Valley Wands

“You asked me once, what was in Room 101. I told you that you knew the answer already. Everyone knows it. The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing inthe world.”

George Orwell ‘1984’

Jesus said, “If you bring forth what is within you,what you bring forth will save you, If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

The Gospel according toThomas (the Gnostic Gospels - The Nag Hammadi Library)

These two quotes, although two millennia apart intime, one set in a dystopian future the other from Iron age Judea under Romanoccupation, both address the darkness of things hidden within us anddemonstrate that we as human beings have changed remarkably little.

The first is quite well known and understood thesecond less so. We all have a room 101, that doubt, that fear, that anxietythat sits in the mind and gnaws away at our confidence. It may not be always inthe forefront of the mind but in the quiet moments it can come slinking silentlyand maliciously from the shadows and take over our thinking. It is truly theworst thing in the world…………if we allow it to be. Winston Smith knew thoughthat if he could defeat the fear within and render it harmless it would nolonger have any power over him and would no longer have any use for hisenemies. Similarly Jesus, somewhat cryptically, explains that those same fearswithin us can be used to our benefit but if left to rot and fester inside theycan, and will, destroy us.

But what are these problems? What form can they take?They can be almost anything, an addiction, some deed we have done in the pastthat remains unatoned for, a sense of inadequacy. Perhaps all is not well athome? Maybe our relationships are causing us problems? Maybe one of the kids isbeing a pain (quite common that one) or perhaps it’s some dark secret that wefear might escape to shame us even though it be quite innocent. Yes we all havethem in some form or another, some monster under the bed that we are terrified ofconfronting that lies there sneering at our weakness and ineffectuality atdealing with it.

These things are a poison to our spirit, they preventus being whole beings. Perhaps that is something that the Catholic churchrecognises in the confessional, that perhaps it is less about confessing sinsand more about unburdening the spirit. No, we as Wiccans have no tradition ofgiving absolution and I do not propose that we start. We cannot whisper a fewwords to our priest and effectively kick the problem upstairs for God to dealwith whilst we perform some trifling penance here on earth. No, we demand thatwe take ownership of the problem, drag it into the cold light of day and dealwith it on a personal level.

We do not demandthat this be done unaided, far from it but that initial step has to be made bythe individual, although sometimes it may have to be teased out by someone whoknows, or at least strongly suspects, what ails us. After that what happens allrather depends on the problem and how it is affecting us. It might be enoughsimply to get it out in the open, or it might be something that is going toneed professional medical or psychiatric treatment or counselling to get to thebottom of and deal with.

All we have to dois to find the courage within ourselves and take that first step. Oh, andremember, we should not sit in judgement on each other for our failings ashuman beings.

But why are these things important? What is it thataffects our place in the coven and it’s rituals? If we are not whole people,well rounded and balanced we can never hope to achieve any magical abilityworth speaking of. Everything we do will be shaded and pulled out of shape bythis imbalance within us. Now, whilst as a solitary that would only affect theindividual, in a coven setting we strive to achieve such commonality of thoughtthat we act as one mind and that is difficult enough to achieve at any timewithout one or more of us being distorted by personal demons. Indeed, it may gofurther than that, if these problems become so advanced that a person isaffected not only spiritually but emotionally, psychologically and evenphysically, and yes it can and does happen, then it is entirely possible thatsuch a person may then become not only a liability but also a real threat tothe spiritual and possibly also the physical safety of others in the coven.Psychic protection from outside influences is, or should be, routine and wemust be well versed in the skills that protect us from threats from thatdirection but when the threat comes from within it is a different matter andthe danger may be upon us without our realizing it.

For solitaries there is of course no risk to othersbut even so the solo practitioner needs to remain aware of their mental andphysical health and perhaps consider not working when ‘down.’ It can be adifficult call but you have sometimes got to be quite ruthless with yourselfand take a serious look within. Physical symptoms are easy enough to get ahandle on, emotional spiritual or psychological issues less so. Have you beenin a foul mood? Had a fight with someone? Just felt out of sorts for noapparent reason? Of course it may be that a bit of gentle ritual working isexactly what is needed to lift your mood……….it’s your call.

Some covens, as part of the process of preparation forinitiation, will send a dedicant off to some remote location for three or fourdays to fast and meditate in solitude. With no contact with other people andwithout books, TV, radio, mobile phone or other distractions. Such issues asthese would often come to the surface and a means of resolution present itself.When our coven was formed we looked at this possibility but mainly for safetyand security reasons the idea was abandoned, although I still feel it has muchto recommend it as a way of helping to achieve personal gnosis.

So, what should we do if we feel that in some way wehave become unbalanced spiritually, mentally, emotionally or physically?Firstly it is vital that we do not keep it to ourselves, we should speak to ourcoven, speak to our high priestess and high priest and if necessary seekprofessional help, if any underlying condition is treated properly it shouldn’tbe a barrier to ongoing coven duties and full involvement in coven life but wehave to be honest with ourselves and honest with our coven. It is a sacredduty.

BB Hywel

What is spell work? I liken it to the idea of praying, but perhaps through the use of props and tools to create a ritual which helps to reinforce the psychological effect and fix the event in our minds. It can be done alone or in communion with others. It is the creation of a positive mental state wherein we can tap into the subconscious, thus utilising our minds to bring about a desired conclusion. Praying, or working a spell for ourselves, enables us to achieve this mental state, and, when working with others, the knowledge that others are also doing exactly the same reinforces the 'belief' that the desired outcome will be achieved. It is simply psychology in action.

I see no problem if someone also wishes to include god(s) in the equation, although it may not be necessary but profound belief in deity and its desire to enhance the well being of the believer effectively seals the deal, thus creating the desired state of mind for effective spell work - or prayer.

