The ominous presence in the deep forest…tree leaves rustling in the wind…the dance of a candle flame…the sounds of a soft flowing stream…these are all subtle cues from nature that gently lead us to the Old Ways. Some will listen and take heed, while most others won’t even notice.

The old ways of witchcraft are rooted in nature and the elements. They can be glimpsed in the moon, the stars and planets. They can be hidden in symbols and images. They can be interpreted in cards and bits of wood and stone. The old ways are found only by those with the ability to see and tap into them. These magical folk are the Witches of the Old Ways.

Some modern witches scoff at the term ‘old ways’ as if the practice of witchcraft is somehow a modern invention. The ways are indeed old, and hearken back to days of the Wise Women and Cunning Men. The Old Ways pre-date Wicca or any other “modern” interpretations of witchcraft. Witches of ages past were sovereign, not bound by imposed ‘redes’ or ‘threefold’ laws. Witches were simply witches, living by their own ethical codes and personal standards. They did not live and move among the people, but dwelled on the outskirts of villages and towns, offering their services in secret. This is the true path of the Old Ways Witch, with the power to both cure and curse. To provoke an Old Ways witch was to bring misfortune on oneself, and they did not turn the other cheek. Old Ways Witchcraft is not always a path of love and light, but also of darkness and reckoning.

Nature is viewed as alive and sentient. Plants and stones are believed to contain a living, indwelling spirit. We ourselves are considered to be divine aspects of nature, working alongside the forces of the universe to bring change. In recent times, witchcraft has become somewhat Disney-fied to make it more palatable to outsiders, but it was never meant to be so. Witches of the Old Ways are respected and feared in equal measure. We are not docile and harmless. We embrace our sovereignty. We embrace our power. We embrace our connection to nature, and we respect those who respect us.

Will you walk with us along the path?