I really love learning about these books!!! I would love to see more videos on folk magic. I have English, German, Irish and Scottish DNA connections and a known family connection to folk magic from about 3 generations back that I am trying to figure out; circa 19th century. I believe her family was originally from England, but no idea where. My mother is a librarian and doing our family genealogy, so it is possible she might figure this out at some point.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video for us! I really appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge with us and find your perspective to be very mature and engaging. I hope the day is kind to you!
Gemma garys black toad, is a good book, its my next one to read. Also nigel pearsons waliking the tides.. Then you have genius of tarot by vincent pitisci hes american but still worth loking at.. Then you may like taking up the runes by diana l paxon. That will do for now. I agree with most of your choices.. One you may be aware of written in old english. Discoverie of witchcraft by reginald scott in the 1500s
I found this video very valuable Emily! I have always felt a deep connection with the land and natural healing practices. The idea of "doing my own thing" really appeals to me. For quite a long time now I have felt a strong pull towards witchcraft, however, didnt know where to start or what book(s) to read. I just ordered The Crooked Path, very excited!
Hi there, really looking forward to watching this video, I'm always on the lookout for more books! I'm Wiccan myself, but I'm very interested in folk witchcraft as well, and I'm especially interested in Scottish witchcraft, having lived in in Glasgow for many years when I was at uni. I recently went back to uni for a second B.A., this time in communication studies and Anglophone studies, I'm actually doing a seminar on "The Devil In Scotland: From Border Ballads to 21st Century Drama" right now. We're reading lots of texts from Burns' "Tam O' Shanter" to "The Private Memors and Confessions of a Justified Sinner," as well as theoretical secondary literature. When studying witchcraft I find, as you said in the beginning of your video, that you end up down all sorts of interesting research rabbit holes such as history, but also cultural studies, anthropology, ethnography and so much more. I'm reading Emma Wilby's "The Visions of Isobel Gowdie" right now and finding it extremely fascinating! 💜
I have a spell in the wild, very much looking forward to getting to it. I've added so many books to my list, I've had a long break from my practice while I was working on myself very much looking forward to getting back into it. Thank you for the wonderful recommendations 💜
Oh that's wonderful to hear! I definitely understand having to take a break from your practice too. I hope you enjoy Spell in the Wild - I think you really will 🙏
Hehe! my 2 favourite topics! Books and Trad Craft! 🤭 Thanks so much for these! A couple on here I don't know so it looks like I'll have to do some searching! I wholly agree, it's important to learn the context, and although I came from a Wicca background so I'm a little biased, I think it's foolish to ignore other traditions simply because you can learn so much from them!
Thank you for sharing this . I am a new subscriber to your Channel . I really found this video really helpful . I am Scottish and I’m recently starting to look into Scottish highland traditional witchcraft and folk magick , although I haven’t found a really good book of such . The book you mentioned , the Gemma Gary one , keeps popping up and I still haven’t bought it yet ? I’m thinking it might be really helpful . Again thank you and I will be looking into some of these books. Brightest blessings to you xxx
Wonderful thank you so much. I think you will love it. I have some more folk magic and traditional witchcraft book recommendations in a few of my most recent videos 🙏
Great video!! I was wondering if you know of any good documentaries about witchcraft, there are many books but I struggle to find any videos or documentaries. X
Very interesting about your book collection. I do have a few of them.. my family are east anglian norfolk mainly also suffolk.. you probably realise nigel pearson is from suffolk in east anglia. I am currently reading the triumph of the moon by ron hutton it like war and peace. Discoverie of witchcraft by reginald scot. Its about the witch trial but written in kld english so you need to think a little. There are 3 versions one by dover press, the forbidden books and another reprints from 1645, 1830 and 1924. Hope this helps I follow traditional witchcraft but have done others like alexandrian and eclectic and been in a few covens.
