Witch Nest

About Weather Magick

2011-05-12T06:03:00.000-07:00

Weather spells are an ambiguous topic. It is extremely personal magic. My desire for a beautiful sunny day may correspond to your need for rain. Will our spells cancel each other's out? Does the most powerful magician win?

Despite these inherent difficulties, Weather Spells are among the most ancient magical genres. The most successful weather spells are cast by a community in response to a consensus regarding a weather emergency, typically either too much or too little rain. It was believed that one could summon or banish storms by invoking ancient spirits. In essence the storms and winds are spirits.

This belief remains personified in the orisha "who embodies the hurricanes that travel from West Africa to the Caribbean annually. Vestiges of these beliefs linger in the tradition of naming hurricanes, by naming the spirit, a measure of control is maintained.

Magical and spiritual aspects of weather have always been controversial:

* Ancient Mesopotamian wind spirits could be destructive, as can the modern Central American "

* Jews perceived winds as messengers of the Creator, although not all are inherently benevolent.

* In the Odyssey, Odysseus is given a bag of winds as a divine gift, sealed up with knot magic. When his curious men release the knots too soon, the gift turns to disaster.

* According to Saint Thomas, wind and rain could be produced by demons. Hence magicians who offered to sell storms to those who needed them.

* The earliest ecclesiastic law in England, the" Penitentiales of Saint "Archbishop of Canterbury from 668 through 690, was directed against those who caused storms by invoking "fiends."

Source: The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells

Suggested e-books:

Sepharial - On The Markets
Borce Gjorgjievski - History Of Western Magic
Franz Bardon - Frabato The Magician

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On The Subject Of Magic

2011-05-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

This is an intriguing explanation of magic. I found it in an Anne Rice book, Servant of the Bones

"All magic of all lands and of all schools is the same. Magic is an attempt to control the unseen spirits, and the spirit within the living, or to bring back the spirits of the dead which still surround the earth. That is all that magic is. Making illusions, doing tricks, bringing wealth, it's all done through spirits, that is, beings without bodies who can move swiftly, unseen, steal, spy, transport, etc. That's all magic. The words differ from country to country, from Ephesus to Delphi, to the northern steppes. But it's all the same.

"I know all the magic that can be known, and I continue my search for more. To learn a new incantation teaches me a new possibility. Now listen to me! It teaches me a new possibility, but it doesn't increase my power, my power increases with understanding and will. All magic is the same. What I'm saying is, you can do most anything whether you have the words or not" are born for the most part, but some men become magicians... incantations school and direct them, but ultimately the words don't count. To God all languages are one. To the spirits all languages are one. Incantations help the weak magician more than the strong. " you can see why can't you? You are very strong. You can do things without incantations. I've seen that today. So have you. Don't let anyone ever convince you by any incantation that they can have power over you. A magician can have power over you, yes, but don't ever be fooled by mere words. Confront the power if you would resist it. Rouse yourself and make an incantation of your own. Incantations frighten spirits and humans alike. Make a song of strength, a song of might, when you would have your way. Doors will open."

Suggested e-books:

Joseph Ennemoser - The History Of Magic Vol 1
Anonymous - The Basics Of Magick

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Spring Flower Magickal Correspondences

2011-03-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

As spring arrives, our gardens begin to bud and eventually bloom. For hundreds of years, the plants that we grow have been used in magic. Flowers in particular are often connected with a variety of magical uses. Now that spring is here, keep an eye out for some of these flowers around you, and consider the different magical applications they might have": This flower is one of the first you'll see in the spring, and it's often associated with newly blooming love. The crocus is also known to enhance visions and bring about intuitive dreams": The bright petals of the daffodil are typically found in shades of white, yellow or even pale orange. This flower is associated with love and fertility -- place fresh ones in your home to bring about abundance. Wear this flower close to your heart to draw love and luck": The leaf of the dandelion is used for healing, purificaiton, and ritual cleansing. To bring positive change about, plant dandelions in the northwest corner of your property. The bright yellow flowers can be used in divination, or placed in a sachet to draw good energy your way": Also called purple coneflower, this garden mainstay adds a little bit of magical "oomph" to charmes and sachets. Use it for prosperity related workings. Burn the dried flowers in incense, and use on your altar during ritual as an offering to deities": This sunny yellow flower is often found growing in the wild, alongside roads and in fields. Use it in money spells, or for business dealings. Work it into charms connected to matters of financial gain or legal issues.

o HIBISCUS: This lusty flower incites passion -- use it to attract love or lust, or for prophetic dreams about your lover. Burn in incense, or carry in a sachet to bring love your way": This flower was named for Hyakinthos, a Greek divine hero who was beloved by Apollo, so it's sometimes considered the patron herb of homosexual men. Hyacinth is also known to promote peaceful sleep, and guards against nightmares. Carry in an amulet to help heal a broken heart or to ease grief when a loved one dies": The Easter lily or Tiger lily is associated with all kinds of Spring connections -- fertility, rebirth, renewal and abundance": Named for another Greek figure, the Narcissus helps promote polarity and harmony. Its calming vibrations bring about tranquility and inner peace": The tulip appears in many different colors and varieties, but is typically connected to prosperity. You can use the different colored variations in color magic -- use a dark strain such as Queen of the Night for full moon rituals, or bright red flowers for love magic": In Roman myth, the first violet sprung from the spilled blood of the god Attis, who killed himself for Cybele, the mother goddess. However, today the violet is associated with tranquility and peace. The leaf offers protection from evil, and can be sewn into a pillow or sachet for a new baby. Carry the petals with you to bring about luck and enhance nighttime magic.

Suggested e-books:

Correllian Times Emagazine - Issue 14 October 2007 Vol 2 Samhain Correspondences
Louis Claude De Saint Martin - Theosophic Correspondence

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Magic Is Afoot

2011-02-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

May is the time of fertility and new beginnings after a long winter. The Faeries are afoot! They dance in the hills and roll in the grass, reveling in the joy of warm May breezes. Our spirits are high with the lust and heartiness of spring. New life is stirring and appetites are keen.

-Laurie Cabot

Suggested e-books:

Kenneth Grant - Magical Revival
Samael Aun Weor - Magic Runes
George Moir - Magic And Witchcraft

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Heretic Summoning Of The Elements

2011-01-18T01:12:00.000-08:00

OK, here it is. This was originally developed by an old friend and working partner of mine.

(Circle area should be completely dark. All people should be inside the circle. A central altar is used with five candles on it: a source candle of gray or pearlescent white or emerald green; a form candle of black; a force candle of white; a fire quarter candle of red; and a lighting taper.)

(The HP and HPS should face each other over the central altar)

HP: First there was nothing, and the Womb of the Void begat Light (light Source candle)

HPS: And that Light gave form to the Void, the form that we call darkness, and that was the first Goddess. (Light Form candle)

HP: And the darkness gave to the light potency, power, and that was the first god. (light force candle).

Both: From the union of these came Fire, least tangible and most active of all the elements. (light fire candle, hand to 3rd person in the south. they then circumambulate a full 360 degrees and place fire candle in the south, picking up air candle there.)

HPS: Fire calmed and made more tangible became air. (light Air candle, circumambulate 270 degrees to the east.)

HP: Air flowing with solid form, became water. (light water candle (in east) (circumambulate 180 degrees to the west)

HPS: And still, solid water, is earth. (3rd person goes directly to the north side of the altar)

All: Thus does all come from the Void, and so shall all return to the Void when creation's day is done.

(HP faces east, then south, then zenith. while facing shouts "Fiat". at the same times, HPS faces west, north and nadir and shouts "Fiat". HPS raises both hands from nadir to the centre above the altar, HP lowers arms from zenith to the centre above the altar)

Both: Fiat, voluntas mea. (hands should be touching in the centre.

Notes:

The third person who carries the quarter candles acts as the channel for the energy of the HP and HPS during their invocation. S/he should visualize constructing a ribbon roadway that has landing stops at each elemental area.

The "Fiat"s at the end should include a visualization of either an invoking pentagram, or a door opening, or something similar (I have modified the invoking pentagrams to follow the descent lines -- e.g. invoking air would be from fire point to air point).

The effort of building the road and the landings is form with minimal force. It is the "Fiat"s at the end which generate the force flows to balance the system.

The road itself can be useful for visiting the various elemental kingdoms, but you might find them different from what you expect. Following the road from nadir up to and beyond zenith in an ascending arc is quite good for either deep meditation or projection work. Anyhow, 'nuff stuff for now. I hope you find this useful.

Bright Blessings Marios

Also try this free pdf e-books:

Chantepie De La Saussaye - The Religion Of The Teutons
Eliphas Levi - The Conjuration Of The Four Elements
Anonymous - The Prayers Of The Elementals

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Maiden Quarter Calls

2010-12-27T10:37:00.000-08:00

East - Air - Mind

We honor and invite you to join us here tonight!
Fresh, young breeze, Maiden's breath,
brighten our ideas with creativity and intuition.
Blessed Be!

South - Fire - Energy

We honor and invite you to join us here tonight!
Brilliant, youthful Maiden's boundless strength,
blaze bright within us.
Blessed Be!

West - Water - Emotion

We honor and invite you to join us here tonight!
Pure spring of our feelings, flow and ebb through us
with our own Maiden's truth and innocence.
Blessed Be!

North - Earth - Body

We honor and invite you to join us here tonight!
Healthy Maiden's beauty and awesome force,
ground us to you with strong roots.
Blessed Be!

Center - Spirit - Change

We honor and invite you to join us here tonight!
Sweet Maiden's spirit, transform us always
into our best and deepest selves.
Blessed Be!

