Month: February 2012

DO YOU KNOW YOUR ANIMAL TOTEMS?

DO YOU KNOW YOUR ANIMAL TOTEMS?
The following is from Animal Speak by Ted Andrews

Begin the process of discovering your animal totems by examining the animals you have been most interested in & the times of your life that interest was piqued. Use the following questions to help determine which animals are probably totems to you in your life.

1. Which animal or bird has always fascinated you? (We are drawn to that which most resonates with us. Those animals which fascinate us have something to teach us.)

2. When you visit the zoo, which animal do you wish to visit the most or first?(esp. children)

3. What animal(s) do you see most frequently when you are out in nature? Have you had encounters with animals in the wild? (The animals we encounter, in their city environments or in the wild, have significance for us. We can learn from them, even if only about survival within that environment.)

4. Of all the animals in the world, which are you most interested in now? (Our interests in animals change. Yes, we usually have one or two that are lifetime, power animals, but others become prominent when there is something importance or specific to teach us.)

5. What animal most frightens you? (That which we fear the most is often
something we must learn to come to terms with. When we do that, it then becomes a power. Some shamans believe that fears will take the shape of animals, and only when we confront them without fear do their powers/medicine work for us instead of against us. Such an animal become a shadow totem.)

6. Have you ever been bitten or attacked by an animal? (Historically, if a
shaman survived an attack, it was believed that the animal was the shaman’s
spirit totem and the attack was the totem’s way of testing the shaman’s ability to handle the power.)

7. Do you have dreams with animals in them or are there animal dreams you have never forgotten? (This is especially important if the dreams are recurring or if at least the animal image in the dream is a recurring one. Children often dream of animals, & attention should be given to these animals. They will often reflect specific spirit totems of the child.)

Calling The Dragon

Calling The Dragon

This ritual is for exactly what it states calling the Dragon or Dragons to
project their presence with such clarity that there is no question of knowing
that they are here. A greater reason for calling a Dragon into stronger presence is the stronger the auric vibrations of such a creature within the circle the stronger the ritual and power sent into your motivation for the ritual. When you use the Dragon call and feel the presence of one or more Dragons it is important that they are treated with respect. Take time to get acquainted with them before asking their help. Remember most Dragons are beneficial and helpful, but all Draconic temperaments are extremely sensitive so treat them with the greatest respect.

Ritual of Calling

Notes: Perform during bright noon or the waxing Moon for increasing magick, with the Full Moon being strongest; during evening hours or the waning Moon for decreasing magick, with the New Moon being the strongest. Use this ritual in conjunction with any spellworking. This ceremony is primarily used to summon the Dragon for a manifestation whether it be the rare physical type or, more likely the sharpening of the inner sight.

Supplies: Pentacle disk; Dragon pentacle; water chalice with a little fresh
water in it; dish of salt; wine chalice; black (left) and white (right) altar
candles; sword; wand; incense burner; appropriate incense; dragon’s blood and mugwort; dragon mirror; gong or bell; staff; paper and pen to write down any messages.

Use the Basic Dragon Ritual up to the insertion point of necessary chants for
specific Spellworkings. Hold the sword in power hand and staff in the other
while standing facing the altar and tap the staff three times on the floor while holding the sword pointed at the Dragon Pentacle. Chant in tones that vibrate body:

Come Draconis! By Your All-consuming Breath, I summon you. (tap staff three times)By Your Piercing Gaze, I Summon You (tap staff three times)By Your Mighty Strength, I Summon You (tap staff three times)By Your Wisdom Ancient and Cunning, I Summon You (tap staff three times)By Your Magick Deep and Old, I Summon You (tap staff three times)Come, Draconis, To My Call!

Once done summoning the Dragons it will be possible to feel power being sent from all directions by the half-seen Dragons. Listen for any messages the dragons may have. The Dragons’ presence can be felt by a sudden temperature change, prickly feeling between the shoulder blades, unusual currents of air, and other phenomena. If the Dragons are pleased with the Magician they often sound a deep vibrating rumble, almost like a Giant Cat’s Purr.

