Intro

In 1997 Wouter J. Hanegraaf produced one of the more interesting studies of the so- called New Age

movement. In it he proposed that the new age was directly and intimately related to witchcraft, at least the

Western incarnation of that socio-religious phenomena.

The New Age movement, however, is very difficult to define. As Hanegraaf says:

“Whatever the nature of the New Age movement will turn out to be, the absence of generally recognized

leaders and organizations, normative doctrines and common practices effectively distinguishes it as a whole

from the many movements which do have these characteristics. However, it cannot be doubted that there

exist many clearly organized movements with leaders, specific doctrines and practices which do describe

themselves explicitly as 'New Age', side by side with movements which are often associated with New Age

by others although they refer to themselves by more specific designations (for instance Transcendental

Meditation, Hare Krishna, Rajneeshism).”[1]

In America at least, we know the New Age stereotypes mostly through pop-culture. The stereotype of the

new ager is a pyschedelic indulging, positive thinking, vision boarding, crystal loving, strange neo-shaman

feminist hippie. Said new ager seems to love everything relating to nature worship, non-duality and

Buddhism—all the while not exactly committing to anyone one particular trend or tradition, and usually

tiring (in the ADD sense) of any one trend or spiritual practice...eventually.

Thus, in America typically the subject of spirituality and many other new current ageisms take the form of

an all you can eat buffet, where you’re free to pick and choose amongst various callings of world religion,

all the while saying they are equal and yet never fully subscribing to any of it. The business of profiting by

selling lifestyle trends—not the least of them being crystals—often acts simply as a means of distracting

themselves from what could be seen as more archaic forms of traditional witchcraft.

Many scholars have also pointed out that the New Age is intimately intertwined with the dawn of the oft

mentioned Aquarian Age, popularized by occultist Aleister Crowley and signifying an unprecedented

interest from Westerners who seem to be honing in on what are essentially Eastern practices, occult

powers, and yes, a very potentially real non-Harry Potter form of witchcraft.

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Of course, nothing in the New Age Movement is actually “new” per se, and nearly all its tenants have roots

in these very old traditions. In order to accurately assess the New Age, it is pertinent to examine one of the

most prominent tenets; positive thinking, and how that has impacted 21st century psychology in America.

Positive Thinking Movement

The popularity of the law of attraction and manifesting reality according to positive thinking peaked with

the book and DVD The Secret, itself sort of defining authors and speakers who were interested in quantum

mysticism. While some have swore by it's apparent psychological effectiveness (the oft repeated you 'like

attracts like' saying comes to mind) others have scoffed at it, and have deemed The Secret to be nothing

more than superficial pseudoscience.

The roots and history of this movement have been explored thoroughly by scholar Mitch Horowitz. In

America at least, Horowitz locates the origin of the New Thought movement in the work of William James,

Immanuel Swedenborg, and Ralph Waldo Emerson—writers who are admittedly sometimes seen as proto-

hippies due to their inclination for curiosity about altered states (in the case of James) and pantheism or the

deification of nature (in the case of Emerson).

“The term 'positive thinking,'...has permeated American culture to such an extent that it is difficult to

overestimate its influence.”[2]

William James once infamously remarked that the “religion of healthymindedness,” was to be the most

prominent new form of American religion, and in some ways it does seem that he was right in that

prediction.[3]

Horowitz also covers the life of William Walker Atkinson, who under the moniker of the three initiates,

published The Kybalion, an occult text that claims to understand the science of vibration, how vibrations

can magnetize and manifest (the infamous Law of Attraction), and the higher, metaphysical aspects of the

mind.[4]

The Kybalion details that while many of us remain focused on what Thomas B Roberts has called the

default states of consciousness, there are two other planes of mind known as the astral and causal planes

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respectively. The Kybalion also hints at the ancient hermetic doctrine (itself a labythian web of scholarship,

but thought to be orginated from ancient Greece rather than Egypt as Atkinson would claim)[5].

Atkinson it turns out, is also a sort of microcosmic swirl of all the current new age subjects. He was rather

into Hinduism and the mysterious paranormal power of yogis, so much so that he even began to write under

the pseudonym Yogi Ramacharaka. A fellow collaborator and mentalist C. Alexander, called the The

Crystal Seer by his colleagues, shared a love for crystals to rival any such neo-hippy.

