A Feri-Centered Review of Children of Cain
by Storm Faerywolf
'Children of Cain:
A Study of Modern Traditional Witches'
by Michael Howard
©2011 Xoanon Limited
Three Hands Press
‘Children of Cain’ is an important
book within the traditional witchcraft revival and one that is likely to be
cited for years to come. In this work author Michael Howard presents a case for
the survival of pre-Wiccan (‘traditional’) witchcraft,
treating us to a look within several “covines” and groups that make the claims
of pre-1940 lineages, the rough date when Gardner’s Wicca came on the scene.
Drawing from stories, first-hand
accounts, and folklore, Howard presents us first with a general study of the
traditional Craft, demonstrating differences between the neo-Pagan practices of
the majority of modern Witchcraft and focusing on the former’s “more informal
and improvised structure”, frequently based on older (and often fragmentary)
rites and ceremonies. Howard presents ‘traditional witchcraft’ in terms that
distinguish it from modern Wicca, such as the formers’ non-adherence to the
Three-Fold Law, a differing vocabulary, or the tendency to not celebrate the Wheel
of the Year (a modern creation not used in pre-Christian cultures). One
interesting observance, according to Howard, is that many pre-modern groups
tend to place focus on male deities rather than on the Goddess, which is
generally the primary deity for modern witches.
Howard delves into specific
traditions, individuals, and groups that have been influential to the modern
traditional Craft revival. Individuals well known in traditionalist spheres
such as Robert Cochrane and George Pickingill are given their due, and groups
such as the Clan of Tubal Cain and the Regency are described in detail giving
the reader a personal account of just how some of these groups operated and how
they co-existed with each other. Other
secret societies such as the Horse Whisperers (and their offshoot the Toadsmen)
are also explored for connections to what has been called “Old Craft”.
The influence of these older
groups are shown to have affected Gardner and his inheritance from the ‘New
Forest Coven’, giving argument for threads of the ‘Old Craft’ being present and
woven into the framework of modern Wicca. This theme of the old informing the
new is a theme that is explored further in this book.
Of particular interest to Feri
tradition readers is the chapter titled “American Traditional Witches”. About halfway into this section we are treated
to an introduction to the late Victor Anderson, and even to a small bit of
liturgy for ‘sealing the circle’ as well as some that purports to be from the
initiation ceremony. Neither are core liturgies of traditional Feri (and a
small deviation appears from the norm in the liturgy for the circle’s sealing) but
still it is nice to see some distinctive elements of our tradition gaining
wider recognition.
Besides Feri, in this section Howard
also includes material on Pennsylvania Dutch, Pow-Wow, Hexencraft, and Hoodoo,
all manifestations of magical craft unique to the New World that carry an
inheritance from an old one. Here he does a great service in revealing how
these “newer” forms are legitimate inheritors to an older way of practice.
While the book does a wonderful job
of compiling many disparate paths and opinions it certainly has its flaws. The
editing in this book is horrible,
with several typos, mis-numbered chapters, incomplete or incorrectly
constructed sentences, inconsistent formatting, and the like. But this is
largely what we have come to expect from books of this type as anyone who
remembers the travesty of editing that was The
Pillars of Tubal-Cain, can attest; another work to which Michael Howard’s
name is attached. As someone who has dabbled in self-publishing I can admit to
what is often a daunting task as many of my own works have suffered from this
very issue. But hopefully the message of this book will be well received and
the sloppiness of editing will not detract readers from Howard’s otherwise respectable
work.
There is, however, one area in terms
of approach in which I feel the author misses the mark. In his dealings with
the Feri tradition it becomes clear that the author is drawing from somewhat limited
sources and proceeds to “fill in the blanks” with some assumptions of his own. Howard
correctly identifies material, such as that from Huna, Voudou, and even the
works of modern fiction, that have found home in the rites and philosophical
understandings of many Feri practitioners. However he is too quick to assert
that the inclusion of this material equates to a deviation from that which
comes to us from the Harpy Coven, the traditional witch group that Victor was
initiated into as a teen and which modern practitioners of Feri claim
initiatory lineage. Howard states:
“This means that the newer groups have deviated from the
original teachings of the Andersons that were based on the traditional
principles inherited from the old Harpy Coven and representing the Old Craft.
In that respect, it is debatable whether they can be classified as traditional
witchcraft.”
Whether Feri deserves to be
recognized as traditional witchcraft or not is beside the point, but the
inconsistency in which the author presents the various groups and traditions is
first made apparent here. The assessment that modern Feri groups and
practitioners have deviated from our Old Craft inheritance by including newer
material is completely lacking of any supportive evidence. It would have been
more convincing had he demonstrated how a newer piece of material had supplanted
or conflicted with an older one, but we are not given any examples of this. This
line of thinking also incorrectly assumes that any of the actual rites, liturgies, and practices of the Feri
tradition (modern or not) stem from the Harpy Coven to begin with. As an
initiate and a practitioner of Feri for more than 20 years I can honestly say
that I have never heard the claim within
our traditional circles that anything
that we do or what Victor taught were practices based on those form Harpy
Coven. To this I say there’s just no there there.
But let’s explore this further. On
the surface it would appear to make sense that if a group that received
teachings in a traditional form were then to change those forms then they would
not be practicing the same tradition. Unfortunately (for this line of thinking)
Feri is not a static system; part of the ‘Old Craft’ inheritance that we
receive is an ecstatic and ever-changing path that evolves to meet the changing
needs of its practitioners, qualities that we will see praised by Howard in
other forms of what he recognizes as ‘traditional Craft’, though not for some
reason in Feri. While Howard earlier in this work freely admits that
contemporary practitioners of traditional witchcraft have often borrowed from
other sources (including from modern Wicca) in order to complete the
‘fragmentary rituals’ that they had been passed in their Craft, when it comes
to Feri he does not extend this same consideration. This inconsistency of
approach is at the heart of why this book is somewhat problematic in its
dealings with Feri tradition.
This inconsistency is further
highlighted in the chapter on ‘The Sabbatic Craft’. Here Howard presents the
workings of the Cultis Sabbati, the
work of the late Andrew Chumbley. This form of witchcraft is described to be a
mode of praxis wholly created by Chumbley while still presenting itself as a legitimate
vehicle for the traditional Craft into which he had been previously inducted.
At the core of this tradition is the belief in a sort of astral convocation
that is asserted as being the basis for the fantastical medieval depictions of
“the Witches Sabbat”; flying astride brooms, taking the form of an animal, dancing
around a fire, and orgiastic rites with the Devil himself. In the Cultis Sabbati we are given a picture of
a traditional Craft that has beliefs and practices that are handed down in a
lineage, but are also “ever changing and being informed by an ongoing praxis.”
Howard goes on to say, “It would be wrong to think of modern traditional
witchcraft forms as static or totally immersed in the past as they are always
evolving and developing to suit changing conditions”. One is left to wonder why
this mode of approach was not extended to his view of Feri tradition.
The chapter on the Sabbatic Craft
was one of the most enjoyable for me to read. It is obvious that Howard holds
Chumbley and his work in very high regard (rightly so!) and he did a beautiful
job in presenting it to the reader. I would recommend this chapter especially
to those who work in Feri tradition as I found many aspects of Sabbatic Craft as
described in this book to deeply resonate with the teachings of Feri both as I
received them and as they continually unfold in my work. Its focus on ecstatic
workings and trance experiences that form the basis for praxis are of
particular note for the Feri practitioner.
In summery, Children of Cain is a respectable and noted addition to the growing
genre of traditional witchcraft. While it is not perfect I think it has much to
offer both traditional Crafters and modern witches alike.