Book Review: Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life

The following is the full no holds barred review of Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life by Ariadne Rainbird, a practicing Wiccan of over 35 years and who was my High Priestess in the early/mid 1990s.

Contemporary Witchcraft is an informative, comprehensive and well written guide to the practice of Pagan Witchcraft in the Southern Hemisphere, but also contains a lot of valuable information which readers in the Northern Hemisphere could equally benefit from.  The author uses the term “contemporary witchcraft” to describe the more traditional and initiatory practice of the Craft which can be traced back to Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders, generally known as Wicca.  Unfortunately the word Wicca has been usurped by modern neo-pagans, practising a Wicca-based non-initiatory neo-paganism, and has therefore become a generalised term often including an assortment of New Age practices, as opposed to focusing on the initiatory teachings of Gardner and Sanders, much to the annoyance of those of us who are of an initiatory lineage.   The author muses that what is often called Wicca today bears little resemblance to what she was originally trained in, and what she practices today, and so has chosen to describe what she does as contemporary witchcraft rather than Wicca. However, she makes it clear that what she is writing about is in fact Wicca in its original sense, the traditional and initiatory form which honours oathbound materials and hierarchical training.

The author gives a brief history of the development of what has become modern witchcraft before plunging in to some of the common beliefs and practices of contemporary witchcraft, discussing in quite some depth, such topics as the origin and meaning of the Wiccan Rede, the Threefold Law of Return, and the Charge of the Goddess.  There is a wealth of interesting information, such that even a long-service and experienced Wiccan such as myself, with over 35 years in the Craft, has found information which was new to me within these pages.   There are a lot of books on Wicca around these days, many of which simply re-hash the same old ideas, or worse, give a watered down version, turning it into some New Age fluffy version that is unrecognisable to those of us who are initiated witches.  This book is not one of those, and I would recommend it for the serious student of modern pagan witchcraft.

Frances Billinghurst provides an in-depth discussion of the seasonal festivals and how they differ in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and how a tradition which originated in the Northern hemisphere can be effectively adapted for the Southern Hemisphere, whilst maintaining a sense of connectedness to the land, highlighting that it is not a case of “simply moving the sabbats around”.  She points out that such an assumption indicates a lack of understanding of the differences between the two hemispheres, and goes on to discuss the five basic differences between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and how the practitioner can adapt their craft to the part of the world they live in, not just whether Northern or Southern Hemisphere, but also taking into account climate and landscape.  I also applaud the author debunking the American trend, which has unfortunately spread around the world, of referring to the autumnal equinox as “Mabon”, and the summer solstice as “Litha”, neither of which have any historical precedent.  As the author rightly points out, Mabon is a character from Welsh folklore who in Welsh pagan traditions and Druidry, is connected with the sun and the summer solstice, and has no connection either mythologically, or festival-wise with the autumnal equinox. 

The author then gives a number of practical exercises and discusses the various ways of making magic, as well as the basics of casting a circle, calling upon the elements and meditative practices, and discusses the working tools of a witch, which will be valuable for the beginner, or anyone considering becoming involved in contemporary witchcraft, as well as providing some food for thought to those already practising, encouraging reflection on our practice, the symbolism of the tools and why we do things in a certain way.  Overall I would recommend this book not only to the beginner, but also to the seasoned practitioner of witchcraft, and not only to those in the Southern Hemisphere, but wherever you may be.

Ariadne Rainbird (co-author of Magick Without Peers: A Course in Progressive Witchcraft for the Solitary Practitioner, Capall Bann Publishing, 1997)