Witch1979 April, 2009

Bridging the Religious Left and Right

As is often the case on any issue, it tends to be that the loudest voices come from the extremities. So when we see conversations on religion in the public forum it tends to be from either an extreme atheist or an extreme Bible-thumper, both of whom seem exasperated that the whole rest of the world is in the opposing camp. All scientists are not godless robots any more than all Christians, Muslims, etc are irrational father-figure worshipers; yet those are the stereotypes that tend to surface when we try to have a discussion on divinity. Science tends to ignore and dismiss what it cannot classify or investigate. No one can prove whether God exists, so science deems the issue not worth thinking about. If you’re an atheist that just can’t help yourself you label it philosophy instead to give it an air of respectability. But you certainly don’t entertain such notions as a human-like all-powerful being. Then on the other side you have those dedicated to scripture and the teachings of their religion. These folks know in their hearts that they are not alone and that miracles are possible. They cannot fathom how anyone could not understand the “truth” revealed in the doctrines they preach, and they either pity those souls, try to convert them, or condemn them to a fiery doom.

Caught in the crossfire are the rest of us whose views fall somewhere in between (or off to the side). The funny thing is this debate will never be resolved, because of its very nature. Both sides are right – and both sides are wrong. It’s like trying to think with only the left or right side of your brain. Rational thought is good for rational concerns, and trying to answer questions of faith with it is ridiculously impossible if you are using rationality alone. The same goes for using only intuitive and emotional thinking. Truth always and ever lies in between the two extremes. Once this is realized, it becomes obvious that the two sides complement each other and can work together for the betterment of both. Trying to defeat the opposition is tantamount to societal suicide.

So where does Wicca fit in to all of this? If you are like me and grew up pressured to join one group and shun the other, it is one of those paths that offer a sane and beautiful solution. Honor a God and a Goddess. Don’t believe anything; know it for yourself. Work magic. Think logically and intuitively. Open your mind. This is not to say that you have to be a Wiccan to avoid the extremes. Obviously there are people of all religions or creeds who agree with these principles. But I find Wicca to be relatively unique in that its basic symbolism expresses these concepts as no other. The God and Goddess of Wicca are archetypes predicated on the notion of balance. The focus on the elements emphasizes the need for equilibrium and symmetry. We focus our mind in magic and open our subconscious in divination. To have one without the other is to be incomplete with only half of the whole. Wicca not only recognizes this but makes it the very core of its teaching. Basically, it gives us permission to explore both sides without having to make an impossible choice. The extreme left and right may find us even more bizarre than their opponents, because we point to the possibility that you don’t have to pick one over the other. A golden mean lies between them where our minds, bodies and souls can find peace through the healthy expression of all of their faculties. Living by the Wiccan way – you can have your (crescent) cakes and eat them too!

Journal for the Month of March:

Picked up a new book this month, Witchcraft: Theory and Practice by Ly de Angeles. I haven’t cracked it open yet but I’m looking forward to it! The major thing I accomplished this past month was consecrating my first real tool – a beautiful pentacle given to me as a gift over the holidays. I had wanted to wait until after Imbolc as my personal New Year’s to start working with it, and pieced together a personalized consecration ceremony that felt right to me. It feels wonderful to use in ritual and it’s been an important milestone for me in marking my journey in the path.

Now that the weather is getting warmer I’m trying to get outside on a regular basis again. One of my new ongoing projects is learning the seasons of the constellations. I remember very basic ones from school, but I never really learned the signs of the zodiac. When stargazing I try to see the sky in perspective for a moment, gazing away from the sun to the distant galaxies encircling our solar system like a diamond-studded belt. Astronomy is a fascinating subject I wish I knew more about. Mark that down as another one to read up on!

My studies have also taken a sidetrack this month as I’ve been reading a lot more on ceremonial magic. It’s kind of like the formal cousin of witchcraft in a lot of ways. Where the Craft is spontaneous and focused on nature, ceremonial magic is more structured and philosophical. Perhaps that’s what led me to this month’s article topic on balanced paths. So far they have complemented each other very well and I think studying both can only bolster the increase of my knowledge and experience when it comes to magic. My only wish is that I had more hours in the day for all the knowledge I want to soak up! That or a photographic memory. Ah well.

Until next month, blessed be! )O(

Tags: magic, magick, witchcraft

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Willow Winterborne March, 2009

*The Hedgewitch lives in the space between the Village and the Forest. Between the mundane and the magical. S/He lives with a foot in both worlds.
This column is dedicated to the Hedgewitches of the planet earth.

Hedge Economics Lesson

We are all, no doubt, aware of the economic situation in the United States, at this time, and keenly feel its impact on our own way of lives.
The media gives us cause for concern each time we switch on the set.
The situation for many is dire.
And while this gives most folks a real reason to be fearful, I suggest, perhaps, we Magical People have an opportunity to enjoy a blessing that only people of Faith can.

We pull together as families and communities and covens to meet the needs of those closest to us. Perhaps this is a time to make extra rice or noodles, and invite neighbors for a nourishing meal and heartfelt conversation.
There is much “belt-tightening”, and we clip coupons, find sales and cut back in order to make our budgets stretch further.

But I suggest there is more we can do. And it just so happens, it is the very thing we are the best at!
After much thought and consideration, I have concluded that we can eliminate the feeling of hoarding and lack through a change in our mindset.
We already believe in some form of the concept “as above, so below”.
We believe that we can visualize and manifest the material using our spiritual energy and personal ritual.
I believe that this is a time for using this belief and ability to its fullest potential.

We all know the physical sensations that accompany a wave of fear. The tightening chest, perhaps a bead of unbidden sweat rolling down your temple, pounding heart, accelerated respiration.
When we begin to allow the fears of the unknown (ie, how we will pay the Past Due electric bill, or manifest enough dinner out of the random and unrelated items in our pantries) we can start to feel the sensations of fear creeping in around the edges.
Once allowed to take root, the fear can grow and multiply, until we cannot sleep, or concentrate or even function, if left unchecked for long enough.
We become accustomed to feeling ‘stressed out’.

