Witchcraft and the Shamanic Journey: Pagan Folkways from the Burning Times

by Kenneth Johnson

Learn why Shamanism has survived through the centuries. Formerly titled NORTH STAR ROAD, this book reveals the spiritual roots of Western culture. An in-depth study of witchcraft trial records and the testimony of the witches themselves prove that European peasants accused of witchcraft died, in fact, for the sake of the world's oldest spiritual path. Illustrated.

Genres: Witchcraft, Occult, History

Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

About the author

Kenneth Johnson has been a professional astrologer for forty years. He holds a B.A. in Comparative Religions from California State University Fullerton. He obtained his Master of Arts in Eastern Studies (with an emphasis in Classical Sanskrit) from St. John's College, Santa Fe.
A leading figure in the study of myths and archetypes and their importance to the art of astrology, Kenneth is the author of numerous books and magazine articles, including the well-known Mythic Astrology series (with Arielle Guttman) and Mansions of the Moon: The Lost Zodiac of the Goddess, a study of the lunar zodiac of India. A close student of both Western and Vedic astrology, he has been the managing editor of the Journal of the American College of Vedic Astrology and a frequent contributor to The Mountain Astrologer.
A serious researcher of the culture of the Maya, both ancient and modern, he has spent months with indigenous teachers in remote parts of Guatemala and is the author of Mayan Calendar Astrology: Mapping Your Inner Cosmos, Jaguar Wisdom: An Introduction to the Mayan Calendar, and The Mayan Prophecies: The Renewal of the World 2012-2072.
Throughout the years, Ken has developed a unique approach to the art of astrology, blending contemporary practice with ancient insights. Astrologer, researcher, and writer, Ken lives in Taos, New Mexico.

Reviews

[Sable · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book suffered from the lousy scholarship that characterized its time period, but I am intrigued by the author's theory, which is that the beginnings of the most active period of witch persecutions in Western Europe happened as a result of a "crisis cult" of Renaissance witchcraft that emerged in response to the crisis of collapsing medieval social order in the aftermath of the Black Death; and that the "witchcraft" itself was a syncretic faith that grew out of Western demonology, folk practices and superstitions, and a genuine "shamanic" desire to communicate with the Otherworld to seek guidance. He likened the early Renaissance "witch cult" to the syncretic crisis-cults of history that have led to revolutions of varying success, such as Voodoo and the Haitian Revolution and the Great Ghost Dance. I can see the comparison; and it is my contention that modern Witchcraft is actually not a survival of anything; but that it represents a syncretic blend of English folk customs and superstitions, the Western occult tradition, Indian Buddhism and English Protestantism. Renaissance witchcraft, then, would represent a similar evolution at a different time period; and naturally I find it interesting that someone else suggests a similar conclusion to my own! I only wish that his scholarship and research were more akin to the modern brutally stark style of not drawing conclusions without direct evidence. Kenneth Johnson has punctuated his thesis with exercises that draw on an essential "shamanic" core, and these exercises are valuable and useful. Worth a read, in any case, especially for any modern Pagan.

[Maranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review posted on my blog:

https://whiteroseofavalon.life/2023/0...