Wicca and Neo-Paganism

Neopaganism covers a wide range of belief systems which have emerged in the past 50 years, primarily in the UK, Europe, and the United States. This includes the better known Wicca, which is a synthesis of traditions from the British Isles, as well as many less visible groups which draw inspiration from other parts of the world. Based on folk-lore, traditional spiritual practices, anthropology, and a synthesis of esoteric systems, Neopaganism does not have any sacred texts of the same vintage as other religions, although unverifiable claims have been made in a couple of cases (e.g. Aradia, and The Gardnerian Book of Shadows).

Rather, the books presented here are source texts of Neopaganism, and other books which deal with related topics. Many of these books contain outdated or speculative material, and some of the texts here are the product of the Renaissance witch hunters. As a whole, the books here are of historical importance rather than a roadmap to modern pagan practice, and shouldn’t be construed as such. As always, we encourage readers to think critically.

Descriptions of contemporary Neopagan practice and beliefs can be found in the Internet Book of Shadows section of this site.

Twentieth Century

The Books of Gerald Gardner

The Gardnerian Book of Shadows
The Book of Shadows is a Wiccan text which is maintained by the initiated in manuscript form. A Book of Shadows contains description of rituals, spells, and other knowledge. This tradition was carried on by Gerald Gardner, who (depending on the account) either synthesized Wicca, or took it public, during the 1950s.

The White Goddess
Robert Graves’ primary contribution to modern Neopaganism.

The works of Margaret Murray
An essay by J.B. Hare.

The Witch-Cult in Western Europe
by Margaret Murray [1921]
Were there ever REAL witches? If not, what were all the witch trials about? And how about those fairies? Murray tries to answer these and other questions objectively with plenty of documentary evidence. She is often cited as a primary source for Gerald Gardners’ ideology.

The Golden Bough
by Sir James Frazer [1922]
A massive study of the mythological cycle of the Godesses’ lover, the solar God who dies and is reborn. The Golden Bough had a huge influence on Margaret Murray, Robert Graves and Gardner.

Victorian

Aradia, Gospel of the Witches
by Charles G. Leland [1899]
Evidence of a surviving underground Italian pagan religion?
Etruscan Roman Remains in Popular Tradition
by Charles G. Leland [1893]
Stregheria is Italian traditional witchcraft. These are considered historical source documents of the Wicca movement. Some contemporary scholars have questioned the authenticity of Lelands’ scholarship. Recent publications by Raven Grimassi have also added a great deal of depth to the subject of Italian witchcraft. See www.stregheria.com [external site] for more information.
Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling
by Charles G. Leland [1891]
Leland investigates another traditional system of magic, that of the Rom, or Gypsies.

Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft
by Sir Walter Scott [1885].
Scott covers much of the same evidence for the Witch cult as Murry (albeit in a more popular style). Scott draws few conclusions other than that our ancestors were extremely superstitous.

The Sorceress
by Jules Michelet, tr. by Alfred Richard Allinson [1939]
The story of witchcraft from the medieval to the 17th century, as a covert women’s rebellion which led to modern science and medicine.

The Burning Times

From the 14th to the 17th Century a hysteria spread across Europe which involved torturing and executing people based on accusations that they were witches. Whether any actual practicioners of a pre-Christian pagan tradition were persecuted as the result of a witch trial is up for debate. These books and texts are period documents which illustrate the methods, rationale (such as it was) and history of this persecution. They shouldn’t be taken as illustrative of Neopaganism, but as a warning about religious tolerance and the fragile nature of justice.

The Malleus Maleficarum
[1486], translated by Montague Summers [1928]
The best known witch-hunt manual, a primary source of information on this chilling subject.

Dæmonology
by King James the First. [1597] With Newes from Scotland [1591]
Two texts, one an essay on demons and other denizens of the night, the second a broadside with an account of a famous witch trial from the same period.

The Witch-Persecutions
Edited by George L. Burr [1896].
A short collection of translations of historical documents of the witch craze.

Druids

Although little is actually known about the Druids, that didn’t stop 18th and 19th century intellectuals from building a romantic mythology around them. This was closely associated with the rebirth of Celtic nationalism, as well as the Romantic and Gothic movements. This body of fact and speculation later became a central source of modern Wicca and Neo-Pagan belief and practice.

Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions
by James Bonwick [1894].
A scholarly perspective on the Druids in Ireland, weaving together strands of mythology and anthropology to build a picture of ancient Irish paganism.

The Veil of Isis or Mysteries of the Druids
By W. Winwood Reade [1861]. 277,613 bytes
A typical example of the romantic and misconcieved mid-19th Century literature about Druidry. We now know that the construction of Stonehenge preceded the historical Celts by many centuries.

The Religion of the Ancient Celts
by J. A. MacCulloch [1911]
An authoritative and factual study of ancient Celtic religion, including extensive material on what is actually known about the Druids.

The Barddas of Iolo Morganwg, Vol. I [1862]
The Barddas of Iolo Morganwg, Vol. II [1874]
Iolo Morganwg was one of the first to revive Druidry in the 18th century; however, it is questionable whether these texts are as old as they claim to be. These are nevertheless considered primary source material for the modern Druid revivial.

Antiquity

The Syrian Goddess
translated by Herbert A. Strong [1913]
Lucian of Samosata’s late classical account of Goddess worship, referenced by Robert Graves and other writers as a primary source of information on worship of the Ancient Near Eastern Goddess.

Miscellaneous

The Book of Hallowe’en
by Ruth Edna Kelley [1919]
Learn about Halloween and its pagan roots.

Irish Witchcraft and Demonology
by St. John D. Seymour [1913].
This is a fascinating study of the witch-persecutions in Ireland, along with accounts of paranormal activity.

Pagan Prayers
by Marah Ellis Ryan [1913]
Traditional spirituality from around the world.

Click on hyperlinks for more detailed information

Witches Answer to Witchcraft Questions

I have books about Witchcraft some I have had for years yet only getting around to reading them now. This is one of those books. “A Witch’s Book of Answers” is an outgrowth of the Open Sesame e-list hosted by Cerelia and me, along with Ororo since 1999. This book is based on actual questions asked on the list over the years — and our responses to them.” As I am reading it the Muse, Calliope, who inspires and guides me quite often on what to post on here she helps with spell wording, new rituals for Esbats and Sabbats, or basically anything I maybe writing, coloring, painting, etc in short she advises me or inspires me anytime I need or want to be creative Calliope whispered in my ear that she would let me know what gems I should pass along to you from A Witch’s Book of Answers.

A Witch’s Book of Answers

By Eileen Holland and Cerelia

Page 5 — “Who can be a Witch? Anyone who can find his or her way to the Goddess — and is willing to spend the necessary time reading, studying, learning, and practicing — can be a Witch. A Witch must have patience, imagination, compassion, focus, and willpower.” by Eileen

Page 6 —- “What type of attitude should a Witch have? To me, the most important thing that anyone can believe is, “I like myself.” You must like yourself and respect yourself in order to like and respect others. You must be able to do this first, and then take responsibility for your actions.” by Cerelia

“A big part of being a Witch is having respect for yourself. This includes never allowing anyone to mistreat you, physically or otherwise. No Witch should ever tolerate violence or abuse.

I recommend this book for any witch that has a question but cannot find the answer. While this book does not answer every question about Witchcraft, The Craft, The Old Ways or whatever label I any you choose for your path because thank the Great Mother and Great Father we do not follow a religion rather we walk a spiritual path that for the most part we forge a head they way we feel is right to us.

Printable Witchcraft Book for Charms, Spells and Herbs

Charms, Spells, and Herbs PDF from witchcraftsecretmanual.com

I found a few interesting things I want to try in this Witchcraft book that is free to save and/or print. I think it will be a nice addition to my Grimoire.

