Review: Nigel G. Pearson, Blackthorn Whitethorn: Ways of Witchery, London: Troy Books Publishing, 2022

by Ian Chambers

Blackthorn Whitethorn: Ways of Witchery is the latest offering from established traditional witchcraft author Nigel G. Pearson. A native of East Anglia, Pearson often writes with a fond eye and gentle nod to that witchcraft-rich region of England; although his writings are applicable and accessible to all who like their sorcery immersed in tradition and lore and soaked in authenticity. 

Pearson’s first work in the field of traditional witchcraft, Treading the Mill: Practical CraftWorking in Modern Traditional Witchcraft (2007), was published by the now defunct Capall Bann, who were renowned for poor quality production and an often high standard of content in a kind of punk attitude reminiscent of early occult and pagan zines — a rough and ready attitude that is in stark contrast to today’s polished publishing and the limited run, deluxe editions that now populate the market. Ironic, then, that many Capall Bann titles today command high prices and are much sought after. Treading the Mill was, and remains, a solid foundational work for entry into the practice and ideas of traditional witchery. That first publishing was not without a few areas that others in the community were sometimes critical of and Nigel has shown remarkable humility and developed the book further before it was reprinted by Troy Books a decade later in 2017— presenting a thoroughly relevant and accessible primer into modern witchcraft. 

With Blackthorn Whitethorn, Pearson presents a maturation of the ideas found in Treading the Mill and a natural development, with sophistication and appreciation of lore and tradition, while being eminently practical and demanding of its reader to be worked. This is not an introductory work — although that shouldn’t put off newcomers to witchcraft — but rather a flowering from that first work. In many respects, this latest book is less a sequel to Treading the Mill, then, and more of a ripening. Like a quality wine with a superb vintage, excellent terroir, well-aspected, tended to and rooted in excellent soil, Blackthorn Whitethorn represents a sophisticated and developed explication of modern traditional witchcraft, yet thoroughly accessible to all.  

The very good preface by Stuart Inman touches upon a subject dear to my heart, and one which I have shared discourse with Inman upon many an occasion. In principal, it is the nature of the ‘liminal’ space betwixt subject and object, where the essential non-dual nature is synthesised in the stillness where opposites meet, coalesce and reconcile. I have grown less fond of the term ‘liminal’ due to its frequent overuse and triteness, becoming hackneyed and often deployed with scant regard for the depth and fullness. Thankfully, the underscoring theme of Blackthorn Whitethorn is that precise in-betweenness, the position of not-this not-that (Sanskrit Neti-Neti), a concept and means of apprehending that is as elusive as the roebuck being pursued — or that pursues us — and as thorny as the entangled thicket. One of the things that makes such a concept — arguably a fundamental ethos of witchery — demand that we adopt an alternate way of approaching, through poetic inference, is that it speaks to something that evades confinement by language; it is ineffable in the truest sense, and thence a Nameless Art. In truth, the most we can hope to achieve is to adumbrate the apophatic and reveal a merest whisper through allegory, inference, symbolism and allusion. In reaching for the moon in this way, I admire Pearson’s ambition and courage in presenting such a primary and complex ethos throughout this book. As both Inman and Pearson reflect, the entrance to this entangled thicket where liminality — spinning without motion at the threshold of two or more elements — is the beating heart of witchcraft proper. 

Following the preface, Pearson gets straight into the theme and delivers a delightful introduction, with personal insight and history woven into the matter of the work. This outline is thorough and concise, providing a gentle presentation of the ideas tackled in the remaining book, while giving a nice précis of its core philosophy. There is no mistake at this juncture, witchcraft here dispensed is full of seeming paradox, contradiction, and opposites, within which is to be found the essence of its mystery. I am thrilled to see a work of witchcraft that is sure to become a popular and much-loved sourcebook incorporate so meaningfully the deeper, richer elements of its underlying principles and make them available in such personal ways. 

