Tag: Goddess

Everyday Fire

Everyday Fire
By Link

It is around us every day. We see it, touch it; we are sometimes burned by it. It is the warmth of a comfortable place to sit, and the roaring blaze that devastates an entire village. It burns within every beat of our heart. Fire.

 

Fire is Change

Fire is around us everywhere. The energy of Fire is often quite obvious, but sometimes can be tricky to spot. Do you have a special piece of jewelry? Most times we look at an object and see its earthy solid form, what it looks like today. But the metals in your jewelry took their present shape by being forged at temperatures higher than we might imagine. And as long as they retain that shape, they retain the impact of Fire. Fire is energy. Energy has the power to change things. In fact, the symbol for Fire (a triangle pointed upwards) is a Greek symbol called Delta – which means change. Think how the energy of events in your own life have “forged” you, changed your life and shaped you into what you are today.

 

Fire is Light

Much of the work and play we do is aided by Fire. Reading uses Fire, since it requires light, usually either Sunlight or electrical light — both very Fiery indeed. Next time you read something, give a special “thank you” to the light energy which carried its joy off the page to the gleam in your eye. Take note that whatever change in the world caused by reading – every classroom, every election booth, every love-letter – comes to us via the light of Fire.

 

Fire is the Sun

What else depends on light? Photosynthesis: the act of turning Sunlight into food. Plants do this everyday. All our food, our incense, our herbal medicines, our wooden homes, all contain the Sunlight stored away over the years by plants. Feel it? Recognize the Sun’s stored flame next time you hold an object made of wood. When wood burns it actually releases this solar energy into a fiery glow. Feel the warmth of the sun next time you enjoy a camp fire, fireplace, or simple votive candle. There is something very primal within Fire. From cave-times to today, people huddling around an open flame regard it as something special.

Without question, people notice how Earth’s agricultural breadbasket nourishes us. But what nourishes the Earth with enough energy to create such delights? The sun! Mother Earth contains the solid materials, the building-blocks ready to construct this bounty. But Sunlight provides the energy to ignite life, turning the fields green and growing.

Sunlight also charges people with a special glow. Try soaking up the Sun on a hot summer day. Store it within you. Whether you feel it or not, the Sun’s energy changes you a bit, like the way a glow-in-the-dark watch shines after you hold it up to the light. Feel the Sun’s flame within you. Is there a special part of your body that reacts to the Sun more than others? Maybe after hours of soaking up its energy, you have Sun-hair, Sun-skin, Sun-eyes? Do more intense things happen to you after you’ve been in the sun? Do people treat you different? Perhaps they sense a little bit more radiance within you.

 

Fire is Magic

We often recognize the magic of water and herbs when brewing our magical teas, but the heat in our hot steamy cup also contains Fire. Next time you seek healing energies from a cup of hot tea, direct the Fire energy within its heat to work for you as well. Ask it to speed your recovery. You might find working with all the elements within your cup works better than any single one alone.

Your home is well-charged with Fire. I often look to my heater’s pilot light as a perpetual candle flame that always stay lit. A home is rarely without Flame. Its lights, its electrical devices all breathe Fire’s life throughout your house, transforming it from a cold dark place into a warm happy home.

People often find special magic within color. Fire burns with a variety of colors. Copper burns green; silicon (like sand or glass) burns yellow. If you like working with Fire, and color, try creating a Flame that matches the color of your desires. But be ecologically aware – whatever you burn ends up in the air and the ground where its ashes remain. Try to keep it simple.

People work with Fire in many ways. Ever notice someone trying to start a difficult car? They make facial expressions, utter words of encouragement; they even do some rather interesting rocking motions – anything to crank electricity from the car’s battery to the starter and into the engine!

Gotta light? Ever notice the way someone acts when they light a cigarette for someone else, someone they desire? Its like they communicate right through the flame as it is passed from one person to another.

 

Passing the Flame

Try passing a flame from one place to another, like lighting a candle or incense stick from somewhere special on your altar. I like to pass flames from one candle to another, thinking about how one candle gains the gift of life from another. If you use a candle in magic, when might you want to light its flame from the Goddess candle on your altar? The God candle? Or perhaps the candle of a particular direction? Is there a particular source of flame that might work best for your intent? If you own a car, what type of special work might you do with the flame from your car’s dashboard lighter? From your kitchen stove? What fires await within that matchbook you took as a memento of a special place? For some fun, try lighting a Fire with a magnifying glass, starting your flame with nothing but the light of the Sun!

 

Fire is Divination

Fire can be used for a variety of divination techniques. We’ve all heard of scrying into tea leaves, but what about scrying into the ashes left behind by a small fire, perhaps in your trusty cauldron, or maybe in that same heat-resistant mug you use for tea. Instead of pouring water on your fragrant leaves, light them aflame! Try burning special woods or herbs, parchment, photos, old pay stubs, the daily news. What might work best to answer your particular question? Besides looking at the ashes, did you notice anything unusual about the flame? Did it peak in any particular direction before going out? What does that direction mean to you? For a new experience, take a blank piece of paper and wave it over a candle flame, close enough to leave black soot marks, but not close enough to ignite. Interpret these sooty shapes and designs the same way you would a cloud in the sky. Do you see a pair of lips? Perhaps a bunny rabbit? What do these shapes and symbols mean to you? (“Faerie Realm,” Ted Andrews, Llewellen Publications.)

 

Fire is Alive

Each flame is a unique life form, a unique spirit unlike any other. It has life and breath, it is born, consumes, grows, then flickers out, leaving behind an empty shell. Ashes to ashes. Are we any different? Try sensing the spirit in the flames you encounter. What makes “this” candle just a little bit different than the other? Try communicating with the engine spark that moves you from one place to another. Acknowledge the energy that warms your bath, rings your phone, gives you a tan or just keeps your heart going one beat to the next. Try whispering softly to even the bathroom nightlight. Some of these flames might just answer you back!

Link
6538 Collins Avenue # 255
Miami Beach, FL 33141

AnthLink@aol.com

Everyday Earth

Everyday Earth
by Link

When you think of “Earth” what comes to mind? Perhaps you feel the stable element of solidity and grounding. Or maybe you see Earth as the third planet from the Sun. Or for you, is Earth the rich brown soil in your own backyard? Earth is all these things and more. (One of the great things about “poly” theism is the ability to look at many aspects of an idea.) We often see Earth in vague macro terms, but we should not ignore the simple parts of everyday Earth that we see and touch each day. You may find that all these different sides of Earth – the element, the planet and the everyday things around us — all fit together like a beautiful mosaic.

 

Earth as an Element

Earth is a term we use to describe one of four very basic forces in nature. We call these basic forces “elements” since they are the building blocks that make up just about everything around us. (Think about it — you learned the basics in “Elementary School.”) While Earth is a very personal thing for each of us, it is usually thought of as being very stable. Tangible. Steady. Someone who might wish to maintain status quo or slow down change in their life might think of the element of Earth. Earth might also be used to strengthen something, making it solid as a rock. Think of the three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas. While watery liquids may slip through your fingers; airy gas might float beyond reach, but something solid is easy to grasp. Earth can be the malkuth of tangible actions, where the rubber meets the road in deed not just words or thought. For example, if you wanted to use the element of Earth to build a museum, you might take physical, tangible action — actually lay the brick – rather than merely signing a petition or dreaming about a plan. See the difference? Fire sparks the idea; air thinks about how to do it; water greases the wheels – but Earth actually makes it take real form.

Elements are rarely pure. For example, our own bodies are solid, but also mixed with fluids, combined with both the breath and spark of life in order to survive. We are a mix. What role does Earth play in your own body? How is this like other parts of nature? Can understanding your body teach you about other parts of life, like how the trees grow together or how rivers flow?

Elements are not stand-alone concepts; they combine and react with one another. In the early 1500s Agrippa wrote that elements can be transformed into one another, like the way salt dissolves in water or a wooden log burns away. Can we apply this principle to magically transform our own situation? Are there obstacles in your own life you’d like to dissolve? Are there problems you’d like to just burn away? Is there something flowing past you so quickly you wish you could freeze it still – just for a moment? Perhaps elemental magic works no differently than the things we see around us every day. See this transformation as you strive to change a few extra pounds into a few extra push-ups. Feel it as the warmth within your own heart melts away even the coldest barriers between you and someone you love.

People react and combine just like Earth, Air, Fire and Water. You may even find that we pass through elemental phases as we grow up along life’s path. This may help you better understand why some people are blown from place to place with the wind until they mature, become more rooted and stable in their ways. Can you see the elements in your everyday interactions with people? Can this help you understand what makes people tick?

Some magical systems look at the elements in a hierarchy, where we are their master and they are our magical servants. I disagree. To me, elements are aspects of Deity. My own personal view of the Divine is the sum total of everything – all the piece-parts – past, present and future. To me, this makes Earth, Air, Fire and Water aspects of the Goddess and God. Next time you are in ritual, notice whether people greet the elements with reverence, or command them in booming voices, like calling a pet from the yard. How do you see the elements? How does Earth differ from the others?

We use symbols for Earth in a variety of magical tools. In the Tarot, the suit of Pentacles or Coins represents Earth. While both Pentacles and Coins are round circular objects that might symbolize the Earth merely in shape, lets look further. A Pentacle is an interesting choice, since the five-pointed star is often described as symbolic of all four elements, plus a fifth – Spirit. This is a wonderful description of the diverse Earth, since our world’s land, sea, air and flame contain all of these forces!

The Tarot’s use of Coins as a symbol of Earth may date back to agricultural times, where wealth and abundance came via the harvest as financial support for the village. A simpler idea is the Rune symbol Fehu, which also is a symbol of abundance, and comes from the same root as the word “fee.” Some might say Fehu’s F-shape represents the horns on a head of cattle. Cattle as a symbol of Earth? Just look to the Zodiac, where the fixed Earth sign is Taurus the Bull! If you were creating your own symbol for Earth today, what would it be?

In ritual, we often associate directions with elements. For many, Earth is North. Why? My guess is that elemental directions probably fit the geography and beliefs of the people who made the system up. These people looked around and developed a system that felt right. (And ever since, other people have merely followed this tradition, repeating what they were taught.) To me, in my own geography and beliefs, I live on the east coast of North America. When I look to the West, I see 3,000 miles of continental land. Guess which direction I associate with Earth? The point is, you don’t have to use any direction just because you are taught that way. There may be times when Earth feels like facing the place you consider home, or facing the Rocky Mountains, or maybe facing that big ol’ Oak tree you’ve always loved. What works best for you? To paraphrase the Japanese philosopher-poet Basho, (1644-1694) “Seek not to follow in your elders’ footsteps. Instead, seek what they sought.” You may one day feel that it really doesn’t matter which direction is which.

Likewise, in ritual we often assign colors to the elements: Green for Earth, green like things that grow! Perhaps you see Earth as a different color? Brown like the soil, or yellow like the daffodils, or sea-blue like the way Earth would look from space? Our planet is a very colorful place; feel free to use whatever hue best suits your magical palette! (Remember this the next time your favorite nine-year old artist colors a purple horse.)

