Hands of Apostasy. Essays on Traditional Witchcraft.
Richmond Vista, CA: Three Hands Press, 2014. First Edition. Hardcover. Octavo. 384 pages. Pewter cloth with red lettering to spine, black endpapers, 26 b&w illustrations, index. Edition limited to 1,000 copies. "Hands of Apostasy" is a groundbreaking witchcraft anthology presenting nineteen articles written by both scholars and practitioners, addressing such crucial Old Craft topics the Devil, Initiation, the relation of witchcraft to the grimoire corpus, the mysticism and magic of herbs, folk-charming, the nocturnal flight, the Romantic movement, the witches’ cauldron, and the powers of moon and tide. Representing widely-varying witchcraft traditions and perspectives, the book is a sound testament to the Craft’s history, diversity and strength, as well as the characteristic marks of an evolving and contemplative tradition. Contents are: The Magic of History: Some Considerations by Andrew Chumbley; A Family Craft Tradition by Douglas McIlwain; Killing the Moon: Witchcraft Initiations in the Mountains of the Southern United States by Corey Hutcheson; Pentacles of Wood by David Rankine; Moon-Raking in the Old Craft by Cecil Williamson; The Cauldron of Pure Descent by Martin Duffy; Spirits and Deific Forms: Faith and Belief in British Old Craft by Melusine Draco; Waking the Dead: The Ancient Magical Art of Necromancy by Michael Howard; The Witching Hour by Peter Hamilton Giles; The Man in Black by Gemma Gary; Origins and Rationales of Modern Witch Cults by Andrew Chumbley; Mirror, Moon and Tides by Levannah Morgan; The Traditional Witchcraft of Ellan Vannin by Manxwitch; Unchain the Devil! by Radomir Ristic; Where the Three Roads Meet: Oneiric Praxis in the Sabbatic Craft by Jimmy Elwing; Pharmakeute: Witches as the Plant People of Old Europe by Raven Grimassi; Conjure-Charms of the Welsh Marches by Gary St. Michael Nottingham; The Blasphemy of Things Unseen by Daniel A. Schulke and Romantic Age Roots of Traditional Witchcraft by Lee Morgan. Very light bump to lower spine else appears unread, thus near Fine in lightly rubbed, VG+ dust jacket (now protected by mylar sleeve). Item #63331
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