The Devil's Dozen: Thirteen Craft Rites of the Old One

First and foremost what I'll write here which will be lengthy is a fair and honest review, not partisan fan service. From my perspective this book completes the author's trilogy on her interpretation of West County witchcraft and magic. Her first book 'Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways' introduces us to the outer court of wisdom present in The Seeker and the Serpent. It's a pretty straight forward beginners book on the witch cult of The Bucca; Filled with folk ways, rituals and the essentials in two editions which build on each other. Some aspects of the 1st edition are easier and more evocative of the cunning folk while some aspects of the 2nd edition show evolution and how Traditional British Wicca may have influenced her growth as an village wise woman. The second book 'The Black Toad: West County Witchcraft and Magic" is far more true to the essence of the historical cunning folk. It pairs well with Jim Baker's "The Cunning Man's Handbook: The Practice of English Folk Magic, 1550-1900." Her third book 'The Devil's Dozen: Thirteen Craft Rites of the Old One' as described is an devotional anthology.I enjoyed it but it suffers horribly from over usage of archaic words and a lot of fluff. I know her writing style is influenced by Daniel Schulke so it's not surprising she writes the way she does but the cunning folk we're practical lay folk, not literate high magic magicians. Well, some were but in general not so much. Another issue is her cookbook model which isn't bad per se. It's pretty common but sometimes she doesn't cite or explain clearly. For example, in her previous books there was no mention of The Bucca Ruth or The Bucca Los; I assume Bucca Ruth is the aspect of The Bucca as the animated, fiery genus loci itself and I really couldn't find out what Bucca Los was. Being that she was writing on the westward virtue it's obviously related to water but I couldn't find any Cornish (or any other Brythonic language) word to explain this. Minor issue but it exemplifies my point on lack of clarification. I loved most parts in this book and in particular I liked the sections on The Witch's Nowl, All is One and The Bucca Vessel but other parts seemed disjointed and quickly written.Generally speaking the author tends to repackage the same material albeit with flowery and absolutely lovely verses but I'd like something new. Usually, her books are like shifting through silt for a nugget of gold. I don't buy her books because I think she's a particularly good author, nor do I buy it because I care for her on a personal level. I buy it because that nugget of gold guides me and helps me grow. Previously, I would have given this book a 2 of 5 stars because having to pay 45 USD for a trade paperback book seemed like I was being buggered. It was a wise choice for them to release it on Amazon. I hope they release their back catalog on Amazon as well. I also noticed they released The Charmer's Psalter here (I have the 1st edition so I'm unlikely to purchase the same book twice). However, I'm hopeful that her new book "Silent As The Trees: Devonshire Witchcraft, Folklore and Magic" will come to Amazon as well. I'm fairly certain this is a reprint of Sarah Hewett's "Devon Witchcraft" which is now out of print from Troy Books. I imagine it will have new lithographic prints and additional information but I'm hoping against hope that she'll break the mold and do something entirely new and different. Thus far the only new and different book she has done was Wisht Waters on Three Hands Press. Lovely book by the way!Basically, if West County magic, which isn't for general consumption in my opinion, is your jam and you jive with her writing then get it but be aware of the issues I highlighted.

He is a figure shrouded in mystery, the Christians call him the devil, but to witches he has a variety of names. Known he is as the man in black, auld horny, the goat food god etc. He come to ritual when properly bidden. The man in black is the central deity in traditional witchcraft. The devil is the one who initiates you into the mysteries, he stands in the great in between in fact he is the in between.Gemma Gary has produced another small masterpiece that contains thirteen ritual dedicated to the old one. Mind you these are not Wiccan rituals these are based on traditional witchcraft. The directions are different and the tools have a slightly different use. One tool that Wicca does not have is that of the stang. The stang represents the horned god but it also represent the male and female aspects of deity and the approach is unity and love.The first rite is a “calling the man in black” like the rest of the rituals this one should occur far away from human habitation, like out in nature or in some abandoned building. This first ritual pulls you away from the strictures of civilized man and pulls you back into the carnal forces of nature. When you summon the man in black he can appear at any times and in several; different forms. Sometimes he comes in the form of a hound, a hare , a cat, a crow or a man in a black hat and jacket. Keep your eyes open.The next ritual is a self initiation. This one dedicates you to the path of the man in black. This ritual is done in an abandoned churchyard on a full moon light. Churches have holy power and are connected with divine energy and energy of those who have invested in that religion. Plus there is an aspect of rebellion against oppressive authority here.The third ritual empowers the witch’s nowl. The witch’s nowl is an Iron nail that is magically empowered with divine energy. The divine energy comes from the red serpent who lives in the ground of the earth. Once the nail is empowered it is nailed into the ground t empower the working place.The third ritual leads to the fourth ritual where in the practitioner obtains a stang and empowers it with magic or energy. An iron nail is nailed in the bottom to seal the energy in. It has horns on the top. It represents the horned god but also the masculine and feminine. It could have magical uses like that of the wand or it could be used as an object of devotion and veneration.Now that was a sampling o the rituals that are offered. The book is small but the directions are full, complete and easy to follow. I read through the book in one day, it was that good. This is a book that any level of practitioner can use.

It didn’t need to be priced as high as it was. Had I searched a bit more I could’ve found it for print price. My bad.

This is one of my most treasured books. Small but powerful. Not for you fluffy bunnies out there who deny witches have anything to do with the devil. One thing I wish Gemma would have written about is her experiences doing these rites. I heard her on a radio interview and she said the reason she didn't write about what happened to her is because these rituals are different for everyone and you need to do them yourself and experience it in your own unique way. Not for the faint of heart. Some of the rituals in here curl your toenails when you read about how to carry them out. No blood sacrifices or anything like that. Just putting yourself out there in a very vulnerable way and trusting the path you are taking will be very rewarding in the end. This book will either send you screaming or inspire you like you never have been before.

Enjoyed the read. This is the perfect size for a book. All books should be made in this size. If you do decide to carry out the proceedings as described within, know that there are ones such as I that stalk haunted places during the dark hours, watching and listening for any who dare enter. Some of these rites are similar to other encountered techniques meant to put one "through the mill".

I enjoyed the brevity and poetry of Gemma Gary's writing in this book. It features thirteen rituals to honour the Divine Masculine principle in the Old Craft traditions. Each rite opens with a brief explanation of the symbolism, history, and purpose of the rite itself. Several are presented in two forms, one for solitary practitioners and the other for groups.

I'd never do any of this stuff obviously . It's pure madness. But I do like the book, go figure.

Superb and very very scary!

Arrived quickly, well packed and am now enjoying reading it. Very interesting.

2 stars because the book is put together nicely. The print is easy to read and the size of the book is handy and portable. It looks like a nice production. But the material inside is definitely thrown together from watching horror movies and reading fairy tales. Reciting the Our Father backwards is the first ritual in the book. That right there is a red flag. Requiring a human skull, red flag #2. The actual prose is an attempt to reproduce the works of the 19th century with archaic spellings of simple words and silly rhyming patterns which to me is red flag #3. I am keeping the book as piece of fiction that holds no actual revelations or rituals. My first "grimoire" by this author and evidently my last. If you are looking for a very well written and serious introduction to witchcraft try Kelden's The Crooked Path, that is my recommendation.

An interesting book about the roots of witchcraft, easy to read and with beautiful pictures and old rites to perform!