Category: Our History

Air in Feng Shui

Air in Feng Shui

Feng Shui, means literally “the way of wind and water,” or symbolically, “the natural forces of the Universe.” These forces affect everything in our world. Europeans call the science of Feng Shui geomancy. Hawaiians and Native Americans practice their own form of Feng Shui, each seeking to live harmoniously with nature. The ancient Chinese believed in and lived their lives by these natural forces. One of the strongest and oldest natural forces is call “chi.”

Chi, also known as the breath of nature or as “the dragon’s celestial breath,” is everywhere and, many believe, represents the truest abstract energy in the Universe. Chi is an invisible energy that circulates everywhere but gathers in certain places, which are said to be good in Feng Shui. Chi enhances happiness, prosperity and longevity, and it is the life force inside all living things. Good relationships, a healthful lifestyle and meditation can increase levels of chi energy.

In Feng Shui, winds are sometimes thought of as bad because they scatter chi, rather than accumulate it. When selecting a place to build a home or to hold a ritual, avoid places that are windswept. This can be hard if you live on the prairie or beside the ocean, but in those cases, just try to schedule your rituals on days when the wind is calmer. If you have a home where it’s windy, you might want to perform a weekly ritual to encourage the sylphs to leave chi where they found it.

Element of Air: Symbols and Associations

Element of Air

Symbols and Associations

Air has the qualities of coolness and dryness and associations with breath, life and communication. In astrology, Air rules the Zodiac signs Aquarius, Gemini and Libra. People born under the Air signs think, communicate, analyze and theorize. They love freedom, truth and justice and have the ability to change circumstances with amazing speed. As thinkers, they rely on rationality rather than on intuition or emotions. Their philosophical approach to any situation allows them to endure harships. Air signs can tolerate almost any circumstance, as long as there is a rational explanation for it. They have great leadership capabilities, with a reputation of being fair. Interested in almost everything, they are lifelong students.

The Element of Air becomes a negative one when Air folks require family and friends to uphold the same standards they live by. Air people cannot understand why everyone does not think and act as they do. They they make a mistake, they tend to rationalize instead of using the situation as a learning experience. They are devoted to abstract idea and have difficulty making decisions, making them sometimes exasperating to work with . In addition, they tend to procrastinate.

Spirits of the Air

Spirits of the Air

The Elemental spirits associated with Air are called “sylphs,” and their ruler is name Peralda. The word “sylph” comes from the Greek word “sylpha,” which means “butterfly.” When you see butterflies fluttering on the wind, sylphs are inevitably nearby. Sylphs may be the easiest entities to invite to a ritual because air exists as easily in a tenth-floor apartment as it does in an outdoor circle. Sylphs especially tend to gravitate to creative endeavors, so they are most easily called by artists, writers, poets, and musicians. They inspire the creative spirit, much like muses, and aid in shaping clear communication. It isn’t unusual to feel a sylph touch your hand or toss your hair while you’re busy creating. Don’t be alarmed, they are just giving you some creative encouragement.

Sylphs stimulate mental balance, freedom and curiosity. They assist us in coordinating our perceptions and in verbalizing them. They enhance the power of speech, music and the written word, especially poetry. They teach us about the relationships between all things, which allow us to see and know the great web that connects all of life. This, in turn, brings about a desire for greater harmony. Sylphs stimulate creativity, intuitiveness, and inventiveness, and they awaken the intellect. They can open us to the realm of ideas and help us with mystical experiences and world views.

Like the wind, they dance on, sylphs are changeable, volatile, and occasionally flighty.

If you’ve ever experienced writer’s block, you know what it means to have the sylphs disappear and take their creative energy with them. But it’s easy to call them back.

Elemental Energies in Magick – Earth

Elemental Energies in Magick – Earth

Symbolizes and controls the forces of solidity and manifestation though healing, strength, and regeneration. Through the power of Earth, things    manifest in reality and become stable or “real” as some people like to call it. Attain financial rewards from this elements as well as any kind    of physical security. Earth can be represented by either green (plants and healing) or brown (fertile soil that all seeds need to grow strong). Either    color is appropriate or another if you find some connection between what you perceive the element of Earth to be and some other color. Nature Magick is    especially successful when performed under the supervision and assistance of Earth Elementals or Gnomes ruled by the spirit of the North Wind,     Gabriel.

Elemental Energies in Magick – Air

Elemental Energies in Magick – Air

Symbolizes and controls the forces of conscious mental processes, communication, ideas and all other non-physical forces that seem to have no    substance. Air does have substance, of course, it just operates in a way that is unlike the physical substances that we are so used to. Air can be    a very powerful force as the crushing winds of a hurricane or an idea that can change the entire world. The element of Air can be represented through the    color yellow or whatever other color suits you mental picture of this type of energy. Mental Magick is especially successful when performed under the    supervision and assistance of Air Elementals or Sylphs ruled by the spirit of the East Wind, Michael.

Elemental Energies in Magick – Fire

Elemental Energies in Magick – Fire

Symbolizes and controls the forces of fast kinetic energy (as opposed to the slow dormant energy of Earth) that activates quickly and with    little control over itself. Fire Elementals are best invoked to create fast or intense change that requires great (though not necessarily long lasting)    energy. For example, Fire is the best element to invoke for protection, purification and defense. These actions usually need high energy to be set in    motion, but once they are present they do not require additional energy to maintain themselves. Many colors can represent the element of Fire, but the    colors red, orange and yellow are the most common. Use what feels the most right for you. Spirit Magick though spirit calling, invocation, necromancy and    sorcery is especially successful when performed under the supervision and assistance of Fire Elementals or Salamanders ruled by the spirit of the South    Wind, Ariel.

