Extract from Crone! - Earth Mysteries and Magic

As promised, here is another excerpt about it from Crone! - An Old Craft Witch's Year, by Melusine Draco. It is a section about Earth Mysteries and Magic. I posted excerpts about Lammas and the Feast of Cromn Dubh earlier this month.

Earth Mysteries and Magic
The terms ‘gateways’, ‘portals’ and ‘doorways’ speak for themselves, and as a witch’s magical ability develops these psychic ‘gateways’ will begin to open – maybe in one, or even several directions simultaneously.

Personal advancement along the Old Craft path depends on an individual’s willingness to pass through or stay put, since these gateways open as a result of personal progress – serving as an indication that the time has come to move on and to climb to the next level.

Sometimes this transition can be difficult and painful but in magical learning everything has a reason (and a price!), so we must never ignore the opportunity, no matter how strange or vague it feels. The price of an Old Craft practitioner’s progress can be exacting but I believe the end result is well worth it; to ignore it will only result in personal loss (in terms of both spiritual and mystical development). In time, the same situation will return and the trial begins all over again. If the opportunity is not taken, it may be many years along the line before it occurs again, in which case there are many years lost in an individual’s progress as it will be akin to starting anew; or it may not occur again in this lifetime.

Gateways or portals can appear in the Circle; during meditation; or in a dream, but we should not be afraid of these blinding flashes of inspiration, as they only appear when the ‘powers that be’ feel that we are ready for them. For an experienced witch it may be a boot in the bustle to suggest they have spent long enough at a particular level and that it is time to take the next step. Not taking the chance on these new openings will be the individual’s loss, since those who have chosen not to pass through these gateways, even after many years of practice, remain at exactly the same level as when they first began. Their magic and understanding has never altered; their progression halted due to their own fear and misunderstanding. They have tried to batter down the door for years without success; the true witch finds that the door swings open at just the lightest touch of a finger when the time is right.

Magically speaking, passing through the portal also brings awareness that there are all manner of other different currents and movements on the planet that affect us on a deeper magico-mystical level, as I observed in Traditional Witchcraft and the Path to the Mysteries (2015). Let us also consider for a moment the comment made on television by British astronomer and physicist Professor Brian Cox that every blade of grass has 3.8 billion years of history written into it. Or what we often blithely refer to as ‘earth energy’ that can produce a mild tingling sensation, which sets the pendulum swinging; or a burst of warm energy in our hands and feet. But do we stop to think that this could be caused by the swirling molten layer under the Earth’s crust, creating the electro-magnetic field that surrounds the planet by the spinning outer crust around the solid part of the inner core? Or is our Elemental Earth just a quiet ramble in the countryside and a container of sand marking the northern quarter?

We may sit meditating by a rippling stream, watching the sunlight dance in the water as it trips over the stones and pebbles in its path – but do we allow our minds to explore the greater picture of where that crystal clear water comes from? Do we realise that this stream began its brief chapter of life being drawn up as vapour from the ocean and falling as rain on the hills and mountain sides, before flowing down into the river valley, bringing rocks and stones tumbling in its wake? Do our magical energies focus on the stream; the rainfall on the mountain; or the ocean? Are we constantly aware of the force of that water-flow throughout the seasons – the spring floods, the summer drought, the clogging of the channel with autumn leaves, and the frozen surface in winter? Or does our concept of Elemental Water begin and end with the symbolic bowl of tap water marking the western quarter of our magic Circle?

Similarly, nothing on the planet can live without clean, breathable air but the witch needs to think beyond soft summer breezes and rainbows after a spring shower. Air is the stuff from which tornados and hurricanes are made; it brings puffs of cumulus cloud or a billowing thunderhead some ten miles high; not to mention the thousands of feet high dust storms that are created when a monsoon collides with dry air currents above it; or the sirocco, the Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and can reach hurricane speeds. Or is our Elemental Air merely the smoke from a perfumed joss stick or bowl of incense marking the eastern quarter in our magical workings?

Fire, even in its most modest form, has the capacity for destruction – a box of matches in the hands of a child, a fallen candle, or a carelessly discarded cigarette. On a grander and more epic scale, we are well acquainted by television coverage of devastating wildfires destroying anything that stands in its path, the eruption of a volcano, or the power of solar winds that reach out from the sun to interfere with electronic equipment here on Earth. Or is our contact with Elemental Fire restricted to a candle burning at the southern quarter of our Circle?

These, for example, were just some of the lessons taught by Bob and Meriem Clay-Egerton in the Coven of the Scales. That it was not necessary to rely on group dynamics, psycho-drama, ritual, Circle casting, chanting and dancing to generate magical energy because it is there, all around us on a permanent basis. It means that a natural witch can be on his or her contacts in seconds; knowing what type of energy, or ‘witch-power’ is needed to cure a headache, or channel the strength to walk the death-path with confidence after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. It really is a belief that can move mountains – if the application is right – and all witches draw on this natural energy to cause change through the application of Will.

In more simplistic terms, ‘witch-power’ is similar to the energy raised by Tai Chi – and that is widely used within art and sport without any magical significance whatsoever. It is a perfectly natural energy or force that can be harnessed or tapped into on a daily basis – to a greater or lesser extent. A true witch can generate the magical powers necessary by channelling this natural energy from the natural world – in its widest possible sense. Coven working produces the same energy by artificial means via psycho-drama and group dynamics. Old Craft uses both methods, of course, but if a solitary witch needs to be instantly on his or her contacts, then it could be a long wait between coven meetings.

Crone! by Melusine Draco is published by Ignotus Press UK and available direct from the printer as a special price. You can also view Crone! on Amazon.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/01/folklore-hagiography-of-craft-by.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/03/coarse-witchcraft-trilogy-excerpt-i.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/07/dictionary-of-magic-mystery-lammas.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/08/excerpt-from-crone-feast-of-cromn-dubh.html

Jane Meredith on Circle Magic and the Landscape

When Australian pagan author Jane Meredith was in London, she gave a talk at Watkins Books about the inspiration for her book Circle of Eight: Creating Magic for Your Place on Earth.

It is about using the energy of the real landscape we live in to create powerful magical circles. She explains how she explored her own local area in Australia to see how the topography reflected the symbolism of the elements. Then she looks at London and how we might interpret the geography of our city - the Thames, the type of soil beneath our feet, our parks and manmade as well as natural landmarks - to tap into their magical power

A video of the talk has just been put online and you can watch it here.

Links and previous related posts
https://youtu.be/ZkQQYcvk3Pg?list=PLx-Z3sTcXnzLM5XcfjZKKlgRnOFYw8uh0
http://www.janemeredith.com/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/08/review-rituals-of-celebration-by-jane.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/05/review-aphrodites-magic.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/07/review-journey-to-dark-goddess.html
http://www.watkinsbooks.com/

Psychogeography: Full Circle - Walk Around My Town

An often quoted feature on how to do psychogeography, entitled A Road of One’s Own by travel writer Robert MacFarlane that was published in the Times Literary Supplement, offers the following advice:

Psychogeography: a beginners guide. Unfold a street map of London, place a glass, rim down, anywhere on the map, and draw around its edge. Pick up the map, go out into the city, and walk the circle, keeping as close as you can to the curve. Record the experience as you go, in whatever medium you favour: film, photograph, manuscript, tape. Catch the textual run-off of the streets; the graffiti, the branded litter, the snatches of conversation. Cut for sign. Log the data-steam. Be alert to the happenstance of metaphors, watch for visual rhymes, coincidences, analogies, family resemblances, the changing moods of the street, and the record ends. Walking makes for content, footage for footage.

I decided to try it out, using a map that used to live in my car in the days before satnavs, and drew a circle with my home at the centre. Then I set off:

It is afternoon, a hot day after weeks of heat, parched ground, the bricks of the garden walls radiate warmth. I head East, to the eastern quarter of my circle, the element of air and the place of new bigginings in the pagan sacred circle.

I turn, cross the busy road, and start walking. To my left a church, but not a church. Converted to flats; adorned with hearts and butterflies. Welcome on the front door, under Gothic arches.

A window open, curtains billow in a breeze. Very slight. Here it looks restful, elsewhere it wafts the smell of rubbish rotting in bins and bags, piled on the street in the high summer.

Bin day is tomorrow. Cars, buses, vans rumble on the main road. A church, even if it is not a church, should be a sanctuary from grime and noise, shouldn’t it?

The arc of my circle, heading south east, takes me into the rec. Short for recreation ground. I don’t keep to the path. Walking between two trees, I feel I am entering the Moon Card in tarot, between two watchtowers. Although the trees don’t mind, I hope no one spots me. Keep off the Grass, don’t stray from the path.

Through the alley south to the ex council estate. No Ball Games. When I was a child a sign here said “Residents Only.” Someone then had put a P in front of the R. It would have been Kennedy and Nixon back then. The image of presidents illicitly playing football recalled. Gone south, as they say.

