Tag: Circle

Creating A Magickal Circle

 

Creating A Magickal Circle

Your Spiritual Space

A magick circle is a space where a Witch will conduct rituals and ceremonies. It is the gateway between worlds, spirutal and physical realms come together and allow you to communicate with spirit, conduct spiritual work, rituals, ceremonies and castings.

 

As with everything in the spiritual essence of the world, even a circle has a few guidelines that need to be followed. The circle is not to be broken by someone stepping into this space unless a gateway has been prepared for them to enter. Nor should a Witch step outside the cirlce during a ritual unless a door way has been prepared.

 

A circle is used to draw a visionary broundry that protects a Witch from outside forces while conducting spiritual work. Many witches use visions of blue flames or divine white protection to create this boundry.

 

Others choose to create this circle in the physical sense as well. Either by drawing a circle on the floor in a permanent means, or by using a nine-foot cord made from natural fibers that can be easily placed and removed as needed. Sand, salt or herbs can also be used to draw the circle.

 

When you have selected the area to place your circle, you should Clear and Cleanse the energies before you draw the circle. Many Witches will place a broom at the doorway of the circle as a tool that designates the entry point of the witch or someone else who will be called into this space for work. The broom is also a symbol of a spiritual barrier to keep out unwanted energies from entering your sacred space.

 

To draw a doorway, a Witch should use a wand or athame to cut a “hole” in the energy field. Many Witches will use incense to close the doorway, using the smoke to symbolize the divine energy field.

 

Once your work is complete, you must close the circle and ensure the energy has been properly shut down. Leaving an open gate is not only disrespectful to the forces that assisted you, but also dangerous for you and your home. Closing the circle is as simple as 1-2-3.

 

Thank the guides, teachers, God/Goddess that you called or who came into the circle to offer assistance during your work.

Imagine the energy around the circle lowering around you, toning down and fading so to speak.

 

Finally, clear the space with a blessing and ask the energies to close the gate. If the circle was a temporary fixture, then remove it and store it appropriately.

 

The Witch’s Pyramid

The Witch’s Pyramid

Author: J Rainwoods

A while back, when I was first learning about Witchcraft, I read about the four pillars of the Witch’s Pyramid. I was working solitary and getting all of my info out of books, and it seemed to be an important thing to know; so I used a little trick to memorize them. When I showered, as I poured shampoo onto my hand, I would draw a pentacle. As I did this, I would list the four pillars of the pyramid as I hit each corner of the pentacle I drew. It worked really well, and to this day I can list off the four pillars on demand when necessary. After a while of doing this, I became interested in using my shower power to learn other things. Life went on, and the Pyramid got filed away into a dusty corner of my brain.

I don’t know what happened to resurrect it, but here lately I have found myself hitting each of the four pillars with shampoo without even meaning to. Realizing this has brought the Witch’s Pyramid to the forefront of my thoughts. I find myself asking – how do I take this further? There is, of course, a fifth corner in a pentacle. I haven’t accounted for this one yet, because when working with the four pillars of the Witch’s Pyramid, you’ve got to have those four pillars worked out before you can even start to turn your attention to what follows. That’s OK, though, because a Witch can spend their lifetime – in fact, they are absolutely expected to – mastering the challenge of the four pillars. Here they are:

To Know…
Knowledge. Wisdom. Study. Experience. Book smarts vs. street smarts. A Witch is expected to study the ways of the Craft and to use that knowledge to enhance their practice. Of course. Sure. Got it. That is a given – the easy two-second explanation of this pillar. What about the rest of it? None of us spend our lives in Circle 24 / 7. What about the time we spend in the mundane world, which for most of us is almost all the time? Do we act, speak, think, make decisions, make friends, make love…with wisdom? Nothing, but nothing that comes from the Gods is ever given carelessly. What have They taught you in your practice? How can you take that beyond the Circle; and live your life to reflect the wisdom you have been blessed with?

To Dare…
To take a dare generally means you commit to doing something that up to this point you have not done – usually because you’re afraid of something. More than once as I have walked my path over the years, I have been afraid. Now, we humans are blessed with fear – it keeps us from jumping off cliffs or standing in front of a buffalo stampede; but sometimes the best view is from the cliff’s edge. Sometimes, the most amazing dance of power comes to us from the dust under the herd’s feet as they run with the wind and you’d never know it unless you stood right there. Often, facing down a fear and conquering it is what we need to make our lives better in some way. No chance we’ll ever be on a journey worth taking without a scary roadblock or two. We all have a treasured memory of a time when we faced down the fear of something – or someone. We get stronger this way. We get wiser this way. What are you afraid of? How would your life change if you conquered that fear? Got the guts to do it?

