Tag: Lord

THE ABC’S OF A WICCAN LIFE

THE ABC’S OF A WICCAN LIFE
by Victoria Martyn

Accept others as they are. We are all individuals.

Belief in yourself is a necessity.

Concentration is important in any endeavor, both magickal and in life.

Do what you will, so long as it harms none.

Empathy is an important life skill… learn it, practice it.

Find strength in yourself, your friends, your world and your actions.

God is multifaceted… the Lord and Lady, all deities take many names and faces.

Help others every chance you get.

Intelligence is something that cannot be judged on surface.

Judge not… what you send out comes back to you!

Karma loves to slap you in the face. Watch out for it.

Learning is something that should never stop happening!

Magick is a wonderful gift- but it is not everything.

Nature is precious. Appreciate and protect it.

Over the course of time your soul learns many lessons. Make this life count!

Pray.

Quietness both physically and mentally restores the soul; meditate often.

Remember to take time for yourself as well as others.

Spells can help you, but you must also help yourself!

Tools can only do so much… they are not the foundation of all.

Unless you enjoy worrying, keep a positive mindset!

Visualize the success of your goals before you set out to achieve them.

Wisdom can often be found in the least expected places!

Xenophobia (a hatred of those different from you) is a path to misery.

You are a beautiful person who is capable of anything!

Zapping away all of your troubles is not going to happen

What is Wicca?

What is Wicca?

by AmberSkyfire

 

Contrary to popular belief, Wicca is not evil. Wiccans do not follow the devil. Wiccans do not even believe in the devil. Wicca is a nature oriented religion which centers around a single deity (known as the All) which encompasses all things in the universe and without. This All is divided into two equal halves much the same way as the universe is divided into two halves. There is light and dark, male and female, good and evil, etc. These are often evident in the two deities called the Lord and the Lady. Each represents a perfect and equal half and complement each other much like the yin and the yang. The Lord is a father figure. He represents animals, the soul, fathering, passion and the wild. He is symbolized by the color gold, air, fire, and by the Sun. The Lady or Goddess represents the earth mother, motherhood, nurturing, femininity, and that which we can touch. She is symbolized by water, earth and the moon. Wiccans believe in honoring their deities and in living in harmony with nature and the universe. Witches sometimes practice in groups of up to thirteen called covens. Covens are used to bring different people of a faith together so that they may learn from each other’s experiences. Witches can also work alone. They are called solitaries. Wiccans are generally considered witches because they practice the art of magick. Not al witches, however, are Wiccans. Wicca is a religion and witchcraft is simply the practice of the magickal arts. Because Wiccans worship nature, their holidays coincide with significant days of the year. All of the four seasons are celebrated as well as four other holidays which fall between each. All of the eight holidays are spaced at exactly the same number of days apart and do not always fall on the same day each year. Most of these holidays coincide with Christian holidays such as Christmas (Yule) and Easter (Ostara). These holidays are called the Sabbats or Sabbaths. Witches also may or may not celebrate what are called Esbats. Esbats are specific lunar dates that are of major importance. These are the new moons and the full moons. There are 13 full moons during the year, each representing one month. Thus, the pagan calendar has thirteen months and not twelve. Most today represent these lost days in the thirteenth month to leap year. These holidays are meant to celebrate the earth and her cycles of nature. Wiccans follow one basic fundamental rule: “harm none.” The Wiccan Rede or “Law” states: “Abide the Wiccan law ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust. Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: ‘An’ it harm none, do what ye will.’ And ever mind the rule of three: what ye send out comes back to thee. Follow this with mind and heart, and merry meet and merry part.” The main goal of Wicca is to harm none. Wiccans base their lives on self discipline and helping others. Most spells are done for healing, love, friendship and to help others. You will not find Wiccan spells for harming others or spells which are destructive in any way.

Wicca is a recognized religion worldwide and is protected by the United States Constitution. Contrary to popular belief, Wicca is not an ancient religion. Some of the ideas and rituals follow what is believed to have been practiced by the early Nordic tribes, but the religion was founded in the early 1960’s and was at the time considered a “New Age Religion.” Many unseasoned Wiccans will often refer to their following as “The Olde Ways.” This is often the result of misinformation from other witches either on the internet or in books who claim that they follow ancient traditions. Some will even claim that their beliefs were handed down from century to century and guarded against Christians and others who might seek to waylay witches and traditional witchcraft. Unfortunately, virtually no information has survived to this day and we must rely on skepticism to learn how ancient peoples worshiped.

‘Twas the Night of Samhain

‘Twas the Night of Samhain

 

 

‘Twas the night of Samhain and all through the house,
Not a creatures was stirring except for my spouse.
The incense it burned in his cauldron so black,
For witchcraft and magick he’d a wondrous knack.
The circle was drawn with the athame of power,
The guardians were called to each quarter tower.
The Lord and the Lady attended our rite,
In wonder and glory and power and mite.
The dearly departed came as our guest,
To live once again after their rest.
We bid them goodbye with a tear in our eye,
Such a lovely presence of loved ones so nigh.
The candles danced in the flickering light,
With the Great Rite we bid them all a good night.
The guardians thanked, have all sped away,
The Lord and the Lady, thanks for the day.
The night of Samhain, Gods bless this house,
A circle of wonder ’round me and my spouse.
—(Unknown)

Life As The Witch ~ Three-Fold Law of Return

Three-Fold Law of Return

 

The other “Law” of Witchcraft is the “THREE-FOLD LAW OF RETURN”. Basically, this is the natural law of “cause and effect”. The Goddess charges us to exercise great care in all that we, as Witches, do and say and even think. The Threefold Law takes the notion that “what we reap, we will sow”, a few steps further. In fact, THREE steps further. For what we do “for good or for ill, shall be returned to us threefold.” In light of this fact, Witches are loath to cause any harm, lest it be returned to them in spades!!

