Category: Our History

Since Spring Is Right Around the Corner: How to Cleanse Your Living Space

Dark Soul...

Since Spring Is Right Around the Corner: How to Cleanse Your Living Space

Clear away any clutter that’s collected on floors or surfaces. Recycle those stacks of newspapers, throw away those old bills, and send out that dirty laundry.

Using an old cloth or your broom, dust the corners of your ceilings for cobwebs. Dust the tops of your curtains and windowsills as well.

Starting at the doorway of your house, sweep the floors in a generally clockwise direction. Sweeping is an excellent example of practical magic, cleansing on both a physical and spiritual level.

Be sure to take the dustcan with you as you sweep. As my mother used to say “bring the garbage to the dustpile, not the dustpile to the garbage.”

Once you’ve finished sweeping, fill the bucket about halfway with hot water and floor cleaner. I recommend Murphy’s wood oil soap, or a pine-scented cleaner.

Add a few drops of the pine oil and eucalyptus oil to the bucket of water. Crumble up a leaf or two of sage and add that as well. Drop the pennies in.

Say a little prayer over the water to the God of your own understanding. Ask that your house be blessed, peaceful, and harmonious.

Starting again at the door of your house, mop the floors in a generally clockwise direction. Envision the charmed water clearing away old, muddy energy and leaving your house sparkling and new.

When you discard the old mop water, be sure to save the pennies from the bottom of the bucket. Wash them under warm tap water and say a blessing over them.

Now, place the pennies in the outer four corners of your house, beginning in the north and moving clockwise. Ask the spirits of the four directions to make your home safe, secure, and prosperous.

Using the lemon-scented polish, lovingly polish any wooden furniture in your house. Once again, envision old vibrations being cleared away.

Light your sage or sweetgrass and smudge the outer corners of each room, moving once again in a clockwise direction.

If this feels comfortable, use either your athame or the index finger of the hand you write with to sketch a pentacle in the air over each door and window of your house, envisioning the opening sealed against unwanted energies.

Tips:

Pagans believe that moving clockwise (“deosil”) invokes and that moving counterclockwise (“widdershins”) banishes.

If you have wall-to-wall carpeting or are very allergic to dust, you can perform this ritual with a vaccuum cleaner instead of a broom. Simply sprinkle a small amount of the charmed water (minus floor cleaner!) on the carpet.

You may wish to chant softly to yourself while cleaning. Any simple, rhyming chant will do. Here’s one example: “Gunk away, good stuff stay.”

When I smudge, I like to chant the names of the Goddess to myself: “Isis Astarte Diana, Hecate Demeter Kali, Innaana.”

Feel free to experiment with what you place in your mop water. I also like to use rose oil (love) and patchouly oil (prosperity).

Healing

Celtic Dragon & Cross ~FLB
HEALING

As Witches, we do magickal work for various reasons: prosperity, love, luck, power, and all that good stuff. But maybe the most important magick we do is healing magick.

Healing magick can be done in numerous ways-anything from a simple spell to a magickal bath to a healing charm to an herbal tea spiced up with a little magickal boost. As with all other magick, the most important component is your intent; other than that, you can choose whichever ever method seems most appropriate for the problem at hand.

Magickal healing work can be done not only for physical healing but also for emotional, psychological, chological, and psychic healing as well. My group once did a family healing spell when a couple of members were having difficulties dealing with parents, husbands, and children. It worked, too.
Healing work is best done on a Sunday or a Monday, when the moon is waxing to full (to increase health). If you need to work during the waning moon, then you can try doing magick to decrease illness instead. If you are using color and/or candle magick, try blue (for healing and peace) or green (for healing and growth). If working to banish illness, then black works well.

Many stones can be used in magickal work as well: clear quartz crystals, amethyst, lapis, and bloodstone are among the best. Some people even use one stone for each color of the chakras and place them on the appropriate spot on the body.

One important point about healing magick: if you are going to do it for someone else, you must-I repeat, must-get permission first. Witches believe in free will, and I cannot stress enough how important that concept is to the core of being a Witch. It is not up to you to decide if someone should be ill or not; each individual is entitled to make that decision for themselves.

Source

Everyday Witch A to Z: An Amusing, Inspiring & Informative Guide to the Wonderful World of Witchcraft
Deborah Blake

A Pagan Blessing for the Dead

purple celtic cross

A Pagan Blessing for the Dead

Choose four participants. One carries a rock, representing the earth, and stands to the North. One carries a feather, representing Air, and stands to the East. Another stands to the South, carrying a candle or some incense to represent Fire. A fourth can hold a cup of Water to the West — if you’re fortunate enough to hold your ritual near an ocean or river, use that to represent Water. On your altar, in the center of the circle, place a picture or some other memento of the person you are saying goodbye to.

 

Form a circle, and call upon the elements. Invite the powers of the four directions to come watch over you. Stand in the center and say:

 

Take me now, take me now
for to face the Summerlands*.
By the earth and wind and the fire and rain
I’m on my way,remember me.

 

Turn to the North and say:

 

Take me now back to the earth
from which we spring and then return.
I shall cross over, now it is my turn.
I am not afraid Remember me.

 

Repeat this verse, turning to each of the four directions. Substitute the different elements where appropriate.

 

Finally, touch each family member with your athame as you say the following:

 

Blood of my blood
Bone of my bone
Flesh of my flesh
Keep my soul alive
I will live on
Within your hearts
I am not afraid
Remember me

 

If you have ashes for the deceased, you may wish to scatter them at this time. Take a moment to reflect on the good memories you have of your departed friend or family member.

 

*If your particular tradition believes we go to some other place after death, feel free to substitute the appropriate place name for “Summerlands.” If you’re not sure where we end up, you can simply say “the other side.”

Author

Patti Wigington
Published on ThoughtCo

Let’s Talk Witch – Pagans, Death and the Afterlife

Celtic Cross

Let’s Talk Witch – Pagans, Death and the Afterlife

 

For many modern Pagans, there is a somewhat different philosophy on death and dying than what is seen in the non-Pagan community. While our non-Pagans see death as an ending, some Pagans view it as a beginning of the next phase of our existence. Perhaps it is because we view the cycle of birth and life and death and rebirth as something magical and spiritual, a never-ending, ever turning wheel. Rather than being disconnected from death and dying, we tend to acknowledge it as part of a sacred evolution.

 

In The Pagan Book of Living and Dying, author Starhawk says, “Imagine if we truly understood that decay is the matrix of fertility… we might view our own aging with less fear and distaste, and greet death with sadness, certainly, but without terror.”

 

As the Pagan population ages – and certainly, we are doing so – it’s becoming more and more likely that at some point each of us will have to bid farewell to a fellow Pagan, Heathen, Druid, or other member of our community. When that happens, what is the appropriate response? What can be done to honor the person’s beliefs and send them on their way in a way that they themselves would have valued, while still managing to maintain sensitivity in dealing with their non-Pagan family members and friends?

 

Views of the Afterlife

Many Pagans believe that there is some sort of afterlife, although that tends to take varying forms, depending on the individual belief system. Some followers of NeoWiccan paths accept the afterlife as the Summerland, which Wiccan author Scott Cunningham described as a place where the soul goes on to live forever. In Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, he says, “This realm is neither in heaven nor the underworld. It simply is — a non-physical reality much less dense than ours. Some Wiccan traditions describe it as a land of eternal summer, with grassy fields and sweet flowing rivers, perhaps the Earth before the advent of humans. Others see it vaguely as a realm without forms, where energy swirls coexist with the greatest energies – the Goddess and God in their celestial identities.”

