Podsnet Bos 5

podsbos5
BOOK OF SHADOWS
VOLUME The FIFTH

pp. 1923 - 2399
RIDERS OF THE CRYSTAL WIND

TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Minister Speaks Out (J. gordon Melton) ........................975
A Plea For Initiation Standards (Ellen Cannon Reed) .............908
A Tale of Two Witches (Mike Nichols) ............................147
A True History of Witchcraft (Allen Greenfield) ................1771
Aethyr, On the Nature of (Anthra Andromda) .....................1816
Against The Witch Hunters (R. Culain) ..........................1704
AIR - A Meditation (Charis) ....................................1559
All Hallows Eve (Mike Nichols) ..................................137
Altar Dedication (Durwydd) .....................................125
Amazing (Pagan?) Grace ..........................................959
Amerind Teaching Stories
Rabbit (John Lone Wolf) ...................................1534
Ancient Art, The ................................................551
Answers (Grove of the Unicorn) ..................................479
Aridian (Strega) Information ...................................1947
Asatru (Rathulvf Jamieson) ......................................952
Asatru Blot (Lewis Stead) ......................................2338
Astral Projection (Monroe Technique) ............................783
Athame Dedication (Durwydd) .....................................125
Autarchic Creed .................................................562
Autonomatrix Manifesto .........................................1813
Banes, Bindings, and Mirrors (Judy Harrow, Hugh Read) ...........628
"Bardic" Circle Rituals from DragonHart Cove
Beltane (The White Bard) ..................................1111
Candlemas (The White Bard) ................................1151
Samhain (The White Bard) ..................................1116
Bardic Wedding (RowanHart Circle) ..............................1526
Bardic Mythos (The Whyte Bard)
Creation ..................................................2206
" Part II .........................................2251
Death .....................................................2204
Maiden Story ..............................................2199
Rebirth ...................................................2205
The Sacred King ...........................................2201
The Gifts of The Fool .....................................2202
Bare Bones 3rd Degree (Humor) ...................................463
Basic Beliefs of WICCA (C.O.G.) .................................947
Basic Love Spell ................................................958
Basic Spell Construction ........................................113
Basic Principles (American Council of Witches)...................310
Basic Ritual Outline (ED FITCH) ...................................6
Beltaine Ritual (Firestar Coven, 1986) ...........................36
Beltane Ritual 1987 (Coven of The Serpents Eye) ................1743
Beltane Ritual (Seastrider) .....................................464
Beltane Ritual (Lynna Landstreet, W.C.C.) ......................1935
Beltane, Its Origins (Rowan Moonstone) ..........................126
Beyond Reason (Aries, W.o.W.) ..................................2240
Bible, Books not included .......................................652
Bibliography (annotated) ........................................929
Bibliography of Magic in Sci-Df (M. Griffith) ..................1737
Binding A Spell (Farrar & Farrar) ...............................157
Bovinomicon (humor) ............................................1805
Blackout and Sigils (I.O.T.) ...................................1402
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Blessing Payer (Traditional Gardnerian "Dryghten Prayer") ......1512
Blood Sacrifice (Althea Whitebirch) .............................547
Broken Heart Spell (Healing) ...................................1219
Burning Times, The (Marios) .....................................951
C.O.G. Pledge ...................................................309
Channeling (Jast) ...............................................969
Table of Contents (Continued)
"Condensed" Definition of Wicca (Lady Phoenix) ..................948
Candle Colors ...................................................982
Candle Magic ....................................................417
Candle Scents ...................................................988
Candlemas Ritual 1987 (Coven of The Serpents Eye) ..............1750
Candlemas (Gwydion) .............................................537
Candlemas (Mike Nichols) ........................................168
Catharsis Circle (Judy Harrow).....................................8
Cauldrons (Elemental)............................................420
CELTIC NUMEROLOGY (Mike Nichols) ................................454
CELTIC BIBLIOGRAPHY (Rowan Moonstone) ...........................298
Celtic Bibliography (Annotated, by Eryn Darkstar) ..............1133
Celtic Deities/Origins (Lorax) .................................2351
Chants w/ASCII Notation (L.A.Hussey) ...........................1081
Chalice Ritual - Dragon Trad (C.J. Mandrake) ...................1468
Chaos, Some Heretical remarks on Philosophy (K. Dykow)..........2264
Chaos Magic (Mark Chao) .........................................398
Chaos Magick vs. Thelema .......................................1240
Chaos-sphere ...................................................1393
Chaoism and Chaos Magick (Pete Carroll) ........................1404
Channeling for Fun and Prophet (F.J. McGovern) .................1736
Charge of the Phone Goddess (Magenta Griffith) ..................759
Charge of the God, The (Kyri Comyn) ............................1925
Charge of the Horned God [Rhyming] (V. West) ...................1927
Charge of the Goddess [Rhyming] (Kalioppe) .....................1928
Charge of the Goddess, The (D. Valiente) ........................193
Charge of the Goddess, The (Kyri Comyn) ........................1926
Charge of The Horned God, The ...................................936
Charging Crystals (Ian Kesser) .................................1707
Check List for A Well Working Group (Earthrite BBS) .............957
Church of All Worlds ............................................353
Christian "Cults" ..............................................1000
Circle Closing ..................................................540
Circle Casting (Avaloian)........................................541
Circle Purification for Asthmatics ..............................780
Circle Casting (after Valiente and Farrar) ......................130
Circles, why use them? (Mel White) ...............................65
Cleansing (Rowan Moonstone) .......................................2
Comparison of Wicca and Christianity.............................622
Computer Blessing (Zahai Stewart) ...............................757
Coven at Pooh Corner (D. Wadsworth) ............................1688
Coven Offices ...................................................762
Coven Leadership ................................................543
Covenant of the Goddess .........................................305
Consciousness & Politics (Carol Moore).........................
Craft Ethics (J. Crowley) .......................................751
Craft Ethics Response (M.K.H) ..................................1216
CRAFT LAW
Craft Laws (by Lady Sheba).................................1163
New Laws (Lady Galadriel, Grove of The Unicorn)............1174
The New Book Of Law, A Commentary (J. Random Folksinger)...1185
Aporrheton 5 (Judy Harrow?) ...............................1195
The Abbreviated Laws (including Comment by J.R.F.) ........1202
The Law (Humor) ...........................................1204
Commentary by a student ........................................1212
Commentary by L.A. Hussey.......................................1214
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Compuserve Sabbats (Courtesy J. Quigley)
Beltane. 90 ...............................................2090
Imbolc.90 .................................................2094
Imbolc.93 .................................................2110
Lammas.90 .................................................2104
Lammas.91 .................................................2099
MoonAPR.93 ................................................2114
MoonAUG.92 ................................................2121
MoonFEB.93 ................................................2127
MoonJul.92 ................................................2130
MoonJUN.92 ................................................2134
MoonMAR.93 ................................................2140
MoonMay.93 ................................................2148
MoonOCT.92 ................................................2154
MoonSEP.92 ................................................2161
SAMHAIN.91 ................................................2171
SAMHAIN.92 ................................................2177
Spring Equinox.92 .........................................2188
YULE.90 ...................................................2184
Coven Leadership, some food for thought ........................1943
Creation Story ..................................................619
Creed Of The People Of God (Catholic) ..........................1005
Crone Energies (Grey Cat) .......................................559
Crossroads .....................................................1794
Crystals, their care and feeding (Matrika).......................413
Cult Danger Evaluation Frame (P.E.I.Bonewits) ...................343
CUUPS (C.O.G. Salt Lake City) ..................................1002
Dangers of "Magical Thinking" in Magick (Nihasa)................1716
"Dark Night of the Soul".........................................286
"Dark Night of the Soul"........................................1411
Dangers of Deity? (a Conversation) .............................1820
DCW Landmarks ...................................................492
Degrees within Covens ...........................................623
Dedication Ritual (Khaled Quicksilver) .........................1841
Deity Engineering Worksheet .....................................607
Denver Area Wiccan Network ......................................200
Descent of The Goddess (Sewna Silvara) ..........................750
Descent of The Goddess (G.B.G.) ................................1769
Descent of The Goddess (D. Mac Tara) ...........................1923
Descent of The Goddess (Starhawk) ..............................1770
Dianic Wicca (Inanna Seastar) ...................................614
Dion Fortune & Gardnerian Wicca (C.S. Clifton in W.o.W.) .......2210
Divine Circle Scam .............................................1507
Divination (Bibliography) .......................................605
Divination (RMPJ) ...............................................603
Dragon, The Last (story by Gerald Decampo) .....................1226
Dragon Tradition (Phoenix Arizona)
Circle Casting ............................................1228
"Quarter Calls" ...........................................1486
Drawing Down the Moon ...........................................557
Dream Problem Solving ...........................................573
Dream Bibliography ..............................................576
Dream Life ......................................................571
Dream-News ......................................................567
Dreams Precognition .............................................575
Dying God (Ammond ShadowCraft)...................................685
Eclectic Circle Ceremony (Durwydd) ...............................40
EcoMagick .......................................................614
Egyptian Metaphysics (Michael Poe) .............................2032
Eight Paths to Altered States (Carrie McMasters).................222
Eight Magicks (Pete Carroll) ...................................1825
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Elements, A Hermetic Summoning (Marios) .........................960
Elemental Correspondences (from Starhawk) .......................979
Elemental Correspondences .......................................560
Elven (Modern Mythic Prose by Par Garou) .......................1159
Essay on The Three-Fold Law (Paul Seymour) .....................1208
Ethics and Morals (RMPJ) ........................................315
Ethics and Magick (Warren Stott) ................................415
Ethics and Laws (Lifeway Shamanic Fellowship) ..................1220
Ethics and Love Magick (Mike Nichols) ...........................554
Ethics or Etiquette .............................................565
Etymology of "Wicca" ............................................356
Evolution of Wiccan Ritual (Paul Hume) ..........................946
Exegesis on The Wiccan Rede (Judy Harrow).......................1209
Exorcism ........................................................613
Eyes of a dyke [fiction] (vivienne West) .......................1931
Feminine Current in the G.D. (Peregrine, in WoW) ...............2228
Festivals .......................................................587
Film Guide '89 (Mike Nichols)....................................528
Firefawn (Masochistic Maiden) ..................................2356
First Degree, What is it? .......................................351
FISH (Creative use of Christian Symbology) ......................611
Five Fold Kiss ..................................................744
Food For Thought (Some notes for Coven Leaders) ................1943
Fool ............................................................590
Fortune, The (RMPJ) .............................................953
Full Deck Tarot Spread ..........................................625
Full Moon Ritual (Seastrider)....................................634
Fundamentals of Human Ecology ...................................616
Fundies Visit Denver (Transcribed by Rowan Moonsone) ...........2366
Funeral Rites (Oz Caliburn) ....................................2363
GAEA Hypothesis (Green Egg) ....................................2398
Georgian Mythos (Zanoni Silverknife) ...........................2340
Glossary (Rowan Moonstone & Durwydd MacTara) ....................206
Gnosticism.......................................................694
God/Goddess Balance (Adrienne)...................................223
Golden Dawn (Calif.).............................................689
Golden Dawn Training (outline)...................................691
Goodwife (Story by L.A. Hussey) .................................644
Great Rite, The (Symbolic) ......................................656
Greek and Roman Deities (Thomas Palmer) ........................1698
Greek Fire Initiation............................................982
Halloween, Origins of (Rowan Moonstone) ..........................26
Handfasting ......................................................68
Handfasting (Lady Ardane, Prodigy) .............................2197
Harvest Home (Mike Nichols) .....................................176
Harvest Thoughts (Gary Dumbauld) ................................630
Harvest Home - 1987 (Michael Fix) ................................13
Heal The Earth (a meditation) ...................................661
Healing (one method) ............................................655
Healing Myth (Nihasa) ...........................................165
Heirophant, The (Khaled Quicksilver) ...........................1946
Helpful Hints (Humor) ...........................................966
Heretic's Corner (RMPJ) .........................................869
Heyokah (RMPJ) ..................................................632
Hidden Codes in the Torah .......................................733
High Technology Meets The Ancient Wisdom ........................964
History (Weyland Smith) .........................................786
History of Witch Craft ..........................................791
Homeblessing (Selena Fox) .......................................663
Hymns To The Star Goddess (O.T.O.) .............................1431
Hypnosis 101 ....................................................667
I.O.T. History (The Beginnings).................................1398
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Ideology (I.O.T.) ..............................................1252
Imbolc (Solitary Ritual) ........................................664
Imbolg '92 (Julia Phillips) ....................................1757
Initiation, Outdoor (adaptation) .................................72
Initiation (Brad Hicks) ..........................................50
Introductory Book List ..........................................926
INVOCATIONS
Freyja (unknown) ............................................56
Frigg (Russ Anderson) .......................................55
Brigit (Russ Anderson) ......................................57
Baldur (unknown) ............................................55
Freyr (unknown) .............................................56
Herne (unknown) .............................................57
Thorr (unknown) .............................................58
INVOCATIONS -QUARTERS-
EAST ......................................................1542
SOUTH .....................................................1543
WEST ......................................................1544
NORTH .....................................................1545
Irish Myth Concordance (Mike Nichols) ...........................422
Ishtar ..........................................................740
Issian Circle (Matrika) ..........................................59
Judeopagan Menopause Ritual (Randronoth) .......................2333
K.A.M. ..........................................................735
Kabballah (Colin Low)............................................236
Kali and Modern Physics .........................................730
Keltria (The Henge of) ..........................................739
"Kids" (Kalioppe) ..............................................2250
Labeling Wiccans (Lucie) .......................................2330
Lady Day (Mike Nichols) .........................................171
Lady's Prayer, The .............................................2398
Lammas (Mike Nichols) ...........................................174
Lammas Ritual , "The Corn Play" (Julia Phillips) ...............1941
Lammas Ritual (1991, Celtic Temple of the Wiccan Way ...........2194
"Landmarks" (D.C.W.) ............................................990
LBRP, an Essay (Tim Maroney) ....................................103
Learning Process ................................................962
Leave it Out, Leviticus (Aries, W.O.W. #8) .....................2260
"Legitimacy" in the Craft (Khaled Q.) ..........................1766
Liber OZMA (Tim Maroney) .......................................1414
Lilith (BBS Conversation) ......................................1083
Literary Roots of Wicca (Diane Vera) ...........................1535
LLEW, Death of (Mike Nichols) ...................................179
Lucid Dreaming (Omni Magazine) ..................................955
MABON Outline (anonymous) ........................................43
Magick, Physics, & Probability (Hurn) ...........................811
Magick (A. Crowley) .............................................817
Magick Vs. Prayer (Salgamma) ....................................684
Magickal Book List ..............................................923
Magick Course Outline (Amber K.).................................815
Magickal Ethics (Judy Harrow) ...................................502
Magickal History (Fra.: Apfelman) ...............................406
Magickal Definitions (RMPJ) .....................................814
Magickal Laws (after P.E.I. Bonewits) ...........................831
Magickal Musical Selection Guide ...............................1079
Magickal Pyramid, The (Durwydd MacTara).........................1096
Magickal Stones & Gems ..........................................912
Magickal Training Course (Phil Hansford) .......................1373
Manhood Rituals (RMPJ) ..........................................760
Mantra Web technique ............................................288
Mayan Deities (777 Supplement) ..................................834
Mayday Celebration (Mike Nichols) ...............................837
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MAYDAY Celebration (Mike Nichols) ................................79
Media Management (Windfire Coven) ...............................851
Maychants (4) (Tanscribed by SeaStrider).........................911
Meditation Techniques, Basic (Bill Witt) .......................1513
Memory & Perception, a new Model (Paul Seymour).................1077
Midsummer (Mike Nichols) .........................................45
Mind, A Treatise on The (The Tigress) ..........................1460
Mind Control Techniques (Dick Sutphen) ..........................512
Models of Magick (incomplete)....................................216
Modern Pagaism, Q&A .............................................920
Modern Pagan Persecution (Jonathan Hutchins) ....................942
Modified Assyrian Protection Spell (With Commentary) ...........1739
Mothers Day Message ............................................1076
MONISM (Durwydd Mac Tara) ......................................1523
Monotheism vs. Polytheism (Dan Holdgriewe) ......................941
Mycenaen Mysteries (J. Teller)...................................365
Mystical Pentagram ..............................................110
Nature Spirit Magick (Larry Cornett) ............................357
Necromancy (reprint) ............................................841
Nemesis Conjuration (I.O.T.) ...................................1250
Neo-Pagan Ritual (Brad Hicks) ....................................77
Neo-Paganism (J. Brad Hicks) ....................................329
NeoPagism (Eric S. Raymond) .....................................333
NLP- Applied Magic (Brandy Williams).............................459
Notes On The Historical Egregore in Magick (I.O.T.).............1245
NROOGD SAMHAIN - 1987 (l.a. Hussey) ..............................21
Occult Resurgence, A theory .....................................224
ODINISM, What is it? ............................................764
Open Circle Ethics (Brandy Williams) ............................377
Open Letter to A New Witch ......................................910
Open Letter to Selena Fox (Isaac Bonewits) .....................1089
Opening (ending) The Circle ......................................12
Ordo Argentum Astrum ...........................................1230
Origins of the Mandan (Madoc) ...................................949
Orphic Invocations of God & Goddess (Phaedra) ..................1541
Pagan Churches? (Julia Phillips) ...............................2252
Pagan Folksongs (The Whyte Bard
- THE GREENBOOK OF NEO-PAGAN SONGS -
All Thru The Night ............................................2303 Bard's Song, The
..............................................2302
Bedlam Bells ..................................................2289
Blessed Be Again! .............................................2297
Burning Times/Chant ...........................................2290
Cambrian Dream ................................................2308
Celtic Circle Dance ...........................................2286
Childish Edda, The ............................................2312
Circles .......................................................2287
Cup Of Wonder .................................................2309
Cup Of Wonder II ..............................................2310
Fairies Love Song .............................................2301
False Knight Upon The Road, The (Child #3) ....................2306
Table of Contents (Contineued)
God Is Alive, Magic Is Afoot ..................................2214
Harp Song Of The Dane Women ...................................2298
High Holiday Song, The ........................................2329
John Barleycorn ...............................................2305
King Henry (Child #32) ........................................2283
Lord Of The Dance .............................................2284
Nottamun Town .................................................2307
Nude ..........................................................2300
She Moved Thru The Faire ......................................2309
Song Of Wandering Aengus, The .................................2311
Spring Strathspey .............................................2288
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Stand Up, Stand Up For Odin ...................................2299
Thong Of Thor, The ............................................2282
Two Magicians .................................................2304
Wiccan Rede, The ..............................................2280
Witch's Ballad, The ...........................................2281
Valkyrie Song, The ............................................2213
Real Old Time Religion, That ..................................2315
Yule Songs
Christmas Time Is Pagan! .................................2295
Dancing In A Wiccan Wonderland ...........................2293
Gloria ...................................................2291
Glory To The New Born King ...............................2293
God Rest Ye Merry, Paganfolk .............................2296
Hark The Neo-Pagans Sing .................................2291
Joy To The World .........................................2295
Moon Of Silver ...........................................2294
Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful! ...............................2292
Share The Light ..........................................2294
Silent Night .............................................2292
Ye Children All Of Mother Earth ..........................2291
Pagan Unity Ritual (W.o.W. #5) .................................2246
Pantacle, The (Gary Dumbauld) ...................................392
Perscution, Ancient & Modern (Julia Phillips) ..................1627
Personal effects of Ritual (Nihasa) .............................868
Peyote & The Supreme Court (News Articles) .....................1725
Polarity and Single Sex Covens (Marios) .........................945
Pornography & Pagan Ideals ......................................972
Power Animals (RMPJ).............................................411
Prosperity [Famtrad] (Rowan Moonstone) .........................1485
Psychic Self-Defense ............................................594
Psychic Attack ..................................................563
"Quantum" Kaballah...............................................282
Quantum Magick (Larry Cornett) ..................................857
Quilting and "Craft" (J.M. Cortese) ............................1103
Rainforest Ritual (Michael Harismedes, 1988) ....................212
Rede, The (J. Taylor, S.O.T.E.G.) ..............................1488
"Restorationist" Christianity (Chris Anderson) .................2385
Risk Assessment for The Craft Community (Weyland Smith) ........1723
Ritual of the Blessed Motherboard (Discordian Humor) ...........1471
Ritual Abuse Scandal in Britain (Michael Howard) ...............2233
Ritual Bath (Sewna Silvara) .....................................745
Rosicrucianism (J. Phillips) ...................................1741
Runes, What are they? (Lokrien) .................................215
Runic Thorn Ritual (Faunus) ....................................1097
Salem Anniversary Ritual (Sandy & Diug Kopf)....................1156
Samhain Notes (Farrar)...........................................143
Samhain Ritual (L. A. Hussey) ....................................19
Samhain Ritual (O.T.O.) .........................................145
Samhain (United Wiccan Church) ..................................141
Samhain Ritual 1986 (Coven of The Serpents Eye) ................1759
Sangreal Sodality, The (Alfgar Maharg) ..........................944
Satanic Ritual Abuse (1992 FBI Report) .........................1575
Satanism
Satanism 101 (Diaane Vera) ................................1536
Satanism Defined (Delohine) ...............................1539
Satanism as Media Hype (News Article) .....................1717
Satanism vs. Wicca (Diane Vera).............................194
Setian Symbolism (T.O.S.) .................................1560
Saxon Wicca (Matrika) ...........................................158
Scorpio Dragon (Sewna Silvara) ..................................749
Searching (Carol Neist, W.O.W. #8) .............................2255
Second Degree (Gary Dumbauld) .....................................3
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Second Ritual for Bast .........................................1933
Sex and Magick (Fra. Apfelmann)..................................231
Shamanic Binding (Gaffer Maccluiunn) ............................937
Shamanic Lifeways Fellowship (Michelle Haas) ....................384
Sigil Magick (I.O.T.) ..........................................1416
Smudging (Michelle Haas) ........................................184
Snake Venom & Altered States (Loren Petrich) ...................1419
Solitary Moon Rite, Issian (Ellen Cannon Reed) .................1100
Solitary Neophyte Ritual (C.M.) ................................2391
Sophia and Gnosticism (Terry J. McCombs) .......................1105
Spitual Emergence or Emergency (Paul Seymour) ...................939
Spring Equinox (Farrar and Farrar) ..............................182
Standing Stones Book Of Shadows (Scott Cunninham) ..............1010
Strings On The Winds (Bardic Fiction)............................778
"Super-Dimensionality" (I.O.T.)..................................289
Swastika, The (Paladin) ........................................2257
Taleisin's thoughts .............................................676
Tarot Divination (Tuppence) ....................................1710
Tea Ritual (Sewna Silvara, Triskelion)...........................747
Technology and The Craft (Fun!) .................................132
Temples, Covens, & Groves - Oh My! (Khaled Q.) .................2221
Ten Ways to "Piss Off A Pagan (Humor) ..........................2247
The Goddess Movement (Denver Post) .............................2361
The Pact (IOT) .................................................1162
The Postures of Ecstasy .........................................617
The 12 Steps and Shamanism (Matrika, P.A.N.) ...................1504
The Last Dragon (Kalioppe) .....................................2360
Theological Discipline & Penance (Lisa Sergienko) ..............2258
Thunder, Perfect Mind (Tony Ianotti) ...........................1254
Tools, etc. (Phoenix Whitebirch) ...............................2387
Tool List (Seastrider) ..........................................136
Tool Blessing Ritual ............................................122
Tool Consecration ................................................17
Traditional Wicca (K.A.M.) ......................................186
Treatise On Mind (The Tigress) .................................1265
Travel Spell (Rowan Moonstone) .................................1487
Trickster Energies ..............................................234
Twelve Exercises Nobody Needs ...................................619
Twenty-Two Commandments for the New Age (A. Waldrum)............1721
Vernal Equinox Ritual from OZ (Julia Phillips) .................1742
Verse:
A Birthday In The Light (T. Digby) ........................1920
A Call To Lord And Lady (Jeff Bordeaux) ...................1853
A Dreaming Desire (Jeff Bordeaux) .........................1865
A Lady Called Truth (Geral Del Campo) .....................1921
A Riddle (Saracen) ........................................1919
A Victim of Ideologies (Jeff Bordeaux) ....................1876
"AINT!" (Ellen Cannon Reed) ...............................1929
ALOHA! Serge King (Hugh Read) .............................1848
Amphitrite (Sourdough Jackson) ............................1866
Amazing (Wiccan) Grace (Verna Knapp) ......................1909
Another One For Jim Morrison (Sourdough Jackson) ..........1870
Banishing The Circle (Devin Storm) ........................1892
Battle Hymn of the Eristocracy (Filk) .....................1898
Beneath The Full Moon (Sourdough Jackson) .................1870
BLOOD (Similodon) .........................................1889
Bowhunter's Prayer to Dianna (Kalioppe) ...................2249
Burning Times (L.A. Hussey) ...............................1849
Cauldron Chant (Ammond Shadowcraft)........................1899
Celtic Circle Dance (Joe Bethancourt) .....................1900
Chance (Hugh Read) ........................................1851
Charge of the Horned God ..................................1907
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Comes The Dawn ............................................1914
Computer Blessing (Zahai Stuart) ..........................1871
Coven Spell (Doreen Valiente) .............................1887
Dark Time (Shadow Hawk) ...................................1902
Discoveries ...............................................2254
Earthdream (Jeff Bordeux) .................................1855
ELEGY: James Douglas Morrison (Sourdough Jackson) ........1869
ELEMENTS (r.m.p.j.) .......................................1897
Elf (Marcus) ..............................................1855
EQUINOX (Endumion) ........................................1908
"GIMMEE!" (Ellen Cannon Reed) .............................1930
Green Grow The Rushes, Oh! ................................1901
Healing Spell (unknown) ...................................1891
Heaven is A Resting Place (Sourdough Jackson) .............1868
Horn of Plenty (Linda C.) .................................1910
Horn Song (Hugh Read) .....................................1846
House Blessing ............................................2247
HPS Disease (Vivienne West) ...............................2253
Hunter's Warning (Jeff Bordeaux) ..........................1857
Hymn to Artemis (Frater U.' D.') ..........................1893
Hymn To Demeter (Lyn Hubert) ..............................1916
I am Spring (J.H.R. Seymour) ..............................1912
I Saw Something Beutiful (Masochistic Maiden) ............1915
Inquisition ...............................................1894
Invocation (Doreen Valiente) ..............................1887
Invocation of the Horned God (Doreen Valiente) ............1885
Invocation of the Moon Goddess (Doreen Valiente) ..........1886
Jewel (Shadow Hawk) .......................................1860
Just A Poem (Masochistic Maiden) ..........................1918
LAMMAS NIGHT (Elexa) ......................................1904
LILITH (L.A. Hussey) ......................................1904
Love Is The Law (Unknown) .................................1884
LYRA (Hugh Read) ..........................................1856
Magic Man (Taarna Savet) ..................................1906
Magical Reveries (Hugh M. Read) ...........................1878
May Eve (Doreen Valiente) .................................1884
Minerva (Unknown) .........................................1883
Moose! (SCA Humor) ........................................2248
New Words and Old (Kihe Blackeagle) .......................1890
Night Wind (Shadow Hawk) ..................................1863
Ocean (skybane) ...........................................1921
Pagan Awakening (Jeff Bordeaux) ...........................1852
Pan To Artemis (Hugh Read) ................................1847
Pandemonium (Sonia Brock) .................................1890
Pegasus (Durwydd Mac Tara) ................................1911
Prelude to Discovery (Gerald Del Campo) ...................1913
Prayer Drive (Sourdough Jackson) ..........................1869
Quarter Chant (Damon) .....................................1871
RAINBOWS (Jennifer Holding) ...............................1897
RAP (Anony Mouse) .........................................2255
Red and Gold (Joe Bethancourt) ............................1906
Samhain Chant (Doreen Valiente) ...........................1845
Scarabeus (unknown) .......................................1883
Seeking The Sign To Dragonheim (Jeff Bordeax) .............1853
Shadowhawk (Marcus) .......................................1877
Simple (Gardenstone) ......................................1914
SLEEPR (Lynn Hubert) ......................................1921
Snow (Steve Earl) .........................................1873
Song (Vivienne West) ......................................2255
Spring/Summer Poem (Shadowhawk) ...........................1891
Storm (Shadow Hawk) .......................................1875
Storm (Stormy Gael) .......................................1893
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Tears For An Angel (Gerald Del Campo) .....................1913
The Awakening (Andrew Daws) ...............................1922
The Cloud Sculptors (Jeff Bordeaux) .......................1865
The Coming of Lugh (Iarwin) ...............................1861
The Goddess is Alive (Unknown) ............................1856
The Lady's Brothel (filk) .................................1898
The Man In The Moon (Gerald Del Campo) ....................1919
The Moon Pool (unknown) ...................................1859
The Night Before Samhain (Masochistic Maiden) .............1915
The Pentagram (Similodon) .................................1889
The Prettiest One (Filk) ..................................1898
The Shaman's Call (Shadow Hawk) ...........................1873
The Spell of the Cord (Doreen Valiente) ...................1886
The River (Hugh Read) .....................................1872
The Tree Song (Kipling) ...................................1864
The Triple Goddess (Kalioppe) .............................2208
The Witches Ballad ........................................1894
To The Bonfires (Jeff Bordeaux) ...........................1866
To The Dragons Reborn (Jeff Bordeaux) .....................1854
To Greyshield, With Love ("Phoenix") ......................1851
Today The Moon is There (Hugh Read) .......................1893
Two Ritual Prayers (Anahita Gula) .........................1895
What is Love (Ravenna Michelle) ...........................1917
Why I Love The Dark (Gerald Del Campo) ....................1912
Witches Creed (Doreen Valiente) ...........................1843
Yule Carols (Green Egg, Yule '92) .........................1938
Walking With My Friends (Masochistic Maiden) ...................2355
Washington Post Article (1991) .................................1499
Wartime (Michelle Haas, 1991) ...................................117
Warriorship (Swein Runestaff W.o.W.) ...........................2236
Watch Towers, Rethinking The (Mike Nichols) .....................344
"Weasel Wicca" (Humor fm. Green Egg) ...........................1531
What is Shamanism? (Michelle Haas) ..............................354
What is WICCA? (Texas Pamphlet) .................................322
What is Wicca? (Amber K.) .......................................340
What is Wicca (Durwydd Mac Tara) ...............................1551
Wheel of The Year (Julia Phillips/Matthew Sandow) ..............1671
Wheel Visualization (Julia Phillips and Rufus Harrington) ......1682
When Magic Doesn't Work (Magical Blend Magazine) ...............1520
Why I don't Believe the "Survivors" (R. Moonsone)...............1719
Wicca and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (D. Wadsworth) .....1694
Wicca, from My Point of View (Lady Phoenix) .....................149
Wiccan History .................................................1656
Wiccan History (BTW, Julia Phillips) ...........................1566
Wiccan Information Network .....................................1087
Wiccan Way, The .................................................192
Wiccan Pentagram Ritual (Paul Hume) ..............................98
Wiccan Traditions, A comparison (Hurn, RMPJ) ....................154
Wiccan Path (Madoc)..............................................227
Wiccan Rede, An Exegesis (Judy Harrow) ..........................317
Wiccan Rede, The (J. Taylor, S.O.T.E.G.)........................1488
Wiccan Rede (Poetic) ...........................................1510
Wiccan Rede (Poetic, WCC) ......................................1540
Wiccan Shamanism (Selena Fox) ...................................162
wiccan Monism (Durwydd MacTara) ................................1556
Wiccan Principles (American Council of Witches, 1974)............190
"Wiccening" (article by Vivienne West) .........................2385
Wicanning Ritual (Earthworld Circle) ...........................1492
Wishing Well (I.O.T.) ..........................................1422
Witchcraft Q&A (Dr. Leo Martello) ...............................150
Witches Creed (Doreen Valiente_ .................................320
Witches Rede of Chivalry (Ed Fitch & Janine Renee) .............1803
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Women vs. Men (Michele Haas).....................................195
YULE (Mike Nichols) ..............................................84
Yule in Britain (Tana) ...........................................94
Yule Ritual (Starhawk) ............................................8
Yule Ritual 1984 (Julia Phillips) ..............................1763
Descent Of The Goddess
Copyright 1993 Durwydd Mac Tara
(With special thanks to G. B. Gardner, Freydis Vasa,
Julia Phillips, and Pyrocanthus Basileus)
In ancient times, our Lord, the Horned One, was (as he still is) the
Controller, the Comforter. But men know him as the dread Lord of
Shadows, lonely, stern, and just.
But our Lady the Goddess oft grieved deeply for the fate of her
creations as they aged and died. She would solve all mysteries, even the
mystery of death, and so journeyed to the underworld.
The Guardian of the Portals challenged her: 'Strip off thy garments,
lay aside thy jewels; for naught may you bring with you into this
our land, for it is written that your True Self is the only fitting
adornment for those in the realms of Death.'
So she laid down her garments and her jewels, and was bound, as all
living must be who seek to enter the realms of Death, the Mighty One.
Such was her beauty that Death himself knelt, and laid his sword and
crown at her feet, and kissed her feet, saying: 'Blessed be thy feet
that have brought thee in these ways. Abide with me; but let me place
my cold hand on thy heart.'
And she replied: 'Why do you cause all things that I love, and
take delight in, to fade and die?'
'Lady,' replied Death, 'it is age and fate, against which I am
helpless. Age causes all things to wither; but when men die at the end
of time, I give them rest and peace and strength, so that they may
return. But you, you are lovely. Return not, abide with me.'
And she replied, 'Nay, I love thee not and I am needed in the world
of the living.'
Again Death knelt, and kissed her knees, saying: 'Blessed be thy
knees that kneel before the Altar. Abide with me; let me place my cold
hand on thy heart.'
And she replied, 'Nay, I love thee not and I am needed in the world
of the living.'
Death (still kneeling), kissed her on the womb, saying:
'Blessed be thy organs of generation, without which none of us would be.
Abide with me; let me place my cold hand on thy heart.'
And she replied, 'Nay though I feel the beginnings of love for
thee, I must return to those I fully love in the world of creation.'
Death then stood, and kissed her on the breast, saying: Blessed be
thy breast, formed in strength and beauty. Abide with me; let me place
my cold hand on thy heart.'
And she replied, 'Nay though I feel love for thee, I must not
abandon those I am responsible for, in the world of creation. I cannot
do this thing, better you would return with me.'
'Lady,' replied Death, It cannot be so. If I were to leave my
realm, and abandon those who seek their comfort and rest with me, then
the Wheel would no longer turn. Age and weakness would overtake those
whom you love, and they would have nowhere to find rest, and peace, and
reunion with those who have gone before. As age and debility overtook
your creations, there would quickly be no room for the new, only the
withered, the tired, and the stagnant.' He then kissed her lips, saying:
'Blessed be thy lips, which shall utter the Holy Names. Abide with me;
let me place my cold hand on thy heart.'
And she replied, Let us BOTH lay our hands, each unto the heart of
the other, thereby claiming and uniting each unto the other. In this
way may I rule my kingdom of birth, creation, and life; yet share with
you your kingdom of death, rejuvenation, and rest. United in Perfect
Love and Perfect Trust, that the Universe may be whole and the Wheel
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turn smoothly.
Death replied, 'This is indeed WISDOM, So Mote it Be!' They
embraced, thus pledging their eternal love.
And he taught her all his mysteries, and gave her the necklace which
is the circle of rebirth. And she taught him her mystery of the sacred
cup which is the cauldron of rebirth.
They loved, and were one; for there be three great mysteries in the
life of mankind, and magic controls them all. To fulfil love, you must
return again at the same time and at the same place as the loved ones;
and you must meet, and know, and remember, and love them again.
But to be reborn, you must die, and be made ready for a new body.
And to die, you must be born; and without love, you may not be born.
And our Goddess is ever inclined to love, and mirth, and happiness;
and guards and cherishes her hidden children in life, and in death
she teaches the way to her communion; and even in this world she
teaches them the mystery of the Magic Circle, which is placed between
the worlds of men and of the Gods.
And thus we are taught of the beginnings of the wheel of the year
wherein the Lord and the Lady share their rulership of the year, each
offering and sharing a balance to the other, and the basis of that sharing.
The Charge of The God
(c) 1986, Kyri Comyn
"I am the strength of the rock at thy back, the roots of the
tree that anchor the Earth and deepest of tides in the black
depths of the ocean. I am the Hunter and the Sacred Prey, the
warmth of the sun in the swelling grapes and the call of the road
that leads over the hill.
I give you, my creatures, the fire of love, the power of the
wind on your face, shelter from the darkest storm. You are dear
to me, and I instill in you my power...the power of peace hard
earned, the power of vision and magical sight, and the spark of
elemental fire, which is the primal light in the darkness.
By the powers of running stag and glorious sun, I charge
thee; by the darkest depth of night and the lingering tendrils
of dreams, I charge thee; and by the beauty of your own creation,
I charge thee;
Follow your heart and your instinct, wherever they lead
you. The wealth of the heart will guide you where the
cold edge of logic cannot take you.
Take joy in the powers of your bodies. The form your
body takes is unique in the universe and is chief among
your tools.
Lastly, always remember the path you have left behind
you. Learn to take your power from the foolish things
you have wrought as well as the good you have done for
others and for your world. You can never usurp
another's power, and yours is the well upon which you
must rely.
I am with you always, just over your shoulder, running with
you through the tall grasses and forests that surround you. I
possess you and I am your Sacred Prey. I am the Lord of Death,
and when you have come to the end of your life on this world, I
will be there; to take you between the worlds, to offer you peace
and rest. Look upon my face; know me. I am the spirit of the
wild things, but you too, are wild in your souls and we are
forever intertwined."
The Charge of the Goddess

(c) 1986, Kyri Comyn
"I am the quickening of the seed in Springtime, the glory of
ripe fields in Summer, and the peace of the quiet woods as the
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snow calms the Earth in Winter. I am the lilt of the maidens'
melody in the morning, the patient hand of the Mother and the
deep river of the mysteries taught by moonlight.
I give the creatures of the earth the gifts of song rising
from the heart, the joy of autumn sunset, the cool touch of the
renewing waters, and the compelling call of the drum in the
dance. To you I give the joy of creation and the companion of
beauty to light your days.
By the powers of the steadfast Earth and the wheeling stars
I charge thee; by the darkness of death and the white light of
birth I charge thee; and by the terrible strength of your human
spirits, I charge thee:
Strive always for the growth of your eternal soul,
never intentionally diminish your strength, your
compassion, your ties to the earth or your knowledge.
Challenge your mind, never accept complacently that
which has been the standard merely for the reason that
it is the standard by which the majority judges itself.
Thirdly, I charge thee, act always for the betterment
of your brothers and sisters. To strengthen them is to
forge the true chain of humanity, and a chain is only
as strong as its weakest link.
You are my children, my brothers and sisters and my
companions. You are known in great part by the company you keep,
and you are strong and wise and full of the powers of life. It
is yours to use them in my service, and I also, am known by the
company I keep.
Go forth in joy and the light of my love, turning to me
without fear when the darkness threatens to overcome you, and
turning also to me to share your triumphs and your achievements,
and know in your heart of hearts that we are together in blood
and spirit 'til the last star darkens in the sky and winter comes
to the universe."
Charge of The Horned God

V. West
Hark unto me: for I am He who has existed throughout all time. I was there from the
beginning; it was my potency that charged the fertility of the Great Mother and
created life from her empty womb.
Myself it is in the winds that sweep the worlds; myself it is in the flames that
give warmth and light to all beings. I am he who provides: the Green Man of field
and forest fruitfulness; the lust of the bull that engenders life upon the cow; the
strength of the boar that engenders life upon the sacred sow of Ceriddwen; the speed
of the stag running free in the forest that no hunter can bring down save he who
speaks the sacred words to call unto the spirit of the fleeing stag.
I am Lord of the Dance; he who swirls through the starry universe with the world at
his heels. I am he who dances on mountain and plain and hearth, and he who captures
all things in his dance.
And I am also Kernnun the Dark Hunter; he with visage as dark as void and armour
bright with flame. My name is Lord of the Hunt; my prey those souls who needs must
die and descend into the dark, chthonic depths of my bowel. For I bring life but
death also; I am he at the gateway of the worlds, and to me shalt thou come in the
end, thou who art my child and my prey.
.
(written November 1989)
======RHYMING CHARGE OF THE GODDESS======

I am the harmonious tune of the songbird
And the laughter of a gleeful child.
I am the bubbling sound of the running brook
And the scent of the flowers wild.
I am the floating leaf upon the breeze
And the dancing fire in the forest glade.
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I am the sweet smell of rains upon the soil.
And the rapture of passion when love is made.
I am the germination of seed in the Spring
And the ripening of wheat in the Sun.
I am the peaceful depth of the twilight
That soothes the soul when day is done.
I am found in the twinkling of an aged eye...
And found in the birth of a newborn pup...
Yes...Birth and Growth and Death, am I
I am the gracious Earth, on whom you sup.
I am your sister, your mother, the wise one.
I wrap you gently in the warmth of my love.
That which your seek you shall find within:
Not without...not below...not above!
Remember always, my children, be reverent.
Be gentle, loving and kind to each other
And hold sacred the Earth and its creatures:
For I am the Lady: Creatrix and Mother!
-Kalioppe-
Aint!
By: Ellen Reed
(First part is spoken)
I meet many kinds of pagans everywhere I go.
The other day I met a grup who worshipped GI Joe.
There are many pagan pathways, some ancient and some quaint.
I thought I'd take this chance to speak of several things that ain't!
Being in the SCA does not make you a pagan
Whatever faith your personna doth profess.
A pentagram on your device
Don't make you pagan, though it's nice.
A ritual robe is more than fancy dress!
CHORUS:
Don't make a mockery of all I hold dear.
My path is not a hobby or a game.
It isn't something that you play,
It's something you live every day
And if you don't, you don't deserve the name.
Going to a sci-fi con does not make you a pagan
However great a filker you may be.
The spiritual path that I am on
Is more than "Mists of Avalon"
Or any other book by MZB!
CHORUS:
Playing advanced D&D does not make you a pagan
However high a level you may be.
I hate to sound like such a bitch,
But spell points don't make you a witch!
Initiations don't come with EP!
CHORUS:
"Gimme"
By Ellen Cannon Reed
I'm a solitary pagan
And I want to learn the Art.
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So I've gone to many teachers
And I've asked them from my heart.
But everyone I've gone to
Has balked at teaching me,
And I just don't understand it,
'Cause I begged on bended knee:
GIMME GIMME GIMME
Everything that you've got.
GIMME GIMME GIMME
Right here on the spot.
GIMME GIMME GIMME!
I'm entitled, you know,
I'm a witch 'cause Starhawk told me so.
I don't want to join a tradition.
Wanna do things my own way,
And the way I'll do them tomorrow
Won't match what I'll do today.
I don't want just one tradition,
'Cause it won't give me enough,
And I think that all of the teachers
Should just hand over their stuff.
GIMME GIMME GIMME
GIMME GIMME GIMME
GIMME GIMME GIMME!
I don't want to make a commitment
'Cause I might not have the time.
And they tell me I'll have to work hard!
Well, I think that that's a crime.
Some said if I don't do reading
That I do not stand a chance.
Well, I've done all the reading I need to do,
'Cause I just read 'Spiral Dance."
GIMME GIMME GIMME
GIMME GIMME GIMME
GIMME GIMME GIMME!
Eyes of a DYKE
by Vivienne West
"She's one, you know," Anne said, not entirely pleasantly.
"Yeah, it shows. You know, in two years she's never once worn a skirt?"
"And she walks so heavy. Not like a woman at all."
"You got to admit she takes care of her face, though."
"Yeah, but in that job you have to."
"You never know, she might be straight," I said, joining the conversation for the
first time. They both turned looks of disbelief at me. "Maybe, for all you know, I
might be gay," I added, to reinforce the point. They relaxed and laughed. I was
wearing a peasant skirt and embroidered blouse.
The conversation turned to other things. Just before the teabreak I went to the
ladies. There was no one there. Washing my hands under the tepid water ruminatively,
I looked at my reflection in the dirty mirror. Did that look like the face of a
lesbian? Round, soft features framed by wavey, long hair that was always untidy and
looked rather good untidy. A neck with a string of jade beads around it, a neck
white and soft. I returned to my desk.
One of the managers was leaving the room just as I got back. "He asked if we knew
what you were doing over the weekend," Sandy informed me. "If you ask me, I think he
fancies you."
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"He's all right," said Anne. "Wish he'd ask after me, that's all. Will you talk to
him?"
"I don't see why," I replied evenly.
"Oh! Got a new boyfriend?"
"No," I smiled. "But that doesn't mean I'm looking, either."
"Sure." They both smiled in disbelief.
* * *
When I let myself in, the house smelt faintly of incense. Bounder, the
overenthusiastic labrador cross we had inherited from the last tenants, was not
around, nor was Yvonne. They must have been at the park. I put the shopping down on
the floor, put on the kettle, lit another joss-stick and made tea, watching the thin
stream of smoke curl up towards the ceiling in the faint arabesques of a strange
language.
Later, the shopping still waiting to be put away, I listened to the sounds of the
bouncy dog and the front door opening. He greeted me wetly, jumping all over me and
the chair I was occupying. Yvonne greeted me casually, brushing cool lips lightly
across my forehead. "Hungry?"
"Not really."
"Okay."
(How do you say I love you without using words? How do you convey the ache in the
belly without moaning?)
I went to bed early, listening to the silent sounds of Yvonne working at her books
in the next room. Every so often a muttered curse, or the clatter of a dropped
pencil. Bounder, I knew, lay over her feet under the table. I drifted over and
around the edge of sleep.
I didn't notice her come into the room and undress, but I roused slightly and moved
towards her as she slipped into the bed. "Sssh," she soothed, stroking my arm
gently. "Go back to sleep."
"You know what they were talking about," I muttered through the incoherence of
sleep, my lips feeling thick. "Dykes." I relished the word: I knew she hated it.
"They were talking about dykes. They think I'm straight." I could feel a hysterical
giggle rising in me, but I didn't have the energy to let it out. Instead I drifted
back to sleep, not knowing or caring if Yvonne had understood me.
In the morning I stood naked in front of the bathroom mirror brushing my teeth as
she showered. She was singing under her breath, splashing the mouldy walls with
soapy water as she washed. I gargled and spat, and searched my eyes closely, deep
blue eyes with startling white lines running from the pupils to the very edges of
the irises. The eyes of a dyke.
Second Ritual For Bast
Chris Olmstead
Gwen called me up to tell me that her nineteen-year old Siamese cat Coco, who raised
her from a small child and taught her innumerable wisdoms, had just come out of
surgery and was not doing well. She talked about how her sister Lisa went to the vet
every day to sit with him, talk to him, and give him her love. Gwen said she was
burning a blue candle next to his picture in order to promote his healing, and was
that O.K.? To answer her I mentioned as a gentle aside that I had heard that green
was also good for healing. We talked cats for a while. She cried. I remembered
Buttons, fought tears, and then I understood what pain she faced here. She kept
talking until I offered that I too might do a healing spell on his behalf. She
jumped on my words with an eager "Oh! Would you?!" and I suddenly understood the
real question behind this phone-call.
I explained that a cat who has seen nineteen summers has really had the best of it
already, and that a spell which holds him to a body which is obviously failing him
might be no kindness. She agreed. I explained that he might just be ready to go,
now...since she has been raised, and even her little sister Lisa--with whom Coco
lived--had just graduated college. I agreed to do a spell which sent him energy to
do with as he chose, either to heal or to move on. She made a hopeful sound that
with healing, he might choose to stay, then she hung up.
I went quiet, thinking how best to do this. I mentally reviewed past spells that
have worked, and why. Spells of "recovery" (whether they have been for illness, or
finding Buttons when he was lost in a strange and distant city, or simply gaining
the return of stolen things) have worked best when I look at the web as it was
before the undesired event, compare it to the web as it is after, and (if the
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difference is not too great) then shape the web with my mind until it resembles what
has been and consequently have the item in question pop back into my reality like a
watermelon seed squeezed between thumb and forefinger.
Here I sought to couch this knowledge within the Wiccan framework I am
studying. I understand how the use of a ritual (or a language, an image, a habit,
anything) taps into all those who have ever used the same thing, and knits their
gifts together on the time-line. More mundanely, I understand how my own
establishment of the habit of ritual will build powerful cues in my mind which make
spell-work more efficient. Out of respect for what my teachers have been showing me,
I determined to do it perfectly...while no one was around for me to feel awkward
before.
How might my Priestess teacher compose her Altar? What things, and what Deity shall
be the focus? Well, obviously Bast...and such things as Bast might like. I thought
back to the ritual I wanted to do with Bast for healing Le-oh. I plundered the
memory of it for useful items. I remembered: Bast likes golden necklaces and other
shiny things, images of cats, soft lights that don't damage night vision, and
suddenly, I laughed aloud as I was inspired to offer Her cat-nip. It just felt
right. So I laid these all out (along with the "usual" things): My first piece of
jewelry--a golden cat pin, inscribed "Save a Cat" from the Save a Cat League of New
York, my finest gold chain, two teak cats from the orient, my golden ankh, scarab
necklace, and the spread-winged Horus-falcon I got when I visited the exhibition of
Ramses II. I placed a bud-vase next to the water cup and went out into the night to
gather a perfect sprig of fresh cat-nip.
A deep breath, and I began by lighting the tiny oil lamps on Her Altar...
Standing before Her altar I closed my eyes and reached for the images of the web
when Coco was well and compared how it is now. Images slipped and swam. The
differences were great. I pictured Gwen, her candles and photographs, and knitted us
all into the circle with a breath. Then the images left. I opened my eyes and spoke
softly but aloud. (I'm trying to cultivate that ability.) Before me, my cat images
glimmered. I remembered the scene where Thomasina visits Bast.
I went there too. I breathed energy into myself, and held it in my belly, as my
Sensei taught me. Then I said:
"Oh Bast--I'm here on behalf of your charge Coco, and his human, my friend Gwen.
Coco is old, and it may be that his time has come. It's true he has lived long, but
some cats do live longer. If this is still something about which there is
uncertainty and choice, let him use this energy to heal. If it is really time for
him to go, then I don't wish to stop him. Let him use this energy to go on into what
ever comes next for him, and have an optimum and right... 'coming forth into the
day'."
(I wanted to say 'death and re-birth,' but suddenly that wasn't accurate
here...) I then continued, asking:
"Oh Bast, how hard is it to just let things be as they have been, for just a little
longer? He is old, but old-age isn't a crime..."
and suddenly a voice broke in just behind my right ear, and in perfectly lucid
English She answered softly:
"...and Death is no punishment."
It shook me a moment. As soon as She said it I recognized She was right--
(hence--right side? Or R/L Brain?) It humbled me to realize I had thought that death
WAS punishment. I knew that She was gone as soon as She had spoken, and there would
be no point to turning to look. I felt the energy go out of me toward Coco, and I
knew the spell had worked but that I hadn't gotten the answer Gwen wanted. That
saddened me, even knowing what She said. I thanked Bast, thanked and dismissed the
watch-towers, and went to bed to think about it all.
Early the next morning Gwen called to thank me for talking to her, and to tell me
there was no need to make the spell for Coco. He had died in his sleep during the
night...now at least he wouldn't have to face another surgery.
I told her I had already done the spell, and it was my feeling that Coco was o.k. I
mentioned that I thought he had taken the energy for use in his next reality. I said
everything I could think of to help her feel better. I don't recall whether I told
her what Bast said to me or not.
When I went to the altar to take it all down, I noticed the water level on the
cat-nip had dropped below the stem and it had withered. Somehow that was fitting. It
meant many sad and happy things all at once. It meant that She had accepted the gift
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by taking the essential freshness of the offering; It meant that things die, and
that's natural; It meant that when the vitality is gone, the flesh can not stay. So
it is with what I know of death.
WCC BELTANE RITUAL
By Lynna Landstreet
Personnel required:
Several drummers and other musicians if possible. A priest and
priestess who will represent the God & Goddess (and should be garbed
appropriately), referred to herein as P & PS, plus a priest or
priestess who will read the meditation and "stage-manage" the ritual
(referred to herein as "N" for Narrator)
Tools/Supplies required:
Very few. There should be a fire in the centre of the circle, and a chalice of wine
and a bowl of Nine Holy Herbs spray or other
concentrated alcohol (we ended up using Jamaican overproof rum,
which worked very well -- flared up about six feet high!).
Bring in the people and have them sit. Have the musicians sit together in an inner
semi-circle, behind the Narrator. One drummer should be playing a slow, hypnotic
heartbeat during the first party of the ritual. The priest and priestess who will
represent the God and Goddess should be hiding near the circle, and approach when
the part about them drawing near begins.
N: "Beltane means many things. It is a celebration of spring coming into full
flower, of the return of the Goddess from the underworld, the
mating time of the animals, the return of the sun, and many other
things. Above all, it is a celebration of life. But for us, here in
this community, it is also the time when we leave the confines of our
building and return to the temple of the forest.
"Wicca is a nature religion, but too often we worship in concrete
cages, cut off from that nature, and from our own natures. And as we
have now returned to nature in our choice of ritual site, I ask you
tonight to return to nature in your hearts and minds as well, for the ways of the
world within walls are not necessarily the same as the ways of the world outside.
"We meet in a small fragment of forest, within a city park. But now, I ask you to
forget the city that surrounds us. In your mind's eye, let the city fade away and
the forest extend on and on, covering the land that only moments ago was buried
under concrete. For once this land was wild, and covered with trees, not buildings.
Once the rivers and streams ran free, and the air was fresh and fragrant with the
scent of cedar and sweet fern, not fouled by car exhaust and factory smoke. And it
may be that one day, it will be so again, we have no way of knowing.
"But for now, picture the forest extending on and on, as far as you
can imagine, in all directions. The great wild forest surrounds and
embraces us, and we are the people of the forest.
"Here in the great wild forest, we have no need of a sword to cast the circle, for
we have each other, our hands, our minds, our bodies. Join hands, and breathe in
deeply, and breathe out, as one. Feel the circle being formed now by our touch, the
energy leaping from hand to hand, deosil, around the circle. Feel it forming, a
place set apart from the trials of daily life, a sacred, wild place...
"Here in the great wild forest, we have no need of a besom to cleanse our circle,
for we meet in the wilderness, which is already clean and pure, and by its touch are
we made clean and pure ourselves. Feel all fears, doubts and negativities ebbing
away from you, as the forest absorbs them and transforms them to good...
"Here in the great wild forest, we have no need of incense to purify
our circle, for we have the arching sky above our grove, and the rushing
wind that ruffles our hair and caresses our skin. Breathe deeply, and take the wind
and the sky into yourself. The spirits of the air are here
always, it is we who have come to their place. Greet them, now, silently, in your
own way...
"Here in the great wild forest, we have no need of a candle to purify our circle,
for we have the balefire in the centre of our circle, and the stars above. See the
leaping flames now, hear their crackle, and see them reflected in the tiny fires in
the sky above us. Feel their warmth, and take them into yourself. The spirits of the
fire are here always, it is we who have come to their place. Greet them, now,
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silently, in your own way...
"Here in the great wild forest, we have no need of a water bowl to
purify our circle, for we have the rushing stream in the valley beside us, and the
dew that moistens the grass. Hear the water's call, now, feel the rising dampness in
the air, and take it into yourself. The spirits of the water are here always, it is
we who have come to their place. Greet them, now, silently, in your own way...
"Here in the great wild forest, we have no need of salt to purify our circle, for we
have the earth itself, beneath us, and the firmness of our own flesh and bones. Feel
the solidity, the vastness, of the earth, and take it into yourself. The spirits of
the earth are here always, it is we who have come to their place. Greet them, now,
silently, in your own way...
"Open yourself, now, to the pulse of life all around you. It is there, if you can
free your spirit enough to sense it. Feel the life straining to be born in every
sprouting seed, the exhilaration of the blossoms bursting from their buds on the
trees, the joy of the very grass itself, of every bush and shrub and piece of moss,
greening again as the earth is warmed by the sun, as the life-giving rains fall from
the sky, and all of nature is borne into the ecstatic dance of life's return. And
feel, in the midst of it all, the presence of the Lord and Lady, who are the soul of
all nature, the consciousness of the wild, the beauty of the green earth, the sun
and moon and stars, and the mystery of the waters. Feel them approaching! Even now,
they near our circle, drawn by our love and our joy in their creation. Feel their
power, their nearness... they approach... they come... THEY ARE HERE!"
Narrator throws the Nine Holy Herbs into the fire. As it flares up,
the drummers begin to drum, and the priest and priestess represen ting the God and
Goddess run into the circle and begin to dance wildly around the fire. After a
couple of rounds, they each pull someone in from the circle to dance with them a few
rounds, then each of the four pull other people in, and so on, until the whole
circle is up and dancing (in high school they called this a snowball dance,
remember?).
As the dance reaches its peak, the priest and priestess take the
chalice, and hold it up above the heads of the dancers to charge it
(this is made easier if your circle site is surrounded by park benches like ours
is). If the energy is really happening, a formal wine blessing shouldn't be
necessary, but one may be performed anyway if desired. When the wine has been
charged, the narrator calls "Down!" and people fall to the ground.
N "Feel the energy swirling up and up above us, forming a fiery cone.
See it explode in a shower of fireworks, the energy spiraling down to the earth like
shooting stars, adding power to the transformation that is already underway,
blending with the energy of every leaf and bud and
blossom to aid in the greening of the earth. (Pause) Now rise, and join
hands once again."
Priest and priestess take chalice around circle, and kiss each person before giving
it to them, while people sing:
"Powers of the Earth
Powers taking form
Rising to rebirth,
Rising to be born."
When chalice returns, pour libation into the fire.
N "We need not bid farewell to our Gods, nor to the spirits that
surround us, the wind, the fire, the stream, or the earth, for they are
always here. It is we who shall take our leave of them, later on, and when we do,
each of us shall say our own farewell, in our own words. But for now -- LET THE
CELEBRATION BEGIN!!!"
People feast, dance, make merry, etc.
Yule Carols courtesy of Green Egg (Yule '92 issue)
Ye Children All of Mother Earth
(It came upon a midnight clear...)
Ye children all of Mother Earth
join hands and circle around
To celebrate the Solstice night
When our lost Lord is found.
Rejoice, the year has begun again
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The Sun blesses skies up above
So share the season together now
In everlasting Love!
=======================================
Gloria
Snow lies deep upon the Earth
Still our voices warmly sing
Heralding the glorious birth
Of the Child, the Winter King
Glo -- ria!
In excelsis Deo!
Glo -- ria!
In excelsis Dea!
Our triumphant voices claim
Joy and hope and love renewed
And our Lady's glad refrain
Answer Winter's solitude
Glo -- ria!(etc.)
In Her arms a holy Child
Promises a glowing Light
Through the winter wind so wild
He proclaims the growing Light.
Glo -- ria! (etc..)
Now the turning of the year
Of the greater Turning sings
Passing age of cold and fear
Soon our golden summer brings.
Glo -- ria! (etc..)
===============================
Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful!
Oh, come all ye faithful
Gather round the Yule Fire
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye,
To call the Sun!
Fires within us
Call the Fire above us
O, come, let us invoke Him!
Our Lord, the Sun!
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee!
Born again at Yuletide!
Yule fires and candle flames
Are lighted for You!
Come to thy children
Calling for thy blessing!
O, come let us invoke Him (x3)
Our Lord, the Sun!
=========================
Silent Night
Silent night, Solstice Night
All is calm, all is bright
Nature slumbers in forest and glen
Till in Springtime She wakens again
Sleeping spirits grow strong!
Silent night, Solstice night
Silver moon shining bright
Snowfall blankets the slumbering Earth
Yule fireswelcome the Sun's rebirth
Hark, the Light is reborn!
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Quiet rest till the Light
Turning ever the rolling Wheel
Brings the Winter to comfort and heal
Rest your spirit in peace!
========================================
Glory to the New Born King
Brothers, sisters, come to sing
Glory to the new-born King!
Gardens peaceful, forests wild
Celebrate the Winter Child!
Now the time of glowing starts!
Joyful hands and joyful hearts!
Cheer the Yule log as it burns!
For once again the Sun returns!
Brothers, sisters, come and sing!
Brothers, sisters, singing come
Glory to the newborn Sun
Through the wind and dark of night
Celebrate the coming light.
Suns glad rays through fear's cold burns
Life through death the Wheel now turns
Gather round the Yule log and tree
Celebrate Life's mystery
Glory to the new-born Sun.
The Corn Play (Lammas Ritual)
Coven of the Morning Star and Stella Maris Coven
Requirements:
Lammas Lord Crown (Wheat, Rye, Corn, fruit and flowers)
Corn Queen Crown (Wheat, Rye, Corn etc)
Fresh-baked bread
Honey
Red Wine
Cords to bind the Lammas Lord
Green cloth to cover him
Lammas Cup and cloth to polish
"John Barleycorn" music
Ritual Begins:
Priestess and Priest cast circle and invoke quarters
(Lammas Lord and Corn Queen remain outside circle).
A gateway is cut, and everyone calls to the Corn Queen to
enter the circle:
Queen of the Corn, Queen of the Fertile Earth; come to us now,
for we have need of you & etc.
The Queen enters, and then leads the call for the Lammas Lord
to enter the circle.
God of the Meadow, God of the Hill, God of the Corn and of our
True Will, come to us now, for we adore you & etc.
The Lammas Lord stands in the centre of the Circle, and is
washed by the women (each Priestess takes the aspergillus in
turn, and asperges the Lammas Lord - Corn Queen first).
Then each one polishes the Lammas Cup, which is returned to
the altar, and filled with red wine. (Corn Queen takes cup and
cloth to each person).
Then the Queen stands before the Lammas Lord and says:
To kill the King
(Coven: For what purpose kill?)
To feed the land
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(Coven: What feeds the land?)
The blood of the King
The honour of the King
The life of the King
Two priests step forward, and bind the Lord's hands behind his
back, and tie his ankles together. NB: do not knot the cords,
as the Lammas Lord must be able to extricate himself from the
bindings.
The men all turn and face outwards from the circle. The Corn
Queen takes her athame, and the cup of wine, and "cuts the
throat" of the Lammas Lord, catching his blood in the chalice.
The women help the Lammas Lord to the ground, and cover him
with the green cloth. His crown is placed upon the bread, on
the altar. A female Elder stands at the head of the Lammas
Lord, and a Maiden stands at his feet. They are his mourners.
The men turn back into the circle, and the Corn Queen leads
the weaving dance to "John Barleycorn". When the music
finishes, all stand facing outwards (including Elder and
Maiden). The Lammas Lord removes his binds and cover, and
silently makes his way to the altar. He takes up the bread and
wine, and leaves his crown on the altar. He returns and stands
centre. The Corn Queen acknowledges the mystery of the re-born
grain:
"Behold the Mystery! The grain, the crop, the food."
As she speaks, everyone turns and faces in once more.
The Queen steps forward, and kneels before the re-born grain
saying again, "behold the mystery". She rises, and drinks from
the cup. The "Lammas Lord" breaks a piece of bread for her,
which he gives to her as she hands back the cup. She walks to
the altar, and dips the bread in the honey. Then the next
person steps forward, and repeats her actions. Then each in
turn until all have knelt to the re-born grain, and had some
wine, bread and honey. It is important that the Lammas Lord
does not speak throughout the ritual.
The circle is closed, and the feast begins.
This ritual is freely adapted from a traditional ritual
practised in the north of England.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT

----------------------------------------------------------------------
SYSOP'S NOTE: This excellent food-for-thought was downloaded
from EarthRite BBS, 415-651-9496. - Talespinner, Sysop, WeirdBase
----------------------------------------------------------------
LOOKING AT YOURSELF
before you go a step further, take a good long look at your
desires, motivation and skills. What role do you see yourself
playing in this new group? "Ordinary" member? Democratic
facilitator? High Priestess? And if the last -- why do you
want the job?
The title of High Priestess and Priestess are seductive,
conjuring up exotic images of yourself in embroidered robes, a
silver crescent (or horned helm) on your brow, adoring
celebrants hanging on every word which drops from your lips...
Reality check. The robes will be stained with wine and candle
wax soon enough, and not every word you speak is worth
remembering. A coven leader's job is mostly hard work between
rituals and behind the scene. It is not always a good place to
act out your fantasies, because the lives and well-being of
others are involved, and what is flattering or enjoyable to you
man not be in their best interest. So consider carefully.
If your prime motive is establishing a coven is to gain status
and ego gratification, other people will quickly sense that. If
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they are intelligent, independent individuals, they will refuse
to play Adoring Disciple to your Witch Queen impressions. They
will disappear, and that vanishing act will be the last magick
they do with you.
And if you do attract a group ready to be subservient Spear
Carriers in your fantasy drama -- well, do you really want to
associate with that kind of personality? What are you going to
do when you want someone strong around to help you or teach you,
and next New Moon you look out upon a handful of Henry
Milquetoasts and Frieda Handmaidens? If a person is willing to
serve you, the they will also become dependent on you, drain
your energy, and become disillusioned if you ever let down the
Infallible Witch Queen mask for even a moment.
Some other not-so-great reasons for starting a coven: a) because
it seems glamorous, exotic, and a little wicked; b) because it
will shock your mother, or c) because you can endure your
boring, flunkie job more easily if you get to go home and play
Witch at night.
Some better reasons for setting up a coven, and even nomination
yourself as High Priest/ess, include: a) you feel that you will
be performing a useful job for yourself and others; b) you have
enjoyed leadership roles in the past, and proven yourself
capable; or c) you look forward to learning and growing in the
role.
Even with the best motives in the world, you will still need to
have -- or quickly develop -- a whole range of skills in order
to handle a leadership role. If you are to be a facillitatir of
a study group, group process insights and skills are important.
These include:
1) Gatekeeping, or guiding discussion in such a way that
everyony has an opportunity to express ideas and
opinions;
2) Summarizing and clarifying;
3) Conflict resolution, or helping participants understand
points of disagreement and find potential solutions which
respect everyone's interests;
4) Moving the discussion toward consensus, or at any rate
decision, by identifying diversions and refocussing
attention on goals and priorities; and
5) Achieving closure smoothly when the essential work is
compleated, or an appropriate stopping place is reached.
In addition to group process skills, four other competencies
necessary to the functioning of a coven are: ritual leadership,
administration, teaching, and counseling. In a study group the
last one may not be considered a necessary function, and the
other three may be shared among all participants. But in a coven
the leaders are expected to be fairly capable in all these
areas, even if responsibilities are frequently shared or
delegated. Let us look briefly at each.
Ritual leadership involves much more that reading invocations by
candlelight. Leaders must understand the powers they intend to
manipulate: how they are raised, channeled and grounded. They
must be adept at designing rituals which involve all the sensory
modes. They should have a repertoire of songs and chants, dances
and gestures or mudras, incense and oils, invocations and
spells, visual effects and symbols, meditations and postures; and
the skill to combine these in a powerful, focused pattern. They
must have clarity of purpose and firm ethics. And they must
understand timing: both where a given ritual fits in the cycles
of the Moon, the Wheel of the Year, and the dance of the
spheres, and how to pace the ritual once started, so that energy
peaks and is channeled at the perfect moment. And they must
understand the Laws of Magick, and the correspondences, and when
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ritual is appropriate and when it is not.
By administration, we refer to basic management practices
necessary to any organization. These include apportioning work
fairly, and following up on its progress; locating resources and
obtaining them (information, money, supplies); fostering
communications (by telephone, printed schedules, newsletters
etc.); and keeping records (minutes, accounts, Witch Book
entries, or ritual logbook). Someone or several someones has to
collect the dues if any, buy the candles, chill the wine, and so
forth.
Teaching is crucial to both covens and study groups. If only one
person has any formal training or experience in magick, s/he
should transmit that knowledge in a way which respects the
intuitions, re-emerging past life skills, and creativity of the
others. If several participants have some knowledge in differing
areas, they can all share the teaching role. If no one in the
group has training and you are uncertain where to begin, they
you may need to call on outside resources: informed and ethical
priest/esses who can act as visiting faculity, or who are
willing to offer guidance by telephone or correspondence. Much
can be gleaned from books, or course -- assuming you know which
books are trustworthy and at the appropriate level -- but there
is no substitute for personal instruction for some things.
Magick can be harmful if misused, and an experienced practitioner
can help you avoid pitfalls as well as offering hints and
techniques not found in the literature.
Counseling is a special role of the High Priest/ess. It is
assumed that all members of a coven share concern for each
other's physical, mental, emotional and spiritual welfare, and
are willing to help each other out in practical ways. However,
coven leaders are expected to have a special ability to help
coverners explore the roots of teir personal problems and choose
strategies and tactics to overcome them. This is not to suggest
that one must be a trained psychoanalyst; but at the least, good
listening skills, clear thinking and some insight into human
nature are helpful. Often, magickal skills such as guided
visualization, Tarot counseling and radiesthesia (pendulum work)
are valuable tools as well.
Think carefully about your skills in these areas, as you have
demonstrated them in other organizations. Ask acquaintances or
co-workers, who can be trusted to give you a candid opinion, how
they see you in some of these roles. Meditate, and decide what
you really want for yourself in organizing the new group. Will
you be content with being a catalyst and contact person --
simply bringing people with a common interest together, then
letting the group guide its destiny from that point on? Would
you rather be a facilitatir, either for the first fonths or
permanently: a low-key discussion leader who enables the group
to move forward with a minimum of misunderstanding and wasted
energy? Or do you really want to be High Priestess -- whatever
that means to you -- and serve as the guiding spirit and
acknowledged leader of a coven? And if you do want that job,
exactly how much authority and work do you envision as part of
it? Some coven leaders want a great deal of power and control;
others simply take an extra share of responsibility for setting
up the rituals (whether or not they actually conduct the rites),
and act as "magickal advisor" to less experienced members. Thus
the High Priest/ess can be the center around which the life of
the coven revolves, or primarily an honorary title, or anything
in between.
That is one area which you will need to have crystal-clear in
your own mind before the first meeting (of if you are flexible,
at least be very clear that you are). You must also be clear as
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to your personal needs on other points: program emphasis, size,
meeting schedule, finances, degree of secrecy, and affiliation
with a tradition or network. You owe it to prospective members
and to yourself to make your minimum requirements known from the
outset: it can be disastrous to a group to discover that members
have major disagreements on these points after you have been
meeting for six months.
The Heirophant
"An official expounder of sacred mysteries or religious ceremonies,esp. in ancient
Greece; an initiating or presiding priest" - OED. I generally use it in the
"initiating priest/ess" context (CM heritage,that). Those who hold the power *and
authority* to initiate others into our particular Trad, are hierophants when they
actually exercise that power.
Most of us are explicitly oathbound to ensure that the candidate is a worthy person,
properly prepared to receive what we are about to confer,and that the rite of
adoption/initiation is correctly done according to Trad standards. Those Trads
who've dispensed with oaths still, implicitly,expect something rather similar.
When I consider a candidate for initiation, I first look to see whether I have a
'proper person' according the expectations of my Art. Next I look to see whether the
Lady's Initiation rests upon them.
Lastly, I look to see that s/he understands what s/he is about to promise,
and has the skills necessary to carry it out (the gumption to stand by his/her oath
is part of 'proper person', IMO). While the marks ARE plain to see,speculation by
the uninitiated notwithstanding <g>, all three ARE judgement calls on my part. Then
again, ANY situation touching upon my Oath requires a judgement call on my part.
At 1st Degree, Alexandrian tradition permits me to extend benefit of the doubt in
cases where the marks are recent enough that they shine but dimly (or where the
candidate's history leads one to suspect s/he may not feel bound to stand by what
s/he swears to). Gardnerian tradition does not. Then again, H'Alexandrian tradition
requires that no benefit of the doubt be granted at 2nd Degree, whereas Gardnerian
tradition again contradicts. In either case, a 2nd of either Trad has been put to
the test and found fully appropriate to the Trad in the judgement of his/her
heirophant, we simply do it at different degrees.
(That's the theory,anyway, and why we come down so hard on those who f*ck-initiate.)
RAVEN GRIMASSI ON HEREDITARY ITALIAN WITCHCRAFT
[Conversations arising from Raven's posts are included with the material to
which they refer, but are indented to make them less intrusive.]
THE OLD WAYS: THE SPIRIT FLAME
I would like to share some of the Old Hereditary Ways here, and invite
others to post their techniques for Ritual or Magic, etc. I know many of you choose
to believe that we Hereditary Witches do not exist, but that's O.K., you may still
find this info of use (or at least of some interest). This first post is about what
we call The Spirit Flame. In the Aridian Tradition, it is the focal point of the
altar. A bowl is placed upon the center of the altar, and is filled with a special
liquid, which will burn a blue flame. The appearance of the blue flame represents
the presence of Divinity, within the ritual setting. The use of fire as a sacred
symbol is one of the most ancient of practices.
If you wish to experience the Spirit Flame, you can perform the following,
using any high quality perfume, or cologne. Strega Liquore is excellent, and
contains all but one of the original ingredients (it is quite expensive, however).
Place the bowl in the center of your altar (the bowl must be able to hold fire).
Fill the bowl about half full. Set two altar candles, forward of the bowl, off to
each side (you are forming a triangle; the bowl is the bottom point of an inverted
triangle). Light the candles,
and extinguish any other source of light. With a ritual tool such as a wand or
blade, trace a crescent over the liquid, and say:
"In the name(s) of ____________
and by this sacred sign
be this the Essence of the Divine"
Then take a lit match and touch it, gently, to the surface of the liquid (do not use
any liquid other than perfume or Liquor/ liquore). As you light the bowl say :
"I call upon Thee ___________________
be Thou present at this sacred place "
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A beautiful blue flame will appear, and gently dance upon the surface of the
liquid. We consider the flame to be sacred, and we use it to bless objects, empower
tools, and create our ritual circles/sacred space. Feel free to experiment with it,
but please treat it with respect. Allow the flame to go out by itself.
I have altered the wording, and omitted some of the gestures and
invocations. You may insert the names of your own deities in the blank space. Even
though altered, the technique here is sound, and should enrich whatever you may
choose to do with the Spirit Flame.
This ritual has been preserved among the Hereditary Clans, and is still an
aspect of all ritual gatherings. It is the oldest of our "laws" that nothing may be
removed from the Teachings, so we still keep the Old Ways alive (we can add to our
material, but we cannot remove anything). In Italy, Strega Liquore has been used as
the Spirit Flame liquid, since it was first distilled in 1873. Originally the recipe
was sold to the Alberti family, by some Strega (Italian for witch), with the
exception of one certain ingredient. Before this, a liquid made from a mixture of
distilled grape wine, and distilled grain, was the basis for the Spirit Flame
liquid. It was quite similar to Brandy, which was first distilled around 100 A.D.
Scenes showing fermentation appear on pottery made in Mesopotamia as early
as 4200 B.C. The earliest forms of Spirit Flame Liquid would have been a fermented
substance, followed later by ones which were distilled. I am not at liberty to go
into the individual ingredients, unfortunately. However, Strega Liquore is about as
close as one can get without being initiated.
If the Spirit Flame was used outside of Italy, I am unaware of it. But I would be
happy to know that others had this Tradition as well.
Don't laugh too hard at the following
Raven... I experimented with lighting the Strega in my bowl, in my case a
cast-iron chili pot cum cauldron. It does WHOOSH, doesn't it?! (No, I didn't set
myself on fire). And the blue is lovely... But everything got so hot that the Strega
went into a rolling boil and essentially doused itself. IS this supposed to happen?
I think I hear you laughing.... SeraLuna
Dear SeraLuna, You can always pick out an Aridian, as they have no eyebrows,
eyelashes, or hair!! <VBG> Seriously though, no it isn't supposed to do that. I
suspect that you used too much Strega Liquore, and that the pot was too big. A Chili
pot full of Strega would... well, it would do exactly what you described! I am glad
that you're OK. Next time use only a small bowl, no larger than a cereal bowl, and
only use about 2 or 3 oz. of liquid. Many Blessings, Raven
----------
THE WALNUT WITCHES
In Italy, there is a legend of Witch gatherings in the town of Benevento, at
the site of an old walnut tree. Manuscripts from old witch trials in Italy, speak of
this tree which (it was said) had always been there, and was in leaf all year long.
The nuts of this tree, were said to have been of pyramid-like form. Many of these
walnuts were sold as talismans and amulets. The tree was so huge, and its branches
so thick with leaves, that its shade was said to be like night itself. It was
considered sacred to Proserpine, Nox, Diana, and all Cthonic deities. The walnut
witches were said to have been a very powerful society of witches. It was through
their dedication that the Old Religion survived intact, during the Inquisition (and
afterwards). In 662 A.D. Romuald, Duke of Benevento, lived in Benevento and was said
to have joined in these celebrations at the walnut tree. In Benevento there also
lived a man named Barbato. He was a christian, and later became a Bishop (eventually
he was even sainted). Hard times befell Benevento, and the army of the Byzantine
Emperor Constans II, was threatening to invade. Barbato went about the town blaming
all the troubles of Benevento, on the witches and their religion. After
corresponding with Constans, Barbato approached Romuald, and said that he (Barbato)
would perform a miracle and save Benevento, if given authority to "cleanse" the town
of its "heathen sins". In desperation, Romuald agreed, and sure enough Benevento was
not conquered (but it was attacked).
Barbato had the Walnut tree cut down, and converted Romuald to Christianity.
One story is told that Barbato had a church built upon the site of the old tree, and
another that the tree was seeded in a different place, and still another that the
tree grew again in the same spot.
Whatever the case, my mother says that a walnut tree still stands in
Benevento, in the Stretto di Barba, near the river. Witches still gather there today
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in secret. Benevento has long been associated with Witchcraft, and was once the
sanctuary of the followers of Aradia, in the 14th Century. In Charles Leland's book
ETRUSCAN MAGIC & OCCULT REMEDIES there are several exaggerated (but fun) stories of
the good witches of Benevento. Leland also states that the witches of Benevento were
very well known for their healing, and for dispensing coins to the poor.
A last note of interest, Strega Liquor is made in Benevento (and has been
for quite awhile). If you can find a bottle, check out the label. You'll find a
picture of witches and satyrs dancing beneath a tree (walnut I assume <G>).
----------
THE WATCHERS
In the early stellar cults, there were four "royal" stars (known as lords)
which were called the Watchers. Each one of these stars "ruled" over one of the four
cardinal points. The star Aldebaran, when it marked the Vernal Equinox, held the
position of Watcher of the East. Regulus, marking the Summer Solstice, was Watcher
of the south. Antares, marking the Autumn Equinox, was the Watcher of the west.
Fomalhaut, marking the Winter Solstice, was Watcher of the north. Towers were
constructed, bearing the symbols of these Watchers, for the purpose of evocation.
During the "rites of calling" symbolic gestures were given and the names of the
Watchers were called out. In the stellar mythos, the Watchers themselves were
deities who guard the Heavens and the Earth. Their nature (and "rank") was altered
by the successive Lunar and Solar cults, which replaced the Stellar Cults.
Eventually the Greeks reduced them to Gods of the four winds, and the Christians
made them principal-ities of the air. Their connection with the stars was vaguely
preserved among the populace, in the concept of Angels.
In the Italian system, these ancient Beings are called the Grigori. They are
the Guardians of the "doorways" between the physical plane and that which is beyond.
In Italian witchlore, the stars were thought to be the campfires of the legions of
the Watchers (there were other stellar associations as well). In the 16th Century,
the French theologian Sinistrari spoke of Beings existing between "men and angels".
He called them demons, and associated them with the Elemental natures of Earth, Air,
Fire, and Water. This, however, was not a new concept, but was taught by certain
Gnostic sects in the early days of Christianity. In the Old Testament (Daniel 4:
13-17) there is reference to the Irin, or Watcher, which appear to be an order of
angels. In his book DICTIONARY OF ANGELS, Gustav Davidson lists the Watchers as a
high order of angels, known also as the Grigori. In Rabbinic lore, the "good"
Watchers dwell in the 5th Heaven, and the "evil" Watchers dwell in the 3rd.
In Aridian lore, the Watchers guard our circle and watch over us. They
assist us in our spiritual growth, and "escort" us to the next realm, when we cross
from physical life. We acknowledge them as Guardians of the entrances and exists, to
and from the worlds which connect with the physical plane. We also know them as the
Keepers of the Ancient Wisdom, and guardians of the Art. They are Clan Guardian
spirits, known as The Old Ones.
They are also pre-Christian and pre-Gardnerian.
----------
THE LARE
In the Old Religion of Italy there are certain spirits called the Lare
(pronounced Lar-ray), who are both protectors and preservers. In Roman mythology,
they were house spirits/family spirits. Upon the home's hearth, a small Lare "house"
(or chapel) was placed. Each one had a receptacle for offerings, which consisted of
wine, honey, milk and flowers (or grain). The focal point of a Family is their home,
and in olden times the focal point of the home was the hearth (the Latin word
"focus", means hearth). The hearth held the fire which provided heat, and served to
cook the meals. A prayer was said to the Lare every morning, and special offerings
were made at family celebrations.
These spirits were originally gods of the cultivated fields and were
worshipped at the crossroads. In early Etruscan times, they were called Lasa. In
Tuscany today, the word lasa refers to spirits. The Lare cult maintains a strong
family connection, and is largely responsible for the existence of hereditary
Italian witch families. Generation after generation has remembered and honored the
previous ones, passing on the ancient traditions of the Old Religion. This is why we
can trace our heritage back, and recall the family lines. Today, Aridians still
place a Lare house in their home, and give offerings. At birthdays, candles are lit
on the shrine for the family member, and also when they die. At certain seasonal
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rites, the family names are recalled, back down the family lines. Stories are retold
and so on. It is really quite beautiful, and very primitive. It is our culture and
our heritage which binds us together. Sadly, this is something which modern culture
does not really understand, or appreciate.
FROM: TONY MARCANO
It should also be noted that the prayers said at the lararium differed on
the kalends, nones, and ides. Also, the lares were worshipped along with the
penates, Vesta, and the genius (pronounced ghen-yoos). Roman traditions
accepted/tolerated many gods, which allowed for the inclusion of a "wiccan" pantheon
but very often these were very different traditions shared within the same
household. The MTR (traditional Romans) in Italy as a tradition/organization does
not embrace stregeria (although some of them may also be practicing witches) but
rather view themselves as Roman Pagans, members of the collegium and curia, and in
some cases flamines.
FROM: RAVEN GRIMASSI
Please understand that I am not talking about Roman Religion here. I am
talking about my Tradition, which has its roots in ancient Italy. Our people lived
under Roman rule perhaps, but did not follow the classic Roman Religion. We are
Strega and are different from classic Roman Tradition. I am not leaving things out
here, I'm speaking of the Ways of my Clan. Certainly there were other things going
on in Italy concurrently with us (but different from us). Thanks for adding your
knowledge to this post, but I simply wish to keep things clear (and not to
contradict you).
----------
DIANA & REX NEMORENSIS
There is a very interesting myth about the worship of Diana, which I would
like to share here. Long ago, in the Alban hills, there came a runaway slave who was
favored by the Goddess Diana. Because She had freed him, he desired to worship Her,
and She gave him sanctuary. One day Diana appeared to him beneath a large tree which
stood in the center of a clearing, within a large grove. Then just after sunset She
proclaimed Her love for him, but at the same time demanded that he prove himself
worthy of Her favors. So Diana brought before him a mighty warrior, who was Guardian
of the Grove. Then She told the runaway slave to challenge the Guardian. But the
Guardian would not accept the
challenge, unless the former slave could prove his strength and courage. So the
runaway climbed the great tree, and broke off a large branch with his hands. The
branch was so strong that no ordinary man could break it. So the Guardian accepted
the challenge, and the two battled for the favor of Diana. The Guardian was defeated
and met his end at the hands of the runaway slave. Then Diana touched his shoulders,
placed a wreath upon his head, and said "Thou art Rex Nemorensis (King of the
Woods)". This is one of the mystery texts, and deals with parts of our inner self.
Look at the characters in the Myth as yourself, and
at Diana as Enlightenment.
Now, back to the note. In central Italy lies the lake once known as Lacus
Nemorensis. This lake was also known as the Speculum Dianae (Mirror of Diana). Here
on the northeast shore of this ancient lake, once stood the temple of Diana. Here
too was the sacred grove of Diana. In ancient times the followers of Diana gathered
at the Temple to give worship, and to be healed by the water, which was said to flow
into a pool within the Temple. At Nemi, in the Alban Hills, Diana was worshipped in
many forms. At the new moon She was the chaste Huntress and the crescent moon was
her bow. In this aspect She was seen as the eternal virgin, free from the need for
men. At the time of the full moon, Diana was the Enchantress, the Queen of Magic. At
the dark of the moon Diana was vengeful, secretive, and somewhat dangerous. As the
chaste, Her name was pronounced Dye-anna. As the Queen it was pronounced Dea-nah,
and at dark of moon it was pronounced Dee-anna. These are essentially the same
aspects commonly referred to as Maiden, Mother, Crone.
Another term for Rex Nemorensis, was the Hooded One. It is interesting,
because a cult formed in the Groves of Nemi around this theme, and was comprised of
outlaws and runaway slaves from Rome.
There is a similarity between this mythos, and the Robin Hood legend. Especially
when you consider that runaway slaves and outlaws from Rome gathered in the forests
of Nemi. The Hooded One was a title for the representative of the God (usually
referred to as Kern). This person was the cult leader, and held the title of either
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the Hooded One, or Rex Nemorensis. The major difference probably lies in the fact
that the Hooded One could be either a male or a female. But Rex Nemorensis was
always a male. Legend says that the Hood helped to conceal the gender. The outlaws
of the Forest in Nemi were more of a religious cult, and lived more off than the
land, than off the rich (although an occasional ambush here or there was not out of
the question).
----------
DIANA AND DIANUS
The most common names found associated with The Old Religion, in Italy, are
Diana & Dianus. Dianus is the nature god, associated with the woods, herds,
fertility, and so on. He was present in the rites of Diana at the sacred grove of
Nemi. He is also known as verbius, and is linked to the title Rex Nemorensis. Oaks
were sacred to Dianus, which were present in the groves at Nemi. It seems likely
that, in time, he was also associated with the god Janus. Janus was a god of
doorways/portals (and of beginnings in general). In this aspect, Janus was a
guardian who kept non-initiates away from the Mystery Traditions. He carried a whip
and a rod, which could usher in, or drive away. Dianus, as the guardian Rex
Nemorensis, is easily linked to Janus, in this aspect. In the Aridian Tradition,
Diana and Dianus would be two parts of the Divine One Great Spirit. Usually, Dianus
is visualized as a stag god, or a man with antlers. He can also be associated with
the forest god, known as Kern (no, Kern, not Herne ...different land, similar
story).
Dianus is the consort of Diana, even in Her chaste aspect. Here they are
more like brother and sister. In other aspects they are lovers, and so on.
Historical references to the cult of Diana and Dianus (other than Classical Age)
appear as early as the 4th Century A.D.
Jana is one of the names we Aridians use for the Goddess (the others are
Tana & Fana). The Goddess Jana is the Moon Goddess of the Janarric Clan. In Naples,
the term Janarra was once used as the word for witch (instead of Strega). The
Janarra are the keepers of the Lunar mysteries, in the Triad Traditions. Sometimes
they are called the Sea Witches, because they once practiced along the coastal
regions, and near the Bay of Naples.
In Italy there are three Clans, known as the Triad. THe first is called the
Fanarra, second is the Janarra, and third is the Tanarra. The Fanarra are the
"keepers of the earth mysteries", the Janarra are "keepers of the Lunar mysteries",
and the Tanarra are the "keepers of the stellar mysteries". Originally they were one
Clan, comprised of the covens which Aradia had established in the 14th Century. When
the Inquisition began murdering witches, the Clan split up into their respective
mystery traditions, in order to preserve at least one of the old Mystery Teachings.
As the Fates would have it, however, all three survived. The Aridian Tradition is a
rejoining of the three, back into the original state (as practiced in the time of
Aradia). Each leader of a Clan, has a working knowledge of the two other Clans. Each
Clan has a different aspect of Deity, for their Focus.
Fanus is the basic earth connection of the God. He is lord of the mysteries
of the earth. He is primal, and one of the first awakenings of Divine Consciousness
(in the Physical Plane). Janus is the awakening of the Divine Consciousness to the
Solar System (if you will). He is the connection to the Sun and other planetary
influences. Tanus is the awakening of Divine Consciousness to the Universe. He is
the connection to higher Divinity, to the Source of All Things. So, actually they
are the same Deity, but seen in various aspects (more properly, they are symbols of
the stages through which Human Understanding has marked its contact with Divinity).
Dianus is Fanus in a higher aspect. Fanus is more like Pan, while Dianus is more
like Kern (stag horned god of the forests of Nemi). The double faces of
Janus symbolize (among other things) the stage of a God who is between its base
earth aspect, and its higher Divine aspect. These gods may also be thought of as the
stages of Child, Adolescent, and Adult (although I would never say that to their
face...nor neither face of Janus). Another illustration might help: Fanus is seen
with animal horns, while Janus is seen wearing a crown, and Tanus is visualized with
a blue flame forming a sort of "halo" around his head. Thus, you have the Nature
made (horns), Human made (crown), and Divine made (light)
concepts of Deity.
Just a bit of an extension from my first reply (and a bit less emotional I
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hope). Frazer was not presenting a "Tradition" or a "System". He was simply speaking
of the ancient practices and concepts of The Old Religion (and other things as
well). You asked about our differences and likenesses. We share the common knowledge
of Diana at Nemi, and some aspects of Her cult there. Rex Nemorensis is simply
another aspect of what was once practiced at Nemi. In my Tradition there is no
office of this title, and his legend is only one of the Mystery Teaching concepts,
which we have retained over time. Legend says that Aradia (the Holy Strega)
established a camp in the ruins of Diana's Temple, there at Nemi. I suppose that
might be considered a connection somehow. Actually, Aradia was a Tuscan Witch and
taught the Old Religion as a whole (not simply as practiced at Nemi). Frazer doesn't
go into much depth concerning the Witch Cult in Italy, so I don't know what else to
compare it to. I am NOT giving a history of my Tradition here, but my Tradition is a
part of what I am posting.
In Leland's book, Aradia is the Daughter of Diana & Lucifer. In the mythos
of the Aridian Tradition, Aradia is quite human (and is not the actual "daughter" of
Diana). Now, Diana does have three aspects, just as Dianus has. She is Fana,
Jana, and Tana just as he is Fanus, Janus, and Tanus. How this all came about, goes
back to the Coven which Aradia had founded in the 14th Century . In time as this
coven divided and established other covens, the Inquisition arose (by the way, in
Italian the word for coven is boschetto - pronounced boss-kett-oh - and means a
grove). Hoping to keep the mysteries alive, they established three Clans. Each Clan
was a "Keeper" of one of the mystery traditions. These were the Earth, Lunar, and
Stellar Mysteries. Each Clan then named the Deities in accordance with their mystery
system. That is how Diana and Dianus came to be known by these many names. It is
customary in some Traditions/Systems to have an "inner court" name for the God &
Goddess. A name not known to any non-initiates. So, some groups will chose (or
create) a secret name, which only they will use when addressing Deity.
For those who both believe, and do not believe, in the antiquity/survival of
The Old Religion, I offer the following: In 30 B.C., the Roman Poet Horace wrote his
work called the Epodes of Horace. In part, they deal with a dialogue between he and
an Italian witch named Canidia. In Epode 5, he associates Diana & Proserpina with
witches in a mystery Cult. In Epode 17, he names these goddesses as patron goddesses
of Witchcraft, and states that witches use a book called Libros Carminum, by which
they "call down the moon" and make philtres and evoke spirits. Other Roman writers
of the period, support this basic theme in their writings (such as Lucan and Ovid).
From this we can conclude, that the association of witches with Diana, was generally
accepted in Italy (circa 30 B.C.). Bear in mind that this is being written about in
pre-Christian times, and not in the 1950's of Gerald Gardner. In note titled "The
Society of Diana", I will show that this cult continued on (in Historical
documentation) through the 19th Century.
EPODE 5 : "...Night and Diana, who command silence when
secret mysteries are performed, now aid me: now
turn your vengeance and influence against my
enemies' house..."
EPODE 17: (to canidia) "Now already I yield to your mighty
art, and suppliant beseech you by the realms of
Proserpine, and by the powers of Diana, not to
be provoked, and by your books of enchantments
that are able to call down the fixed stars from
heaven, Canidia, at length spare your magic
words, and turn backward your swift wheel..."
(Canidia replies)
"...must I, who can move waxen images and call
down the moon from the sky by my spells, who can
raise the vaporous dead, and mix a draught of love
lament the effect of my art, availing nothing upon
you ?"
----------
THE SOCIETY OF DIANA
The historical documentation which I present here, is drawn from the
research notes and books of, Professor Carlo Ginzburg (Professor of Italian
Renaissance Studies at Univ. of California in Los Angeles), Professor Ernesto de
Martino (Prof. of the History of Religions at Cagliari Univ., Italy), Professor
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Cardini (Prof. of History at the Univ. of Florence), and Julio Baroja
(Anthropologist)
In his book, The World of Witches, Julio Baroja writes of southern Europe
"There seems to have been a flourishing cult of Diana among European country people
in the 5th & 6th Centuries, and she was generally looked upon as a Goddess of the
woods and fields, except by those trying to root out the cult, who thought she was a
devil". In the authors notes, for chapter 4, he adds that the cult also worshipped a
male deity called Dianum. In 906 A.D., Regino of Prum wrote in his instructions to
the Bishops of the Kingdoms of Italy, concerning this cult. Here he states
"...they ride at night on certain beasts with Diana, goddess of the pagans, and a
great multitude of women, that they cover great distances in the silence of the
deepest night, that they obey the orders of the goddess...by speaking of their
visions (they) gain new followers for the Society of Diana..."
The following Chronology will demonstrate the continuation of this "Society
of Diana" up through the centuries to modern times.
1006 A.D. : 19th book of the Decretum (entitled Corrector)
associates the worship of Diana with the common
pagan folk.
1280 A.D. : Diocesan Council of Conserans associates the
Witch Cult with the worship of a Pagan Goddess
1310 A.D. : Council of Trier associates witches with the
goddess Diana (and Herodias)
1313 A.D. : Giovanni de Matociis writes in his Historiae
Imperiales, that many lay people believe in a
nocturnal society headed by a queen they call
Diana
1390 A.D. : A woman was tried by the Milanese Inquisition
for belonging to the "Society of Diana", she
confessed to worshipping the "goddess of Night"
and stated that "Diana" bestowed blessings on
her
1457 A.D. : 3 women tried in Bressanone, confess that they
belonged to the "Society of Diana" (as recorded
by Nicholas of Cusa).
1526 A.D. : Judge Paulus Grillandus writes of witches in the
town of Benevento who worship a goddess at the
site of an old walnut tree.
1576 A.D.: Bartolo Spina writes in his Quaestico de
Strigibus. listing info gathered from
confessions, that witches gather at night to
worship "Diana", and have dealings with night
spirits.
1647 A.D.: Peter Pipernus writes in his De Nuce Maga
Beneventana & De Effectibus Magicis, of a women
named Violanta who confessed to worshipping
Diana at the site of an old walnut tree in the
town of Benevento.
1749 A.D.: Girolamo Tartarotti associates the Witch Cult
with the ancient cult of Diana, in his book
Del Congresso Nottorno Delle Lammie.
1890 A.D.: Author Charles Leland associates the Witch Cult
with the goddess Diana, as a survival of the
ancient ways, in his book Etruscan Magic & Occult
Remedies.
1894 A.D.: Lady Vere de Vere, after investigating
witchcraft as it then existed in the Italian
Tyrol region, wrote an article in La Rivista of
Rome (June 1894) stating that "...the Community
of Italian Witches is regulated by laws,
traditions, and customs of the most secret kind,
possessing special recipes for sorcery."
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1895 A.D.: Professor Milani (Etruscan Scholar & Director of
Archaeological Museum in Florence) states that
various elements of ancient Etruscan occultism
have been "marvelously preserved"in the
"Italian Witch Tradition." Professor Milani
was familiar with the works of both Lady Vere
de Vere and Charles Leland.
This theme continues through various authors (T.C. Lethbridge, Carlo
Ginzburg, Doreen Valiente) into the 1900's and current era. Books written since
1950's are common enough and probably do not need listing here.
Source material for Chronology:
Ecstacies-deciphering the witches Sabbath
Night Battles-witchcraft and agrarian cults (by Ginzburg)
Etruscan Magic & Occult Remedies, Legends of Florence,
Aradia; gospel of the witches (by Charles Leland).
The World of Witches, by Julio Baroja.
----------
A PRAYER TO DIANA
" Great Diana, Goddess, hear my words of adoration. Hear my voice when I speak your
praises. Hear my chanting as it rises upon the smoke of the incense I offer you. See
me when I reach up to you; when the Full Moon shines upon me give me your blessings.
Oh Diana, teach me your ancient mysteries, ancient rites of invocation which the
Holy Strega spoke of, for I believe the Strega's story: when she spoke of your
shining glory, when she told us to entreat you, told us when we seek for Knowledge
to seek and find you above all others. Give me wisdom, Diana, and bind my
oppressors. Grant me the Ancient Knowledge, and speak to my inner spirit, teaching
me all the Holy Mysteries. I believe your ancient promise, the promise to all the
ancient Clan, that we who seek your Holy Presence will receive of your Wisdom.
Diana, think yet even for a moment, upon one who calls upon your name".
I have always loved this old prayer. Once saw a very similar version of it
in a book called The Grimoire of Lady Sheba. Always wondered where she came by it.
Her version is more poetic, and has all the nice "Thee" and "Thou" stuff. I like
both versions, because of the mention of The Holy Strega (but I am partial to my
Family one).
----------
FROM: HELEN TYLER
My compliments & thanks to you for your posts on the Old Ways, Raven. I am a
Solitary practitioner of the Hereditary/Traditional Way & started on the Path in the
30's at my Grandmother's knee (turned 66 last week & am still on the Path - learning
more & more every day!). Since you mentioned Lady Sheba's Prayer in your post,
thought everyone might like to see it. She does not mention her source, then again,
she does not give the source on many of her writings.
Prayer to Diana
O My Goddess, Diana, hear my song of adoration. Hear my voice when I sing
Thy praises. Hear my songs as they rise heavenward, when the Full Moon, brightly
shining, fills the heavens with Thy beauty. O my beautiful Moon Goddess, hear me as
I stand before Thee. See me when I reach toward heaven, when my arms reach upward
toward Thee. When the Full Moon shines upon me, give me Thy blessings, O Diana.
Teach me of Thine ancient mysteries, ancient rites of invocation that the Holy
Strega spoke of, for I believe the Strega's story: when she spoke of Thy shining
glory, when she told us to entreat Thee, told us when we seek for knowledge to seek
and find Thee above all others. Give us wisdom, O Diana: how to bind our oppressors,
how to cure the sick among us. Teach me, O Diana. Give me Thy blessings, O Great
Moon Goddess. Shield me from my oppressors. Receive me as your daughter, Diana.
Receive me, though I am earth-bound. Grant me ancient Wiccan knowledge. When my body
lies resting nightly, speak unto my inner spirit; teach me all Thy holy mysteries. I
believe Thine ancient promise, Thy promise unto the ancient Wicca that we who seek
Thy holy presence will receive Thy Wisdom. Now the Full Moon shines upon me. Hear
me! I stand before Thee! Grant me wisdom! O Diana! Shield me from my oppressors!
Teach me Thine holy mysteries! I sing Thy praises unto the heavens. Let Thy glory
shine about me. Bless us, O gracious Queen of Heaven. Descend Thou among us; Descend
and conquer, Gracious Goddess.
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Taken from The Witches Workbook: The Magick Grimoire of Lady Sheba, by
Jessie Wicker Bell, pub. Kensington Pub. Co., 1975
----------
THE LEGEND OF ARADIA
In 1508 A.D. the Italian Inquisitor Bernardo Rategno (having studied witch
trial records preserved in the archives of the Inquisition at Como) wrote a text
called the Tractatus de Strigibus. In this text he states that the " witches sect"
had begun to expand 150 years earlier. This would place the "expansion" about 1350
(14th Century Italy). What caused this to happen ? Well, the answer may be found in
the old legend called The Legend of the Beautiful Pilgrim. This legend can be found
in
author Charles Leland's notes for his book: Aradia, gospel of the
witches.
According to this story, there once was a young woman from the town of
Volterra who "travelled far and wide, teaching and preaching the religion of old
times, the religion of Diana, the Queen of the Fairies and of the Moon, the Goddess
of the poor and the oppressed". Leland goes on to say "And the fame of her wisdom
and beauty went forth over all the land, and people worshipped her, calling her La
Bella Pellegrina (the Beautiful Pilgrim). In the Aridian Tradition we refer to
Aradia as The Holy Strega (pronounced Stray-gah, meaning witch) and we honor her
memory. We do not worship her.
According to our teachings, Aradia formed covens (called groves) in central
Italy during the 14th Century. She taught the Old Religion of Nature, and of Magic,
but above all she taught a Spirituality. Beyond this she gave hope to peasants whose
lives were made miserable, in service to the wealthy class. She taught them personal
power, and personal value, in an Age when the Church taught shame and sin, and
servitude. Aradia returned their beautiful pagan heritage to them, a heritage which
was preserved in secret by courageous Priests and Priestesses of The Old Religion.
Aradia taught harmony with Nature, and directed her followers to merge with Nature
through seasonal rites, and ritual observation of the Full Moon (times of planetary
power).
Charles Leland's version of Aradia, is not the original version. It has
little to do with the Aradia I have addressed here. His work is a Christianized view
of Aradia, and does not reflect the beliefs, or practices, of Hereditary Italian
Witches. So, if you chose to read his book, bear in mind that he and I are NOT
speaking of the same Aradia. His account of the Legend given here, is the only thing
I can agree with in his book. The rest of his book does not show Aradia in a
positive light.
----------
THE GIFTS OF ARADIA
In the 14th Century, Aradia taught that certain powers could be obtained
through following The Old Religion. Aradia called them "gifts" because she stressed
that these powers were side benefits of adhering to the Old Ways, and not the reason
for becoming a witch. These gifts are commonly referred to, today, as the
traditional powers of Witchcraft.
1. To bring success in matters of love
2. To bless and consecrate
3. To speak with spirits
4. To know of Hidden Things
5. To call forth spirits
6. To know Secret Signs
7. To possess the Knowledge of changing forms
8. To possess the Knowledge of Divination
9. To know secret signs
10. To cure disease
11. To bring forth beauty
12. To have influence over wild beasts
13. To know the secrets of the hands
Aradia taught that a witch must observe the Seasonal Rites and the time of
the Full Moon, in order to keep these powers.
----------
THE BEAUTIFUL PILGRIM
In 1508 A.D., the Italian Inquisitor Bernardo Rategno (having studied witch
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trial records preserved in the archives of the Inquisition at Como) wrote a text
called the Tractatus de Strigibus. In this text he states that the "witches sect"
had begun to expand rapidly 150 years earlier. This would place the "expansion" in
the mid 1300's. What caused this to happen ? The answer may lay hidden in the Legend
of La Bella Pellegrina (the beautiful Pilgrim). This legend appears in Charles
Leland's research material (1887), and was even then considered a very old legend.
According to this story, there was a young woman from the town of Volterra, who
"travelled far and wide, teaching and preaching the religion of old times, the
religion of Diana, the Queen of the Fairies and of the Moon, Goddess of the poor and
the oppressed". Leland goes on to say "and the fame of her wisdom and beauty went
forth over all the land, and people worshipped her, calling her The Beautiful
Pilgrim". This legend appears in his book ARADIA, GOSPEL OF THE WITCHES. The book
itself is not really very good, but does contain some interesting bits of Lore. In
my Tradition we do have the legend of Aradia, but she differs from the Aradia
presented in Leland's book (not from this legend, but from his portrayal of her
character). In my Tradition, Aradia was a great teacher who brought about a
"revival" of The Old Religion, in 14th Century Italy. We honor her memory, but we do
not worship her. We call her The Holy Strega . Strega (pronounced stray-gah) is the
Italian word for Witch. Aradia taught that certain "powers" would be gained through
the practice of The Old Religion, if one was truly dedicated. These are the
"traditional" powers of which she spoke:
To bring success in love
to bless and consecrate
to speak with spirits
to know of hidden things
to call forth spirits
to know the voice of the wind
to possess the knowledge of changing forms
to possess the knowledge of divination
to know secret signs
to cure disease
to bring forth beauty
to have influence over wild beasts
to know the secrets of the hand
In my tradition it is that taught we are descended from those covens which Aradia
established in the 14th Century.
----------
CELEBRATIONS OF THE YEAR
In Italy, witches do not use the word Sabbat for their seasonal rites. The
Italian word is Treguenda (pronounced tray-gwen-dah) and is similar in meaning to
Sabbat. Webster's dictionary lists Sabbat as old French for Sabbath (old English as
well). The word Sabbatical is shown to mean "of or suited to the Sabbath" and "a
period of rest that occurs in regular cycles". The word Treguenda has as its root
the word Tregua, which means "a respite, or a truce". It is interesting to note that
"Tregua" (tray-gwah) is also slang for the Full Moon Ceremony. The actual word for
the Full Moon Ceremony is Veglione (pronounced Vay-yoe-nay), and literally means to
dance all night. Veglione is also the name of a popular folk dance in Italy.
In early times the followers of The Old Religion were farmers and craftsmen.
Their lives were largely spent in toil. Their Religion provided times in which they
could set aside their work, and enjoy a social and spiritual celebration. These
Festivals were indeed "respites" or "periods of rest occurring in regular cycles".
In The Aridian Tradition there are 8 Treguendas, four major and four minor.
The major rites occur in October, February, May and August. These are the Spiritual
Festivals which are considered of greater importance. The minor festivals occur on
the Spring & Autumn Equinox, and on the Summer & Winter Solstice. These are the
Earth Festivals, and are seasonal/agricultural in nature. The Mythos of the Old
Religion runs through each of these Celebrations. They are named as follows:
Shadowfest (La Festa dell' Ombra)
Winter Solstice (La Festa dell' Inverno)
Lupercus (Festa di Lupercus)
Spring Equinox (Equinozio della Primavera)
Tana's Day (La giornata di Tana)
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Summer Solstice (La Festa dell' Estate)
Cornucopia (La Festa di Cornucopia)
Autumn Equinox (Equinozio di Autunno)
A common term for the 8 rites is the "Wheel". It is thought of as a
Spinning-wheel, turning and weaving the patterns of Life. On the physical level it
is symbolic of the changing seasons. On the spiritual level it is symbolic of the
"seasons of the soul". The Mythos which is an integral part of each rite, symbolizes
the Journey of the Soul through a variety of Existences. In the Mystery Teachings of
the Wheel, we discover that we are the
characters in the Myth. Everything is symbolic within each myth, and represents
various aspects of the encounters facing a soul as it passes from life to life.
Through a study of the Mythos, and routine participation in each Treguenda, one can
gain spiritual enlightenment.
The mythos within the Full Moon Ceremony, weaves its way through each
Treguenda, and completes the spiritual vision. It is interesting to note that the
ancient teachings connect the light of the Moon, to passages and reincarnations of
the Soul.
FROM: MINNIE BAXTER
Merry Meet Raven,To make sure we are talking or thinking about the same
thing let me give you some information:
Aradia (Strega Witch) was born in Volterra, Italy, on August 13, 1313. In
her early teens (10-12 yrs.) she moved with her parents to the Alban hills near the
lake now known as Nemi. This region not far from Rome. She experienced something in
the unexplained area, a mystery to herself. This was the beginning of her promoting
the old religion that was taught to her by her aunt.
On the subject of her "mystery". A voice using telepathy spoke to her
telling her to look upwards. She gazed upwards and saw the skies began to darken
(for there was a Moon Shadow) and she understood. This changed how she perceived
life. Is this the clan of people you are saying is your relatives? If so lets talk
about "The Moon Shadow" she saw in the sky. Are you Raven under the direction of the
council of the Third Clan?
The titles of the books which I have written are: (listed only because
someone asked)
The Book of Ways (Volumes 1 & 2) 1981 & 1982

The Book of the Holy Strega 1981
The Teachings of the Holy Strega (1991 reprint, new Intro)
Whispers, teachings of the Old Religion of Italy 1991
I have also just completed a booklet titled : The Aridian System, an

introduction to Italian Witchcraft.
These are the only books available at this time, on the Aridian Tradition. I
am currently writing a book of rituals and magic, which I will be submitting to a
couple of Publishers soon.
We use some Latin, as preserved from the earlier material. Most of the
invocations are done in Italian, but we speak English for the majority of the ritual
gathering. We also have another language from the oldest material, it does not have
a name, but we refer to it as "the tongue of the Moon". Most likely related to
ancient Etruscan, and may have a connection to Enochian as well. It only appears in
a few of the old rituals. Mine is the only book in the Family which contains English
(My mothers was mostly Italian, Latin and Tongue of the Moon).
You asked about having to be of Italian blood, to best work this System. I
do not require it, but the old family members do have a hangup about "being of the
blood". I have initiated many non-Italians, and they do quite well in the System. I
think that magically speaking, practicing a System to which you have genetic roots,
does bring about a stronger current response. But that is simply my experience, and
may not be true for everyone. So my answer is no, you do not need to be Italian in
the Aridian System.
Also forgot to reply to your question about being related to those early
clans. The answer is yes (at least that's what the family lore has to say). I come
from a very old line of witches in the Naples area of Italy. We trace our Tradition
back to the 14th Century where it connects with the Alban Hills region of Nemi
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(being descended from those covens which The Holy Strega founded at that time). She,
herself, was a Tuscan witch and taught her Tradition which went back to
pre-Christian times. So, in that respect, I say that my ancestors invented the
worship of Diana at Nemi.
Yes, my friend, I am the Raven to whom you refer. You have obviously read
(or heard of) one of my books. Perhaps you have read "The Book of the Holy Strega",
or "The teachings of the Holy Strega".
You asked about the "Moon Shadow" mentioned in my book. Well, there are two
opinions of what may have happened there. One is that a Solar eclipse had taken
place, another that something of an inner experience had manifested. No one in any
of the Triad Clans can say for sure. Whatever happened, Aradia took it as a divine
sign for the mission she then undertook. Hereditary witches (at least of my family
line in Italy) have kept a written book. Many Hereditary Clans were connected to
Nobility during the Middle Ages. This gave them not only sanctuary, but education in
reading and writing. Many Italian Courts of Royalty kept astrologers and local
wisemen/ wisewomen. The persecution of witches in Italy began about 100 years later
than anywhere else in Europe, and was almost entirely focused on organized group
practices. The local village witch was usually tolerated because of his/her healing
abilities, and so forth. My family line goes back five generations to the Tavani
Family, who were Nobility of the Kingdom of Naples. According to our Elders, early
witches kept a runic script on animal hide. In time this evolved to parchment, and
so on. The runic script still survives, but has been replaced by the common arabic
alphabet (at least in the case of non-magical info).
----------
SEA SPELLS
Witches have long used the powers and forces within the sea, for the purpose
of magic. The Sea is so deeply connected to the cycles of the Moon, that the aspect
of Sea Magic cannot be overlooked. Janarric witches, in the central coastal region
of Italy, long ago devised a system of symbols which they used in the casting of
spells. These symbols were placed upon sea shells, in a circular manner around the
edge of the shell. The shell was then set near the water, at the appropriate Tide
(lunar phase), so that the Sea Powers would receive the spell, and grant it success.
Many times, offerings were left upon the shore, for the deities, to invoke
Their favor. These offerings included white flowers, pearls, white pebbles, etc. I
cannot reproduce the old symbols here, but any symbolic symbol which reflects your
wish should work:
The Spell of the Shell
To perform this spell, you must find a suitable shell in shallow water. Take
the shell and dry it thoroughly. Next, place a symbol of your desire upon the
surface of the shell. The symbol must be made with a substance which will easily
wash off in water. Then, place the shell upon the shore, so that the Tide will bring
waves across the shell. Take care to note the phase of the Moon (waxing moon for the
gain of something, waning for the dissolving of something). When the shell is in
place, draw a triangle in the sand, enclosing the shell completely. The symbol upon
the shell must be facing upwards (toward the Moon). Meaningful words, or phrases,
may be placed upon the shell also, or simply written in the sand (inside the
triangle).
Finally, give the words of enchantment: (toward the moon)
"Goddess of Moon, Earth, and the Sea,
each wish in Thy name must come to be.
Powers and Forces which Tides do make,
now summon Thy waves, my spell to take "
Leave the area now, and the spell is set. Once the waves come, then your
wish will be taken out to the Old Ones. It will usually take about 7 days for a
Lunar spell to begin to manifest, but can take as long as 28 days.
This type of magic is what we call "little works", and belongs to the
folkmagic level of Witchcraft. There are, of course, much more involved spells, and
such. But, I do love the simplistic beauty of a spell like this.
The Spell of the Arrow
This is a very old spell, which incorporates symbols which are placed along
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the shaft of an arrow. Traditionally this was performed on the shore of a lake, or
other calm body of water (such as a Bay). It was necessary to be able to see the
"path of the Moon" in the water. This "path" is the reflection of the moon,
stretched along the surface of the water.
To perform this spell, you must take a new arrow and place the symbols of
your wish/desire along its shaft. Meaningful words or phrases may also be added.
When the Moon is full, go to the shore, and face the water. Fix the arrow into your
bow and gaze out upon the path of light (which leads to the Moon).
Next, speak the words of enchantment, then release the arrow:
"Where path of Light, to Moon I see,
the powers of the Queen shall be !
Shaft of wood, as shaft of light,
earth to moon, does now give flight !"
The arrow can either be shot out into the path on the water, or upward
towards the Moon. The arrow was sacred to Diana, and was considered to carry special
powers and blessings, in this type of spell. This is a folkmagic level spell, and
speaks of the early Pagan simplicity concerning magic (more of the Shaman roots). My
mother used to say that a ceremonial magician must prepare for magic, and wait upon
the proper time and setting. But a witch can pick up a twig, anywhere, anytime, and
work a spell of magic.
I thought that I would add a couple more basic sea spells, since I still
have some room on this post.
1. To gain favor with the Goddess, form your name with white petals upon the shore,
so that the tide will carry them out. This is a very old part of the Janarric
Initiation ceremony, which ends with the new Initiate performing this, so that
he/she is "introduced" to the God & Goddess, through the naming spell.
2. To break an "evil" spell (or cure an affliction) form 3 connecting towers out of
wet sand, near the shore of the sea. Take 3 dark shells (or spotted shells) and
place a symbol of the thing you wish removed, on each. Use a substance which will
wash away in the water. Place one of the shells upon the top of each tower. Then
simply sit, and focus on the towers as the waves come and break them down. In your
mind, see the power of the sea destroying the thing which you desire to remove.
Well, that should give you a basic idea of the Old Ways of Sea Magic, among
the Italian Witches of the Coastal Regions.
----------
OF THE FULL MOON RITUAL
The old teachings tell us that the light of the full moon carries an astral
substance, which effects our Inner Being (including emotions, rhythms, and
subconscious activity). The Full Moon represents the presence of The Goddess, and in
ancient times was considered the Goddess Herself. The Holy Strega taught (during the
14th Century) that participation in the Full Moon ritual, brought the people into a
concentrated flow of this energy. This saturation of Lunar Emanation could then be
directed, allowing it to provide raw energy for magical purposes, along with a
personal empowerment which could increase physic (and magical) abilities.
In the Aridian Tradition, our ritual is designed to collect and concentrate
these energies, in the ways which The Holy Strega taught. It is also a time for the
worship of Deity. This is usually a combination of chants, songs, and offerings. The
ritual also includes a time in which the initiates are directed on an astral
journey, through which the old teachings are experienced. Up to 3 works of magic can
be performed during the rite, and this can be for the Community at large, or simply
for individuals. The ritual concludes with a remembrance of Aradia (a "toast" in her
honor) and the celebration of "cakes and wine".
Much of the old ways of our Tradition have been handed down from the time of
The Holy Strega. She left a teaching which came to be called "The Charge". Even in
the Public Domain, such writers as Charles Leland (1890's) and Doreen Valiente
(1950's & 60's) recorded elements of this very old teaching.
The Charge
"Whenever you have need of anything, once in the month, when the moon is
full, gather then in secret and give worship to She who is the Queen of all witches.
Gather into the sacred circle, and secrets that are as yet unknown shall be revealed
to you. And you shall be free in mind, body, and spirit. And as a sign that you are
truly free, you shall be naked in your rites. Then shall you sing, dance, feast, and
make music and love. For such pleasures are the rituals of the Goddess. Be true to
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your beliefs, and keep to the Old Ways beyond all obstacles. For our Ways are the
keys to the Mysteries, and the Essence of the Cycles of Return. In life does the
Queen of all witches reveal the knowledge of the Spirit. And from Death does She
deliver you unto Peace, and renew you once again. In memory of me, shall you eat
cakes of grain, wine, salt, and honey. These shall you shape like the Moon. Then
shall you bless them in my name, and partake of them within your sacred gatherings.
For I am the Spirit of all Witches. Unto all who observe the appointed times, will
the Queen of Heaven give power. And you shall know success in love, and have power
to bless and to consecrate. And you shall know the tongue of the spirits, obtain
knowledge of things which are hidden, and call forth spirits from the Mist. You
shall know the Voice of the Wind, and the knowledge of changing forms. To you shall
secret signs be revealed, and you shall possess power to heal. Wild beasts shall
know you, and cause you no harm. As it was in the Time of our beginning, so is it
now, so shall it be".
This is taken from the Book of the Holy Strega. Portions of it were written
into Charles Leland's works (1894) and a version of it was written by Doreen
Valiente (1950's-60's), based on the works of Leland's study of Italian Witchcraft.
Aradia (not to be confused with Charles Leland's distorted version) was born
in Italy during the 14th Century and came to be a great Teacher (of The Old
Religion). She was responsible for the 14th Century "revival" of Witchcraft, as
noted by the Italian Inquisitor Bernardo Rategno in his text TRACTATUS DE STRIGIBUS
(written in 1508 A.D.). Here he records that the "witches sect" had begun to expand
rapidly, some 150 years prior. Research material published in 1887 records an
interesting Legend, which we believe has preserved the story of Aradia :
There was once a young woman from the town of Volterrra who "travelled far
and wide, teaching and preaching the religion of old times, the religion of Diana,
the Queen of the Fairies and of the Moon, the Goddess of the poor and the
oppressed...and the fame of her wisdom and beauty went forth over all the land, and
people worshipped her, calling her La Bella Pellegrina (the beautiful Pilgrim)".
Aradia taught the old pre-Christian Religion of Nature worship, and magic. But above
all she taught a Spirituality. Beyond this, she gave hope to peasants whose lives
were made miserable in service to the Wealthy. She taught them personal power, and
personal value, in an Age when the Church taught them shame and sin, and servitude.
Aradia returned their pagan heritage to them, a heritage preserved in secret by
courageous Priests and Priestesses of The Old Religion.
Today, we call her The Holy Strega...
----------
CONCERNING NATURE
"Nature is the Great Teacher. In Her are all things revealed. Nature
reflects the Higher Ways of Spirit. The Creators established the Laws of Nature so
that through them we might come to know the Laws of the Great Ones. Therefore,
observe the ways of Nature around you, both great and small. Everything has purpose
and reason. Be not confused by its seeming cruelty, for there is a duality in all
things.
Respect Nature in all ways. Take only that which you must, from her, and
remember nothing may be taken except that something be given (in return). This is
the Law for all Witches.
Know that the wind speaks of the knowledge of the Earth, and the spirit of
the kindredness of all living things emanates from everywhere. Nature teaches all
living things, all that must be known. She teaches birds to make their nests, and
animals to hunt, and to survive. She teaches children to crawl, and to walk. She
teaches Life.
Once She taught all people of Her ways, but they chose to go their own way.
They chose to oppose Her, and to control Her. But for witches there can be no other
way than Nature. A witch must live in Harmony with the Forces of Nature".
(reprinted from The Book of the Holy Strega)
----------
CONCERNING THE GODDESS
The Goddess is the Life Force, in as much as She is the Fertility in all
things. It is through Her activity that we are born, and that seeds push up through
the earth, and grow into plants. She moves the God to create through His desire for
Her. The Goddess is the Joy of Life, She is the passion to live. Compassion, love,
gentleness, and kindness are the Essence of Her Spirit. All women carry the Goddess
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within, in various aspects and degrees.
Yet, there is a duality in all things, and the Goddess can manifest as
sterility, vengeance, and destruction. She is the Soul of Nature.
The Goddess rules the Night, and the Moon is Her sacred symbol. All women
are linked to Her through the Moon, which influences the flow of blood. The night is
the essence of the mystery which all women possess. This is the elusive quality
which all women bear, but can never be known, or touched upon. The desire of men for
women, is the desire of God for Goddess. It is the attraction of the Life Force.
The Goddess is known as the Queen of Heaven. She is clothed in the stars,
and wears the Moon as a Crown. She is the Earth Mother, clothed in green, and
endowed with large breasts which rise as rounded hills rise, beyond the lush green
meadows. She is pregnant with the Child of Life, which She bears each year. She is
the Virgin Maiden, naked and beautiful. She is youth and the lust for life. She is
the Enchantress, and Temptress. She is all women. The Goddess does not accept live
sacrifice, as was known in ancient times. She is the Goddess of Life, and all living
things. She demands respect for Life. If you give offerings in Her honor, then
better it be of fruits or grains, or things of
beauty (for these things pass life on).
The Goddess is the Queen of all witches, who She calls Her Hidden Children.
We are Her servants, She is not ours. She gives us Life and receives us in the
Afterworld. She teaches us the ways of Nature, and Spirit. She gives us power and
magic. She reveals all mysteries, and gives light to the darkness. And to the Wise,
She imparts Her sacred name.
----------
CONCERNING THE GOD
The God is known as the stern and demanding aspect of Divinity. Yet this is
only an aspect of His Nature. He is perceived as the Death Force, which Transforms.
He is Lord of the Afterworld, who restores and renews the soul, which is prepared
for a new life. This is performed through the union of the God and Goddess.
Yet, there is a duality in all things, and the God is also Vitality and
Strength. He is the Sun, the Lord of Light. He can give Life or Death, through His
activity. The God is the desire to create, dwelling in that state prior to creation.
Through the attraction of the Goddess, He is moved to create.
He is Lord of the Heavens, clothed in the Sun, and bearing a golden rod. He
is Lord of the earth, horned like a stag, and powerful. He is the Lord of the
Afterworld, dark and lonely, stern, and Just. For His are the two faces of Janus.
Through Him is order established and discipline mastered. He is the inner strength
of the individual. He is the essence of strength and defense.
Yet, He is also the warrior, and the destroyer. He is Power and Will. All
men bear His essence, in various aspects and degrees. He is all men.
There is a side of the God, which can be seen by those who desire to love
Him. It is a gentleness, a compassion, and an understanding. This comes from His
awareness of His Strength and Power. His compassion is born of His understanding of
Justice. His nobility can be seen in the soaring of a hawk, or in the beauty of a
great Stag keeping watch over his herd.
The God is sexual desire and virility within the male. He is attraction,
sensuality, and sexuality. He is physical nature, just as the Goddess is spiritual
nature.
In death, He is the comforter, and the renewer. He is the Great Initiator,
and Teacher. He rules the Afterworld, and dispels the darkness with His presence. He
is the illuminator, and reveals all that is hidden. He scatters all falsehoods, and
establishes Truth.
----------
THE LASA AND THE LARE

In the Aridian Tradition, the Lasa are an Elven or Fay Race. They are the
spirits of The Old Religion. The Lare (lar-ray) are the spirits of the Witch Clan (a
type of ancestral spirit). I would not say that the Lare represent the next level
for the Human Soul, but it is possible that one may serve as a Lare (for a time)
following the Death experience. According to the Teachings, when our physical bodies
die, our soul dwells in the Realm of Luna, while preparing for the next life. During
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this time, it is possible that the soul may serve the needs of those
souls still dwelling upon the Earth, as one of the Lare.
The Teachings tell us that our soul will either be prepared for another
physical body, or for a body of Light, depending upon our evolution as a spiritual
Being. There are four possible bodies, in which the Soul may exist. The Physical,
Lunar, Solar, and Stellar. Each represents a stage of advancement, and corresponds
to one of the Four Worlds, which comprise Existence (as we understand it).
It is a bit complicated to go into here, but the Lasa are connected to the
Witch Clan, and many witches were once of the Lasa Race, prior to being born Human.
This is where the "Fairy Godmother" concept originated. It is a remnant of the old
teaching, in which the Witch Clans are related to the old Fay Race, and have contact
with them through a Fay Guardian (or Fairy Godmother). This is why many witches are
born into Witch Clans, with their psychic abilities already functioning (makes
training a great deal easier).
----------
PRESERVATION OF THE OLD WAYS
It is one of our Laws, within the Aridian Tradition, that nothing may ever
be deleted from any ritual or oral teaching. Material may be added to a ritual, or
an oral teaching may be expanded, but nothing of the original may ever be removed.
Because situations change with time, the Laws do allow us to add and adapt, as needs
be. When looking over the material, it is easy to see the different Time Periods,
and needs of the people, reflected in the rituals and Teachings.
Therefore, when you look at the Aridian Material, you will see things which
reflect the days of hunting, and the days of planting & harvesting. Everything from
Hunting Magic, to blessing seeds and fields, still exist in our ritual material.
This current Era we live in, will leave information regarding Aids and other
concerns of our People, imprinted upon our rituals, down to the Generations which
will follow us. Each addition is marked with a symbol, so that it is clear what was
added, so that a History of the adaptations may be discerned.
Because we believe in a living connection with our ancestors, we still
perform those aspects of the rituals, which may seem out of place to us. Many of us
no longer Hunt or plow fields for planting, or copulate in the fresh furrows to
encourage an abundant crop. But these rites are still preserved, and we adapt them
to our modern needs. For despite our so-called progress as a Race, our basic needs
are still the same: Food, Shelter, Safety, Sex, Family, Love, and Purpose.
So, the ritual for an abundant crop is performed for the abundance which our
own labors may bring. Fertility rites are performed for our own Family needs, and to
return the Essence of Fertility back into a dying World. Because our World is so
overcrowded, many Systems feel that Fertility Rites are obsolete. What they do not
understand is that it was part of the ancient rites to help "empower" the soil and
the plant & animal Life with the condensed energy of Fertility raised within a
Circle of Magic. The personal fertility of the Clan, was secondary. Unfortunately,
many modern groups have removed all of the sexual energy producing aspects from the
rituals, and replaced them with
symbolic gestures. While this may appeal to the intellect, and ease personal sexual
inhibitions, it does not serve Nature. Because of Judaic-Christian condemnations,
many modern groups have abandoned the old Ways of the Nature Religion, and profess a
non-sexuality regarding this ancient Fertility Cult. In the Aridian Tradition we do
not apologize for preserving our Heritage, and we are proud of the differences
between us and Judaic-Christian groups. We have adapted the sexual aspects, to our
modern society (and modern concerns regarding sexual issues) but they are still
quite plainly visible within the ritual material.
It is a challenge to preserve the old Traditions, and yet to adapt to modern
circumstances, without compromising the integrity of either.
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"COMMON CAUSE" WITH NATURE
My Mother is very Old World, having been raised in a small village near
Naples. When I was a child she used to tell me that our People have always performed
the Rites which cause the Sun and the Moon to return as they do, and the Seasons to
return each year. She used to say that if we were to stop, then the World would die.
But, she would add, there will always be at least one person, who will maintain the
Ways which give Life to our World. I do not know if she believed this literally, but
as an adult now, I truly understand what she was saying, on a metaphysical level.
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It is the purpose of our yearly rites, to give energy back into the World.
Just as soil is depleted by crop growing, and the fields must be rotated, so too is
the etheric substance depleted, which empowers the mechanism of "Lifegiving" on this
Planet of ours. For example, at the Summer Solstice, it is part of our ritual to
raise an energy field, and to "impregnate" it with a "formed thought". Once this
"cone of power" is formed, then it is released and directed into the "Bound Ether"
of our Community. The cone can be charged to disperse pollution in the air, or to
rid the "Community Atmosphere" of negativity (crimes, gangs, rapes, etc.) or to
replace lost fertility within the soil, and so on. In this way, we join in the dance
of Nature, and make Common Cause with Her efforts to maintain lifegiving energies.
Each of the eight rites of the year, serve a similar purpose, and contribute to that
which is appropriate at any giving Season of the year. The Full Moon rituals, are
likewise times of renewal. There is an occult property to Moonlight itself, and if
properly drawn, condensed, impregnated, and directed, it too can be used to give
Life back into the World. Another purpose for the Rite of the Full Moon is to
empower us, as witches. Moonlight can be
used to increase psychic ability, and to recharge the power centers of an
individual. It is from Moonlight, that we as witches, draw our power. Science is
beginning to catch up a bit now, with the ancient knowledge of Witches, and is
taking a look at the effects of the Moon upon us, and upon our World. Soon, I think,
Science will begin to see that the Occult Teachings of the Craft, are a Metaphysical
Science as valid as Physical Science.
The "bound ether" of our Planet is what Eastern Mystics call "Akasha"
(wherein you have the Akashic Records). There is also the microcosm of the bound
ether of a Community, such as a City or Village. It is the energy "atmosphere" which
is formed by the Collective Consciousness, of the people who live there. All places
possess this bound Ether, even Bars and Nightclubs, etc. You can "feel" it when you
enter in. It effects the people who come into contact with it, and over long periods
of time, can change the way they look at things. It is the bound ether of a place
which holds the images, which psychics can perceive about that place.
It is part of the work we do, as Witches, to cleanse this Ether of negative
thought-forms. Witches have always been the local healers, not only of the people
there, but also of the places themselves. Ritual Magic can change the "vibration" of
the bound ether, and thus change it's "feel", and thus it's effect.
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TOOLS & PARAPHERNALIA OF LA VECCHIA
The oldest tool of Italian Witchcraft is the Moon Bowl. This is a large
shell, used in conjunction with nine small shells, as a tool of Invocation. I have
spoken of this on other notes. The next tool to be used was the Wand, which we
associate with the element of air. This is because the branches of a tree stretch up
into the sky, and birds nest in them. The next tool after this was the pentacle. It
was originally an oval rock, thin and smooth, usually obtained from the coastline
where it had been reformed by the Ocean waves. Later this was made of clay, and
marked with a five pointed, upright, star. This tool represents earth, since it was
taken from the soil. Following this was the ritual dagger, which we call the Spirit
Blade. This dagger is associated with the element of fire, from which it's metal was
forged. Last in the line of the older tools, was the Chalice, which was originally a
gourd. This tool represents the element of water. From the time of the Middle Ages
came the more modern of the tools, which are the Spirit Bowl, and the Sword. The
spirit bowl actually evolved out of the Moon Bowl, and is used more frequently than
it's predecessor. It contains a liquid which burns a blue flame, and is used to
represent the presence of Deity within the Ritual Circle. The Sword is a tool of the
Guardian, but is sometimes used by the High Priest.
The proper ritual circle of the Aridian Tradition measures nine paces in all
directions, from the center of circle. Directly on the center point, the altar is
placed, and arranged in orientation to the North. We use a black altar cloth, and we
wear black hooded robes. Black is used for two reasons. On a Metaphysical level,
black absorbs light and therefore we draw light into ourselves, and retain it. The
second reason is that it is easier to hide at night when you are all in black.
During the time of the Inquisition, at the first sign of danger, witches would
extinguish all lights, pull up their hoods, draw their hands into the large sleeves
of their robes, and seemingly
"vanish" right before the eyes of the Christian spies.
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The Broomstick is rarely used in the Aridian Tradition, but does appear at
the "Handfasting" Ceremony, and certain rites of purification. It can also serve as
a symbol of the goddess, when turned upside down. This is done when there are too
few women to take up all of the ritual actors needed for the Ceremony. The Skull &
Cross bones are another ancient tool, rarely used now, but once symbolized the God,
in the same manner as the Broom was employed for the Goddess. These things remain
written in the ritual material in order to preserve our Heritage (nothing is
forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten). When you go back far enough into our History,
as a Race, you will find Human Sacrifice. This was replaced by Animal Sacrifice,
which itself was later replaced by Plant Sacrifice. However you wish to view
that, it is simply the story of the Human Race. Remnants of the Plant Sacrifice can
still be found in such things as the eating of Cakes, and drinking of Wine, at the
close of Ritual. The Slain God is still consumed as this sacred meal to this very
day. This is not unlike the Christian tradition of the Communion Wafer.
The written material of La Vecchia is recorded in a Book, which we call, THE
BOOK OF WAYS. It is divided into three sections: Ways, Calls, and Magic. "Ways"
contains all of the ritual instructions, laws, and Community Rites such as the
Blessings of a Child, Marriage Rite, Ceremony for the Dead, Rites of Initiation, and
so on. "Ways" also contains a record of our People, and the teachings concerning our
practices, as well as material concerning the Goddess and the God. "Calls" contains
all of the chants, invocations, hand gestures, ritual postures, face painting
designs of the Clan, and other "secret signs". "Magic" contains all of the spells,
works for Magic, herbal lore, magical correspondences, healing knowledge, potions,
recipes for oil and incense, and so forth.
Each initiate is required to copy from the Book of Ways, those portions
which pertain to her or his degree of Initiation. This is overseen by the Initiator,
because the Book of Ways is divided up into separate Degree Knowledge. In the First
Degree, a member will begin to acquire their ritual set of tools. The only things
which they receive at their initiation are a colored length of cord, symbolizing
their degree, a symbol representing their degree, and the mark of the Clan which is
painted upon their body.
Each degree has a different colored cord, which is linked to the Mythos of
the Clan. The cord itself, in part, is a remnant of the bonds which once held the
Sacrificial King, of the Slain God Mythos. Each degree also has a hand gesture of
identification. There is also a hand gesture which identifies you as a witch. These
come from the time of the Inquisition.
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RAMBLINGS ON THE ARIDIAN TRADITION
In the Aridian Tradition, we begin the new year with the ritual of
Shadowfest (Oct. 31). The calendar which we use today, is off by a few days from the
old calendar, so I am using the dates most commonly associated with the rites of
Treguenda. This is the time of Shadows, of beginnings lurking in the mists of
pro-creation. The wheel of the year starts here, and moves on through the remaining
seven Treguenda. We divide the year up into a period of "rule" by both the High
Priestess and the High Priest, who represent their respective Deity counterparts.
The High Priest "rules" from Oct. 31st until May 1st. Then he passes the "power" on
to the High Priestess who rules from May 1st until Oct. 31st. These periods we call
the "God Months" and the "Goddess Months". During the God Months we wear hooded
robes within the Circle. During the Goddess Months we are "naked in our rites". Each
of the Treguenda are marked by a Myth, which is acted out in ritual drama, during
the rite. At Shadowfest, the Legend of the Descent is performed. This is balanced at
the Spring Equinox, when the Legend of the Ascent is performed.
Our Full Moon Ceremonies are the same throughout the year, regardless of
whether it is a Goddess Month, or a God Month. The only difference would be the
wearing of a robe, or being nude (or Skyclad as Wiccans say), which IS determined by
the Season.
In the Aridian Tradition we perceive the Goddess and the God, to be equal
(yet different) aspects of the One Great Spirit. We believe in Harmony, and do not
exalt one above the other.
We have three stages, or degrees of learning. Each requires the mastery of
certain aspects of The Old Religion, and the copying of material from the Book of
Ways. We do not have the Wiccan "year and a day" aspect, but watch our initiates,
and judge when they are ready to advance. An initiate may come forward on their own,
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and request to be considered for advancement, and then will be tested to see if he
or she has met the conditions of advance-men. We have found that some people are
ready in a year, and others are not. But, each person is given an outline of what
they must do to complete their Degree. When this is accomplished, then we sit down
with them, and make a decision.
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THE BENANDANTI
There is an interesting book, written by an Italian Professor (Medieval
Italian History) named Carlo Ginzburg, the title of which is NIGHT BATTLES
(available in English). Based on official Inquisition archives from the 16th & 17th
centuries, this is a unique study of an isolated Italian peasant culture deeply
rooted in early European Fertility Cults. It deals with a group of witches who
called themselves the Benandanti (good walkers). On four ritual occasions of the
year, they battled with the Malandanti (evil walkers) in a conflict over the Crops.
This Cult was first discovered by the Church in 1575. At first the Benandanti
insisted that they went out in the service of Christ, but later admitted to being a
Witch Cult. One of the Inquisitors recorded the following "confession": " I am a
benandante because I go with the others to fight four times a year, that is during
the Ember Days, at night; I go invisibly in spirit and the body remains behind; we
go forth in the service of Christ, and the witches of the devil; we fight each
other, we with bundles of fennel and they with sorghum stalks...in the fighting that
we do, one time we fight over the wheat and all the other grains, another time over
livestock, and at other times over the vineyards. And so, on four occasions we fight
over all the fruits of the earth and for those things won by the Benandanti that
year there is abundance".
It is interesting to note the reference to astral travel and the protection
(behind the scenes) of the Crops and Livestock.
In Italy there was a split in the Witch Cult, shortly after the Inquisition
began. Most witches went "underground" but some decided to fight the Christians on
their own terms. They invoked the "Devil" of the Christians as a power which the
Christians seemed to fear. This was the origin of the Satanic Cult in Italy. This is
why many of the symbols, and tools, of Witchcraft and Satanism resemble each other.
Because the Church was becoming wealthy over owner of land, and many peasants were
serving as farming labor, the Malandanti chose this as their
battleground. The Benandanti fought to protect the Crops, which was the only way
peasants had of sustaining themselves.
If you're interested in this curious sub-cult of Italian Witchcraft, you
might want to check out Ginzburg's NIGHT BATTLES. He also has a book out now called
ECSTASIES, deciphering the witches sabbat. This is an indepth look at the
shamanistic roots of Italian Witchcraft. Remember though, that the record of these
things comes from the Inquisition, and you have to be able to look at what they are
saying, from a pagan's viewpoint (in other words, turn everything around, and delete
the references to the Devil).
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THE GOD & GODDESS
In the Aridian Tradition we have many goddesses and gods, but there is a
major God and Goddess, who are the central focus of the System. La Vecchia is a
lunar Cult, and as such it is only natural that the Goddess is divided up into four
aspects, one for each phase of the Moon. Thus we have the Chaste Maiden (new moon),
the Temptress/Enchantress (first quarter moon), the Mother (Full Moon) and the Crone
(last quarter moon). The Dianic Tradition did away with the Temptress aspect because
of it's association with men, and from this arose the Triad aspects of the Goddess,
common today among Wiccan Systems. The Temptress is simply that stage between Maiden
and Mother, in which a women becomes aware of her influence over men, and her
"power" to draw them into acts of pro-creation. Without the Temptress, there would
be no Mother. The God is also divided into aspects, of which there are three. He is
the Horned One, the Hooded One, and the Old One. These aspects actually preserve the
story of the evolution of The Old Religion, from the Hunter Gatherer Era into the
Agricultural Community Era. The Horned One is the Stag God of the Forest. He comes
from the time of the Hunter. The Hooded One is the Green Man (he who is
hooded-in-the-green). He comes from the time in which Humankind was learning to grow
crops, and
came to rely less and less upon wild beasts for food. The Hooded One eventually
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replaced the Horned One, as the symbol of the Slain God. Because he came after the
Stag God, we say that the Hooded One is the son of the Stag God. As Humans matured
in their spirituality, they eventually came to view the God in a more Human Image,
and thus emerged the Old One concept (Deity in Human Form).
The Stag God is the consort of the Temptress, for he is the base sexual
nature (among other things). In his domesticated form he is the goat (and from this
mythos, arose the Christian idea that witches copulated with goats) The Hooded One
is the Consort of the Mother, as he represents the seed, which is planted in the
Goddess, and he is the ripe pod, bearer of the seeds. The Old One is the consort of
the Crone (symbols of wisdom and maturity). The Chaste Maiden has no Consort (and
therefore IS Chaste).
This is an aspect of the Aridian Tradition which I did not intend to go
into, when I first decided to post notes. I usually speak of the Clan Aspects of the
Goddess: Fana, Jana, and Tana. And of the God as : Faunus, Janus, and Tanus. These
were the names which the Triad Clans had chosen as their respective God and Goddess
Images, within their Mystery Tradition (Earth, Lunar and Stellar). The names which
Aradia used in the 14th Century were Diana and Dianus. When the Clans were forced to
scatter during the time of the Inquisition, they chose these other names of the
Deities who were generally connected with the Mystery
Tradition which the respective Clan was seeking to preserve.
To further confuse you, it might be of interest to note that, in the Aridian
Tradition, the waxing Year is represented by the Stag God, and the Waning Year is
represented by the Wolf God. The Stag god is called Cern/Kern (no, not Herne,
different Land and different Mythos) and the Wolf God is called Lupercus.
When viewed as a whole, the Tradition appears to be more closely linked with
Etruscan influences, than with anything else. The Roman influence is clearly visible
as well. As to Greek influence, there is the classical myth of Orestes and
Iphigenia. According to this, Orestes fled Greece with his sister, after having been
accused of the murder of a provincial King. Iphigenia had been a Priestess of
Artemis/Diana, and together with Orestes established a Grove at Nemi Italy, in honor
of the Goddess. Since we know that myths generally contain a seed of truth, we must
consider a Greek contact, at the very least.
Aradia herself was a Tuscan witch, and brought the Tradition south with her,
to the Alban Hills region of Nemi. Whether she brought it "home" to Nemi, or
encountered a kindred Cult worship there, I suppose could make an interesting
debate. There is nothing in our Family Lore to suggest that it came from outside of
Italy, however. It seems to have always been the belief, in our Tradition, that our
roots are deeply Tuscan. Legend says that our Clans were once in central and
southern Italy as well, but had originally come from Northern Italy.
Essentially, from what my own research has brought to light, I feel that the
strongest current flows back to Etruscan times. For example, the oldest name of the
Goddess in our Tradition is Uni, and the oldest God name is Tagni. These are clearly
Etruscan names. Also, the Stag God and the Wolf God are central figures in the
Aridian Tradition and Etruscan vase paintings portray a Goddess holding up a Stag
and a Wolf, one in each hand. We believe this portrays part of our Mythos.
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TANA & TANUS
(reprinted from THE BOOK OF THE HOLY STREGA)
" Tana (Tah-nah) is the sacred name of the Great Goddess, She who is all
Goddesses. Upon the earth She is known as Fana, in the heavens She is Jana (the
Moon), and in the Universe She is Tana (containing all things). Lakes, hills,
streams and beaches are sacred places to Tana. Her sacred animals are dogs, owls,
and cats. Tana is all that is Feminine. She is total Beauty and Love. She is the
Divine Lover, Enchantress, Temptress, Mother, and Crone.
Tanus (Tah-nuss) is the Great God, who is all Gods. On the earth, he is
Fanus, in the heavens he is Janus (the sun) and in the Universe he is Tanus. All
mountains are sacred to Him. His sacred animals are horses, wolves, woodpeckers, and
ravens. Tanus is all that is masculine. He is Strength and Will. He is the power of
Fertility (shared with Tana) and the desire behind all of Creation.
Tana is the balance to Tanus, and He is the balance to her. Without Tana,
the God would be a judge without compassion. He would be stern without
understanding. He would control without loving.
Without Tanus, the Goddess would have compassion without direction,
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understanding without foundation, and love without form.
The God & Goddess complete each other, and together they are the Source of All
Things ".
These teachings, which appeared in The Book of the Holy Strega, are meant to
reflect the concept of Deity, as One Source (The Great Spirit) separated into
masculine and feminine polarities. Each aspect is then further broken down into base
qualities or aspects (appearing as lesser gods and goddesses). To the ancients it
made more sense to personify the concept of Deity into Beings, similar to Humans,
but greater in power, and immortal.
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HERBS OF ITALIAN WITCHCRAFT
Though there are many different herbs employed in the religious, and
magical, aspects of La Vecchia, there are a few which hold special importance. These
are the herbs called: Rue, Fennel, Pennyroyal, and Rosemary. There is an old Italian
Witch Charm, called the Cimaruta (meaning a sprig of rue) which was once worn as a
sign of membership in the Witch Cult. There is a picture of one in Doreen Valiente's
book (AN ABC OF WITCHCRAFT & PRESENT). Rue is so deeply connected to Witchlore, that
it appears in many different aspects of the Tradition. It is a healing plant, and a
magical plant. Rue bears yellow flowers in the shape of a pentagram, against a lush
green foliage. It is a
symbol of the God in the mythos/mysteries and appears in several of the Treguenda.
Fennel is a plant associated with protection. It's long stalks (up to six or seven
feet) were used as ritual staffs, at such rites as mid-summer, to "fight off" evil
and protect the Crops from spirits of destruction. In ritual drama, witches would
battle evil spirits in a war to ensure a bountiful crop. Pennyroyal has been used as
an herb of initiation, even in the early public Roman Tradition. It is one of the
ingredients in the oil of Initiation, used in the Aridian Tradition. Rosemary was
used in the early Marriage Rites, and also in the Rites for the Dead. It was
associated with Love and with Death. It is also used in an oil employed in Pastlife
Recall, as rosemary is also called the Herb of Memory. Please note that I am using
the word "was" to denote it's connection with the Past, and not to imply that those
associations are no longer practiced, because they are indeed.
Pennyroyal and sage are among your best choices for "purification of the
spirit", although in some Systems one might suggest Hyssop or Angelica. There are
several ways to employ pennyroyal and sage, for purification. Usually the setting is
smoked with a small bundle of sage, or you may simply drop some dried sage upon a
hot charcoal block. The pennyroyal can be used either as a tea, or some leaves can
be placed in a bowl of hot water, or added to a bath. It is also useful when drank
with wine. Herbs of the mint family are great herbs of purification, for the spirit.
Physical purification of the body, is best done with Comfrey and Sassafras
(avoid long term use of these herbs as a tea, as they can be hard on the liver and
other organs, if used often). There are many other good herbs which serve as tonics
and cleansers, and you may want to consult a good herbal book. I like A MODERN
HERBAL by Mrs. M. Grieve and MASTERING HERBALISM by Paul Huson.
If you want to try the pennyroyal and sage, then use them
together, that is, at the same setting. Use the sage as a smoke of purification
(just a few dry leaves at a time). The pennyroyal can be added to your bath, as you
sit in the hot water, and relax. In this case, you would use fresh leaves, cut up
into halves (six leaves for solar associations, nine leaves for lunar). Or you may
simply wish to add an extract of pennyroyal to some wine, in a ceremonial setting
(in which case you would add three drops). The System which you follow would, of
course, provide the manner in which you would proceed with the cleansing, in a
"religious" sense.
Herbs in Magic and Ritual
Today there are many books which will tell you that if you put a sprig of
this in your shoe, or a bag of that under your pillow, then such & such will happen.
This is what many popular authors will tell you is an herbal spell, but it is
actually folk magic/superstition (and much of it is nonsense). Herbs work in magic
and ritual for a variety of reasons, based upon Occult concepts or physical
properties.
Ancient witches started with the seed and worked with the plant as it grew.
The plant was established and raised as a type of "familiar spirit". In the Italian
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Tradition, there is a teaching that all things have within them a "numen". A numen
is a consciousness, or power, dwelling within an object. You might say that it is
the divine spark of the Creators within their Creations. Some Systems refer to this
as "Mana". Numen can be amplified within an object through magic, and the numen
spirit can be "contacted", and enlisted in the art of spell casting, etc. This is
why ancient Grimoires were very specific concerning the planting and harvesting of
herbs, and other plants.
Once dealt with properly, the power of the numen can be carried along in the
various parts of the plant. This empowers the herb. The ancients also taught that
plants were under the power of certain planets, and set up a table of
correspondences. In the art of magic, it is clear that there are energy imprints
left within the electromagnetic make-up of all living organisms, caused by
emanations from the Moon, and the planets of our solar system. Some plants such as
the Sunflower and the Moonflower, were given their associations to their respect
planetary bodies due to the fact that they physically change position, as they
"follow" the Sunlight/Moonlight with a turning of their flowers.
Other plants were associated with Venus due to their heart shaped leaves; Mars due
to their chemical natures (peppers, tobacco, etc), and so on.
Herbs are also employed for their natural drug properties, in magic and
ritual. Some cause magical states of consciousness either through ingestion or
inhalation, and this can aid in the casting or spells, or in other works of magic.
Various herbs were associated with a certain Goddess, God, or Spirit. These
herbs were then offered up as incense to "attract" them to the work at hand. The
ancients taught that prayers or requests were carried upon the smoke of the incense.
So what better way to be "heard" by the gods, than to send your words upward upon
the scent of their favorite plant!
Plants also became associated with the gods, or with mythic heroes/heroines,
through their appearance in the Myths. In most cases the plant somehow resembled the
nature of the Character in the Myth, and later came to represent that character in
ritual settings. This is typical of various grains, evergreens, and so forth. All
having something of the nature of the Goddess, God, or Spirit concerned.
There is a book out called CELEBRATING ITALY by Carol Field which is
actually a cookbook, but contains a lot of info on Seasonal Festival meals, and
religious associations of various foods. It's a great book.
Certain grains appear in various meals, and do have connections with old
Witch Lore. One of the blessings of the meal at a Treguenda, addresses this:
"Blessings upon this meal, which is as our own body. For without this, we
ourselves would perish from this world. Blessings upon the grain, who as seed went
into the earth where deep secrets hide. And there did dance with the elements, and
spring forth as flowered plant, concealing secrets strange. When you were in the ear
of grain, spirits of the field came to cast their light upon you, and aid you in
your growth....thus through you I shall be touched by that same Race, and the
mysteries hidden within you, I shall obtain, even unto the last of these grains..."
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THE OLD RELIGION
The Old Religion is a pre-Christian European Religion, which is founded upon
reverence for Nature, and the worship of Deity through ritual observation of the
Seasons, and the phases of the Moon. It is not a worship of these things, but a
worship of Deity through these things. It is believed that through a continuous
participation in the rituals of the year, that a person becomes "attuned" to the
energies of Nature, and begins to merge with Her (so that Her Ways, become our
Ways). It is through this attunement, that one gains certain abilities, such as
Divinatory skills, psychic awareness, and so on. People who practice this religion
refer to themselves as Witches, Wiccans, or Pagans.
It is through this growing awareness, as one practices the Old Ways, that a
special rapport begins to develop between the practitioner, and his or her own
understanding of Deity. For Witches, this Deity is conceived of as a Goddess and a
God (the Feminine & Masculine aspects of the Source of All Things).
The ritual celebrations consist of 8 yearly Festivals, as well as monthly
gatherings at the time of the Full Moon. These 8 rituals are often referred to as
the Wheel of the Year.
The purpose of the Religion is to teach the soul how to evolve to a higher
realm, by revealing the Ways of Nature. Since Nature is a reflection of the
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Spiritual Laws which established it, a study of its secrets can enlighten the soul,
and thus prepare it for a higher existence (freeing it from the cycle of
reincarnation). The purpose of the Old Religion is also to give due worship to the
Great Spirit, to ensure the Fertility of the Earth, and to create & maintain Balance
and Harmony, within the bound Ether of this physical dimension.
The Old Religion teaches personal power and personal empowerment. It also
teaches personal responsibility, and reveals that everything is connected together.
It is like a web, the threads of which are joined together. Any vibration causes a
reaction, felt by every other thread.
It is from this Law of Cause and Effect, Action and Reaction, that the code
of Ethics for witches arise.
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CODE OF ETHICS
A Witch lives by a code of ethics which is built upon the Laws of Nature.
Our behavior is not regulated by a fear of what awaits us in the Afterlife, but a
respect for what awaits us in this Life. Everything, and everyone, is connected.
What we do to one another, and to our World, we do to ourselves.
The Holy Strega spoke of this when she said :
" Every act which you perform will draw to itself three times the nature of
the act. Such is the Law. This affects not only the acts of each day, but reaches
into the Future as well. Here the Law establishes those debts which must be paid.
Therefore, consider well your actions. Nothing escapes the Law, nor is hidden from
it. The Law does not punish or reward. It only returns the intent of each action to
its origin. If you step off from a high place, you will fall, and this is
consistent. There is no intent, there is nothing good or evil. It may be good to
leap upon your enemy from a high place, and surprise him, or it may be bad to fall
and be injured. But the nature of the descent itself is only a Law. So too is the
nature of the Law of Return".
This teaching is similar to the Wiccan Rede of "and as it harm none, do as
thou wilt". The Rede is often misunderstood to mean do whatever you want, as long as
you don't harm anyone in the meantime. This is not what it is addressing. It is
addressing the issue that each person must seek out their True Will (the Nature of
their Higher Self). By doing so, one is attuned to the "Spiritual Plan" which has
been established for them (or by them, depending upon your view). Once so attuned,
no one can be harmed by your actions, because you are following a Spiritual Plan, of
which they themselves are also a part. This is the understanding of the
connectiveness of all things, and of the Law of Return (and Intent). We were not
meant to simply wander about doing whatever seems right, without regard to a goal,
and the impact of that goal. We have a responsibility to ourselves, and to each
other.
Dear Raven, I agree entirely with your
interpretation of the Witches' Rede. It's a point I have been trying to make
in many notes to this board."An it harm none" is simply a warning preface, not a
"Thou shalt not," as many seem to interpret it. Whereas "Do what you will" is a
positive injunction: Thou SHALT do what thou wilt. Some people on the board say we
are right to over-emphasize "harming none" because of the many novices who want to
cast love or revenge spells and
might not understand the concept of True Will. I say that's all the more
reason to start them early working on understanding and discovering their True
Wills. I've been a Pagan for 20 years, and still can't say I fully understand the
concept of True Will. By the way, does your use of the term "True Will" come
ultimately from Crowley? Obviously the concept itself pre-dates him by centuries,
but what about the actual term?Jana
Dear Jana -- I've been thinking about what "do what thou will" really means
for some time now. When I first heard the rede I assumed it meant, like a lot of
people, that it means do whatever you want as long as it harms none. But after
reading your interpretation as "do what thou Will" meaning to follow one's True Will
and after other readings that were not necessarily Pagan, I see True Will as meaning
to live in tune with one's inner self regardless of what society, parents and
religion expects of one. Sort of like "follow your bliss", though that phrase is
over worked these days. Discovering one's True Will is difficult because you have to
peel through all the layers of socialization. I don't mean that one has to live
outside the bounds of society, but one has to go one's own way AND still be a
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socially responsible person. Another catch phrase is "march to the beat of a
different drum". I'm still working this meaning out so these thoughts may not be
fully formed yet. Brenda
Dear Jana, Whenever I come across this phrase "True Will", I do think of
Crowley. Definitely did when I saw Gardner's use of it (he had a fairly liberal
sprinkling of Crowley in his Wicca stew). The term as I use it, does originate with
Crowley. It's easier, and everyone is using it, so it's a common point of reference.
But the concept is much older than Crowley, of course, and it's not exactly the same
concept as his. I tend to avoid phrases and terms from my Tradition (for the most
part), on this board, because it would take up too much time and space, just getting
it all clear. Would much rather spend the time getting the info out, and trying to
preserve some of the Old Teachings. I feel a bit like Johnny Appleseed.....
Blessings to you - Raven
----------
NATURE AS THE TEACHER
Nature is considered to be the Great Teacher. The Ancients taught that the
"Creators" placed into the fabric of Creation, a reflection of that which created
it. Therefore, the laws of Nature are reflections of Divine Laws or Principles,
which operate in a dimension behind and above those of physical Nature. Thus, the
Ancients coined the phrase "as above, so below". This means that that which is
below, is (in essence) like that which is above.
Studying the Ways of Nature gives us a glimpse (crude though it may be) of
the Divine Ways, and from these we see the returning of the Seasons (reincarnation)
and the laws of Cause & Effect (Karma) concerning the use (and misuse) of the
Earth's land, air, resources, and living creatures. The ways of the "Gods" are
imprinted upon the Ways of Nature. Understanding Nature, allows one to begin to
understand the Creators.
One of the reasons for the Seasonal Rituals is to saturate us, and harmonize
us, with the focused Essence of Nature at these appointed times. Properly cast
ritual circles serve to attract and condense these energies, so that we are "bathed"
in them. The more that we gather at these times of Nature's energy flow, the more we
become like Nature, and when we become more like "Her", it is easier to understand
"Her", and "Her " Ways.
This is why the Ways of the Old Religion are fashioned according to the Ways
of Nature. Everything from the ritual circle construction, to the way we move within
it, to the way in which we create magic (cast spells, etc) are all modelled after
the principles of Nature. This is where the term Occult Sciences comes from. It is
not hocus-pocus, it is Metaphysical Science.
This is why it is also quite difficult to simply make something up, and call
it a Tradition (although this is exactly what many people do).
----------
THE ART OF MAGIC
One of the major attractions to Witchcraft, for the beginner, is often the
practice of Magic. Just as there are many misconceptions about Witchcraft, there are
also many concerning the art of Magic (or Magic itself). True magic is the ability
to bring about the manifestation of personal (or Group) desire. This is accomplished
by ones ability to collect, focus, and direct enough "raw" energy with which to
create the desired manifestation. There are many different ways of working magic,
and many different aspects of magic. Basically speaking, however, most types of
magic will fall into one of two methods, and these are called "raised" or "drawn".
Raised energy, is that which emanates from the body and/or mental sphere, of the
person. Drawn energy is that which is attracted in from other Realms by ritual
means. This includes workings which involve gods and/or spirits. Magic may also fall
into the realms of "black magic" which is negative, and "white magic" which is
positive. There is also a type referred to as "Gray Magic" which is a blend of the
two. Witches understand the laws of Nature and of Karma, and therefore do not
practice black magic. It is an old Teaching that the type of energy which we send
out, will come back upon us "times three". So there is a need for clear thinking
when it comes to employing a work of Magic. Many people think that Magic has no
basis in scientific fact. This is not correct, for there are physical reasons why
magic does indeed "work". These reasons are based upon energy fields and various
currents existing around the Earth. Energy currents are caused by the rotation of
the Earth, and the gravitational forces of the Sun and the Moon, and other celestial
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bodies. The actual spinning of the Earth creates electrical magnetic currents within
our bound Atmosphere. As the Earth moves around the Sun, stress is created on the
earth by the sun's gravity. This stress causes vibrational currents in our
atmosphere as well. Positive currents flow from east to west across our planet.
There are also seasonal tides which are based on fluctuations of the electrical
magnetic current around the earth, in accordance with the position of the Sun and
the Earth. Positive (electrical) Tides flow from late March to late September.
Negative (magnetic) Tides flow from late September to late March. The Religious
Festivals of The Old Religion mark the peak times of each of these Currents.
Generally we can say that Magic is really a matter of Vibrational cause and
effect. Essentially, we "disturb" the bound Ether of our Planet, and certain things
result. It is the art of Magic to "impregnate" the Ether with our formed desires,
and then to direct them to manifest. The major difference is whether the ripple is
sent out or brought down. Magic which deals with the invocations of spirits and/or
deities incorporates the vibrations theory, as a catalyst. The forces behind Magic
are real, being both natural and supernatural. It is the art of getting these forces
to work for you, and not against you, that is the Art of Magic.
Ritual magic works on the basis of attracting sympathetic energies by means
of words (which are vibrations, as addressed in note #1), gestures, and dramatic
portrayals; the theory being that the combination of these factors directed by the
personal or group "Will", and boosted by the need/desire, will attract sympathetic
energies which will cause a "ripple" in the necessary Plane, resulting in
Manifestation. Everything which is now a physically created object, was once only a
concept. For example, the computer that you are using to access this note, was once
merely a visualized image in someone's mind. They had to mentally "form the thought"
which was to become your computer. Once visualized, they could then proceed to take
the steps necessary to cause their "Thought-form" to become a physical object. This
is essentially the formula for Magic. The tools and clothing (or lack thereof) used
in a ritual setting, serve to trigger or stimulate the participants so that the
necessary energies can be raised. The tools which are used in a ritual also act as
extensions of the ritualist's "Will Power" and Mental/Psychic abilities. Everything
placed into a magical operation, serves to gradually induce a change in
Consciousness, within the person, or persons, involved in its performance. Candles,
robes, chanting, and the actual setting up of the altar & casting of the circle, all
contribute to this evolution of Consciousness, from mundane to magical. This is also
one of the reasons for choosing a "Craft" name. This allows a person to become
something a bit beyond who they usually are. Plain ol' Suzie Q. may not be able to
perform magic, but once within the ritual circle, Ladyhawke certainly can...
----------
THE ETHERIC WORLDS
Aradia originally taught the concept of four "worlds" or Realms of
Existence. These were the Physical, Lunar, Solar and Stellar. According to her
Teachings, the Physical World was the dwelling place of those spirits/souls who were
not prepared to dwell within the Higher Realms. The Lunar World was connected to the
Physical, and was a temporary dwelling place which served to revitalize the soul
between incarnations. It is interesting to note, that the old legends say that the
light of the moon grows as it receives those souls who are departing the physical
life (until it is full) and then the light wanes as those souls reincarnate.
The Solar World served to also revitalize the soul, but in addition it
"forged" a new body for the soul to inhabit. Then the soul could enter into the
Higher Realms and abide there. The Stellar World was considered the Final Realm
where the soul would come to dwell. This was the "original" Realm from whence we had
first come (according to her Teachings).
Through the functions of these Four Worlds, the souls "work their way" up
through various levels, as they evolve. In each World a type of body is required,
through which the soul can be animated and perform the tasks which are necessary to
that realm of existence (thus a physical body for the Physical Plane, an astral body
for the Lunar Plane, and so on).
----------
DEATH AND THE SOUL
According to the old Teachings, the physical body is merely a vehicle, or
vessel, which the soul employs to experience the Physical Existence. In some
respects, the body may be thought of as a "garment" which the soul wears during its
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"lifetime" upon the Physical Dimension. In time it wears out, or is damaged beyond
repair, and can no longer serve its function. The soul will then pass through the
"death" experience, and be freed from the physical vessel, which once "housed" it.
The Teachings tell us that the soul remains near the body for three days, as
the astral cord gradually dissolves. This "cord" is an energy link, between the soul
and the body (more about this in the next note). In the case of cremation, the soul
is freed almost immediately.
According to the old Teachings, the soul will then be drawn to that Realm of
Existence which is most Harmonious to its general vibration (which is the tonal, or
vibration, resonating from the sum of all the experiences through which it has
passed).
It is from here, that the Mythos of the Summerland (or Luna, as it is called
in the Aridian Tradition) begins.
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THE ASTRAL BODY
Aradia taught that the soul, which dwells within our physical body, has a
body of "light" called a spirit body (commonly called an astral body today). The
soul can leave the physical body by employing this body of light, and does so every
evening, while a person's physical body is asleep. Sometimes a soul will only
journey out into the Dream Worlds, and sometimes it will travel out into the Astral
Worlds. The soul requires nourishment for its body of light, just as the physical
body does, and it is through contact with these other Realms, that the astral body
is maintained.
The Teachings tell us that the astral body is connected to the physical body
by a "silver cord" of etheric material. This cord will always draw the soul back to
the physical body, as long as it remains intact. Once the silver cord is broken, the
soul is freed from the physical body, and cannot dwell within it any longer.
The astral body is a duplicate of the physical body, which the soul is using
in the Physical Dimension. It is this spirit body which we see in dreams, and in
hauntings, and so on. Some Occultists believe that this astral body is what Jesus
was using when he walked upon the water, was resurrected, and so forth.
The consciousness of the personality (you or me) dwelling within the
physical body, can be transferred into the astral body, and experience these other
Realms, just as we do this Physical Dimension. It is similar to dreaming, except
that we are in control of our own actions, and can direct our activities.
During the time of the Inquisition, it was extremely dangerous for witches
to gather for their Festivals. So the Priestesses and Priests, of the Old Religion,
developed an ointment commonly referred to as "Flying Ointment". It contained many
Alkaloid ingredients such as belladonna, and could "force" an inexperienced witch
out of his or her physical body, thus causing astral projection of the spirit body,
to take place. The Elders of the Coven would then "escort" the neophytes to the
"Sabbat". Because of the nature of both the ointment, and the astral dimension, many
wild and preposterous stories were recalled by the new witches, of what had taken
place at the Sabbat (if you've ever been so "out of it" that your friends had to
tell you what you did at a party, the next day, you can probably relate to what I'm
getting at here). This came up from time to time, during the witch trials. The fact
that the Inquisitors were not above fabricating a "confession" does not help us sort
out the truth of these times, anyway. Therefore, it is hard to say how much was
because of the belladonna, and how much was because of the Inquisitors.
FROM: ANN MAGILL
I had read about the Body of Light before, but this is the clearest
explanation yet. Is so called 'lucid dreaming' a type of astral projection, or is it
somewhere in between?
Yes, the Dream World is part of the astral projection experience. Conscious
dreaming (dream control) is part of our training in the Aridian Tradition. Many
people experience dreams of flying, or dreams which seem quite real, and these are
astral-like experiences. I teach that the Dream World is like a doorway, or portal,
to the Astral Realm. I first teach students to become conscious that they are
dreaming, and then to take control of the dream. Next they move up to programming
the dream (which is great fun). Once they can become Conscious in a dream, and alter
the dream as they desire, then they are ready to move out into the Astral
Dimensions. In this way, they have some experience with how the astral plane
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"works", and how to cope/behave while exploring this other Realm.
This was used a great deal during the time of the Inquisition, as I
mentioned in an earlier note. It is still a very important technique. I do not
encourage people to simply buy a book on Astral Projection and go "popping out" into
the unknown. If I'm taking a trip to another Country, I want to know the customs and
laws of that Country (how things work there) before I simply hop on a Plane and go
rushing off into the unknown (not very adventurous for an Aries, am I ?).
FROM: ANN MAGILL
I seem to remember reading in THE GREAT COSMIC GODDESS that one of the
'crimes' witches were accused of during the Inquisition was dreaming ... Maybe that
is one of the reasons that dreams are devalued in modern western culture. I think it
is a great injustice when parents tell their children: "Don't worry. It wasn't
real--it was only a dream." It was a real dream, and taught about real problems. To
deny it is to deny the child the reality of his or her existence.
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LUNA, THE SUMMERLAND
It was an ancient belief that the Moon was the dwelling place of those souls
who had passed from the physical life. Old myths speak of the God, as the Sun,
crossing the sky each day and gathering the souls of all who had died during the
night. He would then carry them off to the West, and down into the Underworld. Here
they were presented to the Goddess (remember, the moon sets in the west too) who
then carried them off to the Afterlife World. Aradia called this Realm, Luna. Today,
many Wiccans refer to this concept as the Summerland.
Luna is a "place" in which the soul is renewed and revital-ized. It can then
become prepared for its next incarnation, or in some cases, for its next "move" up
into the Higher Dimensions (when it no longer requires the need for the physical
dimension experiences). The Moon is connected to the cycles of Fertility, the Tides,
and to menstruation. It is not difficult to see why the ancients then linked the
Moon to the cycles of Death and rebirth.
Old legends spoke of the Moon receiving souls from the physical life, and
that the light of the moon swelled with the collective light of their spirit bodies.
As the souls returned back into the World, the light of the Moon began to wane.
The old teachings say that in Luna, there is communion with those who have
gone before us, and that "plans" are made to be reborn among those who we knew
before. In a way this also addresses the issue of "Karmic" links and connections.
The "portal" to the Realm beyond Life, stands at the Western Quarter. This
association was established due to the fact that the Sun and the Moon "disappear" in
the West, just as we too, in our time, disappear. The association of a body of Light
and the Soul, also seem to have originated with this concept, and the non-physical
(yet physical) properties of the Sun and the Moon, as "understood" by the Ancient
Peoples.
The beliefs of a People, have a powerful impact upon the Astral material, of
the Astral Dimension. Within the Astral Plane, thoughts ARE things. So, it is here
that the Summerland, or Luna, exists.
----------
THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR
The first thing to note here is that the calendar which you and I use today,
is off by several days from the old calendar. Therefore the dates which I am using
here are those dates which are commonly associated with the Rites of the year, among
Witches, Neo-Wiccans, and Pagans in this current Age.
The Aridian Year begins on October 31st and is marked by the Treguenda
(Sabbat) known as Shadowfest. In our Mythos this is the time of Shadows, the time of
pro-Creation. Hidden within the mists of the Realm of Shadows are the God & Goddess,
joining together in a Divine act of pro-Creation, through which All Things shall
come to be. From this Season forward until Spring, the God rules the Year. As his
representative, the High Priest is given charge and bears the responsibility for
organizing the rituals and overseeing the training of new Initiates. During this
Season all Initiates are robed within the ritual circle, as a symbol of the time of
Shadows. On May 1st (Tana's Day) the rule of the Year is passed to the Goddess,
through her representative the High Priestess. She will then be given charge over
the Year, until Shadowfest, when the reign is passed once again. During Her Season
all Initiates are nude within the ritual circle. This is a symbol of their Freedom
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from Slavery, and of the openness of this time of the year. All things are springing
forth in Nature, and revealing their natural beauty. Slavery can come in many forms.
Some people are slaves to Judaic-Christian morality, and though professing to be
Pagan, still hold to the morality of Christianity, and to their inhibitions which
rob them of personal empowerment.
Following Shadowfest, the year turns to the rite of the Winter Solstice.
Here the Goddess gives birth to that which issues forth from the Union of the God &
Goddess in the time of Shadows. A new light is born on the Winter Solstice, which
will save the World from what seems to be an ever encroaching Darkness (Winter).
The next rite is called Lupercus, and in our Mythos this is the time of
puberty for the newborn God. It is a time of purification, and is associated with
bonfires and torches. Remnants of the ancient Roman Lupercalia can still be seen in
this Rite today.
Following Lupercus is the Spring Equinox. This is the time when the Goddess
journeys from the Realm of Shadows into the World of Light. The Legend of the Ascent
is read and a Mystery Play is performed during the reading. The seeds which will be
planted are blessed, as is the earth itself.
Next in order is Tana's Day, which is observed on May 1st. This ritual marks
the Courtship of the Goddess and the God. Here the God passes his Reign to the
Goddess, in a Drama enacted by the High Priestess & High Priest. It is a ritual of
the Celebration of Life and Fertility. Tana's Day is followed by the Summer
Solstice, which is a time of magic and renewal. Energy is raised to cleanse and
renew the Earth, and to banish evil and negativity from the Community (and the
World). After the Summer Solstice comes Cornucopia, which is a Celebration of the
coming Harvest, and a time of Plenty.
Following the Rite of Cornucopia, comes the Autumn Equinox. This is the time
in which the God is slain, and enters into the Afterworld. The Goddess journeys
there also to find her lost love, and this is enacted in a Drama Play held during
the ritual, in which the Legend of the Descent is read (just as was done with the
Legend of the Ascent in the Spring Equinox). The wheel of the year has then turned
completely, as the Season then leads back into Shadowfest, on October 31st. Here the
God and Goddess unite once again, and the Cycle begins anew.
The year is also divided up into the times of Waxing and Waning. The Waxing
Year is associated with the Stag God, and the Waning Year is associated with the
Wolf God. The common image of the Goat God, is merely a domesticated version of the
Stag God of the Forest. As Humankind began farming, the domesticated animals became
more important than the once hunted animals, and the symbolism began to change. Pan
(or Faunus) is simply the Stag God as seen by an Agricultural Community which valued
domesticated animals more than wild animals of the Forest.
The Winter months brought on the wolves who preyed upon both domesticated
and wild animals. They were seen as symbols of the power of Winter. Their connection
with the Stag God of the Forest (the Hunted & the Hunter) lay deep in the memories
of early Humankind. Thus the Wolf God came to symbolize the Waning Year and the Stag
God came to symbolize the Waxing Year. This is
symbolized by the phenomenon of the cycle of regeneration and growth of the stag's
antlers.
The Stag and the Wolf (as deities) go back to the days of Antiquity, in
Witchcraft. An early Etruscan painting, found upon a vase, depicts a Goddess holding
up a Stag and a Wolf, one in each hand. This is no surprise, for Italian Witchcraft
originates from Tuscany which is where the Etruscan Civilization once stood.
Under ideal circumstances we Celebrate the Equinoxes and Solstices on the
exact days on which they occur. Then we calculate the mid-point dates between the
Equinoxes and Solstices, and establish the dates for the other 4 Celebrations
accordingly. When these times do not work out then we may elect to Celebrate on the
popular Wiccan dates, if those times fall better in the week. Again, this becomes a
practical adaptation for our modern Lifestyle. Our goal, of course, is to adhere to
the Old Ways whenever possible.
----------
SETTING THE ALTAR
In the Aridian Tradition every aspect of our ritual work is based upon our
Mythos. This includes the way in which we set up our ritual circles, and prepare our
altar. I thought that I might share this with you, and hope that you may find it of
some interest.
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The original altars were round, being usually a tree stump or a large rock.
Today many of us use a small table. I have a large wooden spool, used by Utility
companies for wrapping cables and lines. The set up begins by placing a black altar
cloth over the altar. This represents the "first movement" within Procreation,
towards that which came to be. Next we place the Spirit Bowl on the center of the
altar. This represents the Divine Nature, which was present at the Center of
Creation. Then we place two altar candles upon the altar, one to the left
symbolizing the Goddess and one to the right symbolizing the God. These represent
Their presence, as They oversee Creation. Next we place the Elemental Bowls, in a
pattern which encircles the Spirit Bowl. The Earth Bowl is to the North, Air Bowl to
the East, Fire Bowl to the South, and Water Bowl to the West. The altar itself is
set in an orientation to true North. The ritual circle is always entered, and left
by, the North-East "doorway". The setting of these bowls symbolize the coming
together of the Elements themselves, in their part in the Creation. We begin with
the Air Bowl, and move clockwise. The Earth Bowl is placed last. After the bowls
have been placed, we lay out the rituals tools and mundane tools. Each tool is set
near the Elemental bowl to which its nature is associated.
At this point, the Spirit bowl is filled with the sacred liquid (which burns
a blue flame), and the ritual circle would then be cast.
The spool is a private altar and it is outside underneath my Mulberry Tree.
It is too heavy to transport for any of our gatherings, so we employ an altar that
one of our initiates made, when we meet for Treguenda, etc.
The elemental bowls are traditionally ceramic. Some of our initiates have
gone down to a Restaurant Supply Shop, and bought Japanese tea cups for their
elemental bowls. For the Spirit bowl they bought metal ice cream dishes there, and
they work quite nicely. Our Spirit bowls are about the size of a hand, and
approximately 3 or 4 inches deep.
Regarding a permanent altar, most of us keep a shelf with a God and Goddess
Statue on it, along with a small bud vase, incense holder, and a votive candle. Our
old temple setting for one of our Groves had a permanent circle (a rope circle
fastened to the floor) and a standing altar. But even with this, the altar must be
set up as I stated in the first note, because the placement of those items is part
of each ritual. So, the altar itself is simply a support for those items, which
through their role in the Mythic Drama (the placement) make it a Sacred Space. The
permanent altar which I described as the "shelf style", is more of a devotional
altar as opposed to a ritual altar.
Dear Raven, The shelf altar you describe would be considered more of a
shrine than an altar, right? Most people, including me, combine the two functions in
a personal altar. I have a devotional display which I keep on my altar all the time;
I simply change the arrangement somewhat when I want to do a ritual. It has the
advantage of focusing all my spiritual energy on one altar, while the Aridian system
has the advantage of making the setting of the altar an integral part of the
creation of magical space within the circle. Just this week I got a new
goddess-figure for my altar/shrine: a museum replica of the famous Minoan Snake
Goddess. I got out all my sea shells to go on the altar with her. Jana of the
Sea
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THE ARIDIAN RITUAL CIRCLE
In the days of old, our ritual circles were outdoor circles large enough to
comfortably contain a small group of worshippers. The old manner of setting the
circle was set forth in our Book of Ways. Here it says that the ritual circle must
be set near running water, and placed before a tree (or group of trees). The tree
must be a "Mother Tree", and cannot be twisted or deformed in any way. A Mother Tree
is any tree which is full and round (a Father Tree is tall and narrow by comparison,
like a Pine for example). Most fruit bearing trees are called Mother Trees, along
with others such as an Oak Tree.
A wooden stake was then placed into the ground (marking the center of the
circle) to which a length of cord was attached. An initiate would take hold of the
cord and pace off nine steps. Another initiate would hold the stake as the other
then attached the free end to a staff. Pulling against the staked cord, this person
would then trace a circle into the soil, moving clockwise around the initiate in the
center (who was turning the stake so as not to allow the cord to wrap around it).
Thus the circle, once traced out, was nine paces in any direction from the center.
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Torches were set just within the circle, at each of the directional
quarters. An altar was then placed exactly where the stake had been placed. Stones
were set around the traced out line, to clearly mark the circle. Entrance to the
ritual circle was only allowed at the North-East quarter (the same being true of any
exit from the circle).
Once properly established, the circle was then "cast" through the
traditional ritual method of the circle trod, complete with invocational calls,
gestures, and so forth. Prior to casting the circle, the area was blessed and
ritually cleansed, as were all of the initiates.
Today we still comply with these requirements. It is easy even indoors, for
most homes have a tree or two in the yard and the house is equipped with plumbing
(running water). There are magical reasons why a tree had to be present, and why the
circle had to be near running water. The Book of Ways goes into detail about how
they are employed, once magic has been performed within the circle.
Other aspects have been added to our Ritual Circle over time, and we do a
bit more today, than did our Ancestors (but we DO NOT do any less). We must honor
the Old Ways, and adhere to them, not leaving anything out. We may add to them, but
we cannot subtract. There are times in which we have to be creative though (as when
nine paces will take you through the Livingroom wall) <G> .
It is the intent (or reason) which must be honored, and we do not allow ourselves to
become slaves to the "Letter of the Law". So we adapt as necessary for practicing in
the setting available. The ritual text, however, cannot be deleted.
FROM: B MACCARILLO JR
What, pray tell, was the Book of Ways? This IS different since most
traditions were passed down orally.
Dear Westwind, The Book of Ways is similar to what Wiccans call a Book of
Shadows. In my Tradition there is a runic script which has been passed down through
the Generations. Oral teachings are also a part of the Tradition, but the majority
of our material is written. This is one reason why the Teachings remained intact
through the Dark Ages, when only Nobility or those of the Church were taught to read
and to write. This runic script was passed on through the bloodlines, and it is
because of this that we have The Book of Ways today. Oral Teachings are very frail,
and it is all too easy to find them changed a bit through the Ages. The script that
we use resembles Etruscan, but is still slightly different. Some people see a
resemblance to Enochian Script, but I find very little there myself. Blessings,
Raven
The Book of Ways is not a published book, but rather a text which is copied
by Initiates of our Tradition. It is hand written, and hand copied. The material in
the Book of Ways has been handed down over Generations. Once a person is initiated
into our Ways, their Initiator will sit down with them, and oversee the copying of
the Book. The Book of Ways is divided into 3 sections: Ways, Calls, and Influences.
"Ways" contains all of the rituals, Initiation rites, Community Rites, Myths, and
Lore. "Calls" contains all of the chants, ritual gestures, ritual postures,
invocations, and symbols. "Influences" contains all of the magical knowledge, herbal
knowledge, magical correspondences, spells, formulas for oils & potions, and so on.
I'm glad you spoke about runes because I'd wondered how the heck Viking
writing got into the Aridian system, but figured that those old warriors DID get
around! Seriously, are these runes part of the secret part of the tradition, or are
they open? If so, have they been published in Raven's Call? I'm curious to see them,
as you probably have guessed. At any rate, it seems foolish to be inscribing
Northern European runes on personal objects when that isn't the tradition which I'm
moving towards. Any ideas? SeraLuna
Dear SeraLuna, We do not use Germanic runes in our Tradition, and I assume
that the confusion here comes from the runes on our Raven's Call Logo ? In our
Tradition we have a runic alphabet which is very much like Etruscan (but not quite).
We also have another set of runes which are for divination. Neither of these have
been revealed to the Public at this time. The divination runes we do intend to make
available to the Public. I still have not decided about the alphabet runes.
We used the Germanic runes on our Logo because they have a general appeal in
the Craft Community. Blessings, Raven
Dear Raven, I have read something of the history of Germanic runes. Etruscan
writing is believed by some scholars to be one of the sources of Germanic runes. It
was not that far for wandering Germanic tribes to travel to northern Italy.
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Certainly some Germanic runes derive from the Latin alphabet. Jana
Dear Jana, Thanks, I had not heard of that theory. I knew that the Celts had
invaded Italy (circa 390 B.C.), and had a brief stay before the Roman Legions drove
them out. The Germanic tribes had come much later, I had thought, sometime around
161 A.D. ? The Etruscans were defeated by the Romans in the later part of the 300's
B.C., and by 200 B.C. they were fully absorbed by the Roman Empire. Blessings,
Raven
Dear Raven, The book in which I read it was from the University of
Washington graduate library, so I can't check the details now. It was a substantial
scholarly study of runes, not some New Age quickie book. Of course there are many
theories on the roots of Germanic runes; the Etruscan/Latin origin in only one, but
a strong one. Jana
----------
THE NANTA BAG
In our Tradition we have a "spirit pouch", which I would like to share with
you. In it's present form it is said to come from 14th Century Italy, during the
time of Aradia. The wearing of such a pouch, however, certainly goes much back in
Human history. The purpose of the pouch is to keep one in harmony with Nature and
the Spirit World. It also serves as a "portable altar" for practicing the Craft. It
is said that these type of pouches were carried by the followers of Aradia, during
the time of "Wandering".
The pouch is usually about the size of the average paperback book. In it are
placed the following objects:
a large sewing needle
a thimble
a coin (with a pentagram etched on it)
a small twig
This first group of items serves as miniature ritual tools. The needle is
the Athame, the thimble is the Chalice, the coin is the Pentacle, and the twig is
the Wand. To these items are also added:
a shell (to represent the Goddess)
a piece of antler horn (to represent the God)
two small candles (for altar candles)
ground herbs (for incense)
a portion of salt (for purification)
a small vessel of anointing oil
a measure of cord (9 feet)
a small finger bowl (for the spirit flame)
Finally the pouch is completed with the addition of these items:
a small stone, smooth and rounded (to represent Earth)
a small feather (to represent the element of Air)
a small portion of ash (to represent the Fire Element)
a small vessel of pure water (representing same)
The principle of Contagion Magic was the foundation for empowering the
pouch. Basically this means that objects absorb power and have an energy field
around them (their "numen' or "mana"). When one object is placed with another, then
these objects are joined and influence one another. The Nanta Bag in turn, has a
contagion influence upon the person who carries it (in direction proportion to those
items inside the pouch). This bag is usually carried by a Priestess or a Priest of
The Old Religion. With it they can bless, consecrate, heal, and work magic and
rituals. In the Aridian Tradition we also place any power objects which we collect
from time to time. Gifts of a crystal or other small objects, from people whose
power we respect are also placed in the bag. Thus the bag begins to take on a great
deal of Numen or Mana.
Originally, of course, these pouches were made from animal skins. Some were
Deerskin and some were Wolfskin. The Book of Ways does not specify any type of
material. Most of our Initiates use a cotton or silk material. The colors do vary,
and again the Book of Ways does not specify. I have some Initiates who use a leather
fannypack. These are practical and can be easily worn in public, without anyone
giving you the evil-eye. Synthetic materials would, of course, be inappropriate.
------------
USING THE NANTA BAG
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Once completed, as outlined in the previous note, the Nanta is ready to be
consecrated. Begin by presenting the pouch (filled with the objects) to the four
quarters, saying "Blessed be by the spirits of the East", and continuing with the
spirits of the South, West, and North. Next bless the pouch by touching it to each
of the elements (using the elemental bowls as mentioned in my first note). Always
begin with the East/Air element. A gesture of power is then made over the pouch, or
you can trace a crescent or pentagram on it. Once completed, say these words over
the bag:
"O'Great Nanta,
bless and empower this pouch
and all within it,
making it a bridge to Power.
I am linked to Thee
and thou art linked to Nature.
We are One from three.
We are the Triangle manifest.
In the names of Diana and Dianus,
so be it done"
When using the pouch, the bag itself serves as the altar, upon which the
objects inside may be placed. Feel free to add other objects to the bag, which you
may find useful. Some of our initiates do have rather large Nanta bags! The Nanta
Bag is a very useful tool which allows you to have access to complete set of rituals
tools at any time. Our Priests and Priestesses carry them either on their person, or
in their cars, etc. Once we were driving along and saw a dog get hit by a car. We
all jumped out and grabbed a Nanta Bag. As the dog was dying we blessed it with an
oil, and performed a simple ritual for it's spirit to pass in peace. The look on the
faces of the bystanders was truly priceless!
Dear Raven, What does Nanta mean? From the
verse you quoted it appears to be the name of a spirit or deity. Jana
"Nanta" is a powerful spirit, associated with the Earth and with Nature (as
a Whole). It is considered a "name of Power". It is not an Italian word, and it's
origin most likely is even pre-Etruscan.
Dear SeraLuna, Many antique stores seem to have a set of antlers laying
around, you may want to try that. There are other representations of the "God
Energy" which you could use,if you desire. These are: acorns, pine cones, oak,
evergreen needles, etc. BTW if you are trying to put a bag together you might be
interested in contacting a coin dealer. The Moroccan coins have a pentacle on their
face. Some of the coins have a wreath design around the pentacle. Many of us use
these coins for our Nanta bags. Also, the Moroccan flag has a pentacle on it (solid
red field with a green interlaced pentacle) and some initiates use the small flags
as altar cloths for their Nanta bags. What is this younger Generation coming to !?
<BG>. Blessings, Raven
Response to a later inquiry about the Nanta Bag:
Well, I was unable to find my original note so I'll just wing it.
The Nanta Bag originates from 14th Century Italy and was used by the wandering
priestesses & priests of The Old Religion. With the contents of this bag they were
able to have access to a complete set of ritual tools and an altar upon which to
perform their works. The items within the bag were minature tools: a sewing needle
for an athame, a thimble for the chalice, a small twig for a wand, and a coin with a
star etched upon it for a pentacle. The bag itself became the altar upon which the
tools were placed. In the bag there were also small candles, a length of cord for
marking the circle, small symbolic items to represent the Goddess and the God (such
as a shell for the Lady and a piece of horn for the Lord), and items to represent
the four elements (such as a pebble for earth, a feather for air, ashes for fire,
and a water representation). Objects of personal power were also placed within the
bag. If someone whose power you respected gave you a small object then this would be
kept in the bag as well. Once completed the Nanta Bag served to connect one with the
forces of Nature, and kept the person within the flow of power. This is why in the
Aridian Tradition we call non-initiates "outdwellers" because they live outside of
the ways of Nature (they live in the "Outworld").
When all of the items have been collected the bag is blessed in the
names of the God & Goddess. Then words such as the following are said over the bag:
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"O'Great Nanta,
be thou a natural focus
and a bridge to power.
I am linked to Thee
and thou art linked to Nature
We are One from Three
We are the Triangle Manifest.
In the names of Tana and Tanus
so be it done".
Within the bag can also be placed small containers for herbs and incense,
etc. Some initiates today use a fanny pack to serve as their Nanta Bag, others
employ a cotton or leather pouch. We all take them with us when we go camping and it
is a beautiful experience to lay the tools out beneath a Full Moon when you are up
in the mountains, or out in the desert.
----------
INNER TEACHINGS
In Wicca, Witchcraft, and Paganism, the use of cakes and wine in a ceremony,
goes back to ancient times and is connected to an Occult Mystery Tradition. This is
the Tradition of the Divine Sacrificial King/Slain God Mythos. Because the survival
of early Humankind depended upon the fertility of animals, crops, and themselves,
fertility itself became the basis for the early cult focus. Fertility leads to
Birth, and this is the portal into the Physical World from an invisible world
connected to this one. The Nature of the one who is coming through this portal (why
they came and what their purpose is) depends upon Breeding.
Breeding (selective reproductive strains) was learned by the early Humans
from observing and experimenting with animals and plants. They easily observed that
the "best" produced like, and that many of the desired traits could be passed on if
the breeding was controlled.
Death was seen as an exit from this World (just as birth had been an
entrance). It seemed logical to assume that the one who died was returning to where
they had been before they were born. Death was seen as migration.
In the "other world" the sacrificial messenger was delivered to the Gods to
speak on behalf of the Clans needs. It was also believed that this person would
return to the Clan as a "Savior" and help deliver them from the problems of this
World, and to secure a place for them in the next World. This is why in the Descent
of the Goddess (Myth) we read "...you must return again at the same time and at the
same place as the loved ones. And you must meet, and know, and remember, and love
them again..." This is the major rendering of this passage, but there is another.
In the Descent Myth we find a passage referring to "three great mysteries in
the Life of Man". These mysteries are also connected to the Divine Sacrificial King
Mythos. The three great mysteries are Birth, Death, and Rebirth. The Descent Myth
tells us that "love controls them all". The Myth goes on to say "...but to be
reborn, you must die, and be made ready for a new body. And to die you must be born,
and without love, you may not be born". This was, in part, instructional for the
person who was being sacrificed, but it also pertained to the Populace as a Whole.
Without the bonds of love between this world and the next, there can be no
interaction (either between individuals or gods). Yet, this Mythos is also connected
with that of the Hanged Man (who was the Hooded Man).
The Hooded Man was the Guardian of the Sacred Grove at Nemi (where he was
called Rex Nemorensis, the King of the Woods). This enigmatic character embodies the
idea of new life springing out of death, and he also brings the creative power of
the Tree Spirit of the Sacred Grove, to the People. The Mythos of the Hooded Man can
be seen in many Cultures. In various parts of Europe he is known by many names: The
Green Man, Jack-in-the- green, Jack-in-the-bush, Robin Goodfellow, Robyne of the
Woods, and Robin o'the Hood. The position known as the Hanged Man, stems from that
of the Hooded Man. He is the symbol of Self Sacrifice for the good of the Whole. The
Key to understanding the Hanged Man lies in the fact that he is "enlightened" as
hangs upon the Tree.
The title of the "Hanged Man" means, in an occult sense, "suspended mind" because
"man" and "mind" are from the sanskrit root (used by early occultists). The title
refers also to the utter dependence of Human personality upon the Cosmic life. He
hangs now as a co-worker with the Divine, having placed his own Ego out of the way
of the Divine inflow. Only in this way can he attain the Higher Consciousness, and
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become useful to his People. The sacred tree of the grove represents the bridge to
the other worlds, and it is the Consciousness which "hangs" upon the tree,
which serves to unify Humankind with the Divine.
The mental attitude suggested by the Hanged Man, then, is "Not my Will, but
Thine". This is ever the position of the Adept, as, indeed, it is the position of
every person who works in any field of applied science. It is an illusive, personal
thing which is but the reflection, or mask, of "Thy Will", which is the purpose or
motive of the Cosmic Life - a Will absolutely free, and certain to be realized.
The foundation which I am trying to lay here (having used many of Paul
Foster Case's own words) is that of the willing sacrifice. If we go back far enough
in Human History, we will find Human sacrifice. It is nothing to be proud of
certainly, but it is nothing to hide from either. In the first note I explained why
this practice was performed. What I did not address was how the sacrificed body was
used. Because it was considered to be descended from other Divine Kings (the
Breeding I spoke of), it was believed that the flesh and blood of the Slain God
contained mystical properties. Therefore small bits of his flesh were distributed to
the Clan, and diluted portions of his blood were consumed. In this way, the Clan was
connected to his divine nature. In time, animal sacrifice replaced Human sacrifice,
and later still plants served as the Slain God. But the practice of consuming the
Slain God never changed. Today it is still performed in the ritual of cakes and
wine, which represent the body and the blood of the Slain God (now Lord of the
Harvest). In some Traditions the cakes symbolize the God and the wine symbolizes the
Goddess (that is, their "essence"). This is all part of the Mystery Tradition, and
goes deeply to our very core as members of a Clan, a Race, a People, or a Nation.
An excellent book on the subject of the Divine King/Slain God is WESTERN
INNER WORKINGS by William Gray.
Dear Seraluna, Yes, I have seen the Robin of Sherwood series from England. I
nearly fell out of my chair when Robin met Herne. You have no idea how close that
series got to certain aspects of the Aridian Tradition (did you notice that Herne
was played by an Italian actor?). At the sanctuary of Nemi in Medieval Italy, there
were outlaw camps in the forests of the Alban Hill Region. Aradia lived with the
outlaws at Nemi for a period of time, before she disappeared. The legend of the King
of the Woods at Nemi, goes back to Antiquity. He was a outlaw and a guardian of the
Grove. Because he was outlawed he often wore a hood, and was called the Hooded
Man/the Hooded One. He became the symbol for the god of the forest, lord of the
Trees, etc. He had to accept a challenge to his "kingship", which was always a fight
to the death. In this aspect he represented the Slain God.
As I stated in an earlier post, the Hooded One came after the Horned One of
the Forest, and so was called his son. The Horned One was a Stag God. When Humans
began to grow crops, the Animal God figure began to lose its high stature, and the
Slain God was transferred into the crops, which were slain at the harvest.
Blessings, Raven
----------
INNER TEACHINGS - THE HANGED MAN
The title of the "Hanged Man" means, in an occult sense, "suspended mind"
because "man" and "mind" are from the sanskrit root (used by early occultists). The
title refers also to the utter dependence of Human personality upon the Cosmic life.
He hangs now as a co-worker with the Divine, having placed his own Ego out of the
way of the Divine inflow. Only in this way can he attain the Higher Consciousness,
and become useful to his People. The sacred tree of the grove represents the bridge
to the other worlds, and it is the Consciousness which "hangs" upon the tree, which
serves to unify Humankind with the Divine.
The mental attitude suggested by the Hanged Man, then, is "Not my Will, but
Thine". This is ever the position of the Adept, as, indeed, it is the position of
every person who works in any field of applied science. It is an illusive, personal
thing which is but the reflection, or mask, of "Thy Will", which is the purpose or
motive of the Cosmic Life - a Will absolutely free, and certain to be realized.
The foundation which I am trying to lay here (having used many of Paul
Foster Case's own words) is that of the willing sacrifice. If we go back far enough
in Human History, we will find Human sacrifice. It is nothing to be proud of
certainly, but it is nothing to hide from either. In the first note I explained why
this practice was performed. What I did not address was how the sacrificed body was
used. Because it was considered to be descended from other Divine Kings (the
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Breeding I spoke of), it was believed that the flesh and blood of the Slain God
contained mystical properties. Therefore small bits of his flesh were distributed to
the Clan, and diluted portions of his blood were consumed. In this way, the Clan was
connected to his divine nature. In time, animal sacrifice replaced Human sacrifice,
and later still plants served as the Slain God. But the practice of consuming the
Slain God never changed. Today it is still performed in the ritual of cakes and
wine, which represent the body and the blood of the Slain God (now Lord of the
Harvest). In some Traditions the cakes symbolize the God and the wine symbolizes the
Goddess (that is, their "essence"). This is all part of the Mystery Tradition, and
goes deeply to our very core as members of a Clan, a Race, a People, or a Nation. An
excellent book on the subject of the Divine King/Slain God is WESTERN INNER WORKINGS
by William Gray.
Dear Raven, What do you think of the view that, besides consuming a part of
the Slain King's body, the people also spread the diluted blood and perhaps the body
itself around the fields to sanctify them? It would also fertilize them, since a
dead body contains a lot of nitrogen. Jana
Dear Jana, Yes, that is exactly what was done with the majority of the body.
I come very close to a violation of secrecy oaths with this, but...here goes. In the
Autumn Equinox Rite there is performed a Mystery Play in which the Divine Victim is
symbolically slain. A skull is present at this rite, and symbolizes the former
divine victim. A token fluid of the life essence of the new "King" is obtained, and
mixed with a token portion of fluid from the High Priestess. This is placed in a bag
and is buried in a sacred garden, where ritual plants are grown. Originally it would
have hung in the Forest on a tree, to provide for a plentiful hunt, or buried in a
cultivated field for abundant crops. Today we offer it up for the needs of our Clan,
whatever they may happen to be at the time. In ancient times the Divine Victim was
cut up into pieces and given to the soil. Small portions of his flesh and his blood
were incorporated into a "communion" meal, and given to the Priest(ess)hood to
distribute. Today we still perform this ancient rite, hidden within the ceremony of
cakes and wine. Today the sacrifice comes from the Plant Kingdom, but the Human
connection is still there, and the ancient current still flows through the Ceremony.
As Humans evolved spiritually, so too did their practices. But nothing is forgotten,
nothing is ever forgotten... Raven
----------
INNER TEACHINGS - THE TIDES OF POWER
There are certain Tides of Power within the Bound Ether of the Earth which
aid us in all of our works of Magic. The Stars, Sun, Planets and the Moon radiate
their influence upon us through the Magnetic Sphere of the Earth. In Eastern
Occultism these Tides are called the Tattvic Tides, and the medium through which
they flow is called Prana. This is the substance just above Terrestrial Matter,
known as Etheric Matter, of which there are two kinds: Free Ether & Bound Ether.
Free Ether is that which surrounds the Sun, and through which pass the Earth
and other Planets within its sphere of influence. Bound Ether is that which
surrounds the Earth itself (or any planet) and may be called the Magnetic Sphere.
As the Earth orbits the Sun, revolving on its axis as it does so, centers of
stress occur in the Magnetic Sphere of the Earth. As a result there is a positive
current of energy flowing from the East to the West, and a magnetic current passing
from North to South during six months of the year (which reverses for the remaining
six months). The "positive" currents emanate from the northern center, and the
"negative" from the southern center. The Winter Solstice marks the beginning of the
positive current which reverses after the Summer Solstice to negative. These
currents of energy are marked by the Lesser Seasonal Rites of the Old Religion,
occurring at the Solstices and Equinoxes The terms "positive" & "negative" refer to
electrical and magnetic energies of an etheric nature, as well as to those energies
which we might call "waxing" and "waning".
----------
BEING "OF THE BLOOD"
It was once believed that certain individuals, namely royalty or other
spiritual leaders, were actually descended from the "gods" (or in some cases from
non-Human Races such as the Elven or Fay). It is obvious from this that their blood
was held to be very precious, since they were considered to be "Dedi-gods". Since
they represented the spiritual base power of the Clan, it was important to preserve
the purity of their Bloodline, and to ensure that it was passed along through the
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Generations. In those early times it was taught that the gifts of psychic abilities
were maintained and transmitted by a direct blood link with the
Priestesshood/Priesthood (who were themselves either direct descendants by
bloodline, or were indirect by virtue of having "received" the Royal Blood). This is
one reason why the Church ordered the slaying of whole families of Witches during
the Inquisition, in hopes of destroying the ancient Bloodlines. It is interesting to
note that witches were very often associated with Fairies and other non-Human Races,
and were considered to be different from Humans, in many European tales of Folklore.
Symbolically, anyone who drank of the Blood of one of these Descendants was
said to be "of the Blood" and could in turn, pass on the blood through ritual
communion of the Wine and Cakes (which were anointed with the Royal Blood, of either
a direct descendant, or indirect blood receiver).
As the Old Religion grew, anyone who was born into the family of those who
had been of the blood, were considered to be also, and this was the basic
significance of being "hereditary" (along with being reborn among those who one had
known and loved before).
It is also interesting to note that the "cords" used in the Initiation
Ceremony, are remnants of those cords which once bound the Sacrificial King.
----------
CONCERNING THE TOOLS & TRAPPINGS
If one looks closely at the tools of the Craft, it is easy to see that they
resemble the weapons of a Knight. The tools to which I am referring are the Athame,
Chalice, Wand and pentacle (in the Aridian Tradition the athame is called the Spirit
Blade, and bears different symbols as well as a slightly different aspect).
The athame is symbolic of a Knights sword. The wand is a lance, the chalice
is a helmet (turned upside down) and the pentacle is a shield. These Craft tools are
the "weapons" of a spiritual warrior, or a Priest(ess) as in the tradition of a
Shaolin.
The cords of Initiation, as mentioned earlier, are remnants of the bindings
which once held the Sacrificial King/Slain God, and mark an individual as a member
of this ancient mystery tradition. The altar is symbolic of the portal, which is the
tomb. It is the Gateway through to the other Realms. The ritual circle represents
the unbroken Cycle of the year, which is at the heart of The Old Religion.
The Watchtowers at the elemental quarters represent the portals to the
higher Realms, which lay beyond this World. The Watchers themselves represent the
"awareness" of our Path, as it is imprinted upon the Planes ("watched", so to
speak). There are many other such associations, but I thought that I would mention
just a few. These are not commonly known, or discussed, and the knowledge of them
will soon disappear if someone doesn't pass them on. You may consider it Witchlore,
but it is quite a bit more...
----------
RAISING A PLANT FAMILIAR
The purpose of this technique is to raise, or grow, a plant as a "familiar"
(serving spirit) or as a magical plant. In ancient times, a small circle of stones
was set around the chosen plant, to "bind" the numen there. Then a hole was dug down
toward the roots (carefully) and a chosen power stone was set in place, to "charge"
the plant.
Today the technique has been expanded, but is still true to the original
intent. You can begin with a seed, or young sprout. Simply prepare the soil for
planting, in a secluded area, which is suited to the physical needs of the plant.
Place a stone or crystal of your choice about three inches deep into the soil.
Quartz crystals are a good choice, but you may wish to consult a table of
correspondences for various stones, etc. Next fill in the soil over the stone, and
plant the seed (or sprout) as is appropriate. Then lay a circle of 8 stones around
the plant site. At each of the four elemental quarters place a crystal of the same
type as the one you buried (these four are part of the 8 forming the circle). The
other stones may be of any kind you wish, as long as they compliment each other, in
relationship to
their occult nature. Space the stones to allow for the growth of the plant.
I will give two techniques for the raising of a plant familiar. These will
show you how to establish contact with the plant numen, and how to communicate your
purposes to the plant familiar. In this way the plant will become charged, and
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conscious of your needs. Then you will have a physical and spiritual helper, for
your works of magic and healing.
This technique is important to magical work involving herbs. Dry herbs in an
herb store are not charged (in most cases) and can only serve through their
remaining physical properties. There is, however, the placebo effect to consider, as
well as coincidence, and self-delusion. These have been used successfully for quite
some time. I will not deal with these here, as most popular Authors are doing an
excellent job of passing this off on us as authentic spells.
I intend to give you the actual techniques which empower herbs, and whose
effects were the basis for the powers attributed to herbs from ancient times. No
Con, just the facts.
Method 1: If planting by seed, wait 7 days after the sprout appears to proceed with
the following (if a young plant, wait 7 days after planting it). Remove the stones
between the quarter stones, and plant a seed at each point. Next bury the quarter
stones where they lay, at least an inch deep. The seeds may be of the same type as
the plant within the circle, or an assortment. Each day, place both palms upon the
ground within the circle, forming a triangle with fingertips (index fingers touching
& thumbs touching). The stem of the plant will be in the open area of the triangle,
centered between your hands.
Using your imagination & visualization abilities, sense your power flowing
out through your arms, from your personal power center (just below the navel for
women, and at the solar plexus for men). You must also talk to the plant and send it
visuals, communicating your needs and desires through mental images. You must take
good care of the plant from this point on, and keep it from harm. To create a strong
bond with your plant familiar, you can add 3 drops of your own blood to a quart of
water, and use this to water the plant as needed.
Magically, you have first increased the level of the numen through the
crystals. Secondly, you have extended its power and influence to the other plants.
This is because these plants became alive under the influence of the center crystal
and plant. They were also bathed in a cross quarter current of energy, controlled
from the center entity, through the quarter crystals. If you need the physical parts
an herb for your spells, potions or whatever, then use only the plants enclosed
within the original circle of stones, and never the center plant. The center plant
IS the familiar, and the others are merely extensions of it.
The final step in creating this plant familiar, is to establish your "link" and your
"rapport". To do this, you must sit comfortably before the plant, and stare at it.
Allow your eyes to lose focus and your vision to blur. In this state, observe the
shape of the plant, trying to leave your mind blank. The plant will "send" you an
image as you stare. You will receive this as a distortion of the plant's shape, so
that it will begin to resemble some other creature such as an animal or an insect.
This new shape is the spirit of the plant, and you will employ this image as you
work with the familiar.
The familiar can give you extra power in any magical work, whenever you
summon it. "House plants" can become protective entities for your home through plant
magic. Plants can be given as gifts, charged for a special purpose.
To summon the familiar, you simply imagine your plant in it's setting, and
visualize it becoming the spirit creature. Mentally call it to yourself, and allow
it to enter into your personal power center.
To empower through the familiar, mentally send in into any herbs which you
are charging (instructing it as to the desired effect) and imagine that it passes
power to them, imagine them glowing after contact with the familiar. When you are
finished, always return the familiar to the plant.
----------
MOON LORE
It was once believed that:
1. The shadowed areas of the Moon were forests where the
Goddess Diana hunted, and the bright areas were plains.
2. That the Moon was a spinning wheel, upon which the Goddess
spun the lives of Men and Women.
3. That the Moon was a gem worn by the Goddess, and that
the stars were decorations upon Her gown.
The names by which the Moon was called, as she appeared in each month of the
year, varied with the significance of the seasonal month. In October and November we
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see the need for preparations for Winter. In February, the wolves were drawing
closer to the villages looking for food. In March the sounds of ravens signaled the
coming of Spring. April through June we see the signs of growing things. In July,
the Moon marks the signs of
horns and antlers upon young animals. In September, of course, we find that the time
is marked to reap the Harvest.
Names of the Moon:
October: Hunter's Moon
November: Larder Moon
December: Long Night Moon
January: Winter Moon
February: Wolf Moon
March: Raven Moon
April: Meadow Moon
May: Flower Moon
June: Rose Moon
July: Antler Moon
August: Piscary Moon
September: Harvest Moon
----------
MOON MAGIC
The accumulation and direction of the subtle forces of the moon, is one of
the arts of Witchcraft. Moon magic is a personal art, even though there are basic
guidelines. In ancient times, witches held the position of the Moon
priestesses/priests. In coastal regions, and upon islands, witches were also Sea
Priestesses/Priests. The use of water from the sea was an important aspect in Moon
Magic (salt being a crystal form). The "charging" of water, and the release of the
"charge" through evaporation, was an important aspect. So too was the soaking of
woods and herbs in sea water, which were later dried, and burned as incenses and
offerings. Two excellent books on this subject are MOON MAGIC and THE SEA PRIESTESS
by Dion Fortune.
The use of Portals to gain access to the Lunar Realms, and the building of
magical images there, is a very important aspect of Moon Magic. The actual "essence"
of the power used in Moon Magic, originates out among the stars. The Sun draws in
the stellar influences and transmits them into our Solar System. The Planets within
our System absorb this energy which then merges with their own vibrations or
energies. The Planets, in turn, then emanate a composite energy within our Solar
System. Each Planet's energy or vibratory pattern is unique, and influences other
planetary bodies and forces, within each planet's sphere of influence. This is the
basis of Astrology and Planetary correspondences in Magic (this is how and why it
works). The Moon is the focal point of power upon the Earth. The Moon absorbs,
condenses, and channels all of these forces, which are then carried to our Planet,
upon the Lunar Light Spectrum.
Agrippa, a 15th Century magician, understood these principles when he wrote
"...but the Moon, the nearest to the heavenly influences, by the swiftness of her
course, is joined to the sun, and the other planets and stars, as a conception,
bringing them forth to the inferior world, as being next to itself, for all the
stars have influence on it, being the last receiver, which afterwards communicates
the influence of all superiors to these inferiors, and pours them forth upon the
Earth..."
Aradia, the Holy Strega, told her followers to seek the Moon above all
others, for the purposes of Magic. In the closing prayer of the Full Moon Ritual, we
find these words which Aradia's followers were later to have written :
" O' Goddess of the Moon...teach us your ancient mysteries... that the Holy
Strega spoke of, for I believe the Strega's story, when she told us to entreat Thee,
told us when we seek for Knowledge, to seek and find Thee above all others".
Agrippa understood this also, when he wrote, "Therefore. her (the moon)
motion is to be observed before the others, as the parent of all
conception......hence it is, that without the Moon intermediating, we cannot at any
time attract the power of the superiors..." What Agrippa spoke of, is what witches
have known for Ages: The Moon is the focal point of power upon the Earth. Without
the Moon we cannot make use of the Universal Forces beyond her.
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In Moon Magic, the ritual altar is the focal point for the Lunar forces
which are drawn upon. Women are the vessels for Lunar Energy, receiving and
directing the magical force. Men can also become lunar vessels, but women are much
better suited (as their biology is more attuned to the Moon's Cycles, than are men's
biology). The method used by both women and men will be given in another note (part
4 or 5, depending upon available space).
The Moon altar is placed facing the West Quarter. The altar itself should be
round, but a square or a rectangle is OK. In the center of the altar, place a bowl
of saltwater. A white sea shell is then set into the center of the bowl. As this is
done, whisper the name of the Goddess who rules the current phase of the Moon, under
which you are working. The new moon belongs to Diana (De-ah-nah), the Full Moon to
Jana (Jah-nah) and the waning Moon to Umbrea. Around the bottom of the bowl. set
nine white shells, forming a crescent (horns upward, as in a smile). If the magic is
for the gain of something, place the shells from right to left. If the magic is for
the removal, or loss of something, then place the shells from left to right.
As each shell is placed, chant the name of the Goddess who presides over the
goal of the magical influence you desire. Matters concerning "beginnings" are under
Diana. Matters involving "forces", energies, or powers are under the influence
of Jana. Matters of Death, decline, and stagnation are ruled by Umbrea.
Censers of Moon Incense are placed around the bowl, upon the altar, forming
a triangle (so you have 3 incense containers forming a triangle, with the Moon Bowl
in its center). A reversed triangle (V) is formed for manifestations desired upon
the physical plane. Upright triangles (A) are formed for manifestation upon the
astral plane.
During the magical work, the energy is focused into the altar bowl (or moon
bowl, as it is often called). This can be done in several different ways. In group
rituals, members may point their ritual blades at the Priestess, who stands before
the altar. The members visualize their energy flowing from their themselves, through
their blades, and into the aura of the Priestess. The Priestess then visualizes this
collective energy flowing from herself, through her own blade, into the moon bowl.
Or she may simply place her palms over the bowl and focus the energy out through her
hands. During this technique, she may recite an incantation, stating the purpose of
the "charge", or the group may chant the spell's intent. One of the ways in which
energy can be raised for this technique, is through deep breathing. Each person
draws in air slowly and deeply, and exhales as they visualize the energy flowing
outward through their ritual blades, or their hands. Eastern Mystics teach that the
Ether of our planet can be drawn in through the breath, and condensed as pure
energy. This they call "Prana".
Another method is to "enchant" the water. Begin by passing your right hand,
palm down, over the bowl in a clockwise manner. Perform nine passes, then do the
same with your left hand. You will need to create a Chant which will serve to
describe your intent. It can be a simple rhyme, or whatever you want. As you chant,
blow gently upon the water slightly disturbing the surface. Formulate the
incantation to be as descriptive as you can, about what you desire.
Once you have spoken the incantation into the bowl, it is time to release
the "charge". One technique for this is to boil the water, and observe the steam as
it evaporates. Boil it until all of the water is gone. As the steam rises up, repeat
your incantation, and watch the steam as it moves upward. It is carrying off your
magic, so that it may take effect. Think this as you watch it (thoughts ARE things).
Another very old method is to pour out the contents of the bowl into a
stream, or river. As you do this, you recite a simple rhyme spell, such as :
" Water to water
a witch's spell
I give this stream
to speed it well"
Receiving the Moon's Light: (for women)
The Priestess receiving the Full Moon, will need an assistant. The assistant
will require a silver disk, smooth and highly polished. If absolutely necessary, a
small hand mirror may be used in its place. The Priestess will stand or kneel before
the altar, with her head bowed down. The assistant will part her hair at the base of
the skull, using water or oil to help separate the hair, if it is short.
While the priestess visualizes the form of the Goddess merging from behind,
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into her own form, the assistant will reflect the Moon's light upon the base of the
skull, using the silver disk. You will find that this is quite difficult in city
light pollution, and works best in a country setting, or a desert. Once the
Priestess receives the Moon she can channel it into the Moon bowl, or she can
"store" it within her Being for seven days. This light is pure Lunar energy, and can
be "impregnated" with whatever "thoughtform" the priestess desires.
Receiving the Moon's light: (for men)
The Priest receiving the Full Moon, does not need an assistant, but may
choose one if he desires. Men cannot receive the Moon in the same manner as women,
nor should they visualize the Goddess merging with them. The Priest will stand, or
kneel, before the altar with his head slightly bowed. Using a polished brass disk,
the Moon's light is reflected upon his forehead. At this point the Priest will
visualize himself as the Full Moon itself.
Once the light is received, the Priest can channel it into the bowl. Men do
not "hold" Moon Light very well, and it is best to channel it off before the seven
day period, which the Priestess enjoys.
There are several ways for a woman to receive the Moon's Light, without any
assistant. The technique I gave in this subject note, is just one of the magical
techniques. The Moon may also be received in a religious setting (no magic intended,
just a blessing or a union with Deity). In these modern times, you can set up a
mirror behind you, and angle it so that it reflects down upon you, if you desire to
try the magical technique. One of the old ways of non-magical union, was for the
woman to lay nude beneath the Full Moon in the Full Moon Goddess Posture. This
posture is also referred to as the Star Goddess Posture, and is an X formation, arms
and legs spread out wide. The woman anoints herself with an oil of the Moon, just
below her navel (forming a crescent with the oil). As she lays upon the earth, she
will look up into the Moon, and slowly draw in the muscles of her abdomen, as she
mentally pictures that she is drawing down the light of the Moon, into herself. Just
as men draw power into themselves through the solar plexus, a woman draws power into
herself through the navel region ("pit of the stomach" kind of thing. This is the
center of a woman). This is just one method, but it can be a powerful experience.
----------
ARADIA
This is the Legend of Aradia, who was called the Holy Strega (pronounced
Stray-gah). Strega is the Italian word for witch. She lived in Italy during the 14th
Century, and brought about the revival of the Old Religion, among the peasants who
were enslaved by Feudal Lords and the Church. Charles Leland wrote a book in 1894
called ARADIA, gospel of the witches. Unfortunately, his material is a Christianized
distortion of the original text.
In 1508 A.D. the Italian Inquisitor Bernardo Rategno (having studied witch
trial records preserved in the archives of the Inquisition at Comom) wrote a text
called the Tractatus de Strigibus. In this text he states that the "witches sect"
had begun to "expand" about 150 years earlier. This would place the "expansion"
around 1350 (14th Century). In the Aridian Tradition we believe that this confirms
the legend of Aradia. In Leland's ARADIA, he also tells the tale of a woman who
travelled about Italy teaching The Old Religion. According to this story, there once
was a young woman from the town of Volterra who "travelled far and wide, teaching
and preaching the religion of old times, the religion of Diana, the Queen of the
fairies and of the Moon, the goddess of the poor and oppressed". Leland goes on to
say "and the fame of her wisdom and beauty went forth over all the land, and people
worshipped her, calling her La Bella Pellegrina (the beautiful Pilgrim)". In the
Aridian Tradition, we believe that this legend is based upon the true life story of
Aradia. We consider her to have been a great Teacher, and a type of Avatar, but we
do not worship her. We do, however, honor her each Full Moon by the telling of her
Legend, and by drinking to her memory.
According to our teachings, Aradia formed covens (called groves) in central
Italy. She taught the Old Religion of Nature, and of Magic, but above all she taught
a Spirituality. Beyond this she gave hope to peasants whose lives were made
miserable, in service to the wealthy class. She taught them personal power, and
personal value, in an Age when the Church taught them shame and sin, and servitude.
Aradia returned their beautiful pagan heritage back to them once again. A heritage
which was preserved in secret by courageous Priests and Priestesses of the Old
Religion. Aradia taught Harmony with Nature, and directed her followers to merge
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with Nature through Seasonal Rites, and ritual observation of the Full Moon.
The "Charge" of the Goddess, known to many Wiccans, originally came from the
Italian. The beginning paragraph can be found in Leland's text. Doreen Valiente now
claims to have written it sometime during the 1950's or early 1960's. Leland
recounted a portion of it in 1894, with an english translation from the Italian. I
copied from a copy of it which came to the U.S. in 1946. So, this is all very
curious to me!! In the next note I will post the Italian Charge, as written by the
followers of Aradia, during the late 14th Century (well, a public version of it,
anyway).
FROM DOMI O'BRIEN Part of the problem, Raven, was that Leland was a Marxist,
and Aradia was written less to record the legend than to place his political theory
in a folklore frame.
FROM RAVEN GRIMASSI I've heard that theory about Leland, and its influence
on his book. I do not personally believe that it is correct. When you read all of
Leland's books, it is quite clear that he was extremely fascinated by the Witchlore
of Italy. This was a man who spent many years of his life in Italy, and elsewhere,
tracking and recording myth after myth. He spent a lot of time with Lady Vere de
Vere (Italian Folklorist) and Professor Milani (Director of the Archaeological
Museum in Florence) recording Italian Witchlore. His intense love of this subject is
evident in his book LEGENDS OF FLORENCE, as well as several of his other books,
including ETRUSCAN MAGIC & OCCULT REMEDIES. Whatever his political leanings may have
been, ARADIA is more the result of a con job by the so-called "witch" Maddalena (and
his obsession with preserving the old Witchlore), than it is anything else. It is
curious that actual elements of true Italian Witchcraft were obtained by Maddalena.
She was well known by the Craft, in those days, as a Gypsy Con-Artist, but clearly
she did come upon some valid aspects of The Old Religion. Most of the text is utter
nonsense, but there is enough there to make you go Hmmmmmmm.
----------
THE CHARGE OF ARADIA

(To her followers)
"Whenever you have need of anything, once in the month when the Moon is
full, then shall you gather in some deserted place, or within the woods, and give
worship to She who is Queen of all Witches. Gather then all together, within a
circle, and secrets that are as yet unknown shall be revealed. And you must be free
within your mind and your spirit, and as a sign that you are truly free, you shall
be naked in your rites. For therein is the essence of spirit, and a knowledge of
joy. Be true unto your own beliefs, and keep to the Ways, beyond all obstacles. For
ours is the Key to the Mysteries, and the Cycle of Rebirth, which opens the way unto
the Womb of Enlightenment. I am the Spirit of Witches All, and this is Joy and Peace
and Harmony. In life does the Queen of all Witches reveal the Knowledge of Spirit.
And from Death does the Queen deliver you unto peace, and renew your Life again.
When I shall have departed from this World, in memory of me, make cakes of
grain, wine, and honey. These shall you fashion in the shape of the Moon, and
partake of these cakes, and of wine, all in my memory.
Offerings then shall you give unto She is who our Mother. For She is
the beauty of the earth, and the white Moon among the heavens, and the Mystery which
gives Life, and ever calls us to gather in Her name. Let Her worship be the ways
within your heart, for all acts of love and pleasure, are as rituals unto the
Goddess. But to all who seek Her, know that your seeking and yearning shall avail
you not, until you know the Mystery. For if that which you seek, is not found within
you, you shall never find it without. For She has been with you since you entered
into the Ways, and She is that which awaits attainment, and your journeys end".
This is an altered version of the full length "Charge" as it appears in the
Aridian Tradition. On the next note I will post Leland's version, which was written
in 1894. Following this I will post one of the popular Wiccan versions, which will
probably be better recognized. I am sorry that I cannot post the actual Charge, but
this one comes very close (without dishonoring my oath of Initiation).
(Leland's version - written in 1890):

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"When I shall have departed from this world, whenever ye have need of
anything, once in the month, and when the Moon is full, ye shall assemble in some
secret place, or in a forest all together join to adore the potent spirit of your
Queen, my Mother, great Diana. She who fain would learn all sorcery yet has not won
its deepest secrets, them my mother will teach her, in truth all things as yet
unknown. And ye shall be freed from slavery, and so shall ye be free in everything;
and as a sign that ye are truly free, ye shall be naked in your rites, both men and
women also: this shall last until the last of your oppressors shall be dead; and ye
shall make the game of Benevento, extinguishing the lights, and after that shall
hold your supper thus:"
(Leland goes on with the conjuration, and blessing, of the meal for the Sabbat, and
then concludes the Charge)
"And thus shall it be done: all shall sit down to the supper all naked, men
and women, and, the feast over, they shall dance, sing, make music, and then love in
the darkness, with all the lights extinguished; for it is the Spirit of Diana who
extinguishes them, and so they will dance and make music in her praise".
I just thought that you might find this of interest. There are many verses
in Leland's writing, which Doreen Valiente now claims to have written for Gerald
Gardner, circa 1958. (Text from: ARADIA, gospel of the witches by Charles Leland)
FROM: JANA HOLLINGSWORTH A version of the Charge of the Goddess appeared in
Charles Godfrey Leland's ARADIA around the turn of the century. According to Raven
Grimassi, it was known among Italian traditional Witches long before that. The
Leland publication alone would indicate that Valiente merely rewrote it.
The Charge of the Goddess--who wrote it?
Was Leland the first one to note it?
Did Doreen create
It in Fifty-eight?
Or did they from Italy quote it?
FROM: JANICE BURGESS Doreen adapted and expanded the Charge from a bit that
is in Aradia. The part in Aradia is not nearly as beautifully written and doesn't
contain as much text as Doreen's adaption. It also contains things that modern
pagans probably wouldn't understand culturally or want to include as they wouldn't
apply well at this point in time. I'm a fanatic about where things come from and
always like to know although, like you, it doesn't affect my enjoyment of the work
at all. I like getting credit for what I've written and like to extend the courtesy
to others as well, so I guess that's part of it. I also just went through a lot of
problems with a book I have coming out this fall. I wanted to include things like
chants and songs I've been hearing for over 10 years in the appendix. I had to track
down who had done what and get permissions from all concerned. Most of them I wanted
to use had been done by friends. A few I had no idea who had written them. It was
really a mess. It cured me from ever jotting something down and using it and taking
it for granted I would remember where it had come from later on.
FROM RAVEN GRIMASSI Yes, Doreen based her
version of the Charge on ARADIA by Leland (among other writings as well).
The beginning of the Charge ("once in the month and better it be when the Moon is
Full...") comes from Aradia's instructions to her followers. In Leland's ARADIA it
is in Chapter 1, being the last English translation there. I will provide the first
section here for you, directly from Leland's book:
"...whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month and when the moon
is full, ye shall assemble in some desert place, or in a forest all together join to
adore the potent spirit of your Queen, My Mother, great Diana. She who fain would
learn all sorcery yet has not won its deepest secrets, them my Mother will teach
her, in truth all things as yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery, and so
shall ye be free in everything; and as the sign that ye are truly free, you shall be
naked in your rites...". Remember, this was first published in 1890. Seem somehow
familiar?
----------
ITALIAN CRAFT
As an introduction to this subject, I'll begin with some excerpts from a few
books. In the LEGENDS OF FLORENCE we find these words by Charles Leland (written
1895):
"The witches of Italy form a class who are the repositories of all the
folklore; but, what is not at all generally known they also keep as strict secrets
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an immense number of legends of their own, which have nothing in common with the
nursery or popular tales, such as are commonly collected and published....Lady Vere
de Vere, who has investigated witchcraft as it exists in the Italian Tyrol, in an
admirable article in La Rivista of Rome (June 1894) tells us that "the Community of
Italian Witches is regulated by laws, traditions, and customs of the most secret
kind, possessing special recipes for sorcery" which is perfectly true. Having been
free of the community for years, I can speak from experience. The more occult and
singular of their secrets are naturally not of a nature to be published..."
After consulting with Lady Vere de Vere (Italian Folklorist) and Professor
Milani (Director of the Archaeological Museum in Florence) Leland wrote (concerning
Italian Witchlore), "That this is of great antiquity is clear, for out of this
enchanted forest of Italian Witchcraft and mystical sorcery, there never came
anything, great or small, which was not at least of the Bronze, if not Neolithic
Age". In his book, ARADIA, Leland writes of the popular Christian image of the
witch, but goes on to say: "But the Italian Strega or sorceress is in certain
respects a different character from these. In most cases she comes of a family in
which her calling or art has been practiced for many generations..."
In Leland's ETRUSCAN MAGIC & OCCULT REMEDIES we find these statements:
"Among the cliffs and scrubby moors of northern Italy there dwell today descendants
of an ancient people whose stubborn and exotic mystery has provoked historians to
conflict, linguists to despair, archaeologists to poetry, and poets to philosophy.
For almost two thousand years the astounding secret of their existence was kept
without living whisper save in the anachronistic echoes, recorded for the first time
in this book, of Tuscan Catholic peasant voices calling through unbroken generations
upon the pagan deities of their remarkable ancestors..."
Later in this book he states "But I was much more astonished to find that in
Tuscany, the most enlightened portion of Italy, under all Roman rule, an old pagan
faith, or something like it, has existed to a most extraordinary degree. For it is
really not a mere chance survival of superstitions here and there, as in England or
France, but a complete system, as this work will abundantly prove".
----------
LA VECCHIA RELIGIONE
(The Old Religion)
ITALIAN WORD ENGLISH WORD
Strega (Stray-gah) Witch (female)
Stregone (Stray-go-nay) Witch (male)
Treguenda (Tray-gwen-dah) Sabbat
Veglione (Vay-yoe-nay) Esbat
Stregeria (Stray-gare-e-a) Witchcraft
Boschetto (Bos-ket-oh) Coven
La Vecchia (La-vek-kia) (slang) The Craft
The Old Religion of Italy is called La Vecchia Religione (La-vek-kia
Re-lidge-oh-nay). In La Vecchia, female witches are called Strega and males are
called Stregone. In the structure of a Boschetto there are several offices or
positions. Most groups are run by a woman who is a High Priestess, assisted by a man
who is a High Priest. The High Priestess has an assistant known as Dama D'onore
(Dama-Dee-o-nor-ay). This is like a Queen's attendant except that it the Goddess who
she actually is serving during the ritual, represented by the High Priestess. The
High Priest has an assistant called "La Guardia" who is the Guardian of the ritual
area. In the days of the Inquisition it was his duty to protect the High Priestess
and High Priest if the Christians should attack the ritual gathering. It was also
his responsibility to keep the new initiates from disrupting the ritual, by helping
move them along as needs be. Both positions of service are "in training" for the
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respective positions of High Priestess and High Priest.
There are four degrees, or stages, of attainment, within La Vecchia. The 1st
is a time of training and orientation. The 2nd is becoming a Priestess or a Priest
of the Old Ways. The 3rd is becoming a High Priestess or High Priest. The 4th is
when a person actually dies, and we say that she, or he, has taken 4th Degree.
Over all of the 3 Degrees, is the position of Grimas (Gree-mahs). A Grimas
oversees the Tradition as a whole, and is responsible for its preservation. A Grimas
makes sure that nothing is ever written out of any ritual material, or edited from
any oral teaching. In Italy, this is a much respected position, and a Grimas always
has the final word in all matters regarding the preservation of the Ways. This
position can be held by either a woman or a man, though for the most part, La
Vecchia is a matriarchal system. A High Priestess always has "authority" over that
of a High Priest. However, a Grimas (regardless of gender) always has "authority"
over the High Priestess, in matters concerning the integrity of the Tradition as a
whole. Each Clan has a Grimas, and this is why the Religion has survived intact down
through the Ages. Preservation of the Ways of a People requires a structured System.
Without this you have, well, look around...
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THE LARE HOUSE
In the Aridian Tradition, we have a belief in spirits known as the Lare
(Lar-ay), or Lasa (Lah-sah). In a way, these are spirits who carry the memories of
our Ancestors. They are the Collective Consciousness of our Clans. They are also
Nature spirits similar to the Elven or Fay, but are considered a different Race.
The Lasa appear in Etruscan Mythology and the Lare appear in Roman
Mythology. In the Aridian Mythos there is a blending of the two. Aridian Initiates
are required to obtain, or to construct, a Lare house, as part of their training.
These spirits houses can be of any design, however the Roman Temple design is the
most common. These are simply two pillars supporting a cross beam. At the base is a
small protruding ledge upon which offerings may be placed. As part of the Community
rites a votive candle is placed on the ledge. Whenever someone in the Family has a
birthday, or some other personal event, the candle is lit as part of the
Celebration. The children of our Clan seem to enjoy lighting the candles, and
sharing in the tradition of the Lare.
Offerings are placed before the Lare house on each of the Seasonal Rites,
and each Full Moon. These are usually offerings of grain, or nectar. Nectar is a
mixture of milk, honey and wine. As part of the Rite of the Lare, the names of our
ancestors (and "departed" Clan members) are recalled in a "toast" before the Lare
House. This traditional rite has served to preserve the lines of descent back into
Time.
We view the Lare as many spirits who comprise a single Consciousness. In
other words as a Community of spirits. They are connected to us through our worship
of the Nature and the Old Ways, and through that of our Ancestors. Through our
practices they recognize us as those who gathered in ancient times, and they
"follow" us through Time. This is a very primitive belief, but is still honored
today.
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ARIDIAN PANTHEON
I thought that you might like to know about some of the Gods and Goddesses
of the Aridian Tradition. The list given here is only partial, and I am using the
common names of these Deities. In the Aridian Tradition the original names of the
Deities are not revealed until the Second Degree Initiation (as they are considered
names of the Priestess Craft/Priest Craft). These are names, however, which we do
use:
The Goddesses
TANA: the Star Goddess (Universal Aspect)
JANA: Goddess of the Moon, and the Mysteries of the Moon
FANA: Goddess of the Earth, and of Fertility
FORTUNA: Goddess of Fortune, Fate, and Luck
CARMEN/CARMINA: Goddess of the casting of spells, and of
Enchantments
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DIANA: The Triad Goddess: Maiden, Mother, Crone. Goddess of
outcasts, outlaws, slaves, and oppressed Peoples.
Diana encompasses many other Goddesses, and is the
name also used for the Moon Goddess, Earth Goddess,
and Star Goddess.
UMBRIA: Goddess of the Shadows. Umbria is the Dark Aspect of
the Goddess (waning moon), and rules with DIS in the
Underworld. Goddess of things which are Hidden, or
secret.
NOX: Goddess of the Night. Nox rules the Darkness which
falls upon the Earth, and all within it. She is the
sister of Umbria, and shares her associations
(except for the Underworld connection). Nox can be a
bit on the sinister side if care is not taken.
ASTREA: Goddess of Justice
COPIA: Goddess of Abundance and Plenty
PERTUNDA: Goddess of sexual love and sexual pleasure
The Gods
JANUS: God of the Sun, and god of all beginnings, portals,
doorways, and thresholds. It was Janus who brought
the elements into harmony from Chaos.
FAUNUS: Nature God of Fertility (similar to Pan)
TANUS: The Star God (Universal Aspect)
TERMINUS: God of boundaries, protector of personal property
DIANUS: Nature God of Fertility, similar to Faunus except
that he is a Stag God instead of a Goat God. He is also known by the
name Kern or Cern.
FEBRUUS: God of purification and initiation
COMUS: God of revelry, feasting, drinking, and the "pleasures of the night".
CORVUS: Messenger of the Gods. Also the Trickster God,
known as Raven.
LUPERCUS: The Wolf God
ANTEROS: God of Passion and Sexual Unions
VIRBIUS: God of outcasts and outlaws. Guardian of
Sanctuaries
FROM: JANA HOLLINGSWORTH
Are the secret names of the deities in Etruscan? Or are you not allowed to
say?
I cannot go into this completely, but I can say that many of the names can
be found in the Etruscan Pantheon. Some of the names are not exact matches, but are
so close that they surely must have a common origin. There are a couple of names,
however, which seem to be unique unto themselves. The curious thing about our
relationship to Etruscan, is that we do not share the basic Mythos. Little is known
publicly of Etruscan Mythology, but in many cases what we do know does not match
Aridian Mythology. Their Underworld mythos, for example, is completely different. On
the other hand, many of the natures of the Gods & Goddesses do seem to match.
Perhaps it is a case of ancient Roman eclecticism, but then again we do not consider
our Tradition to have grown out of Roman Religion entirely. Curious...
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WATER SCRYING
This technique is a very ancient one, and common among Shamanistic
Traditions. Divination is the ability to see what patterns are forming towards
manifestation. What you "see" is actually what is likely to occur if nothing changes
the pattern being "woven". Here is a technique which I teach: Pour some bottled
water into a cereal bowl. Mix either a blue or a green food color into the water, so
that the liquid is dark enough to hide the bottom of the bowl. At this point you
have a reflective surface. Place two candles as your source of light, so that the
light does not reflect upon the liquid (off a foot or two, in front of you should do
it). Next is a series of hand passes over the liquid, slowly and deliberately.
Magically speaking, the
right hand is of an electrical nature/active charge, and the left hand is of a
magnetic/receptive charge. Right handed pass will strengthen the image and left
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handed passes will attract the image to form. Begin by making left handed passes
over the bowl, in a clockwise circle, just a few inches above the water (palms open
and facing down). Stop, and gaze into the dark liquid, not At the liquid, but INTO
the liquid. You will need to repeat these passes as you go, from time to time.
Alternate between the left hand and the right hand. This requires patience, and
time. Use
your intuition as you sit before the bowl. Make sure the area is
quiet and there are no distractions.
Drinking some Rosemary tea, prior to Divination, can aid in the work. There
are several herbs which aid the Psychic Mind, this is just one of them (careful
though, Rosemary can be toxic in large quantities).
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ELEMENTALS
In the case of an artificially created elemental, you must specifically
state the date in which it will cease to exist. If you do not, it is quite likely
that the elemental will move off into the astral, and begin to manifest there. It
does not require a name in order to exist. The purpose for giving it a name, is to
have some control over it, while it serves its designed purpose. Whether it survives
as a permanent, and separate entity on the Astral Plane, is dependent upon many
factors. The danger here is, though, that it is still connected to its "creator",
and once established upon the Planes, can effect the creator in return. This is why
it is essential that its lifespan be stated once it is created, and a method for
making sure that it "ceases to be" must be ready as well. Usually, this is done by
making a hollow image of the elemental and filling it with a magical condenser. Once
"charged", by simply pouring out a bit of the condenser at a time, the elemental
will ebb away. Once the fluid is gone, so too is the artificial elemental.
Now, as to the ethics of all of this .....
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BEFANA - A "CHRISTMAS WITCH"
Just wanted to share an old custom from Italy, concerning a witch during the
Yule/Christmas Season. Though purely pagan,it is still a part of the Season there
(among Christians and Pagans alike). In Italy there is a figure similar to Santa
Claus, except that she is a witch named Befana. On January 6th, children set out
stockings to be filled by the "good witch" Befana. She has a consort who accompanies
her (usually in Festival Parades) named Befano. Early in the evening an
indeterminate number of people gather, and Befana takes to the streets accompanied
by her husband and entourage. She is accompanied by a makeshift band of 3 or 4
musicians, and a live horse. They will go from house to house, singing the Befana
song. Having done this, the Befana and her company receive a glass of wine, or a
bite to eat, and continue on.
In a book by Carol Field (celebrating Italy) Befana is associated with
Hecate. An etching by Bartolomeo Pinelli in 1825, shows Befana as the Mother Goddess
seated and surrounded by fruits, grains, and other items of the Harvest. The
celebration of Befana ends in a burning in effigy. Upon a hill a pyramid of corn
sheaves, brushwood, and pine branches are piled. The effigy of Befana is placed on
top, and fire is set to the wood. Chestnuts are tossed in as symbols of fertility.
Custom says that if the smoke blows to the West, then the crops will be poor. If to
the East, it is an omen of a year of abundance. This has many similarities to the
Slain God Mythos. This rite is not one of punishment, but one of replenishing the
Earth through returning the Life Giver, Herself. In Italy today, candy images of
Befana, and statues are available during the Season. My mother says that Befana and
Befano are remnants of the old God & Goddess of the Witch Clans, preserved by
witches from the time of the Persecution. Seems likely when you do some research.
There are two books (written in Italian) which present the associations of Befana
with various seasonal rites. These are; The Sacred Day (a book of Festivals) by
Franco Cardini. The Calendar: festivals, myths, legends, and rites of the year (also
by Cardini - professor of History at the University of Florence).
The words to the song follow, however something is lost in the translation
(as they say). Also, even in the Italian there is little attempt at rhyme:
"Upon the wind the snow is falling
and is blown on the wind before, and with a light step
she descends to us, a witch that is dear to you all
a witch that many here love
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who comes every year to find you
she has arrived with us 'la Befana'
every heart is full of joy
from among the valley, villages, and countryside
our Befana has arrived here
she has brought a great sackful of gifts
that she wants to give to you dear children
that promise to be good for their mothers and fathers."
(tempo changes here, and another verse begins)
"and now friends you that are here
we want to sing and dance
and a ballet we want to do
with the Befana and Befano
and we want to salute you all
friends we shall always remain
and the Befana before she goes
wishes you all happiness and prosperity".
This is repeated twice. Another part of the custom which I neglected to
mention deals with the children preparing for the arrival of Befana (before the
festivities). Each child writes his or her wishes upon a piece of paper and places
it in the fireplace, allowing the small bit of paper to float up the chimney.
My mother says that the Befana customs differ somewhat from region to
region, in Italy. I know that in Naples, the street festivals are no longer
commonplace, and I hear that in the region of Val d' Aosta the Befana celebrations
have all but vanished. Still, the custom survives (due to the Children, no doubt).
The Old Lady is still going strong!
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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
For those who expressed interest in the Aridian Tradition, I would like to
share the following historical background material:
In 30 B.C. (common era) the Roman poet Horace, wrote a work which is called
the Epodes of Horace. In part, it is a dialogue between he and a witch (from
Naples,Italy) named Canidia. In epode 5 he associates Proserpine and Diana with
witches in a Mystery Cult. In epode 17 he also names these goddesses as "Patron"
goddesses of Witchcraft, and states that witches use a book called Libros Carminum
by which they "call down the moon", make philtres and evoke spirits. Other Roman
writers of the Era such as Lucan and Ovid clearly support the theme of Horace's
writings. From this we can conclude that the association of witches with Diana was
common knowledge. The association of Proserpine with the Old Ways is important also,
as can be seen in the Underworld mythos/descent legend. Bear in mind that this is
being said in 30 B.C. in Italy (not in the 1950's of Gerald Gardner). As will be
seen here, the association of Diana with Italian witches, will come to be called
"The society of Diana".
Epode 5 : "...Night and Diana, who command silence when secret mysteries are
performed, now aid me: now turn your vengeance and influence against my enemies'
houses..."
Epode 17: (to Canidia) "Now already I yield to your mighty art, and suppliant
beseech you by the realms of Proserpine, and by the powers of Diana, not to be
provoked, and by your books of enchantments that are able to call down the fixed
stars from heaven Canidia, at length spare your magic words, and turn backward your
swift wheel..."
(Canidia replies) "...must I, who can move waxen images and call down the
Moon from the sky by my spells, who can raise the vaporous dead, and mix a draught
of love, lament the effect of my art availing nothing upon you?"
So, you can see that this association of Diana with Italian witches is quite old.
Also note the use of the term "call down the Moon" with the Italian witch Canidia.
FROM ROBERT THOMAS It should be noted for the record that Horace was writing
a satire in the Epodes, rather than a study on witchcraft. This indicates that the
things in it were not his own inventions (except maybe the book-name) but were
public opinion of the times. The concept of drawing down the moon can be traced back
to the witches of Thessaly, and is mentioned as early as 300 BCE in Greek
literature. Also, the "popular" witch (as opposed to the actual witch) was almost
always female and worked exclusively with the chthonic powers (i.e., the scary ones)
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like Night (Nyx), the Furies, the Harpies, Hekate, Diana, Selene, etc. etc. as
opposed to the Olympian gods.
FROM RAVEN GRIMASSI Actually, Horace wrote his satires in the SATIRES OF
HORACE. The Epodes were lyric poems/songs, and were written for various reasons. The
dialogue concerning the witch Canidia was not intended as a study of Witchcraft, but
simply illustrates some of the common thinking of the Era. You mention Diana and
Hecate as the "scary" ones, as opposed to the Olympian gods (who I assume you think
are the good guys?). To a witch, the powers of Night are not scary, nor are its
Deities. My mother used to say that the moon was more powerful than the sun, because
the moon can be out at both day time, and at night. But the sun can only show itself
during the day (a most inferior light). The Olympian gods represented the
restrictive Roman System, to early Italian witches, and they preferred the deities
of the common folk. Diana was, among other things, the goddess of the oppressed
(something Rome was rather fond of doing). I find the non olympians worthy in their
own RITE. There is little more beautiful than the night of a Full Moon, and a circle
of Her children in loving worship, beneath Her. We see the Sun/God as Her worthy
Consort, and a balance. When I see what goes on during the day, such as Corporations
spewing filth into the air and the waters, governments plotting against one another,
Wall Street and so forth, well...now that is scary !
FROM ROBERT THOMAS No, no, Raven, you misunderstood. I don't personally
think that the chthonic gods are scary at all; I'm friends with most of them, and
one of them is my patron! I meant that they were scary to the average Roman citizen
of the time. Horace's writings reflected popular opinions of witches, rather than
their actual practices. In all of the Classical and Greco-Roman spells that I've
seen, the Olympians were not excluded; anybody that they thought might be willing to
help, they invoked. A number of the spells read like Hesiods Theogony with a request
tacked on to the end, so I wouldn't call them limited in their scope. Still, to the
educated Roman citizen, the witch was thought to represent a dangerous feminine
power which was not under the control of the Empire and thus was antagonistic to the
Roman way of life and to its gods (the Olympians) as well. This was their (the
Romans) conception, not the truth of the matter. These conceptions were what Horace
was drawing from when he wrote his works, since this group (the educated Romans)
were the audience for which his works were intended (actually, they were the only
ones who could read them, since literacy was not common among the people). Hope this
has made my point a little clearer and look forward to reading your other
posts...Gwydion
----------
FROM MARTIN DUGAN III Is it true that you guys really worship the ancient gods of
Rome and Greece?
FROM RAVEN GRIMASSI Different cultural Traditions worship different deities.
I follow an old Italian Tradition and worship some of the ancient goddesses
and gods who were known to the ancient Romans. A wise Holy Woman who lived during
the 14th Century in Italy addressed the issue of there being different gods in an
interesting manner. She was asked which God should be worshipped and she answered
saying: In a man's lifetime he is known by many names and titles. To one person he
is called "brother" and by another he is called "father". To still another he may be
called "cousin" or even "husband". Some may call him "sir" or some by his given
name, but is he still not the one man ?".
She was addressing the issue of Deity and the need for Humankind to give it
a name or a title. She taught that Deity was not as petty as Humankind and had no
need to be addressed by a particular name only, or in a particular manner only.
These were Human concepts and expressions of the limited understanding of Humankind.
Oops, sorry, I guess I wandered away from your original question...
Blessings to you, Raven
----------
We chose the word "Aridian" instead of "Aradian" for two reasons. First
there was an Aradian system already established in the mid-west during the early
80's and they were following a modified version of Leland's Aradia. I did not want
to be confused with their system. Secondly, Arida was the name of an old village in
Italy where Aradia and her followers first began to practice as a group. So, we
decided upon the term Aridian (two birds with one stone, so to speak).
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ARTS OF WITCHCRAFT
This is a series of notes concerning the arts of the Craft; meaning magic
and ritual etc. This first note is on "energy".
When you hold your hands a few inches apart, palms facing, you create an
electromagnetic field between them. This magnetism indicates the presence of
polarities; opposite poles which attract one another. The first thing we can say
about energy is that it is composed of opposites. The best way to understand these
opposites is to think of them as directions of force:
feminine -----> <-------- masculine

