Where Witchcraft Lives

by Doreen Valiente 1922-1999

A classic title re-released for the third time.
First printed in 1962, UK

119 pages; paperback 2011

The Rerelease: Written in 1962 by Doreen Valiente this was her first published writing on witchcraft. The original edition was limited to 1,275 copies due to her being a fledgling writer. Original copies of the first edition were released, as were many books of its day, in hardback.  Today some original copies fetch prices of $300. or more.
This paperback edition, through Whyte Tracks ApS Denmark, is available from The Centre for Pagan Studies with the help of Ronald Hutton, Brighton Museum and Sussex Archaeological Society which is in support of a foundation for the Doreen Valiente Trust.  One may also purchase a paperback copy through  Amazon UK.

The Doreen Valiente Trust preesrves her manuscripts and artifacts through for future generations. Proceeds from the 3rd edition book go to the Trust where they house her treasure trove collection based on her life's work.

From the Introduction ~ John Belham Payne writes :

"I have no doubt in my mind that Doreen Valiente's contribution to the understanding of the 'Craft of the Wise' is immeasurable. For me she is by far the most important figure we have seen to date.  Her place in history is secure and when you study the Craft in detail, you will understand why Doreen's name appears in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography."

From the Forward ~ Ronald Hutton ~ Professor of History, Bristol University, UK writes:

"For the past half-century, Where Witchcraft Lives has featured among the most neglected of texts concerning modern Pagan witchcraft.  It has not been classed among those which revealed great traditions of witchcraft to the wider world, such as the books by or associated with Gerald Gardner, Alex Sanders (as ghosted by June Johns), Robert Cochrane (as represented by Justine Glass), Stewart and Janet Farrar, Ray Buckland or Starhawk.  Nor is it among those who have challenged orthodoxies within the movement, such as the work of Aidan Kelly.  This is, despite the fact that it is very early - indeed one of the first three books to be published on the subject - and the work of the greatest single female figure in the modern British history of witchcraft."

Although this is a short book, 119 pages, Where Witchcraft Lives is a valuable contribution surrounding the indigenous beliefs and traditions of England's pagans in the Sussex area. The book was written following her involvement in Gardnerian Wicca with its founder, Gerald Gardner.

Chapters include: Who Witches Were, the Horned God of Sussex, Sussex Witch Trials, Two Strange stories, Witches, Hares and the Moon, The Power of Witchcraft, Sussex Witch Beliefs, Folk Rites, and White, Present-day, and Modern Black Witchcraft.

I cannot tell you how long I have waited to add this treasure to my library.  Although the sheer volume of books I owned once have dwindled due to life's circumstance, the ones that remain in my collection are the oldest, most valuable and dear to my heart.

Bio: Doreen Edith Dominy Valiente (craft name Ameth) was born 4 January, 1922, in Mitcham, South London, England. Her involvement in witchcraft began with Gerald Gardner, who, after 1951 when the Witchcraft laws in England were repealed, broke from the New Forest Coven and formed his own. Doreen worked with Gardner from 1953 -  1957; her initiation into the craft occurred at Midsummer 1953 at the home of Dafo in the New Forest area.  She became his High Priestess very quickly and helped him produce many important scriptural texts for the Gardnerian Book of Shadows including  her famous  “The Witches Rune” and the “Charge of the Goddess”.

After splitting off form The Bricket Wood Coven in 1957, she went on to work with Robert Cochrane and his Clan of Tubal Cain.  In the mid 1960s she began working as a solitary.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s she wrote several books on the subject of Wicca - which, incidentally, she referred to simply as "witchcraft"  and she always referred to herself as a 'student.'

Bibliography

• 1962: Where Witchcraft Lives
• 1973: An ABC of Witchcraft
• 1975: Natural Magic
• 1978: Witchcraft for Tomorrow
• 1989: The Rebirth of Witchcraft
• 2000: Charge of the Goddess, a collection of poems, published posthumously

Doreen Valiente edited and wrote the introduction to the 1990 book, Witchcraft: A Tradition Renewed by Evan John Jones, surrounding Traditional Witchcraft such as Cochrane's Craft.

Most of her books are still in print today or can be obtained from book dealers online.

She died on 1st September 1999 from pancreatic cancer.

Photo: Doreen Valiente 1962