Category: Our History

THE LAWS from Lady Sheba

THE LAWS

from Lady Sheba
Your High Priestess

In the Magic Circle, the words, commands, and every wish of the High
Priestess are law.
She is the earthly, living representative of our Gracious Goddess. She
must be obeyed and respected in all things. She is Our Lady and above all
others, a queen in the highest sense of the word.
All female coveners must curtsy whenever they come before her and say,
“Blessed Be.” All male coveners must bend the knee and give her a kiss on
the right cheek and say, “Blessed Be.”

Your High Priest

He is the earthly, living representative of the Great Horned God and in the
Magic Circle, He commandeth the respect due to one who is a Magus, a Lord
Counselor, and father.

The Laws

1. The Law was made and ardane of old.
2. The Law was made for the Wicca to advise and help in their troubles.
3. The Wicca should give due worship to the Gods and obey Their will, which
They ardane, for it was made for the good of the Wicca, as the worship of
the Wicca is good for the Gods. For the Gods love the brethren of the
Wicca.
4. As a man loveth a woman by mastering her,
5. So the Wicca should love the Gods by mastering them.
6. And it is necessary that 0 (Magic Circle) which is the temple of the
Gods, should be duly cast and purified that it may be a fit place for the
Gods to enter.
7. And the Wicca should be properly prepared and purified to enter into the
presence of the Gods.
8. With love and worship in their hearts, they shall raise power from their
bodies to give power to the Gods.
9. As has been taught of old.
10. For in this way only may man have a communion with the Gods, for the
Gods cannot help men without the help of man.
11. And the High Priestess shall rule Her Coven as the representative of
the Goddess.
12. And the High Priest shall support Her as the representative of the God.
13. And the High Priestess shall choose whom She will, if he have
sufficient rank, to be Her High Priest.
14. For, as the God himself kissed Her feet in the Fivefold salute, laying
His power at the feet of the Goddess, because of Her youth and beauty, Her
swetness and kindness, Her wisdom and Her justice, Her humility and
gentleness and generosity,
15. So He resigned all His power to Her.
16. But the High Priestess should ever mind that all power comes from Him.
17. It is only lent, to be used wisely and justly.
18. And the greatest virtue of a High Priestess be that She recognizes that
youth is necessary to the representative of the Goddess.
19. So will She gracefully retire in favor of a younger woman, should the
Coven so decide in council.
20. For the true High Priestess realizes that gracefully surrendering the
pride of place is one of the greatest virtues.
21. And that thereby will She return to that pride of place in another
life, with greater power and beauty.
22. In the old days, when Witches extended far, we were free and worshipped
in all the greatest temples.
23. But, in these unhappy times, we must celebrate our Sacred Mysteries in
secret.
24. So be it ardane, that none but the Wicca may see our mysteries, for our
enemies are many and torture loosens the tongue of men.
25. So be it ardane, that no Coven shall know where the next Coven bide.
26. Or who its members be, save only the Priest and Priestess and the
Messenger.
27 And there shall be no communication between them, save only by the
Messenger of the Gods, or the Summoner.
28. And only if it be safe may the Covens meet in some safe place for the
Great Festivals.
29. And while there, none shall say whence they come, nor give their true
names.
30. To this end, that if any be tortured, in their agony, they may not tell
if they do not know.
31. So be it ardane, that no one shall tell anyone, not of the Craft, who
be of the Wicca, or give any names, or where any abide, or in any way tell
anything which can betray any of us to our faces.
32. Nor may he tell where the Covendom be.
33. Or the Covenstead.
34. Or where the meetings be.
35. And if any break these Laws, even under torture, the Curse of the
Goddess shall be upon them, so they may never be reborn on earth, and may
they remainm where they belone, in the Hell of the Christians.
36. Let each High Priestess govern Her Coven with justice and love, with
the help and advice of the High Priest and the Elders, always heeding the
advice of the Messenger of the Gods if He comes.
37. She will heed all complaints of all Brothers and strive to settle all
differences among them.
38. But it must be recognized that there will always be people who will
ever strive to force others to do as they will.
39. These are not necessarily evil.
40. And they oft have good ideas, and such ideas should be talked over in
council.
41. But, if they will not agree with their Brothers or if they say:
42. “I will not work under this High Priestess.”
43. It hath ever been the Old Law, to be convenient for the Brethren, and
to avoid disputes.
44. Any of the third may claim to found a new Coven, because they live over
a league from the Covenstead or are about to do so.
45. Anyone living within the Covendom and wishing to form a new Coven shall
tell the Elders of their intentions and on the instand avoid their dwelling
and remove to a new Covendom.
46. Members of the old Coven may join the new one when it is formed, but if
they do they must utterly avoid the old Coven.
47. The Elders of the old and new Covens should meet in peace and brotherly
love to decide the new boundaries.
48. Those of the Craft who live outside both Covens may join either
indifferent, but not both.
49. Though all may, if the Elders agree, meet for the Great Festivals, if
it be truly in peace and brotherly love.
50. But splitting the Coven oft means strife, so for this reason these Laws
were made of old, and may the Curse of the Goddess be on any who disregard
them!
SO BE IT ARDANE.
51. If you would keep a book (your Black Book) let it be in your own hand
of write, let Brothers and Sisters copy what they will, but never let the
book out of your hands and never keep the writings of another.
52. For if it be in their hand of write, they may be taken and engained.
53. Le each guard his own writings, and destroy them whenever danger
threatens.
54. Learn as much as you may by heart, and when danger is past, rewrite
your book when it be safe.
55. For this reason, if any die, destroy their book, an they have not been
able to.
56. For, an it be found, ’tis clear proof against them.
57. And our oppressors know well: “Ye may not be a Witch alone.”
58. So all their kin and friend be in danger of torture.
59. So destroy everything not necessary.
60. If your book be found on you, ’tis clear proof against you alone. You
may be engained.
61. Keep all thoughts of the Craft from your mind.
62. If the torture be too great to bear, say: “I will confess. I cannot
bear this torture. What do you want me to say?”
63. If they try to make you talk of the Brotherhood, do not.
64. But if they try to make you speak of impossibilities such as flying
through the air, consorting with the Christian Devil, or sacrificing
children or eating men’s flesh,
65. To obtain relief from the torture, say, “I hold an evil dream, I was
beside myself, I was crazed.:
66. Not all the magistrates are bad; if there be any excuse, they may show
mercy.
67. If you have confessed ought, deny it afterwards. Say you babbled under
the torture, say you do not know what you said.
68. If you are condemned, fear not.
69. Fear not, the Brotherhood is powerful, they will help you to escape if
you stand steadfast.
70. But if you betray ought, there is no hope for you in this life or that
to come.
71. Be sure, if steadfast you go to the pyre, drugs will reach you, you
will feel naught. You but go to death and what lies beyond.

