Thornblooded Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 (edited) New Weiser book just out now. Title is Grimoire of the Thorn-Blooded Witch: Mastering the Five Arts of Old World Witchery. It contains some fresh material like the magical use of a blackthorn cane, the Rite of the Whispering Dead, the Dewy Rite of the Moon, The Witches' Trident, and others. One particularly intriguing ritual is called The Dark Moon Rite, but it's not the usual thing we see all the time. It's working with entities called The Three Daughters of Night, and is designed to cleanse the spirit of the contamination of modern life and reboot the untamed nature within us, the power of the Witch. The book is lberally illustrated with plant spirit drawings, and the work is focused on establishing an alliance with them. This is a very "hands on" book, but also contains a lot of lore, myths and legends. These are from the formal teachings of the Rose and Thorn Path of Witchcraft. I think anyone interested in entering into the depths of Old Witchcery will find this book to be an excellent map and handbook. Heads Up - this book will be a shocker to Wiccans as there is no rede here, and this is definitely not the "turn the other cheek" type of Witchcraft. It's a trek into shadowed places. http://www.amazon.com/Grimoire-Thorn-Blooded-Witch-Mastering-Witchery/dp/1578635500/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405205091&sr=1-1&keywords=raven+grimassi Edited July 12, 2014 by Shadow Touch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wexler Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Raven Grimassi writing a book that's shocking to Wiccans? My goodness, what has the world come to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thornblooded Posted July 13, 2014 Author Share Posted July 13, 2014 (edited) Raven Grimassi writing a book that's shocking to Wiccans? My goodness, what has the world come to. Well, this author has certainly evolved over the years in his writings, but has reportedly been a thorn in the side of some Wiccans for quite some time. There are still those who hold him to views he once held some twenty years ago, even though his work has been quite different over the past several years. Nice to see an author grow and continue forward. How good it would be if some of his critics followed suit. Speaking of his writings, the following should qualify under copyrights as fair usage, and I think is a lovely invocation of the spirit of the rose. The reference to "thorn-blooded Witches" is about initiation through pricking by a rose thorn: "You are she of the heartfelt ways,petals of devotion strewn since ancient were the days.Oaths that are spoken, beneath your blood-red bloom,bind through life and death, and to the rebirth womb.Joiner and binder, hearts and souls do blend,to meet, know, and remember, and then to love again.The double rose mysteries, the white rose and the red,all the mythic thorns are touched, and all the Witches bled.Come to the Thorn-Blooded Witch who hails,I call you to pass through the verdant veils.I reach out from the time-honored power,by seed, sprout, budded leaf and flower" Edited July 13, 2014 by Shadow Touch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseRed Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 That's beautiful. Does this Grimoire contain Inner Court teachings as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thornblooded Posted July 13, 2014 Author Share Posted July 13, 2014 That's beautiful. Does this Grimoire contain Inner Court teachings as well? The book reveals many things that until recently were "sub rosa" (secret, not discussed) initiate level material. The book is definitely not serving up reheated dishes again as many contemporary books do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SerpentWitch Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I think this is something I need to read. Thanks for telling us about it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thornblooded Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 I think this is something I need to read. Thanks for telling us about it! It's my pleasure. I feel it's an important work. What it offers is a reconnection to the core of being a Witch. I mean, it puts the Witch back in the Greenwood. It links her to the Spirit of the Land, and also to spirits of trees and plants. I also feel that it fills in the gaps left by other published materials. I love this passage in the book that's a quote from William Sharp. It's at the beginning of the book and sets the tone for what follows: "What came of that mystical wedding, of the world we know and the world we do not know, by that rose of the spirit, committed thus in so great a hope, so great a faith? The Druid is not here to tell. Faith after Faith has withered like a leaf. But still we stand by ancestral altars, still offer the Rose of Desire to the veiled Mystery, still commit this our symbol to the fathomless, the everlasting, the unanswered Deep." This is key and central to the Path of the Rose and Thorn, which is laid out in the Grimoire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseRed Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I pre-ordered the book for my kindle. I also got a copy of Witchlore by the Hearthside (it was on sale). It's a very short pamphlet/book but it is beautifully written. I started reading it last night. It's one of those books that you read a section and then put it down and contemplate. It may take a little while and a few read throughs but I am very happy I bought it. I'm really looking forward to the Grimoire coming out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thornblooded Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 I pre-ordered the book for my kindle. I also got a copy of Witchlore by the Hearthside (it was on sale). It's a very short pamphlet/book but it is beautifully written. I started reading it last night. It's one of those books that you read a section and then put it down and contemplate. It may take a little while and a few read throughs but I am very happy I bought it. I'm really looking forward to the Grimoire coming out. I'm surprised you're in the pre-order mode. The book has been available for awhile on Amazon. And I found mine in a local bookstore. So, you have a copy of Witchlore by the Hearthside. It's quite esoteric, especially for a little booklet. This author has definitely been delivering up the goods with his last couple of books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseRed Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 I finished reading through it last night. I would read a section and 'float' for a while. It was super intense. Hell, I couldn't complete a section without floating. It is beautifully written. I also want a fireplace in my eat in kitchen when I buy a house. -------------------- The kindle version is available August 1st. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belwenda Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Bought both; thanks for the recommendation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarafina Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Anyone read "Old World Witchcraft" by Raven? I was wondering how it was and if it is worth getting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseRed Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 I just started it. It's interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thornblooded Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 Anyone read "Old World Witchcraft" by Raven? I was wondering how it was and if it is worth getting. "Old World Witchcraft" is good but a few of my friends got bogged down in some sections that are more cerebral than practical. That's where the Grimoire comes in. It's mostly "hands on" and takes the reader well beyond what 'Old World Witchcraft' presented. Still, it's a good place to start for an understanding of the Rose & Thorn Path. You'll find the core ideas like the "organic memory of the earth" and the role of plant spirits. Things like that and some of the esoteric teachings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseRed Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Yeah, I agree. I just finished the cerebral parts. It was a little dry but I do like the conversational tone that writes with. He does a lot of explaining what he's not talking about. I just started on the Grimoire part and knowing what he's not talking about does help to put what he is talking about in perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thornblooded Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 Yeah, I agree. I just finished the cerebral parts. It was a little dry but I do like the conversational tone that writes with. He does a lot of explaining what he's not talking about. I just started on the Grimoire part and knowing what he's not talking about does help to put what he is talking about in perspective. Yes, Grimassi is not known for a "down home" writing style. Some people seem to find him dry, but I'm an academic and read lots of what others fall asleep on. Friends tell me a second read through of Grimassi makes things snap into place. Some books are like that I think. He's definitely not an author to skim read; not if you want to really get what's conveyed in each connective chapter. The "Old World Witchcraft" book is just teaser compared to the new Grimoire. Enjoy, and let's talk later on it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseRed Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I didn't skim - I just read fast. LOL I'll probably read thru it again before the new Grimoire comes out on the 1st. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kupala Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Thanks for the recommendation. Since it was his book Old World Witchery that brought me to find this forum, I'll definitely be picking up a copy of the Grimoire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thornblooded Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 Thanks for the recommendation. Since it was his book Old World Witchery that brought me to find this forum, I'll definitely be picking up a copy of the Grimoire. Oh good, another kindred spirit here. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branwen Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 (edited) Anyone read "Old World Witchcraft" by Raven? I was wondering how it was and if it is worth getting.I've read it, and found myself referring to it often for various reasons prior to the release of the Grimoire (which I am still only half-way through currently). I left a review on Amazon back in December 2011; here's a bit of what I wrote back then:"What this book gives the true seeker is a deeper understanding of the lives that the men and women, who would today be considered witches, lived. Mr. Grimassi doesn't make up stories, but rather uses historical and archaeological facts to prove his points about the way that these ancient people survived, sometimes revered, sometimes hated, but always there.Reading more about the Ash, Birch, and Willow system was something I thoroughly enjoyed. While this system is a modern one, it has roots that reach back through history - preserving elements of the Old World teachings, its core beliefs and rituals based upon what has been historically shown to be those which our ancestors practiced in the past. The ABW does not claim to be a surviving system - and yet it venerates the same things which were held sacred in pre-Christian/Jewish times and is not endemic to any one culture. Further along in the book, there is a chapter on plant spirits and their sigils, and how one might align with the spirit of a plant, rather than the plant itself, to conduct workings. While I personally would prefer to have the physical plant to touch and connect to, I definitely do see the value of learning to work with the sigils and connecting in that manner. Old World Witchcraft also talks in depth about the use of a mortar and pestle as a magickal tool, something that would seem fall right into place with what the ancient pharmakeute would make use of, after all, when dealing with roots and herbs, what else would one be expected to use? Also mentioned is the knife - the tool used to harvest the herbs and plants which would be used, the broom, the platter, the wand, and the branch. Details for how each is used and what they represent is clearly explained." Dunno if this is helpful in your decision-making process or not, but my personal opinion is that it is definitely worth the read. :smile: Edited July 24, 2014 by Branwen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighqt Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I purchased this book after reading this thread, I like to make my own mind up about books, I haven't finished reading it I'm at chapter 4 and really dislike it, it cost £15 I wish I could return it as there are lots of better books out there for the money. Once I finish it I will do a better review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citoyenne Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 From this thread I was also interested, though now I'm tempered by Leighqt's opinion. I know you'll give a fuller review when you finish, but could you say what you don't like about it so far? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solanaceae Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 (edited) I did not think much of this one either. It has a distinctly wiccan flavor, despite how it tries to dissociate itself from wicca. I give it 2 out of 5 stars. I kind of liked the plant sigils, and I thought some of the rituals were simple and easy to execute for beginners. Those are the only reasons I didn't give it just one star. Edited January 24, 2017 by Solanaceae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighqt Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 I'm with Solanaceae This book defo has a Wiccan feel about it ,though from reviews I have read the author appears to be making efforts to step away from this . This is the 101 book for the new path of the Rose and Thorn. I nearly threw the book across the room when I read "The primary current of old world witchery is known as the Path of the Rose and Thorn. It really is not my cup of Tea, , that said I will continue to read it as I am only on chapter 4 ( bored already) . I will continue to read it because It is here and I love to readA witch I respect has the book and I can discuss this with herAnd to see if it improvesTo give a better review Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citoyenne Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Alright that is fair. Thanks for your input, maybe if the library gets it I'll give it a go then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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