Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
BOOK OF SHADOWS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Minister Speaks Out (J. gordon Melton) ........................975
A Plea For Initiation Standards (Ellen Cannon Reed) .............908
A Tale of Two Witches (Mike Nichols) ............................147
A True History of Witchcraft (Allen Greenfield) ................1771
Aethyr, On the Nature of (Anthra Andromda) .....................1816
Against The Witch Hunters (R. Culain) ..........................1704
AIR - A Meditation (Charis) ....................................1559
All Hallows Eve (Mike Nichols) ..................................137
Altar Dedication (Durwydd) .....................................125
Amazing (Pagan?) Grace ..........................................959
Amerind Teaching Stories
Rabbit (John Lone Wolf) ...................................1534
Ancient Art, The ................................................551
Answers (Grove of the Unicorn) ..................................479
Asatru (Rathulvf Jamieson) ......................................952
Astral Projection (Monroe Technique) ............................783
Athame Dedication (Durwydd) .....................................125
Autarchic Creed .................................................562
Autonomatrix Manifesto .........................................1813
Banes, Bindings, and Mirrors (Judy Harrow, Hugh Read) ...........628
"Bardic" Circle Rituals from DragonHart
Beltane (The White Bard) ..................................1111
Candlemas (The White Bard) ................................1151
Samhain (The White Bard) ..................................1116
Bardic Wedding (RowanHart Circle) ..............................1526
Bare Bones 3rd Degree (Humor) ...................................463
Basic Beliefs of WICCA (C.O.G.) .................................947
Basic Love Spell ................................................958
Basic Spell Construction ........................................113
Basic Principles (American Council of Witches)...................310
Basic Ritual Outline (ED FITCH) ...................................6
Beltaine Ritual (Firestar Coven, 1986) ...........................36
Beltane Ritual 1987 (Coven of The Serpents Eye) ................1743
Beltane Ritual (Seastrider) .....................................464
Beltane, Its Origins (Rowan Moonstone) ..........................126
Bible, Books not included .......................................652
Bibliography (annotated) ........................................929
Bibliography of Magic in Sci-Df (M. Griffith) ..................1737
Binding A Spell (Farrar & Farrar) ...............................157
Bovinomicon (humor) ............................................1805
Blackout and Sigils (I.O.T.) ...................................1402
Blessing Payer (Traditional Gardnerian "Dryghten Prayer") ......1512
Blood Sacrifice (Althea Whitebirch) .............................547
Broken Heart Spell (Healing) ...................................1219
Burning Times, The (Marios) .....................................951
Celtic Bibliography (Annotated, by Eryn Darkstar) ..............1133
C.O.G. Pledge ...................................................309
Channeling (Jast) ...............................................969
"Condensed" Definition of Wicca (Lady Phoenix) ..................948
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Candle Colors ...................................................982
Candle Magic ....................................................417
Candle Scents ...................................................988
Candlemas Ritual 1987 (Coven of The Serpents Eye) ..............1750
Candlemas (Gwydion) .............................................537
Candlemas (Mike Nichols) ........................................168
Catharsis Circle (Judy Harrow).....................................8
Cauldrons (Elemental)............................................420
CELTIC NUMEROLOGY (Mike Nichols) ................................454
CELTIC BIBLIOGRAPHY (Rowan Moonstone) ...........................298
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Chants w/ASCII Notation (L.A.Hussey) ...........................1081
Chalice Ritual - Dragon Trad (C.J. Mandrake) ...................1468
Chaos Magic (Mark Chao) .........................................398
Chaos Magick vs. Thelema .......................................1240
Chaos-sphere ...................................................1393
Chaoism and Chaos Magick (Pete Carroll) ........................1404
Channeling for Fun and Prophet (F.J. McGovern) .................1736
Charge of the Phone Goddess (Magenta Griffith) ..................759
Charge of the Goddess, The ......................................193
Charge of The Horned God, The ...................................936
Charging Crystals (Ian Kesser) .................................1707
Check List for A Well Working Group (Earthrite BBS) .............957
Church of All Worlds ............................................353
Christian "Cults" ..............................................1000
Circle Closing ..................................................540
Circle Casting (Avaloian)........................................541
Circle Purification for Asthmatics ..............................780
Circle Casting (after Valiente and Farrar) ......................130
Circles, why use them? (Mel White) ...............................65
Cleansing (Rowan Moonstone) .......................................2
Comparison of Wicca and Christianity.............................622
Computer Blessing (Zahai Stewart) ...............................757
Coven at Pooh Corner (D. Wadsworth) ............................1688
Coven Offices ...................................................762
Coven Leadership ................................................543
Covenant of the Goddess .........................................305
Consciousness & Politics (Carol Moore).........................
Craft Ethics (J. Crowley) .......................................751
Craft Ethics Response (M.K.H) ..................................1216
CRAFT LAW
Craft Laws (by Lady Sheba).................................1163
New Laws (Lady Galadriel, Grove of The Unicorn)............1174
The New Book Of Law, A Commentary (J. Random Folksinger)...1185
Aporrheton 5 (Judy Harrow?) ...............................1195
The Abbreviated Laws (including Comment by J.R.F.) ........1202
The Law (Humor) ...........................................1204
Commentary by a student ........................................1212
Commentary by L.A. Hussey.......................................1214
Creation Story ..................................................619
Creed Of The People Of God (Catholic) ..........................1005
Crone Energies (Grey Cat) .......................................559
Crossroads .....................................................1794
Crystals, their care and feeding (Matrika).......................413
Cult Danger Evaluation Frame (P.E.I.Bonewits) ...................343
CUUPS (C.O.G. Salt Lake City) ..................................1002
Dangers of "Magical Thinking" in Magick (Nihasa)................1716
"Dark Night of the Soul".........................................286
"Dark Night of the Soul"........................................1411
Dangers of Deity? (a Conversation) .............................1820
DCW Landmarks ...................................................492
Degrees within Covens ...........................................623
Dedication Ritual (Khaled Quicksilver) .........................1841
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Deity Engineering Worksheet .....................................607
Denver Area Wiccan Network ......................................200
Descent of The Goddess (Sewna Silvara) ..........................750
Descent of The Goddess (G.B.G.) ................................1769
Descent of The Goddess (Starhawk) ..............................1770
Dianic Wicca (Inanna Seastar) ...................................614
Divine Circle Scam .............................................1507
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Divination (Bibliography) .......................................605
Divination (RMPJ) ...............................................603
Dragon, The Last (story by Gerald Decampo) .....................1226
Dragon Tradition (Phoenix Arizona)
Circle Casting ............................................1228
"Quarter Calls" ...........................................1486
Drawing Down the Moon ...........................................557
Dream Problem Solving ...........................................573
Dream Bibliography ..............................................576
Dream Life ......................................................571
Dream-News ......................................................567
Dreams Precognition .............................................575
Dying God (Ammond ShadowCraft)...................................685
Eclectic Circle Ceremony (Durwydd) ...............................40
EcoMagick .......................................................614
Eight Paths to Altered States (Carrie McMasters).................222
Eight Magicks (Pete Carroll) ...................................1825
Elements, A Hermetic Summoning (Marios) .........................960
Elemental Correspondences (from Starhawk) .......................979
Elemental Correspondences .......................................560
Elven (Modern Mythic Prose by Par Garou) .......................1159
Essay on The Three-Fold Law (Paul Seymour) .....................1208
Ethics and Morals (RMPJ) ........................................315
Ethics and Magick (Warren Stott) ................................415
Ethics and Laws (Lifeway Shamanic Fellowship) ..................1220
Ethics and Love Magick (Mike Nichols) ...........................554
Ethics or Etiquette .............................................565
Etymology of "Wicca" ............................................356
Evolution of Wiccan Ritual (Paul Hume) ..........................946
Exegesis on The Wiccan Rede (Judy Harrow).......................1209
Exorcism ........................................................613
Festivals .......................................................587
Film Guide '89 (Mike Nichols)....................................528
First Degree, What is it? .......................................351
FISH (Creative use of Christian Symbology) ......................611
Five Fold Kiss ..................................................744
Fool ............................................................590
Fortune, The (RMPJ) .............................................953
Full Deck Tarot Spread ..........................................625
Full Moon Ritual (Seastrider)....................................634
Fundamentals of Human Ecology ...................................616
Glossary (Rowan Moonstone & Durwydd MacTara) ....................206
Gnosticism.......................................................694
God/Goddess Balance (Adrienne)...................................223
Golden Dawn (Calif.).............................................689
Golden Dawn Training (outline)...................................691
Goodwife (Story by L.A. Hussey) .................................644
Great Rite, The (Symbolic) ......................................656
Greek and Roman Deities (Thomas Palmer) ........................1698
Greek Fire Initiation............................................982
Halloween, Origins of (Rowan Moonstone) ..........................26
Handfasting ......................................................68
Harvest Home (Mike Nichols) .....................................176
Harvest Thoughts (Gary Dumbauld) ................................630
Harvest Home - 1987 (Michael Fix) ................................13
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Heal The Earth (a meditation) ...................................661
Healing (one method) ............................................655
Healing Myth (Nihasa) ...........................................165
Helpful Hints (Humor) ...........................................966
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Heretic's Corner (RMPJ) .........................................869
Heyokah (RMPJ) ..................................................632
Hidden Codes in the Torah .......................................733
High Technology Meets The Ancient Wisdom ........................964
History (Weyland Smith) .........................................786
History of Witch Craft ..........................................791
Homeblessing (Selena Fox) .......................................663
Hymns To The Star Goddess (O.T.O.) .............................1431
Hypnosis 101 ....................................................667
I.O.T. History (The Beginnings).................................1398
Ideology (I.O.T.) ..............................................1252
Imbolc (Solitary Ritual) ........................................664
Imbolg '92 (Julia Phillips) ....................................1757
Initiation, Outdoor (adaptation) .................................72
Initiation (Brad Hicks) ..........................................50
Introductory Book List ..........................................926
INVOCATIONS
Freyja (unknown) ............................................56
Frigg (Russ Anderson) .......................................55
Brigit (Russ Anderson) ......................................57
Baldur (unknown) ............................................55
Freyr (unknown) .............................................56
Herne (unknown) .............................................57
Thorr (unknown) .............................................58
INVOCATIONS -QUARTERS-
EAST ......................................................1542
SOUTH .....................................................1543
WEST ......................................................1544
NORTH .....................................................1545
Irish Myth Concordance (Mike Nichols) ...........................422
Ishtar ..........................................................740
Issian Circle (Matrika) ..........................................59
K.A.M. ..........................................................735
Kabballah (Colin Low)............................................236
Kali and Modern Physics .........................................730
Keltria (The Henge of) ..........................................739
Lady Day (Mike Nichols) .........................................171
Lammas (Mike Nichols) ...........................................174
"Landmarks" (D.C.W.) ............................................990
LBRP, an Essay (Tim Maroney) ....................................103
Learning Process ................................................962
"Legitimacy" in the Craft (Khaled Q.) ..........................1766
Liber OZMA (Tim Maroney) .......................................1414
Lilith (BBS Conversation) ......................................1083
Literary Roots of Wicca (Diane Vera) ...........................1535
LLEW, Death of (Mike Nichols) ...................................179
Lucid Dreaming (Omni Magazine) ..................................955
MABON Outline (anonymous) ........................................43
Magick, Physics, & Probability (Hurn) ...........................811
Magick (A. Crowley) .............................................817
Magick Vs. Prayer (Salgamma) ....................................684
Magickal Book List ..............................................923
Magick Course Outline (Amber K.).................................815
Magickal Ethics (Judy Harrow) ...................................502
Magickal History (Fra.: Apfelman) ...............................406
Magickal Definitions (RMPJ) .....................................814
Magickal Laws (after P.E.I. Bonewits) ...........................831
Magickal Musical Selection Guide ...............................1079
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Magickal Pyramid, The (Durwydd MacTara).........................1096
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Magickal Stones & Gems ..........................................912
Magickal Training Course (Phil Hansford) .......................1373
Manhood Rituals (RMPJ) ..........................................760
Mantra Web technique ............................................288
Mayan Deities (777 Supplement) ..................................834
Mayday Celebration (Mike Nichols) ...............................837
MAYDAY Celebration (Mike Nichols) ................................79
Media Management (Windfire Coven) ...............................851
Maychants (4) (Tanscribed by SeaStrider).........................911
Meditation Techniques, Basic (Bill Witt) .......................1513
Memory & Perception, a new Model (Paul Seymour).................1077
Midsummer (Mike Nichols) .........................................45
Mind, A Treatise on The (The Tigress) ..........................1460
Mind Control Techniques (Dick Sutphen) ..........................512
Models of Magick (incomplete)....................................216
Modern Pagaism, Q&A .............................................920
Modern Pagan Persecution (Jonathan Hutchins) ....................942
Modified Assyrian Protection Spell (With Commentary) ...........1739
Mothers Day Message ............................................1076
MONISM (Durwydd Mac Tara) ......................................1523
Monotheism vs. Polytheism (Dan Holdgriewe) ......................941
Mycenaen Mysteries (J. Teller)...................................365
Mystical Pentagram ..............................................110
Nature Spirit Magick (Larry Cornett) ............................357
Necromancy (reprint) ............................................841
Nemesis Conjuration (I.O.T.) ...................................1250
Neo-Pagan Ritual (Brad Hicks) ....................................77
Neo-Paganism (J. Brad Hicks) ....................................329
NeoPagism (Eric S. Raymond) .....................................333
NLP- Applied Magic (Brandy Williams).............................459
Notes On The Historical Egregore in Magick (I.O.T.).............1245
NROOGD SAMHAIN - 1987 (l.a. Hussey) ..............................21
Occult Resurgence, A theory .....................................224
ODINISM, What is it? ............................................764
Open Circle Ethics (Brandy Williams) ............................377
Open Letter to A New Witch ......................................910
Open Letter to Selena Fox (Isaac Bonewits) .....................1089
Opening (ending) The Circle ......................................12
Ordo Argentum Astrum ...........................................1230
Origins of the Mandan (Madoc) ...................................949
Orphic Invocations of God & Goddess (Phaedra) ..................1541
Pantacle, The (Gary Dumbauld) ...................................392
Perscution, Ancient & Modern (Julia Phillips) ..................1627
Personal effects of Ritual (Nihasa) .............................868
Peyote & The Supreme Court (News Articles) .....................1725
Polarity and Single Sex Covens (Marios) .........................945
Pornography & Pagan Ideals ......................................972
Power Animals (RMPJ).............................................411
Prosperity [Famtrad] (Rowan Moonstone) .........................1485
Psychic Self-Defense ............................................594
Psychic Attack ..................................................563
"Quantum" Kaballah...............................................282
Quantum Magick (Larry Cornett) ..................................857
Quilting and "Craft" (J.M. Cortese) ............................1103
Rainforest Ritual (Michael Harismedes, 1988) ....................212
Rede, The (J. Taylor, S.O.T.E.G.) ..............................1488
Risk Assessment for The Craft Community (Weyland Smith) ........1723
Ritual of the Blessed Motherboard (Discordian Humor) ...........1471
Ritual Bath (Sewna Silvara) .....................................745
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Rosicrucianism (J. Phillips) ...................................1741
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Runes, What are they? (Lokrien) .................................215
Runic Thorn Ritual (Faunus) ....................................1097
Salem Anniversary Ritual (Sandy & Diug Kopf)....................1156
Samhain Notes (Farrar)...........................................143
Samhain Ritual (L. A. Hussey) ....................................19
Samhain Ritual (O.T.O.) .........................................145
Samhain (United Wiccan Church) ..................................141
Samhain Ritual 1986 (Coven of The Serpents Eye) ................1759
Sangreal Sodality, The (Alfgar Maharg) ..........................944
Satanic Ritual Abuse (1992 FBI Report) .........................1575
Satanism
Satanism 101 (Diaane Vera) ................................1536
Satanism Defined (Delohine) ...............................1539
Satanism as Media Hype (News Article) .....................1717
Satanism vs. Wicca (Diane Vera).............................194
Setian Symbolism (T.O.S.) .................................1560
Saxon Wicca (Matrika) ...........................................158
Scorpio Dragon (Sewna Silvara) ..................................749
Second Degree (Gary Dumbauld) .....................................3
Sex and Magick (Fra. Apfelmann)..................................231
Shamanic Binding (Gaffer Maccluiunn) ............................937
Shamanic Lifeways Fellowship (Michelle Haas) ....................384
Sigil Magick (I.O.T.) ..........................................1416
Smudging (Michelle Haas) ........................................184
Snake Venom & Altered States (Loren Petrich) ...................1419
Solitary Moon Rite, Issian (Ellen Cannon Reed) .................1100
Sophia and Gnosticism (Terry J. McCombs) .......................1105
Spitual Emergence or Emergency (Paul Seymour) ...................939
Spring Equinox (Farrar and Farrar) ..............................182
Standing Stones Book Of Shadows (Scott Cunninham) ..............1010
Strings On The Winds (Bardic Fiction)............................778
"Super-Dimensionality" (I.O.T.)..................................289
Taleisin's thoughts .............................................676
Tarot Divination (Tuppence) ....................................1710
Tea Ritual (Sewna Silvara, Triskelion)...........................747
Technology and The Craft (Fun!) .................................132
The Pact (IOT) .................................................1162
The Postures of Ecstasy .........................................617
The 12 Steps and Shamanism (Matrika, P.A.N.) ...................1504
Thunder, Perfect Mind (Tony Ianotti) ...........................1254
Tool List (Seastrider) ..........................................136
Tool Blessing Ritual ............................................122
Tool Consecration ................................................17
Traditional Wicca (K.A.M.) ......................................186
Treatise On Mind (The Tigress) .................................1265
Travel Spell (Rowan Moonstone) .................................1487
Trickster Energies ..............................................234
Twelve Exercises Nobody Needs ...................................619
Twenty-Two Commandments for the New Age (A. Waldrum)............1721
Vernal Equinox Ritual from OZ (Julia Phillips) .................1742
Verse:
A Birthday In The Light (T. Digby) ........................1920
A Call To Lord And Lady (Jeff Bordeaux) ...................1853
A Dreaming Desire (Jeff Bordeaux) .........................1865
A Lady Called Truth (Geral Del Campo) .....................1921
A Riddle (Saracen) ........................................1919
A Victim of Ideologies (Jeff Bordeaux) ....................1876
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Verse: (cont.)
ALOHA! Serge King (Hugh Read) .............................1848
Amphitrite (Sourdough Jackson) ............................1866
Amazing (Wiccan) Grace (Verna Knapp) ......................1909
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Another One For Jim Morrison (Sourdough Jackson) ..........1870
Banishing The Circle (Devin Storm) ........................1892
Battle Hymn of the Eristocracy (Filk) .....................1898
Beneath The Full Moon (Sourdough Jackson) .................1870
BLOOD (Similodon) .........................................1889
Burning Times (L.A. Hussey) ...............................1849
Cauldron Chant (Ammond Shadowcraft)........................1899
Celtic Circle Dance (Joe Bethancourt) .....................1900
Chance (Hugh Read) ........................................1851
Charge of the Horned God ..................................1907
Comes The Dawn ............................................1914
Computer Blessing (Zahai Stuart) ..........................1871
Coven Spell (Doreen Valiente) .............................1887
Dark Time (Shadow Hawk) ...................................1902
Earthdream (Jeff Bordeux) .................................1855
ELEGY: James Douglas Morrison (Sourdough Jackson) ........1869
ELEMENTS (r.m.p.j.) .......................................1897
Elf (Marcus) ..............................................1855
EQUINOX (Endumion) ........................................1908
Green Grow The Rushes, Oh! ................................1901
Healing Spell (unknown) ...................................1891
Heaven is A Resting Place (Sourdough Jackson) .............1868
Horn of Plenty (Linda C.) .................................1910
Horn Song (Hugh Read) .....................................1846
Hunter's Warning (Jeff Bordeaux) ..........................1857
Hymn to Artemis (Frater U.' D.') ..........................1893
Hymn To Demeter (Lyn Hubert) ..............................1916
I am Spring (J.H.R. Seymour) ..............................1912
I Saw Something Beutiful (Masochistic Maiden) ............1915
Inquisition ...............................................1894
Invocation (Doreen Valiente) ..............................1887
Invocation of the Horned God (Doreen Valiente) ............1885
Invocation of the Moon Goddess (Doreen Valiente) ..........1886
Jewel (Shadow Hawk) .......................................1860
Just A Poem (Masochistic Maiden) ..........................1918
LAMMAS NIGHT (Elexa) ......................................1904
LILITH (L.A. Hussey) ......................................1904
Love Is The Law (Unknown) .................................1884
LYRA (Hugh Read) ..........................................1856
Magic Man (Taarna Savet) ..................................1906
Magical Reveries (Hugh M. Read) ...........................1878
May Eve (Doreen Valiente) .................................1884
Minerva (Unknown) .........................................1883
New Words and Old (Kihe Blackeagle) .......................1890
Night Wind (Shadow Hawk) ..................................1863
Ocean (skybane) ...........................................1921
Pagan Awakening (Jeff Bordeaux) ...........................1852
Pan To Artemis (Hugh Read) ................................1847
Pandemonium (Sonia Brock) .................................1890
Pegasus (Durwydd Mac Tara) ................................1911
Prelude to Discovery (Gerald Del Campo) ...................1913
Prayer Drive (Sourdough Jackson) ..........................1869
Quarter Chant (Damon) .....................................1871
RAINBOWS (Jennifer Holding) ...............................1897
Red and Gold (Joe Bethancourt) ............................1906
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Verse: (cont.)
Samhain Chant (Doreen Valiente) ...........................1845
Scarabeus (unknown) .......................................1883
Seeking The Sign To Dragonheim (Jeff Bordeax) .............1853
Shadowhawk (Marcus) .......................................1877
Simple (Gardenstone) ......................................1914
SLEEPR (Lynn Hubert) ......................................1921
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Snow (Steve Earl) .........................................1873
Spring/Summer Poem (Shadowhawk) ...........................1891
Storm (Shadow Hawk) .......................................1875
Storm (Stormy Gael) .......................................1893
Tears For An Angel (Gerald Del Campo) .....................1913
The Awakening (Andrew Daws) ...............................1922
The Cloud Sculptors (Jeff Bordeaux) .......................1865
The Coming of Lugh (Iarwin) ...............................1861
The Goddess is Alive (Unknown) ............................1856
The Lady's Brothel (filk) .................................1898
The Man In The Moon (Gerald Del Campo) ....................1919
The Moon Pool (unknown) ...................................1859
The Night Before Samhain (Masochistic Maiden) .............1915
The Pentagram (Similodon) .................................1889
The Prettiest One (Filk) ..................................1898
The Shaman's Call (Shadow Hawk) ...........................1873
The Spell of the Cord (Doreen Valiente) ...................1886
The River (Hugh Read) .....................................1872
The Tree Song (Kipling) ...................................1864
The Witches Ballad ........................................1894
To The Bonfires (Jeff Bordeaux) ...........................1866
To The Dragons Reborn (Jeff Bordeaux) .....................1854
To Greyshield, With Love ("Phoenix") ......................1851
Today The Moon is There (Hugh Read) .......................1893
Two Ritual Prayers (Anahita Gula) .........................1895
What is Love (Ravenna Michelle) ...........................1917
Why I Love The Dark (Gerald Del Campo) ....................1912
Witches Creed (Doreen Valiente) ...........................1843
Washington Post Article (1991) .................................1499
Wartime (Michelle Haas, 1991) ...................................117
Watch Towers, Rethinking The (Mike Nichols) .....................344
"Weasel Wicca" (Humor fm. Green Egg) ...........................1531
What is Shamanism? (Michelle Haas) ..............................354
What is WICCA? (Texas Pamphlet) .................................322
What is Wicca? (Amber K.) .......................................340
What is Wicca (Durwydd Mac Tara) ...............................1551
Wheel of The Year (Julia Phillips/Matthew Sandow) ..............1671
Wheel Visualization (Julia Phillips and Rufus Harrington) ......1682
When Magic Doesn't Work (Magical Blend Magazine) ...............1520
Why I don't Believe the "Survivors" (R. Moonsone)...............1719
Wicca and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (D. Wadsworth) .....1694
Wicca, from My Point of View (Lady Phoenix) .....................149
Wiccan History .................................................1656
Wiccan History (BTW, Julia Phillips) ...........................1566
Wiccan Information Network .....................................1087
Wiccan Way, The .................................................192
Wiccan Pentagram Ritual (Paul Hume) ..............................98
Wiccan Traditions, A comparison (Hurn, RMPJ) ....................154
Wiccan Path (Madoc)..............................................227
Wiccan Rede, An Exegesis (Judy Harrow) ..........................317
Wiccan Rede, The (J. Taylor, S.O.T.E.G.)........................1488
Wiccan Rede (Poetic) ...........................................1510
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Wiccan Rede (Poetic, WCC) ......................................1540
Wiccan Shamanism (Selena Fox) ...................................162
wiccan Monism (Durwydd MacTara) ................................1556
Wiccan Principles (American Council of Witches, 1974)............190
Wicanning Ritual (Earthworld Circle) ...........................1492
Wishing Well (I.O.T.) ..........................................1422
Witchcraft Q&A (Dr. Leo Martello) ...............................150
Witches Creed (Doreen Valiente_ .................................320
Witches Rede of Chivalry (Ed Fitch & Janine Renee) .............1803
Women vs. Men (Michele Haas).....................................195
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YULE (Mike Nichols) ..............................................84
Yule in Britain (Tana) ...........................................94
Yule Ritual (Starhawk) ............................................8
Yule Ritual 1984 (Julia Phillips) ..............................1763
First one has to sigilise the desire in any form that one may wish,
but in all cases and especially this one, it must be very easy to visualise. Once
that has been achieved, one may then begin to design the ritual for that particular
purpose in mind. Banishings and invocations may be employed, if so wished, this is,
however, not a necessity for the successful outcome of this process. At the
culmination of the rite the individual starts the overbreathing, panting deeply and
spasmodically and at the same time visualising the sigil as vividly as you possible
can, bright, intense and very clear as the overbreathing continues. Then when you
feel that the time is right, start your spinning round and round, still
overbreathing and still holding your visualised sigil in your mind`s eye. Music can
be played for a background to the dancing, tom toms or any other drum is rather
excellent background sound for this purpose. When the individual has reached a state
of sheer exhaustion, very dizzy, sweating and ready to drop, he or she then, still
spinning and overbreathing and of course holding the visulised sigil in mind, works
their way to the centre of the circle or working area.
There a partner, either active or passive to the rite, (in other words, if a
solo worker, try to get someone to help you with this part) stops you spinning and
grabs you in a bear hug lifting you off the ground and squeezing you about the solar
plexus, where a large network of nerves lie. At this precise moment the music, if
any has been employed, is stopped, and death-like silence is kept. The practitioner
holds his or her breath whilst being squeezed and the sigil is visualised as if
burning with bright, white heat as its image is burnt into your mind. Within seconds
the blackout will occur and the sigil is lost to the mind. At this point it is
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important that your partner lets you drop to the floor, unless that is you wish to
return to primal chaos!
On coming round, in most cases, you should evoke laughter to banish the sigil and
all thoughts thereof, your laughter breaks that silence and the rite is finished in
whatever manner wished.
With fractalic greetings and laughter * Fra.: Apfelmann *
Chaoism & Chaos Magic, A Personal View
by Pete Carroll
As there are as many Chaos Magicians as there are Chaoists
practising magic, I cannot speak for the subject in general but only
for my own Chaoism and Chaos Magic.
However, if you want a one-line definition with which most Chaoists
would probably not disagree, then I offer the following. Chaoists
usually accept the meta-belief that belief is a tool for achieving
effects; it is not an end in itself.
It is easy to see how other people and cultures are the victims of
their own beliefs. The horrors of Islam and the ghasty state of
politics in sub-Saharan Africa, are obvious examples, but we rarely
pause to consider the extent to which we are the victims of our own
beliefs, and the ability we have to modify them if we wish.
It is perhaps worth considering the recent history of belief in
Western cultures before mounting an attack on the very foundations
of the contemporary world view. For about a millenia and a half the
existence of "God" was an incontrovertible fact of life in
Christendom. It was never questioned or thought to be questionable.
Hideous wars and persecutions were conducted to support one
interpretation of deity against another. Learned men wrote thousands
of books of theoology debating points which seem utterly tedious and
idiotic to us now, but the central question of the existence of
"God" was never considered. Yet now, the belief in "God" as the
author of most of what goes on in the world has been almost
competely abandoned, and belief in even the existence of an absentee
"God" is in most places fading. Satanism as an anti-religious
gesture is now a waste of iconoclastic talent. The alchemists,
sorcerers and scientists of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance
won a stupendous posthumous victory. Their questioning of the
medieval world view started a rot that brought the whole edifice
down eventually.
We can laugh looking back on it now, but I assert that we now live
under a collective obsession which is even more powerful and will
appear equally limiting and ridiculous to future historians.
Anyway, now I have to firstly try and convince you that there is
something seriously wrong with material causality, and that there is
something that could supersede it as a belief. These are vitally
important questions for magicians, for since the demise of
essentially spiritual descriptions of magic, the belief in material
causality has been increasingly used in a haphazard fashion to form
various ill-conceived metaphors such as "magical energy" or "magical
force" which are tactily presumed to be something analogous to
static electricity or radio waves. This is, I think, complete
bullshit. Magic can sometimes be induced to behave a bit like this,
but it is not a very effective description.
The only thing to do is obey your inner voice and become still,
waiting for the inner transformation, (which the "Dark Night" heralds), to take
place. You may not be aware for a very long time of the results of that inner
change, but when the desire to work comes again and the depression lifts, the Dark
Night has (for a moment) passed. No one can help during this time, and in many cases
there is hardly anyone to turn for advice. One must disregard the well-meaning
advice of family and friends to "snap out of it" this is no ordinary depression, but
a deep spiritual experience which only those who have passed through themselves (in
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other words to a magical retreat) but for many, as the routines of everyday life
prohibits this, all you can do is cultivate an inner solitude, a stillness and
silence of heart, and wait, (like a chrysalis waits for the inner changes that will
result in a butterfly) for the Transformation to work itself out. There are many
such "Dark Nights" that the occult seeker must pass through during the mysterious
process of mitigation. They are all trials but experience teaches one to cope more
efficiently.
"In their rules there was only one clause: DO WHAT YOU WILL"
-- Gargantua, 57
"For the cherub with his flaming sword is hereby commanded to leave
his guard at the tree of life, and when he does, the whole of creation will be
consumed, and appear infinite. and holy whereas it now appears finite & corrupt" --
THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN & HELL, 14
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TIM MARONEY
After a while I will send the client this constructed sigil by mail
including instructions on how to charge it plus possible additional admonitions, if
necessary. Most probably the client will have
forgotten the precise wording of his/her will sentence by now; neither will he or
she be able to draw any conclusions from these strange glyphs. After having been
charged the sigil can be sealed and constantly worn in a locket, it can also be put
permanently in view e.g. as a wall decoration. Some of my clients have placed or
hung their sigils nicely framed in their office rooms.
To charge a sigil the following method is very effective. The client
arrives for consultation. In some cases has to bring along some substance imbibed
with his or her Od. During a small ritual client must close his/her eyes and place
the odic substance on the sigil which will be lying open in front of him/her. Then I
will take the client`s finger and prick it quickly and sharply with a small
chirurgical lancet. After the blooddrop has been smeared onto the sigil, the latter
will be folded and sealed immediately. I then admonish the client to bear in mind
that this talisman must never get into other people`s hands. This charging method
is especially effective in working with protection or "antipersonnel mine" sigils.
XXXI HYMNS
TO THE STAR GODDESS
Who is Not
I .(. Invocation
Mother of the Sun, Whose Body is White with the Milk of the Stars, bend upon Thy
servant and impart unto him Thy Secret Kiss!
Enkindle within him the Holy Ecstasy Thou hast promised unto them that love Thee;
the Ecstasy which redeemeth from all pain.
Hast thou not proclaimed: All the sorrows are but shadows, they pass and are
done, but there is that which remains? That the Universe is Pure Joy-that Thou
givest unimaginable Joys on Earth--that Thou demandest naught in sacrifice?
Let me then rejoice, for therein may I serve Thee most fully. Let it be Thy Joy
to see my joy; even as Thou hast promised in Thy Holy Book!
Now, therefore, am I Joyful in Thy Love.
AUMN
II .(. The Brook
I wandered beside the running stream, and mine eyes caught the glint of Thy Starry
Orbs in the swirling waters.
So is it with my mind; it flows on towards the Great Sea of
Understanding wherein I may come to know Thee more fully.
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Sometimes, as it journeys, it threatens to overflow its banks in its eagerness
to reflect a wider image of Thine Infinite Body.
Ah! How the very stones, over which flow the life of my being, thrill at the
tender caress of Thy reflected Image.
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V .(. The Storm
A Dark Night and the Storm. The lightening flashes between Thee and me. I am
dazzled so that I see Thee not.
So in the depths of my being flash the fires of life; they blind me to the
Understanding of Thee and Thine Infinite Body of Stars.
Yet I see Thee reflected in the body of her I love, as we lie with quivering
limbs awaiting the coming of the sound of thunder.
She fears the thunder, and turns within herself for consolation.
But even there the Lightning flameth, for I have loosed the fires of my being
within the dark recess---in honour of the Storm and of Thine Infinite Body
which I see not.
VI .(. The Hole in The Roof
But a little brown beetle, who had long lived in the cave with him, looked up,
and spreading his wings passed out through the hole in roof---into the Infinite
Beyond.
Thus, forsaking wisdom, would I come to Thee, Beloved Lady of the Starry
Heavens.
Oh! Could I but grasp the Ever-changing Design of Thy Star Body, Mother of
Heaven!
Yet, it is written: "Every man and every woman is a star. Every number is
infinite, there is no difference."
Such then is Life, for those who love Thee: Strange Curves, and every Curve a
Number woven into a Musical and Harmonious Design.
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How came I to be lost in the snow-drift?
I remember how I had taken shelter from the blinding storm. The snow fell about
me, and I waited, turning my thought to Thee.
Then did I realize how every snow-flake is built as a tiny star. I looked
closer, burying my face in the white pile, as in Thy Bosom. Mine arms embraced
the snow-drift; I clung to it in a mad ecstacy.
Thus would I have pressed Thy Body to mine, wert Thou not Infinite and I but as
tiny as a star-flake.
So was my body frozen---as by the utmost cold of inter-stellar space.
It was blue as Thine when they found me locked in Thine embrace.
IX .(. Daylight
In the Daylight I see not Thy Body of Stars, O Beloved.
The little light of the Sun veils the Great Light of the Stars, for to-day Thou
seemest distant.
The Sun burns like a great Torch, and Earth seems as one of His little Spheres,
filled with life.
I am but a tiny spermatozoon, but within me is the fiery and concentrated
essence of Life.
Draw me up into Thyself, O Sun! Project me into the Body of Our Lady Nuit!
Thus shall a new Star be born, and I shall see Thee even in the Daylight, O
Beloved.
There is joy in this wandering among the flowers of life, but Thy Joy, O Beloved,
is to be desired above all.
Now I seek a resting place, I am set upon a new Quest, to Worship at Thy feet.
Beloved, verily this tending of the Garden of the World---although the labor may
seem heavy---leadeth to a Great Reward. As Thou hast said: "Certainty, not
faith, while in life upon death, rest, ecstasy." Nor dost Thou demand aught in
sacrifice.
What do the Bhaktis know of Love? They see the Beloved everywhere.
But when I am one with Thee, O Beloved, I shall not see Thee, for I shall know
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Theee as Thou art.
I know a hidden well of clearest water. Naught but the coping of delicate
pink onyx is visible until the secret spring be touched.
Oh! Lady of the Starry Heavens, let me not become frozen at the touch of the cold
Veil of Isis. For the Moon is but the dead reflector of the Sun, and He but the
youngest of Thy Children of Light.
Show Thy Star Splendour, O Nuit; bid me within Thine house to dwell!
The delicate purple mist streams up from the hills: I watch and wait for the
meaning of it all.
Is not the Lamp above the Altar a symbol of the Desire of the Higher to draw up the
lower to Itself?
So, O Lady of Heaven, I liken the Mist to the life-breath of Souls who pant for
Thee here below.
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I, too, would ascend as a delicate purple mist that steams up from the Hills. Art
Thou not all Pleasure and Purple?
Nor should I dare to look into Thine eyes, having discovered Thy
secret---the Dew of Love---the Elixir of Life.
XX .(. Twilight
Twilight... and in a few brief moments the Stars will begin to peep. I will await
Thee, here amid the heather, O Beloved.
I wait... no stars appear for a mist has stolen up from the foot of the mountains.
Thus I waited for a sight of Thy Star Body till the cold damp mist of suppresed
emotion chilled my being and my reason returned.
The woman stood girt with a sword before me. Emotion was overcome by clarity of
perception. Then did I remember Thy words: "The Khabs is in the Khu not the Khu in
the Khabs. Worship then the Khabs and behold my light shed over ye."
Thus turned I my thoughts within, so that I became concentrated upon the
Khabs---the Star of mine inmost being. Then did Thy Light arise as a halo of
rapture, and I came a little to lie in Thy bosom.
But I offered one particle of dust---and I lost all in that hour.
Such is the Mystery of Her who demandest naught in sacrifice.
The twilight is returned.
XXI .(. The Dog Star
Wisdom hath said: "Be not animal; refine thy rapture! The canst thou bear more
joy!"
I have been like an unleashed hound before Thee, O Beloved. I have striven
towards Thee and Thou seest in me only the Dog Star.
Yet will I not fall into the Pit called Because, there to perish with the dogs of
reason. There is no reason in me; I seek Understanding, O Mother of Heaven.
Thus, with my face buried in the black earth, do I turn my back upon Thee. I
will refine my rapture.
So Thou mayest behold me as I am, and so Thou shalt Understand at last, O Beloved;
for in reverse Thou readest this DOG aright.
Hast Thou not said: "There is none other?"
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The roses are falling. This is the night of the full moon whereon the children of
Sin attend the Sacred Circle.
Therein they will sit divided---but not for love's sake---for they know Thee
not---O Beloved. Into the Elements, the fiery, the watery, the airy and the
earthly Signs are they divided when they gather at the Full Moon within the forest.
I wandered down the deep shadowy glade, there I espied a tiny sachet of
pot-pouri, dropped---maybe---from the streaming girdle of one of the maidens.
Tenderly I raised it. Its perfume is like unto the perfume of her I love. She,
too, perhaps, has heard the call of the moon and is even now on her way to the
secret tryst.
But hast Thou not said: "Let there be no difference made among you between
any one thing and any other thing; for thereby cometh hurt." What matter then
the name of the maiden? What matter the flowers of which it is composed?
Yet dare I not burn this incense unto Thee, O Beloved, because of Thine hair, the
Trees of Eternity.
Oh! Little sachet of pot-pouri, thou hast reminded me of her I love, for the
roses are falling, it is the night of the Full Moon and the children of Sin
gather to attend the Sacred Circle.
XXIII .(. Red Swansdown
It hath been told how Parzival shot and brought down the Swan of Ecstacy as
it winged over the Mountain of the Grail.
But there is within the archives another story, unheard by the ears of men.
From the breast of the Eternal Swan floated one downy feather, steeped in blood.
This did the youngest and least worthy of the Knights hide tenderly in his bosom
till he concealed it within the hard pillow of his lonely couch.
Night after night that holy pillow became softer; sweeter and sweeter were his
dreams. And one night---the night of the crowning of Parzival---he was
granted the Great Vision wherein the Stars became like flecks of Swansdown
upon the Breast of Heaven, each living and throbbing, for they were steeped in
Blood.
Then did every atom of his being become a Star racing joyfully through the Great
Body of the Lady of Heaven. Thus in sweet sleep came he into the Great Beyond.
I would that I could tear aside the veil, O Beloved, for seeing Thee as Thou art, I
might see Thee everywhere, even in the darkness that cometh to a point yet goeth in
a circle.
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For Hadit, the core of every star, says "It is I that go," and Thou, Mother of
the Stars, criest "To me! To me!"
Resolve me the Riddle of Life, O Beloved, for loving Thee I would behold Thy
Secret Glory.
Falling, falling, falling! Thus fall the Rays from Thy Body of Stars upon this
tiny planet, O Beloved! Innumerable streams of Light like Star-rain upon the black
earth.
Since every man and every woman is a star, their lives are like unto streams of
light concentrated upon every point in Space.
As I lay with arms out-stretched, my bare body shining like ivory in the
darkness. my scarlet abbai flung wide, mine eyes fixed upon the star-lit Heaven;
I felt that I, too, was falling, falling, falling, in an ecstacy of fear and love
into the void abyss of space.
Then did I remember that Thou art continuous. Beneath, above, around me art Thou.
And lo, from a falling star I became as a comet wheeling in infinite Circles, each
at a different angle, till my course traced out the Infinite Sphere that is the
Symbol of Thee, O Beloved.
Then did I aspire to find the Centre of All.
And even now I am falling, falling, falling.
XXX .(. Justice
I am a Fool, O Beloved, and therefore am I One or Nought as the fancy takes me.
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No Breath may stir the Feather of Truth, therefore is Justice ALone in L. Yet the
Ox-goad is Motion and Breath Matter if it be called the Ox which is also A.
How foolish are these thoughts, which are but as the Sword in the hand of Justice.
They are as unbalanced as the Scales that stir not, being fixed in the figure of
Law above the Court House of a great City.
But Thou hast said: "Love is the law, love under will."
And Love is the Will to Change and Change is the Will to Love.
Even in the stern outline of the Scales of Justice do I perceive the
Instrument of Love, and in the Life Sentence, the Mystery of Imprisonment in
Thy Being, O Beloved!
-oOo-
Treatise on Mind
From: The Tigress
From the moment that 2 cells form a zygote, we see the interaction of
informational process - recognition, communication, interaction, integration,
re-stabilization and reproduction and or re-structurization. This cycle of life can
be see from the barest combinations of any two elemental components beginning at the
lowest atomic designations of energy and throughout the continuum of increasing
complexity - perhaps far beyond our capabilities
to understand. *** If consciousness can be defined as an awareness of integrity
through this process of self recognition; then consciousness can be easily applied
to that which is non-human.***
From the most basic interactions of chemistry, we find that even on an atomic
level there is to be found this type of consciousness. We have become aware of the
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atom's necessary maintenance of it's own structure through the evidence of necessary
balancing of protons, neutrons and electrons; the importance of electron shell
valences is also a reminder of this type of integrity. Even on an atomic level,
there is a form of awareness of self-integrity in order to maintain structure and
identity.
Someone reads the following poem or one that is written for the occaision.
Quest for the Grail
by C.J. Mandrake
I have sailed the seven seas.
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I have walked the deserts of this world,
searching for clues and kin;
always awed by the stories that they told.
Time my only enemy,
every stone my friend;
carried by myth's fluid words,
looking for a gold cup 'round every bend.
Mountains loom before me:
The path, all but lost behind.
Arthur's song plays deep within me!
The Merlin's words dance within my mind!
``The blessed cup that you seek,
it is the Mother's womb.
It has poured out all our world
and it will be your tomb.''
Grail of Love
Grail of Light
Grail of Truth
Grail of Might
carry me to the very Fount of life.
I threw a coin in a wishing well:
My wish, the Grail to see.
When the waters stilled again
I beheld the Mystery.
The Cup is made of flesh and blood.
The secret of deep peace it lends.
I drink from it every day
and I share it with my friends.
One and one and one is three:
Three by three is nine.
The heart of the world I see,
the secret of the Grail is mine.
The Cup, it is a lotus flower
deep within my soul,
flaming with the love of Her:
The Goddess and I made whole.
****
The reader takes the chalice of water and drinks and the cup is passed around the
circle deosil, each person taking a drink in turn. Each person may offer a thought
before they drink. This may be a thanks or an observation or anything that seems
significant to the moment. When the cup makes it back to the reader, he/she again
drinks of the cup and pours the remainder as a libation. With the libation is
said...
I partake of the Cup of Abundance. I share this Cup with those around me. I return
what is left to the earth. <pours water out onto the ground> And my Cup remains
full. <holds cup to heart> Blessed Be.
This rite is very good for group binding. Last time we did this we drank water from
the Chalice Well in Glastonbury that one of the coven members brought back from
vacation.
Enjoy! And Bright Blessings.
CJ
For the Quarters : The following items are placed at each quarter -
North : A Power supply with cable, the energy which inspires us
East: A keyboard through which our innocence is transformed to lust
South: A hard drive which saves our writ to seal our doom
West : A Monitor by which all might see our lustful spells at work
Opening Chant <To be sung as the HPs and HP draw the circle and pentagram around the
firepit><sung to the tune of "Rain drops keep falling on my head >
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Circuts keep blowing on my board
my hard drive keeps crashin
and its heads are getting scored
Messages are lost OH
Time to appease the Goddess of all Computers
Alas I'm broke
My bills
Are higher than my income
Oh please Goddess I'm begging thee
To hear my plea and heal my system
ba dum dum, ba dum ba dum dum
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To the North end of the altar the ashtray and cigarettes
To the East end of the altar the holy cup
To the South end of the altar the bowl of earth
To the West end of the altar the jar of kerosene and matches.
As the HP calls the elements the P shall pass her the items in question
The coven at the end of each elemental calling shall chant the following:
Elemental Power
Come out and play with me
Play midst my flaming spree<fire>
and sing the chant with me <Air>
Splash in my rain barrel <Water>
Slide down my cellar door <Earth> And we'll be jolly friends
Forever more
The HP calls to the Element of Fire <and taking the kerosene from the P> intones:
Fire, Fire burning bright, like a candle in the night
Come and join us in our flight, Lend us your eternal light
Warm the Maiden with your flame,
I call you in the Goddess's Name.
The HP pours the kerosene liberally upon the firewood in the pit and lights the fire
with the matches. <the coven sings the elemental chant>
The P hands the HP the bowl of earth. The HP tosses the earth upwards to scatter it
around the circle and over the altar as she intones:
<the HP smokes and exhales as the coven sings the elemental chant>
The HP and P perepare to summon the directions in supplication to be followed by the
closing of the circle.
The following is a chant used by the coven at each directional opening.
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"From the North awakening, the energy inspires
From the East our eagerness to learn amid the fires
From the South commitment and thus we seal our doom
From the West comes reckonning, our message answered soon"
The HP and P walk to the North and hold up the Power supply. The P intones:
The Power of the north inspires us and lends us its energy for our use in
supplication. This Power Supply I offer to thee Oh Goddess that your Power run
through my computer and my life. The P tosses the Power supply into the fire.
<the coven sings the directional chant>
The Hp and P walk to the East and hold up the keyboard. The P intones:
The Power of the East transforms our innocence through tasting the fire of Life.
This Keyboard, I offer to thee Oh Goddess that your knowledge guide my fingers on
their path through the system of Life. The P tosses the keyboard into the fire.
<the coven sings the directional chant>
The HP and P walk to the South and hold up the hard drive. The P intones:
The Power of the South is that of action and consequence, of commitment to the path
and the ability to remember the lessons learned thereof. This Hard Drive I offer to
thee Oh Goddess that your memory of my acts and deeds be remembered with praise and
favor in thine eyes. The P tosses the Hard Drive into the fire.
<the coven sings the directional chant>
The HP and the P walk to the West and hold up the monitor. The P intones:
The Power of the West is that of access to all things, to seeing turthfully into the
path of a life and judging it thusly, worthy or unworthy. This monitor I offer to
thee Oh Goddess that your eternal eyes may see into my life and may watch over my
actions, and that I may find favor in you as my eternal Sysop. The P tosses the
monitor into the fire.
The Circle Closed and the directions and elements present, the HP and P prepare to
call to the Goddess and to the Horned One.
The HP stands before the fire pit and calls:
Virgin Goddess, gentle maid
She whose seeking to get laid
Bring your innocence to Bare
For those who worship for your care
The HP stands before the fire pit and holding the phone bill calls:
Oh Mother Bell, Oh Crone of Disconnection from this pagan life
I beseech thee, hold back thy hand of dread financial strife
In attonement bills I pay to thee
Of thy modem killing hand let me be free
The HP tosses the phone bill into the fire.
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<The P leads the coven in the Crone Song>
" We're sorry, the number you have reached has been temporarily disconnected Booooo
Hissssss
We're sorry, the number you have reached has been temporarily disconnected Booo
Hisssss"
The HP stands before the Altar and holds high the very long and very thick cable of
the Horned One that Plugs into the Wall and calls:
Oh Horned One, Powerful Consort of the Blessed Motherboard
Surging with Energy you take your place as Lord
Pulsing with Power, with each surge of volts you swell
Pumping life into the Goddess, you serve her purpose well
The HP tosses the very long, very thick cable into the fire
<the P leads the coven in the Horned One chant>
Pump, Pump, Pump it up....keep the power flowing
Pump, Pump, Pump it up....hard fast and never slowing
Pump, Pump, Pump it up....We know you please the Goddess
Pump, Pump, Pump it up....Be strong and never modest
The HP raises the Blessed Motherboard with Large Co-processors high in the air and
the P and HP each take and end in their hands. Raising the Motherboard high in the
air they intone:
Blessed Mother, Sacred Goddess come to bless your users
Keep us safe from disk crash and lurking abusers
Let thy healing hands caress our crippled hardware
Let our nodes stay stable, that through distance we may share
In your holy worship together we may gather nightly
Writing inuendo, our modems steaming slightly
Bless us Holy Goddess, and show us by your sign
That we have earned your favor, your blessing so divine.
The HP and P lead all in the following chant:
At this point the HP and P gaze into the fire for the portent of the
Goddess's sign of approval <the flames of blue light from the motherboard offering>
At seeing this both HP and P raise their arms in joyful supplication and shout <To
be echoed by the Coven members in attendance after each line>
The Maiden's found appeasement and She is satisfied
The Crone is in abeyance, her compu-billings fried
The Horned One's filled with power, in joining He is pleased
The Goddess sends Her blessings, cleansing virus and disease.
We thank the 4 directions for standing by our side
We thank the elementals and their power all allied
To Celebrate our status annointed compupagans of sin
Let Joyful Inhibition be released and the saturnalia begin!!!!
<the HP and P release the circle and the partying shall now commence>
Sensual foods and drinks are served and shared, <the rest you can imagine>
Prosperity Spell
Rowan Moonstone
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 uncollectible 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
6 green candles
9 white candles
Pine oil for anointing candles
salt
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All candles must be dressed with pine oil and then arranged as follows:
gold candle in the center
green candles in a circle around gold candle
white candles in a circle around green candles.
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). The SNUFF (do not blow or pinch) the candles in reverse
order.
That's it. That's all there is to it and it works beautifully. Since Lammas is
coming up, thought I'd post it for everyone to see. I've got a bunch more stuff
from these two ladies if anyone is interested. They worked a great deal with
Archangels and I suspect a strong Kabalistic crossover in there somewhere. But the
spells and rituals DO work quite nicely.
BB Rowan
Quarter Calls for The Dragon Tradition
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
aflame 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 invokedwith. 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".
Blessed Be.
Enjoy!
_____________________________________________________________________
| |
| 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 purple candle (4),
light incense (5). Repeat the following invocation:
You can either let the candles burn out by themselves, or snuff them in reverse
order and let them burn a little each night if the person will be on an extended
trip. On the last night let them burn down on their own. NEVER blow our or pinch
out the candles. This destroys the luck.
BB Rowan
WITH THESE EIGHT WORDS
THE WICCAN REDE FULFILL:
"AN IT HARM NONE, DO WHAT YE WILL."
Copyright 08/17/92 by Servants Of The Elder Gods, Rocky Mountain
Coven and James C. Taylor
OVERVIEW. The purpose of this paper is to look at the Wiccan Rede, at the types of
conduct it excludes, and at the type of conduct it requires. We will begin with a
detailed examination of the wording of the Rede itself, which presents as
"pseudo-archaic" but actually makes excellent use of the specific meanings of
several archaic words which have no real equivalents in contemporary English. We
will then take a look at the two sections of the Rede, and see why they are
presented in their proper order as written. Finally, we will examine various uses
of magick and see how--and if--they adequately measure up to the standard of the
Rede.
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THE VOCABULARY OF THE WICCAN REDE. As mentioned above, the Rede appears to be
presented in a pseudo-archaic or "phony ancient" form of English. Is this simply
harmless foolishness, or is there some excellent reason for the vocabulary selected?
Let's take a look at the Rede, word by word.
YE: The archaic PLURAL form of "you". The current word "you" denotes both the
singular and the plural; the archaic word "YE" is always plural. We shall see,
later on, that this is no accident.
The Wiccan Rede's "An it harm none" has parallels in many disciplines.
Perhaps the most significant parallel is found in the Hippocratic Oath taken by
every physician before s/he is certified to practice. The first part of the
Hippocratic Oath binds the physician "First, to do no harm." It is sobering to
realize that magical ethics, as set forth in the Wiccan Rede, are or should be so
similar to medical ethics, an issue with such a powerful effect on so many lives.
When we read of a physician who has violated his medical ethics, we read
this with outrage toward him and with empathy toward those patients who suffered
inadequate care because the physician violated his ethics. It is more sobering to
realize that future generations will regard violations of magickal ethics with the
same degree of outrage, and rightly so.
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Even without the first part of the Rede, "Do what ye will" is most certainly
not a blanket permission to do whatever you desire to do. As one Wiccan High
Priestess has observed, "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Seems like I've heard that before, but it's certainly true when you're talking about
using real magick to accomplish real goals in the real world.
When we realize the kinds and orders of results, both expected and
unexpected, both knowable and unknowable, which eventuate from almost every human
action, it would seem the better part of both valor and wisdom to never do anything
at all, especially not anything which is done with spiritual power guided by no more
than human wisdom! Unfortunately, to do nothing is also a choice, and the results
of inaction are often far worse than the results of even ill-considered action.
This is why the second half of the Rede demands that we make a decision and act upon
it, as well as conforming that decision to the requirement that it harm none.
THE STANDARD OF THE REDE. Please note that the Wiccan Rede contains no loop-holes
whatsoever. The Rede does not say, "An it harm none to the best of your knowledge."
The Rede also does not say "An it harm none to the best of your ability to discern
whether it will harm someone."
The Wiccan Rede does not say these things, or anything similar to them. It simply
says "An it harm NONE, do what ye will." This means that YOU, once you have
committed to live by the Wiccan Rede, are committed to be solely and totally
responsible for any harm resulting from ANY ACTION YOU TAKE, MAGICKAL OR NOT.
Paul Seymour's forthcoming book begins with some strong cautionary notes concerning
the use of magick. One of the examples he gives is particularly tragic, and
concerns a young man who worked a simple and apparently harmless "money spell". The
spell worked, and the young man got his money--he inherited it, when his parents
were both killed in an accident shortly after he worked the spell.
Paul does not say in his book if this young man was a Wiccan initiate. If he was,
then in addition to his sorrow and loss, he has had to live with the fact that, by
the standard of the Rede, he is ultimately responsible for the death of his parents.
When you commit to live according to the Wiccan Rede, you commit to conform your
entire life, not just the magickal, mystical and religious aspects of it, to the
standard set by the Rede. Never again will you be able to act impulsively or
without considering the results of what you do. Never again will you be able to act
or even speak in thoughtless irritation or anger. Instead, you will come to
consider the implications of every word you speak, and of every routine action you
do. For it is not just by magick that we can harm ourselves or others; everything
we do, and everything we say, has the potential to help or harm others, and to help
or harm ourselves.
It is also important to note that the Rede sets up a standard which prevents us from
harming ourselves as well as others. Other religions, including Christianity,
regard it as virtuous to suffer harm for the sake of another, even to die so that
another person might live. The Wiccan Rede does not permit this. You are to harm
none, and this means that you are not to harm yourself, even for the sake of doing
good for someone else.
To some, this may seem like a selfish standard. But think about it. Would you wish
to benefit by someone else's injury or death? Of course not! If you did derive some
benefit, such as an inheritance, from the death of another person, would you feel
good about this? Well, some people might, but probably you would not. Therefore, in
a very real sense, you yourself are harmed by a benefit you derive from the injury
or death of another. True, the harm is emotional, but it is entirely real.
Wicca recognizes that human beings are social creatures. What does harm to one,
does harm to all in varying degrees. Therefore, it is imperative that each person
strive to harm no one, himself or herself included.
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Finally, it is significant to note that word "ye" in the statement, "Do what YE
will." This is the ancient plural form of "you", and it means that your individual
will is assumed to be in accord with some other will, instead of acting entirely on
its own.
What is this other will which, together with yours, comprises the "ye" in the Rede?
Well, if you are working in a coven, it could well be the combined will of the
members of the coven. But this would not apply to those who are working on their
own, and it is not the highest or best meaning, even for those working in coven.
How does one act, so as to be certain to harm none? Not by refusing to act, since
inaction is itself a decision, and often causes far more harm than even rash action.
Not by delaying action until the time for it is past, because that is the same as
inaction. And not by relying solely upon your own human wisdom, either.
The best way to act, so as to be certain to harm none, is to call upon the Goddess
and/or the God, and to hand to Them the power you have raised, together with the
situation you have raised the power to deal with, and say, "You are holy, good, and
wise, and know how to use this power to help and not harm. Do Your will in this
situation. That is my will, that Your will be done." And thus the Rede is
fulfilled: For the "ye" who will are yourself and Them-selves, who are good, and
love humanity, and who always act for the highest good of all.
--- A WICCANING ---
Date: 08-31-92 18:25
By: Ceridwen Goddess
(please bear in mind that since non-Wiccans were present at this ceremony, some
things WERE toned down...we did not perform the Five-fold Kiss, or a more emphatic
version of the Great Rite... our horned statue of Pan was left at home in favor of a
small, antlered god-figure from an American Indian motif.. we did not include the
scourge on the alter, or the Cords (I chose instead to wear our blue-colored Cord
around my waist, however), and **most** references to the Horned God were altered to
reflect a less-imposing Antlered One... I do hope that those who may read this will
understand my reasoning for these actions.
Lammas 1992
I thought that i would share with you the ritual that we performed in blessing our
children this past Lammas (we did it on July 30th), Blessings to you all!
-Heidi
A WICCANING:
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Priest hands athame to Priestess who casts the Sacred Circle:
"With earth and air draw forth all that is fair
by fire and sea of ill stay free
O Circle, be thou a meeting-place of love and joy and truth
a shield against all wickedness and evil
a rampart of protection that shall preserve
the powers that we may raise within Thee.
Wherefore do i bless and consecrate thee.
The Priestess takes the bowl of water to the East and says:
The Priestess takes the bowl of earth to the North and says:
goddess:
god;
Maiden (in this case an unattached and close aunt of the children):
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(as she sprinkles the children with barley)
"Dearest ones, may you never know hunger or poverty for
material or spiritual things. I bless you with the barley
of the Spirits, for nourishment and wealth."
Mother (the Priestess who is the mother of the children):
(as she sprinkles the children with water)
"I bless you in the name of the Spirits of all life and
healing, with the waters of the Earth, that you may be
healthy and strong in body, mind, and spirit. Let love
be your treasure, may you be happy in your heart."
Crone (the Priestess's mother and the grandmother of the children):
(as she sprinkles the children with salt)
"Dearest ones, may you have access to your own wisdom
and that of others. May you be protected from foolishness
and self-destruction. May you know the essence of things;
may you be bright and find it easy to learn and teach."
The Antlered One (the Priest, who is the father of the children):
(fire/sage incense)
"With the Fire of the Universe to spark your temper,
I would ask that you may find joy and a sense of merriment
in all that you accomplish - to see the lighter side
of life's journey and find happiness in your work."
PATRICK'S DUNKING:
Great Goddess, Nurturer and Bearer of all Men, great and small
Without whose womb they would not be
Mother of Gods, of Sacrificial Kings,
Presidents, Emperors, and beggars
Welcome this son of Yours into Your Light
and as you have taught us, let him find
"Beauty and strength, power and compassion,
mirth and reverence, honor and humility"
within his heart.
Wash his fears away with your caress!
Bless Patrick Howard Lloyd!
Blessed Be!
MORGAINNE'S DUNKING:
Hail, o gracious and most magnificent Lady
whose slender hand turns the vast wheel of the sky.
whose triple aspect does see
the beginning, the life, and the end of all things.
whose wells of mystery do give
inspiration and rebirth thoughout eternity,
receive here this small daughter of yours with blessings
and with love.
Bless Morgainne Ellayne!
So mote it be!
(our oldest, 4 year old daughter was severely burned when she was
16 months old, thus the inspiration for her naming...)
"And at last, for our eldest daughter, as did the beautiful bird rise
miraculously from its burning, so did she -- and aptly she is
named PHOENIX."
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Priestess:
"O Lady of the Starry Heavens, Wise All-Father, behold these
lovely children, PANDORA, BACCHUS, and PHOENIX
conceived and brought forth in love.
Bless and protect them and grant the gifts of wisdom,
inspiration, and wonder, adorn them with your enduring
and eternal strength and steadfastness. May they ever
have spirits that seek the stars, and roots that hold
tight deep within thy loving breast."
--The Bread:
As the bread is passed around, the Priestess asks for its
glorification:
"Let us join hands and purify ourselves
breathing in the life force of the universe
and expelling all evil from us.
Take now of the bread
and know of the grain of which you partake
as the latest of countless generations
growing to fruitfulness
and in dying, giving of the seeds
from which new life shall spring
Know that every seed, every grain is
the record of times most ancient
and a promise of all that shall be.
Partake of the bread
and know of life eternal and of Immortality.
With this knowledge are our souls sustained."
--The Wine:
As the Chalice of wine is shared around the Circle, the
Priestess asks for it's glorification, also:
Drink now of the wine
And know of the tranformation
of simple fruits to sparkling elixir
as this wine has undergone change
so by life's cauldron shall we
As this wine gives the enchantment of the Divine
or abasement into the lower realms,
so do all humans rise or fall in each life
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As their own will and strength determines.
--The Storytelling:
at this point the group of celebrants and the witnesses were asked
to seat themselves and the Priestess read a story called "The Burning
of the Lady's People" chosen from a collection of Goddess tales,
THE STORYTELLER'S GODDESS by Carolyn McVickar Edwards.
