Wicca was there even before the Roman Catholic religion. It is said that the Roman Catholic's invented, their religion based on not understanding the meaning of witchcraft. Everything that is not understood is feared, therefore, people who didn't understand witchcraft, made it seem pessimistic and evil. Though witchcraft is not suppose to be seen as something which brings forth evil, it is often misinterpreted for that. Witchcraft is suppose to be used for the doing of good not that of evil.
There are also certain terms that Wiccans must follow. This is called the "Wiccan Rede", which consists of certain rules you must obey. If however you disrespect these rules, you shall be condemned to a life of non-participating magick( Meaning that any chants or spells that are cast will no longer function).
"If ye harm none no harm shall be done", is one of the phrases most often recited because this is what most Wiccans believe in. Another phrase often used is the term "Three Fold", which means that whenever you cast good or bad spells, whatever energy you give out, you will receive those energies three times their strength. An example of this would be , if you wanted to cast a spell involving negative energies (bad spell), the energies will be sent back to you three times as harsh as the spell itself. If however, you sent positive energies( good spell), it will come back to you three times as good.
One of the three restrictions is, not to cast spells of healing or anything of any other matter on a person without their consent. If you choose to do this, you are no longer preforming white magick, but gray magick. This is seen as a magick not practised by participating Wiccans.
Though it may seem as though there are a lot of restrictions, you are given the freedom to decide what you will follow and what doesn't suit what you stand for!
The Moon The moon is one of the sacred aspects of Wicca. The moon helps enhance the spells strength, depending on the phase. The moon goes through different phases such as : The New Moon, The Waxing Moon, The Full Moon, The Waning Moon. 1st Quarter The New Moon aids in spells involving: 2nd Quarter The Waxing Moon helps enhance spells such as: 3rd Quarter The Full Moon is mostly used for spells involving: call works of power and transformation 4th Quarter The Tools Some witches use tools to aid as a magickal weapon. It helps empower the strength of your spell. The tools used include: a wand, a pentacle, an athane, a sword, a white- handled knife, a censer, cords of initiation. Wand The wand is a stick ( about 2 feet long) which is decorated according to the taste of the owner. The wand can be used where the sword or athane is not proper. Pentacle The pentacle is a round platter used to cut things on. It is usually made of wood and should be decorated with eight symbols including: 1st Degree Athane "The true witches weapon" as said in Gardenerian's Book Of Shadows, is used to draw pentacles and for drawing the circle if you don't have a sword. It is block-handled and doesn't['t have to be big or expensive. Any block-handled knife is perfectly fine. Sword The sword is used to draw the circle. The sword is mostly used for this because metal is a good conductor of energy. Thought the sword has power, an athane or knife is just as good. White-Handled Knife This is a tool that is important for the craft. It shouldn't leave your altar or temple. It is a good tool used for cutting string, carving wood, drawing symbols on candles, etc. Censer The censer is basically an incense burner, somewhat what a church thurible ( Incense burner with chains). It helps create the proper atmosphere for the doing of the craft. Cords of Initiation Cords are mostly used for initiation. They should be 9 feet long (With ends burnt not knotted). Suggested colours:1st Degree - red, white, blue The Pentagram The pentagram is a five pointed star, with one point pointing towards the top. The pentagram involves a great and powerful aspect in wicca. It enhances the spell and correspondents. It also offers a form of protection and healing. It is greatly valued and carefully taken care of. The pentagram, a five-pointed star (can be) drawn with one stroke of the pen...The pentagram has had several different significations at different times in the history of man...The Pythagoreans called it the pentalpha (because it looked like five capital terconnected), and the Celtic priests (called it) the witch oot. It is also known as Soloman eal, known in the Middle Ages as the goblin ross...It also represented the five senses;...Amongst the Druids it was called the sign of the Godhead,...This sign was also populary believed to be a protection against demons, and, by analogy, a symbol of safety. It is believed, too, to be the emblem of happy homecoming, whence it mployment as an amulet.t;br> The pentagram has meant many things to many different people. The oddest of these, however, is the Catholic Church. During various periods in the Middle Ages, the pentagram was used by the Catholic Church as a symbol of truth. Some Athurian legends indicate this use. J.R.R. Tolkien ranslation of SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT further supports this claim: n they brought him his blazon that was of brilliant gules with the pentangle depicted in pure hue of gold. By the baldric he caught it and about his neck cast it: reight well and worthily it went that knight. And why the pentangle is proper to that prince so noble I intend to tell you, though it may tarry my story.It is a sign that Solomon once set on a time to betoken the Troth, as it is entitled to do: for it is a figure that in it five points holdeth, and each line overlaps and is linked with another, and every way it is endless; and the English, I hear, everywhere name it the Endless Knot. So it suits well this knight, and his unsullied arms; for ever faithful in five points, and five times under each, Gawain as good was aknowledged and as gold refine devoid of every vice and with virtues adorned. So there the pentangle painted new he on shield and coat did wear as one of word most true and knight of bearing fair. First fautless was he found in his five senses, and next in his five fingers he failed at no time, and firmly on the Five Wounds all his faith was set that Christ received on the cross, as the Creed tells us; and wherever the brave man into battle was come, on this beyond all things was his earnest thought: that ever from the Five Joys all his valour he gained that to Heaven ourteous Queen once came from her Child. For which cause the knight had in comely wise on the inner side of his shield her image depainted, that when he cast his eyes thither his courage never failed. The fifth five that was used, as I find, by this knight was free-giving and friendliness first before all, and chastity and chivalry ever changeless and straight, and piety surpassing all points: these perfect five were hasped upon him harder than on any man else. Now these five series, in sooth, were fastened on this knight, and each was knit with another and had no ending, but were fixed at five points that failed not at all, coincided in no line nor sundered either, not ending in any angle anywhere, as I discover, wherever the process was put in play or passed to an end. Therefore on his shining shield was shaped now this knot, royally with red gules upon red gold set: this is the pure pentangle as people of learning have taught. Now Gawain in brave array his lance at last hath caught. He gave them all a good day for evermore as he thought. | 
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| The Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials, which began in 1692 (also known as the Salem witch hunt and the Salem witchcraft episode), resulted in a number of convictions and executions for witchcraft in both Salem Village and Salem Town, Massachusetts. It was the result of a period of factional infighting and Puritan witch hysteria which led to the death of 20 people (14 women, 6 men) and the imprisonment of scores more. In 1692, Salem Village was torn by internal disputes between neighbors who disagreed about the choice of Samuel Parris as its first ordained minister. In January of 1692, the residents of York, Maine, had been attacked by Wabanaki Native Americans, many killed or taken captive, in the latest massacre in the "Eastward" frontier of Maine of King William's War, echoing the brutality of King Philip's War of 1675-76. Increasing family size fueled disputes over land between neighbors and within families, especially on the frontier where the economy was based on farming. Changes in the weather or blights could easily wipe out a year's crop. A farm that could support an average-sized family could not support the many families of the next generation, prompting farmers to push further into the wilderness to find farmland - and encroach upon the indigenous people who already lived there. As the Puritans had vowed to create a theocracy in this new land, religious fervor added another tension to the mix: losses of crops, of livestock, and of children, as well as earthquakes and bad weather were typically attributed to the wrath of God. Within the Puritan faith, one's soul was considered predestined from birth as to whether they had been chosen for Heaven or condemned for Hell, and they constantly searched for hints, assuming God's pleasure and displeasure could be read in such signs given in the visible world. The invisible world was inhabited by God and the angels - including the Devil, a fallen angel, and to Puritans this invisible world was as real to them as the visible one around them. The patriarchal beliefs that Puritans held in the community further stressed the atmosphere: women should be totally subservient to their men (he in public, she at home; he talking, she listening; he preaching, she hearing, etc.), that by nature a woman was more likely to enlist in the Devil's service than a man was (since women were not allowed to be preachers then they were more likely to sign themselves over to the Devil), and that women were naturally lustful. In addition, the small town atmosphere made secrets very difficult to keep and people's opinions (positive or negative) about their neighbors were generally accepted as fact. In an age where the philosophy "children should be seen and not heard" reigned supreme, children were at the bottom of the social ladder. Toys and games were seen as idle and playing was discouraged, although girls had additional restrictions heaped upon them; boys were able to go hunting, fishing, exploring the forest, and often became apprentices to carpenters and smiths, while girls were trained from a tender age to spin yarn, cook, sew, weave, and to generally be servants to their husbands and mothers to their children. In the village of Salem in 1692, Betty Parris, age 9, and her cousin Abigail Williams, age 11, the daughter and niece (respectively) of Reverend Samuel Parris, fell victim to what was recorded as fits "beyond the power of Epileptic Fits or natural disease to effect," according to John Hale, minister in Beverly, in his book A Modest Enquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft (Boston, 1702). The girls screamed, threw things about the room, uttered strange sounds, crawled under furniture, and contorted themselves into peculiar positions. They complained of being pricked with pins or cut with knives, and when Reverend Samuel Parris would preach, the girls would cover their ears, as if dreading to hear the sermons. When a doctor, historically assumed to be William Griggs, could not explain what was happening to them, he said that the girls were bewitched. Others in the village began to exhibit the same symptoms. Doctor Griggs may have been influenced in his diagnosis by Cotton Mather's work Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions (1689). In the book he describes the strange behaviour exhibited by the four children of a Boston mason, John Goodwin, and attributed it to witchcraft practiced upon them by an Irish washerwoman, Mary Glover. Mather, a minister of Boston's Old North Church, was a prolific publisher of pamphlets and a firm believer in witchcraft. Three of the five judges appointed to the Court of Oyer and Terminer were friends of his and members of his congregation. He wrote to one of the judges, John Richards, asking them to take into account spectral evidence and advising them on how to proceed. Mather was present at the execution of Reverend George Burroughs for witchcraft and intervened after the condemned man had successfully recited the Lord's Prayer (supposedly a sign of innocence) to