When this happens, we are feeding energy to the lack in our lives with every fiber of our being. More powerful than the most effective spell, this resident fear has the ability to manifest additional lack in our lives. The situation gets worse and our lives suffer for it.
This is no more phenomenal than the Law of Attraction at work.
What we perceive and give energy to is what manifests in our physical lives.
When we ponder lack and insufficiency, we manifest lack and spiraling despair.

With this understanding, we can utilize this same principle to manifest abundance and hope.
Being able to recognize the physical symptoms of stress, at their onset is key to the success of retraining the psyche to manifest wealth and abundance.
We can head the fear “off at the pass” and realign ourselves with the Divine.
Using nothing more high tech than the breath, we can stave off disaster in the present, in the form of stress and worry, and in the future, in the form of additional problems.
Spending time truly inside your own body, and knowing what it feels like at rest is crucial. Taking a few moments each day to be fully at rest, and breathing deeply and evenly gives us a window into what our body feels like when it is calm.
Then, when the easily-recognizable symptoms of stress and fear begin to happen, we can use this as a trigger to begin to return ourselves to a state of calm. Breathing deeply and evenly, and focusing on nothing but that.

We can grasp the sense that the Divine wants us to be happy, live in abundance and take care of one another. If we truly trust this process, we can calm our minds with the mantra “What is meant to be makes room for itself”.
When things happen that seem to be terrible, we can realize that this is a necessary situation to bring our lives into closer alignment with the authentic life we are meant to be enjoying.
Beginning and ending the day with a prayer, meditation or mantra of this sort can help to train our minds and spirits to react in a calm and trusting way.
When difficulties arise, we can draw from this pool of trust to ease our spirits back into a state of calm, and reaffirm our commitment to live our authentic life.
Changes must often be made in order to bring us into the place where we are ready to receive the blessings we have been clamoring for.
And while change in itself is stressful, and the unknown is so scary sometimes, we can trust that What is Meant To Be makes Room For Itself.

Further, a visual aid can sometimes help retrain the spirit to attract what we need. My personal favorite device is the 3×5 card. Post it Notes are also excellent, as you can affix them to many different types of surfaces.
Having reminders of our intention can be quite useful when we can consciously forget, and be swept away into fear.

* All my needs are met in abundance
* I have more than enough of everything I need
* My pantry (refrigerator/bank account/wallet/etc) is always full.
* Abundance lives here
* I live in harmony and calm.
* More and more I am changing into the person I want to be.
* My life reflects my desires.

Any affirmation can be used, so take these ideas and create some that really specifically suit your situation. Always use positive words for your affirmations, because what you say is what you get (ie, “My needs are always met“. NOT “I don’t want to be poor”. In the same way that children don’t respond to negative words like “don’t!”, the Universe can work more efficiently when we focus on our desire, not what we wish to avoid).

Placing these reminders in areas we are most likely to need them is essential to our success in overcoming our fear-based habits of worry and negative mindsets.
The car, the fridge, the bathroom mirror, the wall in front of the bed- all excellent locations for an affirmation reminder. The more we see them, and say them, the more likely we are to begin to incorporate them into our mindset and our subconscious well of resources.
Eventually, we begin to remind ourselves without them, in situations which call for it, and our conscious brain will hollar out the affirmations when we need them most.

Once we have retrained our spirit to draw to us what we want, rather than what we wish to avoid, our abundance comes to us easily. As if by magic, in fact. The obstacles to our happiness begin to crumble and our truest desires are made manifest.
This is not a fairy tale. This is a practical application of a Universal principle that benefits every aspect of our lives, both spiritually and materially.
Used with due diligence, it can change our lives.

Now, in the meantime, additional practical steps can be taken to help us live a magical life on the budget we currently have to work with.
The best tips I have to offer are as follows:

Ways to Save :
**When using candles (for non-divinatory purposes) keep wicks trimmed, and flames low. Freeze candles for 2 hours prior to burning to prolong their burn time.
Use tea lights for short rituals. They often come in multi-packs, burn for a couple to several hours (depending on type and quality), and are much less expensive for regular use.

**Buy teas in bulk. Almost all magical people drink and use teas. Buying loose teas allows us to buy what we need, without the added expense of having them pre-bagged. A strainer or cloth tea bags are re-usable, and this also allows us to be more ecologically friendly as there is nearly no packaging involved with bulk teas. Store your teas in glass (or plastic) jars with tight fitting lids, in a cool dark location for longest shelf life. Only buy what you think you will use in a month or 2 at the most.

**Form a Magical Co-Op. Many of us need the exact same items, and when we buy in bulk, and divide the product, we can save literally hundreds of dollars a year. For example. An ounce of bulk, dried lavender flowers runs, roughly, $1.75 an ounce, or around $20 a lb. If you can find 4 people to go in on a pound with, the cost is $5 each, and everyone gets 4 oz. each. Each of you have saved $2 on buying it by the ounce, and have 4 oz. to enjoy. Always try to buy in a large quantity, as this is where the discount is.

**Use items gifted by nature in your practice. There are a million and one things we can buy to use in our practices, but the items which are found, and are literally falling off trees, can be our most powerful magical tools. Take walks and begin to notice the amazing number of things which are just lying there, waiting for you. Leaves, rocks, sticks, flowers, feathers, soils all manner of magical items are available to us in abundance, we just have to look for them.

**I know this is going to sound oversimplified, but remember the library. are an expense that many of us are not able to afford right now. The library, our old trusted friend from the pre-internet age, is still awaiting our arrival, with many wonderful secrets, stories and diversions to share. All for free! Also, in many libraries, there is free internet access, for those who don’t have their own internet service.

