The Witching Way of the Hollow Hill

by Robin Artisson

Softcover Edition- "The Witching Way" is a book that acts as a "traveler's guide" to a hidden country within each human being. People all over the world embrace the ideas discussed in this the animistic worldview, spiritual communion with the dead and the Unseen World, sorcery and magic. Author and Mystic Robin Artisson explores these mystical themes from the perspective of The Old Faiths and pre-Christian metaphysical impulses of Europe and the British Isles. Bringing a new perspective to these ancient practices and making them more accessible, this book is a key to the door that leads into the mythical dimension of each person, and every feature of the sacred landscape. It helps to unlock the hidden wisdom in folklore, shed light on the enigma of the human being, and manifest an experience of the wisdom of the Old Ways- insofar as a book can. This book is about getting out of books and back into the spiritual dimension of the Land itself, and requires considerable dedication and work.

Genres: Witchcraft, Religion, Occult, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Folklore, Magic

367 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Robin Artisson has been studying folklore, mythology, and the interior metaphysics of sorcery and traditional witchcraft for over 20 years. His specialty areas of knowledge include spiritual ecology, occult history, herbalism and wortcunning, divination, and soul-flight or trance induction, along with a vocational interest in the extraordinary exploration of the eldritch dimensions of the mind, the soul, and the world.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to really like this book, I do. But I can't. Robin Artisson's writing style is distracting, and at times it seems he is just writing in a stream of consciousness. That's not always a bad thing. However, here it is. He could have benefitted a lot from a good editor.
The information presented is good. It's great compared to what one would normally find on the shelves of books-a-million, etc. if you can divulge the thoughts and information than you will appreciate the book. Yet, I would rate the book higher if it was edited and presented in a more clear format.

[Susan Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caution! This book can change your life, but it is not a "read in a weekend" 101 type book. It will make you think. It's easy to get totally invested in this amazing piece of writing and need to come up for air, take time to digest. Time to ponder, and re-read, and DO. I have dozens of post-it flags sticking out of the top, bottom and side of my well worn copy.

The rituals offered are well written and comprehensive in their description and explanation. The section on clarity and hissing made an incredible impact on the meditation practice of myself and my spiritual group. I have re-read the section on "The Pagan Worldview" many times. Mr Artisson has been able to apply the "fish trying to explain to another fish what water is" paradigm to the description of a worldview from a non Judeo-Christian environment (water).

I would highly recommend it to any individual who is on a pagan path and who knows there is so much more to explore about ourselves than what the "mainstream" has to offer.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me almost two years to get through this book, due in part to impractical organization and the parts on the author's views on deities completely losing me a quarter of the way through. This book could have used a better editor, if there was one at all.

That said, I'm glad I managed to get through it, because the last half ended up being a good read. Some of it relied a bit too much on the author's personal views, but not nearly to the point that, say, Raven Grimassi's works do. There's some great info here for anyone who is interested in traditional witchcraft. Just beware that the book will regularly reference concepts that are introduced WAY later in the book, and that it can be confusing.

[Valentina]

This book is very intense. I am taking my time; it's alot to take in. My best friend adores it!

[Jeff Coté · Rating 5 out of 5]

While there may be some controversy regarding his online presence, one cannot deny his skillful writing nor his compelling take on the old ways of the Anglo-Saxons.

[Steve Cran · Rating 5 out of 5]

What follows is a tour de force into the realm of Traditional British Witchcraft. The book is loaded with both theory and practical techniques. Of the theory, Traditional Craft is about making a connection with the hother /underworld. Where is the other world located , why on a different dimension of course. In reality this world and the other world are not two different worlds but rather they are the same world and their separation is only an illusion.n In fact the illusion goes even further. We tend to think of our selves as separate from others and the world when in fact the world and ourselves are actually one. It is part of us and we are part of it. In physical terms humans and the land are not separate but in fact connected. It is from the land that we get our sustenance and power from . In physical terms it is the land that provides our food, water and shelter. It is also from the land that the witch draws their power from. Drawing power up from the land is a technique that many pagans and witches use. This Drawing up of power works best if your feet are planted on the land. Open yourself to the land around you and clear your mind. Concentrate on the feel o everything, ie the breeze against your skin, the sounds in the atmosphere. Pay attention to the messages from your mind. this will give you the feling of something around you. Your mediation then goes to the ball of power in the earth. Focus on it Breath in deeply with your hands at your sides. As you breathe raise your hands above your head. The light will slowly rise up into your body. Slowly moving up to your chest. It stops around your shoulders.As you breathe out you will see and feel a sphere of light envelope and surround you. Keep breathing and getting power from the earth and nevergiszing your sphere. You should perceive our body as a body of clear light. Finally put your hands back by your sides and allow the energy to return to the earth.

