How to Fight Like a Witch

Author: Bob Makransky

For the past five years I’ve been involved in this nuisance lawsuit over a piece of land which these people sold me; then they made a new (falsified) registration on the same land and took it over by force (threatened to kill me, and did beat me up when I went over there – to the land they had sold me) . They are family of thugs who have been doing this sort of thing to poor Indians in my village for years, and getting away with it by terrorizing their victims. But this time, they picked the wrong boy (in this lawsuit I have three co-plaintiffs who are all poor Indians who the thugs pulled the same trick on – but since I’m the only one who speaks Spanish and can read and write, it’s fallen to me to fight it) .

It all started when my teacher, don Abel Yat, was doing a Mayan ceremony and in the midst of it he stopped (as was his wont) to make a prediction: “You are about to have a huge land problem.” All of don Abel’s predictions have come true, and so did this one, two weeks later.

This thing has been dragging along in the Guatemalan judicial system for years, and occupying mucho of my time and costing mucho money. I’m going to win the case in the end, but wotta drag. I asked my spirits, “Why is this Kafkaesque nightmare happening to me?” and they answered, “To teach you how to fight like a witch.”

Truthfully, I have no interest in learning how to fight like a witch. All I’m really interested in is learning how to lie in my hammock and smoke dope like a witch. But Carlos Castaneda’s teacher don Juan – and also my own teachers – are of the opinion that the best way to learn witchcraft is to find yourself in an all-out fight with a black witch who is much more powerful than you are. If you survive, then you will have learned a great deal (which really can’t be learned any other way) . It’s by fighting against a black witch that I learned what demons are, and how to defend against them; what curses are, and how to remove them; and what psychopaths are like, and how to deal with them.

Anyway, in this nuisance lawsuit my opponents aren’t witches (thank God!) . And I have learned a few things about how witchcraft works, which I will pass on to you. In brief, witchcraft works as little flashes or pings every now and then. Witches have to set up an intent (which is what casting spells is all about) and then wait patiently until the Spirit suddenly pops an opportunity up before their eyes. And then, and only then, do they act.

Don Abel showed me some techniques for bewitching to overcome. I really think the thing is childish but it does it indeed work. If you can obtain a photograph of the person you wish to overcome or a hair or fingernail cutting from the person – great. If not, just make a small drawing of the person by hand. Make a little cross of sticks (don Abel used jocote – flat pine sticks oozing sap and used for fire starters) . Wind a red thread around the sticks to join them into a cross. Then place the photo or artifact of the person you wish to overcome in the center of the cross. Fasten it to the cross by winding the red thread around it (don Abel said not to pierce the photo, since that would be definite black witchcraft and result in physical injury to the person being bewitched. The idea is to overcome the person – not incur bad karma, which will have to be paid in other lifetimes) .

After performing a “Scat” ritual over the cross (choose a Saturn transit and Saturn hour for this, and follow instructions in the BOS in the Magic 101 folder
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MagicalAlmanac/files/Magic%20101/) , place the cross in your shoe (I wrapped these crosses in duct tape first to keep them intact) ; and imagine grinding the person you wish to overcome into the dirt with every step you take (as Nancy Sinatra crooned) . As I said, it’s childish; but it does work. Nonetheless one day, after I had been tripping on acid, I decided this was bullshit and tossed the crosses in my shoes into the garbage.

Don Abel also did a ceremony on the correct day (Tzi, which rules lawsuits) to help win the case. You can get the same effect (and I have reiterated the intent to win the case after don Abel died) by performing Scat rituals now and then, particularly when things bogged down or when things started moving forward (e.g. prior to the pre-trial hearing) .

When casting a Scat spell to get rid of someone, white witches don’t visualize bad things happening to that person. Rather, they visualize themselves happy, relieved, joyous, now that said person is gone. Psychic healing is done by visualizing the person as well. The point is that the visualization has to be done as if the action is unfolding in the here and now, unlike normal daydreams, which take place in the future. One has to feel all the feelings – joy, relief, health, whatever – that would be felt if the visualization were actually true. It’s those feelings, which are being felt which attract the object of desire; which make the visualization come true.

Dilettante witches think all you have to do is cast some spells or invoke some spirits, and next thing you know, hey nonny nonny – everybody will jump through a hoop for you and whatever you desire will fall at your footsteps with no effort on your part. False! If you want to work with demons, that can be true – and you will pay for it, pal; but when you are using white witchcraft, you must take 100% responsibility for making your desire reality. When once you make a vow, make a commitment, or cast a spell, it must be IRREVOCABLE. You must be willing. When you invoke witchcraft for any reason, expect 1) that the Spirit is going to send tests your way to prove your intent; and 2) you’re going to have to do whatever is necessary to make your desire reality – go that extra mile when you are already completely, utterly exhausted.

The term unbending intent means taking complete responsibility. Once you make the decision to do something, you must be willing to go to whatever lengths are necessary to make it happen. This is the mainspring of witchcraft – of how to make witchcraft work. To be a witch means to be thoroughly undaunted and unfazed – to go to any extreme required to realize your desire. This is what holds the average person back: not only social constraints about conventional morality and “dealing with the devil”, but also the general lethargy and mediocrity which society encourages. Only witches are willing and ready to go to the utmost extreme necessary to realize their desires, thus only witches are really taking responsibility for their world, and only witches are in a position to control it.

After working on my case for a year, and apparently having it complete, the Guatemalan D.A.’s office told me they wanted to drop my case for lack of personnel; the Assistant District Attorney told me that they could only work on “urgent” cases (stupid of her to tell me that because I’ve lived in Guatemala long enough to know what “urgent cases” means – it means cases where the plaintiff is the nephew or brother-in-law of a minister or deputy) . It seemed I was stymied. But a chance remark by a friend, to call in this international agency which was investigating corruption in the judiciary and District Attorney’s office, led me to play a super-long shot: contacting a friend of a friend who I thought might be able to advise me, but who turned out in the end to work for the very same international agency that the D.A.’s office was terrified of (something I hadn’t known before) .

When I explained my case to her she told me to forget it, that wasn’t what they do (their job is to police corruption in the judiciary and district attorney’s office due to narcotics traffickers) . But when I insisted she told me, “Okay, get your documents and sworn testimony from witnesses and I’ll submit them to my boss.” It took me a month of intense effort to round up all the statements from all the witnesses, but I got it together and submitted it to her. Next thing I knew her boss had written a strong letter to the Guatemalan District Attorney telling him to continue my case; and he passed the order on to the A.D.A. who had dropped me. The A.D.A. was pretty pissed off when I next saw her, but swallowed it and realized she had no choice but to continue my case, so she did. Voila! Tinker to Evers to Chance! That’s how witchcraft works: nothing, nothing, nothing, and then BING!

The same thing happened at a later point, when I had to set up a trap to arrest the defendants in the case (in Guatemala, everything is do-it-yourself, including doing the police’s work for them) . It’s too difficult to explain the whole situation here (although it is really interesting – but would lead too far afield) ; suffice it to say that it was Tinker to Evers to Chance again – an apparent obstacle, which turned into a miracle for me.

The point is, that if you are going to use white witchcraft, be prepared to have the Spirit roll marbles in your path, or block you somehow, so it seems you must give up just when everything seems to be working fine. The Spirit is a trickster – it’s always doing that kind of shit to test the mettle of real witches. Here’s where the phony witches peel off – they’re looking for a free ride or handout. IF YOU ARE GOING TO USE WITCHCRAFT TO GET WHAT YOU WANT, (whether black or white) , YOU MUST BE WILLING TO GO TO ANY EXTEME NECESSARY, ENDURE ANY HARDSHIP NECESSARY, COVER ALL BASES, DOT ALL i’s AND CROSS ALL t’s. And the amazing thing is, that when you do this, miracles happen (like me, with no cuello (inside pull) being able to bring pressure to bear on the Guatemalan District Attorney’s office, and being able to instruct the police on how set a trap to arrest the defendants.

Conscious awareness is where all links ultimately have to be made. A witch, however, never makes links through direct intervention, by acting on his or her own accord. This is how average people blow things or trip themselves up. They fail by acting on their thought forms, by being impatient and pushy, by being unwilling or unable to trust in the Spirit to bring them what they want in the fullness of time.

This shows lack of faith. Only the Spirit can move the wheel of chance. Therefore the basic principle of witchcraft is patience. Conscious awareness can only exist if there is also unconscious awareness – something that is being hidden. The trick of witchcraft is to take in everything so that nothing is any longer hidden. Another way of saying this is, we must become aware of our own prejudices and taken-for-granted assumptions, since it is our own images and expectations which blind us to the truth.

The answer to how to fight like a witch lies in holding it all in. Once it is determined that the other person is shameless and is acting in bad faith, you do not talk to your opponent, or waste time and energy trying to convince him or her of anything.

Reject all thoughts of rancor as they arise. By hoping the other person “gets what’s coming to them” you not only close your own heart, but you insure that the other person won’t get what’s coming to them because you are not releasing that desire. I have no rancor for my opponents in this stupid lawsuit (though I certainly regret all the time and money I’ve wasted on it) . The day a bunch of them beat me up, I actually reached the Place of No Pity (see the article on same posted in the Magical Almanac files Consciousness folder:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MagicalAlmanac/files/Consciousness/) – when I got up off the ground and dusted myself off, they were still standing around me threatening me, and yet I felt no fear or anger whatsoever – it was like something had been lifted off me (this feeling lasted for a few weeks; but I still have little personal rancor for these a**holes – I just want to win this stupid lawsuit; and get them off my case) .

It is helpful to have patron spirits helping you (for everything – not just fighting) . This is because spirits can see connections, which we humans miss. They can see light fibers, which we humans can’t (unless we are exceptionally gifted psychically) . What’s really going on beneath the surface of everyday life is quite apparent to spirits, even though it mystifies us. In order to fight like a witch (or do anything like a witch) you can’t rely on thinking mind – everything your parents and society have taught you – that’s just too dumb. You have to rely either upon your own intent; or else do what spirits tell you to do (act on their cues) .

But when I “won” the pre-trial hearing (which basically means I will win the case – even though it’s going to drag on for another year or two – the only question remaining is how much in damages I will be awarded) I thanked my patron spirits, the 9 Mayan gods for their help. And they told it wasn’t them, it was the spells don Abel – and I – did that produced the miracles; that I should give myself more credit. So even if you don’t have patron spirits, the techniques given here are really all you need.

_____________________________

Footnotes:
(excerpted from Magical Almanac, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MagicalAlmanac)

Yes Witches Can? Yes, Witches WILL!

Author: Courtney Weber

A few weeks ago, I struck up a conversation with a stranger in the grocery store. As Witches, we are no strangers to synchronicity. My copy of Christopher Penzcak’s “The Temple of High Witchcraft”, which I carried with me, sparked a conversation about our neighborhood, Inwood—the northernmost neighborhood of Manhattan.

Here, one will easily come across a Botanica (a Spanish magick store) , a candle-lit street shrine or even a severed hog’s head on a silver platter in the nearby Fort Tryon Park (Yep. Don’t ask me what for) . The streets are sprinkled with confetti of curses and hexes—usually one storeowner against another. My favorite Botanica closed last year, and I suspect it was the magickal doing of the rival Botanica on the next block.

I laughed as I told the woman about it.

She shook her head. “If they truly have that gift, ” she said. “It is a shame they’re wasting it on such petty issues.”

Over the next few days, I thought about that. She made a good point. I wondered what would happen if my neighbors began focusing their powers on things of a higher caliber. Would “freezing” rent spikes and landlord harassment prevent further gentrification? Could a strong banishing rite rid the block of drug dealers and gun-wielding teenagers?

Then, I thought about what I do with my own Magick.

I pulled a poppet I’d made from its hiding place. This poppet was used in a spell to keep an individual from verbally attacking myself and others—which had occurred frequently. I wrote the individual’s name on the forehead of a Cabbage Patch doll, bound it from neck to foot in white cloth and placed duct tape over its mouth.

I stated to the Gods that the subject would no longer harm others through words and actions, replacing her anger and pain with healing light.

I did not bind frivolously. At the time, it felt ethically correct. The person was wracking up high Karmic debt through verbal violence and physical threats. Since I was knew how to stop the damaging actions, I felt it my responsibility to do so—sparing a spiritually ignorant person the pangs of Karmic repercussions she would not understand and sparing others from further pain she was certain to cause.

The spell worked with frightening accuracy. Overnight, she stopped slandering others and overcompensated with effusive compliments all around. That was good. But she cowered in my presence, which I found annoying—not empowering. I was constantly aware of her moods and movements. It was taxing.

I unbound the doll and announced to the Gods that the spell was complete. The person was no longer under my power or protection.

