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Thursday 27 April 2006

The Threefold Law

The Threefold Law Cover
Whereas the Wiccan Rede represents the foundation upon which our ethics are constructed, the Threefold Law represents the consequences of not adhering to the Rede. The Three-Fold Law states that both the good and bad that you create in thought, word, and deed will be returned to you threefold. In other words, good deeds are magnified in like form back to the doer, and so are ill deeds. The Three-Fold Law is therefore seen as a pragmatic reason for ethical behavior and compliance with the Wiccan Rede.

Free e-books (can be downloaded):

Morwyn - The Golden Dawn
Howard Phillips Lovecraft - The Terrible Old Man

Keywords: gendered wiccan concepts  heathen ethics values  astrologo herbs nation  2009 imbolc lughnassadh  merry spring equinox  

Evolutionary Witchcraft

Evolutionary Witchcraft Cover

Book: Evolutionary Witchcraft by Thorn Coyle

This is not your average Wicca 101 book. (In fact, there are good reasons why Feri Witchcraft should not be called Wicca, but that's another story.) There are no spells here, no tables of correspondences, no pre-made rituals for solar or lunar holidays. Instead, there are meditations or practices that work with the breath, with posture, with movement and dance, with the magical tools of blade and cup, and with stories, deities, and concepts specific to Feri Tradition such as the Peacock God and the Iron and Pearl Pentacles. Thorn's writing is clear, powerful, and poetic without being forced; in reading this book, I found myself remembering how breathtaking The Spiral Dance was when I first read in 1979, the year of its publication, how Starhawk's words swept me away into a world of new possibilities. I believe Evolutionary Witchcraft will do the same for a new generation of people who want to deepen their connection to spirit, to the earth, and to their best selves.

First, a word about what this book is thankfully not. Although it has plenty of information and exercises that will be useful to beginners, it is not an introductory book on witchcraft. The program of training presented here is a challenging one, with a serious focus on personal growth and development. Those who are accustomed to the relatively shallow, sweetness-and-light approach of New Age personal development books will find themselves in much deeper waters here.

Secondly, this book is not yet another reframing of common-knowledge neopagan models and techniques. Coyle is working out of a unique pagan tradition, one that has its own specific spiritual technology and models of approaching magick. Although practitioners of other traditions are sure to find resonances with their systems, tools such as the Iron Pentacle are unique to the Feri and Reclaiming traditions. More importantly, however, these tools make sense outside a Feri context, and practitioners of other paths will find them to be important additions to their magickal repetoires. No one in Western society is free of the cultural baggage that hangs on Sex, Pride, Self, Power, or Passion, and Coyle provides meditations and exercises that effectively break down the personal and cultural barriers that keep these important energies bound.

Thorn Coyle is a Witch, an initiate of the Feri Tradition in which Starhawk (author of The Spiral Dance) was trained, and an initiate also of Reclaiming, the political collective and Craft tradition of which Starhawk is the best-known founder. Evolutionary Witchcraft is a logical successor to The Spiral Dance: a manual of Feri Witchcraft, a compendium of training derived from her own teaching experience, designed to give people who may not want to or have the opportunity to be directly initiated into Feri a chance to use its basic tools to improve their lives.

Finally, a few words about what 'Evolutionary Witchcraft' is. EW is a well-written, down-to-earth, extremely coherent book on Feri witchcraft that is yet designed to be accessible to practitioners of any magickal path. It is packed with practical exercises without entirely ignoring theory, and it structures its training program within a unique and exciting Feri aesthetic. As a former student of Victor and Cora Anderson, the poetic and eclectic founders of the Feri tradition, Thorn Coyle gives us her own evolutionary, socially-aware twist on the Feri line while remaining close to the richness of the source.

Find Thorn Coyle's book in amazon.com:
Evolutionary Witchcraft

Suggested free e-books to read:

Ann Moura - Green Witchcraft
Michael Bailey - Historical Dictionary Of Witchcraft

Wednesday 26 April 2006

An Introduction Into Wand Making

An Introduction Into Wand Making Cover
I was introduced to Wand Making at a fun workshop that was organised by myself and some wonderful spiritual friends. Wand making is not only great fun but rewarding that you have your very own wand created with your energy. The wands above are some of the wands made at the workshop.

- A length of copper tub/pipe about 10 - 12 inches (half inch in diameter)
- A Quartz point crystal, just over half inch in diameter (so it will fit into, but drop through the copper pipe) and at least 2 - 3 inches long.
- A small polished tumble stone that will fit into the end of the copper pipe. Something like Red Jasper or Amethyst etc...
- A length of bias cut ribbon - long enough to be wound around the copper pipe. (A yard/metre is more than enough).
- Oddments of narrow ribbon to decorate the wand.

Method:

- Make four small cuts into one end of the copper pipe, about an inch in length, using a small hack saw.
- Gently prise these "claws" open with a pair of pliers, before you insert the quartz point, you can pack the pipe with kitchen paper etc... so that the crystal will not drop down into the pipe. Using the pliers close the "claws" around the crystal to ensure a tight fit, so that the crystal will not fall out.
- Thread the bias cut ribbon around the claws and start to bind the copper tightly, overlapping the ribbon as you go, ensuring that no copper is visible.
- When you reach the other end of the copper pipe, cut off the ribbon, leaving enough to tuck up inside the pipe.
- Now insert the tumble stone into the end, ensuring a tight fit - to secure the ribbon in place.
- Decorate the wand to your own taste and requirements, using oddments of ribbon etc...
- You can use glue to fix the crystals in place, but I feel that it is better not to if a secure fix can be achieved without it.

"Top Tip" is to use a rolled up piece of kitchen roll and stuff it down inside the copper pipe, this is secured in place with glue and then the crystal can be "bedded down" onto the paper tissue to prevent it dropping down inside the pipe. You can use crystal points at both ends if you want to. I have made wands using Amethyst and Citrine points at both ends, with good results. Happy wand-making!

Free e-books (can be downloaded):

Anonymous - Introduction To The Old Religion Lesson 8
William Wynn Westcott - An Introduction To The Study Of The Kabalah

Keywords: the book of raziel   liber lucis gateway  gendered wiccan concepts  heathen ethics values  astrologo herbs nation  2009 imbolc lughnassadh  merry spring equinox  

Saturday 8 April 2006

Ae Waite Book Of Black Magic And Pacts

Ae Waite Book Of Black Magic And Pacts Cover Arthur Edward Waite was a mystic writer from the early 20th century who was a big part of the Golden Age of occultism. Waite, as it is claimed by some, was biased against occultism though he was deeply involved in magical groups. His preference ran toward more mystical experience of the mysteries and his writings on Ceremonial Magic often reflect that bias, but he was also a first rate and conscientious scholar so his perspective is unusual and often refreshing.

Thus his Book of black magic (also know as Book of Ceremonial Magic and The book of spells and Rituals) straddles the academic and the mystical in presenting portions and reviews of some of the most popular grimoires that have been circulating the occult community for centuries. This book translates some hard to find material and is a great reference book for the Ceremonialist that lays out the facts about the material you’ll be immersed in.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Ea Wallis Budge - The Book Of Am Tuat
Aleister Crowley - Book 4 Part Iii Magick In Theory And Practice
Michael Ford - Book Of Wamphyri And Shadows
Opus Majus - The Book Of The Black Serpent