 

Members of non-Wiccan groups, particularly those who follow a more Reconstructionist slant, may see the afterlife as Valhalla or Fólkvangr, for those who adhere to a Norse belief system, or Tir na nOg, for individuals who participate in a Celtic path. Hellenic Pagans may see the afterlife as Hades.

 

For those Pagans who don’t have a defined name or description of the afterlife, there is still typically a notion that the spirit and the soul live on somewhere, even if we don’t know where it is or what to call it.

 

Tawsha is a Pagan in Indiana who follows an eclectic path. She says, “I don’t know what happens to us when we die, but I like the idea of the Summerland. It seems peaceful, a place where our souls can regenerate before they reincarnate into a new body. But my husband is a Druid, and his beliefs are different and focus more on the Celtic view of the afterlife, which seems a little more ethereal to me. I think it’s really all just different interpretations of the same place.”

 

Deities of Death and the Afterlife

Cultures have, since the beginning of time, honored deities associated with the process of dying, the act itself, and the journey of the spirit or soul into the afterlife. Although many of them are celebrated during the harvest season, around Samhain, when the earth itself is slowly dying, it is not uncommon to see them called upon as someone is approaching their last days, or has recently crossed over.

If you follow an Egyptian, or Kemetic, path, you may choose to honor Anubis, the jackal headed god of death. Anubis’ job is to determine whether the deceased is worthy of entering the underworld, by taking the individual’s measure. To help ease their passing, you may choose to sing or chant to Anubis about the dying or dead person’s accomplishments.

For Pagans who follow an Asatru or Heathen belief system, prayers and chants to Odin or to the goddesses Hel and Freya might be appropriate. Half of the warriors who die in battle go to spend the afterlife with Freya in her hall, Folkvangr, and the others go to Valhalla with Odin. Hel takes charge of those who have died from old age or sickness, and accompanies them to her hall, Éljúðnir.

A Maryland Heathen who asked to be identified as Wolfen says when his brother died, “We had this huge ceremony with a big bonfire, lots of drinking and toasts, and song. My brother had already been cremated, but we added his ashes to the fire, and we sang a song honoring him and his accomplishments, and introducing him to Odin and Valhalla, and then we continued it by calling upon our ancestors, going back about eight generations. It was what he wanted, and probably the closest thing to a Viking funeral that you can get in suburban America.”

Other deities you may wish to call upon as someone is dying, or has crossed over, include the Greek Demeter, Hecate, and Hades, or the Chinese Meng Po.

 

Author

Patti Wigington
Published on ThoughtCo

Another Important Technique Every Witch Needs To Know How to Do – Shielding

Shielding

 

There are many reasons to shield.  When practicing the craft or even just exercising your psychic gifts you will come across those who will drain your energy or unintentionally send out harmful energies.

 

Emotions are a powerful energy.  Anger and Fear are two of the most powerful emotions.  That wave of negative energy projected out from a person can effect or drain you.

 

Sickness..  When someone is sick, they can unknowingly drain someone close to them.  They don’t intend on doing so.  It just happens.

 

Magick attack.  Well, this is very rarely done. But it is also a possibility.  When we shield ourselves properly, it protects us from others harming via magick.

 

Exercise in Shielding

 

When someone surrounds themselves in white light without grounding they run the mistake of doing what I call “Flaring the Aura”  This is not a good thing.  Not only does it use your own energies to “power” the shield around you but makes for a bright target on the astral planes for any nasties that are drawn to bright beings. If anything hits your shield you will be drained anyway in the reflection of the attack because you used your own energies to power it.  In other words…. not good at all!

 

  1. Do a grounding exercise that you are familiar with..

 

  1. After you have completed the grounding exercise do not let go of the earth.

 

  1. See yourself in a dark room.

 

  1. Hold your hands out and visualize a bright ball of energy drawn up from the earth.  Do not discard it if you don’t get white.  Each person’s energy that they draw from the earth is different and resonates with them.  Allow it to grow in your hands till it is too heavy to hold.  Let it drop and grow till it is big enough to walk into.

 

  1. Walk into the energy.  Feel it surround you.

 

  1. See it seal around you and become an unbreakable sphere around you.

 

  1. Come back to yourself refreshed.

Getting Rid of the Magickal Leftover from our Workings & Keeping Them Out  Warding – Part 3 Warding

Getting Rid of the Magickal Leftover from our Workings & Keeping Them Out

Warding

 

Warding is keeping out unwanted influences.

This is trickier than the previous two techniques because you’ll require certain powers to assist you. You would not do any of thes techniques as a beginner, anyway, so you’ll have had pleny of time to accumulate the requirements of Warding. They are certain talismans that you’ll have gathered from the wild places, like bird skulls, feathers, bones, spiders webs, the discarded bits of animals that have moved from whtever form they inhabited before the died to that form, certain stone entities and wood entities, specific shells, and symbolic amulets. All of these kinds of things will call you, and you will collect them. They will be part f your company of entities and are like familiars but are not the same, for their powers are dormant until they ar fomed as Wards.

You will also need to acquire sealing wax.

Before a Warding, prepare as you would for a Banishing. You will also need to choose whichever of your company of entities you require to create the Ward.

A Ward is an intelligent, elemental entity (and could be considered a Witch’s medicine bundle with a specific purpose). A Ward is always to come back to you ( it is to be left to do its work for a limited cycle only (one lunar month, more or less). You are to tell no one of what you are doing, as the Ward, once it is placed, is to remain undisturbed.

You are to bless and consecrate all things that make up the Ward ( you won’t need much; keep it simple), wrap it in cloth or leather, and seal the way into the package with sealing wax. The Ward will remain active until you break the seal yourself.

You will also require a small piece of meat. This will be buried on the property and the ward will remain active while the meat decomposes. It will feed the Ward.

You are to ascertain that you scent is on both the package and the meat, so rub them both with your hands before you leave them at the site.

You will create the Ward beforehand in your own home, within a cast circle. On the night of the Warding, cleanse with intent of purification and seal your orifices with consecrated water. Take your athame and a bottle of consecrated water, as well as a packet of ordinary table salt. You will also require a small hand trowel (or a stout shovel if the ground is presumed hard!).

You will go once around the property or the area casting a circle of protection. You will repeat the encircling with the consecrated water, and go around a third time sprinkling a fine circle of salt.

All is to be done with focus and intent. You are to be really clear about who you want to keep out!

You will summon the entity, that is, the accumulative of all things within the Ward, to come out into the area of protection (these entities, once released, are never small, I warn you, but they are lovely; they are your creatures!). You will then bury the Ward very well and very secretively, placing a rock over the spot if possible to dissuade any passing beastie from digging it up. You’ll bury its food close by ( ditto with another rock).

Then cut a zone into the circle with your athame allowing those in alliance with the person you are assisting to come and to, but you will seal it with a Banishing Pentagram of Earth.

Then you leave. You are to tell the person you are assisting that you have set up protections for a certain duration only, and that you will return to remove them when the allotted time is up. They are to understand this and to agree to do whatever they must, in that time sequence, to prevent further dysfunction.

