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The Witch's Eight Paths of Power: A Complete Course in Magick and Witchcraft
In his Book of Shadows, Gerald Gardner writes about the witch’s Eightfold Way as a means of developing one’s magickal abilities. In this contemporary take on the Eightfold Way, author, Witch, and High Priestess Lady Sable Aradia invites readers to explore the eight different components of evolution in witchcraft. Using exercises, meditations, and practical magick, any serious student of witchcraft will be able to master these eight paths and improve the effectiveness of their magickal work. From spells to sex rites to trance to flying ointments, Lady Sable has created a step-by-step guide to mastering the advanced arts of witchcraft.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 12, 2014
As a Head High Priest of a community and school of Witchcraft, I'm always interested in books such as The Witch's Eight Paths of Power: A Complete Course in Magick and Witchcraft. It's always great to compare notes and see what other schools of thought are in the area of the Craft.
I could tell there was going be a lot here to like right away, even by looking through the table of contents. A lot of the principles that were nearest and dearest to me were here, from the basic to the more advanced, and it became obvious to me that a person who didn't have access to either an in-person or online school of Witchcraft could learn a whole lot.
One of my favorite sections of the work was about midway through it, and discussed the role of ego in Witchcraft:
“As we are learning to reclaim our power, sometimes we become a little drunk with it, especially those who came to the craft because we felt disempowered. This is commonly called the High Priestess’s disease, and it is associated with the shadow […] This is the stage of development that causes most of the ‘Witch wars’ that happen in our small communities. It is good to recognize that you are divine; but so is everyone else. It seems that humility should go without saying, but my experience in training priests and priestesses tells me that it mostly falls on deaf ears.”
I couldn't agree more with this quote, and considering the empowerment that can occur through the Craft, and the book's title, "Eight Paths of Power", I have met way too many Witches just looking for that next "level up" in their community just so they can have a title they can flaunt. That's ego, pure and simple, and it destroys relationships and communities, and hinders spiritual growth. Many people don't understand the tremendous responsibility that you take on as a spiritual leader. A big part of spiritual leadership is putting your ego aside for the good of others and not expecting recognition or reward, financial or otherwise, for doing so, and this book seems to support that theory.
So I'm repeating myself, but there's so much to like here. Chakra work. Visualization. Symbols. Basic herbalism. Spell work and intent. Astrology. Dealing with psychic vampires. And exercises for it all. It's an all in one resource for those who want to learn the Craft, and in that regard it’s an impressive work.
And then I read the parts in chapter four, “Intoxicants”, about how to connect with the Divine using drugs and alcohol, and what could have been a truly outstanding book took a unexpected and unpleasant turn.
I understand that people have been using both legal and illegal drugs to connect to the Divine for centuries. I don't purport to make that choice for everyone; it's certainly an individual one, and my opinion is irrelevant. With that said, I think it's incredibly irresponsible for a spiritual leader--and if you look at Lady Sable Aradia's bio, she certainly has earned the title of spiritual leader--to put the information in a book, especially one called Eight Paths of Power.
If Witchcraft is so empowering on its own merits, and I believe that it is, then why is it necessary to include information on using intoxicants to connect with the Divine? It sets a dangerous precedent for witches of all levels, and for those considering the Craft as a path, it puts the idea in their minds that this is something that is expected. Yes, there's a statement at the beginning of the chapter, reminding each person that they take no responsibility for the actions of individuals, and that's something you'd expect. The reality is that anyone with an Internet connection can find that information if they choose, but by including it you are tacitly encouraging it, in my opinion, and I do not believe you need to use any sort of drug to improve your connection to the Divine.
With that last chapter being the lone exception, I generally agreed with the rest of what was presented. Every Witch practices a little differently, but what was here was a solid base for anyone who wants to go back to basics on their own.
To me, a classroom setting—even a virtual classroom—is better than a book for learning the Craft. But if that’s not possible for you, The Witch's Eight Paths of Power: A Complete Course in Magick and Witchcraft is a better way than many to increase your knowledge.