Have you ever though about the word ‘Spell?’ Have you ever seen a connection with the other common meaning of the word? Spell, as in a sequence of letters, which, if placed in the correct order, convey a specific meaning within a given context. Lets take a series of letters thus - S.E.G.A. A.S.U. Nonsense, isn’t it. Those letters, in that order, convey nothing of any meaning. Now let’s rearrange the letters thus - S.A.U.S.A.G.E. What happens? Immediately you read that word you have formed an image in your mind that just wasn’t there before, you had no control over it. A moment ago there was no sausage, now there is. In a very simple and basic way I have effectively controlled your mind. Oh come on, admit it, you weren’t thinking of sausage before you read the word now were you. (if you were you are probably both psychic and a smart arse.) So where did the idea come from? Simple, I put it there. And THAT’S magic! Well actually, no it’s not, but understanding it is the first step to effective spell working.

If we are working alone it doesn’t matter all that much what words you use to express the concepts and ideas you are working with. Sausage, Wiener, Wurst, Banger, Hot Dog. Use whatever slang or dialect you like, just so long as you know exactly what you mean, no problem. But in a group situation that just isn’t good enough, it has to be a word that everyone understands and effectively conveys exactly the same image to everyone concerned at exactly the same time. Similarly every single word used in a spell has to do the same, as does every sentence, phrase and paragraph.

We all have to not only speak the same language, we all have to speak the same version of that language. Lawyers follow exactly the same practice by eliminating almost all punctuation in their documents. It makes them read like gibberish to most of us, but to another lawyer it makes instant sense and they will understand, but then they are trained in these arcane mysteries at law school, with the specific intent of keeping us mere mortals ignorant so that we have to pay their outrageous fees. I suggest you stick to a more conventional grammatical system, unless you have an interest in ‘High’ magic(k), in which case bung in plenty of Latin, Greek and Hebrew references and write it all in a secret code. Come and see me later when it doesn’t work. However, if it does work but it all goes horribly wrong, clear up your own crap. (More on the ethics of magic and spell working at a later date.)

Which is why I have always thought it sensible to keep the wording of spells as simple as possible, in order, so far as is humanly possible, to remove any opportunity for misunderstanding. I choose to use standard English and grammar when working solo or with my coven as it is what we all understand. I leave out all that fancy stuff some seem to love, all those ‘thees’ and ‘thous’ just add needless complications and introduce room for error or misunderstanding. Remember the old adage K.I.S,S. – Keep It Simple, Stupid.

I do though tend to write in verse form particularly when working solo, I find that the rhythm of the meter helps with concentration and it also means I have to concentrate really hard to convey the desired meaning of my words, but that’s just me and it doesn’t work for everyone.

Which brings me neatly on to my next point, those crappy books that you see for sale, ‘101 spells for witches’ or ‘spells for love and money.’ Absolute unadulterated rubbish, just junk pumped out by the publishers to separate fools from their money. They don’t work, they can’t work. (Well they DO work, but only for the author and publisher, which is why I dislike these people even more than I dislike lawyers) So why don’t they work? Simple; they are written by someone else, they convey the concepts and ideas of the writer and as such they do not convey our own ideas and concepts. If you are desperate for ideas go ahead and sneak a peek between the pages and stick it back on the shelf, then go home and write it in your own words to convey your own meaning and intent, better yet do all your own work. Likewise, anything you find on the internet should be treated the same way, there is more nonsense on the internet than in all the books ever published…….treat it all with equal suspicion, including this!

BB Hywel

Totems and animal spirit guides.

Within Wicca we have no real tradition that equates to Totem animals and animal spirit guides, yet many of us feel a great affinity for specific creatures that seem to have had an influence on our lives. For me there are three that have been for one reason or another important in my life. The horse, the otter and the buzzard.

I worked with horses of one sort or another for many years, starting with polo ponies when I was in the army and later with eventers and hunters, with the occasional thoroughbred race horse thrown in for good measure. Not just riding horses though, my affinity with the horse comes from living with them. From hour old foals, through all the stages of schooling them, feeding them, nursing them, grooming them. All the things that let a person get inside the mind of the horse, and perhaps more important, and a little scary, letting the horse get inside my mind.

Portrait of the blogger as a young man!

The otter is perhaps a little more peripheral, it hasn’t possessed me in quite the same way that the horse has. It has something to do with its lithe beauty, the way that it is in utter command of its environment. Its playfulness and dexterity as it performs its waterborne ballet with its mate. No other animal has been able to make me lie motionless on a river bank for long cold hours waiting for a few moments of reward that seldom comes. Ah, but WHEN that moment comes it is worth every bone chilling muscle cramping hour.

Then there is the buzzard, common as muck around here in rural Wales but they seem to follow me, I have even seen them in Bristol city centre, hardly the natural habitat for such a creature. Have you ever been in one of those unpleasant situations where you are apprehensive and nervous? Maybe a job interview or a hospital appointment? Yep and me, but somehow the buzzard always seems to appear at those moments and I know it’s all going to work out just fine.

So what is it about these animals that touches us so deeply? And why do so many people feel drawn to animals they have perhaps never seen in the wild? Wolves, bears, eagles and deer amongst others, all seem to have some strange attraction. But why? Here in the UK wild wolves and bears are non existent, eagles are damned scarce and few people have the skills and abilities needed to study deer in the wild. So why aren’t people drawn to the animals that are common and available for study? Garden birds, mice, foxes, rats, badgers and even insects, all of which are plentiful here seem to lack the attraction of the more glamorous creatures. Maybe that’s it, maybe it is a glamour thing. After all wolves are wild and mysterious, impressive and have a certain reputation. Moles on the other hand are small, blind, not particularly pretty, make a mess of your lawn and haven’t had the PR of the ‘glamour’ animals. But think a moment, why not the mole, or the rat or any of these ‘lesser’ animals? They are each uniquely suited to their individual niche in the environment, they are all specialists in one way or another and like all specialists they have specialist skills, lessons we can learn if we can just be bothered.