At the appointed time, you are to return to the site and dig up your Ward, summoning the entity back to you. You will then return home, break the seal, and put the bits back in their usual places, where they will remain dormant (which is their current, natural state).

Getting Rid of the Magickal Leftover from our Workings (Part 2 – Banishing)

Getting Rid of the Magickal Leftover from our Workings

Banishing

Whether it is your place or someone else’s you are to banish, you are to understand beforehand that there are not to be any form of dispute in the place, or to fill it with resentful or bitter emotions for the cycle of one Moon after your work. More often than not, the behavior would have been empathetic with whatever entity was causing the discomfort. Things are attracted to strong blasts of emotion as much as they are attracted to psychic activity. You need to be aware of this phenomenon in association with all your magickal practices, but especially where protections and enchantments are concerned.

Your Banishing is irreversible. It matters not whether the entity is a living person or an energetic agent. Banishing is about getting rid of, but “getting rid of” requires full Reaving of a property and encirclement of its boundaries, as well as the correct placing of pentagram seals when you are warding..

Before you go near the place that the banishing is to be done, you will seal off all orifices, psychic and actual, of your own body. A man has twelve, a woman has thirteen. For both: eyes, nostrils, ears, mouth, nipples, umbilicus, anus (eleven). For a man: penis (twelve). For a woman: vagina and urethra (thirteen). Secondly, you will take with you your boline, just in case you encounter the need for self-defense.

You will work the same process as reaving, but you will seal each portal of the house with a Banishing pentagram of Earth. You will keep the intent of Banishing clearly in focus at all times (words or no words).

You will work from a central point in the house to the outer most part of the property. You will conclude by encircling the entire property and laying seals on the ground at all entrances and exits.

Part 3 – Warding

Air Meditation

Air Meditation

 

Relax and get comfortable.
Take three deep breaths.

You are standing on an open cliff, overlooking a prairie below.  It is shortly before dawn and you have come here to do your magickal work.

The sky is muted, pale blue overhead fading into a gentle rose-pink near the eastern horizon where the sun will rise.  Relax as you stand on the cliff, watching the sky.  Whisps of clouds drift by, strings of gray stretching across the horizon.  They are distant and lazy, and you know they will burn off by morning.

~~Long pause~~

The air currents are still as you breathe deep in the chill, yet soon-to-warm, morning and your breath steams out, hovering in front of you.  For just a moment before its gone.  Now, step to the edge of the cliff and stretch your hands out to the sky.  In a voice that echoes across the valley call out:

“Eurus, Wind of the East!  Dazzling and Bright!  Aid me in my magickal journey!”

As the last echo fades away, you see a huge bird winging towards you.  It is a giant red-tailed hawk and it soars in to land on the cliff next to you.

“Climb aboard my back.  I will take you to Eurus, ” she says and you straddle her behind her wings and hold on to the lavender straps that will give you balance.  She crouches, then takes to the air.  Your weight seems to present no problems and you find yourself flying far overhead the cliff and the valley below.

~~Long Pause~~

The hawk climbs higher and higher, and you soon lose track of the ground altogether.  After a while the hawk heads for a could formation, soft strings drifting across the sky, which is the color of a robin’s egg.  Finally she lands on the edge of one.  “Here is where you get off,” she says.  “Don’t
worry, the clouds will hold your weight.”

You climb off the hawk’s back and find the clouds soft but substantial beneath your feet.  The hawk flies away and, in another moment she is a small speck in the sky.

You hear laughter in the distance, growing closer. A being of air sweeps up. The cool, crisp breezes of morning accompany him and he laughs again, and each breath washes you clean of cobwebs and stagnation.

~~Long Pause~~

“I am Eurus, Master of the Eastern Wind, “he says.  “Touch me and know my powers.”  You reach out and touch his hand.

As your fingers enter the wind-stream around Eurus, you find your mind growing alert, aware.  You feel clear-headed and your thoughts come rapidly and coherently.  Everything seems brighter, smells cleaner and now you see the breeze rush through your aura, cleaning away the stagnant energy that has accumulated there.  A rush of exhilaration snaps you to attention.

~~Long Pause~~

“You see,” he says, “My winds have the power to purify you, to free you from old habits.  I am the wind of new beginnings.  I am quicksilver, the wind of thought and communication.  In my presence you will never be at a loss for words.”  And then, Eurus gives you a feather.  It is from the hawk.  “Whenever you have need of my powers, use this feather to call them forth.  Or call on the hawk to bring the east winds.  “And now, “he says, “the next step of your journey awaits.”  With a rush, Eurus departs.

~~Long Pause~~

You tuck the feather away and turn to the edge of the cloud.  You raise your hands to your mouth and call out into the clear blue sky.  “Notus, Wind of the South! Firey and radiant!  Aid me in my magickal journey!”  As you wait you see a winged creature approaching.  It is not the hawk, but a gigantic bird covered in flames, golden and orange and brilliant red.  A phoenix… and it lands beside you.

“Climb on my back, and I will take you to Notus,” She says.  You approach her, expecting to feel an intense heat radiating from her body, but instead a gentle warmth seeps through.. You are protected from her fire by the Gods who sent her.  Climb aboard her back and take hold of the golden straps to hold you tight.

~~Long Pause~~

She takes flight and you soar through the air, rising toward another cloud. This cloud is huge, white…puffed cotton gone wild.  The phoenix lands carefully on the edge and allows you to dismount, then flies off again, a brilliant fireball in the sky.

You stand but a moment when you hear a laughter like thunder, a huge bellowing chuckle.  The being that approaches comes in a hot cackling wind and you feel the hairs on your arm rise, caught in static electricity.

~~Long Pause~~

“Welcome to the home of Notus, ” he says, and his voice echoes across the plain. “Feel my power and understand my radiance!”

You reach out to touch the energy of the Master of the South Wind.  As your fingers meet his, the wind sweeps down around you and crackles, electricity at its strongest.  You feel your mind lead with passion, the passion to act and to create.  Stories, poems…pictures, they all grounded here.  You feel the words swirling around you, they are just waiting for you to call them in. Your body shivers, this wind is sensuous and plays gently, caressing and teasing you, like hundreds of fingers tracing out patterns on your skin.

~~Long Pause~~

“You see, ” says Notus, “I am the wind of creativity, the wind that brings you the scent of new-mown hay where you lie down in passion with your love. I am the wind that precedes lightning.”  And then, he gives you a feather from the phoenix.  “Whenever you have need of my powers, use this feather to call me forth, or call on the phoenix to bring the southern winds.  Now, the next step of your journey awaits!”  And with a rush, Notus departs.

~~Long Pause~~

You go to the edge of the cloud and call out, “Zephyrus, Wind of the West! Gentle and Buoyant!  Aid me in my magickal journey!”  Watching, you see a winged creature approach.  It is a giant blue heron, and it lands beside you.

“I will take you to Zephyrus, ” She says softly, and you climb aboard and grab hold of the blue straps and find yourself once more aloft.

~~Long Pause~~

The heron brings you to a cloud that is darker than the others.  It rolls across the sky at twilight, hinting of rain, black and full of moisture.  As it lands, you climb off and the heron flies away, leaving you alone.

