This book is an extraordinary account of the beliefs and practices of the famed Witch of Salem, Laurie Cabot. After the disappearance of the ancient matriarchal societies, witchcraft endured bitter presecution from the middle ages to the 17th century and still encounters ignorance, fear and loathing today. Breaking her faith's tradition of secrecy, Laurie Cabot explores its roots and history, its rich and powerful feminine mythology, and its kinship with the earliest magic and with nature. She explains the wonderful techniques to work magic - preparing potions, casting spells, charging objects - and reveals it to be very much a practical craft and one focused on healing, protecting and neutralizing harm.