Meditation to Meet Your Air Guide

Meditation to Meet Your Air Guide

Create a simple altar with a yellow cloth, a blue candle, and an air type of incense. (Lavender, or  mint work very well.) You may wish to place feathers or a bell on the altar. Cast your personal circle. Take several deep, cleansing breaths. Close your  eyes. Visualize the elemental gateway to the realm of air. Make the gate as elaborate as you wish. How does the gate open? Relax and focus on your breath.  See the gate open, and walk through it. Before you is a pathway woven together out of fluffy white clouds. Begin to walk down the path. Take a few moments to  observe the world around you. You can see clear skies to your right; they are a beautiful crystal blue. To your left you can see rumbling storm clouds in the  distance, and lightning flashes inside of them. Continue on your way. In the distance you see a figure inside of them. Continue on your way. In the distance  you see a figure. It is your guide for the elemental realm of air. Walk to him. Focus on your breath. Greet your guide and listen to what he has to say. When  you have heard all you wish, thank your guide. Begin to walk back to the gateway. Focus on your breath. Walk through the gateway and see it close. Take a few  deep breaths and then open your eyes. Write down what you learned in your journal, and close your personal circle.

THE FULL MOONS OF THE WITCHES

THE FULL MOONS OF THE WITCHES

November: The Wheel of the Year begins anew once more.

December The Holly-King dies, and the Oak-King is born.

January: Bid the past farewell, and receive the year that Web of Days has just
been born.

February: Welcome Spring! Now is the time for banishing Winter.

March: Feel the shift of balance from darkness to light growing stronger.

April: The time of fertility and growth is upon us.

May: The time of the Sacred Marriage of the God and Goddess.

June: Here comes the Sun! The Holly-King replaces the Oak-King.

 July: The first harvests begin ; time to give thanks and celebrate.

August: John Barleycorn must die. The harvest begins in earnest.

September: The cycle of growth draws nears its end.

October: The Horned One steps forward bringing darkness, and the end of the year.

November: Snow Moon; the snowy brightness and coolness of Her light is upon us.

December: Cold Moon ; the Sun is at its lowest point, and Lunar Nights the Moon is a little colder.

January: Wolf Moon ; gather close to the hearth, for wolves draw closer now.
February: Ice Moon ; beneath a blanket of snow and ice, Nature rests.
March: Storm Moon ; the boisterous storms of the light half of the year begin.
April: Growing Moon ; seeds are ready to be planted, and growth begins.
May: Hare Moon ; rabbits leap and play in their mating games, and fertility
abounds.
June: Mead Moon ; as in days of old, honey is gathered for fermentation into
mead.
July: Hay Moon ; a potent moon, as tides of psychic energy flow freely.
August: Corn Moon ; a time to contemplate the eternalness of life.
September: Harvest Moon ; time to collect the harvest and seed for new
beginnings.
October: Blood Moon ; spirits of the departed join the sacred dance.

The Seventh REDE – Healing the Earth

THE SEVENTH REDE – HEALING THE EARTH

And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion,
honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.

The wheel of the year turns round and round, but not each turning is the same.
The acts of men and women return threefold multiplying both goodness and harm.
Moondaughter taught her students that we have a responsibility for adding to the
goodness in the world by the way we live our lives.

Human Freedom and Human Evil

The natural cycle is a balance of cold and warm, darkness and light. But
Moondaughter did not consider those evil times that come in the history of human
society — the Burning Times, the Holocaust, etc. — to be part of the natural
cycle. Those times she saw a the product of human actions and human choices.

Human freedom is a great gift from the Lord and Lady; it is our inheritance as
Their children. But that freedom allows us to choose to act without honor or
compassion, without beauty, reverence or humility, and when we do we bring the
evil times closer.

Human freedom also allows us to choose to act with honor and compassion. it
offers us the chance to not only banish the evil times, but to invoke a world of
peace and harmony — a world in which the beauty of nature is reflected in human
society.

Achieving such a world may take many lifetimes, but we do not face this task
alone. Every man and woman who acts with honor and compassion adds to the
goodness in the world.

The Wounded World

The world we live in today is a wounded world, a world in need of healing. Out
task, as children of the Lord and Lady, is to bring healing to that world by our
actions, by our relationships, by our love for all of Their children. Because
each of us is a part of the web of life, the wounds of the world are also our
own wounds, and we cannot heal the one without also healing the other.

Moondaughter dedicated her life to healing this world. Her every act was a
gesture in a great spell to invoke beauty and strength, power and compassion,
honor and humility, mirth and reverence into the lives of her students, and
ultimately of all men and women.

Today Moondaughter’s name is not remembered, except among those few whose lives
she touched. No doubt Moondaughter is pleased by this, as she never sought
recognition for herself. But if ever a child brought joy to the hearts of the
Lord and Lady, it was Moondaughter.

The Sixth REDE – The Great Rite

THE SIXTH REDE – THE GREAT RITE

Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all
acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.

Initiation into the high priesthood in Moondaughter’s tradition always involved
performing the Great Rite in true. The necessity for this sexual act arose
naturally out of Moondaughter’s understanding of the power of love.