remind the crowd that the man had been convicted before a jury. Mather had access to the official records of the Salem trials, upon which his account of the affair, Wonders of the Invisible World, was based. Traditionally, the affected girls are said to have been entertained by Parris' slave Tituba, during the winter of 1692, although there is no contemporary evidence to support the story. Tituba's race is also often cited as Carib-Indian or that she was of African descent, but contemporary sources describe her only as an "Indian." Research by Elaine Breslaw has suggested that she may well have been captured in what is now Venezuela and brought to Barbados, and so may have been an Arawak Indian, but other slightly later descriptions of her, by Gov. Hutchinson writing his history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 18th century, describe her as a "Spanish Indian." In that day, that typically meant an Indian from the Carolinas/Georgia/Florida. Contrary to the folklore, there is no evidence whatsoever to support the assertion that Tituba told any of the girls any stories about using magic. The one supportable association with any kind of magical practices is that John Indian, another slave in the Parris household and assumed to have been Tituba's husband, was told a recipe for discovering the identity of a witch, a British recipe given to him by a neighbor of the parsonage. The first three people accused were arrested for allegedly afflicting Ann Putnam, Jr., age 12: Sarah Good, a beggar, Sarah Osborne, a bedridden old woman, and Tituba (Boyer 3). Tituba, as a slave of a different ethnicity than the Puritans, was an obvious target for accusations. Sarah Good, a poverty-worn, easily-angered woman, often muttered under her breath as she walked away from failed attempts of obtaining food and/or shelter from neighbors, and people interpreted her muttering as curses. Sarah Osborne, an irritable old woman, was already marked for marrying her indentured servant. All of these women fit the description of the "usual suspects," since nobody would likely stand up for them; neither Osborne nor Good attended church, which made them especially vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft. These women were brought before the local magistrates on the complaint of witchcraft on March 1, 1692, and held in prison (Boyer 3). Other accusations followed in March: Martha Corey, Rebecca Nurse, Dorothy Good[1], and Rachel Clinton. Martha Corey, ever an outspoken woman, was skeptical about the credence of the girls from the start and scoffed at the trials, unfortunately drawing attention to herself. Dorothy Good, the daughter of Sarah Good, was only 4 years old, and easily manipulated by the magistrates to say things that were taken as a confession, implicating her own mother. In order to be with her mother after the accusations, she claimed to herself be a witch, thereby she was arrested. The charges against Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey greatly disturbed the community. Martha Corey was a full covenanted member of the Church in Salem Village, as was Rebecca Nurse in the Church in Salem Town. If the upstanding people could be accused of witchcraft and seen as possible witches, that meant that anybody could be a witch, but also that Church membership was no protection from accusation. Throughout April, many more were arrested: Sarah Cloyce (Nurse's sister), Elizabeth (Bassett) Proctor and her husband John Proctor, Giles Corey (Martha's husband, and a covenanted church member in Salem Town), Abigail Hobbs, Bridget Bishop, Mary Warren (a servant in the Proctor household and sometime accuser herself), Deliverance Hobbs (step-mother of Abigail Hobbs), Sarah Wilds, William Hobbs (husband of Deliverance and father of Abigail), Nehemiah Abbott Jr., Mary Esty (sister of Cloyce and Nurse), Edward Bishop Jr. and his wife Sarah Bishop, and Mary English, and finally on April 30, Rev. George Burroughs, Lydia Dustin, Susannah Martin, Dorcas Hoar, Sarah Morey and Philip English (Mary's husband). Nehemiah Abbott Jr. was released because the accusers agreed he was not the person whose spectre had afflicted them. Mary Esty was released for a few days after her initial arrest because the accusers failed to confirm that it was she who had afflicted them, and then she was rearrested when the accusers reconsidered. The main evidence used against the accused was "spectral evidence," or the testimony of the afflicted who claimed to see the apparition or the shape of the person who was allegedly afflicting them. The theological dispute that ensued about the use of this evidence centered on whether a person had to give their permission to the Devil for their "shape" to be used to afflict. Opponents to the trial claimed that the Devil was able to use anyone's "shape" to afflict people, but The Court contended that the Devil could not use a person's shape without their permission, therefore when the afflicted claimed to "see" the apparition of a specific person, that was accepted as evidence that the accused had been complicit with the Devil. Increase Mather and other ministers sent a letter to the Court, "The Return of Several Ministers Consulted," urging the magistrates not to convict on spectral evidence alone. As the number of accusations grew, the jail populations of Salem, Ipswich, Charlestown, Cambridge, and Boston swelled and a new problem surfaced: the new governor and charter for the colony were only a few months from arriving. Some have postulated that without this, there was no legitimate form of government to try capital cases (Boyer 6), but this was not true. In the years between charters, according to the Records of the Court of Assistants, a group of thirteen pirates led by Thomas Johnson, a mariner of Boston, were tried and hanged on January 27, 1690 for acts of piracy and murder in August and October of 1689.[2] Elizabeth Emerson of Haverhill, Massachusetts was tried and hanged for double-infanticide in May 1691.[3] The fact that none of the witchcraft cases were tried until late May, after Governor Sir William Phips arrived and instituted a Court of Oyer and Terminer (to "hear and determine"), was likely in deference to his imminent arrival. Phips appointed William Stoughton, who had theological training but no legal training, as the Chief Justice of this court (Boyer 7). By then, Sarah Osborne had died of natural causes in jail on May 10 without a trial (Boyer 3), as had Sarah Good's newborn infant. In May, warrants were issued for 36 more people: Sarah Dustin (daughter of Lydia Dustin), Ann Sears, Bethiah Carter Sr. and her daughter Bethiah Carter Jr., George Jacobs Sr. and his granddaughter Margaret Jacobs, John Willard, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Abigail Soames, George Jacobs Jr. (son of George Jacobs Sr. and father of Margaret Jacobs), Daniel Andrew, Rebecca Jacobs (wife of George Jacobs Jr. and sister of Daniel Andrew), Sarah Buckley and her daughter Mary Witheridge, Elizabeth Colson, Elizabeth Hart, Thomas Farrar Sr., Roger Toothaker, Sarah Proctor (daughter of John and Elilzabeth Proctor), Sarah Bassett (sister-in-law of Elizabeth Proctor), Susannah Roots, Mary DeRich (another sister-in-law of Elizabeth Proctor), Sarah Pease, Elizabeth Cary, Martha Carrier, Elizabeth Fosdick, Wilmot Redd, Sarah Rice, Elizabeth How, John Alden (son of John Alden and Pricilla Mullins of Plymouth Colony), William Proctor (son of John and Elizabeth Proctor), John Flood, Mary Toothaker (wife of Roger Toothaker and sister of Martha Carrier) and her daughter Margaret Toothaker, and Arthur Abbott. John Willard and Elizabeth Colson managed to evade capture for a while but were finally taken into custody, whereas Daniel Andrew and George Jacobs Jr. were never apprehended. When the Court of Oyer and Terminer convened at the end of May, this brought the total number of people in custody for the court to handle to 62. After someone concluded that a loss, illness or death had been caused by witchcraft, the accuser would enter a complaint against the alleged witch with the local magistrates.[5] If the complaint was deemed credible, the magistrates would have the person arrested[6] and brought in for a public examination, essentially an interrogation, when the magistrates pressed the accused to confess. If the magistrates at this local level were satisfied that the complaint was well-founded, the prisoner was handed over to be dealt with by a superior court. In 1692, the magistrates opted to wait for the arrival of the new charter and governor, who would establish a Court of Oyer and Terminer to handle these cases. The next step, at the superior court level, was to summon witnesses before a grand jury.[8] A person could be indicted on charges of afflicting with witchcraft[9], or for making an unlawful covenant with the Devil.[10] Once indicted, the defendant went to trial, sometimes on the same day, as in the case of the first person indicted and tried on June 2, Bridget Bishop, who was executed on June 10, 1692. There were four execution dates, with one person executed on June 10, 1692[11], five executed on July 19, 1692[12], another five executed on August 19, 1692 (Susannah Martin, John Willard, George Burroughs, George Jacobs Sr., and John Procter), and eight on September 22, 1692 (Mary Esty, Martha Cory, Ann Pudeator, Samuel Wardwell, Mary Parker, Alice Parker, Wilmot Redd, and Margaret Scott). Several others, including Elizabeth (Bassett) Proctor and Abigail Faulkner were convicted but given temporary reprieves because they were pregnant (Chronology). Though convicted, they would not be hanged until they had given birth (Chronology). Five other women were convicted in 1692, but sentence was never carried out: Ann Foster (who later died in prison), her daughter Mary Lacy Sr., Abigail Hobbs, Dorcas Hoar, and Mary Bradbury. Giles Corey, an 80-year-old farmer from the southeast end of Salem called Salem Farms, refused to enter a plea when he came to trial in September. The law provided for the application of a form of torture called peine fort et dure, in which the victim was slowly crushed by piling stones on a board that was laid upon the victim's body. After two days of peine fort et dure, Corey died without entering a plea (Boyer 8). Though his refusal to plead is often explained as a way of preventing his possessions from being confiscated by the state, this is not true; the possessions of convicted witches were often confiscated, and the possessions of persons accused but not convicted were confiscated before a trial, as in the case of Corey's neighbor John Procter and the wealthy English's of Salem Town. Some historians hypothesize that Giles Corey's personal character, a stubborn and lawsuit-prone old man who knew he was going to be convicted regardless, led to his recalcitrance. Sadly, not even in death were the accused witches granted peace or respect. As convicted witches, Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey had been excommunicated from their churches and none were given proper burial. As soon as the bodies of the accused people were cut down from the trees, they were thrown into a shallow grave and the crowd would then leave. Oral history claims that the families of the dead reclaimed their bodies after dark and buried them in unmarked graves on family property. The record books of the time do not mention the deaths of any of those executed. Closure The Reverend Francis Dane led the opposition and supported the accused. He petitioned the Governor and General Court, condemning the trials due to unfounded accusations. The last witch trials took place in May of 1693, although people already found not guilty of witchcraft were not released until they paid their jailers' fees. On October 3, 1692, Increase Mather published "Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits." In it, Increase Mather stated "It were better that Ten Suspected Witches should escape, than that one Innocent Person should be Condemned." After another trial was conducted, all those in jail were set free in May of 1693 (this amnesty is what saved Elizabeth Proctor). Many descendants of the people who were wrongfully convicted still sought closure. Numerous petitions were filed between 1692 and 1711, demanding monetary restitution to those wrongly imprisoned. The Massachusetts House of Representatives finally passed a bill disallowing spectral evidence. However, they only gave reversal of attainder for those who had filed petitions.