BB Hywel

So, you’ve got a bookshelf full of books by authors like Kate West, Scott Cunningham, Rae Beth and possibly even Silver Ravenwolf. You’ve read them cover to cover and are a minefield of knowledge about where to plant what herbs in your Real Witches Garden, about the wheel of the year, and supposedly what colour candle to use for candle magic. You’re not sure whether to spell magic with a k or not, and you are beginning to see that despite having read all the books in your local book shop that have ‘Witch’ in the title, they haven’t actually ‘taught you anything at all. In fact you’ve probably more questions now than when you first started.

Frustrated? Confused? All these tantalising tit bits of information, but nothing coherent. It’s not surprising really that so many people with an interest in the Craft find themselves dangling at the end of a rope, stuck in a quagmire of insecurity and wondering where to go and what to do next?

One of the most important lessons in my opinion is that every book is simply someone else’s ideas and explanation of their way of understanding. If two people leave the same house in the morning, travelling to the same destination, one drives, the other takes a bus. They both arrive at their final goal, but by different means and maybe at slightly different times, but that destination is still the same regardless of the mode of transport or the time taken to get there.

‘How to do it books’ are fine, as long as you remember that they are someone else’s interpretation or in the case of that journey, their mode of transport. Your mode of transport can be similar, but it’s unlikely to be identical.

There are books of correspondences, books of lists on what herb or plant to use for what spell or potion you will turn to them, look up the best things to use when performing a spell from the ‘Encyclopaedia of 5000 Spells’ or some other nonsense book. STOP! These properties, lists and spells are someone else’s ideas, someone else’s dreams, and unless you know exactly what their mindset is, and how they view the world and resolve their own questions, yours will be different.

You must start to think for yourself, to look at things ‘outside the box’ and to start learning for yourself. Here’s a good exercise to start with, that might help to illustrate what I mean.

When I see an Oak Tree, and I want to know what the properties of the various parts of the tree might be, I have to think what that Oak means to me personally. What do I associate it with? Are there different associations I can make for say the bark, the leaf and the acorn? Write these associations down, and you have the properties of the Oak tree for YOU! Now just repeat the process with every species of plant, tree, herb and flower that you have access to – hey, no one said the Craft was an easy option, it requires hard work and dedication, as well as study and perseverance.

There’s another problem today though, many people coming into the Craft think it’s all about dressing up, and wearing outrageous jewellery, when you mention the word ‘study’ they go all pale, and start to shake, study sounds like hard work, and that hadn’t been in the bargain at the beginning.

I’ve always found the path to be one of self discovery, you will evaluate your thoughts, emotions and physical awareness, many of your beliefs will be challenged as you proceed along the path, and you may find yourself changing your mind on many topics. It’s about being blinkered enough to keep you on that path, but open minded enough to cope with the changes that you will encounter in not only your spiritual beliefs, but possibly even in your personality, including the possibility of the discovery, that the path is not for you. The most important thing though is to enjoy the path, treasure the laughter and the tears (and there will be much of both), and live life to the full as you gain in understanding and knowledge.

BB

Sian

Happy New Year - Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

Here we are at the end of 2009 and the start of 2010, well, the turn of the calendar year anyway. For us Wiccans the ‘real’ new year started way back at Samhain at the end of October. Interestingly though, this new year coincides with both the full moon and a lunar eclipse. Unfortunately the weather was far to bad here for it to be observed which is a pity because it’s a while since I have seen a full moon lunar eclipse.

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2009Dec31P.pdf

I have no idea what the astrologers will make of that astrology isn’t something I know much about but I dare say it has some sort of significance. It can’t be all that often that such events coincide so closely with the change of the year. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can expand on the matter?

Nos Galan (New Year's eve) Celebrations in Wales

The activities of the Christmas season came to a climax at the New Year. It has been suggested that the detaching of one's self from the events of the immediate past and at the beginning of a new future gave the celebration special significance.

Mari Lwyd

I can remember being terrified of the Mari Lwyd when I was a small child, but now it is an almost forgotten custom in most of Wales perpetuated only by a few who specialize in the keeping up of old folk customs. It was not exclusively associated with New Year, it seemed to start in the week running up to Christmas and tended to end at New Year or very soon after, my memory of it is a bit hazy.

The Mari Lwyd consists of a horse's skull with false ears and eyes attached, along with reins and bells, covered with a white sheet and decorated with colored strips of cloth or bright ribbons and carried around on a pole. The horse's jaw is operated to open and close usually by a young, man, disguised under the sheet, who carries the Mari Lwyd from door to door accompanied by his companions, Sergeant, Merryman, Punch and Judy, and various others, all dressed in colourful rags and blackened faces. At the house doors, verses are recited by the team as they demand admittance. Those inside the house reply, also in verse, refusing entry until the visitors inevitably win the impromptu contest (Us Welsh being rather fond of poetry and the like, especially if there is an element of competition involved).

Once inside the house, the Mari chases the young ladies, one person plays the fiddle, Judy pretends to sweep the hearth, Punch engages in all kinds of mischief and so on until it is time for bribes of food and drink to be offered to end the nonsense. After feasting, the party goes on to the next house and the verse contest begins anew, continuing in this manner throughout the day, or at least until the Mari troupe were no longer capable of continuing due to exhaustion and alcohol intake. I can remember chapel deacons being up in arms about the disgraceful conduct of some Mari troupes, Methodism having an all pervading presence in the South Wales mining communities.

It was considered to be bad form to carry over a debt from one year to the next and it was considered to be very bad luck to borrow even the smallest item on New years eve if its return could not be guaranteed before midnight. Consequently any such requests would be refused unless a token sum of money changed hands in exchange, the borrowed item effectively having been ‘bought’ thus removing the problem of borrowed goods. (It was understood that this was only a token gesture and that the exchange of coin didn’t actually constitute a contract)

letting in

The custom of letting in meant that good or bad luck was brought to the household by the first visitor of the New Year. In some areas, it was unlucky for a man to see a woman first; in others, it was unlucky for a woman to see a man first. Some people believed that it was unlucky to see a red-haired man first. If a woman was bold enough to be the first person to enter a neighbor's house, then there had to follow a parade of little boys through all the rooms in order to break the ‘witches spell.’ I can remember an aunt of mine getting most worked up at that one as we boys were ushered through the house to break the spell of her visit.