Also try this free pdf e-books:

Howard Phillips Lovecraft - In The Walls Of Eryx
Howard Phillips Lovecraft - The Rats In The Walls

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Forge Working

2010-12-25T04:22:00.000-08:00

Introduction

HP: This is the Snow Moon, the Horning Moon, the moon that is both Crone and Maiden, the moon of the silent depths of winter. This is a time of rest, a time of stasis. The Earth slumbers beneath a blanket of snow. The Lady rests, gathering Her strength after the birth of the God. It is a time of stasis, but also a time of transformation. Deep beneath the white cloak of winter, new life stirs into wakefulness. It is a time of transition, and ever have transitions been regarded as things of power. Not wholly of what was, nor of what will be, but partaking of both. A place between places, a time between times, a Gate between Worlds. Defined by no single thing, from whence all things are possible. No thing, yet all things, for upon the Wheel of Life no thing may stand alone. What was partakes of what may be, as what may be is forged of what was. All that was, both the light and the dark, is the ore from which the future is forged in the eternal fires of the Gods. Thus we gather here together on this magical night, this night of transition and transformation. Dancers together of the spiral dance, fellow travelers upon the sacred path. Each one of us brings to this Circle all of what was in our own lives, all of what makes each one of us the unique individuals that we are. For each one of us is the product of our own past, the product of joy and sorrow, triumph and tragedy, pain and ecstasy, dark and light. All of this, each one of us brings here tonight, to lay upon the forge of the Gods, the raw material from which to forge what will be. For tonight you yourself are the ore, raw metal and dross mixed inexorably together, that you bring to the smithy door. The forge fire roars, and it is your hand that pumps the bellows. Raw ore melts in the crucible, black dross sinking into the very atoms of the metal or burning away in spiraling smoke, and it is you
yourself who are transformed. All that was, all that has gone before, that has made you what you are today, you will transform under your own hand and will to mold what you will become. For this is the essence of the Craft, that your life is a tool of your own forging, for good or for ill. The hammer rings against the anvil, shaping and transforming glowing metal, and it is your arm that swings the hammer. Arm and hand, striking with the skill of a craftsman and the power to transform worlds. And it is your will that guides them, your vision that forms the final shape. It is up to you.

Guided meditation

HP: As you sit with your eyes closed, you breathe deeply, reaching simultaneously inward and outward in the personal ritual of grounding and centering that is so comfortable and so familiar. Gently, gradually, the room fades from around you, and slowly you begin to become aware that you are sitting with your back against a rough stone. Next, you begin to feel the wind, cold, raw, as cold as the dark between the stars, yet strangely familiar, laced with the scents of salt and heather. It whispers to you, whispers of times gone by and times yet to come. Secrets, also, it seems to whisper, secrets of Earth and sky, of things that care little for mortal man. Faintly, far away, the sea booms monotonously against the cliff face, as it has done since the beginning of the world. Slowly, very slowly, you open your eyes. The stone at your back, gray, gritty, and cold, towers over you, a massive, rectangular slab of granite that seems to reach from the Earth to the stars. As your eyes slowly become accustomed to the darkness around you and the flickering firelight, you begin to realize that you are not alone, that other stones stand with yours on the heath, forming a great ring. Above you, the clear dark sky blazes with stars...with constellations strange and brilliant, yet hauntingly familiar.

In the center of the circle burns a huge, roaring baelfire. A low, blocky stone shape, half lost beyond the glare of the fire, betokens an ancient altar. Beyond it, anonymous in robe and shadowed cowl, stands a lone figure, half seen, half unseen. Across the fire from the altar, a single huge monolith, even taller and more massive than the standing stones of the ring, rears against the night sky. The leaping, dancing, flames of the baelfire cast flickering shadows across the hard, dry ground. The enormous monolith of the kingstone casts a long shadow toward the edge of the circle. The hooded figure beyond the altar seems to be chanting softly in a language that you cannot quite understand. The fire dances moving, twisting shadows on and about the kingstone. After a long moment, you become slowly aware that the shawled figure of an old woman is standing, half-hidden by the dancing firelight, in the shadow of the kingstone. You sense dimly from the figure a feeling of unknowable age, and yet ofpreternatural alertness. The crone speaks no word, makes no sign, yet you sense suddenly that you have been summoned. You lift yourself from the ground, muscles protesting from cold and inaction, to follow that inexorable summons. But the shadowy figure of the crone is -- gone. Still, you know where you last saw her, she cannot have gone far. One -- two -- three -- five more steps carry you into the shadow of the kingstone ... and your eyes, dazzled by the baelfire's glare, are suddenly plunged into blackness. Almost by reflex, you put out a hand to touch the ancient stone, surely no more than a foot or two away -- to touch nothing. Caught off guard, you stumble blindly forward. The massive, brooding bulk of the kingstone seems, unaccountably, to have vanished. Instead, the ground slopes gently downward beneath your feet, and you get the sudden impression not of the open, barren expanse of the heath around you, but of rock. It is as if the standing stone had become, somehow, a tunnel. The wind is gone, not stilled but cut off, and the air is dry, still, and cold. The force that first summoned you remains and, almost without conscious volition, you follow it, trusting that whatever power brought you here will guide your feet.

{Pause}

The beating of your own heart is loud in your ears, as though reflected and magnified by the still unseen tunnel walls. Slowly you begin to realize that the darkness about you is no longer absolute, that a dim, sullen red light glows in the midst of blackness, far in front of you. Still you walk, the dim, red light swelling slowly, very slowly, before you. The beating of your heart grows louder in your ears, louder and more solid, with a deep, ominous, almost metallic ring to it.

{Pause}

As the light grows ever so slowly brighter, you become aware of other figures around you. Most notable, silhouetted against the slowly growing light, is the shawled, shadowy figure of the crone. The light grows brighter, and the deep, steady, booming beat in your ears grows louder. The air is growing hotter, as well. The dry cold of the heath is gone, along with the tang of salt and heather. Now the scent in the warming darkness is that of smoke and of heated metal.

{Pause}

The glow before you has grown now, so that you can make out the shape of the tunnel mouth limned against the blackness. Just beyond it, the figure of the crone stands to one side, silhouetted against the glow. Once so far away, the end of the tunnel is upon you with startling suddenness, and you stop abruptly in the opening. Heat beats against your exposed skin -- the heat of a huge forge -- as the beat of hammer upon anvil rings in your ears. Silhouetted against the red-yellow glow of the forge, a glow that fills the cavernous room with sullen light, stands a huge, burly figure, perhaps half again your own height.

{Pause}

Shadow against shadow, the two figures face each other across the great cavern of the smithy. For a long, slow moment they regard each other, still as statues, silent as the tomb, the beating of your heart deafening in your ears.

The coiling tension in the still air wrings sweat from your palms, and blasting waves of forge heat rip it away again.

{Pause}

CRONE:
I have come.
GOD:
Why have you come, old crone?
CRONE:
As death and change must come to all, so I.
GOD:
Here is no death, only the change, the refining of the raw.
CRONE:
There is slight difference, one from the other. The turning Wheel rules all things. I serve that Wheel, even as you do.
GOD:
Not all that is mined is worthy of my fire...the purest ore the finest weapons make.
CRONE:
Aye, pure gold is perfect and yet a thing of clay...without the strength it gains from the dross. Yea, and copper also of itself complete will hold no edge, lest leavened it be. For copper and tin become more than either one alone. So too the purest iron, unless alloyed with coal, will ne'er be steel.
GOD:
To other I leave the swords that cleave the skull, part soul from body...my hammer shapes a finer blade.
CRONE:
Even the spirits that you refashion benefit by their flaws, are strengthened by the darker side of their nature...Know then that light and dark so wed, so forged, so joined one to the other make the whole...as day and night complete the wheel of life.

{Long pause}

GOD:
So mote it be.
Once again the hammer strikes against the anvil, a blow that could shatter worlds. The forge fire flares -- and explodes – and the world is lost in a blast of white fire. The stone floor beneath your feet burns away in an instant, and you are falling -- falling into the heart of the fire. White heat boils around you, burning away all it touches, until naught is left but the fire and the endless beat of the hammer -- beating against the molten core that is you.

{Pause}

Falling ... falling ... and still the heat increases, the fire beating against you in wave after endless wave. The beat of the hammer vibrates through every fiber of your being; wringing, changing, melding, transforming with every stroke. Smoke writhes now through the white fire, the smoke of things that once were and are no more. The smoke coils through you as well now, absorbed into your substance, for you are the molten metal, and the ashes of the past are a part of you, now and forever. One and inseparable, now and forever, they are a part of you and a part of your strength, for without them you would be less than you are.

{Pause}

The forge fire burns brighter yet, brightness beyond light, until at last it burns black, with the smoke twining in glowing threads of red-gold fire against it.

{Pause}

Hammer crashes against anvil once more, this time within your own mind, and black fire vanishes in an instant into deeper blackness, searing fire quenched in a shock of icy sea water. The beat of the hammer is now the booming of storm-lashed surf against a craggy shore. The sea explodes skyward in a blast of wind-driven fury, driving up, up, high into the sky, only to crash back down across the headlands at the top of the cliffs. The water drains away and is gone, and as your sight clears you behold the stone circle once again, a dark, shawled figure half-hidden in the fire-cast shadow of the kingstone. The figure nods silently to you, as if in salute, and vanishes into the shadows. Your eyes close, seemingly almost of their own volition. The wind dies, the feeling of the stone at your back fades, and the rough grass and coarse ground beneath you become once again hard floor and even carpet. You have returned from a long and a most strange journey.

There Is Magick

2010-12-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

"There is magic in this world if you want the world to be magical. If you want life to be special, it will be. No one wants to be bored or consumed by ordinary drudgery. But what happens, all too often, is that when magic is presented to us, we don't believe it because we don't trust ourselves. We don't realize what can really be accomplished. We don't realize that if we wish to, we can take other forms. We can sit in the presence of the great masters, angels, or ancient seers of wisdom and find peace and wisdom, but it takes many small deaths, the giving away of old limitations, to get there."

"I want you to know that there is much, much more to your life than what you think is there. It doesn't matter what you believe in - which god, which life, which creator, which messiah. It doesn't matter. What matters is your ability to love. What matters is your dialogue with the divine and how you manifest that in life for the simple joy of it, for the healing of it, and for the inspiration of beauty that it provides for all those around you."