To Will…
Ah, will…you manly thing, you. For me, you are always over the next hill. You are always on the other side of tomorrow. Like too many of my sisters in this world, I was raised to be anything but willful. From the time I was barely able to realize the difference between good girls and bad girls, I knew that willful was not what I wanted to be. Willful girls always had their name on the chalkboard. They always got detention. They were always talked about behind the cupped hands of the popular girls as they walked across the classroom. Even in our Craft, so many of us write will off as that hot, sunny God-attribute the boys get to have. It’s not for “us girls”, so why worry about it? We’ve got our intuition, we’ve got our moon, and we’re good! Right? Someone agree with me before I get embarrassed for speaking out of turn…

Ever hear of girl power? Ever marvel at the things our daughters and little sisters do (“get away with”) that we never would have done ourselves at their age (probably because our moms would have grounded us to the end of the world for doing whatever it is) ? Ever watch a female use her goddess – given gifts: charisma, looks, brains, or maybe just a loud voice and a “Who gives a damn if I make a scene in public?” attitude to get her way; and then watch with longing as she walks away, victorious?

Some of us don’t have a problem with will. Some of us were those girls on the chalkboard, in detention, and damn proud of it! Some of us have the will of an autumn leaf as it goes wherever Father Wind tells it to go. Most of us tend to have a mix of both, leaning way more towards autumn leaf than Lady Get-My-Way. To be a Witch – true to your inheritance, true to your pledge, TRUE TO YOUR WOMANHOOD, guess what you’ve got to have – and I’m not just talking about the Witch within the Circle. What you try to work within will never amount to anything if you do not demonstrate the will to manifest without. Back to the next generation for a minute: think about a young girl / woman that you know and love. What do you want to teach them about will? What is your attitude towards willfulness in women? They’re watching – what kind of example do you set for them? These pillars are starting to get to me…I’ll never shampoo the same way again. But wait! There’s more!

To be Silent…
For a minute there, I thought about leaving this one blank and waiting to see if anyone got the joke…nah. Silence holds all the power in the universe. That’s why it is impossible to master. Traditionally, the fourth pillar – To Be Silent – has referred specifically to the things you do and the people you know within your craft. Basically, if you’re not with your coven don’t talk about coven stuff. I would offer this thought to chew on…silently. A minute ago, I said that silence holds all the power in the universe.

Here’s another one: to know yourself is to know your power. Getting to know yourself – to see yourself with honest love and objectivity instead of relating to yourself the way the world has always related to you – can be accomplished only when you take the time to shut out the world. Sit down (in silence) and listen. Ground and center. Meditate. Do it for real. Mean it. Say (to yourself and the Gods – without actually using your voice) I am open to good. I am receptive to wisdom. What is it I need to know? Do this often and regularly. A minute ago, after the part about the power in the universe, I said silence is impossible to master. Sitting in silence is really hard, even for folks that have been doing it a long time. If you’re new at the practice, it’s usually a frustrating waste of time. Commit to doing this every day and you will come to know yourself. You will come to know your power and know the Gods are working in your life.

I have committed to working the Four Pillars of the Witch’s Pyramid into my life. I want to use them to grow and to learn and to challenge myself to do great things. I will explore different ways to honor the pillars through the week, and I’ll keep in touch and let you know how it goes. This promises to be fun, frightening, and utterly stupid at times and hopefully will get others thinking about how they can live what they believe – whatever that is! Blessed be!

Wishing You & Yours A Very Happy & Blessed Spring Equinox & Ostara!

Ostara Comments

“Equal dark, equal light
Flow in Circle, deep insight
Blessed Be, Blessed Be
The transformation of energy!
So it flows, out it goes
Three-fold back it shall be
Blessed Be, Blessed Be
The transformation of energy!”
– Night An’Fey, Transformation of Energy

 

 ~Magickal Graphics~

Nine Easy Steps for Making A Magick Potion

Nine Easy Steps for Making A Magick Potion

 
 
1. Gather together all the ingredients you will need to make the potion. Light a candle if you like, matching its color and dedication to your potion’s purpose. Be sure to place your candle(s) near your working surface as a focusing tool, but not in the way.
 
2. Draw a magick circle around your working area. For example, if you are working in the kitchen, draw a magick circle around the entire room.
 
3. Call in the elemental powers to your circle. A shorthand method for doing this is by saying something like:
 
“I ask that the generous powers of earth, air, fire, and water come into this circle. Come I pray you!”
 
4. Call in spirit, the Divine, into your circle by saying something like:
 
“May the Divine Ones enter into this circle and bless this potion with their Divine power.”
 
5. Next, empower the potion ingredients.
 
6. Make the potion.
 
7. Empower the potion once more with a magickal incantation, and then use it immediately as suggested.
 
8. Thank the elements and spirit.
 
9. Pull up the magick circle and put everything away.

Powering Up the Circle

Powering Up the Circle

by George D. Jackson

One of the problems I have become aware of in our community is the low level of power we raise in the circles we cast. I have noticed this mainly through listening to and reading a litany of complaints from various practitioners in several magickal paradigms. At first I thought perhaps this problem was just in these people’s perception, but after inquiries among some long-time magickal practitioners in the region, I have found that these people are not alone in this observation. I also found a number of our fellows out there seeking solutions.

Several reasons exist why we may be having difficulty in raising high levels of power within our circles. Sometimes, low power levels in public rituals are deliberate so as to shield neophytes from psychic overload. I have some reservations concerning this, as I was originally drawn to my magickal paradigm by feeling the power present in a series of semipublic circles.