I keep hearing about that book yes. Thank you for the recommendation 😊 Omgsh just realised this comment is on a video from years ago. 🥰 thanks so much for watching it ✨ have you seen some of my newer videos? Xxx
Can you do a video about what makes a person a witch? What is the definition of “witch”. I’ve heard that to be a witch all you have to do is practice witchcraft and you can believe whatever you want about what you’re doing. Why the emphasis on just “practice”? What is practicing witchcraft anyway? I just feel some simple questions I don’t know about, it gets advanced pretty quick. Is it true that witchcraft is a very literary tradition to be involved in? Like you gotta read a lot about it and that getting most of our information from social media isn’t enough? Thank u
Hi, love your recommendations, and how they step away from typical "instagrammable" books. I was wondering, where were you able to pick up Gemma Gary's book? It is sooo expensive online :( I have been dying to read it.
Thank you so much. I have this on a Wishlist atom because it's so expensive here. I might be able to find in Glastonbury at Courtyard books though. I'm very interested in Norse/ Germanic magick so that would be amazing to read 🙏
I definitely would not call Witchcraft a secular practice Traditional witches in the early modern era, like the Cunningfolk, were almost universally Christians. Edit: I enjoyed the discussion, tho.
As with everything there is nuance - Having read around the topic of folk and traditional witchcraft quite a lot, I'm very aware that many folk practitioners were also Christians, but what I refer to in this video is that the practice of witchcraft does not have to be religious to be witchcraft. I myself am not a secular practitioner. For some their spirituality is separate to their witchcraft and for others their witchcraft is purely secular and they don't identify with any religion or spirituality, as well as for some like myself, my witchcraft practice and spirituality and devotional practices are deeply interwoven. It's important to discuss the nuances for sure though. Thanks for watching and sharing your perspective 🙏
I don't believe it's fully possible to completely separate the influence of Wicca on the practice of Witchcraft - at least for many people. There are a number of good books about folk witchcraft and traditional witchcraft which do for the most part avoid the typical Wiccan ideals and guidelines etc. but many magical practices are influenced by Wicca in general just by virtue of the fact that Wicca was so popularised and pervasive within the occult and spiritual communities. Also whilst I am not Wiccan, there is a lot to be said for the work of Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente because Witchcraft really came to be understood as a legitimate path of spirituality and/or religion globally as a result of the popularisation of Wicca. That's why I don't think we can fully separate the influences, but by all means I can create a video to talk about folk/ traditional witchcraft book recommendations, 🙏thank you for the comment and interesting question. 😊Xx
@@EmilysTarotandMagick As far as I know, Witchcraft is older than Wicca, and is not a religion but a practice/craft with the powers of mind and nature,so it shouldn't be difficult to separate craft from new religion in Witchcraft costume :) but I'm not an expert,I don't know anything that's why I'm just asking :D
Witchcraft is an old practice yes, however witchcraft wasn't popularised or understood in wider communities largely until the religion of Wicca took off from 1950s in England (Wicca is a religion, witchcraft is a practice, though many non-wiccan witches do feel their practice and spirituality is also their religion, so that is subjective) and a lot of what was actually practiced was unknown - that's the nuance of it all - any books detailing folk magics do a great job looking into ancient and more recent folklore to build up a picture of what was practiced. 'Traditional witchcraft' is largely a practice which was based a lot upon the historical trial records of those who were executed in many places from 1600s to 1700s. SO yes there isn't exactly a clear answer because there is nuance to all of it@@kukumuniu5658
I am looking for guidance learning more about traditional or the old path. I get annoyed with some of the new age ideology and it's followers because I feel it is something that has been dramatized, glorified, and looked at as a way to just manipulate people to get one's own way and seek revenge when they don't get what they want without having any genuine interest in learning and understanding on a deeper level or having respect for the foundation of what they are trying to do. I did not seek this path... It has always been a part of who I am. That's how I differentiate between the different areas of witchcraft. I'm seeking to learn more about myself and my gifts, not blindly seeking solutions for mundane problems. I'm not saying everyone is like that, but I've seen so much of it. I find it disrespectful to nature and spirit itself. I want the core, genuine, and authentic information so I can understand.
