A Broom at Midnight: 13 Gates of Witchcraft by Spirit Flight by Roger J Horne
Reading another publication, this book was recommended to read and I am glad I did.
The official blurb:
Preserved in medieval and early modern witch-lore, the image of the witch embarking upon flight has become iconic from a historic and folkloric perspective. In the accounts of previous ages, however, it was commonly understood that witches flew in spirit form rather than corporeal form, leaving the physical body behind as the practitioner voyaged into the otherworld to procure knowledge, learn charms, visit boon or bane upon others, and attend the spiritual gathering of the witches' sabbat.
In this unique offering, the author organizes the lore and charms of the transvective arts around thirteen central lessons and approaches in methodology, acting as gates through which the practitioner may cross. Some approaches offered here may be familiar to folk and traditional witches, such as via veneficium (by way of poison) and via equarum (by way of steed), while others, like via imaginibus (by way of image) and via tempestatis (by way of storm) draw on historic lore and charms in order to innovate upon old craft while maintaining the spirit that flavors these beloved arts.
By mastering the often overlooked work of sabbatic ekstasis, the witch is brought into direct contact with familiar spirits, powers of the land and of ancestry, and with the primal sources of witchcraft itself, yielding an inexhaustible and ever-unfolding curriculum of the art magical.
It has some glorious ancient and historical chants included along with information and insight that can help any practitioner hone and improve the way they work magic.
I absolutely loved it and found myself writing notes for later reference and even on one occasion whilst reading it on my Kindle in the hairdressers - taking a photo of my Kindle screen with my phone camera so as to refer back to it later.
Loved it!