Where Atkinson really went potentially wrong though, is associating the purity of vibration and magnetism

directly with business and capitalism. Under the pseudonym of Theron Q. Dumont, he often wrote about

how to use the power of Personal Magnetism for the power of manipulating others into one’s own financial

will.

While Westerners are often swept away by the power and potential of capitalizing using occult powers,

Yogis would be the first to say that any such personal gain and ego gratification would be a direct obstacle

to a spiritual path of meditation that would traditionally be attempting to seek detachment, rather than direct

manipulation, over the material plane. Western witchcraft is decidedly more lenient on the subject, but still

frowns upon the use of magic for lower goals like wealth, rather than higher ones like ascension and

communication with the gods.

It is in this way that we see the contrast between the yogic and magickal view of life. Yogis do not believe

in allowing oneself to be swept away by the desires of the world, while Witches (white and black magic)

belief that the manifestation of wealth and personal empowerment is well within the realm of still

maintaining spiritual integrity.

We are not seeking here to define what is spiritually 'correct' by any means, but it is necessary to contrast

these two ideologies in order to come to a better understanding of the New Age itself.

The Western Witchcraft Tradition

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While the occult literally means hidden in latin, and is commonly related to the overall subject that holds

the most interest for those interested in the roots of witchcraft. In Gary Lachman's A Dark Muse: A History

of the Occult, a more thorough definition of the term is revealed somewhat sardonically:

“Hidden, secret, esoteric, unknown: these are some dictionary definitions for 'occult.' The word itself has its

roots in the Latin occulo, to hide, and is linked to the technical astronomical term 'occultation,' as when one

heavenly body obscures or 'occludes' another by passing in front of it. In the popular mind however, 'the

occult' is an all-purpose term indicating a variety of things, from Satanism, witchcraft and tabloid

horoscopes, to internet psychics and UFOs. Although not entirely incorrect, this catch-all phrase indicates

the kind of deterioration language undergoes over time. The occult or 'occultism' is an umbrella term for a

number of disciplines and beliefs which are generally agreed to be scientifically invalid and, in practice,

worthless...Although the several mystical and religious philosophies that make up the basic world view of

occultism reach back to antiquity, the notion of the occult, as we understand it today, stems from relatively

more recent times. Babylonian astrology, the Greek mysteries, hermetic philosophy, Gnosticism, Kabbalah,

alchemy and other forms of occult thought are millennia old, but it was not until the rise of science in the

late 17th century that these and other disciplines related to them became hidden and esoteric in the way

they are seen to be today.”[6]

While this is not the place for an in depth account of the practical side of witchcraft, historically, the two

most popular incarnations of Wicca (what may be seen as the most popular incarnation of modern

witchcraft itself) are called Gardenarian and Alexandrian after Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders

respectively, both of whom are considered the modern founders of Wicca.

Gardner had many radical views of the Old Religion that he would express secretively or in a guarded

fashion, but perhaps the most controversial idea he put forth was the idea that witchcraft (especially as

religion was seen in the ancient British Isles) was an old tradition that deserved to be renewed, arguably

dating back to pre-christian druids and celtic paganism. Gardner claimed that he was an early initiate

around the early 1950s, and that he was taught directly by the most ancient spirits known in that region.[7]

©2015 Sarah Lopes

Paul Huson traces the origin and history of witchcraft with a decidely gnostic reinterpretation of Judeo-

Christian mythology (bringing in the infamous Book of Enoch) wherein he places Diana (Hecate) and

Lucifer as the Watchers who teach witchcraft to humans in the biblical days in order to protect humanity

from the cruelty of the giants (Nephelim), who seek to destroy the earth.

As Huson says:

“We again find traces of this lore in the Norse legend of the giants' revolt, and similarly in Greek

mythology concerning the gods' dealings with the rebellious Titans. It is a persistent theme. The Zohar

intimates, however, that though most of the giants yielded up their lives in the flood, many of their spirits

partaking as they did of the angelic nature of their fathers, proved indestructible, and lived on, invisible yet

powerful even in their disembodied state. On occasion, these shades are said to gain access to the world of

men by reincarnating in human shape, and are referred to as intruders, ancient alien souls transmigrating

from the past. Otherwise, collectively in their immaterial shape, they constitute the so-called demonic

hierarchy with which the modern witch has dealings on occasion. It is the Watchers, the Mighty Ones of

the Heavenly Places, the parents of giants and humans alike as seen in symbolic and archetypal form as the

parents of humanity, whether as masters of wisdom and love or simply as benevolent powers of fertility

and hunting, that constitute the witch's true deities.”[8]

Huson's Mastering Witchcraft does remain an undisputed classic of witches training, and the reason for this

is that it is more practical than other tomes of the same subject. It lays the foundations, provides initial

spells, and also suggests that spells are something that eventually should be done in accordance to the

connecting to the higher watchers. While including some aforementioned theoretical aspects, it does seem

to get to the point about the proper building of energy, tools for the witches, and a stripped down aspect of

ceremony, and pithy explanations of the witches circle that has proven to be helpful for beginners.

