The Mind, Memory, and Now

WARNING:

Today’s blog is quote and link heavy, and a bit all over the place, but feel free to enjoy it anyway.

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Last night, for a bit of light reading I was reading Lucretius’ The Nature of Things. Whereas there were several passages that jumped out at me, in the few pages I read, lines 464-480 in particular.

“Further, when people talk about the rape of Helen or
Make mention of the trouncing of the Trojan tribes in war
As real, beware they do not make us see it in the light
That these events exist as entities in their own right,
See in generations these events befell have all
Long ago been swept away by ages past recall.
For any incident of history can be referred
To as a ‘consequence’— of men or of where it occurred.
And had there been no stuff of things, and nowhere to take place,
Love of Helen’s beauty never could have fanned the blaze
That smouldered under Alexander’s heart and set alight
The luminary battles in the war’s ferocious fight.
No Trojan-duping wooden horse, carrying in her womb
The night-mare birth of Greeks, would have sent Troy to burning doom.
So you can see that done deeds have no spate entity
The way that matter does, nor can these deeds be said to be
In the selfsame way that void exists. But we can rightly class
Them consequences of matter and the place they came to pass."

Reading this section immediately got me to thinking about the relationship between the mind and memory. I know this wasn’t the point of what he was getting at. He was trying to use the imagery of the mind and memory as further evidence supporting his philosophy of all things being constructed of matter and the void. A very similiar concept to Dion Fortune’s Ring of Manifestation and Ring of NoThing Theory as explained in the Cosmic Doctrine.

To quote the Kybalion quoting itself, “THE ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental.” It goes on to explain that we process our understanding and interaction with existence through the mind. Now, mind you that the Kybalion says a whole lot more on the subject. Go read it.

Now if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a copy of The Azoetia, I made copius notes from a copy I briefly was allowed to use as few years ago, you’ll find the following passage:

“It is taught that the Primal Goddess is to be invoked at the meeting-place of three roads. This teaching is a hieroglyph, symbolizing the meeting-place or junction of the three states of Awareness (sleeping, dreaming, waking), where it is said the Gateway unto the Continuity of Existence lies.”

Not being one to just let little bits of obscurely mentioned lore pass me by, I did some research and found out that Chumbley’s three states of awareness made their way into Western occultism and Witchcraft from Transcendental Meditation.

A quick breakdown according to what I've learned about this theory according to its use in modern Witchcraft: The mind travels upon three roads, essentially these are the states of our consciousness. These three roads are the roads of Waking, Sleeping, and Dreaming. It is when we are conscious or awake that our mind is upon the road of waking, when we are asleep but not dreaming our mind is upon the road of sleeping, and lastly when we are asleep and actively dreaming we are upon the road of dreaming. These are not the only states of mind. For instance, when day-dreaming we are in a state that is neither exclusively waking nor dreaming but somewhere in the mist between the two. Trance is induced when we shift our mental state into the point where all three meet. This metaphorical place is where all three of these roads meet, and it is for this reason that being in trance is referred to as standing at the crossroads.

Back to the topic at hand— the relationship between the mind and memory. My thoughts quickly turned towards I Am That where the Hindu Guru Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj explains the following in regards to memory.

“Perception, imagination, expectation, anticipation, illusion—all are based on memory. There are hardly any border lines between them. They just merge into each other. All are responses to memory.”

It would seem that he agrees with the basic concept of what is put forth in the Kybalion. Reflecting on this and the three roads, it can be seen that the mind is the vehicle but that this vehicle travels in three states. Easy right. The mind, however, does not time travel. It is only here, and now.

Does this make memory false? Lucretius says, “So you can see that done deeds have no spate entity.” Maharaj says, “Surely, the memory of an event cannot pass for the event itself.” After a bit of thought my answer is, no. The past, the realm of what has been made Fate, is the memory of the Mind. I am here and now and so is my mind, of which my memories are a part, they share in my reality. This does not mean that memory is Truth, just that they are the experiences of the mind from which Truth is interacted with. Witchcraft and our relationship with the world is experiential.

Just food for thought.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Call to the Harvest

The following is something I wrote a few months ago.

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Call to the Harvest

Come!

Stir the ancient cauldron of blood’s past,
For the Harvest is upon us!

Adorn Heaven’s Crown and Land thee wed,
For the Harvest is upon us!

Call forth eternal within,
For the Harvest is upon us!

Moon of the Witchblood, I call thee!

Sacred Face of the Tree, I call thee!

Ecstasy of the Eternal Name, I call thee!

Come!

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Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Red Wine, Not White

Red wine is the offering of choice for the Witch Lord from me. It was something I discovered by accident. I had just finished preparing some flowers for my altar, which is another story, when an image of a small glass of wine sitting in front His statue popped into my head. It felt like a request for some wine. It was perceived by intuition alone and is not something that I have a ready answer for, yet the call was there. So I poured a little wine in a small glass and took it to the altar as well.

Now over the past several months, anytime I have prepared new flowers for the altar, about once a week, I have taken up some wine for my Lord. Over the course of this time, the type of wine that has been taken up has varied. I take up what is available and what is available varies, simple enough. Therein I have learned that the feeling produced during the offerings process changes as well. It would seem that there is a preference in wine. Metaphysically I know that the substance offered in not the wine itself and that this doesn’t really vary, so then why the preference?

My first thought, was that this was because of my own preferences since they seemed to be the same, but I dismissed these thinking it must be something else. After a lot of reflection, I have returned to this original notion. The Witch Lord doesn’t like this type of wine because it is what I like, but because I give it preference, I give it more worth. So when I offer this wine, over that one, based on my preference I am giving something of more worth, thus the feeling of gratitude (closest word I have to explain the feeling) is more distinct.

Sure I could offer almost anything and so long as it is given with sincerity, then it will be received. However, knowing that our own value of worth upon an offering makes it more or less of a personal sacrifice, and that this will in turn affect the quality of the offering, it does leave a lot of room for consideration when choosing offerings.

Do your Gods and/or Goddesses have preferences in offerings?

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

All Hail the Honored Dead!