Another significant reason for lack of power is that some of us come from the major religious paradigms where group activities were performed in a follow-the-leader type of approach and the magickal dynamics were never explained. The leader of these activities probably had some concept concerning the methods being used to unite consciousness, but he sure wasn’t going to call them magickal. Also, any power that was raised was directed to the benefit of the religious organization involved. The congregation, powerwise, was left in a dead zone and just accepted that as normal. Because people learn from experience and many magick users go from major religions to being solitary practitioners, attendance of public magickal rituals with low power levels was not remarked on.

Another reason why there are difficulties in raising power in the group environment is connected to the personal psychological defense screens that most of us have installed in our individual subconscious minds over the course of our lives. These are necessary for us to go on with our day-to-day lives without being overwhelmed by outside forces. However, many of us don’t know how to lower these screens when the need comes about. The following is an exercise that can give the individual magick user the ability to drop her or his screens at Will when the circumstances warrant it.

This exercise includes a method used in the Huna (Hawaiian magick) paradigm. It involves using a pendulum to talk to your “basic self,” otherwise known as your subconscious mind. The Huna approach considers an individual as a gestalt entity consisting of three selves existing in the physical body. The middle self is the conscious analytical mind, tasked with aiding the evolution of the basic self as well as its own; the high and basic selves are both contained in the collective unconscious. The high self is the most evolved and is the source of individual power; the basic self is primal and is the source of emotion, as well as storing all memory, processing environmental items into energy and running the autonomic nervous system. It is also the conduit between the high and middle self, and as such it needs to be educated.

The materials needed for this exercise are a pendulum and a piece of paper with a circle drawn on it and a cross within the circle. The first thing one needs to do is set up the parameters of the operation. Suspending the pendulum over the center of the circle by finger and thumb, you tell your basic self that forward and back is “yes” and side to side is “no.” Around the circle is “I don’t know.” Now ask your subconscious to show you yes, no and I don’t know.

Once this agreement is set in place, you are ready to proceed. Holding the pendulum over the circle, you tell your basic self to lower its barriers and allow outside energy to flow through you. You then ask your subconscious if it understands this command and will comply. When it answers “yes,” reward it by telling it how much you approve of this decision.

This exercise is designed to be performed by two or more people who have learned to drop their barriers. The people involved join hands and command their basic selves to drop their barriers and allow the energy flow. Power flows into the right hand and out of the left. It should be cycled at least three times or until one can feel the tingle or surge passing through them. Practitioners can then direct the accumulated power into the center of the group and use it to perform operations agreed on before the gestalt (the whole that is greater than the sum of the parts) was formed. Alternatively, the power can be directed outward to form a cone of power. Once the group’s goals are accomplished, be sure to ground the power and raise the pre-existing personal barriers. This kind of work is a temporary magickal bonding. If it is not dissolved at the end of the ritual, you are going to leave with more than you planned on.

Like most worthwhile things, this exercise takes a period of practice. Once it becomes commonly used, it becomes second nature. One thing it does is allow the user to rate the levels of energy in any circle the user participates in. When among close associates, it allows for a lot of fine-tuning. I use this in my “Path of the Adept” magick course, and my students are strong!

Finding a Good Fit

Finding a Good Fit

Author: Orius

Being part of the leadership of a Wiccan Circle is an interesting thing. Not only are you in service to the God and Goddess, you are in service to your other Circle members and most importantly to yourself. For both the Circle that I am involved with now and the one before it, we have had a listing on Witchvox. We do this for a few different reasons. One of them is that we are proud of who we are. Another is so that those seeking a group or a path are able to get in contact with us. This leads me on to the theme of this short little article.

Our group gets all kinds of people who contact us through our listing on Witchvox, and through our groups Facebook page. Some of these folks are just people looking for help on their spiritual path, some of them are just curious about Wicca or Paganism, and some are truly seeking a group to circle with, and to become a part of. It is these latter folks I would like to address.

It never ceases to amaze me when we get a first contact from people saying they would love to become a part of our family. I think “seriously, you have read a very brief description of our group, not to mention you don’t know us, you don’t know how we circle or what we are about for that matter. Yet you blindly would love to join our family and circle with us”. Not to mention the fact we don’t know you or what you are about. But it is ok because we are all good trusting Pagans and we will welcome you with open arms.

Well my friends, it just does not work that way.

Here are a few tips I would like to give, not only for folks looking for a group to circle with, but for groups interested in new people.

First of all, if you are seeking out a group and do so via an ad on Witchvox or some other similar way, don’t be surprised if it takes a few days to get a response back. Remember that the folks who are running the group or circle more than likely have a real life just like you do, and while the group that they are involved with may be a huge part of their life, it is probably not the only thing they are doing.

Secondly do not be surprised if you exchange much e-mail with a group you’re interested in before they ever invite you to meet with them. If you’re a seeker of a group and they invite you to come circle with them before ever meeting you in person, in my opinion that should throw up a red flag for you. Always meet a prospective group or member before circling with them.

