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Friday, 29 July 2005

A Witch Notebook Lessons In Witchcraft

A Witch Notebook Lessons In Witchcraft Cover

Book: A Witch Notebook Lessons In Witchcraft by Silver Ravenwolf

This book reflects deep insight and years of practice by a serious, working Witch. Not light hearted. A huge leap away from basic "Wicca 101". Discussions on the demands and rewards of spiritual progression are one of the many highlights in this book along with research into the science of Magic (sorry, I refuse to spell it with a "K", the same as I refuse to accept the idea of Ebonics as a proper form of the English language) by touching on the area of Quantum Physics. If there has ever been any misunderstanding of this author, they are cleared up here.

What if you could peek inside the journal of a skilled and powerful Wiccan and read all about her exciting forays into the Craft? What if that Witch was the ever-popular Silver RavenWolf? Silver's own pearls of wisdom gained along the bumpy road to spiritual enlightenment can be found in A Witch's Notebook. This hands-on guide is designed to work from moon to moon-leading students through five months of spiritual advancement. In discussing cleansing, sacred symbols, renewed spirituality, and magickal ingredients, Silver urges Wiccans to step outside the usual confines of Witchcraft and explore other belief systems. This book also includes exercises, spells, and herbal information to assist in forging one's own unique Spiritual Path.

I hugged the book when I was finished. Finally a book written by someone who has walked the walk and has knowledge of the occult that far surpasses the boundaries of what Wicca is today. Applause! Not a typical Llewellyn book calling on friends to gather and klink athames and have a potluck.
For the serious student of WitchCraft.

While it is commonplace to associate Witchcraft With spells and herbal remedies, it's not every day you hear a witch not only proclaim that the premise of magick lies in quantum physics, but then go on to describe what quantum physics is and how magick is its natural function. RavenWolf, writer and lifelong practitioner of the Craft, offers readers a window into her personal chronicles about becoming a witch, enlivening these with fascinating explanations about the relationship between Wicca and Zen Buddhism, instructions for incorporating symbols from traditional Pennsylvania Dutch quilting patterns into spells, and a discussion of how belief in the Saints is similar to the Wiccan practice of "walking With Spirits." Designed as a five-month study guide for embarking on a spiritual journey, RavenWolf guides readers step by step and with painstaking (though necessary) detail through the central rituals within Wicca, consistently reassuring readers with her depth of knowledge and personal experience. While most of the time her prose is delightful and inviting, (filled with insights like: "Witchcraft is divine alchemy—a philosopher's stone for the modern world") it occasionally digresses into overly casual language that detracts from the general flow. Overall, RavenWolf has written a wonderful guidebook for readers who are serious about beginning a Wiccan spiritual journey, complete with an extensive herbal and spell guide.

I recently lost all my possesions in a life changeing event. I lost everything and when time came to begin to rebuild, of all the books I lost I knew that Silver Ravenwolf was one I would replace. I had at one time collected all her work and guide books, but financially I can not replace them all now so I chose this one. It has it all, the basics, the wisdom, the strength of belief to continue on. This dear lady does know what she is talking about and she does provide practical and useful rituals and advice that will help anyone looking into the craft as a pathway to higher powers. One day I will replace all the books I had, but until then this one does meet all my needs. Thanks Silver for a compact and generous contrubition to this womans life.

Buy Silver Ravenwolf's book: A Witch Notebook Lessons In Witchcraft

Books in PDF format to read:

Michael Harrison - The Roots Of Witchcraft
Paul Huson - Mastering Witchcraft
Raymond Buckland - Bucklands Complete Book Of Witchcraft
Anonymous - Basic Technologies Of Witchcraft
George Lyman Kittredge - Notes On Witchcraft

Tuesday, 12 July 2005

Pictish Tradition Of Witchcraft

Pictish Tradition Of Witchcraft Cover Pictish Tradition: Originally from Scotland, it is a "solitary witch" form of "The Craft". Pictish Witchcraft attunes itself to all aspects of nature; animal, vegetable, and mineral and it is more magickal in nature and practice than it is religious.

Books in PDF format to read:

Anonymous - Impossibility Of Witchcraft
Allen Greenfield - A True History Of Witchcraft
Bylaws - Unicorn Tradition Of Wicca

Wednesday, 22 June 2005

Oberon Zell Interview A Wizard Vision

Oberon Zell Interview A Wizard Vision Cover

Book: Oberon Zell Interview A Wizard Vision by Michael Night Sky

"Oberon Zell Ravenheart is one of the pioneers of Paganism in the United States. I can’t think of a better, more qualified person to write a Handbook for Apprentice Wizards. With his many decades of experience, he, more than anyone, is uniquely qualified to write such a book. His name is greatly respected in all of the varying fields of Paganism and Witchcraft." — Raymond Buckland, author of Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft.