Hello, I am new at this, but I do not understand what means "cunning". Its meaning in my mother tongue, "smart as foxs" or "cute" or "artfulness" or "people who behave like satan, very very clever". which meaning is true for Cunning in your language? which one refers to it? I cannot understand this, so if someone answer, I would be thankful.
so yes I think typically 'cunning' would be understood as meaning smart, artful, sly, quick, clever etc. like a fox. In this context it's more about folklore of real people. So 'Cunning folk' can refer to people who work magic or who use charms or spells or blessings to heal or affect change. Mostly because in antiquity, the word 'witch' was used to refer to someone who worked baneful, malefic magic (which is also why now many practitioners are reclaiming the word 'witch') so healers and practitioners who worked beneficial magic wouldn't refer to themselves as witches but rather as a healer, or cunning person etc. Wort cunning is the charming of plants or herbs. Hope that helps a bit. 🙏
@@EmilysTarotandMagick Oh it really helped! I couldnt understand on my own, but thanks to you I know understood. Well, I also could not understand the meaning of Crooked.Can you tell me if you want? By the way sorry for my bad English.. Thanks again.
@@lepacatehom6910 I think it's the Crooked path because it's not straightforward - its a winding and twisting road with brambles and thorns - it's messy, painful and sometimes scary but ultimately it's for powerful transformation. That's how I see it really. Metaphorical but also actually traditional witchcraft involves working in nature, in woodlands and with trees and plant spirits etc.
@@EmilysTarotandMagick thanks a lot. Because of I couldn't understand these basics, I stopped read and practice about it several days ago. But now, I am really excited about it. I'll definately start to learn more, thanks to you. However, do you call yourself a "witch"? Everyone in traditional way or neo-pagan ways such as wicca, call themselves "witch". If its meaning the bad, and the cunning word is good for us, should we call ourselves "cunning" instead of witch?
folk and traditional magick are not the same thing, even though people seem to want to make the two similar. folk magick has far more to do with mythology and land spirits of the region it was developed within, and is considered a closed practice because you have to be part of the culture to to learn that specific type. traditional magick is more akin to guardanarian/golden dawn/high magick and borrows a whole lot from religious practices of other systems like Egyptian and Kabbalah. and by it's very definition is open.
Thanks for watching. Yes I agree - they are not the same thing; there are some practitioners, however, who blend their understanding of their local folklore, and practice folk magick, together with more traditional witchcraft practices deriving from that of Robert Cochrane, for instance. In my experience, I have found that many peoples' practices or traditions do tend to blend together a number of ways of working. I don't personally believe that folk magick itself is a closed practice, as folk magick can be found everywhere; obviously differing versions of folk magick. Only in the case of traditions or religions such as Voodoo or Santeria, or similar, would I consider as closed practices.
I really love learning about these books!!! I would love to see more videos on folk magic. I have English, German, Irish and Scottish DNA connections and a known family connection to folk magic from about 3 generations back that I am trying to figure out; circa 19th century. I believe her family was originally from England, but no idea where. My mother is a librarian and doing our family genealogy, so it is possible she might figure this out at some point.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video for us! I really appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge with us and find your perspective to be very mature and engaging. I hope the day is kind to you!
Thank you! You're very concise, informative, and wonderfully approachable! Excellent recommendations!
Really great list! I’d rather read old Wiccan books than most modern “pagan witch” books.
true ❤
A fabulous selection of books. So many of these I haven't read, but think that I need to go out and buy right now! Thanks
Gemma garys black toad, is a good book, its my next one to read.
Also nigel pearsons waliking the tides..
Then you have genius of tarot by vincent pitisci hes american but still worth loking at..
Then you may like taking up the runes by diana l paxon.
That will do for now.
I agree with most of your choices..
