©2012 by James Ainsworth

  Like the clouds, all things I see are in movement in the created universe, for they are matter, and Einstein proved that matter is energy or vibration.  The only thing that does not move is spirit, which remains as it always has, still.

  This movement of our Pagan existence comes in waves, which in the life I watch appears as the crest of the wave being a rush of new movement which is usually exciting and adventurous (sunny), and the trough is the slow, seemingly still portion, which sometimes seems as boring, (Cloudy), and uncomfortable.

  The self (spirit – that is watching my Pagan hands writing this through my Pagan eyes) experiences the outside world through these eyes and senses, which most believe that is their only existence, as they are unaware that they are peering through the world of mind (mental plane), and the emotions (astral plane), into the physical Pagan world (our illusionary reality) from the world of spirit.

  All of us, Pagans or not have risen on this planet from our Mother the earth to do one thing over the course of many lifetimes, and that is to bring our consciousness, (point of attention), from this outside Pagan world to the inside Pagan world of spirit, which in actuality has no limitations.  It is at this point that one can see that life on this planet, with all of its pain and suffering is really an illusion and at this point pain and suffering loses their significance.  This understanding does not make pain and suffering to go away, but the knowledge that it has a purpose which is a personal growth for you in understanding our Pagan world of existence.  This knowledge will also enable you to understand others allowing them to become an acceptable aspect in your life.  This will encourage you to seek to understand why it is necessary for you and others to experience this exposure.

  Ok, how does one do this in a Pagan existence?  I found Yoga to be the best route for me.  Yoga is simply a form of exercise for our physical bodies, Hatha Yoga (movement), emotional Yoga (devotion), and mental Yoga (meditation).  My movement has taken many forms, going to the gym, running through the forest, or hiking mountain trails which has given me an admiration of the wonderful aspects of my form and my mother the earth who created my form.  My devotion to understand as a Pagan my mother the earth and my father my spirit, has allowed me to embrace all life as equal, and rid me of hate.  My meditation has allowed me to enter the universe within, and with help of other teachers be in touch with my higher self, yet be proud to live a normal Pagan life in the outside world.

  So if you find your self under the clouds, take advantage of the time and investigate these things.  If you try to get into these things while on the crest, you won’t have the time for such nonsense.  We usually need our faces to be in the mud before we ask for help from something that appears to be invisible.  My choice is to call that invisible something my Being, my Higher Power or simply God.

   Sometimes I sit on my mother the earth seeking her warmth and she always responds with a love only a mother can give and I am enthralled.  We exist in a wondrous world in which all things are alive including the air that you breathe and the sand beneath your feet and all of these things will respond to you if you ask with your heart.

  You and every single one of us has the same purpose to accomplish and none of us gets left behind.  We only have to be awake to see and realize and experience it.  So take the effort and get up and look.  You may not realize it but you are blessed to be Pagan and will eventually change the world.  So look and you will no doubt be amazed at what you see in your Pagan’s world view.

  James E. Ainsworth

Bio
I have a BS in Economics and a Masters in Nonprofit Management.  Although I have collected my writings for over forty years I have spent my life in the pursuit of assisting the environmental welfare of my planet, social justice and those folks who have not been as fortunate as me.  I have decided to now work on disseminating the knowledge I have gathered over those years.  

James E (Jim) Ainsworth
eMail: jimflight@comcast.net
My Web Site: SevenSunsPublishing.com

 

©2012 by Tinnekke Bebout

When the Mystai were first founded by our Mother Coven, so many moons  ago, we
were part of the Feminist Dianic tradition. We all had roots in  that tradition and it had a profound beauty and meaning for us. This  meant, as part of our Dianic heritage, that only "women-born women" were  part of the Sisterhood. We even asked about that very issue on our membership form. We were all fine with that.Times change.
We  became our own Tradition almost 3 1/2 years ago because we realized that the work we were doing was taking us away from our Dianic roots. Some  things were kept, some things from other Paths and experiences were  added, and new things were created. One of the most profound changes was  our shift to focusing on the Lunar Mysteries solely and away from  seasonal observances. It was the reason for the name we chose. We are Initiates of the Lunar Mysteries. As a consequence of this shift, our  group was spiritually adopted by Hekate as our Matron. We work with  other Goddesses as well, but Hekate is our focus in many ways, one of  the most important being the celebration of Her Mysteries as a central part of our Sacred Year.
The more you work with Hekate, the more  She challenges you. You can't do things
just because they were always done that way. Everything can and will be questioned. Hekate isn't  gentle about it either. If you try to ignore Her challenges She will put  them in your face until you can't run away any longer.
One challenge  that hit me as Mentor Sister and Founder had to do with the
Dianic  paradigm that we were for "women born women only". As I learned more 
about Hekate and Her ancient traditions as part of discovering what I  could to
help recreate Her Mysteries, I learned about a group of  Priestesses called the
Semnotatoi, who served Hekate at Ephesus and other sites. The Semnotatoi were
in many ways, what we would consider transgendered. They were not like the men
who were castrated to be eunuchs but still appeared to be men for all intents
and purposes. They were castrated, yes, but they served as Priestesses. They
were ritually considered to be women.
After learning about this, a little bug started  pestering the back of my psyche. As I spent more time not only with the Mystai, but with Hekateans, learning and growing as Hekate's Priestess,  that little bug got bigger. Finally I realized what the issue was and why it was there. I felt a moral and spiritual mandate to open up the Mystai to all women, both cis-gendered and trans gendered. The Mystai have spent a long time off and on discussing this issue, coming to  consensus as best as we could.
As of today, and for all time, The  Mystai of the Moon are now a Sisterhood of Priestesses, both cis-gendered and fully transgendered. The stipulation for
full transgendering has to do with the process physical, emotional, psychic, 
and spiritual that the person undergoes while transitioning. I have seen someone I love go through it, and it is a process I feel deserves to be  a time treated as its own Mystery with its own experiences and  revelations that should be completed before any new kind of spiritual  process is undertaken, especially one that involves going deep into the Mysteries of Hekate (or any other deity for that matter). So I am happy  to say that the question about "women born women" has been removed from  our membership form.
http://www.mystaiofthemoon.com


Bio:  Witch, Priestess, writer, poet, artist... all that and more.  I've been on my
Path for over 30 years in many places. I was one of the  founders of The Michiana Pagan Alliance along with Frater SPRV, Quill  Mastercraft, and Billiam.
I created the michianapagans email list. Now  I'm one of the founders of The
Mystai of the Moon Tradition and a  Mentor Sister within the tradition. As such
I teach women a Mystery Tradition that involves ancient Goddess rites recreated
and re-envisioned  for our time.

I've been published in Goddess, Circle, PanGaia, The Loom, and The Goat and
Candle. I am the author of The Dance of the Mystai, and I have also been a contributor to She of 10, 000 Names - an anthology of Goddess poetry - and Hekate: Her Sacred Fires. I'm also a mom and  nurse - and I make a really good guacamole.

 

©2012  by  Kevin  Bentley

    “Dana awoke from Universal Darkness, which is the Cycle of  Rest.  With the Light of the Creator, Dana, all of Creation began to awaken.  Some of  the Ancestors, who reside in Tir  Andomain (Cheer ANDO-vain), saw the Beauty of Magh Mor ( Moy-mor), the realm of the Creator, and wished to possess it for themselves.

    Not all chose to possess Magh Mor, for they knew from previous Cycles of Light that it could not be easily obtained.  They tried to counsel those that wished to travel; telling them that the journey would take far too long.  The pride of those that longed for this Land blinded their eyes and deafened  their ears.         

     They set out to conquer Magh Mor; yet as the Wise Ones have warned, the path to Magh Mor goes through Mide (Meath). This  path is a long and strenuous journey.  A journey of many incarnations; from mineral to plant, plant to animal, animal to human, human to…”

    The above excerpt is from an adaptation of a tale originally written with the influence of early Christian theology.  I find this most evident in the portrayal of us as being ‘doomed’ to this existence by our ‘pride’.  They may not be far from the truth; yet, I believe it more plausible that the Creator chose to separate itself into various forms to experience every facet of existence, continuously  growing and thus, finding itself.