Thirdly, and this should go without saying – meet them in a public place like a coffee shop. It is just not a smart idea as a group to invite someone you do not know to meet you in your own home. By that same logic, as an individual never go to someone’s home that you do not know. My Priestess and I often will meet new people interested in our Circle at a Starbucks or at one of the Pagan Picnics that happen here locally. Do not be surprised if, much like the e-mails, a group wants to meet with you several times in person before ever inviting you to attend one of their Circles.

Ask questions when meeting new folks. This goes not only for individuals but groups as well. We always ask new people that are interested in our Circle, even if they claim to have been on a Wiccan path for years, what they know or think they know about Wicca? What books have they read on Wicca and Paganism? How did they come to be on this path? What groups if any have they been a part of before? What is their personal practice like?

If you are an individual seeking a group to Circle with ask about the group’s practice. What is expected of members? How often do they meet? Do they circle skyclad, or robed? Do they have teaching Circles outside of ritual? If you are gay or lesbian ask about the group’s feelings toward gay and lesbian people. You may think in this day and age of enlightenment that it should not make a difference what one’s sexual orientation is, but I know that there are still Circles out there that will not admit gay and lesbian people to their ranks. They prefer male-female couples that are already partners, or are willing to find a working partner. Same goes if you are transgendered or transsexed, ask about the group’s feelings and way of working.

As a seeker to a group you should never feel like the group is trying to give you a “hard sell” to join. That should send up a red flag for you too, or at least it would for me. Also if you get to the meeting stage with a group and feel things are not right, you do NOT have to join that group even thou they may ask you too. Also remember that a group may meet with you many times, invite you to attend one of their Circles and still not ask you to join their ranks. If this happens don’t be disappointed, and remember that it probably happened for a reason that is not personal. When you find the right group that is a fit for you, you and the group will know.

Of course these are only a few of the questions that you can and should ask, and there are many more dynamics to finding a group to Circle with, and to groups finding individuals, than I have covered in this brief article. Most often times personal chemistry is the final determining factor for what ever the end result of a search may be.

My point with this post was to educate, and I hope that I have a little. Remember when you do enter the Circle, be it with a group of seekers or by yourself, you enter it in perfect love and perfect trust. Make sure you can do that with those whom you choose to Circle with.

Psychic Protection

 

 Psychic Protection

Finally comes the all-important issue of protecting yourself psychically while your cast spells or carry out rituals.

Casting a circle and/or a magical square offers you a great deal of psychic protection as does the process of grounding yourself after a spell.

Also doing spells only for positive purposes and with good intent is in itself protective. There is no point in standing within circles, squares or triangles if you are summoning up dark forces or playing about creating elemental thought forms. If what you are doing makes you uneasy or you couldn’t tell your best friend, mother or sister (if they are generally sympathetic towards magick) what you are up to, don’t. That is the basic rule. The following may also help.

Set an earth crystal, an air crystal, a fire crystal and a water crystal that you have sprinkled with a sacred water mix that you have sprinkled with a sacred water mix at the main direction points around a room or an area where you are working. As you set each one, ask for the protection of light and goodness(or dedicate each to a special deity).

Alternatively, use an ordinary round dark brown stone for the north, a white one for the east, a reddish one for the south and a pinkish grey for the west. The north and west stones should be round or diamond shape and the others pointed.

Wash the crystals or stones in running water after the spell or ritual.

You can designate the four traditional archangels to the four watchtowers, external direction points around the room, your outdoor circle of your altar.

Light four angel candles and place them halfway along each actual or visualized line of magick square or round your circle at four main direction points.

Even if you don’t cast a circle for a simple spell you can picture the four angels or substitute angels of nature for the four archangels. Though the conventional element archangels do have ecological foci, you may prefer to choose a nature angel for each element especially for out door magick and use his herbs, crystals and candle colour to complete your protection.

Designing Labyrinths

Designing Labyrinths

 

 

Labyrinths can be complex or as simple as a rock spiral. The rock spiral can be a simple as a widely spaced line of small stones that curves inward until a center is reached, rather like the design of a snail’s shell. The best way to provide for a working center is to first establish a circular space big enough to stand and move around in; center this over a power spot if you are fortunate enough to find one. Surround this center with a border of rocks, leaving an opening on one side. Then curve your spiral path out from this at least three times around the center. Be sure that the path is wide enough to comfortably walk in. Make the path turn clockwise.

In the very center of the spiral, you can place a flat stone. It does not have to be very large. Whenever you find such a stone, before placing it within your power area, cleanse it with a bath of salt and water. This flat stone can do double duty as an altar and also to stand or sit upon when you are working within your sacred space. There are some human-constructed flat stones used for facing buildings that work quite well. Stay away from plastics. Several bricks set up in a square or oblong pattern can be substituted; however, they are not very good at conducting energy into your body. The real stones can become power-sinks in their own right, drawing in and storing Earth dragon power or even the power produced by repeated rituals.

Much more elaborate labyrinths can be formed if you first plan them out on paper, but I cannot say they are any more effective than the simpler design. One side effect of such a spiral is an improvement of the atmospheric vibrations thought the immediate neighborhood, as well as on your own property.