[13] This applied to only three people, who had been convicted but not executed: Abigail Faulkner Sr., Elizabeth Proctor, and Sarah Wardwell. In 1704, another petition was filed, requesting a more equitable settlement for those wrongly accused. In 1709, the General Court received a request to take action on this proposal. In May 1709, 22 people who had been convicted of witchcraft, or whose parents had been convicted of witchcraft, presented the government with a petition in which they demanded both a reversal of attainder and compensation for financial losses. In 1706, Ann Putnam, one of the most active accusers, was the only girl to offer a written apology. She claimed that she had not acted out of malice, but was being deluded by Satan into denouncing innocent people, and mentioned Rebecca Nurse in particular. In 1712 the pastor who had cast Rebecca out of the church formally cancelled the excommunication. On October 17, 1711, the General Court passed a bill reversing the judgment against the 22 people listed in the 1709 petition. There were still an additional 7 people who had been convicted, but had not signed the petition. There was no reversal of attainder for them. On December 17, 1711, monetary compensation was finally awarded to the 22 people in the 1709 petition. 578 pounds 12 shillings were authorized to be divided among the survivors and relatives of those accused. Most of the accounts were settled within a year. 150 pounds were awarded to the Proctor family for John and Elizabeth. The Proctor family received much more money from the Massachusetts General Court than most families of accused witches. By 1957, not all the condemned had been exonerated. Descendants of those falsely accused demanded the General Court clear the names of their family members. An act was passed pronouncing the innocence of those accused -- however, it only listed Ann Pudeator by name, and the others as "certain other persons", still failing to include all names of those convicted. In 1992, The Danvers Tercentenial Committee persuaded the Massachusetts House of Representatives to issue a resolution honoring those who had died. After much convincing and hard work by Salem school teacher Paula Keene, Representatives J. Michael Ruane and Paul Tirone and a few others, the names of all those not previously listed were added to this resolution. When it was finally signed on October 31, 2001 by Governor Jane Swift, more than 300 years later, all were finally proclaimed innocent. Possible Explanations of the "Possessed"It is not widely believed any longer that the girls were actually possessed by the devil nor that their neighbors had anything to do with their symptoms. Some experts believe the accusers were motivated by jealousy or spite and their behavior was an act. Others believe they were afflicted by hysteria, a form of mental illness. In 1976, graduate student Linnda Caporael published an article in Science magazine, making the claim that the hallucinations of the afflicted girls could possibly have been the result of ingesting rye bread that had been made with moldy grain. "Ergot of Rye is a plant disease that is caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea. It is the ergot stage of the fungus that contains a similar chemical compounds to a popular but illegal drug of the counter-culture of the 1960s, LSD. Convulsive ergotism causes nervous dysfunction, which Caporael claims are similar to many of the physical symptoms of those alleged to be afflicted by witchcraft. Within 7 months, a refutation of this theory was published in the same magazine by Spanos and Gottlieb, arguing, among other things, that if the poison was in the food supply, the symptoms would have occurred on a house-by-house basis, and that biological symptoms do not stop and start on cue and simultaneously in a group of those so afflicted, as described by the witnesses to the afflictions. In her book A Fever in Salem, Laurie Winn Carlson offers an alternative theory. She believes that those afflicted in Salem, who claimed to have been bewitched, suffered from encephalitis lethargica, a disease whose symptoms match some of what was reported in Salem and could have been spread by birds and other animals (Aronson).It has also been suggested that the girls could have had Huntington's Chorea, carriers of which have been traced to be among the colonists that settled in that area [1], but no serious historian of this episode today (Mary Beth Norton, Bernard Rosenthal, Marilynne K. Roach and others) gives any of these medical explanations any serious consideration. Salem Today "With one of the highest concentrations of historic sites, museums, cultural activities, fine dining and shopping in Massachusetts, Salem is America's Bewitching Seaport with a little history in every step" (Destination Salem). Today the Salem Witchcraft Trials have become the basis of a money-making tourist industry in Salem. Witch shops are seen all over the community. Museums promise glimpses of the supernatural. Gift shops sell everything from Witch City shirts to Buddhism in a can. Tourists are treated to informational exhibits and programs. Connected to Boston by train and bus, Salem's 38,000 residents and its one-million visitors are able to easily enjoy the best of both Salem and Boston. In recent times, "historians see both sides of Salem" (Aronson). Still to this day, there is not a solid explanation for what occurred in the Salem Witch Trials in the 1600s. The Salem Witch Trials in LiteratureThe Salem Witch Trials have provided the basis for two of America's great works of drama, Giles Corey in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's New England Tragedies and Arthur Miller's classic play The Crucible. Both plays deal with the problem of presumed guilt and both follow a single character from his accusation to his eventual condemnation. Longfellow's play, which follows the form of a Shakespearean tragedy, is a commentary on the attitudes prevalent in 19th-century New England. Miller's play is a commentary on the actions of the House Committee on Unamerican Activities and Senator Joe McCarthy. Lois the Witch by Elizabeth Gaskell is a novella based on the Salem witch hunts and shows how jealousy and sexual desire can lead to hysteria. She was inspired by the story of Rebecca Nurse whose accusation, trial and execution are described in Lectures on Witchcraft, by Charles Upham, the Unitarian minister in Salem in the 1830s. - from Wikipedia.org |
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The Wiccan Rede The Wiccan Rede Bide the Wiccan laws we must In perfect Love and perfect Trust. Live and let live, Fairly take and fairly give. Cast the circle thrice about To keep the evil spirits out. To bind the spell every time, Let the spell be spake in rhyme. Soft of Eye and Light of Touch, Speak but little, listen much. Deosil go by the waxing moon, Chanting out the Witches' Rune. Widdershins go by the waning moon, Chanting out the baneful rune. When the Lady's moon is new, Kiss the hand to her, times two. When the moon rides at her peak, Then thy heart's desire seek. Heed the North Wind's mighty gale, Lock the door and drop the sail. When the wind comes from the South, Love will kiss thee on the mouth. When the wind blows from the West, Departed souls will have no rest. When the wind blows from the East, Expect the new and set the Feast. Nine woods in the cauldron go, Burn them fast and burn them slow. Elder be the Lady's tree, Burn it not, or cursed you'll be. When the wheel begins to turn, Let the Beltane fires burn. When the wheel has turned to Yule, Light the log and Horned One rules. Heed thee Flower, Bush, and Tree, By the Lady, Blessed Be. Where the rippling waters go, Cast a stone and truth you'll know. When thou hast a true need, Hearken not to others' greed. With a fool no season spend, Lest thou be counted as his friend. Merry Meet and Merry Part, Bright the cheeks and warm the heart. Mind the Threefold Law you should, Three times bad and Three times good. When misfortune is enow, Wear the Blue Star on thy brow. True in Love, ever be. Lest thy Lover's false to thee. Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: "AN THEE HARM NONE, DO WHAT YE WILL." A SPELL TO BREAK THE POWERS OF A SPELL If you believe that a spell has been cast against you, place a large black candle in a cauldron (or a large black bowl). The candle must be tall enough to extend a few inched above the cauldron's rim. Affix the candle to the bottom of the cauldron with warmed beeswax or the drippings of another black candle so that it will not tip over. Fill the cauldron to the rim with fresh water,without wetting the candle's wick. An inch or two of the candle should remain above the water. Deep breathe, meditate, clear your mind, and light the candle. Visualize the suspected spell's power as residing within the candle's flame. Sit in quiet contemplation of the candle and visualize the power flowing and growing with the candle's flame (yes the power against you). As the candle burns down, its flame will eventually sputter and go out as it contacts the water. As soon as the flame has been extinguished by the water, the spell will be dispersed. Break your visualization of the spell's power; see it explode into dust, becoming impotent. Pour the water into a hole in the ground, a lake or stream. Bury the candle. It is done To Ease a Broken Heart You will need the following ingredients (be sure to charge them all before you begin): strawberry tea (one bag) On a Friday morning or evening (the day sacred to Venus) take a bath in sea salt in the light of a pink candle. As you dry off and dress, sip the strawberry tea. Use a dab of strawberry oil as perfume or cologne. Apply makeup or groom yourself to look your best. Cast a circle with the willow wand around a table the the other ingredients. Light the second pink candle. Mix all oils and herbs in the bowl. While you stir look at yourself in the mirror and say aloud: "Oh, Great Mother Goddess, enclose me in your loving arms and nurture and bring forth the Goddess within me." Gaze deeply into the mirror after you have finished mixing the ingredients and say aloud, "I represent the Great Goddess, Mother of all things. I shine in the light of the Golden Wings of Isis. All that is great and loving only belongs to me." Then put half the mixture in the pink bag and add the penny and crystal. Carry it with you always [or until you find another love]. Leave the other half of the potion in the bowl, out in a room where you will smell the fragrance. Repeat this ritual every Friday if necessary. HOME PROTECTION MIRROR SPELL Compose an altar: place a censer in the center before an image ofthe Goddess. Have a twelve-inch (or so) round mirror there as well.Ring the altar with nine white candles. Burn a protective incense(such as sandalwood, frankincense, copal or rosemary) in the censer.Beginning with the candle most directly before the Goddess image,say these or similar words: Lunar light protect me! Repeat as you light each candle until all are glowing.Now, holding the mirror, invoke the Goddess in her lunar aspectwith these or similar words: Great Goddess of the Lunar Light and Mistress of the Seas; Great Goddess of the Mystic Night and of the Mysteries; Within this place of candles bright and with Your mirror nigh; Protect me with Your awesome might while ill vibrations fly! Standing before the altar, hold the mirror facing the candles sothat it reflects their flames. Keeping the mirror toward the candles,move slowly, clockwise, around the altar, watching the reflectedfirelight bouncing off your surroundings. Gradually increase your speed, mentally invoking the Goddess toprotect you. Move faster and faster; watch the light shattering theair, cleansing it, burning away all negativity and all lines alongwitch the ill energies have traveled into your home. Charge your home with the protective light of the Goddess. Racearound the candles until you've felt the atmosphere change, until youfeel that your home has been cleansed and guarded by the GreatGoddess. When finished, stand once again before the image. Thank theGoddess in any words you wish. Pinch out the candles one by one, bindthem together with white cord and store them in a safe place until(and if) you need to use them again for this same purpose.
OBJECT PROTECTION SPELL With the first and middle fingers (or your Athame, if you have itwith you), trace a pentagram over the object to be protected.Visualize electric-blue or purple flame streaming from your fingers(Athame) to form the pentagram. Say this as you trace: With this pentagram I do lay Protection here both night and day.And to the one who should not touch Let the fingers burn and twitch.I now invoke the Law of Three: This is my will, so mote it be!
