Witcraft for Tomorrow was one of the first books about Craft I ever read. Although my eyebrows raised for some parts of the book, mostly the "historical" parts and Valient's insistence on skyclad rituals, I found it to be a great intro into a more historical perspective of Wicca. Here's a brief synopsis of the book:
With the publication of Witchcraft for Tomorrow in 1978, renowned witch and High Priestess Doreen Valiente established one of the seminal guides to contemporary witchcraft philosophy and rituals. Valiente sought to unveil the serious inner workings of the craft while arguing its power relied on sustaining its sense of the occult.
Articulating witchcraft as an initiatory pagan mystery religion, Valiente provided sample spells, chants, and lore to give aspirants authentic practice insights. However, she stressed that the true heart of witchcraft must remain restricted to those undergoing proper initiation rites under a High Priestess.
Valiente advocated maximizing skyclad practice and exploring witchcraft's shadow side along with light to attain psychic wholeness. Her teachings merged traditional craft principles with feminist empowerment, envisioning witchcraft as a self-affirming Goddess-centered practice.
While demystifying some aspects of sorcery, Valiente insisted witchcraft loses potency when commercialized or casually trivialized. She warned against publicizing secrets that should only come through devoted tutelage. For her, the craft's initiatory core preserved its wonder and visceral power.
Both revealing insider wisdom and arguing for selectiveness, Witchcraft for Tomorrow lit the way for future witches by articulating craft theology and ritual more openly than ever before. Valiente firmly established witchcraft's place in 20th-century mystical spirituality.
Controversies around Witchcraft for Tomorrow
There are a few controversies and critiques that have been raised about Doreen Valiente's book Witchcraft for Tomorrow:
• Some felt the book revealed too many secrets and specific details about rituals and spells that are meant to be kept hidden or private in traditional witchcraft practice.
• Valiente's emphasis on practicing ritual nudity (skyclad) sparked debate as some found it unnecessary or felt it reinforced stereotypes.
• Her critiques of commercializing witchcraft and opening it to the masses were seen by some as elitist. Others agreed it should retain its sense of a mystery tradition.
• Some members of non-Wiccan witchcraft traditions disagreed with Valiente's Wicca-centric approach in presenting witchcraft concepts.
• Feminists argued parts of the book still relied too heavily on outdated gender role assumptions.
• Valiente's attempt to tackle the "darker" side of witchcraft like hexes and cursing made some modern witches uncomfortable.
• There was skepticism from academics and historians about her assertions that witchcraft represented an unbroken pagan religious tradition tracing back centuries.
• Some felt she put too little emphasis on witchcraft as an empowering personal spiritual practice versus a formal religion.
So while overall positive, Witchcraft for Tomorrow sparked debates common to writings about modern witchcraft as it transitioned into the public sphere in the late 20th century. But Valiente's impact on articulating witchcraft philosophy remains profound.
Fact-checking Valient's claims about pagan history
Doreen Valiente's claims in Witchcraft for Tomorrow about witchcraft representing an unbroken pagan religious tradition spanning centuries have been controversial among some academics and historians. Here are some key critiques:
• Historical research does not substantiate the notion that organized, pagan-based witchcraft has survived as a coherent religion in secret since medieval times. Persecution fragmented practices.
• Critics argue Valiente exaggerated and romanticized the idea of witchcraft as a pagan survival based on limited evidence of actual lineages.
• Historians point out that Valiente provided no footnotes or citations to substantiate her assertions about witchcraft's origins.
• Valiente's portrayal of witchcraft as an ancient religion has been called pseudo-historical and too reliant on myth-making.
• Many pagan elements she depicted, like worship of a Horned God, may have more modern origins versus tracing back millennia.
• Some accuse Valiente of projecting her modern belief system onto past eras rather than recounting the verifiable history of organized witchcraft traditions.
• However, academics like Ronald Hutton concede Valiente was genuinely relating oral history and lore as she understood it, not intentionally fabricating history.
• But most now agree that while witchcraft drew on folk magic traditions, its emergence as an organized neopagan religion largely dates to the mid-20th century.
So, in summary, the scholarly consensus is that Valiente tended to exaggerate and embellish sketchy evidence of pre-modern witchcraft lineages to create a continuous history that remains unsubstantiated despite her claims. But she helped shape how witches view their past.
Comments