One you may be aware of written in old english. Discoverie of witchcraft by reginald scott in the 1500s
I found this video very valuable Emily! I have always felt a deep connection with the land and natural healing practices. The idea of "doing my own thing" really appeals to me. For quite a long time now I have felt a strong pull towards witchcraft, however, didnt know where to start or what book(s) to read. I just ordered The Crooked Path, very excited!
Hi there, really looking forward to watching this video, I'm always on the lookout for more books! I'm Wiccan myself, but I'm very interested in folk witchcraft as well, and I'm especially interested in Scottish witchcraft, having lived in in Glasgow for many years when I was at uni. I recently went back to uni for a second B.A., this time in communication studies and Anglophone studies, I'm actually doing a seminar on "The Devil In Scotland: From Border Ballads to 21st Century Drama" right now. We're reading lots of texts from Burns' "Tam O' Shanter" to "The Private Memors and Confessions of a Justified Sinner," as well as theoretical secondary literature. When studying witchcraft I find, as you said in the beginning of your video, that you end up down all sorts of interesting research rabbit holes such as history, but also cultural studies, anthropology, ethnography and so much more. I'm reading Emma Wilby's "The Visions of Isobel Gowdie" right now and finding it extremely fascinating! 💜
Thank you Emily. Love your suggestions.
I have a spell in the wild, very much looking forward to getting to it. I've added so many books to my list, I've had a long break from my practice while I was working on myself very much looking forward to getting back into it. Thank you for the wonderful recommendations 💜
Oh that's wonderful to hear! I definitely understand having to take a break from your practice too. I hope you enjoy Spell in the Wild - I think you really will 🙏
Your face when you said, "you go down this rabbit hole" in the bibliographies. 😊 This video is amazing - thank you for such a great resource.
Superb channel. Thank you. You popped up from nowhere. I'm glad you did. Noel 🌹
this is great. thank you for sharing 💙
Hehe! my 2 favourite topics! Books and Trad Craft! 🤭
Thanks so much for these! A couple on here I don't know so it looks like I'll have to do some searching!
I wholly agree, it's important to learn the context, and although I came from a Wicca background so I'm a little biased, I think it's foolish to ignore other traditions simply because you can learn so much from them!
Thank you for this video. It really helpful to me ❣️
Truly a wonderful video. I just finshed Gemma Gary's book and have started on Kelden's.
Wonderful! I think you'll definitely enjoy it 🙏 Thanks so much
Thank you for sharing this . I am a new subscriber to your Channel . I really found this video really helpful . I am Scottish and I’m recently starting to look into Scottish highland traditional witchcraft and folk magick , although I haven’t found a really good book of such . The book you mentioned , the Gemma Gary one , keeps popping up and I still haven’t bought it yet ? I’m thinking it might be really helpful . Again thank you and I will be looking into some of these books. Brightest blessings to you xxx
Thank you so much for this list of books! I just ordered A Cornish Book of Ways. New subscriber from Atlanta💕
Wonderful thank you so much. I think you will love it. I have some more folk magic and traditional witchcraft book recommendations in a few of my most recent videos 🙏
The devils dozen and the black toad are awesome Cornish (english) folk witchcraft
Great video!! I was wondering if you know of any good documentaries about witchcraft, there are many books but I struggle to find any videos or documentaries. X
Very interesting about your book collection. I do have a few of them.. my family are east anglian norfolk mainly also suffolk.. you probably realise nigel pearson is from suffolk in east anglia.
I am currently reading the triumph of the moon by ron hutton it like war and peace. Discoverie of witchcraft by reginald scot. Its about the witch trial but written in kld english so you need to think a little.
There are 3 versions one by dover press, the forbidden books and another reprints from 1645, 1830 and 1924.
Hope this helps
I follow traditional witchcraft but have done others like alexandrian and eclectic and been in a few covens.