In some areas the embers of the fire would be carried out of the front door, carried round the house and in through the back door, before being placed in the hearth to kindle the first fire of the new year.

Calenig

The most popular New Year's custom was one that was carried out in all parts of Wales: the Calennig (small gift). Very early on the morning of January 1st, groups of young boys would visit all the houses in the village carrying an evergreen twig and a cup of cold water drawn from the local well. The boys would then use the twigs to sprinkle the faces of everyone they met. In return, they would receive the Calennig, usually in the form of copper coins. Even the doorways of some houses (when the occupants were still asleep or away) were sprinkled, and all the while a short verse was sung or chanted that celebrated the letting in of the New Year. The custom continued from dawn until noon, (after which it was considered very unlucky indeed), and in certain areas the boy carried apples or oranges into which sprigs of holly or corn were inserted. These offerings later became very fancy, with raisins, hazel nuts, or colored ribbons all helping to decorate the fruit. The custom, in various forms, survived in some areas well into the 1960s, at least the form of the chanting of a small verse or two in exchange for small coins.

Wassail

Unlike its English counterpart which seems to be a 12th night ritual, both Christmas and New Year were marked by wassailing in rural Wales, which included much drinking and singing. The custom seems to have begun as a way of wishing the farmers successful harvests from their fields and the increase of his livestock during the coming year. The wassail bowl itself, which had twelve handles, was filled with cakes, baked apples and sugar into which was poured warm beer and spices. The bowl was then passed around hand to hand in the circle of friends and neighbors gathered round the blazing fire until the beer was consumed. The remaining food was then shared out and eaten. On Twelfth Night, the wassail bowl was taken to the house of newlyweds or to a family which had recently come to live in the district, songs were sung outside the house door. Those inside the house would recited or sing special verses, to be answered by the revelers outside.

Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night was celebrated as the end of Christmastide. The decorations, including holly and mistletoe, were taken down, the burned out Yule Log was removed from the fireplace, and its ashes stored temporarily. These were then buried along with the seeds planted in the ensuing spring to ensure a good harvest. Each of the twelve days after Christmas was considered, in the countryside at least, to represent the corresponding months of the year, and the weather on these days was carefully observed and noted as a guide as to what could be expected for the rest of the year.

Feast of the Epiphany

On January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany was an important celebration in Wales. In Glamorganshire, a huge loaf or cake was prepared, which was then divided up into three parts to represent Christ, the Virgin Mary and the three Wise Men. A large company of neighbors was invited to be present at the dividing of the cake in which rings were concealed. Whoever discovered a ring in his piece of cake (or bread) was elected as King or Queen or Misrule and presided over the day's festivities. January 6th, of course, was the date of the old-calendar Christmas Day, and many of the festivities connected with it lasted well over a century after the new calendar was introduced in 1752. I can’t help but feel that this is something of a pre Christian event that has just found its way into the Christian celebrations. I don’t know that for a fact but it’s something I’m going to have to look into in more depth.

Twelfth Night

Another Welsh custom associated with Twelfth Night. A group of boys and young men would go out into the countryside to capture a wren. The bird would then be placed in a small, decorated cage or bier and carried around from house to house and shown in exchange for money or gifts of food and drink (if a wren could not be found then a poor unfortunate sparrow would have to undergo the ritual).

Of course many of these rituals and customs can be compared with other similar customs observed elsewhere in Britain, but each area brings its own special flavour to these folk customs.

BB For now, Hywel

Amulets or protective charms have been carried or worn in all cultures and times to offer protection against physical and supernatural danger, misfortune and illness. The first amulets were probably small painted stones; examples dating from prehistoric times have been discovered at the foot of rock painting sites in Western Canada. Talismans have the same protective powers, but in addition are actively empowered to attract good fortune, love and prosperity to the bearer. The terms tend to be interchangeable nowadays.

Many amulets derive their powers from nature and so crystals or gems are worn or carried for this purpose since they are believed to contain innate healing and protective powers. Metals are also regarded as inherently protective as they come from the earth, itself perhaps the most powerful protective force in nature and many amulets are crafted from or engraved on metal. Another common type of amulet or talisman was made from part of an animal, and was designed to transfer the animal’s salient quality or strength to the possessor, while also endowing them with the protective strength of the creature.

From ancient times, people also crafted amulets and talismans of tiny figures representing gods, sacred animals, arrows and tools. Indeed it was suggested that jewellery originated as the wearing of amulets made of lucky or healing stones.

Chinese parents still follow the custom of giving their offspring jade to protect them and keep them healthy, and in many countries coral jewellery is worn by young children to prevent falls. Coral and bell teething rings, given at christenings and naming ceremonies in both the Eastern and Western worlds, are said to ward off negativity and nightmares. In India, most amulets are still – as they have been for thousands of years – created from sacred plants.

In some cultures, for example that of Ancient Egypt, amulets not only guarded a person during life but were placed in the tomb for protection in the afterlife; protective hieroglyphics (magical letters) were painted on the tomb walls and placed as amulets on the mummy.

If you want to have a try at making an amulet or talismen for protection, try this simple method, it will require a little research on your part to choose the rune or symbol for you, that you believe will bring you protection.

Making a Wax Amulet:

As with all types of magic, consideration should be given to the moon phase that you make your amulet in. For the purpose of this exercise we are making a protective one, and therefore a full moon would be suitable, affording maximum strength and protection at the same time.

You will need:

• Candles (One will suffice but if you wish to make a more colourful amulet then several of different colours can be used).