**Make your own! This goes for lotions, potions and foods. The library and internet are jammed with recipes for the most glorious and decadent bath products imaginable, many of which can be made from everyday kitchen items. The product is gorgeous and the benefit of having crafted it with your own hands, and your own specific intentions and empowerment is amazing. Returning to the kitchen to prepare nutritious meals not only saves money, and is better for us, but also gives us another opportunity to bless the utensils, food items and space for abundance to come and thrive.

**In that same vein, we can make our own convenience foods easily and with no more effort than microwaving a single plate. Prepare a large meal one day a week. Then place individual servings of it into microwavable storage containers and freeze them. When you come home late from witching, you are only 3 minutes away from a hot, healthy, home-cooked meal. The containers can be reused, and the process can continue. If you cook more than once a week, always make extra and save it away for another time. The frozen servings are also easy as pie to transport to work, remain mostly frozen until lunch time and save a fortune on take-away food. To say nothing of the health benefits. The same can be done with bagged snacks. We can buy the more economical large bag of chips, crackers or trail mix, and then simply place a serving into a seal-tight sandwich bag and pop it into purse or briefcase for a snack during the day without a trip to the vending machine.

**Clean out the closets and cupboards and make room for new blessings. ‘Tis the season for spring cleaning to begin to creep into our thoughts. Why not start a give-away bag? As you clean, begin to deposit items into the bag for donation. Each item that goes in represents a space you have created in your life for a blessing. There are lots of people who would love to have your gently loved items, and you now have room for something new and fantastic to come into your life.

**If you decide not to donate your items, have a garage sale and sell them. You make a little cash, and someone gets a lovely item they may not have been able to afford new. Make cake, brownies, cookies and/or punch and sell slices or cups at your garage sale, and make a few more bucks. If you have a craft or special talent for making an item, have some available for sale. There are a million tiny ways to generate income, and at this point, every little bit helps.

In a time where many are running around, filled to the brim with uncertainty, this is our time to shine. Be proactive about your situation. Remain hopeful, and cultivate hope in others. Make more than enough dinner and sit down and share it with someone who might not.
Be regularly mindful of what you do have, and shut out thoughts of lack. A little gratitude goes a long way.
I’m sorry for being so long-winded this month, but in these times, I felt compelled to share.
I pray abundance and prosperity comes to live in each one of your homes and lives.
Blessings of Optimism and Renewal

Tags: hedgewitch, home crafts, magic, magick, witchcraft

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Diakonissa Sr Pamela March, 2009

