In Memoriam: Rae Beth (1951-2025)
It is with great sadness that the Occult Library recognizes the passing of best-loved witchcraft author Rae Beth. Our staff sends our deepest condolences to Rae’s friends, family, and colleagues.
Rae Beth passed away last month on December 11th, 2025 after an illness.
The Occult Library mourns the passing of Rae Beth.
Rae Beth was born in Sussex, England in 1951, and later spent her life in the western portion of the country. Her work drew inspiration from the natural landscapes and features of Britain. These qualities also informed her outlooks and work as an both and environmentalist and a witch.
Rae Beth, by her own telling, uncovered the worlds of paganism, witchcraft, and folklore in her twenties. These arenas painted for Rae a vision of “a sentient Earth,” which could be engaged by pagans and non-pagans alike.
Rae Beth published numerous works on witchcraft, Wicca, spellwork, and the spirituality of faerie. In particular, her 1992 work Hedge Witch has proven highly influential, profoundly moving, and useful to newcomers and longtime practitioners alike.
Written in the form of poetically-infused letters to her students, this work sparked a passion for witchcraft among countless folks exploring the magical path. The book offered a vision of witchcraft as a viable and fulfilling lifeway, exploring key mythic and theological concepts within the craft.
Cover of Rae Beth’s best-loved 1992 work, Hedge Witch
Other works by Rae Beth, like the 2003 book The Hedge Witch’s Way, the 2008 Spellcraft for Hedge Witches, and the 2009 The Green Hedge Witch expand on these themes in practical and ritual contexts.
Cover of Rae Beth’s 2003 book, The Hedge Witch’s Way
Rae Beth also wrote on goddess and faerie spirituality. Her 1995 work, The Lamp of the Goddess, expounds a vision of goddess spirituality that is imbued with a sense for sharing, togetherness, and joy. These spiritual qualities, we believe, reflect the character of the author: always willing to joyfully share with seekers, newcomers, and explorers alike.
Even in the midst of this outlook, Rae Beth acknowledges the reality of life as a cycle of which death is a part: in the same book, she explores themes surrounding Dark Goddess, the Queen of the Dead who presides over the land where souls go to rest before setting off into new cycles of regeneration and experience.
Cover of Rae Beth’s 1995 work, The Lamp of the Goddess
With all of this considered, we are painted the vision of a human, witch, and explorer who understood that death is but a doorway: a microcosmic reflection of the vital cycles that permeate and mark the entire cosmos.
To this extent, we wish for wonders and joy throughout Rae Beth’s journey.
Rae Beth’s website is currently still maintained. We highly encourage all readers to explore this page. It contains comforting writings, explorations of seasonal cycles, a detail of all her published works, and a brief biography for additional background.
The site can be found HERE.
As we have previously stated, The Occult Library recognizes that human beings themselves are like libraries: lives filled with knowledge and vocation, often marked by a personal mandate to share openly with others.
We are grateful for what Rae Beth shared among our community, and we look forward to watching new generations of curious-minded readers joyfully uncover her works.
In Gratitude,
— The Occult Library staff