• A pastry cutter (small)

• A piece of aluminium foil

• Compose some simple wording that means exactly what you want to achieve, don’t copy anyone else’s words, they must come from you. A simple example would be:

Power of the fire

Come unto me

Protect my home

So mote it be.

The simpler you keep it, the less there is to go wrong, but remember use your own words, and be specific about who or what you want to protect.

• Something sharp to use to engrave the cold wax.

Firstly let me clarify something, it doesn’t matter what colour the candle is, plain white works just as well as any other colour. I see in books all the time, use x colour candle for a spell for luck, or y colour for a spell for health, the fact is that the colour is only a focal tool, and brings no more energy into the working. What is most important is your belief in what you are doing. If you embark on a working of any kind, with anything less than 100% belief in what you are going to achieve, then it will be doomed to failure before you’ve even started.

Place the pastry cutter on the aluminium foil that you have doubled over and bring up the sides of the foil and tuck around the cutter. What you are doing is making a base for the cutter that is removable.

Now we are ready to start, this will take somewhere in the region of 40 minutes, so make sure you have allowed enough time where you won’t be disturbed. If you wish to set up an altar then do so, but remember the energy comes from within you, and the items on the altar should merely be regarded again as focusing tools to help you concentrate.

Firstly visualise your bubble of protection for you, or if you feel the need cast your circle. Remember a circle (or bubble) has three main purposes:

• To denote sacred space

• To keep any unwanted energies out

• To keep the energy you raise inside whilst you work.

Now bring your attention back to your candle, light it and place both your hands around the flame (not close enough to burn them) and bring your focus onto that flame. You now need to start chanting your wording, whilst focusing hard on that flame with your eyes. Recite it over and over, until you are totally absorbed in the moment, and there are no external distractions getting through to you. Visualise the flames energy moving through you and back into the wax that is pooling on the top of the candle.

Periodically pour off the molten wax into the pastry cutter lined with foil, and then return to the chanting again. This can be a slow process, depending on the size of the pastry cutter and therefore the amount of molten wax needed to make a disc about 1/3 inch thick.

When you have enough wax in the cutter to make a disc, allow it to cool, and extinguish the candle. Remove the wax disc from the cutter by removing the foil and then carve a symbol, name or rune that you associate with protection, whilst keeping your focus on your intended goal... the person, the house, the car what ever you are working on protecting.

Place the finished amulet in a discrete corner of the house, it doesn’t have to be on show to work, or give it to the intended recipient, and your work is done.

Have fun and stay safe

BB

Sian

Bah Humbug!

Well, that’s Yule and Christmas out of the way for another year. I always enjoy Yule but find Christmas, with all the excessive commercialism that comes with it, tedious in the extreme. In fact I can’t wait for it to be over. If you want to know how I feel about Christmas in general the great Australian folk musician and poet Kevin ‘Bloody’ Wilson’ summed it up in a number of his songs, just Google the name and search for his lyrics (AVOID IF EASILY OFFENDED). Yule is a fairly simple affair, time spent in the company of friends, good food and drink to share, and plenty of good conversation and laughter. Perfect.

Yule however was the complete opposite, a couple of days spent with good friends (the sort of people I actually enjoy spending time with), and a powerful and enjoyable ritual to mark the winter solstice and I’m a happy bunny. As is our solstice custom we re-enacted the battle between the Oak and Holly kings, we are never quite sure how this is going to work out as the two protagonists rehearse in secret and the rest of the coven are kept in the dark until the event takes place. There is always an element of pantomime and despite the serious undertone it is played for laughs with plenty of slapstick comedy and incredibly hammy acting. There’s nothing wrong with that, laughter is a fine way to raise energy. As tradition demands, the Oak king is victorious and the Holly king retires for a six month break until the summer solstice when the procedure is repeated and the roles change.

Figure 1 Oak and Holly fight for the crown

Figure 2 'Oak' The Victor

Figure 3 'Oak' again

No one is quite sure where the story of the two kings started, probably it is very ancient and almost certainly pre medieval. It’s place in modern Wicca can be traced back to Stewart Farrar who took the references made by Robert Graves in his 1948 essay ‘The White Goddess’ and wove them into his covens’ ritual practice.  It has now become a standard piece of seasonal ritual. Graves, in turn, was probably influenced by Frazers’ ‘The Golden Bough,’ which also refers to The oak and Holly Kings.

Incidentally it was also Graves who was responsible for the concept of the ‘Triple Goddess’ and some of the mythology attached to the Beltane festivities, most notably the ‘Beltane Chase.’ Once again the idea was developed by Farrar and incorporated into his rituals. I often wonder if Graves, and to a lesser extent Kipling, had the foggiest idea that they would be so influential in a developing religion they almost certainly had no idea about. That amuses me! Although this quote about Graves and The White Goddess that I found online suggests that Graves was probably not entirely anti, although I doubt he would understand the way in which modern neo paganism has used his works.

“The book of the same title, his "historical grammar of poetic myth", was published in 1948. It posited the idea that behind Judaism and Christianity lies the presence of a much older European matriarchal deity inspired and represented by the phases of the moon. His thesis stated that a poet needs to be devoted to the creative energies of this goddess, to learn to be a channel through which her unmediated inspiration can flow. Whilst this sounds like a celebration of the irrational, Graves' theories are rooted in a deep knowledge of ancient cultures and the classical world of the Greeks and Romans; some of his ideas have been discredited by academics working subsequently in these fields, but The White Goddess remains a fascinating account of the roots of poetic inspiration. It certainly remained Graves' personal manifesto for the rest of his long writing life.”