The Anointer of the Sacrificial King

Springtime will soon be upon us, for some sooner than others.
At this time of the Pagan/Heathen feast of Ostara and the Christian feast of Easter, we think of the resurrection of all life.
Life on Mother Earth and life within ourselves are yearly renewed with each blossom that pops through the soil and each new leaf budding on a delicate tree branch. Islands of ice begin to melt in the brooks revealing cold, fresh bubbling water flowing gracefully on its merry way through-out the awakening woodlands. The last of the winter snows refresh the ever greening grasses newly springing up to greet the mild southerly winds. Robins reappear in backyards pecking for elusive worms and the glorious sun shines ever more brightly with each new day, as the promise of summer approaches, yet again.
Before the resurrection of life, there must be the sacrificial death. We see this in Nature with each autumn and winter season. Trees fall into a deep slumber while seeds fall into the earth waiting to give fruitful re-birth in March, April and May.
We also see this life and death cycle reflected in the Pagan myths of the Sacrificial King who offers his life for the fertility of the land which will in turn, nurture his people for the coming year.
The Sacrificial King cannot perform this holy task on his own, however. He must be anointed by the priestess of the Great Goddess. It takes a royal partnership of the Sacred Union, a partnership of the Divine Male and the Divine Female acting through their incarnated representatives on Earth, to produce this Great Sacrifice of renewal. In acts of fertile sacrifice resulting in acts of new creation there must be the precious Sacred Balance of the Male and Female Energies which spark and sparkle into existence the Spiral Dance of the Universe.
Mary Magdalene was the High Priestess of the Great Goddess (Barbelo/Sophia/Isis/Astarte) who anointed the Sacrificial King of Christianity. The significance of this anointing, faithfully recorded in every Christian bible on Earth as fore-told by Yeshua/Jesus, Himself, has gone unnoticed and unrecognized for centuries upon centuries upon centuries.
The earliest Christians, many of whom were emerging from the great ancient Pagan and Mystery religions, recognized this act for what it truly was. However, within just a few hundred years from the infancy of Christianity, the true meaning behind the anointing and the real identity of the Anointer became buried beneath unbalanced male-dominated dogmas and rituals.
The evidence for the marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene will be borne out in a future article. Suffice it to say for now, that Yeshua/Jesus was of the Jewish royal blood-line. Mary Magdalene was His Royal Bride. As Her initiated priestess, I believe that Yeshua was an incarnation of the Divine Male.  I also believe Mary Magdalene, His Consort, was an incarnation of the Divine Female.
This is the true Myth of Christianity, the myth that was drowned beneath waves of one stifling doctrine after another. This myth is now coming to light thanks to the scholarship of people like Margaret Starbird.
The Divine Sacred Union was never lost to us rather, it was hidden from us like a precious jewel which had been dropped, trampled upon and deeply embedded in the mud beneath mindless feet, waiting to be re-discovered by those who persistently sought for it.  Those who sought for and found this jewel of Sacred Union within Christianity have graciously raised it to the Light, revealing it’s shining luminescent glory for all to see and rejoice.
Like the Pagan and Mystery religions of old as well as major religions like Hinduism, Christians also have a Divine Couple, a Sacred Balance, a Royal Bride and Bridegroom, a God and Goddess to honor and worship.
The Royal Bride, Mary Magdalene, anointed the Sacrificial King with her costly spikenard which was carefully sheltered within the swirling earth-toned colors of the alabaster jar. Without this anointing, Yeshua would not have been truly King, He would not have been the Messiah. A King must be anointed. Indeed, messiah means ‘anointed one’.
As Margaret Starbird states in her book, The Goddess in the Gospels, “The anointing of Jesus in the Gospels is an enactment of rites from the prevailing fertility cult of the ancient Middle East. In pouring her precious unguent of nard over the head of Jesus, the woman whom tradition has identified with ‘the Magdalene’ (the Great) performed an act identical to the marriage rite of the hieros gamous- the rite of anointing the chosen Bridegroom/King by the royal representative of the Great Goddess”.
She goes on to say, “Highlights of this story recounted in the four Christian Gospels are reminiscent of myths celebrated in pagan fertility cults of the Middle East, those of Tammuz, Dumuzi and Adonis. In the Pagan rituals surrounding the ancient myths, the Goddess (the Sister-Bride) goes to the tomb in the garden to lament the death of her Bridegroom and rejoices to find him resurrected.”
One has to wonder how differently Christianity would have evolved, both as a religion and within our own psyches, especially  the psyches of countless generations of young girls and women, had the significance of this story and the true identity and role of Mary Magdalene not been lost to us over the aeons.
It was when I was Russian Orthodox that I first learned the legend of Mary Magdalene and the red egg. It is a tradition within the Orthodox Church to give red eggs as gifts during the feast of Pascha/Easter after the long winter-ending Fast of Great Lent.
The legend, as it was explained to me by a Russian priest, states that Mary Magdalene traveled to Rome and had an audience with Tiberius Caesar. A gift to the emperor was expected at the time of the visit. Mary Magdalene brought, as her gift, a simple white egg.  The purpose of Her visit was to protest the death of an innocent man, Yeshua/Jesus under Pilate. She greeted Caesar with the words, “Christ is Risen”. Caesar replied with the disbelief that no-one could more rise from the dead than a white egg could turn red. As he spoke those words, the white egg held in Mary Magdalene’s hand slowly turned a deep crimson red. Mary Magdalene explained to Caesar that the red egg symbolized life rising from a sealed tomb. The Pagan emperor would have recognized the meaning behind life arising from a sealed tomb.
Each year, priestesses and devotees of Mary Magdalene place a red egg upon Her altar at Easter time in memory of this ancient miracle.
The rites and rituals of spring may include a reading or recitation of the tale of the Anointing and Sacrifice of the Great King by His Royal Bride. A story, in and of itself, that stemmed not just from the ancient Pagan rites but also within the true, inner tradition of Christianity. A story that has been long buried beneath the winter-snows of time and is now being resurrected amongst the lilies and lilacs of the spring of our century. A story that has been faithfully transmitted through legends, images and stonework.
In her book, The Holy Book of Mary Magdalene, the author, Jennifer Reif, has a beautiful spring ritual entitled, Day of the Verdent Magdalene, Grail of Earth and Heaven. Other rituals might possibly include a self-anointing of spikenard and myrrh as well as an offering of these precious ointments to Mary Magdalene, Herself. These sacred oils and ointments as well as candles and alabaster jars are available from www.abbaoil.com as well as other sources from Jerusalem.
Spring is a great time to plant an outdoor sanctuary garden in Her honor.  Roses, lilies and fragrant herbs planted beneath an arbor covered in grapevines would create a tranquil surrounding for Her statue or the statues of the Christian Royal Couple.
Green is both the color of fertility and the color Mary Magdalene wears in many of the paintings and icons that have been drawn in Her honor.
Of course, hot cross buns, braided egg breads and roasted lamb are favorite feast foods at this time of year.
Without the Sacrifice of the Divine Father incarnate, there could be no Life. Without the Blessing/Anointing of the Divine Mother incarnate, there could be no Sacrifice. Such is the myth and story of Spring. Our Story. The Earth’s Story.
Along with our offerings this coming season, let gratitude and appreciation be the greatest amongst them. No matter what trials we may be currently under-going during this troubling economy, spring ever returns, the sun warms our hearts, blue skies form an heavenly horizon above our heads, gentle breezes kiss our cheeks, the Creative Pair’s artistry colors anew our daily surroundings, the full moon rises every month and lakes, streams, rivers and forests await our visit in order to soothe our anxious spirits.
Everyone, everywhere can plant a simple plot or potted garden  of flowers, herbs and vegetables, tending Mother Earth and She tends us.
The Great Sacrifice of the Royal Couple, He, in the sacrifice of His very life, She, in the sorrowful anointing of and subsequent loss of Her Beloved, eternally begets the Great Resurrection and revival of all life everywhere.
Christians through-out the world remember and honor the sacrifice of Jesus/Yeshua at Easter-tide. Now, it is time to also remember and honor the One who anointed Him for His sacrifice, His Royal Bride, the One Who stands at His left-hand, Mary Magdalene. There is and always has been a Sacred Balance within Christianity’s core myths of sacrifice and resurrection. We just didn’t know.  We didn’t remember.
At last, after hundreds of years of being labeled as a penitent prostitute, the Lost Bride, the Royal Anointer is rightfully being restored to Her Beloved, the Sacrificial and Resurrected Bridegroom/King of Easter.
“I am the first and the last. I am the honored and the scorned. I am the whore and the holy. I am the mother and the daughter. …Do not banish me from your vision….in no place, in no time, be unknowing of me. Be alert. Don’t be ignorant of me.” (excerpts from Thunder, Perfect Mind, a Gnostic text. Author, unknown.)
Diakonissa Sr. Pamela Lanides.

Sources:

The Goddess in the Gospels by Margaret Starbird.
The Holy Book of Mary Magdalene, The Path of the Grail Steward by
Jennifer Reif.
Thunder, Perfect Mind, Gnostic text, author, unknown.

Tags: christian, witch, witchcraft

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Nicholas Haney March, 2009

Ostara is the pagan holiday that falls upon the spring equinox, that normally falls between March 20th and the 23rd. An equinox is a time of the year when the amount of light and darkness are equal, at approximately 12 hours each. It is widely held that the name for the holiday comes from a Germanic spring goddess by the name of Eostre, or Ostara. She was a goddess of spring, of renewal and rebirth.

