Popular Posts

Tuesday, 25 October 2005

Brewing Up Trouble Wicca And The Us Military

Brewing Up Trouble Wicca And The Us Military Cover

Book: Brewing Up Trouble Wicca And The Us Military by Robert Maginnis

It is quite possible to maintain an army that is totally male, totally white, totally heterosexual and totally monotheistic. However, in its wisdom, the U.S. army became integrated a few decades ago; they have allowed women into an increasing range of assignments. They do not reject those gays and lesbians who stay in the closet. Finally, they are now formally recognizing small minority religions. At each step of the way, doomsayers raised the specter of damaged Military preparedness. History has shown their concerns to be without merit. As armies are increasingly directed at peace keeping, an force that is racially, sexually and religiously diverse sends a Powerful message to the people being helped. Kosovo and Bosnia are two potent examples of the power of religious diversity in the military.

Robert Maginnis is concerned that if the Army allows Wiccans to hold their services on-base, then non-Wiccan soldiers' "readiness factors such as military values, adherence to norms, willingness to kill, and recruitment and retention..." will be undermined. This is because he believes that most soldiers regard "witchcraft as an abomination."

Download Robert Maginnis's eBook: Brewing Up Trouble Wicca And The Us Military

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Maureen Delaney - Walking The Wiccan Path After The Cristian Path
David Oringderff - Spiritual Philosophy And Practice Of Wicca In The Us Military
Kathryn Rountree - Embracing The Witch And The Goddess
Sacred Well Congregation - Overview And Guide For Wiccans In The Military
Robert Maginnis - Brewing Up Trouble Wicca And The Us Military

Monday, 17 October 2005

Witchcraft Magic Across The Ages

Witchcraft Magic Across The Ages Cover Across the ages, the magical practices of British Traditional Witchcraft, or "Trad Witchcraft," have been as important to the Trad Witch as breathing air. Magic is seen as simply another aspect of Nature, an added dimension of spiritual religious existence. Trad witchcraft is the historic withcraft of old Britain and is not Wicca, which dates from the early 195o's.

The Traditional Witch has always been highly spiritual . We view the concept of God, as the universal consciousness that is evident in the world that surrounds us. Indeed, it is a core belief that Nature is the the very same as God. Consequently, Nature is divine.

Magic itself is nothing more than the use of the forces of Nature, forces of God, to change or modify our reality to suit the desired outcome intended by the Trad Witch. Thus, magic is, when directed correctly, a divine act, comparible to prayer, which fosters positive change witnin the individual, their family, community, and our Mother Earth. It is an intended force for change, of creative modification.

It can be used for any of the following purposes:

* For personal growth and transformation.
* To protect oneself and family.
* To improve their life and the lives of their family.
* To heal themselves and to heal others.
* To remove barriers and impediments
* To aid in obtaining a intended goal.

The magical arts can be a meaningful force for good in our lives, if we are willing to learn how to use it properly.

Magical results are never coincidence. Magic is based on the belief that Nature unfolds in an orderly manner, and these events can be known. With this information, one can control or alter the energy surrounding these events in manner that will effect and change outcome.

Magic, to most people, seems rather incomprehensible, something weird and supernatural. Nevertheless, magic is something very different. For, rather than being something beyond knowing, the magical arts are within the reality of Nature, and affects our lives with ramifications to both the spiritual and physical planes.

The spellcraft of Traditional Magic is particularly potent because the Trad Witch has knowledge of techniques that endow magic. While these techniques are not commonly thought of as applicable to magic, they go back in use in British magic for over a thousand years, if not longer. The terms commonly used for these techniques today, "meditation" and "visualization," are certainly not the same terms used our history, but their names do not matter. The substance of what is taught does.

A final idea: Traditional Witches subscribe to an very old concept of proper conduct called the "Law of Return." This is a principle found in physics, which states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It is by this high principle that every Traditional Witch knows full well that when an action is taken or they send a magical spell, the energy of that action or spell will eventually return to the sender in full force.

