One of the great things about this path is that we can have very real and fulfilling relationships with the deities of our choice. But as we discussed in the first segment, we need to have a developed and functional relationship with them in order for us to work with them during rituals or spellwork.
Each and every time that you work with a deity, you are connecting with their energy. Each and every deity has a specific energy vibration about them. For example, if we worked with the god Ares, he tends to give off an energy signature that is extremely masculine, very aggressive and may give you the feeling of "punch first, ask questions later". We can expect these types of energy vibrations because we have read all of his myths and see him time and time again demonstrating these exact personality aspects. If we worked with the goddess Hestia, we would find an energy vibration that feels very old, very wise and quietly confident in herself. She knows who she is and she does not deviate from that.
Now you may be asking why does it matter if I am getting a certain energy feeling from a particular deity? It matters because if you are getting something other than what would be described as "typical" for them, most likely you are not in contact with the deity that you THINK you are in contact with. In the words of one of my teachers, "the wrong dog has come barking home". Also, if you are getting nothing, then you know that at the moment, the deity has nothing to say to you or there may be something about the way that you approached them that has caused them to ignore you. Remember what I said in part 1, the gods have human characteristics and can be quite fickle.
Now this is not to say that the deity that you are currently feeling is not the one that you NEED at the moment, but it may not be the one that you are looking for and you should exercise caution and be abundantly respectful when dealing with them. If you cannot determine who it is you are talking to, it is not improper to ask them what they would like from you or if they have a message for you. It is however, not a good idea, to ask them who they are. If they feel the need to identify themselves, they will do so although it may be at a later time, maybe while you are meditating on the working you just did or even in a dream.
The energy that you feel when yo work with a certain deity helps you identify just who they are and will also allow you to gain confidence in your relationship with you. If you always feel a certain way when you work with a deity, then you know that any response you get is truly from them and can generally be trusted.
If you cannot identify or lock in on a deity's energy vibrations, you leave yourself open to a lot of deception, poor spellwork and rituals that bomb on a regular basis.
Keep in mind that these relationships do not develop overnight. They take time and your commitment to the deity to continually seek them out and learn about them and work with them on a regular basis. Then and only then will you gain the results you desire.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Getting to know you...getting to know all about you: Working with a Deity
When we start out on this path, very few of us know just what or who we will encounter in our walk down the primrose path. However, most of us want to feel a connection to a divine energy in the form of a god or goddess. Many of us have an idea of which deity we want to associate with because we may have a pull towards a certain pantheon and maybe we can relate to the stories that we read about them.
When you are just starting out on this path, it is a good idea to investigate all the pantheons that you have an interest in. By far, the most common ones tend to be Celtic, Greco-Roman, and Nordic. Many people pick a pantheon that is in their ancestry and go from there.
Some people will investigate deities based upon what they think the deities aspect are based upon an interest they have. For example, if you are interested in shapeshifting, you may work with deities that are known for this like Ceridwen, Zeus, Odin, Loki and others too numerous to mention. If you are interested in working with herbs for their medicinal properties then you would look towards Bridget, Apollo or Vejovis.
So how does one begin to work with a deity? It's very simple really...you read their stories. There are at least a dozen or so books on any given pantheon on the bookshelves at any time. Reading their stories gives us great insight in to their personalities. Here is a bit of advice for you, the gods are written about by humans which means that they have very human characteristics about them. Some of them are petty and juvenile at times and at other times they will sacrifice themselves for the greater good or perform some other great character feat.
Once you have absorbed as much of their stories that you are able to, the next step is to meditate on their stories. Run the stories through your mind and then put yourself in their shoes. When you are in those situations, how would YOU react? do you get a sense of who they are? Can you understand their reasons for the particular course of action they took? why? why not? When you meditate about them do you find yourself connecting with their energy? (We will discuss more in Part II about why this is important)
To help you understand how this all fits together here is a little scenario for you to think about. Let's say you were invited to a dinner party. You are VERY excited about this because your favorite author is going to be there. Since you are besties with the host, you are hoping that since your host knows you are a HUGE fan of the author, they will sit you next to the guest of honor (your favorite author). To prepare for this great event and so that you don't sound insulting or ignorant, you go back and re-read all the books you have in your collection, you think of questions to ask about characters and plot lines. In short, you are ready to have a deep and meaningful conversation with this author. When you arrive you are indeed seated next to your favorite author! As is customary at these types of dinners, conversation starts out kind of stilted and awkward (I mean this is YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR!!!!!!!!!) but then the conversation starts to shift and you are able to ask some of the questions you thought of. The author turns to you and responds and surprises you by complimenting you on your choice of question and the conversation continues in this vein. You are connected now...you are having a wonderful back and forth dialogue offering merits and discussing points of views never before thought about.
As the dinner party winds down, you are excited that you had such a wonderful chance to discuss so many things with your favorite author. You learned so much about the back story of the characters in your favorite novels and you now understand, just a little bit, about how this authors mind works. As you are gathering your things and getting ready to leave, your favorite author pulls you aside and invites to you tea next week at their house. Of course you accept and with further great conversations, you find yourself, 20 years later, still learning about your favorite author and being blessed with a deeply rewarding friendship.
Learning to work with a deity is very much like that. It's not a one time thing but a development of a rewarding friendship that will last you a life time. We get to know them and they get to know us. So what happens when we don't take the time to get to know them ourselves but rely on others to feed us information or what if we just can't take the time or make the effort to get to know them? Well let's go back to our dinner party scenario. It's still your favorite author but you can't be bothered to dig a little deeper to be an interesting guest. You attend the dinner party and you are able to ask a couple of questions of note but for the most part conversation stays on the weather or the antics of some Hollywood entertainer. There is no connection at all. The next day you are asked to provide a person of note for a college roundtable discussion, the committee, having heard of your dinner party with this bestselling author asks you to try and get them to participate. You say...no problem, put them on the flyer, they will definitely be there. You reach out to their agents to secure their attendance and while they are initially non-committal, you assume they will show up because, well, you did sit next to them at the dinner party and you did talk to them. The day arrives and the agent calls you and send regrets, the author, due to a heavy schedule is unable to make it. Needless to say, people are unhappy and you are left wondering what happened...you thought you had a connection with them. Did you? You sat next to them, you read a few things about them, you asked a couple of questions but it wasn't enough to create a connection where one feels a sense of obligation to assist when asked.
