Apostate's Guide to Witchcraft, An

Moss Matthey (Wales, UK) was an active, indoctrinated member of a fundamentalist Christian cult for two decades before he found Witchcraft and broke free. This newfound spirituality helped him heal and experience true freedom. Now he speaks at A Festival for Pagans and Witches and the Centre for Folklore Myth Magic. He was also filmed as a member of the Coven of the Red Serpent for a Welsh-language documentary. Visit him at MossMatthey.com. 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. Visit her on TikTok.

Contents

Exercise List … xi

Acknowledgments … xiii

Foreword … xv

Introduction … 1

Chapter 1—Finding Witchcraft … 9

Chapter 2—How to Leave a Cult … 23

Chapter 3—Discovering Magic … 39

Chapter 4—Connecting to Culture … 57

Chapter 5—Coven and Community … 71

Chapter 6—The World of Spirits … 87

Chapter 7—A Nature-Based Faith … 111

Chapter 8—The Queerness of Witchcraft … 131

Chapter 9—Reclaiming the Devil … 147

Chapter 10—Contemplating the Divine … 165

Chapter 11—Embodying the Witch Within … 185

Conclusion—The End and the Beginning … 197

Recommended Reading … 201

Resources … 209

Glossary and Pronunciation Guide … 211

Welsh Glossary and Pronunciation Guide … 213

Bibliography … 215