Frances Billinghurst's Blog, page 13

Book Review: Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life

The following is the full no holds barred review of Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life by Ariadne Rainbird, a practicing Wiccan of over 35 years and who was my High Priestess in the early/mid 1990s.

Contemporary Witchcraft is an informative, comprehensive and well written guide to the practice of Pagan Witchcraft in the Southern Hemisphere, but also contains a lot of valuable information which readers in the Northern Hemisphere could equally benefit from.  The author uses the term “contemporary witchcraft” to describe the more traditional and initiatory practice of the Craft which can be traced back to Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders, generally known as Wicca.  Unfortunately the word Wicca has been usurped by modern neo-pagans, practising a Wicca-based non-initiatory neo-paganism, and has therefore become a generalised term often including an assortment of New Age practices, as opposed to focusing on the initiatory teachings of Gardner and Sanders, much to the annoyance of those of us who are of an initiatory lineage.   The author muses that what is often called Wicca today bears little resemblance to what she was originally trained in, and what she practices today, and so has chosen to describe what she does as contemporary witchcraft rather than Wicca. However, she makes it clear that what she is writing about is in fact Wicca in its original sense, the traditional and initiatory form which honours oathbound materials and hierarchical training.

The author gives a brief history of the development of what has become modern witchcraft before plunging in to some of the common beliefs and practices of contemporary witchcraft, discussing in quite some depth, such topics as the origin and meaning of the Wiccan Rede, the Threefold Law of Return, and the Charge of the Goddess.  There is a wealth of interesting information, such that even a long-service and experienced Wiccan such as myself, with over 35 years in the Craft, has found information which was new to me within these pages.   There are a lot of books on Wicca around these days, many of which simply re-hash the same old ideas, or worse, give a watered down version, turning it into some New Age fluffy version that is unrecognisable to those of us who are initiated witches.  This book is not one of those, and I would recommend it for the serious student of modern pagan witchcraft.

Frances Billinghurst provides an in-depth discussion of the seasonal festivals and how they differ in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and how a tradition which originated in the Northern hemisphere can be effectively adapted for the Southern Hemisphere, whilst maintaining a sense of connectedness to the land, highlighting that it is not a case of “simply moving the sabbats around”.  She points out that such an assumption indicates a lack of understanding of the differences between the two hemispheres, and goes on to discuss the five basic differences between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and how the practitioner can adapt their craft to the part of the world they live in, not just whether Northern or Southern Hemisphere, but also taking into account climate and landscape.  I also applaud the author debunking the American trend, which has unfortunately spread around the world, of referring to the autumnal equinox as “Mabon”, and the summer solstice as “Litha”, neither of which have any historical precedent.  As the author rightly points out, Mabon is a character from Welsh folklore who in Welsh pagan traditions and Druidry, is connected with the sun and the summer solstice, and has no connection either mythologically, or festival-wise with the autumnal equinox. 

The author then gives a number of practical exercises and discusses the various ways of making magic, as well as the basics of casting a circle, calling upon the elements and meditative practices, and discusses the working tools of a witch, which will be valuable for the beginner, or anyone considering becoming involved in contemporary witchcraft, as well as providing some food for thought to those already practising, encouraging reflection on our practice, the symbolism of the tools and why we do things in a certain way.  Overall I would recommend this book not only to the beginner, but also to the seasoned practitioner of witchcraft, and not only to those in the Southern Hemisphere, but wherever you may be.

Ariadne Rainbird (co-author of Magick Without Peers: A Course in Progressive Witchcraft for the Solitary Practitioner, Capall Bann Publishing, 1997)

 

 

Book Review: Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life

On reading the introduction, I was transported back 35 years to my own introduction to the craft, and it set the tone for the rest of the book. Contemporary Witchcraft Foundational Practices for a Magical Life is a great read as it is formed from, in my opinion, genuine teachings, and genuine research and workings. It is a refreshing change from so much information available that at best is questionable in origin.

David Garland (President, Pagan Awareness Network Inc, Australia)

Pre-Ordering Available through Waterstones

The British book retailers, Waterstones, operates some 283 shops throughout the United Kingdom as well as some neighbouring European countries.  As such, I am rather excited to find out that my two forthcoming titles, Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms and Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life , can be pre-ordered through them.

Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms guides you through what this challenging facet of the Divine Feminine, the Dark Goddess, is truly about, and encourages you to step through the veils into her hidden realm to explore 13 aspects of herself.

Whether you seek healing from past trauma, release from fears or acceptance of the “unacceptable” aspects of your self, Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms offers ways for you to transform and heal your life through the power of meditation, ritual and inner journeying with the Dark Goddess into her shadowy realms.  

