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Thursday, 13 November 2014

Casting Circles (Part 2) - Where & When?


Where to cast?
Now, finding where to cast may seem like a simple prospect but there can be many things to consider and if you like to cast with flair, as I do, then it can be tricky to find somewhere with adequate space and privacy.
Ø     Privacy
Privacy is an important consideration and can be split into two areas of importance – physical privacy and spiritual privacy. The first, physical privacy, takes a higher priority while searching for a place to cast your circle because remaining undisturbed for the duration of your working can have a significant impact on its outcome. I always look for a place where I am confident I will not be interrupted and this is doubly important when I plan to be casting skyclad (or disrobed for those who are not yet familiar with witchy terms). Spiritual privacy is also related to remaining undisturbed – the presence of an unplanned energy, human, canine/feline or astral, whether around or within circle could cause you to lose focus and/or have your intention alter whilse casting.

Ø     Space
The need/want for a certain size of circle is an almost obvious area of importance; it will have a strong bearing on whether to create your circle indoors or out, especially the physical circle. You may want a 13 feet diameter circle, marked out with flaming torches – that would be a little dangerous to attempt in 6’x6’ bedroom – a slightly exaggerated example there but I have seen a circle cast with torches. The point is to find a space which suits your needs and meets your wants.

If you feel the your circle is only necessary in the astral/aetheral, cast only by the intention of the mind and your visualisation skills, space becomes less about the requirements of the circle and more about the needs of the working, such as an altar set up.

Ø     In or out?
·        Indoors (large space)
When space is not a restriction, the freedom of expression in physical circle casting becomes limited only by your imagination. I can only comment on my own personal ideas of that freedom based on how I feel I would express myself without this particular limitation. Given free reign, I would adore a large pentacle/triple-moon mural painted onto a hard wood floor; there would be hollows made at each pentacle point for a variety of directional/element creations… this particular area of circle casting is my ideal, given that it is currently unavailable to me and so I could keep writing  for an eternity but I will let your imaginations run wild and move on.
·        Indoors (small space):
More often than not, a whole room cannot be set aside purely for magickal workings, this is true in my home and so I have sectioned off an area of my bedroom where I can cast a circle, have an altar, perform my rituals and  participate in other witchy activities and crafts. It is situated under the window and from my altar I can see the moon at night and I get beautiful sunlight in the late afternoon. When I cast my circle, the energy of it, obviously passing through walls, is half inside and half outside, my altar and I at its centre. I turned a small space into a place of charge & consecration, a place of comfort & safety, a place of energy and elements, the home of deity & myself together, a place of magick.

·        Outdoors (intended)
Casting a circle under the full moon, surrounded by the elements at midnight is possibly the most magickal moment I have ever or will ever experience. As I am not lucky enough to have an outdoor space I can cast a circle at home, this takes place very rarely. On the occasions I feel the need to use an outside area for circle, I will take my wand to the local woods and cast a web of energy between trees. I have a local place I go to for each full moon, to draw down the energies and make my waters and oils.

If you have enough space at home, a permenant outdoor circle can be created in several ways:
v     laying stones in a circle, sunken or raised, can be a basic perimeter, plant flowers, trees or fungi to enhance it’s magick
v     turn over the ground to make a perimeter of earth
v     create a circular stream/pond with a bridge in and out of the inner circle.
The choices are endless and dependant only on your imagination.
·        Outdoors (random)
I will sometimes make an occasion out of finding a place I am drawn to cast a circle. I will go for a walk, wand in hand, with the intention of ‘finding a circle’; the idea being that there are circles waiting to be cast at certain places. I let my intuition guide me to a location which is either brimming with energy and needs to be explored/released/invoked or lacking energy which needs to be raised/cleansed/charged. I search until I find somewhere that feels special and magickal, a place that calls to me, sometimes it screams even…

When to Cast?
I have found a dramatic difference in opinion on when to cast circles and on whether it is even necessary and I have concluded that it really is the most individual choice. If within your own research of practices and ideals you feel that circle casting should be a part of your craft, like I did, then when to cast can be determined in two ways; if not by one or the other then by both:
a)       By physical and practical need
b)      By correspondence

Physical & Practical needs
Ø    Undisturbed
Privacy has always been and will always be an prime consideration in circle casting because casting and working undisturbed is the key to mastering your own energy and keeping it focused on your intention. It is therefore my advice to find a time when you will remain undisturbed for the length of your ritual from the start of preparation to the end of your ‘close down’.