Mortal awareness has it's limits yet immortal awareness realizes the oneness of everything. For us this it is the tests of all tests. It is to join the hidden ones who dwell within the land in the wholeness of awareness. To know the entirety of everything yet still have our fragmented mortal awareness. the universe is constantly growing and expanding according to fate. Chaos tears it apart returning it to it's primordial state. As chaos thrive the ancient titans thrive. Fate is the force that moves through or decisions. In fact were are not making any decisions rather it is fate making decsions though us. Our decsions are what make us and not the other way around . The process of how we make a decision is a combination of factors going back many years ago that act upon the weave of web of our fate. Things that happened in the distant past cause us o make decisions of today. For true enlightenment we must drop the illusion of free will and separate Ness. When we unite with fate our perception changes and we can be whatever it is we are.

Among the techniques discussed are the four technique for attaining witch sight. They are the hissing of the serpent, Serpent of the land, Witch sight and the left way road. The first two witch sight and hissing o the serpent are meant to be used together. First you learn them one at a time. The technique and it's details are at times simple yet hard to put into words. It is something you can easily do by reading the book and following the instructions. As the reader can tell everythying is connected o the land. Kingship is connected to the land. In order for the land to be fruiful and productive it requires a sacrifice. At first i was the king that was sacrificed yearly. It was a sacrifice to the dark mother in order to guarantee abundance. As time wore on a substitute was used but given the name of he king. Finaly one was alooweed to use a barly corn doll. These sacrifices contain energy and enough was accumulated to allow the use of substitutes this current day. times constantly change and living sacrifices are very much illegal and frowned upon by modern day consiousness. The sacrifice becomes a guardian of the land or the place. The sacrifce also acts as a mediator between our world and the other world.

The concept of the dying resurrecting god is based on this concept. When the god dies so does vegetation. During the winter the god rejuvenates in the underworld. When he is reborn so is vegetation. The book has rituals and techniques. It is a meaty read one that learned from and will use. Enjoy.

[Ulvhud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non entusiasmante, ma è pure vero che pratico da parecchio.
La lettura è appesantita dallo stile dell'autore stesso, che tende a divagare e a fare commenti/collegamenti che non sempre sono azzeccati o condivisibili. Non è comunque da ignorare il fatto che Artisson non sia il primo scemo che è saltato fuori, quindi il contenuto del libro è più che valido. Confrontandolo con esperienze personali, ha acquisito ancora più valore. Allo stesso tempo, è un libro adatto solo a neofiti o a persone che non hanno la minima idea di cosa comporti la cosiddetta "traditional witchcraft". Per gli altri, dirà cose piuttosto scontate. Specie se conoscete bene il folklore (non solo della vostra zona ma in generale europeo).

[Anna Urbanek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this one. Even though is is a bit of an editorial mess, and one has to find their way between the author's philosophy and practical advice, I fins this advice and philosophy solid. It's not entirely my tradition - I think it's ultimately only the author's tradition - but it sounds reasonable and as close to the subjectively understood truth as I've ever seen in occult-related books. It's a good primer to the non-wiccan traditional witchcraft, and as far as I can tell, it's worth the read.

[Michael Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerfully lucid, practical and no-nonsense approach to Traditional Witchcraft and the Fayerie traditions.

[The Elves · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Witching Way of the Hollow Hill, Robin Artisson makes an attempt to view the world the way the ancient Celts did and to interact with the magical world from that pre-Christian and pre-scientific perspective. He views the Faerie world and the Fair Folk as being the ancestral dead, just as the Celts did, rather than the post Christian view of seeing them as fallen angels that were not bad enough for Hell or good enough for Heaven. (See Fairy-Faith in the Celtic Countries for more on this.) In this way, he associates the Elf folk with the ancient Gods and spirits of the Underworld, the traditional land of the dead, however, he also by extension associates them with the Demonic world, as the Christians do and thus fails to fully make the separation he sought to achieve. Still, it is an interesting book and reminiscent of R. J. Steward’s and the Matthew’s books and we expect the fans of those authors may find this work valuable as well.

For our own part, we enjoyed the second part of the book more than the first. But then this section had more on the Fair Folk, which is our particular area of interest.

The Silver Elves
Goodreads authors of The Book of Elven Magick: The Philosophy and Enchantments of the Seelie Elves, volume 1, and of The Book of Elven Magick: The Philosophy and Enchantments of the Seelie Elves, Volume 2, Volume 2.

[Stormcatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book a lot. So many things that I have intuitively known were confirmed here. I was especially excited to find things that others had scoffed at when I talked about them, such as Science and interconnectedness. Finally a book that speaks to the soul of what I know to be true.