Witchcraft: A Secret History

by Michael Streeter

Witchcraft: A Secret History unravels the myth from the mystery, the facts from the legends. Meet all the witches of your imagination and discover the meanings of their rituals and rites, their lore, and their craft. Discover the significance of their sabbats and covens, their chalices and wands, their robes and their religion. Unlock the secrets of the legendary witches of mythology and folk tales and find out how these early stories influenced the persecutions and witch-hunts of the Middle Ages. Learn about the people who inspired the pagan revival and how their work in literature and magic rekindled the fires of the sabbats across Europe and the New World today.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Witchcraft, Witches, Wicca, Spirituality, Magic

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[Rachel Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a number of books on Witchcraft and this one is the most informative. I loved learning about the history of Witchcraft. Where lt started and the reason behind the Burning Times. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn more about Witchcraft.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Streeter's book 'Witchcraft' serves as a quick introduction to the history of witchcraft - starting with the concept of 'wise' men and women to the wise in popularity of Wicca as a religion. Clearly outlining the myths from the factual in a concise, easy to read manner.
I enjoyed the mix of colour images and black/white images.
Absolutely worth a read for anyone interested in learning about the history of witchcraft.
I received a free copy of this book from B.E.S. Publishing via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[A N N A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I’d recommend to anyone that wants to start reading about the history of witchcraft or non fiction in general because it was laid out nicely, the facts weren’t thrown at you and the language was really easy to follow.

Really great book!

[Charlotte Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this so informative and intriguing. Loved how it was split up into the sections and had images to accompany each page.
Count fault this and would definitely recommend to anyone interested in the history of Witchcraft or mythology.

[Alan D.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it was interesting to know in detail the evolution of witchcraft, this is an Eurocentric book with popular knowledge that's available in other texts. There were some episodes that I did not know, but beyond having a light and simple language account of the history of witchcraft in Europe and its arrival to America, I found nothing "secret" as the title and synopsis promised. Perhaps it was intended for young readers, although the cover would't be the best option in that case. I liked the illustrations, though.

[Ophelia Feyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is the secret of Witchcraft?

Book Review: Witchcraft: A Secret History by Michael Streeter
Genre: Non-Fiction, History, Spirituality
Publisher: Quatro Publish Group/ White Lion Publishing
Release Date: 3rd March, 2020

As a history of Witchcraft this book covers a lot. From the middle ages, ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece, the Celtic and Germanic origins, the effect of Christianity on Witches, the infamous Salem witch trials, all the way up to modern Wicca of the 1950's, links to feminism and its continuation today. Like I said...a lot!

However, as someone who has already read vast amounts about the history of witchcraft, who studied Literature at University, and has been intrigued by all things Witchcraft, since reading The Crucible for drama class, this book adds nothing new to the Witchcraft story. Therefore, I didn't understand the title of 'Secret History', as there is nothing in this book that has been hidden, or kept secret. I consider it to be more of a concise and detailed history of Witchcraft.

Saying that, I did enjoy it. Throughout the book there are images of paintings from across the time periods covered. Some of the images will be familiar, others I had not seen before and they helped illustrate the book well. As I read an e-arc the images were not clear, but I feel like the pictorial representations will add a lot to the completed book. Furthermore, the author has referenced a range of texts written on the topic of witches and witchcraft throughout its history. I now have a list of more books to read!

I would consider it suitable, not only for modern witches, but for anyone who has an interest in Witchcraft and history. As well as being concise it is very well organised; split in to clear chapters and within those, headings and subheadings. It appeals greatly to my brains need to organise, and allows you to dip into specific sections quite easily.

At this point it is important to note something the author mentions in the introduction. When defining modern Witchcraft he refers to it as Wicca. I know a lot of people, myself included, who see Wicca and Witchcraft (whether modern or not) as two separate things; they are different practices. Following on from that, the blurb is slightly misleading: "Discover the significance of [witches] sabbats and covens, their chalices and wands, their robes and their religion." These ideas are shoe-horned in randomly between the other chapters and don't really suit the purpose of the book. It just felt like an odd after-thought to add a few pages about the sabbats and magickal tools.

Towards the end of the book, the author looks at the future of Witchcraft. (I didn't realise that it was only in the 1950's that the last anti-witchcraft legislation was repealed in America.) He thoughtfully considers the role feminism has played in a modern Witchcraft resurgence. However, there is still a lot of prejudice and stigma surrounding Wicca and Witchcraft.

So what does the future of Witchcraft look like? Personally, I can appreciate the role the internet (particularly instagram) has played in my own Witchy practice. The internet has aided in the growth of Wicca and Witchcraft, as it allows free flowing discussion without fear of judgement. The community I have found online is a very positive one. However, even though I feel able to post about Wicca and Witchcraft on instagram, YouTube and this blog, it is still not something I freely discuss in 'real' life. I am still fearful of judgement, even from family and friends.

That is the 'secret' of Witchcraft.

Most of us still keep our Craft a secret. How do we come out of the broom closet and nurture the amazing community in the real world? How do we make it more accepted in society, rather than just an 'online' culture? That's the big secret...

Thank you to Netgalley and White Lion Publishing for allowing me to read and review this e-erc.

[Steven Báthory · Rating 5 out of 5]

L’achat et la lecture de cet essai n’étaient absolument pas prévus mais le mois d’octobre mettant à l’honneur les sorcières, leurs mythes et légendes ainsi que leurs quelques dons, je n’ai pu m’empêcher d’être attiré par cet ouvrage à la couleur attrayante, presque criarde. Et comme le hasard fait bien les choses, je suis plus que ravi de cette dernière acquisition.

En effet et grâce à son style moderne et pertinent, Michael Streeter apporte un regard actuel, moderne et rafraîchissant sur ce qu’a été, est et sera certainement la sorcellerie dans les années à venir. A l’aide de deux parties bien distinctes, ce dernier revient sur les deux principales ères de cet Art. Ainsi, de l’antiquité jusqu’à de nos jours, l’auteur offre une vision des plus accessible et pertinente pour le lecteur qui cherchera une lecture approchant dans son ensemble le mythe de la sorcière et ce, sans demander ni réaliser un important investissement. Quand bien même et pour cause mes propres connaissances, la partie concernant le monde d’antan ne m’a pas apporté énormément de théorie même si j’ai apprécié la découverte de certaines anecdotes – notamment celles liées à Salem ou à d’autres procès – et adoré les retrouvailles avec certaines divinités grecques ou celtiques. D’autant plus que ce dernier ne s’encombre nullement de complication et son regard se dessine alors simple, direct et percutant. C’est donc avec une impressionnante facilité que j’ai retrouvé les origines de ces nombreux cultes païens et ce jusqu’à la partie de notre période actuelle où j’ai été ravi de cette nouvelle vision.

En effet, Michael Streeter ne se contente pas seulement de redessiner ce qui s’est déjà dit sur sujet mais dévoile une approche bien plus approfondie quant à la magie moderne. En ce sens, j’ai été plus qu’intéressé d’en apprendre davantage sur certaines figures du New-Age – autre nom donné à la précédente et citée magie moderne – tels que Gerald Gardener et Alesteir Crowley. Ces fondateurs et influents pionniers d’une des dernières religions célèbre dans le domaine, celle qu’on ne présente plus, la Wicca. C’est donc avec enthousiasme que j’ai entamé et dévoré cette seconde partie qui s’est révélée à son tour d’une pertinence remarquable. Néanmoins et réalisant le postulat d’une large et importante durée, je n’ai pu m’empêcher de regretter une certaine superficialité et certains raccourcis réalisés. Pour autant, je ne peux en tenir conte tant j’ai apprécié la tonalité et la construction de cet essai.
De fait, entres deux grandes dates ou autres événements majeurs, Michael Streeter agrémente son ouvrage d’une multitude de références quant aux nombreuses coutumes païennes dévoilées. Ce dernier prend ainsi le temps de présenter, mais pas que, les outils de la sorcière ou bien comment réaliser un cercle de protection à l’aide des éléments et bien d’autres références importantes dans cette envoûtante pratique. Ce choix aide et permet une immersion encore plus poussive dans cet univers qui renferme encore bien des secrets. Mieux encore, un panel d’œuvres d’art comme des peintures, gravures et tant d’autres parsèment chaque double-pages et j’ai adoré les contempler même si je regrette le travail éditorial réalisé et qui gâche quelque peu ces méticuleux trésors pour les yeux.

