BOS started 6:54PM CSD Tuesday, July 8,1997.
This BOS is made entirely from items
submited by either myself or the author(s)( persons who have sent items
to the BOS) mentioned in the Book these are items that are of usefulness
to all and can be used and reused. All Items submited will fall under copyright.
Items may be printed by any Pagan but, not sold All other printing and
or distribution is a copyright infringment. In other words before you grab
ask. If you print and distribute these items give credit to the author
of the item. Questions?
Certain tools are used in Wicca for ritual purposes, such as to invoke
the God or Goddess, banish negative influences and cast circles. While
these tools are not necessary to practice Wicca, I find they are helpful
in increasing concentration and directing energy. Most tools correspond
to certain elements of nature, such as Earth, Air, Fire and Water, and
are particularly helpful when performing rituals centering around that
particular element.
Some of these tools may be difficult to find, but don't worry - the
right one eventually will come to you. On my links
page, I have listed several on-line merchants that carry many of these
items.
Athame
The magick knife is commonly linked with the element of Fire. Most
Wiitches do not use it for cutting purposes, or for any purposes outside
the circle.
The athame is used in ritual to direct energy and is an instrument
of power and manipulation.
The blade is often dull and double-edged and the handle is black or
some other dark color to absorb power.
Cauldron
The cauldron is a symbol of the Goddess and corresponds to the element
of Water.
It is used in ritual as a container in which magickal transformations
can occur and is often a focal point of a ritual.
During spring rites, it can be filled with water and fresh flower petals
and in winter, fires can be lighted within the cauldron to symbolize the
rebirth of the Sun.
It can also be filled with water and used for scrying into the future.
Cauldrons often are three-legged and made of iron. They come in all
sizes ranging from a few inches in diameter to several feet across.
Wand
The wand, an instrument of invocation, corresponds to the element of
Air.
It is sometimes used to direct energy, to scratch magickal symbols
in the ground or to stir the contents of a cauldron.
Woods such as willow, elder, oak, hazel and apple are traditionally
used for the wand, but any fairly straight piece of wood can work. Many
carve special symbols into the wood to personalize the wand. I've also
seen some beautiful wands made out of crystal with gems and stones set
into them.
Censer
The censer, or incense burner, represents the element of Air.
It can be a big, swinging metal contraption like those used in Catholic
churches or a small wooden stick incense holder - whichever feels most
comfortable for you. I personally use both the stick holders and the metal
ones for powdered incense.
If you can't find a suitable censer, a bowl filled with sand or salt
works fine. The sand or salt absorbs the heat from the charcoal, or incense
sticks or cones can be pushed into it.
I find that incense greatly increases my concentration and is especially
useful in meditations.
Pentacle
The pentacle (there's a picture of one on my exit page)
is often used an an instrument of protection - it can be hung over doors
and windows or worn about the neck as a pendant.
The five points on the pentacle represent each of the five elements;
Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit.
In ritual, the pentacle can be used to consecrate other ritual tools.
It can be made out of brass, silver, wood, clay or any other material
that can be engraved.
Chalice
The altar chalice symbolizes the Goddess and fertility and is related
to the element of Water.
I generally use mine to hold the ritual wine that is imbibed at the
end of a rite, but it can also be used for holding water for scrying into
the future or other ritual purposes.
The chalice can be made out of any substance, from silver or brass
to wood or soapstone.
Broom
The broom often is used to purify space before a circle is cast. It
is related to the element of Water and is used in many water spells involving
cleansing.
It also historically has been used to protect the home by laying it
across the door.
To make a magick broom, it is suggested that you use an ash staff,
birch twigs and a willow binding.(ash is protective, birch cleansing and
willow sacred to the Goddess.)
Book of Shadows
The Book of Shadows is your personal collection of rituals, spells,
ideas and thoughts about Wicca, etc. Many covens have a group BOS, while
solitaries keep one for themselves. Traditionally, it's supposed to be
handwritten and many Wiccans may suggest strict adherence to that. I, however,
keep most of my BOS on my hard drive on my computer and know several others
who do the same thing. Again, whatever is most comfortable for you is what
you should use.
These are just a few of the basics - you can certainly improvise and
add different items to represent different elements. Or, like some Wiccans
I know, you can simply use candles and incense during rituals.
Either way, it's the energy YOU put into it that makes the ritual powerful
and successful, not the tools you use.
Tools are simply a way to direct and focus energy for magickal workings.
They have no power except for what we give them.
Tools should be consecrated, or cleansed,
before use in a circle, to clear them of any negative energies.
Tool Consecration
Tools
Incense (in the east)
White candle (in the south)
Small bowl of water (in
the west)
Small bowl of salt or earth
(in the north)
Before these spirits, I bring (name of tool) to be dedicated to the service of the Lady and the Lord.
Pass the tool three
times through the smoke of the incense, saying:
By power of air, be purified.
Be dedicated to purity,
that all goals you help acheive may harm none and be for good of all.
Pass the tool three
times through the flame of the candle, saying:
By power of fire, be purified.
Be dedicated to desire,
that all goals you help acheive may harm none and be for good of all.
Sprinkle a few drops
of water on the instrument, saying:
By power of water, be purified.
Be dedicated to emotion,
that you be used in a spirit of harmony, harming none and for good of all.
Touch instrument to
the earth or salt, saying:
By power of earth, be purified.
Be dedicated to steadfastness,
that my will be acheived without wavering, with harm to none and for good
of all.
Presentation to the Lord
and Lady
If this is a chalice, present
it first to the Lady, then to the Lord. If it is an athame, reverse the
order. All other instruments, use your own preference, but it is a courtesy
to present to Her first.
Presentation of Chalice
Lady, bless this chalice,
let it be a vessel of productivity that may be worthy to reside in circle
with you.
Let it be so bound that
no harm may come of it to any being.
To thy service, I dedicate
this vessel, that it and I may be long of service to thee.
Lord, bless this chalice
that it may bring forth joy and purity.
Guard the works which come
forth from it, that they harm none and be ever in the service of thee and
thy Lady.
So Mote it Be!
Presentation of
Athame
Great Lord, bless this
athame. Let it be pure for thy service and bind it so that no harm may
come of it to any being.
Lord, bless this athame,
that it be used always in the worship and honor of the One.
Lady, bless this athame
that it may bring forth joy and purity, and shall cause no harm to any
being.
I dedicate this athame
to thy service, Great One.
So Mote it Be!
Release the circle
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The truth
Some of the pages below
will infuriate you, others will make you laugh, and still others will make
you wonder how the writer managed to string together a complete sentence.
If these people think
they're going to heaven, I sure don't want to be there with them. (and
I guess they'd say I don't really have to worry about that!)
Nevertheless, they're
all good examples of why public education about Witchcraft is so desperately
needed: Those that are crossed out no longer exsist YAY!.
http://demonbuster.com
Quote from this site:
"It's witchcraft attacking your home through pornographic magazines and
pornography in ads; drug peddlers; seducing scenes and rebellious scenes
on television and movies; rock music and through much of the country music;
whiskey ads, beer ads, smoking ads"
This site is a masterpiece
of fear, bigotry, hatred and general schizophrenia. There's a whole section
on how to get rid of demons that are possessing you (something about blowing
them out through your nose. I'm not kidding.) I am amazed that the person
who wrote this page even figured out how to turn on his computer.
www-user.cibola.net/~prophet/maryjane.html
Quote:"The connection
between witchcraft and drugs is undeniable. Today, drugs are used more
than ever throughout every realm of witchcraft and the occult."
I took a Tylenol yesterday.
Does that count?
http://www.pbc.org/dp/stedman/acts/0442.html
Quote:"There are strongholds
like this all around us today, bastions of darkness. Drugs is one, witchcraft
another, homosexuality a third."
Hey, we're one of the three
bastions of darkness in the whole wide world! Don't ya feel privileged?
http://www.salsgiver.com/people/cobutler/praccom.htm
Quote:"Sinful practices
which are made prominent and condemned in these scriptures include homosexuality,
adultery, worldly attitudes (such as hatred, envy, jealousy), corrupt communication
(such as gossip, angry outbursts, filthy words), stealing, murder, drunkenness
and witchcraft. Witchcraft has to do with the practices of the occult,
which are forbidden by God and lead to the worship of Satan."
Filthy words? Not those!
Oh please don't lump us in with people who use (gasp) filthy words!
http://www.cuttingedge.org/ce1059.html
Quote: "When
a witch does a human sacrifice, after the victim's throat is sliced open,
the spilled blood will be collected in a chalice, just as the Catholics
do, except the witch's chalice holds the real thing. In Satan's eyes, the
Catholics are performing the same rite as the witches."
So what spills
when Catholics do human sacrifice? Wine? Grape juice? Holy water?
http://www.forerunner.com/champion/X0038.html
Quote:"The promotion
of abortion is not just a political issue for members of Wicca; it is part
of a religious agenda - the religion of witchcraft and child sacrifice."
This place here is really
SAD! I mean too much hate and propaganda but, ya gotta laugh or go crazy!
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I, who am the Beauty of
the Green Earth, and the White Moon among the stars, and the Mystery of
the Waters, and the Desire of the 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.
Moondaughter taught us
that all of nature reflects the Lord and Lady. The God and the Goddess,
she said, can be seen in the natural world just as the Inner Self of an
artist can be seen in the lines and colors of her paintings. Thus, she
taught, it is the divine character of the Lord and Lady Themselves which
gives rise to the great polarities of nature.
The Great Polarities and
The Four Elements
Moondaughter saw all the
Yins and Yangs of nature -- from the positive and negative charges within
the atom to the male and female characteristics within each individual
-- as reflections of that sexual polarity between Lord and Lady which is
the origin of all nature's creatures. In addition, however, Moondaughter
taught us that a second set of polarities of Inner Self and Outer Self
existed throughout nature. This polarity she called vertical in contrast
to horizontal polarity of male and female.
From a superficial view,
the polarity of Inner Self and Outer Self might appear to be a form of
dualism, but this was not the case. Moondaughter did not view Inner and
Outer as utterly different in their natures. Rather, she viewed the Outer
Self as a second version of the Inner, the same pattern manifested in a
denser material.
It was in terms of the
two great polarities that Moondaughter taught the meaning of the four elements.
Fire corresponds to the masculine Yang, which is balanced by Water as the
feminine Yin. Air corresponds to the invisible Inner Self, and Earth to
the visible Outer Self.
First Lessons in Magic
The simplest and most obvious
manifestation of the Earth/Air polarity in human beings is the relationship
between mind and body. The nature of the body is reflected in the mind,
and the nature of the mind is reflected in the body. Those divinatory sciences
which, like palmistry, interpret the form of the body make use of this
correspondence -- but the fact that the correspondence exists does not
guarantee the accuracy of any particular school of interpretation.
The Earth/Air polarity
is also seen in the instinctual mind of animals and in the response of
plants to human feelings. Even atoms and molecules have an Inner Self that
can respond to emotion and will. When we do magic, we touch the Inner Self
of that which we would influence, and the effects of that touch are reflected
in that being's Outer Self.
The Universe as a whole
also has its Inner Self and Outer Self, which are the two worlds between
which we step in ritual. Thus the rationale for astrology is not (as the
skeptics claim) that the physical planets themselves somehow influence
us, but rather that patterns of the visible heavens are a reflection of
invisible patterns in the Inner World.
The Soul of Nature
Moondaughter taught that
Earth and Air appear throughout nature because the Lord and the Lady are
Themselves beings of Earth and Air. Their Outer Selves are the energy and
matter which make up the material world, while Their Inner Selves are Their
ability to Know, to Will and to Love.
In another sense, nature
as a whole -- Earth and Air, Fire and Water -- is the Outer Self to the
Lord and Lady, who are the Soul of Nature. Every one of Their many children
is a visible expression of the Their character.
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There shall ye assemble,
ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets;
to these shall I teach things that are as yet unknown.
Moondaughter taught us
that the act of creation did not end when the Lady gave birth to the universe.
Energy continuously generated by the loving union of the Lord and Lady
still radiates to every being, linking all things together in a vast web.
According to Moondaughter,
however, individual beings do not receive this energy in isolation; it
is through the web of relationships between beings that all share in the
energy of life. These relationships determine the character of every being,
and so by changing these relationships, we can change reality.
Magical Relationships
Changing relationships
was the kind of magic Moondaughter most often recommended to her students,
especially in the early months of training when the focus was upon changing
the self. She urged her students to take conscious control of their relationships
with thoughtforms, and to make a magical act of their interaction with
others.
Thus she might advise a
student troubled by self-doubt to cut off interaction with doubts and thus
deprive such thoughts of their energy. Or she might advise a student to
overcome dislike of a fellow student by making a magical ritual of treating
the other as a friend.
The psychological effects
of such techniques are obvious -- and not without their dangers. But the
effects of Moondaughter's techniques were magical as well as psychological,
and under Moondaughter's gentle guidance, students kept both their magic
and their psychology in balance.
For Moondaughter, the magic
of psychological and interpersonal relationships was just one example of
a set of principles which equally applied to the interdependence of the
ecosystem and the invisible energies that we call magic. In every case
influencing the relevant relationships can cause change.
The Dangers of Magic
Moondaughter taught, however,
that to exercise such influence one must oneself enter into relationship
with that which one would change. Since every relationship alters for good
or ill each being who is a party to it, every spell, for better or worse,
is a spell of self-transformation.
We were taught that in
order to enter into a relationship with an other, we must have certain
elements in common with the other, and those common elements become the
initial basis of the relationship. I know of no magical system which does
not include operations which have the purpose of creating within the operator
herself those elements possessed by that force which she wishes to call
upon, in order that the resulting relationship will be strong enough to
produce a manifestation on the physical plane.
Since all beings are children
of the same Parents, there is no other with whom one has absolutely nothing
in common, but the character of the relationship will be influenced by
the particular commonalties which exist. During the relationship the two
beings share elements, and so that commonalty which is the basis of the
relationship tends to expand.
Obviously this makes intercourse
with demonic entities prohibitively costly, but Moondaughter taught that
the same principle is at work in physical world relationships as well.
Relationships, esoteric or mundane, change us.
Moondaughter's tradition,
rooted as it was in rural life, made little use of the more complex props
and associations of ceremonial magic. Nevertheless, it seems to me that
her teachings on relationships explain well why ceremonialists should make
use of such associations.
Enhancing a working with
the proper color, the proper incense, the proper day and time, and a hundred
other such correspondences increases the common elements which form the
basis of the worker's link to the object of the ritual, and greatly increases
the worker's link to the egregore of whichever tradition which has handed
down those particular associations. Likewise, Moondaughter's understanding
of relationships would explain why clippings of hair or fingernails, photographs,
or objects closely associated with a person or place could add power to
a working.
Moondaughter's tradition,
however, made almost no use of such things. I believe that, if I had been
wise enough to question her about this, she would have said that the Web
of Life already connects us to every other being, and that the most important
common elements in any magical working are wholly within oneself.
*Moondaughter's 7 Wiccan
redes Rede#2 for the
rest of Moondaughters Redes
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This page is the start of my collection of Initiation Information from different Traditions and Paths. If you have something to add, please Email us
The time has come to conclude
the first stage of your journey into the secret world of the Craft of the
Wise. You should now review what you have learned and place it in the proper
perspective before moving on to the next level and more advanced material.
It's recommended that you give yourself an examination to determine if
you are ready to be initiated into the Craft.
Only you know how well
you have mastered the information you have been presented. You are the
best judge of whether you can work with your acquired knowledge competently
and confidently. However, if you need a guide to ascertain your degree
of skill, the following questions are given to test your knowledge:
- If someone were to ask you to define Witchcraft, what would you say? Can you talk about the history of the Craft and how it relates to magick?
- If you were asked if you are a black or white Witch, how would you respond? On what kind of moral foundation does the craft rest?
- By now, you should have mastered at least one favorite mode of divination and be practicing this form of divination for yourself and others on a regular basis. Are you?
- You should be thoroughly familiar with a form of healing and practicing it to some extent. Are you?
- Have you made and consecrated all of your ritual weapons? You need to do so before initiation. Also, you should be well acquainted with the purposes of these weapons. If you were to be initiated by a priest or priestess, you would be expected to explain their uses.
- If a friend were to come to you for help in matters of love, health, wealth, protection, uncrossing, legal aid, or self-development, for example, could you devise a spell to help her/him? Could you incorporate all the proper correspondences, talismans, stones, candles and know the correct day, hours & moon phase during which to perform the spell?
- Are you performing the Qabalistic Cross, Middle Pillar & Lesser Banishing & Invoking Pentagram Rituals regularly? Are you keeping a dream diary? A personal book of shadows?
- Are you familiar enough with the Pentagram Ritual to explain it?
- Could you compose an entire Sabbat ritual and a New or Full Moon ritual, using all of the correct correspondences: the day, time, place, number, God & Goddess forms, colors, candles, invocations, etc.?
- Finally, are you able to say why Wicca is important to you in your life and why you wish to become a Witch?
- The practitioner centers and focuses.
- As the right hand rises, the wellspring of creation emerges.
