Review: Cecil Williamson's Book of Witchcraft by Steve Patterson

I had the good fortune to happen upon this book in Treadwell's during a trip to London, a fantastic occult bookshop that has the feel of an 18th-century literary salon.

Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of the Museum of Witchcraft (although I have never been, it is on my bucket list!). I was always impressed by Cecil Williamson's dedication to his project, having faced many obstacles and moving around the country several times before settling in relative peace in Boscastle, Cornwall. I was excited to examine the magical workings of one who is so often overlooked by the witchcraft community (to the point that some mistakenly believe that it was Gerald Gardner who opened the Museum!).

But this is much more than a simple reproduction of Williamson's own grimoire; the text is comprised of two halves. Book One is the transcribed and heavily annotated manuscript of the small notebook discovered after Williamson handed the Museum over to Graham King in 1996. In Book Two Patterson presents a meticulously researched account of Williamson's life, his relationships with other notable 19th Century occultists (including his tempestuous relationship with Gerald Gardner) and an overview of the Museum's original displays and artefacts, all accompanied by pages of black-and-white photographs and charming illustrations from Museum posters. There are also a number of appendices comprising facsimiles of Williamson's various writings on witchcraft. It's a truly impressive work, given how private and mysterious the man behind the Museum was in life.

Despite his reserved nature, Williamson was well-connected with household names such as Margaret Murray, Dion Fortune, Doreen Valiente, Austin Osman Spare, and Aleister Crowley, many of whom offered items for the Museum. Patterson's detailed consideration of these connections, drawing from Williamson's letters and interviews, offers a new take on the well-known stories of this period - coloured by Williamson's wry observations of the lavish (and often sexually explicit) occult practices of the middle classes as opposed to the 'wayside witchcraft' that was so dear to him. Patterson has also managed to glean some fascinating evidence of Williamson's time at MI6 from the late 1930s to the end of WWII, which involved research on practitioners of the occult and involvement in the famous 'Operation Mistletoe', a magical ritual intended to prevent a Nazi invasion of Britain. All of this firmly situates Williamson as a central figure in the British witchcraft revival, and the Museum of Witchcraft as his life's work and an invaluable resource for modern witches.

The stories of Williamson and Gerald Gardner are a definite highlight and often had me chuckling – though some feathers may be ruffled by Williamson's characterisation of Gardner as 'an awful scaredy pie' who was often more motivated by money than magic! Patterson presents their squabbles delicately, with no malice towards Gardner, although he does outline the differences between Gardner's and Williamson's practices – Williamson being more devoted to spirit work and what is now termed 'Traditional Witchcraft', and the latter's many criticisms of Wicca. Patterson's assessment of the influence of Margaret Murray's work on Egypt on the pair, and their different interpretations of it, are particularly interesting.

A key aim of the book is to challenge claims of Williamson being 'unreliable' by a number of historians and occultists, including Ronald Hutton; Patterson does this by supporting both his own and many of Cecil's opinions with a range of sources and historical context. While Patterson does make great use of the extensive collections at the Museum, it's clear that he also spent a great deal of time painstakingly sourcing and researching whatever he could about Williamson's life and work, including rare interviews and television appearances – even corroborating Williamson's MI6 stories against official records.

My only minor gripe is that there are a few typos – unless, that is, Crowley did try to sell his Baphomet ring in a 'porn shop', which I could believe! Of course this is understandable with a smaller publisher like Troy Books and may well have been rectified in later editions - several of their titles have just been re-released, including this one.

Overall this is a comprehensive overview of the life and work of Cecil Williamson, which gives him long-overdue recognition as a leading figure in the witchcraft revival; his views and writings on traditional witchcraft will be of particular interest to adherents of that path. But I would recommend this book for all witches, as both a fascinating account of the man behind the celebrated Museum of Witchcraft, the evolution of the Museum over the decades, and an essential addition to academic considerations of the history of British witchcraft.

Cecil Williamson's Book of Witchcraft: A Grimoire of the Museum of Witchcraft is available from Troy Books. Originally published in 2013; the edition I reviewed is the 2014 paperback.

My Yuletide

I know, I know, it's been a tough couple of weeks. It's hard to feel festive given the state of UK politics and the wider world. And I will be doing a blog about witchy activism soon!

But in the meantime, I thought it would be nice to share my own Yuletide traditions to help you feel more in tune with the season.

If you do want to do something positive right now, you can buy a Christmas dinner for a homeless person in Newcastle for just £4.99: https://neoffers.co.uk/products/north-east-homeless-christmas-newcastle

This year's Yule altar.

My Yuletide is based on Germanic paganism – a mix of Anglo-Saxon and Norse traditions - but has to be worked around agnostic loved ones. This is a lot easier than if they were fully Christian, but still requires some scheduling and compromise!

