Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft

BUCKLAND’S

COMPLETE BOOK

OF WITCHCRAFT

More Praise for Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft

‘The Big Blue Book’ has earned the status of a true classic in the world of Witch-craft and Wicca. I use both words because Ray Buckland covers both the Craft and the religion with total comprehensiveness. The book evolved out of a successful correspondence course and remains a self-study course and a valid text of the art and science of practical magick.

—Carl Llewellyn Weschcke

Publisher

"Raymond Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft is probably one of the clearest, direct presentations of all there is to Witchcraft. It is well done . . . in many ways, it takes the mystery out of an ancient belief, and Buckland is to be commended for having put it all together so well."

—Hans Holzer

Writer/Producer

If you want to start your own circle, this book will tell you how to begin and indicates paths to progress thereafter; if you’re already established and find yourself facing the training of newcomers, this book will remind you of all the things you’ve either forgotten or take so much for granted that it doesn’t occur to you to mention them. Heartily recommended.

—Kindred Spirits

Australia

"This book was one of the first to guide me on the path of my Craft. Detailed yet non-threatening, educational yet fun—I spent hours pouring over this book in my early days and still refer to it now sometimes for a ‘refresher’! I highly recommend this book as an important introduction to the Craft in this modern age.

—Fiona Horne

Author of Witch—A Magickal Journey

and Television/Radio Host

Ray Buckland gives an integrated view of essential Witchcraft, synthesized by his very extensive knowledge and illuminated by the genial breadth of his own wisdom. Thus we have here not only an ample course on ‘how to be a Witch’ but also, incidentally, a sane and joyful exposition of life and how to live it.

—Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips

Authors of Llewellyn’s Practical Guide series

A master-work by one of the great Elders of the Craft. Raymond Buckland has presented a rich treasure-trove of Wiccan lore. It is a legacy that will provide magic, beauty, and wisdom to future generations of those who seek the ancient paths of the Old Religion.

—Ed Fitch

Author of Magical Rites from the Crystal Well

About the Author

Raymond Buckland came to the United States from England in 1962. He had written television comedy scripts for ITV’s The Army Game series and a pilot, Sly Digs, for BBC-TV. He was also personal scriptwriter for the popular British comedian Ted Lune. In the past thirty years he has had over thirty books published—fiction and nonfiction—by such publishers as Ace Books, Warner Books, Prentice Hall, Samuel Weiser, Inner Traditions International, Galde Press, Citadel,Visible Ink Press, and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., with more than a million copies in print and translations in twelve foreign languages. He has also written newspaper and magazine articles and five screenplays. Two of his books are each in their thirtieth printing. His Gypsy Witchcraft and Magic received the 1999 Visionary Award for nonfiction.

Considered an authority on the occult and the supernatural, Raymond Buckland served as technical advisor for the Orson Welles movie Necromancy (later retitled The Witching) and has also worked as an advisor for a stage production of Macbeth with William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist.He is of Romany (Gypsy) descent and, as such, is an authority on the Gypsies, four of his books dealing with that subject. He has lectured at colleges and universities across the country, including Pennsylvania State University, University of Western Illinois, University of North Dakota, New York State University, Kent State (Ohio), and San Diego City College. He has been the subject of articles in such newspapers and magazines as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily (and Sunday) News, National Observer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Look Magazine, Cosmopolitan, True, and many others.

Raymond Buckland has appeared on numerous radio and television talk programs, including The Dick Cavett Show, Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow Show, Not For Women Only (with Barbara Walters), The Virginia Graham Show, The Dennis Wholley Show, and the Sally Jessy Raphael Show. He has been seen on BBC-TV England, RAI-TV Italy, and CBC-TV Canada. He has appeared extensively on stage in England and played small character parts in movies in America.

He has taught courses at New York State University, Hofstra University, New Hampshire Technical College, and for the Hampton (Virginia) City Council, and been a featured speaker at the Tidewater Writers Conference and other writers’ workshops. He is listed in a number of reference works including Contemporary Authors, Who’s Who In America,Men of Achievement, and International Authors and Writers Who’s Who. Today he lives on a small farm in north-central Ohio.

Many of Llewellyn’s authors have websites with additional information and resources. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.llewellyn.com.

BUCKLAND’S

COMPLETE BOOK

OF WITCHCRAFT

RAYMOND

BUCKLAND

SECOND EDITION, REVISED & EXPANDED

2002

Llewellyn Publications

St. Paul,Minnesota 55164-0383 U.S.A.

Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft ©1986 & 2002 by Raymond Buckland. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage,without written permission from Llewellyn Publications except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

As the purchaser of this e-book, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on screen. The text may not be otherwise reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, or recorded on any other storage device in any form or by any means.

