Cecil Williamson's Book of Witchcraft: A Grimoire of the Museum of Witchcraft

by Steve Patterson

This fully annotated transcript from one of the great unsung heroes of witchcraft shares a wonderful collection of hands-on practices for the traditional witch. You will also discover a history of the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic that Cecil founded, a treatise on the practices of the wayside witches, and fascinating accounts of his meetings with Aleister Crowley and Gerald Gardner.

Genres: Witchcraft, Magic, Occult, Nonfiction, Folklore

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Χρυσόστομος Τσαπραΐλης · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unexpectedly charming book, built around an obscure figure of 20th century British witchcraft. Cecil Williamson, the creator, owner and curator of the Boscastle Museum of Witchcraft, was a very interesting person with a fascinating history spanning continents and the whole of the 20th century; he was even part of the MI6 during and after the Second World War. He had also a tumultuous relationship with the much more famous Gerald Gardner, the founder of Wicca. The book goes into much detail concerning all these, especially in the last 2 parts, drawing mainly from the words of Williamson himself.
The first part, my personal favourite, is a collection of spells that Cecil recorded, among the few that survived his death (most were burnt by his daughters after his passing, probably according to his wishes). The spells themselves are really interesting (some of them highly original), but what makes the book truly shine is Steve Patterson's notes and comments.
Finally, I found of great interest the last part of the book, where Patterson tries to trace Williamson's worldview and magic system and beliefs - it seems that he was an animist working with spirits, something not really popular back in the mid-20th century.
The book is accompanied by a wealth of photographs. Truly, a great work of both theoretical and practical usefulness.

[T R Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book that is part reproduction of Cecil Williamson’s ideas on witchcraft, part biography of the man himself, and part history of the Museum of Witchcraft, all with expanded notes by the author. There are also two picture sections in the book that show pictures of, and items from, his museums, as well as of the man himself and his life.

The part of the book based on Cecil’s own notes on magic and amulets is moderately interesting, giving a good look at what the man’s seemingly unique view of witchcraft. It is the parts that focus on the man himself, and his string of museums, that I found most interesting, particularly where it talks about the people he met through the years, and touches on his time in MI6. The only real problem with this part of the book is that it is quite repetitive, going over the same points multiple times, often in the same way. However, this is mitigated somewhat by the fact that this part of book is split into self-contained sections, making it easy to dip into and out of over time.

The book also includes reproductions of a few leaflets produced by Cecil that were referenced earlier in the book, which are relatively interesting.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A well written fascinating insight of an often unsung hero of the Pagan world.

Cecil Williamson did more behind the scenes for witchcraft than most other occultists/folklorists and yet he did not court the fame that the likes of Gardner did. Sadly he did not leave much by way of written word of his experiences and knowledge but the little we can glean from this volume is fascinating, resonates more deeply and feels more authentic than the magical workings of GG.

It was a pleasure to get a glimpse into the world of a true eccentric but earnest crafter.

[Charley Melton · Rating 4 out of 5]

an excellent look into the mind of a prolific practitioner of the dark arts. i never considered that some of the practices i considered integral to witchcraft were drummed up in the 20th century and propagated by wiccians. williamson's stories were so fascinating, but the burning of his file cabinets after his death and the effects of the 2004 flood on the book's contents are really felt within the narrative. it's sad, but that's life.