Gemma Gary

Gemma is an artist and writer based in the South-West of England. Her work primarily focuses upon the rites and verbal, inscribed and physical charms of operative folk magic and witchcraft.

Gemma’s published works include:

Traditional Witchcraft – A Cornish Book of Ways; a very personal expression of contemporary witchcraft practice in Cornwall, drawing upon Cornish magical heritage and folklore, in addition to the ways of modern traditional witchcraft:

‘As Gemma Gary says in her new preface, there is no ‘set in stone’ organised witch tradition in Cornwall and folk magic practices have always been unique to their individual practitioners. However in this excellent book she has managed to expertly draw together a workable new tradition from historical sources and the surviving rites, charms and folk customs of Cornwall and the West Country.’ Michael Howard – The Cauldron

The Black Toad, Gemma’s second book for Troy Books, is an exploration of potent magical practices from the far South-West (Devon and Cornwall), as employed in previous centuries as well as in more recent times.

Gemma is currently working on a number of other book projects relating to operative magic, traditional witchcraft, folklore and ancient sacred loci.

Websites:
www.cornishwitchcraft.co.uk
www.gemmagary.co.uk

Publications

Featured

Scarlet Imprint, Serpent Songs, Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold, Gemma Gary, Shani Oates, Arkaitz Urbeltz, Stuart Inman, Jane Sparkes, Tony MacLeod, Xavier Bakaikoa Urbeltz, Steve Patterson, Richard Parkinson, Francis Ashwood, Johannes Gardback, Radomir Ristic, Anne Morris, Jesse Hathaway Diaz, Sarah Lawless

Serpent Songs

Serpent Songs is an anthology of the voices of traditional craft: the words and works of those who remain untamed, cunning folk, exorcists, pellars, sorgin, witches and mystics. A collection of fifteen essays, introduced and curated by Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold.

Troy Books, Three Hands Press, Gemma Gary, Wisht Waters

Wisht Waters

Troy Books, Three Hands Press, Gemma Gary, Wisht Waters

The numinous hangs heavy around bodies of water – places of liminality and otherworldly congress, haunted by eldritch presences and rituals of magic and custom.

Troy Books, Three Hands Press, Gemma Gary, Wisht Waters

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, Traditional Witchcraft

Traditional Witchcraft

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, Traditional Witchcraft

Although nestled in the Cornish landscape and its lore, the beliefs and practices described within this book are rooted also in the traditional witchcraft current and an ‘Old Craft’ of multiple British streams.

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, Traditional Witchcraft

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, The Long Hidden Friend

The Long Hidden Friend

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, The Long Hidden Friend

Written by John George Hohman, The Long Hidden Friend first appeared in 1820 in German as Der Lange Verborgene Freund, appearing later in English as Pow-Wows; or, Long Lost Friend. It is as a result of this book that the Dutch Pennsylvania tradition of folk-magic known as “Pow-Wow” became so named.

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, The Long Hidden Friend

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, The Devil's Dozen

The Devil’s Dozen

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, The Devil's Dozen

The operations of magic and witchcraft deal with the hidden worlds of spirit and the powers innate within the natural world; within plant, stone and magical loci. The ‘Old One’, who in folk tradition is often named ‘The Devil’ embodies both the ‘rend in the veil’ and the spanning bridge between the worlds of the material and spiritual, the revealed and the hidden.

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, The Devil's Dozen

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, The Charmers' Psalter

The Charmers’ Psalter

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, The Charmers' Psalter

The Psalms, mysterious in their origins and possibly far pre-dating their appearance within Judeo-Christian Scripture, have a long history of magical use.

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, The Charmers' Psalter

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, Silent as the Trees, Folklore

Silent as the Trees

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, Silent as the Trees, Folklore

Silent as the trees is a book exploring the old witchcraft, magical traditions and folklore nurtured amidst the village communities, hills, moors and ancient woods of Devonshire in South West England.

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, Silent as the Trees, Folklore

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis, Grimoire

Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis, Grimoire

The Troy edition of the Little Key, more widely known as The Lesser Key of Solomon, includes all five books of the seventeenth century work, itself arising from manuscripts of earlier centuries.

Troy Books, Gemma Gary, Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis, Grimoire