This morning my thoughts are turned towards those that trod the echoing path, having succumbed to the drums of war. I assume that there are many who on this day will reflect, even if for just a moment, upon the honored dead.

My thoughts are turned towards the casket that I had to stand by as part of my own duty. In vivid detail the memory of the weeping of the mother over her son’s vessel stands out as details of her whispering ‘when you where little’ were barely audible.

My thoughts are turned towards all the times that I have heard taps playing, only disrupted by the sound of the broken-hearted trying to maintain their composure, before I was to step before a widow, whose partner was gone long too soon, with nothing to offer but a folded up flag and a bit of memorized speech, “On behalf of the President of the United States, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one’s service to Country and Corps.”

My thoughts are turned towards the many faces of my brethren alongside whom I have, and continue to serve with. The possibility of death is rarely the choice topic of conversation, not enough vulgarity and crass language for our lot. On the few occasions when the subject has arisen, no one had anything to say. After all, everything that could be said was said in the first few moments, everything else was understood. Sure death could come, but the risk is worth it, this is just accepted, an after-thought to why each had taken their oath.

Mostly though, my thoughts are turned towards those that have come face-to-face with that after-thought as its possibility became reality. These are our ancestors, they, whether willingly or not, were ripped from this realm at the hand of violence.

They are most honored, for when the loom of that violence threatened to rain destruction in its path; they were amongst those that stepped forward in defiance. Upon foreign shore or in our own backyard, they have fought and paid the ferryman his toll.

Death comes; this is a fact that cannot be changed. It is a threshold upon the circle, without which the end would not also be a beginning. Change is the only constant. The eventual descent into the Mother’s Tomb will come. How this happens is not always within our control, but a few, the Honored Dead, never knowing if and when they might be throw into the cauldron, made the choice that when they did, they would have the mark of having been a servant of life upon their breast.

All Hail the Honored Dead!

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Glamour

Most people I would wager don’t think of magick or spell work when they hear the word glamour. The modern usage of the word just doesn’t imply images of a Witch chanting over their latest brew. Yet, so much of our everyday practices of trying to make us appear glamorous originate in magick practice.

Perfume and make-up have been attributed magick properties for millennium, and for good reason. However, these things, in of themselves, are not what puts the edge of this metaphorical knife. Glamour according to magickal practice is the purposeful use of magick towards affecting one’s appearance and impression towards others. It is a practice that has fallen by the wayside and little discussed. Yet, it is there if one digs a bit.

Confession time. I regularly employ magick along these lines. In fact, the very first spell I learned as a young teen with CoR, was glamour magick. I, however, don’t use it in regards to interpersonal relationships. Nope, I have ethical issues with that. I do use it for my career.

Glamour is not a guarantee to success and in of itself will fail without the proper display. Just remember that glamour makes the impression being given just a bit stronger. It does not bend, dominate, or control another’s Will under that impression. Though there are magickal practices that are designed for that, glamour is not one of them.

Glamour is like putting icing on a cake, start with crap cake and it’ll only be crap cake with icing, but if you start with a good foundation, then the icing enhances the experience.

The cake in these instances is how one dresses, talks, and carries themselves. It is the face you put on for the world. The Witch, by use of glamour makes this face stronger. Say you are going to a job interview, no amount of glamour is going to help with the appearance of being a professional if one shows up for it in flip-flops, swimming trucks, and no shirt with the scent of whiskey about one. Crap cake that is. However, show up with the attitude and clothing to support, then the glamour will help to smooth out any rough bits.

The methods of glamour I employ come from Southern Conjure but can easily be adapted. Here is one, though with research many others can be found.

Start with a bath, a basin bath. The bath needs to have cleansing elements as well as properties that you wish to imbue. I’d give you a recipe but I think that’s cheating. Bathe before sunrise with an up-stroking motion. When you are done, drip dry. Can’t go rubbing the work off now can we? As the sun is coming up, go throw the basin water away from you over your shoulder towards the east. This is splashing the intent upon the day with the rising sun*.

When it comes time to dress for the occasion the use of condition oils and powders comes in to play. Rub the feet with Success or Prosperity Oil. The feet are the foundation upon which we walk and are highly susceptible to magickal influence. If you are a women and plan to wear make-up, a bit of the same oil can be mixed in with the liquids, or you can take a similarly propertied powder and sprinkle a bit in the powders. Not much though. If make-up is not a choice being made then one can dust themself very lightly the powder. In addition, mojo or charm bags can be concealed in one’s underclothing and taken as an aide. Being the Witch that I am, I also like to have a specially dressed candle and condition incense lit just before heading out, for me this pulls everything together nicely.

What methods of glamour have you used?

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

*Note: In conjure there are many ways of getting rid of bath water, this is one and not a very common one at that.

You Are What You Eat.

I have tried to eat healthier for years, as do many. I even had some success but it was a constant fight. Like so many, I yo-yo’d. In January I changed my methodology. Worry not, this blog isn’t about that. The new way of eating changed something in me; it became less about trying to be healthy but more about devotion, but then again, almost everything as of late has turned into an act of devotion for me. I began to truly feel, and not just intellectually know, the sacredness between us and what we eat.

Our bodies are a temple.“As above, so below,”

or as some modern practitioners would spin it and say, “As without, so within,” we are the cosmos and it is us. We are both the image in the mirror and the projector of the image. Confuse not the Self with the carriage. The body is a vehicle, our egos, and even the incarnated mind is transitory. These are not the Self.

However impermanent these are, let us not forget that they are sacred and spun of the divine. My flesh is the reflection of the substance of the Lord of our world. When the body is treated as such, health will be a byproduct, not the goal. The goal is and will be, to honor and offer devotion through our own microcosm back out into the macro. Herein a relationship is built and the two become one at the heart.

Inwardly, we reflect the Moon upon the pool of the Self.

The flesh, bone, and blood are a temple, a vessel that is wide open for the reception of the Lady. Just as we reflect our Lord, so too do we reflect our Lady. Our devotion is apparent when we show proper maintenance and care of the Body Altar unto which we invite her to fill.