Something else that amuses me is the interminable argument between Christians and pagans about the origins of Christmas. We celebrate Yule on the 21st of December, just a couple of days before Christmas. We are not alone in this, many cultures celebrate the solstice as a prominent date in their calendar, and we know from the alignment of numerous ancient monuments that the winter solstice was important. So did the emergent Christian church decide that the mid winter celebrations were a convenient platform on which to superimpose their own festival? In my opinion it seems more than likely. Yes, I know Christianity has its roots in the Middle East where it seems that the winter solstice wasn’t particularly significant, it is certainly not considered all that important in the Jewish faith out of which Christianity grew. However, Christianity was born at the height of the Roman empire and the Romans did have a mid winter celebration, ‘Saturnalia.’ I’m unsure as to when Christmas was first celebrated, but it seems reasonable to me that if Constantine wanted to reinforce the impact of Christianity on a pagan roman society, then creating a festival that coincided with saturnalia makes perfect sense.

More important as far as I’m concerned is the Christianisation of the native British mid winter solstice festival and the evidence is pretty heavily weighted towards the argument that it was a deliberate ploy to ‘turn’ the early pre Christian natives.

We know that Pope Gregory wrote to Bishop Mellitus advising him to change the use of native temples and festivals for Christian purposes so I see absolutely no reason to suppose that the winter solstice and Christmas were not examples of exactly this. The following link will take you to a translation of the relevant document.

http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/mellitus.html

I don’t understand why some Christians are so reluctant to acknowledge the fact that their religion, just like ours, and just like everyone else’s, borrows heavily from older beliefs and practices. For some reason they seem to think that it devalues the special status that they accord to their faith. Oh well, as they say; ’there’s nowt so queer as folk’

BB For now, Hywel.

There are many ways to protect the home or workplace but again it is good housekeeping to cleanse the energies from time to time. It is not always practical to perform a ritual in the workplace so there are more discrete ways of cleansing energies.

A piece of Amethyst will absorb negative energies and minor background radiation which is given out by electrical equipment. So place a piece near your computer (it also looks pretty). Don’t forget to wash the crystal under running water (the tap in the bathroom is quite sufficient) occasionally.

If you have a pot plant on your desk bring in the odd small bottle of prepared sacred water and use it to water the plant. Not only will the plant love it, it will behave just the same in the soil as a small pot of water would, in that it absorbs negativity in and around you.

You can obtain sacred water from certain wells that still exist, but it is much easier to make your own. The process is very simple using an old Celtic remedy. Just for interest the Celts called quartz crystal ‘star stones’ as they believed they were frozen stars.

• Find nine small quartz crystals lying naturally in a stream or on a seashore and rinse them well in pure running water to remove pollution.

• Place the crystals in a litre of spring water and bring to the boil, and then allow it to cool. The water is said to have healing properties and so is very powerful for absorbing negativity. This will last for nine days.

Of course another well known way of cleansing anything is using natural sunlight, and to this end a desk by the window will be a far more pleasant environment than one in a dark corner.

The simplest and easiest form of protection in an office environment is to visualise for a few minutes each day a square of reflective mirrors surrounding your desk. The reflective side should be facing out. The mirrors will deflect any negative energy away from you.

The home is always easier to deal with, as in general you have more privacy there and a much freer hand at what you are able to do. Although there can be many ill feelings and cross words at a workplace, we tend to be harsher on those we love. Our homes are a breeding ground for a build up of negativity. Just think of all the mutterings, the sighs and even the arguments that can build up over such small things. Not just between partners but children and even other close relatives and visitors.

If you are able, it is always a good idea to smudge the whole house from top to bottom at least twice a year. As you move around the house (deosil) ask that all negativity or dark energy be removed. When you have completed the smudging then visualise white positive light, pull it down from above your head, and hold it, as it builds up release it and visualise it bouncing into every far corner of the house, replacing all those voids left by the removal of the dark energy.

Energies

Perhaps after reading this far you are a little confused as to the nature of energy, and it is something I feel needs a little clarification.

There is in the universe a finite amount of energy (scientific fact). You can’t make energy or destroy it (scientific fact), but what you can do is change it:

1. Wind energy can be used to make electricity

2. Electricity can be used to power a fire and create heat

3. Heat can be used to warm a Greenhouse and grow plants

4. Plants can be used as food and eaten giving us energy

All of these stages are energy being transformed. All energy can be used for both good and bad purposes. There is a very old saying:

‘A witch who can’t hex, can’t heal’

Think about this statement for a moment and its meaning will become clear. We all like to think that we will only work in the light, that we will only do what is good, right and just, but until we are put in the situation of choice we have no way of knowing what we are capable of. The only thing that prevents us from using energy for the wrong purpose is that of our conscience, so next time you are tempted to try doing any sort of workings whilst you are angry or not feeling well, or for any reason ‘not at your best’ – just stop and think.

And so we go back to protection. We have previously discussed ‘Bubbles of white light’ and indeed these bubbles can be as large as you wish. They can be large enough just to surround you, or your car, or the room or indeed the house. In fact, when you consider it, all a ‘bubble’ is when made larger, is a circle…even one big enough to hold many people in and perform a ritual. We will look at circles in more detail later, but for the moment I do not want to get too involved here.

Pyramids

The pyramid is another shape very often associated with psychic protection. It has obvious historical links to ancient Egypt, but what is so special about the pyramid?

The mathematically perfect 3, 4, 5 triangle that we all remember so fondly from our geometry class at school, is more than just a three sided shape. When created in the third dimension (i.e. a pyramid) it has some remarkable properties.

Organic matter placed in the centre of a mathematically perfect pyramid will not decay. That is quite a statement, but when you see the evidence found in the Great Pyramid of Cheops it is awe inspiring. Seeds that were placed in the Great Pyramid 6000 years ago when the tomb was first sealed, were removed and grown! There were jars containing foods such as breads and meats, which were still preserved and recognisable (albeit not edible) – I wish my loaf from Tesco’s would last as long!

The sarcophagus was always placed in a chamber of which the floor was exactly one third of the way up the height of the pyramid, and at the centre of the energies. In these chambers there are many tales of visions of spirits ‘flying’ around the chamber. Are they real visions? Or just maybe men suffering the effects of the hot sun, fear and expectations? You have to decide that, but the ancient Egyptians believed that this area was the safest place for the soul of the departed. A place of protection where the spirits and the Gods would care for and attend the departed on their journeys.