The days following the unbinding were interesting. First of all, the subject immediately suffered an emotional breakdown. I now wonder if the binding delayed a necessary collapse by holding her in stasis. (The subject is reportedly doing much better now)

Right away, I received new messages from the Gods in my dreams in regards to our Magick group. My Tarot reading accuracy increased dramatically. I realized that the one binding spell nearly monopolized my psychic energy bank. I was back to my old self—something I didn’t realize I’d lost.

But where to direct this new energy?

On Tuesday, November 4th 2008, I—like so many—chanted…um, screamed “YES WE CAN!!!” as Obama won the election. And I, like many, lamented the loss of marriage and rights to thousands of our citizens in California, Arizona, Florida and adoption rights in Arkansas.

Inspired by Obama’s election speech on change, the woman in the grocery store and the change in my Magickal focus, I organized a number of our Group members to join a marriage equality rally at City Hall. We offered Handfasting Rites to any couple wishing to marry that day. One young couple took us up on the offer and before a crowd of supportive strangers, exchanged vows to live as husband and husband for a year and a day.

As I bound their hands with a lavender ribbon, I cast this spell, “May this union mark the beginning of change so that one day all unions will be legal under the Constitution of the United States of America. So mote it be.” With that, the two men jumped the broom and the people cheered. Binding their hands was a far better use of my psychic energy than the binding of an unfriendly acquaintance.

Whether or not you supported Obama’s election, few Witches could argue with his acceptance speech: Change begins with us. As Witches, it is vital that we do not waste our powers on things of little consequence. Instead, we must spread those energies to larger, more pertinent issues.

“Dress rehearsal is over y’all, ” Orion Foxwood said at the Harvest Home Gathering this fall. “It’s time to get in the game.”

“As above, so below…” We recite the phrase, but do we understand what it means? Most Witches work with the concept of Below—using their Magick to improve their lives and those of their loved ones—but not always aiming their energies toward that equally important realm, Above. Our occult bookshops are choked with books for recipes on attracting a mate or increasing personal prosperity.

But where are the spells for attracting peace to a war-torn region? Increasing prosperity in an impoverished neighborhood? Many Witches do not understand that Above is a reflection of Below. If we wish to build a healthy global community, the changes must be made in our immediate vicinity, first.

The Handfasting worked on both an Above and Below level. On a Below level, it provided the young couple the opportunity to pledge commitment to one another for the first time. On an Above level, those witnessing took with them the beautiful sight of two men joining a union of Perfect Love and Perfect Trust and perhaps the question, why can’t all enjoy it?

Perhaps most importantly on an Above level, the spell cast on their union aimed to make all such unions legal in the United States of America. I want my children to marry whomever they wish.

Do you?

Now, if the principle of As Above, So Below holds true, and individual lives must be healthy in order for a population to thrive, sending your energies to a higher collective good does not mean abandoning changes for the better in our personal lives. But when you’re burning a series of candles to increase your powers in the workplace, throw in a spell that increases prosperity in a famine ravished community.

While you’re sticking your mother-in-law’s name in an ice-cube tray to freeze her religious jabs at the holiday dinner party, also throw in the name of groups causing death and injury in the name of religion.

As Hecate told our Group on Samhain Eve, “Mend the holes in the sweaters in your lives.” Our answer was not “Yes we can, ” but “Yes we WILL.”

We are Witches. We were born with the power to bless and to curse, to heal and to destroy. We serendipitously wind up in situations where something is needed when we are just the ones to provide it. Let us put our Goddess-given abilities to proper use.

Let us bring our brooms out of our personal broom-closets and into the mess around us. There is a lot of sweeping to do.

Where will you begin?

Justified Cursing

Author: Sickle

What do I mean when I say curse? Simply put, I define a curse as any magick which intentionally harms or hinders. If I were to use magick to stop the growth of a tumor by attacking it directly, I would in effect be cursing the cancer. I use this example because the rest of what I am going to say relates to how curses can be used for the greater good.

I was recently discussing the idea of curses with a trusted friend of mine. I was saying that there were times when curses were necessary, if not down and out required. She went on to remind me of the Threefold Law.

First of all, the Threefold Law is bogus.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If I punch a brick wall with 20 lbs of force, I get 20 lbs of force back against my fist. I don’t get 60 lbs of pressure in return.