Ø    Timing
This is the culmination of both the need for privacy and the consideration of the correspondences you wish to have present or be aligned to for your working. The majority of workings (spells, ritual, honourings, blessings) will at the very least be linked to a specific moon phase, possibly defined by a ruling deity, planet or day. A circle can be tailored to these specifics to enhance the power of the working.

Ø    Things
I will say that ‘things, by which I mean tools, are not a requirement of successful workings but can be considered as directional aids for your will and intent. I list them because some people do rely on ‘things’ for there workings and may be waiting on something arriving by mail or for their favourite witchy shop to have it in stock. I don’t rely on my wand to cast a circle, I have cast a circle without it but I feel much more myself, more confident in my casting if I have used it; nor do I require a smudge stick to cleanse a space before casting but I would feel the ‘dustiness’ of the energy if I didn’t use one. These and many other small tweaks to the state of mind of the caster are likely to impact on the strength, integrity and purpose of the circle.

By Correspondence
The casting of circles comes from within, it is about feeling a personal necessity and creating a space, this is can be the incorporation of correspondences you’re not even aware of; if you just know you should be casting a circle, if you feel an intuitive need to be out of the mundane world, an urge to leave the physical behind and connect to the divine then the Universe is trying to tell you something. As for the rest of the time, you may need to rely on other correspondence and association to help decide when to be getting your circle on:
Ø    Sabbats
Any Wheel of the Year celebration is likely to include an element of ritual; whether to honour a new season, commune with nature, meditate on the tides, the winds or deity… a circle will create the perfect environment to call up, release out, consecrate, charge or otherwise alter something that needs a spiritual/magickal assist.
Ø    Esbats
Ah, the moon… the ever waxing and waning orb of inspiration to witches the world over. What better reason is there to cast a circle than to be at one with this celestial energy of silvery-white grace, the physical representation of our Goddess, the Universal embodiment of femininity. I may have gotten a little poetic there but that is also the point of casting during an Esbat… Her poetic nature, the fluidity of her light, the curves of her orb, full or in shadow, can be harnessed, invoked and projected into the most delicatly misty or hearty steel-like circle. Our Lady Luna is not just there to be ‘Drawn Down’ but to be drawn upon… and when you consider ‘As above, so below’ when you draw those silver hues from the Universe, you also project them back to it three-fold… from your body, from you mind and from your spirit.


There are other correspondences I could specifically look into more deeply, such as Rites of Passage, Feast Days, the High Days of each tradition but there is a world of study to each and there is no rush. I will perhaps save those for later posts. When to cast a circle is unconditionally and quite literally in the hands of the caster; there are no rules, no books, no websites and no individuals who have the right to say “You have to…” or “You must never…”; as with all areas of witchcraft and spirituality, practice only what you are at peace with. This may take several years to a lifetime of trial and error but the Universe in its many shapes, forms, guises and aspects will always guide your path with an unheard whisper and an unseen hand (unless you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse or hear a whisper… in circle).

Thank you's

This 'when and where' post has taken a bit of oomph for me to get written and posted and it still wouldn't have been completed without the inspiration of a specific YouTube Witch. I would therefore like to thank the beautiful and talented +TheLadygravedancer for her fantastic videos and unwavering inspiration. I have long found your unique blend of down-to-earth logic, magickal spirit and outgoing nature and source of not only inspiration but Pagan Pride. May you always be that source for myself and many others. Blessed be Tequila. x)O(x

Friday, 17 October 2014

Casting Circles (Part 1) - What & Why?