Circle of stones will work in the same manner, especially if they are built over lines of dragon power. In Circles, Groves & Sanctuaries(Llewellyn 1993), Dan and Pauline Campanelli wrote of a man who built a wooden henge, as in Stonehenge, in his yard. This circular structure would work on the same principle as a stone circle or labyrinth.

Although the mere laying out of the spiral or circular rock pattern will activate and center the dragon’s breath energy, you might want to specifically tie it to your own energy vibrations. This can be done with a simple welcoming ritual. Using your staff, walk along the spiral path into the center. Take with you a small gift of herbs. If you have laid out a circle, choose one particular direction to use as a consistent entrance place. Stand in the center facing north and tape the ground three times with the staff, saying;

Arise, O breath of dragon.

Fill this land with goodness.

Bless me and mine with your positive energies,

And repel all those who wish to harm in any form,

I welcome all dragons who come to this place of power.

May we work in harmony and in love.

May this sacred spot become a haven of centeredness,

A refuge that revitalizes,

A door that leads to Otherworld knowledge.

May your power become one with mine (kneel and

Touch the ground with palm of your hand).

That I, my family, my community, my country, the

World,

May become whole and healthy again.

 

 

Tap the staff three times on the ground. Sprinkle the gift of herbs about your center space. Exit the circle or spiral with dignity and thanksgiving, knowing you have begun a neighborhood change in vibrations for the better.
Sometimes you will find a house or building that sits on a line of dragon’s breath energy. Some of the older houses that exude an atmosphere or either welcome or repulsion are often situated on such lines. Disembodied spirits or ghosts are frequently seen in these building, and not just by psychics. If the energy stream is a positive one, the ghosts will not be troublesome. However, if the sits over a black stream, one finds poltergeist activity, malicious ghosts, and a general set of negative vibrations that harass the family living there. It may be that these ghosts are trapped by the negative energy flow or that they use it to boost their own power.

I rented such a negatively situated house once and never was able to stake the energy line right or get rid of the hateful ghost who stayed there. One of the two stairways in that house was always as cold as the inside of a freezer, even on the hottest days of the year. The evil that was felt on that stairway made everyone, even nonbelieving visitors avoid going that way. I found out that forty years before, a teen-aged boy had died in the room at the top of the stairs. What his reasons were for staying on after death, I do not know, but the noises, evil feelings and trouble he caused were unwelcome. No renters stayed for any length of time.

Tracing flows of “dragon energy” is an excellent exercise for strengthening your psychic energy. The vibration of such power is quite similar to that felt when dragons are in the vicinity, so it helps the magician become familiar with the feeling of arriving dragons. Best of all, it is just plain, inexpensive fun.

“Dancing with Dragons”

D. J. Conway

CANDLE SPELL FOR JUSTICE OR HELP IN LEGAL MATTERS

CANDLE SPELL FOR JUSTICE OR HELP IN LEGAL MATTERS

It does not require a sword only Tarot and candles.
You might want to burn some herbs or incense associated with justice while doing this spell.
Also a simple yet incredibly powerful protection spell is done with a small or medium sized
mirror you can hold in your hands.
While holding the mirror facing outwards in other words not showing your reflection but
turned to reflect out, turn in a counter clockwise circle to banish while saying:
Circle of reflection, Circle of protection,
May the sender of all harm, Feel the power of this charm.
This does not send any negative energy at the sender hence eliminating the cause
and effect portion of negativity adding to negativity but it reflects back anything being
directed at you. So it bounces off you instead of affecting you.
Circle three times full round chanting this or until you feel it is complete, then make
a closing statement such as: So Be It

LOVE SPELL

LOVE SPELL

Gather seven small stones and place them in a circle.
In the middle of the circle, scatter a handful of rose petals and apple seeds.
Place a lodestone directly in the middle of the circle. Chant the following:
Rose petals and apples Dragons and stone
Draw nigh true love So I am no longer alone
Mist of the Dragon Breath of the night
Draw from the universe Perfect love that is right.