negative -----> <-------- positive
inward ------> <-------- outward
Though we divide them to talk about them, these opposites within energy can
never be separated. One cannot exist without the other. Positive and negative pulls
are both necessary for movement. Together the two create vibration. When opposites
are in the correct relationship the result is balance.
The second thing we can say about energy is that it IS balanced. Balance is
the natural state of the Universe. However when energy becomes plural it is reduced
to positive and negative charges and is considered unbalanced. Because they are
incomplete forms of the universal "all", energies set up separation between the
whole and its parts.
Separations of such, manifest physically and mentally. Held as such they
must occupy definable territories. You may have noticed this in yourself perhaps as
a sadness in the heart area or fear in the pit of your stomach. These are energies
occupying space. When energies are held in by emotion they can be felt as a weight
or a presence. Another word for energy is ego. Ego separates us from the All. The
truth is that we are no more or less than anything around us. Everything is a
physical manifestation of energy in its state of positive and negative charges. The
effects of magic are worked through the aspect of energy which the modern systems
sometimes term "od" or "odic" force. It is the vital element which flows through all
terrestrial globes and all living beings. By its various influences this agent
attracts some things to others and keeps other things away as well. The Human body
radiates this energy. It can submit one person to another's will. The Odic force is
capable of being consciously developed, energized and intensified. It is this power
concentrated and directed which is the basis of personal magic. The will of the
person performing a work of such magic concentrates and controls the energy. This
concentration of energy is then sent to its goal, either stored in a talisman or
sent in a thought-form to the person or thing to be effected. The power of the odic
force must be used in accordance with the solar and lunar tides, as well as Cosmic
Tides.
FROM JANA HOLLINGSWORTH In your first note concerning energy, you say that
energy is "composed of opposites," by which you mean it is polar in nature. This
sounds like you mean ALL energy is polar. While electro-magnetism is polar, the
other three forces of nature-- the strong force, the weak force, and gravity-- are
not. The magical energy you describe is similar to electro-magnetism, but
electromagnetism is not by any means the only force in the universe.
Although the analogy between electromagnetism and magical polar energy is
clear, they don't seem to me identical because magic is not always perfectly polar.
There is more flexibility in magic than there is in electromagnetism. Physicists
have never yet found a magnetic monopole, but in magic they're everywhere.
Hmmm...there ought to be a good limerick in this somewhere. I'll think about it.
TO JANA HOLLINGSWORTH This is indeed too complex an issue to fully cover in
a BB format, unfortunately. When I speak of energy polarity I am speaking of magical
energy. It is an old teaching that each of us has within ourselves an energy current
comprised of masculine and feminine polarities (active & receptive). When we raise
magic, or draw magic, we cannot help but give it dual polarity because that is our
nature. In the Eastern mystical traditions they would call this the Ida and Pingala
currents (which divide and flow from the base chakra, cross each other at the heart
chakra, and then flow into the 3rd eye uniting once again).
If we take the old Occult axiom "As above, so below" we can also say that
the Creators set within all things this same Ida & Pingala nature (since it would be
their imprint on their creation). The nature of the artist is always within the
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nature of his or her art. So what I am speaking of is the etheric essence of energy.
On a mundane level I do not know a great deal about the physical properties of all
"natural" energy forms. But I do know that things are not always as they seem, or
appear to be. The occult nature of a physical object, or a physical property, is not
always readily apparent ( I suppose that is why it is called "Occult", meaning
hidden or secret).
I don't know if this helps clarify my statements or not. I'm just sort of
winging it here, but I think I've covered the basic concept. I would be happy to go
into this more if you have any other questions or comments. I do not claim to be
"all-knowing", but I am pretty solid on occult science.
FROM JANA HOLLINGSWORTH If we count etheric or occult energy as a fifth
force of nature, then the Creators made a universe with two polar forces and three
which are non-polar. That means we, their creations, have natures which are both
polar and non-polar. The strong and weak forces have tiny ranges of sub-atomic size,
while gravity--the weakest of all forces--is thought to have infinite range. It
becomes weaker with distance, but never quite disappears. Is magical energy similar
to gravity in this respect? Is its range limited or infinite? Does it fall off with
distance? Does it travel at the speed of light? Does it exhibit wave/particle
duality? I don't necessarily expect answers, but I find these questions interesting.
They can be answered about all other forms of energy. I expect no one has studied
magical power in these terms, but if magic is a form of energy there ought to be
answers somewhere.
FROM: RAVEN GRIMASSI When you can pluck the wave/particle duality from my
hand it will be time for you to go <BG>. Sorry... I would not count occult energy as
an additional force of nature but as an animating element within nature. You lost me
on the polar universe stuff though. Great questions !! Let me tell you what I know
about how magic works and manifests, and perhaps some answers might appear. First of
all the action of magical manifestation actually takes place within the astral
dimension. Time and space as we understand it, does not exist there. So I would not
say that the range of magic is infinite, but rather that it behaves (from our
perspective) as though it had infinite range because it manifests without reference
to distance. The effects are as though it had infinite range. As to speed of travel,
I would say that it is accurate to say that magic travels at the speed of thought,
whatever that might be. Magical energy is affected by a variety of external forces.
Magical force fields, such as protective pentacles, can slow or deflect the force.
Greater forces such as those exerted by deity or high level spirits can certainly
alter the course of one's magic. I always tell my students that there are only two
reasons why one's magic will ever fail: one is that it was performed incorrectly
(including at the wrong time) or a greater force opposes it. Does this help ?
FROM JANA HOLLINGSWORTH I don't know the actual speed of thought, but it is
the speed at which electrical impulses travel across one's neurons, and is
considerably less than the speed of light. Perhaps magic could be thought of cutting
through the "Elsewhere" portion of a space-time diagram where all particles MUST
travel faster than light. I don't mean that literally, but as an analogy for the
astral. I don't know the current status of the theory of tachyons (faster-than-light
particles). It may be entirely old hat. My knowledge of physics is based on popular
books and subscriptions to SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN and SCIENCE NEWS, so I'm not always
up-to-date.
Making an analogy between physics and magic helps me make sense of what's
going on with magic. I fear I'm a theoretician of magic more than a practitioner;
despite a horoscope loaded with psychic potential, my talent for practical magic is
nil. So I try to work up theories of magic instead. I suspect we may someday
discover that magic and quantum physics are intimately related. Which science
fiction writer said that any sufficiently sophisticated technology is
indistinguishable from magic?
As for wave/particle duality, it is yet another pair of united opposites:an
electron is a wave or a particle (female or male) depending entirely on how you
choose to look at it. If you don't look at it at all, it is neither and both; it is
entirely potential.
FROM RAVEN GRIMASSI Thanks for the scientific info. I'm sure that Occult
Science and Physical Science are definitely related, and perhaps someday Physical
Science may catch up.
Just to add another aspect; the plane of forces (elemental plane) flows like
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a river to and from the physical dimension and the astral dimension. It is this
plane which carries magical energy to the Astral Plane where it takes on the image
of the desired effect. Once the thought is formed there, it then passes back through
the Elemental Plane and manifests upon the Physical. Perhaps the substance of the
plane of forces has more to do with the physical science of which you speak. It
would make sense because the substance of the Elemental Plane is more closely
related to physical matter than is the astral.
FROM JANA HOLLINGSWORTH There has to be some unity of physical and
metaphysical forces or magic wouldn't function in the physical world.
BTW, I think it was Arthur C. Clarke who said that any sufficiently
sophisticated technology is indistinguishable from magic.
----------
ARTS OF WITCHCRAFT: MAGIC & ENERGY
There are many different types and styles of magic involved in the practice
of magical Witchcraft. Some covens/practitioners differ in the type used; some use
all and some may combine only a few techniques. Basically they may be organized into
two categories; operative & ceremonial. The first covers spells, words of power, the
use of unguents/potions, etc. The second is concerned with the operation of Craft
rituals. The aspects of magic can be thought of in this manner: Sympathetic, ritual,
raised, drawn, and sex magic.
Ritual is a means of concentrating and attracting those energies which are
symbolized through the use of gestures, word phrases and images (symbols, runes,
etc). The magical theory being that by acting out certain symbolic gestures, with
concentration upon their meanings, one can attract sympathetic energies inherent
throughout the Universe. These energies can be directed by the use of one's
controlled will. This aspect is sometimes called the witches' pyramid.
The witches' pyramid is a glyph which symbolizes the mentality necessary for
the directed manifestation of magical energy. It is comprised of these attributes:
Personal Will
Imagination
Visualization
(all three of these must enclose the expectation of success)
Will
*
(expectation)
* *
imagination visualization
Expectation is essential to a successful manifestation. You must will a
thing to be, imagine the outcome in your mind, and visualize what it is that you
desire. But beyond this you must have the expectation that it will manifest as you
desire it to.
FROM MICHAEL MAGEE What in all of Ma Natures perfection is Sex Magick????
Sounds messy<G>?
FROM RAVEN GRIMASSI Sex magic is the use of energy raised through sexual
union. This is the most condensed and powerful form of energy which can be raised
from the human body. Some Craft Traditions employ it in the 3rd Degree Initiation
ceremony. In Eastern mystical traditions it is known as Tantra. The ancient
Egyptians employed it as well. The energy raised in sex magic is sometimes referred
as the kundalini power, or serpent power. The headdress of ancient Egyptian rulers
bore a serpent protruding from the forehead of the wearer. This was symbolic of the
serpent power having been raised to the 3rd eye, the sign of Divine Union, or
samadhi. The kundalini force is seated at the base of the spine and governs the
sexual nature of the individual. In magic it is drawn up through each of the Chakra
points, to the third eye, employing sexual energy.
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ARTS OF WITCHCRAFT: MAGICAL LINKS
All things connected with a person contain an energy link with that person.
For example, a person's hair holds the vibra-tions of his/her energy pattern, and by
the use of sympathetic magic that person can be influenced by energy directed to
him/her. This could be used for emotional healing of that person, motivation, or
whatever. The hair acts as a point of concentra-tion and as a kind of "homing
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device" for the directed energy. The same is true for unwashed items of clothing and
other personal items. By making an image of an individual and placing his/her
personal items within it, one creates a center of focus.
Works of magic for the gain of something should be done while the moon is
waxing (new to full) and works to be rid of something or to undo something should be
performed when the moon is waning.
Cord magic is a basic magical tool in witchcraft. The theory being that by
concentrating a desire upon the cords, using them as a focus, one can raise and
condense magical energy. This energy can be set into the cord itself by knotting the
cords at the point of greatest concentrated effort. In other words, you concentrate
on your desire and make an exclamation of the desire as you quickly make a knot
(pulling it tightly as you confirm the desire). Later, untying the knot will release
the desired effect. This can be helpful when working with someone who really bothers
you a lot. You can set the message "leave me alone" into the cord (knot) and untying
it (secretly) when the person is really on your nerves. In this case you would
simply think about the person so that you raise your emotions on the subject, then
begin to loop the cord into a knot. Before pulling the cord tight into a knot,
visualize the person's face. Then shout (out loud or within yourself) "Leave me
alone!". Visualize the person leaving you alone as you continue for a moment to
exert tension on the cord.
As with all forms of magic, be responsible when you perform a work which effects
another person. Why you do something is often more karmically established than what
it is that you did. For example, if you harm someone in order save another person's
life as opposed to harming someone because you seek revenge, there is a difference
in the karma which you are establishing for yourself. Obviously, you should seek to
harm no one in the first place.
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ARTS OF WITCHCRAFT: THE UNIVERSAL CONDENSER
Condensers are fluids which are used to carry magical charges. One method of
charging them is to place your hands together palms down (as you might for a
"push-up" exercise) so that the index finger-tips meet as do the tips of the thumbs.
Next inhale deeply, visualizing the full moon above your head. Bring the triangle
opening in your hands over the condenser liquid and exhale three times through the
opening and upon the liquid. As you do this visualize the light of the moon pouring
down through your head and into your lungs (as you inhale) and then visualize it
flowing out with your breath as you exhale.
The Condenser: take 2 level teaspoons each of camomile flowers and eyebright
and place them in a bowl. Boil two cups of water on an open flame and then add the
herbs. Set the mixture aside to cool for 15 minutes. Then filter the mixture through
four layers of clean linen cloth/cheesecloth.
This condenser can be used medicinally as a lotion or magically for
evocations (also to improve clairvoyance). Diluted in 7 parts of warm water it can
be drank for stomach problems. Undiluted it can be used for various minor aches &
pains by applying it to the area with a cotton soaked pad for 1 - 2 hours. Ears can
be treated by applying it with cotton balls in an "earplug" fashion. For
clairvoyance place soaked cotton balls upon your closed eyes for about 20 minutes.
To increase occult sensitivity in the palms of your hands (for psychometry) use the
cotton pads on your hands for the same 20 minute period.
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ARTS OF WITCHCRAFT: MAGICAL USES OF THE FOUR ELEMENTS
There are four basic systems which are useful in creating magical influences
related to the four elements of earth, air, fire and water. Fire works through
combustion, water through mixture, air through evaporation, and earth through
decompo-sition. These aspects are incorporated in the completion of a spell or other
magical work. Generally you will have some material left over to dispose of (wax,
ashes, and so forth) and it is correct to use one of the elemental methods to
complete the final stages.
If your spell was to influence a person then the earth element is used. If
it was to accomplish a specific goal then fire is good. Romantic works are best with
water and matters concerning mental creativity employ the element of air.
The following examples can be used to complete whatever spell you were
working on.
FIRE: Take a piece of paper or cloth and moisten it with the universal condenser.
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Place this in front of you and concentrate on the work of magic. Strongly imagine
your thoughts to be filling the material. Imagine your desire being "written" by
your thoughts across the material. When your concentration is breaking then the
material is fully saturated. Now simply burn the cloth or paper in an open
fire. While it is burning concentrate on your desire. The
fire releases the charge and merges it with the element.
AIR: Take a small metal container and fill it about half full. Add 3 drops of
universal condenser. Put the container over a flame and concentrate upon your desire
as you gaze into the water. As the steam begins to rise, imagine your desire being
drawn up and carried off. Continue until all the water has been evaporated.
WATER: Take a container and fill it about half full with fresh water. Add 3 drops of
universal condenser and 3 drops of rubbing alcohol. Now impregnate the water with
your concentrated desire. When you feel that it is full pour the water into a
stream, river or any moving body of water.
EARTH: With this element your concentration is centered on the universal condenser
which you place in a jar after it has been loaded. Then this is poured out over a
selected spot of earth to be absorbed directly into the element of earth.
FROM JANA HOLLINGSWORTH A good, useful, practical note. It seems people
often use the four elements only for casting a circle, or simply have them
represented on their altars. It's a good idea to use a specific element for a
specific purpose, rather than always calling on all four. I suspect these spells
would be best performed outdoors, making the elements seem more real. Pouring one's
spell-water into a stream would feel better than pouring it down the drain.
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ARTS OF WITCHCRAFT: THE COMPONENTS OF RITUAL & MAGIC
There are essentially five so-called ingredients which comprise the art of
creating successful works of magic, or effective ritual. You can adapt them, or
arrange them according to your own needs, so long as you employ them all. They are:
1. Desire
2. Timing
3. Imagery
4. Direction
5. Balance
Let's look at each one and gain an understanding of the concept.
DESIRE: this can also be thought of as motivation, temptation, or persuasion. You
must be sufficiently moved enough to perform a ritual or work of magic, in order to
establish enough power to accomplish your goal. If you care little about the
results, or put only a small amount of energy into your desire, then you are
unlikely to see any real results. The stronger the need or desire, then the more
likely it is that you will raise the amount of energy required to bring about the
change you seek. But desire or need is not enough.
TIMING: In the performance of magic, timing can mean success of failure. The best
time to cast a spell or create a work of magic is when the target is most receptive.
Receptivity is assured when the target is passive. People sleep, corporations close
over-night & holidays, etc. One must also take into account the phase of the moon
and the season of the year. Work with nature and not against it.
IMAGERY: The success of any work also depends upon images. Anything which serves to
intensify the emotions will contribute to success. Any drawing, statue, photo,
scent, article of clothing, sound or situation which helps to merge you with your
desire will greatly add to your success. Imagery is a constant reminder and acts as
a homing device in its role as a substitute. Imagery can be manipulated and modified
"all according to the will of the witch, and the very blueprint that is created by
imagery becomes the formula which leads to realization of desire". Surround yourself
with images of your desire and you will attract the proper vibrations which will
attract the object of your desire.
DIRECTION: Once enough energy has been raised you must direct it towards your
desire. Do not be anxious for the results because anxiety will act to draw the
energy back to you before it can take effect. Try to give the matter no more thought
so as not to drain its effectiveness. Mark a 7 day period off on your calendar and
evaluate the situation 7 days later. It usually takes about 7 days for magic to
manifest (one lunar quarter).
BALANCE: The balance factor is simply the "reality check" or practical mentality
which keeps you focused in actuality. You must discern the need for any work of
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magic you engage upon, and take into consideration the practical concerns of the
phase of the moon and other factors. Remember that every work of magic has an
ongoing connection with yourself, and you must consider the intent of your actions.
This deals with what many call "the 3-fold law". According to this teaching, every
magical act with return back to you with more increased intensity (sort of like
tossing a rock up in the air, and having it speed back down upon you). This is also
an aspect of 'Karma", or the accumulation of debts which must be paid (in a mystical
sense).
The balance factor is also applied to any perception of supernatural
manifestations, psychic attack and so on. Always consider the mundane causes first
before you leap into a paranoia of supernatural attack. When things go "bump in the
night" it more likely your cat than it is a spirit. There is an old saying in the
medical field concerning diagnosis: "When you hear hoof beats, think horses before
zebras". I think this applies to magical or psychic phenomena as well.
MICHAEL POE
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN METAPHYSICS
Many requests for me to do some teaching (largely from a book that I am now
writing on ancient Egyptian Metaphysics and Personal Worship) about metaphysics,
worship and the ancient Egyptian traditions. To start off, I want to briefly quote
some ancient Egyptian philosophers to give you the gist of ancient Egyptian
philosophy and Metaphysics. The next note I enter will be on general comments on
ancient Egyptian metaphysics. The material I will use is NOT from Masonic or
Rosecrucian but from authentic Egyptian sources. In many cases I can quote the exact
sources, most are translations of papyrus, temples, tombs, etc. Having studied the
subject for 33 years, gotten a degree on the subject, and working on the book for 10
years, I will pass on some of what I have learned. All of the translations are from
Egyptologists and Archaeologists. To quote an old Egyptian philosopher (found
written on his tomb), Ptah hotep :
"To give a few words of Truth,
And what you make of Them will be your Test."
From the College of Priests House of the Temple of Horus at Edfu:
"The Lamp of Wisdom burns steadily,
If the soil that feeds it be reality.
If the oil that feeds the lamp be Love,
The beloved will meet the Lord or Lady
and be blessed.
(Lord or Lady means personal God or Goddess, ed.)
If the air that feeds the Flame be Truth,
The Breath of He who breathes will inhale Wisdom.
If the Spirit enters the Flame,
The Fire will be as bright as a Star."
Next little lesson; what is a hymn when I mention one or quote one (which I
will from time to time)?
The hymns of Egypt tell of the nature and workings of the God/dess they
glorify. They mention his /her name and his/her ties to a locality, allude to the
myths and describe his/her appearance and powers and attributes.
A occult tradition is like a journey. Before one ventures onto any unknown
journey it is best to have an idea of the dangers and preventive protection. Ancient
Egypt had 14 traditions. I will, in these notes, outline them all.
To share another "wisdom texts" as the ancient Egyptian philosophy is
called: This one is from Kagemni, whose tomb can be visited at Sakkara, as is known
as one of the wisest men around.
This text is for a student in order for him to select the right metaphysical
teacher.
"He who is a Priest of the Living,
whom a Neter* favors
Like the Bennu on the Obelisk,"
Performs Right Actions without seeking a reward for them.
Such a Teacher lives a life of true piety.
He seeks no gain from any good deed he does,
But sets his Heart only on the Neter's service.
He has compassion upon all Living creatures.
He holds fast to the Neter's name and inspires
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others to meditate on it.*
He accepts joy and sorrow with an equal mind.
He is always happy and never set apart from his Neter.
To him gold and dross are as one;
Nectar and poison are as one
The King and the beggar are as one."
* 1. Neter - Neter is the ancient Egyptian word, that we would equate with
God or Goddess. But Neter's exact translation is "Abstract Principle" or "Divine
Principle" and is not a male or female word.
* 2. Bennu on the Obelisk - the Bennu bird is the Egyptian Phoenix, which
lives in Arabia, and comes every 500 years to built a nest on an obelisk where it
lays an egg, and when the egg starts hatching, it dies in its own flames, and is
reborn from the egg. The obelisk is the Egyptian symbol of the first ray of sun
light striking the earth, and when built, is usually covered in gold or electrum.
The top of the obelisk is like a pyramid and is called the Pyramidion; and the
pyramids are all representations of the suns first light on the Newly Born Earth.
* 3. "He holds fast to the Neter's name and inspires others to meditate on
it." - In addition to the common name of any god, like Heru for Horus, they also
have a hidden name, a name of power, that the priest/esses use in ritual and
meditation.
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PRIESTS AND PRIESTESSES
How did a person become a priest/ess in ancient Egypt?
Well, each family had their own family worship area, the size of which is
wholly dependent upon the size of the house they lived in. More about this when we
get into the path of the Aait-Shesheta. Therefore, in each family, someone had to
act as the family priest/ess. If the father or mother was a priest/ess, then he or
she was the family religious leader, in charge of the family rituals. If the parents
were not initiated priest/esses, then usually the Elder Son acted as the religious
leader. However, in some nomes (or states), matrilineal descent (through the female)
was a tradition so the Eldest Daughter was the religious leader.
The only schools, including most crafts, were taught in the temple colleges.
A child would be sent to a college to learn a craft between the ages of 6-10. If the
family had a tradition of priest/esses then usually the children would go to the
temple college to be interviewed and tested for the priesthood. Exactly how the
priest/esses at the college tested the would be initiate is not well known yet, but
we do know that usually the following priests would be involved:
1. A Divine Scribe (reader and writer initiate)
2. A Prophet (who uses divination of some sort and inner visions)
3. A Purification Priest
4. A Priest of Anubis (or some other sort related to traveling in Egyptian
heavens (astral plane directly related to Egyptian heavens).
Every Egyptian temple had 2 types of staff, a magical one and a working one
(working meaning the scribes, bakers and people who run the every day part).
If the would be initiate was found wanting in the magical staff (called
People of the Circle, which we will get to when we talk about temple organization),
the person may be sent back, or taught a craft, or go into the working temple staff.
One of the first things that any initiate is taught is Egyptian Philosophy,
which is really less like Voltaire, and more like Ethics and Conscious. The would be
priest needs to come up with his own ethics or philosophy before embarking on to
magical training.
Therefore ethics and morals was the beginning of the training. If one had to
make a "Readers Digest Condensed" version of all of the Egyptian ethics and
philosophy teachings it would be; as one Egyptian Philosopher put it (but not quite
as well).
Do anything you want, but only in moderation, and while doing so, do not
harm anyone physically or psychology.
Almost exactly like the Wiccan motto : Do what they wilt, but harm none.
But to the ancient Egyptian, theirs also says, "don't harm yourself, and
don't go overboard on anything: Moderation.
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DIVINATION OF BES, BAST, OR HATHOR
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(from Leyden Papyrus)
Use a divining bowl of pottery. Use green or some vegetable based ink.
Preferable to use hieroglyphics, but try it a few times without them and use english
(but if you can, do as the Egyptians do) Write your request or formula in base and
inner sides of bowl using the vegetable ink. Also write in either Bes, Bast, or
Hathor's name three times while meditating on the goddess and your request. (pick
one goddess, not all three)
Pour consecrated water in it to dissolve the writing.
Swallow water
Go to sleep
(If you can sleep in a temple, sacred area, so much the better, otherwise at home,
and record your dreams when you wake up.)
A divination bowl, in Egypt, was specially made for the purpose; however, if
you're not a potter, pottering around, find one out of pottery, usable (no lead
based paint or in the clay), about the size of rice bowl. Consecrate and bless it,
and viola, a divining bowl.
Back in those days, green paint was either a vegetable dye or green ochre.
They didn't use the ochre, but a vegetable dye would work. Although I know of people
who specifically prepare a vegetable ink (macerated herbs in a small bowl of water),
a food coloring would be okey, but I would still suggest using a mortar and pestle
and grinding some herbs you specially selected, and putting it into the food colored
water and let it seep for a bit, and then use that. It would definitely be closer to
the spirit of the occasion. I know, next you are going to ask, what herbs?
Well, the ancient Egyptians had comfrey and you can heal thyself at the same
time. Lettuce was considered an aphrodisiac, sacred to Min (so if your request or
question is along that line, add that); they also used mint a lot.
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF EGYPT
Egypt wasn't always a thin ribbon of life surrounded by desert. From 200,000
to 10,000 bce most of what is now known as the Sahara desert used to be verdant
grasslands and plains with many trees and several rivers. There was an accumulation
of different cultures down to 5,000 bce.
From 6,000-4,000 bce different belief structures, and both matrilineal and
patrilineal societies existed along the Nile, for by then the Sahara was rapidly
turning to desert and the cultures went to the only remaining source of water, the
Life Giving Nile. Agriculture was already developed, and irrigation systems in use.
There was already predominant Goddess and God worship in these societies.
From 4,000-3,100 bce, Egypt now evolved into states, between 36-44 of them,
called Nomes. From time to time, Egypt became united into two kingdoms, the Upper
Kingdom, from about Aswan down to Cairo, with its capital at Nekhen, whose chief god
was a goddess, Nekhebit, the Vulture Goddess; and Lower Egypt in the Delta with it's
capital at Uatchet, whose chief god was also a goddess, Uatchet.
Nekhebit, the Vulture Goddess was an Earth Mother, and considered very
maternal (the type of vultures in Egypt are very maternal birds). She also
symbolized regeneration of life, from Death comes Life, as the vulture is one of the
few animals that can survive and mainly subsists on bodies of animals that would
poison others.
Uatchet, the Snake Goddess, was also venerated as protection from snakes,
and of fertility (snakes lay many eggs).
The two goddess, Nekhebit and Uatchet, Vulture and Snake goddess became the
part of the crown over the third eye, look at the two on most crowns of egypt.
Later, the snake goddess became associated with the Serpent Fire of the Egyptian
equivalent of the Kundalini, and it's power came out at the third eye, instead of
the top of the head (which became associated with another god).
The worship of Hathor, Amon, Thoth, Horus, Bast, Sekhmet and a few others
have already been well established. Isis is yet to be found or mentioned.
The first three Dynasties: I
The 1st king, Narmer, united the kingdoms forever (after a brief unification
prior), and on the famous palette of Narmer is found not only the Nome standards
(our equivalents of flags), but the 1st known name of Hathor.
The 2nd king of the 1st Dynasty established the right of women to rule
Egypt.
It was during the 1st Dynasty that a woman ruled Egypt, to take that into
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perspective, if the US followed that, we would have a woman president well before
the Civil War. She was one of
the 11 women to rule one of the greatest civilizations in the world. And it, like
most of the others, was peaceful.
Rights of women were established. they could marry and divorce; there was no
community property; women could establish their own businesses without a man's
consent or cosignature; they could conduct them before, during and after marriage.
Married couples were considered co-partners and co-equals. Pregnant women, by law,
had to be taken care of by the husband or the police came and beat him up!
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ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ASTRAL HEAVEN(S)
Ancient Egypt had more than one heaven, and most of their heavens were
subdivided into sections or parts akin to, and probably best equated with the astral
plane.
As the astral plane has many different levels, the lowest next to the
earthly plane, and highest sections up to and pass most of earth's religions concept
of heaven, the astral plane is like a onion with the material world in the center,
and the layers going outward (or inward, or higher, or whatever). As most religions
heavens are manifested in the astral plane, they are also separate from each other.
This is also true in Egyptian heavens of the astral plane. The Book of the
Dead (a misnomer as the egyptians never called it that), lists the sections of the
Heaven of Osiris. As you read the book, you also see that there is a specific way to
get to the heaven and through it.
There is an ancient Egyptian writing from a scribe that says, in effect: "If
you don't use the specific directions to get to a particular heaven, you won't get
there but to a false heaven."
As most of us are aware, the astral plane is composed and made up of the
thoughtforms of mankind and of the gods, hence, there is an Egyptian heaven that was
formed by the thousands of people who have conceptualized it since the beginning of
the 1800's, made stronger through the Rosecrucians and Blavatsky's, and into the
modern metaphysical movement. But it is NOT the ancient Egyptian heaven. Hence, you
can't simply just astrally project in order to get to a real Egyptian heaven.
You have to follow the directions by the ancient Egyptians in order to make
it to one of their specific heavens.
You may even have to change your astral form to conform to a certain type in
order to enter. For example, one of the ways to get to the Horus heaven is to have
project to the Nile, and do certain things in order for a boat with a hawk on it to
come over to the bank and pick you up to take you to the Horus Heaven.
One of the things you have to do, and not the only thing, in order to get
into the Heaven of Isis is to change your astral body into the shape of a bird, a
Swallow!
So if someone, no matter how much you respect them, tells you that they
dreamed or astrally projected to astral Egypt, they are wrong, unless they know the
specific ways to do it. The Egyptians then, have a sort of astral lock on the
proverbial doors to the entrance of their heavens, and you can't just blindingly end
up there without the right keys to get there. I can probably safely say that no more
than a couple of dozen people in the last century have been able to enter these
heavens, and no one who has written a book about Egyptian metaphysics has (including
Eliz. Hatch who wrote Initiation; who knows nothing about Ptahhotep).
The teachers are still pretty much in the Egyptian heavens, waiting to teach
the student who is able to get there.
Although the ancient Egyptians had the wherewithal to go into drug induced
states (they had mandrake and poppies for medicine), I have yet to find one example
of them using them for magic or astral projection.
Astral sight was taught before astral projection, using techniques that we
still use today.
Several techniques that are used today in astral projection today were also
used in astral projection then, but usually, a priest led the student in the first
several experiences in order for the student to get used to the experience and
feelings associated with projection to a particular heaven.
Therefore the guided trips were first used. Usually the first trips were
done in the temples (easier to do with all of the power already resident in the
temples). Some, like the priests of Horus were also done by the Nile's edge, the
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student going into a sleep, the priest astrally projecting and drawing the students
astral body and consciousness out doing what is necessary for the Horus boat to
arrive on the astral Nile, then going on the trip through the Horus heaven.
Sometimes it was done out in the desert.
Once when I was in Egypt, after finding a Eye of Horus between the pillars
of the temple of the ka of Ptahhotep, I went into the Serapeum (desert underground
chambers for the burials of the Serapis bulls; talk about sensory deprivation! Light
wouldn't go farther than 20' and normal talking didn't extend past 30-40'.) and in
the Serapeum, while sitting down next to the stone coffin of one of the bulls I
instantaneously, and lack of trying on my part, astrally projected. I found myself
several hundred feet over the desert at Sakkara and flew to the Nile and commenced
on a trip to an Egyptian heaven.
When a teacher died, such as Imhotep, he went to the appropriate heaven and
taught from there (according to the ancient Egyptians, who said that at that point
their teachers on earth would astrally project to the heaven to be taught by him).
At that point, all priest/esses called him Master, or another appropriate remark.
Since apparently there was much connections between the two worlds, the priest/esses
knew when Imhotep finally left the astral heaven to ascend beyond and into the world
of the god/desses. At that point Imhotep on earth was called a God (this process is
found in a papyrus fragment translated courtesy of the French Institute of
Archeology of Cairo).
Hence, if you know when Imhotep or some other lived, and know that after
death he was called a master, then the earliest time that he, or she, started being
called a God was the time he moved out of the astral plane.
Some other traditions use the symbology of ladders as an analogy of the
ascent to their astral plane. Each rung represents a god or goddess to invoke, the
ladder is always held by two gods, which symbolize the type of path being used. In
some other traditions, there was a way to ascend through the astral plane and into
the spiritual realm, reserved for the higher priests who have passed the Guardian of
the Threshold. These traditions can be found when you go to Egypt for in some of the
temples the staircase to the roof will have a god/dess for each step, symbolizing
those that you will need to ascend to the spiritual plane.
Certain god/desses and spiritual beings can assist or deter you from your
astral trip.
THE HELPERS: Anubis is one of the best. Hathor is also great, for she gives
you magical power during your astral projection. The god Seb supplies all a person
needs to astrally travel in many places. The god Seb, Shu, the goddesses Nut and
Tefnut defend people during their journeys.
There was also the Souls of the West, Souls of the East; Lady of the
Evening, Calf of the Goddess (Morning Star), Souls of several different cities for
their special heavens; The Catcher of Gods, the Divine Being who Examines Gods for
Men, the God who Binds Gods.
THOSE THAT YOU WANT TO AVOID: The Unmentionable Terrible Serpent (with
Lovecraftian powers and would be great in his novels, like Chuthulu or Hastor the
Unspeakable, occasionally used in Black Magic, which apparently was very uncommon in
Egypt) I won't give you his name.
There is of course, Apep, Apophis, and a few specific to each of the
heavens, but are usually particular to the Osirian heaven (Reading the Book of the
Dead will give you a great idea about them).
A zoomorphic projection is when you astrally project then change your astral
body into a zoomorphic figure in order to get to specific egyptian astral heavens.
An example is turning your astral body into a swallow to get to Isis's heaven, or
into a hawk to get to one of Horus's heavens.
Following the Eastern Tradition of the astral plane, the Egyptians have an
almost exact duplicate of the concept. Basically it says that there is a plane of
existence between the realm of the high gods and earth, called the astral plane,
which has layers like an onion. The astral plane is made up of the mind stuff of
heaven and earth dwellers alike and is as real as both. To the Eastern people, all
the heavens of all the religions are there. To both Egyptian and Easterners, to get
there you astrally project or out of body experience. Although the Egyptians had a
more elaborate version.
The Egyptians, therefore, which had several religious traditions, of which Isis
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plays in a couple) had several heavens. These were usually conceived of in layers or
parts, corresponding to the layers of the astral plane. In Heliopolis there were 12
layers or planes to their heaven.
Each tradition had a different heaven and a different way of getting there. The
temples trained the people how to do it at home, at the temple, or elsewhere.
Sometimes more than just the astral body took the trip, there was also a spiritual
body, the soul, the spirit and other forms.
According to ancient Egyptian practices, you can project your astral body, soul,
spirit, or spiritual body. However, there is no ritual to do all at once, probably
because it would kill the person. Of course the sa is considered the spiritual power
of a person and the animating force of the body. As long as you have the sa and one
of the three (soul, spirit or spiritual body) you're body can still live during the
projections.
The Egyptians are the only ones that I am aware of (other than a very few Native
American tribes) that even project the spirit or the spiritual body or the soul.
Altered state of consciousness was used in Egypt, usually by NOT using
drugs, although they did have mandrake, poppies and hemp (used in medicine as an
anaesthetic). What was taught differed by tradition, and what kind of altered state
differed also. For example: A scribe of Anubis: Does he want to become a
doctor/priest, a mummification priest, or a priest/guide to the astral plane? If the
latter, then he is taught the basics of the Egyptian astral planes and how each one
differs, and how each tradition of Egypt has a different path to their own. He is
taught how to astrally project, and then his teacher will project and take him on a
guided tour. Eventually he will astrally project to the Anubis temple in the astral
plane and receive higher knowledge from their teachers. Eventually he will teach
others to project, and lead them on journeys. No one except probably about 15 people
know how to astrally project to an ancient Egyptian astral plane. The form you take,
the route you take, what you see determines if you will get there, and if you don't
know these things, according to the Egyptians you will not reach the plane. Instead
you will end up on an astral plane of Egypt created by people who lived from the
1700-1800's on, such as Golden Dawn people, Rosecrucians, Wicca people. Is there an
astral plane? It's up to you. I have my own opinion. My opinions are almost always
based on experts in their own fields.
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ANCIENT EGYPTIAN INITIATIONS
The mysteries and initiations varied from temple to temple. In the Lesser
Mysteries of Isis there is preparatory instruction, meditation within the temple and
introduction to the sanctuary for participation in a performance of drama of death
and resurrection.
In today's society, there are many groups that give initiations, but the
initiation usually fails, and usually for the following reasons;
1. The group doing the initiation does not know enough to do one
successfully (usually through lack of full knowledge of their tradition).
2. Incomplete preparation of the Initiate.
3. Incomplete preparation of the group.
4. Incomplete Initiatory Ceremonies or process.
5. Initiation Rituals becomes a bad play at best.
6. The people directing the Initiations weren't properly prepared or
initiated in their own initiation.
In Egypt, they allowed for self-initiation (but only for some levels). All
cognition, after all, comes from the inside. We
are therefore initiated only by ourselves, the master or teacher gives us the Key.
In some Egyptian initiations the goal is the receive the Sa, the innate
virtue or power of the gods as a sort of fluid (or magnetic fluid or aura). It is
transmitted by the God's (I will sometimes say God, but take it as either God or
Goddess) hands through touch or passes on the neck or spine of the individual. This
operation is called the Satapu-sa.
"The Summit is the Apex of the Mountains height, but there are both Summit
and Valley, hence, something exists which causes both. Equally there is within you
that which wants to lift itself despite the animal instincts, and also that which
wants to remain earthly. Summit and Valley, are 2 powers manifested. If there were
not these two there would be only one. Since there are two
there are also all the others which sprang from these, the other Neters or
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Gods/desses."
"One should pass through complexity in order to exhaust the various
possibilities until the awakening of the consciousness which leads towards
simplicity; it is on intermediate phase between dream and reality."
"If the essence and perfection of all good are comprehended in the
god/desses, and if you adhere to a more excellent nature, you will obtain a union
with them, the contemplation of truth, and the possession of intellect. A knowledge
of the gods is accompanied with a conversion to and knowledge of ourselves."
I'll let you contemplate that one for awhile. Written on the college walls
of the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
The Egyptian path can be considered (as defined by Frankfort) as;
1. Evolution = Ignorance
2 Destruction = Knowledge
3 Dissolution = Experience
4 Reintegration = Understanding
5 Integration = Wisdom
FROM: JANA HOLLINGSWORTH
Dear Michael, Not only was this the usual excellent note on Egypt, but I was most
impressed by your concise description of failed initiations. You have touched on a
topic only a few Pagans are willing to think about. Too often initiation in Wiccan
and other Pagan groups has become a spiritually meaningless ritual, and the worst
part is that people don't even know the difference. Then there are all these novices
with no qualifications "self-initiating" themselves. I was once initiated as a
Dianic Witch, but it didn't "take." I never refer to myself as a Witch or a Wiccan.
I am a Pagan, and I don't need to be initiated for that.
So many who use the name Wiccan
Could use, in the pants, a good kickin'.
A Pagan I am!
I'd give each dam
Self-proclaimed Wiccan a lickin'.
Jana, Pagan and Proud!
FROM: MICHAEL POE
Except for those very few hereditary witches, most of Wicca is new (1940s
and later) and as such, much of it is from books and people who taught themselves
from books and then taught others. All of the spiritual exercises and goals that
need to be done to be truly initiated are usually missing (unless you are lucky
enough to be one of the few who was disciplined enough to intuitively done all the
right things first. I have been to many Wiccan initiations and while a few have been
magical, none have been fully effective, and most have been more like a Catholic
mass, all pomp and circumstance and no magic. That's also essentially true of white
people learning shamanism, they don't get the teachers that really know.
Ancient Egypt had 14 traditions in which the majority of them were magical
ones. After more than 30 years of studying ancient Egypt, even I can't tell you
about the proper initiations of several of the traditions; but at least I now have
the spiritual exercises and whole initiations for some of the them and in the group
that I am involved, we have done a couple of them.
Most wicca systems that I am aware of need to spend more time on the
spiritual and magical development of the individual. Some ancient Egyptian systems
took a minimum of a year to two years of spiritual exercises before the person cast
their first
spell. The priests had the ability to make people astrally project at will, for
example.
It's also a mistake being too eclectic. For example, Mercury is equated with
Thoth by the Greeks and Romans, but while they did share some powers and attributes,
they were not the same. 8 track tapes and regular cassettes both play music, but try
putting a 8 track tape into a cassette
player!
Isis, for example, is never invoked as a Great Mother Goddess unless she is
holding baby Horus. NEVER! I have seen many wiccan ceremonies where they use the
wrong Egyptian god/desses in their rituals, or the wrong god/desses forms for the
powers they are invoking. Remember, that despite some current thinking that it's
only the association in your mind that counts, and if you want to invoke Sekhmet
with a knife (for example) as a gentle mother goddess, she will appear as that; it
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just isn't so. This is coming from people who have never been properly initiated.
the prevailing thought up to 10 years ago is that if a form and function of
a god/dess has been worshipped for thousands of years by hundreds of thousands of
individuals, including those properly initiated, then that form and function will
always override what one individual or group over a few years may invoke. The
thoughtform was constructed in the Astral plane and is extremely strong, and a few
people who have decided that (usually through ignorance) he/she had a different form
or function, will never be able to compete with the stronger form. Which is probably
why many eclectic wiccan magic doesn't work or work well. They don't know what they
are drawing from, and instead of trying to get the vast astral power out there to
work for them, it works against them, or else their own little power will be the
only power they will be able to tap into. Michael
----------
FROM: BRENDA RYAN I was wondering about those temples that have been moved, do
they still retain the power. Is it in the temple building itself or in the ground
upon which the temple stands? As you know, the temple at Abu Simbel had been moved
during the building of the Aswan Dam but I think you mentioned it one time as a
power spot. Also, I was more impressed with the temples and tombs in Upper Egypt
than in the pyramids and the Sphinx. In fact, the Great Pyramid was musty smelling
and claustrophobic so I didn't go all the way up. My friend thought I was missing
out on the opportunity of a lifetime, but I just wasn't impressed. I didn't "feel"
anything there. The tombs in the Valley of the Kings were another matter. I felt
completely comfortable going all the way down in the tombs that were open and was
much more in awe of the whole area.
FROM: MICHAEL POE To make a short answer long, let me respond by this:
Back in pre-dynastic times, the priest/esses had no stone temples, they worked
outside (or later, in mud and dabble temples) and cast circles; hence their name;
"People of the Circle". Eventually they had temples of sun dried brick, but still
retained the name.
During the Dynastic period they were building temples out of stone.
Now the stone temples, if you have seen them, are covered with figures of the gods
and goddesses and religious texts and invocations. The walls became the psychic
circle of protection and were imbued with their own power. Despite the fact that the
magical group no longer needed to cast circles for protection from without or raise
power within (as the temples walls did that), they were still called the "People of
the Circle". Some traditions just won't die! So, yes, the temples themselves,
despite having been moved, are still full of power as the walls themselves is the
stone circle of power. Now you might ask, well, that makes sense, magic being used
in them for thousands of years, but what about the power spot it was originally
built over, if any? Well, of course, the temple, being built over the power spot and
with all the magic working in it for hundreds or thousands of years, the power from
the spot would seep into the temples walls. That power would still be there if the
temple was rebuilt. Remember that the ancient Egyptians would sometimes take an
older temple apart and incorporate the stones into the walls of another temple far
away. That is the method of getting stones already imbued with power and
"precharging" the new temple with power. So yes, any temple that has been moved
still retains it's power. Michael
Imagine if you will, a temple 2/3 of a mile long and 1/4 mile wide, 6
stories tall. The courtyard, big enough for over 4 football fields surrounded by a
high, 2 story wall. You enter through 20 foot high doors encased in gold into the
courtyard at night. The courtyard is done in highly polished black granite, so well
polished that it reflects the milky way. It is like walking in space! In the middle
of the courtyard is a full size tree, made with trunk and branches of blue lapis
lazuli, and leaves of turquoise. A dream you say? No, for it was the Temple of Ra at
Heliopolis, built around 1800-1900 bc, and shown to Greeks during 500-200 bc. And if
you think that was a truly magical and awe inspiring courtyard, imagine what was
inside the huge covered temple that took up over 1/2 of the area! Complete with it's
secret corridors and chambers, etc.
Also, you are familiar with Egyptian temples in Egypt, but did you know that
Egyptian temples also existed in Lebanon, Syria, Greece, Delos, Crete, Italy, Spain,
France, Britain and Germany?
The ancient Egyptians in addition to doctors, also had specialized surgeons,
psychologists, OBGYN's, midwives, vets,
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brain surgeons (with 80% success rate in trepanning, dentists, herbalists, in
addition to their botanists and ethnographers.
The Temple is the House of God. The Body of Man is the House of God,
therefore the Temple is the Body of Man.
(from temple of Amon).
In nature, everything is linked with everything else, and you are a part of
nature. Observe outside, observe inside, you begin to see the relations between
things.
The ancient Egyptians didn't worship animals. They had sacred animals, but
what they worship was the Divine Principle made manifest in that animal. Hence, the
Serapis bull symbolized the Divine Principle of Strength. The Baboon of Thoth for
two things: Society (baboons have, among the animals, one of the most complex
societies), and of Contemplation (Baboons will sit and watch the Sun rise, among
other things). Horus with the Hawk, one who sees or watches the earth from above,
and sees it extremely well (hawks and birds of prey have a binocular vision of about
7x
power); Hence the celestial Horus eyes were the Sun and the Moon. The attributes of
Bast and of the Cat is very close.
And so, to the Egyptian, while man is an example of ALL the powers of all
the god/desses; certain animals manifest specific powers, and manifest them more
than man. Hence they worship the power behind the animals. Observe outside, observe
inside, you begin to see the relations between things.
An animal does not reason, it experiences directly. Man is deceived by the
incomplete testimony of his senses and his reason and has allowed the instinctive
consciousness to atrophy without having learned to use his intuitive faculties which
to the Egyptians, is the wisdom of the heart. Therefore there are ancient rituals to
strengthen the heart.
Raise your eyes to know what relates to the laws of the heavens,
Look around you to study the principles of nature,
Look inside you to determine your attributes, to integrate your personality,
and identify it with the heavens and nature,
One can cast your heart ahead on the Chosen Way,
then go and retrieve it, and let your steps loyally follow its voice.
The Egyptian Way of Life is of Harmony;
Within the All-Inclusive Unity of God/desses,
Nature and Society;
Man can move with Dignity, Safety and Happiness.
The Egyptian essential Unity in the conviction that man can find immortality
and peace by becoming part, or as one, with the perennial cyclic rhythms of Nature,
a recurring movement, part of the established and unchanging Order of the Universe.
With the occasional exception, I will start posting notes on the different
traditions; The Ceremonial Tradition, the Philosophical, The Arts and Crafts, the
Hermetic like, the Wiccan like, the Alchemical, etc.
Stuck in between will be the occasional hymn to a god/dess, observations on
astronomical god/desses; parts of man, temple structure, etc. Make any comments or
questions that you want that are related. Michael Ankh em Maat
----------
THE PATH OF THE CRAFTSMEN IN ANCIENT EGYPT
One of the traditions in ancient Egypt was that of the artists and
craftsmen. All of the best artists and craftsmen were trained in one place, the
Temple of Ptah in Memphis (presently 20 min south of Cairo). all other artists and
craftsmen were usually trained at the Temple or by people who were trained there.
These artists and craftsmen include: Architects, draftsmen, stone workers
(large stones and small), jewelers, painters, eventually glass workers, dyers, (but
not weavers, who studied at the Temple of Neith in the Delta). All the architects
and draftsmen who produced all of the pyramids, temples, palaces, royal tombs, and
even forts were trained here.
Have you noticed how all the men and women in paintings and statues have a
similar body? Unlike the Greeks, who wanted to show how a persons body really looked
like, the Egyptian were interested in showing the "inner essence" of the person.
Therefore only in the background, the workers, and not the central family, are
people shown as they really were, crippled people, occasional starvation, over
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weight persons, etc. Therefore the Egyptians were interested in the "inner man (or
woman)".
Look at a book on Egyptian art and check out what the god/desses are holding
or wearing. That is important to see what powers and attributes are being portrayed.
For example, if Bes is holding a knife, she/he becomes a protector and avenger; if
holding a sistrum, he/she (it's hard sometimes to tell which sex Bes is), becomes
the God/desses of joy, pleasure, music, dance, and another kind of protector; if
holding other objects or wearing other outfits, she/he becomes a Protector of Women
and of the Family, of Mothers. The same holds true with all of the other gods and
goddesses. Hence, Isis can be a Mother Goddess or a Goddess of Women, or of the
Visible World depending on what she is wearing or carrying. All of this is taught by
the temple of Ptah to the artists.
The similar thing occurs with amulets and talismans. Some amulets and
talismans are always shown in a certain color or always made of certain material.
The Buckle of Isis is almost always of red carnelian or garnets. The Ankh is almost
never down in silver (because the ankh is associated with the Sun, and gold is the
metal of the Sun).
The temple of Amon at Luxor is patterned after a human body; in fact, in the
sanctuary part, if you observe the stones in the floor, you see that two different
stones were used. If you had an archaeological map of the temple with the floor
stones shown, and color in the darker stones, you end up with a huge side profile of
a face! So the Temple of God reflected the Temple of Man!
Ptah had other powers and attributes than just artists and craftsmen (he was
one of the Great Creator Gods), and was married to Sekhmet (who was into other
traditions including healing). Ptah is also associated with the Science and Art of
Alchemy. Their offspring is Nefertum, the God of perfumes and aromatherapy, and of
the Lotus.
As you will see in future discussions, more than one god/dess is associated
with a tradition. Ptah is one of the few gods who ever since predynastic periods,
was always portrayed as a human.
Remember that most of the popular literature is from material of the New
Kingdom and later periods. By then Horus was associated in the popular ancient
Egyptian mind as the son of Isis, and especially popular as that during the
Greco-Roman period.
----------
RITUALS and RITUAL ELEMENTS
How many times do you get into a Book of Shadows and look at the rituals?
How many of these rituals are complete from opening or drawing the circle,
invocation of the four directions, blessings, consecrations, invocation, and
closing? And how many are incomplete; in other words, missing some of the elements
to the rituals, but maybe referring to use a certain 4 direction invocation or
closing rite? Or missing complete elements; such as a hymn or invocation to a
Goddess but no rituals around it?
To the major ancient Egyptian temple colleges, the elements of ritual were
emphasized. A magician, priest/ess, magic worker
at home would end up with several invocations to the four quarters, several
closings, etc.
To the Egyptian; The Way of the Ritual; it's chief god/dess to be invoked
and the way the ritual is to be directed (weather magic for example) will determine
which other ritual elements are used.
Also remember that the Egyptians had generic ritual elements, usually
blessings, consecrations and hymns. A generic hymn to a goddesses will have spaces
in which the goddesses name, titles and some of her powers would be included.
There were more than one set of god/desses for the four
directions; and even the direction that you started your ritual changes with the
orientation of the ritual.
For example; if you wanted to do a ritual for fertility of the land, you
start off facing south (the Life Giving Nile), then West (to appease the desert),
then North (symbol of fertility), then the East (rising sun, cosmic fertility), then
back to South. Naturally if you are solar oriented using gods like Amon, Ra, Horus,
and goddesses like Sekhmet or Bast, you started with the east and work your way
around (clockwise).
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If you are invoking a goddess in your ritual you DO NOT invoke the four sons
of Horus, UNLESS it is Isis or Nepthys that you are invoking. There are 2 sets of
goddesses of the four directions, and one of the sets would do better.
There are at least three different sets of gods for the four directions,
more, since Thoth has his own set, as does some cities.
I have a hand written 35 page list of powers and the god/desses associated
with them. It probably corresponds to a book listed in the Library of the Temple of
Horus called "The Book of God and Goddesses and their Powers".
So a magician at home would have more of a recipe collection of ritual
elements rather than a book of Shadows of complete rituals, and would have the know
how of how to put them together. I have about 3,000 such recipes, from Astral
projection to Zoomorphic projections, including blessings, opening and closing
rites, spells, divination, consecration, initiation, weather, tantric, etc. The
Pyramid Texts contain about 700 more, and the Coffin Texts, over 1,200 more.
Original, not new.
----------
BAST
The only fully developed cult of the cat existed in Egypt and it lasted for
over 3,000 years. No one knows when the cat was first sanctified in Egypt.
Bast wasn't associated with Isis until the New Kingdom, about 1600 bce and
later. When associated with Isis it came to be recognized as the incarnation of
deity, and it was the daughter of Isis and her husband, the sun-god Osiris (Osiris
was also a Moon-god) (Isis was also a Sun/Moon/Earth Goddess by then).
The worship of Bast overlapped that of Isis, Hathor, Mut and others
depending on the district in Egypt.
Bast had a solar son, Nefer-tum (He is associated with unguents, perfumes,
aromatherapy, alchemy, Lotus) by the Sun God Amen-Ra, and Khensu, the Moon God, by
Ptah.
Bast or Bastet, was originally a lion headed goddess, associated in powers
and attributes with Sekhmet and Tefnut, and as such, Bastet has powers of ferocity
and rapacity.
It is her later cat-headed form that Bastet became so immensely popular,
although she never ceased to be worshiped as a lion headed goddess.
The earliest known portrait of Bastet was found in a temple of the 5th
dynasty, a lion-headed goddess who was known a "Bastet, lady of Ankh-taui." One of
the earliest forms of her as a cat headed goddess is in a papyrus of the 21st
dynasty.
Bast cult center was at Bubastis, situated east of the Nile delta, and
hence, Bast became known as the "Lady of the East" (also because of her association
with the sun).
She then, is almost without exception, invoked while facing the East, and is
one of the Goddesses of the Four Directions.
In the XII dynasty, Middle Kingdom, she had her own temple at Bubastis. In
the 22nd dynasty, about 950 bce, she was known as the Lady of Bubastis and became an
immense power in Egypt, due to the Pharaohs embracing her as a national goddess.
The temple of Bastet has been vividly described by the historian Heroditus,
who travelled in Egypt about 450 bce. It stood in the center of the city of Bubastis
and was virtually on an island, since it was surrounded (except at its entrance) by
canals from the Nile, which were a hundred feet wide and overhung with trees. While
the houses were gradually raised, the temple remained on its original level so that
the whole city commanded a view down into it.
The temple was a building in the form of a square, and was made of red
granite. Stone walls carved with figures surrounded the sacred enclosure, which
consisted of a grove of very tall trees within which was hidden a shrine. In the
center of the shrine was a statue of Bast. Note: this is the only temple in Egypt
known to have had a sacred grove of trees in the center of it, and a shrine in the
center. There are other sacred groves, some with shrines; but instead of being
inside of temples, these are all out in the open.
Cats were found within the sacred temple area and were ritually fed. Temple
maidens carried cats or kittens in baskets. April and May were the chief festivals
and rituals for Bast.
All cats were revered in the Temple of Bast. Now the question is, what kind
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of cats did the Egyptians have?
Orange cats
Orange stripped cats
A Tabby Type
Black Cats
Gray cats
And an Abyssinian (I used to do well in spelling!) type.
Of course, Bast is also associated with Lioness, so small cubs and adult lionesses
were also sacred to her.
Of the principal Egyptian festivals, that of Bast was one of the most
popular. Herodotus describes how, in April and May, thousands of men and women set
off on the pilgrimage in parties which crowded into numerous boats. The voyage was
gay if not positively orgiastic. Men played the flute, women a type of cymbal called
crotala, and all joined in singing and hand-clapping. As they passed towns, the
boats drew near to the banks and the women shouted bawdy jokes, often flinging their
clothes up over their heads.
Eventually they arrived at Bubastis, sacrificing many animals, and consuming
vast quantities of wine.
Cats were portrayed in every conceivable activity, sculptured every material
from gold to mud, and in every size from colossal to minute size.
A orange brown cat is depicted on tomb walls, and so is a ginger cat, and
grey tabbies.
During the Bubastite period (XXII dynasty), cat cemeteries became popular,
and a huge profusion of cat amulets were being made.
During the entire time of Egypt, household cats were treated with the
greatest respect. Many of them were bejewelled, and they were allowed to eat from
the same dishes as their owners. Sick cats were tended with solicitude, and stray
cats were fed with bread soaked in milk and with fish caught in the Nile and chopped
up for them.
Cats love basking in patches of sunlight, and Bast was first worshipped as a
form of the sun, the source and sustainer of life and light. Some of the Egyptians
believed that when the Sun went down, a combat of cosmic proportions took place in
the underworld. One of the legends had a persea tree with a cat with a knife leaping
on a spotted serpent and cutting off its head. During solar eclipses people would
gather in the streets and shake knives and rattle sistrums in an effort to spur on
the celestial cat and to terrify the threatening serpent in their struggle beside
the Tree of Life.
From the cat's identification with the sun arisen the "cat's cradle", a name
given to certain string-games. The cats cradle was used to control the movement of
the Sun through sympathetic magic.
Sekhmet was combined with Bast and Ra for a triparte goddess combining the
attributes and powers of all three. It was a combination made for ceremonial magic
only, as there is no public worship of Sekhmet-Bast-Ra at an individual level.
Are you soaking this all in with no questions? Remember the story about the
cat and the Persea tree that I just related? You should have asked about the Persea
tree and if this Egyptian Tree of Life is or can be grown in the U.S. and if we know
it by another name. Come on, ask, come on, come, after all, its the Cat's Meow!
There are two sacred trees in ancient Egypt. I mean SACRED! One is the
acacia (which varieties grows all over the US.
The other is the Persea. There are only 2 varieties of Persea in the entire
world. One is the Egyptian persea, which I have no idea if it bears fruit. The other
variety of Persea (which by Egyptian thought would be just as sacred) bears fruit.
The other varieties common name is AVOCADO! That's right, the avocado is a sacred
tree of the ancient Egyptians. So the next time that you are preparing to eat
guacamole, remember that you are eating a sacred dip! The green avocado would
probably also be sacred to Osiris and any other god/dess of vegetation. The ancient
Egyptians usually made their wands out of acacia or persea, so if you have any of
these trees, you can make yourself an Egyptian wand. Also remember that if you trim
your tree, use the branches in the fireplace for a sacred fire!
----------
To relate a story, true: When I was married my wife and I brought home a
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tabby, and a very young boy, about 5 came up and wanted to pet the cat. He asked me
what was her name, and I replied that we haven't named it yet, what would he
suggest? He said Abaton. I replied that I would consider it, thinking that it was a
strange name for a kid to come up with ("out of the mouths of babes...). About 3
days later, I was going over a book of cities and towns in ancient Egypt, and on a
whim (which I have a lot of), looked up Abaton. LO AND BEHOLD, there was an Abaton
in the Delta part of Egypt. AND IT WAS KNOWN AS THE CITY OF THE CATS WITH "TON"
MEANING CITY, AND "ABA" MEANING CAT; OR "CAT CITY" to us folk.
So our Tabby became known as Abaton, or Aba for short. A year later she
became pregnant and we decided that in honor of the Egyptian intercalary days (those
5 remaining days of the ancient Egyptian calendar of 365 days, divided into 12
months of 30 days with 5 intercalary days left over, sacred to certain god/desses);
as the kitties would pop out (so to speak), we would start naming them for the 5
god/desses.
Well, eventually here they came, Isis, Nepthys, Osiris, Horus, and the last,
a black kitty, Set. Set died that night, the only one that didn't live to a ripe old
age. Horus grew up (a male cat by the way, we named them regardless of sex; when the
first popped out, it became Isis; luckily sexually matched their names) to be a
hunting cat, who would bring home live rabbits bigger than he was. Nepthys, a black
female, was a loveable, loving cat who went to an excellent Wiccan friend, along
with Isis, who was occasionally disruptive, usually loveable. Osiris stayed with us
and even disappeared for a little over 2 months (close to the 72 day mummification
process) until we thought that he was dead, but he came back and lived out his life
playing big daddy, master of his domain, and approving the field mice and rabbits
that brother Horus would bring back for his approval. They are all gone none, but
never forgotten. I now have 2 cats, a blue eyed, long white furry female originally
called "Popcorn" (forgive her previous owners, Lord and Lady, they do not know
better), but now called Sheba (although, to be truthful, she answers to any name).
The other is a Calico, previously named Nikita (little one in Russian, and she is a
little cat); now called Spook (she spooks easily, still hasn't figured out shadows
yet, and doesn't come to any name called to her). Sheba, by the way, will
willingly join you in the bathtub if you're taking a bath! In ritual she just lays
there looking bored, but Spook, ah Spook; stays inside the circle and even watches
the entities!
A LIMERICK FROM JANA HOLLINGSWORTH
The five cats of Michael were named
For five Gods of Egypt far-famed.
Each suited its title
In character vital.
A five-year-old boy can be blamed.
----------
FROM LDE BLACK Cat Fancy March 1993 pg 13, at bottom.
.
A French scientist has found evidence confirming that the domestic cat existed 4,000
years ago. During excavations of ancient Egyptian burial chambers, Alain Pierre
Zivie, an Egyptologist, found a network of tombs that contained stacks and stacks of
cat mummies. "Some historians believe the first house cats were wild with long
coats," Zivie said, "but these cat mummies have short hair and look much like modern
cats." Zivie made his discovery in Sakkara, 20 miles south of Cairo.
----------
FROM BRENDA RYAN I have a set of hieroglyphic stamps put out by the Metropolitan
Museum of Art. Have you seen these? Are they useful at all for actual writing, are
they accurate translations, or are they toys?
FROM MICHAEL POE The hieroglyphic stamps are very useful, extremely accurate
of the hieroglyph. If using them in magic, be sure to bless and consecrate them
first, along with the ink. You can use henna as an ink. Michael
FROM ANDY BALESTRACCI Did Hieroglyphics play a similar role in the Temple
philosophy(ies) as seed syllables, i.e., that symbolized and embodied the first
levels of creation(for lack of a better word) such as the Sanskrit alphabet of
Hinduism (& maybe others)?
FROM MICHAEL POE Hieroglyphics did play a part in the Temple

teachings, as symbols of the god/desses, of power objects, of inter-relations. They
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themselves had power within them and the mere act of writing them down (or using a
rubber stamp in today's world) would give the spell more power. As for being
seed syllables, I'm not sure; you will have to give a few more examples, but there
are hieroglyphics that do stand for and embodied the levels of creation, but not all
of them were syllables or letters. Remember that while a number of
hieroglyphics stood for letters, and some syllables, most of them stood for showing
what the letter/syllable was for; so that if two objects were spelled the same,
another hieroglyphic of the object would be inserted. Example: Aunt and ant. In
Egyptian Aunt would have a female human figure next to it, and in Ant, an ant would
be next to it.
FROM: ELLEN GUSTAFSON I was just wondering if you ever checked out the Stele
of Revealing and studied It in relation to Its time frame, etc. Crowley's intent
never was to reproduce the ancient Egyptian religion, as you know. In fact, the
A:.A:. has as a guideline, that all cultural references are incidental, not to be
taken literally. The Aeon of Horus is a new aeon, and not meant to return to the
beliefs of ancient Egypt. I guess that's the difference in perspective. The
Stele of Revealing is a funerary monument to Ank-f-n-Khonsu, a Theban priest of
Month,or Mentu, who flourished, according to modern scholarship, 725 B.C.E. in
Egypt's 25th dynasty. I copied this from notes in The Holy Books of Thelema. There
is much about the Stele there. It is interesting that in the Bolouq (sp?) Museum,
the Stele was classified as #666! LVX, Ellen
FROM: MICHAEL POE That's cute, and very appropriate about the 666. Such
stelaes of that period were for protection primarily, invoking various gods,
including lesser spirits and beings, including many that weren't in existence prior
to about 1,000 bce.I have read Crowley's work, and unfortunately, he doesn't know
ancient Egyptian, and the Golden Dawn, and A.A. knows very little; when they do use
original material, it is always Greco-Roman Egyptian, a usually decadent form of
Egyptian magic. Their interpretation of god/desses forms from ancient Egypt doesn't
always jive with ancient Egypt's. That is probably because of the both the
Greco-Roman later period information and their efforts to try to peg Egyptian god
forms into Cabbala Sepheroah. Crowley is NOT ancient Egyptian magic. Even he
acknowledges that his ritual that he did in Egypt didn't work out right. It's always
potentially dangerous to try to fit square pegs into round holes! Or for that
matter, try and change a religious tradition that was used for over 4,000 years by
over a hundred million people (based on population estimate of 5-10,000,000 people
at any one time, life span of 40 years, or 15-30,000,000 per 100 years X 4,000
years.
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MOON LORE
Isis is also Goddess of the Sun as well as the Moon, so don't invoke her
unless you know what you are doing (what symbols she should hold, what items should
be on her head, etc.). Usually she is invoked as both Goddess of the Sun and Moon
at the same time, rarely as Moon by itself.
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IMPORTANT METAPHYSICAL SPOTS IN EGYPT TODAY
Since the Great Pyramid was built by the ancient Egyptians for a king,
Khufu, that is not an important metaphysical spot. Before we get into an argument
about that let me point out that the Great Pyramid has tombs around it by the
workers who built it and mention it's building and its use as a burial place. There
are also ancient Egyptian records of the Keeper Priests who lived
there providing food to Khufu. There is absolutely no mention of it as an initiation
place, and beside the stone coffin, Khufu's viscera was found there! However,
Europeans are impressed by what is large and commanding (it embarrassed the ancient
Egyptians) and put greater stock in the Great Pyramid than the Egyptians. Also what
with the vast number of people in the occult who have visited there, it now has it's
own aura added to it, and most people today can't tell the difference. So let's list
the truly sacred.
The Temple of Bast at Bubastis; Delta area. Although not much remains there,
it still exudes a feeling of serenity and peace there. Center to the Bast cat
tradition.
Memphis: Temple of Ptah: also not well preserved, but serene with the ponds
of water within the temple enclosure.
Sakkara: The tombs of Ptahhotep and Kaegemni are extremely magical, housing
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at one time two of the greatest teachers of Egypt.
the Labyrinth, near the Fayyum; Herodutus described it as having 3,000
rooms; 1,500 above, and 1,500 below ground that was so sacred, no one but high
priests could enter the underground rooms. Extremely magical, and what is better,
almost no tourists, even at the height of the tourist season! Initiations took place
here.
Temple of Hathor at Denderah. Magical place with secret chambers and
passageways, Initiation center of Hathor. The Zodiac ceiling was found in the Temple
of Hathor at Denerah (original in British Museum, replica in temple).
Osirieon at Abydos: Center of the highest initiations of Osiris (his tomb is
located nearby but has not yet been discovered). You can visit the once underground
chambers where the initiations took place, surrounded by a pond, with a secret
passageway (now underwater) supposedly going to Osiris's tombs.
The Ramesseum: west bank of Thebes; Luxor. Sit on the stone throne of
Rameses, feel the power, or go find the initiation chamber there (the only one that
utilizes a coffin). Highly magical.
The Temple of Hatshepsut, same general area.
Temples of Amon and Mut at Karnak and Luxor; if size impresses, this will!
The courtyard itself can easily hold Notre Dame! Too bad so many tourists, but seek
out the small temple of Sekhmet (but beware of doing rituals there, Sekhmet is
unforgiving).
Temple of Horus, Edfu: Most complete temple in modern Egypt, lots of subtle
power waiting to be reawakened, doing a gentle chant in the sanctuary can be heard
over the entire temple!
Temple of Isis, Philae; despite being moved from the original island; still
very magical, especially because of the surroundings.
Temple of Shahabu: The Egyptian equivalent of Tantric magic, it's place is
unknown, and even to the ancient Priests, it's location was kept a secret!
Oracle of Amon; Siwa Oasis, where Alexander the Great went and never spoke
of his prophecy!
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HORUS
The great god Horus was one of the most popular gods of ancient Egypt.
At least a 1,000 years before Egypt was unified a new group of people
entered Egypt called the Followers of Horus. Whether from southern Africa, the
Sahara are from the Red Sea area we don't know, but they settled in Upper Egypt and
opposed the Followers of Set in the Delta. Eventually the Followers of Horus united
Egypt and their king, Narmer or Menes became the first
king of Dynastic Egypt, and the Horus name of the king started being used.
Who was Horus the Hawk or Falcon God? We are especially blessed since the
Temple of Horus at Edfu is the best preserved temple in ancient Egypt, and on its
walls contains such things as the different forms and powers of Horus, the names of
the books in the Temple library, many rituals, hymns, and parts of the types of
initiations.
First and foremost, perhaps, Horus was a sky god, whose right eye was the
Sun and whose left eye was the Moon, and where we came up with the concept of the
right side being solar, the left, lunar. Associated with the hawk soaring over the
land, and his eyes being the Sun and Moon, came his attributes as "All-Seeing,
All-Knowing", yet not interfering unless he chooses to, or is summoned (like a
Master of Falcons summons his Hawk or Falcon).
Probably associated with the idea of a Falconer being protected by his
birds, Horus is one of the most popular gods of Protection.
Now remember that we have to speak in generalities, for Horus had over 24
different forms with associated aspects, so invoking one form would not necessarily
get you another one of his powers (now you can understand why I am writing a book
explaining all of this fully!).
Horus was also the patron god of martial arts, and a couple of his temples,
and their colleges taught military warfare, strategy, tactics, and all sorts of
fighting, the officer corps or military west point of ancient Egypt. this is one of
Egypt's tradition.
Another tradition in which Horus figures prominently is Alchemy. Ptah,

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Horus, and Thoth were the leaders in the Egyptian school of Alchemy.
Although Horus, during the New Kingdom and later was especially popular as
the Son of Isis, remember that that designation is only one of his many forms.
His real consort was Hathor. and Hathor means House of Horus. During one
festival, the statue of Horus was removed from his sanctuary and sailed down the
Nile in all the pomp and circumstance required and was put into Hathor's temple at
Denderah for a connubial visit.
One of the most powerful forms of Protection Rituals in Ancient Egypt was
invoking the four Sons of Horus as the four directions, and Horus as the Protector
(and/or as the Avenger). In fact, the most common form of invocation of the four
directions was the 4 sons of Horus; For women however, there are 2-3 sets of
goddesses of the four directions.
While the four sons are associated with various parts of the human body,
stomach, liver, etc., Horus himself is associated with the Eyes (it figures, doesn't
it?), but not the third eye (which is one or both goddesses, Uatchet and Nekhibet).
Sometimes used for astral sight, there are actually two ways to get to his heaven,
by turning your astral body into a hawk, or a boat with a hawk on it.
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INTERESTING QUOTES
Note that I will use the term god in place of neter, but if you are goddess
oriented, you can use that instead.
Early Egyptian saying:
Put not thy faith in length of years,
For the Gods regard a lifetime as but an hour;
A man remains over after reaching the haven of Death.
His deeds are laid beside him for all treasure.
He who has reached it without wrongdoing,
Shall continue yonder like a god,
Stepping forward like a Lord of Eternity.
God does not confine his favor to the prosperous and the powerful.
He bestows it also upon the poor.
His will is that they be fed and clothed, and exempted from tasks beyond
their strength.
That they may not be oppressed, and unnecessary tears be
spared them.
From Rameses II:
The mortal person is a manifestation on earth of His Divine Spirit.
Splendid actions and great deeds are worthy and precious to the gods.
but the tasks the Gods alone see- they surpass all.
The Ways to God are as many as the breaths in the bodies of men.
Quote from the entrance to the College of Priests, Temple of Horus at Edfu, Egypt:
"Knowledge is the Way to Life;
The Way to Life leads to the Way to God.
The Way to God leads to Inner Knowledge.
Inner Knowledge leads to Wisdom.
Wisdom becomes Life."
The Egyptian word "Neter" is neutral and literally translates as "Abstract
Principle" or "Divine Principle."
Ancient Egypt had no conception of the Ultimate as being either male or
female, for to them, the Ultimate Deity combined both sexes. It's only when the
"Divine Principle" starts descending down through the planes that male and female
deities begin.
Ancient Egypt, for those who don't know, may have had a god, or a goddess as
a national deity (worshipped during national holidays, etc), and a god or a goddess
has head of a city or nome (state); such as Bast, head of Bubastis; but to the
Egyptians, god and goddess were CO-PARTNERS, were in reality none was above the
other (exceptions might be during certain festivals, or the Sun goddess rules during
the day, the Moon God during the night; that's right, many male moon gods and many
female solar goddesses!).
ps. Although that inscription was found at the College of the Temple of Horus, it
did not directly refer to Horus, or Heru by name, therefore, "Divine Principle" is
the logical translation since they did use the word "neter" in the saying.
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EGYPTIAN RITUAL MUSIC

They used a 5 note scale, and had such instruments as lutes, pipes and
flutes, drums, zills, tambourine, and sistra. The sistra or sistrum was the most
magical instrument used, based on three horizontal metal bars with round metal
clappers sliding on them.
) (
I-I-I-I clappers
I I
I-I-I-I clappers
I I
-------
I handle
I
These were used by women only, and only during ceremonies and ceremonial
singing. We have made several reproductions, most don't sound very well. But I was
able to "rattle" an original and it sounded wonderful. Something of a cross between
a babbling brook and wind chimes. Developed by the Egyptians to help bring on trance
states and whatever other emotional responses prior to and during ritual, it may
very well have worked, especially with half a dozen or more going at once.
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THE METAPHYSICAL PARTS OF MAN
The material body: the spirits of the heart is called Hati. Of hearing, Setem; of
sight, Maa; of taste, Hu; of touch, Saa; of the material body, Khat.
The astral or Inner Self: Setem, compassion, the ability to feel rightly. Maa,
justice, the ability to perceive rightly. Hu, command, divine utterance. Saa,
perception, knowledge, understanding. Heka, magic. Ab, the seat of life, source of
will and intentions. Ka, the astral body; principle of the body and protective
genius. Khu, the intellect; low form Khu, highest intellect.
Then we have the Khaibit, or Dweller; the Shadow, the part before, at and after the
Dweller of the Threshold.
Higher up, the Ba, soul, sublime, and multi-leveled.
Next comes the Sahu, part of the spiritual self and is the spiritual body otherwise
called the spiritual body.
There is also the sekem; lower force; the power of forms, names, and life.
There is also the Sa, the higher force, essential energy of all.
To give you an idea of the complexity of it all:
Touch: Saa (Sia) god of feeling, knowledge, understanding, intelligence.
Personification of perception, to feel, to understand (comes from Memphis and the
Ptah/Sekhmet/Nefertum triad).
As Saau-ur "The Great Intelligence: the cognitive reception of a situation,
object or idea. Saau-ur is mentioned as early as the Vth dynasty.
As Saa Amenti-Ra "The Intelligence of the Amenti of Ra" god of conscience
and character.
Sa is a god of protection within his functions and is associated with Hu,
taste. Oddly enough Sa is associated also with the heart. Hu and Saa together are
the Eyes of Horus. More importantly they are the tongue and heart of Ptah; as such
it is thur the heart that men relate their lives to moral precepts, and to be
craftsmen.
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EGYPTIANS AND THE TAROT
The first Tarot cards known were found in Italy. A reproduction of them has
been done and is usable. I believe that they were nailed to something. Perhaps
someone can fill in where it was found and the time period they were made.
Bernard Bromage, in his book, which I can't recall the exact title of (it
was years ago), but is something like The Secret Wisdom of the Egyptians (I'll look
it up). Basically the book is fairly uninteresting as it relates to how ancient
Egyptian traditions really worked. But there was, in one paragraph, something that
struck my eye. In discussing, I believe, the Tarot he says (and despite not
remembering the title, I do remember the sentence) "The Tarot, of course, originated
from the Temple of Serapis in Naples, Italy." Well, here is something specific. Now
to find a picture or reference from another source on a Temple of Serapis in Naples.
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Ancient Egypt did expand their temples outside of Egypt, and had temples and
sanctuaries in Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, and other
places. To make a long story longer, it took about five years before I finally found
a reference to the Temple of Serapis in Italy. The reference referred to the
excavation report done early in this century; that the temple is now pretty much at
water level, that the illustrations on the wall were destroyed by WWII. That means
that if the Tarot came from a chance find, it would be in the excavation report, if
it came from illustrations on the walls, it would still be in the report. A friend
of mine was in Naples and took a picture of the temple, and indeed, it was awash
with water and the illustrations were definitely not there. Was Bromage right? Did
there exist a pre-tarot illustrations in either wall form or chance papyrus? If
true, did it include the minor arcana as well? If only the major arcana, what was it
supposed to portray at that period of time? Perhaps the path of the initiate as
supposed today? And whose initiate; a Roman/Egyptian one or an Egyptian one? Where
indeed is the excavation report? It was printed in Italian, but is there
illustrations or photos of the illustrations? Is there a reference to cards or a
papyrus or manuscript? Are there English translations? How did the Tarot get from a
3-5th century ad temple to 13-14th century cards? We know that the Italians were
interested in retrieving Greek and Roman statues and works during that period; was
that why and when the transition was made? All of these things depended on finding
the excavation report. And if the report confirmed it, then did it mean that an even
earlier version existed in Egypt? Lo and behold this could take forever (like this
note is). But finally, voila! The French Institute of Archaeology in Cairo found the
report for me and sent me a translation of the illustrations found on the wall. The
report consisted of, among other things not particularly germane here, of
descriptions of the illustrations, and a statue standing in the entrance. There are
20 illustrations that were on the wall prior to their destruction during WWII.
Assuming for a moment that Major Arcana card number 0, which is the fool and
generally interpreted as the initiate starting out on his journey, it would follow
that, given the sequence of illustrations on the temple's walls, that indeed the )
card would be the initiate of Serapis.
Card One: Magician:
Found at the entrance to the temple, just inside, was a partially damaged
statue of the god Khnemu, and in front of him, an altar. The god Khnemu is the only
god in ancient Egypt that is shown (and even at that, rarely), and applies in this
case, with one hand pointed towards the sky, the other towards the earth. Khnemu is
the god of the Nile, and since in the major arcana, water in the cards represents
the flow of consciousness, it follows that the flow starts from Khnemu, the Nile (at
least for Egyptians it would). The ritual equipment would have been placed on the
altar.
Card II: High Priestess:
The first illustrations, the first one on the left side is of Veiled Isis
(also one of only two Egyptian goddesses ever shown veiled). The illustration was
between two pillars, the lotus and a papyrus pillar, and in the illustration Isis is
seated, holding a lotus. Crown of sun and crescent moon.
Card III: Empress:

The second illustration again shows Isis, this time holding and suckling the
baby Horus. Crown of Isis, the throne, symbol of the maternal power behind the
throne, etc.
Card IV: Emperor:
The third illustration is of a Roman emperor in Egyptian garb, holding the
was and flail.
Card V: Hierophant:
The next illustration is of an Egyptian priest, dressed in the leopards
garb, making offerings to an altar.
Card VI: Lovers:
The next one is of the unification of Northern and Southern Egypt. The
intertwining of the lotus and sedge plant, two Hapi gods (Showing both male and
female traits). The Egyptian meaning is very similar to the card.
Card VII: Chariot:
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Shrine procession, with two sphinxes in front of the shrine, being dragged
by 4 anubian priests and 4 Horus priests (in a Temple of Serapis in Egypt, it
actually is a chariot scene).
Card VIII: Strength:
The illustration is of the goddess Sekhmet, the Lioness goddess, who is the
Egyptian symbol of strength. The scene also has a priestess offering a symbol of her
heart to her (which is done after the balance, weighting of the heart).
Card IX: Hermit or Sage:
The next illustration on the temple wall is of Imhotep, the prime example of
the perfect man or Sage/Priest, with a scroll in hand.
Card X: Wheel:
The illustration is of the 7 Hathors, long regarded as the 7 fates in
ancient Egypt and part of the concept of time as regarding man.
Card XI: Justice:

This illustration is a quite common one in ancient Egypt, the Judgement
scene, where the initiate or deceased is judged of his heart (actions, etc.) against
truth.
Card XII: Hanged Man:
This illustration in the temple walls, although badly damaged, does show
Osiris, who you may remember, was martyred, cut into bits, put back together, etc.,
and who symbolizes resurrection.
Card XIII: Death or the Reaper:
This scene, also badly damaged, clearly shows the god Set (Lord of Chaos and
Disorder) with what looks like Anubis before him (the Guardian of your soul, the
Guide of the Initiate). The interpretation works in well with our interpretation of
the 13th card.
Card XIV: Temperance or Alchemist:
The illustration in the temple, damaged up to the waist of the individuals,
shows Horus and Set, which would mean in its broadest sense, the tempering of one's
bad traits with the good, the unification from within.
Card XV: Devil or Black Magician:
This illustration is a classic Egyptian one of the solar god Ra fighting
Apophis, with a lesser scene of priests offering. In Egyptian initiations, this is
the part of the Dweller of the Threshold, and the attempted crossing.
Card XVI: Tower or Lightning:
The illustration is of two obelisks. Obelisks, you may remember, always
stood in front of the temple. Obelisks represented the first ray of light striking
the earth. It would symbolize here the initiate passing the Dweller and now ready to
enter the temple for final initiation for the first time, like the light hitting the
earth for the first time, the transition is almost complete.
Card XVII: Star:
The goddess Seshat and a libation scene. Priestess with two bowls, one of
water, the other of earth in front of Seshat, a Bennu bird in the water. Seshat has
many attributes, but she has a star as a crown, the only one that does, and she is a
consort of Thoth (god of Ceremonial Magic) as well as being the goddess of Libraries
and Sacred Knowledge. The initiate is about to, or is receiving his sacred knowledge
about the world, himself, and of magic.
Card XVIII: Moon:
Top part of illustration only, of Khonsi, God of the Moon, and possibly of
Thoth, also a God of the Moon.
Card XIX: Sun:
Clear painting/carving of the sun god Ra. flanked by hawks (also solar
deities, Horus) and the sign of eternity. Perhaps at this point the initiate, now at
dawn, is led out (or the doors are opened to reveal the morning sun) with the
initiate now in the light (symbolically and realistically).
Card XX: Judgement:
Illustration scene of initiate, hand in hand with the god Thoth, being led
away from the Weighing of the Heart scene. His heart has been found true and just,
in balance.
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Card XXI: World:
The last illustration is somewhat damaged but clear enough to show the
famous Nut, Geb, Shu scene. This scene is of the goddess of the Heavens, Nut, over
the god of earth, Geb, with the god of space, Shu, in between. This is the classic
Egyptian motif of all the world, heaven, earth and everything in between. The
initiate is now one with ALL.
Now, although all of the above scenes are for initiates, this could mean two
things:
1. This is a "storyboard" set of illustrations of one, albeit, long and very
involved type of initiation.
2. This is a "storyboard" set of illustrations of a series of steps and
initiations of any initiate of Serapis and could conceivably take a lifetime to
achieve.
It is important to note that this room does not have one illustration of
Serapis himself in it! He shows up on the outside of the temple in illustrations!
The excavation report concluded that this room was either a special place of
initiations or a special place of worship. During the 10th-16th centuries, when the
Europeans were rediscovering Greek and Roman statues, books, etc., this temple could
very well have been recovered and uncovered. In fact the illustrations were
partially still open to view before the excavation! I have traced several temples of
Serapis, and have been trying to get notes on their illustrations as well. Two
temples of Serapis in Egypt, one during the Greek/Ptolemaic period, and one of the
19th dynasty also show like illustrations, getting more and more Egyptian as the
temples got older.
Did the Egyptians actually have tarot cards of the major arcana? Not likely,
as papyrus would be pretty much impossible to shuffle!! But here is the initial
result of my study, it took years to find this material. Did the Temple of Serapis
inspire the Italians to make the Major Arcana of the Tarot? It certainly contained
the elements and the interpretation! Perhaps Bromage, who is rarely right, was right
about this one. Further studies on Serapis temples that I did seem to keep the
illustrations in order, but we do have a big gap between the temple and the first
known cards!
The tradition of Serapis starts from an early age, from the 1st dynasty of
about 3,100 bce with Seken-ka as the first master of the tradition. In the XVIII
dynasty Amenhotep enhanced the tradition, as did XIX dynastic Khawmwese, XXVI
dynastic Amen-em-apt, XXXth dynastic Nectanebus, the last native king of Egypt, who
ordered the spread of Egyptian temples throughout the known world.
During the Roman period, Psoiphis and Chaeremon were leaders in the
tradition.
We have possible other sources of the ancient origin of Tarot including the
ancient book, "78 Phases of Ra," the Book of Gates (it has 21 gates).
There are temples of Serapis at Alexandria, Naples, Rome, Memphis. The nome
state of Ament's capital was sacred to Serapis, called Apis, from the pre-Serapis
tradition of Apis, from which Serapis is derived. There is a temple of Serapis in
northern Amant called He-t sekha-hera.
There is a temple of Serapis at Pithom (the Bible mentions the city); a cult
center at Mendes, one at north Meteliles.
Now, is the word Tarot actually Egyptian or a derivation of an ancient
Egyptian word or words? It very well could be. Ta and ro or rot are two Egyptian
sounds.
Ta = the following words:
thou bread, cake to give
staff (wand) this moment/time
land/earth TO JOURNEY THOTH
earth god time
forms/likeness/image
essence of a god glory the
You also have the possibilities: tara: (long a) meaning time or season;
teru: meaning a god of light.
Ra, ro, or rot (no Egyptian vowels):
man chapter of a book a covered court
mouth, entrance, opening, door, gate
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entrance to a path or road
sun, day sun god words, acts
storehouse or chamber
Chapters of Coming Forth by Day
" " Divine Rites
" " Mysteries
" " Praisings
So you see, if Egyptian, it could mean "journey of the road" or "journey of
time" or any number of things! It could mean "the glorious road." Or it all could be
just a coincidence!!!! It's up to you.
A LATER RELATED NOTE: To give you an example of the differences, take the Strength
card. That normally is depicted as a woman holding open the jaws of a male lion,
quiet strength in check. In the temples of Serapis that corresponds to the
illustration of the goddess Sekhmet. Sekhmet is a lioness goddess, but is usually
depicted with a small mane! Hence, in Egypt, the female and male are combined into
the Sekhmet form. The Isis Veiled card is almost the same in the two illustrations.
Isis is shown veiled (one of two goddesses ever shown that way), sitting, holding
stalks of wheat and a container of water in the Roman Serapis temples.
ANOTHER LATER RELATED NOTE: So far, there hasn't been found any evidence of wood,
stone, papyrus, or any other form of the major arcana for use in divination. Note
that many of the arcana of the Temple of Serapis are common motifs, and as such, can
be found in clay, stone, papyrus, etc.; but never has been found in a group,
incomplete set or not. Perhaps to the Egyptians, the Major Arcana was not a form of
divination but the initiate's initiation or life cycle.
Divination was used in ancient Egypt, by both priests and people alike. I
have various types of divination by bowls, by oracles, by dreams, by ceremonies.
There is even divination by casting stones into a certain type of decorated bowl of
water. There is divination by using a particular set of the popular Senet game. But,
alas, none yet by Tarot.
----------
there is a lot of information out there about divination and ceremonies, but much of
it, like I said before, is in German, French, Arabic, and part in english.
for example, there is a two volume work on Senet, including the divination part, but
alas, it is in German.
See if you can get a book by Serge Saureon, called, the "Priests of Ancient Egypt."
although it is mainly during the greek period of ancient Egypt, much has not
changed.
if you look at the translations of the Pyramid Texts, the Coffin Texts and the Book
of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani, translated by Faulkner), you would find that it is a
lot of disjointed rituals put together. Most was not originally written for the
dead, it was just slightly revised.
In the Pyramid texts and Coffin Texts, for example, you have texts on astral
projection, blessing tools, consecration, initiation, hymns, etc. If you can find an
english copy of the Harris Papyrus (good luck, long out of print, very expensive),
it is THE magical texts and divination.
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RESOURCES
I am familiar with the Church of Light organization in Los Angeles. They are
no help in assistance, as all of their information is of Greek/Roman period and
doesn't go any further back, and I already have the Greco/Roman period down. It's
true that Iamblichus did write about Egyptian initiation, but the translations of
his work do not include any descriptions of Tarot-like illustrations. Unlike what
the Church of Light says, the translations are readily available. One must remember
that initiations done in the 4th century do not and will not accurately reflect the
initiations that took place in ancient Egypt. Egypt took a profound change in the
late dynastic period prior to the Greeks, and even more during the Greek and Roman
periods. Much of the magic, mysteries were lost and new ones invented or gaps were
substituted by current thought. It was a decaying period for Egypt, adopting to
Greek ways and then to Roman ones. The mysteries and initiations became an echo of
what they once were.
The Church of the Eternal Source, also in Los Angeles, on the other hand, is
a very Egyptian mystery oriented organization, but centers around the Old, Middle
and New Kingdom, using the original papyrus and temple inscriptions for their
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mysteries and initiations. But still, in both cases, their knowledge is limited by
what has been published and available. The translations and the original documents
about such things are either not published, or published in limited editions and not
available in most libraries. The French Institute of Archaeology in Cairo has the
most complete library of all published and unpublished material related to ancient
Egypt. I use them extensively.
The Church of Light, on the other hand, uses adapted to modern symbolism,
not ancient ones. The Tower card would never have been done in ancient Egypt like
the Church of Light did it. In essence the Church made up a Neo-Egyptian religion
incorporating ancient symbols and modern thought, when they just could have used the
ancient symbols as is. In other words, they tried, without much research, to make a
modern Tarot deck using ancient symbols out of place, rather than making an ancient
tarot deck using ancient symbols in place. Then they think that this is going to get
you in touch with ancient Egypt. Wrong! It may get you in touch with modern man's
(since the time of Blavatsky) metaphysical idea of what ancient Egypt was, but to
get in touch with ancient Egypt, you need to use ancient Egyptian methods. Kind of
like getting a model airplane and putting it together without a picture to go by or
the guide to do it right.
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THE INHERENT DIFFICULTY OF STUDYING
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN RELIGION
Throughout its 4,000 odd year old history there is no systematic account of
the doctrines used. Different men living at different times do not think alike; and
no college of priests had formulated a system of beliefs that was received by all
clergy and laity alike. 42 nomes; 42 religions in 4,000 years! Changes were extent,
differences, even in the same periods, were great. But all had one thing in common,
Organic Totality.
Organic Totality: the physical environment, human organizations, conscience,
language and ultimate goals, all make up Egypt's totality. Egypt did not have a
central dogma or sacred book. But the one thing that prevented them from losing
their individuality and from coalescing into a common unit is the belief in more
than one set of gods. The Egyptian religions were both personal and nationalistic.
It was personal to each individual or family; private, interwoven with a sense of
personal right and wrong, with a personal shrine or "niche" in every house to their
personal gods/desses. It was nationalistic because usually the place of the national
seat of government determined, for the most part, the overall thought of the period,
the morality of the period. The Egyptian religion offers a variety of paths to the
ultimate source by individual contact and tailoring information and guidance
according to an individual's needs and level of development.
Three aspects of the Egyptian religion and culture.
1. Polytheism; all gods and goddesses are emanations or forces from one source
(although in each state, the one source may have a different name).
2. Actualization of the Individual; the development of the potential of the
individual was important to the Egyptian colleges.
3. Direct communication/relationship of an individual's surroundings.
The kings of Egypt had from three to five "great names" and Lee mentioned
only one, the Horus name. There is also the "nebti" name. This name is from the Two
Ladies, Nekhebet and Uatchet, and Pharaoh becomes the force uniting the dual
monarchy. This name goes back to the 1st dynasty and is based on the two capitals of
pre-dynastic Egypt, Neken and Buto, seats of the two goddesses. The third name is
the "bee" name. "He who belongs to the sedge plant and the bee," the "nesu-list"
name, symbolizing the union of Upper and Lower Egypt. Predynastic: According to
Manetho, a race of people came into Egypt and some became the founders and rulers of
This and Memphis. The system of solar theology arrived in Lower Egypt (Delta) as
early as 5,000 bce in the form of the "Shensu Heru" or Followers of Horus. They made
their way to upper Egypt before the 1st dynasty. In predynastic times there were two
distinct kingdoms, Upper and Lower Egypt, with their capitals at Neken (slightly
north of Thebes) and Buto (in the Delta). We have names of at least 12 kings of
these two areas, although the Book of Sothis lists 86 kings, and the "Old
Chronicles" lists 84.
There are several approaches taken by metaphysically minded people of today
about ancient Egypt. There are those who see only what Edgar Cayce or something like
Urantia has to say about Egypt, and don't take the time to discover Egypt for
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themselves, or to see if what they learned was actually true. There are those who
have worked beyond Cayce, and find a "pull" towards Egypt and read many books about
the subject. Unfortunately, Budge, the most predominant writer, gives an unrealistic
view of ancient Egypt, and many things are not mentioned, such as personal worship,
initiations, changes of consciousness; therefore the reader is forced to rely on
another source, who may not know anything at all about Egypt, but a lot about
metaphysics and give you bum information. Elizabeth Haitch's (?) book, "Initiation,"
supposedly an Egyptian initiation, bears no relation to an actual Egyptian
initiation and should be treated as fantasy. Then there are those in metaphysics
that like to practice the ancient religions. Their approach is usually through
another tradition, i.e. Golden Dawn, or Wicca. Both of these traditions (Wicca
having many traditions and only some incorporate Egyptian into them) do not draw
upon real Egyptian traditions. The Golden Dawn uses Greco-Roman Egyptian Tradition,
acknowledged by Egyptologists as the period when most of the Egyptian traditions
have been radically changed by outside influences, much already lost, and even
hieroglyphic writing being incomprehensible. The Wicca traditions take god/desses
wholesale, give them new attributes, new powers that they never had, have the
rituals in English, etc.
No one studies the Egyptian traditions from the texts, temples, or tombs in
order to find out how it works. Except me. Perhaps that is because I believe in
finding out about a tradition by getting it from the original sources. And a major
part of the problem is that although there are a lot of books, they are for the most
part, too general. To find out what the Egyptians practiced, how, why, when and by
whom requires years of searching obscure journals, papers, translations of texts,
excavation reports (which have illustrations, translations of what was excavated) of
tombs, houses, temples, and how many people have the time, money, experience to do
that? Almost no one. So everyone else makes it up or speculates about it. I am going
to try to make up for this loss by publishing a series of books on the ancient
Egyptian personal worship, and the Temple Priesthood. What was taught, how was it
taught, who did they teach it to, who were the teachers, how were they qualified,
where was it taught, what differences are there between personal worship at home and
temple worship, etc.?
----------
There was a note about religions borrowing elements from others and that it happened
for millennia. Such is definitely not the case. Granted it is easy to find a few
that did, Christianity, Islam, Roman. And granted it is easy to find more that
borrowed SOME of its tradition, but let's look at a couple of those.
There is no evidence that the Ancient Egyptian religion came out from somewhere
else. From pre-dynastic to the Middle Kingdom there were only one or two examples
where borrowing took place, but in each and every case, they adopted THE ENTIRE
SYSTEM. In fact in almost every case of a pagan religion part of another system,
they almost invariably adopted the priesthood with it, or had the priesthood teach
them, Or made it a part but separate from the main religion. This is totally
different from today's pagans. Instead of being taught from the priesthood of the
other religion or adopting the entire priesthood, they take bits and snatches that
they don't understand and adopt it.
Now it is agreed by both Egyptologists, The Church of the Eternal Source
(see Drawing Down the Moon), and many Hermeticists that in the Late Period of
ancient Egypt, the priesthood not only started forgetting the important esoteric
side of their own religion, but started adopting others bits and pieces, without the
total integration that they practiced earlier. It resulted in a almost total
breakdown of usefulness in practicing magic, mumbling now meaningless phrases, and
effectiveness in their magic and rituals.
One can count numberless examples of just how much one can be effective when
you only know a small part of the whole (kind of like driving a car for the first
time when the only thing you know about is the trunk).
Also in ancient Egyptian, Hindu, Buddhism, and many American Indian
religions (and paganism in the 1950-1970's) there was a belief that a symbol, if
believed in by a large number of people over a large span of time, is far more
effective than a symbol that is used by a small group over a short period of time.
Does it not hold true that a magical object is imbued with more magic every time it
is used?
Thus, then how effective can a system be if it is 20-30 years old, practiced by 500
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people, using symbols that are either brand new or misunderstood? (Like using a red
pentagram for bring forth the earth element; how less effective is it as opposed to
a green one which has been used by millions of people for thousands of years?)
Occult philosophy by these groups and many others maintain that the more
powerful an object is based on the formula: # of people using it + # of years in use
+ the ability of the individual to use it + the correctness in its use. The astral
plane is exclusively made up by just this principle, and it's this plane where much
of the magic is done.
The effectiveness of the individual to practice his magic or religion is also
directly proportional to the abilities and effectiveness of his/her teacher, and the
degree of success in achieving the goals in his/her training.
FROM MARK REYBURN On borrowing, syncretism is and was common among many
religions, including Egyptians, as you note. It tends to occur most frequently in
cultures with regular contact with different practices. One of the Sun Dances, I
think it's the Cherokee, is supposed to be syncretic. Who they got it from escapes
me, my anthro classes are practically history themselves by now! Selective
borrowings are, as you note, tricky things. But, we would be poorer without it. And
ceremonial magic aside, symbol use is more free-form than most of us would prefer.
Not quite, words mean what I want them to mean, but symbols are much more personal
than the "Official" correspondences. The "well-worn path" of symbol meaning is
certainly helpful IN SOME TRADITIONS, but is completely irrelevant to someone who is
using symbols on a personal level. Although less potent magickally, religiously
personal symbolism is much more potent than time-worn symbols. Besides, how else do
new religions develop symbolism?
FROM DOMI O'BRIEN In ADF ritual we specifically note that the more--
and the more of us-- that call upon the old gods the more they respond to our need--
one is reminded of "the old gods only sleep, you know, although betrayed and
slandered; they guarded us from every woe, and blessed each crop and fine herd..."
and, oddly enough, Tinker Bell-- if you believe in fairies-- read DDW-- we focus
belief, and will...
FROM GARY OHLEMILLER This is an interesting dichotomy I haven't heard
much about before. One group seems to prefer the Bonewits/Parapsychological approach
which holds that the power of a symbol comes from the strength of association it
holds in the individual's unconscious. Mr. Poe seems to advocate a Jungian approach
in which the archetype exists "objectively" and is waiting there to be used. Does
anyone out there have enough practical experience to tell us which is more
efficacious? I sure don't.
FROM MICHAEL POE In reference to what is more (?) effective or powerful,

actually both together would be the most powerful of all.
My little experience, such as it is, has been working in the area for 20
years, bring apprenticed to an Havasupi shaman, personal knowledge from four other
systems, watching and working with 3 other shamans, and personal tours to sacred
sites around the world. Go to a sacred site and see just how powerful it still is,
like a huge untapped battery.
Feel a talisman that was made and used 4,000 years ago, yet still has as
much or more power than anything you have touched by a modern worker of almost any
system.
I gave a 4,500 year old scarab that hasn't been used since to a friend of
mine who put it in a box. 2 months later, when he opened the box to use it he found
the box has been burned from the inside out. (although admittedly that scarab is an
exception).
I have found that both ways can work, but an old cultural symbol (in Jungian
terms) is more in our subconscious as a type of universal symbol, and will be more
powerful and last longer than a personal one.
Get the most magically powerful person you know, have him/her do a circle
ritual in a square area, and go back a month later and see if you can find it by
feeling for it. Go to a ancient sacred spot that hasn't been used for hundreds or
thousands of years and feel its power. Which is greater? My bet goes to the ancient
one. More use over more time.
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ALCHEMY
There are some definite misconceptions expressed here on Alchemy. Alchemy is not
about transmuting lead into gold (that was, at the most, a test on your elixir), it
does not involve using electricity, it is not part of tantric.
One of the problems involved is that people get a tradition that they don't
understand and misuse the term until it loses almost all of its original meaning.
Alchemy is a spiritual experience that is a combination of two things, the
transmutation of the workers spirit with the transmutation of physical substances
(which creates the Elixir of Life).
while in the broad sense that Alchemy is a transmutation, it has no part in
Tantric.
The physical and metaphysical process has always been described in
allegories, hence the confusion of work with metals.
In order to practice alchemy today, you need to read only about 2 or 3 good books on
the subject
"Gold of a Thousand Mornings" is a non-fiction book describing alchemy by a man/wife
team in France. It dwells on both the spiritual and physical aspects and describes
the work that they did.
"An Alchemists Handbook" has a brief description of the meaning and the "Great Work"
(as it is called), and gives you in great detail how to do the physical work.
In order for alchemy to work, you need to do both at the same time as you need self
transformation to work in order for the physical transformation to work.
the chemical side of work delves mainly into herbs, and if you use herbs in your
regular work, then you will have real use with alchemy.
In the chemical aspect, the herb's essence is extracted (the gold from the dross),
as well as yourself (your essence is purified). To do so, you usually need chemical
glassware such as a condenser, or soylent extractor. This is a typical operation
when making perfume from flowers or making an herbal extraction. The main difference
is that the extraction takes place with a magical bent to it. rituals are done
during the extraction process, timing is essential (astrological, lunar, and solar,
and seasonal timing) .
So, since you may already be familiar with blessing and consecration of
magical tools, and putting power into them, a very similar thing is done to yourself
(an human vessel) and your herbal product during the alchemical process.
also, there are two existing alchemical schools, one in France, one in Utah (of all
places!)
If you already use herbs in your other work, following this process will net you
much more powerful herbal concoctions as well as a more powerful and spiritual self.
I myself use the process. One of the aspects in alchemy is that one gathers certain
herbs, minerals to produce an elixir that will extend life (as one of it's
benefits). but before ingesting it, an alchemist would sometimes test it by adding a
pinch of it to lead, and if it turned into gold, then your elixir is finished and
can be used.
However, turning lead into gold was never the end product for the work, but merely a
test. You can make other useful herbal/concoctions without achieving the 'Elixir of
Life.' Since alchemy is non-denominational, it can be used with practically any
tradition.
The source of the word Alchemy has had a lot of discussion among alchemical
writers and alchemists. Although chemy did eventually become chemistry, the origin
of the word did not.
The most agreed upon definition of the term Alchemy is this: Al (arab word
meaning THE) Khemia; meaning Egypt, which comes from the ancient Egyptian word for
Egypt meaning "black land" thus: The Black Land
since Alchemy does originate in Egypt, it makes sense.
The first alchemical work is called the Emerald Tablet, written by Thoth, or Hermes
Trismigistos.
the father of alchemy is Zoismos, an Egyptian.
the mother of alchemy is Marie, the Egyptian, who describes in her works the actual
equipment used. (the only person who does!!!!).
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ISIS
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The Fellowship of Isis is the only group that I am aware of that worships
only Isis and is not a Wiccan group. Their headquarters is on the British Isles but
has many members in the US. They do, however, use almost exclusively late Dynastic
and Greco-Roman Isis rituals, which many people believe are disbased and not well
understood (true of most of the Egyptian traditions at that time).
The Church of the Eternal Source uses rituals from the Old to New Kingdom ( I-XXIst.
Dynasty) and includes Isis. It is a federation of Egyptian temples, so there are
Priests of Horus, Thoth, Ptah, Priestesses of Bast, Sekhmet/Bast, Hathor and Isis.
And, oh yes, a priest and priestess of Osiris. They are currently looking at an
initiation plan based on ancient Egyptian sources to possibly adopt as their own.
If there is a group by the name that the person mentioned, it may be either a new
Egyptian traditions group, or an eclectic Wiccan group.
Isis was never worshiped by Wiccans prior to the 1950's and should best be
worshipped by people acquainted with the ancient Egyptian Traditions related to her.
Isis went through many changes, adding more powers and attributes as time went on.
She wasn't even called a Mother Goddess for the first 2,000 years of her worship.
Most people who don't know ancient egyptian traditions don't get the response from
Isis that they expect (or a totally different response). Isis is very powerful, but
exacting. It's always best to know what power relates to which of her forms in order
to invoke her.
One thing to remember. Isis belongs to several ancient Egyptian traditions.
As such, you won't be aware of her powers and attributes unless you are familiar
with the Egyptian traditions.
For example, as an Enchantress, she is invoked with a special form in mind (holding
specific objects, in specific positions, wearing specific clothes). Not to have that
form in mind, according to ancient Egyptian tradition, is to negate your entire
ritual, or to degrade it (it won't have the effect as much as if you did it the
right way), or to have an effect entirely different.
Isis, for one, has many powers and attributes, and many forms. Just invoking her in
a different direction invokes a power you may not be aware of. As such she can
appear to be both benign or terrible (she is one of the Dweller of the Door, or
Threshold goddesses).
Even during the Egyptian period, 4,000 bce (predynastic) to 641 ad (the closing of
her last temple) she went through many modifications and changes. She wasn't even
known as a mother goddess for at least 1,500 years!
It's too bad that people borrow god/desses from traditions that they know little
about, to use in ritual. If they knew the tradition better, their ritual would be
better.
There is also an Isis heaven to astral project to, but again, in Egyptian tradition,
you must know the way, the form to use to get there, otherwise you go to a false
one.
She also appears as an astral guide, but again, only assumes a specific form.
Unfortunately there is little written about how to actually practice Egyptian ritual
(although the Church of the Eternal Source knows). That is a gap that I hope to fill
one day, having spent over 30 years studying ancient Egypt, worked there for several
years in the tombs and temples, and have the best resources available to me in the
term of published and unpublished material. I am currently working on what could be
several volumes on the Theory and Practice of the Ancient Egyptian Traditions (good
title!)
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INFORMATION ON BAST
from ancient Egyptian sources
Powers and Attributes of Bast:
Lady of the East (IVth Dynasty on)
Female Personification of Fire
the Light Bearer
Female power of Light, Heat, Sun, Fire, Mild Heat of the
day and Year
Power of germination of seeds
Power of early Summer
Goddess of the Birth Chamber
Goddess of Full Moon
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Goddess of Cats
Protection
Bast festivals occur in April and May in her temple at Bubastis, facing east.
The Greeks associated her with Diana.
Bast was also used to learn words of power to vanquish the powers of darkness (IVth
Dynasty).
Bast attributes are also related to cats.
Bast had at least four different forms (and no breastplate related by another, more
contemporary book)
FROM BRANDY WILLIAMS Ref.: THE BOOK OF GODDESS & HEROINES by Patricia
Monaghan. "She originated in the Nile delta, but by 930 B.C., the power of Bast was
acknowledged by all Egyptians. At first she was a lion-goddess of sunset,
symbolizing the fertilizing force of the sun's rays. Later her image grew tamer: she
became a cat carrying the sun, or a cat-headed woman who bore on her breastplate the
lion of her former self." Bast ruled pleasure and dancing, music and joy. At
Bubastis ("House of Bast"), the center of her worship, great celebrations were held.
Boatloads of worshipers - hundreds of thousands of them, Herodotus said - were
greeted by pleasant flute melodies as they debarked for a worship service combined
with a vast trade fair. Bast's followers believed that in return for this reverent
celebration Bast bestowed both mental and physical health.
As a cat goddess of the moon she lit up the night, throwing light on things
which would otherwise be concealed. Moon lights up a world hidden in darkness, and
the cat gives us insight with her light of the under, or inner world. The Moon is
the searcher, a seeker of Truth. Bast is known as the Lady of Truth. Beams of the
moon point the way and a narrow path called a cat walk, usually called in Egyptian
as the Middle Way or Path.
When a cat curls up with its head touching its tail, it forms a circle,
symbol of eternity.
Bast also symbolizes sensuality, grace, coordination of movement.
Bubastis (town of Bast) also called Per-Bast, Pa-Bast, Pibeseth, Tell-Basta
Location: lower Egypt, northern kingdom and capital of the 18th nome or
state, Am-Khent.
time Period of Bubastis: IInd Dynasty to at least 640 ad.
IInd Dynasty: "in the reign of the 1st king, a chasm opened up and many
people perished."
IV: Khufu (builder of the Great Pyramid) built here.
XXII: Libyans ruled Egypt here
640 ad: Bubastis still alive and worshipping cats here.
Temple of Bast on an island with only an entranceway bridging it. There is
also a Temple to Thoth, and a shrine to Temit. Minor gods: Temit: Lady of the Two
Lands and Osiris: the thigh of Osiris is in a hidden chest at Netert.
Triad at Bubastis: Bast, Osiris, Heru-hekennu, and to a lesser extent: Nefer-tem.
Invoke the cat Bast to learn words of power to vanquish the powers of darkness (IVth
dynasty on)
Bast attributes related to cats;
refusal to take things overseriously
science of relaxation, never waste energy
accepts the nature of things, superb indifference to opinion, refusal to
be at beck and call
insistence of complete freedom of expression
when a cat curls up with its head touching its tail, it
forms a circle, symbol of eternity
luxuriating sensuality, grace, coordination of movement
Egyptian cats are typically orange-brown, ginger and a gray tabby.
As a lioness, (her earliest forms), painted green, she personifies the Sun. As a
cat, she has connections with the moon.
Mother of lion god Ari-hes of Aphroditopolis, Mother of Sekhem, of Denderah
Bast is also considered to be the Soul of Isis.
Forms usually seen:
1. Upright cat, holding a sistrum and aegis, surrounded by four protector cats.
2. woman's body, head of lion or cat, holding sistrum and either a basket or a aegis
(can hold uatchet)
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3. Aegis of Bast sometimes has a head of a cat crowned with solar disk and uraeus,
emblems of Sekhmet.
4. Lion headed woman, oldest form of Bast. In 5th Dynasty temple called, "Bastet,
Lady of Ankh-Taui."
Also associated with:
Mut-Bast: personification of the moon in Thebes, she is a woman wearing
horns on her head with a sun's disk between them. Mut-Bast is the counterpart of
Amen-Ra-Temu-Khepera-Heru-Khuti
Sekhmet, as a counter-part
Assessor Thenemi (he who goes backwards) and who comes forth from Bast.
Assessor Basti
A good description of the Festival of Bast, called the Festival of Lights,
has been described by various Greek and Roman writers.
The temple of Bast in Bubastis, while on a island, is lower than the rest of
the city, and therefore, is the only temple that the people can see into the
courtyard. Also there is a sacred grove of trees in the courtyard (the only one
known of all temples in Egypt). At the festival of Lights, all light in the city is
extinguished. then a new fire is made in the temple and the priests come out to
light the torches of the people who then parade throughout the city to relight all
the home fires. by the Greek/Roman period there was also a kind of sexual license at
the time at the festival. Food and drink for all (which is typical of the temple
festivals).
Speaking of cats! I had a request from Jennifer about Wadjet, the rearing
cobra, sometimes lioness. Good observation, most people don't know that Wadjet is
VERY occasionally depicted as a Cat. Here is the answer.
Wadjet, the cobra depicts two things: the real snake (in the proverbial papyrus
grass) with it's dangerous forms and powers. And 2, the Kundalini, or Serpent Fire
of the human body coming out of the third eye! That's why the serpent is always on
the crown or is the crown over the third eye. It's also symbolic of the sun. I know,
you think that the Kundalini comes out of the top of your head, as Hindus would have
you believe. Could be true, but in Egypt, when one works with Wadjet's fire, you
direct the route to the third eye (the burning, purifying fire), while redirecting a
lesser (gentle growing heat of the sun) to the top of your head (hence, the Lotus
depicted on top of the head).
So, yes, different aspects of her nature. As depicted as Wadjet the cat, here is a
dichotomy! Cats protect humans from snakes, so Wadjet is also invoked to protect
humans from her very own physical manifestation, the deadly cobra.
As depicted as a cat, it shows her protection from her very real counterpart, the
asp. Asp and you shall receive! (g)
Now as to relationships with Bast/Sekhmet/Mut.
Think of fire and think of sun/moon. Think of opposing sections of the same thing
(burning fire, gentle heat; light of day, dark of night) and you have some basic
differences between Bast/Sekhmet. Have you seen the National Geographic special on
cats: our pets and how they relate to the big cats. think of the attributes of the
big cats and think of Sekhmet; think of the attributes of the domesticated cats
(really, cats domesticate people) and think of Bast. The shared attributes of Bast
And Sekhmet are the same as the shared attributes of big vs. little cats. Mut is a
maternal cat, big or small.
Sekhmet destroys, but she is also a healer
Bast is playful, but also protective
When the Christians decided to kill all the cats in Egypt in the 700's ad, they did
so. Two years later, the Black Death came out of Egypt and devastated Christian
europe.
Was this revenge by Sekhmet and Bast onto the Christian
population for destroying their physical symbols, the little kitties? Or was it
because the amount of cats kept down the rat population enough that the Black Death
(a rat flea borne disease) didn't come out until the decline of the cats? Or both?
----------
A BLESSING FOR THE DEAD
(TO BAST)
Having worked with the High Priestess of Sekhmet-Bast-Ra (and taught most
everything she knows), and member of the Egyptian temple federation, Church of the
Eternal Source, I have the information you need.
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Since you don't practice Egyptian traditions, instead of giving you a whole
ritual, I will give you a hymn/prayer to Bast that is a Blessing for the Dead, that
you can incorporate into your ritual, plus hints.
Bast is a goddess for the Sun and the Moon, but for the dead Sunset is the
best time; Night comes second, sunrise third, and daylight comes in fourth for
ritual for this.
Face the West, setting sun (or if not at sunset, either the moon or the sun
depending on you doing it in the day or night time.
If you have an oil lamp lit it; if not use white candles, and a little
votive candle. Bless the two white ones to Bast, the votive to the dead cat.
Meditate upon the cats attributes; able to see at night, intelligent, quick,
independent, very maternal, luxury minded and sensual. (if you have a cat, invite
her in your circle).
Bast nefer dy ankh
Beautiful Bast giving Life,
A Bast, shu asenu
Hail Bast, in visible form, casting light into the darkness
sesept em kekui,
I have come before you, the path is opened,
the earth is at peace.
i kua ser-ten, uat sesh-tha, ta em hetep.
(Egyptian pronunciation is optional, but in ancient Egypt
was imperative to speak the language to create the sounds to
get the response.)
O Great goddess, Bast,
Soul of Isis,
Heart of the Sun-hear my call.
Enter now this consecrated shrine (or circle)
Make Thy presence known to me.
(envision the dead cat)
Aid thy servant in reaching the source of all things,
Guide thy servant's steps on the true path
Answer your physical manifestation's soul's desire for Thou.
Blessed be Bast,
Who gathers her children into life everlasting.
Blessed be Bast,
The Beloved of Bast has gone to the Horizon,
Your physical manifestation lives now only in the sunset.
May it's ka endure and it's shadow seek the light.
The power of Bast protects her,
Shut en Bast sau.
----------
FROM PETE STAPLETON Michael Poe, I knew if I posted here i would find someone who
could help me resolve some of problems regarding the failure of certain historical
astrological techniques. The Egyptian calendar I was referring to was the 30 day
lunar calendar - the one introduced to the Romans. To my knowledge there has never
been an Egyptian Solar Calendar. I'm sure I must have misunderstood your post - or
you may have confused my reference. So we will both relate to the same calendar - I
refer to the 360 day lunar Calendar composed of twelve 30 day lunar months and with
the extra five days added on each year. This was the calendar discussed at the
meeting called to discuss what to do with the extra five days of the year - which
resulted in the Decree of Canopious - I think if was first published about 250 BC or
thereabouts - hope this helps. I am impressed with your EZ cosmos program which
shows the sky 4,117 BC to 10,000 AD - how delightful for you. I wonder if you could
tell me how such a program handled the calculation past 500 BC - to my knowledge
even Ptolemy's eclipse tables only go back to about 580 BC - which suggests some
problems with calculations beyond that date - but I'm certain you must have taken
this factor into account - so could you help me understand what they are? Certainly
the meeting to account for the extra five days of the year at that time must have
been the reason why there is not any contiguous record extant in the entire world
past 580 BC. I would appreciate your help here. Then next area where you have set me
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straight is the day starting with sunrise at that time. I know the marking stars and
the water clocks of that era all showed the day starting with Sun set - but
certainly you have a better grip of the details and can explain why all the WATCHERS
began their vigil and day at sunset. I do think the evidence points very definitely
toward the source of the constellational names being that of river based culture
where there was a great inundation once a year - but since you make the point that
the Egyptians at that time didn't have the present names, then what did they have -
or what other river based culture was there where there was a flood of the
dimensions of the Nile river within the Nile valley. The zodiac at one time on the
ceiling of the Temple of Dendrah has to have been painted about 100 ad and the
constellational names as we use them today were in existence much before that time.
I am also a little confused about your reference to Sign as being distinct from
Constellations. There never was a zodiac of Signs prior to the 8th century AD. All
previous reference were to the star spangled constellations - each precisely 30
degrees in length - each measured by a precise 30-day lunation - again I refer you
to the problem of what to do with the extra five days of the year meeting. It is my
understanding that the Kings list and the dynasty lists are in complete disarray -
so how do you know these astronomical texts you mention relate to the 18th dynasty.
Also, I do believe the Pleides were referred to as the seven sisters in ancient
Egypt - but of course I will bow to superior knowledge - I wonder if you could cite
the reference. As far as being the goddess of Fate and Fortune - the influence of
this particular pattern was then and is now considered quit negative - bad luck.
FROM MICHAEL POE You are partially out of my league except for the Egyptian
lunar calendar, which was not made up of 30 days months, but 28 day months. Of
course since the Egyptians was made up of 42 states, 2 kingdoms, and at least 13-14
traditions, there was more than one calendar. there was one based on the Sothic year
(when Sirius sets just before the sun rises, which is a 365 day solar calendar; a
Lunar calendar of 28 day months (which eventually coincided with the solar during
the "Sothic" cycle), a 260 day calendar not based on any aspect of the sky, a solar
360 day calendar with 5 "intercalerary" days. Their lunar calendar was made up of 7
day weeks, while the solar had 10 day weeks. Oddly enough (or perhaps not so oddly),
the solar calendar was the civil calendar for working, the lunar calendar was for
the farmers.
My EZ Cosmos program, which shows the sky from anywhere on earth
from 4,117 bce to 10,000 ad, can give me the beginning Sothic year during ancient
Egypt. It gave me the date of the 1st day of the 1st use of the Sothic calendar
(which also coincided with the lunar calendar that year). A friend of mine did an
astrology chart that showed a most intriguing configuration for that time.
In case you're wondering, the year always starts on sunup, so the
date was sun up at Memphis, Egypt at a certain day in July, in a certain year. Of
course the Egyptians didn't, at the time, have the same zodiac names, although they
recognized the constellations. The first zodiac of the common signs (or today's
signs) in Egypt were done in the temple of Denderah (temple of Hathor), a beautiful
work on the ceiling. Astronomy played a big part in ancient Egypt, notice the
astronomical texts of the 18th dynasty.
In case you are interested, Pleides was called the seven Hathors in
ancient Egypt, and were considered the goddesses of fate and fortune.
----------
THE TEMPLE OF RA AT HELIOPOLIS
The Temple of Ra in Heliopolis as described by Herodutus.
Probably the largest temple in the world, it was about 2/3 of a mile long, and a 1/4
of a mile in width.
The courtyard was described as made with polished black basalt stones, so polished
that it reflected the stars above and made it look like one was walking among the
stars. In the middle of the courtyard was a full size tree, its trunk and branches
made with Lapis Lazuli, its leaves made with Turquoise! No doubt a most impressive
courtyard!
The entire temple is now under the suburb of Heliopolis, a suburb of Cairo.
A small portion was uncovered 3 years ago, and showed the black basaltic paving
stones of the courtyard.
TAROT SYMBOLISM
FROM: MICHAEL POE Since the tarot is not related to any Hindu philosophy, I don't,
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and neither do the earlier tarot references, refer to their philosophy to the
symbolism, which is generally Hermetic (Hermetic is derived from Hebrew, Christian,
Greek, and Egyptian). In hermeticism the eye is also symbolic of the Eye of Horus,
the Egyptian Hawk god, who soars over the earth seeing everything that happens.
White, red and black also refer to Egyptian garments worn by Initiates at least as
early as the Greco-roman period and represents something completely different than
the Hindu. White is the undergarment because it symbolizes the purified; the first
garment put on after the initiate bathes in the sacred lake. The red lining is for
the Inundation of the Nile, or potential life giving. and Black is symbolic of the
black earth of Egypt, the life, manifested.
In the Waite deck, the dog also represents God, which it is if spelled backward,
nipping the initiate along the path, but in
ancient Egypt it is Anubis, the Guide and Guardian of the Initiate.
Right hand and left hand have always in Hermeticism been
associated with the Sun (right) and Moon (left), with the symbolism and meanings
associated with both (and corresponds to what was previously noted)
Actually, all of the early Tarot decks, from the very first found in Italy up to the
1970's, reflect Hermeticism, and probably should be interpreted that way.
However, currently there are so many different types of variations that
interpretations of elements may need to be referenced to a particular deck. Hence,
although, taking the Waite deck in view, the Hindu interpretation of the clothes
changes the meaning from the original meaning of the card.
Symbolism of the tarot is not universal. For example, black represents death (as a
color) in Hermeticism, the tarot, and western civilization; but in eastern
civilization black represent life, and white represents death. clearly a problem
there!
Skeletons generally represent death or afterlife to western civilization, but to

some native american tribes and other people, it represents power and not death!
Hence, not every symbol in the Tarot is universal or has a universal meaning. The
tarot cards in general, like Jungian's archetypes, are universal, but the individual
symbols are not.
Another example: the lightning hitting the pyramid and the person falling off has no
meaning with civilizations that don't have pyramids, and little to most that do.
However, did you know that the pyramid in ancient Egypt represented the obelisk,
which symbolizes the first ray of light (lightening) striking Earth? And that the
pyramid, represents the top of the obelisk. that the obelisk were lightning rods?
Pyramid in ancient Egyptian language means "Place to Ascend", whereas the card shows
the person falling off after being struck by the first ray of light!
Now, as to the left/right hand depictions. Of course in the earlier decks
the Magician does not hold all four elements, but are located on the table.
The Ace of cups, representing water, is not feminine in ancient Egypt; it is
either masculine or both. Wands are neuter (the word for wand is neither male or
female), earth can be either male or female, and air is male (while heaven is
female). In fact the variety of male, female, neutral of the elements vary greatly
in shamanistic religions of the Native Americans. But it is Hermeticism, which
combines the Hebrew, Christian (more accurately Gnostic/Coptic), Egyptian and Greek,
than assigns our present meanings to the four elements and suits.
Since the earliest deck is Italian of the 14-15th century, the major influence would
have been Hermeticism, not Hindu or other eastern religion. Bernard Bromage builds a
decent case for Egyptian origin, which I explored in previous notes (did you see it,
the symbols were so close that there had to be an influence). One may expect some
Arab/Islamic influence (the Crusades were over), but the interest in Greek/Roman art
and writers were great at that time.
MIXED PANTHEONS, ETC.
Pan is not Bacchus, or the great horned god of Europe.
Despite the eclectic mind of today's Wiccan, that is of associating all male gods
with each other and all female gods with each other, is a disservice to both the
god/dess and to the tradition.
Ancient Egyptian traditions (of which there were a dozen or more) taught that you
don't mix gods and goddesses indiscriminately, even if they do share SOME attributes
or powers. Their "High Concept" was that even any one god/dess has several powers
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and to invoke specific powers required the knowledge of what sacred symbols are
associated with that power, even if he/she (the god/dess) should be sitting down or
standing up, the ritual done in daylight or nighttime. Many shamastic religions
don't mix and match their god/desses, don't do sun god/desses at night and vice
versa. The thoughts or reasons behind it is that mixing and matching causes:
a. The ritual will not be as effective.
b. The ritual may not be effective.
c. The ritual or the residue afterward will have powers that weren't intentioned by
the person, but was part and parcel to the god/dess invoked.
d. The ritual will backfire.
e. The ritual will have residue that will be uncomfortable.
f. It's warps the lines of power (more shamanistic thinking than Egyptian, who says
that it warps the Sa, which translates as spiritual power).
Many shamanistic religions do not ground their power after the ritual (after all, it
usually is being held at a sacred spot). They feel that either because the power
will be contained at the power spot, or the powers you invoked were clear enough not
to leave a side effect. Still, I am not proposing to not ground yourself afterward.
So, what I do propose is to not try to associate one god/dess with another.
None of them will have the exact same attributes or powers. And invoking Pan and
Bacchus at an Egyptian temple, or Pan at Stonehenge is just as bad as invoking
Gabriel at the Great Pyramid! It won't work, you won't get the power from the spot
you want, only your own, or negative power.
Isis, for instance is considered by most Wiccan's as one of the Great Mother
Goddesses. yet in ancient Egypt, out of her 3,000 year history, most of the time she
was not known as a Mother Goddesses.
At the Church of the Eternal Source (federation of Egyptian temples) Isis
Priest/esses rarely held out for very long. All kind of terrible things generally
happened to them. The main reason is that all of them used part of Isis's powers,
and would not work, or refused to recognize her other powers. Eventually though,
they seeped in anyway and to their detriment. Had they recognized all of her powers
in the first place, things might have been different.
Perhaps your basic misconception is that all goddesses represent the same
forces; they don't; and neither do the gods.
Yes, basically there is one great force that encompasses both male and
female powers. This basic force, as it filters down, differentiates into different
types of forces, and these forces are the god/desses that we know.
Isis doesn't have the same powers as Sekhmet or Hathor or Bast. they may share some
of the powers, but they have powers unique to them.
Kind of like Leonardo De Vinci knowing a lot about everything, but Cellini was an
excellent goldsmith, Van Gogh a painter, Perot a businessman.
Hence, not all goddesses are the same, nor do they have the same powers.
You might consider it like rivers and oceans in reverse. The ocean has all the
attributes, and it drains it attributes into separate rivers (some swift, some calm,
some wide, some narrow, some short, some long.
In Egypt the ultimate deity was called "Neter", which translates as "Divine
Principle" and the work is neuter, having both male and female principles within.
The next in order is a male neter and a neteriat, a god and a goddess. Below that
comes numerous god/desses which more specific powers and attributes.
Now the question is, where these receptacles of specific powers invented by
mankind or higher powers? In the long run, it doesn't matter as long as they work.
Patheonists generally believe that there was a highest deity, followed by two (male
and female), followed by others down to the spirits of earth, air, fire and water.
If you want to make use of a specific power, you should go to a specific spirit or
god/dess who has that power. You may not have a great success with one who only has
some of it, or is so undefined or has so many other powers that it may get a little
lost.
If you want spicy food, don't go with a mole sauce, go for a Jalapeno sauce.
Also it seems that the further away from the highest deity to get, the closer and
more responsive it is to you.
You may find that you get a better response with a fire ritual when using a fire
elemental than of Sekhmet, and even less than using Amon (a solar god).
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THE ANKH
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Unfortunately the entry for "Ankh" in Barbara Walker's "Women's Encyclopedia
of Myths and Secrets" got just about everything wrong.
The ankh is not evolved from an ancient symbol of the Goddess in Libya and
Phoenicia; the narrow triangle surmounted by a crossbar and a round or oval head in
both Libya and Phoenic evolved long after the standard Egyptian ankh was made. In
fact, it wasn't until after the ancient Egyptians either conquered or did extensive
trading with both areas did their symbols evolve.
Well, maybe the book didn't get it all wrong. It is a symbol for life
(although not universal, for universal means that it was used universally or all
over the world, and it isn't). It is true that both gods and goddesses in ancient
Egypt held it, but they never presented it to kings and the people, the scenes show
the god/dess holding it to the person's lips or head (which means bestowing life,
and was not a present). the part about the Christians is true, and it's true that
the ankh is the hieroglyph for the word "life", and is used in a common saying
"Life, Health, Strength."
But the ancient Egyptians never said that the ankh represented the union of
male and female sexual symbols (which were quite different symbols and bore no
relation to the ankh, or resemblance to it). It was not the "Key of the Nile"
(except maybe it was mentioned by the Greeks, who got most everything wrong about
Egypt), nor is there any sacred marriage between God and Goddess taking place at the
source of the Nile before the flood. In fact, in all of the Egyptian mythologies
there is not one mention of any God and Goddess being married at the source of the
Nile.
the copts and the Gnostics both used the Ankh or Crux Ansate (Coptic word) before
the 5th century ad, and both are Christian (well, an argument can be made about the
Gnostics being Christians).
The question is then: what did the ancient Egyptians consider the ankh
representation? There are two ancient Egyptian references to the ankh
representation, and both agree.
The round oval or loop represented the Sun rising above, but not yet above
the horizon; in the desert that makes the Sun elongate next to the horizon, making a
loop like affair.
The crossbar represents the horizon.
The vertical section below the crossbar is the "Path of the Sun", which
would be the light casting a path across the Nile.
Hence, the Ankh represents Life because it represents the Path across the
Nile (life blood of Egypt, but oddly enough the Nile is either male or
hermaphrodite) past the horizon to the Sun (which, depending on the traditions of
Egypt can be either male or female, but usually male).
The most ancient ankhs cross bar was actually the symbol of the two mountains of
sunrise and sunset (life and death, east and west), and also consisted of papyrus
(or some other plant tied together).
Taken as the two mountains, then the ankh represents the path of birth, life, and
death. It never had male or female attributes, but as the path of birth, life and
death, represents both.
----------
CO-PARTNERSHIP IN ANCIENT EGYPT
The goddess dominated group seem to be the most outspoken in the *p* BBS,
and it's a good thing that this particular subject was broached, as all the
co-partner groups have come out (and alleviated the possible false impression that
Wicca was just goddess oriented to those who are new).
Horned gods in Egypt include Amon, Menthu, Serapis, Sokar.
Since at the inception of ancient egypt, 42 different societies were involved in the
consolidation of the kingdom (later to become nomes or states), and these societies
were patrilineal or matrilineal, accommodation had to be made for both, so laws were
passed making male and females equal. It was the 2nd King of the 1st Dynasty (around
3,070 bce) that passed a law that women could rule Egypt.
Here they are, with the dynasties that they belonged.
1. Ist Dyn. Merneith
2. " Horneith
3. IV " Henutsen
4. V " Inty
5. VI " Ankhsenmerira
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6. " Nitrokris (Noblest and Loveliest)
7. VII queen, name unknown
8. VII queen, name unknown
9. XII Sebek-neferu-Ra
10. XIII Aufna
11. XVIII Hatshepsut
12. Ptolemiac Period Cleopatra II
13. " " Cleopatra III
14. " " Cleopatra VII (the famous one)
In the high magic section of ancient Egypt (the temples and their staff), in the
temples to Gods the male priesthood predominated. Conversely in the temples to the
Goddesses the female priesthood predominated (yet you still find male and females in
both). Since many of the groups of gods in the cities were triads (male, female,
offspring), there were rituals to each separately, and rituals for both. Many times
the god was worshipped in the day, the goddess at night, but of course, in Egypt,
where many traditions did their own thing, sometimes it was reversed. In others,
such as the city of Memphis, the female was the Sun, the male god was the moon or
something else.
Now as to magic and worship within the family and village. this is the part that is
closest in tone to Wicca, so those of you into Wicca may find this interesting
(especially as this is a little explored area even within Egyptology!). All families
had a family shrine. Who presided over the shrine was usually determined by whether
any in the family was an initiated priest/priestess. If none were, the eldest son
usually presided (but again, there were many exceptions, in states where goddesses
predominated, it was the eldest daughter). The orientation of the family life
(farmer, sailor, trader, etc) determined the chief god/dess. A farmer's family
usually had Osiris and Isis and co-partners; a healers, Sekhmet and Thoth.
In villages, where there were no temples, then there were groups of interested
people who belonged to a group, more formal than the family group, less formal than
a temple, and was headed by an initiated priest/ess. Hence, in a village where there
may be four initiated people, there usually would be four groups. For example, in a
suburb of Hermopolis state there was a male healer of Thoth, a female healer of
Sekhmet, a priest of Thoth, and a Priestess of Isis. Hence, there was a healing
group, a female oriented (emphasis on midwife types) group, a divination group, and
a family group (Isis). Some people belonged to several groups. All groups also
worshiped other god/dess besides the chief one, and even in Isis, Osiris, during
part of the year, had more emphasis than Isis. The Isis group did their magical
thing in a sacred grove (another similarity, as sacred groves were important).
Many families had dual shrines, with eldest son leading the god rituals, and eldest
daughter leading the goddess, and neither predominated. In fact, god AND goddess
were considered essential, each predominate in their powers, but always
complementing each other.
In the big temples, there was a lot of god/dess images going on visits to their
spouses, and once a year, all of the god/desses journeyed down the Nile to the main
temple.
There is a book called "Mythological Papyrus" that has exact copies of the
initiations of both priests and priestesses of various god/desses of the 21st
Dynasty. All involved astral journeys of some sort according to their traditions.
For those who are really into goddess worship you will be pleased to know that the
last operating temple of Egypt was the Temple of Isis at Philae before it was closed
by the Christians in the late 5th/early 6th century, however people continued coming
for 100 years later, despite the Islamic conquest over the Christians in Egypt
during that century.
----------
OSIRIS
Hatshepsut is well known because the next Pharaoh became famous and his
monuments (and those of hers that he defaced) are still in existence.
In case you, or anyone else is interested, and especially if you are
planning on a trip to Egypt in the future, Queen Henutsen, also called Isis,
Mistress of the Pyramids and wife of Khufu (or Cheops) is sometimes seen in a white
robe flittering (if that is a correct term) around the Great Pyramids and the other
pyramids. The Egyptians raised Henutsen to the status of a Goddess and shrines were
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built for her. if you visit the pyramids, give an offering or a prayer to her, for
she is the Mistress of the Pyramids and Guardian thereof. In ancient Egypt, to say
the name of a person who is deceased is to make them live forever in heaven.
by the way, other ruling queens were later elevated to Goddesshood, Nitrokris,
Merneith, Hatshepsut.
If one looks carefully at the legends (also the sources and time periods of each
legend) concerning Isis, one is led to the conclusion that there were indeed, two
Isis's. There was Isis, the Goddess worshipped in the Predynastic period, and there
was Isis, the Queen, who eventually merged with the goddess to our presently known
Isis.
the early stories of Isis's, shows a definite mythology of Isis the goddess, and a
historical treatment of Isis the queen. Can it be, you ask? Yes. Predynastic and
early Dynastic rulers had very short names, many of them named after their local
gods. There was a predynastic king of Upper Egypt called Aher, named after Anher,
the God of War. There are other examples,and everyone knows that later kings still
incorporated God/desses names into their own names.
Perhaps then the Contendings of Horus and Set, which is a tale of Osiris the King
and Isis the Queen battling their brother Set, between the two kingdoms is actually
a revised version of 2 brothers vying to unite the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt
in predynastic times, with the names of the King and Queen of Upper Egypt being
Osiris and Isis (or a close version thereof), versus Set of Lower Egypt (or a
version thereof). It is interesting to note that up until the 7th Dynasty, the
Egyptians reported to have known exactly where the tomb of King Osiris was in
Abydos, and regularly put offerings there. during the 2nd Intermediate period (civil
wars abounded), this knowledge was lost, and another tomb was misidentified as the
tomb of Osiris.
Therefore, if indeed, as the ancient Egyptians insist, that there was indeed a real
Osiris, then it follows that there was an Isis that lived and breathed.
The canonization of people in ancient Egypt into a form of saints or even
gods are as old as predynastic times and existed all the way through to Cleopatra
VII, last ruler of Egypt. There are famous women who were not rulers who were thus
canonized.
If you want to read more about Osiris, I suggest you read:
Henri Frankfort: Ancient Egyptian Philosophy
E. Wallis Budge: Osiris (not great, but comprehensive)
W. Faulkner: The Egyptian Book of the Dead
Rundle: Ancient Egyptian Religion
Sigmund Morenz: Ancient Egyptian Religion
Klaus Baier: Osiris, His Tomb in Abydos (article in the
French Institute of Archaeology of Cairo, if you read French).
----------
Have you gotten a newsletter in May? The CES is currently undergoing a
restructuring, there should be 4 newsletters and 1 to 2 Khepera (journals) per year.
I will be contributing to both. In past newsletters I have contributed some spells,
rituals, and many hymns that have been translated from temple walls or papyri or
osteraca. I will be doing more extensive articles for the magazine, like one that
will be on the metaphysical parts of man in ancient Egypt. Much of the material are
extracts from my Magnum Opus. 90% of it is on paper as notes, and 1st drafts. Only
10% currently on computer, and that is where the future time will go. As putting it
on computer, the notes will become 1st drafts; the 1st drafts will become more
finished and polished to the 2nd draft stage (with additional notes added in; isn't
computers a wonderful tool; insert note between sentences or add a paragraph without
having to retype the entire page!). The 3rd and probable final draft will be adding
last notes, final polishing, footnotes, indexing, and grammar and sentence checking.
the Rituals, hymns, spells, blessings, consecrations, 4 directional rituals,
initiations are complete on paper, with about 10% of that on computer. Basically all
of this is going into a data base, so cross referencing can be done.
Although it may not be needed (but you may want to think about doing it) in Wicca,
in Egyptian it is essential because of the traditions and large time frame involved.
Example:
Type: Blessing, Consecration, astral projection, mantras (yes, even mantras
in Egypt).
Main God/dess or Goddess: Main goddess invoked, plus any others, also there
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are some generic rites.
Traditions: identifies the different traditions this particular ritual comes
from.
Source: Where did I acquire this? Much is from translations from published
books (like Excavations at Abydos by Petrie (translations of hymns on temple walls),
or from the French Institute of Archaeology in Cairo.
Time Period: important occasionally because the god/dess powers and
attributes changed over time.
Form: what does the god/dess look like, stand/sit, hold during this
spell/ritual. Visualizing one form of Isis that naturally invokes one set of
specific powers, but using a ritual that invokes another set of powers creates
conflict, and at best, won't be effective, and at worst, down right dangerous.
Corresponding Codes: Since most Egyptian rituals are composed (as are wicca) of
elements, such as drawing the circle, consecration, blessing, hymns, etc.; in Egypt
they were given to the individual in parts. the individual was already trained on
how to put the parts together. Hence, he or she may have 5-6 ways to invoke the 4
directions, using three sets of god/desses. He/she may also have 10 blessings, 20
hymns, etc to different gods/goddesses. He has to know (like a alchemist) how to
successfully match the parts together to make a successful whole.
----------
Recommendations on books on ancient Egypt and it's practices:
Priests of Ancient Egypt: Serge Sauron (last word is probably misspelled.)
Egyptian Religion: by Morenz
Ancient Egyptian Thought and Culture: Henri Frankfort
Egyptian Temples: by Margaret Murray
Isis in the Greco-Roman World: probably by Michael Hoffman.
----------
MICHAEL POE'S EGYPTIAN READING LIST
Compiled by Lady Lyn DenElder Black
Ancient Egypt Thought & Culture, Henri Frankfort
Ancient Egyptian Literature, Miriam Lichtheim 3 vol. set
Ancient Egyptians, A. Rosalie David
Egyptian Astronomical Texts, 3 vol. Neugebauer & Richard
Parker..astrology/astronomy
Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Mercer, SAB vocabulary & exercises
Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, Faulkner
Egyptian Reading, deBuck, Middle Egypt texts, exercises
Egyptian Religion, Sigmund Morenz
Egyptian Temples, Serge Sauneron
Egyptian Temples, Margaret Murray
Isis in the Greco-Roman World, ? Michael Hoffman ?
Origins of the Zodiac, Rupert Gleadow, astronomy/astrology
Priests of Ancient Egypt, Serge Sauneron
Rise & Fall of the Middle Kingdom, H.E.Winlock
anything by Henri Frankfort
NO - BUDGE!!!
There are some more specific books out, one on Thoth, one on Hathor, one on Imhotep,
and a couple of others. The most interesting ones not on the list are also long out
of print; The Coffin Texts (XI-XII Dynasty) of about 1,200 rituals and spells. The
Pyramid Texts (IV-VI Dynasties) of about 700 rituals and spells, The Harris Magic al
Papyrus, whose English edition runs around $ 1,700 or more, assuming you can find
one. I finally found a German and perhaps a French translation and have a friend
whose roommate reads both. The Harris Magical Papyrus is considered THE MOST
IMPORTANT magical papyrus EVER found. I believe that Michael Grant is the author
of Isis in the Greco-Roman world, but will check up on that.
This is the transcript of the Online Beltane CON held on May 2,
1990 in Section 8 (New Age/Pagan/Occult) of the Religion Forum.
(8-6,Gwynndon) This is a special night...
relax, and the extra energy of it...
will flow into you...
we are a part of the Earth...
dig your toes down into the soil, like the trees...
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and pull up the energy of the Mother...
Breathe in with your heartbeat...
also a lifeforce of the Earth...
circulate the energy, and see the Earth as it is at night...
visualize a bubble of blue light...
forming to the East...
spreading North...
around to the West....
through the South, and connecting east again...
and know that this circle is purified of the mundane.
Facing the East ...
Hail, Guardians of the Watchtower of the East...
We do summon, stir and call ye...
to join us, witness this rite, and Guard our Circle!
Hail and Welcome!
Facing the South...
Hail, Guardians of the Watchtower of the South...
We do summon, stir and call ye...
Facing West...
Hail, Guardians of the Watchtower of the West...
We do summon, stir, and call ye...
Facing North...
Hail, Guardians of the Watchtower of the North...
We do summon, stir, and call ye...
to join us, witness this rite, and guard our Circle!
Inspiration and air from the East...
Fire and passion from the South...
Water and Compassion from the West...
Earth and stability from the North...
All meet in the center, and form a web of life and power!
So mote it be!
(8-1,S.H.) So mote it be
(8-5,Ian) So mote it be!
(8-2,Jehana) so mote it be!
(8-4,Peri) so mote it be!
(8-6,Gwynndon) On this night at the beginning of the Warmtimes...
let us remember the Belfire, and how it came to be...
The Moon and the Sun, Goddess and God...
are great lovers, the model for us all...
and like human lovers, they have had quarrels.
This particular quarrel developed because of the god...
He built himself a beautiful garden...
though he would not let his lady in to see it...
a minor point became overblown...
as it usually happens...
and they stopped speaking for a while...
Of course once forbidden...
the lady wanted to see it all the more...
and so the Moon Goddess wrapped herself in a cloak of
Night...
and by stealth got into this Garden...
Well, the God was no fool...
and he laid a trap for her...
and so once inside, she could not leave again without
alerting him...
So the Goddess hid herself and began waiting...
and since her patience far outshone that of the God...
he began looking for her; he tired of waiting
As soon as he left his post at the entrance of the garden...
she sprang again into the air, getting free!
So began a great chase through the Heavens...
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though the God could not catch his lady against her will...
the people on Earth meanwhile were very worried...
with all of the comings and goings of the Sun and Moon...
and their priests bid them build great bonfires...
on all of the hills to get the attention of the God and
Goddess...
Well, they eventually tired of the chase...
and the Goddess let the God catch her...
and being too tired to go back to that lovely garden...
they forgave each other right in the middle of the sky...
and so the eclipse was born...
though it only looks like one from the Earth...
it is really that cloak of the Goddess...
covering their rites of Love!
So we commemorate this beginning of warmtimes with the
Belfire to this day.
(8-2,Jehana) So mote it be.
(8-5,Ian) As it was, so shall it be.
(8-1,S.H.) So mote it be!
(8-6,Gwynndon) Green-eyed Lady, laughing lady!
Brown-eyed Lady, sensuous lady!
Blue-eyed Lady, Lady of Steel...
Join our Circle... Be Wellcome!!
Please honor the Goddess as you choose...
in all of Her Forms, be Welcome!
(8-2,Jehana) Be welcome!
(8-5,Ian) Ceud Mile Fialte, Lady!
(8-6,Gwynndon) Lady of Flame, Lady of Night, Blessed Be!
(8-1,S.H.) With Adoration, I implore you.
(8-1,S.H.) Blessed Be!
(8-6,Gwynndon) Lord of Stream and Field...
Lord of Mountain and King of Beasts...
Wild Man of Nature, Be WellCome!
Behold, the God has come to his Lady!
Please honor the God in your own way...
(8-1,S.H.) Hail Bounding One, Lord of Life and Death!
(8-2,Jehana) Hail Hunter!
(8-5,Ian) Ceud Mile Fialte, Lord!
(8-6,Gwynndon) Great trickster, yet faithful master, Blessed Be!
(8-6,Gwynndon) Help me build the Bel-fire, so that the Lord and
Lady be honored...
As the flames jump higher and higher...
So grows the cone of power...
As we circle round the fire...
in imitation of the Great Chase of the God and Goddess...
so the energy builds and builds...
envision that which you wish...
and that which you wish to lose...
and in this night of joy and celebration...
cast it into the fire!
That which we wish SO MOTE IT BE!!
(8-2,Jehana) So mote it be!
(8-5,Ian) So mote it be!
(8-6,Gwynndon) Allow the flames of the Belfire to calm down
slowly...
and as they lower, know that the energy is not gone...
just transmuted...
as the love of Goddess and God ever changes...
yet always endures...
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<any specific problems can be mentioned here...>
(8-6,Gwynndon) May the energy help me with my finals next week...
and those papers <g>
(8-2,Jehana) May the energy keep a one I know healthy.
Thru the surgery he will have to undergo.
(8-1,S.H.) May the problems of my past year and stay in last
year.
(8-5,Ian) I wish for the physical and spiritual strength to
continue my physical rehabilitation and integration of my person
again.
(8-6,Gwynndon) Together we are greater than alone...
and the Goddess and God are here to guide our energy
onward...
So let's leave them to finish their lovemaking in private...
and thank them for attending!!
(8-2,Jehana) Thank you, oh, yes!
(8-6,Gwynndon) Great God... thank you for your help and
attendance...
and may we meet again!... Hail and Farewell, though not
Goodbye!
(8-1,S.H.) Oh My Lady, thou art the breath in my life...
Oh my Lord, thou art the blood in my veins...
As Life goes on, I shall never forget not forsake you.
(8-5,Ian) Great Lord & Noble Lady, thank you for attending this
circle!
(8-1,S.H.) Blessed Be, and Merry Meet!
(8-4,Peri) Hail and Farewell!
(8-6,Gwynndon) and let us not keep the lady from her lover...
Merry met, merry do we part, and merry shall we meet again!
(8-1,Ian) So mote it be! Blessed Be!
(8-6,Gwynndon) Guardians of the Watchtowers, without your
balanced elements...
(8-1,S.H.) Thank you Lord and Lady, and thank you Gwynndon,
Blessed Be and Merry Meet!
(8-6,Gwynndon) the world would not be.... thank you for attending
our Circle!
(8-2,Jehana) Hail & Farewell!
(8-6,Gwynndon) The circle is open, but the Magic lingers...
(8-1,S.H.) Hail and Fare thee well, oh Guardians of the Towers of
the Universe.
(8-6,Gwynndon) Thank you all!<g>
(8-2,Jehana) And, thank you, Gwynndon!!
(8-1,S.H.) (pouring wine for Gwynndon)
(8-2,Jehana) (g)
(8-6,Gwynndon) takes a sip...<g>..good wine!
(8-5,Ian) (passing buttered Scones!)
(8-2,Jehana) Nice vintage!
(8-2,Jehana) <trying scones> Yum.
(8-1,S.H.) nothing but the best for this crew...
CompuServe on-line Imbolc Ritual, 1990
(Ladyhawk)
This is Imbolc...or Candlemas...or Brigit's day
This is the feast of the waxing light.
What was born at the Winter Solstice begins to manifest
The Lady, midwife to the infant year,
now sees the Child Sun grow strong
as the days grow visibly longer.
It is a time of beginnings,
when we select the seed we will later plant,
nurture, and eventually harvest.
After I do each invocation, I will pause and let each of you say
a FEW words no more than 2 lines, please...to your particular
deity
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Right now, I'd like everyone to ground and center themselves...
in the way that is best for you.
As you do, see yourself bathed in a white light, cleansing you
and your area.
Now, mentally turn to the East:
Powers of the East
We bid you come
To witness our rite
And protect us!
Now mentally turn to the South:
Powers of the South
We bid you come
To witness our rite
And protect us!
<Now mentally turn to the West:>
Powers of the West
We bid you come
To witness our rite
And protect us!
<Now mentally turn to the North:>
Powers of the North
We bid you come
To witness our rite
And protect us!
<Back once more to the East and in your own way, salute the East
again>
Now, let us all link together
Feel the earth energy welling up from the bowels of the Earth,
our Mother
Feel it rise to our feet and up through our bodies
White light energy
Feel it flow through us and link us,
one with the other
So finally we feel and see the circle of energy,
the circle of power
binding us together and setting us apart
In a space not of this time, but of all times
Not of these places, but all places!
Blessed Be!
Sun King!
Horned One of animals and wild places
Joyously we ask you come!
All the land is wrapped in the chill of winter
The trees are bare and
the air is cold.
Yet still our hearts are glad
For we know you have been reborn
And nurtured in your early days
By the gracious Mother Goddess,
Lady of all fertility.
We bid you welcome
And rejoice in your growing strength!
Hail Great God!
Hail and Welcome! <ga>
(Jehana) Hail & Welcome!
(Ocean Mist) u!/u
(Shadow Hawk) Hail Mother, from you the Sun once more does grow!
(Gwynndon) Hail and Welcome!
(Shadowstar) Welcome, Lord of the Sun!
(Jehana) Brigid, Arianhrod, Cerridwyn, Herne... Welcome!
(Larne) Welcome Lord! Share with us your warmth and light!
(Ocean Mist) Hail and welcome in your new light!
(Ladyhawk)
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Great Goddess, Noble Lady!
Known to the Celts as Brigit, Bride, Cerridwen, and more
Goddess of Light
Keeper of the sacred wells!
We gather tonite to honor your
who has nurtured the Sun King.
As the spring lambs are born
and the ewes come to milk,
as we sense spring itself
so close
We bid you welcome as we
Clear out the old and make way for the new
Welcome Lady
Welcome and all Hail!
(Gwynndon) Bride is come! Bride is Welcome!
(Jehana) Welcome, bright lady, spark of inspiration!
(Rita) Welcome, Great Mother. Welcome and grow strong, Young
Lord.
(Shadowstar) Welcome, Lady of Light!
(Larne) Welcome Lady! Nurture and help us as we grow!
(Shadow Hawk) Mother smile upon us and bring us Life, Son shine
down upon us and bring us Light!
(Ocean Mist) Welcome goddess of light!
(Ladyhawk)
Now, let us each concentrate on that which we need to "sweep out"
of our lives
Picture it as, with a new, clean broom,
you sweep it away
and it vanishes in the air.
And now, with ourselves cleansed,
let us meditate on that we might wish
to plant for this year...
the "seed" we will plant in the spring.
For, this is the time of chosing the seed
and preparing for the planting.
Gracious Lady! Help us chose wisely the seed!
and now, with our seed selected and held dearly in our hearts,
it is time to thank the Lady and the Lord.
O Sun King, Horned One!
We thank thee for thy presence
Surely we feel your growing strength
In our heart of hearts
and find joy in knowing
that as the sun grows,
so do you!
We thank thee for teaching us that
even in the depths of winter
Life grows!
Farewell, Lord, if you must go.
Though, gladly would we have you stay and
rejoice with us.
Hail, Sun King!
Gracious Lady,
We thank thee for thy guidance
in selecting our seed.
Truly will we hold it in our hearts
Till the time of planting.
We thank thee also
For teaching us the wisdom
of cleansing and letting go
of that which is no longer useful to us.
Thus do we heal of past hurts
and grow in strength, even as does our Lord.
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We thank thee
and bid you farewell if you must go,
but gladly would we have you stay
and rejoice with us!
Hail, Gracious Lady!
And now, we will let our circle sink back into the Earth once
again.
For all that comes of the Earth, must surely return to Her.
But even as the circle departs,
know that we are still bound
By our love of the Gods
and the Love between us.
Blessed Be!
(Shadow Hawk) Blessed Be
(Rita) Blessed Be!
(Ocean Mist) Blessed Be!
(Shadowstar) Blessed Be!
(Larne) Farewell Lord and Lady. Depart our circle, but be always
with us.
Blessed Be!
(Jehana) Blessed Be! So Mote it Be!
(Gwynndon) Blessed Be!
(Vkai) Blessed Be!
(Ladyhawk)
<Now turn in your mind's eye once again to the East>
Farewell, Powers of the East
We thank you for
Your attendence
and protection
Peace ever between thee and we!
<Face South>
Farewell Powers of the South
We thank you for your attendence
and protection
<face West>
Farewell Powers of the West
and protection
<face North>
Farewell Powers of the North
and protection
<once more face East and mentally salute once again>
The circle is open, but unbroken
Merry meet and merry part
and merry meet again!
(Shadow Hawk) Merry Meet and Merry Part, and Merry Meet Again!
(Ladyhawk) <The Rite is ended>
(Shadow Hawk) (passing food)
(Jehana) (Passing drink)
(Larne) I'll have some of those cakes!
July 31, 1991
10:30 EDT
This file contain a transcript of the 1991 Lammas ritual held online in the
CompuServe RELIGION forum Section 8. The participants were:
User User ID Name
---- ------------- -------------------
1 72065,425 Cygnus
2 72730,2603 gaius
3 71600,621 Jehana
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4 73715,1552 Larne
7 76304,3712 HAWK
8 71640,3711 SilverHawk
10 75325,1441 Shadow Hawk
12 71510,73 Peggy
This evenings ritual was designed and led by Shadow Hawk.
************************************************************************************
******************************************************
{ } denotes an edit.
Text in {} has been changed, moved or editied in some fashion AFTER the ritual was
complete.
( ) denotes action.
If you see (text) in parentheses, it indicates something you should do.
" " denotes something to say verbally.
If you see "text" in quotes, it is something for you to repeat.
If you see text by itself, read and follow along, ok?
************************************************************************************
******************************************************
Ok, you all will need bread, charcoal, a cauldron/braiser of some kind...
that you can ignite the charcoal in.
Does everyone know what Lammas is all about?
Ok, Lammas is a ritual dedicated to the Sun God, or the Corn God
Or a variety of other Gods that are known as sacrificial gods
called because the ancients believed that the sun at it's highest point (middle of
summer) died, and that the essense went into the food to sustain life during the
long cold winter ahead. This is the time of the Corn King, as was said, the first of
the Harvest times
when the first crops were brought in.
ok, then, we begin...
LAMMAS
* (Visualize a cloud of incense falling across
the world, cleansing and purifying, and saying,)
"By the Spirits of Air and Fire I cleanse thee."
(Visualize a rain of water and the strength of
the Earth rising up and say,)
"By the Creatures of Water and Earth I cleanse thee."
* (Everyone visualize and connect with the south,
the element of Fire.)
Ye Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South,
ye Powers of Fire; Spirits of Illumination and
Desire, I do summon, stir, and call you up, to
witness our rites and to guard the Circle.
(Connect with the West and the spirit of Water, )
Ye Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West,
ye Powers of Water; Spirits of Death and
Initiation, I do Summon, stir, and call upon
you to Witness our Rites and to guard the
Circle.
(Connect with the North and the spirit of Earth,)
Ye Guardians of the Watchtower of the North,
ye Powers of Earth, Keepers of the Northern
Portals, Spirits of Mountain and Plains, I do
summon, stir, and call upon you to witness our
Rites and to Guard the Circle.
(Connect with the East and the spirit of Air, )
Ye Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East,
ye Powers of Air; Spirits of Clear Will and
Knowledge, I do summon, stir, and call you up,
to witness our rites and to guard the Circle.
(Visualize the Earth Herself illuminated in
a Circle of silver Light. )
The Circle is cast, we are between the
worlds, beyond the boundaries of time, where
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Night and Day Birth and Death, Joy and Sorrow,
meet as one.
* Listen to the words of the Great Mother, she
whom of old was also called among men Artemis,
Astarte, Athena, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite,
Cerridwen, Dana, Arianrhod, Isis, Brid, and by
many other names.
Whenever you have need of any thing, once in
the month, and better it be when the Moon is
full, then shall ye assemble in some secret
place and adore the spirit of Her, who is
Queen of all witches. There shall ye
assemble, ye who are fain to learn all
sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets,
to these will She teach things that are yet
unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery,
and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall
be naked in your rites, and ye shall dance,
sing, feast, make music and love, all in Her
praise. For Her's is the secret door that
opens upon the Land of Youth, and Her's is the
cup of the wine of life, and the Cauldron of
Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of
Immortality. She is the Gracious Goddess, who
gives the gift of Joy unto the hearts of Man.
Upon Earth, She gives knowledge of the spirit
eternal, and beyond death, She gives peace,
and freedom, and reunion with those who have
gone before. Nor does She demand sacrifice,
for behold, She is the Mother of all living,
and her Love is poured out upon the Earth.
Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess, she in
the dust of whose feet are the hosts of
Heaven, and whose body encircles the
Universe.
She who is the beauty of the green Earth, and
the white Moon among the stars, and the
mystery of the waters, and the desire of the
hearts of man, calls unto thy soul. Arise,
and come unto Her. For She is the soul of
Nature, who gives life to the universe. From
Her all things proceed, and unto Her all
things must return, and before Her face,
beloved of Gods and of men, let thine
innermost divine self be enfolded in the
rapture of the infinite. Let Her worship be
within the heart that rejoiceth, for behold,
all act of love and pleasure are Her rituals.
And therefore let there be beauty and
strength, power and compassion, honor and
humility, mirth and reverence within you. And
thou who thinkest to seek for Her, know thy
seeking and yearning shall avail thee not,
unless thou knowest the mystery, that if what
thou seekest thou findest not within thee,
then thou shalt never find it without thee.
For behold, She has been with thee from the
beginning, and She is that which is attained
at the end of desire.
* (Light charcoal and Take piece of bread in hand. )
now is the time to light your charcoal, and take the bread in hand.
This is the time of Lugh, the Shining One, the
Bright One, the Golden One, the Sacrificed
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One. He was conceived in the depths of
Winter, was Born in the Spring, Danced and
Loved in the Summer, and now, He Dies in the
Harvest so that we may Live through the long
Winter's Night.
Corn King, Sun King, Die and Be Reborn!
(Feel the death in the bread, the grains that
grew under the Sun, feeling the wind and the
rain on their husks, the sything of the grain
so that the bread may be made, the sacrifice
of Life so that Life could live. )
(Feel the Life in the bread, that which has
given up life, yet is filled with life, with
the sustanence that it provides, contemplate
hunger, and then the filling of that need.
See enough bread to feed the world., for the
God{dess} is not stingy, but looks after all
Her Children. )
(Holding the Bread in your hand, offer it up
for Blessings. )
"Oh Mighty Mother of us all, bringer of all
fruitfulness, give us fruit and grain, flocks
and herds, and children to the tribe, that we
may mighty. By the Rose of thy love, do thou
descend upon the body of thy children."
"Behold, the Holly King is dead, he who is
also the Corn King. He has embraced the Great
Mother, and died of his love, so has it been,
year by year, since time began. But if the
Holly King is dead, he who is the God of the
Waning Year, all is dead; all that sleeps in
Her womb of Earth would sleep forever. What
shall we do therefore, that the Holly King may
live again?"
"We Shall eat of the bread of Life. Then
shall sleep lead on to rebirth."
(Tear off part of the Bread and offer it to the
Flame. As it ignites and smokes, see the
spark of life that will be reborne in the womb
of the Earth Mother in the Winter.)
As the bread smokes, see life and death in the smoke, one lives on the
other...
and without both, we would not be.
"Come back to us, Holly King, that the land may
be fruitful."
I am the battle-waging spear;
I am a salmon in the pool;
I am a hill of poetry;
I am a ruthless boar;
I am a threatening noise of the sea;
I am a wave of the sea;
Who but I knows the secrets of the unhewn
dolmen?
(Feel the Essense of the God, His Birth, His
Life, and His Death, Gentle tongue, endless
passion, strength of His arms, the Warmth of
His Touch, and know that Thou art God as well.)
(Eat the Bread, and feel the essense of the God
on your tongue, and filling your body with
strenth for the trials of the Harvest and
Winter.)
* {(Connect with the East and feel the Air dying
down.)
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Ye Powers of the East, thanks be yours for
attending our Rites, and ere ye depart to your
Sacred realms, we bid you Hail and farewell.}
(Connect with the North and feel the Earth
sinking down)
Ye Powers of the North, thanks be yours for
Sacred realms, we bid you Hail and farewell.
(Connect with the West and feel the ocean
retreating.)
Ye Powers of the West, thanks be yours for
(Connect with the South and feel the fire
subsiding.)
Ye Powers of the South, thanks be yours for
(Visualize the Circle expanding, beyond the
earth and out into space, bringing health and
good harvest throughout the world.)
"The Circle is Open, but never Broken, Merry
Meet, and Merry Part, and Merry Meet again!"
*********************************************************************
THIS IS THE END OF THE 1991 LAMMAS ONLINE RITUAL.
Thanks to Shadow Hawk for leading us this evening and thank you all for
attending (past or present) and I hope you will be able to join us in person
for our next gathering.
If you have any questions or comments, you can contact:
75325,1441 - Shadow Hawk
71600,621 - Jehana
71640,3711 - SilverHawk
On the CompuServe RELIGION forum in Section 8 (NewAge/Pagan/Occult).
Peace and prosperity to you and yours.
SilverHawk
\*/
S
CompuServe On-Line Lammas Ritual, 1990
<< Shadow Hawk has asked us for our locations to aid in >> <<
plotting the circle. >>
(8-4,Jehana) Danbury Conn
(8-12,NC) New York
(8-1,Ladyhawk) LA county, California
(8-9,SilverHawk) Elk Grove Village, IL
(8-11,Larne) New Haven, CT.
(8-13,Dale) Long Island New York
(8-16,Shadowstar) Houston, Texas
(8-3,gnat) Chicagaw, Illinoise
(8-7,Rilla) Grand Rapids, Michigan
(8-5,Gwynndon) Baton Rouge, La
(8-17,Caitlin) LeLeesburg, VA
<< An explanation of the ritual has been requested >>
(8-8,SH) Lammas is the time where the fields are ready for
harvesting, and it is too late to worry if you have done enough
for the oncoming winter. It is a Corn God, (Lugh) oriented
festival. It is a celibration and rememberance for the life that
dies... so that life may live.
<< --------------------- STARTING ------------------->>
(8-8,SH) beginning....
As you sit, begin slow deep breaths...
relax, center, feel the earth beneath your feet
feel the life coursing in your veins
feel the breath flowing in your lungs
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feel the feel of being alive
savor that, be that, experience that aliveness,
for winter is coming.
(8-8,SH) We draw the Circle, beginning in the south.
In your mind's eye, see the Circle of Fire as it stretches
in an arc from Texas, upward, sweeping curve, to California.
As the circle passes the West, the Fire becomes Water,
and a line of liquid blue sweeps upward and across the
country to the north, far North, into the home of Earth.
The Circle of liquid Blue now becomes dark, dark as the
fertile earth, and the arc proceeds to the East, to the home
of Air, where the Circle becomes yellow.
The Arc continues on to the South, to the home of Fire, and
the Circle is Cast, We are in the place Between the Worlds,
outside the Space of Time, where Life and Death have no
meaning. We have come home.
(8-8,SH) Shadowstar, from the South, will you please invoke the
Watchtower of the South, as is your right?
Ladyhawk, from the West, will you invoke the Watchtower of
the West...
when Shadowstar is finished?
(8-16,Shadowstar) Hail, Watcher of the South, Power of Fire! Join
us here this night and be welcome!
(8-8,SH) Blessed BE
(8-1,Ladyhawk) Hail, Watcher of the West, Lord of the oceans,
rain and lakes...
I bid you come, join us in this rite and lend your
protection...
Be welcome! Blessed Be!
(8-8,SH) Blessed BE!
(8-8,SH) Jehana, will you invoke the Watchtower of the North?
(8-4,Jehana) Hail, Watcher of the North...
Earth; the bones of the continents beneath our feet...
Hail and welcome
(8-8,SH) Caitlin, will you proceed?
(8-17,Caitlin) Hail, great spirit and watcher of the East....
spirit of Air, which nourishes all that lives....
come now to our circle; cleanse us and help us to travel...
freely in your world, aided by your force. Blessed be!
(8-8,SH) Blessed Be!
(8-8,SH) Hail Lady, Bright Mother, Dark Mother...
We call to you, from your home in the Stars,
From your home beneath our feet, your children call to you.
Come, be with us, guide us tonight in your Rites.
Hail Sun God, Hail Corn God, we call you you.
From your Fiery Chariot, we bid you come...
From the Fertile Fields, we bid you come...
Be with us, guide us, in your Rite tonight.
Now is the time of the death of the Sun God,
as we walk into the dark of night.
Breath deep of the light of the Golden One,
Lugh, the Sun King, for the long nights are coming.
Now is the time of the death of the Corn King,
who dies as the fields are reaped.
We stand in the time of waiting,
for the fall of winter is upon us,
and the ground shall lie lifeless
under the hand of the Reaper.
Look at the fields of your life.
Have you sown well?
Have you tended your fields with care?
What do you fear?
(8-8,SH) Now, take your candle, and light it.
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Now, take a piece of bread in your hand,
a small piece, and hold it
think about your fears that haunt you in the night...
focus them into the bread,
and chant the name of your fear into
the piece of bread.
when you have focused your fear into the bread,
hold the charged bread to the flame,
and chant your fear BEGONE!
As the bread smokes and blackens, your fears are burned away
all fears are burned away
Take these fears and feed them to the Fire,
free yourself from fear.
Give your fears to the fire, and let them go,
you do not need them.
(8-8,SH) In this fire, may it pass from me,
May it pass, May it pass,
May it pass on the outflowing tide
And burn with the red sun
As the year dies
And fade
As everything fades,
As everything passes,
All fades away,
As everything passes,
All fades away.
What do you hope to harvest?
Think about your Harvest, what will you reap?
(8-8,SH) take the rest of the bread, and hold it in your hand,
Chant what you desire, what is your harvest,
what are your hopes?
(8-8,SH) In this night hope manifests
May it come, may it come,
May it come on rising tide,
And grow by the red sun
As the year dies
And light fades
As hope rises
As hope soars
As hope remains
As hope soars
As hope remains
Hope is a Star, burning bright in the night
(8-8,SH) Feel the hope
charge the bread of Life
tear the bread in half
(8-8,SH) Behold the Corn King, eat of the Bread of Life,
that dies to be reborn. Eat of the Bread of Life,
that you might live through the long winter's Night.
For it is written that Life must die so that Life can live.
All is in the hands of the Mother,
from Birth, until Death, and to Birth again.
Farewell Golden One, Fairwell Corn King, Fairwell Sun King.
You will be reborn through the Mother, Creatrix and
Destructress. We shall await your return.
Corn King, Life King, Death King,
your death will bring us life.
(8-8,SH) Hail Corn King Golden One,
Waving Gently in the Sun,
Brought to rest by scythe's sharp kiss
Sleep in Her arms.
(8-8,SH) Take of the Bread of Life, the Corn King, and eat,
that you may live through the long nights ahead.
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Eat the Bread of Life, and remember,
life dies so that Life lives.
the bread that is left, offer to Her,
so that Her creatures may live
though the long nights ahead too.
later tonight, place the bread outside
with a prayer and your thanks
for the gift of Life.
Breath deep, feel the Life within
Feel the veins throb with life
Feel the bread of Life recharging your life force.
Meditate on this,
that Life comes from Death, and Death from Life.
The cycle goes around, and we are a part of it,
as surely as the Corn King himself.
(8-8,SH) Caitlen, will you dismiss the Watchtower of the East
please?
(8-17,Caitlin) Blessed be, you spirits of the air;
depart in the peace of the Lady....
thank you for attending on our call.
Stay with us as we pass through this earth.
Blessed be
(8-8,SH) Blessed Be
(8-8,SH) Jehana, will you dismiss the Watchtowers of the North,
please?
(8-4,Jehana) Blessed be, Creatures and Watchers of the North...
Of the land beneath our feet....
Thank you for attending to our call, ....
Hail, and Farewell!!
(8-8,SH) Blessed Be
(8-8,SH) Ladyhawk, will you dismiss the Watchtower of the West?
(8-1,Ladyhawk) Hail Watchers of the West, Lords of Water...
Thank you for attending our call,
Hail and Farewell!!
(8-8,SH) Blessed Be
(8-8,SH) Shadowstar, will you dismiss the Watchtower of the
South, please?
(8-16,Shadowstar) Hail Watcher of the South, Power of Fire!
Our thanks for attending our call.
Hail and Farewell!!
(8-8,SH) Blessed Be
(8-8,SH) Hail Lady Faire,
thank you for attending our Rite tonight...
for the Blessings you have given us, the gift of Life.
Hail Sun King, Corn King
for the gift that you have given us...
the gift of Life.
Lady and Lord, we thank you for your attendance
to this your Rite...
And may we walk with the knowledge of you in our thoughts...
and the Love of you in our hearts.
Farewell Lady, Farewell Lord, and Thank you.
Blessed Be
(8-8,SH) Now see the Circle around us sinking down,
down into the Earth...
Carrying Life itself into the ground,
fertilizing and charging the Earth for the coming night.
Gradually, the Circle disappears from sight,
slowly dissolving, starting in the East,
moving back, retracing it's path to the north,
and from there to the west.
From the west back to the South, ending
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at the beginning.
And we are returned to this world.
The Circle is open, but never broken
(8-8,SH) Merry Meet, and Merry Part
And Merry Meet again!
<< This marks the end of tonight's Rite. The Rite is over but >>
<< the revelry has just begun !! >>
CompuServe on-line Imbolc Ritual, 1993
(8-8,Jehana) You are sitting in your room, the computer before
you...
You feel your own power and energy building, growing...
A pale blue light surrounds you...
It expands out and away from you, forming into blue flame...
Growing, growing, reaching ever outwards...
Boston...
Boston blue flame ... energy grid... moving outward...
Connecticut... Shelton....
Brookfield...
blue flame.... energy grid.. moving outward...
New York City....
blue flame, speeding southwards...
Jersey City....
Blue flame , spreading southwards...
Baton Rouge...
Westwards....
Northwards...
Blue flame, energy, powergrid, connecting...
Detroit....
Blue flame, racing back towards east...
Connecting Boston.
The Circle is Cast...
The Circle is fluid; those who seek to gate in late may
well expand this circle.
The Circle Is Cast.
(8-18,Tapestry) Guardians of the East. We welcome you.
Your breath of fresh air.
Your spring breezes.
Your new beginnings;
and their promise of infinite potential.
Be here now!
Guardians of the South. We welcome you.
That spark of life that smolders within
the slumbering seed and the pregnant ewe
and the forsythia buds.
Your promise of Summer's heat.
The urgency of love's passion.
Be here now!
Guardians of the West. We welcome you.
The melting ice, dripping from the eaves.
The spring rain that mistily drapes us with love.
The healing sound of water burbling from a spring.
Be here Now!
Guardians of the North. We welcome you.
The rocks beneath the winter snow.
The roots of trees seeking earth's warmth downward.
The swell of the hills, the thrust of the great mountains,
The tracks of the wolf in the new-fallen snow.
Be here now!
(8-8,Jehana) We call upon Brighid, patron Goddess of
the Fires of the Forge;
the Fires of Inspiration.
We call upon Brighid, patron Goddess of
the waters that give life
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Giving life, transforming seeds
buried deep below the frost
into the amazing gift of Growth and Possibility and
Potential.
We call upon Brighid and become like
the Sword, forged by fire, and tempered by water.
Hail, and Greetings!
(Here, any and all are welcome to mention their own
personal invocations) <ga>
(8-13,Babs) Hail Lady of the Forge.
(8-22,Lynne) I call white and golden light to the Earth for her
healing
I ask Bridget to send a blessing onto the Earth
(8-13,Babs) Make it so.
(8-18,Tapestry) Hold a seed in your hand. Project yourself
beyond the hard seed covering.
To the soft kernel inside.
At one end of the kernel is a tiny, sharp point.
The kernel can split in half and the sharp point
becomes a tiny germinal plant.
Imagine the seed planted in the soft soil of the garden.
The snow covering the ground insulates the seed from
the cold winter winds as it sleeps.
The tiny germ feels the gentle warming of the sun and
the moisture of the melting snow as it slowly wakens.
This wakening of the tiny, hidden embryo of the plant is
Imbolc - the first stirrings of Spring. The time when
the tiny seedling thrusts roots into the soil, and prepares
leaves to capture the sun's future nourishment and warmth.
When the ground is soft, the snow gone, and the sun smiling
upon the land it will be ready.
Imbolc is the time when the pregnant mares develop bulging
udders for their foals, and about two weeks before they
deliver, the oozing colostrum dries into a waxy covering
on the teats. When this happens, the farmer knows that
her time is near. Spring will arrive soon, and both
the mare and the farmer will be ready.
This is Imb-olc. The name comes from the "Oim" (ewe's) -
"olc" (milk). The ewe's udder, like the mare's,
swells and prepares for the birth of twin lambs - usually
in late February or early March. This sign was very
important for herdsmen in the north because ewes
usually look for a secluded place to give birth, and
if her time was near with a bitter cold snap or late
winter storm brewing, the results could be disastrous.
This is also a day one-third through the Celtic Lunar
Month of Luis; the Rowan tree. The celebration of
Brighid's (Breed) Day, or Candlemas, one of the 4 Great
Fire Festivals of the Celtic Year. The others are:
Beltane, Lammas, and Samhain. For each, a balefire,
bonefire, or candle was lit to mark the spiritual
beginning of the season. It was seen as the rebirth
of spirit, the spiralling out again from darkness.
Let us go to sleep tonight thinking about these new
beginnings. These new births, and the beginning of
our new selves. To concentrate on our own beginnings
within the womb of the Mother. How we begin anew with
the understanding, compassion, and love conceived within
her fertility.
Let us concentrate on maintaining a groundedness within
Her. Concentrate on learning to focus ourselves to the
tasks at hand and complete them with the calmness of
knowing that She guides our every move and thought.
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In so doing, we will become more caring and competent,
loving and assured.
(8-8,Jehana) (Pause to reflect and meditate on this)
Thank you, Brighid.
We accept Your gifts and Your blessings.
Hail and Farewell !
(8-8,Jehana) Guardians of the East, we thank you.
For your breath of fresh air,
for your spring breezes,
for the new beginnings you bring us,
we thank you!
Hail and Farewell!
Guardians of the South, we thank you.
Reminding us of the spark of life that smolders within
the slumbering seed, the pregnant ewe, the forsythia buds.
For your promise of Summer's heat,
for the urgency of love's passion,
we thank you!
Hail and Farewell!
Guardians of the West, we thank you.
The melting ice, dripping from the eaves.
The spring rain that drapes us with love.
For the healing sound of water burbling from a spring,
we thank you!
Hail and Farewell!
Guardians of the North, we thank you.
For the rocks beneath the winter snow.
For the roots of trees seeking earth's warmth downward;
the swell of the hills, the thrust of the great mountains,
The tracks of the wolf in the new-fallen snow.
we thank you!
Hail and Farewell!
(8-8,Jehana) The energy that surrounds us, contains us;
the blue flame...
See it...
Visualize the blue flames that surround this our Circle
See them flame brightly.
And now, widdershins, the blue flame starts to fade.
Fire seal the Circle round,
Let it fade beneath the ground
Let all things be as they were
Since the Beginning of Time.
Full Moon Ritual April 1993
(1-2,High Priestess) Children of the Lady, Gather you around this night,
(1-2,High Priestess) For as in days of olde, we are commanded to reverence Her,
(1-2,High Priestess) She who is the Life of Life, the Love of Love and the Kiss
(1-2,High Priestess) of Passion.
(1-2,High Priestess) Children of the Lady, Gather you around this night,
(1-2,High Priestess) For as in days of olde, we are commanded to come before
(1-2,High Priestess) Her, She who is the Queen of Heaven and the Queen of Hel,
(1-2,High Priestess) and she who is the Queen of Everwhen.
(1-2,High Priestess) Tonight is the night, the magical night, when the Powers
(1-2,High Priestess) once more walk the Land. Children of the Lady, come forth,
(1-2,High Priestess) Gather you around as is your right.
(1-2,High Priestess) I call upon you spirits of the Earth, spirits of Air,
(1-2,High Priestess) spirits of Fire, and spirits of Water. COME, Gather you
(1-2,High Priestess) around this night. For as in days of olde, We call you to
(1-2,High Priestess) come and worship Her, She who is Queen of all that is, was
(1-2,High Priestess) and will be.
(1-2,High Priest) I walk the circle Round and Round, I
(1-2,High Priest) cast the Circle on the Ground. I
(1-2,High Priest) walk the Circle round and round, I
(1-2,High Priest) cast the Circle on the ground.
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(1-2,High Priest) Willow, will you call the directions, beginning in the
(1-2,High Priest) North?
---lost transmission for North, East---
(1-3,Willow) Spirits of the South, the (creatures lost)
(1-3,Willow) bring your flame of life and love to your children to dance in
until the Winter rules again. Be with us now.
(1-3,Willow) Spirits of the West, the dolphin, the dragonfly,
(1-3,Willow) bring us your peace and healing love.
(1-3,Willow) Let the warm waters wash us clean and purify us in this sacred
rite.
(1-3,Willow) Let the waters of the mother be with us now.So mote it be.
(1-2,High Priest) So mote it be!
(1-2,High Priest) We are in the place that is not a Place, in a time that
(1-2,High Priest) is not a Time, and in a space that is not a Space. Let
(1-2,High Priest) none disturb that which the Gods have decreed.
(1-2,High Priestess) This is the time of the Full Moon, the high tide of
(1-2,High Priestess) power. As we are bid to assemble, at least once in the
(1-2,High Priestess) month to seek Her blessings, so we are here tonight.
(1-2,High Priest) Maiden, Mother, Crone as One, Triple Faced Goddess, we
(1-2,High Priest) call upon you. Your Children have come as in the olde
(1-2,High Priest) days, with joy in our eyes and Love in our hearts. We
(1-2,High Priest) walk the old paths, we sing the old songs, we chant the
(1-2,High Priest) old chants and we call the old calls.
(1-2,High Priest) Goddess of the Spring, we call upon you, Queen of the
(1-2,High Priest) great woods, Diana, we open our hearts to you.
(1-2,High Priestess) Child of Vine and Child of field, we call upon you,
(1-2,High Priestess) Dionysus, Shining One, Mother's Son, Lover in the
(1-2,High Priestess) Fields, we open our hearts to you.
(1-2,Diana) Children of the Night, Thrice blessed are you who walk
(1-2,Diana) My Path, for Mine is the Path of New Beginnings. None
(1-2,Diana) shall wither and grow stagnant who pulls on the Bow of
(1-2,Diana) Life, and launches themselves into the Stars upon my
(1-2,Diana) Arrow.
(1-2,Dionysus) Children of the Day, Thrice blessed are you who walk My
(1-2,Dionysus) Path, for Mine is the Path of New Beginnings. None
(1-2,Dionysus) shall Die who knows the secret of my seed.
(1-2,Diana) Listen to me, Oh my Children, and walk with me in the
(1-2,Diana) Woods.
(1-2,Diana) Around you I weave my spell and might. The trees grow
(1-2,Diana) thicker and strong. Off in the distance you hear the
(1-2,Diana) sound of a large animal crashing through the brush, and
(1-2,Diana) close you hear the chirping of birds. The gentle hum
(1-2,Diana) of sacred bees about their labor of collecting pollen
(1-2,Diana) for Me, for I am their Queen too.
(1-2,Diana) The Wind swirls around us, and the scent of life fills
(1-2,Diana) the air. Tangy pine, sharp ceder, far off apple trees
(1-2,Diana) all cast their call upon the air.
(1-2,Diana) The sound in the brush gets closer and closer, till a
(1-2,Diana) great Stag bursts forth from the brush. Head thrown
(1-2,Diana) back he bellows his cry. Then with a twist he is off,
(1-2,Diana) quicker than the thunder rolling down from the hills,
(1-2,Diana) he speeds. But, I am faster.
(1-2,Diana) Bow twangs, arrow flies, and with the muted sound of an
(1-2,Diana) earthquake, he dies.
(1-2,Diana) Look at me, my Children. I am the Goddess of
(1-2,Diana) Swiftness, with a look I can bring death. And bending
(1-2,Diana) down, I touch the Stag, and with a start he bounds
(1-2,Diana) away. I am the Goddess of Swiftness, with a touch I
(1-2,Diana) can bring life. I am Life Eternal, and I am Death
(1-2,Diana) Eternal.
(1-2,Dionysus) Her hand is the Blade, her Eye the Arrow, Her touch the
(1-2,Dionysus) Kiss of Life and Death. And I love her.
(1-2,Dionysus) Mine is the secret of the Cycle, the Secret of the
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(1-2,Dionysus) Doorway betwixt Life and Death is Mine.
(1-2,Dionysus) Behold, I give you this seed. In this seed is the
(1-2,Dionysus) coming Year. Charge it well with your wishes tonight,
(1-2,Dionysus) that Her Blessings will grow with you through the year.
(1-2,Dionysus) I am the Seed of New Beginnings, and Her's is the Water
(1-2,Dionysus) of Life.
(1-2,Diana) Children of the Night, bring forth your Seed, that I
(1-2,Diana) may touch them and bring you the gifts that are mine to
(1-2,Diana) share.
(1-2,High Priestess) (everyone plant at least one desire in their Virtual
(1-2,High Priestess) Seed and hold it in your hands. Visualize a white
(1-2,High Priestess) light coming from the Center of the Circle and all the
(1-2,High Priestess) seeds take on it's light.)
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) I place within my seed the desire for finances to meet my
needs.
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) I placw within my seed the desire for good fortune for my
children,
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) both natural and stepchild.
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Willow, do you have a desire?
(1-10,Dave) merry meet everyone!
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Merry Meet Dave, Take a seed from the hand of the God,
and...
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) place your desire for the coming year in it.
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Many Blue Sparks, please do the same within the Circle
(1-10,Dave) Aye, that I will do...
(1-3,Willow) I place within my seed the desire to fill our new home with
love and the promise of a marriage filled with beauty and wonder.
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) So mote it be Willow!
(1-3,Willow) So mote it be!
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) many Blue Sparks?
(1-1,Many Blue Sparks) I place within my seed the desire for a path that
leads from darkness.
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) So mote it be!
(1-1,Many Blue Sparks) So mote it be!
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Then we continue
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) OP/name High Priestess
(1-2,High Priestess) (everyone chant verbally with me while holding their
seed)
(1-2,High Priestess) (all chant with me verbally)
(1-2,High Priestess) Eko, Eko, Azarak,
(1-2,High Priestess) Eko, Eko, Zomelak,
(1-2,High Priestess) Eko, Eko, Cernunnos,
(1-2,High Priestess) Eko, Eko, Aradia!
(1-2,High Priestess) Darksome Night and shining Moon,
(1-2,High Priestess) East, then South, then West, then North,
(1-2,High Priestess) Hearken to the Witch's Run,
(1-2,High Priestess) Here we come to call thee forth!
(1-2,High Priestess) Earth and water, air and fire,
(1-2,High Priestess) Wand and pentacle and sword,
(1-2,High Priestess) Work ye unto our desire,
(1-2,High Priestess) Hearken ye unto our work!
(1-2,High Priestess) Cords and censer, scourge and knife,
(1-2,High Priestess) Powers of the witch's blade,
(1-2,High Priestess) Waken all ye unto life,
(1-2,High Priestess) Come ye as the charm is made!
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(1-2,High Priestess) Queen of heaven, Queen of Hel,
(1-2,High Priestess) Horned Hunter of the night,
(1-2,High Priestess) Lend your power unto the spell,
(1-2,High Priestess) And work our will by magic rite!
(1-2,High Priestess) In the earth and air and sea,
(1-2,High Priestess) By the light of Moon or Sun,
(1-2,High Priestess) As we do will, so mote it be.
(1-2,High Priestess) Chant the spell and be it done!
(1-2,High Priestess) so mote it be!
(1-2,Diana) Now Children, Take your seed and plant it in my Forest,
(1-2,Diana) that it will grow strong throughout the year.
(1-2,Diana) Dionysus, Come to Me, for it is time. Take up your
(1-2,Diana) lance and Fill my Grail. I, your Queen, command it.
(1-2,Diana) As the Lance is to the God
(1-2,Diana) So the Chalice is to the Goddess
(1-2,Diana) And when the Two are One
(1-2,Diana) The Greatest Magic is begun.
(1-2,Dionysus) Brothers and Sisters, come, for now it is time to drink
(1-2,Dionysus) and eat.
(1-2,Dionysus) (passing wine and cakes)
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Drink from your chalice and eat of your bread,
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) saving some for offering after the ritual to the Lady.
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) This is the place where we sit and relax in the presense
of the Gods....
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Welcome to the first Full Moon of Spring!
(1-3,Willow) Blessed be, friends!
(1-1,Many Blue Sparks) Blessed be!
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Blessed Be Willow, (toasting Willow's new home and honey)
(1-10,Dave) Blessed Be, everyone!
(1-3,Willow) I would like to, while in this sacred space,
(1-3,Willow) thank the divine intervention of Aphrodite!
(1-3,Willow) She introduced Craig and I
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Willow, do you know her verse in that great pagan classic,
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Gimme that Old Time Religion?
(1-3,Willow) and, thankfully, my life will never be the same! (toast to
Aprodite!)
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) (raising chalice to Aphrodite)
(1-3,Willow) Can you hum a few bars?
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Hmmmmmmmmmm....
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) We will worship Aphrodite,
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Tho she seems a little flighty
(1-3,Willow) oh, no
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Coming naked in her Nightie,
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) And that's Good enough for me! (grin)
(1-3,Willow) Oh, Gods!
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Yes Goddess?
(1-1,Many Blue Sparks) Hee!
(1-10,Dave) Tiss a nice ryme there shadow Hawk.
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) (pouring more Wine for everyone)
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Dave, there are about 200 or so verses...
(1-3,Willow) Hey, this may be a Spring ritual, but I'm engaged!
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(1-2,Shadow Hawk) my favorite is the one that goes...
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) We will worship like the Druids
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Drinking strange fermented fluids
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Running Naked through the woods
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) and that's good enough for me!
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) (Gimme that old time religion....) (g)
(1-3,Willow) MY favorite goes...
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Willow, engaged in what?
(1-3,Willow) Here's to the god of discord,
(1-3,Willow) while this may not rhyme
(1-10,Dave) Don't worry Willow, so are we (my Lady and I that is)!
(1-3,Willow) or even make any sense,
(1-3,Willow) it's good enough for me1
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) heh heh heh
(1-1,Many Blue Sparks) :)
(1-3,Willow) Right now?!?
(1-10,Dave) now what?
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Of course! (g)
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Hmmm....
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) We will worship mighty Thor,
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Tho he leaves the maidens sore
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) They keep coming back for more,
(1-3,Willow) not agin...
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) and that's good enough for me!
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Not again? That brings us to....
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Oh the Christians are a hummin,
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) cause they say their God's a comming
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Our God Came and keeps on Commin
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) And that's good enough for me!
(1-1,Many Blue Sparks) <ROFL>
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) (gotta love them Spring Fertility rituals! (g)
(1-10,Dave) Everyone, sorry for the tardiness, but will rejoin at another
time...
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Blessed Be Dave (cutting a doorway out)
(1-10,Dave) b.b.
(1-1,Many Blue Sparks) BB, D!
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Ok, guess it is time to wrap it up.
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) (standing up in V.R. Circle
(1-3,Willow) Before wewe're all drunk with Dionysis' wine, we should wrap.
(1-1,Many Blue Sparks) Rap, nah I only chanted.
(1-2,Diana) Children of the Night, it is time to return to your
(1-2,Diana) world. Blessed be thy Feet that have brought you on
(1-2,Diana) this path. Blessed be thy knees that have kneeled at
(1-2,Diana) the Sacred Altar. Blessed be thy Belly, without which
(1-2,Diana) thy kind would not be. Blessed be thy Breast, formed
(1-2,Diana) in Strength and Beauty. Blessed be thy Mouth, that
(1-2,Diana) shall speak the Sacred words of Love.
(1-2,High Priest) Great Goddess, Huntress of the Night, we thank you for
(1-2,High Priest) your works here tonight. Go if you must, Stay if you
(1-2,High Priest) will, for we are your adoring Children.
(1-2,High Priestess) Great Dionysus, thank you for your laughter and light
(1-2,High Priestess) tonight. Blessed be thy Seed, which shall grow over
(1-2,High Priestess) the coming year and clothe the face of the Mother in
(1-2,High Priestess) Life. Go if you must, Stay if you will, for we are
(1-2,High Priestess) your brothers and sisters.
(1-2,High Priestess) Willow, will you dismiss the directions, starting in
the West?
(1-3,Willow) Spirits of the west, we thank you for your help
(1-3,Willow) and attendence here tonight.
(1-3,Willow) Return to the waters of the Mother.
(1-3,Willow) Stay if you will, go if you must. We thank you.
(1-3,Willow) Spirits of the South, we thank you for your help and attendence
her tonight.
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(1-3,Willow) Return to the fires of creation.
(1-3,Willow) Stay if you will, go if you must. We thank you.
(1-3,Willow) Spirits of the East, we thank you for your help and attendence
here tonight.
(1-3,Willow) Return to the warm breezes of new beginnings.
(1-3,Willow) Stay if you will, go if you must. We thank you
(1-3,Willow) Spirits of the North, we thank you for your help and attendenct
here tonight.
(1-3,Willow) Return to the cool caves of the Earth.
(1-3,Willow) Stay if you will, go if you must, We thank you.
(1-3,Willow) So mote it be.
(1-2,High Priestess) SO mote it be!
(1-2,High Priest) I move to the North, and walking widdershins, the Circle
of Fire subsides
(1-2,High Priest) behind me.
(1-2,High Priest) Down down into the ground, never more to be found...
(1-2,High Priest) down down into the ground, out to the edge of the
covenspace.
(1-2,High Priest) Returning to the north, I face the Circle...
(1-2,High Priest) The Circle is Open, but Unbroken, Merry Meet, Merry Part,
and Merry Meet again!
(1-2,High Priest) Blessed Be!
(1-3,Willow) Blessed Be!
(1-1,Many Blue Sparks) Blessed Be!
(1-2,Shadow Hawk) Blessed Be Willow and Many Blue Sparks!
CompuServe Full Moon Ritual Aug 1992
HPS- Jehana
HP - Shadow Hawk
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Lady Jehana, wilt thou call the sacred rite to
order?
(1-5,Jehana) Lord Shadow Hawk, we are ready to begin.
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) All, please take a moment to draw some deep
breaths...
(1-5,Jehana) I assume all have their glass of beverage, and piece
of bread/crackers.
Take a moment to relax, using regular, patterned breaths...
Feel all parts of your body, from toes to head, gradually
relax...
a blue glowing field surrounds you...
the blue glowing field slowly grows to surround your
room...
the blue glowing field slowly grows to encompass the
town/city you live in...
the blue glowing field slowly grows to encompase the
landscape...
the blue glowing field slowly grows to encompass North
America...
and each of you connect in with the fields of all the
others...
the blue glowing fields of all the others here within
Circle...
Feel its energies spinning from East...
to South...
to West...
to North...
and re-connecting with East again.
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) in your minds, please face the East....
Robin's egg blue, pure and clean
Hail, oh denizens of the East!
Of Air; of incense smoke
Winged Ones, riding the wind
Join us, if you will
Sharp discernment
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Tool of our Mind..
Hail; and Welcome!
(1-5,Jehana) In your minds, please face the South...
Fire-bright red, rich with power
Hail, oh denizens of the South!
Of Fire; of flickering matches;
of salamanders that rage and burn and sear
Passion and Will
Tools of our hand...
Hail; and Welcome!
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) In your minds, please turn and face the West...
Aquamarine Green, bursting with power
Hail, oh denizens of the West!
of Water; of Cauldron deep;
Of Undines that ride the waves
Emotions and feelings
Tools of our Heart..
Hail; and Welcome!
(1-5,Jehana) In your minds, please turn and face the North...
Dirt brown, rich with humus
Hail, oh denizens of the North!
of earth; of rock and leaf and root;
of gnomes that burrow industriously below
Centered and firm
Heart of our roots...
Hail; and Welcome!
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Blessed Goddess, Queen of Heaven and Earth,
You with the Stars in your eyes, and love in your heart...
Descend to this our Circle on your Night of Power.
(1-5,Jehana) I am the Lady of the starry heavens
I am she who is the Mother of all living things
I have worked the landscape into mountains
lay the waters into their ocean beds,
and set the winds in their course.
Every snowflake, every speck of soil or sand
Bears my imprint.
My countenance appears in the faintest flicker,
and the largest star;
The Universe is My handiwork.
I am She who consoles the sorrowful,
and I am She who tends to the sick.
I bring solace to those in life,
and peace and understanding in death.
I am the changing Goddess --
Maiden, Mother, and Crone --
The Hag hidden deep within...
I have been to the Underworld,
and I have Returned.
Let there be beauty and strength,
Power and compassion,
Honor and humility,
Mirth and reverence within you.
And you who seek to know Me,
To feel My spirit
Come before Me with a sincere heart,
burn incense upon my altar
Listen and be still:
Know that your seeking and your yearning
will avail you not,
Unless you know the Mystery:
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For if that which you seek,
you find not within yourself,
You will never find it without.
For Behold:
I have been with you from the beginning,
and I am that which is attained at the end of
desire.
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Blessed Be!
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) By the Flame that burneth bright O' Horned One!
We call thy name into the night, O' Ancient One!
Thee we invoke, by the moon-lit sea,
by the standing stone and the twisted tree.
Thee we invoke, where gather thine own,
by the nameless shrine forgotten and alone.
Come where the round of the dance is Trod.
Horn and Hoof of the Goatfoot God!
By moon-lit meadows on dusky hill,
when the haunted wood is hushed and still.
Come to the charm of the chanted prayer.
As the moon bewitches the midnight air,
evoke thy powers, that potent bide.
In shining stream and the secret tide,
in fiery flame by starlight pale,
in Shadowy host that rides the gale,
and by the fern-brakes fairy-haunted
of forest wild and woods enchanted.
Come! O' Come!
To the heart-beat's drum!
When the broad white moon is climbing slow.
Through the stars to the heaven's height.
We hear thy hoofs on the wind of night!
As black tree-branches shake and sigh,
By Joy and terror we know thee nigh,
We speak the spell thy power unlocks,
At Solstice, Sabbat, and Equinox.
Word of Virtue the veil to rend,
From Primal Dawn to the wide World's end,
Since time began, the blessings of Pan
Blessed be in strength and love,
Blessed be, wher'ere we rove,
Vision fade not from our eyes
Of the Pagan Paradise.
Past the gates of Death and Birth,
Our inheritance of Earth.
From our soul the song of Spring
Fade not in our wandering, Our life is one,
By blackest night or the noonday Sun.
Eldest of Gods on thee we call,
Blessing be on thy Creatures all.
I call upon thee, O' Ancient Horned One Who art the
Comforter and the Consoler of Men I call upon thee, O' Great
God of the Witches.
Ruler of the Sabbat, Lord of the Wild Woods, I call upon
thee in the Name of your Lady, Come out of the North upon
the back of the Winds.
And join the Lady Cerridwin at this Holy Sabbat/Esbat.
I call thee by thy most ancient name Cernunnos.
(1-5,Jehana) This is Fullmoon August...
This is the season of Abundance...
and out of Wisdom in accessing that Abundance...
Knowing the difference between what we Want...
And what we Need...
Bearing this in mind..
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each of us will have a chance...
to mention something or several somethings we need...
Please feel free to speak...
(1-6,Al) I ask that I learn patience, to accept others for what
they are and to hear their thoughts and learn their wisdom.
(1-5,Jehana) I ask for continued self-growth and self-acceptance
(1-1,Helen) I ask for freedom from fear of abundance.
(1-5,Jehana) I ask for a cure for AIDS, and for ongoing
treatments for those who are in need.
I ask for an understanding of environmental issues which
face this planet.
(1-5,Jehana) Hold the image of the things, concepts, ...
and ideas you need; .... and that
your friends in Circle need...
Feel the energy grow and flow...
feel the power flow and grow...
feel yourselvs enveloped by a tree...
by a hazel tree...
Turn towards the Lord and Lady...
and ask...
in Perfect Love and in Perfect trust we stand before
Thee...
Feel the energy and Power grow...
each root and trunk and limb...
of that hazel tree...
Raise your hands, gradually...
with the energy...
Prepare to send...
One...
Two...
THREE!!!!
And, note, what you send out returns to you.
(1-5,Jehana) Now...
Visualize before you an onion fresh from the harvest...
Visualize your athame slicing it horizontally...
See before you the white disc of the Full Moon...
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Visualize before you a second onion fresh from
the harvest...
Visualize your knife slicing it vertically...
See before you the East and West facing crescents of the
Waxing and Waning Moon.
(1-5,Jehana) Now, take your glass of chosen beverage:
(for blessing of that beverage)...
In balance we stand
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Night and Light
(1-5,Jehana) In balance we stand
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Chalice and Blade
(1-5,Jehana) In balance we stand
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Cerridwyn and Herne
(1-5,Jehana) Drink ye of the Waters of Darkness
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Drink ye the Waters of LIFE!
(1-5,Jehana) (pause to take a sip)
(1-5,Jehana) Now, take your plate of bread:
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) As the Wheel turns
(1-5,Jehana) My crops appear
(1-5,Jehana) My crops grow high
(1-5,Jehana) My harvest comes through
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Feast ye on the grains of My Endeavors
(1-5,Jehana) Feast ye on the Wheel of Life!
(1-5,Jehana) (Pause to eat of the bread)
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Oh Horned One,
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May ever your call ring across the hills, fields and
woods deep
Calling again to her Children to Dance by her Light!
Now we thank you for your aid,
And bid thee safe journey to your Sacred Glades...
Blessed Be
(1-5,Jehana) Bright Lady; Maid, Mother Crone...
Lady Cerridwyn...
We thank thee for your aid;
we thank thee for your abounding love and compassion
we thank thee for your Wisdom...
we bid thee safe journey to your Sacred Glades....
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Please turn and face the East in your minds...
Winged Ones...
Intellect Bright..
Tool of our mind
Eastern Air, we thank and acknowledge you.
(1-5,Jehana) Please turn and face the South in your minds...
Salamanders...
Passion and Will...
Tools of our hands...
Southern Fire, we thank and acknowledge you.
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Please turn and face West in your Minds...
Undines, Emotion and Drive..
Tools of our Hearts..
Western water, we thank and acknowledge you.
(1-5,Jehana) Please turn and face North in your minds...
Gnomes...
Centered and Firm...
Heart of our roots...
Northern Earth, we thank and acknowledge you.
(1-5,Jehana) Around you now, sense the blue glowing field...
the blue glowing field that connects all of you together...
across North America...
Feel its energies spinning...
from East...
to North...
to West...
to South...
to East...
Feel the energies unwinding....
Sense your bodies re-absorbing the Energies of the Circle...
spiralling in...
into your room...
The blue glowing field...
a part of your body...
Take it in...
Let all return to as it has been.
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Fire Seal the Circle Round, Let it fade beneath
the ground...
let all things be as they were since the Beginning of Time.
(1-5,Jehana) Merry meet...
and merry part...
(1-8,Shadow Hawk) Merry meet!
Blessed Be, Jehana.
COMPUSERVE NEWAGE FORUM - ONLINE FULL MOON RITUAL - FEBRUARY 1993
(Jehana) Sit calmly, breath with relaxation..
Let the cares and stresses of the day wear off...
let the cares and stresses flow away from you..
Feel yourself surrounded by a warm and gentle orb...
of blue-white light...
Gentle, restful, protective...
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Feel it expand... Feel it connect with your friends and
companions within Circle...
Feel it Circle around you; around all of us...
East, to South, to West, to North... To East again.
(visualize: face to the east): Hail, powers of Air!!
We invite you to our Circle
A breath of air
A morning's gentle breeze --
Forethought and knowledge,
Hail & Welcome!
(Rilla) (Face to the South): Oh spirits of the South...
Ancient ones of Fire...
I call you to attend this Circle...
Charge this by your powers...
Hail and Welcome!
(Jehana) (Face to the West): Hail, powers of Water!!
We invite you to our Circle
A drop of dew
The evening's tidal sweep --
Hail & Welcome!!
(Rilla)(face to the North): Hail, oh powers of the Earth...
Ancient ones of Gaia born...
I call upon you to attend this Circle...
Charge this by your powers, Old Ones...
Hail! and Welcome!
(Jehana) Invoke into your heart and into this our Circle
The bright Lady of New Beginnings.
The Maiden who sings the joys of Spring to come
The Mother who brings nurturance, love and guidance.
Hail, bright Lady; we welcome thee!!!
Invoke into your heard and into this our Circle
The Oak King
Growing as a sapling
Growing strong.
A child at heart, learning, searching, in true Discovery.
Hail, bright Lord; we welcome thee!!
According to Sun Bear, this Moon is the Moon of Rest and
Cleansing, following upon the Moon of Earth Renewal. The
animal is the Otter, and the plant, the Quaking Aspen.
Its mineral is silver.
In the Celtic tree calendar, as reported by Graves, this
full Moon falls in the month of Luis, signified by the Rowan
tree, and by the Tourmaline. Its attribute is Quickening.
Those who follow astrology know this is the month of
Aquarius, the Water Bearer; the fixed sign of Air.
According to Z Budapest, the Full Moon aspect of February is
the red and cleansing wild Moon. Life quickens now. It is
a time of purification, of growth, of the stimulation of all
living things.
It is a healing time. It brings in the wind of the New.
Its flower: the primose and the violet. Its animal: the
duck and the otter. Its stone: the amethyst.
It is appropriate at this time to do workings; workings for
things we may wish to see in our lives, and in the world in
general. It is a time for healing. It is a time for
growth.
I ask each of you to think of those things you wish to work
on,-- you may speak or keep them silent, as you will...
Speak first of new beginnings and things of growth for the
world at large. Then, speak of those new beginnings and
things of growth and healing for people or events closer to
home. And, yes, speak of those beginnings and things of
growth for you yourself. After we finish mentioning all of
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our workings, we will repeat a phrase -- visualize the
energy, through the hand of the Goddess, flowing into the
things we seek, imbuing them with constructive energy.
(Please note that most Witches consider it unethical to work
healings or other magic for specific people without first
asking their permission).
(When I start doing the chant (which begins with "We all
come from the Goddess"), others may copy me, or jump ahead
if they are familiar with it...
I will tell you when to visualize the energy peaking.)
-- mention things in your mind or in print that you wish to
allow to grow/heal:
(Rilla) I wish for a healing ...
of the youth of this country...
that they may find the peace that they need...
to learn to live in harmony...
and to be the "future" of this world...
and for myself the patience...
to wait for direction...
in my life path...
and a healthy mind and body..
for the coming year.
(Jehana) I wish for the earth's healing...
the pain in the environment to be turned around...
an understanding of the nature of this planet upon which we
live.
I wish to know and be known by love and compassion.
(Ardelia) I wish for this world.....
the ability to be calm...
as we learn to work with each other.....
the earth.....
and ourselves.
(Jehana) We all come from the Goddess
And to her we shall return
Like a drop of rain
Flowing to the ocean.
(Rilla) We all come from the Goddess..
and to her we shall return...
Like a drop of rain...
(Jehana) We all come from the Goddess
And to her we shall return
Like a drop of rain
(Rilla) We all come from the Goddess...
and the her we shall return...
Like a drop of rain...
(Jehana) Feel the energy; rising up; rising up; rising up!
Drink in the energy...
Take your glass of water, know that it is energized,
and drink!
Take a quiet moment to pause and reflect.
Oak King, Sapling growing strong...
Playful lord, in the growing time of your cycle...
Thank you for your presence here...
Hail, and Farewell!
Bright Maiden, singing your songs of Spring nearly afoot...
Gracious Mother, You of love and nurturance and guidance..
We thank you for your presence here..
We thank you for your blessings...
Hail, and Farewell!!
Powers of Air!
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We thank you for your fresh breath!
Hail, and Farewell!
(Rilla) Powers of Fire!
We thank you for you strength!
Hail and Farewell!
(Jehana) Powers of Water!
We thank you for your healing compassion!
Hail, and farewell!
(Rilla) Powers of the Earth!
We thank you for your sustenance and nurturance!
Hail and farewell!
(Jehana) The blue-white glow that surronds us all...
begins to retract...
slowly, slowly...
Fire seal the Circle round
Let it fade beneath the ground
Let all things be as they were
Since the beginning of time.
Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet Again!
(Rilla) Blessed Be!
(Jehana) (The Ritual has concluded; Bright Blessings; Blessed
Be!)
CompuServe Full Moon Ritual of July 13, 1992
(1-4,Shadow Hawk) We are gathered together in this Ritual of the
Full Moon, where we join and pay homage to the Divine
Mother, Mother of us all. From the corners of the Country, I
send my Will, starting in the North I cast a line of Fire
around the country, moving Eastward, then South, Then West,
and Back to the North. We are encompassed in a circle of
Fire that protects our Sacred Space.
(1-4,Shadow Hawk) Let us gather and call the Spirits of the 4
directions to come and join us in this our Rite.
(1-4,Shadow Hawk) Please face your thoughts to the West.
Hail to the Lord of the West, Poseiden, Scaled God of
Water, Ruler of the Deep, Master of Wave and Fin, I bid
thee come to our Circle and worship at the feet of the
Lady. Be Here Now!
(1-4,Shadow Hawk) Now, turn your thoughts to the North...
Hail to the Lord of the North, Cernunnos, Horned God of
Earth, Ruler of Life, Master of Leaf and Earthbound
creature, I bid thee come to our Circle and worship at the
feet of the Lady. Be Here Now!
(1-4,Shadow Hawk) Please turn your thoughts to the East...
Hail to the Lord of the East, Quetzalcoatl, Feathered God
of Air, Ruler of Wisdom, Master of Wind and Winged, I bid
thee come to our circle and worship at the feet of the Lady.
Be here Now!
(1-4,Shadow Hawk) Now, turn your thoughts to the South...
Hail to the Lord of the South, Apollo, Brilliant God of
Fire, Ruler of Inspiration, Master of Light and Spirit, I
bid thee come to our circle and worship at the feet of the
Lady. Be Here Now!
(1-4,Shadow Hawk) The Circle is cast, we are in the space
between the worlds, where Time and Space cease to exist.
Let none disturb the boundaries without dire cause.
(1-4,Shadow Hawk) Now we turn out thoughts to the Divine
Consort, the Horned God.
Hail to the God as one, Consort, Father, Son. I bid thee
come to the Circle of Life, and worship at the feet of Our
Lady. Be Here Now!
(1-4,Cernunnos) Now join me as I call my Love, she in who's light
we are here...
Hail to Our Lady, in whose eyes the stars do shine forth and
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upon whose brow the Moon doth ride. Lady, your children
call to you from within your Sacred Space. We bid you come
and let us Feel your touch. You who will deny your children
naught. We are at your feet in Wonder and Awe. Welcome to
this your Circle.
(1-4,Cernunnos) We are in the Place between the Worlds, Beyond
Time and Space, and in the presence of the Goddesses and
Gods. Let none leave this space without grave cause.
(1-4,Cernunnos) Welcome the Divine Lady, Gracious Goddess and
Mother of us all.
I call upon thee, Mighty Mother of us all, bringer of all
fruitfulness; by seed and root, by stem and bud, by leaf and
flower and fruit, by life and love do I invoke thee to
descend upon the body of this thy Circle and thy
Priestesses.
(1-4,Cernunnos) Hail Aradia! From the Almathean horn Pour
forth thy store of love; I lowly bend before thee, I adore
thee to the end, with loving sacrifice thy shrine adorn.
Thy foot is to my lip, my prayer upborne upon the rising
incense smoke; then spend thine ancient love, O Mighty One,
descend to Aid me, who without thee am forlorn.
(1-4,Cernunnos) Thou art the Mother Darksome and Divine, Yours
the scourge and yours the Kiss, the Five-point star of love
and bliss, bless us with your sign.
(1-4,Cernunnos) Listen to the words of the Great Mother, she whom
of old was also called among men Artemis, Astarte, Athena,
Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Dana, Arianrhod,
Isis, Brid, and by many other names.
(1-4,Cernunnos) "Whenever you have need of any thing, once in
the month, and better it be when the Moon is full, then
shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit
of Her, who is Queen of all witches.
There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all
sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets, to these will
She teach things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free
from slavery, and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall
be naked in your rites, and ye shall dance, sing, feast,
make music and love, all in Her praise. For Hers is the
secret door that opens upon the Land of Youth, and Hers is
the cup of the wine of life, and the Cauldron of Cerridwen,
which is the Holy Grail of Immortality. She is the Gracious
Goddess, who gives the gift of Joy unto the hearts of Man.
Upon Earth, She gives knowledge of the spirit eternal, and
beyond death, She gives peace, and freedom, and reunion with
those who have gone before. Nor does She demand sacrifice,
for behold, She is the Mother of all living, and her Love is
poured out upon the Earth."
(1-4,Cernunnos) Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess, she in
the dust of whose feet are the hosts of Heaven, and whose body
encircles the Universe.
(1-4,Cernunnos) "She who is the beauty of the green Earth, and
the white Moon among the stars, and the mystery of the
waters, and the desire of the hearts of man, calls unto thy
soul. Arise, and come unto Her.
For She is the soul of Nature, who gives life to the
universe. From Her all things proceed, and unto Her all
things must return, and before Her face, beloved of Gods and
of men, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the
rapture of the infinite. Let Her worship be within the
heart that rejoiceth, for behold, all acts of love and
pleasure are Her rituals. And therefore let there be beauty
and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility,
mirth and reverence within you. And thou who thinkest to
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seek for Her, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee
not, unless thou knowest the mystery, that if what thou
seekest thou findest not within thee, then thou shalt never
find it without thee. For behold, She has been with thee
from the beginning, and She is that which is attained at the
end of desire."
Absorb Her Blessings and her words. Feel them resonate in
your core.
(1-4,S.H.) If there are any here that have a petition to bring
before the Lady, please do so now.
If there are any objects to be charged, please bring them
forth now.
<At this point, petitions and objects were presented to the Lady
and the Circle for blessings--this section is deleted due to
mention of names of non-participants>
(1-3,S.H.) Now is the time for the Great Rite. Please take your
knife in one hand...and your chalice in the other.
Place the tip of the knife in the chalice and say,
"As the chalice is to the Woman
So the Athame is to the Man
And when the two become one,
The greatest magic is begun!"
Now dip your atheme into the chalice to energize the
lifeforce within it.
Blessed Be, So mote it be!
(1-3,S.H.) Now, take the Atheme (knife) over the bread/cake..
(1-3,S.H.) Lady, we come before you with love in our heart and
awe in our eyes, asking you to give us your blessings and
pour your blessings on the fruit of the vine and the field,
that we may be filled with your blessings.
So mote it be, Blessed be!
(1-3,S.H.) Draw a pentagram on the bread with the knife.
Now, eat of the bread and drink of the wine, saving some
portion for offering to the creatures of the Lady later.
(1-3,S.H.) Now it's time to bid farewell to the Lady and the
Lord.
(1-3,S.H.) Hail Mother of us all, we thank you for attending this
our Rite, and for your blessings and love that you have
poured forth upon us your children. Blessed be thy Name.
(1-3.S.H.) Hail Lord of the Dance, we thank you for attending
this our Rite, and for your presence and love that you have
poured forth upon us your children. Blessed be thy Name.
(1-3,S.H.) Now we turn our attention to the South
Hail Lord of the South, Lord of Fire, we thank you for your
presence and the Light and warmth that you shed upon us.
Farewell and Blessed Be.
(1-3,S.H.) Now we turn our attention to the East....
Hail Lord of the East, Lord of Air, we thank you for your
presence and the Air that you bring to us that life may be
sustained. Farewell and Blessed Be.
(1-3,S.H.) Now we turn our attention to the North....
Hail Lord of the North, Lord of Earth, we thank you for your
presence and the harvest from your fields that feed and
shelter us. Farewell and Blessed Be.
(1-3,S.H.) Now we turn our attention to the West....
Hail Lord of the West, Lord of Water, we thank you for your
presence and the blood of your body to slake our thirst and
the thirst of the fields. Farewell and Blessed Be.
(1-3,S.H.) Now I send my Will to the North, and I walk the
circle...
Circle of Fire, I quench your thirst...
Down down into the ground...
Nevermore to be found...
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Spread your life throughout the land...
That all may feel your blessing.
So Mote it Be!
Blessed Be!
The Circle is Open, Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet
again!
(1-3,S.H.) Blessed Be all!
CompuServe Full Moon Ritual of Monday, June 15, 1992
(1-3,S.H.) My Lady Otterkin, wilt thou begin the Lady's Rite?
(1-4,Otterkin) This is the time of fullness,
the flood tide of power,
when the Lady in full circle of brightness
rides across the night sky.
This is the time of the bearing of fruits,
of changes realized.
The Great Mother,
Nurturer of the world which is Herself,
pours out her love and her gifts in Abundance.
The Hunter draws near to the Brilliant One,
She who awakens yearning in the heart
and is the end of desire.
We who look on her Shining face are filled with love.
Merry Meet.
(1-3,S.H.) By the Spirits of Air and Fire I do cleanse this
space.
(1-6,Otterkin) By the Creatures of Water and Earth I do cleanse
this space.
(1-3,S.H.) (visualize a circle filled with incense smoke...
(while Otter and I walk the circle with lit incense,
sprinkling water and salt to purify the area)
Will the Caller of the North, Call forth!
(1-7,Jeff) Hail, of the mountains, of the North, far above the
earth...
Whose core yet reaches the center...
we ask you, guardians, to attend our Circle...
Lend us your steadfastness...
Hail! And well Met!
(1-3,S.H.) Hail and Well Met!
(1-6,Otterkin) Hail and Well Met!
(1-3,S.H.) Will the Caller of the East, Call Forth!
(1-7,Jehana) Hail, spirits of the Air, wisps and eddies of
wind...
Sweeping the world with freshness...
thought, contemplation, and wisdom...
we ask you, guardians, to attend our Circle...
Lend us your airy wisdom...
Hail! And well Met!
(1-3,S.H.) Hail! And well Met!
(1-6,Otterkin) Hail and Well Met!
(1-3,S.H.) Will the Caller of the South, Call forth!
(1-3,Shadow Hawk) Hail Spirits of Fire, Noonday Sun...
Lion of Summer, Heating and Lighting us against
the Cold of Death
We call upon you, of Fiery ones to attend our Circle...
Lend us your Fiery Passion...
Hail! And Well Met!
(1-3,S.H.) Hail! And Well Met!
(1-6,Otterkin) Hail! And Well Met!
(1-3,S.H.) Will the Caller of the West, Call Forth!
(1-1,Papa Tom) Spirits of the West, heed our call.
Spirits of the West, Spirits of water, attend our Circle.
Cleanse us, as rain upon the ocean.
Give us guidance and wisdom as we go between the worlds.
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Guardians in the West, attend our Circle.
Hail! And well Met!
(1-3,S.H.) Hail! And Well Met!
(1-6,Otterkin) Hail! And Well Met!
(1-6,Otterkin) I conjure and cast thee, Circle of Power,
that this may be a time that is not a time,
in a place that is not a place,
on a day that is not a day,
We are safe between the worlds where Night and Day,
Birth and Death, Joy and Sorrow, meet as one.
(1-3,S.H.)I invoke thee and call upon thee,
Lady and Mother of us all,
bringer of all fruitfullness.
By seed and root, by bud and stem,
by leaf and flower and fruit,
by life and love do I invoke thee
to descend upon the body of this thy servant and priestess.
Hail Aradia! From the Amalthean Horn
pour forth thy store of love.
I lowly bend before thee,
I adore thee to the End.
Thy foot is to my Lip,
my prayer upborne upon the rising incense smoke.
Send Thine ancient love, oh Mighty One,
descend to aid us, who without thee are forlorn.
(1-6,Otterkin) Of the Mother Darksome and Devine,
Mine the scourge, and mine the Kiss,
the five-point star of Love and Bliss,
so I charge you with this sign.
(Visualize a pentagram drawn in cool flame before you.)
(1-3,S.H.) Listen to the words of the Great Mother,
She who is also called among men
Astarte, Dana, Arianrhod, Isis,
Demeter, Mary, Aradia, and by many other names.
(1-4,ARADIA) Whenever you have need of any thing,
once in the month,
and better it be when the Moon is full,
then shall ye assemble
in some secret place and adore the spirit of me,
who am Queen of all witches.
There shall ye assemble,
ye who are fain to learn all sorcery,
yet have not won its deepest secrets,
to these will I teach things that are yet unknown.
And ye shall be free from slavery,
and as a sign that ye be really free,
ye shall be naked in your rites,
and ye shall dance, sing, feast,
make music and love, all in my praise.
For mine is the secret door
which opens upon the Land of Youth,
and mine is the cup of the wine of life,
and the Cauldron of Cerridwen,
which is the Holy Grail of Immortality.
I am the Gracious Goddess,
who gives the gift of Joy unto the hearts of Man.
Upon Earth, I give knowledge
of the spirit eternal, and beyond death,
I give peace, and freedom,
and reunion with those who have gone before.
Nor do I demand sacrifice,
for behold, I am the Mother of all living,
and my Love is poured out upon the Earth."
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(1-3,S.H.) Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess,
She in the dust of whose feet
are the hosts of Heaven,
and whose body encircles the Universe.
(1-4,CERRIDWEN) I who am the beauty of the green Earth,
and the white Moon among the stars,
and the mystery of the waters,
and the desire of the hearts of man,
call unto thy soul.
Arise, and come unto me.
For I am the soul of Nature,
who gives life to the universe.
From me all things proceed,
and unto me all things must return,
and before my face,
beloved of Gods and of men.
Let thine innermost divine self be enfolded
in the rapture of the infinite.
Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth.
For behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.
And therefore let there be beauty and strength,
power and compassion, honour and humility,
mirth and reverence within you.
And thou who thinkest to seek for me,
know thy seeking and yearning
shall avail thee not, unless thou knowest the mystery,
that if that which thou seekest
thou findest not within thee,
then thou shalt never find it without thee.
For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning,
and I am that which is attained at the end of desire."
(1-3,S.H.) (Take this time to meditate on the Fullness of the
Mother...
And also on what is said in the Charge we have just been
given, for truely...
You will never find it without thee, but only within thee.)
(1-3,S.H.) Now we come to the time of power, for the Moon is Full
and we are gathered
here in Her Circle, so we shall raise the Cone of Power...
Visualize a fire in the night and we are together
around the fire. The Drums begin a rhythm, subtle but
insistant. You begin to sway and move with the full
sensual beat, dancing as only spirit can. Around and
around the fire you go while the drumming grows faster
and louder. You can FEEL the energies gathering, until
your hair is flying wild, and your skin crawls with an
energy like electricity. You are alive with power!
Join hands and chant with us:
"Circle 'round the fire,
to raise a cone of power,
to bring what we desire,
So mote it be!
Circle 'round the fire,
So mote it be!
now SHOUT!
Circle 'round the fire,
So mote it be!"
(1-4,Otterkin) I take this energy and with it I consecrate this
Ritual Space, that it shall always be a safe haven for
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Her Children! I take this energy and offer it to those that
need healing.
Those that have need, take from it, for I AM She that
gives Life and Bounty, I AM the Mother of All!
I take this energy, and I return it to the
Universe, that there will be fruitfulness throughout
the Worlds and all my Children shall benefit."
(1-6,Otterkin) (Place your knife in front of you and take your
chalice in hand)
As I raise the chalice, you do likewise.
I raise this chalice, symbol of my Eternal Womb,
source of All That was and All That will be.
(Take your knife, and hold it over the chalice, point down)
(1-3,S.H.) I take this Athame, symbol of my Quickening essense,
Life Fire that lights the Chalice within, and with it
I Quicken thy fertile womb, O Mother of us all.
(1-6,Otterkin) As the Chalice is to the Goddess, Awaiting the
Spark
(1-3,S.H.) And the Athame is to the God, so I enter into your
hidden Dark.
(1-6,Otterkin) And when Two becomes one
(Dip the tip into the chalice)
(1-3,S.H.) The Greatest magic is begun!
(1-6,Otterkin) Drink from my depths and meditate on them, oh ye
who would know of the full Circle of Birth and Death.
(Accept our kiss, and taste the wine, saving a
small portion for offering later.)
I take these cakes, fruit of my fields, and I
Bless them and give them to you.
Eat, that you may never hunger and think upon my Bounty.
(Kiss, and eat the cake, saving a small portion
for offering later.)
I charge you to remember that some part of this bounty be
returned to the Earth, that the cycle will continue.
When you return to the World, give of the Bread
and Water of Life to my Earth.
(1-3,S.H.) Lady, thank you for attending this your Rite, Blessed
Be your Name.
(1-6,Otterkin) Will the caller of the West please thank and
dismiss the Guardians?
(1-1,Papa Tom) Spirit of the West, Spirit of Water.
We thank you for your guidance.
Your love.
Your patience.
We thank you for attending our circle.
We part in love, until we meet again.
(1-6,Otterkin) Will the caller of the South please thank and
(1-3,Shadow Hawk) Guardians of the South, Spirits of Fire, we
thank you for the Illumination
that you have brought to this the Lady's
Circle. As we part, we bid you
to hold us safe throughout the day, that we may
have light to guide our feet.
We bid you farewell until the next time we meet,
Hail and Farewell!
(1-6,Otterkin) Hail and Farewell!
(1-6,Otterkin) Will the caller of the East please thank and
(1-7,Jehana) Guardians of the East; Spirits of the Air
We thank you for your contemplation
We thank you for your gentle cleansing breezes
We bring thanks to you for attending our Circle.
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We part in love, until we meet again.
(1-3,Shadow Hawk) Hail and Farewell
(1-6,Otterkin) Will the caller of the North please thank and
(1-7,Jeff) To you who are of the mountains
Deep roots; and clear vision
we thank you for attending our Circle
and lending us your steadfastness
we part in love; until we meet again
Hail & farewell!!
(1-3,Shadow Hawk) Hail and Farewell!
(1-6,Otterkin) Now I drive the Circle down, down, down (through
the wiring) into the ground, and Out to the boundaries
of the Universe.
The Circle is Open, but never broken. Merry meet,
merry part, and merry meet again!
(1-3,Shadow Hawk) Merry meet again!
(1-7,Jeff) Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again!!!
(1-3,Shadow Hawk) Blessed Be all!
Compuserve on-line Full Moon Mar. '93
(Shadow Hawk) Ok, we begin....
(Shadow Hawk) see the darkness of the night settling in around you....
(Shadow Hawk) and gradually as your eyes adjust you find yourself in
(Shadow Hawk) the woods, and the sound of the night creatures begin to
(Shadow Hawk) be heard.
(Shadow Hawk) Ahead you see the glow of a fire deep in the woods. it is
(Shadow Hawk) a small fire, that you might easily miss, but it pulls you
(Shadow Hawk) to it like a compass to the magnet.
(Shadow Hawk) As you enter a small clearing, you see around you shadowy figures
(Shadow Hawk) robed and moving in the flickering candle light. You feel the
(Shadow Hawk) powers of the night begin to stir.
(Shadow Hawk) On the horizon, you see the full moon breaking in through the trees...
(Shadow Hawk) and you hear the sounds of a small bell. You stand within the circle..
(Shadow Hawk) and one figure breaks away and begins to call to the four
directions...
(Marc Tripp) Walking to the East of the cirlce and raising my athame.
(Marc Tripp) I summon the Guardian of the Gate of Air!
(Marc Tripp) King of the Poweres of the East
(Marc Tripp) The Sacred Space is thine for this Night!
(Marc Tripp) Open for me the Way-Without-Time.
(Marc Tripp) Air of Earth, We are One with Thee!
(Marc Tripp) Then turning and walking to the south of the circle
(Marc Tripp) I raise my Athame.
(Marc Tripp) I summon the Guardian of the Gate of Earth!
(Marc Tripp) King of the Powers of the South!
(Marc Tripp) Open for us the Way-Without-Time
(Marc Tripp) Earth of Earth, We are one with thee!
(Marc Tripp) Walking to the West..I raise my athame.
(Marc Tripp) I Summon the Guardian of the Gate of Water!
(Marc Tripp) King of the Powers of the West!
(Marc Tripp) The Sacred space is thine for this Night!
(Marc Tripp) Open for us the Way-Without-Time.
(Marc Tripp) Water of Earch, We are One with Thee!
(Marc Tripp) Walking to the North. I raise my athame.
(Marc Tripp) I Summon the Guardian of the Gate of fire!
(Marc Tripp) King of the Powers of the North!
(Marc Tripp) Open For me the Way-Without-Time.
(Marc Tripp) Fire of Earth, I we are One with Thee!
(Marc Tripp) I then return to my place in the circle.
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(Shadow Hawk) Two figures break forth and gather the earth/water and fire/air
(Shadow Hawk) from the altar where they rest....
(Shadow Hawk) I cleanse and purify this place with the spirits of Earth and Water...
(Shadow Hawk) I cleanse and purify this place with the creatures of Air and Fire!
(Shadow Hawk) I take the Sword of Knowledge and walking to the North, I point
(Shadow Hawk) it down do the ground. Cascading rivers of fire flow from it
(Shadow Hawk) and I walk the circle in a clockwise fashion...
(Shadow Hawk) and as I walk a curtain of fire flairs up behind me, around the
(Shadow Hawk) circle I walk.
(Shadow Hawk) The Circle is cast, we are in the space between the worlds
(Shadow Hawk) in a place that is not a place, in a time that is not a time,
(Shadow Hawk) in a space that is not a space. We are in the Sacred Circle.
(Shadow Hawk) So Mote it be!
(Shadow Hawk) Two figures walk to the altar, and the power surrounds them.
(Shadow Hawk) with wure hands they take up the tools of Power, and begin to speak...
(Priestess) This is the time of the fulness of the symbol of our Lady ,
(Priestess) the Moon. All things wax and wane, and on this evening the
(Priestess) powers of life, of magic, and of creation are at their
(Priestess) highest. This is the time of building, of doing. it is a
(Priestess) time when the veil between the mundane world and the strange
(Priestess) and beautiful realms of elfhame becomes thin indeed. On
(Priestess) this night may one transcend the boundaries of the worlds
(Priestess) with ease, and know beauty and enchantment.
(Priest) There is a magnificence to this time. The ancients knew well
(Priest) of the mysteries of this night, and used them well to build
(Priest) and to strengthen themselves.. and to partake of elvish
(Priest) adventures of which we can have but little inkling.
(Priest) Sensuous , mysterious, magical...beauty in human form, in
(Priest) dramatic costume, in solid, soaring architecture, the lithe
(Priest) suppleness of our animal brethren, the arrogant magnificence
(Priest) of a spectacular landscape. And more.....much more.
(Priest) This is a time for weaving of the inchoate into being, of
(Priest) spinning the strands of space and of time to bring forth
(Priest) Creation. For all does rotate, and turn about upon itself;
(Priest) this is a fundamental principle of the universe, and a
(Priest) mystery of the greatest magnitude. The Gods know of it and
(Priest) we shall also. Weave a spell of Moonlight and fashion with
(Priest) it a fabric of pure magical substance.
(Priest) There is a challenge and a joy to building, and creating.
(Priest) The joyous strife of a just battle, of the cascading passion
(Priest) of lovemaking, and even to the birth-pangs in creating a new
(Priest) life. there is the peace of Aphrodite that follows such as
(Priest) these, a thoroughly fulfilling quietude. And it is easy,
(Priest) really. very easy and the most natural of things.
(Priestess) This is a time of travelling unseen in the full moonlight, a
(Priestess) time for hearing of elfin music not made by humankind. It is
(Priestess) a time for oneness with the forest, with the mountains, with
(Priestess) the eternal and life-giving sea, with the warm rains and the
(Priestess) bolt of lightning that creates the very spark of life. It
(Priestess) is a time for pilgrimage to the holy of holies, to stand at
(Priestess) last before the cauldron of our Lady and to see form, and
(Priestess) substance, and being created anew once more.
(Priestess) Hear the sound of the Circle Bell...
(Priestess) (Repeat after Priestess)
(Priestess) All hail, O goddess of the silver-rimmed cauldron.
(Rilla) All hail, o goddess of the silver-rimmed cauldron.
(Marc Tripp) All hail, O goddess of the silver-rimmed cauldron.
(Jim Stay) All hail O Goddess of the silver-rimmed cauldron
(Priestess) All hail, thou from whom all does come.
(Kammy) all hail, o goddess of the silver-rimmed cauldron.
(Many Blue Sparks) All hail, o goddess of the silver rimmed cauldron
(Rilla) All hail, thou from whom all does come.
(Kammy) all hail, thou from whom all does come.
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(Jim Stay) All Hail thou from whom all does come
(Marc Tripp) All Hail, Thou from whom all does come.
(Priestess) On this night do we give salutation to the magic of creation
(Priestess) And to the ecstasy of the Gods.
(Many Blue Sparks) All hail, thou from whom all does come.
(Kammy) on this night doe we give salutation to the magic of creation
(I.D.) All hail thou from whom all do3s come
(Kammy) and to the ecstasy of the Gods.
(Rilla) On this night do we give salutation to the magic of creation
(Marc Tripp) On this night do we give salutation to the magic of creation and to the
(Marc Tripp) ecstasy of the Gods
(Rilla) and to the ecstasy of the Gods!
(Priestess) (Smell the rising incense smoke and hear the circle bell)
(Many Blue Sparks) On this night doe we give salutation to the magick of creation
(Many Blue Sparks) and to the ecstasy of the Gods.
(Priestess) O gracious and beautiful goddess, Teach us to weave magic,
(Priestess) Show us thy ancient art to bring forth from chaos and from
(Priestess) nothingness that which is Being itself teach us to draw from
(Priestess) the Moon, to spin and to fashion fabric magical and pure;
(Priestess) Insubstantial as dew, yet with the strength of iron.
(Priest) O most excellent Lady, teach us of love, and of beauty, and
(Priest) of sensuousness.
(Priest) Teach us of daring, and of adventure. Show us of the
(Priest) building of spells of the spinning and shaping of moonlight.
(Priest) Lead our feet in the magical dances of power. Show to us the
(Priest) paths between the worlds, To realms strange, and beautiful.
(Priest) Lead us through mist and moonlight to places of crystalline
(Priest) rainbow light. Groves of enchantment, thy hollow hills of
(Priest) magic, and pools and lakes of mystery.
(Priest) (hear the sounds of the bell)
(Priestess) Teach us, O Lady of radiance To speak the language of the
(Priestess) wilds, To fly with the freedom of the bird, To live with the
(Priestess) power and grace of the feline, To know the ease, the
(Priestess) beautiful ease of creating. And to know ecstasy and joy. To
(Priestess) stir t he very heights of our being.
(Priestess) BLESSED BE !
(Priestess) Prepare for Meditation.
(Priestess) We are all seated comfortably on cushions near a large
(Priestess) mirror. It is night, and the moon is full. We stand up
(Priestess) where we are, and stepping out of our bodies, leave them
(Priestess) resting comfortably behind. We go to the mirror and look
(Priestess) through; we can see through to the other side and make out a
(Priestess) moonlit grassy hill beyond, rising before us, We step
(Priestess) through and fins ourselves in a warm moonlit night. a path
(Priestess) stretches off to the right across a broad grassy meadow. We
(Priestess) look back briefly and see the portal of our mirror, with the
(Priestess) candle lights on the other side; it will be here open and
(Priestess) waiting for us on our return. We start up the path in the
(Priestess) bright, full moonlight...
(Priestess) In the distance ahead of us we see forest covered hills, the
(Priestess) sky is bright with many stars. the wind moans softly in the
(Priestess) tall grasses, there is the smell of pine on the air, on
(Priestess) either side the mist lies low upon the ground, we continue
(Priestess) across the meadow turning until the forest lies off to one
(Priestess) side, ahead of us now we see scattered fruit trees, through
(Priestess) which we walk. the grass underfoot is wet with dew, our
(Priestess) robes drift in the gentle breeze, the ground begins to rise
(Priestess) before us and the air is full of the sounds of night birds
(Priestess) and crickets. we move tirelessly up the slight incline,
(Priestess) seeming to barely touch the ground, fireflies flicker
(Priestess) briefly in the distance as we move through the shadows
(Priestess) beneath the trees, our movements almost soundless, patches
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(Priestess) of moonlight cast our shadows, rainbow rimmed on the wet
(Priestess) grass.
(Priestess) We glance back and, far behind we can see the rolling hills
(Priestess) and on the horizon, what seem to be the flickering of a
(Priestess) distant thunderstorm, the clouds far away, above us the sky
(Priestess) is clear, the moonlight bright. Mist drifts in patches over
(Priestess) the meadow, w e pass on through it. there is the heady
(Priestess) perfume of flowers, the smell of grass and trees, small
(Priestess) animals rustle near us. we move quickly and silently on,
(Priestess) passing through the trees like moonbeams, haloes about our
(Priestess) shadows. almost as if there were others with us.. but we
(Priestess) cannot make them out. The forest closes in as we progress,
(Priestess) ahead we make out the what seems to be the entrance to a
(Priestess) cave, with a soft multicoloured glow within.
(Priestess) As we approach we see what appear to be glistening minerals
(Priestess) encrusting the rock about the entrance to the cave. We hear
(Priestess) sounds of soft music from within, rainbow colours flash
(Priestess) colouring the wisps of mist which drift before it. We step
(Priestess) inside...
(Priestess) We seem to be wrapped in soft misty light. We notice the
(Priestess) aroma of sweet flowers. Ahead is a pool of crystal clear
(Priestess) water, catching all the colours, shimmering rainbow mists
(Priestess) rise from it. next to the pool a path leads to the right and
(Priestess) we follow it. There are other pools in small chambers about
(Priestess) the cave, they appear as mirrors to other worlds and other
(Priestess) times, the sound of soft music fills the air. Jewel-like
(Priestess) minerals are everywhere, the path leads upwards through the
(Priestess) rock, to a chamber where we see a great cauldron, mist rises
(Priestess) from it encrusting the rim with glistening beads, soft
(Priestess) whispering can now be heard. We stop and hold up our hands
(Priestess) before the cauldron, fine sparkles of light fly from our
(Priestess) fingers, and as we weave patterns with our hands we see, for
(Priestess) a moment, a pattern of light of our creation take form, then
(Priestess) dissolve to be reality elsewhere. the mist rises thickly
(Priestess) from the cauldron and we step forward and peer into it, as
(Priestess) through gazing into a mirror we see images of ourselves, an
(Priestess) d as we gaze these images appear to change, we become better
(Priestess) healthier, more perfect, with fiery glowing auras, ourselves
(Priestess) improving within and without.
(Priestess) We step back and throw a kiss toward the cauldron, sparkles
(Priestess) of light explode in the air, we look and listen for a while,
(Priestess) then turn and begin to retrace our steps....
(Priestess) Once again we pass through the chamber of the pools, with
(Priestess) its glistening jewels an d soft music, out into the bright
(Priestess) moonlight the forested hillside about us, behind us the
(Priestess) cave entrance, down through the trees we pass across the
(Priestess) meadow, with its whispering grasses and gleaming fireflies,
(Priestess) our robes floating gossamer upon the air, silently we move.
(Priestess) Ahead on the horizon the storm flashes, small creatures
(Priestess) rustle in the grasses, our shadows move with us haloed in
(Priestess) moonlight, we move rapidly through the trees and across the
(Priestess) meadow, ahead we see the faint glimmer of our own portal,
(Priestess) growing larger, brighter as we approach. we stop before it
(Priestess) and look around, one last look at the moonlit meadow, the
(Priestess) forest, the hills , the fireflies, the mist. Then we step
(Priestess) through. We are in the circle again. We go to our bodies
(Priestess) and settle comfortably down within them. We have returned.
(Priestess) I call Rilla
(Priestess) Rilla, enter into the Center of the Circle!
(Rilla) I enter into the center of the circle
(Priestess) Children of the night, send forth your power to this our
(Priestess) Sister, that she feel the relief of our touch.
(Priestess) (visualize healing fire flowing from your hands to Rilla)
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(Priestess) (and that any aches and pains are melted away and flow
(Priestess) into the ground for transmutation)
(Priestess) Rilla, when you feel full of power, earth the extra part...
(Rilla) <I send the spiral of the breath into the earth.....>
(Priestess) and return to your place in the Circle.
(Rilla) <and with it flows all pain and burden>...
(Rilla) <and breathe the spirit of the earth back to my heart>
(Rilla) <and out again to my brothers and sisters>....
(Rilla) I thank you...
(Rilla) Blessed Be...
(Rilla) <returning to place in the circle>
(Priestess) Blessed Be!
(Priestess) Is there any others that have a boon to ask tonight in this
(Priestess) Night of Power?
(Rilla) I ask a boon.
(Rilla) To send the healing power we have gathered here...
(Rilla) to our brother, Otter...
(Rilla) so that he may feel our love and healing touch.
(Priestess) We concentrate on the center of the Circle...
(Priestess) and a shadowy figure forms. The shape of Otter
(Priestess) takes form, and once again, the Healing Fire reaches
(Priestess) out to touch and caress.
(Priest) The figure waves it's thanks, and gradually fades away, leaving
(Priest) behind the echoes of it's Blessed Be!
(Priest) Are there any other boons or wishes?
(Rilla) Healing for those not with us?
(Rilla) Berrywine, our sister...
(Rilla) and Alexandra too.
(Priest) Heh, We are deep enough for that too.
(Priest) We spread the circle, and many shapes and forms
(Priest) begin to appear. Brothers and Sisters that cannot
(Priest) be here in the Now, but that are always with us.
(Priest) And once more, with a rumbling from deep in the earth...
(Priest) the Healing Fire once more flows forth, and lightning
(Priest) cracks across the sky in response, power to power...
(Priest) and the shadowy figures straighten up, lose their pain,
(Priest) and smiling, slowly fade away. Blessed Be.
(Priestess) Any others?
(Priestess) Any items to be charged? We accept Goddess Charge and Lady Visa (grin)
(I.D.) for Brad...
(Shadow Hawk) I have a request, I have a wand that I picked up in the Isle of Man
(Shadow Hawk) a wand of Ash from a mountain that our brothers and sisters died on
(Shadow Hawk) during the Burning Times. I would like to charge it with the energy
(Shadow Hawk) of the night. I place it on the altar in the center of the Circle...
(Priest) Visualize the Fire flowing once more, not healing, but bonding
(Priest) with power, sealing the Wand to do the Lady's Will.
(Priest) So mote it be!
(Priestess) Any others?
(Rilla) Ingrid mentioned Brad....
(Rick B) Charge his monitor! <g>
(Priestess) Then we continue, please take your chalice and bread.
(Rilla) who is not with us except in his heart <g>...and would be if he could!
(Priestess) (lift your chalice)
(I.D.) Who needs peace!!
(Priestess) O Goddess of beauty, and of Magnificence, O God of laughter
(Priestess) and joyous strength.
(Priestess) Cast now thy blessings on this feast of sacrament. That we
(Priestess) may honour thee, and learn of thy mysteries of life, of
(Priestess) magic of creating. Blessed Be !
(Priest) Eat now of the gifts of the earth. ever new, ever fresh,
(Priest) ever excellent, know well that the power of life to come
(Priest) forth is beyond bounds in time and space.
(Priest) Eat now of the bread before you. of the grain that forms a
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(Priest) link with the most ancient of living things And with the
(Priest) grain that shall sprout and grow for countless eons to come.
(Priest) Know well that to abide, life must draw vitality and power
(Priest) from the earth.
(Priest) Eat, and know of creation enduring.
(Priest) Drink now of the sweet wine before you, symbol of the light
(Priest) and beautiful magic, which opens the portals to the realms
(Priest) of enchantment. Know that music, and the lure of the
(Priest) mysterious is the sweetness and most intoxicating of all
(Priest) human experience.
(Priest) Drink, and know of elvish magic.
(Priestess) I bid you now, finish that which ye have, and meditate upon
(Priestess) the significance of that which has been said.
(Shadow Hawk) Gracious Goddess, thank you for being here tonight...
(Shadow Hawk) thank you for your Love and your touch and the light
(Shadow Hawk) you send to show us the Path in the Dark. Blessed Be!
(Shadow Hawk) Mighty God, thank you for being here tonight...
(Shadow Hawk) Thank you for you Love and your strength and the power
(Shadow Hawk) to find the strength to walk this Path in the Dark. Blessed Be!
(Marc Tripp) <Standing and moving to the East>
(Marc Tripp) Powers of Air,
(Marc Tripp) Place of Dawn,
(Marc Tripp) Guardian of the Gate I pledge my Air to Thine!
(Marc Tripp) Depart in peace to whence ye came
(Marc Tripp) Until we meet Again
(Marc Tripp) <Moving to the South>
(Marc Tripp) Powers of Earth
(Marc Tripp) Place of deepest Night,
(Marc Tripp) Guardian of the Gate, I pledge my Earth to thine!
(Marc Tripp) Depart in peace to whence ye came.
(Marc Tripp) Until We meet again.
(Marc Tripp) <Moving to the West>
(Marc Tripp) Powers of Water
(Marc Tripp) Place of the Setting Sun,
(Marc Tripp) Guardian of the Gate, I pledge my Water to thine.
(Marc Tripp) Until we meet again!
(Marc Tripp) <Moving to the North>
(Marc Tripp) Powers of Fire,
(Marc Tripp) Place of the Highest Sun,
(Marc Tripp) Guardian of the Gate, I pledge my Fire to thine!
(Marc Tripp) Until we meet again.
(Marc Tripp) <Moving back to my place in the circle.
(Shadow Hawk) I take the Sword of Opening, and I move to the North
(Shadow Hawk) Moving counterclockwise, I walk the Circle one more time...
(Shadow Hawk) and the fire gutters out and sinks into the Earth...
(Shadow Hawk) I walk the Circle Round and Round.
(Shadow Hawk) I walk the Circle into the Ground.
(Shadow Hawk) I walk the Circle round and Round.
(Shadow Hawk) Out to the edge of the Covenstead.
(Shadow Hawk) Returning to the north, I raise the sword high...
(Shadow Hawk) The Circle is Open, but unbroken...
(Shadow Hawk) Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry meet again!
(Shadow Hawk) So mote it be!
(Rilla) So mote it be!
(Marc Tripp) So Mote it be!
(Jim Stay) So Mote it be
(2-1,Rick B) So Mote It Be!
(I.D.) So mote it be!
(Kammy) So mote it be!
(Many Blue Sparks) So Mote it be!
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COMPUSERVE ON-LINE FULL MOON RITUAL
MAY 1993
*********** New Age+ Forum 04-May-93 20:17
HP | MBS, will you call the Guardians of the South?
Many Blue Sparks: Spirits of Fire who live in the summer sun...
| and winter fires, Guardians of the south....
| that warm this our home... we ask you to
| watch this circle and join our celebration.
HP | So mote it be!
Otterkin| So mote it be!
HP | Guardians of the watchtowers of the West...
| Setting Sun, Home of Bear, Waters of the Abyss...
| I do Summon you Here to this Rite...
| Serpent power, flowing power, I call to you...
| Come, attend this our Circle as we gather to do...
| the Lady's Will!
| So mote it be!
HP | I pick up the old hollowed rock that lays
| upon the altar...
| in it was water collected from sacred streams.
| Holding the Water to the West, I offer it up...
| Creature of Water, be thou purified and cleansed to do
| the Lady's Will.
| Picking up Salt I offer it to the North for Blessings.
| Creature of Earth, be thou purified and cleansed to do
| the Lady's Will.
| Mixing the Salt and water together, I stride the
| circle in a clockwise manner,
| splashing salted water around the Circle.
| By the Creatures of Water and Earth do I cleanse
| and purify this Circle!
| and I place the salted water back on the altar.
| Picking up the incense, I offer it to the East
| Spirit of East and Air, be thou purified and cleansed
| to do the Lady's Will!
Babs | Persephone from the East receives your offering.
| Xaipe!!!
HP | Then, holding the Censor to the South...
| Spirit of Fire, be thou purified and cleansed to do
| the Lady's Will!
| And I add the incense to the fire,
| and walk the circle...
| wafting the sweet smoke. Creatures of Air and Fire...
| Cleanse and purify this Circle
| that we might Do the Lady's Will!
| And I place the censor back on the altar.
| So mote it be!
HP | Then, I take up the Staff...
HP | In my Hands is the Staff of the Gods
| Fire flowing from it's Tip.
| From North to East to South
| I Cast the Circle round the Earth
| returning to the North.
| At Circle's Center,
| I plant the Rod Deep in the Earth.
| Like a Pillar, the Staff reaches up from the
| Center of the Circle.
| Turning, I bow to my Lady.
Otterkin| We are in the Space between the worlds,
| In a place that is not a place,
| In a time that is not a time,
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| In a space that is not a Space.
| Welcome, and Blessed Be!
HP | Blessed Be!
HP | Oh Lady, on this most Sacred Night,
| As your Face waxes Full and Bright,
| I bid thee grant my Heart's Delight.
| Oh Mother, Lover, Crone as One,
| Gracious Goddess, Queen of All,
| I call to you to Come,
| Join us here as we sound the Bell,
| Your Ritual has begun.
| Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna
Selene | Horned One, Lover, Sun and Son,
| Leaper in the Corn
| Join me in my Moonlit Rite,
| Weave with this Spell tonight!
| God of Wood and God of Field,
| Dancing by my Light,
| Come you now, an' as you Will,
| Share with Us Delight!
| God of Forest, God of Life
| Come I call you here tonight.
| Lover dead by Winter's hand,
| Join with Me to Bless the Land!
| send 6 Yours!
Pan | Tonight is the Night of the Full Moon,
| and tomorrow is Beltaine by the Old reckoning.
| The time of Beltaine (Lady's Day) is the time
| of celebrating the coming fertility of the Earth
| In days past there were many ways to celebrate.
| A bonfire was lit, and people would dance around
| and leap over it for luck in the coming year
| usualy with a specific endeavor in mind such
| as finding one's true love, fertility in marriage,
| or safety in traveling. Cattle were driven
| through it's ashes to ensure good milk yield.
| It was also a time when the High Priest and
| High Priestess would share in the Great Rite, Blessing
| the fields and flocks with the Power raised to ensure
| fertility and bounty. Couples drifted from the Circle
| to make love in the fields to add to and share in
| the Blessings.
| This year we are doubly blessed. We have a Full
| Moon coinciding with Beltaine, so it will be
| extra strong for "fertilizing" the coming
| year and our work here tonight.
Selene | Speaking of work, my beloved Lord,
| I am eager to begin.
| Tonight we raise the Cone of Power in a
| different way, so please gather round.
| Upon the altar there are ribbons,
| Colors of all kinds,
| White for gifts of the Spirit
| Pink for love or romance,
| Green for healing power,
| Blue for for truth and wisdom,
| Red the Blessings of the Fertile Field,
| Gold for wealth,
| Silver for security...
| Choose the ribbon right for you,
| the colors all run true.
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| All the colors in between,
| shades and hues of each are seen.
| Tonight's a night of Magic True
| And magic follows Form.
| In your Hand, catch one end and
| the let other reach for
| the Staff of the Gods.
| The Magic draws the Ribbons, and
| They fasten themselves upon the Staff.
| And brightly flutter there,
| Dancing in Her Light,
| Wrapped around the God's Pole,
Pan | Hear the sound of drumbeat slow,
Selene | Straight and Hard in the Night.
Pan | The Heartbeat of the Land.
Selene | nd
Pan | Hear the sound of drumbeat slow,
Selene | [B
Pan | The Heartbeat of the Land.
| Dance around the Maypole fair,
| Weave your ribbons bright and tight,
| Wrap the Staff of God.
| Wrap your ribbons bright and tight,
| Weave your Heart's delight.
| Drumbeat sounds louder still,
| as faster it becomes,
| Joyous cries from throats do leap,
| Hearken to the Sound.
| Faster still the beat does sound,
| The Circle spins around and round,
| Wrap the God's Pole with your Dreams,
Babs | ) ) ) ) ) ) O ( ( ( ( ( (
Pan | That Fertile be your Life.
| Wrap the Pole up nice and tight,
| Sealing your desire.
| Wrap the pole up nice and tight,
| The Ribbons now are short.
| Bind them when you reach the Base
| And listen for His Call!
| (hear the sound of far off hunting horns)
Selene | (Lighting fire)
| Tonight we charge by Fire Bright.
| and Jump the Beltaine Fire.
| Fire Spirit, Fire Spirit, Dancing in the Night,
| Fire Spirit, Fire Spirit, Come and join our Rite!
Pan | Come My Lady, and Jump the Fire with me!
| (joining hands we jump the fire)
| (let all who wish, visualize the fire
| and jump along with us.
Selene | Are you going to ask them to share their
| wishes?
Pan | Will you share your wishes with us here tonight?
Selene | Silver and pink ribbons for me...
H.P. | I wish for Contentment in the coming year!
| (jumping the fire)
Selene | The child that I would like to adopt should be born in
| the coming year!
Griffin | A wish to see the Community of the Old Religions
| banding together as never before,
| putting aside differences in Perfect
| Love and Perfect Trust (Jumping the fire...)
Many Blue Sparks: A green ribbon for me...
Pan | Blessed Be!
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Many Blue Sparks: healing of mind and body to become the highest
| I can... jumping the fire.
Pan | So mote it be!
Babs | Goddess & God bring me blue - letting go
| & red - passion. (Jump)
Selene | Blessed BE!
Selene | Blessed Be!
Pan | Then we continue...
Pan | Lay your hands upon my Staff, feel the power within,
| Take of It I will to you, Life and Heart and Soul,
| Take the Power within yourself,
| Centered and Empowered,
| Plant it deep within your Heart, feel Desire filled.
| Deeper works the Magic still,
| The Greatest Rite is nigh,
| Open now the Circle cast,
| and slip you out by ones and twos,
| into the woods, both Fair and dark,
| and feel Me all about.
| The Oldest Magic fills the Air,
| Desire fills the loins,
| Lovemaking, the Ancient Magick
| brings life to Heart's desire,
| And fertilizes the Earth.
| (visualize you and a loved one
| going out into the woods)
| Blessed are the hearth and Field,
| upon your love does lay.
| Make your loving long and deep,
| share your loving sweet.
| Come back to Circle when you are done,
| This Night's the Night of Love,
| Come back to Circle when you are done,
| While our Mother is Above.
| Milady, will you help me erect the Oldest Altar?
Selene | Willingly and with Love, My Lord.
Pan | (in the center of the circle a mist does rise)
| And I carry you within,
| hidden from eyes of the World...
| and only the sounds of Lovemaking fill the air.
| Around the Circle, the Coveners each make their way
| to the fields, with their loved ones and make love,
| each in their own way, to share the joy of Love, Lust
| and the regeneration of Life itself.
| Drink the Wine that is the fruit of my loins...
| And eat the bread that is the grain of my body...
| That I will live in you and you will live in me.
Selene | Now this Rite is drawn to close,
| The Fire is dying down,
| The pole is wrapped for the coming Year,
| And Magic fills your life.
| Thank you Horned One, young and Strong,
| For being here tonight,
| Thank you horned One, Dark and Fierce,
| For Dancing in Her Light.
HP | Goddess Fair and Goddess Bright,
| Within you lies the Seed,
| Goddess Fair and Goddess Bright,
| We thank you for your Rite.
H.P. | Moving to the West....
| Keepers of the Watchtowers of the West, I thank you
| for attending this our Lady's Rite,
| and as you depart to your Watery realm, I ask
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| that there always be Peace,
| peace between you and the Children of the Lady!
| So mote it be!
Otterkin| So mote it b!
H.P. | Now South please.
| MBS, please thank the south for us?
Many Blue Sparks: Keepers of the Tower of the East, thank you
| for attending our Lady's rite
| and as you return to Spheres of Fire, I ask that
| you bring us Light,
| Light for the Children of the Lady!
H.P. | So mote it be!
| Babs, Wilt thou thank the Guardian of the East?
Babs | Hail wise Persephone. Thank you for your gracious
| attendance. Bless our dreams. Xaipe!!!
H.P. | Blessed Be!
Otterkin| Blessed Be!
Griffin | Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North,
| Lords of the Earth,
| we thank you for your presence. Stay if you will,
| part if you must...
| and if depart you will,
| then we bid you Hail and Farewell...
| So mote it be!
H.P. | So mote it be!
HP | With my athame I walk to the north,
| the point is at the ground, I walk the
| Circle round and round, from North to West
| to South then East, the Circle sinks into the
| ground. I turn to face my Lady Fair, across
| the sacred Ground.
| The Circle is Open, but never broken.
| Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet again!
Shadow Hawk: Blessed be all!
Otterkin| Blessed be!
ID | Blessed be!!
Many Blue Sparks: Blessed be!
Griffin | Blessed Be!
FULL MOON RITUAL
October 12, 1992
Led by Baba Yaga (Grandmother Owl) with Shadow Hawk and Rilla
(1-3,Baba Yaga) I also wanted to remind everyone that if you are someone who feels
...
(1-3,Baba Yaga) that Columbus isn't your A#1 hero, we can put in a polite bow to the
(1-3,Baba Yaga) residents of Turtle Island were here to greet him.
(1-3,Baba Yaga) The strange words you'll see in the ritual are Cherokee for the
Spirit
(1-3,Baba Yaga) guardians of the Quarters, the God, Goddess and
Ancestors/Community/Totems.
(1-1,S.H.) striking chime once
(1-1,S.H.) Relax your bodies, feel the tension flow out of them....
(1-1,S.H.) send your awareness down, down, into your feet...
(1-1,S.H.) and from your feet, feel the connection to the earth pulling at you
(1-1,S.H.) slowly, begin to breath deep...
(1-1,S.H.) and with each breath you take, fill your body with energy...
(1-1,S.H.) and with each exhale, push it down through your feet into the earth...
(1-1,S.H.) the connection grows stronger, and the barriers break down
(1-1,S.H.) breath by breath, wall by wall, and the earth becomes alive
(1-1,S.H.) beneath you.
(1-1,S.H.) Now, as you inhale, let the energy flow completely through you into the
earth...
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(1-1,S.H.) and as you exhale, begin to pull energy from the earth up into your
body...
(1-1,S.H.) you are awash in the energies of Father Sky and Mother Earth, they
(1-1,S.H.) are cleansing and balancing your body with each breath you take.
(1-1,S.H.) Air and Earth, you are balancing, you are grounding, you are
(1-1,S.H.) attaining peace and harmony with our Mother and our Father...
(1-1,S.H.) Breath gently, and be at one.
(1-3,Baba Yaga) (moving to the east and raising my athame high)
(1-3,Baba Yaga) This athame is the symbol of Air, the element of the East.
(1-3,Baba Yaga) I summon the powers of the East, the winds of thought and
intelligence,...
(1-3,Baba Yaga) the storms of inspiration and learning. Here arises Awahili, the
Eagle,...
(1-3,Baba Yaga) where the sun does ever shine. Give to us the wisdom of the east.
...
(1-3,Baba Yaga) We invite these spirits to this our celebration of their powers.
(1-3,Baba Yaga) (Walking around circle drawing it with the Athame)
(1-3,Baba Yaga) (lighting candle)
(1-1,S.H.) (moving to the South)
(1-1,S.H.) (taking breath, and raising Wand high)
(1-1,S.H.) This Wand is the symbol of Fire, the Element of the South. I
(1-1,S.H.) summon the powers of the South, the fires of directed will, of
(1-1,S.H.) energy and spirit. Here dwells Tsistu, the Rabbit, the Trickster
(1-1,S.H.) in the direction we are always facing. Grant us the ability to
(1-1,S.H.) attune ourselves to the energy of the South. We invite these
(1-1,S.H.) Spirits to lend us their aid in our work tonight.
(1-1,S.H.) (walking Circle, sending fire though the wand, outlining the circle of
Fire
(1-3,BYaga) (Moving to the West. Picking Up small bowl of clear water ...
(1-3,BYaga) Holding water over head facing west)
(1-3,BYaga) This water is the essence of Water, the Element of the West. ...
(1-3,BYaga) I summon the powers of emotion and love, understanding and caring.
(1-3,BYaga) Here dwells Yanu, the Bear, where the sun lies down and dies ...
(1-3,BYaga) It is the home of the thunders: the source of knowledge of our inner
(1-3,BYaga) beings. Grant us thy inner peace and understanding. ...
(1-3,BYaga) We invite these spirits to permeate all that we do here.
(1-3,BYaga) (Walking around circle sprinkling water, drawing circle with stream of
water)
(1-3,BYaga) (lighting candle)
(1-1,S.H.) ~(I move to the North and raise a container of Salt high)
(1-1,S.H.) This Salt is the symbol of Earth, the Element of the North. We
(1-1,S.H.) summon the strength and protection of the rocks and the trees, the
(1-1,S.H.) stability of the stones which are the bones of the People. Here
(1-1,S.H.) dwells Yunsu, the Buffalo, in the home of the white giant from
(1-1,S.H.) whose mouth streams the cleansing wind. Grant to us thy strength,
(1-1,S.H.) ancient wisdom, cleansing and stability. We invite these Spirits
(1-1,S.H.) to give reality to all that we do here.
(1-1,S.H.) (walking the Circle, outlining the Circle with Salt)
(1-1,S.H.) (moving towards the Altar)
(1-3,BYaga) (moving towards altar)
(1-8,Rilla) <standing at altar>
(1-1,S.H.) (joining Rilla at the Altar)
(1-8,Rilla) Great Goddess, Maiden, Mother, Crone...
(1-8,Rilla) spread wide your wings of silver moonlight over us...
(1-8,Rilla) Give thy blessing to us and to these rites we do...
(1-8,Rilla) in your name. Grandmother Earth, Agisagua, Grant us thy...
(1-8,Rilla) peace and thy blessing...
(1-8,Rilla) <lighting Goddess Candle>
(1-1,S.H.) Mighty God of the Golden Sun, the Winter's cold, bring your
(1-1,S.H.) beaming face to our circle. Galunlati, Father Sky, Great
(1-1,S.H.) Mysterious of the cosmos; give thy blessing to these rites we do in your
name.
(1-1,S.H.) (lights God Candle)
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(1-1,S.H.) (lighting Yellow Candle)
(1-3,BYaga) Like the radiating cords of the spider's web...
(1-3,BYaga) All paths lead to the center. and like the circling threads, ...
(1-3,BYaga) each one of us is linked, one to all others. Spirits dwelling here,
(1-3,BYaga) old ones, ancestors, Agayunli, Nunahe, be welcome ...
(1-3,BYaga) here we are all one. We are the Stone Peoples...
(1-3,BYaga) the community of the religions of the Mother Earth and the Father Sky.
(1-3,BYaga) (Lighting red Candle)
(1-3,BYaga) (Picking up silver cup filled with clear spring water...
(1-3,BYaga) holding the cup up towards the full moon)
(1-8,Rilla) Silver Lady, Mother of Dreams, Night Sister...
(1-8,Rilla) Lift your sacred circle---see your reflection here.
(1-8,Rilla) <looking up at the moon>
(1-1,S.H.) In Shadow do we search.
(1-1,S.H.) To the Darkness you bring welcome light!
(1-3,BYaga) (looking at the Moon)
(1-1,S.H.) (looking up at the moon)
(1-3,BYaga) Lady Moon, your silver face reflects upon this water. ...
(1-3,BYaga) Reach down and give your face unto this mirror here. ...
(1-3,BYaga) Come to us Lady: come. We, your children ask you. ...
(1-3,BYaga) Moon Web, Silver Thread....
(1-3,BYaga) Spin to us.
(1-8,Rilla) Moon Web, Silver Thread, Spin to us.
(1-3,BYaga) Moon Web, Silver Thread....
(1-1,S.H.) moon Web, Silver Thread, spin to Us.
(1-3,BYaga) Spin to us.
(1-1,S.H.) Moon Web, Silver Thread, Spin to us.
(1-8,Rilla) Moon Web, Silver Thread, Spin to us.
(1-3,BYaga) (bringing cup down to level with my heart)
(1-3,BYaga) (staring into water there)
(1-1,S.H.) Moon Web, Silver Thread, Spin to US!
(1-3,BYaga) Moon I name You, Moon you be
(1-8,Rilla) Moon, I name you. Moon you be.
(1-1,S.H.) MOON WEB, SLIVER THREAD, SPIN TO US!
(1-1,S.H.) MOON, I name you, Moon you be.
(1-3,BYaga) (Drinking from cup of moonlight)
(1-3,BYaga) (Passing cup to Shadow Hawk)
(1-3,BYaga) Drink Deep of Moonsilver ...
(1-3,BYaga) Be one with Moonlight.
(1-1,S.H.) (taking draught)
(1-1,S.H.) (passing chalice to Rilla)
(1-8,Rilla) <drinking>
(1-3,BYaga) Drink Rilla, Drink Deep of Moonsilver ...
(1-1,S.H.) Rilla, Drink, drink deep of Moonsilver. Be one with the Moonlight.
(1-8,Rilla) <passing chalice to Helen>
(1-3,BYaga) Helen, Drink Deep of Moonsilver ...
(1-5,Helen Larkin) <drinking.. passing chalice>
(1-5,Helen Larkin) <to Ray>
<drinking>
<passing chalice>
(1-3,BYaga) Ray Drink Deep of Moonsilver ...
<to babayaga>
(1-3,BYaga) Taking chalice and picking up sprig of lemon balm
(1-3,BYaga) (Dipping lemon balm leaf in...
(1-3,BYaga) the cup, shaking drops of moon water over Shadow Hawk)
(1-3,BYaga) Moon Washed, Love and light...
(1-3,BYaga) She brings.
(1-3,BYaga) the cup, shaking drops of moon water over Rilla ...
(1-3,BYaga) and sending with it healing power from our ritual)
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(1-3,BYaga) the cup, shaking drops of moon water and protection over Helen)
(1-3,BYaga) the cup, shaking moon water over Ray)
(1-3,BYaga) the cup, shaking moon water over myself, making face)
(1-3,BYaga) (pouring a drop of the moon water on the ground(floor))
(1-3,BYaga) (touching floor with foot)
(1-1,S.H.) ~(touching ground)
(1-8,Rilla) <touching ground> <placing symbols on the earth>
(1-3,BYaga) As we take power to keep, We return power to its source...
(1-3,BYaga) So Mote it Be
(1-8,Rilla) So Mote it Be!
(1-1,S.H.) As we take Power to keep
(1-1,S.H.) We return Power to its source
(1-1,S.H.) So mote it be.
(1-3,BYaga) So Mote it Be
(1-3,BYaga) (motioning to the directions as they are named)
(1-3,BYaga) Air, Fire, Water, and Earth
(1-3,BYaga) (motioning above and below)
(1-3,BYaga) Power of Moon and Sun. ...
(1-3,BYaga) Be within us always. As we leave this place between the worlds. ...
(1-3,BYaga) As we walk again upon the ordinary ground. What we did here is ever part
of us ...
(1-3,BYaga) We are power, we are change; our circle is opened...
(1-3,BYaga) Blessed Be
(1-3,BYaga) (opening arms wide to take in the whole circle)
(1-8,Rilla) Blessed Be!!
Blessed be
(1-3,BYaga) (hugging Rilla, Hugging Shadow Hawk, Hugging Ray, Hugging Helen)
(1-1,S.H.) (hugging hug junkies)
<hugging>
(1-8,Rilla Hugging all....beautiful ritual, Baba!
____________________________________________
EXPLANATORY NOTES
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Awahili is Cherokee for Eagle, the spirit keeper of the East. This is the messenger
to the powers and the bird of the chieftain.
Sistu is Cherokee for Rabbit. the spirit keeper of the South for the Eastern
Woodland Indians. Western Indians use the Coyote her. In any case it represents
teaching through humor or by showing how NOT to do things. Think of the B'rer Rabbit
stories: "Please
don thro me in dat briar patch!"
Yanu is Cherokee for Bear, the spirit keeper of the West. Yanu is the healer, she
who gave the sweat lodge to the people and the bear is the chief of the council of
the four-leggeds. The thunders are 'chancy' powers, sometimes good and sometimes
evil.
Yunsu is Cherokee for Buffalo, the spirit keeper of the North. Yes, buffalo once
roamed a lot of the East! The buffalo provides for our mundane needs with food,
clothing, shelter and, in the planes, fuel. For the Sioux (Lakota) the buffalo also
gives the sacred pipe to the people, their communication with the powers.
Agisegua is the Great female or Great Doe of the Cherokee. There are other female
power figures which might have been used including the Corn Mother.
Galunlati is 'him above' in Cherokee and is one of many possible names for deity
above.
Agayunli means "old" and refers to 'ancestors'; the grandmothers and grandfathers
who are the wise ones. 'Grandmother' and/or 'Grandfather' were used as respectful
address to persons considered wise without regard to actual kinship.
Nunahi are the spirits and totems which surround us. It might be translated as the
'immortals'.
Full Moon Ritual Sept 10, 1992
HPS-Nanette
HP -Ted
(1-6,HPS) [ HPS take besom (broom) and circles the area clockwise while
(1-6,HPS) sweeping and saying]
(1-6,HPS) Sweep Ye Circle
(1-6,HPS) Sweep it well
(1-6,HPS) Sweep out evil
(1-6,HPS) Sweep out ill
(1-6,HPS) Sweep out ye Lady's beautiful Earth
(1-6,HPS) And fill this site with Joy and Mirth!
(1-6,HPS) [HPS rings a pleasant bell three times]
(1-6,HPS) Ring!
(1-6,HPS) Ring!
(1-6,HPS) Ring!
(1-6,HP) I will now light the Lords candle on the Alter...
(1-6,HP) My lord, be with us in strength and love to see this circle through
(1-6,HP) As the light shines through, Our love is with you!
(1-6,HPS) I will now light the Lady's candle on the altar...
(1-6,HPS) May the Lady's light guide us. So mote it be!
(1-6,HPS) My lord, will you please summon the Elementals?
(1-6,HP) By your wish, my love!
(1-6,HP) [I move to the East with Athame in hand and draw a Large invoking
(1-6,HP) pentagram in the air]
(1-6,HP) Powers of the East, entities of air, I call and summon thee here and
(1-6,HP) now. With the Love of the Lady and the Strength of the Lord I invoke
(1-6,HP) Thee; Be present at our circle; Protect those within; Guide us in...
(1-6,HP) our rites.
(1-6,HP) Oh, great element of air, as thou flows within us all, I ask
(1-6,HP) of thee to join all here together with thine invisible bonds of
(1-6,HP) thought and knowledge. So Mote it Be!
(1-6,HP) [I move to the South, again drawing an invoking pentagram in
(1-6,HP) the air]
(1-6,HP) Powers of the South, entities of fire, I call and summon thee here
(1-6,HP) and now. With love of the Lady and Strength of the Lord I invoke...
(1-6,HP) thee; Be present at our circle; Protect those within; and Guide us
(1-6,HP) in our rites. Oh great elements of fire, warm our hearts and souls
(1-6,HP) so that all within our circle tonight can WILL that perfect love
(1-6,HP) away and thus receive all that which returns thrice fold.
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(1-6,HP) So mote it be!
(1-6,HPS) So Mote It Be!
(1-6,HP) [I move to the West. I draw a large invoking pentagram in the air]
(1-6,HP) Powers of the West, entities of water, I call and summon thee with
(1-6,HP) the love of the Lady and strength of the Lord. I invoke Thee; Be
(1-6,HP) present at our circle; Protect those within; and guide us in our...
(1-6,HP) rites.
(1-6,HP) Oh great element of water, help us dare to flow as easily as thou...
(1-6,HP) within and without our physical selves so that all within our circle...
(1-6,HP) may join on the astral. Moisten our lips so our kiss be soft; Flow...
(1-6,HP) fromfrom our eyes as tears of joy; Unite us in the realms of the...
(1-6,HP) Gods. So mote it be!
(1-6,HP) [Circling to the north I draw another large invoking Pentagram]
(1-6,HP) Lady of the North, Mother Earth, sweet beauty and gift of the Gods,...
(1-6,HP) join us here in our circle of love. With the Lord and the Lady...
(1-6,HP) within us all, we send for thee with Perfect Love and Perfect Trust...
(1-6,HP) so that thou may be healed, renewed, and loved. Powers of the North,...
(1-6,HP) entities of the Earth, be present at our circle; Protect those...
(1-6,HP) within; and Guide us in our rites. With the love of the Lady and...
(1-6,HP) the strength of the Lord, I call thee here now!
(1-6,HP) [Back to the East again, Athame raised high]
(1-6,HP) So Mote It Be! The elements are here!
(1-6,HP) [speaking now to the HPS]
(1-6,HP) My Lady, the elements are present as per your wish. With love and...
(1-6,HP) trust they have been summoned as all here now have been.
(1-6,HPS) [HPS goes to the alter and draws a pentagram in a bowl of salt]
(1-6,HPS) I bless thee salt, element of Earth, in the names of the Lady &...
(1-6,HPS) Lord. [HPS now draws a pentagram in a bowl of water]
(1-6,HPS) I bless thee, element of water, in the names of the Lord and Lady.
(1-6,HPS) [HPS Places three Athame-fulls <g> of salt in the water]
(1-6,HPS) I ask that the combining of these elements purify our circle, and...
(1-6,HPS) those who shall enter this sacred place of worship for the Lady and...
(1-6,HPS) Lord.
(1-6,HP) [HP draws a pentagram in a small dish of incense]
(1-6,HP) Incense of Oil. Incense of Herb. I bless and consecrate thee to be...
(1-6,HP) pure and good. With this blessing I do charge thee to keep from this...
(1-6,HP) circle all ill and bring forth the security of Perfect Love and...
(1-6,HP) Perfect Trust to all within our magical bounds.
(1-6,HP) So Mote It Be!
(1-6,HP) [Now I draw a pentagram in over the fire (a small charcoal)]
(1-6,HP) Creature of fire, I consecrate and bless thee so that thou are...
(1-6,HP) purest in form, love, and trust. Powers within, grow and strengthen...
(1-6,HP) so that thou may protect and aid all within our circle, uniting us...
(1-6,HP) within, even over vast distances. I charge thee to hinder us not,...
(1-6,HP) protect us from that which we do not desire, and warm our hearts...
(1-6,HP) with thoughts of Love and Trust.
(1-6,HP) [I now place a bit of incense on the coal]
(1-6,HP) Incense burn in the fires light and the elements shall unite. May...
(1-6,HP) the sweetness upon the air aid our united thoughts and bring forth...
(1-6,HP) all which is good and pure. For that which is not good and pure...
(1-6,HP) shall find the sweetness sour and repugnant. Incense and fire now...
(1-6,HP) seal our way on the path of the Lady and Lord!
(1-6,HP) [HP will take censor in hand and the HPS will take the salted water,...
(1-6,HP) we then sprinkle and cense the circle border as well as ourselves...
(1-6,HP) within... ]
(1-6,HP) <Spinkle>
(1-6,HP) <Sprinkle>
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(1-6,HPS) [I will now conjure the circle, please visualize a bright blue...
(1-6,HPS) perimeter]
(1-6,HPS) I conjure thee oh circle of love and light. May our perfect love and...
(1-6,HPS) trust shine bright. With this light of blue,
(1-6,HPS) We ask that no harm come through.
(1-6,HPS) Circle in, Circle out,
(1-6,HPS) Only the pure of heart may come about.
(1-6,HP & HPS) So Mote It Be!
(1-6,HP) [With a big ole kiss I bring all the Ladies out there into our...
(1-6,HP) circle]
(1-6,HPS) [With a kiss I bring all the Lords into our circle]
(1-6,HPS) <Kiss Kiss>
(1-6,HP) Well, we're all in circle and have a ritual for the moon to boot.
(1-6,HP) Anyone have any input they would like some group thought on? We
(1-6,HP) have a bit of collective thought to do later, also.
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) I would like to thank the Lady for the fact...
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) that so little life was lost due to Hurricane Andrew.
(1-6,Ted & Nanette) Blessed Be!
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) Greg, Lars, Count, anything to add?
(1-9,Lars) I would like to say thank you for a beautiful experience..
(1-4,Greg) I would like to ask if we coulld raise dome energy to
(1-6,Ted & Nanette) OK, shall we go into our ritual? Also, what is the
transmission...
(1-4,Greg) send to my mother in the hospital
(1-6,Ted & Nanette) delay? should I wait longer for responses?
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) Yes wait about a minute longer
(1-4,Greg) I can't type fast
(1-6,HP) Why is your mom in the hospital?
(1-4,Greg) Cancer
(1-6,HP) Let's do a bit of healing with our collective thoughts, when the...
(1-6,HP) magic time is ready. Is that OK? Where is she?
(1-4,Greg) Dobbs Ferry, New York... that sounds fine
(1-6,HP) Any one else, or shall the ritual begin?
(1-6,HP) Whom might have a whit candle available, and whom is visualizing...
(1-6,HP) tonight?
(1-9,Lars) I'm just 20 minutes north of where the worst of Andrew hit--Please .... a
though
(1-4,Greg) I have a white candle
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) I have a Zen Candle
(1-6,HPS) Figures!
(1-6,HP) OK let us do what we came here to do!
(1-6,HP) Tonight is the full moon. We are at our peak in magic, love, and...
(1-6,HP) fulfillment in all matters. Tonight we celebrate the climax of our...
(1-6,HP) Lady's cycle. Tonight we are all one!
(1-6,HPS) The culmination of our work, our love, and the Lord, rest in the...
(1-6,HPS) Lady tonight.
(1-6,HP) Would anyone else like to comment on what the full moon is to them?
(1-9,Lars) High Tide for me...!
(1-6,HP) So be it.
(1-6,HPS) The Godess is Alive and Magic is afoot!
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) The Full moon is the face of my Lover.
(1-6,HP) Blessed be! The Goddess is Alive and Magic is afoot!
(1-6,HP) [HP now take white candle in hand, (mouth actually, hands are busy)]
(1-6,HP) May this candle be as the moon, as the Goddess. Shining bright with...
(1-6,HP) the warmth of love.
(1-6,HP) [I hand the candle to the HPS]
(1-6,HPS) [HPS carves a pentagram in the candle and says]
(1-6,HPS) With love and trust I charge this candle to burn bright and long. It...
(1-6,HPS) is to represent the Lady, the moon, and of course the Lord. In peace...
(1-6,HPS) and harmony this candle is love.
(1-6,HP) Blessed Be!
(1-6,HPS) Blessed Be!
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(1-6,HPS) [HPS now lights the candle and places it on the altar, saying]
(1-6,HPS) Now, with all of us across the distances, if you have a candle,...
(1-6,HPS) please do as I did. We shall wait...
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) blessed be
(1-6,HP) Shall we continue?
(1-3,Count Cagliostro) yes
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) aye
(1-9,Lars) yes
(1-4,Greg) Blessed Be!
(1-6,HPS) So be it! Those that have candles please follow along; those...
(1-6,HPS) without should visualize one and procede along also. The physical...
(1-6,HPS) world NEVER INHIBITS the realm we are in now.
(1-6,HPS) I want everyone to look into the flame of your candle. Our computer...
(1-6,HPS) desk is serving as an altar tonight, to make it a bit less hectic....
(1-6,HPS) <g>. Anyhow, look into the flame and see the moon. So bright and...
(1-6,HPS) full, this is the moon in your heart.
(1-6,HP) Now look again into the flame of your candle, and see yourself in...
(1-6,HP) that flame. See your life energy as it really is. The moon is your...
(1-6,HP) heart, the flame, and you life energy. It is one!
(1-6,HPS) Let us pause for a moment and let yourself be one with the flame,...
(1-6,HPS) the moon, and the Goddess. Feel the warmth. Feel the love.
(1-6,HPS) Know the Goddess.
(1-6,HPS) As the candle burns, remember not what was said, but remember what
(1-6,HPS) was done and felt. You and the Goddess are one.
(1-6,HP) For those with candles, let them burn till gone. For those without,...
(1-6,HP) let them burn in your mind till dawn. For to snuff a flame before...
(1-6,HP) it's time really pisses-off the fire faeries!
(1-6,HP) Blessed Be!
(1-6,HP) [Speaking to the HPS]
(1-6,HP) My Lady. My Love. Does thou wish at this time to become one with...
(1-6,HP) the Goddess?
(1-6,HPS) Yes, I do.
(1-6,HP) So Be It!
(1-6,HP) [I raise my athame and point it towards the HPS while saying]
(1-6,HP) My Lady, Tis I, once again, calling upon thee with the request for...
(1-6,HP) thou to join us now in this, thy high priestess. Lady of many...
(1-6,HP) names, Isis, Diana, Astarte, Aradia, Be with us! Lady of many ages,
(1-6,HP) maiden, mother, crone, Be with us! With perfect love and perfect...
(1-6,HP) trust I call upon thee, oh most beautiful mother of us all. Join...
(1-6,HP) with us now! Our hearts are open to thee. Our circle is open to...
(1-6,HP) thee. Our trust resides in thee. JOIN US NOW!
(1-6,HP) [Now for the online tricky part, I'll invoke the HPS and then type...
(1-6,HP) her response, maybe it'll work <g>]
(1-6,HPS) [Breathing deepens]
(1-6,HPS) She weeps... for the destruction and the pain, for she knows it is...
(1-6,HPS) great. <sigh> But all is how it should be. Know that from death...
(1-6,HPS) comes rebirth... And although much time is passing, we will be...
(1-6,HPS) whole again. A large green ball... Greg... See a large green ball...
(1-4,Greg) OK
(1-6,HPS) in front of you... <shaking head> Greener, brighter... Not...
(1-6,HPS) Put your love inside and through me it shall go to your mother......
(1-6,HPS) Your energies will double...
(1-6,HPS) <Deep breath>
(1-6,HPS) Good color greg...
(1-6,HPS) <Long deep breathing>
(1-6,HPS) It is done. It has been sent.
(1-6,HPS) <We're back! Pardon us for a second while we do a good grounding...
(1-6,HPS) hug>
(1-6,HP) Well, ... Wow.
(1-6,HP) Let's do a quick cakes and wine (or Ale), OK?
(1-4,Greg) Sounds wonderful
(1-9,Lars) ook...
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(1-5,Shadow Hawk) sounds good to me!
(1-4,Greg) I have doughnuts and Ale
(1-6,HPS & HP) Just got ours too! Let's do it!
(1-6,HPS & HP) [HP and HPS face each other (OK Nan, get on the desk)]
(1-6,HPS & HP) [HPS hold the chalace, and HP pours the (oops) already poured ale...
(1-6,HPS & HP) into the chalace, and says]
(1-6,HP) Let me fill your cup, as you my lady have filled my heart.
(1-9,Lars) I want to thank you for this experience...A toast!
(1-6,HPS) Like the cup and the wine, we are one wet seperate.
(1-6,HPS) [HPS picks up the athame, dips it in the chalace]
(1-6,HPS) Blessed be my lord!
(1-6,HPS) [HPS sprinkles the cakes with the Ale from her Athame and says]
(1-6,HPS) Blessings be upon these grains of life, sacred to the Goddess.
(1-6,HPS) [She offers a piece to me (HP), and now I give her one.]
(1-6,HPS) [HP now quaffs a bit of ale and passes it to the HPS]
(1-6,HPS) Shadow Hawk, have some and pass it on!
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) (raising chalace)
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) (drinking a sip, with eyes raised to the moon
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) passing it on)
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) Jehana, will you chare the Chalice of Life with me?
(1-7,Jehana Silverwing) Yes, I shall, shadow Hawk. <takes chalice>
(1-7,Jehana Silverwing) <drinks a sip; libates a portion>
(1-6,HP) Now that the celebration is almost through,
(1-7,Jehana Silverwing) passes to Greg.
(1-6,HP) And I would like to request of you,
(1-4,Greg) <taking chalice>
(1-4,Greg) Brightest Blessings to all of us and eryone who was unable to join us
tonight.
(1-6,HP) Oops... Sorry to butt in on the party, Pass that chalace, we are...
(1-6,HP) still in celebration mode, yes?
(1-4,Greg) <taking sip, and passing to Lars>
(1-9,Lars) Thankful for the love shared here (dizzy)...!
(1-6,HP) Pass that on to granny O.
(1-9,Lars) Big Gulp!!!
(1-3,Annina) Greetings all, sorry I'm late.
(1-9,Lars) <passing chalice to Annina>
(1-3,Annina) <taking a sip>
(1-3,Annina) <smiles all around>
(1-6,HP) Blessed be Annina!
(1-3,Annina) Blessed be to all!
(1-6,HP) OK, can we continue, still a bit to do before we close...
(1-4,Greg) Has everyone had cakes and wine?
(1-7,Jehana Silverwing) yes.
(1-3,Annina) <taking a bite of cake> Yes, thanks. :-)
(1-6,Ted & Nanette) yes.
(1-4,Greg) Lets continue
(1-6,HP) Now the celebration is almost through,
(1-6,HP) And I would like to request of you,
(1-6,HP) Work with me to make the sky blue.
(1-6,HPS) The earth is our mother
(1-6,HPS) From the start she has been there for us
(1-6,HPS) And at the end she will remain
(1-6,HP) As we care for each other in this physical world
(1-6,HP) So must we care for our mother earth
(1-6,HP) For now is a time with smoky air
(1-6,HP) now is a time with oceans of oil
(1-6,HP) now is a time with soil of garbage
(1-6,HPS) Magic is in me. Magic is in you.
(1-6,HPS) Let us spend just a minute and think
(1-6,HPS) For collective thoughts is the magic for all
(1-6,HPS) Think and create. For in our power lies enough to change
(1-6,HPS) that which others deem a lost cause.
(1-6,HPS) Think now, one and all, about the beautiful mother. Healthy and...
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(1-6,HPS) happy and free from the diseases we have previously given her....
(1-6,HPS) Let's make the magic happen. See the mountains in the crystal clear...
(1-6,HPS) sky. See the clean oceans sparkling blue. See her beauty under the...
(1-6,HPS) full moon light. Think...
(1-6,HP) Greg, it was a bit unusual to see magic for you mom appearing in the...
(1-6,HP) drawing down. I've been under the belief that once magic is done is...
(1-6,HP) should be left alone. For any doubt will destroy the results....
(1-6,HP) Should we work more magic for her now, or should we call it done?...
(1-6,HP) It's your call.
(1-4,Greg) What we've worked felt pretty powerful...
(1-4,Greg) I think it will do, my mother doesn't exactly know I asked for this.
(1-6,HP) Well then, Thought of her will remain clear in all of us. Thoughts...
(1-6,HP) of her happy and healthy. It is done.
(1-4,Greg) Blessed Be!
(1-6,HP) Does anyone want any other collective magic to be done, now is the...
(1-6,HP) time.
(1-3,Annina) I'd like you all to remember my husband's and my business. We are
starting
(1-3,Annina) it this week on a virtual shoestring as our venture capital deal fell
through.
(1-3,Annina) Your thoughts and meditations in your rituals would be very much
appreciated.
(1-6,HP) What is the business and where? What are your goals? I learned...
(1-6,HP) long ago not to ask for vague things, they sneak up and bite you in...
(1-6,HP) the butt. That's an experience Loki taught me.
(1-3,Annina) The business is a point of sales computer systems company. We're in
(1-3,Annina) Pensacola, Florida (on the Gulf Coast near Mobile, Ala.)
(1-3,Annina) Our goals are to make 8 sales per month for the first 90 days.
(1-6,HP) Not too bad.
(1-3,Annina) That will give us the capital to get things underway with an office and
(1-3,Annina) a demo system.
(1-6,HP) Everyone here please visualize Annina's company selling 30 sales by...
(1-3,Annina) We're running it out of our home at the moment. It's scary, but we KNOW
(1-3,Annina) the business is there and we've done our homework and made the
connections.
(1-6,HP) the end of 90 days. Envision happiness and of course wealth for...
(1-6,HP) Annina and her husband. From this thought in your heart turn it to...
(1-6,HP) a color and send it to her now.
(1-6,HP) Well Annina, I hope I didn't zap you. In my vision I saw you so...
(1-6,HP) busy after 60 days that you needed to hire help to handle all the...
(1-3,Annina) WOW!! Green and pink and purple! Mostly green though. :-)
(1-6,HP) work. You will be successful. As long as you remember that which...
(1-6,HP) you want.
(1-6,HPS) Great!
(1-3,Annina) I definitely felt your strength!! Many thanks to all!
(1-6,HP) Can we close or does anyone have naything else to add?
(1-4,Greg) Best of blessings to you, Aninna, and your Husband
(1-3,Annina) Thank you, Greg, and brightest blessings to you and your mother.
(1-4,Greg) Many thanx!
(1-6,HP) So be it! Let us close this circle!
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) Blessed Be!
(1-4,Greg) BB to ALL!!!
(1-3,Annina) Blessed Be!
(1-9,Lars) Blessed Be!!
(1-6,HPS) [I will close this online circle, Starting in the East and working...
(1-6,HPS) counter-clockwise with athame pointed to the circle border, I say]
(1-6,HPS) Circle in, Circle out,
(1-6,HPS) Bless all those who came about.
(1-6,HPS) As our blue light becomes a dim hue,
(1-6,HPS) We have been protected, no harm due.
(1-6,HPS) I release thee oh circel of love and light,
(1-6,HPS) May perfect love and trust always shine bright.
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(1-6,HPS) [I end in the east from whence I started]
(1-6,HP) [Now, I must dismiss the elements]
(1-6,HP) [I move to the East, and draw a banishing pentagram high in the...
(1-6,HP) air]
(1-6,HP) Powers of air, thank you for attending our rites. As the sun rises,...
(1-6,HP) know that we are but one. Good night my friends!
(1-6,HP) [Moving to the north, I draw another banishing Pentagram]
(1-4,Greg) God and Goddess Bless!
(1-6,HP) Powers of the Earth, thank you for attending our rites. As the cool...
(1-6,HP) wind blows, the silence of truth will fill our minds. Good night my...
(1-6,HP) friends! So mote it be!
(1-6,HP) [And to the West, another banishing pentagram]
(1-6,HP) Powers of water, thank you for attending our rites. As we dare to...
(1-6,HP) be ourselves, we must learn to let it flow from within. Goodnight...
(1-6,HP) my friends! So mote it be!
(1-6,HP) [To the South, banishing pentagram again]
(1-6,HP) Powers of fire, thank you for attending our rites. As we will is as...
(1-6,HP) we are. Good night my friends! So mote it be!
(1-6,HP) [Back to the East, Athame held high]
(1-6,HP) And so we have come full circle. One final farewell. Powers of the...
(1-6,HP) East, the North, the West, and the South, I thank thee for being...
(1-6,HP) with us as one. AAnd one we always shall be.
(1-5,Shadow Hawk) So mote it be!
(1-4,Greg) So Mote It Be!
(1-6,Ted & Nanette) So mote it be!
(1-9,Lars) So mote it be!
(1-3,Annina) So mote it be!
SAMHAIN RITUAL
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30th, 1991
On-Line Ritual Facilitators:
Keymaster -- Priest
Otterkin -- Priestess
(8-13,Shadow Hawk) Hello all, Blessing Be among Thou.
(8-3,John & Karen) Hi.
(8-5,keymaster) Ok we are ready now.
(8-10,Jehana & Jeff) ready here.
(8-4,Tapestry) Ready.
(8-3,John & Karen) ready
(8-12,Frodo) I'm here, dunno for how long.
(8-6,Grey Owel) ready
(8-5,keymaster) Tonight we celebrate the Sabbat Samhain,
the eve of the New Year.
This is the time when the Goddess in her aspect as Crone
veils Her face and the
Horned One takes His throne.
It is a time to reap the good
and to banish the bad.
To this end, we folded paper with that
which we would banish written upon it.
With the old year dying
and the new year yet to be born,
it is also the time when the dead
may be invited to leave Caer Arianrhod
and join us in the ritual and
the feasting afterward.
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During the feast, the Lord of Misrule
reigns and is free to inflict his
Puckish like humor on us all.
Welcome all, and let us begin.
(8-5,keymaster) Take a deep breath.....
and let it out slowly...
Relax,
and visualize the link between us...
Scattered to the winds are we,
but we are here together....
(8-8,Otterkin) We enter a grove amidst tall oaks, lit by a
waning moon and a circle of torches. It is a
warm indian summer night with little wind, and an
aura of expectancy flickers like the flames. Our
altar stands at the North, decorated with apples
and pomegranates, nuts and corn. There is an
empty plate and a hand-thrown earthenware bowl
filled with fresh water. A chalice holds the
wine. The cakes are slices of pumpkin bread with
raisins, and oatmeal cookies. The small cauldron
of cleansing is of old polished brass with a
handle for carrying.
A large, black iron dutch-oven stands on its
three legs in the center of the circle. Wisps of
smoke rise upward and tongues of flame reach
beyond it's rim. Four unlit torches lay near it.
Here the callers of the Guardians will light
their torches, to place them in empty sconces
planted in the earth at the North, East, South,
and West. There are small buckets of water
beside each sconce.
Because we are modern pagans, the Priestess has
brought a boom-box with appropriate music.
Listen inside yourself and you will hear it.
Focus on the water in the chalice.
a symbol of cleansing and rebirth.
I add a dagger-tip of salt to represent
the aspects of the earth.
Great Mother, bless this cup that we
may be cleansed.
(The chalice is passed clockwise, with each
of us sprinkling ourselves.)
(When this is done, I return the chalice
to the altar.)
(8-5,keymaster) The incense we have chosen for this night is
juniper and myrrh.
It burns with the charcoal in the small brass cauldron.
Breathe it in, and think of fire and air together.
Let the strength and joy they represent
become a part of you.
Great Father, bless this fire and air
that we may be purified as it passes over and through us.
(Cauldron is passed clockwise around the circle, by its
handle)
(When all have breathed it, the Priest returns it to the
altar.)
(8-7,Otterkin) The ground beneath us has been sprinkled
with ginger and swept to remove all negativity
from this space. Let us join together
and in the names of Danu the Great Mother
and Arianrhod the White Lady,
and of Cernunnos the Hunter,
I cast and consecrate this Circle.
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(I draw the invoking Pentagram in the air
with one hand and then, with a long stick
from a hazel tree, draw the circle deosil,
North to North.)
(8-5,keymaster) Let the caller of the Guardian of the East, step
forward.
(8-4,Tapestry) Lords of the East, Masters of inspiration,
intelligence, new beginnings, and the wind rattling my
windows this night, Hail and Welcome. (Light Torch & place
in sconce)
(8-5,keymaster) Let the Caller of the Guardian of the South, step
forward.
(8-10,Jehana & Jeff) Lords of the South, may your fires burn
hearty during the coming darknesses,
May your Will be strong upon us; with us.
Hail & Welcome (Light torch & place in sconce.)
(8-5,keymaster) Let the Caller of the Guardian of the West, step
forward.
(8-3,John & Karen) Lords of the West,
guardians of the dark ocean and the lands beyond
be with us now in this time between the worlds.
Hail and welcome. (light torch and place in sconce)
(8-5,keymaster) Let the Caller of the Guardian of the North, step
forward.
(8-11,wanda) Lords of the North, Masters of the Earth,
the hills, the valley, and forests --
join us now in this time of great joy
(light torch and place in sconce)
(8-7,Otterkin) (Facing the center) The Circle is bound.
This is a time that is not a time,
in a place that is not a place,
on a day which is not a day,
and we are safe between the worlds.
So mote it be.
(8-5,keymaster) So mote it be!
(8-12,Frodo) So mote it be!
(8-3,John & Karen) so mote it be!
(8-11,wanda) So mote it be!
(8-10,Jehana & Jeff) So Mote It Be
(8-4,Tapestry) So mote it be!
(8-5,keymaster) (Picking up a pomegranate, I pierce the skin
of the fruit with my athame and remove several seeds,
placing them on the plate on the altar.)
On this night of Samhain, we mark your passing
O Sun King,
through the sunset into the land of the young.
We mark also
the passing of all who have gone before us,
and all who will go after.
O gracious Goddess,
Eternal Mother,
You who gives birth,
and life to the fallen,
teach us to know
that in the time of greatest darkness
there is the greatest light.
(I now take one of the seeds, and burst it with my teeth,
savoring the bittersweet flavor.
I then take the plate to the first covener in the East,
who takes a seed, places it in his mouth,
and then passes the plate around the circle.)
(I take the plate back to the altar.
and then move to the cauldron.)
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Wise one of the Waning Moon,
Lady of the Starry Night,
let the fire within your cauldron
burn up the dross of the year that is past.
To free us from the burdens that are plagueing us.
May the energies be reversed:
From darkness, light;
from bane, good;
from death, birth!
(I then place my piece of paper into the fire)
I banish the pain of past relationships,
(8-7,Otterkin) (I step to the fire in the cauldron.)
(8-5,keymaster) of my bitterness,
(8-7,Otterkin) I banish the pain in my childhood memories,
but not the memories themselves.
(I throw my paper into the flames.)
(Each in turn comes to the fire to throw
in their paper, saying aloud their banishment
or not as they choose.)
(8-12,Frodo) I banish the tensions and uncertainties that have
been plaguing my life as of late. <toss>
(8-10,Jehana & Jeff) (We have banished) (toss)
(8-3,John & Karen) We have banished! (toss)
(8-4,Tapestry) I banish depression and anger from past
relationships <toss>
(8-11,wanda) (stepping to the fire) I banish my insecurities..my
deep sorrow from loves past...and embarrassment
from words spoken too hastily. (toss)
(8-6,Grey Owel) I banish the quickness of temper (toss)
(8-5,keymaster) (I go to the altar, and lift my hands above the
cakes and wine)
All life is your own
All fruits of the Earth
Are fruits of your womb
Your union,
Your dance.
Lord and Lady,
We thank thee
for blessings and abundance.
Join with us,
Feast with us,
enjoy with us!
Blessed be!
(8-7,Otterkin) Blessed be!
(8-11,wanda) Blessed be!
(8-12,Frodo) Blessed be!
(8-4,Tapestry) Blessed Be!
(8-3,John & Karen) Blessed be!
(8-10,Jehana & Jeff) Blessed be!
(8-6,Grey Owel) Blessed be!
(8-5,keymaster) (I now pass the wine clockwise around the circle)
(Everyone takes a drink)
(8-12,Frodo) ->gulp!<-
(8-10,Jehana & Jeff) Good vintage.
(8-4,Tapestry) (libate) (sip)
(8-11,wanda) (sip)
(8-3,John & Karen) (sip)
(8-7,Otterkin) (small sip)
(8-6,Grey Owel) (sip)
(8-5,keymaster) (sip)
(8-5,keymaster) (Placing the chalice back on the altar)
(Taking the cakes, I pass them around the circle, clockwise)
(8-5,keymaster) Everyone, take, and eat.
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(8-12,Frodo) >munch.<
(8-10,Jehana & Jeff) Breaking off a piece; libating; (nibble)
(8-4,Tapestry) (take piece, crumble a bit onto the ground and eat
the rest.)
(8-11,wanda) (breaking off a small piece and savoring it)
(8-3,John & Karen) Breaking off a piece, sharing it, nibbling
(8-7,Otterkin) My cat has cut her own door into the Circle, and I
share my bit of cake with her.
(8-6,Grey Owel) (consume heartily)
(8-5,keymaster) (breaking off a piece, eating it, grokking its
fullness)
(I replace what is left of the cakes and the wine,
near the altar,
for the Sidhe to enjoy)
Will the Caller of the Guardian of the East, step forward
and release the Guardian.
(8-4,Tapestry) Lords of the East, thank you for your assistance.
Hail and Farewell.
(take torch and plunge it into bucket of water.)
(8-5,keymaster) Will the Caller of the Guardian of the South,
step forward.
(8-10,Jehana & Jeff) Lords of the South; of Fire and of Will, we
thank you for your assistance -- Hail and farewell!!
(Plunge torch into bucket of water.)
(8-5,keymaster) Will the Caller of the Guardian of the West, step
forward.
(8-3,John & Karen) Lords of the West, we thank you for your
assistance. Hail and farewell!
(Plunge torch into bucket of water.)
(8-5,keymaster) Will the Caller of the Guardian of the North,
step forward.
(8-11,wanda) Lords of the North, Masters of the Earth..we thank
you for your assistance and joining us this eve --
farewell! (grasping torch and placing it into the bucket)
(8-7,Otterkin) (I draw the banishing Pentagram in the air.)
Merry meet and merry part,
Let the Circle be open but never broken.
(8-5,keymaster) I hereby name............
Frodo............
Lord of Misrule.........
Let the Feasting Begin!!
*********** The Religion Forum 10/28/92 22:50:38
HPS | Relax... Let your body and mind be at ease... Breathe
| gently; regularly...
| This is the time of Inward turning, of saying goodbye to
| our Dead.
| We have descended into the night, and the veil between the
| worlds is at it's thinnest.
| The Sun King has become the Lord of Shadows, sailing West:
| We follow Him into the dark.
| Life declines; the season of barrenness is on us, yet we
| give thanks for that which we have reaped and gathered.
| We meet to turn the Wheel and weave the cord of life
| that will sustain us through the dark.
| I take these Creatures of Earth and Water, and do Cleanse
| and consecrate them to bring into this Circle,
| to do the Lady's Will.
| I purify this sacred space in the Lady's Name.
HP | I take these creatures of Air and Fire and do Cleanse and
| consecrate them to bring into this Circle to do the Lady's
| Will. I do cleanse and consecrate this Circle in our
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| Lady's Name, to do the Lady's Will!
HPS | I cast this Circle...
| a glowing blue orb...
| glowing, growing...
| surrounding all of us...
| surrounding us in protective blue-white light...
| expanding to touch all of us...
| connect us into the web...
| a place that is not a place, a place which is all
| places...
| a time which is not a time, a time which is all times...
| connect us into the web .
| The Circle is Cast.
HP | (facing the West, feeling the essense of Water rush
through me)
| (hearing the sound in the blood of my veins)
| Hail Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West, Spirits of
| Water...
| I call upon you to come this night
| and attend this our Lady's Rite...
| Guard us and Guide us in this request
| that we might tonight...
| Do the work by Her great Light.
| (lighting candle, passing taper to Gail)
Gail: The North: Power of Earth...
| Join our ritual circle
| Send your protection to us as we perform this sacred
| ritual tonight
| You, the force from which all life springs,
| Hold us in your heart through the winter
| That we may be re-born with you at Beltaine
| Empty us of fears so that we may be strong
| Strong in the Goddess' light to do her work
nise nekheba: facing the east I call upon the powers of the
| air, the winds to join our
| sacred circle. Come obatala, Olofi, and chango, ancient
| orishas of the east
| come and bless us
| uplift us
| caress us with your powerful, forceful breeze
| and guard us through the Spring.
| go ahead south
Frodo: Spirits of the South Remember.
| Spirits of the South, hear my call...
| Spirits of the South, Remember.
| Spirits of the South, you are here.
| South.
| Red. Fire.
| The heat of summer.
| The passion of adolescence.
| Feel the South.
HP | (turning to HPS)
| Blessed Be thy feet, that walk in the Way of the Wise
| Blessed Be thy knees, that kneel at the sacred altar
| Blessed Be thy Womb, without which we would not be
| Blessed be thy Breasts, formed in Beauty
| Blessed be thy Lips that shall speak the Sacred words
| Blessed be thy Eyes, that they shall see the truth
| and Blessed be thy Mind, that it shall know and
| understand.
| Gracious Goddess, Holy Maiden, Mother, and now, Crone...
| Descend upon this thy Priestess, we do humbly beg...
| Join us tonight in your circle as we assemble to once
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| more...
| Spin the Wheel of Life and Death. Great Goddess, mother
| of us all, you have brought us to life, and you walk with
| us to Death's Door and beyond.
| Goddess of Life and Goddess of Death, Cerridwyn, I call
| you Home!
| (kneeling)
Cerridwyn: (greets HP, looks upon him)
| By the Flame that burneth bright O' Horned One!
| We call thy name into the night, O' Ancient One!
| Thee we invoke, by the moon-lit sea, by the standing stone
| and the twisted tree.
| Thee we invoke, where gather thine own, by the nameless
| shrine forgotten and alone.
| Come where the round of tdance is Trod.
| Horn and Hoof of the Goatfoot God!
| By moon-lit meadows on dusky hill, when the haunted wood
| is hushed and still.
| Come to the charm of the chanted prayer.
| As the moon bewitches the midnight air, evoke thy powers,
| that potent bide.
| In shining stream and the secret tide, in fiery flame by
| starlight pale, in Shadowy host that rides the gale, and
| by the fern-brakes fairy-haunted of forest wild and woods
| enchanted.
| Come! O' Come!
| To the heart-beat's drum!
| When the broad white moon is climbing slow.
| Through the stars to the heaven's height.
| We hear thy hoofs on the wind of night!
| As black tree-branches shake and sigh,
| By Joy and terror we know thee nigh,
| We speak the spell thy power unlocks,
| At Solstice, Sabbat, and Equinox.
| Word of Virtue the veil to rend,
| From Primal Dawn to the wide World's end,
| Since time began, the blessings of Pan
| Blessed be in strength and love,
| Blessed be, wher'ere we rove,
| Vision fade not from our eyes
| Of the Pagan Paradise.
| Past the gates of Death and Birth,
| Our inheritance of Earth.
| From our soul the song of Spring
| Fade not in our wandering,
| Our life is one,
| By blackest night or the noonday Sun.
| Eldest of Gods on thee we call,
| Blessing be on thy Creatures all.
| I call upon thee, O' Ancient Horned One
| Who art the Comforter and the Consoler of Men
| I call upon thee, O' Great God of the Witches.
| Ruler of the Sabbat, Lord of the Wild Woods,
| I call upon thee, for I am thy Lady.
| Come out of the North upon the back of the Winds.
| And join the Lady Cerridwin at this Holy Sabbat/Esbat.
| I call thee by thy most ancient name Cernunnos.
| Descend upon this thy Circle NOW!
| We welcome thee Home!
| We welcome thee, Cernunnos!
Cernunnos: I am here.
| My Children call, from woods and from stream
| from fields fair and snow crested mountains.
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| Once more the Wheel of Life has turned, the Gods of Spring
| and Summer are gone. Now's the time of the long night...
| and my white cloak spreads forth upon the land.
| Breath shoots steaming into the night, moonlight glints
| off shining horn.
| Strength answers strength as I bugle my challenge...
| Calling you to me I bring you nigh
| Walk with me a while,
| and dance the dance of Life awhile.
Cerridwyn: It is Samhain...
| It is the year's ending.
| The crops have all been gathered in,
| those few remaining on the vines and stalks allowed to
| seed next year's crops.
| It is Samhain.
| It is the year's ending.
| It is time to take new stock of ourselves
| It is time to allow our roots to grow quietly,
| deep and strong.
| The year's ending.
| The new year's beginning
| signified in that ending.
| Silence.
| Visualize a shadowy triangle of your fellow coveners
| around you,
| with point facing West, and the ties of the past year
| about your hands.
| It is the great cold of the night, it is the dark.
Cernunnos: The Woman Lives, she passes, she dies.
Cerridwyn: It is the great cold of the night, it is the dark.
Cernunnos: Fear Lives, it passes, Fear dies.
Cernunnos: Laughter lives, Laughter passes, Laughter dies.
Cernunnos: Hope Lives, Hope passes, Hope dies.
Cernunnos: We Live, We pass, We die.
| Look around you, see the threads of Life and Death that
| connect you with the world.
Cerridwyn: "Weaving the silver ship's thread
| We cross the darkening night
| Sailing across the Sunless sea
| Enter the Dark Lord's sight.
| Weaving the silver ship's thread
| We cross the darkening night
| Sailing across the Sunless sea
| Enter the Dark Lord's sight.
| Pearl-Grey warrior, ghostly quest;
| Prince of Twilight, Sailing West.
| Pearl-Grey warrior, ghostly quest;
| Prince of Twilight, Sailing West."
| Please light your fires, incenses.
| Visualize your ties breaking with the flame.
| Gently but firmly breaking away.
Dark Lord: You are in sight of the far shore.
| See the light on the waves, a shroud,
| A track to follow.
| Step into the surf, step ashore.
| Cast off your bonds, and be free!"
| For here there is no binding.
| Cast off the veils that cloud your sight!"
| For here all eyes are opened!
| You Warriors- Here your battles are over.
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| You workers- Here your tasks are done!
| You who have been hurt, here find healing!
| You who are weary, here find rest.
| You who are old, here grow young again!
| For this is the land of Youth,
| The Shining Land, the Isle of Apples.
| Here woods never fail;
| Here there is a tree, the Heart of Light,
| And a well of silence.
| Gaze into the Fire, my Children
| Let your mind soar,
| Follow me, for I am here
| The Comforter, the Consoler,
| Heart's Ease, and Sorrow's End
| I AM the Guide:
| the Gate is open.
| I AM the guide:
| the way is clear.
| I AM the Guide:
| Death is no barrier
| For I AM Lord of the Dance of Shadows
| King in the realm of dreams.
Cerridwyn: Give to me your fears, that they may die
| and be reborn...
| Speak to me Fear's name.
Shadow Hawk: I fear isolation
Cerridwyn: Each of you, as you wish, type aloud the thing of fear
| you release.
Gail | I fear pain
Shadow Hawk: (burning paper in incense fire)
Asondrea| I fear loneliness
Frodo | I fear failure
nise nekheba: I fear love
Cerridwyn: I fear hurt.
| I fear making wrong choices.
Gail | I fear the boredom of loneliness
| I fear the cold that brings sickness
nise nekheba: I fear pain (burning paper)
Cerridwyn: Burn the paper
| Release
| continue on to form a Circle
| around the Altar in the Center
Gail: Let my fears dissipate in the fire <burning paper>
HPS | HP & HPS stand in the center, by the altar.
| Envision a pomegranet before you...
| whole and green...
| take it, and envision it as you slice it open...
| spilling its red pulpy seeds before you:
| Behold the Fruit of Life
| Which is death. <taste the pomegranet>
| Envision an apple before you...
| whole and red...
| take it, and envision it as you slice it open through its
| equator...
| see the pentacle formed in the apple before you:
| Behold the fruit of Death
| Bestowing Life!
| Look about you and see the Circle here!
Dark Lord: (kneeling)
Cerridwyn: This is the circle of rebirth.
| "This the circle of Rebirth.
| Through you all passes out of
| Life,
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| but through Me all may be born again. Everything passes,
| changes.
| Seed becomes fruit; fruit becomes seed.
| In birth, we die; on death, we feed.
| Know Me, and be free of all fear. For My womb
| is the Cauldron of Rebirth,
| in Me, the Circle is ever Turning."
Dark Lord: Blessed Be!
| (kissing HPS hand)
| (standing up)
Cerridwyn: Now go forth into the world
| Death and Rebirth have transformed you
| Life begins again!
Dark Lord: Gracious Guardian of the West, Spirit of Water
| Thank you for attending this our rite of Samhain
Shadow Hawk: And as you depart to your watery realm, we bid you
| fair journey
| until we meet again. Blessed Be!
| (blowing out candle)
| (turning to SOuth)
Frodo: Spirits of the South
| We thank you for attending our Circle,
| and for your firey gifts.
| As you return to your lovely realms, we bid you Hail and
| Farewell!
| <to east>
nise nekheba: Oh African spirits of the East
| oh chango, obatala, and others
| we thank you for attending our sacred Circle and for your
| graceful, peaceful
| breeze. We bid you farewell. (blowing out candle)
Gail: Spirit of the gentle earth and fertile soil
| Thank you for your blessings
| Sleep deep into the night
| Keep us safe within your heart
| Blessed be to all that have shared your gifts
| <blowing out candle>
Cernunnos: (turning to My Lady)
| My Lady, it's the time when we walk the land again
| Our children call us, and the fields and forests grow
| barren as the leaves dance their way to death. Now
| it's time for us to leave this space and walk the Circle
| of Life and Death again. Gracious Goddess, you who
| the Stars shine for, You who I dance and Live for...
| you who Bring us Life and Death and Life again...
| I thank you for your presense here tonight...
| so that once more we could dance together..
| As you depart this space, we will always remember
| you, and the love that you have for us.
Cerridwyn: Hunter, you who trod the paths of the Wild and
| untamed, I thank you for your presence here tonight.
| Cernunnos, ancient one, your song of the Earth itself,
| In love and in change, we will always hold you dear.
| Farewell.
HPS | The Circle which surrounds us, glowing blue and white...
| fades gently counterclockwise
| spirals inward,
| Gently, gently.
| ...
| Fire seal the circle round
| Let it fade beneath the ground
| let all things be as they have been
| since the beginning of time.
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| Merry Meet, Merry Part & Merry Meet again!!
CompuServe online Yule Ritual, 1990
(8-2,DragonHart) Relax....let the worries of the day dissolve
into the earth under your feet. Breath deeply. This is a
journey, sacred and magical. Prepare yourself for that
journey.
*
Yule is a time of change. Death and rebirth are the
themes that this holiday brings to us. We enter this sacred
time anxious for the birth and growth of the Sun God. We
naturally go through many changes during this time. We make
resolutions to do better, to give up things that keep us
from growing.
*
In our mind's eye we draw a circle of Power. Our blade
travels at astounding speeds, dividing us from the rest of
the natural world. We are set apart, between worlds.
*
Taking the chalice of water, we sprinkle the circle,
feeling the cool liquid on our fingers. We begin to feel
the cleansing power of our Mother's blood. The sprinkling
finished, we return the chalice to the altar.
*
The smoke from the censor curls playfully around your
fingers as you reach to pick it up. Breath deep of the
sweet Frankincense and Myrhh as you walk the boundries of
the circle with it. Let the scent drive away all negativity
in you. When you have finished your sacred task, place the
censor in it's place on the altar.
*
Pause a moment to notice the unlit altar candle.
*
<Facing the East>
<Raising hand in salutation> "Spirits of Air, hear our
call. Attend our Rite and afford us your knowledge and
protection. So be it!" <GA>
(8-4,DANIEL) Hail Spirits of Air
(8-13,Felix & Anne) So mote It BE!
(8-1,Jehana) Welcome sacred Wisps of thought and Wisdom!
(8-8,Ladyhawk) Hail Sword Hallow!
(8-5,Larne) Airy Spirits, Welcome! Join us, and help us to KNOW
and understand!
(8-3,NC) Ave Raphael
(8-2,DragonHart) <Facing the South>
<Raising hand in salutation> "Spirits of Fire, hear
our call. Attend our Rite and afford us your love and
(8-13,Felix & Anne) So Mote It Be!
(8-4,DANIEL) Hail spirit of Fire
(8-1,Jehana) Welcome Sacred coils of energy and flame!
(8-8,Ladyhawk) Hail Spear Hallow!
(8-5,Larne) Bright spirits of Fire, Welcome! Join us, and help
us in making our wills manifest!
(8-3,NC) Ave Michael! Hail Djinn, great elemental king.
(8-2,DragonHart) <Facing the West>
<Raising hand in salutation> "Spirits of Water, hear
our call. Attend our Rite and afford us your cleansing and
(8-4,DANIEL) Hail Spirits of Water
(8-1,Jehana) Welcome, sacred wells of healing and intuition!
(8-8,Ladyhawk) Hail Grail Hallow!
(8-5,Larne) Deep blue water spirits, welcome! Join us, and help
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us know of our own depths!
(8-3,NC) Ave Gabriel. Niksa, great elemental king, hail!
(8-2,DragonHart) <Facing the North>
<Raising hand in salutation> "Spirits of Earth, hear
our call. Attend our Rite and afford us your strength and
(8-4,DANIEL) Hail Oh Great Spirit of Earth
(8-1,Jehana) Welcome, sacred bones of our root-mother!
(8-8,Ladyhawk) Hail Stone Hallow!
(8-5,Larne) Earth Spirits, welcome! Help us to find the solid
core within us!
(8-3,NC) Ave Uriel. Cob, great elemental king, hail.
(8-2,DragonHart) <Facing Center>
"Mother Goddess, we ask that you join us in our Rite and
share with us the wonder of the rebirth of your son and
lover. You give us much and in return we offer you perfect
love. So be it!" <GA>
(8-4,DANIEL) Perfect Love and Perfect trust
(8-1,Jehana) Bright Lady, welcome, in our Love!
(8-8,Ladyhawk) So Mote It Be!
(8-5,Larne) Welcome Bright Lady, let us share your joy and love
on this night!
(8-2,DragonHart) "Lord, God, King, Father, we ask that you join
us in our Rite and share with us your death and rebirth.
Come and show us the devine beauty of life, love, death and
rebirth. So be it!" <GA>
(8-4,DANIEL) So Mote it Be
(8-1,Jehana) Welcome, Hunter, we bid you among us!
(8-8,Ladyhawk) So Mote It Be!
(8-5,Larne) Lord, we your children who wept at your passing now
rejoice in your return! Welcome!
(8-2,DragonHart) Like anxious relatives, we await the birth of
the Child of Light. The Mother's womb, dark like the night,
has grown to encompass half of the earth. Now the birth is
at hand. The water breaks and covers the land with snow.
Last years Child has grown and become King. He is now old
and venerable, waiting to pass his solar flame onto his own
Son that he might be born anew. He lovingly holds the hand
of the Lady who must endure his death and birth all in the
same moment.
*
<lighting alter candle>
<chanting>
Queen of the stars,
Queen of the moon,
Queen of the horns
and queen of fire!
Lord of life,
seed of light,
flame that warms the coldest night!
CHILD OF LIGHT COME TO US!!!!!!!!
<GA with invocation of Sun God Child>
(8-1,Jehana) Child of new-light, we bid ye welcome!
(8-8,Ladyhawk) Welcome, Mabon...
Lost one, Found again! Blessed Be!
(8-13,Felix & Anne) Behold! HORUS! Child of Fire! Child of Joy,
come ease the days of the Mother. Welcome and Blessed be!
(8-4,DANIEL) Hail and welcome child of light.
(8-5,Larne) Welcome young Lord of warmth and light!
(8-13,Felix & Anne) Praise Be Unto the Crowned and Conquering
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CHILD!
(8-2,DragonHart) Now is a time to greet the Child of Promise and
give him an offering of words that will help him grow
strong.
*
Child, Lord of Light, Hail and Welcome! I give to you
an offering of peace on earth. As you shine on us empower
us with compassion and wisdom. <GA>
(8-13,Felix & Anne) Endow us with the Fierceness of TRUTH!
(8-4,DANIEL) show us the joys of Love
(8-8,Ladyhawk) Mabon, we offer you music and joy and love!
(8-13,Felix & Anne) Thy Birth is a Power and Honor within us...
(8-13,Felix & Anne) We Pledge to Honor and Nurture THEE!
(8-5,Larne) Welcome! I give you an offering of Music! Grant
light and energy to our creative endeavours!
(8-2,DragonHart) Now it is time for us to go our seperate ways.
As we do, let us think on the things that we must let pass
away in our own lives, and those things that should live
anew.
*
Lord and Lady, Thank you for sharing with us this time
so sacred. Be ever with us. Bless us and guide us. So
mote it be.
*
<facing east>
Powers of Air, all knowing ones, thank you for attending
our celebration.
Hail and farewell.
<facing south>
Powers of Fire, inspiring ones, thank you for attending
our celebration.
Hail and farewell.
*
<facing north>
Powers of Earth, Wise ones, thank you for attending our
celebration.
Hail and farewell.
*
The Circle is open, but never broken.
Merry meet, merry part, and Merry meet again!!!!
Blessed Be!!!!
(8-9,DragonHart) *The Rite is ended*
(8-1,Jehana) Merry meet again!!!
(8-13,Felix & Anne) Blessed BE!!!
(8-8,Ladyhawk) Merry meet again!
(8-13,Felix & Anne) Hugs!!!
(8-5,Larne) Blessed be!
(8-4,DANIEL) Blessed Be
(8-7,PEN) Merry Meet Again!
(8-9,DragonHart) blessed be!
SPRING EQUINOX 1992
Compuserve On-Line Ritual
User User ID Nod Area Name
---- ------------- --- -------- -------------------
1 73715,1552 NWH Rm 8 Larne
3 70401,523 NOM Rm 8 Felix Culpa
4 75166,706 LOU Rm 8 Peri
5 72740,634 BPC Rm 8 Tapestry
6 71600,621 DNC Rm 8 Jehana
8 71361,2705 LSM Rm 8 >>Nan<<
9 70007,1546 VFL Rm 8 LABHRIUNN MACIAN
13 73117,2012 GRT Rm 8 Paul P.
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(8-1,Larne) OK all, standard procedure, a number of places after I say <ga>
you're invited to add your own thoughts, in order of user number.
If you don't want to add anything just say ga or something, so the
next person knows when to start.
Today we meet to celebrate the spring equinox, which is also
the first day of spring. The time when day are night are equal,
and the day continues to grow. The weather is starting to get
warmer, the days longer. The Earth is starting to awaken, buds
and blooms and shoots of all sorts are starting to appear. And
there's that unmistakable sense of spring in the air; not quite
a smell, more like a feeling, vague and indistinct, but definitely
there.
...
Take a few deep breaths, in and out in and out...
let all those worries and scheduals and plans that dominate
most of our time turn to liquid and drip away, down into the
ground. Feel yourself freed from the constraints of time
and space. Become awake, alert, yet simultaneously relaxed
and comfortable.
...
Now, visualize a point of bright blue light to the east.
Let it move in an arc towards the south, leaving a trail
of cool blue fire behind it, seperating Where We Were
from Where We Will Be.
Continue the arc to the south,
then to the west
then to the north
then back to to the east.
...
We have now isolated ourselves from the rest of the
everyday world, but in doing so we have all come together,
here Between the Worlds, joined by the joyfull dance of
electrons and other, subtler, forces. Take a moment to
visualise us all together, and say a mental 'hi!' to everyone
else.
...
Turn your mind's eye to the east, and visualize incense smoke.
Within that smoke are vague forms that, although they have no
firm shape, give off a distinct sense of great knowledge.
...
Eastern spirits of the Air! We ask you to join us in our
celebration and to share with us your gifts of undertsanding
and insight. Welcome!
<ga>
(8-3, Felix Culpa) IHVH (Tracing pentagram) ga
(8-5,Tapestry) Welcome. ga
(8-6,Jehana) Hail and welcome, refreshing breezes! ga
(8-8,>>Nan<<) march winds that shake the walls of my house tonight...Welcome!
<ga>
(8-1,Larne) Now turn to the south, and visualize dancing flames. See
the indistinct forms there, and feel their strength. These
are obviously entities who can accomplish anything they
strive for!
...
Southern spirits of Fire! We ask you to join our celebration,
to help us manifest our own Wills into the world. Welcome!
<ga>
(8-3, Felix Culpa) ADONAI (tracing pentagram)
(8-5,Tapestry) Welcome, spirits of passion. ga
(8-6,Jehana) Hail & welcome, passionate spirits of fiery will! ga
(8-8,>>Nan<<) welcome to our celebration dear warriors of the heart. <ga>
(8-1,Larne) Turn now to the west, and think of a large body of water. Within
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its depths move other forms, beings whose emotions and capacity
for empathy are as deep as the waters they move in.
...
Western spirits of Water! We ask you to join us in our
celebration, and to help us touch our own deep emotional cores.
Welcome!
<ga>
(8-3, Felix Culpa) EHEIEH (tracing pentagram) ga
(8-5,Tapestry) Welcome, spirits (sprites) of LOVE! ga
(8-6,Jehana) Hail & Welcome, waters of Intuition! ga
(8-8,>>Nan<<) welcome wisdom of the deeps, join our celebration and cleanse
and heal us. <ga>
(8-1,Larne) Concentrate now on the north, and think of a patch of ground.
Under it other entities move, entities that, though they are
as without absolute shape as the others, are somehow extremely
solid at the same time.
...
Northern spirits of Earth! We ask you to join in our celebration,
and to remind us by your presence that each of us, also has a
solid center that is as firm and real as the Earth Herself.
<ga>
(8-3, Felix Culpa) AGLA (tracing pentagram) ga
(8-5,Tapestry) Wee, spirits of the earth, bring us your strength. ga
(8-6,Jehana) Hail & welcome, bones of the land herself! ga
(8-8,>>Nan<<) sweet earth ones welcome to our celebration. <ga>
(8-1,Larne) Finally, turn back to the east, and complete the circle.
Bright Mother, Goddess of the grass and trees, beautifull
Lady of the gentle rains that nurish the soil, please
join us! We meet today to honor You, and to share Your
joy in the life springing up around us. Welcome!
<ga>
(8-3, Felix Culpa) Before me:RAPHAEL
Behind me: GABRIEL
At my right hand: MICHAEL
At my left hand: AURIEL. ga
(8-5,Tapestry) Welcome, Great Lady! ga
(8-6,Jehana) Hail, gentle Lady, whose touch brings life's nurturance to the
land! ga
(8-8,>>Nan<<) hi mom <grin> ga
(8-1,Larne) Green Man, Herne, Radiant Sun that warms and lights us,
God of the woods where once again bright spring colors
are beginning to appear, we ask you to join us as well!
Come, wake us from the long winter sleep, into the
bright, green world!
<ga>
(8-3, Felix Culpa) Come forth, O HORUS
Ye Crowned and Conquering Child
Come Ye forth and partake of our celebration. ga
(8-5,Tapestry) Welcome, my Great Horned Lord! ga
(8-6,Jehana) Hail & welcome, Hunter Herne! ga
(8-8,>>Nan<<) a thousand welcomes oh laughing one. <ga>
(8-1,Larne) The Lord and Lady take hands, and slowly begin to dance
across fields that have lain cold and hard all winter.
Grains, grasses, flowers, young animals, all come out
of their dark homes to see them and be nurished by their
love. We too need this nurishment as we come out into
the daylight. Both on a physical level, as well as to
feed those hopes and desires we keep within us. For myself,
I will gladly take some of this energy to help me as I
continue my efforts at musical composition. May the music
spring out of me as beutiful and vibrant as the flowers
from the ground!
...
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Everyone, now take this energy within to feed those
seeds within you. Feel free to tell us what you are
growing, or don't if it is something special and
private you wish to keep to yourself.
<ga>
(8-3, Felix Culpa) Come unto me, O MUSES! ga
(8-5,Tapestry) I ask for self-confidence to grow and flourish.
(8-6,Jehana) May growth and creativity flourish within me.
May it spread to all those who wish to share with it. ga
(8-8,>>Nan<<) i breathe in the joy of spring to feed my creativity in my art
work and in my writing. and may i inhale the fertility of this
season so that i may breathe out and share it with ohters. ga
(8-1,Larne) Finally, as we rejoice in the lengthening days let
us take a moment to think of Kuwait and the surrounding
areas, where the thick foul smoke often prevents the sun
from getting through at all, and chokes both plants and
people. Let us direct some of this nurishment to an area
which has already suffered so much, and let us send
our best wishes to the people who undertake the difficult
and dangerous task of putting out all the burning oil wells.
May a day soon come when we no longer need such dangerous
and disgusting substances to provide our energy!
Bright Lady and Lord, we thank you for joining us in our
circle and sharing your love and joy with us. We shall
continue togrow in your presence! Although you leave
us now, you are always with us. Hail and farewell!
<ga>
(8-3, Felix Culpa) Hail and Farewell, O Ye Four Furies! ga
(8-6,Jehana) Hail & farewell, Gentle Lady and Hunter Herne! ga
(8-5,Tapestry) Thank you for your love and sustenance. ga
(8-8,>>Nan<<) mahalo and aloha gentle dancers of the light. ga
(8-1,Larne) Focus yourselves again to the east.
Spirits of Air, we thank you for attending our rite
and stirring our minds. Hail and farewell!
<ga>
(8-3, Felix Culpa) IHVH (tracing pentagram) ga
(8-5,Tapestry) Hail and farewell on the winds. ga
(8-6,Jehana) Hail & farewell! ga
(8-8,>>Nan<<) thank you and farewell sweet sping winds. ga
(8-1,Larne) Now to the south.
Spirits of Fire, we thank you for attending our rite
and charging our wills. Hail and farewell!
<ga>
(8-3, Felix Culpa) ADONAI (tracing pentagram) ga
(8-5,Tapestry) Hail & farewell on the smoke. ga
(8-6,Jehana) hail & farewell! ga
(8-8,>>Nan<<) dear friends thanks you once again for joining our rite. ga
(8-1,Larne) To the west...
Spirits of Water, we thank you for attending our rite
and touching our hearts. Hail and farewell!
<ga>
(8-3, Felix Culpa) EHEIEH (tracing pentagram) ga
(8-5,Tapestry) Hail & farewell on the water. ga
(8-6,Jehana) Hail & Farewell! ga
(8-8,>>Nan<<) for your healing and your laughter we thank you watery ones. ga
(8-1,Larne) To the north...
Spirits of Earth, we thank you for attending our rite
and helping us feel our centers. Hail and farewell!
<ga>
(8-3, Felix Culpa) AGLA (tracing pentagram) ga
(8-5,Tapestry) Hail and farewell in the earth. ga
(8-6,Jehana) hail & farewell! ga
(8-8,>>Nan<<) hail and farewell. ga
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(8-1,Larne) Now unwind the circle, letting the arc collapse back into a point
taking it back from east
to north
to west
to south,
and back to the east,
where it again become a bright point, which
goes back into the Earth.
The circle is open, but never broken
merry meet,
merry part, and...
MERRY MEET AGAIN!
(8-3, Felix Culpa) SO MOTE IT BE!
(8-6,Jehana) MERRY MEET AGAIN!!!
B*B!!
(8-5,Tapestry) Hugs!
(8-8,>>Nan<<) B*B
hugrz too all
(8-1,Larne) Blessed be, all!
(8-6,Jehana) Hugs!
(8-3, Felix Culpa) (gang-hug)
LAMMAS 1991
SUMMONER: "HASTE! HASTE! NO TIME TO WAIT,
WE'RE OFF TO SABBAT, DON'T BE LATE!"
WELCOME TO THE CELEBRATION OF LAMMAS!
HP: "Lammas has come to be the Festival of First Harvest. In older times, it
was known variously as LUGHNASADH, LUGHNASANDH, LUGHANSADH, or LUGHANSANDH,
which have been translated to mean: LUGH'S FEST, LUGH'S FEAST, LUGH'S
MARRIAGE, or even LUGH'S WAKE.
ALL JOIN HANDS: "IN PERFECT LOVE AND PERFECT TRUST WE DO THIS RITE."
HPS: :In the name of the GOD and GODDESS and under their protection is this
rite now begun."
STANDARD OPENING FOR MOON
HP: "It has become a very nice touch at Festivals lately - holding hands and
going Sun-wise for 1/8th of a circle commemorating the turning of the Wheel
of the Year. To mark the passage of the 1/8th of a year from Midsummer to
Lammas, we'll hold hands, take tiny steps and chant:"
"AIR BLOW,
SUN SHINE.
WATER FLOW,
EARTH DIVINE."
HPS: "We have put motion into the FESTIVAL WHEEL, the WHEEL OF LIFE. We have
now moved into the season of First Harvest."
HP + HPS: "Let us now go back to those thrilling days of yesteryear when our
ancestors were still hunting and gathering; right before the time of the
first harvest."
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
BRIGID, MOTHER GODDESS
LUGH, SUN GOD
AIR
FIRE
WATER
EARTH
WOMAN
MAN
MAN + WOMAN step out.
MAN: "My Dear One, have you heard the news? LUGH and BRIGID are to have a
Fest."
WOMAN: "Yes My Dear Husband, we shall go to the Fest, but what can we bring
as a present that would be worthy of the GOD and GODDESS?"
MAN: "Between my hunting and your gathering we should just have enough to
make it through the coming winter, but we surely have nothing worthy of the
LORD and LADY."
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WOMAN: "I know what we can do, let's go and ask the ELEMENTS if they can give
us a gift that we could give."
2
MAN + WOMAN go to the East.
MAN + WOMAN: "MIGHTY ELEMENT, we poor humans beseech you for a present that
we could give to the GOD and GODDESS at their Fest."
AIR: "I AM AIR,
THE EAST AND FUTURE IS MY DOMAIN.
I TEMPER THE HEAT,
I BRING THE RAIN."
AIR hands her gift to the couple.
MAN + WOMAN go to the South.
FIRE: "I AM THE SUN.
I SHINE AND GLOW.
I BRING THE ENERGY,
SO THAT ALL MAY GROW."
FIRE hands his gift to the couple.
MAN + WOMAN go to the West.
WATER: "I AM WATER,
THE WEST AND PAST.
I AM THE RAIN
FOR WHICH YOU'VE ASKED."
WATER hands her gift to the couple.
MAN + WOMAN go to the North.
EARTH: "I AM THE NORTH,
THE GRASS AND GRAIN.
WITHIN ME IS THE POWER
FOR ALL THAT DIE TO GET BORN AGAIN."
EARTH hands his gift to the couple.
ALL join hands and dance to the tune HASTE TO THE WEDDING until the reprise
and then stop, inside the circle the MAN + WOMAN now dance until the end of
the music carrying their gifts. When the music stops, the couple approach the
GOD and GODDESS, who have now stepped forward.
MAN + WOMAN: "LORD and LADY, we poor humans come before you to honor you at
your Fest. Since we have nothing of our own worthy of giving to you, we
beseeched a boon of the ELEMENTS for a gift for you."
3
As they present the gifts they say:
(With the gift of AIR)" AIR from which we capture the essence of blossoms,
Fall's cut wood in a blaze. Grandmother's vegetable soup, puppy breath, a
lover's familiar scent. Birds and clouds suspended as if by magic."
(With the gift of FIRE)" FIRE, combustion that rends wood into its elements
to dry wool socks, explodes corn into puffs of deliciousness, brings new
meaning to a marshmallow feast, lights our way home. The dance of colors
warms the soul of our primitive self."
(With the gift of WATER)" WATER, we are caressed, cradled, restored in our
element. Waves covered in moonlight icing. Aqua stillness. Tidepools of
edible treasures."
(With the gift of EARTH) "EARTH, fragrant, rich, bountiful. Filled with
promises of wildflowers, carrots, lilacs and heavy headed grains. Home to
bugs and beasts in great variety."
LORD + LADY: "Children, We demand aught for sacrifice, for behold We are the
Mother and Father of all things and Our love is poured out upon the Earth. We
who are the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among the stars, the
mystery of the waters, We call upon your soul to arise and come to us. For We
are the soul of nature that gives life to the universe. From Us all things
proceed and unto Us they must return. Let Our worship be in the heart that
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rejoices, for behold all acts of love and pleasure are Our rituals. Let there
be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and
reverence within you. Because of your love and devotion We give you each of
the ELEMENTS you so lovingly brought to Us and We also give to you the gift
of the mysteries of husbandry and the growing and harvesting of grain. LET
THIS TIME HENCEFORTH BE KNOWN AS THE FIRST HARVEST."
GOD + GODDESS, MAN + WOMAN: (Joining hands together)
"MAY WINDS BLOW COOL, THE SUN SHINE WARM, THE WATER"S BRIGHT AND PURE,
THE EARTH REGAIN HER FORMER GLORY, THE RACE OF MAN ENDURE."
HP + HPS: "In memory of that 1st FIRST HARVEST let us all partake in CAKES
and WINE."
CAKES AND WINE
ELEMENTS
CIRCLE RAISING
(Gods and Forces remain)
This Rite was written and presented on Lammas 1991 by R. Kane (73370,205) at
Celtic Temple of the Wiccan Way in a southern suburb of Chicago.
HANDFASTING RITUAL
FROM LADY ARDANE, ON PRODIGY
Our tradition (Fam. Trad.) uses a lovely ceremony I will post here. You may use any
or all of it that pleases you.
Our bride wears white with red Witches cord at waist, groom wears
red with white Witches cord.There is a procession led by the High
Priestess bearing the wand,and the High Priest carrying the
bells.The bride and groom are escorted by two pages. At altar the
Hps.lights candles (red & white) and Incense (Rose &
Frankincense). After charging the circle the Highpriestess who
officiates says: We gather here this Night (day) to bind together
this man and woman in a ritual of love. Let all who stand within
this circle be here of their own free will and accord in peace
and love.We charge this Circle to be filled with love. May this
sacred space be consecrated before the Gods and Goddesses and may
it be a Guardian and Protection for the work we do this night
(day). Let (name)and(name) stand here before us and in the
Presence of the Ancient Ones.
Hps goes to the East: Be with us here oh Spirits of the Air With
your breath of life, join the bonds between these two and tie
them tightly.
South: Be with us here oh Beings of Fire. Give their love and
passion your own all consuming ardor.
West: Be with us here of Beings of Water. Grant these two the
deepest of love richness of body, soul and spirit.
North: Be with us here, oh Spirits of Earth, Let your strength
and constancy be theirs for as long as they desire to be
together.
Blessed Godddess and Laughing God, look with joy on this Union of
this man and this woman. Grant them harmony and beauty in their
lives and let them be always mindful of their committment, one to
the other. Let them so live together that their joy of each
other will be a shining beacon for all to see. Give to these two
your love and protection. SMIB.
The Priest and Priestess each hold an end of the wand and place
the rings on it. The B&G each place their right hand over the
rings on the wand. The Hps says:Above you the Stars Below you the
stones,As time passes remember this; Like a stone your love
should be firm, Be close, yet not so close that you restrict one
another. Possess one another yet grant each other freedom to
grow. Be understanding and compassionate. Have patience with each
other, for storms may come, but they will quickly go.Be free in
giving warmth and affection, make love often and be sensuous to
one another. Fear not lest the ways or words of the unenlightened
give you unease, for the God and Goddess are with you now and
always. To the bride: Is it you wish to become one with this man?
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To the groom, Is it your wish to become one with this woman? Take
the charged rings from the wand and hand them to each in turn. As
they place the rings on each other they say: Let this circle of
Gold reflect the circle in which we stand to be a constant
reminder of the pledges exchanged. Let it remind us daily of the
wheel of life and the unbroken cycles of eternity. The B & G
drink out of the Chalice as the HPS says...As you share this cup
this night(day) so may you share your lives and fortunes. The B&G
remove their Witches cords and hand them to the HPs who asks the
B&G to face each other and hold hands. She then binds their hands
with the cords and says...As we bind together this man and this
woman with these cords let their fates and future be so bound.
May they hold fast to each other, even as they are now held
fast. Hps removes cords and hands them to the pages. Hps says: As
the God and Goddess and the Ancient Ones are witness to these
rites I now proclaim you to be wed, one to the other. SMIB. (Here
the B & G kiss).
The HPS goes to each of the four corners dismissing the elements
in turn by saying: We dismiss you now, Oh spirits of air
(earth,fire,water,) and ask you to return to your elemental home
harming none as you go and taking with you our thanks for your
attendance.
And then at altar,: Dear Lady, Mother of us all,Blessed Lord of
the Woodland.. We thank you for your Attendance in our Sacred
Circle and ask your blessings on this couple and on the work we
have performed here this night (day). We dismiss you now to your
areas of governance, harming none as you go and taking with you
our thanks and love.
As we unwind our circle we place before this newly bound couple
our offerings of flowers to bring beauty to their lives and as
they represent the God and Goddess this night (day) we ask their
blessings on each of us. Merry meet and merry part and merry meet
again. The circle unwinds from the North with each guest (circle
member) kneeling before the B & G and placing fresh flowers
before them.As they kneel the B & G touches each person on the
forehead. The guests leave the altar area after this followed by
the B & G, then the pages and finally the Hp & Hps.
I thought long and hard about posting this as a public message.
But since I wrote it, (and plagarized some of it from various
Pagan sources) and we have used it in our hand-fastings and have
found it to be appropriate and moving, I think it may be
something to be shared and enjoyed by others. Like all Pagan
rituals, use only what seems appropriate to you. Rearrange it,
re-write it or toss it out. It is, as I said, a Fam. Trad ritual.
Lady Ardane.
Maiden Story
Excerpted from "The Bardic Mysteries: The Book of the Fool," by the Whyte
Bard:
The Maiden, being young and giddy, was watching the Men and Women as
they played and laughed in the Garden one morning. She turned to the Fool,
blinked her eyes, and said, "They are so fine and good, smiling all the time.
How will they ever learn and grow if they have no obstacles; if there is no
pain?"
And Trickster smiled a mad smile, and gave the Maiden a box. It was a
small box, of something that might have been wood, but wasn't, and it had no
lock on it. It did, however, have a small, neatly lettered sign on its lid.
Trickster pointed to the sign, and said, "That's called 'writing.' I
haven't invented it yet."
"Oh," said the Maiden, "But what's in the box?"
"Oh," said Trickster, "You don't want to know!"
"I don't?" said the Maiden, slightly miffed, "But I'm Deity!"
"I know that," Trickster grinned, "But you still don't want to know."
"Well....all right." And the Maiden flounced away, very much put out.
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Trickster watched Her go, and grinned. He then put the box down where
the Maiden could see it whenever She looked in that direction, and sauntered
away, eating an apple.
The Maiden looked at the box for several days.
"I wonder what's in there...." She would think to Herself. "That
Person is always up to some trick."
Finally, Her curiosity got the best of Her, and She walked into the
Garden and picked up the box.
She sat down under the apple tree, and spread Her skirts about Her,
and placed the box on Her lap.
She looked at it for a long time, and then thought, "Well! A little
peek inside can't do any harm..." And She opened the box.
Immediately, the lid sprang off, and a cloud of tiny things flew out!
They were like flies, or mosquitoes, and they buzzed crazily about Her head
for a moment, and then flew off in all directions.
Trickster stepped out from behind the tree.
"Well, now You've done it," He said.
"Done what?" asked the Maiden.
"Let loose what was in the box. Pain, and Suffering, and Envy, and
Hatred, and Jealousy, and War, and Covetousness, and Sloth, and quite a lot
more."
Just then, the box gave a great heave, and a very tiny, very bright
little Something flew out.
Trickster smiled a warm smile, and said, ".....and Hope. I'm an
eternal optimist. Want an apple?"
"I guess so," said the Maiden. "What did it say on the lid, anyway?"
"The usual. You know, 'Do Not Open This Box.'"
"Oh. I guess I messed up, huh?"
He smiled at Her, and said, "Not really. We would have had to do it
anyway, and this makes a better story, though they might get it wrong."
They both looked at the Men and Women, who were now sitting around on
the grass arguing with each other. A couple of the Men were fighting, and a
group of the Women were talking in whispers about another group of Women.
Another Man had fenced off a section of the Garden, while another was
coughing a little with a bewildered expression on his face.
"Excuse me for a bit," said Trickster. "I guess I have to be the One
to finish this, and get them started up the Path."
He walked briskly over to the Men and Women, changing His Aspect as
He went, until He appeared as a different sort of Being indeed.
"Time to leave," said the Angel to the Men and Women.
"Yes, we know," they answered, only half sadly, and the Men and the
Women started out from the Garden, out on the Path Of Being Human.
Trickster watched them go, out from the Gates.
"Good luck....." He murmured, and he sheathed the Flaming Sword and
closed the Gates of Innocence.
Thus it was, and so it is, and evermore shall be so!
---------------------------------------------------------------
The Sacred King
The Men and Women were hungry. They would eat of those that walk in
Fur, Fin and Feather, and thank them for their sacrifice, but that was not
enough. They would eat of the wild fruits of the Earth, but that was not
enough, for all of these must be found, and hunted, and a home cannot be
built on this.
And the Sacred King saw, and thought upon it for a time, and His face
grew grave and sad.
And He spoke to the Lady, and said, "I must die."
And the Lady grieved for Her Lord, and He fell upon His Sword, and
died.
The Mother buried Him in the Earth, returning Him to Her Womb, and
mourned, and Winter wrapped the World in ice and snow.
She covered the face of the Sky with dark clouds, and Her Tears of
rain poured therefrom in cascades and torrents.
And the Tears of the Mother wetted the ground, and the Sun warmed the
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ground, and a green shoot appeared, poking its head out from the Womb of the
Mother, and grew as the days grew, longer and taller, until the golden hair
of the Sacred King once more waved proudly in the wind; until the Grain of
the Fields stood, row upon row, as far as the eye could see; until the Bounty
of the Mother, the Sacred King Himself, stood upon the World, ready to be
harvested.
"That was well done," said the Mother, "But it pains me to see you
die."
"It is as it must be," He said, "And does it not show them that Death
is an illusion; is but another change in a MultiVerse of Change? It feeds
them, too, and this is a good thing."
"You are right," She sighed, "But I just wish it could have been done
in a kinder way."
"Maybe," He spoke, lowly, "But it is as it is nonetheless."
The Gifts Of The Fool
The Men and the Women were hungry. All about them was the Mother's
Bounty, the Gift of the Sacred King, and no way to harvest it.
The Fool came, and took of the Earth itself, and mixed it with water,
and shaped a Pot. And He took of the Grass, and shaped a Basket, and Nets,
and Clothing.
And He took wood from the Tree. A straight piece of wood, and he took
a stone, the very Bones of the Mother, and shaped it to a point, and fastened
it to the wood, and made a Spear.
With another stone He made a Hoe, and with another he crafted a
Knife, and gave them to the Men and Women.
And the Fool spoke, and said, "Look you here at Tools. They give you
claws and fangs, and extend your reach longer than any of the Brothers and
Sisters-in-Fur, even as high as the stars themselves. They will bring you
food, and clothing, and shelter. They are good servants, but poor masters,
for they can also be used in the service of War, and War will harm and kill
you, and destroy what you have. Learn from Earth, and be wise."
The Men and Women were cold, and the winds of Winter blew over them.
Ice and snow rushed around them, and they huddled together, fearing.
But the Fool came to them, with a new thing.
He took wood from the Tree, and the Bones of the Mother, and made a
small circle. And with the wood from the Tree He made Fire.
And the Men and Women gathered around the warmth, as planets gather
around suns, and were glad.
And the Fool said, "Look you here at Fire. It is warm and good; a
good servant, but a poor master indeed. Learn from this, that some things are
good when used correctly, and very bad indeed when used wrongly. For Fire
will warm your homes, and cook your food, and do many things for you, but it
can harm you, and kill you, and destroy what you have. You will find many
things like Fire. Learn from Fire, and be wise."
And the Fool took the clay pot, and filled it with Water, and placed
therein the meat of the hunt, and the fruits of the Earth. He placed the pot
upon the Fire, and the Water rolled and boiled, and the smell was savory to
the Men and Women.
And the Fool spoke, and said, "Look you here at Water, the Blood of
the Mother. It will refresh you, and cool you, and shall be your servant. But
mind you do not let it be your master, for it will drown you, and flood you,
and harm you and kill you, and destroy what you have. It is soft, but of all
things it will wear thru even the hardest object. You will find many things
like Water. Learn from Water, and be wise."
The Fool sat beside the Fire, and hummed to Himself, and as He hummed
He clapped his hands in time, and He made yet another new thing, and called it
Song. And the Men and Women took up the Song, and sang, and rejoiced.
And the Fool said, "Look you here at Air. Song is of the Air, of the
very Breath you take. Song will comfort you in sadness, and rejoice with you
in celebration. Song will weave Words into Magic, and can bend the edges of
Reality. Treat it with respect, and do not misuse it, for Song, and Words,
can twist and lie and turn you to a harmful way; take away your individuality
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and turn you to a Mob, that knows not what it does."
"You swim in the Air as a Fish swims in Water. Keep it pure, and
live. Foul it, and die. It is your choice. And beware of the Storms of the
Air, for this insubstantial Element can destroy what you have, and kill you.
You will find many things like Air. Learn from Air, and be wise."
And the Fool took of the Sacred King, and He winnowed it in the Air.
He ground it between the Bones of the Earth, and He made flour, and wetted it
with Water, and baked it in Fire, and made Bread, the Body of the Sacred
King.
"Know that I am always with you," sang the Fool. "I am He who Saves,
He who Teaches, He who brings Light to the World. I bring peace with one
hand, and a sword with the other, that you may not stagnate, but might learn
and grow, and attain the very stars in the Heavens."
"You will always kill me, in many ways. I have been chained to a
rock, and crucified, and burned, persecuted, and hated. I have been banished
and slain, but always, always I return to you, and I will not be silenced."
"My words will be twisted, and misunderstood, but with each
generation you will strive ever closer to That which you reach for, forever
striving, forever attaining, and forever changing."
"Sometimes I will come in quiet, slipping in and out again before you
have known my Presence, and at other times I will come with the sound of
trumpets and proclaimations."
"But always I will come, and I shall be with you, always, to the End
of Time."
And He gave the Bread to the Men and Women, and said "Remember!"
And one approached, and said, "You have told us of Earth, and my
husband was digging therein, and it fell upon him and he died. Therefore I
shall kill you."
And another approached, and said, "You have told us of Air, and a
great wind has blown my mother from a high place, wherefrom she died.
Therefore I shall kill you."
And another approached, and said, "You have given us Fire, and my
daughter has burned her hand therein. Therefore I shall kill you."
And another approached, and said, "You have told us of Water, and my
son has drowned therein. Therefore I shall kill you."
And they took the Spear, made from the wood of the Tree, pointed with
the Bones of the Mother, and thrust it into the body of the Fool, and the
Fool smiled sadly, and, for the first time of many, died.
"Will you always do this Teaching, O Fool?" said the Lady.
"Assuredly so," replied the Fool, with a smile, "For are they not Our
children?"
"That they are," said the Lord, "But for how long shall You teach
them, and be slain in return?"
"For always," said the Fool. And he smiled, and a single tear coursed
down His cheek.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Death
He was old. He felt old. His body did not work right anymore, and he
was always tired. His eyes were rheumy, and there were pains in his joints
that woke him in the cold night time.
One night, as he slept, a soft white light filled his hut. He looked
up, and saw the most beautiful Lady he had ever seen standing in the room.
"Who are you?" he whispered.
"Death," She answered, quietly.
"Death?" His reply was confused. "I never thought Death would be so
beautiful! We have always pictured you as some kind of spectre of fear."
The Lady smiled. "You only fear Death because you do not remember it.
Just as you fear Life, because you do not remember it. Come. Walk with me,
and be at peace."
He got out of the straw bed, and walked to Her. She took his hand,
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and he looked back at the bed. He saw his body, laying there. Still and
unmoving. Dead.
"It's quite a shock, isn't it?" Her voice was calm.
"Am I .... dead?"
"Most assuredly so. Come."
They walked out of the cottage, hand in hand, and he noticed that
they were not walking thru the streets of the village where he had lived.
"Where are we?"
"You'll see in a moment. Wait."
"Am I bound for Hell?" he asked.
She stopped, and looked him in the eyes.
"There is no Hell. You have lived as most humans do, loving, hating,
being loved and being hated. You did the best you could with the Light you
had to see by. You have learned much, and earned much."
Her voice was low, but filled with a vibrancy that touched his very
soul.
They continued a little way down a hill, and then turned a corner, or
something very much like it, and he saw, and heard the laughter.
"Is it Heaven? What is it? It's beautiful!"
"This is the Summerland. Here you will rest a while, and play, and
perhaps meet old playmates again and discuss your Game, and ways to improve
It. It is time for you to remember all your lives."
She reached up, and softly touched him on the forehead.
"Now remember."
And he did.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Rebirth
"It is time for you to go now."
The Lady spoke to him in a sweet voice.
"So soon?" he answered, "It seems as if I just arrived."
"It always does," she smiled, "But it's time to move on to another
life and another body. You'll like this one."
"I hope so. Buchenwald was not pleasant...."
"No, it isn't. But, like you folks say, 'that's Life!'"
He laughed, and stood up on the so-green grass.
"Yeah, I guess it is. See you in a while, folks."
The Circle of friends waved at him, wishing him luck and good
fortune, and he and the Lady moved off into a misty area.
"Pretty foggy here," he remarked.
"It will clear up soon," she said, and she took his hand.
They walked for a long time, until he saw they were on a quiet
street in a small town. It looked like a nice place. Around the corner was a
park, and in it, two people, a man and a woman, were sitting on a bench,
holding hands. They were deeply in love, and that love shone around them to
those with eyes to see.
"These are your parents. They're nobody special, but they're nice
people and you'll like them," She said.
"They look like nice folks," he replied. "Anything I need to know
before I do this?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you. Life is one of those things that you
just have to experience on your own."
"OK," he said, "I guess You're right, all things considered."
The Lady laughed, and touched him on the forehead.
"Now forget, for a time, until you return to Me."
And he did.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Creation Mystery
The Lord, and the Lady (and the Fool) were lonely. The All was not
complete; there was none to keep them company, and laugh with them. There
was none to know them, and none to be Their Children.
And the Lady said, "Let us go forth and make Life upon the many
worlds, that We may have Children, and a Family of Life within the
MultiVerse. And let Us make them in Our image, and love and be loved in
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return."
And the Fool laughed, and asked, "Shall it be so?"
"No," said the Sacred King.
And the Fool asked a second time, and said, "Shall it be so?"
"Maybe," smiled the Youth.
And the Fool asked a third time, saying, "Shall it be so?"
"Yes!" said the Child.
And the Fool smiled, and said, "If we do this thing, it shall be a
wondrous thing indeed, for we shall make a Creature that shall have the Love
of the Lady, and the Strength of the Lord, and a Curiousity to match Myself.
It shall know Good and Evil, and Light and Darkness, and That which stands
between them, and shall be very near and dear to us. It shall be arrogant,
and willful, and cruel, but it shall also be kind, and gentle and loving. It
shall be all things, and nothing at all."
"No," said Chaos.
"Maybe," smiled Trickster.
"Yes!" said Prometheus.
The Fool took up the stuff of stars, that whispers thru the
MultiVerse, and mixed it with the dry clay of earth, and mixed the substance
thereby made with the waters of the sea, and the tears of the Maiden, and the
birth-waters of the Mother, and the spittle of the Crone; wet it was with the
blood of the Sacred King, and the sweat of the Youth, and the milk on the
lips of the Child.
"No," said the Crone.
"Maybe," smiled the Maiden.
"Yes!" said the Mother.
And the Fool smiled, and said, "Then let it be so, for I have asked
three times, and three times three, and thus it is and so it ever shall be!"
The Holy Fool bent, and sank to His knees, and She took the wet clay,
wet with the waters of the sea, and the tears of the Maiden, and the birth-
waters of the Mother, and the spittle of the Crone; wet with the blood of the
Sacred King, and the sweat of the Youth, and the milk on the lips of the
Child.
And from that clay He made our Brothers and Sisters in Fur, Feather
and Scale, and all the growing things.
And one thing made of that clay was taken up by the Fool, and placed
aside.
And the Lady smiled upon Her Lord.
And the Fool turned, and It was Prometheus, and shaped the wet clay
thing further.
Side by side, He made them, that none should stand above the other,
but that all should walk as equals and partners, in joy and love.
And the Fool turned, and It was Trickster, who shaped us to be
curious, and to doubt, and from our doubt and curiousity, to learn, and to
laugh.
And the Fool turned, and She was Chaos, and placed a bit of Itself
within us, that we may change and grow.
And the Lord smiled upon His Lady.
Man and Woman Prometheus made, and the making and the shaping was as
years, and years upon years.
And the Fool began to dance.
And the Lady began to dance.
And the Lord began to dance.
They danced Life into the World, the Lady and the Lord, and the Fool.
They danced the moon, and stars, and Sun, and all that there is, they danced
into being.
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And they danced Death into the World, for we must close the Circle of
our Being, and go forth unto newness.
They danced Life and Death, and still They dance, a never-ending,
ever-spinning Circle, endlessly spiraling upon itself, and uncoiling to start
anew; hand in hand They dance, to a Music They have made, endlessly creating,
and endlessly destroying.
---------------------------------------------------------
THE TRIPLE GODDESS
As the Maiden, I saw through your eyes as a child
Spring rains, green forests, and animals wild!
I saw you run freely on the Earth with bare feet!
I watched as you danced in the winds, blowing free!
I was there as you grew, getting stronger each day!
I brought you rainbows, chasing grey skies away!
I was there in your laughter - I was there in your tears!
I was the acceptance you gained from your peers!
I saw your first love and I felt your first blush,
As passion first stirred in the night's gentle hush!
I am there with you always in the fresh morning dew!
I bring you the crispness of beginnings anew.
As the Mother, I bore all the labor distress
Of birthing your child, and I felt the caress
Of your hand on the face of the new life so dear.
I heard its first cry, and I eased your fear!
I provided the milk which you fed from your breast
Till the baby grew strong, and with health it was blessed.
As she took her first step, I was there in your smile!
I was there while you nurtured your beautiful child!
On the first day of school, when the doors opened wide
I was there in your fear - I was there in your pride.
I am there with you always in the bright full of moon!
I bring you fertility - abundance in bloom.
As the Crone, I brought blessings of wisdom with age
[Wisdom not found by the turn of a page].
I was there as you taught the correct way to live:
To love and to trust - to take and to give!
I was there in the twinkle of your aged eye!
I was there in your thoughts of the years flying by!
I was there when you taught the Mysteries of old!
I was there in the fire warming you in the cold!
In the weariness of age, I was there with you, too...
I brought well-deserved rest and peace unto you!
I am there with you always in the darkness of night!
I complete your life cycle, guiding you toward the light.
Maid, Mother and Crone - We are all One -
Yet We are all separate, as each role is done.
We do not leave you - We're always there
As you walk through this life with your worries and cares;
As you dance in the spiral, We live inside -
Deep in your spirit - where nothing can hide!
No matter your path, no matter it's length -
We give you courage and We give you strength.
We are there to support you every hour of day
And deep in the night, when dreams take you away.
Our gifts We give freely, for you are our Child...
Yes, We are the Lady: Wise, Pure, and Mild!
-Kalioppe-
A GODDESS ARRIVES
THE NOVELS OF DION FORTUNE
AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF
GARDNERIAN WITCHCRAFT
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by CHAS S. CLIFTON
No one occultist of the 20th century worked more vehemently in advocating a
"Western" - and within that, "Northern" - path of esoteric spirituality than did the
English ceremonial magician, Dion Fortune. She founded an esoteric school that still
persists, but beyond that direct transmission, her ideas seeded themselves into
modern Neopagan religion to the point that they seem completely indigenous, their
origins invisible.
Certain of Fortune's key ideas, however, were not so much transmitted through her
mystical writings and articles in The Occult Review of the 1920s, as they were
passed on through a unique series of novels, one of which stands fifty years later
as "the finest novel on real magic ever written," in the words of Alan Richardson,
her most adept biographer1. Primary among these key ideas was her raising up of a
lunar, feminine divine power - not that she was the first modern magician to do it,
but by taking the two paths of ritual and literature she gave the power two ways to
go.
The second idea was that of egalitarian magical working, something she came to late
in her life (she lived from 1890-1946). This was a fairly radical idea in that all
her associations with the Theosophical Society, the Order of the Golden Dawn, and
her own Fraternity (later Society) of the Inner Light included the idea of
hierarchies and grades, going back in her own self-proclaimed reincarnational
history to lifetimes among the sacred priestly caste of legendary Atlantis.
Both of these ideas are found in the Anglo-American branches of modern Witchcraft,
which first made its presence known in Great Britain in the early 1950s, having, I
suspect, been developed and codified into its modern form during the later 1930s and
1940s. While a demonstrable personal connection between the modern witches and Dion
Fortune cannot be proven - unless one had her entire mailing list circa 1939 in hand
- I think a literary connection can be shown.
Her ideas about an earth-based Western tradition of esoteric, magical religion,
which exalted the feminine principle, fit so neatly with the cosmology of those
modern witches who came out of a similar esoteric British milieu, that the
connection is unmistakable. The reason it has not been acknowledged until recently
is that to do so would conflict with the frequent assertion that Witchcraft was the
"Old Religion" brought forward unchanged in its essentials from centuries ago.
Unfortunately for that assertion, the historical records, such as they are, showed
little evidence for secret goddess religion persisting until recent centuries in
Northern Europe. The voluminous "witch trial" documents of England, Scotland, and
France, which the archaeologist and folklorist Margaret Murray used to buttress her
argument for the survival of a pre-Christian religion, do not mention goddess
worship.
If one looks for other evidence of a goddess arriving in the mid-20th century, the
other suspect typically is Robert Graves, whose widely influential book, The White
Goddess, was written in 1944. Parallel and contemporary with Graves is Gertrude
Rachel Levy's The Gate of Horn, which treats much of the same material Graves does,
principally from the viewpoint of art history.2
The thesis of The White Goddess, which has been enormously influential among modern
Pagan groups, is "that the language of poetic myth anciently current in the
Mediterranean and Northern Europe was a magical language bound up with popular
religious ceremonies in honour of the Moon-Goddess, or Muse,some of them dating from
the Old Stone Age (Palaeolithic), and that this remains the language of true
poetry." Graves believed that this language "was still taught...in the Witchcovens
of medieval Western Europe."3
I do not contend that Graves and Levy supplied the dual male and female divinities
of most modern Witchcraft covens. Their books were both first published in 1948,
after Fortune's works had been in print for a decade or more. Before examining the
influence of Fortune's works, however, I will summarise the "coming out" of the
British covens.
THE RE-EMERGENCE OF BRITISH WITCHCRAFT
In 1951 the British Parliament repealed the Witchcraft Act of 1735 - largely at the
urging of Spiritualist churches, who objected to its prohibition of mediumship. This
statutory change unexpectedly led to the emergence into public view of a religious
tradition thought to be extinct: Witchcraft.4 These British witches defied
definitions of the term common both in the vernacular and in anthropology textbooks.
They were of both sexes, all ages, and were not isolated practitioners of maleficent
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magic; rather they claimed to be inheritors of the islands' pre-Christian religions.
Their religion was duotheistic: they worshipped a male god, often called Cernnunos,
Kernaya, or Herne; and a goddess, sometimes called Aradia or Tana. Of the two,
sometimes seen as manifestations of a nonpersonal Godhead, the goddess had the
greater importance, and her earthly representatives, the coven's priestess, had
greater ritual authority.
Greatly condensed, this is a description of what came to be known as "Gardnerian
Witchcraft," after Gerald Gardner (1884-1964), who retired from the British colonial
customs service in Malaya in 1936, returned to England and - as he described - was
initiated into what he himself thought was a dying religion in 1938.5 This was no
overnight conversion: Gardner was fascinated for many years with magical religion
and "practical mysticism". A recognised avocational archaeologist and anthropologist
in Malaya, during a visit to England in the 1920s, he set out to investigate the
claims of British Spiritualists, trance mediums and the like.
As he wrote: "I have been interested in magic and kindred subjects all my life and
have made a collection of magical instruments and charms. These studies led me to
spiritualist and other societies..."6
Gardner wrote three books on Witchcraft, one novel, and two nonfiction works. The
novel was High Magic's Aid (1949), a stirring tale of late-medieval English coveners
dodging secular and clerical foes with something of the feel of Walter Scott's
Ivanhoe or Robert Louis Stevenson's The Black Arrow to it. Interestingly enough, the
"witchcraft" portrayed in High Magic's Aid differs from what was later called
"Gardnerian Witchcraft." In it the goddess is de-emphasised; the rituals are more in
line with the post-Renaissance traditions of ceremonial magic.
Gardner's next two books, The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959) and Witchcraft Today
(1954), are more definitive of the tradition. All three of the forenamed remain in
print; an earlier novel, with the suggestive title A Goddess Arrives, is long out of
print, and I have not been able to locate a copy. Gardner and his followers also
produced a "book" that was, until the early 1970s, passed on as handcopied
manuscripts: "The Book of Shadows." It is a collection of "laws" and suggestions for
running a clandestine coven, performing rituals, resolving disputes between witches
inside the group, and so forth. Although it appears to be written in perhaps the
English of the 17th century, I have concluded that it was produced during and
immediately after World War II. Its atmosphere of secrecy and underground organising
is not a product of the witch-trial era, but of the early years of World War II when
an invasion of southern England by the German Army appeared quite likely, and
patriotic Britons were planning how they would organise a Resistance movement like
those in France, Norway, and elsewhere in Nazi-occupied Europe.
The woman often assumed to have birthed the idea of a Pagan underground in Christian
Western Europe was not Dion Fortune, but the Egyptologist Margaret Murray of
University College, London. Professor Murray, better known as the time for her work
with Sir Flinders Petrie in Egypt, began researching Pagan carryovers while
convalescing from an illness in 1915. World War I had interrupted her work in Egypt,
and she wrote in her autobiography, My First Hundred Years:7
"I chose Glastonbury [to convalesce in]. One cannot stay in Glastonbury without
becoming interested in Joseph of Arimathea and the Holy Grail. As soon as I got back
to London I did a careful piece of research, which resulted in a paper on Egyptian
elements in the Grail Romance...
Someone, I forget who, had once told me that the Witches obviously had a special
form of religion, 'for they danced around a black goat.' As ancient religion is my
pet subject this seemed to be in my line and during all the rest of the war I worked
on Witches... I had started with the usual idea that the Witches were all old women
suffering from illusions about the Devil and that their persecutors were wickedly
prejudiced and perjured. I worked only from contemporary records, and when I
suddenly realised that the so-called Devil was simply a disguised man I was
startled, almost alarmed, by the way the recorded facts fell into place, and showed
that the Witches were members of an old and primitive form of religion, and that the
records had been made by members of a new and persecuting form."
Murray's researches into medieval and Renaissance witch-trial documents from
Britain, Ireland, and the Continent (including those relating to Joan of Arc and
Gilles de Rais) led to her writing three books, The Witch-Cult in Western Europe
(1921), The God of the Witches (1931), and The Divine King in England (1954). In
them she described her evidence for the survival of a pre-Christian religion centred
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on the Horned God of fertility (later labelled "The Devil" by Christian authorities)
up until at least the 16th century in Britain.
As the late historian of religion Mircea Eliade wrote, "Murray's theory was
criticised by archaeologists, historians and folklorists alike."8 Pointing out some
parallels between medieval witchcraft and Indo-Tibetan magical religion, Eliade
gives qualified approval to part of Murray's conclusions.
"As a matter of fact, almost everything in her construction was wrong except for one
important assumption: that there existed a pre-Christian fertility cult and that
specific survivals of this pagan cult were stigmatised during the Middle Ages as
witchcraft....recent research seems to confirm at least some aspects of her thesis.
The Italian historian Carlo Ginsburg has proved that a popular fertility cult,
active in the province of Friule in the 16th and 17th centuries, was progressively
modified under pressure of the Inquisition and ended by resembling the traditional
notion of witchcraft. Moreover, recent investigations of Romanian popular culture
have brought to light a number of pagan survivals which clearly indicate the
existence of a fertility cult and of what may be called a "white magic," comparable
to some aspects of Western medieval witchcraft."
One may thus argue that the existence of Murray's three works "paved the way for
Gardner's reformation", as J. Gordon Melton of the Institute for the Study of
American Religion put it.9 Gardner's "reformation" of whatever British witchcraft
existed prior to his initiation into it had both theological and ritual aspects. The
works he and his associates produced give a style of worship, a new set of ritual
texts - and increasing emphasis on the goddess-aspect as the tradition grew - all of
them pre-figured not in Murray's works but in Dion Fortune's.
A PRACTICAL OCCUL TIST

In my experience, there is hardly a British, Irish or American witch of the revived,
post-Gardnerian traditions who has not read something by Dion Fortune, and the same
probably holds true in Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. Until 1985, however,
biographies of her were nonexistent, even while the American Books in Print
reference volumes listed twenty of her books in that year's volume - not bad for
someone considered at best an obscure genre writer by the literary establishment of
fifty years ago and of today.
Neither her book on psychology, The Machinery of the Mind, written in the 1920s nor
her works on occult philosophy, nor her five "occult" novels and volume of short
stories received much critical notice when they came out. Such notice as was
received was almost worse than none. A 1934 (London) Times Literary Supplement
review of her book Avalon of the Heart begins, "The author tells us that she is the
last of the Avalonians - of those who were drawn to Glastonbury as 'a centre of
ever-renewed spiritual and artistic inspiration,' whatever that may mean."
And clearly the reviewer was not interested in finding out! Alan Richardson's 1985
work, Dancers to the Gods, while primarily about two members of Fortune's magical
order, contained the first well-researched material on her life.10 He followed it
with a full biography, Priestess, two years later, an affectionate and sensitive
portrait of this woman whose spiritual trajectory has yet to reach the horizon.11
Charles Fielding's and Carr Collins's The Story of Dion Fortune contains more
details of her and her associates' magical work, but is written in a wooden "true
believer" style and marred by numerous editorial blunders.12
To summarise greatly, she was born Violet Mary Firth in 1890 in Wales, where her
English father, together with his wife's relatives, operated a seaside hotel and
health spa catering to a well-to-do clientele. When her grandfather's death led to a
dissolving of the partnership, her father moved the family to London where he could
live comfortably off his inheritance. Her spiritual quest as a young woman led her
to Christian Science (which her mother adopted when it came to England), Freudian
psychology, the "Eastern wisdom" of the Theosophical Society, the Qabalistic magic
of the Order of the Golden Dawn,
8and study with an Anglo-Irish occultist, T.W.C. Moriarty, the model for "Dr
Taverner" in her book of short stories, The Secrets of Dr Taverner.
She would have liked to have studied Freemasonry, but could not, being a woman.
She studied psychology while in her twenties, before the outbreak of World War I,
and practiced as a psychoanalyst for a time, the field not yet being closely
controlled by the medical establishment. Fortune was probably the first writer on
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ceremonial magic and hermetic ideas to draw upon and acknowledge the work of Freud
and later Jung. In her novel The Goat-Foot God, published in 1936 and dealing with
the effects of both psychological repression and past lives, its central character,
Hugh Paston, asks a friend,
"Are the Old Gods synonymous with the Devil?"
"Christians think they are.
"What do you think they are?"
"I think they're the same thing as the Freudian subconscious."13
After Moriarty's death she headed the Christian Mystic Lodge of the Theosophical
Society. In 1927 she married Thomas Penry Evans, a Welsh doctor practising in
London, nicknamed "Merlin" or "Merl" for his own magical interests. They were priest
and priestess, but never father and mother. The marriage, magically productive but
contentious in the mundane world, lasted until 1939 when Evans left her for another
woman. Fortune continued to head their group, which became the Society of the Inner
Light and maintained, for a time, both a large communal house in London and another
establishment in Glastonbury. The Society continues to this day, but Dion Fortune
herself died of leukemia in 1946.
Her penname derived from the motto she took as her magical name in the Golden Dawn,
"Deo Non Fortuna", or roughly, "by God, not by Chance." Her involvement with the
Golden Dawn lasted roughly from 1919 to about 1922, and while these were the sunset
years of the Order, which had been founded in 1888, they set for her a significant
pattern of what an esoteric order should be.
That Fortune also eventually was influenced by Jung is apparent in her work,
although she was an occultist first and a Jungian second. Since her time there has
been a great deal of discussion of the "gods and goddesses" by such neo-Jungians as
James Hillman and Charlotte Downing. Surely Fortune's blending of
psychoanalytical ideas, Hermeticism, Qabalah, and Christian mysticism in the two
orders she headed prefigures Hillman's question, "Can the atomism of our psychic
paganism, that is, the individual symbol-formation now breaking out as the Christian
cult fades, be contained by a psychology of self-integration that echoes its
expiring Christian model?"14
I doubt that Dion Fortune would have answered as dogmatically as Hillman did, "The
danger is that a true revival of paganism as religion is then possible, with all its
accoutrements of popular soothsaying, quack priesthoods, astrological divination,
extravagant practices, and the erosion of psychic differentiation through delusional
enthusiasms."
Where she did agree with Jung is that Western methods are best for Western people.
Jung wrote: "Instead of learning the spiritual techniques of the East by heart and
imitating them... it would be far more to the point to find out whether there exists
in the unconscious an introverted tendency similar to that which has been developed
in spiritual principles in the East. We should then be in a position to build on our
own ground with our own methods."15
Compare Fortune's chapter "Eastern Methods and Western Bodies" in Sane in which she
stated:16
"The pagan faiths of the West developed the nature contacts. Modern Western
occultism, rising from this basis, seems to be taking for its field the little-known
powers of the mind. The Eastern tradition has a very highly developed
metaphysics.... Nevertheless, when it comes to the practical application of those
principles and especially the processes of occult training and initiation, it is
best for a man to follow the line of his own racial evolution.... The reason for the
inadvisability of an alien initiation does not lie in racial antagonism, nor in any
failure to appreciate the beauty and profundity of the Eastern systems, but for the
same reason that Eastern methods of agriculture are inapplicable to the West -
because conditions are different."
It is clear from Fortune's novels that a "true", that is psychologically informed,
Paganism, was indeed what she sought in the late 1920s and 1930s. Time after time
she created plots that mixed the therapeutic and the magical, drawing characters who
combined psychological acumen with non-ordinary wisdom. She defined her ideal
mixture thus in Sane Occultism: A knowledge of [occult] philosophy can give a clue
to the researches of the scientist and balance the ecstasies of the mystic; it may
very well be that in the possibilities of ritual magic we shall find an invaluable
therapeutic agent for use in certain forms of mental disease; psychoanalysis has
demonstrated that these have no physiological cause, but it can seldom effect a
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cure."17
I see her as someone who shared a significant degree of philosophical accord with
what would become "Neo-Pagan Witchcraft", but who in practice followed a different
path. I have said her contribution to "the Craft" has not been sufficiently
acknowledged; there is one exception. The works of two English Witches, Janet and
Stewart Farrar, produced during the late 1970s and early 1980s, frequently refer
their readers to Dion Fortune. In a recent instance, having laid out a ritual based
on one in Fortune's novel The Sea Priestess and having received permission from the
current leadership of the Society of the Inner Light to do so, they write:18
"In their letter of permission, the Society asked us to say 'that Dion Fortune was
not a Witch and did not have any connection with a coven, and that this Society is
not in any way associated with the Craft of Witches.' We accede to their request;
and when this book is published, we shall send them a copy with our compliments, in
the hope that it may give them second thoughts about whether Wiccan philosophy is as
alien to that of Dion Fortune (whom witches hold in great respect) as they seem to
imagine."
Despite the Society of the Inner Light's disavowal, a good circumstantial case can
be made that Fortune's works, particularly her novels, could have influenced Gerald
Gardner and his initiates. This insight was brought home to me while reading The
Goat-Foot God, published two years before Gardner's initiation into the Craft. Its
plot is typical of Fortune: a person down on his or her luck and near psychological
collapse is rescued by a powerful magician or priestess and re-integrated socially
and psychically.
Hugh Paston, quoted above, is a wealthy Londoner on the verge of a nervous breakdown
following the death of his wife and his friend - revealed to be her lover - in a car
wreck. Aimlessly walking the streets, Paston finds a used-book shop run by a
scholarly occultist who becomes the catalyst of his psychological integration. This
includes finishing some actions begun by a heretical medieval prior in an English
monastery who may have been an earlier incarnation of Paston's or who otherwise
overshadows him. What caught my attention was a remark given to the character of
Jelkes, the bookseller, who in guiding Paston's reading on magic tells him, "Writers
will put things into a novel that they daren't put in sober prose, where you have to
dot the Is and cross the Ts.19
Fortune's literary output was divided between novels and "sober prose". Other "sober
titles" included Practical Occultism in Daily Life, The Cosmic Doctrine, Esoteric
Philosophy of Love and Marriage and what is often considered to be her masterpiece,
The Mystical Qabalah. Robert Galbreath, writing a bibliographic survey of modern
occultism, defined her message as "spiritual occultism."20
"Spiritual occultists state that it is possible to acquire personal, empirical
knowledge of that which can only be taken on faith in religion or demonstrated
through deductive reasoning in philosophy. Further, this knowledge, arrived at in
full consciousness through the use of spiritual disciplines, is said to reveal man's
place in the spiritual plan of the universe and to reconcile the debilitating
conflict between science and religion. The goal of occultism, therefore, is the
complete spiritualisation of man and the cosmos, and the attainment of a condition
of unity."
The novels, however, convey a parallel but somewhat different message. They do it
using a different vocabulary, a more consciously Pagan vocabulary. While published
statements of the Society of Inner Light proclaimed it "established on the
enlightened and informed Christian ethic and morality," its founder's novels say
repeatedly that Christianity has had its day and a new Renaissance is dawning. After
his experience of inner integration Hugh Paston muses:21
"It is a curious fact that when men began to re-assemble the fragments of Greek
culture - the peerless statues of the gods and the ageless wisdom of the sages - a
Renaissance came to the civilisation that had sat in intellectual darkness since the
days when the gods had withdrawn before the assaults of the Galileans. What is going
to happen
in our day, now that Freud has come along crying, "Great Pan is risen!" - ? Hugh
wondered whether his own problems were not part of a universal problem, and his own
awakening part of a much wider awakening? He wondered how far the realisation of an
idea by one man, even if he spoke no word, might not inject that idea into the
group-mind of the race and set it working like a ferment?
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Likewise, in The Winged Bull, set not long after World War I, Colonel Brangwyn the
magician tells his new student, one of his former junior officers:22
"It [Christianity] had its place, Murchison, it had its place. It sweetened life
when paganism had become corrupt. We lack something if we haven't got it. But we
also lack something if we get too much of it. It isn't true to life if we take it
neat."
Later, during a ritual Brangwyn quotes Swinburne's poem "The Last Oracle" in praise
of Paganism past - it was this aspect of Swinburne that G.K. Chesterton mockingly
called "neo-Pagan" - making Murchison remember "that great pagan, Julian the
Apostate, striving to make head against the set of the tide," and Murchison thinks
to himself:23
"And the trouble with Christianity was that it was so darned lop-sided. Good, and
jolly good, as far as it went, but you couldn't stretch it clean round the circle of
experience because it just wouldn't go. What it was originally, nobody knew, save
that it must have been something mighty potent. All we knew of it was what was left
after those two crusty old bachelors, Paul and Augustine, had finished with it.
And then came the heresy hunters and gave it a final curry-combing, taking infinite
pains to get rid of everything that it had inherited from older faiths. And they had
been like the modern miller, who refines all the vitamins out of the bread and gives
half the population rickets. That was what was the matter with civilisation, it had
spiritual rickets because its spiritual food was too refined. Man can't get on
without a dash of paganism, and for the most part, he doesn't try to."
The notion of injecting a key idea into the collective unconscious of Western
humanity appears over and over in Fortune's novels. It is not surprising that the
writer who had two favourite maxims - "A religion without a goddess is halfway to
atheism" and "All the gods are one god and all the goddesses are one goddess and
there is one initiator" - should repeatedly call for attention to be paid to the
Great Goddess. In another of his soliloquies, Hugh Paston thinks, "Surely our of all
her richness and abundance the Great Mother of us all could meet his need? Why do we
forget the Mother in the worship of the Father? What particular virtue is there in
virgin begetting?"
DRAWING DOWN THE MOON
When the British witches went public in the early 1950s, the idea that Christianity
had had its day and furthermore was not always the right path for Westerners was
often heard. The major difference between their religion and that portrayed in the
witch-trial documents Margaret Murray studied, however, was the reintroduction of
worship of the Great Goddess. She was seen both as Queen of Heaven and Earth/Sea
Mother, depending on the context. The best evidence for Fortune's influence here
lies in the construction of the key "Gardnerian" ritual called "Drawing Down the
Moon."25
In that ritual, developed and/or modified by Gardner and his contemporaries, the
Goddess is invoked by the priest in the body of the priestess. It is expected that a
type of divine inspiration will result. Drawing down the Moon is a key part of every
Gardnerian ritual circle - and its elements and purpose are easily discernible in
Fortune's novel The Sea Priestess, which she was forced by publishers' lack of
interest to self-publish in 1938.26 Richardson, her biographer, calls it and its
sequel, Moon Magic, "the only novels on magic ever written," considering the
competition.
Although Gardner only hints at the workings of the ritual in his books, his
successors, the Farrars, explain it more fully in Eight Sabbats for Witches.27 It
comes after the drawing of the ritual circle - a conscious creating and marking of
sacred space, defined by the cardinal directions and purified with the four magical
elements, fire and air (incense), water and earth (salt). While the priestess stands
before the altar (in a traditional Gardnerian circle she holds a wand and a
lightweight scourge in her crossed arms, like a figure of Osiris), the priest kneels
and blesses with a kiss her feet, knees, womb, breast and lips. Then a shift occurs,
both in language and action. He ceases to address her as a woman and begins to
address her as the Mother Goddess, beginning with the words,"I invoke thee and call
upon thee, Mighty Mother of us all..."28
When the invocation is completed, the priestess is considered to be speaking as the
Goddess, not as herself. She may go on to deliver a passage (authored by Doreen
Valiente, whose role I deal with below) that is based partly on material collected
during the 1890s in Italy by the American folklorist Charles Leland.29
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I am the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man. Upon
earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond death, I give peace,
and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I demand sacrifice;
for behold, I am the Mother of all living, and my love is poured out upon the
earth."
She may, of course, speak spontaneously; Janet Farrar comments that "'she never
knows how it will come out.' Sometimes the wording itself is completely altered,
with a spontaneous flow she listens to with a detached part of her mind."30
Dion Fortune believed that a re-introduction of both ritual and psychological
approaches to the Great Goddess would even the psychic balance between men and
women, a theme carried on today by a number of feminist psychologists and writers,
although with scant acknowledgment. She wished every marriage to take on an aspect
of the hieros gamos (divine marriage), and it is there that a parallel with
Witchcraft ritual lies, since many rituals turn on sexual polarity, both
symbolically and literally. Fortune foreshadowed this in The Sea Priestess when she
wrote:31
"In this sacrament the woman must take her ancient place as priestess of the rite,
calling down lightning from heaven; the initiator, not the initiated.... She had to
become the priestess of the Goddess, and I [the male narrator], the kneeling
worshipper, had to receive the sacrament at her hands....When the body of a woman is
made an altar for the worship of the Goddess who is all beauty and magnetic life...
then the Goddess enters the temple."
This is not just Fortune's description of the magical side of marriage, but a
virtual schematic of the Drawing Down the Moon ceremony and its concluding Great
Rite, as Gardner called ritual intercourse at its conclusion (something more
frequently performed symbolically). As the Farrars state, "The Great Rite
specifically declares that the body of the woman taking part is an altar, with her
womb and generative organs as its sacred focus, and reveres it as such."32
I would suggest that when the Farrars openly built a new ritual upon the Sea
Priestess, the "seashore ritual" mentioned earlier, which forms Chapter X of The
Witches' Way, they were openly admitting a debt to Fortune which modern Witchcraft
has always carried on its books.
To recapitulate, the circumstantial case for Fortune's influence on the beginnings
of modern Witchcraft fits the chronology. Gerald Gardner's initiation took place in
1939 in Hampshire. In the late 1940s he "received permission" to publish some things
about Witchcraft in his novel High Magic's Aid, which appeared in 1949 and had
little of the Goddess element in it. The Sea Priestess was written in the 1930s, but
only available in a private edition at first, while its sequel, Moon Magic, was
available in 1956.
The Great Goddess becomes more central in Gardner's works from the 1950s and is
absolutely central to the Craft as it developed in that decade. She did not,
however, appear in Margaret Murray's works on the alleged underground Paganism of
the Middle Ages, which Murray wrote in the 1920s. There may, however, be echoes of a
Goddess religion in Italy, based on Leland's research there in the mid-1800s. Leland
provided another literary source for the Drawing Down the Moon ceremony.
The person who re-wrote that ceremony and gave Gardnerian- tradition ritual much of
its form is now known to be Doreen Valiente, who wrote four books on the Craft as
well. Her contributions to the texts are discussed at length in The Witches' Way.
Although not the only one of Gardner's original coveners still living (i.e., after
he moved away from the coven that initiated him, most of whose members were elderly
in the 1930s), she has been the only one publicly involved in a critical
re-evaluation of the tradition's beginnings.
Although Gardner and Fortune were contemporaries, she does not know if they ever
met, she told me in a 1985 letter. She did, however, say that she is "very fond of
Dion Fortune's books, especially her novels The Sea Priestess, The Goat-Foot God,
and Moon Magic. It is notable that her [Fortune's] outlook became more pagan as she
grew older." Whether this is a tacit admission that she drew upon Fortune's works, I
cannot say. Witches are known for oblique statements, and Valiente walked a fine
line between secrecy and disclosure.
Given England's size, its relatively interwoven cliques of occultists, and the small
number of novelists dealing with Pagan themes, it is unlikely that Valiente and
Gardner were not aware of Fortune's novels at the time they were giving their
religion its present form. As we have seen, Gardner was himself engaged in a
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conscious search for magical learning in the 1920s and 1930s, and it was in the
1930s that Fortune's novels began appearing, while the chapters of SaneOccultism
were published serially in The Occult Review , and influential British journal it is
unlikely he would have overlooked.
Valiente, meanwhile, was initiated by Gardner as a priestess in 1953 and left his
coven to form her own in 1957, the year after Moon Magic came out. With such a
coincidence of subject matter, place and dates, it is difficult not to see Dion
Fortune as a previously unadmitted but significant influence on the development of
Gardnerian Witchcraft.
Today the Goddess revival seems to have its "applied" and "theoretical" wings, with
the Neo-Pagans in the first category and various Jungians, writers on feminist
spirituality and historians of religion in the second. With her combined
psychological and magical training, Dion Fortune could be considered a foremother to
each.
NOTES
1. Alan Richardson, Priestess: The Life and Magic of Dion Fortune.
(Wellingborough, Northants: The Aquarian Press, 1987), p.37.
2. G. Rachel Levy, The Gate of Horn: A Study of Religions Conceptions of the
Stone Age and Their Influence upon European Thought. (London: Faber and Faber,
1948).
3. Robert Graves, The White Goddess: A historical grammar of poetic myth. (New
York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1966), p.12.
4. Raymond Buckland, Witchcraft from the Inside. (St Paul, MN: Llewellyn
Publications, 1971), p.55. The law was a successor to the Witchcraft Act of King
James I, passed in 1604 and repealed in 1736.
5. J.L. Bracelin, Gerald Gardner: Witch. (London: Octagon Press 1960).
6. Gerald B. Gardner, Witchcraft Today. (London: Rider & Co., 1954), p.18
7. Margaret Murray, My First Hundred Years. (London: William Kimber, 1963),

p.104. The title was no exaggeration; she was born in 1863.
8. Mircea Eliade, Occultism, Witchcraft and Cultural Fashions: Essays in
Comparative Religions. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976), p.56
9. J. Gordon Melton, Magic, Witchcraft and Paganism in America: A Bibliography.
(New York: Garland Publishing Co., 1982), p.105
10. Alan Richardson, Dancers to the Gods. (Wellingborough, Northants: The
Aquarian Press, 1985).
11. ------, Priestess: The Life and Magic of Dion Fortune. (Wellingborough,
Northants: The Aquarian Press, 1987).
12. Charles Fielding and Carr Collins, The Story of Dion Fortune. (Dallas,
Texas: Star and Cross Publication, 1985).
13. Dion Fortune, The Goat-Foot God. (London: The Aquarian Press, 1971), p.89
14. James Hillman, "Psychology: Monotheistic or Polytheistic." Appendix to David
L. Miller, The New Polytheism. (Dallas, Texas: Spring Publications Inc., 1981),
p.125
15. C.G. Jung, "Yoga and the West". In The Collected Works of C.G. Jung.
(London: Pantheon, 1958), Vol XI, p.534.
16. Dion Fortune, Sane Occultism. (Wellingborough, Northants: The Aquarian
Press, 1967), pp.161-2.
17. Ibid. pp. 25-6.
18. Janet and Stewart Farrar, The Witches' Way. (London: Robert Hale, 1984), pp.
95-6.
19. Goat-Foot God, p. 89.
20. Robert Galbreath, "The History of Modern Occultism: A Bibliographic Survey."
Journal of Popular Culture, V:3 (Winter 1971), p. 728/100
21. Goat-Foot God, pp. 352-3
22. Dion Fortune, The Winged Bull: A Romance of Modern Magic. (London: Williams
and Norgate Ltd., 1935), p. 169. It is no coincidence that the leading female
character was named Ursula Brangwyn,a name used by D.H. Lawrence for a character in
Women in Love; Fortune was trying to re-state "the sex problem" on a "higher plane"
than Lawrence had.
23. Ibid. pp. 154-6.
24. Goat-Foot God, p. 349.
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25. A term that deliberately or otherwise echoes Plato's description in the
Georgias of "the Thessalian witches who drawn down the moon from heaven."
26. Dion Fortune, The Sea Priestess. (London: Wynham Publications Ltd., 1976).
27. Janet and Stewart Farrar, Eight Sabbats for Witches: and Rites for Birth,
Marriage and Death. (London: Robert Hale, 1981), p. 15.
28. The exact terminology may vary from coven to coven; the Farrar's give
Gardner's favourite.
29. Charles Godfrey Leland, Aradia: or the Gospel of the Witches. (London: David
Nutt, 1899). Leland may indeed have found some fragments of a goddess religion.
Gardner and Valiente expurgated parts of it, such as the invocation of the Goddess
as a poisoner of great lords in their castles, and other homely arts.
30. The Witches' Way, p.68.
31. The Sea Priestess, pp. 160-1.
32. Eight Sabbats for Witches, p.49.
TEMPLES, COVENS AND GROVES - OH MY!
by KHALED
There appears to be a fair amount of ongoing confusion as to what each of these is
and what each of them should be doing, so let me stick my oar into it, too. But
first, let's play the definition game.
CIRCLE Three or more people who gather together to work ritual or Craft. Some are
ritual only, some worship only, but most do both. The following are all special
cases of a Circle:
GROVE Circle usually led by, and under the auspices of, a coven. Frequently
eclectic in practice, Groves are commonly used as an introduction to the Craft as a
whole but not necessarily to any given Tradition. Groves usually don't initiate. May
also be called a study group.
COVEN Circle gathering at least once per month (with a majority gathering twice)
for worship and/or magic. Membership tends to be stable with gradual personnel
changes. Normally practicing within a single Tradition, Covens typically have strong
group rapport. Most train their members to whatever standard they use. Rites of
passage (the "I" word) are the norm.
TEMPLE Two or more Circles, generally at least one Coven (the Inner Circle) and a
Grove (the Outer Circle), the latter being open to the public. Serves the public as
a place to worship and/or learn about the Gods with advanced training for those
seekers who meet the Temple's standards. I'm on shakier ground here, never having
run a Temple, but I see a Circle/Grove open to the general public as essential to
the definition, while the strong affiliation to one or more covens is a matter of
observation (as is the relationship between Groves and Covens cited earlier.)
A fair number of practitioners do not distinguish among these terms (nor, for that
matter, among Wicca, Paganism and New Age). Feel free to take issue with any of
these definitions, but they are what I have in mind as I write this. Let's take a
closer look at what each of these is and how they tend to function within
Neo-Paganism.
A Circle is a gathering of, preferably like-minded, individuals for purposes of
magic and/or worship. None of those gathered need be of the same Tradition, nor even
Initiate, though it makes for better results if at least some of them are. All
Groves, Covens and Temples are therefore Circles. The reverse, however, isn't always
the case since many Circles do not also meet the criteria for a Grove, Coven or
Temple.
A Grove, or Study Group, is a Circle of students learning the basics of Neo-Pagan
(or Wiccan or any of the other subsets of Pagan) worship and Circle techniques.
While normally under the tutelage of one or more Initiates, the members are not
necessarily being trained towards Initiation in any particular Tradition, nor need
the tutors be of the same Tradition(s) as the students (nor even of each other).
Mystery religions, by their very nature, aren't for everyone, nor is any given
Mystery suitable for all Initiates. The Grove is a way for potential Initiates to
take a good look at one or more Traditions while learning how to handle themselves
in just about any basic Circle. If this isn't for them, they can easily drop it. If
it is, they can focus on the specific Tradition (or family of Traditions) which
seems to speak most clearly to them (assuming they were exposed to more than one).
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Similarly, the tutor(s) can teach general techniques to any serious Seeker without
worrying about an implied commitment to Initiate someone unsuited to their
particular Tradition.
Groves do not normally do Initiations (they're done by the sponsoring Coven, if
any), and tend to be oriented more towards teaching and worship than towards magical
practice. They are also more likely to be fairly open to new members or even the
general public than is the case with established Covens, while study groups, in my
experience at least, are more likely to be invitation-only. The most effective
Groves (or study groups, of course) are under the helpful eye, if not out-and-out
sponsorship, of an established Coven or family of Covens.
A Coven, on the other hand, is a regularly meeting Circle, all of the same
Tradition, at least some of whom are Initiates (and at least one of whom holds
Initiatory power if the Coven is to survive or grow). Such a group tends to become
very close ("closer than kin") and is bound by the rules and styles (deliberately
non-existent in some cases) of its Tradition, and by its own internal rules and
customs. A member of a Coven is normally provided training and, when deemed ready,
Initiation or Elevation by that Coven's Priesthood/Elders.
There are also magical considerations which go into the making of a Coven which
further differentiate it from a Grove/study group, but it isn't my intention to go
into them here. Suffice it to say that they are connected to the closeness and tend
to enhance it. Because the bond is tight, and because a Coven generally intends to
be around for a few decades, they're kinda fussy about who joins. The wise Seeker is
equally fussy about which, if any, Coven s/he eventually joins. You're not joining a
social club here, you're adopting, and being adopted into, an extended family. And
this time round you have some control over who your kin will be!
Neo-Pagan Temples are a fairly new phenomena combining many of the characteristics
of Covens and Groves. I think that the clearest description of just what they're
about comes from the (draft) Constitution of the proposed Victoria (B.C.) Temple:
a) To minister to the Pagan community by way of providing support, education, and
sponsoring religious celebrations;
b) to establish and maintain a religious sanctuary and place of worship accessible
to all who would worship the Goddess and the God;
c) to provide a seminary for the training of Wiccan clergy;
d) to provide accredited ordination for Wiccan clergy;
e) to provide accurate information about Witchcraft to all who would ask and to
engage in dialogue with other religious groups with the purpose of furthering
understanding and friendship between us; and
f) to do other charitable acts of goodwill as will benefit the community at large.
As stated in my definition of Temple above, I consider the provision of Neo-Pagan
(not necessarily Wiccan) religious instruction and services to the general public to
be essential, and provision of community services to the local Neo-Pagan population
highly desirable. To be taken seriously in the wider world, we need to have our
clergy recognised by our government(s), which in turn means that we need to be
visibly providing training and ordination which meets government accreditation
criteria (which can vary significantly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction). Such
accredited ordination is most easily administered through Temples.
To address a diatribe current on the Nets (computer Network Bulletin Boards: Ed.) so
long as the governments we seek accreditation from think in Christian terms, then we
will have to use Christian terms, carefully defined to earmark differences in usage,
to describe ourselves to them. Sure, there's some danger of picking up some
inappropriate (to Wicca) ways of thinking along with those terms, but we're more
likely to import them with converts who were raised as Christians. The solution to
both problems is the same: clearly understood (by the tutors above all!) religious
instruction. And if a Christian notion isn't inappropriate, and if it's truly
useful, why shouldn't we adopt it? Religious intolerance itself is inappropriate to
Wiccan thought, and I think we should be clearer in condemning it.
So how does it all tie together? I think that the Neo-Pagan community needs a mix of
solitaires, coveners and templers, along with significant variety among their
Traditions, to remain intellectually and spiritually healthy. We also need umbrella
organisations capable of meeting the needs of each of them, not only for credibility
with governments and the general public, but to spread new (and not so new) ideas
around the very community they should exist to serve. I'll talk more on what this
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umbrella organisation should look like in a bit. For now, let's get back to roles of
the different types of Circle.
One of the things that fascinates about the Craft is our teaching that the Gods
don't need a Priesthood to run interference between Them and Their worshippers. Nor
is this a new idea. Heroditus recorded with a certain amazement that Persians must
call on a Magus to perform every little sacrifice, whereas among the Greeks of his
time, anyone, including housewives and slaves, could sacrifice at any time, assuming
they had the desire and the means. We have a Priesthood because some people feel
called to a deeper understanding and expression of
their faith than is the case for many. And while They don't need Initiated
Priesthoods, humans find them very useful both as a source of thoughtful religious
instruction and as a ready source of warm bodies to stick with the administrivia of
organising group ritual.
Like sex, however, effective worship isn't something that just comes naturally. It
must be learnt, and practised. Groves, festivals and Temples are all good places to
learn the fundamentals, assuming you weren't fortunate enough to learn them at home.
They are also good places to socialise with people who think much the way you do, a
deeply-seated human need we do well not to overlook. If your need runs deeper, you
will find Priesthood there to talk to. If your needs prove more mystically oriented,
they should be able to arrange contact with one or more Covens, who can in turn, if
appropriate, Initiate you into whichever flavour of the Mysteries they practise.
Different Circle structures serve different needs. None is superior to the other
except to the extent that it serves your needs better. For those of us simply
seeking to express our religious feelings in sympathetic company, whichever form
best serves that expression is all we're likely to need. But those of us who feel
called to serve the greater community will need all of them to achieve the mandate
we have set ourselves.
To return to our model umbrella organisation, to serve a significant majority of the
community it will have to address as many of the rather different needs of
solitaires, Covens and Temples as is feasible without stepping on the concerns of
any of them. To be effective, it has to have some standards, but it can't impose
them from above without violating the sovereignty that all three segments of the
community value rather highly.
One of the difficulties with any ideal is that it manifests imperfectly, if indeed
it can be brought to manifestation at all. Rather than a discouragement, however, I
find that a challenge: to bring about the best fit possible between reality and our
ideal. Here then are my ideas on some of the attributes such an organisation can aim
for. To start from the top, I think the stated purpose of the organisation should be
to serve as a liaison between member clergy and the Establishment, whether
government or public. Why clergy? Because we don't need government approval simply
to worship our Gods, especially if we're doing so discreetly and on private
property.
It's our institutions which need public recognition in order to be able to avail
themselves of public resources available to other, already recognised, religions,
not the worshippers themselves. And institutions effectively mean the clergy. Note I
don't say Priesthood. It's one of the earmarks of the Craft that all Initiates are
clergy, but in many of our Traditions, Priesthood requires a deeper understanding of
traditional lore and techniques.
The immediate needs such an organisation should attempt to fulfil are essentially
three:
1) Establishment of a Seminary to provide the training necessary for government
accreditation as a minister of religion for those who need or seek said
accreditation. To achieve this it will be necessary to look into the minimal
training expected by any intended licensing bodies and ensure that those standards
are being met or exceeded by all graduates of said certification program. This
accreditation is to serve no other purpose within the organisation: all of our
members will be recognised by us as clergy, whether or not they seek further
accreditation.
2) To act as a public relations and information office on the Craft to the
general public. If we exist, we will be used as an information source, so we might
as well plan on it and do the job properly.
3) To act as a Craft contact and social network to facilitate Pagan networking
among members and non-members alike.
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To expand upon the seminary somewhat, any member should be able to sit for an
examination without taking the associated classes (a process known in Ontario as
"challenge for credit"). If s/he passes, s/he is given the credit, if not, the
associated courses must be taken before s/he may sit for another examination on that
subject. In this way we can grant credit for existing knowledge without in any way
compromising our standards. I think it would be a very bad idea to grant an
exemption from this procedure to anyone.
Because very few of us are likely to be able to drop everything for a couple of
years to travel to wherever we happen to establish the campus, one should be able to
complete the courses necessary for certification by correspondence. Nor should the
topics of instruction be limited for those required for accreditation with
government.
Let's also see to it that our ministers have a grounding in the philosophy of
religion, comparative religion (especially comparative Pagan religion) and
chaplaincy as well. Note too that I keep referring to the document as a Certificate,
not a college degree. A university level of education, while great for the egos of
graduates, is unnecessarily high to meet the needs of our Pagan laity - a Community
College is much more appropriate. The stages of learning in a guildcraft are
apprentice, journeyman and master, NOT baccalaureate, master and doctor! Mind, I
have no objection to our Seminary offering college level courses, nor any other
course or seminar it may choose to offer. I merely object to the insistence in some
quarters that since most Christian ministers must hold graduate degrees, then by
golly ours must too! Horsefeathers!
Our Organisation then breaks down into a Seminary to provide internal education, and
accreditation, to Pagan religious tutors; a PR office to provide external education,
and referrals to the public; and one or more Festivals, and no doubt a periodical
(e.g. a newsletter), to provide for contacts and networking both internal and
external.
Further, I see our Organisation as an ecclesia in the ancient Athenian sense of the
term, and assembly of all those having the right to vote in our affairs. I don't
feel the ecclesia should either set or attempt to enforce any standards beyond those
required for government accreditation and a minimal ethical standard for membership.
I feel that membership should be restricted to ordained clergy within a Pagan
tradition, nor should the ecclesia itself set any standard as to what does or does
not constitute clergy (though I expect it may have to define criteria for
determining what is or isn't Pagan). All this because any other approach compromises
the essential sovereignty of our Covens and Temples (for which purpose I see a
solitary as a Coven of 1).
Since our membership is composed of clergy, not Covens and Temples, I favour
one-person-one-vote. Certainly, groups with a large number of ordained members will
thereby gain a larger number of votes in the ecclesia, why not? The ecclesia has no
authority over individual members nor the organisations they may represent. Its most
extreme power is to suspend the membership of persons found to be in violation of
the ethical code, which code is set and policed by the members themselves. Or to
appoint officers to manage the ecclesia's property and affairs, which officers will
be legally and constitutionally answerable to the membership.
On the topic of polity, I see the ecclesia/AGM as setting policy which is then
administered and interpreted by the officers. The officers should have no power to
set policy themselves. Our structure should be absolutely minimalist to avoid
unpleasant takeover bids later. Any office or function which doesn't need to be
there, shouldn't be there. If someone has grounds for an ethics complaint, an ad hoc
committee should be assembled to look into it. If amends are made or the
objectionable behaviour corrected, then the case should be dropped (i.e. the
committee is focused on correcting unethical behaviour, not punishing it).
On the subject of officers and their terms of office, I rather like the notion of
electing them in alternate years for two- year terms. A one-year term is too hard on
continuity. One possibility to avoid little fiefdoms is to provide each function
with two officers, one senior and the other junior. Each year the senior officer
retires, the junior officer becomes the senior and a new junior officer is elected.
Continuity is preserved, and each officer gains an assistant who has a year in which
to learn the ropes. I think that barring the outgoing senior from seeking
re-election as a junior would be wasteful of resources, myself, but it would
certainly serve to break up fiefdoms even further, should the ecclesia happen to be
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particularly paranoid about them.
A not-so-little proposal, but the subject is an important one. This is only
somewhat-baked, and I see the need as both real and immediate, so please give me
some feedback on this.
THE FEMININE CURRENT IN THE GOLDEN DAWN

by Peregrin
(A version of this article first appeared in SWEEPINGS).
Many Wiccans and Pagans, whilst declaring themselves "eclectic" seem to avoid the
Golden Dawn like the plague. This is quite understandable, since on the face of it
the GD seems to be counter to most of the Pagan philosophies. (The open hostilities
and down putting directed at Wiccans that pour out of some GD practitioners does not
help the matter either.)
The GD Is often viewed as inflexible, patriarchal, authoritarian and stuck up its
own behind. A few Wiccans do practise the GD, but most of these, I feel do so with
the belief that the two are watertight compartments - that is Wicca is a religion
and the GD a "system". Most (including myself), if they confide in you will admit
that they view the GD as more "powerful" - at least in the magical as opposed to the
religious sense.
It is my aim here to show that the essence of the GD is not inherently patriarchal
and opposed to Pagan ideology. This I believe can be readily observed if we remember
that the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a late 19th century outward
manifestation of a spiritual system aeons old. The essence of the system would
therefore be contained within, but not altered by, and outward form that reflected
late 19th century western occult ideology. (Remember also that the GD first emerged
via Masonic sources and thus the outer form was heavily coloured by that system.)
This essence can however be readily "tapped into". This will then help the magician
avoid being trapped into "believing" the GD's outer form. The essence I speak of is,
of course, the Goddess.
On the face of it to say that the GD's essence is Goddess sounds absurd. But please
do not judge the GD book by its cover. Forget the outer form, forget the Victorian
pomposity, forget the props. Let's go a little deeper.
First off, the original GD System relied heavily on its ceremonial initiations. The
process of initiation (even the mimicry of ritual initiation) always involves a
death and re-birth, which can only truly occur via Goddess, since only the "female"
force of the universe can give birth. Thus straightaway we see that at the core of
the GD is an unrecognised Goddess force. To deny it is to say that either, a) the GD
initiations do not involve a re-birth; b) something other than Goddess can give
birth; or c) the GD initiations are not effective, which anyone who has undergone
them will heartily dispute.
Christopher S Hyatt, the main collaborator with the late Israel Regardie before his
death, in a recent book - The Secrets of Western Tantra - makes several hints which
echo the views I express. Says Hyatt, when tracing the link between the GD and the
Tantric Goddess:
"...one attribute among many others which gives the whole show away is the equality
between male and female adepts." (p.69)
For a Masonically derived Order in Victorian England this was an unprecedented and
daring move. Yet this had to, and did occur, since the Order's essence is based
firmly on Goddess and the co-equality of the sexes. Looking a little more closely at
the formation of the Order will also show many other clues regarding the hidden
Goddess essence.
Firstly, the leading light of the Order, S L MacGregor Mathers, was an ardent
supporter of the equality of the sexes and the young feminist movement. In his
introduction to "The Kabbalah Unveiled" he sets the record straight concerning the
nature of divinity:
"...the translators of the Bible have crowded out and smoothed up every reference to
the fact that Divinity is both masculine and feminine... now we hear much of the
Father and the Son, but we hear nothing of the Mother in the ordinary religions of
the day."
Presuming the hidden Goddess essence and following the mythology of the Order, it
becomes apparent why the "Secret Chiefs" chose such a person to lead the GD. If the
Order's essence was patriarchal they would surely have chosen a different man.
Continuing with the examination we find that the Outer Order rituals are based upon
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a set of cipher manuscripts. In those manuscripts, as published in "The Secret Inner
Order Rituals of the Golden Dawn", we find the candidate is often referred to as
"she". In an age when women were still calling themselves "brothers" and "chairmen",
this is significant.
Further, the Order was chartered and given authority (ie, symbolic life) by a woman
(Sr SDA). Now admittedly serious doubt has been cast upon this history, but
regardless of whether the events occurred in shared space-time or Westcott's mind,
the symbolism is important - it is a symbolic birth performed by a Goddess figure.
This theme is further developed in the naming of the first true GD temple in England
(and the initial temple of many GD Orders worldwide) as the Isis-Urania temple. Thus
the Order is visibly dedicated to, and under the influence of, the Goddess. Behind
all things, even GD temples, is the Mother.
Before having a quick flick through Regardie's "The Golden Dawn" to see what Goddess
essence we can find there, let's pay attention to some of the more prominent
proteges of the Order. Firstly Mathers himself went on to utilise his GD adeptship
to develop, along with his wife Moina, the Rites of Isis in Paris (the couple nearly
always worked as a partnership in their occult work.) Secondly Aleister Crowley,
despite his male ego, misogyny and viciousness went on to produce a sort of Nuit
"cult", using GD based techniques. Crowley himself is an excellent example of my
point that inner essences do not necessarily reflect outer forms and vice versa. It
is hard to imagine that such a person as Crowley (the man) could act as medium to
such Goddess inspired beauty as the closing paragraphs of the first chapter of Liber
Al vel Legis. Yet Goddess came forth anyway. Crowley, like the GD was outwardly
patriarchal, but contained the essence of Goddess. There is no more Goddess inspired
thealogy than Crowley's maxim, "Do what Thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law".
Dion Fortune, initiate of the Stella Matutina, also used GD based techniques to help
formulate her Pagan workings, the focus of which was the Goddess Isis.
The most obvious evidence of Goddess in the GD is the Rose-Cross, the symbol of the
combined female and male forces. The GD's Inner Order, the Rosae Rubeae et Aureae
Crucis claimed a Rosicrucian lineage, and the links between the Rosicrucians and
Goddess have been detailed beautifully by Gareth Knight in his book, "The Rose Cross
and the Goddess".
We come then to the GD tarot, and find it restoring the court cards to an equal
sexual balance based upon the Tetragrammaton. The male knave (page) of the exoteric
packs of the era was correctly replaced by the female princess, symbolic of the
Earth Goddess.
In Qabalistic philosophy we find the spirit of the Divine often referred to as
Shekinah, which is seen as having a female essence. This is shown clearly by Mathers
when he correctly translates a passage from the Sepher Yetzirah:
"...AChTh RVCh ALHIM ChIIM: Achath (feminine, not Achad, masculine) Ruach Elohim
Chiim; One is She the Spirit of the Elohim of Life."
This thealogy is followed in the GD. Israel Regardie shows this in his ritual for
Spiritual Advancement, which is based firmly upon the Z documents of the Inner
Order. Here he implores the Mother of Goddesses and Gods (Aima Elohim) to aid him in
his quest. Regardie even uses a cauldron as a symbol of the Great Mother. This,
believe it or not, is not a Wiccan ritual, but pure Golden Dawn.
The main weapon of the RR et AC adept, the Lotus Wand, has embodied within it much
Goddess essence. It is described as, "...a simple wand surmounted by the lotus
flower of Isis. It symbolises the development of creation." (The Golden Dawn, 5th
ed. p224.) This indicates that the creation of the Spirit, the Heavens and the Earth
comes from the Great Mother Isis. The wand also represents the Kundalini - a
feminine Goddess force. This to me is a beautiful tool, alive with Goddess, much
more so than the Wiccan athame (which is objected to by some feminist Witches as
being aggressive and masculine).
Finally let us return to initiations. The two most important initiations of the
GD/RR et AC system, the Neophyte and the Adeptus Minor ceremonies, both contain the
hidden Goddess essence.
The Neophyte ceremony is based on the myth of the Slain and Risen Osiris, where the
candidate acts as the Slain Osiris. This myth however is a later patriarchal
rendition of the Ishtar and earlier Innana myth of Goddess descending into the
Underworld. The Goddess is thus present deep within the archetypal theme of the
ceremony. Further, the act that seals the initiation proper, the final consecration,
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is conducted by Officers representing "the Goddesses of the Scale of the Balance".
And as the badge of the grade is placed upon the new initiate, "... it is as the two
Great Goddesses Isis and Nepthys, stretched forth their wings over Osiris (the
initiate) to restore him again to life." The candidate is thus re-born to a fuller
life by the power of Goddess.
The Adeptus Minor ceremony contains much Goddess essence quite openly. The clearest
example of this is the Vault of the Adepti, and obvious symbol of the Womb of
Goddess. As Regardie briefly points out in his introduction to the Golden Dawn, the
candidate is led through the Twin Pillars which symbolise the vagina and into the
womb itself. There she returns to the Great Mother and is re-born and out through
the vagina once more. The symbolism is so obvious, so beautiful and so potent, and I
am surprised some Wiccan/Pagan group hasn't adapted the ceremony in their own
workings.
From the foregoing it can easily be seen that Goddess is alive and well within the
GD - at least in its essence. Sadly not many GD adepts are aware of this. Most GD
magicians get too caught up in the outer form and potency of the system to notice
where the energy and beauty originate. I am not claiming that the GD is, or should
be, a religion. It is not, and its essence is not. The essence is however Goddess
and Her continuing manifestation in this world. If we are to remember and
consciously perceive this it will transform our GD work. Then the GD will no longer
be "dry" and without life - the perceptions most Wiccans and natural Goddess
worshippers intuitively feel.
For 100 years the Golden Dawn has concealed Her, the Mother of Light, Life and Love.
But now in this time when She is being worshipped by so many in so many different
ways, the Golden Dawn will at last reveal its secret. And just as the Stone that the
Builders rejected shall become the Cornerstone of the Temple, so too shall Goddess
become the key to the 21st century manifestations of what is now the Golden Dawn.
The new Golden Dawn shall one day become as important as the Wiccan movement in the
collective invocation of Goddess. This process is already beginning, and we can all
take part in and promote it if we Will. But whether we chose to or not, now is the
time to bury the false split between ceremonial and Pagan magic, for both are born
of the Mother and both will lead us back to her.
THE RITUAL ABUSE SCANDAL IN BRITAIN
1991 reviewed & summarised by MICHAEL HOWARD
(This article first appeared in issue 63 of THE CAULDRON)
FEBRUARY: The liberal minded "Guardian" abandoned all its principles and published
an astonishing attack on the Craft written by left-wing journalist Beatrix Campbell
attempting to link it with so-called "Satanic ritual abuse". Transcripts of
interviews with children in the Nottingham case were re-printed. This confidential
information had evidently been leaked to Campbell, who is known to be sympathetic to
the fundies. The article coincided with a failed attempt in Parliament by Tory MP
Geoffrey Dickens to make it illegal for children to attend pagan gatherings,
Spiritualist Church services, New Age events or psychic fayres.
MARCH: Social workers and police seized nine children from their homes in the
Orkneys in Gestapo-style dawn raids alleging "ritual abuse". This claim had
originated from the confessions of other children involved in a normal abuse case.
It was alleged a hooded, masked and cloaked figure known as "The Master", who also
dressed as a Mutant Ninja Turtle, and who was identified as the local vicar, had led
dances around a bonfire at a local quarry. Police seized items associated with
"black magic" from the parents' houses. These included a book of erotic poetry, and
Oriental statue of a couple making love, a letter written to the tooth fairy by one
of the children, and a Guy Fawkes mask! A week later the majority of children placed
into care in 1990 following allegations of widespread "ritual abuse" on a Rochdale
council estate were returned to their parents. In court the police said they had
found no evidence and the social services were criticised for their methods. The
Rochdale case was followed by an official statement by the Chief Inspector of
Constabulary for the UK, Sir John Woodcock, who said the police had absolutely no
evidence that "ritual abuse" existed, He said that concern about the subject had
been exaggerated and got out of control.
APRIL: The children in the Orkneys case were released by order of the local sheriff.
Angry parents besieged the social services department. In Ayrshire ten children were
taken into care amid fantastic allegations of human sacrifices and rituals held in a
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haunted castle, graveyards, and a hot air balloon by parents dressed as clowns!
Granada Television's "World in Action" programme exposed the methods used by the
social services to extract confessions from children. A child psychologist was
quoted as saying that these methods were themselves a form of abuse. Police in
Aberdeen confirmed they had dropped charges against six adults arrested for "ritual
abuse".
JUNE: A doctor in Brighton claimed there was widespread "ritual abuse" in Sussex
involving animal sacrifices and "naked circle rituals" in local woods. A police
officer in charge of the child abuse unit in Brighton said she was aware of the
allegations but had no knowledge of any confirmed case. Media reports suggest
leading fundies involved in spreading the "ritual abuse" myth in the UK were being
secretly funded by an extreme right-wing American group who believe the British
Royal family are international drug smugglers!
AUGUST: Three young sisters were put out for adoption following the allegation of
"ritual abuse" by their mother, her boyfriend, and their grandparents. This
was despite the fact that the Crown Prosecution Service had found no evidence and
were not contemplating criminal charges. "The News of the World" did one of its
famous exposes on the Paganlink-Up Gathering, looking for evidence of "ritual
abuse", but naturally found nothing. The judicial enquiry into the Orkneys fiasco
began with social workers admitting they had ignored guidelines laid down after the
Cleveland affair. The social services Director claimed there was a widespread
conspiracy among the islanders to cover up the alleged abuse which involved the
vicar, local GP, and district nurse.
SEPTEMBER: It was revealed that none of the children in the Orkneys "ritual abuse"
case showed medical signs of sexual abuse. "The Independent on Sunday" suggested
stories of circle dancing had arisen from a Hallowe'en fancy dress party held by the
Brownies at the Church Hall.
OCTOBER: BBC Wales television programme "Week In-Week Out" exposed the activities of
Maureen Davies, the Rev Kevin Logan, et al, and alleged they had fabricated evidence
of "ritual abuse" in North Wales.
NOVEMBER: The trial at the Old Bailey of a gypsy family allegedly involved in
Satanic rites and child abuse collapsed after one of the child witnesses admitted
fabricating evidence. It was said she got her ideas from pornographic magazines. Two
of those accused - who are evangelical Christians and prison visitors - are seeking
compensation and taking their complaints to the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
One of them said he had been pressurised by the authorities to sign a false
confession. The Orkneys enquiry nearly ended when some participants said they could
not afford the legal costs without government help. The inquiry is costing £100,000
(A$ 235,682) per week and is expected to last until the end of 1992! Allegations
were made that the dawn raids were required because social services received
information that parents had threatened to use guns to stop their children going
into care. The saga continues.....
Two lessons have been learnt from last year's events. Firstly that the ritual abuse
myth is not a right-wing conspiracy. Left-wing journalists, so-called Liberal
publications like the "New Statesman" and the "Guardian", and even Labour's
spokeswoman on child affairs, have supported the fundies. Secondly, while the
authorities are wasting millions of taxpayers' money investigating the "ritual
abuse" myth and dragging innocent people through the courts, resources are being
diverted from catching the real child abusers in our sick society, who sadly include
Christian priests and social workers.
WARRIORSHIP
by Swein Runestaff
There has been much written on warriorship in recent times and interest in the
subject shows no sign of diminishing. As Pagans we must come to understand our
warrior ancestry and, more importantly, adapt its principles to modern life. If we
fail in this task, we face the prospect of becoming either meek and herded sheep, or
branded outlaws, condemned as were our ancestors, for our heresy.
Although I have read widely on the historical evidence, my own understanding comes
mainly from my training in a living Norwegian tradition and in the Rune-Gild. There
are many academic theories and conjectures about the role of the warrior in Pagan
society but very few academics who understand warriorship. We Pagans do not have the
luxury of theorising, no matter how clever those theories may seem. If they are not
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of practical benefit to us in daily life, they amount to nothing more than
intellectual wankery.
Paganism is about freedom. Freedom from dogma, freedom from our negative
conditioning, habits, and inhibitions, freedom from our self-limiting beliefs. We
must not think that we can improve our situation if we break the bonds of the
Judeo-Christian chastity belt merely to adopt fetters forged from the twisted scrap
of a bygone age. Christianity became fossilised before it reached the wisdom and
tolerance of maturity, let us not make the same mistake.
Paganism has always had its strength in its diversity and fluidity, constantly
adapting according to time and location. The form is always evolving but the essence
remains. This fluidity is indeed part of the essence, and differentiates us from the
anachronists who seek only relief from reality. To the Pagan, reality is not the
tiresome mud of everyday, but colourful clay to be moulded lovingly in our hands.
Paganism is our way and warriorship is our vehicle. Without warriorship, Paganism
becomes quaint anachronism. In my tradition warriorship is not about aggression, in
fact a warrior has gone beyond the need for aggression. Warriorship is actually
magick, the art of manifesting the True Will. An aspect of this is illustrated in
our understanding of the Berserk.
The word "berserk" comes from two words, "bare" and "sark" (a shirt). A berserk was
originally one who fought without a shirt, bare from the waist up. Not only did they
scorn body armour, they even went without the psychological advantage of a layer of
clothing between their skin and the enemy's sword.
In our tradition, the symbolism of removing the armour is of great importance, but
before it is safe to do so, one must be adept at doing battle with the armour on.
Whether on the battlefield or in the marketplace we all wear some sort of armour
against "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune", or more to the point, the
barbs of our fellow humans. In order to operate efficiently we must know our
strengths and weaknesses, and become aware of the style and construction of our
armour.
As our movements become increasingly efficient, we find that we can afford to shed
some of our armour. We then find that our movements become even more efficient with
the resulting freedom. Eventually we find ourselves totally open to the world. No
longer encumbered with layers of protection we are free to be our true selves. Every
act becomes a spontaneous and joyous act of pure will. We become a vortex of pure
will force.
Paradoxically, while a novice stripped of armour would be instantly slain, an adept
becomes impervious to steel. The berserk ceases to be a target by becoming as if
devoid of gross substance. The Ynglinga Saga describes the Berserks when inspired by
Odin, "They cut down the enemy, while neither fire nor iron could make an impression
on them." That which offers no resistance cannot be cut. That which is flexible
cannot be broken.
Anyone who has been in combat situations will realise that uncontrolled anger is
rarely a friend in battle. Such emotion may well stimulate enthusiasm and
fearlessness, but at the cost of judgement and precision. There is a Samurai saying-
"The angry man will defeat himself in battle as well as in life." The true berserk
rage is certainly not blind anger. An angry warrior may be frightening and deadly
but is unlikely to come out of a battle alive, let alone unscathed.
The secret of the berserk's invulnerability is the ability to let the True Will flow
unimpeded. This requires the warrior to be totally calm and centred while at the
same time unleashing the destructive forces of the Will. This is a form of
meditation infinitely more difficult than being calm and centred in a quiet room
(something most people find almost impossible anyway). The slightest distracting
thought can be fatal. By not letting thoughts interfere with the flow of Will, the
berserk is always in the right place at the right time. Action flows, there is no
rigidity or predictability, there is nowhere a blade can strike.
The berserk acts without hesitation and is always in harmony with any situation.
Harmony in this case means being true to the self and interacting with the situation
in a way which is honest with the self. This can only be done when there is no
barrier between the self and the situation. One becomes a fluid part of the
situation without losing one's individuality, an indispensable and autonomous part
of the whole, every movement being a vital adjustment of one's position in the
universe.
It is only through warriorship that we will be able to practise our varied
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traditions without fear of persecution, for this fear betrays a lack of confidence
in one's own magickal ability and in the power of one's tradition. Like the berserk,
those who truly practise warriorship or magick will find themselves beyond the reach
of any attack, and extremely unlikely to be attacked in the first place.
Judeo-Christian culture has taught us that we are powerless as individuals, that we
must follow the mob to be saved. Pagan culture has always taught that we should
accept responsibility for ourselves. Our power or lack of it is our own choice.
Freedom is ours, taking responsibility for ourselves is the price. Many are not
ready to pay it, let them join the sheep of a herd religion until they are ready,
they too have a valid place in the greater whole. This is why Paganism does not seek
to make converts.
Ultimately warriorship is a path of compassion. When we no longer fear others, we
are free to sense their real needs. This is not sympathy or just being nice,
sometimes a harsh lesson will be far more beneficial in the long run. Only fearless
openness allows one to see the best way to interact. Without fear we can be more
tolerant and less defensive, less inclined to take things personally, or become
offended when others do things a little differently, or moralise and interfere with
others because we feel threatened by their strangeness. Only fear prevents us from
achieving our potential. Only warriorship will defeat the fears which divide us.
(Swein Runestaff is Steward of the South Pacific Region of the Rune-Guild)
GLENN INNES STANDING STONES: THE FIRST STANDING STONES OF MODERN TIMES
Glenn Innes in northern NSW is home to many people descended from Scottish, Welsh,
Cornish, Manx and Irish immigrants. The streets have Gaelic street signs, and in a
marvellous initiative, the local Council have erected a stone circle "similar to
those erected by Celtic People throughout Europe centuries ago". Three stones -
named Gaelic, Brythonic and Australis - are the focal point of the circle; on the
opposite side of the circle four stones form the Southern Cross, with a Celtic stone
acting as a pointer. Outside of the circle, stones at each of the cardinal points
form an Ionic Cross.
There are a total of 38 stones, with 24 being in the circle. Each one stands
approximately 12 feet above the ground, and weighs several ton. Parts of the array
of stones are intended to act as a calender, whilst other parts have a religious
significance. Calculations by the Royal Australian Hydrographic Office were used to
determine the position of the Winter Solstice; the positions of the Summer Solstice
sunrise and sunset were observed on December 22nd 1990.
Also in NSW, another stone circle - with a difference! At Mt Annan Botanical
Gardens, 15 basalt crystal columns have been erected in a circle to form a "sundial
of human involvement". This analemmatic sundial uses a movable marker to cast a
shadow. And the moveable marker? A human, with arms raised above their head! The
circle is so situated that it is possible to look out across the Blue Mountains, to
the Sydney skyline in the distance.
BEYOND REASON: A new look at an old Devil

by Aries
Inside my mind is a court room. It is dark and sombre, a few shafts of light from
high slit windows etch out sloping pillars of swirling dust. In the public gallery
are a representative sample of the great unwashed; fighting, fornicating, eating,
suckling piglets, and other sub-Bosch activities that lend atmosphere to the Baroque
wanderings of my imagination. The judge is unhappy. Whatever happens, someone,
somewhere, will hate him for it. In the dock are the three grand-dames from
Shakespeare's "Scottish" play, and I am counsel for the defence. The Advocatus
Diaboli, I guess. In the witness stand is "Dance with the Devil" by Audrey Harper
and Harry Pugh, and grave are its accusations. But first, let's have its story.
Audrey Harper; a familiar tale of degradation and final redemption through our
Saviour Jesu Christos; sent to a Dr Barnado's home by her mother, she grew up with
deprivation and social stigma. In time she becomes a WRAF, falls in love, gets
pregnant, boyfriend dies, she turns to booze, gives up her baby and becomes
homeless. Wandering to Piccadilly Circus she meets some Flower Children with the
killer weed, and her descent into Hell is assured. By day she gets stoned and eats
junk food; by night she sleeps in squats and doorways. Along comes Molly; the whore
with a heart of gold who teaches Audrey the art of streetwalking. She flirts with
shoplifting, gets into pills, and then gets talent spotted and invited to a Chelsea
party, where wealth, power and tasteful decor are dangled as bait. At the next party
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she is hooked by the "group", which meets "every month in Virginia Water". She
agrees to go to the next meeting which is to be held at Hallowe'en.
Inside the dark Temple lit by black candles and full of "A heady, sickly sweet smell
from burning incense", she is "initiated" by the "warlock", whose "face was deathly
pale and skeletal... his eyes ... were dark and sunken" and whose "breath and body
seemed to exude a strange smell, a little like stale alcohol." She signs herself
over to Satan with her own blood on a parchment scroll, whereupon a baby is
produced, its throat cut, and the blood drank. Following this she gets dumped on the
"altar" and fucked as the "sacrifice of the White Virgin". The meeting finishes with
a little ritual cursing and she's left to wander "home" in the dark.
Her life falls into a steady routine of meetings in Virginia Water, getting screwed
by the "warlock", drug abuse, petty crime, and recruiting runaways for parties,
where the drinks are spiked - "probably LSD" - and candles injected with heroin
release "stupefying fumes into the air"; the object being sex kicks and pornography.
She falls pregnant again, gets committed to a psychiatric hospital, has the baby,
and gives it away convinced that the "warlock" would sacrifice it.
Things then become a confusion of Church desecration, drug addiction, ritual abuse,
psychiatric hospital, and falling in with Christian folk who try vainly to save her
soul. For rather vague reasons the "coven" decide to drop her from the team, and she
dedicates herself to a true junkie's lifestyle with a steady round of overdosing,
jaundice, and detoxification units. The "warlock" drops by to threaten her, and she
makes her way north via some psychiatric hospitals to a Christian Rehabilitation
farm. She gets married, has a child which she keeps, and becomes a regular
churchgoer. But beneath the surface are recurring nightmares, insane anger and
murderous feelings towards her brethren. At the Emmanual Pentecostal Church in
Stourport she asks the Minister, Roy Davies, for help. He prays, and God tells him
that she was involved with witchcraft. An exorcism has her born again, cleansed of
her sin. She gets baptised and has no more nightmares, becoming a generally nicer
person. She becomes the "occult expert" of the Reachout Trust and Evangelical
Alliance, and makes a career out of telling an edited version of her tale.
Geoffrey Dickens MP persuades her to tell all on live TV; "Audrey, to your knowledge
is child sacrifice still going on?" To this she replies, "To my knowledge, yes."
After this the whole thing rambles into an untidy conclusion of self-congratulation,
self-promotion, and self-justification; and for a grand finale pulls out a list of
horrendous child abuse, which is shamelessly exploited in typically journalistic
fashion, and by the usual fallacious arguments which links it to anything "occult";
help-lines, astro predictions in newspapers, and even New Age festivals.
And so we are left with a horrifying vision of hordes of Satanists swarming the
country, buggering kids, sacrificing babies, and feeding their own faeces to the
flock. I would be tempted to consider this story a modern parable; a Rakes Progress
for the late 20th century, were it not for the claim of truth and the accusations
cast.
Throughout her tale Mrs Harper shows herself to be a clumsy dissembler;
inconsistencies appear throughout, and the tone is shrill and hysterical. "I know
parts of my story are hard to believe. I realise there are some sceptics who will
not accept that such things can happen." This is a perfect example of the fallacy
known as "poisoning the well", but what part might we find hard to believe? On page
79 with her bare face hanging out she tells us that, "I was, by now, quite an
accomplished young witch. I could levitate. I could bring down the powers of
darkness to move furniture about." Better a wilful sceptic than having us believe in
levitating junkies. But was she a witch? When the Chelsea girl invites her along,
"she never mentioned witchcraft. But somehow, as she spoke, her words conjured up an
eerie atmosphere." And according to her testimony, nobody actually mentions
witchcraft prior to Roy Davies, who is tipped the wink by Lord God Almighty.
Regardless of that, she still promiscuously mixes up the terms; witchcraft, Satanism
and Paganism, playing free and easy with the rules of evidence. However, it does
appear that there is a thing called Wicca or White Witches who "certainly do not set
out to do evil", but are still damned because "even if they don't do deliberate
harm, their activities are opposed to Christian teachings because they worship false
gods." Obviously possessed of the spirit of discernment, or as Joseph Campbell said,
"You can't fool around with Yahweh." 1
Okay, so where is the evidence? In Mrs Harper's reality tunnel the evidence is
everywhere, for the world is full of "evils that are the work of Satan." Not for Mrs
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Harper the easy road of "hardfacts" when she assures us that "There have been
mounting suspicions over the years that child sacrifices take place regularly. I
believe that they do. I have no evidence to support this belief." "It's my belief
that some of the hundreds of children and adults who go missing every year end up
being sacrificed." All that she offers us is her belief, but is it a rational
belief? Consider these words from another book, in a chapter called "Schizophrenia:
The Demon in Control - "Let's say that when you awake tomorrow, you find standing at
your bedside a man with purple scale skin...from Mars... visible and audible only to
you...he warns you not to reveal his presence; if you attempt to do so, he
threatens, he will kill you instantly... On the basis of what you can so clearly see
and hear, you accept the fact, astounding as it is, that the stranger is what he
says he is."2 Barbara O'Brien then goes on to describe the schizophrenic trip and
how she toured America in Greyhound buses in an attempt to escape the "hook
operators".
But, what if someone woke up to find Satan by their bed? Mrs Harper is one of the
sad minority to do just that. In hospital, after an overdose she returned to her bed
to find on it "a miniature hooded figure... I was sure it was Satan manifesting
himself to me." If we check the diagnosis of schizophrenia we find that the
schizophrenic "ceases to experience his mental processes and his will as under his
own control; he may insist that thoughts are being put into his mind."3 And what
does Mrs Harper tell us? She signed in blood a parchment scroll which stated that,
"I am no longer my own. Satan is my master." As for arranging her social calendar,
"I was rarely summoned... Some inner compulsion told me when, and where, to
go...Satan could direct me to the coven by remote control." At other times there was
"just the telepathic message buzzing in my head... Satan was beckoning... There was
no resistance. I had to go." In fact most of the time "Satan was at the helm of my
thinking processes." This is not all, for we also read that the schizophrenic "hears
voices telling him what to do."3
Three or four weeks after her "initiation", Mrs Harper experienced a blinding
headache. "Then a voice came to me, telling me to be at Highgate Cemetery just
before midnight." The voice went on to give her some travel directions, which was
very obliging. "In acute stages of the illness other hallucinations and delusions of
varied kinds may be present."3 I think we can safely classify levitation and
telekinesis under the heading of hallucination and delusion, but what about babies
being killed? Or coven meetings even? "The paranoid schizophrenic has 'a persistent
idea...that there is a conspiracy or concerted action against him...a delusion of
grandeur."3 Whenever she took an overdose, "I knew who was behind it all - the
coven. This was Satan attacking me." Whenever things went wrong for Mrs Harper it
was Satan, "making me follow foolish impulses...causing me to behave in a stupid
way." Every time she got moving "Satan played another of his little tricks" to stop
her short. "Delusions of unworthiness occur in depressive illnesses in association
with misery and hopelessness." 3 Any comment Mrs Harper? "I felt myself wishing that
I could be good, like these nurses, instead of a servant of the Devil." "...how
inadequate I was compared with the other churchgoers."
On her first TV programme she was asked, "How do you know you were not just on a bad
trip?", to which she replied, "A bad trip doesn't last five years." But if this bad
trip is schizophrenia, it could. As far as backgrounds go, hers was ideal for
inducing psychosis; harsh, cold and alienating. Significantly she had nicknamed the
matron of the home "the witch", and after her escape attempts "It didn't take the
police long...they soon had me back under the spell
of the witch." A process of learned helplessness. Bob Wilson 4 discusses the
possible role of schizophrenia and self-medication in heroin addiction, and
certainly at the more stable periods of her life she seems to have no problem giving
up her drugs. Although this may not be important, it is worth bearing in mind that
Virginia Water is home to the Royal Holloway Psychiatric Hospital, which, at the
time of her tale, had a bustling schizophrenic population. Maybe this explains how
she ended up so often wandering around dazed in the dark. Of course this is all
speculation, but the mere possibility that an undiagnosed schizophrenic with a
medieval delusion is trying to drag us into her fantasy, and to restrict the civil
liberties of others has me worried.
Even more worrying was a "Despatches" documentary shown on Channel 4 TV on the 19th
February 1992, portraying an alleged expose of Satanism and ritual abuse. An array
of "survivors" were brought before us; some of whom were severely traumatised
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individuals and in need of much care and help to re-build their lives. Others had me
suspecting malice as a motivating force. These "survivors" refuse to go to the
police, just like our Mrs Harper neglected to report a whole heap of crimes such as;
desecration, rape, child abuse, drug running, animal brutality, murder, eating
foetuses and stealing library books. When at long last someone goes as far as
pointing to where the bodies are buried, the police do a lot of digging, but find
nothing. Similarly, those cases that come to trial are thrown out on the grounds of
insufficient evidence or doubts about the social workers' methods.
Therapists and social workers assure us that the physical reactions of these people
when under analysis are authentic, but this proves little. The link between mind and
body is profound; the body reacts to the mind's content regardless of the
authenticity of that content; i.e., belief will evoke as great a response as actual
recall. What do these "carers" have to gain by their behaviour? I guess it's much
sexier to be on a special Satanic ritual abuse group, rather than just another
social worker in the child unit. After the "Operation Julie" team split up, the
majority of its members left the police rather than return to normal duties - the
power of being in a special elite seduces the best of us.
As is usual Uncle Aleister comes in for some ritual abuse; this evil black magician
(sic) on the "Bloody Sacrifice"; and "Dispatches" quotes those infamous lines from
page 219: "A male child of perfect innocence and high intelligence is the most
satisfactory and suitable victim."5
But they neglected the all-important footnote: "It is the sacrifice of oneself
spiritually. And the intelligence and innocence of that male child are the perfect
understanding of the Magician, his one aim, without lust of result. And male he must
be, because what he sacrifices is not the material blood, but his creative power."5
We can surmise that either the "Dispatches" team are totally incompetent to have
missed that footnote, or deliberately dishonest. As far as I can tell the only sin
in what Uncle Aleister suggests is the Sin of Onan. (See: Sacred Mushroom and the
Cross by J M Allegro for a full explanation of the link between sperm and sin.)
Finally, after teasing us overmuch with hints of a secret Satanic group that
regularly murders babes in arms and worships Uncle Aleister in a basement Temple in
the East End of London, they were going to reveal all. Well, actually not all: they
stop short of naming names, due no doubt to a sharp eye on this country's libel
laws. Instead we get shown clips of an arty video from The Temple ov Psychic Youth's
playroom; a video I thought was available by mail order, and some of which was shown
publicly as far back as 1987 at the 2nd Thelemic Conference at Oxford. The offending
content was a little low-level S&M (low-level compared to what is currently
available from Amsterdam), and certainly not as visually gripping as some films by
Dali or Kenneth Anger. What seemed to have been forgotten is that Sadomasochistic
behaviour is ritualistic, but that doesn't mean that ritual is an incidence of
intention of abuse.
It was confidently stated that claims of identical detail concerning Satanic ritual
abuse go back 700 years; but in all this time, those tricky Satanists have evaded
capture. "Dispatches" claimed that the wily Satanists escape the net because their
crimes are "beyond belief", and hence not believed. Personally I wonder whether the
claims themselves may well be beyond reason. Suppose these survivors claimed to have
been abducted by fairies, or the Evil Space Brothers; how would we react? Evidence
is coming through that suggests that Multiple Personalities and UFO abductees show a
tendency of abuse of some sort as a child. Hypnotised subjects are able to construct
a detailed and realistic UFO kidnap scenario without having any UFO knowledge or
experience.6 We are obviously talking about something that is coming up from the
deeper structures of the mind, possibly at the level of the Archetypes, and I'm sure
we can agree that the "Satanic Ritual" scenario is well embedded in the group
consciousness. We should bear in mind two things; firstly, the mind is a much more
complex entity than our current models allow for. Also that memory is symbolic; it
does not run back like a film; rather it is reconstructed from elements that "seem
right", but the result is always partial, leaving room for symbolism to dress the
events in a ways that serves a deeper need. A child being treated brutally by
parents it believes should be loving, could then "demonise" them, so that images of
"satanic parents" will slowly emerge in therapy as the real trauma is dealt with.
The symbolic nature of this recalled material allows it to be easily dealt with by
psychodrama such as exorcism. Maybe it's all true; many abusers use ritual trappings
to induce fear, so maybe there are Satanic abusers; Lord knows there are more than
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enough Christian and non-Satanic abusers about. But to politicise others' pain and
suffering is to my mind, both wrong-headed and dangerous.
The truth is that there are a lot of sick people out there, both perpetrators and
victims who are hurt and traumatised. They need all the help we can give, not
exploitation. We have seen the effect of mass hysteria before; from the Pendle
Witches and Jews up to the Guildford Four and Orkney Twelve. The Witch Hunts died
out because wilful sceptics refused to believe on women flying about the countryside
on broomsticks, and tended to (rather unkindly) laugh at the people who believed in
such things. The UK is currently in its worse recession this century, and we can
confidently expect a rise in the rates of suicide, child abuse and scape-goating.
Right now we have a greater need of wilful sceptics than we do of fanatics fresh
from a medieval reality tunnel. I rest my case.
FOOTNOTES:
1 Joseph Campbell: The Power of Myth
2 Barbara O'Brien: Operators and Things - The Inner Life of a Schizophrenic
3 Richard L Gregory (Ed.): The Oxford Companion to the Mind
4 Robert Anton Wilson: Sex and Drugs - A Journey Beyond Limits
5 Aleister Crowley: Magick
6 Hilary Evans: Visions, Apparitions, Alien Visitors
And not forgetting DANCE WITH THE DEVIL: A Young Woman's Struggle to Escape the
Coven's Curse, by Audrey Harper with Harry Pugh, published by Kingsway Publications.
(As an interesting postscript to this article: readers may be interested to learn
that it was Audrey Harper's appearance on Australian TV, telling us all about the
dangers of Satanic/Witchcraft ritual child abuse that prompted me to found the Pan
Pacific Pagan Alliance - Julia)
THE PAGAN UNITY RITUAL
For group workings: we have generally made this the first part of our meeting, after
the erection and consecration of our working space. The music used for the working
is "The Burning Times" by Charlie Murphy. Love it or loath it, this song is
undeniably the anthem of the Neo-Pagan movement, and is played or sung at Pagan
gatherings in Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, the USA and Canada. By using it for this
working, we are making a very profound connection with the world's Pagan community.
First form a cartwheel with your cords - loop them over each other, and hold the
loose ends. Then stand in a circle, with the cords forming the spokes of the
"cartwheel". Start the music, and as the drumming begins, so everyone slowly moves
deosil in time to its beat. As you dance, you remember all the Pagans you have ever
known, or worked with. If you don't know many, then think about Pagans who have
influenced or inspired you - writers, singers, poets, artists - it doesn't matter
which, as long as you remember them. Throughout the song, continue to dance, and
continue to remember: focus upon the image of the cords as a web which joins all
Pagans together.
In our groups, we generally end the dance after "The Burning Times" finishes with an
"Eko Eko..." chorus, and then drop the cords to the ground to send the magic on its
way. If you work alone, the ritual can be adapted. Instead of forming a cartwheel,
you can weave your cords into a web-like pattern, or use knots - it doesn't matter
which, as long as you remember, and focus upon the concept of the links with other
Pagans. If Australian readers have problems finding a copy of "The Burning Times",
write to us, and we'll try and put you in touch with a supplier.
This ritual has now been performed a number of times with Pagans from NSW, ACT, SA
and the USA. It is also being worked in Britain, and a number of events that have
happened recently seem to confirm that a very real current is being generated to
strengthen Pagan Unity.
TEN WAYS TO PISS OFF A PAGAN
1. Ask them if they are Satan worshippers.
2. Be considerate, rearrange their altar so it will look
neat.
3. Blow out their altar candle if it is still day light.
(No need to waste a good candle!)
4. Pick up their gems for a closer look.
5. Sharpen their dull black-handled knife.
6. Witness to them about the "true religion".
7. Untie the knots in their cord.
8. Take hold of their jewelry for a closer look.
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9. Play card games with their Tarot cards.
10. Ask them if they are Satan worshippers.
Blessing my New Home
Touch the lintel and touch the wall,
Nothing but blessings here befall!
Bless the candle that stands by itself,
Bless the book on the mantle shelf,
Bless the pillow for the tired head,
Bless the hearth and the light shed.
Friends who tarry here, let them know
A three fold blessing before they go.
Sleep for weariness - peace for sorrow
Faith in yesterday and tomorrow.
Firends who go from here, let them bear
The blessing of hope, wherever they fare.
Lintel and windows, sill and wall,
Nothing but good, this place befall.
MOOSE!
*
When I was a young lass I used to like knights
I'd play with their armor and fondle their tights.
Till one day my champion was killed in the fights
Now you'd never be treated that way by a moose
*
CHORUS:
Mose, moose, I like a moose
I've never had anything quite like a moose
I've had lots of lovers my life has been loose
But I've never had anything quite like a moose.
*
Now when I'm in need of a very good lay,
I go to my closet and get me some hay
I go to my window and and spreads it around
Cause a moose always comes when there's hay on the ground
*
CHORUS
*
Gorillas are all right on a Saturday night,
Lions and tigers they puts up a fight.
But its just not the same when you slam your caboose
As the feeling you get when you humps with a moose.
*
CHORUS
*
Ive done it with beasties with long flowing hair
I'd do it with snakes if their fangs weren't there
Ive done it with walrus, a monkey and goose
But its just not the same when you screw with a moose.
*
CHORUS
*
Now that I'm old and advanced in my years
I look back on my life and she me no tears
As I sit in my chair with my glass of Matheus
Playing hide the salami with marvin the moose
*
CHORUS
*
A BOWHUNTER'S PRAYER TO DIANA
Oh Silvery Huntress of the Night!
Diana of the pale moonlight!
Oh Goddess of the Silver Bow
Smile on your humble child, below
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Come now to me and be my guest,
And aid me in this hunt...my quest!
In this endeavor, grant success
Grant me patience - grant kindness
Watch over me and guide my steps -
As I walk into the forest's depths.
Protect me from all injury
And close beside me, always be.
Aid me as I track the deer
Through brush and thickets, far and near
When it comes time to draw my bow
Grant me accuracy, here below
Guide my arrows with speed and skill
Grant painless death and swiftest kill
Silvery Huntress, I am your child...
I hunt your forests, free and wild.
Bless this hunt, I ask of thee
Oh Great Diana, hear my plea
Goddess of Wild Ones and the Night!
Bless my table with food tonight!
Kalioppe
SPIRITUALITY
"What is `spirituality'? Does it matter much today?
And what is something `sacred'? Is it black and white...or grey?"
These were the queries of a youngster, and gave me pause for
thought;
And as I rummaged through my mind, I found the words I sought.
"Spirituality is a relationship 'twixt the Universe and you,
And how you behave will manifest, no matter what you do!
It's a friendship with creation - with stones and plants and
trees,
With birds and deer and butterflies...and even bumblebees;
It's knowing that the life you have, is found in them, as well;
It's awareness that creation is found in every realm,
And that all of it is sacred and all of it's divine!
That means it's very special - and will be for all time!
The answers to your questions are both black and white, and grey,
As spirituality and sacredness depends on you...each day!"
I pondered well his queries as he slipped out the door,
And wondered if I'd answered well - or if I should say more...
But looking out the window, I saw him smile at me,
And knew that I'd said plenty, as he reached out and hugged a
tree!
-Kalioppe-
Creation Mystery,Part II
By: The Whyte Bard
The Lord, and the Lady (and the Fool) were lonely. The All was not
complete; there was none to keep them company, and laugh with them. There
was none to know them, and none to be Their Children.
And the Lady said, "Let us go forth and make Life upon the many
worlds, that We may have Children, and a Family of Life within the
MultiVerse. And let Us make them in Our image, and love and be loved in
return."
"No," said the Sacred King.
"Maybe," smiled the Youth.
"Yes!" said the Child.
And the Fool smiled, and said, "If we do this thing, it shall be a
wondrous thing indeed, for we shall make a Creature that shall have the Love
of the Lady, and the Strength of the Lord, and a Curiousity to match Myself.
It shall know Good and Evil, and Light and Darkness, and That which stands
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between them, and shall be very near and dear to us. It shall be arrogant,
and willful, and cruel, but it shall also be kind, and gentle and loving. It
shall be all things, and nothing at all."
"No," said Chaos.
"Maybe," smiled Trickster.
"Yes!" said Prometheus.
The Fool took up the stuff of stars, that whispers thru the
MultiVerse, and mixed it with the dry clay of earth, and mixed the substance
thereby made with the waters of the sea, and the tears of the Maiden, and the
birth-waters of the Mother, and the spittle of the Crone; wet it was with the
blood of the Sacred King, and the sweat of the Youth, and the milk on the
lips of the Child.
"No," said the Crone.
"Maybe," smiled the Maiden.
"Yes!" said the Mother.
And the Fool smiled, and said, "Then let it be so, for I have asked
three times, and three times three, and thus it is and so it ever shall be!"
The Holy Fool bent, and sank to His knees, and She took the wet clay,
wet with the waters of the sea, and the tears of the Maiden, and the birth-
waters of the Mother, and the spittle of the Crone; wet with the blood of the
Sacred King, and the sweat of the Youth, and the milk on the lips of the
Child.
And from that clay He made our Brothers and Sisters in Fur, Feather
and Scale, and all the growing things.
And one thing made of that clay was taken up by the Fool, and placed
aside.
And the Lady smiled upon Her Lord.
And the Fool turned, and It was Prometheus, and shaped the wet clay
thing further.
Side by side, He made them, that none should stand above the other,
but that all should walk as equals and partners, in joy and love.
And the Fool turned, and It was Trickster, who shaped us to be
curious, and to doubt, and from our doubt and curiousity, to learn, and to
laugh.
And the Fool turned, and She was Chaos, and placed a bit of Itself
within us, that we may change and grow.
And the Lord smiled upon His Lady.
Man and Woman Prometheus made, and the making and the shaping was as
years, and years upon years.
And the Fool began to dance.
And the Lady began to dance.
And the Lord began to dance.
They danced Life into the World, the Lady and the Lord, and the Fool.
They danced the moon, and stars, and Sun, and all that there is, they danced
into being.
And they danced Death into the World, for we must close the Circle of
our Being, and go forth unto newness.
They danced Life and Death, and still They dance, a never-ending,
ever-spinning Circle, endlessly spiraling upon itself, and uncoiling to start
anew; hand in hand They dance, to a Music They have made, endlessly creating,
and endlessly destroying.
---------------------------------------------------------
ÿÿHPS DISEASEÿÿ
by Vivienne West
I am the leader of this group
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And before Me all you others stoop.
Bend thou, adore Me on your knees
For I have HPS disease!
Slowly, silently, now the moon
Lights My face with its silver shoon.
Call Me "Lady", if you please,
For all you followers of the Law
Versed in ancient Celtic lore,
Tremble before My higher degrees,
Lions of Enoch, goats of Pan,
Your magic has but little span;
Know that I am greater than these,
For I have HPS Disease!
I am wonderful, I am good,
I am everything a Goddess should.
Kiss my lips, chest, groin and knees
For I have HPS disease.
You with mumps, diphtheria,
HIV, hysteria,
The earth will tremble when I sneeze,
For I have HPS Disease!
DISCOVERIES
by
Katrina McNeal-Dezern
August 15, 1993
Walking down Life's road one day,
I spied a path along the way,
Small it was, and hard to see,
But I just knew it was for me.
I stepped on to that wondrous Way,
What drew me there I cannot say,
But there along that path I trod,
Akin to the Goddess, akin to the God.
Of course I did not know that then,
I merely felt the power within;
Sister to forests, plants, and trees,
A part of Nature's Magesties!
For many years I trod alone,
Thinking all this was my own,
For others did not seem to see,
What was so obvious to me.
Imagine, then my sheer surprise,
When right before my very eyes,
It was my fortune to discover,
Another traveller, my own true lover!
But still more wonders were in store,
For on our path we found yet more,
And now the way's no longer bare,
We know that others travel there.
Some to learn and some to teach,
Some the heights of wisdom reach;
Together we gather in trust and joy,
All our resources to employ.
To share the way we think and feel,
To help each other grow and heal;
How wondrous all this is to me,
To have found a Spiritual Family!
WICCAN RAP
I face me to the east, an' Akila's there
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He's the fresh prince, he's the guardian of air.
Homeboy'll guard us, protect us from the beasts,
If anything ugly approaches from the east.
(Akila... KICK IT!)
Facin' to the south, and I got a mighty lion
Leonos is my man, now you know I'm not lyin'.
Comin' to the circle cuz I called upon his name,
An' he's going to protect us, he's the guardian of flame.
(Leonos... KICK IT!)
Ormsilvern is the man when I face me to the west
When you want it in the water, he's the one you want the best.
Rise from the sea, come over to me,
And tell the bad guys to f**kin' let us be.
(Ormsilvern... KICK IT!)
I make a right turn, and I'm headed for the north
I'm callin' for the bull; yo, Taurus, come forth!
Just call his name and the man is there,
Holdin' up a circle with fire, water, air.
By the powers of earth, air, fire, and water...
...keep it up, boyeeeeeeeez.
-=<Anonymouse>=-
SONG
by Vivienne West
(after Taliessin)
I am the sunshine on the verdant greensward.
I am the Salmon that swims in the stream.
I am of coal buried deep in the mountain.
I am the Eagle that sees from the sky.
I am the myth in the mind of the mystic.
I am the Crow at the foot of the warrior.
I am the shield and the spear of the fighter.
I am the corn and the flower of the field.
I am the fire that blazes at Beltane.
I am the woman that rocketh the cradle.
I am the egg that will hatch in fresh well-water.
I am the Lizard that dances in ashes.
I am the woman whose breasts are the hillocks.
I am the old man whose gaze is of sunlight.
I was with Isis when bodies were broken.
I was with Arianrhod in her sky-castle.
I was the Mare when Epona did gallop.
Who but me is the wonder of rivulets?
Who but me is the strength of the storm?
PAGAN CHURCHES
Written by Julia Phillips December 13, 1992
(This article appeared in issue #67 of The Cauldron)
To be or not to be, that is the question. To be an accredited, mainstream religion,
with society's approval, or to be a mystery path on the fringes of society; to be a
formal religion of priesthood and laity, or a path for those who seek their
religious experience outside of the mainstream.
This subject has recently been hotly debated by Pagans and occultists from all over
the world. Those in support (and they are vocal), insist that Paganism must come of
age; must provide ministers who can lead society back to the Goddess, and who can
serve the community as social workers, counsellors and priesthood. Those against
point out that most Pagans seek the religion in the first place because it is a path
of
individual spiritual growth, which does not demand that its
practitioners spend a large proportion of their time spoon-feeding a congregation,
or acting as unpaid social workers.
We appear to have reached a crossroads in the development of 20th (and 21st) century
Paganism, and the decisions we make over the next decade will have constitutional
and far-reaching consequences. Society is no longer in any doubt about our
existence; it has not yet decided whether we are a Good Thing, or a Bad Thing, but
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it certainly knows we exist.
Let us consider the problems that we face if we wish to make Paganism a mainstream
religion. Firstly, most (all?) of you reading this live in a nominally Christian
society, which will usually accept (with bad grace!) the other mainstream religions
such as Muslim and Buddhist. Pagans, if they are considered at all, will probably
evoke a reaction ranging from amused tolerance to outright condemnation for their
heresy. So, how do we convince society that we are neither foolish
(but basically harmless) eccentrics, nor are we dangerous heretics, ever on the
lookout for a tasty virgin, or plump little boy for our altars?
We can of course present society with the image that we wish them to see.
Unfortunately, this must often be presented via the media, who, as we know so well,
are more concerned with increasing viewing or circulation figures than being
philanthropic about helping poor defenceless Pagans improve their image. And how do
you deal with the ego-centric weirdos (sorry, no other word sounds half so
effective!) who launch themselves regularly at the world, scantily clad, demonically
masked, and twittering on about the shadow, cursing, cthonic
experiences and the dark path of the occult? The fact that you and I both know that
a genuine cthonic experience, or encounter with the shadow, would have these types
running home to Mummy pronto, is neither here nor there; the public, who knows no
better, is taken in a treat. "Aha", they cry, "see, we were always told it was
dangerous to dabble in the occult, and look, it's true!". And of course it is, for
these dabblers will undoubtedly cause themselves, and their poor followers, a fair
bit of harm before they are through.
But how does all this help our cause to become a socially respectable religion? Well
of course it doesn't. Not one bit. And this is actually why I am rather fond of
these ego-centric types, for although they are a superficial parody of the genuine
occult path, they do serve as a reminder that the dark is ever-present, and that if
we remain true to our spiritual core, then we can never be a socially acceptable,
mainstream religion. Where these ego-centrics fail of course, is in
promoting the dark satanic image as the ONLY path. They do not know any better,
ignorance and stupidity being their main faults, and I really cannot see the
Pagan/Occult community ridding itself of them. Instant fame is too strong a drug to
withstand common sense and the hard work which the genuine occult and Pagan paths
demand.
But those who would present Paganism and the occult as all white-light and fluffy
bunnies are equally at fault. Not only is it untrue, we are leaving ourselves open
to accusations of whitewashing our practices for public consumption. But, it is nigh
on impossible to explain Pagan philosophy in a TV studio, to an audience with a
limited attention span. The principles are simple, but need to be comprehended, and
that cannot happen in a TV or radio interview. The message has to be restricted to,
"we do not perform or condone sacrifices"; "we do not hold rituals for the purpose
of group sex"; "we are a sincere religion which encourages each individual to take
responsibility for his/her spiritual development", and similar platitudes. Trying to
present this information without coming across as a mixture of Doris Day and Lucille
Ball is a skill few of us possess!
But to return to the issue of accreditation and social acceptance; it never ceases
to surprise me how many people reject one or more of society's restrictions or
pretensions, and then do their damnedest to resurrect the same restriction or
pretension as quickly as possible elsewhere. Let us consider a mainstream religion;
let us look at the Anglican Church. A priest (or, gasp, a female priest!) ministers
the
divine word of God to a receptive congregation. At times of hatch, match and
despatch, the priest not only administers the divine word, but also functions as
society's representative to ensure that all is done in accordance with accepted
ritual practice. The priest is trained, accredited, ordained, maintained, and
supervised, by his Church. Let him mutter an unorthodox message, and see how quickly
his superiors bring him to task!
Contrast this with today's Pagan; no formal training, accreditation, maintenance or
supervision from outside. There is of course in many traditions, an ordination, but
these are not consistent throughout the branches of the religion, and nor are the
ordinations "accepted" by most of society. In fact, many of them are not even
"accepted" within the religion itself. When you have been told as often as I have
that
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Aleister Crowley initiated your mother, or some mysterious group initiated you as
you were cycling home one night and got yanked off your pedals, or "your family" has
been secretly "in the Craft" for generations, you get a bit cynical about accepting
some of these ordinations at face value!
And this brings to us to the matter of accreditation; I have heard it mooted that
now is time for Pagan priesthood to be formally ordained, and accredited to accepted
standards of knowledge, skill and experience. I would have more sympathy with this
view if those who expound it do not give the impression that they are, ipso facto,
of that standard already! Being of a pragmatic nature, I would also be interested to
learn just who is to pay for the training colleges and official priesthood that
would necessarily result from such a programme?
And this brings me finally to ask if we really do wish to follow a religious path
which is constructed in the pattern of one which most have us have rejected as
unacceptable. Writing in Children of Sekhmet Vol 3 No 1 about the creation of Pagan
and Wiccan Councils, "Lucifer" said: "Pagan Councils are forced to compromise the
outlook of the Pagan Community... My real concern is that behind the many calls for
Pagan unity is the genuine belief that Paganism can be socially acceptable. The
implication to this being that consensus Paganism is
moving towards an acceptable middle ground which society can cope with; that the
ecstatic vision of the Pagan Mysteries is slowly abandoned for the coarse cloth of a
ritual practice calculated not to offend."
It might be unkind to suggest that those who are desperately seeking official
recognition have anything less than the purest of motives, but one does wonder. Is
it simply a case that in this field, they are able to acquire titles and recognition
which under other circumstances, would not come their way? The "big fish/small pond"
syndrome. Or have they only superficially rejected the mainstream religious path,
and all that it stands for, seeking to re-establish it in Paganism with themselves
at the top of the pecking order?
I have made some contentious statements in this article in the hope that it will
encourage debate (and support!) from those other spiritual anarchists out there who
do not want to see their religion debased into a formal structure of hierarchies,
priesthood, and laity. I believe there is a place for open Pagan gatherings, and
that experienced Pagans are best placed to organise such gatherings. Where I draw
the line is in accepting that any "official" body may legislate in matters of
individual spiritual growth.
The Pagan movement has always been self-regulatory in practical terms. This may not
be obvious to those who are calling for "accredited priesthood", but I can assure
them that the Pagan grapevine is active and effective throughout the world. We do
not need framed certificates over the fireplace ("This is to certify that Lady
Anthrax can worship
to the satisfaction of the Convergence of Associated Deities" - Peregrin, Web of
Wyrd #6), to prove our spiritual worth.
B*B Julia
The following article appeared in issue #8 of Web of Wyrd magazine.
Searching
by Carol Neist
It has always bothered me that there seems to be an abnormally large lunatic fringe
in Wicca; people who threaten others with curses from a "Council of Witches"; people
who claim qualifications they haven't got; people who are so fundamentalist in
outlook they put Fred Nile to shame. For despite the comments of Hawkeye (WOW #6)
and Khaled's letter (WOW #5), there is, I believe, a strongly fundamentalist element
within Wicca. It seems to be found mainly amongst those who, in Hawkeye's words,
"believe in the objective reality of faery", and those who see the Gardnerian Book
of Shadows as Holy Writ. Now I have no objection to people believing in anything
they want to, but if they try to tell me that my more psychological approach (to say
nothing of my cynicism regarding the aforementioned Holy Writ) is wrong, I
naturally question whether I want to be classed under the same banner.
Whilst I wholeheartedly concur with the premise that worship is a private matter
between the practitioner and his/her deity, in actual practice it just ain't so,
even in Wicca. "You have to do it our way, or you aren't one of us", seems to be a
common attitude. The argument that formal teaching or a recognised clergy would
destroy the right of each individual to approach the divine in her/his own way
therefore, just doesn't hold water, since as things stand at present, a practitioner
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who doesn't agree with the mainstream viewpoint will very quickly find him/herself
on the outer anyway. The "free form eclectism" touted by Peregrin (WOW #6) just
doesn't happen outside the books, as far as I can tell.
I'm certainly not suggesting that we ought to rush out and set up seminaries and
parish councils, but I do think we have to accept the fact that we do already have a
de facto clergy, largely self-appointed, most of whom have no training in
counselling or teaching. Like it or not, if you are leading a group of any kind, no
matter how informal or unstructured, you are going to need both those skills. It's
all very well for Michelin (WOW #6) to compare coven leaders to parents who "receive
little or no training beyone that which they received
in the family in which they grew up". It's actually a sad fact of life that we were
all fucked up by our natural parents, thus creating the need for us to clear away
the shit through spiritual practice. I don't want to be stuffed around by any more
amateurs, thank you very much - my family of origin did a pretty good job already!
It's obvious that hierarchic structures don't work, but what do we do instead? What
we've got at present isn't really working either, and in many cases it is, in fact,
very hierarchic anyway! It's a really hard one, and I don't think there are any easy
answers. But, sadly, we have a situation where unsuspecting neophytes run the risk
of being conned,
robbed, threatened or subjected to various power trips, and even those of us who
condemn such behaviour run the risk of being tarred with the same brush in the eyes
of the public.
Whilst Pagan organisations (such as the Pagan Federation, Pagan Alliance or Church
of All Worlds) could be an excellent clearing house for people seeking groups, and
groups seeking members, who is to decide which groups are "kosher"? Supposing a
bright-eyed bushy-tailed tyro from Upper Woop Woop approaches an organisation, and
asks to be put in touch with the nearest Wiccan coven. The organisation knows damned
well that the only coven within coo-ee of Upper Woop Woop is run by a couple of
dickheads who shouldn't be in charge of a street
stall, let alone the vulnerable psyches of others. What do they do? If this
particular pair of dickheads are paid up members of said organisation, how can
enquiries not be passed on to them? It really isn't possible without some sort of
formal screening system, to keep the lunatic fringe out of an umbrella organisation,
especially when some of them are already well established in the Craft.
Of course many people don't see teaching as a relevant function of the coven. But
new members are going to look to the leaders for guidance, even if only at an
unconscious level. Everyone who starts a spritual practice does so because they see
life to be a mess, and they need to know how to get out of that mess. Personally, I
think teaching is very
important, and I will seek teaching on Love and Trust wherever it is offered. Over
the last couple of years, I have found it mainly within Tibetan Buddhism. Similar to
the Craft in many ways, the practice is more structured and the teachers have all
been practitioners for twenty years or more. None of the teachers attempts to
dominate the students; in fact they go to a lot of trouble to discourage
guru-tripping. Teaching is offered by a variety of visiting teachers, so students
get a range of opinions and practices, and they can ask for specific teaching as
they need it. I've seen less power-tripping and
ego-flaunting in this movement than in any other; they really do go along with the
premise, "an it harm none do what you will". Their methods, having been tested for
over a thousand years of unbroken lineage, really do work: I learnt more about magic
from those guys in a month than I learnt in five years with the Rosicrucians and
some twenty-odd years of private and group Craft-style practice. It isn't surprising
that Tibetan Buddhism is currently said to be the fastest growing "new" religion in
the west. Incidentally, I thought Hawkeye's
comments on Eastern religions a bit sweeping: I know little of Taoism, but the Hindu
and Buddhist faiths don't claim to be based on Absolute Truth. Rather, they are
based on the belief that there is an Absolute Truth and that it is possible for the
individual, without mediation from Priest or Guru, to find it. Quite a different
proposition.
All any teacher or group leader can do is point out ways and means; it's up to the
individual to find her/his own way to the Divine, call it Goddess, Christ, Krishna,
Bliss-Void or whatever. But finding suitable friends is the first step along the
path - you really can't do it all by yourself. Whether you go in for counselling,
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therapy or spiritual training, the idea is the same - find someone who's been there
already, and who knows how to give you a hand over the rocky bits. It is this which
lies at the basis of the guru/disciple relationship, not, as some would have it, a
need to dominate or be dominated. The system is, like any other, open to abuse, but
we only have to look around and see the same abuses and worse within the Craft,
despite its supposed "free form eclectism". (Good phrase that, thanks Peregrin!)
I still believe that the Craft is a beautiful path in theory, and could be so in
practice, were it not for the large numbers of nearsighted people presuming to lead
the blind. However, perhaps I'm expecting too much - maybe the Craft really is just
a celbratory religion which offers a U-beaut party eight times a year and a chance
to run around starkers once a month. Perhaps I am expecting too much in asking that
it provide tools, teaching and example for personal growth as well? Nevertheless,
this is what many people, including me, seek in a spritual discipline. I would like
to think that somewhere,
somehow, sometime, I might find it in Wicca.
THE SWASTIKA
The swastika or more properly the tetraskelion, gramadion or croixpatt*e, has been
found in pre Columbia America, in Central Asia, China, Japan, through out Europe
etc. It's found among people as varied as the Etruscans, Hindus, Celts, Aztecs,
Mayans, American Indians, Teutonic and Nordic peoples etc.
The swastika has represented many things to many people who never heard of Christ!
It has represented the spinning wheel of life, time, progress, the four elements,
seasons, health, wealth, prosperity and/or blessing in many myths & cultures around
the world.
The Swastika refers only to the rt. hand spinning cross such as used in Nazi
Germany, the more correct & older version is called the Swavastika and spins the
opposite direction. Hitler subverted the older symbol for his own perverse reasons.
The left hand Swavastika refer to the male & the right hand Swastika
refers female. In Hinduism the swastika has represented two forms of
Brahma. Clockwise it represents Pravritti or the evolution of the
universe flowing outward & counter clockwise it represented
Nirvritti the involution of the universe.
In India it represented Gamesa & Kali. In Ancient Persia the left
hand swastika was used to represent sacred fire to their priests.
Its left arm up representing receptivity and its right arm down
representing blessing.
The Swavastika has represented Thor's hammer spinning in Norse
mythology and the cycle of time in Hindu and American Indian myth &
legend. In many cultures it was a symbol of the power of the sun, a
symbol of good fortune. It has also been a symbol of Dyaus, Zeus,
Jupiter as well as Thor. In China its call Li-wen meaning
thunder-scroll. In some cultures the right spinning Swastika has
been used to denote the vernal sun and the left autumnal the sun.
As the fyfot it has been used as a Christian symbol of the cross and
a decoration at the bottom of church windows for centuries.
Although some scholars think the Swastika originated in Assyria or
India there is no single common origin for the Swastika because it
can easily be discovered by anyone studying simple designs made in
squares! The only thing known for sure about the swastika is that
the symbol predates both Hitler & Christ.
Fri 04-30-1993 12:48:58 Paladin
The Theological and Social Implications of Hierarchical Discipline and
Penance.
Copyright (c) 1992 by Lisa Sergienko
Reprinted from Moonrise, Fall 1992
The idea of a religious system disciplining and controlling its members has
implications that I don't believe have been looked at seriously in the Pagan
community. What does it say about our relationships to the Gods and the cosmos when
we accept such precepts as coven "discipline" of members or even the idea of the
scourge.
I would contend that the religious systems that have formal punishments or penances
written into their theologies view human beings as inherently weak and corrupt, in
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need of a parental restraining hand or spanking. The idea is that humans are born
and remain children in the eyes of the God(s). Thus, it is necessary to curb their
willfulness. In this theological outlook humans are not seen as possessing inherent
reasoning capabilities.
Perhaps these ideas of control are in certain Pagan theologies because the systems
are of European origin. An regardless of whatever claims they make to being
Pre-Christian, there are bound to be Christian ecclesiastical overlays. These older
ways did not survive in a vacuum but came to us filtered through a somewhat dirtied
lens. Christianity and Islam are the only two major religions that have the belief
that atonement is gained through pain and in whose theologies ecclesiastical
discipline is important. In Hinduism there is also an ascetic strain, but it is
divorced from the idea of punishment for inherent sinfulness.
A system of belief that holds in its tenets a model of ecclesiastical
discipline is a system that is based on the premise that humans are not born with
innate rationality. This is a stream that runs through the more orthodox of the
Christian faiths where the hair-shirt and the confessional serve to remind the
adherents of their churches belief in the weakness of humanity. Public confession
and punishment meted out by the church authorities send the message to the penitent
that he is under the rule of the church because without it he is damned. There is no
provision made that the penitent may actually know what is best for himself.
In an earlier article I looked at the founding ideals of this nation as perhaps a
guidepost to a functional Paganism. I would now like to move from the 18th century
into the 19th and see how the ethos of that period can serve to awaken us to
ourselves as rational free individuals. We can begin with the 18th century ideals of
the noble savage and the worth of the craftsman and the farmer. What happened to
drive these people from the eastern seaboard towards the west? Why couldn't the
village smithy remain in the village? Well, the iron works built a big foundary a
few miles away and began casting in mass quantity those things our smithy had so
lovingly crafted for so many years. So our smith is driven out of business and goes
to the foundry to look for work. There he is told he can have a job if he agrees to
submit to company discipline. He can't have beer with his lunch. He must report to
work at a certain hour regardless of the weather. His pay
will be docked not for poor craftsmanship since craftsmanship is now dead, but for
infractions of the "rules." Our smith cannot believe that for all the years he has
worked as a free and independent man he is now going to be disciplined like a school
child.
So our smith leaves on the next wagon train west. Western expansion was probably due
in some part to the movement of free and rational adults who could not stomach the
rise of the factory system in the industrial revolution. These craftsmen and women
had come to view themselves and their products with pride and it was probably
difficult for them to have the product now bear the factory owners name instead of
their own. With the rise of the industrial revolution there was a breakdown of the
more organic means of social control.
Our smithy relied on community good will for his continued prosperity and probably
worked harder at being a contributing member of society. Under the factory system,
this concept of self-governance (the reason that many immigrated to the States) was
replaced by more inorganic means of control. One no longer strove to maintain
community goodwill through responsible citizenship, but instead toadied to the
bosses who were now arbiters of ones financial status.
How does this then relate to the problems of contemporary Pagan theology and
sociology and the continentalism that so many systems seem to evidence. What does
the 19th century have to do with us? People need to feel empowered, that they are in
control of their own lives. The craftsman and the small farmer had this. The factory
worker did not. I contend that discipline oriented theologies do not empower any but
a select clerical hierarchy. I have never heard of anyone being "disciplined" in the
community for doing magick wrong. Product is not the issue as it was for the smithy,
but instead it is attitude as it was in the factory system.
Some would argue that it is necessary to enforce a religious discipline during a
persons religious training. I dispute this based on my earlier proposition that
humans are inherently rational beings with a knowledge of what is right. I realized
this when I got to the point that I could not accept the idea that someone could
tell me what to do when it came to my religiousity. This furthers my proposition
from an earlier article when I stated that the Priesthood belongs to all. This makes
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us all peers as we stand before the Gods.
A theology of discipline divorces us from a personal relationship with the Gods. It
becomes a secondary relationship where our primary relationship is with the
mediator/trix -- often the High Priestess. Why? Because it is not the Gods telling
us in a one on one encounter what we did wrong and how we can make amends. It is
instead a mortal being "interpreting" divine will and judgment. And as mortal the
interpretation can be flawed or even perverted for personal ends. What sort of
abuses pass for coven discipline? I doubt I'll ever know since so much is kept
secret out of fear and shame.
There are Pagans I have encountered for whom relationship with the Gods is subsumed
and given a lower importance than the relationship with the High priest and
Priestess who become as God and Goddess. As a solo devotee of Graeco-Pagan
persuasion it is Hermes who mediates and guides. I had a very strange encounter with
a fellow Pagan when telling him about this. He asked me in a rather sarcastic tone
if I really felt that the Gods cared about what I was doing. I finally got him to
understand when I likened my relationship to the Gods with his relationship to his
High Priest and High Priestess. His was a theology of discipline and in my
observation, fear.
We have lived too long only in moonlight and shadow. Talk to the Gods and see what
they say. Try to get to know the Solar Gods too.
Go West Young Pagan.
The following article appeared in Web of Wyrd #8.
Leave it out Leviticus
by Aries
You know, I'm not too sure that it's safe for me to be associating with you guys all
things considered: "We have allowed the legalising of abominations like witchcraft,
homosexuality and abortion." And to think I was fooled into believing that you were
mostly harmless except for an interesting approach to sing-songs 'round the
camp-fire and a
strong attachment to strange jewellry. But no, my immortal soul is apparently in
grave danger from "demonic powers behind the evils that we have allowed into our
land." Oh how could I have been so blind? Woe, woe and thrice woe!
I paid a visit to my friendly neighbourhood xtian bookshop ("We give a Bible message
to everyone who comes into the shop") and came away with a bunch of one page
factsheets warning me about the dangers that dwell in the world, and wait to entrap
me in mind, body and spirit, and well warned I am. For instance: "Hallowe'en is the
night when the spirits of the dead and demons visit the earth. That is why people
dress up
as witches and other frightening things." If these leaflets are typical of the
modern xtian's world view, then there is much to be afraid of. The first two quotes
come from, "An Introduction to Intercession and Spiritual Warfare", where the
believer is exalted to, "stand in all the armour of God and wrestle in prayer." It
may be just a coincidence but I kept thinking of Reichian Body Armour and the
joyless life its possession entails.
In "Hallowe'en" we are warned against Hallowe'en parties and encouraged, "to find a
wholesome alternative and to warn others of the demonic background of what is too
often seen as just a harmless bit of fun." Having been raised a Puritan, I'm well
aware of the dangers in harmless bits of fun, like Playing Cards. Were you aware
that, "The first deck of playing cards was invented in 1392 for King Charles of
France who incidentally was insane." Oh well, say no more; anything done for a loony
must be suspect. The Puritans called cards "The Devil's Picture Book", and that's
all that we need to know after being told of "The Brothel Game", where people talk
dirty with each other using a secret code in the cards, and how the Holy Family are
blasphemed in hideous jest; we are then asked if we could then "go on playing with a
sinful pack of cards?" But, I ask myself, how can 52 pieces of printed card be
sinful? How do we measure sinfulness? What does it look like? What's its weight?
Colour? You get my drift?
However, this is nit-picking in the face of faith, especially when, "Witches and
those closely associated with the occult use cards to trick and delude men and women
into vice, error, deceipt, and finally into Hell." And that brings us back to
Hallowe'en, doesn't it? By convincing our kiddies that this blasphemous Pagan ritual
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is harmless fun, you evil witches trick them into dressing up as witches and lure
them thuswise into sin and perdition: "dressing as a witch you could open the way to
being involved later with the real thing... Many young people have already been
deceived in this way to their cost." I must admit that I'd always assumed that it
was commercial exploitation by the business world that has added Hallowe'en to the
list of religious festivals that are prostituted in the name of consumerism, and
thus enter the public realm. Maybe Satan is a businessman? Why not? It seems
imperative that the xtian sees the hand of Satan everywhere; "The attraction in
witchcraft is the power that it offers even though this is from Satan." But how is
this conclusion arrived at?
Well, we know for a start that, "A witch is something that is hateful to God." and
we know that God feels this way because He tells us so in Leviticus 20:6. Now,
applying the logic of "who isn't for me is against me", we arrive at the situation
where if God gets the hump with someone, they are automatically against him.
Remember, there is no third way with Jahweh. By all accounts Satan is some else
who's had a falling out with God, and this means that, "Since a real Christian is
someone 'Born Again in the Spirit of God' (1 Peter 1:3-4, John 1:13), Satan is his
enemy, and so are witches and all their activities." It boils down to saying, "All
my enemies are ganging up on me in a conspiracy", which may turn out to be an
existential definition of paranoid delusion.
You may, or may not, be pleased to know that witches are not alone in being hateful
to God. In fact, I ran out of money before God ran out of people to hate.
Spiritualism really rubs God up the wrong way, and again we have this on the
authority of Leviticus 20:6; but probably worse in the eyes of the xtian is the
possibility that "If there is no judgement then what sort of God do we worship who
would consign us to have to live in the presence of tyrants and murderers like
Hitler, Stalin, Herod and the like on the other side?" The problem that we
have here is our belief in the mythic Just World, where goodness is rewarded and
badness punished. And if things don't work out that way, if St Augustine has Vlad
the Impaler as a next door neighbour in the hereafter, then the rhetorical basis of
xtianity would appear to crumble. The argument that if you are good (ie, do as I
tell you) you will go to heaven, and if you are bad (ie, don't do as I tell you) you
will go to Hell, no longer has any validity. It could be argued that this Just World
belief underlies much of modern society which seems
to be coming increasingly under threat as the arbitrary nature of reality becomes
apparent.
Needless to say, Satan is behind all aspects of spiritualism. Satan, the guy who
"knows the Bible better than many Christians", and who sees to it that, "we remain
in spiritual darkness". Spiritualism is hopelessly in error in its attempts to
communicate with the dear departed; such things are forbidden by God and yet again
we can thank Leviticus 20:6 for this information. As for those shades who are 'all
very happy here', "Demons can impersonate the dead". Why should they
bother? Simple, it's all, "to keep man as he is, and lure him into a false sense of
security before destroying him." And as for those healings, "What of the healings
that occur in Spiritualist meetings? Those who have experienced them will admit that
they do not always last." And to round it all up we have them "trapped by the spawn
of Satan's scam", those who have been deeply into Spiritualism have found it almost
impossible to leave, such is its hold. People trying to do so have experienced
attacks upon their lives."
The "Freemason" tract struck me as a master piece of subtlety. Satan is not directly
implicated in this underground cult, although the odd dark hint is let slip when
voicing concern that some xtians, "are practising Masons, who do not seem to
understand the true nature of Freemasonry. Light cannot have fellowship with
darkness." Masons are roundly attacked for their secrecy, their lack of "total
allegiance and dependence" on Jesus, their vain presumption that they can achieve
anything worthwhile in this world without cutting God in on the action. Worst of all
is the hideous, blasphemous horror behind the secret of the Great Architect of the
Universe, JAHBULON; that sacriligious inversion of the Holy Trinity, where
JAH=Jehovah, BUL=Baal, and ON=Osiris. But I always thought that the guy lurking
behind burning shrubbery and bossing Moses about went by the name of Jehovah, the
God of the Hebrews?
Never mind that. With "The New Age of Aquarius" we are on firmer ground, with no
need for pussy-footing around. "Christians who know their Bibles will recognise the
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New Age as only the old deception by Satan, who tempted Adam and Eve... Adam and Eve
disobeyed God and let in a new age of evil in which Satan could invade their lives
on earth." Apparently the New Age of Aquarius was kept a secret until 1975 when it
was formally announced. The Theosophical Society gets
implicated here, but exactly how is left a little vague. Clearly this is because,
"The New Age has no visible head or organisation (although the Illuminati are
probably behind it.) It is a network of Godless ideas such as humanism, pacifism,
interfaith religion, feminism, abortion, holistic health, homeopathy, acupuncture,
yoga and witchcraft." Goddam! I just knew that foul Illuminati had to be behind
anything so Godless. (Ref my "The Aquarian Conspiracy Revealed", Children of Sekhmet
Vol 3 No 2). Having said all that, it's claimed
that the aim of the New Age is to unify the world under the Lord Maitreya, and
centralising world food stocks and finance, "in a credit system, allocating a
personal number to everyone." Those who know their Bible (or who watched Omen III)
will know that Revelation 13 tells of the Anti-Christ who gives his followers a mark
(serial number?) which entitles them alone to buy or sell, and coincidentally, "New
Agers consider the number 666 to be spiritually very powerful."
In case you haven't completely gotten the picture yet, we'll put it a little more
clearly: "The Bible description of the time of the Anti-Christ and his one world
government is beginning to be realised in our lifetime, and it fits the New Age
closely." Whilst the good xtian is born again through the power of Christ and with a
little help from a Priest, "New Agers are expected to be re-birthed and receive
Luciferic initiation, by their own efforts." In order to combat this Satanic
deception the good xtian is urged to be vigilant for New Age terms like: networking;
holistic; planetary vision; and finding one's higher self.
But enough. I don't think I can take much more of this hate and horror. When I
entered that xtian bookshop I also deliberately entered the xtian reality tunnel,
and have ended up feeling like Marvin (the Paranoid Android) who wonders how anyone
can live in anything so small. He was referring to Arthur Dent's brain; I refer to
the xtian reality tunnel, which appears to me to be rather dark and narrow. To be a
good xtian I would have to see Satan everywhere; world peace,
inter-faith harmony, the good life; anything that threatens to bring happiness is
sinful. As a xtian I would be expected to suffer, to sacrifice, to struggle
constantly, to accept heavier and heavier burdens, to accept calamities as a test of
my faith, to give unthinking obedience, to never once rejoice in the world as it is,
never count my blessings, and always, always see myself as fallen and sinful. And
after all this, to accept that I may not get rewarded in this life, but have to wait
for a putative afterlife for the just rewards for all that I have given up. As
mentioned above, this belief in a Just World is a core construct of Christianity,
and apart from
all that suffering, the only other pleasure of the xtian is gloating over the fact
that their opponents will, "have to face God's judgement in the hereafter."
Spiritualism of course, "is a dangerous deception from Satan, from which it is
extremely difficult to escape. Its end is destruction." As for the little deluded
dupes of the New Age, all their efforts are in vain, because, "Even if the New Age
does achieve a measure of success, its work will all be destroyed by fire at the end
of the world." As for the witches who get their power to harm
others direct from Satan on Hallowe'en, eventually they, "are themselves destroyed
by the one who gives them this power." Everyone comes to a sticky end, and the xtian
caught in a web of guilt, fear and passive sadism, gets a real kick out of knowing
that.
Leviticus, who gets referred to as an authority on what God does and doesn't like,
is 27 chapters of commandments, and shows the basis of many of our current social
attitudes; women are of lower value than men; bodily functions that describe women
are unclean, ie, child-bearing and menstruation, although to be fair, the emission
of semen does make a man unclean for the rest of the day. Coitus, according to God,
is for procreation only, in much the same way it is for the beasts of the field.
After all, coitus with a woman who is menstruating can only be for the reason of
enjoyment, which as far as procreation matters are concerned is a waste of semen.
Needless to say, our concept of "sin" comes from the "crime" of wasting semen. Be
that as it may, most interesting of all is Leviticus 16, where description of the
scapegoat is given, and how "all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites -
all their sins" are put on the head of the goat, who is sent out into the desert to
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die for their sins. Much like the later scapegoat, Jesu Christos. Of all the curious
details in Leviticus, the one that the xtians took to their hearts is that of the
scapegoat, and there seems to be no sign of a let-up.
A Collection Of Heretic Remarks
Notes on several Problems of Philosophy
accumulated in time
by
Karsten Dykow
1. What do you experience? What does ANYBODY experience? Life, of course. Beginning
and ending, every single moment of your lifespan. From birth to death, from being to
not being, back to being again. Every birth tells the same story:
Life has a purpose. What is that purpose?
I don't know, you don't know, NOBODY knows. In fact, nobody CAN know, or they would
die instantly of more or less "natural" causes. The ultimate irony of life is that
the best comes after it is all over: finding out what comes after death. Again,
nobody can know, except after death, which makes speculation all the less
satisfactory. Yet every monotheistic and several multitheistic religions tell us
that they know by "divine inspiration". I wonder where this inspiration came from,
from heaven or from hell? Again, no living person can ever know, and anybody
claiming to KNOW the truth about what happens after death can only be a swindler. I
think it is interesting that so many people believe in this "divinity" fraud. People
WANT to know. That is the ONLY thing that distinguishes humans from animals. Animals
do not want to know, they just accept what someone tells them. Animals do not FIND
OUT, they just believe. In gods, in nirvana, in karma, in whatever happens to be
fashionable at the time. Two thousand years ago, the roman gods were "in", so
everybody within the empire believed in them. Before them, we had Baal Zebub,
Jahwe/Jehovah, the greek and egyptian gods, and so on.
Now, we have christendom, and time is running out on them. Still, anybody who is not
a christian suffers intolerance from the hands of his fellow animals. This strikes
me as a funny way to behave for a people which calls earlier societies "barbarian".
2. Who is this God person, anyway?
It certainly looks to me as if nobody living on this planet can give me God's adress
or telephone number. As a matter of fact, nobody has seen Him, talked to Him,
smelled Him, or otherwise sensory experienced Him. Thus, seemingly, God is
nonexistant. For all practical purposes, at least.
Or is he?
Let's have a closer look at this. The only ways to get into contact with the
christian thing called God is by prayer and by self-revelation of God himself. Or so
the christians tell us. Well, of course, if I pray to some mystical entity, like
this god they call God, to let something happen, and if I do this over a large
stretch of time, the thing will happen. This is what christians call a MIRACLE, and
scientists RANDOM FORCES. Of course, if I wish something should happen to the ugly
old heirloom clock on my mantelpiece that I don't dare to throw away because aunt
Elma could find out, and someday the cat throws it down onto the floor, where the
heirloom mysteriously, noisily and gloriously turns into a small heap of shards
which I can throw away and still have a clean conscience when aunt Elma asks me what
happened to it, I COULD say that my cat is my god and start taking my prayers to the
cat instead of the church where I get thrown out anyway, because I never remember to
take my hat off, not that I'd know why I should, but in the end the fact remains
that my cat is not God, and God didn't throw that clock down, but the cat did, and I
had a hell of a time getting those f...ing shards out of the carpet, and I still
don't know how to tell aunt Elma, she'll rip my ears off at the knees or something.
Anyway, god-dom is not about the destruction of something, but about the
CONstruction of EVERYTHING. The universe. Everything. Excuse me, but that is a
little too hard to swallow. Let us say, we do not want to overstretch our minds, and
keep it down on the human-mind-level. God didn't build the car you got as a birthday
present from your rich husband, the Ford Motor Company did. So, now, what is the
criterium which defines who God is, or who is a god?
Quite simple. Creativity. Creation is the word. A god is someone who creates.
Clapton is God. So am I. Let us look back on the roots of the word: genus (lat.)
means creation, genius (lat.) means creator.
Philosophy defines a genius as someone who can create his own rules concerning
something he's doing, just as I am doing now in writing this stuff I doubt anybody
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will read anyway. In this way, PER DEFINITIONEM, I am God.
So any prayer of mine would be talking to myself, which I find rather dull, so I
don't pray. But you may pray. To me. I am God. As shown above. Q.e.d.
3. What do you believe?
Or, the same question stated differently: Why do you believe? The key to believing
anything is knowledge. This is self-evident. If you absolutely KNOW something, then,
and only then, you believe it.
The problem with BELIEVING is that if you believe anything at all, you cannot learn
anything about this "anything". This is logical, if you decide to leave your beliefs
outside and come in to have a closer look at your own mind. If you are so sure about
anything that you can swear an oath to anything that is holy to you (your sister's
beard?) that the thing you are sure of is true, THEN you believe. The problem is, of
course, that what you are sure of does not necessarily become true just because you
believe it is; as a matter of fact, good scientists nowadays do not believe anything
is true until proved to be true in the long run, the long run being something like
fifteen billion years, that being the age of our physical universe, if we accept the
big bang theory, which as a matter of fact we do not even have to take seriously
because it is less than a hundred years old; still, lots of people accept it because
they believe in it. This prevents them from learning new facts about the creation of
this our physical universe, for the quite simple reason that they do not want to
give up their belief. This has happened hundreds of times. When Copernicus announced
his (at the time dramatically new) view of the solar system, which was (insofar as
the science of today is concerned) lots more correct than the ptolemaian view of a
flat earth and so on, he was rejected by almost
all (at the time) modern scientists, just because they did not want to give up their
beliefs. The catholic church played its part, to be sure, but the main factor in
Copernicus' undoing was the violent and wild rejection of the "learned" people of
his time towards anything that might force them to give up their beliefs.
This is still a rather strong force today. Lots of people seek refuge in religion(s)
or similar things, so they cannot be hurt by the harsh realities of the real world
which come crashing in at them faster than the eye can follow.
There is a problem here. People prefer to believe in a "god" person or in several of
them, that keep them out of trouble, or if they do get into trouble, they think they
are being "tested" by this (these) supreme being(s). This is, of course, the same
effect as the one described above. People are too lazy to look the world in the eye,
so they make up some god and start to believe in it. Later, when this entirely
hypothetical entity fails to keep them from burning their fingers up to their
shoulders when they start a barbecue grill by sloshing gasoline all over the coal
and lighting it with a BIC, they are too lazy to give up their beliefs and tell
everybody that "god wanted it this way to test my integrity". This is entire and
absolute nonsense. If you lose all your money in a poker game, the only reason is
that you were stupid enough to draw to an inside straight when you knew the cards
had been fiddled with, and not because your god wants to test how you live up to
your own stupidity.
But still, even this cannot shake true believers. You cannot defeat them. Every time
you come up with something you absolutely know for sure, they will tell you to stick
it in your ear and light it with a match. Because they are just as sure as you are,
and possibly even more so.
This, of course, is a problem. But not mine, and I wonder why I write any of this
shit at all. You won't believe any of it anyway.
4. How long do you wanna live, anyway?
This, of course, is the title of a Stray Cats song. Still, apart from the song, the
question itself remains. How long DO you want to live?
Let us look at some facts.
a.: Everybody (or almost everybody) wants to have a long life.
b.: Nobody (or almost nobody) wants to be old.
The first is a truism in any functioning society. The second is true at any time,
only if you want to live a long life, there is absolutely no way to avoid getting
old, and, in the end, BEING old.
Let us have another look at facts1:
c.: Everybody dies, sooner or later. It would be extremely lucky if you managed to
get out of life alive.
d.: The longer you live, the later you die.
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e.: Even if you die late, you die anyway.
The first of these is absolute truth. I know nobody who managed to survive death.
The second is also true, if we assume that time is linear, which we have to assume
for now, since nobody I know of has designed and/or built a working time machine.
The third follows directly from the first two truisms. So here are another two
facts:
f.: Most people are afraid of death.
g.: Nobody knows what happens to them after death, and those who say that they do
know have, up to now, been found to be frauds. There is an interdependence between
these two points. What you do not know, you are afraid of. This, of course, is a
psychological fact with very few exceptions indeed. And it is interesting, too,
because it puts the truisms we looked at earlier into a close context. Everybody
wants to get old, because getting old delays death, which everybody is afraid of
because nobody knows what will happen to them afterwards. Actually being old,
however, tends to remind people that they cannot stall kicking the bucket forever,
because the older you get, the more likely you are to die soon. If you do not
believe this, look it up in the statistics; you will find that the highest death
rate of any age group remains with the newly born, and the older you get, up to an
age of about fifteen years, the higher your life expectancy gets. But after the age
of sixteen,
which I will conveniently assume you have already surpassed, the highest death rate
remains with the old people. So every day you live beyond the day when your joints
start creaking brings you closer to death, which you fear for the previously stated
reasons. Q.e.d.
This problem connects easily with the problem of religion. Religions (well, most of
them, anyway) tell you what happens to you after you die. Most people ignore the
fact that what the priests of those religions tell them is not based on any evidence
at all that they could produce, but they want to be consoled over the fact that they
WILL die. This, of course, makes religions irresistibly attractive to lots of
people. Religion tells you that if you were a good boy (or girl), you are going to
"live" forever in some paradise or other.
This is the most profound piece of bullshit anybody ever dared to tell me other than
as a fairy tale, which usually contains at least a small kernel of truth. The reason
for my thinking these stories are nonsense is simple: Nobody living now can know
(compare also 1.-3., and most of the rest of this collection). The overriding fact
in religious belief nowadays is that most people are too weak, too disturbed, too
lazy or too faint-hearted to face the truth about life.
Life is death. Life feeds on death. This is what we call RECYCLING. A human dies to
give life to an apple tree or to grass, which is eaten by animals, which in turn
have their lives given to feed more humans. Recycling in perfection. Nothing gets
lost, except infinitesimally small parts of a gigantically huge machine called
universe. This is what scientists call the second law of thermodynamics. Nothing
gets lost, ever. It only is reformed, reshaped, regrown, again and again. The water
you are drinking has been drunk over the millennia by dozens of other creatures. The
same goes for the food you eat.
These thoughts might give rise to the illusion that the same thing might happen to
you. To your SELF. Your "soul", whatever that may be.
Facts being one of the two things I am REALLY fond of. The other thing is fiction.
This belief is what most religions are dealing in. Buddhism has multiple
reincarnations, until you achieve such purity of thought and action that you dive
into your own belly button and reach nirvana (ind.: nothingness), where your soul is
allowed to dissolve so you no longer have to wander around in this "vale of tears"
we call life. This makes death look good: Each death is a chance for a new
beginning. Christian churches and sects give you another picture: One single
reincarnation after your first death, and that reincarnation is indestructible, so
you remain in heaven or in hell forever. Nice, is it not? To be bored in heaven -
most people cannot imagine how long eternity actually IS, so you got all of this
time on your hands and nothing to do with it but to do the same things all over
again that you have done a billion times before. Logical, because the amount of time
you have in eternity is infinite (that is what "eternity" MEANS) and the amount of
things you can do is not - or to live your pseudo-life in hell in all eternity
suffering great pain and things like that.
This gives you a nice choice between being tortured to death without ever dying, and
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being bored to death with no chance of suicide. I really like this god person, you
know, he is always so kind to his creations!
This means that I, for reasons of retaining an untroubled mind that does not need to
be catered to by expensive brain care specialists (so-called psychologists and
psychotherapists, sometimes also witch doctors), have to choose the view that least
troubles it. Which is that I exist now, have been existing from the time I became
concious and will keep on existing until I die, and when I die, I die and that is
the proverbial "it". The only problem is that you do not know you are dead until the
first shovelful of dirt hits you in the face...
5. Thinking is addictive.
It is not, however, contagious, which, in my opinion, is a shame.
Take a good look at what thinking is: Most of all, thinking is extremely exhausting,
sometimes causing stress; it can lead to frustration, to psychoses, to irrational
behaviour in spite of those psychoses (NOT because of them!), and to success in
making people dislike you.
It is, therefore, little wonder that most people choose the simple way out and do
not think. Oh, sometimes they think they are pretty good thinkers, and that
everybody is calling them fools for no good reason at all, but the fact is that the
reasons for such people to be called fools are rather deeply founded. The problem
is, of course, to define what THINKING means.
If you THINK, you scan all the data that you can get on the subject you are thinking
about, screen out pertinent data and use it to build a model in your mind that works
exactly as reality does. Since you need ALL the data you can get and more to build
such a functioning model, this is a rather exacting piece of work, which many people
simply do not WANT to accomplish because it is too straining.
This attitude of most people towards thinking as defined above (let us face it, we
cannot avoid it anyway) leads to interesting symptoms. The most important of these
are 1. religion, 2. video games, 3. TV serials.
Religion usually is some kind of reality evasion. Living in the real world sometimes
forces you to think, which is straining or even painful (for some people), so people
have a tendency to suppress reality in a pseudoworld of beliefs, where other people,
which are usually called priests, do the thinking for them.
Video games serve the same purpose. You get out of this world to become a hero and
do things which someone else has thought up for you to do. No thinking of your own
necessary, no problems to think about, everybody is happy.
TV serials are the second worst of these three (which is the worst? You should be
able to figure that out by yourself!), because the only active part of the
reality-evader (the audience) is to do absolutely nothing, least of all think, while
the serial is on, except maybe to go into the kitchen during the break to get
another can of beer. This is the ultimate apathy for people who have strong fears of
having to think for themselves.
There are, of course, always some people who DO want to do their own thinking. These
people you find either on the top of society (any
society at all), where they think up new religious rules for their
followers, new video games or new installments for old serials, or
somewhere in the middle (almost never in the bottom, though), where
they look deceptively like everybody else, except for the fact that
they read or create fiction.
You cannot create fiction without having to think for yourself. This is
self-evident. If you read fiction, which means novels of any kind, poetry, drama,
science fiction, fantasy novels and so on, you have to create your own pictures in
your head, meaning you create your own fiction, based on the words of the author.
Movies and TV give you everything, you do not need to visualize it yourself. With
bare words, you absolutely cannot do without thinking, being creative for yourself,
and if you read fiction, you have to be creative.
So this is how to decide whether somebody prefers to think for himself or not: The
people who think also read. People who like thinking read more than those who like
it less. People who do not read fiction you should not even try to start a
conversation with; they cannot think for themselves.
Mind you: with scientific literature, you do not need your imagination, you do not
need to think. It is all in there, you need not visualize it, and what you need to
visualize they print a photograph of. Mind you also: What you are reading right now
is NOT fiction, so your reading this does not mean that you think for yourself!
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6. Logic is a deadly trap.
Do not misunderstand this suggestion to mean that logic is useless. It
most decidedly is NOT. Logic only leads to problems if used where it
does not apply. This is a logical conclusion from the fact that logic
needs data if it is to work properly. Insufficient or contradictory data renders
useless all logic that is being applied to it. The problem is the same that applies
to computers: Put garbage into the system, and all the output you will ever get is
garbage. With too little or with wrong data, logic cannot work. With contradictory
data a valid conclusion can still be logically drawn: The data was shit1. Despite
these problems, logic is still the universally most important tool of mankind. If
applied only to problems where sufficient data is available, it leads to solutions.
Whether you like what conclusions you get or not is your problem.
Many people do not like the conclusions they get, so they either ignore logic or
feed it with data which does not apply, both of which leads to severe problems with
reality. A virtual reality, meaning a mathematical or otherwise scientific model of
reality is not reality, only a model thereof which does not have all the data the
real thing has got. Thus, using this model, you get a whole lot of false information
about the real world, only because you told yourself that all valid data is there
(and that that should be sufficient), when in fact you withheld a rather
inconveniently great amount of valid and applying data. Thus, economic crises are
created. Also wars. And religions. If you read the bible or the Quran or the book of
Mormon or whatever you got at hand on the matter of religion(s), you will find quite
astonishingly large discrepancies between several parts (chapters, books, surahs,
whatever) of those books. Contradictory data, to say it in the slang I used above.
Which leads to the conclusion that somebody is trying to fool you. The problem is
that lots and lots of people are BEING fooled.
_________
1 Only this conclusion is of little use, because it leaves one right where one has
begun.
7. With the right words, you can bust any communication.
This is a universal truism in any natural language. The trick is to use the words of
the language the way they were used when the words were formed into the shape
(spelling, pronunciation) that they are known by nowadays. The trick itself consists
of using the words literally. Nobody will understand what you mean correctly. For
example, the english Cockney slang uses the word "fag" for" cigarette, several
american english slangs use it for "male homosexual" (keep in mind that "gay" has
acquired several meanings in this century alone!). The original word was "faggot",
which, of course, describes a musical instrument. This meaning still is in use, but
the shortened form somehow is never understood to mean "musical instrument made of
wood and metals...(and so on)". It is, however, harshly misunderstood if used
outside the area where the same contextual meaning applies. Ask a britishman "you a
fag?", and he will offer you a cigarette if he smokes. Put the same question to a
californian, and he will either kick your balls off or kiss you.
Here you have another proof for the power of some words: Use this word, and you get
one reaction, use another, and nothing happens at all. So, if you want to stay on
the safe side, one might say, keep to using the unshortened words in their original
context and meaning. The problem is, as indicated above, that nobody will understand
what you are trying to tell them. The words change meaning not only with a change of
place, but also with time. Take "gay", for example. In the "gay nineties" (the
1890s), no more people were "gay" (today meaning "homosexual") than today. It meant
that the time was nice, everybody (or almost everybody) had fun and was gayly clad
and so on. This is the problem when dealing with "original" meanings of words. You
cannot use them anymore, even if you do find out what they were. The meaning of the
words, as well as the context in that they are used, has been changesd over and over
again. Another example: "joint". Now, a joint is usually (exception: if an M.D. is
talking, and sometimes not even then) an enlargened roll-your-own cigarette that has
been "salted" with either marijuana or hashish. Never mind the knee or elbows. So,
if anybody asks you if you want a joint, tell them you already got several of them,
and they'll ask you to share. Very funny, indeed. Language should not be fooled
around with; it always serves the purpose it is used for well enough the way it is.
8. Let me tell you a fairy tale.
Once upon a time, on a planet so far away both in space and in time that only very
few people have ever heard of it at all, there was a musician who had written a song
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that was so good that it was going to be the hit of the century. Thus, he set out to
find a record company that would publish the song, and eventually found a company
that was willing to pay him a rather small amount of money if he would publish the
song exclusively on this label and pay all studio costs. But, alas, you know how it
is with industrial espionage, about one thousand and five hundred other record
companies managed independently to copy the sheet music to the song and have their
own recording artists have a go at it.
And it came to pass that all these recording companies hurried the release of this
beautiful recording, and finally got it on the market on the same day, all one
thousand and five hundred of them. Of course, there was a lot of confusion (mostly
on part of the customers who wanted to buy the original recording), so the one
thousand and five hundred recording companies set out to clear up the matter by
claiming, independently, that THEIR recording was the one and only original
recording, and started printing brochures and even books to prove their claim to the
annoyance of the other one thousand and five hundred recording companies, who had
done the same, of course. Soon the companies were joined by fans of this or that
group or singer or recording company who somehow believed that their version of the
song was the original, and started fighting each other.
To understand how this was possible, you must know that at that time this country on
this planet had a very democratic government: The head of the government and its
members had to be elected by the people. So people voted, and nothing changed,
except that shortly before this song had been written, most of them had confused
notoriety with ability and elected a second-class western movie actor for president.
Considering what business this president had been in before, it is hardly
astonishing that he was bought out of his government by a record company, so he
could just go on reigning right until the election period was over, only he did not
have to make no decisions at all, for which he got an awful lot of money.
This was one of the one thousand and five hundred record companies that had covered
the song. So, of course, they legalized killing anybody who would not believe that
their record was the original recording. This led to the other one thousand and five
hundred record companies publishing their records in other countries, where they had
managed to get into local governments, so they could do the same as had been done
unto them. Meanwhile, lots and lots of other record companies had covered the song,
so it became still harder to find out which was which version. Eventually, some of
the countries that were controlled by the recording companies were starting to fight
each other, and soon they started to systematically destroy the concurring records.
This went on for a couple of hundreds of years, until, after two wars that were
fought by almost all the countries on the planet, there was not one record of the
song left. When this was discovered, some people said, "to hell with it, we don't
care anyway", but most were still of the opinion that they had to have been the only
company amidst all of the one thousand and five hundred record companies that had
the original recording, and they kept on telling lies, and they kept their comany
records to themselves, lest some body find out that there actually was no original
recording, anyway because the songwriter had copied it from his father, who had been
a street singer. And if they haven't died, they'll still make lots of money. This,
of course, is a short version of the history of religions on earth.
9. Why are all religions so intolerant?
Or rather, why are some reigions not intolerant?
With this second question I refer, of course, to the normannic
religions (the cult of Odin, among others). This group of cults, which formed the
viking religions until the thirteenth century (northern Germany and Scandinavia),
was the only group of religions known to me that was tolerant enough to let itself
be infiltrated by christian ideas just to be left alone.
All other religions have only changed under force, except where changes were
introduced by the religious leadership to assimilate other religions. The latter is
a very christian practice. The christians have adopted the normannic feast of
Ostara1 for the purpose of letting the normans have their revival and still be
christians. The normans weren't too impressed, so the pope at the time decreed that
the feast of Jul was to become the feast of the birth of their god's incarnation
(now called christmas, although the cristians, due to trouble with the julian
calendar, misdated the holiday by four days in relation to Jul (Christmas Day is on
december 25, Jul is on december 21 and coincides with the winter solstice). In the
scandinavian countries, the nonchristian midsummer night is still a major festivity
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of the year, in some places even more important than christmas.
The normans, however, did not practice these forms of religious force feeding. When
they conquered Normandy, they became the only people in the known history of the
world to adopt the conquered country's language (french), and the local religion,
which was (you guessed correctly) christendom.
This they did not do because of any kind of superiority of chistianity or
christians, but for reasons of keeping the peace. Proof for this assertion is found
in the almost unknown historical fact that when Bonifaz felled Thor's Oak to prove
that Thor would do nothing to prevent or punish this heresy, and killed two monks in
the process2, the onlookers, a german tribe, laughed, but let Bonifaz go on
preaching anyway. This happened at a time when pagans were shanghaied into the ranks
of christendom by baptism-of-sword (I don't actually know whether this translation
is correct, but I could not find the word in any dictionary, including the Random
House Unabridged Dictionary of English. Could it be that this practice of the roman
catholics actually has no english name?), meaning that some christian priest gave
some pagan the choice between letting himself be baptized or being killed by the
priests sword.
This is all the more confusing for the fact that christendom is the religion that
preaches tolerance and love and all that, whereas the nordic religions did not
preach any such thing. (Historical fact: The baptism-of-sword has not at present
been abolished, it has only been taken exception to by some of the recent popes and
is subject to reinstitutionalization at any time).
This all leads to the thought that maybe christendom needs to employ force to
survive. I, personally, find this a logical conclusion from the historical facts
known to me at this moment. Christians have always aggregated where political power
was, they have exploited the hallucinations of at least one roman emperor
(Constantin the Great) to convert him and, de facto, make a power grab to become the
real emperors of the roman empire. With the roman empire in their hands, they could
take control of all roman provinces in their own time, and spread christianity
wherever they went; after all, they had the roman legions. When Carl the Great
(Charlemagne), then a mere king of the Franks, married the daughter of a Gallic
tribe leader, who was a christian, he could only marry her under the agreement that
he would allow himself to be baptised during the wedding ceremony, which was shrewd
politics on part of the christians, and poor judgement on part of Charlemagne. Him
being the de facto emperor of an almost european empire even before the
acknowledgement by pope Leo III in the 800th year of the christian era, christendom
could not be stopped anymore.
____________
1 A virility and field goddess
2 The felled tree got cought in a sudden breeze, which turned the tree around in
such a way that it fell on the two unfortunate monks and killed them.
Considering this conduct of a church which claims to be the only way to their god's
grace, and to be humanitarian in ALL its actions, it is hard indeed for me to remain
a christian, which is why I am not one.
It is my herewith stated belief (which I decline to prove here, as in my opinion it
is self-evident from the way some people act) that to be a christian in the biblical
sense, it is not necessary to be a
christian in the ecclesiastical sense; I have known and still do know atheists who
conform to all so-called christian forms of conduct but viciously decline to be
called christians because they say (and, having read the bible in several
translations, including Luther, Gideon and King James, I agree) that being an acting
member of a christian church is contradictory to the biblical christian ideals.
This leads me off in another direction: The christian ideal, as stated in the bible,
is never to use force, no matter under what conditions. Iesus Ben Iussuf, the
carpenter some jewish sectarians claimed was the son of their god (Jesus, by the
way, always denied this kinship to his god, as you can read for yourself in the
evangelia), set up a set of morals, but he compelled nobody to follow this moral
code who did not really want to. This got him nailed to the cross, which ironically
became the symbol of a religion that used brute force whenever its leaders thought
they could gain a political advantage that way. This is what I call bad style.
10. People who force others to follow any moral code at all should be
crucified.
This is a good attitude at any time, I should think.
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Anyway, people who are good at preaching should always look out for
people willing to give them a light. They might mean the pile of wood under your
feet rather than whatever you want to smoke at the moment, if you're a smoker. If
you are a non-smoker, you should be aware of the fact that the only reason for
anybody offering you a light is to light the wood. Too warm a fire is bound to be
rather uncomfortable.
Iesus Ben Iussuf, the nazarenian preacher, got nailed to a tree for the simple
reason of preaching too much, and too convincingly. What he actually had was the set
of morals handed down from his parents, which was the torah. The torah (with some
parts left out and two or three books added: the old testament) gives people a
workable set of morals. These are expressed most understandably in the ten
commandments. The ten commandments are rather hard to obey at times, and while they
worked (and continue to work) for some five thousand years now, they are not the
last word said on how to treat your fellow people. Jesus took these commandments,
which are hard enough to follow already, and reinterpreted them in a way that made
it IMPOSSIBLE to obey them. "Thou who lookedst at thy neighbor's wife, thou hast
already coveted her!", he sais. So what are we to do? Put our eyes out?
Let's define what morals are. Morals are somebody else's idea of how you should lead
your life. Meaning that whatever set of MORALS you have at the moment, you do not
necessarily agree with them, probably circumvent them, and definitely wish they
would not exist. Morals are, by definition, the thing your society - the society
that raised you - put into your brain camouflaged as ethics.
Ethics is what is necessary to regard in dealing with other people to keep you
alive.
You may be known as a womanizer (or as a vamp), but that does not conflict with your
staying alive, except where the Quran, as interpreted by the schiites, is Law. So
any set of rules that prohibits fucking the arse off your neighbor's wife is, by
definition, morals. Whereas ethics would only prevent you from doing this if she
objects to being screwed by you, and if there is an inconveniently strong probablity
of her husband either disliking it (which definitely is not always the case!), or
finding out and sending you to the showers with a shotgun, thereby earning his
wife's disgrace by putting shotholes all over the bed, which probably was quite
expensive, especially the water mattress, and blood stains all over the sheets, you
know how hard they are to get clean, and so on.
It would be a good idea, I think, to get rid of morals as such altogether. Sometimes
they DO represent some kind of social glue that manages to keep society together,
but the few times they have managed to keep society together even after it was
doomed, they created considerable trouble after the downfall of the society that
created them, because they would not go down with the society but would, instead,
hang around for another couple of centuries, wreaking considerable havoc. As to be
seen in Germany after both world wars, when the basic morals of the time immediately
before and during the war lingered on and prevented people from liberating
themselves. After world war two this symptom was specifically grave. Germans
nowadays are still trying to get rid of the paradox that the Israelites and Sinti
and Roma and so on make them responsible for the atrocities the Nazis committed
against their peoples even though they were not even BORN at the time.
Instead of concentrating on pleasing the societies we live in, we should, in my
opinion, start to bloody please ourselves, committing ourselves to ethics rather
than morals. This may be disturbing for a while, but while morals are necessarily
dishonest, as you are bound to override your culturally implemented set of morals
sooner or later (if you haven't already) while having to keep a face of utter
obedience to morals, ethics are probably the most honest set of rules humanity is
capable of producing. Ethics is a very individual concept. Everybody HAS to have
their own. Otherwise, ethics could not work. By the definition given above, ethics
is the set of rules that you need to stay alive in society. Since everybody is only
what (s)he identifies with (and here you can see the trouble patriotism can get you
into, if you think about it), everybody will make their ethics fit their identity.
Identity is what you are. A patriot will die for his (her) country, because that is
what (s)he identifies with. A death for the purpose of ensuring one's country's
survival is survival of one's identity. Which, in my opinion, is a waste of
identity, but what the heck, anyway. I am most definitely not a patriot. If it ever
should come to a declaration of war that would involve my home country, all the
border guards would see of me would be my back, getting away FAST. But whatever you
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invest your identitiy in, you want it to survve, even if it means you yourself are
going to die. You pay for your identity by devoting your life to whatever it is you
invest it in. The returns on such an investment are usually quite big: You get a
purpose in life. You have a job to do. Anyway, what ethics means is that you
actually DO have a set of rules you impose upon yourself to obey which will improve
the chances of survival of whatever you have invested your identity in, whether you
want to or not. So, if you just follow your own ethics, and everybody else did,
there would be no lies necessary, because there would be nothing "shameful" in doing
anything that goes against the line of others.
So, to come to a conclusion, anybody who tells you to behave the way he wants you to
behave, even if you do not agree with what he wants you to behave like, just
remember that you can do the same thing to him: Tell him that he should follow your
ethics as a moral code, and you will not have the trouble Jesus had. He had it
coming, anyway: He disregarded his own ethics.
11. Everybody is going to wind up in hell, sooner or later.
With "hell", I do not, of course, refer to the christian idea of the
place (as described by Dante Aligheri), nor do I mean the mohammedan Gehenna. Nor
Hel, Hades, or any other religious place for the dead. I refer to Hell.
Everybody alive is busy creating their own, personal, solitary brand of Hell. This
you do by doing things. No matter how rightly and correctly you do everything,
something will always be wrong, and somebody will always be pissed off by whatever
it was you have done. So they will react. They will do everything possible to piss
YOU off. If you have read article #10 of this series, you will know the difference
between morals and ethics. If you have not read that article, you should do so NOW,
in order to understand what I am trying to tell you.
You already know the difference between ethics and morals. That was easy. Now comes
the hard part. The difference between ethical and moral BEHAVIOUR is this: Somebody
ACTING morally does not need to conform to morals. He only has to imitate hem. You
can be the greatest Casanova since Giacomo de Seingalt himself; as long as you
manage not to let the neighbors catch on, you are, by definition, acting within
their set of morals. Thus, moral behaviour always goes with a rather big set of
well-prepared lies, which are used AFTER you have done something.
Ethical behaviour always assumes that you do not care about morals, only about your
own survival. This means that you have to work things out BEFORE you act, meaning if
you are going to seduce your boss' wife, you had better find out if he takes
exception to this, and if he owns a shotgun. It would be a good idea, too, to get a
job with another company in case he fires YOU, and not AT you when he finds out (you
can always be safe in the assumption that he WILL find out, sooner or later).
This means that ethical behaviour needs a lot more preparation than moral behaviour
does, which means that it is more uncomfortable to carry out. This, in turn, leads
to the inescapable conclusion that most people living on this planet are infernally
lazy, but that is another story entirely.
Anyway, moral behaviour, which is, as shown above, mostly unprepared, always leads
to unnecessary consequences, such as getting shot at by angry husbands. Ehitcal
behaviour, which is only possible after thinking the possible consequences of
everything over quite thoroughly, only rarely has unwanted results, or at least none
that were not considered AND ACCEPTED in advance. Therefore, ethical behaviour tends
to piss less people off than moral behaviour does. Meaning that the more you act
morally, the worse your situation is going to be: more and more people will try to
give you Hell, in the literal meaning of the concept. This is where you create your
own Hell: You get people pissed off at you. They only do what you (to them, quite
obviously) want them to do: Piss you off like you never got pissed off before. They
feel pissed on by you, and they give you back your own feces, making you drown in
your own shit. I know, it sounds rather smelly, but most people seem to like it that
way. Otherwise, society would not be the mess it is.
12. There is no real "sin" in any religious or moral sense.
This may not be self-evident, but if you dissect the religious concept
of "sin" as related to "guilt" and "conscience", you will find that it is true
nonetheless. Like this: "Sin" is something that makes you feel guilty and gives you
a bad conscience. By feeling guilty, you penalize yourself for whatever sin you may
have committed. This is what gives you a bad conscience. If you are canalized by any
"morality" religion, like chistendom or islam, you will feel guilty for the most
unrational reasons, and sometimes for no reason at all. Like, sneaking a look at
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your neighbor's young wife standing stark naked at the bedroom window, or feeling
horny about your prep school teacher, or something. Anything. More rational reasons
for feeling guilty would be things like beating up your best friend, or stealing
from your parents, or losing money at a round of Poker. I think that these reasons
to feel guilty are more rational than those mentioned before because their
consequences have something to do with YOU, not with somebody else or nobody at all.
Thus, there may even be somthing like "sin" after all. This would be to act contrary
to your own ethics, thus endangering your identity. Your ego, whatever that may be.
Coming back to the religious meaning of "sin", I feel I must comment on the way the
biblical religions (meaning christendom, judaism, islam, jehovah's witnesses,
mormons, jesus people and so on, in short, all religions that rely on the torah at
least as part of their sacred writings) treat this subject. In the torah, sin is
defined as any act against the will of their god they call "God", "Jahwe",
"Jehovah", "Jesus", "The Christ", and so on.
The problem with this definition is, of course, that nobody can really know,
according to those religions, what their god really wants, so they do not even know
wheter they sin or not, in some cases. To clear this trouble up, this god gave them
the ten commandments, so they had some rules-of-thumb to act upon. Since only half
of those commandments have anything to do with society, while the others are purely
for the benefit of the priesthood, one might question the authenticity of those
commandments, but that is not the question here.
The problem is, after all, CAN these rules-of-thumb be followed AT ALL? The answer,
after the first look, seems to be "yes".After a closer look, it turns out to be a
resounding "NO!!!!" This is how it works: Take the fourth comandment, "Thou shalt
not steal", and the fifth, "Thou shalt not kill". Then take them seriously.
The problem is, every time you step on an ant or any living thing at all, you kill
something out of "God's" creation. And every time you eat anything, you prevent it
from being eaten by the creatures that usually eat it. If you eat meat, you steal
from the carnivores, and if you eat a really good salad, you steal from snails and
butterflies and so on. Comes the time when you dare not move your feet nor eat
anyting at all. Still, simply by EXISTING, you kill billions upon billions of
bacteria and viruses. Thus, nobody can achieve the state of grace needed to get into
the cristian "paradise", or its equivalents in other religions. Seems to me like
everybody's going to end up in Hell, someday.
Note from the author
This (notes0.prn) and the other files named accordingly (notesxxx.prn,x=0...9) is
the author's personal comment on some aspects of religion and philosophy as taught
by earth's "learned people".
I have studied neither of these subjects, nor do I have the intention to do so
before my next reincarnation, if such there be. Having seen the way theologians and
philosophers argue and "prove" things, I can only assume that studying philosophy or
theology is bad for the brain. Anyway, from my long and repeated talks with both
theologians and philosophers, I got the impression that it is about time that
someone disome thinking of his own and stop relying on those who have studied
how-not-to-think-and-still-make-it-look-as-if-they-did.
In the articles I have concentrated on philosophical and/or theological questions
that had themselves raised as I started getting introduced to the subject of
comparative religion. I do not claim to have said the last word on any of the
subjects I treat in my articles, nor do I say that my conclusions are always
correct. What I intend with this Collection Of Heretic Remarks is a new outlook on
religion and philosophy (meaning philosophy as connected with morals and religion,
and religion as connected with methods of enforcement, so-called piety and the
quasipsychological babblings of so-called gods by so-called priests and other
charlatans), that does NOT connect with any former such outlooks, except where my
conclusions agree, only that I try to reach these conclusions independently of what
is tought as philosophy or theology nowadays. What I am doing, actually, is to
answer questions I have posed myself. Then I question my answers.
If nothing else, I will at least (I hope) get some kind of discussion going that is
going to make short process with any former prejudices against thinking for
yourself, such as most religions have going to keep people from finding out the
truth, which is that they only get to pay for other people's lives in (relative)
luxury for the privilege of hearing pious poppycock in church once a week, and
getting told the most outrageous fairy tales about the way the church spends its
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money (did you know that the Vatican owns large blocks of shares of several weapons
factories through lots of dummy companies?).
Despite myself (and SOME others, believe me!), I did NOT write these articles to
criticise any existing religion(s), nor do I want to convert anybody to anything. I
just want to get people to start thinking for themselves, and to discuss the
sometimes unpleasant (to put it mildly) conclusions I got by thinking about the
facts of life as seen by myself.
Talking about discussion; discussion always means to hear ALL views held by ALL
participants in the discussion. This may sometimes be rather unpleasant, as some of
the views you will read will not be to your taste at all; but if you only hear a
one-sided view on a subject, you're bound to get to false conclusions. This is
self-evident. In order to achieve a REAL discussion, I sometimes take the stand of a
devil's advocate, so please do not feel intimidated out of reading my articles by
the fact that the conclusions I drew from the facts I used are somewhat unpopular
with other people. This is what I intended. Another thing about philosophy: The way
the philosophers of the last ten or twelve centuries worked was this: They saw that
the society they lived in was a mental wreckage all over because of the morals other
philosophers had them try to follow. As these morals did not work, the later
philosophers tried to make things more bearable by changing the system of morals.
The problem was (and still is), that these philosophers did NOT dump ALL the older
philosophers had left them to be miserable with, but changed only some of the
details, and darned few of those.
This is where I try (in my opinion, successfully) to differ. I try not to let myself
be influenced by the garbage most of yesterday's and today's philosophers put out.
(I write these articles in english, so as to reach the broadest audience possible.)
Distribution
The articles of this series will be published on this network by a friend of mine,
since I myself have no access to ANY network at the mo ment. While it may take
rather long until I can get the new articles posted, this collection WILL be
appended from time to time.
I will publish the articles in groups of twelve, for reasons of having nice small
files while still being able to publish another one every half year or so. The
articles may be circulated anywhere you wish, provided that they are not altered in
any way, and that the distribution note (meaning THIS) is always distributed with
any other file(s) out of this collection.
Translation into other languages is encouraged, provided I get to authorize the
translations before they are published. Authorized translations will bear an
according remark from the author, that is, my own feeble self.
The copyright remains with the author.
If you do not want to wait until I get the next edition posted (which might take
from a few weeks to about six months from the last update), you can send a 3.5"
floppy with a self-adressed envelope and full return postage (and please add another
DM -.20 stamp to allow me to answer letters from people who do not put the right
return postage on the return envelope) to:
Karsten Dykow
Prassekstr. 16
23566 Lübeck
(Germany)
I will make it a point to send you the latest edition of ALL articles in the series
with the least delay possible. The files will be in ASCII.
You can also get the files converted for Apple Macintosh. Just note that you are an
Apple user and which software you want to use, and I will send you the files already
converted, if possible with what disk(s) you have sent me. I will NOT send anybody a
printout of more than one article, since this would make it impossible to predict
the postage needed. You can (and will, I hope) also write your comments on the
articles to the above adress in german, english, french or czechoslovakian. If you
want answer to your comments, you should a) state so and b) add a self adressed
envelope with full return postage (and please add another DM-.20 stamp...) to your
letter, since I have no intention of going broke answering letters from people who
are too tight to pay for the postage of something they ordered. Did I forget
anything? Yes.
Anonymous letters (meaning letters that do not state name and adress of the writer
on the envelope) will be burned unopened. Floppy disks will be initialized before
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use, so there is no point in sending me virus-infested disks.
So, this is this. Enjoy the reading of the articles, if you can. See you,
Karsten Dykow.
Copyright Notice
You may copy any article in the series and distribute them any way you want,
provided that you ALWAYS attach this note and do not change the text. Also, you may
not sell this product under any circumstances. You are not allowed (say both the
german and the international copyright laws) to take anything in exchange for this
work (meaning the articles) that is worth more than what you paid yourself in
copying it...
*--------------*---------------*
| |
| |
| BEING THE GREEN BOOK OF SONG |
| |
| |
*--------------*---------------*
*
a compilation of neo-Pagan songs
from any place I could get them.
*
*
I am always interested in more. Please send copies of
such to GREEN BOOK, c/o PO Box 35190, Phoenix AZ 85069.
Please include the author(s) name(s) and copyright information.
*
Be advised that not all the songs here were written by neo-Pagans,
so do not assume that a listed author is or is not a Pagan just by
the fact that they wrote a song with neo-Pagan content. Some of the
authors are just friendly to neo-Paganism. Some of the authors just
wrote the silly songs for the heck of it. Some songs have no author's
name attached. I do not know who wrote those, but would appreciate
finding out.
Many songs in here are under copyright. DO NOT record them without
the author(s)'permission! Many of the authors herein can be contacted
thru the address above, and, remember: when -I- turns ya into a newt,
you -stays- a newt!
*
the Whyte Bard
Rowanhold Bardic
Phoenix AZ USA
*
This songbook is not for sale. It is FREE.
If you sell it, my tame lawyer will turn you into a newt.
*
*
THE WICCAN REDE
-Anonymous
(Tune: "Leatherwing Bat" aka "Celtic Circle Dance")
Bide the wiccan laws you must, When ye have and hold a need,
In perfect love and perfect trust: Harken not to others greed
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Live you must and let to live, With a fool no season spend,
Fairly take and fairly give Or be counted as his friend
Form the circle thrice about When misfortune is enow,
To keep unwelcome spirits out Wear the star upon thy brow
To bind your spell will every time, True in love you ever be,
Let the spell be spake in rhyme Lest thy love be false to thee
Soft of eye and light of touch, Merry meet and merry part,
Speak you little, listen much Bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
Deosil go by the waxing moon, Mind the threefold law you should
Chanting out the baleful tune Three times bad and three times good
When the Lady's moon is new, Nine woods in the cauldron go,
Kiss your hand to her times two Burn them fast and burn them slow
When the moon rides at her peak, Elder be the Lady's tree,
Then your heart's desire seek Burn it not or cursed you'll be
Heed the north winds mighty gale, When the wheel begins to turn,
Lock the door and trim the sail Soon the Beltane fires will burn
When the wind comes from the south, When the wheel hath turned a Yule
Love will kiss thee on the mouth Light the log the Horned One rules
When the wind blows from the east, Heed you flower, bush and tree,
Expect the new and set the feast. By the Lady blessed be
When the wind blows from the west Where the rippling waters go,
Bardic words be at their best! Cast a stone, the truth you'll know
Bide the wiccan laws you must,
In perfect love and perfect trust:
These words the wiccan rede fulfill;
"An harm you none, do what you will."
*
*
THE WITCH'S BALLAD
-Doreen Valente?
Oh, I have been beyond the town,
Where nightshade black and mandrake grow,
And I have heard and I have seen
What righteous folk would fear to know!
For I have heard, at still midnight,
Upon the hilltop far, forlorn,
With note that echoed through the dark,
The winding of the heathen horn.
And I have seen the fire aglow,
And glinting from the magic sword,
And with the inner eye beheld
The Horned One, the Sabbat's lord.
We drank the wine, and broke the bread,
And ate it in the Lady's name.
We linked our hands to make the ring,
And laughed and leaped the Sabbat game.
Oh, little do the townsfolk reck,
When dull they lie within their bed!
Beyond the streets, beneath the stars,
A merry round the witches tread!
And round and round the circle spun,
Until the gates swung wide ajar,
That bar the boundaries of earth
From faery realms that shine afar.
Oh, I have been and I have seen
In magic worlds of Otherwhere.
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For all this world may praise or blame,
For ban or blessing nought I care.
For I have been beyond the town,
Where meadowsweet and roses grow,
And there such music did I hear
As worldly-rightous never know.
*
*
THE THONG OF THOR
-Anonymous
(Tune: "Girl I Left Behind Me")
In days of yore, the great god Thor would ramp around creation.
He'd drink a pint and slay a giant and save the Nordic nation,
Or kill a Worm to watch it squirm and vainly try to fang him,
Or lock up Loki in the pokey and on the noggin bang him.
Once he did bawl through Thrudvang Hall that on a trip he'd wander
In a disguise from prying eyes, in Midgard way out yonder,
So all his slaves, huscarls and knaves, packed up his goods and gear, O,
And off he strode, on Bifrost road, a perfect Aryan hero.
In Midgard land he joined a band of hardy Viking ruff-i-ans,
And off they sailed and rowed and bailed among the auks and puff-i-ans.
Whene'er they'd reach a foreign beach they stopped to raid and plunder;
Each Nordic brute got so much loot their longship near went under.
But as they rolled in coins of gold, they had one joy forsaken,
For on each raid Thor's party made, no women could be taken.
Each drab and queen fled from the scene when Viking sails were sighted,
And Thor felt the need for certain deeds that had gone unrequited.
Thor's brows were black as they went back to Oslo's rocky haven;
Unto his crew he said, "Beshrew me for a Frankish craven
"If I don't wrench some tavern wench, or else may Frigga damn her."
Replied one voice, "You got first choice; you've got the biggest hammer."
Into an inn that crew of sin disembarked upon their landing,
Each tavern maid was sore afraid of pirates of such standing.
But golden coins warmed up their loins and the ale soon ran free;
Thor's motley crew poured down the brew and made an all-night spree.
Thor's glances strayed unto a maid with hair as gold as grain,
A lisp so shy, a downcast eye, and not a trace of brain;
He swept her charms into his arms and to an upstairs bower,
And did not cease nor give her ease for six days and an hour!
When he rose up and drained a cup, she looked like one that's near death:
Her limbs were weak, she could not speak, and only gasped for her breath.
"You ought to know, before I go, I'm Thor," he bade adieu.
"You're Thor!" said she. "Conthider me! I'm thorer, thir, than you!"
*
KING HENRY (Child #32)
recorded by Steeleye Span "Below the Salt"
Let never a man a-wooing wend that lacketh thing-s three:
A store of gold, an open heart, and full of charity
And this was said of King Henry, as he lay quite alone
For he's taken him to a Haunted hall, seven miles from the town
He's chased the deer now him before, and the doe down by the glen
When the fattest buck in all the flock, King Henry he has slain
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His huntsmen followed him to the Hall, to make them burly cheer
When loud the wind was heard to howl, and an earthquake rocked the floor
As darkness covered all the Hall where they sat at their meat
The grey dogs, yowling, left their food and crept to Henry's feet
And louder howled the rising wind, and burst the fastened door
When in there came a grisly ghost, stamping on the floor!
Her head hit the rooftree of the house, her middle you could not span
Each frightened Huntsman fled the hall, and left the King alone
Her teeth were like the tether-stakes, her nose like club or mall
And nothing less she seemed to be than a Fiend that comes from Hell!
Some meat, some meat, you King Henry, some meat you bring to me
Go kill your horse, you King Henry, and bring some meat to me!
And he has slain his berry-brown steed, it made his heart full sore
For she's eaten it up, both skin and bone, left nothing but hide and hair!
More meat, more meat, you King Henry, more meat you give to me!
Oh you must kill your good greyhounds, and bring some meat to me!
And he has slain his good greyhounds, it made his heart full sore
For she's eaten them up, both skin and bone, left nothing but hide and hair!
More meat, more meat, you King Henry, more meat you give to me!
Oh, you must slay your good goshawks, and bring some meat to me!
And he has slain his good goshawks, it made his heart full sore
For she's eaten them up, both skin and bone, left nothing but feathers bare!
Some drink, some drink, you King Henry, some drink you give to me
Oh you sew up your horse's hide, and bring some drink to me!
And he's sewn up the bloody hide, and a pipe of wine put in
And she's drank it up all in one drop, left never a drop therein!
A bed, a bed, now King Henry, a bed you'll make for me!
Oh you must pull the heather green, and make it soft for me!
And he has pulled the heather green, and made for her a bed
And taken has he his good mantle, and over it he has spread.
Take off your clothes, now King Henry, and lie down by my side!
Now swear, now swear, you King Henry, to take me as your Bride!
Oh God forbid, said King Henry, that ever the like betide;
That ever a Fiend that comes from Hell should stretch down by my side!
Then the night was gone, and the day was come and the sun did fill the Hall
The fairest Lady that ever was seen lay twixt him and the wall!
I've met with many a Gentle Knight that gave me such a fill,
But never before with a Perfect Knight, that gave me all my Will!
*
*
LORD OF THE DANCE
In response to many requests for information about the neo-pagan
version of Lord Of The Dance....
The words are credited to Aidan Kelly, C. Taliesin Edwards, and Ann
Cass; the tune (when it isn't "Simple Gifts") is credited to Jenny
Peckham-Vanzant, and may be an old shape-note hymn.
Aidan Kelly and C. Taliesin Edwards may be the same person.
According to the article in the filksong magazine "Filker Up #3," (a
reprint from _Kantele_ #12, Fall 1982, and written by Cathy Cook-
MacDonald), the first four verses were written by Kelly and Edwards,
four more by Ann Cass in 1975-6, and the four seasonal verses by Ann
Cass in 1976. Gwydion recorded the song, with variant lyrics, on his
_Songs Of The Old Religion_ tape (not the entire song, though).
A version of it can also be found on the tape _Celtic Circle Dance_,
by Joe Bethancourt.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
She danced on the water, and the wind was Her horn
The Lady laughed, and everything was born
And when She lit the sun and its' light gave Him birth
The Lord of the Dance first appeared on the Earth
(Chorus): Dance, dance, where ever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, you see!
I live in you, and you live in Me
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And I lead you all in the Dance, said He!
I danced in the morning when the World was begun
I danced in the Moon and the Stars and the Sun
I was called from the Darkness by the Song of the Earth
I joined in the Song, and She gave Me the Birth!
I dance in the Circle when the flames leap up high
I dance in the Fire, and I never, ever, die
I dance in the waves of the bright summer sea
For I am the Lord of the wave's mystery
I sleep in the kernel, and I dance in the rain
I dance in the wind, and thru the waving grain
And when you cut me down, I care nothing for the pain;
In the Spring I'm the Lord of the Dance once again!
I dance at the Sabbat when you dance out the Spell
I dance and sing that everyone be well
And when the dancing's over do not think that I am gone
To live is to Dance! So I dance on, and on!
I see the Maidens laughing as they dance in the Sun
And I count the fruits of the Harvest, one by one
I know the Storm is coming, but the Grain is all stored
So I sing of the Dance of the Lady, and Her Lord: (more)
Lord Of The Dance (Cont.)
The Horn of the Lady cast its' sound 'cross the Plain
The birds took the notes, and gave them back again
Till the sound of Her music was a Song in the sky
And to that Song there is only one reply:
The moon in her phases, and the tides of the sea
The movement of the Earth, and the Seasons that will be
Are the rhythm for the dancing, and a promise thru the years
That the Dance goes on thru all our joy, and tears
We dance ever slower as the leaves fall and spin
And the sound of the Horn is the wailing of the wind
The Earth is wrapped in stillness, and we move in a trance,
But we hold on fast to our faith in the Dance!
The sun is in the southland and the days grow chill
And the sound of the horn is fading on the hill
'Tis the horn of the Hunter, as he rides across the plain
And the Lady sleeps 'til the Spring comes again
The Sun is in the Southland and the days lengthen fast
And soon we will sing for the Winter that is past
Now we light the candles and rejoice as they burn
And we dance the Dance of the Sun's return!
They danced in the darkness and they danced in the night
They danced on the Earth, and everything was light
They danced out the Darkness and they danced in the Dawn
And the Day of that Dancing is still going on!
I gaze on the Heavens and I gaze on the Earth
And I feel the pain of dying, and re-birth
And I lift my head in gladness, and in praise
For the Dance of the Lord, and His Lady gay
I dance in the stars as they whirl throughout space
And I dance in the pulse of the veins in your face
No dance is too great, no dance is too small,
You can look anywhere, for I dance in them all!
*
CELTIC CIRCLE DANCE
(c) copyright 1984, 1992 W. J. Bethancourt III
recorded: CELTIC CIRCLE DANCE, WTP-0002
tune: "Same Old Man/Leatherwing Bat" (Trad. Appalachian)
Hi said the Norn, sittin in the sand
Once I talked to a great Grey Man
Spun three times and said with a sigh
Hadn't been for the Runes had His other eye!
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Chorus: Hi diddle i diddle i day
Hi diddle i diddle i diddle ay
Hi di diddle i diddle i day
Fol the dink a dum diddle do di day
Hi said the Lady, dressed in green Came the Stag from oaken wood
Prettiest thing I've ever seen Saw the Lady where She stood
She went down underneath the hill By the fire burning bright
And came back out of Her own free will Came to know His heart's delight!
Brian Boru, on Irish ground Hail to the Lady, One in Three
Walked three times the Island round We welcome You and honour Thee
Norsemen came lookin for a fight As You light and guard the night
just another Irish Saturday night! Honour now our sacred rite!
Hi said Lugh on the banquet night Hi said the Lady dressed in white
A poet and a player and a good wheelwright Sang the Day and sang the Night
A harper and a warrior and none the least: Sang the Land and sang the Sea
A Druid and he got in to the Feast! Sang the Song, and then sang me!
Harold Haardrada's face was red! Hail to the Lord at the Lady's side
Came to Britain and he wound up dead Master of the Hunt, in the day You ride
Stamford Bridge is where he's found Fire burn and fire bright
Got six feet of English ground Honour now our sacred rite!
The Legion with its Eagles bright The Circle forms, the Circle flows
Marched into the Pictish night The Circle goes where no man knows
Met them there upon the sand Hail to the Lady, one in three:
Gave 'em up to the Wicker Man! Present is past and past is me!
Eight-legged steed and hound of Hel By Sword and Harp, and Irish Hound
The One-Eyed Man, he loves ya well Blessed Be: the Day I've found
Fire burn and fire spark Hail to the Lady, one in Three
Are you then feared of the dark? Present is Past and Past is WE
Rhiannon's Birds are still in flight Fire and Water, Air and Earth
all thru the day, all thru the night The Cauldron calls for our rebirth
Hail to the Lady, one in Three Hail to the Lady, three times three
Present is past and past is Thee! The Circle's cast; so mote it be!
Salt and oil and mirror bright From East and South and West and North
Fire and fleet and candlelight Call the Powers to come forth!
By fin and feather, leaf and tree, Hail to the Lady, three times three,
Fill the Cup and Blessed Be! The Circle's cast; so mote it be!
From the misty crystal sea By Oak and Ash and Holy Thorn
Came the Lady to the lea Blessed Be the day you're born!
Sword and Roses in Her Hand Fire burn and fire bright
Spread their seeds thruout the Land Walk in safety thru the night
*
CIRCLES
-Gwen Zak
(Tune: "Windmills")
In days gone by, when the world was much younger
Men wondered at spring, born of winter's gold knife
Wondered at the games of the moon and the sunlight,
They saw there the Lady and Lord of all life.
CHORUS: And around and around and around turns the good earth
All things must change as the seasons go by,
We are the children of the Lord and the Lady,
Whose mysteries we know but we'll never know why.
In all lands the people were tied with the good earth
Plowing and sowing as the seasons declared
Waiting to reap of the rich golden harvest
Knowing Her laugh in the joys that they shared.
Through Flanders and Wales and the green land of Ireland
In Kingdoms of England and Scotland and Spain
Circles grew up all along the wild coastline
And worked for the land with the sun and the rain.
Circles for healing and working the weather
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Circles for knowing the moon and the sun
Circles for thanking the Lord and the Lady
Circles for dancing the dance never done
And we who reach for the stars in the heavens
Turning our eyes from the meadows and groves
Still live in the love of the Lord and the Lady
The greater the Circle the more the love grows
*
*
SPRING STRATHSPEY
-Gwydion PenDerwyn
copyright probably to Nemeton
Myrddyn was playing his pipes in the wood,
And it sounded so good to my feeling.
Hiree, hiroo stirred the dance in the blood,
And my fresh maidenhood started reeling.
Sweetly it drew me, the song that went through me,
As if sure it knew me, a maiden-song, laughing long.
I'm sure that I hear it, Oh, let me draw near it,
I want to be merrily courted in spring.
Round us the trees formed a wheel in my mind,
As if all womankind were careering.
Softly he touched me, our hands intertwined,
And we gently reclined in the clearing.
Dew-fall to star-fall he made love to me,
In a manner so free and revealing.
Swift-footed, light-footed, goat-footed, he
Played a sweet melody with such feeling.
Daylight and I wake to spring's sweet bouquet
And a glorious day of beginning.
Myrddyn has gone on his magical way,
But the equinox day leaves me spinning.
*
*
BEDLAM BELLS
-Joe Bethancourt
(c) copyright 1992 W.J. Bethancourt III
(Tune: "Mad Maudlin" aka "Tom O'Bedlam")
Written as a theme song for the Bedlam Bells Morris dance troupe, and
originally improvised at WesterCon 45, Phoenix, AZ.
Tune guitar: DADGBD
Out upon the Borderlands
I've watched the stars a-falling
I've drunk deep from Mad River and
I've heard my soul a-calling
CHORUS: Still I sing bonny bells, bonny mad bells,
Bedlam Bells are bonny!
For we all go bare and we live by the air
And we want your drink and money!
I now repent that ever My staff hath murder'd giants
Myself was so disdain-ed My bells can call the thunder!
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My wits are lost since me I cros't I stamp my feet and tread the dance
Which makes me go thus chain-ed And split the sky in sunder!
To find our wits in Bordertown, My horn is made of Elven-blades,
Ten thousand years we'll travel I stole it cross the Border!
And maudlin go on dancing toes, The rainbow there is this I wear
To save our shoes from gravel For my wits are out of order!
I crossed into fair Elfland I went to Digger's Kitchen
To find the soul I'd squandered To beg some food one morning
To hunt my sighs in children's eyes I got my dreams served piping hot
But still my soul had wandered And saw a city burning
I had an Elfin lady, I'll wander thru the Borderlands
And took her for to wife me With feathers in my hair-o
She sleeps the day, she sings the night With my true love close to my side
And hearkens to delight me! And back and sides go bare-o!
Both in and out of Bordertown I'll dance the day, I'll dance the night
I've drank Mad River's water And spend my time a-singing
And stood upon the Bridge O'Dread Dance out the old, ring in the new
And watched the sudden slaughter! With Bedlam Bells a-ringing!
Take a drink for Tom of Bedlam
Take a drink from the river's water!
And speak in sighs from darkened eyes
And court the River's daughter!
*
*
BURNING TIMES/CHANT
-Charles Murphy
In the cool of the evening, they used to gather, 'neath stars in
the meadow, circled near an old oak tree.
At the times appointed by the seasons of the Earth, and the phases
of the moon.
In the center of them stood a woman, equal with the others, and
respected for her worth.
One of the many we call the Witches, the teachers and the keepers
of the wisdom of the Earth
The people grew through the knowledge she gave them, herbs to heal
their bodies, spells to make their spirits whole.
Hear them chanting healing incantations, calling forth the Wise
Ones, celebrating in dance and song
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna
There were those who came to power through domination, and they
bonded in the worship of a dead man on a cross.
They sought control of the common people by demanding allegiance
to the church of Rome.
And the Pope declared the Inquisition, it was a war against the
women whose power they feared.
In this Holocaust against the nature peoples, a million European
women died.
And the tales are told of those who, by the hundreds, holding
together, chose their deaths in the sea.
Chanting the praises of the Mother Goddess, a refusal of betrayal,
women were dying to be free.
Now the Earth is a witch, and the men still burn her! Stripping
her down with mining and the poisons of their wars.
While to us the Earth is a healer, a teacher, a mother.
She's the weaver of the web of life that keeps us all alive.
She gives us the vision to see through the chaos.
She gives us the courage, it is our will to survive!
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna....(repeat ad lib)
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*
YULE SONGS
*
HARK THE NEO-PAGANS SING
-"Sunblade"
(Tune: "Hark the Herald Angels Sing")
Hark the neo-Pagans sing,
Glory to the Holly King!
Peace on Earth and mercy mild,
God and Goddess reconciled,
Hear us now as we proclaim,
We have risen from the flames,
Our ancient Craft now we reclaim,
In the God and Goddess' names
Herne by highest love adored,
Herne the ever-reborn Lord,
At all times behold Him come,
Offspring of the Holy One,
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see,
Hail Incarnate Deity!
Our ancient Craft now we reclaim,
in the God and Goddess' names
*
YE CHILDREN ALL OF MOTHER EARTH
-Ellen Reed
( Tune: "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear")
Ye children all of Mother Earth
join hands and circle around
To celebrate the Solstice night
When our lost Lord is found.
Rejoice, the year has begun again
The Sun blesses skies up above
So share the season together now
In everlasting Love!
*
GLORIA
-Ellen Reed
Snow lies deep upon the Earth
Still our voices warmly sing
Heralding the glorious birth
Of the Child, the Winter King
Glo -- ria!
In excelsis Deo!
Glo -- ria!
In excelsis Dea!
Gloria (cont.)
Our triumphant voices claim
Joy and hope and love renewed
And our Lady's glad refrain
Answer Winter's solitude
Glo -- ria!(etc.)
In Her arms a holy Child
Promises a glowing Light
Through the winter wind so wild
He proclaims the growing Light.
Glo -- ria! (etc..)
Now the turning of the year
Of the greater Turning sings
Passing age of cold and fear
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Soon our golden summer brings.
Glo -- ria! (etc..)
*
OH, COME, ALL YE FAITHFUL!
-Ellen Reed
Oh, come all ye faithful
Gather round the Yule Fire
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye,
To call the Sun!
Fires within us
Call the Fire above us
Our Lord, the Sun!
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee!
Born again at Yuletide!
Yule fires and candle flames
Are lighted for You!
Come to thy children
Calling for thy blessing!
O, come let us invoke Him (x3)
Our Lord, the Sun!
*
SILENT NIGHT
-Ellen Reed
Silent night, Solstice Night
All is calm, all is bright
Nature slumbers in forest and glen
Till in Springtime She wakens again
(more)
Silent Night, Solstice Night (cont.)
Silver moon shining bright
Snowfall blankets the slumbering Earth
Yule fireswelcome the Sun's rebirth
Quiet rest till the Light
Turning ever the rolling Wheel
Brings the Winter to comfort and heal
*
GLORY TO THE NEW BORN KING
-Ellen Reed (1st verse)
Brothers, sisters, come to sing
Gardens peaceful, forests wild
Celebrate the Winter Child!
Now the time of glowing starts!
Joyful hands and joyful hearts!
Cheer the Yule log as it burns!
For once again the Sun returns!
Brothers, sisters, come and sing!
Glory to the newborn Sun
Through the wind and dark of night
Celebrate the coming light.
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Suns glad rays through fear's cold burns
Life through death the Wheel now turns
Gather round the Yule log and tree
Celebrate Life's mystery
Glory to the new-born Sun.
*
DANCING IN A WICCAN WONDERLAND
-"Alexander & Aarcher"
Pagans sing, are you listenin',
Altar's set,candles glisten,
It's a Magickal night, we're having tonight,
Dancing in a Wiccan Wonderland
Blades held high, censer smoking,
God and Goddess, we're invoking,
Through Elements Five, we celebrate life,
Dancing in a Wiccan Wonderland,
(more)
Wiccan Wonderland (cont.)
Queen of Heaven, is in Her place,
Triple Goddess, now the Crone Face,
Above and Below, She's the Goddess we know,
Now the God, is the Provider,
Supplying game for our Fire,
Above and Below, He's the Horned One we Know,
In a Circle we can light a Yule Fire,
And await the rising of the Sun,
It's the Great Wheel turning for the new year,
loaded with abundance and great fun.
Later on, by the fire,
Cone of Power, gettin' higher
It's a Magickal Night we're having tonight,
*
SHARE THE LIGHT
(The First Noel)
CHORUS: Share the light, share the light!
Share the light, share the Light!
All paths are one on this holy night!
On this Winter holiday, let us stop and recall
That this season is holy to one and to all.
Unto some a Son is born, unto us comes a Sun,
And we know, if they don't that all paths are one.
Be it Chanukah or Yule,
Christmas time or Solstice night,
All celebrate the eternal light.
Lighted tree or burning log,
Or eight candle flames.
All gods are one god, whatever their names.
*
MOON OF SILVER
(We Three Kings)
CHORUS: Oh, Moon of Silver, Sun of Gold,
Gentle Lady, Lord so bold!
Guide us ever, failing never,
Lead us in ways of old.
Maiden, Mother, Ancient Crone,
Queen of Heaven on your throne,
Praise we sing Thee, Love we bring Thee,
For all that you have shown.
(more)
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Moon Of Silver (cont.)
Lord of Darkness, Lord of Light,
Gentle Brother, King of Might,
Praise we sing thee, Love we bring Thee
On this Solstice night.
*
JOY TO THE WORLD
Joy to the world! The Lord is come!
Let Earth receive her king!
Let every heart prepare him room
And Heaven and Nature sing, etc.
Welcome our King who brings us life.
Our Lady gives him birth!
His living light returneth to warm the seeds within us
And wake the sleeping earth, etc.
Light we the fires to greet our Lord,
Our Light! Our Life! Our King!
Let every voice be lifted to sing his holy praises,
As Heaven and Nature sing, etc.
*
*
CHRISTMAS TIME IS PAGAN!
(Gloria in Excelsius Deo)
CHORUS:
Glorious!
Christmas time is pagan!
Glorious!
Christmas time is pagan!
Christmas time is here again,
Decorations everywhere.
Christmas carols ringing out,
Gentle pagans, we don't care.
Modern folks all celebrate
What they learned in Sunday School.
In December, they don't know
They are celebrating Yule!
Let them have their Christmas trees,
Decked in red and green and blue.
We rejoice at every one!
Christmas trees are pagan, too.
Bowls of bubbly Christmas cheer,
Fill your cup and quench your thirst.
They think the tradition's theirs.
Wassail bowls were pagan, first.
CHRISTMAS TIME IS PAGAN!
Every door and window bears
Wreaths of holly, wreaths of pine.
Circles represent the Sun.
Every wreath is yours and mine.
Christmas lights on Christmas trees,
Candle flames burn higher and higher,
Let us cheer along, my friends,
As they light their Yuletide fire.
There's a possibility
That this song is yours and mine
'Cause the tune was known to all
Back in A.D. one-two-nine.
*
*
GOD REST YE MERRY, PAGANFOLK
(God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen)
God rest ye merry, paganfolk,
Let nothing you dismay.
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Remember that the Sun returns
Upon this Solstice day.
The growing dark is ending now
And Spring is on its way.
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy!
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.
The Goddess rest ye merry, too,
And keep you safe from harm.
Remember that we live within
The circle of Her arms,
And may Her love give years to come
A very special charm.
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy!
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy!
*
*
BLESSED BE AGAIN!
-Joe Bethancourt
(c) copyright 1992 W.J. Bethancourt III
(Tune: "One Misty Moisty Morning" (Trad.)
Upon a dark and windy hill, As I walked out one May morning,
On Samhain's eldritch night T'was on the blooming heather
I saw the Crone with withered hands I saw a Maiden dancing there,
By balefire's burning light In fair and sunny weather
Her eyes were full of wisdom, The Beltane fires were burning high,
The threads of life she span The dancers round did spin
And sang "Blessed Be! And Blessed Be! They sang "Blessed Be! And Blessed Be!
And Blessed Be again!" And Blessed Be again!"
As I walked out on Yuletide, Upon Midsummer's heady day,
The winter winds blew cold I saw John Barleycorn
I saw the Winter King a-standing, Walking proud and tall there
Grey and grim and old In the sunny shining morn
His cloak was pulled around him, His beard was long and golden,
A Child was in his hand He looked at me and then
And he sang "Blessed Be! And Blessed Be! He sang "Blessed Be! And Blessed Be!
Upon the morn of Brigit's Day, Upon a singing Summer day,
I saw a lovely sight At dawn on Lammastide
The Goddess standing by me, I saw the Craftsman smiling,
All crowned in starry light On sunbeams he did ride
The crescent Moon beneath her feet, He brings us light and knowledge,
The stars were in her hand To help our fellow men
She sang "Blessed Be! And Blessed Be! He sang "Blessed Be! And Blessed Be!
Upon the first of April, Upon a chilly autumn day,
I saw the Holy Fool All sheltered from the storm
He was a merry prankster, I saw the Harvest safe at home,
The Lord of all Misrule! The families snug and warm
He looked at me, and winked an eye, They sat and gave their thanks,
And danced and sang and then And they laughed and smiled and then
He sang "Blessed Be! And Blessed Be! They sang "Blessed Be! And Blessed Be!
Ostara came with blossoms, The Spiral Dance goes on and on,
Life flourished everywhere The King and Youth and Child
I saw the Mother smiling, The Gentle Mother, Aged Crone,
With flowers in Her hair And Maiden meek and mild
She stood among the growing fields, And so the Yearly Circle
In heather and in glen Turns in eternal spin
And sang "Blessed Be! And Blessed Be! So sing "Blessed Be! And Blessed Be!
And "Merry Meet! And Merry Part!
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And Merry Meet Again!"
*
*
HARP SONG OF THE DANE WOMEN
-Rudyard Kipling
What is a woman that you forsake her?
and the hearth fire, and the home-acre?
to go with the old, grey Widow-Maker?
She has no house to lay a guest in
but one chill bed for all to rest in
that the pale suns and the stray bergs nest in
She has no strong white arms to fold you
but the ten times fingering weeds to hold you
out on the rocks where the tide has rolled you
Yet, when the signs of Summer thicken
and the ice breaks and the birch-buds quicken
yearly you turn from our side and sicken
Sicken again for the shouts and the slaughters
you steal away to the lapping waters
and look at your ship in her winter quarters
You forget our mirth, and talk at the tables
the kine in the shed and the horse in the stables
to pitch her sides and go over her cables...
Then you drive out where the storm clouds swallow
and the sound of your oar-blades, falling hollow
is all we have left through the months to follow
Ah...but what is a woman that you forsake her?
and the hearth fire, and the home-acre?
to go with the old, grey Widow-maker?
*
*
STAND UP, STAND UP FOR ODIN
-Robert Cook
(Tune: "Stand Up For Jesus")
Stand up! Stand up for Odin, you warriors of the beard!
lift high the Raven Banner that half the world has feared!
From Angleland to far Vinland shall sound the Warrior's Cry
Till every foe is vanquished, and Odin reigns most high!
March forth with steel flashing beneath the naked Sun
and never stand at rest again 'til all the World is won!
Let scarlet sword his symbol carve in every nation's sod
'Til every man still breathing stands up for OdinGod!
Let ships with prows of Dragons the mighty oceans cleave
and every land not Odin's our crimson gifts receive
let Raven Banners fill the sky where every man has trod
And all the soil beneath them belong to OdinGod!
Stand up! Stand up for Odin, you Warriors of the North!
With silver swords a-flashing to victory go forth!
From Angleland to far Vinland our joyous conquest lead
'Til every foe is vanquished, and Odin's Lord, indeed!
*
*
NUDE
-W.J.Bethancourt III
-Ed Hirt
copyright 1982 W.J.Bethancourt III and Ed Hirt
(Tune: "Men of Harlech")
What the use of wearing panties
Whalebone corsets of your Auntie's
Boxer shorts and other scanties
Best of all is nude
There's such fun in going bra-less
Now that it's no longer lawless
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'Specially if your figure's flawless
Best of all is nude
Nude is what you're born in
Shirts are never torn in
Underwear and lacy flimsies, garter belts and other whimsies
Yards of itchy cloth to put your form in
Ducks all do it, maidens rue it
Even ancient Picts in Britain blue it
Going naked's how to do it
Best of all is nude!
If your garters aren't elastic
Tie them up in knots fantastic
(Panty hose is something drastic!)
If you're tired of wearing clotheses
Shed your garment 'mongst the roses
Never mind the old bluenoses
Nude is best for ducking!
Worst for horses bucking!
Moonlit nights will see such sights
that are very best for fooling round
.....and elbows!
Nudity is grand to see
A well-known antidote to virginity
Take your clothes off and you'll see:
*
*
FAIRIES LOVE SONG
-Anonymous
Why should I sit and sigh
Broo and bracken, broo and bracken
Why should I sit and sigh
All alone and weary
When I see the plover rising
Or the curlew wheeling
It's then I'll court my mortal lover
Back to me is stealing
When the moon begins her waning
I sit by the water
Where a man born of the sunlight
Loved the Faerie's daughter
Oh, but there is something wanting
O but I am weary
Coming blithe, now bonny treads he
O'er the knolls to cheer me
*
*
THE BARD'S SONG
-W.J.Bethancourt III
(c) copyright 1990 W.J.Bethancourt III
(Tune: "Dublin City")
As I walked out one quiet evening
At the hour of twelve at night
Who should I meet but a fair young maiden
Combin' her hair by candle light;
Lassie, I have come a-courtin'
Your kind favours for to win
And if you'd heed my petition
I would be your Paladin...
(CHORUS) Gather roses in the Springtime
Gather roses while ye may,
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Time is passing; roses wither;
Winter comes; we're here -today-.
Have you seen the dew a-formin'
On the grass at early morn?
Have you seen the forest quiet,
Or a stag that's barely born?
Have you seen the dawn a-breakin'
O'er the Western Ocean's tide?
Have you felt my heart a-beatin'
When it's held close to your side?
I can give no gold or silver,
I can give no fields of land,
I can give no servants brisk
To wait on you both foot and hand;
I can give you wide roads callin'
Wind and Rain, and Moon and Sun,
Songs to sing, and love and laughter,
Dresses made of plain home-spun.
Come dance with me upon the greensward
in the moonlight, in the Spring.
Dance with me within the forest
Dance with me within the ring!
Earth below us, stars above us,
Fire and water by our side,
Dance with me within the moonlight,
Dance with me, and be my Bride!
*
*
ALL THRU THE NIGHT
-Traditional
While the Moon her watch is keeping
all thru the night
While the weary world is sleeping
all thru the night
O'er thy spirit gently stealing,
Visions of delight revealing
Breathes a pure and holy feeling
all thru the night
Though this Bard must roam full lonely
My true harp shall sing praise only
Love's soft dream, alas, is over
Yet my strains of love shall hover
Near the Presence of my Lover
Hark! A solemn bell is ringing
Thou, my King are heavenward winging
Earthly dust from off Thee shaken
Soul immortal shalt thou waken
With thy last, dim journey taken
Neath this Stone my King is sleeping
Stars around Him softly sweeping
Once and Future King preserving
Britain's Saviour there reserving
All around him Stars observing
all thru the night
Holl am ran-tire sehr thuh wed-ont
ahr heed ah nos
Dum-ar forth ee vro go-gawn-yont
ahr heed ah nos
Gol-i ar-all you tuh wull ooch
ee are thang os gweer bred vairtch-ooch
tie-leer nave oith m'yoon thu-wail-ooch
ahr heed ah nos
note: The last verse is phonetic Welsh.
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"ll" is pronounced by putting the tip of your
tongue to the roof of your mouth, and saying "h"
and "l" at the same time...sort of.
"ch" is pronounced as German.
*
*
TWO MAGICIANS
(Child #44)
recorded by Steeleye Span "Below the Salt"
She looked out of the window, as white as any milk
He looked in at the window, as black as any silk
(Chorus): Hello, hello, hello, hello you coal black smith
You have done me no harm!
You never shall have my maidenhead
That I have kept so long!
I'd rather die a maid, aye, and then she said,
And be buried all in my grave,
Than to have such a nasty,
husky, dusky, fusty, musty coal black smith!
A maiden I will die!
She became a duck, a duck all in the stream
And he became a waterdog, and fetched her back again
She became a star, a star all in the night
And he became a thundercloud and muffled her out of sight
She became a rose, a rose all in the wood
And he became a bumblebee and kissed her where she stood
She became a nun, a nun all dressed in white
And he became a chantry priest to pray for her by night
She became a trout, a trout all in the brook
And he became a feathered fly, and catched her with his hook
She became a quilt, a quilt all on her bed
And he became a coverlet, and gained her maidenhead!
note: This has MANY variants. See Robert Graves' "The White Goddess" pg. 401!
*
*
JOHN BARLEYCORN
There were three men come out of the West
Their fortunes for to try,
And these three men made a solemn vow:
John Barleycorn should die!
John Barleycorn should die!
(nb: 4th line of each verse is sung twice)
They plowed, they sowed, they harrowed him in,
Threw clods upon his head,
And these three men made a solemn vow:
John Barleycorn was dead!
CHORUS: Fa la la la, it's a lovely day!
Sing fa la la lay oh!
Fa la la la, it's a lovely day!
Sing fa la la lay oh!
They let him lie for a very long time
'Til the rain from Heaven did fall,
Then Little Sir John sprung up his head,
And so amazed them all!
They let him stand 'til Midsummer tide,
'Til he grew both pale and wan,
Then Little Sir John he grew a long beard,
And so became a man!
They hired men with the sythes so sharp
To cut him off at the knee
They rolled him and tied him about the waist,
And used him barbarously!
They hired men with the sharp pitchforks
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To pierce him to the heart,
And the loader he served him worse than that,
For he tied him in a cart!
They wheeled him around and around the field,
'Til they came to a barn,
And there they made a solemn mow
Of poor John Barleycorn,
They hired men with the crab-tree sticks
To strip him skin from bone
And the Miller he served him worse than that:
For he ground him between two stones!
They have wheeled him here and wheeled him there
And wheeled him to a barn,
And they have served him worse than that
They have bunged him in a vat!
(more)
John Barleycorn (cont.)
They have worked their will on John Barleycorn
But he lived to tell the tale;
For they pour him out of an old brown jug,
And they call him home-brewed ale!
Here's Little Sir John in a nut-brown bowl,
And brandy in a glass!
And Little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl
Proved the stronger man at last!
For the huntsman he can't hunt the fox
Nor loudly blow his horn,
And the tinker can't mend kettles nor pots
Without John Barleycorn!
(Note: sing the chorus after every other verse or so. Encourage the group
to join the song)
*
*
THE FALSE KNIGHT UPON THE ROAD (Child #3)
-recorded by Steeleye Span
"Oh where are you going to?"
said the False Knight upon the road
"Oh I'm going to my school."
said the wee boy and still he stood
"What is that upon your back?"
said the False Knight upon the road
"Ah weel, it is my books!"
said the wee boy and still he stood
Oh, what have you got there? I wish you was on the sands.
I have got my bread and cheese! Yes, and a good staff in my hands!
Oh won't you give me some? I wish you was on the sea.
No, ne'r a bite or crumb! And a good ship under me!
And the ship to sink.
An inch away from shore!
I think I hear a bell.
And it rings you straight to Hell!
*
*
NOTTAMUN TOWN
-Traditional
In Nottamun Town, in Nottamun Town
Not a soul would look up not a soul would look down
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down
To show me the way to fair Nottamun Town
I bought me a horse t'was called a grey mare
Grey mane and grey tail and green stripe on her back
Grey mane and grey tail and green stripe on her back
Weren't a hair upon her that was not coal black
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She stood so still threw me to the dirt
She tore at my hide, she bruised my shirt
From saddle to stirrup I mounted again
and on my ten toes I rode over the plain
When I got there no one did I see
they all stood around me just looking at me
i called for a cup to drive gladness away
And stifle the dust for it rained the whole day
And the King and the Queen and the company more
Came a riding behind and a walking before
Come a stark naked drummer beating a drum
With his hands in his bosom came marching along
Sat down on a hard hot cold frozen stone
Ten thousand stood round me but I was alone
Took my heart in my hand to keep myself warm
Ten thousand was drowned that never was born
*
*
CAMBRIAN DREAM
-Gwydion PenDerwyn
copyright probably to Nemeton
In the mountains of Cambria, by Rhymney's bright stream
I have oft slept in heather, and dreamed a bright Dream
No mortal could wake me, nor see what I've seen
No landscape could ever compare.
'Twas the Land of my Fathers, unfettered, and free
Ere the time that the Saxon swept over the Sea
When mistletoe grew 'neath the shining Oak Tree
No landscape could ever compare!
(Chorus): Dreaming of Prydein, asleep on a hill
When I awaken, will you be there still?
Oh, Island of Poets, my dreams you can fill
But never the long waking hours.
Mighty Poets and Warriors traversed every road
Leaving stories and legends wherever they strode
Their pasts are recalled in the humblest abode
In tales of the sunnier days.
(Chorus)
Now my story is ended, my song is all gone
I have slept thru the evening, and into the dawn
Yet still, I remember your Face, Albion,
And your older, and much wiser ways!
(Chorus)
*
*
SHE MOVED THRU THE FAIRE
-Padraic Colum
recorded by Theodore Bikel
My young love said to me: My mother won't mind
And my father won't slight you for your lack of kind
She put her arms 'round me; these words she did say:
It will not be long, love, 'til our wedding day!
Then she stepped away from me, and she moved thru the Faire
And so fondly I watched her move here and move there
At last she turned homeward, with one star awake
As the Swan in the evening moves over the lake.
Last night she came to me, my dead love came in
And so soft did she move that her feet made no din
She put her arms 'round me; these words she did say:
It will not be long, love, 'til our wedding day!
*
*
CUP OF WONDER
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-Ian Anderson
recorded: "Songs from the Wood"
Jethro Tull
copyright 1977 Salamander Music
pub. USA: Chrysalis Music Corp.
May I make my fond excuses for the lateness of the hour
But we accept your invitation, and we bring you Beltane's Flower
For the May Day is the Great Day, strung along the Old Straight Track
And those who ancient Lines did Ley will heed this song that calls them back!
Ask the Green Man where he comes from, ask the Cup that fills with Red
Ask the old grey Standing Stones who show the Sun His way to bed
Question all as to their Ways, and learn the Secrets that they hold
Walk the lines of Nature's Palm, crossed with Silver and with Gold.
(Chorus): Pass the Word, and pass the Lady
Pass the Plate to all who hunger!
Pass the Wit of Ancient Wisdom
Pass the Cup of Crimson Wonder!
Join in Black December's Madness! Lie in August's welcome Corn!
Stir the Cup that's ever filling with the Blood of all that's born!
And those who ancient Lines did Ley will heed this Song that calls them back!
*
CUP OF WONDER II
-variant lyrics by the Whyte Bard
May I make my fond excuses for the lateness of the Hour
But I accept your invitation, and I bring you Beltane's Flower
For the May Day is the Great Day strung along the Old Straight Track
Ask the Green Man where he comes from, ask the Sun his way to bed
Ask the grey and Standing Stones where last they lay their head
Ask the Lady where She's standing, growing young, and growing old
Cross the Lines of Nature's Palm, marked with Silver, crossed with Gold
For the May Day is the Great Day strung along the Old Straight Track
Ask the Lady where She's standing in the green and growing corn!
Take the Cup that's ever filling with the Blood of all that's born!
So, pass the Cup, and pass the Lady!
Pass the Plate to all who hunger!
Pass the Wit of Ancient Wisdom
Pass the Cup of Crimson Wonder!
(repeat verse 1)
*
*
THE SONG OF WANDERING AENGUS
-Wm. Butler Yeats
recorded by Judy Collins
I went out to the hazel - wood
Because a fire was in my head
Cut and peeled a hazel - wand
Tied a berry to a thread
And when white moths were on the wing
And moth - white stars were flickering out
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout..........
I had but laid it on the bank
And gone to blow the fire a-flame
Something rustled in the air
Something called me by my name!
It had become a glimmering Girl
With apple - blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name, and ran
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And vanished in the brightening air........
Though I am old, with wandering
Thru hilly lands, and hollow lands;
I'll find out where she has gone
To seek her lips, to take her hands-
And walk thru long green dappled grass;
To pluck 'til Time, and times are done:
The Silver Apples of the Moon;
The Golden Apples of the Sun...............
*
*
THE CHILDISH EDDA
-Poul Anderson
-Ron Ellik
(Tune: "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp")
Yggdrasil, where Nine Worlds clash, is a noble piece of ash
That shelters Norns and Gods and all that crew
There, a Dragon gnaws the base of an Eagle's resting place,
And four Harts, a Goat and Squirrel are there too!
Frigga took a year or so, and, except for mistletoe
Got from everything an Oath for Balder's good
Evil Loki wished him harm, so he hired Hodr's arm,
And the staff the Blind God threw was kissing-wood!
Tyr vowed Fenris-Wolf his hand if he couldn't break the Band
That All-Father's wisdom made both light and hefty...
Lupine muscles strained away, but the magic held its' sway -
And from then on, till The Time, they called Tyr "Lefty!"
When Thor went out to fish, he quickly got his wish,
and he hauled a Jormangandr from the Bay.
But Hymr cut the cable, and Thor was only able
To brag about the "one that got away..."
When Thor called upon the Giants, they didn't show defiance,
But they soon got rid of him, and of his Hammer!
For the sea he could not swallow, and old Grandmaw beat him hollow,
And the House-Pet caused an awful katzenjammer!
Asa-Thor became a "her" for to repossess Mjollnir,
And unto a frosty brute his troth did plight;
But the vittles that he ate would an army more than sate,
And the chefs at Utgard always rued that night!
Each God's Apple every day, kept the doctor far away
'Til a Giant captured Ydun from their Halls...
Loki fetched home Bragi's Bride, with Her health-food store beside,
Plus a char-broiled eagle underneath the Walls!
Odin said to Mim: "I think I would sort of like a drink."
Answered Mim: "That will cost you your left eye!
For you've come up very late to the Well at Wisdom's Gate
And the set-up prices, after hours, are high!"
Oh, the Giants brought their War up to Bifrost's very Door
And the battling wrecked Asgards perfect clime-
Jormungandr, Hel and Fenris dealt out Death in doses generous
And, in fighting, did the Aesir pass The Time!
*
*
THE VALKYRIE SONG
(Tune: Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyries")
We fly through the night skies
Flashing our fat thighs,
Picking up dead guys;
You call this a job?
You take the blond guy,
I'll take the redhead!
Wait, he's not dead yet;
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Let him go . . . splat!
Chorus: Woo-oop! Woo-oop!
Woo-oop! Woo-oop!
Woo-oop! Woo-oop!
Woo-oop! Woo-oop!
Oh-h-h-h-h-h!
We're hunting the Wabbit!
*
*
GOD IS ALIVE, MAGIC IS AFOOT
-Leonard Cohen (c) 1966
God is alive.....Magic is afoot...God is alive....magic is afoot...
God is afoot.....Magic is alive...Alive is afoot..magic never died!
God never sickened. Many poor men lied. Many sick men lied.
Magic never weakened. Magic never hid. Magic always ruled. God is afoot.
God never died!
God was Ruler, though his funeral lengthened.
Though His mourners thickened, magic never fled.
Though His shrouds were hoisted the naked God did live;
Though His words were twisted the naked magic thrived;
Though His death was published round and round the world
The heart did not believe.
Many hurt men wondered. Many struck men bled.
Magic never faltered. Magic always led.
Many stones were rolled, but God would not lie down!
Many wild men lied.
Many fat men listened.
Though they offered stones, magic still was fed!
Though they locked their coffers, God was always served.
Magic is afoot....God is alive....
Alive is afoot....Alive is in command.
Many weak men hungered.
Many strong men thrived.
Though they boasted solitude, God was at their side.
Nor the dreamer in his cell, nor the captain on the hill:
Magic is alive!
Though His death was pardoned 'round and 'round the world,
The heart would not believe!
Though laws were carved in marble they could not shelter men;
Though altars built in Parliaments, they could not order men;
Police arrested magic and magic went with them, ah!
For magic loves the hungry....
But magic would not tarry, it moves from arm to arm,
It would not stay with them; it cannot come to harm:
Magic is afoot! It cannot come to harm.
It rests in an empty palm. It spawns in an empty mind.
But magic is no instrument: magic is the End!
Many men drove magic, but magic stayed behind; Many strong men lied.
They only passed thru magic and out the other side!
Many weak men lied.
They came to God in secret and though they left Him nourished,
They would not tell Who healed;
Though mountains danced before them, they said that God was dead!
Though His shrouds were hoisted, the naked God did live!
(more)
God Is Alive; Magic Is Afoot (cont.)
God is alive! Magic is afoot...God is alive... God is alive...
Magic is afoot...
This I mean to whisper to my mind:
This I mean to laugh with in my mind:
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This I mean my mind to serve
'Til service is but magic, moving thru the world
And mind itself is magic, coursing thru the flesh
And flesh itself is magic, dancing on a clock,
And Time itself, the magic length of God!
God is alive...Magic is afoot...Magic is afoot...God is alive..
Magic is alive...God is afoot...Alive is afoot...God never died.
Many strong men lied.
They only passed thru magic and out the other side!
This I mean to whisper to my mind:
This I mean to laugh with in my mind:
This I mean my mind to serve
'Til service is but magic, moving thru the world
And mind itself is magic, coursing thru the flesh
And flesh itself is magic, dancing on a clock,
And Time itself, the magic length of God!
*
***************************
THAT REAL OLD TIME RELIGION
***************************
THE ENTIRELY ARBITRARY CATEGORIES OF THE VERSES
ASATRU AND ODINISM:..................................Pg.2317
BRUJA:...............................................Pg.2317
BUDDHISM:............................................Pg.2318
CARGO CULT:..........................................Pg.2318
CHRISTIAN:...........................................Pg.2318
CLASSICAL PAGANISM:..................................Pg.2319
CONFUCIANISM.........................................Pg.2321
CTHULHU: (a fictional deity, but well-known).........Pg.2321
(THE ALMIGHTY) DOLLAR................................Pg.2322
DISCORDIANISM:.......................................Pg.2321
DRUIDS:..............................................Pg.2322
EGYPTIAN:............................................Pg.2322
FICTIONAL GODS, DEMONS AMD HEROES:...................Pg.2323
HINDU:...............................................Pg.2323
ISLAMIC:.............................................Pg.2323
JEWISH:..............................................Pg.2324
KAHBAHLA:............................................Pg.2324
KRISHNA:.............................................Pg.2324
MIDDLE EASTERN PAGAN:................................Pg.2324
MITHRAISM:...........................................Pg.2325
MOONIES:.............................................Pg.2325
NEW AGE:.............................................Pg.2325
NEW WORLD PAGAN:.....................................Pg.2325
SCIENTOLOGY:.........................................Pg.2326
SHINTO:..............................................Pg.2326
THELEMA:.............................................Pg.2326
VOODOO:..............................................Pg.2326
WICCA AND GENERAL NEO-PAGAN:.........................Pg.2327
ZARATHUSTRIAN:.......................................Pg.2328
UNCLASSIFIABLE VERSES AND UNKNOWN GHODS..............Pg.2328
NEW VERSES NOT YET CLASSIFIED:.......................Pg.2328
*
THE REAL OLD TIME RELIGION
tune: "Old Time Religion"
(Chorus): Give me that real old time religion (3X)
It's good enough for me!
ASATRU AND ODINISM:
I hear Valkyries a-comin One-eyed Odin we will follow
In the air their song is comin And in fighting we will wallow
They forgot the words! They're hummin! Till we wind up in Valhallow
But they're good enough for me! Which is good enough for me!
We will drive up to Valhalla It was good enough for Odin
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Riding Beetles, not Impalas Though the tremblin' got forbodin'
Singing "Deutschland Uber Alles" Then the giants finally strode in,
And that's good enough for me! But it's good enough for me!
It was good enough for Loki Shall we sing a verse for Thor,
It was good enough for Loki Though he leaves the maidens sore?
He thinks Thor's a little hokey They always come back for more,
And that's good enough for me! So he's good enough for me!
Shall we sing in praise of Loki, It was good for Thor and Odin
Though he left poor Midgard smokey? It was good for Thor and Odin
Oh, his sense of humor's hokey, Grab an axe and get your woad on!
But he's good enough for me! and it's good enough for me!
All the Gods tore into Loki We will worship now with vigor
Saying Deicide is hokey! The goddess known as Frigga
And they threw him in the pokey! Tho there are some who don't dig her
And that's good enough for me! She is good enough for me!
Good old Thor's the god of thunder If you wanna worship Odin
Really helps us get our plunder You don't have to have a coat on
Tho his head's still truly dunder Grab a sword and slap some woad on
He is good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
In the halls of Frey and Freyja We will sing a verse for Loki
All the priestesses will lay ya He's the old Norse god of Chaos
If you're good enough, they'll pay ya! Which is why this verse don't
And that's good enough for me! rhyme or scan or nothin'
But it's good enough for me...
BRUJA:
Let us sing for Brujaria
Though the blood's a lot less cleaner;
It's not Christian Santaria
So it's good enough for me!
BUDDHISM:
We will all go to Nirvana Oh we all will follow Buddah
So be sure to mind your manners Oh we all will follow Buddah
Make a left turn at Savannah And we'll eat no food but Gouda
And we'll see the Promised Land! Which is Gouda-nuff for me!
It was good enough for Buddha, We will go and sing "Hosanna"
As a god he's kinda cute-a, To our good ol' pal, Gautama,
And he comes in brass or pewta' He will never flim or flam ya',
So he's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
No one wrote a verse for Buddah We will all go to Nirvana
Tho I think they really coulda We will all go to Nirvana
And I really think they shoulda Make a left turn at Urbana
'Cause he's good enough for me! And you'll see the Promised Land!
CARGO CULT & PACIFIC ISLANDS:
To the tune of Handel's "Largo" If you get too tired
We will hymn the gods of Cargo And you need to get up higher
'Til they slap on an embargo Just have Pele light your fire!
And that's good enough for me! From her island in the sea!
You can keep your saints with halos,
Your hosannas or dayenus:
Let's throw virgins in volcanos!
And that's good enough for me!
CHRISTIAN:
We will worship with the Fundies There are those who worship Satan
With their itchy hair-shirt undies And are just anticipatin'
If they don't bring "Mrs. Grundy," Armageddon's conflagratin'
Then it's good enough for me! That ain't good enough for me!
It was good for old Jehovah Let's all listen up to Jesus
He had a son who was a nova! He says rich folks like old Croesus
Hey there, Mithras! Move on ova'! Will be damned until Hell freezes
Another resurrection Day! And that don't sound good to me!
Jerry Falwell thinks he's sav-ed Oh we'll all be Fundamental
In a lamb's blood he's been lav-ed And be Holy Testamental
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And HE thinks that I'M deprav-ed And never Trancendental
But that's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
That Bob Larson shrieks and hollers We will finally pray to Jesus
Fighting demons in his callers From our sins we hope he frees us
Save his program: SEND YOUR DOLLARS! Eternal life he guarantees us
And that's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
Tho J.C.'s into fish, too, Anytime that I start hearin'
He's an avatar of Vishnu "Jesus loves you" I start leerin'
So he is welcome here, too, Maybe so, but not like Brian *
And that's good enough for me! Which is good enough for me!
Brother Jerry is a cretin Brother Oral's in his tower,
But with all the cash he's gettin' Trusting in the Lord's power
Lotsa folks'll be forgettin Getting richer by the hour,
It's the "Land of the Free!" Now he's got the ransom fee!
Brother Robert's church is Crystal Brother Earnest is a healer
But all the Bible that he's missed'll And not QUITE a wheeler-dealer --
Make you "hotter than a pistol" More a jumper and a squealer
But he's good enough for me! So he's good enough for me!
Brother Jim and Sister Tammy Then there's good ol' Brother Billy
Had a show that was a whammy Bringing souls in willy-nilly.
But now they are in Miami All his trips are kinda silly,
Tryin' t'get back on TV! But he's good enough for me!
Whether Low Church or it's High Church And the Romans said of Jesus
Or it's Pie-Up-In-The-Sky Church "Lets kill him, he don't please us"
Come on down and visit my Church "But the Atheists will tease us"
'Cause it's good enough for me! And thats good enough for me
You could join Jehovah's Witness And let's not forget Pelagius
Running door to door for fitness Though some call him outrageous
Well if you've been blessed with quickness, He is pious and courageous
Then thats good enough for me And he's good enough for me!
CLASSICAL PAGANISM:
We will go to worship Zeus You can dance and wave the thyrsos
Though his morals are quite loose And sing lots of rowdy verses
He gave Leda quite a goose Till the neighbors holler curses,
And he's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
We will pray to Father Zeus We will sing for great Diana
In his temple we'll hang loose Who will teach of love and honor
Eating roast beef au jus, But you really gotta wanna!
And that's good enough for me! 'Cause she's tough enough for me!
Shall we sing a verse for Venus, We went off to worship Venus
Of the Gods she is the meanest, By the Gods! You should have seen us!
Cause she bit me on my...elbow! Now the Clinic has to screen us...
And it's good enough for me! But that's good enough for me!
We will venerate old Bacchus It was good enough for Sappho
Drinking beer and eating tacos With her lady on her lap-o
Til you've tried it please don't knock us She put Lesbos on the map-o
'Cause it's good enough for me! With her pagan poetry!
Let us raise a toast to Bacchus, When we worship Bacchus
We will raise a royal ruckus, The ethanol will sock us
Then we'll lay us down and f**k us We'll all get good and raucous
That's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
Diana is a little spikey We'll sing praises to Apollo;
And she is a little dyke-ey Where the Sun God leads we'll follow
You don't have to be a Psych-e ('Though his head's a little hollow)
To know that's right for me! He's good enough for me!
We will worship with Poseidon Don't neglect that shrine of Zeus'
We will meet him when the tide's in Tho he's lost his vital juices
All the maidens he will ride in The old boy still has his uses
Then he'll give 'em all to me! And he's good enough for me!
All the hunters start convergin' We will all bow to Hephaestus
When Diana is emergin' As a blacksmith he will test us
It's too bad she's still a virgin 'Cause his balls are pure asbestos
But there's still hope left for me! So he's good enough for me!
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And what about this Bacchus, There is room enough in Hades
Who lives just to raise a ruckus? For lots of criminals and shadies
Loosens women so they'll f**k us, And disreputable ladies,
Well, that's good enough for me! And they're good enough for me!
We will all see Aphrodite And to help things get real racous
Though she's pretty wild and flighty The priests of Pan and Bacchus
She will meet us in her nightie Will hold a f***ing contest!
And she's good enough for me! And that's all right with me!
Oh we will go and worship Pan,
'cause he just don't give a damn!
Grab a woman or a man,
Was a time, so I've heard tell, a We all worshipped Dionysus
Fine and promising young fella 'Till we ran into a crisis:
Gave his all to serve Cybele The bar had raised its prices;
But that's damn well not for me! That's not good enough for me!
We'll sing praises to Apollo There's that lusty old Priapus
Where the Sun-God leads, I'll follow He's just itching to unwrap us.
From Ionia to Gaul-o (He'd do more to us than tap us
And that's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!)
We will have a mighty Party Pan's pipes got plugged last summer
In the honor of Astarte And it really was a bummer
Grab your chiton - don't be tardy Finally had to call a plumber!
'Cause she's good enough for me! But he's good enough for me!
In his dancing Pan will lead them Now Danae was sweet as flowers,
When his pipes call we will heed them She was into golden showers;
In truth tho, he don't need them And that showed her Zeus' power
He's more than enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
It was good enough for Venus We will sing our staves to Venus
She'd have sighed if she'd of seen us We will sing our staves to Venus
Letting morals come between us Tho I think this rhyme is henious
And she's good enough for me! But it's good enough for me!
There's one thing that I do know Let us dance with Dionysus
Zeus' favorite is Juno And get drunk on wine and spices
She's the best at doing...you know! The Christians call them "vices"
And that's good enough for me! But they're good enough for me!
It was good enough for Cupid We will venerate old Hermes
It was good enough for Cupid With his staff entwined with wormies
His wings look kind of stupid Warding off the nasty germies
But that's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
Let's all drink to Dionysus We will all bow down to Venus
Wine and women beyond prices! As we dance upon Mt. Zenos
He made a Maenad out of my Sis! We will worship with our....voice
There are those who, when they've got e-
Normous problems that are knotty
They just take them to Hecate We all worship Aphrodite,
And that's good enough for me! And Her sister bold Astarte,
They both throw a lovely party,
In the church of Aphrodite And that's just fine with me!
She's a mighty righteous sightie,
The Priestess wears a see through nightie
And she's good enough for me
CONFUCIANISM
Let us read works of Confucius We used to study old Confucius
As we walk thru Massachusetts As we sat there on our tushes
In white robes that freeze our tushes We're learning but don't push us
But it's good enough for me! And thats good enough for me
CTHULHU:
We will worship mighty Cthulhu We will worship Great Cthulhu,
H. P. Lovecraft's big old hoodoo We will worship Great Cthulhu,
(1930's fiction voodoo....) And we'll feed him Mr. Sulu
But that's good enough for me! 'Cause that's good enough for me!
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Let us sing to Lord Cthuhlu We will sacrifice to Yuggoth
Don't let Lovecraft try to fool you We will sacrifice to Yuggoth
Or the Elder Gods WILL rule you Burn a candle for Yog-Soggoth
And that's good enough for me! And the Goat With a Thousand Young
Of the Old Ones, none is vaster Well it's good enough for *
Even Cthulhu's not his master He's a mighty kinky master
I refer to the unspeakable * When you pray he goes much faster
and that's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
And for those who follow Cthulhu Let's go worship Great Cthulhu,
We have really got a lulu: And run naked like a Zulu,
Drop a bomb on Honolulu! You and me and Mr. Sulu,
'Cause that's good enough for you! And that's good enough for me!
* - well, do YOU want to say it?
DISCORDIANISM:
Let us sing to old Discordia Of Great Murphy much is spoken
Cause it's sure she's never bored ya For his Law shall not be broken
And if she's good enough for ya It's not pretty when he's woken
Then she's good enough for me! Things go wrong for you and me!
If your rising sign is Aries If your god of choice is Squat
You'll be taken by the Fairies Well then trendy, man, you're not!
Meet the Buddah in Benares But you'll get a parking spot!
where he'll hit you with a pie! And that's good enough for me!
We will sing a verse for Eris Let us do our thing for Eris
(Golden apples for the fairest!) Goddess of the discord there is
Though she sometimes likes to scare us Apple's golden, it's not ferrous
But she's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
Let us praise the Holy Fool
For he's breaking all the rules
Holds you up to ridicule,
(THE ALMIGHTY) DOLLAR
Oh, the dollar is our Saviour There are those who scream and holler
If we spend Her or we save Her And get hot under the collar
She controls all our behaviour For their god, Almighty Dollar,
There's not enough for me! Who is good enough for me!
Call Him God, or call him Allah
The priest will take your dollah
Easy living from -your- follah-
-wers, but sorry, -not- from me!
DRUIDS:
We will worship like the Druids, In Pwyll's hall you will be welcome
Drinking strange fermented fluids, But he's not at home too often
Running naked through the woo-ids, Spends all his time in Annwyfn
Coz that's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
I'll go get my golden sickle
And I'll wear it where it tickles
It ain't used for cuttin' pickles!
And it's good enough for me!
EGYPTIAN:
Let us sing the praise of Horus When we all bowed down to Nuit
As our fathers did before us There was really nothin' to it
We're the New Egyptian Chorus (Alex Sanders made me do it...)
And we sing in harmony! But that's good enough for me!
We will venerate Bubastis We will pray with those Egyptians
We will venerate Bubastis Build pyramids to put our crypts in
If you want in, then just ast us! Cover subways with inscriptions,
'cause that's good enough for me! which is good enough for me.....!
Let us all now worship Ra We will all do praise to Horus
And take care of our Ka In an old Egyptian chorus
We'll all sit round and go "Ah-h-h!" If there's something in it for us
Which is good enough for me! Then it's good enough for me!
Here's an invitation for us We will venerate Bubastis
All to go and worship Horus Cause my cat walked up and ast us
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Doff your clothes and join the chorus (Now the cat box is DISASTROUS!)
FICTIONAL GODS, DEMONS AMD HEROES:
Here's to those who copy Conan We will sing of Foul the Render,
Here's to those who copy Conan Who's got Drool Rockworm on a bender
They're just Followers of Onan In his cave in Kiril Threndor--
And that's good enough for me! They're both too much for me!
There are followers of Conan. Of Lord Shardik you must beware;
And you'll never hear 'em groanin' To please him you must swear;
Followed Crom up to his throne(in) 'Cause enraged he's a real Bear,
And it's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
Azahoth is in his Chaos We will sing of Iluvatur,
Azahoth is in his Chaos Who sent the Valar 'cross the water
Now if only he don't sway us To lead Morgoth to the slaughter
That is good enough for me! And that's just fine with me!
We will worship Holy Ford We will sing the Jug of Issek,
Beta, Delta, Gamma, Lord And of Fafhrd his chief mystic,
But the Alphas might get bored Though to thieving Mouser will stick,
A Brave New World for you and me! And that's good enough for me!
Let us note the might of Ils We'll invoke the blessed Camber
With a thousand or more quills And the Unicorn of Amber
By the light that from him spills And the wizard Deliamber
He is good enough for me! They're good enough for me!
The late return of the Prophet Zarquon It was good enough for Cthulhu
Caused his followers to hearken Who'd eat me and who'd eat you, too;
As the Universe went dark on If it's good enough for Cthulhu
All of you and me! Then it's good enough for me
HINDU:
There are some that call it folly We will go to worship Kali
When we worship Mother Kali. She will help us in our folly
She may not be very jolly She'd be quite an armful, golly!
But she's good enough for me! And she's good enough for me!
As the goddess Kali dances I will wait till four-armed Kali
With her worshippers in trances Drags me thru that lonesome valley
You can learn some Hindu stances She's disgusting act-u-all-y
And that's good enough for me! But She's good enough for me!
ISLAMIC:
We will all bow down to Allah Warriors for Allah
For he gave his loyal follow Are sure to have a gala
Ers the mighty petro-dollah Time in old Valhalla
JEWISH:
If you think that you'll be sav-ed Some guys have a circumcision
If you think that you'll be sav-ed On account of their religion,
If you follow Mogen David An embarrassing incision
Then that's good enough for me! Cut just ENOUGH from me!
Let us worship old Jehovah Let us celebrate Jehovah
All you other gods move ovah Who created us "ab ova"
Cause the one God's takin' over He'll be on tonight on "Nova"
And it's good enough for me! 'cause he's good enough for me!
KAHBAHLA:
We will read from the Kabahlah We will read from the Cabala.
We will read from the Kabahlah Quote the Tree of Life mandala
It won't get us to Valhalla It won't get you in Valhalla,
But it's good enough for me! Yet it's good enough for me!
KRISHNA:
We will all sing Hare Krishna Hare Krishna gets a laugh on
We will all sing Hare Krishna When he sees me dressed in saffron
It's not mentioned in the Mishna With my hair that's only half on
But it's good enough for me! But that's good enough for me!
I was singing Hari Rama
With my friend the Dalai Lama
'Til they dumped us in the slammer
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But that's good enough for me!
MIDDLE EASTERN PAGAN:
I'll sing some songs to Lilith, We will have a mighty orgy
Not so young, and not so girlish, in the honour of Astarte
and She's always PMS-ish, it'll be a mighty party
but She's good enough for me! and it's good enough for me!
Lilith wears a lacy nightie We will sing to Lady Isis
And She is a little flighty She'll stand by us in a crisis
She will get you all excite-y And She hasn't raised Her prices
She's wet-dream enough for me! And She's good enough for me!
We will all bow down to Dagon We will all bow down to Enlil
We will all bow down to Dagon We will all bow down to Enlil
He still votes for Ronald Reagan Pass your Cup and get a refill!
And that's good enough for me! With bold Gilgamesh the Brave!
Let us worship sweet Eninni Oh the ancient goddess Nerthus
Let us worship sweet Eninni From herself the Earth did birth us
In a skimpy string bikini And I wonder: are we worth us?
And that's good enough for me! But she's good enough for me!
We will go to worship Lillith Well Dimuzi's on vacation
Grab your cup, step up and fill it He'll be back when spring awakens
Tho 'ware she don't make you spill it! There will be such recreation
And that's good enough for me! There will be enough for me!
Oh the Phillistines abound
Oh the Phillistines abound
They had the biggest Baals around
MITHRAISM:
We will sing a song of Mithras We will all be saved by Mithras
Let us sing a song of Mithras We will all be saved by Mithras
But there is no rhyme for Mithras! Slay the Bull and play the zithras
Still he's good enough for me! On that Resurrection Day!
MOONIES
We will worship Sun Myung Moonie
Though we know he is a goonie
All our money he'll have soonly
NEW AGE:
Oh, our Spirits will awaken Well I'm tired of Ronald Reagan,
Oh, our Spirits will awaken He's too square to be a pagan,
Watch the Universe a-quakin' Let's all vote for Carl Sagan!
Which is Gurdijeff to me! He's good enough for me!
Timmy Leary we will sing to I'll arise at early mornin'
And the things that he was into When the Sun gives me the warnin'
(Well, at least it wasn't Shinto) That the Solar Age is dawnin'
In the sky I hear a hummin' Just like Carlos Castenada
It's the UFO's a-comin' Just like Carlos Castenada
That's not banjos that they're strummin It'll get you sooner or later
But it's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
NEW WORLD PAGAN:
Thanks to great Quetzacoatl Some folks pray to the Great Spirit
And his sacred axolotl Most folks just cannot get near it
And his gift of chocolatl So they hate it and they fear it
And please pass some down to me! But it's good enough for me!
Praise to Popacatapetl Some folks worship the Kachinas
Just a tiny cigarette'll Some folks worship the Kachinas
Put him in terrific fettle They look like "deus ex machinas"
So he's good enough for me! But they're good enough for me!
Now watch out for the Maya's, Montezuma liked to start out
They might really try to fry ya, Rites by carrying a part out
Sacrifice people, not papaya's, That would really tear your heart out,
Just as long as its not me! But it's good enough for me!
Quetzacoatl's flyin' And when old Quetzacoatl
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With the Toltec and the Mayan Found a virgin he could throttle
And the mushrooms he's been buyin' And put her heart into a bottle
Are good enough for me! It was good enough for me.
We will worship Xochipilli We will worship Xipe-Totec
Though it might be a bit silly Tho it is a little lo-tek *
Running naked makes me chilly It is not a bit ero-tek (erotic)
But it's good enough for me! But it's good enough for me!
* "low - tech(nology)
Oh, there's none like Huizlipochtli The Kachinas of the Hopi
For destroyin' people tot'ly Dance about and some act dopey
Best to worship -him- remotely! They don't leave you feelin' mopey
But he's good enough for me! So they're good enough for me!
I have gotten in the way-o
Walkin' with the Monster Slayer
He is worthy of a prayer
And he's good enough for me!
SCIENTOLOGY
L. Ron Hubbard liked precision In matters Dianetic
And he founded a religion You need not get frenetic
That has caught a lot of pigeons Make your Engrams copacetic
And it's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
SHINTO:
There are some who practice Shinto I don't really go for Shinto
There are some who practice Shinto It's just something I'm not into
There's no telling what WE'RE into! Tho I guess I could begin to
but that's good enough for me! 'Cause it's good enough for me!
In Japan they thought it neato
When they worshipped Hirohito
But that didn't sit with SEATO
So it never more will be!
THELEMA:
Uncle Crowley was a dreamer When the clouds they are a'rumbling
At the Abbey of Thelemer And the thunder is a'grumbling
But his magic is a screamer, Then it's Crowley that you're mumbling
So it's good enough for me! And it's good enough for me!
There are those who follow Crowley Let us call an Elemental
Tho the stuff that he held holy For a temporary rental
Turn your your brain to guacamole Just as long as it is gentle
But he's good enough for me! It is good enough for me!
It was good enough for Crowley
With his sacraments unholy
Who smoked pot and ate some moly
And it's good enough for me!
VOODOO:
There are people into voodoo There are people into Voodoo
Africa has raised a hoodoo There are people into Voodoo
Just one little doll will do you I know I do, I hope you do!
And it's good enough for me! And it's good enough for me!
If you're really into dancing
And you wanna try some trancing
Then the Voodoo gods are prancing
WICCA AND GENERAL NEO-PAGAN:
Well, she raised an awful flurry When old Gerald got it goin'
When she made the scholars worry When old Gerald got it goin'
Thank the Gods for Margaret Murray! All that hidin' turned to showin'
She is good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
It was good enough for Granny It's not good enough for Reagan
She could throw a double-whammy It's not good enough for Reagan
That would knock you on your fanny He's too square to be a Pagan!
And she's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
With the aid of my athame Meeting at the Witching Hour
I can throw a "double-whammy" By the Bud, and Branch and Flower
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(And can slice and dice salami!) Folks are raising up the Power
So it's good enough for me! And that's where I want to be!
There will be a lot of lovin' We will worship with the witches
When we're meetin in our Coven 'Cause we're rowdy sons-of-bitches
Quit yer pushin and yer shovin' And they scratch us where it itches
So there's room enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
Well the Christians all are humming We will gather at our saunas
Cause they say their God is coming, When the spirit comes upon us
Our God came three times this evening To perform the Rites of Faunus
Some folks worship all of Nature
Tho they love to taunt and bait-cher
They're just funnin', they don't hate-cher
And they're good enough for me!
ZARATHUSTRIAN:
We will pray to Zarathustra It could be that you're a Parsi
And we'll pray just like we usta It could be that you're a Parsi
I'm a Zarathustra boosta! Don't need a ticket; you get in free
I pray to Ahura-Mazda I can't rhyme Ahura Mazda,
He's one god who sure won't pause ta I'll praise the man who tries ta
Pound some heads when given cause ta Then I'll wait for Barak Raz ta
Which is good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
UNCLASSIFIABLE VERSES AND UNKNOWN GHODS:
We will go down to the temple There are those who worship no gods
Sit on mats woven of hemp-le For they think that there are low odds
Try to set a good "exemple" That the god-seers aren't drunk sods
Let us watch Ka-ka-pa-ull Where's the gong gone? I can't find it
Frolic in her swimming pool I think Northwoods is behind it!
Subjecting chaos to her rule For they've always been cymbal-minded
And that's all right with me! And they're good enough for me!
They revered ancient ENIAC Some folks pray to the Orishas
And sacrificed to UNIVAC Tho their humor can be vishas
Now we sing our chants on VAX pack When they grant your stupid wishas
When you worship Rusto There are those who worship science
Treat your friends with lust-o And some would send 'em to the lions
Pursue your faith with gusto! Without 'em we'd have no appliance
And that's good enough for me! So they're good enough for me
We will all bow down to Gozer
Priestess did it with that Joser
Cross the streams, and there she goes, sir
We will worship Christian Jesus Drink to FUFLUNS he's just fine
And do just like John Paul pleases The Etruscan god of wine
That we will... when Hades freezes! This verse doesn't really rhyme
I have got a strange religion John, Paul, George and Ringo
I will worship Walter Pidgeon We will worship playing Bingo
Is he sacred? Just a smidgen! We will listen to them sing-o
But it's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
THE OBLIGATORY LAST VERSE
It's the opera written for us!
We will all join in the chorus!
It's the opera about Boris,
Which is Godunov for me!
----------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
I suppose that this last song has turned you into a newt by now.
You may not realize that it happened, 'cause that's just how that
sort of thing seems to work. You need to put a carrot on your nose
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and find a duck, and weigh it. Then you'll be OK again.
*
THE HIGH HOLIDAY SONG
-Melusine
(Tune "The Serving-Girl's Holiday")
I've waited longing for today
Spin the bobbin and spool away!
In joy and bliss I'm off to play
Upon this high holiday!
CHORUS: And spin the bobbin and spool away!
Oh joy that it's a holiday!
This night of (name) now we greet
Hail my friends, and merry meet!
Strike the harp; the drum we'll beat
The wine and cakes we've bought and made
Found a spot in a moon-lit glade
Our love and trust will never fade
Especially on this holiday!
In forst glade we've built a fire
Symbol of our heart's desire
Within Her Love we'll never tire
Wit thee well this holiday!
Cast the Circle, we're within
Let the Spiral Dance begin!
Invite the Lord and Lady in
Dancing, spinning to the tune
The Piper plays beneath the moon
We chant as one the Witches' Rune
*
By: Lucie
Re: Labelling Wiccans
Hello. I'm the academic that Khaled mentioned. sigh... I've read the
thread on definitions and I can see the trouble you have gotten into:
prescriptive definition versus descriptive definition. Let me explain: I am
currently working in the Dept of Religious Studies of the University of Ottawa as a
graduate student studying contemporary religious movements in Canada, especially
women centered or women defined. This, by definition,includes
Wicca/Witchcraft/Neo-Witchcraft/Neo-Paganism/Women's Spirituality/Women's Urban(Neo)
Shamanism...etc... I'm not the only one there involved in this research (we have an
actual "Centre for Research in Women and Religion"). We also have a number of women
(and one man) researching collateral aspects of the above mentioned religious
phenomena. We have had to come to some working definitions so that we can talk to
each other and to other religionists.
Personally, I have also had to come up with some minimal definition of
Wicca/Witchcraft that I can use as a representative of said phenomena (yes, I am
using the plural form) when I am asked to present/explain/ explicate said phenomena
to forums such as the Canadian Council of Churches or the Canadian Association for
Pastoral Education (CAPE). It is as a result of this need, that I have developed a
minimal inclusive descriptive definition that can be used to
differentiate Wicca/Witchcraft from other religious phenomena.
What is a minimal inclusive descriptive definition you ask? Ok. Minimal = smallest
number of characteristics Inclusive = includes rather than excludes Descriptive =
what is actually there rather than what should be there (prescriptive) Definition =
what can be used to define, ie. to draw a line around, to know relative to what is
left undefined/unknown
I'm using a technique common in Anthropology: componential analysis, ie. the
identification of discreet analytical features (components) that can be seen as
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occuring or not. A set of these which minimally defines something is seen as its
descriptive paradigm. A descriptive paradigm is unique in that it can only be used
to define the phenomenon it describes and no other. Ok? Just so you know what kind
of language I'm using.
Yes, I consider myself 'Wiccan'. No, I am not a member/initiate/follower of any
specific 'tradition'. I'm too much of an anarchist at heart for that, and anyways,
how can I swear secrecy if my only stock in trade as an anthropologist is the
knowledge I have gained by
experience? Sort of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
Ok. So here goes....Relative to any other faith system,Wicca/Witchcraft (I won't
seperate them yet) can be minimaly defined as consisting of these five necessary
components:
1) faith system is nature based
2) divinity is conceived as inherent
3) divinity is apprehended as gendered and as minimaly female
4) the locus of decision is the individual
5) the locus of action is the individual in the present
What does this mean? Remember, this is to distinguish this faith group relative to
any other type of faith group. It does NOT include variations, only COMMONALITIES.
1) nature based: as far as I can tell, all forms of Wicca/Witchcraft (WW for short?)
are based on humans being part of and in nature rather than apart from. Also,
seasonality and elements (air, earth, water, fire) are central to the human
apprehension and interaction with nature.
2) divinity is inherent: divinity has manifested in all that is, all that is is an
aspect of divinity, we are all manifestations of divinity.....
3) divinity gendered and female: divinity in one of its most apprehendable forms
knows itself in the specificity of gender and that gender is at least female "The
Goddess". All groups, whether they acknowledge the God or not,know divinity in its
female form.
4) locus of decision: morality is a personal, individual thing and
responsibility for choices is also a personal, individual thing. No one can
(successfully) impose a set morality on any one else. Ostracism seems to be the only
-effective- means of moral cohersion used by adherents to this faith. Its the other
side of "Do what thou wilt, An it harm none" and the Law of Karma. If a person acts
contrary to the community norm, this person will be shunned, ostracized, severely
criticized, and may as a result,leave the community. No matter the behaviour which
the community wishes to refuse to accept, the individual will not be 'punished' or
told that they may not continue to behave in their chosen way. Again, even community
norms (and community may be read as 'tradition') cannot be imposed or dictated. Even
in oath bound traditions, oaths are taken freely and as freely adhered to or broken.
5) locus of action: nothing is differed to the 'ever after', nor is the past
fully responsible for what occurs in the present. This is it, this is all there is
for anyone, make the most of it. Again, no predestination, no fatalism, no 'heaven'
or 'hell', this is not a prelude.
Secondly, no congregation, no group, no church, no polity has any more importance
and certainly far less immediacy than the individual as the believer and the definer
of what is believe. Faith is lived within the individual, as an individual.
Ok. Remember, this describes ONLY what all forms of WW share, NOT what deferentiates
them from each other or what is defined within a tradition as what constitutes the
whole of THEIR tradition. It is a minimal, inclusive, descriptive definition.....
(part 2 follows)
Whew....So what use is this type of definition? It allows me to compare WW to other

faiths such as Christianity, Shinto, Islam, etc. It allows me to talk about beliefs
and practices without getting mired in the specificity of traditions. It also allows
me to speak of Gardenarians and Dianics in the same breath. They have more in common
relative to other faiths than they have different relative to each other...
I was asked what defined WW relative to other Pagans and to nature based faiths such
as Shinto. It took some thinking but I think I've been able to do it:
WW is
1) focused on the human (rather than nature or divinity)
2) divinity always takes a human form (at least)
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3) WW works according to principles (fundamental underlying realities which inform
behaviour)
4) WW is law driven (there is a 'right' or 'proper' way...) 5) bel ievers need to
rationalize and to make scientific their faith (just think of tables or
correspondences and our explanations of 'why it works')
I was also asked what distinction I made between Pagan, Wicca and Witchcraft. I do
make a difference.
Pagan: from paganus (latin) for of the country side as opposed to "civitas" of the
city
Neo-Pagan: post 196o's revival of country cum nature based spirituality -seen in
opposition to Christian/Mainstream church -logical spiritual outcome of the 'back to
the land' and 'experiential
experimentation/mystical quest' of this same era
Witchcraft (revival): British phenomenon dating from the 1950's. Wicca is used in
Gardenarian texts but not used as a lable of the faith group or practice. Wiccan NOT
used.
Wicca/Wiccan: preferred terms adopted by many North American developed
Traditions of WW to differentiate themselves from British Traditions
(Gardenarian, Alexandrian)
Witch/Dianic: terms of self definition used by many North American women to
acknowledge their mythopoethic/political reclaiming of woman centered / woman
defined spirituality. Often expressed as: Women were burned as witches in the Middle
Ages, well, I'm a witch and you're NOT going to burn me! May or may not express the
adherence to a specific tradition (Reclaiming, Dianic (Z. Budapest), etc) but is
always an indicator of woman centered / woman defined experience and self
definition.
Neo-Witchcraft: all forms of contemporary Anglo (ie of English language,not an
ethnic or nationalistic lable) witchcraft to distinguish from Ancient, Middle
Eastern, Midieval, or non-European forms
Wicca versus Witchcraft: as it seems to be used by most people today. Wicca is a
type of religion and witchcraft is a technology (ie spell crafting,craft of the
wise, nature magic....)
By: Randronoth
Re: JudeoPagans 1
***
Iyyar: A Menopause Ritual
Penina Adelman
A time to keep and a time to cast away
This month's ritual has been designed with an awareness of our mothers, grandmother,
and great-grandmothers who were earlier inhibited--even in the community of Jewish
women--from marking the cessation of menstruation, of derech nashim (the way of
younger women as in Genesis 31:35) and the release from the physical tasks of
childbearing and childrearing. Now wholly freed, our female ancestors would have
been ready "to give birth" to their personal creativity, to dip into Miriam's Well
without the distractions and responsibilities of family.
We hope to convey a positive tenor to this life cycle event which has been feared
and misunderstood by so many men and women in the past. Once a woman has reached the
age beyond which pregnancy ceases, her gender identity is often blurred by society.
She is in a transitional state, experienced by those interacting with her as being
full of power and danger. During the tumulous fourteenth century when the Black
Death struck in Europe,those women who managed to survive the disease and live to
old age were thought to be witches.
In interviewing post-menopausal woman to arrive at an appropriate ritual marking
their "change of life", I found unanimous reactions. All indicated they would forgo
any ritual ceremony that emphasized menopause, fearing a societal backlash which
might discriminate against them as they advanced in age. Most said they did not feel
very different physically after menopause. The aging process itself was their
emphasis; the gradual body changes. These were linked not only to menopause, but to
the entire process of aging. Whether these same feelings and attitudes will persist
when contemporary young women reach their menopause is now being speculated.
Some women may choose to mark the end of menopause with a "mature age bat mitzvah"
if they have never had one as an adolescent. Setting a
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goal such as learning to read and speak Hebrew, to read Torah, to lead a prayer
service, teaching a Jewish text within the forum of a bat mitzvah, at an age well
beyond 12 or 13, is the way many older women are choosing to reenter the tradition
after years of alienation from, or passive appreciation of, Jewish ritual. Others
may wish to invite friends who experience menopause already or are presently
undergoing it. My own mother has said that she could not imagine participating in a
menopause ritual, but would have liked to get together with her friends to share
experiences of those important years of change.
Hithbagut
Bring: The book of Ruth (several copies); a group for the mithbogeret. (As
preparation, read the Book of Ruth.) Setting: Home of the mithbogeret, the
menopausal or post-menopausal woman, here named Tamar. We are in a sitting room.
Have pictures of the woman as a baby, young girl, young woman, bride, mother,
grandmother. Flowers and greens of the season decorate the room. Attending are all
the female relatives of the mithbogeret who can be present--sisters, daughters,
mother, aunts--as well as her good friends, including members of the Rosh Hodesh
group.
Themes of Iyyar
Keeper: Iyyar is a transitional month which falls between two major
holidays--Pesach, in the month of Nisan, and Shavuot, in Sivan. From the second
night of Pesach, we count forty-nine days (seven weeks) until Shavuot, the Feast of
Weeks. This period is called the Omer. When the Temple still stood in Jerusalem,
each family would count a sheaf offering of grain to bring to the Temple on the
pilgrimage festival of Shavuot. The purpose of this may have been partly a way of
blessing the Spring harvest which would also be celebrated on Shavuot.
In the act of counting, the Rabbis saw an opportunity to keep track of inner harvest
of spiritual qualities. Every week of the Omer was to emphasize a particular
attribute of God. Each day of the week then represented a different permutation of
the divine attributes.
In the context of this Rosh Hodesh Iyyar marking Tamar's hithbagrut, one may think
of the counting of years and deeds and events which make up a woman's life. given
are seven distinct stages of life corresponding to the seven weeks of Omer:
conception, pregnancy, birth, childhood, womanhood, motherhood, and maturity.
In the seven-week counting of the Omer, we find the suggestion of seven ritual
activities which may be performed during the Rosh Hodesh celebration for any given
month. We take as our impetus the Rabbis' notion of seven divine attributes to be
explored and emulated for the purpose of healing the ills of the universe. We have
designated these activities:
meditation, ritual immersion, (mikveh), singing, prayer, storytelling
(midrash), text study (talmud torah). eating and drinking.
Omer as Period of Mourning
Keeper of Iyyar: The period of the Omer which includes the entire month of
Iyyar is considered by observant Jews to be a time of mourning. Wedding
ceremonies, hair cutting, and playing music are prohibited. The reasons for this are
unclear, ranging from a plague said to have killed the disciples of Rabbi Akiba in
the early centuries of the Common Era, to the influence of a Roman superstition
which held that during this time of year, the souls of the dead wander into the land
of the living. We do not view menopause as a time to mourn the "end of fertility",
as have many in the past. Our purpose in coming together today is, rather, to
understand and recognize the meaning of menopause
for women who have experienced it or will soon enter its phases. Today we have an
opportunity to think of new ways for women to mark this time in future years.
Sign of Iyyar
Keeper of Iyyar: The astrological sign of the month is the Bull, Shor. Nisan is the
month during which seeds are planted. The bull ploughs the earth, bending its broad
neck to the ground, dragging a heavy load. The bull tends the change from the new
Spring growth of Nisan to the first Spring harvest of Sivan. The rhythms of the
earth reverberate throughtout the strong body of the bull.
Kavannah
Keeper of Iyyar: In some cultures, once a woman has passed the age of childbearing,
she is known as the "Wise Woman" of the community. In her reside the knowledge and
values of her people which she transmits to the young. Hers is the status of a
venerated elder. This contrasts sharply with the devalued status of the aging female
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in our own culture. Today we intend to question this and to learn about the
experience all have had during menopause in order to instill new and positive
expectations in our children and grandchildren. One of the major misconceptions we
need to address has to do with sex and the older woman. In Judaism, sex has never
been linked only to procreation. On the contrary, in addition to procreation, sex
exists for the sake of pleasure, wellbeing, and harmony in a marriage. Therefore,
when a woman has passed the age of childbearing and even earlier, she is encouraged
by Jewish law to enjoy sex with her partner. Are there any other kavannot? Each
woman voices her own intention for the ritual.
Woman: To mark the passing of physical fertility and to rededicate ourselves to a
greater focus on spiritual, intellectual, and artistic creativity and fertility.
Woman: To say good-bye to the womb, rechem, the center of childbearing.
Woman: To praise and give thanks for the cycles of life which pulsate through our
bodies.
Woman: To say good-bye and good riddance to tampoons and sanitary napkins and pads
and foams and jellies and diaphragms and pills and anything else I've left
out--forever!
Tamar, the Mithbogeret: I would like this to be a ritual of transmitting wisdom,
hokhmah.
In Greek, the word for "wisdom", sophia, was identified with a female figure. In
Hebrew hokhmah is a word of the feminine gender. The connection between wisdom of
Tekoa and Abel in 11 Samuel 14 and 11 Samuel 20, respectively, are examples of what
seemed to be a convention in Isreal at that time--a woman of the community who knew
how to choose her words wisely and communicate the desired message. She was perhaps
a female counterpart to the Hebrew prophet, God's instrument of communication with
the people of Isreal. More examples are found in Proverbs 14:1 and in poem recited
to the woman of the household on Sabbath evening, "A Woman of Valor." One of the
last lines speaks of her mouth, which "opens with wisdom."
In fairy tales, the woman with special powers, with the knowledge of creation and
destruction, is either an evil witch or a good fairy godmother. Both are frequently
characterized as older women. In this hithbagrut ritual, we teach and lead a
discussion based on two stories of mother and daughter figures where the mother
passes on her life's wisdom to her daughter. they are stories of Naomi and Ruth in
the Bible and Demeter and Persephone from Greek mythology.
Storytelling
All should have a copy of he story of Ruth and Naomi, or should have read the story
in preparation. Tamar, the mithbogeret, then tells the Greek myth in her own words.
Demeter and Persephone
Once there lived a goddess who ruled over the earth. She had power over agriculture,
causing aboundant growth of cereals and grains. In this way she echoed Naomi and
Ruth, women of the land. Demeter had one lovely daughter, Persephone, as fair as the
first flower of Spring.
One day Persephone wandered far from her mother to pick flowers which
beckoned. Steeped in the fragrance of those blooms, she was startled by Hades, the
dark god of the Underworld. He seized her and pulled her down to his cold, damp
kingdom beneath the earth.
Demeter sank into despair when her beloved daughter did not return. She entered into
mourning, forgetting to bring new buds into being. She grieved for her daughter,
even refusing to eat or sleep. Thus, the earth was allowed to wither.
When at last she sought aid from the gods to find her daughter, she was told that if
Persephone had not eaten food in the Underworld, she could return unharmed to this
world. Though Persephone had not been tempted by food, Hades was able to break her
resolve with a single ruby seed of a pomegranite. Knowing that if he could induce
her to nourish herself in his domain, he could have her as his wife, he strove to
make her taste food. Because of that one seed, she would now have to divide her time
equally between Hades and Demeter, between the land of darkness and death and the
land of light and life.
That is why the Greeks say that the earth blooms half the year and
withers during the other half. When Persephone descends to her husband,
Hades, Demeter forgets to bring the buds into being.
Tamar describes the link between these stories in which an older woamn passes down
special knowledge to a younger woman, and the onset of menopause in which the
transmission of wisdom amoung the members of a women's community is crucial. She
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tells of her own experience of menopause and asks other women to share theirs. The
younger women who are present share their fears and fantasies of menopause and ask
questions of the older women.
Meditation and Movement
Woman: Since menopause involves a new relationship with one's body, we now meditate
on ending that segment of our live characterized by an active womb.
This meditation begins with a movement excercise called "AuraBrushing." The "aura"
is the psychic field arond an individual. This aura may be affected by fatigue,
illness, depression, isolation. The purpose of "brushing the aura" is to symbolize
making a fresh start by discarding the cobwebs which drain one of energy.
We start by forming groups of threes, one woman standing in the
middle, one on each side of her. Now the woman in the middle should close her eyes.
the other two will begin to whisk the air upward from her feet as they whisper her
name repeatedly. They whisk from her feet, her legs, her trunk, up to her neck and
head, whispering all the while.
Each woman in the group takes turns standing in the middle while the other two brush
her "aura".
Woman: I composed this meditation especially with you in mind. Tamar, as you and I
have been working together, I know the kind of imagery you might use for yourself.
It is important to note here that the process just mentioned is a crucial one for
the Rosh Hodesh ritual. As pioneers in new ritual, we continu to scrutinize our
conceptions to create meaningful ceremonies. In this case, Tamar asked for help in
saying good-bye to her once-active womb. another woman might require a different
image journey.
Woman: While we composed the following for Tamar, all may participate, even those
not yet at menopause. But do not feel you must participate. You may wish to close
your eyes sending healing energy to Tamar. Or, you may wish to start with this
visualization and then let your own imagination take over. Some of you may want to
leave the room. How you decide to participate is your own choice.
Now, begin by finding a comfortable position. Close your eyes and focus on your
breathing deeply in and out...
See yourself carrying your womb in a crystal jar. Look at it carefully. take the jar
with you to Jerusalem. Carry it carefully up to the Mount of Olives. Find a spot on
the Mount of Olives and begin digging a hole with your hands.
Dig deeply, and when the hole is deep enough, place the jar containing your womb
deep into the Jerusalem earth. Cover the jar carefully. Know that your womb is
buried safely, forever. Before leaving the spot where your womb is buried, thank
your womb for all that it has given you. Thank the earth for protecting and housing
your womb.
Cover the spot with a smooth, white Jerusalem stone. Walk to a nearby
waterfall. Stand beneath it and feel yourself cleased from within and without.
Retuen home knowing that you will continue to be creative and productive. Feel
yourself strong and in perfect health.
When you are ready open your eyes.
When the mediatation is over, some of the women share what they felt. Others remain
silent, choosing to listen. Tamar is very peaceful, talking about what this ritual
evening has meant to her.
Gift the women present Tamar, the mithbogeret, with a gift, one they have made or
bought. The Keeper of Iyyar invites all to partake of the food and drink on the
table.
The Blot
Copyright (C) 1991, 1992 Lewis Stead
The Blot is the most common ritual within Asatru. In its simplest form a blot is
making a sacrifice to the Gods. In the old days this was done by feasting on an
animal consecrated to the Gods and then slaughtered. (The word blot itself is
related to the Norse words for "blood" and "sacrifice.") As we are no longer farmers
and our needs are simpler today, the most common blot is an offering of mead or
other alchoholic beverage to the deities.
Many modern folk will be suspicious of a ritual such as this. Rituals such as the
blot have been falsely interpreted by post-Pagan sources in order to denegrate the
ritual or trivialize it. The most common myth about ritual sacrifice is that one is
buying off a deity e.g. one throws a virgin into the Volcano so it won't erupt.
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Nothing could be further from the truth. In Asatru it is believed that we are not
only the worshippers of the Gods but that we are physically related to them. The
Eddas tell of a God, Rig, who went to various farmsteads and fathered the human race
so we are physically kin to the Gods. On a more esoteric level, humankind is gifted
with "ond" or the gift of ecstasy. Ond is a force that is of the Gods. It is
everything that makes humans different from the other creatures of the world. As
creatures with this gift, we are immediately connected to the Gods, we are part of
their tribe, their kin. Thus we are not simply buying off the Gods by offering them
something that they want, but we are sharing with the Gods something that we all
take joy in. Sharing and gift giving was an incredibly important part of Norse
cultur (and of most ancient cultures) and had magical significance. Giving a gift
was a sign of friendship, kinship, and connection. By sharing a blot with the Gods
we reaffirm our connection to them and thus reawaken their powers within us and
their watchfullness over our world.
A blot can be a simple affair where a horn of mead is consecrated to the Gods and
then poured as a libation, or it can be a part of a larger ritual. A good comparison
is the Catholic Mass which may be part of a regular service or special event such as
a wedding or funeral, or it may be done as a purely magical-religious practice
without any sermon, hymns, or other trappings.
The blot consists of three parts, the hallowing or consecrating of the
offering, the sharing of the offering, and the libation. Each of these is equally
important. The only tools required are mead, beer or juice, a horn or chalice, a
sprig of evergreen used to sprinkle the mead, and a ceremonial bowl known as a
Hlautbowl into which the initial libation will be made.
The blot begins with the consecration of the offering. The Gothi (Priest) or Gythia
(Priestess) officiating at the blot invokes the God or Goddess being honored. This
is usually accomplished by a spoken declaration with ones arms being held above ones
head in a Y shape, in imitation of the rune elhaz. This posture is used for most
invocations and prayers throughout Asatru. After the spoken invocation an
appropriate rune or other symbol of the God or Goddess may be drawn in the air with
the finger or with the staff. Once the God is invoked, the Gothi takes up the horn.
His assistant pours mead from the bottle into the horn. The Gothi then traces the
hammer sign (an upside down T) over the horn as a blessing and holds it above his
head offering it to the Gods. He then speaks a request that the God or Goddess bless
the offering and accept it as a sacrifice. At the least one will feel the presence
of the deity; at best one will be able to feel in some inner way the God taking of
the mead and drinking it.
The mead is now not only blessed with divine power but has passed the lips of the
God or Goddess. The Gothi then takes a drink of the horn and it is passed around the
gathered folk. Although it sounds like a very simple thing, it can be a very
powerful experience. At this point the mead is no longer simply a drink but is
imbued with the blessing and power of the God or Goddess being honored. When one
drinks, one is taking that power into onesself. After the horn has made the rounds
once, the Gothi again drinks from the horn and then empties the remainder into the
hlautbowl. The Gothi then takes up the evergreen sprig and his assistant the
hlautbowl and the Gothi sprinkles the mead around the circle or temple or onto the
altar. If there are a great number of the folk gathered, one may wish to drop the
drinking and merely sprinkle the various folk with the mead as a way of sharing it.
In a small group one might merely drink as the blessing.
When this is done the Hlautbowl is taken by the Gothi and poured out onto the
ground. This is done as an offering not only to the God invoked at the blot, but it
is also traditional to remember the Earth Mother at this time, since it is being
poured onto her ground. Many invocations mention the God, Goddess, or spirit being
sacrificed to, and then Mother Earth, as in the Sigrdrifa Prayer "Hail to the Gods
and to the Goddesses as well; Hail Earth that gives to all men." (Sigrdrifumal 3)
With this action, the blot is ended.
Obviously this is a very sparse ritual and if performed alone could be
completed in only a few minutes. This is as it should be, for blots are often poured
not because it is a time of gathering or festivity for the folk, but because the
blot must be poured in honor or petition of a God or Goddess on their holiday or
some other important occasion. For example, a father tending his sick child might
pour a blot to Eir the Goddess of healing. Obviously he doesn't have time to waste
on the "trappings" of ritual. The intent is to make an offering to the Goddess as
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quickly as possible. At some times a full celebration might not be made of a holiday
because of a persons hectic schedule, but at the least a blot should be made to mark
the occasion. However, in most cases a blot will at least be accompanied by a
statement of intent at the beginning and some sort of conclusion at the end. It
might also be interspersed with or done at the conclusion of ritual theater or
magic. Our kindred, for example, begins the ritual with a chant of "Odin, Vili, Ve"
which connects us to the Gods of creation. Between the invocation of the God or
Goddess and the actual Blot we usually add a meditation or something else which acts
as a focus of the ritual. Once, for example, we made mead in the middle of a ritual
to Aegir. As part of our blot we also pass the horn three times. The first time
around is a taking in of the power of the charged mead and all offer a toast to the
God(s) of the occasion. The second and third rounds are open to toasts to other
Gods, toasts to the kindred, the hosts, to pledges, boasting and anything else on
wishes to say. It is essentially a "mini sumble" in the middle of our blot. Always
of course, we remember the purpose of our ritual. We would never toast one of the
Jotnar during a ritual to Thor for example. We have also added a few steps at the
end which are a private affirmation of our groups kinship with each other and with
the Gods.
Basic Outline of the Blot Ritual:
I. Sanctify space with the Hammer rite
II. Invocation of the Deity
III. Secondary Activities supporting the blot: meditation etc.
IV. Load mead by offering it to the God
V. Pass mead for blessing or sprinkle on folk
VI. Other activities, prayers, etc
VII. Thank the deity
VIII. Pour the libation to the Earth
THE NECKLACE OF A THOUSAND STRANDS
In the beginning that ever was and ever shall be, there was only
Night. She lay sleeping. In Her sleeping, She dreamed. In Her
dreaming, She sighed. In Her sighing, She turned and in Her
turning, She awakened. In Her awakening, She saw naught but
Herself, and found Herself beautiful.
Long did She delight in Her beauty, Her perfection. Her softly
rounded limbs, full body and flowing hair were so magnificent
that She wished to adorn Herself.
She captured Her thoughts, each a brilliantly colored speck of
light, and strung them together to form a Necklace of a Thousand
Strands. This She donned and was pleased.
Each speck sparkled with its own hue and brilliance, creating
spectacular scenes of Night in Her many attitudes and postures.
When Night moved, so did the Necklace of a Thousand Strands.
This created a living, moving mosaic of Night - each image acting
and reacting with other images of Herself.
Though this was beautiful and pleasing to Night, it created in
Her a loneliness. Loneliness to have companionship, loneliness
to have another admire Her great beauty, loneliness to experience
love outside Herself.
Not know how to create this Other that She longed for, She sought
to amuse Herself through movement. She began a stately dance,
slow and measured. As She turned in the figures of the Dance,
wind was created in Her passing, and in it She visualized a
partner, a counterpart.
She sent all Her love and longing into the whirlwind She had
created, and a shadowy form began to take shape. She turned and
spun ever faster, thinking more upon the shape of Her desire.
The form became more solid. It began to take on substance and
reality. It was like, yet unlike, Night. She felt drawn to it
and it was impelled toward Her.
She gloried in Her creation of the form, and it adored Her great
beauty. The Two danced together. The longer They danced, the
stronger and brighter did the fierce spirit of longs and love
grow between Them, Night and Her Shadow.
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Her Shadow became all that Night was not, out of Her longing to
be fulfilled, and She was called Day.
Day and Night danced furiously together, and finally, no longer
able to keep apart, made love to one another. In Their wild,
passionate turnings, the Necklace of a Thousand Strands began to
break, a strand at a time. The specks of light went flying off
to become the Stars, to swim about the divine couple, in
beautiful precise patterns, as if to remain a part of Love's
Dance. Thus began the Ages of Loving.
All but one strand broke, and it remains together to this day.
It is seen in the sky, brilliant, breath-taking and
awe-inspiring. We call it the Milky Way.
Dawn and Dusk are the sacred times and places where Night and Day
merge in love's ecstasy. Keep them holy.
- ZS-1-SB -
HOW THE WORLDS AND PEOPLES CAME TO BE
Night and Day danced lovingly and long, through the spectacular,
blazing bits of thought that had flown away by the breaking of
the Necklace. Not long can such love exist with creating of
Itself images that reflect this Great Love.
Many of the bits of brilliance grew heavier and more solid
throughout of passing of the Ages of Loving. These bits were
called Worlds, or Planets.
The Lady and the Lord, Her Consort, looked upon their Worlds,
delighting in each one, and decreed that there should be life
upon them. Life that re-created the Love and Harmony that They
and the Universe shared.
So, They began to form upon these Worlds, rivers and streams and
bodies of water to quench the thirst of the plants and animals
that would henceforth live upon the nurturing breasts of these
Worlds.
These Worlds They called "Little Mothers," for from their soil
would spring all manner of life and it would be sustained by the
"Little Mothers."
Near each of the "Little Mothers" there was always placed a
particularly bright thought-speck, called the "little Fathers."
For Night and Day knew, as we do, that Life must have warmth and
light to truly grow and reproduce.
All Worlds They did not make the same, for diversity and
combination serve to further the Great Love of Themselves.
Having then seen to the Planets and Suns, and too, to the seeding
of the Worlds with all manner of vegetable and animal life, the
Divine Ones rested.
But the Great Goddess was not content. She felt the work was yet
unfinished. She spoke to Her Consort and told Him of a plan. He
agreed, knowing that the Lady knew what was best for Her
Creations - for was She not the Progenitor of All?
Thus, they began to make and mold a people for a World. They
made them in twos, male and female, to reflect the images of
Themselves, and so that the re-enactment of Their Great Love
might take place.
Now we know what people transpired upon this World, but we, as
yet, know not what people were designed to populate other Worlds,
or which Stars they are under by which they flourish by the Lady.
Though we would wish in our hearts to be the only objects of
reflection of their Love, we must never think to believe that
Their Infinite Love, burgeoning across all the Universe, had
created none but Ourselves. Nor that the Divine Ones are so
limited that They have not created many peoples on many Worlds,
though unbeknownst to us. And they - these people of other
Planets, like us, are perfect reflections of that immense, Divine
Never-ending Love.
LIGHT OF THE WOMB
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In the warm Womb of Her Mother, She rested and dreamed. She felt
through the membrane all that had passed, did pass, and would
pass with Her Mother. She knew that Her Mother was reckoned to
be beautiful, kind and giving; yet too, She know that those Her
Mother would succor had no thought of her Gifts, and would not
repay kindness with kindness, but rather with rapine and
disregard.
Light-of-the-Womb knew that She had been seeing future dreams;
that the ugliness and cruelty of Her Mother's foster-children was
yet to come. And so, She resolved in Her heart to become
beautiful but uncaring to those who would grasp at her beauty -
unreachable, yet so desirable that Her Mother's foster-children
would ache in their hearts for desire of Her.
The day of Her birthing came, and as Her Mother shuddered in the
agonies of labor, Light-of-the-Womb cared not for Her own pains,
nor for those of Her Mother - but thought only of Her imminent
freedom that would at last allow Her revenge on
those-yet-to-come.
With a heaving surge, She tore free from Her Mother's thrashing
body, and screamed in triumph at Her escape.
Now even as the Daughter knew of all that passed with the Mother,
so did the Mother know of that which passed within the heart and
mind of the Daughter; and She set up a great travail. The waters
of Her Womb crashed and hissed in torment; Her bones creaked and
trembled; Her flesh rent apart in pain and suffering.
Yet in Her great Agony, the Mother cried out to Her Child, "Oh,
Daughter! Light-of-My-Womb! Why do you betray your Heritage?"
And in coldness, did the Daughter answer, "I would not be as You,
Mother, to be ravaged by the uncaring; to be ignored by the
lesser who have no sense of what they do; who see not beauty in
its truest form!"
And She placed Herself a distance from Her Mother; away from the
warmth of Her embrace - yet within the reach of Her low, gentle
voice.
Long ages passed, and the uncaring Child danced Her empty dance
about the abode of Her Mother, growing more delighted with Her
own frozen beauty; more strongly determined to exact revenge upon
those who would bring pain and sorrow and disgrace upon Her
Mother. Her light of beauty shone silvery and pristine upon Her
Mother's sleeping form.
When the fosterlings came, at first they were reverent, and gave
back to the Mother tokens of esteem and praise - all that they
could with their limited abilities. Though Light-of-the-Womb saw
this, She waited - unforgiving of the future grief She knew they
would bring.
Always did the fosterlings worship Light-of-the-Womb, and She fed
upon this worship as Her due, but did not soften towards them.
Some of Her coldness touched the fosterlings and made them, too,
a bit cold. But She cared not.
In truth, She became more cold and disdainful, at times even
bringing madness to those who cared too deeply for Her. It was
right and correct that they should worship Her beautiful Self,
for was She not delicate and gracious in Her gift of Silver Light
as Her Mother slept? Did not She cause Her mother's Love for Her
to control the planting and growing of the food they ate? She,
did She not, caused Her Mother's blood, Her salty Womb to pulse
in rhythm to Her turning dance.
She ignored Her Father's brilliance, though She privately
admitted that it was from Him She had inherited her gentle glow.
At time, His anger flared at Her, then would Her gentle Mother
intercede, coming between the Two, as if to protect the Daughter
from His furious gaze. At these times, a bitter cold came upon
Light-of-the-Womb, and Her cruel humor turned to dark despair.
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As soon as Her Father's wrath had cooled, Her mother would move
gently away, exposing Light-of-the-Womb slowly to Her Father's
gaze, so that He might remember the beauty of His Daughter.
Light-of-the-Womb began after a time to feel shame, and regularly
turned Her face from Her Parents - so that at times only a sliver
of Her shining countenance could be seen. Though She suffered
shame at her disdainful ways, She found She could not change.
For all heat in Her had died over the long ages, and no more was
there the white hot rushing of blood in her veins. She had
become stone - trapped by her own frozen vanity.
So now, as She looks upon those fosterlings that tear at Her
Mother's pride and beauty, She cannot aid Her in any way, save to
soothe Her Mother with Her silvery light, and to cause desire in
the fosterlings' hearts. Her beauty and unapproachability tugs
at their hearts, causing their bodies' water to flow in Her
timeless rhythms - making them turn a portion of their desire for
Her upon their fellow fosterlings. Lovers, too, pray to Her and
are heard. The mad are sacred to Her, known as Moon-calves.
Upon Her full face can be seen a look of surprised sadness, for
She cannot partake of Her Mother's Fate, save to watch - and know
that She, too, will be ravaged. But since She never gave of
warmth and substance, there will never be regret in the stripping
of Her bones. And only a cold, frozen thought is lodged in Her
heart, remembering what love was.
No tears fall from Her eyes, for Her waters are wasted, and Her
blood is dried up; but a little remains of Her liquids; enough to
warn the wise when rain will come. At these times She dons a
halo of opalescent light to show the only She can, that She is
still the daughter of Her Parents and that though She cannot feel
love or give love, She can inspire that emotion in Her Mother's
fosterlings when they gaze up at Her and call Her - Moon.
HOW THE SEASONS CAME TO BE
In the beginning of the green World, the Lady Night did dance
upon the Earth's breast. She delighted in all the Earth - the
growing herbs, the animals, the insects, the birds of the air,
the creatures of the waters, and all that made up this pleasant
abode.
She exulted in the warmth of the sunny days and cool nights. She
ruled this world with Her companion and counterpart, the Bright
King, whom She had fashioned out of Her longing for love. His
name was Day; the brightness of the Sun shone from His visage.
Great was their joy in one another, and in the green fertile
World about Them.
The Earth became more and more full of Her creations - crowding
happily in on one another, until there was little room to Dance
or move about, and the Earth groaned under Life's weight.
Mother Earth complained to Father sun, the They consulted with
each other on how they might best serve the Great Goddess, and at
the same time relieve the burden that rested so heavily on
Earth's weary body.
After much talking, they could not decide what they must do, and
Father Sun told Mother Earth that since her's was the pain, so
must Her's be the solution. And He turned away His Face and
shrouded Himself in robes of seething clouds.
Coldness fell upon the Earth, and many things cried out in loss
an pain. For was not the Sun needful to them for Life? Many
things began to wilt and shrivel close to the Little Mother's
bosom, looking for solace. Many things burrowed deep, sleeping
until a more favorable time.
Then Mother Earth devised a plan - let there be two halves to the
year - the bright and warm, and the dark and cold. Thus would
the burden lighten somewhat, when the things shriveled for a
while.
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Father Sun once again looked upon Mother Earth, and agreed that
Her plan might work well. "But who would rule the dark time?" He
asked.
"Let the Lord be the Master of the cold season, " She replied.
"Then can the Lady renew and replenish all things after His
Reign."
Father Sun felt it would not be wise to leave the Lady
companionless. Why could there not be two - one to rule the
bright and one to rule the dark. He wished that the Bright Lord
should remain in the warm time; for He was straight of limb,
bright of visage, and merry of heart. Too, Father Sun thought
the Lady would wish a companion to compliment Her beauty, be
light-hearted in all ways, thus making the task of renewing all
the more joyous.
Mother Earth thought long on this, and at last sent a choice of
her own. The man was strong and dark of countenance. He had not
the great beauty of Father Sun's choice, nor were His ways
light-hearted and merry. He was much given to thinking, planning
and building. He was much given to practicalities, and could be
counted upon to the clearing away of the extra weight that so
burdened Mother Earth.
On a day designated by Sun and Earth, the two Lords met in a
glade where the Lady sat twining ropes of flowers in her tresses,
and draping them about Her body. As She surveyed the two Lords,
She felt chill from the Dark One. He seemed so stern and
forbidding! The Bright One caused Her heart to dance. She ran
gaily off, holding the hand of the Bright Lord, singing and
laughing.
The Dark One said nothing. He went far to the North, where the
sun's rays were weaker, and the vegetation sparser. He built
Himself a fortress, and hunted for foods, preparing them in
strange ways so that they would last a long while. These, He
stored, and then set about making furniture and pots of fired
clay in which to cook. After a time, He had made a snug and
comfortable home for Himself, with room enough for guests.
The Lady and Bright Lord payed Him no mind, gaily Dancing and
playing and loving. They planted seeds, tended them lovingly,
and then at the fruits of Their Harvest.
On the day the Sun stood still in His journey, the frolicking
Lady and Lord felt a sudden chill. There, in the meadow, where
first the Three had met, stood the Dark One. He held out His
hand to invite the Maiden Lady to come with Him.
The Bright Lord sheltered the Maiden in His arms, refusing to let
her go, clinging with all the love of Life that was His nature.
The Lady held close to the Bright King, refusing to look upon the
Other.
"Then," said that Dark Other. "We fight!" They took up arms
against One Another, and it seemed as if the Bright King was
winning for a time. The Maiden Lady clapped Her hands in glee.
The Sun and Earth watched this battle passively; it seemed to go
on forever. But the sun must not stay His course in the Sky,and
as sunset approached, the strength of the Bright King waned. The
Dark Lord, He of the Earth's devising, seemed neither to lose or
gain strength, but remained constant. He struck a great blow
against the Bright King, who fell down, dying. The golden grain
drooped heavy heads, and the fruits of the trees fell to the
ground in sorrow. The flowers began to wither, though new ones
sprang up, blood red from the Life fluids of the dying God.
The Lady gave out a sorrowful cry, and the tree leaves changed
their colors - some golden in honor of the Bright King's hair,
some as red as His blood, and others the color of the Earth that
was to receive Him into Her bosom.
The Lady heaped flowers upon the still form of the Bright King,
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and mourned Him in a sorrowful song; a song that raced through
the branches of the trees, who added their own mournful tones.
Though the blood of the Bright King cried out for revenge, the
Dark Lord ignored it, and grasping the Lady firmly by the hand,
took Her off to His home in the North.
The fallen fruits and flowers dissolved in sorrow, into the Earth
Mother's breast. The seeds of their yearning for Life lay
dreaming of the long summer they had known; remembering the
shining love that the Lady and Her Consort had shared with all
that was.
Now Father sun was angry that Mother Earth's choice should win
over His Bright King in battle, and took Himself off a ways from
Her. The World became colder. Without the love of the Maiden,
the Brightness of the youth, and the warmth of Father Sun, Earth
began to sleep under a blanket of white. So, too, slept all but
the most hardy of plants, trees, and animals.
Though the Maiden resisted Him at first, She soon came to love
the Dark One for His differences, and She learned much from Him,
and He from Her.
Then one day, the Sun stood quite still, viewing the Earth,
thinking how still and pale She looked - and how it was not Her
fault that her Champion had won. He sent a pale ray of light
down into the Caven Fortress where the Dark One ruled as Lord,
the Lady by His side. And lo, a son was born to Them. His
visage was bright and shining, as He laughed and played in His
cradle.
For a time, the Dark One was jealous of the Child, for He knew it
was the Bright One, returned. Then, as the Child grew to
manhood, the Dark King sent Him away.
The Lady, refreshed from Her confinement, followed the Youth.
Again, Spring came to the World.
Now, this story is many times repeated. Neither the Bright King
or the Dark One ever own the Maiden-Lady for all time, but must
share Her. This must be, so the World be a true World, that the
Four Seasons go apace to turn the wheel of the Year, and that all
may learn that Life and Death and Life are but a cycle, and that
Hope is always near.
THE REASON FOR DEATH
A time after the Lady began Her yearly trip through the Seasons,
sharing Her reign first with the Bright King, then the Dark King,
She began to notice that when She returned to the Upper World,
many of the things She loved had perished. She spent much time
replenishing the Earth with new plants and animals. This work
was joyous - as the creation of New Life is always joyous - but
She puzzled over it.
She inquired of her Companion, the Bright King, but He had no
knowledge of what was happening to those things that had
perished. He slyly suggested that when next She traveled to the
Dark Lands to rule with the Dark King, to ask Him - the Dark One
and Rival to the Bright King - the question that haunted Her so.
"Perhaps," said the Bright One, "It is some mischief that He, the
Dark One, has gotten up to. Then you shall have an answer."
Thus, during Her next time with the Dark Lord, She inquired into
the matter. He answered, saying, "Yes, 'tis I." Angered, She
demanded to know why all the things She loved must wither and
perish away at His command - for was not the growing and care of
all things Her own right?
He told Her that Death was the rest and release for all things.
That all things must wither and pass away for a time, to make
room for new things - New Life. He explained that mortals and
animals and plants,not being of the fine, high, spiritual stuff
as Themselves, were unable to sustain the fullness of Life for a
long while - that they grew weary and longed for peace.
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She became anguished at the thought of the pains of her
creations, and wished to know for Herself how they fared in their
short lives. The Dark King bade her go into a mortal body for
its normal span to learn of sorrow, pain, age,and the longing for
release.
So She did go into the mortal body of a woman-seed in the womb of
one of Her people. she was born in great travail, suffered all
the pangs of growing up, and then She began to age. The mortal
years passed through Her as days, and yet it was hard and
wearisome. Pains beset her, her joints grew stiff, Her eyes dim,
and Her mind uncertain. The many wisdoms She had gained, She
spun as tales for little children sprawled by the hearth-fire on
bitter Winter days. she knew that though they listened now, they
would forget all She had told,and have to learn and re-learn it
all in their own time. Sadness fell upon the Goddess.
At last, troubled greatly by Her body's infirmities, She begged
the Lord's release from the body that encompassed her spirit.
The Dark Lord, Ruler of Death, closed Her eyes with a gentle,
loving hand, and lifted Her forth. Her bright, shining presence
was once again strong and beautiful.
The Lady's tears fell golden to the ground, capturing an insect,
a flower - and froze there, in the cold light of Her
understanding. These tears are found by mortals even today, and
prized as gems. Not all have forgotten the beauty of the meaning
of those golden teardrops.
She turned to the Dark Lord, smiling. She said, "I knew not that
I knew not, but You have shown Me that peace, and rest and
renewal are the rewards Death gives at the end of a hard and
treacherous life. How sad it is that these mortals know nothing
of Our Glory, save at the end of physical existence." He
replied, "Lady, it is Law; whatever You have brought into
existence never truly ceases to exist, but merely is changed into
something new."
She pondered long on this, and then turned to the Dark Lord and
said, "Therefore, let Us give them the ecstasy of Love for one
another, that they may touch upon this great beauty while on
Earth. Let it be the hope that spurs them on, though life seems
hard at times. And let them remember and love one another again,
when they have returned to physical form." "So be it," said He.
The Lady gathered up Her frozen tears, and strung them together
with pieces of jet, taken from the Dark Lord's Hall. this
necklace was to remind Her always of the intervals of Life and
Death of all things.
The Lord kissed her hand twice, and watched Her walk away to
green the Earth once more, resplendent in Her new understanding
of Life, Love and Death.
KARMA: THE WHEEL AND THE SPIRAL
The Lady of the Wheel of the Year, having learned that Death was
a necessary part of Life, returned to her Bright King, and
together they Danced with great joy, greening the Earth - so that
all was again covered in blossoming, bursting Life. From time to
time, She would see one of Her People in sorrow and travail, and
She would remember that existence. She felt a pang of sorrow,
recalling the despair at pain and trouble that mortals felt all
through their lives.
Only in the midst of Love or at the end of physical existence did
they know bliss. Too often, even the bliss of Love was forgotten
in the throes of hardship and misery. Too, She realized, that
though there was rest and succor at the end of physical
existence, the mortals knew no hope for betterment, other than
peace at Life's end.
At first, She did not speak of this to either the Bright Kin or
the Dark Lord. She pondered privately upon the cycle of Life,
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Death, and Rebirth; the Seasons of the wheel of the year, and at
last made a decision. Conferring first with One then the Other,
the Lady persuaded her two Lords to consider a plan to help Her
people. That They might more readily accept Her plan, She
presented it as a game.
This game, She called Karma: it was an elaborate system of
debits and credits by which the players could judge the progress
of the playing pieces - the pieces being the People. Now, the
actual living on Earth was only part of the game - the first
stage - to be clever enough to survive danger, disease,hunger and
other pieces maneuvering for the same. the second stage was how
well the pieces maneuvered for the prizes - and how honorable
they went about achieving their goals (a credit), and how
dishonorably they chose to act (a debit).
Adding a further twist to the game, She insisted that when a
piece had achieved the full round of the twelve-spoked wheel -
having experienced and mastered the lessons of each spoke and
returned a final time to the hub (known as the Summerland), that
a third level be added. this third level, being on of the
Spirit, gave the pieces a chance to grasp from a Higher Existence
than that of merely bettering the Physical Self.
To expedite the counting up of credits and debits for each piece,
She created a body of beings known as the Lords of Karma. She
set before Them the cosmic Laws of Order and Existence, and gave
into Their keeping the Akashic Records - the golden, flowing
source of all that is, was, and ever shall be.
Then She instructed the Two Lords in the Game, that They might
watch with interest and understanding. Too, that They might
cheer on or aid a piece that caught Their fancy or touch Their
hearts with its struggles. They, nor the Lords of Karma were
judged - for it is only by the Cosmic Laws of Order and Existence
in the Providence of the Divine One to judge the Creations.
As the Game advanced, much to the enjoyment of the observers,
there seemed to be a missing element. the Dark Lord too the Lady
aside and said, "Never meaning criticism, My Dearest Lady of
Life, but is it not pointless if Your piece do not know they can
strive toward better lives and higher aims?" The Lady thought
upon this, and told the Lord that He was correct, and that She,
herself, must resolve this flaw in the pattern.
She gave a banquet and invited all those of the Greater and
Lessor Pantheons, explaining to them the Game, and the reason She
must prepare for a Journey - Journey which would take Her once
again into the World of Mortals.
All the Beings of Light were grieved, for They love the Lady
fully, and did not like her to be absent from Them. but She
promised Them that though She must journey far, as long as Love
was, there was She, also. She then departed on Her Journey to
the Plane of Mortal Existence and was not seen again for a Tim in
the Halls of Light and Love.
THE CRAFT OF THE WISE
Now the Lady made Her journey to the Plane of Mortal Existence,
and on the way, She passed through many other realms: Those of
spirits and phantasms, and those of the elements. She dwelt a
time in each realm, gathering the essences of each one about Her,
layer upon layer, to clothe Herself. These essences were
necessary, for the Plane of Mortal Existence is made up of all of
these elements, seen and unseen.
Too, She spent time with Light-of-the-Womb, experiencing Her
quiet pain, her self-imposed penance. The Great Goddess reminded
her Little Sister, Moon, that all things work together in
Harmony, and that one day, Her great sacrifice would be repaid in
Great Glory.
Then coming at last to her destination, the Goddess once again
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clothed herself in Human Flesh. She clothed Herself in all the
pain and sorrow, and the joy that is the Fate of Humankind. Back
She went - back to the sensations of the five senses. Back to
the heavy physical vehicle that Human souls use to transport
themselves about. Back to a coarse and humble life; one from
which She could study her people more fully, and teach them that
which they must know.
She chose not to go back into the body of a strong warrior, nor
yet on of great physical feminine beauty - but rather as a plain,
slender young woman. Her eyes were brown as the Earth in which
She dug for roots; Her hair was as brown as the bark; Her skin
weathered a bit by the elements. though She dressed as drabbly
as any other mortal girl, there was still a spark, an intensity
that could not be denied. this, the Goddess Herself, could not
change, for otherwise, She would not be present.
The sparkle of Divinity that shone from Her eyes drew others to
Her in a warm bond. they listened to Her teach the secrets of
planting and growing things, the ways of animals and fish and
fowl; the flying birds and insects; secrets of water, wind and
dire.
Too, She instructed them in the Way. She taught them of the
Spiral Dance of the Universe, that same spiral that is found in
the very cells of their bodies. She instructed them in the
Mysteries - those of Birth, and Death, and Rebirth; and in doing
so, explained the Game of Karma.
When She taught them all they could learn, She told them that She
must go once again to her Halls of Love and Light, but that they
might call upon Her in times of need, and She would hear and
answer. She told them that the phases of the Moon would show the
Way.
Among them She left One whom She had taken as a Consort and
Helper. He was a Forest Lord, Protector of the Wilds; He would
as as Her Regent upon the Earth while She was away.
The people wept bitterly, for they could not bear to be without
their beloved Goddess. But the Lord comforted them, saying,
"Does She not love you enough to come amongst you? To provide a
Regent for your comfort - to promise you an Eternal Life in Her
Love at the end of the Spiral Dance?"
And they built many temples and places of worship. Sacred were
the many Springs where She had drunk. Sacred, too, were the many
Groves where She had slept. And too, those places of power where
She had wrought the Magicks of the Spiral Dance for the
edification and delight of Her children.
Those She taught well became Her Priests and Priestesses - and
they continue to instruct Her People in Her Ways.
Celtic Deities?
Here is the promised beginning discussion of "The Gods" in
Celtic religion. The majority of this post is brought to you by
Lorax, Small Furry Tree-Creature of the Gods <g>
****Extra-Long Posts Warning****
I shall throw out the first hot caber by suggesting that use of the term
"Gods" within a Pagan Celtic context is totally useless, misleading,and an example
of the sloppy scholarship that Deartha'ir Isaac bemoans.
This notion has been long in coming for me, but was triggered this week when an ADF
member noted the use of the word "God" [singular] several hundred times in a
suggested reference work on pre-Christian Greek religion. It made her somewhat
nervous as it seemed to not be the best possible term in a polytheistic culture,
given that a multitude of things, from entities to abstract concepts had been
subsumed as "God".
This, combined with my very recent reading of the Dunnaire Finn, the Book of
Invasions, and the Tain has led me to be more discriminating.
As my Priestess colleage, Brandy Williams, has often said, there are 2 kinds of
people: Splitters, and people who deny the existence of splitters. <g>
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So, let us take it from the very top, the creation of the world. At least, according
to one translation of one version of the Book of Invasions.
The first inhabitants of Ireland were Cesair, daughter of Bith, son of Noe (Noah),
and their 3 men + 50 women. <Happy happy, joy joy!> These people all drowned, and
are therefore unimportant to this story, save that Fintan survived to recount tales
of the beforetime.
Partholan was the second discoverer, the chief of his people. Partholan
brought with him the people that were first in many arts--brewing, cauldron
making-first combat, farming, and a host of other things.
Patholan chose a fertile place, cleared 4 plains, and homesteaded there.
His wife slept with his retainer, which caused problems. This resulted in the giving
of the First Verdict, that of Delgnat. Boan, Brea, Ban, Aine and 6 others were the
"pure daughters" of Partholan, implying perhaps that he had more, following the
customs of the times.
The generation of Partholan was the one responsible for first naming of
places in Ireland. Partholan's generation was also long-lived, and no
plants grew old in their time. His generation largely died out after a plague.
Both of these first generations are referred to as men and women, not
deities. People of Arts [Aes Da'na] maybe yes, but not deithe [deities]. This, at
least, according to the Christians who recorded the tales.
The third generation is that of Neimhedh (Nemed). He came from Scythia.
Neimhedh had 4 chiefs with him. Nemhed fought and won three battles over the
Fomhoire. Fo-mhor (over the sea, or something like that). Despite this, the
Fomorians seemed to be quite good at opressing the Nemedians, by demanding 2/3 of
their agricultural output at Samhain, delivered to Magh Cetne. The Nemedians went to
Greece and collected an army, some drui and ban-drui, wolves and venemous animals. A
proper challenge was delivered, and the battles were engaged. The Fomorians were
defeated at last. Only 30 Nemedians survived.
The next group of invaders are the somewhat mysterious Fir Bolg, or Bagmen. The Fir
Bolg had 5 chiefs (one more than all of the previous invaders) as did the De Dannan.
The Fir Bolg divided Ireland into 5 parts. Previous invasions had separated Ireland
into 4 parts. Much is made of the poetic, noise-shakin skill of the Fir Bolg. They
were some jammin' magickal folk, alright. The Fir Bolg have the distinction of the
first "riogh" (king) in Ireland. So we have division into 5 parts, kingship, and the
use of iron.
Now, the Sons of Nemed had not been sitting still all of this time. They had been
off in Greece, learning draidheacht, cleverness, niceness, and Spiffy Things In
General (slight gloss from bad 19th century Victorian english). These folks were
called "Tuatha De" " ... that is, they considered their men of learning to be gods,
and their husbandmen non-gods, so much was their power in every art and every
druidic occultism besides. Thence came the name, which is Tuathe De, to them."
Now, please note that their ancestors are PEOPLE. The TdD became so by
virtue of their skills. This is a process that would not be unfamiliar to a good
citizen of Republican (not Imperial) Rome. One can become deific by proper actions,
family and/or national devotion, and other things. The TdD had been instructed in 4
cities in the North. One has to infer that these cities are in Greece, where they
are instructed in these arts. Now, not all translations say this, exactly. Greece
and Spain are frequently glosses for the Otherworld, but not always. The 4 Treasures
were brought from Greece. As we have discussed the Treasures before, we shall pass
in silence on them here.
The TdD fought battles with the Athenians as their allies, and thru druidic demonry
reanimated dead bodies that then rose up and fought as if they were living. It is
here that we learn that hazel or rowan twigs thru the neck do in reanimated corpses.
<Occult Factiod #912 collect em all.)
The TdD arrive in Ireland on a Monday, in the Calends of May, where they
burn their ships on the shore so they cannot return, or the Fomorians use the ships.
The TdD fought with the Fir Bolg (it is, after all Ireland we are talking about...),
won, lost, won again, lost again, were healed, hurt, etc. Nuada gets his silver arm
and loses kingship in this process. The TdD slew all but a few of the Fir Bolg, who
then fled to the outermost isles of the seas. Compare this with the more archaic
traditions of the Hebrides and Northern Islands of Ireland...
The genealogies up to this point are enough to make a kinship specialist
whimper, cringe, and fall to sleep the final sleep, so we will ignore them, but to
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say that aside from Cessair, everyone is related (or sleeping with someone who is)
to everyone else. Biblical begatting is easier, trust me.
The TdD are referred to as goblins in the text. So much for the great
contrast between the demonic Fomorians and Deific TdD. If you care to argue that to
a medieval monk all deities are one deity and all are demonic, then there is even
less reason to consider the Fomor demonic.
That said, the text has Eochaid triumph, "without enchantment of idols,
shaped the distinction of good verses but as for knowledge of the warrior bands of
whom we speak although we enumerate them we do not worship them."
The picture is far more confused than ANY simple model, folks. I have not even begun
to discuss the "giant" stories. If I were to do so, then Finn and his buddies are
giants, not unlike Jotuns. But wait! So is Cu! And, if they are giants, then what
are their parents? Finn is descended from Baiscne, and Cu is descended (or a
reincarnation) of Lugh. So the Aes Dana=Giants?@(#*#*(@#_@
If we get to the local spirits, worshipped well into the 18th century, and maybe
later, (or the 20th, as Erynn thinks), any meaningful use of the term "God" has to
be tossed out with the burnt brac after dinner.
We have people, descended from the Trojans/Greeks learning heavy juju and becoming
like Gods. They fight, live, die, get reincarnated, stretch their influence far
beyond a single generation, and are immortalized in song. Remember, the Cauldron of
Poesy, the only available text on the training of a fili (one who sees) reminds us
that we are all more than our birth, at least potentially.
As Patrick Ford has suggested, the written tales/sagas are probably just a
sequencing of shorter oral bits, there is no real problem with dying on page 23, and
having hot sweaty sex on page 25.
They are also said to be immortal in the Otherworld. Many of the later
tales have all of these survivors gathering in the Otherworld (somewhere near Miami
or Desert Springs, I suspect) and only sometimes coming out to see us mere mortals.
Also note (this flash of awen just in) that most of the folks that wander into faery
are Aes Dana! Reverend Kirk, Thomas the Rhymer, Tam Lin and many others.
The Path to Faery must be (therefore) paved with Excellence.
Now, the above analysis depends strictly on my reading of the texts. I am quoting
from the handiest text, the one that unfortunately has no
bibliographic data in it, but is well-reasoned, erudite, and footnoted to death.
This is a facing-page xlation, btw.
I am NOT saying that some of these beings are not worthy of devotion. I am saying
that it is not ness. true that all of them were viewed as "Gods" at all times in
history, particularly not in the omnipotent, omniscient Xian meaning of the word,
nor in the usage common to Bullfinch.
It may be best to regard the Aes Dana as Shterpersavs, or "Short-Term-
Personal-Saviors", in Dobbspeak.
<Rant Modes Off>
Thanks.
Lorax & Erynn
Walking with my Friends
Masochistic Maiden
The beach glistened under the sun, still wet from the
ebbing tide. My friends and I walked along leaving
tracks in the sand. We stopped at a tide pool and
discovered a bunch of sand dollars. The mark of a star
etched in each of the skeletal remains made us think of
the star at the center of the pentagram necklace I wore.
One gently held the necklace in his hand as we talked
about the meaning of each of the points. Earth, Air,
Fire, and Water, and then spirit. We talked how each of
these is a gift from Mother then we walked on.
He ran ahead and found a broken sand dollar with a tiny
mollusk, barely bigger than the head of a pin, inside.
We were amazed that anything so tiny could be alive. It
made us more aware of all the living things we often
overlook. Beneath our feet the ghost shrimp rested in
their tunnels, ocassionally blowing water back from the
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many holes that dotted the beach. The larval forms of
life that clung to shells, stones, and settled in the
masses of seaweed thrown up by the surf, each caught our
attention before it was stolen by the gulls and crows
begging for scraps of bread.
Soaring overhead, the wings of the gulls whipped tiny
eddies of air that stirred the whisps of hair that had
escaped my ponytail and lifted the front few strands of
his hair. His eyes reflected the shine of the ocean on
the sand, and his quick voice and ready laughter made me
feel fleet of foot and full or the joy of youth.
After walking the beach we climbed a nature trail
through the woods. We stopped to look at the flowers,
delicate white stars with pink stripes. Again we thought
of the pentagram. We also imagined the Goddess of Spring
with feathers and flowers braided into her hair. A
little further we found a deep puddle with a surface as
smooth as glass. The sky and the trees were reflected
back at us in such precision and perfection that we
talked for a while of what that perfect world beyond the
puddle might be like. We wondered how we could make our
side of the mirror so peaceful and clean looking.
We walked further and came to a tall ancient tree and
wondered what stories it could have told, if we could
but understand. For a moment we could almost see the
native americans stalking deer and gathering herbs. The
tree, covered with a mass of moss as thick as carpeting
neither denied or confirmed our thoughts. Suddenly, with
a smile I thought of the ledgends of Gnomes that live
beneath the trees. This old trees roots held deep dark
holes and the forest litter was not creeping in to cover
them. The arching root looked so much like a roof over
an entry way and the size of the root system above the
ground indicated that a large family of Gnomes could
easily escape human eyes. Just a wink of time and they
could scamper out of sight beneath the undergrowth. We
could hear, if we stopped to listen, the soft sounds of
the wet undergrowth being disturbed. Was it the hurried
movement of little men in peaked caps? Gnomes, weren't
they the creatures of the Elemental Earth? We could
smell the damp earth all about us. This was certainly a
good place for them.
After forest's close embrace, the clearing was sunshine
and sparkles. We saw dandilions growing on the green
hillside. We recognized them as one of springs first
splashes of color and representations of the sun shining
down on us. Carefully gathering several of the golden
heads we carried them to the mouth of the nearby stream
as it lead to the ocean. We threw them into the water,
watching them float down to the sea. With each flower we
sent a wish....no more oil slicks....less
polution...save some of the natural rain forests...each
of us remember to carry away a bit of trash every time
we go for a walk...no more whales beaching...no more
drift nets dragging sea mammals to their deaths...a bit
of nature for every child...and healing for Earth mother
where she has been strip mined. Then we turn to leave,
neither of us really wanting to go.
James isn't three yet, and Scott is only five, but they
were my friends as we walked and they gave me a chance
to share the wonder and beauty of the beach and the
woods. Take time with the young. There is much they can
teach us and give us when we take the time to share
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their world.
Firefawn: A tale by Masochistic Maiden
Silently the fawn stepped into the clearing. It's
fur dappled with white blended well with the filtered
light coming through the aspens. Here, high in the
Cascades, the fawn had greeted spring at its birth only
a few weeks ago. Now, its legs were strong and its
attitude cautious but playful. It stopped for a few
seconds and sniffed the mountain air. Mother.. her
scent on the breeze... was just across the clearing.
There were other scents too......fresh shoots of grass,
tempting and new... the deep wet smell of the earth...a
sharp scent that he was not familiar with lay almost
hidden among the other odors. He hesitated, but wanted
so much to run to his Mother and drink deeply of her
life giving milk. She had been away for a big part of
the early morning grazing in a lower clearing. Now that
she was returning he could almost taste the warm rich
milk. He remianed cautious and took a second step.
His mother steped into the clearing oposite him.The
sun shined tawny and golden on her back and the early
grasses hid her tiny feet in a carpet of lushious green.
Her head held high she advanced with prancing steps
across the clearing. The wind at her back ruffled the
hair along her spine. She advanced across the clearing
and the fawn began to almost tremble with anticipation.
No longer cautious he leaped into the air and landed
with his hooves bunched together then sprang upward
again. Switching ends in the air he landed facing away
from his mother then quickly pivoted on his hind legs to
get her back into his sight. She seemed to take forever
to cross that clearing.
The wind again brought her scent to him, along with
the scent of that pungent but unknown thing. Somehow the
scent felt wrong but the fawn had no experience to give
him any indication how that scent figured into his
world.
His mother was nearly to him now and he frisked
across the few steps between them and burried his nose
beneath her flank. At that moment his mother caught the
faintest hint of the pungent smell that the fawn had
noticed. Her large eyes suddenly seemed to be even more
alert and her nostrils flared as she turned her head to
try and detect the message the scent brought. She had
not smelled this smell for a long time but she knew it
brought danger. She searched her distant memories... it
was not a man smell exactly, but somehow she associated
it with man. Pungent and sharp but not strong enough for
her to fix. Then the recognition flashed into her...
FIRE. The smell was smoke. She and her young fawn were
standing knee deep in the dead growth from last years
grass. Fire could sweep the understory of shrubs and
grasses with terrifying speed. She nudged her fawn and
began to move hurridly away from the smell. Upward...
the slopes of the mountains called her.
She began a slow trot toward the upper slopes,
angling toward the river. The scent of smoke grew and
soon it was not only a scent, but whisps of gray swirled
among the trees in the lower canopy when she looked over
her shoulder. Other animals had joined into the retreat
as she had traveled. Rabbits now dived between her feet.
Other deer, elk and a moose with a calf ran full out
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past her. She picked up her pace to as much as the fawn
could handle. Leaping great distances a buck raced past
her. Behind them a raging forest fire was growing. It
threatened to overtake the sea of life desperately
running for the river.
Near the river a lone figure was aware of the
coming fire. He had been alerted by the passage of the
first few animals and had spotted the smoke high in the
air long ago. As he loaded his pack animal and prepared
to ford the river he saw that one doe and fawn lagged
far behind the other creatures who were preceding the
curtain of flames.
The doe reached a point between the tall trees that
had been blocked by a downed evergreen. Its trunk
stretched far and the upper branches reached as far the
other direction. This was not impossible for the doe,
she could easily jump the downfall. The fawn however
might not make the distance. There was no time left. The
doe flew over the barrier and hit the ground at a dead
run. The fawn, tired already, leaped but failed to reach
the top of the massive trunk. it ran left, then right,
but there was no way around. It leaped again and again.
The smoke of the fire began to fill the space between
the tree tops and darken the world where the fawn was
trapped between a wall of fire and a wall of unyeilding
trunk.
The doe fled when the smoke and heat became too
great. She reached the river and plunged to the other
side. A cascade of various creatures flowed over the
banks and to safety across the river.
The lone man also crossed the river and was filled
with sorrow when he did not see the fawn alongside the
doe as she pulled herself from the water. There was no
way he could return to the flames to rescue the fawn.
The evergreens were fully ignited and their heat was
easily felt even across the wide river. Running Buck
lead his horse and pack pony away from the heat. He'd be
a few days late getting back from his hunting trip due
to the fire, but it would save him miles to wait for it
to cool some and cut through the burnout to his village
to the west. He hoped the fire had not disturbed the
village or made the tribe move to a new site.
During the night a hard rain began to fall. It ran
down the roof of Running Buck's leanto in heavy rivers,
but it would put out the raging fire and begin to cool
the ground. Maybe Running Buck would not be so late.
Early in the morning a stand of blackened giants
and chared earth was all that greated Running Buck as he
reforded the river and began his journey homeward. The
trail he was following lead about 30 yards from the
downfall that had stopped the fawn. Remembering its
panicked eyes, Running Buck was again touched by
sadness. He turned his pony toward the last spot he saw
the fawn and decided to ride to the spot to say goodby
and ease its spirit into summerland and maybe collect
its pelt for a pair of mocossins for his daughter.
He rode along the massive trunk, once, twice, and
did not see the fawn. Just as he was about to turn away
he noticed a hollow under a part of the log. He
dismounted and carefully approached the hollow. When he
peered into the darkness beneath the massive trunk, a
tiny hoof was about all he could make out. Figuring the
frightened animal had forced itself under the trunk
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moments before dying of smoke and heat, Running Buck
grabbed the hoof to draw the animal out. The pelt should
be a good one without any charing.
Suddenly the tiny hoof gave a jerk. The fawn was
still alive but trapped beneath the log. it had rammed
itself so far into the interior that it could not back
out on its own. Running Buck pulled hard on the kicking
hoof until a smoke streaked, terrified body came into
view. He slipped a length of leather cord around the
fawn's neck before he freed it from the hollow.
Once out from under the massive trunk the fawn
tried to spring away from Running Buck, but the leather
around its neck held it fast. Soon it stood meekly,
breathing hard but resigned to being held. Its tongue
hung from the corner of its lips and a light foam
followed the upper curve of its mouth. Running Buck
decided that any animal who survived the fire must be
blessed by the spirits and that he would not use this
animals pelt, but instead would take it back to the
village and give it to his daughter as a pet.
He lashed the fawn to the packframe on his pack
pony and rode off toward his village. The fire had left
a ugly scar across the foothills, but fortunately had
not reached as far as the quiet valley where his
tribe were camped.
Arriving in the village, Running Buck went first to
his family's site and entered the teepee. The lifting of
the flap let golden sunshine spill into the interior.
His daughter and wife looked up. Little dove, his
daughter jumped up suddenly to greet him and sent a bowl
of colored beads scattering at her feet from the beading
she had been working on. Running Buck swept her into his
arms with quick loving hands and told her about the
great fire...he told her about the fawn not being able
to leap the high tree trunk and being left by its
mother. Tears of sorrow came to Little Doves eyes as he
described the scene. He turned and carried Little Dove
out to the waiting ponies and showed her the fawn who
was still alive.
Little Does looked at the tiny body with its
spotted fur, and the big brown eyes and pink tongue and
thought it was the most beautiful animal she had ever
seen. Running Buck lifted the fawn down and tied it to
the side of the teepee. He left Little Dove to get
aquainted with her new friend and went to prepare an
animal bladder as a nursing bag for the fawn. The tribe
had several ponies giving milk for their foals. Perhaps
the fawn could be raised on their milk. He filled the
bladder with warm mare's milk and carried it back to
Little Dove.
She sat on the ground with the fawn gathered into
her lap like a puppy stroking its tiny ears and
scratching the fur between its eyes. Already the fawn
was becomming accoustomed to her gentle touch. She took
the bladder full of milk and stuck the end of the
protruding spout between her fingers so that the fawn
could suck on her fingers and draw milk from the
bladder. At first it turned away from the strange scent
of the mare's milk, but finally thirst overcame its fear
and it began to suck.
"Well," said Running Buck,"It looks like your young
friend may make it. Perhaps you should name it now."
"I already have." responded Little Dove. "I will
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call it Firefawn, because he came from the fire."
Firefawn grew into a strong young buck during the
summer he spent with the tribe and made so many friends
among the tribe that they kept him with the ponies over
the winter.
When spring came again and it was time to let
Firefawn return to the wild. Running Buck made him a
bright red collar of leather so that none of the tribe
would accidently shoot him as he grazed among the trees.
For many years the deer with the red collar was seen by
members of the tribe and whenever they saw him they knew
their hunt would be successful. Firefawn became the lead
buck of a large herd of deer.
Running Buck and Little Dove's kindness returned to
help feed the tribe for many winters.
So in life, all that we do returns to us. Good for
good and bad for bad. Let good be what returns to your life.
A DRAGON TALE
by Kalioppe
====================================================
The Bardess of Caer Sidhe, am I, dropping in to tell you the tale of the last living
Dragon on Earth - you know - the one who lived over the vale. The battle was great
'twixt the Wizard and she. The Last Dragon met her demise. When the smoke had all
settled, the Wizard looked 'round; an object caught his sharp eyes...
"Lo! What is that?" sayeth the Wizard. "Good Goddess! I think it's an egg!" He
scooped it up and sped to the castle, as quick as he could on old legs. Now the
townsfolk were thrilled that the Dragon was gone. They applauded the Wizard as
great...he told not of the egg that he cared for so well, as he feared the babe's
possible fate.
The egg hatched and the Dragon was healthy. The Wizard loved him so well! But one
night as the Wizard lay sleeping, he awoke by the tinkling of bells. "Twas the
Ancients who came a calling, to tell him his time was near. He thought, with a jolt,
"Who will care for this babe...the one who has grown so dear?"
Sadly, he called the Council and told of the callers in the night. He told them of
the Dragon and then explained his plight. He told them that the Dragon was the
symbol of the strong. He persuaded them to care for him... then began his journey
long.
All wanted to care for the baby...but then the touble broke out! There were too many
squires and not enough peasants...a cauldron of trouble, no doubt!! "I want to feed
it!" "I want to school it!" "I do!" "No, me! Not you!" They set up rules so lofty,
the work was done by only a few...
Jealousy brewed more turmoil, and then the bragging began: "I gave up MY food for
the baby...yes, I am a WONDERFUL man!" "That's NOTHING!" said one woman. "I gave him
my ONLY shawl!" Egos rose and swelled so great, they encompassed one and all. Sadly
enough, it got to the point with themselves they were duly impressed. They never saw
to the Dragon...they were too busy with egos, at best.
The baby died of hunger. The baby died alone. The baby died of
ill-attention, too weak to even moan. When the folk returned to the castle and found
their charge quite dead, they looked at each other and pointed their fingers, then
looked at the sky overhead. The clouds were dark, but from their depths, many voices
spake as one: "The first law is love," spake the Goddess, "The second is 'ye harm
none!'" Emptiness welled up inside as their tears began to stream. For they had
killed the Last Dragon, and their one and only dream...
That is the story I traversed to tell, and to it, I beg, pay great heed. Always take
time to help one another - the time to do a good deed. Everyone is different, though
the same at times, it seems. Accept your neighbors differences, and cultivate their
dreams.
Sep-15-93 20:54:00
From: White Raven
To: All
Subject: The Goddess Movement
I was sitting in the breakroom at work this morning (you know, the place where bible
quotations greet us in the mornings :) and I discovered the following article in the
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'Colorado Living' section of "The Denver Post." Enjoy
"The Goddess Movement: Woman-based Spirituality gains followers"
by Leslie Petrovski
In mid-September in a sparsely furnished Washington Park home, about 12 women,
mostly in their 30s and 40s, will gather to celebrate Mabon -- or fall equinox (sept
23). After a vegetarian potluck dinner, the group will sit in a circle around a
basket filled with apples, tiny pumpkins and acorns -- fruits from the harvest.
One woman, who started this feminist spirituality group two years ago, will start
the ceremony by casting the circle -- creating sacred space by invoking the elements
(eart, fire, water and air) and Goddesses associated with each element. During the
ritual, the women will ask for individual healing, then pass around a globe while
asking for planetary healing. One might request the universe to heal the suffering
of the world's women; another will seek healing of the oceans; yet another asks for
healing in Bosnia. More and more, all over the country, women (and some men) are
gathering together to practice a woman-based spirituality. They give themselves many
names, and their rituals vary from group to group.
"Feminist spirituality combines different movements," explains
Starhawk, author of "The Spiral Dance," an introductory text to witchcraft. "Some
are working within Jewish and Christian traditions to ressurrect female images;
others are outside any organized traditional; others participate in the Wicca
tradition. There is a lot of diversity in the movement. What feminist spirituality
does is put our experience, as individuals and as woman, at the center of our
spirituality."
There are no estimates of the number of people worshipping this way,
although journalist Margo Adler, in her book "Drawing Down the Moon,"
estimates there are 100,000 American pagans, people who call themselves witches,
Druids or Goddess worshippers -- people who "look to the old pre-Christian nature
religions of Europe."
There are many clues of the prevalence of the Goddess. A young scholar completing
her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado said, "I know a number of women who are big
into the Goddess." Bookstores are filled with books dedicated to women's
spirituality. Even driving the highway, you'll notice discreet bumper-stickers like
"Goddess Bless."
In Goddess spirituality, the cycles of nature are worshipped and
celebrated -- winter, spring, summer and autumn -- and are viewed as metaphors for
birth, growth, fading and death. Attributes traditionally viewed as femine (i.e.,
intuition and nurturing) are revered.
Defining the Goddess religion, however, is about as easy as catching
fish with bare hands. But there is a rich and ancient history associated with it.
Old Europe, with its woman-focused religions, was settled prior to 4000 B.C. Similar
earth-based, female cultures existed in Crete, Greece, Catal Huyuk and elsewhere.
"A lot of this occurred in rural centers," exlains University of Denver a art
Historian M.E. Warlick. "In agrarian societies, they think of the earth as the
mother and typically the earth is a Goddess." Eventually, the Goddess-based
religions were displaced by warrior gods like Zeus and Yahweh. Some scholars suggest
that Goddess worshippers went underground, and that the religion survive in secret.
In the '60s, that began to change. The feminist movement, which
brought a new ethic of control to women, also allowed women (and men) to look toward
feminine images for religious sustenance. Women and men began to practice openly in
the Wiccan traditions or create their own feminist spirituality.
To oversimplify the Goddess: There are no rules, except freedom; there
is no bible, no major doctrine; what has survived of ancient Goddess religions has
come down in fragments. Most Goddess worshippers do share the goal of living in
harmony with nature.
"As a witch," explains Elisa Robyn, a Denver-based spiritual counselor, "I have an
intimate relationship with the deity, that is the Goddess and the God. I believe in
reincarnation. And I believe in karma -- whatever I create inside of me are the
energies the world hands back to me." "A couple of years ago, I was at Sunday school
at the church we were attending," she remembers. "We were talking about virgin
birth. I raised my hand, trambling, and I said, 'I think I'm not a Christian
anymore. I don't think Jesus intended us to worship him.'"
Confused and troubled by this realization, Rebecca held a birthday
party for herself, inviting all of her female friends to talk about God. Not
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satisfied with this intellectual approach, Rebecca, 43, began
organizing rituals in accordance with the eight Sabbats of the Wiccan year: Yule to
acknowledge the winter solstice; Brigid, or Candlemas, dedicated to the Goddess of
fire and inspiration; the Ecostar Ritual to celebrate the spring equinox; Beltane,
or May Eve; Litha, or the summer solstice; Lughnasad to mourn the dying Sun King;
Mabon, or the fall equinox; Samhain, or Halloween, that marks the end and the
beginning of a new year. Due to Rebecca's urgings, a small group of women has
evolved to conduct rituals and tentatively celebrate the seasons. Rebecca's mailing
list is now up to 30 women.
The Goddess movement is "attracting a wide range of people," explains
Starhawk, who was raised Jewish, "from a middle-aged women who have lived very
conventional lives to young, punk anarchists."
Lois Yackley, 49, a Denver elementary-school teacher and member of
Rebecca's Goddess group, sees her involvement as an outgrowth of her mental health.
Like many women who are seeking a woman-based spirituality, Lois, a former Catholic,
always felt the absence of women in the church. As she grew in therapy, women's
issues became increasingly important to her. "The next step in the feminist
movement," Lois says, "is spiritual. Some feminists are saying that there will be
nore mor progress (in the movement) unless it's spiritual."
Lois became involved in Rebecca's group through a growing friendship

