Category: Wicca

Let’s Talk Witch – Rites of Passage

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Let’s Talk Witch – Rites of Passage

Rites of passage are rituals that mark important moments in the Wheel of Human Life. The birth of a child, coming of age, the death of a loved one, marriage, and eldership are five rites of passage that come to mind. At the birth of a child, Witches welcome his spirit into the world. This process often includes an introduction to all the Elements and a blessing.

When that child becomes of age, he has the right to become a fully recognized adult member of the community and begin participating fully in ritual (if he/she so wishes). The Coming Of Age ceremonies vary from culture to culture but generally include elements of learning, initiation, and social affirmation. At this time, magickal tools are often presented as gifts and he is now expected to be responsible for them.

The marriage (of Handfasting) ceremony allows the community to witness and support the adult’s choice of life partner and links two spirits into a harmonious one (in which neither individual is lost). A magickal marriage often includes jumping over a broomstick or sword at the end of the ritual. This rite marks passage into a new life together and also fosters fertility.

Eldership honors a person’s wisdom and contributions to the community. Croning ceremonies are usually celebrated when the witch has completed her second Saturn Return (at the age of about fifty-eight to sixty). Some things do get better with age, and magick is certainly one of them. The Neo-Pagan community does not view old age as a detriment; it is respected and the insights that old witches offer are gratefully accepted.

At the end of a witch’s life, her spirit is ushered on to its next form of existence. This ritual is typically called a Summerland rite. At the gathering, people open the circle for the spirit of that individual to join them in one last dance and song, and to say their farewells. In this way, the circle provides peace and closure, trusting that everyone will meet again in another life.

THE GOD

THE GOD

The God of the Wicca is the Horned God, the ancient God of Fertility: the God of forest, flock, and field and also of the hunt. He is Lord of Life, and the Giver of Life, yet He is also Lord of Death and Resurrection. For, like the Goddess, the nature of Her Horned Consort is also dual. For the Horned God is not only the Hunter, He is also the Hunted; He is the Sun by day, but He is also the Sun at Midnight; He is the Lord of Light, but He is also the Lord of Darkness: the darkness of night, the darkness of the Shadows, the darkness of the depths of the forest, the darkness of the depths of the Underworld.

The Horned God is the group soul of the hunted animal, invoked by the primitive shaman and the tribe: and as such, He is the Sacrificial Victim, the beast who is slain that the tribe might live, a gift from that group soul, who was often revered as the tribal totem or ancestral spirit. The Celts believed they were the descendents of the God of the Underworld, who was also the God of Fertility: the Latinized form of His name was Cernunnos, which means simply, the Horned One.

The Horned God is also the spirit of vegetation, of the green and growing things, whether of the vine or of the forest or of the field. Dionysus, Adonis, and many other vegetation and harvest Gods were all often depicted as horned, wearing the horns of the bull, the goat, the ram, or the stag: of whichever of the horned beasts was held sacred in that place and time. This aspect is the Dying and Resurrecting God who dies with the harvest and is rent asunder, as the grain is gathered in the fields; who is buried, as is the seed; who then springs forth anew, fresh and green and young, in the spring, reborn from the Womb of the Great Mother.

The Horned God is Osiris, who was often depicted with the horns of a bull. Osiris was believed to be incarnate in a succession of sacred bulls, and worshipped in that form as the god Apis.  This was yet another form and manifestation of Osiris as the God of Fertility and also of Death and Resurrection. And Osiris bears the marks of a lunar, rather than a solar god, for Set tears the body of Osiris into fourteen pieces, the number of days of the waning moon; and then Isis, the Great Mother, gathers those pieces together and restores Osiris to life again.

The Horned God is the Great God Pan, the Goat-foot God with a human torso and a human but goat-horned head, the God whose ecstatic worship was so hated by the Church that they used His description for their “Devil” and called Him the lord of all evil. Yet, to the ancients who worshipped Him, and to the modern Pagans and Witches that worship Him still, “Pan is greatest, Pan is least. Pan is all, and all is Pan.”

The Horned God is not “the Devil”, except to those who fear and reject Nature, and the Powers of Life and human sexuality, and the ecstasy of the human spirit. The Horned God is the God of the Wicca.