BREAKING A MAGICAL BOND WITH ANOTHER PERSON

BREAKING A MAGICAL BOND WITH ANOTHER PERSON

Ingredients

Second, if a person wanted to try a link-break, they would have to evoke the bond again
[to break it] … They could use a simple sorcerous ceremony to evoke the link. …
Get a private room, and draw a diagram on a surface you can stand and walk around on.
They’d diagram out a central circle one pace in diameter.
Then they’d draw another circle about one pace in diameter.
Then they’d connect the two circles with a line.
On one side of the line would be written the person’s name.
One the other side of the line would be written the other person’s name.
Next two effigies would be prepared. A photograph with a name written on it is nice.
People with old fashioned leanings can make them out of clay or wax.
With some caballa one could make them out writings on sheets of paper.
One effigy is for the person linked to. It’s put in a bowl or something that cooking wine
can burn safely in, like an aluminum kitchen bowl. The second effigy is of the donor.
That can be put into an ordinary kitchen bowl as well.
Next a series of things in a backwards-seeming order is performed.
First, holding the effigy of the other person, the characteristics of the other person
are invoked into it. It’s then stuck into its bowl and sealed in its circle; let’s call it circle B.
Then the donor’s effigy has the donor’s characteristics invoked into it and it is sealed into circle A.
The link connecting the two persons is then *evoked* from inside the donor,
with them calling it forth and projecting it into the line connecting the two circles.
Then with some convenient wand or kitchen spoon or something, tap the line
connecting the two circles, invoking the line to represent the bond between the two.
Then after walking three times around the whole contraption, counterclockwise and
make drawing gestures with the wand, kitchen spoon, laser pointer, etc. the force
linking the two is commanded to decouple and withdraw from the line into the
separate sealed circles. Then the line is broken physically with the wand, laser
pointer, whatever and the link is commanded to break and not reform.
Remaining are two potentized effigies in separate sealed circles.
It’s finished up by taking salt water (Epsom salts are nice) and banishing any
connection that the donor effigy has with the donor by pouring the salt water over
it without breaking the circle A, while commanding any connection be dissipated harmlessly.
Then cooking wine is poured into the other bowl in circle B and a match is tossed in
and the command is given for any link that the effigy has with the other person to be
cleanly and harmlessly consumed by the flame . Then the mess is cleaned up in a normal way.
If you should happen to do this, you do it at your own risk, and are fully responsibility for
whatever happens. It’s a good idea to experiment with cooking spirits beforehand in a
controlled manner to determine what kind and amount and lighting technique is most
advisable in individual circumstances.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – January 26

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – January 26

“All life is a circle.”

–Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE

The atom is a circle, orbits are circles, the earth, moon, and sun are circles. The seasons are circles. The cycle of life is a circle: baby, youth, adult, elder. The sun gives life to the earth who feeds life to the trees whose seeds fall to the earth to grow new trees. We need to practice seeing the cycles that the Great Spirit gave us because this will help us more in our understanding of how things operate. We need to respect these cycles and live in harmony with them.

Great Spirit, let me grow in knowledge of the circle.

The Meanings of the Pentacle

The Meanings of the Pentacle

The Elemental Pentacle

Each point of the star represents an element. Earth,Water,Fire,Air,and Spirit.The circle surrounding represents all these aspects working
together to create the natural cycle of life on Earth.

The Stages of Life Pentacle

Each point of the star represents one stage of life. Birth,
adolescense(Maiden/Son), nurturer (Mother/Father), wisdom(Crone/Sage),and death. The circle surrounding represents these stages creating the cycle of individual life.

The Human Pentacle

If we hold our arms out to either side, while standing or lying with our feet apart, we are a star. The circle surrounding reminds us that we are in perfect balance (or at least strive to be) as the star.

The Inverted Pentacle

The upside down star represents the face of the Horned God, he who is the animal that gives his life so others can eat.The circle is the cycle of the food chain.

from another group.
author unknown

Candle Magick: Your Altar

Candle Magick:  Your Altar

You may use anything that has a flat top.. I use an old trunk with a piece of plywood on it. Be creative.. As for a cover I use white because of it’s kind of a multipurpose color. Although some magic specifies a color then what ever color is specified should be used. Again, be creative… Keep in mind that candle magic is usually done in condensed areas so keep things as simplistic as you can, especially your candlesticks and censors.

Using Magickal Powders

Using Magickal Powders

 
The easiest method is to simply scatter them when and where you need their energies. Other methods are also available:
*Sprinkle the powder in a circle around you, beginning and ending in the East and moving clockwise. Sit within this circle and absorb the powder’s energies.
*Those who work with crystals and stones can add powders to their rituals. Sprinkle the appropriate powder around the crystal (or crystals) as it lays on the altar to increase its power.
*Sprinkle powders around candles before being burned to boost their energies.
*Scatter a ritually appropriate powder over the altar before spells.
*Sprinkle on the altar in specific shapes to use as focal points for visualization: protection powder in pentagrams; love powder in hearts; psychic powders in circles. It doesn’t matter if the powder remains in the shape for long. And so on, as your imagination teaches you.
But remember-do this solely for positive purposes, to affect your possessions, yourself or others from whom you’ve obtained permission. All manipulative magic is negative magic and will rebound on the magician.
One note: some powders, particularly those that contain dragon’s blood, will stain carpets, bed sheets, clothing and other materials. Be aware of this when sprinkling.

RELEASING THE CIRCLE

RELEASING THE CIRCLE

Once the rite is ended, face North, hold aloft the wand and say:

Farewell, Spirit of the North Stone.
I give thanks for your presence here.
Go in power.

Repeat this same formula to the East, South and West, substituting the proper
direction in the words. Then return to the North and hold the wand aloft for a
few moments.
Lay the wand on the altar. Take up the athame. Standing in the North, pierce
the circle’s wall with the blade at waist level. Move clockwise around the
circle, visualizing it’s power being sucked back into the athame. Literally pull
it back into the blade and handle. Sense the circle dissolving, shrinking; the
outside world slowly regaining its dominance in the area. When you arrive at
the North again, the circle is no more.

