Welsh Witchcraft

Mhara Starling (Chester, England) was born in North Wales, raised on the Isle of Anglesey, and is a native Welsh speaker. She is a transgender woman who has been practicing witchcraft from a very young age, and her witchcraft videos on TikTok have more than a million views. Mhara is a celebrant and a tarot reader, and she runs moots, gatherings, and open rituals. She was featured in the BBC Wales documentary series Young, Welsh and Pretty Religious.

A new, fresh, and authentic voice that expresses the timeless magic of her native Wales. In doing so she gifts the world with a cauldron of wisdom and a profound insight into the magical heritage and landscape of Wales. This is a book created from deep, personal practise and the love of land and culture...This book bridges the gap between the ancient and modern and brings authentic, practical Welsh Witchcraft to the table of modern magical traditions. Starling is a powerful new voice that is sure to inspire a generation. Kristoffer Hughes, Chief of the Anglesey Druid Order, author of From the Cauldron Born and Cerridwen. I am deeply appreciative of Mhara's Welsh Witchcraft a thoroughly enjoyable and insightful introduction to the magical traditions, mythology, customs, sacred loci and otherworldly presences of her native landscape. It is a book fully capable of guiding the reader towards developing a workable and personal magical practice drawn from and inspired by the timeless and eldritch landscapes of Wales. Gemma Gary, author of Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways and The Black Toad: West Country Witchcraft and Magic

• ContentsList of Exercises xiiiAcknowledgments xvIntroduction 1Chapter 1 Finding a Welsh Witchcraft..................................................... 13Chapter 2 A Brief History of Magic and Witchcraft in Wales................... 31Chapter 3 The Sacred Landscape.............................................................. 47Chapter 4 Legends of the Land................................................................. 63Chapter 5 Beyond Human: Divinities of the Land................................... 79Chapter 6 Cerridwen: The Archetype of the Welsh Witch...................... 103Chapter 7 Fairy Tales of Wales............................................................... 117Chapter 8 Welsh Fairies.......................................................................... 129Chapter 9 Practical Welsh Witchery....................................................... 145Chapter 10 The Virtues of the Natural World......................................... 177Chapter 11 The Ever-Turning Cycle....................................................... 199Conclusion............................................................................................. 231Recommended Reading 235Glossary and Guide to Welsh Pronunciation 237Bibliography 245Index 249