The first chapter is an enjoyable journey through tradition and lore of the common European deciduous shrubs blackthorn and whitethorn which inform the choice of title and are used to illustrate the nature of the dialectic at the heart of the text. The dialogue begins with blackthorn and its extensive history, custom and lore, with personal insight providing a full picture of this much benighted hedgerow guardian. Pearson provides sufficient description of history and myth, with an ample dusting of practical uses in witchery. Similarly, the whitethorn — commonly known in the UK as hawthorn, or mayflower, and less often as quickthorn — is given like treatment; both trees are especial to witchcraft, with long and dense folklore associated in myriad ways. I have a close affinity with these two myself, having laid hedges for many years in rural Warwickshire using the traditional ‘border’ style learnt in Herefordshire. These are the two most common hedgerow shrubs in Britain, constituting at least half of a total species in most native hedges. Indeed, the blackthorn is a pioneer species, being one of the first to populate uncultivated land and reclaim it for the forest through sucker shoots. Together, the two shrubs with their long thorns and searching branches form a dense interlocking barrier that is very difficult to move through, and thus ideal for keeping livestock contained. For rural witches, the everyday, pastoral and agricultural implements and activities developed necessary aspects that allude to their craft — such as the pitchfork or stang — and the twin thorns here are no exception. I digress… 

The first chapter concludes by rounding off the practical and informative details of the two thorn trees with a return to the philosophy of the entangled thicket, the between spaces, or liminal if you prefer. This is a welcome segment which ties the information back to the sublime realities that underpin the ethos of traditional witchery. In this, we are given a glimpse of an unpublished manuscript from Stuart Inman that expounds some of his own ideas pertaining to the mysteries of the entangled thicket from the perspective of the 1734 Tradition. In this, the theme is discussed through that expressed by the poet Robert Graves (1895-1985) and his complex and misunderstood poetic work, The White Goddess. Principally, this is explored through the triplicity of lapwing, hound/dog and roebuck as distinct guardians of the mysteries who conceal, guide, and protect through unique attributes. Ultimately, it is the roebuck in the thicket that conceals/reveals the thorniest path navigating a way through duality and seeming opposites.

Having laid the basis for our understanding and way into the ethos of modern traditional witchcraft, Pearson opens us to the liminal spaces whereby these ideas are worked. Indeed, it is to the lantern that leads the way that the reader is now guided as the book enters its next chapter discussing the moon. In this, some important ideas within the context of modern witchcraft are discussed, from the origins of Lilith and her entry into English witchcraft to the appellation ‘Lilith’s Lantern’ as a cognomen for the moon, especially in East Anglian lore. Once again, there is a thorough discourse concerning the temporal aspects of lunar cycles before proceeding into the esoteric side of lunar lore through the power of the tides. This has become a sometimes neglected area of reflection these days and I was astonished, in conversation with a work colleague, to discover that it had never occurred to them that the earth’s satellite, with the power to affect terrestrial tidal activity, had similar capacity to affect us humans, consisting of up to sixty percent water, with its phases, risings and settings. Pearson adroitly moves through the wisdom of working with lunar tides and potencies, taking the reader through the movements and natures with an expert hand, again with practical application. 

There follow chapters which deal with illusion (masking/ guising, shapeshifting and glamour), working with the land (as an enchanted and inspirited reality) and divination (geomancy, pendulums and star lore). These are splendid interpretations and examinations of these arts of sigaldry* and sorcery, with an ever-keen eye to the practical application for the witch, and the underlying philosophy. These chapters really flesh out the practical and deepening appreciation of witchcraft as it looks and is worked and will be welcomed by any looking to get into the arts of traditional witchcraft. These constitute the working thrust of the book, and provide a solid foundation for any looking to get into the real practical techniques and understanding of what it is a witch does, and why. The main chapters also provide a welcome relief from the usual, tired tropes of popular witchcraft books of late — as old farmers would say, ‘one shouldn’t plough the same field twice’. Indeed, Blackthorn Whitethorn draws the myths and histories associated with traditional witchery together in a meaningful and workable manner that is refreshing and welcome. 

Where the meat lies for me really concerns those chapters that get into the thick of the ethos of witchcraft and its essential mastery, deep into that entangled thicket. Where Blackthorn Whitethorn really stands out is in making accessible ways of perceiving and understanding these mysteries that are less frequently discussed in such literature. The core ethos of the book is filled with that elusive roebuck, of the entangled thicket where we can get lost, stuck fast, and must endure the vicious spines or find novel ways to traverse the hedge in order to fully stand before Dame Fate, to wrestle the Devil and hope to win some measure of mastery of these most profound arts. 

The final chapter, Betwixt the Horns, is a superb culmination that squares the circle and returns the tail of the serpent to its expectant maw. With this journey into the in-between spaces, the reconciling of dualities, of subject and object, Pearson takes us into the dark heart of sigaldry proper for my tastes. Initially, the chapter begins by discussing the areas and means by which the sorcerer might approach the Chapel Perilous, to catch glimpse of the elusive numen that resides within Spiral Castle. Here, Blackthorn Whitethorn diverges from other popular works of modern witchcraft in tackling the deeper mysteries that elucidate the hidden depths, making them available outside of the closed confines of initiatory tradition or sodality — there is real treasure here for those with the eye and heart to take up the quest! The ‘dark’ herbs are explored, with a discussion on the entheogenic use of certain herbaceous allies associated with witchcraft. This is a mature conversation and requires some respect on the behalf of reader and author, which Pearson handles mindfully and with necessary caution. Indeed, as the writer reminds us, these have always informed part of traditional witch lore and would be only made more obvious — and perhaps enticing for that — by omission in this detailed study. 

Dances are another topic lately neglected, yet occupying much of the early modern witchcraft literature of the mid-twentieth century. The dance is here tackled well by Pearson, who provides personal insight, experience and techniques of trance entry and function using long-established means. In addition, he carefully handles the idea of using the dance in combination with entheogens to induce conditions primed for penetrating the in-betweennesses. 

Another thorny area under discussion is gender within witchcraft, which has raised hackles in recent years. Pearson approaches this subject with care, consideration, and an eye always towards witchery. Somewhat refreshingly, this section takes a mature view, accepting that duality, and overcoming it, is an important theme of the book, and in witchcraft generally, through developing full appreciation of non-duality. Indeed, Pearson implores the modern witch to accept “[…] the ‘cross-gender’, or ‘dual-gendered’ nature of their own spirit […]” (p. 284). This is an important area of discussion but often proves problematic for some. In broaching the subject, and not shying away, Pearson has reminded the reader of the symbolism associated with the goat-god of witches, the Devil, Baphomet, Pan, often depicted with both erect phallus and full breasts, denoting the dual nature of this type of overarching spirit of sorcery. Eliphas Levi (1810-75) most famously exemplified this principle and emphasised this in his illustration of Baphomet, attempting to reconcile all dualities in one symbol.  Pearson respectfully talks of the conjoining of male and female aspects: “Although He is depicted as All Male […] He very much embodies both genders and their ‘appetites’ […]” (p. 287).

Closing the chapter with a visualisation, mirroring the first chapter, Pearson takes us back to the “beating heart” of witchcraft where the in-betweenness, the eldritch, is enjoined. It is a delightful call-back and brings balance to the work, harmonising the chapters in-between and reminding us that witchcraft is both an art and a practice, emphasising the requirement and axiom that witchcraft is what a witch does. 

In concluding, the Afterword draws the threads of Blackthorn Whitethorn to a neat resolution. In doing so, we catch a glimpse of the ineffable Goddess that casts her web of wyrd wide and is behind the powers that manifest and are imparted by the Devil. As Dame Fate, she is adumbrated by the appearance of cause and effect, the to-and-fro of reality through time and tide. She is also the mystery at the juncture of life and death, presiding as the silent witness underwriting All. In this, we apprehend the apophatic nature of true esotericism, the fundamental philosophy that informs our power and from which is emanated the manifest carapace of the world we perceive. In this final essay, Pearson reveals something of the poiesis that underlies all witchcraft and sorcery, the bringing forth through the mysteries of the unspeakable, the emergent magic that is central to how we, as witches, engage realities and navigate a path that traverses both left and right horns, between blackthorn and whitethorn. 

* Sigaldry — Magic, Conjuration, from Middle English derived from an Old English root galdor, meaning incantation, charm, or magic.