Month: February 2012

Witchcraft 101: Power of the Path

Power of the Path

Your having come to the Craft of the Wise is unique in that you have picked one of the hardest of spiritual paths to walk. It takes great courage and charisma to be a Witch. However, the rewards for this hardest of paths are equally great.

Why is Witchcraft hard? It is an imperfect, misunderstood, and highly individualistic religion that challenges your beliefs and actions at every moment of the day and night.

We live by principles and traditions that prevent us from doing magick to harm others, that acknowledge that for every action, there is an equal or greater reaction that visits like energy to the sender.

In other words… If you do good works, it is highly likely you will have good come to you. If it is for negative (save protecting yourself in a life or death situation), you probably risk bringing negative forces of all sorts to your step.

You will undoubtedly hear more of this as your learning advances… I am not here to rehash all of that… Plenty of material exists on the subject already.

To put this in a few sentences: My own take is that if good goes into something, good is going to come out… bad-in, well… bad will come out of it. This is a simple cause and effect rule. Just be aware that your actions and intent affect more than just your immediate surroundings in life and that the effects of your intent do come full circle.

Often, these effects come from unexpected directions and are the direct result of choices made earlier, even if the connection is not easy to see or makes sense to you.

Think of it like this: A pebble tossed in a pond makes waves (forces) that eventually cross the entire pond, bounce off the shoreline, and then return with effects that can be either helpful or disastrous. So too, are our workings and intents in life and in the Craft…

Speaking of forces… Most of Witchcraft is about living well… without all the Hollywood effects, drama of running around in robes or “looking like a witch” for some theatrical part.

Some of the most powerful witches I know do not even use the tools you are “supposed to” use. They construct their own simple ways of practicing, and use their minds to make magick and to bend forces and work *with* nature and natural energies to bring harmony and balance to the world.

These same Witches use magick to help themselves, and feel no shame in being here in the universe. They and we have every right to be here, and to choose the manner and means in which we acknowledge our creator and deity(s) of choice…

Organized religion holds no place for brave souls like this… indeed; they never fit in that system in the first place. So… in this first lesson, I hope I am dashing any sense of the continual drama and wishes for awesome effects at every moment… Witchcraft is work. It is the art of working on you. You also work on your relationship with the people, universe, and forces/powers to which we all have access.

This is not to say that there are not dramatic moments in the Craft. I have seen amazing events in my 13 years of being a Witch. I have seen winds blow through a house, extinguishing candles in a room that had closed windows and doors. I have seen trees raging and dancing. I have even been part of a circle where a ritual called for rain from a seemingly cloudless sky and within a few minutes, a downpour ensued.

The common thread to these events was that there was every reason for me to be at each of these events, and they were reminders that being a Witch does invite mysterious forces and entities to our lives, who are hopefully there to teach and guide us.

They are not there to entertain… Instead… these events provide a base for us to know that the unseen is there and that they work with and around us as we undertake our missions in life and as witches.

 

IAmAWitch.com

Witchcraft 101: Introduction

Introduction

Women and Men, who come to the Craft from either a non-spiritual or other spiritual path, find themselves in front of the Goddess for a wide range of highly personal and life changing circumstances.

It is to these persons whom I am going to speak to in this first lesson, of which I will go over some basics.

Witchcraft (Or Wicca) is the study of forces and spiritual truths applied to daily life and observances of natural rhythms that ebb and flow in our lives. As you begin your practice, you will become much more attuned, aware, participate and work with the forces that touch and interplay with all of our lives…

Forces that many who live only in the material world are only dimly aware of, or which are ignored altogether.

Some will disagree with the characterization I give for the definitions, and these are as varied in number and content, as there are stars in the heavens.

This lesson does not intend to offer a scholarly interpretation of the myriad differences of definition of terms and opinions in the Craft. Instead, the intent is to show the initiate to the first of many doors. The explanation for the initiate that all is not as it seems, but there are large areas of agreement and truths that do tend to hold across the world of the Craft…

Just know that the Craft resides primarily in your heart. You will *know* you are attracted to the path, and if it is for you or not. If there is any one truth I have learned in my time doing this, it is this simple fact.

To thy own self, be true… If you are not being honest with yourself for the reasons you want to call yourself Witch, then you probably are in the wrong spiritual system…

IAmAWitch.com

STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

The electrical activity of the brain has been

observed and classified with EEG (electroencephalograph)

equipment; signals picked up from the scalp by electrodes,

then filtered and amplified, drive a graph recorder. Brain

activity has been found to produce specific ranges for

certain basic states of consciousness, as indicated in ‘hz’

(hertz, or cycles/vibrations per second):

delta — 0.2 to 3.5 hz (deep sleep, trance state),

theta — 3.5 to 7.5 hz (day dreaming, memory),

alpha — 7.5 to 13 hz (tranquility, heightened

awareness, meditation),

beta — 13 to 28 hz (tension, ‘normal’

consciousness).

As you can see, some form of physical relaxation is implied

in the alpha, theta, and delta consciousness. These states

are in fact reached through deep breathing, hypnosis, and

other relaxation techniques. OOBE occurs during these

states, and delta is probably the most important for it.

The problem is really, as we have said, one of maintaining

mental awareness and alertness while experienceing these

altered states. Experimental subjects hooked to an EEG do

not show a discrete change from drowsy to sleep; it is very

gradual.

At the threshold between sleep and waking

consciousness is a drowsy condition known as the hypnogogic

state. OOBE seems to occur during this state, or a

variant of it. By careful control of the hypnogogic state

(not going beyond it) it is possible to enter OOBE directly.

BASIC TECHNIQUES OF ASTRAL TRAVEL

BASIC TECHNIQUES

Most methods of astral projection are methods of

conditioning. Some form of trance or altered consciousness

is always involved. No one ever projects consciously while

fully awake (some may think that they do). Although there

are many techniques used to produce an astral projection,

they boil down to nine of them. They all sort of overlap.

1) Diet — Certain dietary practices may aid in OOBE,

especially at first. These include fasting, vegitarianism,

and in general the eating of ‘light’ foods as discussed in a

a previous lesson. Carrots and raw eggs are thought to be

especially beneficial, but all nuts are to be avoided.

Over-eating should be avoided. And no food should be eaten

just before an OOBE attempt. If you intend to practice

during sleep, for example, allow 2 to 4 hours of no food or

drink (except water) before bedtime. In general, we see here

the same kind of dietary restrictions advocated for

kundalini yoga.

2) Progressive muscular relaxation — This is one

of the basic methods used in hypnosis and self-hypnosis.

requisite trance state. These techniques involve beginning

at the toes and tensing, then relaxing the muscles,

progressively up the entire body.

3) Yoga and breath — Yoga, mantra, and breathing

exercises similarly aim at physical relaxation. The practice

of kundalini yoga is particularly relevant, since it is

concerned with altered consciousness. In fact the arousal

of kundalini requires a similar state of consciousness to

OOBE.

4) Visualization — This involves a type of extended

clairvoyance or picturing of remote surroundings. If you can

experience the feeling of being there, so much the better.

Although this technique is essentially mental projection, it

is possible to deepen mental projection into astral

projection through (you guessed it!) visualization. Crowley

taught a similar technique: a) visualize a closed door on a

blank wall, b) imagine a meditation symbol on

the door, c) visualize the door opening and yourself

entering through it. And J.H. Brennan describes similar

techniques wherein the door is shaped and colored like a

tattva, or alternately, a chosen tarrot card is visualized

and the student visualizes entering into it.

5) Guided imagery — In many respects similar to

visualization. Except in this case, there is a guide (or

perhaps a voice on tape) directing you by means of

descriptions. As with visualization, mental rather than

astral projection is most likely.

6) Body of Light — The old Golden Dawn technique.

Imagine a duplicate (mirror image) of yourself in front of

you. Then transfer your consciousness and sensation to the

duplicate (‘body of light’).

7) Strong willing — Sort of like creative

visualization experienced in the present. That is you

express your strong desire to project through your willpower

while you visualize yourself doing it.

8) The Monroe techniques — These are a series of

steps developed by Robert Monroe: a) relax the body,

b) enter the hypnogogic state, c) deepen the state,

d) develope the senstation of ‘vibration’, e) separate from

the body. The Monroe Institute has developed some cassete

tapes which are claimed to help in this.

9) Dream control — This is one of the most

important techniques. It involves becoming aware that you

are dreaming. There are several ways to do this. Oliver Fox

says to look for descrepancies in the dream to realize you

are dreaming. One occult student I know of visualized a

white horse which he could ride wherever he wished to go.

After a time, when the horse appeared in his dreams it was

his cue that he was actually dreaming/projecting. Don Juan

tells Castaneda to look at his hands while he is dreaming.

And even the tarot and Cabala may also be used as dream

signals. Another method is to tell yourself each night as

you go to sleep, “I can fly”; then when you do, you will

know you are dreaming. Once you know you are dreaming you

can control your dream/OOBE and go anywhere you want.

Repetitive activities will also likely influence your

dreams. For example, if you are on an automobile trip and

spend most of the day driving, you will probably dream about

driving. You can condition yourself to be aware you are

dreaming by doing a repetitive activity many times (walking

across the room or a particular magick ritual, for

example). Then when you dream about it, you will know you

are dreaming.

Although all these techniques may appear

straightforward, they all require effort. Astral projection

is generally learned.