Any unauthorized usage of the text without express written permission of the publisher is a violation of the author’s copyright and is illegal and punishable by law.

SECOND EDITION, REVISED & EXPANDED

Second printing, 2002

First edition, thirty-one printings

First e-book edition © 2010

E-book ISBN: 9780738717722

Book design by Becky Zins and Kimberly Nightingale

Cover design by Lisa Novak

Editing by Kimberly Nightingal

Herbal safety review by Melissa Mierv

Interior illustrations © 2002 Lauren Foster-MacLeod pages 14, 32, 34, 49, 50, 68, 69, 85, 113, 114, 162, 164, 166, 212, 213, 214,223, 225, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 270, 274, and 290

Interior illustrations © Raymond Buckland pages 2, 23, 28, 33, 42, 43, 44, 45 (all runes pages 52, 53, 54, and 55), 82, 126, 146, 151, 159, 223 (illustrations 1 and 2) 227, 248, 250, 251, 252, 254, 258, 259, 260, 287, and all music scores in appendix C

Interior illustrations by the Llewellyn Art Department pages 35, 87, 226, and 256.

Illustration from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck, known also as the Rider Tarot and the Waite Tarot, page 161, reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Further reproduction prohibited. The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck is a registered trademark of U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Photo of the Mesopotamian tablets, page 176, reproduced by permission of Mansell Collection/Timepix. Photographs of the athame, page 44, and the boleen, page 188, provided courtesy of Monte Plaisance, proprieter of the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft in New Orleans, Louisiana. All other photos courtesy of Raymond Buckland.

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Llewellyn Worldwide does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business transactions between our authors and the public.

Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific location will continue to be maintained. Please refer to the publisher’s website for links to authors’ websites and other sources.

The old-fashioned remedies in this book are historical references used for teaching purposes only. The recipes are not for commercial use or profit. The contents are not meant to diagnose, treat, prescribe, or substitute consultation with a licensed healthcare professional.

Llewellyn Publication

Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125

www.llewellyn.com

Manufactured in the United States of America

Other Books by Raymond Buckland

Advanced Candle Magic (Llewellyn, 1996)

Amazing Secrets of the Psychic World (Parker, 1975) with Hereward Carrington

Anatomy of the Occult (Weiser, 1977)

The Book of African Divination (Inner Traditions, 1992) with Kathleen Binger

Buckland Gypsies’ Domino Divination Deck (Llewellyn, 1995)

Cardinal’s Sin (Llewellyn, 1996)

Coin Divination (Llewellyn, 1999)

Color Magick (Llewellyn, 1983 and 2002)

The Committee (Llewellyn, 1993)

Doors to Other Worlds (Llewellyn, 1993)

Gypsy Dream Dictionary (Llewellyn, 1990, 1998)

Gypsy Witchcraft & Magic (Llewellyn, 1998)

Here is the Occult (HC, 1974)

The Magic of Chant-O-Matics (Parker, 1978)

Mu Revealed (Warner Paperback Library, 1970) under the pseudonym Tony Earll

A Pocket Guide to the Supernatural (Ace, 1969)

Practical Candleburning Rituals (Llewellyn, 1970, 1976, 1982)

Ray Buckland’s Magic Cauldron (Galde Press, 1995)

Scottish Witchcraft (Llewellyn, 1991)

Secrets of Gypsy Fortunetelling (Llewellyn, 1988)

Secrets of Gypsy Love Magic (Llewellyn, 1990)

The Tree: Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft (Weiser, 1974)

Truth About Spirit Communication (Llewellyn, 1995)

Wicca for Life (Citadel, 2001)

The Witch Book (Visible Ink Press, 2002)

Witchcraft Ancient and Modern (HC, 1970)

Witchcraft From the Inside (Llewellyn, 1971, 1975, 1995)

Witchcraft . . . the Religion (Buckland Museum, 1966)

Tarot Kits

The Buckland Romani Tarot (2000)

Gypsy Fortunetelling Tarot Kit (1989, 1998)

Videos

Witchcraft . . . Yesterday and Today (1990)

For Tara

and in memory of Scire and Olwen

Acknowledgments

My thanks to

Ed Fitch, for his cheiromantic assistance,

Mike F. Shoemaker, for material on Dreams and the Intuitive Process,

Carl L. Weschcke, for his continued encouragement, and

Aidan Breac, for all PectiWita* details.