Pets in Ritual: Some Basics

Pets in Ritual: Some Basics

Author: Bronwen Forbes

For the purpose of this article, I’m going to assume that you want your pet in ritual with you, and not that he or she has wandered in by accident. That being the case, here are some things you need to consider and plan for.

If you normally cast a circle as part of your magickal workings, and if you have issues with pets casually crossing that magical barrier, you need to figure out in advance how to keep your furry friend from leaving once you’ve started. A dog can be leashed and kept in your circle. So, in some instances, can a ferret, a rabbit, or an iguana. But a cat isn’t likely to take too kindly to a harness or collar and a leash. And if your cat is anything like mine, he will yowl like he’s dying if you put him in a carrier.

What are you going to do? Frankly, you’ve got two choices: either resign yourself to the idea that a cat is going to cross the energy barrier you’ve erected but not affect it, or shut your cat away so he or she can’t participate.

Our cat likes to patrol the perimeter of the circle, but he never comes near the altar. Maybe he’s keeping an eye out for unwelcome entities. I really don’t know. His predecessor used to lie in the center of ritual space with the attitude, “You may all now commence adoring me.”

By the way, if you plan to have your dog in ritual, it’s a good idea to let him or her go outside and do his business beforehand. Nothing interrupts a good ritual like one of the participants barking because he needs to potty!

Something else to consider on this same topic: for obvious reasons, small puppies aren’t the best participants in long rituals, say, longer than thirty minutes. For lengthy sabbats or esbats, take your puppy out beforehand, and then crate him or her (or whatever you do at night) during the ritual. Post-ritual pee and poop cleanups when you’re trying to dismantle the altar and get the ritual feast ready just aren’t fun.

Speaking of altars, if you like to have an altar or shrine set up at all times, you might want to consider setting it up where an inquisitive cat or teething puppy can’t get to it. Cats love to knock things off altars. Puppies like to chew things – and they don’t care if it’s your $70 wand, your favorite Buddha statue (true story) , or a chew toy.

When I first started doing ritual, my cat at the time loved nothing better than to yukk up a hairball on my altar. Needless to say, a hairball was so not the kind of offering I wanted to make to my Gods! If your pets are doing your altar more harm than good, consider moving it to a pet-free room or large closet with a firmly latching door, or to a wall shelf strategically placed where Kitty can’t comfortably jump to.

If you frequently invite newcomers, especially people who are new to Paganism, to your ritual, you may notice that your pet chooses to sit on or next to that person while you all ground and center. This frequently happens in my group, and the newcomer always reports that the pet’s presence helped them feel less nervous, and they were better able to follow the grounding and centering meditation.

Another note about newcomers to your ritual: inform them at the time of invitation that you have pets, and what kind. That way, if they have serious allergies or major phobias, they know ahead of time and can choose for themselves how they want to deal with it, i.e. take antihistamines or not accept the invite.

We share our home with a shaggy, extra large old-fashioned German shepherd, and we always warn people that there’s a HUGE, LONG-HAIRED dog in the house! Karl is a complete goofball who wouldn’t hurt a soul (and in fact, is totally, utterly, and completely devoted to our four-year-old) , but he sheds constantly and weighs approximately 120 pounds. That way, people who don’t think dog hair counts as a condiment (despite the fact that we regularly dust and vacuum) or who might be too scared to concentrate on ritual with a humongous wolf-looking creature in the house can choose in advance not to come.

For safety’s sake, consider making some adjustments to the placement of Cakes and Wine during your ritual. Most of us are used to setting the cakes and drink on the altar – or under it, if the altar is too small. Let me tell you: with pets actively participating in ritual, that doesn’t work! Remember that alcohol, grapes (including grape juice) , raisins, any sort citrus fruit or juice, and chocolate are extremely toxic to cats and dogs.

Besides, do you really want to drink out of a chalice after your toilet-drinking, butt-sniffing dog had a sip? Or eat a cookie she’s licked? I didn’t think so! Put the stuff somewhere your furry friend can’t reach, like a nearby bookshelf or table. That way, all the humans can partake without grossing out – or poisoning the pet.

Maybe you could also have some water and dog and cat treats for your furry participants to enjoy during Cakes and Wine! I have heard that people who invite their ferrets or rabbits into ritual provide a small plate with a couple of raisins or lettuce on it.

With a little pre-planning, adult pets and carefully supervised kittens and puppies can be delightful, useful, and meaningful participants in your rituals. But always leave yourself the option of letting them out – and keeping them out – if they get too rowdy or otherwise disruptive.

Our ritual room is also where we keep our dogs’ crates, and for the most part they’re voluntarily hanging out in their crates (with the doors open) when we do ritual. We know the ritual is a success if the dogs are snoring!