The Priestess of EarthWorld Circle wishes to acknowledge the many sources from which
these invocations and blessings and ritual writings were chosen including MAGICAL
RITES FROM THE CRYSTAL WELL by Ed Fitch, and several of the various books by Stewart
and Janet Farrar, Doreen
Valiente, Starhawke's THE SPIRAL DANCE, A WICCAN BARDO by Paul Beyerl, and probably
others that i've forgotten their original sources over the years of use.
WP 04/28 The New Theology-Sheology; Mystical Women's Spiritual
Movements, Gaining Momentum ... and Adherents
By Judith Weinraub
Washington Post Staff Writer
Pagans at the Harvard Divinity School. A goddess-centered ritual at the
University of Pennsylvania. A feminist seder in Silver Spring. New moon groups at a
rabbinical seminary. Women's spirituality sessions at Appalachian State University,
Wesleyan University, Brown.
What on earth is going on?
If the events of the last few months are any indication, women are looking for a
spiritual connection - for a way to push the boundaries of their religious
experience beyond the ordinary confines of traditional Judeo-Christian monotheism.
Consciousness-raising may have been the solace of the '70s and career development
the icon of the '80s, but the '90s offer a very different option - the spirit.
Today's seekers, after all, are the daughters of the feminist revolution. Not
for them the victimized heroines and saints of the past. Not for them the
patriarchal structure of the male-dominated religions of the Old and New Testaments.
Their touchstones are the pagan religions, the pre-Christian Earth-centered
goddess cults that stress the harmony of the universe - movements that offerequality
rather than hierarchy, peace rather than war, joy rather than guilt, ritual rather
than rote.
"It's religion without the middleman - including sex and drugs," says Margot
Adler, a journalist at National Public Radio and the author of "Drawing Down the
Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers and Other Pagans in America Today."
The women's spirituality movement, which practitioners estimate as
attracting as many as 500,000 people across the country, is basically benign. And
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has nothing to do with the satanic cults of national TV talk shows. Whether
mainstream, new age, goddess-oriented (a point of view expressing a female- and
earth-centered style of worship rather than a specific body of liturgy) or wiccan (a
mainly British Isles paganism that refers to the Old English word for witch),
today's celebrants are as various as they are hard to count.
"It's definitely growing, but you'll never get hard figures," says Adler, whose
book was originally published in 1979 and, with more than 100,000 in print, still
sells more than 10,000 a year. "A group of women can start a group and not tell
anybody, and you'll have a thriving group doing rituals and who will know?"
What can be traced is the flourishing book industry, mostly out of San
Francisco, that the movement has spawned. Two books published in 1979 - Adler's and
"The Spiral Dance," a more personal vision by the San Francisco-based "priestess"
known as Starhawk - have been particularly influential.
What can also be pinned down are the threads that are woven through the
burgeoning movement: a dissatisfaction with the way women are treated within
traditional religions, a yearning for ritual, a desire for a historical connection,
despair over the fragmentation of society and a concern about the future of the
planet.
Says Diana Hayes, professor of theology at Georgetown: "Within
Christianity, theology and spirituality have been male oriented, male
dominated, because they are the ones articulating it. But we all are affected by who
we are, where we came from, our life experience, our relationship with god.
"So the challenge has been to get this realization out in the open and to have
the men who dominate theological circles realize that they cannot speak for the rest
of the human race. Women do not think or act the way men do. Therefore our
spirituality will not be the same as men's."
Listen to voices from the women's spirituality movement:
Diann Neu, women's religious leader, master's degrees in sacred theology and in
divinity from the Graduate Theological Union, Graduate School of Theology, Berkeley;
co-founder of WATER (Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual) in Silver
Spring: "I was a Catholic woman who thought I'd be one of the first to be ordained.
I thought it would happen by 1980. After all, there were only two possible paths
from the seminary: to teach on a faculty or to be ordained. I wasn't interested in
teaching and of course couldn't be ordained - though I always hoped there was the
possibility. I was disappointed. Pained.
Hurt. Angry. Distressed. So I started creating alternatives. I knew it was something
I needed to do. It was very exciting to me."
Starhawk, priestess of the Old Religion of the Goddess, witch, religious leader,
writer, counselor, women's spirituality superstar: "In the very simplest terms, the
goddess represents the sacredness of nature, of human life and human creativity as
well - the idea that human beings are meant to be integrated with nature. In the
goddess tradition the sacred is embodied in the earth, in ecological systems, in
human beings in different cultures. If we're all sacred, we have to deal equally
with each other. And when we really see the earth as this sacred place, and we know
that everything is connected, it makes it very hard to think about killing somebody,
to write off whole groups of people."
Diana Hayes, Catholic convert (from AME), professor of theology, Georgetown
University: "All of us have to be allowed to voice our spirituality in our own ways.
I see myself not as a feminist but as a womanist, a feminist of color. Women of
color - black, Hispanic, Asian - have begun to realize that the feminist movement
has been an exclusive, white, middle, and upper-middle-class movement. Womanists are
challenging the feminist movement in the same way that feminists have been
challenging the church. As a black woman within the
Catholic church, without that attitude, I'd have to be deaf, dumb and blind."
Margot Adler, journalist, an elder with Covenant of the Goddess, a
priestess, the granddaughter of analyst Alfred Adler: "I think it would be fair to
say that none of this would have happened to me if I hadn't been hit over the head
in the seventh grade by studying the gods Artemis and Athena. This was the late
'50s, and there weren't a lot of powerful images of women. What was interesting was
we studied Greece for a whole year, and this was my religion. But I think way down
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deep I didn't want to worship these goddesses - I wanted
to BE them."
Linda Pinty, a student at Harvard Divinity School, the intern minister at the
First Parish Church of Unitarian Universalists in Cambridge, and one of the
co-founders of CUPPS, the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans: I was brought
up a Baptist in Michigan but left the church in my late teens and read my way to the
Unitarian Universalists. I felt it was a place I could have freedom to search. The
neo-pagan movement brings a lot of things together. It offers a much healthier and
holistic way of experiencing ecstasy about life,
the goodness of creation and connecting at deep levels with other creatures. In
neo-paganism, a need to heal the earth is prominent - it's important to take care of
Mother Earth."
Susan Gale, a Philadelphia wife and mother and self-described "radical feminist
witch not yet out of the broom closet" in her neighborhood: "There's a pain that's
in young women even a decade after feminism. I was raised in a tough poor
working-class neighborhood. My mother was a German Protestant, my father an Italian
Catholic. I was raised as a very religious Presbyterian, but it didn't matter that I
was the most brilliant student in my religion class -
there wasn't a place for me as a minister. Deacons and ministers were men. And a lot
of it rubbed me the wrong way: the anti-sexuality, anti-sensuality, the guilt and
sin and punishment rather than joy. From the time I was a little kid, I couldn't
accept redemptive suffering. Why is the central metaphor of most religions the
bloody violent death of a male? Why is it not birth?"
Invoking the Spirit
Starhawk signs her books "Blessed be." It is also her greeting and her Amen.
In a large room set up with flowers, crystals, trinkets and copies of her books,
she presided recently at a women's ritual at the University of Pennsylvania's
Christian Association.
"Where would you like the altar?" asked a participant before the candles encased
in glass were set on a brightly colored cloth in the center of the room.
Two hundred women of similar mind-sets - but varying ages, religions,
occupations and sexual orientations - were ready to join Starhawk at the three-hour,
$40 event. Another couple of hundred men and women arrived later that evening for
Starhawk's lecture.
People like Geela Razael Raphael, a rabbinical student who was one of the
event's organizers. "Starhawk is a spiritual leader, a women's spirituality leader,"
says Raphael. "As a potential rabbi wanting to be a spiritual leader, I want to see
as many role models as I can. Her form of non-hierarchical religion can be used in
more traditional practice."
In person, the 40ish priestess looks not unlike the onetime tall Jewish girl
from Los Angeles she used to be. But her soft-voiced, authoritative presence and
staccato chanting and drumming command her sessions with surprising power.
Women wear comfortable clothing: jeans, skirts, sweaters, tie-dye
revisited. A majority tend to be of a certain size - the goddess religion rejoices
in the female body. There are many embraces. Networking materials are exchanged.
Before casting the formal circle that so many women's rituals start out with,
Starhawk encourages the youngest and strongest in the group to form an inner circle
around the altar.
Starhawk warms up the group with physical and vocal stretches. As
participants form a larger ring around the inner one, she "casts" the ritual circle,
theoretically making the space within it a special place. Candles representing the
four directions and the Earth's center are lit. Earth, air, fire and water are
invoked.
Women stand and sway as she drums, urging them to find their centers, their
connectedness, often against the background of a simple chant:
"Rising, rising, the earth is rising.
Turning turning, the tide is turning.
Changing changing, she changes everything she touches.
Changing, changing, and everything she touches changes."
Like many women's ritual leaders, Starhawk uses such chants as a kind of
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surrogate liturgy. Presented at different moments that morning, the lilting song she
teaches is used as a blessing, a uniting force, a backdrop to movement and dance.
Starhawk leads the group through a series of activities - some that draw upon the
circle as a whole, some small group discussions, guided
visualizations. "What kind of a body are you in?" she asks. "Look at your body. How
does it feel?"
Some people writhe. Others beat time to the drums. Some stand awkwardly (earlier
she assured them not to worry if they feel ill at ease). Some look dubious.
To focus the visualization even more, Starhawk takes the group to an imaginary
crossroads in the sky. "Close your eyes," she says. "Reach out and feel and touch
and smell these roads until you find one that feels like a road in the future. Go
down the road. Know you can come back to this place of power because it is you. And
remember there are many roads to the future. The road you chose is only one
possibility."
The session ends with a grand finale "spiral dance" - clockwise to invoke, then
counterclockwise to release. "Anything you want to do involves both," she says.
A gifted speaker with an easy sense of humor, Starhawk is equally at home
beating time in the center of a ritual or working the crowd at the podium of a
lecture hall. She is also at home with what she calls the "W" word ("witch").
"Unless we understand it, we don't know why a powerful woman is so threatening and
so frightening," she says. "There was a 400-year reign of terror particularly
directed against women who were then burned alive," she says, likening the witch
hunts to the African slave trade, the Holocaust.
Starhawk became interested in witchcraft in her late teens when she and a friend
did a student seminar on the subject at UCLA. Now she is at the forefront of a
movement to reclaim the word for positive use. (Male witches also use the word
rather than warlock, which means traitor.)
For most people, of course, the word "witch" conjures up an image of a crinkled
old woman you wouldn't want your children to talk to. But the picture of the craft
that emerges within today's women's spirituality movement (and that is reinforced by
Starhawk's Philadelphia ritual) is a combination of group therapy, positive
thinking, stretching exercises, guided visualization, song and dance - and even pot
luck.
Its goddess- and nature-oriented precepts are similar to the Old Religion of
prehistoric times and societies that fell victim to the witch hunts and persecutions
of medieval and renaissance Europe. It is earth-centered, individualistic and
peace-loving.
Starhawk spends about a third of her time teaching ritual and spreading the
faith at college campuses and other forums around the country, and in Canada. She
feels that people crave it. "Even people who live in cities - like most of us - are
still connected to the cycles of nature," she says. "Doing ritual that helps you
affirm that helps us not to feel cut off from the larger life around us, the actual
life support systems that sustain our lives."
Women's Rites
Spring, with its vivid reminders of the cycle of birth and death andrebirth, is
a fertile time for the rituals of women's spirituality. Look at some recent
manifestations in the Washington area:
Last month, attracted by a flier heralding a celebration of the goddess ("dancing,
singing, drumming, healing, creativity, inspiration, discovery, nurturing and
goddess games"), 21 women gathered in a conference center in Potomac in honor of the
spring equinox. "The day was designed for women who wanted to bring out the goddess
within them," says organizer Nancy Smith, a seminar leader who specializes in stress
management and massage therapy.
120 men, women and children turned up last month for a feminist Seder (for
Holy Thursday as well as Passover) put on by the Silver Spring-based WATER. Now a
place where Christian and Jewish women can come together for a feminist
interpretation of religious rituals, WATER was created by Diann Neu and Mary Hunt,
two Catholic theologians, in 1983. They send out 10,000 newsletters, stage
workshops, conferences and lectures, hold ecumenical monthly breakfasts for women in
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ministry, publish books and act as an all-purpose feminist resource.
On April 14, the new moon heralded the Jewish celebration of Rosh Hodosh. A group
of women interested in finding or creating ritual specifically for Jewish women
gathered in a Silver Spring home in honor of the occasion. Instead of going ahead
with their scheduled topic - the redefinition of God in non-masculine terms - the
group (representing a 30-year age span) shared its feelings and prayed (to the
feminine aspect of god) about the recent death of a 42-year-old friend.
At the All Souls Church in the District a smaller group of women is currently
investigating women's religious history each Sunday afternoon through "Cakes for the
Queen of Heaven," a 10-part correspondence course available through the Unitarian
Universalist Church. Bev Tubby, who took the course last year, is one of the
conveners this year. "In spite of everything that's been written about feminism and
role differences, women really do bring a wonderfully strong view to this world,"
she says. "We do have a different perspective - it has to do
with the human context and human relationships. If women are not cognizant of their
spiritual history, they are missing out on a more complete identity that can help
form our ideas of who we are and what we want to do in this world and how we're
going to do it."
And June 6, "Kestryl & Company," the first of six biweekly talk shows about
contemporary witchcraft will air on Arlington Community Cable, Channel 33. Produced
by Cheryl Ann Costa, a computer programmer and third-degree Wicca high priestess,
and moderated by Erica Angell (known as Kestryl), a housewife and second-degree high
priestess, the show will feature high priests, magical tool makers, tarot experts
and pagan bards. "Many people are looking for a way to plug into The Craft," says
Costa. This is an easy way to do it.
Having cast their lot with an enlarged view of the sacred, these women, like
many others all over the country, are looking to the spiritual as a hope for the
future.
"It's life-giving for me to be a part of it, and to create it," says WATER's
Neu.
"What I keep coming back to is that there is a growing power within women. We
are breaking all kinds of silences. Things are happening because there are more and
more groups where women feel safe. My hope is that we'll keep creating these safe
spaces where being together as men and women is possible."
The 12 steps and Shamanism
by Matrika co-sysop of PAN - the Psychic Awareness Network at
1-703-362-1139 copyright by PAN and Harvest ( a pagan newsletter at box 228 S.
Framinham MA 01701 - $13. per year)
Author's note - this article was first published by me under the name JUKNO in
Harvest's Yule edition, 1989.
Recently a local charecter in Alcoholics Anonymous here in the Worcester MA. area
died. His name was "John the Indian" (he identified himself this way) and he was
well-known as an AA speaker all over the world, although he lived near central
Massechusetts. John had about thirty years of sobriety and was a great power of
example to many people including Betty Ford who told him she had listened to tapes
of his talks while she was in detox.
John's story intrigued many people. An Indian who had been orphaned on the
reservation when Tuberculosis wiped out his familly, he had ended up on skid row
after serving in the Canadian army during World War II as a dishwasher. He came to
AA in his mid-twenties, an illiterate wine. ( my note - this is NOT to imply that
most alcoholics are on skid row. In fact most of them are people with nice
famillies, a place to live, a car or even two, a job, etc. etc. etc. Less that 2%
of the alcoholics in this country are on skid row) He ended up owning his own
construction business after learning to read (from a elderly woman in AA who was a
school teacher) and marrying a lady in AA with whom he raised a lovely familly.
Because John had inspired me and so affected my life with his gift of
simplicity, I was inspired to do a shamanic-style rite in his memory. I had always
felt sorry for John because, in the process of his recovery, he seemed to have lost
touch with the beauty of this heritage. Then it hit me; John WAS a shaman and
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anyone who truly worked a 12-step program was one too.
In BIRTH OF A MODERN SHAMAN by Cynthia Bend and Tayja Wiger (Llewelyn
Publication box 64383, St. Paul MN. 1988 ) it states
" A shaman is hard to define. There are no two alike..... what
happens, a shaman goes through a catastrophe or a string of
catastrophes that enhance certain abilities within him ( or her! )
.....Most often the Shaman has to go through a severe trauma, a severe
illness or a severe psychosis and recover from it before he learns the recovery
process that he can use."
The authors are quoting Tsonkawa, Tayja's teacher on the Shamanic path. (a Native
American Medicine person)
Many other authors on Shamanism; Sunbear, Lynn Andrews, Amber Wolfe and Micheal
Harner, to name a few: echo this truth. A shaman is a person who goes through great
suffering, usually in the form of a mental or physical illness, and then goes on to
heal himself or herself. They are then able to use that same process to heal
others.
Here are some books that can help any Pagan, Shaman, Druid, Witch,
Practitioner of Feminist Spirituality, or other Magickal folk as they walk the steps
in the process of recovering, while retaining their own unique spiritual path.
TRUTH OR DARE by Starhawk (San Francisco, Harper and Row, 1987) This
contains many references to the 12-step programs, especially Alcoholics Anonymous
and Adult Children of Alcoholics, in a work on Wicca by a well-known priestess of
the Craft who is also a psychotherapist.
CRYSTAL CLEAR by Connie Church (Bew York, Willard books 1987) It
contains a good section on how to use quartz crystals to help in relieving yourself
of bad habits, compulsions, and obsessions, specifically for use with the various
twelve-step programs. (note - amethyst is traditionally said to help in all these
areas)
BIRTH OF A MODERN SHAMAN, mentioned above, tells the story of a blind
Native American woman who was a survivor of Child abuse and had been
Psycotic as well as Alcoholic. This is the story of her complete recovery,
including her eyesight, (documented by doctors) and the discovery of her Psychic
gifts with her Native roots. Her healing occured through a process that began for
her in Alcoholics Anonymous.
THE TWELVE STEPS FOR EVERYONE published by Compcare (Minneapolis MN.) this is a
non-sexist book on the steps by a grateful recovering member of Emotional Health
Anonymous written in non-sexist language. The author draws heavily on the Eastern
traditions of spirituality as well as the traditional Western monotheistic ones.
By: Domi O
To: Lewis Stead
Re: Details, please.
Lady Sabrina was initiated by Bob Moshier and Dorothy Trion in
Tuscon Arizona in 1978, according to what she says. She was in
Danville, California for a
while, near San Franscisco; and was in COG (I have not checked
this); she then studied with Gavin and Yvonne in New Bern for 1 and
a half years; then moved to Billerica, Mass; then to Hudson, NH;
then Nashua, NH. I was in Epping, NH when a Gardnerian friend and
fellow NH College administrator, Gerry Reilly, introduced me to
Sabrina. Since I am Daughters of the Triple Goddess and Celtic
Wiccan Order trained, Gerry's brand of witchcraft and Sabrina's
struck me equally weird.
I talked to Gavin and Yvonne last week; they feel Sabrina has
borrowed heavily from them but they don't have an issue with it and
they don't consider their organisation and hers to be connected.
In 1987 Geraldine Gumm aka Gerri Garcia aka Queen Druid aka Laura
Copeland aka Janette Gordon aka Janette Copeland aka Laverna Gordon
aka Laverna Copeland aka Gerry Garcia aka Gerri Gunn aka Gerri Teah
Garcia aka Jerry Leah Garcia took Sabrina's course; in winter of
1989 she began advertising a coorespondence course in Wicca, which
according to Sabrina is Sabrina's. I've looked at them; they are
very much alike. The Frosts and Sabrina both teach non-mainstream
Wicca and charged for Craft when no one was doing that. I have
heard far more negative things about some far more mainstream
figures; both the Frosts and Sabrina are very public and really
seem to have nothing to hide. What they teach isn't my Craft, but
I will defend their right to practice their version and teach it
as they see fit. Or did you mean something else ?
Domi of ADF
By: Domi O
To: Corwynt
Re: ADF letter
Her group was investigated in 1975 in Arizona for dead bodies and
missing persons, moved a bit over a hundred miles as the crow
flies, and she and her husband were arrested in New Mexico in 1978.
The children involved were returned to their parents, two being
kept in social service custody while it was determined to whom they
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belonged, and two members of the group were "deprogramed" by Ted
Patrick. She was calling herself "Queen Druid" then and initiating
folks as "WI" or "witch one". I have a lovely pile of court papers
and newspaper clippings I will gladly share with anyone who'd like
to send me $4 for photocopying and postage...
Domi O'Brien
Box 66311
Seattle, WA 98166
The only published copy of the Blessing Prayer that I know of is in the book "Witch
Blood! The Diary Of A Witch High Priestess!" by Patricia Crowther in chapter four
(paperback edition 1974, House Of Collectibles, Inc.).
"In the name of Dryghtyn, the Ancient Providence,
Who was from the beginning and is for eternity,
Male and Female, the Original Source of all things;
all-knowing, all-pervading, all-powerful;
changeless, eternal.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(120) Tue 17 Nov 92 21:12
By: Airmid
To: David Piper
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Re: Monism/monotheism
St:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
@INTL 93:9500/0 93:9500/0
DP> When you examine the "Blessing Prayer" of English Trad Wicca however, the
Dryghtyn is obviously more than just a unifying essence since It is called: "the
original source of all things; all-knowing, all-pervading, all-powerful; changeless,
eternal." It describes the Ultimate, the Absolute, the Godhead of which the God and
the Goddess are at one and the same time, both Its Polarities and also Its first
Manifestations.
Dryghtyn is also the name used for JHVH in some old English bibles. I
think that was where the term actually originated. I think I saw a
passing reference to it in some boxed comparative translated text in "In Search of
the Indo-Europeans."
===================================
BASIC MEDITATION TECHNIQUES
by
Bill Witt
===================================
The course is devided into three sections. Section one deals with what meditation
is and how it plays a part in the lives of those who use it. Section two will go
into the techniques and tools of meditation. Section three gives suggestions on how
to use what you've learned, in everyday life. A list of books for further reading on
the subject, will be given at the end of section three.
Webster defines meditation as "The act of meditating; close or continued thought;
the revolving of a subject in the mind."
To meditate is to focus mentally on one thought, idea, or concept. It may also
mean, to revolve an idea in your mind so as to change the way in which you think of
that idea. Meditation is therefore, a tool with which you may manipulate thought in
an organized manner.
Many people view meditation as a very difficult thing to learn. In reality
though, we do it often without even knowing it. When you daydream or find your mind
fixed on one thought, that is a form of meditation. Have you ever watched a bird in
flight, or stared up at the clouds in the sky, or maybe even found yourself watching
a stream of water flow by? If you have and at that moment the rest of the world
around you has seemed removed, then you were in a state of meditation. The real key
to this practice, is to be able to exercise control over your thoughts and awareness
of the world around you.
There are many groups of people for whom meditation is an everyday ritual.
Others use it at special times as a means of relaxation and "mental house cleaning."
It allows the individual a freedom unlike no other freedom. The freedom to look
inside oneself and learn just who you are. Some use it as a way of being closer to
nature or God. No matter how you wish to use it, you will find it a healthy and very
rewarding experience.
Most all religions practice meditation in one way or another. Eastern
philosophies such as Yoga, and Buddism are not the only ones to view meditation as a
way of looking for the Truth found in one's own consciousness. Even in Christianity
meditation finds a place of value. The Bible itself mentions the value of
meditation. In writing to the Phillippians, the Apostle Paul tells them this.
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there
be any praise, think on these things."
(Phil. 4.8)
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So you ask, what can it do for me. Well, beyond just being a good way to really
relax, which we can all use in this hectic world, it can be a doorway to the Truth
inside yourself. It is a way of gaining wisdom. Knowledge has always been fairly
easy to come by. Wisdom on the other hand, is a bit harder to grasp onto.
In "The Task" by William Cowper, the following line is found. "Knowledge dwells
in heads replete with thoughts of other men: Wisdom, in minds attentive to their
own."
For me, meditaion becomes a way of "grounding" myself, of reaching a place of
peace and stability, where I can find how I fit into the universe.
In many philosophies, meditaion is viewed as a necessary skill. All those who are
students of these philosophies must learn the ways of meditaion early in their
training. Although the techniques may vary from one group to another, the most basic
concepts remain the same. The ability to be able to focus on one thought and
selectively block out all others is the foundation upon which many more advanced
skills will be built. These skills may range from telepathy to the ability to move
objects with only the mind.
It is well known that Yogi adepts can lower their breathing and heart rates to
near death levels. This is something you should not try as it takes years of
practice to learn and can be quite dangerous. Still, these yogis are proof of the
type of power the mind can exercise over the body through meditation.
In some cultures, the use of drugs to achieve a meditative state is
encouraged. The american indians for example, used drugs derived from various plants
to put themselves into an altered state of conciousness. This was usually done as a
religious practice and as an event marking the change from one state of life to
another. A good example would be the ceremony marking the coming into manhood of a
young boy. Today there are still many, who advocate the use of drugs to achieve
these altered states. It is my opinion that such measures are neither necessary nor
good. You can reach an altered state of conciousness without the use of drug induced
"highs". It takes practice, but
it can be done.
In New Age philosophy, the art of meditaion is highly valued. We also find
another well developed skill which is called "creative visualization". This is the
idea of visualising what you want to the point of it becoming reality. A good
example would be a salesman visualizing himself as successful and prosperous. The
concept is simple, if you can visualize a personal reality, you can change or bring
that reality into being. "Positive Thinking" is a very
similar idea. The technique of creative visualization goes beyond positive thinking
however. It deals with the premise that we all create our own reality and therefore
have the power to change many aspects of that reality. The idea of "personal
reality" is a lengthy one and we do not have enough room to cover it in this course.
So far we have looked briefly at what meditation is and how it is used. By no
means have we touched on all the aspects of this practice. There are many books on
the subject which cover it in much more detail. My purpose is to give you an
overview of the many facets of meditation in the hope that you will wish to learn
more.
This is the second part of a three part online course in Basic Meditation
Techniques
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The course is devided into three sections. Section one deals with what meditation
is and how it plays a part in the lives of those who use it. Section two will go
into the techniques and tools of meditation. Section three gives suggestions on how
to use what you've learned, in everyday life. A list of books for further reading on
the subject, will be given at the end of section three.
In this second section of the "Basic Meditation Techniques" course, we will
discuss various relaxation procedures and how they will aid you in entering a trance
or meditative state. You will also be given some ideas about types of music and
other "tools" which can help you achieve these relaxed states of mind. Let's begin.
First, let's set the stage for our meditation practice. You should pick a place
which is as private and safe as possible. An altered state of mind, as in
meditation, lessens your awareness of the outside world. For this reason, it is not
advisable to practice these techniques in a public place where there is a chance of
being mugged, robbed, or molested. If you are at home, with other family members or
friends present, ask that you not be disturbed and that all other noise in the house
be kept to a minimum. When you have found a place suitable for meditation, you may
begin.
"The seekers of new mind states-the mind control devotees, the encounter group
enthusiasts, the drug takers, the psychics, the meditators - all are on a journey
into the interior universe trying to burst the limits of the socially conditioned
mind. Weither acceptable or unacceptable, moral or immoral, wise or foolish, the
mind of man is stirring toward a new evolution."
Dr. Barbara Brown (1)
As I said in section one, trance or meditaive states, alter the way your mind
deals with the realities it accepts as normal. Things which are experienced in a
trance state are often not easily expressed in everyday language. You will at some
level, experience a heightened state of awareness. Colors, smells, and sounds may
seem amplified from what they normally are.
People who can acheive very deep states of trance often leave their bodies in
astral projection, or have psychic experiences.
I highly recommend, that if you wish to enter deep states of meditation, you do
so under the guidance and teaching of someone who is well trained in the practice of
such techniques. The key thing to remember is that it's not what level your working
on as much as what you are learning. There is alot to be gained in wisdom and
knowledge at all levels of trance.
Now let's learn some simple and usefull relaxation exercises.
You want to be sure that the time you pick to practice your meditation is a time
when you are least likely to be disturbed. You should not be overly tired or have
just finished eating as both of those conditions may cause you to fall asleep. Even
though you wish to acheive an altered state of consciousness, you do want to remain
conscious to some degree. If you fall asleep when you are meditating, no harm is
done and you will awaken quite refreshed and rested. Unfortunately though, you may
not be able to recall all the things you
experienced while in trance.
If you are lying down, be sure your back and neck are properly supported so as
not to fatigue the body. If you are sitting, be sure that both feet are flat on the
floor and that you are sitting as erect as possible without being too stiff or
strained. You should have your arms resting comfortably in your lap with palms up.
In either case, it is important that your body not become strained or fatigued
for at least thirty minutes. This is a good length of time to begin with as it
should put neither a physical or mental strain on your being.
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Next, visualize a yourself in a cocoon of white light. You should surround
yourself completely. See the light as bright and warm. You may play with this sphere
of light making it bigger or smaller until it "feels" right for you. Say to
yourself, "I am protected by the pure white light of all that is good and truthfull.
I am surrounded by the pure light which keeps out all unwanted and evil influences."
This is a good idea to do for several reasons. There are those, and I am one of
them, who believe that each of generates an aura which protects us from outside
influences when we are in trance. This aura may be strengthened by visualizing the
light as growing brighter at our command. Even if you do not accept this idea, the
practice lends a feeling of safety and security to you. Nothing which is outside of
you may enter or touch you without your permission.
Learning to control and pay attention to your breathing is the next step. You
should start by taking a deep breath in through your nose, hold it for the mental
count of 4 and then let it all out slowly through your mouth. Repeat this until you
begin to feel at rest and relaxed. Allow your breathing to settle into a steady,
rythmic rate. Just this simple technique can relax and refresh you at any time. When
you are only doing the breathing exercise, it is not necessary to go through the
white light sphere visualization. Some people use a muffled metronome or recording
of some other rythmic sound, such as
ocean waves, to aid them in setting the pace of their breathing. A good source of
recorded sounds which can help you in meditation is a series of records and tapes
which have been produced under the title "ENVIRONMENTS".
Now, as you are breathing, see yourself lying in the warm light of the sun. The
light is warm and pleasant to be in. Starting with the tips of your toes, feel the
light warming all of your body, slowly moving up into your legs, your trunk, and
then into your arms and fingers. As you feel this warming become more and more
relaxed, going deeper and deeper into a calm and quiet place.
When you fell totally relaxed and at peace, bring a single thought into your
mind. It should be of a pleasant experience or of an idea such as love, joy, peace,
or compassion. Focus on this one thought and if some other thought should try to
intrude, picture it as being written on a clear board between you and your focal
thought. Then picture it being erased from that board as it might be from a piece of
paper. Deal with any thought, other than your focal thought, quickly. Try to
maintain concentration on your focal thought for at least five minutes. Picture it
as being real and experience it as if it were.
When you are able to do this and can exclude all other thoughts as they attempt to
enter your mind, you will have learned the single most important technique of
meditation.
It is now time to begin coming back to normal consciousness. slowly let the
thought fade from your mind and again become aware of the warm light of the sun. As
you fell the light bathing you in its' warmth, start to reconnect your mind with the
physical sensations of your body. Become aware of your breathing and the room around
you. Do this slowly and calmly. When you are fully aware of your surroundings, open
your eyes slowly. Enjoy the sense of calm and peace.
If you succeeded in doing this exercise, you should feel more relaxed and calm
than normal. It is important to remember that you are comparing it to normal for
you, not to what you think others would or should feel.
If you do not feel you succeeded try again in a day or two. Between
meditaion sessions, practice your deep breathing exercises. If you keep trying, you
will soon reach a calm and meditative state. Do not attempt to meditate when you are
ill, tired, or hungry. Those feelings only serve to make your efforts more
difficult. A very important part to remember is that you can not force yourself into
a meditative state. You must flow into it and surrender to it calmly.
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Some things which are found to be helpfull in meditation follow.
Try concentrating on the flame of a candle when focusing. You could also use a
crystal ball. The later is rather exspensive but small crystal window ornaments or
pyramids also work well and cost much less.
Music is also an aid to some. The music should be quiet and rhythmic. It should
bring on feelings of peace and comfort. Such music may range from New Age recordings
to classical.
Another usefull device is to focus on a symbol which holds special meaning for
you. It may be an well known symbol or one you design yourself. As long as it holds
a special meaning or expresses a special concept, it is a usefull focusing tool.
This brings section two of this course to a close. In the next part I will give
you some pratical ways in which to use what you have learned.
The most obvious use of the techniques you have learned, is relaxation. During
the course of the day, many of us have moments when the pressure becomes almost to
much. When this happens, we often can't deal with other people or projects the way
we should. The breathing exercises you learned in section two can help at these
times.
It doesn't require alot of time or absolute quiet as does your meditation
practice. All that is required is about five minutes and relative privacy. At these
times, begin doing your rhythmic breathing and visualize a place which is calm and
refreshing. This simple and quick exercise, can work wonders to help you regain
control in a hectic situation.
One final use I will suggest is visualization. Meditation can be used as a tool
for problem solving. While in a meditative state of mind, you have the ability to
take any situation and manipulate it. By that I mean you can mentally play the out
the situation using several different solutions. Then, you can pick the one which
seems to best solve the problem. While the use of meditation can help you deal with
problem solving more effectively, it is not infallible. All it can do is allow you
to think more clearly and concisely about the problem at hand.
Well that concludes this study on meditation. I hope you have gained something
usefull from this course. It has been by no means, a full explanation of the
subject. There is much more to learn than could be covered in this short series and
It is my hope that you will want to continue your studies into this fascinating and
usefull skill.
More studies of this type will be developed in the near future. The New Atlantis
BBS will continue to post these studies as an ongoing service to it's users. Please
feel free to leave suggestions on the BBS about subjects you would like to see
covered.
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SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
References:
(1) Dr. Barbara Brown
"New Mind, New Body"
New York, Bantam Books, 1975
Page 17
Miriam Simos (Starhawk)
The Spiral Dance
New York
Harper & Row; 1979
W.E. Butler
How To Read The Aura, Practice
Psycometry, Telepathy and
Clairvoyance
New York
Destiny Books; 1978
Melita Denning & Osborne Phillips
The Development of Psychic Powers
St. Paul, MN
Llewellyn Publications; 1985
I believe that magic always works. Magic is a tool, a reality shaper. Like
any tool, however, its ability is limited to the operator's knowledge and skill.
For an illustration, let's use the bow and arrow. Your intention is the arrow and
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your magical technique for directing that intention is the bow. You use the
bow/technique to poise, balance and guide the intention/arrow with the strength of
your arms and hands/ determination and will.
What happens when this all works together optimally? The will firmly grasps
the clear intention, balances it upon the technique, you gather your emotional and
mental force, and then fire the intention into the invisible world to be made
manifest. In its own time and way, your wish materializes.
Conversely, if you haven't got the skill to bring all of these efforts
together, things can go askew. Your arrow can veer and stray, or it may travel a
few feet before losing power. Your bow can break, or not be strong enough to propel
the arrow. Or, you may find that you've got your bow and arrow ready to use, but
you haven't got sufficient strength to manipulate it.
I offer the following meditation process for those times when it seems that
your magic doesn't work. When you've tried all the techniques, when you've gotten
no results, when you're wondering if any of this matters at all, the process in this
meditation can produce miracles and create a sense of completion. You can read the
script into a tape, or have a friend lead you through it.
When your sphere is completely filled with the last of your desire,emotion,and
intention, hold it aloft...feel the power of it in you hands,a globe of power that
you can now release...and look out into the river of life...watch as its currents of
possibility flow for ever and ever,as far as you can see...and whenever you're
ready,with as much and as little force as you need, throw the pulsating sphere into
the river...and give this intention to the life force of this
great river...watch as the sphere touches the water...and gradually disappears into
the current...
Take a deep breath... as the sphere disappears the last of your intention and
emotion and desire merges with the source of all life, from which it orriginally
came...and leaves you...
Now complete any business here that you need to finish...take a few moments to
enjoy the flowing river of life,and know that the possibilities it nourishes can
bring miracles into you life too...
Take another deep breath, and notice tha colored mist is once again swirling
around you...billowing up underneath you to form a beautiful cloud of cushiony
energy, which is lifted up into the air, with you upon it...relaxing into the cloud
you are returning the way you came...lifting up up through time and space, coming
back from the inner world...coming up... further and further...floating and drifting
back...coming back...bringing you all the way back into your body now, into this
room...brining your attention completely back into this time and place...take a deep
breath and begin to re-orient yourself to the outer world...and when you're ready,
count to three..., and on the count of three open your eyes,and return feeling
relaxed,alert and at peace.
* * *
As always, change any of the wording or images in this
meditation if it suits your purpose better. The
important part is just to finally and completely let go
of your intention, so that the energy can be recycled in
whatever form the creative force and your own
consciousness will allow. Out of this release, new
lives, new opportunities, and new magical opportunities
are born!
"Henotheism n. Belief in one god without denying the existence of others." (American
Heritage Second College Dictionary)
"Monism n. philos. A metaphysical system in which reality is conceived as a unified
whole." (American Heritage Second College Dictionary)
"Monotheism n. The belief or doctrine that there is only one God." (American
Heritage Second College Dictionary)
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"Pantheism n. 1. The doctrine identifying the Deity with the various forces and
workings of nature. 2. Belief in and worship of all gods." (American Heritage Second
College Dictionary)
"Polytheism n. The worship of or belief in more than one god." (American Heritage
Second College Dictionary)
"To witches, deities manifest in different ways and can be worshipped and contacted
through any form suitable to local conditions and personal needs. Wicca does not
believe, as do the patriarchal monotheisms, that there is only one correct version
of God and that all other God forms are false: the Gods of Wicca are not jealous
Gods. We therefore worship the personification of the male and female principles,
the God and the Goddess, recognizing that Gods are aspects of the One God and all
Goddesses are different aspects of the one Goddess, and that ultimately these two
are reconciled in the one divine essence."
(Vivianne Crowley, WICCA: The Old Religion in The New Age,pp. 11-12)
However, there is yet a THIRD level of obscurity in Wiccan Praxis! Most Wiccans
worship a threefold Goddess (Maid, Mother, and Crone) and many also worship at least
a twofold God. So, are the Wicca REALLY polytheists or perhaps pantheists or even
modified Henotheists as some have claimed? Or, perhaps, a new category altogether
needs to be invented to accurately describe Wiccan belief and practice.
One suggestion has been made to add a word to our Thea/Theo-logical lexicon,
perhaps "Cthonotheism" (provided we MUST have a "Theism") to describe "Theistic
Wicca". One advantage is that it makes the assumption of worshipping that which was
there to be found and worshipped, NOT a Deity or deities invented in 1939! (More on
this later.)
The following is the only published copy of the (Gardnerian) Blessing Prayer that I
know of.
Airmid (aka Erynn Darkstar), a contemporary craft scholar and researcher says of
this new (to most of us) name of Ultimate Deity:
"Dryghtyn is also the name used for JHVH in some old English bibles. I think that
was where the term actually originated. I think I saw a passing reference to it in
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some boxed comparative translated text in "In Search of the Indo-Europeans."
Grendel, an Asatruar from Seattle suggests the "Dryghtyn" may be an alternative
spelling of the Teutonic "Drighten" meaning "Lord". I admit this is interesting, to
me, as the closeness of the linguistic link between the Old English and Old German
languages has been a scholarly "fact" widely known for many years.
As a side issue, this might be some evidence that runs contrary to the thesis put
forth by Aidan Kelly that Gerald Gardner "manufactured" Wicca in 1939. From
personal experience, I have found that one unique distinction of the non BTW strains
of Witchcraft (some times called "FamTrads" of Family Traditions) is the
incorporation of old Christian Imagery, often including ArchAngels for the four
directions or elements. Though this instance does not include Archangels, it DOES
include archaic (and relatively unknown) Christian terminology. If Gardner did
discover a remnant of the Old Religion upon which he based his modern reconstruction
effort, it is this sort of linguistic "artifact" which would have survived. Perhaps
a more scholarly investigation than mr. Kelly's will "turn up" more evidence?
Jim Taylor, an Eastern Orthodox Theologian, also makes two (to me) illuminating
statements, concerning "The Dryghtyn Prayer":
1. "'In the name of Dryghtyn, the Ancient Providence,
Who was from the beginning and is for eternity,
Male and Female, the Original Source of all things;
all-knowing, all-pervading, all-powerful;
changeless, eternal.'
This would be, entirely, an acceptable way of describing God, both for most Jews and
for most Christians."
AND
2. "'In the name of the Lady of the Moon,
and the Lord of Death and Resurrection.'
The Lord of Death and Resurrection would seem, to any Christian to refer to Jesus
Christ."
This evidence of a possible mixing of an older (unrecorded) Christian Prayer may
lend further credence to Gardners' claims of building on an older, hidden,
traditional remnant.
I, personally, also agree with Mr. Taylors' statement that "the idea of Wicca being
'manufactured' in 1939 is far too pat, and ignores a great deal which ought not to
be ignored. At the very least, some degree of recognition should be accorded to
the obvious fact that most Wiccan practices and attitudes predate Wicca by
considerable periods of time--possibly even millennia".
The existence of Monism, Duotheism, and Polytheism simultaneously in the belief
structure of Wicca is one good example of one of the Five Mysteries of Wicca, that
of Union. Wicca is a mystery religion, a PARTICIPATORY religion, and much of its
symbology must be lived and practiced to have meaning because much of the real (some
say hidden meaning is based on the knowledge of experience and not the intellectual
knowledge of mere logic and conscious thought processes.
I am an eclectic Wiccan with strong ties in my beliefs and practice to British
Traditional Wicca. I am a Monist, yet I have had strong direct experience with
Brigid, Danu, and the Morrigan as well as the Earth Mother and the Horned Lord of
the Forests. So my personal answer to the question of "What kind of Theism fits
Theistic Wicca?" is "several, or none; it is not really a valid question in those
limited terms"! But perhaps the concept of "Chthonotheism" would give a better
label to this concept when attempting to discuss the idea of the peculiar theism
unique to Wicca?
Blessed Be,
Durwydd MacTara
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Wedding Ceremony
The Bard
THE ORDER OF SOLEMNIZATION OF MARRIAGE (GENERAL)
The Altar shall be dressed with a white cloth, with a Cup, and an unsheathed Sword.
A small lectern should be provided to the Minister, that he may hold the Sword and
read the ceremony. One candle shall be unlit upon the altar, and two lit candles
shall be provided, to either side.
Smaller candles shall be provided to at least the wedding party, and to the whole
congregation, if possible.
FATHER: I do.
% (the Bride's father shall give the Bride's hand to the
Groom, and then take his seat)
MINISTER 2: This most sacred of bonds is not to be entered into
lightly, but soberly and advisedly, with openness and honesty. I require
and charge you both now, upon your honors, to disclose any reason or
impediment why you may not be lawfully joined this day.
MINISTER: Likewise, I charge all of you now, upon your honors, that if any
know a reason that these two may not be lawfully joined this day, to speak
now or forever hold your peace.
MINISTER 2: May you be blessed with this deep knowledge of each other
through all the days of your lives.
Would you now give your vows?
BRIDE/GROOM: We will.
MINISTER: What tokens do you give that you will keep these vows?
BRIDE/GROOM: We give these rings.
% (The rings shall be given to the Minister, who shall take them
in hand.)
MINISTER 2: The ring is used in this ceremony because the Circle is our
symbol for Spirit; that which was in the Beginning, is now, and ever shall
Be, Love, without end. In this ceremony, it is that love which is
deathless and eternal.
MINISTER 2: At this time, I would like to speak of some of the things that
many of us wish for you.
First, we wish for you a Love that makes you both better
people, That continues always to give you joy
And a zest for living,
And provides you with the energy to face the responsibili ties
of life.
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We wish for you a Home, not a place of stone or wood, but an
island of serenity and sanity.
We hope that this Home is not just a place of private joy and
retreat, But rather serves as a Castle wherein the values of your life
and family are generated and upheld.
We hope your home stands as a symbol of humans living
together in Love and peace, Seeking Truth and nurturement through each
other.
MINISTER: Let us all stand together for the closing benediction, and the
passing of the Light.
MINISTER 2: May we all recognize that the Presence of the One has
already blessed you with the presence of each other. Keep in your
rememberance the sacredness of this trust and the love that knows no end.
May that Peace, which passes all human understanding abide with you now,
and for always.
EAST
(INVOCATION)
Facing East:
Guardians of the watchtower of the east, we do summon, stir, and call thee
up to protect us in our rite. Come to us now on the cool breath of Autumn's sigh
which
heralds the advent of Winter and the close of harvest time. Breathe into us the
spirit of the pure joy of life. So mote it be!
SOUTH (invocation)
Facing South:
Guardians of the watchtower of the south, we do summon, stir, and call thee
up to protect us in our rite. Come forth from the cook fires and smokehouses where
food is being made ready for the coming cold months. Kindle within us the flame of
spiritual awakening. So mote it be!
Responsorial: So Mote it Be!
FIRE (invocation)
(Celebrant with the candle symbolizing the element of fire):
"I live in the guarded embers of campfires and the pilot lights of stoves, I
spring from the lightning and the hands of men, I warm you and I destroy you.
Without me you would die. Am I not holy and
worthy of praise? "
SOUTH (banishing)
Facing South:
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"I rise from the moist crevices of the Earth, I beat on the shores of Her body, I
fall from the skies in silver sheets. Without me you would die. Am I not holy and
worthy of praise? " (Celebrant asperges the circle with water)
WEST (banishing)
Facing West:
"Guardians of the watchtower of the west, return now to the
Autumn rains which cool the Earth's fevered brow baked in the heat of Summer
afternoons. Take with you our blessings and thanks. Hail and farewell!
Responsorial: Hail and farewell!
NORTH (invoking)
Facing North:
Guardians of the watchtower of the north, we do summon, stir, and call thee
up to protect us in our rite. Come forth from the fertile bosom of our Blessed
Mother Earth, and nourish us so that our hopes may grow to fruition. So mote it be!
EARTH (invocation)
(Celebrant with the salt vessel symbolizing the element of earth):
"I am your Mother. From me come the fruit and grain and animals which feed
you. I am your support, and my pull on your bodies keeps you held firmly to me.
Without me you would die. Am I not holy and worthy of praise? "
NORTH (banishing)
Facing North:
Guardians of the watchtowers of the north, return now to the Earth where
worms burrow deeper and seeds nestle awaiting the long sleep of Winter. Take with
you our
blessings and thanks. Hail and farewell!
Responsorial: Hail and farewell!
Wiccan History
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Wicca is a relatively modern attempt (approximately 50 years old) at
reviving and reconstructing the old pre-Christian religions of Europe. In a
mythopoetic sense it is many centuries old. However, the Witch of 200 years ago
would not recognize what is called "witchcraft" today. Modern Wicca may have some
of its roots in some of the local folk-magic and "family witchcraft" of mid 20th
Century England. It does have traceable roots in the Golden Dawn magical society of
late 19th century England, some of Aleister Crowley's magickal work and some
Ceremonial Magic dating back to Elizabethan times. For a modern history of English
Wicca, the reader can most profitably consult the works of Janet and Stuart Farrar
and Doreen Valiente.
PREHISTORY
Up until recently, the earliest known remnants of human society that give us
any clues to the spiritual dimension of prehistoric man are those belonging to the
Gravettian-Aurignacian cultures of 2500-1500 B.C.E. This is called the Upper
Paleolithic Period. Though most of the sites so far discovered have been found in
Europe, a very important site in Anatolia (modern Turkey) has also been found and is
the (so far) the first or oldest City of Catal Huyuk (pronounced chatal
Hoo-Yook),they form a conjectural foundation for the religion of the goddess as it
emerged in the later Neolithic Age of the Near East. There have been numerous
studies of these Paleolithic cultures, including extensive explorations of the sites
occupied by these peoples, including the apparent rites connected with the disposal
of their dead.
The earliest remains of ancient civilization indicating some form of Goddess
worship were in the caves in Lascaux, France. Here, the first and earliest
non-anthropomorphic divine figures were symbolized by the horse for female Divinity
and the Bison as the male divine influence. This portion of the cave was painted in
approximately 17,000 B.C.E. and sealed approximately 10,000 B.C.E. The
anthropomorphic Goddess figures appear sometime approximately 7,000 B.C.E. The
earliest remains in Catal Huyuk have been reliably carbon dated to 6,500 B.C. and
show some interesting parallels in that the horse was replaced with an
anthropomorphic goddess and the Bison (an ice age animal) has been replaced with the
aurochs bull, ancestor of modern cattle. The anthropomorphic Goddess is an Earth
Mother and the nearby volcanoes (then active) were considered her breasts.1
One major conjecture has been that the concept of the creator of all human
life may have been formulated by the clan's image of women. The reasoning behind
this conjecture lies in the observations in this century of the few remaining
Paleolithic type cultures. These Paleolithic cultures tend to be woman centered
since it is from the women that babies come and the women are absolutely essential
for the continuation of the tribe or clan. Current information also indicates that
it is also probable that the mother was regarded as the sole (or at least primary)
parent of children in this culture, and that there was a definite pattern of
ancestor worship. It is also very probable that ancestry was matrilineal.
The most tangible evidence that these very ancient cultures and their
predecessors worshipped a goddess is the numerous sculptures of women found
throughout most of Europe and the Near east. Some of these sculptures date as far
back as 25,000 B.C.E.! Small female figurines, made of stone, bone and clay (most
seemingly pregnant) have been found throughout the widespread Gravettian-Aurignacian
sites as far apart as Spain, France, Germany, Austria, and Russia spanning an
apparent period of at least 10,000 years. Erich Neumnann, in "The Great Mother"
(p.95) says- "Of the Stone Age sculptures known to us, there are fifty-five female
figures and only five male figures. The male figures, of youths, are atypical and
poorly executed, hence it is certain that they had no significance for the cult.
This fits in with the secondary character of the male godhead, who appeared only
later in the history of religions and derived his divine rank from his mother, the
Goddess."
Johannes Maringer, in his book the "Gods of Prehistoric Man" says- "it
appears highly probable then that the female figurines were idols of a Great Mother
cult, practiced by the non-nomadic Aurignacian mammoth hunters who inhabited the
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immense Eurasian territories that extended from Southern France to Lake Baikal in
Siberia." It was from the Lake Baikal area in Siberia that tribes are believed to
have migrated across the Bering land bridge to North America about this time period,
and formed the nucleus of what was to become the race of North American Indians. In
some primitive societies known to history, the male role in procreation was not
known. Intercourse and pregnancy both begin with puberty, and there was no evident
reason to regard one as the cause of the other. Women were believed to conceive
from the light of the moon or from ancestral spirits.
Neolithic cultures have left a bit more evidence for study and the images
are a bit clearer and less speculative. One good instance of this is the stone age
painting of a priestess officiating over a group of worshippers along with a male
wearing a horned headdress. An interesting point here is that the priestess
pictured is wearing a garter and wielding a ceremonial dagger, much like the ones
used in modern witchcraft. Of course much has been made of this, including a lot of
unfounded speculations on the "ancient connections" of modern witchcraft, but that
is a topic beyond the scope of the present work. The beginnings of Roman religion
are sure to have been based on the Etruscan culture. Ancestor worship was the
earliest form of religion in Rome. Another interesting fact relating to ancient
Matrilineal forms influencing present society is reflected in the Jewish custom
current today that membership comes from the mother's side of a marriage.
The above mentioned goddess images, some as old as 7000 BC, offer silent
testimony to the most ancient worship of a great goddess in the land that is most
often remembered today as the homeland of Judaism and Christianity. In exploring
the influence and importance of the worship of the Goddess in Canaan in biblical
times, we find that as Ashtoreth, Asherah (perhaps the origin of the tribe of
Asher?), Astarte, Attoret, Anath, or simply as Elat or Baalat, she was the principal
deity of such great Canaanite cities as Tyre, Sidon, Ascalon, Beth Anath, Aphaca,
Byblos, and Ashtoreth Karnaim.
In Egypt, the Hebrews had known the worship of the Goddess as Isis or
Hathor. For four generations they had been living in a land where women held a very
high status and the matrilineal descent system continued to function at most
periods.
Judging from the number of Hebrews who emerged from Egypt in the
Exodus, as compared with the family of the twelve sons who supposedly entered it
four generations earlier, it seems likely that a great number of those Hebrews known
as Israelites may actually have been Egyptians, Canaanites, Semitic nomads and other
Goddess-worshipping peoples who had joined together in Egypt. Archaeological
records and artifacts reveal that the religion of the Goddess still flourished in
many of the cities of Canaan long after the Hebrews invaded.
What are some of the modern day applications of this long history of Goddess
worship? For an answer to this, let's look at an encapsulation of the "herstory" of
the legend of the Universal Goddess as taught to the new entrants to the Faerie
Tradition in 20th Century America.
According to the legends of the Faerie, Witchcraft and magick began more
than 35 thousand years ago, when the last ice age in europe began and small bands of
nomadic hunters followed the free-running reindeer and bison herds. They were armed
with but primitive weapons ( Stone Age, remember?), and had to lure or chase the
animals over a cliff or into a pit to kill and eat them. As Starhawk says,"...some
among the clans were gifted, could "call" the herds to a cliff side or a pit, where
a few beasts,in willing sacrifice, would let themselves be trapped."
As the last ice age retreated the tribes of nomadic hunters worshipped the
Goddess of the Wild Things and Fertility and the God of the Hunt.Semipermanent homes
were set up in caves carved out by the glaciers. Shamans and Shamanka conducted
rites within hard to reach portions of the caves, which were painted with scenes of
the hunt, magical symbols and the tribes totem animals.
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Far to the east, nomadic tribes devoted themselves to the arts of war and
conquest. Wave after wave of invasion swept over Europe from the Bronze Age onward.
Warrior gods drove the Goddess' people out from the fertile lowlands and the fine
temples, into the hills and high mountains, where they became known as the Sidhe,
the Picts or Pixies, and the Fair Folk or the Fairies. The mythological cycle of
Goddess and Consort, Mother and Child, which had held sway for 30,000 years was
changed to conform to the values of the conquering patriarchies.
In Canaan, Yahweh fought a bloody battle to ensure that his followers had
"no other gods before me." The Goddess was given a masculine name and assigned the
role of a false god. Along with the suppression of the Goddess, women lost most of
the rights they had previously enjoyed.
In Greece, the Goddess in Her many aspects, was "married" to the new gods
resulting in the Olympic Pantheon. The Titans, who the Olympians displaced were
more in touch with the primal aspects of the Goddess.
The victorious Celts in Gaul and the British Isles, adopted many features of
the Old Religion and incorporated them into the Druidic Mysteries. The Faerie,
breeding cattle in the stony hills and living in turf-covered round huts preserved
the Craft. They celebrated the eight feasts of the Wheel of the Year with wild
processions on horseback, singing and chanting along the way and lighting ritual
bonfires on the mountaintops. It was said that the invaders often joined in the
revels and many rural families, along with some royalty, could claim to have Faerie
blood. The College of the Druids and the Poetic Colleges of Ireland and Wales were
said to have preserved many of the old mysteries. ***
In the late 1400's the Catholic Church attempted to obliterate its
competitors, and the followers of the Old Religion were forced to "go underground."
They broke up into small groups called Covens and, isolated from each other, formed
what would later be known as the Family Traditions. Inevitably, parts of the Craft
were forgotten or lost and what survives today is fragmentary.
After nearly five centuries of persecution and terror, came the Age of
Disbelief. Memory of the True Craft had faded as non-members who could remember
how they once had met openly died and those who came after never knew of them. All
that was left were the hideous stereotypes which were ludicrous, laughable or
just plain tragic. With the repeal of the last Witchcraft Act in England in 1954,
the Craft started to re-emerge as an alternative to a world that viewed the planet
as a resource to be exploited.
Janet and Stewart Farrar, in the introduction to The Witches Goddess say of
the modern re-emergence of the Goddess " ..may well prove to be one of the most
significant spiritual, psychic and psychological developments of our lifetime".
They have since done a wonderful job of presenting an overview of the ascendancy and
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history of the expression of the masculine principle of deity as e pressed by Male
God-forms and Gods with their book The Witches' God. What do the Farrars consider
this "masculine principle" to be? "...it represents the linear-logical,analyzing,
fertilizing aspect, with its emphasis on Ego-consciousness and individuality, while
the feminine principle represents the cyclical-intuitive, synthesizing, formative,
nourishing aspect, with its emphasis on the riches of the unconscious, both Personal
and Collective, and on relatedness."
As mankind started to develop his cultures in directions that were more male
dependent in the nature of the cultures, the emphasis in religion shifted to become
more male god than female goddess oriented. As this happened, the Goddess(es) lost
ground to the God(s). At first, the female aspect merely became secondary to the
male, but eventually the male took over and dominated to the total exclusion of the
female, particularly in western society as we know it today. "The first major
god-form to claim a monopoly of divinity was the Hebrew Yahweh, from which in due
course sprang the Christian and Moslem forms." "Dr. Raphael Patai, in his books Man
and Temple and The Hebrew Goddess shows that the Goddess Asherah was worshipped
alongside Yahweh as his wife and sister in the Temple at Jerusalem for 240 of the
360 years the temple complex existed, and her image was publicly displayed there."
There is also evidence that the Jewish community at elephantine in egypt
acknowledged two goddess-wives of Yahweh, and also there still remains in Ezekiel
(xxiii)a metaphorical reference to a pair of wives, where Yahweh condemns the
"whoredom" of two sisters who "became mine and bore me sons and daughters".
MY WICCA
By Durwydd MacTara
My RELIGION is Wicca, my LIFE-STYLE is Witchcraft! I believe in
a supreme being that is both Immanent and Transcendent, that is
expressing itself within AND without. However, I also believe that
trying to define/describe such an infinite Divine Being in finite terms to be a
waste of time and energy. I CAN describe my perceptions of the Ultimate in terms of
the energies that I work with and find significant in my daily living. My style and
methods of relating to what I can perceive of these Divine Energies are what I
describe as my RELIGION. How I apply these insights gained via my religious
practices, I term my CRAFT.
The name for my religion is derived from the Saxon root "wicce"
(pronounced "witchy") and is loosely translated as "Wise". The word
"Wicca" was first used in modern times in England by Gerald B. Gardner
to describe/define an attempt at restoring "the old wisdom" of pre-
Christian beliefs and practice into a modern context in the 1940's.
Ergo, I could call my religion "wisdom" and my style of application of
this wisdom "wise-craft" or more simply, "The Craft of the Wise".
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"To witches, deities manifest in different ways and can be
worshipped and contacted through any form suitable to local
conditions and personal needs. Wicca does not believe, as do
the patriarchal monotheisms, that there is only one correct
version of God and that all other God forms are false: the
Gods of Wicca are not jealous Gods. We therefore worship the
personification of the male and female principles, the God and
the Goddess, recognizing that Gods are aspects of the One God
and all Goddesses are different aspects of the one Goddess,
and that ultimately these two are reconciled in the one divine
essence."
(Vivianne Crowley, WICCA: The Old Religion in The New Age,pp.
11-12)
The following is the only published copy of the (Gardnerian) Blessing Prayer that I
know of.
"In the name of Dryghtyn, the Ancient Providence,
Who was from the beginning and is for eternity,
Male and Female, the Original Source of all things;
all-knowing, all-pervading, all-powerful;
changeless, eternal.
"In the name of the Lady of the Moon,
and the Lord of Death and Resurrection.
"In the name of the Mighty Ones of the Four Quarters,
the Kings of the Elements.
"Blessed be this place, and this time,
and they who are now with us."
("Witch Blood! The Diary Of A Witch High
Priestess!" by Patricia Crowther in chapter
four (paperback edition 1974, House Of Collec-
tibles, Inc.).) Courtesy of David Piper
The Gawain Poet (the poet who wrote Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight in Middle English) used the term 'Dryghtyn' to refer to the Lord God.
As a side issue, this might be some evidence that runs contrary to the thesis put
forth by Aidan Kelly that Gerald Gardner "manufactured" Wicca in 1939. From
personal experience, I have found that one unique distinction of the non BTW strains
of Witchcraft (some times called "FamTrads" of Family Traditions) is the
incorporation of old Christian Imagery, often including ArchAngels for the four
directions or elements. Though this instance does not include Archangels, it DOES
include archaic (and relatively unknown) Christian terminology. If Gardner did
discover a remnant of the Old Religion upon which he based his modern reconstruction
effort, it is this sort of linguistic "artifact" which would have survived. Perhaps
a more scholarly
investigation than mr. Kelly's will "turn up" more evidence?
Jim Taylor, an Eastern Orthodox Theologian, also makes two (to me) illuminating
statements, concerning "The Dryghtyn Prayer":
1. "'In the name of Dryghtyn, the Ancient Providence,
Who was from the beginning and is for eternity,
Male and Female, the Original Source of all things;
all-knowing, all-pervading, all-powerful;
changeless, eternal.'
This would be, entirely, an acceptable way of describing God, both for most Jews and
for most Christians."
AND
2. "'In the name of the Lady of the Moon,
and the Lord of Death and Resurrection.'
The Lord of Death and Resurrection would seem, to any Christian to refer to Jesus
Christ."
This evidence of a possible mixing of an older (unrecorded) Christian Prayer may
lend further credence to Gardners' claims of building on an older, hidden,
traditional remnant.
I, personally, also agree with Mr. Taylors' statement that "the idea of Wicca being
'manufactured' in 1939 is far too pat, and ignores a great deal which ought not to
be ignored. At the very least, some degree of recognition should be accorded to
the obvious fact that most Wiccan practices and attitudes predate Wicca by
considerable periods of time--possibly even millennia".
The existence of Monism, Duotheism, and Polytheism simultaneously in the belief
structure of Wicca is one good example of one of the Five Mysteries of Wicca, that
of Union. Wicca is a mystery religion, a PARTICIPATORY religion, and much of its
symbology must be lived and practiced to have meaning because much of the real (some
say hidden meaning is based on the knowledge of experience and not the intellectual
knowledge of mere logic and conscious thought processes.
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I am an eclectic Wiccan with strong ties in my beliefs and practice to
British Traditional Wicca. I am a Monist, yet I have had strong direct experience
with Brigid, Danu, and the Morrigan as well as the Earth Mother and the Horned Lord
of the Forests. So my personal answer to the question of "What kind of Theism fits
Theistic Wicca?" is "several, or none; it is not really a valid question in those
limited terms"! But perhaps the concept of "Cthonotheism" would give a better label
to this concept when attempting to discuss the idea of the peculiar theism unique to
Wicca?
Blessed Be,
Durwydd MacTara
Air Meditation
Charis
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---
* PALLAS ATHENA, Atlanta, Georgia 404-920-1349 (93:9603/0)
Re: Symbolism
Classification: IT.IV.C.2.e
Title: Symbolism
Author: Grand Master of the Order of Shuti
Temple of Set
Date: December, XXIV
Published: Dialogues I.3
(The section on "Neters" was published in
issue I.4)
Subject: Symbolism
Reading List: 2L, 2V
[copyright 1989, Temple of Set. Permission for electronic distribution by echo and
on PODS has been given by the author. Do not copy or distribute further without
permission of the author or the Temple of Set.]
The first session of the year-XXIV Order of Shuti Workshop discussed symbolism.
While the study of symbolism itself is not a primary concern of the Order of Shuti,
several of the Order's activities do involve working with forms of symbolism, or are
discussed using various symbols.
The symbols of the twin lion gods, Shu and Tefnut, who together are
Shuti, are obviously of importance in understanding the activities
of the Order. The topic of symbolism was therefore chosen for the
introductory session of the workshop.
Application
In discussing this session and what would be discussed, the Grand
Master stressed that symbolism wasn't to be discussed simply as an
intellectual exercise, but that all participants should try to
apply the Setian yardstick of "application" to this discussion.
Each and every topic of this session (and all sessions in the
workshop) should be measured by the questions of a) Can it be
applied? b) Is it useful? c) Does it work?
What is symbolism?
One answer suggested by workshop participants is that symbolism is
a language of the unconscious.
It is a dynamic language in which one image, a single symbol, can
conjure up archetypical impressions, complex or complete concepts
and/or meanings, rather than being a structured language in which
many words and/or several sentences are needed to put together an
equivalent concept or meaning.
Another purpose of symbolism offered by the participants is to
serve as a metalanguage which has two levels or multiple levels of
meaning.
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Where does symbolism come from?
When dealing with incense and music, we are leaving the mental
processes and intellectual reactions that visual symbols will
evoke, and going instead to the more reactive, bodily, reactions.
We react to the smell of bodily feces with distaste because of the
body's reaction to that sort of an input. We find the fragrance
of a rose very pleasing.
One of the reasons we use fragrant incenses during a ritual is to
bring about bodily reactions which enhance a ceremony because of
the smells and our reactions to the smells.
The discussion of one question leads to another. We learn the
reactions / interpretations / meanings of visual and verbal symbols
(at least those discussed above). Do we also learn reactions to
incenses and music, or are those reactions more innate?
The first response was that our reactions and interpretations, even
our likes and dislikes of music are learned.
The example given was classical music, which strikes some people
as very soothing and relaxing, and which is likely to put these
people to sleep. But others who are aware of the intelligent
dynamics and many other ingredients of classical music will find
the same music very stimulating.
(We believe that the workshop participant was thinking about the
lighter classical pieces, such as "Tales from the Vienna Woods,"
and not the more active pieces such as "Night on Bald Mountain.")
The second response disagreed with the first, pointing out that
regardless of whether they are used in classical, modern, or any
other form of music, harps and strings tend to evoke emotional
(peaceful) moods, while drums are more primal and physical, evoking
more active responses.
The next example we discussed referred to the sense of smell. To
a farmer, feces and fertilizer are pleasing and filled with
promise, a smell of promised growth and life, a totally different
reaction than most people will have (especially after scraping a
dog's refuse off the bottom of one's shoe).
Similarly, an inlander's first pleasant reaction to sea gulls on
wing, grace in motion, can be compared to the reaction of those who
live on the beach and have to live with the noise and the mess and
the droppings left behind by those very same sea gulls.
These examples tend to support the theory that we learn our
interpretations of the sounds and smells around us.
It seems from these examples that our reactions to inputs are
learned, or at least they arise from our experiences. The question
then becomes, can symbols have innate visceral responses, or is the
response to a symbol necessarily a learned one?
To look at innate responses, the original responses to stimuli, we
necessarily looked at children.
For instance, children generally have no innate response to feces,
and will often eat them until they learn not to. They later learn
to either react with disgust to feces, or to view them as
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fertilizer and the source of life.
The first example of a possibly innate response brought to the
discussion was that of the ephemeral beauty of a butterfly on the
wing. None of the participants could envision any child's reaction
other than awe and delight at such beauty (or at least none would
admit to any other vision).
This brought forth remarks concerning innate childish "awe", where
almost everything is new and wonderful.
Children as they begin to distinguish between the multiple events
and objects in their world are simply delighted at the beauty and
diversity they find around them. There is no "evil" during this
time -- only the beauty of nature.
Few of us have any reason to unlearn this initial response to the
butterfly. These reactions can therefore be considered innate,
stemming from the earliest days of our consciousness. Other
reactions, unpleasant reactions and also more complex reactions,
seem to be learned over time.
Therefore, there's some of both types of reactions. People will
have initial reactions to many meaningful symbols and inputs, but
their reactions can be modified by their experience and training.
This discussion raised yet more questions, for which no answers
were attempted during this workshop. The questions were, how much
of our symbolism is learned, and how much of our symbolism is
innate? And if some form of consciousness or memory can survive
from one life to another, then how much might be remembered from
past lives?
Symbols may or may not come to one's attention. An extremely
visually-oriented person may not notice or respond to other types
of symbols, such as a room's smell, or a background level of music,
while those who are oriented towards those senses will respond to
those inputs, but perhaps not to others.
Symbolism may have personal and/or experiential meaning (such as
the manure used to plant your garden or that you step in), or
symbolism may be abstract (learned and used in writing, teaching,
or jewelry, but not something that's impacted upon you in the
past). This is the difference between a) the visceral response,
which may be innate and may also be a learned response, modified
through experience or training, and b) the mental response which
must always be learned or developed.
The Grand Master wishes to note that the discussion at this point
had unintentionally left the strict topic of symbolism, and was
dealing instead with experience and reaction to stimuli, on the
unspoken assumption that these reactions applied to our use of
symbolism.
Based on the idea that a single symbol can have a whole galaxy of
meaning, a useful communications skill is the ability to use
symbols in the proper places, in the proper ways, to communicate
more meaning in a smaller package (with fewer words).
Perhaps of greatest importance within the Temple of Set are the
magical aeonic Words: Xeper, Remanifestation, and Xem, and the
preceding Words of Indulgence and Thelema. By using these Words
in writing or other forms of communication, we communicate the
meanings associated with those Words.
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This use of symbolism doesn't apply just to magical Words or
Formulae, but applies to symbols of many different kinds, in many
different uses.
You'll sometimes find certain words capitalized in text, as are
"Words" and "Formulae" above. When not overly used, this is a
clear indication that the author wishes you to view these words
with their symbolic meanings, rather than their normal meanings.
During group ritual, certain words will be spoken more
flamboyantly, perhaps louder, perhaps longer, and often with more
gesturing. These words are then generally being used symbolically,
with special meaning at least to the speaker, if not to other
participants.
Symbolism can also be used in Lesser Black Magic, as tools to
influence certain people (singular or multiple) in certain ways.
The magician (or politician or religious leader or arts director
or other manipulator) will use lighting, music, fragrance, and
other symbols in ways particular to their audience's response to
the symbols.
Symbolism can be used upon ourselves in a similar manner, to bring
out responses from us that we want to bring out, as in ritual or
as an aid to Xeper.
Words which have become symbols to us can be used as a means of
increased concentration, as a visual mantra or as a sensual mantra.
Such mantras can be used in ritual, in nonritual meditation, or
whenever we choose to remind ourselves of the principles carried
within that symbol.
Over time, some symbols can become richer and can carry more and
more meaning to those people who work with the symbol.
These symbols can become "magnetic", in that each use of the symbol
brings forth yet another repetition of the symbol. Each reference
brings forth a constellation of meaning, with one meaning and use
leading to another. Each use of the symbol sparks, or attracts,
another use of the symbol.
In these cases the symbols will often be repeated over and over
throughout a conversation or other communication, each time
exercising one or more of those meanings, and through the course
of the communication this symbol can almost hold or reflect an
entire world view. This is the way the people influenced by the
symbol see their world.
At a political rally the symbol might be "America", "Democracy",
or "the Party" (citizens of other countries may substitute those
symbols meaningful in your domain). To some, the symbol might be
"the Environment".
The symbol "Xeper" has a similar impact within the Setian culture.
The common man may very well have believed in the literal existence
of his many gods and goddesses, but we believe the elite of the
Egyptian society understood that these neters were purely symbols.
When the Egyptian elite paid homage to the neters, they paid homage
to the aspects of the universe or of the self represented by those
neters.
One neter of obvious importance is Set. In dealing with this
symbol, we try to identify the original meaning of the symbol, and
try to eliminate the corruptions of the symbol imposed by the later
rule of Osirian religion.
Rather than take space here to discuss the corruptions and
distortions that were applied to the symbol of the neter Set
through the Osirian culture, we'll simply refer the interested
student to appropriate books in the reading list: 2A, 2E, 2G, 2W,
and 2AA.
It is rather clear that the use and peripheral meanings of the
neter Set changed over time. The study of Set must therefore
include the careful consideration of the source of whatever
writings are being studied. Fortunately most other Egyptian
symbols/god forms did not change significantly over time, and such
care need not be used in studying and working with them.
The neters were used and viewed as symbols. But the Egyptian
temples _were_ temples, and were recognized as religions, not
simply as centers of enlightened philosophy. This brings up the
question: Do/did the Egyptian Neters actually exist? Were these
religions founded to worship or work with beings that actually
existed? Or were they simply the creations of the ancient Egyptian
priesthoods?
Rather than tackle immediately the question of whether the Neters
actually existed, workshop participants first chose to examine ...
Egyptian Priesthoods
The first statement made about these priesthoods was that each
temple in Egypt taught a different area of philosophy or knowledge.
Those temples dedicated to a major neter or god taught that their
primal Form was the First Cause. These were the major temples of
the land, and an initiate who studied at temple after temple would
be presented with the opposing claims that each god was the god,
The Creator.
We noted in our discussion that the priesthoods of several of the
"minor" neters did not make any such claims. Thoth as a single
neter never seemed to be treated as the creator god; nor was Geb.
However, many of the major neters were treated as creator gods, and
many gods were intentionally combined into units (such as
Amon-Thoth-Ra) in order to form a god which would be powerful
enough to qualify as The creator god.
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Neters as Symbols
We returned to discussing the neters as ways of viewing possibility
and potentiality, and ways of viewing different aspects of the
universe and of the individual.
For example, Ra, the sun god, was a most pervasive and powerful
being, since every single day, there he is in the sky. Ra was
consistent, reliable, and therefore powerful.
Similarly each force in nature was given a personality, because
each force in nature has a personality (or seems to, to those who
humanize such things). This is the basic principle behind most
spirits of most animistic religions.
These personalities are generally reliable. A rain cloud is going
to rain; it isn't going to add to the day's heat. The Nile was not
going to dry up -- it was going to overflow once a year, and
deposit good, rich, fertile earth upon the ground. Each force of
nature, each personality, was given a name, a face, and a story.
The most powerful stories, faces, and names are those that belong
to the creator gods. There are so many creator gods, that it's
really difficult to pin down an actual order of precedence.
This brings up the fact that there are many apparently conflicting
stories within the Egyptian mythology.
The Grand Master pointed out that in several Egyptian myths, Shu
and Tefnut are self-created. In others they were created by tears
of the master creator god (whoever he happened to be according to
the story teller). In yet others they were created by the master
god's masturbation.
Shu and Tefnut by definition are the first male and female. The
master god's masturbation in these latter stories was always male
masturbation, but Shu is the first male. Shu and Tefnut begat Geb
and Nut, but Nut was the all-pervasive universal sky that preceded
the first god...
This confusion is the result of centuries of Egyptian story
telling, and while some of it appears to be contraditory, most of
it is useful. We certainly must hesitate to consider this
mythology as one consistent symbolism, and must be careful if we
wish to communicate consistent meanings using these symbols, but
we have found value in this mythology.
Each story is a different way of looking at the world, a different
way of looking at the first cause, and of looking at the symbols.
By using these symbols, we can then indicate not only a symbol, but
also which way we are looking at the world.
Hence, if in ritual or other communication we call upon
Ptah-Geb-Nu, we are calling upon the creator of the earth and sky,
the god who created the physical universe. If instead we call upon
the Neter Ra-Ptah-ankh, we are calling upon the god who brought
light and life to this planet.
Bibliography
While the following books and papers were not necessarily discussed
nor referenced during the workshop discussion (or in completing
this article), the initiate interested in studying symbolism as a
subject on its own would be well advised to begin with this
bibliography. Additions to this bibliography are welcome, and
should be sent to the Grand Master. (_RT_ entries are from _The
Ruby Tablet of Set_.)
Barrett, Ronald K., "Book of Opening the Way (Key #4)". _RT_
IT.II.A.5.b.(1).(d).
Barrett, Ronald K., "Stele of Xem". _RT_ IT.II.A.4.a.(3).
Cavendish, Richard, _The Black Arts_. 4C (TS-3).
Crowley, Aleister, _The Book of Thoth_. 9L (TS-4).
De Lubicz, Isha Schwaller, _Her-Bak_. 2L (TS-1).
De Lubicz, Isha Schwaller, _Symbol and the Symbolique_. 2V (TS-4).
***********************************************************
INVESTIGATOR'S GUIDE TO ALLEGATIONS OF "RITUAL" CHILD ABUSE
***********************************************************
January 1992
Kenneth V. Lanning
Supervisory Special Agent
*************************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction.
2. Historical Overview.
-- a. "Stranger Danger".
-- b. Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse.
-- c. Return to "Stranger Danger".
-- d. The Acquaintance Molester.
-- e. Satanism: A New Form of "Stranger Danger".
3. Law Enforcement Training.
4. Definitions.
-- a. What is Ritual?
-- b. What is "Ritual" Child Abuse?
-- c. What Makes a Crime Satanic, Occult, or Ritualistic?
5. Multidimensional Child Sex Rings.
-- a. Dynamics of Cases.
---- (1) Multiple Young Victims.
---- (2) Multiple Offenders.
---- (3) Fear as a Controlling Tactic.
---- (4) Bizarre or Ritualistic Activity.
-- b. Characteristics of Multidimensional Child Sex Rings.
---- (1) Female Offenders.
---- (2) Situational Molesters.
---- (3) Male and Female Victims.
---- (4) Multidimensional Motivation.
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---- (5) Pornography and Paraphernalia.
---- (6) Control through Fear.
-- c. Scenarios.
---- (1) Adult Survivors.
---- (2) Day Care Cases.
---- (3) Family/Isolated Neighborhood Cases.
---- (4) Custody/Visitation Disputes.
-- d. Why Are Victims Alleging Things that Do Not Seem to be True?
6. Alternative Explanations.
-- a. Pathological Distortion.
-- b. Traumatic Memory.
-- c. Normal Childhood Fears and Fantasy.
-- d. Misperception, Confusion, and Trickery.
-- e. Overzealous Intervenors.
-- f. Urban Legends.
-- g. Combination.
7. Do Victims Lie About Sexual Abuse and Exploitation?
-- a. Personal Knowledge.
-- b. Other Children or Victims.
-- c. Media.
-- d. Suggestions and Leading Questions.
-- e. Misperception and Confusion.
-- f. Education and Awareness Programs.
8. Law Enforcement Perspective.
9. Investigating Multidimensional Child Sex Rings.
-- a. Minimize Satanic/Occult Aspect.
-- b. Keep Investigation and Religious Beliefs Separate.
-- c. Listen to the Victims.
-- d. Assess and Evaluate Victim Statements.
-- e. Evaluate Contagion.
-- f. Establish Communication with Parents.
-- g. Develop a Contingency Plan.
-- h. Multidisciplinary Task Forces.
-- i. Summary.
10. Conclusion.
11. References.
12. Suggested Reading.
1. INTRODUCTION
Since 1981 I have been assigned to the Behavioral Science Unit at
the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and have specialized in
studying all aspects of the sexual victimization of children. The
FBI Behavioral Science Unit provides assistance to criminal justice
professionals in the United States and foreign countries. It
attempts to develop practical applications of the behavioral
sciences to the criminal justice system. As a result of training and
research conducted by the Unit and its successes in analyzing
violent crime, many professionals contact the Behavioral Science
Unit for assistance and guidance in dealing with violent crime,
especially those cases considered different, unusual, or bizarre.
This service is provided at no cost and is not limited to crimes
under the investigative jurisdiction of the FBI.
In 1983 and 1984, when I first began to hear stories of what sounded
like satanic or occult activity in connection with allegations of
sexual victimization of children (allegations that have come to be
referred to most often as "ritual" child abuse), I tended to believe
them. I had been dealing with bizarre, deviant behavior for many
years and had long since realized that almost anything is possible.
Just when you think that you have heard it all, along comes another
strange case. The idea that there are a few cunning, secretive
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individuals in positions of power somewhere in this country
regularly killing a few people as part of some satanic ritual or
ceremony and getting away with it is certainly within the realm of
possibility. But the number of alleged cases began to grow and grow.
We now have hundreds of victims alleging that thousands of offenders
are abusing and even murdering tens of thousands of people as part
of organized satanic cults, and there is little or no corroborative
evidence. The very reason many "experts" cite for believing these
allegations (i.e. many victims, who never met each other, reporting
the same events), is the primary reason I began to question at least
some aspects of these allegations.
I have devoted more than seven years part-time, and eleven years
full-time, of my professional life to researching, training, and
consulting in the area of the sexual victimization of children. The
issues of child sexual abuse and exploitation are a big part of my
professional life's work. I have no reason to deny their existence
or nature. In fact I have done everything I can to make people more
aware of the problem Some have even blamed me for helping to create
the hysteria that has led to these bizarre allegations. I can accept
no outside income and am paid the same salary by the FBI whether or
not children are abused and exploited - and whether the number is
one or one million. As someone deeply concerned about and
professionally committed to the issue, I did not lightly question
the allegations of hundreds of victims child sexual abuse and
exploitation.
In response to accusations by a few that I am a "satanist" who has
infiltrated the FBI to facilitate cover-up, how does anyone (or
should anyone have to) disprove such allegations? Although reluctant
to dignify such absurd accusations with a reply, all I can say to
those who have made such allegations that they are wrong and to
those who heard such allegations is to carefully consider the
source.
The reason I have taken the position I have is not because I support
or believe in "satanism", but because I sincerely believe that my
approach is the proper and most effective investigative strategy. I
believe that my approach is in the best interest of victims of child
sexual abuse. It would have been easy to sit back, as many have, and
say nothing publicly about this controversy. I have spoken out and
published on this issue because I am concerned about the credibility
of the child sexual abuse issue and outraged that, in some cases,
individuals are getting away with molesting children because we
can't prove they are satanic devil worshippers who engage in
brainwashing, human sacrifice, and cannibalism as part of a large
conspiracy.
There are many valid perspectives from which to assess and evaluate
victim allegations of sex abuse and exploitation. Parents may choose
to believe simply because their children make the claims. The level
of proof necessary may be minimal because the consequences of
believing are within the family. One parent correctly told me, "I
believe what my child needs me to believe."
Therapists may choose to believe simply because their professional
assessment is that their patient believes the victimization and
describes it so vividly. The level of proof necessary may be no more
than therapeutic evaluation because the consequences are between
therapist and patient. No independent corroboration may be required.
A social worker must have more real, tangible evidence of abuse in
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order to take protective action and initiate legal proceedings. The
level of proof necessary must be higher because the consequences
(denial of visitation, foster care) are greater.
The law enforcement officer deals with the criminal justice system.
The levels of proof necessary are reasonable suspicion, probable
cause, and beyond a reasonable doubt because the consequences
(criminal investigation, search and seizure, arrest, incarceration)
are so great. This discussion will focus primarily on the criminal
justice system and the law enforcement perspective. The level of
proof necessary for taking action on allegations of criminal acts
must be more than simply the victim alleged it and it is possible.
This in no way denies the validity and importance of the parental,
therapeutic, social welfare, or any other perspective of these
allegations.
When, however, therapists and other professionals begin to conduct
training, publish articles, and communicate through the media, the
consequences become greater, and therefore the level of proof must
be greater. The amount of corroboration necessary to act upon
allegations of abuse is dependent upon the consequences of such
action. We need to be concerned about the distribution and
publication of unsubstantiated allegations of bizarre sexual abuse.
Information needs to be disseminated to encourage communication and
research about the phenomena. The risks, however, of intervenor and
victim "contagion" and public hysteria are potential negative
aspects of such dissemination. Because of the highly emotional and
religious nature of this topic, there is a greater possibility that
the spreading of information will result in a kind of self-
fulfilling prophesy.
If such extreme allegations are going to be disseminated to the
general public, they must be presented in the context of being
assessed and evaluated, at least, from the professional perspective
of the disseminator and, at best, also from the professional
perspective of relevant others. This is what I will attempt to do in
this discussion. The assessment and evaluation of such allegations
are areas where law enforcement, mental health, and other
professionals (anthropologists, folklorists, sociologists,
historians, engineers, surgeons, etc.) may be of some assistance to
each other in validating these cases individually and in general.
2. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
In order to attempt to deal with extreme allegations of what
constitute child sex rings, it is important to have an historical
perspective of society's attitudes about child sexual abuse. I will
provide a brief synopsis of recent attitudes in the United States
here, but those desiring more detailed information about such
societal attitudes, particularly in other cultures and in the more
distant past, should refer to Florence Rush's book _The Best Kept
Secret: Sexual Abuse of Children_ (1980) and Sander J. Breiner's
book _Slaughter of the Innocents_ (1990).
Society's attitude about child sexual abuse and exploitation can be
summed up in one word: *denial*. Most people do not want to hear
about it and would prefer to pretend that child sexual victimization
just does not occur. Today, however, it is difficult to pretend that
it does not happen. Stories and reports about child sexual
victimization are daily occurrences.
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It is important for professionals dealing with child sexual abuse to
recognize and learn to manage this denial of a serious problem.
Professionals must overcome the denial and encourage society to deal
with, report, and prevent sexual victimization of children.
Society seems to have a problem dealing with any sexual abuse case
in which the offender is not completely "bad" or the victim is not
completely "good". Child victims who, for example, simply behave
like human beings and respond to the attention and affection of
offenders by voluntarily and repeatedly returning to the offender's
home are troubling. It confuses us to see the victims in child
pornography giggling or laughing. At professional conferences on
child sexual abuse, child prostitution is almost never discussed. It
is the form of sexual victimization of children most unlike the
stereotype of the innocent girl victim. Child prostitutes, by
definition, participate in and often initiate their victimization.
Furthermore child prostitutes and the participants in child sex
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rings are frequently boys. One therapist recently told me that a
researcher's data on child molestation were misleading because many
of the child victims in question were child prostitutes. This
implies that child prostitutes are not "real" child victims. In a
survey by the _Los Angeles Times_, only 37 percent of those
responding thought that child prostitution constituted child sexual
abuse (Timnik, 1985). Whether or not it seems fair, when adults and
children have sex, the child is always the victim.
-- b. INTRAFAMILIAL CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE.
During the 1970s, primarily as a result of the women's movement,
society began to learn more about the sexual victimization of
children. We began to realize that most children are sexually
molested by someone they know who is usually a relative - a father,
step-father, uncle, grandfather, older brother, or even a female
relative. Some mitigate the difficulty of accepting this by adopting
the view that only members of socio-economic groups other than
theirs engage in such behavior.
It quickly became apparent that warnings about not taking gifts from
strangers were not good enough to prevent child sexual abuse.
Consequently, we began to develop prevention programs based on more
complex concepts, such as good touching and bad touching. the
"yucky" feeling, and the child's right to say no. These are not the
kinds of things you can easily and effectively communicate in fifty
minutes to hundreds of kids packed into a school auditorium. These
are very difficult issues, and programs must he carefully developed
and evaluated.
In the late 1970s child sexual abuse became almost synonymous with
incest, and incest meant father-daughter sexual relations.
Therefore, the focus of child sexual abuse intervention became
father-daughter incest. Even today, the vast majority of training
materials, articles, and books on this topic refer to child sexual
abuse only in terms of intrafamilial father-daughter incest.
Incest is, in fact, sexual relations between individuals of any age
too closely related to marry. It need not necessarily involve an
adult and a child, and it goes beyond child sexual abuse. But more
importantly child sexual abuse goes beyond father-daughter incest.
Intrafamilial incest between an adult and child may be the most
common form of child sexual abuse, but it is not the only form.
The progress of the 1970s in recognizing that child sexual abuse was
not simply a result of "stranger danger" was an important
breakthrough in dealing with society's denial. The battle, however,
is not over. The persistent voice of society luring us back to the
more simple concept of "stranger danger" may never go away. It is
the voice of denial.
-- c. RETURN TO "STRANGER DANGER".
In the early 1980s the issue of missing children rose to prominence
and was focused primarily on the stranger abduction of little
children. Runaways, throwaways, noncustodial abductions, nonfamily
abductions of teenagers - all major problems within the missing
children's issue - were almost forgotten. People no longer wanted to
hear about good touching and bad touching and the child's right to
say "no". They wanted to be told, in thirty minutes or less, how
they could protect their children from abduction by strangers. We
were back to the horrible but simple and clear-cut concept of
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"stranger danger".
In the emotional zeal over the problem of missing children, isolated
horror stories and distorted numbers were sometimes used. The
American public was led to believe that most of the missing children
had been kidnapped by pedophiles - a new term for child molesters.
The media, profiteers, and well-intentioned zealots all played big
roles in this hype and hysteria over missing children.
-- d. THE ACQUAINTANCE MOLESTER.
Only recently has society begun to deal openly with a critical piece
in the puzzle of child sexual abuse - acquaintance molestation. This
seems to be the most difficult aspect of the problem for us to face.
People seem more willing to accept a father or stepfather,
particularly one from another socio-economic group, as a child
molester than a parish priest, a next-door neighbor, a police
officer, a pediatrician, an FBI agent, or a Scout leader. The
acquaintance molester, by definition, is one of us. These kinds of
molesters have always existed, but our society has not been willing
to accept that fact.
Sadly, one of the main reasons that the criminal justice system and
the public were forced to confront the problem of acquaintance
molestation was the preponderance of lawsuits arising from the
negligence of many institutions.
One of the unfortunate outcomes of society's preference for the
"stranger danger" concept is what I call "say no, yell, and tell"
guilt. This is the result of prevention programs that tell potential
child victims to avoid sexual abuse by saying no, yelling, and
telling. This might work with the stranger hiding behind a tree.
Adolescent boys seduced by a Scout leader or children who actively
participate in their victimization often feel guilty and blame
themselves because they did not do what they were "supposed" to do.
They may feel a need to describe their victimization in more
socially acceptable but sometimes inaccurate ways that relieve them
of this guilt.
For those who know anything about criminology, one of the oldest
theories of crime is demonology: The devil makes you do it. This
makes it even easier to deal with the child molester who is the
"pillar of the community". It is not his fault; it is not our fault.
There is no way we could have known; the devil made him do it. This
explanation has tremendous appeal because, like "stranger danger",
it presents the clear-cut, black-and-white struggle between good and
evil as the explanation for child abduction, exploitation, and
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abuse.
In regard to satanic "ritual" abuse, today we may not be where we
were with incest in the 1960s, but where we were with missing
children in the early 1980s. The best data now available (the 1990
_National Incidence Studies on Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and
Thrownaway Children in America_) estimate the number of
stereotypical child abductions at between 200 and 300 a year, and
the number of stranger abduction homicides of children at between 43
and 147 a year. Approximately half of the abducted children are
teenagers. Today's facts are significantly different from
yesterday's perceptions, and those who exaggerated the problem,
however well-intentioned, have lost credibility and damaged the
reality of the problem.
3. LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING
The belief that there is a connection between satanism and crime is
certainly not new. As previously stated, one of the oldest theories
concerning the causes of crime is demonology. Fear of satanic or
occult activity has peaked from time to time throughout history.
Concern in the late 1970s focused primarily on "unexplained" deaths
and mutilations of animals, and in recent years has focused on child
sexual abuse and the alleged human sacrifice of missing children. In
1999 it will probably focus on the impending "end of the world".
Today satanism and a wide variety of other terms are used
interchangeably in reference to certain crimes. This discussion will
analyze the nature of "satanic, occult, ritualistic" crime primarily
as it pertains to the abuse of children and focus on appropriate
*law enforcement* responses to it.
The typical conference runs from one to three days, and many of them
include the same presenters and instructors. A wide variety of
topics are usually discussed during this training either as
individual presentations by different instructors or grouped
together by one or more instructors. Typical topics covered include
the following:
-- a. WHAT IS RITUAL?
A few might even answer that it is the fact that the crime was
committed on a date with satanic or occult significance (Halloween,
May Eve, etc.) or the fact that the perpetrator claims that Satan
told him to commit the crime. What does this mean for crimes
committed on Thanksgiving or Christmas? What does this say about
crimes committed by perpetrators who claim that God or Jesus told
them to do it? One note of interest is the fact that in handout and
reference material I have collected, the number of dates with
satanic or occult significance ranges from 8 to 110. This is
compounded by the fact that it is sometimes stated that satanists
can celebrate these holidays on several days on either side of the
official date or that the birthdays of practitioners can also be
holidays. The exact names and exact dates of the holidays and the
meaning of symbols listed may also vary depending on who prepared
the material The handout material is often distributed without
identifying the author or documenting the original source of the
information. It is then frequently photocopied by attendees and
passed on to other police officers with no one really knowing its
validity or origin.
Most, however, would probably answer that what makes a crime
satanic, occult, or ritualistic is the motivation for the crime. It
is a crime that is spiritually motivated by a religious belief
system. How then do we label the following true crimes?
-- Parents defy a court order and send their children to an
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unlicensed Christian school.
-- Parents refuse to send their children to any school because they
are waiting for the second coming of Christ.
-- Parents beat their child to death because he or she will not
follow their Christian belief.
-- Parents violate child labor laws because they believe the Bible
requires such work.
-- Individuals bomb an abortion clinic or kidnap the doctor because
their religious belief system says abortion is murder.
-- A child molester reads the Bible to his victims in order to
justify his sex acts with them.
-- Parents refuse life-saving medical treatment for a child because
of their religious beliefs.
-- Parents starve and beat their child to death because their
minister said the child was possessed by demonic spirits.
Some people would argue that the Christians who committed the above
crimes misunderstood and distorted their religion while satanists
who commit crimes are following theirs. But who decides what
constitutes a misinterpretation of a religious belief system? The
individuals who committed the above-described crimes, however
misguided, believed that they were following their religion as they
understood it. Religion was and is used to justify such social
behavior as the Crusades, the Inquisition, Apartheid, segregation,
and recent violence in Northern Ireland, India, Lebanon and Nigeria.
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What are "these kinds of cases"? They were and continue to be
difficult to define. They all involve allegations of what sounds
like child sexual abuse, but with a combination of some atypical
dynamics. These cases seem to have the following four dynamics in
common: (1) multiple young victims, (2) multiple offenders, (3) fear
as the controlling tactic, and (4) bizarre or ritualistic activity.
---- (1) MULTIPLE YOUNG VICTIMS.
In almost all the cases the sexual abuse was alleged to have taken
place or at least begun when the victims were between the ages of
birth and six. This very young age may be an important key to
understanding these cases. In addition the victims all described
multiple children being abused. The numbers ranged from three or
four to as many as several hundred victims.
---- (2) MULTIPLE OFFENDERS.
In almost all the cases the victims reported numerous offenders. The
numbers ranged from two or three all the way up to dozens of
offenders. In one recent case the victims alleged 400-500 offenders
were involved. Interestingly many of the offenders (perhaps as many
as 40-50 percent) were reported to be females. The multiple
offenders were often family members and were described as being part
of a cult, occult, or satanic group.
-- c. SCENARIOS.
If and when therapists come to believe the patient or decide the law
requires it, the police or FBI are sometimes contacted to conduct an
investigation. The therapists may also fear for their safety because
they now know the "secret". The therapists will frequently tell law
enforcement that they will stake their professional reputation on
the fact that their patient is telling the truth. Some adult
survivors go directly to law enforcement. They may also go from
place to place in an effort to find therapists or investigators who
will listen to and believe them. Their ability to provide verifiable
details varies and many were raised in apparently religious homes. A
few adult survivors are now reporting participation in specific
murders or child abductions that are known to have taken place.
---- (2) DAY CARE CASES.
In day care cases children currently or formerly attending a day
care center gradually describe their victimization at the center and
at other locations to which they were taken by the day care staff.
The cases include multiple victims and offenders, fear, and bizarre
or ritualistic activity, with a particularly high number of female
offenders. Descriptions of strange games, insertion of foreign
objects, killing of animals, photographing of activities, and
wearing of costumes are common. The accounts of the young children,
however, do not seem to be quite as "bizarre" as those of the adult
survivors, with fewer accounts of human sacrifice.
---- (3) FAMILY/ISOLATED NEIGHBORHOOD CASES.
In family/isolated neighborhood cases, children describe their
victimization within their family or extended family. The group is
often defined by geographic boundary, such as a cul-de-sac,
apartment building, or isolated rural setting. Such accounts are
most common in rural or suburban communities with high
concentrations of religiously conservative people. The stories are
similar to those told of the day care setting, but with more male
offenders. The basic dynamics remain the same, but victims tend to
be more than six years of age, and the scenario may also involve a
custody or visitation dispute.
---- (4) CUSTODY/VISITATION DISPUTE.
In custody/visitation dispute cases, the allegations emanate from a
custody or visitation dispute over at least one child under the age
of seven. The four dynamics described above make these cases
extremely difficult to handle. When complicated by the strong
emotions of this scenario, the cases can be overwhelming. This is
especially true if the disclosing child victims have been taken into
the "underground" by a parent during the custody or visitation
dispute. Some of these parents or relatives may even provide
authorities with diaries or tapes of their interviews with the
children. An accurate evaluation and assessment of a young child
held in isolation in this underground while being "debriefed" by a
parent or someone else is almost impossible. However well-
intentioned, these self-appointed investigators severely damage any
chance to validate these cases objectively.
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-- d. WHY ARE VICTIMS ALLEGING THINGS THAT DO NOT SEEM TO BE TRUE?
Some of what the victims in these cases allege is physically
impossible (victim cut up and put back together, offender took the
building apart and then rebuilt it); some is possible but improbable
(human sacrifice, cannibalism, vampirism ); some is possible and
probable (child pornography, clever manipulation of victims); and
some is corroborated (medical evidence of vaginal or anal trauma,
offender confessions).
Not only are no bodies found, but also, more importantly, there is
no physical evidence that a murder took place. Many of those not in
law enforcement do not understand that, while it is possible to get
rid of a body, it is even more difficult to get rid of the physical
evidence that a murder took place, especially a human sacrifice
involving sex, blood, and mutilation. Such activity would leave
behind trace evidence that could be found using modern crime scene
processing techniques in spite of extraordinary efforts to clean it
up.
-- b. TRAUMATIC MEMORY.
Another defense mechanism may tell the victim that it could have
been worse, and so his or her victimization was not so bad. They are
not alone in their victimization - other children were also abused.
Their father who abused them is no different from other prominent
people in the community they claim also abused them. Satanism may
help to explain why their outwardly good and religious parents did
such terrible things to them in the privacy of their home. Their
religious training may convince them that such unspeakable acts by
supposedly "good" people must be the work of the devil. The
described human sacrifice may be symbolic of the "death" of their
childhood.
-- f. URBAN LEGENDS.
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Allegations of and knowledge about ritualistic or satanic abuse may
also be spread through *urban legends*. In _The Vanishing
Hitchhiker_ (1981), the first of his four books on the topic, Dr.
Jan Harold Brunvand defines urban legends as "realistic stories
concerning recent events (or alleged events) with an ironic or
supernatural twist" (p. xi). Dr. Brunvand's books convincingly
explain that just because individuals throughout the country who
never met each other tell the same story does not mean that it is
true. Absurd urban legends about the corporate logos of Proctor and
Gamble and Liz Claiborne being satanic symbols persist in spite of
all efforts to refute them with reality. Some urban legends about
child kidnappings and other threats to citizens have even been
disseminated unknowingly by law enforcement agencies. Such legends
have always existed, but today the mass media aggressively
participate in their rapid and more efficient dissemination. Many
Americans mistakenly believe that tabloid television shows check out
and verify the details of their stories before pulling them on the
air. Mass hysteria may partially account for large numbers of
victims describing the same symptoms or experiences.
Training conferences for all the disciplines involved in child
sexual abuse may also play a role in the spread of this contagion.
At one child abuse conference I attended, an exhibitor was selling
more than 50 different books dealing with satanism and the occult.
By the end of the conference, he had sold nearly all of them. At
another national child sexual abuse conference, I witnessed more
than 100 attendees copying down the widely disseminated 29 "Symptoms
Characterizing Satanic Ritual Abuse" in preschool-aged children. Is
a four-year-old child's "preoccupation with urine and feces" an
indication of satanic ritual abuse or part of normal development?
-- g. COMBINATION.
Most multidimensional child sex ring cases probably involve a
*combination* of the answers previously set forth, as well as other
possible explanations unknown to me at this time. Obviously, cases
with adult survivors are more likely to involve some of these
answers than those with young children. Each case of sexual
victimization must be individually evaluated on its own merits
without any preconceived explanations. All the possibilities must be
explored if for no other reason than the fact that the defense
attorneys for any accused subjects will almost certainly do so.
Most people would agree that just because a victim tells you one
detail that turns out to be true, this does not mean that every
detail is true. But many people seem to believe that if you can
disprove one part of a victim's story, then the entire story is
false. As previously stated, one of my main concerns in these cases
is that people are getting away with sexually abusing children or
committing other crimes because we cannot prove that they are
members of organized cults that murder and eat people.
The odds are fairly high that in any typical day care center there
might be some children who are victims of incest; victims of
physical abuse; victims of psychological abuse; children of cult
members (even satanists); children of sexually open parents;
children of sexually indiscriminate parents; children of parents
obsessed with victimization; children of parents obsessed with the
evils of satanism; children without conscience; children with a
teenage brother or pregnant mother; children with heavy metal music
and literature in the home; children with bizarre toys, games,
comics, and magazines; children with a VCR and slasher films in
their home; children with access to dial-a-porn, party lines, or
pornography; or children victimized by a day care center staff
member. The possible effects of the interaction of such children
prior to the disclosure of the alleged abuse must be evaluated,
Adult survivors may obtain details from group therapy sessions,
support networks, church groups, or self-help groups. The
willingness and ability of siblings to corroborate adult survivor
accounts of ritual abuse varies. Some will support and partially
corroborate the victim's allegations. Others will vehemently deny
them and support their accused parents or relatives.
-- c. MEDIA.
The amount of sexually explicit, occult, anti-occult, or violence-
oriented material available to adults and even children in the
modern world is overwhelming. This includes movies, videotapes,
television, music, toys, and books. There are also documentaries on
satanism, witchcraft, and the occult that are available on
videotape. Most of the televangelists have videotapes on the topics
that they are selling on their programs.
The National Coalition on Television Violence News (1988) estimates
that 12% of the movies produced in the United States can be
classified as satanic horror films. Cable television and the home
VCR make all this material readily available even to young children.
Religious broadcasters and almost all the television tabloid and
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magazine programs have done shows on satanism and the occult. Heavy
metal and black metal music, which often has a satanic theme, is
readily available and popular. In addition to the much-debated
fantasy role-playing games, there are numerous popular toys on the
market with an occult-oriented, bizarre, or violent theme.
Books on satanism and the occult, both fiction and nonfiction, are
readily available in most bookstores, especially Christian
bookstores. Several recent books specifically discuss the issue of
ritual abuse of children. Obviously, very young children do not read
this material, but their parents, relatives, and therapists might
and then discuss it in front of or with them. Much of the material
intended to fight the problem actually fuels the problem and damages
effective prosecution.
Bizarre crime and evil can occur without organized satanic activity.
The professional perspective requires that we distinguish between
what we know and what we're not sure of.
After all the hype and hysteria are put aside, the realization sets
in that most satanic/occult activity involves the commission of *no*
crimes, and that which does usually involves the commission of
relatively minor crimes such as trespassing, vandalism, cruelty to
animals, or petty thievery.
-- a. "YOUTH SUBCULTURE.
-- c. "TRADITIONAL (ORTHODOX).
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"These are the so-called true believers. They are often wary of
outsiders. Because of this and constitutional issues, such groups
are difficult for law enforcement to penetrate. Although there may
be much we don't know about these groups, as of now there is little
or no hard evidence that as a group they are involved in serious,
organized criminal activity. In addition, instead of being self-
perpetuating master crime conspirators, "true believers" probably
have a similar problem with their teenagers rebelling against their
belief system. To some extent even these Traditional satanists are
self-stylized. They practice what they have come to believe is
"satanism". There is little or no evidence of the much-discussed
multigenerational satanists whose beliefs and practices have
supposedly been passed down through the centuries. Many admitted
adult satanists were in fact raised in conservative Christian
homes."
The meaning of symbols can also change over time, place, and
circumstance. Is a swastika spray-painted on a wall an ancient
symbol of prosperity and good fortune, a recent symbol of Nazism and
anti-Semitism, or a current symbol of hate, paranoia, and adolescent
defiance? The peace sign which in the 1960s was a familiar antiwar
symbol is now supposed to be a satanic symbol. Some symbols and
holidays become "satanic" only because the antisatanists say they
are. Then those who want to be "satanists" adopt them, and now you
have "proof" they are satanic.
In spite of what is sometimes said or suggested at law enforcement
training conferences, police have no authority to seize any satanic
or occult paraphernalia they might see during a search. A legally-
valid reason must exist for doing so. It is not the job of law
enforcement to prevent satanists from engaging in noncriminal
teaching, rituals, or other activities.
9. INVESTIGATING MULTIDIMENSIONAL CHILD SEX RINGS.
Multidimensional child sex rings can be among the most difficult,
frustrating, and complex cases that any law enforcement officer will
ever investigate. The investigation of allegations of recent
activity from multiple young children under the age of seven
presents one set of problems and must begin quickly, with interviews
of *all* potential victims being completed as soon as possible. The
investigation of allegations of activity ten or more years earlier
from adult survivors presents other problems and should proceed,
unless victims are at immediate risk, more deliberately, with
gradually-increasing resources as corroborated facts warrant.
In spite of any skepticism, allegations of ritual abuse should be
aggressively and thoroughly investigated, This investigation should
attempt to corroborate the allegations of ritual abuse. but should
*simultaneously* also attempt to identify alternative explanations.
The only debate is over how much investigation is enough. Any law
enforcement agency must be prepared to defend and justify its
actions when scrutinized by the public, the media, elected
officials, or the courts. This does not mean, however, that a law
enforcement agency has an obligation to prove that the alleged
crimes did not occur. This is almost always impossible to do and
investigators should be alert for and avoid this trap.
One major problem in the investigation of multidimensional child sex
rings is the dilemma of recognizing soon enough that you have one.
Investigators must be alert for cases with the potential for the
four basic dynamics: (a) multiple young victims, (b) multiple
offenders, (c) fear as the controlling tactic, and (d) bizarre or
ritualistic activity. The following techniques apply primarily to
the investigation of such multidimensional child sex rings:
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-- a. MINIMIZE SATANIC/OCCULT ASPECT.
There are those who claim that one of the major reasons more of
these cases have not been successfully prosecuted is that the
satanic/occult aspect has not been aggressively pursued. One state
has even introduced legislation creating added penalties when
certain crimes are committed as part of a ritual or ceremony. A few
states have passed special ritual crime laws. I strongly disagree
with such an approach. It makes no difference what spiritual belief
system was used to enhance and facilitate or rationalize and justify
criminal behavior. It serves no purpose to "prove" someone is a
satanist. As a matter of fact, if it is alleged that the subject
committed certain criminal acts under the influence of or in order
to conjure up supernatural spirits or forces, this may very well be
the basis for an insanity or diminished capacity defense, or may
damage the intent aspect of a sexually motivated crime. The defense
may very well be more interested in all the "evidence of satanic
activity". Some of the satanic crime "experts" who train law
enforcement wind up working or testifying for the defense in these
cases.
It is best to focus on the crime and all the evidence to corroborate
its commission. Information about local satanic or occult activity
is only of value if it is based on specific law enforcement
intelligence and not on some vague, unsubstantiated generalities
from religious groups. Cases are not solved by decoding signs,
symbols, and dates using undocumented satanic crime "manuals". In
one case a law enforcement agency executing a search warrant seized
only the satanic paraphernalia and left behind the other evidence
that would have corroborated victim statements. Cases are solved by
people- and behavior-oriented investigation. Evidence of satanic or
occult activity may help explain certain aspects of the case, but
even offenders who commit crimes in a spiritual context are usually
motivated by power, sex, and money.
-- b. KEEP INVESTIGATION AND RELIGIOUS BELIEFS SEPARATE.
I believe that one of the biggest mistakes any investigator of these
cases can make is to attribute supernatural powers to the offenders.
During an investigation a good investigator may sometimes be able to
use the beliefs and superstitions of the offenders to his or her
advantage. The reverse happens if the investigator believes that the
offenders possess supernatural powers. Satanic/occult practitioners
have no more power than any other human beings. Law enforcement
officers who believe that the investigation of these cases puts them
in conflict with the supernatural forces of evil should probably not
be assigned to them. The religious beliefs of officers should
provide spiritual strength and support for them but should not
affect the objectivity and professionalism of the investigation.
The explanation that the satanists are too organized and law
enforcement is too incompetent only goes so far in explaining the
lack of evidence. For at least eight years American law enforcement
has been aggressively investigating the allegations of victims of
ritual abuse. There is little or no evidence for the portion of
their allegations that deals with large-scale baby breeding, human
sacrifice, and organized satanic conspiracies. Now it is up to
mental health professionals, not law enforcement, to explain why
victims are alleging things that don't seem to have happened.
Professionals in this field must accept the fact that there is still
much we do not know about the sexual victimization of children, and
that this area desperately needs study and research by rational,
objective social scientists.
If the guilty are to be successfully prosecuted, if the innocent are
to be exonerated, and if the victims are to be protected and
treated, better methods to evaluate and explain allegations of
"ritual" child abuse must be developed or identified. Until this is
done, the controversy will continue to cast a shadow over and fuel
the backlash against the validity and reality of child sexual abuse.
XI. REFERENCES.
American Psychiatric Association, _Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders_ (3rd Ed., Rev.). Washington, DC: 1987.
Breiner, S.J., _Slaughter of the Innocents: Child Abuse Through the
Ages and Today_. New York: Plenum Press, 1990.
Brown, R., _Prepare for War_. Chino, CA: Chick Publications, 1987.
Brunvand, J.H., _The Vanishing Hitchhiker_. New York: Norton, 1981.
Harrington, Walt, "The Devil in Anton LaVey". Washington, D.C.: _The
Washington Post Magazine_, February 23, 1986, pages #6-17.
Lanning, K.V., _Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis_ (2nd Ed.).
Washington, D.C.: National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children, 1987.
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-- c. Richardson, James T.; Best, Joel; & Bromley, David G.; Eds,
_The Satanism Scare_. NY: Aldine de Gruyter, 1991.
The best book now available on the current controversy over satanism
written from the academic perspective, The editors and many of the
chapter authors are college professors and have written an
objective, well-researched book. One of the great strengths of this
book is the fact that the editors address a variety of the
controversial issues from a variety of disciplines (i.e., sociology,
history, folklore, anthropology, criminal justice). Because of its
academic perspective it is sometimes harder to read but is well
worth the effort. The chapter on "Law Enforcement and the Satanic
Crime Connection" contains the results of a survey of "Cult Cops"
and is must reading for law enforcement officers. The chapter on
"Satanism and Child Molestation: Constructing the Ritual Abuse
Scare" was written, however, by a free-lance journalist who seems to
take the position that these cases involve little or no real child
abuse.
-- d. Terr, Lenore, _Too Scared to Cry: Psychic Trauma in
Childhood_. New York: Harper and Row, 1990.
An excellent book written by a psychiatrist that provides important
insights into the nature and recallability of early psychic trauma.
For me, Dr. Terr's research and findings in the infamous Chowchilla
kidnapping case shed considerable light on the "ritual" abuse
controversy.
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Although the language is not modern, the description of the practices could have
come straight from last week's "Picture" magazine! And this is the point that I wish
to make; the facts of persecution have not changed in almost 2,000 years, for that
piece was written in the 2nd century AD. Moreover, the religion it condemns is
Christianity, not Paganism, for Paganism at that time was the dominant state
religion. In fact the author is a Christian apologist, and is attempting to rebuke
what he sees as unfair criticism, by parodying the offences which Pagans accuse
Christians of perpetrating.
Persecution of religious minorities is quite simply that; it is persecution by a
large body of people - generally those who represent "society" - against a smaller
one; generally comprised of those who have either rejected, or for one reason or
another, fall outside of the social "norm".
Let us look at the medieval picture of the witch; society's scapegoat par
excellence: here we see her - for it is most often "her" - an old, ugly woman, most
likely poor, and most likely on the fringe of the society in which she lives. This
is the stereotype of the witch. We know it is false; we know it has no basis in
fact; however, it became an integral part of the mindset of medieval Europe, and
through fairy tales, drama and literature, and more latterly, cinema, the media and
television, it has remained an integral image in modern society. One has only to
look to Roald Dahl's "Witches", or Frank Baum's "Wizard of Oz", for proof of this.
It came as a surprise to me to learn that "The Wizard of Oz" was in fact a
deliberate propaganda exercise, released just at the beginning of World War II. If
you remember, the magic words are: "There's no place like home"; and where was
"home"?
Kansas! that epitome of the WASP culture.
When looking at medieval persecution of heresy, the waters are muddied by the many
different causes and effects which permeate the whole matter. There was no single
cause, and no single victim. It is a fact that far more women than men were
persecuted; there are a number of reasons for this, not least that throughout this
period, Europe was engaged in one war after another - most notably The Crusades -
and men were in rather short supply. There were also several epidemics of the
plague, not to mention other diseases such as dysentery and cholera, which in the
Middle Ages were sure killers. Another reason is the rampant misogyny which, begun
with the earliest Christians, has permeated their theology ever since:
"What else is woman but a foe to friendship, an inescapable punishment, a necessary
evil, a natural temptation, a desirable calamity, a domestic danger, a delectable
detriment, an evil of nature, painted in fair colours... The word woman is used to
mean the lust of the flesh, as it is said: I have found a woman more bitter than
death, and a good woman more subject to carnal lust... [Women] are more credulous;
and since the chief aim of the devil is to corrupt faith, therefore he rather
attacks them [than men]... Women are naturally more impressionable... They have
slippery tongues, and are unable to conceal from their fellow-women those things
which by evil arts they know.... Women are intellectually like children... She is
more carnal than a man, as is clear from her many carnal abominations... She is an
imperfect animal, she always deceives.... Therefore a wicked woman is by her nature
quicker to waver in her faith, and consequently quicker to abjure the faith, which
is the root of witchcraft.... Just as through the first defect in their intelligence
they are more prone to abjure the faith; so through their second defect of
inordinate affections and
passions they search for, brood over, and inflict various vengeances, either by
witchcraft or by some other means.... Women also have weak memories; and it is a
natural vice in them not to be
disciplined, but to follow their own impulses without any sense of what is due...
She is a liar by nature... (Malleus Maleficarum, edited by
Jeffrey Russell).
It is easy to comprehend the persecution of women when one is confronted with such
obvious hatred and fear of the sex. But perhaps the most powerful impetus of the
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witch trials era is one which is subtly - and sometimes not so subtly! - present in
all the trials; that of a pursuit of power or wealth. For an example we can look to
Gilles de Rais, who as the wealthiest man in Europe (as well as Joan of Arc's
military Captain), was a prime victim for a charge of heresy. Found guilty, his
lands, properties and wealth were confiscated by his accusers. Curiously though he
was buried on consecrated ground in the Churchyard; normally forbidden to heretics.
In "The Encyclopaedia of Witchcraft and Demonology", Russell Hope Robbins says:
"At first, Gilles dismissed their accusations as "frivolous and lacking credit", but
so certain were the principals of finding him guilty that on September 3, fifteen
days before the trial began, the Duke disposed of his anticipated share of the Rais
lands. Under these circumstances, it is difficult to place any credence in the
evidence against him, among the most fantastic and obscene
presented in this Encyclopaedia."
Charges included the now obligatory conjurations of devils and demons - Satan,
Beelzebub, Orion and Belial are mentioned by name - and the practice of that
dreadful art: geomancy! And of course the charges included human sacrifice and
paedophilia; no self-respecting Christian could exclude these crimes from charges
against a confirmed heretic!
There were not many who had the wealth of Gilles de Rais, but in
a small parish, even the meanest property was eagerly seized, and
the witch hunts became a profitable business. The victims were even required to pay
for the fuel upon which they were burnt. But the laws were not consistent
throughout Europe, and in some areas, if the victim confessed, then his or her
property could not be confiscated, but was inherited by the next of kin. However,
many of these victims were in fact devout Christians, who would be loath to confess
to heresy just so that their family could inherit their land! Of course many were
tortured to the point were they would admit to being anything demanded of them,
although technically, they were only allowed to be tortured once. This is why you
will read in trials records that the torture was "continued", which, of course, gets
round the problem of the poor torturer missing out on his lunch and dinner.
Although most heretics were women, a great many men were also taken, tortured, and
put to death. This is a letter from one such victim at the notorious Bamberg in
Germany; a poignant epitaph to one of Europe's most hideous crimes:
Many hundred thousand good-nights, dearly beloved daughter Veronica. Innocent have I
come into prison, innocent have I been tortured, innocent must I die. For whoever
comes into the witch prison must become a witch or be tortured until he invents
something out of his head - and God pity him - bethinks him of something.
I said: "I have never renounced God, and will never do it - God graciously keep me
from it. I'll rather bear whatever I must."
And then came also - God in highest heaven have mercy - the executioner, and put the
thumbscrews on me, both hands bound together, so that the blood spurted from the
nails and everywhere,
so that for four weeks I could not use my hands, as you can see from my writing.
Thereafter they stripped me, bound my hands behind me, and drew me up on the ladder.
Then I thought heaven and earth were at an end. Eight times did they draw me up and
let me fall again, so that I suffered terrible agony.
All this happened on Friday June 30th and with God's help I had to bear the torture.
When at last the executioner led me back into the cell, he said to me: "Sir, I beg
you, for God's sake, confess
something, whether it be true or not. Invent something, for you cannot bear the
torture which you will be put to; and, even if you bear it all, yet you will not
escape, not even if you were an earl,
but one torture will follow another until you say you are a witch."
The author of this letter, Johannes Junius, did indeed confess to being a witch, and
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in August of 1628, was burned at the stake. He managed to send his final letter to
his daughter, which ended by saying:
Dear child, keep this letter secret, so that people do not find it, else I shall be
tortured most piteously and the jailers will be beheaded. So strictly is it
forbidden... Dear child, pay this man a thaler... I have taken several days to write
this - my hands are both crippled. I am in a sad plight. Good night, for your
father Johannes Junius will never see you more.
This letter describes more accurately than any historical treatise just how
uncompromising the ecclesiastical courts were in their
hunt for heretics. Witches, of course, were only one kind of heretic.
I mentioned earlier that there are many causes, and many effects, to the period
which is commonly referred to as "The Burning Times", or the Great Witch Hunt. It is
often assumed by many people today that Christianity has been the dominant western
religion for 2,000 years. This is not so. The death of Christ, which probably
occurred in the year AD 30, may have heralded the new religion, but there was
certainly not an immediate conversion of the world to Christianity. Parts of
Scandinavia remained wholly Pagan until as late as the 12th century. The British
Isles and mainland Europe were converted to Christianity over a lengthy period
covering mainly the 4th to 9th centuries. Some parts have never truly been
converted, and with the opening up of the Eastern bloc countries, we are now
re-discovering a wealth of Pagan tradition and folklore that has been hidden for
hundreds of years: initially from the invading Christian mission-aries, and then
later from the various communist regimes.
Have you got a neighbour who annoys you? plays loud music, or who keeps their smelly
refuse next to your garden fence? Now your recourse is to the local council or the
police; in the Middle Ages, you simply denounced the offender as a witch or heretic,
and let the Church deal with them for you. Not only did it cost you nothing, if you
were lucky, you might also inherit their property!
For once you were taken as a witch or a heretic, there was little chance of escape.
Certainly some victims were pardoned and released, but the vast majority were not so
lucky. When you consider the style of questioning, this is not surprising:
1 How long have you been a witch?
2 Why did you become a witch?
3 How did you become a witch and what happened on that occasion?
4 Who is the one you chose to be your incubus? What was his name?
5 What was the name of your master among the evil demons?
6 What was the oath you were forced to render to him?
In the 12th century, the word "Synagogue" was used for the first time to describe
the meeting place of heretics. Professor Russell says that: "This usage, obviously
designed to spite the Jews, was common throughout the Middle Ages, being replaced
only towards the end of the 15th century by the equally anti-Jewish term 'sabbat'.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica says on the subject of Jewish persecution that: "To
reinforce racial and religious prejudice, the preposterous ritual murder accusation
became common from the 12th century." The third and fourth Lateran Councils had
already prohibited gentiles from entering Jewish service, or being employed by Jews,
and further ordered that Jews should wear a distinctive badge, and live only in
Jewish settlement areas. This of course was the beginning of the ghetto.
As we have seen though, the ritual murder accusation was already over a thousand
years old, before it was used against either the Jews or the heretics and witches.
Most people know of the expulsion of Jews from Spain in the 15th century, but
perhaps not so commonly known is that for about 200 years prior to the expulsion,
the Jews had been massacred and persecuted. Indeed, it was against the Jews that the
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infamous Spanish Inquisition of the 15th century was directed. The persecution of
Jews in 20th century Europe is too well-known to require further comment here, but
perhaps a few comments about its encouragement would be useful.
We are discussing persecution in this talk, and how persecution is manifested.
Throughout history, the written word has been invaluable as a means of spreading
propaganda. Even in the Middle Ages the "crimes" of the heretic were publicised by
records of trials, where the "confessions" were made known to the general public.
The infamous "Malleus Maleficarum" became highly influential in Europe mainly
because its publication coincided with the introduction of mass printing. It had
little effect in England because no English translation was available until 1928.
This fact alone demonstrates the power of the written word.
In medieval Europe, a pamphlet describing the crimes of a convicted heretic would be
pinned to a post in the town square, and those who could not read had it read to
them. In 20th century Europe, pamphlets were still used by one group to spread lies
about another. As we approach the 21st century, this technique is still used with
very great success; for the persecutor needs to make only a glancing nod to the
truth, and the lies which are published (or more frequently broadcast) are far more
scandalous than the reality!
An example: soon after the launch of the Pagan Alliance, Sydney radio 2MMM
broadcasted a news story about the sexual abuse of children by occultists and
witches. Matthew responded immediately, and provided the station with copy documents
and news clippings from Britain, proving the story to be without foundation, and a
scheme by the Christian fundamentalists to discredit Pagans. The news editor and
chief journalist were impressed by the material, and agreed that they had been used
by the fundies. However, they refused to broadcast a retraction because it would be
"old news". So, the damage had been done, and the fundamentalists achieved their
objective.
This technique was used with very great effect in the early part of
the 20th century, with the circulation of a pamphlet called, "The
Protocols of the Elders of Zion". This purported to be, "an account
of the World Congress of Jewry held in Basel, Switzerland in 1897, during which a
conspiracy was planned by the international Jewish movement and the Freemasons to
achieve world domination." (M Howard).
German nationalists made very great use of the Protocols, which it
was claimed were "smuggled out of Switzerland by a Russian journalist who had placed
the documents in the safe keeping of the Rising Sun Masonic Lodge in Frankfurt."
(ibid) They were widely disseminated, and writing in "Mein Kampf", Hitler "denounced
the Jews as agents of an international conspiracy devoted to world domination...".
(ibid) We all know what happened next.
The point is that although the Protocols were confirmed as a fraud in 1921, they
continued to have an effect, and once published, could not effectively be retracted.
This is the aim of today's fundamentalist Christian, who believes that if he or she
throws enough dirt at their opponents (basically anyone who does not agree with
their uncompromising version of Christianity), then some will stick, and the battle
will be won. This is the strategy which has been used for thousands of years to
persecute minorities, and has always been successful. The formula is simple:
discover what most people fear most, and then accuse your enemies of practising it.
It is an interesting comment on humanity that those things which occur time and time
again are consistent: conspiracy, buggery, paedophilia, sacrifice (human and animal)
sexual license, drunkenness and feasting. More specific charges relating to a pact
with a devil or desecrating sacred objects are additions to these core accusations.
A further interesting aspect is that many of the accusations were
made by children; interesting parallels can be drawn to modern accusations by
children "encouraged" to reveal information about occultism and witches. It has been
widely recorded that Hitler's "Youth Army" required children to spy upon their
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parents, and report any indiscretions; modern social workers use an identical
process for identifying Pagan parents - children are asked about what their parents
do, and leading questions are commonly used. And of course there have always been
children who, for one reason or another, tell the most fantastic tales. It is
unlikely today that the victims of these child fantasies will be burned at the
stake, but there have been families torn apart, children placed in detention
centres, and untold misery for parents and children alike, based upon no more than
the verbal report of a child.
Commentators on this aspect of persecution have suggested that the children wish to
be the centre of attention; or to direct punishment
for their own misdeeds elsewhere; or are simply reacting in a hyperactive manner to
the onset of puberty. Whatever the cause, the effects are dramatic, and have caused
severe suffering, and in the middle ages, loss of life, on many occasions.
In medieval England, there were many occasions where children's "evidence" (sic) was
used to convict witches. "The Leicester Boy", "The Burton Boy" and "The Bilson Boy"
were a few of many who claimed to be bewitched by witches. Eventually proven to be a
fraud, at least ten women died as a result of the accusations of The Leicester Boy,
and the Burton Boy caused the death of at least one of the women whom he accused. In
the 17th century a number of women were executed on the allegations of hysterical
children, even though fraud was often discovered during the course of the trial. It
is a fact that the delusions of delinquent or disturbed children were often used by
judges to confirm their own prejudices; how little things have changed!
Salem (1692) is probably the best known of all the cases where children were the
chief accusers. Although in fact, the "children" were more like young adults, with
only one under the age of ten, and most in their late teens or early twenties.