When we come to really understand the Three-Fold Law and it’s ramifications, we can see that although on the surface, it acts like a prohibition, it also serves as a source of blessing. Witches seek to heal and to help all of Life, and when we are working for “the good of all”, it is natural that the “good” will come to us also. But it falls on us multiplied and empowered. Three-fold is quite an increase no matter what mathematical method you use!

The word “just” is defined as” that which is merited or deserved.” With that definition in mind, you can see why Witches believe in the exercise of “justice” over “revenge”. We are assured that what is merited by a persons actions will come to pass. We need only to ask the God and Goddess for “justice to be done”. Since this is in line with natural laws and the promises of the Ancient Ones, we can rest in the knowledge that we are asking in a correct manner for the situation to be taken care of. Then we can release it to them to handle and go about our business.

“Revenge” on the other hand, is defined as “an urge to get even” (we’ve all been there!) or “to inflict harm in reaction to an insult” (we cannot go THERE!) It is difficult sometimes, especially when our loved ones have been hurt, to follow the principles outlined here…VERY difficult. Never the less, that is what we are instructed to do. It is a matter of trust…trust that the God and the Goddess will take care of it…trust that the Universal Laws apply to everyone equally…trust in the Three-Fold Law…and trust in yourself as a Witch, strong in your beliefs. We all go through deep soul searching when confronted with this issue. How we decide to respond tells us a lot about ourselves, what we give lip service to and what we really believe. It can be a valuable lesson that can change our life.

“The Great Mother and Father would not have their children suffer the indignities of oppressors for their sake, for what is within the hearts of Their children is dear and true to Them. The Ancient and Mighty Ones shall cause the balance to be made for those who desecrate the worship of the Lord and Lady, Their Temples, or their Creations” *

 

* quote from the “New Wiccan Book of the Law” by Lady Galadriel 1992

 

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for October 25th

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

To so many, getting up in the morning is the worst way to begin a day. To them every morning is the morning after, a time to feel nervous anxiety and regret in the deepest sense, while to others morning is a new world. Yesterday ceased to be with sleep last night.

How much better off we’d be if only for a few hours we could put out of our minds every painful thought and every unpleasant person until the mind and body could find enough new life to begin again.

“The early morning hath gold in its mouth,” wrote Franklin. But it has things more precious than gold. It has life as fresh and sweet as the shimmering, clinging dewdrops in the first rays of golden sunlight. It has the grace of mimosa leaves rippling in the gentlest breeze. It has the songs of the birds and the love of a new awakening.

And in this breathless creation is something more. A new opportunity, another chance, a challenge to walk on, more strong, more forgiving, more loving.

Sleep deep and rest sweet, but rise glad. Don’t let one joyful second be lost in dead oblivion. This is a vision of newness awaiting even the least to arise and accept the best – a new beginning.

Morning need not be a jury trial for oneself. Dawn and sleep can be a miraculous cleansing to set us out on our feet ready to begin again and in a friendlier atmosphere. We must feel friendly toward ourselves before we can possibly find morning good to anyone else.

An unknown writer once wrote, “Every morning lean thine arms awhile upon the window sill of heaven, and gaze upon thy Lord, then, with the vision in thy heart, turn strong to meet thy day.”

We need to be strong to meet the day with self control, to find out reason and purpose, but, more important, to leave behind us the heavy and darkened thoughts that kept us from seeing the breathtaking beauty of the most important time – this morning.

*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*

Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet:

 

http://www.hifler.com
Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org

Living The Life Of The Witch – Dedicate to the Craft

Dedicate to the craft

 

Your Magickal Name

When you are ready to dedicate to the craft you will be asked for a Magickal name.  Do not take this lightly.  Toy name speaks volumes about you.  Your  mundane name may be as common as John or Mary, but your magickal name will be unique to you.  As you progress in the magickal community, this is the name you  will be known by.

How do you go about getting you magickal name?  It will come to you.  Perhaps in a dream you will hear the Goddess call you by your name.  A friend may  see a quality about you can give you your name.

Don’t worry too much about your name – it will come.

When you dedicate it is the first step in changing your life path.  It is like you are being reborn.  With the new birth you are entitle to a new  name..

Dedication

How this ceremony is done will depend if you will be self dedication as a Solitary or as a member of a coven.  In either case the dedication is similar.

You will take a ritual bath.

Prepare you circle

Close the circle

Dedicate to the Goddess

Take your magickal name

Light silver candle

Dedicate to the God

Light gold candle

Drink wine and eat cakes

Release the Lord and Lady

Open the circle

Take remaining wine and some of the cakes outdoors and return some of it to the Earth.

Remember

Remember, you magickal name is who you are and who you hope to become

Your magickal name is Special.  Usually only yourself and members of the magickal community will know it.

By dedicating you are inviting the Lord and Lady into your life.  This is a very special moment.  Savory it.

If all you get out of the dedication experience are words – reconsider you actions.

 

 

 

More Fantasy Comments

Goddess Bless You On this Glorious Day of Mabon!

Mabon Comments & Graphics
I give thanks to you, my Lord and Lady,

eternal God and Goddess, for all my

worldly blessings.