The Call of the Elements

The Call of the Elements

by Olwen

ritual poetry

Callings

East: Come all spirits of air and mind,
Knowledge gain and memory bind,
Come rookery and eagle in flight,
Fresh spring breeze and dawn’s first light,
Come wind whipping ’round tree and tower,
Please bless our circle with your power!
South: Come all spirits of flame and fire,
Blood of life, heat of pyre,
Come fierce lion and phoenix raise,
Soft candlelight and bright bonfire blaze,
Come summer sun, wild untamed flower,
Please bless our circle with your power!
West: Come all spirits of water and ocean,
Mother’s womb and tide of emotion,
Come playful dolphin and fish, lake deep,
Silvery moon and dreams in sleep,
Come twilight mist and autumn shower,
Please bless our circle with your power!
North: Come all spirits of the growing earth,
Sacred mysteries of death and birth,
Come lumbering bear and antlered stag,
Hidden cavern and mountain crag,
Come furrowed fields and verdant bower,
Please bless our circle with your power!
Spirit: Come all spirits of the turning wheel,
Elements balance and circle seal,
Around and about, through in and though out,
Change within manifest without,
Beyond place and beyond hour,
Please bless our circle with your power!

Dismissals

Spirit: Clear the temple, undo the ward,
The veil closed and reality restored.
Thank you all spirits of balance and light
For blessing our circle and sacred rite!

North: Wild beasts return to rest and feed,
Majestic forests shrink to seed.
Thank you all spirits of earth and night
For blessing our circle and sacred rite!

West: Dreamer awake, turn ocean tide,
Untamed emotions ease and subside.
Thank you all spirits of water and insight
For blessing our circle and sacred rite!

South: Flickering flame fade back to spark,
Blazing bonfire return to dark.
Thank you all spirits of fire and might
For blessing our circle and sacred rite!

East: Wild winds ebb to gentle breeze,
Mysteries revealed become mental tease.
Thank you all spirits of air and flight
For blessing our circle and sacred rite!

Opening The Ancestral Doorway (Blood/Harvest Moon)

The dark and new phase of the Blood Moon offers you a perfect opportunity to get in touch with the power and wisdom of your ancestors. This is another of those times when the doorway between worlds becomes momentarily opened. The Old English word blod stems from the root meaning “bloom” defined as “flourishing” or vigorous.” With regards to genetic memory, your blood, specifically the DNA in your blood, is like a mega filing system for ancestral wisdom and power. In this spell you are contacting the spirit of one of your ancestors. It works bet if you pick a particular ancestor, but if you don’t know one, you can call on your ancestors as a whole.

You will need a blue candle, three drops of amber-scented oil, and frankincense incense.

At midnight, draw a magick circle and call in the elements. Rub the candle with the three drops of amber-scented oil and place it in its holder on your altar. Anoint yourself with the oil. Wipe any remaining oil from your hands. Light the blue candle while inviting in the energies of your ancestors:

 

“By the power of the divine Mother and Father

Grace this circle with the power and wisdom of my ancestors.”

Light the incense and let the smoke fill each of the elemental gates as you move around the circle from north, to east, to south, and to west. Call to each of the elements:

“Let the elemental doorway be opened.

So that I may connect with the spirits of my ancestors.”

Stand in the middle of the circle with your athame in your right hand and magick wand in your left. Raise both your arm and sense the power and wisdom of your ancestors entering into your body through your magickal tools into your hands, down your arms, and into your conscious awareness. Merge with this energy and become One with it.

Thank your ancestral spirits, bid farewell to the elements, and pull up the circle. Remember that the spirits of your ancestors are there whenever you need them. All you have to do is call to them.

 

Opening The Ancestral Doorway (Blood/Harvest Moon)

Opening The Ancestral Doorway

(Blood Moon) 

The dark and new phase of the Blood Moon offers you a perfect opportunity to get in touch with the power and wisdom of your ancestors. This is another of those times when the doorway between worlds becomes momentarily opened. The Old English world “blod” stems from the root meaning “bloom” defined as “flourishing” or “vigorous.” With regards to genetic memory, your blood, specifically the DNA in your blood, is like a mega filing system for ancestral wisdom and power. In this spell you are contacting the spirit of one of your ancestors. It works best if your pick a particular ancestor, but if you don’t know one, you can call on your ancestors as a whole.

 

You will need a blue candle, three drops of amber-scented oil, and frankincense incense.

At midnight, draw a magick circle and call in the elements. Rubs the candle with the three drops of amber-scented oil and place it in its holder on your altar. Anoint yourself with the oil. Wipe any remaining oil from your hands. Light the blue candle while inviting in the energies of your ancestors.

 

By the power of the divine Mother and Father

Grace this circle with the power and wisdom of my ancestors.

 

Light the incense and let the smoke fill each of the elemental gates as you move around the circle from north, to east, to south, and to west. Call to each of the elements:

Let the elemental doorway be opened

So that I may connect with the spirits of my ancestors.

 

Stand in the middle of the circle with your athame in your right hand and magick wand in your left. Raise both your arms and sense the power and wisdom of your ancestors entering into your body through your magickal tools, into your hands, down your arms, and into your conscious awareness. Merge with this energy and become One with it.

Thank your ancestral spirits, bid farewell to the elements and pull up the circle. Remember that the spirits of your ancestors are there whenever you need them. All you have to do is call to them.