The astral world is the “ghostland” into which one

passes after death. It is sometimes possible to visit with

the dead, or you might be called upon to reassure and assist

those who have just passed over (died) or those who are

consciously projecting for the first time. Many spirits,

elementals and ghosts exist in the astral world. The

magician should feel comfortable there. Tibetan belief is

that through proficiency in OOBE, you no longer need

reincarnate after death. The astral world is extremely

changeable and subject to your thoughts. Your will can

control your movements in the astral world, and if you seem

to be going somewhere non-volitionally (‘astral current’) it

is probably your true will causing it anyway. You might also

experience heightened magical ability while in the astral realm.

FORMS OF ASTRAL PROJECTION

FORMS OF ASTRAL PROJECTION

Astral projection may be subdivided into three basic

types: mental projection, astral projection (proper) and

etheric projection. And your OOBE may shift between them.

Mental projection is really simple clairvoyance (‘remote

viewing’), and ‘traveling in your mind’. Imagination plays

a key role. The experience of mental projection is not

particularly vivid, and you will more likely be an observer

than a participant. Nevertheless, mental projection is an

important ‘way in’ to astral projection proper.

restricted to the realm of the earth (you could even go to

the moon and planets).

During mental projection and astral projection you

are able to travel through solid objects, but are not able

to act directly upon them or to move them (if they are in

the physical world). This is not true during etheric

projection. Whether it is simply subconscious expectation,

or whether it is a true etheric projection which in theory

means that part of your physical body has been relocated

with your projection (the etheric or vital part) may be

difficult to determine. Etheric projections generally travel

at or very near the physical world. There are even cases

reported (very, very rare ones) in which the entire physical

body is transferred to another location (teleportation), or

cases in which the physical body exists and acts in two

separate places at once (bilocation)!

But our primary interest is astral projection

proper, and mental projection to a lesser extent. Astral and

mental projection are not confined to the physical world.

Travel in the mental and astral realms is feasible, and

often preferred. Nor are astral and mental projection

ASTRAL PROJECTION

ASTRAL PROJECTION

Astral projection (OOBE, out of the body experience)

is a popular area of occult literature; for traveling to see

other worlds and places while the physical body sleeps or is

entranced is an exciting notion. Astral projection is not

dangerous. It is as safe as sleeping. Most dreams are probably

unconscious astral projections, anyway. Although there has

been quite a bit written on the subject, astral projection

is difficult for many people. The main difficulty is the

tendency to forget dream consciousness upon awakening.

Accordingly, the successful practice of astral projection

requires work.

Modern psychology discounts the idea of actual OOBE

(that the spirit temporarily vacates the physical body).

However, the idea is very ancient. The Tibetans have an

entire system of yoga (dream yoga) based upon astral

projection. And here we have an important assumption: you are

involved in an OOBE (at least to a degree) whenever you

dream. What sets it apart from a full OOBE is your hazy

consciousness during the experience and poor recall

afterwards. Many people forget most of their dreams

completely. Learning astral projection requires a kind of

inner mental clarity and alertness.

Dreams are a door to the subconscious which can be

used for psychological and spiritual insight, and sometimes

for precognition. Dream content is influenced by external

sounds and sensations. For example, a loud external noise

(such as a train) will likely appear in your dream (if it

doesn’t wake you up!). Dreams are also influenced by events

of the previous day, by your moods, and by suggestion.

Everyone normally dreams 4 or 5 times a night (about every 2

hours). The longest dreams occur in the morning. Everyone

dreams. You are more likely to remember the details of your

dream when you first wake up. By keeping a dream diary you

will improve dream recall. Have writing equipment or a tape

recorder at your bedside for this purpose; also a light

which isn’t too bright. Suggest to yourself several times

before you go to sleep, “I will awaken with the knowledge of

a dream.” Then when you do awaken, move quietly (sometimes

just turning over drives the idea away). Remember first,

then write the dream down, and then add as many details as

possible. The next day check for objective facts and expand

if you can (by remembering ‘what happened before that’). Once

you start remembering your dreams in this way, it will

become easier to do so. (If you are unsuccessful at this,

and *really* want to remember your dreams, you could

arrange for someone to sit by your bedside all night long

with a dim light on. Then when he sees your eyes moving back

and forth — rapid eye movements, a sign you are dreaming —

he can wake you and ask for a dream report.)

Dark Lady’s Dreams Incense

Dark Lady’s Dreams Incense

1/2 palmful Cinnamon
3 whole Allspice
1/2 palmful Sweet Dittany of Crete
1 pinch Cedar
1 pinch Fennel
6 drops Hyancith Oil,
2 pinches Rosemary
6 drops Cinnamon oil
1 1/2 pinches Mullein
2 pinches Benzoin
1 palm Witchhazel
4 pinches Saltpeter — more or less to suit

Author Unknown

Summer Solstice Incense Recipe

Summer Solstice Incense Recipe

Oils and incense recipes from: The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews by Scott Cunningham (USA), The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and… (UK)

3 parts Frankincense
2 parts Benzoin
1 part Dragon’s Blood
1 part Thyme
1 part Rosemary
pinch Vervain
a few drops Red Wine