The Power of Love

Love, Moondaughter taught, is the power through which the Lord and Lady gave
birth to all things. Love is the source of human life and happiness. The power
of love is greater than that of the natural laws which govern the universe.

Sexual love, for Moondaughter, was the most potent and volatile form of love.
She believed that in sexual love a man and a woman unite not only physically,
but also spiritually and magically. By that magical act the lovers are
transformed, for better, or for worse.

The Misuse of Love

It is not difficult to observe in the physical world that the power to do good
is also the power to do harm; Moondaughter taught that the same was true of the
sacred power of sexual love. While she prized the sexual act as the holiest and
most powerful of rituals, she understood the misuse of that power to be
responsible for many of the dysfunctionalities of human society.
Today, even more than in Moondaughter’s time, we have become aware of the severe
psychological damage which can result from sexual abuse of children and from
rape. Moondaughter believed these were only the most visible ways that human
beings could take harm when the magical and spiritual energies exchanged during
sex were misused for purposes of exploitation and domination.

The Sacred Marriage

Moondaughter considered her coveners to be undertaking a course of both magical
and priestly training, and in that role she made demands of them which many
modern Pagans might find unacceptable. Married coveners were expected to be
strictly monogamous, and single coveners to be chaste. This requirement was not
merely an ethic, but a magical act, part of a spell of self-transformation to
prepare them to receive the third degree initiation.

In Moondaughter’s tradition, the initiation to third degree was identical with
the Sacred Marriage, a vital aspect of the Great Work.

When a couple was ready to receive the third degree, the Great Rite was first
administered in token to the woman by a male elder, and the woman then
immediately administered it — also in token — to her partner. At some later
time, the couple would perform the Rite in true to sexually complete the
initiation begun by the symbolic ritual.

There were rumors that in earlier times the true Rite had followed the pattern
of the token Rite, but this was never the practice in the United States.

Following the third degree initiation, the man and the women were considered to
be magical partners, a priest and priestess whose sexual union was an embodiment
of the Lord and the Lady.

All Acts Are Her Rituals

For Moondaughter, both the sexual ecstasy of the Great Rite and the sexual
abstinence that preceded it were magical acts for the transformation of the self
and the world. More than that, they were acts of worship, rituals of the Lord
and Lady.

Today it is common for the statement that “all acts of love and pleasure are my
rituals” to be regarded as an endorsement of casual sex. Moondaughter would have
seen such an attitude as the equivalent of a devout Catholic offering
consecrated hosts with salsa and dip as a party snack.

Moondaughter taught that every act of love and pleasure was indeed a ritual, and
cautioned her students to approach every such act with the reverence (as well as
the mirth) that such an incredibly sacred ritual deserves.

The Fifth Rede – The Summerland

THE FIFTH REDE – THE SUMMERLAND

Upon Earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond
death, I give peace and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone
before.
Moondaughter taught that the polarity of Inner Self and Outer Self was also
manifest in the universe as a whole. The Outer Self of the universe is the world
known to materialistic science; its Inner Self is the world we touch through
meditation and ritual. For Moondaughter, however, the Inner World was not just
“in our heads”; it was an objective reality. Incarnate human beings, she taught,
exist simultaneously in both worlds.

Microcosm and Macrocosm

According to Moondaughter, each incarnate human being is a microcosm of the
universe. That part of us which exists in the Outer World dances the cycle of
birth and death, and ultimately returns to the earth — and in this it shares
the basic nature of the Outer World. The spirit, however, shares the nature of
the Inner World, and does not die, but continues to exist in that world.

Moondaughter taught that each of these Inner (spiritual) and Outer (materical)
parts of us itself consists of both an invisible Inner Self and a visible Outer
Self, and in later years I have come to associate what she called the Inner Self
of the material world with the what occultists call the etheric shell, and the
Outer Self of the spirit with the “astral body.” Thus, the mind/body polarity
exists in both worlds, and just as our physical bodies have senses which
perceive the Outer World, so also do our spiritual bodies have senses which
perceive the Inner World.

The Spirit Eternal

Because incarnate humans have these inner senses, we are capable of forming
relationships with disincarnate spirits. Indeed, Moondaughter taught that each
man and woman is constantly in relationship with many such spirits, but that
most human beings are so distracted by the material world that they never notice
the other half of their existence.

Even when unnoticed, however, these relationships affect us. My own experience
of meditation and ritual has confirmed for me that incarnate humans do indeed
interact with disincarnate spirits, and that we can become aware of these
relationships if we make the effort.

The Threefold Law

Moondaughter taught us that during physical life, the Inner Self and Outer Self
exchange elements. The character of our Inner Selves sets its mark upon our
bodies, and the flow of energy from the Inner Self can heal and energize the
physical body. At the same time, the character of our actions sets its mark upon
our Inner Selves, and the flow of energy from our Outer Selves shapes and
nourishes the growth of the spirit.

This I understand to be one of the ways in which the Threefold Law operates: the
character of our actions — helpful or harmful — sends a flow of energy to our
spirits which changes us. Thus any harmful act directly harms the self, in
addition to harming the victim and the universe as a whole.

The Flowering of the Spirit

It is this growth of the spirit, Moondaughter taught us, that determines our
experience of the Summerland. Human beings know joy when they relate to each
other, and to the Lord and Lady, as lover and beloved. Such relationships,
however, are not automatic; we, like the other fruits of the earth, grow to
ripeness.

A human spirit which has grown to be capable of mature love relationships
experiences the universe as a place of joy, but a human spirit which has
cultivated selfishness and exploitation of others lives a joyless, barren
existence.

