So I am recently working with a very pagan focused witch circle which has been really good to get me out of my ceremonial box and learn new things or often just re-learn the old things which I thought I knew. This book is a wonderful collection of witch centered poems that inspire ritual words and excite many magic workers.
Mostly I’ve been quite arrogant in the past when it comes to Wiccan practices because a lot of Wiccan ritual is taken from OTO ritual, which naturally has taken it from Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Masonic sources and of course the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was influenced by SRIA which was in turn influenced by Rosicrucians and Masonry, so with a firm understanding of these paths I felt I already knew more than my fair share of it. Mistakenly, I made the assumption that I already know far more knowledge about the ritual often than people that have been practicing it for years… how arrogant of me!
A large number of people follow the hypothesis that there was a secret underground witch-cult which was popularised by Margaret Murray in her Witch-cult in Western Europe and Witches’ God. Doreen Valiente was one of many followers of that belief. I was very aware that Murray’s work had come under massive fire since the late 60s as it did not present evidence and was most like more fantasy than fact, so I disregarded a lot of writings of people who worked from Murray’s hypothesis. Sadly Doreen Valiente was one of those people. In my arrogance I did not partake of what would have been some great learning.
Valiente must be respected for while she wrote from an inaccurate perspective her writing was mostly artist and came from the heart and a love of magical practice. She was sensible and a force to be reckoned with. Her work has inspired magical practitioners for decades.
Before you read one of her other books you might want to read the Margaret Murray books and maybe the White Goddess which was influenced by it to get in the right head space to breath the passions that lay under Doreen Valiente’s writing. But that isn’t as necessary for this book, because it is more artistic.
This book does not offer much doctrine or dogma. It’s not there to teach. These are simply poems that Doreen Valiente was unable to publish during her life, but enshrined the feelings she held about being a witch. They were published after she unfortunately passed away due to cancer. They represent the beauty that she saw in her life as a witch and you can feel her spirit leaping off the page.
The important thing is that we take this book as something to inspire us rather than a series of doctrine from which we can draw conclusions.
I am not sure about the comment “The Pagan [a poem] enshrines the beliefs of witchcraft that have come down to us from the Ancient Mystery Schools of Greece.” The poem does not feature any content that is specific to Greek Mystery schools. I want to tell the editor, “don’t try to add doctrine to this book of poetry”.
A later section begins with “Most religious belief throughout time has expressed…” and no matter what the rest of the sentence it is clear that this sentence can only be completed in confidence by a person who has successfully explored the philosophy of most religious belief. Frankly, that this is not possible and I beg those who have added doctrine to this book of poetry to stop!
Don’t expect practices in this book there none that I noticed. But if you have a regular practice let it give you words to work into your rites and a mind set to inspire your sabbaths.
Note: read the first chapter of the Book of the Law Liber Al vel Legis before you read the Charge. Any Thelemite can hear Nuit speaking!