panmankey.bsky.social
Witchcraft writer, husband of Ari, shepherd of cats, whisky enthusiast, Yule lover, harmless drudge
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Some very questionable calls tonight.
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Sorry Thorn. Also, Llewellyn is too scared of getting sued for rumors.
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I probably would have liked more gossip too, but I just couldn’t publish anything unsubstantiated.
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“Last Jedi” is so much better than “Rise of Skywalker.” At least “Jedi” tried to do something different and creative. After 2 previous films the Emperor is back? Cheapens all of “Return” and Vader’s sacrifice.
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Sadly with Capall Bann now defunct this book is out of print, but many of its most important bits can be found in Heselton’s excellent “Witchfather” a biography of Gerald Gardner. This book was a revelation to me when it was released and I still cherish it today. #witchcraft #witch
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Published by independent English publisher Capall Bann, “Wiccan Roots” was hard to acquire in the States but worth the effort. New Forest in the 30s was rife with Rosicrucian groups, co-Masons, ceremonial magicians, cunningfolk, and eccentrics-just the right stew to bring forth the Wica.
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There are Druid history books, most notably “Blood and Mistletoe.”
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“Bull” is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of American Paganism. And Buczynski‘s story is a tale worth knowing. “Bull” is an absolute gem of a book and I cannot recommend it enough.
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Perhaps what I love most about this book is how it chronicles the overlap between the gay rights movement and many early Witches. It also addresses the prejudice many LGBTQ+ Witches faced in the 60s/70s, and the gradual acceptance of those individuals into the Pagan community.
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Buczynski is a worthy subject for a biography, having started two traditions (both active today), and being initiated into both the Gardnerian tradition and the NECTW. With then partner Herman Slater he started the Warlock Shop, which acted as a hub for NY area Pagans.
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Why was there no story about this on the Athletic? There are still some good writers on the site, but wow has the whole enterprise gone downhill quickly.
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It's not a magical primer in the way other 101 books are; it's a guide to starting a strong coven practice, complete with all the archaic sounding language you can handle (which I love!). First published as "8 Sabbats for Witches" & "The Witches Way" to me these will always be "The Witches Bible."
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If you are looking for Wiccan-Witchcraft in the style of Gardner, Sanders(es), Valiente, and Crowther this is the place to start. (And that witchcraft is most certainly the kind that calls most loudly to me.)
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As I've grown older I've only found more to appreciate about this book. There are sabbath rituals here of course, but I always loved the "imaginative" rituals more, especially the seashore ritual inspired by Dion Fortune's "The Sea Priestess."
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Big fan of that book! Can’t quite call it a witch book though. Lol.
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Campanelli was also an accomplished painter and sold over a million prints during her lifetime. At a coffee shop once I noticed some beautiful art on the walls. It was Campanelli’s, and her art remains in lots of places, just like I hope her books will remain in lots of pagan spaces.
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And author Pauline Campanelli was also an absolute inspiration. She was a polio survivor and spent much of her life in a wheelchair. After marrying Dan the couple bought a stone farm house with no electricity and restored it by hand. The craftiness of Campanelli’s books comes from real experience!
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There is something comforting about AW and its ability to turn nearly everything into some sort of long-lost pagan myth waiting to be reclaimed. It’s also one of those books that weds the magical with the practical, wanna be pagan? Here’s a bread recipe. You can do all this yourself.
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Definately copies in Austin! In fact it helps me A LOT to buy it at Witchfest as I don’t have room in my luggage to take home books.
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For me “Grimoires” is one of the great magical jumping off points, you’ll be inspired to pick up a variety of magical texts and to spend more time looking at various points in history. This book opened so many doors for me and introduced me to a world that was more than just the Key of Solomon.
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Is this a “perfect” book in 2025? Probably not, but it remains a very good one that is often unfairly maligned. Criticisms of Broomstick very rarely match the book’s contents. Thank you Silver for all the inspiration!
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A few years ago I went back through my early 101 books to see how much they still did or did not resonate with me. TRaSB was the overwhelming winner; most of my personal candle magic remains inspired by Silver and her ideas about deity are still vital and relevant.
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Leafing through its pages Silver made the everyday feel magical, this was a version of Witchcraft that was just as vital and alive outside of the magic circle. Silver wove together the practical and the personal, after reading TRaSB half a dozen times I felt like I new the Witch and her Witchcraft.
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If you have a copy of the review you should find a spot to put it up.
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I find Howard far too trusting of extraordinary claims in much of his work (and that is often true here), but his prose is immensely readable. Even if I have trouble accepting some of the history here, the stories are fun and the reading experience enjoyable.
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Howard also shares some schlock as if it is real history (why did the man so tirelessly promote the George Pickingill nonsense?) but when he turns his attention to overlooked groups like the Regency “Cain” shines.This is a compelling read for thise interested in #witchcraft outside the Wiccan circle
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Valiente is a masterful storyteller but also plays the historian here too. Her insights into Robert Cochrane and Gerald Gardner are invaluable character studies, and she sheds light on Operation Cone of Power too. A must read for history nerds and obsessives.
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He is such a dipshit.
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As you can see by looking at the cover, this might be my most used book, I have cited it in several of my own works and in numerous blog articles. I also use it to find ritual ideas too! There are probably five or six things my coven does inspired by stuff in this book!! A must read!
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I was surprised by how nice it was.
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Yup! The books just changed deity names essentially. But those books opened doors despite their limitations.
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. . book ever but it was so influential in my development as a witch. At the time I was quite broke, so I probably read this initially a number of times and did every exercise and ritual in it. Even now I still use a lot of Conway’s ritual language and visualizations.