Publication Date: April 2021

Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life  aims to provide the neophyte with the ability to render the “veils” between this world and the mystical one by applying themselves to the work in order to understand these mysteries. 
Times may have changed, as have the needs and desires of people, and whilst spiritual practices also have changed, this does not necessarily mean that all of the original vision Gardner had is outdated and needs to be discarded. Regardless of whether the neophyte is interested in joining a coven or not, contemporary witchcraft is about dedication and devotion in order for the greater mysteries to be reveal.   Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life  offers an insight into how the non-initiate can achieve this in their own practices.
Publication Date: July 2021

Review for Contemporary Witchcraft

A couple of snippets from the latest review that I have received for Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life from Ariadne Rainbird, a practicing Wiccan of over 35 years and who I had the privilege of circling with back in the mid 1990s when I was extremely "green" around the edges:

A somewhat personal "bug bear" that has infiltrated modern paganism in more recent times, to the extent that even more seasoned practitioners using these alleged alternative words because "they sound great" as opposed to keeping true to the origins.  Will this point make my book "controversial"? 

Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life is not due for release until July 2021 however pre-orders will soon be available through the various outlets listed on my publisher's web site:

https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/mo...

Meanwhile, I have commenced writing what seems to be the second book on contemporary witchcraft that will lead on from these foundational practices.

Contemporary Witchcraft Books Have Arrived

It is always exciting when a delivery finally makes its way to your door.  The current COVID-19 situation seems to have thrown not only postal services around the world completely out of whack, but has also impacted upon other modes of transport and delivery.  I found time ticking merrily away recently as it has been a number of weeks since my publisher had notified me that I was able to order early pre-release copies of Contemporary Witchcraft; Foundational Practices for a Magical Life.   

With the return of weekend markets starting to appear in my calendar, the first this Sunday, 18 October 2020 being the Adelaide Psychic Fair that is held at 230 Flinders Street in Adelaide, I was starting to get concerned that my delivery of books would not arrive in time.  Ye of little faith.  The long awaited boxes (plural as there were two of them) of books were collected from the post office this evening.

My dissatisfaction with books aimed at neophytes (seekers) venturing into the world of magick and witchcraft where the emphasis seemed to be merely on spells as opposed to establishing deeper practices that would aid and support them upon their journey, resulted in me writing Contemporary Witchcraft.  

As already mentioned on the book's own page, Contemporary Witchcraft aims at providing the neophyte with the ability to render the “veils” between this world and the mystical one by applying themselves to the work in order to understand these mysteries.

Ironically a pre-introduction to contemporary witchcraft, or modern Wicca, emerged when I had sent the manuscript off to the publishers.  That pre-introduction evolved into A Little Book of Wicca which is specifically designed as an initial information guide for anyone who is curious about the practice of Wicca but who not not yet decided whether this is actually the right spiritual path for them.

If you live in Adelaide and are looking for something to do on Sunday, I will be at the Adelaide Psychic Fair at 230 Flinders Street.  Later in the month, on Saturday, 31 October 2020, the Adelaide Health & Wellbeing Market will finally be returning to the beautiful Church of Trinity on Goodwood Road, Clarence Park.  I will be minding my LunaNoire Creations stall under the marquee out the front.  Then on the Sunday, 1 November 2020, I will be at the Gawler Psychic Fair. If you are attending any of these events, please pop along and say hello.

Shadows, Shades and the Dark Goddess

Lately I have noticed an increase in social media chatter about “shadow workings”, and in particular relation to working with “shadow beings”.  While these days everyone seems to have their own interpretations with respect to things, I feel it is important to differentiate between “shadow working” (based on a Jungian psychological term for understanding the repressed/rejected aspects of the self), and working with actual ghost like “shadow beings” who are not of this mortal world.

Throughout history, “shadows” (as in “shadow beings” or “shades” as they were also called) referred to the spirit or ghost of someone who had died and was residing in the underworld.  When the Greek hero Odysseus descended into Hades (the Underworld) in Homer’s Odyssey, he encountered “shades”, tormented ghost like beings.  Likewise, Aeneas who traveled into the Underworld in Virgil’s Aeneid.  In his Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri also referred to many of the dead as “shades”, including his own guide, Virgil. 

When U R not Okay

As I manage three blogs, I have spent a good part of today considering where to put this. While this is primarily my writer's blog, the topic aligns with my forthcoming book, Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms , with respect to our shadow.

Today is ”R U OK” day here in Australia, a day where people are encouraged to “meaningfully connect with the people around them” and to start a conversation with anyone who may find that they are struggling with life.

This campaign was born out of the tragic suicide of Barry Larkin in 1995 who, according to the “R U OK?” web page, left family and friends in deep grief and with endless questions. Fourteen years later, in 2009, his son, Gavin, chose to champion just one question to honour his father and to try and protect other families from the pain his endured. That question was “Are you OK?"


This year asking friends or colleagues whether they are okay seems to be more important than ever due to what is seeming to be an ongoing global crisis with respect to COVID-19 and its far reaching implications. Families find themselves separated or even isolated, unable to celebrate or mourn significant events. Some six months on, even the most introverted of us are feeling the strain. I know, I certainly am.

At times, it also seems as if there are greater forces at play. Not only are we being forced to refocus on what we consider to be essential, but there is a greater need to finally deal with all those issues we have been pushing into the far reaches of our consciousness – our shadow self.

