Category: Witchcraft

About Our Familiars

I had several questions today in regards to the Witch’s familiar. I dug up some information up and added a few things of my own. I hope this helps answers your questions. If anyone has any questions about anything, please feel free to ask. After this I have to get ready to go to the doctor. I hope you have a fabulous Tuesday and here’s the info…….

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Many Witches choose to have a familiar— a spiritually attuned creature (who lives with or nearby the Witch) who offers the Witch insights into nature, and for help in magick. Today’s familiars include cats, dogs, birds, bunnies, and even the stereotypical frog, but, really, any living creature with whom the Witch can have an ongoing relationship or rapport can fulfill the role of the familiar! Actually, the Witch doesn’t necessarily choose this creature so much as the animal and the Witch seem to discover and bond with each other. No matter what kind of creature it might be, the familiar is no mere pet. The animal in question is the revealer of truths and a respected partner in every sense except being human!

If a Witch wishes to put out a call for a familiar, he usually does so through a spell or ritual. This ritual typically takes place outdoors, near the home. The Witch begins by creating sacred space, and then he meditates, prays, and places the request in the hands of nature. During the meditation the Witch visualizes the living space so the right creature can easily find its way to the door.

Below is a list of not so average animals we might not think of as being familiars:

Bees

According to many demonologists, if a witch or sorceress managed to eat a queen bee before she was arrested, she would be able to withstand torture and trial without confessing. This was one of many ready explanations offered by witch-hunters when their victims refused to confess. In this way, many witches were condemned to death despite the lack of a confession.

Chickens

A chicken named Nan was considered a familiar in the 17th-century Bury St. Edmonds trials of Suffolk, England. Three other chickens were also cited as imps in the same area.

Crows

Sooty-feathered and harsh of voice, the crow was a fit familiar to witches, prized for its ability to fly and spy. Villagers feared this carrion eater, for it was a messenger of mortality. A fluttering crow around the window or one that flew thrice over the roof, croaking each time, meant Death was on his way. Simply to see the bird flying alone could bring bad luck, and crows rising in a flock from a wood sometimes presaged famine.

Flies

Margaret Wyard, an accused witch of Bury St. Edmonds in Suffolk, England, confessed to having flies among her familiars.

Hares

In ways both physical and behavioral, the hare was a natural ally of witches: Hares are swift and agile, able to stand on their hind legs like a person, prone to gathering in parliament like groups,

orgiastically mad in the spring, wantonly destructive of crops and possessed of a most unbeast like cry. Some witches traveled in the shape of hares.

Given the association of hares with witchcraft and magic, it is not surprising that superstition surrounded them. It was said, for example, that the sight of a hare running down a village street presaged fire and that the appearance of a white hare in a mine would be followed by a fatal accident. A hare that crossed a person’s path would bring bad luck. And the very word ‘hare’ could not be mentioned at sea, so great was the fear of the animal’s power.

Curiously enough, possession of a hare’s-foot brought luck. This belief arose not from the hare’s traffic with witches but from much more ancient associations: The hare is a notably prolific creature, and its foot was long a sexual symbol.

Mice

Margaret Wyard, an accused witch of Bury St. Edmonds in Suffolk, England, confessed to having mice among her familiars. Other witches in the area admitted to having two “heavy and hairy” mice as familiars. In 1662, the nine- and eleven-year old daughters of Samuel Pacy somehow saw invisible mice, which they threw on a fire. One mouse “screeched like a Rat.” The other mouse “Flashed like to Gun-Powder.”  One 16th-century Essex woman confessed to having three mouse-shaped imps named Daynty, Prettyman, and Littleman. Another woman had four named Sparrow, Robyn, James, and Prickeare.

Snails

A victim of Matthew Hopkins and John Stearne, John Bysack confessed to having six familiars in the form of snails. These imps sustained themselves by sucking Bysack’s blood. “Each snail was an assassin with a particular assignment: Atleward killed cows, Jeffry pigs, Peter sheep, Pyman fowls, Sacar horses and Sydrake Christians.”

