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The Crooked Path: An Introduction to Traditional Witchcraft
Part the thorny bramble and take a walk along the bewitchingly mysterious Crooked Path. Within these pages discover a wealth of hands-on tips and techniques to begin your journey into the realm of Traditional Witchcraft. Learn to weave a powerful personal practice that is informed by folklore and grounded in your own location and natural landscape. Along the way you will find valuable information regarding the tools, rituals, and spells of this fascinating tradition, together with lessons on connecting with deities, familiar spirits, ancestors, and the spirits of place. With supportive advice and encouragement, Kelden provides everything you need to successfully navigate your own path, helping you master even advanced practices such as hedge-crossing as you transform your day-today experience into a life filled with magic and spirit.
240 pages, Paperback
Published January 8, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
April 30, 2020
problematic...while I like the emphasis on traditional witchcraft instead of Wicca, this book really highlights why it's important to have a teacher for something like this, and not assume that one can learn solely from books. I don't think a beginner could learn to sense or work with energy efficiently, or develop psi gifts properly from this book. It assumes that there is that talent already articulated. Because of this, the foundation for magical working provided is slim at best. It seemed like cliff notes to proper magical working, again assuming a lot that wasn't actually in the text. I would not mind giving this book to a student who was skilled and beyond the beginner stage and I very much like the emphasis on traditional witchcraft as opposed to Wicca (nothing wrong with either, but carefully parsing out that they are different traditions is a good thing on both ends of that. It allows for cleaner work), and the folklore that was included, though I did not like the underlying sense that Gods were there to be useful to us.
There are nice exercises at the end of each chapter but again in some cases (particularly building a stang) it seems like trying to rush a process that should be the organic development of several years. As a Heathen, I didn't like the inclusion of the Norse or Anglo-Saxon material relating to Woden, Holda, stangs, husel etc. (Deities, tools, practices significant in Heathenry) but this did turn up in folklore in the British Isles (where the Gods of Heathenry were also venerated) so while I might worry that it is religiously appropriative, the author is careful to draw a distinction between witchcraft and religion, which I appreciate. Basically, the author is drawing on the Anglo-Saxon, English, British, etc. elements of folklore, and also magical practices the latter of which an American in the South might refer to as conjure (Conjure is a loose system of magic common to the American south that draws on African, African American, Native American, German, British, Scottish, Jewish, even some Islamic influences -- what came here with African men and women brought as slaves, what was extant in Native communities, what was brought over by European immigrant communities. It's a true melting pot of magic).
Not a bad book. Better than some for traditional charms. But not a place where I'd send a beginner. Worth reading and interesting at points. I gave it a three because I liked some of the traditional material presented, even if I felt it was watered down. I would definitely suggest reading the sources noted in the biblio at the very least.
There are nice exercises at the end of each chapter but again in some cases (particularly building a stang) it seems like trying to rush a process that should be the organic development of several years. As a Heathen, I didn't like the inclusion of the Norse or Anglo-Saxon material relating to Woden, Holda, stangs, husel etc. (Deities, tools, practices significant in Heathenry) but this did turn up in folklore in the British Isles (where the Gods of Heathenry were also venerated) so while I might worry that it is religiously appropriative, the author is careful to draw a distinction between witchcraft and religion, which I appreciate. Basically, the author is drawing on the Anglo-Saxon, English, British, etc. elements of folklore, and also magical practices the latter of which an American in the South might refer to as conjure (Conjure is a loose system of magic common to the American south that draws on African, African American, Native American, German, British, Scottish, Jewish, even some Islamic influences -- what came here with African men and women brought as slaves, what was extant in Native communities, what was brought over by European immigrant communities. It's a true melting pot of magic).
Not a bad book. Better than some for traditional charms. But not a place where I'd send a beginner. Worth reading and interesting at points. I gave it a three because I liked some of the traditional material presented, even if I felt it was watered down. I would definitely suggest reading the sources noted in the biblio at the very least.
