Jewelry
There are several pieces of jewelry which are associated with Wicca. All manner of necklaces, bracelets, and rings are readily available with Wiccan or Pagan themes or symbols, which can be worn by anyone. In addition, some Temples have special medallions, pins, or rings, which are available only to their members, and which may or may not symbolize rank. the exclusivity of such symbols should be respected, as a matter of good manners. Moreover there are two particular pieces of jewelry which...
The Wheel Of The Year
In LESSON II we spoke of the Wheel of Life. In the Vangelo Delle Streghe it is said that the Goddess spins the thread of life from the Wheel, while the God turns it. The God is often likened to a great serpent curled in a circle and swallowing its' tail to represent that He is the body of the Wheel, i.e. that the Wheel turns through physical manifestation. As Above So Below the great Wheel is mirrored each year in the cycles of the Seasons, and the Eight Holidays of Wicca. As explained above...
Geomancy
Your first consideration is where to put your altar. Most people put their altar in their bedroom. this makes it a very personal space, and assures privacy. This is especially good if you live in a home with non-Pagan roommates or family who might be intimidated by a holy object such as an altar in the living room. If however your home is wholly Pagan, you may wish a more public altar in a living room, or a special temple room, at which your whole family can worship. If you do this, you will...
How It Works
The body is composed of energy. This energy is regulated by energy centers commonly called CHAKRAS or PLEXI. There are thousands of such Chakras throughout the body, connected by MERIDIANS or energy pathways. When several of these small Chakras work together they form a larger Chakra with several levels. There are many of these larger Chakras throughout the body as well. In doing energy work you may work with any of these small or larger Chakras. But you are more likely to work with one of the...
Other Kinds Of Patron Deities
Not only do people have individual Patron Deities, but professions and other activities may have Patron Deities as well. There are many Patron Deities for education, for example, or for music. These too will correspond back to the Seven Great Powers -for example Sesheta, ancient Egyptian Goddess of writing and education, is a Maiden Goddess. Moreover, individual festivals also have Patron Deities. Commonly these will be one or more of the Seven Great Powers, any of Whose individual forms will...
God Of The Month The Sorcerer
Lord of Winter, the Old God is also Lord of the Hunt and of the forests, Master of Game and of all wild creatures and places. Lord of Death, the Old God was also the Patron of Shamans, Priests, and Sorcerers. He presided over omens, dreams, and ecstatic trance. In many ancient traditions the Old God led the Wild Ride in which the souls of the dead were believed to ride forth by night in a great and tumultuous procession, in which the living could also join through trance and astral projection....
Patron Deities
The reason we have so many forms of Personal Deity, is so that people can make a personal, emotional, connection to Deity. The abstract nature of Universal Deity is difficult for most people to comprehend or form an attachment to. Personal Deity, on the other hand, portrays aspects of Deity in terms that are very easy for humans to understand, and which have strong emotional appeal for us. We have many, many Personal Deities, because each person is different and has different needs for Deity to...
Vangelo Delle Streghe
One of the most sacred pieces of Wiccan literature is the Vangelo delle Streghe. This is a collection of legends preserved and passed down through generations of the Aradian witches of Italy. A little over a century ago the Italian witch Maddalena gave a copy of the Vangelo to the famed folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland, on the understanding that he would publish it. The most important part of the Vangelo is the creation story it contains. This creation story is a sublime allegorical account of...
Divination
Divination is the term we use for systems of symbols which we use to help us speak to Deity, or to our own Higher Selves -which are of course emanations of Deity see LESSON II . If you ask for an omen in response to a question, you are practicing divination. Say for example that you're in a park, or the woods. You might ask the Goddess to give you an answer to a question by the omen of the next animal you see. You might specify, as for example O Goddess, if the answer to my question is yes may...
Good Habits 1
As we have said, it is best to practice every day, to build skill. If at all possible it is best to practice at the same time each day. When you first begin to learn magic, it is best to practice on an empty stomach. You should wear loose, comfortable clothes, or even better no clothes at all, and you should select a comfortable position to work in. All of these things will help you to be psychically open. It is good to light one or more candles before you do your exercise. The candles will act...
How To Charge A Talisman Or Amulet
A Talisman or Amulet may be charged quite simply in basically the same way that we would charge anything else. The easiest way to do this is to hold the item in your hands, and visualize a ball of white light around it. As you do this, focus on the purpose to which the item is to be put. Concentrate upon that purpose, and imbue the item with that energy. In this way you add greater energy to it's native qualities. There are also more complicated ways to do this. METHOD 2 Begin by clearing and...
Psychic Shielding
Psychic shielding is very important. Sometimes we pick up energy from other people, without knowing we are doing so. Their moods or emotions may bleed over onto us, leaving us feeling angry, sad, tired, depressed, or whatever they are feeling -and not knowing where this emotion came from. Also, sometimes people will deliberately send negative energy to us -even though that is a very bad thing which one should never do. Such negative energies cannot harm you, as long as you don't let them in...
The Athame
Pronounced Uh-THAH-meh or AH-thuh-meh, the Athame or ceremonial knife is the first of the four major Working Tools. These are considered very sacred, and are symbolic to many of the Wiccan religion. The Athame represents the Element of Air in it's connotation of Thought or Decision. It represents the moment of first creation and symbolizes the God as son and brother of the Goddess, Lord of Manifestation. It is also called the Sword of Art, and represents the Phallus of the God. More properly...
Sky Clad Ritual
Another ancient, but somewhat misunderstood form of ritual garb is going skyclad -that is to say naked. This practice arises from the idea that psychic energy is restricted or inhibited by clothing, especially tight or binding clothing. As we have said, most people no longer believe this, but it was once taken very seriously. Another reason for the idea of skyclad ritual is that since we are born naked, we are only truly pure when in that state. If we approach Deity nude, we are laying aside...
Types Of Robe
Whether we belong to a Temple that wears robes, or we want one just for our own personal use, our next question is -Where do I get one The answer, usually, is that we make it. There are stores and companies that sell commercially manufactured ritual robes. Usually these companies' primary business is selling medieval or renaissance garb for historical recreationists, renaissance faires, and theatrical production companies. Some of these robes are very nice, but they also tend to be very...
The Seven Archetypes
Archetypes of the Goddess- Maiden, Mother, Crone Archetypes of the God- Hero,Lover Sun , King, Sorceror CULTURAL CORRESPONDENCES Archetype Hero
The Altar
The main purpose of an altar is to provide focus. It can be used to focus on the Divine Powers -this is worship. It can be used to focus energy for making changes in our lives -this is magic. It can be used to focus on communication with our Higher Selves and SPIRIT GUIDES - this is meditation. All of these -worship, magic, meditation -are ways of focusing our psychic energy to accomplish specific ends. The altar can aid in that focus, and can be used to augment that energy and enhance the...
How To Cast A Circle
Casting a Magic Circle is a basic technique that every Wiccan learns. The more you do it, the better you will get at it, the easier it will become. You will use this technique for casting ritual circles in which to worship, and to cast circles to strengthen your magical workings. Not everything requires the use of a Magic Circle. The circle is used for worship ceremonies, but is not necessary for private devotions. Most spellwork does not require casting a circle either, but if a spell is...
Vestments
A vestment is a sacred garment which is only worn for ritual or other religious occasions. It is believed that by wearing the vestment only for religious purposes, its ability to act as a key to aid in the shift of consciousness is increased. This is because if we wear the vestment only for magical and spiritual activities, then every time we put it on, our Inner Self will know that we re going to do something magical and spiritual, and will automatically shift the consciousness to align with...
Pentagram
The Pentagram is the fouth sacred Tool. It represents the Element of Earth, and the Goddess as Union of All Things. The Pentagram is a five-pointed star in a circle. As a tool it is usually worn as a medallion. The Pentagram medallion can be used to focus energy, and also to ground it. To focus energy through the medallion, you would visualize a ball of light in your Heart Chakra, or your Thymus Chakra, then focus a beam of that light through the medallion. You can also hold the medallion in...
