Book Review

 

Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits

Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic

 

By Emma Wilby

 

This meticulously researched book rediscovers and establishes the firm  foundation upon which contemporary shamanic and magical practice in the British Isles are built upon.  The author clearly has an extensive knowledge and understanding of the subject and this passion for our almost lost UK spiritual heritage is evident on every page.  Wilby’s work hereby challenges some contemporary interpretations of encounters with Fairies and Spirits, placing the animistic, mystical experiences of these cunning folk alongside those of early Christian mystics and Shamans.

 

The ‘familiar spirit’ of the cunning woman/man, witch or midwife is presented as a remnant of older British animistic beliefs.  The correlations between shamanic helping spirits elsewhere in the world and the witches familiar are carefully paralleled  to make a convincing argument for a distinct and unique shamanic tradition in the British Isles which survived easily into the 18th Century.

 

I have personally found this work to be incredibly helpful in the search for my own shamanic roots and I heartily recommend this book to anyone who requires more than mere supposition.  

 

Not an ‘easy read’ bedtime book but surprisingly difficult to put down!

 

You can find a copy here