Excerpt from:

Wiccan’s One Universe

THE GODDESS

THE GODDESS

The Goddess is the universal mother. She is fertility, endless wisdom and love. She is all aspects of nature, harmful and helpful. Wiccans acknowledge both aspects of Her nature.   The Goddess has three aspects; The Maiden (Anu, Elaine, Blodeuwedd), The Mother (Badb, Arianrhod, Margawse), and The Crone (Morgan LeFey, Cerridwen, Macha). The Maiden is innocence, Springtime, renewal, youth, dawn and the continuation of all life. The Mother is the richness of life, nurturing, Summer, the day and a teacher. The Crone is darkness, night, the rest before the continuation of life, wisdom, counsel and reincarnation. Each of these aspects shows different stages of a women’s life, and each can be placed with the phases of the moon; The Maiden being the waxing moon, The Mother the full moon and The Crone the waning moon. (2)

The Goddess of the Wicca is the Great Goddess. She is the Ground of Being, the Mother of All Living; the Creatrix, and the Destroyer, for She is ever Dual. She is the Earth Mother, the Lady of the Moon, and the Star Goddess. She is Queen of Heaven, Queen of Earth, and Queen of the Underworld. She is the Triple Goddess: the Virgin, the Bride, and the Hag, called the Three Mothers in Celtic regions.

The three aspects of the Triple Goddess are usually described as the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone; it must be remembered that the connotations of age associated with those titles derive from the experience of humans, who are subject to age and death; the Goddess is eternal: ever-changing and ever self-renewing, She will be young or old as She pleases.

As the Virgin, She is the Creatrix, the Lady of Birth and Death, the Star Goddess, the Queen of Heaven, the Giver of Inspiration, the Initiatrix.

She is Diana, Lady of the Moon and the Wild Things, Ever Virgin unto Pan: virgin unto the All, and therefore wed to None.She is also the Virgin Mother; and Her blue and white colors, and title “Queen of Heaven”, were borrowed by the Catholic Church for the Virgin Mary. Hers are the Waxing Moon, Venus as Morning and Evening Star, and all the vast starry realm; Her sacred color is White.

As the Bride, She is the Preserver, the Lady of Growth and Fertility, the Earth Mother, the Goddess of flocks and herds, Lady of Love and Fruitfulness and the fertility of the land; as Goddess of the Land She is also the Goddess of Sovereignty, and it is only by Sacred Marriage to Her that the King holds the right to the Throne. Hers are the Full Moon, the Earth, fruits and flocks and fields; Her sacred color is Red.

As the Hag, She is the Destroyer, the Lady of Decay and Death, the Goddess of Night and the Underworld, and also the cave and the tomb. For that which is born must also age, and decay, and die; and out of that which is dead and decaying arises new fertility, for life feeds ever on life. She is the Sow who eats Her own young, the “Nightmare Fertility and Death in One”, the Great Necessity by which the food chain and the cycle of life continue. Hence She is also the Goddess of regeneration. Hers is the Waning Moon, the dark night, the silence of the shadows, the midnight crossroads, and the wailing of the widow; Her sacred color is Black.

The Goddess is the Queen of all Witcheries: She is the Enchantress, the Shape-Changer; She is Isis, the “Lady of the Words of Power”; She is Cerridwen, the Sorceress at Her Cauldron; She is Hecate, the Mistress of the Magick of the Dark Moon. She is the Great Lady. She is the Goddess.

Excerpt from:

Wiccan’s One Universe

Before Time Was

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Before Time Was

Before time was, there was The One; The One was all & all
was The One
And the vast expanse known as the Universe was The One,
allwise, all-pervading, all-powerful, eternally changing.
And Space moved. The One molded energy into twin forms
equal but opposite, fashioning the Goddess and God from
The One and of The One.
The Goddess & God stretched and gave thanks to The
One, but darkness surrounded them. They were alone,
solitary save for The One.
So they formed energy into gases and gases into suns and
planets and moons; They sprinkled the Universe with
whirling globes and so all was given shape by the hands of
the Goddess and God.
Light arose and the sky was illuminated by a billion suns.
and the Goddess and Gods, satisfied by their works,
rejoiced and loved, and were one.
From their union sprang seeds of life, and of the human
race, so that we might achieve incarnation upon the Earth.
The Goddess chose the Moon as her symbol, and the God
the Sun as his symbol to remind the inhabitants of Earth of
their fashioners.
All are born, live, die and are reborn beneath The Sun and
Moon; all things come to pass thereunder, and all occurs
with the blessings of The One, as has been the way of
existence before time was.