~Lynn Andrews "Tree of Dreams"

Suggested e-books:

Benjamin Rowe - The Essential Skills Of Magick
Aleister Crowley - Intro Magick
Anonymous - The Basics Of Magick

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Charms And Symbols

2010-12-24T15:52:00.000-08:00

ACORN : Concentrated potential, youth, good health, and growth.
ANKH : Physical life in harmony with spiritual life.
BEES, BEETLES, WINGED INSECTS : Harbingers of Sprint, Earth's fertility, social cooperation, industriousness.
BAT : Asian charm depicts five bats as the blessing of health, wealth, love of virtue, old age, and a natural death.
BUTTERFLY : Ancient symbol of the soul, exemplifies transformation; represents and early and happy marriage in some Asian cultures.
BIRDS (GENERAL) : Thought, imagination, intuition, freedom.
BIRDS (WATER) : Associated with abundance, fertility, and transformation.
BEAR : Childbearing, powerfully protective mother instincts, hibernation symbolizes introspection and self-renewal.
CHICKEN : Security and prosperity of a cozy homestead.
CROSS : Protection symbolized by the four directions of the cross; union of elements and opposites.
COW : Earth mother, nourishment, taking care of physical needs, the wealth of the Earth, fertility cycles of the Moon.
COYOTE : Cleverness, guise of the trickster, surviving by ones wits.
CHAIN : Continuity of life with past, present, future; the interrelatedness of all living things.
CAT : Personal pride, self-assurance, love of beauty and comfort. Black cats are especially lucky (associations with bad luck come from the Medieval Church, which reviled cats because they were the totem animals of the Love Goddess); embody the Spirits of Place because of their attachment to their homes.
CIRCLE : Eternal; never-ending. Wholeness, completion, Self, and Spirituality.
CELTIC CROSS : The Earth and her four quarters; the union of Earth with the spiritual world. Eternity, the dynamic balance between solar and lunar forces.
DAISY : Youth, aliveness, the qualities of the archetypical maiden.
DEER : Maternal affection, healing touch, grace and gentility.
DOG : Companionship, fidelity, household guardian.
DOLPHIN : The connection between human sentience and that of the animal kingdom.
DRAGON : The raw, powerful, flowing, energies of the Life Force as it courses through landforms and the elements of Fire, Water, and Air.
DRAGONFLY : Ethereal, illusionary beauty.
DOVE : Peace, love and fertility.
EAGLE : Spiritual power, the ability to soar beyond all limitations.
EDELWEISS : A test of love and courage - to obtain it for your beloved, you must climb craggy mountain slopes where it grows.
EVERGREEN TREE : Contains the same symbolism of the tree, but emphasizing the reconciliation between the transitory and the eternal, promising eternal life and the continuity of life.
FOUR LEAF CLOVER : The four leaves are said to stand for health, wealth, happiness, and true love.
HAWKS : Alertness, awareness, ability to see the heart of the matter.
HUMMINGBIRD : Pure joy, ecstatic lightness of being, love charm.
MOON : A powerful symbol with many layers of meaning, the feminine mysteries; the night side of Nature and the call of the Wilderness; the measure of Time and the tides of Life; the cycles of fertility, growth, fulfillment, and going within; the realm of magic; the unconscious mind.
MUSHROOM : Symbolic of the borders of consciousness and the awareness of other worlds (states of consciousness), traditional association with the Faery Realm.
TRIANGLE : Creative focus of body, mind and spirit.
FISH : The Water element, fertility and richness.
FROG : Transformation, evolution, small impulses that lead to meaningful things; also, the herald of nourishing rain and the beginning of spring.
HORSE : Great power coupled with great gentility, personal power in both physical and spiritual domains.
LADYBUG : Good luck coming from the gifts of the Love Goddess.
LAMB : Innocence, the playful vitality of youth.
LION : The raw power of the Fire element.
LIZARD : Basking habits show the lizards love of the Sun, and the Sun returns that love; symbolized the solar powers that value and nourish even the small things.
MOUSE : The importance of the small things in life.
PIG : Their rounded shape suggests pregnancy, fertility, and abundance, their rooting around also associates them with the Earth mysteries.
RABBIT : Fertility, sexuality, abundance.
SCARAB BEETLE : Transformation, rebirth into eternal life.
SERPENT : Associated with the healing arts because of self-renewal and spiraling coils suggesting the flow of the life Force; and going into the ground represents knowledge of the mysteries.
SPIDER : The web of life (ancient symbol relevant to modern ecology), personal skill, good luck for craftpersons and witches.
TOAD : A spirit of place that confers well being to a home; recognizing beauty in homely things.
TURTLE : Longevity and protective security; in Native American lore.
UNICORN : Purity, innocence, justice, the untouched state of Nature.
WOLF : Finding new energy by making contact with the inner, wild, and primitive level of being.
OWL : Wisdom, knowledge, go-betweens twixt night and day, life and death, the Middle Earth and the Underworld.
PARROT : A love for exotic places, communication, and sociability.
PEACOCK : Personal pride, love of beauty.
ROOSTER : Courage; the victory of light over dark.
SEA GULL : Ability to travel through many dimensions as gulls are at home in three elements: Earth, Air, Water. An appropriate symbol for the Shaman.
STORK : Believed to bring babies because it is an ancient symbol of incipient life. Symbolizes good parenting and a reciprocal devotion to ones own parents.
SWALLOW : Bird that embodies the playful Spirit of Air, a harbinger of Spring, traditionally a good luck amulet.
SWAN : Feminine grace and beauty that stirs Divine inspiration.
PINE CONE : Concentration of life, fertility, growth, and prosperity.
ROSE : The fulfillment of Love.
SHELL : Historically the worlds most popular amulet, with many layers of symbolism. The Water element, love, fertility, and female sexuality. Growth and the spiraling flow of vital energy, wealth, and perfection. Moon tides and lunar phases.
SQUARE : Square, the foundation of the home, the material world and material security.
SPIRAL : Evolution, growth and progress, the flow of energy through space, landforms, and living things.
STAR (5-POINTED PENTAGRAM) : The energy generated when the four elements are bound together with the fifth element, spirit.
STAR (6-POINTED STAR OF DAVID) : Union of opposites and harmonious balance of creative forces make this the Star or Creation.
SNOWFLAKE : The manifestation of the Mother Rune, Hagal, which maps the matrix of life.
STAR : Affirms you are guided by a lucky star (help from spiritual sources); each person is a breathing star, scientists point out that we are made of the stuff of ancient star dust.
SUN : The Life Source, radiant, warm, active, expansive, life-stimulating qualities. Conscious mind, intelligence, personal pride, TREE : Another ancient, honored, and complex symbol; the ability of the Self to reach into heaven while still having roots in the Earth.

Also try this free pdf e-books:

Miac - Asatru And Odinism
Matthew Ikonen - Warlocks Handbook

Tags: philosophorum sages mystics rumi quarter invocations claim religious strange hidden powers moon magic spells room cleansing black occult water techniques holy grimoire grimorium observations hybernation grimoire

The Smudging Ceremony

2010-11-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

Our Native elders have taught us that before a person can be healed or heal another, one must be cleansed of any bad feelings, negative thoughts, bad spirits or negative energy – cleansed both physically and spiritually. This helps the healing come through in a clear way, without being distorted or sidetracked by negative "stuff" in either the healer or the patient. The elders say that all ceremonies, tribal or private, must be entered into with a good heart so that we can pray, song and walk on a sacred manner, and be helped by
the spirits to enter the sacred realm.

Native people throughout the world use herbs to accomplish this. One common ceremony is to burn certain herbs, take the smoke in one's hands and rub or brush it over the body. Today this is commonly called "smudging", and in Western North America the three plants most frequently used in smudging are sage, cedar and sweetgrass.

SAGE

There are many varieties of sage, and most have been used in smudging. The botanical name for "true" sage is Salvia (e.g. Salvia officinalis, Garden Save, or Salvia apiana, White Sage). It is interesting to note that Salvia comes from the Latin root salvare, which means "to heal". There are also varieties of sage which are of a species separated from Salvia-Artemisia. Included here are sagebrush (e.g. Artemisia californica) and Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris). We have seen both Salvia and Artemisia sub-species used in smudging.

Sage is burned in smudging ceremonies to drive out bad spirits, feelings or influences, and also to keep bad spirits from entering the area where a ceremony takes place. In Plains nations, the floor ot he sweatlodge is frequently covered with sage, and participants rub the leaves on their bodies while in the sweat. Sage is also commonly spread on the ground in a lodge or on an altar where the pipe touches the earth. Some nations wrap their pipes in sage when they are placed in pipe-bundles, as sage purifies objects wrapped in it. Sage wreaths are also placed around the head and wrists of Sundancers.

CEDAR

There is some potential confusion here too about the terms used to name plants, mainly because iin some areas, junipers are known as "cedar" – as in the case of Desert White Cedar (Juniperus monosperma). This doesn't mean that J. monosperma wasn't used as a cleansing herb, though; in the Eastern U.S., its relative, Eastern Red Cedar (Junperus Virginia) was used ceremonially. However, in the smudging ceremonies we have seen or conducted ourselves, Western Red Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) and California Incense Cedar (Libocedrus descurrens) were used – not varieties of juniper.

Cedar is burned while praying either aloud or silently. The prayers rise on the cedar smoke and are carried to the Creator. Cedar is also spread along with sage on the floor of the sweatlodges of some tribes. Cedar branches are brushed in the air to cleanse a home during the House Blessing Ceremoney of many Northwest Indian nations. In the Pacific Northwest, the People burn cedar for purification in much the same way as sage – it drives out negative energy, but it also brings in good influences. The spirit of cedar is considered very ancient and wise by Pacific Northwest tribes and old, downed cedar trees are honored with offerings and prayers.

SWEETGRASS

One of the most sacred plants for the Plains Indians, sweetgrass is a tall wild grass with a reddish base and perfume-like musty odor. It grows mainly on the eastern side of the Rockies in Montana and adjacent Alberts, Canada, and also in come small areas of Wyoming and South Dakota. Its botanical name is Hierochloe odorata; some common names are Seneca grass, holy grass and vanilla grass. We have been told that a variety of vanilla grass grows in North-Central California but how similar it is to the Plains variety we don't know.

On the Plains, sweetgrass is usually braided together in bunches as a person's hair is braided, although friends have said they have seen it used simply bunched and wrapped in cloth. Either way, it is usually burned by shaving little bits over hot coals or lighting the end and waving it around, letting the smoke spread through the air. This latter method is how we were taught to burn sweet-grass in the sweatlodge – allowing the purifying smoke to get to all parts of the lodge.