For more than three decades Oberon Zell Ravenheart has been pivotal to American Paganism. He edited and published the awardwinning journal Green Egg and his editorials and articles won him the Wiccan/Pagan Press Alliance "Pentacle Award" for"Favorite Pagan Writer." We were thrilled that Oberon took time to talk to PanGaia about his latest projects.

Buy Michael Night Sky's book: Oberon Zell Interview A Wizard Vision

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Pauline Bradford Mackie Hopkins - Ye Lyttle Salem Maide A Story Of Witchcraft Ocr Version
Oberon Zell Ravenheart - Grimoire For The Apprentice Wizard.pdf
John Stearne - A Confirmation And Discovery Of Witchcraft Ocr Version
Michael Night Sky - Oberon Zell Interview A Wizard Vision

Saturday, 18 June 2005

Handcrafted Ritual Tools

Handcrafted Ritual Tools Cover

Book: Handcrafted Ritual Tools by Pangaia

Like the magic baubles from childhood stories, each of us has a stone, a tool, a box, a work of art that we hold sacred. Its power addresses us daily and in doing so, connects us closer to our awareness and Knowledge of self. Most of us have purchased an item at some time or another. At stores and in street fairs, from online auctions and at gatherings we are drawn to the beautiful, the functional, the piece that says, "this is exactly what you are looking for."

Who makes these special magical tools, and why? Is it only for financial gain or does Something else drive them? Melbourne, Australia is a city full of glorious Handcrafted magical items and here I began to seek out and talk with a group of artists who, using their own
skill, toil and craftsmanship, produce magical tools cherished the world over.

Buy Pangaia's book: Handcrafted Ritual Tools

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Louise Huebner - Witchcraft For All
Anton Szandor Lavey - The Satanic Rituals
Pangaia - Handcrafted Ritual Tools

Wednesday, 15 June 2005

Witch Brew

Witch Brew Cover

Book: Witch Brew by Mary Mazzer

The focus of my work is an investigation of the ritual of ornamentation. In both the fabrication and presentation of my work, I regard my assemblages as fetish objects, as autonomous art objects and an iconography of my subjective memory. By accepting the assemblages as fetish objects, I am referencing the ritual of ornamentation and creative invention married to the naive, primitive, and outsider art now being reinterpreted in the contemporary works of today.

The title of my thesis project is Witch's Brew, which I respond to as an apt metaphor highlighting the interwoven themes of my work. Witches are representative of outsiders as well as strong, feminine archetypes. The title also references folklore and some fantastical elements. The idea of a witch's brew, a blend of disparate ingredients empowered through ritual or ceremony to become a fortified amalgam, has similarities to my processes and my juxtapositions of various materials, which combine to exist as autonomous art objects.

I wanted to present myself with a set of similar problems to resolve in my work, namely responding to inexpensive craft materials, found, or raw materials and elevating them to a level of sensual completeness. I also wanted to develop an iconographic language referencing my personal narrative while engaging in a ritual of ornamentation. My objective is to make work about the casual, "good enough" attitude of where I am from. Much like the example of the stick in the shed door, I strive to make casual arrangements for my assemblages. Challenging my own preconceived and learned notion of aesthetic beauty, I am questioning whether or not an art object needs to be refined in order to reinforce beauty. In order for me to reference my upbringing in the weathered and desolated environment of northeast Ohio, I feel that I shouldn't force compositional balance or design. The "Rust Belt" attitude reflects the people's adaptation to bleak landscapes and a history of nagging misfortunes. Rather than being cynical or pessimistic, I have observed that overall people are simply practical. Without reason for high expectations, there is a pattern of minimal investment, justification, followed by acceptance. My father's reaction to the loss of the padlock followed this same pattern: the stick cost nothing and needed little alteration to be efficient, for the time being it took care of the problem, and over time it proved to be a sufficient solution. It was good enough. I feel that if there is a common aesthetic, than it must be related to this casual attitude, which relies on chance, flexibility, and practical expectations. In making my assemblages, I adopt this pattern by choosing generic craft materials or found materials and manipulating them only to the point of sufficiency. Very often I am composing freely and responding to materials quickly, unconcerned with what the final outcome will be. By not working the glitter, popsicle sticks, paint, or cardboard that I use in my pieces to refinement, I am allowing the materials to speak for themselves. In this way the assemblage seems fresh and ephemeral as there is always a tension and play between the materials. If I were to overwork the materials and mask their identity as craft supplies, I feel that the pieces would seem dishonest, or they would lose the tension that makes them interesting – they would not seem genuine.

In making work that illustrates, in a codified visual language, the attitudes and limitations of northeast Ohio, there is an escapist fantasy evident in my pieces. As part of the personal narrative, escapism becomes a theme – how isolation affects the imagination and creativity level of an artist. I recognized that there was a lot of freedom of invention amid desperation and limitations. The assemblages in my thesis show expand upon this idea of inside and outside worlds. Many of my pieces have a quality of fragility, vulnerability, playfulness, and ambiguity, which creates a conflicted sense of fantasy and escapism along with an awareness and resourcefulness within certain limitations.

In conclusion, Witch's Brew serves as a testament to my explorations in graduate school. I have realized that there is a way for me to work dimensionally in order to expand conceptually, with far more rewarding results. Working on and presenting this collection of assemblages has proved to be a journey of self-discovery. I feel that the work I have made for my thesis show will provide me with a springboard for future projects. I plan on continually questioning my personal aesthetic and how it should reflect my personal history. The ebb and flow of the art world continues to influence me and I look forward to becoming a part of its dialogue, always evaluating the relevance of my own work within its great continuum. (Mary Mazzer)

Download Mary Mazzer's eBook: Witch Brew

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Marion Crawford - The Witch Of Prague
Edward Hare - Bewitched And Bothered
Marian Green - A Witch Alone
Mary Mazzer - Witch Brew

Wednesday, 1 June 2005

Irish Witchcraft And Demonology

Irish Witchcraft And Demonology Cover

Book: Irish Witchcraft And Demonology by John Drelincourt Seymour

This is a survey of the Witch persecution in Ireland, as well as a wide array of other Paranormal events such as poltergeists, ghosts, apparations and even an early UFO account. Very readable, yet well documented, this book has extensive and fascinating quotes from Historical source documents.

Seymour proposes that the witch-craze was more muted in Ireland than Elsewhere in Europe. Relatively speaking, there appear to have been fewer cases in Ireland. This doesn't mean that the consequences were any less harsh for the accused. In these texts we can see how people exhibiting what we would today consider schizophrenic or senile behavior were vulnerable to being accused of witchcraft.--J.B. Hare

Download John Drelincourt Seymour's eBook: Irish Witchcraft And Demonology

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Aleister Crowley - Berashith An Essay In Ontology
Jaroslav Nemec - Witchcraft And Medicine
Summers Montague - The History Of Witchcraft And Demonology
John Seymour - Irish Witchcraft And Demonology

Monday, 30 May 2005

How Is The Active Wish Aspect Of Wishcraft Controlled

How Is The Active Wish Aspect Of Wishcraft Controlled Cover How is the active-wish aspect of Wishcraft controlled? It is just the same as how a spell is operated. But what happens if a wish goes wrong? And, what happens if you inadvertently wish for something that you really didn’t mean or want to wish for? Initially, a precaution you can take is to pay attention to how you phrase your wish. Second, you can “take it back.” In the case that you don’t like your wording or you suddenly change your mind on some aspect of the wish, then you would gather back your energy. Regather the energy the wish has been fueled with, the feelings put into it, and psychically force the wish to alter. You could alter the wish by psychically cancelling the wish and then rephrasing what you meant in its place. Or, alternatively, you can always make another wish that parallels the first but essentially corrects the first wish. These alternatives are not meant to put a band-aid on the wish as much as improve it before it goes awry. In the best of all scenarios, of course, you would certainly want to think before you wish! We must maintain our control, but many times, unfortunately, what we are thinking is said aloud when we intended to keep it to ourselves.

There are various ways Wishcraft could be invoked (i.e., weather magic, finding lost items, curing illness, and so on). But regardless of why it is being used, be sure to take into consideration the potential results of your actions. There’s a reason for everything, but as a Practitioner, you must know the intent and reason behind what you do. Ignorance does not beget freedom of action. In other words, don’t be frivolous and mess with that which isn’t supposed to be in your control. It is your responsibility to know what you are doing and what the results of your actions are. Do your homework before taking the plunge. Don’t infringe on others’ free will (as some practitioners might do with love spells). In other words, rather than say “I wish so-and-so would fall in love with me”, focus the wish on how you could make yourself more desirable to the right person (whoever he or she might be).

I hope this article has provided you with a better understanding of the intricacies of the practice of Wishcraft. Just keep in mind that you get what you ask for. Energy returns. We reap what we sow. There are many positive aspects to be gained by Wishcraft, but there are just as many downfalls without taking the proper precautions. But overall, in the case of Wishcraft, remember: You just might get what you wished for.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Paul Boyer - The Salem Witchcraft Papers Vol 3
Michael Harrison - The Roots Of Witchcraft
Tarostar - The Witchs Spellcraft Revised
Martin Van Buren Perley - A Short History Of The Salem Village Witchcraft Trials
Summers Montague - The History Of Witchcraft And Demonology