 

Earth as a Planet

We sprang from this planet and are nourished by it, so we use a maternal analogy and call Her “Mother Earth.” Every bit of food we eat, every drop of water we drink, every breath we take – and all we leave behind – are parts of Earth’s ecosystem. As a planet, the Earth is also a grand elemental mix. Our world contains not just “solid” Earth, but the blue oceans, rivers and streams. Besides solid and liquid, Earth also holds fiery volcanoes, fierce and virile, building great pressure over time until they cannot be contained. They erupt suddenly, shooting their molten streams of lava and fire…and then settle down to rest. A wise friend once reminded me that as a planet, Earth constantly moves and flows. Its fault-lines naturally quake; its winds naturally whirl and storm with great motion. Like any living breathing being, the Earth by no means is stationary.

When thinking about the Earth, don’t limit yourself to seeing just the sphere. Remember to include its gaseous aura, the Earth’s atmosphere, which surrounds our planet. Just like you have an aura glowing around you, the Earth wears a gaseous cloak around itself. What can we learn from this? Perhaps it is the nature of things to have a primary object in the middle surrounded by a sort of ethereal glow. Remember this the next time an aroma from your fresh-baked apple pie fills your entire home. Things often stretch out beyond their shell.

“Atmosphere” is not limited to airy things. It can be anything that glows, like the warmth of a campfire felt by the people that orbit around its flame. Even the visible light that things reflect is a type of glow. Because of the visible light reflected, I can see the mountain-tops for miles! (Now that’s atmosphere!) The physical object sits where it sits, but its glow shines out much farther. What “glow” do you project? What glow can you sense from others and from your surroundings?

In addition to its gaseous atmosphere, the Earth wears an electrical cloak as well, called the “magnetosphere.” This electromagnetic field is generated by the Earth’s two-fold core. The outer core is liquid, made of molten iron and nickel. But due to immense pressure, the inner core is solid. As the liquid swirls around the solid core, it generates a magnetic charge creating Earth’s electrical aura. This too is quite dynamic. Even the magnetic North Pole is not a single fixed point, according to the Canadian Government’s Commission Geologique, but rather the pole moves up to 15 kilometers each year!

An aura, an outer crust, a mid-layer mantle, inner liquids, and a solid core… Perhaps Earth shows us that the nature of things often comes in layers. Does this sound like anything else? An egg? An orange? Perhaps a city with a busy downtown, surrounded by the suburbs and rural countryside? Do the Earth’s layers resemble your own body — complete with your magnetic aura, your aromatic aires, an outer skin (upon which your furry forest might grow), a warm fleshy middle, with a solid core right down to the bone? What else comes in layers? Getting to know someone? Understanding complex concepts? Looking at one thing in nature can remind us that other things often work the same way.

Our own bodies have chakras or special energy centers. Does the Earth? Perhaps our world has special sites that buzz like chakras. Can that explain why we feel some places are high-energy? The poles? The Rain Forest? Sedona? Mount Everest? The shore? I have often wondered if there is a connection between the fact that the same small patch of desert in the mid-east that gave birth to many of the major religions (i.e. Christianity, Islam, Judaism) is the same place where we get the majority of our energy from fuel oil.

What chakras can you see in your own personal surroundings? Is there a focal point within your community? Does your own home have certain unique energy points? In the kitchen, bedroom, or nursery — perhaps the “altars” we use most often are not the ones with statues and chalices upon them. Magic happens most often in very everyday places!

What else can we learn by looking at planet Earth? Our home is the third planet in a system of nine worlds. (And you wonder why things often come in threes?) All these worlds orbit the Sun; most have their own moons also in orbit. Perhaps it is the nature of small things to orbit around greater things. If so, this can help us understand a great many parts of life where small things circle around larger ones — from education, to economics, to group dynamics, and even religion. What great things do you orbit around? And what revolves around you?

If planet Earth has a Spirit, do the other planets have Spirit too? If so, how do they interact with the Earth, and with us? What chemistry exists within this pantheon of planets circling the same Sun? Perhaps the chemistry between planets is one way to view the influence of astrology.

In the children’s book “Planet Earth” (Martyn Bramwell, Franklin Watts Publishing, 1987, New York) the chapter on our solar system is entitled “The Sun and its Family.” Children’s books often make valid points in the simplest terms and may be the most magical books you will ever read! You are part of your family, and your family is part of society as a whole. Likewise our solar system is one of many in this galaxy, one of many galaxies in a very vast universe. And we — you and me — are part of it all! Each of us is connected to this grand whole, like the way your little finger is connected to your arm and your arm is connected to your whole body. It’s a part of you. And likewise, you are a part of the vast “Family of All Things.” Seeing this might offer comfort in times where you feel isolated, alone and cut-off.

Don’t be scared by the vastness of “all things.” You don’t have to think about it all at once. Start by noticing that familiar feeling you have when you sleep in our own comfortable bed. Know what I mean? It just feels like home, a part of you. Try looking at how you feel connected to sentimental objects, old jewelry, keep-sakes, photos or whatever items you consider most sacred and magical. If you are connected to these items, can you feel some way you are connected to other things too? All parts of this Earth are linked to you — every branch, every leaf, every ant upon the hill.

All things are alive. Talk to your house, your yard, your car, your dinner — and listen just in case they talk back! Try it with not just your own sentimental items, but with strangers you encounter along your path, new places, new things. If you can find a connection to all things in some way, nothing is beyond your reach! You already have a link to every goal, every dream, every person, place and thing you could ever imagine. Use it.

We often say that modern-day culture has forgotten its connection to the Earth. If that is true, then such a culture will certainly feel disconnected from the cosmos! But over time, things are changing. Our culture is shifting to seek harmony with nature. More and more each year, people are drawn to things that help reconnect them to the Earth, such as today’s Paganism and other forms of Earth Spirituality. Other reconnections might be as subtle as popular trends towards natural food. Think about it. What makes you feel more connected to the Earth – a fresh crispy carrot from your garden, or a polysorbate-hydrogenated-yellow # 3 cheese-flavored doodle from a plastic bag?

Since we all spring from the Earth, perhaps it is no accident that the Old ways are making a come-back now – when the Earth’s ecosystem is under attack. Living things often change to seek balance, to adapt. We sweat to cool ourselves down; we shiver to warm ourselves up. Does the Earth do the same? If so, can these changes explain why society changes over time? If we are of this Earth, perhaps we go through seasons of change no different than the leaves on the tree. If you believe in an Earth Religion, how has this spiritual path influenced the way you treat the world? Its living creatures? Its natural surroundings? Do you see recycling as a religious act? Conserving? Voting? If so, why? How are your own everyday actions – your job, your homelife, your love for others – part of the Earth?

Perhaps social trends are part of Earth’s own metabolism, rising and falling within the Earth’s own cycles. If so, our wish to care for the environment might be like Earth’s antibodies fighting the disease of pollution. Perhaps culture reflects the Earth’s cycle between creative periods, followed by destructive ones, creatively renewed again over time. Why not? This isn’t far off from other cycles. If you see society linked to Earth’s own cycles, does this give you a new perspective on history — including both our shining accomplishments as well as our darkest misfortunes? Can it help us understand cultural beliefs that might differ from our own? All people — whether naughty or nice — are Children of the Earth. If social trends are part of Earth’s cycles, we might even use history to predict where we as a people are headed! Look back over the last thousand years. What parts of history speak to you? Where do you think we will be in five years? Twenty? A hundred? What signs make you feel this way?

 

Earth in Your Everyday Life

Revering the Earth, in all its forms, is not limited to your religious practice. All parts of your life can be sacred and magical! The Earth is your breakfast, your back yard, your neighbors. Is there anything you might touch that is not part of the Earth?

We are most familiar with the parts of the Earth closest to us. See the Earth in your own “village” and even in the patch of ground upon which your home is built. When you eat from your garden, you take in a bit of the specific land upon which you reside. If you don’t have a garden, you can still enjoy locally grown produce. Where I live, we pride ourselves on local corn and tomatoes! What does your region have to offer? Is your bay filled with fresh crabs? Do you live near where steers are raised, or maybe where the salmon swim? Experiment with the geography in foods. Get to know your local delicacies, but also reach out across the globe. We live in an age where we can sip Italian Chianti squeezed from grapes grown on the same land where Leonardo Da Vinci dreamt of great flying machines or where Michelangelo chiseled great works of art. We can enjoy Earth’s olives picked not far from the ancient Greek temples of Aphrodite. We can pour rich dark ale brewed on the same isle as Stonehenge. Near or far, Earth is a wonderful place!

Gnomes, faeries, elves et al. We have age-old tales of Earthly spirits inhabiting the woodlands. While I do not believe in little green men, nor winged Tinkerbells – I do feel the Dear Ones that bring a wooded place to life. During a recent walk in the woods, someone dear to me shared her own definition of Earth Spirits. She explained to me that the forest is made up of unique individual beings – each tree, each flower – is as unique a life as I am. I often forget that individual Spirits reside in the very place we spread our picnic blanket. I often forget that the wooden beams in my living room, or even my kitchen table, once came from something alive, a specific tree, one that may have even had a name given to it by local tree-climbing kiddies at play.

And like we have our own by-gone ancestors, each tree and flower sprang from its own individual set of genetic parents, and grandparents, and so on… We live and walk upon the brown Earthy humus of past life forms. Perhaps it is no accident that the word humus, the rich outer layer of soil where plants grow and later decompose, comes from the same Indo-European root as the words human and humility. This reminds us that we too are of the humus.

Earth can be found in the language we use everyday. Next time you hear the phrase “down to Earth” think about the words and what they mean. Other languages are just as Earthy as our own. For example, in Holland the Dutch use the term Aard Appel to describe a potato. This term literally means “Earth Apple.”

The Old English/Germanic word Earth is unique since it is the only planet not named after a Greek or Roman Deity. Brian Swimme and Thomas Berry, authors of “The Universe Story” (Harper, 1992, San Francisco) marvel at the idea of naming planets after Deities since the creation and actions of planets are still quite a mystery to science! But our planet has many names. The Norwegians call it Jorda; the Finns call it Maa. (Ma? How maternal can you get!) In Russian, Earth is Zemlja; in Latin it is Terra. Since Latin is familiar to us, we can see that words like territory, terrace and terrain all have Earthy roots. But so does the word terrier, which describes a dog prone to digging holes! Even the word mundane is rooted in the Latin word mundus, the world. (See, mundane things really are magical after all!)

The Hopi Indians wrote a song called “The Earth is Our Mother, We Must Take Care of Her.” An interesting concept! In what specific way did the “Earth” give birth to you? In my case, Mother Earth is a kind-hearted woman with lovely green eyes, who met my Father in a small-town roller skating rink. This particular aspect of Mother Earth bore two girls and two boys; I am the youngest. If you revere the Earth as your Mother, can you revere your own Mother as the Earth? As the Hopi say, we must take care of her.

How else can Earth be seen in everyday terms? We often ritualize a form of libation, where we might reverently spill a sip from the chalice onto the ground, or maybe return a morsel of food back to the Earth. What if we did that not just in Circle, but on other occasions? Next Thanksgiving, pass a small plate around the table and ask each person to contribute a taste from their own dish. Take your collection and place it outside in the yard. Any meal can become a ritual, whether a simple crumble from your lunch-bag sandwich, or a romantic gesture during a candle-lit dinner for two.