During physical life, one can hide from this joylessness by glutting oneself
with bodily sensations, but not so in the Summerland. According to Moondaughter,
the malleable nature of the Inner World is such that one’s environment changes
in response to one’s thoughts and emotions, so one cannot hide from the
barrenness of one’s own character.

For those who have cultivated in themselves the loving nature of the Lord and
Lady, life in the Summerland is filled with joy. There we are reunited with
those we have loved on earth; there we can live constantly in the presence of
the Lord and Lady; there we can embrace those disincarnate friends who supported
us during our physical lives, and give our support in turn to those who follow
us in the dance of birth and death.

The Fourth REDE – The Great Work

THE FOURTH REDE – THE GREAT WORK

Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop
you or turn you aside.

To Moondaughter, men and women were children of the Lord and Lady in more senses
than one. Not only are we the offspring of Their sacred joining, but we are also
children in the sense that we are immature. We have not yet grown into the
spiritual and ethical maturity of which we are capable.

Moondaughter taught that the human children of the Lord and the Lady are in the
process of growth, a time during which they must build for themselves that
nobility of character that is their natural inheritance. Moondaughter’s students
learned that we cannot look elsewhere for salvation, but must build our
characters by our own actions. This is the Great Work.

Nobility of character, however, was only the outer aspect of the Great Work,
according to Moondaughter. The inner aspect was mystical union with the Lord and
Lady. Mysticism and ethics were for Moondaughter converging lines, each of which
must be energetically pursued. To neglect one would obstruct progress in the
other.

The Threefold Law

It is to Moondaughter that I owe my understanding of the Threefold Law, the
Wiccan precept that whatever a person does, good or evil, returns to her
threefold.

Every action, Moondaughter taught, first affects the self directly by leaving
its imprint on the character of the actor. Second, it affects the target of the
action, with whom the actor is in relationship, and the effects feedback upon
the actor through that relationship. Finally, every action affects the
environment in which the actor must live — ultimately, the entire universe —
and thus feeds back again upon the actor.

Thus the Great Work is a transformation of self which we pursue through our
actions and our relationships. It is the realization of our nature as children
of the Lord and Lady; and — since each of us is part of the web of
relationships which connect all that exists — it is at the same time a
transformation of the universe as a whole.

Mind and Body as Lover and Beloved

Moondaughter taught that the Great Work could be divided into three interrelated
aspects, each of which establishes a relationship of lover and beloved. The
first aspect of the Great Work consists of bringing one’s own mind and body into
the relationship of lover and beloved. Externally, this relationship results in
the opening of the inner senses, and therefore much of magical development is
concerned with this small part of the Great Work.

The union of mind and body, however, has an ethical dimension as well as a
magical one. Moondaughter taught that perfect unity of mind and body could only
be achieved when the actions that result from the mind/body interaction are
consistently based on Will rather than desire — a transition that requires more
than a little self-discipline.

It is possible (and unfortunately not uncommon) for mind and body to form a
relationship in actions that contradict the Will. Rape, for example, is a
perversion of sexuality which develops a dysfunctional relationship between the
mind and body of the rapist and corrupts the Work within him. Thus, living by
the Wiccan Rede — an’ it harm none, do what ye will — is a first step toward
accomplishing this first aspect of the Great Work.

The Sacred Marriage

The second aspect of the Great Work is the Sacred Marriage. Moondaughter taught
that for most of us this means that a man and a women come together as lover and
beloved, not merely physically and for a time, but on all levels and forever, in
a relationship that is in harmony with their individual Wills.

While each of us already has both Yin Self and Yang Self, union with the sacred
spouse brings Yin and Yang together in ways which transform each partner. Lover
and beloved act as priest and priestess for each other, and together they become
an embodiment of the Lord and the Lady.

The Unity of all Life

The third aspect of the Great Work is unity with all beings. This, Moondaughter
taught, is accomplished when an individual takes the entire universe as her
beloved, in a relationship in harmony with her Will.

In the lesser sense, this aspect is achieved when the individual comes to
spontaneously regard all beings with the love and compassion that the Lord and
the Lady feel for their children. In the greater sense, however, this aspect is
not achieved until humanity as a whole regards all beings with that love.

The culmination of this Work on the individual level, according to Moondaughter,
is a state in which the individual inherits the character of the Lord and the
Lady, and lives constantly in the presence of Lord and Lady. This is not a state
which I believe has been achieved by very many incarnate human beings, but I
have found it a most worthwhile goal toward which to strive.

The Third REDE – Lover and Beloved

THE THIRD REDE – LOVER AND BELOVED

For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine also is joy on earth;
for my law is love unto all beings.

I am the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart
of man.

Moondaughter taught us that the ideal relationship is when two beings interact
as lover and beloved. By this she did not necessarily imply a sexual
relationship; in many cases — such as between adults and children or teacher and student — she considered that any sexual relationship would be a violation
of that concern for the welfare of the other which was the essence of the lover/beloved relationship. Nevertheless, the love between the Lord and the Lady
was for her the ideal toward which all relationships should evolve.

According to Moondaughter, joy is not created by an individual alone. Joy is
created when a lover has a relationship with a beloved. The beloved need not be
another person — an artist feels joy both when she has a stimulating vision or
idea as her beloved, and again when her vision or idea stands before her as a
realized work of art. In this, men and women are the children of the Lord and
the Lady, who also feel joy from such relationships. Whether or not the
relationship is sexual, the interaction of lover and beloved unites them into
one being.