This manner to devotion is not for everyone. Don’t think this blog is a denouncement of the approach any choose in how to live. I am simply reflecting on my own personal experience about diet, devotion, and my understanding that is developing.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Teachers

In the Contemporary Pagan community, there are two common themes when it comes to the importance of having teachers. Usually, there is either a lot of emphasis on wanting/seeking/finding someone to teach or the individual is emphatically against needing a teacher; the truth of the matter falls somewhere in the middle of this spectrum.

A teacher is not needed to be spiritual. As humans we do this already, it is just a part of our nature. Even atheists, though they would use much different wording. The core truth of the matter is that a teacher is not needed to embark on a spiritual journey; it is going to happen regardless. The point in a teacher is not so as to be able to take the first step.

The point is to have someone lay before you their experiences and to teach the particular praxis of a Tradition. The spiritual rabbit hole can go very deep alone, but with the momentum gained from working with a teacher and group, the bottom of that hole drops even deeper. This truth is something that cannot be explained in full to someone that has never experienced the shift in energy from working solo to working with guidance.

In the BTW and TIW communities, there is a proverb used. Let there be no doubt that this proverb originates in Buddhism,

but as with many things of spiritual truth, we have claimed it and made it our own. It goes like this, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” A teacher may be desired and even sought after, but until the Gods deem it right, that pathway will remain blocked, even if it takes decades. Sadly, this can cause many to become dissuaded and discouraged.

Be wary and be discriminate when approaching someone as a teacher. Likewise, don’t settle on just anyone, just because they are the only local person found. Verify that your prospective teacher is trained themselves and vouched for. A vouch means two things, which is often only thought of as only meaning one. It means, that someone has the lineage claimed, and that the person vouching (make sure the vouch comes from a reliable source) is giving their word that the person is reputable. On rare occasion I have been asked for a vouch, but the best I could do was say, “Yes, they have that lineage.” I was not able to, in good conscious, to give a vouch for their being a reputable teacher. Remember, it is the job of the teacher to bring you to their level, and nothing else.

A good teacher strives to help you down the path, not to walk it for you.

It is their goal to have the student surpass them, to eventually take flight and leave the nest.

Just as a teacher will not appear until ready, sometimes they appear when not expected. Recognize when this happens and embrace it or the opportunity will pass by. Cease the moment and allow the experience to broaden the spiritual horizons.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Maps and the Lonely Road

The Path of the Witch is often referred to as the Lonely Road. As a deeply esoteric path, only we truly walk it. Granted, we share many of the same experiences as others that have trod the way we have gone, but that is not the same. Eventually though, every Witch will find themselves feeling alone. It is a part of the path.

It is also part of the internal spiritual process, that on occasion we find ourselves at a crossroads, conflicted, and unsure where to proceed forth to. This is why it so important to not walk the path without the assistance of others that have been that way before. Of all that arguments that can be made in favor of working within an established Tradition, this is the biggest, in my opinion. The way through the brush does not have to be cleared, someone else has been there and though you walk alone, they can recall the trials and how they overcame them. Long standing Traditions even develop about them, as part of their egregore, lore and practices that act as a map.

It is a map that was built upon by each person that has gone down the lonesome trail; even you will leave the trace of your hand upon it when you need to pass it to another.

At some point even the experienced will find themselves in need of a push in the right direction. Perhaps they are blind to the road ahead for some reason, or they do not want to accept the truth that is sitting before them. Don’t be afraid to say as such and see. Learn to recognize these moments, so that action can be taken.

Joining a Coven is a very involved process, it is long, and may result in either the group or the Seeker deciding that they cannot continue to pursue. There must be great trust forged, in order for those experiencing a Branding to open up to others, likewise those that have already felt that particular sting of severity, must also have that bond. It is no wonder that Traditional Covens seem to be standoffish. It is not because they think themselves better; it is because trust must be built over many long hours, weeks, months, even years; much like joining a family.

So who do you have that can hand you an occasional map down the path? Teachers? Friends? Is there only one or many? Every Witch needs to know, for everyone needs at some time or another a helping hand.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Living in Two Worlds

The various Witchcraft Traditions are mostly comprised of converts. Not everyone fits this bill, but most do. So regardless of which branch you subscribe to, whether it is BTW*, TIW*, TW*, or DRW*, it is by choice. I am of course speaking about those forms of Witchcraft that are religious in nature, there are folk traditions but those are a different beast. Granted, a beast that sometimes we ride around the corral.

Our devotion is by choice.

It is ridiculously easy to just exist in the world of form and pursue only the mundane. Instead, the choice was made and continues to be made every time our decision is engaged through action. This action is inward. The choice could be made to only worry about the tangible and minimal spiritual requirements for existence. Why bother claiming the title then? It is the work, the inward work of the initiate that is the approach of the Witch. Ours is the path of the mystic digging into the depths of what is hidden, to see what mysteries may be learned.

Tasting the seeds of truth that the mysteries offer is for many, enough to ensnare them, but to tend only to the spiritual will leave the profane world barren.

If though, one is only concerned with the mundane, the heart crowned in the holy will not only long for integration into our life but will in a crisis of neglect bring winter to our lives. Surrounded by untamed shadows that were feed by denial of their existence, the innocent folly will find itself the bride cloaked in darkness, with reign over a heart in ruin.

The extremes of living solely in the profane or the sacred will defeat the Witch and every step forward will leave the other leg anchored or at best dragging. It is via devotion to living fully in both worlds that the Witch finds they are able to walk with both feet.

How do you do at walking with both feet down the thorned path?

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

*BTW: British Traditional Wicca
*TIW: Traditional Initiatory Witchcraft
*TW: Traditional Witchcraft
*DRW: Dedicatory Religious Witchcraft

Guest Post-Peter Paddon: What is Traditional Witchcraft?

Defining Traditional Witchcraft is a tricky business. For starters, witches are notoriously individualistic, and asking any three witches to define a word will result in five definitions, so you can imagine the range of opinions on the word “Witchcraft” itself…

Many people certainly hold strong beliefs on what Witchcraft is, not least myself, so I’ll try to give an overview of the main ones, before explaining why my own definition is, of course, the correct one (just kidding, even a Brit of Welsh extraction such as myself can’t be quite that pompous!).

First of all, we have to look at whether Witchcraft is a religion or a practice. There are very vocal proponents on both sides of this particular conundrum, mostly intractably locked into their favored argument. But objective evidence is strongly in favor of Witchcraft being a practice, albeit one that is expressed through the religion of the practitioner. In the western world, that means that historically witches have frequently been Christian – perhaps the most famous historical sect of Witches are the Stregha, who are all practicing Catholics, even if their Catholicism is decidedly heretical by Vatican standards. In the modern era we have the luxury of being able to add Paganism to the religions that Witchcraft can be practiced with, and so I am able to say that my magical practice is Witchcraft, expressed through my Welsh Celtic Pagan spirituality. In this context, Wicca is an Earth-Based religion that includes – for most of its adherents – the practice of Witchcraft. Most Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccan. As you can probably guess by now, I’m not a fan of those who say that Wicca and Witchcraft are synonymous.

So what, then is Witchcraft? Some will say that it is a form of western shamanism, and in its classical form it does certainly share many of the attributes of shamanic spirituality. Technically, as the word “witch” derives from Anglo-Saxon,

purists might say that it is a specifically Germanic practice, and that is almost certainly how it began. But nature abhors a vacuum, as they say, and all things either grow and change, or wither and die. When the Angles and Saxons settled in Britain, they quickly merged with much of the Celtic culture that was already there, so by the time of William the Conqueror, the Normans identified the “locals” in England as Saxon. So Witchcraft came to incorporate aspects of Celtic Druidism, along with the earlier Pictish practices that the Druids had adopted when in turn they invaded the Blessed Isles. At the same time the predominantly Celtic nations of Wales and Ireland incorporated some of the Saxon techniques and lore into their own magical traditions.

People talk a lot about Witchcraft Traditions, and in modern times there are a lot of them. What we don’t have is any truly unbroken lineage – though there are some in the Balkans, where by a quirk of fate Witchcraft was never persecuted the way it was in the rest of Europe. What we do have are various traditions that became family traditions, broken and missing much, that were passed down through families, often hidden with a veneer of Christianity, that in most cases became a sincere incorporation of Christian mysticism as time went by. The result is a bunch of fragmented traditions that come down to us as a mixture of Welsh Wizardry, English Cunning Arts, and Scottish Sorcery. Gerald Gardner attempted a reconstruction from the fragments he was handed, and with additions from the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley and Freemasonry, created modern Wicca. Others, such as Cochrane and Pickingill used folklore to fill in the gaps, and yet others turned to other sources from the Occult Revival, such as Spiritualism or Mesmerism and Theosophy, and the Middle East (Crusaders brought back Sufi mysticism that was used to fill the gaps already existing in the 12th Century).

That brings us to the modern age, and what Traditional Witchcraft is today. For many of us, it is a recreation, a synthesis. Rather than try to reconstruct what our ancestors did, we try to take the fragments and recreate the Traditions

as they might have evolved if they had never become fragmented. Using academic research, experimentation, and “tapping the bone” or conversing with the Ancestors, we work to recover what was lost, and build a Craft that is current and relevant to the 21st Century Crafter. There are others who are strict reconstructionists, and yet others who eschew the archaeological and academic material, preferring to draw on what their hearts and ancestral memories tell them, but these are just different flavorings in the same basic recipe – to create a living, breathing, evolving tradition that will stand the test of time.

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Thank you Peter for taking the time and indulging me by contributing your opinion on the definition of Traditional Witchcraft.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Prudence's "Husband Gone Wiccan"

If you haven’t seen this video yet, take a peek. Essentially it is an advice video for an advice column. There are a couple of things this video got me thinking about.

I fully understand that the individual asking the question has a relationship concern. I would be lying if I said that I had not seen my fair share of relationships strained because each partner was on a different spiritual path. I have even been in a few such relationships. Contemporary Paganism is saturated in mixed faith relationships, and it is our fault. I mean this collectively and in no way negatively. The simple truth is that religions grow in two different ways; either by conversion or by birthrate. The former has been the standard for our movement. The latter is now only beginning to truly come onto the scene.

We didn’t seek any of the converts, and sometimes we have even tried to dissuade them, pushing them in another direction. Nonetheless, they came to our stoop and knocked upon their own inner door that would lead them down their path. Collateral damage to this process is that sometimes those within a relationship don’t take their partner down the path with them. It is for this reason that most traditionally operated Covens ask whether or not an individual’s partner is accepting, accommodating, and understanding of their involvement with the Craft. This is important, because any potential drama can destroy a Coven.

I agree with Prudence, our columnist in question, that the two individuals need to sit down and figure out where they are going. I also agree that perhaps their paths are now separate, depending on what conclusions the two form, but that is their business. I don’t think it has to be the end of the road, many times these multi-faith relationships can work, but it is going to take a helluva lot of dedication and work from both partners.

Now onward to the unpleasant part of my thoughts in regards to this video. It is unprofessional, offensive, derogatory, and a reinforcement of the stereotypes we as a community work so hard to fight.

As a professional, it is one’s duty to carry their self, and anything their name is place upon, in a manner that is respectable to their position. In this case, that role is that of the giver of sound advice. With the highly bias, judgmental, and apparent disrespect shown towards the husband’s choice of spirituality, regardless whether it is agreed with it or not, is downright unprofessional and demonstrates that the advice given is neither objective nor fairly given. It is clear the research was not done. It is as if no one knew anything about Wicca, did a twenty second search on google, saw the word Witch in a couple of headings, and without any further research ran full ahead with every misunderstanding of the word in its modern context.

Throughout the entire video, anytime our Wiccan is mentioned, there are pictures and images displayed that are without any doubt offensive. I understand, that they are meant to be fun, but the nature of the images used are very much on par (hypothetically) with displaying images of Hilter when simply discussing someone that may be of German descent. They are offensive to the individual, this being the woman’s husband, and all Contemporary Pagans whom by their inclusion are insisted, by the choice of images, must be simultaneously a Hippy and a goat blood drinking Satanist. I realize an advice columnist cannot determine what wording is used by the person seeking advice. However, the choice of what presentation is offered to the public is well within the means available.

