Back a bit, I posted a post about the Besom.  I reposted a section from it and asked a question on the 1734 section of the Crooked Path forums.

Ash or Rowan in a Besom...? - The Crooked Path | Forums | The 1734 Tradition:I was working through the symbolism of the three trees used in the Besom last night, looking at what Roy said and reading about ( Read more... )

Now we come to the Sword or Battle-Axe.  He only mentions the Battle-Axe in the context of the list, but the Sword is all over Cochrane's letters.  I think which it is depends on the context.  Probably the Battle-Axe was older, replaced by the Sword, but I could be wrong.  I think the symbolism will be consistent regardless of which is used ( Read more... )

Determining what the symbolic meaning of each of the feminine symbols is a good first step, but Cochrane says repeatedly that, in Witchcraft, nothing is ever what it seems.  There is more to the symbols than just a symbolic representation and how they correspond to the other concepts.  Concepts are good, but they aren't the core of the Poetic.  The ( Read more... )

In discussing the symbols, I'll start with the feminine mysteries, since Cochrane said more about them.

Sixth Letter:They are expressed in symbols as a broom, a flask, a cup, a glove, a distaff and a shift - all of which have a symbolic meaning in the Faith.

About the feminine mysteries, Cochrane says this:

Sixth Letter:The feminine Mysteries ( Read more... )