Ainsi et si vous recherchez un ouvrage vous permettant une vision complète, large et pertinente de l’histoire de la sorcellerie, vous avez trouvé chaussure à votre pied. Grâce à sa vision moderne et accessible mais néanmoins pertinente, Michael Streeter permet une première approche alléchante avec ce monde envoûtant et passionnant qu’est celui de la magie. J’ai adoré que ce dernier allie histoire et coutumes et ce, accompagné de merveilleuses œuvres d’art à admirer.

[Tom Stanger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always had a fascination with the supernatural, having lived in a number of places which can only be called ‘haunted’ and had numerous events in my life which I genuinely have no explanation for other than being ‘other-worldly’ it’s something that has been a constant companion throughout my life, which is one reason I picked up Witchcraft: A Secret History by freelance writer and journalist, Michael Streeter.

Witchcraft: A Secret History takes the reader not only through the history of Witchcraft but also dispels some of the myths surrounding it, in particular those surrounding the self-styled “Wickedest Man In The World”, Aleister Crowley, who is given only the briefest of mentions. The book's timeline takes us back through the earliest days of history to Sumer and a winged demon called Lilitu who came to be known as Lillith in the Hebrew texts through to the pantheon of Egyptian gods and goddesses and how these earliest figures became incorporated within the Greek and Roman pantheons and their various mythologies, at the same time looking over to Western Europe and the Norse and ancient gods of the Druids, of which some of these beliefs still survive today. One of the main aspects throughout the book was the focus on the goddess aspect and its influence on the rise of feminism throughout the ages.

Broken down into 3 parts ranging from the earliest days to the modern world Witchcraft: A Secret History presents the history of the subject in small easily digestible parts, which makes the book easily accessible to anyone even mildly interested and for those with a deeper interest looking for something more referable. The earliest looks at the ancient through the early days of Christianity and the medieval period which saw the growth of Christianity and its effects upon Witchcraft and pagan religions. The second part focuses predominantly on the rise of Christianity and the tragedy which encapsulated the witch trials of that era, also known as The Burning Times, which have been highlighted through the acts of the self-styled ‘Witchfinder General’ Mathew Hopkins who saw to the deaths of numerous so-called witches in the mid-seventeenth century and culminating with the tragedy of Salem, which in many ways saw the beginning of the end of witch trials, not only to avert from such a thing happening again but as science sought more natural answers. The third part good at witchcraft in the modern world and the Wicca religion which has grown since the mid-twentieth century.

Witchcraft: A Secret History is a highly enjoyable book which treats the subject with the respect it deserves. While it is useful to remind ourselves that men were also persecuted through its history it is women who suffered far worse, mainly due to the misguided patriarchy which deemed them in league with the devil in the early ages. Streeter acknowledges this and gives due homage to those women who not only suffered but also spearheaded the movement in many ways to become the primary leaders within witchcraft and the Wicca religion. who without the goddesses, such as Isis and Diana would likely not have achieved to survive and give strength to both women and men to the modern-day.

