Besom, Stang & Sword: A Guide to Traditional Witchcraft, the Six-Fold Path & the Hidden Landscape

Modern witchcraft in general does not lack for beginner's books. What we have lacked forever, however, is a practical book that (1) teaches solid witchcraft rooted in one's own land, (2) bases its praxis on the increasingly-popular Cochranesque style of Crafting instead of Wiccan-based ceremonial practices, and (3) emphasizes spirit contact over Deity reverence or mystery-school mythos.Not that there is anything wrong with Deity reverence, mystery schools, or Wicca; there isn't, but the Craft has largely been defined by these things. This book provides a much-needed balance. This is a book I wish I'd had eleven years ago, when I wanted to lay a compass or tread the mill but had lacked access to any "how-to" material.Immediately, the reader is taken into an animist world and an invitation to step out onto her or his local land to perform a Crossroads Rite, hail the Witch Lord, and tie knots into a cord of Sovereignty. It's as if the book says, "You want to be a witch? Fine. Go do this." No fuss, no muss, just do the thing. By the end of chapter 3 you've learned quite a lot about tools and started into useful magick featuring solid, time-honored spells and techniques for stopping gossip, attracting love, binding, gaining favor in other people's eyes, etc.The authors don't pull any punches. This is not the witchcraft of tearooms and garden parties. When they talk about the history of necromancy, you get the real history, including how "back in the day" folks used actual corpses. (Fear not: the necromantic practices they actually teach involve spirit contact, not actual bodies.) The herbal chapter is largely about traditional baneful plants; they bluntly express the significant dangers, but if that's something you want to pursue, this chapter will orient you to the plants so that further research with other material will be easier. It also discusses some milder archetypal plants long associated with witchcraft. The divination chapter is outstanding. They provide an interesting oracle system of their own (which I suspect is tied in more deeply to the work of their tradition), as well as a good discussion about skrying and omens.Other distinguishing factors: (1) this book can literally be used anywhere in the world; it is not witchcraft flavored with a particular culture, such as Welsh or East Anglian. (2) Usefully, the exercises to put together a ritual are modular. Each can be used by itself depending on the time, situation, and goals of the witch. (3) Orapello and Maguire recommend that local folklore be incorporated into one's crafting, as they have done with their Blacktree tradition. I strongly feel that this is the Next Good Thing in the evolution of witchcraft in America. (4) Again, the emphasis is on practice -- not psychology, soul development, Gods and Goddesses, mythic cycles, rather techniques and ideas to support magick, divination, and spirit contact.Does this book offer anything to experienced practitioners of "traditional" witchcraft? Very much "yes." I have my own ways of laying a compass, working with the stang, treading the mill, etc. However, reading other folks' take on things is always interesting and valuable and, for me, has yielded greater insight into my own praxis. I also plan to adopt the Crossroads Rite. Their description of the Black Tree, the hex glyph, and its various associations are particularly inspired and again, this is not material you find elsewhere; there are books full of the various symbologies of the pentagram, but the hex-star is just as "witchy" and as you will find out, can be worked with just as deeply.Quibbles? A couple of minor ones. More about working with plant spirits would be valuable, something like they did for monkshood. I was also hoping for a little more discussion of how their locale affected their work -- American native plants, trees, etc. (Kudos for the section on the Jersey Devil, though.) As it is, however, the book is quite packed with information, and adding more would be difficult, possibly overwhelming, and take away from it universality. Each chapter does have a very good list of recommended further reading.I look forward to reading this book a second time. I will certainly recommend it both to people who want to get started with this kind of witchcraft and people who want to take their witchcraft to the next level

I love this book! I have a hardcopy and have listen to it on audiobook. I loved that I could see the bones of traditional craft and how the authors adapted it to their personal region and spiritual lives. I like how it was made clear that this is their personal tradition and not the only “correct“ way, and many of the exercises, concepts, ideas, and theories are very easy to adapt to your own personal bioregional craft.I see a few reviewer‘s have shown dismay at the chapter about the witch lord/devil and witch queen. They’ve even gone so far as to refer to it as another version of Wicca. For one, that’s not the insult some seem to believe it is, and two, that just shows they are very ignorant about the history behind traditional witchcraft, its origins, and what it means to work with archetypal spirits. I’m sure in time with more exposure, reviewer’s who have mentioned this will eventually learn more if they do their due diligence in research.I read this book right after reading Keldens The Crooked path and Gemma Gary’s Traditional Witchcraft. I can see many of the similar influences have made an impact on the authors of Besom Stang and Sword. I also really enjoyed their particular flavor they included that was exclusive to their experience living in New Jersey and how that affected their craft. It was a wonderful example that I took and adapted to my local area where I live. It got me into looking up historic folklore of my state and surrounding cities. Books that inspire me to want to do more research are an A+ in my opinion.