However, as the panic grew, a great many more were sucked into the web of lies, and
Martha Carrier was hanged on the "evidence" (sic) of her 7 year-old daughter. At the
height of the hysteria almost 150 people were arrested; thirty-one were convicted,
and nineteen hung. Some died in jail, and others were reprieved. As was common in
Europe, the accused were required to pay their expenses whilst in jail, even if they
were subsequently found innocent. Sarah Osborne and Ann Foster both died in jail,
and costs of œ1 3s 5d and œ2 16s 0d respectively were demanded before the bodies
would be released for burial.
The chief of the accusers, Ann Putnam, confessed fourteen years later that the whole
thing was a fraud. In 1697 the jurors publicly confessed they had made an error of
judgement, and ten years after the executions, Judge Samuel Sewall "confessed the
guilt of the court, desiring to take the blame and shame of it...". By then of
course it was too late for those who were dead, or whose lives had been destroyed by
the accusations.
But we are getting ahead of ourselves here, for Salem is the last of the great witch
trials, coming as it does towards the end of the 17th
century.
We mentioned earlier that in Continental Europe, the heresy trials
appeared to arise from the persecution of the Christian sects of the
Bogomils, Cathars, Albigensians, and others such as the Jews, Waldensians, and even
the Knights Templars. The stereotype of the witch was compounded from many different
sources, and gradually became the composite figure of the shape-shifting hag, who
flew through the air on a broom, and flung her curses at all and sundry.
The concept of the pact with the devil existed as early as the 8th
century, and as we have seen, sexual license, buggery and ritual
sacrifice have long been seen as activities supposed to be practised
by those outside of society's norm, whether they be Christian or
Pagan. During the 9th century, shape-shifting, maleficia and the
incubus/succubus became more commonly reported, and by the 10th century, the idea of
nocturnal flight was established. Published in 906, the Canon Episcopi described
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how some women were deluded in the belief that at night they could fly behind their
Goddess, Diana (Holda or Herodias):
"Some wicked women are perverted by the Devil and led astray by illusions and
fantasies induced by demons, so that they believe they ride out at night on beasts
with Diana, the pagan goddess, and
a horde of women. They believe that in the night they cross huge distances. They say
that they obey Diana's commands and on certain nights are called out in her
service..."
"But if the accused, after a year or other longer period which has been deemed
sufficient, continues to maintain his denials, and the legitimate witnesses abide by
their evidence, the Bishop and
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Judges shall prepare to abandon him to the secular Court; sending to him certain
honest men zealous for the faith, especially religious, to tell him that he cannot
escape temporal death while he thus
persists in his denial, but will be delivered up as an impenitent heretic to the
power of the secular Court.
It is also in this section that our friendly Dominican monks refer to, "witch
midwives, who surpass all other witches in their crimes... And the number of them is
so great that, as has been found from their confessions, it is thought that there is
scarcely any tiny hamlet in which at least one is not to be found."
Despite its incredible influence in Europe, the Malleus had little effect in
England, Wales or Ireland, where witchcraft accusations
and trials were very different to those of the continent and Scotland. In fact Wales
and Ireland seemed to escape from the witch persecutions almost entirely, with very
few trials, and even fewer executions.
Although many laws have been enacted in England against witchcraft, there has never
been anything like the hysteria about witches common in mainland Europe. The
earliest known person accused of sorcery in England was Agnes, wife of Odo, who in
1209 was freed after choosing trial by ordeal of grasping a red-hot iron.
Until 1563, commoners accused of witchcraft in England met light (if any)
punishment. Those of noble birth were treated rather more severely, as the crime
could easily be one of treason, and any action which implied a threat to the monarch
was treated very seriously indeed. This resulted in the charge of witchcraft being
used to remove political opponents with great expediency. There were certainly laws
against the practice of witchcraft or sorcery: Alfred the Great (849-899 AD), King
of Wessex and overlord of England, decreed the death penalty for Wiccans (that was
the word he actually used), and Aethelstan - perhaps one of the most compassionate
of Saxon Kings, ordered those who practised Wiccecraeft to be executed, but only if
their activities resulted in murder.
Under Henry VIII's Act of 1546, the penalty for conjuration of evil
spirits was death, and the property of the accused was confiscated
by the King. However, this was in effect for only one year, being
repealed by Edward VI in 1547, and only one conviction under this
Act is recorded. In 1563, the statute of Queen Elizabeth I was established, which
also made death the penalty for invoking or conjuring an evil spirit, but those who
practised divination, or who caused harm (other than death) by their sorceries, were
sentenced to a year's imprisonment for a first offence. Subsequent offences could be
punishable by death, and in some cases, the confiscation of property as well.
In 1945, Charles Walton, a local labourer, set out one morning to do some hedging on
nearby Meon Hill. That evening, his mutilated body was found in a field - pinned to
the ground by his pitchfork, which had been stuck through his throat. There were
cuts to his arms and legs, and local police were baffled as to the motive for the
crime, and who the likely culprit might have been. But gradually locals began to
talk about Mr Walton; they said he was a solitary and vindictive old man, who was
concerned more with searching out the secrets of nature than in taking company with
his neighbours. They said that he harnessed toads, using reeds and pieces of ram's
horn, and then sent them across fields to blight the crops. They also remembered
that he kept a witch's mirror - a piece of black stone polished in a mountain stream
- concealed in his pocket-watch, which he used for weaving spells and seeing into
the future. The police never discovered the culprit, but it was accepted locally
that Mr Walton was murdered because he was a
witch. His wounds were a result of the belief that a victim could be
freed from enchantment if he or she were able to draw the blood of
the witch.
We could not leave English witchcraft without mention of that infamous gentleman,
Matthew Hopkins; self-styled Witchfinder General. For all his fame, his activities
were restricted to a relatively small area, and a relatively short period of time.
However, his boundless energy, and boundless enthusiasm for the collection of large
amounts of money, ensured that his name has not been forgotten.
Matthew Hopkins used the unrest of the Civil War to prey upon the fears of the
common people. Little is known of his early life, except that he became a lawyer "of
little note", and failing to make a living at Ipswich in Suffolk, moved to
Manningtree in Essex - an area of Civil War tension.
With virtually no knowledge of witchcraft, but armed with a couple of contemporary
documents (including James I's "Demonology"), Hopkins set himself up in business as
a witchfinder. And a very profitable business it was too. At a time when the average
daily wage was 6d, Hopkins received œ23 for a single visit to Stowmarket, and œ6 for
a visit to Aldeburgh.
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His approach was consistent: James I mentioned that witches had familiars, and
suckled imps; therefore, anyone who kept a familiar
spirit or imp must be a witch! Bearing in mind the English partiality to keeping
pets, and you begin to see just how very successful this technique could be. For
example, Bridget Mayers was condemned for entertaining an evil spirit in the
likeness of a mouse, which she called "Prickears"; another (unnamed) woman was
rescued by her neighbours from a ducking, where she confessed to having an imp
called "Nan". When she recovered she said: "she knew not what she had confessed, and
she had nothing she called Nan but a pullet that she sometimes called by that
name...".
Hopkins moved from Essex to Norfolk and Suffolk, and by the following year, had
operations in Cambridge, Northampton, Huntingdon and Bedford, with a team of six
witch finders under his control. "In Suffolk alone it is estimated that he was
responsible for arresting at least 124 persons for witchcraft, of whom at least 68
were hanged." (RHR) However, Hopkins moved too far too quickly, and public opinion
began to go against him. In 1646, a clergyman in Huntingdon preached against him,
and judges began to question both his methods of locating witches, and the fees that
he charged for the service. In 1647 Hopkins published a pamphlet called "Discovery
of Witches", in which he supported his methods in sanctimonious and pseudo legal
language. However, it was to no avail, for later that year he died, "in some
disgrace" according to most authorities. Witchcraft legend has it that he was
drowned by irate villagers in one of his own ducking ponds, but this has no recorded
evidence to support it. However, it would be a
fitting end to such an evil man, and I hope it was true.
Moving away from England; Scottish and Continental witchcraft shared a great many
similarities; Mary Queen of Scots, and her son, James VI, were both educated in
France, and this ensured that continental attitudes towards witches were enshrined
in Scottish law at the highest level. In fact the concepts of witchcraft were
introduced into Scotland by Mary in about 1563. Before then, trials for witchcraft
had been few, and there were no recorded burnings of witches. In "The Encyclopaedia
of Witchcraft and Demonology" Rossell Hope Robbins says:
"Scotland is second only to Germany in the barbarity of its witch trials. The
Presbyterian clergy acted like inquisitors, and the Church sessions often shared the
prosecution with the secular law
courts. The Scottish laws were, if anything, more heavily loaded against the
accused. Finally, the devilishness of the torture was limited only by Scotland's
backward technology in the construction
of mechanical devices."
It is well known that James VI was an ardent prosecutor of witches, and it was under
his authority that the Bible was translated to include the word "witch" (Exodus
22:18) to provide Biblical sanction for the death penalty for witches. The original
Hebrew word - kashaph - meant either a magician, diviner or sorcerer, but was
definitely not a witch. In the Latin Vulgate (4th century version of the Bible) the
word had been translated as "maleficos", which could mean any kind of criminal,
although in practice often referred to malevolent sorcerers. Similarly, the
so-called Witch of Endor, consulted by King Solomon: the original Hebrew was
"ba'alath ob": "mistress of a talisman". In the Latin Vulgate she became a "mulierem
habentem pythonem": a women possessing an oracular spirit. It was only in the
version of the Bible
authorised by King James that she became a witch.
By the time that James acceded to the English throne in 1603, his
attitude towards witches had undergone a subtle transformation. In
fact, he was directly responsible for the release and pardon of several accused
"witches", and personally interfered in trials where
he believed that fraud or deception was being practised. However,
Lynn Linton writing in 1861 says of him:
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"Whatever of blood-stained folly belonged specially to the Scottish trials of this
time - and hereafter - owed its original impulse to him; every groan of the tortured
wretches driven to their fearful doom, and every tear of the survivors left blighted
and desolate to drag out their weary days in mingled grief and terror, lie on his
memory with shame and condemnation ineffaceable for all time."
But it was under Charles II that perhaps the most famous - and enduring - of
Scottish witches was tried, and most probably executed (although records of her
punishment have not survived). Isobel Gowdie of Auldearne, on four separate
occasions during 1662 testified that she was a witch, and gave what Russell Hope
Robbins describes as: "a resum‚ of popular beliefs about witchcraft in Scotland.".
He says that Gowdie "appeared clearly demented", but that "it is plain she believed
what she confessed, no matter how impossible...".
From Gowdie are derived some of the concepts of today's Wicca, including the idea of
a coven, comprised of 13 people. Gowdie said that a coven was ruled by a "Man in
Black", often called "Black John". He would often beat the witches severely, and it
seemed their main tasks were to raise storms, change themselves into animals, and
shoot elf arrows to injure or kill people. Coming as she does right at the end of
the witchcraft persecutions, it is difficult to establish how much of Gowdie's
confession is based upon real, traditional folk practices of Auldearne, and how much
she is simply repeating the standard accusations against witches. The Coven of 13
is probably the single aspect of her confessions which does not appear elsewhere in
records of witchcraft trials, and my own feelings are that she was probably as
genuine a witch as was ever taken and tried.
We have already commented how terrifying it is to consider the impact that a single
person can have upon the lives of so many people. We have looked at a number of
these - King James, Kramer and Sprenger, Matthew Hopkins, Conrad of Marburg - and
their latter day successors are no less dangerous. Let us consider some of the 20th
century persecutors. We have already mentioned Adolf Hitler; what about Stalin? his
great purge in the period following 1936 saw charges of treason, espionage and
terrorism brought against anyone who showed the least inclination to oppose him.
Using techniques which would not have been out of place during the great witch
hunts, Stalin's henchmen enforced "confessions", and effectively exterminated any
threat to his
political power.
We could look too at McCarthy, whose fame for persecution was such that his name is
now used to describe "the use of unsupported accusations for any purpose". It is no
accident that his activities were referred to as a "witch hunt", nor that Arthur
Miller's play about the Salem witch trials, "The Crucible", was more a comment about
McCarthyism than a comment about 17th century American life.
The father of four of the children who were taken into care said:
"At first I thought the allegations were laughable, but I found out
how serious the police were...". Just to remind you of the words of
Gilles de Rais some 500 years ago: [the accusations] are frivolous
and lack credit...".
One 11 year-old described being asked to draw a circle of ritualistic dancers. He
said: "They got me to draw by saying, 'I am not a drawer. Can you draw that?' It was
meant to be a ring with children around and a minister in the middle wearing a black
robe and a crook to pull children in."
The boy said he had been promised treats such as a lesson on how a helicopter worked
if he co-operated, and was told that he could
go if he gave one name. How remarkably similar to medieval witch
trials, where the victims were always pressed to name their accomplices - for is it
not said, "thou canst not be a witch alone?"!
In 1990, journalist Rosie Waterhouse commenting upon the Manchester child abuse case
said: "After three months of questioning by the NSPCC, strange stories began to come
out and other children were named. The way the children began telling "Satanic"
tales in this case is remarkably similar to the way such stories first surfaced in
Nottingham. As "The Independent on Sunday" revealed last week (23/9/90), the
Nottingham children began talking about witches, monsters, babies and blood only
after they had been encouraged, by an NSPCC social worker, to play with toys which
included witches' costumes, monsters, toy babies, and a syringe for extracting
blood."
Believe it or not, the parents of these children had no access to
them whatsoever. Why? Because our modern, scientifically trained,
20th century social workers believed that, "[the parents] would try
to silence the children, using secret Satanic symbols or trigger words".
By March 1991, senior Police spokesmen were publicly claiming that "police have no
evidence of ritual or satanic abuse inflicted on
children anywhere in England or Wales". Scotland has a different
legal system, which is why it was not included in the statement -
not because the police have evidence there, for they do not.
When the Rochdale case finally came to court, after the children
had been in care (sic!) for about 16 months, the judge delivered a
damning indictment upon those who were responsible for it, and said: "the way the
children had been removed from their parents was particularly upsetting." He saw a
video of the removal of one girl from her home during a dawn raid, and commented
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that, "It is obvious from the video tape that the girl is not merely frightened but
greatly distressed at being removed from home. The sobbing and distraught girl can
be seen. It is one of my most abiding memories of this case."
Let us return briefly to Salem, where, in 1710, William Good petitioned for damages
in respect of the trial and execution of his wife Sarah, and the imprisonment of his
daughter, Dorothy, "a child of four or five years old, [who] being chained in the
dungeon was so hardly used and terrified that she hath ever since been very
chargeable, having little or no reason to govern herself.".
The basic theology of Manichaeism is that good and evil are separate and
opposed principles, which have become mixed in the world through the action of the
evil principle. There is a complicated mythology which describes the creation of the
world and the elements, and a set of complex correspondences by which the seeker can
return to a state of salvation. Manichaeism spread across a huge area, including the
Roman Empire. However, by the 6th century it had virtually been eradicated from
Spain, France and Italy, although was strong in the eastern Mediterranean until the
9th century, when it was absorbed into the neo-Manichean sects of the Bogomils,
Cathars, etc.
Bogomils: a religious sect which flourished in the Balkans
between the 10th and 15th centuries.
Their central teaching was strictly dualistic; that the visible, material
world was created by the Devil, and that everything within it was therefore evil.
They rejected many of the trappings of Christianity, and their condemnation of
anything to do with the flesh - including eating and drinking! - has rightly earned
them the nickname, "the greatest puritans of the middle ages".
Cathars: a heretical Christian sect that flourished in
western Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries.
They believed that goodness existed only in the spiritual world created by
God, and that the material world, created by Satan, was evil. Their theology bore a
great resemblance to that of Manichaeism and the Bogomils, and they were closely
connected with the latter.
Waldensians: also known as Valdenses or Vaudois. The sect was
founded in southern France in the 12th century, and
emphasised poverty, abstinence from physical labou r, and a life
devoted to prayer.
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663 AD Council of Whitby determines the date of Easter to
be in accordance with Roman practice, and so ends Celtic
Christianity in Northumberland;
668-690 AD Liber Poenitentialis by Theodore, Archbishop of
Canterbury. Probably the first legislation against
witches. It advised penances (eg, fasting) for
those who "sacrificed to devils, foretold the future
with their aid, ate food that had been offered in
sacrifice, or burned grain after a man was dead for the
well-being of the living and of the house."
735-766 AD the Confessional of Ecgberht, Archbishop of
York, which prescribed a 7-year fast for a woman
convicted of "slaying by incantation";
871-899 AD reign of King Aelfred (brother of Aethelred), who
declared the death penalty for those who practise Wicca;
925-939 AD reign of King Aethelstan, where murder - including
murder by witchcraft - was punishable with the death
penalty;
936 AD Otto elected King of the Germans, whereupon he
declared it his intention to drive the pagans out of his
land;
951 Otto crowned King of Lombardy;
955 Otto defeated the Magyars and proclaimed himself
"Protector of Europe";
962 Otto crowned Holy Roman Emperor;
1022 the first burning (at Orleans) for heresy;
1066-1087 AD reign of William the Conqueror in England; he
reduced Aethelstan's sentence of death for con victed
murderers to banishment;
1118 King Baldwin II of Jerusalem suggested to Sir Hugh
de Payens that he organise a chivalric order of knights
to defend travellers to the Holy Land, and granted part of his
palace, which stood on the site of Solomon's original temple,
for their headquar ters. As a result of this gesture, Hugh de
Payens called his Order the Templi Militia, and then later
changed this to Knights of the Temple of Solomon in
Jerusalem;
1162 Pope Alexander III issued a special papal bull
releasing Templars from spiritual obedience to any but the
Pope himself, gave them exemption from paying tithes, and
allowed them their own chaplains and burial grounds;
12/13th cent the Cathar heresies: introduction of the obscene
kiss and ritual adoration of the devil;
1243-44 Siege of Montsegur;
1244 225 Cathars burned at the stake at Montsegur;
1259 relationships between the Knights Templars and the
Hospitallers of Knights of St John deteriorated into open
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warfare;
1291 the Saracens took Jerusalem, and the Knights
Templars were expelled, and lost their headquarters on the
site of Solomon's Temple;
1301 Walter Langton, bishop of Coventry, tried by
ecclesiastical court for diabolism and acquitted;
1302 trial in Exeter for defamation of a man who called
a woman a "wicked witch and thief";
1307 King Philip of France ordered the arrest of every
member of the Knights Templar in France: this was followed
by a papal bull to all rulers in Christian Europe that all
Templars were to be arrested;
1311 investigation in London by episcopal authority into
sorcery, enchantment, magic, divination and
invocation;
1312 the Pope officially disbanded the Knights Templars;
1314 Jaques de Molay (last Grand Master of the Knights
Templars) burned as a relapsed heretic;
1321 last Cathar burned at the stake;
1324 Alice Kyteler tried in Kilkenny by secular and
ecclesiastical authorities for diabolism, invoca tion and
sorcery;
1347 the Plague spreads over the whole of Italy, and
arrives in France by the end of the year;
1348 the Plague reaches Paris, then the Low Countries,
and then via the Channel to southern England;
1349 Britain ravaged by the Plague, which passes into
Germany, Austria and Scandinavia;
1360 the Plague, complicated by influenza reappears in
Europe, continuing in waves until 1441, and finally
ending around 1510;
1390 woman tried in Milan for attending an assembly led
by "Diana", "Erodiade" or "Oriente";
1408 the Plague, still rampant in Europe is complicated
by an epidemic of Typhus and Whooping Cough;
1409 trial of Pope Benedict XIII at Pisa for divination,
invocation, sorcery and other offences;
1428-47 Dauphine: 110 women and 57 men executed by secular
court for witchcraft, especially diabolism;
1431 Joan of Arc tried for heresy and burnt at the
stake: the trial decision was annulled in 1456, and in 1920
she was canonised by Pope Benedict XV with the date of her
execution (May 30) becoming a
national holiday in France;
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1440 Gilles de Rais tried on 47 charges including con
juration of demons and sexual perversions against
children: nearly all evidence was hearsay, none of his servants
was called to testify, and the procee dings were highly
irregular: he was strangled and then sent to the pyre, but his
family were given permission to remove his body before the
flames reached it for burial at a nearby Carmelite Church;
1441 Margery Jourdain ("the Witch of Eye") convicted of
plotting to kill King Henry VI, and burned as a traitor;
1458 first recorded use of the word "sabbat" (Nicholas
Jacquier). "Synagogue" was the word commonly used to
describe the meeting places of heretics and witches;
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1663 the Licensing Act determined that books could not
be published without prior consultation with the Church
or State;
1679-82 the Chambre Ardente affair: a star chamber court
admitting of no appeal arraigned to try Madame Bosse,
her daughter and sons; Madame Montvoisin (La Voisin) and La Dame
Vigoreux. During the course of the trial, several hundreds of
the highest cour tiers of King Louis XIV were implicated in
the poisoning scandal. The affair degenerated into a
search for heresy and witchcraft, and eventually
Catholic Priests Davot, Gerard, Deshayes, Cotton, Tournet,
Guibourg and Mariette were also drawn in, accused of performing
the Black Mass. Evidence was collected to show that Madame de
Montespan (Louis' former mistress) attempted to poison Louis and
his new mistress, and was the leader of the Satanic
cult. In all, 319 people were arrested and 104
sentenced: 36 to death, 4 to slavery in the gal leys, 34 to
banishment and 30 acquitted. In 1709 Louis attempted to
destroy the records of the affair, but failed;
1684 Alice Molland was the last person executed as a
witch in England (at Exeter);
Text begins:
There are three main strands I intend to examine: one, Gardner's claim of
traditional initiation, and its subsequent development; two, magical traditions to
which Gardner would have had access; and three, literary sources.
As we look at these three main threads, it is important to bear in mind that Gardner
was 55 years old at the time of his claimed initiation; that he had spent many years
in Malaya, and had an enormous interest in magic, Folklore and Mythology. By the
time he published High Magic's Aid, he was 65, and 75 when "The Meaning of
Witchcraft" appeared. He died in 1964, at the age of 80.
Gardner was born in 1884, and spent most of his working adult life in Malaya. He
retired, and returned to the UK in 1936. He joined the Folklore Society, and in June
1938, also joined the newly opened Rosicrucian Theatre at Christchurch where it is
said he met Old Dorothy Clutterbuck.
I chose 1939 as my arbitrary starting point as that was the year that Gerald Gardner
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claims he was initiated by Old Dorothy into a practising coven of the Old Religion,
that met in the New Forest area of Britain. In his own words,
"I realised that I had stumbled upon something interesting; but I was half-initiated
before the word, "Wica" which they used hit me like a thunderbolt, and I knew where
I was, and that the Old Religion still existed. And so I found myself in the Circle,
and there took the usual oath of secrecy, which bound me not to reveal certain
things." This quote is taken from The Meaning of Witchcraft, which was published in
1959.
It is interesting that in this quote, Gardner spells Wicca with only one "c"; in the
earlier "Witchcraft Today" (1954) and "High Magic's Aid" (1949), the word Wicca is
not even used. His own derivation for the word, given in "The Meaning of
Witchcraft", is as follows:
"As they (the Dane and Saxon invaders of England) had no witches of their own they
had no special name for them; however, they made one up from "wig" an idol, and
"laer", learning, "wiglaer" which they shortened into "Wicca".
"It is a curious fact that when the witches became English-speaking they adopted
their Saxon name, "Wica"."
In "An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present", Doreen Valiente does not have an entry
for Wicca, but when discussing Witchcraft, does mention the Saxon derivation from
the word Wicca or Wicce. In the more recently published The Rebirth Of Witchcraft,
however, she rejects this Saxon theory in favour of Prof. Russell's derivation from
the IndoEuropean root "Weik", which relates to things connected with magic and
religion.
Doreen Valiente strongly supports Gardner's claim of traditional initiation, and
published the results of her successful attempt to prove the existence of Dorothy
Clutterbuck in an appendix to "The Witches' Way" by Janet and Stewart Farrar. It is
a marvellous piece of investigation, but proving that Old Dorothy existed does
nothing to support Gardner's claims that she initiated him.
In his book, "Ritual Magic in England", occultist Francis King does offer some
anecdotal evidence in support of Gardner's claims. However, it is only fair to point
out that in the same book, he virtually accuses Moina Mathers of murder, based upon
a misunderstanding of a story told by Dion Fortune! With that caveat, I'll recount
the tale in full:
King relates that in 1953, he became acquainted with Louis Wilkinson, who wrote
under the pen-name of Louis Marlow, and had contributed essays to Crowley's Equinox.
He later became one of Crowley's literary executors. King says that in conversation,
Wilkinson told him that Crowley had claimed to have been offered initiation into a
witch coven, but that he refused, as he didn't want to be bossed around by a bunch
of women. (This story is well-known, and could have been picked
up anywhere.)
Wilkinson then proceeded to tell King that he had himself become friendly with
members of a coven operating in the New Forest area, and he thought that whilst it
was possible that they derived their existence from Murray's "Witch Cult in Western
Europe", he felt that they were rather older.
King draws the obvious conclusion; that these witches were the very same as those
who initiated Gardner. King claims that the conversation with Wilkinson took place
in 1953, although "Ritual Magic in England" was not published - or presumably
written - until 1970. However, on September 27 1952, "Illustrated" magazine
published a feature by Allen Andrews, which included details of a working by, "the
Southern Coven of British Witches", where 17 men and women met in the New Forest
to repel an invasion by Hitler. Wilkinson had told King of this working during their
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conversation, which King believes to be proof that such a coven existed; there are
some differences in the two stories, and so it is possible that two sources are
reporting the same event, but as Wilkinson's conversation with King came after the
magazine article, we shall never know.
In the recently published "Crafting the Art of Magic", Aidan Kelly uses this same
source to "prove" (and I use the word advisedly - the book "proves" nothing") that
Gardner, Dorothy, et al created Wicca one night following a social get together! Of
one thing we can be certain though: whatever its origin, modern Wicca derives from
Gardner. There may of course be other traditional, hereditary witches, but even if
they are genuine, then it is unlikely that they would have been able to "go public"
had it not been for Gardner.
There have been many claims of "hereditary" origin (other than Gardner's own!) One
of the most famous post-Gardner claimants to "hereditary" status was actress Ruth
Wynn-Owen, who fooled many people for a very long time before being exposed. Roy
Bowers, who used the pseudonym Robert Cochrane, was another: Doreen Valiente
describes her association with him in "The Rebirth of Witchcraft", and The Roebuck,
which is still active in the USA today, derives directly from Cochrane, via Joe
Wilson. "Witchcraft: A Tradition Renewed" by Evan John Jones with Doreen Valiente
describes a tradition derived from Robert
Cochrane. Alex Sanders, of course is another who claimed hereditary lineage, and
like Cochrane, deserves his own place in this history, and we'll get to both of them
later.
Many people have been suspicious of Gardner's claims, and have accused him of making
the whole thing up. They suggest that the Wicca is no more than the fantasy of an
old man coloured by a romantic imagination. One particularly virulent attack upon
Gardner came from Charles Cardell, writing under the pseudonym of Rex Nemorensis.
One of Gardner's initiates who is still active in the Wicca today has an interesting
tale to tell about Cardell, whom he knew:
My informant also said that Olive Green was associated with Michael Houghton, owner
of Atlantis book shop in Museum Street, who was the publisher of High Magic's Aid.
Through this association, she also encountered Kenneth Grant of the OTO, although
their association was not friendly.
Cecil Williamson, the original owner of the witchcraft museum on the Isle of Man,
and present owner of the Witchcraft Museum in Boscastle, has also published a number
of articles where he states quite categorically that Gardner was an utter fraud;
but, he offers only anecdotes to support these allegations.
Although Gardner claimed his initiation occurred in 1939, we don't really hear
anything about him until 1949, when "High Magic's Aid" was published by Michael
Houghton.
This book has very strong Solomonic leanings, but like Gardner's own religious
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beliefs, combined the more natural forms of magic with high ceremonial. In his
introduction to the book, Gardner says that: "The Magical rituals are authentic,
party from the Key of Solomon (MacGregor Mathers' translation) and partly from
magical MSS in my possession)." Gardner did indeed have a large collection of MSS,
which
passed with the rest of his goods to Ripleys in Toronto after his death.
Scire (pseudonym) was the name Gardner took as a member of Crowley's branch of the
OTO; although it is generally agreed that his membership was purely nominal, he was
certainly in contact with people like Kenneth Grant and Madeline Montalban (founder
of the Order of the Morning Star).
Gardner was given his OTO degree and Charter by Aleister Crowley, to whom he was
introduced in 1946 by Arnold Crowther. As Crowley died in 1947, their association
was not long-lived, but Crowther confirms that the two men enjoyed each other's
company.
So, after that brief introduction we can have a look at the first of the strands I
mentioned.
In 1888, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was born, beginning a renaissance of
interest in the occult that has continued to the present day. It is impossible to
overstate the importance of the GD to modern occultists; not only in its rituals,
but also in its personalities; and of course, through making available a large body
of occult lore that would otherwise have remained unknown, or hidden in obscurity.
I will be looking at this body of occult lore with other literary influences later,
and will here concentrate on the rituals and personalities that have influenced
Wicca.
We cannot look at the GD in isolation from its own origins. It is descended from a
myriad of esoteric traditions including Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, and Freemasonry.
The latter in its own right, as well as via the SRIA - a scholarly and ceremonial
association open to Master Masons only.
Whether the German Lodge or Fraulein Sprengel actually existed is a matter still
under debate; but either in fact or in spirit, this is the source for the "Cypher
Manuscripts" which were used to found the Isis-Urania Lodge in 1888.
As I'm sure everyone knows, Isis-Urania was founded by Dr Wynn-Westcott, Dr Woodman,
and MacGregor Mathers. Not only were all three Master Masons; Wynn-Westcott and
Mathers were also members of the Theosophical Society. The most important thing
though is the fact the these three men were a ruling triumvirate that managed the
affairs of the SRIA. This is important, for the SRIA included Hargrave Jennings in
its membership, and Jennings is reputed to have been involved with
a Pagan group at the end of the 19th century, which drew its inspiration from
Apuleius - The Golden Ass.
From the Isis-Urania Lodge sprang all the others, including the so-called Dissident
Orders derived through Crowley. It is this line that some commentators trace to
modern Wicca, so it is the one upon which we will concentrate.
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Aleister Crowley was initiated into the Isis-Urania Lodge on 18 November 1898. As
you most probably know, Crowley later quarrelled with MacGregor Mathers, and in 1903
began to create his own Order, the Argenteum Astrum, or Silver Star. In 1912,
Crowley was initiated into the OTO, and in 1921, succeeded Theodor Reuss as its
Chief.
According to Arnold Crowther's account, it was in 1946, a year before Crowley's
death, that Crowley gave Gardner an OTO Charter. Ithell Colquhoun says only that it
occurred in the 1940s, and further states that Gardner introduced material from the
OTO, and less directly from the GD, into "...the lore of his covens".
As Doreen Valiente also admits, "Indeed, the influence of Crowley was very apparent
throughout the (Wiccan) rituals.". This, Gardner explained to her, was because the
rituals he received from Old Dorothy's coven were very fragmentary, and in order to
make them workable, he had to supplement them with other material.
To give an example of some of the lines by Crowley which are rather familiar to
modern Wiccans:
I give unimaginable joys on earth; certainty, not faith, while in life, upon death;
peace unutterable, rest, ecstasy; nor do I demand aught in sacrifice.
I am Life, and the giver of Life, yet therefore is the knowledge of me the knowledge
of death.
And of course, the Gnostic Mass has been immensely influential.
Not only poetry, but also magical practices in Wicca are often derived from GD
sources. For example:
the way of casting the circle: that is, the visualisation of the circle, and the
pentagrams at the quarters, are both based upon the standard GD Pentagram Ritual;
both the concept and word "Watchtowers" are of course from the Enochian system of
Magic, passed to Wicca via the GD (although I would like to make it very clear that
their use within Wicca bears no relation to the use within Enochia - the only
similarity is in the name);
the Elements and colours generally attributed to the Quarters are those of the GD;
the weapons and their attributions are a combination of GD, Crowley and Key of
Solomon.
In "Witchcraft Today", Gardner says, "The people who certainly would have had the
knowledge and ability to invent (the Wiccan rites) were the people who formed the
Order of the Golden Dawn about seventy years ago...".
The GD is not the only influence upon Gardner; Freemasonry has had a tremendous
impact upon the Wicca. Not only were the three founders of Isis-Urania Temple
Masons, so too were Crowley and Waite; Gardner and at least one member of the first
coven (Daffo) were both Co-Masons. Gardner was also a friend of JSM Ward, who had
published a number of books about Masonry.
Doreen describes Ward as a "leading Mason", but Francis King says only that Ward
was, "a bogus Bishop... who had written some quite good but far-fetched books on
masonry, and who ran a peculiar religious-cum-occult community called The Abbey of
Christ the King..." Whether the books were far-fetched or not, we can assume that
some of the many similarities between Wicca and Masonry are in some ways due to
Ward's influence.
Some of these include:
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The Three Degrees
The Craft
So Mote It Be
The Challenge
Properly Prepared
The 1st Degree Oath (in part)
Presentation of the Working Tools at 1st degree
and so on.
It seems to me quite clear that even if Gardner received a traditional set of
rituals from his coven, they must have been exceptionally sparse, as the concepts
that we know of as Wicca today certainly derive from ceremonial magic and
Freemasonry to a very great extent. Indeed, Gardner always claimed that they were
sparse.
It could be argued that all derive from a common source. That the appearance of a
phrase, or technique in one tradition does not automatically suggest that its
appearance elsewhere means that the one was taken from the other. However, Gardner
admits his sources in many cases, and Doreen confirms them in others, so I think it
is safe to presume that the rituals and philosophy used by Wicca descends from the
traditions of Freemasonry and Ceremonial magic, rather than from a single common
source. However, as Hudson Frew points out in his commentary upon Aidan Kelly's
book, the phenomena of the techniques and practices of ceremonial magic influencing
folk magic and traditions is widely recognised by anthropologists, and certainly
does not indicate plagiarism. And of course there are many traditional witchcraft
aspects in the Wicca.
We have looked at the development of the magical orders which resulted from the
British occult revival of the 19th and 20th centuries, and now we can see where this
ties in with Wicca, and Gardner's claim of traditional initiation.
I have here a "family tree" of the main branches of British Wicca. It is by no means
exhaustive, and is intended to provide an outline, not a definitive history! I have
included my own coven lines and development as an indication of the kind of
"cross-over" of tradition which often occurs, not to suggest that these are the only
active groups! Also, it would not be ethical for me to include details of other
covens.
We have two possible "hereditary" sources to the Gardnerian Craft: one, the Horsa
Coven of Old Dorothy, and two, the Cumbrian Group which Rae Bone claims to have been
initiated into before meeting Gardner. (NB: Doreen Valiente says that the Horsa
Coven is not connected with Old Dorothy, but is another group entirely.) There is
also sometimes mention of a St Alban's group that pre-dates Gardner, but as far as I
know, this is mistaken. The St Albans group was Gardner's own group,
which as far as research confirms, did not pre-date him.
To return to Rae Bone: she was one of Gardner's HPSs, and her "line" has been
immensely important to the modern Wicca; she was featured in the magazine series,
"Man Myth and Magic" if anyone has a copy of that.
In her heyday she ran two covens: one in Cumbria, and one in South London. Rae is
still alive, and lives in Cumbria, although her last coven moved to New Zealand many
years ago, and she is no longer active. No-one has ever been able to trace the coven
in New Zealand.
At this point, I will just mention George Pickingill, although he is not shown on
the tree, as I think it extremely dubious that he had any connection with Gardner,
or any other modern Wiccan.
Pickingill died in 1909, whilst Gardner was still in Malaya. Eric Maple is largely
responsible for the beginnings of the Pickingill myth, which were expanded by Bill
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Liddell (Lugh) writing in "The Wiccan" and "The Cauldron" throughout the 1970s. Mike
Howard still has some of Liddell's material which he has never published, and I have
yet to meet anyone within the British Craft who gives credence to Liddell's claims.
In the book, "The Dark World of Witches", published in 1962, Maple tells of a number
of village wise women and cunning men, one of whom is George Pickingill. There is a
photograph included of an old man with a stick, holding a hat, which Maple describes
as Pickingill. This photograph has subsequently been re-used many times in books
about
witchcraft and Wicca.
Issue number 31 of "Insight" Magazine, dated July 1984, contains a very interesting
letter from John Pope:
Many claims were made by Liddell; some obviously from cloud-cuckoo land, others
which could, by a stretch of the imagination, be accepted. The very idea of
Pickingill, an illiterate farm labourer, co-ordinating and supervising nine covens
across the breadth of the UK is staggering. To accept - as Liddell avers - that he
had the likes of Alan Bennett and Aleister Crowley as his pupils bends credulity
even further.
The infamous photograph which Liddell claims shows Crowley, Bennett and Pickingill
together has conveniently disappeared, and no-one admits to ever having seen it.
Like most of Liddell's claims, nothing has ever been substantiated, and when pushed,
he retreats into the time honoured favourite of, "I can't reveal that - you're not
an initiate"!
But to return to the family tree: the names of Doreen Valiente, Pat and Arnold
Crowther, Lois Bourne (Hemmings), Jack Bracelin and Monique Wilson will probably be
the most familiar to you.
I have seen a copy of Bracelin's Book of Shadows, which it is claimed dates from
1949, although in The Rebirth Of Witchcraft, Doreen says that Bracelin was a
"relative newcomer" in the mid-1950s. I have also been told by two different sources
that Bracelin helped Gardner write "The Laws". In The Rebirth Of Witchcraft, Doreen
states that she did not see The Laws until the mid 1950s, when she and her partner
Ned Grove accused Gardner of concocting them in order to re-assert control over the
coven. As Bracelin was in the Gardner camp during the breakup of the group, it seems
reasonable that he did in fact help with their composition. (NB: Alex Sanders
increased the number of "The Laws" much later - these appeared in June Johns' book,
"The King of the Witches")
Although Doreen claims that the reason for the coven break-up was the fact that
Gardner and Bracelin were publicity crazy, there was another reason, which was the
instatement of a new lady into the coven, effectively replacing Doreen as HPS. This
is also the main reason for Gerald's Law which states that the HPS will,
"...gracefully retire in favour of a younger woman, should the coven so decide in
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council." Needless to say, Doreen was not impressed, and she and Ned left the coven
under very acrimonious circumstances. It was quite some time before Doreen had
contact with Gardner again, and they never quite
regained the degree of friendship that had previously existed.
Monique and Campbell Wilson are infamous, rather than famous, as Gardner's heirs who
sold off his magical equipment and possessions after his death, to Ripleys in the
USA.
Monique was the last of his Priestesses, and many Wiccans today still spit when her
name is mentioned. Pat Crowther was rather scathing about her recently in an
interview, and in The Rebirth Of Witchcraft, although Doreen tells of the sale of
Gardner's magical possessions to Ripleys, she doesn't ever mention the Wilsons by
name. In effect, the Craft closed ranks against them, and they became outcasts.
Eventually, in the face of such opposition they had to sell the Museum in
Castletown, and they moved to Torremolinos, where they bought a cafe. Monique died
nine years after selling the Museum. It is rumoured that Campbell Wilson moved to
the USA, and met with a car accident there: this is only hearsay though - I really
do not know for sure what happened to him.
However, Monique was influential in a way that even she could not have imagined,
when in 1964 or 5 she initiated Ray Buckland, who with his wife Rosemary (later
divorced), was very influential in the development of the Wicca in the USA.
Fortunately, Richard and Tamarra James managed to buy the bulk of Gardner's
collection back from Ripleys in 1987, for the princely sum of US$40,000, and it is
now back within the Craft, and available for initiates to consult and view.
D and C S. are probably completely anonymous, and if it were not for the fact that C
initiated Robert Cochrane (briefly mentioned earlier) they would probably stay that
way!
Cochrane's origins are obscure, but I have been told that he was initiated into the
Gardnerian tradition by C S, and met Doreen Valiente through a mutual acquaintance
in 1964. When he met Doreen, however, he claimed to be a hereditary witch, from a
different tradition to Gardner's, and as Doreen confirms, was contemptuous of what
he called "Gardnerian" witches. Indeed, Doreen believes he coined the term,
"Gardnerian".
Doreen said she was completely taken in by Cochrane and for a while, worked with him
and the "Clan of Tubal-Cain" as he described his tradition, which was also known as
"The Royal Windsor Cuveen", or 1734.
The figures "1734" have an interesting history. Doreen gives a rather strange
account of them in The Rebirth Of Witchcraft, which contradicts what Cochrane
himself describes in a letter to Joe Wilson, dated "12th Night 1966", where he says,
"...the order of 1734 is not a date of an event but a grouping of numerals that mean
something to a witch.
"One that becomes seven states of wisdom - the Goddess of the Cauldron. Three that
are the Queens of the Elements - fire belonging alone to Man, and the Blacksmith
God. Four that are Queens of the Wind Gods.
"The Jewish orthodoxy believe that whomever knows the Holy and Unspeakable name of
God has absolute power over the world of form. Very briefly, the name of God spoken
as Tetragrammaton ... breaks down in Hebrew to the letters YHVH, or the Adam Kadmon
(The Heavenly Man). Adam Kadmon is a composite of all Archangels - in other words a
poetic statement of the names of the Elements.
"So what the Jew and the Witch believe alike, is that the man who discovers the
secret of the Elements controls the physical world. 1734 is the witch way of saying
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YHVH." (Cochrane, 1966)
Although Doreen says that Cochrane's group was small, it still proved to be
remarkably influential. As well as Cochrane and his wife (whom Doreen refers to as
"Jean") and Doreen herself, there were others who are well-known today, and a man
called Ronald White, who very much wanted to bring about a new age in England, with
the return of King Arthur.
In The Rebirth Of Witchcraft, Doreen elaborates upon the circumstances surrounding
the death of Cochrane: the bald facts are that he died at the Summer Solstice of
1966 of an overdose. Craft tradition believes that he became in fact, and of his own
choice, the male ritual sacrifice which is sometimes symbolically enacted at the
height of Summer.
The Royal Windsor Cuveen disbanded after Cochrane died, only to be re-born from the
ashes at Samhain that year under a new name - The Regency. All of its early members
were from the Royal Windsor Cuveen, and they were under the leadership of Ronald
White. The Regency proved to be of great importance to the development of the Wicca,
although its existence was kept a fairly close secret, and even today, there are
relatively few people who have ever heard of it.
Meetings were held in North London, at a place called Queens Wood. As well as Ron
White and Doreen Valiente, members included "John Math", founder of the Witchcraft
Research Association in 1964, and editor of Pentagram magazine, and the founder of
the Pagan Movement, Tony Kelly. At its height, there were frequently more than 40 in
attendance at rites, which tended to be of the dramatic, pagan kind rather than the
ceremonial associated with high ritual magic. The Regency operated fairly
consistently for over twelve years, finally disbanding in 1978. The Membership roll
reads like a who's who of the British Wicca! Some of the rites have been
incorporated into modern Wiccan rituals - in fact, one was used at the Pan European
Wiccan Conference 1991 with very great success.
Moving back over to Rae Bone's line, there are a number of influential people here,
mainly through her initiates, Madge and Arthur, who probably take the award for the
most prolific pair in Wiccandom! Rae, although initiated by Gardner, does of course
also claim a hereditary status in her own right.
Madge and Arthur's initiates include:
John and Jean Score
John Score was the partner of Michael Houghton (mentioned earlier), and the founder
of the Pagan Federation, which is very active today.
Houghton died under very mysterious circumstances, which is briefly mentioned in
"The Sword of Wisdom" by Ithell Colquhoun. My Craft source told me that this was
actually a ritual that went badly wrong, and Houghton ended up on the wrong end of
some fairly potent energies.
There is an interesting anecdote about Houghton in The Rebirth Of Withcraft, which
is taken from "Nightside of Eden" by Kenneth Grant, and agrees in some respect to a
similar story that I was told some years ago. Doreen suggests in The Rebirth Of
Witchcraft that the story may relate to a magical working involving Kenneth Grant
and his wife, Gardner, Dolores North (Madeline Montalban), and an un-named witch,
who was probably Olive Green.
They were all to perform a ritual together, supposedly to contact an
extra-terrestrial being. The material basis for the rite, which took place in 1949,
was a drawing by AO Spare.
Apparently soon after the rite commenced, a nearby bookseller (Michael Houghton)
turned up and interrupted proceedings. On hearing that Kenneth Grant was within, he
declined to enter, and wandered off. The rite was disrupted, and the story goes that
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everyone just went home.
Kenneth Grant claims that as a result of disturbing their working, Houghton's
marriage broke up, and that Houghton died in mysterious circumstances. In fact, the
Houghton divorce was a cause celebre, with her suing him for cruelty because he
boasted of being a Sagittarian while sneering at her because she was only a dingy
old Capricorn!
The interrupted ritual could well have taken place. Madeline had a flat near to
Atlantis (Houghton's shop), and would certainly have known both Grant and Houghton.
I know for a fact that Madeline was acquainted with Gerald, although her opinion of
both him and the Wicca was rather poor. One of Madeline's older students told me
that she thought Gardner rather a fraud, and ritually inept. She also had a very low
opinion of Wiccans, and refused to allow her own students to
participate in Wiccan rites. The reason for this lies in an anecdote which Doreen
doesn't relate: the story goes that Madeline agreed to participate in a rite with
Gerald, which turned out to involve Madeline being tied up and tickled with a
feather duster! The great lady was not amused.
Prudence Jones
Prudence was for many years the president of the Pagan Federation, and editor of its
newsletter. She inherited her role from John Score, after he passed away. With Nigel
Pennick, Prudence also runs the Pagan Anti-Defamation League (PADL), and is an
active astrologer and therapist. She has edited a book on astrology, and with
Caitlin Matthews, edited "Voices from the Circle", published by Aquarian Press.
Although Prudence took her degree in Philosophy, her main interests lie in the areas
of the Grail and troubadour tales, and she has published privately an excellent
essay on the Grail and Wicca. She is also a very highly respected astrologer, who
lectures extensively in Britain.
Vivianne and Chris Crowley
Vivianne Crowley, is author of "Wicca - The Old Religion in the New Age", and also
secretary of the Pagan Federation. She has a PhD in Psychology, and is perhaps the
only person to have been a member of both a Gardnerian Coven and an Alexandrian one
simultaneously!
Vivianne is very active at the moment, and has initiated people in Germany (having
memorised the ritual in German - a language she doesn't speak!), Norway, and - on
the astral - Brazil. As a result of her book, she receives many letters from people
from all around the world, and organised the first ever pan-European Wiccan
conference, held in Germany 1990. The second conference was held in Britain at the
June solstice, and the third (1992) in Norway. In 1993, the Conference will be in
Scotland.
John and Kathy (Caitlin) Matthews, are probably well-known to everyone, but possibly
their Gardnerian initiations are not such common knowledge. The story that John
Matthews relates in "Voices from the Circle" is essentially the one which he told
the HPS who initiated him.
Pat and Arnold Crowther
I have left Pat and Arnold till last, as it is from their line that the infamous
Alex Sanders derives! It is no secret anymore that Alex, far from being initiated by
his grandmother when he was seven, was in fact turned down by Pat Crowther in 1961,
but was later accepted by one of her ex-coven members, Pat Kopanski, and initiated
to 1st Degree.
In "The Rebirth of Witchcraft" Doreen says that Alex later met Gardner, and was
allowed to copy from the Book of Shadows; Craft tradition is somewhat different! It
has always been said (even by Alex's supporters!) that he pinched what he could from
Pat Kopanski before being chucked out, and that the main differences between the
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Alexandrian and Gardnerian Books of Shadows occur where Alex mis-heard, or
mis-copied something! There are certainly significant differences between the two
Books; some parts of Gardnerian ritual are quite unknown within the Alexandrian
tradition, and the ritual techniques are often different. It is usually very easy to
spot whether someone is an Alexandrian, or Gardnerian initiate.
Alex needed a HPS, and as we know, chose Maxine Morris for the role. Maxine is a
striking Priestess, and made a very good visual focus for the movement which grew in
leaps and bounds.
In the late 1960s, Alex and Maxine were prolific initiators, and a number of their
initiates have become well known. Some came to Australia, and there are still a
number of covens in the UK today whose HP and/or HPS was initiated by Alex or
Maxine.
Alex and Maxine's most famous initiates are almost certainly Janet and Stewart
Farrar, who left them in 1971 to form their own coven, first in England, then later,
in Ireland. Through their books, they have probably had the most influence over the
direction that the modern Craft has taken. Certainly in Australia, the publication
of "What Witches Do" was an absolute watershed, and with Janet and Stewart's
consistent output, their form of Wicca is more likely to become the
"standard" than any other type.
Since their early days of undiluted Alexandrianism, they have drifted somewhat
towards a more Gardnerian approach, and today, tell everyone that there are no
differences between the two traditions. In fact, despite the merging that has been
occurring over the last few years, there are very distinct differences between the
traditions; some merely external, others of a very significant difference of
philosophy.
Seldiy Bate was originally magically trained by Madeline Montalban, and then took an
Alexandrian initiation from Maxine and Alex. Her husband, Nigel, was also initiated
by Maxine, and they have been "public" witches for a number of years now, often
appearing on TV, radio and in the press. Their background in ritual magic is
expressed in the type of coven that they run; a combination of Wicca and Ceremonial
Magic.
In 1971, Alex and Maxine went their separate ways. David Goddard is a Liberal
Catholic Priest, and for many years, he and Maxine worked in the Liberal Catholic
faith, and did not run a coven of any kind. Then in 1984, Maxine gathered together a
group again, and started practising a combination of Wicca, Qabalah and Liberal
Catholicism. She and David separated in 1987, and since then her coven has been
exclusively Wiccan. In 1989, she married one of her initiates, Vincent, and they are
still running an active coven in London today.
Alex's history after the split was a little more sordid, with one girl he married,
Jill, filling the gutter press with stories about Alex being homosexual, and
defrauding her of all her money to spend on his boyfriends. Sally Taylor was
initiated by Maxine and David, but then transferred to Alex. She was trained by
him, and then started her own group.
I'd now like to focus upon the last of the strands which I believe has been
influential upon the birth and development of Wicca; that of the literary traditions
and sources to which Gardner would have had access. To a certain extent these are
contiguous with the magical traditions described earlier, as nowhere is it ever
suggested that Gardner did in fact ever work in a magical Lodge, so we must assume
that his knowledge came from the written form of the rites, not from the actual
practise of them.
From reading Gardner's books, it is quite apparent that Margaret Murray had a
tremendous impact upon him. Her book, "The God of the Witches" was published in
1933, and twelve years previously, "The Witch Cult in Western Europe" had appeared.
"The God of the Witches" has been tremendously influential on a number of people,
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and certainly inspired Gardner.
In fact, "Witchcraft Today", published by Gardner in 1954 contained a foreword by
Margaret Murray. At this time, remember, Murray's work was still taken seriously,
and she remained the contributor on the subject of witchcraft for the Encyclopedia
Britannica for a number of years.
Now of course her work has been largely discredited, although she remains a source
of inspiration, if not historical accuracy. In Gardner's day, the idea of a
continuing worship of the old pagan gods would have been a staggering theory, and in
the second article in my series about Murray (published in The Cauldron), I made the
point that Murray may have had to pretend scientific veracity in order to get her
work published in such times. Don't forget that Dion Fortune had to publish her work
privately, as did Gardner with High Magic's Aid.
Carlo Ginzburg's excellent book, "Ecstasies", also supports Murray's basic premise;
although of course he regrets her historical deceptions.
There were of course other sources than Murray. In 1899, "Aradia: Gospel of the
Witches" was published. Most of Crowley's work was available during the pre- and
post-war years, as were the texts written and translated by MacGregor Mathers and
Waite. Also readily available were works such as The Magus, and of course the
classics, from which Gardner drew much inspiration.
Of paramount importance would have been "The White Goddess", by Robert Graves, which
is still a standard reference book on any British Wiccan's bookshelf. This was
published in 1952; three years after High Magic's Aid appeared, and two years before
Gardner's first non-fictional book about witchcraft. I would just like to say at
this point that Graves has taken some very unfair criticism in respect of this book.
The White Goddess was written as a work of poetry, not history, and to criticise it
for being historically innaccurate is to miss the
point. Unfortunately, I agree that some writers have referred to it as an
"authority", and thus led their readers up the garden path. This is not Graves's
fault, nor do I believe it was his intention.
Another book which has had a profound influence on many Wiccans, and would
undoubtedly have been well known by Gardner is "The Golden Bough"; although the
entire book was written based upon purely secondary research, it is an extensive
examination of many pagan practices from the Ancient World, and the emphasis of the
male sacrifice could certainly have been taken from here equally as well as from
Murray. Certain of the Gardnerian ritual practices were almost certainly
derived from The Golden Bough, or from Frazer's own sources.
In "Witchcraft Today" Gardner mentions a number of authors when speculating where
the Wiccan rites came from. He says that, "The only man I can think of who could
have invented the rites was the late Aleister Crowley."
He continues to say, "The only other man I can think of who
could have done it is Kipling...". He also mentions that,
"Hargrave Jennings might have had a hand in them..." and then
suggests that "Barrat (sic) of The Magus, circa 1800, would
have had the ability to invent or resurrect the cult."
It's possible that these references are something of a damage control operation by
Gardner, who, according to Doreen, was not too impressed when she kept telling him
that she recognised certain passages in the Witch rites! "Witchcraft Today" was
published the year after Doreen's initiation, and perhaps by seeming genuinely
interested in where the Rites came from, Gardner thought he might give the
appearance of
innocence of their construction!
As mentioned previously, Gardner also had a large collection of unpublished MSS,
which he used extensively, and one has only to read his books to realise that he was
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a very well-read man, with wide-ranging interests. Exactly the sort of man who would
be able to draw together a set of rituals if required.
The extensive bibliography to "The Meaning of Witchcraft" published in 1959,
demonstrates this rather well. Gardner includes Magick in Theory and Practice and
The Equinox of the Gods by Crowley; The Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune; The
Goetia; The White Goddess (Graves); Lady Charlotte Guest's translation of The
Mabinogion; English Folklore by Christina Hole; The Kabbalah Unveiled and the
Abramelin by Mathers; both Margaret Murray's books and Godfrey Leland's Gypsy
Sorcery, as
well as a myriad of classic texts, from Plato to Bede!
Although this bibliography postdates the creation of Gardnerian Wicca, it certainly
indicates from where Gardner draws his inspiration from. There are also several
books listed which are either directly, or indirectly, concerned with sex magic,
Priapic Cults, or Tantra.
Hargrave Jenning, mentioned earlier, wrote a book called "The Rosicrucians, their
Rites and Mysteries", which Francis King describes as a book, "concerned almost
exclusively with phallicism and phallic images - Jennings saw the penis everywhere."
As I mentioned earlier, Hargrave Jennings, a member of the SRIA, also belonged to a
group, described as a coven, which met in the Cambridge area in the 1870s, and
performed rituals based upon the classical traditions - specifically, from The
Golden Ass. There is no evidence to support this, except that there are often found
references to a "Cambridge Coven" linked to Jennings' name. Many of the rituals we
are familiar with today were of course later additions by Doreen Valiente, and these
have been well documented by both her and the Farrars, in a number of books. Doreen
admits that she deliberately cut much of the poetry by Aleister Crowley, and
substituted either her own work, or poems from other sources, such as the Carmina
Gadelica.
Of course we can never really know the truth about the origins of the Wicca. Gardner
may have been an utter fraud; he may have actually received a "Traditional"
initiation; or, as a number of people have suggested, he may have created the Wicca
as a result of a genuine religious experience, drawing upon his extensive literary
and magical knowledge to create, or help create, the rites and philosophy.
What I think we can be fairly certain about is that he was sincere in his belief. If
there had been no more to the whole thing than an old man's fantasy, then the Wicca
would not have grown to be the force that it is today, and we would not all be
sitting here in Canberra on a Saturday morning!
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So to begin our journey: how do we set out to explore the
mysteries of existence? Well, the journey begins with a question -
we have first to be aware that there is a mystery to explore! And
that most basic of questions is: "where did life come from? how
did it all begin?" For a Wiccan there is an underlying spiritual
intuition that the answer to that question is quite simply that the
universe was created by deity. So we celebrate the beginning of
the Wheel of the Year as a being the creation of all life by the
God and the Goddess; we begin with a creation myth.
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This continues to reflect the turning tide of the seasons. We
are now in the spring. New life is awakening on all sides. The
sap is rising in the trees, and both the young man and young girl
have awakened to the mysteries of their sexuality. The Spring
Equinox is a vital moment in the passage of the solar cycle. Day
and night now stand equal, and from this point onwards the light
will dominate the darkness. The long dark nights of winter have at
last been overthrown.
Between the Spring Equinox and Beltane the young man and woman
pursue one another, each becoming more aware of the other sex.
Thus the man understands that there is more to the mystery of life
than pure masculinity, and the woman sees that there is more to
life than her femininity. Having found this vision, they express
it in their desire to be joined as one.
We arrive now at Beltane. This is the time of the sacred
marriage when the young man and woman are joined together as
husband and wife. With their wish to be married, they have
glimpsed that the mysteries of love may lead to a deeper union
still - in essence, to a union with the gods. By going beyond
their sense of individual self to embrace one another, they have
taken a profound step toward the God and Goddess. They have
discovered that deep within themselves they are both male and
female, and the experience of this brings a new sense of joy and
wholeness.
Beltane is a time of joy and celebration; the dark of winter
is forgotten, and summer is coming. It is a time of fertility and
fire. We dance the ancient mystery of the Maypole, celebrating our
understanding our understanding of the mystery of the love of a man
for a woman. The pole is crowned with a garland of flowers to
symbolize their joining; the ribbons are red and white, reminding
us of blood and sperm. The dance is the sexual fire, as we dance
about the pole winding the ribbons in the pattern of the spiral,
which reveals the mystery of the serpent; that ancient awakener who
slumbers until warmed by the rising Sun.
This is the time of the sacred marriage. It is a moment when
human consciousness has grasped the powers of nature, joined with
those powers and shared in the mystery of life. The land and our
lives are married as one. For those that are able to see it, there
is a vision of the creation of all life by the God and the Goddess.
For the mystery is now revealed for all to see - the woman
conceives of her husband. She is pregnant and will bear a child.
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Let us now approach the Wiccan Wheel of the Year as it is
meant to be: as a mystery. Forget the intellect, and allow your
intuition and emotions to be your guide. What follows is a guided
visualization, which you can read onto a tape, or have one person
read aloud, as you follow the journey it describes. Allow the
images to form naturally in your imagination, and you will find
yourself making a magical journey through the mysteries of the
gods.
For those who are not used to following a guided visualiza-
tion, there are a few simple rules to observe. Before starting any
meditation work (which includes the kind of altered state that
guided visualization encourages), seat yourself comfortably in a
quiet room, free from distractions. Take the phone off the hook,
and tell anyone who lives with you not to disturb you. You can of
course do this out of doors, but if you do, make sure you are well
off the beaten track, with no danger of bush walkers stumbling over
you, or any other kinds of disturbance. Have a pen and pad handy,
and if it helps you to relax and focus, use some incense.
As you run through the trees, out of the corner of your eye
you see a flicker of white; you turn, and there hidden in the trees
you see the Virgin, watching and waiting. She is looking curiously
at the Lord of the Forest, intrigued by his strength and drawn by
his beauty. He sees her watching, but on this day, he is too full
with the joy of being in control of his own creative power to cease
his headlong chase through the forest. Gradually you tire, and at
last you find yourself walking back through the forest to your own
cottage, where you find rest.
All through the growing spring the Virgin and the Young Lord
watch each other through the forest. Each aware of the other, but
both self-fulfilled with their own potential and power. But the
Sun keeps getting stronger, and at last we come to that moment
where the Young Lord and the Virgin realize that they have a
greater destiny to fulfil, and driven by their natural desires, and
the signs of the burgeoning world all around them, they seek each
other out, and in celebration of the great mystery of the Land
Marriage, they join as one.
It is the height of spring, and the signs of fertility are all
around. As you make your own way towards the clearing, you feel
the warm Sun upon your face, and feel the life in the Earth beneath
your feet. In the center of the clearing stands a great tree
trunk, crowned with a garland of spring flowers, with many red and
white ribbons fluttering in the breeze. From far and wide people
have travelled to the clearing, for today is the day of celebrating
the growing Sun, and the fertile Earth. Men and women take hold of
the ribbons, and enact their own celebration of Life as they dance
the pattern of the sacred spiral of creation around the tree. You
hold your ribbon firmly, and watch the spiral form as you dance the
ancient steps that have been danced since first Man and Woman were
joined as one.
You hear cheering and shouts of laughter, and there, walking
through the crowd hand in hand come the Young Lord and his wife -
Virgin no longer. Together they have celebrated the sacred mystery
in accordance with the Old Laws: for they have joined in love, and
so have become the King and Queen of the Land.
And the weeks pass, and the Sun grows ever stronger in the
sky, and the King grows in strength and majesty. The Queen begins
to show signs of her pregnancy, the mirror of the crops and fruits
that the Land begins to produce, for the Queen represents the Land,
and is at one with it.
At last the day arrives when the Sun reaches its most powerful
time: the Midsummer Solstice. The King and Queen are at their
peak too, reflected in the majesty of the King, and the growing
life in the womb of the Queen. To mark this day, the King and
Queen host a great celebration in the forest clearing: a feast to
mark the Solstice day, and their own creative powers which have
brought many good things to the Land. All day the feast and games
continue, with the King and Queen bestowing their blessings upon
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everyone.
At long last the Sun begins to sink slowly towards the west;
as it falls you hear a disturbance upon the edge of the clearing.
You see people running, and hear their screams. And then into the
clearing stalks a dark figure, his black cloak swirling around him,
wearing a helmet which obscures his face from view - shadow of
darkness in the forest. He strides towards the King, and in a loud
clear voice, challenges him for the right to rule the kingdom, and
for the Queen as his consort.