The Ecstasy of the Goddess

72. To avoid discovery, let the working tools be as ordinary things that
any may have in their houses.
73. Let the Pentacles be of wax so that they may be broken at once or
melted.
74. Have no sword, unless your rank allows you one.
75. Have no names or signs on anything.
76. Write the names or signs on them in ink immediately before consecrating
them, and wash it off immediately afterwards.
77. Do not engrave them lest they cause discovery.
78. Let the color of the hilts tell which is which.
79. Ever remember, ye are the “Hidden Children of the Goddess,” so never do
anything to disgrace them or her.
80. Never boast, never threaten, never say you would wish ill of anyone.
81. If any person, not in the magic circle, speak of the Craft say, “Speak
not to me of such, it frightens me. ‘Tis eveil luck to speak of it.”
82. For this reason: the Christians have their spied everywhere. These
speak as if they were well affected to us, as if they would come to our
meetings saying, “My mother used to go worship the Old Ones. I would I
could go myself.”
83. To such as these, ever deny all knowledge.
84. But to others, ever say, “‘Tis foolish talk of Witches flying through
the air. To do so they must be light as thistledown. And men say that
Witches all be so bleary-eyed, old crones, so what pleasure can there be at
a Witch meeting such as folks talk on?”
85. And say “Many wise men now say there be no such creatures.”
86. Ever make it a jest and in some future time, perhaps, the persecution
may die and we may worship our Gods in safety again.
87. Let us all pray for that happy day.
88. May the blessings of the Goddess and God be on all who keep these Laws
which are ardane.
89. If the Craft have any Appenage, let all guard it, and help to keep it
clear and good for the Craft.
90. And let all justly guard all monies of the Craft.
91. But if any brother truly wrought it, ’tis right they have their pay,
and it be just. And this be not taking money for the Art, but for good and
honest work.
92. And ever the Christians say, “The laborer is worthy of his hire” but if
any brother work willingly for the good of the Craft without pay, ’tis to
their greatest honor.

SO BE IT ARDANE

93. If there be any quarrels or disputes among the brethren the High
Priestess shall straightly convene the Elders and inquire into the matter
and they shall hear both sides, first alone, then together.
94. And they shall decide justly, not favoring the one side or the other.
95. Ever recognizing there be people who can never agree to work under
others.
96. But at the same time, there be some people who cannot rule justly.
97. To those who ever must be chief, there is one answer.
98. Void the Coven, or seek another one or make a Coven of your own, taking
with you those who will go.
99. To those who cannot rule justly the answer be, “Those who cannot bear
your rule will leave you.”
100. For none may come to meetings with those with whom they are at
variance.
101. So, an either cannot agree, “Get hence, for the Craft must ever
survive.”

SO BE IT ARDANE

102. In the olden days, when we had power, we could use the Art against any
who ill-treated the Brotherhood. But in these evil days, we must not do so!
For our enemies have devised a burning pit of everlasting fire, into which
they say their God casteth all the people who worship Him, except it be the
very few who are released by their priest’s spells and masses. And this be
chiefly by giving monies and rich gifts to receive His favor, for their God
is ever in need of money.
103. But as our Gods need our aid to make fertility for man and crops, so
it is the God of the Christians ever is in need of man’s help to search out
and destroy us. Their priests ever tell them that any who get our help are
damned to this Hell forever, so men be mad with the terror of it.
104. But they make men believe that they may escape this Hell if they give
Witches to the tormentors. So for this reason, all be forever spying,
thinking, “An I catch but one of the Wicca, I will escape this fiery pit.”
105. So for this reason we have our hidels, and men searching long and not
finding say, “There be none, or if there be, they be in a far country.”
106. But when one of our oppressors dies, or even be sick, ever is the cry,
“This be Witches’ malice,” and the hunt is up again and though they slay
ten of their own to one of ours, still they care not. They have countless
thousands.
107. While we are few indeed.

SO BE IT ARDANE

108. That none shall use the Art in any way to do ill to any.
109. However much they injure us, HARM NONE and now times many believe we
exist not.

SO BE IT ARDANE

110. That this Law shall ever continue to help us in our plight. No one,
however great an injury or injustice they receive, may use the Art in any
way to do ill or harm any. But they may, after great consultations with
all, use the Art to restrain Christians from harming us or tax others, but
only to let or constrain them.
111. To this end, men will say: “Such a one is a mighty searcher out and a
persecutor of old women whom they deemeth to be Witches, and none hath done
him skith, so they be proof they cannot, or more truly where be none.”
112. For all know full well, that so many folk have died because someone
had a grudge against them, or were persecuted because they had money or
goods to seize, or because they had none to bribe the searchers. And many
have died because they were scolding old women. So much that men now say
that “only old women are Witches.”
113. And this be to our advantage, and turns suspicions away from us.
114. In England and Scotland, ’tis now many a year since a Witch hath died
the death. But the misuse of the power might raise the persecution again.
115. So never break this Law, however much you are tempted, and never
consent to it being broken in the least.
116. If you know it is being broken, you must work strongly against it.
117. And any High Priestess who consents to its breach must immediately be
deposed. “For ’tis the blood of the Brethren they endanger.”
118. Do good, an it be safe and only if it be safe.
119. And strictly keep to the old Law.
120. Never accept money for the use of the Art. For money ever smeareth the
taker. “‘Tis sorcerers and conjurers and priests of the Christians who ever
accept money for the use of their Arts. And they sell dwale, and evil loves
spells and pardons, so let men escape from their sins.”
121. Be not as these. If you accept no money, you will be free from
temptation to use the Art for evil courses.
122. All may use the Art for their own advantage, or for the advantage of
the Craft, only if you are sure you harm none.
123. But ever let the Coven debate this at length. Only if all be
satisfied and none be harmed may the Art be used.
124. If it is not possible to achieve your ends one way, perchance the aim
may be achieved by acting in a different way, so as to harm none. May the
Curse of the Goddess be on any who breaketh this Law.

SO BE IT ARDANE.