I always read negative reviews before making a purchase to make sure I understand the good along with the bad when I buy something. The main complaints about this book seem to be the part on the Witch Lord being Satan, and then worshipping him. After reading that section, I feel that those negative reviews didn't carefully read the text. You are not "worshipping Satan" in this book. They are saying that christians took Pagan deities and vilified them by tying them to Satan. They also aren't worshipping him - they are introducing themselves to the old Pagan spirits of the land in the form of the Witch Lord. No devil worshipping going on here.I'm not quite finished with the book, but as a self-taught practitioner for 10 years I have found a lot of value in this book. Things are a little different than the way that Wiccans do it, and the authors do a good job of explaining why they made changes. There is also no dogma here - just sort of a "we did it this way and it works for us, maybe you should try it too" kind of vibe.I wouldn't necessarily call this a beginner's book - I think it would be good to start with a Cunningham book or Bucky's Big Blue book first, do some of the practices there, get a good meditation practice going, then pop on over to this book. So this isn't Witchcraft 101, it's more like Witchcraft 201. And since the market is flooded with Witchcraft 101 books, this one comes as a welcomed relief to this "old timer".So yes, I do recommend this book to anyone who is a little way into their craft, and is looking for something to add to their practice, rather than tossing away everything else that they've done and starting from scratch in a new system. I'm really enjoying it!

Highly recommend this book! Great information. Covers numerous topics. Excellent writing.

The books title is slightly misleading, as this book is about a tradition of Witchcraft, but is not really, as far as I'm concerned, traditional witchcraft as I understand it. It even contains elements of Wicca within, not a bad thing in itself, just sadly not what I was expecting. I waited quite a while for this book, eagerly anticipating it, but it's come as a slight disappointment. That's not to say it's bad, by any stretch of the imagination, just not what I was expecting. On the plus side, it's a lot better than many craft books currently available, and as the guide of a fledgling tradition, it gives you much to get you going.

This was probably one of the best books I have Read on the subject of traditional witchcraft. Written from the perspective of an American but based on the teachings of English traditional witchcraft from treading the mill. This gave an excellent blend of traditional magick with some updated methods for the modern practitioner, giving you the best of both worlds. I liked how each chapter was careful written, making sure to honour the English roots but also provide updated ways to practise for the American practitioner. So where certain herbs native to England were used, the Author gave American alternatives. Each chapter also ended with a recommended reading list to further your knowledge, which I adored and every reference was explained so you know it’s origin. A truly well written book, with loads of rituals, spells, techniques to try. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you enjoyed ‘the crooked path’ & ‘treading the mill’ you will probably enjoy this book as well.

I had wanted to read this book since seeing it on Instagram. I had read good reviews on it, and I have to say that it exceeded expectations. The authors talk about other authors that have inspired them; like Gemma Gary and Robert Cochrane. These are authors that I very much respect, and I knew that this was not going to be another book that claimed to be about traditional witchcraft when it was actually about Wicca. The authors write about “the Devil in the Craft”, and they write about his role in traditional witchcraft so perfectly, that I wanted to recommend this book solely on that. BUT; keep reading and the book is eloquently written, with easy to follow rituals and practices, that are at the same time open to interpretation and adaptation. This book doesn’t claim to have all the answers or pretend that it is part of a religion that is thousands of years old (like some books on Wicca do). The authors are very down to earth and honest about their craft. I would say that to anyone who is interested in traditional witchcraft, this book is essential reading.Instagram: @the_barefoot_witch_

I enjoyed the fact that this book had something a little different to offer, and showed examples of how you can use your creativity to invent new ways of doing things. The focus on tailoring your craft to the area you live in, the land and the spirits within the landscape, was really refreshing. Every chapter made me wonder, how would I do this differently, how can I get to know my local area better, how can I embody the spontenaety of an intuitive witch?

Great product!