Snakes and Cats

Anciently inimical to each other, the serpent and the cat were favorites of witches. The serpent seems to have played the smaller role: While it could serve as a familiar, it was chiefly valued for its fearful aspect and its link to Satan – useful in repelling the curious, who might interfere with a witch’s business. To dream of a serpent signified that someone had a grudge against the dreamer.

The cat, on the other hand, was surrounded by speculation. Its pupils – narrow slits in the daytime and luminous black globes at night – linked it to the moon and emphasized its power to see into the future. Cats were said to suck the breath from infants at night. And cats forecast the weather: When they scampered and cavorted, wind was on its way; when they washed their ears, rain was coming; when they sat with their backs to the fire, they awaited frost and storms.

Except in northern England, where it was thought lucky to own a black cat (but unlucky to meet a strange one), black cats were the most common embodiments of Satan. As for cats that served as familiars – rather than as transformations of the witches themselves – they were usually brindled.

Spiders

Spinner of webs, an archtrickster, and a silent and murderous trapper, the spider was tiny enough to hide in the hood of a witch’s cloak as a familiar and whisper instructions in her ear.

Ordinary folk said that to dream of a spider meant betrayal. To see one in the morning brought bad luck, and to kill one summoned rain. The sight of spiders terrified wedding parties because the creatures were omens of unhappy marriage. And in Switzerland it was said that the plague, with its black sores, was spread by malevolent spiders travelling in secret from house to house.

Toads

Ugly and venomous thought it was, the toad seems to have been among the most cherished of witch familiars: The creatures were dressed in velvet by their mistresses, ornamented with bells and encouraged to dance. Common folk both feared and valued them though. Toads were burned because the horns on their foreheads marked them as agents of Satan and because witches used toad spittle to concoct ointments that conferred invisibility. On the other hand, toads were admired for their ability to hear distant thunder long before the human ear could catch it; the sight of the little creatures making their way to safe water provided a reliable indicator for approaching storms. And very elderly toads – rarely glimpsed – carried precious jewels in their heads, effective antidotes to poison.

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.

Let's Talk Witch – Daily Protection Magick

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Let’s Talk Witch – Daily Protection Magick

Begin each day with protection magick in the form of Words of Power accompanied with visualizations. This will help ground and center you. You may charge yourself and your living space with words such as: “There is one Power. The Power is perfect protection, and I am perfect manifestation of this Power.”

Visualize anyone you wish to be protected as you speak your intention. Raise your power hand and turn clockwise. In your mind’s eye see a white light radiating from you hand. See this light sealing your home within a protective aura.

Throughout the day, if you should encounter any negative situation or person, “see” that same light surrounding you. You’ll be surprised how it will neutralize any negativity near you. This invisible barrier will protect you at a busy mall or as you’re driving in a crowded parking lot. It will even keep you centered if the office gets out of hand after a celebration such as the upcoming Labor Day celebrations that will be going on.

Any positive magick must begin with you. These simple morning meditations will help you deal with holiday stress and provide a psychic shield. Let this be the basis for your magick.

Excerpt from:

“Jingle Bells & Witches’ Spells”
By James Kambos
Llewellyn’s 2013 Witches’ Companion

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 Ethic 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 Ethic of Constant 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 Ethic 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.

What Is Magick?

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What Is Magick?

Wiccans and other followers of modern religious Witchcraft use magic extensively. Wiccans and Witches define magic in many different ways and use it for a number of different purposes, but despite that diversity of opinion finds that the general result upon the practitioner is a positive one. Its power may come mainly by suggestion and the focusing of attention.

It can be characterized as assertion of the will. Working of magic is often dependent upon being part of a social group which supports the belief. We tap into the essence of the divine when we attempt to get closer to our gods, or when we work magic.