You do not have to wait long.  Soon another wind spirit rumbles up to meet you.  His face is somwhat mournful.  He does not laugh, but remains melancholy, yet you fee that he is at peace with the world and himself.

~~Long Pause~~

“I am Zephyrus,”  he says, “Master of the West Winds.  I bid you feel of my powers and stay as long as you need.”

You reach out and are swept into the storm.  The rain pounds around you, this wind is full of moisture and blows cool against your skin.  It whispers of peace in thought and action, of turning inward to look at yourself.  It blows through your life and cleanses you of old wounds.  It brings the rains of autumn to clear the air and make way for the frost.

~~Long Pause~~

“Behold,” he says, “I am Zephyrus, and I bring you to the joys and sadness of the heart.  I blow into your life when the mists are needed to cushion you, and I bring the fog to protect you from sight.  I am the wind of autumn, and of the beautiful sunset when the air is cool, when birds wing gently home. I bring fertility and respite.”

He hands you a feather from the heron. “Use this when you have need of my powers, or call on the heron to bring you the west winds.  Now, the next step of your journey awaits you.”  He drifts off , leaving you alone.

~~Long Pause~~

Once again you stand on the edge of the cloud and raise your hands to your mouth again.  “Boreas, Wind of the North!  Rushing and Mightly!  Aid me in my magickal journey!”

And then, as your call goes ringing out, you see a bird gliding towards you. It is a giant eagle, and she lands and waits for you to climb on her back. The straps you take hold of are black.  She rises silently and you know she is taking you to the realm of Boreas, Master of the North Wind.

This sky is grey, sparkling with frost, and you land silently, muffled, and the eagle rises and leaves you with no words.  A bitter chill sweeps down and you hear the wind whirl up around you, swirling with snowflakes, and Boreas, Master of the North Winds, stands gravely before you.

~~Long Pause~~

“I am Boreas, and I bring with me sleep, the winds that clear the trees of their leaves, the wind that cries out, destroying old patterns and habits that lie in my path.  I clear depression and anxiety and envy from your heart, leaving a void to be filled by the east wind.  Know that without me, there would be no beginning, for there must be an end to all things before new life can take hold.  I guard the road of the dead, and ghosts live in my cry, and old memories…. leave them to me, free yourself of your chains, I will sweep them up.

~~Long Pause~~

“And now,” he says, handing you an eagle feather, “you must attend the last stage of your journey.”

“Use this feather to call me, or bid the eagle to bring you the north wind. But be aware, I will most surely come.”  Sparkling with frost, Boreas glides off in the muffled night

~~Long Pause~~

You stand on the edge of the cloud and realize you have made the circuit.  All but the center.  As you watch, a winged horse comes flying up and you climb aboard Pegasus’ back.  It carries you aloft, far higher than you have ever been.  You are dizzy with the flight, spinning and whirling in the air.

~~Long Pause~~

You find yourself on the edge of a rainbow, and Pegasus bids you dismount.  As you do so, you hear a sweet singing, chimes in the wind and you turn to see a woman dressed in hues of pale blue and lavendar, with golden threads woven through the sliken veils.  She wears a necklace of diamonds and her hair is pulled back in a tight chignon covered with a net of spiders web to keep it neat.

~~Long Pause~~

“Welcome,”  She says, and her voice is the echo of spring, the call of early morning.  “Welcome to the realm of the Queen of Air.”

She invites you to sit on the rainbow bridge and sits beside you, bouquet of white daisies in her hand.  “You have journeyed far to learn of my element and so I will tell you of the nature of air, element of the East.  Know this: that without air there is no life.  Without my breath you cease to exist. Without me, this world would be but a lifeless orb floating in space.  I am essential, as are all elements for survival.”

“I am mist and fog, vapors trailing the wind.  I am the wind, and the breeze, the still currents of air on a got summer’s night.  Without me, fire would not exist, and earth would bear no life, and the water could support no fish.”

~~Long Pause~~

And then, the Queen of Air looks at you and says, “What would you ask of me? What do you need from me?”

Think carefully, then ask of her and listen to her reply.

~~Long Pause~~

When she has spoken, she reaches out and helps you to your feet and you feel the cool promise of morning,  beckoning you to rise from the bed, for a new day awaits. ” Slide down the rainbow,” she says.  “It will take you home.

And then she is gone.

You look at the rainbow.  It is steep but very wide, and when you sit down on it, you find there is no way to fall off.  You push off with your hands and find yourself speeding down the arc, watching the sky curve as you descend.

~~Long Pause~~

You breathe deeply, calming yourself, for you are traveling faster than you thought.  And you count down from 10 to 1, each beat bringing you closer to the earth below.

Fire Meditation

Fire Meditation

 

Relax and get comfortable
Close your eyes and take three deep breaths

You have traveled far, through land and air, to search for the realm of fire. Now you find yourself standing on a dusty road and you see, up ahead, a copse of trees, tall and dark.  It is near midnight and there is little light from the waning moon overhead.

The path leads to the grove.  The night is warm and the gentle breeze carries the lingering heat of the day.

The trees are mingled oak and cedar and alder.  Here and there a rowan hangs heavy with berries and holly peeks out of the corners.  As you enter the forest, a strange tingle runs up and down your arms and you feel suddenly drowsy, all of your senses are alert, yet it feels as if something’s taken hold of your conscious mind and it is lulling you into a hazy, drifting fog. But you feel no sense of fear, no sense of danger, only a sense of a great power watching you.

~~Long Pause~~

You pass through the wood, quietly now, drifting along the path.  Every sound seems heightened, every movement catches your attention.  It is as if you are supersensitive and you realize you could pass through this wood blindfolded now, if you had to.

As you continue, you see a deer flit into the undergrowth, and an owl swoops down and passes you overhead.  And then, you feel someone following you and you stop and turn around.  Behind you, you see a ball of light, glowing with green energy the color of peridot, floating gently in mid-air.

~~Long Pause~~

“I am to be your guide in this part of the realm of fire.”  The voice echoes inside your head and you know it’s from the globe of light.  “I am a will-o- the-wisp, and I belong to the realm of faerie fire, through which you must first pass.  Follow me then, to the grotto ahead, and do not tarry, for the realm of faerie is quick to catch the unwary and the foolish in its snares and weavings.”

You follow the will-o-the-wisp as it leads the way through the forest.

~~Long Pause~~

Now you begin to notice a shimmering on the trees, their auras glowing and sparkling bright.  “This has always been, you can only now perceive it, ” says the globe.  “Your first stop is over to your left.”

Just up ahead, to your left, you see a darkened patch in the foliage.  As you near it, a shiver runs through your body and your mind quakes, for there is a stirring of power around you and you know something very ancient, very primal, is there.  You creep forward and turn to gaze in the dark space between the trees.

~~Long pause~~

The blackness is so dark you know it must be supernatural, for it’s the dark of the void and the abyss that you are gazing into, and it holds you hypnotically.  Then, just as you think you can’t stand gazing into the emptiness any longer, you begin to see a swirl of sparkling color, a spiral, and the spiral forms itself into two glowing red eyes that pierce the abyss far better than any lantern or torch.

The gaze of the red eyes strip away your outer facades and masks, delving into the inner self you keep hidden away.  It is not malevolent, but strong and male and watchful.

