#witch father

[conjuredsun]

The Witch Father

In traditional witchcraft, we often come across mentions of the enigmatic Witch Father. His Folklore is scattered, and there is little consensus to who He is. The mythology of Witch Father folklore is spread across centuries, hidden in tales of the Devil and in the transcripts from witch trials. He is a multifaceted being who rules over life, death, initiations, knowledge, and the untamed wilderness lurking at the edges of society.

The Witch Father is an archetypal Divine Masculine Spirit that illuminates life and is a lord of death. Witch Father is a catchall title for the myriad spirits witches have historically contracted with and have since been omitted by the witch trial transcripts across Europe. 

He is most commonly known as the Devil in today’s craft. As we know him, The Witch Father is an initiator and holds the keys to our disinhibition towards pleasure. He opens the way to occult knowledge and gives us the opportunity to explore (legal) pleasures without the need for guild or shame. Walking with the Witch Father allows us to dive into the hidden realms and learn the Occult Arts to change our lives. He also allows us to revel in primal human desires. 

As the Initiator into Witchcraft, the Witch Father takes on the mantle of the Light Betwixt the Horns. He comes into our lives and offers us the choice to go down this path and walk with Him. He grants us an understanding of magick, nature, and pleasure. He empowers us to uncover our Truth and the Truth of the World. As the initiator, some see the Witch Father as Lucifer. He is also the Serpent who revealed to Eve that the fruit from the Tree of Life will not cause her to die but will grant the wisdom of the universe.

The Witch Father allows space for us to free ourselves from the inhibitions placed on us by general society, and especially the church. He encourages us to rebel, sing, dance, and uncover wisdom. He leads the Witch’s Sabbath, which grants us a place to revel in the freedoms offered there. By leading us to this sacred experience, He fills his role as an emanation of the untamed wilderness, the primal subconscious of our most human desires. He gives us the Church of Nature. Taking the liturgical prayers of the Church and the Book of Psalms, mixing that with more ancient pagan animism, we are given access to a hidden power through His teachings.

Now, while I talk as if the Witch Father is a God, he is not. He is an ancient and powerful spirit who has led witches over the centuries and demands reverence. He is not all-powerful and is not a creator. He works his charms through magic and shapes the world. He is not a distant, impersonal being. He is immediate to us and is a mentor for us. 

Disinhibition

At the Witch’s Sabbat, our spirits fly away to commune with Our Devil, other witches and spirits in His retinue. It was a place to mix business and pleasure. At the Sabbat, witches would learn new spells, come together to work rituals, learn new forms of magick from the Witch Father, and of course partake in enjoyment. 

The Sabbath is a place of Initiation for new witches and also a place for learning new aspects of the craft. Once the business concludes, the Sabbat becomes a celebration. We may forget the staunch rules of mundane society and revel in our animalistic and beastial joys. There is singing, dancing, food and drink. We can indulge in these desires and these delicacies. All of which is orchestrated and gifted to us by the Witch Father. 

The Wild

There is a deep connection between the Witch Father and Nature. They are ‌synonymous with each other. He is an emanation of the land and its spirits. As Christianity became the dominant religion, and as society shifted further away from living in harmony with Nature, the figure of the folkloric Devil grew. He calls to us to return to the untamed lands and to forget the society that weighs us down. He offers liberation instead of our oppression. 

The Witch Father, as Nature, holds a duality over life and death. He is life itself and the bringer of light. But he is also the Lord of Death and of shadows. As the year turns, we see both aspects and the cyclical nature of them. Death giving way to new life and of life giving way to death. He is destruction and creation. Death and resurrection. 

Even His iconography and the existing descriptions that we have of the Devil show the immense connection He has to the Land. He is a shapeshifter comfortable in being a recognizable animal, a humanoid form, or even a hybrid. He reminds us of our baser instincts and that we are not above animals or the land just because we, as humans, have subjugated them for centuries. 

He is the Horned one, the light betwixt the horns, Terra Pater, Primus Magus. And he has revealed himself to us in so many other forms throughout the centuries. It’s hard to pigeonhole the Witch Father as any one being, or to even say “this is what he looks like.” He’s shown us he is comfortable changing his shape on a whim. He takes on the mantles of mentor, guide, and is a safe space for us to let our guard down and find enjoyment outside of our mundane lives. 

