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The Complete Art of Witchcraft: Penetrating the Secrets of White Magic
An exposition of modern witchcraft by a member of the Old Religion dispels commonly held myths about rituals and sacred rites
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
7 people are currently reading
352 people want to read
About the author
Sybil Leek
88 books62 followersDubbed "Britain’s most famous witch" by the BBC.
Because she rose to media fame in the 1950s after the repeal of the 1735 Witchcraft Act in 1951, she had an effect upon the formation of neopagan witchcraft, namely the religion of Wicca. Strong in defense of her beliefs, Sybil sometimes differed and even quarrelled with other witches. She disapproved of nudity in rituals and was against the use of drugs, but she was at odds with most other witches in that she did believe in cursing. She was one of the first of the modern day witches to take up environmental causes.
Because she rose to media fame in the 1950s after the repeal of the 1735 Witchcraft Act in 1951, she had an effect upon the formation of neopagan witchcraft, namely the religion of Wicca. Strong in defense of her beliefs, Sybil sometimes differed and even quarrelled with other witches. She disapproved of nudity in rituals and was against the use of drugs, but she was at odds with most other witches in that she did believe in cursing. She was one of the first of the modern day witches to take up environmental causes.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 12, 2017
I have a copy of the first printing of this book from 1973. If you want to study witchcraft or the foundations of modern day wicca, then this book is a must read. My only issue with it, is that the font is rather small to read (I'm not as young as I used to be lol). Sybil Leek was one of the first contributing authors in the pagan community and thus an icon in my opinion. Whether or not you agree with her or her style, this book is still a definite asset to your magickal collection.
March 1, 2019
Fascinating biographical essay.
May 24, 2024
HER FOLLOW-UP TO ‘DIARY OF A WITCH’
Sybil Leek (1917–1982) was an English witch, astrologer, occult author and psychic. She wrote in the first chapter of this 1971 book, “I wrote a book which I thought would answer all the questions I was always being asked about myself, my way of life, and my religion of witchcraft… I wrote ‘Diary of a Witch’ because I wanted people to know what it was like to be a woman leading a sophisticated life in the twentieth century… and yet accepting witchcraft, the Old Religion, as her faith. I thought it would answer all the questioning … What I really achieved was a kicking open of the door for many millions… of people who wanted to know more about witchcraft, and more.” (Pg. 11)
She observes, “When the Anti-Witchcraft Laws were repealed in England in 1951, I hoped that this would be the rebirth of the ancient religion; instead of this, what floated to the surface were several dozen fragmented versions of the religion, each with differences of doctrine… there were many people such as myself who hoped to pull together the bits of the psychic jigsaw, hoping for unity and better understanding of the Old Religion itself. I realize now that what I hoped for in those early days could not be achieved in as short a time.” (Pg. 14)
She explains, “Of the several thousand covens in the United States at the moment, there are about forty that I know of that practice what I call good old-fashioned witchcraft. Of these, there are equal numbers who practice Gardnerian witchcraft and Celtic magic… The rest are strangely remote from anything I could believe in and are either hepped-up versions of voodoo, watered-down versions of Satanism, minor-league Hellfire clubs, or just plain nasty covens, existing only for depraved sexual activities which somehow seem to appear as more sensational if put under the name of a religion.” (Pg. 215-216)
She says, “Belief in witchcraft recognizes the foundation or all sensitive religious devotions to life, and in involvement with spiritual potency, can be found and renewed in seasonal celebrations.” (Pg. 18-19) Later, she adds, “I am convinced that witchcraft is not for everyone. For those who have tried to stabilize their lives, it can do nothing but good, and help in every area of living, but for those who persist in being emotionally unstable and will not do anything about it… then witchcraft is dangerous. It is because so many people today enjoy their delusions… that all areas of occultism are attracting unstable types.” (Pg. 47)
She asserts, “I cannot believe that anyone can exist and call himself religious or spiritual unless he has a complete acceptance of a perfect supreme being, infinitely greater than man or this earth. Unless this is accepted, how can one pray, worship, or feel confidence in a faith at all?” (Pg. 48)
She laments, “The most difficult things for people to understand in this area are the methods of black magic and witchcraft; ever more difficult is it for them to see that there is a distinction. Sometimes I think we have made great headway in that the majority of people know at least that there is a distinction---and then the same confusion occurs again, with the usual avalanche of questions, such as, ‘Do you worship the devil?’ And here a straightforward answer, ‘No, I do not worship the devil,’ can only lead to many others.” (Pg. 64)
