My Little Demon

I have just recently started talking with folks about the fact that I "meddle with the Goetia." It seems and* daemonic sorceress? Sure! Why not?

this is surprising information for folks -- even for people who know me fairly well. Priestess of Aphrodite *

Natalie and I have both written about familiars, especially spirit (non-coropreal) familiars. As I wrote in one of those posts:

The word "angel" comes from the Greek ἄγγελος pronounced "angelos", which means messenger. "Demon" also comes from the Greek --  δαίμων pronounced daímōn, meaning nothing more or less than "spirit."  Neither was inherently benevolent, nor was the other malevolent. Can they be? Sure. I bet you can be nasty, too.

I went on to say that we feel that spirit conjuration (what can rightly be called "demonic conjuration") is a long-standing practice in the sort of sorcerous witchcraft that is practiced by people like us. Check out the American Folkloric Witchcraft blog for a better idea of the Craft we practice.

So, here we are, contacting helpful spirits through our talking board, and specifically getting in touch with the spirits who want to work with us. In a session by myself, I first spoke to the spirit I simply call "S." I learn right away that she is a spirit of the Goetia. I learn relatively soon that this spirit had been with me as a teenager as my beloved cat. I piece together that the spirit I had seen in my living room (and the black ghost cat my entire family and some roommates have seen) is also her. And I learn in the last month or so that she is included in Dee & Kelley's Enochian (angelic magick) tablets as one of the "Daughters of the Daughters of Light" -- listed there simply as S.

She's been with me since I was 17, and I have felt her presence for a very long time. She has taught me so much about Spirit (and about daemons, specifically). She has been a partner to Natalie and I as we undertook a hefty writing project -- The Witches' Key: The Sorcery of Solomonic Magick. This book is "the Goetia on the Goetia." (I'm working on formatting it now, and Natalie is working on illustrations. I'd like to have it done by the end of the summer, but that might be a stretch. Let's say: done by Samhain.)

I'd love to write and talk more about spirits here, for those who are interested. Expect a post or two on the topic as I continue working on this project.

We are fleshy spirits. Spiritual beings having a human experience.

Magical Herbalism Workshops by Laurelei and/or Natalie

I just added a slew of workshops to my Presentation Catalog, all related to the witch-y side of

Ferula Asfoetida

herbalism. In all cases, Natalie and I can present these classes together or separately. Just give us a shout if you want something awesome and herbal at your event.

The Way of the Woodwose -- The Path of Magical Herbalism
Plants offer so much to humanity -- food, shelter, spice, medicine, clothing, and more. Each of these is magical in itself; however, plants offer something beyond the physical experience, too. They give us a key into the realms of mysticism and magic that are the domain of religion and spirituality. Join Laurelei and Natalie for this introduction to magical herbalism and discuss the many ways in which herbs can transform your inner reality.

Incense Blending
 Sacred smoke is one of the quintessential elements of magical and mystical practice. Witches, magicians, seers, monks, and holy people of every religion have used smoke and fume as a method of sending their prayers to the heavens and of gaining inspiration from beyond the veil of the visinble world. In this hands-on workshop, Laurelei and Natalie will discuss the 5 basic ingredients of an excellent incense and then get our hands dirty by making some for a practical application. Everyone will come away from this class with a sample of loose blended incense and copious notes on how to make the best blends for their future needs.

Flying Ointment and Sabbat Wine
 Learn the art of herbal astral travel. Come and discuss with us the historical ways in which the Witches of old flew to the Sabbat at the Mountain, leaving their bodies safe at home -- or how they went out into the night as hares. Laurelei and Natalie will discuss the theory and history behind the very toxic plant poisons used in the past and also explore some safe (but effective) non-toxic alternatives for modern spirit flight.

Vision Brews
 Certain plants are (in)famous for their vision-inducing abilities -- as well as their deadly side effects. Chat with Laurelei and Natalie about the visionary poisons of old, and then we'll all explore several safe and strong herbs that pack a punch for opening psychic ability and developing seership.

Abramelin and the Formulas of High Magick
Ceremonial Magick concerns itself with alchemy on a number of levels. Transformation happens both within the magician and without. The working of Abramelin the Mage is one of the most famous workings of ceremonial magick, and the oil formula that is created from it is highly prized by magicians. Join Laurelei and Natalie as we explain the preparation of this oil and discuss its history and use in other magical formulations.

