Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks, and Covens [Paperback]

Paul Huson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 19, 2006

An enduring classic since its publication in 1970, Mastering Witchcraft is one of the best how-to manuals for those wishing to practice traditional European Witchcraft as a craft rather than a New Age religion. Starting from first principles, Huson instructs the novice step by step in the arts of circle casting, blessing and banning, the uses of amulets and talismans, philters, divination, necromancy, waxen images, knots, fascination, conjuration, magical familiars, spells to arouse passion or lust, attain vengeance, and of course, counter-spells to exorcize and annul the malice of others.

“A genuine vade mecum.”—The Catholic Herald.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in England, Paul Huson received occult training from the Society of the Inner Light and the Order of the Stella Matutina. He has authored Mystical Origins of the Tarot, The Devil’s Picturebook, Mastering Herbalism, How to Test and Develop Your ESP, The Coffee Table Book of Witchcraft and Demonology, and two fiction works, The Keepsake, and The Offering.

Product Details

• Paperback: 258 pages
• Publisher: Backinprint.com (November 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595420060
• ISBN-13: 978-0595420063
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #408,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Huson is a British-born author and artist currently living in the United States. In addition to writing books about occultism and witchcraft, he has worked extensively in the film and television industries.

Huson was born on September 19, 1942 in London, England, the son of the author Edward Richard Carl Huson and painter and motion picture costume designer Olga Lehmann. In 1955 Huson took a turn at acting and appeared as Edward, Prince of Wales, one of the two Princes in the Tower in Laurence Olivier's film of William Shakespeare's ''Richard III". From 1956 through 1959 he attended Leighton Park School, a Quaker school in Berkshire, England; from 1959 through 1963 he studied painting, theatrical design and film at the Slade School of Fine Art, University of London. Concurrently he studied the Western Esoteric Tradition with Dion Fortune's Society of the Inner Light. In 1965 he continued his studies with the Stella Matutina and Israel Regardie.

Television and Movies:

From 1965 to 1968 Huson worked as an Art Director for BBC Television and Columbia Pictures UK, before moving to the United States. Between 1969 and 1980 he wrote books and scripts for episodic television, then teamed up with scenarist William Bast to write and produce such television series and movies as ''The Colbys'', a spin-off from the Aaron Spelling series ''Dynasty'', ''Tucker's Witch'', ''The Hamptons'', ''Twist of Fate'', ''The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake'', ''Danielle Steel's 'Secrets"'', ''Power and Beauty'', and ''The Fury Within''.

Books:

In 1970 Huson wrote ''Mastering Witchcraft'', followed by a study of tarot symbolism, ''The Devil's Picturebook'' (1971). In 1974 he wrote ''Mastering Herbalism''; and an introduction to parapsychology, '' How to Test and Develop your ESP'' (1975). Two fiction books followed, ''The Keepsake'' (1981), and ''The Offering'' (1984), and a second work on the history of tarot symbolism and tarot reading, ''Mystical Origins of the Tarot'' (2004). He generally illustrates his non-fiction books himself, and has designed a deck of tarot cards based upon his research, ''Dame Fortune's Wheel Tarot'' (2009). He currently lives in Los Angeles with writer and scenarist William Bast, his partner and frequent collaborator.

References:

*Clifton, Chas, ''Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America'', Lanham, MD: Rowman Altamira, 2006, ISBN 0759102023.
*Clifton, C, & Harvey, G, "The Paganism Reader", New York & London, Routledge, 2004, ISBN 041530352.
*''Contemporary Authors'' (Biography), Thomson Gale, 2004.
*Farrar, Stewart, ''Eight Sabbats for Witches'', WA: Phoenix Publishing, 1988, ISBN 0919345263.
*Freedland, Nat, ''The Occult Explosion'', New York: G.P.Putnams Sons, 1972, ISBN 0399109544.
*Gunther, Max, ''Wall Street and Witchcraft'', New York: B. Geis Associates, 1971.
*Luhrmann, T.M., ''Persuasions of the Witch's Craft'', Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1989, ISBN 0-674-66323-3.
*Valiente, Doreen, ''The Rebirth of Witchcraft'', London: Robert Hale, 1989, ISBN 0-7090-3715-5.
*''Who's Who in Entertainment'', Illinois: Marquis Who's Who, Macmillan, 1988.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Classic, January 7, 2008

By 

HR Mitchell "HR Mitchell" (Duvall, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks, and Covens (Paperback)

For most of the past four decades, Paul Huson's seminal work "Mastering Witchcraft" has remained in print. That alone should be a testament to its worth on the subject of witchcraft. An early reviewer in the 1970s called it a "genuine vade mecum" (do it yourself guide). The reviewer? Catholic Weekly.

From the opening pages to the resources and bibliography, this book contains much to set your mind thinking and your magic brewing.

Yes, parts of it are dated somewhat (the recitation of "the Lord's Prayer" backwards as a breaking ceremony has fallen much out of use to my knowledge, but back then it was fairly common) and the book is very much Not Politically Correct, which is just fine with me!