Then to the west. This road was once a thriving market. No more. Dilapidated shops. Stuck in time without halting the effects of entropy. Outside another church a sign proclaims it is Easter and on a doorway a poster declares: “This Is Holy Week. He Is Risen.” No, it is nearly Lammas, the God of the Grain is about to be cut down, in the wheel of the pagan year.

A stain on a wall. A Rorschach blot. I see a facehugger - what does that say? I move on, curving west, and seemingly further back around the wheel of the year, the wheel of time. Isn’t it unlucky to leave Yule decorations up after 12th night?

The Tower. This estate used to have more than one. Built in the 1960s after Victorian terraces of two-up two-downs were cleared in the name of modernity, then all but this one demolished in the 1980s.

Now there are twisting cul-de-sacs of small houses around the block. I wonder how long this will stand. Mums with prams look at me and wonder what I am doing photographing it. I move on.

Blackberries flow over a wire-topped wall. Sweet and free and perfect. Few pick them, it seems.

A derelict pub turned community centre. Peeling paint and spiderwebs, litter in a letterbox.

Arcing north west, my circle crosses the railway track. At the station the barrier is open but a sign says “Ticket Holders Only.” I have no ticket. No one stops me, but still once more I fear being stopped. I cross the bridge quickly. Out the other side gate. Into the roads again.

The wrong side of the track - or the right side. The streets are less familiar here, more winding estates. I spot a mural. Protected. A community project?

Uphill and weary in the heat. Older houses, built in Victorian times, when the railways brought people out to populate London’s more rural borders.

Curving to the northernmost edge of my circle; the element of earth. Along the side of the park. Buddleia in a brick wall. The bee bush, the bombsite plant.

Under a railway bridge. Cool shade against the bright sun.

A scrap van. A recycling truck. Passing by. Everything comes full circle.

I stand under another bridge. Cars beside me, train above me, rumbling, droning.

A knot, in case I forget. A knot for remembrance, a knot to bind a spell. This is what it was like. This moment. The here and now.

I turn east, down hill.

Retrace my first steps along the road back, back to the centre of the circle.

A butterfly takes to the air as I pass through my gate, into my garden. Nature is my temple.

I am home, my sanctuary from the grime and noise.

Everything comes full circle.

Psychic Techniques: Scrying and Clairvoyant Readings

Clairvoyant reading is one of the most difficult psychic talents to master, although a traditional witch would certainly have been expected to possess the gift of second sight. Using a crystal ball, scrying bowl or simply closing her eyes and tuning in to the unseen realm of the spirits, the wise woman of old would have been able to help people find what they were looking for, including lost objects, missing cats or even errant husbands.

Nowadays, people are more likely to visit a psychic medium than a witch when they want a clairvoyant reading, but I think it is still a skill anyone training in the craft should try to master. Clairvoyance is the power to see events, people, places or objects that could not be perceived by normal senses. Technically, it is different from clairaudience, which is hearing sounds by psychic means, clairsentience, which is gaining insights from touching people or objects, and mind reading, which is the ability to pick up others’ thoughts.

Whenever I have done clairvoyant readings I usually see images in the form of symbols that needed to be interpreted to make sense. The easiest way to start is by scrying into a bowl of water. To do this, fill a dark-coloured bowl with water then sit in a room that is dimly lit either by moonlight or with the curtains closed and a single candle. Take a few deep breaths to calm yourself and concentrate on the question you wish answered. Then, peer into the bowl of water with your eyes half closed and see if any shapes or images appear. You might need to wait some time for anything to happen – at least at first. When you are finished, jot down everything from the reading in a notebook.

You might then need to work out what the images mean, as they are often dim shapes rather than photographic-quality pictures. You can use books on dream interpretation or tea-leaf reading to help as the images seen in clairvoyant readings work in a similar way to those other forms of psychic divination.

If there is an important issue you want to gain insight into, such as about your career or love life, it can be helpful to get an independent person to do a reading for you. Back in the past, that probably meant a visit to the village wise woman, but these days people are more likely to go online to find a clairvoyant reader. Here are some tips if you fancy trying that out.

Make sure you pick a psychic readings website that has a good reputation. Before going ahead, read through all the information on the website to make sure you understand what’s involved – in particular the costs and the various ways of paying. On many of these websites you can pick the specific psychic you want to contact, so take time choosing the person you want to do your reading. Before phoning or clicking on the button, think carefully about the question you want to ask. If possible, write it down. This will save you time and money on your call.