First, a little bit about Germanic Yule traditions. The Anglo-Saxons named December Ærra Geola (Before Yule) and January Æfterra Geola (After Yule). It's thought that all Germanic Yule celebrations centred around 'midwinter'- commonly accepted as the winter solstice, although there is some debate on this. Many Germanic pagans celebrate Yule for 12 days from the evening of the solstice – supposedly the root of the Twelve Days of Christmas. I've ended up adopting this method, simply as it makes sense and makes the solstice the focus.

In wider Germanic tradition, it is said that the Wild Hunt roam the skies during Yuletide, with Odin as their leader. Odin has many names including jólfaðr (Old Norse for 'Yule father') and jólnir ('the Yule one'). This has lead to speculation that the idea of Father Christmas came from Odin in his Yule aspect. 

Odin is one of my patron deities (the other being Freya), so I'll be honouring him a lot at Yuletide through offerings and meditation.

Asgårdsreien (The Wild Hunt of Odin), (1872) by Peter Nicolai Arbo

The Christmas tree and Yule log are also thought to have their roots in Germanic traditions. The Germanic peoples worshipped trees (as did many other ancient cultures), and the act of bringing evergreen boughs into the home may have stemmed from their practices. The traditional Yule log was an actual log which was specially selected and burnt on the hearth. Nowadays we're much more likely to see the chocolate variant, which I happen to be a big fan of!

Yule is primarily a time of time of feasting and celebrating, featuring sacred animals such as the Yule Goat and Yule Boar. A giant straw Yule Goat is erected in the Swedish city of Gävle every year (although it usually gets burned down soon after). It's commonly thought that the Yule Goat is linked to Thor, whose chariot is pulled by two goats; however, the symbolism of the goat can be traced back to common Indo-European beliefs. Some antique Christmas cards actually feature Father Christmas riding a goat – perhaps a nod to the Wild Hunt? 

'Old Christmas riding a Goat' by Robert Seymour, 1836.
Note the wassail bowl.

In Nordic tradition, the last bundle of straw from the harvest was saved for Yuletide celebrations and was named the Yule Goat – this is why modern Yule Goat ornaments are made from straw bound with red ribbon. They're a common sight on Nordic Christmas trees, and can sometimes be found here in the UK. 

A traditional Nordic Yule Goat ornament.

The boar is linked to both Freya and Freyr, deities of fertility and virility – but its symbolism is just as ancient. Today we most commonly see the Yule Boar in the traditional Christmas ham. 

Little is known about specific Anglo-Saxon Yule practices, but Bede states that they celebrated Mōdraniht, or 'Night of the Mothers', on what we now know as Christmas Eve. This was a celebration of female ancestral spirits – the dísir in Old Norse or Matronae to the Romans. On this night, I honour female deities, ancestors and departed relatives (including my own mother). I usually light a candle in the evening, make an offering, and meditate quietly on all the feminine influences that have helped me in my life.

It can be hard to fit my Mōdraniht celebration around Christmas Eve plans with my partner/Dad, so I will sometimes do it earlier that day. But even after being a pagan and a witch for over ten years now, there's still something magical and liminal about Christmas Eve – that feeling of shifting from a regular day into a special event as night draws in. I'm glad I can retain that in Mōdraniht. Indeed that's why I choose not to celebrate it the night before the solstice, as many heathens do.

After my witchy business, I usually enjoy a sedate Mōdraniht/Christmas Eve of curling up in my pyjamas with my cats, a mug of hot chocolate and the Nightmare Before Christmas special edition DVD. :)

I also like to engage with a traditional English custom called 'wassailing' as part of my own Yule traditions; the word 'wassail' comes from the Anglo-Saxon greeting Wæs þu hæl, meaning "be thou hale” or “be in good health”. The custom involves a drink, also known as 'wassail', a warm spiced cider. In the days before carolling, groups of people would go door-to-door, singing and offering a drink from the wassail bowl in exchange for gifts. In the Middle Ages, wassailing was a form of charitable giving between feudal lords and their peasants, distinct from begging. But this tradition had a dark side; if the homeowner refused to give gifts, the wassailers could curse them or wreck their home. We can see a survival of this is the traditional English carol 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' ('we won't go until we've got some, so bring some out here'...).

Another form of wassailing took place in areas that were known for cider production (i.e. Devon and Somerset). In order to ensure a good harvest, a procession led by a Wassail King and Queen would venture into the orchard. A piece of bread was soaked in the wassail drink, then the Queen was lifted into the boughs to place the toast among the branches as an offering. The procession would sing to awaken the trees and scare away evil spirits. This practice still survives in Southern England! 

A modern wassail, organised by the Thatchers cider company.

I tend to perform a personal wassailing by making my own wassail – which is really very easy, you just gently heat some good cider with some sliced oranges and a pack of mulled wine spices for about an hour – and offering this as a libation to the trees in my garden. I usually do this on the last day of Yuletide (so the twelfth day after the solstice); traditionally wassailing was done on the Christian Twelfth Night.

This solstice I plan to go to the beach and greet the dawn, which I don't often get a chance to do. It's usually fairly easy for me to take some time for myself on this day, as everyone else isn't doing much until the 24th and 25th! However I do also attend a celebration with a local pagan group around that date; it's very affirming to meet up with fellow Pagans for such an event, especially when those immediately around you aren't especially religious. It also absolves my guilt somewhat if I do end up being busy on the actual day...