Let’s Talk WItch – Solitary Practice

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Solitary Practice

Some Witches practice alone— in solitary— rather than with a group. Perhaps no coven is available, or a Witch may prefer to follow solitary practice because it suits her particular purposes, temperament, or lifestyle. Some people may work alone for a period, then join a coven for a period. Witches who don’t belong to a coven may still gather with “kindred spirits” to celebrate the sabbats or other events, in a sort of extended Circle.

For seasoned Witches, a solitary path may be simply a choice. For the beginner, however, working alone can be lonely. It can also be more difficult than being guided by other, more experienced colleagues. On the other hand, a solitary pursuit enables you to develop your own style of magickal expression, rather than taking on the ideology or outward form of an established group. Fortunately, today many books— including this one— exist to teach a novice the basics of Wicca and Witchcraft.

As a solitary Witch— especially if you’re just starting out— some guidelines can help you proceed safely and successfully:

Read lots of books by different authors, to gain a variety of insights and perspectives.

Meditate regularly to improve your mental focus and your connection with your higher self.

Set a schedule for yourself that makes magickal study and work part of your everyday life.

Apply what you learn— study alone won’t make you a Witch.

Start with simple rituals and spells, then work up to more complicated ones.

Don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t work out the way you’d planned; try to determine what went wrong and why, and learn from your mistakes.

Practice, practice, practice— magick is like every other skill: The more you do it, the better you get.

Keep a journal (Book of Shadows) of your experiences.

After you’ve spent time studying and practicing on your own, you’ll have a better idea of what type of magick appeals to you and which path you want to follow. At some point, you may decide to find a teacher or a group of like-minded individuals to work with. Working with a teacher can help you advance more quickly and may steer you away from some pitfalls along the way. Good teachers tend to be selective about the students they take on. If you can show that you’ve done your homework through solitary study, you’ll have a better chance of convincing a teacher to help you reach the next level. Remember the old saying, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

 

Reference:

The Only Book of Wiccan Spells You’ll Ever Need
Singer, Marian; MacGregor, Trish

 

Awakening Your Magick

Awakening Your Magick

Find some time alone, where you have some peace and quiet in a room that you will be able to make dark .(close blinds, drapes or place blankets over windows)?

Find a candle that you feel represents you. It could be one of your favorite colors…or it could be the one that when you pick it up you feel something special – it just ”feels” right.?

Take the candle, and sit in a comfortable position on the floor. Put both of your hands around the candle, and hold it in your lap. Clear your mind of all thought and slow your breathing. Take long, deep, even breaths. Relax.?

Once you feel relaxed, think about your past and your present. As you recall it, visualize each thought you have ”transferring” it into the candle…if it helps, you can visualize a white puffy jet stream flowing from your head, into the candle in your hands…?

Focus on this for a few minutes (or longer), you’ll know when you’ve put enough of yourself into the candle. One?s true self, who you really are as a person.

Next, place the candle in a candle holder and set it on your altar in the room. Light the candle and turn off the lights, close the curtains, and create a dark room. This dark room represents the clarity of emptiness, and the candle represents all that you are.?

Focus on the flame. Feel the magick filling the room and filling you. Think of everything sacred and belive you are filled with magick. Build the belief till you have no doubt about your ability. When you are done snuff out the candle…?

You can repeat this process at any time you feel the need.?

Let’s Talk Witch – Why Does A Coven Have Only 13 Members, Hmm?

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Ever Wonder Why Covens Have Thirteen Members?

Traditional covens have thirteen members. Why? A year contains thirteen lunar months. Wicca and Witchcraft are closely aligned with the moon and its feminine energy; thus, the number thirteen represents the lunar calendar and signifies wholeness.