©2015 Sarah Lopes

Huson, like Lachman and Horowitz also admits that while the witches power or magnetism was once

buried by the infamous medieval witch hunts and inquisitions, it began to return once again in the birth of

modernism and industry:

“By the eighteenth century Masonic and Hermetic lodges had become widespread and the power of the

Church had been considerably reduced, indeed was waning fast, never to recover its old position of

strength. Within the lodges, many old witch secrets were being rediscovered. Swedenborg reintroduced the

concept of that principle which is known as clairvoyance, or ESP, and Mesmer began his researches on

what he called animal magnetism, but that witches nowadays refer to simply as witch power. The powers of

the deep mind were being rediscovered.”[9]

Here once again we come full circle. While the New Age and positive thinking movement often mocks or

is afraid of anything related to the so-called 'dark arts' of mysterious witchcraft, and yet the foundations of

their own 'religion' are deeply enrooted in the same revival of the witches art. Perhaps this is the reason for

the popularity of the Jedi in the first place.

According to a variety of comparative sources, the main differences between so-called tradition witchcraft

and Wicca seem relatively small. Wiccan author Sable Aradia penned a rather humorous blog recently

indicating that some of the central claims put forth by so called traditional British witches, mostly centered

around the superior age of their own tradition, do seem very silly indeed;

“…some say that traditional witches are consistent in their worship and that Wiccans worship their Gods in

a typically Wiccan manner with no regard to their original culture or religion. I have seen it claimed that

Wicca is 'fluffy' in its limiting and 'illogical' ethical belief in harming none, and that ‘what you do shall be

returned to you threefold.' Some say that British Traditional Wiccans are 'conservative' and that Eclectic or

Progressive Wiccans 'vary in strictness but are generally more inflexible in almost every aspect of practice

than BTW covens' (so I guess they haven’t met the same Eclectic Wiccans that I have; but I digress.) One

even said that British Traditional Witches have no right to say that they are British traditional witches,

because the 'traditional witches' are the (Real One True) British traditional witches.” Scholar Gary

©2015 Sarah Lopes

Lachman has also examined the ways in which witches would permit entheogen use only to the highest

ranks, while discouraging new initiates of any ritual use of intoxications.[10][11]

While it may be impossible to determine what is true witchcraft these days, we can at least say what

witches are not, and help to dispel misunderstanding surrounding the term. The importance that traditional

witches give to solitude, sacred plants, and proper energy working in the white magic sense of healing

themselves (and others in turn by the extension of their own light working)—is often misconstrued as being

related to happiness or feelings of earthly bliss by Wiccans who believe that there won't be any way of

incorporating these elements holistically. Plant magic in general is still controversial, but to simplify, many

traditional witches feel on occasion it can be a good alchemy for the mind to engage in mind altering

substances.

Engaging with wild plant medicine, tincture flower essences and entheogens can—in the right setting and

under sacred guidance—reveal a clear apprehension of what it means to align oneself with the right kind of

spirits. A perception of a greater Self, past lives and much of what Steve Beyer and Marlene Dobkin de

Rios have already covered extensively with ayahausca, magic, and divination practices is always worth a

consideration as to how it related to the so called old european witch days.

While practicing Witches have often wrongly been accused of Satanic worship (recalling the idea of the

black mass, a kind of blasphemous reverse church ceremony incorporating sex magick and a host of other

strange rituals), modern Wiccans (at least those professing the white Jedi path) do not seem to be interested

in evil and offensive hexes. Instead, a law of karma and the understanding that what you do both good and

evil will come back to you three fold (in accordance with the three fold goddess) holds the means for a

strict moral and ethical compass for practicing Wiccans. This is perhaps amplified even more so for those

witches who believe in the Eastern doctrine of reincarnation.[12]

That being said, it has been said that in order to remove malefica, one must know it's origin, a 'defense

against the dark arts' course remains incomplete without facing the shadow and understanding the origin of

offensive/destructive magic, in order that one may be prepared to combat it, even as they see it manifest in

others unwillingly or unconsciously. As it is known by witches, there are no coincidences in the art.