One Meaning for Blessed Be

From moonlitpriestess.com

Blessed be:

Phrase generally indicating blessings upon a person, object, etc. (example “blessed by thy feet’); frequently used at the end of prayers and the like similarly to “amen” from Christian-based practices. Some Wiccans and Pagans report using the phrase as a greeting or parting. (see also Merry Meet and Merry Part)

Most Common Witchcraft Traditions c.2016

Green Witchcraft c.2018

Hereditary/Solitary Witchcraft c. 2016

The Origins and Practice of Witchcraft c.2018

The Origins and Practice of Witchcraft

A History Of Witchcraft

Witchcraft probably originated about 25,000 years ago in the Palaeolithic era. At that time, humankind and nature were seen as inextricably linked. People acknowledged every rock, tree and stream as deities in the life force, and the Earth as mother, offering both womb and tomb.

Prehistoric Witchcraft

Early man used sympathetic, or attracting, magick – in the form of dances, chants and cave paintings of animals – to attract the herds of animals that provided for the needs of the group, and to bring fertility to humans and animals alike. Hunters would re-enact the successful outcome of a hunt and would carry these energies into the everyday world. Offerings were made to the Mistress of the Herds and later to the Horned God, who was depicted wearing horns or antlers to display his sovereignty over the herds. Animal bones would be buried so that they, like humankind, would enjoy rebirth from the Earth Mother’s womb.

Where hunter-gatherers today continue the unbroken tradition that stretches back thousands of years – for example, among the Lapps in the far North of Scandinavia and the Inuits – these rites continue, led by a shaman, or magick man, who negotiates with the Mistress of the Herds or Fish in a trance for the release of the animals.

One of the earliest recorded examples of shamanism is the Dancing Sorcerer. Painted in black on the cave walls of Les Trois Freres in the French Pyrenees, this shamanic figure, which portrays a man in animal skins, dates from about 14000 BC and stands high above the animals that are depicted on the lower walls. Only his feet are human and he possesses the large, round eyes of an owl, the antlers and ears of a stag, the front paws of a lion or bear, the genitals of a wild cat and the tail of a horse or wolf.

By the Neolithic period, which began around 7500 BC and lasted until about 5500 BC, the hunter-gatherer culture had given way to the development of agriculture, and the god evolved into the son-consort of the Earth Mother. He was the god of vegetation, corn, winter and death, who offered himself as a sacrifice each year with the cutting down of the corn, and was reborn at the mid-winter solstice, as the Sun God.

The Neolithic period also saw the development of shrines to the Triple Goddess who became associated with the three phases of the Moon: waxing, full and waning. The Moon provided one of the earliest ways by which people calculated time. Since its cycles coincided with the female menstrual cycle, which ceased for nine moons if a women was pregnant, the Moon became linked with the mysteries first of birth, then of death as it waned, and finally with new life on the crescent. Because the Moon was reborn each month or, as it was thought, gave birth to her daughter each month, it was assumed that human existence followed the same pattern and that the full moon mirrored the mother with her womb full with child.

The full moon was also associated in later ages with romance and passion, originally because this coincided with peak female fertility. Moon magick for the increase of love and fertility is still practised under the auspices of the waxing moon. It was not until about 3,000 years ago that the male role in conception was fully understood in the West, and only then were the Sky Father deities able to usurp the mysteries of the Divine Mother.

A trinity of huge, carved stone goddesses, representing the three main cycles of the Moon, and dating from between 13000 and 11000 BC, was found in France in a cave at the Abri du Roc aux Sorciers at Angles-sur-l’Anglin. This motif continued right through to the Triple Goddess of the Celts, reflecting the lunar cycles as maiden, mother and crone, an image that also appeared throughout the classical world.

Source: PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT AND MAGICK SPELLS

Cassandra Eason

The Four Rules and The Law of White Witchcraft c.2018

The Four Rules and The Law of White Witchcraft

**Notice**
This document may be distributed freely so long as it is not altered, edited, or changed in any way from its original form. A copy of this document in its true original form may be gotten from our home page.

In order to live a full and successful life as a ‘White Witch’, one must first understand what the rules of the game are. The principles which are put forth below are intended to be a very simple, basic way to remember the way of the White Craft.

The total idea may be visualized as a four legged stool. Each of the Rules can be seen as a leg and The Law may be seen as the seat. The Rules without The Law are uncomfortable and nigh on to useless in their function. The Law without the Rules gives you a comfortable place to be, but it is rather impractical and again, nearly useless. However, when all of these are brought together they make a highly stable, functional, and enjoyable life.

The Four Rules

Live – Live each day as if it were your last, for one day you will be right.
Love – Love yourself first and foremost. For when you truly love yourself, loving those around you will come as easily as breathing – and we all must breathe.
Learn – Learn your life’s lessons – each as it comes – for that is the reason we are here.
Enjoy – Enjoy your life, because if you do not most likely someone else will enjoy it for you… and then your time here will have been wasted.

The Law: Harm None.

Explanations

Live

The first Rule put forth sounds pretty straight forward at first. Then you actually try to live it! 🙂 Living each day as if it were your last means maximizing your potential for every moment that you have been given.

If you are let go from your job… that is an opportunity to face truth and see what you can do to make yourself more marketable and go get a BETTER job. Or, if you are highly motivated, dedicated, and a risk taker you can take that chance to start your own company.

When I first began to follow these principles, my business was not very successful, my marriage was only tolerable, and I often felt depressed about my situation as a whole. Then I began to live each moment.’Carpe Diem’ (Seize the day) became my motto. I began to maximize every moment and live in the moment, not for the moment.

This does not mean that in order to be a good witch that you have to work like a rabid squirrel on ‘speed’… but it does mean that you have to be honest with yourself to see what your situation really is and to make the most of it. I believe that if I can go to bed at night and think to myself that I had done the very best I could that day with the information I had at each moment of opportunity, then the day was a success. But if I go to bed thinking that I had let an opportunity slip away I do not beat myself up over it. I simply say to myself, “Gee Torin, that was one you missed. I’ll get it the next time it comes along.”

Love

What is life without love? Honestly, I can’t imagine what that would be like. Yet many people live their lives without the most important form of love there is – the love of the self. If you truly understand yourself and are willing to take responsibility for your own actions you will suddenly find a great love for yourself.

In order to give free and unconditional love to another person you must first have that kind of feeling for yourself. This is all this means.

Learn

One of the cornerstones of The Craft is the belief that our souls are here on this plane of existence at this point in time to learn lessons. Your lessons are different from (although probably quite similar to) my own. Learn what life teaches you. It is no more difficult than this.

Enjoy

The life of the witch does not require you to live your life in suffering nor poverty. There are no mandates for pain, unhappiness, or unpleasantness. We do not see suffering as the ‘key’ to getting into Heaven (or the Summerlands as some of us call it). Indeed, we see such things as exactly what they are… unpleasant! This does not mean that we never have unpleasant things happen to us, nor that we walk around in a constant state of denial.

We see suffering as either the result of an action we took (i.e. going to jail for robbing a bank) or the way that The Unknown (see “The Deities of Witches” by Torin W.) has chosen to teach us a lesson which we need to learn but have not done anything consciously to bring about the circumstances (i.e. the totally unexpected death of a close friend).

Witch Craft allows you to reap all of the happiness and prosperity from your life that you can muster… so long as you stay within the accepted boundaries. For instance, if you work hard at an honest job you like to do then there is nothing which says you should feel badly for being more successful than others. But if you rob a bank, you may be happy with the things that the money can buy for a short period of time, but eventually you will suffer far greater than if you had simply worked for it. (I know this may sound somewhat like a contradiction to what I said earlier, but I do not believe in keeping a job which does not give me enough pleasure, satisfaction, and money to make up for the difficulties I endure.)