125. ‘Tis judged lawful if any of the Craft need a house or land and none
will sell, to incline the owner’s mind so as to be willing to sell,
providing it harmeth it not in anyway and the full price is paid, without
haggling.
126. Never bargain or cheapen anything whilst you live by the Art.

SO BE IT ARDANE.

127. ‘Tis the old Law and the most important of all Laws that no one may do
anything which will endanger any of the Craft, or bring them into contact
with the law of the land, or any of our persecutors.
128. In any disputes between the brethren, no one may invoke any Laws but
those of the Craft.
129. Or any tribunal but that of the Priestess, Priest and Elders. And may
the Curse of the Goddess be on any who do so.

SO BE IT ARDANE.

130. It is not forbidden to say as Christians do: “There be Witchcraft in
the land,” because our opressors of old make it heresy not to believe in
Witchcraft, and so a crime to deny it, which thereby puts you under
suspicion.
131. But ever say “I know not of it here, perchance there may be, but afar
off – I know not where.”
132. But ever speak of those as old crones, consorting with the Devil and
riding through the air.
133. But ever say: “But how many men may ride through the air an they be
not light as thistledown?”
134. But the Curse of the Goddess be on any who cast any suspicion on any
of the Brotherhood.
135. Or who speaks of any real meeting place where any abide.

SO BE IT ARDANE.

136. Let the Craft keep books with the names of all herbs which are good
for men, and all cures, so all may learn.
137. But keep another book with all the Bales and Apies and let only the
Elders and other trustworthy people have this knowledge.

SO BE IT ARDANE.

138. Remember the Art is the secret of the Gods and only may be used in
earnest and never for show or pride, or vainglory.
139. Magicians and Christians may taunt us saying, “You have no power. Do
magic before our eyes. Then only will we believe.” Seeking to cause us to
betray our Art before them.
140. Heed them not. For the Art is holy, and may only be used in need. And
the Curse of the Gods be on any who break this Law.

SO BE IT ARDANE.

141. It ever be the way with women, and with men also that they ever seek
new love..
142. Nor should we reprove them for this.
143. But it may be found to the disadvantage of the Craft.
144. As, so many a time it has happened that a High Priest or High
Priestess impelled by love, hath departed with their love, that is, they
have left the Coven.
145. Now if a High Priestess wishes to resign, they may do so in full
Coven.
146. And this resignation is valid.
147. But if they should run off without resigning, who may know if they may
not return within a few months.
148. So the Law is: If a High Priestess leaves her Coven, but returns
within rthe space of a year and a day, then she shall be taken back and all
shall be as before.
149. Meanwhile, if she has a deputy, that deputy shall act as High
Priestess for as long as the High Priestess is away.
150. If she returns not at the end of a year and a day, then shall the
Coven elect a new High Priestess.
151. Unless there be a good reason to the contrary, the person who has done
the work should reap the benefit of the reward.
152. If somebody else is elected, the deputy is made maiden and deputy of
the High Priestess.

SO BE IT ARDANE.

153. It hath been found that practicing the Art doth cause a fondness
between aspirant and tutor, and it is the cause of better results if this
be so.
154. But if for any reason this be undesirable, it can easily be avoided by
both persons from the outset firmly resolving in their minds that if any
such ensure, it shall be that of brother and sister, or parent and child.
155. And it is for this reason that a man may be taught by a woman and a
woman by a man and that woman and woman and man and man should never
attempt these practices together.
156. And may all the Curses of the Mighty Ones be on any who make such an
attempt.

SO BE IT ARDANE.

157. Order and discipline must be kept.
158. A High Priestess or a High Priest may and should punish all faults.
159. To this end: all the Craft must receive their correction willingly.
160. All, properly prepared, the culprit kneeling, should be told his
fault, and his sentence pronounced.
161. Punishment should be the $ followed by something amusing such as
several S S S S, or something of this nature.
162. The bulprit must acknowledge the justice of the punishment by kissing
the hand of the Priestess and by kissing the $ on receiving sentence; and
again thanking for punishment received.

Let’s Talk Witch – Magical Ethics

52947_letter_w_lg

Magical Ethics

Magic itself is neither negative nor positive; it is simply energy. People often refer to negative or positive magic, but what they actually mean is that the intention of the person doing the magic is negative or positive— the terms positive and negative magic are a shorthand way of speaking. Black magic is another term for magic performed with a negative intent, and white magic is often used to describe magic performed with a beneficial intent. Both forms of magic have ethical considerations that can shift a seemingly positive spell into the realm of negative magic. Manipulation, permission, and personal benefit are all elements of magical ethics.

 

 

The Everything Paganism Book: Discover the Rituals, Traditions, and Festivals of This Ancient Religion
Selene Silverwind

WOTC Extra – Karmic Consequences (What is Karma/Leftover Karma from Past Lives)

Irish Celtic Fighting DragonsKarmic Consequences

(What is Karma/Leftover Karma from Past Lives)

Karma is a Hindu concept that has been adopted by many Westerners, especially those in the New Age and Pagan communities. While many people talk about karma, not everyone fully understands it. Its effects over several lifetimes are also often misunderstood.

What Is Karma? Karma is the Hindu law of cause and effect. For every action you take, there is a reaction, although it’s not equal and opposite. When you take beneficial action, you receive a beneficial effect. When you take baneful action, that will come back to you, too.

Your karma is a part of your soul, and it determines, in part, how your life will play out. If you live a just life, you will receive more just benefits. If something negative befalls you, look to your history and see what might have caused it.

Leftover Karma from Past Lives

The karmic backlash or reward for your actions is not always immediate. Sometimes it takes years to feel the full karmic effects of any action. The span of time between an action and its karmic effect can actually stretch over more than one lifetime. The actions you took in your past lives affect your current life to some degree. They might decide your role in this life, or how your life is lived. You can rest assured that really evil people will receive appropriate punishments in their future lives. Hopefully, you weren’t a terrible person in your past life, but if you can’t see any reason why so many things in your life seem to be going wrong, you might be dealing with retribution for mistakes you made in a previous life.

The Hindu concept of time is not strictly linear, so there can also be a karmic influence for an action you’ve not yet taken. Living the best life you can in order to balance out the negative weight on your karma is the best solution for dealing with karmic effects you had no role in creating in this life. A Hindu’s goal in life is to carry out his dharma (duty). If you attempt to serve your life purpose, it will benefit your karma and counterbalance the mistakes of the past or future.