    Once dividing itself, albeit with a level of interconnectedness, each entity developed its own sense of life; its own personality.  I believe our path through Mide will lead us back to Tir Andomain, not Magh Mor, such as the Wise ones’ path did in previous Cycles of Light.  The old saying, “A place for everything, and everything in its place”, explains it best.  Simply meaning, our ‘conquering Magh Mor’ is a metaphor for gaining knowledge and wisdom.

    The heart of Magh Mor, which is (and resides) the Creator, is filled with the purest form of Chaos.  I am not referring to the ’hectic, unorderly’ definition and misinterpretation, but the energy pattern that is the Creator.  Chaotic energy is  neither feminine, nor is it masculine.  It is neither positive nor negative; yet, it is all of these.  True Chaos is beyond our comprehension as a psychological philosophy.  It is said that being the energy pattern which destroys as well as creates, the mere contact with the pure essence of Chaos would destroy our very existence.  This, I believe, is the cause of our (living energy) continuous journey through the Cycles of Light (existence) and the Cycles of Rest (pre- and post-existence).  I am not only referring to the microcosmic concept of life and death, but the macrocosmic universal life and death as well.  This philosophy is also shown, albeit vaguely, in the Christian bible where it speaks of looking into ’God’s Eye’.  

    As we (the incarnated, the Wise Ones and the Creator) are all interconnected, so too are the three Realms of Existence.  Our Realm of Mide (Land; Middle World) is influenced by both Magh Mor (Sky; Upper World) and Tir Andomain (Sea; Under World).  This is evident by the changing of the seasons being a direct effect of the Solar and Lunar cycles.

    Going back to the “Everything in its place” ideology, we can find the associations of the three Realms in our individual paths:

     TIR ANDOMAIN represents our past; where we come from, and where we shall return.  It is the home of our Ancestors (not so much our physical ancestors, such as our great grand-parents) the Wise Ones (the non-incarnated, which are our guides; the Faery as well as our Gods).

MIDE represents our present; our physical world.  This is our home during each incarnation.  This is where we gain wisdom and spiritual enlightenment through experience.
MAGH MOR represents our future; the state of spiritual enlightenment we will have obtained upon our final return to the Sea.  This is the Realm of the Creator (the collective whole of  individual energy patterns).

    As I have previously stated, everything, including the three Realms, are interconnected.  Thus, there are no clear boundaries dividing these levels of existence; they are ever-changing.  It is up to us to seek these areas where the Realms overlap.  In doing so, we can walk with the our Gods and converse with the Faery; enhancing our spiritual evolution and becoming closer to our goal.

 

I was first introduced to the Silver Path two years ago, when I was on my period and unable to sleep in the dark hours of the morning. I had been studying meditation for some time and used this knowledge to focus on my breathing and relax myself. While this did ultimately lull me to sleep, I never expected the results of this exercise.

I found myself in the middle of a vivid dream. I was standing on the edge of a dense forest at night, with the full moon shining brightly overhead. I was barefoot, and the night was cool without being uncomfortable. Ahead of me I saw a shimmering silver footpath leading into the forest. I decided to follow this path, not knowing where it might lead, and the comfortable darkness of the forest enveloped me in its comfortable embrace as I walked forward. Even though it was nighttime, I could see everything, outlined in silvery moonlight. I heard the soothing call of crickets and frogs, smelled the cool damp smells of pine and dew, and could feel the smooth surface of the path under my bare feet, the way ahead clear of anything sharp or jagged.

I don’t know how long I walked--it might have been hours or merely minutes--before I saw the red glow of a bonfire up ahead. I continued towards it, and finally came to a clearing where a woman dressed in black robes sat on a fallen log tending the bubbling contents of a large cast-iron cauldron. She looked up at me as I approached, and though I couldn’t make out the features of her face there was something warm and inviting in it. She gestured to a clear spot on the fallen log, and I approached and sat, taking in the warmth from the fire. Her brew smelled delicious, like beef stew and corn bread, and it was thick and looked like it would definitely stay with me on a long journey.

She ladled up some of the brew and invited me to take a taste, cautioning me that if I accepted, I would not be able to un-taste it, and that I should only partake of it if I was sure. Up close, I could now make out her eyes, which were impossibly deep and wise, and looked like a sky filled with stars. I took the ladle, closed my eyes, and drank. It tasted like the most nutritious and filling soup I had ever had, pleasantly warm as it went down my throat. In my stomach, the warmth built, and I could see it as a white ball of energy that started at my core and spread out to my limbs, warming them as it spread. I opened my eyes and saw the entire clearing with impossible clarity--whereas previously everything had been outlined in moonlight, now everything shone with its own inner energy. I could see the pulsating life of every leaf and blade of grass, I saw the sky shimmering with stars like a handful of diamonds scattered across black silk, and most of all I saw the woman who had given me the brew.

She was beautiful in a way that carried wisdom and knowledge. I saw her three ways at once: as a teenage girl, as a middle-aged woman with her belly heavy with child, and as an old woman with a face full of experience. Her starry eyes shone before me, almost blinding in their intensity, and I felt myself grow lightheaded from the sensory overload. The woman introduced herself as the Lady of Shadows, and she said that she would light my path as I continued my journey. She pointed out the path that continued out the other side of the clearing and wound into the darkness, and told me that the way would not always be easy or simple, but if I needed guidance, all I had to do was ask. I nodded, and as my vision cleared, she told me that it was time for me to go back. She touched me on the brow, and I woke up in my bed, feeling tingly and energized all over. Even though it was still very early, I simply couldn’t get back to sleep after that--I was too wired!

Since that day, I truly feel that some form of inner perception has been opened. While it has taken time to learn how to use it, I can definitely tell the difference between how I saw the world before and how I see it now. However, my journey is far from over, and I know that I will most likely continue learning about this new layer of the world for the rest of my life. I look forward to the new wisdom to which I now have access.

Ravyn Moonchylde is an eclectic Witch that has been practicing the Craft for two years. She lives in St. Louis.

 

All we can do as High priests and High priestesses is educate the innocents among as to the reality of the world...it is not all sweetness and light...they need to know it now than discover it to their detrement later. Oh Well if I have opened one eye to the negative possibilities and if that one eye is able to not be harmed, Ive done my job as a High Priestess.

Lady Gwen

HOW DO YOU AVOID CHARLATANS?

Two particular recent incidents prompted the preparation of the following document. The situations were so egregious we just have to re send this article and try to educate pagans as to the dangers of certain types of people and how to recognize them.

June 21, 2010

We at Y Dynion Mwyn, and other Traditions receive e-mails and letters every day from Seekers asking where they can learn about the craft or which festival should they attend. We usually find that there are few if any reputable covens or teachers near the Seekers home city or town. We could just give them the name of a Coven or Grove or Teacher that we found in someone's Pagan directory. But if we were not familiar with their practices, we would be doing the Seeker a disservice and may be sending them to their doom. Well..LOL it probably wouldn't be that bad...but if you are looking for ethical festivals or training in the Mysteries including Wicca and Witchcraft, you need to be wary of IRABS, and other Charlatans.

Witchcraft is a popular religion. But, being popular can also be dangerous for some Seekers. With the Proliferation of movies such as the Craft and TV series such as Charmed, Many young people are looking for someone in their vicinity who can teach them how to vanquish demons, make someone love him or her, win the lottery and get them out of that DUI charge. They are looking for a quick fix and will listen to any two bit scam artist who sounds reasonable.

The danger is there are large number of Scam Artists and "wanna-bes" who proclaim themselves Witches, or Teachers of Wicca, or High Priests, or Elders in the Tradition of "(fill in the blanks)," and will promise to fulfill these Seekers' every desire. These Charlatans are not initiated into any real tradition and do not follow any ethical guidelines. Because of their unethical practices, these people could threaten the very existence of pagan religions in your area.

There are also true seekers who find that their spirit resides in the arms of the Goddess and are searching for their Pagan home. They truly want to learn and can be dedicated and honorable students. We have a tremendous responsibility to introduce these seekers to a safe environment and a knowledgeable teacher.

Many people who claim to be teachers of Wicca or Witchcraft are actually IRABS (I Read A Book) and when detected as charlatans, are to be avoided. They usually claim to be a "High Mucky Muck of the Coven of the Whatever" and demand that you, immediately renounce all past initiations, and turn over your book of shadows to them before they will teach you. Never renounce anything or turn over your personal writings to anyone when they demand it. These are not a valid requests. These people are fishing for information which can be used to control you. If, you get a yucky feeling about ANYONE, be very careful -- they may be trying to Scam You. They want your "fill in the blanks", and gain their power from putting one over on you.

Now don't get us wrong there are a great many pagans who are IRAB's and NOT Charlatans and just want to learn. The problem is in finding out which type of IRAB you are talking to.　

Witchcraft - REAL Witchcraft takes several years to fully learn and practice properly. You don't become a Witch by reading one or several books unless an Initiate is also training you.　

There are some people who are sociopaths and really get a kick out of the power being a "pagan leader" gives them. They love to order other people around and get a kick out of causing pain. But, they don't want to do the work which would qualify them to be a legitimate Pagan leader. They want the title but don't want to earn it. The problem isn't the power they gain through defrauding their temporary members. The problem is the emotional harm these people create among innocent Seekers.

Charlatans can be easily identified by their words and deeds. False teachers try to make names for themselves by slandering other Witches and Gatherings. They thrive on sowing discord in the pagan community, spreading lies and vicious rumors about other, more ethical and experienced individuals and groups. They may spread rumors about other groups. They are all about power over others.

Charlatans are unscrupulous --true Witches refuse to charge money for advanced initiation and do not charge for teaching advanced courses in Witchcraft. For instance we charge seekers for an intro class and Correspondence course which allows them to discover if they are really drawn to the Craft. But, this basic information only qualifies them to then be taught by one of our teachers/Elders as a neophyte. It is our screening process. The additional Intermediate and Advanced instruction is FREE. We do not charge for any further training which would lead to higher degrees. We do not charge an initiate for learning Nature Magick, Divination, Spellcraft, etc. We don't charge for spiritual counseling. But, you will find that many Charlatans do.

Charlatans charge for initiation and all advance teachings. Their "advanced" teachings can usually be found in popular books. These people are thieves who usually show up in a city or town proclaiming their wonderful qualifications, use and abuse vulnerable Seekers, and then go to the next town looking for more suckers. This abuse will usually cause Seekers to distrust all ethical Elders in their area.

Charlatans mislead the media about Witch beliefs, telling them that "real" Witches always wear black and never practice ritual nudity. They convince the News Media that "they" are the only real Witches. This causes the public to believe that if you practice ritual nudity and wear red or green or white, you can't be a real Witch. Such mis-information causes the public to get an erroneous impression of Wicca, Witchcraft or whatever religion the Charlatans are selling.

"In (Witchcraft), talk is cheap, but deeds are dear. Wise Ones learn to avoid people who claim to be Witches, but expend their precious energy by needlessly, baselessly bashing others. For all their black clothes and boasting about their own magickal prowess, such ilk are nowhere to be found when the rest of us are battling on the front lines to defend our -- and their -- religious freedoms.

"Look to the source, for that's how you'll know them. If they say they are a Priest/ess, who initiated them? Into what Tradition? If they say they are a teacher, then who taught them? It bodes most ill if you find out that their own parent coven has (banished) them.

"Please understand that we alert all in this public medium with natural reluctance. We do so only from a protective stance towards the Craft, and with the desire to warn others about the harm such people leave in their wake."

Oldenwilde Traditional Wiccan Coven

WHO ARE THE CHARLATANS AND WHO ARE THE SEEKERS WHICH FALL FOR THEIR SCAMS?　

Unfortunately, there are a large number of seekers who fall under the category of SUCKER or CHARLATAN:　

SUGGESTIBLE SUE. Tell her anything. She will believe it.

Read the rest of the article

Lord Rhuddlwm is a founder of Y Dynion Mwyn and Y Tywyth Teg, systems of Welsh witchcraft. HIs books are available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Rhuddlwm-Gawr/e/B004X2O6XS

 

Nearly every society has some type of winter celebration, usually but not always commemorating the weather or a death and rebirth legend.  Here are some Deities who represent snow, the Winter Solstice, and the season:

Amaterasu:  The Japanese Shinto Goddess of the Sun, Amaterasu’s name means “great shining heaven”.  Her brother Susanoo quarreled with her, and she withdrew to a dark, remote cavern, which brought on winter.   At the Winter Solstice, the eight million other Gods attempted to persuade her to emerge.   The first Shaman and Goddess of merriment, Uzumi, began making noise, dancing, singing, shouting, and removing her clothes.  The other Gods shouted in delight, awakening Amaterasu and persuading her to come out of the cave.  They showed her a mirror, which reflected her beautiful sunshine.  Amaterasu came out of the cave, and springtime was restored.

Angerona is the Roman Goddess whose feast day is on the Winter Solstice, called the Divalia or Angeronalia.  As the balance between darkness and daylight is tipped, her worshippers are reminded to keep themselves in balance.
Baldur:   The Norse God Baldur couldn’t be killed by any arrow or spear, because his mother, Frigga, had persuaded all plants to keep him safe – except for the mistletoe.  Baldur was killed when the trickster Loki persuaded a blind man to fire an arrow made of mistletoe at his heel.  Baldur was killed, many say to be reborn in the spring.

Befana is a witch figure in Italy, and the “lady of twelfth night” in Rome.  A figure made of rags is hung outdoors on January 5th to commemorate the passing of the darkest days of winter.

Boreas is the Greek god of the North wind.  He is said to bring cold weather on his journey from the frozen Northern lands.
The Cailleach Bheur:  The old woman of Winter in Ireland  and Scotland is often portrayed as a blue-faced witch.  She is also called the winter hag.  The Cailleach may be a crone aspect of the Triple Goddess.  In addition to controlling the weather, she also protects animals from hunters, keeps lakes from being drained, and builds mountains when rocks tumble from her apron. 

Colleda:  The  Serbian Goddess who is honored at the Winter Solstice, also called Koliada in Russia.  As the Yule log burns, she brings back the light to the world.  Children go house to house asking for sweet cakes to offer Colleda, and also for themselves.  Colleda also embroiders a new world when the old one is destroyed on the Solstice.

Frau Holle, Holda, Hulda, or Dame Holda:  Originally a white Goddess who later became a witch, Frau Holle brings snow when she shakes out her feather comforter.  She is found in many Scandinavian cultures.  Her sacred day is the Winter Solstice.  Frau Holle is also associated with spinning wool and creating flax.  She rewards nimble spinners with golden thread, but may tangle sloppy yarn or break spindles and spinning wheels.  Frau Holle drives her wagon through the sky from the Winter Solstice until twelfth night, and is associated with the wild hunt.  Her symbol is ever-green plants.

Frigga:  The word Yule, which means “wheel”, may refer to the turning of Frigga’s spinning wheel, which turned the seasons and fate, and wove the thread of people’s lives.   She may also be the Goddess for whom the Asatru “Mother Night” is named.

The Holly King:  In Gardner’s Wicca, the Holly King represents winter foliage and the winter or dark half of the year.  He battles the Oak King at Yuletide, and his death brings about springtime.

La Befana:  An Italian former Goddess who has become a witch.  Like St. Nicholas, La Befana flies thru the sky, bringing candy and trinkets to well-behaved children in early January.  She appears as an elderly woman riding a broom.

