History of Witchcraft Rewritten

If you knew that there was one book that would change the history of witchcraft would you want to read it? Rated Five Stars on Amazon. Recommended by author Alan Richardson and Marty Dodge of Blogcritics.com.

Witchcraft Out of the Shadows

Contents

Part One: Age of Shadows

The early history of witchcraft.

The Birthplace of All Sorceries:
Witchcraft in Ancient Greece

Beginning with the pre-eminent goddess of witchcraft, Hecate, we explore the character of ancient witchcraft through the mythological figures of Circe and Medea. How did Hecate become Goddess of the Underworld? Why did Circe use strange potions to enslave all those who set foot on her magic island? Why did Medea kill her own children? Why are such cruel and fantastic women associated with witchcraft?

East of Midgard:
Witchcraft in Northern Europe

In the mythological imagination of the Northern Europeans, East of Midgard was their very own 'Birthplace of All Sorceries.' Almost entirely overlooked, this Northern heritage has significantly contributed to our current ideas of witchcraft.

South of Heaven:
Witchcraft in Medieval & Early Modern Europe

The Witches of the European Dark Ages come flying towards us out of the past's stygian mire in a wild cavalcade, riding devils and broomsticks, followed by black cats and poisonous toads to be consumed in the fires, not of Hell, but of fear and hatred, greed and lust.

Part Two: Born of Shadows

The Origins of Modern Witchcraft

Celtic Twilight and Golden Dawn:
The Romantic Revival of Witchcraft and Magic

The European witch-hunts were over, but witchcraft and the idea of witchcraft would never die out. In the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries witchcraft was re-examined, re-interpreted and, ultimately, re-invented. But by whom and for why?

The Craft of Invention:
The Creation of the Wiccan Religion

It is the Riddle of the Sphinx Lodge, the secret at the heart of Wicca. Where did Wicca come from? Who was Gerald Gardner? Was Freemasonry involved? Or something darker? What part did the 'Wickedest Man in the World' have to play?

Out of the Cauldron, Into the Fire:
The Growth and Development of Wicca

Out of the seething cauldron of its inventor's fertile imagination, shameless plagiarism, energy and ambition came the most radical and fastest growing religion of the Twentieth and now Twenty-First Century. How did this happen? Who were the people who shaped this development?

Part Three: Empire of Shadows

Witchcraft in the World Today

The Society of Witches:
A Profile of Modern Witches

It is time to shake the wand of serious, scientific research at the stereotypes that still haunt the perception of Witchcraft. It is time to dispel the sweet and fearful fantasy of evil and find out who are today's Witches. Are they, as Shakespeare called them, dark and midnight hags? The answer might surprise you.

Calling Down the Moon:
Belief and Experience in Modern Witchcraft

Even today, long after the horrors of the witch trials, people still think they worship the Devil despite their protestations to the contrary, but the question is: what do today's Witches worship? What are their beliefs? What are the experiences that shape those beliefs? You will find their answers frank, revealing and extra-ordinary.

Drawing the Magic Circle:
The Definition, Use and Effect of Magic in Witchcraft

Magic, the word itself conjures up the strangest ideas, but what does it mean to those who use it? What do they use it for? What effect does that use have on them? I asked the Witches themselves. Do you want to know what they said?

Old Ways, New Directions:
Evaluating Witchcraft from its Earliest Beginnings to its Future Potentialities

Witches and Witchcraft are no longer what they were thought to be. Gone are the pacts with the Devil, the evil imp familiars and toe-curling curses. In their place we find a vital religion practising spiritual equality and seeking the improvement of the world. This new religion finds fertile soil for its rapid and increasing growth in today's social climate of post-Christianisation and re-enchantment.

Bibliography and Index

[Free Meta Index available for download here]

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