When I started planning this ‘article’, I thought back a long time to when I first started studying the practice of witchcraft. Before I started practicing, I didn’t really understand the importance of casting a circle; it seemed like such a silly thing to do, walking round in circles, wand in hand, creating imaginary walls of energy, building sacred space. I didn’t believe that these things could come from me, be evoked from within and be helpful to what I was really looking forward to – casting spells! The folly of youth and inexperience; I didn’t realise during those early steps on my path that casting a circle, a long with other protective measures like grounding and centering were an essential part of the Craft as a whole. There is an adage in witchcraft and spiritual practices known as The Four Pillars of Balance: ‘To Know, To Will, To Dare, To Keep Silent’; the casting of a circle invokes all parts of it – ‘To Know’ most predominantly – know yourself, know your feelings, know your own power and not only know it but trust it. For me, with practice, this trust came. I had to feel my energy and become comfortable with it in myself to access it’s power, my power. Once I gained that access, with much more study and practice, I began to use, harness and eventually channel my own energies outward to cast and create my circle.

I thought I would answer some of the basic questions about casting a circle which can easily baffle given the amount of information available via books, websites, moots and covens. I will begin with the most basic:

What is a circle?
The witches circle is made by a practicing witch, channelling energy from the aether or from the earth, through his/her body, through the hand and through the wand/athame/finger. The energy is projected outward to create a circle which surrounds the practitioner.

Ø    A Boundary
A boundary of energy which blocks out the everyday world so the witch is surrounded only by a concentrated atmosphere of magick and divinity. Within a magick circle the worries, annoyances and problems of the mundane world are not present and so will not influence your chosen activities within it. Weave this concept into your intent as you cast your circle to enforce its prominence within the energy.

Ø    A Sacred Space
As all the earth is sacred this may seem a redundant point to make about the circle but when you create the boundary, you are creating a concentration of sacred and divine energy. You are saying this is the place I choose to do something special; this is where I am opening up to deity, to the elements, to magick. In this context, the magick circle becomes your personal sacred space; it is your place to worship, honour and experience the energies of the universe.

Ø    Protection
When working with energy: meditating, opening your chakras, casting spells, performing rituals… you become vulnerable, spiritually, emotionally and mentally. The circle provides protection by only allowing the deities, entities and energies you desire to have access to you while you are in this vulnerable state. I will state here that while a circle is high on the list of protective measures, it is more effective as a protection when combined with other methods, such as grounding and centering.

Ø    ‘As Above, So Below’
I was going to add this in later but I think it fits here. This perception is from the Hermetic faith and tradition; it brings the concept of balance to a circle. The exact translation from the Hermetic texts is: “That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above corresponfs to that which is Below, to accomplish the miracle of the One Thing.”
This is interpreted as whatever occurs on an emotional, mental or physical level, will be mirrored in each other level; it is, however, much more commonly associated with the microcosm (the self) and macrocosm (the Universe) – one is as the other, and each is within the other – through understanding one, the seeker may learn to understand the other.
When casting a circle, this principle is incorporated because the energy of you is projected out to the universe – the circle is your microcosm expanded into the macrocosm, there for it will expand back to you, making your working more energetic

Why cast a circle?
I have touched on why a circle casting is important already but I am taking this opportunity to go a little deeper. Protection is the obvious reason and I will look into that more but also cast a circle for a stronger connection to divintiy and to make the energy you create within the circle more concentrated.

Ø    Mood over Matter
Getting home and going straight into a ritual without preparation is not a good idea… if you do this you drag the mundane world into your working; any negativity from the day will still be in your mind and will impact or impede the outcome of your magickal/spiritual activities. Just preparing to cast a circle will calm your thoughts immensely – cleansing yourself, bringing together needed items, smudging your circle area… all of these things are relaxants. This process along with the actual casting, both physical and astral, create the magickal mood and sacred atmosphere which makes for a more connected experience.

