The Ineffable Name : A Crafters Guide to Traditional Witchcraft

by George Hares

The Ineffable name being a book aimed at the traditional crafter delves into some of the core principles, practices, and origins that lie within the Old Craft. For the seeker looking for a more traditional and folkloric approach to witchcraft, this book will assist and help the beginner in forming and forging their path of traditional witchcraft alongside giving reference to the origins and being able to give deeper insight into various forms of practice helping gain gnosis and understanding of where those origins lie. True to the nature of the ‘dual ways’ of those within the witch cult, this book is also aimed at those who have a body of experience behind them making it accessible to both the seeker and the experienced witch. Within this book you will learn ways of those who practice in the traditional witchcraft current such as accessing the liminal world; gaining and forging an avid relationship with a familiar spirit, learning different aspects of the witch Gods such as; Tubal Cain, and learning to rouse the inner fire, The Queen of Elphame and her experience with those of the craft, The Aulde master of the witches; The Devil himself. Different techniques of The Old Craft and their origins are also explained and given herein such as the Compass round and its various methods, the nocturnal flight of the fetch; how to access the otherworld, fetch flight, shapeshifting and other aspects of darker shamanic influenced craft. Overall this book is designed not only to teach the seeker but also to inspire the beginner in their current praxis, with older references and accounts of practitioners past and present that seek to inspire the crafter, written by George Hares a practitioner of traditional witchcraft with over 20 years experience, the Ineffable name is a book aimed to assist and amplify everyone within their praxis.

Genres: Witchcraft

205 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2022

Reviews

[Nightshade · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I have no issue with George as a person or practitioner, and in fact used to watch his YouTube videos and share online groups with him, this book unfortunately just did not work for me.

The book reads very much like a first draft. It is not well written, and it is so poorly edited as to have factual errors that would have been easy to nip off with a quick google search.

Examples:
-He refers to ergot as a bacteria. It is not, it is a fungus.
-He refers to the Moors murders in a personal anecdote but calls Ian Brady, Richard Brady.
-He states that a certain chant/poem is from Shakespeare, and while it shares the first couple of lines from Shakespeare it is in fact from "The Witch" by Thomas Middleton.
-He makes the erroneous claim that pricking a mole will cause cancer. This is untrue. While you should certainly not be poking at an injuring your moles, even for witchcraft, it does not cause cancer.

These may seem like minor errors individually, but together they undermine confidence in the reliability of the text. Even in a book that leans heavily on personal anecdotes and experiential material, factual claims should still be checked carefully before publication.

Beyond the factual issues, I also found the writing rather clunky and unfocused at times. There is a fair amount of waffling, and I often wished certain topics had been explored in greater depth, even from a beginner’s perspective.

Some of the charms and spells are lovely, but overall the book is not one I would personally recommend.

[Akiko Hagio · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of good anecdotes about personal praxis within traditional craft, but I wouldn't say Hares is a great writer. A lot of good info presented in a very clunky and somewhat disorganized fashion. Truly a beginners book, without much depth to each topic

[Damian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very solid book and serves as both a theoretical and practical introduction to traditional witchcraft. There is no doubt that the author has been walking this path for many years, and this clearly comes through in his stories and personal experiences. The illustrations are beautiful. Perhaps the only drawback is that the font is very small and the line spacing is tight, which makes it rather uncomfortable to read. Aside from that, if you are taking your first steps in the Craft, this is a good introductory book.

[Pinar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Content is good but I wish someone edited the book.