"For most people in the U.K., Mid Wales and its border with England will be somewhere vague, a landscape largely unknown and barely considered. Ask where Shropshire is, or Hereford, or indeed the old Welsh counties of Montgomeryshire or Radnorshire and most people will not know. Yet this area, known as the Welsh March, has in the past played an important part in the history of these islands, and has also been a repository of the esoteric and the occult. While many people, both those in the occult community and the wider public, are unfamiliar with this, this work endeavours to address this situation. " - Gary Nottingham
WELSH BORDER WITCHCRAFT A RENDITION OF THE OCCULT HISTORY OF THE WELSH MARCH
The occult history of the Welsh March is brought to life by the author in Welsh Border Witchcraft through stories of the cunning men and women, conjurors and healers, ceremonial magicians and witches who practised their arte in this liminal landscape. This borderland between England and Wales is an area steeped in bloodshed and mystery. This is the ancestral lands of Dr John Dee and is one that is redolent of the spirit of Merlin, and where the mysterious Sin-Eaters practised their trade.
Here for centuries, various occult practitioners have flourished with their charms and their poppets. Examples of these local charms and curses are discussed by the author, shining a light on their origins and purpose, often revealing that the knowledge and inspiration for the magic in this region came not only from the local area but also from much further afield. Throughout the author draws on his own research, anecdotes and extensive local knowledge.
Author Gary St Michael Nottingham has lived and worked in the Welsh March for many years. His previous published books include the seven-volume set Foundations of Practical Sorcery and its companion Ars Alchemica: Foundations of Practical Alchemy, both published by Avalonia.
Gary Nottingham is the author of the seven-volume Foundations of Practical Sorcery, and its companion volumes Ars Alchemica, Ars Angelorum and Liber Sigillum. He lives in the Welsh March where he has organised the Ludlow Esoteric Conference, the Grimoire Gathering and the Welsh Occult Conference.Gary St. M. Nottingham first came across alchemy when he was fifteen through reading the popular early 1970's occult magazine 'Man, Myth & Magic.'This encouraged him to find out further about the arte and to study Israel Regardie's 'The Philosopher's Stone'; this in turn led to the works of Hollandus, Paracelsus and eventually Junius. However, it was his involvement with a group of alchemical practitioners that opened many of the doors for him and much that he had learnt finally began to make sense. Subsequently he has taught and written extensively on the alchemical arte, running several one-day workshops and weekends on practical laboratory alchemy. His other areas of occult study are astrology, grimoires, and the Kabbalah, all of which are expressed as part of his alchemical work.