The King must protect what he has striven so hard to create,
and must protect his wife and unborn child. He accepts the
challenge, and a great battle ensues as the Sun slowly sinks in the
west. The challenger lays the King's thigh open with a sweep of
his sword, but is unbalanced, and despite his wound, the King
manages to throw the challenger to the ground and disarm him. The
challenger begs for mercy, but the King fears this dark and
threatening figure, and so ignoring his cries for mercy, he plunges
his sword deep into the challenger's heart. And so in order to
protect, the King destroys, and a shadow of darkness is cast upon
the Land. The challenger's blood soaks into the Earth, and the Sun
finally sinks beyond the western horizon.
You make your way back to your cottage, as the King is carried
away to have his wound attended to. The next day the Sun rises as
before, and seems as strong as it ever was, but you have seen and
felt the shadow of the dark, and now sense a change in the Land.
Instead of growing, things are ripening; the heat of the summer Sun
brings the crops and fruit to ripeness, but the growth is now over.
And just as the Land gives forth its fruits, so now does the Queen
give birth to her son. The wheat is harvested; the barley made
into ale; and a great feast is held to give thanks for all the good
things of the Earth, and for the safe birth of the King and Queen's
son.
But in giving birth, the Queen is no longer simply a wife; she
becomes the Mother. She knows that her son is the hope for the
Land, for the King's wound, taken at the Midsummer battle, is a
wasting wound, and will not heal. He grows weaker by the day, a
reflection of the waning powers of the Sun. The Queen knows this,
and as her son grows, she trains him in the ways of sovereignty.
The King sees only that his son grows stronger, as he grows weaker.
He watches the Sun wane day by day as summer slips towards the time
of the Equinox, when once again day and night are equal; but this
time, the dark is in the ascendant.
At last the night of the Equinox arrives. The King feels
drawn towards the clearing in the forest, and under a waning Moon,
he makes his way along the track. He remembers his initiation at
the Spring Equinox; his love for the Virgin, and their joyful
celebration of the Land Marriage at Beltane; he remembers how proud
he was of his creative powers at the Midsummer Solstice, and with
a pang of sadness, he remembers how he had to face the dark
challenger who threatened his Kingdom and his Queen. And finally,
he remembers the birth of his son - a joy now turned to sorrow, as
the King finds himself once more in the clearing, where waiting at
the center is his son, armed with a spear.
Out of the corner of his eye, the King sees a movement in the
shadows, and remembers how he first saw his beloved wife, when she
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was newly awakened, a young Virgin, and he was the Lord of the
Forest. Now his wife hides in the shadows - she wears a black
cloak, and covers her face with its hood. The King and his son
face each other, and then without a word being spoken, the King
draws his sword and they begin to fight. Sword against spear, a
mighty battle rages in the clearing. The powers of light and dark
are equal, but the powers of darkness are now in the ascendant, and
as the night grows on, the King begins to tire. The wasting wound
he suffered at the Summer Solstice has never healed, and his powers
- like those of the Sun - are waning.
There is a brief pause in the fight: the King and his son
look deep into each others eyes. There flashes between them
recognition of the mystery that light and dark are equal: that
they are not fighting each other, but that each is fighting
himself. For the light and the dark are one and the same, as are
the King and his son, and with this realization, the King joyfully
lifts his guard, and is impaled upon the spear as he drives his
sword deep into his son's heart. Together they fall dead to the
ground, and their blood pours out upon the Earth.
At the edge of the clearing the Queen watches, and as she sees
her husband/son die, she sends a great wail echoing through the
forest. There, standing in the cave mouth is the Lord of Death and
Resurrection, but she cannot see him. For her husband/son/lover
has now become the Lord of the Otherworld, and she is still of this
world. The waning Moon watches as she tears her hair, and as one
possessed, runs through the forest in an agony of grief. For she
too saw the mystery, and now she understands that the light and
dark are but the same. She knows that her husband/lover/son has
passed beyond the veil, and that her creative time is passed. For
the Queen is now a Witch: the ancient Hag Crone who knows the
mysteries of life and death and has walked the path of initiation.
In making her journey she has truly found the gods, and knows that
behind the wheel of the seasons there is an ancient power. By
walking the wheel she has joined with the mystery. She has been a
Virgin, a Wife, the Queen, the Mother and the Crone. She has
walked the way of the seasons. She has seen the spring, the
summer, autumn and winter, and she understands that an ancient
truth lies hidden within it all.
At last the time of the dark Moon arrives, when the Sun's
powers are low, and the veil between the worlds is thin. Standing
alone in the forest she makes her way to the clearing. She stands
alone for she is feared by those who have yet to walk the wheel.
For now she must perform the supreme act of magic. She kindles the
ancient Samhain fire, with woods of all the sacred trees. One for
each season, one for each way, one for the night and one for the
day, one for her lover and one for her son, one for the serpent and
one for her song.
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But to join with this mystery the Crone must embrace the Lord
of Flame, the Lord of Death and Resurrection, and go with him back
into the Otherworld. To join with him she must become the Goddess.
So of her own free will, she dies the death of true initiation and
enters into the cave, and passes with the Horned Lord back into the
depths of the Otherworld. There they join in love as one: the
supreme moment of the true Great Rite in which all the mysteries of
the male and female; all the mysteries of the light and dark are
married together as one. For love has always been the key. It is
love that conquers our fear and shows the way to union. For true
love is true death, as the individual sense of self is transcended
by a vision of the One. As the gods fulfil the mystery of love,
the seed of new life is planted deep within the womb of the Great
Mother.
And the land sleeps, for the dark time is upon us once again,
and the God and Goddess lay in each others arms, deep within the
Land, hidden from sight. The Sun quickly wanes day by day, the
nights growing longer, the days shorter. Winter grips the land as
a cold wind blows through the forest. The darkness seems complete,
but those of the Wicca are wise and weep not for they know that the
Sun will be reborn through the love of the God and Goddess. Life
will not fail - the Sun will return again. And at last the night
of the Midwinter Solstice arrives: the longest night of the year,
but we know now it is only the darkness that comes before the dawn.
As you stand upon the edge of the forest, you see the first
signs of the new born Sun rising upon the eastern horizon, and hear
the sound of a new born babe. But this time, you walk away from
the clearing towards the rising Sun, and as you leave the forest,
you turn and see that it is no more than a shadow behind you.
Before you is a world which you know well; it is the world in which
you live, and now it is time to return. The Otherworld is real,
and you may return at any time, for the mysteries of the gods are
there for all to understand, if you have but eyes to see. You
continue to walk into the everyday world, and become aware of the
sounds around you, and of the place in which you sit. Spend a few
moments quietly re-attuning yourself to your normal state, and then
open your eyes and stretch. (End of Guided Visualization)
If you want to make any notes do, but please remember that the
Wheel of the Year is an emotional experience, not an academic
exercise!
And finally, always have something to eat and drink after any
activity which uses an altered state of consciousness. This is the
most effective and efficient way to "ground," and is vital if
participants are travelling home after the working.
The Coven at Pooh Corner
Kanger
Kanger is a newcomer to the forest and something of a matriarch being very
protective of her offspring, Roo. She is of course Cancerian, like my wife, and will
mother everybody whether they like it or not.
Tigger
Tigger is the archetypal extrovert and obviously an Aries. Overwhelmingly friendly
and bouncy. Piglet is terrified of him because he jumps out at you and says
"WorraWorraWorra" in what he thinks is a friendly tone... He has no idea that he
can't do something until after he has done it. He shows no trace of forethought and
eventually is adopted by Kanger.
Christopher Robin
A small boy who will be fully explained at the end.
The Parables of Pooh
1 Down the Rabbit Hole
In this story, Pooh after breakfast of honey followed by honey, decides to go
visiting. First he visits Piglet, and is just in time for a little something, ie a
little honey. Eventually they go to Rabbit's place. Rabbit, who has hundreds and
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thousands of relations, naturally lives in a rabbit hole, where Pooh and Piglet are
just in time for a little something. Pooh however eats too much and being a stoutish
bear anyway, finds that when he leaves he gets stuck in the rabbit hole, with his
feet dangling in Rabbit's living room and his head out in the air. Everyone comes to
his aid, but no amount of
pulling or pushing will shift him. Christopher Robin is summoned and decides that
Pooh will have to stay there without honey until think enough to leave. Rabbit is
obviously not well pleased about having a bear wedged in his front door. However he
is compensated when he discovers that Pooh's legs make excellent towel rails.
Moral: From this escapade we can see that Pooh is not very spiritually developed. He
is far too keen on the physical desires of the body and through this forced period
of fasting and the altruistic use of his lower limbs, he learns that it is alright
to be portly so long as you don't block someone's portal. In other words, you are at
liberty to follow your own way so long as you do not block another's. This is the
experience of the tarot card of The Devil. Deluded about the relative sizes of the
door and his tummy, he cannot pass through until he has cast off the chains of his
baser desires for honey. Most covens have a Pooh at this stage of development. This
is the witch who overindulges in the communal wine during the rite, becomes comatose
before the
altar, and neither heaven, earth, or High Priestess's boot, can shift.
Moral: Here we see Pooh's total lack of brilliance. He gets there in the end with a
bit of help. On the other hand there is the immense faith he inspires in others.
People feel safe with Pooh. He knows the value of a kind word and a cheery song.
This also illustrates the danger of overwhelming others with your enthusiasm for a
path, which may not be the path they would choose. This is why in Wicca we are not
evangelical. Each must find his or her own heffalump or woozle.
In Which Pooh Builds Eeyore a House
One rainy day Pooh sets out to find Piglet. After many hours of careful thought he
has realised that everyone has a house except Eeyore, but he has a plan. On one side
of the wood he has discovered a pile of sticks, so with Piglet's help they take the
sticks around to the other side of the wood and build Eeyore a fine Des. Res. After
some moments of contemplation of their labours, they set off to find Eeyore. They
come across Eeyore in the approximate location of the pile of sticks looking
puzzled. So they take him off to show him his new house. Eeyore is muttering but
Pooh and Piglet take no notice
whatsoever. They arrive at Eeyore's house and Pooh and Piglet say proudly, "There!".
Eeyore looks pleased, but even more puzzled. It transpires that Eeyore built a house
out of a pile of sticks on the other side of the wood. He puts down the change of
location and certain architectural improvements to the high wind of the night
before. Pooh and Piglet say nothing to Eeyore, and then Pooh says that he thinks
it's "Time for a little something."
Moral: From this we can see that although still not devastatingly intelligent, Pooh
has managed to perceive someone else's problem, and has made some attempt to solve
it for them. It may however have been better if he had consulted Eeyore who had
already gone about solving his problem for himself. Thus we see that we should not
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impose our particular perception of the universe on others. Fortunately Eeyore is of
such greatness of spirit that he lets this event pass, and Pooh has developed
sufficient maturity to let discretion be the better part of valour. As Eeyore was
muttering perhaps we should also learn to listen to others.
The motorcycle represents the male part of this entity. It provides all the force
and power, but lacks control and direction. It is all
potential, in Wiccan terms, the God force, waiting for the female
aspect, the Goddess, in the form of a horrible grubby motorcycle rider. The rider
takes the force and harnesses it, giving purpose, form and direction. Controlling
the raw male potential, and together, in harmony, they will be capable of reaching
heights impossible to either on their own.
The motorcycle can be seen as a way through which to tap a source of
cosmic energy. The energy which we in the Wicca use for healing, spells, divination,
as a gateway to alternative universes. Just as a witch wouldn't attempt to tap this
awesome power without protection, neither would a biker. The biker will put on
boots, gloves, helmet and leathers in a similar sort of way as a member of the Craft
would surround themselves with a protective circle to preserve the power and keep
out undesirable spirits. In the biker's case he is also aiming to keep in the heat,
and protect him from the road, onto which demon car drivers possessed of evil
spirits (gin, vodka, whiskey etc.) would lure him to his death!
This brings us neatly (?) to the subject of reincarnation. Most of you
reading this will have some knowledge of the ideas of reincarnation;
i.e. that we are born, live in the world, die, and are then reborn to
develop further. Not many of you will realise that motorcycles go
through a similar process. They leave the factory to roam about the face of the
earth, then some parts wear out, and they descend into the dark underworld of the
workshop. Here they are consoled and repaired by the creative force of the female,
who is the biker, to emerge re-born in Spring, once more blooming with refreshed
colour of restored paintwork, and the cycle starts again. Many British machines go
through this every year. About Yule they are ready, and in the first days of Spring
they roar about in the first flush of youth. Then at the peak of their power, at
Lammas, they are cut down, usually due to some terminal mechanical problem. They
dwell for the remainder of the year in Hades, the garage, thus mirroring the cycle
of the God.
1) Suck: Initially the piston is at the top and both valves are closed. As the
crank shaft turns, the inlet valve opens, the con rod pulls the piston down which
draws air and fuel in. At this point in an invocation, the invoker is opening his
chakras and drawing the cosmic energy which surrounds us into his body.
2) Squeeze: The crank shaft continues around, the inlet valve shuts, and the piston
is pushed up, squeezing tha gases together. This is when the invoker says the
invocation and passes the power to the invokee.
3) Bang: The fuel/air mixture ignites and pushes the piston down. The
priest/ess takes on the aspect of God/dess being invoked.
4) Blow: The exhaust valve opens and the piston pushes the charge into
the exhaust pipe. The God/dess charges and shares his/her power with
those assembled.
And now - motorcycles on the Tree of Life:
Kether - traditionally the godhead from which all energy flows. It is
formless. This is the high tension spark which ignites the fuel and
without which the bike is naught.
Chokmah - Formless, directionless energy, raw untamed power. In the
engine this is the burning fuel mixture.
Binah - this takes the raw force and starts organising and forming it.
The piston, conrod and crankshaft takes the power of the expanding gases
and converts it to rotary motion.
Chesed - Takes the potential energy of Binah, gives it order, and makes it more
solid and usable. In the engine, the gearbox and final drive take the power from the
crank shaft and make it usable to the whole machine.
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Geburah - An essential breaking down. Where there is life, there must be death. In
an engine when you have got two lumps of metal thrashing about in violent motion,
they must wear each other away.
Tiphareth - This is the image of the godhead, the wayshower, Lucifer,
Prince of Light. In the bike this is represented by the electrical
system and the ignition system, and the lights, which on British
machines are provided by Joe Lucas, Prince of Darkness!
Netzach - This is the spirit of nature, intuition and sexuality. This is more
concerned with what bikers do. They are in tune with nature and tend to get drawn to
ancient sites, eg Stonehenge, Avebury and Wayland Smithy, or just standing around in
a muddy field communing with nature and the local brewery. This is also the source
of the sexual bond between man and machine.
Hod - Communication, intellect and travel. It is also where your will
produces power. The travelling aspect of motorcycles is fairly obvious, and hordes
of despatch riders fulfil the communication role. This is where we get the knowledge
of the workings of the bike. It definitely takes Hodic willpower on a cold, wet
morning, along with highly verbal expletives, leaping up and down on the kickstart
to get the bugger moving.
Yesod - This is the lunar aspect of biking, linked to Tiphareth on the
Middle Pillar (refer Joe Lucas, Prince of Darkness). Many bikers will,
by the light of the Full Moon, switch their lights off and ride by
moonlight in their lunatic hunt for the local hostellry. In the event of a biker
meeting his death through this ridiculous activity, look into the sky. For there you
will espy, on his silver machine, the spirit of the biker riding across the astral
heavens. Scientists tend to think these are meteors. There is also the illusion of
security one gets from riding around with one's head in a goldfish bowl,
colloquially known as a blood bucket.
Malkuth - The concrete world, reality. On a bike you are cold, wet,
tired, frequently uncomfortable, and very vulnerable, and no-one in
their right mind would do it if it wasn't for something else......
Despite Malkuth, biking opens up other realms, other worlds (Birmingham, London,
Glasgow, etc) and puts you in tune with the inner and outer universes.
The End.
APOLLO-Also called Phoebus, the bright one. Identified with the sun. Said to be the
most powerful of the Gods. Son of Zeus and Leto. Born on Delos, taken North and
raised by the hyperboreans, he went to Delphi and killed the dragon Python, guardian
of the oracle of Themis, but a ravager of the countryside.
Tall, handsome, outstanding in word and deed, he was the god of ever-renewed
youth, archetype of virile beauty and masculine virtue. He was also known as a
seducer & extremely arrogant. Talented in music, inventor of the lyre, he was the
inspiration of poets and soothsayers. His oracles were expressed in verse.
He could cure illness and banish evil. He was a doctor who knew the
purification rites and was invoked against plague. His image was set at dangerous
places for protection (Lighting the ways) Nothing escaped his vision (light of day).
ARIES (MARS)-Son of Hera, born without male assistance. He was a supreme fighter,
loved battle and cared little about issues, switching sides without scruple. He
delighted in massacres.
He was god of war, not victory, and was thoughtless about winning, only
fighting. Was on occasion disarmed by Athena, Goddess of restraint and forethought,
to keep him from interfering in battles that did not concern him.
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He was prolific in love, but also a rapist. He was run by his passions.
CRONOS (SATURN)- Son of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaea (Earth). Gaea, worn out by numerous
pregnancies, requested to be free of this burden, so Cronos (Saturn) took up a
sickle and cut off his father's testicles. His wife was Rhea, and he fathered
Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus. Was eventually deposed by Zeus.
His festivals, the Saturnalia, were a time of liberation and freedom for all
and got pretty wild. They were celebrated from Dec. 17th until the new year. Saturn
is the archetype for "father time".
DIONYSUS- Son of Zeus and Semele. His escort was satyrs and marginally sane gods. He
did not respect laws or customs, loved disguises, wild screaming, licentious dances
and wild places. He was a drunken god with no home, living in the wild and eating
raw meat. He encouraged excesses of all kinds.
Hera hated Dionysus because of Zeus's infidelity and hounded him. She caused
him to be killed by the Titans, but he was resurrected through the efforts of
Athena, Zeus, Apollo, and Rhea. She drove him mad, but through Cybele he gained
mastery of it. He drove many people mad for various reasons.
EROS (CUPID)- A primordial god, contemporary of Chaos, who existed before Cronos
(Saturn) and Zeus. He came out of an egg that formed the earth and sky when it broke
in two. He precipitated the embraces of Gaea (the Earth) and Uranus (the heavens),
which resulted in the birth of Oceanus, Tethys, Coeus, and Cronos (Saturn). The
Earth and heavens were so tightly embraced that none of the children could rise
towards the light until Cronos (Saturn) castrated his father.
Cupid was associated with Aphrodite, who moderated his power. Where he was
desire, instinct and violent sex, she was grace, tenderness and sweet pleasure.
Cupid made people lose their reason and paralyzed their wills, even
inspiring Zeus to capricious sexual desires.
As Eros he is said to be the child of Porus (Expedience) and Penia
(Poverty). Like Penia, he was said to always be in search of something, and like
Porus, he always found a means of attaining his aims.
FAUNUS- A Roman God, Son of Circe and Jupiter. Protector of the Roman peoples, he
lived on Palatine Hill in Rome. His oracle was given in nightmares. Lupercalia was
his festival, during which his priests ran through the streets with leather straps
and struck any women they met with them to bestow health and fertility. The women
were said to strip themselves to be better targets. He reproduced himself in the
satyrs.
HADES (PLUTO)- Son of Cronos (Saturn), brother of Zeus and Poseidon. When the world
was divided between the three brothers, the underworld and hell fell to Hades, while
Zeus took the heavens and Poseidon the seas. He had a helmet that made him
invisible. He ruled the dead, and forbade his subjects to leave his domain. He
desired Persephone, but Zeus forbade the marriage. He then kidnapped her.
HEPHAESTUS (VULCAN)- Son of Zeus and Hera. He was lame, either because his mother,
startled by his ugliness, dropped him, or because Zeus, angry that he took his
mother's side in a dispute, threw him from Olympos. He dwelled among mortals and
became the god of black smithing and artistic metal work. He made a golden throne
that imprisoned any who sat in it, and gave it to Hera to avenge himself for his
fall from Olympos.
HERMES (MERCURY)- Son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. He stole some of Apollo's cattle
shortly after his birth and concealed them, sacrificing two to the Olympian Gods.
This theft won him recognition as a God himself. When Apollo discovered the theft
and Hermes was tried, his defense was so skillful and spirited that Zeus laughed and
ruled that there should be a friendly settlement between the brothers.
Hermes was God of the spoken word and oratory and was the intermediary
between the Gods and men. Also the God of commerce and contracts, where language
must be precise to convey the correct meaning.
JANUS- ROMAN- The Two faced God. he was God of beginnings and presided over new
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undertakings, gateways and initiations. he was revered as the first king of Rome and
made order reign. His temple was left open in wartime so the God could act, but was
closed in peace.
THE LARES- Roman- Twin children of Mercury by the rape of Lara. They protected the
land. Were symbolized by two boys and a dog.
PAN- Half man, half goat, with horns on his brow and lust in his eyes. Son of Hermes
and a daughter of the Dryops, he was the God of pastoral regions and wilderness.
Special friend of shepherds, he guided and protected them from afar. Protector of
all wild things and places. His pipes had an aphrodisiac effect on those who heard
them and induced mating.
Pan was a lecher and a drunk who constantly pursued nymphs who would flee in
terror. Caves rang with their cries when he caught them. He was famous for his
rages, where he attacked anyone who got in his way. His irrational behavior led
people to flee him in "panic." He was dangerous when he took possession of a being.
The possessed, or panoleptic, took on his bearing and would wander in the wild,
laugh madly, or throw themselves on others for sex without respect to gender, or
have epileptic fits.
PRIAPUS- A small god with a penis of immense size. Son of Zeus and Aphrodite, he was
deformed by Hera in revenge. Aphrodite abandoned him in fear that she would be
ridiculed for her ugly child. He began as a symbol of fertility, but of no
significance. Although he was oversized, he was impotent. He seemed to fail at
everything he tried. He was compared to an ass and ridiculed. He lent his name to
the disease priapism, an incurable illness where the penis remains painfully erect
but incapable of ejaculation. Ended up as an obscure gnome.
QUIRINUS- A Roman warrior god originally, he became a god who watched over the well
being of the community, opposite to his former nature. Called an apparition of
Romulus the founder of Rome.
ZEUS (JUPITER)- Son of Cronos (Saturn) and Rhea. He defeated Cronos (Saturn) in a
ten year battle and then divided the realms with his brothers by lot, getting the
heavens for his own. He was ruler and judge, the arbiter of disputes among Gods and
men. His decisions were just and well balanced, showing no favoritism. He had
several wives and many lover's, earning the title "all father" or "father god". His
infidelity caused much strife on Olympos and in the world through he raging of his
wife, Hera.
Goddesses
APHRODITE (VENUS)- Daughter of Zeus and Dione according to Homer. 'The Woman Born Of
The Waves' according to Hesiod, born of the foam impregnated by the sexual organs of
Uranus, which Cronos (Saturn) had severed and thrown into the sea. Plato identifies
these as two separate Aphrodites. One Urania, the daughter of Uranus was goddess of
pure love. The other, called Pandemos, (Root of pandemonium?) was the Goddess of
'common' love. She married Hephaestus, but was unfaithful with Aries.
Aries was caught and humiliated. Aphrodite fled in shame to Cyprus, and
there took Thrace as lover, resulting in the birth of Eros (Love), Anteros (Love in
return), Deimos and Phobos (Terror and Fear). She also was a lover of Adonis, a
human shepherd named Anchises who fathered Aneas, of Hermes and of Dionysus who
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fathered Priapus. She was known for jealousy. She made Eos (Dawn) fall in love with
Orion in
spite for her seduction of Aries. She punished all who did not succumb
to her. A beauty competition between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite was
proposed by Eris (Discord) with the prize being a golden apple. It was
judged by the human Paris. All the Goddesses offered him bribes to win.
Aphrodite offered Helen, most beautiful of all Humans. She won and thus
caused the Trojan War. Eros was the primordial god of instinct. When Aphrodite
appeared he adapted himself and joined forces with her. At this time the sexes
became distinct. Aphrodite's kingdom was the place of desire. Young girls were said
to pass from the place of Artemis (chastity and games) to the place of Aphrodite,
where they become women. Considered by some to be an affliction or madness that
women must bear. She represents female lust and passion, and demonstrates its
potential for destructive effect. Young girls gave their virginity to the Goddess by
living in her temples and offering themselves to passing strangers.
ARTEMIS (DIANA)-Daughter of Zeus and Leto. The huntress, she is seen as the forever
young goddess. She is proud of her shapeliness and keeps her virginity to protect
it. She was a warrior, joining Apollo to kill Python and other exploits. Anyone who
offended her or tried to win her virginity paid dearly. They were killed,
transformed, or mutilated. She defended modesty and punished illicit love and
excesses. She avenged rape. She also took out her anger on those virgins who gave in
to love. She did not mind marriage, but when a virgin married she was to give up all
the things of childhood, toys and dolls, locks of hair, etc., leaving them on her
altar.
ATHENA (MINERVA)- Daughter of Zeus and Metis. Metis was swallowed by Zeus, and when
it was time for Diana's birth, he had Hephaestus crack open his skull and she came
forth in full armor shouting a war cry. Also a virgin Goddess, she lived among men
without fear due to her warrior's skills. She was the protectress of Odysseus and
other men. She was a warrior who used strategy, ambush, cunning, and magic rather
than brute force. Her shield bore the head of a gorgon and she paralyzed her
adversaries and made her companions invincible. She was against excess, both in war
and every day life. She taught men to control their savagery and to tame nature. Was
the initiator of all skills. Taught Pandora to weave, trained horses and invented
the chariot. She was the patroness of blacksmiths and carpenters. She built the
first ship and the boat of the Argonauts.
CYBELE- Was born as Agditis, a hermaphrodite monster, from a stone fertilized by
Zeus. The Gods decided to mutilate him(?) and made the Goddess Cybele from him. Her
love for Attis, a human shepherd, drove him insane and he castrated himself for her.
Her priests were eunuchs dressed as women. It is from the temple of Cybele that the
reference in the Wiccan Charge of the Goddess to "At mine Altars, the youths of
Lacedæmon in Sparta made due sacrifice.", comes.
DEMETER (CERES)- Daughter of Cronos (Saturn) and Rhea, the Goddess of corn and
grain. Demeter bore Persephone. She renounced her duties as goddess and began a fast
and went into exile from Olympos when her daughter was abducted into the underworld
until her daughter should be returned to her. She caused the spread of the knowledge
of the cultivation of corn.
During her exile the earth became barren until Zeus demanded that Hades
return Persephone. She had eaten from a pomegranate, however, and was forever bound
to the underworld. As a compromise, she was allowed to rise up into the world with
the first growth of spring and return to the underworld at seed sowing in fall. And
so the Earth is barren in the winter, while Demeter mourns, and becomes fruitful
again when Persephone is released. Demeter made herself known to the children of
Eleusis, who raised her a temple and instituted the Eleusinian mysteries. In
Sept.-Oct., the candidates for initiation purified themselves in the sea, then
processed down the sacred path from Athens to Eleusis. The rites remain secret, but
involve a search for a mill for grinding corn, and a spiritual experience. During
the rites, men women and slaves were all treated as equal.
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ERINYES, THE- Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaara. They were born from drops of blood
that fell from Uranus's severed Penis, and did not recognize the authority of the
gods of Olympos. They hounded and tortured their victims, driving them mad. Also
called the Eumenides, The Good Ones, to divert their wrath. Assimilated by the
Romans as the Furies. They were implacable and demanded punishment for every murder.
To them murder was a stain. The murderer had to be banished and driven mad before
purification could occur. They were blind and carried out their punishments
indefinitely.
HERA (JUNO)- Daughter of Cronos (Saturn) and Rhea brought up by Oceanus and Tethys.
Married Zeus. It was claimed that each year Hera regained hervirginity by bathing in
the spring of Canathus. According to some traditions Hephaestus, Aries, and Hebe
(Youth) were conceived by her alone without male assistance. As Zeus' legitimate
wife, her fury at his infidelities was boundless, and she took vengeance on his
lovers and any progeny of the affair without distinction. Zeus was often reduced to
hiding or disguising his children to protect them.
HESTIA/VESTA- Daughter of Cronos (Saturn) and Rhea. Goddess of the hearth, she had
the privilege of retaining her virginity forever. Her symbol was the fire, which was
never allowed to go out. The young bride and newborn child were presented to her and
she was invoked before each meal. Her temple in Rome was served by the young vestal
virgins.
MOERAE (PARCAE)- The Three Fates. Atropos, Clotho, Lachesis, daughters of Zeus and
Themis. The first spins a thread symbolizing birth. The second unravels it,
symbolizing life's processes, and the third cuts it, symbolizing death. They too
were blind and ruled destiny. They were also symbols of a limit which could not be
overstepped. Were connected to their sisters, the furies, who punished crime.
MUSES- Nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Memory). Calliope ruled epic poetry,
Clio ruled history, Polyhymnia mime, Euterpe the flute, Terpsichore dance, Erarto
lyric art, Melpomene tragedy, Thalia comedy and Urania astronomy. They delighted the
Gods and inspired poets. The Muses created what they sang about. By praising the
gods, they completed their glory, by boasting of valiant warriors, they wrote their
names in history.
They were celebrated by the Pythagoreans as the keepers of the knowledge of
harmony.
NEMESIS- Daughter and Night. Ruled over the distribution of wealth, looked after
balance, took revenge on arrogance and punished excess, including excessive
happiness, riches and power. Moderation in all things was her creed.
NYMPHS- Daughter of Zeus and usually part of a greater god(esses) entourage. Not
immortal, though long lived. Mostly lived in caves. Were dark powers whose beauty
alone could lead to madness. Were seducers of many of the gods. Were considered
secondary deities.
THETIS- Daughter of the old man of the sea. Very beautiful. Mother of Achilles.
Saved Zeus from a plot to overthrow him and was an ally of Hera. Saved the Argonauts
as they passed between the clashing rocks.
Against The Witch Hunters
Robin Culain
"All this has happened before. And all this will happen again. But this time it
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happened to ..."
Well, us.
The beginning of Sir James Barrie's Peter Pan must echo what many of us are
feeling, as we watch a new and loosely-knit conglomerate of yellow journalists,
right-wing eco-spoilers and Evangelical and Fundamental Christians move slowly
towards a Witch hunt for the 90's. Our spiritual ancestors faced similar problems in
many times and many lands.
Recall the Priestesses of Eleusis, last of an ancient line, in decline, falling at
last to the stratagems of Theseus and his new Attic Gods. Recall the Etruscans,
their vision of sexual-political balance overpowered by the might and organization
of the husband-headed Roman empire. And most tender to the touch, recall the agony
of the middle ages, as the Catholic, then Protestant churches consolidated their
grip on the rural population, killing six million alleged or actual Witches in the
process.
The hunt is in a beginning stage and beginnings are important. The formal focus of
the television specials, Redbook articles, diatribes in the LaRouchite New
Federalist, "Occult Crime" seminars and newspaper articles is some thing called
"Satanism", which bears little or no relationship to Wicca and Neo-Paganism.
In fact, media "Satanism" bears little resemblance to any historically verifiable
Satanism. It is neither classical Egyptian Set-worship", Romantic Ceremonial
Satanism a la Huysmanns nor modern Egoist flamboyance per La Vey. Sometimes it's
heavy metal sullenness, drugs and violence, but that's usually only for starters.
The heavy metal boys, we're usually told, are just dupes of the Great Conspiracy.
And when you get down to the real stuff, the genuine complaint, it's generally the
stuff of horror movies and nightmare -- baby-eating, virgin-sacrificing bloodsucking
monsters!
All this has happened before. And all this will happen again.
There's a limited range of things that can be used to stir up the anger of a
populace against a group, or deaden moral sensitivity to a persecution. It pretty
much boils down to baby-eating, virgin-sacrificing and bloodsucking.
This has been the century of Hitler's Holocaust. but the Russians who butchered
entire Jewish villages in the Pogroms, the inhabitants of York who slaughtered
nearly every Jew in the city in the 1100's didn't merely think the Yiddim dressed
and talked funny. The accusations were the same. By Jesus, those Jews ate babies!
They were just like Satanists, with one exception.
You could find the Jews.
There probably aren't any "Satanists" as portrayed in the articles, seminars and
diatribes. If there are, they're certainly not Neo-Pagans or Wiccans. But in the
lucrative atmosphere in which the press, missionaries and so-called "Crime Advisers"
publicize and proselytize, the word "Witch" creeps in every third sentence.
Naturally, we Witches and Neo-Pagans have spent a certain amount of effort
pointing out that we love children like anybody else, have no particular attraction
to virginity, and tend, in the most extreme of our diets, to vegetarianism. In
short, we have tried to educate our detractors and the media to our harmlessness.
This tactic is true, and this tactic is good, but I think that if it becomes our
primary response to persecution we will ultimately fail to endure.
They, in turn, accuse her of worshipping a living fiend, blighting the cattle, and
eating babies.
Now picture another scene, one that has not occurred often. She stands before
those assembled, and begins, shall I say, to point out some facts. She points out
the medieval physician with the two per cent live delivery rate who wants the local
midwifery practice shut down. She points out the priest and bishop who are
terrifying the once fun-loving populace into penury and pestilence with the twin
threats of damnation and the noose. She denounces the Christian nobles who will
brook no interference with their rule, least of all from the old Nobility of the
land.
She'd be shut up in short order, but in a different way, for she would be
addressing the real issues. The nonsense about babies, Black Men and cattle was
then, and is now nothing more than a smoke screen to mask real and significant
religious and political differences. It's all a cheap trick, a coward's cheat, a way
of throwing muck until some sticks. It is only used when the real terms of debate
cannot stand the light of day, and it works only if we permit it!
Our situation is in no way as dire as that of our ancestors. Only now have things
moved to the stage where one group, the far-right and sometimes farcical Limonites,
actively bait Wiccans and Neo-Pagans as being "as bad as Satanists". And unlike our
ancestors, we have a freedom of speech they could only dream of. We will not be
silenced if we speak, certainly not at this time.
Likewise with the "Occult Crimewatch". Ask them about their sources of revenue.
About their religious agendas and connection with Evangelical missions. Ask the if
they support religious freedom, and if non-Evangelical religious belief, in their
opinion, is a hazard to the public. Ask them, if you can corner them into a frank
reply, what on earth they are doing lecturing hate to police officers sworn to
protect all the public, Christian and Pagan!
The media deserve the same. Let's not spend more than a breath denying lurid
charges. Instead, ask them why they are sensationalizing and smearing a legitimate
religion to make sales. Inquire as to whether the German press in the 30's had a
responsibility for the slanders on the Jews that they printed. Ask them how they'll
feel if harm comes to one Pagan woman or man, girl or boy through their negligence,
indifference to non sensational fact and search for sales.
In every case we have an opportunity to turn the tide, by coming right out with
our real differences in front of the public, and insisting that the terms of debate
be on genuine issues. We must refuse to be backed into a defensive posture, denying
ever wilder charges.
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Instead let us bring our active advocacy and love of our Gods, of Mother Earth, of
our families and children and ourselves to the fore in every debate. We must require
our opponents to bare their genuine beliefs and motives, and contrast them clearly
with our own in full view. We must sharpen the terms of debate so keenly that no
person can leave the scene without having to make a clear and conscious choice about
what they value and believe is right.
There's no point in lecturing to the Cardinal. The audience for every debate is
not the Witch Hunter, it is the neutral observer. Let them see the love of the
Earth, and contrast it to nearsighted greed and poverty of emotion. Let them see the
love of the Old Gods and contrast it to a cringing fear of the Father's judgment.
Let them see generosity and intelligence and refusal to be sacrificed, and contrast
them to venality, cunning and scape goating. In every debate, let us rise to the
height of our capability, and let our opponents have it in the Values -- right
where it hurts!
Charging Crystals
Ian Kesser
Crystals, as many of you know, are extremely useful for practitioners of the
Magickal arts. They can be used to channel power, to store power, to heal, and many
other ways. Due to space considerations, I have chosen to limit myself to the
charging aspect in this article.
The first and most important part of charging a crystal is choosing the crystal
itself. For most general uses, Quartz is the best one. For specific use, there are
many others. I have found that Diamonds are useful in storing Good energy, and
Zircons (my birthstone!!) for Evil energy. If you have a specific purpose in mind,
please consult one of the many fine tables of crystal affinities.
The next step, and also important, especially the first few times, is to prepare
yourself for the actual channeling of energy. In my case, music helps, as well as
pranayama and other forms of breath control. The first one I used is simple
.
Pranayama, simply, is control of breath. Most forms amount to hyperventilation or
subventilation. The one I used first, and still use, is this: take four quick
inhalations, filling the lungs. This should be over the space of about one and a
half seconds. Then exhale in four short bursts, again over one and a half seconds.
Repeat as necessary. The first few times this is done, I recommend you desist after
about one minute. Over the course of time, this can and should be increased, but
until you are used to the effect this gives, a shorter time is suggested.
Now that you're in the mood, take the crystal in your right-hand (left hand for
those of you who are lefties). Visualize a door within the heart of the crystal.
Until this visualization is firm and steady, wait. Then open the door. Behind it you
should see a store of diffuse energy, which varies with the type of the crystal.
Some crystals, usually the inferior ones, have little or nothing back here. These
are generally not good to use.
Close the door, but keep it in mind. That was just to check on its energy. Decide
which energy you wish it to house. Usually only one will be needed, such as for
talismans and storage of energy for later use, but in some cases, such as a
divination tool, more is suggested/required. DO NOT TRY THIS ON YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT!
YOU WILL FAIL! The energy you will be handling is powerful, and trying to handle
more than one world at a time is strenuous. Trying to handle all three, plus
personal and other energies, is straining to the limit. As with all other bodily
systems, an ability used beyond its capacity will overload and break or refuse to
perform, as with a man trying to lift 300lb barbells on his first try at weight
lifting.
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For general use, I find nature's energy is best for multipurpose storage. Those in
the Church of Set would probably find differently, as would those in the Church of
Christ. Use what you feel comfortable with.
Now, the fun part. For the three major energies, I find there are certain ways of
drawing them tat are easiest on the practitioner. For Good energy, try it like this:
Form a cone with the base connecting to your skull in the region just between and
above your eyebrows. "suck" the energy (visualize it as you will, I use a light,
golden yellow) into the cone, then through a tube into your brain. The visualization
on this is a bit tricky, but it can be done.
For Nature's energy, visualize a "hose" going down into the Earth from the base of
your spine. This hose should ideally connect with the center of the Earth, but some
people simply cannot conceive the distance involved with that, and can therefore not
visualize it. Go as deep as you can, with time, you should improve. I "see" this
energy as a ruddy, glowing red, as with magma. Use what works. Draw this energy up
the tube, then through your spinal column into the brain.
Now, the Evil energy. This is tricky for me, but here's how I do it. Place the
feet together (if they already are, so much the better! It means this isn't
uncomfortable for you, as it is for me.) and visualize a siphon, with the hose
connecting to a cone connecting to your feet, about two inches in diameter, one inch
on either foot. Then, on the other end, a hose entering a black, inky void(or
whatever color you perceive evil energy to be). One last connection: another hose
running from that area of your feet to the previously mentioned area in the skull.
This aligns nicely with the Chakra theory, to which I subscribe, in that a Chakral
spinal-type column connects all the major power centers of ones body. If you know
this system, so much the better! Draw the energy through the siphon(sometimes
visualizing the bulb on the siphon squeezing helps) into the feet, then into the
skull, then into the brain.
Other objects you wish to draw energy from, use the door analogy/visualization
given above( for powerful things such as the Tarot, I see it as a gate more than a
door. Again, whatever works for you), and draw from your use hand. If you plan on
using that object again, take only a token amount of energy, and DON'T FORGET TO
CLOSE THE DOOR!
Personal energy: This varies so much with the individual! Some people draw from
their auras, some from the Chakras, some from the Astral Body. Just use the method
you feel most comfortable with. For those of you who have no preference, or no
knowledge of such things, I use the Astral approach. I draw a bit of the substance
of the Astral body, generally the feet, into the brain. After I finish all else, I
"spread out" the Astral body to make up for this loss. Astral bodies DO heal.
Well, that's most of it. Draw the energy you need, then draw from the crystal.
Take it in your use hand again, open that door, and take out the energy, and bring
it to the brain. Generally, I use the hose again, connecting to that spot in the
skull, but this one generally runs INSIDE y body, such as along the arm bones, then
up the neck bone. Mix the energy up. If it helps, visualize a cosmic Cuisinart or
whatever. If it won't mix, like oil and water, you have failed. This crystal will
not hold this energy. Give up, put back the crystals power, ground
yourself(later...), and try again later with another energy.
Once you've achieved the mix, refill the crystal. Sometimes, the energy won't go
back in. This usually means you've put too much of the energy you're using in, and
not enough of the crystal's own energy. Bring it back to the brain, and remix. How
do you refill the crystal, you ask? Switch hands on the crystal, then visualize that
handy hose again, but this time flow backwards, through the door. There will come a
point, especially early on in your practice, that the crystal is full when you have
energy left over. Slam that door and ground yourself(later...), don't overfill it!
Doors have their bursting point, and that's a wonderful way to destroy a good
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crystal.
OK, it's later. You've finished the job at hand (Applause, you've earned it!) but
have all this energy left! There are many ways of grounding energy, use the one you
are comfortable with(I know I keep saying that, but it bears repeating. Don't do
anything against your Will). The one I use is simply grounding it. Take that
handy-dandy all-purpose hose again, connect it to the base of the spine, and thence
into the Earth. Flip the switch to reverse, and push that energy out! Be careful not
to let out yourself as well!
That's it. I hope you find this helpful to you.
Tarot Divination
Tuppence
Not long ago an on-line friend told me that he saw no reason to use the Tarot in
divination; in fact, he felt that no one should use them for divination as this was
a profane use of the cards. He preferred to use the cards solely for contemplation.
At the time I did not feel inclined to respond to this narrow view, but after a
night of thinking about it, I was prompted to write the following in defense of
Tarot Divination (and I don't mean fortune telling!)
Divination:
1) The art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover
hidden knowledge usually by means of augury (divination from omens) or by the aid of
supernatural powers
2) Unusual insight or intuitive perception (these definitions from Webster's)
According to the Brotherhood of Light there are four main uses for the Tarot:
1) Science of Vibration
2) Divination by cards
3) Divination by number
4) Spiritual Science (the method of putting the rest together to develop a
philosophy)
Is it wrong to USE the cards?
1) Playing cards is fun! Without such use perhaps Tarot would long ago have died as
other games have faded from use. Chess may be considered to be a child's game or a
highly developed intellectual discipline. The same is true of using the Tarot
card's.
2) Have you ever played Taroc? It is a very interesting game like bridge using the
Major Arcana as Trumps...in profane decks the court cards and majors may have two
heads (to be read either up or down.) Some versions of the game have certain
mystical aspects.
3) In studying the history of the Tarot you will see that the decks (except those
belonging to aristocrats who had hand-painted decks made for them by great artists)
used long ago were very primitive and made from wood cuts. We have come far from
those crude representations...but the ideas expressed in the Tarot remain the same -
they are still there in those early decks.
4) Where did the Tarot come from? We have only theory and conjecture:
a) Ancient Egyptians
b) They always have existed but have been revived from time to time
c) Gift of Divine Origin
d) etc.
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It's validity and usefulness are what count
The Tarot is MUCH MORE than mere pictures on pasteboard. The pictures on the
Tarot cards are physical symbols for spiritual concepts. One definition I use for
the Tarot is as follows:
1) Jung says of Archetypes that they exist for us at birth...they emanate from the
collective unconscious....they are NOT self-created or generated.
2) Aleister Crowley says in his book the Book of Thoth:
"Each card is, in a sense, a living being." "It is for the student to build these
living stones into his living Temple."
1. These Forces can communicate with us...or rather we can interpret their currents
through our subconscious intuitive minds....this is one use of divination (and
contemplation). This is the level, as Jung says, at which we are all connected.
2. These Forces can be directed by us Magickally if we are so trained. First we
must master divination; then direction.
3. The Tarot is a Magickal Weapon In the hands of a trained initiate the mere
placement of one card between two others can alter the forces involved and affect
physical (and ethereal) reality.
4. The Tarot is a philosophy as well, with an Ancient Message about the Soul's
journey.
5. Yes, the Tarot is useful to study and contemplate....the colors and symbols are
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specifically designed and arranged to stimulate things within us (forces,
archetypes, subconscious).
6. The Major Arcana are especially sacred to us because they represent the Paths,
Steps, Forces which are necessary for us to rejoin the Godhead and attain
enlightenment.
I maintain that the best way to understand that the Tarot cards are ALIVE and
ACTIVE FORCES is to USE/HANDLE/EXPERIENCE them and so Divine (and perceive) what
they are all about. The cards are a focus for our minds upon forces which are
ever-changing and evolving (even as humankind is evolving).
We are fortunate that modern printing is so good and that the Tarot decks and
books which we have today are easily available to us. This was not always the case
for our brothers and sisters in times past. Today one can afford to smile and say:
"I only need to contemplate the cards to understand them." But there is more to the
use of the cards in Divination than many have been taught; for it is a mysterious
process.
Just as one must study and practice upon a musical instrument to become a
virtuoso, so too the Tarot takes many years of study and practice to use correctly.
One must be well developed spiritually, emotionally, and intuitively, or (as in
music) naturally gifted to make full and accurate use of the cards in divination. In
the hands of a gifted Diviner or Initiate the Tarot is a formidable weapon. It can
even talk and spell out sentences! Hence the Hebrew letters correspondence to the
Major Arcana. However, since we do not all learn in the same ways....the Tarot may
not be the DIVINATORY METHOD for everyone...although everyone can learn from it and
should study it.
Other methods which may suit:
a) Astrology
b) Numerology
c) I Ching
d) Pendulum
e) Runes
f) etc.
As humankind evolves spiritually (and in other ways) so too the Tarot evolves.
Take for example the reconstruction of The Chariot (Arcanum VII) and The Devil
(Arcanum XV) cards by Levi. He gave them a new presentation based upon his advanced
knowledge at the time. Also, note how The Lovers (Arcanum VI) has changed from
earlier decks. It still has the same basic meaning, but the symbols have changed. No
longer are there two women...one good one bad...with the man in between...now it is
two people with an Angel above them. New Tarot decks continue to be made as our
knowledge and understanding evolves.
A note on The Book of Thoth, Aleister Crowley's Tarot deck, is as seen by him
from the Astral Plane. This is why it is so different from many decks; why it is so
striking; and, why the energy felt has such strong effects upon many people.
Some cards come and go....there are more cards on the astral plane than we have
on the physical....between the cards, above and below the cards are others...as with
the Quaballa.
When working with the Tarot if one is in a Magickal State (Asana, etc.) and
reads the cards it is a Magickal or Divine (hence the term divination) operation. I
take the forces into myself when using the cards thus they affect me and I them.
Because of this knowledge, I respect the Tarot as a Living Thing/Force and I do
not bother it with profane questions. I treat it as a Magickal Weapon and thus with
care and respect. Fortune telling, while not wrong, is the profane use of the cards.
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Contemplation of the cards is useful; without Divination, however, one could not
experience the forces within them in the same way. Also, there are hidden uses for
the Tarot. The Tarot is indeed a Teacher. It is also a door, a gateway, an entryway
into other realms which is partly how it was used in Egyptian Initiation Rites. We
may use it in some of the ways listed below:
1) Scrying/meditation
2) Ritual (invocation and evocation)
3) Works/spells
4) Talisman use/focus
5) Divination
Some of the goals of initiates (after perfecting divination and the Tarot's
philosophy) are 1) to read with a blank deck and to use a spread with no set
meanings, and 2) to develop one's own Astral Deck.
Magick (in Theory and Practice), Crowley's famous book, calls Divination an
important branch of Magick, and defines it thusly:
"It is always essential for the diviner to obtain absolute magical control over
the intelligence's of the system which he adopts."
"Experience is the only teacher. One acquires what one may almost call a new
sense. One feels in one's self whether one is right or not. The diviner must develop
this sense."
"In order to divine without error, one ought to be a Master of the Temple. The
faintest breath of personal preference will deflect the needle from the pole of
truth in the answer."
"One must prepare oneself by general purification and consecration devised with
the object of detaching oneself from one's personality and increasing the
sensitiveness of one's faculties."
"Divination is in one sense an art entirely separate from that of Magick; yet it
interpenetrates Magick at every point. The fundamental laws of both are identical.
The right use of divination has already been explained: but it must be added that
proficiency therein, tremendous as is its importance in furnishing the Magician with
the information necessary to his strategic and tactical plans, in no wise enables
him to accomplish the impossible. It is not within the scope of divination to
predict the future with the certainty of an astronomer in calculating the return of
a comet. There is always much virtue in divination."
"Divination of any kind is improper in matters directly concerning the Great Work
itself. In the Knowledge and Conversation of his Holy Guardian Angel, the adept is
possessed of all he can possibly need. To consult any other is to insult one's
Angel."
Thus we may use Divination for those worthy questions which we need answered but
cannot find out in any other way...either through our own research or by the
contacting of one's Holy Guardian Angel. If we can attain the necessary magickal
states discussed above and if we complete the necessary study and work which he
suggests, we can become masters of Tarot Divination.
Judging by Satan's popularity in news accounts and police reports these days,
you'd think Satan had been elected to Congress or won the Pulitzer Prize. But it's
not true, says J. Gordon Melton, director of the Institute for the Study of American
Religion in Santa Barbara, Calif. and one of the country's leading experts on cults.
In fact, there is no surge at all in Satan's popularity. "The only surge we're
seeing is the spread if mis-information," Melton says. "Malicious, suspicious, and
ritualistic acts are being attributed to satanism, and people are buying into it."
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Melton has launched a one-man crusade to get what he considers the truth out to
the public. Using an extensive survey he completed in 1986 as his guide - "The
Evidences of Satan in Contemporary America" - Melton makes his case frequently
before groups and in interviews. Most misinformation regarding satanism comes out of
police agencies, Melton maintains. That's because, in the absence of true satanic
groups, law officials have to blame "something concrete," he says.
"What we've got is creation of imagination, paranoia, and general ignorance,"
Melton says. "We've got wild speculation and jumps in logic. What we don't have is
the truth. One story perpetuates another, and, before long, 'experts' in police
departments are conducting seminars on a topic they don't really understand."
At the Phoenix Police Department, police spokesman Andy Hill says the agency
analyzes every incident that has satanic overtones. He blames a majority of these
crimes on "kids caught up in experimentation." "It's safe to say that most of it
isn't hard-core. We're usually dealing with copycat crimes," he says. " I wouldn't
consider satanism a big problem here in Phoenix. We know it exists, but it's more
underground than anything else."
According to Melton, only three established satanic cults exist: The Church of
Satan, a San Francisco based group headed by founder Anton LaVey; a splinter group,
the Temple of Set, also in San Francisco and headed by Michael Aquino; and the
Church of Satanic Liberation in New Haven, Conn., led by Paul Douglas Valentine.
Total membership in all three groups is "probably less than 3,000," Melton says.
Those followers are the true satanists, and their numbers haven't varied much in the
last two decades, he says.
Many of the acts blamed on satanism are committed by teenagers who are bound
together b drugs and violence rather than demons. While they may use satanic imagery
in their deeds, Melton says they are "play- acting" the role of worshipping the
Prince of Darkness. "It's true we're hearing a lot of satanic references in today's
music, but that's pure commercialism," he says. "Just because your teenager gets
wrapped up in certain rock'n'roll doesn't mean he's into the occult."
Some of the conclusions that support Melton's studies to combat the theory of
international satanic conspiracy include:
* The existence of a large number of nonconventional religions, such as cults, that
have nothing to do with occultism, much less satanism.
* The growth of witchcraft as a new religion and how it is confused with satanism.
Melton labels contemporary Wicca as a nature religion that places great emphasis
upon the preservation of life and non- violence.
* Reports of cattle mutilations, which ignore the facts that most are mistaken
observations of predator damage.
* The discovery of common symbols, such as an inverted cross, pentagrams, and bloody
altars, which lead investigators to conclude that satanic activity has taken place.
However, no evidence of any conspiracy involving the kidnapping and transportation
of children for ritual purposes has emerged.
* Fantasies of people who make "confessions" of their involvement on satanic
cults.Typically, they cannot supply independent corroboration of the stories.
Moreover, a good portion of the mis-information on satanism - which Melton says is
really a "parody of religion" - comes out of evangelical Christian publishing
houses. With that bias, "it;s easy to see how misinformation breeds," he says.
Melton contends that open satanic groups pose no public threat. If there is cause
for concern, it would be the small, ephemeral satanic groups, mostly consisting of
young adults or teenagers and possibly led by psychopaths or sociopaths. "These are
the groups that cause immediate danger to themselves and society at large. That's
where police should be concentrating their efforts," he says. "In the meantime,
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we've got to get out of this satanic mentality and get our labels straight."
5-4-86 - New York Times-" Derry Knight told an astonishing story about his
membership in a secret Satanic cult called the Sons of Lucifer and his heroic
efforts to take over the leadership of the cult to free himself and 2,000 members
from the coils of the devil. As he told it, it was an incredibly dangerous mortal
struggle he was waging against the most evil forces in the universe, personified by
some prominent politicians, including Viscount Whitelaw, the deputy Prime Minister,
who were, he said, the secret masters of Britain's Satanic orders ... In little more
than a year, before Mr. Knight's activities aroused the suspicions of Bishop Eric
Kemp of Chichester, who called in the police fraud squad, the support group
contributed at least $313,000 to the anti-Satanism struggle. A jury that convicted
Mr. Knight April 25 of 19 counts of fraud heard that much of the money raised by Mr.
Baker had been spent by his supposedly struggling friend on call girls, fast cars,
and a life of dissipation."
January 1988 New York Folklore "Satanism, Where are the folklorists? by Phillips
Stevens, Jr. p 12 ( Mr. Stevens is referring to a murder of a 13-year =old girl in
this incident) "While preparing me for the taping of some commentary to be aired
locally following the National Geraldo Rivera TV special on Satanic cults on October
25, 1988, an investigative reporter for a Buffalo TV station was discussing That
incident [the murder]. There were 13 people at that party, he said, the murdered
girl being the 13th. Since the murder, six of the party goers had committed
suicide.....I noted that it was strange that six suicides with such a factor in
common had not been reported in the news; how did he know the details? The mother of
the most recent suicide had told him. ...I advised him to wait and check out the
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facts before airing this story; he called me a few days later saying no, the other
suicides could not be confirmed."
1-19-89 Joplin Missouri Globe News (front page) - "Jasper County Sheriff Bill
Pierce said he had no figures available on how much time and money that department
has spent investigating claims. He cited a November case as an example of the
fruitless searches that have been undertaken because of claims eventually fount to
be false. ...a Blytheville, Ark. woman told authorities there she had watched
satanic cultists cut the stomach of an infant, pour gasoline on the baby, and set it
on fire....After agreeing to take a polygraph examination, the woman admitted the
story was false. She told deputies she made the false accusations to get attention."
3=6=89 - Houston Chronicle - "A Houston -area woman who claims to be a former
satanic priestess and has told audiences she witnessed the ritualistic murder of an
8-year-old Tomball girl has left law enforcement officers frustrated in their
attempts to investigate her allegations. 'We have no homicide to link it to. Why she
would make those claims and then be hesitant to talk with authorities is reason to
question her motives,' Harris County Assistant D.A. Casey O'Brien said"
The previous three messages should tell you why I don't believe in the hysteria
being generated. If anyone wants to see the entire articles that these quotes were
taken from, send a SASE with 3 stamps to P. O. Box 1842, Colorado Springs, Co 80901.
BB Rowan
1. You shall learn of Honesty and attempt to heal your fear of it, to use this in
daily living.
2. You shall learn to Love Unconditionally--beginning with yourself.
3. You shall help all people in your worlds come to physical healing.
4. You shall dwell on things of high and pure energy in others and self to change
Earth.
5. You will learn and practice Pure Service -- unconditional and with love energy.
6. You will release Judgment into the Void--You will see, identify and choose for
yourself Only.
7. You will Recognize One God --the God that corresponds to your vision.
8. You will destroy no one in any way -- through gossip -- through killing their
gifts -- discouraging self love by injuring the physical body by foreign substance
-- incorrect foods -- incorrect labor.
9. You will use your mind in the way the Source prepared -- by faithfulness of
prayer -- by study and spiritual growth.
10. You will learn self discipline so that you respond to the Earth with wisdom.
11. You will take full responsibility for your own life -- blaming no other.
12. You will seek to learn about your God -- seeing the Connection clearly.
13. You will be known for your Gentleness, your Loyalty, your Kindness, according to
your beliefs.
14. You will grow in Peace by change of attitude and understanding of others.
15. You will learn to respond and act from the Highest Center of Inner God -- the
Love Response.
16. You will learn to Love All Mankind by seeing the Highest in all people without
exception.
17. You will promote the healing of Mind, Body, and Spirit by teaching and living
the belief in Man's Divinity.
18. You will show faithfulness in your study of yourself and your persona (masks) in
order to Free All Parts of Self.
19. You will Live your life as ordained by your faithfulness to the Truth, as you
understand the Truth.
20. You will Speak in Love, Honesty and Wisdom.
21. You will Think in Love, Honesty and Wisdom.
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22. You will live in Moderation (Balance) in All Areas of your life.
The foregoing was delivered on July 20, 1989, through the trance-mediumship of
Carla Neff Gordan by the Spirit Guide "Mary." Mary stated that these ideas will also
be released through other mediums in six different areas of the world. In preface to
these "Commandments" Mary said the following:
"You are a loving, connected community of like-minded souls assisting through our
inner connection. You are becoming a profound source of awakening for your world.
These rules are to open your hearts, to teach you self-love, to calm your emotion to
help you to live in reality that you have wished. To grow, first you must become a
source of service. There must be a difference in earth because you have walked here.
Now is the time of shifting your energy into a higher place through unconditional
love. A part of your purpose is to heal the earth through holy, or wholeness,
relationships. You will begin now."
There seems to be two schools of thought within the "Craft Community" concerning
the dangers faced by Pagans in general and witches in particular. One school thinks
that we are now in the Age of Aquarius and that all danger has passed. The other
camp seems to feel that we are beset with dangers and that our only safety lies in
remaining "the hidden children of the Goddess", telling no one of our religious
faith (including our fellow practitioners), and being ready to fly or fight on a
moment's notice. Who's right? Do we know? Have we even tried to find out?
On the one hand, we live in a country with a Bill of Rights. Times have certainly
changed since witchcraft was a hanging offence in Massachusetts. People have been
known to proclaim their faith and live unmolested. On the other hand, there are
about 3 million people in the United States who profess themselves to believe that
the Bible is the literal word of God. If Leviticus says "Thou shalt not suffer a
witch to live.", then there should be 3 million people out there ready to drag me
out of my house and kill me.
Fortunately, the answer does not lie with either extreme and therefore our
reaction should likewise avoid either extreme position. We live in a world beset by
dangers. We could be in a traffic accident. We could have our house burglarized. Our
child could be abducted on the way home from school. We could be struck by
lightening. Do we stay home, guard the house and family and avoid living? Of course
not!
What we DO is to act in such a way as to recognize the risks we run and to
minimize them. We try to live in reasonably safe neighborhoods. We keep good locks
on our doors. We drive defensively and wear seat belts. We teach our children to run
from threatening situations. This isn't paranoia, just good sense.
Is there any danger that we as witches and pagans might be subjected to another
violent suppression? Any Jew with an eye to recent history would tell you that of
course there is! Is that danger great here in this country? Not at present, but we
do live in a world subject to rapid changes. Within my lifetime, people of Japanese
extraction in this country were summarily rounded up and shipped off to remote
camps. This action was contested all the way up to the Supreme Court to no avail.
Discarding A 27-Year-Old Test For Religious Liberty Cases, The Supreme Court
Says Government May Restrict Religiously Motivated Conduct
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Alfred Smith considers himself apolitical; he's not even registered to vote. But,
in light of what the Supreme Court did April 17, the 70- year-old Oregonian is ready
to jump into politics in a big way.
The high court ruled 6-3 that day that Native Americans do not have a
constitutional right to use the drug peyote during their religious ceremonies.
Smith, one of the plaintiffs who helped bring the case before the nation's highest
court, is angry enough to take his fight to the polls.
"I'm encouraging all people to register and vote this year," Smith said. "This is
the time for it. I have never voted before because I don't care to condone the
system, but I have made a stand here with this case."
The political route Smith proposes may be one many members of minority religions
are forced to take in the future, thanks to the Supreme Court's decision in the
"Employment Division v. Smith" case. The justices' ruling marks an abrupt shift in
free exercise jurisprudence, granting government broad new powers over religious
practices.
What makes the "Smith" decision so significant is that in reaching it five
justices voted to abandon the court's doctrine of "compelling state interest," a
move with far-reaching implications for religious liberty.
In a nutshell, the 27-year-old doctrine says that the government can restrict
religious freedom only when it proves there is a compelling interest to do so and
that there is no less intrusive alternative available to achieve the state's goals.
The judicial rule grew out of the 1963 "Sherbert v. Verner" decision and is usually
called the "Sherbert" Test.
In the recent peyote case the court rejected the "Sherbert" standard in favor of
a much narrower test, holding that government may offer religiously based exemptions
from generally applicable laws if it chooses, but it is under no constitutional
obligation to do so.
Wrote Justice Antonin Scalia for the majority, "We have never held that an
individual's religious beliefs excuse him from compliance with an otherwise valid
law prohibiting conduct that the State is free to regulate."
Scalia went on to say that applying the doctrine of compelling state interest in
the peyote dispute and similar cases would create "a private right to ignore
generally applicable laws [which would be] a constitutional anomaly." Rigorous
application of the "Sherbert" approach, he said, would be "courting anarchy."
Later in the opinion, Scalia admitted that the ruling will force minority
religious groups to seek relief from oppressive laws by lobbying elected officials,
and some may fail in their efforts. But he excused this as unavoidable. "It may
fairly be said," observed Scalia, "that leaving accommodation to the political
process will place at a relative disadvantage those religious practices that are not
widely engaged in; but that unavoidable consequence of democratic government must be
preferred to a system in which each conscience is a law unto itself or in which
judges weigh the social importance of all laws against the centrality of all
religious beliefs."