March 7, 2021
I know the cover says Traditional Witchcraft, but this is a Wiccan book. I'm sorry, but it is. The author doesn't hide his Wiccan past, but it's clear he still follows a very Wiccan point of view of magic (from the eclectic nature of his craft, which is kinda problematic, but I can try to work around, as a Celtic Reconstructionist, I have no bussiness calling to Loki or Odin; to mention of a Father and Mother (God and Goddess anyone?); a set of tools... It all has some smell of Wicca). He also shows some bias when he speaks dearly about Wiccan historial figures, but only mentions one "charlatan" Traditional witch. He keeps mentioning attacks on Wicca but only casually talks about how Wiccans can be extreamly non respectful to other Religions and paths. I again understand the author still views fondly his Wiccan roots, which is completly understandable, but this books is too much framed as Wicca and Non-Wicca points of views. He says he doesn't want to compare practices, but he does exactly that. Most of his references also come from Wiccan texts... which are not very traditional.
He has good points tho: he insists a lot in nature conecting, which I can get behind, he spends a whole section about bioregionalism, which is GREAT; some of the exercises are interesting and I will try them on time.
For most part, I wouldn't recommend this to any begginer before they truly understand how much Wicca has affected how we view neo paganism and witchcraft today, so they can filter this kind of stuff. The book is not terrible, but it's also not what I was expecting, which is disappointing. Of course he keeps mentioning the "no wrong way to do witchcraft" which is true, but I feel that statement follows the "cherry picking the good, leaving the bad" of modern paganism and witchcraft that personally puts me off :(
A word of caution tho: as an Irish diaspora descendent, I must caution people when working with the Fae. Lately I've been seeing a lot of people merrily calling faes and similar creatures to work with, and most of the times, these creatures are deceitful and can do serious harm. For all that it's sacred, do MAYOR RESEARCH, before trying to invite them into your life.
He has good points tho: he insists a lot in nature conecting, which I can get behind, he spends a whole section about bioregionalism, which is GREAT; some of the exercises are interesting and I will try them on time.
For most part, I wouldn't recommend this to any begginer before they truly understand how much Wicca has affected how we view neo paganism and witchcraft today, so they can filter this kind of stuff. The book is not terrible, but it's also not what I was expecting, which is disappointing. Of course he keeps mentioning the "no wrong way to do witchcraft" which is true, but I feel that statement follows the "cherry picking the good, leaving the bad" of modern paganism and witchcraft that personally puts me off :(
A word of caution tho: as an Irish diaspora descendent, I must caution people when working with the Fae. Lately I've been seeing a lot of people merrily calling faes and similar creatures to work with, and most of the times, these creatures are deceitful and can do serious harm. For all that it's sacred, do MAYOR RESEARCH, before trying to invite them into your life.
November 15, 2021
This is a book "Traditonal Witchcraft" by which I mean Robert Cochrane's alternate Wicca/1734 since he hated Wicca so much but still had Doreen Valiente put her stamp on it. So its Wicca that 1) still believes in the burning times, believes confessions of the poor people tortured was really how witches practice, as well as using the Malleus Maleficarum as a source for how witches practiced. 3) claims to be ancient (it's not) 4) has decided the god is Satan, and the goddess is some ambiguous mother goddess. Oh an all gods and goddess are really just these two. The rest is Wicca with different names. It is well structured and has interesting activities for a someone new to this path. For a book described as the least bigoted of Cochrane's followers, I guess it's okay....but if you're looking to add Satan in to Wicca with less rules...um I guess go for it. Just be aware the tradition goes back to the 50's is heavily rooted in Wicca.
February 27, 2021
Absolutely LOVED this book!
Like the author, I have felt for the past few years that I have reached a plateau in my craft and magickal workings. It was to the point where every book I read on the subject just kept on repeating the same information and were becoming redundant. "Where do I go from here?" "How do I reach the next level?" and "Have I hit the limit of my power as a witch?" were some of the questions I asked myself often. Then I happened upon this book...
I was immediately drawn in by the beautiful art on the cover, and was excited to learn about a path that I had never explored before. "What is Traditional Witchcraft?" I wondered.
From the very first pages this book had me enamored. The author knew exactly where I was because he had been there himself. As I continued reading I learned not only new concepts but that a lot of the fundamental rites that I perform in my craft are indeed parts of this new-to-me path as well. You know, those little quirky personal things that you think only you do? I was fascinated!
By the end of the book I was empowered and as giddy as a schoolgirl knowing that I had not reached the end and that there is so much more out there to learn. Most of all, I fell in love with this crooked path of Traditional Witchcraft. I feel that it called to me in a very personal way.
On top of that, the book is well written and edited. It has lots of wonderful information on the subject and is super easy to follow. Although I would like to mention that this book reads well to the more seasoned crowd than it may to a beginner. It doesn't go over a lot of the foundational workings of the craft but rather seems to pick up where most craft books leave off.
