The Western Gate

Dreams of Witches
by Christina Oakley Harrington
Black Letter Press

Black Letter Press a marvellous printing house specialising in new works and also classics mainly in the world of esoterica, gothic masterpieces, translations of the grimoires, fantastic.
Christina Oakley Harrington as well as running the magnificent Treadwells Bookstore has previously wrote articles and also a much appreciated and welcome ‘Herbal ‘Book of Plant Magic’, inexpensive by todays standards and content far exceeding the expectation when first espying the book.

This book, Dreams of Witches. Where do I stash it? In the reference section next to Oxford Book of Quotations, or in the Occult section next to anything with the word witch in it. Essentially it is a compilation of titbits and phrases, quotations and references. “Well that’s a lazy book to write” says the pessimist, ” But its a fascinating read,” retorts the Optimist, “and brings a desire for pause, thought and reflection,” so addeth the poet , and what does the Witch of the North say, “Well, imagine a world where we garner our information in 30 second TikTok videos, our media in bite sized chunks from YouTube, our thoughts and inspirations from a deluge of Memes!” And would you believe it, not imagination, that’s how we live, it’s the zeitgeist that Christina has tapped into.
It could have been a lazy book that serves no more than looks very good on the bookshelf, as we can access quotes via the internet as we could most books of course. In this compilation they are well crafted (!) and well thought out, and the work done for us. We could dip our toe in now and then, for some easy light reading, a quick reference and a prompt or binge-delve in to the large array of authors and miscellanea within.
An introduction, that could, again, easily have been but a lazy paragraph, but a lengthy explanation. The whole book and inspiration is centred around the New Forest coven, that initiatory ‘sect’ to which Gerald Gardner began to formulate ‘Wicca’ to the world. Or did he? These poems, snippets, tales are those which inspired much of the thought process in the, then, fledgling inaugural coven which since grew into the mother of the Modern Wiccan movement, and thereby henceforth became the A to Z and formulated doctrine of “ modern Witchcraft”
Of course others would strongly deny, with reasonable parallels aside, any association with this Wiccan governance. However for want of a footing on the path, and those without hereditarian roots or local and historical oral tradition it has become the template. Like it it or not.
The excerpts are gleaned from many sources, but certain ones in particular, are arranged via a set path of chapters.

This approach, devoid of including the wiccan rites et al is quite a novel approach, it becomes almost an Orphic way to understand the ‘way’, by means of imagery and poetic licence without the drudgery of parrot fashioned…. do this, then this, then you get this badge and then that… it is a path that borders on participation with the imagery of the mind, and thus as a member in the mystery plays. From folklore to history to legend and back again we can but dream the way of the wise. It is almost akin to opening someone’s personal book of shadows, take away the dabbling candle magic and the herbal remedies, dismiss the correspondence and maybe even if they are the fillers, we are left with poems, insights, notes, quotes, reminders. These far attest to the personality of the author of the book of shadows than rewritten rites or long drawn out pages of how to fiddle with the totems of fate.
Song, Dance, Poetry, Rhetoric, History, Folklore. You cannot wave a conductors baton wand if there is no creative world on which to dance. The more I delve into the book and read, pause, think, the deeper down the rabbit hole of imagination.
The Kabbalist’s have a path that lies between logic/structure, and, creativity/possibilities. Where Thoth and Jerome stands with the structure, Pan and Rumi dance with the creative. Witchcraft isn’t about ‘knowing’ which more commonly translates as -‘reciting’ ‘repeating’ it is about inspiration, imagination, and wisdom is found there.
The Wiccan path did not call me, I have a few differing copies of ‘The Witches Bible’, there are practices and guidelines which are both worthy and debatable but for the life of this disobedient anarchist I cannot adopt nor follow and certainly not bow before some others design. Ah! that’s your ego, that’s your arrogance and hubris and sociopathic nature, yet! here I can accept, this orphic tradition, there is room for movement.
Just to digress a little, the benefits of Wiccan system as apart from my own self centred path are of course in the Coven, the group, the minds connected as one to fulfil that which is required, there is the true power and as this book reflects, all texts chosen by different minds so as a whole it is the hivemind of a Wiccan Coven, albeit without the doctrine, laws, tenets, it is the culture and the song, the community.
The only fault in this book lies in the fact there’s an awful lot that plays with the mind, such that a continuous read results in a somewhat muddied view. That’s not a fault really, such is the nature of each excerpt that it is better to pause, think a little before heading to the next. However, the chapters are laid out so that each verse follows a common ground, this helps but it’s is still easier as a reflective read, each block of text reviewed and appreciated first, rather than a continual stream of flowing wisdom.
Where do I stash it? It will stand alongside “The Witches Bible” and the facsimiles of various Book of Shadows from various authors, and it will serve as well.
May the body of knowledge stand unaltered in the rising and setting of the sun, and the art of wisdom dance across the seasons with the tides of the moon.