Grimassi - Grimoire of the Thorn-Blooded Witch: Mastering the Five Arts of Old World Witchery

When we open ourselves to the presence of Holy Nature, a different kind of magic happens. Raven Grimassi shows us a gateway, a path, and a way of integration with the realms of enchantment that are right in front of us, if we but know where to look and have the patience to watch, listen, and learn.

T. THORN COYLE, author of Make Magic of Your Life and Kissing the Limitless

It has often been said that a good witch uses what works. Moreover, many in the broader magickal community extol the value of being in living religions that continue to evolve and change with the times. What Raven Grimassi has created in this book is a system of Witchcraft as fresh as your next breath and as old as the dreams of your ancestors that slumber in your blood. The Rose and Thorn Path is truly inspired and is a vision that has been refined by the decades of Raven Grimassi's work into a Path that many will find as authentic and genuine. Virtually everything that we have today started in the inner realms of bards, prophets, and seers long before they were recorded and became official lore and writ.

IVO DOMINGUEZ, author of Casting Sacred Space

Raven Grimassi has brought us the ultimate treasurethat thing for which we've searched so long but failed to unearth: the missing link that connects all magical systems and makes each one viable. Undoubtedly, it's the most exciting and important book of the decade!

DOROTHY MORRISON, author of Utterly Wicked and The Craft

Behold a spirited piece of work exploring the underlying mystical currents of Witchcraft. As Mr. Grimassi encourages a tossing-out of titles and pretenses, he dually encourages readers to embrace their abilities as Natural Witchesnature mystics who understand the parallels of human consciousness and the earth's regenerative flora. While the mythos, names, and rituals of the Rose and Thorn Path may be inspired by modern vision, its essence is as old as the turning tides around us.

RAVEN DIGITALIS, author of Shadow Magick Compendium and Empathy

I have always loved Raven Grimassi's writings. It is a pleasure when I see him at festivals and hear that a new book is out. The Grimoire of the Thorn-Blooded Witch is no exception. From a spiritual point of view this book gives the reader a new thought pattern to follow in the journey from birth to death. As a wood worker and wielder of spiritual energies through vascular plants I found his detailed work on Plant Spirits to be most enlightening. Further I was impressed by his work with two tools often ignored in many magical tomes: the Mortar and Pestle. It is evident through this section that Raven has an intimate knowledge of the workings of magical plants and how to combine and/or separate those energies where needed. This is essential in all crafts and is too many times given passing comments instead of in-depth review. The final sections are of the Old Ones and their Rites. These sections were well thought out, well presented, and the reader could see where the author was coming from and going to; something that is often missed in many books on our subjects. There is reverence in Raven's writings and of all places it shows deepest in these last few chapters.

GYPSEY ELAINE TEAGUE, author of Steampunk Magick

Deeply moving and traditional with historic integrity, Grimassi's book introducing the reader to the Path of the Rose and Thorn is also deeply personal to the author. Abundant with references to historians, energized with numerous deities, the books is a garden unto itself. Grimassi presents the text in a thoughtful manner, guiding the reader through the spiritual construct and cosmology of the tradition to the acquisition of the appropriate ritual tools with beautiful rituals for their consecration. Grimassi further guides you into the deeper Mysteries of the Green World, introducing you to those species most important to this Path, and then through the ritual calendar. This is one of those books which is likely to change your life (for the better).

REV. PAUL BEYERL at The Hermit's Grove, author of The Master Book of Herbalism

With this enigmatic entry into the occult lore, Raven Grimassi reminds us that true Witchcraft resonates within the hidden tides of the natural world, where those energies connect to the very essence of the human soul. Many books talk about the relationship of Witches to natural magic. This book takes you into the very heart of it through myth, rituals and communion with the gods of old, those ancient spirits discovered within the deepest wood and enchanted garden.

CHRISTIAN DAY, author of The Witches' Book of the Dead

It is rare to find a witch who has the courage and prescience to journey the winding path and return with an understanding that is beyond their own ego. Raven Grimassi proves to be that rare witch. In Grimoire of the Thorn-Blooded Witch, Raven takes us on a journey climbing down the ladder into the depths of the soul of nature and back up into the stars themselves. He has given us a grimoire which speaks to mysteries that are deeply old with an understanding that is richly new. He clearly reveals philosophy, but does not stop there, instead bringing us into practical application as well. Truly a work of genius, Grimoire of the Thorn-Blooded Witch promises to become a classic read.

ANDREW THEITIC, executive editor of The Witches' Almanac

Grimoire of the Thorn-Blooded Witch is a landmark book of witchery! Grimassi has invited us into a world where the lines between human and other, seen and unseen, deep and height, shadow and light meet revealing the potent and primal currents of witchery. As a Traditional Witch, Southern Conjure-Man and Faery Seer, I know the power and wisdom that comes when a human partners with the spirit of other and thus, reveals the ancient wisdom that flows from the living memory of our planet, the soul of the earth. That power and wisdom is accessible through the treasures in this book. Bring the mysteries of your red blood to the mysteries of the green blood, and awaken the Thorn-Blooded Witch within you. The underworld powers of magical alchemy await within these pages!

Orion Foxwood, author of The Candle and the Crossroads

In your hands is Raven Grimassi's most personal and powerful work to date. In it he shares profound Craft teachings that will transform your relationship with magick, and your work as a Witch. I wish I'd had access to this treasure earlier on my path.

Christopher Penczak, co-Founder of the Temple of Witchcraft and author of the Plant Spirit Familiar

First published in 2014 by Weiser Books

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

With offices at:

665 Third Street, Suite 400

San Francisco, CA 94107

www.redwheelweiser.com

All illustrations, photographs, and text 2014 by Raven Grimassi unless otherwise noted. 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--57863-550-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

Interior illustrations by Jane Starr Weils

Cover design by Jim Warner

Cover image: Surreal portrait of woman by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, oil on wood, circa 1591, 1527-1593, Private Collection, Fine Art Images/SuperStock Interior by Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama