Tag: Magic

Your Charm For Friday, November 15th is The Heart

Your Charm For Today

The Heart

Today’s Meaning:      

A course of events that cannot be altered has been set in motion within this aspect. Accept whatever happens in the near future and do not waste your time fretting about it–you can do nothing.

General Description:

This was a favorite charm in Egypt, worn in order to frustrate magicians, sorcerers and evil wishers from bewitching the wearer and stealing the soul from the heart; for it was the general belief that if the sould left the heart, the body would soon fade away and perish. The ancient Egyptians also believed that, after death, the heart was taken, in the underworld, and weighed against the symbols of the law; if found perfect, it was restored to the body, which at once came to life again and enjoyed everlasting felicity

Your Ancient Symbol Card for Nov. 13th is The Owl

Your Ancient Symbol Card for Today

The Owl

The powerful Owl easily makes its way through the darkest night on muted wings. Often it is only their haunting call echoing across the land that lets us know The Owl is near. Because of its amazing night vision, many cultures have attributed wisdom and the ability to uncover even the deepest secrets to the enigmatic, noble Owl. The Owl’s nocturnal prowess has lead many to see them as a messenger between the material and spirit worlds. Cultures as distinct as the African Zulus and ancient Celtics have ascribed magical powers to The Owl made them a revered companion to shaman and wizards.

As a daily card, The Owl marks a moment when wise decisions and actions must be made based upon information known to only a few, or possibly only you. It marks a time when your vision is likely to be clearer, more acute than of those around you. Spiritual revelations may be made. Secrets may be revealed that demand decisive action.

Let’s Talk Witch – Energy, It’s Everywhere!

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Let’s Talk Witch – Energy, It’s Everywhere!

Energy is flowing all around us. Magick spells and rituals, when done with the proper concentration, allow us to harness that energy to attract what we desire.

There are three main sources of energy in the Universe. It’s important to know what kinds of energy we are talking about when we start to cast spells.

The first kind is personal energy. This is our own personal life force. We take in energy from the Sun, Water and food, and we release it through exercise, movement, and even as we exhale.

The second type of energy is Earth energy. This is the energy from our planet. Each natural element has its own power which can be used in magick: Earth, trees, stones, wind, fire, and crystal are some examples of Earth energy.

The third, most powerful type of energy is Divine power. This is the energy that makes up the entire Universe. This is  higher power energy, life–whatever you want to call it. It’s the Universal power source, and it’s what we tap into when we perform magick.

Magick is All Around Us

Magick is All Around Us

Author:   Luna   

Sometimes I get my inspirations from the simplest things. Sometimes it’s just a walk in the woods, and sometimes it’s the time of year or the holiday. Other times, it’s from interacting with a variety of people or animals, from playing with my dogs to working with native Chinese people. This time, inspiration came from somewhere I wasn’t expecting: one of the emails you guys have been sending me (thank you, thank you, thank you, by the way) .

A few weeks before writing this, I got an email from someone with a question I wasn’t quite expecting. The writer asked, “Do you think I can do magic with all this reality around me?” I have to admit that I’ve never been asked a question like that before. And, for a little while, I was confused as to how to respond to it. But then it came to me: perhaps the person who emailed me was having trouble sensing the magick in his everyday life and the forces he wanted to work with. This was something that I struggled with back when I first came to Wicca and that has taken practice for me to become good at. Not only that, but for many people coming to Wicca from a paradigm that sees magick as a thing of fantasy, this can be a really difficult barrier to overcome. So let’s talk about it a bit, shall we?

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about this dilemma is the two different spellings that get used: magic and magick. With just the addition of a simple letter, we can change the meaning of what we would’ve thought of before as just one thing: a force of fantasy capable of creating great change and wonder but that is impossible to achieve in real life.

Now, you guys may or may not have noticed this, but in my essays for the Witches’ Voice, I tend to prefer the spelling with a k, and there is a reason for this. The main reason for this is to maintain a bit of separation between the magick I work with in my life and the magic I’m used to in role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons and video games. When I first came to Wicca, I didn’t know that there could be one letter that could, for some of us, differentiate between two completely different concepts. And let me tell you, if you think I’m talking crazy again: I’m pretty sure throwing fireballs and a simple prosperity spell don’t fall under the same paradigm. That’s just my take on it. But I hope the explanation helps a little.

The next problem we come to in dealing with this barrier has to do with where we come from in terms of religion. I think I speak for a lot of us who came from either a Judeo-Christian background or from another religion that doesn’t see magick the same way that much of the Neopagan or at least the Wiccan community does. I know that for me, when I grew up, I didn’t think of magick in the same way. When I was younger, Harry Potter and The Wizard of Oz provided my definitions of Witchcraft and magic. To my young mind, the only kind of magic I knew existed in fiction and wasn’t possible in real life.

Not only that, but growing up originally in the Christian faith, magic and religion didn’t mix. And I’m sure that, in some areas where you might live (and this is based only on my experience) , magick and Witchcraft are seen in a very different light. I’ve heard about so much about a number of Fundamentalists and some other sects of Christianity who denounce Wiccans and others as being in league with the devil or some such nonsense. Most if not all of us have at least heard of the Salem Witch Trials and other occurrences from what has been called the Burning Times. Now, even though I’ve left my Christian roots somewhat behind, I have a great respect for Christianity and many of its adherents. I have no problem with Christianity as a whole. It’s just some people who become very extreme and hateful about what I choose to believe and practice. I know it’s not always Christians who say these things, but it’s mainly what comes to mind. And I’m sure it’s what comes to mind for some of you, who came to Wicca or another Pagan path from a similar background to mine. And coming from a background and religious paradigm that sees magic as non-existent or confined to fiction (and those who claim to work as, at best, perhaps slightly delusional and, at worst, evil people) , accepting magick into the way one perceives reality can be rather challenging. Believe me when I say that I’ve been there and done that.
(I really hope I’m not confusing any newcomers with the whole magic/magick thing at this point…)

What’s important to keep in mind is that magick doesn’t work the same as how we’ve seen it in books, movies, video games, etc. Magick in reality is much more subtle; you don’t see people throwing fireballs at each other or calling down lightning from the sky because things don’t work that way. In fact, I like to think of how magick works in our world (as opposed to Harry Potter, great though the series is) as something akin to the wonders of a cup of tea. Why a cup of tea, you ask? Well, it may not seem like it’s doing much, but there is a certain calming power about it when you feel distressed (or, in the case of raspberry leaf tea, really helps out with bad and painful—uh, that might be TMI) . That, and it reminds me of something my dad said when I came out of the broom closet to him. While it was obvious (as many of you know from reading my essays) that my dad would see magick as being impossible, he is more than willing to admit the wonders of cup of tea has when I’m having a nuclear meltdown. I must admit that a part of me giggled inside, thinking, “Uh, Dad? That can be magick too.”