So interesting
lovely ❤️
🙏
Sophia’s code is a good book 😊
I keep hearing about that book yes. Thank you for the recommendation 😊 Omgsh just realised this comment is on a video from years ago. 🥰 thanks so much for watching it ✨ have you seen some of my newer videos? Xxx
Can you do a video about what makes a person a witch? What is the definition of “witch”. I’ve heard that to be a witch all you have to do is practice witchcraft and you can believe whatever you want about what you’re doing. Why the emphasis on just “practice”? What is practicing witchcraft anyway? I just feel some simple questions I don’t know about, it gets advanced pretty quick. Is it true that witchcraft is a very literary tradition to be involved in? Like you gotta read a lot about it and that getting most of our information from social media isn’t enough? Thank u
Hi, love your recommendations, and how they step away from typical "instagrammable" books. I was wondering, where were you able to pick up Gemma Gary's book? It is sooo expensive online :( I have been dying to read it.
It's £15 ish direct from her at Troy books or booksellers amazon etc
@@lizwilliams6690 thank you so much!
also llewelyn distribute Troy books in US
I would like to recommend to you the sorcerer's screed
Thank you so much. I have this on a Wishlist atom because it's so expensive here. I might be able to find in Glastonbury at Courtyard books though. I'm very interested in Norse/ Germanic magick so that would be amazing to read 🙏
I definitely would not call Witchcraft a secular practice
Traditional witches in the early modern era, like the Cunningfolk, were almost universally Christians.
Edit: I enjoyed the discussion, tho.
As with everything there is nuance - Having read around the topic of folk and traditional witchcraft quite a lot, I'm very aware that many folk practitioners were also Christians, but what I refer to in this video is that the practice of witchcraft does not have to be religious to be witchcraft. I myself am not a secular practitioner. For some their spirituality is separate to their witchcraft and for others their witchcraft is purely secular and they don't identify with any religion or spirituality, as well as for some like myself, my witchcraft practice and spirituality and devotional practices are deeply interwoven. It's important to discuss the nuances for sure though. Thanks for watching and sharing your perspective 🙏
Good video, but the plentitude of quick edits are distracting (is that an Adobe effect?).
Thank you for the feedback - I try to edit out my ummms, repetitions and any huge gaps but I will try to do a bit less of this so it's not so many
@@EmilysTarotandMagick thank you for taking it in good heart, it was meant to be constructive. Really enjoy your videos apart from that 🙂
Hi, are you able to separate Wicca from Witchcraft
and indicate books discussing the practice of pure Witchcraft
without the New Age influences/Wicca?
I don't believe it's fully possible to completely separate the influence of Wicca on the practice of Witchcraft - at least for many people. There are a number of good books about folk witchcraft and traditional witchcraft which do for the most part avoid the typical Wiccan ideals and guidelines etc. but many magical practices are influenced by Wicca in general just by virtue of the fact that Wicca was so popularised and pervasive within the occult and spiritual communities. Also whilst I am not Wiccan, there is a lot to be said for the work of Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente because Witchcraft really came to be understood as a legitimate path of spirituality and/or religion globally as a result of the popularisation of Wicca. That's why I don't think we can fully separate the influences, but by all means I can create a video to talk about folk/ traditional witchcraft book recommendations, 🙏thank you for the comment and interesting question. 😊Xx
@@EmilysTarotandMagick As far as I know, Witchcraft is older than Wicca, and is not a religion but a practice/craft with the powers of mind and nature,so it shouldn't be difficult to separate craft from new religion in Witchcraft costume :) but I'm not an expert,I don't know anything that's why I'm just asking :D
Witchcraft is an old practice yes, however witchcraft wasn't popularised or understood in wider communities largely until the religion of Wicca took off from 1950s in England (Wicca is a religion, witchcraft is a practice, though many non-wiccan witches do feel their practice and spirituality is also their religion, so that is subjective) and a lot of what was actually practiced was unknown - that's the nuance of it all - any books detailing folk magics do a great job looking into ancient and more recent folklore to build up a picture of what was practiced. 'Traditional witchcraft' is largely a practice which was based a lot upon the historical trial records of those who were executed in many places from 1600s to 1700s. SO yes there isn't exactly a clear answer because there is nuance to all of it@@kukumuniu5658
Is it correct to say Wicca is high magic and witchcraft is low? Or is that over simplifying it? @@EmilysTarotandMagick
@@plissken2245 That is oversimplification.