 

Conclusion

Earth, like most broad Spiritual concepts, can have many meanings. So do Air, Fire, Water – or just about anything else you might see as magical and sacred. Try to step back a bit from traditional teachings and cultural norms. (You may find that a mosaic becomes a bit clearer when viewed from a distance.) Look at things from a variety of angles. Look for how these magical forces manifest in very simple ways within your own surroundings. Often we draw the boundary between magical and mundane; nature does not.

Link
6538 Collins Avenue # 255
Miami Beach, FL 33141
AnthLink@aol.com

Lady of the Crossroads

Lady of the Crossroads
by Heathwitch

One on three
which way to go
a second stood still
faces outcast
Darkness about clasped
with snake and lion and hound
thin veins under leather
untouched by time
outstretched a touch
with eyes of heaven.
One on three
take a step
make a choice
I will be with you
silent when needed
A fury when you fear
Face the Moon
I will be here.
.
At Samhain, our thoughts turn toward the memory of our ancestors, the mysteries of death and rebirth, the practice of divination. We decorate our altars with blacks and oranges, photographs of those who have passed on, and we commune with the Lords and Ladies of the Underworld such as the Greek Goddess Hecate.

Hecate is the Thracian Goddess of the moon, absorbed as a Titan by the Greeks and worshipped at crossroads, for She has the ability to see past, present and future pathways. Though most commonly perceived as a Crone Goddess, Hecate can also appear as a Maiden, terrible and beautiful to behold.

She is the dark Goddess, the Lady of the Wild Hunt and keeper of occult knowledge and wisdom. Known as the “Goddess of Witches” and the “Patroness of Priestesses”, Hecate stands at the gateway between life and death, such is Her role as Queen of the Underworld and the Lady of Spirits. She is also the changer, the one who destroys in order to cause rebirth and regeneration.

Hecate’s roles are not solely tied to the “darker” aspects of life however. She is also the midwife who blesses new life in the world, the teacher who guides seekers and the witness who aides with decision-making and determining truth, the giver of courage and strength. She is intuition and psychic ability, the Lady of dreams and nightmares who helps us see the deeper, shadow-side of our psyches. She is the Wise Woman who sees all and knows all, and who will willingly share Her knowledge and wisdom with you, if you but ask.

Hecate’s colours are deep reds, purples and black, and She rules over all wild animals in particular dragons, dogs, frogs, horses, reptiles, toads and snakes. Her trees are willow and yew, most commonly seen in graveyards, and She can be found in the tarot cards the Hermit, the Moon and the High Priestess.

You can invite Hecate into your life by mixing an oil for Her (add 10 drops cypress oil, 6 drops patchouli oil and 4 drops sandalwood oil to 20ml of base oil) and including it in a ritual or meditation dedicated to Hecate. Alternatively you could make an incense blend to honour this Goddess try the following recipe:

½ part crushed garlic
½ part mandrake root
½ part mugwort
2 parts willow bark
1 part lavender
4 parts myrrh
A few drops of cypress oil
A few drops of myrrh oil

You can also work with Hecate in ritual; She can be invoked to aid in inner exploration, dream-work, divination, healing, spells of all kinds, banishings and the release of negativity, communicating with the dead, and meditations and journeys to your inner self.

At Samhain, Hecate can be called upon to focus your intuition when practicing divination on this night when the veils between the world are thin. She can be invoked for help in spell workings and the making of charms, or to help in soul-searching meditations.

Most often, though, Hecate is invoked at Samhain to aid in honouring and contacting our Beloved Dead, those who have passed from this physical life before us:

Decorate the altar with blacks and oranges. Use flowers of the same colours, and fruits of the season (pumpkins, root vegetables). Light orange and black candles if possible and use a mixture of cedarwood and sweetgrass incense — cedarwood for purification, sweetgrass for your ancestors.

Assemble on your altar pictures of your ancestors and mementos you may have received from them.

Cast circle in your usual way. Invoke Hecate:

“Hecate, Goddess of the Realm of Spirits,
She who stands at the crossroads,
Seer of past, present and future,
Guardian of all Witches and Lady of the Dark,
I ask you to come forth into my circle
And stand with me this night
Hail and welcome!”

Feel Hecate come into your circle. Sit with your altar and slowly focus on each of your ancestors. Speak aloud of their life and their impact on you. Ask Hecate to acknowledge your reverence of those who have gone before, and ask that your ancestors know of your love and thoughts.

Take your time and do not be afraid of the emotions which may come to you; embrace them and welcome them into your circle. As you speak of your ancestors you may feel them draw near from the Summerlands; do not be afraid — instead, feel touched by their presence and thank them for all they mean to you.

Thank Hecate and your ancestors for their presence and say goodbye. Blow out the candles and take up circle.

Have a Blessed Samhain!

Sources:
———-
Ann, Martha, and Dorothy Myers Imel. Goddesses in World Mythology: A Biographical Dictionary. Oxford University Press: New York (1995).
Ardinger, Barbara. Goddess Meditations. Llewellyn: Minnesota (1998).
Conway, D. J. The Ancient and Shining Ones. Llewellyn: Minnesota (1993).
Franklin, Anna. Magical Incenses and Oils. Capall Bann: Berkshire (2000).
Marashinsky, Amy Sophia. The Goddess Oracle: A Way to Wholeness through the Goddess and Ritual. Element: Boston (1997).
Sjöö, Monica & Mor, Barbara. The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering The Religion of the Earth. HarperCollins: San Francisco (1991).
Zell, Morning Glory. “Manifesting Hecate”, SageWoman # 60 (Winter 2003). Blessed Bee: California (2003).
.
About The Author: Heathwitch is a Witch, teacher and author. She runs courses and workshops on energy work, healing, Witchcraft and magic. High Priestess of the Circle of the Moon coven, Heathwitch lives in Cheshire, England.

Samhain – Crone Spell

To Produce, Psychic Dreams

PURPOSE:  To aid all around psychic development

BACKGROUND:  Samhain is the season of the Crone – the “Old Woman” aspect of the Goddess, the divine midwife who brings us into life and helps us cross over into death. A guardian of sacred thresholds, she also spins, weaves and cuts our life threads. Because of this, she is sometimes depicted as a spider or represented by a web. Sometimes known as the “Hag” or Cailleach, the crone is strongly connected with psychic abilities and the ability to walk between the worlds–the capacity to traverse the borderland between everyday reality and other realities such as Faerie or the Land of the Dead.

Items you will need:

  • Two teaspoons of dried mugwort
  • One teaspoon of powdered elder leaves
  • Six drops of  cypress essential oil
  • Mortar and pestle
  • One charcoal disk in a fireproof dish
  • One black candle
  • Matches or lighter

Casting the Spell:

  • Blend the mugwort, elder leaves and cypress oil in the mortar and pestle.
  • Light the charcoal, then the black candle, saying:
Hecate, Goddess of the Crossroads,
Direct me.
Weaver, guide my thread into
The spaces between.
 
  • Sprinkle the incense onto the charcoal, and inhale the scent.
  • Close your eyes. Visualize yourself walking from the East to a Crossroads at sunset and stopping to face North. From this direction, a dark figure approaches. This is the Crone. When She stops, She will beckon you to follow her. She will lead you to a gateway: don not pass through this time, but note what it looks like and any symbols that are written on it. This is the gateway through which you must pass before you can walk between the worlds–and you will need to look out for it, or its symbols, in lucid dreams during this winter.
  • Keep careful note of your dreams between now and Imbolc.

 

The Spells Bible
Ann-Marie Gallagher

The Crone

 The Crone

Posted byPatrick McCleary
 
In my third and final installment covering the aspects of the Goddess, we turn to the Crone. Ancient Hag of the boundless wisdom. I hope that you enjoyed the last two sections.
Charge of the Crone

Come closer my grandchildren sit at my feet and hear my words. Let me tell you the story of my life and the lessons I have learned. Know that I am the Darksome terrible Goddess, but I only bring terror to those who do not understand.

I am Hecate, the Crossroads. I am Morganna, Raven of Battles. I am the widow descending to the Underworld to find my lost husband and my future son. And I am the womb that they are born from.

Know that at lifes end I will be waiting for you; to guide you through death and into rebirth. And that I will be there at birth to guide you through birth into life.

To truly taste life is to worship me. For Magick and art are my domains and my greatest lesson is love itself. So let there be compassion in your anger, power in your humbleness and mirth balanced against discipline.

Yet remember that if you seek to remove my veil and see my true face you have only to look within for I am always with you from the beginning to the end.

AspectsWho is the Crone? She is the one who, wrapped in mystery, brings the wisdom that is key to unlock the ancient mysteries. She is blunt and sometimes harsh but that is only because she has learned the value of unfettered honesty. The end of her life draws near and she has no time to indulge people in their illusions. She can be turned to when the world has baffled you, because she has lived a long life and more likely then not she has already solved the puzzle that faces you.See her face in the dark of the Moon and the cool night shadows and look within to know that she has always been with you from birth through death. She is the tomb that is the womb that leads from death into the rebirth and new life.

The Crone goddess of the Welsh was Cerridwen. A shape-shifting goddess of divination and enchantment. Her cauldron is a symbol of death and of life. It represents the womb and the tomb through which we have all passed and will pass again.

Her cauldron can contain the elixir of immortality that allows us to pass through death and into rebirth to live again. It may also contain the waters of Knowledge. Which would make it the Grail that Arthur seeked so long for. For a king of the Celts ruled by the will of the Goddess.

The ancient race of the Slavs worshipped a Goddess called Baba Yaga. She is the old crone that guards the Water of Life and Death. She is oftentimes represented as the wild untamed forces of nature but as we know the storm brings the water of life allowing for rebirth.

Her symbols are the birch tree, the tree of beginnings and endings. She was also known as the White Lady as she is stiff and white and carved of bone

 
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The Mother

The Mother 

Posted byPatrick McCleary

In my continuing series on teaching the different aspects of the Gods to kids, here is the section on the Mother aspect.
 
Rede of the Mother

Listen close and hearken to my words:

I who am Demeter, giver of fruitfulness and abundance; I who am Arianrhod, the Turner of the Heavenly Wheel; I who am Selene, Queen of the Starlit Heavens and Goddess of the Moon; I who am Hera, Goddess of the Hearth.

As I am the Goddess of the Moon. I am the bringer of change in your life. And although you may not see the wisdom, all I do is done for the betterment of each and every one of my children. But fear not for I am also Hera, Goddess of the Unchanging Hearth and I bring that growing power to each of your ventures, if they follow the Rede.

But also remember that for each of these gifts that I offer you, you must in turn spread your gifts to the people around you. Be a light in the world to show the way of love and the way of peace and passivity. But do not think that I counsel you to let yourself be trodden upon. Stand firm in your beliefs and for your rights. Yet do this while remaining calm and loving. And I assure you that if enough of you do this then it will spread like all wondrous things will and the world will be united in peace and love.

Let each person lead their own lives. yet counsel in love if you see them doing harm to themselves or others. Also lead by example. Live these words and others will follow. For do not actions speak louder than words?

I give you all my blessings and shower you in my Love. Blessed Be!

AspectsThe Mother is an aspect of the Goddess that at first glance seems self-explanatory. The Mother is the mother right? While she is that nurturing force, she is also self-sacrifice personified. But not self-sacrifice for its sake, rather she will sacrifice her needs and desires and even herself for her children and those she loves.As the Maiden was the Virgin, so has the Mother commited herself to her lover and to her children. Now that she is grown older she can no longer worry only about today and how she is affected, for she has brought new life into the world and she carries that responsibility.