Wicca and Witchcraft tend to appeal to people who dislike hierarchy and rigid dogma. Many modern Witches were raised in patriarchal religions that didn’t encourage free thinking; they have chosen Wicca (or another Pagan Path) because it allows them to follow their own truth.

Covens offer a lot to practitioners of Wicca and Witchcraft. It’s nice to have ‘kinfolk’ with whom to share information about magick and spirituality. Covens provide an opportunity for learning on all levels. It’s also fun to celebrate meaningful holidays and events with people who feel as you do. In a world that still doesn’t completely accept Witches and magick, a coven brings individuals into a community where they can feel safe, accepted and valued. Furthermore, the power a group can raise when they work together for the good of all far exceeds what one Witch could must alone.

I Don’t Suppose You Ever Heard The Phrase, “As Above, So Below?”

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As Above, So Below

Perhaps you’ve heard the saying “As above, so below.” What does this mean? Basically, this phrase, common among witches, reminds you that everything in this world is part of a pattern that’s reflected elsewhere in the universe and the astral plane. And, vice versa, everything in the rest of the universe and the astral plane has some shadowy symbology in the here-and-now. This point is very important to spiritual seekers: it allows for the possibility that there is something magickal but substantive “out there” that may be seen and interpreted. It also provides some measure of hope that those mysteries, which have been around for a very long time, will slowly be revealed and understood.

Magick & Wicca

MAGICK & WICCA
The Wicca Handbook by Eileen Holland

**************************************
Magick is love. All magick should be performed out of love. The moment anger or hatred tinges your magick you have crossed the border into a dangerous world, one that will ultimately consume you.
– Scott Cunningham
*****************************************

Magick itself is neutral, a tool: like a hammer, it can be used to smash or to
build. Intent is what colors it. White magick is a term to describe that which
is positive, constructive or helpful; black magick that which is negative,
destructive or harmful. If you have a business and you work spells to make it
prosper, that’s white magick. Doing spells to destroy your competition would be
black magick. These are not racial terms: good and evil, dark and light, are
other words which can be used to express this same concept.

Why black and white, not some other colors? To answer this you have to go back
into prehistory and imagine how terrifying the night was for humans before we
learned to use fire. The black of night was full of unseen threats, a dangerous
time you might not survive. The white light of day brought illumination and
safety, welcome relief.

White magick is the right-hand path, black magick the left-hand one. The
symbolism of right and left is also very ancient: the right hand was used for
eating, the left hand for bathroom functions. Imagine life without toilet paper
and you’ll understand why it’s customary to shake right hands. This has nothing
to do with being right- or left- handed, but it does explain why left handed
people were often forced in the past to learn to write with their right hands.

There are several theories of gray magick, but I think gray magick is what
Hindus call maya – illusion.

One theory holds that since good and evil both exist, some people need to do
black magick in order to balance the white magick. I don’t buy that for a
minute. Do murderers balance nice people, or child abusers balance loving
parents? If they create balance, does this excuse their crimes? Try telling that
one to a judge! “Well your honor, I only stole that car to create balance in the
universe.” There is another polarity theory, where if you do two hexes and two
healings they balance one another or cancel each other out. There is some logic
to this one but its still just a self-serving excuse, a way to delude yourself
you are a white witch when you practice black magick. Some traditions hold that
which you cast on yourself as white magick, that which you cast on others gray
magick. The wordsmith in me quibbles with this one on semantic grounds. I think a spell that harms yourself or anyone else is black magick; one that helps or heals anyone, including yourself, is white magick. Being of service to people in
need or distress is one of the things witches do best, so I see nothing “wrong”
in casting spells that help others – with their permission, of course.

Some witches argue there are evils too great, situations too grave for white
magick to deal with; that the end justifies the means, makes black magick
necessary for the greater good. That is the best argument of the lot, but I have
never encountered a situation I couldn’t handle with white magick. Binding,
banishing and transformation are the powerful tools of a white witch. The term
green witchcraft is sometimes used to describe Celtic magick, fairy magick,
earth magick or any combination of those.