Whether you do your own reading or get a reading done for you, think carefully about the answers you get before planning for the future.

Links and Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/06/midsummer-divination-and-mugwort-tea.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/12/tea-leaf-reading-my-latest-attempt.html

Review: Identity & the Quartered Circle: Applied Wicca

"Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?" These are questions many of us ask ourselves, especially if we are on a spiritual path.

If you are pagan, the answer usually given is that we should look within ourselves to find out who we truly are. That, however, is easier said than done - especially without a guide to help us. A new book Identity and the Quartered Circleis such a guide.

It has the subtitle Studies in Applied Wicca, but don't worry if you aren't an initiated Wiccan. This is a book that starts at the basics, takes you through intermediate level practises and goes on to some pretty advanced personal development techniques. It uses eclectic Wiccan-style circlework, but is suitable for anyone willing to put in the effort.

Author Dorothy L Abrams is an experienced spiritual teacher, having practised and taught witchcraft, paganism and core shamanism since 1984. She is the co-founder of the Web PATH Center, a pagan church and teaching organisation in the USA, and much of the material in Identity and the Quartered Circle comes from the courses she runs there. Many exercises are practical - using journalling, sketching, crafts, chanting, drumming, dance and storytelling as well as ritual work to help on the journey of self-discovery.

Dorothy says: "The arts bring us closer to ecstasy in a familiar and safe way. We do not have to excel in any artistic endeavor. Our work need not be published nor performed outside our homes. We only need to give the effort necessary to craft our truth so we can see or hear it."

The Circle is, of course, the name for Wiccan sacred space, where magic is performed and rites enacted. It is divided into quarters that represent the elements earth, air, fire, and water, which correspond to our body, mind, will and emotions. But the book also deals with the different "circles" we might move in - our relationships with friends, family and lovers for example. It is far-reaching and does not baulk at tackling difficult subjects such as sex and death.

Publisher Moon Books says on its website: "Identity and The Quartered Circle is an eclectic Wiccan discussion of the search for identity through the power of a cast circle and the four directions. The book defines the Circle as a container for magic. A chapter on psychological identity follows. From casting a circle to meeting the Elementals and winged spirits of faerie, the author leads the reader on a personal journey in consciousness. At its conclusion we can speak intelligently of merger with the Gods and Oneness and the reader can answer the big four questions: Who Am I, Why am I here, Where did I come from and Where am I going?"

If you feel you are on a journey of self discovery, wherever you might be on that path, I am sure this book can offer something to help you on your way.

Please note I earn commission from some links.

Links and previous related posts
Identity and the Quartered Circle: Studies in Applied Wicca
http://www.moon-books.net/home.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/05/review-deep-heart-of-witchcraft-magical.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/04/circle-casting.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/08/mandalas-spiritual-circles.html

Event: Circle of Ankerwycke Samhain Ritual

View Larger Map

The Circle of Ankerwycke, a pagan group based in Staines, on the Thames just west of London, has sent me details of their Samhain ritual. Here is what they say about the event:

For more than a decade the Circle of Ankerwycke have celebrated Samhain under an ancient yew tree, deep in the woods. A place of pagan activity for many centuries, this venue has the perfect atmosphere for a deeply spiritual ritual away from the eyes and ears of the general public.

The event will be on 31st October near Staines at 7.30pm. Attendees will convene in the nearby public car park and at 7.45pm process through the woods to the ritual site where the ritual will begin at 8pm.

The Circle of Ankerwycke has become famous for imaginative and moving rituals and people return year after year for this most unique experience.

Picture this - candles flickering, incense smoke curling up into the trees, drums gently beating and the chants begin as we prepare to remember those who have gone before and invite them to share our celebrations on the eve of a new pagan year.

Please make contact if you would like to attend so we may give you directions. We also limit numbers so let us know as soon as possible if you would like to join us. You can email us at ankerwycke_steering_group-owner@yahoogroups.com

This looks as though it should be a fantastic open Samhain ritual, but places are limited, so do email the  Circle of Ankerwycke promptly if you are interested in taking part.

Note: Staines was renamed Staines-Upon-Thames on May 20 this year, but most people still use its old name.

Mandalas: Spiritual Circles

Mandalas are traditional Buddhist meditation aids. They are symbolic maps of the universe through which one can take a visual journey from the edge to the centre, to find harmony with the world and within ourselves.

These spiritual pictures have parallels in many cultures and belief systems, and the term mandala is often used for beautiful art with a spiritual purpose used as an aid to contemplation.

