Witchcraft and mediumship have always gone hand in hand for me. I wouldn’t even begin to know how to explain Witchcraft without first mentioning spirits and how they interact with the world we live in. For me, the very same psychic abilities that made me a medium are the same as those that drew me to the service of the Witch Queen. Being a magician and being a medium are indistinguishable in my eyes. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that this isn’t always the case.
I have been a professional witch and psychic for over thirteen years and have been teaching the Craft for over a decade. Spirits are probably my favorite distraction, constantly pulling me off into strange directions and seizing my attention. I have spent the better part of my life learning to work with them, discovering their ways and mapping out pathways toward my goals, all while chasing their wisdom and eventual initiation.
In Sacred Fires, my spiritual tradition, we focus primarily on the relationship between the witch and their spirit allies as guiding methodology, requiring each student to undergo a lengthy and involved initial cleansing and empowerment process, which we refer to as the White Flame training. During this period students are led through a series of workings that help to prepare their mind, body, and spirit for work with entities from other planes of being. It is our belief that once a strong platform has been built and the witch perceives their own divine authority, they will be able to command the spirit world, which will ultimately result in the ability to influence their own.
In my previous book, The Witch’s Book of Power, I outlined the core practices found within the White Flame material and introduced the concept of witch power, a preternatural gift that distinguishes magical from nonmagical people. There I dove deeply into the grosser mysteries of sovereignty and self-reliance, among other cherished teachings, all of which are essential to practicing the material in the book successfully. One cannot command the spirit world without first having command over oneself. This book is a continuation of the work presented in my previous book and picks up right where we left off: developing and enhancing our relationship with our allies in power.
What makes this book unique, however, is that in addition to being able to tackle the subjects of spirits in a much more detailed manner, I am also able to present to you work that I have developed with the aid of spirits that are near and dear to me, most notably Malach, my familiar. What is presented here involves some of the most intimate work I could ever share with another human.
Part One, The Familiar Craft, introduces you to the foundational teachings of psychic processing and profiling, giving you insight into the inner workings of the Witch’s Tree as well as the planes and peoples who dwell in its many layers. We get to explore the essential skills and practices required of any witch who dares to work with the spirit world. I break down the three aspects of working with the spirit world: soul flight, mediumship, and conjuration. These practices are the cornerstones of our art and lay the foundation for deeper spiritual growth and the further advancement of your witch power. Here you will also find valuable information on how to perform rituals and magics with a wide range of spirits and how to exorcise them when needed. All of this information is designed to put you in the driver’s seat when it comes to your work with spirits.
In Part Two, The Spirits of the Familiar Craft, I explore the hidden kingdoms of angels, the dead, faeries, and demons, and I present a natural form of approaching them which will keep you in the driver’s seat.
Finally, the last part of this book contains the 33 Spirits, which is a magical system that was transmitted to me by Malach, the goddess Hecate, and a special priesthood of spirits known as the VEXNA-KARI. The magic presented there not only works with the thirty-three spirits detailed but also with any spirit from any plane at any time. The rituals and invocations contained within all came from the spirits themselves and have been tested by multiple witches before making their way into this book. I approached my work with them as I would with any spirit I work with professionally: with high expectations, lots of questions, and the demand of results.
It is my goal in presenting this book to witchdom that I might be able to inspire a much more hands-on approach to working with the spirit world. Witchcraft isn’t all hugging trees and chanting the names of forgotten gods. Witchcraft is deep work, the cultivation of personal power, getting your hands dirty with seen and unseen forces, and challenging your comfort zones. For too long we have sat back and taken things at face value when it comes to spirits, but what happens when we look further and find the missing pieces? What happens when we choose to investigate the why behind the sudden feeling of being watched when no one is there or when the hairs on the back of our necks suddenly stand? What happens when we witness the creatures of the night and choose to bump back? In this book you will find every piece of knowledge I could spare when it comes to the spirit world and the beings that haunt it so you can do just that.