We were taught that it was good to burn sweetgrass after the sage or cedar had driven out the bad influences. Sweetgrass brings in the good spirits and the good influences. As with cedar, burning sweetgrass while praying sends prayers up to the Creator in the smoke. High Hollow Horn says in The Sacred Pipe: "This smoke from the sweetgrass will rise up to You, and will spread throughout the universe; its fragrance will be known by the wingeds, the four-leggeds, and the two-leggeds, for we understand that we are all relatives; may all our brothers be tame and not fear us!" Sweetgrass is also put in pipe bundles and medicine bundles along with sage to purify and protect sacred objects.

Sweetgrass is very rare today, its territory severly cut by development, cattle-grazing and wheat fields, and traditional Indians in the northern Plains are trying to protect the last-remaining fields. The best way for most folks to get sweetgrass is to buy it at Native American retail outlets, which gives support to Indians who can help the fields from being depleted.

SMUDGING

To do a smudging ceremony, burn the clippings of these herbs (dried), rub your hands in the smoke and then gather the smoke and bring it into your body – or rub it onto yourself, especially onto any area you feel needs spiritual healing. Keep praying all the wile that the unseen powers of the plant will cleanse your spirit. Sometimes one person will smudge another, or a group of people, using hands or more often a feather to lightly brush the smoke over the other people.We were taught to look for dark spots in a person's spirit-body. As one California Indian woman told us, she "sees" a person's spirit-body glowing around them and where there are "dark or foggy parts", she brushes the smoke into these "holes in their spirit-body". This helps to heal the spirit and to "close up" these holes.

Recently we did a light house-cleansing for a friend. We use the term "light" for this is a relatively simple ceremony as opposed to some that are more lengthy and complicated. Our friend had had some serious emotional and relationship problems and he felt they had left a heavy dark atmosphere. First we prayed together to the Creator and to the spirits for help. We then burned sage, purified ourselves, and took the sage to all corners, closets and rooms Of the house, pushing the smoke with our hands to cleanse every bit of space – lingering over dark or cold spots that "felt" uncomfortable.

We sued sage first in order to drive out the bad influences. Then we purified ourselves with cedar and, with it, repeated the cleansing process throughout the house. Then sweetgrass was used in the same manner to bring in good influences. All the time, we prayed for help in this cleansing. Finally, we took a candle over the whole house and pushed its light into every corner. This "lighting-up" of a house was taught to us by the People of the Pacific Northwest Coast. We've been doing this type of house cleansing for ten years and it never fails to "clear the air", at least somewhat.

One more note about smudging. It is very popular among New Age groups to use abalone shells in smudging. There are many Native elders who are pleased to see so many folks smudging themselves, but some are concerned that abalone shells are being used when burning the sacred herbs. On the Pacific Northwest Coast, for example, some holy men have said that abalone shells represent Grandmother Ocean and they should be used in ceremonies with water, not burning. We know enough Native elders in the Northwest, the Plains and California who don't use abalone shells – but instead clay or stone bowls – that we don't personally feel comfortable using a shell.

In any case, smudging is a ceremony that must be done with care. We are entering into a relationship with the unseen powers of these plants and with the spirits of the ceremony; and, as with all good relationships, there has to be respect and honor if a relationship is to work.

(By Adrienne Borden and Steve Coyote, Shaman's Drum 1987)

The Goddess Within Quarter Calls

2010-11-25T23:14:00.000-08:00

East

Hail, Goddess of the East
Athena, Lady of Wisdom
With serpents entwined on your arms,
Athena, Lady of Battle,
With your shield and spear,
Your helmeted head,
You who have fought for many,
To bring honor and justice.
You who have woven many tapestries,
To bring art and beauty,
Athena, we invoke you,
Ancient weaver,
Proud Goddess,
Be with us now.

East Opening of Circle:

Goddesses of East,
Lilith, Athena, Cardea,
(pause a few seconds for other Goddess names to be called)
We give thanks for your presence here tonight,
Go in peace.
Blessed Be.

South

Hail, Goddess of the South,
Pele, volcano Goddess of Hawaii,
Queen of the islands,
We call upon you.
We give you our rage, our lust, and our anger,
That you may cleanse us,
With your fiery lava.
That you may empower us,
With your mighty flow.
That you may bless us,
With your beauty.
Be with us now.

South Opening of Circle:

Goddesses of South,
Pele, Vesta, Brigit,
(pause a few seconds for other Goddess names to be called)
We give thanks for your presence here tonight,
Go in peace.
Blessed Be.

West

Hail, Goddess of the West
Aphrodite, with your golden hair,
Arising from the sea,
Surrounded by white foam,
Being birthed by the waters,

Aphrodite, bless us
With your beauty,
With your love,
With your fertile, pregnant being,
That we may heal the Earth
And help her to bear fruit,
Be with us now.

West Opening of Circle:

Goddesses ofthe West,
Hecate, Aphrodite, Yemaya
(pause a few seconds for other Goddess names to be called)
We give thanks for your presence here tonight,
Go in peace.
Blessed Be.

North

Hail, Goddess of the North.
Demeter, Goddess of the golden grain and harvest.
Be with us, Earth Mother,
Heal us and heal our children.

Oh, Demeter,
You who have grieved for your daughter Persephone,
Spent your time searching the underworld,
You who have returned to us in your glory,
Bless our land and make it fertile.

Oh, Demeter,
Sacred Mother,
Blessed sister,
Fruitful earth,
We invoke you now.

North Opening of Circle:

Goddesses of North,
Guia, Demeter, Artemis,
(pause a few seconds for other Goddess names to be called)
We give thanks for your presence here tonight,
Go in peace.
Blessed Be.

Center

Hail, Goddess of Center
Great Eagle Woman,
Moon Mother,
Lighting the way,
Bringing vision,
Soaring over us
With great wings.

Oh Great Eagle Woman,
You bring death and destruction,
You bring birth and creation,
Wisdom woman flying high,
We call on you
To guide us now.
Blessed Be.

Center Opening of Circle:

Goddesses of Center,
Isis, Shekinah, Great Eagle Woman,
(pause a few seconds for other Goddess names to be called)
We give thanks for your presence here tonight,
Go in peace.
Blessed Be.

Also try this free pdf e-books:

Margaret Alice Murray - The God Of The Witches
Howard Phillips Lovecraft - The Beast In The Cave
Howard Phillips Lovecraft - The Rats In The Walls

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I Am A Witch Or The Reincarnation Of One

2010-11-16T04:23:00.000-08:00

Psychic talents have been linked to hereditary traits, but having those gifts doesn't make you a witch. Anyone can write their own spells, it's your belief that makes the magic, not even the oldest dusty tome will instantly grant wishes, it's your belief that creates it.

You can be both a Wiccan and a witch, these two words are not the same.

One of the biggest sore points among Wiccans is the improper usage of the terms "Wiccan" and "Witch". Too many people use the terms interchangeably, presuming that they both mean the same thing. They do not.

Wiccan
Wicca is just one of many faiths that embrace Magic. Wicca is a religion, and someone who follows that religion is called a Wiccan. Sometimes it can be difficult to accurately define Wicca, and not all Wiccans will define themselves the same way. Observing the 8 Wiccan Sabbats, honoring the Gods and/or Goddesses, creating sacred space for rituals, to name a few. Many traditional Wiccans also feel that belonging to a coven is also a requirement and that those who practice their religion as a solitary, should not refer to themselves as Wiccan. Personally, I'm still not sure on that point. Typical Wiccans also practice magick, and therefore are also witches. You cannot be a "natural Wiccan" any more than you could be a "natural Christian".

Witch
The practice of witchcraft is not associated with any religion, therefore you can be a witch and yet also be a member of any number of religions (or none). Using the natural energies within yourself, along with the energies of herbs, stones or other elements to make changes
around you is considered witchcraft. Though the skills and gifts that are part of witchcraft can be inherited from parents or grandparents, you aren't automatically a witch just because your grandmother may have been one. The use of magick takes practice, experience and learning.
On a side note, a male witch is called a witch, not a warlock.

Pagan
While I'm explaining terminology, I thought I would throw in "Pagan" as well. Paganism refers to a variety of non-Christian/Jewish/ Islamic religions that are usually polytheistic and are often nature-based. Wicca is only one Pagan religion, but there are others such as Santeria,
Asatru, or Shamanism. Many people do not necessarily identify with a specific religion, and just use the broad term "Pagan" to define their spiritual path. Pagan religions are distinct and separate from each other, and it should not be assumed that they are just different names for
the same faith.

The short answer is magic is a lot of work and it takes a long time to become a proficient Witch. If you are interested in this area, submit a followup question and I'll be happy to provide a list of books, websites and ways to meet other Witches.

If this was just a question, I bid you good night.

Blessings!

Books in PDF format to read:

Scott Cunningham - Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner
Aleister Crowley - Liber 008 The Ritual Proper For The Invocation Of Augoeides
Aleister Crowley - Sephiroth Ha Dborim The Emanations Of Words

The Persian Mystics Jami

2010-10-31T00:30:00.000-07:00

Book: The Persian Mystics Jami by Frederick Hadland Davis

Jami (1414-1492), a scholar and mystic, is considered by many to be one of the greatest Persian poets of the 15th century. This volume, edited by F. Hadland Davis and first published in 1908, contains selections from some of Jami's best-known works. "Salaman and Absal" examines the earthly love ("the love that binds and fetters and is corruptible") of the eponymous star-crossed lovers and contrasts it with "incorruptible" celestial love. The "Lawa'ih" is a treatise on Sufism. "Yusuf and Zulaikha" tells of Zulaikha's unrequited love for Yusuf, and the "Baharistan" is a book of verse and prose written as a series of eight "gardens." A brief biography of Jami and some additional Information on each of the selections are included in this timeless work.

This is a basic Introduction to Jami the Persian Sufi poet. The first part of the book covers his life, a brief biography of Jami. The next chapters cover some of his most famous works the story of Salman and Absal, the Lawa'ih, the story of Yusuf and Zulakha and the Baharistan. The final part of the book are selections from the above 4 books translated.