The Law: Harm None

I have been asked to explain this statement more than all of the previous ideas combined. I often describe ‘Harm None’ as “the Law which must remain unbroken, but cannot remain whole at all times.” Think about it, you can’t do it as a human being.

In order to actually harm none you would have to be in total and complete harmony with all things int he Universe at exactly the same time. Your immune system would not kill bacteria and other infections (because that would be harming them). Nor would you allow the bacteria to infect you because that would cause harm to yourself. You would not eat meat, nor vegetables because it would cause the destruction of either. Neither would you not eat because that would harm you. Do you see how this is simply an impossibility?

What I teach my students is to take great pains to Harm None and to think out the results of any act as far as possible ahead of time. I also stress that whenever magics are being worked that the free will of any individual or group should never be infringed.

I have been asked specifically about the use of various types of drugs in witchcraft and their relationship to the ‘Harm None’ principle. I believe that The Bright Ones gave us a sober state of mind for a reason. They also gave our brains some of the most potent chemicals known to man for achieving altered states of consciousness. Therefore i see no reason to alter the chemistry of the brain in order to ‘gain enlightenment’. Ask any recovering drug addict… he/she will tell you that the drugs lie to you.

Because of part of the training I give, I require that no illegal drugs are used while under my tutelage. In fact, if a student becomes sick during training and requires a prescription strength pain reliever, the training schedule is reworked to allow for the purging of the body before training resumes.

One of my students used to do a good deal of psychotropic drugs (i.e. LSD, mushrooms, etc.). Then he and I began to work together. After a few months of training, we worked a circle to allow him to develope his psychic senses (i.e. clairaudience, clairvoyance, etc.) When he left the circle he related to me a feeling such as none he had ever known. His words were, “It was a hundred thousand times better then the best acid trip I had ever taken.”

In short, I personally feel that drugs can be a great hinderance and only cause damage to your soul. But I also recognize the free will of the individual. I can only tell you that in my own perception, drugs do cause harm to you.

Merry Part and Blessed Be
Torin W.

Witchcraft Is A Way of Life c.2016

Unrealistic Definitions of Witchcraft

As a Witch or Pagan or however you refer to yourself while walking your magickal and spiritual path we have faced an uphill battle for acceptance for centuries and still do. So, I decided to do a general search for the definition of Witchcraft and was astounded by what I found. Here are a few examples along with the hyperlink from my general search-

Source: Data from Oxford Languages:

witch·craft

[ˈwiCHˌkraft]

noun

witchcraft (noun)

the practice of magic, especially for evil purposes; the use of spells:

“children and goods were believed to be vulnerable to the witchcraft of jealous neighbors”

Similar:

<img class="cipa vam rms_img" role="presentation" src="data:;base64,

” width=”16″ height=”16″ data-bm=”51″ />

(in a modern context) religious practice involving magic and affinity with nature, usually within a pagan tradition.
bewitching or fascinating attraction or charm.

Source: merriam-webster.com

Synonyms of witchcraft

1a: the use of sorcery or magic

b: communication with the devil or with a familiar

2: an irresistible influence or fascination

3a: rituals and practices that incorporate belief in magic and that are associated especially with neo-pagan traditions and religions (such as Wicca)

Practitioners of Wicca … use the tools … such as the broom (a purifying symbol), the wand, candles, crystals and the knife …. They refer to their practices as witchcraft …—Lesley Wright

b: or less commonly Witchcraft : a tradition or religion that involves the practice of witchcraft

Feminist witchcraft sees women’s oppression and environmental abuse, which they argue are intimately linked, as firmly rooted in patriarchal religions. —Wendy Griffin

Wicca, which emerged in the 1940s in England, is the original form of modern Pagan Witchcraft.

-Meg Yardley

Please go look for yourself on how our spiritual and magickal paths are defined.

General Search for the Definition of Witchcraft

A Pledge To Pagan Spirituality c. 2015

A Pledge To Pagan Spirituality

I am a Pagan and I dedicate Myself to channeling the Spiritual Energy of my Inner Self to help and to heal myself and others.

I know that I am a part of the Whole of Nature. May I grow in understanding of the Unity of all Nature. May I always walk in Balance.

May I always be mindful of the diversity of Nature as well as its Unity and may I always be tolerant of those whose race, appearance, sex, sexual preference, culture, and other ways differ from my own.

May I use the Force (psychic power) wisely and never use it for aggression nor for malevolent purposes. May I never direct it to curtail the free will of another.

May I always be mindful that I create my own reality and that I have the power within me to create positivity in my life.

May I always act in honorable ways: being honest with myself and others, keeping my word whenever I have given it, fulfilling all responsibilities and commitments I have taken on to the best of my ability.

May I always remember that whatever is sent out always returns magnified to the sender. May the Forces of Karma move swiftly to remind me of these spiritual commitments when I have begin to falter from them, and may I use this Karmic feedback to help myself grow and be more attuned to my Inner Pagan Spirit.

May I always remain strong and committed to my Spiritual ideals in the face of adversity and negativity. May the Force of my Inner Spirit ground out all malevolence directed my way and transform it into positivity. May my Inner Light shine so strongly that malevolent forces can not even approach my sphere of existence.

May I always grow in Inner Wisdom & Understanding. May I see every problem that I face as an opportunity to develop myself spiritually in solving it.

May I always act out of Love to all other beings on this Planet – to other humans, to plants, to animals, to minerals, to elementals, to spirits, and to other entities.

May I always be mindful that the Goddess and God in all their forms dwell within me and that this divinity is reflected through my own Inner Self, my Pagan Spirit.

May I always channel Love and Light from my being. May my Inner Spirit, rather than my ego self, guide all my thoughts, feelings, and actions.

So Mote It Be

The Craft (Witchcraft – NOT to be confused with Satanism.

A true Witch has nothing to do with this, even though there are some Satanists who (unrightfully) call themselves “Witch”.) contains a large number of groups with bonds to each other, for the most part, which are looser than those you will find between Christian churches. Each has it’s own traditions, it’s own beliefs, it’s own pantheon, etc. So just WHAT is it that, overall, a Witch believes in? The American Council of Witches was formed to determine what it was that all Witches have in common, belief-wise. In the early 1970’s, a paper was released with their findings, and gives a good overall picture of it. The following is the text of that paper.

