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Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 414 | Ruirtech - one of the twelve chief rivers of Ireland (q.v.) (62)
Sal - see Eochaid (121)
salmon of knowledge, five - see hazels of wisdom (28)
Samair - one of the twelve chief rivers of Ireland (q.v.) (62)
Samhain - (Sow-in) after the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh, only four
men of the Fomor were left in Ireland, and they were driven out one
Samhain night by Morrigu and Angus Og (67)
Samthainn - brother of Cian and Goibniu, he lived with them at Druim
na Teine (39)
Scathniamh - (Scau-nee-av) styled 'the Flower of Brightness', she was
a daughter of Bodb Dearg who gave her love to Caoilte (80)
Sceilg Michill - the small island where Ir was buried (73)
Scetne - the place where the host of the Fomor landed in Ireland just
before the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh (60)
Scota - the wife of Miled, she was killed in the first battle fought
between the Tuatha De Danaan and the Sons of the Gael (75)
Scuabtuine - styled 'the Sweeper of the Waves', it was Manannan's
curragh, which was often used by Lugh and kept at Brugh na Boinn (50)
Seanchab - grandson of Neid, he was one of the chief men of the Fomor
(42)
Sean-Slieve - Lugh passed the head of it on his way to do battle with
Bres (45)
Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh - at Magh Tuireadh (2), it is where the
great battle between the Tuatha De Danaan and the Fomor took place
(63), after which there were only four men of the Fomor left in
Ireland, till they were driven out one Samhain night by Morrigu and
Angus Og (67)
Segois - one of the twelve chief mountains of Ireland (q.v.) (62)
Senias - one of the four wise men and teachers of the Tuatha De Danaan
before they came to Ireland. His home was Murias (27).
Sgoith Gleigeil - styled 'the White Flower', he was one of the sons of
Manannan. His brothers included Goitne Gorm-Shuileach, Sine Sindearg,
and Donall Donn-Ruadh. His foster brother was Lugh (41).
Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD
449
Shannon - a river containing the ford of Athluain (45), it was named
after Sionan, one of the only women (probably a goddess) to eat of the
salmon of knowledge (DIM)
Sidhe Femen - (Shee -----) home of Bodb Dearg, and he put great
enchantments about it (77) |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 415 | Sidhe Fionnachaidh - the Hill of the White Field, on Slieve Fuad; the
home of Lir (77)
Sine Sindearg - styled 'of the Red Ring', he was one of the sons of
Manannan. His brothers included Sgoith Gleigeil, Goitne
Gorm-Shuileach, and Donall Donn-Ruadh. His foster brother was Lugh
(41).
Siogair - see Dobar (49)
Sionnan - one of the twelve chief rivers of Ireland (q.v.) (62), a
variant of Shannon (q.v.)
Sital Salmhor - one of the chief men of the Fomor (42)
Siuir - one of the twelve chief rivers of Ireland (q.v.) (62)
Slaine - lying to the west of Magh Tuireadh (2) to the east of Loch
Arboch, the well of Slaine was used by Diancecht, Octruil, and Airmed
to restore to lifethe slain warriors of the Tuatha De Danaan in the
second battle of Magh Tuireadh (64)
Slane - vaiant of Slaine (q.v.) (64)
Slieve Bladma - (Sleev ------) one of the twelve chief mountains of
Ireland (q.v.) (62)
Slieve Cuailgne - the place where Cuailgne was killed (75)
Slieve Eibhline - the place where the Sons of the Gael met Fodhla (71)
Slieve Fuad - the place where Fuad was killed (75), and the location
of Sidhe Fionnachaidh (77)
Slieve Leag - one of the twelve chief mountains of Ireland (q.v.) (62)
Slieve Macca Belgodon - one of the twelve chief mountains of Ireland
(q.v.) (62)
Slieve Mis - one of the twelve chief mountains of Ireland (q.v.) (62),
it is where the Sons of the Gael met Banba, and Amergin talked with
her (71)
Slieve Snechtae - one of the twelve chief mountains of Ireland (q.v.)
(62)
Sligech - one of the twelve chief rivers of Ireland (q.v.) (62)
Sons of the Gael - also called the sons of Gaedhal, they came from the
south to invade Ireland and avenge the death of Ith, one of their race
who had come to Ireland before and met his death there (71)
Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD
450
Spear of Victory - one of the four great treasures the Tuatha De
Danaan brought to Ireland from the north. It came from the city of
Finias (27).
Sreng - a great fighting man of the Firbolgs, he was sent to meet the
Tuatha De Danaan when they first came to Ireland (28). He led the |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 416 | forces of the Firbolgs after King Eochaid fell (31), and it was he
that struck off Nuada's arm (31).
Stone of Virtue - the Lia Fail (q.v.) (27)
streams of wisdom, seven - see hazels of wisdom (28)
Sweetheart of the Sidhe - see Leanan Sidhe (86)
Sword - one of the four great treasures the Tuatha De Danaan brought
to Ireland from the north. It came from the city of Gorias (27).
Tabarn - see Cathmann (114)
Tadg (1) - (Teig) son of Nuada and husband of Ethlinn and, by her,
father of Muirne and Tuiren (68)
Tadg (2) - the son of Cianand and brother of Airnelach and Eoghan, he
went to the Land of the Ever-Living Ones (114) on his journey to
rescue his wife, Liban, and his two brothers (120)
Taillte - daughter of the king of Magh Mor and wife of Duach and
foster-mother of Lugh, she died during Lugh's kingship and was buried
on the plain of Midhe and is honored each summer by fires and keening
and games and sports at the place called Taillten (68)
Taillten - named after Taillte, it is the place where fires, keening,
games and sports are held each summer in her honor (68)
Tailltin - (probably a variant of Taillten) it is the place Eriu's
forces were driven back to during the first battle between the Sons of
the Gael and the Tuatha De Danaan, and where the Battle of Tailltin
(q.v.) was subsequently fought (75)
Tarba - the oak-wood where Niall caught up with Cailcheir (81)
Teamhair - (T'yower, or Tavvir) residence of Eochaid when the Tuatha
de Danaan first came to Ireland (28). The Tuatha de Danaan took
possession of it after the first battle of Magh Tuireadh, and from
that time it was the chief place of Ireland, for its king was the High
King. It was sometimes called Druim Cain, the Beautiful Ridge, and
Liath-druim, the Grey Ridge, and Druim na Descan, the Ridge of the
Outlook. The king's rath lay to the north (31). The Dagda made his
home here after losing the Brugh na Boinne to Angus (82)
Tethra - a king of the Fomor, he owned the sword called Orna that was
later found by Ogma (66)
Three Gods of Craftsmanship - Credne, Luchtar, and Goibniu (DIM)
Tiabhal - one of the Queens of the sea, her image was placed by Culain
Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD
451
on Conchubar's magical shield (98)
Tir Tairngaire - the Land of Promise, Manannan's country (111)
Tir-nam-Beo - the Land of the Ever-Living Ones, Manannan's country
(113) |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 417 | Tower of Glass - on the Island of the Tower of Glass (q.v.), it was
the home of Balor (38)
Traig Mor - the Great Strand, in Manannan's country (114)
Traigh Eothaile - the strand where King Eochaid fell in the battle
against the Tuatha de Danaan. He was buried there with a great heap
of stones raised over his grave (30).
Treon - of the Tuatha De Danaan; see Gebann (119)
Trogain - see Fertuinne (79)
Tuag - fosterling of Conaire the High King, she was loved by Manannan,
but his pupil Fer Ferdiad failed in his attempt to bring her to
Manannan, and the girl drowned (98)
Tuaidh - see Rider of the Wave of Tuaidh (58)
Tuatha de Danaan - (Too-a-ha-dae Donnan) styled 'the Men of Dea', the
people of the gods of Dana who came from the North through the air in
a mist to Ireland (27). They landed in north-west Connacht on
Beltaine (28).
Tuirbe - father of Goibniu the Smith, he was famous for the cast of
his axe (81)
Tuireann - son of Ogma, his own three sons were Brian, Iuchar, and
Iucharba (47) and his daughter was Ethne. His sons had a
long-standing feud with the three sons of Cainte and they killed Cian
on the Plain of Muirthemne (43)
Tuiren - daughter of Ethlinn and Tadg, sister of Muirne, and mother of
Bran (68)
Tuis - the King of Greece, killed by Brian (53), he was owner of a
healing pig-skin that was among the payments that Lugh demanded from
the sons of Tuireann for the death of Cian (48)
Tulach na Bela - 'the Hill of the Axe', place from which Tuirbe would
cast his axe (81)
twelve chief lochs of Ireland - they are Derc-Loch, Loch Luimnech,
Loch Orbsen, Loch Righ, Loch Mescdhae, Loch Cuan, Loch Laeig, Loch
Echach, Loch Febail, Loch Decket, Loch Riach, and Mor-Loch (62)
twelve chief mountains of Ireland - they are Slieve Leag, Denda Ulad,
Bennai Boirche, Bri Ruri, Slieve Bladma, Slieve Snechtae, Slieve Mis,
Blai-Slieve, Nemthann, Slieve Macca Belgodon, Segois, and Cruachan
Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD
452
Aigle (62)
twelve chief rivers of Ireland - they are the Buas, the Boinn, the
Banna, the Nem, the Laoi, the Sionnan, the Muaid, the Sligech, the
Samair, the Fionn, the Ruirtech and the Siuir (62)
Uaitne - also called Dur-da-Bla and Coir-cethar-chuin, it was the |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 418 | Dagda's magic harp which was taken by the Fomor during the second
battle of Magh Tuireadh. Lugh and the Dagda and Ogma went to retrieve
it. When the Dagda called to it, it sprang toward him, killing nine
men of the Fomor on its way. The Dagda then played the sleeping
strain and as the Fomor slept, he restored to Ireland all the cattle
that the Fomor had taken in tribute. (67)
Uillenn Faebarderg - of the Red Edge, some say he killed Manannan in
battle at Magh Cuilenn (96).
Uisnech - mentioned briefly in Ethne's complaint (58), the place where
the five provinces meet, and the first place there was ever a fire
kindled in Ireland (by Mide). Some say that Lugh died there (68).
The hill of Uisnech is where the Sons of the Gael met Eriu, and Eremon
spoke with her (72).
Ullad Echne - it lay to the south of the river Unius (61)
Un - the husband of Fais (75)
Unius - a river of Connacht where the Morrigu was washing herself when
the Dagda returned from the camp of the Fomor (61). The foot of the
Unius was called the Ford of Destruction since the second battle of
Magh Tuireadh (66)
Urias - styled 'of the noble nature', one of the four wise men and
teachers of the Tuatha de Danaan before they came to Ireland. His
home was Gorias (27).
Valley of Fais - a valley at the foot of a mountain, it is were Fais
was killed (75)
Valley of the Mata - near the house of the Dagda at Brugh na Boinne
(80)
Wall of the Three Whispers - in Teamhair, it was near the House of the
Women (31)
Wave of Tuaidh - see Rider of the Wave of Tuaidh (58)
Whisper of the Men of Dea - see Grellach Dollaid (40)
BOOK OF SHADOWS
BOOK THE SECOND
PP. 453 - 906
RIDERS OF THE CRYSTAL WIND
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Minster Speaks Out (J. gordon Melton) .........................975
A Plea For Initiation Standards (Ellen Cannon Reed) .............908
A Tale of Two Witches (Mike Nichols) ............................147
All Hallows Eve (Mike Nichols) ..................................137
Altar Dedication (Durwydd) .....................................125
Amazing (Pagan?) Grace ..........................................959 |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 419 | Ancient Art, The ................................................551
Answers (Grove of the Unicorn) ..................................479
Asatru (Rathulvf Jamieson) ......................................952
Astral Projection (Monroe Technique) ............................783
Athame Dedication (Durwydd) .....................................125
Autarchic Creed .................................................562
Banes, Bindings, and Mirrors (Judy Harrow, Hugh Read) ...........628
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 (Seastrider) .....................................464
Beltane, Its Origins (Rowan Moonstone) ..........................126
Bible, Books not included .......................................652
Bibliography (annotated) ........................................929
Binding A Spell (Farrar & Farrar) ...............................157
Blood Sacrifice (Althea Whitebirch) .............................547
Burning Times, The (Marios) .....................................951
C.O.G. Pledge ...................................................309
Channeling (Jast) ...............................................969
"Condensed" Definition of Wicca (Lady Phoenix) ..................948
Candle Colors ...................................................982
Candle Magic ....................................................417
Candle Scents ...................................................988
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
Chants w/ASCII Notation (L.A.Hussey) ...........................1081
Chaos Magic (Mark Chao) .........................................398
Charge of the Phone Goddess (Magenta Griffith) ..................759
Charge of the Goddess, The ......................................193
Charge of The Horned God, The ...................................936
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 Offices ...................................................762
Coven Leadership ................................................543
Covenant of the Goddess .........................................305
Consciousness & Politics (Carol Moore).........................
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Craft Ethics (J. Crowley) .......................................751
Creation Story ..................................................619
Creed Of The People Of God (Catholic) ..........................1005
Crone Energies (Grey Cat) .......................................559
Crystals, their care and feeding (Matrika).......................413 |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 420 | Cult Danger Evaluation Frame (P.E.I.Bonewits) ...................343
CUUPS (C.O.G. Salt Lake City) ..................................1002
"Dark Night of the Soul".........................................286
DCW Landmarks ...................................................492
Degrees within Covens ...........................................623
Deity Engineering Worksheet .....................................607
Denver Area Wiccan Network ......................................200
Descent of The Goddess (Sewna Silvara) ..........................750
Dianic Wicca (Inanna Seastar) ...................................614
Divination (Bibliography) .......................................605
Divination (RMPJ) ...............................................603
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
Eight Paths to Altered States (Carrie McMasters).................222
Elements, A Hermetic Summoning (Marios) .........................960
Elemental Correspondences (from Starhawk) .......................979
Elemental Correspondences .......................................560
Ethics and Morals (RMPJ) ........................................315
Ethics and Magick (Warren Stott) ................................415
Ethics and Love Magick (Mike Nichols) ...........................554
Ethics or Etiquette .............................................565
Etymology of "Wicca" ............................................356
Evolution of Wiccan Ritual (Paul Hume) ..........................946
Exorcism ........................................................613
Festivals .......................................................587
Film Guide '89 (Mike Nichols)....................................528
First Degree, What is it? .......................................351
FISH (Creative use of Christian Symbology) ......................611
Five Fold Kiss ..................................................744
Fool ............................................................590
Fortune, The (RMPJ) .............................................953
Full Deck Tarot Spread ..........................................625
Full Moon Ritual (Seastrider)....................................634
Fundamentals of Human Ecology ...................................616
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 Fire Initiation............................................982
Halloween, Origins of (Rowan Moonstone) ..........................26
Handfasting ......................................................68
Harvest Home (Mike Nichols) .....................................176
Harvest Thoughts (Gary Dumbauld) ................................630
Harvest Home - 1987 (Michael Fix) ................................13
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Heal The Earth (a meditation) ...................................661
Healing (one method) ............................................655
Healing Myth (Nihasa) ...........................................165
Helpful Hints (Humor) ...........................................966 |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 421 | 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
Hypnosis 101 ....................................................667
Imbolc (Solitary Ritual) ........................................664
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
Irish Myth Concordance (Mike Nichols) ...........................422
Ishtar ..........................................................740
Issian Circle (Matrika) ..........................................59
K.A.M. ..........................................................735
Kabballah (Colin Low)............................................236
Kali and Modern Physics .........................................730
Keltria (The Henge of) ..........................................739
Lady Day (Mike Nichols) .........................................171
Lammas (Mike Nichols) ...........................................174
"Landmarks" (D.C.W.) ............................................990
LBRP, an Essay (Tim Maroney) ....................................103
Learning Process ................................................962
Lilith (BBS Conversation) ......................................1083
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
Manhood Rituals (RMPJ) ..........................................760
Mantra Web technique ............................................288
Mayan Deities (777 Supplement) ..................................834
Mayday Celebration (Mike Nichols) ...............................837
MAYDAY Celebration (Mike Nichols) ................................79
Media Management (Windfire Coven) ...............................851
Maychants (4) (Tanscribed by SeaStrider).........................911
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Memory & Perception, a new Model (Paul Seymour).................1077
Midsummer (Mike Nichols) .........................................45
Mind Control Techniques (Dick Sutphen) ..........................512 |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 422 | Models of Magick (incomplete)....................................216
Modern Pagaism, Q&A .............................................920
Modern Pagan Persecution (Jonathan Hutchins) ....................942
Mothers Day Message ............................................1076
Monotheism vs. Polytheism (Dan Holdgriewe) ......................941
Mycenaen Mysteries (J. Teller)...................................365
Mystical Pentagram ..............................................110
Nature Spirit Magick (Larry Cornett) ............................357
Necromancy (reprint) ............................................841
Neo-Pagan Ritual (Brad Hicks) ....................................77
Neo-Paganism (J. Brad Hicks) ....................................329
NeoPagism (Eric S. Raymond) .....................................333
NLP- Applied Magic (Brandy Williams).............................459
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
Origins of the Mandan (Madoc) ...................................949
Pantacle, The (Gary Dumbauld) ...................................392
Personal effects of Ritual (Nihasa) .............................868
Polarity and Single Sex Covens (Marios) .........................945
Pornography & Pagan Ideals ......................................972
Power Animals (RMPJ).............................................411
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
Ritual Bath (Sewna Silvara) .....................................745
Runes, What are they? (Lokrien) .................................215
Runic Thorn Ritual (Faunus) ....................................1097
Sangreal Sodality, The (Alfgar Maharg) ..........................944
Samhain Notes (Farrar)...........................................143
Samhain Ritual (L. A. Hussey) ....................................19
Samhain Ritual (O.T.O.) .........................................145
Samhain (United Wiccan Church) ..................................141
Satanism vs. Wicca (Diane Vera)..................................194
Saxon Wicca (Matrika) ...........................................158
Scorpio Dragon (Sewna Silvara) ..................................749
Second Degree (Gary Dumbauld) .....................................3
Sex and Magick (Fra. Apfelmann)..................................231
Shamanic Binding (Gaffer Maccluiunn) ............................937
Shamanic Lifeways Fellowship (Michelle Haas) ....................384
Smudging (Michelle Haas) ........................................184
Solitary Moon Rite, Issian (Ellen Cannon Reed) .................1100
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" ..........................................289
Taleisin's thoughts .............................................676
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Tea Ritual (Sewna Silvara, Triskelion)...........................747
Technology and The Craft (Fun!) .................................132 |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 423 | The Postures of Ecstasy .........................................617
Tool List (Seastrider) ..........................................136
Tool Blessing Ritual ............................................122
Tool Consecration ................................................17
Traditional Wicca (K.A.M.) ......................................186
Trickster Energies ..............................................234
Twelve Exercises Nobody Needs ...................................619
Wartime (Michelle Haas, 1991) ...................................117
Watch Towers, Rethinking The (Mike Nichols) .....................344
What is WICCA? (Texas Pamphlet) .................................322
What is Shamanism? (Michelle Haas) ..............................354
What is Wicca? (Amber K.) .......................................340
Wicca, from My Point of View (Lady Phoenix) .....................149
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 Shamanism (Selena Fox) ...................................162
Wiccan Principles (American Council of Witches, 1974)............190
Wiccan Rede, An Exegesis (Judy Harrow) ..........................317
Witchcraft Q&A (Dr. Leo Martello) ...............................150
Witches Creed (Doreen Valiente_ .................................320
Women vs. Men (Michele Haas).....................................195
YULE (Mike Nichols) ..............................................84
Yule in Britain (Tana) ...........................................94
Yule Ritual (Starhawk) ...........................................88
v
453 |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 424 | TOWARD A CELTIC NUMEROLOGY
==========================
by Mike Nichols
'...I have been a word among letters.'
--the Book of Taliesyn, VIII
What's in a word? Or a name? What special power resides in a
word, connecting it so intimately to the very thing it symbolizes?
Does each word or name have its own 'vibration', as is generally
believed by those of us who follow the Western occult tradition? And
if so, how do we begin to unravel its meaning? Just what,
exactly, is in a word? Well, LETTERS are in a word. In fact, letters
COMPRISE the word. Which is why Taliesyn's remark had always puzzled
me. Why didn't he say he had been a 'letter among words'? That, at
least, would seem to make more logical sense than saying he had been a
'word among letters', which seems backwards. Unless...
Unless he was trying to tell us that the word is NOT the important
thing -- the critical thing is the LETTERS that make up a word! The
Welsh bard Taliesyn was, after all, a pretty gifted fellow. He
certainly put all the other bards at Maelgwyn's court to shame. And
over the years, I've learned never to take his statements lightly --
even his most enigmatic statements. Perhaps he was really suggesting
that, in order to understand the true meaning of a word or name, one
must first analyze the letters that comprise it. Of course, this is
certainly not a new theory. Any student of arcane lore would at
once recognize this concept as belonging in the opening remarks of
any standard text on numerology. But to read the same meaning behind
a line of poetry penned by a 6th century Welsh bard may be a bit
surprising. Is it possible that the Celts had their own system of
numerology?
Let us begin the quest by asking ourselves what we know about
numerology in general. Most of our modern knowledge of numerology has
been gleaned from ancient Hebrew tradition, which states that the true
essence of anything is enshrined in its name. But there are so many
names and words in any given language that it becomes necessary to
reduce each word to one of a small number of 'types' -- in this case,
numerological types from 1 to 9 (plus any master numbers of 11, 22,
etc.). This is easily accomplished by assigning a numerical value to
each letter of the alphabet, i.e. A=1, B=2, C=3, and so on. Thus, to
obtain the numerical value of any word, one simply has to add up the
numerical values of all the letters which comprise the word. If the
sum is a two digit number, the two digits are then added to each other
(except in the case of 11, 22, etc.) to obtain the single digit
numerical value of the entire word, which may then be analyzed by
traditional Pythagorean standards.
454
The problemhas always been howto be sure ofthe numerical value
of each letter. Why SHOULD A equal 1, or B equal 2, or Q equal 8?
Where did these values come from? Who assigned them? Fortunately,
the answer to this is quite simple in most cases. Many ancient
languages used letters of the alphabet to stand for numbers (Roman
numerals being the most familiar example). Ancient Hebrew, for
instance, had no purely numerical symbols -- like our 1, 2, 3, etc. --
so their letters of the alphabet had to do double duty as numbers as
well. One had to discern from the context whether the symbol was
meant as letter or number. This was true of classical Latin, as well. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 425 | Thus, in languages such as these, it is easy to see how a number
became associated with a letter: the letter WAS the number.
It is a bit more difficult to see how the associations in 'modern'
numerology came into being. The modern numerological table consists
of the numbers 1 through 9, under which the alphabet from A through Z
is written in standard order:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
---------------------------------
A B C D E F G H I
J K L M N O P Q R
S T U V W X Y Z
This arrangement seems somewhat arbitrary, at best. At the very
least, it is difficult to sense any 'intrinsically meaningful'
relationship between a letter and its numerical value. After all, our
modern alphabetical symbols and our modern numerical symbols (Arabic)
come from two completely different sources and cultures.
For this reason, many contemporary numerologists prefer the
ancient Hebrew system because, at least here, there is a known
connection between letter and number. However, when we attempt to
adapt this system to the English language, a whole new set of problems
crops up. For one, the entire alphabet is arranged in a different
order and some of our modern letters have NO Hebrew equivalents.
Thus, based on the Hebrew alphabet, the only letters for which we have
numerical values are the following:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
------------------------------------
A B G D H V Z P
Y K L M N W
Q R S T
Obviously, a modernnumerologist wouldn't get veryfar with this
table. In order to compensate for the missing letters in the Hebrew
system, most modern textbooks on numerology 'fill in' the missing
letters by 'borrowing' numerical values from the Greek alphabet, thus
mixing cultural symbols in an eclectic approach that is not entirely
convincing.
455
Another problem is the exclusion of the number 9 from the table --
which modern textbooks often 'explain' by saying that the Hebrews did
not use the number 9, since it was a 'sacred' and 'mystical' number.
The real truth, however, is far less esoteric. The fact is, the
Hebrew alphabet DID have letters with the numerical value of 9 -- the
letters Teth and Sade. But, since Teth and Sade do not have
equivalents in our modern English alphabet, the 9 value must be left
out.
And finally, it is once again difficult to see any INTRINSIC
relationship between a Hebrew letter and the number it represents.
Why should one symbol stand for 1, or another for 2, or yet another
for 3, and so on? The whole superstructure seems somewhat shaky.
But letus now turn our attention to a Celtic alphabetic system |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 426 | called the 'Ogham'. This alphabet is written by making a number of
short strokes (from 1 to 5) below, above, or through a 'base line'
(which in practice tended to be the edge of a standing stone). Thus,
A, O, U, E, and I would be written, respectively:
---/----//----///----////----/////---
Of course, in this system it is easy to see how a letter becomes
associated with a number, since the numerical value of each letter is
implicit. Thus, A=1, O=2, U=3, E=4, and I=5. (It is true there is
much disagreement and confusion among modern scholars as to how the
Ogham alphabet should be rendered. Further, a number of different
Oghams seem to have been employed at various times by different
Celtic cultures. But this confusion usually centers on whether the
strokes should be above, below, or through the base line -- NOT on the
number of strokes used. On that point, there is general agreement.
And though orientation to the base line is important, it is not
essential to our discussion of numerology, since we need only concern
ourselves with the NUMBER of strokes used.)
Thus, based on the work of such scholars as P.C. Power, S.
Ferguson, D. Diringer, I. Williams, L. Spence, and D. Conway, I have
synthesized the following table of Celtic numerology:
1 2 3 4 5
---------------------------------
A D T C I
B G U E N
H L V F P
M O W J Q
X K R
S Y
Z
456
Using this table, the student of Celtic numerology would then proceed
to analyze any word in the generally accepted manner. One should not
be concerned that the numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9 do not appear in this
system, as the Ogham alphabet had NO letters with these values (as
opposed to the Hebrew alphabet which DID have letters with the missing
9 value, as mentioned earlier). Another consideration is that the
Ogham alphabet is just that -- an alphabet. It never represented
any particular language, and historically it has been employed by
many different languages. Again by contrast, the Hebrew alphabet was
structured for a particular language -- Hebrew -- and many problems
arise when we attempt to adapt it to a language for which it is not
suited.
Althoughthe Ogham alphabet onlyhas letter valuesfrom 1 through
5, all of the numbers from 1 through 9 (plus any master numbers of 11,
22, etc.) will be used in the final analysis (just as in the Hebrew
system). To understand how this works, let us try an example. We
will use the name of the Welsh goddess Rhiannon:
R + H + I + A + N + N + O + N
5 + 1 + 5 + 1 + 5 + 5 + 2 + 5 = 29
2 + 9 = 11 |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 427 | Most numerologists will agree that
11 is a 'master number' or 'power number' and therefore it is not
further reduced by adding the two digits (although, if one does this,
1 + 1 = 2, and 2 is considered the first even and feminine number in
the numerical sequence, certainly appropriate for a Welsh Mother
Goddess). Viewed as an 11, the analysis is usually that of someone
who is on a 'higher plane of existence' (certainly appropriate for
a goddess), someone who brings 'mystical revelation'. Often this is
someone who feels slightly distant from the people surrounding him or
her, and who has trouble feeling any real empathy for them (which
seems to fit a faery queen who has come to live in the land of
mortals). Also, this is sometimes the number of the martyr,
or of someone unjustly accused (which is certainly true of Rhiannon's
story as told in the 'Mabinogi', in which she is falsely accused of
destroying her own son).
By way of contrast,the 'modern' system would haveRhiannon be a
3, a somewhat inappropriate masculine number (not that all feminine
names should always yield a feminine number -- but one would at least
expect it to do so in the case of an archetypal mother goddess). The
Hebrew system would yield an even more inappropriate 4, that being the
number of the material world and all things physical (and since
Rhiannon hails from faery, she is definitely not of this material
plane.)
457
By now, some of my more thoughtful readers may think they see some
inconsistency in my approach. Why have I gone to so much trouble to
point up the flaws in traditional systems of numerology (even going so
far as to suggest an entirely new system), only to fall back on
interpretations of the numbers that are strictly traditional? The
reason is this: all of my objections thus far have been limited to
METHODOLOGY. When it comes to interpreting the meaning of the
numbers, I have no quarrel with the traditional approach, since here
we enter the field of universal symbolism. All systems of
numerology, be they Hebrew, modern, Oriental, or whatever, tend to
attach the same interpretive meaning to the numbers. When Three Dog
Night sings, 'One is the loneliest number that you'll ever know...',
it is a statement which is immediately understood and agreed upon by
people from widely diverse cultures. And the same holds true for all
other numbers, for we are here dealing with archetypal symbols.
It is worth repeating that, although I believe this system to have
a firm theoretical basis, it is still in an embryonic state -- highly
tentative, highly speculative. To the best of my knowledge, it is
also an original contribution to the field of numerology. While some
writers (notably Robert Graves in 'The White Goddess') have dealt with
the numerical values of Ogham letters, I believe this article is the
first instance of employing it specifically as a system of numerology.
I have spent many long hours working with Celtic numerology -- putting
abstract theory to use in practical application -- but much work
remains to be done. For this reason, I would be happy to hear from
readers who are interested in the subject and who would like to
share their own experiences and thoughts.
458
NLP: APPLIED MAGIC
by Brandy Williams
One: Matching Representations |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 428 | In studying magic I've been exposed to a lot of related
fields--history, mythology, music--which enrich my understanding
of my vocation. One of the most helpful series of books I've
encountered is a set of five volumes starting with The Structure
of Magic I. and II. which focus on... psychology.
John Grinder and Richard Bandler developed the field they
called Neuro Linguistic Programming, or NLP. One reason I
suggest everyone I know become familiar with it is that they've
taught this stuff to salespeople, managers, Pentagon employees...
I see their techniques on television commercials and read about
them in seminar descriptions. NLP is a people manipulator par
excellence, and I think it's important others are made aware of
this.
Another reason is that it's so incredibly useful.
Consider this: "The meaning of a communication is the
response you get." In their terms, an elegant phrase. It's
changed my entire relationship with others. If I don't make
myself clear, I don't blame the listener. I restate my case,
maybe trying a different body language, a different representa-
tional system, a little pacing...
Representational system? Well, what senses do we use to
explore the world? Sight--hearing--touch, and taste and smell to
a much lesser extent. So how do we think? In images, sounds and
feelings--or, in NLP terms, in visual, auditory and kinesthetic
representational systems.
What's interesting is that we all make images and sounds and
feelings to store experience, but we're usually only conscious of
using ONE system. The words we choose to describe our experi
ences reflect that: "I'm not very focused and I can't see what
you're saying." Or, "I've got a handle on the feeling that's
been bugging me." Or, "I hear that, it sounds like it will
work."
Spend one hour listening to people and you can verify this.
Now, if I say, "I just can't feel good about that," and the
person I'm talking to says "I don't see what's wrong with it," my
communication hasn't received the response I want. If I switch
to my partner's most favored representational system and say,
"Let me make that clear to you. It looks like a really bad
situation," that's one way to match, or pace my partner.
See what I mean? Or maybe that gives you a feel for the
power of this particular "psychology".
What does any of this have to do with paganism or magic?
For starters, I wonder how many circle conflicts could be solved
by something as simple as accommodating each other's most favored
rep. system.
In a working circle, is someone having trouble visualizing a
goal? Is someone else very good at constructing mental temples,
459
but totally unable to feel when to release the energy? Put them
together, get them to trade notes and teach each other; both
skills are part of the same experience. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 429 | When you direct rituals, do you always include something to
see or imagine, hear or sing, feel--in the body or tactually? Do
your rituals work for some people and not others? You might
check to be sure you're satisfying everyone's most favored rep.
system.
The function of magic is the response you get.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Works by John Grindler and Richard Bandler:
The Structure of Magic I.
The Structure of Magic II.
Frogs into Princes
Reframing
Trance-formations
460
NLP: APPLIED MAGIC
by Brandy Williams
TWO- Inside/Outside
Remember representational systems? The idea that humans
think in images, sounds, and feelings?
While we're calling up images (a process called accessing),
we're not able to look at what's going on in front of us. While
we're listening to music, we're not able to remember our favorite
song. While we're feeling our shoulders for tension, we're not
aware of the touch of cloth against our skin. Seeing with the
mind's eye and the physical eye are mutually exclusive processes.
In Neuro Linguistic Programming, accessing -- thinking -- is
called downtime, and observing with the senses is labelled
uptime.
I run uptime as a meditation. Try this: for three minutes,
look at the colors in front of you, the textures of surfaces,
shapes... listen to the volume and pitch of all sounds in your
vicinity... feel the surface you're sitting on, your hand
touching something in front of you...
The next time you generate an internal image, talk to
yourself, feel your stomach tightening -- notice the difference.
It's the difference between accessing and observing, downtime and
uptime, external and internal reality.
One thing that I notice about uptime is that it links to the
concept 'sacred'. When I take a walk by the river, I watch the
water rippling over rocks, listen to the white noise of the
current, feel the moist air touching my skin. I bring myself out
of my own internal creations and allow myself to live in the
world.
Another thing I notice about uptime is that some people
don't do it very much. Most of us drop into internal reality
when our environment is unpleasant, and that's a very useful
thing to be able to do. But then a lot of people forget to come
back out-- come to their senses, literally -- and experience the
world again.
Such people are very difficult to talk to. When I have a |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 430 | conversation, I like my partner to be listening to what I say,
and watching my body language. More often, my partner is access
sing some internal meaning for, or response to, what I'm saying.
That internal meaning may or may not have anything to do with
what I'm communicating.
It isn't possible to observe someone (with all senses) when
we're accessing. It isn't possible to achieve rapport with a
person we're not observing. One of the bases of magical group
workings is rapport between the participants.
461
Try this: the next time you have a conversation about magic,
observe your partner. Watch for: body position and gestures.
Often people I talk to demonstrate what they feel when they do
magic. [A woman describing her circle method moved her hand from
her forehead down toward her feet, from shoulder to shoulder, and
from her heart straight in front of her -- gesturing the three
energy poles a circle creates.]
Listen for: sensory descriptions --"I saw, I heard, I felt."
Learning to go into uptime at will, and differentiate our
representations of reality from our observations, is perhaps the
most useful magical skill we can possess. It provides the basis
for a reality check; it helps us communicate our experiences more
effectively to others, and to help them duplicate what we do; and
it is one of the most profound alterations of consciousness.
- Brandy Williams
~~~~~~~~~~
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Works by Richard Bandler & John Grinder:
The Structure of Magic I.
The Structure of Magic II.
Frogs to Princes
Reframing
Trance-formations
462
Bare Bones
Third Degree Elevation (spoof)
(Emphasis on action with minimal vocal requirements.)
by Orion
1. Ritual Bath - Both play in water for an inappropriately long time.
2. Casting of Circle - Cast in the usual manner with items at hand.
3. Reason and Challenge - "You're here for Thirds. Are you ready for
the test?
4. Response - "Ready, willing and able!"
5. The Mystery - Perform Great Rite multiple times until sated or worn
out. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 431 | 6. Cakes and Wine - Required in order to continue.
7. Reprise - Repeat step 5 if desired.
8. Closing of Circle - Must be done before falling asleep.
463
BELTANE
This a Pagan Ritual file, of interest to Neo-Pagans,specifically
Wiccan based religions.
Equipment- see standard list
Set up a candle in each of the four cardinal directions. Lay the
rest of the tools on the altar cloth or near it. The altar can be on
the ground, a table, a rock or a stump. The altar should be in the
center or just north of center of the Circle. Light the six candles
and the incense, start the music and begin the ritual.
The Beltane ritual should start before sunrise or in the evening
of April 30th. This is to welcome the sun in and to make effective use
of the bonfire. The party or the ritual should finish some time after
sunrise.
THE RITUAL
Facing North, the High Priest and Priestess kneel in front of the
altar with him to her right. She puts the bowl of water on the altar,
places the point of her athame in it and says:
"I exorcise thee, O Creature of Water, that thou cast out from
thee all impurities and uncleanliness of the world of phantasm; in the
names of Cernunnos and Aradia"
She then puts down her athame and holds up the bowl of water in both
hands. The High Priest puts the bowl of salt on the altar, puts his
athame in the salt and says:
"Blessings be upon this Creature of Salt; let all malignity and
hindrance be cast forth hencefrom, and let all good enter herein;
wherefore so I bless thee,that thou mayest aid me, in the names of
Cernunnos and Aradia."
He then puts down his athame and pours the salt into the bowl of water
the High Priestess is holding. The High Priest then stands with the
rest of the Coven outside the Circle. The High Priestess then draws
the Circle with the sword, leaving a gap in the Northeast section.
While drawing the Circle, she should visualize the power flowing into
the Circle from off the end of the sword. She draws the Circle in a
East to North or deosil or clockwise direction. She says:
"I conjure thee, O Circle of Power, that thou beest a meeting
place of love and joy and truth; a shield against all wickedness
and evil; a boundary between men and the realms of the Mighty
Ones; a rampart and protection that shall preserve and contain t h e
power that we shall raise within thee. Wherefore do I bless thee
and consecrate thee, in the names of Cernunnos and Aradia." |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 432 | 464
The High Priestess lays down the sword and admits the High Priest with
a kiss while spinning him deosil and whispers:
"Blessed Be"
He then admits a women the same way. Alternate-male-female-male. Then
the High Priestess finishes closing the Circle with the sword. She
then names three witches to help strengthen the Circle. The first
witch carries the bowl of consecrated water from East to East going
deosil, sprinkling the perimeter as she/he goes. They then sprinkle
each member in turn. If the witch is male, he sprinkles the High
Priestess last who then sprinkles him. If female she sprinkles the
High Priest last, who then sprinkles her. The bowl is replaced on the
altar. The second witch takes the incense burner around the perimeter
and the third takes one of the altar candles. While going around the
perimeter, each person says:
"Black spirits and white,
Red spirits and grey,
Harken to the rune I say.
Four points of the Circle, weave the spell,
East, South, West, North, your tale tell.
East is for break of day,
South is white for the noontide hour,
In the West is twilight grey,
And North is black, for the place of power.
Three times round the Circle's cast.
Great ones, spirits from the past,
Witness it and guard it fast."
All the Coven pickup their athames and face the East with the High
Priest and Priestess in front, him on her right. The High Priestess
says:
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air; I do
summon, stir, and call you up to witness our rites and to guard the
Circle."
As she speaks she draws the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air
with her athame:
1,6
4 3
2 7 5
The High Priest and the rest of the Coven copy her movements with
their athames. The High Priestess turns and faces the South and
repeats the summoning:
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, ye Lords of Fire; I do
summon, stir and call you up, to witness our rites and to guard
the Circle."
465
She does the same pentagram and then faces West and says: |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 433 | "Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West, ye Lords of Water, ye
Lords of Death and Initiation; I do summon, stir, and call you u p ,
to witness our rites and to guard the Circle."
She faces North with rest of the Coven and says:
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the North, ye Lords of Earth;
Boreas, thou gentle guardian of the Northern Portals; thou powerful
God and gentle Goddess; we do summon, stir and call you up, to
witness our rites and to guard the Circle."
The Circle is completed and sealed. If anyone needs to leave, a gate
must be made. Using the sword, draw out part of the Circle with a
widdershins or counter-clockwise stroke. Immediately reseal it and
then repeat the opening and closing when the person returns.
In this part of the ritual the Goddess becomes incarnate in the High
Priestess. The High Priestess stands in front of the altar with her
back to it. She holds the wand in her right hand and the scrounge in
her left. She crosses her wrists and crosses the wand and scrounge
above them while holding them close to her breast. The High Priest
stands in front of her and says:
"Diana, queen of night
In all your beauty bright,
Shine on us here,
And with your silver beam
Unlock the gates of dream;
Rise bright and clear.
On Earth and sky and sea,
Your magic mystery
Its spell shall cast,
Wherever leaf may grow,
Wherever tide may flow,
Till all be past.
O secret queen of power,
At this enchanted hour
We ask your boon.
May fortune's favor fall
Upon true witches all,
O Lady Moon!
The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the
Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb,
both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He
says, as he does this:
Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall 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 utter the Sacred Names."
466
For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length to length, with their
feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her
arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips. The High Priest
kneels again and invokes: |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 434 | "I invokethee andcall uponthee, MightyMother ofus all,
bringer of all fruitfulness; 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."
During this invocation he touches her with his right forefinger on her
right breast, left breast, and womb, repeats the set and finally the
right breast. Still kneeling, he spreads his arms out and down, with
the palms forward and says:
"Hail Aradia! From the Amalthean Horn
Pour forth thy store of love;
I lowly bend Before thee, I adore thee to the end,
With loving sacrifice thy shrine adore.
Thy foot is to my lip (he kisses her right foot)
my prayer up borne Upon the rising incense smoke;
then spend Thine ancient love, O Mighty One, descend
To aid me, who without thee
am forlorn."
The High Priest stands up and steps backwards. The High Priestess
draws the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with the wand and
says:
"Of the Mother darksome and divine
Mine the scrounge, and mine the kiss;
The five point star of love and bliss
Here I charge you in this sign."
The High Priest says:
"Listen to the words of the Great Mother; she who of old was also
calledamong manArtemis,Astarte, Athene,Dione,Melusine,
Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Dana, Arianhod, Isis and by many other names."
The High Priestess, who should be in a trance, says as the Goddess:
"Whenever you have need of anything, once in a 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; dance, sing, feast, make
music and love, all in my praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the
spirit, and mine also is joy on earth; for my law is love unto all
beings. Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let
naught stop you or turn you aside. For 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 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 things, and my love is poured out upon the
467
earth. I who am the white Moon among the stars, and the mystery of the
waters, and the desire of the heart 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 men, let thine |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 435 | 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, honor and humility, mirth and
reverence within you.
And thouwho seekest to seekfor me, know thyseeking and
yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; and if
that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee,thou will 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."
This declamation can be said by the High Priestess, the High Priest or
the Coven as a whole.
"Hear now the words of the witches,
The secrets we hid in the night,
When dark was our destiny's pathway,
That now we bring forth into the light.
Mysterious Water and Fire,
The Earth and the wide ranging Air,
By hidden quintessence we know them,
And will keep silent and dare.
The birth and rebirth of all nature,
The passing of winter and spring,
We share with the life universal,
Rejoice in the magical ring.
Four times in the year the Great Sabbat Returns,
and the witches are seen
At Lammas and Candlemas dancing,
On May Eve and old Hallowe'en.
When day time and night time are equal,
When sun is at greatest and least,
The four lesser Sabbats are summoned,
Again witches gather in feast.
Thirteen silver moons in a year are,
Thirteen is the Coven's array.
Thirteen times at Esbat make merry,
For each golden year and a day.
The power was passed down the ages,
Each time between woman and man,
Each century unto the other,
Ere time and ages began.
When drawn is the magical circle,
By sword or athame of power,
It's compass between the two worlds lies,
In the land of shades that hour.
This world has no right to know it,
And the world beyond will tell naught.
The oldest of gods are invoked there,
The Great Work of Magic is wrought.
For two are the mystical pillars,
That stand at the gate of the shrine,
And two are the powers of nature,
The forms and the forces of the divine.
The dark and the light in succession,
468
The opposites each unto each,
Shown forth as a God and a Goddess:
This did our ancestors teach.
By night he's the wild wind's rider,
The Horn'd One, the Lord of the Shades. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 436 | By day he's the King of the Woodland,
The dweller in green forest glades.
She is youthful or old as she pleases,
She sails the torn clouds in her barque,
The bright silver lady of midnight,
The crone who weaves spells in the dark.
The master and mistress of magic,
They dwell in the deeps of the main,
Immortal and ever renewing,
With power to free or to bind.
So drink the good wine to the Old Gods,
And dance and make love in their praise,
Till Elphames's fair land shall receive us
In peace at the end of our days.
And Do What Thou Wilt
shall be the challenge,
So be it in love that harms none,
For this is the only commandment,
By magic of old, be it done!
Eight words the Witches Creed fulfill:
If It Harms None, Do What Thou Will!
The High Priest faces the Coven, raises his arms wide and says:
"Bagabi lacha bachabe Lamac cahi achababe
Karellyos
Lamac lamac
bachalyas
Cabahag sabalyos
Baryolos
Lagaz atha cabyolas
Samahac atha
famolas
Hurrahya!"
The High Priestess and the Coven repeat:
"Hurrahya!"
469
The High Priest and High Priestess face the altar. The High Priest
continues:
"Great God Cernunnos, return to Earth again!
Come to my call and show thy self to men.
Shepherd of Goats, upon the wild hill's way,
Lead thy lost flocks from darkness unto day.
Forgotten are the ways of sleep and night
Men seek for them, whose eyes have lost the light.
Open the door of dreams, whereby man come to thee.
Shepherd of Goats, O answer unto me!"
The High Priest and the rest of the Coven then say:
"Akhera goittiakhera beitti!" |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 437 | And lower their hands on the second phrase.
This is a ring dance as usual. This can be replaced or others added as
desired. Everyone should take part. Use what music you feel
comfortable with.
Walpurgis Night, the time is right,
The ancient powers awake.
So dance and sing, around the ring,
And Beltane magic make.
Walpurgis Night, Walpurgis Night,
Upon the eve of May,
We'll merry meet, and summer greet,
Forever and a day.
New life we see, in flower and in tree,
And summer comes again.
Be free and fair, like earth and air,
The sunshine and the rain.
Walpurgis Night, Walpurgis Night,
Upon the eve of May,
We'll merry meet, and summer greet,
Forever and a day.
As magic fire be our desire
To tread the pagan way,
And our true will find and fulfill,
As dawns a brighter day.
Walpurgis Night, Walpurgis Night,
Upon the eve of May,
470
We'll merry meet, and summer greet,
Forever and a day.
The pagan powers this night be ours,
Let all the world be free,
And sorrow cast into the past,
And future blessed be!
Walpurgis Night, Walpurgis Night,
Upon the eve of May,
We'll merry meet, and summer greet,
Forever and a day.
The Coven spread themselves out around the Circle. They start a soft
rhythmic clapping. The High Priestess says:
"Now it is time for the Oak King to impregnate Our Lady. No
longer will she be the Virgin Huntress and Maiden. She is now to be |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 438 | Hecate, the Queen of Elphame. But first she must catch him."
This song is from Robert Graves "White Goddess". It is an old Scottish
Craft song. In it, the High Priest turns into a variety of animals and
the High Priestess chases him. Starting with the High Priest and
Priestess, then followed by the other couples in the Coven, the men
are chased by the women. The ladies use a scarf to signify the
capture at the end of the song. The dancers should try to imitate the
animals they are playing. The dance and the tune should be slow. After
all the couples have done so, the High Priestess and Priest repeat it.
High Priest:
"O, I shall go into a hare
With sorrow and sighing and mickle care,
And I shall go in the Devil's name
Aye, till I be fetched hame."
High Priestess:
"Hare, take heed of a bitch greyhound
Will harry thee all these fells around,
For here come I in Our Lady's name
All but to fetch thee hame."
Coven:
"Cunning and art he did not lack
But aye her whistle would fetch him back."
471
High Priest:
"Yet I shall go into a trout
With sorrow and sighing and mickle doubt,
And show thee many a merry game
Ere that I be fetched hame."
High Priestess:
"Trout take heed of an otter lank
Will harry thee close from bank to bank,
For here come I in Our Lady's name
All but for to fetch thee hame."
Coven:
"Cunning and art he did not lack
But aye her whistle would fetch him back."
High Priest:
"Yet I shall go into a bee
With mickle horror and dread of thee,
And flit to hive in the Devil's name
Ere that I be fetched hame."
High Priestess:
"Bee, take heed of a swallow hen
Will harry thee close, both butt and ben, |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 439 | For here come I in Our Lady's name
All but to fetch thee hame."
Coven:
"Cunning and art he did not lack
But aye her whistle would fetch him back."
High Priest:
"Yet I shall go into a mouse
And haste me unto the miller's house,
There in his corn to have good game
Ere that I be fetched hame."
High Priestess:
"Mouse take heed of a white tib-cat
That never was balked of a mouse or a rat,
For I'll crack thy bones in Our Lady's name:
Thus shall thee be fetched hame."
Coven:
"Cunning and art he did not lack
But aye her whistle would fetch him back."
472
The High Priestess finally catches the High Priest at the last
refrain. She drapes a scarf over his neck to signify her catching him.
The Maiden and the Coven say:
"TheQueen of Elphame has caught herSon who is also her
Consort. They must mate so that the Earth may bear it's fruits and
that man and animal may live. "
The High Priest and High Priestess, and the rest of the couples in the
Coven, kiss with vigour. The men should wilt and fade back to the edge
of the Circle. The women gather around the unlit bonfire or the
cauldron with the candle in it. The High Priestess says:
"The Oak King is dead. He has died of his love for the Lady
that the Earth may live. So has it been for year after year, since
time began. But the Oak King, the God of the Waxing year, must live
so the crops in the Earth can come forth. "
The Coven shouts:
"Kindlethe Beltanefire.Maythe OakKingliveagain. Maythe
Earth bring forth her fruits, may the animals bear their young and the
land be fruitful again."
The High Priestess lights the bonfire using a taper lit from the altar
candle. She then says:
"Come back to us, Oak King, that the land may be fruitful."
The men gather around the fire, next to their partners, and the say in
unison:
"I am the stag of seven tines; |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 440 | I am a wide flood on the plain;
I am a wind on the deep waters;
I am a shining tear of the sun;
I am a hawk on a cliff;
I am fair among flowers;
I am a god who sets the head afire with smoke."
The High Priestess and High Priest lead a ring dance around the
bonfire. Start out with "A Tree Song" from Rudyard Kipling's "Weland's
Sword" story in "Puck of Pook's Hill". The dance should be joyful.
"Oh, do not tell the Priest of our Art,
Or he would call it sin;
But we shall be out in the woods all night,
Aconjuring summer in!
And we bring you news by word of mouth
For women, cattle and corn
Now is the sun come up from the South
With Oak, and Ash and Thorn!"
Continue the dance with this song and/or any others that sound
appropriate.
473
This chant goes to the tune of the old folksong, "The Lincolnshire
Poacher":
Come join the dance, that doth entrance,
And tread the circle round.
Be of good cheer, that gather here,
Upon this merry ground.
Good luck to we that faithful be,
And hold our craft so dear,
For 'tis our delight of a shiny night,
In the season of the year.
Oh, 'tis our delight of a shiny night,
In the season of the year.
While stars do shine, we pledge the wine
Unto the Gods of old,
Nor shall there fail the witch wassail,
Nor shall their fire grow cold.
Good luck to we that faithful be,
And hold our craft so dear,
For 'tis our delight of a shiny night,
In the season of the year.
Oh, 'tis our delight of a shiny night,
In the season of the year.
Throughout, about and round about,
By flame that burneth bright,
We'll dance and sing, around the ring,
At witching hour of night.
Good luck to we that faithful be, |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 441 | And hold our craft so dear,
For 'tis our delight of a shiny night,
In the season of the year.
Oh, 'tis our delight of a shiny night,
In the season of the year.
Near the end of the dance, the High Priestess should call out the name
of either a person or a couple. They should then jump over the fire
while making a wish. They should then rejoin the ring and another
couple or person do it. When ready, stop the dance and sit down about
the fire. After a break, perform the Great Rite.
474
The Coven, except for the High Priestess and High Priest,arrange
themselves around the perimeter of the circle, man and woman
alternately as far as possible, facing the center. The High Priestess
and High Priest stand facing each other in the center of the circle,
she with her back to the altar, he with his back to the South.
The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the
Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb,
both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. he
says, as he does this:
"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall 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 utter the Sacred Names.
For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length to length, with their
feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her
arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips. The High Priestess
then lays herself down, face upwards, with her arms and legs
outstretched to form the Pentagram.
The High Priest fetches the veil and spreads it over the High
Priestess's body, covering her from breasts to knees. He then kneels
facing her, with his knees between her feet.
The High Priest calls a woman witch by name, to bring his athame
from the altar. The woman does so and stands with the athame in her
hands, about a yard to the West of the High Priestess's hips and
facing her.
The High Priest calls a male witch by name, to bring the chalice of
wine from the altar. He does so and stands with the chalice in his
hands, about a yard to the East of the High Priestess's hips and
facing her. The High Priest delivers the invocation:
"Assist me to erect the ancient altar, at which in days past all
worshipped; The altar of all things.
For in old time, Woman was the altar. Thus was the altar made and
placed, And the sacred place was the point within the center of the
Circle. As we have of old been taught that the point within the
center is the origin of all things,
Therefore should we adore it;
Therefore whom we adore we also invoke. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 442 | O Circle of Stars, Whereof our father is but the younger
brother, Marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space,
Before whom time isashamed, the mind bewildered, and the
understanding dark,
Not unto thee may we attain unless thine image be love.
Therefore by seed and stem, root and bud, And leaf and flower and
fruit do we invoke thee, O Queen of Space, O Jewel of Light,
Continuous on of the heavens; Let it be ever thus
475
That men speak not of thee as One, but as None; And let them not
speak of thee at all, since thou art continuous.
For thou art the point within the Circle, which we adore; The point
of life, without which we would not be.
And in this way truly are erected the holy twin pillars; In beauty
and strength were they erected To the wonder and glory of all men."
The High Priest removes the veil from the High Priestess's body, and
hands it to the woman witch, from whom he takes his athame. The High
Priestess rises and kneels facing the High Priest, and takes the
chalice from the man witch. (Note that both of these handings over are
done without the customary ritual kiss. The High Priest continues the
invocation:
"Altar of mysteries manifold,
The sacred Circle's secret point
Thus do I sign thee as of old,
With kisses of my lips anoint."
The High Priest kisses the High Priestess on the lips, and continues:
"Open for me the secret way,
The pathway of intelligence,
Beyond the gates of night and day,
Beyond the bounds of time and sense.
Behold the mystery aright The five true points of fellowship...."
The High Priestess holds up the chalice, and the High Priest lowers
the point of his athame into the wine. Both use both of their hands
for this. The High Priest continues:
"All life is your own,
All fruits of the Earth
Are fruits of your womb,
Your union, your dance.
Lady and Lord, We thank you for
blessings and abundance.
Join with us, Feast with us, Enjoy with us!
Blessed Be.
Then, draw the Invoking Pentacle of Earth in the air above the plate
with the athame.
"Here where Lance and Grail unite,
And feet, and knees, and breast, and lip."
The High Priest hands his athame to the woman witch and then places |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 443 | both his hands round those of the High Priestess as she holds the
chalice. He kisses her, and she sips the wine; she kisses him, and he
sips the wine. Both of them keep their hands round the chalice while
they do this.
476
The High Priest then takes the chalice from the High Priestess,
and they both rise to their feet.
The High Priest hands the chalice to a woman witch with a kiss,
and she sips. She gives it to a man with a kiss. The chalice is passed
around the Coven, man to woman, with a kiss each time, until the
entire Coven has sipped the wine. The chalice can be refilled and any
one can drink from it without repeating the ritual once the chalice
has gone around once.
The woman lays down her athame and passes the cakes to the man with a
kiss,he passes them back with a kiss and they are passed around the
Coven the same way the wine was. Be sure to save some of the wine and
some cake for an offering to the Earth and the Little Folk. After the
meeting,leave the offering outside of the house if working indoors, or
behind in the woods or field, when you leave if you are working
outdoors.
The High Priestess faces East,with her athame in her hand. The
High Priest stands to her right with the rest of the Coven behind
them. If any tools have been consecrated, they should be held by the
person furthest to the back. The Maiden stands near to the front to
blow out each candle in turn. The Priestess says
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air; we do
thank you for attending our rites; and ere ye depart t o y o u r
pleasant and lovely realms, we bid you hail and farewell....Hail and
farewell."
As she speaks, she draws the Banishing Pentagram of Earth in the air
in front of her thus, each time:
2 7
4 5
6 1 3
The rest of the Coven copy the Pentagram and chorus in on the second
hail and farewell. The Maiden blows out the candle and the Coven faces
the south and the High Priestess says:
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, ye Lords of Fire;
we do thank you for attending our rites; and ere ye depart to your
pleasant and lovely realms, we bid you hail and farewell....Hail and
farewell."
She turns to the West and says:
"Ye Lordsof theWatchtowers ofthe West,yeLords ofWater;
ye Lords of Death and Initiation; we do thank you for attending our
rites; and ere ye depart to your pleasant and lovely realms, we bid |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 444 | you hail and farewell ....Hail and farewell."
477
She turns to the North and says:
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the North, ye Lords of Earth;
Boreas, thou gentle guardian of the Northern Portals; thou powerful
God, Thou gentle Goddess; we do thank you for attending our rites; and
ere ye depart for your pleasant and lovely realms, we bid you hail and
farewell ....Hail and farewell."
This ends the Circle. The party following this should be a loving one.
If there is a May Pole available, circle the May Pole. Beltane is also
a time for forfeits. The High Priestess picks out the people and
their forfeit, except the High Priest picks out the last one to play
on the High Priestess. Beltane is also a time for "green wood
marriages" and other unbridled sexuality and such.
(Distributed in the public domain via Seastrider)
478
WITCHCRAFT: Some Answers for the Curious
prepared and released
by Ka'l El
of the
Grove of the Unicorn
07/07/88
What is a Witch?
Contrary to many widely-held myths, witches are quite normal, engaged
in the sorts of activities that are common to people in any culture or
civilization. We work in a variety of professions, we live in all
climates, we drive cars, raise families, tell jokes, and in most ways
come across as perfectly normal people. This, however, doesn't answer
the question, so let's approach it from a different angle:
Technically, witches are initiated members of a Celtic-style nature
religion. In this sense (which is, strictly speaking, the proper
one), a witch is a person who has demonstrated a firm understanding of
the principles of the Craft, has been trained in the meaning and
purpose of ritual and the performance of ritual, and in all ways seeks
to live a life that is in harmony with Nature and the cycles of the
universe.
What are Warlocks, then?
The term 'warlock' specifically means 'oath-breaker'; it is used to
describe one whose word cannot be safely trusted. To call someone a
warlock is a serious matter in Pagan circles, as we hold integrity and
trustworthiness in very high regard. Warlocks are generally outcasts,
and may be either male or female. Just so, the term 'witch' is
correctly applied to both male and female.
You've mentioned Paganism twice; I thought Pagans were godless
heathens! |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 445 | 'Pagan' comes from the Latin pagani, which means 'country-dweller'.
During the Middle Ages, when the Roman church began to consolidate its
influence in northern Europe (and specifically in the British Isles),
they concentrated their efforts around the noble courts, which were
generally centers of population. As members of the court began to
accept the new Way of Christianity, others began to see advantage in
being on the new team, and followed those with money and power into
the fold.
The new religion was not so popular among the common people, who were
more inclined to tend their flocks and crops than to curry favor with
the nobility in town. The courtiers, educated by Latin-speaking
clergymen, referred to these un-Converted masses as pagans, or
'hicks', as might be said today.
'Heathen', that all-purpose accusation, is just the old English
translation of 'pagan'; both terms simply mean that the fashionable
people of the Dark Ages didn't think much of the arrogant rubes who
wanted to hang on to their own ways rather than disbelieve the
evidence of their lives and experiences.
As far as 'godlessness' is concerned, only repetition has given these
words that connotation.
479
That doesn't tell me much about Paganism.
Paganism is a broad group of traditions that share a more-or-less
common world-view, and in that way is similar to Christianity. This
world-view is marked by several elements:
- Creation as an on-going process (as distinct from an event);
- Time as an ever-repeating cycle or spiral (no start or
finish);
- Universe as an organism becoming conscious (as distinct from a
machine produced by a celestial engineer);
- Love as the essential nature of the Universal organism;
- Experience as the means by which the Universe becomes
conscious;
- Incarnation as the means by which experience is forged into
wisdom;
- 'God' as a description (as distinct from a name or title).
Although there are differences between them, Wicca, Shintoism,
Hinduism, Polynesian Kahuna, Taoism and American Indians are among
those groups who substantially share this world-view. Many of these
concepts are espoused as well by some 'New Age' groups. In essence,
Pagans hold that spirituality and divinity are inherent in the
Universe, that we live to experience, and through that experience we
gain wisdom and increased awareness.
Do witches Believe in Jesus?
Some witches believe in a historical Jesus while others believe in the
symbolic or mythic Jesus; others believe in neither, and for many, the
question of Jesus is irrelevant. I have heard many of my brothers and
sisters voice the opinion that Jesus was a genuine Divine Being who
taught a path of love and service, and who in his role as the Sacred
King gave his life that the lives of the people would be renewed. For
these things we honor him, yet we do not believe in messiahs, and I
know of no Witch who worships him as the 'only son of god'.
Then how do Witches propose to Escape Hell and Attain Salvation? |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 446 | This dual question has no real meaning for us; we see life as a
school, not a lottery. In this school, we learn from the mistakes we
make as we thread our ways through the world, and the lessons we learn
are of love, tolerance, humility, understanding and joy. We believe
that we learn these lessons, in common with all life every-where,
through face-to-face interaction with the 'way things are'; and we
believe that, though these lessons are often accompanied by feelings
of sorrow or loss, they are worth the learning. On the subject of
salvation, we believe that Hell (so-called) is the result of
becoming attached to things and people (being 'of the world', as
Christians might say), taking the lessons of life personally and
perceiving them as troubles and blaming ourselves and others for the
problems in our lives. On the same note, the closest we get to an
idea of Heaven is through accepting the pains and frustrations of
day-to-day life as lessons, and learning how we have caused ourselves
and others pain through our errors, thereby freeing us to go on with
our lives stronger, wiser, and more balanced.
Where do you think you go when you die, then?
We tell stories of a place we call Summerland, which we think of as a
place of welcome rest after the rigors of life on Earth. We expect to
480
be rejoined with friends and loved ones who went before us, to digest
and understand the lessons we have learned during our time
'incarnate'. From there, we will return to life on Earth after a
time, to learn and teach until we achieve perfect knowledge and
understanding of this cycle of existence. Honestly, we don't much
occupy ourselves with thoughts about afterlife, as we believe there
is nothing to fear.
I guess you don't believe the Bible is the 'word of god'...
No we don't; the ways it teaches are not our ways, although we
respect them as we respect all the many ways that people use to 'touch
the heart of God'.
What do you use, then, for a Bible?
The world is our 'bible' (Latin for 'book'), and all that is on it, in
it, and around it. For us, the Earth is our mother, our teacher and
our provider. From her, we learn to survive, to sing, to create, to
rest and to believe. The Sun for us is a symbol of the father, from
whom we learn to dare, to question, to heal, to dance and to dream.
The seasons teach about birth, death and rebirth, and about the need
to live in harmony and balance with the rest of creation. For us, the
Divine is all about us, befriending us, teaching and guiding us.
Are Witches Pantheistic or Polytheistic?
Both. Yet the truth is not reached by so simple an answer. We are
pantheist in the sense that, for us, the gods are everywhere. This is
essentially what Judeo-Christianity refers to in speaking of God as
omnipresent. The gods are also within us (the Kingdom of God within,
as Christians would say), because we contain the Divine Spark ('Holy
Spirit') in common with all that exists. Because we perceive this
ever-present spiritual manifestation around us, we are also
polytheistic, meaning that the attributes or characteristics of
perfection and divinity take on many forms; therefore, they can be
understood in many different senses and deepen our comprehension of |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 447 | the Truth that is behind and beyond all Ways and all religions. To put
it another way, we are Polytheist because (for us) the Absolute (which
roughly equates to the Christian concept of 'God') manifests as male
and female, and so we worship both God and Goddess. We are Pantheist
because this primary dual manifestation is reflected throughout
creation and so, everything that is tells us about some aspect of the
Absolute (and is therefore holy). Tell me something about the Gods you
worship.
481
Please bear with me on this, as the question requires some groundwork.
In common with the monotheistic religions, we believe that there is a
single Source of all things, beyond our observation and comprehension.
In our conception, the Source is neither a thing nor a Being, but
instead transcends such limited human concepts. It serves the same
role, conceptually, as that of a 'Supreme Being'. We do not worship
the Source (also referred to as 'the All' and as 'the Absolute'), as
such, because in our view, one can only approach a relationship
with the Source by becoming mindful of its characteristics and
qualities as they manifest themselves in the world in which we live.
These characteristics and qualities, over the years, have become
personified as 'gods'. In such forms, they appear in the myths and
teachings of many cultures, including the antique world of Greece,
Rome, Egypt, etc.
The names of these gods are not of particular importance, because the
gods themselves are only important as symbols of various aspects of
existence. Through them, we are able to see ourselves as part of the
universe, as manifestations of the Source in our own rights. We
believe it is the destiny of all things to return to the Source
through true understanding. Having said all this, let me now show you
how it all comes about for us.
We believe that the Source is made manifest in the Creation that
surrounds us; and we see this manifestation as being made up of
dualities, which are linked in a meaningful way. The most obvious of
these polar pairs are male/female, heat/cold, light/dark, sky/earth,
and sun/moon; there are, literally, thousands of such pairs of
complementary opposites, and each plays its own role, but for our
purposes here, these are enough.
This profusion of paired opposites suggests to us that duality is the
essential character of creation, and to humans, the most significant
of these pairings is that of male and female. From this primal pair
emerges the concept of god and goddess. In this light, the pairs we
listed just now are categorized by their apparent natures:
God - male, light, heat, sky, sun;
Goddess -female,dark, cold,earth, moon;and fromthese
categories, it is derived that the overall character of god is active,
and that of goddess is passive. At the risk of oversimplifying, I
will leave this part of the discussion, with a word that these
qualities of god and goddess are archetypal, rather than literal
absolutes.
We refer to god and goddess, generally, as the Lord and the Lady. The
Lord is the Father of all, and his qualities of light, warmth, and
energy are most often symbolized by the sun, and whose nature is most
often represented by the sky. The Lady is the Mother of all, whose
patience and receptivity is symbolized by the earth, and whose
adaptability and steadfastness is represented by the moon. Our bodies
are the sign of her love and creativity. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 448 | 482
We see this endless chain of dualities reflected in our interactions
with the world in which we live, and with our fellow creatures, who
are also the children of the Lord and Lady. We see this chain in the
eternal cycles which move the universe around its unknown center.
There is more to male and female than mother and father: the Lord also
represents our Brother, our Friend; and likewise is the Lady Sister
and Friend to us. Like each of us, they have many names, many
faces, many roles, yet they remain themselves. Our gods have grown, in
a sense, as our understanding of ourselves and the creation around us
has grown; and yet they are just as they have always been. "As it was
in the beginning, it is now, and ever shall be" is true to us, as
well.
As we learn more about the divine creation around us, we learn to move
in harmony with it and with the creatures that share it with us, just
as sailors learn to work in accord with the winds, the currents and
the tides in order to reach their destination. As we learn about
ourselves, we learn to rise above the fear and frustration that can
accompany life, and learn to accept ourselves and others as we are, to
experience joy and love in our lives. As we learn about the gods, we
draw closer to them and learn under-standing, tolerance, humor, and
thankfulness. And, for us, doing any one of these is doing all of
these.
Do Witches worship the Devil?
NO! In fact, for many centuries, Wicca (as we call the indigenous
paganism of northern Europe) and Christianity co-existed peacefully:
the Christians did not claim to be the sole access to God, and the
Wicca offered sincere reverence to Jesus as a great Sacred King whose
sacrifice touched everyone. However, as the Roman church grew in
power and influence, it became jealous of the very large number of
Wiccans who - though acknowledging the divine role of Jesus and
respectful of the Path walked by those devoted exclusively to his
message - still steadfastly refused to render obedience, wealth and
land to Rome (and its emissaries); for northern Europe was almost
entirely inhabited by those who held to the 'Old Religion'. This
jealousy was the beginning of the Roman church's deliberate attempts
to discredit the old ways. These attempts included the creation of a
'devil' that was deliberately designed as a caricature of the Horned
God worshipped (though not exclusively) by the Old Religion; the
attribution of any and all natural calamities, and any source of
distress, to the practices of the Wicca, which, it was claimed,
invoked this 'Power of Evil' the church had created; and by accusing
women (who lacked sufficient maleness to have been created in 'God's'
image) of being inherently demonic temptations, drawing men away from
the church and into the natural world of life and death.
483
In this light, it is hardly accidental that the whole-sale persecution
of the Old Religion began during the time of the Black Death. This
plague did much of the church's work for it: by killing off one
fourth to one third of the population, the black death eliminated an
enormous number of adherents to the Old Religion. That done, and the
Wiccan civilization still disorganized from the imperial Roman
extermination of the Druids years before (the Druids were masters of
history, ritual, poetry and law), it became a simple matter to
convince the survivors that the natural world was their enemy, and
women the wanton agents of the 'Enemy'. The stage had been set for the |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 449 | Inquisitions, whose victims were overwhelmingly women and persons of
wealth and influence in the lives of the decimated pagan community.
Since those times, the Roman church and it's successors (such as the
'PTL' and '700' clubs) have used this manufactured association with an
artificial Arch-BadGuy as a means of justifying the CONTINUED
persecution and murder of those who still follow the Wiccan Way.
In "The Satanic Bible", it says that Witches ARE devil-worshippers but
are ignorant of the fact.
The Satanic Bible was written by a man who worships 'Satan', who is
supposed to be the 'father of lies'. This suggests to me that his
commitment to the truth may not be trustworthy. Essentially, by
declaring his belief in the church's own image of their created Enemy,
he has declared his acceptance of the medieval Christian character of
the game they play; he has chosen the 'Party Line', and his place of
the side of the imagined Adversary. We do not define the world in
Christian terms, for we have essentially nothing to do with Christian
beliefs and practices. (This is not to say that these is no common
ground between Christianity and the Craft, for there is much that we
share.) Not so the Satanists, whose every practice is either a
perversion or a violation of some Christian form (e.g., the 'Black
Mass', which Witches would still consider a foolish and irreverent
waste of time and energy, even if it were otherwise harmless), or the
more-or-less self-conscious pursuit of evil, which cannot be seriously
defended.
Though we are not believers in 'Satan', we do have a concept of evil,
which I will attempt to delineate: most of the problems we experience
in life can be thought of as arising from the four qualities of
attachment, greed, fear, and ignorance. These "qualities" cause us
all great pain in life as they warp our under-standing of events and
cause us to respond in ways that hurt and confuse. This is 'sin' in
it's original meaning of error and mistake, and often it is quite
innocent of any desire or intent to hurt, mislead or abuse. Evil is
the result of adding a fifth quality to the others, that of self-
centeredness. When self-centeredness enters the picture, then the
seeds of evil truly exist. Self-centeredness allows the self-centered
one to discount, or even ignore, the feelings, the rights, and even
the humanity of anyone outside that narrow focus. It is just such
'object'-ifcation that allows truly horrendous crimes to be committed,
that creates characters such as Jim Jones, Idi Amin, Josef Stalin,
Torquemada, Cromwell, and Hitler. The same self-centeredness, moved
from the individual self to the group self, allows war, slavery,
torture, terrorism, profiteering, persecution and genocide. I
ask you to remember that this is my formulation of a Pagan concept of
evil, and may not be agreed to by others. Regarding the idea that
Witches are ignorant of the focus of their spirituality, I can only
say that this is both false and flatly insulting, much as it would be
484
to state that Christians do not worship Jesus, but a shoe salesman
from New Jersey who they think is Jesus.
What about these reports of Ritual murder, Sacrifices, and
Cannibalism?
These things have nothing to do with us, and we have nothing to do
with such practices. We find the reports of such things disgusting
and horrifying, for we have and maintain a deep respect and reverence
for all life; the suggestion that we are involved in such things |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 450 | causes us great pain, for to be so involved would run counter to
everything we hold sacred. It would be, quite literally, "against our
religion".
Episodes of such anti-human, anti-life behavior are attributable to
derangement and insanity, or to Satanists, who make no pretense of
their worship of Christianity's manufactured 'prince of darkness'.
So much the worse for us: because of the original program of
opposition against Wiccan (and by that extension, all) Paganism, all
Satanists are assumed to be Witches by definition.
It is interesting to note that, in the days when Christianity was new,
the Romans accused them of many of the same vileness: blasphemy,
killing and eating of children, trafficking with demonic spirits,
ritual sacrifice. It is also interesting that in the hey-day of the
Roman church, Jews were subjected to these appalling charges, which
fuelled anti-Semitism right up to the Nazi exterminations. Indeed,
such accusations seem almost to be a 'traditional' means of
discrediting and destroying political/economic enemies (witness the
naming of the USSR as "an evil empire"). Perhaps the day will come
when peoples of different ways can live together without accusing each
other of abominations.
Why do you call Wicca a Religion, rather than a Cult?
Religions arise from principles and understanding and teach a way of
life; cults are based upon charisma and fascination, and are motivated
by profit and ascendancy. Religions thrive on independent conscious
participation; cults thrive on manipulation and obedience.
Wicca teaches a way of life based upon the perfection and
perfectibility of the spirit, closeness to the gods, right action, the
gaining of wisdom, and the Oneness of all life. In token and
celebration of this, we come together at our appointed times to
worship and to share the love, joy and 'fellowship' that life holds
for us, and to take note of the lessons that the events of the
seasons, and of our lives, have to teach us.
485
Our religion is the wellspring of our joy; it is the sharing of the
knowledge that we are endlessly in the radiant presence of all that is
holy, all that is sweet and uplifting. It warms us and fills us and
makes us whole, strengthens our minds and clears our spirits. It is
the knowledge of the love of our Mother the Earth, who provides for us
even in our thoughtless and destructive ecological folly, and who is
more beautiful and more patient than praise can express. It is the
knowledge of the guidance of our Father the Hunter, who quickens us,
who teaches us love and laughter, wisdom and prudence. It is the
awareness that we share this world, this life with countless others;
that each of us both deserves the respect of, and owes respect to, the
other children of the Lord and the Lady.
Why does this Religion seem so strange to us?
It has been suggested that there are two kinds of religion: Type One,
which has been called 'primitive', believes in a cyclic, ever-renewing
concept of time, and a belief in reincarnation frequently accompanies
this view. This type encourages a sense of appreciation and oneness
with Nature, and of personal responsibility both practical and
spiritual. Typically, a Type One religion will have a dualistic and
complementary images of Godhead, representing polar aspects of |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 451 | Creation as male and female. The Pagan religions are Type One.
Type Two, which has been called 'revealed', believes in a literal
beginning and ending of Creation- a linear concept of time, with life
considered as a one-shot ordeal. Type two religions encourage a
detachment from the world of Nature and a reliance on authority
(beyond the initial choice of whether or not to follow orders); they
will have a dualistic and antagonistic images of Godhead, representing
polar aspects of Creation as good and evil. Monotheistic religions
such as Christianity are Type Two religions. Type One and Type Two are
so called because they are the first and second types, respectively
and sequentially, to show themselves in human affairs.
The typical American is raised Christian, has virtually no contact
with members of Type One religions, and little meaningful inter-action
with members of the other monotheisms (Judaism, Islam,
Zoroastrianism). As a result, most opinions are formed based on
the images that are provided by the culture, and today this means the
images provided by movies and television. From the beginning, these
images have been selected to amuse and shock, rather than to enlighten
or inform. Truly, after nearly 2,000 years of exceptionally bad
press, Pagans of any sort from the 'superstitious' Hindu to the
'savage' native American to the 'wicked' Witch, are notoriously easy
targets for caricature. One can only say, 'Please don't believe
everything you see and hear!'
Why do Witches go off into the woods at night to worship?
First, we prefer to worship out-of-doors; as we are a nature religion,
we believe that no building can give us the sense of contact we feel
when our bare feet rest upon the Mother Earth, or the sense of
blessing we feel when a breeze caresses our skin. To worship is to
enter the presence of God or the Gods or Universe; so for us,
worshipping inside a building is more like leaving the Divine
Presence.
Given that, the best place to do this would be in a quiet spot, not
frequented by picnickers, traffic, or smog; a place remote enough to
486
minimize the distractions of the man-made world. These days, there
are few areas that offer much along these lines, but there are still
woods to be found, and when we can, we worship there. The fact that
trees are important symbols for us only enhances the appeal of the
woods.
So, why at night? There are several reasons: after dark, people go
indoors & get quiet - this enhances the peacefulness (as almost
everyone knows) and the serenity of our outdoor communion, which is
important to us; also, the moon for us is a symbol of the Goddess, and
our rituals are synchronized with the lunar phases - this makes
nighttime appropriate to us, for night is when the moon is most
prominent.
There is one more reason we hold Circle (our worship) in the woods at
night - in practice, the more isolated we are, the safer we are. In
our Circle site in Lithonia, we were too close to go unheard, and too
far to be understood; the sad result of that incident was that we were
driven away by wild rumors and fears of the unknown.
If Witches are all the good things you say, what are you afraid of? |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 452 | We are afraid of ignorance and of the violence that too often
accompanies it. To draw an example from history, the church-inspired
inquisitions caused the murder of 9,000,000 people. These people met
their ends through torture, starvation, burning, drowning and hanging;
their property was seized by the church, and their families were
scattered. Many of them were forced to watch loved ones suffer
agonies while they awaited their turns. The only accused who survived
were those who 'confessed' to the most loathsome crimes and outrageous
- even nonsensical - acts, and recanted their 'heresies'. All
who protested their innocence died.
Today in the 20th Century, members of the Craft have been fired from
their jobs, have been beaten, harassed, and sometimes murdered. Some
have lost their children in ugly legal battles, homes have been looted
and burned, and perfectly wholesome people have been declared
anti-social and a menace to the community. Yes, all these things do
go on now, today, often perpetrated by "well-intentioned" Christians
in a state of great fear and utter ignorance.
This is the reason for this pamphlet: to bear a lamp in the darkness
so that this holocaust may finally come to an end, and innocent people
may go about their lives unafraid.
As an example of why we're afraid, the next question is pretty good:
The Bible says, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live"; Why should
we?
The 'King James Version', on which virtually all English-language
translations are based, was begun and completed during the Burning
Times (our term for the anti-Pagan holocaust in Europe). Several
terms were rendered as "witch" in the final version. These terms
were, roughly, "evil-doer", "poisoner", "one who works harm in
secret". We shall probably never know whether this substitution was a
matter of political calculation or honest error. I think it likely
that there was a healthy portion of each at work. Further, the context
of this passage is significant. At the time, the Israelites were
preparing to invade and conquer the land of Canaan. In this light, it
487
is highly possible that the original warning was against Canaanite
saboteurs and/or infiltrators, partisans working against the Israeli
occupation. It would take a deliberate decision to apply such a
stricture against a different people of another time in another land.
It may be interesting to note, in this context, that the warning
(often quoted) against soothsayers, magicians, etc. was specifically
aimed at foreign practitioners. Jewish soothsayers, etc. were not
mentioned.
Are there any guidelines a Witch might be expected to live by? There
are many precepts that help us learn how to live in harmony. One of
the most important of these is personal responsibility. We hold that
each of us is responsible for choosing any and all words, deeds,
opinions, thoughts, feelings and responses. Another is called
the Law of Three-fold Return. This teaches us that we directly
experience the results of our choices, deeds and behavior. It works
much like the 'golden rule'.
From these two, arises one that almost might be called 'the Witch's
Motto': An it harm none, do what ye will. This one carries much of
the weight that the Ten Commandments carries for Christians. It means
that we are free to act as we see fit, providing that no other person |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 453 | suffers injury, pain, anguish, loss, or corruption, as a result of our
actions.
Also, there are the 13 Wiccan Virtues, which also guide us in our
growth and spiritual development. These virtues are Tolerance,
Charity, Humility, Devotion, Patience, Kindliness, Forbearance,
Sincerity, Courage, Precision, Efficiency, Discrimination, and Wisdom.
These are taken to a rather highly developed point in application, but
not changed from the qualities one would assume. I would like to point
out that 'discrimination' refers to the skill of recognizing the fine
points that make one person/place/situation/ moment different and
unique from any other. It has nothing to do with segregation, or with
injustice.
What does the number 13 mean to Witches?
Simply, it represents the 13 lunar months in a year; we celebrate the
passage of these months, or 'moons' in our rituals.
What are Wiccan rituals like?
In substance, they are no different from any other religion's
observances, though they do look different.
488
We begin by preparing ourselves with prayer and meditation; we then
'cast the circle'. The Circle is our temple, and it is built and
purified for each ritual; it usually has no overt form or structure,
not even a chalk boundary, but is always circular in shape. Every
participant must declare themselves free of malice, and ready to
celebrate in a spirit of harmony and good-will before they can be
allowed to enter the Circle. Once all have gathered, we use a group
prayer (chanted by all, usually) to further unite us and elevate
our hearts, and to turn our minds toward the gods.
The priest and priestess (our clergy) then call upon the Lord and the
Lady, asking them to be with us - to receive our love and blessings,
and to share their love and blessings with us. We share lessons and
moral exercises at this time, which serve to emphasize the spiritual
focus and the significance of the occasion. Through chanting and
exaltation, we internalize these lessons and this significance so
that we may be in harmony with the unfoldment of the Divine Purpose.
We then share bread and wine as a sign that, as children of the Gods,
we share in the bounty of nature and receive our nourishment from
them. Thanksgiving is then offered to the Lord and Lady, and to the
Creation in which we take part, and we receive their bene-diction. A
ritual is frequently followed by food and fellowship. Most of our
rituals are for worship, for spiritual focus and development, and to
harmonize with the Divine Purpose ("the Path"). We also perform rites
of passage and sanctification: namings (christening/baptism),
handfastings (marriage), and memorials (funeral rites), among others.
What about Magic?
We do use magick for a variety of purposes (we spell 'magick' with a
'k' to distinguish what we do from stage magic, with its connotations
of illusion and trickery): healing, behavior change (a witch only
works on his or her own behavior), and general self-improvement.
These are the primary aims of magick, as practiced by a witch who
knows what she's doing! It is sometimes true that someone will say,
"I am a witch", and then do things that no witch would do, just as |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 454 | some have claimed to follow Jesus, yet have done things in his name
that would never have gained his approval.
In this context, let me share something with you: no true witch will
employ magick to harm another; or to manipulate or influence another
without the knowledge and permission of the person to be affected.It
is standard to get a person's permission even before attempting to
heal that person. This means that love spells, hexes, curses, and
"the evil eye", whatever that is, are specifically out of line and out
of the question for a true witch.
Other uses of magick include seeking guidance, protection, finding
lost persons or articles, to harmonize with the gods and with the
natural life and cycles of the planet Earth.
Magick is a way of approaching situations that allows one to bring all
one's abilities and internal resources into play. It is similar to
Positive Thinking, combined with self-awareness and a clear
understanding of exactly what one hopes to achieve. All this is done
from within a focussed, prayerful attitude to ensure that the effort
is in harmony with the Divine Purpose.
Magick, done properly, does work; and harmlessness is a major part of
doing it properly. It can be powerful, which is why no true witch
489
will attempt to teach magick to a person who is unstable or immature
(remember, we consider ourselves responsible for our acts and
choices!); nor will any true witch use magick to impress others, nor
to enrich herself or himself at another's expense.
How can I recognize a true Witch?
Witches are human, like anyone else; therefore, they are not perfect.
A true witch, however, will be actively involved in becoming the best,
most complete and well-balanced person that she or he can become. As
a result, you should be able to see all 13 of the Wiccan Virtues
active in the person, though you may not see them all at once, and
perhaps not in their perfect expression. A true witch tends to be
active, good-humored, perceptive of her own faults, and tolerant of
faults in others. There may in fact be no clear way of recognizing a
witch as a witch; but if you know a witch, or someone who claims to be
a witch, my advice would be "By their fruits shall ye know them; for
an evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit, neither can a good tree
bear evil fruit."
On the off chance that I wanted to know more, where could I look?
Larger cities sometime have a group or two that are more or less
"public". This may give you a starting point if you actually want to
talk to someone. Try meeting with current and former members, if
possible. For those with a more academic interest, there are several
books one can read:
Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler
This book is available at B.Dalton Booksellers, Waldenbooks and
others. A national journalist, Ms Adler has done a commendable job of
sampling the diversity of Wiccan/Pagan activity in the U.S. today.
Witches by T.C. Lethbridge
An older book, it provides some good historical data, along with
some fascinating speculations. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 455 | Witchcraft from the Inside by Raymond Buckland
This was thefirst book I read, and I still think it gives a good
picture of the roots and history of Wicca as a religion.
The ABCs of Witchcraft by Doreen Valiente
This book comes highly recommended by my friend and priestess, Lady
Galadriel, who suggests that I read it. For a general understanding of
non-monotheistic religions:
The Masks of God, in 4 volumes by Joseph Campbell
When Mr. Campbell died earlier this year, he left behind a
treasure-house of researches and reflections on the nature and essence
of religion on planet Earth. This massive work is well worth the time
taken to read it, as there is brilliance on nearly every page. While
he does not deal with the Craft as such, he provides superb insight
into the world-view we share with other pagan and monotheistic
religions.
490
AFTERWORD
I have tried in this article to give respect to religious faiths other
than my own. Some of the historical facts regarding the relationship
between the Craft and Christianity are not pleasant to relate, and
they may not be flattering to hear; yet these things are matters of
record, and they are crucial to an understanding of a Wiccan position,
so I have included them. I have also, at times, used a 'voice' that
is basic and direct, at the expense of formal correctness, in an
effort to give as clear and unambiguous a picture of the Wiccan 'side'
as possible. I have done so without malice, and I intend only real
communication; if you find some of this offensive, therefore, I ask
you to consider the 'gentleness' with which we have been treated over
the centuries, and find it in your heart to forgive me.
disclaimer
I speak for no-one but myself; however many witches might agree with
me, I assume no right to speak for any others;
I am the sole author of this work, relying on my training and
experience and the reading and research of a lifetime in writing this
work;
I am under no influence, nor working at the request of any other
person; therefore I am responsible for the contents;
I am indebted to the Grove of the Unicorn for my long and rich
association with the Craft, and for the training and practical
experience I have received; they share what virtue is here - any
mistakes are my own.
If you feel moved to respond to this effort in some way, please
contact me in
writing at: PO Box 13384, Atlanta, GA 30324.
491
LANDMARKS OF THE CRAFT
A landmark is a prominent feature used to mark the boundaries of real
estate. Therefore, these landmarks of the Craft ar prominent features of
the American Rite, or Druidic Craft of the Wise. Just as departing from |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 456 | the landmarks in real estate signifies that one has departed from that
piece of land, so does departure from the landmarks of our Craft signify
such a person or organization has departed from the correct defines of the
Craft. Other branches of the Craft sometimes call this their "Law".
THE LANDMARKS
The landmarks were given to man by The Great God, Pan,
In the dim, dark ages of the past
For the rule and regulation of the wise,
To advise and help them in their troubles
And relations, one with the other,
That all might work and love together.
They are the Bill of Rights of each member,
And the code of operation of the Coven.
And are to be honored by all
Or else they become meaningless and of little use,
And departure therefrom by any person or Coven
Shall be a departure from the rest of the Covens
Which constitute the American Rite.
And they shall be disfellowshipped, they from the rest of us,
And no further communication shall be established
Concerning things of the Craft
With either He or They until
They shall return to the fold of the Craft
In love and cooperation.
For the Gods love the Wise, the Brethren of the Way,
And so should we return that love.
But this can only be done and made manifest by love expressed
In deeds for the Brethren of the Craft,
Not in pride, but in cooperation and sincerity.
THE FELLOWS OF THE CRAFT
Any person, be male or female, who is of good mind
And free to decide for himself in good faith,
Who shall learn of the Craft and its Tenets,
And shall desire to follow the Way,
Shall be permitted to do so,
And none may say him "Nay".
And the Gods will love him and look after him,
And they shall bless him on all things,
And his needs shall always be satisfied,
As he shall show forth love and affection
For all the brethren and sisters of the Craft,
And he shall obey the Admonishments
Of the Craft as to secrecy and correct living.
492
THE FELLOWS OF THE CRAFT (continued)
And when he shall desire to join the Craft,
And to follow the Way to Perfection,
He shall make his desires known to any member
Of the Priesthood.
And they shall observe his readiness and sincerity,
And shall then administer the rites of
Secrecy, which is sacredness and brotherhood. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 457 | But a Priest shall accept the Sister,
And a Priestess the Brother,
As an eternal reminder of
The duality of the Universe.
And a new name and secret mark
Shall be given each new fellow.
By this name, and under this mark,
Shall they be known among the members
Of the Craft, in love and harmony,
And their old name and identity shall not be known
Even among the members of their own Coven,
And none shall inquire for his name or his house
And he shall inquire these of none.
But the Gods have decreed, that in joining the Rite,
Free Will and independence shall not be in jeopardy.
And he shall have the right to follow the Way.
Walking alone if he will it that way,
Or with a Coven of living brethren
If he so shall choose;
And he shall have the right
To withdraw from any coven at any time
Without the need to say why,
If he shall so choose.
And this either for the purpose of joining another
Or to become solitary for his own reasons,
And there will be none to censure;
And he shall have the right to remain
In a certain Coven, and none shall say him "Nay",
Or to attempt to force him to leave and depart;
Except that should he lose harmony with them
Then they may so decide
And he shall depart.
But no man shall have the right
To speak for the Craft,
And leaving one Coven does not mean
Leaving the Craft, or
Leaving the Way
And each is free, then, or at any time later,
To remain solitary
Or to seek admission to another Coven.
493
THE FELLOWS OF THE CRAFT (continued)
But let him and each other fellow of the Craft
Keep a book, and this shall be of the colors of the Craft,
That it may be readily recognized,
And here he shall keep all the Laws and Landmarks,
And the tenets of the Craft,
That he might not forget,
And if he do forget, that his mind might be
Renewed.
And in this book, all things shall be the mark
Of his own hand, and in ink, |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 458 | That it shall be long lived.
Let each of the brothers and sisters
Copy what they will from the book,
Providing that they are of sufficient worthiness,
To receive it, and are of sufficient rank,
Or that the writings are of sufficient nature
As pertain to their own rank.
Never suffer this book out of hand or possession,
And never borrow the writings of another
To keep, but merely to copy.
And each shall guard and keep these writings,
As his most sacred possession
And destroy them when danger threatens.
However, should one be of sufficient power,
To remember his past as a wise man,
This book and other Craft artifacts,
May be buried in a stone box
Prepared for them from time to time,
And this in view of immediate death,
And the desire to save them for a future life.
Otherwise, on notice of impending death,
This book should be destroyed by fire,
As well as other things of the Craft,
Which one may posses.
But the wise man will have nothing around
Which has only a Craft use or meaning,
But only things which can be used in daily affairs.
If there is no reason to own a sword,
Then do not own one;
The white wand is just as powerful,
And less distinctive in the minds of the infidels.
If a white wand is too distinctive,
Then any old wand will do for the purpose
Of the ceremonies.
494
THE FELLOWS OF THE CRAFT (continued)
Have no names written and signs drawn
On anything permanently,
When necessary these can be written
In charcoal or chalk
And erased immediately without the telling of tales.
Let the knife have the shape of,
And be stored with the kitchen knives;
Let the cord be seen around the house,
And be used for a vulgar purpose,
In order to fool the infidels.
Never boast, never threaten, never brag
Of your powers; not even to the Craft,
Above all, never harbor ill thoughts toward another
For the power may make it happen for harm;
And never wish ill to anyone. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 459 | As it will Occur.
If anyone speaks of the Craft, to down it,
Remember: the Craft needs no defense,
For it has the Father and
All things will be as He wishes
In the end.
THE COVEN
And it shall be that any Fellow of the Craft,
Finding himself in a place where he knows of no Coven,
Or other Fellow of the Craft
Shall have the right, nay, even the duty,
To seek out such a Coven,
Or other Fellow of the Craft
Without censure.
Provided that he shall not reveal secrets to jeopardize
His former Coven or the members of it,
Or the Craft itself.
And two or three Fellows shall have the right
To meet and discuss subjects of Craft interest,
And to help each other along
On the Way to Perfection,
Except that Craft ceremonies
Must be done by the Priesthood.
Any five fellows who shall desire
To form a Coven may do so,
And they shall apply for a charter
To any High Priest or Priestess,
And they shall then select and choose
A man and a woman to lead them.
And their elected leaders shall be ordained by their High Priest,
And they shall choose two more,
A woman to be the deputy; to learn to be a priestess,
And a Scribe for their Coven.
THE COVEN (continued)
495
But these shall not be ordained to the Priesthood,
Unless also qualified for another reason.
And this Coven shall belong to the High Priest,
And shall be answerable to him in all their doings,
Because they did owe their Priesthood to him,
And he shall act at all times in their interest
As their Spiritual Father in the Craft
So that he may lead them as they walk
The way to perfection.
But the newly appointed Priesthood,
Should it be lacking in the knowledge and wisdom needed,
For the positions to which they have been set apart
Then it shall be his responsibility as their High Priest,
To lead and instruct them,
Or cause it to be done by another.
But should the new Coven refuse to follow |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 460 | The teachings and instructions of their Spiritual Father,
Then he may, at his discretion and Judgement,
Recall their charter, and their right to work as a Coven.
For that which one can give he may also retrieve,
And they shall not again meet,
Unless they can find another High Priest,
Who will assume responsibility over them.
It is the bounden duty of the High Priest to preside,
For all things must be presided over by the High Priesthood;
And should any Coven desire to change,
Their allegiance from one High Priest to another,
For any reason, even the loss of harmony,
Or if, in their considered opinion, their Spiritual Father
Is no longer spiritual, or serving the Father
Then they shall be reordained in the Priesthood
By the New High Priest, and this shall then
Have superceded the original ordinations,
And there shall be for them
A new Spiritual Father.
And if any Priest or Priestess, or other member of the Priesthood,
Find themselves in a place wherein there is no Coven for them to lead,
Then it is their bounden duly to try to the extent of their Power
To find Fellows of the Craft
And organize them into a Coven.
And should they find that there are no other Fellows of the Craft,
In that place, but there are some of the same good bend of mind,
It is then their duty to teach them by word and deed,
Until there be sufficient to form a Coven,
And this shall be done under the supervision,
And with the knowledge of their High Priest,
Through which they received their ordination
And their Powers.
THE COVEN (continued)
And they shall obligate, teach and initiate all the members of their Coven,
And they shall be theirs and they shall be to them
496
As elder brothers and sisters,
And shall care for them in all their affairs,
And not just at meetings,
For it is in this that the Craft differs
From all man-made institutions.
Should any member be absent, and love of the Priestess is such
That she shall continue to contact them in any manner
And by any method possible,
To tender them her loving care
At all times of sickness or stress.
And should any member move to a far city
The Priestess will continue to care for them
In love, by whatever method is available,
Until such time as they shall,
Of their own free will,
Obligate themselves to another Priestess. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 461 | And the Priestess shall at all times remember
That she is the direct representative of the Goddess to her Coven,
And the Priest is the direct representative of
The unknown God, the Father,
And both must act as such at all times.
Yet the Priestess shall have whomever she shall choose
As her Priest, be he of that rank, or qualified to be,
Or else another Fellow, who shall be called
her Magister.
And she must remember at all times that the man provides the power,
For the woman to direct, and so it is,
That the Priest resigns all his power over to her,
Yet it is not his power, nor hers to keep,
It is the power of God to use in the performance
Of the Work.
The Power of God is only lent to be used,
Wisely and Justly.
Both the members of the Priesthood shall remember their Spiritual Father,
At all times with gratitude, love, veneration and cooperation,
keeping constantly in contact, and acting with him in utmost harmony,
For they must always remember that the power
And wisdom which they use,
Comes to them through him.
In the days of old, ere the coming of Christendom,
The Craft was free and open in its ceremonies,
And entire states and nations worshipped the Gods
Freely and without restraint;
497
THE COVEN (continued)
But in these unhappy days, we must remain secret,
And hold our rites and ceremonies in secret,
And there are those who will talk, even without torture,
Which loosens any tongue.
Then let it be ordained, heeded and supported by all
That no Coven shall know wherein
The next Coven shall abide, or who its members be,
Except only the Priestess, Magister and Deputy,
And even they shall not remember
Except for good and sufficient reason.
But, and if only, it should be safe, may the covens meet
In some safe place for festivals, and while there,
None may say whence they came, nor give their true names,
Or tell of where or when their meetings are, and
No secret things shall be spoken of
At these festivals for fear of Cowans and Eavesdroppers.
Let each Priestess govern her own Coven in justice and love,
Ever heeding the advice and instructions of her High Priest.
She will ever heed the complaints of the brethren
And strive to settle all differences between them with love.
But there are those who, in pride, will ever strive
To force their will upon others |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 462 | But these are not necessarily evil
And will think that they do rightly.
Oft they have good ideas and such ideas
Should be discussed in council with their brethren.
But if they will not agree with their brethren,
Or if they say "I will not work under this Priestess",
Then they shall have the right to withdraw from that Coven,
And work Solitary.
Or if five or more of them shall withdraw,
They shall have the right
To form another Coven under another
Priestess.
Even as it shall be the right of any five or more persons of a Coven
To withdraw, and form a new Coven, for any reason whatever,
But they shall then utterly avoid the old Coven
In all things, as it shall then have ceased to exist for them.
498
THE BOOK OF SHADOWS
Let every Coven of whatever rank
Keep a record in a book of black and silver,
And it shall contain, first, the Landmarks and Tenets,
Then a collection of Wisdom of the Craft,
The Rites and Ceremonies of the Coven
As well as the History of the Coven,
And its charter empowering it to work.
And a record of every meeting shall be written therein,
Together with a record of the doings of any member thereof
With the other side, or the Father, or
Any other thing which is for the teaching of all,
Even unto the listing of herbs and medicines
Spells and incantations and Rites
Which contain power for the use of man.
This book shall be kept by the Scribe,
And it shall be kept and approved by the Priesthood
And also the High Priesthood, when it shall come,
But no names or Craft secrets shall be written therein
That he Craft should not be betrayed
Should the book be taken by force,
Or slyness, by the infidels.
And when the coven shall disband,
It shall be the duty of the High Priesthood
To secure this book and make suitable disposition
That it might not endanger the Craft
Or any brother within it
As if the Coven were a person or Fellow
And the book were his book,
So let it be burned.
499
THE PRIESTHOOD
The Mother, The seven Elder Children, and all the worlds,
Draw their power from the Father. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 463 | But the children of the Father are like the sands of the sea,
And He has ordained and set apart certain of his older children,
To help and assist Him in caring for the younger children,
And has given them the Power and the Wisdom to do so,
And these children constitute the Priesthood.
The Father will bestow this power upon whom he will, and none may say him
"Nay"
Yet also may the Priesthood choose workers and helpers
And shall share their power with them,
And this is called ordination.
The Power of the Priesthood is that of the Father
And it is love unfeigned and sincere,
Compassion and gentleness and meekness,
Persuasion and long-suffering and kindness,
And there is no authority over the free will of men
Inherent in the Priesthood,
Nor to be assumed by the members of it.
And the Power of the Priesthood is the Power of God,
And the Power of God can never be wielded by an ungodly man,
Nor an evil man; nor the love of God by an unloving man;
And when the man becomes evil, the Power of God is withdrawn from him.
Nor can a member of the Priesthood be inactive,
For inactivity without cause is lack of love for the Father,
And this man's priesthood shall depart from him
At the end of a year and a day,
For it is truth eternal,
That the thing which is unused will be taken away.
So if any Fellow of the Craft shall desire the Priesthood,
First let him learn to be a leader of men,
For a Priest with no following is no Priest,
And his Priesthood is in vain.
So therefore let the Fellow who would be a Priest
First learn the knowledge and wisdom he will need in the new appointment,
Then let him learn to lead men, and
When he shall either have been selected
As leader for his Coven,
Or when he shall have gathered up a Coven of his own,
Then let him apply for ordination.
And he shall apply to a High Priest, for it is written
That only the higher can ordain the lesser,
That there shall be an unbroken line
Of power and authority extending
Back through the line of ordination,
To the Father Himself.
500
And no man can ordain his peers,
For the Lord's House is not a house of confusion,
So let not the line be broken
For it is the cable tow by which
Men are drawn from the lower
Up to the greater;--
An impossibility without it. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 464 | And each must work within their line of ordination
In perfect love and perfect trust,
With perfect harmony in all things,
But should they find that they fall out of harmony
With their line of ordination,
Then let him seek another, to be ordained of him
To be their new spiritual Father.
Let the Priesthood be a leadership of fact; not of fancy,
For those who have no following to lead,
Why are they in the Priesthood?
THE PRIESTHOOD (continued)
And so it is that they who lose or give away their following,
Or they who through inactivity have lost their power,
Or they who are not in harmony and love with their Spiritual Father;
Shall be retired from a rank to which entitled
Other than by leadership of men.
But this can only be done by he who ordained them,
For only those who give can take away,
Yet each High Priest is responsible that this is done.
Should any Fellow fain the Priesthood, and use it wisely and well,
The Gods have decreed that those who serve them
Shall prosper and grow in this life,
And shall gain eternal perfection
To be freed from the Wheel of Life,
And to become like unto the angels
In that they should be perfect.
For perfection is to be gained by love,
And there is no greater love than to
Lay down one's life for his brethren
In their service and for their sake,
And the Father will reward them for
Their labor of love, because
He is not unjust.
FINIS
502
THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC:
Getting Specific about Magical Ethics
Sometimes a clichejust wearsout. It losesmeaning or, worse,begins
to say things we never meant. I think it's time to retire the phrase "black
magic."
Saying"black" when we mean "evil" is nasty nonsense. In the first
place, it reinforces the racist stereotypes that corrupt our society. And
that's not all. Whenever we say "black" instead of "bad," we repeat again
the big lie that darkness is wrong. It isn't, as people who profess to love
Nature should know.
Darkness canmean the inside of the womb, and the seed germinating
within the Earth, and the chaos that gives rise to all truly new |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 465 | beginnings. In our myths, the one who goes down to the underworld returns
with the treasure. Even death, to the Wiccan understanding, is well-earned
rest and comfort, and a preparation for new birth. Using "black" to mean
"bad" is a blasphemy against the Crone.
But even if we no longer speak of magic as "black" or "white," we
still need to think and speak about the ethics of magic. Although black is
not evil, some actions are evil. It simply is not true that anything a
person is strong enough or skilled enough to do is OK, nor should doing
what we will ever be the whole of the law for us. We need a clear and
specific vocabulary that enables us to choose wisely what we will do.
We need to replace the word "black," not simply to drop it. Some
Pagans have tried using "negative" as their substitute, but that turned out
to be confusing. For some people, "negative" means any spell to diminish or
banish anything. Some things - tumors, depression, bigotry - are harmful.
There's nothing wrong with a working to get rid of bad stuff. "Left-handed"
is another common term for wrongful practice, very traditional, but just as
ignorant, superstitious and potentially harmful as the phrase "black magic"
itself. So in Proteus we tried using the word "unethical." That's a lot
better - free of extraneous and false implications - but still too vague.
Gradually, I began to wonder whether using any one word, "black" or
"unethical" or whatever, might just be too general and too subjective.
Perhaps all I really tell a student that way is "Judy doesn't like that."
I won't settle for blind obedience. If ethical principles are going to
survive the twin tests of time and temptation, people need to understand
just what to avoid, and why. Even more important, they need a basis for
figuring out what to do instead. Especially when it comes to projective
magic.
Projectivemagic means active workings,the kind inwhich we project
our will out into the world to make some kind of change. This is what most
people think of when they use the word magic at all. Quite clearly, magic
that may affect other people is magic that can harm. This is the basis of
the proverb "a Witch who can't hex can't heal." Either you can raise and
direct power, or you can't. Your strength and skill can be used for
blessing or for bane. The choice - and the karma - are yours.
503
Just as some people feel that strength and skill are their own
justification, others feel that any projective magic is always wrong - that
it is a distraction from our one true goal of union with the Divine or a
willful avoidance of the judgments of Karma. I think these attitudes are
equally inconsistent with basic Wiccan philosophy.
Weare taught that we will find theLady within ourselves or not at
all, that the Mother of All has been with us from the beginning. We can't
now establish a union that was always there. All we can do, all we need to
do, is become aware. Knowing what it feels like to heal and empower, again
and again till you can't dismiss it as coincidence, is one of the most
powerful methods for awakening that awareness. It makes no sense to say
that the direct experience and exercise of our indwelling divinity
distracts from the Great Work.
Indeed, it is this intimate connection between our magic and our
self-realization that our ethics protect. Wrongful use of magic will choke
the channel. No short term gain could ever compensate for that.
The karmic argument againstpractical workings seems to meto arise
from a paranoid and defeatist world view. Even if we assume that the |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 466 | hardships in this life were put there by the Gods for a reason, how can we
be so sure that the reason was punishment? Perhaps instead of penance to be
endured, our difficulties are challenges to be met. Coping and dealing with
our problems, learning magical and mundane skills, changing ourselves and
our world for the better - in short, growing up - is that not what the Gods
of joy and freedom want from us?
One of the most radically different things about a polytheistic belief
system is that each one of us has the right, and the need, to choose which
God/desses will be the focus of our worship. We make these choices knowing
that whatever energies we invoke most often in ritual will shape our own
further growth. Spiritual practices are a means of self-programming. So we
are responsible for what we worship in a way that people who take their One
God as a given are not.
Think about this: what kind of Power actively wants us to submit and
suffer, and objects when we develop skills to improve our own lives? Not a
Being I'd want to invite around too often!
So it will not workfor us to rule out projectivemagic completely;
nor should we. Total prohibitions are as thoughtless as total
permissiveness or blind obedience. Ethical and spiritual adults ought to be
able to make distinctions and well-reasoned choices. I offer here a start
toward analyzing what kinds of magic are not ethical for us.
Baneful magicis magic done forthe explicit purposeof causing harm
to another person. Usually the reason for it is revenge, and the
rationalization is justice. People who defend the practice of baneful magic
often ask "but wouldn't you join in cursing another Hitler?"
For adults there is no rule without exceptions. If you think you would
never torture somebody, consider this scenario: in just half an hour the
bomb will go off, killing everybody in the city, and this terrorist knows
where it is hidden....
504
It's a bad mistake to base your ethics on wildly unlikely cases, since
none of us honestly knows how we would react in that kind of extreme.
Reasonable ethical statements are statements about the behaviors we expect
of ourselves under normally predictable circumstances.
We all getreally angry on occasion, and sometimeswith good cause.
Then revenge can seem like no more than simple justice. The anger is a
normal, healthy human reaction, and should not be repressed. But there's no
more need to act it out in magic than in physical violence. Instead of
going for revenge - and invoking the karmic consequences of baneful magic -
identify what you really need. For example, if your anger comes from a
feeling that you have been attacked or violated, what you need is
protection and safe space. Work for the positive goal, it's both more
effective and safer.
The consequences of baneful magic are simply the logical, natural and
inevitable psychological effects. Even in that rare and extreme situation
when you may decide you really do have to use magic to give Hitler a heart
attack, it means you are choosing by the same choice to accept the act's
karma. Magical attack hurts the attacker first.
The only way I know how to do magic is by use of my imagination, by
visualizing or otherwise actively imagining the end I want, and then
projecting that goal with the energy of emotional/physiological arousal.
All the techniques I know either help me to imagine more specifically or to |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 467 | project more strongly. So the only way I can send out harm is by first
experiencing that harm within my own imagination. Instant and absolute
karma - the natural, logical and inevitable outcomes of our own choices.
I would think, also, that somebody dumb enough to dosuch workings
often would soon lose the ability to imagine specifically, as their
sensitivity dulled in sheer self-defense. That callusing effect is the
reality behind the pious proverb that says "if you abuse it, She'll take it
away."
But not every othermagician is ethical. Psychic attacksdo happen.
Should we not defend ourselves? Of course we should. Leaving ourselves open
to psychic attack is no good example of the autonomy and assertiveness our
chosen Gods expect. But first, how can we be sure what we are experiencing
really is psychic attack?
Thefantasy ofpsychic attackis often aconvenient excusethat allows
us to avoid looking at our own shortcomings. When lack of rest or improper
nutrition is the cause of illness, or a project isn't completed on time
because of distraction, it's a real temptation to put the blame outside
ourselves. Doing this too easily betrays our autonomy just as badly as
meek submission to attack does. Then, to compound matters, projected blame
becomes an excuse for unjust revenge -- and that is baneful magic without
excuse.
Once in a rare while, some fool really does tryto throw a whammy.
It's hard to predict when you might be targeted. Passive shields are always
a good idea. Like a mirror, these are totally inactive until somebody sends
unwelcome energy. Then a shield will protect you completely and bounce back
whatever is being thrown. You may not even know consciously when your
shield is working, but the result is perfect justice.
505
Perfect justice; elegant and efficient. You won't hurt anybody out of
paranoia or by mistake. And perfect protection, even though we do not have
perfect knowledge.
Bindings, according to some, arecompletely defensive. They do not
harm, only restrain. But imagine yourself being bound - perhaps by someone
who believes themselves justified - and notice the feeling of impotence and
frustration. Binding is bane from the viewpoint of the bound.
Even if restraint were truly not harm, bindings are just plain poor
protection. They target a particular person or group. What if you suspect
the wrong person? Somebody harmless is bound and your actual attacker is
not bound. Shields, which cover you, not your supposed enemy, will cover
you against any enemy, known or unknown.
So, baneful magic, besides being painful in the short run and
crippling in the long run, is never necessary. There are better ways of
self protection, and retribution is the business of the Gods.
Coercive magicis magicthat targets anotherperson to makethem give
us something we want or need. When most people think of the "Magic Power of
Witchcraft," this is what they have in mind.
The spell to make the teacher give you a good grade, or the supervisor
give you a good evaluation, the spell to make the personnel officer or
renting agent choose you, the spell to attract that cute guy, all are
examples of coercive magic. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 468 | So, what's wrong with high grades, a good job, a raise, a nice
apartment and a sexy lover? There's nothing at all wrong with those goals.
An it harm none, do what ye will. As long as nobody is hurt, go for it! But
don't strive toward good ends by coercive means.
Although there is no deliberate intent to do harm or cause pain in
coercive workings, other people are treated as pawns. Their autonomy and
their interests are ignored.
For Pagans, to do this is total hypocrisy. We profess to follow a
religion of immanence, one that places ultimate meaning and value in this
life on this Earth, here and now. We claim to see every living thing,
humans included, as a sacred manifestation. To do honor to this indwelling
divinity, we place great value on our own personal autonomy. How can we
then justify treating other people as objects for our use?
Nor is it harmless. Forcing the will, controlling the independent
judgement of another human being, is harm. Once again, empathy leads to
understanding. Just imagine you are the person whose will and judgement is
being externally controlled. How does puppethood feel? From the viewpoint
of the target, the harm is palpable.
506
The Pagan and Wiccan community asa whole is also hurt by coercive
magic. One of the main reasons people fear and hate Witches is our
reputation for controlling others. This is an old, dirty lie, created by
the invading religion in an attempt to discredit the indigenous
competition. Today, that reputation is mostly perpetuated by people who
claim to be "our own," who teach unethical coercive magic by mail order to
strangers whose ethical sensitivity cannot be evaluated long distance. May
the Gods preserve the Craft!
People who are connected to thesituation, but invisible to us,may
also be seriously hurt: the cute guy's fiancee, the other applicant for
that job. What you think of as a working designed only to bring good to
yourself can bring serious harm to innocent third parties, and the karma of
their pain will be on you.
That isn't the only way an incomplete view of the situation can
backfire. There's a traditional saying that goes, "be careful about what
you ask for, because that's exactly what you will get." What if he is
gorgeous, but abusive? What if the apartment house is structurally
unsound? Better to state your legitimate needs (love in my life, a nice
place to live) and let the Gods deal with the details.
Finally,remember this: asking specificallylimits us towhat we now
know or what we can now imagine. But I remember a time when I could not
have imagined being a priestess. What if the cute guy in the office is
perfectly OK, but your absolutely perfect soul-mate will be in the A+P next
Wednesday? The more specifically targeted your magic is, the more you limit
yourself to a life of tautology and missed chances.
And beyond all the scenario spinning lies the instant karma, the
natural, logical and inevitable consequence of the act. It's more subtle
than in the case of baneful magic, since you are not trying to imagine and
project pain, but the damage is still real.
Every time you treat another human being as a thing to be pushed and
pulled around for your convenience and pleasure, you are reinforcing your
own alienation. The attitude of being removed from and superior to other
people takes you out of community. As the attitude strengthens, so will the
behavior it engenders. The long term result of coercive magic, as with |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 469 | mundane forms of coercion, is isolation and loneliness.
Are youbeginning to think thatmagic is useless?Did I justrule out
all the good stuff: love charms, job magic, spells for good grades? Not at
all. It is not only ethical but good for you to do lots of magic to improve
your own life. Whenever it works you will get more than you asked for -
because along with whatever you asked for comes one more experience of your
own effectiveness, your power-from-within.
Work on yourself and your own needs and desires without targeting
other people. Then feel free! Ask for what you want. Visualize it and raise
power for it and act in accordance on the material plane. "I need a caring
and horny lover with a good sense of humor." "I want an affordable
apartment near where my coven meets with a tree outside my window." "I need
to be at my best when I take that exam next week." Fulfill your dreams, and
sometimes let the Gods surprise you with gifts beyond your dreams.
507
Manipulative magic is magicthat targets another person forwhat we
think is "their own good," without regard for their opinions in the matter.
In the general culture around us, this is normal. As you read this, you may
have some friend or relative praying for you to be "saved" from your evil
Pagan ways and returned to the fold of their preference. These people mean
you well. By their own lights, they are attempting to heal you. We work
from a very different thealogical base.
Aspolytheists, weaffirm thediversity of thedivine andthe divinity
of diversity. If there is no one, true, right and only way in general, do
we dare to assume that there is one obvious right choice for a person in
any given situation? If more than one choice may be "right," how can one
person presume they know what another person would want without asking them
first?
No life situation ever looks the same from outside as it does to the
person who is experiencing it. Are you sure you even have all the facts?
Are you fully aware of all the emotional entanglements involved? Perhaps
that illness is the only way they have of getting rest or getting
attention. Perhaps they stay in that dead end job because it leaves them
more energy to concentrate on their music. How do you know till you ask?
And,to furthercomplicate theanalysis, it'spossible thatthe person
you are trying to help would agree with you about the most desirable
outcome, but fears and hates the very idea of magic. They have as much of a
right to keep magic out of their own life, as you have to make it part of
yours!
Ourreligion teaches thatthe sacredlives withineach person,that we
can hear the Lady's voice for ourselves if we only learn to listen. "... If
that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it
without." In behavioral terms, when you take another person's opinion
about their own life seriously, you are reinforcing them in thinking and
choosing for themselves. The more you do this, the more you encourage them
to listen for the sacred inner voice.
Conversely, whenever you ignore or override a person's feelings about
their own life, you are discounting those feelings and discouraging the
kind of internal attention that can keep the channels to wisdom open.
Although well-intentioned meddling may actually help somebody in the short
run, in the longer run it trains them to dependency and indecision. Few
intentional banes damage as severely. This is especially true because even
the untrained and unaware will instinctively resist overt ill-will, but in
our culture we are trained to receive "expert" interference with gratitude. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 470 | Check byasking yourself, "who'sin charge here?" Theanswer to that
will tell you whether you are basically empowering or undermining the
person you intend to help.
And, as usual, the effects go both ways. The same uninvited
intervention
that fosters passivity in the recipient will foster arrogance in the
"rescuer." It's control and ego-inflation masked as generosity. It's very
seductive.
508
If you makethis a habit, youwill come to believethat other people
are incompetent and powerless. Then what happens when you need help? Your
contempt will make it impossible for you to see what resources surround
you. Manipulative magic is ultimately just as alienating as coercive magic
- and it's a much prettier trap!
The way to avoid the trap is to do no working affecting another person
without that person's explicit permission. Proteans are pledged to this,
and I think it's a good idea for anybody.
You don'tneed to waitpassively forthe person toask. It'sperfectly
all right to offer, as long as you are willing to sometimes accept "no" for
your answer. For the person who believes s/he is unworthy or who is simply
too shy, offering help is itself a gift. Taking their opinion seriously is
an even greater gift: respect.
Therule is thatwhenever itis in anyway physically possibleto ask,
you must ask. If it's not important enough to pay long distance charges, it
certainly isn't important enough to violate a friend's autonomy. If asking
is literally not possible, then and only then, here are a few exceptions:
Sometimesan illness or injuryhappens very suddenly,and the person
is unconscious or in a coma before you could possibly ask them. If you know
that this person is generally comfortable with magic, you may do workings
to keep their basic body systems working and allow the normal healing
process the time it needs. If they are opposed to magic, for whatever
reason, back off!
Traditionally, anunconscious personis understood tobe temporarily
out of their body. Maintaining their body in habitable condition is
preserving their option, not choosing for them. Doing maintenance magic
requires a lot of sensitivity. At some point, the time may come when you
should stop and let the person go on. Be sure to use some kind of
divination to help you stay aware.
This is a hard road. It may be your lover, your child, lying there
helpless. Any normal human being would be tempted to drag them back, to
force them to stay regardless of what is truly best for them, regardless of
what they want. Don't repress these feelings, they do no harm, even though
your actions might. It takes great strength and non-possessive love to
recognize that your loved one knows their own need. You may be calling them
back to a crippled body, to a life of pain. You may be calling them back
from the ecstasy of the Goddess. And this is no more your right than it
would be to murder them.
If a person is temporarily not reachable, you may charge up a physical
object, such as an appropriate talisman or some incense. When you present
it to them, give them a full explanation. It is their choice whether to
keep or use your gift. By interposing an object between the magic and the
target in this way, you can work the magic in Circle, with the coven's |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 471 | power to draw on, and still get the person's permission before the magic is
triggered.
509
With all these rulesabout permission, perhaps it would besafer to
work only on ourselves? Safer, yes, but not nearly as good. If you have
permission, you may do any working for another person that you might do for
yourself. Coercive magic is just as unacceptable when somebody else asks
for it, and you may not do manipulative magic on your friend's mother, even
at your friend's request. The permission must come from the magic's
intended target and from nobody else. With proper permission, working magic
for others is good for all concerned.
Every act of magic has two effects. One is the direct effect, the
healing or prosperity working or whatever was intended. The other is a
minute change in the mind and the heart of the person who does the working.
Everything we experience, and especially everything that we do in a
wholehearted and focused way - the only way effective magic can be done -
changes us. Each experience leaves its tiny trace, but the traces are
cumulative. They mold the person we will become. Our karma is our choice.
Instant karma can also be good karma. Logical, natural and inevitable
outcomes can be desirable. When you send out good, what you send it with is
love. Love is the driving force. When you let love flow freely, the channel
down to love's wellspring stays clear and open. When you send out good, you
direct it along the web of person-to-person connection, and awareness of
that web is reinforced. The totality of that web is the basis of community.
When you send out good it feels good. In the same way that sending out
bane requires imagining pain, sending out blessing requires imagining
pleasure, strongly and specifically. And, when you send out good, just the
same as when you call it to yourself, you reinforce your sense of
effectiveness in the world. Blessings grow in the fertile ground of
mutuality, to the benefit of all.
A pattern isbecoming visible.In baneful magic,the magicianintends
to harm the target. In coercive magic, the intent toward the target is
neutral. In manipulative magic, the magician actually means the target
well. But no matter how different the intent may be, in all three cases
magic is done to affect another person without that person's permission. In
all three cases, the target, the practitioner and ultimately the community
are all hurt. And in all three cases, there are safer and more effective
ways to reach the valid goals that we mean to aim for.
So, perhaps there is a descriptive word that covers all wrongful
magical workings after all. How about "non-consensual" or "invasive"
magic?
There's one thing left to examine: the paradox of making rules to
protect personal autonomy.
If we make some of our choices as a community, by discussing things
together and arriving at a common understanding about what magical
behaviors are acceptable among us, then we choose and shape the kind of
community we become.
Or wecould give up ourright to choose,because we feelwe shouldn't
tell each other what to do. Some people believe that a refusal to set
community standards promotes personal autonomy. It never has before. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 472 | Appeals toindividual rights can bereal seductive. Noneof us wants
Big Brother looking over our shoulders, telling us what to do "for our own
510
good." For Witches in particular - members of a religious minority with
bad image problems - this is a very legitimate fear. But make sure when
somebody talks about "rights" without specifying something like "religious
practice rights" or "the right to consensual sex," that you find out just
what "rights" they mean.
Rhetoric about"rugged individualism" hasbeen usedin recenthistory
to fast talk us into letting the rich or strong dominate all our lives.
Without anything to stop them, they can destroy the forestland, or deny
jobs or apartments to "cultists." Personal autonomy for most of us is
diminished when we allow that.
Magic can be used for dominance,just the same as muscle or money.
There is no difference, ethically, between the magical and the mundane. We
are not obligated to tolerate power trippers among us. We are not obligated
to run our own community by the slogans and ground rules of the dominator
culture.
Thinking about "rights," or about "laws" for that matter, in the
abstract leads to "all or nothing" thinking - immature and slogan driven. I
don't think we should ever "just say" anything. We need a deeper and more
mature analysis. We need to ask questions like "right to do what?" and
"law against what?" We need to get away from absolutes and to look in
practical terms at the advantages or disadvantages of our choices.
Once more,our religion itself showsus the way tosteer between the
false choices. "An it harm none, do what you will." What a person does
that affects only herself - magical or mundane - is truly nobody's business
but her own. For example, consensual sexual behavior affects only the
participants. But toxic waste dumping affects everybody in the watershed.
As long as we look at behavior in terms of private choices or
individual will, we obscure the distinction that really makes a difference.
If we're serious about wanting to give each of us the most possible control
over our own lives, then decisions should be made by all the people
affected by the behavior - not just by the people acting.
As soon as another person is magically targeted, that other person is
affected. If we allow such targeting without consent, we are not supporting
personal autonomy, we are subverting it!
When the behavior begins to affect us all - for example when real
estate development threatens the salt marshes, and ultimately the air
supply - or, very specifically, when invasive magic erodes the trust we
need to work together - then we have a right to protect ourselves as a
community. No ideology should turn us into passive victims when something
we hold precious stands to be destroyed.
Invasive magichurts the targetfirst, and soonthe actor, butin the
long run it hurts all of us. It's been so long since we've been able to
meet together, share our knowledge, help one another in need. Pagan
community is very new, and still very fragile. It can only grow in safe
space.
511
The People of this Land forbade skirmishes around the pipestone |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 473 | quarries, keeping that sacred source open to all. Otherwise, no sane person
would go there, and the Old Ways would wither. For much the same reason, we
cannot tolerate poppets in our council meetings.
An atmosphere of coercion and manipulation and magical duels does not
nurture community. Eventually, for self protection, the gentle will either
change or go away. We could lose what we have misguidedly refused to
protect.
As within, so without: our karma is our choice.
Judy Harrow
512
THE BATTLE FOR YOUR MIND
by Dick Sutphen
Persuasion & Brainwashing Techniques Being Used On The Public Today
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
The Birth of Conversion/Brainwashing in Christian Revivalism in 1735. The
Pavlovian explanation of the three brain phases. Born-again preachers:
Step-by-Step, how they conduct a revival and the expected physiological
results. The "voice roll" technique used by preachers, lawyers and
hypnotists. New trance-inducing churches. The 6 steps to conversion. The
decognition process. Thought-stopping techniques. The "sell it by zealot"
technique. True believers and mass movements. Persuasion techniques: "Yes
set," "Imbedded Commands," "Shock and Confusion," and the "Interspersal
Technique." Subliminals. Vibrato and ELF waves. Inducing trance with
vibrational sound. Even professional observers will be "possessed" at
charismatic gatherings. The "only hope" technique to attend and not be
converted. Non-detectable Neurophone programming through the skin. The
medium for mass take-over.
I'm Dick Sutphen andthis tape is a studio-recorded,expanded version
of a talk I delivered at the World Congress of Professional Hypnotists
Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although the tape carries a copyright to
protect it from unlawful duplication for sale by other companies, in this
case, I invite individuals to make copies and give them to friends or
anyone in a position to communicate this information.
Although I've been interviewed about the subject on many local and
regional radio and TV talk shows, large-scale mass communication appears to
be blocked, since it could result in suspicion or investigation of the very
media presenting it or the sponsors that support the media. Some government
agencies do not want this information generally known. Nor do the
Born-Again Christian movement, cults, and many human-potential trainings.
Everything I will relate only exposes the surface of the problem. I
don't know how the misuse of these techniques can be stopped. I don't think
it is possible to legislate against that which often cannot be detected;
and if those who legislate are using these techniques, there is little hope
of affecting laws to govern usage. I do know that the first step to
initiate change is to generate interest. In this case, that will probably
only result from an underground effort.
In talkingabout this subject, I am talking about my own business. I
know it, and I know how effective it can be. I produce hypnosis and
subliminal tapes and, in some of my seminars, I use conversion tactics to
assist participants to become independent and self-sufficient. But, anytime |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 474 | I use these techniques, I point out that I am using them, and those
attending have a choice to participate or not. They also know what the
desired result of participation will be.
513
So, to begin, I want to state the most basic of all facts about
brainwashing: IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF MAN, NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN
BRAINWASHED AND REALIZED, OR BELIEVED, THAT HE HAD BEEN BRAINWASHED. Those
who have been brainwashed will usually passionately defend their
manipulators, claiming they have simply been "shown the light" . . . or
have been transformed in miraculous ways.
The Birth of Conversion
CONVERSION is a "nice" word for BRAINWASHING . . . and any study of
brainwashing has to begin with a study of Christian revivalism in
eighteenth century America. Apparently, Jonathan Edwards accidentally
discovered the techniques during a religious crusade in 1735 in
Northampton, Massachusetts. By inducing guilt and acute apprehension and
by increasing the tension, the "sinners" attending his revival meetings
would break down and completely submit. Technically, what Edwards was doing
was creating conditions that wipe the brain slate clean so that the mind
accepts new programming. The problem was that the new input was negative.
He would tell them, "You're a sinner! You're destined for hell!"
As a result, one person committed suicide and another attempted
suicide. And the neighbors of the suicidal converts related that they,
too, were affected so deeply that, although they had found "eternal
salvation," they were obsessed with a diabolical temptation to end their
own lives.
Oncea preacher, cult leader,manipulator or authority figure creates
the brain phase to wipe the brain-slate clean, his subjects are wide open.
New input, in the form of suggestion, can be substituted for their previous
ideas. Because Edwards didn't turn his message positive until the end of
the revival, many accepted the negative suggestions and acted, or desired
to act, upon them.
Charles J. Finney was another Christian revivalist who used the same
techniques four years later in mass religious conversions in New York. The
techniques are still being used today by Christian revivalists, cults,
human-potential trainings, some business rallies, and the United States
Armed Services . . . to name just a few.
Let me point out here that I don't think most revivalist preachers
realize or know they are using brainwashing techniques. Edwards simply
stumbled upon a technique that really worked, and others copied it and have
continued to copy it for over two hundred years. And the more sophisticated
our knowledge and technology become, the more effective the conversion. I
feel strongly that this is one of the major reasons for the increasing rise
in Christian fundamentalism, especially the televised variety, while most
of the orthodox religions are declining.
The Three Brain Phases
The Christians may have been the first to successfully formulate
brainwashing, but we have to look to Pavlov, the Russian scientist, for a
technical explanation. In the early 1900s, his work with animals opened the
door to further investigations with humans. After the revolution in Russia,
Lenin was quick to see the potential of applying Pavlov's research to his
own ends. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 475 | 514
Three distinct and progressive states of transmarginal inhibition were
identified by Pavlov. The first is the EQUIVALENT phase, in which the brain
gives the same response to both strong and weak stimuli. The second is the
PARADOXICAL phase, in which the brain responds more actively to weak
stimuli than to strong. And the third is the ULTRA-PARADOXICAL phase, in
which conditioned responses and behavior patterns turn from positive to
negative or from negative to positive.
With the progression through each phase, the degree of conversion
becomes more effective and complete. The way to achieve conversion are many
and varied, but the usual first step in religious or political brainwashing
is to work on the emotions of an individual or group until they reach an
abnormal level of anger, fear, excitement, or nervous tension.
Theprogressive result of thismental condition isto impair judgement
and increase suggestibility. The more this condition can be maintained or
intensified, the more it compounds. Once catharsis, or the first brain
phase, is reached, the complete mental takeover becomes easier. Existing
mental programming can be replaced with new patterns of thinking and
behavior.
Other often-used physiological weapons to modify normal brain functions
are fasting, radical or high sugar diets, physical discomforts, regulation
of breathing, mantra chanting in meditation, the disclosure of awesome
mysteries, special lighting and sound effects, programmed response to
incense, or intoxicating drugs.
The sameresults can beobtained in contemporarypsychiatric treatment
by electric shock treatments and even by purposely lowering a person's
blood sugar level with insulin injections.
Before I talk about exactlyhow some of the techniques areapplied, I
want to point out that hypnosis and conversion tactics are two distinctly
different things--and that conversion techniques are far more powerful.
However, the two are often mixed . . . with powerful results.
How Revivalist Preachers Work
If you'd like to see a revivalist preacher at work, there are probably
several in your city. Go to the church or tent early and sit in the rear,
about three-quarters of the way back. Most likely repetitive music will be
played while the people come in for the service. A repetitive beat, ideally
ranging from 45 to 72 beats per minute (a rhythm close to the beat of the
human heart), is very hypnotic and can generate an eyes-open altered state
of consciousness in a very high percentage of people. And, once you are in
an alpha state, you are at least 25 times as suggestible as you would be in
full beta consciousness. The music is probably the same for every service,
or incorporates the same beat, and many of the people will go into an
altered state almost immediately upon entering the sanctuary.
Subconsciously, they recall their state of mind from previous services and
respond according to the post-hypnotic programming.
Watch the people waiting for the service to begin. Many will exhibit
external signs of trance--body relaxation and slightly dilated eyes. Often,
they begin swaying back and forth with their hands in the air while sitting
in their chairs. Next, the assistant pastor will probably come out. He
usually speaks with a pretty good "voice roll."
Voice Roll Technique |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 476 | 515
A "voice roll" is a patterned, paced style used by hypnotists when
inducing a trance. It is also used by many lawyers, several of whom are
highly trained hypnotists, when they desire to entrench a point firmly in
the minds of the jurors. A voice roll can sound as if the speaker were
talking to the beat of a metronome or it may sound as though he were
emphasizing every word in a monotonous, patterned style. The words will
usually be delivered at the rate of 45 to 60 beats per minute, maximizing
the hypnotic effect.
Now the assistant pastor begins the "build-up" process. He induces an
altered state of consciousness and/or begins to generate the excitement and
the expectations of the audience. Next, a group of young women in "sweet
and pure" chiffon dresses might come out to sing a song. Gospel songs are
great for building excitement and INVOLVEMENT. In the middle of the song,
one of the girls might be "smitten by the spirit" and fall down or react as
if possessed by the Holy Spirit. This very effectively increases the
intensity in the room. At this point, hypnosis and conversion tactics are
being mixed. And the result is the audience's attention span is now totally
focused upon the communication while the environment becomes more exciting
or tense.
Right about this time, when an eyes-open mass-induced alpha mental
state has been achieved, they will usually pass the collection plate or
basket. In the background, a 45-beat-per-minute voice roll from the
assistant preacher might exhort, "Give to God . . . Give to God . . . Give
to God . . ." And the audience does give. God may not get the money, but
his already wealthy representative will.
Next, the fire-and-brimstone preacher will come out.He induces fear
and increases the tension by talking about "the devil," "going to hell," or
the forthcoming Armageddon.
In the last such rally I attended, the preacher talked about the blood
that would soon be running out of every faucet in the land. He was also
obsessed with a "bloody axe of God," which everyone had seen hanging above
the pulpit the previous week. I have no doubt that everyone saw it--the
power of suggestion given to hundreds of people in hypnosis assures that at
least 10 to 25 percent would see whatever he suggested they see.
In most revivalist gatherings, "testifying" or "witnessing" usually
follows the fear-based sermon. People from the audience come up on stage
and relate their stories. "I was crippled and now I can walk!" "I had
arthritis and now it's gone!" It is a psychological manipulation that
works. After listening to numerous case histories of miraculous healings,
the average guy in the audience with a minor problem is sure he can be
healed. The room is charged with fear, guilt, intense excitement, and
expectations.
516
Now thosewho want tobe healed are frequentlylined up aroundthe edge
of the room, or they are told to come down to the front. The preacher might
touch them on the head firmly and scream, "Be healed!" This releases the
psychic energy and, for many, catharsis results. Catharsis is a purging of
repressed emotions. Individuals might cry, fall down or even go into
spasms. And if catharsis is effected, they stand a chance of being healed.
In catharsis (one of the three brain phases mentioned earlier), the
brain-slate is temporarily wiped clean and the new suggestion is accepted.
For some, the healing may be permanent. For many, it will last four
days to a week, which is, incidentally, how long a hypnotic suggestion |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 477 | given to a somnambulistic subject will usually last. Even if the healing
doesn't last, if they come back every week, the power of suggestion may
continually override the problem . . . or sometimes, sadly, it can mask a
physical problem which could prove to be very detrimental to the individual
in the long run.
I'm not saying that legitimate healings do not take place. They do.
Maybe the individual was ready to let go of the negativity that caused the
problem in the first place; maybe it was the work of God. Yet I contend
that it can be explained with existing knowledge of brain/mind function.
The techniques and staging will vary from church to church. Many use
"speaking in tongues" to generate catharsis in some while the spectacle
creates intense excitement in the observers.
The use of hypnotic techniques by religions is sophisticated, and
professionals are assuring that they become even more effective. A man in
Los Angeles is designing, building, and reworking a lot of churches around
the country. He tells ministers what they need and how to use it. This
man's track record indicates that the congregation and the monetary income
will double if the minister follows his instructions. He admits that about
80 percent of his efforts are in the sound system and lighting.
Powerful soundand the properuse of lightingare ofprimary importance
in inducing an altered state of consciousness--I've been using them for
years in my own seminars. However, my participants are fully aware of the
process and what they can expect as a result of their participation.
Six Conversion Techniques
Cults and human-potential organizations are always looking for new
converts. To attain them, they must also create a brain-phase. And they
often need to do it within a short space of time--a weekend, or maybe even
a day. The following are the six primary techniques used to generate the
conversion.
The meeting or training takesplace in an area whereparticipants are
cut off from the outside world. This may be any place: a private home, a
remote or rural setting, or even a hotel ballroom where the participants
are allowed only limited bathroom usage. In human-potential trainings, the
controllers will give a lengthy talk about the importance of "keeping
agreements" in life. The participants are told that if they don't keep
agreements, their life will never work. It's a good idea to keep
agreements, but the controllers are subverting a positive human value for
selfish purposes. The participants vow to themselves and their trainer that
they will keep their agreements. Anyone who does not will be intimidated
into agreement or forced to leave. The next step is to agree to complete
training, thus assuring a high percentage of conversions for the
organizations. They will USUALLY have to agree not to take drugs, smoke,
517
and sometimes not to eat . . . or they are given such short meal breaks
that it creates tension. The real reason for the agreements is to alter
internal chemistry, which generates anxiety and hopefully causes at least a
slight malfunction of the nervous system, which in turn increases the
conversion potential.
Before the gathering is complete, the agreements will be used to ensure
that the new converts go out and find new participants. They are
intimidated into agreeing to do so before they leave. Since the importance
of keeping agreements is so high on their priority list, the converts will
twist the arms of everyone they know, attempting to talk them into |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 478 | attending a free introductory session offered at a future date by the
organization. The new converts are zealots. In fact, the inside term for
merchandising the largest and most successful human-potential training is,
"sell it by zealot!"
At least a million people are graduates and a good percentage have been
left with a mental activation button that assures their future loyalty and
assistance if the guru figure or organization calls. Think about the
potential political implications of hundreds of thousands of zealots
programmed to campaign for their guru.
Be wary of an organization of this type that offers follow-up sessions
after the seminar. Follow-up sessions might be weekly meetings or
inexpensive seminars given on a regular basis which the organization will
attempt to talk you into taking--or any regularly scheduled event used to
maintain control. As the early Christian revivalists found, long-term
control is dependent upon a good follow-up system.
Alright. Now, let's look at the second tip-off that indicates
conversion tactics are being used. A schedule is maintained that causes
physical and mental fatigue. This is primarily accomplished by long hours
in which the participants are given no opportunity for relaxation or
reflection.
The third tip-off: techniquesused to increasethe tension in theroom
or environment.
Number four: Uncertainty. I could spend hours relating various
techniques to increase tension and generate uncertainty. Basically, the
participants are concerned about being "put on the spot" or encountered by
the trainers, guilt feelings are played upon, participants are tempted to
verbally relate their innermost secrets to the other participants or forced
to take part in activities that emphasize removing their masks. One of the
most successful human-potential seminars forces the participants to stand
on a stage in front of the entire audience while being verbally attacked by
the trainers. A public opinion poll, conducted a few years ago, showed that
the number one most-fearful situation an individual could encounter is to
speak to an audience. It ranked above window washing outside the 85th floor
of an office building. So you can imagine the fear and tension this
situation generates within the participants. Many faint, but most cope with
the stress by mentally going away. They literally go into an alpha state,
which automatically makes them many times as suggestible as they normally
are. And another loop of the downward spiral into conversion is
successfully effected.
The fifth clue that conversion tactics are being used is the
introduction of jargon--new terms that have meaning only to the "insiders"
who participate. Vicious language is also frequently used, purposely, to
make participants uncomfortable.
518
The final tip-off isthat there isno humor in thecommunications . ..
at least until the participants are converted. Then, merry-making and humor
are highly desirable as symbols of the new joy the participants have
supposedly "found."
I'm not saying that good does not result from participation in such
gatherings. It can and does. But I contend it is important for people to
know what has happened and to be aware that continual involvement may not
be in their best interest.
Over the years,I've conductedprofessional seminars toteach peopleto |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 479 | be hypnotists, trainers, and counselors. I've had many of those who conduct
trainings and rallies come to me and say, "I'm here because I know that
what I'm doing works, but I don't know why." After showing them how and
why, many have gotten out of the business or have decided to approach it
differently or in a much more loving and supportive manner.
Many of these trainers havebecome personal friends, and it scaresus
all to have experienced the power of one person with a microphone and a
room full of people. Add a little charisma and you can count on a high
percentage of conversions. The sad truth is that a high percentage of
people want to give away their power--they are true "believers"!
Cult gatheringsor human-potential trainings arean ideal environment
to observe first-hand what is technically called the "Stockholm Syndrome."
This is a situation in which those who are intimidated, controlled, or made
to suffer, begin to love, admire, and even sometimes sexually desire their
controllers or captors.
But let me inject a wordof warning here: If you think youcan attend
such gatherings and not be affected, you are probably wrong. A perfect
example is the case of a woman who went to Haiti on a Guggenheim Fellowship
to study Haitian Voodoo. In her report, she related how the music
eventually induced uncontrollable bodily movement and an altered state of
consciousness. Although she understood the process and thought herself
above it, when she began to feel herself become vulnerable to the music,
she attempted to fight it and turned away. Anger or resistance almost
always assures conversion. A few moments later she was possessed by the
music and began dancing in a trance around the Voodoo meeting house. A
brain phase had been induced by the music and excitement, and she awoke
feeling reborn. The only hope of attending such gatherings without being
affected is to be a Buddha and allow no positive or negative emotions to
surface. Few people are capable of such detachment.
519
Before I go on,let's go backto the six tip-offsto conversion. Iwant
to mention the United States Government and military boot camp. The Marine
Corps talks about breaking men down before "rebuilding" them as new men--as
marines! Well, that is exactly what they do, the same way a cult breaks
its people down and rebuilds them as happy flower sellers on your local
street corner. Every one of the six conversion techniques are used in boot
camp. Considering the needs of the military, I'm not making a judgement as
to whether that is good or bad. IT IS A FACT that the men are effectively
brainwashed. Those who won't submit must be discharged or spend much of
their time in the brig.
Decognition Process
Once the initial conversion is effected, cults, armed services, and
similar groups cannot have cynicism among their members. Members must
respond to commands and do as they are told, otherwise they are dangerous
to the organizational control. This is normally accomplished as a
three-step Decognition Process.
Step One is ALERTNESS REDUCTION: The controllers cause the nervous
system to malfunction, making it difficult to distinguish between fantasy
and reality. This can be accomplished in several ways. POOR DIET is one;
watch out for Brownies and Koolaid. The sugar throws the nervous system
off. More subtle is the "SPIRITUAL DIET" used by many cults. They eat only
vegetables and fruits; without the grounding of grains, nuts, seeds, dairy
products, fish or meat, an individual becomes mentally "spacey." INADEQUATE
SLEEP is another primary way to reduce alertness, especially when combined
with long hours of work or intense physical activity. Also, being bombarded |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 480 | with intense and unique experiences achieves the same result.
Step Two is PROGRAMMED CONFUSION: You are mentally assaulted while your
alertness is being reduced as in Step One. This is accomplished with a
deluge of new information, lectures, discussion groups, encounters or
one-to-one processing, which usually amounts to the controller bombarding
the individual with questions. During this phase of decognition, reality
and illusion often merge and perverted logic is likely to be accepted.
StepThree is THOUGHT STOPPING: Techniques areused to cause the mind
to go "flat." These are altered-state-of-consciousness techniques that
initially induce calmness by giving the mind something simple to deal with
and focusing awareness. The continued use brings on a feeling of elation
and eventually hallucination. The result is the reduction of thought and
eventually, if used long enough, the cessation of all thought and
withdrawal from everyone and everything except that which the controllers
direct. The takeover is then complete. It is important to be aware that
when members or participants are instructed to use "thought-stopping"
techniques, they are told that they will benefit by so doing: they will
become "better soldiers" or "find enlightenment."
There are threeprimary techniquesused for thoughtstopping. Thefirst
is MARCHING: the thump, thump, thump beat literally generates self-hypnosis
and thus great susceptibility to suggestion.
520
Thesecond thought stopping technique is MEDITATION. If you spend an
hour to an hour and a half a day in meditation, after a few weeks, there is
a great probability that you will not return to full beta consciousness.
You will remain in a fixed state of alpha for as long as you continue to
meditate. I'm not saying this is bad--if you do it yourself. It may be very
beneficial. But it is a fact that you are causing your mind to go flat.
I've worked with meditators on an EEG machine and the results are
conclusive: the more you meditate, the flatter your mind becomes until,
eventually and especially if used to excess or in combination with
decognition, all thought ceases. Some spiritual groups see this as
nirvana--which is bullshit. It is simply a predictable physiological
result. And if heaven on earth is non-thinking and non-involvement, I
really question why we are here.
The third thought-stopping technique is CHANTING, and often chanting in
meditation. "Speaking in tongues" could also be included in this category.
All three-stopping techniques produce an altered state of
consciousness. This may be very good if YOU are controlling the process,
for you also control the input. I personally use at least one self-hypnosis
programming session every day and I know how beneficial it is for me. But
you need to know if you use these techniques to the degree of remaining
continually in alpha that, although you'll be very mellow, you'll also be
more suggestible.
True Believers & Mass Movements
Before ending this section on conversion, I want to talk about the
people who are most susceptible to it and about Mass Movements. I am
convinced that at least a third of the population is what Eric Hoffer calls
"true believers." They are joiners and followers . . . people who want to
give away their power. They look for answers, meaning, and enlightenment
outside themselves.
Hoffer, who wrote THE TRUE BELIEVER, a classic on mass movements, says,
"true believers are not intent on bolstering and advancing a cherished |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 481 | self, but are those craving to be rid of unwanted self. They are followers,
not because of a desire for self-advancement, but because it can satisfy
their passion for self-renunciation!" Hoffer also says that true believers
"are eternally incomplete and eternally insecure"!
I know this from my own experience. In my years of communicating
concepts and conducting trainings, I have run into them again and again.
All I can do is attempt to show them that the only thing to seek is the
True Self within. Their personal answers are to be found there and there
alone. I communicate that the basics of spirituality are
self-responsibility and self-actualization. But most of the true
believers just tell me that I'm not spiritual and go looking for someone
who will give them the dogma and structure they desire.
Never underestimate the potential danger of these people. They can
easily be molded into fanatics who will gladly work and die for their holy
cause. It is a substitute for their lost faith in themselves and offers
them as a substitute for individual hope. The Moral Majority is made up of
true believers. All cults are composed of true believers. You'll find them
in politics, churches, businesses, and social cause groups. They are the
fanatics in these organizations.
521
Mass Movements will usually havea charismatic leader. The followers
want to convert others to their way of living or impose a new way of
life--if necessary, by legislating laws forcing others to their view, as
evidenced by the activities of the Moral Majority. This means enforcement
by guns or punishment, for that is the bottomline in law enforcement.
A common hatred, enemy, or devil is essential to the success of a mass
movement. The Born-Again Christians have Satan himself, but that isn't
enough--they've added the occult, the New Age thinkers and, lately, all
those who oppose their integration of church and politics, as evidenced in
their political reelection campaigns against those who oppose their views.
In revolutions, the devil is usually the ruling power or aristocracy. Some
human-potential movements are far too clever to ask their graduates to join
anything, thus labeling themselves as a cult--but, if you look closely,
you'll find that their devil is anyone and everyone who hasn't taken their
training.
There are mass movements without devils but they seldom attain major
status. The True Believers are mentally unbalanced or insecure people, or
those without hope or friends. People don't look for allies when they love,
but they do when they hate or become obsessed with a cause. And those who
desire a new life and a new order feel the old ways must be eliminated
before the new order can be built.
Persuasion Techniques
Persuasion isn't technically brainwashing but it is the manipulation of
the human mind by another individual, without the manipulated party being
aware what caused his opinion shift. I only have time to very basically
introduce you to a few of the thousands of techniques in use today, but the
basis of persuasion is always to access your RIGHT BRAIN. The left half of
your brain is analytical and rational. The right side is creative and
imaginative. That is overly simplified but it makes my point. So, the idea
is to distract the left brain and keep it busy. Ideally, the persuader
generates an eyes-open altered state of consciousness, causing you to shift
from beta awareness into alpha; this can be measured on an EEG machine.
First, let me give you an example of distracting the left brain.
Politicians use these powerful techniques all the time; lawyers use many |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 482 | variations which, I've been told, they call "tightening the noose."
Assume for a moment that you are watching a politician give a speech.
First, he might generate what is called a "YES SET." These are statements
that will cause listeners to agree; they might even unknowingly nod their
heads in agreement. Next come the TRUISMS. These are usually facts that
could be debated but, once the politician has his audience agreeing, the
odds are in the politician's favor that the audience won't stop to think
for themselves, thus continuing to agree. Last comes the SUGGESTION. This
is what the politician wants you to do and, since you have been agreeing
all along, you could be persuaded to accept the suggestion. Now, if you'll
listen closely to my political speech, you'll find that the first three are
the "yes set," the next three are truisms and the last is the suggestion.
522
"Ladies and gentlemen: are you angry abouthigh food prices? Are you
tired of astronomical gas prices? Are you sick of out-of-control inflation?
Well, you know the Other Party allowed 18 percent inflation last year; you
know crime has increased 50 percent nationwide in the last 12 months, and
you know your paycheck hardly covers your expenses any more. Well, the
answer to resolving these problems is to elect me, John Jones, to the U.S.
Senate."
And I think you've heard all that before. But you might also watch for
what are called Imbedded Commands. As an example: On key words, the speaker
would make a gesture with his left hand, which research has shown is more
apt to access your right brain. Today's media-oriented politicians and
spellbinders are often carefully trained by a whole new breed of specialist
who are using every trick in the book--both old and new--to manipulate you
into accepting their candidate.
The concepts and techniques of Neuro-Linguistics are so heavily
protected that I found out the hard way that to even talk about them
publicly or in print results in threatened legal action. Yet
Neuro-Linguistic training is readily available to anyone willing to devote
the time and pay the price. It is some of the most subtle and powerful
manipulation I have yet been exposed to. A good friend who recently
attended a two-week seminar on Neuro-Linguistics found that many of those
she talked to during the breaks were government people.
Another technique that I'm just learning about is unbelievably
slippery; it is called an INTERSPERSAL TECHNIQUE and the idea is to say one
thing with words but plant a subconscious impression of something else in
the minds of the listeners and/or watchers.
Let me give you an example: Assume you are watching a television
commentator make the following statement: SENATOR JOHNSON is assisting
local authorities to clear up the stupid mistakes of companies contributing
to the nuclear waste problems." It sounds like a statement of fact, but, if
the speaker emphasizes the right word, and especially if he makes the
proper hand gestures on the key words, you could be left with the
subconscious impression that Senator Johnson is stupid. That was the
subliminal goal of the statement and the speaker cannot be called to
account for anything.
Persuasion techniques are also frequently used on a much smaller scale
with just as much effectiveness. The insurance salesman knows his pitch is
likely to be much more effective if he can get you to visualize something
in your mind. This is right-brain communication. For instance, he might
pause in his conversation, look slowly around your living room and say,
"Can you just imagine this beautiful home burning to the ground?" Of course
you can! It is one of your unconscious fears and, when he forces you to |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 483 | visualize it, you are more likely to be manipulated into signing his
insurance policy.
523
The Hare Krishnas, operating in every airport,use what I call SHOCK
AND CONFUSION techniques to distract the left brain and communicate
directly with the right brain. While waiting for a plane, I once watched
one operate for over an hour. He had a technique of almost jumping in front
of someone. Initially, his voice was loud then dropped as he made his
pitch to take a book and contribute money to the cause. Usually, when
people are shocked, they immediately withdraw. In this case they were
shocked by the strange appearance, sudden materialization and loud voice of
the Hare Krishna devotee. In other words, the people went into an alpha
state for security because they didn't want to confront the reality before
them. In alpha, they were highly suggestible so they responded to the
suggestion of taking the book; the moment they took the book, they felt
guilty and responded to the second suggestion: give money. We are all
conditioned that if someone gives us something, we have to give them
something in return--in that case, it was money. While watching this
hustler, I was close enough to notice that many of the people he stopped
exhibited an outward sign of alpha--their eyes were actually dilated.
Subliminal Programming
Subliminals are hidden suggestions that only your subconscious
perceives. They can be audio, hidden behind music, or visual, airbrushed
into a picture, flashed on a screen so fast that you don't consciously see
them, or cleverly incorporated into a picture or design.
Most audio subliminal reprogramming tapes offer verbal suggestions
recorded at a low volume. I question the efficacy of this technique--if
subliminals are not perceptible, they cannot be effective, and subliminals
recorded below the audible threshold are therefore useless. The oldest
audio subliminal technique uses a voice that follows the volume of the
music so subliminals are impossible to detect without a parametric
equalizer. But this technique is patented and, when I wanted to develop my
own line of subliminal audio cassettes, negotiations with the patent holder
proved to be unsatisfactory. My attorney obtained copies of the patents
which I gave to some talented Hollywood sound engineers, asking them to
create a new technique. They found a way to psycho-acoustically modify and
synthesize the suggestions so that they are projected in the same chord and
frequency as the music, thus giving them the effect of being part of the
music. But we found that in using this technique, there is no way to reduce
various frequencies to detect the subliminals. In other words, although the
suggestions are being heard by the subconscious mind, they cannot be
monitored with even the most sophisticated equipment.
If we were able to come up withthis technique as easily as we did,I
can only imagine how sophisticated the technology has become, with
unlimited government or advertising funding. And I shudder to think about
the propaganda and commercial manipulation that we are exposed to on a
daily basis. There is simply no way to know what is behind the music you
hear. It may even be possible to hide a second voice behind the voice to
which you are listening.
Theseries by Wilson Bryan Key, Ph.D., on subliminals in advertising
and political campaigns well documents the misuse in many areas, especially
printed advertising in newspapers, magazines, and posters.
524 |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 484 | The big question about subliminals is: dothey work? And I guarantee
you they do. Not only from the response of those who have used my tapes,
but from the results of such programs as the subliminals behind the music
in department stores. Supposedly, the only message is instructions to not
steal: one East Coast department store chain reported a 37 percent
reduction in thefts in the first nine months of testing.
A 1984 article in the technical newsletter, "Brain-Mind Bulletin,"
states that as much as 99 percent of our cognitive activity may be
"non-conscious," according to the director of the Laboratory for Cognitive
Psychophysiology at the University of Illinois. The lengthy report ends
with the statement, "these findings support the use of subliminal
approaches such as taped suggestions for weight loss and the therapeutic
use of hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming."
Mass Misuse
I could relatemany stories that support subliminal programming, but
I'd rather use my time to make you aware of even more subtle uses of such
programming.
I have personally experienced sitting in a Los Angeles auditorium with
over ten thousand people who were gathered to listen to a current
charismatic figure. Twenty minutes after entering the auditorium, I became
aware that I was going in and out of an altered state. Those accompanying
me experienced the same thing. Since it is our business, we were aware of
what was happening, but those around us were not. By careful observation,
what appeared to be spontaneous demonstrations were, in fact, artful
manipulations. The only way I could figure that the eyes-open trance had
been induced was that a 6- to 7-cycle-per-second vibration was being piped
into the room behind the air conditioner sound. That particular vibration
generates alpha, which would render the audience highly susceptible. Ten to
25 percent of the population is capable of a somnambulistic level of
altered states of consciousness; for these people, the suggestions of the
speaker, if non-threatening, could potentially be accepted as "commands."
Vibrato
This leads to the mention of VIBRATO. Vibrato is the tremulous effect
imparted in some vocal or instrumental music, and the cycle-per-second
range
causes people to go into an altered state of consciousness. At one period
of English history, singers whose voices contained pronounced vibrato were
not allowed to perform publicly because listeners would go into an altered
state and have fantasies, often sexual in nature.
People who attend operaor enjoy listeningto singers like MarioLanza
are familiar with this altered state induced by the performers.
ELFs
Now, let's carry this awareness a little farther. There are also
inaudible ELFs (extra-low frequency waves). These are electromagnetic in
nature. One of the primary uses of ELFs is to communicate with our
submarines. Dr. Andrija Puharich, a highly respected researcher, in an
attempt to warn U.S. officials about Russian use of ELFs, set up an
experiment. Volunteers were wired so their brain waves could be measured on
an EEG. They were sealed in a metal room that could not be penetrated by a
normal signal.
Puharich then beamed ELF waves at the volunteers. ELFs go right through
525 |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 485 | the earth and, of course, right through metal walls. Those inside couldn't
know if the signal was or was not being sent. And Puharich watched the
reactions on the technical equipment: 30 percent of those inside the room
were taken over by the ELF signal in six to ten seconds.
When I say "taken over," I mean that their behavior followed the
changes anticipated at very precise frequencies. Waves below 6 cycles per
second caused the subjects to become very emotionally upset, and even
disrupted bodily functions. At 8.2 cycles, they felt very high . . . an
elevated feeling, as though they had been in masterful meditation, learned
over a period of years. Eleven to 11.3 cycles induced waves of depressed
agitation leading to riotous behavior.
The Neurophone
Dr. PatrickFlanagan is a personalfriend of mine. Inthe early 1960s,
as a teenager, Pat was listed as one of the top scientists in the world by
"Life" magazine. Among his many inventions was a device he called the
Neurophone--an electronic instrument that can successfully program
suggestions directly through contact with the skin. When he attempted to
patent the device, the government demanded that he prove it worked. When he
did, the National Security Agency confiscated the neurophone. It took Pat
two years of legal battle to get his invention back.
In using thedevice, you don't hear or see a thing; it is applied to
the skin, which Pat claims is the source of special senses. The skin
contains more sensors for heat, touch, pain, vibration, and electrical
fields than any other part of the human anatomy.
In one of his recent tests, Pat conducted two identical seminars for a
military audience--one seminar one night and one the next night, because
the size of the room was not large enough to accommodate all of them at one
time. When the first group proved to be very cool and unwilling to
respond, Patrick spent the next day making a special tape to play at the
second seminar. The tape instructed the audience to be extremely warm and
responsive and for their hands to become "tingly." The tape was played
through the neurophone, which was connected to a wire he placed along the
ceiling of the room. There were no speakers, so no sound could be heard,
yet the message was successfully transmitted from that wire directly into
the brains of the audience. They were warm and receptive, their hands
tingled and they responded, according to programming, in other ways that I
cannot mention here.
The more we find out about how human beings work through today's highly
advanced technological research, the more we learn to control human beings.
And what probably scares me the most is that the medium for takeover is
already in place! The television set in your living room and bedroom is
doing a lot more than just entertaining you.
Before I continue, let me point out something else about an altered
state of consciousness. When you go into an altered state, you transfer
into right brain, which results in the internal release of the body's own
opiates: enkephalins and Beta-endorphins, chemically almost identical to
opium. In other words, it feels good . . . and you want to come back for
more.
526
Recent tests byresearcher Herbert Krugman showedthat, while viewers
were watching TV, right-brain activity outnumbered left-brain activity by a
ratio of two to one. Put more simply, the viewers were in an altered state
. . . in trance more often than not. They were getting their Beta-endorphin
"fix." |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 486 | To measure attention spans, psychophysiologist Thomas Mulholland of the
Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts, attached young viewers to an
EEG machine that was wired to shut the TV set off whenever the children's
brains produced a majority of alpha waves. Although the children were told
to concentrate, only a few could keep the set on for more than 30 seconds!
Most viewers are already hypnotized. To deepen the trance is easy. One
simple way is to place a blank, black frame every 32 frames in the film
that is being projected. This creates a 45-beat-per-minute pulsation
perceived only by the subconscious mind--the ideal pace to generate deep
hypnosis.
The commercials or suggestions presented following this alpha-inducing
broadcast are much more likely to be accepted by the viewer. The high
percentage of the viewing audience that has somnambulistic-depth ability
could very well accept the suggestions as commands--as long as those
commands did not ask the viewer to do something contrary to his morals,
religion, or self-preservation.
The medium for takeover is here. By the age of 16, children have spent
10,000 to 15,000 hours watching television--that is more time than they
spend n school! In the average home, the TV set is on for six hours and 44
minutes per day--an increase of nine minutes from last year and three times
the average rate of increase during the 1970s.
It obviously isn't getting better . . . we are rapidly moving into an
alpha-level world--very possibly the Orwellian world of "1984"--placid,
glassy-eyed, and responding obediently to instructions.
A research project by Jacob Jacoby, a Purdue University psychologist,
found that of 2,700 people tested, 90 percent misunderstood even such
simple viewing fare as commercials and "Barnaby Jones." Only minutes after
watching, the typical viewer missed 23 to 36 percent of the questions about
what he or she had seen. Of course they did--they were going in and out of
trance! If you go into a deep trance, you must be instructed to
remember--otherwise you automatically forget.
I have just touched the tip of the iceberg. When you start to combine
subliminal messages behind the music, subliminal visuals projected on the
screen, hypnotically produced visual effects, sustained musical beats at a
trance-inducing pace . . . you have extremely effective brainwashing. Every
hour that you spend watching the TV set you become more conditioned. And,
in case you thought there was a law against any of these things, guess
again. There isn't! There are a lot of powerful people who obviously
prefer things exactly the way they are. Maybe they have plans for?
527
A NEO-PAGAN FILMOGRAPHY
An Annotated List
of Recommended Viewing
=======================
(compiled 3/89)
by Mike Nichols
Although this list is a long one, it could easily have been much
longer. In fact, the hard part was deciding which of many good movies had
to be left out, due to limitations of space. So I used a few rules to
guide me. First, I gave preference to movies that had a strong Pagan
message, as opposed to films that are 'merely' entertaining. Thus, a film
like 'Never Cry Wolf', though it has no supernatural elements, made the |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 487 | list; whereas superbly crafted atmospheric entertainments like 'Gothic' and
'Eyes of Fire' didn't. Second, in dealing with the supernatural, I
concentrated on films that informed, or at least stayed within the realms
of possibility. Hence, I include 'The Haunting', but not 'Poltergeist'.
Inevitably, I will have left out some of your favorites, for which I
apologize in advance. But I had to stop somewhere.
APPRENTICE TO MURDER, 1988, C-94m
D: R.L. Thomas. Donald Sutherland, Chad Lowe, Mia Sara, Knut Husebo,
Rutanya Alsa.
Intriguing fact-based story of a man who was a 'hex-meister' in the
Pennsylvania Dutch tradition. His practice of folk medicine lands him in
trouble with the law, and a final confrontation with a rival sorcerer leads
to a charge of murder. Sutherland is appealing in the lead role, and the
story unfolds mainly through his eyes. Mia Sara does a nice job in a
supporting role. There's a lot of authentic folk magic to lend atmosphere.
THE BELIEVERS, 1987, C-114m
D: John Schlesinger. Martin Sheen, Helen Shaver, Harley Cross, Robert
Loggia, Elizabeth Wilson, Lee Richardson, Harris Yulin, Richard Masur,
Carla Pinza, Jimmy Smits.
Afterthe death ofhis wife, Sheen andhis son moveto New York City,
where they become involved in a grisly series of cultish human sacrifices.
Although the religion of Santeria is unfortunately shown in a negative
light, there is enough authenticity to lend lots of interest. A gripping
thriller.
BELL, BOOK, AND CANDLE, 1958, C-103m
D: Richard Quine. James Stewart, Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovaks,
Hermione Gingold.
Yes, I'm well aware that this movie, based on the John Van Druten
play, is responsible for more misinformation about Witchcraft than anything
outside the 'Bewitched' TV series. Still, I hardly know a Pagan who
doesn't love it. For many of us, it was the first time we'd encountered
the idea of Witchcraft alive and well in a modern metropolis. And Kim
Novak is STILL my idea of what a Witch OUGHT to look like. And none of us
will ever forget Kovak's reading of the line 'Witches, boy! Witches!' Or
Stewart's offhand comment that it feels more like Halloween than Christmas.
Lots of fun.
528
BROTHER SUN, SISTER MOON, 1973-Italian-British, C-121m
D: Franco Zeffirelli. Graham Faulkner, Judi Bowker, Leigh Lawson, Alec
Guinness, Valentina Cortese, Kenneth Cranham
For most Pagans, St. Francis of Assisi is usually considered an
honorary Pagan, at the very least. His insistence on finding divinity in
nature is exactly what Paganism is all about. This film biography portrays
his extreme love of and sensitivity to nature with poignant beauty. And
the musical score by Donovan is such a perfect choice that, having heard
it, nothing else would ever do. This is also a visually stunning film, as
those who remember Zefferelli's 'Romeo and Juliet' might expect. If ever
Christianity could be made palatable to the sensibilities of Neo-Pagans, it
would have to be through the eyes of a nature mystic like Francis. The
Catholic Church came close to naming him a heretic but, at the last minute,
the Pope (played by Alec Guinness) sanctioned him. (Old Obi Wan comes
through again!)
BURN, WITCH, BURN!, 1962-British, 90m
D: Sidney Hayers. Janey Blair, Peter Wyngarde, Margaret Johnston, Anthony
Nicholls. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 488 | Based on the Fritz Leiber classic 'Conjure Wife' and scripted by
Richard Matheson, this is an interesting view of Witchcraft. Granted, this
has as many misconceptions as 'Bell, Book, and Candle', yet the premise is
intriguing: that ALL women are secretly Witches, and ALL men don't know
about it. This is mainly about one woman's use of magic to advance the
career of her schoolteacher husband.
DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE, 1959, C-93m
D: Robert Stevenson. Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, Sean Connery, Jimmy
O'Dea, Kieron Moore, Estelle Winwood.
Simply the best fantasy ever filmed. No kidding. This is a PERFECT
little movie, and (along with 'The Quiet Man') the ultimate St. Patrick's
Day film. Sharpe is sensational as Darby O'Gill, who likes to sit in the
pub telling stories about his adventures with the King of the Leprechauns.
Unbeknownst to everyone, they are TRUE stories! Every tidbit of Irish
folklore, from banshees to the crock of gold to the costa bower (the death
coach) is worked into the plot. The music and songs are great. So is the
cast, many of whom were brought over from the Abbey Theater in Dublin!
Sean Connery makes his screen debut, in a SINGING role! The subsequent
untimely death of Janet Munro robbed the screen of one of its brightest
actresses. (Her character's combination of willfulness and femininity is a
textbook study. Compared to her, Princess Leia's character is not
'strong-willed' -- it's just snotty!) The special effects are miraculous
for 1959! When Darby walks into King Brian's throne room, we walks THROUGH
a crowd of Leprechauns, and I defy anyone to find a matte line! In fact,
the special effects are so good throughout, that you FORGET that they're
special effects, and end up deciding that they must have rounded up some
real Leprechauns from somewhere.
529
THE DARK CRYSTAL, 1983-British, C-94m
D: Jim Henson and Frank Oz. Performed by Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, Frank
Oz, Dave Goelz, Brian Muehl, Jean Pierre Amiel, Kiran Shaw.
The creators of the Muppets come up with an entire fantasy world,
where even the flora and fauna are original. And this world is in grave
peril unless the missing shard of the Dark Crystal can be found and
restored to it. This is a hero-quest in the classic mold, with art
stylings by Brian Froud. Although wonderfully imaginative and
entertaining, it has a very strong message of mysticism, all about
universal balance and the synthesis of opposites. (One wonders if the
entire quartz crystal fad of the late 1980's had its origins here!)
DON'T LOOK NOW, 1973-British, C-110m
D: Nicolas Roeg. Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Clelia
Matania, Massimo Serato.
Based ona so-so occultthriller by Daphnedu Maurier, thisbecomes a
brilliant film in the hands of Italian director Nicolas Roeg (famed for
'The Man Who Fell to Earth). Shortly after their daughter has drowned,
Sutherland (who restores mosaics in old churches) and his wife go to Venice
where they meet two sisters who are spiritualists. They begin to receive
messages from the daughter, who keeps warning Sutherland to leave Venice
because he is in mortal danger. If ever a film captured the real feeling
of how psychic ability operates, this is it. The use of subjective
editing, and the symbolic use (and total control of!) color throughout the
film is masterful. (This film also contains one of the most stylish love
scenes ever filmed.) Squeamish people need to be warned about the violent
ending, however.
THE DUNWICH HORROR, 1970, C-90m
D: Daniel Haller. Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Sam Jaffe, Lloyd
Bochner, Joanna Moore, Talia Coppolia (Shire). |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 489 | Nice adaptation of an H. P.Lovecraft story, with a wonderfulcast.
Dean
Stockwell is the quintessential ritual magician, both mysterious and
compelling. He steals the original 'Necronomicon' from a library in order
to 'bring back the Old Ones', a race of powerful but dark beings that
inhabited the earth before humans. Sam Jaffe is wonderful as his crazed
grandfather. (What happened to the father is part of the mystery!) And
Sandra Dee is perfect as the innocent virgin chosen to be the unwilling
host mother for the rebirth of these demons. (Some versions of the film
cut the last scene short, which shows a developing fetus superimposed over
Dee's abdomen. 'Nuff said.) By the way, no film has ever shown the raw
power of otherworldly beings as well as this. No 'latex lovelies' here.
Just pure, unadulterated elemental force. Nice job!
THE EMERALD FOREST, 1985, C-113m
D: John Boorman. Powers Boothe, Meg Foster, Charley Boorman, Dira Pass.
A look atour ownculture through theeyes of theaboriginal tribesof
the Amazon. (They call us the 'termite people', because of the
deforestation and industrial development we have brought to their
homeland.) The director's son, Charley, is totally convincing as a young
boy raised by aborigines. Great music by Junior Homrich.
530
THE ENTITY, 1983, C-115m
D: Sidney J. Furie. Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, Jacqueline Brooks, David
Lablosa, George Coe, Margaret Blye.
The trulyfrightening thing about thismovie is that it'sbased on a
true story, about a woman who is repeatedly violently raped by an invisible
presence. Initially, she seeks the help of a psychologist, who is a strict
behaviorist and thinks that it is all 'in her mind'. It is not until a
chance encounter with a team of parapsychologist from the local university
that she finally finds people who understand her problem. One of the
film's great strengths is its portrayal of the professional rivalry that
develops between the psychologist (who has begun taking a personal
interest) and the parapsychologists, who are interested in investigating
the phenomena. The final scene in the gymnasium is the only part of the
film based on speculation only. At last report, the case was still active.
EXCALIBUR, 1981-British, C-140m
D: John Boorman. Nicol Williamson, Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas
Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Corin Redgrave, Paul Geoffrey.
A stylish adaptationof ThomasMalory's 'Le MorteD'Arthur'. Boorman
knew exactly what he was doing in combining certain key characters and
keeping the spirit of the legends. The Grail Quest is especially well
handled. Williamson's Merlin and Mirren's Morgana are both brilliant
performances. Great music. Try to see this one on the big screen.
HARVEY, 1950, 104m
D: Henry Koster. James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Peggy Dow, Charles Drake,
Cecil Kellaway, Victoria Horne, Jesse White, Wallace Ford, Ida Moore.
Imagine a movie that chooses as its main theme a Welsh animal spirit
called a pooka (or 'pwcca' in Welsh)! That would be improbable enough by
today's standards. But the fact that it happened in a 1940's Pulitzer
Prize-winning play and subsequent movie boggles the mind! The pooka in
question is a 6-foot invisible rabbit named Harvey, who manifests himself
only to a gentle tippler named Elwood P. Dowd, played to perfection by
Stewart. Jesse White (the lonely Maytag repairman) made his film debut
here. Few movies are as much fun as this.
THE HAUNTING, 1963, 112m
D: Robert Wise. Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn,
Lois Maxwell, Fay Compton |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 490 | Based on ShirleyJackson's masterpiece 'TheHaunting of HillHouse',
this is probably the ultimate ghost movie. A parapsychologist and a team
of student assistants investigate a haunted house. Based on the premise
that no ghost ever hurts anyone physically; the damage is always done by
the victim to himself, psychologically. Julie Harris is marvelous.
INHERIT THE WIND, 1960, 127m
D: Stanley Kramer. Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Florence
Eldridge, Dick York, Harry Morgan, Donna Anderson, Elliot Reid, Claude
Akins, Noah Beery, Jr., Norman Fell.
This should be required viewing for every Pagan. For many of us,
there came a time when our own ideologies simply collided head-on with
fundamental Christian faith, and we knew we could no longer accept it.
Never has a movie embodied this theme so well. Based on the play by Jerome
Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, it deals with the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925
in Tennessee, where a high school teacher was arrested for teaching
Darwin's Theory of Evolution. The debate that ensued was between two of
the most brilliant minds of their day, the great trial lawyer Clarence
Darrow for the defense, and two-time Presidential candidate William
Jennings Bryan for the prosecution. Kelly's character is based on
acid-tongued columnist H. L. Mencken. This is riveting, from first to
last.
531
JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL, 1973, C-120m
D: Hal Bartlett. Many seagulls.
Although the film is flawed and drags a little toward the end, it is
nevertheless well worth seeing. The photography is beautiful, and Neil
Diamond's score (including 'Skybird') is marvelous. It is, of course,
based on Richard Bach's marvelous tale of a little seagull that refuses to
fit in with his flock, preferring to follow a higher, more mystical,
calling. This is yet another one you should try to see on the big screen.
LADYHAWKE, 1985, C-124m
D: Richard Donner. Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Leo
McKern, John Wood, Ken Hutchison, Alfred Molina.
Whoever decidedon themusic for thisfilm should beshot! Think what
a nice soundtrack by Clannad would have been like. That reservation aside,
this is a great medieval fantasy concerning two lovers who have been
separated by a curse, and a young thief who becomes their ally, an unusual
but charming role for Matthew Broderick. (If anyone ever gets around to
filming Katherine Kurtz's 'Deryni' books, this is the team that ought to do
it.)
THE LAST UNICORN, 1982, C-84m
D: Rankin & Bass. Voices of Mia Farrow, Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Tammy
Grimes, Robert Klein, Angela Lansbury, Christopher Lee.
Based on theincomparable fantasy novel by PeterS. Beagle, this is
very adult animation. And because Beagle himself wrote the screenplay,
this film contains spiritual one-liners that hit you right in the gut.
Example: 'Never run from anything immortal. It attracts their attention.'
Though this is NOT classic Disney animation (in fact, it looks like limited
animation), the voice-work, screenplay, and art stylings are all so good,
you're inclined to overlook it. Angela Lansbury's character voice for
Mommy Fortuna is marvelous. And there's a lovely lyrical score by the
group America.
THE LAST WAVE, 1977-Australian, C-106m
D: Peter Weir. Richard Chamberlain, Olivia Hamnett, (David) Gulpilil,
Frederick Parslow, Vivean Gray, Nanjiwarra Amagula.
Chamberlainplays anAustralian lawyerdefending anaborigine accused |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 491 | of a murder that was actually done by magic. This is a rare and wonderful
glimpse into the tribal religion of the native Australians, their myths,
and their belief in the Dream Time. Peter Weir (famed for 'Picnic at
Hanging Rock') directs this atmospheric thriller.
LEGEND, 1985-British, C-89m
D: Ridley Scott. Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, David Bennent, Alice
Playten, Billy Barty.
Oneof the mostvisually luscious filmsever created. Every frame is
gorgeous. The plot is nearly archetypal, with evil (Curry) attempting to
seduce innocence (Sara). Though it's hard to accept Cruise as the hero of
this Grimm's-like fairy tale, Curry and Sara turn in good performances.
The European version runs 20 minutes longer and retains the original (and,
in my opinion, superior) musical score by Jerry Goldsmith. The American
score is by Tangerine Dream.
532
THE LORD OF THE RINGS, 1978, C-133m
D: Ralph Bakshi. Voices of Christopher Guard, William Squire, John Hurt,
Michael Sholes, Dominic Guard.
This ambitious but flawed animated feature covers half of J.R.R.
Tolkien's fantasy trilogy, ending much too abruptly. But for all the
criticism usually heaped upon this film, there ARE moments of absolute
genius. Such as the Dark Riders attempting to kill Frodo and friends in
their beds at the Prancing Pony Inn. Or Gandalf and Frodo's moonlit walk
through the Shire. Or the first time Frodo puts on the ring. These
moments alone make the movie well worth seeing.
NEVER CRY WOLF, 1983, C-105m
D: Carroll Ballard. Charles Martin Smith, Brian Dennehy, Zachary
Ittimangnaq, Samson Jorah.
A brilliant performance by Smith (based on author Farley Mowat) as a
young man sent to study wolves in the Arctic. Again, we are treated to the
insights of the native culture (the Innuit), and are shown how it has been
debased through contact with our own greedy culture. This film contains
some of the most spectacular nature photography ever put on film. Ballard
was chief nature photographer for Disney Studios for years. Try to see
this one on the big screen.
NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE, 1979-West German, C-107m
D: Werner Herzog. Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz, Roland Topor.
Forvampire lovers, this film isthe creme de lacreme. Werner Herzog
is a leader of modern German Expressionist cinema, and here he is operating
at the top of his form. The spooky atmosphere is so thick you could peel
it off the screen in layers. (Try to see this one in the theater.) The
creepiness of Kinski's Dracula is equaled only by the classic beauty of
Adjani's Lucy. This is the perfect film for Halloween night. The German
language version with English subtitles is far superior to the English
version, and slightly longer. (The SOUND of the German dialogue actually
fits the mood of the film better.)
ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER, 1970, C-129m
D: Vincente Minnelli. Barbra Streisand, Yves Montand, Bob Newhart, Larry
Blyden, Simon Oakland, Jack Nicholson. Alan Lerner & Burton Lane score.
Probablyinspired by the case of BrideyMurphy, this musical is all
about hypnosis, past life regression, ESP, reincarnation, and other 'New
Age' topics (though 20 years too early). (One wonders how Shirley MacLaine
missed starring in this. Yet, one is thankful for small favors.)
Streisand is wonderful, especially in the lavish flashback sequences.
Montand should have been replaced. Still, the plot's surprising turns are
well within the realm of supernatural possibility. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 492 | 533
THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW, 1988, C-98m
D: Wes Craven. Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae, Paul Winfield,
Brent Jennings, Theresa Merritt, Michael Gough.
Directed by Wes Craven (famed for his 'Nightmare on Elm Street'
series), this is the true story of Wade Davis, an ethnobotanist who is sent
to Haiti to bring back the secret of the so-called Zombie drug,
tetrodotoxin. But the local practitioners of 'Voodoo' don't yield their
secrets too easily and, before it's all over, Davis finds himself a victim
of the drug -- which gives Craven carte blanche for the wonderful special
effects he's famous for. Like 'The Believers', this film unfortunately
shows the native religion (Voudoun) primarily in a negative light. Still,
at times it manages to capture its beauty, mystery and innocence,
especially in the festival scenes when the entire village spends the night
asleep in a candle-lighted forest.
7 FACES OF DR. LAO, 1964, C-100m
D: George Pal. Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, Arthur O'Connell, John Ericson,
Kevin Tate, Argentina Brunetti, Noah Beery, Jr., Minerva Urecal, John
Qualen, Lee Patrick, Royal Dano.
For people who think that decent fantasy films are a recent
development, this movie is going to come as a delightful surprise. The
special effects and gentle magic of director George Pal was the perfect
means of bringing the Charles Finney classic 'The Circus of Dr. Lao' to the
screen. Randall, in a tour de force performance of six roles, is the
mysterious Chinese guru, Dr. Lao, whose travelling circus changes the
course of history for a small Western town. For the better. A lovely and
funny film with a spiritual dimension that would appeal to every Pagan.
Nice musical score by Leigh Harline combines Western and Oriental music.
SILENT RUNNING, 1971, C-89m
D: Douglas Trumbull. Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin, Jesse Vint.
Should be subtitled 'Druidsin Spaaaaace!!!' Aboard thedeep space
ship Valley Forge, the very talented Bruce Dern (in his most likable film
role ever) battles to save the last vestiges of the Earth's forests.
Special effects by the team that created '2001'. And a brilliant musical
score by Peter Schickele (whose better-known comic persona is P.D.Q. Bach),
sung by Joan Baez.
SLEEPING BEAUTY, 1959, C-75m
D: Clyde Geronimi. Voices of Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Elinor Audley,
Verna Felton, Barbara Jo Allen, Barbara Luddy.
The all-time masterpiece of the animator's art, this is the most
lavish and most expensive (by contemporary standards) animated feature ever
done by Disney studios. The uninitiated may babble about 'Fantasia', but
the true cognoscente of animation know that THIS is the apogee of the art
form. From the lush color stylings (heavy use of greens and purples), to
the elegantly stylized backgrounds, to the figure of Maleficent (designed
by Marc Davis), to a fire-breathing dragon that wasn't equaled until
'Dragonslayer', this film is superb. Voice work by Audley and Felton is
outstanding. The film should also serve as a textbook example of how to
adapt a classical score (Tchaikovsky's 'Sleeping Beauty Ballet') to a movie
soundtrack. Never has it been done better. See it. One last
consideration: this was filmed in the extra-wide-screen Technerama process,
and naturally loses a lot when transferred to video. Try to see this in a
theater. One with a BIG screen and a state-of-the-art sound system. You
will be amazed. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 493 | 534
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, 1983, C-94m
D: Jack Clayton. Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd, Pam Grier,
Royal Dano, Shawn Carson, Vidal Peterson, Mary Grace Canfield, James Stacy,
narrated by Arthur Hill.
RayBradbury's fantasy novel is brought tothe screen by a director
who understands it. This is a mood piece, and it's done to perfection. It
all takes place in that strange twilight halfway between children's
make-believe and the world of the supernatural. You're never quite sure
which it is. Jonathan Pryce is utterly mesmerizing as the sinister Mr.
Dark, leader of a mysterious travelling carnival. He has so much screen
presence you can barely take your eyes off him. I haven't seen an actor in
such total control of a role since Gene Wilder did 'Willy Wonka'. An added
bonus is that Bradbury himself wrote the screenplay, and it shows. It's a
real cut above the insipid screenplays we're all used to.
STAR WARS, 1977, C-121m
D: George Lucas. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing,
Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, voice of James Earl Jones (as
Darth Vader)
Despite the spaceships and high-tech doodads, this is really more
fantasy than science fiction. And the reliance which director George Lucas
placed in the theories of Joseph Campbell help shape a story that is very
near to myth. The other two movies in the trilogy, 'The Empire Strikes
Back' and 'Return of the Jedi' are also important. The main interest to
most Pagans lies in the mystical sub-motif of 'the Force', a kind a 'mana'
that is ethically neutral, but may be used in magic for either good (as
evidenced by Obi Wan Kenobe) or evil (as evidenced by Darth Vader). In the
second film, it is the great Jedi Master, Yoda (created by Muppet masters,
Jim Henson and Frank Oz), who teaches us most about the Force. This is
pure magic.
THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS, 1980, C-84
D: John Hough. Bette Davis, Carroll Baker, David McCallum, Lynn-Holly
Johnson, Kyle Richards, Ian Bannen, Richard Pasco.
What I wouldn't giveto have seen thisas a teenager! Johnson stars
as a girl whose family has just rented an old English country house, where
she is haunted by the image of a young girl who disappeared years ago.
During a strange seance-type initiation ritual. In the ruins of an old
chapel. During a freak lightning storm. During an eclipse. The subtext
is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Even though such elements
remain unstated, for those of us interested in power points, ley lines, and
astronomical alignments, this movie is a real treat. Someone Knew
Something! Sadly, the end is badly flawed. But no matter, because the fun
is in the getting there. A delightful cast, and great atmosphere
throughout, make this film special.
THE WICKER MAN, 1973-British, C-95m
D: Robin Hardy. Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Diane
Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, Lindsay Kemp.
Based on the Anthony Shaffer thriller,this movie is a favorite of
most Pagans. The plot concerns a police sergeant (Woodward) sent to
investigate the disappearance of a young girl, on a small island off the
coast of Scotland. There he finds a completely Pagan society. Local color
and beautiful folk music enhance the most loving portrayal of a Pagan
society ever committed to film. Unfortunately, in the end, the Pagans are
'revealed' to be the requisite bad guys. If you can overlook the ending,
however, this is fine movie. Every Pagan I know who's seen it wants to
move to Summer Isle immediately.
WILLOW, 1988, C-125m
D: Ron Howard. Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis, Jean Marsh, |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 494 | 535
Patricia Hayes, Billy Barty, Pat Roach, Gavan O'Herlihy.
Despitethe story byGeorge Lucas, thisis NOT the'Star Wars' of the
fantasy genre. Too derivative (especially Mad Martigan, who is a Han Solo
clone). Still, the film has a lot to say about magic, and Davis gives a
delightful performance. Jean Marsh is terrific as the evil Queen Bavmorda
(in a role that almost parallels her role as Queen Mombi in 'Return to
Oz'). And the scene in which Chirlindrea appears to Willow in the forest
is as close to an epiphany of the Goddess as I've ever seen on film. That
scene alone is worth the admission price.
WINDWALKER, 1980, C-108m
D: Keith Merrill. Trevor Howard, Nick Ramus, James Remar, Serene Hedin,
Dusty Iron Wing McCrea.
This is the best cowboy-and-Indian movie I've ever seen. Mainly
because there are no cowboys in it. It is pure Native American. Trevor
Howard is incredible as the old Indian chief who returns from the dead in
order to protect his family, and restore to it a lost son, a twin who was
stolen at birth by an enemy tribe. This film FEELS more like genuine
Native American than any other I can think of. The Utah mountain scenery
is breath-taking. Costuming (mostly furs) is authentic. And dialogue is
actually in the Cheyenne and Crow languages, with English subtitles. And
there's enough mysticism (especially in the old Indian's relationship with
his horse) to please any Pagan audience.
WIZARDS, 1977, C-80m
D: Ralph Bakshi. Voices of Bob Holt, Jesse Wells, Richard Romanus, David
Proval, Mark Hamill.
Post-holocaust scenario withthe forcesof evil technologyled bythe
wizard Blackwolf arrayed against the forces of benevolent magic led by the
wizard Avatar. With background stylings a la Roger Dean, and character
design that borrows from Vaughn Bode, this is tongue-in-cheek wizardry at
its finest. The character of Elinor, a faery nymph, is a complete success
-- a milestone in adult animation. Great voice work and nice music. And
who is that wonderful (uncredited) narrator???
XANADU, 1980, C-88m
D: Robert Greenwald. Olivia Newton-John, Michael Beck, Gene Kelly, James
Sloyan, Dimitra Arliss, Katie Hanley.
Yeah, yeah, I know. On one level, it's just Olivia Newton-John on
roller-skates. But on another level, it is the story of how one of the
nine muses of classical mythology (Terpsichore) comes down from Olympus to
inspire a young artist. On yet a third level, it is the biggest Hollywood
musical produced since the golden years of MGM. And it works well on all
counts. The brilliant musical score (including several chart-toppers) is
provided by the Electric Light Orchestra's Jeff Lynne, and Olivia does them
up proper. Gene Kelly might not dance as well as he once did, but he can
still charm as well. And did anyone notice that's Sandahl Bergman leading
the muses in dance? As if that weren't enough, the film includes a
delightful animated segment that marked the debut for Don Bluth studios,
which later gave us 'The Secret of NIHM' and 'An American Tail'.
536
C A N D L E M A S
by Gwydion Cinhil Kirontin
It seems quite impossible that the holiday of Candlemas
should be considered the beginning of Spring. Here in the
heartland, February 2nd may see a blanket of snow mantling the
Mother. Or, if the snows have gone, you may be sure the days are |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 495 | filled with drizzle, slush, and steel-grey skies -- the dreariest
weather of the year. In short, the perfect time for a Pagan
Festival of Lights. And as for Spring, although this may seem a
tenuous beginning, all the little buds, flowers and leaves will
have arrived on schedule before Spring runs its course to Beltane.
"Candlemas" is the Christianized name for the holiday, of
course. The older Pagan names were Imbolc and Oimelc. "Imbolc"
means, literally, "in the belly" (of the Mother). For in the
womb of Mother Earth, hidden from our mundane sight but sensed by
a keener vision, there are stirrings. The seed that was planted
in her womb at the solstice is quickening and the new year grows.
"Oimelc" means "milk of ewes", for it is also lambing season.
The holiday is also called "Brigit's Day", in honor of the
great Irish Goddess Brigit. At her shrine, the ancient Irish
capital of Kildare, a group of 19 priestesses (no men allowed)
kept a perpetual flame burning in her honor. She was considered
a goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, poetry and healing
(especially the healing touch of midwifery). This tripartite
symbolism was occasionally expressed by saying that Brigit had
two sisters, also named Brigit. (Incidentally, another form of
the name Brigit is Bride, and it is thus She bestows her special
patronage on any woman about to be married or handfasted, the
woman being called "bride" in her honor.)
The Roman Catholic Church could not very easily call the
Great Goddess of Ireland a demon, so they canonized her instead.
Henceforth, she would be "Saint" Brigit, patron saint of
smithcraft, poetry, and healing. They "explained" this by
telling the Irish peasants that Brigit was "really" an early
Christian missionary sent to the Emerald Isle, and that the
miracles she performed there "misled" the common people into
believing that she was a goddess. For some reason, the Irish
swallowed this. (There is no limit to what the Irish imagination
can convince itself of. For example, they also came to believe
that Brigit was the "foster-mother" of Jesus, giving no thought
to the implausibility of Jesus having spent his boyhood in Ireland!)
Brigit's holiday was chiefly marked by the kindling of sacred
fires, since she symbolized the fire of birth and healing, the
fire of the forge, and the fire of poetic inspiration. Bonfires
were lighted on the beacon tors, and chandlers celebrated their
special holiday. The Roman Church was quick to confiscate this
symbolism as well, using "Candlemas" as the day to bless all the
church candles that would be used for the coming liturgical year.
(Catholics will be reminded that the following day, St. Blaise's
Day, is remembered for using the newly-blessed candles to bless
the throats of parishioners, keeping them from colds, flu, sore
throats, etc.)
The Catholic Church, never one to refrain from piling holiday
upon holiday, also called it the Feast of the Purification of the
537
Blessed Virgin Mary. (It is surprising how many of the old Pagan
holidays were converted to Maryan Feasts.) The symbol of the
Purification may seem a little obscure to modern readers, but it
has to do with the old custom of "churching women". It was
believed that women were impure for six weeks after giving birth.
And since Mary gave birth at the winter solstice, she wouldn't be
purified until February 2nd. In Pagan symbolism, this might be
re-translated as when the Great Mother once again becomes the |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 496 | Young Maiden Goddess.
Today, this holiday is chiefly connected to weather lore.
Even our American folk-calendar keeps the tradition of
"Groundhog's Day", a day to predict the coming weather, telling
us that if the Groundhog sees his shadow, there will be "six more
weeks" of bad weather (i.e., until the next old holiday, Lady
Day). This custom is ancient. An old British rhyme tells us
that "If Candlemas Day be bright and clear, there'll be two
winters in the year." Actually, all of the cross-quarter days
can be used as "inverse" weather predictors, whereas the quarter-
days are used as "direct" weather predictors.
Like the other High Holidays or Great Sabbats of the Witches'
year, Candlemas is sometimes celebrated on it's alternate date,
astrologically determined by the sun's reaching 15-degrees
Aquarius, or Candlemas Old Style (this year, February 6th).
Another holiday that gets mixed up in this is Valentine's Day.
Ozark folklorist Vance Randolf makes this quite clear by noting
that the old-timers used to celebrate Groundhog's Day on February
14th. Once again, this shows the resultant confusion of calendar
changes and "lost days" that have accumulated down the centuries.
For modern Witches, Candlemas O.S. may be seen as the Pagan
version of Valentine's Day, with a de-emphasis of "hearts and
flowers" and an appropriate re-emphasis of Pagan carnal
frivolity. This also re-aligns the holiday with the ancient
Roman Lupercalia, a fertility festival held at this time, in
which the priests of Pan ran through the streets of Rome whacking
young women with goatskin thongs to make them fertile. The women
seemed to enjoy the attention and often stripped in order to
afford better targets.
One of the nicest folk-customs still practiced in many
countries, and especially by Witches in the British Isles and
parts of the U.S., is to place a lighted candle in each and every
window of the house, beginning at sundown on Candlemas Eve
(February 1), allowing them to continue burning until sunrise.
Make sure that such candles are well seated against tipping and
guarded from nearby curtains, etc. What a cheery sight it is on
this cold, bleak and dreary night to see house after house with
candle-lit windows! And, of course, if you are your Coven's
chandler, or if you just happen to like making candles, Candlemas
Day is the day for doing it. Some Covens hold candle-making
parties and try to make and bless all the candles they'll be
using for the whole year on this day.
538
Other customs of the holiday include weaving "Brigit's
crosses" from straw or wheat to hang around the house for
protection, performing rites of spiritual cleansing and
purification, making "Brigit's beds" to ensure fertility of mind
and spirit (and body, if desired), and making Crowns of Light
(i.e. of candles) for the High Priestess to wear for the
Candlemas Circle, similar to those worn on St. Lucy's Day in
Scandinavian countries. All and all, this is certainly one of the
prettiest holidays celebrated in the Pagan seasonal calendar.
539
OPENING THE CIRCLE |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 497 | The High Priestess goes to each of the four directions in turn,
and draws a Banishing Pentacle, saying,
Guardians of the East (South, West, North), Powers of Air
(Fire, Water, Earth), we thank you
For joining in our circle
And we ask for your blessing
As you depart
May there be peace between us
Now and forever. Blessed be.
She raises her athame to the sky and touches it to the earth, then
opens her arms and says,
The circle is open, but unbroken,
May the peace of the Goddess
Go in your hearts,
Merry meet, and merry part.
And merry meet again. Blessed be.
540
Ritual of Casting Sacred Circle
Many times we are asked "how do you cast a circle ?" There are so many
different was that this can be done. Differs from each Tradition to the
next. Even within our own Avaloian Tradition we make improvisions on this.
The main factor is to cast a sacred space. A space that separates this
world from the other. A space that we ourselves make holy. And that is
what is important. A space that you set aside from all else, to glorify
and exalt. For you are the one casting, cleansing, purifying, and setting
it aside from all else.
Before you cast, one should make sure of the intent of casting. Ask
yourself why you are doing it. Once you have this the gathering is made
easier. If you are doing this with a group of people One must be chosen to
be the Lord or Lady. The Lord or Lady usually has one person who waits
them. This is not to say the Lord or Lady is higher than they, but the
fact that they shall be the God/dess incarnate. You may also do this
solitary. Depending on the amount tending.
The Lord/Lady has the sword brought to them. All else are standing outside
where the circle is to be cast. The Lord/Lady takes the sword and walk
deosil (clockwise) around the space to be cast. The wait has a small bell
with them. Beginning at the East, the sword, in a non-threatening manner,
is raised. The wait rings the bell. All fill fall silent. Moving
clockwise the Lord/Lady salute each direction. If there are four novices
present each will stand to the directions as the Lord/Lady passes.
Lord/Lady: Let all those that wish to partake enter ye now ! (the bell is
rung)
Everyone enters by stepping forward (no actual circle has been cast yet)
Wait: My Lord/Lady all those that wish to partake in this Magickal Rite
are now present. I pray you, cast the Sacred Circle.
Lord/Lady: What thou doth sees makes here this night, shall be forever
within this circle. So Mote It Be ! |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 498 | (When anyone speaks the So Mote It Be or Blessed Be, all shall repeat it)
Again at the East, the Lord/Lady takes the sword and draws within the
ground or upon the floor the circle saying as the pass...
"I draw this magick circle let no evil or ill will cross its mark."
Once the Lord/Lady has reached the East again, They take the sword and
place it upon the shoulders of the novice, and says...
"be thou the guardian of this gate... I call I summon I stir oh ye
spirits of Air, come forth now I pray thee and witness our Rite. So Mote
It Be !"
The Guardian answers: I am he/she the guardian, no evil or ill will shall
pass by me, My Lord/Lady.
the Wait rings the bell
The Lord/Lady goes to each quarter and perform the same, on each guardian.
The Wait will ring the bell as each guardian answers.
Once the quarters are called the Lord/Lady goes to the center of the circle
as the Wait preforms the cleansing of the circle with salt and water.
541
Incense can be used instead of salt and water mixture. The Lord/Lady
summons the spirit of the Great Lady and the Great Lord by saying....
Great Lady witness now your children who stand before you in Perfect Love
and Perfect Trust.
Standing East, with the censer the Lord/Lady says....
Great Maiden Come To Us.....
All repeat....
Standing South, with the torch or candle the Lord/Lady says....
Great Mother Come To Us....
All repeat...
Standing West, with chalice of wine or water, the Lord/Lady says...
Ancient Queen of Wisdom Come To Us....
All repeat...
Standing North, with the salt, the Lord/Lady says....
Brother Come To Us...
All Repeat...
Drumming, rattles, any form of music making can be added to this. As you
can take note there really isn't any particular God or Goddess called, this
is the Avaloian Tradition. All Gods are one God, all Goddesses are one
Goddess.
So there is the very basic beginnings of Magical Workings... you can take
it from here..... Do What Thou Wilt, Save Harm None, Shall Be the Whole.
Bright Blessing...
Lord OberRon
Knight of the Sacred Light |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 499 | 542
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
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,
flunky 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 facillitator of a
study group, group process insights and skills are important.
These include:
543 |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 500 | 1) Gatekeeping, or guiding discussion in such a way that
everyone 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
complected, 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 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 someone's has to
collect the dues if any, buy the candles, chill the wine, and so
forth.
544
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 faculty, or who are willing |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 501 | 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
coveners explore the roots of their 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 radiasthesia (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 facillitator, either for the first months 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.
545
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
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.
546
BLOOD SACRIFICE
by Althea Whitebirch
We have all moved through periods of crisis in our lives; things |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 502 | ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the death of someone
close to us to final exams. Events which are extremely stressful--which
threaten our lives, home, future or security--would seem t call for
strong measures of assistance. There have been many times that I have
felt that the course of events required swift and strong intervention of
a deity. Blood sacrifice is, to my mind, one of the more powerful magics
one could perform, and so seemed particularly suitable for this. But
it's rather ethically sticky.
I may feel that the kind of energy contained in the outpouring of
blood would be most efficacious in a serious situation, but I'm dead-set
against the use of an unwilling victim for the purpose. So, in the past
I've spilled my own blood with an athame, at the same time offering up
prayers; it just didn't seem to work as well as I thought it would.
Perhaps, I thought, one needs lots of blood to generate any appreciable
amount of energy.
Then a friend suggested what seemed the perfect solution--blood
donation! I'd been giving blood for several years and the thought just
never had occurred to me before. So the next time I went in to donate, I
approached it as ritual sacrifice for a particular purpose, and both the
process and results seemed to be much improved. Since then I've gone to
donate blood many times, each time with a prayer for healing for the
recipient of my blood, and a request for aid from the deity that seemed
most appropriate.
For those of you who've never donated blood before, I can provide a
few details of the process. It's not very frightening, and it can be a
very spiritually moving experience, I'll tell you! As well, remember
that you don't sell blood (at least not in Puget Sound), you donates it.
You can sell plasma--the straw-colored fluid that makes up the bulk of
your blood--but not blood itself.
The first time you go in you'll fill out a medical questionnaire:
the Puget Sound Blood Bank doesn't want your blood if you're ill right
then (or just getting over something), taking certain medications, ever
had hepatitis or malaria, or are in a high-risk category for contracting
AIDS (Haitian, homosexual, needle-using drug user or prostitute). If
you have any questions, they'll be happy to answer them.
After you fill out the questionnaire, they'll take your blood
pressure and a blood sample (like sticking your finger with a pin) to
test your hemocrit (% of hemoglobin) as well as determining what type
your blood is. If your hemocrit count isn't high enough they'll send
you home. Nowadays, all blood is sent to a lab to be tested for
presence of AIDS anti-bodies as well; if you test positive they'll
notify you by mail. You'll be asked if you've eaten in the last four
hours, and if not, sent to the canteen for cookies and juice.
547
Then comes the fun part--you go lie down on a table where a phlebo-
tomist (who draws the blood) asks you some questions, verifies your
name, and then sets you up to donate. They tie a rubber hose around your
arm, so the vein will stand out and be easy to find. They use cold
liquid ethyl chloride on your arm, to numb it where the needle goes in.
I won't say that it doesn't hurt when the needle is inserted--it does
but it's tolerable--when it's in place though, you'll hardly know it's
there. (You may get the idea from all this that I'm a stoic--hardly!
I'm a wimp when it comes to pain, but this I can handle.) At this time
they'll leave you there for up to five minutes while you clench and
relax your hand (to keep the blood from clotting) and the blood flows
into a little plastic bag. It's warm and red, and rather reassuring, |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 503 | really. At this time you can get into some really serious prayer, or
hum a little healing chant for the person your blood's going to. (I
once was doing this and got a flash image of a little boy, a burn
victim. I always wondered who got my blood that day.) I wouldn't
recommend getting too spaced-out though; remember you've got to be able
to return to yourself when you want to, and the physical effects of
giving blood can make some people light-headed or slightly woozie. When
they ask you how you're feeling, be honest, not macho. You don't want
to embarrass yourself by fainting.
Afterwards they'll ask you to have some juice and cookies. By all
means, do! For one thing, you've earned them; for another it's impor-
tant to replace the fluid and blood sugar you just gave up. Working
magic really takes it out of you, too (at least it does me).
In my experience, there are several good reasons to use this parti-
cular method of blood sacrifice: a) It doesn't require the death of one
of the Gods' children. b) It is giving of yourself--for the good of
others as well as your own. c) It is safe--the Blood Bank uses sterile
instruments and never re-uses needles, so you can't catch anything. d)
You have the added benefit of being able to see the blood as it's being
given (somehow that adds to my experience), and a pint is a lot more
than I've ever been able to get with a knife! Next time you want to get
the Gods' attention, try it!
548
The Grove of Phoenix Rising
*
FOUR WEEK FAST
*
FIRST WEEK
*
If you normally eat meat, begin to eliminate it from your diet
during this first week. If you feel you must eat it, eat a small
amount and no more than 3 times during the week.
*
Eliminate all alcoholic beverages, carbonated beverages (except for
bottled waters such as Artesia, etc.), and diet drinks. Substitute
fruit juices or fruit drinks.
*
Refrain from smoking (anything), or using any other intoxicants.
*
Cut way back on any other stimulants, such as coffee or tea or
cocoa. No more than three cups a day if you are a heavy coffee or
tea drinker.
*
Use as little salt as possible and no other spices.
*
Refrain from sweets - cakes, pies, candy.
*
Drink large amounts of fluids, especially water.
*
*
SECOND WEEK
*
Eliminate meat entirely. Substitute dairy products - IN MODERATION.
*
Continue to limit intake of stimulants (coffee, tea, cocoa),
cutting back to no more than two cups a day.
*
Continue to avoid tobacco, alcohol, other intoxicants, spices,
and soft drinks, and use as little salt as possible. |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 504 | *
Continue to drink large amounts of water.
*
Your diet should consist largely of vegetables and grains, with
large amounts of liquids.
*
*
THIRD WEEK
*
Limit intake of stimulants (coffee, tea, cocoa) to one cup a day.
*
Continue to avoid tobacco, alcohol, other intoxicants, meat,
spices, and soft drinks, and use as little salt as possible.
*
Do not use meat in seasoning vegetables.
*
Your diet should consist of vegetables and fruits only. Raw
vegetables and fruits are best (nuts can be included). Drink large
amounts of water and substitute fruit or vegetable juices for meals
as often as possible.
*
FOURTH WEEK (first four days)
*
549
Fluids only. Fruit and vegetable juices in desired quantity,
cutting back each day. Drink large amounts of water. If you feel
you must have coffee, limit it to a cup a day (a half cup if
possible).
*
If you feel you must have something the first day or so of this
week, a small handful of raisins or other dried fruit may be taken.
Nibble slowly. As the week progresses, continue to cut back on
nibbles and the amount of juice taken. A spoonful of honey added
to hot water helps satisfy the craving for hot beverages and gives
you an energy boost.
*
*
THE FAST
*
The fast should last for three days. It is best to do this on a
weekend and if possible, alone and in the woods. (Go camping!)
*
Drink lots of water and if you feel the need for an energy
stimulant, a small amount of honey may be added to hot water.
*
Spend as much time as possible in meditation. This period should
sooth your spirit as well as cleanse your body. RELAX!
*
You will probably want to sleep a lot. Do so. Allow yourself to
drift with your thoughts. Do not attempt to solve your problems
during this time. They will solve themselves later, for your mind
will be clearer after the fast is over.
*
Most people feel great the first day, a little weakness the second
day, and great again on the third day.
*
*
AFTER THE FAST
*
Eat lightly for your first meal after the fast. It is best to begin |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 505 | by returning to fruit and vegetable juices and working your slowly
into solid foods over a few days.
*
*
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS TO DRINK LARGE AMOUNTS OF
WATER ALL THE WAY THROUGH! This flushes out toxins the body is
releasing.
550
THE ANCIENT ART
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there were people who believed
in laughter, joy and love. They believed in many deities, but
the most important to them was their Great Mother Goddess. They
believed in and lived with the powers of Nature. They reveled in
the Wind, the Rain, the Snow and the Sunlight. They marveled at
and revered the changing of the seasons and saw therein great
excitement and wisdom to be gained. They knew that if they
tended, cared for and loved the Earth, in return She would
provide for, care for and love them. They saw that all around
them the world was filled with Life, much as their own but in
many different and wonderful forms. They felt the life of the
flowers, plants and trees and respected them for that life
essence. They looked about and observed all the many types of
animals and saw that they were kindred to them and loved them.
They felt and observed the great Love of the Goddess all about
them and knew kinship with the Moon. They were practioners of
The Old Religion, worshipers of The Great Mother.
Witch! The very word instantly invokes visions for each of us,
visions which vary greatly from individual to individual. Many
of these visions, however, are quite false, brought about by many
centuries of severe persecutions, misrepresentations, prejudice
and, in recent years, lack of knowledge. Witchcraft! What is it
really?
Witchcraft is the oldest, most irrepressible religion in the
world because it stimulates the intellect, promotes a simple,
practical way of life and, most importantly, is emotionally
satisfying. Its roots lie in the ancient Matriarchal systems of
Goddess worship. A religion of Nature in which the primary
deity is female (The Essence of Femininity, The Earth Mother,
The Great Mother, etc.).
It was easy for the Wise Ones to look at the world around them
and see the great importance of Feminine Principle. The female
was, indeed, the one who bore the young, perhaps the most
magickal of all events to ancient man. Then, she played by far
the most important role in rearing the young, being totally
responsible for feeding, for without her milk there was no life
past birth. She was responsible for the teaching and early care
of the young. In all youths the greatest comfort and nurturing
love were connected with the mother. These revelations and
experiences could hardly lead to any other choice than the total
reverence and deification of the female.
Although The Great Mother is the most important deity, Witches
do, generally, recognize many Goddesses and/or Gods and are,
therefore, polytheistic. The tenets of Witchcraft are few but
all-encompassing, for with three simple Universal Observations
all of life can be explained and understood: |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 506 | 1) Reincarnation - Mortality
2) Cause & Effect - Magick
3) Retribution - Morality
Reincarnation enlightens the Witch to the fact that, as we come
551
to this material world over and over in a series of learning
periods, or lifetimes, we will eventually have to experience all
things, be all things, understand all things. This creates a
great tolerance for other viewpoints in the Witch.
Cause & Effect, and an understanding of it, allows the Witch to
see what makes the world work and how to live most efficiently.
It gives them a great advantage in that it explains the working
of Magick.
Retribution shows the Witch, in graphic terms, that every thought
one might have, every action one may take, is returned in like
kind. This realization forms the basis of the Moral Code of the
Witch.
The Patriarchal Societies which evolved in later times had no
tolerance for the Goddess religions and systematically set out to
destroy the material vestiges, kill or convert the adherents and
wipe out all knowledge of them. They destroyed the temples and
other places of worship, desecrated the sacred groves and
magickal places, attempted to pervert the old deities, mutilated
and totally suppressed sacred art, tore down libraries and burned
books, tortured and killed the practitioners of the Old
Religions, demeaned, persecuted and oppressed women in general
and passed strictly enforced laws which made theirs the State
Religion and forbade all other viewpoints.
Despite the centuries of insidious persecution, deliberate
destruction and perversions at the hands of the Christian
Conspirators, Witchcraft has survived.
COMMON INQUIRIES
I've heard the terms 'White Witch' and 'Black Witch'. Can you
explain?
In this connotation, white is referring to Positive, Black is
referring to Negative. A White Witch then is someone who tries
to do Positive or Good things. Black Witch could be a term used
to describe someone who deliberately does Negative or Bad things.
A True Witch believes in the Law of Retribution and would never
deliberately harm anyone or anything or participate in Negative
or Destructive acts.
552
Is it possible for me to practice Witchcraft and remain a
Christian? |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 507 | No. The Christian Doctrine states, unequivocally, that
Christians shall have no other Gods before the Christian God.
Christian Doctrine says to believe in any other deities or to
practice any other religion is not only evil but should be
punished by death, specifically naming Witchcraft. The Christian
Doctrine also denies Reincarnation and prescribes punishment for
those who practice Magick.
Devil worship?
Witches do not worship the Devil. Witchcraft predates
Christianity and does not incorporate a belief in the Christian
Devil.
The Wise Ones did deify the Masculine Principle and quite often
He was depicted as The Great Horned God; Pan, Cernunnos, the
Great Stag, The Green Man. To the Traditional Witch, the
Masculine Deity (the Goddess' Consort) is very important, revered
and loved. He is the perfect Father, the Lord Protector. The
Horned God of the Witches is loving, kind and good.
Don't men have difficulty with a supreme female deity? There are
some groups which give equal status to the female and male
deities.
Neo-Pagans are, by definition, people who attempt to live with
the Old Country Ways in a new, modern day manner. And while, in
this modern era, equal status for the deities may be popular, as
it relates to Witchcraft it is historically incorrect.
Therefore, a group which does not recognize the Goddess as
primary deity is not practicing The Ancient Art. Indeed, they,
generally, know very little about Witchcraft, despite their
claims. Traditional Dualistic Witches do most emphatically
believe that women and men are equal, but have no trouble
relating to the Goddess. The Male Witch finds great comfort and
solace in his Great Mother.
Do I have to join a Coven?
No. It is not necessary nor is it desirable for a great many
people. Some people enjoy the support and companionship a Coven
provides, others enjoy solitary worship. The Coven, which is an
extremely close knit worship group, may not be possible for some
because of location, family climate, availability, etc.
553
Why is Witchcraft secretive?
The horror of the 'Burning Time' is still very real to the Witch.
The past persecutions were severe. Even so, in today's more
enlightened society the need for complete secrecy has lessened
and many are able to share their beliefs openly. Very few,
however, are willing to expose their very personal and private
religious expressions to others who may not understand.
What do I have to do to become a Witch? |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 508 | The answer to this question is very simple. To become a Witch
one must follow the religion of Witchcraft. To do this one must
believe in the Goddess as primary deity and follow the three
basic tenets. How simple! How uncomplicated! How Pagan!
Everything else concerning witchcraft is simply minor details.
Details that vary from Aspect to Aspect, Coven to Coven and
individual to individual. The details are relatively personal.
They should not become more important than the basic tenets. If
you do not understand, believe and practice Witchcraft, you are
not a Witch. No one can make you a Witch. Reading about it can
not make you a Witch. An Initiation can not make you a Witch.
Saying you are a Witch, one thousand and fifty two times, can not
make you a Witch.
In the search for your individual path beware of those who would
take advantage of you. Do not fall prey to the unscrupulous
charlatans who would swindle you in a monetary sense (mail-order
courses, charges for teaching or initiations, vows of poverty,
etc.), exploit you sexually or manipulate you for their own
personal ego-trips.
554
'Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true
happiness.' -- Bertrand Russell
CHARMED, I'M SURE
The Ethics of Love Spells
=========================
by Mike Nichols
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
To gain the love of someone: On a night of the full moon, walk to a spot
beneath your beloved's bedroom window, and whisper his/her name three times
to the nightwind.
--Ozark love spell
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It seems tobe an immutable law ofnature. You are interviewedby a
local radio or TV station, or in some local newspaper. The topic of the
interview is Witchcraft or Paganism, and you spend the better part of an
hour brilliantly articulating your beliefs, your devotion to Goddess and
nature, the difference between Witchcraft and Satanism, and generally
enlightening the public at large. The next day, you are flooded with
calls. Is it people complimenting you on such a splendid interview? No.
People wanting to find out more about the religion of Wicca? Huh-uh.
People who are even vaguely interested in what you had to say??? Nope.
Who is it? It's people asking you to do a love spell for them! This used
to drive me nuts. I'd take a deep breath and patiently explain (for the
thousandth time) why I won't even do love spells for myself, let alone
anyone else. This generally resulted in my caller becoming either angry or
defensive, but seldom more enlightened. 'But don't you DO magic?', they
ask. 'Only occasionally,' I answer. 'And aren't most magic spells love
spells?', they persist. That was the line I really hated, because I knew |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 509 | they were right! At least, if you look at the table of contents of most
books on magic, you'll find more love spells than any other kind. This
seems as true for the medieval grimoire as for the modern drugstore
paperback.
Why? Why so many books containing so many love spells? Why such an
emphasis on a kind of magic that I, personally, have always considered very
negative? And to make matters even more confusing, the books that do take
the trouble of dividing spells between 'positive' and 'negative' magic
invariably list love spells under the first heading. After all, they would
argue, love is a good thing. There can never be too much of it.
Therefore, any spell that brings about love must be a GOOD spell. Never
mind that the spell puts a straightjacket on another's free will, and then
drops it in cement for good measure.
555
And thatis whyI hadalways assumedlove magicto benegative magic.
Years ago, one of the first things I learned as a novice Witch was
something called the Witch's Rede, a kind of 'golden rule' in traditional
Witchcraft. It states, 'An it harm none, do what thou will.' One uses
this rede as a kind of ethical litmus test for a spell. If the spell
brings harm to someone -- anyone (including yourself!) -- then don't do it!
Unfortunately, this rule contains a loophole big enough to fly a broom
through. It's commonly expressed, 'Oh, this won't HARM them; it's really
for their own good.' When you hear someone say that, take cover, because
something especially nasty is about to happen.
That's why I had to develop my own version of the Witch's Rede. Mine
says that if a spell harms anyone, OR LIMITS THEIR FREEDOM OF THOUGHT OR
ACTION IN ANY WAY, then consider it negative, and don't do it. Pretty
strict, you say? Perhaps. But there's another law in Witchcraft called
the Law of Threefold Return. This says that whatever power you send out,
eventually comes back to you three times more powerful. So I take no
chances. And love spells, of the typical make-Bobby-love-me type,
definitely have an impact on another's free will.
Sowhy are they so common? It's taken me yearsto make peace with
this, but I think I finally understand. The plain truth is that most of us
NEED love. Without it, our lives are empty and miserable. After our basic
survival needs have been met, we must have affection and companionship for
a full life. And if it will not come of its own accord, some of us may be
tempted to FORCE it to come. And nothing can be as painful as loving
someone who doesn't love you back. Consequently, the most common,
garden-variety spell in the world is the love spell.
Is there ever a way to do a love spell and yet stay within the
parameters of the Witch's Rede? Possibly. Some teachers have argued that
if a spell doesn't attempt to attract a SPECIFIC person into your life, but
rather attempts to attract the RIGHT person, whomever that may be, then it
is not negative magic. Even so, one should make sure that the spell finds
people who are 'right' for each other -- so that neither is harmed, and
both are made happy.
Is there ever an excuse for the make-Bobby-love-me type of spell?
Without endorsing this viewpoint, I must admit that the most cogent
argument in its favor is the following: Whenever you fall in love with
someone, you do everything in your power to impress them. You dress nicer,
are more attentive, witty, and charming. And at the same time, you
unconsciously set in motion some very powerful psychic forces. If you've
ever walked into a room where someone has a crush on you, you know what I
mean. You can FEEL it. Proponents of this school say that a love spell
only takes the forces that are ALREADY there -- MUST be there if you're in |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 510 | love -- and channels them more efficiently. But the energy would be there
just the same, whether or not you use a spell to focus it.
Iwon't attempt to decidethis one for you. People must arrive at
their own set of ethics through their own considerations. However, I would
call to your attention all the cautionary tales in folk magic about love
spells gone awry. Also, if a love spell has been employed to join two
people who are not naturally compatible, then one must keep pumping energy
into the spell. And when one finally tires of this (and one will, because
it is hard work!) then the spell will unravel amidst an emotional and
psychic hurricane that will make the stormiest divorces seem calm by
comparison. Not a pretty picture.
It should be noted that many spells that pass themselves off as love
spells are, in reality, sex spells. Not that there's anything surprising
556
in that, since our most basic needs usually include sex. But I think we
should be clear from the outset what kind of spell it is. And the same
ethical standards used for love spells can often be applied to sex spells.
Last year, the very quotable Isaac Bonewits, author of 'Real Magic', taught
a sex magic class here at the Magick Lantern, and he tossed out the
following rule of thumb: Decide what the mundane equivalent of your spell
would be, and ask yourself if you could be arrested for it. For example,
some spells are like sending a letter to your beloved in the mail, whereas
other spells are tantamount to abduction. The former is perfectly legal
and normal, whereas the latter is felonious.
One mitigating factor in your decisions may be the particular
tradition
of magic you follow. For example, I've often noticed that practitioners of
Voudoun (Voodoo) and Santeria seem much more focused on the wants and needs
of day-to-day living than on the abstruse ethical considerations we've been
examining here. That's not a value judgement -- just an observation. For
example, most followers of Wicca STILL don't know how to react when a
Santerian priest spills the blood of a chicken during a ritual -- other
than to feel pretty queasy. The ethics of one culture is not always the
same as another.
And speaking of cultural traditions, another consideration is how a
culture views love and sex. It has often been pointed out that in our
predominant culture, love and sex are seen in very possessive terms, where
the beloved is regarded as one's personal property. If the spell uses this
approach, treating a person as an object, jealously attempting to cut off
all other relationships, then the ethics are seriously in doubt. However,
if the spell takes a more open approach to love and sex, not attempting to
limit a person's other relationships in any way, then perhaps it is more
defensible. Perhaps. Still, it might be wise to ask, Is this the kind of
spell I'd want someone to cast on me?
Love spells. Whether to dothem or not. If you area practitioner
of magic, I dare say you will one day be faced with the choice. If you
haven't yet, it is only a matter of time. And if the answer is yes, then
which spells are ethical and which aren't? Then you, and only you, will
have to decide whether 'All's fair in love and war', or whether there are
other, higher, metaphysical considerations.
557
DRAWING DOWN THE MOON
In this ritual the Goddess becomes incarnate in the High Priestess. The |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 511 | High Priestess stands in front of the altar with her back to it. She holds
the wand in her right hand and the scrounge in her left. She crosses her
wrists and crosses the wand and scrounge above them while holding them
close to her breast. The High Priest stands in front of her and says:
"Diana, queen of night
In all your beauty bright,
Shine on us here,
And with your silver beam
Unlock the gates of dream;
Rise bright and clear.
On Earth and sky and sea,
Your magic mystery
Its spell shall cast,
Wherever leaf may grow,
Wherever tide may flow,
Till all be past.
O secret queen of power,
At this enchanted hour
We ask your boon.
May fortune's favor fall
Upon true witches all,
O Lady Moon!"
The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the Five
Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb, both
breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He says, as he
does this:
"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall 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 utter the Sacred Names."
For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length to length, with their feet
touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her arms wide,
and the same after the kiss on the lips.The High Priest kneels again and
invokes:
"I invoke thee and call upon thee, Mighty Mother of us all,
bringer of all fruitfulness; by seed and root,
by bud and stem, by leaf and flower and fruit,
bylife and love doI invoke theeto descend uponthe body of
this,
thy servant and priestess."
558
During this invocation he touches her with his right forefinger on her
right breast, left breast, and womb, repeats the set and finally the right
breast. Still kneeling, he spreads his arms out and down, with the palms
forward and says:
"Hail Aradia! From the Amalthean Horn
Pour forth thy store of love; I lowly bend
Before thee, I adore thee to the end,
With loving sacrifice thy shrine adore.
Thy foot is to my lip
(he kisses her right foot)
my prayer up borne
Upon the rising incense smoke; then spend
Thine ancient love, O Mighty One, descend |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 512 | To aid me, who without thee am forlorn."
The High Priest stands up and steps backwards. The High Priestess draws the
Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with the wand and says:
"Of the Mother darksome and divine
Mine the scrounge, and mine the kiss;
The five point star of love and bliss
Here I charge you in this sign."
The High Priestess should be in a trance now. This is a good time to do the
Charge or the Witches' Creed.
When the Charge or Creed is finished, the Goddess must be dismissed. It is
bad magical practice not to do so.
The High Priest faces the Priestess and says:
"We thank you Our Lady for attending our rites. We bid you farewell
till
next we call you. Blessed Be."
Farrar, Janet and Stewart; "Eight Sabbats For Witches"; Robert Hale 1983
and dismissal added by Seastrider. Distributed over various BBS systems via
Ravensong.
559
CALLING ALL CRONES
by Grey Cat
Into the dark, the pale light of the waning moon brings forth
shapeless shadows; bushes, a wandering stone fieldwall, nameless
areas of blackness. Some still, some moving; no night for good
folk to stray from cot or castle. Black hares amove across the
moors, black cattle idly gossip together, one old woman dressed
in black searches the grass for secret herbs. And there amongst
the standing stones, age heavy upon their backs, three hags dare
all the mercy of God's Holy Mother Church to make the magic of an
older race.
``Call old Mother Piggot, she knows the proper words for
warts.''... ``Tis Goody Nurse you'll need if it's a son ye
want.''... ``Tis naught but an Old Wives Tale.''... ``Don't
mind Mother, she hasn't been herself since she went through the
Change of Life.''
Looming high over the imagination of humankind, the shadow of the
Crone casts a miasma of fear and uselessness, power and casting--
out, across the myths of our race and society.
I have talked and talked to women who either have arrived at
crone time or who are preparing themselves for this transition
and we have found much to talk about. And I think that it is
important that we keep right on talking after the season of
Gatherings has passed for the year. I have absolutely no
interest in trying to start a newsletter for Crones, nor really
of founding OWL (Old Woman's League), SOW (Salty Old Women),
CRONE (Clearly Rational Older Natural Energy), nor HAG (Honorable
Aged Geniuses).
However, I, no more than many of you, want to have to wait until
next year to get a chance to discuss all these fascinating
topics. So how about some suggestions, and perhaps some offers |
Wicca | The-Complete-Uncut-Book-of-Shadows | 513 | of help. Would we like to cooperate in an APAZine* which
dispenses with an editing and layout burden, leaving some low--
level bookkeeping which I don't mind doing. Does someone feel
like working on a Newsletter? Do we want to form a loose
organization as part of or instead of the above? Or are most of
us too busy to do anything about this between gatherings?
I'll be sending this letter to people I know personally and to
many Pagan publications; you'll probably see it often enough to
be sick of the whole idea. But there is a lot of magick
available in the Time of the Crone. There is a lot of
sociological pressure to understand, combat or accept. And there
is a whole lot of our lives left for us to function as Crones.
If we don't figure out what it is and what to do with it, nobody
else will.
So write me at the address below (SASE appreciated) and let me
know what you think about the whole idea, what you might be
willing to do, what insights you may have about Crone Time --
let's figure out what has been left out of all the books. We're
already ``Uppity Women'' and we've nothing to lose but a bad rap.
(Crones are assumed to be women more or less at the age of
menopause or past it. Baby Crones are any who realize that this
time is not far away.)
Grey Cat P.O. Box 181 Crossville, TN 38555
560
THE ELEMENTS
Air Fire
Water Earth Akasha
Characteristics Transparent, light Force of motion Clear,
Heavy Massive Essence
Reflective Animator Reflective,
Insula. Insulator Multi dimensional
Insulator Weightless Absorptive
Resists motion Transformative
Compressible & Radiative Non-
compressible non compress/Expand Compr/Expandable
Expandable Compr/Expandable Expandable
Endurance Endurance, mobile
Moveable, Mutable Non-mutable Smooth
flowing Stable, solid Highly mutable
Malleable Storable
Malleable/mutable Non-mutable malleable, balanced,
Male, Penetrating Male,Penetrating
Female,Receptive Receptive-to water Transcends E,A,F,W
Mediator Evaporates water Mediator
Female yet immanent
Reacts to Energy for movement by Carries
Fire Renews and
Carries Fire air Air &
Earth nourishes
Non-local Essence Logos, switching Power, force Act of
choosing Underlying Underlying,
mechanism prime mover Intuitive
Stability connecting all
Energy Flow Crown down Spine behind Front to
heart Base of spine up Non local |
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