She is the gateway to life and the womb that grows the seed. She is the Moon and the Earth and the controller of tides. She is universal love and the path to peace.

Demeter as the Goddess of grain and fertility was an important deity to the ancient Greeks. She was the mother of Persephone who was also called Kore. And in that story we see the dedication found in this aspect. She never stopped seeking for her lost daughter and when she found her she braved all things, even death, to rescue her.

Before her marriage to Zeus, Hera was called the Queen of Heaven because she ruled over the heavens and the earth and was responsible for every aspect of existence, including the seasons and the weather. She was also known as Juno in the Roman pantheon, the Goddess of weddings. Her sacred animals were the peacock and the cow. The cow symbolizing Hera’s watchfulness over her children and the peacock symbolizes her beauty and immortality. She has been called upon in olden days to bless and protect a woman’s marriage. Bringing fertility and protection for her children

 
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The Maiden

The Maiden 

Posted byPatrick McCleary

One of the most often questions from my youngest is about the Goddess and God. So I sat down and wrote up some poems and guidelines to help explain the different aspects of Them. Today I figured I would share with you the work I did on the Maiden. Hope that you enjoy.

Song of the Maiden

Hear the words of the Maiden:

I who am La Primavera, The Springtime. I who am the promise of Life and the hope for immortality. The one who from beneath my dancing feet spring flowers. I who am the Virgin, untameable. Robed in white, pure and untouched by the world’s strife.

I bid you to be merry in all you do. When you make love be sure to think of me for your little deaths are a chance for the beginnings of a little life. And at every birth think of me. For whether boy or girl I am also born there.

Every drop of rain is a blessing falling from my lips, so rejoice in the falling rain. I represent life unbridled, untamed. So I bid thee remember to be unashamed to sing or dance when the mood takes thee.

For every dance and every song is but an expression of the Song of Creation and the Dance of the Creatrix.

Count thy blessings every day and let not sadness take thee for every ending and misfortune leads to a new beginning and greater fortune. There is no room for sadness in the worship of Me.

Also remember not to fear the night for after every night there comes a new dawn. And I promise tht if ye look careful you can see me arrayed in clours wondrous on every morn at the rise of the Sun.

Specific Goddesses

This is the aspect of the Goddess pertaining to Youth and Innocence. She is the Eternal Virgin but not in the patriacharchal sense of a woman before sex or marriage but in the older sense of the word, a woman that belongs only to herself.

The Maiden aspect has many lessons for us. To love without bounds, to view the world through the eyes of innocence and to live in the moment. Through her we learn mercy and compassion. She is also a goddess of passion and gracefulness.

But as much as the Maiden lives in the now, she does not forget her duties. Nor does she let her innocence allow her to be taken advantage of. She is the Huntress, the Warrior Queen as much as she is the Midwife and the Gardener.

There are many Goddesses that fall into this aspect. One example is Artemis who was born after a short and painless labor. After her birth she then turned around and became midwife and nurturer to her Mother, Leto, and helped her mother to give birth to her own twin brother Apollo. Because of this Artemis became the Goddess of childbirth, the protector of children, and the goddess who listened most closely to the appeals of women. This Goddess’ association with the wilderness around us, symbolized her own untamed nature. Because of her independence she became the best huntress of the Gods. She was also often depicted carrying a torch to light the way for others, leading them through territories yet uncharted.

There is also the Goddess Kuan Yin who’s story best tells us about her. In her youth she was Miao Shan a maiden that wanted to become a Buddhist nun but was forbidden to do so by her Father. He tried to have her married off and when she refused he sent soldiers to kill her. She was saved by a tiger but then descended into the Land of the Dead and freed the souls in bondage there. Rose again and was greeted by Buddha himself who sent her into hiding on the isle of P’u T’o Shan where she reached enlightenment. Yet her suffering had taught her mercy and compassion so that she stopped short and turned back with the pledge to save mankind. That she would not reach enlightenment until everyone else before her reached there.

 
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Honoring Ancestors

Honoring Ancestors
By Arteal
.
Leaves
Swirling and twirling
On the pavement
Dancing and prancing
On the ground
Could it be
What did I see
Was it leaves
Or faeries
Tricking me

Many of my loved ones have passed over the years. Some of the dearest people to me found it time to cross over and process what it is they learned in this life. I think of them often. Memories of them often bring a smile to my face. Any time of year I can see them or feel them, but it is the month of October that their presence is strongest.

This time of the thinning veil almost makes them so solid I can touch them. So it is this time that I honor them. Sometimes it is solitary and other times I invited close friends and family to be with me and we collectively honor all of our ancestors.

We begin the evening by creating an altar with symbols, pictures and mementos of our ancestors. The altar is usually kept simple with photos and small items connected to those that have gone before. Once the altar is complete we have our feast. The meal takes place in complete silence and there is always one seat kept empty with a full plate to honor our ancestors. Often a cat finds his way to the empty chair while we eat our meal in silence.

Once our meal is complete we retire to our ritual space, usually the living room. We clear the coffee table and begin clockwise. Each person takes a turn to light a tea light and share a story of an ancestor. We continue going around the circle telling stories until the table top is full. We then sit quietly watching the flames and remembering. The evening is ended with placing the full plate of food outside in our of our ancestors.

The people and spirits I share this night with seem to leave as quietly as they came. I wish you and all your ancestors a blessed Samhain.

About The Author: Arteal is an Ordained Minister and High Priestess of The Order of the White Moon. She is founder of Moonlit River, where you will find the Feminine Divine, healing and guidance. Arteal is a Shamanic Practitioner and Reiki Master.

View From My Side of the Broomstick

View From My Side of the Broomstick

Author: Keyokwee

I am always amazed and enlightened by the differing views that we all take away from our encounters with each other and Mother Nature herself. We can choose to look at ritual performed in the moonlight in the nude, as a powerful statement, a beautiful sign that there is nothing between yourself and Goddess, or simply cover up. But the choice is yours to do so and no less is thought of you if you choose not to do so.

Also since I am a Crone, I can truly savor a wicked sense of humor when it is delivered with justice! My husband, while pagan, does not go for the “foo-fer-all” of rituals instead preferring to sit on the sidelines and watch (usually mildly amused) . But he does understand and accepts me, as I am when I do my thing.

Now in the Crone aspect of life, I can truly respect Hecate. I am constantly amazed by what she can teach me, including and especially, in preparation for the unexpected in life. And since I’m mainly Irish, Hecate likes to throw a twist of the Murphy’s into my life, to keep me on my toes, and to gently remind me to cover my bases before throwing myself enthusiastically into my worship.

I’m reminded that I must approach Her with extreme caution and Wisdom because she will deliver a lesson that you’re sure never to forget. As Hecate is kind of like the Goddess of the Crones, she respects the fact that one is a Crone and allows some leeway for it. But in my case, She delights in delivering her lessons with a ruthless sense of humor. Case in point…

My husband and I live in a very rural part of Northern CA, and we like our privacy. It’s wonderful to have such freedom with no neighbors in sight. We have an above ground pool that is well used during the summer and we feel we can safely skinny-dip in the pool or pretty much walk au-natural around our house. (Polite people call before barging in!) And I feel quite comfortable in my own skin. So when my younger neighbor topped the hill after crossing the front pasture…I think that he pretty much got what he deserved!

It was a typical end to a very hot day. My husband I took advantage of the near darkness to dip into the delicious coolness of our pool and then climbed out to sit at our patio table. Each had our beverage of choice in hand. Mine was wine; his was beer. We were both caught up in the magic of the stars starting to twinkle overhead and the crickets and tree frogs were starting to turn up the volume on their nightly serenade.

There is something seductive about this time of the evening, especially when you are pagan. It’s one of the two times during the day that light meets dark and embraces. So we have come to expect that anything to happen.

I started humming and swaying and dancing around, caught up in the moment and had just raised my glass in a salute to the Goddess when the applications of Nature were driven home. The ensuing chain of events was a lesson to us all.

For it was at that time that our neighbor chose to walk over the top of the hill. But was that the end of it? Oh! Heck No!

Throw in the Murphy’s Law Applications: One Reubenesque Crone. Darkness falling. A salute to the Goddess with a glassful of wine. A gopher hole. And nine billion mosquitoes that all saw my 40 axe-handle butt shining with more lumens than a full moon reflected in an amusement park Hall of Mirrors!

You can see where this is going, can’t ya?

I was a mosquito posse’s dream come true served up on a smorgasbord! It was truly a sight to behold: A Gen-U-ine Kodak moment! I swear that I heard cackling a split second before everything converged at once. My neighbor got a free shot (Or so he thought) of a fat, drunk, naked middle aged lady who spilled her wine while flailing her arms around, waving at him!

I bet that was a little bit too much information! But on the flip side, I’m a crone and I can appreciate the warped sense of Her dark humor served up with a liberal dose of Justice and Common Sense!

The seductive song of a warm summer’s night was disturbed by the unexpected appearance of a fool! There’s a reason why I am a solitary. May your mind be seared by the shocking sight of a Crone moments before her just desserts are served in Spades! I’m no Barbie Doll, honey…this is the real stuff at 54-gravity served up on steroids!

Well that poor kid must have thought that his eyes and brain just sucked a big one on the un-sweetened Lemon of Truth because the ensuing retreat was felt on the local Richter scale.

And what desserts are those, ya almost forgot to ask?

Never think that you can get away with just a toast. Share or She’ll take it all! And if you toast Her, come with just a little wisdom and be prepared to use some common sense. Burn the incense of citronella or ‘Off ‘coils.

(Friends and neighbors, please call first. That’s the polite thing to do!)

And to the fool drinking the beer: Keep your mouth shut! Never again wince and look at your bottle and say, ”That’s going to leave a mark!” to the retreating form of your neighbor’s back.

In the blink of an eye that song of that summer night was drowned out and replaced by the high pitched whine of the incoming going to Glory! The mosquitoes were everywhere! I quickly started flailing about inside the midst of that cloud, stepped in the gopher hole in the process, and flung my last glass of wine out to the grass.

I left three-quarters of the cloud of mosquitoes there to deal with Mr. Naked Big-Mouth while I hastily retreated to spray myself with ‘Off’. The other quarter of them followed me into the house where they fed on his sorry carcass for the rest of the night because he refused to spray himself down!

So what marks is your sorry butt referring to now? The ones left in the mind of our neighbor, or the ones on your backside? Or on mine. Even my hills and valleys now have hills and valleys. (And have you folks ever sprayed yourself with Off after scratching yourself? There’s a real in-the-now reminder! Humph!)

I still swear I hear Her cackling and snapping Her fingers saying, “ YES! The Goddess is in the house!”

Peace and Blessings, Honey!

When I Was A Christian Wiccan

When I Was A Christian Wiccan

Author: Priest Christopher Aldridge
I became Pagan at age 22, but at the time I had no knowledge or interest in magick, I was just a worshipper of the Greek Gods. Later I got into Witchcraft and attended The Grey School of Wizardry to become a Wizard, later I became Wiccan. Being in love with the archangels, I saw no reason I could not combine Christianity and Wicca. Besides, the archangels are not of a religion, and I could see Jesus and Mary as God and Goddess. Witchvox even published an article I wrote a long time ago defending my faith.

