Category: Witchcraft

WOTC Extra – Children and Spells

Celtic princess

Children and Spells

People are sometimes worried about involving children in magic. However, most children are natural witches and magicians, because they are utterly focused upon want they want (‘ Give it to me’), have wonderful imagination and can usually concentrate sharply, although for only short periods. Besides this, they are free from so many of the preconceptions and doubts that cluster around us as adults.

As an example of how we ‘learn not to believe’, the story of the landing in South America of the explorer Magellan illustrates the point. The natives welcomed the Europeans as they disembarked from their boats, but they were totally unable to see the larger ships that had brought them, for to them so immense an ocean-going vessel was simply an impossibility. So all that they could see was the sea, stretching unbroken to the horizon! It is worthwhile absorbing this anecdote and realizing to how great an extent we structure our own reality, and that it is subjective, not objective. Don’t be tempted to put this down to the limited intelligence of primitive natives, for it has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with conditioning and human attitude.

Needless to say, young children should never be exposed to complex rituals that they do not understand and that could frighten them, or be exploited in any way by adults. Nor is it suitable to initiate them into a spiritual pathway, such as witchcraft, until they are old enough to understand and make choices. However, never underestimate or patronize the magical abilities of young people. My best, most successful spells were done when I was too young to know what I was doing. Children can be useful. Many’s the time, on my way into town, I’ve said to my sons ‘We’re getting a parking space, where we need one. Visualize it, We need it. We’re getting it: And we do.
 

Source

Spells and Rituals: A Beginners Guide To Spells And Rituals
Gabby Benson

The Law

THE MYSTICAL NIGHT by fuzzywuzzy1

The Law

We are of the Old Ways, among those who walk with the Goddess and God and receive Their Love.

Keep the Sabbats and Esbats to the best of your abilities, for to do otherwise is to lessen your connections with the Goddess and God.

Harm None! This is the oldest law and is not open to interpretation or change.

Shed not blood in ritual; the Goddess and God need not blood to be duly worshipped.

Honor all living things. The Power shall never be used to bring harm, to injure or control others. But if the need arises, the Power shall be used to protect your life or the lives of others.

Those of our way are kind to all creatures, for hurtful thoughts are quite draining and are not worth the loss of energy.

Misery is self-created; so, too is joy, so create joy and disdain misery and unhappiness. And this is within your power. So harm not. It is unwise to accept money for the use of the Power, for it quickly controls its taker. Be not as those of other religions.

Teach only what you know, to the best of your ability, to those students whom you choose, but teach not to those who would use your instructions for destruction or control.

Also, teach not to boost pride, for ever remember: she who teaches for vain-glory

Shall take little pride in her handiwork; she who teaches out of love shall be enfolded in the arms of the Goddess and God.

Ever remember that if you would be of our way, keep the Law close to your heart, for it is the nature of the Wicca to keep the Law.

If ever the need arises, any law may be changed or discarded, and new laws written to replace them, so long as the new laws don’t break the oldest law of all: HARM NONE! Blessings of the God and Goddess on us all!

High Priestess Aurora’s Complete Book of Shadows.: Step By Step Guide To Understanding Wicca. Its Sabbats, Rituals and Principles
High Priestess Aurora

 

WOTC Extra – What Exactly is Paganism?

Dark Magic

What Exactly is Paganism?

Paganism recognizes that throughout all things — from the atom to the universe — there is a duality. Night and day, love and hate— the ancient Oriental concept of Yin and Yang which was long matched by similar concepts in what we now call Europe.

The Pagan realizes that there is no heaven except that which he himself makes, and likewise no hell but that of his own creation.

Most Pagans believe that they have experienced previous lives in previous eras of this world. And they can point to impressive evidence backing them up.

A Pagan refuses to believe that mankind is born innately sinful, and realizes that the concept of “sin” is itself arbitrary and hurtful to human nature.

The Pagan knows that man is not better than woman, nor woman superior to man. What one lacks the other can give, and one cannot be truly alive without the other! There is no greater magic than that of man and woman together.

A Pagan knows that what is called “magic” does truly exist, and it is often worked by those who are in touch with certain forces of the natural world.

The Pagan believes that what cannot be seen is of the greatest importance — that much exists of which the present world’s science knows little or nothing. And that anyone can experience what is normally considered to be beyond “reality.”

Paganism has a deep love for things natural and wild, as it knows that there are many beings which are intelligent and wise — and not all human. Yet they may be met in places of seclusion and wilderness by those who earnestly desire to know them — and it is for this reason that the Pagan does not allow his or her heart and mind to become cluttered by the useless trivia of a commercial-technical society.

A Pagan knows that there are deep forces and tides which underlie all things, and that there exist here on earth infinitely complex multidimensional matrices of living power which are far beyond the capability of a human to understand. That there is intelligence here and the greatest of wisdom — for such has always existed and always will.

The Pagan realizes that mankind has always known of the existence of this Supernal Intelligence, and has called It by thousands of names for tens of thousands of years. That men and women of all eras have drawn strength and power, warmth and security from this source — at times in ways which would seem to transcend reality!

Paganism teaches that the Highest source is both female and male in its aspects and that, though vastly beyond our capacity to understand, we can perceive It — or Them — as individuals, or as Goddess and God to whom we can speak, and receive answers.

The Pagan knows that over the past two or three thousand years humankind has stressed a narrow portion of the God in his religions and ignored or denied the role of the Goddess — with the result that history has come to be a chronicle of disasters. A balance is needed, with perhaps a greater stress on the Goddess (right now) in Her many aspects, to restore peace and to assure a meaningful survival of ourselves and our descendants.

This is Paganism!

A Book of Pagan Rituals
Herman Slater

The Witches Creed

The Witches Creed

Hear Now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night,
When dark was our destiny’s pathway, that now we bring forth into light.
Mysterious water and fire, the earth and the wide-ranging air,
By hidden quintessence we know them, and will keep silent and dare.
The birth and rebirth of all nature, the passing of winter and spring,
We share with the life universal, rejoice in the magical ring.
Four times in the year the Great Sabbat returns, and the witches are seen
At Lammas and Candlemas dancing, on May Eve and old Hallowe’en.
When day-time and night-time are equal, when sun is at greatest and least,
The four Lesser Sabbats are summoned, and Witches gather in feast
Thirteen silver moons in a year are, thirteen is the coven’s array.
Thirteen times at Esbat make merry, for each golden year and day.
The power that was passed down the age, each time between woman and man,
Each century unto the other, ere time and the ages began.
When drawn is the magical circle, by sword or athame of power,
Its compass between two worlds lies, in land of the shades for the hour.
This world has no right then to know it, and world of beyond will tell naught.
The oldest of Gods are invoked there, the Greatest of magic is wrought.
For the two are mystical pillars, that stand at the gates of the shrine,
And two are the powers of nature, the forms and the force divine.
The dark and the night in succession, the opposites each unto each,
Shown forth as a God and a Goddess: of this our ancestors teach.
By night he’s the wild wind’s rider, the Horn’d One,
the King of the Woodland, the dweller in green forest glades.
She is youthful or old as she pleases, she sails the torn clouds in her barque,
The bright silver lady of midnight, the crone who weaves spells in the dark.
The master and mistress of magic,That dwell in the deeps of the mind
Immortal and ever-renewing, with power to free or to bind.
And Do What You Will be the challenge, so be it love that harms none,
For this is the only commandment. By Magic of old, be it done!

—-Author unknown

Let’s Talk Witch – The Influence of Free Will

Trapped for the Craft
Let’s Talk Witch – The Influence of Free Will

One of the universal standards in ethical behavior is that you never perform energy work that manipulates the free will of another person. For instance, you do not ask the Universe to “make” someone love you if the or she does not have those feelings. You do not ask that someone to leave their home or job if you know that is not their desire. This is practical as well as ethical because the power of a person’s free will is very strong. It takes a tremendous amount of personal energy to overcome the free will of another and manipulate their life. This degree of energy is also normally not sustainable, so the effect would not last very long. Typically, such manipulation is NOT in our own greatest good anyway and would ground and neutralize. The point of using Bio-Universal energy is to work on yourself and your own life; not someone else’s.

If your goal involves other people, make certain that you are phrasing you goal in such a way that the impact of the result is on you rather than on others. If you want to manifest a romantic relationship, do not center your work on one person, but rather work toward a particular way you want to feel in a relationship and a certain type of relationship you desire. If you want a better paying job, do not work toward taking someone else’s job, but instead work toward how you want to feel in your new job and the details of the job you wish to have. This also opens up more options for the Universe to bring you what you want rather than limiting its focus on one particular situation.

One of the fastest ways your energy grounds is by your own free will getting in the way. Let’s say you don’t have a job and you know you really need one and if you don’t get one, you’re going to be in a serious financial lurch. You engage Bio-Universal energy to get a job, but you want to stay home in bed and not go to work. If your entire will is not behind the energy you send to your goal, your energy will be divided and weakened. It is important that you do the homework, so to speak, and clear away any internal obstacles you may have to your success. Maybe you ask that a relationship be healed when that really is not what you want. You might ask to attract buyers to your house when deep down, you do not want to move. Free will choices will not always derail your energy work, but they can most certainly slow it down.

Another way that Free Will has a major impact on magical endeavors is in the practice of gambling. One would think it would be easy to go to a slot machine, roulette wheel, or a card table send some energy toward the cards or the wheel and pour out a jackpot. The problem with gambling, especially lotteries, is that you are placing your free will choices up against those of many others who all want the target just as much as you do. The free will of all of those people pulls against and balances out your own free will interests. The free will desires of the casino are also at play. In short, gambling is one of the very few completely neutral places where if a win is meant to be, it will happen.

Properties of Magical Energy: Effectively Engaging the Flow
Katrina Rasbold, Eric Rasbold

WOTC Extra – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (borrowed from us or not? You decide.)

VINTAGE WOMAN IN FANTASY BACKGROUND

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (borrowed from us or not? You decide.)

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

This sentence belongs to the Judeo-Christian biblical tradition. It is a simple rule that appears in various forms in most cultures. This sentence is similar to the “do not hurt” sentence, and it is a good guideline to live by. As we said above, it appears in different versions in various cultures: “Don’t do anything to your friend that you yourself hate having done to you,” or “If you have been burnt by fire, don’t throw burning embers on your friend,” and so on.

This law causes the person to think about his actions and take responsibility for them. Witches and wizards do not enjoy the convenience of “confession” or forgiveness for crimes, as in other religions. They are supposed to take responsibility for their actions and face the consequences of their deeds and mistakes. If they make a mistake, they examine what they did and why they did it, in order to be more aware and avoid mistakes in the future. If possible, they repair their deeds in the present.

Day-by-Day Wicca: A complete guide to Wicca from Beliefs and Rituals to Magic and Witchcraft (Astrolog Complete Guides) .
Tabatha Jennings

Let’s Talk Witch – The “do not hurt” sentence “

VINTAGE WOMAN IN FANTASY BACKGROUND

Let’s Talk Witch – The “do not hurt” sentence “

 

Do as you please – as long as you do not hurt anyone else.”

This sentence is in fact the main guiding principle of Witchcraft & Wicca activity. It states that you may do as you please as long as you do not hurt anyone else – including yourself. This rule means that the person must always be aware of the consequences of every deed, and how it affects others. The word “others” does not only refer to people who the person knows or does not know, but also to nature, to “Mother Earth,” and to the members of her family – the plant, animal, and mineral kingdoms.

Most witches and wizards weigh up every action before they actually perform it. If any damage is liable to be caused, they assess the level of damage and then select a manner of action that will not cause damage. Upholding the “do not hurt” sentence leads naturally to an “ecological” way of life. The person may well become a “green,” become a different kind of consumer in order to generate less refuse and pollution, maintain good neighborly relations, and so on.

What causes “damage” or “harm” to Mother Earth is a central topic of interest and conversation in wicca groups. In the main, people agree that “damage” or “harm” includes negative actions, actions that have a deleterious effect on others or on oneself. Occasionally, a lack of action is also liable to cause tremendous damage.

Day-by-Day Wicca: A complete guide to Wicca from Beliefs and Rituals to Magic and Witchcraft (Astrolog Complete Guides) .
Tabatha Jennings,

WOTC Extra Tidbit – Initiation rites


Egyptian Comments & Graphics

Initiation rites

 

Initiation is an important part of the rites of passage. For the most past, initiation does not only indicate a stage of learning or achievement, but also accompanies or inspires inner change. Initiation bears a somewhat mystical nature, and it is performed when the person shows signs of inner discovery or a deep inner change.

Initiation rites may differ slightly from tradition to tradition, but the rite is just the outer manifestation of the initiation. Personal experience is what counts, and this must be experienced personally. Since the name-giving alone does not guarantee that the person will become a witch/ wizard, it is necessary for the person to opt to “practice” in order to receive initiation. The first stage in initiation is consecration. This is the obligation to learn about the wicca that the person applies to himself, to the community, and to the goddess and god. If the person is committed to consecration, it attests to a certain level of commitment, but does not yet attest to total membership, as initiation does. It is generally accepted that at least a year and a day must elapse between consecration and initiation. This time is devoted to studying the principles and practice of wicca, including the practice of (white) magic. An important part of initiation is learning the group’s technical “language,” so that the person can communicate easily with others of the same tradition.

There is no specific age when initiation is permitted, even though many groups do not permit minors to join a group that practices wicca actively. A 15-year-old may be knowledgeable and mature enough to choose a religious or spiritual path, but his parents and society are liable to forbid him to implement his will actively.

When the person studies wicca, there are three stages or three possible initiations. It is commonly said that “the initiates of the first stage are responsible for themselves; the initiates of the second stage are responsible for the cell/ coven or group; and the initiates of the third stage are responsible for the community, for the whole.” Every group and tradition has its own definitions, levels of study and specialization for each stage. The minimum time for progressing from the first stage to the second stage and from the second stage to the third stage varies, but it is accepted practice to wait at least a year and a day between stages.

Not all witches and wizards attain all three stages, but ideally a wicca practitioner has practiced and studied at least for the first stage. Wicca is a religion of “priests,” that is, everyone who gets through initiation is considered to be a priest or priestess as a right and not as a favor, and is fully capable of communicating with the god directly.

In various wicca traditions, the title “High Priest” or “High Priestess” is given only to people who have attained the third stage of initiation. In other traditions, the title is used for the leader of the cell/ coven.

 

 

Day-by-Day Wicca: A complete guide to Wicca from Beliefs and Rituals to Magic and Witchcraft (Astrolog Complete Guides)
Tabatha.Jennings

 

WOTC Extra – The Ceremony Performed upon Reaching Sexual Maturity


Egyptian Comments & Graphics

The Ceremony Performed upon Reaching Sexual Maturity

In wicca, reaching sexual maturity is extremely important, especially in groups of women, when a young girl has her first period and becomes a woman. The women get together for a celebration or a party in honor of the girl, and on this occasion, the girl hears about the responsibility that accompanies sexual maturity. Since free choice is of great importance in wicca, the girl has the option of being sexually active. It is important to remember that although fertility is the central belief in wicca, this does not include sexual promiscuity (as it does in various black magic rites – for example the ones recommended by Alistair Crawley). The opposite is true – personal responsibility and free choice in the sexual realm lead to aware sexual relations that are also linked to love and partnership. The time for celebrating boys’ sexual maturity is not defined. It can be upon the appearance of the secondary sex characteristics such as the growth of a mustache and pubic hair, or when the boy makes a conscious choice to undertake the responsibility of a man (like the Jewish bar-mitzvah ceremony). The tradition of celebrating boys’ sexual maturity is not widespread in wicca. At such parties, if they are held, the boy is told about sexual responsibility and his obligations upon reaching maturity.

The witches and wizards consider sexuality to be a natural and normal part of human life. How sexuality manifests itself is a totally private matter, so long as the person expresses his sexuality in accordance with the law of wicca that states: “Do as you please – as long as you do not hurt anyone else.” For witches and wizards, the family is sacred.

However, their definition of “family” may extend beyond merely their nuclear family: family can also be the extended family of grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. It can also include the members of the group, friends, the High Priestess or the High Priest, and so on. There are witches and wizards who consider all the witches and wizards in the world as one big family.

 

Day-by-Day Wicca: A complete guide to Wicca from Beliefs and Rituals to Magic and Witchcraft (Astrolog Complete Guides)
Tabatha.Jennings

 

WOTC Extra – How to Manage A Psychic Attack

Egyptian Goddess
How to Manage A Psychic Attack

There are very specific steps to take in the case of psychic attack.

1) Banish all fear. Psychic attack, like all negativity, feeds on “negative” emotions such as anger and fear. Those feelings, regardless of how justified, only serve to make the initial attack stronger and amplify the symptoms. This only gives you a bigger demon to fight, so your approach should be very neutral.

2) Call for back up. If you are the victim, do not attempt to combat this situation alone. You need not only the additional energy of people you trust, but also their objectivity and grounding assistance. Let them know truthfully what is going on, ask for their opinion, and then ask for their help to deal with it.

3) Take a ritual bath. Soak yourself in water, preferably with lavender oil or flowers, and try to clear your head.

4) Smudge your home.

5) Receive and ground the energy. Once you have cleansed yourself and your home, light a BLACK candle to absorb any negativity that is coming your way and visualize all of the baneful, hurtful energy going directly into the candle and being grounded down to Mother Earth. Normally, we are major advocates for empowering the practitioner to take care of themselves. In this particular instance, we highly recommend the act of surrender, not to the attacker, but to Deity. Give it all over to God/ Goddess and let the Divine sort it out.. Julst like with any other kind of bully, what they want is attention. When they realize they are not garnering the results they want, they will lose interest and drift away. This is truly, the most hurtful thing you can do to the attacker.