The True Will

Moondaughter believed that at some deep level, every being intuitively knows
that joy is produced by relationships between lover and beloved. She taught that
it was from this inner knowledge that the Will of the individual arises. While
an individual may sometimes feel desires to act in ways which are destructive to
others, Moondaughter taught that the Will seeks that joy which is produced only
by harmonious relationships with others.

Since any relationship requires the participation of both self and other, Will
has both the aspect of seeking the welfare of the self and also the aspect of
seeking the welfare of the beloved. According to Moondaughter, these two aspects
of the Will are related and interdependent, not opposed. Since joy comes from
relationships, harming the other in any relationship lessens one’s own joy.

The Ecstasy of the Spirit

According to Moondaughter, it is the nature of Love to seek a beloved to love.
The joy that is produced by the Lord’s love for the Lady and the Lady’s love for
the Lord is beyond human experience, but Love is never satisfied, and so the
Lord and the Lady gave birth children who could respond to Their Love, and give
Them joy, and receive joy from taking Them as beloveds.

My own understanding of this teaching is that as an individual grows in love,
she expands her circle of beloveds until, like the Lord and the Lady, she Wills
the welfare of all that exists. It seems to me that when they first appear
tribalism and nationalism can be healthy stages in this growth, but they can
also become diseases which hold men and women back from a larger, and more
joyful, circle of beloveds.

I know from my own experience that each man and woman can be both lover and
beloved to both the Lord and the Lady, and that the intensity of this
relationship deepens as one brings one’s character into harmony with one’s own
Will. The joy produced by this relationship is beyond words.

The Second REDE – The Web of Life

THE SECOND REDE – THE WEB OF LIFE

There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet
have not won its deepest secrets; to these shall I teach things that
are as yet unknown.

Moondaughter taught us that the act of creation did not end when the Lady gave birth to the universe. Energy continuously generated by the loving union of the
Lord and Lady still radiates to every being, linking all things together in a
vast web.
According to Moondaughter, however, individual beings do not receive this energy
in isolation; it is through the web of relationships between beings that all
share in the energy of life. These relationships determine the character of
every being, and so by changing these relationships, we can change reality.

Magical Relationships

Changing relationships was the kind of magic Moondaughter most often recommended
to her students, especially in the early months of training when the focus was
upon changing the self. She urged her students to take conscious control of
their relationships with thoughtforms, and to make a magical act of their
interaction with others.

Thus she might advise a student troubled by self-doubt to cut off interaction
with doubts and thus deprive such thoughts of their energy. Or she might advise
a student to overcome dislike of a fellow student by making a magical ritual of
treating the other as a friend.

The psychological effects of such techniques are obvious — and not without
their dangers. But the effects of Moondaughter’s techniques were magical as well
as psychological, and under Moondaughter’s gentle guidance, students kept both
their magic and their psychology in balance.

For Moondaughter, the magic of psychological and interpersonal relationships was
just one example of a set of principles which equally applied to the
interdependence of the ecosystem and the invisible energies that we call magic.
In every case influencing the relevant relationships can cause change.

The Dangers of Magic

Moondaughter taught, however, that to exercise such influence one must oneself
enter into relationship with that which one would change. Since every
relationship alters for good or ill each being who is a party to it, every
spell, for better or worse, is a spell of self-transformation.

We were taught that in order to enter into a relationship with an other, we must
have certain elements in common with the other, and those common elements become
the initial basis of the relationship. I know of no magical system which does
not include operations which have the purpose of creating within the operator
herself those elements possessed by that force which she wishes to call upon, in
order that the resulting relationship will be strong enough to produce a
manifestation on the physical plane.

Since all beings are children of the same Parents, there is no other with whom
one has absolutely nothing in common, but the character of the relationship will
be influenced by the particular commonalties which exist. During the
relationship the two beings share elements, and so that commonalty which is the
basis of the relationship tends to expand.

Obviously this makes intercourse with demonic entities prohibitively costly, but
Moondaughter taught that the same principle is at work in physical world
relationships as well. Relationships, esoteric or mundane, change us.

Magical Correspondences

Moondaughter’s tradition, rooted as it was in rural life, made little use of the
more complex props and associations of ceremonial magic. Nevertheless, it seems
to me that her teachings on relationships explain well why ceremonialists should
make use of such associations.

Enhancing a working with the proper color, the proper incense, the proper day
and time, and a hundred other such correspondences increases the common elements
which form the basis of the worker’s link to the object of the ritual, and
greatly increases the worker’s link to the egregore of whichever tradition which
has handed down those particular associations. Likewise, Moondaughter’s
understanding of relationships would explain why clippings of hair or
fingernails, photographs, or objects closely associated with a person or place
could add power to a working.

Moondaughter’s tradition, however, made almost no use of such things. I believe
that, if I had been wise enough to question her about this, she would have said
that the Web of Life already connects us to every other being, and that the most
important common elements in any magical working are wholly within oneself.

The First REDE – Divinity in Nature

THE FIRST REDE – DIVINITY IN NATURE

I, who am the Beauty of the Green Earth, and the White Moon among the
stars, and the Mystery of the Waters, and the Desire of the Heart of
Man, call unto thy soul.

Arise, and come unto me, for I am the Soul of Nature, who gives life
to the universe.

