4Answering many of the most frequently asked questions about witchcraft, such as How can I find a witches' coven? and How can I become a witch?, Doreen Valiente explains what the old religion of witchcraft has to offer the new age of Aquarius, how the age-old Craft of the Wise can be practiced in the modern world, and how to initiate yourself as a witch and found your own coven. The leading figure in the establishment of the modern Wiccan movement, Valiente includes here a new Book of Shadows--the witches' handbook of rituals and instructions--based upon ancient magical tradition, but geared to the age of the future. There are witch songs, spells, incantations, and practical advice on how to run a coven and how to acquire your own collection of magical implements; as well as methods of divination and other witch lore. The author shows how oral witchcraft traditions throw light not only upon the origins of the present-day witch cult and the activities of the witch leader George Pickingill and his covens, but also upon the mystery of the founding of the famous magical order, the Golden Dawn. Also discussed is the relationship between European witchcraft and the magical belief of the Far East. Do both traditions hark back to the legendary city of Shamballah and to the shamanistic practices of Asia? And why do the secret circles of the witches resemble those of the Tantric sex-magic of India?