''Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks and Covens'' is a book written by
Paul Huson
Paul Huson (born 19 September 1942) is a British author and artist currently living in the United States. In addition to writing several books about occultism and witchcraft he has worked extensively in the film and television industries.
Earl ...
and published in 1970 by G.P. Putnams- the first mainstream publisher to produce a do-it-yourself manual for the would-be
witch
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have u ...
or
warlock
A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft.
Etymology and terminology
The most commonly accepted etymology derives '' warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver" and was given special applicat ...
.
The book has been described as one of the main motivators of the so-called "occult explosion" of the 1970s; it was regarded as one of the chief sources of information and ritual for non-
Wicca
Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and w ...
n and non-
feminist witchcraft.
[Farren, David, ''Finding Magic: The Teachings of an American Coven'', pp. 9-10, "Whatever consistency there is among covens comes less from a centralized authority imposing uniformity than from a fact that a few books (Paul Huson's 'Mastering Witchcraft' and Stewart Farrar's 'What Witches Do' among the first) were widely used by individuals setting up groups of their own", iUniverse, 2001, .]
References
Further references to ''Mastering Witchcraft'' and witchcraft
*
Clifton, Chas S., ''Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America'', Lanham, MD: Rowman Altamira, 2006, .
*
Farrar, Stewart, ''Eight Sabbats for Witches'', .
*Lewis, James R. (ed), ''Magical Religion and Modern Witchcraft'', Baker, James W., "White Witches: Historic Fact and Romantic Fantasy", Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996, .
*
Skelton, Robin, ''Spellcraft'', Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1978, .
*
Luhrmann, T.M., ''Persuasions of the Witch's Craft'', Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1989, .
*
Valiente, Doreen, ''The Rebirth of Witchcraft'', London: Robert Hale, 1989, {{ISBN, 0-7090-3715-5.
1970 non-fiction books
Occult books
Modern witchcraft