This is a wonderful book that I will recommend a great deal to others ❤️
Like the author, I have felt for the past few years that I have reached a plateau in my craft and magickal workings. It was to the point where every book I read on the subject just kept on repeating the same information and were becoming redundant. "Where do I go from here?" "How do I reach the next level?" and "Have I hit the limit of my power as a witch?" were some of the questions I asked myself often. Then I happened upon this book...
I was immediately drawn in by the beautiful art on the cover, and was excited to learn about a path that I had never explored before. "What is Traditional Witchcraft?" I wondered.
From the very first pages this book had me enamored. The author knew exactly where I was because he had been there himself. As I continued reading I learned not only new concepts but that a lot of the fundamental rites that I perform in my craft are indeed parts of this new-to-me path as well. You know, those little quirky personal things that you think only you do? I was fascinated!
By the end of the book I was empowered and as giddy as a schoolgirl knowing that I had not reached the end and that there is so much more out there to learn. Most of all, I fell in love with this crooked path of Traditional Witchcraft. I feel that it called to me in a very personal way.
On top of that, the book is well written and edited. It has lots of wonderful information on the subject and is super easy to follow. Although I would like to mention that this book reads well to the more seasoned crowd than it may to a beginner. It doesn't go over a lot of the foundational workings of the craft but rather seems to pick up where most craft books leave off.
This is a wonderful book that I will recommend a great deal to others ❤️
January 29, 2021
I'm going to keep this brief, as I myself was using this as an educational tool and therefore cannot comment on the entirety of this books accuracy. What I will say is that if you're looking to this book as a beginning step to break away from more mainstream and modern (and appropriative) practices, it is a good starting point. However, this is a book not about folk magic but the neo-pagan path of traditional witchcraft. It never says otherwise, but for anyone who may be looking for a path out of new age witchcraft, this isn't it. That all being said, there are some good tools. A lot of the thought practices and methods for devising your own practice were helpful and applicable generally. I also thought the methods the author provided for looking to folklore for practice and how to do that with folklore specific to your heritage and region was insightful.
My docked two stars weren't about it not being neo-pagan, as I said it never claimed to be otherwise, I rather just mentioned because I myself was unaware of the path and got in with false expectations and didn't want anyone else to feel the same. The two stars I docked were rather for the religious aspect that seemed unavoidable to the book. By the author's own mention, witchcraft can be secular. However, all the practices and provided hypothetical rituals did not really provide a route around that, with the deities of traditional witchcraft being emphasized for most rituals. Nothing wrong with that, I just felt that even as a beginners book it did a disservice to the secular witch despite this book being one that opens and accepts that path.
Overall, it's a good tool, enjoyable. I sort of feel bad for the three stars as I did find it useful, but that just feels like the level of resource it is. It's a good for exploring a new path of witchcraft, not for an introduction into witchcraft at all, and had some good resources and some less so. If you haven't done research of your own before this, please do after. There are definitely places where I was aided by my own knowledge and comfort level to cast some advice aside. It's one of the better resources out there but, as you learn as you keep researching, no one resource on witchcraft is all good. Be critical and keep reading.
My docked two stars weren't about it not being neo-pagan, as I said it never claimed to be otherwise, I rather just mentioned because I myself was unaware of the path and got in with false expectations and didn't want anyone else to feel the same. The two stars I docked were rather for the religious aspect that seemed unavoidable to the book. By the author's own mention, witchcraft can be secular. However, all the practices and provided hypothetical rituals did not really provide a route around that, with the deities of traditional witchcraft being emphasized for most rituals. Nothing wrong with that, I just felt that even as a beginners book it did a disservice to the secular witch despite this book being one that opens and accepts that path.
Overall, it's a good tool, enjoyable. I sort of feel bad for the three stars as I did find it useful, but that just feels like the level of resource it is. It's a good for exploring a new path of witchcraft, not for an introduction into witchcraft at all, and had some good resources and some less so. If you haven't done research of your own before this, please do after. There are definitely places where I was aided by my own knowledge and comfort level to cast some advice aside. It's one of the better resources out there but, as you learn as you keep researching, no one resource on witchcraft is all good. Be critical and keep reading.