If I dig a hole one foot wide, one foot long, and one foot deep, the “Universe” doesn’t fill in that hole with nine square feet of earth. As a matter of fact, the “Universe” doesn’t even care about my little hole.

If I curse someone (for reasons I’ll get to later), the magick is not going to rebound to me, bringing with it three times the doom and gloom I may have sent . Experience has taught me this is so. Some may say, “But wait! What about what you said about ‘an equal and opposite reaction’?” Fair enough question. Let’s say that the above mentioned brick wall will collapse if I punch it with 100 lbs of force. Let’s also say that I have conditioned my fist to withstand 200 lbs of pressure, as well as being able to stand the rough texture of the bricks. I still get the reciprocated force, but it doesn’t affect me, at least not like it does the wall. I felt some pressure, but the wall has collapsed.

What does come into effect, are the consequences of ones actions. If I destroy ten oak trees because I suddenly find myself in a fit of rage against acorns, that’s no big deal (as far as the “big picture”). If I destroy all the plants on Earth because I hate flora in general, I will surely suffer from the loss of oxygen and ultimately die (very big deal). This isn’t a response from the Threefold Law. My destruction due to rage didn’t elicit the wrath of the “Universe”, and result in the ultimate demise of yours truly. My death would be a result of my actions, as well as general stupidity.

The reason I was talking with my trusted friend about curses, is because I was saying how they could be used as acts of justice. If there is a serial rapist on the loose, would it not be the responsibility of those who can to stop him? What if your only method of stopping him involved whispering the Words of Darkness, and making his member shrivel up? Would it be justified?

I say yes.

During this same conversation, my friend mentioned that doing so may interfere with the rapist’s karma. Perhaps he came into his current incarnation to learn what it was like to be convicted of a horrible crime, sentenced to prison, and so on. My problem with that is that it allows said rapist to continue his horrendous actions until said lesson comes into play. Who knows how long that might be? How many people must suffer just so he can learn?

I hear people–mostly New Agers–all the time talking of the “Journey of the Soul”. This is the idea that, before we were born into our physical bodies, we chose what kind of life we would live, in order that we might learn spiritual lessons. These same people preach that it is wrong to interrupt someone’s Journey, as it results in the retardation of the soul’s evolution. The problem here is that kind of thinking can lead to any number of atrocities. For example, the starving could be left to starve. After all, they knew what they were getting into, right? Who are we to interfere with their Cosmic Lessons? Murderers could go unchecked. Perhaps they needed to experience the taking of life. No?

Going back to our rapist-at-large, one could say that it would be wrong to interfere with his “Journey of the Soul”, as he is simply following a path to spiritual evolution. If not, then karma will surely make things right. Equal and opposite reaction after all, right?

True. In order for that happen, though, you sometimes must BE karma.

I look at karma as the result of ones actions. Kill ten trees and you’ll live. Kill them all, and you’ll die.

Commit horrible acts, and you’ll get cursed.

By no means am I advocating “casual cursing”. There’s a big difference between stopping a killer and killing your ex-boyfriend because he dumped you for your sister. The decision to throw a curse must be well thought out, just like any other form of justifiable punishment. Other methods of justice must be sought as well. Cursing can take time, and there are instances when a mundane method would have been more practical, not to mention faster.

However, if you’re unable to stop someone from committing heinous crimes in any other fashion than by hexing, I say it is your duty to do so. To stand back and wait for something else to bring things to a halt is actually a promotion of the crimes. If the perpetrator had done nothing wrong, then they would not be the victim of the curse in the first place–provided you are an ethical curser. It isn’t like they were just minding their own business when you decided to give them leprosy.

There are times for letting things be, and there are times for changing the course of the flow.

Just make sure your reasoning is just, and your fist is strong.

Is There a Right Time to Curse?

Author: Sleeping Moon

First off, I want to get something straight that even pagans seem to misunderstand. Or have been misguided into believing. (Not all, mind you, but most.) Hexes are NOT curses! Hexes are painted signs posted on barns down in the south to promote positive influences over the property and those that live there.

Curses are quite different. From the Wikipedia (on-line dictionary) the definition is: A curse (also called execration) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, “curse” may refer to a wish that harm or hurt will be inflicted by any supernatural power, such as a spell, a prayer, an imprecation, an execration, magic, witchcraft, a god, a natural force, or a spirit. In many belief systems, the curse itself (or accompanying ritual) is considered to have some causative force in the result.