Traditional Oils and Waters of the American Folk Magic
 Fiery Wall of Protection, Florida Water, Hungary water, Black Cat Oil, Angel Water -- You'll come away from this workshop with your own formulary of potions used in American folk magic. Some are from Hoodoo, some from European folklore, others from the hills of the Ozarks and Appalachia. We'll discuss their uses, how to personalize and prepare them, and we'll even make one so that everyone comes away with a sample.

Gris-Gris, Paquettes, Putzi, and Pouches -- Bundles of Herbal MagicThe magical spell bag, by any other name, would still smell as .... Well, it would smell like magic, and that's the important thing. Magical practitioners of all sorts, on every continent where people live, have put potent items of a like nature together in a bundle to achieve a goal for its bearer. Protection, love, health, sleep, luck. After a thorough discussion on the sorts of dirts, herbs, and other objects usually included in these bundles, Natalie and Laurelei will provide bags to participants and let them choose from available materials to make their own pouches.

The Alraun -- A Plant Familiar
 Everyone knows the image of a Witch with a black cat familiar. But how many are aware of the wise woman with her mandrake spirit? The alraun is a carefully tended plant that acts as a spirit guide. Is it the spirit of the plant who offers wisdom and guidance? Or a spirit who inhabits the plant? Join Natalie and Laurelei in this discussion on the history and practical creation & tending of the alraun.

R -- Robin Artisson #paganblogproject

Robin Goodfellow. Cock Robin. Robin of the Hood. Puck.

The things the Craft community must remember about the contemporary writer who calls himself Robin Artisson is that A) he chose his name quite deliberately, and  B) he is a talented worker of Grey Magic, much like the notable Robert Cochrane.

For readers who don't know dear Robin, he is something of a controversial character within the Trad Craft community. Okay, honesty: He is a VERY controversial character. People either love him or loathe him. I've seen him blocked from groups and forums because people are afraid of what he might say or do.

Mind you, I've not witnessed him being hateful -- only thought-provoking (sometimes in the extreme, I'll warrant). But people get testy when he has posted a simple meme or comic post.

Why? What magic does this man weave?

Well, Glaux and I recognize in him something of a genius of contemporary Craft. He is, by our perspective, the heir of the Robert Cochrane legacy. The Modern Magister, if you will. His books are enlightening and relevatory -- they have grown and expanded with his own growth. And YES, thank the Goat!, he pushes people's buttons. He makes you think. He'll take both sides of an argument, tricksy shapeshifter that he is, to make you suss out your true thoughts and feelings -- or to point out your rigid grip on dogmatic schlock.

The name Robin Artisson has a long history, first appearing in the trial of Dame Alice. She, of course, was the first Irish woman tried and convicted of witchcraft, though her maid Petronila was the first to be executed. Dame Alice named Robin Artisson (or Robin, son of Art) as her familiar, her teacher.

Robin, as a spirit name, is associated with Robin Goodfellow, the Horned One himself. We see him as Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and he is known in myth and legend as a playful, mischievous, but ultimately wise and insightful spirit of the Unseen Realms. One of the Fey.

His writing is rambling and poetic. I love it. (I tend toward the prosaic and brief in my non-fiction.) You have to work to walk the path of mystery down which he leads you. It is informed by his BA in European History and Anthropology. (He also holds an MA in Poli-Sci and Criminal Justice and another in Family and Marriage Counseling -- both of which give him great insight into the best and worst in human nature.)


On a personal note, Glaux and I are holding out hope of luring Robin to the festival we help run, Babalon Rising, so that we can do awesome Witchcrafts in the Woods. (BR, with a little help from yours truly, will be adding more American Folkloric Magic -- craft and conjure -- to the schedule in 2013.)

Alright, so give his books and website a read. You will be the better for it!

Website: A World Unseen
The Witching Way of Hollow Hill
The Resurrection of the Meadow
The Horn of Evenwood

The Secret of the Wind -- coming in 2013

R - Robert Cohrane #paganblogproject

Robert Cochrane is the pen name of Roy Bowers, a British Cunning Man who was working his craft around the same time that Gerald Gardner was writing about Wicca. In fact, Cochrane was the one who coined the name "Gardnerism" or "Gardnerianism" for the form of Craft that Gerald was promoting. (The term came up in "The Pentagram" and other sources where Cochrane showed some disdain for the ceremonial-influenced Craft that Gardner was telling the public was "family heritage.")