The Stole
The stole is a narrow band of fabric worn around the neck and hanging down in front. The stole may be quite decorative, but it is never worn just for decoration. Only certain traditions use the stole, but if you see one you can be sure that it has a meaning beyond just being pretty. In some groups the stole will be worn only by the Chief Priestess or Chief Priest. In others it may be worn by all initiated clergy. In the Correllian Tradition the stole is worn by all initiated clergy, dedicants,...
The Descent Of The Goddess
The myth of the Descent of the Goddess is one of the central themes of Pagan thought, although in some versions it will be presented as the Descent of the God, as Paganism has many diverse variations. The Descent of the Goddess speaks of the descent from the land of the Living into the land of the Dead, and the return to life through rebirth. This of course refers to both the yearly cycle of seasonal renewal, through which the Earth is annually reborn, but also to the process of reincarnation...
Robes
Many groups like to wear robes. Sometimes only the presiding clergy will be robed. Sometimes everyone will be robed. The robes may all match to stress the Temple s esprit de corps, or each persons robe may be different and individual. These are all decisions that are up to each individual Temple. People wear robes for several reasons. Robes, like other accessories, can act as KEYS to the Higher Self. Robes can help us to feel magical, and that helps us to shift our consciousness and become...
The Airts
One of the most fundamental aspects of Wiccan thought is the importance of the four Airts pronounced eights . The four Airts, or Quarters, are the guardians of the Magic Circle. The four Airts are sometimes visualized in abstract form, and sometimes personified as Guardians, or personal Deities for the Quarters. The four Airts are invoked at the begining of almost every major Wiccan ceremony. The Airts represent the totality of all existence, and the furthest extent of being. The Airts...
Other Kinds Of Ritual Garment The Tabard
A tabard is a simple rectangle of cloth that hangs down the front and back of the body, but has no sides.The tabard is an ancient Celtic garment, essentially a very narrow poncho. In Celtic times they were worn 1 to give extra warmth to the torso, when made of heavy fabric 2 as an apron, to protect one s clothing, when made of a cheaper fabric and 3 for added decoration on a formal occasion, when made of a dressy fabric. In later times tabards were primarily used to display the insignia of an...
SPELL OF THE MONTH Plk
Instead of a specific Spell of the Month, this lesson includes a list of plants which can be used to do the things described in the lesson. The plants can be used in some or all of the following ways as incense, perfume, essential oil, herbal sachets or potpourri. Can be used to anoint a cloth or charm to carry with one, or a letter to send out. In certain obvious cases they can also be used for their food value, though only some are edible and if you are not familiar with it as food, DO NOT...
Spell Of The Month
As discussed in the body of the lesson, this months Spell of the Month is a space cleansing spell. Space cleansing is very important. Residue accumulates from the energy of people and events which have been in a given space. This is rather like invisible scum that adheres to them area, changing the vibration of its energy for the worse. This is especially true of places where traumatic events have occurred, but even everyday events build up a residue as well. Therefore this kind of cleansing is...
Altar Cloth
You may want to use an ALTAR CLOTH. This is an ancient tradition arising from the time when all cloth was hand-woven and precious, and any type of embroidery a luxury. Today altar cloths are used because of their beauty and capacity for symbolism. Details of color and decoration can greatly influence the flavor and energy of the altar. If you wish to use an altar cloth you will want to consider these details when choosing it. If you are able, decorate the altar cloth yourself, with embroidery...
Altar Table
The ALTAR TABLE is the surface upon which your altar is set up. It is not necessarily a table as such, but can be any of a wide variety of surfaces. Traditionally altars have often been erected out of doors. They still are at ritual gatherings and for certain observances. In this circumstance the altar is often placed directly on the ground or upon a log or boulder. This is the ideal, connecting directly with Mother Earth and through Her the Universe. In this same spirit your indoor altar table...