February 20, 2020
An excellent, accessible, well organized, and well written introduction to Traditional Witchcraft. The exercises gradually progress the reader through making tools, preparing for ritual, and practising folkloric magic. They are also indexed separately, something I wish all books on magic and spirituality would do. (I always put mine at the end of a chapter so people can find them again, but having a separate contents page for them is excellent.)
The foreword by Gemma Gary, and the introduction by Kelden, stress the similarities between Traditional Witchcraft and Wicca rather than the differences. As a polytheist Wiccan with a strong interest in folklore and a land-based spirituality, I was grateful for this.
The section on the Devil in traditional witchcraft is excellent and explains that the Devil of folklore is not the same archetype as the Christian Satan.
This is a book written by someone who really knows what they are talking about and has clearly practised this path for a good amount of time. Top notch!
The section on engaging with the Otherworld was very good indeed. But the bit that I really loved was the section on connecting with the land — your local land wights, genii locorum, local wildlife, local geology, and so on. It echoes a lot of what I’ve been saying for years.
The foreword by Gemma Gary, and the introduction by Kelden, stress the similarities between Traditional Witchcraft and Wicca rather than the differences. As a polytheist Wiccan with a strong interest in folklore and a land-based spirituality, I was grateful for this.
The section on the Devil in traditional witchcraft is excellent and explains that the Devil of folklore is not the same archetype as the Christian Satan.
This is a book written by someone who really knows what they are talking about and has clearly practised this path for a good amount of time. Top notch!
The section on engaging with the Otherworld was very good indeed. But the bit that I really loved was the section on connecting with the land — your local land wights, genii locorum, local wildlife, local geology, and so on. It echoes a lot of what I’ve been saying for years.
July 29, 2022
having enough of an understanding of wicca to be able to untangle its influence from the valid points in this book is Essential for those from other paths looking to use/adapt for themselves--thus, not exactly a beginner book for someone who isn't wiccan. also, anything dealing with fae work is something that brings my guard up, so...take that whole section with caution, i guess.
while definitely wicca-inspired (father and mother, anyone?), this ended up being more useful than i expected after the intro and first chapter. specifically, i appreciated the section on bioregionalism, something i'm a Huge fan of, and some of the exercises are great--very readable and easy to follow. i'll definitely be trying out some of the specific exercises focused on developing a relationship with the local land and spirits
overall--good book with a great writing style, just needs some filtering in certain sections
while definitely wicca-inspired (father and mother, anyone?), this ended up being more useful than i expected after the intro and first chapter. specifically, i appreciated the section on bioregionalism, something i'm a Huge fan of, and some of the exercises are great--very readable and easy to follow. i'll definitely be trying out some of the specific exercises focused on developing a relationship with the local land and spirits
overall--good book with a great writing style, just needs some filtering in certain sections
June 25, 2023
Read it and couldn’t tell you want Kelden’s version of Traditional Witchcraft actually is. Part of the book talks a lot about Wicca, and whatever he does is basically Wicca. I got this specifically because it was supposed to be a book that didn’t have Wiccan practices and it’s just a different flavor of the same thing. He also spends like half the book referencing other paths and religions and stories from inside those, which is why I have no idea what he actually believes or practices. The book is written like an essay. He states what he is going to say next and when things are going to be discussed and summarizes what he just said. It’s awful. It’s also very obviously written by a man. He talks like he knows so much and he uses so many words and says absolutely nothing. This isn’t educational. It’s a waste of paper and time.
January 17, 2022
Took a while to read through properly with being a busy mum but I loved this book.. probably one of my tops for traditional witchcraft practices.
The step by step he takes you through stages of traditional and spirituality lore and practices really clearly. This book doesn’t feel wordy or heavy to understand and is clear in it’s knowledge it’s passing down to the reader. Your on a journey of knowledge and respect for witchcraft practices.
The step by step he takes you through stages of traditional and spirituality lore and practices really clearly. This book doesn’t feel wordy or heavy to understand and is clear in it’s knowledge it’s passing down to the reader. Your on a journey of knowledge and respect for witchcraft practices.
March 9, 2020
This is one of the best books I have read on the subject. It was truly informative and interesting. Also I appreciated that it was not at all dry and boring, but very readable and accessible. Kudos to the author! I will keep an eye out to see if he writes anything more.