While this is a nice Little Book it is very brief and covers only the most basic of the life and works of Jami. The author however, has remained faithful to the teachings of Jami and has done a fairly good job in explaining the teachings of Jami to the reader and providing him/her with a fair introduction to further reading.

Download Frederick Hadland Davis's eBook: The Persian Mystics Jami

Downloadable books (free):

Max Heindel - The Rosicrucian Mysteries
Frederick Hadland Davis - The Persian Mystics Jalaluddin Rumi
Frederick Hadland Davis - The Persian Mystics Jami

How To Make Your Own Athame

2010-10-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

You will need the following:

Kitchen-Knife
Hammer
Cardboard
Scissors
Yarn
Glue
Tin Foil
Tape
Card-stock
Ruler
Pencil

1) Begin by removing the blade from your kitchen knife. To do this, I took my knife to my patio with a hammer. I held the knife by the blade against the concrete with the sharp side of the blade touching the cement. I then carefully struck the handle with the hammer along its seam where the two pieces of the handle join around the handle.
2) Using your ruler, draw a basic T-Shape on a sheet of card-stock that is approximately 5 inches long and 3 at its widest part. Cut out the T-Shape and then fold it in half and using your scissors, cut the T-Shape in to a symmetrical design. This will be the pattern for the handle of your athame.
3) Trace your pattern on the cardboard four times and cut each piece out.
4) Glue the blade you removed from the kitchen knife between two of the cardboard cut-outs. Make sure you use lots of glue. You may want to lay the knife on a flat surface and place something heavy on top of it.
5)When it is dry, glue the second two pieces just as you did the first two. Allow to dry.
6) When this is dry, there is bound to be some shifting of pieces so trim the handle so that it has a clean edge and that the both pieces of cardboard are even.
7) Now hold the Athame for a few minutes to get an idea for how it will feel in your hand. Does the handle feel too long? Would you rather then edges be rounded or have corners? Trim and adjust as desired, although I wouldn't attempt to get too detailed and fancy in my design.
8)Wrap tin foil around the handle shaping it as desired. When you are done, wrap the handle with tape to hold it all together.
9) Finally, wrap the entire handle with yarn (your choice of color). You can wrap the entire handle with one long piece of yarn, getting as close to the tips as possible. When you are done, you can wrap the tips in a spiral pattern to cover the handle completely by smearing the tip with glue first and carefully laying down the yarn.
10) When you have wrapped the entire Athame you can coat it with several coats of glue allowing it to completely dry between coats. When the glue dries it will harden.
11) Finally, paint the handle with a clear lacquer to seal everything. If you desire you can paint the handle a specific color before sealing with lacquer.
12) If you desire, you can then take a sharpening-stone and sharpen the dull side of the blade so that they are even. However, I like the idea that one side is sharp and the other side is dull, creating a balance of opposites.

Books in PDF format to read:

Howard Phillips Lovecraft - The Tree On The Hill
Howard Phillips Lovecraft - The Shadow Out Of Time

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Comselha An Enochian Macrocosmic Ritual

2010-10-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

Book: Comselha An Enochian Macrocosmic Ritual by Benjamin Rowe

The purpose of this ritual exercise is to invoke the transcendental power of the Enochian god, to transform it in turn through all the macrocosmic powers within the Elemental Tablets, and to organize them into a balanced form. At the same time, these powers are conditioned so that they express a particular view of the creation of which they are a part. As the final step, these energies are directed so that they energize the magician himself.

The magickal records covering the results of the first use of this exercise are available separately.

I have received several complaints about my published rituals recently. Some complain that they are too elaborate, others that they are too simple, and some question whether they really qualify as magickal rituals in the traditional sense.

The complaints of over-elaborateness stem from the fact that it is impossible to perform any significant part of the works in a single session. This is perfectly correct, and is done deliberately. My experience has been that the rewards given to the magician by the "angels" of the Enochian system are very precisely gauged to the amount of care and effort the magician puts into the work. Works that are planned, rehearsed, and carried out over a period of weeks or months are much more likely to produce significant initiations than any number of single-session efforts. The present work was designed to be performed in stages, with the expectation that each stage will be performed until the powers invoked achieve a self-sustaining presence in the magician’s temple before he passes on to the next stage. It can be expected that the rewards will be commensurate with the effort involved.

Complaints of excessive simplicity derive from lack of the pompous verbiage typically found in formal rituals, and the dearth of advice concerning symbols, implements, and materiel that would help to fire the imagination of the magician. There is a decidedly bare-bones feel to the descriptions. This is perhaps an expression of my own character as a magician; I find that complex pomp and ceremony put me off rather than enhancing the work. I have complete faith that every magician’s imagination and intuition will provide him with enhancements appropriate to his or her own character and style, and so see no need to provide more than the minimum schema necessary to accomplish the work successfully.

The differences between these rituals and more traditional forms derives from the nature of Enochian magick. In most systems, the primary difficulty is in producing a flow of the desired power. The major portions of the rituals are dedicated to simply getting the power to appear. Once it does appear, its direction to the desired end is a relatively simple matter.

In contrast, the Angelic Calls and Names provide a means by which even a beginning magician can easily call up a strong flow of force. But the forces involved are much more ambiguous than in other systems. Each appears to have many different natures depending on the level and orientation from which they are viewed; their manifestations seem to be potentially infinite. The primary work of a ritual must accordingly be to focus, direct, and condition them, through the use of the imagination, so that they manifest in a clear and manageable way. This work conforms to that necessity.

Additionally, the specific form used makes this work something resembling an inverse path-working exercise, going top-down rather than bottom-upwards. And as Frater Azoth has pointed out, there are resemblances to the mandala-workings and chakra-visualizations used in Tibetan Buddhism. They are certainly very similar in intent, though the similarity of form was unintentional.

Download Benjamin Rowe's eBook: Comselha An Enochian Macrocosmic Ritual

Books in PDF format to read:

Josh Norton - Charging An Enochian Tablet
Benjamin Rowe - Comselha An Enochian Macrocosmic Ritual

Wicca For Beginners Fundamentals Of Philosophy And Practice

2010-10-21T03:39:00.000-07:00

Book: Wicca For Beginners Fundamentals Of Philosophy And Practice by Thea Sabin

In her first book-length work, Sabin presents a first-rate, fresh and thorough addition to the burgeoning field of earth-based Spiritual Practice volumes. Sometimes using examples that young people can relate to (SATs, dying grandmothers), she opens the door to this path for people of all ages who want concrete beginnings to "work actively and spiritually to develop as a person." Sabin covers well the familiar territory of the calendar, circle, pentagram, tools, etc., but she shines distinctively in several areas. The first is in Wiccan history, written in a light, informative style that magically mines depth, breadth and brevity. Another is in the emphasis on personal will and ethical practices that transcend reliance on external paraphernalia. She also deftly shows how the various tools and spells can be put into use, but always encourages practitioners to utilize their own experiences, environment and spiritual intelligence to shape their practice. Especially helpful are the criteria to assess groups and potential teachers, and the volume is capped by a fine bibliography. Sabin advocates consistent study, practice and evolved learning. Gently admonishing her reader not to become a "one-book wonder," Sabin has nearly voided her own advice with this important first effort that is perfect for novice Wiccans.

As a teacher of Wicca for many years, I'm always looking for better materials to use for training. I am grateful to Ms. Sabin for providing what will undoubtedly be the introductory book I will recommend for the foreseeable future. She presents the basics without pushing any given path or tradition, often presenting varying Interpretations and viewpoints in a non-judgemental manner. This is a solid foundation for seekers to use as a springboard to whatever flavor of Wicca they choose to explore. I appreciate that she addresses ethics within Wicca, which many authors seem to avoid, or present in a highly simplistic manner. The book is clearly meant for beginners, hence the title, and is possibly the best overall introduction I have yet seen.

I bought this book to learn more about the Wiccan Religion as my girlfriend is wiccan and I had no prior (correct) knowledge of the religion. This book offers an excellent intro to the history, philosophy and basic practices of the religion as the title suggest. Its also doesn't read like a textbook so its fun and to read. In general I would reccomend this book to anyone just starting out who wants to learn more about the religion.

Buy Thea Sabin's book: Wicca For Beginners Fundamentals Of Philosophy And Practice

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Henry Cornelius Agrippa - Occult Philosophy And Magick Book I
Johannes Kepler - Concerning The More Certain Fundamentals Of Astrology
Anonymous - Wicca Beliefs And Practices

Black Magic And The Occult

2010-10-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

Throughout the ages, most elements of the Occult have been referred to as Black Magic or evil forms of magic.. This is common misunderstanding, as most elements of the Occult and its understanding are focused on the good element of the energy.. The black arts is more a personal aspect from a confused magician or sorcery.. All magic or energy wielding that is designed to intentionally harm another will in the end, end up harming the wielder and I will explain why..?

What is Black Magic ?

First of all let’s sum up Black magic or Evil magic as some call it. Many people are doing this form of magic without even knowing throughout there lives, manipulating people, manipulating greed, controlling the energy in a negative way which benefits themselves only.. If we can better understand these forms of energy manipulation or control it is then easier to protect ourselves from this common aspect of life.

An example of Misunderstood Black Magic

A good example of Black magic is any form of energy, that negatively effects your health or power to make choices (internal freedom).. It could be an influence at work with your boss where you are so used to being told what to do you are unaware of what it is doing to you.. It could be chasing the money to the point where money becomes your life and emotional response to others does not exist.. Another example could be in an abusive relationship where one partner gets pleasure out of hurting the other, do not confuse this with anything else this is emotional black magic..
It comes back on The Wielder of the Black Magic User..

Now that I have named a few examples I will explain why it will eventually negatively effect the wielder who tampers with negative or Black magic.. Similar to what Einstein said every action deserves a equal and opposite reaction it is similar with energy.. If you keep taking and taking and using it negatively, it will return on you and the effects could be devastating.. It could make you depressed or suicidal or even cause cancer to name a few.. It is important to make sure all use of the energy which we are all apart is always positive, that way only more positive can return..

Victims of Black Magic – Protect Yourself!