So at the end of the day, I am not surprised. I am aware of the depictions those in the Contemporary Pagan, especially Witchcraft, are common within the majority of our society. Because of this, I cannot take it to heart or allow it to fuel bitterness in return. This video is simply a reminder that though we as a community have come a very long way, there is a very long way yet to go. Though the path is littered with obstacles, may the cunning fire grow within our hearts illuminating the world around us.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Cooking with Magick

There has been a lot of talk lately in several of the magick based blogs that I read, about whether or not magick works simply based on belief. This notion is fairly new to the Witchcraft scene and is not something a traditional worker would say, but the idea has gained support in the last twenty years or so.

The working of magick can and usually is a fairly simple process. Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes very complex rites can yield extraordinary results. Generally though, magick is straight to the point and is a simple combination of four things.

Yep, all magick is made in a large metaphorical cauldron that has just four signs on the side, these are what make the magick stick. As the mental theory would indicate, one of those is psychology. All four of the signs are present anytime magick is done, and they are the reason it works. We just don’t always remember to give credit to all aspects of the process.

So in no particular order, here are the other sigils that would line that would be cauldron birthing forth the magick. There needs to be energy… yep, energy.

Everything has its own essence, own energy, own mojo, as the Southern Conjurer* would say. Magick makes use of energy, sometimes it is our own and sometimes it is from the tangible, and sometimes it is celestial or cthonic. This, I believe brings us to the next inscription on the cauldron.

The next is the aide of outside agents. This can be the aide of spirits, Archangels, some God or Goddess, or anyone/thing else that has its own will, whether that will is created or not is irrelevant. Typically, this aspect of magick is neglected in discussion in modern forms of Witchcraft, or at least in the outer circles of Witchcraft. Just remember, that every time we do work, there are other wills that are at our aide.

Every successful worker of magick very quickly, intentional or not, gathers about themselves allies in their work.

The last of the four is knowledge. A Witch, or any magick practitioner, must know how to effectively combine the above three towards one coherent objective. Far too often, failure in spellwork comes about as a result of defeating ourselves by not having a consistent, logical, balanced, and patterned iconic system that is the framework from which the work is molded. I recommend before reinventing the wheel, that the individual turn toward any of the many centuries old systems that many others have built the foundation for.

There is one last thing that I failed to mention that is needed. All of the above is great towards getting results, but without the Witch to stir the magick to life in the cauldron, that which comes out the cauldron will not have transformed from what it was going in.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

*Note: Basics for magick cooking metaphor shamelessly stolen (cause I like it) from Crossroads Joe (go read his blog, listed on the right), and then added upon by me.

Mayfaire in Retrospect

I am a horrific critic of myself. I don’t say this asking for anyone to try and comfort me and explain that I “did so well.” I say it because it is the truth; I am very VERY tough on myself, especially when it comes to the standard I expect to meet. I realize this and do my best to overcome it.

So follows is my review and thoughts on Mayfaire 2012. I would like to point out; that I believe it is the only review I have ever heard of that was written by one of the event organizers. This is my perspective, but with that, please recognize the above and forgive me this flaw, also know that no matter how much you may want it otherwise, it’s not something that is any time soon about to change.

Mayfaire is a festival organized by and for the community around the celebration of Beltane. So perhaps it is a bit odd, that Mayfaire began in November as far as I am concerned. Within a week or two after the festival Shadow Harvest (occurs around Samhain), I found myself sitting, wondering if I had imagined the words that had come out of my mouth not two minutes hitherto. I had willingly offered to organize the festival, coordinate the planning, and be the central axis for the execution of its operation. Why? Why had I done it?

At the time, I had seen the toll that the previous and repeated effort for organizing two festivals a year was taking on several of my very close friends. I also knew that I was the one with the logistical experience for this kind of event. Within a few weeks… no scrap that. Within a few days, it had transformed into an act of devotion between me and the Witch Goddess and Witch God. A very long story made short, I spent on average an hour a weekday up until the festival began devoted towards planning. I pretended that Mayfaire didn’t exist on the weekends.

Friday morning I arrived at Mayfaire before the gate was scheduled to open, armed with a stack of paperwork and an extremely detailed military style schedule and operational plan. Yes, I meant every word of that sentence. I used the same exact instruction letters and spreadsheets for Mayfaire that I use in the military for planning training events. Within ten minutes, I had already made two changes to the plan, a trend that was on going and why I had a pen attached to my clipboard. This was expected. As the Prussian General Von Moltke said, “No plan ever survived first contact with the enemy,” well, I am here to tell you, “No plan ever survived first contact with the opening of the festival gates.”

The very first thing on my 'operational' schedule (not the one passed out) was the very first of many minor obstacles. The gate was to open at 1000 (10 a.m. sharp), and I had no one to stand it. The community, as they did throughout the weekend, came to my rescue. Someone that I more told than asked was more than happy to take care of it. I won’t bore you with further such petty details. Just know they existed and each and every time, the community stepped in when I asked them to. Thank you!

After a quick meeting, I assisted in making the Festival Announcements. They were quick and straight to the point. The seed that was planted months before hand had broken the surface, soon we would know whether it would flower or wither. I made my rounds frequently in those first few hours, setting precedence. I missed out in entirety on several good workshops because of it, luckily there were a couple of music performances and I could enjoy from afar. On the first day, I stood in on about a quarter of Kenny Klein’s class, “History of Modern Paganism.” I was present for the entirety of the Opening Ritual.

The tone for the weekend was set during Opening Ritual. At least for me the tone was set at that time. It was serious, solemn, informative, and simultaneously full of mirth, laughter, absurd silliness, and a reminder not to take any of it too serious. The Muscadine Grove, ADF, had on one hand made serious gestures of offering to the Folk, Gods, and Ancestors, all the while on the other hand, spontaneously breaking out into booty shaking dance.

