Calling of the Wild Witch

Craft of the Wild Witch: Green Spirituality & Natural Enchantment by Poppy Palin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Perfect book for those who are new to the craft, especially if you are not into the ceremenonial or Wiccan aspects. The Wild Witch is very different from your typical witch. The wild witch it seems usually works alone out in the wild communing with nature. Their path is different and to be a wild witch you must learn to stand alone despite what everyone else says or does. You are dedicated to helping nature and having power with nature rather then over nature.

At first I thought the book would be a poetic adventure of Unverified Personal Gnosis, but as I read on I realized that it was quite a bit more. The book is not meant to be a bible but rather it is meant to be a starting point to where you can do what works for you. Not complicated which is what I really love about this book. Spell work can be simple as chopping herbs and chanting or visualizing.

The book renders information on how to contact out spiritual companions and faery helpers. There is a word of warning to be wary of any entity you meet in your astral travels. Some mean you harm while other are just dangerous because their nature is similar to that of wild animals. To protect us from dangerous entities you can use cold blue fire and point it at the entity thus forcing it to reveal it’s true nature. Or you can show a mirror at it which makes the entity reveal it’s true nature. The cold blue fire can be used to create a circle of protections.

Of course before going on to any astral journey it is wise to create a circle of protection, which is advised before even beginning a prayer. It can be envisaged as a suits covering your body or envisaged as a hard bubble of sparkling white light. The protection should b e pliable and not too hard as you do not wish to block anything out.

After every working one should use one of several grounding techniques to get oneself centered. Such techniques may include putting one’s hands to the ground and releasing the energy back to the earth. One can also journal their experiences or eat some food.

The book comes complete with some trance path working meditations. There are also some techniques of drawing down energy from natural elements to power your work. The author also discusses the Sabbats in a way that honors the increasing and decreasing power of the sun. The phases of the moon are discussed along with some working that go with each phase.

The author does not simplify things with Wiccan model of god and goddess. Rather there is a reference to Sun father, Earth mother, feminine moon and Jack of the Green. There are also technique for building your astral dwelling that is preferred to be nature driven.

I found the book enjoyable with good practical working suggestions for the beginning witch. It might serve as a review for those of intermediate reading or learning. Guess I would call it a Witchcraft 201 book.


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