The court majority acknowledged that judicial exemptions from neutral laws have
sometimes been granted for religious reasons. But, Scalia argued, such exemptions
have generally been granted in conjunction with another constitutional right--such
as free speech. He called these examples "hybrids" and implied they are special
cases. Other than that, said Scalia, the only legal disputes where the "Sherbert"
analysis has been applied consistently and usefully are unemployment compensation
rulings, such as the line of decisions approving jobless benefits for workers who
are fired for refusing to work on their sabbath.
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Ironically the "Smith" case involved just such an unemployment controversy. It
started in 1984 when Smith, a Klamath Indian, and another man, Galen W. Black, a
non-Indian, were fired from their jobs as drug counselors after the agency they
worked for learned the pair had used the drug peyote during ceremonies in the Native
American Church.
The Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Treatment (ADAPT) had a policy
stating that all employees must be drug free. Smith and Black thought an exemption
would be made for their religious use of peyote, a mild hallucinogen derived from
some cactus plants, but ADAPT officials saw things differently: Both men were
dismissed.
When Smith and Black subsequently applied for unemployment benefits, they were
turned down. Officials with the state Employment Dvision said the two had been fired
for misconduct and therefore did not qualify. The duo took the case to the courts.
Four years later the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that the ceremonial use of peyote
is permissible under state law and is even protected by the First Amendment. The
Supreme Court's recent action overturns that decision.
The "Smith" majority drew upon a somewhat unusual alignment of justices. Scalia,
Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Anthony Kennedy and Byron R. White were
predictable allies. All four have argued for a narrower reading of the First
Amendment's religious liberty clauses.
Justice John Paul Stevens, however, provided the key fifth vote. Stevens, often
thought of as a member of the court's liberal wing, favors a strict separationist
reading of the Establishment Clause, but has argued in past cases for a less
expansive reading of the Free Exercise Clause.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor concurred in the "Smith" outcome, but wrote a
separate dissent that accused the majority of going too far. "Although I agree with
the result the Court reaches in this case, I cannot join its opinion," asserted
O'Connor. "In my view, today's holding dramatically departs from well-settled First
Amendment jurisprudence, appears unnecessary to resolve the question presented, and
is incompatible with our Nation's fundamental commitment to individual religious
liberty." The free exercise of religion, O'Connor added, is a "preferred
constitutional activity," entitled to "heightened judicial scrutiny." The "Sherbert"
Test, she continued, has worked well to "strike sensible balances between religious
liberty and competing state interests."
Justices Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan Jr. and Thurgood Marshall
indicated agreement with O'Connor's opinion, although they said they would have gone
further and upheld the Native American Church members' claim. The court's liberal
wing criticized the majority for "mischaracterizing this Court's precedents" and
engaging in a "wholesale overturning of settled law concerning the Religion Clauses
of our Constitution."
Wrote Blackmun, "One hopes that the Court is aware of the consequences, and that
its result is not a product of over-reaction to the serious problems the country's
drug crisis has generated."
The justice insisted that ritual peyote use by Native Americans could be
tolerated without jeopardizing the nation's campaign to curb drug abuse. He noted
that the federal government allowed the Roman Catholic Church to employ sacramental
wine at masses during Prohibition.
Said Blackmun, "I do not believe the Founders thought their dearly bought
freedom from religious persecution a 'luxury,' but an essential element of
liberty--and they could not have thought religious intolerance 'unavoidable,' for
they drafted the Religion Clauses precisely in order to avoid that intolerance."
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Even though the case dealt with the sensitive issue of drug use, several
religious organizations had sided with the Native American Church members, most
notably the American Jewish Congress, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in
support of Smith and Black.
"For all practical purposes, a majority of the Supreme Court has eliminated the
Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment from our Bill of Rights," said AJC
Executive Director Henry Siegman.
"The court's decision in the peyote case can have the most far- reaching
consequences for all religions, but primarily for religious minorities," continued
Siegman. "It is precisely such minorities the Bill of Rights sought to protect, for
it is they who are particularly vulnerable to the depredations of momentary and
localized majorities."
Three weeks after the decision the AJC and an extraordinarily diverse coalition
of religious and civil liberties groups filed a petition for rehearing before the
Supreme Court. The petition urged the justices to hear the case again so the
organizations will have the opportunity to address their free exercise concerns in
friend-of-the-court briefs.
Groups joining the AJC include: the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs,
the National Council of Churches, the National Association of Evangelicals, People
for the American Way, the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., the American Civil Liberties
Union, the Christian Legal Society, the American Jewish Committee, the
Unitarian-Universalist Association, the General Conference of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church, the Worldwide Church of God and the Lutheran Church, Missouri
Synod. Americans United for Separation of Church and State also signed the petition.
Attorney Oliver S. Thomas of the Baptist Joint Committee said it is important
that religious and civil liberties groups have the opportunity to express their
views to the court. He said the court's abandonment of the "Sherbert" Test could
have a wide impact.
"Taxation of church assets, regulation of church schools and child- care centers,
zoning and other land-use questions are all areas of the law where we've relied upon
the compelling state interest test to provide churches with exemptions," Thomas told
the Baptist Press. "With a stroke of his pen, Justice Scalia has overturned 27 years
of legal precedent and made the 'first liberty' a constitutional stepchild."
Constitutional scholars were particularly amazed that the majority in the peyote
case relied heavily on "Minersville School District v. Gobitis," a 1940 Supreme
Court decision that said Jehovah's Witness children in public schools could be
forced to say the Pledge of Allegiance. "Gobitis" was overturned three years later
in the "Barnette" decision and has been roundly criticized ever since as one of the
court's biggest mistakes.
Observed Douglas Laycock, law professor at the University of Texas, "The court
repeatedly quotes "Gobitis" without noting that it was overruled in "Barnette," and
without noting that it triggered a nationwide outburst of violence against Jehovah'
s Witnesses. Until the opinion in this case, "Gobitis" was thoroughly discredited."
But not all court watchers were chagrined by the ruling. Jules B. Gerard, a
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constitutional law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, told Religious
News Service there has been a lot of overreaction. Gerard said the decision
"overturns very little" and accused those who have protested it of "hysterical
talk."
"No one wants anarchy in the name of religion," he added, "but d we really want
more and more government regulation of religion? What bothers us most is the
movement away from individual liberty and toward statism--whatever the government
wants, goes."
The decision has already had a practical consequence for one minority faith. Just
six days after the "Smith" ruling, the justices, by a 7-2 vote, ordered the
Minnesota Supreme Court to reconsider a recent decision it made exempting an Amish
group from complying with a highway safety law.
Members of the Old Order Amish had protested a state law requiring them to
display orange safety triangles on their horse-drawn buggies. The Amish said the
bright symbols violated their belief in a plain lifestyle. The Minnesota high court
agreed in 1989, but now may be forced to reverse the "State v. Hershberger" decision
in light of the "Smith" ruling.
In Eugene, Ore., meanwhile, Al Smith has no more faith in the courts. After
joining about 100 people in a protest of the decision that bears his name at a
Eugene federal building April 20, Smith told reporters he is backing proposed
legislation suggested by state representative Jim
Edmunson of Eugene that would allow Native Americans to use peyote in religious
rituals in Oregon. If that fails, Smith said, the Oregon Supreme Court could decide
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Native American peyote use is permissible under the state constitution.
Smith told "Church & State" he is also working with Native American groups in the
United States that are considering filing a protest before the International Court
of Justice (commonly called the World Court) in The Hague, Netherlands.
"The United States is saying the original people of this land can't worship,"
Smith told Church & State. "We were worshipping a long time before the white man
ever set foot on this turtle island.
"The issue is not dead, by no means," continued Smith. "I'm not giving up; I have
committed no crime. It's not a crime to pray in the old way."
KOYAANISQATSI ko.yan.nis.qatsi (from the Hopi Language) n. 1. crazy life. 2.life
in turmoil. 3. life out of balance. 4. life disintegrating. 5. a state of life that
calls for another way of living.
__________________
Excerpts from the following article analyzing the effects the US Supreme Court
ruling on the Native American Church's use of peyote as being illegal:
--------------------------------
Native American church members stripped of their rights under the Constitution
are now subject to the will of the legislative branch of our state and federal
governments. Not an enviable place for Indian people; as a distinct racial and
religious minority Indians have always had an uphill struggle in the halls of
Congress and elsewhere to have their rights recognized and respected.
The legislative branch of any government is an exceedingly unusual place for
individuals to look to have their rights under the First Amendment vindicated.
Courts are traditionally looked to as protectors of these rights, against
majoritarian legislatures. Justice O'Connor, in a separate concurring opinion which
joined the result of the majority but sharply criticized its method, reasoned that
"the First Amendment was enacted precisely to protect those whose religious
practices are not shared by the majority and may be viewed with hostility."
As a result of "Smith," minority religions, in Justice Scalia's opinion, may be
at a disadvantage in the political arena. But that is, in his estimation, "an
unavoidable consequence of democratic government," preferable to "a system in which
each conscience is a law unto itself." Justice Scalia had to strain to defend his
decision, citing the need to prevent "anarchy" in our democratic society. Indian
people simply want to be left alone in our society to worship the god of their
choice. Is that asking too much? The Court's decision in "Smith" strips Indians of
their pride and integrity, and makes many of them criminals in the eyes of the law.
Only history will judge the Court's decision in "Smith;" but for now the remote
specter of anarchy may very well have been the preferred choice.
------------------------
The following article appeared in the Spring 1990 issue of "Native American
Rights Fund Legal Review", a publication of the Native American Rights Fund,
1506 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80302, and is reprinted here w/permission.
------------------------
Supreme Court Deals Devastating Blow to Native American Church
by Steve Moore
On Tuesday, April 17, 1990, the United States Supreme Court struck a gut
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wrenching blow to the religious lives of many of this country's Native Americans, in
a decision which invites the return to an era of religious persecution one would
hope a presumably enlightened and tolerant society such as ours had left behind. In
the case of "Oregon Department of Employment v. Alfred Smith," Justice Antonin
Scalia, writing for a five member majority, and describing the First Amendment's
Free Exercise Clause as little more than a "negative protection accorded to
religious belief," held that a member of a religious faith may not challenge under
the free exercise clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution a
legislature's criminal enactment of otherwise general application which produces
infringement on a particular religious practice. In the "Smith" case this amounted
to a challenge to the constitutionality of an Oregon drug law which the Court
Interpreted as a general criminal prohibition on all uses of the drug peyote,
considered by Indian members of the Native American Church as an essential
sacrament, the physical embodiment of the Great Spirit.
The Native American Church, which claims over 250,000 members nationwide, and
additional Indian practitioners in Canada and Mexico, and which can be traced back
archaeologically several thousand years in North America, was not absolutely
destroyed or driven underground by the Court's action. The Court did not go so far
as to rule that any state or federal law exempting the religious, sacramental use of
peyote was an unconstitutional establishment of religion, at the other end of the
religion clauses of the First Amendment. In the Court's terms, a peyote exemption,
while constitutionally *permitted*, is neither constitutionally *required* or
*prohibited*. A kind of constitutional limbo-land for the Native American Church and
its members.
In real terms the decision leaves the fate of the peyote religion to the whim of
majoritarian legislatures and Congress. Eleven states currently have exemptions on
the statute books protecting the religion; another twelve tie their exemption to a
federal Drug Enforcement Agency regulation which rests on questionable foundation
since the decision. A small handful of states, notably California and Nebraska, in
which are located some of the largest Indian and Native American Church populations,
have based their protection on court decisions. The others, and the federal
government through Congress, have no statutory or common law protection. Indian
reservation lands will provide some safe haven from possible prosecution, given the
particular Public Law 280 configuration in any given state, but problems of
transportation of the sacrament into Indian country through "illegal" territory will
reduce peyote ceremonies to complex and dangerous liaisons.
Native American church members stripped of their rights under the Constitution
are now subject to the will of the legislative branch of our state and federal
governments. Not an enviable place for Indian people; as a distinct racial and
religious minority Indians have always had an uphill struggle in the halls of
Congress and elsewhere to have their rights recognized and respected.
Channelling is one of the more popular parts of what is call the "New Age". It is
also one of the most controversial aspects of this movement.
In Pagandom, and Wicca, popular beings for channelling are various aspects of the
God and the Goddess. Again, one must know as much as possible about the Lady or Lord
that you are going to bring into yourself for the enjoyment, edification and
education of the others in the Circle with you.
The most popular source of information on Gods and Goddesses is again in books.
Since there are many aspects of deities, there is a great deal of literature about
these beings. Most of this literature that is over a couple of hundred of years old
is usually in the form of Fables or Epics, which have more literary content than
reality. One could easily call these works Docu-dramas, but they are still fiction.
"But..." I hear you ask, "How can they channel these beings if all they know
about them is fictional?" Well, there seems to be enough consensus on certain
deities, but not on all. But these rituals work, as anyone who has attended the
beautiful "Drawing Down the Moon" ritual of Wicca.
Imagine some Circle performing the Drawing Down The Moon ceremony, and due to a
lack of concentration by the priestess, she channels, not Athena, but Marry
Tyler-Moore?!?!?!? Or the priest channeling PeeWee Herman?!?!?!
We shall leave the further exploration of this to some experimental coven...but
please! If you manage to channel Papa Smurf....we DON'T want to hear about it!
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DeLint, Charles Moonheart
"This should be performed on the night of the full moon, and is a very intricate
spell. All portals and doorways should be open, including closet doors and windows,
Then, as you start, close every closet and cabinet door, making the sign of the
banishing pentacle with your wand, your athame, or your hand (a stick of patchoili
incense may be substituted). Music should be light. Use a goodly amount of
commanding incense as well as patchouli and sandalwood. Once you have done the
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closets and cabinets, go from window to window outlining the banishing pentagram on
each one, and close AND LATCH each window. Remember to close and latch your
fireplace, as well, perhaps burning some incense there. Once the windows are
secured, do inside doors, then when you reach the entry ways, state the last ten
lines. If performed correctly, you will notice the difference in atmospheres from
the outside compared to the inside, the moment you walk into the house or
apartment."
--Avon, Sysop, Sanctuary BBS
Okay, that's how I got it. Here's what happened when we performed it.
I had pulled one of my partners into this with me, and we did it the night after
the full moon, being as how we didn't get home in time the night OF the full moon
(being across town and having to stay the night as our friends were very tired). We
also didn't use patchouli incense, as I dislike it, opting for sandalwood instead
with the commanding incense. Several times, though I had talked to said partner
about what to do when I was speaking, I still had to pause in the recitation to tell
him what to do. So, there were breaks in concentration. WITH ALL THIS, we still got
an apartment that feels much happier. This building, just since we moved in a year
and a half ago, has seen an axe murder on the lower floor, a shooting on the upper
floor where we are, two police break-ins on drug raids, several shootings in the
back alley, and two stabbings on the sidewalk near the building. Bad vibes. Now it's
better.
Here's the downfalls--if you can call them that.
This is supposed to, at least how I interpret it, clear out EVERYTHING in your
house to start fresh. We had a ghost cat before. We still have her now. Also, we now
have two dark brown, heavily fanged...THINGS...hovering in my kitchen, worshipping
my fridge. You think I'm kidding. I'm not. Scared the hell out of me when I first
noticed them; eventually, I broke down and went into the kitchen. When they didn't
attack, I moved near the fridge. "It's a refrigerator," I said. They gave back a
sort of sub-vocal "Wow..." I opened said fridge. "It's still a fridge," I said. They
looked in; seemed even more impressed. I have NO idea why. Also, once I looked down
from my computer, feeling watched, and noticed another dark brown thing, all rags
and big feet and big eyes. His whole being radiated shock and surprise when I looked
down; again, I caught a sort of sub-vocal "WHAT??!!??", and he vanished. Poof.
That's been it, but it's interesting. Did these slip in due to the changes or due to
the lack of concentration? No harmful thing is in this apartment now; of that I'm
sure. So how are these new residents explained?
Anyway, that's it. Hope you have fun with it... :>
Rosicrucianism
Julia Phillips
Esoteric Legend: the Rosicrucians were founded by Pharoah Thothmes III in the
fifteenth century BC. The Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne was said to have founded a
Rosicrucian lodge at Toulouse in the 9th century AD, and in 898 AD a second lodge
was founded. Around 1000 AD a group of heretical Catholic monks established the
first Rosicrucian college which flourished until the 16th century. It has also been
claimed that the Brotherhood of the Rose Cross was founded by Templars after their
order was disbanded by Pope Clement.
Historical story: The Fama Fraternitatis appeared in 1614 (written in 1610),
describing the foundation and purpose of the Society (Brotherhood) of the Rose
Cross. This related that a Father CRC, born in 1378, a German, poor but from a rich
and noble family, made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He remained at Damascus through
ill-health, and studied there. He later travelled to Damcar, where he was trained by
the Arabs, and translated the book "M" into the Latin tongue. He then travelled to
Fez, and after two years to Spain, where meeting with ridicule, he returned to
Germany.
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After five years he called three of his bretheren to him, bound them by an oath,
and then founded the "Fraternity of the Rose Cross". They later initiated another
four members, and decided to spread the word to other countries. Their by-laws were
that they should heal the sick without charge; wear the clothes of the country they
visited; every year upon a certain date should meet, or be represented, in the
"House of the Holy Spirit"; each should search for a worthy replacement for when he
dies; that the letters R.C. would be their mark; that the Order would remain secret
for 100 years. It was later also decided that burial places would be kept a secret.
It is known that Johann Valentin Andreae, a German theologian, wrote at least one
of the so-called Rosicrucian documents, but how much can be laid at his door is not
known. It is also an esoteric legend (with some grounds in fact) that whilst an
historical character called Andraea did in fact exist, that the Rosicrucian writings
attributed to that person were in fact the work of Sir Francis Bacon. The three
major objects of the Rosicrucian Fraternity are:
1) The abolition of all monarchical forms of government and the substitution
therefor of the rulership of the philosophic elect. (This demonstrates that the
Rociscrucians are, in fact, Platonic, despite their proclaiming themselves
Christians.)
2) The reformation of science, philosophy and ethics. (Material arts and sciences
are shadows of the divine wisdom; only by penetrating the mysteries of nature can
man attain reality and understanding.)
3) The discovery of the Universal Medicine, or panacea, for all forms of disease.
In 1646 Elias Ashmole and astrologer William Lilly founded a Rosicrucian lodge in
London based upon a utopian ideal of the creation of a new Atlantis.
HP says:
"You are now come to your manhood, and must be armed. Will you accept the wand, this
symbol of your power?"
And so saying, runs away. Young God catches him, and they fight for the wand. Young
God wins, and holds the wand aloft in triumph.
THE RITUAL
The ritual will commence with a meeting dance. Everyone should
link hands (male/female as far as possible), and move slowly in a
deosil motion following the chants initiated by the HP and HPS.
When she feels the time is right, the HPS will break the circle,
and lead everyone in a meeting dance, where each man and woman
kiss as they pass. When everyone has greeted one another, the
circle will be re-formed by the HPS, and finish with the EKO
chant.
HP#2 and PS#1 will stand at the maypole, facing the altar.
HPS#2 will stand at the altar facing them, and the rest of the
group will seat themselves around the maypole in a horseshoe
shape, with the end nearest the altar left "open". HP#1 will read
the declamation:
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The serpent's song now calls the Hunter;
Beast Lord, Master of the Woods.
Calls the Stag Lord from the shadows,
Woodland's Master, Lord of Love.
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May Queen Goddess responds:
I who am the fragrant spring air,
And the soft breeze that refreshes the earth;
The cool spring rain, the sudden shower
That nourishes the earth.
The source of all joy and love,
The Goddess of all new beginnings,
Answer your call,
And once more I walk upon the earth.
Seek for me; I am all around you.
HPS#2 will now acknowledge the arrival of the God and Goddess:
Spring has sprung!
The God has made the world seem young again.
The blossom blows,
The Goddess lets the world know joy again.
May Queen now breaks away from the God, and he must chase and capture her. (Anything
spoken at this point should be spontaneous). The group should form a spiral from the
maypole, going out to a circle, leaving a space between each person for the May
Queen and Young God to pass in and out in their "love chase". While this goes on,
the group should play tambourine, bodrhun, bells and Abo sticks in a lively rhythym.
The God should eventually capture the Goddess through his realisation that hunting
is not the way to her heart!ŠThey should embrace and kiss, and then kneel to receive
their crowns: PS#2 and PS#3 will collect these from the altar, and place the crown
of flowers on the Goddess' head, and the crown of leaves upon the God's head. PS#2
and PS#3 should then collect the swords from the altar, and stand either side of the
altar holding the blades of the swords down. PS#4 should collect a bouquet of
flowers, and present these to the Goddess. The God and Goddess should now lead PS#4
and the rest of the group around the Temple in a simulation of their journey to the
Blessing of their Union.
At a given signal, PS#2 and PS#3 will stand in the North, and make an archway with
their swords through which the God, Goddess and Handmaiden will pass. As they do so,
HP#1 says:
Hail to our King and Queen!
For love fulfills an ancient law,
Born before the Gods and Men,
Decreed of old when all was still.
HPS#1 and HP#1 will be standing at the altar, and the God and Goddess will kneel to
receive the blessings of their predecessors (ie, the God and Goddess of the previous
cycle). The Goddess will hand her bouquet to the Handmaiden, who will replace it
upon the altar.
HPS#1 reads the Blessing of Love:
Love is like a flower in the desert.
It is like the aloe of Arabia that blooms but once and dies;
It blooms in the salt emptiness of life, and the brightness of its beauty is set
upon the waste as a star is set upon a storm. It hath the sun above that is the
spirit, and about it blows the air of its divinity.
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All else is false. All else is shadow moving upon water. All else is wind and
vanity.
Who shall say what is the weight or measure of love?
It is born of the flesh, it dwelleth in the spirit. From each doth it draw its
comfort.
For beauty it is as a star.
Many are its shapes but all are beautiful, and none know whence that star rose, or
the horizon where it shall set.
And I say unto you, that every man and woman is a star, and therefore, every man and
woman is love.
HP#1 and HPS#1 perform the Blessing of the Union. HP#1 says:
Dancers to the Gods of Love,
We bless you in these sacred signs:
[Perform blessings, loosely bind hands with cord]
Spread your blessing on the land,
Fulfill with love the ancient law:
Fruit and corn for man and beast,
And love for evermore.
[remove cord]
HP#1 and HPS#1 assist the God and Goddess to rise with a kiss.
PS#2 and PS#3 replace their swords upon the altar, and pick up a dish of cakes and a
chalice of wine. They hand the wine to the God, and the cakes to the Goddess,
saying:
Please bless this food and wine into our bodies, bestowing
health, wealth, love and compassion, and that deep joy which
is the knowledge of Thee.
They step back while the God and Goddess bless the wine and cakes. The "Io Evohe"
chant is initiated by HPS#1 and HP#1, and everyone else joins in. (Note: this is a
joyful celebration of the good things of the Earth which the God and Goddess provide
for us, so the chant should be lively.) The Handmaiden then steps forward to receive
a cake, and a sip of wine. She is followed by PS#2 and PS#3, and then the rest of
the group ending with HPS#1 and HP#1, who take the wine and cakes, and offer them to
the God
and Goddess, then replace them upon the altar.
The God and Goddess now embrace around the maypole, and everyone
takes a ribbon (male/white, female/red) to dance around. Minstrel
now plays the maypole dance, and everyone begins: men go in a
widdershins direction, female in a deosil one. The dancers go
under the first person, over the next, under the next, and so on
until the ribbons are used up. The dancers must then unwind the
maypole, so everything is reversed (tip: keep watching your own
ribbon!)
After the dance has ended, Young God and May Queen are released from the
Maypole (!), and they read the Beltane Charge:
YG I am the burning flame of inspiration
Bringing light and life to the world:
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YG I am the rushing stream, sweeping all before me:
MQ I am the deepest ocean, taking all within me:
YG I am the swiftest wind that carries the seed:
MQ I am the gentlest breez which kisses the land:
YG I am the mighty mountain which caresses the stars:
The Feast
All take their athames, and support the HP and HPS as they thank, and bid farewell
to the Quarter Guardians.
Formal Grounding of the Power.
All present make their farewells to each other, and leave the Temple.
C A N D L E M A S 1 9 8 7
Coven of the Serpent's Eye
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Dance of the Elements: Prudence Jones and Julia
Phillips
Initiate's Ceremony of Adapted by Julia Phillips from
Illumination: traditional Gardnerian source
Charge of Brigid's Fire: Adapted by Rufus Harrington
Roles:
HPS-1 Goddess - Crone Aspect
HPS-2 Goddess - Mother Aspect
PS-1 Goddess - Virgin Aspect
HPS-3 Spirit
HP-1 Declamation and Invocation to Crone
HP-2 Invocation to Mother
PS-2 Eastern Quarter (Air)
PS-3 Southern Quarter (Fire)
PS-4 Western Quarter (Water)
PS-5 Northern Quarter (Earth)
(Note: it is essential that the first six roles be taken by experienced initiates
only)
The HPS will ask everyone to assist in the invocation to the quarters. Those who
have athames should collect them from the altar at this point.
After the Northern Quarter has been invoked, the group should all face centre, while
the HPS performs the invocation to Spirit. This completes the casting of the circle.
THE RITUAL
PS-1 will go behind the veil, and put on the white silk veil.
HPS-1 and HPS-2 will stand side by side in the centre of the Temple. PS-2, 3, 4, and
5 will take up their positions at the cardinal points of the Temple, and the Priests
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will stand between the Priestesses, ensuring polarity. HPS-3 will stand in front of
the main altar.
HP-1 will read the declamation:
Child of the Spinning Serpent,
Daughter of the morning star;
Startled from the depths of silence
Wakens vision's Silver Star.
Starting cold from depths of nightmare,
Shadows passing on the land;
Tears of silver, iced and shining
These she sheds upon the land.
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HP-2 will move forward, and perform the invocation to the Mother aspect of the
Goddess upon HPS-2:
HPS-2 responds:
I am thy Goddess:
Before the beginning of time was I.
I made the mountains into peaks,
And laid with soft green grass the valleys and the meadows.
Mine was the first foot which trod upon the earth,
And where I walked there sprang forth flowers.
Mine was the voice which gave rise to the first song,
And the birds listened, and heard, and made return.
In the beginning of time
I taught the sea its song,
And mine were the tears
That gave forth the first rains.
Listen and hear Me!
For it was I who gave birth to you,
And in the depths of my earth
You will find rest and rebirth.
I will spring you forth anew,
A fresh shoot to greenness.
Fear Me; Love Me; Adore Me!
Lose yourself in Me.
For I am the cup of the wine of life:
I stir the senses;
I am the power.
HP-1 will now perform the invocation to the Crone aspect of the
Goddess upon HPS-1:
HPS-1 responds:
Who calls to the Queen of the Night?
(HP: "A worshipper")
Who calls to the cutter of the thread?
(HP: "The Spinning Serpent")
Who calls to the Mother of the Serpent?
(HP: "A lover")
Who calls to the Mistress of the Spiral Castle?
(HP: "Life itself")
If that man has not fear in his heart, let him stand and face me
now. (HP rises)
You have called, and I have answered, and now I shall teach thee
a mystery: That if that which thou seekest, thou findest not
within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee. For behold, I
have been with thee from the beginning, and I shall be with thee
at the end. Blessed Be.
HP-1 returns to his place in the Temple. The Mother and Crone
will now "arm" each of the female guardians with the relevant
elemental weapon: The Crone will take an athame from the altar,
hand it to the Mother, who will present it to the Eastern
guardian. The wand will be given to the Southern guardian, the
chalice to the Western guardian, the pentacle to the Northern
guardian, and the black egg to Spirit.
Crone and Mother will now approach the veil: the Crone will part
the veil, and say:
As the white eagle of the north is flying overhead,
And the browns, reds and golds of autumn lie in the gutter, dead.
Remember then that summer birds with wings of fire flaying,
Came to witness spring's new hope, born of leaves decaying.
As new life will come from death, love will come at leisure:
Love of love, love of life, and giving without measure
Gives in return a wondrous yearn of a promise almost seen.
Live hand in hand, and together we'll stand
On the threshold of a dream.
During this, the Mother leads the Virgin to the centre of the
circle, and on the last line, all three stand hand in hand.
Then the Mother unveils the Virgin saying:
Welcome Virgin to Life!
Welcome Virgin to Spring!
Let life spring from thine heart,
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And out thine eyes.
Let joy behold the dawn.
The Crone now instructs the Priests to turn away, as they may not
witness this stage of the female mysteries.
The Priestesses start to slowly circle deosil about the circle in
The Dance of the Elements. While this is going on, the Mother and
Crone will explain to the Virgin the significance and power of
each of the elements. 1753Note:1753 This is an integral part of the
ritual, but cannot be written as it is performed spontaneously by
the Mother and Crone. The format is basically as follows:
Mother: I give you the power of your intellect
Crone: I give you the power of beginnings
Mother: I give you the power of decision
Crone: I give you the freedom of air
and so on, remaining with each element as long as desired.
On command from the Crone, the Dance will cease, and each
Priestess will return to her respective position. Now, the Mother
will take the Virgin to each Priestess in turn, starting with the
East, where she will be presented with the elemental weapons.
(ie, armed with her potential). After each presentation, the
Virgin will replace the weapon on the altar, to signify her
understanding and acceptance of this knowledge. Both Virgin and
Mother will return to the cauldron, where the Crone will present
the Virgin with the Bride Doll, which she will accept, and place
upon the altar. She then returns to the centre, and looks into
the cauldron, where she now finds a sistrum, which she picks up
and shakes joyfully shouting "Bride is Come, Bride is Welcome!"
This is the cue for the Priests to face centre once more. HP-1
starts playing the Bodrhun, and HPS-3 leads the dance. The Mother
and Crone link hands around the Virgin in a symbol of protection.
Everyone chants 1754"Bride is Come, Bride is Welcome"1754 as the dance
increases in tempo, and then HPS-3 will initiate the Witches'
Rune when she feels the time is right. The dance will finish with
arms held aloft, and then the Virgin will break out from between
the Mother and Crone, and take the cauldron candle to the altar,
where she will light it from one of the altar candles.
She will turn to face the group while HPS-3 leads the Initiate's Ceremony of
Illumination.
The virgin now returns to the East, where she reads The Charge of Brigid's Fire.
I am She of the golden hair, Queen of the white hills, Rider of
the white swan, and now stand at the threshold of my glory.
I bring with me three gifts of fire: the first is the flame of
Inspiration that is kindled within the heart of the seeker.
The second is the flame of purification; the cleansing flame of
truth. The third is the flame born of the fires of love that
brings the seed of hope to all life.
Virgin now performs cakes and wine with a Priest of her choice.
The feast.
IMBOLG 1992
JULIA PHILLIPS
Temple in darkness, apart from the Yule log in the centre. Brigid in her bed on the
small altar. Lots of unlit candles in sand pots around the room. All enter as usual,
and the Circle is cast in the normal manner. After the central invocations, HP says:
Awake O Earth from your slumbers! Awake O Sun and restore the Earth! Mother - we are
in darkness.
HPS picks up a jug of water, and pours it into the cauldron saying:
The waters are broken. The ice melting towards Candletime. Blood has been along the
track, but now the ways are clear of death. Old and grey I was, but here in the
mystery of the waters I am renewed. For I am the one you sought, but could not find.
For I was singing to my child unseen, beneath the hills of birch and rowan.
HPS takes the asperge, and all circle around her chanting the Witches Rune. She
asperges each person as they pass, and on the last round, hands each person a white
candle. When everyone has a candle, the circling stops, and HPS lights the main
candles and says:
The darkness of winter is passing: the Earth awakens once more from its slumbers;
the Virgin walks among us again, and brings Her blessings upon the land and upon our
lives.
Priest and Priestess step forward and remove the cover from Brigid's bed, revealing
the Virgin. Everyone shouts:
Brigid is Come! Brigid is Welcome!
HPS takes a light from the Yule log and says:
Let the inner light bear fruit in our own lives, even as the Earth bears the first
flowers.
I am Brigid: She of the Golden Hair; Queen of the White Hills, and rider of the
White Swan. I bring three gifts of fire. The first is the flame of creation; of the
poet and artist; of the lovers' passion for union with the beloved. The second is
the flame of purification and testing, the flame of truth. With this flame all dross
and weakness are made clear and cleansed from thee, so thou become like a true and
tested sword. The third is the greatest of all, for it is the healing flame born out
of the love that gives all, the maker of peace and harmony. But I do not give these
gifts one by one; I give them as a whole in the form of the growing Sun.
Everyone then lights their candle from the Yule log, and starts to circle deosil,
lighting the candles around the room as they go, chanting:
Thus we banish winter, thus we welcome spring;
Say farewell to what is dead, and greet each living thing.
When all the candles are lit, everyone places their candle in a sand pot, and the
chanting ceases.
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HPs and HP bless cakes and wine.
S A M H A I N 1 9 8 6
The Ritual:
HPS wearing black silk robe and veil stands at the altar,
facing the group, who are seated. 1757The HP reads the declamation:1757
The group now stand, and when everyone is facing the HPS, she assumes pentagram
position. The ritual drummer takes his position, and the Priest who is taking the
role of the Horned God switches on the music tape, blows out the northern quarter
candle and moves behind the veil. Silence while the tape of "The making of Bloduedd"
is played, as this is the invocation the the Goddess in her transformation aspect.
(Note: the tape is allowed to continue playing, as this is the only item on the
tape, the remainder being blank.) The HPS turns to face the altar, and holds aloft
the sword. As she does so, the drummer plays a steady rhythm. The HPS moves to the
centre of the circle, facing the veil; the group arrange themselves behind her, all
facing the veil. The HPS points the sword at the veil, and the group hold aloft
their arms for the invocation to the Horned God.
HPS says:
(As the invocation proceeds, the drummer speeds his rhythm to suggest the sound of
hoofbeats, and after the final line of the invocation, he suddenly reverts to a
simple, slow four beats for the entrance of the Horned God.)
During his response, he parts the veil, and then fastens it open in some way, as
the veil between the worlds remains open until closed by the Horned God at the end
of the ritual.
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Bounded by a shell then?
Secure in the vice of the earth, a unity waiting.
And outside?
Cold, wet loneliness, the comfort of death.
And above?
The agony of birth and growth, total struggle in total night.
O Gaia!
Smile upon your children, set free the seed of life and joy.
So Mote It Be!
When this has been completed, P#2 takes some of the seeds, and energises them with
his own hopes and desires for the coming year, and then plants them in one of the
prepared pots. The rest of the group do likewise, commencing with 1760PS#11760 if
designated, and following male/female if possible. The Horned God and Goddess do not
plant seeds at the altar. When the last person has planted their seeds, and all are
seated again, the 1760Horned God1760 approaches the altar, and slices the
pomegranite in half, and holds both halves in one hand. He picks up some seeds and
charges them with his hopes and desires for the coming year, but does not plant them
at the altar. He holds them in his hand, and then he calls to all the spirits who
followed him through from beyond the veil to return with him now, and moving in a
deosil direction, circles around the Temple finally ending up beyond the veil again.
He calls to the Goddess to join with him once more, and she has such love for him
that she willingly leaves her life this side of the veil, and of her own free will
joins once more with her consort. She rises, and goes to the altar to collect and
charge her own seeds, which she then carries with her as she moves around the
Temple, finally joining the Horned God behind the veil. He closes the veil between
the worlds once more, and to symbolise her willing descent to the Otherworld, the
Goddess eats one half of the pomegranate. She and the Horned God then plant their
seeds.
Y U L E 1984
Julia Phillips
Circle is cast and Quarters erected.
HPS: We now stand at the turning of the year.
Dark Lord: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter,
All fades and passes, day to night.
Dark Lord extinguishes candles leaving only altar candles alight.
HPS: Let us dance for the long year's end, for the sun sets
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quickly in the West, and we begin the long night of
hope.
Time and Death, Life and Seasons, All must pass, All must change.
Star Child now leaves the circle, and stands behind the veil in the North.
HPS now lifts the cauldron aloft and presents it to each quarter.
She returns to the centre, and lights the cauldron candle, from
which she lights a quarter candle for each member of the coven.
The quarter candles are placed in their respective quarters.
Narrator: This is the night of the Solstice; the Mother Night.
Now darkness triumphs, and yet gives way and changes to
light. Time stops, and all wait while the cauldron of the Dark King
is transformed into the infant Light. We watch for the dawn when
the Mother again gives birth to the sun, who is the bringer of
hope and the promise of summer. Holly gives way to Oak, the Wren to
the Robin, Old to New.
Narrator: We stand now in the long night, we pray for the sun's
return. In darkness and shadows the Great Mother groans. The Mother
labours to bring forth the sun from her pain. From her cries of labour
comes forth our cries of welcome; from her toil and anguish our
hope is reborn. Let us now call forth the Great Mother, and the Lord of
Life, her husband and son.
The Star Child emerges from behind the veil, and lays at the feet of the
HPS. The HPS points to the Star Child and proclaims:
The HPS crowns the Star Child with a crown of misteltoe. She
removes her veil and announces:
I am the Mother who brought forth the child;
I am the inspiration, and I am the rebirth.
Narrator: You are the ecstasy of the blessed
You are the light of the sun's beams
You are the lordly door of welcome
You are the guiding star
Yours is the step of the roe on the hill
Yours is the step of the white-faced mare
Yours is the grace of the swimming swan
You are the jewel in each mystery
Coven now do Wheel or Cord dance deosil about the cauldron
chanting:
Power of soil and power of air,
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Power of fire and power of water,
Power that spins the wheel of birth,
Spins the wheel of joy and mirth,
Spins the wheel of sun and moon,
Push, push, push, Open the gate.
Power of spell and magic free,
Eternal power that binds the sea,
Weaves the web of infinity,
Light of dark and light of day,
Speed the spokes fast on their way,
Push push push - ah ah
Open the gate, So Mote It Be!
HPS now invokes the Lord of Misrule into the circle. He is
challenged upon entry by the Dark Lord, and must explain who he
is, and why he is there. The Lord of Misrule is now in charge of
the circle, and may behave as he sees fit. At some point, he must
take the burdens of the coven for the previous twelve moons and
pack them in his bag.
Cakes and Wine.
The Lord of Misrule must be ritually hunted as a wren to bring
about his downfall. The coven mime hunting the wren chanting,
"Burn the bush, hunt the wren"
When he is discovered, the coven point their athames at his neck
to symbolise his death.
Close ritual.
That rather depends on who you want to recognise you as legitimate. There's a
wide variance of opinion as to what makes a witch, a Witch or a Wiccan. If you open
your heart to the Lady and commune (speak with your heart, not necessarily in words)
with her often, she will eventually adopt her as one of her special Children (the
"inner", or Lady's, initiation). Her adoption will cause changes to your spirit and
way of looking at things that will be obvious to those of us who share it, as its
presence in others will become obvious to you after you've awakened to her touch
(unfortunately, it's one of those things
that doesn't make much sense until you've *been there*).
Most of us here accept the Lady's initiation as the mark of a true Witch
(capitalised to denote the priest/ess, as opposed to the folk mage or witch). I
gather that the majority of those posting here think of Wiccans and Witches as one
and the same, though many of us think of Wicca as a particular subset of Witches
(i.e. all Wiccans are Witches, but not all Witches are, or even wish to be, Wiccan).
For those of us who see them as different (I'm one of them), you will need to
be formally adopted into a Wiccan clan to be a *Wiccan* Witch. Some traditions
permit self-adoption into their clans, some (Gardnerians and their near kin in
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particular) recognise you as Wiccan only if you've been adopted by an authorised
Elder of the clan in question. Then again,there's a few diehards who don't
recognise anyone but members of their own clan as Wiccan.
Which brings us back to square one -- it depends on whose recognition you're
looking for. Most will accept your legitimacy *as a Witch* based on the quality of
your rapport with the Lady. And the way to develop that is to spend a lot of time
in her company, whether with like-minded others in a coven or quietly by yourself.
A large minority will accept you *as a Wiccan* based on whether or not you have
passed through a human rite of passage (confusingly, also called initiation)
adopting you into a Wiccan clan. Be sure you know the
family that wishes to adopt you before accepting: this time you get to *choose* your
relatives <g>. Those who insist that only *they* have the Truth, and therefore only
they are legitimate aren't really worth wasting your time worrying about, IMHO.
Now, G. (the Witch Goddess) had never loved, but she would solve
all the Mysteries, even the Mystery of Death; and so she journeyed to
the Nether Lands.
The Guardians of the Portals challenged her, "Strip off thy
garments, lay aside thy jewels; for naught may ye bring with ye into
this our land."
So she laid down her garments and her jewels, and was bound, as are all who
enter the Realms of Death the Mighty One. (Note: There was a Celtic custom of
binding corpses. The cord which had bound a corpse was useful in learning the
"second sight.")
Such was her beauty that Death himself knelt and Kissed her feet,
saying, "Blessed be thy feet that have brought thee in these ways.
Abide with me, let me place my cold hands on thy heart."
She replied, "I love thee not. Why dost thou cause all things that I love and
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take delight in to fade and die?"
"Lady", replied Death, "tis Age and Fate, against which I am
helpless. Age causes all things to wither; but when men die at the end of time I
give them rest and peace, and strength so that they may
return. But thou, thou art lovely. Return not; abide with me."
But she answered, "I love thee not."
Then said Death, "An thou received not my had on thy heart, thou
must receive Death's scourge."
"It is Fate; better so", she said, and she knelt; and Death
Scourged her, and she cried, "I feel the pangs of love."
And Death said, "Blessed be", and gave her the fivefold kiss,
saying, Thus only may ye attain to joy and knowledge.
And he taught her all the Mysteries. And they loved and were one, and he
taught her all the Magics.
For there are three great events in the life of man; Love, Death,
and Resurrection in a new body; and Magic controls them all. For to
fulfil love you must return again at the same time and place as the
loved one, and you must remember and love them again. But to be reborn you must
die, and be ready for new body; and to die you must be born; and without love you
may not be born. And these be all the Magics.
The Spiral Dance
1979; Starhawk
p 159
The Goddess In The Kingdom Of Death
In this world, the Goddess is seen in the moon, the light that shines in darkness,
the rain bringer, mover of the tides, Mistress of mysteries. And as the moon waxes
and wanes, and walks three nights of its cycle in darkness, so, it is said, the
Goddess once spent three nights in the Kingdom of Death.
For in love She ever seeks Her other Self, and once, in the winter of the year, when
He had disappeared from the green earth, She followed Him and came at last to the
gates beyond which the living do not go.
The Guardian of the Gate challenged Her, and She stripped Herself of Her clothing
and jewels, for nothing may be brought into that land. For love, She was bound as
all who enter there must be and brought before Death Himself.
He loved Her, and knelt at Her feet, laying before Her His sword and crown, and gave
Her the fivefold kiss, and said,
"Do not return to the living world, but stay here with Me, and have peace and rest
and comfort."
But She answered, "Why do you cause all things I love and delight in to die and
wither away?"
"Lady," He said, "It is the fate of all that lives to die. Everything passes; all
fades away. I bring comfort and consolation to those who pass the gates, that they
may grow young again. But You are My heart's desire -- return not, but stay here
with Me."
And She remained with Him three days and three nights, and at the end of the third
night She took up His crown, and it became a circlet that She placed around Her
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neck, saying:
"Here is the circle of rebirth. Through You all passes out of life, but through Me
all may be born again. Everything passess; everything changes. Even death is not
eternal. Mine is the mystery of the womb, that is the cauldron of rebirth. Enter
into Me and know Me, and You will be free of all fear. For as life is but a journey
into death, so death is but a passage back to life, and in Me the circle is ever
turning."
In love, He entered into Her, and so was reborn into life. Yet is He known as Lord
of Shadows, the comforter and consoler, opener of the gates, King of the Land of
Youth, the giver of peace and rest. But She is the gracious mother of all life;
from Her all things proceed and to Her they return again. In Her are the mysteries
of death and birth; in Her is the fulfillment of all love.
"If you are on the Path, and see the Buddha walking towards you, kill him."
Zen saying, paraphrased slightly
"Previously I never thought of doubting that there were many witches in the world;
now, however, when I examine the public record, I find myself believing that there
are hardly any..."
Father Friedrich von Spee, S.J. , Cautio Criminalis, 1631
Having spent the day musing over the origins of the modern witchcraft, I had a
vivid dream. It seemed to be a cold January afternoon, and Aleister Crowley was
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having Gerald Gardner over to tea. It was 1945, and talk of an early end to the
war was in the air. An atmosphere of optimism prevailed in the "free world" , but
the wheezing old magus was having none of it.
"Nobody is interested in magick any more!" Crowley ejaculated. "My friends on the
Continent are dead or in exile, or grown old; the movement in America is in
shambles. I've seen my best candidates turn against me....Achad, Regardie -- even
that gentleman out in California, what's - his - name, AMORC, the one that made
all the money.."
"O, bosh, Crowley," Gardner waved his hand impatiently, "all things considered,
you've done pretty well for yourself. Why, you've been called the `wickedest man
in the world' and by more than a few. And you've not, if you'll pardon the
impertinence, done too badly with the ladies."
Crowley coughed, tugged on his pipe reflectively. "You know" he finally ventured,
"it's like I've been trying to tell this fellow Grant. A restrictive Order is not
enough. If I had it all to do over again, I would've built a religion for the
unwashed masses instead of just a secret society. Why, the opportunities! The
women!"
Gardner smiled. "Precisely. And that is what I have come to propose to you.
Take your BOOK OF THE LAW, your GNOSTIC MASS. Add a little razzle-dazzle for the
country folk. Why I know these occultists who call themselves `witches'. They
dance around fires naked, get drunk, have a good time. Rosicrucians, I think.
Proper English country squires and dames, mostly; I think they read a lot of
Frazier and Margaret Murray. If I could persuade you to draw on your long experience
and talents, in no time at all we could invent a popular cult that would have
beautiful ladies clamoring to let us strip them naked, tie them up and spank their
behinds! If, Mr. Crowley, you'll excuse my explicitness."
For all his infirmity, Aleister Crowley almost sprang to his feet, a little of the
old energy flashing through his loins. "By George, Gardner, you've got something
there, I should think! I could license you to initiate people into the O.T.O.
today, and you could form the nucleus of such a group!" He paced in agitation. "Yes,
yes," he mused, half to Gardner, half to himself. "The Book. The Mass. I could
write some rituals. An `ancient book' of magick. A `book of shadows'.
Priestesses, naked girls. Yes. By Jove, yes!"
Great story, but merely a dream , created out of bits and pieces of rumor, history
and imagination. Don't be surprised, though, if a year or five years from now you
read it as "gospel" (which is an ironic synonym for `truth') in some new learned
text on the fabled history of Wicca. Such is the way all mythologies come into
being.
Please don't misunderstand me here; I use the word `mythology' in this context in
its aboriginal meaning, and with considerable respect. History is more metaphor
than factual accounting at best, and there are myths by which we live and others
by which we die. Myths are the dreams and visions which parallel objective
history. This entire work is, in fact, an attempt to approximate history.
To arrive at some perspective on what the modern mythos called, variously,
"Wicca", the "Old Religion", "Witchcraft" and "Neopaganism" is, we must firstly
make a firm distinction; "witchcraft" in the popular informally defined sense may
have little to do with the modern religion that goes by the same name. It has been
argued by defenders of and formal apologists for modern Wicca that it is a direct
lineal descendent of an ancient, indeed, prehistoric worldwide folk religion.
Some proponents hedge their claims, calling Wicca a "revival" rather than a
continuation of an ancient cult. Oddly enough, there may never have been any such
cult! The first time I met someone who thought she was a "witch," she started
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going on about being a "blue of the cloak." I should've been warned right then and
there. In fact, as time has passed and the religion has spread, the claims of
lineal continuity have tended to be hedged more and more. Thus, we find Dr.
Gardner himself, in 1954, stating unambiguously that some witches are descendants
"... of a line of priests and priestesses of an old and probably Stone Age
religion, who have been initiated in a certain way (received into the circle) and
become the recipients of certain ancient learning." (Gardner, WITCHCRAFT TODAY, pp
33-34.)
Stated in its most extreme form, Wicca may be defined as an ancient pagan
religious system of beliefs and practices, with a form of apostolic succession
(that is, with knowledge and ordination handed on lineally from generation to
generation), a more or less consistent set of rites and myths, and even a secret
holy book of considerable antiquity (The Book of Shadows).
More recent writers, as we have noted, have hedged a good deal on these claims,
particularly the latter. Thus we find Stewart Farrar in 1971 musing on the
purported ancient text thusly: "Whether, therefore, the whole of the Book of
Shadows is post-1897 is anyone's guess. Mine is that, like the Bible, it is a
patchwork of periods and sources, and that since it is copied and re-copied by
hand, it includes amendments, additions, and stylistic alterations according to
the taste of a succession of copiers...Parts of it I sense to be genuinely old;
other parts suggest modern interpolation..." (Farrar, WHAT WITCHES DO, pp
34-35.)As we shall discover presently, there appear to be no genuinely old copies
of the Book of Shadows.
Still, as to the mythos, Farrar informs us that the "two personifications of
witchcraft are the Horned God and the Mother Goddess..." (ibid, p 29) and that the
"Horned God is not the Devil, and never has been. If today `Satanist' covens do
exist, they are not witches but a sick fringe, delayed-reaction victims of a
centuries-old Church propaganda in which even intelligent Christians no longer
believe." (ibid, p 32).
One could protest:, "Very well, some case might be made for the Horned God being
mistaken for the Christian Devil (or should that be the other way around?), but
what record, prior to the advent 50 years ago of modern Wicca via Gerald Gardner,
do we have of the survival of a mother goddess image from ancient times?"
Wiccan apologists frequently refer to the (apparently isolated) tenth century
church document which states that "some wicked women, perverted by the Devil,
seduced by the illusions and phantasms of demons, believe and profess themselves
in the hours of the night to ride upon certain beasts with Diana, the goddess of
pagans, or with Herodias, and an innumerable multitude of women, and in the
silence of the dead of night to traverse great spaces of earth, and to obey her
commands as of their mistress, and to be summoned to her service on certain
nights." (Quoted in Valiente, WITCHCRAFT FOR TOMORROW, Hale, 1978, p 32.) I do not
doubt that bits of pagan folklore survived
on the Continent through the first millenium -- Northern Europe remained overtly
pagan until the High Middle Ages. But what has this to do with Wicca?
Farrar, for his part, explains the lack of references to a goddess in the
testimony at the infamous witch trials by asserting that "the judges ignored the
Goddess, being preoccupied with the Satan-image of the God.." (WHAT WITCHES DO, p
33). But it is the evidence of that reign of terror which lasted from roughly 1484
to 1692 which brings the whole idea of a surviving religious cult into question.
It is now the conventional wisdom on the witchburning mania which swept like a
plague over much of Europe during the transition from medieval world to modern
that it was JUST that; a mania, a delusion in the minds of Christian clergymen and
state authorities; that is, there were no witches, only the innocent victims of
the witch hunt.
Further, this humanist argument goes, the `witchcraft' of Satanic worship,
broomstick riding, of Sabbats and Devil-marks, was a rather late invention,
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borrowing but little from remaining memories of actual preChristian paganism. We
have seen a resurrection of this mania in the 1980s flurry over `Satanic
sacrificial' cults, with as little evidence.
"The concept of the heresy of witchcraft was frankly regarded as a new invention,
both by the theologians and by the public," writes Dr. Rossell Hope Robbins in THE
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WITCHCRAFT & DEMONOLOGY, (Crown, 1959, p.9)"Having to hurdle an
early church law, the Canon Episcopi, which said in effect that belief in
witchcraft was superstitious and heretical, the inquisitors cavilled by arguing
that the witchcraft of the Canon Episcopi and the witchcraft of the Inquisition
were different..."
The evidence extracted under the most gruesome and repeated tortures resemble the
Wiccan religion of today in only the most cursory fashion. Though Wicca may have
been framed with the "confessions" extracted by victims of the inquisitors in
mind, those "confessions" --- which are more than suspect, to begin with, bespeak
a cult of devil worshipers dedicated to evil.
One need only read a few of the accounts of the time to realize that, had there
been at the time a religion of the Goddess and God, of seasonal circles and The
Book of Shadows, such would likely have been blurted out by the victims, and more
than once. The agonies of the accused were, almost literally, beyond the
imagination of those of us who have been fortunate enough to escape them.
The witch mania went perhaps unequaled in the annals of crimes against humanity
en masse until the Hitlerian brutality of our own century. But, no such confessions
were forthcoming, though the wretches accused, before the torture was done, would
also be compelled to condemn their own parents, spouses, loved ones, even children.
They confessed, and to anything the inquisitors wished, anything to stop or reduce
the pain.
A Priest, probably at risk to his own life, recorded testimony in the 1600s that
reflected the reality underlying the forced "confessions" of "witches". Rev. Michael
Stapirius records, for example, this comment from one "confessed witch": "I never
dreamed that by means of the torture a person could be brought to the point of
telling such lies as I have told. I am not a witch, and I have never seen the
devil, and still I had to plead guilty myself and denounce others...." All but one
copy of Father Stapirius' book were destroyed, and little wonder.
A letter smuggled from a German burgomaster, Johannes Junius, to his daughter in
1628, is as telling as it is painful even to read. His hands had been virtually
destroyed in the torture, and he wrote only with great agony and no hope. "When
at last the executioner led me back to the cell, he said to me, `Sir, I beg you,
for God's sake, confess something, whether it be true or not. Invent something,
for you cannot endure the torture which you will be put to; and, even if you bear
it all, yet you will not escape, not even if you were an earl, but one torture
will follow another until you say you are a witch. Not before that,' he said, `will
they let you go, as you may see by all their trials, for one is just like
another...' " (ibid, pp 12-13)
For the graspers at straws, we may find an occasional line in a "confession" which
is intriguing, as in the notations on the "confession" of one woman from Germany
dated in late 1637. After days of unspeakable torment, wherein the woman
confesses under pain, recants when the pain is removed, only to be moved by more
pain to confess again, she is asked: "How did she influence the weather? She does
not know what to say and can only whisper, Oh, Heavenly Queen, protect me!"
Was the victim calling upon "the goddess"? Or, as seems more likely, upon that
aforementioned transfiguration of all ancient goddesses in Christian mythology, the
Virgin Mary. One more quote from Dr. Robbins, and I will cease to parade late
medieval history before you.
It comes from yet another priest, Father Cornelius Loos, who observed, in 1592
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that "Wretched creatures are compelled by the severity of the torture to confess
things they have never done, and so by cruel butchery innocent lives are
taken....." (ibid, p 16). The "evidence" of the witch trials indicates, on the
whole, neither the Satanism the church and state would have us believe, nor the
pagan survivals now claimed by modern Wicca; rather, they suggest only fear,
greed, human brutality carried out to bizarre extremes that have few parallels in
all of history. But, the brutality is not that of `witches' nor even of `Satanists'
but rather that of the Christian Church, and the government.
What, then, are we to make of modern Wicca? It must, of course, be observed as an
aside that in a sense witchcraft or "wisecraft" has, indeed, been with us from the
dawn of time, not as a coherent religion or set of practices and beliefs, but as
the folk magic and medicine that stretches back to early, possibly paleolithic
tribal shamans on to modern China's so-called "barefoot doctors".
In another sense, we can also say that ceremonial magick, as I have previously
noted, has had a place in history for a very long time, and both these ancient
systems of belief and practice have intermingled in the lore of modern Wicca, as
apologists are quick to claim.
But, to an extent, this misses the point and skirts an essential question anyone
has the right to ask about modern Wicca -- namely, did Wicca exist as a coherent
creed, a distinct form of spiritual expression, prior to the 1940s; that is, prior
to the meeting of minds between the old magus and venerable prophet of the occult
world Aleister Crowley, and the first popularizer, if not outright inventor of
modern Wicca, Gerald Brosseau Gardner?
There is certainly no doubt that bits and pieces of ancient paganism survived
into modern times in folklore and, for that matter, in the very practices and
beliefs of Christianity.
Further, there appears to be some evidence that `Old George' Pickingill and
others were practicing some form of folk magick as early as the latter part of the
last century, though even this has recently been brought into question. Wiccan
writers have made much of this in the past, but just what `Old George' was into is
subject to much debate.
Doreen Valiente, an astute Wiccan writer and one-time intimate of the late Dr.
Gardner (and, in fact, the author of some rituals now thought by others to be of
"ancient origin"), says of Pickingill that so "fierce was `Old George's dislike of
Christianity that he would even collaborate with avowed Satanists..." (TOMORROW, p
20). What
George Pickingill was doing is simply not clear.
He is said to have had some interaction with a host of figures in the occult
revival of the late nineteenth century, including perhaps even Crowley and his
friend Bennett. It seems possible that Gardner, about the time of meeting Crowley,
had some involvement with groups stemming from Pickingill's earlier activities,
but it is only AFTER Crowley and Gardner meet that we begin to see anything
resembling the modern spiritual communion that has become known as Wicca.
"Witches," wrote Gardner in 1954, "are consummate leg-pullers; they are taught it
as part of their stock-in-trade." (WITCHCRAFT TODAY, p. 27) Modern apologists both
for Aleister Crowley AND Gerald Gardner have taken on such serious tones as well
aspretensions that they may be missing places where tongues are firmly jutting
against cheeks.
Both men were believers in fleshly fulfillment, not only as an end in itself but,
as in the Tantric Yoga of the East, as a means of spiritual attainment. A certain
prudishness has crept into the practices of postGardnarian Wiccans, especially in
America since the 1960s, along with a certain feminist revisionism. This has
succeeded to a considerable extent in converting a libertine sex cult into a rather
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staid neopuritanism.
The original Gardnarian current is still well enough known and widely enough in
vogue (in Britain and Ireland especially) that one can venture to assert that what
Gardnerian Wicca is all about is the same thing Crowley was attempting with a more
narrow, more intellectual constituency in the magickal orders under his direct
influence.
These Orders had flourished for some time, but by the time Crowley ` officially'
met Gardner in the 1940s, much of the former's lifelong efforts had, if not
totally disintegrated, at least were then operating at a diminished and diminishing
level.
Through his long and fascinating career as magus and organizer, there is some
reason to believe that Crowley periodically may have wished for, or even attempted
to create a more populist expression of magickal religion. The Gnostic Mass, which
Crowley wrote fairly early-on, had come since his death to somewhat fill this
function through the OTO-connected Gnostic Catholic Church (EGC).
As we shall see momentarily, one of Crowley's key followers was publishing
manifestos forecasting the revival of witchcraft at the same time Gardner was being
chartered by Crowley to organize an OTO encampment. The OTO itself, since
Crowley's time, has taken on a more popular image, and is more targeted towards
international organizational efforts, thanks largely to the work under the
Caliphate of the late Grady McMurtry. This contrasts sharply with the very
internalized OTO that barely survived during the McCarthy Era, when the late Karl
Germer was in charge, and the OTO turned inward for two decades.
The famous Ancient and Mystic Order of the Rose Cross (AMORC), the highly
successful mail-order spiritual fellowship, was an OTO offspring in Crowley's
time. It has been claimed that Kenneth Grant and Aleister Crowley were discussing
relatively radical changes in the Ordo Templi Orientis at approximately the same
time that Gardner and Crowley were interactive.
Though Wiccan writers give some lip service (and, no doubt, some sincere credence)
to the notion that the validity of Wiccan ideas depends not upon its lineage, but
rather upon its workability, the suggestion that Wicca is -- or, at least, started
out to be, essentially a late attempt at popularizing the secrets of ritual and
sexual magick Crowley promulgated through the OTO and his writings, seems to evoke
nervousness, if not hostility.
We hear from wiccan writer and leader Raymond Buckland that one "of the
suggestions made is that Aleister Crowley wrote the rituals...but no convincing
evidence has been presented to back this assertion and, to my mind, it seems
extremely unlikely..." (Gardner, ibid, introduction) The Wiccan rituals I have
seen DO have much of Crowley in them. Yet, as we shall observe presently, the
explanation that `Crowley wrote the rituals for Gardner' turns out to be somewhat
in error. But it is on the right track.
Doreen Valiente attempts to invoke Crowley's alleged infirmity at the time of his
acquaintance with Gardner:
"It has been stated by Francis King in his RITUAL MAGIC IN ENGLAND that Aleister
Crowley was paid by Gerald Gardner to write the rituals of Gardner's new witch
cult...Now, Gerald Gardner never met Aleister Crowley until the very last years of
the latter's life, when he was a feeble old man living at a private hotel in
Hastings, being kept alive by injections of drugs... If, therefore, Crowley really
invented these rituals in their entirety, they must be about the last thing he ever
wrote. Was this enfeebled and practically dying man really capable of such a tour
de force?"
The answer, as Dr. Israel Regardie's introduction to the posthumous collection
of Crowley's late letters, MAGICK WITHOUT TEARS, implies, would seem to be yes.
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Crowley continued to produce extraordinary material almost to the end of his life,
and much of what I have seen of the "Wiccan Crowley" is, in any case, of earlier
origin.
Gerald Gardner is himself not altogether silent on the subject. In WITCHCRAFT
TODAY (p 47), Gardner asks himself, with what degree of irony one can only guess
at, who, in modern times, could have invented the Wiccan rituals. "The only man I
can think of who could have invented the rites," he offers, "was the late Aleister
Crowley....possibly he borrowed things from the cult writings, or more likely
someone may have borrowed expressions from him...." A few legs may be being pulled
here, and perhaps more than a few. As a prophet ahead of his time, as a poet and
dreamer, Crowley is one of the outstanding figures of the twentieth (or any)
century. As an organizer, he was almost as much of a disaster as he was at
managing his own finances...and personal life. As I understand the liberatory
nature of the magical path, one would do well to see the difference between
Crowley the prophet of Thelema and Crowley the insolvent and inept administrator.
Crowley very much lacked the common touch; Gardner was above all things a
popularizer. Both men have been reviled as lecherous "dirty old men" -- Crowley,
as a seducer of women and a homosexual, a drug addict and `satanist' rolled
together.
Gardner was, they would have it, a voyeur, exhibitionist and bondage freak with a
`penchant for ritual' to borrow a line from THE STORY OF O. Both were, in reality,
spiritual libertines, ceremonial magicians who did not shy away from the awesome
force of human sexuality and its potential for spiritual transformation as well as
physical gratification.
I will not say with finality at this point whether Wicca is an outright invention
of these two divine con-men. If so, more power to them, and to those who truly
follow in their path. I do know that, around 1945, Crowley chartered Gardner, an
initiate of the Ordo Templi Orientis, giving him license to organize an OTO
encampment.