Marzana is the Polish Goddess of Winter, called Marena in Russian or Zima in other Slavic cultures.  She brings foul weather.  Each spring, a poppet or other effigy of “Old Woman Winter” or Marzana is taken to the edge of the village and thrown across the boundary.

Mithras:  A Roman God of the Sun, whose festival was held Dec. 25th.  Mithras was a God of warriors, who sacrificed a bull each year.  He was said to die and be reborn in the spring.

Rhiannon:  When the Celtic springtime Goddess goes to dwell in the underworld with the death God Arawn, winter ensues.  This legend is much like the Greek tale of Persephone and the Roman story of Kore.

Saturn:  The Roman God of foliage and agriculture, his feast day was on Dec. 17th.  He was somber and calm, until wintertime.  During the Saturnalia, gifts were exchanged, servants changed places with their masters, and revelry and debauchery ensued.  A “Lord of Misrule” is appointed, rather like a jester or fool, which was mentioned by Gerald Gardner in his ritual for the Winter Solstice. 

Skadi is the Norse Goddess of winter for whom Scandinavia is named.  She lived high in the mountains, until her father was killed by one of the Gods.  Skadi traveled by snowshoes to Asgard to seek revenge.  Instead, she was made to laugh by Loki, and took the sea god as her mate.  Unhappy in his watery realm, she later married Ullr, the God of archery and skiing.

Tonan, also called Tonantzin or Tlakatelilis:  The Aztec Goddess whose festival was held on the Winter Solstice.  A priestess representing Tonan wears a mask and dances, wearing a white dress covered with shells, feathers and beads.  She processes through the village and the crowds, singing and weeping, representing winter.  A priest takes the Tonan mask and enacts a ritual killing of the figure of winter.
Ullr was the Norse god of Winter, as well as archery, hunting and trapping.  He is known for teaching humankind how to ski and to use snowshoes.  He spent winters hunting with the Goddess Skadi.

Waukahni:  The Chinook people of the Pacific Northwest have a legend about a winter that lasted for years.  It was revealed that this was the result of killing a bird.  Waukahni admitted that she had killed a bird, and she was thus taken out to the ice flows as a sacrifice to the winter spirits.  She froze, and summer returned to the Chinook people.  However, a year later, Waukahni was found frozen in a block of ice.  When she was thawed out, she returned to life, and was able to walk barefoot in the snow.  Winter weather could not harm her. 

 

The fog is thick on this Imbolc eve as you walk down the dirt road from town. The pub was merry, and you surely drank your fill, but not overmuch. Though the night is cold, the drink coursing through your blood is keeping you warm. There must be a thousand stars twinkling in the blackness, but the fog obscures them from your sight; a crescent moon peers down at you from above, veiled by the mist.

And on you trudge, uphill and downhill, the long trek from town to home. There is no sound but your footfalls, and you feel comfortable with your aloneness. This is a road you have traveled hundreds of times, and you expect no surprises.

Humming a tune you sang with gusto earlier that evening, you walk around a slight bend, and ahead of you lie the crossroads where you will turn left to reach your home. But as you approach, you see a figure in the fog, standing at the center of the cross, not moving, not walking, but simply standing, as if waiting for you. Your steps slow, uncertain. Who is this stranger, and why are they just standing there? Are they lost? Where have they come from on such a misty night?

Then you are startled by the sound of your name called in a raspy voice. “Come to me,” she says, for it is a woman’s voice, a crone’s voice. Hesitantly, you step nearer. Her features become more clear – she is dressed in a dark red dress, long in length and high in collar, with a large black cloak over all, hood over her gray head. Her long hair is in braids that hang over her ample bosom. Bright eyes, a hooked nose, and a knowing grin complete her wrinkled facial features.

“Who are you, old mother?” you inquire politely. “Are you lost?”

She laughs. “No mother of yours, not me, but mother of many, and I am never lost, though I have been known to lead others astray.”

You become wary at her words. Is she of faerie kin, here to addle your brain until it is as foggy as the night? She carries no light, no staff, no bells, none of the typical accoutrements of the fae. Who or what is she, then? And what does she want of you?

Her grin grows wider, as though sensing your confusion. Her teeth are snaggled, lending an air of menace to her smile. She really is a rather ugly woman.

“I have something for you,” she says. You draw a little into yourself, unsure of what kind of gift could come from such a strange individual.

She holds out her hand, and in it is a banana, curved and yellow, with dark brown spots along its length. She pushes it toward you, urging you to take up the fruit. Tentatively, you reach out and grasp the banana. She grins, retracting her hand. Now you stand, holding a piece of over-ripe fruit, and she is still grinning, looking at you expectantly. Surely she doesn’t mean for you to eat it? She gestures for you to do that very thing. Slowly, reluctantly, feeling that certain people can be a bit odd, you reach for the stem end and begin to peel the banana.

But what is revealed is not a brown-spotted, bent piece of questionable foodstuff. Instead, a beautiful scarf emerges, silken and gorgeous. You utter a small laugh, and impulsively place the cloth around your neck… where it suddenly tightens and begins to cut off your air! It has transformed into a coarse, fibrous rope that is slowly but surely choking you. Frantically, you grab at this cord, seeking to slide your fingers beneath its length and win a breath. And just as your fingers gain purchase, it changes again. You feel cool scales, and it has become a snake. It rears its head at you, hissing and baring fangs. Shocked, you fling it from you… and a slightly rotten banana falls to the dust.

You look up at the woman, ready to accuse her of mischief… but the old woman is gone. Instead, standing before you is a lovely young woman, dressed the same way as the old woman, but she wears it much better. Her long, chestnut curls flow over her shoulders, and her eyes radiate calm and kindness. She smiles at you knowingly.

“That which seems ugly can be beautiful inside, and those things you willingly bring into your life can constrict you. That which seems dangerous can be benign but for your perception. Be mindful of what burdens you willingly bear and what things you shoulder at the behest of others. Believe not in appearances, nor in dubious gifts from old women.”

She bends down and retrieves the banana, now somehow back in its skin, and tucks it into the pocket of her cloak.

“Ponder well on this foggy Imbolc night,” she says, her voice bell-clear. “Think on transformations and burdens, and how burdens may be transformed or cast away. At this time of year when nights are long and entertainment sparse, count up that which is of value and release those things that no longer serve you.”

Then the fog grows thicker around you and between you, and when it clears, the woman is gone.

You stand for a moment, going over her words in your mind, and you think that, indeed, when you get home tonight, perhaps you shall give some thought to things that can be altered and shed. Already, you can think of a few things that need to change and some that need to go.

Feeling a sense of purpose and determination, you bow to the spot where the woman had stood, and turn onto the lane that will bring you to home.

© Lorelei Greenwood 2011

Lorelei Greenwood-Jones has been a practicing Pagan for 25 years and a writer for even longer, and is in the process of writing three Pagan books. An active member in her Pagan community, she lives in Maine with her husband and son. She is a breather of fire, a self-proclaimed Muppet, and a baker of seriously yummy bread.

www.lorelei-greenwood.com
AND www.loreleisloaves.com for info on my (in)famous breads!

Brighid: Goddess, Saint, Druidess, all of the above?

Brighid has the distinction of being both worshipped as a Goddess and honored as the Catholic Saint Brigit.  In reality, she may have been a Druidess.  Her birthplace is said to be in Kildare, Ireland, which was originally spelled Cill Dara, which means “Church of the Oak” and may have a Druidic reference.  The name Brighid has been translated as “shining one” or “the exalted”, and can be spelled Brigid, Bride or Brid, and pronounced Brid-get, Breed, or Bree-id.  In Welsh she appears as Vrain or St. Ffraid.  On the European continent she is called Bergit or Brigette, sometimes pronounced “Bear-zheet”.  She is linked to the Welsh Brenda and Branwen, and British Brece, Britannia and Brigantia.  Brighid is still greatly beloved in Ireland, as well as by Pagans and Catholics worldwide.

Legends of Brighid the Goddess say that she was either the daughter of the God Dagda or fathered by a Druid named Dubhthach.  She was born at sunrise with fire shooting from her forehead, perhaps a metaphor for red hair.  Brighid is the goddess of flame, blacksmiths and other forms of craftsmanship.  Because of her aspect as a skilled tradeswoman, the Romans associated her with Minerva, their goddess of weaponcraft and war.  This might also reflect that Brighid was revered for her wisdom and learning.  In Kildare, a sacred fire dedicated to Brighid was attended first by nineteen priestesses of the Goddess, or perhaps female Druids, and then by Catholic nuns.  No man was allowed to help stoke the fire.  Brighid’s flame was extinguished twice, once in 1220 when the Archbishop of Dublin tried to remove any Pagan connotations from the shrine, and again during the Protestant Reformation under the reign of Henry VIII.  Brighid’s Flame was re-kindled in the 1920s and has been burning steadily ever since.

Brighid is also aligned with water, agriculture, midwifery, and healing.  There are many sacred wells and springs dedicated to her in the British Isles and Ireland, including the famous font at Kildare.  The water is believed to have curing properties.  Some of the wells have trees growing nearby where people tie ribbons or rags and leave coins as offerings.  Worshippers light candles or toss coins into the well water itself in veneration of Brighid and as a way to have prayers answered.  These rituals are still being performed today.  Sites where three rivers come together are considered sacred to Brighid, perhaps reflecting her threefold aspect.  People wove reeds or barley stalks into four-armed “Brighid’s Crosses” as a symbol of the sun, the crops, and later as a representation of the Christian cross.

 

There are many legends associated with Brighid in both Pagan and Christian traditions.  She is the matron of poetry and inspiration, responsible for thoughts which other Gods or mortals bring into manifestation.  Poetry contests were held in her honor.  It was said that she had the power to turn her bathwater into beer.  As a goddess of agriculture, cattle are Brighid’s sacred animals.  One legend tells how she gave away an entire pail of milk or crock of butter, making her father angry enough to sell her into slavery.  To appease him, she charmed either the pail or the churn, making it perpetually filled.  There are numerous stories about Brighid’s healing capabilities, including her ability to cure leprosy and her status as either midwife or nurse for the baby Jesus.  A set of five small standing stones outside the holy well at Kildare symbolize the five Virtues of Brigid, including respecting the earth, peacemaking, caring for the poor, helping strangers, and meditation.  Related legends say that Brighid tried to give away her father’s sword, and that she asked the king for land to graze the village cattle (or convent animals).  She was told that she could have as much land as her cape would cover.  When Brighid placed her cloak on the ground, it spread to cover hundreds of acres. 

 

In some of the different Irish legends, Brighid appears as a maiden, mother and crone.  She was believed to have a husband, although his name is not certain.  Manuscripts have linked Brighid with Lugh, Bres of the Formorians, the Brigantes’ God Vinotonus, and the Roman Sylvanus.  Brighid is also associated with fertility.  She was purportedly the mother of Angus or Ruadan, and when he was killed, she cried aloud, which may be where the custom of keening (crying) at funerals comes from.  The Goddess was also said to have three sons by Bres of the Tuatha de Danann, who were called Brian, Iucharba, and Iuchair.  These sons later were combined into one man, Brian, possibly the Brian Boru of legend.  In her crone aspect, Brighid is sometimes linked with the Cailleigh, although there are also tales and rituals where one Goddess supplants the other according to the season.  One legend says that sitting in “Saint Brigit’s chair”, a stone monument, can help with conception or bring on an easy childbirth. 

 

Many Pagan traditions honor Brighid, personified as spring and fertility, at Imbolc, celebrated on February first or second.  In old Ireland, her festival day was actually February seventh, which may be because the “new” Gregorian calendar changed the date.

 

There is no concrete documentation that Brigit the saint really existed.  She was believed to have been born around 450 C.E., and died in 523 C.E.  Brigit was supposedly converted to Christianity by St. Patrick.  Her first convent, in Kildare, was believed to have been founded around 470.  When asking a favor of God, Brigit was told that she would become ugly in return for gaining her wish.  Brigit was so good and generous that after a period of time, God restored her beauty.  This might hearken back to an older legend of the fertility Goddess growing old, then being restored to youth.  Although Roman Catholic women are not allowed to become leaders in the Church, Brigit was said to have gained the status of Bishop, able to appoint other clerics.  February 1 was her sacred day on the Catholic calendar of Saints, which is now celebrated as Candlemas.  Many miracles are attributed to her, most having to do with healing.  After her death, holy relics (body parts) were taken to shrines in Portugal and Germany.  Artifacts believed to have been hers are in museums in France and Germany, but there is no solid proof linking these items to Brigit.  She was de-canonized in the 1960s, but continues to be venerated today.

 

Worship of Brighid as a Pagan Goddess continues in Ireland and elsewhere to the present day.  Constructing Brighid’s Beds with corn dollies, walking around sunwise at sacred wells, creating “Bridey Dolls” and making wishes or offerings to the Goddess, praying to her at the standing stone monuments, burning hawthorn logs in Brighid’s Flame, and creating Brighid’s crosses were documented by Mr. James Bonwick in his book Irish Druids and Old Irish Religion, first published in 1894; by Sir James Frazier in The Golden Bough; by Kathy Jones in her “Goddesses of Glastonbury” website, and by cultural anthropologists in current times.

 

Bibliography:

http://www.webcoves.com/circles/brighid.html  A Pagan article about Brighid, with a couple of links.

http://sxws.com/charis/brigit.htm Information about Brigit, from an anti-Catholic, anti-Pagan perspective.  Tries to link Catholocism with Paganism in a very pejorative way.  Nonetheless, they did their homework.  If you can stand the tone, read it for information about the Pagan and Catholic legends of Brighid, which I believe are quite accurate.

http://www.traditionalwitchcraft.org/celtic/brigit.html  A scholarly Pagan site, focusing on traditional Celtic lore, including info about God/desses.  Splendid article on Brighid.  Extensive bibliography.

http://altreligion.about.com/od/druidholidays/ Information about the Irish and Druidic holidays.  You can jump around this site for other information, including Goddesses.

http://irishdruids.org  information on Druidry as practiced in modern Ireland, including lore and history of Imbolc.

www.druidry.org   The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids website, including information on holidays.  This is a very good scholarly resource site

www.echoedvoices.org  Celtic and other mythology in an online magazine format, sponsored by a non-profit organization.

www.neopagan.net  Scholar Isaac Bonewits’s site with loads of information on Druidry, various forms of ancient and neo-Pagan practices, and other cool stuff.  As a note, Bonewits was the first person to get a PhD in Magical Studies, and was the ArchDruid for Ar nDraocht Fein / A Druid Fellowship for years.  Links to his & other Druid sites.

www.celticleague.org The website for the Celtic League American Branch, including information about the holidays.  Great essay about the co-existence of Paganism and Christianity into modern times, origins, mythology, the religious & cultural practices of the Druidic class vs. the working class.

www.wikipedia.org An online encyclopedia.  Lots of information on Celtic religion, modern Paganism and many other subjects. 

www.sacred-texts.com Religious information from all faiths, including neo-Pagan and old-line Pagan.  Includes works by Gardner, Murray, Leland, Thompson and others who contributed to modern Wicca.

www.beliefnet.com Religious information from all faiths, including neo-Pagan and old-line Pagan

www.witchvox.com  Information, forums and listings for the neo-Pagan and Wiccan communities worldwide.  Includes some information on holidays and current traditions.

www.megalithomania.com  This is a wonderful site, with photographs, a map, directions, and historic information about the stone monuments, dolmens including Brighid’s chair, and holy wells including a few Brighid’s wells.

Elinor Gadon, “The Once and Future Goddess”.  Art history and archeology with speculations about the works from a feminist, goddess perspective.  Read the text, then go back and look at the art once again, and draw your own conclusions.

Charles Squire, “Celtic Myth and Legend”.  Although this was published in 1985, the author draws on much older sources.  He does a lot of comparison with the Greek / Roman “classical” Gods and legends, and he does have a bit of a snotty-scholar tone, but the information is valid.

Merlin Stone, “When God was a Woman”, about ancient Goddess worship, written from a scholarly, feminist perspective.

Jean Markale, “The Celts, Uncovering the Mythic and Historic Origins of Western Culture”.  Translated from French.  Quite a scholarly book, however this author quotes Morganwg a lot, so exercise reasonable caution.

Rees, Alwyn and Brinley, “Celtic Heritage”, An oldie but goody.

James Bonwick, “Irish Druids and Old Irish Religion”, first published in 1894.  This scholar compared the old customs to rituals performed in his time.  Very precious British anthropologist-speak, “look at the quaint natives practicing their primitive superstitions!”, but if you can stomach it, there is a wealth of information on folk magic and lore, and good speculations on Druidry, with comparisons to other magical traditions.

Sir James Frazier, “The Golden Bough”.  An assignment: Required reading for every Pagan boy and girl.

Janet and Stewart Ferrar, “Eight Sabbats for Witches”.  The original writers of Alexandrian Wicca, an offshoot of the Gardnerian tradition.  Extensive information about the holidays, references, speculations, history, witchcraft, and the Wiccan rituals, including Imbolc and some info about Brighid.

Robert Graves, “The White Goddess”.  The scholarship is shaky, but the poetry / prose is lovely, and he has some nice ideas.  Fine if you take it with a grain of salt.

Caitlin & John Matthews, “Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom”.  Mostly Irish, includes folktales, lore, legend, literature, Gods, etc.  Well-researched.  Some specualtion about Druidry and the origin of modern Celtic Pagan traditions.

Carl McColman “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Celtic Wisdom”.  Okay, I bought this as a joke, not knowing how good it is!  Lots of information, simply explained, including pictures and photos.  Information about the Druids, Celtic lore and legend, Christian religion, Paganism, etc., including a comparison of modern Wicca to the older Celtic religious practices.  The author tells you plainly when it’s a speculation, and when it’s verified, and gives sources.  Simple, concise, and well-written.  Pictures of Brighid’s well and other sites.  All of the “Complete Idiots” and “For Dummies” guides are actually pretty darn good.

 

Oathbound Secrets
Over at Patheos, on the Pagan Portal, Star Foster wrote about why not to put some traditional Witchcraft secrets on the Internet, why not to reveal oathbound material in a book.  Here is my reply.

From the perspective of non-Wiccan, “oldline” witchcraft:
Certain things aren’t particularly “oath-bound” in the sense that you swear not to divulge them.  Families teach their children, but there’s no problem with teaching someone outside of your bloodline.  The reason for not putting certain spells, rituals and recipes on the Internet, or in a book, is because they must be taught in person, from one human being to another, with demonstrations and monitoring.  Otherwise it might be dangerous.  The results mightn’t be what you expect.  Baleful magick might be the consequence.  You could even poison yourself.

A couple examples:
When the Amazazing Raynbow was about eleven, someone gave her a copy of a popular “teen Witch” book from an author who is also from an oldline tradition, the Pow Wow of PA.  This particular author mayn’t have really thought everything through, when she wrote some of her spells for young people…  So Ray went on a school, field trip, and she and a friend did a working for “sunshine for a picnic”, so that their classmates would enjoy good weather during their day outdoors.

The entire class came back with severe sunburns and dehydration, despite sunblock and bottled water.  Not only that, there was a drought during the early summer, and a lot of local farmers lost crops.  Ray learned her lesson about weather magick.  When performing spells to change the weather, you must impart “qualifiers”, such as “nice weather for THIS day, temperatures THIS much, cloud cover, let it not impair anyone else, etc.”  Or, how’bout leaving the weather up to the Gods, unless a tornado is coming?

There are a lot of herbal recipes out there that you’ll not want to use for someone’s biology experiment.  For example, flying ointment made from soporific plants.  First of all, we have to tell the college kids nicely that it’s not just a fun party item for recreational use.  Flying ointment is used for visions and should be done in a controlled environment, in sacred space, and there are “reagents” to counter-act some of the physical effects.  Flying ointment might make you feel cold because all of your blood pools in your extremities, it may give you heart irregularities and other physical symptoms.  Second, we must tell users how to apply it – don’t eat it.  Third, boys and girls, if you learn something terribly uncomfortable during your journey, or if you bring back a nasty spirit with you, I ain’t gonna pay for your psychology sessions.  Better learn to deal first, and trip later. 

There are poisons to kill pests, including rats, mice, roaches, fleas and intestinal parasites that must be used with extreme caution.  Like, don’t get it on your hands.  Like, don’t put it where the baby or dog is gonna get into it.
There is an herbal “morning after” recipe for those who were responsibly using birth control that failed, and they fortunately caught it in time.  However, the remedy can cause someone to bleed to death, if not used correctly.  Obviously I’m not posting it online!

Revisiting the idea of the spirit journey, this is not something to be undertaken by the “newbie”, not because this is some elite exclusionary ritual or bizarre rite of passage, but simply because ya gotta be ready.  Nor is it a good idea for someone who already is working out some mental or emotional issues.  Confronting a really horrific past-life experience should be done, yeah – in the right time, place, frame of mind.  How’about students learn some basic visionary techniques and simple communications skills first?  I HAVE put spirit journey techniques and ideas online… they’re here on the Rituals page… with plenty of cautions and suggestions.  And we post the level of magickal skills needed for each article – when it says Adepts, it means someone who has been working with energy for a few years.

That said, some things just simply must be learned the hard way.  Trial and error.  It’s a pretty good bet that Ray and her friends will be cautious the next time they approach weather magick!

The Difference Between Modern Wicca and Oldline Witchcraft

By A.C. Fisher Aldag

This is my opinion and not necessarily that of other writers, contributors, or staff of Magickal Media

Witchcraft with a capital W existed here in America long before Wicca was imported by Sybil Leek and Raymond Buckland. What many Pagan scholars do not seem to realize is that religious Witchcraft was and is very much active for decades in America, right up to the present day, but not as neo-Pagans currently practice. Wiccans frequently use the model of God and Goddess worship, invoking the four elements / directions, casting circle as a place to perform magickal acts, and other practices which incorporate a combination of ceremonial magick, international legend (“myth”) and devotion. These practices derived primarily from Gerald Gardner, who was a folklorist that studied various of Witchcraft, ceremonial magick, pre-Christian legend, and worldwide cultures, then combined them with Masonic and other fraternal rites to make a cohesive whole.

I believe that many of Mr. Gardner’s rites were actually derived from observing the religio-magickal rituals of existing witches and Witches in Britain (and I make a case for this theory in my article series on _The Witches’ Voice_, which is called “Another Pagan History”). I’ve drawn this conclusion because several of Mr. Gardner’s Wiccan ceremonies directly parallel the rites performed by American Witches who had no contact with Gardner or his coven descendants. These individuals, families and groups have stated that they learned their Craft from family members and neighbors who brought their practices from “the old countries”, and who had syncretized their religio-magickal rites with that of Native cultures, long before Wicca was brought to America. Further, several of Mr. Gardner’s rituals encompass folkloric tales, dances, legends and magio-religious ceremonies performed by working-class rural people and inner-city folks right up until the 1940s and 50s, when a combination of WWII and television caused the traditions to fizzle out (Christianity did not kill Paganism, as modern Wiccans would have us believe. It was Ed Sullivan). Many people are reviving these customs today. However, many more people practiced their magickal religions right up to present times. We’ll get to how Witchcraft differs from Wicca in a moment.