Don’t get me wrong, as much as it may sound like I did nothing but run around coordinating on the first day, it just ain’t true. I worked, truly worked, about 30 minutes out of every hour. The rest of the time was spent sitting, making sure I ate, keeping Lady Clayfeather from stressing (which is simply not allowed and was strictly forbidden in the published Letter of Instruction), and most importantly laughing, chatting, and greeting old and new friends alike. So whereas I could have attended more proceedings, I chose to attend to other things.

I awoke around 0600’ish (6 a.m. Pagan Standard Time). I felt rested, having slept later than usual compared to my normal work schedule. I meandered around the fire, ate something, and found some caffeine. As the camp began to stir I went to find my clipboard, Lord and Lady forbid had I lost ‘my brain.’ I soon found out that there had been a minor domestic squabble brought to the festival and promptly went back into coordinator mode. Once the problem was solved, the mega-phone was soon in full swing again as the day’s events got underway.

All the classes and workshops throughout the day were splendid, and I know because I either attended full-out or caught most of them in between my duties and wondering the vendor booths, campsites, and the ever present chatting.

Saturday brought my biggest disappointment of the entire festival. A friend of mine became very upset about some things at the festival and left early, having reached their limit. I feel for them and wish I could have done more.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but the biggest part of any festival is the main ceremony. I am only gonna say a couple of small things here. Firstly, I thought the ceremony went great. The wickerman burning was breath taking. But I have one minor little confession, which I make in the spirit of this blog. I changed the ritual on the fly, more than once, throughout the whole thing. So there you go, there is the dirty little secret every Priest and Priestess learns early on.

I am only gonna say two more quick things about Saturday. The Maypole Dance and the Festival Potluck, both handled by other local groups, were both the most well done I have ever seen. Well done, you know who you are.

Sunday brought with it the pains of the central fire mirth the night before. I was not hung-over, but sore from exerting so much in my dance with the fire and drummers. I am glad to have gotten to fire dance. It is something I deeply look forward to. I am grateful for all those that drummed their hearts out so I could fall into the trance that makes it possible. However, I am still recovering.

The raffle was probably the most fun on Sunday with everyone laughing, being silly, and tensely leaning forward in their chairs glancing every few moments at their tickets. The crowd very soon thinned out and by the time the closing ritual came (smooring the fire), there were maybe twenty people left, out of the 156 that had signed in.

So there you go. That was Mayfaire, or at least one experience of it. Please enjoy the pictures that follow. By the way, I took none of them, I’d give the proper credit due but I’ve lost track of where I’ve pulled them all from.

May Pole Dance.

The Wicker Man in perspective.

Wicker Man with ritual participants in background.

Wicker Man, see how high the flames go.

Almost done burning.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Mayfaire

There will be no proper blog today, and none at all tomorrow. I am helping to co-coordinate Mayfaire 2012, and will be out of pocket. Today, I leave you with a prayer I wrote. Blessings!

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"Holy and sacred Mistress of the Fea, she who art the Queen of Annwyn. Thou Goddess Rhiannon, thou elusive Rider of the Moon, thou Mother of the birds three. Your blessed name shines its Otherworldly Song from the heavens upon our brow. O, Silent Herald thy Truth we hear at the Gate of our heart, grant us thy Throne of our Divine Self. Unveil thy face to our call and be a crown unto the inner Kingdom. Riding in brilliant gold thee we seek, hooves of mystery upon the land, bestow the wisdom of the hunt unto our reign."

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Manifesting Guilt

Guilt is a prison. It binds and controls us. We enable it and rationalize it, and sometimes we take comfort in it. It is a twisted comfort, an internal turmoil of shame, fear, and regrets that while damaging, provides us with a wall from the seed from which it sprang. From the moment that guilt is allowed any foothold and fed, the roots will run deeper and the thorns will hook,

the wound will only become tattered and seeping in our own wallow.

A Witch controlled by guilt, is not the master of Self. Instead, the emotions rule the mind and the mind the Witch. If the image of the Witch is nothing else, it is not that of a servant. The power of the Witch that has been robbed is that of knowledge, the knowledge of what sprouted the seed. To sit still and listen, to observe, will make the nature of this beast better known. Still, this is not acting. But first, there must be a step.

The inward path is the Obscured Way that can,

and often is, less appealing than the work necessary to take a step down that path, so that the tendrils that have grown across our wellbeing can be pruned. Every time a Witch feeds guilt, it is done with the Will of a Shaper of the Universe, and so as the Witch does, they make things manifest.

Alone in the dark, many new to the path and only just come upon the hidden trails, find that life outwardly becomes that which they have made inward. “As above, so below,” goes both ways.

After the first step, that of having decided to pull up the weeds, the Witch needs to know where to direct their energy. The answer lay there before them, if they are willing to look. It is time to take examination of each hook and see just how it has ahold.

Then armed once again with the spear of the mind, the first hook can be pried free. One hook at a time, the Witch makes their Harvest until at the root of their prison they find the seed, that they empowered to block out the Sun.

Do you tend your garden, or let it overgrow the path ahead?

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Sacred Center

In the home life of old, the fireplace w

as the center of activity in the house. It warmed the body, provided light, and cooked the food that sustained. Even today, many of our aging elders can recall the dependence upon fire. I can distinctly remember several times in my life, when a much older relative reminisced about a time in their youth when everyone would hurry on a cold winter morning to get the fire going. Granted, the spiritual significance that our Pagan ancestors gave the fire was something that was intuited and not a part of the overt spiritual lifestyle of our immediate elder's age.

This dependence upon fire is not something that today’s generation, in the West anyway, or our future generations, will know. The need is no longer there. Modern luxury has removed from the household this central place of gathering, and not adequately replaced it. Is there even a place in the modern household where everyone can be counted on to gather? Sadly, my only answer to that question, further demonstrates the disconnect that is so prevalent within the majority of Western society, to include the households of most Contemporary Pagans. For many, thankfully not all, the TV has become the new center.

Will our children relate stories to their descendants about when they would rush to turn-on the television on to keep out the world? Or will they be one of the few with another story to tell?

As magickal folk, Witches of all varieties are inherently spiritual. The nature of this spirituality varies, but it does not change the fact that they are spiritual. Part of the process of the spiritual journey is to find the inner place where we are at the center of the universe; to stand as the tree that spans all existence. An often neglected truth is; this inner center is aided via the outward reflection that we give it. Take the time and cultivate the relationship with a place, so that it becomes the proxy focal unto which our devotions are reflected inward. For many, that center has once again become the hearth-altar.