The Everything Paganism Book: Discover the Rituals, Traditions, and Festivals of This Ancient Religion
Selene Silverwind

Save

Let’s Talk Witch – Personal Responsibility

Irish Celtic Fighting DragonsPersonal Responsibility

Pagans do not have the option of confession to remove their spiritual or societal errors, nor do they believe that forgiveness should automatically follow a certain amount of penance. The rallying cry for Pagan ethics is personal responsibility. Whether you’re acting to help or to harm, you must carefully consider all the effects of your actions, and be prepared to accept the consequences. Personal responsibility isn’t all bad, though. It also means you get to accept the credit for good deeds. A reasonable amount of pride is a virtue among Pagans.

Every action you take affects others and yourself. Sometimes it’s as simple as hurting someone’s feelings, and a sincere apology will repair the damage. The first step is admitting that you were wrong. Then you can best decide how to proceed.

Most of the time you’re aware that you’re causing someone harm, but occasions do arise when you think you’re helping someone, but really you’re making things worse. It can be difficult to admit that you did more harm than good, but you must accept the reality of the situation. Once you acknowledge your error, you can get to work making up for it.


The Everything Paganism Book: Discover the Rituals, Traditions, and Festivals of This Ancient Religion
Selene Silverwind

 

Let’s Talk Witch – Air Magic

Winter WolvesLet’s Talk Witch – Air Magic

Air magic pertains to all things that travel through the air. This includes cludes death, music, thoughts, spirits, dreams, and invisibility. Other specialty areas include travel magic and twilight studies. The word twilight is used here to describe the state of mind when we are not quite asleep and not quite awake. It is a shift in consciousness that allows lows for the more surreal parts of life to come into sharper focus.

Like dirt and water, each type of wind contains its own primary properties. The magical properties and purposes corresponding to the different types of winds are as follows:

Whirlwind: Whirlwinds run the gamut from gentle “dust devils” to full-blown tornadoes. This is a powerful aspect of wind to use; however, it is best to only use the violent form on the astral tral plane. This is the best wind to use to banish or destroy. Be careful with whirlwinds, even if only on the astral plane, because cause they tend to confuse.

South wind: The south wind is the warm wind of fire. It can work as an all-purpose magical booster; however, it can easily cloud a situation. The south wind brings blessings of friendship. Singing into the south wind can facilitate contact with loved ones. It is the wind of celebration.

North wind: The north wind is the proverbial wind of change. It is the icy cold wind of death and works well in spells of destruction tion or banishment. It is connected to the element of earth and can be used as a healing wind. The north wind moves things forward in time.
East wind: The east wind relates to air. It symbolizes new beginnings nings and fresh starts. This is a good wind to use for matters involving intellect and self-improvement. It ushers in clarity and clears the mind.

West wind: The west wind is the wind of love and emotion. It relates to the element of water. Cleansing and divination are favored when the west wind is blowing. The voices of the dead are heard on the west wind.

 

 

Elemental Witch: Fire, Air, Water, Earth; Discover Your Natural Affinity
Tammy Sullivan

 

Let’s Talk Witch – Personal Power

Let’s Talk Witch – Personal Power

Now that your intuition is up and humming, we can turn our focus to personal power, the next step in natural witchery. Here is where we begin to make the magick more individual. I mean, honestly, don’t you want your magick to have some character?

Just a little something special that separates you from everyone else? Of course you do. By discovering your personal power, you’ll crank up the level of your expertise and put the focus on your own individual style of magick.

We are going to accomplish this by taking a deeper look into the elements of earth, air, fire, and water, and how they play out and affect our magickal selves. Our personalities are a wonderful mixture of the qualities of the four elements. And while it is certainly true that we each feel an affinity to a certain natural element or elements from time to time, we need to be in balance to harmoniously employ all four. It is important to reflect on each of the elements and to consider how you individually experience magick through all four of them. Then allow those elements to flow into your life.

To boost your personal power and to have it up and running at top speed, you will need to get— well, for lack of a better word—“ personal,” and do a little soul-searching. After all, the best individual to transform your life and help you reclaim your own powers is, of course, you.

The power of the elements and all of nature is deep and infinite, and the following elemental information is not a 101 rehash. Truthfully, this type of knowledge is vital for everyone; this includes the more experienced or advanced practitioners too. For years I always thought that to be an “advanced Witch” meant you had somehow discovered all these phenomenal mysteries of the cosmos— when in actuality what you begin to discover is that those basic lessons you first learned have many hidden layers. The longer you study and practice, the more of those levels you will begin to explore and uncover. There truly are worlds within worlds.

Study and take the time to search inside yourself and to uncover the hidden, layered powers of the natural elements. These lessons will be a bit different for everyone. That’s what makes this type of magick so special, because you are adding dimension to your craft. By using your intuition— and stretching out those psychic abilities that we worked on in the first section of this book— you will begin to see how each of the four natural elements play out within your magickal personality. Why is this so darn important, anyway? Because you will gain an understanding of your elemental strengths and your weaknesses. For your magickal power to be its most effective, you have to take a little private inventory and then remove any imbalances or blocks. This in turn allows you to focus and fine-tune your magick, and turn up the level of your personal power. To begin our lesson of self-discovery, look over the following elemental personality traits and see which ones you most closely identify with.

Natural Witchery: Intuitive, Personal & Practical Magick
Ellen Dugan

Let’s Talk Witch – Finding Where You Fit In

Halloween Black Cats
Let’s Talk Witch – Finding Where You Fit In

Everyone wants to fit in, that is no secret. You want to feel like you are a part of something special, and it is the same with this religion. Just as there are several different sanctions of Catholicism and Christianity, there are many different branches of Wicca as well. In fact, it seems that the Wiccan religion is more flexible than even Christianity because Wiccans can make their own groups based on their belief system. Find your Wiccan community, and if you don’t feel like you fit in, just go on your own way, and be a lone wolf. There are a lot of lone wolf Wiccans.

Covens
This is one of the best known types of Wiccan groups. Think of it like the country club for Wiccans. This is a large group of Wiccans that schedule regular meetings, and they often have club dues. Along with having dues, they often have a lot of rules and regulations that you don’t see in a less strict group of Wiccans, but that is because they want their coven to stay on the straight and narrow, and when you have too many witches in one group, then you could have some serious issues if one of them go rogue. You as a part of the coven could get taken down with the rogue. So covens have to be kind of strict to keep things organized.