I give thanks for a beautiful year and a

glorious harvest. Your bounty is never

ending!

You give much more than needed, and in

your name I will share my good fortune

with my family and neighbors.

 Praise be my eternal parents, the Lord

and Lady!

Blessed Be.

  ~Magickal Graphics~

Cat Candle Money Spell

Cat Candle Money Spell

On the day of the Sun whilst the Moon is waxing 1st day of the 1st
quarter,in the Season of Spring to Summers time. Take a virgin green cat
candle,anoint it with.

3 drops Bayberry
1 drop Cinnamon
2 drops Spanish Moss

Then, set it on a plate/holder container sit for a few minutes ‘seeing’
the event and knowing that a certain amount will come to you. call out 3
times over the Cat Candle while burning some incense of your choosing.

“Money Thrice by the Winds do come,
I draw it forth by Moon and Sun,
By Earth it Trickles to my Stead,
By Fire it Quickens and Rushes ahead,
Waves of Prosperity,Flow to me know,
Unto the Spell,Come Ye Anow!”

(State how much is needed)

Then light the Cat Candle from a flame other than a match,still
concentrating on the need to be made manifest. After 7 minutes extinguish
the Candle,do not blow out the Candle,and say…

“Bond and I to the Spell and Sea,
Bond am I to Magick and Fire,
Tis the Earth and the Lady and Lord,
That brings forth my Desire.’

Perform this Spell at the same time every day,all the way to the Full Moon
upon which to let the rest of the Candle burn all the Way down. Once done
bury the excess wax near the North root of an Old Oak tree,and also pour a
drink-offering to Lady and Lord for their help. Never speak of the Spell, it
should manifest within another 28 days.

I always address Deity by certain names,such as Brid,Freya,Othinn,Thor, as
an example. If you are uncertain whom to ask for aid,simply just say Lady
and Lord.

Dedication of Altar and Athame

Dedication of Altar and Athame

Durwydd MacTara

Altar

    This Altar in the circle’s center, A focal point that only good may enter
    Erected to God and Goddess in strength, Circular, it has neither breadth nor length
    Focal point in A Circle of Power, A mighty lens for every Tower!
    Sacred to Lord, Maiden, Lady and Crone, The foundation of many a powerful Cone
    Resting Place of Magick and its implements, Let veneration and Love be our only sentiments!
    A tool of will, powerful and free, As it is willed, So Mote it Be!

Athame

    Mighty Deities, Gracious Lady and Mighty Lord, As I perform this ritual, Pray hearken to my wordThis tool, conceived in Mind of Air, (

point east

    ) Forged and formed in Fire of the South, (

point south

    ) Power tool for those who dare, I CLAIM thee with my mouth! (

kiss blade)

    Tempered with Water for Strength, (

point west

    ) Also dedicated to the Earth,in Power. (

point north

    ) Blessed be, entire in length, (

kiss pommel

    ) As it partakes of every Tower!By the Power of Cosmos, As above, (

point up

    ) The Expression of Cosmos, is below. (

point down

    ) Upon this instrument of Will and Love, My Sacred Tie I bestow! (

1 drop of blood on each side and hilt)

    This tool is dedicated to my service of Lady and Lord, Please find this work beneficial and good. Bound to thee by homage, decimation, effort and word, Bound to me by words, will and blood. By the powers of earth, sky, star and sea; Such is my will, So mote it be!

Consecration of Chalice, Athame or Other Tool

Consecration of Chalice, Athame or Other Tool

Before these assembled spirits I bring (name type of tool) to be dedicated to the service of  the Lady and Lord.

(Pass tool three times through smoke of the incense.)

By the power of air, be thou purified. Be thou dedicated to purity of thought and to  harmlessness that all intentions for which thou art used may harm none and be for the good of  all.

(Pass tool three times through or over the flame of the fire candle.)

By the power of fire, be thou purified. Be thou dedicated to purity of desire and to harmlessness that all goals which thou doest help achieve may harm none and be for the good of all.

(Take a few drops of water and sprinkle or dab on instrument.)

By the power of water, be thou purified. Be thou dedicated to purity of emotion and to  harmlessness that all that thou shalt be used in a spirit of harmony, harming none and for the  good of all.

(Touch instrument to the stone or salt in north quarter)

By the power of earth, be thou purified. Be thou dedicated to steadfastness and purity of  purpose, that my will be achieved without wavering, with harm to none and for the good of all.

(If this is a chalice, present it first to the Lady, then to the Lord, if athame, reverse  order. All other instruments use personal preference, but it is courtesy to present them to Her  first.)

PRESENTATION FOR CHALICE:

Lady Freya, Keeper of Femininity, bless this chalice. Let it be as Thy cauldron, a vessel of  productivity that it may be worthy to dispense Thy bounty. Let it be used in Thy service and in  the service of humanity. Let it be so bound that no harm may come of it to any being, but let it  rather be an instrument of goodwill and understanding; of loving harmony. To Thy sacred self I  dedicate this vessel, (name of vessel), that it and I may long be of service to Thee.

Lord Thor, companion to the Lady, champion of the Gods, bless this chalice and keep watch  over it. Guard the works which come forth from it, that they ever be in the service of Thee and  Thy Lady, that they be of service to humankind, and that they abide by the laws of harmony. To  Thee I vow I shall use it for Her sacred purposes, and for no other.

So mote it be.