~~Long Pause~~

“The red eyes in the forest at midnight,” whispers the globe of light.  “The Hunter, the Heart of the Forest, and He exists in the realm of faerie fire. Watch your step and mind your actions when crossing the woods at night, for He will be there watching you. ”

Quietly, you may ask the Hunter what He has to teach you about fire, and listen well for his reply.

~~Long Pause~~

“Now, follow me, ”  says the will-o-the-wisp, and you pass through the forest, listening to the calls of the birds.  You come to a place where the path diverges to the right.  The will-o-the-wisp floats down that fork and you follow.  The ground slopes steeply, and you see that it leads to a beach down below.  When you hasve walked and slid your way down to the sand, you see a small bay that kisses the shore.  The water is shimmering with lights, green and blue and pink and yellow.

You are overcome with a rush of joy and you dash forward, drawn in by the glittering lights.  With every step sparks fly from the sand and you stop to press your hands on the ground.  When you lift them, they are covered with sparkles.  Suddenly light hearted, laughing and unable to speak, for the joy in your heart is overwhelming any words you might have to say, you dance on the sand and watch the sparks fly.  If you like, you can wade into the water, and it seems like your wading among the stars.

~~long pause~~

Finally the will-o-the-wisp speaks and it says, “You see, faerie fire is an uneplainable feeling.  There are few words for this happiness, this intoxication, but it exists and is real.  Now come, back to the path, for I have one more stop to show you and then you will go forward without me.”

As you return to the path, you find your clothes are dry but the phosphorescent sparkles of faerie fire still exist within your heart and memory.  The will-o-the-wisp guides you along the path until, up ahead, you see a purple fire dancing across the road.  You must pass through it to continue your journey.

“Go now,” the globe says, “and when you pass through the fire of the phoenix, you will find a fine layer of ash covering your body.  The wind will blow it away, and with it will go pain and anger and old bonds that chain you.  The purple rays of the phoenix are hotter than flame, hotter than fire, and they will burn through to the core and leave you purified and new, ready for the next stage of your journey.  After you have passed through it, you will find yourself at the end of the forest, and a green fire covers that part of the road.  It is the purest essence of faerie fire and you will pass through it
and out to the next leg of the journey.  Good luck and good-bye.”  And the will-o-the-wisp fades into the forest.

You approach the flickering purple flame and the heat is so strong that you can only feel it as waves, not as actual warmth.  Take a moment, think of what you would have burned away from you, what you are tired of carrying around, and then pass through the flame, bathe in it, and come out the other side.

~~Long Pause~~

When you emerge from the phoenix flame, you fine that, indeed, a fine layer of ash covers your body.  The breeze sweeps up and blows it away.  Underneath, your skin is new and clear, and your heart is lighter.

The forest comes to an end up ahead, and there you see the green flame waiting.  You take one last look behind you and then pass into the flame of the faerie fire, the green fire in the forest at midnight, the green fire of Midsummers’s Eve.

It crackles around you, sparkling and magnetic.  It resonates within you and you feel your aura shift and change.  You body moves with more grace in the fire, and you feel it slide up your arms and legs, seep into your belly…sensuous, it leaves you breathless and waiting.

~~Long Pause~~

And then…you find you can shape your aura, you can change and alter it to your liking.  Do you want to appear taller?  Thinner?  More voluptuous?  Do you want to radiate confidence and strength?  All you have to do is use the faerie fire to shape your will.  When you have thought and done your working, step through to the other side and look at yourself again to see what changes you have made in your energy.

~~Long pause~~

Now you have stepped out of the forest.  Look around you.  You find you are in an open plain.  The grass is thick here, but grows sparser up ahead and you see the light of dawn rising to the East.  There are no trees after then line of the forest, and the path leads a gentle graded slope upwards.  Follow the path and continue your journey as the morning light grows and the stars fade from the sky.

It looks like the morning is going to be hot.  There are no clouds in the sky and the forest has become a distant memory.  You walk along the path, and up ahead you see a well.  There is a sign on it that says, “Last water for many miles.”  There are many canteens here, and you might want to fill one, for the journey is sure to be hot and thirsty.

~~Long Pause~~

The grass is sparse now, the dirt faded and compacted.  You start to see cracks in the ground as you go along; no rain has fallen here for a long time. The sun has now risen above the horizon and you are already starting to sweat.

You wipe your forehead and look around.  To all directions, it seems there is only the desert, with occasional outcroppings of stone.  As you continue your journey, your feet become hot and weary.  You sit on a rock to rest.  While you are sitting there, you hear a rustle and look down to the side of the rock.

A large lizard is sitting there, patiently watching you.

~~Long Pause~~

It is red, with stripes of orange, and golden eyes stare up at you.  Its long tongue forks out and it says in a wheezing, whistling voice, “I’m your guide for this part of the journey.  I am the Salamander Flametongue.  I will guide you to your destination in this part of the realm of fire.  You will need a walking stick.  Look under that rock over there.”  It waves its tongue towards a low, long rock near you and you find a walking stick that’s just the right height for you underneath it.

~~Long Pause~~

“Well, then, ”  flametongue says, “it’s time we were off.  Come now, follow me.”  The salamander leads you along the path, which is now a steeper grade. You pass through the barren land, and when you reach the top, you see a mountain ahead.  It is dark, with streaks of rust-colored rocks trailing down its side, flowing over blackened lava that covered the land long ago.

The black lava lies in waves, pillows of rock, thick and glistening with volcanic glass.  Strange configurations, some look almost human, stand frozen over the land, and the flow goes on for miles and miles, so vast and immense you can only imagine what it must have looked like when it first covered the land.

~~Long pause~~

As you start forward you find the path no longer exists.  You must cross the hardened lava, and so, using your walking stick to steady yourself you forge ahead, slowly working your way around the twisted rock.  You must be careful here, for the lava is sharp and full of rough edges. IF you fall, you could hurt yourself.

Flametongue leads you along the surface of the jagged rock.  Your feet slide along the smooth obsidian rock.  It is difficult to keep your balance here. At one point, your stick breaks through the lava and you see the end of it smoke as it touches still cooling rock.  You pull it out quickly, and beat out the flicker of flames that starts on its tip.

~~Long Pause~~

The salamander leads you a wide berth around that area and you find yourself having to really concentrate to keep your footing as you realize how dangerous this realm can be.

Now the grade is rough, and you are breathing heavily.  The taste of sulfur fills your mouth and you must stop and pour a little water on your handkerchief and tie it around your face so the bitter, acidic fumes don’t overwhelm you.

You are climbing higher and higher up the side of the mountain, and you see stream rising from cracks in the lava around you.  Flametounge turns and says, “This is a place of massive destruction.  But out of that destruction, new land is born, nutrients will weather down and feed the soil and plants will grow again.”

You curve around the side of the mountain and when you look over the edge of the roughly worn path, you see a long drop, two hundred feet down, into a lake of lava.  It boils and turns, twisting red tongues of flame dance on its surface.  At once terrifying and mesmerizing, it churns constantly as you watch.

~~Long Pause~~

“Come,” says the salamander, “we shouldn’t linger here.  The Queen of Fire awaits you and she’s not one to be made angry.”

The path twists away from the lake of magma and back around the blackened mountain.  You pass into what once was a forest.  The trees are now black; hardened charcoal and ash cover the land.  The salamander leads you off the dark lava and you are sifting through the ash, into the desolate forest, where you hear ghostly voices traveling on the hot wind.