Now it not the time to be stoic and to continue on “as per usual”. I suddenly realised a few weeks ago that for various reasons I have been basically operating on auto-pilot over the last five years.  This was my personal a survival mechanism that had kicked in when my life, as I knew it at the time, started to fall apart. Five years of wearing a mask so that what I was going through did not upset those around me had actually done a great disservice to the most important person in my life – myself.


When a person goes through great personal trauma, regardless of what it is, to be constantly told that they are "so strong" starts to feel like an excuse.  This may come as a shock to well-wishers however, from the perspective of a person on the other end, what often we would have preferred that well-wisher to do is to sit with us, and prove us with a safe space to simply "verbally process" what we are going through, not to mention the thoughts churning around in our heads.
In my personal circumstances, I attempted to live up to the expectations of others - being "strong".  And I attempted to carry on wearing that mask until recently when the realisation was had that in order for me to properly move on from the extensive periods of loss and pain that I have gone through, I need to allow  myself the courtesy to feel the pain and gut wrenching grief, all those the emotionally charged feelings that I had swallowed, suppressed and ignored to show.
I am tired of wearing this mask.  I am tired of ignoring the rawness of my emotions, or not experiencing the deepness of my feelings due to the imposed expectations and demands of other people.  Now it the time when I owe it to myself to delve deep within the dark inner recesses and express my own vulnerability, and embrace my own shadow aspect that has been haunting me for the last five years.  There seems to be a degree of synchronicity with the timing of this realisation and the upcoming release of Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms . 
Ironically when I made this decision a further realisation came to mind.  That is, in this modern world where the wearing of masks of false happiness and perfection seems to be on the rise, there is actually a strength found in allowing yourself to be completely vulnerable and exposing your imperfections in a world that seems to be encouraging the opposite.

Contemporary Witchcraft - Pre-orders of the Early Release Now Open

I am delighted to be able to advise that pre-orders for my forthcoming book,  Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life , will open on Saturday, 5 September 2020, with physical copies expected to be received by the end of the month.

Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life aims to set the series of foundational practices that will benefit any neophyte (beginner) interested in contemporary witchcraft (initiatory Wicca) or to magick in general. As I explain, how you design and build your practice is entirely up to you however with solid understanding of some foundational practices, you can be assured that you are effectively set for life, regardless of where your own path takes you.

 My initial instruction into contemporary witchcraft not only focused on the practical application of ritual and magick, but also the “behind the scenes” information, providing an insight into the psychological changes, as well as what is actually happening on the astral level. It is this understanding that enabled me to gain a stronger belief in the magical work that I was undertaking – a belief that also proved to be most beneficial during dark nights of the soul, the times of doubt when the logical mind saw me questioning what I had been dedicating much of my adult life to. 

Times may have changed, as have the needs and desires of people, and whilst spiritual practices also have changed, this does not necessarily mean that all of the original vision Gardner had is outdated and needs to be discarded. As the saying goes, we do not have to “throw the baby out with the bathwater”. When it comes to magick, there are still aspects and techniques that simply can only be learnt over time through the practice of the magical art. Such things cannot really be taught through the pages of a book or the internet. There are other aspects of magick that are best taught under physical instruction of a trained practitioner as opposed to a handful of inexperienced novices boasting about their alleged successes.

You can pre-order your early release copy of Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life here for only $35 (includes postage within Australia).

The actual release date by Moon Books for Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life is not until July 2021.

Encountering the Dark Goddess on Book Depository

Pre-orders of Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms can now be made through Book Depository.

The Dark Goddess is often associated with the Underworld where she leads the uninitiated through a transformative journey of self-discovery, change and soul renewal. She is connected with the unwanted, the forgotten, the ignored or even ashamed parts of our psyche. However there is more to her than that. 

Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms guides you through what this challenging facet of the Divine Feminine, the Dark Goddess, is truly about, and encourages you to step through the veils into her hidden realm to explore 13 aspects of herself. 

Whether you seek healing from past trauma, release from fears or acceptance of the "unacceptable" aspects of your self, Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms offers ways for you to transform and heal your life through the power of meditation, ritual and inner journeying with the Dark Goddess into her shadowy realms. Use the 13 goddess myths as a guide to discover how to remove the stagnant and unwanted and embrace the ever changing aspects of life that can drag us into the pits of despair. 

When we connect to the Dark Goddess, we are able to find the light within the darkness and our lives are enriched through the integration of all aspects of our soul as a perfect whole.

2020: Life in Retrograde AWC Conference

Due to COVID-19 a lot of events scheduled for this year have had to be postponed, cancelled or move on line. The annual Australian Wiccan Conference , scheduled to be take place over a weekend during September, is one such event.  Instead of cancelling the event altogether, this year's conference will be moving online and will consist of a selection of panels, workshops and debates that have taken place during the 35 years that the conference has been running.
I will be presenting a workshop on The Dark Gods on Sunday, 13 September 2020 at 12 noon (Australian Eastern Standard Time) that I originally presented at the 2011 conference that took place in Tasmania.
Tickets to access the interactive zoom link are only $10 AUD for the entire weekend and are available from the Join Now page. The Zoom link will be sent free to active and new members of AWC Inc via email. (Money raised will go to the 2021 Australian Wiccan Conference).
I hope to see you there.