She recalls, “I heard of a black magic ceremony which ended with the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer backwards… everything was reversed and made filthy. Inverted crucifixes and obscenities spoken to the Bible, which was also defiled, did nothing to amuse or please me. I found the whole thing as described quite horrible, and the story was repeated to me in the mistaken idea that I disliked orthodox church life. I do not. I believe religion is an intensely personal thing…” (Pg. 68)
She notes, “Aleister Crowley was far from a black magician who liked to perform in the altogether. His series of ritual garments would have rivaled any modern Hollywood star’s wardrobe, and he loved swords and knives as well as censers… as he progressed, it was not the scene that dominated but the man himself… Above it all rose the splendid voice and the powerful, impressive, solemn magnitude of his personality. ‘The Great Beast,’ as he loved to call himself, was a royal lion when it came to incantations, and his ritualistic splendor would have done credit to any of the Popes… it seems a pity that the great magnificent days of Crowley are now half forgotten except by about five people who are still alive and knew him.” (Pg. 72-73) Later, she adds, “I can still never see anything of the evil black magician in Crowley… I am always being accused of being pro-Crowley; some people wonder how I can reconcile this with the Old Religion. Actually, it is quite easy, for Crowley was probably one of the foremost occultists of the twentieth century… Aleister Crowley was the whipping boy of his age, not because he was himself so evil but because society was scared to look into itself and see its own disorders.” (Pg. 81-82)
She acknowledges, “Although I hate the distinction of ‘black’ and ‘white,’ even in magic, in order to communicate with others these are terms I am forced to use. The distinction is clear enough in theory; the black magician works mainly for evil, and the white witch for good. Where the distinction stops is at the point where there is acknowledgement that what can be worked for good can always be worked for evil.” (Pg. 75)
She explains, “For the first time the tenets of our faith are written down in this book in clear language for all to see and study.” (Pg. 109)
She reveals, “I have never disguised the fact that I enjoy the luxuries in life, including good food and the right wines, but I could be alone in a house with a thousand bottles of choice wine and I would not want more than my normal two glasses a day.” (Pg. 118) Later, she adds, “I learned through experience that drugs could do nothing for me. I could experience a ‘high’ through meditation more easily and more effectively than through drugs.” (Pg. 128)
She asserts, “I am learning to take other people’s religions being thrust down my throat… Could I impose these things on other people for my own religion? I certainly could not, for the simple reason that we know that witchcraft is not for everyone; people must be led into it by their own free will, not coerced or threatened into accepting it.” (Pg. 136)
She notes, “The greatest affront to man’s spiritual comfort in times when he needs to be sustained was the removal of the belief in reincarnation from some of the orthodox religions, including Christianity. The substitute of hellfire and possible damnation, of an all-powerful god sitting morosely in heaven waiting for a chance to vent his anger on certain men who do not conform to man-made laws, seems to be the ultimate in illogical thinking. In the Tenet of Reincarnation we cannot accept that anything in life must be punished by God, but we know that if we make mistakes we must use them as stepping stones to greater achievement.” (Pg. 141) Later, she adds, “In 551 A.D. the Christian religion officially detached itself from belief in reincarnation, cut in doing so it placed itself in isolation from many other religions.” (Pg. 156)
She states, “Witchcraft is a religion which does not allow for fear in its followers, because there is no fear of the Divine Being.” (Pg. 159) Later, she adds, “after a great deal of consideration, I think that within witchcraft we could very well find a place for the homosexuals of society, and encourage them to develop their intuitive faculties. I do not think they could rise to be part of the inner hierarchy of Wicca any more than they could in past religious rites…” (Pg. 174)
She laments, “one of the strange things happening today is that a number of people who profess to be initiated witches get married in a church. This is something of which I cannot possibly conceive…. Although witchcraft does not have a wedding CEREMONY, there is nothing to prevent a member’s right to be married, to commune with nature…” (Pg. 182)
This book will be of great interest to those interested in contemporary Witchcraft/Wicca (although some may find a few of her opinions to be offensive, or at least ‘out-of-date.’”