Magical Ethics and Protection(Book 4)
Katrina Rasbold ; Eric Rasbold

Let’s Talk Witch – The Symptoms of a True Psychic Attack

The Empress
Let’s Talk Witch – The Symptoms of a True Psychic Attack

When true psychic attack is underway, the onset will be sudden and severe, seemingly out of the blue:
Severe fatigue and the inability to recover strength easily. Intense fearfulness and paranoia that is not common to the personality.

Severe headaches

Anxiety attacks/Panic attacks

Nightmares, particularly of being chased or someone/ something trying to kill the victim.

One part of the body or the whole body being extremely and unreasonably cold.

Severe pain or tension in the solar plexus, stomach, or intestinal area.

Unexplainable depression that cannot be shaken off.

Feelings of suicide or self-harm untraceable to any genuine issue.

Shaking and trembling.

Extreme pessimism and a sense of hopelessness.

Loss of self confidence in a normally self-assured person.

Abrupt onset of a “victim” mentality.

Unexpected severe health problems.

Basically, what you are looking for is an abrupt change in personality and often, the victim using words or phrases that are atypical to their usual form of experson. Often it is someone around the victim who first suspects psychic attack because to the victim their own thoughts processes seem organic and make person sense.

Magical Ethics and Protection(Book 4)
Katrina Rasbold ; Eric Rasbold

Let’s Talk Witch – The Influence of Free Will

fantasy spring

The Influence of Free Will

One of the universal standards in ethical behavior is that you never perform Bio-Universal energy work that manipulates the free will of another person. For instance, you do not ask the Universe to “make” someone love you if the or she does not have those feelings. You do not ask that someone to leave their home or job if you know that is not their desire. This is practical as well as ethical because the power of a person’s free will is very strong. It takes a tremendous amount of personal energy to overcome the free will of another and manipulate their life. This degree of energy is also normally not sustainable, so the effect would not last very long. Typically, such manipulation is NOT in our own greatest good anyway and would ground and neutralize. The point of using Bio-Universal energy is to work on yourself and your own life; not someone else’s.

If your goal involves other people, make certain that you are phrasing you goal in such a way that the impact of the result is on you rather than on others. If you want to manifest a romantic relationship, do not center your work on one person, but rather work toward a particular way you want to feel in a relationship and a certain type of relationship you desire. If you want a better paying job, do not work toward taking someone else’s job, but instead work toward how you want to feel in your new job and the details of the job you wish to have. This also opens up more options for the Universe to bring you what you want rather than limiting its focus on one particular situation.

One of the fastest ways your energy grounds is by your own free will getting in the way. Let’s say you don’t have a job and you know you really need one and if you don’t get one, you’re going to be in a serious financial lurch. You engage Bio-Universal energy to get a job, but you want to stay home in bed and not go to work. If your entire will is not behind the energy you send to your goal, your energy will be divided and weakened. It is important that you do the homework, so to speak, and clear away any internal obstacles you may have to your success. Maybe you ask that a relationship be healed when that really is not what you want. You might ask to attract buyers to your house when deep down, you do not want to move. Free will choices will not always derail your energy work, but they can most certainly slow it down.

Another way that Free Will has a major impact on magical endeavors is in the practice of gambling. One would think it would be easy to go to a slot machine, roulette wheel, or a card table send some energy toward the cards or the wheel and pour out a jackpot. The problem with gambling, especially lotteries, is that you are placing your free will choices up against those of many others who all want the target just as much as you do. The free will of all of those people pulls against and balances out your own free will interests. The free will desires of the casino are also at play. In short, gambling is one of the very few completely neutral places where if a win is meant to be, it will happen.
 

Source

Properties of Magical Energy: Effectively Engaging the Flow (The Bio-Universal Energy Series Book 2)
Eric Rasbold, Katrina Rasbold

D E S I D E R A T A

wiccan dragon D E S I D E R A T A

Goes Hand-In-Hand With the Witch Oath

GO PLACIDLY

amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

  • Speak your truth quietly and clearly; listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
  • Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
  • Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
  • Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
  • Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.
  • Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.
  • Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
  • Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
  • Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less then the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
  • And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
  • Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusions of life keep peace with your soul.
  • With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
  • Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

 

Penned by Max Ehrmann, 1927
Published in Lady Ishtar’s Complete Guide to Wicca Protection Spells