by Aaron Oberon (link to Amazon page)
This was a strangely fascinating book
for me. I knew, going into it, that it wasn't what I typically
practice, however it is a topic that is very popular in my area, and
I know several people who are into this type of folkloric witchcraft.
I always enjoy reading more about paths that are different to mine,
especially paths that are walked by people I know, so I was looking
forward to reading it.
I definitely found things, right from
the start, that challenged me. Much of the language references
Christian symbols, and they aren't really a part of my practice or my
childhood. The stories that are talked about, the phrases that are
used, they aren't part of my vocabulary.
I also found the continual references
to “The Silver Bullet” left me feeling like I was missing some of
the meaning. Most of the times, when it talked about stories from
that collection, it explained the most important bits, and yet I was
still left wondering how much more I would get from it if I had read
that book as well.
Some of the language and words used
were stumbling blocks for me. Witches are talked about as they are
in some stories, as evil, harmful things. There is a lot of
references to the Devil, and focuses on cursing and working with
spirits. There is actually a really good bit, right at the end, that
talks about the terminology of the Witch Father, and explains the
concept further from the point of view of the author. I think that
anyone who might be struggling with the phrasing may want to skip
ahead, read that chapter, then go back and read the rest of the book.
One thing I really loved was the focus
on the local area. Being not only in tune with your local spirits,
but also the land itself. The acknowledgment that each area has it's
own flavor was wonderful. I think it's a really practical and
workable approach, and it helps people start where they are, and find
symbols and things that speak to them, in the world around them,
instead of trying to find universal symbols or things that simply
might not exist in their area.
Many areas that talk about tools and
things used in one's practice followed along this same train of
thought. There is a big focus on using what is around you, and using
what works for you. I loved this very personalized approach. There
are some really great suggestions for tools that are talked about in
this book, and I definitely came away with some ideas to incorporate
in my own practice.
Even though I don't use the Bible
personally, I found the sections that talked about the ways in which
the bible could be used to be really interesting. There was a lot of
really down to roots folk magic in this section, and it's something
that I definitely see in my area, things that people might do because
they grew up doing it. And that is something that I think we all
sort of cling to: the rituals of our youth. I think this section
could easily be translated to seeking out the influences you have
from your own family and culture growing up, and using those in your
practice, because they are steeped in your own personal memories and
experiences.
There is a lot of information on
working with spirits in a very direct and personal manner. While a
lot of witches interact with spirits as part of their practice, this
book covers interactions that many don't engage in: spirits as
teachers and spirits as familiars. These are long-term relationships
that are built up and need to be maintained. I think the book does
an excellent job of illustrating just how tricky this can be, and how
much work might be required to cultivate good relationships with
spirits.
One point I particularly liked was the
idea that the land might not always be friendly to you. I think
that, as Pagans, we sometimes have the opinion that nature (spirits,
animals and to a lesser extent deities) are, by default, going to be
well disposed towards us, and this book brings up the point that
humans have done some pretty awful things, and so spirits we interact
with might not look at us kindly.
Another interesting topic that is
broached is that of UPG: unverified personal gnosis. This is the
idea that we can have individual experiences that my not line up with
the common experience...in other words, my interactions with a thing
might be different than yours. This is something that I think a lot
of people struggle with, as we want things to line up nicely, but
they don't always. There is always some level of wondering as to the
accuracy of our experiences, but ultimately, if it works for you then
it works.
There are some really great sections on
journeying, through the mode of flying. It's a very folkloric take
on a more common practice, and the information given is wonderful and
rich. I appreciated the warnings given, when talking about witch
grease (which is similar to flying ointment), and how even though a
specific recipe is not given, the process is explained and done in
such a way that if you follow the suggestions you will create a
personal recipe that is safe.
All in all, this was a really
interesting book that covered a lot of very down to earth practices
focused on working with what you have in the place that you are in.
Some of the terminology might be problematic for some people (I
seriously recommend reading the Witch Father section first), but if
you can get beyond that, there is some really great information here.
Best of all, the book does a lot of explaining how to figure out
what might work for you, instead of laying out information for you to
take or leave.
No comments:
Post a Comment