Sybil Leek (1917–1982) was an English witch, astrologer, occult author and psychic. She wrote in the first chapter of this 1971 book, “I wrote a book which I thought would answer all the questions I was always being asked about myself, my way of life, and my religion of witchcraft… I wrote ‘Diary of a Witch’ because I wanted people to know what it was like to be a woman leading a sophisticated life in the twentieth century… and yet accepting witchcraft, the Old Religion, as her faith. I thought it would answer all the questioning … What I really achieved was a kicking open of the door for many millions… of people who wanted to know more about witchcraft, and more.” (Pg. 11)
She observes, “When the Anti-Witchcraft Laws were repealed in England in 1951, I hoped that this would be the rebirth of the ancient religion; instead of this, what floated to the surface were several dozen fragmented versions of the religion, each with differences of doctrine… there were many people such as myself who hoped to pull together the bits of the psychic jigsaw, hoping for unity and better understanding of the Old Religion itself. I realize now that what I hoped for in those early days could not be achieved in as short a time.” (Pg. 14)
She explains, “Of the several thousand covens in the United States at the moment, there are about forty that I know of that practice what I call good old-fashioned witchcraft. Of these, there are equal numbers who practice Gardnerian witchcraft and Celtic magic… The rest are strangely remote from anything I could believe in and are either hepped-up versions of voodoo, watered-down versions of Satanism, minor-league Hellfire clubs, or just plain nasty covens, existing only for depraved sexual activities which somehow seem to appear as more sensational if put under the name of a religion.” (Pg. 215-216)
She says, “Belief in witchcraft recognizes the foundation or all sensitive religious devotions to life, and in involvement with spiritual potency, can be found and renewed in seasonal celebrations.” (Pg. 18-19) Later, she adds, “I am convinced that witchcraft is not for everyone. For those who have tried to stabilize their lives, it can do nothing but good, and help in every area of living, but for those who persist in being emotionally unstable and will not do anything about it… then witchcraft is dangerous. It is because so many people today enjoy their delusions… that all areas of occultism are attracting unstable types.” (Pg. 47)
She asserts, “I cannot believe that anyone can exist and call himself religious or spiritual unless he has a complete acceptance of a perfect supreme being, infinitely greater than man or this earth. Unless this is accepted, how can one pray, worship, or feel confidence in a faith at all?” (Pg. 48)
She laments, “The most difficult things for people to understand in this area are the methods of black magic and witchcraft; ever more difficult is it for them to see that there is a distinction. Sometimes I think we have made great headway in that the majority of people know at least that there is a distinction---and then the same confusion occurs again, with the usual avalanche of questions, such as, ‘Do you worship the devil?’ And here a straightforward answer, ‘No, I do not worship the devil,’ can only lead to many others.” (Pg. 64)
She recalls, “I heard of a black magic ceremony which ended with the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer backwards… everything was reversed and made filthy. Inverted crucifixes and obscenities spoken to the Bible, which was also defiled, did nothing to amuse or please me. I found the whole thing as described quite horrible, and the story was repeated to me in the mistaken idea that I disliked orthodox church life. I do not. I believe religion is an intensely personal thing…” (Pg. 68)
She notes, “Aleister Crowley was far from a black magician who liked to perform in the altogether. His series of ritual garments would have rivaled any modern Hollywood star’s wardrobe, and he loved swords and knives as well as censers… as he progressed, it was not the scene that dominated but the man himself… Above it all rose the splendid voice and the powerful, impressive, solemn magnitude of his personality. ‘The Great Beast,’ as he loved to call himself, was a royal lion when it came to incantations, and his ritualistic splendor would have done credit to any of the Popes… it seems a pity that the great magnificent days of Crowley are now half forgotten except by about five people who are still alive and knew him.” (Pg. 72-73) Later, she adds, “I can still never see anything of the evil black magician in Crowley… I am always being accused of being pro-Crowley; some people wonder how I can reconcile this with the Old Religion. Actually, it is quite easy, for Crowley was probably one of the foremost occultists of the twentieth century… Aleister Crowley was the whipping boy of his age, not because he was himself so evil but because society was scared to look into itself and see its own disorders.” (Pg. 81-82)
She acknowledges, “Although I hate the distinction of ‘black’ and ‘white,’ even in magic, in order to communicate with others these are terms I am forced to use. The distinction is clear enough in theory; the black magician works mainly for evil, and the white witch for good. Where the distinction stops is at the point where there is acknowledgement that what can be worked for good can always be worked for evil.” (Pg. 75)
She explains, “For the first time the tenets of our faith are written down in this book in clear language for all to see and study.” (Pg. 109)