They claim that a curse holds no power unless the recipient believes in it. I don’t believe that’s necessarily true. A curse has merit no matter what. It’s a solid form of magick just as a spell is. It has its purpose and has a place. They exist for a reason and if used correctly, they can be a force of nature to be reckoned with.

There are a few pagans who have called a dark deity as their matron/patron. Kali, The Morrigan, Calliach, Hecate, Badb, Skatha, Nemisis, Morgana, Innana and Lilith, Hades, Anubis, Setesh, Hoder, just to name a few.

What’s the difference with calling one of these dark deities and a curse? There are many forms of magic to use in calling forth the dark deities, but all in all, the dark deities are: Dark. You wouldn’t call on Kali or The Morrigan to cast a love spell. They are more for revenge and war than love and laughter.

In the beginning I would never have even thought about cursing any one. For any reason whatsoever. Many years later, my logic has changed.

I feel that there is a time to curse and a time to use another approach. If harm befell upon your loved one, for example if he/she was raped, shot, or killed, (these being the more serious offenses) , I can agree that a curse is more of an appropriate form of magick than to send that person ‘peace and love’. The damage has been done and is irrevocable so in my opinion, a curse is warranted and justifiable. Surrounding yourself with protection and that loved one (whether living or not) is always a positive take, but you would want to see that person get the justice he/she deserves. Right? You wouldn’t want that person to be able to harm other folk, right? You’d do every thing with in your capable means (with in the law) to get what they deserve.
So why not a curse?

I understand that Wiccans, the traditional ones, wouldn’t condone such a notion because of the three-fold law. But, as I stated beforehand, the damage HAS been done, so there is no further harm. Every thing in life has a good and bad side to it, just as it does in magick. No matter what we do in magick, we are taking something from some one else. That extra energy we use to cast a spell could be used for some one fighting a serious illness. In the air we breathe, we are taking that air from some one else. We use a candle to focus. We use that source of light from some one that may need it during a power outage or in a third world country that has no power what so ever. The list could go on and on. It’s a nice rule, but it’s an oxy moron. It doesn’t fit. Not technically.
Of course I would never agree to a curse just because I didn’t like some one. The damage that would warrant a curse from me would have to be severe.

Curses have a long history. It dates back to ancient Egyptian times. Probably dates back to the cave men, but for theory’s use, I will stick to then.

In Haiti, curses are called getting “crossed”. In Voodoo it’s called a jinx as well as a form of foot track magic. The “evil eye” is thought to stem from the Middle Eastern and the Mediterranean areas.

In Greece they are called katadesmoi and in Rome, tabulae defixiones. In Ireland there are many known forms of curses such as curse stones or egg curses, New Year curses and milk curses. Chinese peoples have them. The Indonesians, the Indians (not with the feather!) the Europeans, the Brits and the Scottish people have curses in their history. Even Native Americans.

The Native American people of the southern plains called these types of witches Skin Walkers. Skin Walkers where as nasty as one witch or wizard could possible get with the use of black magick. These beings are supposed to be able to extract revenge upon the help less victim by placing an animal skin over their human bodies and thus shape shifting into the form of that animal. While in the guise of the animal they choose, they can wreck havoc upon the poor soul they choose to victimize.

Even in the bible there are curses hidden within. God himself placed a curse upon the snake “You are cursed more than all cattle”, (Genesis 3:14) . As a result of Adam and Eve disobeying God, the ground is also cursed: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.” (3:17) . Cain is cursed from the earth, “So now you are cursed from the earth”, (4:11) . In the New Testament Paul sees curses as central to the meaning of Jesus’ crucifixion. In Galatians 3:13 he says: “Christ redeems us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…”. He refers to Deuteronomy: ” anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse.” (21:23 RAEDM)

So if even God himself used them, they are credited aren’t they? Why can’t we use them if the damage has been done?

I wish the world were all frilly and white. But, it’s not. There are lines of grey that border on crossing over to black; there are lines of grey that border on crossing over to the lines of white. That’s the way life works. It’s the way Nature lives and the way humans are bred. Nature is neither cruel nor loving, it just is. And magick is the same, in my book.

Again, if the damage has been done, why can’t a curse be warranted?