The hearth-fire is like an altar, one in which the cunning fire burns and provides. It is no wonder that there are old rituals for how to start and put out this sacred center. Some Traditions of Witchcraft practice their arte not in a circle or at a table with their regalia neatly laid out, but before a fireplace. In Gaelic Reconstructionism and forms of American Druidism, there are similar practices extended to the home altar and ritual fire-pit during group worship. If a house has no fireplace, altars in the home can be one such shrine.

What is important is not whether or not our center is fire, but that we have a center. Perhaps though, the ideas of the hearth-altar will assist in finding that the place around which your own spiritual life revolves. As for finding the center for the whole family, well that is truly a difficult task, which is my opinion would be a worthy pursuit.

What have you replaced the hearth-fire with?

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Salvation

Salvation!

It is a word that makes Contemporary Pagans squirm in their seats, especially when the topic is brought up in regards to their spirituality. This is due to the connotations the idea carries over from Christianity.

Our path is almost entirely made up of converts from another religion, the mass majority coming from a form of Christianity. It is long past the time that we stop allowing mere words to bind us and our language. As a Priestess I know is fond of saying, “It is time for a paradigm shift.” It is time to step out of the box we have climbed into.

The salvation of the Witch is not from sin, suffering, or false belief. Nor is our salvation a requirement. There is nothing from which we must be saved. However, there is something to which our path opens us up to. In this moment, we obtain salvation. It should be noted that salvation is a byproduct, not the goal.

The choice could be made to continue toiling in our everyday lives, never taking that first important step, or for that matter, taking another and another, down the crooked path. Instead, the initiated sets themselves apart, and looks inward. Therein, they begin to tend the cauldron of their being.

At some point, the contents will be brought to a boil and divine inspiration will flow forth into their lives.

So how does salvation enter the picture? Simply put, salvation is from the illusion that we are separate. It is not likely that most would use that term, but in the moment of all-ness whereas we are the Macrocosm, we liberate ourselves from any misunderstanding that there is a division between. In the singularity, we are as before a sum can be counted. Stepping into the moments of all encompassing now, is to stand as the Crossroads. At that point, the tree, well, and stars are conjoined at the center of our being. Then, as is its nature, the mind reasserts itself, and tries to convince us that there is a line between us and divinity.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Seated in the Now

The following is something I wrote awhile back. I was reflecting upon the nature of the spiritual journey and just let my thoughts flow. Maybe there is a roebuck in the thicket therein, or maybe it is just the false trail of a lapwing. You decide, but question even that.

Here is the original.

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At some point you reach that moment, not exactly the one you have been striving for, but one that you have been walking towards all along. Seated upon the bench, along the way, perhaps it is easy to understand that this is but one of many such benches, and many have sat here before. In the end, this was not your goal, but here you are, at a place you had not planned to be at when you had first started traveling your spiritual landscape. You’ve been told what lay down this path, and thus far everything is nothing and exactly like the map said it would be. Would the same prove so for the rest of the journey?

But what of the goal, there was clearly one when you started? Since then you have learned that the goal will never be reached if it is the focus, but instead the path should be the goal.

So is the path the goal or isn’t it? At this moment the goal can be either in the distance in some far away land, which can never be reached by foot, learning to fly can’t be that hard, or the goal can be to enjoy what has been found. The question then is no longer the same, but an inward reflecting one. What exactly has been found?

Looking down at worn boots and dusty traveling clothes, the marks of the journey are easy to see and the road though unclear at times can be recalled. Was this what was found? Dirt? The feeling is there, that a wise man or woman would smile knowingly and say that, “It is what is below the grim that has been found.” This is hard to judge as the grim obscures, and it is hard to tell if the flesh, blood, and bone are the same. Maybe at the next stop there will be a tub with some water and maybe a bit of soap.

Now the questioning that started this whole mess has returned, but in a different manner. No longer is the light cast upon the mysterious unanswerable tombs, but unto the volumes of the supposedly given. So that is what this bench is a testament of, how one gets here. All the questions that were sought are like far away dreams compared to the all unknowing, and even the questions themselves are up for scrutiny.

It is not dark out, nor night, nor a dilemma of the soul. Or at least if it is, then the cloak is one well hidden and hard to lift to see truth, a lapwing in wolf’s clothing. For a moment, there it was as if the walking had begun again. Perhaps for a change, instead of chasing the moon as does the sun it would be nice to tend the land a bit, grow some crops, and who knows, maybe even reap the fruit of the now.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Bibliourgy

Witches love books. In fact, it has been my observation that Contemporary Pagans, regardless of the brand or flavor, are all avid readers that are borderline book hoarders. I, myself, have several bookcases of books, most of which are occult, magical, or Pagan. My amazon wishlist is several pages long; and I am always on the hunt for that next tomb of written ambrosia.

At any given moment there are at least a dozen books laying about the house in various stages of being read and a small pile of ‘I will get to these as soon as I clear some off my preverbal reading plate.’

For Witchcraft, in all its forms, to be a religion without scripture, interestingly we owe the rapid spread of the Craft to the written word. Partially this is because early on, and in many areas still, there is not another means of learning. There is a deeper pull though; books are magick. Not only are they a direct link and means of tapping into an author created reservoir of information but also the books themselves will develop an egregore.

The written word is just that. Script is nothing more than words that stay, because of this, words that were thought of in the author’s mind previously, thousands of years in some cases, are given form and transcend the moment of their creation into the minds of future readers. Here is where a magical link is formed. From the chaos of the author’s mind, the words are birthed forth as the Mother, and the author acting in the role of the Father is the force that gives form to which was born, thusly written. The resulting book then forms from the same seed of thought that the author had, when it is read by another. Every time that a book is read, the same occurs, but new thoughts are spun by the audience, and these add themselves to the link. Collectively all of these thoughts build a magical pool within that group mind. So as I said, books are magick. I do not find it surprising that magickally inclined people are drawn to such powerful catalysts of magick.