Covens are also great for beginners because there are rules. It may feel confining to not be able to find your style in the beginning, but you could grow to appreciate having so much help as you are learning. With covens, it is an all hands on deck deal. If one member is not up to par, all members of the coven pitch in to help the weak link. However, within a reasonable amount of time, there are possibilities you may get kicked out if you are in a pretentious coven. It is for the best if you are kicked out of a coven like that. A coven based on pretenses is one that has the most risk of turning to dark magic.

If you feel like a coven could be a good fit for you, you can go online to find one that is near you. There are a lot of online forums for Wiccan covens. This is often how they find new members in their area. If you are interested in it, try it for yourself.

Circles
A circle is a little different than a coven. The main difference is the size. A circle is always five people no matter what. One person for each element. The best part about this is, you can build your own circle pretty easily if you know four other Wiccans. Circles have rules and regulations like a coven, but they are often less strict due to the fact that they do not have the sheer volume that covens have.

Circles are a great way to establish rituals, and learning how to cast spells. If you do not feel like starting your own circle, you can look to see if there is a circle that is needing a new member online. Circles are great because you have people who can help you get to their level, and you don’t have to worry about pretentiousness. You also don’t have to worry about information overload, because there are a lot fewer people who are helping you.
When you are a part of a circle, it can be a great bonding experience as well. Since you don’t have to pay dues to be in a circle, you find yourself making true bonds with the people you are working with. In a coven you are making forced bonds because you paid your money to be there, and you have to drag your butt there at least once a month. More if there is a celebration that month.

With a circle, you don’t have to meet a certain amount of times if you choose not to. Most circles only meet when there is a need, or they feel they need to practice a spell. Needs could be a pollution problem in the area, and needing to cast a protection spell on the trees and the earth. Or it could be a drought, and you need to beg to Mother Goddess to please bring rain. These are some of the needs that circles meet for.

If one of you finds a spell that you think is useful, you may meet several days in a row to practice it until you have it down.

Circles also meet for celebrations, but rather than a whole ordeal where an Elder gets up and speaks about how you should thank the great goddess and horned god that you are able to gather with your brothers and sisters in this time of power and all the other things that Elders drone on about, you can actually be out there using your power. This is one of the best perks of being a part of a circle.

If you feel like you might fit in with a circle, you can either start your own or look for one in your area looking for a new member. You never know, you might find the place that you belong.

Eclectic
This is a group of Wiccans who really don’t have a lot of rules, and are all at multiple different levels. It is great if you do not want to be pressured into having to become great in a short period of time, but the lack of rules and structure can cause a lot of rogues if you are not careful.
Eclectic groups are made up of a lot of different Wiccans, of all different ages. This makes it the most different from covens and circles because with circles, it is generally people around the same age, and with covens, there are groups of ages. And by a certain age, you are expected to be at a certain level. With an eclectic group, you may find a twenty-one-year-old at a level seven, and a forty-year-old at a level two. There is no limit for what level you have to be at what age. You just have to be willing to put in the time, and the effort to become the best you can be. Electic groups are also a little out there when it comes to beliefs. They are like the hippies of the Wiccan world. They have some radical ideas that could change the world, but they are often looked down upon by “civilized” groups such as covens or circles. Because eclectic groups are so different, there is not a lot of information on what they do, but if you want to find out what they do, you could look online for an eclectic forum and learn more about if there is a group in your area taking members

Solitary
Some Wiccans choose to learn the ropes by themselves, rather than let someone else take the reins. This is because they do not want to be steered in the wrong direction due to choosing the wrong group, or because they are just more comfortable being alone.
If you choose to be alone, you have to be good at self-motivating. However, it is a lot easier to learn at your own pace and you don’t have to search for a group.

Wicca for Beginners: A Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Wiccan Beliefs, Rituals, and Magic (Wicca, Wicca Spells, Wicca Books, Wicca Symbols)
Valerie W. Holt

Helpful Hints: Knot Hard

Winter Fantasy Woman Helpful Hints: Knot Hard

If you want to carry a spell around with you but don’t want to lug around a charm bag or such, simply tie a knot into a small piece of string when you first cast the spell (this will find the spell into the string), and tuck it into your wallet or purse.

 

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

Let’s Talk Witch – Knot Magick

Winter Fantasy Woman Let’s Talk Witch – Knot Magick

A lot of Witchcraft involves what we call sympathetic magick. No, this doesn’t mean doing magick for people you feel sorry for (although that’s okay, too). Sympathetic magick is when you use one thing (a poppet or doll, for instance) to represent another (the person the spell is going to affect).

Knot magick is one of the oldest and simplest forms of sympathetic magick. Its use dates back to ancient Mesopotamia, and it went on to spread through Greece, Rome, and on into the rest of Europe. Although it originated with male mystics, it eventually came to be thought of as “women’s magick” because working with thread was seen as a woman’s occupation. (As if woman’s magick was somehow less powerful because a woman did it. Silly, I know, but there’s the medieval male mind for you.)

Knot magick is a type of sympathetic magick because the knot represents binding. Essentially, tially, you tie the knots as you cast your spell, and this action binds the power of the spell into the thread or cord you are using, making the spell more powerful and longer lasting.

You can tie just one knot or you can use the more traditional practice of using a long cord and tying nine knots, with the first knot at one end, the second at the other end, the third in the middle, the fourth and fifth halfway between the end and the middle, the sixth and seventh between the fourth and fifth and the end, and the last two between the central knot and the ones closest to it. (If this is too confusing, don’t worry about it: just tie nine knots anywhere.)

Either way, remember to focus on the spell you are doing and what you are trying to achieve.

There are many variations on the words to say while you are tying the knots, and you can always just make up your own.

But here is one example I particularly like:
By the knot of one, the spell’s begun.
By the knot of two, it cometh true.
By the knot of three, so mote it be.
By the knot of four, open the door.
By the knot of five, the spell’s alive.
By the knot of six, the spell is fixed.
By the knot of seven, the stars of heaven.
By the knot of eight, the stroke of fate.
By the knot of nine, the thing is mine!

When you are done with your knot magick, remember to put your thread or cord on your altar or someplace else that is safe–there is a lot of power “tied” up in it now.

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

 

Let’s Talk Witch – Spells

winterLet’s Talk Witch – Spells

Performing a magickal spell is the practice of manifesting thought, emotion, and desire into form and action by your own will. You need to decide what you want to happen as a result of your spell. You must be clear and concise regarding your desired outcome. There are also many factors to think about when casting a spell or ritual. The lunar phases should also play a major role in determining the time and goal of the spell being performed. Karmic consequences and free will should always be taken into account. You also need to think about what type of magickal tools to use; like candles, crystals, incense, herbs, runes, etc.