Why Sharks Circle You Before Attacking

Two great white sharks swimming in the ocean spied survivors of a sunken ship. “Follow me son” the father shark said to the son shark and they swam to the mass of people.

“First we swim around them a few times with just the tip of our fins showing.” And they did.

“Well done, son! Now we swim around them a few times with all of our fins showing.” And they did.

“Now we eat everybody.” And they did.

When they were both gorged, the son asked, “Dad, why didn’t we just eat them all at first? Why did we swim around and around them?”

His wise father replied, “Because they taste better without the shit inside!”

 

For more great Pagan humor, visit Turok’s Cabana

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2016 August 8

Perseid Meteors over Mount Shasta
Image Credit & Copyright: Brad Goldpaint (Goldpaint Photography)

Explanation: Where are all of these meteors coming from? In terms of direction on the sky, the pointed answer is the constellation of Perseus. That is why the meteor shower that peaks later this week is known as the Perseids — the meteors all appear to came from a radiant toward Perseus. In terms of parent body, though, the sand-sized debris that makes up the Perseids meteors come from Comet Swift-Tuttle. The comet follows a well-defined orbit around our Sun, and the part of the orbit that approaches Earth is superposed in front of the Perseus. Therefore, when Earth crosses this orbit, the radiant point of falling debris appears in Perseus. Featured here, a composite image containing over 60 meteors from last August’sPerseids meteor shower shows many bright meteors that streaked over Mount Shasta, California, USA. This year’s Perseids holds promise to be the best meteor shower of the year.

Moon near star Spica on August 8

 

Author

The Words of Confucius

When we see persons of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see persons of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.

Your Charm for Today

Today’s Meaning:
The spirit of someone you knew dearly is trying to guide you in this aspect. In a dark room light a single candle and focus upon its light. Listen carefully with your heart and you will know what to do.

General Description:
These Gnostic amulets were held in high esteem for their supposed magical properties. They were made of bronze, sometimes gilt, and covered with inscriptions and curious occult signs. The Gnostics were mystic sects which flourished in the second century A.D., in the Eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. The nails were carried as charms for protection from all evil influences, also to guard the living from the lemurs, the ghosts of the unhappy dead. Nails with inscriptions were frequently buried with the body to prevent any haunting by the spirit.

Your Ancient Symbol Card for Today

The Peacock

The iridescent emerald plumage and spectacular broad tail of The Peacock make it the ideal symbol of both justified pride and vanity. It denotes the right for one to be proud of themselves for being who they are and for letting others know. In short, its okay to strut a bit. At the same time The Peacock reminds us that while pride and high self esteem are essential components of a healthy psyche, becoming too full of one’s self makes us vain, and vanity is never attractive in anyone.

As a daily card, The Peacock is reminder that you are inherently valuable, and have a right to be proud of who you are as well as let others know you are proud of yourself. It is also a warning to not allow you pride and sense of self worth grow to such grand proportions that you become vain and conceited.

Today’s Witches Rune

Man

Meaning: The Man rune demands action. It’s not longer time to quietly sit and think, or to hide yourself and heal. No, it’s time to get up and fight for what you want. If things are slow or stagnated, change them. Begin something new. It’s not a moment to let things flow as they will, but to grab the reigns and gain control over the situation. Be the leader and defend your stand.

While the Woman rune is about healing, this one can be about defending yourself, and, sometimes, hurting or getting hurt in the process. You may have to defend your opinions, your actions or choices against some aggressive people. This rune offers you a challenge, but is also shows that you have the resources needed to face it. Naturally, this rune has very aggressive potentials in it, and they need a good deal of discipline in order to not become sorely destructive.

The Man rune also accelerates everything… nothing stays still when its around. The outcome of your question may happen sooner than you expected, but the result will probably be unexpected. It does not mean that all will go wrong, no – things will simply develop in unseen ways.

In relationship readings, the Man rune promises a period of instability, so it’s important to not have high expectations. Under the influence of this rune, the relationship can be a stairway to Heaven or a ticket to Hell… and sometimes both, in a short period of time. It promises a bumpy journey for the heart, but with a great level of intensity. The Man rune can stand for love/hate relationship, cat and rat games and obsessions… the kind of things that turns one nuts (for good and for bad). This rune is good in questions concerning sexuality.

 

Additional information about Today’s Witches courtesy of Your Spiritual Journey Australia

 

 

 

 

 

 

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