Old Scratch

Old Scratch is a more antiquated term for The Devil or Satan primarily found in the Southern United States and the South Midlands. This name has been memorialized in Faustian Folklore such as “The Devil and Tom Walker” and “The Devil and Daniel Webster” where our protagonist sells his soul to the devil for prosperity. 

This reinforces the theme that our Witch Father, the Folkloric Devil, offers us a chance to change our luck and our lives. Now, in these stories, the protagonist is taken away and dragged into the fires of hell, but in the living practice of Traditional Witchcraft, it doesn’t happen that way. We see these stories as what happens when trying to break deals with the Otherworld. Contracts and Pacts made with Spirits should be kept up with. It’s imperative. 

Black Shuck

In East Anglian folklore, Black Shuck is an omen of death. If you see him, it is said that you will die before the year is up, and if you meet his eye you’ll be dragged away. 

The first mention of the Black Shuck is in “The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle” in 1127 where He is affiliated with a Wild Hunt that was in Petersborough from Lent through Easter. Later on, in the 1500s, he is said to have broken into a church and killed two paritioners while kneeling in prayer. 

Here we see the Chthonic side of the Devil. He is a psychopomp taking souls to the Other Side. He is a shepherd of the dead, warns us of impending doom, and teaches us about life, death, and ways to travel between the Worlds.

[starboycosmic]

"Drink of my spirit and be born again..."

🔥

[heathenvvitch]

Betwixt, Middle, & In between

I have just come to e realization that I have been witnessing several synchronicities over the past several weeks but didn't put it all together until only about a half hour ago whilst reading "The Devils Dozen" by Gemma Gary. I'm going to take the time now, to info dump about all I learned and with that being said, I believe, I am finally on the correct road for me and my practice. I'm finding the crooked path to resonate very deeply with me and I'm finding the connection that I was lacking with wicca and other practices. Now, on to the post.

I have noticed that the song "Stuck In The Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel has been playing on random a lot when my vvitch sister and I are together. Furthermore, I've noticed that the word middle and the phrase "in between" has come up multiple times as well in our previous discussions and random statements I've heard from others around us.

In the craft, betwixt, middle, & in between verbiage is used quite a lot. The in between is the space between the "mundane" and the magical. In traditional/folk craft, the middle/in between are very prevalent. The stang is used to represent the witch father/horn god/bucca/etc. There is talk of the light betwixt the horns, which again represents the liminal space between the "mundane" and the "magical" worlds.

I have already preformed the first of "The Devils Dozen" rights and have been visited four times by the witch father. I first encountered hi during the invoking ritual. He didn't say anything directly but I could feel his presence and he was pleased with the the offerings I gave him. Directly after the ritual, I walked into my mud room and a horned figure was stood out my door that I just caught a glimpse of before turning on the light. I, naturally, was startled and shut the light off again but the figure was gone. However, I knew it was him.

The next encounter I had, was while i was doing chores around my home and suddenly was overcome by a heavy energy that scared me and swore I saw another figure on the corner of my eye while alone. However, I pulled out my tarot card and pendulum as calmly as I could and was given a pretty clear message from the witch father to continue my studies because I had been neglecting them. I believe he may have been irritated with me but he was pleased by reaction to his presence and deducing his message promptly. How do I know this? you may ask, well.... I cant really explain it. Its just a feeling, the energy suddenly lightened and the witch father's presence left shortly after the energy shifted.

There were two more encounters, one that happened right after the first rite and one that happened recently but I prefer to keep those to myself for now. However, I will say, that both these encounters happened while i was BETWIXT a sleeping and awake state. They were full deep energy that felt as though the air was electrified and warm. It was very surreal and the feeling itself was both intense and amazing.

The fact that, the in between keeps showing up in my life and the recent visit from the witch father, leads me to believe that I am not only on the right track, but a big break through is immanent. Even before writing this post, a phrase entered my thoughts. This phrase was "Comme Ci, Comme ca". This phrase is French for so-so or neither good nor bad. This can be seen as, yet another representation of the in between. As above, so bellow. I'll post some photos bellow of that show some representations of what I've spoke about here. Things are truly getting interesting.

[musingmelsuinesmelancholy]

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with working with a pair of witching gods, that’s something I’ve been called to do myself. However I think it’s important to remember that witch queen/mother and witch father/king are titles and archetypes- not gods in and of themselves.