The rule of thumb is to always use caution. Traditional Magic can be a wonderful and potent force that can add to our quality of life, but only if it is used in a wise and constructive manner.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

John Linwood Pitts - Witchcraft And Devil Lore In The Channel Islands
Athena Gardner - Witchcraft Dictionary Of Craft Terms
Walter Gibson - Witchcraft A History Of The Black Art
Fransis Bragge - Witchcraft Farther Displayd
Isaac Bonewits - Witchcraft A Concise Guide

Sunday, 25 September 2005

The New Book Of The Law

The New Book Of The Law Cover

Book: The New Book Of The Law by Lady Galadriel

In my years of teaching and running a group, I have always had a dissatisfaction with the popular "Book of the Law" available to most Seekers. I felt it to be too archaic in its wording and perspective -- and while it was valuable in the Burning Times, it simply does not deal with the concerns and needs of "modern-day" Witches. Over the years I became familiar with several other sets of Laws. Each of these had many good points, yet they also had their disadvantages as well.

Recently, I decided to do something daring -- I took the four different versions of the Laws which I had, and combined and reworked them. I deleted what was no longer pertinent or meaningful, rewording others to make them clearer and more understandable, as well as throwing in a few new ones which I felt had been lacking.

I believe that what has evolved out of this work is a set of Laws which are readable, usable, and most importantly, pertinent to the needs of today's Witches and Neo-Pagans. It is with these thoughts and hopes that I would like to share them with you. If you should find merit or worth in them, then I will feel as though I have accomplished something. The material in this booklet has not been copyrighted, so you may reproduce the Laws for students or friends, or reprint them in your publication. It is my sincere hope that the New Book of the Law will be of use to the Craft Community.

Blessed Be, Lady Galadriel

Download Lady Galadriel's eBook: The New Book Of The Law

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Friedrich Max Muller - The Sacred Books Of The East
Ralph Blum - The New Book Of Runes
Aleister Crowley - The Book Of The Law
Lady Galadriel - The New Book Of The Law

Tuesday, 13 September 2005

Antinomianism

Antinomianism Cover

Book: Antinomianism by Roger Whitaker

Antinomianism (from the Greek "against" + "law"), is a belief originating in Christian theology that faith alone, not obedience to religious law, is necessary for salvation. The concept is related to the foundational Protestant belief of Sola Fide, or justification through faith alone; however, antinomianism represents an extreme of this idea, wherein adherence to the Mosaic Law is considered inessential in the Christian lifestyle, given the view that faith itself is sufficient to attain salvation. The concept is also related to the Biblical Greek terms anomia and anomos which are generally translated in English translations of the Bible as lawlessness and lawless respectively. An antinomian theology considers adherence to Mosaic Law unnecessary, but it does not usually imply the embrace of ethical permissiveness; rather it usually implies emphasis on the inner working of the Holy Spirit as the primary source of ethical guidance. Antinomianism is the opposite of legalism or works righteousness; the notion that obedience to a code of religious law earns salvation.

The term "antinomian" emerged soon after the Protestant Reformation (c.1517) and has historically been used mainly as a pejorative against Christian thinkers or sects who carried their belief in justification by faith further than was customary. For example, Martin Luther preached justification by faith alone, but was also an outspoken critic of antinomianism, perhaps most notably in his Against the Antinomians (1539). Few groups or sects, outside of Christian Anarchism or Jewish anarchism, explicitly call themselves "antinomian".

While the term originated in early controversies of Protestant doctrine, and has its roots in debates over the Synoptic Gospels and the Pauline Epistles and the issue of Paul of Tarsus and Judaism, it can be extended to any religious group believing they are not bound to obey the laws of their own religious tradition.

Download Roger Whitaker's eBook: Antinomianism

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Marcus Bottomley - Nine Proven Magical Rites
Maslama Al Majriti - Picatrix In Spanish
Edward Bulwer Lytton - Zanoni
Roger Whitaker - Antinomianism

Saturday, 27 August 2005

Bibliographical Notes On The Witchcraft Literature Of Scotland

Bibliographical Notes On The Witchcraft Literature Of Scotland Cover

Book: Bibliographical Notes On The Witchcraft Literature Of Scotland by John Ferguson

John Ferguson (1837-1916), Regius Professor of Chemistry in the University of Glasgow from 1874-1915, is best remembered for his Bibliotheca chemica, Glasgow, 1906, which is a standard tool for every investigation in the history and bibliography of chemistry. Ferguson was a keen book collector and in 1921 an important section of his private library was bought by the University of Glasgow. This consisted of over 7000 books and some 300 manuscripts. The Greater Part of the books in the Ferguson Collection are on chemistry and alchemy, but there are important smaller groups of books, such as those on magic and witchcraft, gypsies, astrology, Rosicrucians and Cabbalism. The contents and wealth of the Ferguson Collection were made more widely known by the publication of the Catalogue of the Ferguson Collection of books ... in the Library of the University of Glasgow, 2 vols, Glasgow, 1943, of which forty copies were issued.

Download John Ferguson's eBook: Bibliographical Notes On The Witchcraft Literature Of Scotland

Books in PDF format to read:

George Lyman Kittredge - Notes On Witchcraft Ocr Version
George Lincoln Burr - Narratives Of The Witchcraft Cases
Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe - A Historical Account Of The Belief In Witchcraft In Scotland
John Ferguson - Bibliographical Notes On The Witchcraft Literature Of Scotland

Monday, 15 August 2005

Opinions Experience On Making Wands

Opinions Experience On Making Wands Cover
Magickal considerations aside, I would suggest you make your wand of either white cedar or holly. White cedar is easy to find and work and strips and finished beautifully, without any varnish. I have a 4 footer that I made about 20 years ago and it just gets better as it gets older.

Holly is a fine dense wood, white, carves like soap. Better for tricky handwork than cedar. Stains very easily, tho, and if you want it to stay white you'll have to varnish it. They make piano keys from it sometimes (the black keys, because it stains so well). I have a six footer made of holly, and it is about 10 years old. Still looks good, but I have to clean it every now n then.

I don't recommend oak. It is nice wood but very tough to work and tends to split if stressed. (I use my wands to walk with sometimes when I hike).

Enjoy it, tho. Nothing better than a fine hand carved staff, specially if you did your own carving.

Question: I would like to keep the branch as natural looking as possible (as in I don't want a dowel that used to be a branch--I want to go out into my woods and find one) but I know that mounting the crystals will take it's toll. I am also thinking that I would like to use a fallen branch and not cut one (I don't like to hurt trees) but maybe a dead branch would be too brittle...I don't know.

Answer: Well, I broke "rule #1 of wands" by getting a not-straight piece of wood. It just came to me--after a major windstorm, the willow trees back of my apartment had shed a considerable amount of twig/branch material. I just sort of grabbed whatever branch looked best, stripped the bark, and looked at it for a while until I decided what decoration I wanted. I ended up buying some gold wire from a "do your own bead jewelry" store, twisted it around the wood (incidentally, willow is nice because you can put holes in it with a needle to stuff the wire ends into), and drew signs on it with gold and silver marker. I know it's unorthodox, but the point is, windfall wood can be very nice, and you don't have to hurt the tree to get it. My second choice would have been Lake Michigan driftwood...also, for your purposes, willow is soft and will split if you want to mount a crystal. The willow was not at all brittle after being on the ground for several days (then again, it was autumn and not too hot).

I believe that the old grimoire "Key of Solomon" recommends the wand be made of a hazel or nut switch, within the first year's growth and cut at dawn on Mercury's day (Wednesday?).

Since I associate the wand with invitation, persuasion and spring, I cut it at dawn on the Equinox from hazel, nut or fruit tree. I then cut it down to match the inside length of my arm from elbow to middle finger and leave it natural, the potentiality of its virgin wood and bud still untapped.

Because I have access to many trees which need pruning, this is no problem. I believe, however, that the Key of Solomon has marks to make upon the wand (darn grimoires!).

The Farrars mention this tradition in "The Witches' Way," I believe, in a section on magical tools for those interested in the Gardnerian/ Alexandrian tradition.

Wands as gifts are also nice, but I've no use for metal doodads and crystals. Many folks I know just use a feather, also indicative of spring and air.

Free e-books (can be downloaded):

Anonymous - Vedic Experience
Alice Bailey - Initiation Human And Solar

Keywords: mystical qabalah  little fold  cybill shepherd  woman witchcraft curse  god