Now I made good arguments backed up with factual information, and even though I could argue very well against opposition, I never felt completely right about being a Christian Wiccan. Something just told me that this belief system was opposing itself from opposite ends in many ways.

Now don’t get me wrong, working with the archangels as a Wiccan is not considered Christian Wicca. A good example would be the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, which calls on Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael.

However, having Christian influences such as Jesus as a God and Mary as a Goddess does make one more along the lines of a Christian Wiccan.

I eventually got into a huge YouTube debate over how valid the faith was, and I think there were good points made on both sides. But shortly after I decided to pull away from Wicca and continue on my previous path of Wizardry and Witchcraft, believing it would be more liberal and allow me to keep my Christian side in the sense that there was no established belief structure like in Wicca where you believe in things that are not compatible with Christianity. I knew that being a Wizard and practicing Witchcraft would allow me to have my own belief system.

And this did work for a while, but one day I had a complete change of faith. The Greek Gods returned and saved my life and the life of my friend one night. I did at first call on Jesus and Saint Michael to no avail. Something just told me to call on the Greek Gods, and glory to their names, they came. I feel that I am not permitted to give details at this time, but in that instant my Pagan faith was fully restored and I felt no need to be Christian at all anymore.

Ever since, I became once again a Greek Pagan, and I was no longer a Christian in my magickal practices. However, I did not return to Wicca, I stayed a Wizard. Now I do believe that it is possible for a Christian to practice Witchcraft and I do believe it is possible for a Wiccan to adopt the Christian Pantheon, but I know that I was a big Christian Wiccan and I did not fell totally right about it and I was changed.

Now if you’re a Christian Wiccan and you believe with all of your heart, mind and soul that you are 100% on the right path, then go for it, but seriously examine it and how you feel deeply. Christian Wiccans are a rare group, and I believe they are getting fewer and fewer. I believe you will find a Pagan path far more fulfilling and rewarding.

However, whatever you do, don’t change your path or beliefs because someone else said it was wrong or bashed you. Change because you feel you should and because it is best for you. If you change your beliefs every time someone disagrees, you won’t have any beliefs. But I will say as before that I feel more fulfilled as a Pagan again. It even helped me swallow my pride and let go of my masculine monotheistic nature.

Even if you go through your entire Christian Wiccan path without facing opposition or criticism, you will still probably find a conflict within yourself. Plus, you will be missing out on so many wonderful and magickal practices and beliefs in order to keep Christian Wicca from conflicting with the majority of Pagan Wiccan beliefs.

I just think that Christian Wicca provides a very limited and conflicting path within yourself at some point. Now sometimes it is good to take the road less traveled, but not when it is going to greatly limit your ability to prosper and grow.

I’ll give you an example. Almost if not all Wiccan practices with Magick involve invoking a Pagan God or spirit, not a Christian one. So you will find yourself isolated from the group, which will make it harder for you. Wiccan is by and large a Pagan religion, not a Christian one. Yes, Christianity draws almost all of its religion from Paganism, but Christianity also condemns them. And Christians dishonored many of the Pagan Gods.

However, if you still want to be a Christian Wiccan, then there are a few things I think you should follow.

1) Find a coven of Christian Wiccans (of which I don’t believe there are any) or be a solitary.

2) Stay true to your faith, but do not brag about it. It will eventually lead to a heated argument, especially if you are sensitive and serious about your path.

3) If you do attend public ritual, remember that you don’t have to announce your path. You are a Wiccan, so you can leave it at that.

4) Discard any ideas of sin, Hell and/or Satan, for Wiccans believe in none of those.

5) Always be extremely well informed and be ready to back up your faith with facts and logic.

6) Do not ever try to be a Wiccan with a Bible in your hand; it will not work.

7) Always consider the possibility of moving away from Wicca and into an open practice of Witchcraft or Wizardry or both. Remember, there is nothing that says a Witch or Wizard has to believe a certain way, but a Wiccan is within a belief structure.

8) Make sure that your path feels completely right. If you have portions of doubt, then examine their causes carefully.

9) Seek the council of highly experienced Wiccans, Witches or Wizards on the subject. I don’t think you need to fear ridicule from masters.

10) Set up your belief structure far beyond just the Christian Pantheon. Think of all the possible conflicts between Wicca and Christianity and give your beliefs as to why they are not conflicts.

I think that in the end it is about having a solid belief system. Remember, to be a Christian Wiccan is to be a very rare individual, and so you must know what you believe and why.

I think Christian Wicca is much easier for a solitary practitioner. Now I would never bash or ridicule someone for his/her sincerely held religious beliefs, but keep in mind that there are such people, and sometimes the best thing to do is ignore them.

I know from experience that neither of you will change the other, nor will it ever end until one of you gets tired of arguing. So be prepared to defend yourself, but do not look for an argument, and the best way to do that is to not brag and keep to yourself in humility.

Also remember that the number of Christians in the world is on the decline and the number of Wiccans and Pagans are on the rise, so Christianity is not this super popular club that everyone is dying to draw from.

If you feel a calling to Wicca, Witchcraft and/or Wizardry and Paganism, then go for it and consider the possibility that this could be your new religion. It may be time to leave Christianity in the past.

Blessed Be.

Footnotes:
Personal experience

The Veil as Seen Through the Eyes of a Witch

The Veil as Seen Through the Eyes of a Witch

Author: Crick

As I near my twilight years I begin to think of death. Not as a final stage, but rather as a doorway standing before me. The door is closed but through it I shall enter, as we all must at some point in time. Our Sacred Mother decides upon such a time, for it is she who sends her children forth into the Chautauqua of Life. And it is she who calls them back home.

For some the journey is but a moment in time, like a shooting star that appears ever so briefly. One of my sons was such a shining star, here and gone ever so quickly. Like a ripple across a quiet pond, he touched our hearts and then was gone. His moment of existence resonated in our souls like a song that will never end.

For others the stay is longer, like errant children with so much to learn. Perhaps it is life lessons to be repeated or maybe a lesson of our selves unto others. For we all are students of life, seeking to find the answers that allow us to grow. However, at the end of the day, it becomes time for us to return home.

Sometimes we face this return with trepidation, like children who want to stay out past dark. However it is children that we are and when our mother calls it is time to go home. For our knowledge of what lies behind the door that leads through the veil is not a reality. We are like small children whose whole sense of reality has been confined to a small fenced in back yard. We have no real awareness of the whole wide world that lies just beyond our gate.

As we go through this life, we sometimes find ourselves in a state of physical pain. The reason for this I cannot fathom or answer as to why. For the ways of Deity, are not for us to know at this stage in our development. For us to have such knowledge is to be as one with our Sacred Mother. Perhaps the pain that such folks endure is a lesson from another life. Or perhaps it is the beginning of a lesson in this current life.

We often feel love and compassion for those who experience such, and then perhaps that is the lesson intended for us. In the end, only Deity has the answers to such. As it is, when it becomes my turn to stand before the door leading to the corridor of transition from this life to that, I can only hope that I do so with a sense of dignity.

The dear Goddess has given us many gifts in the way of experiences. Some of these lessons were tinged with pain while others carried a note of joy. She has created a complex harmony with numerous opportunities to learn about ourselves and indeed to learn about others as well.

Many folks in this life will mill about at the foot of the mountain of life, their hearts and minds poisoned with fear of what lies ahead. And so their journey through this life will be compromised and with closed eyes, dwelling on what may or may not be.

I personally believe that this persona of fear has been initiated and exploited by those who would seek to control the thoughts and actions of those who succumb to such implanted paranoia’s.

As a witch though, I walk through this existence as an individual. And will indeed climb to the top of the mountain of life, seeing each arduous step, as merely another stride in the spiritual growth that awaits each of us. And once the peak is reached I will extend my hands to the skies and whisper a heartfelt thank you to Deity. Thus in this manner, giving a sign of appreciation for the opportunity to have experienced the lessons of this realm as we become that much closer to the final goal of being one with Deity.

From the moment that we take our first breath, we are walking towards the door that leads through the veil. And so when Deity extends their hand and beckons me forth, I will do as was planned prior to my existence in this realm.

Granted, there will be feelings of sadness, for one cannot enter this realm without creating a comfort zone composed of family and friends. But then there will also be feelings of curiosity and anticipation and of course many unanswered questions.

For instance will Deity be awaiting our crossing with open arms? Will those friends and family who have made the journey before us be waiting to greet and acclimate us to our new existence? Will our Spirit Guides who have planted the seeds of lessons and watched as these lessons blossomed into newfound knowledge be there to congratulate us? Will there be yet other teachers and/or personas from ages past waiting to test us anew?

Will we be allowed to take a moment to contemplate the experiences garnered while in this realm or will we awaken in yet another existence as if our level of awareness was momentarily put on hold? Will our existence in this realm resonate in our ken as but a moment in the over all framework of existence?

Of course all of these questions are pure speculation, as we do not have the knowledge at this point in our spiritual growth to answer such musings. But we do have the ability and knowledge as pagans to break away and reject the mind and heart numbing fear that others would impose upon us for their own limited and selfish devices.

Deity created this path of life, death and rebirth, not man. And therefore I place my trust in the grand scheme of things as designed by Deity rather then the tunnel vision of those who would pervert such ideals into something to be feared and distorted.

And so in summation, I will live my life as a Witch and when it comes time to walk through the veil, I will stroll through as a Witch…

Blood/Harvest Moon Ritual Mist

Blood/Harvest Moon Ritual Mist

 
 
Use this mist to fill you with the vitality of the Goddess.
 
You will need one cup of distilled water, three drops of lavender essential oil, one drop of rose essential oil, one drop of chamomile essential oil, and a white candle. Mix all the ingredients together in a spray bottle. As you shake the bottle, chant:
 
Great Goddess of eternal life
Invigorate this liquid with your divine light.
 
Light the candle and place the bottle of mist in front of the candle so that the light shines through it. Stare deep into the liquid and merge with it. Energize the mist with the vitality and divine life force of the bright Goddess. Close your eyes and spray the mist over your face. As your spray it on yourself, sense the light of the Goddess glowing within you and all around you.

Renewal Prayer (Blood/Harvest Moon)

Renewal Prayer

(Blood/Harvest Moon)
 
 
For better health and renewed energy, say this prayer before you go to sleep tonight:
 
Bright Goddess of the mysterious night
With your cape of moon and starlight
Please grant me good health and renewed life
Thank you Lady for your divine energy
I pray my life is always loving and healthy
Here and now, and eternally
In the name of the Goddess, blessed be!

Blood (Harvest) Moon Ritual

Blood Moon Ritual

 

 

The Blood Moon is the last of the harvest moons, and the one closest to Samhain, the time when the veil between this world and the Otherworld is the thinnest. Also known as “moon of the changing season” and “failing leaf moon” the Blood Moon represents the death of one cycle and the birth of a new cycle. Blood is the life force that flows through your physical body. The Blood Moon ritual gives you the opportunity to give thanks and celebrate this life force.

 

For this ritual, you will need a white candle, a red candle, a red apple, a chalice full of cranberry juice, and three daffodil bulbs.

Draw a magick circle and call in the elements. Light the white candle and say:

I light this candle for eternal light.