I am looking for guidance learning more about traditional or the old path. I get annoyed with some of the new age ideology and it's followers because I feel it is something that has been dramatized, glorified, and looked at as a way to just manipulate people to get one's own way and seek revenge when they don't get what they want without having any genuine interest in learning and understanding on a deeper level or having respect for the foundation of what they are trying to do.
I did not seek this path... It has always been a part of who I am. That's how I differentiate between the different areas of witchcraft. I'm seeking to learn more about myself and my gifts, not blindly seeking solutions for mundane problems. I'm not saying everyone is like that, but I've seen so much of it. I find it disrespectful to nature and spirit itself. I want the core, genuine, and authentic information so I can understand.
Hello, I am new at this, but I do not understand what means "cunning". Its meaning in my mother tongue, "smart as foxs" or "cute" or "artfulness" or "people who behave like satan, very very clever". which meaning is true for Cunning in your language? which one refers to it? I cannot understand this, so if someone answer, I would be thankful.
so yes I think typically 'cunning' would be understood as meaning smart, artful, sly, quick, clever etc. like a fox. In this context it's more about folklore of real people. So 'Cunning folk' can refer to people who work magic or who use charms or spells or blessings to heal or affect change. Mostly because in antiquity, the word 'witch' was used to refer to someone who worked baneful, malefic magic (which is also why now many practitioners are reclaiming the word 'witch') so healers and practitioners who worked beneficial magic wouldn't refer to themselves as witches but rather as a healer, or cunning person etc. Wort cunning is the charming of plants or herbs. Hope that helps a bit. 🙏
@@EmilysTarotandMagick Oh it really helped! I couldnt understand on my own, but thanks to you I know understood. Well, I also could not understand the meaning of Crooked.Can you tell me if you want? By the way sorry for my bad English.. Thanks again.
@@lepacatehom6910 I think it's the Crooked path because it's not straightforward - its a winding and twisting road with brambles and thorns - it's messy, painful and sometimes scary but ultimately it's for powerful transformation. That's how I see it really. Metaphorical but also actually traditional witchcraft involves working in nature, in woodlands and with trees and plant spirits etc.
@@EmilysTarotandMagick thanks a lot. Because of I couldn't understand these basics, I stopped read and practice about it several days ago. But now, I am really excited about it. I'll definately start to learn more, thanks to you. However, do you call yourself a "witch"? Everyone in traditional way or neo-pagan ways such as wicca, call themselves "witch". If its meaning the bad, and the cunning word is good for us, should we call ourselves "cunning" instead of witch?
folk and traditional magick are not the same thing, even though people seem to want to make the two similar. folk magick has far more to do with mythology and land spirits of the region it was developed within, and is considered a closed practice because you have to be part of the culture to to learn that specific type. traditional magick is more akin to guardanarian/golden dawn/high magick and borrows a whole lot from religious practices of other systems like Egyptian and Kabbalah. and by it's very definition is open.
Thanks for watching. Yes I agree - they are not the same thing; there are some practitioners, however, who blend their understanding of their local folklore, and practice folk magick, together with more traditional witchcraft practices deriving from that of Robert Cochrane, for instance. In my experience, I have found that many peoples' practices or traditions do tend to blend together a number of ways of working. I don't personally believe that folk magick itself is a closed practice, as folk magick can be found everywhere; obviously differing versions of folk magick. Only in the case of traditions or religions such as Voodoo or Santeria, or similar, would I consider as closed practices.
Your lips are really pretty
I'd also love to know more about witchcraft as a Christian as I'm not wiccan and you mentioned you work with Jesus in a previous video. X
Are those fake lips.. Asking for a friend
No I have real lips