Elder Witch's Grimoire

Liber Nox: A Traditional Witch's Gramarye by Michael Howard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ever wanted a good primer on how to delve into the Arte of the Witch? Need some ideas for a ritual? This book covers a gambit of information starting with some history, theology, holiday explanations and sample rituals for almost all of them. Great nifty book to get you started by a man who has since gone to summer land , he was a shining light .

This book is about the rites of the craft andd how to get ready for them. Chapter one is about the different tools of the craft you will need for your rituals. THe most important tool is the Stang. Normally a pole made of as he wood or oak, it has horns on top  a cross of arrows in the center and a metal base to stand on. It represents the horned god but could also represent the axis mundi or the world tree. The Axis Mundi connect all the different worlds. There is also your black handle knife for magical operations in the circle and there is the boline. The boline is a white handled knife used for cutting herbes. There is also the scourge, or cat o nines as most people know them. The besom or the broomstick is used for riding to other worlds and for spiritually cleaning the area of your working. The cauldron or chalice is used to represent the womb of the goddess. Swords are used as are different stones to implement magic in your circle.

The next chapter talks about initiation in the craft. Not everyone has access to a coven and history is appearing to show that most witches worked solitary. SOmetimes you get imitated by a coven. Other times someone from the opposite sex will teach you and initiate you. sometimes these one on ones can get intimate. Once can also do a self dedication. The author hold that all are equally valid. 

The third chapter is about casting the circle. It is a bit more complicated than wicca as it is spherical and they have cross directions like north east, south west etc. Each direction has it's own meaning.  The next section deals with a discussion of the major holidays in the craft. Note I did not use Sabbats as they are different from Wicca. The holidays in the Wheel of the Year are as follows in order of explanation ; Candlemass , Lady Days, May Day,Midsummers Day, Lammas Tide, Michaelmas, All Hallows, Yule and the Twelfth Night. After the section that describes the holidays there is the section that has the actual ritual. THis maybe adapted to fit your needs .

This book has thorough explanations of the craft and the history and mythology behind everything . He touches upon both modern and past. A great book for getting started.

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