For Prosperity The following is a quarterly prosperity spell given to me by Angel and Gracie, my first two FamTrad teachers. I have no idea where they got it, but I can tell you that it DOES work. I"ve used it for years and it never fails to bring me some unlooked for money. I find that I've overpaid a bill, or an old debt which I had written off as uncollec- tible gets repaid, I find a $20 on the sidewalk, etc. Try it, it works! The spell is to begin at one minute past midnight SUN TIME (I HATE daylight savings time when I do this. Means 1AM!) on the night of April 30 (May 1), July 31 (Aug 1), Oct 31 (Nov. 1) and Jan 31 (Feb 1) In other words, on the first minute of the cross quarter day. You will need the following: 1 gold candle All candles must be dressed with pine oil and then arranged as fol- lows: Gold candle in the center At one minute past midnight on the appointed day, trace a salt circle around the outermost circle of candles, light the gold candle first, then the green candles, moving deosil, then the white candles, moving deosil. Circle the altar three times, chanting "Orbiting Jupiter trine the sun, bring money on the run." Do the chant 3 times also. Sit quietly for a few minutes and visualize your monetary NEEDS. (needs, not desires). Then SNUFF (do not blow or pinch) the candles in reverse order. SAFE TRAVEL SPELL You will need: * 2 white candles annointed with sandalwood oil. Altar should be arranged as below:
_______________________________________________________________ | | | O (white candle) O (Personality candle) O (purple candle | | (1) (3) (4) | | | | O (white candle) Photos or personal object O (incense) | | (2) (5) | | | _______________________________________________________________ Light white candles (1& 2) light personality candle (3) light purplecandle (4), light incense (5). Repeat the following invocation: "Hail Mother of the World!Nanna, Isis, Astarte, Selene, Holy Sin (pronounced Sheen).See me, look upon meSee me, look upon meSee me, look upon meProtect me and my people tonight.Send your white light around me.Send your protective light around ______________That they may be protectedAs they travel and as they dream.Send only good and lucid energies their way.Thank you.Thank you.Thank you. You can either let the candles burn out by themselves, or snuff themin reverse order and let them burn a little each night if the personwill be on an extended trip. On the last night let them burn down ontheir own. NEVER blow our or pinch out the candles. This destroysthe luck. The Charge of the Goddess Whenever ye have need of any thing, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of She, who is Queen of all witches. There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets; to these will She teach things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in Her praise. For Hers is the ecstasy of the spirit, and Hers also is joy on earth; for Her law is love unto all beings. Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside. For Hers is the secret door which opens upon the land of youth and Hers is the cup of wine of life, and the cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of immortality. She is the gracious goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man. Upon earth, She gave the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond death, She gives peace and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor does She demand sacrifice, for behold, She is the mother of all living, and Her love is poured out upon the earth. She who is the beauty of the green earth, and the white moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, calls unto thy soul. Arise, and come unto Her. For She is the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. from Her all things proceed, and unto Her all things must return; and before Her face, beloved of gods and men, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let Her worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are Her rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And thou who thinkest to seek Her, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, then thou wilt never find it without thee. For behold, She has been with thee from the beginning; and She is that which is attained at the end of desire. The Charge of the God Listen to the words of the Horned God, the Guardian of all things wild and free, and Keeper of the Gates of Death, whose Call all must answer: I am the fire within your heart... The yearning of your Soul. I am the Hunter of Knowledge and the Seeker of the Holy Quest I - who stand in the darkness of light am He whom you have called Death. I - the Consort and Mate of Her we adore, call forth to thee. Heed my call beloved ones, come unto me and learn the secrets of death and peace. I am the corn at harvest and the fruit on the trees. I am He who leads you home. Scourge and Flame, Blade and Blood - these are mine and gifts to thee. Call unto me in the forest wild and on hilltop bare and seek me in the Darkness Bright. I - who have been called; Pan, Herne, Osiris , and Hades, speak to thee in thy search. Come dance and sing; come live and smile, for behold: this is my worship. You are my children and I am thy Father. On swift night wings it is I who lay you at the Mother's feet to be reborn and to return again. Thou who thinks to seek me, know that I am the untamed wind, the fury of storm and passion in your Soul. Seek me with pride and humility, but seek me best with love and strength. For this is my path, and I love not the weak and fearful. Hear my call on long Winter nights and we shall stand together guarding Her Earth as She sleeps. Baldr, Son of Frigg, Join us. Baldr, Son of Odin, Join us. Baldr, Husband of Nanna, Join us. Baldr, Brother of Hodr, Join us. Baldr, Brother of Hermod, Join us. Baldr, Father of Forsetti, Join us. Baldr, Slain by blind Hodr, Join us. Baldr, Master of Breidablik, Join us. Baldr, Who is much loved, Join us. Baldr, Who Thokk alone would not mourn, Join us. Baldr, The Fairest of the Aesir, Join us. Baldr, Whose Judgments stand unaltered, Join us. Baldr, Whose Judgments stand unheeded, Join us. Baldr, The Wisest of the Aesir, Join us. Baldr, The Shining One, Join us. Baldr, Your servant _______ calls you! Come to me NOW!" "Brigit, Wise One, We, your children, call to you. Lady, Smithy, We, your children, invite you here. Triple Goddess, We, your children, ask your presence. Brigit, Wise One, We, your children, call to you. Lady, Smithy, We, your children, invite you here. Triple Goddess, We, your children, ask your presence. Brigit, Wise One, We, your children, call to you. Lady, Smithy, We, your children, invite you here. Triple Goddess, We, your children, ask your presence, NOW
PROTECTION CHANT Visualize a triple circle of purplish light around your body whilechanting: I am protected by your might, O gracious Goddess, day and night. Another of the same type: visualize a triple circle and chant: Thrice around the circle's bound, Evil sink into the ground. Lucid Dreaming POWER TRIPS: CONTROLLING YOUR DREAMS A number of techniques facilitate lucid dreaming. One of the simplest is asking yourself many times during the day whether you are dreaming. Each time you ask the question, you should look for evidence proving you are not dreaming. The most reliable test: Read something, look away for a moment, and then read it again. If it reads the same way twice, it is unlikely that you are dreaming. After you have proved to yourself that you are not presently dreaming, visualize yourself doing what it is you'd like. Also, tell yourself that you want to recognize a nighttime dream the next time it occurs. The mechanism at work here is simple; it's much the same as picking up milk at the grocery store after reminding yourself to do so an hour before. At night people usually realize they are dreaming when they experience unusual or bizarre occurrences. For instance, if you find yourself flying without visible means of support, you should realize that this happens only in dreams and that you must therefore be dreaming. If you awaken from a dream in the middle of the night, it is very helpful to return to the dream immediately, in your imagination. Now envision yourself recognizing the dream as such. Tell yourself, "The next time I am dreaming, I want to remember to recognize that I am dreaming." If your intention is strong and clear enough, you may find yourself in a lucid dream when you return to sleep. Even if you're a frequent lucid dreamer, you may not be able to stop yourself from waking up in mid-dream. And even if your dreams do reach a satisfying end, you may not be able to focus them exactly as you please. During our years of research, however, we have found that spinning your dream body can sustain the period of sleep and give you greater dream control. In fact, many subjects at Stanford University have used the spinning technique as an effective means of staying in a lucid dream. The task outlined below will help you use spinning as a means of staying asleep and, more exciting, as a means of traveling to whatever dream world you desire. Before retiring, decide on a person, time, and place you would like to visit in your lucid dream. The target person and place can be either real or imaginary, past, present, or future. Write down and memorize your target person and place, then visualize yourself visiting your target and firmly resolve to do so in a dream that night. To gain lucidity, repeat the phrase describing your target in your dream, and spin your whole dream body in a standing position with your arms outstretched. You can pirouette or spin like a top, as long as you vividly feel your body in motion. The same spinning technique will help when, in the middle of a lucid dream, you feel the dream imagery beginning to fade. To avoid waking up, spin as you repeat your target phrase again and again. With practice, you'll return to your target person, time, and place. When spinning, try to notice whether you're moving in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. In this ritual the Goddess becomes incarnate in the High Priestess. After the circle is cast, 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 beasts, 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, 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 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." CIRCLE CASTING DRAGON STYLE I just thought I'd drop a note on the traditional Dragon Tradition Circle casting. The circle is cast with the Blade, the Cup and the Censor. The Priest starts with the Blade in the north and draws the boundry of the circle. As he does he recites "I tread this Path for the Elements, that which comprises all that we see." The HPS takes to sprinkling the boundries with the Cup filled with salted water. She recites "I tread this Path for Self, a reflection of the Divine." The HP then takes the censor and carries the smoketo the boundries of the circle in a deosil direction. He recites "I tread this Path for Spirit, that which unites all things." The HP or HPS then state the charge of our Circle. It is as follows: "Our Circle is a place where hearts and minds can meet and share in the wonder and empowerment of a living and loving Goddess. We are a coven of friends, but above all things we are Family. Our Love and our Magick binds us together and our Circle keeps us and nurtures us. We are blessed. Blessed Be!" The Dragon Guardians are then invoked. EAST Mighty Dragon, Guardian of the realms of the East. Your tongue is a sharp sword, cutting with the knowledge of the arcane. Your spirit flows as graceful as a swift in flight. Purify us with truth. Blessed Be. SOUTH Mighty Dragon, Guardian of the realms of the South, your breath is a flame with the fires of inspiration and passion. Your spirit is searing and fervent. Purify us with Love. Blessed Be. WEST Mighty Dragon, Guardian of the realms of the West, your coils are the cleansing healing waves that nurture the soul. Your spirit lunges, leaps and splashes like a Talbot at play. Purify us with pulsing tides. Blessed Be. NORTH Mighty Dragon, Guardian of the realms of the North, your talons run like roots into the earth, giving you infinite strength. Your spirit is substantial, hard and pure like a clear crystal. Purify us with persistant wisdom. Blessed Be. Each of these Dragons has a secret name that they are also invoked with. A suggestion is that anyone using these invocations meditate to find an appropriate name for each Guardian and use it along with or instead of the words "Mighty Dragon". I find that the Circle charge sets the mood for the Circle and I change it to suit the situation. If anyone has ideas for a Circle charge, I'd like to hear them. I have a number of Circle charges that I use but fresh ones always are nice. |
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The History Of The Wiccan Religion
By Rose Ariadne
Before you begin any life changing adventure, it is important to know the history of what you are going into (especially if it is a belief system/religion such as Wicca).
Most people know that the modern day Wiccan religion was born in 1954 by Gerald Gardner (who had an extensive background in the occult). His writings were influenced by Aleister Crowley, Theosophy, Freemasonry, and various other occult sources. All of this gave birth to modern day Wicca.
Currently, it is one of the fastest growing religions in North America.
In reality, Wicca is a more common and much older name for "Witchcraft".
Contrary to what many religious groups would have you believe, Witchcraft is not synonymous with Satanism... in fact, it is quite the opposite.
It was during the middle ages that Witchcraft gained momentum - superstition gave way to the supernatural - and there was a "hodge podge" of Witchcraft practitioners in the world (especially Europe - but of course even older forms of Witchcraft - like Shamanism - were rampant in other areas of the world as well)
The Wiccans of today typically distance themselves from Christianity. They see it as a male dominated religion, and feel there is a lack of balance. The belief is there must be balance in all aspects of life and the world. The duality is worshipped in most branches... both God and Goddess.
Archaeologists discovered a cache of Papyri in Egypt which also added to the knowledge that had collected over the ages.
Fragmented pieces of the sacred teachings have formed the basis for many different branches of the Magick path. In fact, you will not find a discipline of Witchcraft that does not harness the power of a core Magick principle found in the original Magick Papyri.
The Full Power Of Magick Is At Your Feet
Youve got to understand that because of the amazing discovery of the Magick Papyri the full knowledge to control Magick energy is at your feet.
The right teacher - combined with the secrets of ancient Magick - will unlock your ability to change the world around you (including your own life) in ways you have never dreamed.
I know the secrets of controlling Magick energy and I want to show you exactly how to create miracles with Magick. I want to be your teacher.
So enough of the history lesson, lets dive in to the good stuff. The secret of controlling Magick and how you can use it to create miracles in your life. Keep an eye out for future articles...
Telling People You Are A Witch (How To Deal With Intolerence)
By Rose Ariadne
Whatever path you choose in witchcraft will be padded with challenges (like in everything). One of these challenges may happen early on - people are going to ask questions about your beliefs, and it's important to know how to "put it" without turning them off...
You may feel uneasy about other people discovering your beliefs, no matter which path you follow in Witchcraft.
As a wicca beginner, follow this short guide to help people understand.
You may even have people close to you that you already know would not accept your beliefs.
The first thing you need to understand is that there is nothing that says you even have to come out with your beliefs. You dont have to tell anyone if you dont want. It is easy to keep it a secret.
There are many people with different beliefs that never tell anyone what those beliefs truly are.
Your beliefs are very personal, and they are not for anyone elses ears if you dont want them to be.
But, if you feel as though you want to tell the world that you are a Witch (or if somebody does some snooping, and finds out and confronts you), here are some guidelines to follow:
It is best to wait for the other person to bring it up. Avoid bringing it up yourself.
Know what that persons beliefs are first. Have a good understanding of their beliefs before you talk about yours.
Once you know what the other persons beliefs are, find a common ground between yours and theirs focus on the similarities. (Example: Christians believe in helping others, and do those following the Wiccan way etc.)
It is best to prepare for this discussion beforehand by making a list of the people in your life that you may talk about this with. Along with their names, write out what their beliefs are as best you can, and write down the things you will say in your discussion with them.
Never try to change anybodys view. You cant do it, especially if they are older. You are just looking for them to accept you for who you are.
Note: I havent included any specific things that you should say, word for word because it is important to actually hear me say them, so that you can practice how you would say them. I provide a detailed video demonstration of exactly what (and how) to tell intolerant people in my Witchcraft Home Academy. It is my job to make sure you can gain acceptance of your views, and reduce the risk of people looking down on you.
Your Wicca Daily Devotions
By Rose Ariadne
When you follow a Magick path, your success in that path depends on your ability to focus charged energies, and send them out into the universe to get whatever you desire.
If you ignore your connection to Magick energy, it will weaken as will your power. They are especially important for beginner wiccans.
Daily devotions are things you do on a daily basis to strengthen the ability to control your inner Magick energy. A devotional routine helps to raise the energy daily, at various times.
Think of daily devotionals as short rituals of energy. They strengthen your connection, and also bring positive energies into your life.
Above all else you want to pick a routine that is right for you and follow it every single day!
You can do all of your chosen devotionals at one time, or you can spread them out through the day. Find something that works within your schedule, and follow it.
Your devotionals can be anything that brings positive emotion into your heart. It can be something as simple as making diary entries into your Book of Shadows every night before bed. In your Book of Shadows, keep track of where negative patterns are in your life, and work to build on the positive ones in your mind and in the Book of Shadows.
Another devotional mini ritual you can follow is to spend at least a few minutes breathing, meditating, and visualizing positive things to create positive energy in your life. You can even use the meditation exercise that I gave you previously in this book.
Here are a list of some devotionals that you can do every day. There is not a need to do all of them, but pick ones that you feel most comfortable with:
Morning wake-up devotional
Connecting to the Lord and Lady
Connecting to the Divine, Infinite Energy
Greeting Devotionals to the Spirits or Elements around you
Connecting to Nature and the Earth Mother
Journaling
Food Blessing Devotional
Breathing
Meditation
Visualization Exercises
Playing with Energy
Remember, none of the devotionals you do should tire you out. And you should never be in a situation where you dread doing them. You should look forward to them so make sure you select ones that work best for you.
Most of the devotionals above are self-explanatory, and you can create these devotionals any way that you wish. There are no hard and fast rules when doing your daily devotionals. (I demonstrate some of them in the Witchcraft Academy In-A-Box)
For now, I will walk you through the simple but powerful Playing with Energy daily devotional.
Sit in a comfortable position, and begin the basics of the meditation exercise from earlier in this book. Once you have dropped into the stage of slowing your breathing, open your eyes.
Take your hands, palms facing, and briskly rub them together. While you are doing this, start calling the energy from around you into your body. Hold your hands out in front of you, palms facing each other, about twelve to eighteen inches from your face. This works best of you have a solid, dark background in the direction you are facing.
Focus first on your hands, and sending the energy in your body out the palms. When you feel the flow is good and strong, shift your focus to just past your hands, at a point on the background beyond them. Can you see the ethereal, nebulous energy between the palms? It may take some time for you to see it, but keep working at it, you will. Once you can see the energy there, concentrate on making it brighter and darker, increasing the flows and lessening the flows. Keep playing with the energy on a regular basis, until you get comfortable with how to manipulate it to do what you want it to do.
Once you have reached that point, start playing further with the energy. Form it into a ball, move your hands closer and further apart, seeing the ball change in size and intensity.As you get the hang of each one (over days, not minutes!), try different shapes and sizes. Play with the energy and get comfortable with its existence. This is the same energy you use in order to cast magick. Seeing it in solid form, even if there is still an ethereal quality to it, helps to strengthen your belief, and raise your levels of energy even higher.
How To Meditate To Center Your Magick Energy
By Rose Ariadne
Meditating properly is one of the keys to casting successful spells in Wicca Witchcraft. The idea here is to focus on each part of your body one at a time - relax them, force the negativity out of each part.
When done properly, you will reach your place of peace within yourself... the place where Magick energy "comes from".
Whenever time permits, you should do this every single day... and especially before casting spells.
Start with your feet. Flex them, and then relax them... flex them, and then relax them. Then, concentrate on relaxing them completely as if they are 2 "wet noodles". Focus as long as you need to put them in a completely relaxed state.
Next, move to your calves. Clench the muscles of your calves, and then relax them seeing all tension and negativity flowing down your legs and out your feet into the ground. Repeat this through all major muscles in your body (knees, thights, pelvic region, buttocks, hips, lower back, mid section, upper back, fingers and hands, forearms and elbows, upper arms, shoulders, neck, chin, jaw, face, and lastly your head).
Feel all of your tension and negativity drain out of each part of your body, and be replaced by a sphere of white light.
Next, clear your mind and open your inner self to that higher place within you that maintains a constant connection to the Divine.
Spend your time in stillness, and commune with your deities or even work on your visualization skills.
Finally, when you are finished, go back down through your entire body in reverse, charging each part with the energy of the white sphere to waken and refresh your entire physical self.
My Witchcraft Home Academy In-A-Box, Mastering The Magick of Witchcraft goes into more detail about meditation and how it can increase the power and effectiveness of your spells. It will also reveal a few secrets about visualization that will help you to cast successful spells on the fly whenever you need to.
And on the DVDs, you will be taken on a guided meditation (which is also a part of setting up your internal sacred space).
It is important to have someone to guide you on how to become a witch - and there is help out there!
Not only is good meditation calming and relaxing, but the visualizations you work on in your meditation can instantly put powerful Magick energies at work for you to accomplish whatever you desire. Now, imagine combining this power with actual spells and rituals and how bundling the power of all the techniques I reveal can give you full control of your life.
You were born with a special power that most people never open their eyes to. Using this power, you can get the life you have always dreamed of, step by step. If you truly believe this, you are already almost there.
The Secret For Using Triggers In Wicca
By Rose Ariadne
First, let me talk about what a Witchcraft "Trigger" is. (and trust me, even some experienced Witches have never heard of Triggers before. You can use this with any wicca spells you get for free (or otherwise).
A Trigger is a way have "assigning" your spells to a word, a bodily movement, or sometimes even a thought or state of mind.
For example, instead of sitting down and doing a full spell ritual to bring "self love" to you, you can actually assign the focus, intention and emotion that the spell entails to a simple movement of your hand or arm.
The advantage of having some prepared Triggers for your Wicca spells is that you can cast them on the fly any time you want. You could be at the mall and be talking to someone that is giving off a bad energy... with just a slight motion, and maybe a word, you can instantly create an egg of protection (I show you an egg protection spell in my course)
The disadvantage of using a trigger is that there is no way to build the same amount of preparation, emotion, focus and intent into the spell as you could if you were doing it in a full ritual situation in front of your altar.
So you really need to decide if you are willing to sacrifice some of the "power" of the spell (for lack of a better word) by using a trigger - in exchange for being able to cast the spell any time you need it - in any situation.
Here's an example of how to create a Wicca Witchcraft trigger:
Sit at your altar, visualizing the spell that you last cast, and picturing how it went wrong. You dont need to spend much more time than thirty seconds to do this. After all, you do not want to add any more negative energy to empower the spell, you just want to make sure that you have the spell clearly in your mind.
When you have it visualized, use your hand to cut through the image in front of you, slicing it up with your hand like a knife, while saying the following:
My spell went wrong
Please reverse it
Do not mess it up
And do not pervert it.
Visualize the cut pieces evaporating into thin air, the energy that went into it sliced up and dissipated.
When you are finished, break your circle by saluting each of the quarters in reverse and asking for them to depart, and finishing the last two rounds counterclockwise, to undo the power of the circle and let it go.
Use Witchcraft To Bring Love Into Your Life
By Arabella Jolie
Love is difficult, uncertain and rarely obedient. It can also be wondrous, passionate and fill us with unparalleled joy. Is it any wonder, with all the things that love is, that those who practice magick are inevitably drawn to love spells?
The clichd notion of a love spell that overpowers a persons mind and forces them to fall in love with another is a far cry from the ways that modern witchcraft is able to bring love into a persons life. The basic tenant of magickal practice is summed up in the Wiccan Rede, An ye harm none, do what ye will. Obviously, controlling the mind of another is potentially harmful to them, and so actual love spells are usually quite different from what the mythology surrounding them might indicate.
Though casting a spell to force someone to love you is unethical and potentially dangerous, there are many ways to use witchcraft to bring love into your life. It is possible to try to attract (or re-attract) the love of someone who is already in your life. Just be mindful not to put anything in your spell that involves them losing their free will. Love spells can be a potent force in opening yourself up to and attracting love. The first question to ask is why you are looking for love in the first place.
Ready to Move On - Use Witchcraft To Help You
Perhaps you are recovering from a bad relationship or a failed love. If this is the case, magick can help you cope with your pain and your loss and prepare you to move on. If you are in love with someone who is not able to love you back, you can also use magick to put the past behind you.
Another part of emotional and spiritual growth is recognizing our own faults and acting to improve upon them. A spell designed to help with personal growth can also be a love spell. Being in good mental health being able to view past relationships in a positive light are important factors in developing new, healthy relationships.
To Be Recovered, Whole & Ready to Love Again Spell
Tools and Ingredients
Alter or Sacred Space
One white candle
One pink candle
Sage incense
Sandalwood oil
Frankincense oil
A pin
Salt
Step 1. After collecting the tools and ingredients, prepare your space according to your own ritual, or by lightly sprinkling salt in a circle around yourself while speaking the following words: I consecrate this place/ for the Goddess within and without/ Only love and good can remain/ hate and evil are cast out.
Step 2. After the space has been prepared, light the sage incense. Spend some time in quiet meditation on the work you will be performing.
Step 3. When your thoughts are clear and free of emotion, take up the pin and the white candle. Think of all of the things that you are ready to put behind you. Using the pin, carve words into the wax that represent the things you are leaving behind.
Step 4.Place a few drops of sandalwood and frankincense oil in your hand and anoint the candle by rubbing the oil along the length. As you anoint the candle, remain mindful of those things that you are putting behind you.
Step 5. Put the candle in a holder on the alter, light it and speak the following words: As this candle burns/ I call on the Powers around me for aid/ that I shall heal the wounds of my past/ and let the sadness and the pain fade/ that I shall be cleansed and free.
Step 6. Take the pink candle and carve into it words that represent you, healed and whole, and the lessons you have learned.
Step 7. Place a few drops of sandalwood and frankincense oil in your hand and anoint the candle by rubbing the oil along the length. As you anoint the candle, remain mindful of those things that you are putting behind you.
Step 8. Put the candle in a holder on the alter, light it and speak the following words:As this candle burns/ I call on the Powers around me for aid/ that I shall remember the lessons I have learned/ and grow always to love myself better/ that I shall never forget to see the beauty of Goddess within myself.
Step 9. Allow the candles to burn themselves out while remaining attentive to them. Focus your energy to casting out all that which is negative and in the past by repeating the first incantation and drawing in all that which is positive and hopeful by repeating the second incantation.
Note: It is most effective to perform this spell over a number of days by relighting the candles each day and repeating the incantations.
Eclecticism In Wicca
By Esra Free
All Wicca is Eclectic, a word which Websters New World Dictionary defines as meaning, "Selected or selecting from various sources." Some "Trads" claim not to be eclectic at all, citing unbroken lineages and untainted family traditions ("Fam-Trads") dating back to the Stone Age, but I doubt anyone (except the members of said Trads, themselves, of course) takes such claims very seriously anymore. That is not to say one should not take the individuals involved in such Trads seriously, or that the Wicca they practice is somehow lessor than the Wicca outlined in these pages. As author Kaatryn MacMorgan , Priestess of the Church of Universal Eclectic Wicca, phrased it in the title of her top-notch book on the subject, we are, indeed, All One Wicca.
The real question of eclecticism in Wicca is less one of if, than it is of when. "Non-eclectic" Trad practitioners surely hold as fast as they can to the exact structure, rules, rituals and beliefs handed down to them by their nearest known ancestors but what about their ancestors? And theirs, and theirs...? Somewhere down the line, somebody, somewhere, gathered a disparate body of knowledge together, worked it into a coherent system of belief, and began the "Tradition" of initiating new members into that system. That person, the one who initially "rediscovered and reconstructed" (or flat-out constructed") the Tradition, who decided what information from family, village, cultural, mythological or other source materials available would be accepted and passed on (or reject for being too "out there," or for contradicting the compiling individuals personal beliefs or morals), and who filled in the gaps in that material with bits and pieces of the "unproven but reasonable" beliefs or writings of others was doing exactly what the average Wiccan Solitary practitioner does every day right here and now in the 21st Century building a living tradition out of the best fragmentary source materials available, and beginning the arduous task of refining it all into a workable system through trial and error experience. Now that's eclectic! It doesn't matter whether the act of "selecting from various sources" occurred in 1660, 1960 or 2660, it's still eclectic, there's just no escape from that reality.
All Wicca must be eclectic because it is a religion that is by nature both Gnostic and scientific it is never enough for a Wiccan to accept statements about the nature of reality "on faith," and stop there, as is the rule in many non-Wiccan religions. The Wiccan practitioner, before accepting any belief, practice, code of conduct etc., must personally experience those concepts to hold true or be of value in reality. What does not work, what does not prove to be true in experience, must rightly be jettisoned, and a new theory taken on to replace the one disproved, itself to be put to the same rigorous test. This style of eclecticism which bears a striking resemblence to the scientific method, and is, in fact, western physical science's true spiritual counterpart and the constant personal change and growth it engenders, is indicative of Wicca and any other truly living religious tradition. By this definition, I would go so far as to say that any religion which is not eclectic, whose beliefs are "set in stone" by encasement in unchangeable/unchallengeable books of revelation (the "Holy Books" that define and confine so many of our present world religions), are dead things, mere caricatures of the living religions they might have been had their followers been more experimentally courageous.
True eclectisism is neither a belief system in its own right nor a sign of failure or refusal to commit to any one socially-sanctioned version of "religious truth." Conscious eclecticism, when securely coupled with intentionally-developed intelligence, intuition and will, transcends belief altogether, becoming a reliable hands-on method for sampling, testing and verifying reality, in both its visible and its unseen dimensions.
The task of every Wiccan is to evolve past the limitations imposed by mere "belief," toward real, personal union with the Great Cosmic Goddess. A playful attitude of conscious eclectisim in relation to all beliefs is a primary tool by which we are enabled to accomplish this great work.
Stay Safe & Protected When Working With Witchcraft
By Arabella Jolie
One issue that all those who practice magick should be aware of is safety. In working with witchcraft, you are opening yourself up to some powerful forces and it is important that you do so wisely, and take measures to ensure that you are not harmed.
The first way to stay safe is to always remember the Wiccan Rede and the threefold law. The Wiccan Rede states, An ye harm none, do what ye will. Basically this means that you cannot do anything that would harm another. This is a simple rule and an excellent one to follow. By using this as a guide in all of your magickal workings, you ensure that you are not crossing the boundary between good/white magick and bad/black magick.
The Rede is also important when understood alongside the threefold law, also known as the law of return. It states that whatever good or evil a person creates in the world will come back to them times three. Keeping these two principles in mind at all times is an effective means of preventing a bad outcome from your magickal dealings.
Protecting Yourself While Working With Witchcraft Magick
There are other things that you will need to do in order to keep yourself safe. All spell work should begin with some ritual to cleanse and protect the space you are working in. Some call this Casting the Circle. There are an endless number of variations on ways to prepare your space. Some are more complicated than other. The important thing is to find a ritual that works well for you personally. Below are two options, the first being more simple.
To Prepare and Cleanse a Sacred Space Spell I
Tools and Ingredients
Alter or Sacred Space
Salt
Step 1. Lightly sprinkle salt in a circle around yourself while speaking the following words: I consecrate this place/ for the Goddess within and without/ Only love and good can remain/ hate and evil are cast out.
To Prepare and Cleanse a Sacred Space Spell II
Tools and Ingredients
Alter or Sacred Space
Ceremonial knife
One white candle
One red candle
One blue candleOne black candle
Step 1. Imagine your space as a circle and set the candles around it. Place the white candle at a point facing East, the red candle at point facing South, the blue candle at a point facing West and the black candle at a point facing North. If you are using an alter, it is best to position it in the Northern corner.
Step 2. Carrying the knife, go to the Eastern corner and light the candle. Rise and remain facing East. You will now trace a pentagram (five-pointed star) in the air using the knife. Begin at the top of the pentagram and go down to the left, continuing until you return to the top. As you trace the pentagram, speak the following words: I invoke the East and Power of Air/ I call on the Breath of the Goddess/ Protect and guide me.
Step 3. Carrying the knife, go to the Southern corner and light the candle. Rise and remain facing South. You will now trace a pentagram in the air using the knife. Begin at the top of the pentagram and go down to the left, continuing until you return to the top. As you trace the pentagram, speak the following words: I invoke the South and Power of Fire/ I call on the Flame of Her spirit/ Protect and guide me.
Step 4. Carrying the knife, go to the Western corner and light the candle. Rise and remain facing West. You will now trace a pentagram in the air using the knife. Begin at the top of the pentagram and go down to the left, continuing until you return to the top. As you trace the pentagram, speak the following words: I invoke the West and Power of Water/ I call on the Water of Her womb/ Protect and guide me.
Step 5. Carrying the knife, go to the Northern corner and light the candle. Rise and remain facing North. You will now trace a pentagram in the air using the knife. Begin at the top of the pentagram and go down to the left, continuing until you return to the top. As you trace the pentagram, speak the following words: I invoke the North and Power of Earth/ I call on the Earth that is Her body/ Protect and guide me.
Step 6. Complete the ritual by stating, The circle is cast and consecrated/ in the name of the Goddess within and without
Escaping Wiccan Escapism
By Esra Free
I cannot rightly say "all," or even "most," but certainly many of the Wiccans I have known or observed over the years appear to find in Wicca a unique brand of escapism from the travails of our modern world, a safe haven from the uniquely complex moral, environmental, social and political issues that define our era. They appear to seek to turn back the clock, to retreat into a pagan agrarian culture that no longer exists, or to "resurrect" a Medieval, "thatched-cottage-on-the-edge-of-the-woods" society that is far more a product of Renaissance festivals and paperback fantasy novels than of anything to be found in real, recorded history. This nostalgic (from the Greek nostos algos, or literally, "To look homeward with longing") brand of Wicca generally embodies an abdication of responsibility for the ills of modern society, rather than the conscious creation of resolutions to those ills and a brighter future for everybody.
But I understand those nostalgic feelings, I really do. Society, at this present moment in history, is frighteningly unbalanced in favor of violence, fascism, corporate hegemony, misogyny, the Industrial rape and pillage of the Earth and its parallel attack on the human spirit in the form of rampant consumerism, etc. We are clearly headed at break-neck speed toward almost certain disaster. Faced with our present real world situation, who wouldn't "Look homeward with longing?"
There's an episode of the old 1960s Star Trek television series in which Kirk and company beam down to help evacuate a planet whose sun is about to go supernova. But when the "away team" reaches the planet's surface, they find nobody home. The residents have all vanished, having used a historical video library/time machine to escape the destruction by slipping into their own past years, decades, even centuries prior to the explosion of their sun. Faced with similar impending disaster (in our case, looming environmental collapse, prefaced by probable economic, political and social upheavals) many people would like to follow that imaginary TV example, to escape into the past and avoid the consequences of the last thousand years or so of Western history.
