisibboluen darbye tweeMni ddlEea rth
andt heO therwor'lIdh.ii ssw hyw itchweesr e often 'chaeldlgeed- riders'
andd epictreidd intgh rougthh ea iorn hurdlaensd f ences.
Somem odern' traditiwointaclh'ce lsa itmo fo llows urvivoarrl esv ivals
oft heh istoriwciatlc hcraft itsrh eacto rded in foalnkdtl hoera ec counts
7
LihNeorx
oft hew itch-trWirailtsi.n ogfh iso wni nitiatiinottnow os treamofst he
Old Crafdta tinfrgo m atl eastth ee ndo ft hel 9h'c enutrya,n dp robably
earlimeord,e rnc unninmga n AndrewD . Chumbley( 1967-2004)s aid:
'We havei nheritaend o ralt raditioofnm agical praac ttircaed,i tion
whichr elatae psa tho fh istoridceaslc enttot hep resednaty a ndw hich
leadosn warid ntao c hanginfugt ure. .e.ac hg eneratiinoo nu rt radition
hasm aintainceedr tatiena chinagnsd p rincipolfe msa gical practice,
combinintgh ec ulturealle mentosf t het imea ndp lacaec corditnog
needa ndd isposit(iqouno.t'ei dnH utton1 9993:08)O.t hert raditional
witchepsr,o babtlhye m ajori,bt eylontgo r evivaolrir setc onstructionist
groupwsh o haver ecreattehdet ypeof w itchcrparfatc tiisnet dh ep ast
anda dapteidtt om odernt imeBso. thfo rmsa rev alid.
Althougthr aditiwointaclh crfaeafttu re'sp aganisetliecm'e ntmsa,n y
ofi tfso llowedros n otr egartdh emselvaes's p agapnse'sr eF .or i nstance
the traditwiiotncRahol b erCto chransea itdh atth eO ldC raftw asn ot
a historidciarle scutr vivoafal n ciepnatg anisHmo.w everh,e s aiidt d id
contaiann dp reserevlee mentosft hep re-Chrismtyisatn ercyu ltasn d
int hicso untrtyh eB ritiMsyhs terTyr aditiMoann.y oft heb elieafsn d
practiocfet sh eo ldp agan relidgiidso unrsv iivnefo lklorseo,m es easonal
customtsh,el egenodf t heW ildH unta ndt hep opulabre liienft hes o
callLeidt tPleeo ploer fa eryfo lk.
!here amraen ya ccounitnsf olk"'!':.raditiaonndt hew itch-troifa ls
mortaltsr avelltiona g ' hollohwi lolr's acremdo untaionr v isitian g
prehistobruirci amlo und ('faehriyl lw'h)e rei,n a form ofi nitiation,
theym eeta nda ret aughbty t heQ ueeno fElfhameo rf aerylaSnodm.e
examploefst hes'eh ollhoiwl lasr'eG lastonbTuorryi nS omerset, Silbury
Hilaln dC leyH ililn W iltshi(rter aditiotnhaehl olmye o ft hek ingo f
thefa eriesC)i,s sbuRriyn gi nS usseTxh,e H ill Toafr ai nI relanCda,r n
Ingl(it hHei lolf t heA ngelsi)nW estW alest,h eH orselbe(rMgo untain
oft heH orseo)r V enusbe(rtgh Meo untaionf V enusi)n G ermany,a nd
MountS hastian C alifornia.
Manya specotffas e ryl oraen dp re-Chrismtyitahno loaglys sou rvived
ina sublimatfeodr mi nt hes o-cal'lMeadt teorfB ritaoirnA' r thurian
legendasn,d f ort harte asotnh eyh aveb eena doptebdy s omem odern
traditiwointaclh eWsh.i liet h asb eeni nfluenbcye Cdh ristianaintdy
medieviadle acso ncernicnhgi va,lk rnyighthoaondd r omancet,he c ore
oft heA rthurimaynt hosa ndi trso otasr ee ssentiparlel-yC hrisotri an
'pagainn'b oth oriagnidnn aturIef.A rthuerx istaesda reahli storical
persotnh enh ew asn ota medievraull esru rroundbeydg allaknnti ghts
ins hininagr mourH.e wasa Romano-Britwiasrhr iokri ngl eading
a war-banadt t het ransitpieorni obde tweetnh eo ldp aganr eligions
8
