By Well, By Tree, By the Four Directions About: What Do You Cast?

In the Traditions of the Witch in which I practice, it is an integral part of the lore that at the center of everything is a singular point which is the same as the circumference. This is one of the lessons of the circle and why the Witch stands as creator in the center of the circle casting existence about them.

At the center of the Witch though, is a vessel. It is akin to the Cauldron of Annwyn, the deep well of time-past, from which all arose. This is the same well that sits at the center of everything occupying the same space, if not the same time, as the World Tree that is the pillar in the center of the circle. It is from this vessel, this cup, that the Witch pours forth the essence from which the fabric of their circle is cast. On one hand I am speaking of metaphysics and the mechanics of circle casting, and on the other hand I am speaking of the metaphorical.

The vessel is four chambered. For it is a center that holds within it the whole of four directions; the center reflects the circumference. This vessel, this center, this cup holds the whole of everything, and pours forth the outer edge of the Witch’s world to match.

You see, this vessel is the heart, and the heart is both the point and the fringe that lay upon the liminal between the world of mortals and of the eternal.

What then are you pouring forth from your heart-vessel as the whole of the world in which you dwell?

Boidh Se,

-SM

“Lost in a thicket, bare-foot upon a thorn path.”

Death's Bounty Upon the Land

It is that time of year again. The sap is beginning to rise in the trees and they shake off their winter slumber as buds begin to slowly form. The ewes born a few weeks ago are growing quickly from their mother’s milk. The harsh grip of ice has loosened and begun to recede to the cold realms from which it came. And Death is cast across the land.

Our Lady walks among the tiny plants, seeds, and slumbering trees; and with each step she awakens them. She wears a crown of flowers and is youthful in her mannerisms. With each flick of her finger a leaf uncurls and the inevitable fate of the tomb sealed upon that moment of birth. She is both the womb and the tomb, for let us not forget that She is the Queen of Hell, the Queen of Death.

Look about you, all of the potential growth and bounty that is to come is bound for the silent rest of death. This isn’t one of those common themes that Witches dwell upon between Candlemas and the Spring Equinox, but the signs are there. The bees buzz and the birds sing their own funeral dirge.

I beseech you to look at it, stare it in the face, and smile knowingly. Smile because you know the beauty and embrace it. As a Witch, the evident truth of death will sharpen the edges of the moment. With each acknowledgement that it is the Queen of Death that brought this bounty to us, the taste of it is sweetened. The world at its fullest is made more beautiful by knowing the hand that painted it will be the same that is at the final embrace claiming us all for Her own.

So as the signs of awakening life make themselves known to you, smile and allow the imprint of death upon the land to shine in glory, beauty, and splendor.

Boidh Se,

-SM

“Lost in a thicket, bare-foot upon a thorn path.”

Step into the Night this Yule

All around us are Yule-tide carols, yet if it were not for the night there would be no dawn. If it were not for the dark there would be no womb from which the Sun is born.

As Contemporary Pagans we celebrate the birth of the Sun, but as Witches we embrace the Night. Ours is the ride upon the North-wind; the howl that calls from the inner terror of the unknown. It is this taking up of the transgressive as our calling that strips us of our costume—it bares the hidden for us to see. Only when we stand naked is our true nature revealed. The night makes this possible. So Witch-kin, step into the night this Yule.

When our Sun is born, it is born from the cold tomb of the Underworld as a phoenix is born from ashes anew. To be born from the Underworld you must first descend into the hidden realms thereunder. The depth of the forest is far from the comforts of the fire. There is no eggnog or presents, no decorated tree, and no boughs of holly. There is though, the face of the Sun yet to be born. The dawn only comes when you have found the spark which will rise as the Sun in the spiritual landscape.

If this sounds dangerous to you, it’s because it is. The night is dangerous. Stripping flesh from bone to reveal what is underneath is dangerous. Standing naked in a screaming blizzard is dangerous. Witchcraft is dangerous. It is wild and terrifying. This is why the Craft invokes fear in those whom do not understand revelry in the hunt, in the slaughter of the ego, and the consumption of the self upon our own feast table so that when everything is gone all that remains is that which is eternal and the whole glory which is at the center of everywhere.

First though, the Witch must take the step out into the unknown, into the hidden, into the unseen, into the depths of the night when winter’s grip is upon the heart of the land. Go where only the shadow of the moon is cast in Her name and see what you find this Yule-tide. Step into the Night.

Boidh Se,

-SM

“Lost in a thicket, bare-foot upon a thorn path.”

On the First Day in The Age of Seed and Fruit

The rolling over of an Age doesn’t happen every day; that is unless you measure an Age by lengths of one day and then I guess they do in that case. However, in the calendar I learned growing up in the Church of Rhiannon (CoR), an Age is 3888 years long. Go read my blog here for further context. As you can see, I’m going to talk a bit about this. For good reason I feel. Today is the first day of the first month in the new lunar calendar; thus today is the first day of an Age.

I wasn’t going to write this blog until this morning when I was thinking about it. I recall when I was maybe 12-14 sitting around the campfire before Circle (what CoR called our rituals) and listening to discussion about the coming Age of Seed and Fruit. At the time I didn’t know how to calculate the moons and so didn’t think about the lore attached to them in regards to the turning over of an Age.

Well, here we are. With the arrival of Samhain, the year ended officially and we entered into a period of time that is not on the calendar. It is a time that belongs to the thinning of the veil, of mystery; it is a time that is not a time. This has ended too, with the arrival of the first Full Moon after Samhain the new lunar year begins with the month of Beth.

Beth is the tree of birch, called the Lady in Silver, and is all about new beginnings and initiations. This is under the horns of Taurus, which amongst many other things is associated with our Lord of the Mound in the Craft. Also, it is the Beaver Moon. This is the bit that made me think to write today. You see, the beaver is all about the creation and making of things—they build.

 

On this 1^st day in the month of Beth (birch), the Beaver Moon, in the sign of Taurus, the Age of Seed and Fruit, I implore you to build. Build and craft whatever it is you want your life to be right now as we all step off into the new age. It doesn’t come again for 3888 days.

Boidh Se,

-SM

“Lost in a thicket, bare foot upon a thorn path.”