Learn to Stand with Feet Rooted in Shadow and Hands Stretched to the Stars
"In your hands is Raven Grimassi's most personal and powerful work to date. In it he shares profound Craft teachings that will transform your relationship with magick, and your work as a Witch. I wish I'd had access to this treasure earlier on my path."—Christopher Penczak, cofounder of the Temple of Witchcraft and author of the Plant Spirit Familiar
For the first time in more than a decade, Grimassi introduces readers to a new system of witchcraft, one that draws upon the old ways and the old days. Rich with spells, rituals, and detailed illustrations of plant spirits, Grimassi dares readers to take the path that leads deep into the darkened woods—to traverse upon the Thorned Path.
Meet the entities that dwell within the organic memory of the earth, the devas, the deities, the magical life force that lies within the wooded glen. Learn to work with these spirits, and use their wisdom to transform your life and your practice.
ISBN-13: 9781578635504
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser
Publication Date: 08-01-2014
Pages: 288
Product Dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Raven Grimassi is a neo-pagan scholar and the author of 17 books about witchcraft and the occult, including Old World Witchcraft. He is an avid researcher on folklore and folk magic practices, particularly in European cultures. He is currently the codirector of Elder of the Ash, Birch and Willow System of Old World Witchery. Visit him at www.ravengrimassi.net.
Read an Excerpt
"Entrance into the Old Ways begins with the pricking of a finger with a rose thorn, which produces a drop of blood. This opens the way into the Thorned Path, a system, which uses five rose thorns to symbolize the five arts of Witchcraft that one should master. These arts are Herbalist, Fortune-Teller, Spirit Medium, Mystic, and Magician. We call mastering these aspects 'the gathered thorns' —thus the Thorned Path."
Table of Contents
Preface xii
Introduction xvii
1 The Enchanted World 1
2 The Rose and Thorn Path 17
3 Tools of the Witches' Craft 39
4 Plant Spirits of the Greenwood 65
5 Works of Magic 105
6 The Old Ones 139
7 The Mythos 147
8 The Old Rites 159
9 The Modern Solitary Rites 181
Appendix A The Plant Spirit Seals 131
Appendix B Symbols of the Rose and Thorn Path 233
Bibliography 237
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