 

Light the red candle and say:

I light this candle for eternal life.

 

Give thanks to the Goddess before eating the apple:

Divine Lady, I thank you for your gift of life.

 

Place any seeds from the apple on the altar. Take the chalice of juice and go to each of the four directions while calling out:

Oh great and mighty one, ruler of eternal life

Our blood runs together as One on this sacred night.

 

Thank the Goddess and bid farewell to the elements. Pull up the circle and in the morning, take the three daffodil bulbs and plant them into the ground. They represent the eternal life of the divine Goddess being renewed for the next year. Return the apple seeds to the earth.

Hecate: Goddess of the Witches, Our Dark Mother

Hecate: Goddess of the Witches, Our Dark Mother
By: Granny Moon, HPS, Order of the White Moon
 
Kindly old Grandmother, The Crone, a woman of wisdom, Our Dark Mother, she of many names and guises. Goddess of the Crossroads, Queen of the Witches, the Dark Goddess, The TripleGoddess. The protectress of the flocks and the sailors, she is invoked as the bestower of wealth and favor. These are but a few of the names by which she is known. She has been with us from the beginning.
 
Hecate is the oldest Greek tri-form Goddess. She is at the same time the three-phased Moon, and, in particular, it’s dark phase. She is the Dark Mother, or Crone aspect and a major deity of the Dianic tradition. In the Greek pantheon, Hecate Tri-form is known as Artemis, Persephone and Hecate. Hecate is sometimes seen as the third aspect of the Trinity Persephone/Demeter/ Hecate for it is Hecate who leads Demeter to her daughter. She is a “dark” Goddess, associated with magic and the night. She is often portrayed with 3 heads or with a 3 headed dog. She was worshipped mostly at crossroads where offerings were left for her – these offerings were known sometimes as “Hecate’s Suppers” – and were left there late at night on the eve of the Full Moon. The person leaving the food walked away without looking back, for fear of confronting the Goddess face to face. This was a way of honoring the threefold Goddess where one could look three ways at once. Other offerings included honey, dogs, black ewes and sometimes even humans. Some say she is not originally Greek, she has been classified as Thracian or as a Titan. She may also be linked to the Egyptian Goddess Heket.
 
She is a Goddess of the Moon, of the Underworld, and of Magick. She is also considered the protectress of flocks, sailors and of course, witches. Hecate is the protectress of far-away places, roads, and byways. She is considered the Goddess of The Crossroads. Statues of her stood at crossroads where travelers were faced with three choices. In latter-day paganism, Hecterions (a form of pillar) depict the Goddess with six arms, three torches and three sacred symbols: A Key, A Rope and A Dagger. With the Key to the underworld, Hecate unlocks the secrets of the occult mysteries and knowledge of afterlife. The Rope symbolizes the umbilical cord of rebirth and renewal and the Dagger or Athame is a symbol of ritual power.
 
Hecate belongs to the class of torch bearing deities, and carries a burning torch in accordance with the belief that she is the nocturnal Goddess of The Moon. A huntress, she knows her way into the realm of spirits. She is depicted wearing a gleaming headdress of stars. All the secret powers of nature are at her command. She has control over birth, life, and death. Her work includes the world of the dead (just a resting place of the dead), of the night and of the darkness. She is the Mistress of all the Witchcraft and Black Arts.
On her walks at night, Hecate has many accomplices. Her two black, ghostly dogs who have been sacrificed to her, (her priestesses Circe and Medea) are sometimes referred to as being her daughters. At night during the Dark Moon, the Goddess can be seen walking the roads ofGreece with her howling dogs and torches. The black howling dogs at night mean that Hecate is approaching. She and her dogs journey over the graves of the dead to search for souls of the departed and then carry them to refuge in the Underworld. She also haunts scenes of crimes as a Goddess of Expiation and Purification. She can be called on during the Dark of the Moon to banish or render justice.
 
The women who worshipped her often stained their palms and soles of their feet with henna. An adaptation of this ritual is held on Halloween or Hallowmas held on October 31, to honor Hecate at a time when the veil between the Worlds is the thinnest. In private worship her followers prepare and partake of Hecate’s suppers and the leftovers are to be placed outdoors as offerings to her and her hounds.
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Wishing you health, wealth and the magick of the Season!
 
About The Author: GrannyMoon is a High Priestess and Charter Council Member of The Order of the White Moon. Former staff member and student of the Esoteric Theological Seminary, attended LDS Seminary and is an ordained Metaphysical Interfaith minister with doctoral degrees in Theology and Divinity. Doula, Reiki Master and Lifetime Member of Herbal Healer Academy, Inc. Founder of Sisters of the Burning Branch, dedicated to the Feminine Divine and is currently taking students.

Personal Ritual for the Waxing Moon this Samhain

Personal Ritual for the Waxing Moon this Samhain
(special note: if there are allergies or you wish to change your correspondences- please follow your instincts and do so)
 
Gather: Mini- Cauldron, spoon, small bottle with tight lid,
Incense [ that invokes a feeling of wisdom within you..your choice!
Red wine, pepper, honey, mint,
one white candle [Goddess energy]
one yellow candle [knowledge, wisdom]
 
ALTAR SETUP
 
Set up the altar & set other items aside, but within the space.
 
Begin by purifying yourself with the rose incense.
Create a sacred space or circle utilizing the incense; also focus creating the circle out of love and trust to invoke wisdom and transformation.
 
“Ceridwen’s cauldron holds many mysteries. What is the mystery of me? What are some of my correspondences?” ßLight white candle
“Cerridwen, I call to Theeßlight yellow candle
“Let this cauldron hold the elixir of me.”
“Red wine to represent my Earthiness and Intellect”ß pour a bit of wine into the cauldron
“Pepper to represent my Zest and boldness”ß put in a pinch of pepper
“Honey to represent my Natural sweetness and clarity of thought”ß put in a few drops of honey
“Mint to represent my Freshness and spontaneity”ßsprinkle in a bit of mint
“I stir this cauldron three times round” ß stir clockwise 3x’s
“Wisdom, Beauty, and Strength to me are bound.”
 
“Cerridwen, I know that I am the cauldron.
For that which I sought inside myself, I have found.” ßTake a 3 drops of the elixir and place on your tongue.
 
“I hold the essence, the knowledge of myself,” ßPour rest of elixir into the bottle
“I take it with me wherever I may go”ß put lid on bottle
“Thank you Goddess for your blessings- Hail and farewell!”
 
Ground, Center, and open circle.
 
**bottle of elixir may be opened and poured as a libation.
Saying “To the Goddess that I am; for I am an aspect of the Goddess Cerridwen.”
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About the Author: Nessa CrescentMoon is an initiate of the WMS, a mother of three and a wife; she also works full time, volunteers year round, and honors the Goddess in her daily life.

Traditional vs. Eclectic: We’re Not “All One Wicca”

Traditional vs. Eclectic: We’re Not “All One Wicca”

Author: Hexeengel

[Please note: For the purposes of this piece, the terms “Wicca” and “Wiccan (s) ” will refer to the British Traditional family of religious Witchcraft Traditions and those who follow them, the Traditions then including, but not limited to, such lines as Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Moshian, Blue Star, etc. “Neo-Wicca” and “Neo-Wiccan (s), ” then, indicate the perhaps more wide-spread and certainly more widely known Eclectic (and often Solitary) practices espoused by such authors as Scott Cunningham, Fiona Horne, Silver Ravenwolf, and others, the majority of them published by Llewellyn Books. I also use the term “Witch” interchangeably with “Wiccan, ” since nearly all Wiccans contend that they are indeed Witches.]

Anyone who’s been a part of the Wiccan or Neo-Wiccan communities for more than a week is undoubtedly aware of the schism between these two groups. The cause of much frustration for Wiccans is that some Neo-Wiccans misunderstand the distinction made between the practices. Wiccans contend that, while there is nothing wrong or bad or invalid or worthless about the practices of Neo-Wiccans, it is nonetheless a separate and distinct practice (or practices, as Neo-Wicca is Eclectic, after all) from Wicca; neither is better (except in a personal preference, subjective sense), but they are certainly different.

Many Neo-Wiccans, on the other hand, dislike that this distinction is made at all. Some are even offended by the use of “Neo-Wicca” or any classification other than “Wicca, ” but are yet very adamant that “we don’t do that, ” meaning that they find some aspects of Wicca ridiculous, unnecessary, or even offensive. It leads one to ask, if it’s all the same thing, then why isn’t it all… well, the same?

This piece is meant to serve as an outline of how much these two groupings of paths really do differ, and to explain some of the more controversial aspects of Wicca that draw much negative attention and criticism from some Neo-Wiccans. The biggest dividing factor, that then encompasses others, is the Wiccan practice of oathbound secrecy.

Many Wiccan Traditions are esoteric, oathbound practices. This means that there are certain things that are not to be revealed to non-initiates, and that initiates swear an oath to protect those aspects (an oath that they are then expected to keep for the rest of their lives, even if they choose to leave the Tradition at a later time). This is not meant to be used as an ego-trip or a form of elitism, but is instead in place to protect the experience of the Tradition and its rites and Mysteries. However, Wiccans do not contend that their path is the only way one may reach and experience the Mysteries, just that this is the way that suits them. What is usually kept secret, then, are the names of the Gods, the specifics of ritual, the identities (Magickal and mundane) of those who participate in the rituals, the tools used in ritual, and any other non-ritual contents of the Tradition’s Book of Shadows.

God-names are kept secret because They (the God and Goddess honored) are considered “tribal, ” wholly unique to the Tradition. In non-initiate training rituals, a Priest and Priestess may choose to utilize place-holder names of similar Deities, ones with compatible traits, qualities, and associations. However, some may choose to simply use the non-specific terms “God and Goddess” or “Lord and Lady” instead of proper names. That decision is left up to the Priest and Priestess of the ritual/group. If place-holder names are used, they are then a tool to help teach those in training about the God and Goddess they will meet and commune with during and after initiation, so that there will be some degree of familiarity once the initiate comes to face the Gods of their chosen Tradition.

The specifics of ritual, as was aforementioned, are not told to non-initiates to protect the experience. Think of it this way; you and a friend both want to see a newly premiered movie, and your friend gets the opportunity to attend a showing before you do. How impolite and improper would it be for your friend to not only tell you every single detail of the film (including the ending), but also the emotions it will evoke from you, and the impact it would have on your life in general? I’m betting anyone would be pretty darn upset.

This is the same reasoning behind Wiccan rituals being kept secret, so that each initiate who experiences them does so as “untainted” as possible. This explains secrecy in regards to those seeking initiation, but for those who do not, a similar analogy is appropriate; if you see a movie but your friend has absolutely no interest in it, regardless of your opinion of said movie, they probably won’t want to hear about it at all. The logic then is that, since those not seeking initiation are assumed to be uninterested in the Tradition all together, what reason do they have to concern themselves with its practices?

Additionally, this secrecy maintains the authenticity of the rituals, and also the integrity of the initiating line back to the Tradition’s founder. Thus, the rituals cannot be altered or misused, and only those experienced in the Tradition’s Mysteries can go on to teach them to others.

