Folk Witchcraft: A Guide to Lore, Land, and the Familiar Spirit for the Solitary Practitioner by Roger Horne

Author:Roger Horne [Horne, Roger]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Moon over the Mountain Press
Published: 2019-03-30T00:00:00+00:00

Dreams, Visions,

and the Black Book

The primary reason for the witch to connect with the familiar spirit is to learn, which is a form of love. In the lore, we often find mention of the “black book” in which witches sign their names in exchange for power and from which the spirits teach, sharing bits of magical knowledge with the practitioner over time. Seasoned witches learn that, although there are many grimoires and magical manuals in circulation, some of which are quite old, the legendary “black book” of the lore does not exist physically, but spiritually.

The old grimoires were constructed from the workings of individual practitioners under the tutelage of their own spirit guides. Each of us has access to the black book. It is the current of knowledge opened by connection to the familiar spirit. Its words of power, its rites, its laws and lessons: these treasures all flow from the initiatory current of the familiar spirit. From the perspective of a folk witch, those who follow every detail in some medieval grimoire and expect to receive the same results as the original writer have, in many ways, missed the point. To stumble across a great magical book in your research is certainly a kind of gift and a door to initiation, but to attempt its rites without a connection to the spirit from which it proceeds is like planting seeds in the desert.

By now, you may have some idea of why you have been studying the lore and communing with spirits rather than following a prescribed ritual structure dictated by the author; without being able to perceive and receive wisdom from the otherworld, the physical acts of witchcraft are only dead husks. By establishing a strong connection to the initiatory currents of the lore, the land, and the spirits around us, we are able to tap into the roots of folk craft. We understand both the how and the why of witchcraft. The personal grimoire, as a physical replica of the spiritual black book, contains the witch’s dreams, visions, and experiences of the spiritual world alongside the collected lore and charms from her research.

Intentionally opening the black book of the sabbat through ritual can be an invigorating experience. There is a charm for this purpose in the Grammar section of this book. This working is conducted in spirit flight. The witch accesses the otherworld through an appropriate point of entry, then calls to the old ones using a spoken charm. There, the witch will be invited to an enclave of knowledge that can only be accessed by those acccepted by the spirits. The black book is closed to the profane.

Other Varieties of Familiar Spirits

By now, you have likely made contact with spirits of flora and fauna and perhaps even a spirit who was drawn to you by certain shared qualities. Familiar spirits can come from many different sources and in many varieties. Most witches interact with spirits related closely to natural creatures and landscapes or those who appear to the individual witch spontaneously.

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