Seekers and novices sometimes ask me how they can avoid being seduced by the
dark side of magick, avoid the temptation to hex or harm others. The answer is
to have an ethical framework in which you practice magick. Seduction by the dark side is not a concern for Wiccans. We have our Goddess and our Law to guide us:

an it harm none, do as ye will.

Every Wiccan is a witch, and every one of us voluntarily agrees to do no harm.
We walk in the Light and serve the Goddess. Magick is just one part of our
religion.

There are excellent moral and ethical arguments against practicing black magick,
but if you don’t buy those here is a practical one:

what goes around comes around

Everything we put forth is eventually returned to us. Wicca recognizes the Law
of Three, believes this return is triple. Black magick might provide instant
gratification, but it ultimately does more harm to you than to anyone else. Many
white witches learned this lesson the hard way.

Principles of Wiccan Beliefs

Principles of Wiccan Beliefs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8.   Calling oneself  “Witch” does not make a Witch  — but neither does
heredity itself, not the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations. A Witch
seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order
to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature.

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

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

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

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

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

An Introduction to Traditional Wicca

AN INTRODUCTION TO TRADITIONAL WICCA
c. 1987, Keepers of the Ancient Mysteries   ( K.A.M. )

Often Traditional Wiccans are asked to describe our religion and beliefs for
interested people, who may or may not have confused us with other Pagan
religions, with inversions of Christian/Islamic religions like Satanism, or with
purely magical traditions with no religious base. There is a lot of flexibility
in the ways that we describe ourselves, and one characteristic of Wicca is a
large degree of personal liberty to practice as we please. Still, there is an
outline that can be described in general terms. Many traditions will depart from
one particular or another, but groups departing from all or most of these
features are probably non-Wiccan Traditions attempting to stretch or distort the
Wiccan name to cover what they want to do.

Mysteries and Initiation

Wicca is an Initiatory religion descended from the Ancient Mystery Religions. A
mystery religion is not like Catholicism where a Priest is the contact point
between the worshiper and the Deity, nor like Protestantism where a sacred Book provides the contact and guidelines for being with the divine. Rather a Mystery Religion is a religion of personal experience and responsibility, in which each worshiper is encouraged, taught and expected to develop an ongoing and positive direct relationship with the Gods. The religion is called a “Mystery” because such experiences are very hard to communicate in words, and are usually distorted in the telling. You have to have been there in person to appreciate what is meant. Near and far-Eastern religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Shinto are probably Mystery traditions, but Wicca is very western in cultural flavor and quite different than eastern religions in many ways.

A Blend of Pagan Roots

Most Wiccan Traditions, K.A.M. included, have particular roots in the British
Mystery Traditions. This includes traditions of the Picts who lived before the
rise of Celtic consciousness, the early Celts, and some selected aspects of
Celtic Druidism. American Wicca is directly descended from British Wicca,
brought in the late 1950’s by English and American Initiates of Gardnerian,
Alexandrian and Celtic Wicca. These traditions are a little like the
denominations in Christianity, but hopefully far more harmonious.

While British Traditions are very strong in Wicca, or the Craft as it is
sometimes called, other Western Mystery traditions feature prominently,
including the ancient Greek Mysteries of Eleusis, Italian Mysteries of Rome,
Etruria and the general countryside, Mysteries of Egypt and Persia before Islam,
and various Babylonian, Assyrian and other mid-eastern Mysteries that flourished before the political rise of the advocates of “one god”.

What’s In a Name?

Wicca, Witchcraft, and “The Craft” are used interchangeably at times by many
kinds of people. It is fair to say that all Wiccans are Witches, and many of us
believe we are the only people entitled to the name. It is important to know
that many people call themselves witches who are not in the least Wiccan, and
that Masons also refer to themselves as “Craft”, with good historical precedent.
Carefully question people on the particular things they do and believe as part
of their religion rather than relying on labels. Any real Wiccan would welcome
such honest inquiry.

Traditions and Flavor

There are specific Wiccan beliefs and traditions, including worship of an equal
and mated Goddess and God who take many forms and have many Names. Groups who worship only a Goddess or only a God are not traditional Wicca however they may protest, although they may be perfectly good Pagans of another sort. The Wiccan Goddess and God are linked to nature, ordinary love and children — Wicca is very life affirming in flavor.