I could tell there was going be a lot here to like right away, even by looking through the table of contents. A lot of the principles that were nearest and dearest to me were here, from the basic to the more advanced, and it became obvious to me that a person who didn't have access to either an in-person or online school of Witchcraft could learn a whole lot.
One of my favorite sections of the work was about midway through it, and discussed the role of ego in Witchcraft:
“As we are learning to reclaim our power, sometimes we become a little drunk with it, especially those who came to the craft because we felt disempowered. This is commonly called the High Priestess’s disease, and it is associated with the shadow […] This is the stage of development that causes most of the ‘Witch wars’ that happen in our small communities. It is good to recognize that you are divine; but so is everyone else. It seems that humility should go without saying, but my experience in training priests and priestesses tells me that it mostly falls on deaf ears.”
I couldn't agree more with this quote, and considering the empowerment that can occur through the Craft, and the book's title, "Eight Paths of Power", I have met way too many Witches just looking for that next "level up" in their community just so they can have a title they can flaunt. That's ego, pure and simple, and it destroys relationships and communities, and hinders spiritual growth. Many people don't understand the tremendous responsibility that you take on as a spiritual leader. A big part of spiritual leadership is putting your ego aside for the good of others and not expecting recognition or reward, financial or otherwise, for doing so, and this book seems to support that theory.
So I'm repeating myself, but there's so much to like here. Chakra work. Visualization. Symbols. Basic herbalism. Spell work and intent. Astrology. Dealing with psychic vampires. And exercises for it all. It's an all in one resource for those who want to learn the Craft, and in that regard it’s an impressive work.
And then I read the parts in chapter four, “Intoxicants”, about how to connect with the Divine using drugs and alcohol, and what could have been a truly outstanding book took a unexpected and unpleasant turn.
I understand that people have been using both legal and illegal drugs to connect to the Divine for centuries. I don't purport to make that choice for everyone; it's certainly an individual one, and my opinion is irrelevant. With that said, I think it's incredibly irresponsible for a spiritual leader--and if you look at Lady Sable Aradia's bio, she certainly has earned the title of spiritual leader--to put the information in a book, especially one called Eight Paths of Power.
If Witchcraft is so empowering on its own merits, and I believe that it is, then why is it necessary to include information on using intoxicants to connect with the Divine? It sets a dangerous precedent for witches of all levels, and for those considering the Craft as a path, it puts the idea in their minds that this is something that is expected. Yes, there's a statement at the beginning of the chapter, reminding each person that they take no responsibility for the actions of individuals, and that's something you'd expect. The reality is that anyone with an Internet connection can find that information if they choose, but by including it you are tacitly encouraging it, in my opinion, and I do not believe you need to use any sort of drug to improve your connection to the Divine.
With that last chapter being the lone exception, I generally agreed with the rest of what was presented. Every Witch practices a little differently, but what was here was a solid base for anyone who wants to go back to basics on their own.
To me, a classroom setting—even a virtual classroom—is better than a book for learning the Craft. But if that’s not possible for you, The Witch's Eight Paths of Power: A Complete Course in Magick and Witchcraft is a better way than many to increase your knowledge.
November 4, 2021
I don't know what I was expecting, but I'm not sure I like what I got.
Technically, I didn't have any significant issues with the book. I do note that the author doesn't cite any author earlier than Aleister Crowley, and that I didn't bother double-checking any of her references. Anything where a person might want in-depth information? This is not the book for you.
But... well, a couple of things:
This is clearly a book about Wicca, and yet the author barely touches on Wicca as a spiritual path. Now, maybe that's just not her goal, and that's fine. But then what is the goal and why is this book Wiccan in flavor? To which I don't have a good answer.
Instead, it's a book about spellcraft that never really seems to get into the details of crafting spells. And it's just Wiccan enough to be a turn-off to any non-Wiccan reading it without being so Wiccan as to make it an actual book about Wicca.