There is much history and lore associated with the spring equinox. Several ancient cultures were aware of the Equinox, and had special ceremonies and rites attributed to this special day.   Sadly, due to time and space constraints, I will not be able to touch upon any one of them in any great detail.

For neo-pagan groups, Ostara is a time for rebirth and fertility.  It is a time to prepare crops and gardens for the coming spring, even though actual planting may not be able to take place until at least a month later. If weather allows, this is a great time to prepare the soil for planting.

From a spiritual standpoint, this is also a great time of year to do a ritual intended for spiritual and aura cleansing. Spring cleaning shouldn’t just be limited to the house after all. A simple meditation can be used, on a nice day, open a window and just sit in the room. Feel the fresh clean air move through your body and spirit and notice how much cleaner and lighter the airs feels. It is very refreshing and can help you feel less stress and more energetic.

One of the earliest known celebrations of the Spring Equinox comes from ancient Mesopotamia. In a festival called ‘Akitu’ it is said that the patron god/goddess of a city would leave their temple and parade around the city. The deity would travel, in processional, to a special religious building outside of the city walls. Later in the day, another procession would occur as the city-deity returned to their temple within the city. It is widely thought that this festival was originally associated with the equinoxes, but in later (ca. 1st Millennium BCE) Mesopotamian history is a celebration for the new year, which began in spring. However, it is impossible to say with any certainty whether or not this celebration was intended as a celebration of rebirth.

There are tales and myths of an Ancient Roman God by the name of Mithras. The tales of Mithras are similar in many ways to the tales of Jesus Christ. Being that he would die and be reborn again, and thus lead his followers into the light after they had died. He was said to have died in winter and to be resurrected again in spring.

Another tale from Ancient Rome is the tale of Cybele and her consort Attis. He would die each winter only to be reborn again each spring around the time of the vernal or spring equinox.

There is a common theme in all these stories, the rebirth of life with the return of the sun. So rejoice, pagans and nonpagans alike, in the glory of the return of life after the winter’s thaw.

Tags: history, holidaby, Ostara, sabbat, witchcraft

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Nicholas Haney February, 2009

Hello, welcome and Merry Meet dear readers! My name is Nicholas, and I have been honored with the privilege of writing for PaganPages. My topic is Witchcraft History and Morals. It is my hope that you, my dear readers, will find enjoyment and enlightenment within my work..

As this is my first piece, I would like to tell you all a little about myself. I am currently in the second decade of my life on this plane. I am currently working towards my Bachelor’s degree in History. I have also accomplished much self-study on paganism, magick and the occult. I have been a pagan almost as long as I can remember, have always had a strong connection to nature. About the time I turned 18, I encounter the Wiccan religion. The Wiccan path was my gateway to the greater pagan world. Even though I no longer consider myself Wiccan, I am still pagan and have studied a wide range of material. A little over a year ago, some like minded friends and I put together a coven known as the Black Mist Order. I have been teaching and training new pagans ever since.

As this is an introduction, I wish to present some topics I will cover in the near future.

- Witchcraft has existed in nearly every culture throughout the mists of time and history. As long as witchcraft has existed, it has been tied almost inseparably to magic. We will examine the nature of witchcraft, and how it has been pictured, past and present.

- Myths, Legends and Folklore are an essential part of any culture, and the culture of the witches is no different. I shall take you through the stories and legends that define our beliefs and ideals. Common witchy myths will be examined in depth to help teach lessons. I shall also examine what makes a good myth, and what doesn’t. Are myths true or are they false?

- How did ancient cultures influence modern witches and Wiccans? For this topic we will discuss certain beliefs, practices and ideals of modern witches and study how these pieces have been influenced by our ancient past.

- Morality, such a wide topic in itself. This topic will cover common ethical beliefs of the witchcraft community. Sources for ethics and morals will include the Wiccan Rede, the Threefold law, and Karma in all its various forms. How do we determine what is right and what is wrong? What separates a good witch from a bad one? How do our actions influence others? All of these questions are in the realm of morals and ethics.

Blessed be dear readers, and I hope you will enjoy our adventure together. Let us have an enjoyable journey together.

Tags: history, morals, past, witchcraft

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Michele Burke December, 2008

Gail adroitly spins a guide that presents the reader the ability to shape shift and navigate through time, thought, and space. The basic foundations of Shamanism and witchcraft in Gail’s book, “The Shamanic Witch” go beyond the fundamental concepts we have become accustomed to. Reminding one of their own inherent abilities in the Shamanic tradition and edifies just how to put these abilities into practice in Shamanic Witchcraft. Gail has fashioned a powerful practice that once embraced opens up the path between the worlds which leads to affirmative changes in all who follow it.

Photo by: Dawn Van Hall
Gail was gracious enough to allow us this wonderful interview probing into her personal journey throughout her life and her work. The past few weeks that I have spent talking with Gail have been not only spiritually educational but very exciting to say the least.

Interview with Gail Woods The Shamanic Witch

Pagan Pages  (PP): Gail could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

Gail Wood (Gail): I live in rural Central New York in a house that’s more than 125 years old; we live on nearly two beautiful acres.  Mouse, my partner, is the high priest of our coven and we have two very old dogs.  I’m a college library director at a state school. I love being a librarian.

I went to college and graduate school at the University of Maryland.  We moved around a lot as a kid but where we always ended up was in Maryland where my mother is from; and that is where I will live when I retire.  I love the Atlantic Ocean beaches especially Assateague Island. I love to read and research and I do all sorts of needlework and sewing.  I love things that glitter!

I’ve been a Witch before I knew it was called Wicca and I discovered that over twenty-five years ago.  I love Tarot and all sorts of divination, I love to teach.  I’m a Reiki Master, as well as a shamanic practitioner.

PP: Gail do you consider yourselves to be a Witch or Shaman?