Ø    Protect Me!
This is the initial purpose of the circle – to function as protector. It is there to keep negative influences away from you and your workings. I believe protection should be a witch’s most esteemed priority so that once you are in circle and ready to do your workings and practice, you feel safe and comfortable opening yourself up.

Ø    … “and Open!”
You will have heard the term ‘between the worlds’ when looking into circles which relate to witchcraft; this is because when you cast a circle, while you are physically still in this world, you are opening up your mind, your heart and your spirit to the world of Deity, the world of faery, the world of spirit animals and other guides. A circle is cast in part so you can safely have these experiences without threat of psychic attack or negative influence.


These are just a few of my reasons for a circle… there are many smaller ones but what I would never do is cast a circle only for the reason that ‘I’m supposed to’. I’m not, not supposed to either but I find if I do something because a book tells I have to then I am only doing what feels right for the author of that book. The beauty of following a pagan path is the incredible freedom of interpretation. I cast a circle when I feel I should or if I feel I need to. I hope people do take on board what I have said about circles, maybe find their own importances for why to cast circles and what it means to them but following instruction to the letter in a pagan path stifles creativity.

Monday, 13 October 2014

Shiann Creations Halloween Raffle

My very good friend, +Shiann Raven Moon, is raffling off some of her store products - www.ShiannCreations.co.uk


Tickets:
£1 per strip

Draw:
31st October, 2014

Please contact Shiann on facebook to buy tickets:
https://www.facebook.com/ShiannRavenMoon?fref=ts

Thursday, 9 October 2014

Wittering on… 09/10/14

Well, what a witchy week I’m having! With the Hunter’s Moon last night, I had an small esbat celebration: drawing down the moon, creating full moon water, a power meditation and a reading of The Charge of the Goddess. I will create a full post on either the October Moon or my activities for the later in the week; maybe both, depends on time.

I am writing a Witch Charge. I am very enamoured with Charges at the moment. Their abilty to raise energy and connect people, to bring Deity into our midst. It is an experiment to see if the same level of energy, connection and divinity can be reached if it is the Witch whom is charged. I shall post this as soon as it done.

I have also made progress on my Universal wand; it has finally dried out enough to work on so I am very happy about that. It is now partially rubbed down. Just waiting for a few more tools to arrive so I can create it how I want. This will start to change and become a comrade in the magickal arts very soon now I have started.

Also in wand news, I have rescued some apple branches from my dad’s axe wielding in the garden which are drying out to be transformed early next year. And as my new chisel set arrived yesterday, I was playing with the smaller branch to practice my ‘skinning’ ability. I have enough branches for approximately 7 wands. 4 are taken up as gifts for Ostara/Beltaine but the remainder will be available for sale - £8.99 (+P&P). I have kept the price low as I am new to wand making for others. I have made them for myself before but I have rustic tastes, if I’m selling them, they should possibly be a little prettier.
 

The last thing I’d like to witter on about is a book I ordered which came yesterday: Sacred Earth Celebrations, by Glennie Kindred. It is bumper packed full of Sabbat ideas and suggestions. I’m only about 1/3 of the way through but I cannot put it down. I may begin book review posts from this book. What do you think?


Sunday, 5 October 2014

Summer Book Haul

Well, as the leaves are falling and the sporadic showers of unpredictable weather have begun, I am taking stock of my summer retail therapy. I have brought so many books over the summer season that my book shelf is bowing in the middle. Here come the titles:

 
Green Witchcraft II, Balancing Light & Shadow – Ann Moura
Green Witchcraft III, The Manual – Ann Moura
Pagan Christmas – Christian Ratsch & Claudia Muller-Ebeling
The Magickal Retreat – Susan Pesznecker