In “Power of the Witch”, Laurie Cabot writes:

Certain things are everlasting. Magic is one of them. It comes from the Persian and Greek roots Magus and Magos which means wise. The English word “magi” meaning wise men, comes from them. (1)

She also writes:

Magic is knowledge and power that come from the ability to shift consciousness at will into a nonordinary, visionary state of awareness. Traditionally certain tools, song, music, colors, cents, drumming, fasting, vigils, meditation breathing exercises, certain natural foods and drinks and forms of hypnosis. Dramatic, mystical environments, such as sacred groves, valleys, mountains, churches, or temples will also shift consciousness. In almost every culture some form of visionary trance is used for the sacred rituals that open doorways to the Higher Intelligence or for working magic. (2)

Wikapedia.com offers this explanation:

Natural forces that cannot be detected by science at present, and in fact may not be detectable at all. These magical forces are said to exist in addition to and alongside the four known forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force.

Intervention of spirits similar to these hypothetic natural forces, but with their own consciousness and intelligence. Believers in spirits will often see a whole cosmos of beings of many different kinds, sometimes organized into a hierarchy.
A mystical power, such as mana, that exists in all things. This power is often said to be dangerous to people.

A mysterious interconnection in the cosmos that connects and binds all things, above and beyond the natural forces.

Manipulation of symbols. Adherents of magical thinking believe that symbols can be used for more than representation: they can magically take on a physical quality of the phenomenon or object that they represent. By manipulating symbols, one is said to be able to manipulate the reality that this symbol represents.

Like produces like, or that an effect resembles its cause; and, second, that things which have once been in contact with each other continue to act on each other at a distance after the physical contact has been severed. The former principle may be called the Law of Similarity, the latter the Law of Contact or Contagion. From the first of these principles, namely the Law of Similarity, the magician infers that he can produce any effect he desires merely by imitating it: from the second he infers that whatever he does to a material object will affect equally the person with whom the object was once in contact, whether it formed part of his body or not.

Concentration or meditation. A certain amount of restricting the mind to some imagined object (or will) produces mystical attainment or an occurrence in the brain characterized essentially by the uniting of subject and object. Magic, as defined previously, seeks to aid concentration by constantly recalling the attention to the chosen object (or Will), thereby producing said attainment. For example, if one wishes to concentrate on a God, one might memorize a system of correspondences (perhaps chosen arbitrarily, as this would not affect its usefulness for mystical purposes) and then make every object that one sees “correspond” to said God.

The magical power of the subconscious mind. To believers who think they need to convince their subconscious mind to make the changes they want, all spirits and energies are projections and symbols that make sense to the subconscious. A variant of this belief is that the subconscious is capable of contacting spirits, who in turn can work magic. (3)

However you define it magic requires dedication, concentration, and belief. Prayer, miracles, and magic are all pretty much the same thing. Whether you pray to God in a church or cast a circle and invoke the Goddess, you are still directing divine attention.

Reference:

Wicca’s One Universe

Thirteen Goals of a Witch

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Thirteen Goals of a Witch

 

1. Know yourself.
2. Know your Craft.
3. Learn.
4. Apply knowledge with wisdom.
5. Achieve balance.
6. Keep your words in good order.
7. Keep your thoughts in good order.
8. Celebrate life.
9. Attune with the cycles of the Earth.
10. Breathe and eat correctly.
11. Exercise the body.
12. Meditate.
Honor The Goddess and God
　
(taken from the writings of Scott Cunningham,

Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner, 1988, pg 151)

Let’s Talk Witch – Sympathetic Magick

Let’s Talk Witch – Sympathetic Magick

Sympathetic Magick and the Law of Similar

To understand how spells work, it is necessary to understand the concept of “sympathy” and what’s known as the Law of Similars. Sympathy, in a magickal sense, means that a designated item, when properly used has the power to affect something or someone because of the symbolic relationship between the item and the target of the spell.

Candle magick often makes use of sympathy. A love spell, for instance, might utilize two candles to represent a couple. To heal a rift between the two individuals, a witch might move the candles a little closer together each day over a period of time until the candles are touching. Poppets embody the concept of sympathy and the Law of Similars. The early Egyptians utilized poppets in spellcraft, carefully forming and dressing the dolls and adding incantations that described the poppet’s desired effec on the person it represented.

The Law of Similars states that there is a divine fingerprint in nature that gives clues to an item’s spiritual function. For example, red plants can be used in magickal cures for blood problems. A heart-shaped leaf might be a component of a love spell. A phallus-shaped stone can be utilized in a spell for male virility.