Gail: Interesting question and the short answer are both.  I consider myself a shamanic witch.  It’s really difficult to get shamanic training that integrates witchcraft or Wicca into it.  Most shamanic teachers are not Wiccans or witches.  I wrote the book to demonstrate not only can it be done but also that the practice of witchcraft is very shamanic in nature.  My personal practice and identity is both shamanic and witchy.  I can’t separate them out anymore!

PP: Who, would you say inspired you the most in your own path through the Mysteries?

Gail: There’s not a one-person answer to that question!  My teacher, SunRaven, was one who taught me the basics of shamanic practice and then how to further and deepen the work.  My High Priestess in the RavenMyst tradition, Lady Hawke was the one that made me conscious that my shamanic practice is truly integrated into my Wiccan practice.  Kristin Madden is a great inspiration; she’s fun, funny, and a powerful journeyer.  I’m a great reader and taker of workshops, so there are a lot of writers, teachers, and workshop leaders to whom I owe a lot for inspiration.  I’m a member of an online writing witchy group and those authors give me lots of encouragement, insight, and inspiration.  If I start naming all the writers and teachers, the list would be long—plus I’d be afraid I’d leave someone out.  These days, too, I gather a lot of strength, creativity, and inspiration from my students both inside and outside the Craft, and of course, my partner Mouse and my dogs.

PP: Gail how do you feel your work to date was influenced by Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone?

Gail: Another interesting question.  Not consciously.  I have read every book by Janet and Stewart Farrar, and then the ones co-authored by Gavin Bone.  I liked Progressive Witchcraft a lot and remember thinking that this book will help me deepen my understanding.  Now I will go back and take a look at it again.

PP: What advice would you give to someone newly interested in Paganism or Witchcraft?

Gail: Find the path and the practice that resonates with your authentic self and don’t let others tell you it MUST be this way or that way.  Find what works for you.  I usually tell people to be as smart about their spirituality as they are with the other choices in their lives.  There are many paths and many ways to experience Spirit and what you owe to yourself is to find the one that resonates deeply with your own internal, eternal divine light.

PP: Gail, how do you think that public opinion of Witchcraft and Paganism has changed over the last few decades?

Gail: It’s been a very interesting transition.  When I started, there was very little information about Paganism.  You had to work very hard to find out how to practice and how to make it knowable to yourself.  I’m very grateful to the work of Scott Cunningham, Starhawk, Raymond Buckland, and the fictional work of Katherine Kurtz from those early days, and then later, Dorothy Morrison, Marion Green, and Caitlin and John Matthews.  Then, it seemed, that the information exploded and spilled out into the mainstream and lots of wonderful writers came into the foreground.  I think the controversies surrounding Silver Ravenwolf’s Teen Witch created awareness, both good and bad, outside the rather private pagan community.  Around that time, academics started publishing works and analyses on the pagan community.  Then good and dumb portrayals of Wicca and Witches started showing up in the media including episodes of sitcoms;  the long running show, Charmed, brought even more awareness, both correct and incorrect.  All sorts of things, factual and fictional, inspire us to move into more spiritual questing, so in some ways having a more real portrayal of Witches show up in the media is part of human nature.

I think more and more people are looking at the values of pagan life and resonating with them.  They don’t necessarily want to be priests or priestesses, but they want to live as if all life is sacred and in harmony with nature.  Others want to live in the counter-culture and be iconoclastic and the pagan community offers that lifestyle as well.  I do see a growth in the Wiccan and pagan laity, to borrow a phrase from the mainstream religions.

It’s rare nowadays that I have to explain that Wicca and witchcraft is not Satanism.  Most people seem to have a smattering of knowledge.  This is not to imply that people do not have a lot of wrong assumptions but there is usually awareness, though that awareness isn’t really deep or very factual.  Lately, I’ve been treated in some odd ways – as if I am weird-in-a-good-way, a curiosity, or as part of a chic, cool thing.  I don’t usually get treated as evil anymore and that is a blessing!

PP: If you could go back in time and change one thing you did, what would it be?

Gail: Personally and frankly, I would not spend so much time worrying, and specifically not spend so much time agonizing over how fat I was or was not; am or am not.  I would have danced more!  So I dance now…

PP: What do you consider the highlights of your own writing careers to be?

Gail: The Shamanic Witch has me very, very excited.  I reconnected with SunRaven and I think my writing has improved a great deal.  All the writing that I’ve had published has always made me very pleased and proud.  The writing I do is a result of the things I teach, so it’s wonderful to see my teaching take a different and new life in print.  It has also connected me with a lot of people I would not have known otherwise.

PP: What are your views on sex, and sexual symbolism in the Craft? Does it, in your opinion, play an important role?

Gail: Where to start?   I’m going to separate out the sexual symbolism of the beliefs of the Craft, such as creation stories and the Great Rite, from the sexual behavior of members of the Craft and the pagan community.

The latter, sexual behavior, in all its permutations, orientations, encounters, coupling, poly-loving and more, is an important part of our counter-culture community.  As long as I have a choice and can choose in harmony with my own heart, then so should everyone else.  We all live in a long complex gender continuum and there aren’t many safe places for people to go outside the male-female polarity and discover who we are and what gives us joy.  I always hope everyone can find a space of safety and an absence of judgment.  With luck all of us can find not only tolerance but also acceptance and love.  I’ll admit I was shocked at my first festival years ago, but then I got over myself; and as long as I have choices of how far I will or will not go, then it’s all good.

So then we get into the sexual symbolism in the practice of the Craft and the stories of the Great Rite.  It can make the Craft seem lurid and sensational.  The symbolism itself is beautiful and powerful because it helps us understand the fluid, flowing energy of the Universe.  That energy of ebb and flow, in and out, receiving and giving is made understandable in the performance of the Great Rite.  The challenge in ritual for the symbolic Great Rite in ritual is to be inclusive to all sexual orientations and gender identities.  The Great Rite becomes lurid when people think it’s only about the human male-female sex act.