Basic Principles Of The Craft

The first principle is that of love, and it is expressed in the ethic, “Do As You Will, So Long As You Harm None”
1. love is not emotional in it’s essence, but is an attribute of the individual as expressed in relation to other beings;
2. harming others can be by thought, word, or deed;
3. it is to be understood the “none” includes oneself;
4. the harm which is to be regarded as unethical is gratuitous harm; war, in general, is gratuitous harm, although it is ethical to defend oneself and one’s liberty when threatened by real and present danger, such as defense against invasion.
The Witch must recognize and harmonize with the forces of the universe, in accord with the Law of Polarity: everything is dual; everything has two poles; everything has it’s opposite; for every action there is a reaction; all can be categorized as either active or reactive in relation to other things.
1. Godhead is one unique and transcendent wholeness, beyond any limitations or expressions; thus, it is beyond our human capacity to understand and identify with this principle of Cosmic Oneness, except as It is revealed to us in terms of It’s attributes and operation.
2. The most basic and meaningful attribute of the One that we, as humans, can relate to and understand, is that of polarity, of action and reaction; therefore Witches recognize the Oneness of the Divinity, but worship and relate to the Divine as the archetypal polarity of God and Goddess, the All-Father and the Great Mother of the universe. The Beings are as near as we can approach to the One within our human limitations of understanding and expression, though it is possible to experience the divine Oneness through the practices of the Mysteries.
3. Harmony does not consist of the pretty and the nice, but the balanced, dynamic, poised cooperation and co-relation.
The Witch must recognize, and operate within the framework of the Law of Cause and Effect; every action has it’s reaction, and every effect has it’s cause. All things occur according to this law; nothing in the universe can occur outside this law, though we may not always appreciate the relation between a given effect and it’s cause. Subsidiary to this is the Law of Three, which states that whatever goes forth must return threefold, whether of good or ill; for our actions affect more than people generally realize, and the resulting reactions are also part of the harvest.
As Above, So Below. That which exists in the Macrocosm exists, on a smaller scale and to a lesser degree, in the Microcosm. The powers of the universe exist also in the human, though in general instance they lie dormant. The powers and abilities can be awakened and used if the proper techniques are practiced, and this is why initiates of the Mysteries are sworn to guard the secrets from the unworthy: Much harm can be done by those who have power without responsibility, both to others and to themselves according to the Laws of Cause and Effect and of Threefold Return.
1. Since our philosophy teaches that the universe is the physical manifestation of the Divine, there can be nothing in the universe which does not partake of the nature of the Divine; hence, the powers and attributes of the Divine exist also in the manifest, though to much smaller degree.
2. These powers can be awakened through the various techniques of the Mysteries, and, although they are only capable of small effects in and of themselves, it is possible to use them in order to draw upon the forces of the universe. Thus humanity can be the wielders of the power of the Gods, a channel for Godhead to act within It’s own manifestation. This, then, is further reason for the oath of secrecy.
3. Since the universe is the body of the One, possessing the same attributes as the One, it’s Laws must be the principles through and by which the One operates. By reasoning from the known to the unknown, one can learn of the Divine, and thus of oneself. Thus the Craft is a natural religion, seeing in Nature the expression and revelation of Divinity.
We know that everything in the universe is in movement or vibration and is a function of that vibration. Everything vibrates; all things rise and fall in a tidal system that reflects the motion inherent in the universe and also in the atom. Matter and energy are but two poles of one continuous phenomenon. Therefore the Witch celebrates, harmonizes with, and makes use of the tides of the universe and of life as expressed through the cycle of the seasons and the motion of the solar system. These ritual observances are the eight great Festivals of the Year, referred to as the Wheel of the Year. Further, the Witch works with the forces and tides of the Moon, for this body is the mediator of much energy to our planet Earth and thus to ourselves.
Nothing is dead matter in the universe. All things exist, therefore all things live, though perhaps in a different manner from that which we are used to calling life. In view of this, the Witch knows that there is no true death, only change from one condition to another. The universe is the body of Godhead, and therefore possesses one transcendent consciousness; all things partake of the consciousness, in varying levels of trance/awareness.
1. Because of this principle, all things are sacred to the Witch, for all partake of the one Life.
2. Therefore the Witch is a natural ecologist, for Nature is part of us as we are a part of Nature.
Astrology can be useful in marking and interpreting the flow and ebb of the tides of our solar system, and thus of making use of those tides; astrology should not be debased into mere fortune-telling.
Throughout the development of the human race, civilizations have seen and worshipped many and various attributes of the Divine. These universal forces have been clothed in forms which were expressive to the worshipper of the attribute of the Godhead which they expressed. Use of these symbolic representations of the natural and divine forces of the universe, or god forms, is a potent method for contacting and utilizing the forces they represent. Thus the Gods are both natural and truly divine, and man-made in that the forms with which they are clothed are products of humanity’s striving to know the Godhead.
1. In keeping with the Law of Polarity, these god-forms are brought into harmony by the one great Law which states: All Gods are one God. All Goddesses are one Goddess. There is one Initiator. This law is an expression of our understanding that all of the forces of the universe, by whatever ethnic god-form is chosen to clothe and relate to whichever force, can be resolved into the fundamental polarity of the Godhead, the Great Mother and the All-Father.
2. It is the use of differing god forms, of differing ethnic sources or periods, which is the basis of many of the differences between the various Traditions of the Craft. Each Tradition uses the forms, and thus the names, which to that Tradition best express and awaken an understanding of the force represented, according to the areas of emphasis of the Tradition.
3. Because we know that differing names or representations are but expressions of the same divine principles and forces, we require our members to swear that they will never mock the names by which another honors the Divine, even though those names be different from and seemingly less expressive than the names and god forms used by our Tradition (for to the members of another Tradition, using it’s names, ours may easily seem equally less expressive).
A Witch refuses to allow her/himself to be corrupted by the great guilt neuroses which have been foisted on humanity in the name of the Divine, thus freeing the self of the slavery of the mind. The Witch expresses responsibility for her/his actions, and accepts the consequences of them; guilt is rejected as inhibiting to one’s self-actualization, and replaced by the efforts of the Witch to obey the teachings of harmlessness, responsibility for the consequences of one’s actions, and the goal of actualizing the full powers of the individual.
1. We refuse to believe that a human being is born innately sinful, and recognize the concepts of sin and guilt are tremendously inhibiting to the human potential; the consequences of the Law of Cause and Effect, called karma by some, are not punishment, but the recurrences of situations and their effects because the individual as not gained the Wisdom needed to handle or avoid such situations.
2. There is no heaven except that which we ourselves make of our life on Earth, and likewise there is no hell except the effects of our unwise actions. Death is not followed by punishment or reward, but by life and the continuing evolution of the human potential.
3. One cannot damn the divine in oneself; one can, however, cut oneself off from it through the rejection of wisdom and a refusal to strive for self-realization. This cutting off does not lead to personal suffering in “hell”, for there is no Self to suffer if the tie to one’s own divinity has been severed; what remains is merely an empty shell, a “personality” or thought-form devoid of it’s ensouling Spark of the Divine Fire.
We know of the existence of the life-force which ensouls all living things, that is, all that exists. We know that a spark of this Divine Fire is within each and every thing that exists, and that it does not die; only the form of it’s existence changes. We know that this spark of the life-force returns to manifestation again and again in order to fully realize and actualize it’s potential, evolving finally to the peak and essence of existence which is pure being. In this process of reincarnation each form returns in the same type of form, though it’s ever-increasing actualization may lead to higher levels of existence of that form. Man returns as man, cat as feline, mineral as mineral, each class of form evolving as the individual forms of that class evolve.
This process of evolution through successive incarnations in manifest form works through the utilization of wisdom gained, the essence of the life-experience. This essence of experience, or Wisdom, is an attribute of the spark of life itself, one and inseparable (see 9a).
We must care for the body, for it is the vehicle of the spark of life, the form by which we attain. Thus we must heal the body of it’s ills and keep it a tuned and perfected tool; so must we heal others (both physically and psychologically) as far as it is within our power to do so. However, we cannot interfere with the life of another, even to heal, except at their request or with their express permission; unless such non-interference would be inhibiting to our own, ethical existence and development – and even then the responsibilities and consequences must be understood and accepted. This, then, is one of the important reasons for the communal life the Witches under the guidance of the Priesthood: That the group may be guided by wisdom and experience, with the aid and support of one’s peers; and that one’s actions may be guided by the influence of the ethical life of the group as a whole.
Harmony with, and utilization of, the great natural forces of the universe is called magick. By magick we speak, not of the supernatural, but of the superbly natural, but whose laws and applications are not as yet recognized by the scientific establishment. The Witch must strive to recognize these forces, learn their laws, attune her/himself to them, and make use of them. The Witch must also be aware that power corrupts when used only for the gains of the self, and therefore must strive to serve humanity: Either through the service in the Priesthood, or by example and effects of his/her life on others. The choice must be made in accord with the true nature of the Witch.