Like their predecessors, contemporary witches still consider an item’s shape, color, and other physical attributes as indicators of its magickal significance. In this manner, witches believe they are giving greater dimension to the energy of a spell, therefore an outcome will manifest more satisfactorily.

How To Make a Witch's Ladder

How To Make a Witch’s Ladder

By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide

A witch’s ladder is one of those nifty things we sometimes hear about but rarely see. Its purpose is similar to that of a rosary – it’s basically a tool for meditation and ritual, in which different colors are used as symbols for one’s intent. It’s also used as a counting tool, because in some spell workings there is a need to repeat the working a particular number of times. You can use the ladder to keep track of your count, running the feathers or beads along as you do so. Traditionally, the witch’s ladder is made with red, white and black yarn, and then nine different colored feathers woven in.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: Varied

Here’s How:

Realistically speaking, it makes more sense to use yarn colors that have a significance to you and your working. Also, finding nine differently colored feathers can be tricky if you’re looking for them out in the wild — you can’t just go plucking feathers from local endangered species — and that means a trip to the craft store and some oddly tinted feathers. I’d recommend using either found feathers of any color, or something else entirely — beads, buttons, bits of wood, shells, or other items you have around your home.

To make your basic witch’s ladder, you’ll need:

Yarn or cord in three different colors

Nine items that are similar in property but in different colors (nine beads, nine shells, nine buttons, etc)

Cut the yarn so that you have three different pieces in a workable length – usually a yard or so is good. Although you can use the traditional red, white and black, there’s no hard and fast rule that says you must. Tie the ends of the three pieces of yarn together in a knot.

Begin braiding the yarn together, tying the feathers or beads into the yarn, and securing each in place with a sturdy knot. Some people like to chant or count as they braid and add the feathers. If you wish, you can say something like this variation on the traditional chant:

By knot of one, the spell’s begun.
By knot of two, the magic comes true.
By knot of three, so it shall be.
By knot of four, this power is stored.
By knot of five, my will shall drive.
By knot of six, the spell I fix.
By knot of seven, the future I leaven.
By knot of eight, my will be fate.

By knot of nine, what is done is mine.

As the feathers are tied into knots, focus your intent and goal. As you tie the final and ninth knot, all your energy should be directed into the cords, the knots and the feathers. The energy is literally stored within the knots of the witch’s ladder. When you’ve completed the string and added all nine feathers or beads, you can either knot the end and hang the ladder up, or you can tie the two ends together forming a circle.

If you’d like your ladder to be more like a rosary string, I’d highly recommend picking up a copy of Pagan Prayer Beads by John Michael Greer and Clare Vaughn.

Let's Talk Witch – "Knots"

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Knots

In Spellcraft, knots offer a simple way to contain or loosen energy. The obvious symbolism of tying a knot indicates an intention to bind something or someone. If, for example, you wanted to prevent an enemy from harming you, you could create a poppet (see preceding section) to represent your enemy and bind his hands and feet with string. If a witch perceives unwanted energies in a space—especially while performing a spell—she can tie a knot in a piece of clothing or the altar cloth to trap that energy until after the magickal working.

You can tie energy of any kind into a knot. Witches sometimes tie a line of knots of a long cord, placing thought, emotions, incantations, etc. into the knots. These lines are sometimes called a witch’s Ladder. Untying a knot at a later date frees the energy bound therein.

You can use knot symbolism in the following types of spells:

Bindings and banishings (especially illness and negative energy)

Channeling energy into a specific location (the energy can be captured in the knot, and then released when it’s most needed)

Securing relationships (hence the term “tying the knot” to refer to marriage)

“Tying up the loose ends” of a situation

You can tie intentions into knots, too. Let’s say you want to stabilize your finances. The best number for this purpose is four. You could make a money charm and secure the pouch with a gold ribbon. Tie four knots in the ribbon and concentrate on your goal each time you tie a knot. Or tie a ribbon around your bills, using four knots to limit the outflow of money.

The Everything Wicca and Witchcraft Book (Everything®)
Alexander, Skye

 

Let's Talk Witch – The Magick Within You

Let’s Talk Witch

The Magick Within You

In order to use your magic you must be able to meditate and concentrate. You must be able to visualize the magic; see what you want to have happen, happen in your mind. With your concentration, you will be able build a huge amount of energy that you can use for your magic.

Once there is enough energy build up, direct it to the place you want it to go. History says that Wiccans used to make use of “athame” a special ritual knife for directing their magic. If you don’t have an athame, you can use your finger. Remember, the magic is in you, not the tools that you use.

Also keep in mind, never use magic to hurt people, though you could be kidding about turning them into frogs (you wish you could!), but the psychology of the person you teased can really be disturbed. Hence use your finger for the good of people, never point at someone even if you’ve got something uncommon going on.

The change that magic can bring about is not something a person can easily understand. You have so much power within you and with that power you can do so much. Some of us decide to unleash our powers while others, because of lack of proper advice, because of rumours stay back and watch their lives go on without any change…

As a Wiccan, you must follow ethical codes. You should only use your magic for betterment and never to hurt. You must remember this always. The power of magic is so immense, so great that if you master it, people will feel it. Whether they’re close to you or not, they will feel you and your powers.

Try doing this, if you throw a stone in the water, you will see ripples moving away from the centre of where you threw the stone. Now the stone is your magic, you are the centre and the ripples are your energy and power. Imagine your energy moving away from you and as they move out, the affect everything that the come across. You have it in you to change the lives of people.

You do create the magic and restore the health and happiness of people you care for or those who seek you to help them. Like in Spiderman, I’d like to quote that “with great power, comes great responsibility”; the responsibility to adhere to your ethics, towards mankind, animals, the Earth and yourself.

Energy Healing, Herbal Magic & Protection Charms – A Wiccan Practical Guide (The Practical Wicca series) Audrin, Alice F.

A Pledge to Pagan Spirituality


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A Pledge to Pagan Spirituality

I am a Pagan and I dedicate myself to channeling the Spiritual Energy of my Inner Self to help and to heal myself and others. I know that I am part of the Whole of Nature. May I grow in understanding of the Unity of all Nature. May I always walk in Balance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SO MOTE IT BE!

Zealous or Thorough…What Kind of a Magickal Person Are You? (Part 2) : Revelry or Reverence?

Zealous or Thorough…What Kind of a Magickal Person Are You? (Part 2) : Revelry or Reverence?
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Author: Kestryl Angell

There are, periodically, bashing periods on the “fluffy bunny” set of Paganism. This form of intolerance is rather bothersome to both the Zealous and the Thorough practitioner in us.

On the one hand, those that are “light and fluffy” in their beliefs do very much so have as much right to their beliefs…and their dancing, sparkling, fairy-dusted, tinkling bells and moonlight-tastes-like-ice cream! .. sort of joy in their beliefs and newfound spiritual freedom as we all do to our own.

On the other hand, we also have the “right” to the peace and quiet that is found when our “sparkly, naked dancing days” come to a close and we realize that robes were given to us to keep the human being in us attuned to something higher than the basic sexuality that most of us have spent years trying to overcome the genetically coded pre-occupations that nudity often inspires, especially in one’s beautiful pagan youth.

No, I have nothing against dancing naked in the moonlight! I have done it for years! But, not every single person is as delighted with my nudity as the God/dess and I are, and thus I respect other’s right NOT to see what I only offer to the Gods who love me without the judgments held so often behind human eyes.

Is either side “wrong”? No, of course not, they are simply what are known as “mutually exclusive.” Can they co-exist side by side peacefully? Yes, as long as everyone is grown up enough to keep basic boundaries of respect for the other’s viewpoint… which is why there are often skyclad areas and non-skyclad areas, skyclad and non-skyclad rituals at pagan events and such. So everyone can have what is right for THEM and their view of “respect to self, others and Deity.”

It is appropriate to always do checking if you’re going to a public event or even a circle held by a coven other than that you’re studying or bound to. This way, if there are any issues that might come up for you, you’ll know about them ahead of time and be able to plan accordingly or bow out gracefully before it will cause any undo stress to you or others present. I’ll give an example from my own experience.

I was acting as High Priestess for a public gathering ritual. The theme of the gathering was “Finding the child within.” So, my then partner and myself planned a light-hearted ritual filled with playful revelry and imagery designed to help our inner children emerge and feel comfortable in a space of worship and kinship. We decided that using Kool-aid for our “wine” and animal crackers for our “cakes” would be a delightful expression and memory inducement for many there, as well as being a good tool for some of the shamanic portions of the ritual.

We had bubbles and sparkles and it was all sorts of kiddy fun…the fluffy bunnies LOVED it! Even the older, tried and true elders enjoyed rekindling their inner children over bubbles and Kool-aid and animal crackers.

But after the ritual, my partner and I were soon faced with a small, but very stern looking group all dressed out in their highest, brightest, most intricately machine embroidered ritual garb, all of whom were scowling mightily at us and holding their animal crackers reverently in the palms of their hands with a look of disgust that couldn’t be comprehended immediately by either of us on the receiving end of it.

When queried as to how they liked the ritual they said, “If we had known there was going to be animal effigy sacrifices in this ritual we would NEVER have attended! We will be praying tonight that the animal spirits that you sacrificed for your “kiddy playtime” will forgive you!” and they stalked off in a hufflepuff of righteous indignation and “ritually appropriate” gear.

I will be honest about our reaction. At first we were totally dumbfounded that we had insulted someone so deeply with animal crackers.

Secondly, we were thinking to ourselves “uh… animal effigy SACRIFICE?!?!?… OOkayyyy… Right! It’s an ANIMAL CRACKER, idiots! Open your MINDS!”

Then, we had to realize that we had indeed deeply insulted their personal practice, and though totally unintended, had obviously affected them very strongly to the negative. So, later that evening we got all “appropriately attired” for a visit to such a camp and made our way into it with all the appropriate ceremony that their “age-old practice” demanded and made formal apologies both to their teachers and students and to the spirits we may have offended in the process of our “thoughtlessness.”

Now, did WE feel we’d made the animal spirits angry? NO! Our perception of them was pleased with our efforts to have fun and connect with nature. But, in the spirit of not wishing bad blood for future times or opportunities that paths might respectfully cross between students of my world and students of their path, we chose to make the appropriate moves to secure mutual understanding and to restore respect on both sides.

The acts that we make in the name of reverence to the right of every person to believe and practice as they will are those that most often are the strongest ones we can make. It shows compassion, understanding and a desire to learn that is often respected even if your beliefs and practices vary widely from those you seek to understand.

In all of paganism, one thing stands true of every practice I’ve ever had the honor to learn much about. There is a time and place for everything. There is a time and place for starched, detailed, immaculately planned and executed high ritual magick and there is a time for complete and utterly beautiful silliness and light-hearted play with the Gods.

There is a time to smile, perhaps even dance a few steps and get some glitter in your hair from a passing “fluffy bunny” newbie and there is a time to put on your finest gear and go get humble in front of the elders of another path in the name of peace. There is a time to “let Pan rule!” and there is a time to remember with complete gratitude and utter reverence our Elders, Ancestors and the Gods.

The key to really good magickal living, on this note, dear readers, is learning to navigate the difference between the two. So remember, “moderation in all things…including moderation.” Learn to smile and dance with the fluffy bunnies and remember when your practice was new and sparkling sweet like summer wine…and hold reverence for how far you’ve come in your practice, or in the age of your soul which “demands” more reverent and detailed study of your path than being a fluffy bunny might give you personally.

Learn to be tolerant and compassionate, to be both filled with revelry and joy in your beliefs, your practice and your direct, beautiful connection to Deity, yet also be reverent of the past and where it has brought us. Be both! Be it all! Be zealous and passionate, detailed and thorough in your lives, your loves and your faith-practice.

It is the only way to be truly magickal! For magick, like love and life itself, exists in all the shades of grey between black and white. Which shades detail your particular view, your particular palette of expression, are entirely up to you and Deity as you see It.