Moondaughter taught us that all of nature reflects the Lord and Lady. The God
and the Goddess, she said, can be seen in the natural world just as the Inner
Self of an artist can be seen in the lines and colors of her paintings. Thus,
she taught, it is the divine character of the Lord and Lady Themselves which
gives rise to the great polarities of nature

The Great Polarities and The Four Elements

Moondaughter saw all the Yins and Yangs of nature — from the positive and negative charges within the atom to the male and female characteristics within each individual — as reflections of that sexual polarity between Lord and Lady
which is the origin of all nature’s creatures. In addition, however,
Moondaughter taught us that a second set of polarities of Inner Self and Outer Self existed throughout nature. This polarity she called vertical in contrast to
horizontal polarity of male and female.

From a superficial view, the polarity of Inner Self and Outer Self might appear
to be a form of dualism, but this was not the case. Moondaughter did not view
Inner and Outer as utterly different in their natures. Rather, she viewed the
Outer Self as a second version of the Inner, the same pattern manifested in a
denser material.

It was in terms of the two great polarities that Moondaughter taught the meaning
of the four elements. Fire corresponds to the masculine Yang, which is balanced
by Water as the feminine Yin. Air corresponds to the invisible Inner Self, and
Earth to the visible Outer Self.

First Lessons in Magic

The simplest and most obvious manifestation of the Earth/Air polarity in human
beings is the relationship between mind and body. The nature of the body is
reflected in the mind, and the nature of the mind is reflected in the body.
Those divinatory sciences which, like palmistry, interpret the form of the body
make use of this correspondence — but the fact that the correspondence exists
does not guarantee the accuracy of any particular school of interpretation.

The Earth/Air polarity is also seen in the instinctual mind of animals and in
the response of plants to human feelings. Even atoms and molecules have an Inner
Self that can respond to emotion and will. When we do magic, we touch the Inner
Self of that which we would influence, and the effects of that touch are
reflected in that being’s Outer Self.

The Universe as a whole also has its Inner Self and Outer Self, which are the
two worlds between which we step in ritual. Thus the rationale for astrology is
not (as the skeptics claim) that the physical planets themselves somehow
influence us, but rather that patterns of the visible heavens are a reflection
of invisible patterns in the Inner World.

The Soul of Nature

Moondaughter taught that Earth and Air appear throughout nature because the Lord
and the Lady are Themselves beings of Earth and Air. Their Outer Selves are the
energy and matter which make up the material world, while Their Inner Selves are
Their ability to Know, to Will and to Love.

In another sense, nature as a whole — Earth and Air, Fire and Water — is the
Outer Self to the Lord and Lady, who are the Soul of Nature. Every one of Their
many children is a visible expression of the Their character.

Which Witch Are You?

Which Witch Are You?

Solitary:

Practices the craft alone and does not work with a group or coven. By the Gardnerian and Alexandrian way solitary witches are not witches. In order to be considered a witch you must work with a coven.

Eclectic:

These witches pick chose and mix various traditions. They have no set path.

Hereditary:

These are the practitioners who have been taught the craft from their relative. The craft was passed, unbroken, from generation to generation.

So, now, do you want to be a solitary witch or work with a coven? Let me give you a few Pros and Cons to consider.

PRO

If you join a coven you will receive lots of support. There are people available with the same beliefs to talk to. You will also get some structure. You can work your way up from dedicant to High Priest(s).

CON

Just by the fact that there is structure in a coven may discourage some people. The coven decides on the where, when at time of the Sabbats and meetings. If you break the laws of the coven (dishonor) you will be asked to leave. The cons of a coven are not unlike those that relate to any group activity.

PRO

OK, so you will go solo and be a solitary. This means that you can learn at your own pace. You can follow your own schedule for Sabbats, within reason. You attire is strictly up to you. Some solitaries will join with a know coven to celebrate Sabbats. You can design your own rituals.

CON

The major downside is that you are on are on your own. Help and guidance from knowledgeable witches are not going to be readily available. The solitary had no linage to look back on for guidance. Solitary witches are looked down on by name of the coven witches. What do you know – a class structure L

So what type of training do you want? You can find metaphysical shops and seek help from them. You can use the local library or book shop. If you have internet access there is a wealth of information available for you.

You may want to join a coven. This decision must be made carefully. Some covens are basically nothing more than social groups. Others are based on the D & D games. Be selective, just as they will want to interview you, you should reciprocate in kind.

NOTE: Witches do not try to convert people.

Once you have decided upon a coven go to a few open Sabbats and meetings, if permitted. If you can not attend an open Sabbat write the coven off. With the exception of two Sabbats, all others can be open.

Sit down with the Priestess / Priest and see what the coven will want of you. The will also ask what you can bring to the coven. Remember, a coven becomes your family away from home. The coven should NEVER supercede your home life. You family will always come first.

Once you are in total agreement – both ways you can apply to become a dedicant. During this time you will be kept under the eye of the Priestess and Priest. Your initial training will last for a year and a day. After that time, if upon the agreement of all, you can become an initiate. From that point on you will go through the three degrees of initiation. Each degree will take a minimum of a year and a day to complete.

Being a member of a coven is a commitment. You will be expected to attend coven functions. Covens usually meet to celebrate the 8 Sabbats – holidays of the God and 13 Esbats – holidays of the Goddess. Members of the coven are given a part to perform during the rituals. Not showing up for ritual is a major NO-NO. If you do not make it you can ruin the ritual.

You may also be asked to help the coven. Many covens take on community work to help the community.