PRESENTATION FOR ATHAME:

Lord Thor, thunderer & hammer wielder, bless this athame. Let it be as the spring rains  which fall upon the Earth to cause Her to bring forth Her bounty.

Let it quicken my hopes and dreams, yet keep them from causing harm. Let it guide them in the  harmony of the seasons, bringing forth only good for all. Lord Thor, bless this athame, (name of  athame), that it be used ever in the worship and honor of the Gods.

Lady Freya, companion to the Thunderer, lover of the Gods, bless this athame that it shall  bring forth joy, and shall cause no pain nor disharmony to any. I dedicate this athame (name  athame), symbol of the Defender and Rain Maker, to Thy service. May it ever bring Thee joy and  pride.

So mote it be.

(This ritual, with suitable changes, may be used to dedicate other tools as well as these.)

Calendar of the Sun for August 23

Calendar of the Sun

23 Weodmonath

Vulcanalia: Day of Hephaestos

Color: Red
Element: Fire
Altar: Upon a red cloth worked with flames set four red candles, a flaming brazier, a wooden crutch, a black rock, an anvil, a hammer, and many things worked of metal.
Offering: Fish. Nail parings and hair. Make something.
Daily Meal: Pie.

Vulcanalia Invocation

Lord of volcanoes,
You who understand submerged wrath,
Help me to keep mine in check.
Lord of work,
You who understand its balm to the soul,
Help me to learn the joys of focused labor.
Lord of craft,
You whose fire tempers iron into steel,
You who understand what it is to be crippled,
Beat my will strong and straight again
That the sign of your hammer
May be imprinted in everything I make.
Lord who is the strong iron of competence
And the driving blows of manifestation,
May your hands guide us into honorable work.
Hail Vulcan Mulciber, Charmer of Fire!
Hail Vulcan Quietus; may your gift of tame fire
Stay tame enough not to harm our house!
May your flames warm us, inspire us
And never burn beyond their borders,
So long as we give you the proper respect.

(Each comes forth and places something into the brazier, be it a bit of hair or nail parings, or some of the fish, which is given as an offering because fish is normally safe from fire. Those who wish to be blessed for their crafts may give an offering of craft today, or simply kneel and contemplate the craftwork on the altar, perhaps holding it and praising Hephaistos.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

The Seventh REDE – Healing the Earth

THE SEVENTH REDE – HEALING THE EARTH

And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion,
honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.

The wheel of the year turns round and round, but not each turning is the same.
The acts of men and women return threefold multiplying both goodness and harm.
Moondaughter taught her students that we have a responsibility for adding to the
goodness in the world by the way we live our lives.

Human Freedom and Human Evil

The natural cycle is a balance of cold and warm, darkness and light. But
Moondaughter did not consider those evil times that come in the history of human
society — the Burning Times, the Holocaust, etc. — to be part of the natural
cycle. Those times she saw a the product of human actions and human choices.

Human freedom is a great gift from the Lord and Lady; it is our inheritance as
Their children. But that freedom allows us to choose to act without honor or
compassion, without beauty, reverence or humility, and when we do we bring the
evil times closer.

Human freedom also allows us to choose to act with honor and compassion. it
offers us the chance to not only banish the evil times, but to invoke a world of
peace and harmony — a world in which the beauty of nature is reflected in human
society.

Achieving such a world may take many lifetimes, but we do not face this task
alone. Every man and woman who acts with honor and compassion adds to the
goodness in the world.

The Wounded World

The world we live in today is a wounded world, a world in need of healing. Out
task, as children of the Lord and Lady, is to bring healing to that world by our
actions, by our relationships, by our love for all of Their children. Because
each of us is a part of the web of life, the wounds of the world are also our
own wounds, and we cannot heal the one without also healing the other.

Moondaughter dedicated her life to healing this world. Her every act was a
gesture in a great spell to invoke beauty and strength, power and compassion,
honor and humility, mirth and reverence into the lives of her students, and
ultimately of all men and women.

Today Moondaughter’s name is not remembered, except among those few whose lives
she touched. No doubt Moondaughter is pleased by this, as she never sought
recognition for herself. But if ever a child brought joy to the hearts of the
Lord and Lady, it was Moondaughter.

The Sixth REDE – The Great Rite

THE SIXTH REDE – THE GREAT RITE

Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all
acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.

Initiation into the high priesthood in Moondaughter’s tradition always involved
performing the Great Rite in true. The necessity for this sexual act arose
naturally out of Moondaughter’s understanding of the power of love.

The Power of Love

Love, Moondaughter taught, is the power through which the Lord and Lady gave
birth to all things. Love is the source of human life and happiness. The power
of love is greater than that of the natural laws which govern the universe.

Sexual love, for Moondaughter, was the most potent and volatile form of love.
She believed that in sexual love a man and a woman unite not only physically,
but also spiritually and magically. By that magical act the lovers are
transformed, for better, or for worse.

The Misuse of Love

It is not difficult to observe in the physical world that the power to do good
is also the power to do harm; Moondaughter taught that the same was true of the
sacred power of sexual love. While she prized the sexual act as the holiest and
most powerful of rituals, she understood the misuse of that power to be
responsible for many of the dysfunctionalities of human society.
Today, even more than in Moondaughter’s time, we have become aware of the severe
psychological damage which can result from sexual abuse of children and from
rape. Moondaughter believed these were only the most visible ways that human
beings could take harm when the magical and spiritual energies exchanged during
sex were misused for purposes of exploitation and domination.