Some of these folks, as described above, are drawn to Wicca but not only to Wicca! This exact psychological phenomenon is the force behind the empowerment of Christian and Islamic Fundamentalism in America and throughout the world, as well. Knee-deep in the drek of our post-modern, post-industrial, in many ways post-Christian, and our clearly post-certainty world, the "Golden Ages" of the past look pretty good, even if they have to be spun out of the whole cloth of our imaginations to grant us relief from the pain and fear of the present moment
But, unlike the lucky extraterrestrials in that Star Trek episode, we do not possess time travel technology, or even a truly accurate record of our past to escape into. For us the arrow of time moves in one direction only forward and the only thing we can say about the future with absolute certainty is that it is coming into being for all of us one day at a time, and all too often with the most frightening, "nostalgically" Fundamentalist elements of our species at society's helm. No global Goddess culture of the ancient past is going to save us from the self-fulfillment of their apocalyptic vision.
But a global Goddess culture now, today a world in which "An' It Harm None, Do What You Will" forms the ground for all human morality, ethics and law would make (pardon the expression) one hell of a difference! A gentle global culture that revered the Divine Feminine, that taught reincarnation, karma, self-responsibility and the spiral of constant improvement in circular time (as opposed to the prevailing Middle Eastern paradigm of life as a battleground of absolute Good and Evil, sin and salvation, and Humankind's downward spiral of continual decay toward Apocalyptic destruction) would send 90% or better of the dilemmas plaguing Humanity to the dustheap of history overnight. Just like that. Wiccans would not wage religious wars, or kill over access to natural resources. Wiccans would not hijack planes and crash them into populated buildings any more than they would bomb Third World countries out of existence in retaliation for such crimes. Wiccans would neither work to homogenize the world by "Americanizing" foreign cultures, nor destroy the biosphere of the Earth we all rely on for every breath, drink and meal in the name of corporate profits.
We are the good guys, and it's high time we stood up for that fact and put our collective shoulder to the wheel of history. It's time we stopped pleading with the larger Christian culture not to label us "Satanists," and started boldly defining ourselves to the world and advancing a Wiccan agenda that goes way beyond "Please don't persecute us!"
And so we must fight. We must work. We must struggle. We must abandon the inner nostalgia that has crippled our political power, and attack the outer forces of nostalgia that threaten to shape our reality into a post-nuclear-holocaust, Judeo-Christian/Islamic Apocalypse desert. In small ways and large ways from "coming out of the broom closet" to our friends and coworkers, to legislating for the environment, to running for President and beyond we must heed the call to action, take back the reigns of society, and, as those in possession of higher knowledge and clear vision have always done in times of great social upheaval, we must lead our species past this present moment of global crisis. We must use our minds and hearts, our bodies and magicks to create a world worthy of our Goddess and our highest ideals not just as Wiccans, but as human beings.
Who Knows The Types of Candles In Wicca?
By Peter Clark
The types of candles in Wicca depend on the reason for burning the candle. Votive candles are one of the types of candles in Wicca, but these are mainly used for light. They are short and stubby and are usually placed in a cup or other small container. Votive candles also take up less space so that more of them can be placed on a Wicca altar. There are many places where you can buy the types of candles in Wicca at wholesale prices. These retailers sell a variety of other Wicca supplies as well.
For use in Wicca, taper candles are another of the types of candles. In Wicca, these candles are long and slender and the wax drippings are allowed to collect in a pan or a plate placed under the candle. When you buy wholesale Wiccan candles and supplies, you can also buy the special pans you need for the taper candles. The wax drippings are read in a manner very similar to that of reading tealeaves. If a reading is not required, taper candles are often placed in elegant candleholders. At the wholesale store, you can buy them in various heights and diameters.
Jar candles are one of the types of candles in Wicca that have a special purpose. They are made by pouring colored wax into a clear jar or by pouring clear wax into a colored jar, Those involved in Wicca can get both the wax and the jars at retailers that sell wholesale Wiccan candles and supplies. These candles are anointed, although only the top of the candle receives the anointing.
There are also specialty candles used in Wicca. These include types of candles in Wicca dedicated to a Christian Saint or Voodoo Loa. These candles, which are available at wholesale Wiccan candles and supplies stores, have designs and signatures printed on the outside of the glass container. They are jar candles and each different candle comes with instructions about how to use it in Wicca. Another of the types of candles used in Wicca are candles formed in the shape of a cross. They come in black, white, green and red and they are mainly used as altar pieces.
If you want to see all the different types of candles in Wicca, a trip to a retailer selling wholesale Wiccan candles and supplies would be very informative. You will see male and female figurine candles that are burned either face to face or back to back. Burning this type of candle in Wicca face to face is intended to form a bond, but burning it back to back denotes banishment. Seven Day Knob candles are another of the types of candles in Wicca. You burn one knob on each of seven days to cast a spell with this candle.
A Midsummer Wicca Sabbat
By Rose Ariadne
Celebrating the Sabbats is extremely important for any Witch. It is important to "recharge" your Magick batteries throughout the year, and that is one of the purposes for Sabbats. Sabbats are a time to relax and take a break from your Magick work.
Your energy can be depleted throughout the year, and you need to relax. Eat good food, spend time with friends, and enjoy all that life has to offer. Don't focus on spells - but focus on celebrating nature, the Goddess, and the Sabbat on hand...
Here is a simple way to celebrate the Midsummer Sabbat - as an example of a wiccan holiday...
Call upon the God and Goddess to come into your circle, bringing with them the blessings of Divine Spirit.
Take the time now to connect with the God and Goddess. Contemplate on the meanings that Midsummer holds. It is a time for love, healing, protection, and purification. It is a time for the Earth to ripen from the seeds first sewn and coming to life past the energies of Spring. See these life forms growing. Send your blessings to their form, as though an unborn child about to burst forth from the womb.
Take time to think about the full season, the blossoming of the Earth energies, and the power that we receive from our connection to her. Contemplate the joys and blessings of your own life, and share it with her. Send the love and warmth that you feel into the ground beneath your body.
When you are done communing with the energy of the Earth Mother, and sharing her blessings and yours, then thank her for her patience in your growth. Send to her the love that you feel as her caretaker. Ask her if there is anything that you can do for her during this coming season that will offer enrichment to her existence. Listen carefully and follow through with anything she may ask of you.
When you have spoken again to the Earth Mother and have heard her words, it is time to come back to your physical state of awareness. Ground yourself and any excess energy into the Earth beneath you. If you want, have a light snack of raw fruit to help ground, and to honor the bounty of the Earth that is to come. Thank the Spirits and the deities that you have called to your circle and ask them to depart, and then close your circle. When you leave your circle, give thanks again for connecting to the God and Goddess, and the Earth, on this honored occasion.
As you can see, the Sabbats do not have to be celebrated in full ritual format, but they can be as simple or complicated as you make them.
Spell For Attracting Romantic Prospects
By Rose Ariadne
This simple spell will put a strong force of Magick Energy at work for you, even while you sleep. Your belief, desire, and focus will be set to work to influence your fate bringing romantic prospects to you one after another, until a connection is made.
It is a very easy wiccan spell, but...
Dont let its simplicity fool you it works extremely well as long as you are familiar with all of the techniques I have shown you previously in this book.
First, of course, prepare your external sacred space, and cast your Magick circle around your altar. Then
On a Thursday during a waxing Moon, in the first hour after sunset:
Light a purple candle and place it before a bowl of water.
Hold a mirror up to the candle, the water, and then to your face. Gaze into your own eyes. Concentrate on your beauty, your lovability, and your desirability.
Hold the mirror up to the candle again.
Say Aloud:
In the grace of the universe
And in the abundance of love,
I affirm I am greatly desirable
And open to the bounty of love around me.
The flow of love, romance, and partnership is ever abundant,
And in line with the greater good, I create and attract romance.
With your fingers, put water on the top of your head, in your mouth, and on your heart center. Blow out the candles.
Spell For A Long & Happy Relationship
When you have found someone special, someone you are falling in love with this spell will increase the bond between you and that person.
It does not force the bond, but rather magnifies each of your good qualities so that the other can see them more easily. Once everything good about you is magnified, the other person naturally grows more and more fond of you.
First, of course, prepare your external sacred space, and cast your Magick circle around your altar. Then
On a Friday during the third hour of darkness:
Place a potted cyclamen in the room, and water the plant.
Light three candles: deep red purple, and white.
Say Aloud: I ask the goddess Branwen to bestowTrue love on my union with (insert name).
Breathe your love into your heart. Place the red candle in front of the other candles.
I ask that this be done for the greater good/So be it.And so it is.
Gaze at the flames in each candle, and when you are ready, blow them out.
Love Magick Summary
Remember that it is important for you to be grounded in the basics of Magick and Witchcraft before you attempt any serious Love Magicks. Because desire and emotion are tied so strongly to Love, the spells can have some unpredictable results if you havent practiced the basic secrets of real Witchcraft.
My Witchcraft Home Academy will Not only will you get step-by-step guidance on almost every part of Witchcraft, but I will hold your hand through 7 DVDs of Magick demonstrations (including dozens of Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced love spells for almost every need and desire)
And please remember the section on your Witchcraft ethics and responsibilities. Think twice before EVER casting a spell to affect someones free will. It really can come back to haunt you later in life (in the form of frustrated relationships, bad karma and other unpredictable things).
How To Create Your Wicca Witchcraft Altar
By Rose Ariadne
The first step to create your wicca altar is to thoroughly clean the room that will contain your altar. It is best to mix sea salt into water. If you cant find any sea salt to use (any new age shop should have some), just use cleaning supplies you would normally use.
Scrub down the walls, ceiling and floor (if you dont have a rug). Make sure to pick up the clutter, and organize the room as best you can. The less clutter and mess, the easier it will be to control the energy that collects.
Now, you need to determine where North, South, East, and West are. You can use a compass, or ask someone who knows (if you dont). Once you figure them out, make sure to mark them using any small objects so that you wont forget. The reason you are doing this is because your altar will be setup facing North because it is the direction of Earth and the primary energy you will connect to.
Next, you need to mark your circle. You can use white cord, or any small objects that are sacred to you. (such as candles or figurines) If you have enough room, try to mark the circle between 5 to 9 feet in diameter. (If you dont have enough space your circle can be smaller, but it may be a little more difficult to stay inside of the circle when doing your spell work.
When you mark the circle start in the East and move clockwise around the circle, finishing again in the East. Think of this is a permanent circle that you will redraw each time you do ritual or spell work. (youll see how to redraw it later)
Now it is time to decorate your temple (the area around your circle). You can hang meaningful posters, fabric, and pictures. You can set up candles all around the room in any way that feels right for you. Try to set up a mystical feel, one that builds strong emotions for Magick work. The decorating can be simple or elaborate, whatever evokes strong feelings inside of you.