As far as participants’ identities go, that’s fairly self-explanatory on one level; “outing” someone as a Witch is not something taken lightly, regardless of where one counts one’s self on the spectrum Wicca has become. But there is another level to it, in that Wiccans tend keep their lineage oathbound as well. One’s lineage is the line of initiating High Priestesses that leads from one initiate back to the founder of the Tradition, be they Gerald Gardner, Alex Sanders, etc.

And lastly, the tools used and the other, non-ritual contents of the Book of Shadows (BoS) are oathbound because they are related to the specifics of Wiccan practice and experience, and so revealing them can take away from those elements, just as describing pivotal scenes from a movie can taint the enjoyment of the whole thing.

These levels of secrecy and occultism (where “occult” takes on its more accurate meaning of “hidden or secret; to be known only by the initiated”) are a stumbling block to some Neo-Wiccans; they cannot fathom the reasons other than to make Wiccans feel special or better somehow, but as illustrated above, there are very real and important reasons.

Some folks though cannot find it in themselves to abide by these guidelines, but still feel the desire to walk a similar path. Partly because of this, Neo-Wicca and its policy of openness and universality were born. Neo-Wiccans are free to follow any and all God forms that may call or appeal to them, regardless of cultural or religious origin. Neo-Wiccans are also more prone to share their ritual scripts and spells with others. Some even post the entirety of their BoSs online or otherwise make it available for public consumption, such as through published books, which then are a large part of Neo-Wiccan learning materials.

Conversely, learning Wicca involves a specified path that utilizes the repetition of form to facilitate function; the actual movements and words are the same at each ritual, however it is the experience that differs and is truly the most important. This is an orthopraxic approach, that of correct practices leading to Divine experience, rather than orthodoxic, that of correct belief.

While many of us have come to associate “orthodox” with meaning oppressive or outdated and referring specifically to Christianity as often as not, if one simply takes the word at its face value, then Neo-Wicca is in fact an orthodox practice; as long as one believes the “right” things, then one is Neo-Wiccan and then can practice it in whatever fashion one desires.

But what are the “right” beliefs? Is it the duality and balance of God and Goddess? Not according to those called Dianic Wiccans, who hold the Goddess superior to the God, if He is even recognized at all. Additionally, as stated before, Wiccan God names are specific to each Tradition and oathbound, so by default Neo-Wiccans do not and cannot honor the God and Goddess by those same identities, so neither does “right belief“ include the specific Deity forms.

Is it then following the Wiccan Rede? That’s not it either, since there are practitioners out there who discard the Rede all together and still lay claim to the “Wiccan title” (and yes, I’m aware that “rede” means “counsel or advice” and not “commandment, ” but I’ve yet to encounter a Wiccan who thinks its irrelevant).

What about celebrating the Sabbats? Well, okay, almost anyone along the Wicca/Neo-Wicca spectrum can agree that these eight points of the year are important, but what’s not agreed on is how one celebrates them, or even what they’re called (as far as I can tell, only Samhain, Yule, and Beltane are universally used names, the rest can vary). In some cases, the dates are even in dispute, since there are those who figure the Greater Sabbats relative to the Lesser Sabbats each year, marking them as the precise midpoints between the astronomical Solstices and Equinoxes rather than the “fixed” dates of the common calendar.

This final point segues nicely into another striking difference, that of ritual form and elements. Not all Neo-Wiccans cast a Circle in the same way nor include all the same components as others (in some cases, even the rituals for the same event differ each time they are performed) , and being that Wiccan ritual structure is oathbound, one can infer that Neo-Wiccan rituals bear little, if any, resemblance to their Traditional counterparts. If Wicca and Neo-Wicca was indeed the same thing, wouldn’t we all use the same rituals, honoring the same God forms in the same ways?

Wiccans also contend that only a Wiccan can make another Wiccan, that one cannot enter Wicca without someone to teach and guide them. A popular Neo-Wiccan counter to this comes from Scott Cunningham, and is something along the lines of, “but who made the first Wiccan? The God and Goddess. So who are we to be so bold and presumptuous as to usurp and appropriate Their power? Who has the real power to make a Wiccan?”

I can agree to a certain extent; the Wiccan Gods are responsible, to a degree, for Wicca’s existence, in that They provided the original inspiration, need, and desire for a way to honor Them. However, I also believe They intended for things to be done in just that way, else why would They have put the idea in a human mind? Why the need for rituals at all, if any way one honors them is acceptable?

Let me clarify – when I say “the Wiccan Gods, ” I mean those names, faces, forms, aspects, and attributes that are oathbound and specific to the Traditions of Wicca. If Gods other than those have different desires and requirements, then so be it, but then They are not the Gods of Wicca, and therefore need not be honored in the Wiccan way.

The Wiccan way is one practiced by humans to reach out to and commune with the Wiccan Gods, and therefore only one who knows that way can teach that way. A dentist, while a medical professional, cannot teach someone to perform open-heart surgery. So it follows that someone inexperienced in the Wiccan Mysteries, regardless of any other gnosis, knowledge, and experience they may have gained, cannot teach them to anyone.

To add to this, in Wicca the initiating High Priest and High Priestess are seen as representations and “substitutes, ” if you will, of the God and Goddess on this material plane. They are infused with Divine Will and Power at the time of initiation (and in all other rites), so in the realism of non-duality, it IS the God and Goddess who are making new Wiccans, not “merely” other humans. However, the HP and HPS are specifically chosen and trained to perform these duties using the structure and methods of their Tradition.

A Neo-Wiccan, or anyone else who is not HP or HPS even if he/she is a Wiccan initiate, has no such training, and so cannot perform an initiation rite as the representative of the Wiccan Gods.

Clearly there is great disparity between not only practice, but also belief, between those called Wiccans and Neo-Wiccans. All this points to Neo-Wicca being an outgrowth of Wicca, rather than a continuation of it, much like Buddhism was an outgrowth of Hinduism. Buddhism and Hinduism both include the ideas of Karma, Dharma, and Samsara, Yantras, etc., but they differ on the nature and application of these ideas.

Buddhists do not recognize a pantheon of Gods in the way Hindus do, and also do not perform elaborate rituals. The two paths do have commonalities, but are distinct and separate belief systems. It would be improper, inaccurate, and doing a disservice to both paths if one was to say they are the same.

This can also be applied to Wicca and Neo-Wicca; Wicca recognizes a specific set of Gods, while Neo-Wicca does not. Wicca includes much formality and formulary in its rituals, which is not necessarily true of Neo-Wicca. They are related practices, one springing from the other, but they are fundamentally different, and it is improper, inaccurate, and doing a disservice to both to try and say that they are the same.

Of course, it’s all very well and good for these kinds of things to be said by someone who prefers Wicca to Neo-Wicca, someone who is seeking to walk the Gardnerian path. I concede that it would be far more impacting and impressive had this article or one similar been written by a Neo-Wiccan, because there’d be less risk of accusations of elitism, or discrimination, or exclusion. If, however, any Neo-Wiccan found truth in what I’ve presented here, I encourage them to write a similar piece, putting the focus on their practices, revealing the value and beauty that perhaps stems from the differences, rather than in spite of them.

What are the benefits of Solitary work? How is self-study more fulfilling than working under another’s tutelage? How does the tapestry of cultures and customs enrich your practice; is the old adage, “student of many trades, master of none” inaccurate?

I’m not personally looking to be convinced, I’ve found my home and my path, but that kind of piece may go a long way to strengthening other Neo-Wiccans’ sense of identity and purpose. And anyone finding peace and feeling whole on their spiritual journey is a beautiful thing, regardless of what that path may be called.

Hekate: A Devotee’s View

Hekate: A Devotee’s View

Author: Alorer
Hekate (Hecate is the Latin spelling and being Greek I prefer the Greek one) is perhaps one of the most misinterpreted and misrepresented deities in modern Paganism. From being given the Crone aspect when no historical or mythological source supports it verifiably (and because Neo-Paganism tends to cater to stereotypes heavily) to the misinterpretation of Her triplicity to unfounded overemphasizing of Her darker traits to virtually anything you can imagine.

Hekate has been misconstrued by many Neo-Pagans, mainly due to the lack of research and study of reputed sources (Hesiod’s Theogony comes to mind as a very basic and vital work on the mythology of the Gods) but also due to the overwhelming sense of “being special” that many Neo-Pagans seem to have. Note that this isn’t a blog on poking the – admittedly big – portion of the “bad apples” in our big community tree. This is a post attempting to educate somewhat regarding a well-known but also exploited deity. However, in order to do so, one needs to shed light upon the shadows of ignorance and misinformation that cloud Hekate’s image.

Before I delve deeper into Hekate’s case, let me share some information on Her.

Hekate is the daughter and only child of the Titans Perses and Asteria. She inherited power over the earth, sea and sky from Her parents. Hekate is one of the very few Titans to have survived the Titanomachy and the Olympian reign “unscathed” (which is an allegoric/mythological way to portray the survival of Her cults and worship as opposed to that of most other Titans) as well as the only Titan to be praised equally to the Olympians. In the Theogony, Hesiod notes how Zeus praised Her above all others, did not take anything from Her power and even gave Her a share in the dominion of most other Gods. She is the one He often went to for advice.

Hekate is a Goddess of liminal places and times, key and torch bearing maiden, guide, psycho pomp and “opener of ways”. She is a counselor and companion of those in need and protectress from and against witchcraft. At the same time She is the governor of all magical acts and believed to have invented theurgy. That is also why Hekate, alongside Hermes and/or Iris, was to be appeased and petitioned before any ritual act for the Gods, as She was the one (or rather one of those) responsible for and permitting the mortals to reach out for the Gods. Should Hekate refuse to aid you, your calls will remain unanswered and fall to deaf ears.

Hekate is also a Goddess related to the Moon (especially with the Dark/New Moon) , childbirth (or more appropriately, child-nurturing) and crossroads. She is one of the minor household deities, a protectress of the home and household from outside perils, alongside Hermes. Note that she only has a connection to the moon. The only Moon Goddess (and that is understood as the one presiding over, embodying and ruling the Moon) in Greek mythology and theology is Selene.

She presides over the darker side of the self as well as the inner one. She governs intuition, divination and insight. Hekate is the Goddess-In-The-Shadows but also the one who can pierce the shadows. She is a “dark Goddess” in the sense that She is Queen of the Unseen but not in the sense of negativity or “evil”. Gods are beyond such human concepts.

She is a maiden Goddess and not a crone contrary to popular (mis) belief. Most mythological-related texts consider Her a virgin as well although some have her double as the mother of Skylla (by Phorkys – in the works of Apollonius Rhodius) or as the mother of Circe, Medea and Aigialeus (by Aeetes – in the works of Diodorus Siculus) . Personally, I prefer the virgin Goddess theory since the rest conflict with the other mythological family trees.

Hekate is often portrayed as a crone due to Her association with Magic. In medieval times, the image of Hekate merged with the stereotypical image of an elderly, scary-looking woman over a cauldron. From that, as well as Her, somewhat “grim” duties, spawned the image of a physically old Hekate, which is, of course, mistaken.

Another “faulty” interpretation of Hekate is Her triplicity. Due to the popularity of the Wiccan/Neo-Wiccan tenet of a Triple Goddess, other “Triple” Goddesses were misappropriated and deemed as being “triple” in the same manner. That is also incorrect. Hekate is triple in a literal sense. Being associated with crossroads and liminal places, Hekate is literally a “three-headed/formed figure”, seeing in all directions. The Triple Goddess tenet of modern Paganism (specifically Wicca) is allegoric in the sense that it’s related to aspects and periods as opposed to a literal, physical figure. In addition, Hekate was also portrayed often as a single person or as having three distinct bodies.