The unfortunate side of this is the victims, if you are a victim of energy harm or black magic it is important to try to defend yourself with your own energy.. Be positive and get advice from those that have massive amounts of energy levels, there are plenty of good magic users all around us who do not know they wield for good or might not even be aware of energy but always are willing to help..

Once you have advice or help you need to identify the wielder and confront them with emotional protection.. You cannot ask them about black magic as most will be like what the.. But you can tell them how they make you feel and then say you will never effect me like this again and be strong.. Sometimes moving away can help but you must confront these energy abusers first as they can leave a energy trail that can hurt you for months.. Sometimes black magic wielders will go for those that they think they can control easier or who are overly nice. If this is the case, you need to address this immediately if you notice it happening to another.. It is recommended to confront the wielder and explain an explanation and ask them to stop doing it..

I hope this post helps people understand a bit more on energy, which exists in everything and what makes Black magic, if you can think of anything else, feel free to comment below..

Books in PDF format to read:

Naomi Janowitz - Magic In The Roman World
George Moir - Magic And Witchcraft

Crystal Vision Through Crystal Gazing

2010-10-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

Book: Crystal Vision Through Crystal Gazing by Frater Achad

1923. Or the Crystal as a Stepping Stone to Clear Vision. A Practical Treatise on the Real Value of Crystal Gazing. Contents: The lesser crystal sphere; The greater crystal sphere; Universal crystalline sphere; A consideration of the ancient methods; Further considerations the methods of Dr. Dee and Sir Edward Kelly; Attainment of Crystal Vision; The ultimate crystal.

Achad writes for two audiences, the exoteric occult dabbler that wants to scry and the esoteric mystic who is gazing more deeply than into an orb of stone. It is a treatise on spiritual growth and finding out who you really are - whether you do it in Meditation With your legs crossed or by staring at a crystal, the results are the same for the student of truth. Fascinating!

I found this book to be more than a guide to crystal gazing. It was a warning for those who do not take things of a spiritual nature seriously. And a guide and tease in that it made you want to go deeper into your own spiritualness, but explained that you would have to search farther as well as develop or evolve into a higher place to receive the answers. This will be required text for my children.

Download Frater Achad's eBook: Crystal Vision Through Crystal Gazing

Downloadable books (free):

Saint Synaptics - Metaclysmia Discordia Or The Chaonomicon
Benjamin Rowe - A Ritual Of The Heptagram
Tom Peete Cross - Witchcraft In North Carolina
Frater Ahyhhgyg - Manipulation Through Astral Correspondences
Frater Achad - Crystal Vision Through Crystal Gazing

A Simple House Cleansing

2010-10-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

Preparation to Purification Ritual - House Cleaning

Make or buy a purification incense. Common ingredients are sandalwood, frankincense, bay, or camphor. Ingredients for one incense follow:

* 3 parts Frankincense
* 2 parts Sandalwood

Ritual

Burn this in a censer in the middle of the area to be purified. If you are purifying a multi-level house, one censer every other level will suffice.

When you set this, open all the windows in the house. Say a prayer to the Lady offering thanks to her for the cleansing of your house. Leave for a few hours, until the smell from the incense is gone. Close the windows, and set a protection spell of some sort, if you wish.

Books in PDF format to read:

Robert Anton Wilson - Prometheus Rising
Frater Achad - Crystal Vision Through Crystal Gazing
Benjamin Rowe - A Short Course In Scrying

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Tarjuman Al Ashwaq A Collection Of Mystical Odes

2010-10-09T02:33:00.000-07:00

Book: Tarjuman Al Ashwaq A Collection Of Mystical Odes by Muhammad Ibn Arabi

The Tarjuman al-Ashwaq (Muhyi al-Din Muhammad ibn 'Ali Ibn al-'Arabi) with the Arabic text, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson Together With a partial translation of the commentary by Ibn 'Arabi'

The Tarjuman al-Ashwaq or "Interpreter of Desires" by Ibn 'Arabi is acknowledged as one of the major works of Sufi literature, alongside those of the great Persian poets Attar, Jalaluddin Rumi, Hafiz and Jami.

In keeping with the poetical tradition of Islam, there is a continuing ambiguity in the verses as to whether they are love poems disguised as mystical odes, or Mystical Odes expressed in the language of human love. The timeless beauty and imagery of the verses cannot be denied, and may be interpreted at many levels. "Gnostics," says Ibn 'Arabi, "cannot impart their feelings to other men; they can only indicate them symbolically to those who have begun to experience the like." In response to the accusation by a religious scholar that these were just sensual poems, Ibn 'Arabi wrote a commentary on the Tarjuman which is partially translated here.

This was one of the first Translations of a book by Ibn 'Arabi into a European langauage, made by the great translator of Rumi's Mathnawi, Reynold A. Nicholson. In both cases his translation was of such outstanding quality that it was more than fifty years before other translators began to try their hands at these texts, and his translations still stand the test of time.

Download Muhammad Ibn Arabi's eBook: Tarjuman Al Ashwaq A Collection Of Mystical Odes

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Muhammad Ibn Arabi - Tarjuman Al Ashwaq A Collection Of Mystical Odes

The New Pearl Of Great Price

2010-10-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

Book: The New Pearl Of Great Price by Janus Lacinius Therapus

A treatise concerning the treasure and most precious stone of the philosophers. Or the method and procedure of this divine art ; with observations drawn from the works of Arnoldus, Raymondus, Rhasis, Albertus, and Michael Scotus (1894)

THIS work casts out cruel disease from the human body, disease produced by malignant humours ; and thus you are preserved. It will teach you how to regain the beautiful flower of youth, and how to secure a green and placid old age. All this may be yours, by the favour of the gods. Poverty will be triumphantly put to flight ; your treasure-house will be filled ; you will be able to succour the needy,
and to render the sacrifice of praise to great Jupiter.

TWO features of special interest attach to the " Pearl of Great Price," as written by Bonus of Ferrara, and edited by Janus Lacinius. In the first place, it is one of the earliest works printed on alchemy, and the original is a very beautiful specimen of typography. Concerning the latter point, it is only necessary to say that it was issued from the press of Aldus, appearing in 1546, with the privilege of Pope Paul III. and the Senate of Venice for the space of ten years. This edition is, of course, exceedingly rare, and is highly prized by collectors. In the second place, it is a very clear, methodical, and well-reasoned treatise, comparing favourably in these respects with the bulk of alchemical literature. A reader who is unacquainted with alchemy will probably not appreciate these points,
but any one who, like the present editor, has had occasion to become widely familiar with Hermetic authors, will do honour to the lucidity of Bonus.

Concerning" the adept himself, no biographical materials whatsoever are forthcoming, nor, as in most other cases, is there even a legend to fall back on. He is supposed to have been a native of Lombardy, and to have performed his alchemical labours at Pola, a maritime town of Istria, about 1330. He is sometimes described as Bonus of Ferraria,* and on this and other grounds Tiraboschi't identifies him with the "monk Ferarius".

This work attacks Lenglet du Fresnoy, the historian of alchemy, as an inexact writer, but Tiraboschi had no acquaintance whatsoever with alchemy, and does not seem to have read the Authors whom he endeavours to identify. Imaginative persons might, perhaps, be more inclined to question the equivocal name of Janus, the Calabrian Minorite Friar, and to suspect that his master Bonus was possibly his alter ego.

Download Janus Lacinius Therapus's eBook: The New Pearl Of Great Price

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Janus Lacinius Therapus - The New Pearl Of Great Price.pdf

How To Make Your Own Pentacle

2010-10-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

The Pentacle corresponds to the North, and the element of Earth. Its color is Green, its season Winter, and its time Midnight. The Pentacle is associated with the body of the witch, and it is used to manifest and protect. Traditionally, the Pentacle is a round piece of metal, wood, or clay, on which is inscribed a five-pointed star within a circle.

The Pentacle is consecrated when the Full Moon is in an Earth Sign (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) on the day (Friday, Wednesday, Saturday) and in the hour (Venus, Mercury, Saturn) of that signs planetary ruler

A fairly attractive, durable, pentacle can be made with very few supplies and at a reasonable cost. I, myself, have made a pentacle using the process which I am about to describe and it has lasted for five or more years now. This pentacle can be seen in the picture above under the heading of the altar.

To begin, find a picture of a pentagram that you like and using a word processor program reset its size so that it is the same size as you wish your pentagram to be. Cut out the pentacle and color the back of the picture with a pencil or black crayon. Tape the picture to a piece of cardboard and and using a ruler trace the lines which comprise the pentagram.

When you are done, remove the picture and color in the lines made from tracing the pentagram with a black permanent marker such as a sharpie. Next, using a large, sharp pair of scissors cut the pentagram out of the cardboard. Use this piece to trace out two more circular pieces of cardboard which you then glue to the bottom of your pentacle in order to give it more thickness. As the glue dries, place it on a hard surface and weigh it down with heave objects to hold it together.

When the glue is dried, spray the entire pentagram with several coats of clear varnish and allow to dry. The varnish will help hold everything together and give the pentacle a protective coat. Finally, when the varnish is dried the pentagram is cleansed and blessed in a ritual ceremony.

Whereas some witches will scoff at making a pentacle out of cardboard, I think that it entirely appropriate as cardboard is made from tree pulp and that the black marker alongside the brown/tan cardboard reflects the energies of the earth nicely. However, if this pentacle doesn't suit you, there are other choices available to you.

* Purchase a pentacle from a vendor or merchant.
* Using special paints to decorate a dinner plate or saucer.
* Draw the pentagram on a dinner plate in special oils which are later washed off after blessing the plate. The idea here is that though you wash away the oil, the essence of the pentagram remains.

Books in PDF format to read:

Michael Johnstone - The Ultimate Encyclopedia Of Spells
Pamela Ball - The Ultimate Book Of Spells.pdf

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Being A Witch

2010-10-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

We should educate people that 'Witch' is not evil but ancient and positive. The first time I called myself a 'Witch' was the most magical moment of my life.

~Margot Adler

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Rhyming Invocations To The Elements

2010-10-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

East
Soft scented stillness that warns of the storm
Whisper of wisdom full living and warm
Breathe into us wonder at all we may know
Welcome, wise wind, from wherever you blow.