- "Atoh", (Thine) as the hand touches the crown of the head.
- The energy is pulled down through the center of the body.
- "Malkuth",(the Kingdom) as the circuit is completed.
- "Ve Gedulah", (Mercy) as the hand touches the left shoulder.
- "Ve Geburah",(Judgement) as the hand touches the right shoulder.
- "le-Olam",(Forever) as the hands outstretch and form the cross.
- The hands unite over the breast, as the solar center erupts.
- "Amen", forming the balanced rose upon the cross.
From: Secrets of a Witch's Coven - Morwyn
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The Qabalistic Cross is
a visualization/prayer excercise based on the sign of the cross.
The cross is a a representation
of two balanced lines of force meeting in a harmonious union.
One line of force is from
high to low, the flow of energy/life from the divine to the corporeal.
In terms of the Sepher Yetzirah (Tree of Life), this is the middle pillar,
flowing between Kether (the Crown) and Malkuth (the Kingdom). This channel
flows through the center of the body, entering the crown of the skull and
surging out through the soles of the feet into the core of the earth. This
channel embodies the relationship between Divinity and Humanity.
The other line of force
is from side to side, balanced upon and perpendicular to the first channel.
This energy is the relationship of each of us to one another, to the world
around us. It embodies the concept of polarity. On the Tree of Life the
sephirots of Chesed (Loving Kindness) and Geburah (Judgement) are invoked.
These centers are often portrayed as Jupiter and Mars. The practitioner
pulls the energy from one side through to the other, creating a cyclic
energy flow.
The union of these two
flows is centered in the solar plexus, the heart center. This is the sephirot
of Tipareth (Beauty). Ths is the point representational of Divinity reaching
down to Humanity. For some it is the Christ Center. For others it is the
Sun. When the two lines of force are united here, the solar center ignites,
illuminating the practioner's conciousness. Western culture has represented
this mystical awakening upon the cross as a rose. (Rose Croix).
This excercise is not known to be native to any Jewish school of Qabalism, it is primarily a product of the Western Occult schools centered around the Golden Dawn.
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Relaxation Ritual
Sit facing East
Sit in a chair or on the
floor, with your arms at your sides and neither your arms nor your legs
crossed. Rest your feet together and flat on the floor. Visualize a ball
of cool soothing energy rising out of the floor, up your feet and legs.
With each breath you take the ball rises further up your body. Everywhere
it passes is left soothed, cleansed, and relaxed. When the ball reaches
the base of your neck have it stop. Then direct it down one arm until it
travels just past the fingertips. From there it travels back up the same
arm, across your shoulders, and down the other arm. After the ball is back
at the base of you neck have it go up into the center of your head, expand
outward until it fully surrounds your head. Then, as you breathe in have
it contract back to the size of a walnut, travel down your spine, and come
to rest slightly below your navel, where it should diffuse out into your
body. The exercise should take between 5 and 10 minutes, and will get faster
with practice.
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1.Remove all animals and small children from the area..also
any furniture that you do not
want to be inside your circle.
2.Set up your altar before you cast the cirlce.
3.Locate magnetic North with a compass and holding the
wand out from your body, go into
alpha and see the wand's aura extending out
from it, especially at the tip.
4.Visualize the tip of the wand creating a circle of light
and energy, like a laser, as you walk
clockwise three times around the area. The
circumference drawn by the wand's tip will be the
edge of your circle. Project the white light
out from the wand to create the circle as
geometrically perfect and say to yourself
that it is.
5.Walk the circle the second time around and say out loud:
I cast this circle to protect me/us
from all negative and positvie energies and forces
on any level that may come to do me/us harm.
I draw into this circle only energies and forces that are right
for me and the most correct for my work.
6.Walk the circle the third time and say:
I have created a sacred space. So mote it be!
7.Invoke the four directions and energies of the elements,
angels and powers that reside in
them by using the athame, wand, sword, or
index finger to draw an invoking pentagram as
you face each direction. Use a ritual spell
of invocation or one you wrote for yourself.
8.To open the circle, hold the wand out over the circumfrence
of the circle and beginning at
magnetic North, walk once around the circle
counterclockwise as you say:
I send this circle
into the cosmos to do my bidding. the circle is undone but not broken.
This form of circle casting is adapted from Laurie Cabot. This is her
version which might be
differnt from your own. It is just an example of how to cast a circle.