“The flame consumes, ”  says flametongue. “It can burn brightly and drive you onward, or it can consume and destroy, leaving only the ash behind.”

Now you find your throat parched and dry, and you stop to take another drink from your canteen.  Your skin is cracking from the heat and you desperately wish for a cool bath, somewhere far away.

~~Long pause~~

“We are almost there”  says the salamander.  “You are nearing the home of the Queen of Fire.”

Ahead you see it.  A great fountain made from blocks of frozen lava, sitting in a clearing full of ash.  It’s a fountain of flame, and in the center of the flame, you see a woman bathing.  She is crimson and vermillion, and her eyes are the brightness of the so that you cannot look directly at them.  She motions you near.

~~Long Pause~~

As you approach, the heat intensifies until it feels like your skin is just about to burn.  She holds up her hand for you and in a voice low and crackling, throaty with passion, she says, “Come no farther or you will hurt yourself.  I am the Queen of Fire.  Welcome to my realm.”

She is sensuous, her body ever shifting shapes in the flames, and you feel the passion that throbs just below the surface of the energy here.  She speaks again.  “Hold out your hand, so that you may feel my power. ”  You hold out your hand.

At first you feel a warm glow, the warmth of spring mornings, the warmth of a breezy day when you’re in the garden.  Then, the warmth increases, and it’s the heat of the woodstove, warming you on crisp autumn evenings…and then the heat changes again, and its the crackle of bonfires and the smell of burning wood…then once again, and the heat is the sweltering heat of noon on a summer’s day, and sweat pours down your face.

~~Long pause~~

She speaks again.  “I am the drive of passion, and I am the creative force that refuses to be squelched.  Try to repress me and I will rise up and burn you to ashes.  Embrace me, use me with foresight and I am an ally you cannot afford to lose. I heal with my golden rays and I destroy to make way for new creation with the rivers of molten rock that pour from within the earth.  Now, what would you have me do for you?  What do you wish to create?  Tell me, and then listen and I will give you advice.”

Think now for a moment, then answer and listen for her to reply.

~~Long Pause~~

When she has spoken, the Queen of Fire bids you leave.  “This is not a place where mortals may stay for long.  The heat will burn you ragged.  Go now, there is a path beyond this fountain.  Follow it and it will lead you home.”

You follow the path and it leads you down a slope.  The sun is now a bit lower in the sky and the salamander waves good-bye.  The walking becomes a little easier, the ash thins out as you go and you see less and less of the stunted trees.

As you proceed down the hill, you begin to see wips of grass, growing through the soil now free from ash.  You follow the open path by a low cliff, and looking over, you see the path leads to the shore below.

~~Long pause~~

You twist and turn, going down, and find the walking easy and pleasant after you sojourn in the realm of fire.  When you reach the shoreline, there is a horse waiting and saddled.

You climb on its back, exhausted, and as it moves out, following its sense of internal direction, you find you can rest.  The spray from the water cools your dry skin and there is a fresh canteen hanging from the saddle.

You ride for what seems like hours, and the horse takes a fork that leads away from the water and you find yourself traveling through late evening on a path that is gradually going uphill.  At the top of the slope, just before twilight, the horse stops and you climb off.  You see, ten steps in front of you, the place where you started your journey.  The horse has brought you back.

~~Long Pause~~

Now, take those ten steps and each one will bring you closer towards waking consciousness……  Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two one.

THE AUTARCHIC CREED

THE AUTARCHIC CREED

We of the Old Religion have our own particular compact with our deities that charges simply, “An it harm none, do as ye will.”

And our gods do not despise us for being human but delight in our celebrations of life and love. We are ageless souls, only for awhile within bodies – merely visitors upon this plane.

We are brothers to the gods and only temporarily cousins to the ape, and our lives belong to us, not to this world nor to its earthly governors.

We are not doomed to shame and decay; not lost; not indentured to perish with earthly manifestations; not disposed to eternal misery for any past or present lapses of courage or wisdom.

We are as children in the school of life who must learn our lessons, on life at a time, before we graduate.

Our lives span the march of time, striving upward, subordinate only to our individual probity and growth.

But in this mortal life, greedy, trivial hierophants and mundane rulers have perpetrated a fraud upon humanity.

They have purloined for profit and temporal power, our legitimate heritage, and that of all society, and have substituted for it shame, despair, and fear,inventing evil deities to terrify and to constrain mankind from the exercise of his own native conscience.

Still we take our uncertain portion time and again, joining with the species on this plane, only to meet with earthly disunity and distress;bonly to be told by bogus, uncelestial shepherds that we are deficientvand fundamentally iniquitous; constantly rebuked that our natural birthright is insubstantial or even sinful, and that we must cleave to the pious injunctions of reigning mortals, no matter how oppressive or suffer beyond measurable time, yearning for some mythical golden glory just out of reach, but somehow never quite worthy of it.

That is the apocryphal hell and the fabled satan; they are of mortal creation; they are now, not in some remote bye-and-bye; and those who choose to believe in them perpetuate them in this earth. But nevertheless, by sublime design, despite narrowness, folly or fear, we all, each and every one, possess this wondrous legacy:

that each of us sustains a singular covenant with the cosmic, in that the soul is and ever was, one with the universe, conducting itself in concordance with the absolute. And whatever paths it may walk, or whichever faith it may follow, on sojourn at a time, each shall as a consequence of that oneness, and attuning with its destiny, eventually return on its own to its source to again be part of that totality, atoned, aware and unshackled.

“JUSTIFICUS”

Landmarks of the Craft

LANDMARKS OF THE CRAFT

by “Eli”. Copyright 2000 The Drudic Craft of the Wise (www.thedcw.org).

 

A landmark is a prominent feature used to mark the boundaries of real estate. Therefore, these landmarks of the Craft ar prominent features of
the American Rite, or Druidic Craft of the Wise. Just as departing from the landmarks in real estate signifies that one has departed from that piece of land, so does departure from the landmarks of our Craft signify such a person or organization has departed from the correct defines of the
Craft. Other branches of the Craft sometimes call this their “Law”.

THE LANDMARKS

The landmarks were given to man by The Great God, Pan,
In the dim, dark ages of the past
For the rule and regulation of the wise,
To advise and help them in their troubles
And relations, one with the other,
That all might work and love together.

They are the Bill of Rights of each member,
And the code of operation of the Coven.
And are to be honored by all
Or else they become meaningless and of little use,
And departure therefrom by any person or Coven
Shall be a departure from the rest of the Covens
Which constitute the American Rite.

And they shall be disfellowshipped, they from the rest of us,
And no further communication shall be established
Concerning things of the Craft
With either He or They until
They shall return to the fold of the Craft
In love and cooperation.

For the Gods love the Wise, the Brethren of the Way,
And so should we return that love.
But this can only be done and made manifest by love expressed
In deeds for the Brethren of the Craft,
Not in pride, but in cooperation and sincerity.

THE FELLOWS OF THE CRAFT

Any person, be male or female, who is of good mind
And free to decide for himself in good faith,
Who shall learn of the Craft and its Tenets,
And shall desire to follow the Way,
Shall be permitted to do so,
And none may say him “Nay”.