The Sacred Tradition Of Witchcraft c.2016

The Sacred Tradition Of Witchcraft

The Tradition of Witchcraft sees the aspects of the Divine All as separate and united as Goddess, God, and Both. The One who is All matches “all being from the One.” The forms of The Lord and the Lady are interlocked and interchangeable. Father Sky and Mother Earth/Sky Goddess and Earth God, Sun and Moon. Triple Goddess and Wed to the Triple Goddess. Threefold God and Wed to the Threefold God; Lord and Lady of the Greenwood; Lord of Abundance and Lady of Plenty; Queen of the Stars and King of the Universe; Creator and Creatrix Spirit and Matter; Life and Passage; and Cosmic, Dancers of Energy and Matter.

The Creative Forces of Nature are revered, with the Goddess and the God symbolizing the Universal Materials and Energies from which comes all existence. The God and the Goddess are equal and omnipresent, for They are found throughout the Universe, the Earth and all that dwell therein. Because it is the Spiral Dance of Rebirth that brings us back to the Source of our existence in the Goddess and the God, reincarnation and communication with spirits are accepted parts of the religion.

Knowledge is the gift of the Goddess and the God, learning through many lives on Earth and keeping close to Them. Magick is a natural means of working with natural energies to accomplish a goal, and this magick becomes part of natural life for the practicing Witch. Consciousness may be altered through visualization, meditation, ritual, music and dance to better commune with the Divine and effect the magick. Through Dedication, the pathway to communication is constantly open so altered states cease to be necessary for contact with the Divine in Nature, only inner stillness and balance.

Freedom of the individual and personal responsibility are key aspect of Witchcraft. The liturgy, may be created as needed or desired for the magick will naturally flow with the acceptance of oneness with the All and with self-responsibility in our living.

Immanence, interconnection and community are three core principles of Witchcraft. Because the God and the Goddess are manifested in all life, all existence is connected to be one living cosmos. The focus is on the growth of the whole through care for the Earth, the environment, and each other. The mythology of the Lord and the Lady revolves around two themes in the Wheel of the Year – that of Fertility and passage of the Seasons, and that of the Divine life Cycle of the God, often related in allegory to the changing of the seasons. Thus, the sacrificed go motif can be found in the Corn (Wheat) Cycle, wherein the God willingly gives His life-force into the crops at the tie of marriage that humanity may be sustained thus relating the Divine to life and Rites of Passage.

The Triple Goddess is the Maiden, Mother, and Crone (Matron), whose consort is the Horned God, the Creator, Destroyer (Hunter), and Lord of the Beasts. All Nature has both positive and negative aspects, and to be reborn one must first die. The Goddess is seen as both positive and negative aspects, and to be reborn, one must first die. The Goddess is seen as both life in Her form as Mother and as death in Her form as Crone, yet both are the same. Death is a natural passage to new life and is not feared or labeled as evil. With Nature there are both pleasant aspects and harsh aspects, but this is all part of the reality of the energy that flows in the Earth, the Universe, and the being of the Earth The transition of the spirit through incarnations is not feared, but understood and accepted as natural, for life is eternal, and all spirits are immortal.

Attuning to the God and the Goddess changes one forever-sparks new hope for the individual and for the planet. Personal destiny is in the hands of the practitioner. The Dark Aspects of the God and the Goddess-Lord of Shadows and Crone-as well as the Bright Aspects-Horned God and Maiden/Mother-are accepted. The Divine is both Creation and destruction; Abundant Nature and Destructive Nature. Since all life is joined in the Dual Deity, the Two Who are One, and to each other, life cannot be destroyed, only changed or moved into and out of the cauldron of life. The religion then is the worship or reverence of the Life Force represented in the Dual Deity as a Conscious Unity. This reverence may be expressed through ceremonies or rituals dedicated to cycles of fertility, of planting and harvest, and of solar and lunar phases.

The Esbats are Rituals of the Full Moon, New (Dark) Moon-Times to receive learning from the Goddess. The Sabbats are composed of four solar festivals, called the Greater Sabbats or the Cross-Quarters. These are the main focus of ritual in Witchcraft, along with Twelfth Night (Naming Day). The names by which the Lord and the Lady are addressed are not important, for They are One By whatever Names They are Known, and They dwell within . They give life to be lived fully and with enjoyment and we are reborn to learn until we are reunited with Them Because people are of the Earth, She should be revered. The Witch knows of the connection of all things, the immortality of life, and draws upon the Power of the Divine directly, or through the Elementals of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water or such spirits, devas, and Other People as may be helpful. The Elementals are the Kith and Kin of the Witch, for body and strength are of Earth, breath and thought are of Air, energy and drive are of Fire, and emotions and vital fluids are of Water. In Middle English speech as Weetch’ie–meaning Wise, and the use of that wisdom was called the Craft of the Wise–WicceCraft, from when comes the word Witchcraft. The Practice of the Craft as spirituality and holds th e word Witch as honorable and spiritual.

3,000-year-old Goddess Figurine Found in an Italian Lake Still Bears the Handprints of Its Maker

A 3,000-year-old clay figurine thought to portray an ancient goddess has been discovered in a volcanic lake in central Italy.

Archaeologists think the object was a votive figurine that was probably crafted so prayers could be directed to it. Its features are only crudely finished, but the figurine still bears the handprints of whoever made it, as well as the impression of a fabric pattern that suggests it was originally clothed in some sort of garment.

Government archaeologists for the Etruria region and police divers made the discovery last month at Lake Bolsena, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Rome.

The east side of the lake is the location of the submerged Gran Carro archaeological site, which is thought to be the remains of an Iron Age village built in the 10th or ninth century B.C. and which later sank underwater.

The clay figurine, which measures about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long, was found in the ruins of a residence at the sunken site, and archaeologists think it was related to a domestic ritual. Similar rituals have been documented in the region in later periods, suggesting such practices are very ancient, and similar figurines have been found in Iron Age graves, according to a translated Facebook post .

“This is an exceptional discovery, one of a kind,” the archaeologists said in the post. “It shows aspects of daily life in the early Iron Age, of which little is known in southern Etruria.”

Submerged village

Geologists have established that Lake Bolsena formed between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago during eruptions of the underlying Vulsini volcano. Roman records indicate the volcano was active as recently as 104 B.C., and scientists now think the ancient village was submerged when the eastern shore sank amid seismic activity.

According to archaeologists, the sunken village containing the newfound figurine was probably built by people from the Villanovan culture, an early stage of the Etruscan civilization that preceded the founding of Rome. The thousands of artifacts found there since the 1960s include pieces of wood, household objects, jewelry and pieces of pottery, and studies of the village’s layout suggest how the Iron Age society there was organized.

The Gran Carro site is now being developed under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which includes the creation of an underwater path for visitors, according to the Facebook post.

One of the site’s most mysterious features is the Aiola, a large pile of submerged stones that archaeologists now think was a structure built beside a geothermal spring. Recent discoveries in the San Casciano dei Bagni region, a few miles to the north, indicate such hot springs were sacred to the later Etruscans and Romans.

Explorations in 1991 showed the Aiola structure still contained fragments of wooden poles and pottery from the Iron Age, and research in 2020 showed that the stones covered an earthen mound. Coins minted during the rule of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great (who lived circa 272 to 337) have also been found at the site, indicating it was used even in late Roman times.

