Lolair
June 25th, 2007, 04:29 PM
Traditional Witchcraft
General Overview:
There are many arguments over what the definition of traditional witchcraft is and what practices qualify one to be under this title. It is often a heated debate within the community. In the most general terms, traditional witchcraft is a path whose practitioners follow pre-Wiccan traditions of witchcraft or pre-Wiccan witchcraft practices. It is not a Neo-Pagan path, but instead is more akin to reconstructionism in its adherence to historical accuracy and its incorporation of genuine practices, materials, and mythology as opposed to newly made ones. The majority of traditional witches incorporate pagan practices and witchcraft lore from folklore, folktales, ballads, oral lore as well as ethnological and anthropological texts - while others use journeying techniques or learn knowledge from ancestors or spirit guides. Hereditary and Family Traditions also fall into the category of Traditional Witchcraft (yes they do exist!) as do the traditional cunningfolk, wise women and men of the United Kingdom. Cultural witchcraft traditions are also sometimes included within this category as they blend well together, but for the sake of clarity I will keep them separate in this class, as for me personally it is up to the practitioner to include cultural traditions and religions in their witchcraft practices.
Most traditional witches and groups do not claim ancestry back thousands of years or of descending from a continuing line of witches for hundreds of years - but there are those out there who do. I would suggest to take these claims with a grain of salt and if you are thinking about joining a group with these claims I would suggest thoroughly researching them and asking a lot of questions first. If it sounds unbelievable it probably is - but family traditions do exist.
Disambiguation:
The term 'Traditional Witchcraft' may be confusing to some who have researched it on the internet, as currently there is a new practice forming in the witchcraft community under the name of traditional witchcraft. This practice is a combination of Cochrane and 1734-influenced craft also incorporating Sabbatic craft and ideas from various modern authors including Nigel Jackson, R.J. Stewart, Andrew Chumbley, Robin Artisson, and others. Instead of viewing this as a practice or tradition within traditional witchcraft, many confuse it with the category of traditional witchcraft itself and see it as the only path of traditional witchcraft. If the previous paragraph just confused you, then you're in the right place, and by the end of this lesson you will understand what I'm talking about (hopefully! *crosses fingers*).
Traditions:
The paths under the Traditional Witchcraft category include: Kitchen Witchery, Green Witchery, Hedge Witchery, 1734/Roebuck, Robert Cochrane and the Clan of Tubal Cain, Sabbatic Craft, Feri/Vicia, Fairy-Faith, Cunning Folk/Wise Women-Men/Cunning Art, Family Traditions, and others. The definitions of these paths may not be what you already perceive, so read on and stay tuned!
Resources:
This list of resources are of the best quality and reliability I have found on the web and other places. They are as unbiased as is possible and helpful to those interested in traditional witchcraft in general rather than a specific tradition.
Articles:
Traditional Witchcraft FAQ (http://www.shadowdrake.com/HSDwitchFAQ.html)
"What Traditional Witchcraft is Not" (http://www.shadowdrake.com/antitradwitch.html)
"The Differences Between Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft" (http://www.enchantedoak.com/tradwicca.html) Forums and E-Lists
Traditional Witchcraft Forums (http://www.traditionalwitchcraft.net/)
The Crooked Path (http://www.crookedpath.org/)
Traditional Witchcraft Yahoo Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Traditional_Witchcraft/)Websites
Hedgewytchery (http://www.hedgewytchery.com/indexb.html)
Boscastle Museum of Witchcraft (http://www.museumofwitchcraft.com/)
Traditional Witchcraft Wiki (http://www.traditionalwitchcraft.com/Main_Page)Books & Periodicals
The Cauldron (http://www.the-cauldron.fsnet.co.uk/)
White Dragon Magazine (http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/)
Capall Bann Publishing (http://www.capallbann.co.uk/)
Oak Magic Publications (http://www.oakmagicpublications.com/)
Acorn Guild Press (http://www.acornguild.com/)
Mastering Witchcraft (http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Witchcraft-Practical-Witches-Warlocks/dp/0595420060/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-2980201-8505444?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182984188&sr=1-1) by Paul Huson
Old Tradition Crafte (https://protected.bizland.com/arsobs/titles_for_sale.html) by Robin Artisan
Witchcraft in the Middle Ages (http://www.amazon.com/Witchcraft-Middle-Jeffrey-Burton-Russell/dp/0801492890/ref=cm_lmf_tit_4_rsrsrs0/103-2980201-8505444) by Jeffrey Burton Russell
A History of Witchcraft (http://www.amazon.com/History-Witchcraft-Second-Jeffrey-Russell/dp/0500286345/ref=sr_oe_1_2/103-2980201-8505444?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182984468&sr=1-1) by Jeffrey Burton Russell
General Overview:
There are many arguments over what the definition of traditional witchcraft is and what practices qualify one to be under this title. It is often a heated debate within the community. In the most general terms, traditional witchcraft is a path whose practitioners follow pre-Wiccan traditions of witchcraft or pre-Wiccan witchcraft practices. It is not a Neo-Pagan path, but instead is more akin to reconstructionism in its adherence to historical accuracy and its incorporation of genuine practices, materials, and mythology as opposed to newly made ones. The majority of traditional witches incorporate pagan practices and witchcraft lore from folklore, folktales, ballads, oral lore as well as ethnological and anthropological texts - while others use journeying techniques or learn knowledge from ancestors or spirit guides. Hereditary and Family Traditions also fall into the category of Traditional Witchcraft (yes they do exist!) as do the traditional cunningfolk, wise women and men of the United Kingdom. Cultural witchcraft traditions are also sometimes included within this category as they blend well together, but for the sake of clarity I will keep them separate in this class, as for me personally it is up to the practitioner to include cultural traditions and religions in their witchcraft practices.