*Aidan Breac was a Scottish Highlander who was born and raised in a hereditary Craft family on Priest Island, off the west coast of Scotland. He is descended from the Carnonacae tribe of Picts who lived in the northwest of what is now Ross and Cromarty County. Aidan Breac lived into his nineties, and for the last thiry years of his life devoted his time to teaching the Picta-Wita Tradition (a Solitary one) to students hardy enough to make the journey to the rugged northwest of Scotland and share the rigors of his retreat at Castle Carnonacae.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition

Introduction

Lesson One: The History and Philosophy of Witchcraft

History and development. Persecutions. Reemergence. The philosophy of Witchcraft. Principles of Wiccan belief. The power within. Spells and charms.

Lesson Two: Beliefs

Deities. The God and Goddess of Witchcraft. Reincarnation. Retribution. Between lives. Your temple. Your altar and its furniture. Magick—an introduction.

Lesson Three: Tools, Clothing, and Names

Working tools. Knife. Marking in metal. Sword. Other tools. Dress. Jewelry. Horned helmet. Inscriptions. Your Witch name.

Lesson Four: Getting Started

Rites of passage. Circles. Self-Dedication. Coven nitiation.

Lesson Five: Covens and Rituals

Covens and degrees. Hierarchy and priesthood. Covensteads and covendoms. The book of rituals. Consecration of tools. Rituals—Erecting the Temple. Clearing the Temple. Esbat Rite. Full Moon Rite. New/Dark Moon Rite. Cakes and Ale.

Lesson Six: The Sabbats

Samhain. Beltane. Imbolc. Lughnasadh.

Lesson Seven:Meditation, Dreams, and the Minor Sabbats

Meditation—how meditation works. Technique. Posture. Area. Time of day. Method. Dreams—the Source. Dream interpretation and symbology. Remembering dreams. Personal symbols. The repetitive dream. Group dreams. Dreams vs. out-of-body experiences. Rituals—Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumnal Equinox,Winter Solstice

Lesson Eight:Marriage, Birth, Death, and Channeling

Handfasting Rite. Handparting Rite. Birth Rite. Crossing the Bridge. The intuitive process—categories of channeling. Clearing the channel. External focal points. Interpreting channeled information. The aura. Sensory deprivation. The Witches’ cradle.

Lesson Nine: Divination

Tarot. Scrying. Saxon wands. Cheiromancy. Tea leaf reading. Numerology. Astrology. Fire scrying.

Lesson Ten: Herbalism

Herbal lore. Getting the most out of herbs. Simples, syrups, salves, poultices, and powders. Herb simples. Definition of medical actions. Herbs in Materia Medica. Botanicals—alteratives, anthelmintics, astringents, bitter tonics, calmatives, carminatives and aromatics, cathartics, demulcents, diaphoretics, diuretics, emollients, expectorants, nervines, nerve stimulants, refrigerants, sedatives, stimulants. Vitamins in herbs. The art of prescribing medicine. Some simple treatments—medicinal drinks, syrups, decoctions, teas, mixtures, ointments. Witches’ pharmacopoeia. Sources.

Lesson Eleven:Magick

Physical body. Circle. Cone of power. Dancing and chanting. Feeling. Drawing down power. Releasing the power. Timing. Cord magick. Candle magick. Love magick. Sex magick. Binding spell. Protection. Form of ritual.

Lesson Twelve: The Power of the Written Word

Runes. Ogham Bethluisnion. Egyptian hieroglyphics. Theban. Passing the River. Angelic. Malachim. Pictish. Talismans and amulets. Power raising dance. General dancing. Wine and ale. Bread and cakes.

Lesson Thirteen: Healing

The aura. Auric healing. Pranic healing. Absent healing. Color healing. Gem therapy. Poppets. Meditation and biofeedback. Animals and plants. Positive thinking.

Lesson Fourteen: Getting Set Up

Rituals. The construction of ritual. Guardians of the Watchtowers. Forming a coven. Your coven. Establishing a church. Craft greetings. Clothing accessories—cloak, sandals. Young Wiccans. Breaking the news.

Lesson Fifteen: Solitary Witches

Rituals—Erecting the Temple. Esbat. Cakes and Ale. Clearing the Temple. Meditation to the elements

And Now ?

Appendix A:Wiccan Denominations

Alexandrian Wicca. American Celtic Wicca. Australian Wicca. Church of Y Tylwyth Teg. Church of the Crescent Moon. Circle Wicca. Coven of the Forest, Far and Forever. Deboran Witchcraft. Dianic Feminist Wicce. Frost’s Wicca. Gardnerian Wicca. Georgian Wicca. Maidenhill Wicca. Northern Way. Nova Wicca. PectiWita. Seax-Wica. Thessalonian Tradition.