Do you see the difference between the two people? One took time to learn all about their "deity" so that they could ask probing questions and anticipate how they would respond to certain questions. They were rewarded with further contact in order to deepen and strengthen the friendship. No doubt many favors were granted to the person who took the time to learn about them and talk to them.
The other person googled their 'deity", read their Wikipedia entry and felt that was enough. But it's not. In the end there was no connection and consequently the "deity" failed to show when requested.
No one likes to feel unimportant, not even the gods. When you do not put any time or effort in to creating a relationship with them, they will return the favor with heaps of silence and their non-presence in your life and in your rituals. By getting to know a deity...reading their stories, meditating with them, and eventually invoking them, you will be rewarded with a divine presence not only in your rituals but in your life as well.
When you are just starting out on this path, it is a good idea to investigate all the pantheons that you have an interest in. By far, the most common ones tend to be Celtic, Greco-Roman, and Nordic. Many people pick a pantheon that is in their ancestry and go from there.
Some people will investigate deities based upon what they think the deities aspect are based upon an interest they have. For example, if you are interested in shapeshifting, you may work with deities that are known for this like Ceridwen, Zeus, Odin, Loki and others too numerous to mention. If you are interested in working with herbs for their medicinal properties then you would look towards Bridget, Apollo or Vejovis.
So how does one begin to work with a deity? It's very simple really...you read their stories. There are at least a dozen or so books on any given pantheon on the bookshelves at any time. Reading their stories gives us great insight in to their personalities. Here is a bit of advice for you, the gods are written about by humans which means that they have very human characteristics about them. Some of them are petty and juvenile at times and at other times they will sacrifice themselves for the greater good or perform some other great character feat.
Once you have absorbed as much of their stories that you are able to, the next step is to meditate on their stories. Run the stories through your mind and then put yourself in their shoes. When you are in those situations, how would YOU react? do you get a sense of who they are? Can you understand their reasons for the particular course of action they took? why? why not? When you meditate about them do you find yourself connecting with their energy? (We will discuss more in Part II about why this is important)
To help you understand how this all fits together here is a little scenario for you to think about. Let's say you were invited to a dinner party. You are VERY excited about this because your favorite author is going to be there. Since you are besties with the host, you are hoping that since your host knows you are a HUGE fan of the author, they will sit you next to the guest of honor (your favorite author). To prepare for this great event and so that you don't sound insulting or ignorant, you go back and re-read all the books you have in your collection, you think of questions to ask about characters and plot lines. In short, you are ready to have a deep and meaningful conversation with this author. When you arrive you are indeed seated next to your favorite author! As is customary at these types of dinners, conversation starts out kind of stilted and awkward (I mean this is YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR!!!!!!!!!) but then the conversation starts to shift and you are able to ask some of the questions you thought of. The author turns to you and responds and surprises you by complimenting you on your choice of question and the conversation continues in this vein. You are connected now...you are having a wonderful back and forth dialogue offering merits and discussing points of views never before thought about.
As the dinner party winds down, you are excited that you had such a wonderful chance to discuss so many things with your favorite author. You learned so much about the back story of the characters in your favorite novels and you now understand, just a little bit, about how this authors mind works. As you are gathering your things and getting ready to leave, your favorite author pulls you aside and invites to you tea next week at their house. Of course you accept and with further great conversations, you find yourself, 20 years later, still learning about your favorite author and being blessed with a deeply rewarding friendship.
Learning to work with a deity is very much like that. It's not a one time thing but a development of a rewarding friendship that will last you a life time. We get to know them and they get to know us. So what happens when we don't take the time to get to know them ourselves but rely on others to feed us information or what if we just can't take the time or make the effort to get to know them? Well let's go back to our dinner party scenario. It's still your favorite author but you can't be bothered to dig a little deeper to be an interesting guest. You attend the dinner party and you are able to ask a couple of questions of note but for the most part conversation stays on the weather or the antics of some Hollywood entertainer. There is no connection at all. The next day you are asked to provide a person of note for a college roundtable discussion, the committee, having heard of your dinner party with this bestselling author asks you to try and get them to participate. You say...no problem, put them on the flyer, they will definitely be there. You reach out to their agents to secure their attendance and while they are initially non-committal, you assume they will show up because, well, you did sit next to them at the dinner party and you did talk to them. The day arrives and the agent calls you and send regrets, the author, due to a heavy schedule is unable to make it. Needless to say, people are unhappy and you are left wondering what happened...you thought you had a connection with them. Did you? You sat next to them, you read a few things about them, you asked a couple of questions but it wasn't enough to create a connection where one feels a sense of obligation to assist when asked.
Do you see the difference between the two people? One took time to learn all about their "deity" so that they could ask probing questions and anticipate how they would respond to certain questions. They were rewarded with further contact in order to deepen and strengthen the friendship. No doubt many favors were granted to the person who took the time to learn about them and talk to them.
The other person googled their 'deity", read their Wikipedia entry and felt that was enough. But it's not. In the end there was no connection and consequently the "deity" failed to show when requested.
No one likes to feel unimportant, not even the gods. When you do not put any time or effort in to creating a relationship with them, they will return the favor with heaps of silence and their non-presence in your life and in your rituals. By getting to know a deity...reading their stories, meditating with them, and eventually invoking them, you will be rewarded with a divine presence not only in your rituals but in your life as well.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Belief in Magick
We all have it to a certain degree. If you were raised in a house that had 2nd or 3rd generation family members, you always had someone saying "you spilled the salt, throw some over your left shoulder for good luck" or "oops...broke a mirror, seven years of back luck for you!" (how come they never told you how to counteract that??)
Many of these "superstitions" have their start in your family's native folks magic. If you come from a multi-cultural family like I do, (1/2 German, the other 1/2 is Irish, Native American, French-Canadian) you can get a whole lot of different superstitions thrown at you from a very young age.
As children we are told these things and we believe them. Sure, most of that is because we are children and haven't yet developed those critical thinking skills that allow us to talk ourselves out of those beliefs. But in many cases, we know these are true since they speak to that deep part of us. We know in our heart of hearts that it is true.
So what happens when we become adults? We lose all that and our ability to believe in magick goes right out the window. We have such a hard time believing that we can make magick but we have NOOOOO problems believing that we can be the recipients of (usually nefarious) magickal actions. Here is a great example...I've got about 40 Facebook friends (I bet you didn't think I had that many right?) and about half of them are involved in the Pagan community on some level. I hate chain emails, you know the kind that says you must re-post this or you will have X amount of years of bad luck or that your wish for money will not come true. But invariably people will post them on their timelines and of course, they show up in my news feed. I always check to see who it is that is posting these things and invariably they are the same Pagan folks who don't believe that they too, are capable of creating their own magickal destiny!! They are more than happy to let others have control over them, but don't believe enough in their own power enough to take control of it and use it for themselves.
I promise you that if you get an email and decide not to forward it, nothing will happen...unless you believe that it will. If you believe that a simple email can change your destiny, why is it such a great leap for you to believe that you too, can change your destiny using magick? why do you choose to believe its possible for a totally unknown external force to affect your life but deny the fact that you too have that same power and can choose to effect yours in a similar manner?
Belief in magick is critical to our lives. If we don't believe in magick, how can we exist? Even more dangerous is the concept that there are people out there who, without our knowledge and consent, can change our destiny using magick but we are powerless to have the same impact on our own lives.
Believe or don't believe...but don't call yourself a Witch. Witches believe in the magick...we work magick and we know that ultimately, we are in control of our own destiny.
Many of these "superstitions" have their start in your family's native folks magic. If you come from a multi-cultural family like I do, (1/2 German, the other 1/2 is Irish, Native American, French-Canadian) you can get a whole lot of different superstitions thrown at you from a very young age.
As children we are told these things and we believe them. Sure, most of that is because we are children and haven't yet developed those critical thinking skills that allow us to talk ourselves out of those beliefs. But in many cases, we know these are true since they speak to that deep part of us. We know in our heart of hearts that it is true.
So what happens when we become adults? We lose all that and our ability to believe in magick goes right out the window. We have such a hard time believing that we can make magick but we have NOOOOO problems believing that we can be the recipients of (usually nefarious) magickal actions. Here is a great example...I've got about 40 Facebook friends (I bet you didn't think I had that many right?) and about half of them are involved in the Pagan community on some level. I hate chain emails, you know the kind that says you must re-post this or you will have X amount of years of bad luck or that your wish for money will not come true. But invariably people will post them on their timelines and of course, they show up in my news feed. I always check to see who it is that is posting these things and invariably they are the same Pagan folks who don't believe that they too, are capable of creating their own magickal destiny!! They are more than happy to let others have control over them, but don't believe enough in their own power enough to take control of it and use it for themselves.
I promise you that if you get an email and decide not to forward it, nothing will happen...unless you believe that it will. If you believe that a simple email can change your destiny, why is it such a great leap for you to believe that you too, can change your destiny using magick? why do you choose to believe its possible for a totally unknown external force to affect your life but deny the fact that you too have that same power and can choose to effect yours in a similar manner?
Belief in magick is critical to our lives. If we don't believe in magick, how can we exist? Even more dangerous is the concept that there are people out there who, without our knowledge and consent, can change our destiny using magick but we are powerless to have the same impact on our own lives.
Believe or don't believe...but don't call yourself a Witch. Witches believe in the magick...we work magick and we know that ultimately, we are in control of our own destiny.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Wiccan Living
Probably because so many people come from mainstream religions, it is very difficult for them to incorporate the Wiccan lifestyle in to their current lives. So often religion gets pigeonholed in to a specific day of the week and then after that, it tends to be passively forgotten or deliberately not used at all.
Wicca/Witchcraft has no written rules. There are several versions of what most people call The Wiccan Rede, a written list of suggestions for being a good witch. However, most pagans do subscribe to the final line, usually "an' it harm none."
But even this line is not without controversy. Many people take this to mean that anything they do should not harm anyone but exclude themselves from the list...some people include themselves in that "harm none" adage. However there are some who ignore that adage all together and do what they think is best in keeping with a quip from Aleister Crowley..."do what thou will shall be the whole of the law". Crowley felt that people should live in tune with their True Will and doing what they felt they should do in accordance with that True Will would mean that their actions would be justified.
The reality is, there is no right or wrong way to live a Wiccan life. Everyone is called upon to determine what is best for their conscience and take actions in accordance with that conscience. Living a Witchy lifestyle means that you and you alone are responsible for your actions. If you hurt someone, there is no other being that can forgive you for the hurt you have inflicted on someone other than the person you have hurt.
Living the Wiccan life also means that you must move Wiccan precepts in to all areas of your life. Some examples of these precepts are a love of nature and honoring the spirits of all living things. To this end, do you recycle everything you can? do you try to minimize your impact on the environment by using reusable items like grocery bags and plastic water bottles? What type of eater are you? omnivore? herbivore? vegan? in any style, do you pay attention to how those items are harvested? are they done using sustainable processes? do you pay attention to the food you are eating? is it healthy or full of artificial products or is it a GMO?
We love our Mother Earth and we should do all we can to respect everything on the face of this planet. If we take from her, then we must ensure that we are doing it in a way that is healthy. Mother Earth is very much ok with us taking nourishment form her...that is her role in our life. But the relationship must be symbiotic not parasitic.
By living in harmony with our environment around us, people and the earth, can we live a life that is richly rewarding to us, our fellow creatures on the planet and the planet itself.
Wicca/Witchcraft has no written rules. There are several versions of what most people call The Wiccan Rede, a written list of suggestions for being a good witch. However, most pagans do subscribe to the final line, usually "an' it harm none."
But even this line is not without controversy. Many people take this to mean that anything they do should not harm anyone but exclude themselves from the list...some people include themselves in that "harm none" adage. However there are some who ignore that adage all together and do what they think is best in keeping with a quip from Aleister Crowley..."do what thou will shall be the whole of the law". Crowley felt that people should live in tune with their True Will and doing what they felt they should do in accordance with that True Will would mean that their actions would be justified.
The reality is, there is no right or wrong way to live a Wiccan life. Everyone is called upon to determine what is best for their conscience and take actions in accordance with that conscience. Living a Witchy lifestyle means that you and you alone are responsible for your actions. If you hurt someone, there is no other being that can forgive you for the hurt you have inflicted on someone other than the person you have hurt.
Living the Wiccan life also means that you must move Wiccan precepts in to all areas of your life. Some examples of these precepts are a love of nature and honoring the spirits of all living things. To this end, do you recycle everything you can? do you try to minimize your impact on the environment by using reusable items like grocery bags and plastic water bottles? What type of eater are you? omnivore? herbivore? vegan? in any style, do you pay attention to how those items are harvested? are they done using sustainable processes? do you pay attention to the food you are eating? is it healthy or full of artificial products or is it a GMO?
We love our Mother Earth and we should do all we can to respect everything on the face of this planet. If we take from her, then we must ensure that we are doing it in a way that is healthy. Mother Earth is very much ok with us taking nourishment form her...that is her role in our life. But the relationship must be symbiotic not parasitic.
By living in harmony with our environment around us, people and the earth, can we live a life that is richly rewarding to us, our fellow creatures on the planet and the planet itself.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Raising Energy
As I was explaining to a friend yesterday, I never know what I will be writing on either of my blogs. That which compels me is that of which I write.
Today I was doing some introspective soul searching on an issue and it felt right that I should write about raising energy. Only because I will be doing something this afternoon that will be along the lines of minor nuclear holocaust to break through some blockages...but I digress.
As long as there have been people on this planet, they have used music (loosely defined as using something to make a noise be it rock, tree, hands, etc.) to move them along. Whether it be a hard drumbeat to move a shaman from one state of consciousness to another, a flute to softly lull a child to sleep or clapping hands in time to words being spoken or sung.
Pagans use a variety of ways to enhance the energy of a group or individual working. Most common, you will find are percussion instruments (drums, hands, tambourines) or chanting (is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds) These tend to be the most common because they are the simplest to use, easily portable and something everyone can do. However, anything that makes noise will do; rattles, hands banging on your lap, a nearby log and a couple of sticks.
We raise energy for a variety of purposes. When we cast spells, we need a medium for which the spell to enter the cosmos for its action to take root. We use the energy we have raised, attach the spell to it and send it out into the cosmos for action. From there, the spell starts to work and is moved forward with the energy already within the universe. From a scientific perspective, we know that music, in any form has the ability to change peoples moods so its not surprising that we use music in some form to raise energy. (Check out this study done in Sweden http://www.academia.edu/1561576/Emotion_Induction_Through_Music_A_Review_of_the_Musical_Mood_Induction_Procedure )
In many Wiccan circles, we may refer to this raising of energy as a "cone of power". If one was standing in the middle of a circle, and looked straight up through the center, a cone of energy might look something like this...
Some people can actually see the energy (I can't but I can feel it move up my body) and many of them describe it looking like this. However, if you "see" it differently, that's OK too!
After then energy is raised, the person in charge, (usually the HP or HPS) will wait until they feel that the energy can't be contained anymore and allow it to move from the circle to the universe and speed it on its way to it's designated purpose.
So what do we do after we have raised and released the energy? Invariably some of that energy clings to us. We know that it does because many times people will feel "edgy" "jumpy" or like they just drank a pot of coffee at 9PM at night. They report trouble sleeping, and sometimes even unusual dream patterns when they finally do fall asleep.
Excess energy must be grounded back to the earth from which is was pulled from. This can be done in a variety of ways. Putting your hands on earth or standing on some dirt tends to be very effective for many people. Eating something is another good way, hence the reason so many groups have potlucks after rituals that involve energy work of some kind. For others, showers or long hot baths in lavender scented water works well too. If you haven't found the best way for you, experiment with all the ones I have listed and if they don't work reach out to others in the Pagan community for more ideas. In the end, it only has to work for you and if its' a non-traditional technique, who cares!
Raising energy is a critical part of working in the Craft. Learning how to manipulate it, mold it, raise it and give it purpose are skills that you will be using throughout your entire time in the Craft. Learn it, learn it well and understand that it is all around us.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Spellcasting
Many people I meet who are just learning about Wicca/Witchcraft are always enchanted with the spellwork part of this religion. When you scrape a little deeper you will find that they weren't much in to praying when they practiced their previous Abrahamic religion but for some reason spellwork calls out to them.
Newbies to the craft have really bought into the spellwork part of the Craft because for some strange reason they feel that they have a greater amount of control over their lives when they are able to cast a spell. Of course, that's Hollywood talking. Cast a spell for a job and get one that pays a zillion dollars a year with great medical benefits and a free car. Cast a spell for that handsome spouse and wind up with a guy /girl fresh from the cover of a romance novel and of course he will either own an IT company that is booming or is a wildly successful rancher with a couple thousand acres and an oil well. '
Just to be clear for the new folks, spells are forms of prayers. While we can use them to try and change the circumstances in our life, the Gods are free to ignore/grant them just as the God of Abraham was. No spell will ever be guaranteed to work just as no spell is ever guaranteed to fail either.
There are several things that one must consider when they are casting spells for things or people.
You must consider the ethical implications of the spell you want to cast. You must not only think of the implications on your life but you must broaden your point of view to include others that could be affected by your spell as well. Are you approaching the spell with the proper mental frame of mind? are you casting a spell out of desperation? fear? anger? Is the intent of the spell to make you happy while making someone else unhappy? Or...are you casting a spell from a place of peace and contentment? can you accept the outcome of the spell as it is disclosed to you from the universe? Can you accept the decision of the gods to not grant you your boon the way you thought it should be?
Many people think that when they cast a spell that it will come to fruition. They don't always and that may be because of several factors. The gods have decided that your request is not what you need at this time. They may have decided that your path should turn a different way. You may have screwed up the spell either in its casting, its creation or wording or in its execution. (I'm not such a big fan of this reason since the Gods should know your intent behind the spell and leaving out a word or herb shouldn't make a big difference.)
As it is energy that powers a spell, its critical that a witch know as much as they can about the energy they are working with. They should know about their own energy and how it feels to them. They should understand and be moderately proficient in their ability to raise, manipulate and expel energy into the universe. Spells can be done with nothing more than a thought...after all spells, in their simplest forms, are just energy.
As a witch becomes more experienced they may wish to add "stuff" to their spells. When I mean stuff I mean that items that make it easier for the witch to focus or channel energy into a specific object or out to the universe. Items that would fall in to this category are candle spells where one uses candles, sometimes of a specific color, help focus or store the energy. Charms, talismans, amulets, will also fall in to this category as well. We may wish to enchant our tools to connect them with our energy to make them more accurate (divinitory tools) or ritual tools like athames or wands to bind their energy with ours.
Potions and tinctures also fall into this category because we are using the specific energy (magickal and mundae) uses of the herbs to complement the action we are trying to take.
But it always comes back to the witch. As a witch, we are the power generating station as it were. We give purpose to the spell, we give energy for the spell to complete its purpose and we act as receptacles for the results we are requesting.
As a witch, I do not cast a lot of spells. I think sometimes spellcasting can be a bit presumptuous. It's arrogant to think that we can knock on the door of the heavens and make great changes to our destiny. How much wiser is it to ask for assistance in working with what we have been dealt than to ask the Gods to lift us out of a situation where we may not learn the lessons that we need to learn.
Think long and hard before casting a spell. While they are prayers to the Gods, they should not be take lightly nor done with a flippant manner. The Gods know what you are doing...and they reward accordingly.
Newbies to the craft have really bought into the spellwork part of the Craft because for some strange reason they feel that they have a greater amount of control over their lives when they are able to cast a spell. Of course, that's Hollywood talking. Cast a spell for a job and get one that pays a zillion dollars a year with great medical benefits and a free car. Cast a spell for that handsome spouse and wind up with a guy /girl fresh from the cover of a romance novel and of course he will either own an IT company that is booming or is a wildly successful rancher with a couple thousand acres and an oil well. '
Just to be clear for the new folks, spells are forms of prayers. While we can use them to try and change the circumstances in our life, the Gods are free to ignore/grant them just as the God of Abraham was. No spell will ever be guaranteed to work just as no spell is ever guaranteed to fail either.
There are several things that one must consider when they are casting spells for things or people.
You must consider the ethical implications of the spell you want to cast. You must not only think of the implications on your life but you must broaden your point of view to include others that could be affected by your spell as well. Are you approaching the spell with the proper mental frame of mind? are you casting a spell out of desperation? fear? anger? Is the intent of the spell to make you happy while making someone else unhappy? Or...are you casting a spell from a place of peace and contentment? can you accept the outcome of the spell as it is disclosed to you from the universe? Can you accept the decision of the gods to not grant you your boon the way you thought it should be?
Many people think that when they cast a spell that it will come to fruition. They don't always and that may be because of several factors. The gods have decided that your request is not what you need at this time. They may have decided that your path should turn a different way. You may have screwed up the spell either in its casting, its creation or wording or in its execution. (I'm not such a big fan of this reason since the Gods should know your intent behind the spell and leaving out a word or herb shouldn't make a big difference.)
As it is energy that powers a spell, its critical that a witch know as much as they can about the energy they are working with. They should know about their own energy and how it feels to them. They should understand and be moderately proficient in their ability to raise, manipulate and expel energy into the universe. Spells can be done with nothing more than a thought...after all spells, in their simplest forms, are just energy.
As a witch becomes more experienced they may wish to add "stuff" to their spells. When I mean stuff I mean that items that make it easier for the witch to focus or channel energy into a specific object or out to the universe. Items that would fall in to this category are candle spells where one uses candles, sometimes of a specific color, help focus or store the energy. Charms, talismans, amulets, will also fall in to this category as well. We may wish to enchant our tools to connect them with our energy to make them more accurate (divinitory tools) or ritual tools like athames or wands to bind their energy with ours.
Potions and tinctures also fall into this category because we are using the specific energy (magickal and mundae) uses of the herbs to complement the action we are trying to take.
But it always comes back to the witch. As a witch, we are the power generating station as it were. We give purpose to the spell, we give energy for the spell to complete its purpose and we act as receptacles for the results we are requesting.
As a witch, I do not cast a lot of spells. I think sometimes spellcasting can be a bit presumptuous. It's arrogant to think that we can knock on the door of the heavens and make great changes to our destiny. How much wiser is it to ask for assistance in working with what we have been dealt than to ask the Gods to lift us out of a situation where we may not learn the lessons that we need to learn.
Think long and hard before casting a spell. While they are prayers to the Gods, they should not be take lightly nor done with a flippant manner. The Gods know what you are doing...and they reward accordingly.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
The Wheel of the Year
Ok, so it's not a very interesting subject but it is an important one to Pagans of all kinds.
Pagans have a belief that life is cyclical. This belief came about as a result of very unscientific observations that our ancestors did. Throughout the course of a year they saw all of nature around them cycle through this mystery of birth, death and re-birth. Because our ancestors were agrarian (farmers/hunter/gatherers) in their life, they learned to recognize and follow these cyclical changes because for them, it meant being able to survive.
The Wheel of the Year also includes astrologically significant events as well. Solstices and Equinoxes marked very specific times of the year that triggered specific events for our ancestors. Some of them might have been a "call to action" of sorts as well. For example, we know that the Spring Equinox signals to all our animal friends that, from a reproductive standpoint, it is time to "get busy" making more of themselves. (Hence the reason that one of the symbols of this equinox is the hare or rabbit. Both are recognized in many cultures as symbols of fertility.) The humans start preparing the ground to receive that years food supply. We want to turn the ground to ensure that it will provide enough nutrients to the food that we plant.
Solstices come in between the equinoxes. From an astrological perspective, these are solar festivals. We know that at the Summer solstice, the days start to shorten and it becomes a reminder to us that the first harvest will be quick to arrive. At the Winter solstice, we are at the height of darkness in the world. It is during this time that we have reached the maximum amount of darkness in a day and after the Winter solstice we can see our days lengthening. It is a signal to our bodies that it's time for them to wake up and its possible that the occasional animal will come out of its slumber soon looking for a mid-winter snack.
In between these equinoxes and solstices, our Pagan ancestors inserted mid-way points. When we knew that they had been reached, we knew that we were on the downside to the next equinox or solstice.
In between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox we have a holiday called Imbolc. Imbolc is a holiday that is celebrated by the Celts and other cultures may not have used this particular name or even celebrated this mid point at all. I mbolg means "in the belly" which has to do with the fact that around the beginning of February animals would enter their first reproductive cycle of the year which usually resulted in ewes getting pregnant.
In between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice we have a holiday referred to as Beltane. This day occurs around the first of May and is sometimes called May Day. It marked the midpoint between spring and summer. All the animals were taken to their summer pastures for fattening up and were traditionally driven between 2 large bonfires to purify them from illness and evil. Households, who usually kept embers burning all the time to make relighting fires easier, doused their old embers and re-lit their new household fires from these large bonfires. Beltane was also a time of sexual desires and many would take to the countryside to engage in sexual relations. If the woman became pregnant as a result, they would enter into the traditional "year and a day" handfasting, usually held during the Summer Solstice.
In between the Summer Solstice and the Fall Equinox we have Lammas or Lughnasadh. This was the first harvest of the year. Our ancestors would take some of this new harvest and bake it into a loaf. The loaf of bread would be broken in to 4 pieces, with a piece being placed in the 4 corners of a house or barn for good luck. If this was a good first harvest, it was a safe bet that there would be sufficient grain for the upcoming winter months.
Lastly, in between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice we have Samhein. Cattle were brought down from the summer pastures and slaughtered in preparation for the long winter. Field harvests were complete and the earth itself was telling people that they would soon be entering a time of rest. Traditionally this was the time that the door to the Otherworld was open and that one could communicate with the departed. Altars were made to honor them and food and gifts were given to the ancestors to honor them.
So there you have it, a Wheel of the Year. Keep in mind that other cultures would use their own names for these times or would not have used them at all, choosing only to go by the equinoxes and solstices. This one that I have outlined here was commonly used by the Celts in Europe.
The Wheel of the Year serves as a reminder to us of our roots. It tells us where we have come from and provides a rich history of what we had to do to survive the year round. It was a rough, hardscrabble life and these milestones meant that you survived another cycle.
Pagans have a belief that life is cyclical. This belief came about as a result of very unscientific observations that our ancestors did. Throughout the course of a year they saw all of nature around them cycle through this mystery of birth, death and re-birth. Because our ancestors were agrarian (farmers/hunter/gatherers) in their life, they learned to recognize and follow these cyclical changes because for them, it meant being able to survive.
The Wheel of the Year also includes astrologically significant events as well. Solstices and Equinoxes marked very specific times of the year that triggered specific events for our ancestors. Some of them might have been a "call to action" of sorts as well. For example, we know that the Spring Equinox signals to all our animal friends that, from a reproductive standpoint, it is time to "get busy" making more of themselves. (Hence the reason that one of the symbols of this equinox is the hare or rabbit. Both are recognized in many cultures as symbols of fertility.) The humans start preparing the ground to receive that years food supply. We want to turn the ground to ensure that it will provide enough nutrients to the food that we plant.
Solstices come in between the equinoxes. From an astrological perspective, these are solar festivals. We know that at the Summer solstice, the days start to shorten and it becomes a reminder to us that the first harvest will be quick to arrive. At the Winter solstice, we are at the height of darkness in the world. It is during this time that we have reached the maximum amount of darkness in a day and after the Winter solstice we can see our days lengthening. It is a signal to our bodies that it's time for them to wake up and its possible that the occasional animal will come out of its slumber soon looking for a mid-winter snack.
In between these equinoxes and solstices, our Pagan ancestors inserted mid-way points. When we knew that they had been reached, we knew that we were on the downside to the next equinox or solstice.
In between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox we have a holiday called Imbolc. Imbolc is a holiday that is celebrated by the Celts and other cultures may not have used this particular name or even celebrated this mid point at all. I mbolg means "in the belly" which has to do with the fact that around the beginning of February animals would enter their first reproductive cycle of the year which usually resulted in ewes getting pregnant.
In between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice we have a holiday referred to as Beltane. This day occurs around the first of May and is sometimes called May Day. It marked the midpoint between spring and summer. All the animals were taken to their summer pastures for fattening up and were traditionally driven between 2 large bonfires to purify them from illness and evil. Households, who usually kept embers burning all the time to make relighting fires easier, doused their old embers and re-lit their new household fires from these large bonfires. Beltane was also a time of sexual desires and many would take to the countryside to engage in sexual relations. If the woman became pregnant as a result, they would enter into the traditional "year and a day" handfasting, usually held during the Summer Solstice.
In between the Summer Solstice and the Fall Equinox we have Lammas or Lughnasadh. This was the first harvest of the year. Our ancestors would take some of this new harvest and bake it into a loaf. The loaf of bread would be broken in to 4 pieces, with a piece being placed in the 4 corners of a house or barn for good luck. If this was a good first harvest, it was a safe bet that there would be sufficient grain for the upcoming winter months.
Lastly, in between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice we have Samhein. Cattle were brought down from the summer pastures and slaughtered in preparation for the long winter. Field harvests were complete and the earth itself was telling people that they would soon be entering a time of rest. Traditionally this was the time that the door to the Otherworld was open and that one could communicate with the departed. Altars were made to honor them and food and gifts were given to the ancestors to honor them.
So there you have it, a Wheel of the Year. Keep in mind that other cultures would use their own names for these times or would not have used them at all, choosing only to go by the equinoxes and solstices. This one that I have outlined here was commonly used by the Celts in Europe.
The Wheel of the Year serves as a reminder to us of our roots. It tells us where we have come from and provides a rich history of what we had to do to survive the year round. It was a rough, hardscrabble life and these milestones meant that you survived another cycle.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Being a newbie
Isn't easy in the craft. Most people when they are new to the Craft become giddy with excitement and can't learn enough. They read constantly, purchase all their tools to have a ritual and do their first spell all within the first 5 minutes of deciding that this is their path.
If I could talk to each and every one of you for 5 minutes this is the advice I'd give you:
1. Find a mentor or group to work with. It doesn't have to be a coven just yet. It could be a trusted friend who is already walking this path, or it could be a study group of people with similar interests. Outside influences can give you perspective and force you out of that "I'm new to all this" bubble that insulates new folks from the realities of the Craft. Working with someone else also develops discipline and focus within yourself.
2. Don't buy anything just yet, especially your ritual tools. Yeah I know...the athames on the website are simply gorgeous and you MUST have it now!! Your ritual tools are extensions of you and your energy. If you have no energetic connection with your tool, you may as well not be using one. The best way to get your tools is to wait, learn to work with your personal energy and the absolute perfect tool will come to you.
3. Craft people are avid readers but they are not avid Doers. Part of learning in the Craft is mostly doing stuff. I can promise that you will screw things up but I also promise that the likelihood of you starting the Apocalypse is slim and none. So practice making energy balls, turning them colors; work with herbs even if its trying a new recipe for a Sabbat or Esbat. Read it, Do it, Share it.
4. Understand that the Craft is about balance. If you think that the Craft is all rainbows and unicorns, please reconsider if this is the path for you. Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is the Walker of Light, there is the Walker of the Shadows. One cannot exist separate of the other and both must be integrated into your path.
5. The Craft isn't Hollywood. It is a serious and valid religious path for millions. The stuff you see on TV is designed to create an image in your head...an unrealistic image of the power that is involved when working your faith. You won't be able to pin people against the wall with a thought, you won't be able to send the Lord of Darkness back to Hell with a few candles and Latin-esque words...you can however, improve your corner of the world by sending out positive energy, being kind to people and tending to the physical earth around you in some way.
I'm sure that there are more but these are my top 5 things that I would share with the new folks. Slow and Steady win the race!!
If I could talk to each and every one of you for 5 minutes this is the advice I'd give you:
1. Find a mentor or group to work with. It doesn't have to be a coven just yet. It could be a trusted friend who is already walking this path, or it could be a study group of people with similar interests. Outside influences can give you perspective and force you out of that "I'm new to all this" bubble that insulates new folks from the realities of the Craft. Working with someone else also develops discipline and focus within yourself.
2. Don't buy anything just yet, especially your ritual tools. Yeah I know...the athames on the website are simply gorgeous and you MUST have it now!! Your ritual tools are extensions of you and your energy. If you have no energetic connection with your tool, you may as well not be using one. The best way to get your tools is to wait, learn to work with your personal energy and the absolute perfect tool will come to you.
3. Craft people are avid readers but they are not avid Doers. Part of learning in the Craft is mostly doing stuff. I can promise that you will screw things up but I also promise that the likelihood of you starting the Apocalypse is slim and none. So practice making energy balls, turning them colors; work with herbs even if its trying a new recipe for a Sabbat or Esbat. Read it, Do it, Share it.
4. Understand that the Craft is about balance. If you think that the Craft is all rainbows and unicorns, please reconsider if this is the path for you. Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is the Walker of Light, there is the Walker of the Shadows. One cannot exist separate of the other and both must be integrated into your path.
5. The Craft isn't Hollywood. It is a serious and valid religious path for millions. The stuff you see on TV is designed to create an image in your head...an unrealistic image of the power that is involved when working your faith. You won't be able to pin people against the wall with a thought, you won't be able to send the Lord of Darkness back to Hell with a few candles and Latin-esque words...you can however, improve your corner of the world by sending out positive energy, being kind to people and tending to the physical earth around you in some way.
I'm sure that there are more but these are my top 5 things that I would share with the new folks. Slow and Steady win the race!!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Welcome to the Craft
People blog about everything these days so I figured why not a blog about what it's like living a Witchy lifestyle. This blog will be mainly aimed at people who are new to the Craft. One thing that you will find is that there is a never ending assortment of Craft 101 books but there are very few quality books on what it all truly means to be a Witch.
Just as Kermit the frog knew that it wasn't easy to be green, it's not easy being a witch either. There is still a lot of negative stereotypes surrounding those who practice earth based religions. While I am sure that at times this blog will be a bit of a rant or come across as being a bit preachy, in the end, it's really just a record of me doing my thing. You will certainly see that sometimes things work out just fine and other times they don't. That's life folks!
So...how did I get here? well that is a bit of a story so grab a cup of your favorite beverage and have a seat.
I have a friend...one of the very few that I have and she's a witch. But I think that she always knew that there was something special about her. I did too, I just had no idea what it was. But she loved the earth, enjoyed hiking and picking up rocks and having them tell her stories. She enjoys working with herbs and learning about all their healing properties as well. Her stories intrigued me and I started reading about earth based religions, Wicca, Witchcraft, etc. On Samhein 1998 I self dedicated to the Craft and began to absorb everything I could about what was to be my new religious path.
In 2000 my friend and I had the opportunity to learn with a coven in Reno. The High Priestess was the owner of a metaphysical store that we used to frequent. It was an odd group and what started out with about a dozen and a half people dwindled to three of us by the third year. I believe that we were the last three to be taught by this High Priestess and were the last three to be allowed to carry on that tradition, Rainbow Under the Moon.
By 2004 we had completed our training, had been given the heave ho and brightest blessing from our High Priestess and went out into the world. The town I lived in at the time had a local prison and my HPS had asked me to work with the inmates out there. I agreed, my now ex husband who was a correctional officer out there, blew a gasket about that. He just knew I was going to be raped or killed because I was living with a correctional officer. However, he was the one who placed me in harms way. We had different last names and no one knew that I was married to him...until he approached one of the Wiccan inmates and told him nothing had better happen to me since I was his wife. Dumbass. So off I went into the field of prison ministry (more on that at a later time) and did that for 4 years until I left Nevada and an abusive marriage. That ministry is still going on today although I truly miss going inside with the inmates.
In 2005 my one witchy friend and I started Sacred Circle Clan. We wanted a group that was as far from a traditional coven as we could get. We came up with this Clan template because of bad experiences within a coven setting and the inability to find a coven that suited our personalities. We both do our own thing, as it were, and like it that way. Sacred Circle Clan was designed to foster learning about any earth based path within a minimalist structure with adherence to the values/ethics that YOU hold dear while offering leadership to those folks who did not like a traditional coven based structure. My friend has done far more with this than I have...you will find me mentioned as "co-founder, Cerwydden..."and that is the way that I like it.
2008 finds me living in Pennsylvania with my brother. I love my brother...he's such a wonderful guy and I'm blessed with him being my bro. 2010 finds me moving to Allentown to be closer to my new job (which recently shut down...again, another story for another time) and truly being on my own for the first time in over 20 years. In 2012, I recognize the need to be with other witches. I stroll through the Meetup.com website and find a new group that is starting, a study group called Moonlit Chalice. I attend many of their early meetings (the summer ones were hard due to work issues) but the energy of the group was amazing and most of the attendees were pleasant and fun to be around. The group organizers were intelligent, genuine, warmhearted and were doing exactly what they had been called to do. I tried very hard to put my best foot forward but they didn't like me. I'm pretty abrasive at times and I most certainly speak my mind when I am compelled to do so. I'm pleased to say that I've grown on them...they "get me" as it were and now we have a solid working relationship. Moonlit Chalice moved from the Starbucks where we first met to a UU Church in Bethlehem. In January of 2013, after some very strange people showing up to the open classes, the decision was made by the group to close the group off and become a permanent coven. Sadly, some of those who were regular members opted not to join us. However the group that hung around has turned into an amazing group of witches. I assist the co-founders in teaching the group but I kind of think that my role in that group is to be the "keepin' it real" person. Not that the co-founders of the group don't keep it real...I'm just not as nice about it as they are.
So that brings me to now...I assist the co-founders of Moonlit Chalice in their teaching of this group of newbies to the Craft. I also have a personal student who will grow to be an extremely powerful and gifted shaman someday. It's great being a teacher. To pass on sacred knowledge and watch their eyes light up when something clicks or to hear them talk about their missteps along the way (oddly enough, the same ones WE made as newbies!) There are aspects of my life that suck right now but this part isn't one of them.
Hopefully, it never will.
Just as Kermit the frog knew that it wasn't easy to be green, it's not easy being a witch either. There is still a lot of negative stereotypes surrounding those who practice earth based religions. While I am sure that at times this blog will be a bit of a rant or come across as being a bit preachy, in the end, it's really just a record of me doing my thing. You will certainly see that sometimes things work out just fine and other times they don't. That's life folks!
So...how did I get here? well that is a bit of a story so grab a cup of your favorite beverage and have a seat.
I have a friend...one of the very few that I have and she's a witch. But I think that she always knew that there was something special about her. I did too, I just had no idea what it was. But she loved the earth, enjoyed hiking and picking up rocks and having them tell her stories. She enjoys working with herbs and learning about all their healing properties as well. Her stories intrigued me and I started reading about earth based religions, Wicca, Witchcraft, etc. On Samhein 1998 I self dedicated to the Craft and began to absorb everything I could about what was to be my new religious path.
In 2000 my friend and I had the opportunity to learn with a coven in Reno. The High Priestess was the owner of a metaphysical store that we used to frequent. It was an odd group and what started out with about a dozen and a half people dwindled to three of us by the third year. I believe that we were the last three to be taught by this High Priestess and were the last three to be allowed to carry on that tradition, Rainbow Under the Moon.
By 2004 we had completed our training, had been given the heave ho and brightest blessing from our High Priestess and went out into the world. The town I lived in at the time had a local prison and my HPS had asked me to work with the inmates out there. I agreed, my now ex husband who was a correctional officer out there, blew a gasket about that. He just knew I was going to be raped or killed because I was living with a correctional officer. However, he was the one who placed me in harms way. We had different last names and no one knew that I was married to him...until he approached one of the Wiccan inmates and told him nothing had better happen to me since I was his wife. Dumbass. So off I went into the field of prison ministry (more on that at a later time) and did that for 4 years until I left Nevada and an abusive marriage. That ministry is still going on today although I truly miss going inside with the inmates.
In 2005 my one witchy friend and I started Sacred Circle Clan. We wanted a group that was as far from a traditional coven as we could get. We came up with this Clan template because of bad experiences within a coven setting and the inability to find a coven that suited our personalities. We both do our own thing, as it were, and like it that way. Sacred Circle Clan was designed to foster learning about any earth based path within a minimalist structure with adherence to the values/ethics that YOU hold dear while offering leadership to those folks who did not like a traditional coven based structure. My friend has done far more with this than I have...you will find me mentioned as "co-founder, Cerwydden..."and that is the way that I like it.
2008 finds me living in Pennsylvania with my brother. I love my brother...he's such a wonderful guy and I'm blessed with him being my bro. 2010 finds me moving to Allentown to be closer to my new job (which recently shut down...again, another story for another time) and truly being on my own for the first time in over 20 years. In 2012, I recognize the need to be with other witches. I stroll through the Meetup.com website and find a new group that is starting, a study group called Moonlit Chalice. I attend many of their early meetings (the summer ones were hard due to work issues) but the energy of the group was amazing and most of the attendees were pleasant and fun to be around. The group organizers were intelligent, genuine, warmhearted and were doing exactly what they had been called to do. I tried very hard to put my best foot forward but they didn't like me. I'm pretty abrasive at times and I most certainly speak my mind when I am compelled to do so. I'm pleased to say that I've grown on them...they "get me" as it were and now we have a solid working relationship. Moonlit Chalice moved from the Starbucks where we first met to a UU Church in Bethlehem. In January of 2013, after some very strange people showing up to the open classes, the decision was made by the group to close the group off and become a permanent coven. Sadly, some of those who were regular members opted not to join us. However the group that hung around has turned into an amazing group of witches. I assist the co-founders in teaching the group but I kind of think that my role in that group is to be the "keepin' it real" person. Not that the co-founders of the group don't keep it real...I'm just not as nice about it as they are.
So that brings me to now...I assist the co-founders of Moonlit Chalice in their teaching of this group of newbies to the Craft. I also have a personal student who will grow to be an extremely powerful and gifted shaman someday. It's great being a teacher. To pass on sacred knowledge and watch their eyes light up when something clicks or to hear them talk about their missteps along the way (oddly enough, the same ones WE made as newbies!) There are aspects of my life that suck right now but this part isn't one of them.
Hopefully, it never will.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)