Today’s Runes for August 23 is Algiz

Today’s Runes

Stone Runes are most commonly used for questions about the natural world and things beyond human control. Algiz can be easily recognized as the antlers of the elk that it represents. The elk can represent victory, but is much more appropriately associated with the thrill of the hunt itself. This rune therefore can portend vigor and success in active endeavors. Also, this rune seems symbolic of a hand with outstretched fingers – a protective hand. This hand may suggest that you will be shielded from things negative – the problems still exist, you are spared the brunt of their force.

Today’s Runes for August 21 is Man

Today’s Runes

Ice Runes are most commonly used for questions about struggle, conflict, and achievement. Man represents Mankind. This rune evokes the image that although we must make much of our way in the world on our own, there is nevertheless an entire populous that shares similar experiences. Thus, this rune represents the relationship of the self with the whole – working together we can produce great results. Additionally, Man speaks to intellect and culture that separate us from the animals.

ANIMALS IN WITCHCRAFT

ANIMALS IN WITCHCRAFT

ANIMALS IN WITCHCRAFT-ANIMALS ON TRIAL

Witches and Cats

Locust on Trial

The Animals of Salem

The Animals of Finnish Witchtrials

The Trials of Familiars

Familiars of the Chelmesford witches
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WITCHES AND CATS

“The rise of Christianity in Europe heralded a fundamental shift in attitudes to
cats. During the Middle Ages, the cat’s links with the ancient, pagan cult of
the mother goddess inspired a wave of persecution that lasted several hundred
years. Branded as agents of the Devil, and the chosen companions of witches and
necromancers, cats, especially black ones, were enthusiastically tortured and
executed during Christian festivals all over Europe. It was also believed that
witches disguised themselves as cats as a means of traveling around incognito,
so anyone encountering a stray cat at night felt obliged to try and kill or maim
the animal. By teaching people to associate cats with the Devil and bad luck,
it appears that the Church provided the underprivileged and superstitious masses
with a sort of universal scapegoat, something to blame for all of the many
hardships and misfortunes of life. Fortunately for cats, such attitudes began
to disappear gradually during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries with the
dawn of the so-called Age of Enlightenment. However, not until the middle of
the nineteenth century did cats eventually begin to regain the popularity they
once enjoyed in Ancient Egypt.”

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LOCUST ON TRIAL

The discussion so far has put me in mind of a terrific book I once read on
European animal trials, which were conducted up until I think the 17th century.
One example especially pertinent to the topic at hand: if a plague of
caterpillars or locusts or whatever infested an area, the local legal community
would put the swarm on trial. A locust would be captured and taken to the
courthouse. It would become the “defendant” , and would in effect stand-in for
the whole swarm. The trial would be conducted with all pomp and circumstance,
with a lawyer appointed to represent the swarm and etc. There were a number of
standard defensive strategies, and sometimes the swarm was even judged innocent
if their lawyer was especially able. If judged guilty, however, the locusts
were ordered to get out of town. If the infestation abated, the trial was given
credit. If the infestation continued, this does not appear to have been seen as
an argument against conducting animal trials in the future. I trust the
resemblance to the raindance ceremony is fairly clear here.

The author of the book (I cannot recall the title or author; I remember that it
was published in the early 1900s and the cover shows a reproduction of an old
print, portraying the public execution of a pig by hanging) argues that such
trials are an attempt by the human community to intervene in the natural order,
to exert its will over the world. I think this is a pretty insightful comment.

“Exerting human will over the world” could serve as a definition of the goal
of science. Bacon sometimes describes science as the human “conquest” of
nature, and certainly many modern critiques of science (feminist, for example)
have taken this to be the self-defined goal of scientific inquiry. I’m not
arguing for the ultimate truth of this particular position, but on the other
hand if you look at things along these lines than certain aspects of religious
and scientific thought seem to be closely related, at least in their purpose.
Bacon’s studies of heat are supposed to yield a (universal) process for making
heat, the shaman leading a raindance is trying to make it rain, the animal trial
is an attempt to bring the plague to an end etc.

Note that the various rituals used for bringing about these interventions don’t
have to work very well in each case for the ritual to be accepted within the
community. The community may simply accept that human powers are limited in
what they can accomplish. I believe that within alchemical studies this was a
common view; even if all the processes were carried out correctly, you might
still not create gold from lead or whatever, and in fact usually would not.
Note also that the ritual might have multiple functions within the community.
The rain-dance both be used for bringing rain and bringing about group
solidarity. These are not mutually exclusive. Again, I have read something
similar with respect to alchemical procedures; that the alchemist “purifying”
metals with his various tools is also going through a process of spiritual
purification. And certainly the animal trial, even if it does not drive out the
infestation, makes the community feel better. The community is “doing
something” about its situation, even if its acts are ineffective.

I also like the animal trial example because it muddies the waters here in
interesting ways. The conversation to date has concerned itself with
comparing/contrasting religious/scientific thought. Yet here we see legal
institutions using their procedures in a way that suggests a religious ritual.
Conversations on the distinctions/similarities between legal and religious
thought, and legal and scientific thought, would also be good to have.

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THE ANIMALS OF SALEM

Salem Story: Reading the Witch Trials of 1692 by Bernard Rosenthal Cambridge
University Press 1993

p.18 John Hughes, while testifying about seeing beast transform into Sarah
Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, also mentions that on March 2 “a great white
dog followed him and then disappeared, and then that night in bed he saw a great
light and a cat at the foot of his bed.” (from Narratives of the WC Cases 1648-
1706 ed. G. LO. Burr)

p.21 Tituba’s testimony included many animals…black dog/hog/man/yellow bird
told her to serve him; yellow bird was accompanying Sarah Good (who had already
given accusers legitimacy); also said she saw a cat with Good on other occasions

p.22 T. saw 2 cats, black and red. “What did the cats do? Tituba did not
know. Had the cats hurt or threatened her? They had scratched her. What had
they wanted of her? They had wanted her to hurt the children. They had forced
her to pinch the children. Did the cats suck Tituba? No, she would not let
them.”

p.82 Bridget Bishop (owner of shuffle-board and cider teenage hangout) was
testified against by Wonn, slave of John Ingerson. He “told a story of
frightened horses, the vanishing shape of B.B. (at the time B. Oliver), the
appearance of an unknown cat, and mysterious pinchings and pain.”

p.124 Martha Carrier: 7 yr. old daughter Sarah was induced to confess that “a
cat, identifying itself as M. C., had carried Sarah along to afflict people when
her mother was in prison.”

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THE ANIMALS OF FINNISH WITCHTRIALS

I have studied over 1200 finish witch trials 1520-1700 (with PD Marko Nenonen)
and there is a certain role of animals. “Para” was a small “cat-like” animal,
used to steal milk and a butter called cow lucky especially in swedish
speaking west coast in Finland. The “Para” was not found out by judges, but it
had a long folk tradition. There are many examples where a neighboug was
accusing another by stealing “butter lucky” with “para”.

“Para” is just the same “trollcat” as it was in Sweden and Norway. You can
find “Para” in court protocolls in western part (Swedish speaking part) in
Finland (1520-1600), but not in finnish speaking parts on the country. So
“Para” can’t be shamanistic (Lappland) phenomenom, but it surely is known all
parts of Scandinavia.

As time goes, You could find “Para” in finnish speaking areas too, but in in
1500-1700. So we have learned it from swedish speaking people.

But, as we are dealing with animals, you can find other animals than “trollcat”
too. We have cases with “trolldog” which I mean the Devil with a shape of a
dog. Some of our accused had meet the devil with a shape of a dog (and a coat).

We have at least one case with a “metapmorphose”, where people have been accused
of being “werewolves”. In Estonia the tradition of those being wolves in night
time was strong. There were many cases like that.

I think, the idea of “trollcats” is not shamanistic, it is surely
Scandinavian!

There is quite a lot of articles abou “Para” (Trollcat) but only few of them
would be available in english.

But, there is one point we have to keep in mind. People were ACCUSED of having
“Para” and they were CONVICTED to using witchcraft, but they were never
CONVICTED TO HAVING PARA! The matter of trial was not, is there really
animal shaped “butter stealing” para, but it was a question of practicing
witchcraft or superstition!

In Scandinavia we have very old “lore”, written by one historian about
1200-1300, were a man was killed by “Mara” (bad dream animal?) because he had
not kept his promise to his Finnish wife.

Another instance of using “para”, other than trying have luck in stealing
butter, was a “Finnish way” to use a bear as a helper for killing someone’s
cattle. People believed that some (almost always a man) people had ability to
force bears to kill enemy’s horse or cattle. But I have no idea, if the
bear wanted some price of it’s doings (nourishment or protection).

Even in the oldest witch trials (before people had any idea about satanistic
pact with devil) witches were believed to use some animals as a helper of their
maleficium. So, this belief must be older than the christian theory of pact.

The bear cases seems to be common way to do harm among finnish speaking
people. In some rare cases the helper was a wolf. In some cases (1670s) the
helper was a dog, but it seems that the dog was not really an animal, but it was
a Devil with a shape of a dog.

Some ladies used cows (or even a pig) to ride to “Bl=E5kulla” (the Sabbath),
but those animals were usually “borrowed” for some neighbour and they
were not acting like a helper – they were forced to do so.

Lapplanders who had long shaman traditions used to use “animal spirit
helpers” to do things, but they were not accused of forcing real animals to do
any harm, as far as I know.

There is one big difference between using a “Para” and a bear. “Para” was
supernatural familiar, but bears were really acting animals whom could be
seen. Damage made by para was a loss of butter or milk lucky, but a damage made
by bear was real. Anyone could see the damage.

In some cases there was so called “tonttu” (tomptegubben or rgubbe in
swedish). They were not used as helpers, but You should give them some
presents for getting rid of harms they could do. People believed, that
“tonttu” was living in particular place and people living in same area were
disturbing the tonttu. So You had to do something to keep tonttu in good
mood. Tonttu was spiritual, because no one had never catch one. Tonttu was
not an animal, but small human kind of creature.

Then there was “Nekki” or “Nacken”. It was a creature living in lakes and
killing people by taking them under the water. Nekki was not a real animal and
it did not acted like a helper for anyone – it did what it wanted to do.

First little more about “para”. The belief of “para” helping to steal cows
must be very old, because in one finnish church there is a painting of para.
The painting is older than the belief that a Witch have a pact with the devil,
the devil then giving a “spiritum” to a helper for the witch (This belief
was not known in Finland until 1660s.)

Secondly, I think too, that a witch-hare (para)is common in Sweden. Probably
Finnish speaking people have borrowed in from Sweden, because there are
no witch-hares in our oldest mythology as far as I know. The witch-hare (para)
was mentioned in trials some times in the Swedish speaking area of Finland
(west coast), but not in Finnish speaking Karelia, suggesting it is borrowed.

Thirdly, I have to check my papers to find out is there any “pet
connection” in finnish witch trials, but without doing so I can’t remember
any cases where pet animals had some part of being helpers and neither did PhD
Marko Nenonen as we discussed today.

But I could find at least one case where a man was killed by his own dog. The
victim, Antti Yrjonpoika Paivikainen, was a customer of famous witch Antti
Lieroinen who did all kinds of maleficium for salary. After their contact
Paivikainen was found dead and the cause for that was his own dog. So
Lieroinen was thought to cause the death by using victim’s own dog to kill
him. This was not proved, but Lieroinen was executed for other witchcraft
he had done. This happend in 1643.

Fourthly, 27.3.1641 witch Erkki Juhonpoika Puujumala (“Treegod”) was convicted
in Turku Supreme Court. He was sentenced to death for many reasons – for
killing people with witchcraft etc. He has had an arguement with other
people and he had said that he was going change those people into wolves with
his maleficium. This was not proved to happen, but it was one prosecution among
many. By the way, Treegod said that he was 120 years old.

Fifthly, we have some cases where a witch has used a snake to do some crime.
One witch argued with his wife and then separated. Later that ex-wife get
pregnant from a snake, and later gave birth to some snakes. In one another
case the snake had gone inside of a woman (and they used a lappish healer to
try to get it out).

Snakes had also a strong part of shamanism, but I don’t know what really was
the function of shamans snake-shape belongings(??instruments??). Finnish
folkloristics seem to believe that the snake was for the shamans protection.

We had few cases where a snake’s head was used by magical meanings.

Sixthly, in 1732 court was dealing with a case, where Lauri
Heikinpoika Tervo accused his neighbor “of sending a bird with fire on its
head (nose)” to burn his house, which burned. Due to losses of protocols, we
don’t know how the case was handled, but I’m sure the court did not find
neighbor guilty. Birds have been known to used to carry fire in saami
tradition (says finnish folklorist Aune Nystrom).

Seventhly, we have found one case where a woman gave birth to some frogs, and
one case where a frog was put in a box and buried inside of a church. The box
was just like those boxes they used with human bodies.

Eigth, we have a case where they used a fish to heal sick person. The idea was
that the “Grande mal” (falling sickness) would be moved from people to fish.
So they did it, but unfortunately one innocent person touched the fish and
got himself sick. And of course the sickness was grande mal.

Ninth, I have a strong feeling, that finnish courts did not tried to found out
if the accused had animal helper or not. The law mentioned nothing about
animal imps or spirituals, so they were not needed as evidence. Maleficium
was maleficium and it could be proofed without any animal helpers or spirits.

10th According the old folk tradition the bear will not harm the cattle if
one takes a blind puppy dog and buries it with some rites in the land on area,
where the bear lives. But I have no evidence that this has ever been done.

11th In Finland was believed, that milking others cow, would steal not only
the milk but the further milk lucky too. I think this believe is common in
whole Scandinavia.

12th A bear could be sent to harm neighbour’s cattle. But at least in one
case (1746) shows, that it could also to sent back to harm the original witch.

13th I have no reason to believe that the animal (exept the bear or wolf
sended to do harm) were real ones. If it was so that the helpers were
real pets, why they did not execute the pets too?

I think that the judges has sent the animals to death as they did with cases
where humans had sexual intercourse with animal. They executed both! One
reason to not to do so could be, that the animal was not “guilty” for anything
because it could not differ the right and the wrong from each other. But so
did the raped animal neither.

14th The worms. At least in one case the witch used worms to destroy a pig. He
used some magical technique and the victims pig get “full of worms” as they
found out when they slaughtered the sick pig. Worms could be sent to a human
being too.

15th The lycanthropy. Werewolves had no part of finnish trials, but they had
one in Estonia. Why? The Finnish people have common roots with Estonian
people and our languages are still guite similar. Our oldest pre-christian
religion is common, and there is no werewolves in that tradition, as
far as I know. So, where the estonians got the idea about werewolves? I
think that they have adopted it from germans. Estonia has been under
strong german influence, but Finland hasn’t. So, I believe, that they must
have copied the idea from German “Werewolffe”.

According Maia Madar (Estonia I: Werewolves and poisoners, in Early Modern
European Witchcraft ed. Bengt Ankarloo and Gustav Henningsen,
Clarendon Press, Oxford 1990).

“Belief in werewolves was widespread. At eighteen trials, eighteen women and
thirteen men were accused of causing damage while werewolves. At Meremoisa
1623, the defendant Ann testified that she had been a werewolf for four
years, and had killed a horse as well as some smaller animals. She had later
hidden the wolf skin under a stone in the fields.” (page 270)

Maia Madar tells other examples, too. And in one case where 18-year old Hans
had confessed that he had hunted as a werewolf for two years, “when asked
by the judges if his body took part in the hunt, or if only his soul was
transmuted, Hans confirmed that he had found a dog’s teeth-marks on his own
leg, which he had received while a werewolf. Further asked wether he felt
himself to be a man or a beast while transmuted, he told that he felt
himself to be beast.” (page 271)

Madar writes: “It was acknowledged that people could be transmuted not only
into werewolves, but also into bears.”

So as a lawyer I must ask why they were confessing that they were hunting as
werewolves in Estonia. The answer must be torture. Torture was widely
used in Estonia ecen it was under the Swedish jurisdiction, where torture was
forbidden.

16th The devil in a shape of a dog. All over the Scandinavia we had trials
where the accused said, that the devil they’ve met had a shape of a dog. Why
the dog? Danish witchhistorian Jens Christian V. Johanssen writes (in book
mentioned above), that the popular culture (peoples believes) borrowed ideas
for wall-paintings in the church.

“In Ejsing church, Christ is tempted in the desert by the devil – in the shape
of a ferocious-looking dog! Popular imagination was so vivid that on given
occasions the devil came to take his form”. (Johansen: Denmark: The
Sociology of Accusations in Early Modern European Witchcraft.. page 363-364).

Well, so and so. But surely the popular culture appointed ideas from elite’s
culture.

17th The shamanism. I have not specialised about shamanism, so I’ll now follow
the ideas that finnish shamanism expert Anna-Leena Siikala writes in her
book “Suomalainen samanismi” (Finnis Shamanism), Hameenlinna 1992.

Siikala writes about moving the demon from someone to another. In finnish
folklore it is usuall to remove a disease from patient to an animal or some
idol, like wooden puppet. This is common between Middle- and East-Siperia
shaman too. She remind, that even Jesus removed demon from a man to some
pigs. (page 187)

There is information about this kind of “removing” in German and Estonia
too. In Finland this was usually done by soothsaying, but this was not
common in Middle-Europe or Scandinavia.

Siikala guesses, that this habit has very old shamanistic roots and that the
churhes middle-age tradition has forced this old religion. (pages 188-189)

In these cases animals are shamans helpers and they carry the evil demon
away. Shamans (spiritual) animal helpers are also spyes, Shaman can send
them far away to collect information what is happening. Helpres also
carry the information from here to the “heaven”. “Because shamans helper
animal do not only to take the disease to themselves, but carry it to
“heaven” (or “to the other side” as shamans say), they are=20 not usuall
(real) animals” (page 191).

Siikkala says, that middle age church adopted these old ideas and they used
the idea to their rituals (to carry out demons).

Shamans used to call their helpers for instance by singing (and using the drum).
In my opinion it is surely understandable that shaman was all the time
demonstrating to the audience, that he has very important helpers.

The shaman uses his helpers to fight agains other shamans helpers, too. So
when shaman is healing a patent, he first find’s out where the disease has
become, and then force it to go back. If the disease is caused by demon, you
have to fight against demon. If it is caused by other shaman with his helpers,
so the helpers must fight together. (as Carlo Ginzburg’s “benandati” did).

The idea about shamans fighting together is old and it is common in Northern-
Asia, too. In Siperia tradition the fighning shamans could take a shape of
animals.

But I could not find any reason to believe that the helper animals were real
animals in Siikalas book either.

According to Joan’s Witch Pages they executed a dog in Salem Witch trials.
This is something I had not pointed out earlier. If they really executed the
dog, so I’ll have to reuse my argument: why they did not executed other
suspected “pets” too (if the “pet theory” is right)?

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THE TRIALS OF FAMILIARS

One reason why they may not have executed pets is because the law assumed
that these creatures were supernatural beings – by definition. If the animals
had been captured, brought to court, examined by authorities, etc., it
would have been difficult to avoid the conclusion that the witch’s cat or dog
was, in fact, no different from any other cat or dog. In addition, according
to folklore, these animals could not be killed by ordinary means because they
were spirits. We have found one account, for example, of a suspected familiar (a
poodle dog called Boye, belonging to Prince Rupert) being killed by a silver
bullet fired by a ‘soldier skilled in necromancy’ at the battle of Marston
Moor in 1642. Also, perhaps it was assumed that the familiars would perish as
soon as the witch was executed, since they were assumed to depend on
her/him for nourishment (coincidently, of course, the animals probably didn’t
survive for long once their owners were incarcerated and executed). However,
I agree with you that the fate of these animals is somewhat mysterious. My
guess would be that the witch’s neighbours dealt with them swiftly and
discretely, but I have no evidence either way. I wasn’t aware of the Salem dog
execution but will now look into this. In the bestiality trials, the animals
were not generally executed as criminals. Rather they seem to have been
regarded as polluted creatures which might have a corrupting influence on public
morality if allowed to remain alive. Thus, there was a particular incentive to
identify these (real) animals and kill them.

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The Book Of Hours: Prayers to the Goddess

Lady,

 

Your hair becomes a tangle of
green vines and wheat and sweet blossoms
of undefined fruit.
Your arms embrace the sky as
Terra is eternally begotten anew,
ever-emerging from Your boundless womb.
In rapture You call forth life
and without You all would be barren.
I call upon You with many-sided names;
You answer with your rainbow-colored smile.

Meditation

Your garden grows (or sleeps) What do you see in the growing? What do you see as potential?

Daily Affirmation

In the Name of the All-Mother: I will complete a project today.
 

Closing Prayer

Terra Mater, Mother of all life. I give

Thee thanks for Thy blessings–

the fruit of the vanes;the fruit of my spirit;

life’s abundance.

 

Blessed Be

 

 

The Book Of Hours: Prayers to the Goddess

By Galen Gillotte

Crystal of the Day for August 16th is Azurite

A popular crystal for its beautiful deep blue colour; this stone has a startling blue edge, which is the key to its healing powers. Azurite forms when copper ores oxidize. It is associated with the green mineral malachite, with which it shares a similar chemical structure. In the Middle Ages, powdered azurite was used as a blue pigment in paints and dyes. As it absorbed atmospheric moisture, it used to oxidize to malachite, which explains why the sky is green in some early Renaissance paintings. The two minerals can be found in a form called azurite-malachite, which is excellent for “clearing out” deep-rooted emotions. The finest large azurite crystals come from Namibia.

Identification and care

  • Small crystals appear a powdery blue and are often small, round nodules.

  • Large crystals are often very dark and shiny, with an electric-blue edge.

  • Crystals are soft, so need careful handling.

  • Do not clean nodules in water

Magick

  • Helps you to achieve swift results

  • Reveals mysteries

  • Transmits messages from the unknown

Healing Functions

  • Accesses deep levels of body-consciousness

  • Draws out memories or old stress, allowing them to be released in healing.

  • Improves communication and creative flow

Practical ideas

  • To encourage expansion of consciousness, place four pieces of azurite on and around the body; one above the crown, one either side of the head and one at the solar plexus

Today’s Runes for August 16th is Hagalaz

Today’s Runes

Gold Runes are most commonly used for questions about business, career, and property. Hagalaz is the rune of hail. Hail is a destructive and elemental force, so one can expect this rune to represent the disruption of one’s life. In the harsh northern winter there is a halt to activity, and so delay or hindrance is frequently associated with this rune. The opposite of chaos is yet more chaos, as illustrated by the fact that this rune cannot be reversed.

High Magic, Low Magic: Designations Help Define Our Styles

High Magic, Low Magic: Designations Help Define Our Styles

Author: Treasach

I personally find designations handy. They express no limit, only a specialization. It certainly helps you anticipate how easily you can work with another and how your styles and knowledge will mesh. I know, for example, that I don’t usually get on well with high magicians, or Iron John style wizards. That’s darn handy to know when someone tells me that he is a necromancer and a cabbalist.

As I label myself a ReClaimist, matriarchal, bardic green witch, most of you will have an idea of what I am currently working on, where my knowledge areas lie, what my focus is, and how I express my spirituality. That doesn’t mean I’ll stay like that forever, or that I’m not interested in other forms of worship, but it certainly makes it easier for us to find others of the same style. Rather like nametags at a convention.

I not only see no harm in it, I encourage folks to find a useful label for their personal style practice. Makes them feel more validated, too, especially when they are first starting out.

High magic is usually the term for what the wizards do. It’s rather like a Catholic mass, with all the ritual words in a sacred language, pomp and finery, ordained divine conduits, and strict adherence to detail. The power in high magic comes from without… the great universal energy that is harnessed by the correct performance of the ritual itself, with some measure from the performer (s) , but not much. They are mostly lending energy for the conduction of the spell to take place, which is why there is such an emphasis on hierarchy in high magic. It is vital that the ceremony be followed exactly with the correct people taking care of their assigned functions. The more powerful as spell, the less room for error.

The big draw for this kind of magic is that it offers a great deal of power in a relatively short period of time, but with a corresponding danger level as you ascend. The goal is to eventually control and submit the entire Universe. Nearly all wizards are male, white, and have terrible ego issues. They are usually still at the age where they feel invulnerable, since it’s required that you eventually wrestle with demons, for example, and incur the wrath of extra dimensional entities by enslaving them or their friends. It is often spelt with a ‘k’ to delineate it from low magic. Wizards find that sort of window dressing appealing.

Low magic is usually what witches do. Its goal is to make you one with the Universe, and therefore blissful, content, wise, with all your needs provided for. To unleash and accept your Goddess within, which is the same as the Goddess without, by giving full release to your Goddess self. This means that much attention is paid to your own instinct and the answers that are right for you, as your Goddess cannot ever be wrong, you just have to get better at hearing her. So our spells are more like mediation, sometimes with helpful symbols or foci like incense, statues, herbs, and other paraphernalia.

Most experienced witches don’t bother with it, however, unless they are trying to working on something much harder than usual. To effect change in the Universe, we try to use the Butterfly effect, to tug on the string of the Great Weave that will most affect the change we want. In trying to find the string, we learn how the Universe works and so increase our wisdom. And the Universe is vast, so She often can’t get to something as quick as She’d like.

It is therefore our job as Her representatives to draw her attention to inequities by blessing those who need it, to injustices by cursing those who deserve it, and other maintenance of the Continuum, thereby increasing our understanding and interaction with it.

Wicca is like high magic for witches. It calls upon the spirits and entities in a very ritualized format with specific assignments to the members, but primarily uses the inner energies of the group or individual to do the prescribed task. There is therefore no backlash if done incorrectly. But they do seem very fond of their accoutrements…

Most women choose the style of Low magic because it is more like their usual style of being: persuading and joining, rather than controlling. The sex of the practitioner doesn’t enter into it, other than gender training in their culture helping them have certain inclinations… That explains the overwhelming majority of practitioners in the Middle Ages being clergy. They often went into the priesthood for reasons OTHER than piety, like power and wealth, they were learned, and they had access to all sorts of magical formula, arcane materials, etc. So High magic, or ceremonial magic, was almost entirely Christian and clerical in the Middle Ages.

It is indeed all the same power. However, I can cure myself, clean my house, or get rid of my weeds and insects in my garden through chemicals created in a lab, or I can use chemicals in herbs and natural liquids. Some are just as dangerous to the environment, and myself but most aren’t.

Chemicals, like magic, are all made of the same components essentially but how they inter-react and perform is completely variable depending on how they were generated and used. They can be naturally gentle and persuading, or they can be artificially harsh, brutal, and destructive.

I’m sure most of you have heard of the phrase “As above, so below”. Only one interpretation is rendered as “As in Heaven, so it happens down here.” Another, more widely used and helpful meaning is “Change or events Outside affect the Internal, and vise versa.” ‘High’ in the case of magic means ‘external’, ‘low’ means ‘internal’. ONLY when hierarchy becomes so predominate in this culture, and High implies more powerful, and consequently more male, does High and Low magic take on some connotations that some people today take umbrage with. It’s not a personal insult to our style.

Now. When was the last time any of you enslaved a demon, deity, or angel to unwillingly do your bidding? How about binding your local ghosts, fairies, and spirits as your personal gophers? I don’t remember when it was that I forced the dead to come back in an unquiet rest to speak about the secrets of the Universe… High magic involves the use of formula and ritual to achieve just such dog collars on the Powers of the Universe. It isn’t the end in and of itself. The spell is usually to DO something, but it is the elemental being that figures out how to achieve the goal.

This kind of style offers much to recommend it to those that want a lot of power fast. Sure, High magicians have to keep their will focused on the spell for it to work, but only for the ritual itself. For the results of the spell to be efficacious, it doesn’t have to be PERSONAL, internal power that is bringing it about. That’s what the Harnesses of the Universe are for, like Jewish magic squares, Keys of Solomon, which can energize, activate, and execute many different kinds of spells simply by being performed correctly. However, the perils increase correspondingly.

I’ve seen a young wizard tell me that Hunters from the sprit world are stalking him, and we did a little complex ritual around a lamppost to confuse them so they can’t follow. I mean, I never saw them, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there, so I won’t doubt his word. Much. But I’ll tell you. I’ve never done anything in my magic work to invoke their wrath in the first place.

I am not comparing levels of power here. A very experienced or instinctive witch who is close to the Warp and Weft of the Universe can indeed stop a storm with a thought. Unfortunately, that takes a great deal of Enlightenment to reach that point, so most of us don’t get there in a hurry, if ever. Now, it takes a wizard of far less experience, personal power, and self-mastery to achieve the same ends by going through the rigmarole to capture the power of the Storm God and just fire away or let Him do the work. It’s not easy, but it’s a hellova lot easier than becoming one with the Forces of a Hurricane and personally knowing on an unconscious level what strings to pull.

With these kind of benefits attached to High magic, including the hierarchy, the feeling of mastery and the practice of invincibility, it’s no wonder that most wizards are men. But there is no such thing as a free lunch. Most powers that are so bound in High magic are not only interested in becoming Unbound as soon as possible, they would also like to wreak revenge on the mortals who dared to commit such an atrocity.

Which is why my little wizard friend was almost PROUD at the Things following him. The quality of a wizard is told by the quality of his enemies, after all… I don’t know of many women who have the same disregard for personal safety as many men do, either, btw…

Now, the next time any of you try to harness the Angel of Life and Death to cure yourself of cancer by invoking the Necronomacon and creating a doorway to Hell in your closet, rather than simply lighting a candle and envisioning the cancer going away, then you can tell me that High magic and Low magic are the same.

You must admit, the first one, if done correctly, has a much greater probability of curing you quickly and permanently, but so much can go wrong. The latter requires a deeply Enlightened, experienced, or otherwise powerful witch, and you might not be able to find one before you croak, but at least you don’t have to worry about your relatives falling through to the Second Circle when they put their coats away at your wake.

** MAGICK 1 — WHY MAGICK **

USED BY PERMISSION

** MAGICK 1 — WHY MAGICK **

The ability to think seems to set us apart from

other creatures. And although we are concerned with

living in the physical world, we are mental beings. The

fact is we are thinking all the time. We plan, we brood,

we get depressed or elated — all of it is thought. But

the universe is mental too, and if we could control our

thinking we would see magnificent results in the everyday

world.

Many systems have been developed over the ages to

help us control our thoughts. A great amound of dogma too

has been kicked around in an attempt to make us into better

people. Magick (the occult kind, spelled with a ‘k’) is one

of the oldest and most general of these systems. Magick is

the study and application of psychic forces. It uses mental

training, concentration, and a system of symbols to program

the mind. The purpose of magick is to alter the self and the

environment according to the will.

Most of the magick we see today comes to us from

ancient Egypt and Chaldea. The Chinese, Hindus, and Tibetans

developed their own unique types of magick. Western magick

was locked up by the Egyptian priests for thousands of years

and then supressed by the rise of Christianity. It was not

until medieval Europe that magical knowledge was rediscovered

by the alchemists and Cabalists. Only during the past hundred

years or so has western culture been open minded enough to

permit widespread investigation of the subject. Only since

the start of the twentieth century has science shown much

interest in it al all.

PARAPSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIC PHENOMENA

Through parapsychology, we are at last beginning to

gain insights into the hidden nature of man. Parapsychology

is a branch of psychology which studies psychic phenomena.

Remarkable evidence has been gathered on numerous cases of

psychic phenomena. Knowledge gained from parapsychology

studies can be applied, so far as it goes, to the much

broader based, much more theoretical study and practice of

magick.

Thus, the human mind and body appears to broadcast

psychic energy or force, much like a radio station. Kirlian

photography and cloud chamber tests tend to support this

theory. Although the exact nature of this psychic force is

subtle and unknown, it is undoubtedly the energy behind all

psychic phenomena and magick. However, it is *not* a radio

wave, since it behaves somewhat differently. The psychic

force is too weak to be measured directly (at least so far as

we know). Everyone has some psychic ability. There are

numerous types of psychic phenomena. Parapsychology separates

them into two groups: ESP and PK…

5

EXAMPLES OF ESP

ESP, the abreviation for extra sensory perception,

means the reception of information through paranormal means

(ie. not regular physical senses of sight, sound, touch,

smell, or taste). In theory, this is accomplished by

receiving psychic force from outside the body. Here are some

examples of ESP:

1) Clairvoyance, or Remote Viewing — the ability to

sense or ‘see’ (non-physically) distant objects, places, and

people. Individuals who see ghosts and spirits are probably

clairvoyant.

2) Astral Projection (OOBE) or Traveling Clairvoyance

— Full experience at a remote location while the physical

body sleeps.

3) Psychometry — the reading of information by the

touch of physical objects.

4) Telepathic receiver — the ability to directly

receive thought (communication) at a distance, with no

physical connection to the sender. There are many everyday

examples of this, in which we think something just as another

person is about to say it. This is an easy one to test for

through experiment. Very dramatic cases of telepathy have

been recorded; there is often an emotional element in such

cases.

5) A medium, as in a seance.

6) Experience with a Ouija board, pendulum, or

automatic writing.

7) Precognition — to forsee the future. Again,

highly emotional events are the ones most likely to be ‘tuned

in’.

EXAMPLES OF PK

PK, the abreviation for psychokinesis, is the active

or sending side of psychic phenomena. The theory here is that

psychic force is sent out from the individual. Examples of PK

include:

1) Telepathic sender — the transmitter in the

telepathy just discussed.

2) Psychokinesis (or telekinesis) proper — the

ability to move objects by means of psychic force.

3) Somewhat along the same lines are poltergeist

(noisy ghost) phenomena in which objects move of their own

accord or noises are heard. There is always a human agent

involved — frequently a teenage girl — who appears to be

the source of psychic energy.

4) Psychic healing — the ability to heal various

illnesses and infirmities. There are many documented cases of

this. Usually it involves a healer and a subject, although

there are recent cases invloving cancer patients learning to

heal themselves.

5) Teleportation, apportation, and levitation.

Some occultists feel a magician producing PK effects

is simply a channel for universal energy. Others think the

force originates some way directly within the magician.

 

6

 

THE SUBCONSCIOUS

 

Postulated by Freud and others, the concept of the

 

subconscious mind is an important one. Basicly, this is the

 

idea that part of the mind normally operates below or outside

 

of ordinary consciousness and awareness. Dreams and hypnosis

 

are examples of this. Also subconscious are the many

 

automatic functions of the physical body such as respiration

 

and digestion.

 

WHY DO MAGICK?

 

Magick encompasses many things — science and art,

 

philosophy and metaphysics, psychology and comparative

 

religion. Magick is an adventure at the borderlands of the

 

unknown. It can fit the pieces of the puzzel of life into a

 

meaningful whole.

 

_Magick is fun_ and interesting. Use magick to help

 

raise consciousness without drugs. Gain new experiences.

 

Fantacy can come alive through magick. Psychic phenomena can

 

be controlled and be fun and helpful.

 

_Magick is beneficial_. It can help you to have

 

excellent health, and bring you good luck. With magick life

 

runs smoothly; life is good. Also use magick for personality

 

improvement, to control bad habits and to develop new

 

motivations.

 

_Magick is powerful_. Never underestimate the

 

tremendous power of magick. Use magick to alter events and to

 

achieve your goals. Exert an influence over people and

 

phenomena. But power for its own sake is self defeating. The

 

power which magick can give you should not be your primary

 

reason for studying it.

 

MAGICK AND WITCHCRAFT

 

A number of other occult disciplines are prevalent

 

today besides magick. There are many cults and sects which

 

profess their own views, but there are really few differences

 

between them. One popular area in the occult today is

 

witchcraft. This is far removed from the cliche of devil

 

worship. Real witchcraft is a nature religion (pagan).

 

Witchcraft has much in common with magick.

 

Alchemy also has much in common with magick. It’s

 

heritage comes from the middle ages. Alchemy fathered

 

chemistry and the physical sciences. But the avowed purpose

 

of alchemy, turning lead into gold, is too limiting to be

 

called magick. Sometimes the goal of alchemy is interpreted

 

in another way, as the transformation of man into a spiritual

 

being.

 

Then there are the numerous modern day seers or

 

‘pychics’, as they like to be called, who operate within

 

their own somewhat unique systems. Although many of these

 

people are deluded frauds, some are very powerful occultists

 

indeed.

 

Of course, everything I have said here is a

 

generalization. Magick, witchcraft, alchemy, or any occult

 

field are complex subjects. Suffice it to say that magick

 

7

 

includes them all (it is eclectic). For magick is undoubtedly

 

a philosophy which has, as the late Aleister Crowley wrote,

 

“The method of science — the aim of religion.”

 

REVIEW QUESTIONS

 

1) Define magick.

 

2) Define ESP and PK. Give examples.

 

3) What is the subconsicous?

 

BOOK LIST

 

Hal N. Banks, An Introduction to Psychic Studies.

 

Annie Besant, Thought Power.

 

Michael H. Brown, PK, A Report on the Power of Psychokinesis.

 

Richard Cavendish, The Black Arts.

 

Alexandira David-Neel, Magic and Mystery in Tibet.

 

Raynor C. Johnson, The Imprisoned Splendour.

 

Ostrander and Shroeder, Psychic Discoveries Behind the

 

Iron Curtan.

 

** MAGICK 2 — THE SUBJECTIVITY OF EXPERIENCE — **

 

Your awareness of the physical world and of your

 

place within it is mostly based upon the physical senses

 

(hearing, sight, smell, touch, taste). These five senses

 

continually send information to the mind, and it is up to

 

the mind to select and interpret them. If you could not do

 

so, your senses would overwhelm you and be meaningless.

 

Selection and interpretation of your sensory inputs is

 

essentially an automatic, mostly subconscious function of

 

the mind. The program or map which the subconscious follows

 

as its reference point is called a _model_. The model is a

 

subconscious mental photograph of how you believe the world

 

looks (ie. worldview, mindset, egregore, or belief system).

 

It was built up from an early age by your religious and

 

cultural background through interaction with family and

 

others. It contains your experiences, attitudes, and

 

habits. And whether you realize it or not, most of your

 

behavior, thoughts, feelings, and habits are based upon and

 

conditioned by that model; even personality. The model is

 

one of the mind’s master programs. Change in behavior

 

generally requires a change in the model. These limitations

 

built into our way of thinking cause our perceptions to be

 

subjective. That is why Hindu philosophy looks upon the

 

world as illusory (maya); the world itself (object) is not

 

an illusion, however from our viewpoint through perception

 

(subject) it is.

 

Thus we are all conditioned by experience. Except

 

that our perceptions, hence our experiences, are first

 

conditioned and limited by the model. Our perceptions and

 

experiences tend to conform to what we expect. We tend to

 

misinterpret or ignore things which do not match our

 

preconcieved notions about them. This is automatic.

 

THE TRUE WILL

 

8

 

The forgoing demonstrates how it is that there are

 

so many different versions of ‘truth’. One’s particular

 

view is almost arbitrary. Although numerous religions,

 

philosophies, and occult systems abound, they do not

 

contradict one and other as much as it might appear.

 

Rather, they describe the same (universal) reality taken

 

from different perspectives. For there can be no ultimate

 

truth in the physical world. We can only base our actions

 

upon assumptions and agreements. All experience is

 

subjective.

 

Yet, there is a separate reality within each of us

 

which is often ignored unless we seek it. This inner self

 

is in magick called the ‘true will’. The true will is the

 

center of consciousness and identity. It is the ‘real you’.

 

Everything else is an interface or link to it from the

 

outer (illusory) world. Since that interface is based upon

 

our model, it is conditoned and may sometimes produce false

 

information. ‘Do what thou wilt’ (Crowley) is an axiom of

 

magick; for the true will expresses our exact desires. And

 

what we truly want (‘down deep’) we tend to automatically

 

get. This isn’t always in our best interests, since the

 

true will can be conditioned (tricked) by the illusion; and

 

then we might desire and obtain that which is not

 

ultimately good for us. (Karma strikes again!) The task of

 

the magician therefor is to awaken his awareneess of the

 

true will, to be free of conditioning, and thereby to

 

transcend maya. (‘My will unconditioned is magical’ —

 

Spare).

 

HAPPINESS IS BEING HAPPY

 

There is no great secret to changing behavior or

 

habits. It is largely a matter of determination. It

 

requires that you ignore the ‘pull’ of the model when you

 

strive for changes within yourself. The model is, after

 

all, a collection of ‘habits’, some of which must be

 

unlearned for permananent change to occur. There are two

 

ways to do this: direct, through will power and awareness

 

alone — observing and acting out in an unattached or

 

indifferent manner; and indirect — through conditioning

 

such as affirmation (explained later), self-hypnosis, and

 

magick. Meditation may help too, by relaxing tension and

 

conflict.

 

Emotions follow physical expression: smile and act

 

happy and you will tend to feel and be happy. The same is

 

also true for other emotions. Also, emotions can be

 

purposely used (or programed) to replace other emotions.

 

Using this technique, a magician is somewhat like an actor

 

in that he learns how to turn his emotions on and off at

 

will. Note that this is not ‘fakeing it’; the magician is

 

probably more in touch with his true feelings than most

 

people. And for these reasons we say that happiness is

 

being happy.

 

SYSTEMS OF MAGICK

 

Magick always involves self-hypnosis. However, it

 

is more than that too. For one thing, there are objective

 

forces involved (or so it would seem). Deities, spirits,

 

and cosmic force can have an independent existence. And the

 

repetitive physical movement sometimes involved in ritual

 

can itself generate PK force. On the other hand, it could

 

be argued that all of this is subjective to the magician.

 

Perhaps all magical effects could be produced through

 

hypnosis alone. But the effects are certainly real.

 

Great complexity is not necessary in magick.

 

Although basicly magick is a medieval system of symbolism

 

(in a modern context), any cosmological system will work

 

from Cabala to Star Wars. We usually use the medieval one

 

in magick because it is convenient and traditional, and

 

because it seems to fit our thought processes well. What

 

really matters is that the model of the magician be

 

understood and programmed, and thus that the model and the

 

cosmological system do correspond.

 

REVIEW QUESTIONS

 

1) Contrast subjective with objective.

 

2) What is a ‘model’?

 

3) Explain the task of the magician.

 

BOOK LIST

 

Eric Berne, Games People Play.

 

Fritjof Capra, The Tao of Physics.

 

Carlos Castaneda, The Fire From Within.

 

Arthur Koestler, The Roots of Coincidence.

 

John C. Lilly, Simulations of God.

 

Alan Watts, The Book (on the taboo against knowing who you are).

 

** MAGICK 3 — THE FOUR WORLDS **

 

The ancients described man as mind, body, and soul.

 

Psychologists of the twentieth century added the

 

subconscious to that deffinition. This produces a four-fold

 

classification. The universe is also divided into four

 

corresponding parts (‘worlds’), as shown below:

 

WORLD BODY QUALITY

 

===== ==== =======

 

spiritual world spiritual body (soul or kia) intuition

 

mental world mental body (conscious mind) rational

 

thought

 

astral world astral body (subconscious) emotions

 

physical world physical body physical senses

 

The astral body (subconscious) is the intermediary

 

for intuition, magical and psychic phenomena, and is the

 

‘psychic link’ to the physical world. Most occult and

 

magical phenomena originate in the invisible, non-sensate,

 

non-physical realm (ie. without physical senses). Each of

 

the four worlds interacts with the other worlds. Psychic

 

energy flows from the spiritual to mental to astral to

 

physical. The physical world is a projection (manifestation,

 

reflection, or shadow) of the higher worlds. Our center of

 

consciousness is generally within these higher worlds.

 

“We are”, to quote the rock music group the Police, “spirits

 

in the material world”.

 

There are many similar terms used by other occult

 

groups. For example, ‘astral light’ is another name for

 

astral world, although it may sometimes also refer to the

 

entire non-physical realm, as may ‘inner planes’ or ‘the

 

invisible world’. Planes are essentially the same as worlds.

 

Vehicles or sheaths are the same as bodies. Some groups

 

include an etheric or vital body between physical and

 

astral: it is mostly ‘physical’ with a little of the

 

lower ‘astral’ besides. And sometimes astral and mental

 

are each divided into two parts (upper and lower). The

 

‘causal body’ is the upper ‘mental’.

 

MICROCOSM AND MACROCOSM

 

We have been describing ‘traditonal’ occult

 

philosophy here, and certainly an important part of the

 

tradition is the idea (and terms) microcosm and macrocosm.

 

The greater universe, known as the *macrocosm*, includes

 

everything that exists. It corresponds with the *microcosm*,

 

or tiny universe, ie. man — who is thought of as a

 

miniature replica of the macrocosm (whole universe).

 

This basic magical relationship is demonstrated in the

 

Bible (Genesis 1.27), where God is the macrocosm; and in

 

the writing of Trismegistus (“As above so below”). Since

 

man is in the image of God (universe) it follows that God

 

is in the image of man (in other words, man and the

 

God/universe match each other). The magician, as a microcosm

 

is thus connected with the macrocosm. There is an intimate

 

relationship of energies between you and everything else.

 

The universe is reflected within us and we are projected

 

into the universe. This is an important theory behind magick

 

and astrology.

 

MAGICK WHITE AND BLACK

 

‘Personal magick’ is that magick used to affect the

 

self; often involving affirmation, self-suggestion, and

 

self-hypnosis. ‘Active magick’ is outer directed magick (as

 

in PK) used to affect someone or thing, or to bring about

 

an event. ‘Passive magick’ is to be affected (as in ESP)

 

by an outside non-physical cause. Everyone possesses some

 

magical (and psychic) potential. Some are especially

 

gifted. Usually people are better at one kind of magick

 

(ie. active or passive) than they are at the other kind;

 

only rarely does an individual excell at both. Traning

 

and practice will, of course, improve ability somewhat.

 

Although the forces of magick are neutral, various

 

systems may take on the qualities of good and evil. There

 

is so-called white magick or good magick, black magick or

 

evil magick, and gray magick between them. When many people

 

refer to white magick they mean magick for unselfish

 

purposes, also healing and mental influence with specific

 

permission. By black magick they refer to magick for

 

self-interest and healing *without* specific permission.

 

Using magick to forcefully control another’s will is, in a

 

sense, black magick too. There are also some people on the

 

occult fringe who claim to be, possibly even think they are,

 

‘Satanists’, devil worshipers, or black magicians. These

 

people are most likely charlatans, hoaxters, dablers, or

 

merely misinformed. They may be attracted by the ‘art’ of

 

black magick, or even by the ‘glamor’ of doing something

 

against the ‘rules’. But a real black magician is very

 

dangerous. Because he has dedicated his life to evil. We

 

usually think of ‘white magick’ as having *unselfish

 

intent*, and (in the extreme case) of ‘black magick’ as

 

being actual Satan worship, human or animal sacrifice,

 

dangerous unconventional magical practices, and other

 

bizarre stuff as makes a nightmare. It is all a matter of

 

degree. Most mild self-interest magick (one of the most

 

common kinds) would be called ‘gray’. Better terms may be

 

*constructive magick* as being beneficial; and *aversive

 

magick* as magick intended to work against the natural

 

order, and to tear down. There is also the *high magick* of

 

spiritual alchemy (ie. spiritual growth), also known as ‘the

 

Great Work’; and conversely there is ‘low magick’ which is

 

concerned with materiality.

 

Any magick act is likely to produce side effects

 

regardless of whether or not the desired result is achieved.

 

Such side effects are no problem for constructive magick,

 

since they are benificial as well. However, aversive magick

 

can produce aversive side effects which may even harm the

 

magician — aversive magick is dangerous!

 

MAGICK IS A CONTINUOUS PROCESS

 

What we have been calling ‘magick’ is actually a

 

continuous process. Since your subconscious never rests,

 

your environment is continually being shifted into line with

 

your model. This is true whether you study magick or not.

 

For most people, these effects are usually very subtle, and

 

they are probably not aware of them. However, as you work

 

with the occult, the flow of psychic energy and your

 

awareness of it increases. Your true will is more likely

 

to be strongly expressed. Your luck may be affected (either

 

in a positive or a negative way). Remember, our lives tend

 

to follow what we want down deep. That is why a positive

 

outlook is so very beneficial to us.

 

THE MAGICAL DIARY

 

Sometimes it is helpful to keep a diary of your

 

magical experiments and research. Such a diary should include

 

the date, perhaps even some astrological data (or anything

 

else you think may have a relationship to what you are doing).

 

This is also a good time to begin recording your dreams —

 

at least the important ones — in a dream diary. Your dreams

 

can tell you a great deal about yourself, and may sometimes

 

reveal premonitions. Dreams are personal. Don’t fall for the

 

commercial ‘dream book’ gimmick.

 

AFFIRMATIONS

 

The mind is always open to suggestion — especially the

 

subconscious. Most of the time we censor any suggestions

 

according to the model; but one way to break through the censor

 

is with repetition. An affirmation does this exactly. By

 

suggestion, we mean any statement which is capable of affecting

 

your model. Usually suggestion is in the form of a positive

 

statement (such as the hypnotist’s patter — ” You are

 

becomming sleepy”). An affirmation is the same kind of thing —

 

a positive suggestion, which you repeat (affirm) to yourself

 

aloud or silently (for example, “I remember my dreams”). If

 

there is some quality you wish to change or develope within

 

yourself, an affirmation is ideal. Repeat it several times

 

every day at several different times throughout the day,

 

expecially when you go to bed. Affirmations are subtle and may

 

require a few months to work. Use them for changes, not

 

miracles.

 

SIMPLE BANISHING TECHNIQUE

 

Visualization is another important method we use to

 

influence the subconscious. A good example of this is the

 

simple banishing technique which follows. Banishing is used in

 

magick to ‘clear the air’ of negative ‘vibes’ and

 

interference…

 

Visualize a strong white light flowing out the top of

 

your head, flowing down around you and covering you. At the

 

same time imagine you are throwing away any ‘problem’ vibes.

 

Maintain the visualization for a half a minute or longer.

 

Good way to help you handle your emotions, and to control

 

worry or anger.

 

REVIEW QUESTIONS

 

1) What is a microcosm?

 

2) List the four worlds. Explain.

 

3) What is an affirmation? Give an example.

 

BOOK LIST

 

Geoffry Hodson, Theosophy Answers Some Problems of Life.

 

Marc Edmund Jones, Key Truths of Occult Philosophy.

 

Marion Weinstein, Positive Magic.

 

Nelson & Ann White, The Wizard’s Apprentice.

 

Beatrice Bruteau, The Psychic Grid.

 

** MAGICK 4 — ELEMENTS AND FORCES **

 

The Ancients divided the world into four basic

 

principles or *elements* — earth, water, fire, and air.

 

That viewpoint has mostly changed with advances of science,

 

but the four elements are still accepted in magick, for they

 

are more closely linked with the emotions than modern

 

explanations of the world. Many occultists think of the magical

 

elements as forces, or as *qualities* of energy; especially

 

within the astral world. Each element has a symbol and color.

 

(Common symbols are — fire: a triangle pointing up; air:

 

a triangle pointing up and with a horizontal line through the

 

middle of it; water: a triangle pointing down; earth: a

 

triangle pointing down and with a horizontal line through the

 

middle of it.) Colors of the elements are — earth: brown and

 

green; water: blue; fire: red; air: yellow…The Eastern

 

tattvic system uses different symbols and colors. The elements

 

are often used in magick ritual.

 

Magick sees relationships between things. These

 

relationships are called ‘correspondences’. Although magical

 

correspondences are not literally equal to one another, you can

 

think of them that way (such as gold equals sun). Tables of

 

these relationships, called ‘Correspondence Tables’, are

 

available (an important one is Crowley’s ‘777’). Thus one thing

 

or symbol can be used to suggest another. This is important in

 

magick, for the magician may surround himself with as many

 

appropriate correspondences as he can to vividly affect the

 

senses; thus making his magical contact with the inner planes

 

more lucid.

 

The magical elements have correspondences with the

 

tarrot cards as the four suits. The four quarters (directions

 

of the universe as used in magick ritual) and the Archangels

 

also correspond with these same elements —

 

Element Suit Quarter Archangel

 

======= ==== ======= =========

 

earth pentacles north Uriel

 

water cups west Gabriel

 

fire wands south Michael

 

air swords east Raphael

 

ELEMENTALS

 

The magical elements are said to be peopled by spirits

 

and mythological entities called elementals or nature spirits.

 

These are grouped into four main categories —

 

Gnome (earth) Undine (water) Salamander (fire) Sylph (air)

============= ============== ================= ===========

dwarfs nymphs jin (genies) fairies

elves tritons storm angels

brownies mermaids

hobgoblins mermen

lepricauns sirens

harpies

Elementals are usually only visible to those with

clairvoyant sight and are more likely to be seen at night in

the mountains or country away from cities — especially if you

are tired or sleepy. Although elementals exist naturally, it is

also possible to create one which will exist for a limited time

— no elemental has immortality. A created elemental is called

an ‘artificial elemental’.

To the Ancients, elementals were the physical

explanation of the universe. However, some contemporary

occultists see them only as symbols for forces and otherwise

not ‘real’ at all. Another word sometimes used for elemental is

‘familiar’ (usually in medieval witchcraft); the term is

ambiguous, as it might merely be an ordinary household pet such

as a dog or cat.

YIN YANG

Chinese philosophy and acupuncture talk of yin yang.

This is the idea of polarity, or opposite pairs, as shown —

YIN YANG

=== ====

water fire

contraction expansion

cold hot

feminine masculine

moon sun

negative positive

passive active

ebb flow

wane wax

The list could go on. In Chinese literature it is quite long.

Some occultists suggest everything can be similarly arranged

into related opposite pairs.

SIMPLE MAGICK

Here is a simple magical technique you may wish to

try. It is a variation of affirmation, which was discussed

in an earlier lesson…To help to you achieve your goal

(magical or otherwise), find a word or short phase which sums

up what it is that you want to accomplish. Write the word (or

phrase) down 10 times each day until you achieve success.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1) List the four elements.

2) What is an elemental?

3) What are correspondences?

BOOK LIST

William Britten, Art Magic (long out of print, but in some

libraries).

Pete Carrol, Liber Null.

Wing-Tsit Chan, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy.

Manly Hall, Unseen Forces.

** MAGICK 5 — CHAKRAS AND MEDITATION **

According to East Indian philosophy, man possesses seven

major *chakras* or psychic centers on his body. Each of these

forms a bridge, link, or energy transformer; changing pure

(higher) energy into various forms, and connecting the four

bodies (ie. spiritual, mental, astral, and physical) together.

The chakras are located along the nadies (a network of psychic

nerves or channels) and follow the autonomic nervous system

along the spinal cord. Chakras correlate with major acupuncture

points along the ‘governing vessel meridian’ (acupuncture term).

The seven major chakras are connected together by three major

nadies which are parallel and near each other. The middle nadi

is called *sushumna* and it has neutral characteristics. The

nadi on the left (ie. nearest your left hand) is the *ida* nadi

which has yin characteristics. On the other side of sushumna

(nearest your right hand) is the *pingala* nadi, having yang

qualities.

Chakras are visible to clairvoyant sight as varously

colored rotating circles or funnels. In the East they are

described as petaled flowers or lotuses. Sources disagree on the

colors.

The first chakra, located at the base of the spine at

the perineum is the *root chakra*, muladhara. It primarily

relates to the element of earth and to psychic smell.

The second chakra, known as the *sacral center*,

svadhisthana, is located above and behind the genitals. Its

dominant element is water, and it is related to psychic taste.

Third of the chakras is the *solar plexus*, manipura,

located at the navel and corresponding with the emotions and

with the element of fire; also with psychic sight

(clairvoyance).

The *heart chakra*, anahata, is the fourth chakra,

located over the heart and corresponding with the element of

air, and also with psychic touch.

The fifth chakra is the *throat chakra*, vishuddha,

located at the base of the throat (thyroid) and corresponding

with psychic hearing (clairaudience).

The remaining two chakras are very important. They

relate mostly to elevated states of consciousness. The *frontal

chakra*, (or ‘third eye’) ajna, the sixth chakra, is located

between, and slightly above, the eyebrows. Ajna is the center of

psychic powers and can produce many psychic effects. Meditation

on ajna is said to cure nervousness.

Finally, the *crown chakra*, sahasrara, located atop the

head, (pineal gland) is the seventh chakra. It is referred to as

the thousand-petaled lotus and corresponds with astral

projection and enlightenment.

There are also many minor chakras throughout the body.

Each chakra has a sound (letter) and a pitch which is sometimes

used to invoke it.

THE TATTVAS

Some occultists prefer to describe the magical elements

as tattvas according to the Eastern system. Notice that these

symbols and colors are generally different than the western

symbols and colors for the elements.

element tattva tattvic symbol

======= ====== ==============

earth prithivi yellow square

water apas silver crescent

fire tejas red triangle

air vayu blue circle

(spirit) akasa black oval

YOGA

Yoga originated in India. It is a physical or mental

discipline designed to condition and invigorate the mind and

body. There are many kinds of yoga, but they may be generally

divided into three main types…

Hatha yoga — affect the mind through the body using

physical exercises; improve physical health and endurance.

Raja yoga — affect the mind through mental training;

improve concentration.

Mantra yoga — affect the mind through chanting and

affirmation; achieve relaxation.

MEDITATION

This is a much touted area of the occult. There are many

meditation techniques, and many claims made for the benefits of

meditation. Basicly, meditation has two functions — relaxation,

and perhaps, improved concentration. There are two main types…

1) concentration meditation (focusing),

 

 

Today’s Runes for August 14th is Thurisaz

Today’s Runes

Ice Runes are most commonly used for questions about struggle, conflict, and achievement. Thurisaz represents a thorn, the most basic of barriers to our boon or our bane. In the case of hedges, thorns protect our encampments from that which skulks towards us from the outlands. In the case of rosebushes, thorns keep us from beauty. Though thorns are passive and have no thoughts, they puncture, tear, and may even be poisonous. Hence, this rune may also represent irrational violence and anger.

Today’s Runes for August 11th is Berkana

Today’s Runes

Ice Runes are most commonly used for questions about struggle, conflict, and achievement. Berkana represents the birch tree. The birch is frequently symbolic of renewal, rebirth, birth, growth and fertility. This rune is a joyous one, representing good outcomes from ventures undertaken. It is the rune of the family and of a good household.

Selecting Crystals

There are three simple ways to select the crystals you need, whether for yourself or for others.

  • Look them up in a book. Decide why you need a crystal and search for the appropriate ones to help the condition or symptoms.

  • Follow your intuition. Feeling drawn in any way to a crystal suggests that you need it. It will stand out from the crowd, possibly sparkle and shine, and virtually shout at you, wave, jump up and down, or leap off the shelf. Of course, it may just be interesting or look pretty. However you are drawn to them, theses crystals will help you, sometimes in unexpected or amazing ways. If you are selecting crystals for  other people, perhaps as a gift, then keep that person in your mind when choosing. Sometimes it’s helpful to look at a photo of the person, have a personal object that belongs to them, or even just write their name on a piece of paper.

  • Employ a pendulum and dowse for the crystals you need.

If you are selecting crystals intuitively or with a pendulum you can always look up their healing properties in a book. Conversely if you have chosen crystals from a book, you  can decide how best to apply them with the aid of a pendulum. The most important thing when choosing a crystal is to trust yourself.

Today’s Runes for August 10th is Laguz

Today’s Runes

Jade Runes are most commonly used for questions about love, friendship, and relationships. Laguz is the most strongly feminine of runes, representing water. Deep sexuality is suggested by this rune. Through Laguz, water is seen as the ocean – vast, uncontrollable, ever-changing, and vital. When interpreted as the returning tide, Laguz can also predict the inevitable return from a long journey.

Gemstone of the Day for August 4th is Azurite

Azurite

A popular crystal for its beautiful deep blue colour; this stone has a startling blue edge, which is the key to its healing powers. Azurite forms when copper ones oxidize. It is associated with the green mineral malachite, with which it shares a similar chemical structure. In the Middle Ages, powdered azurite was used as a blue pigment in paints and dyes. As it absorbed atmospheric moisture, it used to oxidize to malachite, which explains why the sky is green in some early Renaissance paintings. The two minerals can be found in a form called azurite-malachite, which is excellent, for “cleaning out” deep-rooted emotions. The finest large azurite crystals come from Namibia.

Identification and care

  • Small crystals appear a powdery blue and are often small, round nodules.
  • Large crystals are often very dark and shiny, with an electric blue edge.
  • Crystals are soft, so need careful handling.
  • Do not clean nodules in water.

Magick

  • Helps you to achieve swift, results
  • Reveals mysteries
  • Transmits messages from the unknown

Healing functions

  • Accesses deep levels of body-consciousness
  • Draws out memories or old stress, allowing them to be released in healing
  • Improves communication and creative flow

Practical ideas

  • To encourage expansion of consciousness, place four pieces of azurite on and around the body; one above the crown, one either side of the head and one at the solar plexus.

 

Your Animal Spirit for August 1st is The Cardinal

Your Animal Spirit for Today
August 1, 2011

your daily animal spirit for today

Cardinal

Wake up! Cardinal is chirping at you—bringing a message of personal power. Stop shrinking from your destiny. Stop pretending that you are less than. If you are unsure of your path, ask Cardinal to fly with you—it’s certain he will help you focus, gain clarity, formulate a plan, become self-assured, and step out into the world with the confidence befitting a person of your power.

Today’s Runes for August 1st is Ger

Today’s Runes

Stone Runes are most commonly used for questions about the natural world and things beyond human control. Ger is one of the runes that touches on the cycles of the year, in this case the fall harvest. These cycles are eternal, which is represented in the rune by the fact that it is unchanged by reversal. Ger can represent pregnancy or other forms of fruitfulness, and is especially indicative of the cycles of providence and karma – that which has been sown is now being reaped. This rune can also represent the cycles of wealth, for crops were frequently a sign of wealth.

Familiar Consecration Spell

To cement and/or formalize the psychic bonds between you and your familiar:

  1. Cast a circle large enough to hold you, your familiar and any magickal tools that you wish to consecrate (these may include leashes, collars or similar pet paraphernalia, as well as spell components or ritual tools).

  2. Burn frankincense on the periphery of the circle.

  3. Sit within the circle, with your familiar, until you feel that it’s time to come out.

  4. Repeat as needed.

Live dangerously! If your familiar is a cat, cast your circle with dried catnip and instead of frankincense, burn diviner’s sage to enhance your powers of prophesy. Let the cat play, while you allow yourself sudden bursts of inspiration.

Today’s Runes for July 29th is Tyr

Today’s Runes

Stone Runes are most commonly used for questions about the natural world and things beyond human control. Tyr is the symbol of the warrior. This rune most represents masculine force and potency, and frequently victory in battle. Beware though, for this rune represents directly the Norse god whose name it bears – Tyr stands out in legend for having sacrificed his hand that he might bind Fenrir, a monstrous wolf that threatens to swallow the world. As such, this rune is known to portend a great victory that can be bought with a terrible sacrifice. Tyr is also the god of law, frequently placed in such position above Odin. In this aspect, protection of justice may be had by this rune.

Today’s Runes for July 27th is Hagalaz

Today’s Runes

Stone Runes are most commonly used for questions about the natural world and things beyond human control. Hagalaz is the rune of hail. Hail is a destructive and elemental force, so one can expect this rune to represent the disruption of one’s life. In the harsh northern winter there is a halt to activity, and so delay or hindrance is frequently associated with this rune. The opposite of chaos is yet more chaos, as illustrated by the fact that this rune cannot be reversed.

Today’s Runes for July 26th is Tyr

Today’s Runes

Spirit Runes are most commonly used for questions about mysticism, spirituality, and religion. Tyr is the symbol of the warrior. This rune most represents masculine force and potency, and frequently victory in battle. Beware though, for this rune represents directly the Norse god whose name it bears – Tyr stands out in legend for having sacrificed his hand that he might bind Fenrir, a monstrous wolf that threatens to swallow the world. As such, this rune is known to portend a great victory that can be bought with a terrible sacrifice. Tyr is also the god of law, frequently placed in such position above Odin. In this aspect, protection of justice may be had by this rune.

Today’s Tarot Card for July 24 is The Emperor

The Emperor

This Tarot Deck: Dragon

General Meaning: In the most practical terms, what has traditionally been called the Emperor card represents the highest leadership, a head of state or the most exemplary and powerful person in the realm. This archetypal ruler is responsible for the positive working out of affairs of a society or community, which are directly proportional to his well being and happiness.

The more enlightenment and cosmic perspective this energy brings, the better life is for all. The Emperor archetype masters the world of matter and physical manifestation. When you apply this card to your situation, acknowledge your potentials for mastery. Reinforce a sense of sovereignty within yourself, despite any self-limiting beliefs, habits or appearances to the contrary.