The Sacred Marriage

Moondaughter considered her coveners to be undertaking a course of both magical
and priestly training, and in that role she made demands of them which many
modern Pagans might find unacceptable. Married coveners were expected to be
strictly monogamous, and single coveners to be chaste. This requirement was not
merely an ethic, but a magical act, part of a spell of self-transformation to
prepare them to receive the third degree initiation.

In Moondaughter’s tradition, the initiation to third degree was identical with
the Sacred Marriage, a vital aspect of the Great Work.

When a couple was ready to receive the third degree, the Great Rite was first
administered in token to the woman by a male elder, and the woman then
immediately administered it — also in token — to her partner. At some later
time, the couple would perform the Rite in true to sexually complete the
initiation begun by the symbolic ritual.

There were rumors that in earlier times the true Rite had followed the pattern
of the token Rite, but this was never the practice in the United States.

Following the third degree initiation, the man and the women were considered to
be magical partners, a priest and priestess whose sexual union was an embodiment
of the Lord and the Lady.

All Acts Are Her Rituals

For Moondaughter, both the sexual ecstasy of the Great Rite and the sexual
abstinence that preceded it were magical acts for the transformation of the self
and the world. More than that, they were acts of worship, rituals of the Lord
and Lady.

Today it is common for the statement that “all acts of love and pleasure are my
rituals” to be regarded as an endorsement of casual sex. Moondaughter would have
seen such an attitude as the equivalent of a devout Catholic offering
consecrated hosts with salsa and dip as a party snack.

Moondaughter taught that every act of love and pleasure was indeed a ritual, and
cautioned her students to approach every such act with the reverence (as well as
the mirth) that such an incredibly sacred ritual deserves.

The Fourth REDE – The Great Work

THE FOURTH REDE – THE GREAT WORK

Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop
you or turn you aside.

To Moondaughter, men and women were children of the Lord and Lady in more senses
than one. Not only are we the offspring of Their sacred joining, but we are also
children in the sense that we are immature. We have not yet grown into the
spiritual and ethical maturity of which we are capable.

Moondaughter taught that the human children of the Lord and the Lady are in the
process of growth, a time during which they must build for themselves that
nobility of character that is their natural inheritance. Moondaughter’s students
learned that we cannot look elsewhere for salvation, but must build our
characters by our own actions. This is the Great Work.

Nobility of character, however, was only the outer aspect of the Great Work,
according to Moondaughter. The inner aspect was mystical union with the Lord and
Lady. Mysticism and ethics were for Moondaughter converging lines, each of which
must be energetically pursued. To neglect one would obstruct progress in the
other.

The Threefold Law

It is to Moondaughter that I owe my understanding of the Threefold Law, the
Wiccan precept that whatever a person does, good or evil, returns to her
threefold.

Every action, Moondaughter taught, first affects the self directly by leaving
its imprint on the character of the actor. Second, it affects the target of the
action, with whom the actor is in relationship, and the effects feedback upon
the actor through that relationship. Finally, every action affects the
environment in which the actor must live — ultimately, the entire universe —
and thus feeds back again upon the actor.

Thus the Great Work is a transformation of self which we pursue through our
actions and our relationships. It is the realization of our nature as children
of the Lord and Lady; and — since each of us is part of the web of
relationships which connect all that exists — it is at the same time a
transformation of the universe as a whole.

Mind and Body as Lover and Beloved

Moondaughter taught that the Great Work could be divided into three interrelated
aspects, each of which establishes a relationship of lover and beloved. The
first aspect of the Great Work consists of bringing one’s own mind and body into
the relationship of lover and beloved. Externally, this relationship results in
the opening of the inner senses, and therefore much of magical development is
concerned with this small part of the Great Work.

The union of mind and body, however, has an ethical dimension as well as a
magical one. Moondaughter taught that perfect unity of mind and body could only
be achieved when the actions that result from the mind/body interaction are
consistently based on Will rather than desire — a transition that requires more
than a little self-discipline.

It is possible (and unfortunately not uncommon) for mind and body to form a
relationship in actions that contradict the Will. Rape, for example, is a
perversion of sexuality which develops a dysfunctional relationship between the
mind and body of the rapist and corrupts the Work within him. Thus, living by
the Wiccan Rede — an’ it harm none, do what ye will — is a first step toward
accomplishing this first aspect of the Great Work.

The Sacred Marriage

The second aspect of the Great Work is the Sacred Marriage. Moondaughter taught
that for most of us this means that a man and a women come together as lover and
beloved, not merely physically and for a time, but on all levels and forever, in
a relationship that is in harmony with their individual Wills.

While each of us already has both Yin Self and Yang Self, union with the sacred
spouse brings Yin and Yang together in ways which transform each partner. Lover
and beloved act as priest and priestess for each other, and together they become
an embodiment of the Lord and the Lady.

The Unity of all Life

The third aspect of the Great Work is unity with all beings. This, Moondaughter
taught, is accomplished when an individual takes the entire universe as her
beloved, in a relationship in harmony with her Will.

In the lesser sense, this aspect is achieved when the individual comes to
spontaneously regard all beings with the love and compassion that the Lord and
the Lady feel for their children. In the greater sense, however, this aspect is
not achieved until humanity as a whole regards all beings with that love.

The culmination of this Work on the individual level, according to Moondaughter,
is a state in which the individual inherits the character of the Lord and the
Lady, and lives constantly in the presence of Lord and Lady. This is not a state
which I believe has been achieved by very many incarnate human beings, but I
have found it a most worthwhile goal toward which to strive.