Shortly thereafter, the public face of Wicca came into view, and that is what I
know of the matter: I presently have in my possession Gardner's certificate of
license to organize said OTO camp, signed and sealed by Aleister Crowley. The
certificate and its import are examined in connection with my personal search for
the original Book of Shadows in the next section of this narrative.
For now, though, let us note in the years since Crowley licensed Gardner to
organize a magical encampment, Wicca has both grown in popularity and become, to
my mind, something far less REAL than either Gardner or Crowley could have wanted
or foreseen. Wherever they came from, the rites and practices which came from or
through Gerald Gardner were strong, and tapped into that archetypal reality, that
level of consciousness beneath the mask of polite society and conventional wisdom
which is the function of True Magick.
At a popular level, this was the Tantric sex magick of the West. Whether this
primordial access has been lost to us will depend on the awareness, the awakening or
lack thereof among practitioners of the near to middle-near future. Carried to
its end Gardnerian practices, like Crowley's magick, are not merely exotic; they
are, in the truest sense, subversive.
Practices that WORK are of value, whether they are two years old or two thousand.
Practices, myths, institutions and obligations which, on the other hand, may be
infinitely ancient are of no value at all UNLESS they work.
The Devil, you say
Before we move on, though, in light of the furor over real and imagined
"Satanism" that has overtaken parts of the popular press in recent years, I would
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feel a bit remiss in this account if I did not take momentary note of that other
strain of left-handed occult mythology, Satanism. Wiccans are correct when they
say that modern Wicca is not Satanic, that Satanism is "reverse Christianity"
whereas Wicca is a separate, nonChristian religion.
Still, it should be noted, so much of our society has been grounded in the
repressiveness and authoritarian moralism of Christianity that a liberal dose of
"counterChristianity" is to be expected. The Pat Robertsons of the world make
possible the Anton LeVays. In the long history of repressive religion, a certain
fable of Satanism has arisen. It constitutes a mythos of its own. No doubt,
misguided `copycat' fanatics have sometimes misused this mythos, in much the same
way that Charles Manson misused the music and culture of the 1960s.
True occult initiates have always regarded the Ultimate Reality as beyong all
names and description. Named `deities' are, therefore, largely symbols. "Isis" is
a symbol of the long-denied female component of deity to some occultists. "Pan" or
"The Horned God" or "Set" or even "Satan" are symbols of unconscious, repressed
sexuality. To the occultist, there is no Devil, no "god of evil." There is,
ultimately, only the Ain Sof Aur of the Cabbalah; the limitless light of which we
are but a frozen spark. Evil, in this system, is the mere absence of light. All
else is illusion.
The goal of the occult path of initiation is BALANCE. In Freemasonry and High
Magick, the symbols of the White Pillar and Black Pillar represent this balance
between conscious and unconscious forces.
In Gardnarian Wicca, the Goddess and Horned God - and the Priestess and Priest,
represent that balance. There is nothing, nothing of pacts with the "Devil" or the
worship of evil in any of this; that belongs to misguided exChristians who have
been given the absurd fundamentalist Sunday school notion that one must choose the
Christian version of God, or choose the Devil. Islam, Judaism and even
Catholicism have at one time or another been thought "satanic," and occultists have
merely played on this bigoted symbolism, not subscribed to it.
As we have seen, Wicca since Gardner's time has been watered down in many of its
expressions into a kind of mushy white-light `new age' religion, with far less of
the strong sexuality characteristic of Gardnerianism, though, also, sometimes with
less pretense as well.
In any event, Satanism has popped up now and again through much of the history
of the Christian Church. The medieval witches were not likely to have been
Satanists, as the Church would have it, but, as we have seen, neither were they
likely to have been "witches" in the Wiccan sense, either.
The Hellfire Clubs of the eighteenth century were Satanic, and groups like the
Process Church of the Final Judgement do, indeed, have Satanic elements in their
(one should remember) essentially Christian theology.
Aleister Crowley, ever theatrical, was prone to use Satanic symbolism in much the
same way, tongue jutting in cheek, as he was given to saying that he " sacrificed
millions of children each year, " that is, that he masturbated. Crowley once
called a press conference at the foot of the Statue of Liberty, where he announced
that he was burning his British Passport to protest Britain's involvement in World
War One. He tossed an empty envelope into the water. He was dead serious, though,
about the "Satanism" of Miltonian eternal rebellion, and the "Satanism" of
fundamentalism's dark fear of sexuality. The Devil, however; the Satanic "god of
evil" was an absurdity to him, as to all thinking people, and he freely said so.
The most popular form of "counterChristianity" to emerge in modern times,
though, was Anton Szandor LaVey's San Francisco-based Church of Satan, founded
April 30, 1966. LaVey's Church enjoyed an initial burst of press interest, grew to
a substantial size, and appeared to maintain itself during the cultural drought of
the 1970s. But LaVey's books, THE SATANIC BIBLE and THE SATANIC RITUALS, have
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remained in print for many years, and his ideas seem to be enjoying a renewal of
interest, especially among younger people, punks and heavy metal fans with a
death-wish mostly, beginning in the middle years of the 1980s. By that time the
Church of Satan had been largely succeeded by the Temple of Set. This is pure
theatre; more in the nature of psychotherapy than religion.
It is interesting to note Francis King's observation that before the Church of
Satan began LaVey was involved in an occult group which included, among others,
underground film maker Kenneth Anger, a person well known in Crowlean circles. Of
the rites of the Church of Satan, King states that "...most of its teachings and
magical techniques were somewhat vulgarized versions of those of Aleister
Crowley's Ordo Templi Orientis." (MAN MYTH AND MAGIC, p 3204.) To which we might
add that, as with the OTO, the rites of the Church of Satan are manifestly potent,
but hardly criminal or murderous.
LaVey, like Gardner and unlike Crowley, appears to have "the common touch" --
perhaps rather more so than Gardner.
I determined to trace the Wiccan rumor to its source. As we shall see, in the very
year I "fell" into being a gnostic bishop, I also fell into the original charters,
rituals and paraphernalia of Wicca.
Being A Radical Revisionist History of the Origins of the Modern Witch Cult and
The Book of Shadows.
"It was one of the secret doctrines of paganism that the Sun was the
source, not only of light, but of life...The invasion of classical beliefs by the
religions of Syria and Egypt which were principally solar, gradually affected the
conception of Apollo, and there is a certain later identification of him with the
suffering God of Christianity, Free - masonry and similar cults..."
Aleister Crowley in Astrology, 1974
"...if GBG and Crowley only knew each other for a short year or two, do you think
that would be long enough for them to become such good friends that gifts of
personal value would be exchanged several times, and that GBG would have been able
to aquire the vast majority of Crowley's effects after his death?"
Merlin the Enchanter, personal letter, 1986
"...On the floor before the altar, he remembers a sword with a flat cruciform
brass hilt, and a well-worn manuscript book of rituals - the hereditary Book of
Shadows, which he will have to copy out for himself in the days to come..."
Stewart Farrar in What Witches Do, 1971
"Actually I did write a scholarly book about the Craft; its title was Inventing
Witchcraft. . . But I spent most of the last fifteen years failing to persuade Carl
Weschcke of Llewellyn or any other publisher that there was a market for it."
Aidan A. Kelly, Gnosis, Winter, 1992
"...the Gardnerian Book of Shadows is one of the key factors in what has become a
far bigger and more significant movement than Gardner can have envisaged; so
historical interest alone would be enough reason for defining it while first-hand
evidence is still available..."
"It has been alleged that a Book of Shadows in Crowley's handwriting was formerly
exhibited in Gerald's Museum of Witchcraft on the Isle of Man. I can only say I
never saw this on either of the two occasions when I stayed with Gerald and Donna
Gardner on the island. The large, handwritten book depicted in Witchcraft Today
is not in Crowley's handwriting, but Gerald's..."
Doreen Valiente in
Witchcraft for Tomorrow, 1978
PART ONE
WAITING FOR THE MAN FROM CANADA
I was, for the third time in four years, waiting a bit nervously for the Canadian
executive with the original Book of Shadows in the ramshackle office of Ripley's
Believe It or Not Museum.
"They're at the jail," a smiling secretary-type explained, "but we've called them
and they should be back over here to see you in just a few minutes."
The jail? Ah, St. Augustine, Florida. "The Old Jail," was the `nation's oldest
city's' second most tasteless tourist trap, complete with cage-type cells and a
mock gallows. For a moment I allowed myself to play in my head with the vision of
Norm Deska, Ripley Operations Vice President and John Turner, the General Manager
of Ripley's local operation and the guy who'd bought the Gerald Gardner collection
from Gardner's niece, Monique Wilson, sitting in the slammer. But no, Turner
apparently had just been showing Deska the town. I straightened my suit for the
fiftieth time, and suppressed the comment. We were talking BIG history here, and
big bucks, too. I gulped. The original Book of Shadows. Maybe.
It had started years before. One of the last people in America to be a fan of
carnival sideshows, I was anxious to take another opportunity to go through the
almost archetypally seedy old home that housed the original Ripley's Museum.
I had known that Ripley had, in the nineteen seventies, acquired the Gardner
stuff, but as far as I knew it was all located at their Tennessee resort museum. I
think I'd heard they'd closed it down. By then, the social liberalism of the early
seventies was over, and witchcraft and sorcery were no longer in keeping with a
`family style' museum. It featured a man with a candle in his head, a Tantric skull
drinking cup and freak show stuff like that, but, I mean, witchcraft is
sacrilegious, as we all know.
So, I was a bit surprised, when I discovered some of the Gardner stuff - including
an important historical document, for sale in the gift shop, in a case just
opposite the little alligators that have "St.Augustine, Florida - America's Oldest
City" stickered on their plastic bellies for the folks back home to use as a
paper-weight. The pricetags on the occult stuff, however, were way out of my
range.
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Back again, three years later, and I decided, what the hell, so I asked the
cashier about the stuff still gathering dust in the glass case, and it was like I'd
pushed some kind of button.
Out comes Mr. Turner, the manager, who whisks us off to a store room which is
filled, FILLED, I tell you, with parts of the Gardner collection, much of it, if not
"for sale" as such, at least available for negotiation. Turner told us about
acquiring the collection when he was manager of Ripley's Blackpool operation, how
it had gone over well in the U.S. at first, but had lost popularity and was now
relegated for the most part to storage status.
Visions of sugarplums danced in my head. There were many treasures here, but the
biggest plum of all, I thought, was not surprisingly, not to be seen.
I'd heard all kinds of rumors about the Book of Shadows over the years, many of
them conflicting, all of them intriguing. Rumor #1, of course, is that which
accompanied the birth (or, depending on how one looked at it, the revival) of
modern Wicca, the contemporary successor of ancient fertility cults.
It revolved around elemental rituals, secret rites of passage and a mythos of
goddess and god that seemed attractive to me as a psychologically valid
alternative to the austere, antisexual moralism of Christianity. The Book of
Shadows, in this context, was the `holy book' of Wicca, copied out by hand by new
initiates of the cult with a history stretching back at least to the era of
witchburnings.
Rumor number #2, which I had tended to credit, had it that Gerald Gardner, the
`father of modern Wicca' had paid Aleister Crowley in his final years to write the
Book of Shadows, perhaps whole cloth. The rumor's chief exponent was the
respected historian of the occult, Francis King.
Rumor #3 had it that Gardner had written the Book himself, which others had since
copied and/or stolen.
To the contrary, said rumor #4, Gardner's Museum had contained an old, even
ancient copy of the Book of Shadows, proving its antiquity.
In more recent years modern Wiccans have tended to put some distance between
themselves and Gardner, just as Gardner, for complex reasons, tended to distance
himself in the early years of Wicca (circa 1944-1954) from the blatant sexual
magick of Aleister Crowley, "the wickedest man in the world" by some accounts, and
from Crowley's organization, the Ordo Templi Orientis. Why Gardner chose to do
this is speculative, but I've got some idea. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
While Turner showed me a blasphemous cross shaped from the body of two nude women
(created for the 18th century infamous "Hellfire Clubs" in England and depicted in
the MAN MYTH AND MAGIC encyclopedia; I bought it, of course) and a statue of
Beelzebub from the dusty Garderian archives, a thought occurred to me. " You
know," I suggested, "if you ever, in all this stuff, happen across a copy of The
Book of Shadows in the handwriting of Aleister Crowley, it would be of considerable
historical value."
I understated the case. It would be like finding The Book of Mormon in Joseph
Smith's hand, or finding the original Ten Commandments written not by God Himself,
but by Moses, pure and simple. (Better still, eleven commandments, with a margin
note, "first draft.") I didn't really expect anything to come of it, and in the
months ahead, it didn't.
In the meantime, I had managed to acquire the interesting document I first mistook
for Gerald Gardner's (long acknowledged) initiation certificate into Crowley's
Thelemic magickal Ordo Templi Orientis. To my eventual surprise, I discovered
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that, not only was this not a simple initiation certificate for the Minerval
(probationary-lowest) degree, but, to the contrary, was a license for Gardner to
begin his own chapter of the O.T.O., and to initiate members into the O.T.O.
In the document, furthermore, Gardner is referred to as "Prince
of Jerusalem," that is, he is acknowledged to be a Fourth Degree
Perfect Initiate in the Order. This, needless to say would usually imply years of
dedicated training. Though Gardner had claimed Fourth Degree O.T.O. status as
early as publication of High Magic's Aid,(and claimed even higher status in one
edition) this runs somewhat contrary to both generally held Wiccan and contemporary
O.T.O. orthodox understandings that the O.T.O. was then fallow in England.
At the time the document was written, most maintained, Gardner could have known
Crowley for only a brief period, and was not himself deeply involved in the O.T.O.
The document is undated but probably was drawn up around 1945.
As I said, it is understood that no viable chapter of the O.T.O. was supposed to
exist in England at that time; the sole active chapter was in California, and is
the direct antecedent of the contemporary authentic Ordo Templi Orientis. Karl
Germer, Crowley's immediate successor, had barely escaped death in a Concentartion
Camp during the War, his mere association with Crowley being tantamount to a death
sentence.
The German OTO had been largely destroyed by the Nazis, along with other
freemasonic organizations, and Crowley himself was in declining health and power,
the English OTO virtually dead.
The Charter also displayed other irregularities of a revealing nature. Though
the signature and seals are certainly those of Crowley, the text is in the
decorative hand of Gerald Gardner! The complete text reads as follows:
Do what thou wilt shall be the law. We
Baphomet X Degree Ordo Templi Orientis
Sovereign Grand Master General of All
English speaking countries of the Earth
do hereby authorise our Beloved Son Scire
(Dr.G,B,Gardner,) Prince of Jerusalem
to constitute a camp of the Ordo Templi
Orientis, in the degree Minerval.
Leaving aside the misquotation from The Book of the Law, which got by me for some
months and probably got by Crowley when it was presented to him for signature, the
document is probably authentic. It hung for some time in Gardner's museum,
possibly giving rise, as we shall see, to the rumor that Crowley wrote the Book of
Shadows for Gardner. According to Doreen Valiente,and to Col. Lawrence as well,
the museum's descriptive pamphlet says of this document:
"The collection includes a Charter granted by Aleister Crowley to G.B. Gardner
(the Director of this Museum) to operate a Lodge of Crowley's fraternity, the Ordo
Templi Orientis. (The Director would like to point out, however, that he has never
used this Charter and has no intention of doing so, although to the best of his
belief he is the only person in Britain possessing such a Charter from Crowley
himself; Crowley was a personal friend of his, and gave him the Charter because he
liked him."
Col. Lawrence ("Merlin the Enchanter"), in a letter to me dated 6 December, 1986,
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adds that this appeared in Gardner's booklet, The Museum of Magic and Witchcraft.
The explanation for the curious wording of the text, taking, as Dr. Gardner does,
great pains to distance himself from Crowley and the OTO, may be hinted at in that
the booklet suggests that this display in the "new upper gallery" (page 24) was
put out at a relatively late date when, as we shall discover, Gardner was making
himself answerable to the demands of the new witch cult and not the long-dead
Crowley and (then) relatively moribund OTO.
Now, the "my friend Aleister" ploy might explain the whole thing. Perhaps, as some
including Ms. Valiente believe, Aleister Crowley was desperate in his last years to
hand on what he saw as his legacy to someone. He recklessly handed out his
literary estate, perhaps gave contradictory instruction to various of his
remaining few devotees (e.g. Kenneth Grant, Grady McMurtry, Karl Germer), and may
have given Gardner an "accelerated advancement" in his order.
Ms. Valiente, a devoted Wiccan who is also a dedicated seeker after the historical
truth, mentions also the claim made by the late Gerald Yorke to her that Gardner
had paid Crowley a substantial sum for the document. In a letter to me dated 28th
August, 1986, Ms. Valiente tells of a meeting with Yorke "...in London many years
ago and mentioned Gerald's O.T.O. Charter to him, whereon he told me, `Well, you
know, Gerald Gardner paid old Crowley about ($1500) or so for that...' This may or
may not be correct..." Money or friendship may explain the Charter. Still, one
wonders.
I have a Thelemic acquaintance who, having advanced well along the path of
Kenneth Grant's version of the OTO, went back to square one with the unquestionably
authentic Grady McMurtry OTO. Over a period of years of substantial effort, he
made his way to the IVo `plus' status implied by Gardner's "Prince of Jerusalem"
designation in the charter, and has since gone beyond.
I am, myself, a Vo member of the OTO, as well as a chartered initiator, and can
tell you from experience that becoming a Companion of the Royal Arch of Enoch,
Perfect Initiate, Prince of Jerusalem and Chartered Initiator is a long and
arduous task.
Gardner was in the habit, after the public career of Wicca emerged in the 1950s,
of downgrading any Crowleyite associations out of his past, and, as Janet and
Stewart Farrar reveal in The Witches' Way (1984, p3) there are three distinct
versions of the Book of Shadows in Gerald Gardner's handwriting which incorporate
successively less material from Crowley's writings, though the last (termed "Text
C" and cowritten with Doreen Valiente after 1953) is still heavily influenced by
Crowley and the OTO.
Ms. Valiente has recently uncovered a copy of an old occult magazine contemporary
with High Magic's Aid and from the same publisher, which discusses an ancient
Indian document called "The Book of Shadows" but apparently totally unrelated to
the Wiccan book of the same name. Valiente acknowledges that the earliest text by
Gardner known to her was untitled, though she refers to it as a "Book of Shadows."
It seems suspicious timing; did Gardner take the title from his publisher's
magazine? Ms. Valiente observed to me that the "...eastern Book of Shadows does not
seem to have anything to do with witch-craft at all....is this where old Gerald
first found the expression "The Book of Shadows" and adopted it as a more poetical
name for a magical manuscript than, say `The Grimoire' or `The Black Book'....I
don't profess to know the answer; but I doubt if this is mere coincidence...."
The claim is frequently made by those who wish to `salvage' a preGardnarian source
of Wiccan materials that there is a `core' of `authentic' materials. But, as the
Farrars' recently asserted, the portions of the Book of Shadows "..which changed
least between Texts A, B and C were naturally the three initiation rituals; because
these, above all, would be the traditional elements which would have been
carefully preserved, probably for centuries...." (emphasis added)
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But what does one mean by "traditional materials?" The three initiation rites, now
much-described in print, all smack heavily of the crypto-freemasonic ritual of the
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the OTO, and the various esoteric
neorosicrucian groups that abounded in Britain from about 1885 on, and which were,
it is widely known, the fountainhead of much that is associated with Gardner's
friend Crowley.
The Third Degree ritual, perhaps Wicca's ultimate rite, is, essentially, a
nonsymbolic Gnostic Mass, that beautiful, evocative, erotic and esoteric ritual
written and published by Crowley in the Equinox, after attending a Russian
Orthodox Mass in the early part of this century. The Gnostic Mass has had
far-reaching influence, and it would appear that the Wiccan Third Degree is one of
the most blatant examples of that influence.
Take, for example, this excerpt from what is perhaps the most intimate, most
secret and most sublime moment in the entire repertoire of Wicca rituals, the
nonsymbolic (that is, overtly sexual) Great Rite of the Third Degree initiation,
as related by Janet and Stewart Farrar in The Witches' Way (p.34):
We must dismiss with some respect the assertion, put forth by Margot Adler and
others, that "Wicca no longer adheres to the orthodox mythos of the Book of
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Shadows."
Many, if not most of those who have been drawn to Wicca in the last three decades
came to it under the spell (if I may so term it) of the legend of ancient Wicca.
If that legend is false, then while reformists and revisionist apologists
(particularly the peculiar hybrid spawned in the late sixties under the name
"feminist Wicca") may seek other valid grounds for their practices, we at least
owe it to those who have operated under a misapprehension to explain the truth,
and let the chips fall where they may.
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The vault?! I sat there thinking god knows what . Recently, I'd gotten a call from
Toronto, and it seems the Ripley folks wanted me to take a look at what they had. I
had made a considerable offer, and at that point I figured I'd had at least a
nibble. As it so happened Norm would be visiting on a routine inspection visit,
so it was arranged he would bring the manuscript with him.
Almost from the minute he placed it in front of me, things began to make some kind
of sense. Clearly, this was Ye Book of Ye Art Magical. Just as clearly, it was
an unusual piece, written largely in the same hand as the Crowley Charter- that
is, the hand of Gerald Gardner. Of this I became certain, because I had handwriting
samples of Gardner, Valiente and Crowley in my possession. Ms. Valiente had been
mindful of this when she wrote me, on August 8th, 1986:
I have deliberately chosen to write you in longhand, rather than send a
typewritten reply, so that you will have something by which to judge the validity
of the claim you tell me is being made by the Ripley organisation to have a copy
of a "Book of Shadows" in Gerald Gardner's handwriting and mine. If this is..."Ye
Book of Ye Art Magical," ....this is definitely in Gerald Gardner's handwriting.
Old Gerald, however, had several styles of handwriting....I think it is probable
that the whole MS. was in fact written by Gerald, and no other person was
involved; but of course I may be wrong....
Somewhere along the line it hit me that I was not exactly looking at the
"original Book of Shadows" but, perhaps, the outline Gardner prepared over a long
period of time, apparently in secret (since Valiente, a relatively early initiate of
Gardner's, never heard of it nor saw it, according to her own account, until
recent years, about the time Aidan Kelly unearthed it in the Ripley collection
long after Gardner's death).
Dr. Gardner kept many odd notebooks and scrapbooks that perhaps would reveal much
about his character and motivations. Turner showed me a Gardner scrapbook in
Ripley's store room which was mostly cheesecake magazine photographs and articles
about actresses. Probably none are so evocative as Ye Book of Ye Art Magical,
discovered,it has been intimated,hidden away in the back of an old sofa.
I have the impression it was essentially unknown in and after Gardner's lifetime,
and that by the Summer of 1986 few had seen inside it; I knew of only Kelly and my
own party. Perhaps the cover had been seen by some along the line, accounting for
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the rumor of a "very old Book of Shadows" in Gardner's Museum.
If someone had seen the charter signed by Crowley ("Baphomet") but written by
Gerald Gardner, and had gotten a look, as well, at Ye Book, they might well have
concluded that Crowley had written BOTH, an honest error, but maybe the source of
that long-standing accusation. There is even a notation in the Ripley catalog
attributing the manuscript to Crowley on someone's say-so, but I have no
indication Ripley has any other such book. Finally, if the notebook is a sourcebook
of any religious system, it is not that of medieval witchcraft, but the twentieth
century madness or sanity or both of the infamous magus Aleister Crowley and the
Thelemic/Gnostic creed of The Book of the Law.
As I sat there I read aloud familiar quotations or paraphrases from published
material in the Crowley-Thelemic canon. This is not the "ancient religion of the
Wise" but the modern sayings of " the Beast 666 " as Crowley was wont to style
himself.
But, does any of this invalidate Wicca as an expression of human spirituality? It
depends on where one is coming from. Certainly, the foundations of feminist Wicca
and the modern cult of the goddess are challenged with the fact that the goddess in
question may be Nuit, her manifestation the sworn whore, Our Lady Babalon, the
Scarlet Woman. Transform what you will shall be the whole of history, but THIS
makes what Marx did to Hegel look like slavish devotion.
What Crowley himself said of this kind of witchcraft is not merely instructive, but
an afront to the conceits of an era.
"The belief in witchcraft," he observed, " was not all superstition; its
psychological roots were sound. Women who are thwarted in their natural instincts
turn inevitably to all kinds of malignant mischief, from slander to domestic
destruction..."
For the rest of us, those who neither worship nor are disdainful of the man who
made sexuality a god or, at least, acknowledged it as such, experience must be its
own teacher. If Wicca is a sort of errant Minerval Camp of the OTO, gone far astray
and far afield since the days Crowley gave Gardner a charter he "didn't use" but
seemed to value, and a whole range of rituals and imagery that assault the senses
at their most literally fundamental level; if this is true or sort of true, maybe
its time history be owned up to. Mythos has its place and role, but so, too, does
reality.
PART THREE
WICCA AS AN OTO ENCAMPMENT
The question of intent looms large in the background of this inquiry. If I had to
guess, I would venture that Gerald Gardner did, in fact, invent Wicca more or less
whole cloth, to be a popularized version of the OTO. Crowley, or his successor
Karl Germer, who also knew Dr. Gardner, likely set "old Gerald" on what they
intended to be a Thelemic path, aimed at reestablishing at least a basic OTO
encampment in England.
Aiden Kelly's research work on all this is most impressive, but at rock bottom I
can't help feeling he still wants to salvage something original in Wicca. In a way,
there is some justification for this; the Wicca of Gerald Gardner, OTO initiate and
advocate of sexual magick produced a folksy, easier version of the OTO, but by the
middle nineteen fifties some of his early "followers" not only created a revisionist
Wicca with relatively little of the Thelemic original intact, but convinced Gardner
to go along with the changes.
It is also possible, but yet unproven, that, upon expelling Kenneth Grant from the
OTO in England, Germer, in the early 1950s, summoned Gardner to America to
interview him as a candidate for leading the British OTO. Gardner, it is
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confirmed, came to America, but by then Wicca, and Dr. Gardner had begun to take
their own, watered-down course. Today most Wiccans have no idea of their origins.
Let me close this section by quoting two interesting tidbits for your
consideration.
First consider Doreen Valiente's observation to me concerning "the Parsons
connection". I quote from her letter abovementioned, one of several she was kind
enough to send me in 1986 in connection with my research into this matter.
...I did know about the existence of the O.T.O. Chapter in California at the time
of Crowley's death, because I believe his ashes were sent over to them. He was
cremated here in Brighton, you know, much to the scandal of the local authorities,
who objected to the `pagan funeral service.' If you are referring to the group of
which Jack Parsons was a member (along with the egregious Mr. L. Ron Hubbard),
then there is another curious little point to which I must draw your attention. I
have a remarkable little book by Jack Parsons called MAGICK, GNOSTICISM AND THE
WITCHCRAFT. It is unfortunately undated, but Parsons died in 1952. The section on
witchcraft is particularly
interesting because it looks forward to a revival of witchcraft as the Old
Religion....I find this very thought provoking. Did Parsons write this around the
time that Crowley was getting together with Gardner and perhaps communicated with
the California group to tell them about it?
We must remember that Ms. Valiente was a close associate of Gardner and is a
dedicated and active Wiccan. She, of course, has her own interpretation of these
matters. The OTO recently reprinted the Parsons "witchcraft" essays in Freedom is a
Two Edged Sword , a postumous collection of his writings. It does indeed seem that
Gardner and Parsons were both on the same wave-length at about the same time.
The other matter of note is the question of the length of Gardner's association
with the OTO and with Crowley personally. My informant Col. Lawrence, tells me
that he has in his possession a cigarette case which once belonged to Aleister
Crowley. Inside is a note in Crowley's hand that says simply: `gift of GBG, 1936,
A. Crowley'."
(Personal letter, 6 December, 1986)
The inscription could be a mistake, it could mean 1946, the period of the Charter.
But, as Ms. Valiente put it in a letter to me of 8th December, 1986:
If your friend is right, then it would mean that old Gerald actually went through a
charade of pretending to Arnold Crowther that Arnold was introducing him to
Crowley for the first time - a charade which Crowley for some reason was willing
to go along with. Why? I can't see the point of such a pretence; but then
occultists sometimes do devious things...
Crowley may have played out a similar scene with G.I. Gurdjieff, the other
enlightened merry prankster of the first half of the twentieth century.
Gnosticism and Wicca, the subjects of Jack Parsons' essays, republished by the OTO
and Falcon Press in 1990, are the two most successful expressions to date of
Crowley's dream of a popular solar-phallic religion. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think
Aleister and Gerald may have cooked Wicca up.
If Wicca is the OTO's prodigal daughter in fact, authorized directly by Crowley,
how should Wiccans now relate to this? How should Crowley's successors and heirs in
the OTO deal with it?
Then too, what are we to make of and infer about all this business of a popular
Thelemic-Gnostic religion? Were Crowley, Parsons, Gardner and others trying to do
something of note with regard to actualizing a New Aeon here which bears scrutiny?
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Or is this mere speculation, and of little significance for the Great Work today?
If the Charter Crowley issued Gardner is, indeed, the authority upon which Wicca
has been built for half a century, then it is perhaps no coincidence that I
acquired that Charter in the same year I was consecrated a Bishop of the Gnostic
Catholic Church. Further, it was literally days after my long search for the
original of Gardner's BOOK OF SHADOWS ended in success that the Holy Synod of T
Michael Bertiaux's Gnostic Church unanimously elected me a Missionary Bishop, on
August 29, 1986.
I'd better backtrack some readers may not understand what an initiatory path is
or how it differs from a religion. Others may think paganism is a religion already,
and wonder what I mean by suggesting it is or could be something else.
A defense often used against fundamentalist Christians and others who attack
paganism on a religious basis is to say "We are not like you, only different in a
few not so important ways. We are a religion, like you, another belief system,
harmless, ordinary. We worship the Earth, the Goddess, the same way you worship
your abstract God. You should extend tolerance to us for the same reason you extend
it to Muslims or Buddhists or Catholics or Jews. When you single us out as
something weird, you are exhibiting hysterical paranoia." It's an effective
defense, but somewhat disingenuous.
This is no accident.
The tragedy of Christianity is that it began so well and decayed so quickly
into such a parody of its beginnings. This is a recurring phenomenon. Again and
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again, the initiatory message has presented itself in some new form and met with
some success,only to be hidden in a maze of illusions, and crusted over with
barriers and restrictions. There are always counterattacks from outside the new
path, from established religions, but the truly effective counterattacks come from
within, so that what began as a bright new hope becomes a mere religion. The
priests, the figures in authority, forge an instrument for the furtherance of their
own authority, to which genuine initiation is a serious threat. The initiatory
impulse is carefully bled off into harmless channels, and all magic outside those
channels is
ruthlessly suppressed.
There is a great deal of magic in Christian monastic orders,and more still in
Hindu and Buddhist ashrams, or wielded by
wandering saddhus. But these illuminated souls, both Western and Eastern, are sworn
to poverty, chastity, humility. Many do not reproduce, ensuring that, if there is a
genetic component to magic, it will be weakened by removing its best practitioners
from the gene pool. Too, in renouncing the world, they ensure that their spiritual
insight will play a small role shaping events. In contrast, a few secret initiatory
paths remain active and true to their original mission. These paths, which include
Hermeticism, the Caballah,
surviving shamanic traditions, and a few branches of Sufism, have made
themselves non threatening in a different way. They continue to live in the world
and to learn and teach practical as well as spiritual magic, but in such tiny
numbers and in so furtive a fashion that they hold little promise of genuine large
scale transformation. There is not really anything wrong with this; such secret
orders have acted over the centuries to preserve the Mysteries, not to spread them.
Without them, efforts to break the chains on a large scale would be to no avail.
But Paganism is different.
Neopaganism is unique at this time, though not
historically in that it is a genuine initiatory path that has grown large.
Moreover, in its diversity and flexibility, its protean and progressive nature, it
promises to incorporate all of the virtues of the other surviving paths. It may not
be the most advanced, the most powerful, or the most aesthetically refined,but these
characteristics can all be absorbed from the smaller paths which possess them, for
Paganism is an all gobbling magical amoeba, sucking up the mythos, methods, and
knowledge of every other path in existence. Once
again, an initiatory path threatens to break out and make some changes in reality.
On schedule, opposition has begun to arise.
As always, some of the opposition is from the outside, but I don't think we
need to be concerned about that. A strain of paranoia is built into our origin
myths and traditions, and is always a greater danger than the persecution we fear.
The external opposition has seldom been very effective against any relatively
genteel sort, mostly involving propaganda. However, propaganda is legitimate (they
have a right to express their opinions about what we do, as we have the right to
speak in counterpoint.) There may be more serious difficulties, even occasional
violence, but the Burning Times are gone for good, barring a complete collapse of
civilization. We have more important
things to worry about within our own ranks.
The rapid increase in our numbers in the last few decades means there are many
newcomers. Newcomers are ripe for exploitation, both monetary and political, and
both have begun to occur. The first fills me with amusement and outrage. The
second is more alarming.
There seems to be a growing desire in some quarters to commercialize
Neopaganism and profit from it. That's only natural, but when crystal athames go
for $1,400 and classes are taught in return for a pledge of a percentage of the
students' income in perpetuity, somebody is getting fleeced. This is bad enough,
but not nearly as bad as what
might happen in reaction. Better a crowd of poorer and wiser novices, the hucksters
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filling the role of the Dweller on the Threshold, than a Paganism reduced from a
path of initiation to a mere religion, its bright promise gone dull, as have so many
others.
The seeds of this development lie chiefly in individuals we might call Pagan
politicians, and in our response to them. They may not be high initiates or
powerful magicians, but they are skillful at organizing, they like to strike poses
in public, and they know how to work the media. Sometimes they appear on television
to say "This is what Paganism is. This is what Witchcraft is," self appointed
spokespersons for the entire Pagan community. Their power over the Craft may be
small, but it could easily grow as the Craft grows, as they sink their hooks into
more and more beginners.
An experienced initiate is unlikely to be moved by a picture on
television, or a story in the newspaper. It is otherwise for a novice. When first
appraising something, it is the surface one sees. And there are two dangers in this
trend; First, that insightful, intuitive, independent people, the kind who would
make good Witches, maybe turned off by the media spectacle (analogy: What is your
reaction to the words "New Age?".) Secondly, that those who are not repelled may
develop a kind of mundane "Neopaganism," a mere religion, based as other religions
are on faith, dogma, and prescribed observances, conservative (in the sense of
resisting progress, not of voting Republican) and anti initiatory. There may be
points in common
between it and us (such as an environmental ethic or "worship" (how I despise that
word!) of a Goddess), as a baboon might wear a tuxedo, but the heart and soul would
be gone. Anyone who sought initiation would have to pass the gauntlet of this other
paganism first and then unlearn this religion to approach the new path. Few could
be expected to do so.
It is important to recognize these politicos for what they are. They are our
would be clergy who, like Christian priests,Muslim mullah and Jewish rabbis, would
be religious leaders but,with rare exceptions, no initiates. Their authority would
derive from accepted doctrines and from political acumen, rather than spiritual
awareness. Pagan pontiff pretenders are not necessarily malevolent, but they do not
comprehend the purpose of initiation or the fundamental ways in which Paganism
differs, not just from this or that religion, from all religions. Consequently, they
do not understand that priests, ministers,rabbis, and so forth are not good role
models for Pagan spiritual leaders, even if allowances are made for differing value
systems. Paganism, as currently practiced, is not simply a different
religion, but a different category of thing altogether. Not only does it not
suffer without an organization comparable to that of established religions, but
creating such an organization may bury us.
The bishops who created the Catholic Church were not particularly evil men.
But they were misguided, and the result of their labor was disastrous. Yet some
movement on this road is inevitable. It is the fruit of growth, a sign that a path
of initiation has matured into a serious threat to the status quo. It represents a
counterattack by the forces of inertia.
Let's not be unduly alarmist. We are not in immediate danger, but the clouds
can be seen on the horizon, and we need to prepare ourselves, and consider whether
anything can be done to avoid the usual fate of an initiatory path at the
crossroads. All our predecessors, on reaching this juncture, have taken the wrong
turning. But we have ;advantages former initiatory paths lacked. That no one has
succeeded up to now is not so imposing an obstacle as it might seem.
One of our advantages is the First Amendment to the United States
Constitution and similar provisions, in fact and tradition if not law,
guaranteeing religious liberty in all Western democracies. It is literally
impossible for a Pagan Catholic Church, even if one comes into existence, to exile
or execute dissident Pagans, as was done to
dissident Christians after the Council of Nicaea. It is unlikely that any Pagan
organization,or that of any other religion, could get a modern Western government do
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its dirty work to any significant degree. Overt persecution is reduced from a
terror to a nuisance. That's no small achievement.
Another advantage is modern information technology. Communication of ideas is
now so easy, and suppression of them so difficult,
that to contain or channel or eliminate the initiatory message will be harder than
ever before, and may be impossible. Of course, the downside of this development is
the proliferation of blatant nonsense. But I think that is an acceptable price.
Better the truth be heard whispering through shouted lies and bellowed folly than
that it not be heard at all.
The third, subtlest and possibly the greatest advantage we have over our
predecessors is science.
By science I do not mean any particular bit of knowledge which has been
uncovered by scientists, although all that is useful as well. I mean the attitudes
of science. I mean the methods of science. Above all, I mean the vision of
science. Thanks to science, we no longer think of all knowledge as being only in
its sacred and spiritual and aesthetic dimensions though these are certainly
important but in its technical dimensions as well, as seek the laws and principles
that underpin magic, analogous to the laws of physics that
underpin technology.
Best of all: Thanks to science, we are not limited to what we know today. We
understand that even our best picture of reality is only an approximation, that we
will have a better picture tomorrow. This gift promises to upset the creeping
authoritarianism that has ruined so many paths of initiation and created so many
religions.
A recognition of both the possibility and the need would be a valid step.
We must acknowledge that Yoga can meditate us into a corner, that the Caballah
theorizes rings around us, and that any good
shamanic lineage works magic to put us to shame. We must also insist that Paganism
has advantages over these that should not be surrendered, and work to incorporate
what other paths can teach us into our own framework.
These accomplishments would serve to strengthen and fortify the initiatory path
of Paganism. It will need all the strength it can get if it is to resist turning
into a religion. But there are other things that need doing as well, on both the
communicative and magical fronts.
Those of us with active pens must communicate the idea of an initiatory path
that lies within the mythical and ritual structure of the Pagan religion, as it out
to and once did lie within all religions. There is, at present, no established
Pagan doctrine or dogma, no established pagan clergy, and no established Pagan
pantheon, and this also must be made clear. The magical side of the battle may be
the most important one. Here, the guiding principle should be a clear visualization
of what we want Paganism to be.
Should exoteric Pagan religions grow up around the initiatory core, then,
ideally, we would want the priest/esse/s of this religion to be initiates. But this
may not be practicable. First, many of us are unsuited for or uninterested in the
role of ministering to those who are unready for initiation. Second, there may be
too many newcomers to Paganism (by some estimates the fastest growing religion in
North America) and too few initiates.
I believe we could agree on two goals; a viable and visible initiatory
tradition must be maintained within the religion and no exoteric priesthood must be
allowed to gain preeminence over the path. To those ends, then, the following
magical workings are suggested.
Weave the Net. There is a tenuous telepathic link among all initiates. This
can be invoked as part of the opening of any major magical work, which will
strengthen both the work and the net. Some covens and individuals already do this.
Reach out the heart's fiery hand and feel the love of one another, both within the
coven and beyond it, setting aside the quarrels of the mind, poles of a tipi each
supporting each, moving faster, faster,circles made of love. In this way, a
synergistic entity, a collective consciousness, may be generated, incorporating all
our diversity yet stronger than any of us alone. This consciousness can be invoked
like any deity, and can be a guide and empowerment. We can give it names; there
will be private names known to individual covens or solitaries, but among us all the
name is Love.
Shine like a Beacon. Another working, which I feel is appropriate to a Full
Moon ritual, is one to avoid the light under a bushel syndrome, to illuminate all
minds equipped w ith eyes to see. The metaphor of a lighthouse beacon seems
appropriate; we can visualize this light shining brightly, overpowering any attempt
to hide it, so that truth cannot be any [who want] to understand it, initiation
cannot be denies to those capable of attaining it.
Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom; or, Divide and Rule. Assume that a mundane
Paganism must arise; above all we must not allow any one sect or denomination of the
Pagan religion to achieve preeminence over the others. It doesn't matter how much
we like or dislike what the leaders of this or that sect are saying. Any Pagan
doctrine will always be wrong, even if it's right, because initiation cannot be
conveyed in words or symbols. We can,through our magic, encourage diversity and
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creativity in the ranks of newcomers and noninitiate
leaders, preferring chaos to conformity, and subtly bend the path of discourse so
that it leads toward initiation rather than away from it. We must avoid the
temptation to encourage a unified, strong Paganism, and that temptation will arise!
A fractious, splintered, disorganized, and confusingly multi headed Paganism may be
somewhat embarrassing when it appears on network news or in Time magazine. But if
the initiatory tradition is clearly visible within, we will be far better served by
chaos than by an order which serves its own purposes, not ours.
I believe certainly I hope that these steps can preserve the Neopagan path of
initiation, prevent its burial under the mantle of religion, and permit what has
never before happened: genuine, large scale, beyond the point of no return breakout
of the Mysteries, leading to the transformation of human culture and this planet
assuming, of course, that civilization survives the crisis of the coming years.
Paganism is by some estimates the fastest growing religion in North America and too
few initiates.
Best of all: Thanks to science, we are not limited to what we know today. We
understand that even our best picture of reality is only an approximation, that we
will have a better picture tomorrow. This gift promises to upset the creeping
authoritarianism that has ruined so many paths of initiation and created so many
religions.
These are potent advantages. I believe they allow us the possibility of
success. But not the certainty. As we approach the crossroads, there are a number
of things that need doing. Some of these steps are simply a matter of keeping our
attitudes in the right places. Others involve research, development, and artistic
creation. Others still involve magical tasks. We need to understand that modern
Paganism, though built on the past, is not limited by it, that we are capable of
improving on our ancestor's wisdom even to the extent that their wisdom is not a
product of our own romantic imagination, which is large measure it is. We need to
recognize, once and for all, and say so, that our origin myths are just that: Wicca
is not a survival from the pre Christian past, but an eclectic/creative construct
meant to imitate what such a survival should ideally be. Its resemblance, and that
of Neopaganism in general, to ancient paganism in any of its multitude of forms is
slight and ultimately besides the point.
We need to do these things because they will allow us to take the next step,
which is to expand Paganism, as a path of initiation, to its potentia. We cannot do
that so long as we are locked into an old model real or romanticized. The
initiatory paths of the past have failed. Therefore, we need something better than
what has gone before. We can take the essentials of Neopaganism, the broad strokes
of its mythology and ritual, as a starting point, but we must go beyond that start.
First, we need to penetrate beneath the level of religious symbolism to what
might be called the physics of magic, the nuts and bolts and laws of nature that
account for what magic does and is. Next to the initiatory experience itself, which
can never be communicated or replaced by anything that point cannot be emphasized
too much or too often the physics of magic would be the deepest level of
understanding, accounting for all forms of symbolic knowledge. I have
developed on system of laws which I believe to be workable. (An account of those
laws will appear in an upcoming issue of Enchante.) It is the duty of
every
scientifically minded reader to rip them apart as best as
possible, to test them, and improve on them.
Secondly, we need to improve our tool chest of spiritual methods. Much of the
work has already been done by initiates outside Paganism. All we have to do is
translate it and incorporate it within our own framework. At the same time, an
expanded and improved body of poetic ritual would be useful.
Note from Ellen Cannon Reed:
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I received permission today from Skytoucher to upload the article
preceding this message. I found it one of the best articles on
paganism I've found. I do confess he is using paganism where I would
use "Wicca", and I do not mentally apply what he says to the other
pagan paths such as Asatru, but I do think the article is an important
one with regard to Wicca.
--- Maximus 2.00
* Origin: Mysteria * Be ye mystic * 818-353-8891 (1:102/943)
Insofar as the Craft of the Wise is the most ancient and most honorable creed of
humankind, it behooves all who are Witches to act in ways that give respect to the
Old Gods, to their sisters and brothers of the Craft, and to themselves.
Therefore, be it noted that:
1. Chivalry is a high code of honor which is of most ancient Pagan origin, and must
be lived by all who follow the old ways.
2. It must be kenned that thoughts and intent put forth on this Middle Earth will
wax strong in other worlds beyond and return... bringing into creation, on this
world, that which had been sent forth. Thus one should exercise discipline, for "as
ye plant, so shall ye harvest."
3. It is only by preparing our minds to be as Gods that we can ultimately attain
godhead.
4. "This above all... to thine own self be true..."
5. A Witch's word must have the validity of a signed and witnessed oath. Thus,
give thy word sparingly, but adhere to it like iron.
6. Refrain from speaking ill of others, for not all truths of the
matter may be known.
7. Pass not unverified words about another, for hearsay is, in large
part, a thing of falsehoods.
8. Be thou honest with others, and have them know that honesty is
likewise expected of them.
9. The fury of the moment plays folly with the truth; to keep one's
head is a virtue.
10. Contemplate always the consequences of thine acts upon others.
Strive not to do harm.
11. Diverse covens may well have diverse views of love between members
and with others. When a coven, clan, or grove is visited or joined, one should
discern quietly their practices, and abide thereby.
12. Dignity, a gracious manner, and a good humor are much to be admired.
13. As a Witch, thou has power, and thy powers wax strongly as wisdom
increases. Therefore, exercise discretion in the use thereof.
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14. Courage and honor endure forever. Their echoes remain when the
mountains have crumbled to dust.
15. Pledge friendship and fealty to those who so warrant. Strengthen
others of the Brethren and they shall strengthen thee.
16. Thou shalt not reveal the secrets of another Witch or Coven. Others have labored
long and hard for them, and cherish them as treasures.
17. Though there may be differences among those of the Old Ways, those
who are once-born must see nothing, and must hear nothing.
18. Those who follow the mysteries should be above reproach in the eyes of the
world.
19. The laws of the land should be obeyed whenever possible and within
reason, for in the main they have been chosen with wisdom.
20. Have pride in thyself and seek perfection in body and in mind. For
the Lady has said, "How canst thou honor another unless thou give honor to thyself
first?"
21. Those who seek the Mysteries should consider themselves the select
of the Gods, for it is they would lead the race of humankind to the highest of
thrones and beyond the very stars.
_____________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _
((___)) ((___))
[ x x ] [ x x ]
\ / \ /
(` ') (` ')
(U) (U)
HISTORY OF THE BOVINOMICON
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by The Raver
The history of the great Bovine mythos cycle is a lost and twisted one. Of the
tales of the Bovine unknown, one literary work, one tome of Bovinity, does stand
out. Yes, brutal reader, the BOVINOMICON.
This being a short but complete outline of the history of this book, its
author, The Raver, presents this work. The outline follows its various translations
and editions from the time of the writing (AD 730) of the BOVINOMICON to the present
day.
=================================================================
Original title AL AZIF - Azif being the word used by the Arabs to
designate that nocturnal sound (made by Bovine creatures) supposed to be the howling
of daemons.
Composed by Abdul Alhazred, a mad cow herder of Sanna, in Yemen,
who is said to have flourished during the period of the Omminade Caliphs, circa AD
700. He visited the ruins of Babylon and the subterranean secrets of Memphis and
spent ten years alone in the great
southern desert of Arabia - (the Roba El Khaliyeh or "Empty Space" of
the ancients and "Dahna" or "Crimson" desert of the modern Arabs) -
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which is held to be inhabited by protective evil spirits and monsters of death. Of
this desert many strange and unbelievable marvels are told by those who pretend to
have penetrated it. In his last years Alhazred dwelt in Damascus, where the
BOVINOMICON (AL AZIF) was written, and of his final death or disappearance (AD 738)
many terrible and conflicting things are told. He is said by Ebn Khallikan (12th
century biography) to have been seized by an invisible cow in broad daylight and
devoured horribly before a large number of fright-frozen witnesses. Of his madness
many things are told. He claimed to have seen the fabulous Irem, or City of
Pillars, and to have found beneath the ruins of a certain nameless desert pasture
the shocking annals and secrets of a race older than mankind. (Editors Note: A full
desc- ription of the nameless pasture, and the annals and secrets of its inhabitants
will be found in the t-file THE NAMELESS PASTURE, written by the author of this
outline). He was only an indifferent Moslem, worshipping unknown Entities who he
called Yog-Elsie and Bob-Sothoth.
--------------------------------------
CHRONOLOGY
One - AL AZIF written circa AD 730 at Damascus by Abdul Alhazred.
Two - Translated into Greek as BOVINOMICON, AD 950 by Theodorus Philetas.
Three - Burnt by Patriarch Michael AD 1050 (ie, Greek; Arabic text now lost).
Four - Olaus translates Greek into Latin, AD 1228.
Five - Latin and Greek editions suppressed by Gregory IX - AD 1232.
Six - 14..? Black letter edition printed in Germany.
Seven - 15..? Greek text printed in Italy.
Eight - 16..? Spanish translations of Latin text.
================================================================
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PERSONS interested in learning more details about the nameless
pasture mentioned in this outline, where Alhazred spent much time,
should read the t-file THE NAMELESS PASTURE by THE RAVER, which gives a detailed
description. The file is also a cDc communications release.
The tales of the Bovine mythos cycle are strange and diverse. Although some of
our terrible order's members prefer to scribe tales of present day Bovinity, I opt
for tales of a dark and terrible past, a time when the Bovine stalked the earth
unheeded by mankind.
"...The wailings of the mad are but the birth-cries of
the new man - the old man gone like dust in the desert
wind. Cleansed of the lies of mankind, the new man -
the man of darkness - is free to absorb the beauty of
nothingness, to glory in the stark night of the utter
void. As your useless reason dissolves, rejoice in the
knowledge that others in as diverse places as Texas and
North Carolina have walked the same path, have drunk
the same blood, have reveled in the same prospect of
everlasting night, as you..."
-- Keeper of the Bovine Gate
'Tis true, we are evil in our potent writings and scriptures of the Cow. But
this is only for a reason. The following passage describes this point very well.
Much better than I could, indeed.
"...You do not yet know the true gods. Everything you
know is a lie. The Great Bovine Ones - these are the
true rulers of the Universe; these and others you have
not yet heard of will be the objects of your adulation,
your emotion, your love. You are the fortunate ones -
the time may come, if you give your selfless devotion,
that you will worship in the flesh in the Temples of
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the Nameless Pasture, whose glory is beyond your
comprehension."
The following tale is a true one and depicts the place that many Cultees desire
to be... the dreaded Nameless Pasture, where Bob-Sothoth rules supreme and the blood
of thousands runs rampant through the stalks of Cow-Bane. This tale is not for the
faint of heart. Nay. You have been forewarned.
==========================================================
In a distant land, in a distant time, the mad arab, Abdul Alhazred, began a
horrific journey into the Roba El Kaliyeh ("Empty Space"), the vast desert of
southern Arabia. The time was AD 715 and Alhazred was quite mad. After traversing
the ruins of Babylon and the strange subterranean catacombs beneath the archaic
ruins of Memphis who would not be? Alhazred, in his demented mind, thought that the
vast desert would allow him the peace and tranquility that he so desperately needed.
Unfortunately, this was not to be...
As Alhazred traversed the shifting sands, his mind wandered back to the days
when he was but a simple cow herdsman. All was well, until that day... the day that
he heard a cow utter the following phrase in an ancient tongue: "Ia! Ia!
Bob-Sothoth fhtagn! Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Bob-Sothoth wgha-nagl fhtaga!" Ever since
that time seventeen years ago Alhazred had not been the same. He had afterwards
began a vast quest to discover why the cows he had herded had talked and exactly who
and what Bob-Sothoth is... or was. Alhazred began his quest almost a score of years
ago and felt that he was close to the
ultimate answer. During his nights with the cows those years past he had heard
their urgent mooings. What did they mean? Were the cows possessed of daemons? What
in the hell was going on?
As Alhazred continued his bizarre cycle of thought he noticed not the paved
stones peeking up at him from the sand below his sandled feet. Only when he tripped
on a large crack did he notice the fragmented pavement beneath him. "What?" thought
Alhazred. A road in the middle of a vast expanse of desert? Filled with curiosity
Alhazred decided it best to follow the ancient road. Soon darkness overtook the
world and day became night.
As the moon climbed higher in the sky he began to see that the slopes of
desert began to rise. Urged by an impulse which he could definitely not
analyze, Alhazred scrambled with difficulty up the dunes... Upon reaching the
top of the tremendous circle of dunes he stood silently, gazing into the
stygian depths where no light had yet penetrated.
All at once his attention was captured by a vast and singular object on the
opposite slope, which rose steeply about a hundred yards ahead of him; an object
that gleamed brightly in the newly bestowed rays of the ascending moon. He assured
himself that it was merely a piece of gigantic stone; but he was conscious of an
instinct impression that its contour and position were not altogether the work of
Nature. A closer scrutiny filled him with sensations he could not express; for
despite its enormous magnitude, and its position in
an abyss which had yawned in the middle of a vast desert since the world was young,
he perceived beyond a doubt that the strange object was a well-shaped monolith whose
massive bulk had known the workmanship and perhaps the worship of living and
thinking creatures.
Dazed and frightened, yet not without a certain thrill of the scientist's or
archaeologist's delight, Alhazred examined his surroundings more closely.
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The moon, now near the zenith, shone vividly above the towering steeps that hemmed
in the chasm revealed that far below rested a great area of flat land. As he
inspected the monolith more closely he noticed that, though eroded by the billowing
sands, it was still identifiable as... a cow. Footholds were aplenty and Alhazred
began the laborious trek downwards into the vast chasm.
As Alhazred dropped from a low ledge to the base of the chasm he uttered a
slightly audible groan. His feet had hit not sand but wheat. As he regained his
feet he surveyed his surroundings. For hundreds of yards the great field reared
into the distance.. far off he thought that he saw a mass of some sort but it was
dark and he was unsure. He slowly set off towards the mass. Somewhere off in the
distance he thought he heard the frenzied mooings of some unspeakable Bovine beast,
but he convinced himself that it was probably just
the wind.
When Alhazred was within earshot of the vast mass he did hear the frenzied
mooings of some sort of beast. Shaking with fear he moved closer only because of
fear of what might be lurking around the vast pasture. As he got closer he saw that
the mass was indeed a building, a temple.. broken colonnades paraded around the
temple and strange bas-reliefs covered its face...it was too dark to clearly make
out what the reliefs depicted. Alhazred began to circumvent the temple looking for
some means of egress. Soon he found a rubbled hole in
a wall. The hole poured with a dim light and the smell of greasy smoke. He
crouched down so that he could peer inside.
Inside he saw a vast chamber filled with a slime-coated liquid that was
obviously water. The chamber was dominated by a Cyclopean monolith, on whose
surface he could now trace both inscriptions and crude sculptures. The writing was
in a system of hieroglyphics unknown to Alhazred, consisting for the most part of
Bovine creatures and the like. Several characters obviously represented beasts not
of the modern world.
It was the pictorial carving, however, that did most to hold him spell-bound.
Plainly visible across the intervening monolith on account of their enormous size
was an array of bas-reliefs whose subjects would have excited the envy of a Dore.
He thought these things were supposed to depict cows - at least, a certain sort of
cow; though the creatures were shown disporting like cows in great pastures, or
paying homage at some monolithic shrine which appeared to be in a pasture as well.
Of their faces and forms he dared not speak in detail; for the mere remembrance mad
him grow faint. Grotesque beyond
the imagination of a Poe or a Bulwer, they were damnably Bovine in general outline
despite loathsome tentacles, cilia covered with congealed slime, wide with flabby
lips, glassy, bulbous eyes, and other features less pleasant to recall. Curiously
enough they seemed to be chiseled badly out of proportion with their scenic
background. Alhazred decided that they were merely the imaginary gods of some race
lost in the vestiges of time. Awestruck at this unexpected glimpse into the past,
he stood musing whilst the moon cast queer reflections on the stone walls around
him.
Then he saw it. With only a slight churning to mark its rise to the surface,
the thing slid into view above the dark waters. Vast, polyphemus-like, and
loathsome, it darted like a stupendous monster of nightmares to the monolith, about
which it flung its gigantic scaly tentacles, the while it bowed its hideously horned
head and gave to certain measured mooings. Alhazred went mad then.
On his frantic ascent of the cliff and dune slopes, and of his delirious
journey back to Damascus, he remembered little. Alhazred sang a great deal, and
laughed oddly when unable to sing. He had distinct recollections of a great storm
some time after ascending out of the blasted heath in the middle of the Roba El
Kaliyeh; at any rate, he knew that he heard peals of thunder and other tones which
Nature utters only in her wildest moods.
================================================================
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It was this experience that prompted Abdul Alhazred to scribe the original
Arabic text, AL AZIF, later translated into the BOVINOMICON. This rare work deals
with many complex matters, including the idea that Bovine mooings are actually the
language of daemons from the outer regions of the cosmos.
"...do you dare imagine things as they can be? As, indeed they will be when
the earth is transformed and the illusion of reality is erased from the minds of men
by the annihilation of those minds? Do you live in hope to see Great Bob-Sothoth
stride the earth? Do you dream of the Throne of Yog-Elsie, of joining the faithful
that mosh there? O, purify yourselves, then, for these and greater things await you
who are members of our terrible order..."
-- Part of a speech heard outside of a home in a Winston-Salem, NC, suburb
"The world is indeed comic, but the joke is on mankind." -- H.P. Lovecraft
========================================================
(c)1988 cDc communications by The Raver 4/22/88-58
All Rights Worth Shit
T H E A U T O N O M A T R I X
Nascent Manifesto of 930111
Projects or Operations which include any member of the AX within or without one's
Working Group are to be listed in the Contacts List. An "Operation" is usefully
described as an extended working for a specific goal carried out by two or mo re
members of the guild regardless of WG affiliation.
It is recommended that each WG and Operation designate a Main Contact Point (or MCP)
elected by the members in that Working Group, for response to inquiries and
distribution of information. It is the responsibility of the acting MCP of that
group to distribute all information for inclusion into the Corpus Fecundi of the
members in hir Working Group and/or O peration.
:: Information Transference ::
:: Voting ::
When voting is required within the AX as a whole, all members must provide a written
response of yes, no, or abstinence. The votes of each member are then listed beside
their name on the next Contacts Listing. A measure's success depends upon at least
a two-third's majority of all members of the AutonomatriX. All members are
encouraged to voice their own o pinions at all times.
:: Identification ::
The AX does not employ any single clue to disclose membership in the guild.
However, objects that are easily available are periodically chosen to represent
active participation in the network, such as a certain semiprecious stone or a
color-specific pen for example. At any time, suggestions may be supplied to a
curator for random selection. The identifier is described as briefly as possible at
the top of each Contacts Listing. Aside from this, each WG and Operation is encou
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raged to generate totems and/or fetishes to designate themselves symbolically within
the guild.
:: Accessories ::
Each Working Group in the AX chooses what ritual accessories are necessary. Some may
choose specific forms of jewelry or ritual garments as a group. Each member must
possess the current identifier
object of the AX in the working area at the time of any meeting attended.
The AutonomatriX may be reached via
Temple Babel
PO Box 26362
San Francisco, CA 94126
Vox Mail: 415- 267-6937
or via the
PSYBERNET BBS: (805)772 AS IF
ON THE NATURE OF THE AETHER
[1] The Anahat Shabd, the "soundless sound", is the subtlest element of all. It
is the etheric essence, finer than earth, air, water, or fire, beyond the speed of
light... all pervasive, the source of cohesion, of electricity, of magnetism and
gravitation, of all that exists.
The modern physicist E.C.G. Sudarshan has described the etheric essence of the
Anahat Shabd in scientific terms as follows:
This Aether has been theorized and expounded upon by metaphysists for hundreds,
perhaps thousands of years (I have so far been unable to find the true source of the
idea). Back in the 1600 there were several Aethers, but around 1638, Rene' Descartes
postulated a single Aether that was "all-pervasive".
As recently as a hundred years ago this idea was quite popular, though now it is
dismised by science, or at least most of science. There are now several physists who
are beginning to develop theories about the universe that look for all the world
like theories of the Aether, though, they are using different names for the very
ideas that the ancient metaphysists proposed.
Consider these two exerpts from papers written by modern physists. They are
going to describe two "fields" that exist in their theories, and are in all
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likelyhood what the ancients called; the Aether.
[2] Space is filled with an energy field, the energy concentration of which is
extremely large (for the layman, the energy field in this lecture room could
correspond to the energy of several bombs.)
This energy field has little to do with light energy or solar energy,
and instead is called the GRAVITON FIELD, TACHYON FIELD or NEUTRINO FIELD.
There are two essential models of imagination for this field and the tachyon.
We are either dealing with EXTREMELY SHORT WAVES which possess VERY HIGH
ENERGY electromagnetic radiation, or we are dealing with very small energy
units which display a PULSATING BEHAVIOR which, in turn, determines their energy.
[...]
The majority of them (tachyons) may remain relatively stationary (these
are called BRADYONS) and because of their OSCILLATORY BEHAVIOR (Prof. Seike
calls it "trembling motion" [Zitterbewegung]), they HAVE A GREAT AMOUNT OF
ENERGY.
This means that ALL MATTER is immersed in an EXTREMELY DENSE ENERGY FIELD
which we cannot percieve.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Vangard note...
Think of the Bradyon field in its continuous jiggle as having a
composition similar to syrup. Rapidly moving Tachyons can be thought of as water
or gas.
Comparison of the flow speed of the two fields shows how the Bradyon
field could "sustain" the holographic (3d) image of the universe in a matrix of
living energy.
This opens up very interesting concepts relating to Sheldrake's
Morphogenetic Fields and Burrs' Electrodynamic Fields of Life.
-------------------------------------------------------
[...]
Whatever the subtle level of reality underlying matter and energy, we are that
(including our consciousness). If hidden variables exist, we are the hidden
variables. It has been theorized that consciousness is an inseparable aspect of
this underlying reality. When our awareness connects with the deepest layer of
reality interconnecting everything, we may experience the level of consciousness
beyond time and form reported by many mystics. It is this non local structure that
we share with nature that makes it possible to "attune to nature," to psychically
participate in nature, and to live in accordance with
it.
