what we knew in the night [ REAWAKENING THE HEART OF WITCHCRAFT ] RAVEN GRIMASSI "Finally, • clear, frank, and respectful look at the real roots of witchcraft-" —LON MILO DUQUETTE PRAISE FOR What We Knew in the Night “Raven Grimassi shares the heart, soul, and wisdom of the Old Craft elders with his readers, drawing from things half-forgotten and never written, inviting us to know what they knew and incor­ porate it into our own Craft. This book is a treasure for future generations.” —Christopher Penczak, award-winning author and cofounder of the Temple of Witchcraft “In What We Knew in the Night, Raven Grimassi's last and great­ est work, he has given future generations not merely a historical view of witchcraft or a guidebook, but a well-crafted blending of the two, featuring his singular voice. This rendering of Old Witchery offers historical influences and empowering rituals for new and seasoned practitioners alike.” —Amy Blackthorn, author of Blackthorn's Botanical Magic and Sacred Smoke “In What We Knew in the Night, Raven Grimassi has once again given us a treatise that guides us through a system of witchcraft with passion, clarity, and depth of thought. Raven shares with us his wealth of information that is both old and new in the same instance. With a brief introduction, he launches headfirst into his system that is sure to produce results—provided there is dedi­ cation and passion for the Work. If you read only the first chap­ ter, an echo of the entire book itself, you will walk away with much to reflect upon and to practice. Raven advises early on that What We Knew in the Night is not a book to be read once; it is to be read, digested, read again, and experienced. In subsequent chapters he treats us to yet more ritual and philosophy, peppered with a good amount of esoteric history. This is a book that de­ serves to be read in a comfy armchair, while sipping strong tea, loving our Craft, and remembering . . .” —Andrew Theitic, publisher of The Witches' Almanac “As the final book written by Raven Grimassi before his passing, What We Knew in the Night: Reawakening the Heart of Witchcraft is the crown jewel of the legacy of countless contributions that this extraordinary man has provided the witchcraft world. Gri­ massi provides the deep wisdom that comes from being in­ volved in the witchcraft world for half a century: training, teach­ ing, lecturing, writing books, and interacting with witches and oc­ cultists of all types. The book provides what no other book on witchcraft does—a perspective that can only come from both observation and involvement within witchcraft for over sixty years. In the book, Raven reminisces on mysteries that he feels have been lost from those early years before the modern witch­ craft and magick renaissance and this book's goal is to preserve that knowledge. These mysteries are those that the witches, re­ gardless of tradition, all knew when gathering together in secret in the night during those early years, hence the title. As such, the insight and sagacity provided within the pages of this book are unparalleled and invaluable to any earnest witch seeking to dive deeper into the heart of the spirit of witchcraft.” —Mat Auryn, author of Psychic Witch: A Metaphysical Guide to Meditation, Magick, and Manifestation “With this extraordinary book, Raven Grimassi has reached across the veil to present us with one last gift: his wealth of knowledge of the Craft, laid out in perfect detail. Filled with the teachings and rites of the Old Ways, and laced with personal anecdotes, What We Knew in the Night truly is his legacy: a trea­ sure trove of information that readers will not find elsewhere and a must-read for both seasoned practitioners and those new to the Craft.” —Dorothy Morrison, author of The Craft and Utterly Wicked “Sometimes we need to go back before we can meaningfully go forward. In his final work, What We Knew in the Night, Raven Gri­ massi shows us the importance of knowing our past as a collec­ tive of magical folk, and he teaches us how we might connect and preserve what was time-honored to the present and to the future. Grimassi's work is a treasure trove of knowledge and practice that he has won not only by study and synthesis, but through his decades of personal practice in the Craft. His teach­ ings, timeworn, tried and true, are a gift to us, and reading this volume is like sitting down with any of the Craft's greatest teach­ ers—Gard-ner, Valiente, Sanders, the Farrars—and learning straight from them. Grimassi has blessed us with a lasting set of glorious magical instructions, both foundational and beyond. We would do well to heed them.” —Timothy Roderick, author of Wicca: A Year and A Day, Dark Moon Mysteries, and other books “What We Knew in the Night—such an evocative title, so much information, including some that was almost certainly secret ini­ tiatory lore. I found this book to be strangely moving; Raven Gri- massi reminds us how different the early witchcraft revival of the mid-2Oth century was to the widespread popular practices today. He takes us back to primal ancient roots that inspired a new rad­ ical movement in the 1960s ... I was part of that revival in Britain. The core of this book is potent original witch-magic. It re­ veals the ageless whisper of Ancient Spirit Voices speaking through, and in harmony with, a committed and experienced witch.” —R J Stewart, author of The UnderWorld Initiation and many other books on the magical arts “In What. We Knew in the Night, Raven Grimassi reintroduces teachings from the '6os and '70s—tending the roots and branch­ es of the modern Western practice of witchcraft and reminding us of who we were by revealing how we've changed. The growth and development of modern practice are solely dependent upon a proper understanding of the past and, in this final treatise, Raven does that in a time-honored, winding-way manner that is sure to guide and inspire both longtime admirers of his work and new practitioners alike. Hail the traveler!” —Christopher Orapello, coauthor of Besom, Stang cJ Sword “Over his long creative career, readers were privileged to walk with Raven Grimassi as his spirituality grew and changed. His last books reveal a man who walked his talk, one who wore his beliefs on his sleeve, as well as his sense of humor. This final book—What We Knew in the Night: Reawakening the Heart of Witchcraft—does not disappoint. It is rich and generous and beautiful. It is Grimassi at his best." —H. Byron Ballard, author of Earth Works: Ceremonies in Tower Time what we knew in the night REAWAKENING THE HEART OF WITCHCRAFT Raven Grimassi This edition first published in 2019 by Weiser Books, an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, llc With offices at: 65 Parker Street, Suite 7 Newburyport, MA 01950 www.redwheeiweiser.com Copyright © 2019 by Raven Grimassi All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, llc. Reviewers may quote brief passages. ISBN: 978-1-57863-651-8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request. Cover design by Kathryn Sky-Peck Illustrations by Deidra Catero Interior by Steve Amarillo / Urban Design llc Typeset in Sabon, Athelas, Futura, Myriad Pro, and Colby Compressed Printed in Canada MAR 10 987654321 www.redwheelweiser.com/newsletter DEDICATION To those who before us preserved and passed on the Ways. To the current living light-bearers who tend the Sacred Flame. To the future generation into whose hands pass what is ever ancient and ever new.