Finally, Hekate is a strict and stern Goddess. She can be very loving, warm and intimate with Her followers, especially those that praise and satisfy Her but She is also not as forgiving as other deities as well as intolerant of many vices, in a greater degree than most deities. A bright example is how She can be quick to remove (at least temporarily or until reformation occurs) Her favor and aid from even a devoted follower of Hers, should he/she stray from the path and fail to meet the requirements and standards set, not so much by the Goddess Herself, as much as by the person. Unlike other deities, Hekate is less direct and more influential, meaning She works in more subtle and indirect ways as well as more affecting ones, since She approaches you in a gentle fashion as opposed to a strong, straightforward manner.

If Hekate calls to you, don’t freak out. She can be strict but also very rewarding. As Hesiod says: “He who has her favor will be showered with riches, for it is within her power.” (paraphrased) . However, be wary. She won’t tolerate the unworthy.

Footnotes:
Hekate: Her Sacred Fires, edited by Sorita D’Este

the Theoi (dot) com website

Samhain God – The Horned God

The Horned God is one of the two primary deities found in pagan religions. He is often given various names and epithets, and represents the male part of the religion’s duotheistic theological system, the other part being the female Triple Goddess. In common Wiccan belief, he is associated with nature, wilderness, sexuality, hunting and the life cycle. Whilst depictions of the deity vary, he is always shown with either horns or antlers upon his head, often depicted as being theriocephalic, in this way emphasizing “the union of the divine and the animal”, the latter of which includes humanity.

The term Horned God itself predates Wicca, and is an early 20th century syncretic term for a horned or antlered anthropomorphic god with pseudohistorical origins who, according to Margaret Murray’s 1921 The Witch-Cult in Western Europe, was the deity worshipped by a pan-European witchcraft-based cult, and was demonized into the form of the Devil by the Mediaeval Church.

The Horned God has been explored within several psychological theories, and it has also become a recurrent theme in fantasy literature since the 20th Century

In traditional and mainstream Wicca, the Horned God is viewed as the masculine side of divinity, being both equal and opposite to the Goddess. The Wiccan god himself can be represented in many forms, including as the Sun God, the Sacrificed God and the Vegetation God, although the Horned God is the most popular representation, having been worshipped by early Wiccan groups such as the New Forest coven during the 1930s. The pioneers of the various different Wiccan or Witchcraft traditions, such as Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente and Robert Cochrane, all claimed that their religion was a continuation of the pagan religion of the Witch-Cult following historians who had purported the Witch-Cult’s existence, such as Jules Michelet and Margaret Murray.

For Wiccans, the Horned God is “the personification of the life force energy in animals and the wild” and is associated with the wilderness, virility and the hunt. Doreen Valiente writes that the Horned God also carries the souls of the dead to the underworld.

Wiccans generally, as well as some other neopagans, tend to conceive of the universe as polarized into gender opposites of male and female energies. In traditional Wicca, the Horned God and the Goddess are seen as equal and opposite in gender polarity. However, in some of the newer traditions of Wicca, and especially those influenced by feminist ideology, there is more emphasis on the Goddess, and consequently the symbolism of the Horned God is less developed than that of the Goddess. In Wicca the cycle of the seasons is celebrated during eight sabbats called The Wheel of the Year. The seasonal cycle is imagined to follow the relationship between the Horned God and the Goddess. The Horned God is born in winter, impregnates the Goddess and then dies during the autumn and winter months and is then reborn by the Goddess at Yule. The different relationships throughout the year are sometimes distinguished by splitting the god into aspects, the Oak King and the Holly King. The relationships between the Goddess and the Horned God are mirrored by Wiccans in seasonal rituals. There is some variation between Wiccan groups as to which sabbat corresponds to which part of the cycle. Some Wiccans regard the Horned God as dying at Lammas, August 1; also known as Lughnasadh, which is the first harvest sabbat. Others may see him dying at Mabon, the autumn equinox, or the second harvest festival. Still other Wiccans conceive of the Horned God dying on October 31, which Wiccans call Samhain, the ritual of which is focused on death. He is then reborn on Winter Solstice, December 21.

Other important dates for the Horned God include Imbolc when, according to Valiente, he leads a wild hunt. In Gardnerian Wicca, the Dryghten prayer is recited at the end of every ritual meeting contains the lines referring to the Horned God:

“ In the name of the Lady of the Moon, and the Horned Lord of Death and Resurrection ”

According to Sabina Magliocco, Gerald Gardner says (in 1959’s The Meaning of Witchcraft) that The Horned God is an Under-god, a mediator between an unknowable supreme deity and the people. (In Wiccan liturgy in the Book of Shadows, this conception of an unknowable supreme deity is referred to as “Dryghtyn.” It is not a personal god, but rather an impersonal divinity similar to the Tao of Taoism.)

Whilst the Horned God is the most common depiction of masculine divinity in Wicca, he is not the only representation. Other examples include the Green Man and the Sun God. In traditional Wicca, however, these other representations of the Wiccan god are subsumed or amalgamated into the Horned God, as aspects or expressions of him. Sometimes this is shown by adding horns or antlers to the iconography. The Green Man, for example, may be shown with branches resembling antlers; and the Sun God may be depicted with a crown or halo of solar rays, that may resemble horns. These other conceptions of the Wiccan god should not be regarded as displacing the Horned God, but rather as elaborating on various facets of his nature. Doreen Valiente has called the Horned God “the eldest of gods” in both The Witches Creed and also in her Invocation To The Horned God.

Wiccans believe that The Horned God, as Lord of Death, is their “comforter and consoler” after death and before reincarnation; and that he rules the Underworld or Summerland where the souls of the dead reside as they await rebirth. Some, such as Joanne Pearson, believes that this is based on the Mesopotamian myth of Innana’s decent into hell, though this has not been confirmed.

The Survival of Ancient Ways in Today’s World

The Survival of Ancient Ways in Today’s World

Author: wolf witch

Witchcraft, Wicca, and Pagan belief systems in general are more popular now than since the advent of Christianity in the West. As society gradually moves away from the group and toward individuality with respect to spiritual development, people seek alternatives to “organized” religion in order to more thoroughly immerse themselves in that sense of inner spirituality that, in the East, comes from meditation and a closely controlled lifestyle and in the West has its roots in the ancient Western Mystery Tradition in part or in whole surrounding the teaching founded upon Hermetic philosophy.

Wicca is, depending on which “expert’ you read, either very ancient or extremely new and linked to Neo-Paganism. Still, its practices demand individual dedication and action, and, even in its most basic form, stirs the inner workings further toward the sort of self-realization equated with spiritual enlightenment. Whether this enlightenment is as thorough as that of the Buddhists or is that a devoted Christian attains through constant prayer is unimportant. What is truly a key factor here is that Wicca, in whatever form, requires the individual to ultimately take responsibility for his own spiritual development, as must the Buddhist or the Christian or any other person of faith.

The claim for the Craft being a part of the spiritual movement of modern times collapses in the face of archeological and anthropological evidence to the contrary. The Internet and the ready availability of books from a wide range of authors resulted in an incredible number of “traditions” birthing literally overnight, each of which possesses their adherents and, in the case of many founding members, zealots, a rather surprising response from a religion that is by no means evangelical. The point of this text is not to criticize new or old traditions. Each finds its place in spiritual development. Those with more parochial views may learn something here but will find no further argument with any modern path.

If no other law holds true in the Craft, “Each to his own” certainly applies.

In order to understand Western occult philosophy, one must grasp the words of the Emerald Tablet, the essence of which is the statement, “As above, so below, ” and its reverse. There is no dictum of control implied here, so the phrase does not lose, as suggested by some authors, its validity in reverse. It merely explains that the nature of things is best discovered in any one thing within the set; that is, if something exists in this universe, then its structure and function resulting from that physical existence resembles in kind all other things in this universe.

The axiom applies equally to Man and Spirit. The whole reason for its existence is to tell man that the universe he sees and the Universe his spirit knows is hardly imaginary but very, very real. The stone is the Almighty’s message to Man that what he cannot see has no reality whosoever in relation to the greater Universe of gods, angels, demons, and the like. Man is part of that magnificent continuum.

Thus is the Creator known to Man.

There are as many paths to spiritual awakening as there are people on the planet. Some folks are so convinced their method is right that they insist on bringing it to others which in some cases is a truly positive gesture. However, when that new system comes into place through the annihilation of what went before, then the result proves destructive and dangerous.

In the time of Charlemagne, Paganism died in Europe at the hands of Christians bent on destroying every other belief system but their own. St. Patrick did not drive the snakes out of Ireland (there were none to begin with) , but he did burn every piece of literature concerning the religious history of the Celts, a close equivalent to the burning of the great library at Alexandria by the Romans who simply knew no better. Patrick knew exactly what he was doing, and the Church made a practice of eliminating all but their own warped view of religion as a source of power and authority.

The Craft has few written records that cover events from the Dark Ages. All such literature became personal as each witch kept a Book of Shadows though few would have called it that. The books held recipes and formulae for everything from herbal remedies to dynamic rituals, most of which these days are drawn from a single surviving grimier, the Key of Solomon. From this text, Gardner drew the rituals in his book.

Fortunately, the worst persecution could not eliminate folkways, and many made their way to the present, especially those regarding healing. This knowledge forged an excellent foundation for modern witches to expand their knowledge of the human psyche in order to better help those in need.

All of the present day’s rites and rituals owe much to Hermes and his simple statement. Understanding the universe makes clear the path delineated by the Craft, so the study of how the universe works is definitely worth the effort. In the end, the universe unfolds itself to each in its own way.

Here is one of the great gifts of the Goddess, as claimed in Celtic tradition: the Stone, a foundation upon which all else stands.

The occult deals with those entities and forces that, in general, lie outside the bounds of what most would define as normal existence. Where the world around us takes its description from physics, the occultist studies metaphysics. Where the scientist relies on proof as determined by experimental data, the occultist speculates using intuition as an equally valid point that influences understanding the true reality of any situation. While science plods on toward a complete understanding of the universe in detail, the occultist works more as a generalist using Hermes’ statement as a guide: “As above, so below”.

Today’s trend, thanks to the rapid spread of information and its verification relying very much on popularity rather than true alacrity, creates almost as many Craft belief systems as there are individuals capable of committing those beliefs onto a web page. More than a few seek a sense of authority within the old religion earned only in their own right. Many forget the trials that shaped Wicca over the years and the powerful forces and strong enemies that sought to wipe the Craft from the planet, burning, killing, and torturing every follower and many more who were rumored to be followers of the ancient ways.

There is a common feeling among these folk and a host of other witches that the burning times are over; that the public broadcast of one’s own faith can safely travel the Internet airways without fear of any repercussion.

One careful perusal of the news will prove this merry affection dangerously incorrect. With the smallest change in today’s status quo, the burning time could come back in force. Fundamentalism favors intolerance. There is absolutely nothing wrong with stating one’s beliefs in any public forum, but the defense of those beliefs to the blood must be the heart of that statement.