Cochrane purported himself to be a member of a Craft tradition that had been handed down since the 17th Century, and he resented the false or watered-down version that he felt Gardner was presenting.

Glaux and I have always been drawn to the work and writings of Cochrane. In fact, it was one of the points of attraction for us. She had been trained within a reculed Gardnerian line, and my former HPS had a similar background. However, my HPS went from Gardnerian Wicca in the 60's and 70's to Druidry in the 80's and 90's, and she finally landed in a 1734 offshoot known as Roebuck  in the late 90's. I met her in 1998, at a time when she (my HPS) had formed her own Trad that was based on each of these lines of training, along with what we called Dragon Craft. While we always knew that we were "close cousins" to Roebuck/Ancient Keltic Church, it wasn't until I read the book written by the co-founder of that Trad that I realized we were really a sort of daughter coven  -- though a bastard, since my HPS hadn't taken her initiation with that group before striking out on her own. (The book is Forge of Tubal Cain by Ann Finnin. I highly recommend it.)

Okay, so back to Robert Cochrane.

He carried on correspondences with several people and wrote several articles that have become something like canon within Trad Craft circles. Doreen Valiente was the Maid of his coven for a period, in her search for authentic craft. That coven is called Clan of Tubal Cain, and it is still functioning today, decades after his death. Shani Oates is the current maid. (You should also read her book, Tubelo's Green Fire, if you have an interest in this type of Craft.)

His work has had a great influence on modern practitioners of Traditional Craft. His correspondence with Joe Wilson was a major influence in Wilson's establishment of the 1734 Tradition, which is an American adaptation of British Family Craft. From there, several Craft Traditions have sprung up, including Roebuck, which I mentioned earlier as a source of my own training.

The Mohsian Tradition, Blue Star, the work of Peter Paddon, Raven Womack, Robin Artisson, and of course American Folkloric Witchcraft are all influenced by Robert Cochrane and the writings that he gave the world.

Cochrane died by his own hand at the Summer Solstice when he was 35. He ingested belladonna -- some believe as an intentional ritual sacrifice.

P - Possession #paganblogproject

Folks in this modern Craft really dislike the term "possession," but it is nothing more than a descriptor for invocation, channeling, aspecting, being ridden by, or drawing down a Deity/Entity.  I have no fearful connotation against this term, so I use it more frequently than the others to point to this act of Craft.

I don't have an issue with the other terms, mind you. They are all perfectly acceptable, and a couple even describe the feeling of possession quite well. So, nope, I find no need to quibble over the terms. I would much rather get down to the nitty gritty of Bonus P Blog Topic -- possession.

When I first began my study of the Craft, I believed that every Witch had possession experiences eventually. I thought that all of us on this path sought to intentionally invoke the spirits of our beloved and honored Gods and Goddesses into our own bodies -- to give them a time within flesh, a voice with which to speak, hands to touch. I thought that learning to achieve this state -- to set myself aside and make room within my body for the Deity -- was part of the training of Witches. Of course, if you let something in, you should be able to let/get it back out, so I figured that was part of the training process, too. All in all, though, I really thought that most Witches underwent this training.

I was wrong. Many -- a very great many -- people who claim Witchcraft as their path openly fear and revile possession.

Possession was most definitely a part of my own training as a Witch, and I have helped my own students and covenmates learn to achieve and release the experience. Each person, in both Traditions of which I have been a part, has had to prove themselves proficient in this area in order to access the Initiation rite that allows them to fully claim the title of Witch. In one Trad, that was at 1*. In American Folkloric Witchcraft, we have only one initiation -- the one that Raises you. But in both cases, we feel that a Witch needs to be capable of this skill in order to have a complete working relationship with Deity and Spirit.

Initiation & Priestesshood via Aphrodite

Check out part 2 of my conversation with Karen Tate on "Voices of the Sacred Feminine." We continue our discussion of Aphrodite as a Goddess of liminality and explore the way that relates to initiation. We also talk about both the ancient and modern priestesses who serve Aphrodite.

Thanks. Karen, for having me back! It was a wonderful conversation.

Aphrodite's Myths & Symbols - 09/12 by Karen Tate | Blog Talk Radio

Aphrodite's Myths and Symbols - 09/12 by Karen Tate | Blog Talk Radio

Listen in while Karen and I discuss liminality and initiation in Aphrodite's myths. It's going to be amazing, enlightening, beautiful, inspiring ... all that you could hope in an Aphrodisian initiation.