Most traditional witches and groups do not claim ancestry back thousands of years or of descending from a continuing line of witches for hundreds of years - but there are those out there who do. I would suggest to take these claims with a grain of salt and if you are thinking about joining a group with these claims I would suggest thoroughly researching them and asking a lot of questions first. If it sounds unbelievable it probably is - but family traditions do exist.
Disambiguation:
The term 'Traditional Witchcraft' may be confusing to some who have researched it on the internet, as currently there is a new practice forming in the witchcraft community under the name of traditional witchcraft. This practice is a combination of Cochrane and 1734-influenced craft also incorporating Sabbatic craft and ideas from various modern authors including Nigel Jackson, R.J. Stewart, Andrew Chumbley, Robin Artisson, and others. Instead of viewing this as a practice or tradition within traditional witchcraft, many confuse it with the category of traditional witchcraft itself and see it as the only path of traditional witchcraft. If the previous paragraph just confused you, then you're in the right place, and by the end of this lesson you will understand what I'm talking about (hopefully! *crosses fingers*).
Traditions:
The paths under the Traditional Witchcraft category include: Kitchen Witchery, Green Witchery, Hedge Witchery, 1734/Roebuck, Robert Cochrane and the Clan of Tubal Cain, Sabbatic Craft, Feri/Vicia, Fairy-Faith, Cunning Folk/Wise Women-Men/Cunning Art, Family Traditions, and others. The definitions of these paths may not be what you already perceive, so read on and stay tuned!
Resources:
This list of resources are of the best quality and reliability I have found on the web and other places. They are as unbiased as is possible and helpful to those interested in traditional witchcraft in general rather than a specific tradition.
Articles:
Traditional Witchcraft FAQ (http://www.shadowdrake.com/HSDwitchFAQ.html)
"What Traditional Witchcraft is Not" (http://www.shadowdrake.com/antitradwitch.html)
"The Differences Between Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft" (http://www.enchantedoak.com/tradwicca.html) Forums and E-Lists
Traditional Witchcraft Forums (http://www.traditionalwitchcraft.net/)
The Crooked Path (http://www.crookedpath.org/)
Traditional Witchcraft Yahoo Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Traditional_Witchcraft/)Websites
Hedgewytchery (http://www.hedgewytchery.com/indexb.html)
Boscastle Museum of Witchcraft (http://www.museumofwitchcraft.com/)
Traditional Witchcraft Wiki (http://www.traditionalwitchcraft.com/Main_Page)Books & Periodicals
The Cauldron (http://www.the-cauldron.fsnet.co.uk/)
White Dragon Magazine (http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/)
Capall Bann Publishing (http://www.capallbann.co.uk/)
Oak Magic Publications (http://www.oakmagicpublications.com/)
Acorn Guild Press (http://www.acornguild.com/)
Mastering Witchcraft (http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Witchcraft-Practical-Witches-Warlocks/dp/0595420060/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-2980201-8505444?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182984188&sr=1-1) by Paul Huson
Old Tradition Crafte (https://protected.bizland.com/arsobs/titles_for_sale.html) by Robin Artisan
Witchcraft in the Middle Ages (http://www.amazon.com/Witchcraft-Middle-Jeffrey-Burton-Russell/dp/0801492890/ref=cm_lmf_tit_4_rsrsrs0/103-2980201-8505444) by Jeffrey Burton Russell
A History of Witchcraft (http://www.amazon.com/History-Witchcraft-Second-Jeffrey-Russell/dp/0500286345/ref=sr_oe_1_2/103-2980201-8505444?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182984468&sr=1-1) by Jeffrey Burton Russell