Making Magick – Edain McCoy
Solitary Wicca for Life – Arin Murphy-Hiscock
Spells for Sweet Revenge – Lauren White
From the Cauldron Born – Kristoffer Hughes
Earthing – Clinton Ober, Stephen Sinatra & Martin Zucker
The Wheel of the Wiccan Year – Gail Duff

 
Pathworking Through Poetry – Fiona Tinker
Moon Magic – Rachel Patterson
Spirituality Without Structure – Nimue Brown
Elen of the Ways – Elen Sentier
Fairy Witchcraft – Morgan Daimler
Kitchen Witchcraft – Rachel Patterson

 Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic – Scott Cunningham
Wicca – Vivianne Crowley
Hedge Witchcraft – Harmonia Saille
The Reflexology Bible – Louise Keet

Book of Shadows Tarot – Barbara Moore (Art by Gabrielli, Krysinski & Rivolli)

Thursday, 2 October 2014

Cry/Say Goodbye - An Autumn Ritual

This is a practice which I started many years ago after watching an episode of Ally McBeal. One of the characters said to another: “If you think back and replay your year, if it doesn’t bring you tears, either joy or sadness, consider the year wasted”. This was followed by a montage of the whole seasons highs and lows. What I took from this is that everyone, witch or not, needs to find time to take stock, release emotion, count their blessings, etc… I do this at Mabon because it is the last sabbat on the wheel, Samhain is a new year. In between the two I emotionally rest and try not to get too involved in anything dramatic. I find this necessary for emotional well being for two reasons:
1.          Deep down, I am a petty and selfish person. I’m not proud of it and I hide it to the outside world but so many little things bug me and when I don’t get my way I have to make myself not stomp around and throw a tantrum. I let things go for the sake of social grace but they still bug me. I get angry over my boss cutting my hours, I get frustrated that with my debts and I get upset with family issues and niggles.
2.        I believe in detox; not only for the body but for the mind and the spirit too. It’s not always the little things (that shouldn’t bother me) that build up; sometimes it’s the things that should bother me that I let pass too because I am so conditioned by my response to the little things. The unrequited love that plagues my heart is a big one at the moment but there are other things too and I do nothing about them.

This ritual lets me cry about everything, tears of anger and tears of upset; I can get rid of it; lighten the load and start fresh. The act of crying is the magick here… the release of these grievances with the intention of saying goodbye to the emotion behind them activates the cleansing process and revitalises your energy for future workings.

I’ve never come across ritual crying in my years of magickal study but it’s something I find very refreshing. Here’s how:

You will need:
Ø    Circle Casting Items
v     I create an emotionally evocative circle; autumn is emotionally evocative for me so it works well for me to do this at Mabon. I use my aromatic Mabon incense blend (see Sabbat Discovery - Mabon);
v     The physical circle is made with autumn leaves, pinecones, acorns and conkers; the astral circle is an orb of fallen leaves.
v     Music has an emotional effect sometimes too so that is added for additional ‘mood’.
v     The quarters I call are the directional winds which ruffle the leaves of my astral circle as the enter.
Ø    Momentoes of the past year. These momentoes should represent good times, bad times, anything emotionally charged. The purpose of them is to well up the tears… once the tears are there, the sub-conscious will bring up everything that needs to flow out. All you have to do it let it… The momentoes won’t be thrown away or burned, this isn’t that type of ritual. It’s about letting yourself cry, not the things that get you there.
Ø    A small bowl or bottle.