[Yasmin · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a lot of people fail to mention when they write/discuss spiritual practices of the past and the so-called witch practices of the medieval period is that there isn't any similarities between the periods. As well a lot of the "tools" of modern witchcraft/wiccans aren't the same as the tools of "witches". Indeed, those accused of witchcraft never called themselves that until they were sent to trail. A lot the men and women accused of witchcraft could not write nor is it likely they had daggers, an abundance, incense, oils and coloured stones most wiccans/witches have now. The odd thing is that those that write about the druids, for example, seem to know a lot about druids and the "sabbats" when they always say there is very little known about the Celts and what is known is bias. I've set to see the sources that even mention where the names of the celebrations come from in the Celtic beliefs. Even the word sabbat comes from the Jewish faith and has nothing to do with the Christian faith unless in reference to witchcraft. The people that were "witches" would have called themselves Christians and had not real faith in pagan practices. Streeter's book very thinly and very mildly goes over a basic understanding of the rise of witch accusations; however, just a basic research for the reader will find that "A Secret History" is a misleading title because there has nothing kept secret about the interest in "witches" and "witchcraft". Indeed, for those men and women accused of "witchcraft" they were not practicing in secret. They worked for and by the community until certain members of the community had an issue with the individual or family that was accused of bad magic. The continued use of orange in this book for the illustrations is somewhat distracting. Due to the fact there is a lack of credited sources Streeter's claim that Gerald Gardner is a recreator is incorrect. There is no evidence of a secret witchcraft religion because from my readings there wasn't such a thing. From my readings on the subject men and women used forms of "magic" in tandem with their religious beliefs, primarily Christianity. The reality is that Gardner as a product of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was influenced by the occult interest by the elite white people of England. Groups like the Golden Dawn and the Freemasons strongly influenced wicca. Since the formulation of the belief in a great goddess and her companion stems from wealthy white people that cherry picked from other beliefs without real research combining from spiritual practices from Ancient times has accumulated in the rituals practiced by the wiccans and modern "witches".

[Andreea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a quick introduction into the history of witchcraft. It is really easy to understand and it seems to go through all the relevant periods of witchcraft, from the origins to the Salem trials to how Wicca is seen or understood in the modern day.

I really enjoyed this book and I think I am a bit fascinated by witchcraft now. My favourite chapters were the ones about the different deities from Ancient Greece to Ancient Egypt to the Celtic ones - especially this since I did not know much about them. I have a passion for deities since I was a little kid and this, combined with my new fascination for wicca is about to open a new hobby: researching everything about witchcraft.

[The Starry Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers the history of witchcraft from the ancient world to the modern day world. It looks at the origins of witchcraft, to the Christian view, the persecutions, and modern day Wicca. It’s a concise book that anyone interested in the subject would find easy to read. I particularly liked the section on the modern world because there were some names mentioned that I never heard of before. There were lots of engravings and pictures used throughout the book as well.

Overall a good book with a “readers digest” approach to a very complicated subject.

[Emilio · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a thank you to Netgalley and the White Lion Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader copy I shall give an honest review of Michael Streeter’s Witchcraft: A Secret History. This book is able in a concise way answer the story behind the story to what makes the Witch such an enigma of their time. The book explores Witchcraft by breaking down the word and exploring its history. The author explores key moments in time for example the Witch-hunts in Europe to the Witch trials in Salem Massachusetts. There was more to this introduction than others I have read and for that reason do I believe is why I give it four out of five stars on good reads.It will be published on March 3rd 2020.

[Shayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

first of all, this is a beautiful book. this edition by quarto is simply stunning. the design gets five stars. as for the content, it's a pretty good overview, but it felt fairly basic. it's highly focused on western history, and some parts that i was more interested in (like ancient practices, other mystic traditions, etc) were a bit glossed over. nothing went very deep or really explored the history and the connections made to other disciplines and perspectives are all surface level. other than that it was well written, enjoyable and a nice introductory overview of the topic.