Because we have and love our own Gods, Wiccans have nothing to do with other
people’s deities or devils, like the Christian God or Satan, the Muslim Allah or
the Jewish Jehovah (reputedly not his real name). Christians often deny this
fact because they think that their particular god is the only God, and everybody
else in the whole world must be worshipping their devil. How arrogant. They’re
wrong on both counts.

Traditional Wicca is a religion of personal responsibility and growth. Initiates
take on a particular obligation to personal development throughout their lives,
and work hard to achieve what we call our “True Will”, which is the best
possibility that we can conceive for ourselves. Finding your Will isn’t easy,
and requires a lot of honesty, courage and hard work. It is also very rewarding.

Wicca is generally a cheerful religion, and has many holidays and festivals. In
fact, most of the more pleasant holidays now on our calendar are descended from the roots Wicca draws on, including Christmas, May Day, Easter and Summer Vacation. Wicca is definitely not always serious. Dancing, feasting and general merriment are a central part of the celebrations.

Wiccan Ethics

Wiccans have ethics which are different in nature than most “one-god” religions,
which hand out a list of “do’s and don’ts”. We have a single extremely powerful
ethical principal which Initiates are responsible for applying in specific
situations according to their best judgment. That principle is called the Wiccan
Rede (Old-English for rule) and reads:

“An (if) it harm none, do as ye Will”

Based on the earlier mention of “True Will”, you will understand that the Rede
is far more complex than it sounds, and is quite different than saying “Do
whatever you want as long as nobody is hurt”. Finding out your Will is difficult
sometimes, and figuring out what is harmful, rather than just painful or
unpleasant is not much easier.

Initiation into Wicca

People become Wiccans only by Initiation, which is a process of contacting and
forming a good relationship with the Gods and Goddesses of Wicca. Initiation is
preceded by at least a year and a day of preparation and study, and must be
performed by a qualified Wiccan Priestess and Priest. The central event of
Initiation is between you and your Gods, but the Priestess is necessary to make
the Initiation a Wiccan one, to pass some of her power onto you as a new-made
Priestess or Priest and to connect you to the Tradition you’re joining.

Women hold the central place in Wicca. A Traditional Coven is always headed by a High Priestess, a Third Degree female Witch with at least three years and three
days of specific training. A Priest is optional, but the Priestess is essential.
Similarly, a Priest may not Initiate without a Priestess, but a Priestess alone
is sufficient. Women are primary in Wicca for many reasons, one of which is that
the Goddess is central to our religion.
One Religion at a Time

People often ask “Can I become a Wiccan and still remain a Christian, Muslim,
practicing Jew, etc. The answer is no. The “one god” religions reject other
paths besides their own, including each other’s. “One-god” religions also do not
exalt the Female as does Wicca, and mixing two such different traditions would
water them both down. Besides, you’d have to ask how serious a person who
practiced two religions was about either one. Being Jewish is an exception,
since it is a race and culture as well as a religion. There are many Wiccan
Jews, but they practice Wicca, not Judaism.

Magick and Science

People interested in Wicca are usually curious about the magick that Wiccans can do. While magick (spelled with a “k” to distinguish from stage conjuring) is not a religion in itself, it is related to our religious beliefs. Wiccans believe
that people have many more abilities than are generally realized, and that it is
a good idea to develop them. Our magick is a way of using natural forces to
change consciousness and material conditions as an expression of our “True
Wills”. Part of becoming a Wiccan is training in our methods of psychic and
magickal development.

Because we believe that everything a person does returns to them magnified, a
Wiccan will not work a magick for harm, since they would pay too high a price.
But a helpful magick is good for both the giver and receiver! Wicca is entirely
compatible with the scientific method, and we believe all the Gods and forces we
work with to be quite natural, not supernatural at all. We do not, however, hold
with the kind of scientific dogma or pseudo religion that sees everything as
dead matter and neglects its own method by trumpeting “facts” without honest
examination of evidence.

Priestesses at Large?