The lunar phase is important and helps in determining the best time for magick and spell casting. Remember there are basically two lunar phases:
Waxing moon (ideal time for constructive magick) and Waning moon (ideal time for banishing and destructive magick, study, and meditation).

In between you’ll have the dark moon (the time of greatest power for banishing and negative magick) and the full moon (the time of greatest power for positive magick).

Basically, as the moon grows, so grows the opportunity or desire for which you are working. As the moon gets smaller, so does the habit or thing you are trying to overcome or push away from you. Please note that if timing and need are so important that you just can’t wait, then do the spell when needed.

The most important factor in doing a spell is the emotion and mindset of the person casting it. Raising your magickal energy and having the absolute belief in what you are doing is vital. If you are weak, tired, or have doubt, the chances of your spell working are slim and none! Argue for your limitations and they will surely be yours.

When you do a spell, try to not constantly think about it. It is also best to not talk about it or tell others before the spell runs its course.

Spells are like baking a cake. If you keep opening the oven door to check on it, it takes longer to bake and you could even wreck it. You should also keep it secret and not talk about it. Assuming your spell has been performed correctly, it should begin to work within a few days to a couple of weeks. It is generally advised that if results have not manifested within 4 weeks or one lunar cycle- that you re-work your spell.

Spells may fail if done incorrectly or if performed when you are distracted or you are sick. It is also vitally important to remember that the success of magick and spells depend on the energy and desire put into them. So be sure that you are in good health and have a determined and focused mindset when casting your spell.

Sometimes it is just fate or the will of the universe that keeps a spell from working. There could be karmic lessons that you have yet to learn and overcome standing in the way of the spell being successful. Spell casting involves trial and error as well. Remember it is a skill and the more you practice the better and stronger you should get.

The main tenet of Wicca is the “Wicca Rede.” It states, ” and it harm none, do as ye will”. In other words, as long as you don’t hurt anyone, anything goes. Of course, views of what actually causes harm vary from person to person! Many witches also believe that whatever magick you do will come back to you three-fold, so it pays to be careful. Some, however, believe that it is sometimes acceptable to cause harm as long as you are willing to accept the karmic consequence. As with everything else, you have the free will to decide for yourself.

 

 

Blessed Be Introduction to the Craft and Spiritual Magick
Shaman Vitki

 

Let’s Talk Witch – Working with Energy

Crown Prince
Let’s Talk Witch – Working with Energy

To really feel magic, to make spells work and to get the right result from a ritual you need ENERGY.

Every living thing has its own energy, whether it is a flower, a crystal, a person or a pebble. All of the ingredients you might gather together for a spell will have their own individual energies and characteristics. If you use a wand, that has its own energy too, but the real energy comes from YOU.

Working with energy is really a combination, you can draw energy up from the Earth or from an item such as a crystal and you channel it through yourself, but you also add a bit of energy from your inner self as you do so. When you are in ritual you might also call upon the God and Goddess to lend their energy to your workings too, you can raise energy from other sources as well. The elements can provide us with energy too – Earth, Air, Fire and Water all provide sources of energy that we can tap into.

But generally you are also the conduit, you summon the energy, you gather it, you add to it and you direct it.
Everyone has energy within them, everyone has the power to access it, to tap into it and use it. Unfortunately most people have no idea how to do so, and boy are they missing out.

The energy created by our bodies and by the spirit within our bodies is generally referred to as the aura. The energy that flows around and through our bodies is usually referred to as chi.

I would like you to try something now… yep right now… rub both your hands together (palms together) quickly for a few seconds, then very, very slowly pull them apart. Can you feel anything? You should feel a slight pull or a tingling sensation. What you can feel in between your hands is energy, that’s the stuff we want to work with.

Another exercise to try is to hold your hands a couple of feet apart, palms inwards and slowly bring your hands together. You will hopefully start to feel a pressure as your hands get closer, a resistance – again this is energy. (Don’t worry if you don’t feel it at first, sometimes it takes some practice.)

Part of being a witch is to be connected to the Earth, her plants and her creatures, to be aware of the energies around us so that we can connect and interact with them.

You can form the energy and one of the most well used forms is the cone of power. This usually happens within a circle, the energy is raised by chanting and/ or dancing in a circle, the energy builds and forms into an upwardly pointing cone that shapes itself in the centre of the circle and rises skywards. Once the cone is ready and it is felt that no more energy can be added, it is released and sent to its destination.

On a smaller scale we raise and direct energy when we work a spell, for instance a candle spell. We would take the energy from the Earth, channel it through our body and out through our hands and into a candle, this will charge the candle with energy. We add our intent and any other ‘ingredients’ such as herbs and oils. Once the candle is burning it releases the energy we filled it with, that energy then goes on its merry way to fulfil the intent that it was meant for.


Pagan Portals – Kitchen Witchcraft: Crafts of a Kitchen Witch
Rachel Patterson

Let’s Talk Witch – Deosil or Widdershins?

dragons:my red angel

Deosil or Widdershins?

 

I love the use of archaic (that is, really darned old and not in common use anymore) terms in the practice of Witchcraft-I think it gives us a feeling of connection to the Witches who have gone before us. But it can get confusing, too. Two of the most apt-to-befuddle terms are deosil and widdershins (also sometimes seen as windershins). These are both used to tell us which direction to turn in when we are moving in circle. Deosil (DEE-oh-sill or JESS-il) means to turn clockwise, or sunwise. Widdershins (wID-der-shins) is the opposite, or counterclockwise.

Almost all movement inside a magickal circle is done deosil. We cast the circle moving to the right, and once in circle we continue to move in that direction-so that if you get up to go to the altar, for instance, you then continue tinue moving all the way around the circle until you come back to your place. Widdershins is only used to undo things, so it may be used at the end of a ritual to open the circle space or in doing any magick for “undoing” (such as unbinding spells).

 

 

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

Deborah Blake

 

WOTC Extra – The Element Earth

to infinity and beyond:queen of dragons
The Element Earth

What comes to mind when you think about the element Earth?

The first thing I think of is soil, the brown stuff I plant things into in my garden. The soil contains and stores all the minerals and moisture plants need to live. Earth is everything we are, and everything we have comes from this element. We come from it, and at the end of our lives we return to it.

No wonder the Earth element is associated with abundance and prosperity. Earth is where things grow and have their foundation. This is where the association with abundance and prosperity comes from.