If you make a frame of a 3, 4, 5 pyramid and place it on a grass lawn, the grass inside will grow much better than outside. It has also been proven scientifically that the magnetic field directly above such a pyramid is very different to that of the area prior to the placement of the pyramid and the surrounding area.

So what makes the energies in the pyramid so different? – If we knew that we’d know the answer to the age old question of ‘Life, the Universe and everything’ but suffice to say that the evidence points to it being a very positive energy. You may see pictures of people with pyramid frames, using them to meditate in, and they are said to promote a great feeling of peace, tranquillity and good health. How much of that is wishful thinking? – I don’t know, but those seeds did grow after 6000 years.

And so, the pyramid is very often a shape that is used to invoke a shield of protection around a person or an object, and indeed many see it as being much stronger than that of the circle or bubble, personally I see it as purely a matter of personal preference.

Try using a pyramid visualisation to clear and protect your home.

Sit quietly and visualise a beam of light coming down through the centre of the house, now visualise this beam snapping out hinged way above the house to form a pyramid, so that the whole house is encased in the pyramid. As the pyramid opens it removes any negativity pushing it outwards and leaving a clear space within it’s form. With practise this should be able to be done in seconds, and can be done at any time and without anyone else needing to know what you are doing.

I’ll leave it there for now, next time I’ll talk about protective Amulets and Talismans.

BB

Sian

Whilst Hywel has been writing the blogs up till now, I had a message from someone on Myspace to ask about writing a blog on negative and positive energies, so I thought - 'I'll have a go at that'.  So here are my musings over energy and protection.

We are all subject to countless impressions from morning till night, and while we sleep, many positive thoughts and emotions come to us from our fruitful interactions with others, and from the thoughts, words and dreams of family and friends or a lover far away. However, less loving feelings can also invade our waking subconscious or sleeping mind; these may be deliberately malevolent, but it is perhaps even more likely that unconscious negative energies may be directed towards us. Someone may be sitting brooding in the daytime or lying awake at night seething with resentment against us because it appears that our partner is more desirable (and undeserved), our children healthier or more intelligent, our home more comfortable or our career more successful than their own. Then there is pollution – both actual noise and environmental disturbances – for we live in a frantic world of traffic fumes, faxes, phone calls and e-mails that intrude upon our consciousness both day and night. In these ways our minds and souls can become overwhelmed and the effects manifest as stress, an inability to concentrate, a series of minor accidents or a general lack of energy. You may suffer from insomnia, nightmares, stress-related illnesses, or infections that are slow to clear.

Moreover, certain people you encounter either at work, at home or socially whether a depressed colleague, a critical relative or an intrusive neighbour may mean you no harm but nonetheless seem to leave you feeling drained and make your nerves jagged. While they are not exactly psychic vampires, nevertheless such emotional leeches can regularly and routinely deplete your energy stores and offload their negativity on to you. Just think for a moment how different you feel after a lively encounter with a good friend, compared with the feelings you bring away from a stressful meeting with your least favourite colleague, and you will see exactly what I mean.

Some buildings, too, can make you feel tired or uninspired, especially tower blocks, warehouses and shopping centres that lack natural light and ventilation or are built around a metal structure. Dowsers would say that there are black streams running beneath them, and I shall examine this theory later. Certainly, there are workplaces where there is constant conflict and a lot of stress related illness. In the same way, certain houses can be dark and gloomy even in summer; in particular rooms you may experience a sense of malevolence that is frequently interpreted as a ghost but may, in fact, be due to the darker energies of the land on which the house is built.

Such harmful influences may be caused by negative thoughts, deliberate spite or very occasionally spirit attack (ironically, this may well often be brought on by dabbling with ouija boards or calling up spirits for fun, by the untrained) – but they can all be replaced with positive energies. This actual transformation of negative into positive is crucial for psychic protection, for if you simply do away with the negative and do not replace it with anything else, you are leaving a void for doubts and fears to return and the job is not complete. Working with energy is all about balance, and you need to maintain both positive and negative to keep that balance.

Our early ancestors understood this principle instinctively and chose symbols that represented power and the light to protect them from darkness and danger. They wove protective knots and made Mother Earth figures and spiral horns of plenty from the last sheaf of corn cut down at the first harvest at the end of July, known as Lammas or Lughnasadh in the Celtic tradition. These potent but benign corn dollies, or spirits, were preserved in homes until the spring equinox, when they were buried in the fields to bring fertility to the land, animals and people.

It is impossible to date the start of this practise as the evidence was ritually destroyed each year, but as the corn figures resemble early Mother Goddess motifs it is probable that it began with Neolithic farmers in Northern and Western Europe. What is most significant here is that we can see protection and fertility have always been recognised as two sides of the same coin – as are destruction and creation. Throughout the history of many cultures, the tradition has continued that the most powerfully protective amulets and charms also have life-giving qualities.

Banishing negative energies

There are three main and established ways of dealing with negative and draining energies, which are ultimately interwoven: you can block them, or counter the negativity with even stronger positive energies (the strongest energy of all is love), or in the very rare case of deliberate, malicious and unprovoked attack, return the energies to the sender.

Of course it doesn’t matter how careful you are, or how paranoid, you still have to live your life in the normal world. You have to take the children to school, or go to work, you have to go to the pub and generally mix and integrate with society. Direct attacks are thankfully very, very rare, and you should only ever consider the possibility after careful and painstakingly removing every other option. More common are what I prefer to call the ‘wild cards’. We’ve all been there – sitting in a pub and in walks the chap with the car you’ve always wanted or someone with the girl/boyfriend you’ve always longed to know better. Minor jealousy and thoughts of coveting someone else’s lifestyle are the most common cause of unintentional psychic attack. This of course is just as likely to be happening to you, as you are to be delivering the thoughts. It is vitally important then to have a regime of cleansing your spiritual body and aura as you would your physical body, as you can attract any amount of minor negative energies just living your daily life.