[T.B. Caine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me an ARC of this! <3

Overall very average and I wasn't blown away by anything that was presented. It would be great if you know nothing about the history of witchcraft and need a primer. I already knew a lot of this, thus it was a lot of repeated information for me.

If you are interested in the topic however, and know nothing about it, then this would be a great place to start learning about witchcraft!

[Steve Brooker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting.
It’s nicely set out and follows a logical historical progression and has lots of nice illustrations, which makes it a very easy read, despite some heavy issues relating to persecution.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it is an advert for neo-paganism but I was certainly left with the feeling that the central philosophies of modern witchcraft and/or Wicca make a lot of sense in light of 21st century problems.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one hundred percent a book that I got sucked into buying because of great graphic design. Look at that cover. It grabs you. But it lies to you as well.

It proclaims to be a ~secret history~ but let's be real here, it's a very surface level ~secret history~ at best and in fact it's not even that much of a secret history at all. More like someone's vague opinion on the history of witchcraft. But it was a quick read and that quality graphic design is present throughout.

[Brandi Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read that covered the history of witchcraft from ancient times to modern-day practice. The book is informative and contains illustrations throughout which add to the story. I liked how the information was presented in a straightforward manner without sounding preachy or judgemental.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

My second nonfiction read of this year: Streeter’s book provides a comprehensive and informative history of witchcraft.

As many of you know, I LOVE history, if I’m not reading I can most likely be found watching some kind of obscure history documentary drudged up from the depths of Youtube. One of my favorite subjects to learn about is theology and/or the occult, so when this book was recommended to me on Goodreads I immediately ordered it from my library. Some of the things I liked most about this book–Streeter provides a chronological history of witchcraft/mysticism beginning with ancient times and ending with the twenty-first century. Streeter’s writing is easy to understand, informative, and fairly objective (Streeter himself does not subscribe to witchcraft or Wicca in a religious sense). The layout of the book is beautiful with many pictures and inclusions of ancient artifacts or artwork. However, I feel that the abundance of photos significantly distracted from the information provided on the page. Every picture (even the background) was accompanied by a caption which very often was either unimportant, obvious or a repetition of the main text. Nevertheless, this book shed a lot of light on Wicca as a religion and some of its more seedy beginnings that I was not previously aware of. I came away from this book more knowledgeable, questioning, and conflicted (in a good way) about witchcraft than I was previously. It’s definitely worth a read if you have any interest in ancient theology and/or the occult.

[Kathy Carberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference for anyone researching Witchcraft. A detailed account of the history of Witchcraft that also offers a modern day how to for those who are so inclined to try out some spells. A great combo of reference and practical magic. A great read for a wide variety of occult fans.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and well researched history of witchcraft. It's informative and I liked the style of writing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Mary Bronson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this had interesting views on witchcraft through out history. I thought this seemed well researched and loved how the whole book is written. I requested this book because I find witchcraft and people's view on it interesting and I have this curiosity to learn a little bit more.

[April Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting history of witchcraft, from its beginnings to modern day Wicca. The information is easy to understand, and broken down into bite-sized chunks. While this isn't an in-depth text, it'll give readers who don't know much about the subject a good introduction.

#Witchcraft #NetGalley

[Juliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read an eBook for the edition to be published in March 2020. A solid history book with a fantastic layout.

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

A number of topics, events, and people introduced. The latter half, to me, is more of a Wicca influence of information and history.

[KT · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and easy to understand introduction to the history of witchcraft. Ideal as a springboard to explore the topic more.

[Istoria Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic addition to my library. Going to get a hard copy as I love the weird, wonderful and supernatural!

[Plainjane · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, I just wished there were more references for further reading

[Becky Owen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of past and present of witchcraft. Easy and enjoyable read.

[sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent book especially as an introduction to the history of witchcraft, writer has a neat and clean style making it easy to understand! really enjoyed reading it too and learning along the way

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

My bad, I thought this book was going to be about femminsism, its not... its about real life witchcarft?