Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways

Traditional Witchcraft
A Cornish Book of Ways

TRADITIONAL
WITCHCRAFT
A Cornish Book of Ways
by
Gemma Gary
with line illustrations by
the author and photography
by Jane Cox
© 2008 Gemma Gary
The Paperback Editions:

)LUVW(GLWLRQÀUVWSULQWHG2FWREHU
5HYLVHG6HFRQG(GLWLRQÀUVWSULQWHG1RYHPEHU
5HYLVHG6HFRQG(GLWLRQZLWKQHZSUHIDFHÀUVWSULQWHG$XJXVW
,6%1
$OOULJKWVUHVHUYHG
1RSDUWRI WKLVSXEOLFDWLRQPD\EHUHSURGXFHGVWRUHGZLWKLQDUHWULHYDO
V\VWHPRUWUDQVPLWWHGLQDQ\IRUPRUE\DQ\PHDQVHOHFWURQLF
PHFKDQLFDOSKRWRFRS\LQJVFDQQLQJUHFRUGLQJRURWKHUZLVHZLWKRXWWKH
SULRUZULWWHQSHUPLVVLRQRI WKHDXWKRUDQGWKHSXEOLVKHU
$Q\SUDFWLFHVRUVXEVWDQFHVZLWKLQWKLVSXEOLFDWLRQDUHSUHVHQWHGDVLWHPV
RI LQWHUHVW7KHDXWKRUDQGWKHSXEOLVKHUDFFHSWQR
UHVSRQVLELOLW\IRUDQ\UHVXOWVDULVLQJIURPWKHLUHQDFWPHQWRUXVH
5HDGHUVDUHVHOI UHVSRQVLEOHIRUWKHLUDFWLRQV
Published by Troy Books

ZZZWUR\ERRNVFRXN
Troy Books Publishing

%0%R[
/RQGRQ:&1;;
Acknowledgements
With grateful thanks to;

-DQH&R[&KULVWLQH*DU\-DFN'DZ-R0DTXHWWHV*UDKDP
.LQJDQGWKHWHDPDWWKH0XVHXPRI :LWFKFUDIW6WHYH
3DWWHUVRQ1LJHO3HDUVRQ0LFKDHO+RZDUG0DUWLQ'XII\
.HOYLQ,-RQHV0DUWLQ&OHDYHUDQGWKHZRUNRI &HFLO+
:LOOLDPVRQ
With acknowledgement also to those who have walked

WKH:D\VZLWKPHEXWZRXOGSUHIHUQRWWREHQDPHG
Contents
Preface 11
Introduction 17
The Cunning Path 35
The Dead and the Otherworld 43
The Bucca 50
Places of Power 61
The Tools of Cunning 73
The Witches’ Compass 93
The Hearthside Rite 98
The Compass Rite 100
The Troyl Hood 106
A Ritual of Closing 107
The Trade 111

The Hand of the Wise 115
Planetary Virtues 116
Magical Substances 119
Charm Bags 129
Workings of Protection 132
Workings of Healing 139
Workings of Love 144
Workings of Good Fortune 147
Workings of Spirit Magic 148
Workings of the Weather 157
Versatile Ways 158
Rites of the Moon 165
The Furry Nights 171
Candlemas 172
May’s Eve 175
Golowan 180
Guldize 185
Allantide 188
Montol 193
Initiations on the Cunning Way 199

A Rite of Dedication 204
Glossary 210
Bibliography 215
Index 218
List of Line Illustrations and Figures
by the Author
Tammy Blee 16
Boskenna Cross 34
Spirit House in the Landscape 42
The Bucca Dark and Fair 50
Where All Conjoin 60
Pellar Tools 72
The Compass Round 92
Witch Charms 110
The Hand of the Wise 114
Planetary Squares 130, 131
Written Protection Charm 132
Written Healing Charm 140
Written Love Charm 145
Witch Mirror 156
The Moon and Troy Stone 164
Obsidian Moon stone 169
The Furry Nights 170
The Nine Knots and Thirteen Witch’s Points 198
List of Photographs
By Jane Cox
Between Pages 48 and 49
1 The home of Tammy Blee, 56 Coinagehall St, Helston.
2 Granny Boswell – image courtesy of the Museum of
Witchcraft
3 Museum of Witchcraft Wise-woman tableaux
4 The Rocky Valley, North Cornwall
5 The Rocky Valley Labyrinths
6 Chûn Quoit
7 The Merry Maidens stone Circle
8 Skull used to represent the Bucca in outdoor rites
9 Bucca figure carved by Bel Bucca
10 The author’s hearth
11 Carn Euny Fogou passage
12 Alsia Holy Well, near St Buryan
13 Boscawen Un stone circle
14 ‘Birthing’ at the Men-an tol
15 Threshing fork and working staves
16 Spirit whip and hook wand
17 Mysterious goat headed knife
18 Wise-woman knives in the Museum of Witchcraft
19 Wind roarer, sweeping tools, switch and ‘witch’s whisk’
20 Working stones
21 Snake vertebrae and garnet witch necklace
22 An indoor altar and working surface
23 The author lighting the switch
24 The author drawing the spirits in by use of the switch
25 The stone, bone, staff and flame
26 The skull
27 The author working at her hearth
28, 29, and 30 The author working in the circle
31 and 32, A collection of household charms
33 The contents of a protective witch-bottle
34 Animal bone and chain charms
35 A charm bag
36 The ‘witch’s lump figure’ in the Museum of Witchcraft
37 Lead body parts for ‘stroking magic’
38 Snake skin and box for healing
39 House dolls on the hearth
40 Mandrake in coffin-box
41 A very fine thread-work spirit house
42 Antler tine ‘prickers’ for weather magic
43 The author working candle and pin magic
44 A ‘Get-Lost-Box’ in the Museum of Witchcraft
45 A mirror bottomed copper basin - Museum of
Witchcraft
46 Padstow ‘Old’ or ‘Red’ ‘Obby ‘Oss
47 A midsummer fire - Madron
48 The Penzance Guldize Neck
49 Crying the Neck - Madron
50 The nine knotted cord
The human skull is the symbol of death. For the witch
death holds a strange fascination. Each and every one of
XVLVERUQWRGLHEXWLVGHDWKDÀQDOHQGWROLIH"7KHZLWFK
says no. For she knows that: “there are other places and
other things”. Her whole life and being is devoted to the
ever present but unseen world of spirit. To the witch the
spirit world is a reality, a living thing. To her everything
has a spirit, a soul, a personality, be it animal, mineral,
vegetable. That is why to us in the south west we know
DQGEHOLHYHLQWKHOLWWOHSHRSOHRK\RXPD\ODXJKP\ÀQH
up country folk, but beware for indeed you are in the land
where ghoulies and ghosties, and long legged beasties still
romp, stomp and go bump in the night. Come, let us show
you what the witches and their spirits do…’
Cecil H. Williamson 1909 – 1999
10

Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Traditional Witchcraft

A Cornish Book of Ways

The Paperback Editions:

Published by Troy Books

Troy Books Publishing

With grateful thanks to;

With acknowledgement also to those who have walked

The Trade 111

Initiations on the Cunning Way 199

Cecil H. Williamson 1909 – 1999

You might also like