Long ago the spiritual (and sometimes physical) ancestors of Wiccans were
Priestesses and Priests to the Pagan culture as well as devotees of their
Mystery. Now that a Pagan culture is rising again, some ask if today’s Wiccans
could resume that role. This seems unlikely.

Today’s Pagan culture is very diverse and more interested in exploring and
creating new forms than in building on existing traditions. A public role would
either dilute our traditions or force them on an unwilling audience. The neo-
Pagan community generally prefers “media figures” and rapid membership and
growth. This is not compatible with our slow methods of training and Initiation,
the insistence that livelihood come from work outside the Craft, or our needs
for privacy. Our religion is not accepted in the American workplace or political
system, and may never be. The most powerful Priestesses are often unknown to all but their Coveners. While all Wiccans are Pagans, all Pagans are not Wiccan, and it is best that it remain so.

The Law of Return

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The Law of Return

 

The Law Of Return

The Law of Return means that what you do affects what happens to you. If you do good, good is going to happen to you; if you do evil, evil will happen. The Law of Return exists in every religion in one form or another. In some it’s given a multiplier. Good and bad are said to come back upon you three- or tenfold.

The Ethics of Self Responsibility

Simply put, We and only we, are responsible for our own actions. In Wicca, there is no “The devil made me do it.” We don’t believe in devils.

The Ethics of Self Improvement

The desire to improve the world around us, guided in part by the Law of Return. Ecology, teaching and preaching tolerance, racial harmony and reverence for the arts and history, and living one’s life toward peace are important examples. Only by being constant in our learning, and growth, do we help prevent intolerance.

The Ethics of Attunement

Divinity is within us and around us, and becoming in-tune with this power is a major facet of Wicca.

1. We, in our Self, are divine. No one is in control of us except us.

2. The Gods/other powers are divine. The gods/goddesses are more like parents, and less like the god of Christianity.

3. Earth is a living being. Each individual being, plant, animal or mineral on Earth is a part of that being. Everything has a spirit of its own.

taken from ” The Five Points of Wiccan Belief,” laid out by Universal Eclectic Wicca

The Witches Magick for Sept. 7th – A Croning Ritual

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A Croning Ritual For The Coven

This ritual occurs when a woman has reached the point in her life when her Saturn has returned twice to her natal point.
This happens to everybody at the age of 56. Saturn is the teaching planet, slow and complete; We celebrate the effects of this celestial event on the woman’s life by the Croning ritual. Others perform the croning ritual once a woman no longer menstrates, after menopause.

Call a party for the young Crone, friends and relatives can cooperate with the invitations. Try to have some entertainment as well; Invite a woman who plays an instrument, or recites poetry. When all arrive, the group holds hands in a circle and sings a song to unify the group soul.

Lady listen to my hearts song
Lady Lady listen to my hearts song
I will never forget you,
I will never forsake you,
I will never forget you,
I will never forsake you!

After a couple of rounds of this, when the time is right, the priestess of the event steps out to address the rest.
This priestess can be anyone who loves the new Crone.

Priestess:(or chosen person)

We gathered together to celebrate (name) becoming (56) years old, and entering the Wise Age. Her proper title is from now on among women “Young Crone”. Who is the Crone you ask? A Crone is a woman who has reached wisdom in her heart, who is called on in disputes to arbitrate, who is called on in despair to sooth the wounds, a young Crone who is everybody’s older sister. Who else is the Crone you ask? a young Crone is the Goddess in her third aspect; she is Magera, she is Hecate, she is the Goddess of unbound power. Folklore has it that Crones bring good luck when you see them on the streets, if they smile on you, you will have a very good day. They appear in important times to show the grace of the goddess. Crones’ wishes must be respected for the Goddess
demands this from the younger generation. . Crones enjoy special favors, their magic is stronger, their spells are faster, their loves are stronger.

All:

Bless you (name) with good health, happiness, and long life!