What to do:
1.          Cast your circle around the mementoes. Take time over it; charge it with all those emotions that have been welling up all year. If you’re following my leafy example for your astral circle, see every leaf, the flush of colour on each delicate surace – let it emit a soft gold glow, the scent that always carries on an autumn breeze will surround you from every leaf of the circle. Make the circle an all encompassing bubble of autumn energy.
2.        Light candles, play music, burn incense… set the mood. A circle should always feel like a safe place but because you will be letting down emotional barriers and making yourself vulnerable, do whatever you can to feel comfortable. Allow this creation of a ‘mood’ be the beginning of letting the emotional walls down.
3.        Sit in your circle and spend time with your momentoes, hold them, feel their energy, remember the emotions and experiences that went with them. If you feel tears starting to come, don’t fight them. Let them flow. Do this for as long as necessary to feel cleansed.
4.       As you cry, push all the crappy, pent up anger, frustration, stubborness, pettiness, negativity, push it all out of you and into those tears. Use the bowl/bottle to collect the tears as much as you can.
5.        Once you’re done, place the bowl/bottle somewhere secure while you take down your circle. The astral leaves stop defying gravity and fall as the fade into the aether; sweep up your acorns and conkers, extinguish your candles and incense.
6.        The last step is to dispose of your tears. Pour them into the earth for those feelings to be absorbed. I like to say something, as a final goodbye:
Sadness, anger, fear depart
Banished from my mind, my heart
Be cleansed within the earth’s embrace
Be gone from me, leave no trace

7.        Take a deep breath and let the fresh air and the scent of autumn enter all the places of your mind that the negativity dwelled and let it lift you up. Feel unburdened, feel lighter, feel great!!!!

Wednesday, 1 October 2014

The Charge of The Dark Goddess

Charge of the Dark Goddess

Version 1 – by Lynne O’Connor
The Dark Goddess speaks to us, through the mouths of Lilith, Kali, Tiamet, Hekate, Nix, the Black Madonna, Nemesis and Morgane.
I am the Darkness behind and beneath the shadows.
I am the absence of air that awaits at the bottom of every breath.
I am the Ending before Life begins again,
the Decay that fertilises the Living.
I am the Bottomless Pit,
the never-ending struggle to reclaim that which is denied.
I am the Key that unlocks ever Door.
I am the Glory of Discovery,
for I am that which is hidden, secluded and forbidden.

Come to me at the Dark Moon
and see that which can not be seen,
face the terror that is yours alone.
Swim to me through the blackest oceans
to the centre of your greatest fears –
the Dark God and I will keep you safe.
Scream to us in terror, and yours will be the Power to Forbear.
Think of me when you feel pleasure, and I will intensify it,
until the time when I may have the greatest pleasure

of meeting you at the Crossroads Between the Worlds.

Version 2
Wisdom and empowerment are the gifts of the Dark Goddess of Transformation. She is known to us as Kali, Hecate, Cerridwen, Lilith, Persephone, Fata, Morgana, Ereshkigal, Arianrhod, Durga, Inanna, Tiamet, and by a million, million other names:

Hear me child and know Me for who I am. I have ben with you si nce you were born and I will stay with you until you return to Me at the final dusk.

I am the passionate and seductive lover who inspires the poet to dream. I am the One who calls to you at the end of your journey. After the day is done, My children find their blessed rest in my embrace.

I am the womb from which all things are born.

I am the shadowy, still tomb; all things must come to Me and bare their breasts to die and be reborn to the Whole.

I am the Sorceress that will not be ruled, the Weaver of Time, the Teacher of Mysteries. I snip the threads that bring my children home to me. I slit the throats of the cruel and drink the blood of the heartless. Swallow your fear and come to me, and you will discover true beauty, strength and courage.

I am the fury which rips the flesh from injustice.

I am the glowing forge that transforms your inner demons into tools of power. Open yourself to my embrace and overcome.

I am the glinting sword that protects you from harm.

I am the crucible in which all the aspects of yourself merge together in a rainbow of union.

I am the velvet depths of the night sky, the swirling mists of midnight, shrouded in mystery.

I am the chrysalis in which you will face that which terrifies you and from which you will blossom forth, vibrant and renewed. Seek me at the crossroads, and you shall be transformed, for once you look upon my face, there is no return.

I am the fire that kisses the shackles away.
I am the cauldron in which all opposites grow to know each other in Truth.
I am the web which connects all things.

I am the Healer of all wounds, the Warrior who rights all wrongs in their Time. I make the weak strong. I make the arrogant humble. I raise up the oppressed and empower the disenfranchised. I am Justice tempered with Mercy.