On Christmas Day I tend to give a silent thanks in the morning to the gods and ancestors, then spend the day celebrating and gift-giving with family. Feasting and drinking together is a very Germanic thing to do after all! As mentioned, I've usually done all my witchy celebrating on or around the solstice anyway, though I'm always thankful of my blessings while enjoying the festive period. If I get the chance I will put a mead offering on my altar.

When I'm not busy socialising (!) I find these dark days to be a good time for resting and turning inward (especially when stuffed full of food). I used to be saddled with uni work all Christmas and now finally have a job with sensible holidays, so I make the most of the downtime! I find that my body naturally slows down in winter anyway, though I still love to go for walks in the snow. Sadly we don't get much of it here on the coast. I also tend to make gingerbread, handmade decorations and wintery artworks as I enjoy my time off work.

Most of all, for me Yule is a time to be thankful of the blessings which have brought us through the dark nights; a time to cherish our loved ones and take stock of what we desire in the New Year as the light returns. It's been a hard year for many of us, and I personally will be using this Yuletide as a reminder of what really matters while being mindful of the challenges the coming year brings.

I hope that this post has been informative and that you all have a blessed Yule, full of light and happiness. See you in 2020!

Hello and Welcome!

Samhain greetings, and welcome to the blog!

I am a traditional witch from Northumberland, England, a place with beautiful landscapes steeped in history, myth and folklore. Let me start by introducing myself, my path, and why I created this blog.

Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland.

The beauty and primacy of Northumberland's natural spaces made me feel a deep love for nature from a young age. I have always respected and adored our Earth.

Eventually, I happened upon Neopaganism and then Wicca as a teenager – finally, other people who felt the same way as me about nature!  

This path brought me great joy and comfort for many years, but I started to wonder what witchcraft was like before the 1950s revival. My research led me to traditional witchcraft, which is often no less of a reconstruction than Gardner's vision, but roots itself firmly in folklore and historical accounts of witchcraft. Traditional craft also refuses to shy away from darkness and the more unsavoury aspects of witchcraft – the 'love and light' attitude of Wicca served me well for a time, but ultimately I found it to be too dogmatic for my liking. I also love traditional witchcraft's deep and often dark connection to the land – to soil, blood and bones.

(Disclaimer: I have no hatred towards Wicca. Indeed I find the pervasive hatred of Wicca in online tradcraft communities very tiresome, and I have many friends who are Wiccan! My own journey simply led me elsewhere, to something that better suited my personal interests.)

My path has become fairly eclectic over the years; inspired by practitioners such as Gemma Gary, Cecil Williamson, Nigel Jackson, etc., but I am simultaneously drawn to Germanic paganism and so work with the Norse pantheon (sometimes in their Anglo-Saxon aspects – I am from Northumbria after all!). I do adopt some aspects of Heathenry into my path – certain festivals and rites such as the modern blót – but within a 'witchy' framework. My patron deities are Freya and Odin, and I like to utlise galdr, seiðr and other historical forms of Germanic spellcraft in addition to British folk charms throughout history. All will become clearer as I write more about it!

My current altar setup.

So, to the purpose of the blog. Though I am always reading witchy books, blogs and articles, my actual practice dipped quite spectacularly over the past few years owing to chronic depression and a number of difficult life events. As I slowly crawl back to myself, I am gaining the strength to perform magic once again. I did write a witchy blog a very long time ago (when my path was a little different) which ended up abandoned for the above reasons. I have a sorely neglected Tumblr but always felt the urge to turn it into a dedicated blog. As I rediscover this part of my life, I felt it would be helpful to regain confidence in my path by explaining it to others; furthermore, this will help me to figure out the current shape of my path and how it is evolving with the knowledge I have gained while 'dormant'.

I also have a fair bit of knowledge about Anglo-Saxon paganism, Northumbrian folklore, and various bits of research on witchcraft traditions that others may find helpful. I did notice that while there is lots of writing on Cornish and Devonshire witchcraft and various American traditions, there is woefully little information on the history of Northumbrian witchcraft, and consequently no modern tradition one can refer to – perhaps this blog will help my fellow Northumbrian witches who may be feeling a bit isolated and lost!

Other topics this blog will cover include book reviews, recipes, some spells and workings of my own creation, divination, details of how I celebrate festivals and writings on my own relationship with deity, spirits and the local landscape. Perhaps even interviews and guest posts if people are interested! So there should be something to please just about anyone with an interest in witchcraft. Updates are sporadic as of now (I work full-time and have a lot of creative hobbies beside witchcraft!), but I will hopefully get into a regular schedule as time goes on.

I hope that you will choose to join me on this journey. If you have any interesting tidbits of Northumbrian folklore or history that you would like to share, or topics you would like to see covered, please do let me know in the comments! I love to research and discover new things.

Have a wonderfully spooky Samhain and keep an eye out for my next post!