January 29, 2023
There’s so much wrong with this book and so little right. Good lord. Where to start. The title seems a good place. I found the it more than problematic. I don’t see how a narrow approach aimed at one culture that ignores several aspects of pagan culture and replaces them with a Christian devil can be called Traditional Witchcraft, but sure. Why not? Besides the title, I was fascinated by the information presented and other times I was frustrated by the lack of cultural representation. That’s not to say there’s not some nuggets here. I did enjoy some of this book for sure. I just felt like I was going on a roller coaster.
For instance, pp 108 where women were being accused of witchcraft. These women may have confessed because they were being tortured, like so many others of the time. There’s no context here, or in any other part of the book. I would also like to add that many times the accusers who saw things such as “women flying on broomsticks” were often suffering from ergot poisoning from wet rye. He makes no mention of these things yet claims to know so much about baneful plants. It makes you wonder how much research he actually did. If he did do the research, he left out the violent context of these horrific crimes against women and children over and over again. He just keeps glossing over it while claiming to make a Traditional historical context of British Witchcraft. That’s just bananas!!!
Pp76 when he talks about low magic and high magic and the roles that class played in the types of magic of the times. I felt like this was a perfect opportunity to talk about injustice and how those with money would never have to worry about the consequences of practicing magic whereas those without… it didn’t matter if you did or didn’t practice, you could be accused just for being poor or being a midwife.
Now that I have said all this negative stuff I want to focus on some of the stuff I did like. I had never heard of planetary squares and I found that section interesting. I’m definitely going to look more into it. I also found some of the content on familiars interesting and quite different from anything I had ever read before.
I wanted to give it one star but I have it two because he did do some good research. I just wish it was more well rounded. If you’re going to claim such a feat, you had better deliver, and unfortunately this book did far from the task.
For instance, pp 108 where women were being accused of witchcraft. These women may have confessed because they were being tortured, like so many others of the time. There’s no context here, or in any other part of the book. I would also like to add that many times the accusers who saw things such as “women flying on broomsticks” were often suffering from ergot poisoning from wet rye. He makes no mention of these things yet claims to know so much about baneful plants. It makes you wonder how much research he actually did. If he did do the research, he left out the violent context of these horrific crimes against women and children over and over again. He just keeps glossing over it while claiming to make a Traditional historical context of British Witchcraft. That’s just bananas!!!
Pp76 when he talks about low magic and high magic and the roles that class played in the types of magic of the times. I felt like this was a perfect opportunity to talk about injustice and how those with money would never have to worry about the consequences of practicing magic whereas those without… it didn’t matter if you did or didn’t practice, you could be accused just for being poor or being a midwife.
Now that I have said all this negative stuff I want to focus on some of the stuff I did like. I had never heard of planetary squares and I found that section interesting. I’m definitely going to look more into it. I also found some of the content on familiars interesting and quite different from anything I had ever read before.
I wanted to give it one star but I have it two because he did do some good research. I just wish it was more well rounded. If you’re going to claim such a feat, you had better deliver, and unfortunately this book did far from the task.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2023
After only hearing rave reviews, i had such high hopes. But unfortunately for me this was just another wiccan centric book that accumulated a bunch of past and present stories about witches to create an extremely specific and modern practice that the author has called 'Traditional Witchcraft'. cultral contexts and aknowledgement of syncretism was completely lost from any descriptions of practices - and instead reerences seemed cherry picked to back up the 'accuracy' of the authors UPG. It seemed to me as though 'Traditional witchcraft' is more of a guide as to how modern witches can use traditional IDEAS about witchcraft from around the world in their practice, with an extreme leading towards wicca (ideas of a witch mother and father, casting a circle etc) rather than being a comprehensive book on actual historical and traditional practices
July 6, 2022
I appreciate Kelden's intriguing yet non-pretentious writing style a lot, but I wasn't a huge fan of this book. While I think it serves as an excellent guide for a beginner witch, due to it approaching many topics related to magick in an easy-to-follow manner, as well as several journal exercises and prompts that can be thought-provoking yet allow for flexibility, the issue is that it tries to preach Traditional Witchcraft rather than just witchcraft in general. It is a bit biased at points due to that focus, with too much crossover into Wicca that may be confusing to some. There was too much emphasis on the label, which is not as important as the practice itself. Still, I do agree with a lot of what he says, and I appreciate his inclusivity of witches who do not incorporate deities in their path. But for the most part, he doesn't really say anything new in this book, though it provides a comprehensive summary.