PP: How do you deal with people who criticize you for your views and practices?

Gail: I work in academe and in our community, research, argument, skepticism, and discussion are part of life and I’m well trained in discussion and mental argument.  I am also very good at “agreeing to disagree.” When the criticism gets personal and mean-spirited, then I get my feelings hurt just like everyone else.  I have safe places to kvetch, vent, and process.   I have a good sense of humor, so I can often deflect some remarks that way.  I’d love to tell you that I’m always wise, erudite, articulate, and meet every criticism with the perfect words, but I’m human and I get tired, cranky, and vulnerable too.  I try to keep it all in balance and try not to return nasty for nasty.

I had a funny experience when I found a Dark Moon community on the internet.  I was really excited.  And they were discussing my book, Rituals of the Dark Moon.  I thought this would really enrich my ongoing work with the Dark Moon.  The first thing I read was that someone really did not care for the book at all because the guided meditations didn’t have much detail.  As I make a stabbed in the heart motion, I also had to laugh remembering my grandmother’s expression of an eavesdropper never hearing any good about herself.  And to answer that criticism, I deliberately kept the meditation sparse so their own journeys could fill in the details.  Talk about your good intentions going awry!

PP: What are the differences and similarities between Shamanic Witch craft and the Wiccan Tradition?

Gail: It’s hard to put into words because it is so experiential.  The greatest example of difference in practice is that in my tradition and in my personal practice is that we open Center ritual.  When we open center, we call in the energies of above and below and open the gates to the Upper and Lower Worlds.  The connection between these worlds is ourselves, the Witch, who is rooted in the Lower world through the roots of the World Tree, and we spread our branches up into the Upper World.  The connection between those worlds is here, in the Middle World, with our bodies as the trunk and the tree.  I think in shamanic witchcraft we work deliberately with the totems, power animals, and spirit guides in the cosmology (Upper World, Middle World, and Lower World) of the shamanic practitioner.

The traditional difference stated in some writing is that the shamanic practitioner sends his/her soul out of the body and journeys between the worlds while the Wiccan calls the spirits into the circle and works with them there.  I find this statement arguable.  One of my sister High Priestesses said once about a ritual that calls in the directions of North, East, South and West but does not open Center, that it was more witchy than shamanic.  I guess it was the nuance and texture of the experience in circle, rather than anything that I can articulate well.

I find the Wiccan practices of aspecting, Drawing Down the Moon, and possession-like meditations, to be very shamanic in nature.  By inviting Deity into your body, you are journeying to gain wisdom and power and in service to the community, the essence of the definition and purpose of shamanism.

PP: You hold the titles of Teacher, High Priestess, and clergy on your website.   You said that you are the High Priestess of the Coven of the Heron of RavenMyst Circle. Can you tell us more about this?

Gail: I will start with RavenMyst Circle; we are a tradition, a group of several covens.  We are a degree-granting tradition, which is not a rank but rather a measure of progress in our studies and our service to our tradition and the larger community.  I was honored to enter RavenMyst as a Dedicant and progressed through my studies and challenges until I became a third degree High Priestess.  The wonderful thing about RavenMyst was that they honored the work I had done before I entered the tradition.  As a matter of fact, this book is an expansion of a challenge my High Priestess gave me to write a shamanic lesson for our tradition.  In our tradition, the mark of a third degree High Priestess is that she sees with the eyes of Spirit, and the union of my inner divine with that of the transcendent Divine, what we know of as Goddess and God, is kept clear and alive through consistent practice, service to community, and thorough an honest understanding of myself.  It is not a static title but more of a statement of ongoing practice.  At least that’s my experience of the High Priestess gig.

Our tradition also offers ordination as legal clergy, as an option, and I went through the process to become ordained.  I can perform legal weddings and help facilitate other life passage ceremonies, as well as offer an open heart and listening ear.

On my website, I said I was a teacher, too.  I believe that the call we hear to walk this path means that we work in harmony with our best talents and our burning passions.  Mine is to guide people to find the spiritual path that suits them in their soul.  That is what a Teacher is to me and as a result, not every one of my students has followed “my” path, but end up following the path of their calling.  I characterize it as, “I know stuff and I like to share.” I love what I teach.  I teach Tarot, shamanic practice, Wicca, and other fun things like tea-leaf reading, pendulums, and different ways of looking at the Goddesses and Gods (think chocolate!).  I recently retired from teaching Reiki because I felt that Spirit was telling me to leave that path for others to teach.  What I teach is strong, fluid, fun, and interests me, heart and soul.

PP: Could you tell us more about the Basic journeys of the Shamanic Student?

Gail: When you get down to it, the basic skills are what keep a practice going and going.  There are three overlapping worlds, the Upper World, the Middle World, and the Lower World.  We journey to these worlds to gather information, wisdom, and power; and we use those things to change ourselves and to help our community change and grow.  The Lower World is the home of our totems, power guides, and creatures who work with us in our journeywork purpose.  The Upper World is where our teachers reside and appear to us in human form as Gods, Goddesses, and revered heroes and humans.  The Middle World is this world of the material and includes the hidden realms of magic.

The first journeys that form the basis of our shamanic practice are:  journey to the lower world to find your power animal; and journey to the upper world to find your teacher.  Another basic journey is to dance your power animal here in the Middle World.

PP: In chapter three of your book Shamanic Witchcraft “Walking between the Worlds: Developing a Shamanic Practice” you talk about ‘Guided Visualization’ and Finding your Inner Shaman’ could you please elaborate on this further?

Gail: The people I encounter come to meditation and trance work with expectations and fears gathered from the media and other sources but with little personal experience, or so they think.  In the media, they see images of monks, priests, and other holy people who are very disciplined in some methods of meditation and seekers think they have to emulate those behaviors to “be good at meditation.” What people don’t always realize is that we instinctually use guided visualization and trance work in our daily lives.  Since it’s instinctual, we aren’t doing it consciously or with discipline.  I use guided visualization to demonstrate that those of us who were raised in a media-enriched world can find a personal meditation practice that works for us.