It’s often in the little things that we wouldn’t think of as magick or wouldn’t tend to notice. I often find that the magick I sense in the world always gives me a little tingle of excitement or is tied to an emotion. It could be the calming feeling that comes when watching the waves as they drift in and out with the tide. It could be the smell of a rose or any flower. It could be the sun shining down on you on a nice day (or in the midst of a ton of snow) . It could be that feeling you have when you’re with the one you love, that tender moment when you kiss. For me, this magick I sense often comes when I’m swimming, usually in a lake or in the ocean (chlorinated pool water doesn’t cut it for this type of experience, too many chemicals) . For some reason, whenever I get farther out into the water or even when I’m in open water with only a boat nearby, I feel this surge of energy and giddiness. One thing to try is to really pay attention to those feelings and sensations. At least from my experience, they can definitely be magickal.

The last barrier I wan to talk about in talking about magick in one’s life is visualization. Some of us come to Wicca or another Pagan path with a lack of practice in visualization. Now, I talked about this in my “The Importance of Basic Techniques” essay way back when, but visualization is an essential to magickal workings as well as other aspects of a Pagan faith. For many who come to Wicca or another path from a background that doesn’t see magick as part of reality, sometimes a lack of visualization skills can impact their first attempts to work with magick. Believe me, that was I a few years ago when I was first starting out. However, with some practice, I’ve found that this is the easiest barrier to overcome, especially once the importance of this technique has been explained properly. I’ve received an email in response to that essay that thanked me for clearing up why it was so important, as the sender had merely been told to practice these techniques without any explanation as to why it mattered (I really do enjoy some of the responses I get) .

So, thinking back to “The Importance of Basic Techniques” and my evening with Max, I want you to try this exercise, if you care to oblige me (you don’t have to) . Go ahead and hold your hands a little ways apart from each other and try to feel a ball of energy between them. Nothing yet? Now try it again but try to clearly picture the ball in your mind. It doesn’t matter is how big the ball is, but I want you to actively visualize it. Picture a ball forming between your hands. It can be any color you like and can take on any aspect. Are you seeing a difference? Even if you don’t see anything (which may not happen; it didn’t for me before) , you can probably feel something keeping your hands from coming together. Visualization definitely makes a difference in that exercise.

I’m going to leave you with a few resources that really address some of the questions about magick and visualization for those who are still having trouble. The first one is, of course, the “Wicca First Degree” videos from user MagickTV on YouTube. I mentioned them back when I talked about basic techniques, but I want to give it another mention and a recommendation to check out the rest of the series as well. In particular, the exercises they give in addition to the main lessons are extremely helpful when working on visualization. Along with that, I’ve got a bit of reading material for you as well. The two main books I want to recommend are “The Inner Temple of Witchcraft” by Christopher Penczack and “Natural Witchery: Intuitive, Personal and Practical Magick” by Ellen Dugan. These two books place a lot of emphasis on visualization and psychic/magickal development for the beginner, and they’ve been a big help to me.

So, in conclusion, is it hard to sense magick in our everyday lives? For some of us, it can be, especially when we take our first few tentative steps down our chosen paths. Is it there, part of the reality around us? Of course it is, even if we don’t always notice it. And, to answer the question posed to me by a curious reader, can you work magick with all this reality around us? Yes, you can. It may be difficult at times, and you may find that some techniques may not work as well for you. But so long as you keep an open mind and an open heart, and as long as the work is meaningful to you, I personally see no reason why you can’t.

Magick is everywhere around us, part of the reality we live. And, for my part at least, it’s one of the things that makes life and spirituality truly special for any young Pagan, Wiccan or Witch.

____________________________

Footnotes:
“You Don’t Always Need Magick” by Luna
http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usmn and c=words and id=15186

“The Importance of Basic Techniques” by Luna
http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usmn and c=words and id=15057

Magical Thinking Or Magickal Living?

Magical Thinking Or Magickal Living?

Author:   Stifyn Emrys   

Do you believe in the tooth fairy?

Father Christmas?

Or yourself?

Children live in a world of magic and wonder, where knights rescue fair maidens from fire-breathing dragons, where witches command the elements with an incantation or a flick of the wrist. And we believe that somehow, somewhere we should be able to do the same.

We believe we should be able to keep mommy and daddy from fighting so much. That it’s within our power to stop our alcoholic uncle from drinking. That if only we could harness these magical powers, we could bring back the devoted puppy who played fetch for endless hours in our back yard and knew just when to wake us up with a playful kiss when it was time for school.

If only …

When I was 8 years old, that puppy – a Shetland sheepdog named Frisky – was hit by a car in front of our house. Mom told me she was dead, and no amount of wishing or hoping could bring her back. I shouldn’t have let it happen in the first place. I shouldn’t have allowed her to get out of the house and now, worse still, I couldn’t bring her back. I remember calling her name again and again, but she simply wouldn’t come.

And I was convinced that it was all my fault.

Now, years later, I realize that it wasn’t. The world doesn’t revolve around me, and I don’t have the power to bring back Frisky with a wave of a magic wand. I’m simply not that powerful. But at the time, it was natural to believe that I was. “Magical thinking” is a psychological term that characterizes a certain stage of our childhood development (around the late preschool age) during which we believe we have control over our environment. We haven’t yet developed the capacity to differentiate between causation and coincidence, so we bemoan the fact that Daddy got sick because we threw a tantrum and refused to eat our peas.

As we mature, we leave that stage, but it can be tempting to return – especially if our lives are out of control. Our parents divorce, or Daddy hits Mommy, or we are sent away to school. We grow older, and we yearn for a simpler time, when the world wasn’t so complicated and (we imagine) there was magic at our fingertips. In individual terms, we seek a return to the playful innocence of youth; in a historical sense, we long for a golden age or Camelot, where magical forces were at work to ensure that all was right with the world.

But did such a world ever really exist? Was it ever really that easy? Or was it simply that we, as children, just weren’t ready yet to confront the harsh reality of life beyond our parents’ protection?

Magical thinking can be very seductive. And Pagans who fall prey to it, pass it on to their own children, taunting them with the promise that they can somehow control their environment through spellwork, visualization or mere force of will. If we do so as parents, we do our children – and ourselves – no favors. Have you ever tested a teenager’s will? It’s pretty strong already. Even without magical powers, teens are very much a force to be reckoned with.

But we fan the flames of this magical thinking with entertainment and literature that offers the illusion of control. We glamorize Witchcraft as a pop culture phenomenon on the level of the Backstreet Boys or Brittany. Teen Witches can use spellwork to achieve good grades – never mind cracking a book or studying for a test. And what about those so-called Witches on “Charmed”? That Book of Shadows works more like Aladdin’s lamp than a compendium of spiritual insight.

