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Kindle Notes & Highlights
While the specifics of how magic is used tend to differ, there are a few key ritual practices that are commonly used, including the compass round (creating a liminal ritual space), treading the mill (creating a trance state and raising magical power), and the housel (giving offerings to spirits).
This is the Crooked Path of the Traditional Witch, one that wields the forces of magic, ventures into the Otherworldly realm of spirits, and works with the powers of the natural world. The Traditional Witch is one who is informed and inspired by the stories of the past, taken from fact, fiction, and all the places in between. We are spiritual alchemists, collecting and transforming what we find into something that fits our needs and feeds our soul.
Traditional Witchcraft is an umbrella term that covers a vast array of non-Wiccan practices that are inspired by folklore. These practices may be viewed as religious or spiritual depending upon the group or individual practitioner. Traditional Witches focus on the use of magic, connecting with the natural landscape, and working with various spirits in both the physical realm and the Otherworld.
It is from Cochrane’s tradition that we receive the three common rituals used in Traditional Witchcraft—the compass round, treading the mill, and the housel.
Regardless of personal beliefs concerning concepts such as karma, it’s a magical fact that we are more likely to attract that which we project.
Curse: An act of magic that causes long-term or permanent harm. Hex: An act of magic that causes short-term or temporary harm. Banishing: Magically expelling or doing away with something or someone. Binding: Magically restraining or incapacitating something or someone.
There are two essential components to effectively working magic: your intention and the power necessary to back it up.
Altogether, there are four steps to working magic: 1. Determining your magical intention. 2. Visualizing your magical intention. 3. Raising or channeling the necessary magical power. 4. Projecting your combined intent and power.
In order to avoid magical misfires, you must be specific about what you want, when you want it, and the manner in which you’d like to obtain it.
In essence, by visualizing your intended outcome, you are creating a target to which magical power can then be sent in order to manifest your desires.