with Darcie, the mother of a child in Lois' class. As their friendship matured, they
shared books on feminist spirituality and attended Rebecca's rituals and parties.
"Women are getting together to see how we feel about things. We validate out
feelings and thoughts. This feels right."
Darcie, 43, is an artist and homemaker, who struggles with her
conflicting feelings for her church (she is a Methodist and a church trustee) and
her blossoming interest in feminist spirituality. "I no longer have a strong belief
(in Christianity), but I'm interested in the structure of my family," she explains.
"It's a difficult situation for me, emotionally and psychologically. I feel very
strongly about the family worshipping together, so I'm not ready to give (the
church) up until I have something to replace it with."
Rebecca's group gives Darcie a place to explore her new ideas about
spirituality with women who feel the same way. "I'm trying to move toward believing
not in one power over all, but a multiple power within," Darcie explains.
"This matches the political climates of the times," explains Robyn.
"Women are looking for something about themselves that's special. So the Goddess is
becoming more prevalent." Robyn, who also was raised Jewish and now practices in the
Wiccan tradition, adds that, "Women are looking for their power. This is right in
line with the ecology movement, the women's movement, the personal growth movement."
"When women get into witchcraft, it is a blossoming experience. There
are role models -- women of power, Goddesses -- it's a totally different energy and
perception."
... "Never did Nature say one thing and Wisdom say another." -- Burke
Funeral rites
Oz Caliburn
A long while ago, I said I would post the funeral service that I had put together
for my sister. Having at long last got my act together, here it is. The sources for
the rite were "Magical Rites from the Crystal Well" by Fitch, and "The Book of the
Prophet" by Gibran. A couple of the poems were written by my other sister, and by my
father. The final poem is unsourced, but I first saw it in a copy of "The Wiccan",
which was an AustPagan newsletter.
As a bit of background, my sister Vicki was spastic and mentally retarded. She died
at the age of 35, after renal failure. My wife and I were at her deathbed, and
actually took her across - no easy task, as her mind was very hard to "grip". Vicki,
although severely retarded (mentally she was about 3-4, could not read etc) had
grasped the fact that she wasn't going to get better from her last illness, and had
in fact asked me to "help her die".
I hope that this rite, my last gift to my sister (even if I have taken it from
various sources), may help inspire some of you who find yourself in similar
circumstances. It is non-denominational, focusses on no particular deity, and served
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it's pupose admirably at the time.
******************************
Part 1
We have for a while lost one who is dear to us, And we all feel the loss. But it is
only for a time, and we will lose our sorrow.
There is a reason for being here, and a reason for going. The Other Side, the Places
Beyond, Are warm, pleasing and beautiful with all ills gone, and youth anew.
There is a reason for leaving, when the purpose of this life is done.
We must all journey beyond to pause, to rest, and to wait for those who are loved,
In a place far from the cares of this world, with happiness and strength renewed.
For dying is only a mode of forgetting, a way of rest, a way of returning to the
Eternal Source, however we may see It.
It is said in ancient lore -
"Arrayed in some new fleshly disguise,
Another mother gives birth.
With sturdier limbs and brighter brain,
The old soul takes the road again".
(At this point, my other sister read this poem - I believe she wrote it herself, but
from where she drew her inspiration, I can only wonder)
You came and touched so many hearts
In so many different ways.
You gave so much, and asked very little in return.
There is an emptiness as if a part of me is missing,
But I am sure with time you will show me how to be whole again.
I know you are safe now, and nothing can harm you.
Remember, although we're apart,
We will always be together.
Part 2
Life and death are one, as the river and the sea are one. For what is it to die but
to stand naked in the wind, And to melt in the sun?
What is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from it's restless tides That
it may rise, and expand, and seek it's Gods unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence
Shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountaintop,
Then shall you begin to climb.
And when the Earth has claimed your limbs, then shall you truly
dance.
(The following poem was written by my father - he says now that it is crude
doggerel, but it speaks from his heart)
Vicki, Fate was most unkind,
Gave adult's body, but child's mind.
Yet from you so much love was spread
Everywhere you were seen to tread.
We'd like to think where'er you roam
In the new world you'll call your home,
There'll be no more pain, no more ills,
No more of this life's bitter pills.
Forgive us if today we're sad,
For we loved you so much - Mum and Dad.
Part 3
(This was read as the coffin was taken from the room used for the service to the
crematorium)
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle Autumn's rain.
When you wake in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
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I am the stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.
********************
Those who were at the service, Pagan, Christian, and agnostic alike, all felt that
these words expressed the "right" things at the death of a much-loved person.
Blessed be
O C
... But to be born again, you must die
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND: The following transcript comes from a talk
that Eric Pryor gave at the Victory in Jesus Church in Denver, Colorado at
7:00 p.m. Sunday, February 24, 1991. There were about 200-250 people in
attendance. The meeting was held in the old Federal movie theatre, which
has definitely seen better days. Attendees were for the most part working
class people with families. The audience was quite vocal and
enthusiastic. Besides myself, there were 5 other pagans in the audience,
scattered around. At least one of these also has a tape recording of the
proceedings.
Pastor Cordova "Larry Lea prayed, and because he prayed, the very general
that attacked him is the very general that got saved." 1/
("Hallelujah!" General praise and applause from the audience.)
this brother, I call up the Reverend brother, come to devil, I mean come to
Denver, and let's give the Devil a black eye. And he called me up and says, Brother,
let's not only, let's not only give a black eye, let's, let's break a couple of legs
already! Alright, Amen! (Applause and cheers from audience.) Yes! Give him a hand.
Yes! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
I want you to stand up and I want you to raise your hands (unintelligible)
Father, in Jesus' name I pray that you anoint our brethren. That his words
would be your words. His thoughts would be your thoughts, Father. That he
would not pull any punches, Father. That he would be an oracle of yours,
Father. Oh Father, you who can set him on fire for you, God, let his words
be as fire, Father, and let the hearts of the people be as brass. Oh, GOD
bring revival to our lives and we'll give you the PRAISE and we'll give you
the glory. In Jesus' name. People, we don't want you to leave tonight if
you have a need. If you're not filled with the Holy Spirit after this
brother's through, we're gonna be down here. Some of us ministers are gonna be down
here with Eric. We're gonna be laying hands on you. We're gonna be praying for you
that God the Holy Spirit would set you on fire cause let me tell you something, time
is short. It is short. Amen. Please welcome Eric.
Pryor: There're so many microphones around here I don't know what to do
with them. Harvesting souls or harvesting microphones here, I don't know?
Well, I'm, I'm I'm glad, uh, to be here in Denver, and I'll tell you one
thing though, the Strongman, uh, he didn't want me here. He didn't want me
here because he knows that I know. He knows that I know that he is a stone
cold liar. (That's right! comment from audience) Big time liar. What I'd
like to do before we, before I get into my testimony, I, after that I've got a
scripture I'd like to back it up with. I'd like for all of us to do
something really special because this glorifies God, OK? And this is part
of giving the Devil a black eye so if you'll just join in with me, if you
dear ones would just stand up and join in with me, we're gonna work on
giving the Devil a black eye, OK? (Audience stands up.)
Father God, we stand here before you tonight, we stand here before you
tonight because we love you, Father God. Father God, we know that you are
the way, the truth, and the light. Only through you and your son Christ
Jesus, through Christ Jesus can we have eternal life and that SATAN IS A
LIAR! So we're gonna do some spiritual warfare here tonight for you, Father God, if
it please you. SATAN! WE SERVE YOU NOTICE. WHERE THE LIGHT IS, THE DARKNESS SHALL
NOT OVERCOME AND THAT SATAN, WE BIND YOU UP AND WE CAST YOU DOWN! ACCORDING TO
MATTHEW 16:19 IT SAYS "WHATEVER IS BOUND HERE ON EARTH WILL BE BOUND IN HEAVEN and
whatever seeds are sown here on earth will be sown in heaven," so, Satan, WE BIND
YOU UP AND WE CAST YOU DOWN AND WE PUT YOU RIGHT UNDER OUT FOOT! WE SERVE YOU
NOTICE, GET DOWN, SATAN, GET DOWN! Satan get thee behind us. Father, we sow the
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seeds of gospel, and we sow the seeds of love, and we sow the seeds of truth so that
all the people to the corners of the world would know of your glory through your son
Christ Jesus, THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, SATAN WE SERVE YOU NOTICE, YOU
GET OUT OF DENVER! We have served you notice you have no legal right in here, Satan,
you have absolutely no legal right to be here.
Now, Dear ones, I want to hear something that's gonna glorify God. I don't
care what you shout, but on the count of three, we're gonna shout to the
Lord because in the Bible, all through the Bible it said that they shouted
before the Lord. As a matter fact, when Jesus comes, comes back, he's gonna come
back with a SHOUT! And he's probably gonna be saying I'M COMING! So I'm gonna tell
you something, we're gonna shout before the Lord and we're gonna glorify the Lord
with that shout, I don't care you yell Hallelujah, Satan be gone, whatever, but on
the count of three we're gonna shout before the Lord and we're gonna shake the walls
of this temple and we're gonna let Satan know that WE'RE HERE AND HE'S NOT WELCOME!
One, two, three! (General shouting and cheering by the audience.)
Yeah. That feels good. That feels good and that glorifies the Lord, I tell you, that
glorifies the Lord. Sometimes it takes a shout to wake up the dead! Let's don't
sleep! Don't let Satan get up behind you and stick a knife in your back! He did it
to me! He was giving me black eyes all my
life. So Satan's a liar and I'll tell you what - I'm here through Christ
Jesus and the Holy Spirit running through me. I'm gonna kick him right back every
time. That's why I wear snakeskin boots, cause it says "and you shall be walking on
serpents heads!" Scorpions and snakes, right? That's all I have to say to Satan. Up
your butt! (Applause and cheering from audience.)
You can sit down. Aren't you glad I don't sing? I wouldn't know what to
sing anyway, other than anointing come upon me and praise the Lord that's
about all I know. And that's about all I want to know, is praise the Lord
Jesus Christ for his goodness and his mercy that he hung on that tree and he bled
for us. Think about that. Here was a man, OK, he was God, but he was temptations
each one, uh, each and every one of us have, yet he was nailed to that tree.
Railroad spikes, think of it, going through his wrists and through his feet AND HE
WENT INTO THE VERY DEPTHS OF HELL AND TOOK THE KEYS OF POWER FROM SATAN AND GAVE
THEM TO THE SAINTS, AND THAT MEANS YOU! AND YOU CAN USE USE KEYS! THAT'S THE HOLY
SPIRIT! If you have the believer's authority, I want to tell you something, you put
on the whole armor of God and the Holy Spirit runs through you, every time Satan
sees you, boy he runs and he screams. He starts hiding up under every little rock
just like the sneaky little snake he is. Maybe we ought to make a pair of snakeskin
boots out of him tonight.
So I'll tell you something about myself, OK? Whew! Boy I just, I just love shouting
before the Lord and I just love giving the Devil a black eye
because man he had me so deceived. When I was a little kid, I uh, grew up
in a uh, really dysfunctional family and that's a very polite way of putting it. I
was abused. Uh, I was beaten. Matter of fact, I wasn't beaten, uh, I was actually
tortured. At a very early age I learned that uh, I had to depend on God for
everything. Now I didn't know anything much about life. I didn't even really know
too much about Jesus. And at 4 or 5 years old I can remember getting on my knees and
crying and saying God, would you be my father. Now in later years I come to know
that that word that Jesus Christ used was Abba, which is Arabic for Daddy. And he's
all of our Daddy. And he loves each and every one of you, and that's for sure.
That's for sure.
So I grew up, you know, under a lot of oppressions. Matter of fact, even
before I was born the doctor said to my mother, you know, uh, Mrs. Pryor.
She'd spent six months in a uh, mental institution, my father actually uh,
helped drive her crazy with a bit of help from Satan. And she said "Mrs.
Pryor, don't have this kid." I already, she already had three other kids.
She said "don't have this child. You should abort this child." She said
"no, no, no, no, I'm gonna keep it and I don't care what my husband says I
don't care what anybody says, I'm gonna keep this child." And she had me
and, uh, I grew up in a bunch of forester(sic) homes for the first several
years of my life. It's sketchy at best I'm researching my life right now
for an autobiography. But a lot of people want to really know what happened
on the inside.
So any rate, uh, it's pretty (can't hear word) to find out that for the
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first several years of your life you really don't know where you are or
nobody will tell you. So any rate, I grew up depending on the Lord for
everything. But I didn't really see it as salvation or anything it was just
naturally praying for the Lord to come and help me. And he did. He
answered those prayers. He knew I wasn't born again. And, uh, since I had
no control over my life, you know, I was getting abused. My parents would
do things like hide food on me. I'd go to school, one time I went to school with a
broken foot. One time I had my skull fractured and I passed out in the school and
woke up semi-con, uh, came out of a coma in a hospital. Didn't even know what
happened to me. Why I had passed out, 'cause night before I was beaten all night and
had my skull split.
It was a, it was, a rough upbring,uh, up upbringing and I call it uh, uh, Larry Lea,
God bless him, he's uh, he's one of my uh, spiritual fathers and
he calls them prayer warriors and I call them GLADIATORS! FRONT LINE MEN!
They see some big time combat with the sword of the spirit. You always
associate gladiators with that sword. Boy, I'll tell you, this is our sword right
here. (Holding Bible aloft. amen, etc. from audience.) And how many of you know that
this is a mighty sword. Big time mighty. (applause)
So, what happened was, is I grew up, I sought power and I sought it in all
the wrong places. Control. So that I wouldn't have to put up with the
beatings, so that I could eat, so that I could just live a normal life like
any other kid. I had all these problems. I just wanted to live a normal
life. So I sought power.
And around the age of, well actually at 8 years old I was already reading
Tarot cards. But around 10 years old is when I really started to
intelligently seek power and I'd always been taught that God was a
judgmental God. I was taught that "GOD WILL STRIKE YOU DEAD if you do
this. GOD WILL STRIKE YOU DEAD if you do that." Some of you older timers
might know something about the manipulation of the hand and the body and how God
will strike you dead, if you know what I'm saying, you know. Well I'll tell you,
everything was God will strike you dead. And I started thinking "what's going on
here? What kind of God is this?" But I was taught that Satan would give you, would
give you power, he would give you money, he would give you the girls that you want.
He'll give you, he'll give you everything. So I got a really wrong picture of Satan.
That was a
deception. And I was taught that deception, believe it or not, by people
who were teaching other people about God. Preachers.
So I sought out, I actively sought out, the occult sciences so that I might
study to show myself approved as it were. And I studied just about every
occult science there was. It started out, candy coated enough with
Witchcraft. I'm a white Witch. I'm not, I'm not out there to hurt anybody, I'm just
gonna you know heal everybody and love on trees and love on the Goddess and worship
nature. Well why worship nature when you can worship THAT WHICH CREATED NATURE?
(audience applause and comment.) WHY BE SO OPPRESSED WITH SATAN WHEN GOD CREATED
LUCIFER WHO FELL AND BECAME SATAN?
GOD IS SO MUCH MORE AMAZING! It's amazing that I'm here today. It is
amazing that I'm alive! I have half the Pagan nation cursing me! Do I look dead to
you? No. It's but by the grace of God that I'm here. Because of his love and his
mercy that I'm here.
So what happened, I got involved in the occult and I really steeped in it.
And I studied. Then one day, I tried to get things right with my family.
I, by that time I was 15 years old, I'd already been an ordained High
Priest. People were already starting to name BABIES after me! I was like a Mozart of
the occult community, the prodigal child! I lived in a temple! I lived in an occult
temple 24 hours a day! I could get up, I had books all over the place and anything
that I wanted to know. I had some of the finest occult teachers that the world could
offer. I'm talking about the big guns. And they all came and they trained me, mano y
mano. They discipled me just like I'm being discipled by Pastor Dick Bernal over at
Jubilee Christian Center. Just like I'm being uh, discipled by, uh, uh, uh, Pastor
Kennedy and Larry Lea, people like that. I was discipled by the greats in the occult
now I'm being discipled by the greats in the Lord! (audience
applause.)
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So, I tried to get things right with my family, and one day I, I had quit
school. I was selling my body in New York City. I was in between New
Jersey and New York as a male prostitute and I was going into covendoms in
New York City. I was doing all kinds of crazy things. I was living in a
temple and kinda coming back into Jersey and sniffing around and seeing what was up.
I was doing drugs boy you name it, I would eat it. If I thought it would get you
high, I would eat it. And I did. I, I, I had more occult books, I had, as a matter
of fact, my library at one time was big enough to fill at least one wall from the
floor to the ceiling high of some of the finest occult books that you could get and
the people that wrote those books were the people that were teaching me.
So at any rate, I decided I'd try to get things right with my father. For
some reason I was like a dog that had been kicked and wanted to come back to his
master with his tail between his legs. So I tried to get things right with my
family, but, uh, of course it didn't work out. And one day I went to the high school
that I used to go, used to go to school at, and I sat in the assembly and Word of
Life Singers from Scroon Lake, New York, Jack Wurtz and Word of Life Singers came
in. They had a crusade. And boy, I'll tell you, those, those, those singers just
amazed me. Now I was very impressed that day and I don't know how I came across this
woman, I don't remember, uh, I had a syringe filled up with battery acid in my
locker and I was thinking, well after this crusade I'm just gonna go into the
bathroom, I'm gonna take that syringe, big 16 gauge needle, and just take it IV and
painful or not, I didn't care, I was just going to do my life in.
And, uh, one young lady just said she had a burden for me. She was going to sing but
she came up to me and she said look, and gave me this little tract and told me a
little bit about the Lord. And I FELT something from her. I felt LOVE come from this
woman by impartation with the love of the Holy Spirit. And I went back and I asked
my father, I said, "Dad, I want to go to this this, this crusade." My father over
his, uh, Jack Daniels and Schmitz Beer is like, "Ah, you can't go."
So I went anyway. And I walked from Bergenfield, New Jersey to Hackensack
New Jersey and I was the first one there. And I sat in an empty auditorium
and watched these people set everything up and I was just amazed by the
whole thing. Well, they got to singing (unintelligible) and they
evangelized and they spoke about the Lord, and they had an altar call. And
it hit me. And I'll tell you I came down for that altar call. When I came
down for that altar call I believe that I had a real genuine experience with the
Lord at that time. I mean I was blasted with something. And I later was uh,
baptized. I was submerged in a baptismal tank. And, uh, the small occult book
collection that I had was nothing compared to the collection you'll see on the video
tape that I burnt up, but it burnt up.
But the interesting thing about these people were that they were legalistic. They
taught me how to rattle off scripture like a machine gun. They taught me all the
"thou shalt nots." They told me you MUST cut your hair. You MUST do this, you MUST
do that. You CAN'T do this, you CAN'T do that. "I'VE been a Christian longer than
you, I know." Notice they didn't say anything about the Lord says. They said I say
and YOU must. They were
judgmental. They were clear with me. And then they sent me up to, uh, a
Bible Institute. And there I was a wrangler and I worked with the youth,
and I had plenty of scripture in me. And I knew Jesus Christ was Lord, I
just didn't like the life I was living. It was just plain old too rigid.
I was still, I still had garbage pail mouth. My mind hadn't been renewed.
And that's where Satan goes, right into the mind. That's where he does his
warfare. Because when Jesus is in your heart, he can't get in there, but he can get
in your mind alright. And he can tell you what you can't do. He can kinda tell you
what you should do. So I went up there and we got into an argument over something
really stupid. Believe it or not, it was a buck knife. Now as a wrangler, it was
part of my job if I had to snap some
leather to save a child's life, or my life or a horse's life or something, I needed
that knife to snap some leather. And they couldn't deal, these are, these are
Christian brothers and sisters, they could not deal with this. they said, "It
presents a bad image of God to carry that knife in front of those young children." I
said "well, don't you think it would present a worse image if one of those children
got trampled to death? I need that knife to snap leather." And he just went on about
this knife and I'm thinking "what's going on here?" Finally I said, "you want the
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knife so bad?" I took the knife out and I stuck it in his desk and I said, "that's
it" and I left.
I said well, you know I mean, it was something after Jesus, I knew there was some
kind of power there. I knew there was power there, but I just couldn't believe that
cause I didn't know anything about a personal relationship with Abba Father. I knew
nothing of that. So I left, and boy, the Strongman was right behind me going,
hehehe, "we got him now. Oh we got this guy now. Not only is he already a high
priest, but he knows where to go." And I did. I went right back to New York City.
Right back to those temples and I started studying even more fervently, trying to
find a way to get back to God. That's all I wanted to do.
It was candy-coated at first. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong at
first. And I started to digress into the darkness. I mean farther and
farther. There were points where I blatantly didn't care. And I hexed and
I cursed, and let me tell you something, I've heard people say that uh,
Satanists are taught not to curse Christians because, uh, Christians know
the Lord. Let me tell you something, Satanists will curse God himself.
They'll curse anything. They'll curse anything that moves including
THEMSELVES and they don't even know it! But they don't care.
So I got involved in Voodoo, Santeria, Macumba, Ceremonial Magick,
Witchcraft, you name it, I was into it. Ouija boards - I had a collection
of em. Tarot cards - I had one of the largest private collections of Tarot
cards in the United States. I was into it all. All of it.
And I'll tell you, as time progressed I got farther and farther into the
darkness and I tried to get involved with the powers of the secular world
and keep my occult practices which I believed to be spiritual practices at
the time, off to the side, just get involved in pursuing my artwork. And I, I was
gettin pretty good with it for awhile. I was making some money. I wound up getting
married, had two kids, we started to buy a plane, started to put money down on my
first town house, uh, I had two cars and I was really, really, really being
impressed by the Strongman. And I was drinking, I was drugging, I was doing all
kinds of things. I was shot four times, no actually I was shot five times, and was
stabbed four times. I've still got the bullet holes in my body to prove it. One time
I actually went through a third story window and had my neck fractured and my lower
back fractured, but by the grace of God I survived. And actually got up and walked
away. But any rate, no, I wound up in the hospital though
nonetheless.
But any rate, I got steeped in darkness and uh, one day in 1987 my wife and
I really we just weren't hitting it off my first wife and I, I started to
really seek after help with my problems with alcohol, my depression and all
this other stuff. And I was practicing dark stuff and I just didn't put two and two
together. I didn't know that that was the SOURCE of my
OPPRESSIONS! I didn't know that. That's how deceived I was! AND I KNEW
WHO SATAN WAS! I HELPED HIM WRITE SOME OF THE BATTLE PLANS!
So, my wife and I split up. And I left in 1987 for a pack of cigarettes and never
came back. Came out here to the west coast. And boy, I'll tell you, what happened
then, that was the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me in my entire life.
And I'll praise and worship the Lord any way you want me to standing on my HEAD if
he wants me to! (Comments from audience "Yes! Yes! Hallelujah!) I founded New Earth
Temple. And I used to go out and do all these works like help the homeless, feed the
homeless. I used to try to clothe the homeless. I even lived with them. I had a
business out here for a while. I even lived with them. I gave up the business to
live with them. I worked with the Red Cross during the earthquake. I did everything
trying to be a humanitarian, figuring, well, you know God's got a weigh that this is
good.
I never really thought about the Lord, although, it's funny, or not funny
depending on kinda how you look at it, alot of times I'd hold Circles, which is like
a service, with the covendom, and while they were all chanting he he, in Enochian,
under my breath I was saying Praise the Lord Jesus Christ. I was a hypocrite! Jesus
Christ was my ace up my sleeve. Now I can't explain any of this. I don't know how to
explain any of this. But I do know one thing, God is not a loving god, he IS love!
He is love! (amens from the audience.) PURE, UNADULTERATED LOVE! AND HE GAVE HIS
ONLY
BEGOTTEN SON THAT NONE OF US SHOULD PERISH, BUT LIVE AN EVERLASTING LIFE
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WITH HIM! And I can think of no better place to be than with God, who can
take Satan and just go like that and trash him in a moment. Satan knows
that the war has been won. But he's gonna take down as many people as he
can. I know he tried to take me down but I, I'm wise to him now. And not
only that, but I got his battle plans and I'm gonna expose him to the saints ALL
AROUND THE WORLD!!! ALL AROUND THE WORLD!!! (Applause from audience.) AND THAT
INCLUDES (unintelligible)
Christians are not wimps. Brother I know that we're not wimps. (audience
response - yea) WE'RE THE MIGHTY SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE ONE LIVING
GOD! WE ARE A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD! WE ARE KINGS AND QUEENS, HEIRS TO TRONES
IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN! AND WE WILL BE UP THERE WITH JESUS CHRIST AND WE
will have angels to judge. WE WILL RULE! WE ARE RULERS! We're better than this. We
are better than this what's happening out here in the world.
GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN ME THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD! DON'T YOU EVER
FORGET IT! (Applause and cheers from audience) AND REMEMBER, IT'S NOT YOU,
BUT IT'S HIM, ABBA FATHER, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT FLOWS THROUGH YOU!
THROUGH THE AUTHORITY INVESTED IN YOU IN JESUS CHRIST'S NAME THAT YOU CAN
KICK SATAN RIGHT IN THE TAIL EVERY TIME AND WIN! Put the whole armor of God on!
(Applause and cheers.)
God alone. I didn't mean to get off track there, but every now and then the Holy
Spirit goes, "Hey, Eric, say this." The Holy Ghost! (Laughter and applause from
audience.)
Any rate, I used to, I used to call, uh, since I had a bad experience with
legalism and all this other stuff, uh, churchianic stuff, you know, you're
going to church and be like, boy if you, in some churches if you get up and
you say PRAISE THE LORD! and you really feel it, they go ssshhhh! Now wait
a second! You're supposed to worship the Lord with a SHOUT! THAT'S THE WAY THEY DID
IT IN THE BIBLE! IT'S ALL OVER THE BIBLE! It even says Jesus is coming back with a
shout! IT TELLS YOU HOW TO WORSHIP THE LORD WITH A SHOUT IN HIS HOUSE. SO LET THE
WALLS OF THE TEMPLES SHAKE TO LET SATAN KNOW THAT YOU'RE THERE! DON'T GIVE HIM AN
INCH, SAINTS, DON'T GIVE HIM AN INCH. Cause you give him an inch he'll take your
life. He'll take your life. That's a fact.
So I used to monitor what I used to call these right wing fundamentalist
preachers. These, these preachers who'd deny us our rights. These free-
flowing Pagans to worship the Mother Goddess ... and the God and to hug on trees.
You know, man, when I look back I, I'm surprised I didn't go into a health food
store and say, "Uh, yeah, dude, uh, I'll order a bowl of dirt and a side to tree
bark, man." And it was really wild. I was twisted! But I was teaching a lot of
people. A lot of people. I sowed a lot bad seed and I pray for a crop failure, oh,
Father, I pray for a crop failure! Cause what you sow so shall you reap. So I pray
for that every day. I'll get on my knees till they bleed if I have to. I'll, I'll
drop any time the Lord tells me to.
So, any rate, I monitored all these preachers and one day I'm sittin in my
office and I'm looking over all these radio show offers, I'm looking over
the book offers, and believe me, I had a lot of book offers. A lot of
people wanted to know what I had to say about the realm of the occult, about the
realm of the darkness. I was (unintelligible) riding a dark horse. I JUST DIDN'T
KNOW THAT THE WHITE HORSE WAS A BETTER RIDE! A MUCH MORE POWERFUL RIDE! (Cheers from
audience.) And isn't that quite a coincidence that our Lord Jesus Christ is comin in
on a white horse? With a sword, I might add. And I'm glad I'm not on the receiving
end, I'm tellin you that much.
So any rate, my wife comes in, he he, she comes running into the temple and
she's got this article and she knows I used to give fire and brimstone
ceremonies to the Pagans (unintelligible.) I'm tellin ya, I was so messed
up it was unreal. I wish I had some of the tapes but we burnt up the
temple. Oh well. But she comes running into the office as white as a ghost cause she
knew this would get me really upset. And the article said this is about Larry Lea,
the article said "God's Green Berets are comin in to San Francisco to exorcise it of
demons, of the demons of prayer, uh, perversion, of witchcraft, of greed, and all
these spirits, right?"
I said how DARE this man blasphemy Halloween! A HOLY DAY! Holy smoke was I wrong! I
was big time wrong! But I got angry. And don't you ever believe that Satan's
troopers are not organized. Oh, we have doctors, we have lawyers. There are actually
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surgeons that are Satanists! We've got one in the military that's a lieutenant
colonel. And they're out there. And they're operating on you! What happens if one of
their talismans falls off into your gut? One of their medallions or something? Whew!
Ugh! Ohh that gives me goosebumps just to think about it!
So, I got really fired up and throughout the computer network I told all the
different pagans, all the covens, which is a group and groves which is an
even, a coven is 13, a grove is larger than 13. I founded New Earth Temple,
uh, New Earth Fellowship of Mankind in '83 and it's so big I don't even know how
many people there are in it anymore. I just, just, just disowned it. And I pray
every day that they'll come to know the Lord Jesus Christ (Amens from audience.)
And uh, I came out here and founded the New Earth Temple, which is like a
little sister satellite. Put it under the same charter and, uh, I started
sending out the battle cry. "Here was another Jim Jones coming into town.
The witch trials were gonna start. Cotton Mathers revisited. I can see it
now. Here it comes. They're gonna break out the witch burning stakes and
they're gonna kill the homosexuals. They're gonna kill the poor, they're
gonna kill the witches; they're gonna kill the wizards and the sorcerers and the
warlocks. In the Bible it says suffer not a witch to live and all this stuff."
And I said "Oh Lord!" And I didn't use quite that word, I said "Oh my God," and God
was listening to me. He said, "yeah, Eric, I got a plan for you. Wait till you see
this one!" But I didn't know it. I did not know it. So yeah, the battle cry. And I
got a lot of response. And along with my temple, I got in touch with all the gay
rights activists, the civil rights activists, cause it was a political issue at
first. To me it was like, "how dare you come into San Francisco wearing combat
fatigues talking about seizing it by force which is rightfully ours? I'm thinking
what the... what's this guy talking on? This is my temple. You're not seizing my
temple." You know? I didn't know what they were talking about, I was just reading
the newspaper accounts.
So, the day before I got everybody all fired up and news started coming out
of the woodwork. We were on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, we
were in the USA Today, CNN, every news station. I mean I saw the news
printout. This went as far as Australia and Sweden. The printout would go
back and forth against this, uh, uh, uh, across this room several times.
I've got stacks of articles. The whole world knew about this.
And I'm thinking, yeah, right. Alright, the Pagans are gonna finally uh, be able to
voice what they have to voice, that they're an oppressed people. Little did I know
that Christian are even more oppressed because of who they are. And the Strongman,
we were doing the Strongman's work. And he's out there to do us down and dirty every
time to each and every quarter that's what he's gonna try to do.
So, I wound up doing a show called "People are Talking." I had spies in the
Christian church. Since I had a temple I had to know what the Christians were up to.
So I just had spies go into Pastor Dave Bernal's church and Jubilee Christian
Center. And I was just trying to figure out the way that I could drop this man like
Jimmy Swaggart, who I had occasion to meet Jimmy Swaggart. And I was seeing that
happen.
When I was doing "People Are Talking", they put all the makeup on me and
stuff in the makeup chair. And I heard that Dick Bernal had just walked
in. And I said, "well, this guy's gonna break out a witch burning stake and this is
gonna be it. We're gonna go to blows." Well, I'm tellin you
something, he was the sweetest, most loving transparent man I have ever met
in my life. And he just loved on me. He talked to me. He talked to me.
Man to man. I found out that we had a lot in common. And his wife, Carla,
who's got that that, that that tenacity, that pit bull like tenacity kept
after me about how much God loved me. And I'm like "Get away I've got a
show to do - for the dark side. But I'm right and you're wrong. I don't
know what you people are." That, that, that love was imparted on me.
So, he said, uh, after the show, this was going to have some coffee. And he said
"you, you're, you're going uh, to the uh, crusade?" And I said, "yeah, but I'm gonna
have to go in disguise cause they published in the newspaper I was coming there to
disrupt the crusade." He said "Why don't you be my honored guest?" I said "what in
the? That's one good way of getting in." See, cause I had planned that if Larry Lea
said one thing racist, elitist, bigoted, not a Christian - don't think I didn't know
what Christianity was all about cause I even said on the news "If they truly are
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Christian, they'll welcome me with open arms" just like Jesus Christ welcomes each
and every one of you with open arms. And Lord have mercy, they sure did.
But, I took a gun with me. I had it in my boot and I figured, "if this
preacher gets out of line and starts with the witch burnings, I'm gonna
shoot this man. Even if I have to lose my life or whatever or go to jail,
I'll shoot him." Because occultists believe just as strongly, a Satanist
believes just as strongly, about what he's doing as a Christian does about
their belief. Some of those really don't care. They even have some of them
so deceived they don't even know. They don't know what to believe in, so
they'll worship a desk. And there are people that do that. There are
people that worship inanimate objects all the time.
So, what happened, the day before the crusade we had a circle and it was
supposed to be a circle, like a service, to bind up and cast down.
Interestingly enough, we were using the same words, that's how you know when they
say that the Devil will use palid half-truths that will sound almost right? Sounded
almost right to me. It sounded right to me, actually. Actually, the circle in on the
videotape. And we got these Pagans together and there was uh a little bit more than
75 it was more like a few hundred just at the day, the circle the day before. That
didn't include the army we had for the next day. Ha ha. We had a surprise coming. We
were gonna go to war.
And I'll tell you what happened. We had our circle. It started out to be a binding.
We figured if any negative energy that was gonna come along with this guy Larry Lea
onto the people because we knew the power of prayer. We knew about the power of
prayer. Now Witches have their own version of prayer. THERE IS POOWER IN WORDS!
THAT'S WHY THE LORD WANTS YOU TO SHOUT! And sometimes it takes shouting to wake up
the dead!
So. We had our circle. And things got out of hand, it just haha, whew boy did it get
out of hand! Well, what happened was it started out to be a
simple enough binding circle we'd keep the energy in there and nobody
getting hurt and we could get (unintelligible.) In the news just your basic Pagan
ritual in downtown San Francisco. Sounds a little bit like Soddom and Gomorrah to
me, I don't know about you guys but's its an understatement for San Francisco.
Unfortunately - you guys do a lot of praying for them there. By the way, let me tell
you something, Colorado is a hornet's nest. You guys may or may not be aware of it.
They're just not as blatant about it here. But they're there. They're watching me.
They know I'm here. AND THAT'S WHY THEY'RE NOT IN HERE! Well great. Because every
chance I get I'll pull down the devil's pants and kick him in the tail. (Applause
from audience.)
Well, what I was gonna say, we pulled up. We pulled up in the car and I got out. I
was the first one out of the car. Pastor said, he said Eric you go out first he, he.
They're your people and they're a real ugly looking crowd. Believe me they were an
ugly looking crowd. There was thousands of them there. There was more like 5,000 of
them there. And they were all dressed like Freddy Krueger. Some of them were wearing
their whole Satanic garb. The Witches were wearing their white Witch garb. How many
of you know there's no such thing between a white Witch and a black Witch? It's all
the Satan. Some it's just a little bit sweeter tasting. A little bit more deceptive.
It's all the same.
So, I got out of the car first. When I got out of the car, they started to
step out and the crowd just ROARED. They were so happy to see me. Cause
they knew that the High Priest of New Earth Temple, a man who spearheaded
and threw all this stuff together was gonna go in there and disrupt the
crusade. Then Dick Bernal gets out of the car. Then they were really
confused. The roar just like instantly stopped and they looked like, huh?
And so Dick Bernal, wearing his casual double-breasted suit, huh,
(unintelligible)
It was really funny. I'm a totally different person now. And when you see
the tape you can see. You know, the Lord did this in just a couple of
months time too. WHICH IS EVEN MORE AMAZING! GOD STILL WORKS MIRACLES!
AND HE EVEN HAD THE SECULAR MEDIA THERE TO DOCUMENT IT AND HE HAD THE
CHRISTIAN MEDIA THERE TO DOCUMENT IT AND THEY PUT IT ON THIS TAPE SO THAT HE COULD
SAY "THE DEVIL IS A LIAR"! (Applause and cheers from audience) AND I'S ON TAPE! WE
GOT IT ON TAPE! And we got it on tape. Devil you are a liar. We got you with your
pants down now! And I'll tell you, he doesn't even want this tape out. Pastor,
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Pastor Cordova will tell you what we went through gettin these tapes here.
Unbelievable. These tapes are so hard to keep in stock it's.... he doesn't want it.
He doesn't want his pants pulled down. Maybe because there's no genitalia there or
nothing. I don't know (laughter from audience). Who knows!
But I'll tell you something, I walked through the crowd and as I walked
through the crowd, I could feel. You know how you can just feel when
someone doesn't like you? I'll tell you somethin, I, I felt hatred. I felt anger.
Matter of fact, you'll see one young man on the tape saying "We're coming here to
hate the Christians." Literally we're coming here to be hateful. I really didn't
want to hate anybody, I just didn't want any of this, this, (unintelligible) stuff
on me. That's all. That's all. Plus I wanted to hear the other side of the story.
There's two sides to every coin. Ha.. There's the dark and there's the light.
There's those that know Jesus, and those that don't. It's that simple. Ha. It's
really that simple.
So what happened was I walked into the auditorium and I felt behind my back
I could feel like a...kinda like if you've ever been uh, uh, body surfing in the
ocean you've got that rush that just pushes you along, kinda felt that rushing,
pushing, hateful energy on my back. And I looked over my shoulder and I could see
through the glass doors and the barriers and the riot police with all his combat
gear on all these people and they looked so diseased and so sick. Half of them had
AIDS. The other half was just totally had blown minds. All doped up, smoked up and
choked up. They were out there and they were saying some of the most disgusting
things I ever heard. And they were throwing ripe fruit at the Christians and eggs
and they were being physically violent. As a matter of fact, I saw one young girl
get kicked in the back. She couldn't have been any older than 8 or 9 years old. They
ripped her coat off of her. And not one Christian, not one spirit-filled Christian
took a Bible and threw it back at em. And how many of you know how heavy a Bible can
be? It can be a pretty formidable weapon if you want to use it in a carnal way. BUT
IT'S AN EVEN MORE POWERFUL WEAPON WHEN YOU USE IT AS A SWORD! (Applause from
audience.)
So, not one Christian, not one Christian threw a Bible. Not one Christian
goaded anybody on. And they forged through in and when I looked over my
shoulder and I saw all that, I immediately felt ... my heart broke. I
looked over my shoulder and I said "My God, am I responsible for that? Yep
you sure are, Brother. You're the one who ha ha got everybody crazy, yeah,
you're responsible for that. If someone gets hurt of killed, it's on you,
Brother. And I thought, whew, blah." But when I looked in the auditorium
through the doors, I felt something else. I felt love coming out of
there. But it wasn't, it, I, I, I didn't really , it didn't read across at
first as love. It was just something different. Something that I wanted to run to. I
was drawn to it.
And when I went in there, people who I would normally find ugly and
disgusting and aesthetically not pleasing to an eye, and I'm an artist, I
made some good money in the art world, people that I would normally find
ugly, people that I would walk up and say "did anybody ever tell you you are UGLY!"
Well I'm telling you something, man I mean I was really a nasty
person, too, sometimes, and , uh, but now I'm nasty for the Lord when it
comes to Satan. So any rate, I, all these people looked beautiful. It was
like they were glowing. Like, I don't know how to explain it. It was
amazing. And so I went in there and then expected the typical "Gee Brother, God
loves you. Here's a Bible tract." and walk on. "Have you heard the word of God
lately." "Yeah, I'll send him a postcard. I'll call him." That was all I expected. I
expected a bunch of crazed Christians to sing a bunch of songs, whoop and holler for
a little while and tell me about how much God loved me, and that would be it.
There was something special about these Christians. These Christians were
filled with the Holy Ghost, and they had LOVE! AND GOD IS LOVE! THAT MEANT THEY HAD
GOD IN THEIR HEARTS! AND THAT'S WHAT WON ME OVER! But it was a battle! Oh the
Strongman worked hard! He worked overtime on me to keep me from coming back to the
Father. Maybe I wasn't even in the kingdom, I don't know.
BUT I KNOW NOW! And I'll tell you something, I see the twinkle in their
eyes and you know when the music started they all swaying and getting into
the spirit there, hands were going up and they're speaking in tongues and
all this, and I said "What do you people do? Drop acid and drink and get
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high and then come to a prayer meeting? What is going on here?"
So I did my best. "I am the High Priest of New Earth Temple, Reverend Dr.
Eric J. Pryor. I will maintain at ALL times." And I'll tell you, I kept on feeling
the Holy Ghost and I'm tell you that when they started singing
"CALLING DOWN FIRE" man, they were singing that song bigtime, I'll never
forget it. It's my theme song now, I love it I can't stop singing it.
Cause I know what it means now! CALLING DOWN THE HOLY SPIRIT! And I'll
tell you, my foot started going and I said "Nope!" Can't dance. No. I'm a
High Priest, I'm a High Priest. Had my collar on, my pentacle and
everything.
All the Christians are looking at me like this, but they were loving on
me. They were loving on me. And the music kept on going and my hand
started. "Nope, Nope, Nope! Man if the media gets one shot of you,
Brother, you're career is over. You have no more power. Those 20,000,
50,000 Pagans. Forget it!" So I maintained pretty much a parade rest like
attitude. You can see that in the video. But I was fighting the Holy
Ghost. The Holy Ghost was saying, "Hey, Eric, I want to love on you. I
want to be inside you man. I want to work through you. I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!" And
I didn't know that. And I stood there and I'm telling you
something, it was a battle like I've never, ever felt in my heart.
So, the first night, man, I'll tell you something, I, I, I walked out and I
was. I was in a daze. I was in a trance. I, I, I thought maybe they had
developed some kind of subliminal laser technology or brainwashing. Maybe I
was being emotionally......
(Some lost due to turning the tape)
...and say "Be Healed"! In whose name was I healing 'em? Not the Lord's,
he he, the Strongman had me deceived and the doctors deceived me too. So I
loved it. Well, David Bremmer, Pastor Bernal and Carla and me, we slipped
out through a side door. They threw tear gas grenades at us. We slipped
out through the side door and everybody's choking on the tear gas and I've
been in so many riots in San Francisco it's like, "Hey, oxygen, you know."
So, I came out the side door, man and we went walking through the park.
All... already there's a homeless dude in the park "Hey, Eric, what's up
man? You coming to the park Monday?"
"Yeah, I'll be there, no sweat."
"Hey, good going. Yeah, you give those Christians hell."
Huh. Satan was giving him hell, not the Christians. So what happened was
while they walked in front of me, I furtively reached in my boot and I threw the
automatic in the garbage pail and I said "Nah I don't want to hurt this man Larry
Lea because everything that this man said I could agree with. So there was a
blackout. The media blackout. The media was at my door all the time. They wanted to
know what I thought about this.
I went home and I was, I was changed already, but I didn't know that. And
my wife, I'm laying down in the bed kinda like this (rigid posture). My
wife said to me "Well how was it?"
"Don't ask!"
I went in that temple room and how many of you know that when there is
really heavy duty demonic presence it's like a refrigerator? It's like a
refrig, it's cold. Well the temple became cold. Everything, everything
lost its glint, it's glitter, it's, it's, it's the fascination was all
gone! It was a hollow place! I was practicing what they technically call
the Olde Religion and what do you do to old things? You bury them. It's a
dead religion. And that's exactly what it was was a religion it had nothing to do
with God. It was man made. It was an Adamism.
So, I lay in bed that night, I, I didn't get any sleep. Just like I haven't gotten
any sleep since I got to Colorado. (Laughter from audience.) Well, now, I did get a
little today. About 5 minutes.
So any rate, well, running on the Holy Ghost, you know. A little coffee
every now and then doesn't hurt either. So, uh, I laid there in bed all
night and uh, my wife she, she, she slept pretty well, but she kinda felt
funny too. And, and I said to her, this was the next day for the crusade
and I was invited back. I had a VIP seat. Boy they really had me. The
Christians are really tricky when they want to reel one in, especially the
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big fish. "Give em a VIP seat. Make im think he's important. Put his name on it.
Yes, and call him doctor even though he's a befuddled Satanist. Yes, Dr. Pryor,
here's your seat." Stoked my ego bigtime. How many of you know that Satan's got a
bigtime ego and so do his soldiers? You know what I'm saying? So, you know, I took
the bait. The Lord gave you just the bait to use.
So I said the second day I said to my wife, "Look," well, she's now my
wife. She wasn't my wife before but uh Pastor Dick Bernal married us by the way. I
AM NOW A MARRIED MAN! IN THE EYES OF THE LORD! (applause from
audience) She couldn't come on this trip, but when I come back, I'm gonna
bring her. She's got an interesting story to tell too. As a matter of
fact, she's in the tape too. And uh, so then, my wife's a scientist.
Secular scientist. Very well educated. You know I'm kinda stupid compared
to her.
I said, "Look, Sondra, you're gonna have to come with me and help me figure
this out because they think... they're doin somethin there, and you can feel it. Boy
if you could bottle it and sell it, you'd get rich." How many of you recognize that
story from somewhere in the Bible? Uh...lemme see now, if memory serves me
correctly, it might have been one of my ancient ancestors by the name of Simon, when
I was practicing. I'm no longer a practicing occultist. Simon tried to buy this and
bottle it. And that's exactly what I thought I might be able to do, walk away with
some of that. Restore the energy in here and use it.
So I brought her with me the second day. And I said, "And whatever you do,
do NOT become born again. If you come back here born again, you're out of
here! You can't be THE Priestess of no New Earth Temple if you're a born
again Christian!" hypocrite, hypocrite, hypocrite, cause I knew something
about Jesus Christ. I just knew it was real. I just didn't know about the
Holy Spirit. I didn't know that the Holy Spirit is that which not only uh,
uh helps you do things that you can not only, can not only do, it helps you
with preparation when you're reading the Word and all that other stuff, but
that the Holy Spirit is what helps you walk a Christian walk, WHICH IS A
VERY VERY NARROW WALK! BUT SATAN'S IS WIDE, REAL WIDE, and you can fall
into the darkness so easy, so so easy.
So any rate, I told her, I said, "Don't you come back born again on me."
And this time, (unintelligible). Every now and then, you know, the music
would be going and everybody'd by "calling down fire" and all these
beautiful songs. First of all, I never really listened to much music except to Pagan
drumming, or Pagan flute playing, or whatever, and, and I LIKED this music! And you
know I started to notice something. Like, for
instance, the Christian band looked like Motley Crue! Half of them were
glowing and had long hair and stuff and I said "Wait a second. This is
kinda messed up here. Aren't Christians supposed to have short hair?"
Christians with EARRINGS in, wearing bizzarre -- don't they all wear, like
black mortician's suits and have short hair and drive big cars and go to
barbeques on Sunday and talk about "How great was your game of golf, George? "I shot
three under par. What did you shoot? "Ah, I got a double eagle today." I played golf
today. But I played it in the spirit! And I pray in tongues when I play golf. I'm
not a bad golfer for someone who's only into golf for a couple of months.
So any rate, I said to her, "Don't you come back born again." So we're
listening to the music and everybody's swaying and Carla's getting drunk in
the spirit again and everyone tried to figure out WHAT IS THIS! We felt it
too, though. So I mean, we literally looked, you know, like at the fixtures to see
if there was some kind of laser technology in there. Maybe there's something
underneath the seats.
One of the funny things that was happened is I never really eat candy. I'll have a
little bit of coffee with my sugar and I'm sure Pastor Cordova and Pastor Bryan over
here will bear witness to that, but I don't really eat candy. Just never really,
lost the taste for it somewhere along the line they had these body guards up there
for me and this one body guard, Jerry Hill, boy God bless him, he was the head
usher, he is the head usher at Jubilee, kept on going "here, you want some candy?
want some candy?" And I'm thinking "These stupid Christians. They think they can buy
me off with a lunch, a couple of cups of coffee, and candy? Ah how simple-minded
they are! What a bunch of fools! I'm gonna take 'em for a ride!" What I didn't know
is that it was sanctified candy. (laughter from audience) IT HAD BEEN PRAYED OVER.
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AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHY I WAS EATIN' SO MUCH OF IT. IT TASTED SO GOOD! SEE, IT TASTES
THAT THE LORD IS GOOD! (Applause from audience.) And the Lord is good.
So, Sondra and I are eating all this candy, and the music's going and I kept on
going "Nope, can't dance." And I had to stomp on my wife's foot every now and then
make sure she wouldn't dance. "Now Quit it!" you know? So, that night Pastor Bernal
took us home and Pastor Bremmer, and he said "look, uh, you know, I'm, I'm leaving
for Hawaii. I gotta be in Hawaii, but Pastor David Bremmer, my associate pastor, it
comes to mind, I didn't like this guy I call him PRESTO PASTOR, cause he's so
SPARKY! and the guy is just enjoying the Lord, man, this guy fasts 40 days every
year. He's amazing, you know. And I really grew a love for these people. You know, I
normally didn't , I NORMALLY never got close to anybody, but I loved these people
cause they were loving ME! GOD WAS IN THEM! GOD WAS LOVING ON ME THROUGH
THESEPEOPLE, just like you should be loving in the world out there, so that youcan
bring them in! That's the bait, LOVE! Cause God is Love! SO USE GODAS THE BAIT Let
it flow through you!So what happened. Pastor Dick went to Hawaii and I thought
"Well, never seehim again. It's been nice. Got a couple of free meals out of him,
but Istill don't know what's happening with these Christians. I agree with
whatthey're saying, but I think it may be Silvia(sic) Mind Control. Maybe theyah,
are in cahoots with Ron L. Hubbard or something, or EST or who knows?"But I still
kept on feeling that feeling! IT WASN'T IN THE HEAD, IT WAS INTHE HEART! THERE'S A
BIG DIFFERENCE! Satan works on the head. He can'tget in the heart if there's light
in there. And, boy, you could see itthrough the Christians, you could see Christians
on fire for the Lord causeyou can see it in their eyes. And, you know, they say that
they eyes arethe windows of the soul, or a mirror, or whatever. That's true, man,
youcan see God. A true, spirit-filled, full gospel Christian, you can see it.So,
what happened? I went back the last night. This was the night of thetest. The same
thing happened all over again, calling down fire and "I amDoctor Eric J. Pryor,
Reverend Minister, High Priest of New Earth Temple, Iam in FULL control. I AM in
full, full, full control. I am. Stop it! I amin full control." And that's what the
last night was like. But, uh, whathappened was, Sondra and I went home, well, what,
before that, I said, "let's put there magick to the test." That's what we called it,
gettingslain in the spirit in the Holy Spirit and laying on hands. I called
thatmagick. That's what occultists do. You see the same thing. I used to beable to
go like that AND knock people down ten feet away. I used to gowhew! like that and
they'd go right down. Ha, I don't know what I wasslayin' em in, but I was slayin' em
in somethin'. Like mud, you know?So what happened? She had a headache that day,
really bad. She suffersfrom migraine headaches and she had a runny nose. So, I said
to her, eachnight they put out an altar call for healing. And I said, "OK, let's
putthis Christian magick to the test". So I said, "YOU go up and get healed.We'll
use you as a guinea pig. I'll just go up, kinda behind you." Ha haha. They laid
hands on her, but everybody went on me like this! And theywere praying and they were
praying and they were praying and I was going. Imean the Holy Ghost was going
through me bigtime. They just kept on lovingon me. And I'll tell you, I walked out
of there knock-kneed; floating onwho knows what? I know now, the Holy Ghost. Ha ha.
By impartation.And I went home that night. Sondra and I were laying down in bed
togetherand this time our house was like, I was expecting icicles to start you
know,forming on the roof of the house, and, uh, she said, uh, "Do you feel it?"I
said "Yeah". She said "Can you sleep?" I said "no". I said, "Can yousleep?" She said
"no". So "Well, what are we going to do?" "I don'tknow". And we just laid there.We
just laid there and they all went back to Jubilee. Our Christian friendswe, well
they said, "well, when we get back," Pastor said "when we getback, we'll invite you
down to Jubilee." So, I called up Jubilee. It was,h, uh, I think it was on a
Saturday and I got their answering machine. AndI think well, uh, Saturday or Sunday.
Yeah, it was a Sunday cause I thoughtthey would answer the phone at church. I got
their answering machine said"Welcome to the Jubilee Christian Center if you know the
extension numberpush the button now." AND I FELT THE SPIRIT, THE HOLY GHOST OVER THE
PHONETHROUGH AN ANSWERING MACHINE! I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! AND I SAID WHOA!THIS IS
GOOD! For a couple of weeks, until I got a chance to go back toJubilee I used to
just call up and listen to that voice, and I feltbetter. And I'd pass the phone back
and forth to Sondra. We got a BIGphone bill! Who cares? It felt great!So they sent
us up, they put us up. Actually, before that, I gotta tellyou, I had a meeting with
Larry Lea. Before the third night early in themorning. Larry Lea never talks to
anybody during the crusades. He's alwaysin prayer. This brother's a big time prayer.
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You know, he prays and heobeys. I do the same thing. Pray and obey. That's it!
That's all thereis to it.And I'll tell you somethin', Dick Bernal calls me up first
thing in themorning last night of the crusade and says "Hey, Eric, Larry Lea wants
tomeet you. He's got a burden on his heart." And I'm saying, "OK, this is mywarning.
I know it. They got the witch burning stake in back of theroom. They got a limo or a
Rolls or something. Yeah, that's it, yeah.Those money-making Christians with witch
burning stakes. Hypocrites!" Nah, nothing like that. They brought me over there,
went into this little roomand there was Larry. Kinda like that. And, uh, we sat in
his makeup roomand boy, I'll tell you, he was the most humble man I had ever met.
And thetwinkle in his beautiful blue eyes and that smile. And I, I used to, I,
Icouldn't even stand a Texan, Texas accent. But he, everybody in Texasaccent I
always wanted to punch for some reason, You know? And he had thisTexas accent, and,
and I loved it!And I'd (unintelligible) that things were working so great that I,
ha, hereI am, High Priest of New Earth Temple. I hadn't made my decision yet, but
Iknew that it was eventually coming. Something was comin' anyway. PastorDick Bernal
was sitting next to me and, uh, uh, Larry said, "Do you mind ifI, if I tape this?"
And I looked up and I said "Pastor Dick, what do youthink?" Little did I know, I'd
be calling him "Pastor Dick" and sharing hisoffice with him at Jubilee! It's
incredible, I mean, things happen, right?So Larry says to me, he says "Eric, can we
talk?" We shared about outbackgrounds and he said "Eric, look." He said, "I can see
in your heartthat you're a man who's truly seeking the truth." And he said "Seek and
yeshall find." and wrote Matthew 7:7 in my Prayer Warrior Bible, which I
justrecently gave away to a man who's a spirit filled Christian who's gone overto
the Middle East, and I said "Look, I know Larry Lea sent 79,000 of thoseover there
to the Middle East. You show them this Prayer Warrior Bible andyou tell them it's
from Eric Pryor a man who went from Pagan to Pentecostand I bear witness to Larry
Lea and his ministry and what a wonderful thinghe's doing. You go out there and you
witness on the field. You just bringthis Bible with you. Maybe it'll stop a bullet,
I don't know." (applausefrom audience.)So what happened? Uh, he said to me, "Eric,
I'm not here to make a convertout of you. Only the Holy Spirit can convict you." So
what I did was Isaid to him, "Look, all I'm interested in is the truth and if the
truth be abucket of water, I'll drink it." He caught that on camera. The
Lorddocumented all of this, it's amazing! He said "I want an air-tight witnessso we
can really kick Satan where it hurts."So what happened was, I went to Jubilee. They
put me up in a hotel room fora couple of nights and gave me a chance to rest and the
next day I went toJubilee. Now I knew that alot of other people knew that I was
pallingaround with Dick Bernal, and I knew that they'd know what was up and Iwasn't
talking to anybody because a battle was raging in my heart forweeks. Before Dick
Bernal came back there was a lapse of time. And I wentto Jubilee Christian Center
and I listened to the Pastor speak. And onceagain I felt that feeling. I felt that
love of God. They prayed, theyyelled before the Lord, they sang songs of praises. I
felt it in my heartonce again and I could see it in all their eyes again and I said
"I wantthat."And I could see alot of people from New Earth Temple and other temples
Iwent to in that audience. I was pretty nervous. I was afraid of abullet. How many
of you know "no one who comes against you shallprosper?" I didn't travel up here
with body guards this time. I do sometimes. And so any rate, they had an altar call.
And he looked at me.He had me right in the front row once again, where all eyes were
upon me,he, he, he. And he had an altar call. And I felt, I felt the Spirit of
theLord call me. He said, "Eric, come to me. I love you. I LOVE YOU!" Justlike he
LOVES each and every one of you. He even loves the sinner. He justwants that sinner
to come to him. So I got up and I rededicated my life tothe Lord and I repented. And
I immediately, I had no(unintelligible) theBook of Acts, I didn't know about this,
but I immediately in the back roomsaid to the pastor, I said, "NEW EARTH TEMPLE MUST
COME DOWN BY MY HAND!"I couldn't believe I said that, but I knew it. And we took
hundreds ofthousands, I mean the crystal collection alone was $60,000, other
thingswere priceless museum quality pieces, we don't know how much value theywere,
and book contracts and everything and we just went into New EarthTemple and uh, we
videotaped this. We've got this on the tape. Talk aboutpoltergeist activity and the
Exorcist, this was even worse. I mean PastorBremmer was choked. We thought he was
gonna drop on us.The lights and the camera were on the same circuit. The camera kept
ongoing but the lights kept on going on and off. Part of that footage theycouldn't
use because I didn't have a re-cleaned-up mouth at the time, so Iwas using some very
carnal language. But we tore out the temple and weburnt it in front of Jubilee
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Christian Center in front of a several thousandpeople. And, uh, the day of the
burning the Strongman actually tried tostop it. It started to rain a little. And
we're having a hard time withrain in California. And it started to rain a little and
we thought "Oh,we're not even going to be able to have our bonfire because of the
rain."But it didn't rain. There was just dark clouds over Jubilee.And we burnt down
New Earth Temple and it all went up. And the fire was sohot and you'll probable see
things like this. One box in one of the uh,fire pits that we couldn't burn. It
should go up like that. It's made outof rosewood. That cheap Indian stuff that
should just go whoosh. Itwouldn't burn because of the contents in it. I mean it was
amazing. Thedumpster melted. The dumpster. The steel dumpster melted. I mean
that'show hot the fire was. So New Earth Temple was no more and I tell you, Ifelt,
whoosh, whoosh, all the stuff coming out of me. I could not believeit. I was like.
Get out of the way! It was just coming out of me. Justsmashing everything up. And I
felt like I didn't even have any weight. Ifelt like I was air.And after it was all
over, all was said and done, and I'd rededicated mylife to the Lord, and I said,
"Lord, I have nothing to offer you back. Me,that's it, that's all I have. And I'll
get rid of New Earth Temple and Iwill pray and I will obey and I will magnify you
and I will glorify you allmy days and I will try to impart the very love that you
have shown me. I'lltry to love on other people too, Lord. And Lord, if you give me
the chance,I'll go around, ALL AROUND THE WORLD PULLING DOWN SATAN'S PANTS. I'LL
DOIT!"So, as a result of watching Jubilee (unintelligible) a little bit oflunch. As
everybody knows these prayer warriors need to ear. Man does notlive on air alone. He
lives on a little bit of the, you know this pastorcan bear witness to that. Full
Gospel. So what happened was, uh, as wewere driving away, now this is really
interesting, we had that dark blackcloud covering, and Carla and I were sitting in
the back of the car and welooked over our shoulders, over at Jubilee and there was
still dark cloudsexcepting right over Jubilee there was a hole in the sky and there
werebrilliant, brilliant, brilliant sunlight shining on Jubilee.That year alone
Jubilee grew 1,500 members. We're into '91 and it's growinglike wildfire. And you
know why? Because they're worshiping the Lord with shouts and there is no room for
the spirit of religion. It's not all about "I've been a Christian longer than you,
so I know more." It's all about JESUS CHRIST, THE LIVING SON OF GOD! (APPLAUSE FROM
AUDIENCE) AND THE HOLY SPIRIT AND ALL THE PROPHETS. IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT SITTING ON
THOSE PEWS WARMING 'EM. IF I HAD A CHURCH, I'D TAKE THE PEWS OUT AND MAKE 'EM
STAND!IT SAYS YOU SHALL SHOUT BEFORE THE LORD! AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO! THERE'S NO
SUCH THING AS GETTING SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT WITH DIGNITY. WHEN YOU FALL YOU LOOK JUST
AS STUPID AS EVERYBODY ELSE. WHETHER YOU ARE WEARING A $600 SUIT OR A PAIR OF
HAND-ME-DOWN JEANS. WHEN YOU'RE SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT, YOU'RE SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT!
WHEN THE LORD WANTS YOU TO DO DOWN, YOU GO DOWN. YOU PRAY AND YOU OBEY! And you be
humble before the Lord. And I'll tell you what that Holy Spirit is moving through
you and you got the whole armor of God upon you, let me tell you something, Brothers
and Sisters, Dear ones, let me tell you something, you can do a mighty, mighty work!
YOU DON'T MESS WITH NO CHILD OF GOD! (amens, etc. from audience.) SATAN SEES THAT
HOLY SPIRIT AND HE FLEES. DEVIL GET OUT, AND HE MOVES! HE MOVES BIGTIME cause he
knows that the war has been won through our Lord Jesus Christ.When Jesus Christ died
for us, and he saidhow heavy his heart must have been when he thought "Father,
Father, whyhas't thou forsaken me?" Who in their right mind would not fall to
theirknees and go "oh, oh God, you gave your only begotten son so that I mighthave
life everlasting!" I am the father of two beautiful young boys and Idon't know if I
could bear to see my kids nailed to a tree for people that I didn't even know, BUT
GOD LOVES YOU THAT MUCH! SO TAKE THAT PRECIOUS GIFT AND RUN WITH IT! THERE ARE
PROMISES AND PRIVILEGES FOR THE CHILDREN OF GOD AND YOU TAKE THEM AND YOU RUN WITH
THEM!A new church is being birthed here, people. A CHURCH THAT IS GOING TO HONOR THE
LORD GOD AMLIGHTY IN A BIG WAY! AND IT'LL PRAISE HIM AND(unintelligible). He knows.
He knows. You shall worship the Lord with ashout and be humble before the Lord and
know that it's not you. It's Godworking through you. And that the Lord doesn't need
you, he doesn't needyou! But he calls you and he will allow you to work for him. My
everyneed. I haven't had (unintelligible). I don't hold a secular job. I comeout
here on a wing and a prayer wondering whether or not I'll be shot. Idon't know. Take
the red-eye flight at 4:30 in the morning I get in here, a couple of hours sleep and
I'll do whatever the Lord wants me to becauseSatan's a LIAR! AND I'M GONNA TELL
PEOPLE ABOUT IT! AND HE AIN'T GONNASTOP ME! Not so long as I have the power and the
authority through JesusChrist and the Holy Spirit running through me no way. No way.
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He cannot stop me.And I'll tell you, when I go I want to go with a shout of praise
to theLord. When I go from this world into the kingdom of heaven I want to be
goABBA! And he's gonna go WELL DONE, OH GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT! AND HE'SGONNA
WIPE THE TEARS FROM MY EYES! AND I'M GONNA SIT ON A THRONE, AND I'MGONNA GET A
CROWN! BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, I AM AN HEIR, I AM A PRINCE becauseof Jesus Christ!
(amens, etc. from audience.) And I've got the mostpowerful weapon in the world. This
(holding up a Bible) could make anuclear device look silly. You can win a war with
this. You can win a warwith this. And I'm tellin' you somethin', dear ones, we are
not on thedefensive as Christians. We are on the offense. TO TAKE BACK
WHAT'SRIGHTFULLY OURS! WE ARE TO GAIN GROUND. DON'T GIVE SATAN ONE INCH OR HE'LL
TAKE A MILE, AND HE'LL TAKE YOU DOWN WITH HIM! And he will, he will. That brother
upstairs blew his brains out and you should see what was on the kid's walls! Slayer!
Van Halen! Drug paraphernalia! But, Praise God, his father's here tonight! (applause
from audience!)I was at Bible Temple today, the Lord said, "Go out there and make
disciples among men." He didn't say go out there and make converts, but first you
have to be converts. First you have to accept the Lord. Then you gotta go to a place
where you can be discipled and taught the things of God, like I'm being taught. And
I'm so blessed. Thank you Father! Oh, I thank you Father for what you're doing to my
life and what you're doing in all the saints' lives. Cause I've surely been blessed
because I know some really serious people in the Lord.Well, I know this brother here
and I'm watching a church be birthed and, and I know that I was here, and and and I
was over at Pastor Bryan's church, Bible Temple, this morning. I'm so blessed. I
really felt so blessed. You know, we went out and we had lunch and my motto is one a
day for the Lord at least to keep my hand in the battle. We were sittin there and
the Holy Ghost said to me, "Eric, that waitress needs the lord." Pastor Bryan, you
want to come up here, Brother. Why don't you tell them what happened? Now this is
the way the Holy, the Holy Spirit works. The Holy Spirit put it on me.Now we're
gonna be casting out oppression. We're gonna be casting outdemons and we're gonna
have an altar call for those of you who arebackslid. The Lord'll take you back.
We're gonna have an altar call forall you who are oppressed. We're gonna have an
altar call for all of youwho are having children who have problems. We'll lay hands
on the parentsand by impartation you go home and you lay your hands on your kids.
Youwatch over your children. You are stewards of your children. We'll havethat altar
call and be blessed by it.Don't miss that opportunity! Cause, I'll tell you
something, I might walkright out the door and they'll be rapture and I'll be gone.
He, he, he. Ican't wait. I'm having a hard time dealing with these cars and snow
andcold and clothes. But, Pastor Bryan, here he'll tell you. Tell you how the Lord
works. The Lord puts it upon you real quick Here's Pastor Bryan from Bible Temple.
Give this brother a big hand. (applause from audience.) We're gonna help bring the
spirit of revival BACK TO WJERE IOT BELONGS RIGHT HERE IN DENVER SO THAT YOU CAN
TAKE SATAN (UNINTELLIGIBLE) (APPLAUSE FROM AUDIENCE).Before we have our altar call,
and that is, none of the proceeds of thistape go to me. All I'm interested in is
sowing seed. And I don't want toleave Colorado with a tape, and I'll tell you why.
You see, it's not onlywere they hard to get here, he, it was only by the grace of
God that theygot here, believe me, but, uh, this is probably going to be one of the
mostpowerful tools that you'll ever have. Has anybody here seen this tapeyet? Can
anybody bear witness to what's on this tape? It's a mighty,mighty tape.I mean this
was God's work. It's not my work, this is not Jubilee's work.This was God's work.
And I don't want to go home back to Jubilee with onetape. I wanna know that you've
got some more ammunition that you can showthe youth. That you can show other people
who are oppressed. Just showthem the power of God's love, cause that's what I did. I
came face to facewith God's love. And you know something? The Lord turns all evil
things to the good. He did. The secular media documented it as well. One right up
your flap, Satan! And we got it all on tape, the whole thing.And hopefully, the Lord
willing, if I can ever slow down for one second andget some sleep I'm gonna put the
words. I'm penning the scribe right now.The autobiography "From Pagan to Pentecost"
which is meatier and will giveyou a little bit more. And it'll also have some
information in there as tohow you can do certain things to help your brothers and
sisters out who need to know the Lord. And with that, Dear Ones, I'm gonna hand you
over to uh, a man who's who's fervent and mighty in this Spirit-filled church and
this other brother here who's got a mighty mighty church in the Lord and these two
brothers here, I'm telling you, are gonna be doing some mighty
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......tape ends
ÿÿTO WICCEN OR NOT TO WICCEN......ÿÿ
by Vivienne West
Christians "christen" a child shortly after it comes into the
world. Surely, then, it would make sense for Wiccans to "wiccen" a
child at the same age - or even earlier.
I have an objection to the christening ceremony based on my funda-
mental belief in the right of the individual to make their own free
choice. The christening ceremony, usually if not always performed
on a person who is far too small to speak for themselves, condemns
the child to at least nominal Christianity all their life. Their
parents are sworn to raise the child as a Christian no matter how
obviously unhappy that makes their offspring, and statements are
made in ritual about the actual belief-system of the child. This is
abhorrent to me: no one should ever make binding magical promises
(and all rituals, even Christian ones, are magical) about someone
who cannot speak for themselves and whose preferences are not
known.
Now, I have read short articles in various Pagan magazines in the
past (one in particular I remember, but Murphy has got to my mind,
so I can remember neither the title nor the authors' names) in
which people have laid out ritual events ar scripts that do exactly
the same thing, only in Wiccan terms instead of Christian ones.
This, too, even as a Wiccan, I find distasteful. Once again, a
person (even if they think of themself as a concerned, caring
parent) is forcing their own belief-system and value-judgements on
someone who is too young and helpless to speak for themself.
I do believe in celebrating the event of birth. Birth is a huge
step: it is a statement about the individual's choice of
environment and associates for up to the next hundred years or so.
It marks the beginning of a period known as life, in which the
individual is offered chances to grow and develop, as well as to
experience pleasures and pain. Birth should be celebrated, and it
is fitting to celebrate it in front of the Gods.
But even as a part of such celebration, do I have any right to
insist that my infant child is going to grow up into being Wiccan?
Obviously, as a Wiccan whose every aspect of life is influenced by
my belief-system, I am going to teach my child about the Craft and
try to instill a love of the Gods that I know and love. I am going
to try to teach a love of the magical way of looking at the world,
as opposed to the boring old way everyone else looks at things. Yet
if my offspring, while knowing all they can about the Craft, decide
it is not for them and some other path (or no path at all) is the
only right and fitting way to live their life, then that is their
decision. I have no right, even at this early stage, to condemn
them to a lifetime of Wicca, no matter what.
On the other hand, though, as a caring parent I have every right
and every emotional need to do whatever I can to protect and bless
my child. I will definitely do a working when this infant I am
carrying is born. This will be along the lines of an introduction
or presentation of my child to the Old Ones, and an asking of their
blessing and protection on him/her. It will not, however, be an
ceremony formally inducting the child into Wicca. That can wait
until such time as he/she expresses an interest in initiation.
"Restoration" Christian Churches and Their Origins
Chris Anderson
> Restorationists: you, mormons, armstrongites,
> millerites, adventists, and other sects whose claim is
> that the original true Gospel was lost or perverted over
> time and that your sect has RESTORED it.
Prior to the appearance of any of these there was yet a different
"restorationist" movement whose doctrines were entirely familiar to mainline
Protestantism. Each of the above groups has been at odds with the doctrines of the
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mainline Protestants at one point or another. Of the collection you mentioned above,
only the Adventists (and at that, not their predecessors) hold to particularly
orthodox positions.
You'll find the original batch of "restoration churches" under the heading of a
'non-denomination' or two such as "_______ Church of Christ" and "_______ Christian
Church". BTW, the fellow up in La Porte, in spite of the name being used for his
facility, is in no way related to these groups.
Here's a brief summary of the whole concept:
The following is a brief summary of the "Declaration and Address"
that was written back in (I believe) 1904. It was the first document that
comprehensively issued the plea of the "Restoration Movement". It is
the closest thing that exists in the way of a "creed" for the various
churches of the Restoration Movement.
The "Restoration Movement" can be traced back to the late 1700's. James
O'Kelly, a Methodist in North Carolina, favored an independent,
congregational form. Abner Jones (Baptist, 1800-1803 time frame) called for the
abandonment of human creeds. J.A. Haidane in Edinburgh, Scotland (1798) had a
substantial influence on Campbell (below) and called for the
abandonment of "human innovations". Alexander Carson (Tubemore, Ireland,
1807) made a plea for the restoration of New Testament church practice.
Barton W. Stone (Presbyterian, Kentucky) dumped the Calvinist thinking on
predestination, and joined Campbell in 1831. Thomas Campbell concluded that "closed
communion" was invalid, and was 86'd by his denomination as a
result. He and Alexander Campbell authored the "Declaration and Address".
The "Declaration and Address" contained thirteen propositions, summarized
below:
1) That the church of Christ is "essentially, intentionally
and constitutionally one."
2) That although this unity presupposes and permits the existence
of separate congregations or societies, there should be perfect
harmony and unity among all of them.
3) That the Bible is the only rule of faith and practice of
Christians.
4) That the Old and New Testaments alone contain the authoritative
constitution of the church of Christ.
5) That no human authority has power to amend or change the
original constitution and laws of the church.
6) That inferences and deductions from the Scriptures, however
valuable, can not be made binding upon the consciences of
Christians.
7) That differences of opinion with regard to such inferences
shall not be made tests of fellowship or communion.
8) That faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God is a sufficient
profession to entitle a man or woman to become a member of
the church of Christ.
9) That all who have made such a profession, and who manifest
their sincerity by their conduct, should love each other as
bretheren and as members of the same body and joint-heirs of
the same inheritance.
10) That division among Christians is antichristian, antiscriptural,
unnatural and to be abhorred.
11) That neglect of the revealed will of God and the introduction
of human innovations are and have been the causes of all the
corruptions and divisions that have ever taken place in the
church of God.
12) That all that is necessary to secure the highest state of
purity and perfection in the church is to restore the original
ordinances and constitution as exhibited in the New Testament.
13) That any additions to the New Testament program which
circumstances may seem to require, shall be regarded as human
expedients and shall not be given a place of higher authority
in the church than is permitted by the fallible character of
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their origin.
Sat 21 Nov 92 17:05
By: Phoenix Whitebirch
To: All
Re: Re: Tools Etc.
This was originally a post by Song Bird in the Herbalism echo. I
thought it was interesting enough to cross-post it to some of the
magical echos.
Note to all: I appologize for the exceedingly lengthy nature of this
post. My thought was that unless you, dear reader, have been following
the posts on this topic, an edited response would be really obscure.
And thank you, Song Bird, for this post to which I am responding. Gave
me pause for thought, for sure! Bless you!
SB>> SH> It is much easier for the student to concentrate on
SB>> SH> their true value if they already know that they can work
SB>> SH> the magic without the tools.
SB>>
SB>PW> I approve! Bravo! I tend to agree with the folks I know
SB>PW> who insist that you're not much of a magician if you depend on
SB>PW> something outside of yourself for your magic. Not that tools aren't
SB>PW> useful! I tend to feel that learning energy movement through your own
SB>PW> mind and body is the foremost important thing in beginning.
SB>Hallo. I'm aware that this conversation is mostly directed towards Wiccan
SB>workings (correct me if I'm wrong), but if I may I'd like to insert a though
SB>into it.
Wiccan, ceremonial magic and generic Neo-pagan, yes...
SB>Being that there are many forms of magic, and some of them religious,
SB>how do you respond when challenged that there are some forms of magic
SB>that are integral to ritual. Without the ritual and it's working
SB>tools of power, the end result of the magic is less well worked.
I suppose I would say that theoretically any magic that can be worked
with ritual and/or tools can also be done without. The caveat with this
is that most of us (self included) don't have the skills, knowledge
and/or power to do without the ritual/tools for certain complicated
powerful working, IMHO. Though perhaps if we worked without tools or
ritual more often we'd get better at it... ;) Seriously, though, I'm
not advocating dropping the tools or ritual --- they're useful. And I
think it's better to do what's useful than to work until you're ninety
before you finally get good at it!
SB>Tools sometimes mean much more than just a focus, more than just a
SB>way to get to where you are going. Ofttimes the tools themselves are
SB>invested of the very life necessary to work the magic.
You're speaking here of tools which carry energy or intelligence, I
assume? I was refering to tools which are made by the worker or by
another worker for the purpose of someone else using them. In my
understanding tools are more useful if they carry energy or
intelligence. If they do, it's because the worker put it there. I
differentiate these from tools which acquire energy or intelligence
through a process other than human intervention.
SB>Shamanistic paths use tools in this way, as an example of one. There
>is soul invested in the very wood and in the nature of the stones, and
>in the casting of the light, and in the movement of shadow, and in the
>rippling shudder of sing-song rhythm. Without these, with only a
>wo/man alone and reft of surroundings, how much are we depriving
>ourselves of?
It sounds to me like in that circumstance we are depriving ourselves of
the opportunity to work with another intelligence. When you use the word
"soul" I presume you mean "entity" as well, to which I attribute some
level of intelligence.
SB>Any tradition that believes in the vesting of power down through the
SB>centuries, in the passing of knowledge, known or unknown, unto it's heirs,
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SB>fits into your definition of the use of tools to enhance personal power.
Not tools. The vesting of power and passing of knowledge is through (as
I comprehend it currently) the partnership of human and deity. As I see
it, the process of initiation (which many workers use, including all of
the shamanistic paths that I know anything about) does several things:
1) charters the individual with membership in the group with all the
rights and responsibilities involved thereof. 2) Passes power or
knowledge from the initiator to the initiate (sometimes the power or
knowledge is seen as coming from elsewhere, such as a deity). 3)
Formally introduces the initiate to the energy and/or deities of the
tradition. 4) Creates a new personality for the initiate which
sometimes supplants the old one. I'm sure there are points I've missed
and not all initiations do all these things.
SB>What is this personal power you use? Certainly that power is from
SB>within, utilizing nothing from without, if you deny the use of tools.
Not necessarily or entirely; I don't consider the ambient power of the
universe a "tool" per se. I differentiate between energy and a tool.
SB>What, precisely, is a tool?
Good question! Does this fall into the same kind of discussion as "what
is a witch", perhaps? :) IMHO a tool must be an object, either
physical or an astral representation of a physical object. If it's not
an object, if it's an entity, energy, intelligence, spirit, or whatever,
it's not a tool, it's a partner (or servant in some circles).
SB>What, precisely, is personal power?
I think of personal power as the ability to exercise one's abilities.
To whatever degree you have the energy, skill and knowledge to do so,
you have personal power. This includes the energy, skill and knowledge
to draw on power from outside your physical/astral/whatever being.
SB>Are the gods a tool, or power, and can we cast without them?
The gods I deal with are real entities with minds, thoughts, feelings,
histories and agendas of their own. They aren't psychological
constructs, or sheer power, or tools. If by "cast" you mean what I mean
by "work", I say yes.
SB>Is inherented knowledge passed through the centuries personal power, or a
SB>tool, and can we cast without it?
I think of power as energy, but perhaps the power passed by initiation
is both information and energy (thus including knowledge). I conceive
of the power of an inititiatory line (of whatever flavor) as a stream, a
line of connection to which all members of that line, living and dead,
connect. We can draw on the knowledge and energy of the line, or we can
work without it. I don't think of it as exactly personal, as it belongs
to everyone in the line.
SB>Are the spirits that surrounds us a part of us and a power to be used, or
SB>some seperate entity and a tool to be cast aside?
Spirits are entities, as near as I can figure, and that makes them
neither powers nor tools. There's a difference, for example, between
drawing on the energy of the moon and making a connection with the
spirit of the moon.
SB>At times, the definitions of tools and power become too intermixed
SB>to seperate. Perhaps, we are nothing without our tools. Perhaps,
SB>there really are no tools. Perhaps, we are the tool. I challenge
SB>that what we are comes from without and that there is nothing that
SB>we do today or any other that will increase or refine our power one
SB>wit *unless* we reach outwards. What we become will pass to the
SB>generations. What has been is within and a tool as surely as any
SB>other.
I have real difficulty accepting that all I am comes from without.
That makes me too much defined by that which surrounds me, and binds me
to be what the outside (parents, friends, society) says I am. I don't
believe I am a tool, even of my deities. I do agree that without input
from that which surrounds us, we don't have any opportunity for growth
and development. That is where connections are so important, and why it
is so important for us to connect with that which nourishes us,
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rather than that which stunts or devours us. What we pass to the
generations depends on the quality of our lives and works.
SB>And when an oak is dead or felled to earth
SB>By one to whom a tree is but a tree,
SB>Where is this treasury of loveliness?
SB>I think it passes to another birth.
SB>The rugged pine that overlooks the sea
SB>May know the charm the desert palms confess.
SB>--Grace Brown
This was too gorgeous to omit. :) --- Phoenix
Solitary Neophyte Ritual from Usenet

This is from the alt.magick group on Usenet. It was posted in the middle of
the last year.
Hello,
Due to an overwhelming email response, I've decided to post my solitary
G.D. Neophyte (0=0) ritual. It's still in the experimental stages, so I'd
appreciate comments.
A few caveats. First of all, compared to the 'official' ritual (which
I included in outline form after my own), it is SHORT. Much detail has
been omitted. This is primarily to aid memorization, but the central
working or 'purpose' of the ritual can be expanded in many ways (I give 2
examples). Because of this flexibility and brevity, it may not stand
up to 'official' standards -- I probably don't mention enough god-forms,
stations, or sephiroth (yet) -- but I still think it's a valuable tool.
In addition, please forgive the somewhat stilted prose in the descriptions. It was
written with the old grade rituals in mind. Also, some parts are completely of my
own design (such as the oath and the eucharist at the end), but I think they mesh
well with the 0=0 'current'.
Oh yes, and: The following is copyrighted, 1992, by Steven R. Cranmer.
___________________________________________________________________________
* * * * * * * THE ENTERER OF THE THRESHOLD * * * * * * *
(0) Precede the ritual with a general purification of the body.
OPENING:
(1) Dim the Temple lights. Lay out thy circle in a clockwise direction,
starting in the East. Set up a veiled Light in the East.
(2) Stand in the center of the circle, light thy lamp in the left hand,
and give the Cry of the Watcher Within:
"Hekas! Hekas! Este Bebeloi!"
(3) Perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, to banish all
unwanted energy from the circle. Precede and follow with the
Qabalistic Cross.
(4) At the center, keep still and listen to the voice of thy Undying
and Secret Soul. Say:
"Let me enter the Path of Darkness and, peradventure, there
shall I find the Light. I am the only Being in an Abyss of
Darkness; from an Abyss of Darkness came I forth ere my
birth, from the Silence of a Primal Sleep."
(5) Purify and consecrate thyself:
Extend thy arms in the form of a great cross, and say:
"In the name of the Lord of the Universe,"
Make three small crosses on thy forehead with the LEFT middle finger
(Stolistes purifies with water), and say:
"Who works in silence,"
Make three small crosses on thy forehead with the RIGHT little finger
(Dadouchos consecrates with fire), and say:
"And whom naught but silence can express...."
(6) The Oath:
Kneel on both knees. Raise thy head towards the heavens, and say:
"I am _______, and I seek the Light."
Lower thy head to the earth, and say (slowly and methodically):
"I am _______, and I do this day bind myself to Know, to Dare,
to Will, and to Keep Silence."
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Raise thy head slightly, halfway between earth and heaven, and say:
"I am _______, and I am a child of earth and starry heaven."
INVOCATION:
(7) Mystic Circumambulation in the Path of Darkness:
Rise, approach the North, and face East. Circumambulate one and a half
cycles with the sun, and pause -- barred in the South. Take a deep
breath before continuing, contemplating the uselessness of fear
uncontrolled, then say upon passing the Hierus in the West:
"Darkness is thy Name,
thou Great One of the Paths of Shades."
Circumambulate one and a quarter cycles with the sun, and pause --
barred in the North. Take a deep breath before continuing, contemplating
the need for balance (the Middle Pillar), then say upon passing the
Hierophant in the East:
"Light dawning in Darkness is thy Name,
the Light of a Golden Day!"
From the East, turn and face the West.
(8) Close thine eyes, and hear the Hierophant say, as you step forward four times
to the West,
"I come in the Power of the Light.
I come in the Light of Wisdom.
I come in the Mercy of the Light.
The Light hath Healing in its Wings."
(9) Turn and face the East. Open thine eyes and invoke the Lord of the
Universe as you step four times back towards the East.
"Holy art Thou, Lord of the Universe!
Holy art Thou, whom Nature hath not Formed!
Holy art Thou, the Vast and the Mighty One!
Lord of the Light and of the Darkness!"
Simultaneously, make the active invoking pentagram of spirit with thy
right index finger, and the passive invoking pentagram of spirit with
thy left index finger.
(10) Touch the Light in the East with thy right hand, and say:
"Inheritor of a Dying World,
We call thee to the Living Beauty."
Touch the Light with thy left hand, and say:
"Wanderer in the Wild Darkness,
(light the Light)
We call thee to the Gentle Light."
Touch the Light with both hands, and say:
"Long hast thou dwelt in Darkness,
Quit the Night and seek the Day!"
Knock with the right foot with each pulse of the Battery, and take small steps (9)
backwards, extending the Light...
KHABS AM PEKHT !
KONX OM PAX !
LIGHT IN EXTENSION !
Bask in the power and glory of the Light, and imagine the god-form of
Horus surrounding thee.
(11) At this point in the ritual, many things can be done. Two reflective
practices, however, are obvious:
(a) DIVINATION: Sit in the center of the circle, face the
Light, and perform thy castings. Begin with
the sign of Horus, and end with the sign of
Harpocrates.
(b) RECITATION OF THE TREE OF LIFE:
Step forward, starting with the right foot, and trace out
the Tree of Life, rising on the upward Lightning Flash.
Vibrate each sephiroth-name as it is passed.
Arriving at Kether in the East, bask in the power and glory
of the Light. Vibrate each Hebrew letter name, starting
with Aleph, and meditate on its meaning, position in the
Tree, and Tarot image.
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Turn to the West and formulate the Middle Pillar, beginning
with the sign of Horus and ending with the sign of
Harpocrates.
CLOSING:
(12) Mystic Reverse Circumambulation in the Pathway of Light:
Rise, and approach the East. Face towards the East and make the signs of
Horus and Harpocrates. Circumambulate with the sun three times (making the
above 0=0 signs upon each passage to the East -- three more times). Stop and
turn to the West.
(13) Go to the center and face West. Purify and consecrate thyself:
Extend thy arms in the form of a great cross, and say:
"In the name of the Lord of the Universe,"
Make three small crosses on thy forehead with the LEFT middle finger
(Stolistes purifies with water), and say:
"Who works in silence,"
Make three small crosses on thy forehead with the RIGHT little finger
(Dadouchos consecrates with fire), and say:
"And whom naught but silence can express,"
Extend thy arms once again in the form of a great cross, and say:
"I declare that the Sun has arisen and the shadows flee away!"
(14) Face the East, and take thy eucharist:
(NOTE: The following is ancient Egyptian, from the Book of the
Dead. Roughly translates as "I live in MAAT, I nourish
my heart on MAAT")
Sipping the wine, say: "Onkh-ya, em-maot."
Eating the bread, say: "Som-ya, em-maot."
Swallowing both, say: "Ab-ya."
(15) Contemplate the achievement of the Light:
"Be my mind open to the Higher.
Be my heart a centre of the Light.
Be my body a Temple of the Rosy Cross."
(16) Final banishment: (precede and follow with the Qabalistic Cross).
Make a rose-cross in the east. First, make the vertical line, from
top to bottom, saying:
"In the name of Yeheshuah the redeemer,"
Make the horizontal line, from left to right, saying:

"I do now suffer all spirits bound by this ceremony
to depart in peace unto their places."
Make the circle, starting at the rightmost point and going clockwise,
saying:
"May the blessing of Yeheshuah Yehovashah be with you
now and forever more, and let there be peace between
me and you."
(17) Stand in the center of the circle, light thy lamp in the left hand,
and give the Cry of the Watcher Within:
"Tetelestai!"
(18) Douse the unveiled Light. Take up thy circle in a counter-clockwise
direction, starting in the East. Raise the Temple lights.
___________________________________________________________________________
An outline of the full Neophyte ceremony follows.
The letters in column 1 refer to the breakdown of the ritual
in the Z.2 'formulae of light.'
___________________________________________________________________________
* * * THE ENTERER OF THE THRESHOLD * * *
A East
A ---------------------------------
A | IM CN PH PR |
A | HP ______ |
A | \east/ |
A |-------------------------------|
A | (B) HG (J) |
A | |
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A North | ------- | South
A |ST | + | DA|
A | | /_\ | |
A | ------- |
A | ______ KX |
A | \west/ HS |
A ---------------------------------
A West SN
B HP = Hierophant
C IM = Imperator (Gevurah)
C CN = Cancellarius (Chesed)
C PR = Praemonstrator (Tiphareth)
C PH = Past Hierophant
C HS = Hierus
C HG = Hegemon
C KX = Kerux
C ST = Stolistes
C DA = Dadouchos
C SN = Sentinel
D The Candidate, in black. Head covered with hood-wink, rope tied
D thrice around waist.
E THE OPENING OF THE 0=0 GRADE
E
E 01. HP / (/ is symbol for knock)
E 02. KX gives call: `Hekas! Hekas! Este Bebeloi!'
E 03. HP supervises the opening....
E - KX and SN knock to check that the Hall is guarded.
E - HS accepts Neophyte signs from all to assure secrecy.
E 04. Naming of chief officers of this grade (HP,HS,HG).
E Naming of lesser officers. (by NAMING, Invisible stations awake)
E Explanation of stations and duties of all officers.
E 05. Purification and Consecration (of the Hall) with water and fire.
E 06. 1st Mystical Circumambulation (in the Pathway of Light;
E Rashith ha-Gilgalim - the swirlings of the Primum Mobile).
E 07. All rise, adoration: `Holy art thou, Lord of the Universe....'
E 08. KX declares the Hall opened.
E 09. Battery of the 0=0 grade: HP /, HS /, HG / : KHABS AM PEKHT
E HS /, HG /, HP / : KONX OM PAX
E HG /, HP /, HS / : LIGHT IN EXTENSION
E 10. All sit. KX removes rose, cup, paten, and lamp from altar.
F 11. HP announces dispensation from 2nd Order Chiefs to admit Candidate.
F 12. HG goes out to prepare candidate. Knocks for entry.
G 13. HG LEADS IN CANDIDATE.
G 14. Speeches by HG, ST, DA, HP, KX : unpurified; barred from entering.
G 15. 1st purification and consecration (of Candidate).
H 16. HP asks Candidate why he has come. HG replies for Candidate.
I 17. HP asks Candidate if he/she is prepared for the Oath, and explains
I its ramifications and limits.
J 18. Candidate kneels. All 6 officers form a hexagram around him/her.
J 19. The OATH is repeated.
J 20. Candidate rises.
K 21. HG takes Candidate to NORTH of Hall (greatest symbolical darkness).
L 22. Mystical Circumambulation - all pass HP twice, then KX bars the
L Candidate's passage to the WEST.
L 23. 2nd purification and consecration.
M 24. Procession proceeds to HS. HS promps HG for his name.
M 25. Hood-wink momentarily lifted as HG answers.
N 26. Circumambulation continues. All pass HP and HS again, then KX bars
N Candidate's passage to the EAST.
N 27. 3rd purification and consecration.
O 28. Procession proceeds to HP. HP promps HG for his name.
O 29. Hood-wink momentarily lifted as HG answers.
P 30. Circumambulation leads to Altar (Candidate on WEST side). All
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P officers, in hexagram pattern, but HP kneel.
P 31. HP invokes the Lord of the Universe.
Q 32. All rise. HG, HS, HP speeches to the effect of: `Long hast thou
Q dwelt in Darkness - Quit the Night and seek the Day!'
Q 33. The Candidate is received into the Light:
Q HP /, HS /, HG / : KHABS AM PEKHT
Q HS /, HG /, HP / : KONX OM PAX
Q HG /, HP /, HS / : LIGHT IN EXTENSION
R 34. Candidate led to EAST side of Altar. Receives signs, tokens, and
R words from HS.
R 35. 4th purification and consecration (between the Pillars).
S 36. Rope of darkness removed. Badge of 0=0 received.
S 37. Final Mystical Circumambulation. All pass HP thrice.
T 38. HP explains rope, hood-wink, Altar (with cross, triangle, and 4
T elements), the mystical words, the pillars, lamps, and officers'
T stations and meanings.
T 39. KX declares that NEOPHYTE has been initiated into 0=0.
U 40. HS addresses Neophyte on secrecy, study, and humility.
V 41. HP addresses Neophyte on detail of grade progression.
W 42. KX performs mixing of clear & bloody fluids. Explains the
W importance of the Oath taken.
X THE CLOSING OF THE 0=0 GRADE
X
X 43. HP /
X 44. KX gives call: `Hekas! Hekas! Este Bebeloi!'
X 45. HP supervises the closing....
X - KX and SN (& HS,HG) knock to check that the Hall is guarded.
X - HS accepts Neophyte signs from all to assure secrecy.
X 46. Final Purification and Consecration (of the Hall).
X 47. Mystical REVERSE Circumambulation.
X 48. All rise, adoration: `Holy art thou, Lord of the Universe....'
X 49. Mystic Repast (eucharist of 4 elements). All partake.
X 50. KX declares `It is finished!' (inverts cup), TETELESTAI!
X 51. HP /, HS /, HG / : KHABS AM PEKHT
X HS /, HG /, HP / : KONX OM PAX
X HG /, HP /, HS / : LIGHT IN EXTENSION
X 52. Final QUINTESSENCE speech of HP. Neophyte led out by KX.
The Lady's Prayer
Our Mother
Who art here present,
Honored be thy name.
Thy time is come
We shall be One
On Earth, which is our heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And love us in our imperfections
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
For thine is the spirit of the great
transformation
Forever and ever.
Amen.
The Gaea Thesis
IN order the understand the nature of the All-Mother, we must first understand our
own origins. Each of began our individual life as a single, fertilized cell or
zygote. In the processs of its innumerable divisions and multiplications, that cell
kept dividing up and redistributing the very same protoplasm. That protoplasm which
now courses through all of the several trillion cells of your adult body is the very
same substance which once coursed through the bosy of that original zygote. For when
a cell reproduces, the mother cell does not remain intact, but actually becomes the
two new daughter cells. ANd this is why, no matter how many times a cell fissions in
the process of embryological development, all the daughter cells collectively
continue to compprise but one single organism.
We may imagine that, should our cells have consciousness akin to our own, they may
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very well fancy themselves to be independent entities living and dying in a world
that to them would seem to be merely an inanimate environment. But we know them to
be in fact minute components of the far vaster living beings that we ourselves are.
Over four billion years ago, life on Earth bega, as do we all, with a single living
cell containing a replicating molecule of DNA. From that point on that original
cell, the first to develop the awesome capacity for reproduction, divided and
redividied and subdivided its protoplasm into the myriads of plants and animals,
including ourselvs, which now inhabit this third planet from the Sun.
But no matter how many times a cell fissions in the process of embryological
development, all the daughter cells collectively continue to comprise but one single
organism. ALl life on Earth comprises the body of single vast living being -- Mother
Earth Herself. The Moon is Her radiant heart, and in the tides beat the pulse of Her
blood. That protoplasm which coursed through the body of that first primeval
ancestral cell is the very protoplasm which now courses through every cell of every
living organism, plant or animal,of our planet. And the soul of our planetary
biosphere is She whom we call Goddess/
"First life on my sources
First drifted and swam
Out of me are the forces
Which save it or damn
Out of man and woman
and wild-beast and bird
Before God was, I am"
...These three streams of spirituality -- Deep Ecology, Goddess Spirituality, and
Neo-Paganism--have met and mingled with Native AMerican, Hawaiian and other ancient
spiritual teachings and fused somewhat with the more nebulous New Age Movement. What
is struggling to be born from thei blending of pathways is a truly planetary
religious metaphor that will transcend all the tradition- specific patters in the
same way the idea of Neo-Paganism absorbed and united a multiplicity of wildly
differing but basically polytheistic religious groups in the 1960's and 1970's.
Perhaps what we are looking for could be called Gaean religion, becuase at the heart
of our Unity is our identity as children of the same Mother -Gaea Herself; Mother
Earth. It is said that it is a wise child that knows it's own MOther!
A brief digression on etymology here: Who is Gaea, that we would name a
movement after Her? The name Gaea is the Greek name for the Earth Mother
Goddess: She who was created by Light and by Love from the primal cosmicchaos.
Pierced by the arrows of Eros, Gaea gave birth to all the plants, animals,
gods and goddesses and of course the human race. So Gaea is the Mother of us all
according to ancient Greek mythology.
From the moment that the people of Earth achieved the ability to observe the image
or our planet spinning in all Her radiant blue and white splendour throught the
black velvet night, we have been impelled towards planetary identification. We must
inevitably begin to think of ourselves as one planet, one people, one organism. The
power of that image alone unites us, not to mention the conept that the past
three-and-a-half billion years of terrestrial evolution resembles one vast
embryogenesis. Something is developing, hatching, unfolding as a self-reflexive mind
capable of contemplating its own existence. Gaea developed increasingly complex eyes
and extensions of Her eyes/our eyes in order to contemplate Her own image. And now,
having seen herself through our satellite eyes, She is awakening to consciousness.
She has a face, an identity and now even a name, and so we inevitably come to
identify ourselves through Her as Gaean.
A Gaean movement would be deeply committed ti communication and education.
Many tribal people and many of the old nature-based fold religions such as
native Australians, Hawaiians, Siberians, Tibetans and Americans have come to the
brink of extincition rather than to allow the mysteries of their sacred rites to
pass outside of their tribes. Others have realized the need to become more eclectic
if they are to survive.
The Gaean movement is presently small and largely unrecognized, since it is
anrachic and not evangelical, but it has tremendous potential in having no
single head and presenting a genuine answer to so many of the world's problems. Its
vision is, in fact, an idea whose time has come. Yet there are still many obstacles,
and revolutions in consciousness rarely happen overnight. The greatest forces
operating against a new Gaean renaissance are inertia and apathy...the watchwords of
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the 70's and 80's. But winds of change are blowing and by the time the century turns
we will see that once again Goddess is Alive and Magick is Afoot! "And you who think
to seek for me, Know that your seeking and yearning will avail you nought, Unless
you know the Mystery: That if that which you seek you find not within you, You shall
never find it without. For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am
that which is attained at the end of desire. "
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VOLUME The FIFTH

RIDERS OF THE CRYSTAL WIND

The Charge of the Goddess

Charge of The Horned God

======RHYMING CHARGE OF THE GODDESS======

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The Book of Ways (Volumes 1 & 2) 1981 & 1982

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THE CHARGE OF ARADIA

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