Dragon Ritual of Making

Dragon Ritual of Making

Notes: For increasing Magick perform during bright Noon or the waxing Moon, with
the Full Moon being strongest. For decreasing during evening hours or the waning
Moon with the New Moon being the strongest. Use in conjunction with any ritual
for it is primarily to use Dragon Power and Magick for bringing desires into
being.

Supplies: Pentacle disk; Dragon pentacle; water chalice with a little fresh
water in it; dish of salt; wine chalice; black (left) and white (right) altar
candles; sword; wand; incense burner; appropriate incense; dragon’s blood and
mastic; dragon mirror; gong or bell; staff; any candles for spells; talisman
bags, etc. It is useful for concentration to plan exactly what is to be used
before beginning this ritual of Making.

Use the Basic Dragon Ritual up to the point of insertion of the necessary chants
for specific Spellworkings. Hold sword in power hand, the staff in the other.
While standing facing the Altar, hold the sword pointed to the Dragon pentacle
and chant five, seven, or nine times in tones that vibrate through the body:

By Glow Of Sun The Power’s Begun, By Moonbeam’s Light The Spell Is Right, To
Create Desire By Earth and Fire, Water, Air, Make Magick Fair. Powerful Charm
Of Making, Creative Magick Undertaking, Be Formed!

While chanting this, concentrate deeply upon drawing on the Dragon power, feel
the power being sent from all sides, listen for any messages from the Dragons
and write them down. Place the candle, talisman bag and contents, or whatever
you may be spelling, between the mirror and the Dragon Pentacle, making sure the
Dragon Pentacle is reflected in the mirror along with the objects. If using a
candle, light it and let it burn out completely in that position. If using a
Talisman bag or poppet (a small cloth doll, usually stuffed with herbs or cotton
soaked in the appropriate oil for the ritual) , leave it on the Altar overnight.
Continue with rest of the ritual.

Dragon Rituals

Dragon Rituals

 
 
After one or two visits to a dragon place, you can try a ritual. I rarely invite dragons into my indoor altar as they are so potent and the energies diffuse and so are best encountered in their natural environment. You can, however, cast a dragon ritual in your garden Equally, when working with dragon magick, I don’t cast a formal circle because dragon energies need lots of space to avoid spiritual overheating.
 
Dragon rituals should be carried out no more frequently than bi-monthly though there is nothing to stop you visiting a dragon place and absorbing the power weekly. I have a local dragon cave. When the tide is very low I sometimes sit here and work. Inside the cave is too small an area for spellcasting as the dragon energies need to be free.
 
Create chants or drum to tune in with the dragon energies. You can chant spontaneously during a ritual or write one that you use to call your dragon or to connect with a particular dragon site that you visit regularly.
 
If you wish, you can use a crystalline dragon’s egg in dragon spells as a focus for power, courage or abundance, and afterwards keep it on your garden altar or in the heart of your home. Light a red candle next to it once a week to keep the dragon power flowing.
 
A dragon’s egg is a white, opaque, very solid kind of rock crystal that resembles an egg. Alternatively, you can use two matching halves of a stone egg with tiny crystal embedded inside like a geode. Any agate egg or oval white stone can be substituted.
 
If you are lighting incense in the dragon place, use dragon’s blood. Use tarragon, the dragon’s herb of courage and power, to sprinkle as the earth element. This is also a good offering to leave for your dragon in her place. If there is a suitable spot near the rocks, you can plant a tiny tarragon seedling and add a new one whenever you visit.
 
Empower a dragon charm, ring or pendant by setting it in the centre of a spell. Re-empower it by wearing or carrying it when you visit your dragon place.
 
Face south for dragon spells and rituals. East will then be on your left instead of right hand though the actual direction does not change.
 
After a dragon spell or ritual, leave an offering of thanks. Dragons love gold, perhaps in the forms of a small earring or a small carnelian or bright red flowers.

Why Bother Cultivating the Cooperation and Companionship of Dragons?

Why Bother Cultivating the Cooperation and Companionship of Dragons?

Why bother cultivating the cooperation and companionship of dragons? Because their wisdom and elemental-type energies are unequaled, boundless. They have access, by means of their extremely long lives and unique thought-processes, to forgotten information and knowledge, especially in the field of magick. Dragon power also helps the magician to make personal, inner changes that may be necessary. Helping to remove past negative programming or self-destructive habits is well within the abilities of dragons; of course, the human involved must desire those changes. Dragon magick, like all magick, does not produce miraculous results without work. Dragons can create opportunities, provide encouragement and guidance, even back the magician into a figurative corner so that she/he must face problems and make decisions. But they will never, never do for you what you can and should do for yourself. Once befriended, dragons make excellent protectors, powerful fellow-magicians.

A true, knowledge-seeking magician weighs all possibilities for use in her/his magick, keeping what feels right to her/him and discarding the rest. Dragon magick is not for all. Dragon magick is only for the self-disciplined seeker who realizes the potential dangers, yet dares to communicate with and befriend this vast astral power of the ages. It is for the magician who is serious about changing her/his life and the living space around her/him. It is an asset for those who can give trust (not blindly, but with common sense), love and a desire for true friendship.

If you use dragon magick for unjustified purposes, or try to manipulate and control dragons, you can expect a terrific negative backlash. In the matters of self-protection or bringing justice down upon dangerous members of society. I have absolutely no second thoughts about employing dragons. As to manipulation and control, one simply does not do that with friends and co-magicians. Common sense tells you that such behavior will terminate the friendship and cause other magicians to cease their cooperation, perhaps even to work against you. If you prove a danger to dragons, they are likely to enspell you to such a point that your magick does not work.

“Dancing with Dragons”

D. J. Conway

What If You Have Attracted A Dragon or Dragons Who Make You Feel Uncomfortable?

What If You Have Attracted A Dragon or Dragons Who Make You Feel Uncomfortable?

What if you have attracted a dragon or dragons who make you feel uncomfortable? I have known this to occur with other spiritual guides, so I suppose it can also happen with dragons, although I have not personally experienced this. If a dragon make you uncomfortable, it is very likely that you are not ready yet to work with its energies. First, become clear in your own mind why you feel this discomfort. Perhaps the actual root of the discomfort is a bit of programming struggling to make itself felt and keep control over your activities. Perhaps the dragon’s coloring has triggered old conditionings. A black dragon produces this feeling in people who have been taught that dragons, and particularly black dragons, are evil. The further into the subconscious you dig, the more you are amazed at what is it there, controlling your thoughts and actions when you least expect it.

If you still feel uncomfortable, set aside a time for a brief meditation and mental conversation with the dragon. Explain carefully and politely that you are attempting to remedy the situation, but at this time you just do not feel that the two of you can work positively together. Project as much good will as you can. The dragon will understand. I have never known a dragon to stay where it is not welcome.

The first dragons I saw were the huge elemental ones who appeared one night about a week before we discovered that some bikers up the road were operating a meth lab. By the time the ATF forces, FBI, and local law enforcement descended upon the area, the dragons had put up very strong defenses around our property. At no time did we have any problems with the bikers. And, although some of their members shot it out with officials in another location, the arrests near us were quiet. After that, all colors and sizes of dragons made appearances, join in rituals and generally hanging around the house. They are still with us.

As your journey begins in dragon magick, go prepared for a fantastic voyage on which you can make new friends and magick-working partners, and you will be pleasantly surprised at the knowledge you will learn. Dance with the dragons in their endless round of energy, and feel all areas of what you want from the astral plane, and you may well (and very likely will) have an unprofitable journey filled with unpleasant experiences. Would-be conquering invaders have never been met with friendship, whatever plane of existence they were on. Exploring traders who were willing to listen and bargain a bit always had the most successful, profitable voyages of discovery. Travel into dragon country with caution, an open mind, and friendship in your heart. The journey will be well worth it.

“Dancing with Dragons”

D. J. Conway

So How Does One Go About Finding Dragons?

So How Does One Go About Finding Dragons?

 

So how does one go about finding dragons? You begin by learning as much about dragons and their magickal habits as possible. Then you look at your reasons for wishing to practice dragon magick with an objective and critical eye. When you feel comfortable with these steps, and only then, you begin building an atmosphere that will attract dragons. You perform certain actions that arouse their curiosity and will draw them to your vicinity. You beam a mental welcome, setting aside time and place to communicate with them on the astral level through mental visualization and speech. And you have to believe they exist, even if you cannot see them with your physical eyes or prove their existence to someone else.

You have to cast aside social taboos on “seeing” things and know with your heart that dragons do exist, if you wish to attract dragons. Mentally invite the dragons to make their presence known by thought or deed. Be sensitive and extra aware of what is occurring around you. Most dragons tend to be subtle in their first contacts with humans. They may choose to make an appearance in dreams or as flashes of movement seen in the peripheral vision. They may even forego these types of appearance to simply touch your psychic “feelings.”

Guardian dragons, the easiest to contact, often appear as little voices or faces and forms in the mind. Dragons may show up unannounced at any time, but especially during meditation or magickal rituals, either singly or several at a time. They love the power flow of ritual and will make an appearance just to bathe in the energy. They may well have been there all the time; you just did not notice them. Since dragons are masters of concealment that is not surprising.

These smaller dragons delight in sharing the vibrations of tarot and rune readings and other psychic practices. One of our guardian dragons likes to play with my crystal pendulum. He either pats it with a claw or mentally sends it spinning in nonsense directions. The only solution to using the pendulum is to let him tire of his game before attempting to get a reliable answer. He and his companions like to peer over my shoulder during tarot readings muttering their own interpretations all the while. One just has to be patient with them, as one would with a small, curious child.

You have to be willing to practice a great deal of patience, self-control, and self-discipline, learning to work with a specific set of magickal laws in order to consistently attract and elicit the help of dragons. As with all magickal procedures, nothing is cast in concrete but there are certain aspects of these procedures which cannot be eliminated or changed to any great extent without disturbing th flow of magickal power.

Not all dragons are of positive magick. I dislike using the words “good” or “evil,” because negative power is just as important to the existence of life as is positive power. Negative energies have nothing to do with evil, unless you have evil thoughts and intentions within yourself. And the Goddess knows that evil thoughts and intentions exist within those who are totally against magick! It is easy for people to understand what positive energy is and does. But negative energy has received a lot of bad press. Both positive and negative aspects of many things besides energy are needed to create, indeed for the universe to stay in existence.

What most people mean by using negative energy is the deliberate use of this type of power against another human. The magician realizes that sometimes, and after great deliberation of possible consequences and the true reasons behind her/his decision to use this type of energy, calling upon and sending forth negative energy can be justified. The best examples I can give of this are in the areas of rapists, child abusers, spouse beaters, drug dealers, dangerous fanatics, and serial killers. Allowing such evil to continue to exit unrestrained is potentially harmful to everyone. Working magick to get these offenders caught and punished is helpful to society as a whole in the final analysis. Even for these reasons, the magician must end the ritual with detached, unemotional involvement, an extremely difficult state of mind to reach.

Casting aside the magickal laws for working with dragon power is certain to get you into trouble. Even the most positive dragon is a wily beast who, like many humans, tend to look out for him/herself first. Dragons likely developed this attitude after trying to work with humans thousands of years ago and finding that puny mortals were unreliable, often treacherous, allies.

Your attitude toward the existence of dragons must be the first big step in preparation for meeting them. The power of dragons is a tremendous force, amplifying a magician’s ability to new heights.