The Third REDE – Lover and Beloved

THE THIRD REDE – LOVER AND BELOVED

For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine also is joy on earth;
for my law is love unto all beings.

I am the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart
of man.

Moondaughter taught us that the ideal relationship is when two beings interact
as lover and beloved. By this she did not necessarily imply a sexual
relationship; in many cases — such as between adults and children or teacher and student — she considered that any sexual relationship would be a violation
of that concern for the welfare of the other which was the essence of the lover/beloved relationship. Nevertheless, the love between the Lord and the Lady
was for her the ideal toward which all relationships should evolve.

According to Moondaughter, joy is not created by an individual alone. Joy is
created when a lover has a relationship with a beloved. The beloved need not be
another person — an artist feels joy both when she has a stimulating vision or
idea as her beloved, and again when her vision or idea stands before her as a
realized work of art. In this, men and women are the children of the Lord and
the Lady, who also feel joy from such relationships. Whether or not the
relationship is sexual, the interaction of lover and beloved unites them into
one being.

The True Will

Moondaughter believed that at some deep level, every being intuitively knows
that joy is produced by relationships between lover and beloved. She taught that
it was from this inner knowledge that the Will of the individual arises. While
an individual may sometimes feel desires to act in ways which are destructive to
others, Moondaughter taught that the Will seeks that joy which is produced only
by harmonious relationships with others.

Since any relationship requires the participation of both self and other, Will
has both the aspect of seeking the welfare of the self and also the aspect of
seeking the welfare of the beloved. According to Moondaughter, these two aspects
of the Will are related and interdependent, not opposed. Since joy comes from
relationships, harming the other in any relationship lessens one’s own joy.

The Ecstasy of the Spirit

According to Moondaughter, it is the nature of Love to seek a beloved to love.
The joy that is produced by the Lord’s love for the Lady and the Lady’s love for
the Lord is beyond human experience, but Love is never satisfied, and so the
Lord and the Lady gave birth children who could respond to Their Love, and give
Them joy, and receive joy from taking Them as beloveds.

My own understanding of this teaching is that as an individual grows in love,
she expands her circle of beloveds until, like the Lord and the Lady, she Wills
the welfare of all that exists. It seems to me that when they first appear
tribalism and nationalism can be healthy stages in this growth, but they can
also become diseases which hold men and women back from a larger, and more
joyful, circle of beloveds.

I know from my own experience that each man and woman can be both lover and
beloved to both the Lord and the Lady, and that the intensity of this
relationship deepens as one brings one’s character into harmony with one’s own
Will. The joy produced by this relationship is beyond words.

The Second REDE – The Web of Life

THE SECOND REDE – THE WEB OF LIFE

There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet
have not won its deepest secrets; to these shall I teach things that
are as yet unknown.

Moondaughter taught us that the act of creation did not end when the Lady gave birth to the universe. Energy continuously generated by the loving union of the
Lord and Lady still radiates to every being, linking all things together in a
vast web.
According to Moondaughter, however, individual beings do not receive this energy
in isolation; it is through the web of relationships between beings that all
share in the energy of life. These relationships determine the character of
every being, and so by changing these relationships, we can change reality.

Magical Relationships

Changing relationships was the kind of magic Moondaughter most often recommended
to her students, especially in the early months of training when the focus was
upon changing the self. She urged her students to take conscious control of
their relationships with thoughtforms, and to make a magical act of their
interaction with others.

Thus she might advise a student troubled by self-doubt to cut off interaction
with doubts and thus deprive such thoughts of their energy. Or she might advise
a student to overcome dislike of a fellow student by making a magical ritual of
treating the other as a friend.

The psychological effects of such techniques are obvious — and not without
their dangers. But the effects of Moondaughter’s techniques were magical as well
as psychological, and under Moondaughter’s gentle guidance, students kept both
their magic and their psychology in balance.

For Moondaughter, the magic of psychological and interpersonal relationships was
just one example of a set of principles which equally applied to the
interdependence of the ecosystem and the invisible energies that we call magic.
In every case influencing the relevant relationships can cause change.

The Dangers of Magic

Moondaughter taught, however, that to exercise such influence one must oneself
enter into relationship with that which one would change. Since every
relationship alters for good or ill each being who is a party to it, every
spell, for better or worse, is a spell of self-transformation.

We were taught that in order to enter into a relationship with an other, we must
have certain elements in common with the other, and those common elements become
the initial basis of the relationship. I know of no magical system which does
not include operations which have the purpose of creating within the operator
herself those elements possessed by that force which she wishes to call upon, in
order that the resulting relationship will be strong enough to produce a
manifestation on the physical plane.

Since all beings are children of the same Parents, there is no other with whom
one has absolutely nothing in common, but the character of the relationship will
be influenced by the particular commonalties which exist. During the
relationship the two beings share elements, and so that commonalty which is the
basis of the relationship tends to expand.

Obviously this makes intercourse with demonic entities prohibitively costly, but
Moondaughter taught that the same principle is at work in physical world
relationships as well. Relationships, esoteric or mundane, change us.

Magical Correspondences

Moondaughter’s tradition, rooted as it was in rural life, made little use of the
more complex props and associations of ceremonial magic. Nevertheless, it seems
to me that her teachings on relationships explain well why ceremonialists should
make use of such associations.