And the Gods will love him and look after him,
And they shall bless him on all things,
And his needs shall always be satisfied,
As he shall show forth love and affection
For all the brethren and sisters of the Craft,
And he shall obey the Admonishments
Of the Craft as to secrecy and correct living.

And when he shall desire to join the Craft,
And to follow the Way to Perfection,
He shall make his desires known to any member
Of the Priesthood.
And they shall observe his readiness and sincerity,
And shall then administer the rites of
Secrecy, which is sacredness and brotherhood.

But a Priest shall accept the Sister,
And a Priestess the Brother,
As an eternal reminder of
The duality of the Universe.
And a new name and secret mark
Shall be given each new fellow.

By this name, and under this mark,
Shall they be known among the members
Of the Craft, in love and harmony,
And their old name and identity shall not be known
Even among the members of their own Coven,
And none shall inquire for his name or his house
And he shall inquire these of none.

But the Gods have decreed, that in joining the Rite,
Free Will and independence shall not be in jeopardy.
And he shall have the right to follow the Way.
Walking alone if he will it that way,
Or with a Coven of living brethren
If he so shall choose;

And he shall have the right
To withdraw from any coven at any time
Without the need to say why,
If he shall so choose.

And this either for the purpose of joining another
Or to become solitary for his own reasons,
And there will be none to censure;

And he shall have the right to remain
In a certain Coven, and none shall say him “Nay”,
Or to attempt to force him to leave and depart;
Except that should he lose harmony with them
Then they may so decide
And he shall depart.

But no man shall have the right
To speak for the Craft,
And leaving one Coven does not mean
Leaving the Craft, or
Leaving the Way
And each is free, then, or at any time later,
To remain solitary
Or to seek admission to another Coven.

But let him and each other fellow of the Craft
Keep a book, and this shall be of the colors of the Craft,
That it may be readily recognized,
And here he shall keep all the Laws and Landmarks,
And the tenets of the Craft,
That he might not forget,
And if he do forget, that his mind might be
Renewed.

And in this book, all things shall be the mark
Of his own hand, and in ink,
That it shall be long lived.

Let each of the brothers and sisters
Copy what they will from the book,
Providing that they are of sufficient worthiness,
To receive it, and are of sufficient rank,
Or that the writings are of sufficient nature
As pertain to their own rank.

Never suffer this book out of hand or possession,
And never borrow the writings of another
To keep, but merely to copy.
And each shall guard and keep these writings,
As his most sacred possession
And destroy them when danger threatens.

However, should one be of sufficient power,
To remember his past as a wise man,
This book and other Craft artifacts,
May be buried in a stone box
Prepared for them from time to time,
And this in view of immediate death,
And the desire to save them for a future life.

Otherwise, on notice of impending death,
This book should be destroyed by fire,
As well as other things of the Craft,
Which one may posses.

But the wise man will have nothing around
Which has only a Craft use or meaning,
But only things which can be used in daily affairs.

If there is no reason to own a sword,
Then do not own one;
The white wand is just as powerful,
And less distinctive in the minds of the infidels.

If a white wand is too distinctive,
Then any old wand will do for the purpose
Of the ceremonies.

Have no names written and signs drawn
On anything permanently,
When necessary these can be written
In charcoal or chalk
And erased immediately without the telling of tales.

Let the knife have the shape of,
And be stored with the kitchen knives;
Let the cord be seen around the house,
And be used for a vulgar purpose,
In order to fool the infidels.

Never boast, never threaten, never brag
Of your powers; not even to the Craft,
Above all, never harbor ill thoughts toward another
For the power may make it happen for harm;
And never wish ill to anyone.
As it will Occur.

If anyone speaks of the Craft, to down it,
Remember: the Craft needs no defense,
For it has the Father and
All things will be as He wishes
In the end.

THE COVEN

And it shall be that any Fellow of the Craft,
Finding himself in a place where he knows of no Coven,
Or other Fellow of the Craft
Shall have the right, nay, even the duty,
To seek out such a Coven,
Or other Fellow of the Craft
Without censure.

Provided that he shall not reveal secrets to jeopardize
His former Coven or the members of it,
Or the Craft itself.

And two or three Fellows shall have the right
To meet and discuss subjects of Craft interest,
And to help each other along
On the Way to Perfection,
Except that Craft ceremonies
Must be done by the Priesthood.

Any five fellows who shall desire
To form a Coven may do so,
And they shall apply for a charter
To any High Priest or Priestess,
And they shall then select and choose
A man and a woman to lead them.

And their elected leaders shall be ordained by their High Priest,
And they shall choose two more,
A woman to be the deputy; to learn to be a priestess,
And a Scribe for their Coven.

But these shall not be ordained to the Priesthood,
Unless also qualified for another reason.

And this Coven shall belong to the High Priest,
And shall be answerable to him in all their doings,
Because they did owe their Priesthood to him,
And he shall act at all times in their interest
As their Spiritual Father in the Craft
So that he may lead them as they walk
The way to perfection.

But the newly appointed Priesthood,
Should it be lacking in the knowledge and wisdom needed,
For the positions to which they have been set apart
Then it shall be his responsibility as their High Priest,
To lead and instruct them,
Or cause it to be done by another.

But should the new Coven refuse to follow
The teachings and instructions of their Spiritual Father,
Then he may, at his discretion and Judgement,
Recall their charter, and their right to work as a Coven.
For that which one can give he may also retrieve,
And they shall not again meet,
Unless they can find another High Priest,
Who will assume responsibility over them.

It is the bounden duty of the High Priest to preside,
For all things must be presided over by the High Priesthood;

And should any Coven desire to change,
Their allegiance from one High Priest to another,
For any reason, even the loss of harmony,
Or if, in their considered opinion, their Spiritual Father
Is no longer spiritual, or serving the Father
Then they shall be reordained in the Priesthood
By the New High Priest, and this shall then
Have superceded the original ordinations,
And there shall be for them

A new Spiritual Father.

And if any Priest or Priestess, or other member of the Priesthood,
Find themselves in a place wherein there is no Coven for them to lead,
Then it is their bounden duly to try to the extent of their Power
To find Fellows of the Craft
And organize them into a Coven.

And should they find that there are no other Fellows of the Craft,
In that place, but there are some of the same good bend of mind,
It is then their duty to teach them by word and deed,
Until there be sufficient to form a Coven,
And this shall be done under the supervision,
And with the knowledge of their High Priest,
Through which they received their ordination
And their Powers.

And they shall obligate, teach and initiate all the members of their Coven,
And they shall be theirs and they shall be to them
As elder brothers and sisters,
And shall care for them in all their affairs,
And not just at meetings,
For it is in this that the Craft differs
From all man-made institutions.

Should any member be absent, and love of the Priestess is such
That she shall continue to contact them in any manner
And by any method possible,
To tender them her loving care
At all times of sickness or stress.

And should any member move to a far city
The Priestess will continue to care for them
In love, by whatever method is available,
Until such time as they shall,
Of their own free will,
Obligate themselves to another Priestess.

And the Priestess shall at all times remember
That she is the direct representative of the Goddess to her Coven,
And the Priest is the direct representative of
The unknown God, the Father,
And both must act as such at all times.

Yet the Priestess shall have whomever she shall choose
As her Priest, be he of that rank, or qualified to be,
Or else another Fellow, who shall be called
her Magister.