The “Finding Your Inner Shaman” guided visualization rocks!  One of my friends, Lady Phoenix Medusa in Rochester, NY introduced me to this meditation.  Because some form of shamanism was practiced in all the cultures of the world, I believe it is part of our heritage, part of our blood, bone, and sinew.  Modern folk, such as us, have to consciously reawaken our inner shamanic instinct.  The guided meditation in the book is one way to do that.  Once your inner shaman is discovered or reawakened, he or she becomes part of your active inner divine nature.  Once again!

PP: Could you explain to the readers the differences between ‘Creatures and Spirits of the other realms?

Gail: Nice catch!  I always wonder if someone is going to question that.  It’s a phrase I use in ritual to call in the ‘creatures and spirits’ of the directions, above and below.  I believe that that we humans see the world of spirit within our own human limitations.  The Animals and others appear to us in ways that we can understand them, so they might be a cartoon character, an animal we like, or a creature we encounter in our daily lives.  In circle, I want to allow the possibility of limitlessness so I tried to pick a phrase that would allow me to call in more than I could imagine into our circle – in perfect love and perfect trust, of course!

PP: What system of initiation is used in your coven and in Shamanic Witch Craft?

Gail: Much of the initiatory work in my coven and tradition is oathbound, meaning that I have taken oaths not to reveal parts of our practices including initiation.  We do that to continue our practices in safety and also to make each threshold ritual the best possible experience for the Witch.  Keeping parts of the practice secret is not to exclude people but to intensify the experience.  Truly, initiation comes from Spirit and we Witches are witnesses and facilitators of the experience.  Understanding comes from the experience of the initiation and not in the reading or telling of it!

PP: How do you see Witchcraft being passed on in the future? Will there be more worship circles led by priests and priestesses or will there always be covens? Will there always be the goal of a universal priesthood within Witchcraft, or will people content to be congregants?

Gail: I think there already is a pagan laity.  There are people who want to live in harmony with the sacred world and to live as a pagan but don’t want to write, facilitate or actively create their own worship.   I’ve heard people identify themselves as pagan agnostics and pagan atheists, saying they question or disbelieve in the existence of many gods, rather than just one.  What they really want to do is live life according to the values of sacred life and in harmony with nature and maybe a lot of the counter-culture activities as well, but they are not religious.

How will Witchcraft be facilitated in the future?  I think the variety and diversity already exists and that will not only continue but flourish in keeping with individual need and desire.  I believe there will always be covens just as there will be open circles, public circles, groups that meet together in large and small numbers.  It’s up to the individuals how they want to meet together and the human imagination is enormously creative.  I think there will be more diversity in how people identify themselves both individually and as groups.

PP: What are the biggest changes in the Wiccan or Pagan community that you have seen over the past twenty years? What are the challenges we face in the years to come?

Gail: There is much more awareness in the general population about Wicca and by extension, paganism.  I don’t believe there’s much depth to that awareness but most people are generally aware that Wicca is a growing religion.  People make their own judgments about Wicca and often without a lot of information.  Seekers will come at all levels of dedication from curiosity and thrill-seekers, to people wanting to criticize and harm, to the dedicated and earnest.

Some of the challenges we currently deal with are similar social issues everyone in society has to deal with, is how to function within a dominant culture with little sympathy or understanding of our lack of structure, money, and organization.  As examples, I think various pagan groups are facing decisions about non-profit status, money, insurance, and meeting places all the time.  As we grow larger than our living rooms and groves, where do we go, how do we worship, and how do we make it happen in consistent and effective ways.

As we grow as a community, we need to think about children’s education and growth and organizations such as Spiral Scouts are great ways to help.  At the other end of the spectrum, how are we going to deal with our aged ones?  Nursing homes, hospitals, funeral homes, and all the services concerned with aging and illness do not usually encompass an ecumenical understanding of pagan religions.

And, as the population in prisons continues to grow there are many incarcerated pagans un-served by the free world pagans.  I had a pagan prison ministry for more than five years.  My correspondence courses grew exponentially and the need for my services left me emotionally burnt out; it consumed so much of my time and resources, I finally had to stop.  In my experience, most free world pagans do not want anything to do with incarcerated pagans.  It is hard work and the few people who do the work are dedicated and honored folk, but they do toil alone often without support or understanding.

And the bigger question about all these social issues seems to be, how do we address them and still maintain the free-wheeling, iconoclastic, counter-culture attitude that brought most of us to paganism in the first place.

PP: Are you currently working on any new exciting projects that you would like to share with the readers of Pagan Pages?

Gail: I have an idea percolating to do a book on the shamanic visions of the 21st century goddess called The Rowdy Goddess.  To take the understanding of various Goddesses, well-known and obscure, and approach her shamanically and see what happens!  I’ve done bits and pieces of that and would like to put that together.  I’ve been working on a Tarot book for pagans; it’s designed as a year-and-a-day study course and incorporates the holidays and other interesting tid-bits.  I’ve also wanted to write an advanced book on shamanic witchcraft called The Well-prepared Witch.  How to be a magical worker, a journeyer, and a spell-caster…..

Bountiful Blessings and thank you Gail, for your mesmerizing insights into Shamanic Witchcrafts past, present and future

Works of Gail Wood Include:

Shamanic Witchcraft

The Wild God: Rituals And Meditations on the Sacred Masculine

Rituals of the Dark Moon: 13 Lunar Rites for a Magical Path

Short Essays and

“Sweet Dreams” in Cakes and Ale for the Pagan Soul.

The Llewellyn Witches Calendar, various years including 2007-010

Llewellyn’s Tarot Annual 2007 and 2008

The Magical Almanac 2006 – 2010

We’Moon Datebook and We’Moon on the Wall 2007

Tags: Gail Wood, shaman, shamanic, witchcraft

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