Pagans are hardly the only ones who indulge in such fancies. Christians cling tenaciously to such illusions as a virgin birth and a bodily resurrection, hoping by the force of their will to overcome their fears of sex and mortality. The greater the fear, the more severe the distress, the greater the temptation to seek shelter in that golden age that never was, in that Garden of Eden we never planted. People are afraid of death, of sexuality, of abandonment, of violence. So they hide behind a cloak of magic.

When we present the Craft as something out of “Bewitched” or “Charmed,” we dishonor our children as well as our tradition. (This is not to denigrate those series, which have value if viewed for what they are – pure entertainment.) The Craft is not something that can be mastered like a computer game or worn like a pentacle necklace or garb at a Ren Faire. To be a Witch, the word’s origins themselves tell us, is to be a “wise one.” And wisdom is not a commodity cheaply purchased or easily won. It comes, most often, with experience and trial. Do we therefore bestow this title too lightly? Do we forget that the wise women of the village were most often the crones, who had learned by hard experience to shed the cloak of magical thinking and walk spiritually skyclad in humility and oneness with their source?

The lesson they had learned was simply this: That to combat the temptation of magical thinking, we must move toward the practice of magickal living. What we must, in my view, accept is that the Craft is not about bending the environment to suit our will. That’s the kind of thinking that has produced global warming, rampant pollution, widespread starvation and mass extinctions. It is instead about honoring that same environment and coming to terms with it – and with our own true selves.

If we place ourselves at odds with our surroundings by seeking to control them, we isolate ourselves from the true source of all magick. Where then will be our power? If we, in our arrogance, declare war on Mother Earth, how can we prevail? Indeed, why should we wish to? It is only when we bring ourselves into harmony with the greater whole that we can achieve the truly wondrous. It is only when we connect with the source that we can transcend the narrow bounds of ego and step beyond the constraints of childhood fancy. No longer do we seek to control the source.

We manifest it.

We spend such energy tilting at windmills that we forget to ride the wind. We seek to compel the impossible, we deny the inevitable … but we dare not abide the unthinkable: That we are the magick we have spent our lives pursuing. We are the very change we strive in vain to manifest.

Father Christmas was your own dear father, placing gifts beneath the tree at midnight. The tooth fairy was your loving mother, who cared enough to leave a dime beneath your pillow. They were magick in these moments – and no less so if at other times they quarreled. If they lashed out at you in anger. If they left you when you needed them. If they divorced.

Magick is reality, affirmed in any moment.

We can’t mend our parents’ broken marriage.

Force an alcoholic to stop drinking.

Or a bigot to stop hating.

Or an army to stop killing.

We can’t bring a beloved pet back from the grave.

We can’t wave a wand and conjure up a happy ending.

Not by wishing or willing it.

But we can know our true selves, and be our true selves – secure in the knowledge that this, in itself, is enough. We won’t be able to foresee what wonders will be born of this; but wonders rich and bounteous are sure to manifest. The choice is ours alone to make: We can isolate ourselves in magical thinking …

Or we can empower ourselves through magickal living.

That, in my view is what it means to be a Witch.

Ok, Let’s Just Talk – What Witchcraft Is

Fantasy Comments & Graphics
What Witchcraft Is

Witchcraft is a spiritual system that fosters the free thought and will of the individual, encourages learning and an understanding of the Earth and nature thereby affirming the divinity in all living things. Most important however, it teaches responsibility.

We accept responsibility for our actions and deeds as clearly as a result of the choices we make. We do not blame an exterior entity or being for our shortcomings, weaknesses or mistakes. If we mess up or do something that brings harm to another, we have no one but ourselves to blame and must face the consequences resulting from those actions.

Wicca acknowledges the cycles of nature, the lunar phases and the seasons to celebrate their spirituality and to worship the divine. It is a belief system that allows the Witch to work with, not in supplication to deities with the intent of living in harmony and achieving balance with all things.

The spells that are involved are based in healing, love, harmony, wisdom and creativity. The potions that are stirred might be a headache remedy, a cold tonic, or an herbal flea bath for pets. Wiccans strive to gain knowledge of and use the natural remedies placed on this earth by the divine for their benefit instead of using synthetic drugs unless absolutely necessary.

We learn from and revere the gift of nature from divine creation by celebrating the cycles of the Sun, Moon and Seasons. We search within ourselves for the cycles that correspond to those of the natural world and try to live in harmony with the movement of this universal energy. Our teachers are the trees, rivers, lakes, meadows, mountains and animals as well as others who have walked this Path before us. This belief creates a reverence and respect for the environment and all live upon the Earth.

Wicca also reveres the Spirits of the Elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water which combine to manifest all creation. From these four Elements we obtain insight to the rhythms of nature and understand they are also the rhythms of our own lives.

Because Witches have been persecuted for so many centuries, Wiccans believe in religious freedom first! We do not look at this Path as the only way to achieve spirituality, but as one Path among many to the same end. We are willing to share experience and knowledge with those whose who seek wisdom and perspective. Wiccans practice tolerance and acceptance toward all other religions as long as those faiths do not persecute others or violate the tenant of “Harm None.”

Excerpts from:
Magick: Wicca, Witchcraft & the Book of Shadows
Gregory Branson-Trent

 

A Little Humor for Your Day – Magician and the Pesky Parrot

Magician and the Pesky Parrot

A magician worked on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. The audience would be different each week, so the magician did the same tricks each week. However, there was a problem, the captain’s parrot saw the shows each week and began to understand how the magician did every trick.

Once he understood, he started shouting out the secrets in the middle of the show, “Look, it’s not the same hat.” “Look, he is hiding the flowers under the table.” “Hey, why are all the cards the Ace of Spades?” The magician was furious but couldn’t do anything, it was, after all, the captain’s parrot.

One day, the ship had an accident and sank. The magician found himself with the parrot, adrift on a piece of wood, in the middle of the ocean. They stared at each other with hatred, but did not utter a word. This went on for a day, then another, and another.

Finally, after a week, the parrot said, “Okay, I give up. Where the heck is the boat?”

DailyHaHa.com Jokes

Your Charm for Sunday, November 10 is The Cross

Your Charm for Today

Today’s Meaning:      

This is probably the most popular of charms. You will be protected in this aspect. No one will be able to harm you or your state of being.

General Description:

The Cross has always been a favourite device. It was used by the sun-worhippers as a symbol of the sun, and their warriors carried the Cross upon their shields. In olden days kings and nobles, when they could not write, used the sign of the Cross. That sign was used in breaking spells and for protection from evil spirits. In the East the Cross hbas been used as a talisman from time immemortal. The Eastern Cross as illustrated was worn as a charm against stickness, accidents and witchcraft, also to attract good fortune. Sentences from the Koran were often inscribed upon the small pendents to make the chamr still more potent.