Source: https://www.newsbreak.com/livescience-525075/3561041417561-3-000-year-old-goddess-figurine-found-in-an-italian-lake-still-bears-the-handprints-of-its-maker?s=a99&share_destination_id=MTcxMzIwNTE2LTE3MjM3MzYyMjkyNjA%3D&pd=0BaqI8SN&hl=en_US&send_time=1723736229&actBtn=bottomBar&_f=app_share&trans_data=%7B%22platform%22%3A1%2C%22cv%22%3A%2224.31.0%22%2C%22languages%22%3A%22en%22%7D&sep=ns_foryou_recall_exp_24q3-v9%2Cns_foryou_rank_exp_24q3-v6%2Cns_foryou_model_exp_24q3-v2%2Cns_vsp-v1%2Cns_foryou_blend_exp_24q3-v6%2Cns_local_strategy_24q3_exp-v13

Witchcraft today…Has it affected you? c.2020

Witchcraft today is going strong. Most people think if you are practicing witchcraft is has to be evil when in truth its actually how you practice it.

I am firm believer in practicing witchcraft and practice it in the light. I know most people get scared and walk away from you. Well, that has happened to me since I have begun this journey. I am also a spiritual medium and I have lost so called friends from finding that out.

Do I care? No, they didn’t deserve me in their life. Witchcraft and mediumship is very important to me. I live my life the way I want to and I don’t need anyone’s approval for that. Accept me as I am or I don’t or need you in my life.

So, has this happened to you? I am sure it has but you know what don’t let it get you down. Just keep going and hold your head up.

Blessed be,

Melinda

THE PHILOSOPHY OF WITCHCRAFT c. 2018

THE PHILOSOPHY OF WITCHCRAFT

The Craft is a religion of love and joy. It is not full of the gloom of Christianity, with its ideas of “original sin”, with salvation and happiness possible only in the afterlife. The music of Witchcraft is joyful and lively, again contrasting with the dirge-like hymns of Christianity.
Why is this? Why are Wiccans more content; more warm and happy? Much of it has to do with their empathy with nature. Early people lived hand-in-hand with nature through necessity. They were a part of nature, not separate from it. An animal was a brother or a sister, as was a tree. Wo/Man tended the fields and in return received food for the table. Sure, s/he killed animals for food. But then many animals kill other animals in order to eat. In other words,
Woman and Man were a part of the natural order ofthings, not separate from it. Not “above” it.

Modern Wo/Man has lost much, if not all, of that closeness. Civilization has cut them off. But not so the Witch! Even today, in this mechanized, super-sophisticated world that this branch of nature (Woman and Man) has created, the Wicca retain their ties with Mother Nature. In books such as Brett Bolton’s The Secret Power of Plants we are told of the “incredible”, “extraordinary” healthy reaction of plants to kindness; of how they feel and react to both good and evil; how they express love, fear, hate (something that might be borne in mind by vegetarians when they become over-critical of meat-eaters, perhaps?). This is no new discovery. Witches have always known it. They have always spoken kindly to plants. It is not unusual to see a Witch, walking through the woods, stop and hug a tree. It is not peculiar to see a Witch throw off her shoes and walk barefoot across a ploughed field. This is all part of keeping in touch with nature; of not losing our heritage.

If ever you feel completely drained, if ever you are angry or tense, go out and sit against a tree. Choose a good, solid tree (oak or pine are good) and sit down on the ground with your back straight, pressed up against the trunk. Close your eyes and relax. You will feel a gradual change come over you. Your tension, your anger, your tiredness will disappear. It will seem to drain out of you. Then, in its place, you will feel a growing warmth; a feeling of love and comfort. It
comes from the tree. Accept it and be glad. Sit there until you feel completely whole again. Then, before leaving, stand with your arms about the tree and thank it.

Take time to stop and appreciate all that is about you. Smell the earth, the trees, the leaves. Absorb their energies and send them yours. One of the contributing factors to our isolation from the rest of nature is the insulation of our shoes. Whenever you can, go barefoot. Make contact with the earth. Feel it; absorb it. Show your respect and love for nature and live with
nature.

In the same way, live with other people. There are many whom you meet, in the course of your life, who could benefit from their encounter with you. Always be ready to help another in any way you can. Don’t ignore anyone, or look the other way when you know they need help. If you can give assistance, give it gladly. At the same time do not seek to take charge of another’s life. We all have to live our own lives. But if you are able to give help, to advise, to point the way, then do so. It will then be up to the other to decide how to proceed from there.

The main tenet of Witchcraft, the Wiccan Rede, is:

“An’ it harm none, do what thou wilt.”

Do what you will… but don’t do anything that will harm another. It’s as simple as that.

In April, 1974, the Council of American Witches adopted a set of Principles of Wiccan Belief. I, personally, subscribe to those principles and list them here. Read them carefully.

1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters.

2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.

3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called “supernatural”, but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.

4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity—as masculine and feminine—and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive to the other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.

5. We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, Inner Planes, etc.—and we see in the inter-action of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.

6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.

7. We see religion, magick and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it—a world view and philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft—the Wiccan Way.

8. Calling oneself “Witch” does not make a Witch—but neither does heredity itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature.

9. We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role within it.

10. Our only animosity towards Christianity, or towards any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be “the only way” and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief.

11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.

12. We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as “Satan” or “the Devil”, as defined by the Christian tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.

13. We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.

Source: Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft

Solitary Witchcraft c.2018

Solitary Witchcraft

There are many reasons for performing witchcraft alone: your personal circumstances or the location of your home may mean that you cannot travel to a group, or you may live in an area where there are few others who share your interests. Many witches like myself choose to practise alone, drawing in my family and close friends to celebrate with me on the festival days. Most solitary witches initiate themselves, though some traditions, such as the Saxon Seat Wicca founded by Raymond Buckland in
the USA, do admit solitary witches.

Indeed, solitary practitioners are said by some to have been witches in seven previous lifetimes and to possess within them all they need to know about the Craft. Truth or myth, no one should underestimate the number of private practitioners who do work alone, some coming together occasionally in small, informal groups.

Solitary witches can use ceremonial magick very successfully, but many do follow the less formal folk magick, linked to the land and the seasons, that was practised by our ancestors in their homes.For this reason, some call themselves hedge-witches, from the times when a hedge, often of hawthorn, bounded the witch’s home, and it is sometimes said that they are walking on the hedge between two worlds. Such a witch may be in the tradition of the village wise women who knew about herbs and about the cycles of nature and used the implements of their kitchens rather than ceremonial tools.

She may also be gifted in divination, in spell-casting and in astral projection. Usually a woman, but occasionally a man, the solitary witch practises eclectic magick drawn from a variety of traditions. Those expert in brews and potions are also called kitchen witches.

Indeed, many of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers who possessed a remarkable intuition, read the tea leaves and made herbal concoctions, were jokingly called witches by their own families – and were just that!

You have your choice of groves, stone circles, the ocean shore, your garden or balcony, where you can connect with the powers of nature and
work unobtrusively. Whether you are working alone, or in a group, or coven, you will share the same aims and will need much the same equipment.

Tools And Treasures

You will need to collect some basic tools for your spells and rituals. If you are working in a group,these can be kept either by different members or in a safe place and brought out at meetings. They need not be at all expensive. Magick was traditionally carried out with the equipment of the home: the broom for sweeping the magical circle was the besom used for sweeping dirt (and negativity) out of the door and was stored with its bristles upwards to protect the home.

The cauldron was the iron cooking pot on the black kitchen range that served to heat the home as well as for cooking. Items often can be gathered from around your home: for example, a silver bell, a crystal bowl or a large wine glass. Attractive scarves or throws make ideal altar cloths. Car boot sales are an excellent source of magical equipment. Keep your magical tools separate from your everyday household equipment in a large box or chest, so that you can keep them charged with positive energies for magical and healing work.

Some items, such as the pentacle, you can make from clay, and herbs can be grown inpots or in gardens and chopped in a mortar and pestle. Fresh herbs have more immediate energies than dried, though the latter are better in sachets and poppets.