She reveals, “I have never disguised the fact that I enjoy the luxuries in life, including good food and the right wines, but I could be alone in a house with a thousand bottles of choice wine and I would not want more than my normal two glasses a day.” (Pg. 118) Later, she adds, “I learned through experience that drugs could do nothing for me. I could experience a ‘high’ through meditation more easily and more effectively than through drugs.” (Pg. 128)
She asserts, “I am learning to take other people’s religions being thrust down my throat… Could I impose these things on other people for my own religion? I certainly could not, for the simple reason that we know that witchcraft is not for everyone; people must be led into it by their own free will, not coerced or threatened into accepting it.” (Pg. 136)
She notes, “The greatest affront to man’s spiritual comfort in times when he needs to be sustained was the removal of the belief in reincarnation from some of the orthodox religions, including Christianity. The substitute of hellfire and possible damnation, of an all-powerful god sitting morosely in heaven waiting for a chance to vent his anger on certain men who do not conform to man-made laws, seems to be the ultimate in illogical thinking. In the Tenet of Reincarnation we cannot accept that anything in life must be punished by God, but we know that if we make mistakes we must use them as stepping stones to greater achievement.” (Pg. 141) Later, she adds, “In 551 A.D. the Christian religion officially detached itself from belief in reincarnation, cut in doing so it placed itself in isolation from many other religions.” (Pg. 156)
She states, “Witchcraft is a religion which does not allow for fear in its followers, because there is no fear of the Divine Being.” (Pg. 159) Later, she adds, “after a great deal of consideration, I think that within witchcraft we could very well find a place for the homosexuals of society, and encourage them to develop their intuitive faculties. I do not think they could rise to be part of the inner hierarchy of Wicca any more than they could in past religious rites…” (Pg. 174)
She laments, “one of the strange things happening today is that a number of people who profess to be initiated witches get married in a church. This is something of which I cannot possibly conceive…. Although witchcraft does not have a wedding CEREMONY, there is nothing to prevent a member’s right to be married, to commune with nature…” (Pg. 182)
This book will be of great interest to those interested in contemporary Witchcraft/Wicca (although some may find a few of her opinions to be offensive, or at least ‘out-of-date.’”
August 6, 2014
Really - if you want to know the anything about the people who brought modern day paganism/witchcraft/Wicca to the forefront, Sybil Leek is one of the authors you want to read. She was the "face of witchcraft" from the late 1950s onward. What a well-versed and interesting person.
I originally read this book in the mid-1980s (probably 13 or 14 years old) and recently reacquired a copy. I was interested to see if I was as big of a "fan" as I thought I was. And, I am.
One does have to keep in mind the time period in which this book was written to fully appreciate (and in places disregard) some of the attitudes, fears, and biases.
I originally read this book in the mid-1980s (probably 13 or 14 years old) and recently reacquired a copy. I was interested to see if I was as big of a "fan" as I thought I was. And, I am.
One does have to keep in mind the time period in which this book was written to fully appreciate (and in places disregard) some of the attitudes, fears, and biases.
May 19, 2012
Sybil Leek is a master at allowing and bringing you into her life with resonating words. I wish I had the honor to meet her. Biased as I may be, every one of her books are amazing and magickal.
October 6, 2012
Old Sybil is probably rolling in her grave...
December 29, 2012
I read this back in the '60s when I was into Astrology.
June 3, 2020
Sybil Leek never disappoints. Her writing is conversational and real. Not enough of that in mainstream publishing anymore.
April 12, 2021
Old occult books from the 60s are a journey through an important historic era...Much enjoyed.
January 4, 2022
Excellent.
January 17, 2022
Sentimientos encontrados con este libro (demasiados)
February 26, 2009
Sé que Sybil Leek es una de las brujas más reconocidas de Inglaterra... Pero eso no quita que haya leído algunos libros que, en mi opinión han sido más completos y exaustivos en cuanto al contenido.
La magia wicca atrae por su conexión con la naturaleza y por que, al profundizar en sus aguas, se va descubriendo el mundo desde otro punto de vista. Este libro es interesante para quien no ha leído anteriormente otras obras y que quiere tener una idea muy básica de lo que significa ser wicca y demás. Agradable, pero creo que le falta para ser un excelente libro...
La magia wicca atrae por su conexión con la naturaleza y por que, al profundizar en sus aguas, se va descubriendo el mundo desde otro punto de vista. Este libro es interesante para quien no ha leído anteriormente otras obras y que quiere tener una idea muy básica de lo que significa ser wicca y demás. Agradable, pero creo que le falta para ser un excelente libro...
December 29, 2012
I was fortunate enough to meet and interview the authoress when she came to KC, MO in the 60s. She had a way of looking and smiling at you that made you want to stop all thought and yet she couldn't have been sweeter. I read this book after the meet and was very impressed. I think I still have my copy and others that she wrote. I will look for them and re-read them.
August 25, 2013
engaging reading written with engaging words by an engaging author.
December 21, 2013
Very charming author. Book contains basically nothing of worth. I am sure that she was the real thing, but she is not much of a writer and it is horribly dated.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews