Recommended Reading

Some books that might prove interesting or useful...

Take a look at our reading list for some suggested titles that provide an insight into the old ways.

Warwickshire Witch Beliefs

Who was John Davis of Sheep Street?

John Davis of Sheep Street, Stratford upon Avon, was a family man with an invalid daughter who likely suffered seizures. In 1876, just a year after the murder of Anne Tenant, John Davis appeared before Warwick Assizes on a charge of wounding one Jane Ward, his neighbour.

Despite attempts by friends to pursuade him otherwise, John and his family were convinced that their poor fortune could be explained by no other reason than bewitchment. Although not a unique case for the time period, the family were nevertheless regarded popularly as delusional.

That John entered the premises of his neighbour and cut her upon the cheek is documented fact. His intention, however, was not to kill his victim but to wound her in the well attested belief that to draw blood on the witch is to remove their power. John Davis said as much in his statement.

History has dealt poorly with John Davis, just as with Ann Tennant and Charles Walton. Whilst they are stout evidence for a general lingering belief in witchcraft in the edge of the Cotswolds, there remains no firm fact that suggests the practice of witchcraft. All this nicely diverts attention away from those in the area regarded as Cunning Folk, Water Doctors and Wise Women who were frequently consulted on many matters. Indeed, the Times reporting on the murder of Ann Tennant remarked upon the deplorable superstitions found in the countryside, the most heinous criminal surely being the Cunning Man who encourages such belief!

The Chain of Transmission

And Initiatory Traditions

In the Sufi Tradition, Baraka can be alikened to spiritus and spiritual power. According to Idries Shah in The Way of the Sufi one translation is "special virtue". The Arabic word apparently has a place in contemporary French as a term for blessings. It is also cognate with charisma and divine presence.

In a mystical sense, the Sufis often see Baraka as the flowing grace from Godhead, the Creator, which also passes between people and objects, transcending time and space. Whilst individual people and items may possess a share of Baraka, that which belongs to a Sufi order includes its antecedents and is a store house that allow transformation via connection with the order through the master.

Silsila, or the chain of transmission, in Sufism is more than simply a pedigree of the master back to Mohammed and Allah. Silsila is the vital connection between the student and the stream, connecting him with the accumulated knowledge and Baraka, the light, of the order. Initiation links the student with the chain via the master who is the channel.

A passage in The Way of the Sufi from Sheikh Shamsudin Siwasi talks about how the greedy attempt to manipulate Baraka for wrongful reasons and the thirst for it cause us to ascribe the virtue of Baraka to certain feelings, convincing us it is real. Instead, we are advised to give before we may receive - to do otherwise is sinful.

The Clan of Tubal Cain

11th April, 2009

Clan of Tubal Cain is the initiatory traditional group made famous by past Magisters Robert Cochrane and E. J. Jones. This link leads diretly to the group that were passed, in Evan John Jone's own words, "the cup and stang" in the late nineteen-nineties and continue the legacy of Cochrane's Craft today.

The Regency & The Cochrane Coven

February 15th, 2009

Ronald "Chalky" White was a prominent member of Robert Cochrane's Royal Windsor Cuveen. The latest entries at ronaldchalkywhite.org include a superb article by John of Monmouth previously published in The Cauldron magazine.

The article is worth a read to understand better the origins of The Regency, its inception and how the group reacted in the wake of the suicide of Robert Cochrane. A truly insightful article that opens the window a crack into the world of The Regency.

The Regency

October 18th, 2008

Recently, friends of Ronald "Chalky" White, one of the founders of The Regency, have set up a website offering some of the words and work of the man himself. Once a member of Robert Cochrane's Royal Windsor Cuveen, "Chalky" White was a pioneer in the modern pagan movement and his unpublished handbook is a key feature of the website.

In the past, The Regency have suffered rumours of political ideology and extremist views and this site aims at setting the record straight: Moreover, it provides some truly insightful thinking behind ritualised mythology and its application.

Mis-representing Maids & Masquerading Magisters

August 23rd, 2008

Here is an interesting link to the 1734 website where there is information pertaining to the Clan of Tubal Cain. Here, Stuart Inman reveals the truth about the false claims lately made as well as accusations levelled at the true Maid & Magister.

In addition to this snippet, this website provides a fascinating resource of the 1734 tradition as developed and used by the late Joseph Wilson, who shared brief but insightful correspondence with Roy Bowers.