Always bear in mind that the magick is in you, not in your tools, and a wand cut from a fallen hazel or willow branch in the right hands can be more magical that the most elaborate crystal-tipped one purchased from a New Age store.

Source: Practical Guide to Witchcraft and Magic Spells
Cassandra Eason

Witchcraft is a Way of Life

The Power of White Witchcraft c. 2018

The Power of White Witchcraft

‘Merlin, give me the strength to carry on.’

I found this prayer not in some medieval book or carved on the wall of an ancient castle but written in ballpoint pen on a page torn from a diary and left – along with scores of similar pleas – on an ancient pile of stones in the Forest of Broceliande in Brittany.

Archaeologists say that this is the grave of a Neolithic hunter, but local tradition says that in this forest dwelled Vivien, the Lady of the Lake of Arthurian legend, and that here, having seduced Merlin in order to learn his secrets, she ensnared him with his own spells. The stone pile is known as Merlin’s tomb, and each year hundreds visit the site to thank the wizard or to ask for his aid. When I visited the tomb, prayers – written on scraps of paper or card – were squeezed into gaps in the stones or pinned to the tree that shelters the tomb.

Whatever the origins of the tomb, it has been transformed into a source of power. For this badly signposted spot, a short walk up a muddy track from a cramped, rough car park, had a tranquil, spiritual air that you might expect at a great cathedral or far more impressive stone circles. Such spots unleash the magick inside us. But even if you never visit Brittany or Stonehenge at sunrise on Midsummer’s Day, you can still make use of your own magick.

White magick and witchcraft as sources of wisdom, healing and positivity. Like Native American spirituality, to which true witchcraft is akin (some say both were carried by the people of Atlantis), the practice of white magick is based on the belief that that all life is sacred and interconnected in an unbroken circle. For example, every fully grown birch tree – defined in magick as a tree of new beginnings and regeneration – breathes out enough oxygen for a family of four and absorbs the carbon dioxide that we exhale, transforming it again to life-giving oxygen. And this sacred spark of a common source of divinity is contained not only by trees, but also the stones, the animals, the people and everything else on the Earth and in the waters and the sky.

Our higher selves, our souls, are influenced by the cycles of the Sun, the Moon, the stars and the natural world on a deep spiritual level. We can draw down their energies into ourselves to amplify and replenish our own, like tapping into a cosmic energy supply rather than having to recharge our powers from our own, separate dynamos. Through them and through us courses the universal life force, known as ch’i to the Chinese, and prana in Hindu philosophy. It is a source upon which we can draw not only nor primarily for specific needs, but also for energy, harmony and connection with others, the world and the cosmos. It is an energy that can permeate every aspect of our being.

A Very Special Spirituality

Witchcraft and Wicca (one of the major forms of witchcraft) both derive their names from the Anglo-Saxon words for wisdom; ‘witch’ is from the old English word wita, meaning ‘wise’ and the Wicca were the wise ones. Witchcraft is said to be the oldest religion in the world. It is the indigenous shamanistic religion of Europe that has, in spite of ferocious persecution from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries, survived in the folk tradition of many lands and through families who kept alive the old beliefs and worship of the Earth and the Moon Mother.

Not so many centuries ago, our ancestors burned yule logs at Christmas as a symbolic gesture to bring light and warmth back to the world on the mid-winter solstice at the darkest time. They danced around the maypole on May morning, the beginning of the old Celtic summer, to stir into life the Earth energies in a sacred spiral pattern. These rituals go back into the mists of time and appear in similar forms in many different cultures and ages. Today, however, too many modern societies have lost the sacred connection and scorn such gestures as superstition, treating the skies, the Earth and the seas merely as a larder, fuel store and garbage can. Once, things were very different, as Black Elk, the Sioux shaman, explained:

‘In the old days when we were a strong and happy people, all our power came from the sacred hoop of the nation and, so long as the hoop was unbroken, the people flourished. The flowering tree was the living centre of the hoop and the circle of the four quarters nourished it. The East gave peace and light, the South gave warmth; in the West, thunder beings gave rain and the North with its cold and mighty wind gave strength and endurance.’

And so the Earth was respected as the sacred mother, giver of life and crops, to whose womb the dead returned. It is no accident that the Sioux Medicine Wheel and the Celtic Wheel of the Year are so similar in formation and purpose, linking all life to the cycles of nature. So if we are to use magick in a positive way, we must remember that it brings responsibility along with benefits.

Magick And Knowledge

White witchcraft is essentially the process of drawing on ancient wisdom and powers via the collective mind that we as individuals can spontaneously but unconsciously access in our dreams and visions. In magick, we can use rituals and altered states of consciousness to access this cosmic memory bank at will and in doing so, some believe, draw on the accumulated powers of many generations, especially in healing magick.

This cosmic consciousness – or Great Mind or akashic record, as theosophists call it – is perhaps what made it possible for pyramids to be built at almost the same time in lands as far apart as Egypt and South America, and for shamanism to follow similar patterns in unconnected continents. By accessing this source of power, we may create a ritual or use certain crystals without consciously knowing their significance, only to find out that our invented spell closely resembles one from another time or culture; we know how to heal without being taught.

Gaining such knowledge has been described as ‘inner-plane’ teaching and if you can trust your own deep intuitions, you need very little formal teaching about magick. If you scry at the full moon or during one of the ancient festivals, by looking into water and letting images form, this deep wisdom will offer solutions to seemingly impossible dilemmas.

The practice of witchcraft demands great responsibility, for you are handling very potent material when you deal with magick. The benefit is that by focusing and directing your own inner powers and natural energies you can give form to your thoughts and needs and desires and bring them into actuality. The more positive and altruistic these focuses are, the more abundance, joy and harmony will be reflected in your own world.

Magick And Giving

It is said that if you smile in London in the morning, the smile will have reached Tokyo by evening. This principle, which lies behind all white magick, has been named morphic resonance, and has been investigated for several years by the Cambridge biologist Dr Rupert Sheldrake, author of a number of excellent books based on his extensive research into psychic phenomena. Dr Sheldrake suggests that as animals of a given species learn a new pattern of behaviour, other similar animals will subsequently tend to learn the same thing more readily all over the world; the more that learn it, the easier it should become for others.

So if we carry out positive magick and spread goodwill, then we really can increase the benign energies of the Earth and cosmos. Even banishing or binding magick can have a creative focus, diverting or transforming redundant or negative energy, for example by burying a symbol of the negativity or casting herbs to the four winds.

Magick And Responsibility

True magick is not like a cake in which everybody must vie for a slice or be left with none: it is more akin to a never-emptying pot. Like the legendary Cauldron of Undry in Celtic myth, the more goodness that is put in, the more the mixture increases in richness and quantity. The Cauldron of Undry, one of the four main Celtic treasures, provided an endless supply of nourishment, had great healing powers and could restore the dead to life, in either their former existence or a new life form.

Located on the Isle of Arran, it could be accessed by magical means or through spiritual quests, and many scholars believe it was the inspiration for the Holy Grail. But when using magick, you should take only as much as you need and perhaps a little more; you should not demand riches, perfect love, eternal beauty, youth, a fabulous job and a lottery win or two.

So, magick does not provide a help-yourself time in the sweetshop. The results could be like eating three times more chocolate than you really want and then feeling very sick. You cannot give the gods nor goddesses your shopping list and then sit back and wait for Christmas: the divinity is within you to be kindled, and so you need to demand of yourself far higher standards than someone who believes in the forgiveness of sins.

