Sacred Craft and Land

Resources for

The Craft of the Wise

Of my people and my Land: Tales of the Sacred.

To An Introduction to Witchcraft.

Since my early years I have treasured the knowledge gained while on hill tops, rocky shores and in wild places. The voice of the wild speaks to us as it did to our ancestors, When I lived with Aboriginal Australians I learnt that this was also the way they experienced and learnt from life and that we all have sacred home places that sing to us. The song told me we were created for a purpose by the Deity who creates when she loves what she dreams. Our ancestors also play a part in our creation - including our extended and very ancient family of stars, rocks and trees. We are born with our own part to play in the music of the spheres. For me, the Old Religion of Nature, is the practice of honouring this Creating Spirit, of honouring all creatures as our extended family and in fulfilling our role as part of this great whole. It does not matter what name one gives to the practice, Pagan, Witchcraft, Druidry, Hindu, Islamic, Christian - what matters is that we play our part.

The religion that is opposed to this also has many names. It is that held by people who see nature as corrupt, as Fallen, as needing to be Mastered rather than Venerated. It is held by those who say new born babies are stained with original sin and thus not one with their God. It is held by those who put their faith in being saved by a Deity that only exists outside Nature.

My people's ancient Goddesses and Gods I do not see as competing deities but as different aspects of the One. My people on my mother's side, from Ulster, had formed images that they called Macha and The Morrigan - and Brighid. On my father's side I had a British mixture and a love for boats - but I followed mostly my mother's genealogy. I found that the divine images spoke to me, became real - for they came from ancestors that loved the land I loved. The poem I wrote when meditating on Macha and the Troubles can be found here - see The Lament of Macha.

Witchcraft is a redeemed word - redeemed by many modern women and men in honour of those who died demonised as "witches" over the past two thousand years. It had been used by Christian missionaries as a synonym for "evil magic" worked by an alliance with the devil. But today it is used also for a revived nature religion that uses a beneficial magic, that draws from the past but is shaped for today. It is in this latter sense that it is used here. It's original meaning was probably "shaping" - ie helping to shape reality.

Here are some pages from my own writing on the Craft, its history, on magic and Paganism, Aborigines, religion and women - and on the Witchtrials. They are all original and deeply researched. Many are extracted from my new book "Seven Days:Tales of Magic, Sex and Gender." I hope you find them useful (there's much moe in the book)

To an Introduction to the Craft.

How It Began

God or Goddess - The Divine Hermaphrodite

The nature of Magic Alchemy The definition of Pagan Anglo Saxon Magic

Maria Gimbutas Aboriginal Witches? Aboriginal Women and Magic. Daisy Bates and Aborigines

St. Augustine and his Penis Sex and Church Sex and the Craft A new Adam and Eve story

Amazons, Matriarchy and Gimbutas challenged British Fighting Women Female Inequality and Christianity

Myth, Jung and the Craft.

The Persecution of Witches.

The Definition of Evil

Waldensians The women of the Beguine Women, mystics and witches

High Magic and the Witchtrials Malleus Malificorum Witchtrial Victims Women Healers and Witchtrials

Witch Trial Confessions Witches that Flew Witches, Romi or Gypsies and Knotmagic

Margaret Murray and Medieval Witchcraft Secret Magical Societies Witches killed in Recent Times

Wicca's Origins Environment and Mystics

Church, Surgeons and Our Gender

Birth Rites Boy or Girl Baby? Church and Gender Church and Marriage

If you enjoy the above - and want more of the same - then I advise buying my book from which all these are extracted. this is obtainable from me. Click "The Seven Days of My Creation: Tales of Magic, Sex and Gender."

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Please visit our Pagan and Witchcraft "Bookshop for Sacred Times" with highly selected and reviewed top titles at discounted prices -Half of all its income goes to environmental or social justice campaigns. It has a Dorleen Valiente page, Starhawk page, Crowley page - and much more

I also include on this page some other resources that you can explore -with many thanks to the people who put them on the Web.

My Sisters, Brothers in the Craft

Starhawk's Home Page

Francesca Dubie's 3rd Road

Blessed be and welcome to The Witches' Voice - É

Witches' League for Public Awareness - Salem, USA The central office of this extensive organisation.

And finally a website that might seem strange to find here - but I include it to honor a very important part of my own pathway and some very deeply spiritual and lovingly wise people. The Catholic Worker movement founded by Dorothy Day has open houses of hospitality across the world. Many deeply radical anti-war and pro-sustenance actions have been carried out by its members.

Catholic Worker Home Page

The Rituals and Songs of the Craft.

The following is a fine resource collection assembled and written by another sister in the Craft and made public - for which I and many others are very grateful.

Susan's Book of Shadows