Now the youngest of the group starts a circle of white candles, previously set out in the middle of the room; 56 of them, one for each year of the Crone’s life. Others can help after the Nymph starts. the woman priestess has a bell with which she will ring out 56 times again for each year that has passed. If the Crone would like to give a speech, here is a good place to do it. When the circle of light is done, the Young Crone steps into it and the bell tolls out 56 times, after which a round of applause from everyone is heard. Congratulations and good wishes are showered on the woman in the circle. As a special feature, the young Crone receives her Crone Jewel. This jewel can be a broach, a necklace, a ring; As long as it has a nice purple stone in it. The color of purple is that of synthesis. It is a royal color, a learning color, and a powerful color.

Priestess:

I present you with your Crone Jewel, to remind you that you are our teacher, our beloved sister, and Crone of the
Goddess.

Young Crone:

I traveled the road from my mothers breasts to Cronehood. I thank the Goddess for the good seasons that passed, and,I toast the good seasons to come! Blessed be!

All enjoy the party, dance, perform, enjoy1

Working With The Days of the Week – Saturday

Saturday Is Ruled By Saturn

Archangel: Cassiel

Candle colour: Purple or brown

Incenses: Patchouli or mimosa

Crystals: Jet or banded agate

Use Saturdays for spells to do with property, security and long-term financial matters, for closing doors on the past, for psychic protection and for locating lost objects (as well as animals and people).

Where possible, work in woodland near rocks and stones or on animal or bird reserves.

Working With The Days of the Week – Friday

Friday Is Ruled by Venus

Archangel: Anael

Candle colour: Green or pink

Incenses: Rose or geranium

Crystals: Jade or rose quartz

Use Fridays for spells for love, fidelity, healing, for anything to do with beauty, the arts and crafts and for all spells concerning the environment.

Where possible, work in any enclosed beautiful place outdoors, for example a botanical garden, a field, park or your own garden – even in a circle of plants indoors.

Working With The Days of the Week – Wednesday

Wednesday Is Ruled By Mercury

Archangel: Raphael

Candle colour: Yellow

Incenses: Lavender or fennel

Crystals: Citrine or yellow calcite

Use Wednesdays for spells for money-making ventures, learning new things, passing examinations and tests, house moves and travels, overcoming debt and repelling envy, malice and deceit.

Where possible, work in a windy place or when the clouds are moving fast across the sky.

Working With The Days of the Week – Tuesday

Tuesday Is Ruled By Mars

Archangel: Samael

Candle colour: Red

Incenses: Dragon’s blood or cinnamon

Crystals: Jasper or garnet

Use Tuesdays for spells for courage, change, independence in home or business life, for overcoming seemingly impossible odds and for passion.

Where possible, work near a fire or a bonfire or with a huge red beeswax candle as a focus; alternatively work next to a flowerbed or large vase of red, orange and/or yellow flowers.

Working With The Days of the Week – Monday

Monday Is Ruled By The Moon

Archangel: Gabriel

Candle colour: Silver

Incenses: Jasmine or myrrh

Crystals: Moonstone or opal

Use Mondays for spells for fertility, protection especially while traveling, for home and family and to increase psychic and healing powers.

Where possible, work close to any water and, as a bonus, by moonlight.

Working With The Days of the Week – Sunday

Sunday Is Ruled By The Sun

Archangel: Michael

Candle colour: Gold

Incenses: Frankincense or orange

Crystals: Amber of clear quartz

Use Sundays for spells for new beginnings, for worldly success, to achieve ambitions and to reverse bad luck, especially financial and for health.

Where possible, use an open space in sunlight for sun spells, such as a sunny beach or shimmering plain.

Working by the Moon

Working by the Moon

Moon time is the oldest measurement of time used by humans and it accords with our natural rhythms in the lives of men as well as women. In magick we primarily look to the moon for timings.

The waxing or increasing moon from the crescent to the night before the full moon is potent for all forms of attracting magick, for the gradual increase of money, love, happiness or health and for fertility spells. These powers will grow daily as the physical moon size increase to reach their height on the full moon.

The full moon represents a surge of power that can be plugged into for fertility, the consummation of love or commitment, a major money gain or for launching a creative venture. Also, because the full moon is unstable, this day and night is good for initiating change.

The waning moon helps us to let go of what we no longer need or wish for in our lives an can banish pain, sorrow or a destructive influence, a perfect phase of starting diet spells. As the moon decreases in size so the pull that holds negative people or factors in your life likewise weakens.