©2015 Sarah Lopes

While Wiccans maintain strict observances to holidays, traditional witches (according to this particular

source) are more free and loose, i.e., traditional witches do not seem to follow particular Sabbaths (eight

wiccan Holidays) as strictly as Wiccans may, and even have a looser guideline on the use of ritualistic

circles for spell casting. Huson however remains very loose about the moon cycle remarking that it benefits

the witch as they are first beginning but may become somewhat less important as they progress.

Traditional witches hold a non pacifistic idea regarding the use of aggressive or defensive magic, and they

also do not see self initiation as somehow inferior to group initiation, as Wiccans stress covens and a

general hierarchical leadership that also mirrors other occult orders such as the OTO or the Golden Dawn

Tradition.

Those scholars who do not wish to associate with modern Wicca (such as Robin Artisson, Nigel Jackson)

point to what they call the ‘cunning path’, something that does seemed geared more for solitary

practitioners, and could be construed as more traditional. Traditional witches are also not strict about the

worship of the horned god and goddess (something that Gardner stressed emphatically) as the primarily

religion or foundation of the so-called Old Religion. Gardner stresses a nude mentality as a way of

connecting to the Old Ones, solitary witches are more prone to wear robes.

In general however, the issue of Wiccan vs traditional witchcraft while interesting seems to be a debate that

circulates more within the UK than America currently. We hope that it is something that witches can use to

unite rather than make exterior divisions unnecessarily.[13]

One thing that does seem to be consistent in terms of lore is the importance of ancestral bloodlines, as most

witches believe that the further one can trace back roots of power or magnetic chi that lives in the blood,

the better. Perhaps this is not far off from what J. K. Rowling was suggesting in the whole muggle vs witch

paradigm in the infamous Harry Potter series, and also warning about as the cause for division rather than

for uniting in a greater empowerment.

Summary

©2015 Sarah Lopes

While the differences between different forms of Western incarnations of witchcraft do seem relatively

small, Hanegraaf is certainly right in pointing out that much of the rich philosophical foundations of the

New Age seem to be forgotten or watered down in what he deems as “general” New Ageism in America, at

least. This would be more along the lines of those people who seem very interested in crystals and even

cannabis, but do not seem to be very active in any formal dedicated practice outside of recreational drugs

and positive thinking.

References:!

1.! New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought by Wouter
J. Hanegraaff p. 13

2.! One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life and Occult America by Mitch
Horowitz. p. 15

3.! Ibid p. 14

4.! Ibid. pp. 20-23

5.! The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus: From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World by Gary Lachman.

6.! Lachman p. 14

7.! “Unlike a number of sensational writers, I do not wish to convey the impression that there are
witches at work in every corner of the land. On the contrary, there are very few real witches left,
and those keep themselves very much to themselves. They are generally the descendants of witch
families, and have inherited a 13 Tradition which has been preserved for generations. This is,
indeed, the traditional way in which witchcraft was spread and preserved; the children of witch
families were taught by their parents, and initiated at an early age.” Gerald B. Gardner Meaning of
Witchcraft p. 13

8.! Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks & Covens by Paul Huson p. 9

9.! Ibid, p. 12

10.! ‘Apples and Orangatangs, Traditional Witchcraft vs Wicca’

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/betweentheshadows/2015/01/apples-and-orangutans-traditional-
witchcraft-vs-wicca/

11.! Lachman

12.! http://www.patheos.com/blogs/betweentheshadows/2014/12/the-devil-never-did-me-no-harm/

13.! “It must be understood clearly that witchcraft is a religion. Its patron god is the Horned God of
hunting, death and magic, who, rather like Osiris of Egypt, rules over the After-World, his own
Paradise, situated in a hollow hill, or at least in a place which is only approached through a cave,

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 where he welcomes the dead and assigns them their places; where they are prepared, according to
their merits and wisdom, for rebirth into a new body on this earth, for which they will be made
ready by the love and power of the Goddess, the Great Mother, who is also the Eternal Virgin and
the Primordial Enchantress, who gives rebirth and transmutation, and love on this earth, and in
whose honour and by means of ritual the necessary power is raised to enable this to be done.”
Gardner p. 25

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