It is my firm belief that without this book, it is unlikely that we would have other fine texts such as those by Mike Howard, Nigel Jackson, and others who write on the subject of traditionalist witchcraft.

If you are looking for yet another Wicca 101 book, head over to the Big Ll Publishing Company and find the latest by Ravenwolf. If you are looking for something with substance, you will likely not find anything better than this to begin with.

36 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 70's Classic book on Witchcraft!! Excellent, November 10, 2004

By 

El Brujo "Brujo Hechisero" (Lowell, Ma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks and Covens (Hardcover)

Mr Huson is a Genius in my eyes. Mastering Witchcraft has nothing to do with Religious Witchcraft movements, it has nothing to do with Karma or the Three Fold Law, in fact it has nothing to do with the New Age Witchcraft movement of modern times. This book does not hold its punches back, the book is well balanced with both positive and negative magic, what New Agers label as Black and White Magic.
I am a big fan of Mr. Huson's work and enjoy his other books and novels. "The Offering" is a must read for those who want a Horror based on African Macumba (Vodou) magic, laced with Santeria.
But this by far has to be one of my favorite books of all time. While more receant books on Witchcraft have to do with Religion, and Karma, Mastering Witchcraft has to do with the ancient art of Witchcraft, leaving the religion aspect out of it. There is one part of the book though that made me laugh a bit. The "Our Father" backwards. Being Hispanic a Santero, Espiritista and a Brujo I often use the old Padre Nuestro, "Our Father" as is, because in itself it is a very powerful prayer in working Magic as are may Psalms. But besides the Our Father backwards, this is your choice if you use it backwards or not, the book is a must have for all Witches.
Many people ask me if I could recommend an English book on Brujeria as practiced by Hispanics, well this is as close to brujeria as you can get. Many people who gave it a negative are basically Wiccans. I respect Wiccans I just hope that they someday realize that all that is Witchcraft does not make it Wicca. One Wiccan reviewer talked like a Christian when he stated. "The Book tells you that in order to practice Witchcraft you have to sell your soul-- and that the book never tells you to whom. Basically as a Brujo we are taught that God rules over all things, Negative and Posative, Good or Bad. When you decide to practice Magic and Witchcraft you are in a sense selling your soul. Or dedicating your Soul. If you are a Christian Witch you sell your Soul to Yhvh, if you practice Lukumi you sell your soul to your Ruling Orisha. (Selling your soul is dedicating your soul.) In the same if you are a Satanist you sell your Soul to Satan. But all things are of God, evil and good. So if Satan is of God, and you sell your Soul to Satan, you sell your Soul to God.
Anyway this is a good book, a bit controversial, but a must read to all Occultists, Witches, and yes even modern day Warlocks, they exist in Spanish they are called Diableros.
I someday hope Paul Huson one day writes a second book on the subject, but until then, check out his other great books.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The original is still the greatest!, June 22, 2008

By 

"Tristan" (NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks, and Covens (Paperback)

I'm one of the oldsters who purchased this very book in the early '70's. I was (and still am) entranced by the soaring prose that this book embodies. It set me on a life course that meandered ofttimes, only to return me to itself. I recall very well how the myriad burgeoning neo/pseudo-Gardnerians of the '70's and '80's turned their noses up at it and always bashed both the book and its highly knowledgeable author.

I recall reading all of the literature that began to appear under the aegis of Mother Ll and felt a pervasive sense of disappointment in that not one other book resembled in any way Huson's masterpiece, neither in content nor in the soundness of his recommended practices. And this was before the (so-called) "Wicca" emerged in the '90's, striving to "teach" those good little girls and boys who actually wanted to be like the "good witch" Glenda: behold - a great tradition trivialized and emasculated to serve a number of sociopolitical agendas that have nothing to do with true Traditional Witchcraft, such as that which Mr. Huson promoted.

I am gratified that in this first decade of the "new millenium" various and sundry exemplars of bona fide European, particularly British, Traditional Witchcraft groups of great antiquity are coming forth and challenging all the pink fluffy bunny crap and rhetoric we've been subjected to for over 3 decades. Mother Ll has tried to keep up with this challenge by its offerings in "goth" and "nocturnal witchcraft," but these too fall short. "The emperor in new clothes" and all that.

Over and over again Huson's original work continues to enthrall new audiences just as it did me over 35 years ago. As I said, the hauntingly beautiful prose that one finds in "Mastering Witchcraft" stands in sharp contrast to the teddy bear writings of the self-styled "Wicca" authorties. The book appears in a few editions but (as far as I can tell) it has never had to be edited or modified in any way. Its longevity and ability to stand on its own merits attests to its great value for all Trad Witches, new and long-established.

If you're a newcomer, read this book first. Then go to authors like Cochrane and others who have expanded our understanding of Traditional Witchcraft where Huson left off.