Last week I was given a lovely little book about mandalas, which I would recommend to anyone who wanted an introduction to the subject. Mandalas. Spiritual Circles for Harmony and Fulfilment., by Laura J Watts, is a slim book, well written and with plenty of lovely pictures.

It describes a mandala as a sacred space, often a circle, which reveals some inner truth about yourself or the world around you. The first half of the book describes spiritual traditions of mandalas, such as Native American sand paintings, Hindu yantras, Celtic designs and Christian stained glass windows, as well as ways in which they can be used as psychological aids to personal discovery.

The second half explains how to create mandalas. It has step-by-step guides to drawing and colouring them as well as appropriate meditations. There are even some templates at the back to photocopy, if you are feeling particularly inept with a ruler, compass and pencil.

Mandalas. Spiritual Circles for Harmony and Fulfilment, by Laura J Watts was published by Select Editions in 2000 and costs £3.99.

Please note: I earn commission from some links

Links:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/customs/mandala.shtml
http://www.free-mandala.com/en/start.html
Mandalas. Spiritual Circles for Harmony and Fulfilment.

Circle casting

Someone asked me whether it is necessary to cast a circle before doing magic and, if not, why witches bother.

It is an interesting question that got me thinking - and browsing the internet - to try to find an answer.

The answer to the first part of the question is, no, a circle is not essential. Plenty of people cast spells, perform rituals and do very effective magic without being in any kind of circular area.

You only have to look at temples in ancient Egypt and Greece - which are mostly oblong - to realise that. Some are circular, but not the majority, and if circles had been vital for magic then cultures that were heavily influenced by magical belief would certainly have created round ritual spaces.

Of course, Stonehenge and similar ancient stone structures are arranged in rings. The reason for that may have been magical. Or it may just have been that stones in that formation make ideal sundials. Greek theatres were round too, but that is because amphitheatres are a good shape for a performance, allowing the audience to gather at the edges to get a decent view.

Nevertheless, the fact that plenty of ancient structures were designed for religious, magical and ritual purposes seems to suggest that people have always found it helpful to define some sort of space for work that was beyond the mundane.

Modern pagans, however, seem to like to get out of doors whenever possible. As soon as sun peeps from behind the clouds and the weather turns vaguely warm and dry, we are outside cavorting in whatever wild spaces we can still find within our concrete jungles. Perhaps that is because, for us, big buildings are the norm, not the novelty they might have been for our ancient ancestors.

Yet, out in Epping Forest, Oxleas Wood or Hampstead Heath, witches will cast a circle to in which to work magic. It isn't a physical structure, but it is a perceived barrier to outside interference and a container for the energy raised for the work to be done. They usually do this by mentally visualising it, dancing or walking around it, or indicating it with the pointy end of a sword or athame or just some stick they've found lying around.

So why a circle? Well, it is simpler and easier to imagine than a square, oblong, triangle or whatever. Symbolically, it has no beginning and no end. It has strength and unity. It looks neat.

Most if not all cultures have given circles some symbolic significance. For example, the top of the Celtic cross is a circle divided into quarters and Buddhist mandalas, designed as aids to meditation, are circular.

However, if a circle doesn't seem appropriate to you, you don't have to use one. Some people imagine a barrier around their body before sitting down to meditate or to work magic, so their sacred space would be person-shaped. You could imagine a barrier around the edges of your room or around the woodland clearing or garden you are using for your ritual. Or you could just clear your mind and cast your spell without being in any specially-prepared or defined area.

In my experience, though, the location you are in can affect the spell you cast, so it is worthwhile considering creating a sacred space before doing magic if possible.

In a future entry of A Bad Witch's Blog I hope to talk about different ways of casting a circle. In the meantime, here are some very good examples that other people have written:

Simple circle castings:
www.psychicwise.biz/casting_a_circle.htm
www.scottishpf.org/circlecasting.html
http://silverbroom.co.uk/blog/2008/02/17/casting-a-circle-guide/

Wiccan style circles:
www.ladyoftheflame.co.uk/Rituals/circlecasting.htm
www.witches.org.uk/Rituals.html

For further information:
www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A9106995
www.sunion.warwick.ac.uk/pagan/articles_celticcircles.htm
www.gardenvisit.com/history_theory/garden_landscape_design_articles/sacred_gardens/buddhist_gardens_vihara http://altreligion.about.com/library/weekly/aa062003a.htm

If you have any questions for The Bad Witch, leave a comment on my blog and I will try to answer them.