And she must remember at all times that the man provides the power,
For the woman to direct, and so it is,
That the Priest resigns all his power over to her,
Yet it is not his power, nor hers to keep,
It is the power of God to use in the performance
Of the Work.
The Power of God is only lent to be used,
Wisely and Justly.

Both the members of the Priesthood shall remember their Spiritual Father,
At all times with gratitude, love, veneration and cooperation,
keeping constantly in contact, and acting with him in utmost harmony,
For they must always remember that the power
And wisdom which they use,
Comes to them through him.

In the days of old, ere the coming of Christendom,
The Craft was free and open in its ceremonies,
And entire states and nations worshipped the Gods
Freely and without restraint;

But in these unhappy days, we must remain secret,
And hold our rites and ceremonies in secret,
And there are those who will talk, even without torture,
Which loosens any tongue.

Then let it be ordained, heeded and supported by all
That no Coven shall know wherein
The next Coven shall abide, or who its members be,
Except only the Priestess, Magister and Deputy,
And even they shall not remember
Except for good and sufficient reason.

But, and if only, it should be safe, may the covens meet
In some safe place for festivals, and while there,
None may say whence they came, nor give their true names,
Or tell of where or when their meetings are, and
No secret things shall be spoken of
At these festivals for fear of Cowans and Eavesdroppers.

Let each Priestess govern her own Coven in justice and love,
Ever heeding the advice and instructions of her High Priest.
She will ever heed the complaints of the brethren
And strive to settle all differences between them with love.

But there are those who, in pride, will ever strive
To force their will upon others
But these are not necessarily evil
And will think that they do rightly.
Oft they have good ideas and such ideas
Should be discussed in council with their brethren.

But if they will not agree with their brethren,
Or if they say “I will not work under this Priestess”,
Then they shall have the right to withdraw from that Coven,
And work Solitary.
Or if five or more of them shall withdraw,
They shall have the right
To form another Coven under another
Priestess.

Even as it shall be the right of any five or more persons of a Coven
To withdraw, and form a new Coven, for any reason whatever,
But they shall then utterly avoid the old Coven
In all things, as it shall then have ceased to exist for them.

THE BOOK OF SHADOWS

Let every Coven of whatever rank
Keep a record in a book of black and silver,
And it shall contain, first, the Landmarks and Tenets,
Then a collection of Wisdom of the Craft,
The Rites and Ceremonies of the Coven
As well as the History of the Coven,
And its charter empowering it to work.

And a record of every meeting shall be written therein,
Together with a record of the doings of any member thereof
With the other side, or the Father, or
Any other thing which is for the teaching of all,
Even unto the listing of herbs and medicines
Spells and incantations and Rites
Which contain power for the use of man.

This book shall be kept by the Scribe,
And it shall be kept and approved by the Priesthood
And also the High Priesthood, when it shall come,
But no names or Craft secrets shall be written therein
That he Craft should not be betrayed
Should the book be taken by force,
Or slyness, by the infidels.

And when the coven shall disband,
It shall be the duty of the High Priesthood
To secure this book and make suitable disposition
That it might not endanger the Craft
Or any brother within it
As if the Coven were a person or Fellow
And the book were his book,
So let it be burned.

THE PRIESTHOOD

The Mother, The seven Elder Children, and all the worlds,
Draw their power from the Father.

But the children of the Father are like the sands of the sea,
And He has ordained and set apart certain of his older children,
To help and assist Him in caring for the younger children,
And has given them the Power and the Wisdom to do so,
And these children constitute the Priesthood.

The Father will bestow this power upon whom he will, and none may say him
“Nay”
Yet also may the Priesthood choose workers and helpers
And shall share their power with them,
And this is called ordination.

The Power of the Priesthood is that of the Father
And it is love unfeigned and sincere,
Compassion and gentleness and meekness,
Persuasion and long-suffering and kindness,
And there is no authority over the free will of men
Inherent in the Priesthood,
Nor to be assumed by the members of it.

And the Power of the Priesthood is the Power of God,
And the Power of God can never be wielded by an ungodly man,
Nor an evil man; nor the love of God by an unloving man;
And when the man becomes evil, the Power of God is withdrawn from him.

Nor can a member of the Priesthood be inactive,
For inactivity without cause is lack of love for the Father,
And this man’s priesthood shall depart from him
At the end of a year and a day,
For it is truth eternal,
That the thing which is unused will be taken away.

So if any Fellow of the Craft shall desire the Priesthood,
First let him learn to be a leader of men,
For a Priest with no following is no Priest,
And his Priesthood is in vain.

So therefore let the Fellow who would be a Priest
First learn the knowledge and wisdom he will need in the new appointment,
Then let him learn to lead men, and
When he shall either have been selected
As leader for his Coven,
Or when he shall have gathered up a Coven of his own,
Then let him apply for ordination.

And he shall apply to a High Priest, for it is written
That only the higher can ordain the lesser,
That there shall be an unbroken line
Of power and authority extending
Back through the line of ordination,
To the Father Himself.

And no man can ordain his peers,
For the Lord’s House is not a house of confusion,
So let not the line be broken
For it is the cable tow by which
Men are drawn from the lower
Up to the greater;–
An impossibility without it.

And each must work within their line of ordination
In perfect love and perfect trust,
With perfect harmony in all things,
But should they find that they fall out of harmony
With their line of ordination,
Then let him seek another, to be ordained of him
To be their new spiritual Father.

Let the Priesthood be a leadership of fact; not of fancy,
For those who have no following to lead,
Why are they in the Priesthood?

And so it is that they who lose or give away their following,
Or they who through inactivity have lost their power,
Or they who are not in harmony and love with their Spiritual Father;
Shall be retired from a rank to which entitled
Other than by leadership of men.

But this can only be done by he who ordained them,
For only those who give can take away,
Yet each High Priest is responsible that this is done.

Should any Fellow fain the Priesthood, and use it wisely and well,
The Gods have decreed that those who serve them
Shall prosper and grow in this life,
And shall gain eternal perfection
To be freed from the Wheel of Life,
And to become like unto the angels
In that they should be perfect.

For perfection is to be gained by love,
And there is no greater love than to
Lay down one’s life for his brethren
In their service and for their sake,
And the Father will reward them for
Their labor of love, because
He is not unjust.

FINIS

Celebrating Lammas

The year is 1100. The date is August 1. The monks in the abbey at Gloucester are celebrating the holy-day of St. Peter in Chains. One of the monks wakes from a strange dream in which God promises to strike down the wicked King who has abused the Holy Church. His superior, Abbot Serlo, on hearing of the dreams sends a warning to the King, William the Red, who has oppressed all of England with taxes and disgusted many with his licentiousness and blasphemy. Red, as he is called, receives the message the following day while preparing to indulge in one of his favorite sports, hunting, in the New Forest. Although there are no longer any people dwelling in the New Forest — they were all cleared out by Red’s father, William the Conqueror — there are rumors that it’s a hotbed of pagan activity. And August 2 is an important pagan holy-day. The Saxons call it Lammas, the Loaf-Mass. William the Red laughs at the warning from the monks and goes out hunting. A short time later, he is dead, struck in the chest by a stray arrow, and his brother, Henry, who was in the hunting party is riding hot-foot for Winchester and the crown.

Now some people say that William the Red was a Lammas sacrifice, …

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