Recent history is very dependent upon written articles that give us glimpses into the thoughts, hopes, and fears of those who have gone before us. Whether it is an old newspaper or a letter found wrapped in ribbons in an old abandoned attic, our interest is piqued by the insights we get about a real person. Historical facts are necessary to write our history as a people, but personal knowledge of someone who lived long before will always grab our interest and make the dry facts of history much more appealing.
When attempting to reclaim our history of the Craft, we should be looking at the biographies of our predecessors. However, once we go beyond the last few hundred years, we run into a blank wall of propaganda and fear mongering. We are left with a hunger for the true knowledge of the Old Ways, with no real assurance that our impressions and suppositions are valid.
What we can surmise from our own experience is simply that real people, living real lives, survived and accomplished many wonders that seem beyond natural human capabilities. I would love to reclaim their strength and perseverance in what must have been an environment of great adversity, but, to be truthful, I don’t want to return to the “Olde Days.” I don’t want to go back to a time of hardship. I’m a modern witch—I like indoor plumbing, central heat, public transportation, and grocery stores stocked with food. I like cell phones, computers, digital music, and public libraries. So why am I fascinated with the ways of the Wise Women and Cunning Men? Because they were the “experts” of their day in knowing how to live well within their environments. We are the ones who need to understand the whys and hows of their Craft so we can emulate their example by living within our own experiences. We can become the Wise Woman or the Cunning Man by being knowledgeable and aware of our environment and being willing to become a mentor in our community.
A Cunning Man would have been consulted as to where the herds may be before going on a hunt to provide food. He’d also be an authority on weaponry and supplies needed to make the journey. He would encourage people to practice their skills before setting off on the hunt and would help to train the young by example and through the telling of stories of previous hunts. He would encourage the concepts of achievement and self-awareness. He would be the coach, the trainer, and the father figure to those who would someday lead the tribe or clan. He would give his knowledge and experience to those who would take his place as the Elder, or Cunning Man. He would ensure the survival of his species. In today’s world, the Cunning Man would be a mentor, helping the young find jobs, get an education, and look forward to raising a family with pride and self-assurance.
The Wise Woman would be consulted on almost every level of everyday life. From healing herbs to preparing skins for clothing, all tribe members would seek her advice. Her skills were necessary for the health and welfare of her people. Could she also offer sympathetic magic spells to aid people? Of course, just as the Cunning Man would use symbols of the animals they needed to hunt for survival.
The Wise Woman may have been someone who knew how to prepare the foods taken on the hunt. She may have been the one who taught the children to chew the skins in order to make them pliable so that they could be made into clothing. She may have been the one who healed the sick with her recipes and potions. She may have been the one to give advice to the lovelorn. Today you would find her among the caregivers, the teachers, and the mentors. The Wise Woman most definitely would be the mid-wife who was consulted on all aspects of pregnancy. A woman who needed help because she was unable to get pregnant or had many miscarriages would have sought her advice as to what to eat, how to act, and what not to do. The woman with too many children or the girl who was too young to carry a child would consult with her on ways to prevent a pregnancy.
The Cunning Man and the Wise Woman positions in the tribes were absolutely necessary for survival. Those who could read the signs and work with Earth were respected guides within the framework of the Clan or Tribe. From their input and their ability to give good advice came the modern world we now inhabit. We are the descendants of survivors.
However, we still need those mentors and advisors. Today we have many more opportunities to seek out and receive advice about the vast complexities of our world. Today it is even more important that we emulate the Wise Women and Cunning Men of the past, who used their knowledge of their own environment to enhance life and support their community.
Do we need a Wise Woman to find out when the buses run? Nope, we simply need to pick up a schedule. Do we need a Cunning Man to tell us where to go for sushi? Nah, we simply check the phone book or use an Internet search engine. However, given human nature, we often ask a friend rather than doing our own research. The age-old habit of asking for advice from people we know and trust will always be part of how we “survive” in the world today. We need mentoring more than ever before. We need the “expert”