Enhancing a working with the proper color, the proper incense, the proper day
and time, and a hundred other such correspondences increases the common elements
which form the basis of the worker’s link to the object of the ritual, and
greatly increases the worker’s link to the egregore of whichever tradition which
has handed down those particular associations. Likewise, Moondaughter’s
understanding of relationships would explain why clippings of hair or
fingernails, photographs, or objects closely associated with a person or place
could add power to a working.

Moondaughter’s tradition, however, made almost no use of such things. I believe
that, if I had been wise enough to question her about this, she would have said
that the Web of Life already connects us to every other being, and that the most
important common elements in any magical working are wholly within oneself.

Calendar of the Sun for July 30

Calendar of the Sun

30 Haymonath

Tyr’s Day

Color: Red
Elements: Fire and Air
Altar: Upon a red cloth lay swords, lined up in a row, a horn of mead, and a single glove.
Offering: Agree to a promise that limits your convenience.
Daily Meal: Red meat.

Invocation to Tyr

Honor is not comfortable.
It demands all you have,
All you are, all you can do.
It wraps you like a chain
That you may only shuffle where others run
And yet that chain will bear you up
When others trip and fall.
It limits you, like the loss of a limb;
You reach, and fall ever short,
Brought up by honor’s limitation,
And yet this limiting hones you sharper,
Like a tool that must be cut down to work,
As every sharpening is removal of some of you.
O Lord of Honor, you whose name
Invoked, seals bargains without
A thought of cheating, you whose
Word is law and law is will,
You who are never afraid
To do what must needs be done
Even when there is no question
That there will be great loss,
May we all have half the steel
That lies in you, O warrior one-handed,
In your spine, in your hand,
And in your soul.

(The mead is passed by one who has been chosen, and as they pass it they say, “May honor bind you.” Each in turn replies, “May honor find you.” The remainder is poured out as a libation.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for July 14

Calendar of the Sun

14 Haymonath

Ellegua’s Day

Colors: Red and black
Element: Fire
Altar: Upon cloth of red and black place three pennies, a clay head with cowrie eyes, small tricky games, a glass of rum, and Ellegua’s crossroads trident.
Offerings: Chocolate, chicken, and rum.
Daily Meal: Should include chicken and chocolate.

Invocation to Ellegua

Ai! Dancer at the Crossroads,
Maker of many shapes,
Cunning eyes in the bushes,
Your gaze misses nothing.
You are the opener of the Gate,
Without which we cannot speak
To all other orisha.
You are the Great Phallus
Which does not always follow its owner.
Mate and match of Pomba Gira,
Lady of whores and lust
Whose skirts of black lace hide mysteries,
Lord of panic, lord of cunning,
Faithful friend who comes in the pinch,
Little girl with the cowrie eyes,
Old chickenman with the sly smile,
Brewer of trouble split red and black,
You who love to make us break our word
That we might understand its true importance,
Help us to keep the door open
To new possibilities
Lest we fall into complacent sleep.

(The hour should end with a drum circle, and wordless chanting, or chanting of his many names – “Eshu!” “Ellegua!” “Legba!” “Maitre Carre-Four!” “Chickenman!” and so on.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Good Blessed Monday Morning to you, my dear, dear friends!

Good Morning my dearest of friends! As you have probably figured out by now, there is no telling what you are going to find on this blog, lol! I am probably one of the most moody witches you will ever meet in your life. I can start out on one subject or interest and in a bat of an eye, change to another. My daughter says there is a syndrome for that, lol! I just tell her, my mind races at 90 miles a minute and it does. There is so much I want to do, so much I want to tell. I could to the realization early in life, that life is very precious. What little time we have here, we must accomplish all that we can.

As most of you probably have gathered by now, I love the Goddess very much. I also love our Ancestors very much. I admire them. I am eternally thankful to them. I cannot begin to imagine what they must have endured. Think back for a moment….We are now in the 1600’s. It is a beautiful Spring day. You are outside in the woods with your husband. Lovingly embracing, walking hand in hand looking for berries and nuts. Your daughter comes running down the path screaming, “Mother, Mother, the Lord, deacons & constable from the church are here!” You and your husband are discussing what they want. You pick up your pace. You can see them standing in your wooded front yard. You greet them and before you can say another word, the constable and deacons are putting you in irons. You hear the Lord proclaim, “There are accusations against you that you are Witches!” You gasp, “What?” You are not allowed to say anything in your defense. You are put on a wagon, carted off to town, with your crying 14 year old daughter following as far as she can.

I admit some of the details might not be quite accurate (like there being a Lord present). But yet it is a dramatic scene to imagine. It would be even more dramatic to live. You piss a neighbor off. The neighbor goes to the Church and accuses you of Witchcraft. The Church was more than eager to bring you in. You know why? 100% of the time, you would be convicted as a Witch. The Church has a lot to gain by your conviction. Your land, your property, your home, your money, everything you had went to the Church. Now if that wasn’t reason enough to make sure the innocent people and our Ancestors were found guilty, I don’t know what was. Some of the punishments dished out were pathetic, absolutely pathetic. The one we were discussing the other night, was were the person was taken to the pond. Then the person was thrown into the pond. If the person floated, she/he was a Witch. If they drowned, they were innocent. Then after the person that floated survived that, they were taken and burned. Make a lot of sense doesn’t it? Either way you are very much dead. But our Ancestors were extra ordinary individuals. They were committed to our Religion enough to die for it. Others, thankfully when underground to preserve our Religion. Witchcraft was passed on by word of mouth, from one generation to the next. Each generation was told what our great Ancestors had done to make sure our Religion lived on.

Today, we do not take time to thank our Ancestors for all they have done for us. For all they sacrificed and in all case, given their lives for us to have. We take our Religion for granted. It is here but we don’t stop to realize what it took for it to get here.

Doing my research this morning, I ran across a poem that was written during the Burning Times. I would like to share it with you now.

Burning Times

The songs are sung to rouse our anger of martyred Witches gone to the fires, But what is served by righteous singing, if all we do is stew in our ire? Nine million dead in four hundred years; More in that time simply died of disease. Why do we dwell on long past dead When we are alive in times like these?

(chorus)

Rise up, Witches, throw off your masks And cease crying guilt for ancient crimes. Earth and all Her children need us For ALL face now the Burning Times.

In the face of that hostile power, how did the old knowledge stay alive? How have we still a Craft to practice? Our ancestors knew how to fight and survive! How do we honour our blessed dead? Slavery threatens us all but few. We must teach their cunning ways — EVERYONE needs the skills they knew!

(chorus 2)

Rise up, Witches, gather your strength, And let your power spread and climb; Earth and all Her children need us For ALL face now the Burning Times.

I will not cast off Science’s works — Witches all forces to Will can bend; I’ll not accuse for war and waste some patriarchy of faceless men. Men do not cast the only votes; Women alone do not demonstrate. Rather than shut out half the race, Who if not we will change that state?

(chorus 2)

I will not blame a Father’s Church — blame and guilt are their tools, not mine, And even in the shuls and churches, allies there will I seek, and find! I will not answer hate with fear, Nor with a smug, cheek-turning love. I will not answer hate with rage; By strength alone will I not be moved!

(chorus 2)

I will not hide in my sacred grove — the fact’ries and cities yet ring me about; I will not climb my ivory tower — the real world exists tho’ I shut it out. I will not work for Church nor State Who serve themselves while they serve us lies, Nor only for my Witchen kin, But for the family of all alive!

(chorus 2)

So if rebellion means to fight a State lost sight of why it was built, If heresy’s to reject a Church that rules with force or fear or guilt, Then let us all be rebels proud, And shameless heretics by creed — A tyrant’s hand subjects the Earth, More heretic rebels are what She needs!

(chorus 2)

Did it ever occur to the writers of your antique laws that the Craft might actually be WELCOMED by a great number of people? That there might actually be more of us than of those who wish us ill?  That the only reason those who fear us are so active nowadays is because they see us becoming more and more welcomed by more people?  As I say in another song,

 “When folk in sorrow turn away/

From paths that lead to misery/

And seek  new ways for wholeness’ sake/

Then waiting, ready shall we be.”

All I can say is, I’m Goddess-glad I’m not in your tradition.

Amen to that! I am glad I’m not in your Tradition!

Chill Out Binding Spell

Chill Out Binding Spell

Supplies:

  • Small jar with cap
  • twine or string – preferably red
  • one fava bean to represent the Lord (or draw a phallus on paper)
  • rose petals to represent the Lady
  • frankincense and myrrh (powdered), rosemary, and any other herb that “feels right” to you. (i.e. rue, wormwood, etc. for bindings or exorcisms)
  • olive oil or salad oil
  • banishing scented oil
  • a  couple of colored markers or pens
  • paper
  • enough water to fill the jar three-fourths full.

Directions:

Erect your circle of protection.

Take your  bottle and place it on the altar.  Take the piece of paper and draw a “gingerbread type” doll and write the name of the person  or situation you are binding on it.  Talk to the paper doll and tell it all of the things that it has done to disappoint and hurt you.  Anoint it with the banishing oil, drawing a Pentagram on it with the oil.  Now, place a fava bean, drawing of a phallus, or amber in the jar along with the rose petals and other herbs. As you place each item in the jar state, state with feeling:

I bind you from harming me or anyone else   with this (person’s name here).

Take the doll or dolls in hand and the string.  Fold the doll/dolls into a square, and begin wrapping the doll in the string.  With each wrapping, state:

Once around, securely bound,   now’s the time for cooling down.

When you are through, securely knot the string a minimum of 3 times. While you are chanting this, see the person securely tied with sturdy ropes, and gagged.  You might even draw a gag around the figures.)  Now place the doll in the jar and pour about a teaspoon of oil over the doll.  As you are dribbling it over the doll, state:

I place sacred oil all around you,   about you and below you,   to make your path slippery   while you violate the Rede   and Law of Three.

Now fill the jar 3/4 ‘s full of water, place it in the freezer of your refrigerator, and repeat:

Time to chill out, chill out, chill out.   Bound around and about.   I place around you (person’s name)   the crystal sphere of the Mother’s Orb,   mirrored on the inside so that you   will have to see yourself as you are   at every moment until you surrender and   change your behavior towards yourself and   those around you into a more positive   behavior pattern.

I ask the Lady to empower this spell and   insure it’s working, only if it is in the   highest and best good of all concerned.   As I will it, so mote it be!

Close the freezer and leave that puppy there until you are satisfied that the person will not hurt anyone else. This person is contained from hurting you and anyone else, and is “chilling out”.  Do not worry about them any longer. Write out how you felt about this person/situation before now, including what they did to you, and how you feel right now.  This will allow you to get the worst of the anger, disillusion, disappointment out of your system so that you won’t become ill from the feelings.   Smudge your house afterwards, and draw a Pentagram on each window and door in your house, including your computer monitor (if you have one) and all mirrors, stating:

I ward thee to keep harm at bay.

As I will it, so mote it be.