The devil wears many masks. He’s many spirits with a “common core”. Liminal, impossible to pin down or box.

Yet I don’t think it’s fair to smush every witch king into one entity. There’s many devils. Not every devil, not every witchfather is a dying and resurrecting agrarian spirit- as much as I enjoy that motif. Not every witch mother is a stellar and terrestrial spirit. Some are, a lot are. However more than anything I think erases the identities of local spirits/“witching gods” to insist every witch king/queen is THE witch king/queen. How does The Abess fit the archetype of a stellar/earthy goddess? Herodias? How does Harlequin fit the agrarian motifs?

My spirits aren’t consorts. My devil is a local one and has no dying/resurrecting mythology. There’s nothing wrong with working with a “witching couple” or utilizing the concepts of a cyclical agrarian spirit or a stellar goddess. My devil isn’t a disguised pagan god.

Again I don’t have an issue with witches who do work this way. I see no problem with Traditional witches venerating star goddess and an agricultural devil. It’s just I don’t want people to think they HAVE to work that way.

[lailoken]

Diabolic Witch-Father Rosary (For Sale)

Golden Obsidian, Sulphur Crystal, Ram Horn, Serpent Vertebrae, & Devil's Head Pod with Ironwrought Centerpiece

This unique set of fine-quality devotional beads was created and consecrated in the name of the Diabolic Witch-Father—a sorcerous initiator often equated with the Folkloric Devil of the Witches.

It was constructed from beads of Golden Obsidian (a stone powerfully associated with both the Darkness and the Light—pertinent to the Devil's roles as both Prince of Darkness and Bringer of Light), with counter-beads made from Sulphur Crystal (Brimstone being folklorically linked to ths Devil's domain of Hell), each of which are bracketed with small Ram Horn beads (intimately associated with his station as Horned King.) There is also a drop-bead made from scavenged Serpent Vertebrae, in honor of the devil's biblical connection to the serpent. The centerpiece is a hand-wrought iron pendant shaped like the Alchemical Symbol for Brimstone (once again, for Brimstone's folkloric significance, and for this particular symbol's connection to Satanic Worship.) The focal pendant is a Devil's Head Pod which I varnished using my Wisefool's Glaze (a ritually empowered wood varnish made from an array of potent arboreal resins) and then outfitted with a sterling silver pendant bale. Once the whole piece was assembled, it was then fumigated at a crossroads with a mixture of Sulphur, Nettles, and Dragon's Blood.

This piece measures approximately 23 inches/58 centimeters long, and all connecting rings and pins are made from silver-plated steel.

If interested in acquiring this piece, then either reach out to me through tumblr messenger, or purchase it directly through my website, Wending Wares Parlor.

[thewatersandthewilds]

Witches’ Sabbath or The Great He-Goat ~ Francisco Goya

The Witches of Goya by Carmen Fernández-Salvador explores much of the symbolism around Witches as subversive figures within society.

[septemberlikestea]

i was once an empyrean.

[it-meant-nothing]

Wanda Maximoff // Erik Lehnsherr

Your son is right there, please—

[kirvia]

72 rpgmaker horror adjacent charms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[haro4869]

a normal museum visit

[conjuredsun]

This short story is about a child crossing the hedge and coming across the Witch Father, getting a familiar, and starting their journey along the crooked path. I hope you enjoy.

[starboycosmic]

[heathenvvitch]

I caught this amazing picture of the eclipse yesterday👁️ not only was it a solar eclipse but it was also a new moon in Aries. The energy and balance that came from this was exhilarating. ✨🌒🌕🌘✨

[musingmelsuinesmelancholy]

I don’t get this “the devil is older than Christianity” stuff I see floating around. It’s a Christian concept. It’s okay for a Christian concept to exist in our witchcraft, witchcraft as we know it evolved in a Christian context.

[lailoken]

A lot of the time, when working with a Wight, I encounter subtle nudges and omens relating to them. Other times, those signs are not so subtle.

Finding the perfectly preserved cranium of a stag shortly after undertaking a Housel for the Horned God of my tradition—when I was specifically worried because I had to permanently relocate the area where I propitiate Him, after over two years of using the previous site—certainly feels rather conspicuous.

[jojowentbananas]

Shoutout to female horror game protagonists, gotta be one of my favourite genders.