South

Bright spark of courage, blaze of desire
The passion for change is a wild, raging fire
Kindled by will, it burns in our veins
Welcome within us, our hearts are your flames

West

Power of water, power to feel
Rising within us, ancient and real
Soothed into softness or tossed to extremes
Welcome, wild waves from the depths of our dreams

North

Mother in waiting, child in the womb
Newly strung thread waits the night on the loom
Earth that we come from, Earth where we go
Welcome, as you welcomed us long ago.

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The Study Of Magic

2010-10-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

The study of magic is not a science, it is not an art, and it is not a religion. Magic is a craft. When we do magic, we do not wish and we don't pray. We rely upon our will and our knowledge and our skill to make a specific change to the world.

~The Magicians' by Lev Grossman

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Solitary Wicca For Life Complete Guide To Mastering The Craft On Your Own

2010-10-05T06:44:00.000-07:00

Book: Solitary Wicca For Life Complete Guide To Mastering The Craft On Your Own by Arin Murphy Hiscock

If you prefer a solitary approach to worship and Witchcraft, this is the book for you. You need sound guidance and tools as you work alone to deepen your knowledge and strengthen your abilities.

Author Arin Murphy-Hiscock provides you with everything you need to take your spiritual practice to the next level. Solitary Wicca for Life encourages you to reach beyond the ordinary and create a unique path of worship, using techniques that go further than other texts:

- Advanced Circle Casting-advanced techniques and applications, plus methods for creating sacred space when a circle isn't necessary
- Enriching Ritual-tools and techniques that bring new depth to personal practice, including sacred drama, masks, ritual garb, and symbols
- Crafting Liturgy-Wiccan ritual defined stage by stage, as well as guidelines for writing invocations, prayers, meditations, and personalized rituals for esbats, sabbats, rites of passage, and more
- Drawing Down Deities-invoking deities for guidance, communion, worship, etc.
- Growing as a Solitary Wiccan-the means by which you'll enhance your spiritual growth and reach out to the world at large.

Solitary Wicca for Life is the essential reference handbook you need to reach deeper, go farther, and strengthen your solitary path-one day at a time.

I read lots of Wicca 101 books, especially those that seem to be aimed at the Solitary Practitioner. With many of them, I will find some points that I think the average solitary practitioner may relate to, or that someone, somewhere, will relate to. Many times, however, the material does not "click" with my own personal beliefs, or they do not take the "Traditional Path" when it comes to Wicca, but rather they are "Wiccanish". This is OK for someone else, but not necessarily for me. But I do not judge by my standards alone, but rather the viewpoint that everyone needs material that will relate to them personally.

Reading this book, however, there was more material here that I found I agreed with, related to and found to be "Traditional" with a Solitary spin than other books of this kind. And this, to me, was a big plus.

Ms. Murphy-Hiscock has taken Wicca back to the roots and explores adaptation to the Solitary way of practice. This is a Wicca 101 book, so it makes a good first handbook for the average new Solitary practitioner and yet, it provides some material that the advanced practitioner may want to review because of its accuracy, to augment their Wiccan practice, to add elements of the Traditional or just because it is well written and has much to ponder and contemplate.

I especially enjoyed her overview of Wicca Origins, and her separation of Traditional Wicca from the Eclectic practices that Wicca has evolved into. She covers well the Tenets of Wicca, discusses common metaphors and myths and separates some of the more widely accepted but none the less mistaken beliefs and practices that have crept into modern Wicca. She gives you a good idea of how to go back to the beginning, re-examine the issues and maybe take away a better representation of what it is that Wicca is really all about.

Arin Murphy-Hiscock has been a practicing Wiccan for ten years, five of those years as a solitary practitioner. She is the series editor of the For Life series and the author of Power Spellcraft for Life: The Art of Crafting and Casting for Positive Change. She lives in Montreal, Canada.

Buy Arin Murphy Hiscock's book: Solitary Wicca For Life Complete Guide To Mastering The Craft On Your Own

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The Book Of Raziel The Angel Or Sefer Raziel Hamalakh

2010-10-03T19:24:00.005-07:00

Book: The Book Of Raziel The Angel Or Sefer Raziel Hamalakh by Medieval Grimoires

The Book of Raziel the Angel is a medieval Hebrew Grimoire originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic. We understand that ther is a Latin translation titled Liber Razielis Archangeli, produced under Alfonso X in the 13th century. Like many other mystical manuscripts the Book of Raziel has suffered many from the production of many versions.

The Grimoire contains five Books which cover such secrets as, the mysteries of creation, the production of magical talismans, the angels, the Zodiac, Gematria and the names of God. It draws heavily on the Sepher Yetzirah and Sepher Ha-Razim.

The Book was reputed to have been given to Adam by the Angel Raziel in order to teach Adam the spiritual laws of nature, knowledge of the planets, stars and the spiritual laws of creation. Raziel also taught Adam the knowledge of the power of speech, thought, the Hebrew alphabet and how to co-exist harmously with the physical and spiritual worlds.

The Book is still available today, and a Hebrew version may be obtained from any good Jewish bookshop for it is still believed that the book has power. However, it is forbidden to open the book or read it because of its inherent power. Therefore many keep their copies sealed. Finally, by tradition no charge may be taken for the book!

Download Medieval Grimoires's eBook: The Book Of Raziel The Angel Or Sefer Raziel Hamalakh

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The Garnerian Book Of Shadows

2010-10-03T19:24:00.003-07:00

Book: The Garnerian Book Of Shadows by Gerald Gardner

This is the text of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows. In one sense, this is the central sacred text of the Wicca religion. However, it is important to point out that there is no 'official' Book of Shadows. Typically each coven has a hand-written copy of a Book of Shadows, sometimes in cypher or code, which reflects its own practices and knowledge. This particular text is derived from a file posted on the Internet in the early 90s, and quotes previously published material which was known to be in use by Gardner and his group.

The book of shadows was attributed by Gardner to an ancient, clandestine witch cult, which he claimed to have been initiated into. However, modern researchers have concluded that it was composed by Gardner. The text shows influences from English and Celtic Folk-lore, the Enochian system of John Dee, Thelema, the Golden Dawn, Stregaria, Tantric Yoga, the KJV Bible and even Kipling. This version organizes the material in chronological order and has estimated dates for each section, ranging from 1949 to 1961.

The copyright status of this text can best be described as 'orphaned.' This version was compiled by Aidan A. Kelly. It was originally posted on the Internet in the mid-90s as part of the Internet book of shadows material. Text in square brackets is Kelly's commentary.

Download Gerald Gardner's eBook: The Garnerian Book Of Shadows

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The Sword Of Moses An Ancient Hebrew Aramaic Book Of Magic

2010-10-03T19:24:00.001-07:00

Book: The Sword Of Moses An Ancient Hebrew Aramaic Book Of Magic by Moses Gaster

Sword of Moses (originaly SEPHER REZIAL HEMELAK - The Book of the Angel Rezial) - RARE 19th century edition was printed in Yozefof in 1873, it is a tall hardback with a GORGEOUS recent Fine binding, leather spine (rich Harmatan goat) on marbled boards, THE TEXT IS COMPLETELY IN HEBREW , with lovely decorative border on title page, there are a few tiny wormholes, also four pages are trimmed at bottom (which does not affect the text at all), otherwise an unusually Nice copy, extremely attractive, tight recent binding, one full page plate plus several diagrams of ancient Hebrew talismans.

This is the famous magical Hebrew grimoire text, sometime called The Sefer Razial or Raziel, and according to Hebrew legend, the Sepher Raziel was presented to Adam in the Garden of Eden, given by the hand of God and delivered by the angel Rezial. The myth suggests that this is the first book ever written, and of direct divine provenance. A diverse compendium of ancient Hebrew magical lore, this book was quite possibly the original source for later, traditional literature on angelic hierarchy, astrology, Qabalah and Gematria. Moses Gaster mentions this in his introduction to the Sword of Moses (1896) suggesting that the Sepher Rezial could be a primary source for many magic and qabalistic books of the Middle Ages. Sepher Rezial Hemelach is a compilation of five books, being The Book of the Vestment, The Book of the Great Rezial, The Holy Names, The Book of the Mysteries (Sepher HaRazim), and The Book of the Signs of the Zodiac. It includes extensive explanatory text on the holy names of God, the divisions of Heaven and Hell, the names and hierarchy of the angels and spirits, as well as symbolic intepretations of both the Book of Genesis and Sepher Yetzirah. It also includes material on astronomy, astrology, Gematria and various magical talismans, most notably those used for protection during childbirth.

Of interest to students of the occult, kabbalah ( qabala - qabalah ) and ritual magic, also the works of Arthur Edward Waite, Eliphas Levi and Aleister Crowley.

Download Moses Gaster's eBook: The Sword Of Moses An Ancient Hebrew Aramaic Book Of Magic

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Moses Gaster - The Sword Of Moses An Ancient Hebrew Aramaic Book Of Magic

January Magick

2010-10-03T05:39:00.000-07:00

Gaze, Janus, my lord

with two strong faces

through the doorway of this moment.

See coming times and distant places.

Reveal the past to us, its secret omens.

January starts the year with a plethora of fun, frolicsome festivity. The new year in particular is celebrated by at least 170 nations. The month gets its name from Jana, a moon goddess, which explains the abundance of water-related observances this month (in esoteric traditions, the moon represents the water element). It's also named after Janus (Jana's husband), the gatekeeper of heaven, who sees the past and future. This couple oversees the year's beginning by offering you refreshed perspective and hope for a better tomorrow.

In terms of energy, January focuses on beginnings. It's a time for personal renewal, starting any beloved project, and sustaining those things already in progress. Magic for health, protection, and prosperity is particularly augmented by working during this month

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The Witches Chant

2010-10-03T01:34:00.005-07:00

Darksome night and shining moon,
Hearken to the witches’ rune.
East then South, West then North,
Hear! Come! I call thee forth!

By all the powers of land and sea,
Be obedient unto me.
Wand and Pentacle and Sword,
Hearken ye unto my word.