So I don’t have a term for ‘book magic’ or the use of books as a method of magickal workings. I am sure there is one, and if anyone knows it please comment and make it known. Until I find an actual term for it I will be using Bibliourgy as my solution. It is a combination of Theurgy and Bibliomancy. Theurgy is the study of magick, more specifically the study of ritual magick. The Greek, “urgy” means, “making.” Bibliomancy is the use of books as a means of divination. The Greek, “biblio” means, “book.” I, however, am not an expert in Greek, so I might have just made up some gibberish. Anyway, as it may have been guessed, I am blogging about Bibliourgic methods and theory, but just a bit.

Books have long been used as a method of divination by magickal practitioners. This is particularly true when it comes to using scripture to accomplish this. Since scripture is authoritative and divine in nature by those that attribute it as such, then by adding a methodology of questioning and randomly selecting a passage, the Divine Will relating to those circumstances is suppose to be revealed. There are various methods that exist across the spectrum of religions. The Bible, I Ching, Quran, even the Greek Iliad, and many more have all been used.

The method of Bibliomancy that I am most familiar with comes from Southern Conjure, and makes use of the Psalms from the Bible. All one needs to do is to sit quietly, holding the Bible, while reflecting upon the topic of the question. After a few moments, the question is asked, and the Bible randomly opened, within the Book of Psalms. With eyes closed, place the finger on the open page.

This is supposed to mark the relevant answer. Don’t feel comfortable using the Bible? This method can be used with almost any book of scripture. It is important that some form of scriptural text is used because of the nature of the egregore surrounding the book. As fun as it may be to try divination with Harry Potter, it just doesn’t have the same reservoir of divinity tied to it.

Sometimes magickal practitioners will tie a Geis to a book. A Geis (geasa being plural) comes from the ancient Irish. It is when a taboo has been specifically been placed against or upon an individual, the breaking of which will bring about dire consequences. It is a fairly common practice for Witches to write in the opening pages of their grimoires a threat or hexing words against prying eyes. This is a form of booby trap hexing that the author ties into their concept of the book and it is passed via the link created, to the reader, when it is read. Does it work or not? The simple and complex answer is, “yes and no”. This copy of the Book of the Law, has a geis written in it that is suppose to activate against anyone that reads it twice. Likewise, this book on magick written by Isaac Bonewits has a geis in the front that would activate in the case someone uses the information in the book for harm. So do these geis work or not? Yes and no, but it is even more complex now because the number of minds involved just increased a whole lot. The more people involved in the receipt of a geis, the more energy that must be spread throughout, so unless others beyond the author are adding to the initial form, then the likelihood of success diminishes.

Sometimes books are specifically written as a form of magick. The Cultus Sabbti is famous within the Traditional Witchcraft community for the creation of a small number of grimoires that are magicaklly programmed to draw like minded individuals to the book. Sometimes it is successful and sometimes it is not. Sadly, because of the rarity of their books, they are often sought out by profiteers, hoping to make a profit on resale, in addition to those that are legitimately drawn to the knowledge therein.

As mentioned, books transmit information. The writing of a book itself is an initiatory experience that the author undergoes. This, however, can and often is expanded to others. Within BTW, the newly initiated Witch hand copies the Tradition’s Book of Shadows (BoS). During this process, they are told oral lore that is not written, and they in this act of writing by hand, connect themselves with every Initiate that has done the same. They are further immersed into the energy of that Tradition’s egregore, amongst other things.

Hand written books can also be used as a method of giving offerings to one’s God or Goddess. Imagine the hours spent hand copying an entire text, pouring one’s time and energy into the effort; to only then proclaim before your Deity that it was in honor of them, and to toss the manuscript upon a fire. All of that energy is sacrificed.

So what methods of Bibliourgy have you encountered?

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Witch Activism

When Contemporary Paganism made its way to the United States it took on an interesting development from other movements that were going on at the time. Now, I am not strictly talking about British Traditional Wicca (BTW), Traditional Initiatory Witchcraft (TIW), Dedicatory Religious Witchcraft (DRW), Traditional Witchcraft (TW), American Druidism, British Druidry, or any other form. I am speaking about the pan-trends that underline the overarching movement of Contemporary Paganism. Essentially, early forms of Contemporary Paganism in the United States were affected by various other social trends within the larger society in which they operated. It should not be surprising that social institutions have influence upon one another within society.

Anyone with a bit of familiarity with the evolution of American Contemporary Paganism can attest to the fact that the Feminist and Environmentalist Movements helped to shape the popular approaches in the execution of their practices.

If not, then just flip through the book, “The Spiral Dance” by Starhawk, which very well shows the early influences. This close relationship between activism and the American streams of Contemporary Neo-Paganism are still strong today. Simply take a quick moment and think about the LGBT social movements, especially in regards to marriage, and the nearly one-sided support given by the majority of the community. No, it’s not complete support, but most are in favor of all forms of social equality regardless of sexual preference. This is a result of the relationship between the two social movements and is not necessarily inherent to Contemporary Paganism; opinions abound.

The practice of Witchcraft, for most forms, says very little on these subjects. Instead of actual specific praxis outlining the inclusion of these trends, it is the interpretation of morality as defined within the Craft that is the basis for this. Though Contemporary Neo-Paganism has no universal standard for ethics, the Wiccan Rede has left the nest of BTW where it originated, and is most commonly cited as the moral standard within the community.

However, it should be noted that it is in NO way universal. Some forms of Witchcraft have other standards and may out right reject the Rede. Many Druid Orders have as their standard a list of virtues that attempt to foster instead. Likewise, Recostructionists in all their forms all vary. However, at the end of the day the vast majority defer to the ideal of the Rede; in that if something causes no harm then it is permissible, and that all else is the responsibility of the individual to determine.

If we take a further moment and reflect upon the ideals and virtues that American society tends to advance as the standard of the American way, such as, “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” as outlined it the United States Constitution, it can easily be deduced, sociologically speaking, on how and why these movements found themselves easily intermingling. There are of course no right or wrong answers; only answers.

Thoughts?

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."