Earth is also rock and stones, it makes up the foundation of our planet. It stabilities and grounds us. One of my favourite grounding exercises is to visualize myself as a tree. My roots growing down into the soft, brown soil. Wriggling my roots into it, down to the core of the very planet itself.

Earth is associated with North, with the season of winter and the advancement of old age. Winter, to me at least, is a time of reflecting. The trees and plants and even the animals have all withdrawn into Mother Earth to recuperate, to replenish, ready to venture forth in the spring, renewed and refreshed.

Don’t forget to look after this element, the planet, the environment around you. It can even be something small like picking up a piece of litter.

Earth has the colours of the season of winter; those of the dark nights, brown soil, dark grassy landscape and the white of frost and snow. It is also the time of the Cailleach; she is the Goddess of Winter.

To represent this element you could use a small dish of soil, an earthenware dish, a stone, a pebble, a crystal or even a piece of wood.

Direction: North

Nature: Fertile, nurturing, stabilizing, grounding

Elemental: Gnome

Colours: Green, brown, black, grey, white

Places: Caves, forests, groves, valleys, fields, farms, gardens, parks, kitchens, basements, mines, holes

Magic: Money, prosperity, fertility, stability, grounding, employment, material matters

Herbs/ plants: Patchouli, vertivert, moss, nuts, roots, barley, cotton, cypress, fern, honeysuckle, horehound, knotweed, mugwort, oats, potato, primrose, rhubarb, rye, sorrel, tulip, turnip, wheat

Stones: Emerald, peridot, agate, apache tear, aventurine, orange calcite, carnelian, diamond, fluorite, jade, jasper, jet, malachite, petrified wood, ruby, sugilite, tiger eye, black or green tourmaline, unakite

Metals: Iron, lead Animals: Dog, horse, earthworm, gopher, ant, cow, burrowing animals, wolf, bear

Season: Winter Time: Night

Tool: Pentacle

Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Sense: Touch

Symbols: Salt, clay, soil, rocks, wheat, acorns

Magick type: Gardening, magnet, image, stone, tree, know, binding.

 

Source

Pagan Portals – Kitchen Witchcraft: Crafts of a Kitchen Witch
Rachel Patterson

WOTC Extra – The Element Air

►gOTHic ◄
The Element Air

What do you think of when you think of the element of Air? The image of a bright blue sky with wispy white clouds comes to my mind. The sky is limit less; you can’t see an end to it.

Air is all about intellect, truth and knowledge. Air means truth, truth in who you really are and the freedom that comes with that realization.

Think about the qualities of the wind too, when it whips up the leaves and sends them dancing around. When a wisp of breeze catches your hair. There is nothing quite like the feeling of standing on top of a windy hill with your arms outstretched just letting the wind wrap around you. Don’t forget that Air also has its destructive side, think of hurricanes and tornadoes.

Air represents East, the season of spring and youth. It is the place of hope and new beginnings. We get up, we start each new day fresh with new opportunities to learn and grow. We go out into the world to go about our business.

Spring has the same feeling – fresh, new energy. We have hibernated over winter, dreaming and planning. Now it is time to put those plans into action.

Youth is an exciting and even slightly scary time. We set out on our own, starting to explore the big world for ourselves. New experiences, new people, new ventures. This is the time when we start to discover who we are.

Air is associated with thoughts. We need Air to breath, and therefore to live. The Air we breathe in allows us to think clearly, to clear our minds.

Air has the colours of spring: yellow of the rising sun, the light blue of the sky and white of the clouds. Even pale green and pink of new foliage and blossom of Bride, the Goddess of Spring.

To represent the element of Air you might like to use feathers, incense or spring flowers.

Direction: East

Nature: Flying, moving, intelligence

Elemental: Sylph

Colours: Yellow, pale blue, pink, light green

Places: Mountain tops, plains, cloudy skies, high towers, airports, schools, libraries, offices, travel agents, psychiatrist therapy rooms

Magic: Travel, instruction, study, freedom, knowledge, recovering lost items, creativity, visions, psychic power

Herbs/ plants: Any flowers, agaric, agrimony, anise, benzoin, bergamot, bittersweet, borage, bracken, brazil nut, broom, caraway, chicory, dock, endive, fenugreek, hazel, hops, lemongrass, mace, maple, marjoram, meadowsweet, mint, mistletoe, palm, parsley, pecan, pine, carnelian, chrysoprase, citrine, diamond, fluorite, moldivite, opal, pearl, snow quartz, sapphire, sodalite, blue topaz, blue tourmaline, turquoise

Metals: Tin, copper

Animals: Spider, birds, winged insects

Season: Spring

Time: Dawn

Tool: Wand

Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Sense: Hearing, smell

Symbols: Feathers, incense, flowers

Magic type: Divination, concentration, visualization, wind magic

Source

Pagan Portals – Kitchen Witchcraft: Crafts of a Kitchen Witch
Rachel Patterson

Meditation on the Pentacle and Earth

Meditation on the Pentacle and Earth

Into a dark world comes the dawn, the start of a new day coming from the East. The powers of Earth spring from the same source. Buds burst forth into new growth. Animals come out to look at the world as it blooms again and fill their bellies once more, the starvation and hunger of winter at an end. The Earth is our foundation and our stability as we learn to frolic and play.

The powers of Earth are vast and abundant. When she is angry, the ground shakes and trembles, warning us to change our actions and helping to shake us free from standing around and watching life pass us by. The gifts she gives are boundless.

If this element were to be placed on the face of a clock, following the path of the sun, it would be in the east, at dawn, when time is new and the earth is just beginning to burst forth with new life. It is a light, creative time that holds the promise of the day to come.

Similarly, the moon rises in the west, and if a witch wished to follow the lunar cycle, the element would be placed there. The new, waxing moon is a time of promise of things to come. It is a time of bringing things into being and manifesting growth into the world. This is the time of the Maiden, of the Huntress, those who hold the reins of creativity and inspiration.

The earth, for a witch, is symbolized by the pentacle. It may be as elaborate or as simple as is meaningful. Simple rocks have been used along with things as complex as sun catchers, crystal plates, and hand thrown pottery. It is the foundation to all a witch’s works and all her spells and magick. It helps to keep them stable and able to work their magick and let go of themselves into ecstatic states, knowing they will find their way back.