Location: Many of the Witches I’ve encountered were from the rural Upper Peninsula of Michigan, as well as the northern parts of Appalachia, the mountains and farmsteads of Indiana /Kentucky / Ohio / West Virginia, and the farthest Northern portions of Wisconsin. My own tradition comes from Mandan, a tiny copper-mining and timbering village near Copper Harbor in the Upper Peninsula, a town that no longer exists due to the economic crash of the 80s. After my husband performed a hoodening (wearing an animal skin and antlers in a ceremonial dance and children’s simulated hunt) for a local parade, several individuals from our small town came forward to state that they’d been involved in or observed a similar rite. After publishing “Another Pagan History”, several people corresponded with me privately to state that when they were kids, they’d participated in religious Witchcraft, Shamanic practice, and some of the meso-Pagan customs mentioned in the article series. These folks wrote from all across America, Canada and Britain. I figure there are Witches everywhere.

Ethnicity: Most of the Witches I’ve encountered are of Celtic descent, including Welsh, Irish, Scots, and northwestern English, mixed with the blood of the Saxon invaders of those districts. Dozens are of Cornish heritage, who’d never heard of Mr. Coltraine. Over time in America, they’d intermarried with the “Three Fires” nations (Pottawatomi, Odawa, Chippewa) as well as Lanapi, Cheroki, Menomeni, and other tribes. However I’ve also spoken to traditional Witches of Mexican, African, Roma and Asian descent. People who come from a heritage of Witchcraft seem to marry each other, regardless of national ancestry. Some, not all, syncretized each others’ practices. I’ve found Cymri (Welsh) folk who had bottle trees to scare away baneful entities, Native Americans who use the tarot for divination, and “Pellars” (spell casters) of Cornish descent who used sticks and tree configurations to cast or interpret runes (no, not the Runes as taught by Mr. McNallen and Mr. Thorsson… not the Norse alphabet. Still, they were called runes with a small r). None of these folks claimed knowledge of Wicca or neo-Paganism. Some were functionally illiterate. Others had heard of the modern Pagan movement, but believed it to be full of “hippies” (hi, Grandpa) and desired to distance themselves from that culture.

Commonality of belief: Includes presence of a Goddess / Mother / Queen / Lady in addition to a God or Lord; belief in fairies or “little people” as spirit beings or natural entities (the First Nations people call ’em “puck-wudgies” which is reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Puck character!); a belief in descendancy from the Gods themselves, and thus ancestor worship; a belief in magick and the ability to use it or work with it, and a desire to use natural forces to create a beneficent environment for humans, such as using herbs to heal, and trancework or dreaming to achieve interaction with nature and spirits; a belief in reincarnation, a belief in spirits and the soul transcending death; and other practices that modern Pagans would surely recognize. In addition, there was / is a coexistence with Nature and self-sufficiency, as well as a severe pragmatism, that I find sadly lacking in Wicca and neo-Paganism. “Cursing” enemies or hexing for revenge was unfortunately common; following the “Wiccan Rede” was unheard of. Rituals nearly always included creating some type of sacred space (although NOT “casting circle”), summoning entities to help including Deity and minor spiritual beings, divination, celebration of seasonal holidays, performing ritualized dances, theatre and telling legends and lore, and the use of magick for attunement, healing or to create change. The latter included making potions, creating talismans, or “witching” a person to make them feel better, mentally, physically or spiritually, or “witching” a situation to achieve optimal results. However, the primary purpose was spiritual expression and yes, entertainment.

How does modern Wicca differ from oldline Witchcraft? Obviously the belief in “harm none” is important. I believe that the Wiccan Rede is the single greatest gift offered to the magickal community by neo-Paganism. It does not matter if it was Mr. Gardener’s idea, or the invention of Lady Gwen Thompson or genuinely came from an older source, the Rede is crucial. It has probably prevented thousands of earth-scorching baneful spells from wiping out whole communities. No, really, I am serious. Cursing the neighbor’s cattle and watching them all drop dead is not a diplomatic thing, nor is it nice when the neighbor’s wife and kids have to go on Relief (before Welfare, there was Relief, and it was quite shameful to partake of it). The sense of community, of multiculturalism, of sharing beliefs and comparing traditions and merging cultures done by modern Pagans is wonderful. I really like that Wicca has become feminized and that neo-Paganism has gone political, fighting for our environment and for equality. Another thing that can be beneficial is the elements. Some older traditions have the same four or five as Wicca, and perhaps this derived from the First Nations (there’s speculation that Mr. Gardner observed Native people on his trip to America, and compared their sacred directions to the elements and the Watchtowers of ceremonial magick). Recently, whole intensives have been given to immerse the soul in one particular element, to work with it until it’s incorporated into the very fabric of ones’ magick. Our tradition used the directions more as “wards” to guard us from harmful influences and to lend power. Earth is down. Sky is up. Water is Lake Michigan. It’s great to find more ways to use, to integrate, to attune with the elements. Some modern scholars have argued that the elements are a recent invention of Wicca and ceremonial magick, but I disagree. The elements are pretty much universal to magick users and Witches. The Wiccan interpretation seems particularly useful.

However, the worst element of modern Wicca has been the frivolity, in my opinion. Magick and communications with the Gods and honoring Nature must be approached reverentially. We have food, and heat, and air, and our health, because of the beneficence of our ancestors, our Deities and the Earth. Modern Wiccans are neither satisfactorily awed nor thankful enough, in my observation. While oldline or meso-Pagans were often ridiculed as tree huggers, we were and are always a realistic bunch. We sometimes laugh at Pagans who attend festival without sufficient blankets and fire-kindling skills. (Yes, we’ll help you. But we’ll laugh at you.) Modern Wiccans and neo-Pagans could use a healthy dose of pragmatism. But please, keep your idealism, too. It’s one of the coolest things about Wicca.

Today, when we hear about these big conferences on gender within Paganism, we snort behind our hands. Who cares? Can he milk a cow, can she dig a ditch? Equality, good. Rumination, not good. Of course, women and men are equal, and have different ways of approaching magick, and life. Yet so do individuals. Every ancient society always had one or two homosexual people, who were accepted just fine by others, usually the male school teacher or the spinster who made awesome soap or the two “maiden ladies” who shared a household. If they’d gone around “creating dialogue about gender”, they would have been ignored or laughed out of town.

Handicapped people were found jobs they could do, making shoes, tending hogs, in the days before mandatory mainstreamed public education and our subsequent mollycoddling. Our society has completely debilitated our children, and neo-Pagans are some of the worst for extending adolescent dependency. And as Charlie Daniels sang, “A rich man goes to college, a poor man goes to work”. My grandfather and uncles worked in the timber or mines from the time they were 14, and they were properly respectful of the boggins and knockers and gnomes and dirtkins and chrystal elves, who were offered whiskey, brack (not Obama, but bread) and songs to keep the excavation from caving in.

If we believed some neo-Pagan scholars (cough, Hutton, cough) we’d be under the impression that oldline magickal practices only survived as vestiges of ancient cultures, that Witchcraft had no connection to religion – let alone Goddess worship, and that all modern practices of Paganism came from either Gardner or ceremonial magick, were invented, or were reconstructed from ancient sources, primarily literature. I’ve been disputing this fallacy since approximately 1982, when I met and became involved with Wiccans and neo-Pagans – years before Hutton ascended his ivory tower and used working-class peoples’ taxes to fund his badly-written theses coopting the text of his undergrads without giving them writing credits (shall I tell you how I really feel? LOL!) I’ve had this argument with Isaac Bonewits, who in his desire to debunk some of the myths surrounding Wicca with scholarship, threw out the baby with the bathwater and dismissed all surviving traditions of hereditary Witchcraft and folkloric magio-religion. Since then, I’ve read several other accounts of the “Pow Wow” tradition, Appalachian Witchcraft, the Gullah practice of magick, Stregeria, the Curenderia traditions, generic European folk magick, family and hereditary traditions, and heard several other statements made by those who either discovered or practiced religio-magickal or folkloric traditions in America. Nearly everywhere I go, I find at least one other Witch, buying pretty rocks in gift shops for healing crystals, gathering herbs at highway rest areas, sewing magickal designs into quilts, murmuring prayers while knitting, doing spellwork as they garden. I’ve run into them at neo-Pagan festivals, and communicated online. There really are Witches everywhere.

Do I have any proof? Not really. My ancestors could’ve made it up. People who I talk to might be lying. It’s been implied that I’m not being truthful, either, as many scholars view any hereditary traditions of magick or Witchcraft with skepticism. Let me assure you, my imagination is truly not that great. I’ve not documented my sources, as most of the individuals I’ve talked to prefer to remain anonymous, and not have college kids or magazine writers camped out on their doorstep, begging for scraps of lore and interfering with chores. Letters I received were wiped out with a computer crash, but maybe that’s for the best. It’s also been implied that since I went to work and had children rather than pursuing the futility of a college education, I am not qualified to write or lecture about folklore, magio-religion or modern-day Witchcraft. Y’know what? I don’t care. Wanna hear some cool stories and rites, or argue about their legitimacy.

…For most circles, covens, and traditions. Wicca is: The modern version of an ancient nature religion. Nature religions were the very first religions practiced on the earth. They date back to pre-historic times. Wicca or Wicce is an ancient Anglo Saxon noun that means a seer, or someone who can divine information by the use of magick. This word is also used as a verb and has the meanings: turn, bend and shape. In Wicca we use magick. Magick is: The word Magick comes from an old Greek word "Magos" and an old Persian word "Magus", these words mean seer or wizard. Wizard in old English means someone who is wise. We spell magick a little differently for a specific reason that you will learn later in this course. A Witch is: The Oxford dictionary gives this definition of a witch: A sorceress, esp. a woman supposed to have dealings with the devil or evil spirits. An old ugly woman; a hag. This is how the world views witches. This is not what witches really are. The word Witch comes from the old Germanic root "to know", and this means that a witch is a person who is wise. Witches are well versed in both scientific and spiritual truths. Wiccan witches are all about love, and harmony. Wiccans heal, but Wiccans never harm anyone intentionally Wiccans: Worship the Goddess and the God Have deep reverence for the Earth Accept the ability to use magick responsibly Accept reincarnation as demonstrated in nature Do not proselytize others Deity – Gods & Goddesses Nearly every religion reveres a creator spirit. Wiccans believe that deity is balanced; in other words, our creator spirit is equal parts feminine and masculine. One of these parts may sometimes seem to dominate the other, but since the universe maintains balance, the pendulum soon swings so the other part is in control. Balance is a very basic concept of physics that many beliefs in upon which nature religions are based. We worship the creator spirit, in this balanced form, as the Goddess and the God knowing as we worship one, we worship the other as well. The main thing to remember about pantheons (A pantheon is a cultural group of Gods & Goddesses) is this… the creator spirit is the being over all. If you were to liken the creator spirit to a diamond, and you looked at it closely, you would see the many cuts or facets. The facets or faces make the diamond shine and glimmer. Simply equate each face or facet to a god or goddess in a pantheon. Each one is different, but the total number creates the one whole. This is why you may hear people in nature religions state that all gods are (the) one god. We believe this is true, and that people simply choose to worship the creator spirit in different ways. Images are neither good nor bad. They just serve to remind us of the attributes of the goddess and/or the god. Images are a tool of our worship. In nature religions we understand that our deities must also be in balance with the universe. Knowing this, if we choose to use specific gods and/or goddesses from a pantheon, we pick them carefully and research them in depth. The fertility aspect of a goddess we might call upon might be in direct conflict with harmony in the home. We may have no wish to drive our mate away when we conceive. As we work, play and live with our gods and goddesses, they become a part of our lives and become guides and friends. We may grow out of our initial need for a certain deity, but they are always there for us, waiting as a part of the creator spirit. Modern Wicca (Witchcraft) For hundreds of years, the craft survived underground. Covens were scarce, and no one could learn unless they were from a family of Witches or family trad(ition). The local laws were a deterrent from coming out, as the death sentence applied. To learn and practice the craft took a great deal of courage. The possibilities of being found out were great, and the whole thing had to be kept quiet. During this time, witches were still getting seriously bad press, but not because they were practicing magick in towns and villages, this was the age of the wicked witch in fairy tales. However, things began to change in the early 1900's. People began to appear and stand up proudly proclaiming their beliefs in paganism and witchcraft. Alestair Crowley did so, and Rider Waite, forming the hermetic order of the Golden Dawn. Gerald Gardner and the witchcraft act repealed Gerald Gardner was a retired British civil servant. He is known as the 'Grandfather', of modern Wicca. It is reported that he was initiated into a coven of Witches in the New Forest region of England in 1939 by a High Priestess named 'Old Dorothy' Clutterbuck. In 1949 he wrote a novel [*High Magic's Aid*] about medieval Witchcraft in which quite a bit of the Craft as practiced by that coven was used. In 1951 the last of the English laws against Witchcraft were repealed (primarily due to the pressure of Spiritualists) and Gardner published *Witchcraft Today*, which set forth a version of the rituals and traditions of that coven. Because of Gerald Gardner and others like him, the craft began to enjoy resurgence in popularity. Today, we can count ourselves lucky. We have the ability to believe in what we want to. Although some might deride us because of our beliefs, it is not illegal to practice Wicca. We now have at our fingertips, information that our ancestors would have spent lifetimes looking for. We may read in books, watch TV programs or surf the net to experience Wicca. They could not. Even today, Wicca is accepted as a religion in the US Military! This only serves to help others see what we are about. But we should never take our freedom for granted; it could disappear as quickly as it came. Never forget the lessons of history. Circle (Ritual) Etiquette 1. When first joining a circle there are a few rules that apply, the same kind your mother taught you as a child. 2. If the circle is at a home and it's your first visit, bring a small gift of some sort just to show your thanks at being invited. 3. Do not leave your trash all around the building or someone's house; if you brought drinks with you or munchies make sure you pick them up and dispose of them properly. 4. Do not touch anything that you are unsure of...always ask permission; they may be ritual items that are not supposed to be touched. 5, Always be polite and courteous. 6. Do not over stay your welcome...we all know how excited we get when we meet new people and we just want to talk and learn about each other, just remember that these people may have jobs that require them to get up early. 7. Another good thing is to not discuss with others this great new friend you found that is into the same thing as you, unless all are open and out of the broom closet. 8. Always ask if you need to bring something; even if they say no bring some drinks or snacks you never can have too much. (Chocolate is almost always welcome…) 9. Do not bring drugs or alcohol into the building or someone's home without permission; that is a major violation of trust. 10. Always walk Deosil (clockwise) as opposed to Widdershins (counter clockwise) when you're in the Circle. Unless you are instructed to do otherwise. 11. If you are asked to call a Quarter, do your best and remember that nobody is going to laugh at you. 12. If you are asked to snuff a candle or two, ask the ritual leader for the best way to put out the candle. 13. Probably the most important thing to remember is to NOT break the Circle for any reason! If you have a wee one that is running amok through the building or the house and you need to attend to him or her, ask to be let out of the Circle, your ritual leader will be more than willing to oblige by opening a gate in the Circle for you. 14. Go with the mood of the Circle...if it seems light and casual, run with that. If it seems very formal and no-chit-chatty, it's probably not a good idea to tell a joke in the middle of calling the Goddess. :) 15. Follow the cues of others in the group. If you are new and aren't sure what to do, just watch the others and follow their lead. 16. Don't bring food or drink into the Circle unless you have a special situation (i.e. diabetic, pregnant, need to take pills etc.) or unless you were asked to do so by your ritual leader. There will be plenty of feasting after the Circle! 17. And the most important rule: If you feel uncomfortable for any reason… Leave Immediately!