February 1, 2020
I should begin by saying, I'm not a witch and I have no intention on becoming a witch. Rather, I have a friend who's a witch, and I was curious to discover more about his spirituality and practices. For that purpose, much of this book helped me - someone who knows nothing about the craft - come to understand its fundamentals. I had no problems understanding the vocabulary or visualizing the rituals. It was well written and well described. That being said, while not closely related to the practice of witchcraft, I would have loved to learn more about the history of how Witchcraft transformed to its modern day form (the book does delve into some topics regarding this, but further detail would have been awesome).
July 7, 2021
There are parts of this book that I really enjoyed. The introduction and focus on folk magic was really interesting and resonated with me. There was parts that I thought was a little problematic, the author seems to be of a Christian band of witchcraft where witch trials and rituals confessed in those trials are taken as the foundation for practices and spells. I myself could name older figures to fill in the role of the witch father since they've been associated with witchcraft and sorcery further back in history than the christian devil. But over all I walked away from this book liking a lot of the ideas that it brought. especially that of finding magic locally was great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2020
Wonderful book.
Really enjoyed.
I recommend...
Really enjoyed.
I recommend...
April 6, 2020
Beautiful read
Absolutely amazing book full of so much useful information, I loveee traditional witchcraft and the author has framed it so well in this book!
Absolutely amazing book full of so much useful information, I loveee traditional witchcraft and the author has framed it so well in this book!
October 25, 2020
Too crooked for me.
June 21, 2022
Gostei do livro e da maneira como está escrito. Adorei conhecer a história e as diferenças entre Wicca e Traditional Witchcraft.
Não realizei os exercícios todos, mas achei interessante a forma como o livro está construído.
Não tenho muita experiência mas achei que era interessante para quem está a iniciar.Gostei do livro e da maneira como está escrito. Gostei de conhecer a história e as diferenças entre Wicca e Traditional Witchcraft.
Não realizei os exercícios todos, mas achei interessante a forma como o livro está construído.
Não realizei os exercícios todos, mas achei interessante a forma como o livro está construído.
Não tenho muita experiência mas achei que era interessante para quem está a iniciar.Gostei do livro e da maneira como está escrito. Gostei de conhecer a história e as diferenças entre Wicca e Traditional Witchcraft.
Não realizei os exercícios todos, mas achei interessante a forma como o livro está construído.
March 13, 2022
A decent beginner book. Can't say anything really bad about it, it is a form of trad craft largely based on Cochranes ideas, so if you are looking for something different, this book might not be up your alley. As an introductory book I think it tackles the basics well enough, but beyond that Kelden does list a good amount of resources to look through as a jumping off point.
September 9, 2022
/working on review/
January 26, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
October 8, 2023
A reread, but always a treat to pickup and enjoy again.
December 7, 2021
This just all around maintains a gimmicky vibe. From the title of the book, to the cover, it just doesn’t seem genuine. Until you read it. Because the author put a lot of heart and effort into this tome. This book is part: how-to, historical tell all, self help, and information index. What with its charts, glossary, index, and bibliography.
This book DEEPLY emphasizes that witchcraft is a personal experience and that you should live it how you desire, no one person should put a label to it but I see a lot of people doing just that. Perhaps that was the more unintended desire from the author, that we shouldn’t put labels on everything. Like “crooked” eh?
Now witchcraft is a tradition usually maintained and forged by women. And since a large part the book is just him referencing other peoples work, fairly recently too, like a lot of the sources are barely pass the 2000s, I think he didn’t “write” this on his own. The author comes from a religious background and he uses this craft to explore himself and to feel happy which I implore, but it seems like something is missing.
There’s a lot of people talking about the “controversy” of this, which in-turn goes hand-in-hand with the labeling problem. There’s nothing really “bad” about the contents inside, it’s not like it’s telling you to put henbane in anyone’s tea or anything.
We are probably going to see more from this author but I hope their works doesn’t get too droll. There is only so much you can talk and write about on the subject in all honesty. The very nature of this craft is that it’s forged by your own individual needs, wants, desires, and history.
This book DEEPLY emphasizes that witchcraft is a personal experience and that you should live it how you desire, no one person should put a label to it but I see a lot of people doing just that. Perhaps that was the more unintended desire from the author, that we shouldn’t put labels on everything. Like “crooked” eh?