If a stone is to be used, the best kinds are ones that are found out on one of the walks or trips that the witch takes. Tumbled or polished ones will work, but they are somewhat distracting from the natural ties that the pentacle has to the earth at times. If you want a shiny one, purchase a small rock tumbler (Most are less than $20.00) and tumble the rocks that you find outside on your own. Granite also works well, if there is a source nearby, since it has both a rough surface and a glossy one.

Marble is another choice, if available, that is a good option if a fancier pentacle is desired. Since the pentacle represents the north and is the stability that a witch ties her spells to as she casts them, it is the anchor point for a circle. Make certain that your pentacle is sturdy enough to take the strain of these things before you acquire and consecrate it.

Meditation on the Wand

Meditation on the Wand
Take your wand with you to your meditation time. See how it fits into all the things that you have found out about yourself and the element of Air. It is what balances out your weaknesses. Find out how the interaction of the wand and your own self create one unified whole to allow you to work with Air completely.
Once you have truly seen your wand, lift it up. Feel the weight of it and the balance of it. Hold it to you so that it can learn about you. Listen and see how it reacts, learn about its skills and knowledge. You will find that your wand, like all your tools, has its own personality and ideas. This is what you must learn to work with. Once you can, it will help you to bring what you wish into being as well as calling it down and directing it.

Meditation on the Wand and Air

Meditation on the Wand and Air
Think of a dark winter night, cold and harsh. This is the power of the North, of Air. It is the time of midnight, a dark so black that it is almost impossible to see. The wind is bitter and biting, desolate. The snow howls through the land echoing the call of the wolf as he hunts the stag. It is a time to be tested for survival to see how we will fare. Only the strong can survive it. Only those who plan can live through it.
This biting power can also sweep away stagnation and ready us for new things to come. It has the energy to sweep away stagnation and cobwebs. In the early spring, the wind howls just as strongly, but it brings with it the touch of new growth and the coming warmth.
Air is the thinking element, associated with the mind and with creativity. It brings us inspiration and new ideas. This element can help us to create innovative solutions to problems that have existed for many years.
Air is also a destructive force. Each thing in existence has a creative and destructive side. The destructive side of air is the storm, the tornado, the hurricane. It destroys what is not stable and supportive. It shakes up the existing arrangements of things. When one of these storms blows through, things die and make room for the new that will follow.
Both of these are the power of the Air and the North. It holds the power of tornados and the power of new growing things. As we look at the phases of the moon, at this time she is dark, hiding her face from all. It is a time for introspection and rest. Divination is a favored activity at this time as the Goddess rests.
The Wand is closely tied to the element of air. It is the tool that we call things into being with and the tool that we use to ask for blessings. It also has the characteristics of air, that being those of holding creativity and inspiration, thinking and planning, the ability to find new solutions.
Imagine the power of the wind. It can be soft and gentle, blowing across the land in a sun-warmed kiss of spring. It can also be the destructive force of the tornado and the hurricane. The wand, representative of the power of Air, the element of the wind, can be just such a tool. It is the tool representative of the powers of Air and of the North. It holds the power of survival and represents the ability to think and learn.
Wands can be anything that you choose. It can be a branch of hawthorn or a pewter wand with a crystal on the end. Of all the tools, the wand is often the most whimsical, reminding the witch that the religion is not all seriousness and formality. This is a tool of invoking and of calling something into your presence. It is something that you should feel comfortable with and should be non-threatening looking.

WOTC Extra, Extra – The Element Fire & Its Associations

ALL HALLOWS EVE
The Element Fire & Its Associations

Animals: Lions, tigers, and most reptiles. The more fierce an animal is, the stronger its connection to fire.

Colors: Reds and oranges.

Court cards: Knights.

Dragons: Dragons are related to fire for obvious reasons. These mythical fire-breathers can often be called on as guardians and guides.

Function: Feeling.

Phoenixes: Phoenixes are birds that live long lives, and when they die they are reborn from their own ashes. Call to the phoenix when you need to be reborn, too.

Qualities: Heat. Lightness. Brilliance. Rapid motion. Activeness. Generally masculine. Too much fire is hot, hyperactive, and angry. It can lead to insomnia and bad moods like brooding. Not enough can lead to your head feeling foggy, your body feeling sluggish. Fire is inspiring and passionate, bringing change into your life.

Salamanders: Salamanders are connected to the power of fire. Pliny the Elder, a Roman author, noted that the Salamander is “an animal like a lizard in shape and with a body starred all over; it never comes out except during heavy showers and disappears the moment the weather becomes clear.”

Sense: Sight.

Stones: Fire opal

Tarot trump: Judgment.

Tibetan failing: Desire, passion.

Tibetan wisdom: Discriminating Awareness.

Time of day: Noon. Do your magic at this time of day under the hot noon sun and your fire and love spells will be at their strongest.

Types of magic: Love and passion magic. Fire will bring more energy to your spells. It can also be used in destruction magic.

Zodiac: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Source

Harnessing Water Magic (A Witch’s Guide to Elemental Magic)
Viivi James

WOTC Extra – The Element Fire & Connecting With It

ALL HALLOWS EVE

The Element Fire & Connecting With It

Close your eyes for just a moment. Imagine yourself holding a candle in your hand, its flame flickering in a gentle wind. All around you is black, the sort of darkness that could hold anything. That darkness means death. The only thing keeping you safe is this lone candle in your hand.

Hold your other hand over that flame, slowly moving it closer to the heat. Feel the warmth, and then the burn when you get too close for just a second. The smoke dances around your hand, lightly caressing your skin. Feel the destructive power of the flame.Pull your hand away, then snap your fingers.

The scene changes. Suddenly, you’re in a forest surrounded by these flames. You open your mouth to scream and smoke strangles your throat. The heat overwhelms you.

Snap your fingers again for a scene change, and now you’re in the arctic. Your bones chatter, your lips clench tight. There is no warmth here, nothing to keep your blood flowing and your skin from freezing.
You’ve now experienced the exact reasons why fire is so closely related to life. Each element is necessary for life, but none are quite so powerfully connected to life or death. Too much fire can ruin you. Not enough fire can, too.

Working with the element of Fire can be powerful, life changing, and transforming just as much as it can be destructive. How you work with Fire will determine if your desires come to fruition or if you’re scorched in the process. Starting small when making your own spells is a necessity here, and fully understanding this element will help you to control it.

Remember to try and find your own associations and meaning while you’re on your journey with Fire. Don’t just rely on what I, or anyone else, tells you.

Source

Harnessing Water Magic (A Witch’s Guide to Elemental Magic)
Viivi James