Join Aerinn Hodges and Dr Alexander Cummins as they present a celebration and excavation of the life and legacy of the early modern English unsung grimoirist, magician, and speculatrix Anne Bodenham, 'the cunning

woman of Wiltshire', who eventually met her death in 1653 at the wrong end of a witchcraft accusation.

In this special two-headed class, contemporary cunning-folk Aerinn Hodges and Dr Alexander Cummins will explore the twofold considerations of Anne as painted by her contemporaries:

• Anne the Cunning Woman: a professional magician with a successful practice in service to her community: teaching children to read; identifying thieves; breaking curses; and prescribing planetary prayers, charms, and other remediations for their ills.
• Anne the Witch: taught magic by the Devil himself when book-learning would take her no further; who conjured ragged spirits from her diabolical tome inked in blood; who practised the despised "Old Religion", who cursed the hangman 'to the last' and insisted she be buried at the gallows.
• Where these two paths meet, we will encounter Anne in her fullness, a strong, passionate woman and former student of infamous necromancer Dr John Lambe, who boasted she knew better than the best doctors and had more in her art than the seventeenth-century's most famous astrologer William Lilly.
• This class will thus explore the historical and magical realities of the figure of the Witch and of the Wise-Woman by charting some of these tensions of gender, religion, class, and folk belief. This presentation will challenge some outdated assumptions about what grimoiric magic and cunning medicine actually looked like in early modern England and, in doing so, will ultimately seek to honour the "grancestors" of the Cunning Dead who may yet come forth to offer their guidance for we living service magicians, seers, and wise-ones-in-training.

About the Presenters:

Dr Alexander Cummins - 

Dr. Alexander Cummins (@grimoiresontape) is a professional diviner, consultant sorcerer, and historian of magic. His work focuses on grimoires, divination, and folk necromancy. He co-hosts Radio Free Golgotha, and can be booked for talks, workshops, readings, coaching and consultation at www.alexandercummins.com/. His recorded classes can also be obtained from The Cauldron Black archives.

THIS CLASS IS ONLINE ONLY! This recording will be available for 30  days after purchase unless you purchase the entire Mighty Dead Class Series, in which case the recordings will be available until January 9th  2022.

By purchasing this class you agree to the following Non Disclosure:

This Agreement is between The Cauldron Black (“OWNER”); and the Purchaser (“RECIPIENT”). WHEREAS, OWNER has developed through substantial effort, research, time, and expense certain inventions, design concepts, methodologies, technical know-how, copyrightable material and trade secrets directed and related to this class. (“INFORMATION”); WHEREAS, OWNER desires to disclose the INFORMATION on a confidential basis to RECIPIENT. The OWNER wishes to maintain the confidentiality of the INFORMATION and the protection of OWNER'S intellectual property rights. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the  mutual promises, covenants, and conditions contained herein, the sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows: I. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION A. OWNER agrees to disclose INFORMATION to RECIPIENT for the purposes of an online class. B. RECIPIENT agrees to receive such INFORMATION and to refrain from copying, disclosing, using, selling, or offering for sale any and all of said INFORMATION. RECIPIENT agrees to keep confidential and refrain from disclosing any and all of the INFORMATION, and to take all necessary and reasonable steps to prevent unauthorized disclosure or use of any and all of the INFORMATION.  Failure to uphold this NDA may result in legal action.