Now witchcraft is a tradition usually maintained and forged by women. And since a large part the book is just him referencing other peoples work, fairly recently too, like a lot of the sources are barely pass the 2000s, I think he didn’t “write” this on his own. The author comes from a religious background and he uses this craft to explore himself and to feel happy which I implore, but it seems like something is missing.
There’s a lot of people talking about the “controversy” of this, which in-turn goes hand-in-hand with the labeling problem. There’s nothing really “bad” about the contents inside, it’s not like it’s telling you to put henbane in anyone’s tea or anything.
We are probably going to see more from this author but I hope their works doesn’t get too droll. There is only so much you can talk and write about on the subject in all honesty. The very nature of this craft is that it’s forged by your own individual needs, wants, desires, and history.
July 24, 2023
I was expecting more, maybe too much from this book. I was excited to learn more about traditional witchcraft. I liked the author's initial discussion of the difference between Wicca and traditional witchcraft, but ultimately much of the scaffolding for the path he discusses feels like re-skinned Wicca. At first he notes that deities aren't necessary and witches can work in whatever tradition they want, but almost every exercise provided relies on a Witch Father and Witch Mother, which are almost exactly the same as the God and Goddess of Wicca. I don't mind eclecticism in practice, but it felt really jumbled in here and honestly not necessary. If you want to do the archetypal male/female split that's fine, there's no need to justify it by pulling in a bunch of folklore from various traditions and flattening them to make it look like deeper truth. The exercises still provide some good practice and information and for beginners there is good stuff here, I just don't think it's accurate to say Traditional Witchcraft is not the same as Wicca and then build the practice off of Cochrane, Gardner, and Valiente's stuff. It's maybe less ceremonial and infuses a bit more of the witchcraft trial documentation, but it doesn't seem like the author really left the Wiccan core behind; it's more like a change in aethestics and ceremonial types, but the core beliefs still seem fairly consistent.
February 20, 2024
It's an intro which means it's good for beginners but it is very basic, so not for those who have been exposed to Traditional Witchcraft before. The writing style is accessible and easy to get through. There are some useful exercises to get you practicing in simple and easy ways. Also a good few journal prompts to help you digest the info and does actually help with thinking about what you would like your practice to look like.
In terms of topic... I'm sorry but is this really what Traditional Witchcraft is because if so, despite the author trying quite hard to distinguish it from Wicca, let's be real - they're the same except the founders had a falling out and decided to call the tools and rituals etc by different names.
If, like me, you're hoping for something less Wicca-esque, this one might not be for you. I'll be selling on.
In terms of topic... I'm sorry but is this really what Traditional Witchcraft is because if so, despite the author trying quite hard to distinguish it from Wicca, let's be real - they're the same except the founders had a falling out and decided to call the tools and rituals etc by different names.
If, like me, you're hoping for something less Wicca-esque, this one might not be for you. I'll be selling on.
June 22, 2020
Good introductory book for those who want to get started on the path. While it didn't have anything earthshattering in it that I didn't already know, it did help clarify the differences in focus and practices between Traditional Witchcraft and Eclectic Wicca.
December 4, 2022
Not for me. Nor was what I was thinking of regarding Traditional Witchcraft. “The crooked path”, to me, it seems, to be just one idea and school of witchcraft. (Though the author mostly expressed that the path is split in two, and is only Traditional Witchcraft as he has described it or Wicca. But there are MANY paths of witchcraft.)
Witch Father/Mother stuff and bringing in the Christian devil? Nah. Again, not for me.
The history was interesting, and I appreciated the citations throughout the book, as it’s truly nice to see the sources people work with. But this will likely be sent on to someone else who has better use for it.
Witch Father/Mother stuff and bringing in the Christian devil? Nah. Again, not for me.
The history was interesting, and I appreciated the citations throughout the book, as it’s truly nice to see the sources people work with. But this will likely be sent on to someone else who has better use for it.
May 25, 2022
This would have been a good book to have years ago, when I was a solitary practitioner, looking for a deeper practice into the old ways which Wicca couldn’t provide. Pagan ways still fascinate me but I no longer believe many of the things I once did. Traditional Witchcraft is different in that it is more primitive. If that calls to you, this book is for you.
January 26, 2023
For a book that sets out to distinguish Traditional Witchcraft from Wicca, the way modern Traditional Witchcraft is described is still very Wicca-esque. I get that this is an introduction, but a lot of the concepts brought up felt rushed and oversimplified. Still an interesting read in terms of folklore and the basics of certain practices.
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