The Fairy

The Fairy

 

A fairie (also fay, fey, fae, faerie; collectively, wee folk, good folk, people of peace, and other euphemisms) is the name given to a type of mythological being or legendary creature, a form of nature spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural. The concept of fairies is based on the fae of midevil Western European (Old French) folklore and romance. Fairies are often identified with a variety of beings of other mythologies. Even in folklore that uses the term “fairy,” there are many definitions of what constitutes a fairy. Sometimes the term is used to describe any magickal creature, including goblins or gnomes: at other times, the term only describes a specific type of more ethereal creature.

Fairies are generally described as human in appearance and having magical powers. Their origins are less clear in the folklore, being variously dead, or some form of angel, or a species completely independent of humans or angels. Folklorists have suggested that their actual origin lies in a conquered race living in hiding, or in religious beliefs that lost currency with the advent of Christianity. These explanations are not always mutually incompatible, and they may be traceable to multiple sources.

Much of the folklore about fairies revolves about protection from their malice, by such means as cold iron (fairies don’t like iron and will not go near it) or charms of rowan and herbs, or avoiding offense by shunning locations known to be theirs. In particular, folklore describes how to prevent the fairies from stealing babies and substituting changelings, and abducting older people as well. Many folktales are told of fairies, and they appear as characters in stories from medieval tales of chivalry, to Victorian fairy tales, and up to the present day in modern literature.

Fairies are generally portrayed as human in appearance and as having supernatural abilities such as the ability to fly, cast spells and to influence or foresee the future. Although in modern culture they are often depicted as young, sometimes winged, females of small stature, they originally were depicted much differently: tall, radiant, angelic beings or short, wizened trolls being some of the commonly mentioned. Diminutive fairies of one kind or another have been recorded for centuries, but occur alongside the human-sized beings; these have been depicted as ranging in size from very tiny up to the size of a human child. Even with these small fairies, however, their small size may be magically assumed rather than constant.

Wings, while common in Victorian and later artwork of fairies, are very rare in the folklore; even very small fairies flew with magic, sometimes flying on ragwort stems or the backs of birds. Nowadays, fairies are often depicted with wings of various shapes.

Magick Is Not To Be used To Gain Power Over Others

MAGIC IS NOT TO BE USED TO GAIN POWER OVER OTHERS.  

 
Magic is a technique used in developing your own    ‘power from within.’ Spells  that are directed at gaining power over others weaken the ‘power from  within.’ Aside from the damage done to oneself, it is important for  another reason. Many people who do not understand the laws of magic  are afraid of being attacked magically and are given to paranoia.
The  witch’s main stock-in-trade used to be removing a competitor’s hexes  
and preparing charms to protect their clients. While true psychic  
attacks are EXTREMELY RARE, a person’s guilt makes up for any lack,  
and after using ‘forbidden’ help, their paranoia leads them to seek  
protection from the same person they just turned to in desperation.  
Do yourself a favor, and resist the temptation to ‘help’ these types.  
Most magical formularies consist of formulae gathered and tested by  
witches as well as many charms to protect the common man from those  
same witches who sold them their charms. 

 

 

 

 

Think Before You Cast

Think before you cast

HOW TO CAST A SPELL
To cast a sepll you have to follow the basic ritual structure.
Preparing the Altar.(nothing too elaborate, just a few of your favorite tools). Lighting the    candles.
Cleansing the area.
Casting the circle.
Invoking the elements.
Invoking the Deities.
Stating the Purpose of the ritual.
Magickal workings or devotions.
Raising the Energy. Releasing the Energy.
Grounding.
Thanking the Deities.
Thanking the elements.
Closing(or sometimes called opening) the circle.
Cakes and ale.
At the magick working section, you have to use your spell. In this spell you have to use the    correspondences to make a good ritual. You have to use the correct herbs, essential oils, foods, trees, flowers, crystals, colours, days, time, planetary    hour, zodiac hour. Look along them to see which fits in to what you want, let’s say protection:
Herbs – These can be used in a spell around a candle and then put in a silk bag (of appropriate colour)    and carried around as a charm bag. They add energy to the spell.
Essential Oils – These can be annointed on the candle or charm bag, made later
Foods – These can be eaten after the ritual, and for a week after, or until you don’t need the    spell anymore, to help you feel more protected.
Trees – These can be used in a wand, or in a talisman, as a writing tablet, where you inscribe symbols,    numbers and words. They can also be placed into the charm bag.
Flowers – These can be planted around your house and picked for the spell. The flowers will also act as    a protective barrier and as a home for fae, who will help too.
Crystals – These can be used in the spell and afterwards placed in the charm bag. You can make    protective patterns from many crystals and that will help protect too.
Days, Times, Planetary Hours, Zodiac Hours – These are used for the right moon phase, sun phase, zodiac    house etc. to help achieve the goal. When used in conjunction, all in the right way, there is a particular influece in that time which will help the spell    to travel, and for you to concentrate.

Entering the Mouth of the Dragon

Entering the Mouth of the Dragon

This ritual, Entering the Mouth of the Dragon, will likely be one of the most interesting, enlightening experience of your magical career if you approach it with the right attitude. It is a ritual that can be repeated whenever you want, as many times as you wish. Since a magician on the ultimate spiritual path is constantly seeking and being initiated, a single initiation ceremony is not considered either adequate or a sign that nothing further is needed in the way of knowledge. Initiation must be a periodic, ongoing experience, a striving for greater contact with higher powers that has no end.

Many of the ancient pictures and carvings of humans being devoured by dragons may in fact be a symbol of initiation. It is difficult to know whether someone is entering or leaving the dragon’s mouth. To a dedicated magician, this path into other planes is well-worn; she/he never feels they have learned all there is to know. The magician follows the Otherworld path confident that she/he is not the first to do so, nor will she/he be the last. The magician is driven by an inner yearning for growth on all levels of her/his being.

The experiences gained during this meditation-type ritual can help you make changes in your life, pick up your spirits when you are down, provide you with new insight and goals. It will be rare that a magician comes out of the experience with nothing. Of course, if you put nothing of your energy into the experience, you are likely to get little in return. Remember dragons work as co-magicians only when there is an exchange of energy.

During this initiation ritual, you will be going in meditation into a huge cave shaped like the mouth of a dragon. This is best done on a Full Moon or bright noon. For 24 hours before the ceremony, try to remain aware and conscious of dragon power. You will find it flowing through all kinds of people, objects and happenings. Just before entering the ritual area for initiation, take a cleansing bath with at least some salt and perhaps a little dragon’s blood powder in the water. Be certain that you have your magical name chosen. Dress in your ritual apparel. Carry any selected magical jewelry to the altar; do not wear it until it has been consecrated.

Supplies: pentacle disk, dragon pentacle, water chalice with a little fresh water in it, dish of salt, wine chalice, black (left) and white (right) altar candles, sword, wand, incense burner, initiation or blessing incense, dragon’s blood and thyme, dragon mirror, gong or bell.

Set altar in the center facing east. Make certain that you will not be disturbed once you have cast the circle. This may mean silencing the telephone and hanging a “do not disturb” sign on the door. Instrumental music also helps to set the mood and mask background noises.

Begin the ritual by going to the east. With your sword in your power hand (the one with which you write), “draw” your magical circle on floor around your ritual area. Do this by pointing the sword at the floor and seeing great flames shooting from it. Move clockwise around the circle with this flame; end by overlapping it in the east. While drawing the circle, saying:

BY DRAGON POWER, THIS CIRCLE IS SEALED.

Return to the altar. Point the sword at the dragon pentacle and say:

DRAGONS OF SPIRIT, HIGHEST OF DRAGONS AND MOST POWERFUL, BLESS THIS ALTAR WITH YOUR FIRE. LET US BE ONE IN MAGICK, O DRAGONS GREAT AND WISE.

Set the water chalice on the pentacle. (The water used in the chalice is not to be confused with the water you collect from various watery power spots.) With the wand in your power hand, circle the chalice three times clockwise with the wand and say:

AIR, FIRE, EARTH, BRING POWER FORTH,

WATER OF LAND AND SEA, PURIFIED BE.

Hold the chalice high, say:

DRACONIS! DRACONIS! DRACONIS!

Sprinkle the water lightly around the circled area, beginning and ending in the east.

Set the dish of salt on the pentacle. Circle it three times clockwise with the wand and say:

WATER, AIR, FIRE, HEAR MY DESIRE.

SALT OF EARTH AND SEA, PURIFIED BE.

Sprinkle a few grains of salt to each corner of the altar. Circle the incense burner three times clockwise with the wand. Say:

FIRE OF DRAGONS, FIRE OF EARTH,

YOU ARE PURIFIED. BRING POWER FORTH.

Circle the incense and herbs three times clockwise with the wand. Say:

INCENSE MAGICKAL, INCENSE BOLD,

AWAKE THE DRAGONS, AS OF OLD.

I CALL YOU PURIFIED.

Put a small amount of incense onto the burning coals. Lift the burner by the chains and touch it lightly to the pentacle. Lift it high over the altar, say:

DRACONIS! DRACONIS! DRACONIS!

Then carry it clockwise around the circle, beginning and ending in the east. Return it to the altar.

Kneel before the altar with the sword in both hands. Mentally, dedicate yourself to the study of dragon magic. Project your interest and love of dragons as strongly as you can. Continue this for several minutes. Then rise and point the sword at the dragon pentacle and say:

BEHOLD, ALL DRAGONS AND RULERS OF DRAGONS,

I AM (magical name), A MAGICIAN WHO SEEKS DRAGON MAGICK.

WITH (name of sword) IN MY HAND, I ENTER THE REALMS OF THE DRAGONS.

NOT FOR PHYSICAL BATTLE, BUT FOR KNOWLEDGE AND POWER.

I GREET YOU, O DRAGONS, ANCIENT AND WISE, AND AWAIT YOUR BLESSING AND GUIDANCE.

Continue holding the sword outstretched until you feel the blessings of the dragons.

When the flowing power of the blessing has lessened, lower the sword. Still holding the sword in your power hand, take the dragon pentacle in your other hand and go to the east. Point the sword at the eastern position and hold up the dragon pentacle facing outward. Draw an invoking pentagram with the sword. Say:

FROM SAIRY’S (sair’-iss), RULER OF THE EASTERN DRAGONS FAIR,

COMES NOW THE WONDROUS POWER OF AIR.

Feel the power of Air entering your body. When the flow stops, go to the south. Hold up the pentacle again. Draw and invoking pentagram with the sword; say:

FROM FAFNIR (far’-near), RULER OF DRAGONS OF THE SOUTH,

COMES CLEANSING FIRE FROM DRAGON MOUTH.

Feel the power of Fire entering the body. When the flow stops go to the west. Again hold up the pentacle. Draw an invoking pentagram with the sword; say:

FROM NAELYAN (nail’-yon), RULER OF DRAGONS OF THE WEST,

COME THE POWER OF WATER, THREE TIMES BLEST.

Draw into yourself the power of Water. Go to the north. Hold up the pentacle. Draw an invoking pentagram with the sword; saying:

FROM GRAEL (grail), RULER OF DRAGONS OF THE NORTH,

THE POWER OF EARTH DOES NOW COME FORTH.

Draw into yourself the power of Earth. Return to the altar. Lay aside the sword and dragon pentacle. Add more dragon’s blood powder and thyme (or other appropriate incense) to the incense burner.

Lay any magical jewelry on the pentacle disk and touch it with the point of your sword. Say:

BY DRAGON POWER, I CALL YOU PURIFIED.

BY DRAGON FIRE, I CALL YOU BLESSED.

BY DRAGON MAGICK, I CALL YOU POWERFUL.

THROUGH DRAGON WISDOM, I WELCOME YOU.

Slowly pass the jewelry through the incense smoke. Then put it on.

Take up the mirror, the Eye of the Dragon. Hold it before you and gaze deeply into it. Picture yourself as a confident magician of dragon magic. Say:

I AM A SEEKER OF DRAGON KNOWLEDGE.

I COME WILLINGLY FOR INITIATION.

INTO THE MOUTH OF THE DRAGON I GO OF MY OWN FREE WILL.

WELCOME ME, DRAGONS OLD AND WISE.

DRACONIS! DRACONIS! DRACONIS!

Lay aside the mirror and sit before the altar. Either lay the sword across your knees or at your feet during this meditation.

Close your eyes and mentally see before you the mouth of a huge cave. It is shaped like the mouth of a dragon. Inside, from some deep terrestrial fire, comes a red glow. Long drops of stone hang around the opening like teeth. Enter the cave and follow the dim passageway deep into the Earth. After many twists and turns, you will enter a circular subterranean chamber with crystals embedded in the walls. A gem-encrusted altar stands in the center of the floor. On the altar is a jeweled chalice.

At the four cardinal points of the circular chamber you see deep pits or cracks in the floor. From these pits comes the red glow of fire from deep under the Earth. The chamber is lit by their light alone. Sometimes you see the shadowy forms of dragons around the dim edges of the chamber.

Stand before the altar and announce to the dragons that you have come for initiation. Be sure to call yourself by your magical name. You will feel power sent to from all sides by the half-seen dragons. Listen for any messages that they may give you.

Finally, you will hear the deep voice of a dragon saying, “Drink of the cup.” Visualize yourself lifting the heavy jeweled cup and drinking the contents. You will feel dragon magic coursing through your body, seeping into your bones. Thank the dragons, and follow the dim corridor upward until you reach the cave opening. Open your eyes and return to the here and now.

Rise and set the wine chalice on the pentacle. Circle it three times clockwise with the wand and say:

CUP OF POWER, CUP OF MIGHT,

DRAGON MAGICK, BE HERE THIS NIGHT.

Drink the wine, saving back some to be poured outside on the ground later as an offering to the dragons. (If it is not possible to pour the offering outside, leave it on the altar for about an hour.)

Now is an excellent time to chant and use free-form dancing. Invite the dragons to share in the raised energy and your joy of being a magician. Talk to them about your hopes and dreams. And listen to see if they have suggestions or words of encouragement for you. This is an opportunity for close friendship to be forged.

To close the ritual, take the sword and go to the east. Draw a banishing pentagram with the sword; say:

GO IN PEACE, DRAGONS OF THE EAST.

AND RETURN AGAIN IN THE RITUAL HOUR.

Go to the south. Draw a banishing pentagram with the sword; say:

GO IN PEACE, DRAGONS OF THE SOUTH.

AND RETURN AGAIN IN THE RITUAL HOUR.

Go to the west. Draw a banishing pentagram with the sword; say:

GO IN PEACE, DRAGONS OF THE WEST.

AND RETURN AGAIN IN THE RITUAL HOUR.

Finish by going to the north. Draw a banishing pentagram with the sword; say:

GO IN PEACE, DRAGONS OF THE NORTH.

AND RETURN AGAIN IN THE RITUAL HOUR.

Return to the altar. Raise both arms say:

FAREWELL TO YOU, O DRAGONS FAIR,

FIRE, WATER, EARTH AND AIR.

TOGETHER WE MAKE MAGICK WELL

BY POWER DEEP AND DRAGON SPELL.

IN PEACE GO NOW. RETURN ONCE MORE

TO TEACH ME MAGICK AND ANCIENT LORE.

DRACONIS! DRACONIS! DRACONIS!

Cut the circle with a backward sweep of the sword across the boundary line. Extinguish the altar candles. Clear the altar of all tools. You have now entered the mouth of the dragon and become an initiate into dragon magic. Being an initiate does not mean mastery of magic. An initiate is a beginner on the path.

The Witches Spell for Nov. 6th – Power of the Earth Spell

sam7

Power of the Earth Spell

From Malaysia, a power spell that harnesses the power of the earth. This spell can be used to empower yourself in any situation.

You will need:
A small stone
A small amount of soil or sand
A piece of cloth
A bowl of spring water

This spell can only be begun two nights prior to a full moon.

Put the soil or sand into the bowl. Fill the bowl halfway with spring water. Place the stone in the bowl of water. Place the bowl, with the stone in it, in a place where it will be exposed to the light of the moon. Leave it there for two nights prior to the full moon.

On the night of the full moon, remove the stone at midnight. Wrap the stone in the cloth and place it under your pillow as you sleep.

In the morning, you must be up before sunrise. Place the stone in a place where it will receive the light of the rising sun. When the sun has fully risen, the spell is worked.

Carry the stone with you whenever you need to be empowered.

Making Your Life Magical

Making Your Life Magical image Author: WitchGeek
Most Wiccans and witches – and many other pagans – practice some form of “magic” (often spelled “magick” to distinguish it from stage illusions) . Magick is a topic at which most modern westerners would likely scoff, and doubtless this attitude throws into question the credibility of those who claim to practice it.
We do not believe in the “supernatural”. All that exists that is part of this universe, is part of nature itself and is therefore “natural”. If intrusions from other universes or realities happen in this one, then that too is part of its natural processes. In other words, everything – everything – can be rationally and scientifically explained; we just don’t know all of those explanations yet.
We accept that there are many things about this universe that we not only cannot explain in concrete terms, but things of which we’re not even aware. Bear in mind that there was a time that germs, bacteria, and viruses were all completely unknown to humanity; a microscopic world of living creatures has surrounded us for as long as we’ve been on this planet and we only recently learned of it.
Scientists have never actually seen an atom, and many modern physicists feel confident that evidence indicates such incredible things as multiple universes. We’ve learned so much, but that which we still do not know boggles the mind while thrilling the imagination.
As I have said many times, being a witch or a pagan is more about what we do than what we believe. Whether it’s a magickal activity or a religious ritual, we engage in time-honored rites that – for whatever reason – just seem to work for us. It’s a bit like exercise; one need not understand advanced kinetics and physiology in order to benefit from a brisk, daily walk. Nor does one need to understand ritual and magick in order to reap its benefits; those who do it regularly will experience mental and spiritual gains.
But this post isn’t about magick; it’s about life.
I have an Egyptian-themed altar/shrine at home, and among the items on it is a statue of Thoth. In Egyptian mythology, Thoth was – among other things – a god of writing, magick, and science. I’m not sure what initially drew me to him, but my attachment is long-standing and strong enough that I made an altar for him and the goddess Bast.
By day, I’m a computer programmer. I write, using computer languages, things like this:
begin select responder, recipient_role into v_emp_user_name, v_recipient_role from temp_notifications where message_type = itemtype and user_key = v_requisition_no and notification_id = history_record.notification_id; exception when no_data_found then v_emp_user_name := null; v_recipient_role := null; result := ‘COMPLETE:N’; end;
…and when these words are “executed”, they result in the taking place of literal, real-world actions.
Remember Arthur C. Clarke’s famous statement, “any sufficiently-advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”? It is easy to see the parallels between what I do by day and the concepts of magick. I use special languages full of words that have power, and yet I must order these words properly for them to have the desired effect. Sometimes they definitely backfire! But most of the time, I get the desired results.
Over time, I began to think of Thoth as having a modern role in addition to those normally attributed to him: the “patron saint” of computer programmers! But then, more recently, I made another connection. If what we pagans call “magick” isn’t supernatural, and if what computer programmers do is so similar to the methods of magickal practices… what, then, separates the two? Is it merely the fact that we humans have a scientific understanding of computer processing?
If modern magickal workings were to be defined scientifically tomorrow, would we put a new name on those activities and cease to call them “magick”?
I’m fond of blurring lines. A line that we’re forced to cross is no different from a line that holds us back; true freedom happens when there are no lines. And true magick happens all around us, every day.
Aleister Crowley defined magick as “the art and science of causing change in conformity with will”. We all do this, every day. For instance, when I sat down to write this post, it was something that I chose – to share my thoughts – and because my will to do this was strong enough, I made the time and put forth the effort. It is art (writing) and science (grammar, spelling, word processors and the Internet) , it is change (because this document didn’t exist before I wrote it) and it was my will.
Am I trying to diminish the practice of magick? Of course not. Instead, I am suggesting that we bring magick into our everyday lives… where it belongs. Learning to see the “magick” in the things that we choose to do means seeing those things in a whole new light… because when we realize that those elements that make up an act of magick exist in so many of our daily actions, we begin to see ways that even the mundane can be made special.
In many eastern philosophies, adherents are taught the value of living in each and every moment:
“As you practice Zen in your life, you will see that living in the present moment is like living heaven on earth. Even though we can all deal with this one moment right in front of us, we rarely live in this one moment right in front of us. We don’t know how. We have been conditioned since our early childhoods to live in the future or the past.” -Everything.com, Zen: Living in the Moment
Seeing ordinary actions as magickal is one way of helping us to live more consciously and building in us the habit of “living in the moment”. Yet it works in the other direction, as well… for as people who have studied the ways of “magick”, we are already trained in the skills necessary to embrace a magickal life.
This is convergence; when the ordinary and the magical become one in a person’s life, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The ordinary takes on new vibrancy, and those energies, which are normally reserved for our rituals suddenly, work their way into our everyday lives.

Footnotes: http://www.everything.com/zen-philosophy-living-in-moment/

The Witches’ Spell for Nov. 4th – Get Lost Hex

goth114I know you know that I don’t generally post hexes or curses. But I have had several people write to be about people bothering them, thinking they have been cursed, had a love spell put on them and many more. So I figured instead of emailing each of you individually, I would post the spell here. You can’t never tell there might be someone reading this that is having the same problem. I hope this helps everyone. If it doesn’t suit your circumstances, let me know and I will track down another spell for you.

Get Lost Hex

While this hex will definitely force the target to leave you alone, it also causes enough personal aggravation so that he or she is way too busy to bother anyone else.

Materials:

Prepared poppet

Black wax, melted

Lost and Away Powder

Brown paper sack

Place the poppet in the sack and sprinkle liberally with Lost and Away Powder, saying:

Lost and away from me you go
As your life’s sprinkled with troubles, problems and woe.
 

Pour the melted wax on top of the poppet, and quickly douse with the powder again. (Do this before the wax sets up, as you want the powder to adhere to it.) As you sprinkle the powder, say:

Problems stick like black to crow
Like melted wax they ooze and flow,
And when you think they’re finally done,
More arrive with rise of Sun.
 

Bury the poppet in an area easily accessible to you but away from your home. To keep the hex active, visit the grave once each week and dust it with the powder.

 

Utterly Wicked, Curses, Hexes & Other Unsavory Notions
By Dorothy Morrison

Practical Magick

Practical Magick

Author:   RuneWolf   

Speaking only for myself, I believe that magick is quite practical. But this may simply be because of my personal definitions of magick and practicality. To me, practicality equals results, and magick is the art of changing consciousness at Will (among other things). The ability to change consciousness at Will is a powerful tool, with direct and immediate effects in the manifest world, and thus must be considered practical, because it gets results.

For example:

I am, fundamentally, an energy structure. My job is, fundamentally, and energy structure. When the energy field of my job envelops and subsumes my energy field, then I am controlled by my job, and my life suffers because of the imbalance. When I enrich and extend my energy field so that the situation is reversed, such that my energy now contains and controls that of my job, then my life is restored to a healthy balance, and my job resumes its proper place in the scheme of things. In the process of reversing the energetic relationship between my job and myself I am changing my perception of that relationship, and as perception is a constituent of consciousness, I am therefore changing my consciousness at Will, making this a magickal act. This change in perception, in consciousness, has tangible positive effects in the manifest world – reduced stress, enhanced well-being, increased productivity, better workplace relationships – and thus produces results. Therefore, it is practical.

I’m one of those people who believe that anything that enhances my ability to deal with life on life’s terms is useful and practical, and while I have my favorites, I don’t care what others use, so long as it doesn’t harm them or others. If gargling with peanut butter helps you deal with a broken water pump in your car, then gargle away. Magick helps me to deal with the exigencies of life by helping me to empower myself, and leave victimhood behind. When I convince myself that I am being slammed about by the hockey stick of “Fate,” and I have no control over what is happening to me, my ability to respond appropriately and effectively is hampered by my perception that I am powerless. Magick may not always fix the problem, but it lets me do something, even if all other avenues are blocked, and that empowerment helps me to respond with Right Action, even if that Right Action is to accept the situation as it is and ride it out. At the very least, I am not just throwing up my hands and complaining that I never seem to get a break. I get a lot of breaks – an awful lot; they just don’t seem to come when and where I want them. Magick – the Willed change of consciousness – helps me to see that fact when I am feeling victimized, and to pull myself out of that unhealthy state of Being.

There are many systems for altering our perception of life and empowering ourselves to “take control,” some ancient, some not. My personal definition of magick borrows from many of these, because that is what my experience of magick has been. I often hear someone describe, for instance, an NLP technique, and I think to myself “That’s magick!” We are, in other words, talking about the same “spiritual technologies;” we are simply using different terminology. Several authors have written on the subject of using the principles of aikido in interpersonal relationships, and I follow many of those practices myself, which again, I call magick. Magick, to me, is not simply spellcraft or ritual. Anything I do that changes consciousness and/or moves energy is magick. And since quantum theory seems to be telling us that consciences and energy are inextricably linked, it’s basically the same thing. We have all been in those situations when “the energy shifted,” and I think each of us could reflect on those occurrences and trace that shift directly back to a change in a person or persons perception of that situation.

Magick is often less about having what I want and more about wanting what I have. The Willed change of consciousness that empowers me in a situation often does so by allowing me to truly see and accept the situation for what it is, in this infinite Now. When I am thwarted in some endeavor, and I bring magick to bear on it, what I often find is I end up realizing that it wasn’t as important as I thought it was, or I didn’t want it nearly as badly as I did a moment ago. Or that, in fact, things aren’t all that bad just the way they are. I subscribe to a couple of apparently conflicting philosophies: “Good is the Enemy of the Best,” and “Better is the Enemy of Good Enough.” The first helps me to avoid complacency, to not always settle for second-best, and to challenge myself to improve my life and the lives of those I love and care for. The second, however, tells me that sometimes it’s not a good idea to screw around with a good thing. My incipient need to “tweak” things has gotten me, on more than one occasion, a lot less than I had before the “tweak.” I’m sure many of us can relate to that one itty-bitty little extra bit of fine-tuning that did nothing but crash the whole computer. Or the last spoonful of sugar that made the coffee undrinkably sweet. So there are times when I engage the power of magick to effect change, and realize that, in fact, change is neither appropriate nor necessary.

In my understanding, all of the above come under the heading of “personal transformation,” so that magick is in fact both practical and a tool for the development of the Self. In fact, it is a rising spiral: magick helps me to grow, and growth helps me to access more powerful levels of magick, which help me to grow more, and so on. If practicality can be defined as producing tangible results in the manifest world, then magick and personal transformation must be practical, because as I improve as a human being, as a Witch, my contribution to the betterment of the world improves and increases. The age-old question is “Why are we here?” I believe that one of the answers to that question is “To love and help each other.” Through magick and personal transformation, I am better able to love and help those who share this life with me, and I can’t think of anything more practical than that.

The Witches Magick for November 1 – Witchcraft Spell

sam7

Witchcraft Spell

To bless magickal work

Items You Will Need:

White candle

Book of Shadows

Athame or other magickal tools

Book of Spells

This is a great spell to cast on either the Full Moon or Samhain. It can be used by both Solitaries and Coven Witches. If you are working a particularly important piece of magick, you can say this blessing first. This is a good spell to ask your familiar to help out with if you have one. Just their presence in your circle will give your magick a boost.

Great Diana (or Hecate), Queen of Witches

Look down on me, your child

As I walk the Path of the Ancient Ones.

Bless these tools, that I might use them well

Bless these spells, that they may work as I desire

Bless my heart and mind

That I might practice in perfect love and perfect trust

Shine your light on all my magickal workings

For the good of all

And according to the free will of all

So Mote It Be.

 

Your Charm for October 31 is The Buckle of Isis

Your Charm for Today

Today’s Meaning:        

Someone who will, or has told a lie about you regarding this aspect will be discovered and the truth will come out. They will suffer for their injustice and you shall prevail.         

General Description:        

The blood of Isis, the virtue of Isis, the magic power of Isis, the magic power of the Eye, are protecting this the Great one; they prevent any wrong being done to him. Thus reads a portion of the 156th chapter of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, which was engraved, often with other invocations, on the Buckle of Isis amulets. Great faith was placed in the magic power of this buckle, or tie. It was believed that the wearer would be protected and guarded from every kind of evil for ever and ever.

 

Your Charm for October 30th is The Eye Agate

Your Charm for Today

The Eye Agate

Today’s Meaning:  

The eye represents your will to be loved. The strength of your will controls this aspect. You have neglected needed emotions of love in your life. You cannot expect to be loved if you do not show it.

General Description:   

These enatic (eye stones) were first worn for protection in the East, but soon the custom of wearing these charms spread to almost all countries. Implicit faith was placed in their reputed magical power to guard the wearer from the dreaded influence of the evil eye. From the very earliest times the imagined influence of the evil eye has struck terror into the hearts of the weak minded, ignorant, and superstitious. The uncanny effect of the eye is produced by cutting through the parallel bands, or layers of the different colours which form the agate.

New, Old, or Returning to your Path…

New, Old, or Returning to your Path…

Author:   Darksky  

Firstly, like anything else in life no matter where you’re at in your stage, degree, or practice of the Magickal arts, you’re not the only one that has felt the way you do. We have all been overwhelmed, frustrated, unsure, or confused. New, old, or returning let me say congratulation and welcome! Taking the first step is always a big decision, but you did and now your here.

So now what? You have read everything in print, you have spoken to folks who practice the craft, you have heard from craft store owners, and of course people with their own witch/occult web site. I would say, take everything that you have heard with a grain of salt and do some research. Do not always take what you read or hear so literally. Getting into anything new or returning to it needs a point of origin.

Start with the basics, you cant do advanced work if you haven’t got a good working concept of the basics, and should you be rusty go back and review. True, there is so much to learn, but there are so many paths, traditions, and pantheons to experience. Patience, and being methodical will yield knowledge, safety, and rewards for all your hard work.

So…back to an origin, a jumping off point, Magick is the control of ones own environment, to be able to manifest change in ones self and ones surrounds. So how do we achieve this if we are not in control, distracted, or unsure? To just read books, take classes, buy tools, light candles, deal tarot cards, and attend seminars and book signings are merely actions. Magick without intention and intuition is incomplete and void. A magician needs to have confidence, intuition, and be able to infuse, inject, and penetrate every single aspect of his or her work with intention.

While magick is the art of control in order to manifest, it is also a connection with the universe, nature and the Lord and Lady, that is true, but more importantly it is a connection with ones self.
Self is so vital to magick. True magick is practiced without ego, but without knowing ones self, is it possible?

New, old or returning to your path, your thinking am I ready, have I read enough, how will I know if I doing it right? You may be thinking “I need a teacher, some one to tell me if I’m doing it right.” Sound familiar?

What you need is to learn to listen to yourself, feel the flow of magick, feel nature, feel the universe, and make and keep that connection with the Lord and Lady in your own way. Magick is without doubt, but it’s not without planning, studying, execution, re-evaluation, and perfecting. Never sell yourself short, or underestimate your abilities. I mentioned it before in another post, all the best and great magicians all started out on their journey the same as you and I, with a curiosity and yearning to be more, a feeling akin to something was missing, in short a calling.

You don’t need a certificate, or a degree program that says you are a witch. You will know if you are or aren’t. Would all the great magicians have been lesser practitioners if they had not attended classes? Don’t get me wrong, instruction is good and having someone impart his or her experience and mistakes can be an asset to your practice, if used as a resource. You need to make the magick you practice and craft your own.

Take all you read, hear, try, and are taught and refine it to suit your needs. What works for one witch may not have such a positive outcome for another witch. Write your own spells, your own rituals, make your own oils/incense. Study with out doubt, listen to what the elements, spirits, and the universe have to offer you and make it your own. Practicing the craft and being a witch isn’t the same for everyone. The early magicians that started out with the Golden Dawn took what they learned and applied and formed their own brand of magick. Alex and Maxine Sanders developed their own brand of magick; as did Gardner and Crowley, just to name a few. Christopher Penczak was a Laurie Cabot taught witch and he went on to develop his own brand, as I’m sure Laurie Cabot did.

Magick is personal, intimate, and forever growing. It’s always developing within all of us. Practicing the craft is just that it’s practice, hard work and commitment. Constantly revisit your BOS, and your rituals and styles of writing and preparations to become more in tune with the surrounds and yourself, until you reach a level of proficiency and confidence and belief, but in no way cocky or arrogant. Re-evaluate your workings, combinations of colors, planetary hours, days and nights of the week, and most of all your intentions and intuitions.

We all get a little lax in any en-devour and may look to a quicker way of doing things, and sometimes that a good thing. Magick and the practice of it, is not about the quick and easy way. Slow, methodical, purposeful, with anticipation and excitement. Never bite the magickal hand that feeds you.

So new, old, or returning to your path go slow, prioritize, research, meditate, question, experiment, re-evaluate, and keep silent, remember Crowley said, “Every man and every woman is a star”. Believe it!

———————————————————————————————-

Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can make anything happen.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Paganism is wholesome because it faces the facts of life.
Aleister Crowley

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.
Albert Einstein

Small is the number of people who see with their eyes and think with their minds.
Albert Einstein

“Do what thou will shall be the whole of the law, love is the law. Love under will.”
Aleister Crowley