Many covens plan outing and fun events for their members…

One thing to remember no matter what path you choose; When the Student is ready, the Teacher Will Appear.

Gardnerian Wicca

Gardnerian Wicca

*A retired British civil servant named Gerald B. Gardner is the ‘Grandfather’, at the very least, of almost all Neo-Wicca. He was initiated into a coven of Witches in the New Forest region of England in 1939 by a High Priestess named ‘Old Dorothy’ Clutterbuck. In 1949 he wrote a novel [*High Magic’s Aid*] about medieval Witchcraft in which quite a bit of the Craft as practiced by that coven was used. In 1951 the last of the English laws against Witchcraft were repealed (primarily due to the pressure of Spiritualists) and Gardner published *Witchcraft Today*, which set forth a version of the rituals and traditions of that coven. There is an enormous amount of disagreement about virtually every statement I have made in this paragraph.

Gardnerism is both a tradition and a family, and lineage is a family tree. The High Priestess rules the coven, and the principles of love and trust preside. We follow our handed down book more carefully than many others, but we are free to add and improvise, as long as we preserve the original.

We work skyclad, practice binding and scourging, are hierarchal and secretive, therefore we are controversial. We’re also controversial because we were first – the first craft tradition in the U. S. and descended from the man largely responsible for starting the craft revival. So, we’re called ‘the snobs of the craft’, but I think we’re as much fun as anyone else; our parties as good, our jokes as bad’

A Gardnerian can trace his/her lineage matrilineally back to a High Priestess who worked with Gerald. For virtually all American Gardnerians, that means his last HPS, Monique Wilson. Monique initiated the Bucklands and Rosemary Buckland initiated Theas, so far as anyone knows, the only one of Rosemary’s Thirds who passed the initiation on – which is why she has been called (but doesn’t call herself) ‘Witch Queen of America. ‘[the foregoing quotes provided by Deborah Lipp Bonewits, a Gardnerian Third Degree High Priestess as well as an ADF Druidess.]

*Each Gardnerian coven is autonomous and is headed by a High Priestess who can turn to her queen (the High Priestess who trained her) for counsel and advice. This maintains the lineage and creates a pool of experienced and knowledgeable leaders and teachers.

*Reincarnation and the Wiccan Rede [An it harm none do what you will] are basic tenants of the tradition. Covens are as much as possible composed of male/female pairs for balance. Most working is accomplished with the energy raised by the interaction of the Lord and Lady as represented by the couples in the coven by dancing, chanting, etc.

*Like many Wiccan traditions, Gardnerians have three degrees. An American Gardnerian must be of the 3rd degree before she can become a HPS. The HPS/HP are responsible for conducting services (circles), training their conveners, and preserving and passing on Gardnerian Craft. *[This material quoted from Converging Paths Newsletter, Kyril, Brita, & Hugh authors. ]

A lot of the controversy surrounding Gardnerianism questions the sources of the rituals and other materials, particularly those appearing in print. It is true that Gardner presented these materials as if they were directly from his New Forest tradition. It is clear, however, that whatever materials the coven may have had when he was initiated, Gerald made a lot of changes and added a great deal. Literary sources of the published Book of Shadows include Blake, Kipling, Yeats and Crowley. Much of the published material was written by Doreen Valiente, a member of the coven for a time and later founder of her own groups and author of many excellent books on the Craft.

Gardnerian Witches without doubt do have many materials which have not appeared in print, however, their emphasis on secrecy has made them a punchline in the Wiccan social world. How many Gardnerians does it take to change a light bulb? That’s a secret! Their High Priestess will usually be called ‘Lady’ Soandso and High Priest, ‘Lord Whatisname’. [This is far more true in the U. S. than it is in England.]

Alexandrian Wicca

Alexandrian Wicca

As most everyone by now is aware, the Alexandrian Tradition is very close to Gardnerian with a few minor changes. (One of the most obvious ones being that the Alexandrians use the athame as a symbol for the element of fire and the wand as a symbol for air. Most of the rituals are very formal and heavily indebted to ceremonial magick. It is also a polarized tradition and the sexuality of that female/male polarity is emphasized. The ritual cycle deals mostly with the division of the year between the Holly King and the Oak King and several ritual dramas deal with the dying/resurrected God theme. As with Gardnerians, the High Priestess is supposedly the highest authority. However, it is odd that the primary spokespersons for both traditions have been men. [*This material provided by Gillan]

Alexandrian Wicca is the creation of Alex Sanders (with his then wife Maxine) who claimed to have been initiated by his grandmother in 1933. It’s principal proponents are Janet and Stewart Fararr whose books set forth most, if not all, of the Alexandrian tradition. Contrary to popular belief, the name Alexandrian refers not to Alex Sanders, but to Ancient Alexandria.

Although similiar to Gardnerian Wicca, Alexandrian Wicca tends to be more eclectic, and liberal. Some of Gardnerisms strict rules, such as the requirement of ritual nudity, have been made optional by Alexandrian Wicca.

Mary Nesnick, an American initiate in Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions founded a ‘new’ tradition called Algard. This tradition brings together both Gardnerian and Alexandrian teachings under a single banner. This was possible due to the great similiarities between the two traditions.