If you do wrong, you cannot just say sorry to the godhead and carry on without putting right the mistakes or at least learning from them. Confession may be good for the soul, but magick demands more than that: you’ve got to live with the consequences of your deeds, words and thoughts because the power of a blessing or curse may be even greater on the sender than on the intended recipient. You must also ensure that you cannot harm anyone in the process of getting what you want. If you do spells for revenge, then the effects will rebound on you threefold.

Effort And Will-Power

Magick is not like the magic a conjuror uses to bring a rabbit out of a hat: that kind of magic is just a trick, which relies merely on the art of illusion. White magick is much more than that. It is intensely exciting because it means that we can extend the boundaries of possibility, recalling the psychic powers of childhood when we could span dimensions as easily as jumping across a puddle. We can increase our personal magnetism to attract love and luck and regenerate the innate healing abilities

both of the human body and the planet.

What magick does not do is provide quick fixes with a twinkling of Stardust. It does not produce a faerie godmother, who turns up with a shimmering frock and a platinum credit card to pay the taxi fare home if the handsome prince is short of money and the faerie coach has crumpled into a pumpkin.

After the candles and incense have burned through and we sit, exhausted but exhilarated after sending our wishes to the cosmos through dancing or chanting, we then have to use every effort, every talent at our disposal, to make those wishes come true on the earthly plane. The psychic kick-start provided by the magick must be used to translate the magical thoughts into actuality. So we must work overtime with new enthusiasm and inspiration to get that project finished, send off to the publisher that typescript that has been gathering dust, do whatever it takes to help ourselves to get the results we desire.

My late mother would always say if I asked for extra funds, ‘Money doesn’t grow on trees’; and this holds true even in the magical world. Money, success and opportunities have to be generated and earned. We need to add our own will-power to the power we have drawn on.

What is more, under the cosmic profit-and-loss scheme, if we ask for a psychic overdraft, we must give back, if not immediately, then at a later date. So when your finances are better or your immediate troubles are passed, you should make a small donation or give time to a worthwhile cause connected with the area of the spell. This balances up the account whose cosmic energies you tapped into.

Many shamans or witches demand some sort of payment for services, and this is not from avarice, but because all too often if something is not paid for, it is not valued. So be sure that you pay the shaman – especially the cosmic one. This is grass roots magick, but it works.

Magick For Your Needs

‘Enough for my needs and a little more’ is another of the maxims of this incredibly moral craft, as I mentioned earlier. You would be amazed the number of times I am asked: ‘Okay, if you are a witch, how come you can’t predict the lottery numbers?’ The answer is that it all comes down to need: and do I need a million pounds? True, like any mother of five children I lurch from one financial crisis to the next and when things get really dire, perhaps I could magically bring forward an anticipated payment or attract an unexpected windfall from abroad. But I don’t really need a million pounds. And what about the negative effects? If I became incredibly rich, I would almost certainly lose the incentive to write. Credit card bills are a powerful focus for creativity. And, of course, my kids would never get out of their satin-sheeted beds.

Lotteries are generated by human hands primarily for the purpose of making money for their creators. They really are random affairs and so it often happens that it is the wealthy people who win even more money – although that does not necessarily bring happiness.

Casting your needs into the cosmos and trusting they will be met does work, but not if you areexpecting magick to compensate for an unnecessary shopping binge. Nor, after a period of overeating and no exercise, can you expect a miracle diet to work so that you shed a stone in two days while still eating chocolate. Spells tend to work best when there is a genuine need, generated by real emotion and linked to determination on a practical level.

The Rules Of Magick

Magick is not beyond or above life, but a natural though special part of your world. It is about not leaving fate, your fate, to any guru or deity, but shaping it with your own innate power, the power that emanates from some higher being, goddess or god, energy source, what you will – the divine spark within us all. There are no absolutes in magick, there is only what works for you and enhances your innate wisdom and spirituality. You should use this book as you would any other DIY guide and adapt its suggestions to suit what is right for you. Choose whatever you feel are the most appropriate herbs, crystals or even entire rituals for your specific purpose.

There are provisos, however. You must always remember that the form, the words and even ultimately the associations of particular oils, incenses and planetary hours are not what really matters. The truly important thing is that you should keep to the basic rules of witchcraft that are quite as strict and twice as hard as any conventional religion. These are rooted in wisdom, compassion, honesty, honour and common sense and are summed up in one short phrase:

‘An ye harm none, do what ye will’.

Put in modern-day language, this means, quite simply: ‘Do whatever you like as long as you don’t hurt anyone.’ Simple, did I say? It is in practice incredibly hard to harm none, especially if you are seeking promotion, fighting against an injustice or struggling to survive. But it may help you if you remember the other equally vital law of witchcraft, the Threefold Law. This states that everything you do to others, both good and bad, will be sent back to act on you with three times its intensity and strength. So, if you act always and only with positive intent to help and heal, you will automatically receive all manner of good things and you should become truly wise and happy.

According to the rules of magick, as I said earlier, you cannot be angry, mean or cruel and then expect to say sorry to a deity and have the slate wiped clean. Magick is about taking responsibility for your own actions all the time and that is incredibly onerous. But, on the positive side, the results are equally potent, and if you can learn to tap into the source of light and life and joy, you will amaze yourself and others by what is possible. Thus will your psychic powers also spontaneously unfold and guide you in your everyday world, increasing your spiritual power and wisdom.

The magick is within you, so let it flow and make the world a better place.

—-A Practical Guide to Witchcraft and Magic Spells

Cassandra Eason

The Four Rules and The Law of White Witchcraft c.2018

The Four Rules and The Law of White Witchcraft

Torin Wathame

The Four Rules
Live – Live each day as if it were your last, for one day you will be right.
Love – Love yourself first and foremost. For when you truly love yourself, loving those around you will come as easily as breathing – and we all must breathe.
Learn – Learn your life’s lessons – each as it comes – for that is the reason we are here.
Enjoy – Enjoy your life, because if you do not most likely someone else will enjoy it for you… and then your time here will have been wasted.
The Law: Harm None.

Explanations

Live
The first Rule put forth sounds pretty straight forward at first. Then you actually try to live it! 🙂 Living each day as if it were your last means maximizing your potential for every moment that you have been given.

Love
What is life without love? Honestly, I can’t imagine what that would be like. Yet many people live their lives without the most important form of love there is – the love of the self. If you truly understand yourself and are willing to take responsibility for your own actions you will suddenly find a great love for yourself.

In order to give free and unconditional love to another person you must first have that kind of feeling for yourself. This is all this means.

Learn
One of the cornerstones of The Craft is the belief that our souls are here on this plane of existence at this point in time to learn lessons. Your lessons are different from (although probably quite similar to) my own. Learn what life teaches you. It is no more difficult than this.

Enjoy
The life of the witch does not require you to live your life in suffering nor poverty. There are no mandates for pain, unhappiness, or unpleasantness. We do not see suffering as the ‘key’ to getting into Heaven (or the Summerlands as some of us call it). Indeed, we see such things as exactly what they are… unpleasant! This does not mean that we never have unpleasant things happen to us, nor that we walk around in a constant state of denial.

The Law: Harm None
I have been asked to explain this statement more than all of the previous ideas combined. I often describe ‘Harm None’ as “the Law which must remain unbroken, but cannot remain whole at all times.” Think about it, you can’t do it as a human being.

Merry Part and Blessed Be
Torin W.

Originally Published on Pagan Library

	Rev. Lady Carla Belt… on January 11, 2026 Current South…
	Jennifer Logan on January 11, 2026 Current South…
	Rev. Lady Carla Belt… on 2026 Moon Phase Calendar
	creationbeautiful12a… on 2026 Moon Phase Calendar
	Rev. Lady Carla Belt… on A Little Humor for Your D…
	zorropioneeringdcdcc… on A Little Humor for Your D…
	Rev. Lady Carla Belt… on A Little Humor for Your D…