An excellent example of how to cleanse your aura and the Chakras is given below:

• Sitting quietly and comfortably in meditation, relax yourself down beginning at the top of your head and tensing all the muscles before letting each section of body relax. For example:

The scalp

The face

The neck and throat

The shoulders and upper back

The arms

The hands and wrists

The torso

The tummy and hips

The buttocks

The thighs

The calves

The feet

• Do not move onto the next area of the body until the previous one is nice and relaxed.

• Then visualise a beam of white light, brilliant and pure, and draw it down from above your head until it reaches the crown chakra. As you visualise the light touching the crown chakra, visualise the chakra opening like a flower or lily by turning deosil. When the chakra is fully opened feel the white light enter, and clearing out any black debris from inside the chakra.

• Now feel the light moving down inside the body to the third eye. It warms, soothes and heals everything it touches.

• The third eye chakra now starts to open, until finally the white light bursts through from the inside to out, clearing out the debris which you should carefully visualise forming a small pile at your feet. (This is very important to keep all the debris in one place to be dealt with later).

• Move down through all the chakras opening them and visualising the white light bursting through. When you finally reach the root chakra you should then visualise the beam of white light expanding around you like a bubble, completely encasing your entire body. The white light is pure and good and will act as a powerful protective shield.

• Before completing the meditation it is important to deal with any debris that may have been removed from the chakras. Turn your attention to the debris and visualise it being burnt in a flame of silver and violet. This flame will transmute all negative energy to positive, making the debris harmless.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be writing blogs on protecting both you, your home and the workplace. I will try and go through a number of ways and systems, each as good as the next, but some will sit better with you than others. Always remember, take that which sits easy with you, and discard that which doesn’t.

BB

Sian

Wiccan, or wiccan, or witch, or whatever?

There is huge diversity amongst pagans. There are Druids of a hundred different flavours, hedge witches, shamans, British Traditional Witches, thousands of different solitaries of one sort or another, Heathens (various), love and light Fluffies, and thousands of assorted others. Perhaps, though the greatest amount of bickering happens between Wiccans and wiccans, (note the use of upper and lower case ‘W’)

I do not subscribe to the idea that Wicca grew out of some long established religious tradition that has its roots in some far off pre Christian time and therefore is common currency that may be claimed by any. As far as I’m concerned it grew out of the Victorian resurgence in all things occult and was eventually codified by Gerald Gardner in the mid 1940s. Gardner established a mystery initiatory tradition that drew on a number of sources to create what he saw as a cohesive and workable religion (I’ll get onto the problems associated with Gardner and his ‘history’ of the craft in a later blog). Yes Wicca has grown and changed since Gardner died in 1964, it has branched out in a number of directions and much has changed within it, yet one thing has remained, the notion that it is an initiatory tradition with a lineage that can be traced back to Gardner. All Wiccan covens have maintained that one tradition regardless of anything else that may have been abandoned or adopted be they Gardnerian, Alexandrian or whatever.

Wherein then lies the discrepancy between Wicca and wicca? Many groups and individuals have sprung up declaring themselves to be Wiccan when they are in fact nothing of the sort. It seems to have become a popular bandwagon for all and sundry to have jumped on. Everyone from teeny witches to the fluffy love and light brigade seems happy to claim “I’m a Wiccan” with absolutely no consideration or appreciation of what the term means. I see it as being a little like someone claiming “I’m a fireman” without ever having been trained as such, and having no knowledge or experience of what it means to be a fireman. Sure they can call themselves whatever they like I suppose, but that doesn’t make it so.

So, in my opinion what makes a Wiccan? One answer, a person who has been initiated into a tradition that can trace its lineage back to Gardner and holds as certain beliefs to be unalienable. That lineage may be somewhat tenuous and convoluted in some cases, and it may be contested by Wiccans of other traditions, but that is the sole qualification.

So then, what about those who just adopt the title? They can of course call themselves anything they wish, but why Wiccan? What is it about that word that draws so many people like bees to honey? I tend to put the blame on the likes of those authors beloved of such companies as Llewellyn Publishing who have jumped on the pagan pound (or dollar) and have churned out some complete and utter tripe that purports to be authentic Wiccan knowledge and have in the process devalued both the name Wicca and its teaching. Authors like Silver Ravenwolf and Scott Cunningham, amongst others, who have churned out such appalling drivel over the past few years that it has become almost accepted without question by the young and the gullible. This combined with a plethora of half witted pagan web site builders that have taken a few Wiccan thoughts and ideas and cobbled together something they claim is Wiccan has convinced many that they can be ‘self initiated’ into Wicca. Sorry boys and girls but it just ‘aint so, you have been duped.

Sometimes Wiccans get accused of being elitist, but is that accusation entirely fair? I don’t believe it is. Just as being a Roman Catholic, or a Shiite Muslim, or a Sikh means to conform to specific codes and expectations, so too does being a Wiccan. I see Wicca as a specific set of codes, beliefs and practices that identify that religion, and if you are not able, or not willing, to subscribe to those things then no matter how much you want it you cannot be a Wiccan.

Does this mean that I see other pagan paths as being inferior to Wicca? Not in the least, they may be equally valid, they may even subscribe to remarkably similar beliefs and practices, they just happen to be different and I am happy for them to use the generic term wiccan. (lower case ‘W’ non proper noun). The only thing that puzzles me is why so many seek to claim the title of Wiccan in the first place.

Perhaps it’s all down to the tendency of some people to transpose the words wiccan and witch. Whilst it is true that a Wiccan is by definition a witch, and proudly embraces the fact, it is also true that not every witch is a Wiccan. A witch may be of any pagan hue, indeed a witch may even by a non pagan, so I wonder if the transposing of the words is a desperate attempt by some to get away from the historically distasteful connotations that are associated with the word? If that be so then perhaps it is an understandable, if mistaken, step to take.

BB for now. Hywel