WEDDING/HANDFASTING CEREMONY

WEDDING/HANDFASTING CEREMONY

The following wedding ceremony was written to provide for Pagans who must of
necessity be wed in the presence of the uninitiated who are not pagan and are
perhaps unaware that the bride and groom are pagan. Replace the words Bride and
Groom below with the names of the happy couple. This ceremony was used by both
my wife and  myself and by my sister and her husband.  They modified the text
at the point below where it says “loving each other  wholly and completely” to
add the phrase “forsaking all others” as  they are into monogamy.  Either
version works beautifully, I recommend the participants rewrite where necessary
to form a legal contract that they can and will keep. It is easy to avoid being
an oathbreaker if you only swear to that that you will keep and avoid swearing
to something just because the other party wants it or because it might be
“expected” by the family. Notice: parts of  this ritual were cribbed from the
writings of others. I apologize in advance  for failure to reference sources but
after the fifteenth rewrite we had forgotten where we got the text and what was
and what was not original to us.  I doubt if there are quotes from other sources
longer than paragraph length and thus should not be a copyright problem.  If you
see something that is yours, please send me mail and I will reference you in the
future. Our thanks to those who paved the way. –Ryan Hunter]

[PRIEST] We have come together here in celebration of the joining together of
____bride______ and ____groom______.  There are  many things to say about
marriage. Much wisdom  concerning the joining together of  two souls, has come
our way through all paths of belief, and from many cultures. With each union,
more knowledge is gained and more wisdom gathered. Though we are unable to give
all this knowledge to these two, who stand before us, we can hope to leave with
them the knowledge of love and its strengths and the anticipation of the wisdom
that comes with time.  The law of  life is love unto all beings. Without love,
life is nothing, without love, death has no redemption. Love is anterior to
Life, posterior  to  Death, initial of Creation and the exponent of  Earth. If
we learn no more in life, let it be this.

Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and
reflection.  As with any aspect of life, it has its cycles, its ups and its
downs, its trials and its triumphs.  With full understanding of this,  Groom and
Bride have come here today to be joined as one in marriage.

Others would ask,  at this time, who gives the bride in marriage, but,  as a
woman is not property to be bought and sold, given and taken,  I ask simply if
she comes of her own will and if she  has her family’s blessing.

Bride, is it true that you come of your own free will and accord?

[BRIDE] Yes, it is true.

[PRIEST] With whom do you come and whose blessings accompany you.

[FATHER] She comes with me, her father, and is accompanied by all of her
family’s blessings.

[PRIEST] Please join hands with your betrothed and listen to that which I am
about to say.

Above you are the stars,  below you are the stones,  as time doth pass,
remember…

Like a stone should your love be firm like a star should your love be
constant. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect guide you in your
marriage,  let the strength of your wills  bind you  together,  let the power of
love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you
inseparable.  Be close, but not too close. Possess one another, yet be
understanding.   Have patience with one another, for storms will come, but they
will pass quickly.

Be free in giving affection and warmth.  Have no fear and let not the ways of
the unenlightened give you unease,  for God is  with you always.

Groom, I have not the right to bind thee to Bride, only you have this right.
If it be your wish, say so at this time and place your ring in her hand.

[GROOM] It is my wish.

[PRIEST]  Bride, if it be your wish for Groom to be bound to you, place the
ring on his finger.  (places ring on Groom’s left ring finger)

Bride  I  have not the right to bind thee to Groom only you  have this right.
If it be your wish,  say so at this time  and place your ring in his hand.

[BRIDE] It is my wish.

[PRIEST] Groom,  if it be your wish for Bride to be bound to you, place   the
ring on her finger.(places ring on   Bride’s   left ring finger)

(to Groom) Repeat after me:

I,   (grooms full name),   in the name of the spirit of God that resides within
us all,  by the life that courses within my blood and  the love that resides
within my heart,   take thee  (bride’s full  name) to my hand, my heart, and my
spirit, to be my chosen  one. To desire thee and be desired by thee, to possess
thee,  and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in
the purity of my love for thee.   I promise to love thee wholly and completely
without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life
and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again.  I shall not seek to
change thee in any way.   I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy
ways as I respect myself.

(to Bride)
I  (bride’s full name), in the name of the spirit of God that resides within us
all, by the life that courses within my blood, and the love that resides within
my heart,  take  thee, (Groom’s full name) to my hand, my heart, and my spirit
to be my chosen one.   To desire and be desired by  thee, to possess thee, and
be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in the purity
of my love for thee.  I promise to love thee wholly and completely without
restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and
beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again.  I shall not seek to
change thee in any way.   I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy
ways as I respect myself.

[PRIEST]
(hands  chalice to the groom,  saying:) May you drink  your  fill from the cup
of love.

(Groom  holds  chalice to bride while she sips then  bride  takes chalice and
holds it to groom while he sips.  The chalice is then handed  back to the Priest
who sets it on the  table.   Next  the Priest  takes the plate of bread,  giving
it to the groom.   Same
procedure  repeated  with bread, groom feeding bride  and  bride feeding groom.)

By the power vested in me by God and the State of  ________,  I now pronounce
you husband and wife.  May your love so endure that its flame remains a guiding
light unto you.

Fasting of the hands

Fasting of the hands

Handfasting is the marriage rite used by many neo-Pagans and Wiccans.  The term
itself comes from the custom of shaking hands over a contract. It was used in
Scotland for the engagement period of a year and a day before a wedding was
proved.

In most Pagan traditions today it may mean a non-state registered wedding or one
in which a marriage license is filed.  For some it is a year and a day,
renewable “so long as love shall last” and for others a commitment to be
together through many lives.

There are probably as many rituals for this as there are people who have joined
themselves together.

The hands are generally bound with a cord as part of the ritual.