Archivum

While witchcraft always has been performative by nature, demanding regular practice and experimentation, it is also one of the few spiritualities today that require a good bit of reading. The texts curated here represent beloved folkloric and occult materials that have informed many craft practices over the years. Most are available to read for free online, and those that are not can be found through libraries or purchased at an affordable price. This list is by no means exhaustive in scope (my main interests being European witch lore and the Scottish and North American charming arts). Few of these works would be considered “light” reading. Yet these treasures prove their value over time for those who know how to use and consult them, lighting the way to an informed craft practice through the precious fragments of lore and magical operation preserved therein.

Lore

Scholarship

  • Cunning-Folk and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic by Emma Wilby, 2006
  • The Visions of Isobel Gowdie: Magic, Witchcraft, and Dark Shamanism in Seventeenth-Century Scotland by Emma Wilby, 2010
  • Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches’ Sabbath by Carlo Ginzburg, 2004
  • Scottish Witches and Warlocks by Michael Howard, 2013

Herbalism

Grimoires