“Dancing with Dragons”

D. J. Conway

Making Dragon Magick

Making Dragon Magick

 
 
Half-close your eyes as you sit outside or near caves or rocks. If the light is bright, you may see the swirling iridescent silver, purple, gold, green and blue of the dragon outline shimmering ahead. Let the image enclose and energize you and breathe slowly and regularly, allowing the warm, shimmering colors to flow in and out of your own energy field, your aura. If you see nothing externally allow the image to build up in your mind and superimpose it in your imagination on the scene.
 
You may see an image of the dragon and her fabulous treasures within the cave or see her flying upwards towards the sun. There is no danger in this for she is a spiritual force, experienced through the layers of countless millennia.
 
You may feel very warm as though close to a bonfire and see sparks or sunbeams dancing in the air all around.
 
When you are ready, close your eyes and gently push away with your hands palms outwards and upright. Allow the energies to move away, or you may sense them fading spontaneously as the dragon moves on.
 
Don’t ask for anything. The experience is enough and will help you to move with confidence and attract and spread the abundance you need.
 
Be sure to take a bottle of water to drink afterwards and splash on your hairline, brow, throat and wrists or palms to cool you down.
 
While you are still there, take time to write in your Book of Shadows. You may have heard words in your mind as you experienced the dragons power or they may come now and even if you are not normally poetic, the encounter will trigger off rich and vivid descriptions of flying with the dragon, the mysterious smoke-filled air within the cave and metallic colors of your dragon. If you open your eyes in the night before sleep the colors may reform.
 
Afterwards is a good time to explore the caves and rocks, if accessible. Even if you are crammed in a tourist party, you can sense your dragon and maybe the special place that you connected with in your visions and see the shimmering silver and purples reflected on the dark walls.

The Charm of Making

The Charm of Making

 
The Charm of Making could just as well be called the Charm of Manifestation into the Physical. It is rather like the finishing touches to spellworking. The concentration used solidifies your intentions into embryonic form in the spiritual realm where all creation begins. Without this solidification and seed-planting in the spiritual, nothing can manifest in the physical.
 
Notes: Perform during bright noon or the waxing Moon for increasing magick with the Full Moon being strongest; during evening hours or the waning Moon for decreasing magick, with the New Moon being strongest. Use in conjunction with any ritual. This ceremony is primarily to use dragon power and magick for bringing your desires into being.

Supplies: It is better to have a pentacle disk; dragon pentacles; water chalice with a little fresh water in it; dish of salt; wine chalice; black (left) and white (right) altar candles; sword; wand; incense burner; appropriate incense (such as prosperity or binding); dragon’s blood powder and mastic; dragon mirror; gong or bell; staff; any candles for spells, talisman bags, etc. It is useful for concentration to plan what exactly you want to use before beginning this ritual.

Use the Basic Dragon Ritual up to the point where you insert the necessary chants for specific spellworkings.

 
Hold the sword in your power hand, the staff in the other. Stand facing the altar and hold the sword pointed at the dragon pentacle. Chant five, seven or nine time in tones that vibrate through your body:
 
“BY GLOW OF SUN THE POWER’S BEGUN.
BY MOONBEAM’S LIGHT THE SPELL IS RIGHT,
TO CREATE DESIRE BY EARTH AND FIRE,
WATER, AIR, MAKE MAGICK FAIR.
POWERFUL CHARM OF MAKING, CREATIVE MAGICK UNDERTAKING.
BE FORMED!
 
While chanting this concentrate deeply upon drawing on the dragon power. You will feel power sent to you from all sides. Listen to any messages that the dragons give you.

Place the candle, talisman bag and contents or whatever you are spelling, between the mirror and the dragon pentacle. Make certain that the dragon pentacle is reflected in the mirror along with the objects. If using a candle, light it and let it burn out completely in that position. If using a talisman bag or poppet, leave it on the altar overnight.

Continue the rest of the ritual.