Most importantly, child, I am with you. I am part of you, and I am within you. Seek me within and without, and you will be strong. Know me. Venture into the dark so that you may awaken to Balance, Illumination and Wholeness. Take my Love with you everywhere and find the Power within to be who you wish.

Version 3
Listen to the words of the Dark Mother, who of old was called Hecate, Nuit, Morrigan, Banba, Erda, Macha, MotherNIght, Sekhmet, and many other names:

Whenever you seek wisdom, at the time of the Darkening Moon, come together in love and trust and learn of Me, who am the Wisest of Crones… Ye who search the mysteries of the Earth, the secrets of Air and Darkness, the Blood and Fire, the silence of the uttermost stars, come unto me, and I shall whisper to you in the depths of midnight.

Ye shall approach Me in the silence, and as a sign that ye are free from fear, your breast you shall bare to My blade… for fear has no place in My mysteries, and that which you seek of me will destroy you if you fear it.

For I am the dolmen arch beyond which stretch the mysteries of infinity. I am the silence before birth and after death. I am the clouded mirror in which you scry your own soul. I am mist in the twilight, the vast and starry sky of midnight, shadows on the Moon.

All things come to Me in the end, and yet I am the beginning of all. I meet you at the crossroads, I lead you through the darkness, My hand you grasp in the passage between the worlds. To those that toy with Me am I an instrument of self-destruction, yet to the true seeker do I bring knowledge beyond mortal comprehension.

Of you shall I demand the utter truth of all that you are, and in return shall I give you all that you may be, all that I am. For My wisdom is beyond the Ages, and knowledge of My Secrets is power over self, over fear, over death. Nor do I demand aught of you which you cannot give. For I am the Mother of Mysteries, and as you know Me, so shall you learn to know yourself.

The Witches’ Chant

The Witches’ Chant


Move you unto my desire, Darksome night and shining Moon
Hell’s dark mistress, Heaven’s Queen
Hearken to the Witches’ rune.
Diana, Lilith, Melusine!
Queen of witchdom and of night
Work my will by magic rite
Earth and water, air and fire,
Conjured by the witch’s blade.
Aid ye as the charm is made!
Queen of witchdom and of night,
Work my will by magic rite.

  
In the earth and air and sea
By the light of moon or sun,
As I pray, so mote it be.
Chant the spell and be it done!
Queen of witchdom and of night,
Work my will by magic rite.

Tuesday, 30 September 2014

Autumn Goddess Charge


I am the waning moon
The Goddess who is fading from the land
In the Springtime I sought my Lord
And mated with him beneath the trees and stars
At Beltane I wed my Lord
Beneath the first blossoms of the hawthorn tree
And in the Summertime I ripened the apples in the orchards
And the fruit grew round and strong
At the corn harvest I cut down my Lord
That by his death our people might be fed
And now in the Autumn time
I descend beneath the Earth
To dwell with my Lord in his dark kingdom
Until our child is born
At the Winter Solstice I will bring forth the child
And renew your hope
And at Candlemas I myself will return
To renew the land
I leave you, but I return to you
When you see my power fade
And the leaves fall from the trees
When snow obliterates like death
All trace of me upon the Earth
Then look for me in the Moon
And in the heavens, you will see the soul of me 
Soaring still among the stars
And in that darkest time
When the Moon is covered by shadow
And there is no trace of me in Heaven or on Earth
When you look outward and your lives seem cold and dark and barren
Let not despair eat at your hearts.
For when I am hidden
I am but renewing
When I am waning
I am making ready for return
Remember my promise and look within you
And there you will find the spirit of me
Awaiting those who will seek
For by the well-spring of your being
I await you always.
I am Diana in Heaven
And on Earth, Persephone
And within you that dark Hecate
Triple am I
The One in Three
My body the Earth
My soul the Moon
And within thine innermost self
The eternal spirit of me.