What we are usually aware of (normal waking consciousness) is a relatively
superficial movement in the order of things. Behind the things we are aware of in
waking consciousness are a vast array of less strongly linked phenomena. This
latter realm is commonly called the unconscious (and parts of it the subconscious).
The unconscious is not very accurate, since it forms a kind of ground of
consciousness. Our awareness can link with this ground of consciousness to gain
information and to influence events.
-------------------------------------------------
As may be seen from the two quotations above modern science is developing theories
that are harmonious with the Thelemic concept of the Universe. True they are using
different names for the particles and fields, but they are none the less the same.
It should be noticed in the above that one writer talks about a particle field,
while the other writes about probability waves. These should not be confused -- it
is entirely likely that these are one in the same -- much like the photon, which is
alternately thought of as a particle and a wave -- yet it is still our mundane
light.
This Tachyon field is in all likely-hood a field of Hadits -- after all Hadit is
omnipresent. At any rate this does seem to fit into the current Thelemic and
Enochian theories of that which underlies reality, and even in the worst case
science is describing a field of RA-HOOR-KHUITs. This goes a long way to explaining,
in modern scientific terms, why and how Magick works.
---------------------------------------------------------
It is Descartes' "All-pervasive Aether" or field of infinitely small particles that
is becoming known as the Tachyon or neutrino field by modern science.
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In the Enochian theories, the universe is filled with a virtually infinite number of
'infinitely small' points of consciousness, these are known as the 'Monad'. These
Monads are the very stuff of which all things are made, and are in all likelyhood
the 'fundimental particle' of modern science. These monads then would also be the
'unit' particles which make up what the ancients called the aether, since at this
level they would be indistinguishable from energy. They would also form a great
'matrix' which would fill the material universe.
Since these particles are not only infinitely small, but are infinitely close
together, any action on one given particle would have an effect on ALL others. As
was noted above; these particles are 'points' of consciousness. This brings to mind
statements made by Hermes; The ALL is MIND (or something to that effect). If these
infinitely small particles are indeed consciousness, then it would follow that the
All or the Universe is mind. The universe would indeed be a living 'thinking'
creature in itself -- this idea is consistant with the theories of Enochian Physics.
The possibilities are endless, and all equally valid. So what does all this
have to do with the price of tea in China? Just this;
1. It goes a long way in proving the Thelemic Cosmology, though we Thelemites would
use different nomenclature. The Ideas of Nuit (infinite space) and Hadit (the
infinitely small particle which fills and manifests Nuit) are beginning to be
accepted by modern physics. The conjunction of these infinites, Ra-Hoor-Khuit, any
and all events occuring within Nuit and Hadit, is therefore a 'given'.
2. It shows the mechanics of Magick. Since it can be observed that one consciousness
affects another, it follows that one may affect the entire universe by simply
'fixing' an idea in their consciousness. This may seem a bit over-simplified...it
is! The process is not an easy one, however, the rituals and processes that have
been given us by the ancients do begin to make some sense in the light of modern
physics. It is these ancient mechanisms that allow us to put our mundane minds into
the proper 'frame' and therefore 'excite' our consciousness, thus allowing us to
have a 'physical' effect on
or enviroment.
References:
Ae> Then you're lucky. I'm with Paul Hume on this one.
Well, I've been rethinking this myself, mostly because I realized that in other
contexts I make a big deal about the "dangers" of confronting the Divine. So why
was I so critical of the dangers espoused by Paul and others?
A major reason, I beleive is that I was taking their statements too literally. I
can't take the image of God as a high voltage line seriously. For that matter, I
find myself more and more disatisfied the the electrical metaphor that so permiates
modern discussions of magic. Words such as "charging," "grounding," and "energy"
capture only one side -- and not the most important side -- of ritual work. My over
literal reading of their posts conjured up a ridiculous image in my mind, which I
emphatically rejected.
Let me say instead that the dangers of encounter with the Divine are not electrical,
but rather are moral and intellectual. If one demands a relationship with Deity
which exceeds one's moral maturity, one does indeed face serious risks. I suspect
that most of these risks are related to self-deception and self-indulgence, but I
suppose that in extreme cases the damage to the personality could be more rapid.
All this, of course, presumes a basically healthy psyche.
On the other hand, approaching Deity often feels much more dangerous than it is. We
are likely to feel a great deal of fear as our pretensions and denials are stripped
away by the appraoch of the Divine presence. This feeling of fear is necessary and
good, but it is fear of change as much as fear of real danger.
Ae> Traumatic not just for the unwilling. I recently had a pries tess of
mine who did the Drawing Down for the first time and she was profoundly
disturbed by it. Not in an unpleasant way, but she's well trained and she
still found the whole experience hard to deal with on an emotional level.
Some people can shrug it off, others find it hard to incorporate into
themselves. Kinda like losing one's virginity...
I wasn't thinking that "emotionally hard to deal with" was what Paul et al. meant by
"zapped" or "crispy." Certainly such experiences can be emotionally hard to deal
with (although I have never found them so myself).
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Ae> To be blunt, bullsh*t. Sure it can. The Gods sometimes force us to
prove our mettle, *especially* if we ask them to. If we are strong
enough,fine. If not...
Prove our mettle at what exactly? Lightning bolts at fifty paces? I probably agree
with you, but I reject the idea that we are tested like transistors -- turn on the
juice and throw away the ones that burn out.
Ae> Besides, the biggest danger isn't in the presence of the Divine. It's
when the mage/priest *thinks* the Divine is there and is deluded. The
unconscious mind will happily produce all sorts of fantasies if you ask.
This I agree with 100%
Ae> It isn't a case of how effective the participants are, rather, how
ineffective. Delusion is a stock in trade for the occult arts.
Here you seem to have come around to my side. Most dangers come not from the
presence of the Gods, but rather from their absence. An imaginary power line isn't
dangerous, but an imaginary like with God/dess is.
Blessed Be
Dan
By: Paul Hume
To: Dan Holdgreiwe
Re: Re: Dangers of Deity?
----------------------------
Dan -
The zapped or crispy metaphor (hmmm, more Divine Electricity imagery) could include
"emotional discomfort," though I find that to be so basic an element in dealing with
Divine encounters (in my *vast* experience (g)), as the ego tries to relate to what
has just happened, that I don't really consider it at issue.
Someone who shrugs and mutters "No big deal," whether they've Drawn Down a God for
the first or five hundredth time has more of a problem, in my arrogant opinion, than
someone who throws shrieking fits in the wake of the experience (assuming they get
to stop screaming, eventually).
Yes, the crispness of the unprepared is, in fact, a metaphor for psychological
disintegration, an explosion of "mundane consciousness" in the wake of an experience
which blows the underpinnings out from under it. In a not uncommon example,
priesthood who begin to expect, to demand, the reverence shown them when they are
vessels of the Divine be shown them when they are not exercising their theurgic
office. Whether it is a Wiccan HPS or a Catholic monsignor (or
what you will), this is a typical poison that can breed in the wake of the Divine
invocation.
Psychically, the Gods ARE high-voltage lines, whether you accept them as "real" or
"mere archetypes," or whatever. They, by definition, function on a level of
consciousness that is tremendously potent in the context of day-to-day awareness.
And they may be as solicitous of humans as a human is when caring for a small and
fragile animal, but They also do not exercise the same controls on humans that
humans do on animals, and rarely force us to turn away from danger, though They try
and protect us when we think to ask for it.
The fact that humanity contains (in my view) Divine potential in its own right
allows for humans to confront Deity on its own plane, even at the cost of the
present incarnation.
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Paul
By: Dan Holdgreiwe
To: Paul Hume
Re: Re: Dangers of Deity?
--------------------------
In the presence of the Goddess, Paul Hume said to Dan Holdgreiwe:
Part of this may be training (I spent about 10 unpleasant but productive years under
the disipline of a very demanding spiritual group) and part of it may be a matter of
pre-stripping the ego in anticipation of contact with the Divine (a less than common
practice among Pagans, who tend tobe suspicious of anything that smacks of
humility).
PH> Someone who shrugs and mutters "No big deal," whether they've Drawn
Down a God for the first or five hundredth time has more of a problem, in my
arrogant opinion, than someone who throws shrieking fits in the wake of the
experience (assuming they get to stop screaming, eventually).
I would agree, but I find the more common reaction to be along the lines of "Oh,
wow!" or even "Mmmmmmmmmmm, yes!" Perhaps this means I'm not "plugged in" to the
high-amp Deities (like maybe Cthulu). <g>
PH> Yes, the crispness of the unprepared is, in fact, a metaphor for
psychological disintegration, an explosion of "mundane con sciousness" in
the wake of an experience which blows the under pinnings out from under it.
In a not uncommon example, pries thood who begin to expect, to demand, the
reverence shown them when they are vessels of the Divine be shown them when
they are not exercising their theurgic office. Whether it is a Wiccan HPS
or a Catholic monsignor (or what you will), this is a typical poison
that can breed in the wake of the Divine invocation.
Ah, this is where your metaphor confuses me. You speak of an "explosion" but your
example is more akin to a cancer -- not a dramatic shattering of the personality,
but a gradual corruption. The latter is a danger that I readily acknowledge.
PH> Psychically, the Gods ARE high-voltage lines, whether you accept them as
"real" or "mere archetypes," or whatever. They, by definition, function on a
level of consciousness that is treme ndously potent in the context of
day-to-day awareness.
PH> The fact that humanity contains (in my view) Divine potential in its own
right allows for humans to confront Deity on its own plane, even at the cost
of the present incarnation.
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The Lord and Lady are indeed potent, but their energy is wisely controlled. Each of
us, hoever, is a high-voltage line in much less capable hands. I believe it is not
God/dess, but our own Divine potential which will "zap" us if we are careless in its
use.
Blessed Be
Dan
OCTARINE MAGIC
Following Pratchett's hypothesis, the eighth colour of the spectrum,
which is the magicians personal perception of the "colour of magic",
may be called octarine. For me, this is a particular shade of
electric pinkish-purple. My most signifikant optical visions have
all occured in this hue, and I visualise it to colour many of my
more important spells and sigils on the astral. Before I set sail in
a handmade open boat through the Arabian Sea I was tricked into
accepting a huge and priceless star ruby by a wizard in India. It
was of an exactly octarine hue. During the most violent typhoon I
have ever experienced I found myself shrieking my conjurations to
Thor and Poseidon whilst clinging to the bowsprit as mountainous
waves smashed into the boat and octarine lightning bolts crashed
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into the sea all around. Looking back it seems miraculous that I
and my crew survived. I have kept the octarine stone, uncertain as
to whether it was passed to me as a curse, a joke, a blessing, or a
test, or all of these things.
The magician can invoke such god forms for the illumination of
various aspects of the magical self, and for various works of pure
rather than applied magic. The category of pure magic includes such
activities as the development of magical theories and philosophies,
and magical training programs, the devising of symbolic systems for
use in divinations, spells and incantations, and also the creation
of magical languages for similar purposes. It is worth noting here
that chaos-magical languages are usually now written in V-Prime
before transliteration into magical barbaric form. V-Prime or
Vernacular Prime is simply one's native tongue in which all use of
all tenses of the verb "to be" is omitted in accordance with quantum
metaphysics. All the nonsense of transcendentalism disappears quite
naturally once this tactic is adopted. There is no being, all is
doing.
The octarine power is invoked to inspire the magician self and to
expand the magicians primary arcana. The primary personal arcana
consists of the fundamental symbols with which he interprets and
interacts with reality (whatever that may assault perception as),
magically. These symbols may be theories or kabbalas, obsessions,
magical weapons, astral or physical, or indeed anything which
relates to the practice of magic generally, that is not dedicated
specifically to one of the other powers of applied magic, whose
symbols form the secondary personal arcana of magic.
From the vantage point of the octarine gnosis, the magician self
should be able to perceive the selves of the other seven powers, and
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be able to see their interrelationship within his total organism.
Thus the octarine power brings some ability in psychiatry, which is
the adjustment of the relationship between the selves in an
organism. The basis difference between a magician and a civilian is
that the latter the octarine power is vestigial or undeveloped. The
normal resting or neutral mode a civilian corresponds to a mild
expression of the yellow power which he regards as his normal
personality or "ego". The magician self however, is fully aware that
this is but one of eight major tools that the organism possesses.
Thus, in a sense, the "normal personality" of the magician is a tool
of his magical self (and, importantly, vice versa). This realisation
gives him some advantage over ordinary people. However the
developing magical self will soon realize that it is not in itself
superior to the other selves that the organism consists of, for
there are many things they can do which it cannot.
The development of the octarine power through the philosophy and
practice of magic tends to provide the magician with a second major
centre amongst the selves to complement the ego of the yellow power.
The awakening of the octarine power is sometimes known as "being
bitten by the serpent". Those who have been, are usually as
instantly recognisable to each other as, for example, two lifeboat
survivors are.
Perhaps one of the greatest tricks of sleight of mind is to allow
the magician self and the ego to dance together within the psyche
without undue conflict. The magician who is unable to disguise
himself as an ordinary person, or who is unable to act independently
of his own ego, is no magician at all.
Nevertheless, the growth of the octarine, or eighth power of the
self, and the discovery of the type of magician one wants to be, and
the identification or synthesis of a god form to represent it, tend
to create something of a mutant being, who has advanced into a
paradigm that few others are aware of. It is not easy to turn back
once the jouney has begun, though quite a few have tried to abort
the voyage with various narcotics including mysticism. It is a
pilgrimage to an unknown destination, in which one awakes
successively from one nightmare into another. Some on them appear
vastly entertaining at the time. There are worlds within us, the
abysses are just the initiations in between them.
The evocation of an octarine servitor can create an invaluable tool
for those engaged in magical research. The main functions of such
entities are usually to assist in the discovery of useful
information and contacts. Negative results should not be ignored
here, the complete failure of a well prepared servitor to retrieve
information about the hypothetical cosmic "big bang", was a
contributory factor in the development of the Fiat Nox theory, for
example.
BLACK MAGIC
The Death programs built into our genetic and hence behavioral and
emotional structure are the price we pay for the capacity for sexual
reproduction which alone allows for evolutionary change. Only
organisms which reproduce asexually, to replicate endless identical
copies of their very simple forms, are immortal. Two conjunctions
with the black power are of particular interest to the magician: the
casting of destruction spells and the avoidance of premature death.
So called "Chod" rites are a ritual rehearsal of death in which the
Death-self is invoked to manifest its knowledge and wisdom.
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Traditionally conceived of as a black robed skeletal figure armed
with a scythe, the Death-self is privy to the mysteries of ageing,
senescence, morbidity, necrosis, entropy and decay. It is often also
possessed of a rather wry and world weary sense of humour.
Simple money spells are rarely used in modern blue magic. The
tendency nowadays is to cast spells designed to enhance schemes
designed to make money. If one fails to provide a mechanism through
which money can manifest then either nothing will happen or the
spell will flesh by strange means, such as a legacy from the
untimely death of a much beloved relative for example. Serious blue
magic is never attempted by conventional forms of gambling.
Conventional gambling is an expensive way of buying experiences
which have nothing to do with increasing one's wealth. Blue magic is
a matter of carefully calculated investment. Anyone but a fool
should be able to devise an investment that offers better odds than
conventional forms of gambling.
RED MAGIC
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Combat magic is usually practised openly with the adversary being
publicly threatened and cursed, or finding himself the recipient of
an unpleasant looking talisman, spell or rune. The aim is
intimidation and control of one's adversary who must therefore be
made as paranoid as possible and informed of the origin of the
attack. Otherwise combat magic takes the same general form as that
used in Entropy Rites, with sigils and servitors carrying
auto-destructive information to the target, although with sub-lethal
intent.
Various god forms such as Ra, Helios, Mithras, Apollo and Baldur are
useful to structure fresh manifestations of the ego, and for
experiments with the other three qualities of the yellow power.
Charisma, the projection of an aura of self confidence, is based on
a simple trick. After a short while there is no difference at all
between the pretence and the actuality of self confidence. Anyone
wishing to remedy a lack of confidence and charisma, and uncertain
as to how to begin pretending to these qualities, may find that a
day or two spent pretending to absolute zero self confidence will
quickly reveal both the effectiveness of pretence and the specific
thoughts, words, gestures and postures required to project either
pretence.
There are three types of persistent gambler. The losers account for
two types. Firstly there are those addicted to their own arrogance,
who just have to prove that they can beat pure chance or the odds
set by the organisers. Secondly there are those addicted to the
anxiety of loosing. Even if they win, they invariably throw it away
again soon afterwards. Then there are the winners. These people are
not gambling at all, either because they are organising the odds and
stakes, or because they have inside information, or because they are
cheating. This is true orange magic. Poker is not a game of chance
if played skilfully, and skilful play includes not playing against
persons of equal or superior skill, or persons holding a Smith and
Weston to your Four Aces. Most conventional forms of gambling are
set up in such a way that the use of anything but the most extreme
forms of psychic power will make little difference. I would not
bother to bet on odds that I had reduced from an hundred to one to
merely sixty to one. However certain results obtained using double
blind prescience with horse racing show encouraging potential.
PURPLE MAGIC
A large proportion of all the cults throughout history have shared
one particular characteristic. They have been led by a charismatic
man able to persuade women to freely dispense sexual favours to ther
men. When one begins to look, this feature is startlingly common to
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many ancient cults, monotheistic schismatic sects and modern
esoteric groups. Many, if not the majority of adepts past and
present were, or are, whoremasters. The mechanism is quite simple,
pay the woman in the coinage of spirituality to service the men who
repay you with adulation and accept your teachings as a side effect.
The adulation from the men then increases your charisma with the
women creating a positive feedback loop. It can be a nice little
earner until old age or a police raid catches up with the
enterprise. The other danger is of course that the women, and
eventually the men, may come to feel that constant changes of
partners work against their longer term interests of emotional
security and reproduction. The turnover in such cults can thus be
high, with young adults constantly replacing those approaching early
middle age.
All this begs the question of why it is that people have such an
appetite for wanting to be told what to do with their sexuality. Why
do people have to seek esoteric and metaphysical justification for
what they want to do? Why is it so easy to make a living selling
water by the river?
A dull sex life creates a dull person. Few people manage to achieve
greatness in any field without propulsion that a turbulent
emotional-sexual life supplies. This is the major secret of sex
mgic, the two minor secrets involve the function of orgasm as gnosis
and the projection of sexual glamours.
Anything held in the conscious mind at orgasm tends to reach down
into the subconscious. Sexual abnormalities can readily be implanted
or removed by this method. At orgasm sigils for enchantment or
evocation can be empowered either by visualisation or by gazing at
the sigil taped to one's partner's forehead for example. However
this kind of work is often more conveniently performed
auto-erotically. Although the gnosis offered by orgasm can in theory
be used in support of any magical objective, it is generally unwise
to use it for entropy or combat magic. No spell is ever totally
insulted within the subconscious and any leakages which occur can
implant quite detrimental associations with the sexuality.
Dedication Ritual
Lammas, 1992 Khaled Quicksilver
OPENING: Put up circle as per usual, up to but not including DDTM. Principal
witness is Priest or Priestess, whichever is opposite gender to the Candidate.
Priest/ess:
"Truly an Ethical core. And art willing to make oath to the Gods?"
Candidate:
"I am."
Priest/ess:
"Art willing to ever keep secret what is unfolded before you, even though it
should cost thee thy life?"
Candidate:
"I am."
Priest/ess:
"Art willing to swear so before the Gods, and before these here assembled?
Candidate:
"I am."
Priest/ess (to Sponsor):
"Has s/he the password to enter into the worlds where such a compact must
needs be made?
Sponsor:
"S/he has it not. I give it for him/her, so she may enter into compact."
Dedication (continued)
Priest/ess:
"By what Right or Privelege do you ask admittance into our Rites and into
the company of the Gods?"
Sponsor:
"By the right of two passwords. Perfect Love and Perfect Trust!"
Priest/ess (to dedicant):
"The door has been opened for you. But you must make the step alone. By
what right do you enter?"
Dedicant:
"By those very passwords. Perfect Love and Perfect Trust."
Priest/ess:
"I give thee a third. (Kisses Candidate)
DDTM is then performed.
Priest/ess:
"You may now proceed with your wish."
Candidate:
Gives dedication oath. (this should be written by the candidate with the
help of the sponsor(s), so that all the elements required are included, but should
not follow a "canned" script.)
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Priest/ess (to those assembled):
"We have heard (Canddates name)'s intentions. Have you any questions or do
you wish any clarification?"
Each covenor does so, if they want a clarification. This continues until
all are satisfied as to the meaning of the candidate's oath and are satisfied that
the candidate has promised to live up the the Rede, to the best of his/her ability
while a student and to keep the Secrets, whether they stay in or not. (NOTE:
Promising more than is outlined is grossly unfair -- The candidate MUST fully
cognizant of what has been promised!)
Priest/ess:
"We have heard your Oath and your meaning. Remember that you Oath binds
you, for it has been made in the presence of the Gods and witnessed by the Craft of
the Wise."
Priest/ess then introduces the new dedicant to each member of the group, then to the
Quarters, and finally to the Gods:
Priest/ess:
"Lord and Lady, here is your Child, (name) who has sworn his/her devotion to
you. Treat him/her gently and with justice, for s/he is young in the ways of the
Wise. Teach us to do the same."
Cakes and Wine, with the new Dedicant fiven the first drink in honour of his/her new
status. Dismiss the Circle.
Chorus:
Dance the ring, luck to bring,
When the year's a-turninng.
Chant the rhyme at Hallows-time,
When the fire's burning.
Fire spark, when nights are dark
Makes our winter's mirth.
Red leaves fall, earth takes all,
Brings them to rebirth.
Chorus:
Dance the ring, luck to bring,
When the year's a-turninng.
Chant the rhyme at Hallows-time,
When the fire's burning.
Fire fair, earth and air,
And the heaven's rain,
All blessed be, and so may we,
at Hallows-tide again.
Chorus:
Dance the ring, luck to bring,
When the year's a-turninng.
Chant the rhyme at Hallows-time,
When the fire's burning.
Doreen Valiente
"Witchcraft For Tomorrow" p. 193
HORN SONG
Great stag's horns are sprouting out of my head!
Now I sing great songs!
Thundering voices roar
Ancient melodies
That now are caught in my magickal horns
To power my soul
And to heal my body
And enrich my mind!
Listen as I soar! Listen as I sing!
My words are power
To heal bodies, minds, soul
And to conquer death!
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PAN TO ARTEMIS
Uncharmable charmer
Of Bacchus and Mars,
In the sounding, rebounding
Abyss of the stars!
O virgin in armour,
Thine arrows unsling
In the brilliant resilient
First rays of the spring!
O virgin in armour
Thine arrows unsling,
In the brilliant resilient
First rays of the spring!
No Godhead could charm her,
But manhood awoke--
O fiery Valkyrie,
I invoke, I invoke!
ALOHA, Serge King -- a full moon blessing
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CHANGE
I wonder if the sadness I feel
Is the shadow
Of my profound happiness
Something is finished
That was filled with wonderful excitement
The search is over
Now it is time to work
This is something new
It is as if a tiger were lurking
Unseen and waiting
To pounce on me and kill
This, my new beauty
01-10-89 Hugh Read
FIRE OPAL - A Gem of an OPUS [Minneapolis, MN (612) 822-4812]
(Opus 1:282/8)
A PAGAN AWAKENING
A new life is there,
You hear Her now,
She was always there,
and You're forever changed.
So listen to Diana, and accept Her love.
Hoard not Her gifts : feeling, renewal, music.
A new life is there,
You see Him now,
He was always there,
and you're forever changed.
So look to Apollo, and receive His light.
Hoard not His gifts : healing, growth, joy.
A new life is there,
Your hands reach it now,
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It was always there,
and You're forever changed.
So touch the earth, and partake of it's sustenance.
Hoard not it's gifts : body, green, silence.
A new life is there,
You soar with it now,
It was always there,
and You're forever changed.
So breathe in the air and gather the wind.
Hoard not it's gifts : mind, dreams, empathy.
A new life is there,
You're warmed by it now,
It was always there,
and You're forever changed.
So build the flame and brave it's heat.
Hoard not it's gifts : spirit, will, energy.
A new life is there,
You flow with it now,
It was always there,
and You're forever changed.
So study the ocean and follow it's tides.
Hoard not it's gifts : self, courage, sorrow.
A new life is there,
You're one with them now,
They were always there,
and You're forever changed.
So take Their gifts and return them threefold.
Share this magic : friendship, love, trust.
.... Jeff A. Bordeaux 4 Jan 89
InterVisioN "The ParaNormal Connection" 603-547-6485 HST
(1:132/123)
EARTHDREAM
-
I feel earth drums deep in the mountain's feet;
Compelling rhythm driving from the core.
I quicken to the flow of molten heat,
and sing with earth song felt in granite's roar.
-
And overhead, elusive secrets heard
in rushing air, bright lightning's stormy ring.
The wisdom of the dragon, cloud and bird
I hear in wind, and see in eagle's wing.
-
A roaring flame will dance and show it's gaze
and speak with firey language, spark and smoke.
My needful spirit feeds upon this blaze
and feeds the source with rowan, ash and oak.
-
The swelling ocean, graced with moon's soft kiss
will heal and bathe the heart within it's wake.
The clear blue source of flowing feeling's bliss
is found in winding stream, dark pool and lake.
-
This dream surrounds and makes our spirits one.
Learn from the Earth, her smile, her forests green;
To watch and listen, feel the visions come,
to find the center, find the worlds between.
-- J.A.B. 15 Feb 89
InterVisioN "The ParaNormal Connection" 603-547-6485 HST
(1:132/123)
ELF
Wilst I think,
And sit and dream within the forest,
soft footfall comes up behind me,
as I think.
A soft cool hand touches my shoulder
and whispers like the wind enter my ear.
Her perfume preceeds her words,
her intentions reflected ,
in the calming mist.
Like dust, sleep overcomes me,
as soft secrets fill my thoughts,
the hand releases its elfin grip,
And I drift into sleep...
Marcus
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Baker Street Irregular * Ft Walton Beach FL (1:366/222)
LYRA
Lyra
In her bubble
Dances near me now
Tiny seer
You never wobble
As you dance the Tao
Rainbow Fire
Like the Maple
And the Oak Tree, too
Flumes your Air
Suppley
Beauty! Wow!
(Us little people gotta stick together even at a distance...maybe better at a
distance )
Hugh Read
The Terraboard, Minneapolis, MN (Opus 1:282/341)
HUNTER'S WARNING
-
I have a tale, all grim forbode
of one who sought the night.
He mounted, then in darkness rode
to work upon the height.
Control and power over all,
the essence of his quest.
The people he would hold in thrall.
Ill omen was his crest.
He found a cliff beside the sea.
A glowing circle cast,
with magic burnt the Sacred Tree
and drawing sword, stood fast.
The ocean swelled, and gale winds cried-
a storm of ice and chill.
Bright lightnings slashed and burned the sky
imposed by dark'ning will.
A gateway through the Other World
was opened by his hand,
For from the clouds a funnel swirled
and Bifrost's road did stand.
A raucous army then came down
and rode upon that coast.
Weird hoofbeats rang upon the ground
from steeds who were as ghosts.
Just from the Hunt they had returned
to challenge fox, and deer.
And from the leader, one eye burned
and sighted down his spear.
'What magus honors not my name?',
a booming voice then cried.
'What fool does play this ill wrought game?
Best answer quick - or die.'
'My title matters not, O Lord.',
the sly tongued one did speak.
'We share the spirit of the sword-
your wisdom I would seek.'
'My secrets will I gladly give
to all who share my way-
but test ye must, to die or live-
one chance to go or stay.'
'Though death is not the thing I crave,
your questions will I bear.
And favour lacking, to the grave
and thralldom will I swear.'
'But I am learn'ed, wise and strong
so if your test surpassed
you must then swear before your throng
your power you will pass.'
The Hunt Lord scowled, and it was done,
then said with frosty breath:
'Unto me you will answer one-
what purpose does serve death?'
'My foes have often met their end.
I glory in the kill.
My way will use the death to bend
the people to my will.'
The Goddess Freyja then impart:
'What say you of the dove?
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What use to you are things of heart?
Regard ye what of love?'
'I scorn all love, I favour wrath,
tis best left for the meek.
And peaceful ways cross not my path,
tis only for the weak.'
'War is my art, so answer this:',
spoke grim one handed Tyr.
'Affairs of state, when go amiss-
is honor in your sphere?'
'All honor I return to friends
and other Lords deserved.
I say again, foes meet their ends
when wrath has been incurred.'
'Unto us now, one more reply
before you hear our will.
of spells and power - magic high,
of what does this fulfill?
'To honor you, I would enshrine,
the world then I would take.
To snare, all shiftless peoples bind
with forces I would wake.'
All Asgard's dwellers, looking grim,
then nodded to this king.
Triumphant mein came over him-
his darkened soul did ring.
But Odin set his rage filled face-
the mages blood ran cold.
'Ye think that thou hast won our grace
with naked evil bold?'
'All death is but the way to birth
and peace is men's desire.
Our way is to renew the Earth-
despoiling not in ire.'
'This and the magics meant to heal
and guide on wisdom's path.
So this is why the powers wield-
you have incurred our wrath.'
'But go in sorrow - life we give,
along with this one curse-
That ever long as you shall live
your life now is reversed.'
'Harm with your magic, and you die
a death forever long.
Hurt with your guile, and you shall cry-
your way is twisted, wrong.'
They rode like leaves upon the wind.
Ensorcelled mage grew mad.
He wanders - never trust or friends.
Just woe, dark soul, nomad.
Pay heed, all seekers on the path
to shadow's knowledge earned.
To evil go, you gain the wrath
of Powers great and stern.
- J.A. Bordeaux 8 Mar 89
THE MOONPOOL
-
It is a lazy, restful time
here in the forest glade.
The sun is departing, the stars arriving
and the trees are a darkening jade.
-
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An air of buzzing, drowsing stillness
invades the meadow, lends weight to my head
as I settle down - bedroll, backpack
and strains of music are seemingly played.
-
A deep, cool, dark pool is here,
mirror clear, reflections of skies,
as peace fills my mind, my soul
and sleep gently touches my eyes.
-
I know not whether I was awake, or in dream
or how much time had passed,
when I felt the magic of this place
camped there, upon the grass.
-
No sounds - no crickets? (The Music!)
As the Moon awakens the pool, so bright.
Why this anticipation, premonition,
this magical feeling, this ghost haunted night?
-
Then, a siamese cat enters the meadow-
silver grey, regal compusure, flowing lines.
And somehow I know - I see intelligence
and wit, and power, as she looks into my eyes.
-
How does she speak without speaking?
But somehow, she communicates good will, and cheer.
'Stay quiet, childe of man.', she says.
'Be still - you are but a guest here.'
Jewel
Sparkling like a priceless gem,
Your eyes glisten, a living diadem.
Touched from the past brought forth Today,
And once again my Heart is brought to bay.
I remember when we rode the Field,
Banner flying, raised the shield,
And then the time we loved and lost
And the unforgiving sea claimed a deadly cost.
Once in a village, poor and downtrodden,
Once with new birth our life was broken,
Lover I remember you when,
Ages past we wandered a glen.
Many lives have come and gone,
But for a while, with you I would be alone.
An oasis in the desert of life,
An island of Joy in an ocean of Strife.
It seems so strange the day we met,
Our eyes crossed briefly and our gazes met.
Stars in our eyes we heard them say,
But then you had to turn away.
I am Lugh Samildanach
I am Lugh the Il-Dana
I am Lugh, master of battle
Lugh said:
I am Lugh Samildanach
I am Lugh the Il-Dana
I am Lugh, master of healing
The Coming of Lugh (cont.)
The gate keeper said:
Lugh said:
I am Lugh Samildanach
I am Lugh the Il-Dana
I am Lugh, master of knowledge
Lugh said:
I am Lugh Samildanach
I am Lugh the Il-Dana
I am Lugh, master of Sailing
A TREE SONG
by Rudyard Kipling
Of all the trees that grow so fair,
Old England to adorn,
Greater is none beneath the sun,
Than Oak, and Ash, and Thorn.
Sing Oak, and Ash, and Thorn, good sirs,
(All of a Midsummer morn!)
Surely we sing of no little thing,
In Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!
Oak of the Clay lived many a day,
Or ever Aeneas began.
Ash of the Loam was a Lady at home,
When Brut was an outlaw man.
Thorn of the Down saw New Troy Town
(From which was London born);
Witness hereby the ancientry
Of Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!
Yew that is old in churchyard-mould,
He breedeth a mighty bow.
Alder for shoes do wise men choose,
And beech for cups also.
But when ye have killed, and your bowl is spilled,
And your shoes are clean outworn,
Back ye must speed for all that ye need,
To Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!
Ellum she hateth mankind, and waiteth
Till every gust be laid,
To drop a limb on the head of him
That any way trusts her shade.
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But whether a lad be sober or sad,
Or mellow with wine from the horn,
He will take no wrong when he lieth along
'Neath Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!
A DREAMING DESIRE
Staeorra Rokraven
-
A spark comes coiling to the edge of sleep
From realms arcane which have become unknown
And from this psychic well does beauty leap
A vision cherished for to call my own.
-
This wispy strand now takes it's shape in fire
And fueled by sources boldly to enchant
Then forming curves from wish of heart's desire
A Woman's eyes all graced with Elvish slant.
-
The shield maid's arms then reach and wanting clasp
We intertwine within her streaming hair
Then sighing voices send a heartfelt gasp
As fragrance heralds tawny skin now bare'd.
-
This honored Lady may in shadows walk
But fate may someday find my heart unlock.
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TO THE BONFIRES
Staeorra Rokraven
-
A circle gathered round a roaring pit
All joining hands to bask within it's glow
And under Moon crowned sky all starry lit
We sing and praise the Power's shadowed flow.
-
For some the flames form dancing Dragon's wing
And other smoke wrought visions climb the air
For all a caring closeness will this bring
And psychic current bonding hearts to share.
-
We charge this timeless place between the worlds
To call the Goddess' love within our hearts
And join with her our joyous souls unfurled
Our spirits dance with her by ancient arts.
-
This night forever captured in this glade
To see old souls re-met and friendships made.
- J.A. Bordeaux (S.R.) -
AMPHITRITE
The Lady went out sailing,
She spoke to all She saw,
And all who heard took ship with Her
And signed the sailors' law.
She sailed across the foamy waves,
Her trident in Her hand,
Her throwing-net beside Her,
And little thought of land.
The Lady went out sailing.
Her vessel had a heart of oak,
And hearts of oak her crew,
Her rig was square, five-masted,
Her compass always true.
The mermaids swam before her,
The whales swam in her wake,
The dolphins on her bow-wave,
On any course she'd take.
The Lady went out sailing.
The young and brash Earth-Shaker
Espied the Lady's ship
And vowed he'd have both Lady
And boat beneath his whip.
He hungered to be Sea-Lord;
He took his winged horse
And busked them both for battle,
And dogged the Lady's course.
The Lady went out sailing.
AMPHITRITE (cont.)
At length, he overtook them,
And lighted on the stern.
He drew his sword for boarding;
He felt his passion burn.
The oaken-hearted crewmaids
Dodged as he swung apace
They made a path before him
To give their Captain space.
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The Lady went out sailing.
The Lady stood before him;
He raised his sword to slice.
She stood firm; with Her trident
She smote the deck thrice.
A wrenching seized his belly;
He rushed to the lee side
To puke his guts while laughter
Assailed his godly pride.
The Lady went out sailing.
PRAYER DRIVE
With every turn of the disk in the drive:
To him who helps the poet thrive
By swapping silver for the use
Of verse, sweet blessings from the Muse.
But woe to him who plays the thief,
Deletes this message--grant him grief!
For every time the disk spins around,
His luck shall tumble to the ground.
--Copyright (c) 1987 by Sourdough Jackson
The Lizard King-"I am the Lizard King; I can do
anything."(1:104/45.5)
Computer Blessing
Blessings on this fine machine,
May its data all be clean.
Let the files stay where they're put,
Away from disk drives keep all soot.
From its screen shall come no whines,
Let in no spikes on power lines.
As oaks were sacred to the Druids,
Let not the keyboard suffer fluids.
Disk Full shall be nor more than rarity,
The memory shall not miss its parity.
From the modem shall come wonders,
Without line noise making blunders.
May it never catch a virus,
And all its software stay desirous.
Oh let the printer never jam,
And turn my output into spam.
I ask of Eris, noble queen,
Keep Murphy far from this machine.
1988 Zhahai Stewart
Adelante - 300 meters above Boulder, CO (Opus 1:104/93)
Quarters Chant
<chorus>
Chant the quarters
one by one
chant the quarters round
Chant the quarters
one by one
and set the circle sound
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.
Incense burn and
spirits lift
Chant the quarters round
Air comes to guard the east
to set the circle sound
.
<Chorus>
Flames ignite and
spirits fly
Chant the Quarters round
Fire comes to guard the south
to set the circle sound
.
<Chorus>
Moisture comes and
spirits fill
Chant the quarters round
Water comes to guard the west
to set the circle sound
.
<guess what? Chorus...>
Life comes forth and
spirits soar
Chant the quarters round
Earth comes to guard the north
to set the circle sound
.
<one last time for the chorus...>
Quarters called one
by one
chant the quarters round
Circle raised as on
my friend
and sets the circle sound.
.
Damon
The Masterwork Opus * Aurora, CO (303) 341-6614 * (1:104/55)
THE RIVER
In the midst of death and violence
A light kindling in my heart
Is beginning to warm my soul
With new life.
I look back at the white water boiling behind me
With a shuddering anger at the treacherous, roiling white light.
I look ahead at the broad, black expanse
Smooth, yet turbulent and rich with wonderful power.
Deep moments of peace are the essence of what is coming
Deep pools of bliss are the essence of what is coming
Troubles are the food that nourishes a peaceful life
Troubles gently feed bliss with subtle flavours of delight
I bow to all the Deities who are bringing me wealth unmeasured
And I thank the Lord, and I thank the Lady, and I thank my Self.
Hugh Read , 02-15-89 12:17
The Terraboard, Minneapolis, MN (Opus 1:282/341)
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SNOW
Goddess is beautiful dressed in white
The tiny white crystals that fall through the night
They fall so gentle, don't make a sound
As they drift to Earth and lay on the ground
Storm
Lightning flashing, wind howls through trees,
Storm is rising, Mortals flee.
Like armies marching, clouds parade by,
Thunder shaking, rain hides the sky.
Earth trembles under Titan's fist,
As Elementals meet in their violent tryst.
Jagged bolts from Heaven descend
and Tree their goal to rend.
Fierce are the powers of the storm,
Chaos rules and dissolves Reality's form.
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Fear walks the Earth in the Lightning's stark Kiss,
While rain hides the Shadows in Unholy mists.
Storm (cont.)
When all is merged in Divine Bliss,
And nothing is left the Divine to kiss,
Then up from the wells of Chaos will flow,
New Life, new forms the Divine to know.
Shadow Hawk
Deep in Shadow, hidden from sight,
Wandering by, like a thief in the night.
Slipping through cracks in Reality's wall,
Flying alone through Chaos' Hall.
Magickal Reveries
Dedicated to Bill Heidrick
...who opened the door...
I am as the Moon
Our Light is ever changing
Healing, gathering
copyright, Hugh Read, 1987 Permission is herby given for
noncommercial reproduction of this copyrighted work, so long as
it is reproduced in full and this notice is included.
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The Kiss of Saturn is hot, black, fierce, deep
A hint of Wild Ass
In her blue-black hair
Breasts soft as black Lead
SCARABEUS
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Hides behind my life lighting up my Soul
As I roll my dung
Making Soul immortal
As I roll my Stone
Minerva
I met Minerva just now near her tree
Resting from battle
Her helmet on her knee
Hair tumbled on breasts
Parted by brass, surrounded by steel plate
Dark nipples glistened
With dew-like sweat of war
Pale arms quivering
Eager for battle's harsh life-death embrace
Yes! She said to me.
Hell yes! she said. Get laid!
Enter the battle.
My Virgins serve me well, my son! Get laid!
Let your juices flow!
(She spit an olive pit)
Get in there and fight!
She gathered her pale skirts around her hips
Stood, covering strong thighs
Took her shield, sword, helmet
With war shriek was gone
MAY EVE
Walpurgis Night, the time is right,
The ancient powers awake.
So dance and sing, around the ring,
And Beltane magic make.
Walpurgis Night, Walpurgis Night,
Upon the eve of May,
We'll merry meet, and summer greet,
For ever and a day.
New life we see, in flower and tree,
And summer comes again.
Be free and fair, like earth and air,
The sunshine and the rain.
Walpurgis Night, Walpurgis Night,
Upon the eve of May,
We'll merry meet, and summer greet,
For ever and a day.
As magic fire be our desire
To tread the pagan way,
And our true will find and fulfil,
As dawns a brighter day.
Walpurgis Night, Walpurgis Night,
Upon the eve of May,
We'll merry meet, and summer greet,
For ever and a day.
The pagan powers this night be ours,
Let all the world be free,
And sorrows cast into the past,
And future blessed be!
Walpurgis Night, Walpurgis Night,
Upon the eve of May,
We'll merry meet, and summer greet,
For ever and a day.
Doreen Valiente
"Witchcraft For Tomorrow", pp. 192-193
INVOCATION OF THE HORNED GOD
By the flame that burneth bright,
O Horned One!
We call thy name into the night,
O Ancient One!
Thee we invoke, by moon-led sea,
By the standing stone and the twisted tree.
The we invoke, where gather thine own,
By the nameless shrine forgotten and alone.
Come where the round of the dance is trod,
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Horn and hoof of the goatfoot god!
By moonlit meadow on dusky hill,
When the haunted wood is hushed and still,
Come to the charm of the chanted prayer,
As the moon bewitches the midnight air.
Evoke thy powers, that potent bide
In shining stream and the secret tide,
In fiery flame by starlight pale,
In shadowy host that rides the gale,
And by the fern-brakes fairy haunted
Of forests wild and woods enchanted.
Come! O come!
To the heart-beat's drum!
Come to us who gather below
When the broad white moon is climbing slow
Through the stars to the heaven;s height.
We hear thy hoofs on the wind of night!
As black tree-branches shake and sigh,
By joy and terror we know thee nigh.
We speak the spell thy power unlocks
At solstice, Sabbat, and equinox,
Word of virtue the veil to rend,
From primal dawn to the wide world's end,
Since time began--
The blessing of Pan!
Blessed be all in hearth and hold,
Blessed in all worth more than gold.
Blessed be in strength and love,
Blessed be wher'er we rove.
Vision fade not from our eyes
Of the pagan paradise
Past the gates of death and birth,
Our inheritance of the earth.
From our soul the song of spring
Fade not in our wandering.
Our life with all life is one,
By blackest night or noonday sun.
Eldest of gods, on thee we call,
Blessing be on thy creatures all.
Doreen Valiente
"Witchcraft For Tomorrow" pp. 190-191
INVOCATION
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(traditionally used after the Communion of the five senses)
Diana of the Rounded Moon,
The queen of all enchantments here,
The wind is crying through the trees,
As we invoke thee to appear.
The cares of day departed are,
The realm of night belongs to thee;
And we in love and kinship join
With all things that are wild and free.
Doreen Valiente
"Witchcraft For Tomorrow" pp. 168-169
The Pentagram
Blood
PANDEMONIUM
Hi, ho, it's Spring again,
Out of my eye's corner
I thought I saw the Horned Man, the Green Man
Charging down the glen,
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George 'something' and the Destroyers
Sonia Brock
New Words & Old
In the autumn of the lightnings, in the mighty-voic`ed throng
In the twilight were the offerings, with both chants and full-throat song:
These the People, born to silence
These the Seekers, born to sight
These the Wanderers, born to roaming
These frail Humans, born to night...
In the winter's swirling blizzard, in the quaking of great trees In the
night-black child of charring, in the wavering, fitful breeze:
These the Wicca, seeking knowledge
These the Shamen, knowing care
These the Students, always reading
These the Hopeful, who despair...
In the spring-tide's joyous growing, in the flower and the leaf In the summer's
dearth and plenty, saving up to stoke Belief:
Hear the Mother, gentle-voicings
Hear the Father, rumbled whisper
Hear the Children, gay and laughing
Hear the Many -- sing your vesper...
Now the Bard and Druid gather
Now the Priestess calls afar
Now the Time to Watch and Listen
Now the Time to practice more!
+*+*+
Kihe Blackeagle
SPRING/SUMMER POEM
By: Shadow Hawk
Falling
Circling skyward on wings of fire,
Drawn aloft by heart's desire,
Endless expanses of starry night,
In Endless freedom he finds his delight.
Down below whispers rise to his ear,
The green earth lays calling, calliing him near,
Circling skyward he hears the sweet call,
And folding his wings, begins the great fall.
Wind whispers then sings then a great roar,
From the high heavens his body he tore.
Faster than Eagle he falls to the ground,
Till even the sky's call was lost in the sound.
Below lays the Earth, she holds out her arms,
Enfolding her Lover with her Endless charms,
Deeper he plummets into that fair place,
Blinded and bewildered by her loving grace.
Mountians and hills, river and sea,
Summon him near, and answer his need,
Stretching her arms, she gathers him nigh,
As stonelike he falls, a mote from God's eye.
Hurry, oh hurry, she beckons him come,
As mountains surround him, blocking the sun,
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His breath is fire, igniting her love,
Her lover returns, from Sun far above.
Deep in her body he plunges his fire,
Passion to passion, fire strikes desire,
Shudderingly, shakingly, he rises above,
Surrounded by the warmth of his Lady's love.
Sinking once more, she pulls him near,
Gathering him close the stars reappear,
Deep in her body, awaiting the day,
Till once more, skyward, He rises to play.
A Healing Spell
The Fool
By: Stormy Gael
Oh, I have been beyond the town, Where nightshade black and mandrake grow, and I
have been and I have seen What righteous folk would fear to know!
For I have heard, at still midnight, Upon the hilltop far, forlorn, With note that
echoed through the dark, The winding of the heathe horn.
And I have seen the fire aglow, And glinting from the magic sword, And with the
inner eye beheld The Horned One, the Sabbat's lord.
We drank the wine, and broke the bread, And ate it in the Old One's name. We linked
our hands to make the ring, And laughed and leaped the Sabbat game.
Oh, little do the townsfolk reck, When dull they lie within their bed! Beyond the
streets, beneath the stars, A merry round the witches tread!
And round and round the circle spun, Until the gates swung wide ajar, That bar the
boundaries of the earth, From faery realms that shine afar.
Oh, I have been and I have seen In magic worlds of Otherwhere. For all this world
may praise or blame, For ban or blessing nought I care.
For I have been beyond the town, Where meadowsweet and roses grow, And there such
music did I hear As worldly-righteous never know.
Enjoy!!!!!!!
Blessed Be
Inquisition
Again the burning came,
She felt the heat, the searing pain
a cry lanced through her heart
"Why, My Lady, Why"
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She lay quietly, remembering
lost within the labrynth of the past
and the future
she did not feel the bite of the cruel blade.
2 Ritual Prayers
Copyright 1991 Anahita-Gula (pseud.). May be reproduced with acknowledgment.
"Rainbows"
Jennifer Holding
Where dwelleth my Lady in this land of Night?
She dwelleth in stars and satin moonlight.
She veileth her visage 'neath clouds spun of silk,
And the Night-Sky's a river of my sweet Mother's milk.
Where dwelleth my good Lord on this Summer's day?
He dwelleth in birdsong and fragrance of hay.
He sleeps by the river with pipes in his hand,
And he sends his love smiling through the fruit of the land.
Where dwelleth my Lady at Morning's first light?
And where is my Lord on the eve of the Night?
At Luna's last shining, or Sun's final ray,
Their passion paints Rainbows 'tween the Night and the Day!
ELEMENTS
Fire on Fire
Light and Power,
Warmth and Energy
They did generate.
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Earth joined them then
To Life She gave Birth
And solid Foundations built.
Along came Water
Some Channels to carve
Through which all Energies flow.
Around them All
The Air did blow
Winds of Thought and Deed
intertwined.
Power raised, Power spread
Thus It Was
So Mote It Be. .....Alernon
........from RMPJ Oct. '86
This article is excerpted from the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal.
Each issue of the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal is published by
High Plains Arts and Sciences; P.O. Box 620604, Littleton Co.,
80123, a Colorado Non-Profit Corporation, under a Public Domain
Copyright, which entitles any person or group of persons to
reproduce, in any form whatsoever, any material contained therein
without restriction, so long as articles are not condensed or
abbreviated in any fashion, and credit is given the original
author.!
BATTLE HYMN OF THE ERISTOCRACY
(Tune: Battle Hymn of the Republic)
1. Mine brain has meditated on the spinning of The Chao;
It is hovering o'er the table where the Chiefs of Staff are now
Gathered in discussion of the dropping of The Bomb;
Her Apple Corps is strong!
Chorus:
Grand (and gory) Old Discordia!
Grand (and gory) Old Discordia!
Grand (and gory) Old Discordia!
Her Apple Corps is strong!
3. For the Apple Hera offered Paris all the wealth she could;
Athena promised that his enemies bodies would be strewed;
But Aphrodite offered Helen - and EVERYONE got screwed!
Her Apple Corps is strong!
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Chorus:
Hail Eris! Hail Eris! Let the Goddess be praised!
Hail Eris! Hail Eris! Let your glasses be raised!
Reality comes from the mouth of a gun,
But all can be changed by "the prettiest one."
2. To Goddess be glory, we've hardly begun
To alter our minds for "the prettiest one."
To the Ultimate Mindfuck our allegiance we pledge;
We'll push all the greyfaces over the edge!
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The Circle forms, the Circle flows
the Circle goes where no man knows
Hail to the Lady, one in three:
Present is Past and Past is Me!
Rhiannon's Birds are still in flight
all thru the Day all thru the Night
Hail to the Lady, one in Three
Present is Past and Past is Thee!
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...
I'll sing you thirteen, oh
GREEN GROW THE RUSHES OH!
AND WHAT IS YOUR THIRTEEN, OH?
Thirteen rounds of the silvery wheel,
Twelve for the heavenly augurs,
One and one for the Year-King's reign,
Ten for the Celtic Reading,
Nine for the nine-foot circle,
Eight for the eight great Sabbats,
Seven for the Gates between the Worlds,
Six for the Book of Changes
Five for the fiery points of light,
Four for the Guardian Towers.
Three, the Triple Goddess,
Two, two, the two-faced God in gold and red and green, oh,
One is one and all alone, and ever more shall be so.
With stars in her eyes, she replied, "I want the spirit of
my Son returned to Life. I want to know the secrets of
Death."
"None has asked such a boon, how dare you so much?" I
asked.
"The Earth needs my Son to live. They must have the light
and joy of Spring, the Heat of Summer, and the Harvest of
Fall to survive. They need my Son. The Dance must go on"
she softly spoke.
"Then kneel, and learn the Secrets of Death", I answered.
And I taught her, with pain and scourge, with laughter and
love, with youth and age and darkness I taught her. I showed
her the heights and the depths, and at last, I taught her the
peace of the Slumber of the Dead.
Laying my Lady down in the Earth, she would sleep, and
dream of Spring, and of the Dance, and the Seed in her belly
would swell and bring life to a new world. And she and the
child would Dance, and Sing, and grow old, and the child,
lover, king will die. Once again, as the Circle goes round,
she will come to me in the Woods, and we shall Dance the
Dance of Life once more.
But for now, it is quiet and dark, and the Moon is bright,
and the wind howls, and I walk the world alone.
LAMMAS NIGHT
Words mostly by Elexa
Tune: "I gave my love a cherry."
I stood before my altar at Lammastide
And asked the Lord and Lady to be my guides.
"Please show to me a vision that I may see
What sacrifice is worthy to give to Thee."
They showed to me an apple without a core.
They showed to me a dwelling without a door.
They showed to me a palace where They may be
And unlock it without a key.
How can there be an apple without a core.
How can there be a dwelling without a door?
How can there be a palace where They may be
And They may unlock it without a key?
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My spirit is an apple without a core.
My mind is a dwelling without a door.
My heart is a palace where They may be
And They may unlock it without a key.
Blessed be.
ELEXA
LILITH
(copyright 1985, Leigh Ann Hussey)
Cool in the hot night,
Draped, hidden in speckled shadow
Under moon waiting
Waiting in the Tree,
The earth-serpent. Patient, coiled.
Sweat on moon-paled flesh;
She walks, sleepless, wanting -- what?
Something the man-one
Asleep in the heat,
Will not give. Serpent uncoils.
Cool fruit hangs, luring.
She thirsts, but is uncertain;
Which one was denied?
She sits at Tree's foot,
Legs spread, trying to ease heat.
************************************************************
RED AND GOLD (13 May, 1989 CE)
(c) copyright 1989 W. J. Bethancourt III
EQUINOX
The high moon, full, trickles illumination
Over the lip of the cup, heavey laden
With its light, like blood-runnels down a blade
As it is quenched in the breast of a beast.
The Great Oak's nightly-dancing children
Do not count themselves amoung the least.
Luntatic light lightens every least
Corner with it's whispered illumination.
So begins the feast of Sylvan Children.
And the celebration of bending branches laden
With decay. Afar, the howling of the Beast
Proclaims, " Make ready! Sharpen the Blade!"
A prietess, robed in white, caresses a blade;
Her eyes follow the sickling curve at least
As far as light will grant before the Beast
Closes the eyes against its illumination.
Earth and sky, pounding, seething, laden
With drum, dance, and chant birthed by children
Who know no more of song than the children
Who came before them--only that song, like a blade,
Cuts through night, through day, dark light laden
With future-promised springs, fertility--not least
Among these, a new-old illumination
Unforgotten--if only they appease the Beast.
Men lead a raptured man like a beast
Before the ravenous, raging children
To their Mother, Priestess, Their Illumination
In a world where dark dooms descend like blades.
She shall comfort them, save them--at least
Make bearable the burdens with which they are laden.
And he shall help, this "beast-man,' laden
With all their hopes of appeasing the Beast
For yet another season's turn--at least
Until after the births of healthy children,
After good harvest has fallen to the blade
Of the scythe again. "Let not the sun's illumination
"Desert us!" they beg the Beast. "My weary children!"
Thier Mother calls, laden with illumination.
"We offer not the least!" A howl and a descending blade.
**ENDYMION
Verna Knapp
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Amazing grace, how sweet the Earth
that bore a witch like me!
I once was burned, now I survive,
was hung and now I sing.
T'was grace that drew down the moon
and grace that raised the seas.
The magic in the people's will
will set our Mother free.
We face the East and breathe the winds
that move across this earth.
From gentle breeze to hurricane
our breath will bring forth the change.
Turn towards the South and feel the fire
that burns in you and me.
The spirit's flame will rise again
and burn eternally.
We greet the West, our souls awash
in tides of primal birth.
Our tears and blood, our pain and love
will cleanse and heal the earth.
Reach into the North and know your roots
down deep ancestral caves.
We find the wisdom of the Crone,
Of circles we are made.
Amazing earth, enduring life,
from death into rebirth.
T'is earth I am and earth I love
and earth I'll always be.
Amazing grace, how sweet the Earth
that bore witches like we.
We once were burned, now we survive,
were hung and now we sing.
Goddess bless, so mote it be,
Our magic spirals on.
Merry meet and merry part
and merry meet again.
PEGASUS
Where is the man who will mount the wind?
Where is the man who will fly
From here to the stars in a heartbeat
Past the pillars that hold up the sky?
.
For there is a steed, of a heavenly breed
Who longs for the touch of a man.
What you never dared do in your dreams
On the white one, the wild one, you can.
.
For Pegasus rests on a lightning bolt
And spurns the stars beneath.
At sunset he tramples the day to death;
Then rears on the blasted heath.
.
And yet, he treads on the spiderwebs
And never bruises a flower
Who circles around the virgin moon
In half of a half an hour.
.
The milky way is his drinking pool.
His stable the cave of night,
The whole bright sky his grazing
When he puts the stars to flight.
.
Fabulous wealth, prize and pelf
He to his master brings,
But he will not be curbed by bridle or bit
And fears are a weight on his wings.
.
So where is the man who will mount him
And never look back with a sigh?
Where is the man who will joyously ride
When he know that to fear is to die?
.
His master must be a man soul-free
Who calls "faster" at every breath,
And knowing his mount is immortal,
Rides with a laugh to his death.
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I AM SPRING
I am spring
Green fits me best.
While I fight winter, my smartest enemy.
So I can give the birds all the songs they sing
in one days life.
And so I can toy with the kites
like march in the suns sparkling face.
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I sat alone one gloomy day
while listening to the rain
as it danced on the window
feeling the pain.
PRELUDE TO DISCOVERY
By Gerald del Campo
As you try to deny
that kicking inside
which leads you
to the Knowledge of Yourself.
It comes as no surprise
the intensity of your despise
you hate everyone and everything
because all things you see are you.
SIMPLE
T'was the night before Samhain and all through the house.
Not a creature was stirring except for my spouse.
The incense it burned in his Caldron so black,
For withchraft and magic he'd a wondrous knack.
The circle was drawn with the athame of power,
The guardians were called to each quarter tower.
The Lord and the Lady attended our rite,
In wonder and glory and power and might.
The dearly departed came as our guest,
To live once again after their rest.
We bid them goodbye with a tear in our eye,
Such a lovely presence of loved ones so nigh.
The candles danced in the flickering light.
With the Great Rite we bid them all a good night.
The guardians thanked, have all sped away.
The Lord and the Lady, thanks for the day.
The night before Samhain, Gods Bless this house.
A circle of wonder 'round me and my spouse.
Masochistic Maiden
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I saw something beautiful today.
I was sitting by a tree
along a wooded path,
when I heard two lovers talk
as they came near me
along the wooded path.
She said she hoped he'd never go
until she'd passed away
for she was to weak to go alone
and he said that he'd not go
until her life was gone
because she was his morning
and she was his sun.
That she'd never face a day alone.
What love this couple has I thought
As these endearing words I caught.
I envisioned them as lovers in a fairy tale,
Him tall and dark, her small and pale.
So when they chanced to pass my way
I looked to see such young lovers.
But this is what I saw,
an elderly man with eyes now dim
an elderly lady accompanying him.
This is what I saw,
The beauty of an ageless love
Blessed by Goddess above
Endless even in old age.
And somehow I knew there was no gage
By which to measure this
My wish for them is one of eternal bliss.
Yes, I saw something beautiful today
And I'm better for it crossing my way.
DEMETER'S HYMN
Maiden and youth, as fresh as the dew,
new life unfolding, golden in hue.
In the eyes of the young, the wheel never turns,
spring is unending, the lamp always burns.
The seed has been planted, the new life will form,
daughter of promise, Maiden of corn.
11/87
Namastai.... Ravenna
Just A Poem
Deep in the dark, silent forest
The Lord and the Lady and me,
Walk in reverent wonder
At the mystery of beauty we see.
Misty clouds and moonbeams
Play a silent symphony,
Filled with awe and peace
that They should walk with me.
Yes, it is.
This is the birthday of the Light.
--Thomas G. Digby
written 1230 hr 12/25/91
A LADY CALLED TRUTH
by
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Gerald del Campo
A Lady called Truth is the darkest of all secrets. As
unattainable as the Light which belongs to no one; like moths men
are driven mad to enslave Her.
I Once drank from lips that beacon me. The musky fragrance of
her femininity permeates through every pore of Her lily white
body.
Driven by the desire of total ecstasy our bodies locked in a
never ending embrace of passion.
And like all the men before me, she escaped the bondage called
Love. I was never to feel her caress again, until I realized
that like all truly Bautiful things, Truth is meant to be shared.
OCEAN
by SKYBANE
The ocean Rolls
One voice in nature's
fugue; growing in
stregnth and power.
The lord and lady
dance in the salt spray
and my soul flies free.
-=Skybane=-
SLEEPER
Mother, dear Mother, the day has begun,
come with us dance, come dance in the sun.
Mother, dear Mother, the moon it is high,
she circles and dances, like birds in the sky.
The music is calling, come dance in the light,
come dance with the moon, we'll dance through the night.
The dark clouds have gathered, how dark its become,
Your ways are forgotten, the fires have begun.
In the womb of the earth, come with me sleep,
We'll lie 'neath the ground, your secrets to keep.
Till your children remember, we'll sleep 'neath the plough,
I'll lie in your arms, come sleep with me now.
How long we have waited, how long we have slept,
throughout the long night, your children have wept.
The new day has dawned, Your dance has begun,
the moon and the sun have risen as one.
Silver and gold, they glide arm in arm,
beacons of hope, we are safe from all harm.
The wheel it has circled, the wheel it has turned,
the witches, Your children, have all returned.
The sun has arisen, how bright is the light,
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the moon she is dancing, in joy at the sight.
Dance with us, Mother, come dance in the sun,
come dance with the moon, at last we are one.
Come dance with us Mother, at last we are one.
Lynn Hubert
THE AWAKENING
Let me sing you a tale of magics of old,
of powers that slumbered through long years untold.
Let me weave you a song of a memory revived,
calling the Old Ones, their time has arrived.
Bale fires are lighting through all of the land,
the fey folk are dancing, their hour is at hand.
Their music is heard in the chattering stream,
their call echoes out on the wings of a dream.
Beyond the townships, where common folk sleep,
in moors and in medows, in forests so deep,
Withces are gathering at the dark of the night,
to dance and to worship, bathe in moonlight.
They've winded the horn, they have opened the door,
the magics returning to slumber no more.
By the spells they have woven, the runes the have told,
they've awakened the Goddess, and the Horned One of old.
And those who have gathered now join hand in hand,
their voices are chanting, throughout all the land.
The God and the Goddess, at last will be heard,
their children, the witches, are spreading the word.
They sing songs of power when the moon, she is high,
They chant songs of joy when the sunrise is nigh,
They dance through the medows, and through darkened streets,
join their ancient rythem, when your circle meets,
Come dance to their rythem, when your circle meets.
Andrew Daws
1.Mellaart, James, Catal Huyuk: A Neolithic Town in Anatolia (New York: McGraw-Hill,
1967)
??
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