Dragon Power In Magick

Dragon Power In Magick

Working with dragons in magick is different in many ways from other magickal procedures, but not so different that you can disregard certain rules. You need to know how to practice visualization and self-discipline, ethics, absolute truthfulness with yourself, consistency of practice, and meditation. And there must be an exchange of energies while working, an absolute when working with dragons. All of these are important components of any magickal system.

Visualization begins with unlearning many so-called value systems shoved on us by other people, the most common of which is that use of the imagination and daydreaming are not productive and good. The imagination and daydreaming are a negative practice if they occupy most of your life and time; if you daydream about what you want to happen instead of planning and taking action, then you are avoiding responsibility. However, for any type of magick to become truly effective, you must learn how to vividly picture in your mind the event or result that you wish to happen. Once you firmly have the event or result in your mind, you perform your ritual and then release the mental energy for manifestation.

Self-discipline and ethics go together. A magician should not, for his/her own good, dabble in controlling other people or indulge in questionable personal behavior. Jealousy, envy, lust, greed, and anger should not control what a magician does during his/her rituals. In fact, these undesirable emotions should not control any part of a magician’s life. These intense emotions tend to cloud judgment, either bringing an emotional backlash on the magician or causing deliberate harm to others, which in itself brings an eventual backlash on the magician. Either way, it is not worth the misery.

A magician must sincerely desire what she/he is asking for in ritual. If it is half-hearted wish with little emotional intensity behind it, the dragons, or any other entities for that matter, will simply not be interested in helping. And do not think you can put one over on spiritual or astral plane entities because they can see straight through to the truth. The truth is never hidden from these creatures.

One of the worst things a magician can do is take something away from another person by means of magick. This includes health, property, life or freedom. Very often I find that beginning magicians want to control another’s decisions and life on the subject of love. Too often I heard that “I know so-and-so is the true love of my life, but they show no interest. How can I use magick to make them love me?” Forget it! The price is very high for doing this kind of manipulative magick! If they were meant to love you, they would already show interest. Obviously, they are not the love of your life except in your own mind. Any magician considering such a dark use of magick had better take a long, truthful look at their ulterior motives. If someone you were definitely not interested in started taking away your personal freedom to choose, how would you feel?

The second part of the use of magick is that the magician must release the emotions and desire after the ritual is finished. To constantly think about what you want accomplished after the ritual is ended binds the energies to you and they cannot manifest. To constantly talk about your desires, or to talk about the rituals you are performing to get them, will surely keep them from manifestation. To want something so much you can taste it and yet not care if you get it is a very difficult mood to cultivate. I have never known any magician who reached perfection in this area, but getting as close to it as possible is what is important.

There must be an exchange of energies between the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual planes for any spellworking to result in manifestation. Playing at ritual magick, particularly dragon magick, will not get you anywhere. Without mental concentration, physical working, emotional involvement, and intensity of purpose, in other words energies, dragons will not be interested in adding their vast energies to yours. No entity or companion, whether of this plane or another is gong to do all the work for nothing and let you sit on your hands. Dragons are attracted by the energies you raise during ritual, a kind of astral pay-off since they feed on this energy.

Belief in powers beyond yourself is important in any kind of magick. There is an old saying: “If you believe you can, or you believe you can’t, you’re right.” We may not understand how these powers and energies work: we may not be able to describe them to anyone else; we will not be able to prove “scientifically” what they are. But we maigicians know they exist. A magician believe in them because she/he sees the results of their use.

Every magician who wishes to be effective in ritual and manifestation, who desires to grow and expand in knowledge, sooner or later comes to the conclusion that magick is a very serious practice. They learn to set aside time for study and self-improvement through meditation. They practice what are commonly called the psychic arts: tarot, runes, the pendulum, crystal reading, dream analysis, and so on. They cultivate the senses, especially observation, which includes what is in both the physical and astral realm. They learn to read their own intuitive feelings and the vibrations of others.

“Dancing with Dragons”

D. J. Conway