Sacred Mask Sacred Dance

by Evan John Jones, Chas S. Clifton

This text recaptures the vigour and power of ancient witchcraft through an innovative fusion of Shamanism and Pagan ritual. It describes how the use of masks in witchcraft ritual can lead to altered states of consciousness, creating a direct channel of communication between the masked dancer and the Pagan gods. The authors discuss the power of the mask, the historical and religious connections between masked rituals and the underworld, and a discussion of the trance itself.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Occult

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Steve Cran · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Clan of Tubal Caine, perhaps sort of founded by Robert Cochrane or maybe a family tradition was strongly based on Shamanistic technique as opposed to heavy rituals used by Wicca which borrowed heavily from Ceremonial Magick. The author and student of Robert Cochrane believed that prior to the conversion of Europe to Christianity that followers of the old religion used masks and dancing to separate their consciousness from their body.

While Evan john Jones believes in reincorporating masks and dancing back into the rituals he does not wish to mimic exactly what they did in the past. Times are different andd things have evolved. So must the craft. What is taught in the book does not claim to ancient but rather something new that is based on the practices of the old.

Dance and masks were used to access the divine and also to access the spirit of the animals they wish to work with. For example masking the stag and dancing about was meant to access the spirit of the roebucks they were hunting. Shamans used to travel to the spirit world in animal guise to speak with the spirits and bring back wisdom needed for the tribe. The old norse used to use these techniques especially the follower of Freya who was an earthly Vanir goddess.

The book covers or recommends making masks based on thirteen animals. Among them are the Stag, fox, owl, ram, boar, raven, the hound, the cat, the goose and several others that were native to the British isles. Their symbolism, which maybe a blending of old and new along with their roles in the ritual are thoroughly discussed. At the end of the book are instructions on how to make masks. Several different rituals are described as well.

The author makes mention that masked workings are not suitable for everyone. They should be done as part of the coven but only by a select group of people, like an inner court. These masked rituals are not part of esbats or Sabbats but rather stand alone riutuals amongst themselves. They should also be done close to full moons and during warm comfortable climates. No more then 4-5 times per year should they done as they can drain away psychic energy quite easily. Different dance techniques for entering a trance are discussed as well.

For those pursuing a more traditional vein of the craft this book is a must read and a must have. Shame that Evan John Jones is no longer of the world he had a lot to offer.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quite interesting book about a rarely treated topic: trance work with a pre-defined set of animal masks. Now more than twenty years old, it still manages to fascinate, even though it unfortunately follows a “stream of consciousness” mode of delivering information and has a tendency to repeat itself – almost every chapter mentions that the masked rites are not for everybody, that nobody should feel obliged to take part, that those who take part do not have a higher status in the coven and are nothing special, that not everybody should feel they have to take part, that the masked rites shouldn’t be part of the coven work, and, oh, did I mention that those taking part are nothing special? By the way, they could make very special experiences with masks, which would, like, promote them to a shamanic/witch kind of thing, but this by no way special (…) To me, it seems that the author(s) didn’t put a lot of planning in writing this book – it’s just a lot of unsorted information, some rather involuntary contradictions included (which happens when you don’t have too much of a clear idea of about what you want to put in writing and where do you want to go with it).

Even so, it contains a lot of usable material and provides the reader with a glimpse at the primal power of dancing with animal masks. The information regarding the 13 chosen animals is rather scarce, solely three roles (stag, raven, squirrel) are described slightly more in-depth, leaving almost everything else to the (would-be) mask dancer to explore and find out for him- or herself. A few warnings about trance work and some hints about the frequency of holding these rites are included – it seems, the author found the whole thing rather draining – plus a yearly “purification ritual” to undo any unwanted side effects (about which he is vague). By far the most interesting chapter is the seventh (the second before last) where (finally) the question is answered how the participants get to choose a mask. Then follows a nice chapter about various methods of mask-making and a short chapter about Robert Cochrane and his clan of Tubal Cain.

All in all, it’s not really a “how to” manual – rather like a report about a worthwhile experiment with some guidelines and warnings thrown in. I enjoyed reading it.

[Trunatrschild · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, the co-authors being of Roebuck in the Thicket
and wicca respectively. Easy to read and comprehend. Not my thing... not into hypnotism and speaking to deities. There were a few things I liked and a few things I disliked. On is, at the beginning he states that shapeshifting should not be done in a coven setting, then the whole book is about shapeshifting in a coven setting. He stresses unimportant things (to me) like having one masked person being the leader... who cares about that? He calls what he is doing shamanism, but shaman don't shapeshift to speak with deities, they want to communicate with animal spirits, not animal spirits as messengers for the deities. Animals have wisdom and secrets to teach on their own level, not as messengers for deities.
He mixes ecstacy with pathworking... which I think is just pathworking.... it's one or the other and the results are different.
This is sort of an old book... and I really don't like hypnosis with my religion, thank you! And he pretty much makes it clear that Cochrane, who I think had some serious cunning craft secrets, created a religion, just like Gardner did and that his is no more Traditional than wicca is. Which is not a big thing, just that they insist that they are...

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched book on the meaning of masks in ritual and the uses of mask in spiritual practice. Practical chapters on how to make masks using different techniques. Includes information on animal and bird masks and ritual dances for them as well.

[Sheherazahde · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only book I have found about the history, construction, and use of masks for Wiccan ritual. It is heavily illustrated and a great resource for anyone interested in mask work.