Secondly, this book definitely suffers from some "more is more" thinking. It isn't a set of exercises that build on each other. It's a hodge-podge of materials that may be of use. Again, that would be fine: if you asked me to compile a similar thing, it would definitely suffer from being a hodge-podge of stuff. But that's not "a course." That's a hodge-podge of materials. In fact, if I were writing a similar book (please no) that organization and build-up would be the real value I theoretically bring.
Thirdly, ooooh the cultural appropriation without any actual depth. For a book written in 2014, one would expect she would have been aware that smudging has become a hot-button topic and addressed this in literally any way. (Or left it out entirely.) And I'd be more willing to forgive this if it looked like she'd done any actual research into the origins of and cultural practices around it, but no. Ditto chakras.
BUT having called all of those things out? Most of the actual exercises she recommends are pretty good? It may be a hodge-podge that never really turns into a single cohesive unit, but most of the individual parts seem to be pretty good.
Technically, I didn't have any significant issues with the book. I do note that the author doesn't cite any author earlier than Aleister Crowley, and that I didn't bother double-checking any of her references. Anything where a person might want in-depth information? This is not the book for you.
But... well, a couple of things:
This is clearly a book about Wicca, and yet the author barely touches on Wicca as a spiritual path. Now, maybe that's just not her goal, and that's fine. But then what is the goal and why is this book Wiccan in flavor? To which I don't have a good answer.
Instead, it's a book about spellcraft that never really seems to get into the details of crafting spells. And it's just Wiccan enough to be a turn-off to any non-Wiccan reading it without being so Wiccan as to make it an actual book about Wicca.
Secondly, this book definitely suffers from some "more is more" thinking. It isn't a set of exercises that build on each other. It's a hodge-podge of materials that may be of use. Again, that would be fine: if you asked me to compile a similar thing, it would definitely suffer from being a hodge-podge of stuff. But that's not "a course." That's a hodge-podge of materials. In fact, if I were writing a similar book (please no) that organization and build-up would be the real value I theoretically bring.
Thirdly, ooooh the cultural appropriation without any actual depth. For a book written in 2014, one would expect she would have been aware that smudging has become a hot-button topic and addressed this in literally any way. (Or left it out entirely.) And I'd be more willing to forgive this if it looked like she'd done any actual research into the origins of and cultural practices around it, but no. Ditto chakras.
BUT having called all of those things out? Most of the actual exercises she recommends are pretty good? It may be a hodge-podge that never really turns into a single cohesive unit, but most of the individual parts seem to be pretty good.
February 20, 2015
Very in depth book on traditional Wicca practices. There is a lot of information and a lot of practical application and exercises provided. FYI for the eclectics out there, this book is rooted heavily on traditional Wicca, but it's worth the read. The writing style is a little stiff but if you're able to get past that, you'll see that there is some great information in this book, from beginners to advanced. Would recommend.
July 3, 2016
It is a fleshy outline of Witchcraft techniques, and other than an extremely basic review, I would not find it handy to ever refer to again.
She credits Isaac Bonewits with the Hermetic Principles. She "encourages" intoxicants, scourging and the actual Great Rite as what "traditional witches do." She considers the Goddess Kali as a mere principle that eats negativity.
But mostly she shows the tricks and tips of witchcraft devoid of spirituality. I know many folks manipulate energy with no connection to Deity, but it is so foreign to me - so missing the whole option of personal growth when the Divine is involved - that I just have to recycle it and not have it touch my good books.
She credits Isaac Bonewits with the Hermetic Principles. She "encourages" intoxicants, scourging and the actual Great Rite as what "traditional witches do." She considers the Goddess Kali as a mere principle that eats negativity.
But mostly she shows the tricks and tips of witchcraft devoid of spirituality. I know many folks manipulate energy with no connection to Deity, but it is so foreign to me - so missing the whole option of personal growth when the Divine is involved - that I just have to recycle it and not have it touch my good books.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews