maddiviner:

byebyebat:

i definitely will look into it! but you told me that i shouldn’t so like… what hehehe

I read bits of this conversation between the anon and @eewee in the tags, and it does sound a bit like both parties might have some misconceptions. If, as was said, you’re interested in looking into the history of witchcraft, Wicca, alchemy, and other occult traditions, I recommend the following sources. And yes, this is cribbed from my giant annobib, but I’m putting it here for brevity’s sake.

Triumph of the Moon, by Ronald Hutton. An inside no-holds-barred look at the history of Wicca and Modern paganism. Highly recommended. This is sort of the book that fluffbunnies don’t want you to read. Gives insight into Gardner and how he did what he did, how Wicca was founded, and it’s relationship to Thelema and earlier occult traditions.

The Place of Enchantment, by Alex Owen. This is a purely historical text that documents the occult revival within the context of Modernity. I remember it being very good, but please realize I haven’t really picked it up much since graduating.

Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, by Judika Illes. This book is huge and chock-full of information. It’ll explain in easy-to-understand language how the concept has developed throughout time, why witches do what they do, and different types of witches.

The Weiser Field Guide to Witches, by Judika Illes. This gives an excellent look at the historical lore concerning witches, from the perspective of a witch herself. It’s kind of tongue-in-cheek, but it does have some information that won’t be found elsewhere.

Witches, Werewolves and Fairies, by Claude Lecouteux. It can be hard to find scholarly works on these phenomena that are affordable, but here’s one I personally enjoyed. It details many accounts of witchcraft experiences by both pagans and Christians in earlier times, and gives a good description of the concept of the astral double, the architecture of the soul, and other topics throughout history.