Next, you need to do an initial cleansing and purification of your space. So you must first prepare the cleansing water for this ritual. You will charge the water with positive and pure energy from your heart. Then you will use this water to cleanse your space.
This purification is very important to perform correctly or your space will be tainted and it will never feel right. Your Magick will probably suffer as a result.
I cant stress how important the preparation of your cleansing water, and the actually cleansing and purifying of your space is. It so critical for you to actually see the rituals being done that I have included a DVD section on them in the full Witchcraft Academy. Not only is there a detailed step-by-step guide for you to follow (with pictures and images), but you will actually see a demonstration of this powerful (and important) ritual.
Once you have fully cleansed and purified your space, it is time to set up your altar. Throughout this process, keep in mind that you can use any materials to set up an altar but it is best to avoid using synthetic or metal materials. You can use a small wooden table that is between knee and chest high (you may even consider a circular table which are popular for altars) The idea here is to maintain the natural energies of the Earth by using materials coming directly from the earth (if possible).
Set up your feminine diety elements to the left, and your mail diety elements to the right. (for Wiccans, Goddess elements to the left, and your God elements to the right)
If you want to see a full layout of elements, and how to arrange them on your altar to heighten your connection to Magick see the Home Academy to follow the exact steps. It also includes pictures of different altar setups and a video demonstration of setup and consecration of tools and other items on your altar. (This is a must to harmonize the energy within the tools with the energy of the altar and your sacred space)
Replace the markers you used to define the directions (North, South, East, and West) with white candles. In the DVDs you will also see how you can use colored candles that represent each of the elemental colors of the four directions. I like to place more candles around the border of the circle because I like to work my magic by candlelight.
Finally, repeat the purification ritual in the Home Academy for your altar and the circle. Then take a broom, or use your arm to clear out the space of the circle and push any negative or dark energy away.
Your first Witchcraft alter is born, congratulations! Now you can gradually increase its power to attract the Magick energies you will need in your spell work by adding meaningful objects to it. There are many specific examples of altar setups, and examples of objects that you can add. Above all, these objects must be a reflection of you. The more of you that goes into your altar, the more power you will be able to draw from it and the more protection it will offer as you do your Magick.
Nature Vs Supernature In Wicca
By Esra Free
Whether it is being lovingly described by its adherents, tallied as a social movement by impartial statisticians, or even decried as "Satanic" by Christian apologists, Wicca is almost universally (alongside its many modern neo-pagan cousins) labeled an "Earth Religion."Wicca is most certainly, in practice, a religion closely aligned with the Living Earth and Her seasonal changes, which lie at the root of our most important celebrations, the Sabbats. But to call Wicca an "Earth Religion"and stop there is to seek the whole of Wicca's thealogical foundation in, and to limit the scope of its meaning and applicability to, the details of human existence on this one tiny planet floating like an anonymous raindrop in the vast ocean of stars, quasars, nebulae and galaxies we now know the universe to be.
Our ancient ancestors did not share our modern understanding of cosmology, as evidenced by the tendency of pretty much every pre-science religion on Earth, pagan or otherwise, to locate this one tiny planet at the center of physical reality (where it surely appears to be to earthbound humans observing the circular movements of stars in the night sky), rather than where we now objectively know it to reside on the insignificant edge of a minor galaxy nowhere near the center of anything.
Any religion that hopes to maintain its relevance in the age of quantum physics and the Hubbell Space Telescope must be able to offer meaningful spiritual insight into the real grandeur of our universe, on the smallest and largest scales, as it is revealed by modern science, as well as the Earth's place in that grand universe, and Humanity's role not only in the life of the Earth, but also in that of the real physical Heavens the Earth inhabits, and of everything existing between Heaven and Earth as well. Such a religion must be flexible enough to incorporate new discoveries about Humanity, the Earth and the universe into its beliefs without surrendering its credibility, to welcome new scientific discoveries as puzzle pieces to be fit into a continuing revelation of an infinite spiritual truth.
I believe that Wicca is the one religion on Earth most uniquely equipped to face this challenge of modernity, for, in spite of even well-intentioned misrepresentations, Wicca is not now, nor has it ever been, solely an "Earth Religion." Wicca is a religion that is centered in and reveres Nature whether that Nature be expressed in the teeming life and wind and water of our planet's biosphere, in the nuclear processes that energize our sun, or in the swirling push and pull of gravity that spins our (and every other) galaxy into being.
Wicca acknowledges that there is only one Nature, and it is everywhere. There is not anything, anywhere not in galaxies rushing at breakneck speed through the depths of space, not in the Earthly water cycle that brings Alaska's glaciers raining down on China's croplands, not in the invisible bustle of bosons zinging this very moment through my computer's micro-processor, or anyplace in between that can be rightly labeled un-natural, outside of Nature, whose processes are determined by any force other than Nature's sovereign power.
Wicca is not a supernatural religion like Christianity, Islam or Judaism, although it is often condemned as supernatural by these very institutions. These major Middle Eastern religions all posit a God who exists outside of the physical universe, a male "Creator"deity who is said to have fashioned the universe from dead matter just as a stonemason "creates"a solid wall by gluing together rocks, and who is believed to reside in a "Heaven"located somewhere "outside"the physical universe He created. How much more supernatural can you get? Every aspect of this belief violates the evidence to be found in real, physical Nature as to how things are and came to be beginning, and very much to the point here, with the supposition of an un-observable "outside"to the physical universe. Wicca, being a natural (as opposed to supernatural) religion, posits no such "outside,"or any deity inhabiting such an unlikely space.
Nor does Wicca posit any such wildly supernatural notions as male-only deity or, really (though many Wiccan authors use the term in my opinion, quite thoughtlessly), a Created universe or an implied building-block Creator of any kind. Referring to the physical/natural world as Creation immediately centers the discussion in a masculine, Judeo-Christian context, and I feel all Wiccans everywhere should stop using this term at once.
The central deity of the Wiccan religion is the Great Goddess, and we see concrete evidence for Her reality and presence in every living particle of the real natural world. If there is not one single living thing on the Earth, from amoebas to human beings to the whole spectrum of life between them, that can be observed being "created"by anybody out of the "bricks"of "dead matter"(and there's really not think about it!), then why should we assume that an opposite rule applies to anything else in the universe let alone to everything else, as is posited by those Middle Eastern religions?
Everything alive, here on Earth, is born of a woman, of a female creature of its own species. In Wicca, we see everything that is from the sub-atomic particles that make up atoms, to the molecules atoms come together to form, to all matter and energy (and the water and rocks and gases and plants and people and suns and galaxies that arise from their eternal, cosmic dance) as alive and conscious, varying only in degree. For Wiccans, the physical universe is not a dead thing constructed for Man's pleasure or control by some distant male god. It is Her body, the real, physical, sensually vibrant, lush and beautiful body of the Great Goddess, the Mother of All, and everything we believe as Wiccans flows from this understanding. We exist within Her and participate in the intimate processes of Her being, alongside every other living thing in the universe that, like us, and following the observable pattern to be found in real Nature (as opposed to some unlikely, imagined "super-nature), was never created at all, but that is rather continually born within Her, and who is composed, just like us, of the real physical substance of Her body.
To view the reality of the Great Goddess of Wicca for ourselves, we need look no further than our own bodies, our own planet, our own universe. Our Goddess is not some distant, invisible, disembodied spirit, nor is she "supernatural"in any way, shape or form. Our Goddess is Nature, in all its manifestations. From the inconceivable whole of the vast, living universe to that universe's tiniest constituent particle, She is physically, spiritually, energetically and personally everywhere. All the time. The Great Goddess of Wicca is All That Is, past, present and future, here on Earth, in every distant corner of the physical cosmos, and in all the seen and unseen spaces in between. There is nothing you can look to that is not Her, that is not born of Her, that does not bear the imprint of Her essence, or that fails to play its assigned role in Her life.
A Midsummer Wicca Sabbat
By Rose Ariadne
Celebrating the Sabbats is extremely important for any Witch. It is important to "recharge" your Magick batteries throughout the year, and that is one of the purposes for Sabbats. Sabbats are a time to relax and take a break from your Magick work.
Your energy can be depleted throughout the year, and you need to relax. Eat good food, spend time with friends, and enjoy all that life has to offer. Don't focus on spells - but focus on celebrating nature, the Goddess, and the Sabbat on hand...
Here is a simple way to celebrate the Midsummer Sabbat - as an example of a wiccan holiday...
Call upon the God and Goddess to come into your circle, bringing with them the blessings of Divine Spirit.
Take the time now to connect with the God and Goddess. Contemplate on the meanings that Midsummer holds. It is a time for love, healing, protection, and purification. It is a time for the Earth to ripen from the seeds first sewn and coming to life past the energies of Spring. See these life forms growing. Send your blessings to their form, as though an unborn child about to burst forth from the womb.
Take time to think about the full season, the blossoming of the Earth energies, and the power that we receive from our connection to her. Contemplate the joys and blessings of your own life, and share it with her. Send the love and warmth that you feel into the ground beneath your body.
When you are done communing with the energy of the Earth Mother, and sharing her blessings and yours, then thank her for her patience in your growth. Send to her the love that you feel as her caretaker. Ask her if there is anything that you can do for her during this coming season that will offer enrichment to her existence. Listen carefully and follow through with anything she may ask of you.
When you have spoken again to the Earth Mother and have heard her words, it is time to come back to your physical state of awareness. Ground yourself and any excess energy into the Earth beneath you. If you want, have a light snack of raw fruit to help ground, and to honor the bounty of the Earth that is to come. Thank the Spirits and the deities that you have called to your circle and ask them to depart, and then close your circle. When you leave your circle, give thanks again for connecting to the God and Goddess, and the Earth, on this honored occasion.
As you can see, the Sabbats do not have to be celebrated in full ritual format, but they can be as simple or complicated as you make them.
Witchcraft and Magic
By Jacqueline S
What is magic?
Having been Wiccan now for several years and have had this same conversation with Wiccans, Pagans and many people of alternate religions the question always poses as a great discussion. What is Magic? Does it exist? And ultimately, can we use it to better our lives?
Magic, to witchcraft, is like prayer to Christianity. When someone performs magic in witchcraft they are moving energy, forming energies around them and sending them on their way to their purpose. Each and every one of us are energy beings. Energies are abundant around us and they reside in almost anything that you see: rocks and crystals, herbs and plants, animals, humans and every living thing. Wiccans, Pagans and anyone creating and performing magic use energies around them to create a power that has been infused for a specific purpose. It is then molded and released towards its goal.
Many find it a helpful way to take control of certain aspects of their