Cords and Censer, Scourge and Knife,
Waken all ye into life.
Powers of the witch’s Blade,
Come ye as the charge is made.

Queen of Heaven, Queen of Hell,
Send your aid unto the spell.
Horned Hunter of the night,
Work my will by magic rite.

By all the powers of land and sea,
As I do say, “So mote it be.”
By all the might of moon and sun,
As I do will, it shall be done.

By Lady Sheba – 1974

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Biddy Early Biography

2010-10-03T01:34:00.003-07:00

Biddy Early was a famous Irish seer and healer, a cunning woman of the nineteenth century, often identified as Biddy 'The Healer', 'The Wise Woman' or 'The Witch'. Much of what is known about her has been passed down from oral tradition and blended into myth and folklore, as such, there is much “poetic licence” used to recount her life. However, in real life she does seem to have had some genuine powers of healing and clairvoyance, for she was widely consulted for her cures and council. Many believed she was of the sidhe (fairies).

Born Bridget Ellen Connors in lower Faha near Kilanena in 1798, Biddy was the daughter of a small land farmer, John Thomas Connors and his wife Ellen Early. Biddy is described as being small in statue and pretty, a woman who kept her good looks throughout her life. While married four times, she always used her mother's maiden name, believing that her gifts were inherited through the female line. Her mother taught her all about herbs and how to make potions, just as her own mother had taught her.

At the age of 16 when her parents died, Biddy was evicted from their home and forced to work as a serving girl in the nearby towns of Feakle and Ennis. In 1817 she met and married widower Pat Mally, a middle-aged man from Gurteenreagh, who died a short time later. After the death of her first husband, she married his son, her “stepson”, John Mally with whom she had a son called Paddy. Her son Paddy died when he was just 8 years old, of the fever (typhus), a common sickness in those times. After which Biddy started to use her healing powers, giving out herbal cures tied-up in small sachets, and liquid potions in small bottles with strict instructions for how they should be used.

Biddy’s powers of clairvoyance are credited to a mysterious dark bottle. How this “magic” bottle came into her possession, has since become part of her myth and legend. Some believe her late husband Pat Mally gave it to her before he died, or her son before he died; others believe it came to her from the “sidhe” (fairies). There are some stories that say she was away with the sidhe, and went to live among them for a time as a child. As a little girl it was said she could see and talk to the sidhe in their own language, which was different from Gaelic and that they taught her how to use her gifts.

She was instructed that by looking into the bottle with one eye and keeping the other eye open, she would be able to see what ailed people and view the future. In exchange for this ability, she was never to charge money for her services, or she would lose the power. She could accept gifts, but was to give away whatever was left over from her own needs. She must never allow others to look into the bottle, or else they would either die or go mad. By using the bottle, Biddy always knew when a person was about to visit her, and whether they had gone to a doctor or a priest first. If they had, then she usually refused to treat them unless she was in a good mood.

In 1840, her second husband died of a liver ailment, most likely due to an excess consumption of alcohol. Biddy quickly married again, her third husband was Tom Flannery from Carrowroe in County Clare. She and Tom moved into a cottage on Dromore Hill in Kilbarron, overlooking Kilbarron Lake that locally became known as Biddy Early's Lake. By this time Biddy’s reputation as a healer and seer had spread, for it was here that she created her most powerful cures, and hundreds of people came to seek her out. It is said the road to her house was always full of those traveling to see her.

Biddy also brought relief to animals, and treated them with great care. In her time, the death of an animal could bring particular hardship to people living in a mainly rural farming community. Animals were relyed upon for everyday living, and to lose one could lead to eviction if farming chores were not compelted. Many of the stories about Biddy include tales of her healing a family’s most important horse or cow. She also helped many people restore their wells, often the only source of clean water, to solve problems that women ran into while churning butter. Water and butter were also vital to a peasant’s everyday life.

During the nineteenth century, superstitious belief in fairies and all things apparently supernatural was very strong, and when something happened that appeared to be miraculous, without the aid of the church, it was commonly and easily attributed to witchcraft and the devil. As such the local church viewed Biddy with suspicion, and all the local clergy were totally opposed to her. As her fame spread they even tried to warn off people who went to visit her. One story of the churches opposition occurred in 1865. While visiting friends in Ennis, Biddy was charged with Witchcraft under the 1586 statute, however the case was dismissed due to a lack of sufficient evidence. Many of the local people stood their ground against the clergy, maintaining she did nothing but good works.

In 1868, her third husband Tom died, but Biddy now seventy years old, still only looked fifty, and a year later married her fourth husband Thomas Meaney. However he too got sick and died within the year. Many believed her husbands all died from alcohol abuse, as there was so much whiskey and other strong liquors brought to her in payment. Her husbands did not need to work as she herself provided everything through her healing work. After her last husband died, Biddy’s own health slowly deteriorated, she died in April 1874 with a rosary around her neck and her mysterious dark bottle wrapped in a red shawl beside her.

Before her death and despite their differences, Biddy had befriended one of the local priests and asked him not to let her bottle fall into the wrong hands when she died. According to her wishes, the priest took the bottle and hurled it into Kilbarron Lake. Since then, such was the belief in Biddy’s legend, many attempts to trawl the lake in search of the bottle have been made, but to this day it has never been found.

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The Great Rite Invocation

2010-10-03T01:34:00.001-07:00

Assist me to erect the ancient altar
At which in days past all worshipped
The great altar of all things
For in times of old, woman was the altar
Thus was the altar made and placed
And the sacred place was the point within the center of the circle
As we have of old been taught
That the point within the center is the origin of all things
Therefore should we adore it
Therefore whom we adore we also invoke
O circle of stars

Whereof our Father is but the younger brother
Marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space
Before whom time is ashamed
The mind bewildered, and the understanding dark
Not unto thee may we attain unless thine image be love
Therefore by seed and root, and stem and bud
And leaf and flower and fruit, do we invoke thee
O Queen of Space, O Jewel of Light
Continuous One of the Heavens

Let it be ever thus
That man speak not of thee as One, but as None
And let them not speak of thee at all
Since thou art continuous
For thou art the point within the Circle, which we adore
The point of life without which we would not be
And in this way truly are erected the holy pillars
In beauty and in strength were they erected
To the wonder and glory of all men

Altar of mysteries manifold, the sacred circle’s secret point
Thus do I sign thee as old, with kisses of my lips anoint
Open for me the secret way, the pathway of intelligence
Beyond the gates of night and day, beyond the bounds of time and sense
Beyond the mysteries aright, the five true points of fellowship
Here where the Lance and Grail unite
And feet, and knees, and breast, and lip

Stewart and Janet Farrar – 1984.

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Secrets Of The Black Temple

2010-10-02T19:24:00.005-07:00

Book: Secrets Of The Black Temple by Basil Crouch

Warning this book can be dangerous. Persons in ill health or suffering any mental illness should not have access to this book. Be warned this is a not fiction book it can lead into dark waters if the instructions are not followed. I cannot be help responsible for any damage or ill health through reading this book. You alone are responsible for your actions (Basil E. Crouch)

Download Basil Crouch's eBook: Secrets Of The Black Temple

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Drawing Down The Moon Witches Druids Goddess Worshippers And Other Pagans In America

2010-10-02T19:24:00.003-07:00

Book: Drawing Down The Moon Witches Druids Goddess Worshippers And Other Pagans In America by Margot Adler

Popular demand for this clear-sighted compendium of information about the rebirth of Pagan religions hasn't waned since its initial publication in 1979. Distinguished by the journalism of National Public Radio columnist Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon explains this diverse and burgeoning religion's philosophies and activities while dispelling stereotypes that have long been associated with it. Most people don't realize that pagan simply refers to pre-Christian polytheistic nature religions, such as the various Native American creeds, Japanese Shinto, Celtic Druid, and Western European Wicca. Originally, the word pagan meant "country dweller" and was a derogatory term in Rome in the third century A.D., not unlike calling someone a hick today. If you find yourself feeling queasy when you hear the words witch or pagan, a healthy dose of reeducation via Drawing Down the Moon could be the cure.

I read this book when it was first published and recommned it to anyone who wants to become more enlightened about the topic. I have a social science background, and thus a general understanding of the various world views of traditional societies who are in my opinion closer to old Mother Earth than most of us "moderns" who spend far too much time caught up in our technology. Margot Adler (granddaughter of the famous psychologist) went exploring (ethnographic field work) and this book is the result.

She does not promote any of the world views she describes, she plays the good ethnographer and records what she finds. She participates on several occasions, and thus becomes the "participant observer" recorder. I didn't know much about the revival of "paganism" and had never heard of Wicca before I read Adler's book. I learned that in spite of the professed enlightenment of our modern age, many fear the practices described. Why? Basically, the practice of Wicca seems to be a female oriented way of life--focusing on nature, life, a spiritual path. I for one am continuing to read about Wicca and explore what others are doing.

I figure some of the so-called witches etc. are not what they purport to be, just as some of the agressive so-called Christians driving with bumper stickers that advertise their "faith" are not what they purport to be. I recommend Adler's book if you are interested in comparative religion, are looking for a new way of living or just curious about a somewhat maligned and often persecuted group of mostly women.

Buy Margot Adler's book: Drawing Down The Moon Witches Druids Goddess Worshippers And Other Pagans In America

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Fairy Gold

2010-10-02T19:24:00.001-07:00

Book: Fairy Gold by Basil Crouch

Basil Crouch A.K.A. Basil LaCroix is one of those old-time great Magicians who learned by the pragmatics of worldly travels in lieu of the theoretics found in most books. Basil spent his youth in a circus amongst the main artistes who were pure Romany, all members of the Manouche Tribe who revere Sara the Black Virgin & Jacques deMolay (GrandMaster of the Templars). The leading Witchdoctor taught him many trix of Magick. He also learned many strange Spells from an Australian Aborigine Witchdoctor. In the late 1960's he masterminded 'coven-style' Occult groups consisting of 6 or 7 women, reaching very advanced stages of development, like producing actual Apports using thoughtform entities, just mindblowing stuff. His teachings excited alot of jealousy within Occult Societies who wanted this kind of thing kept secret. (from reader)

Download Basil Crouch's eBook: Fairy Gold

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The Fifth Sacred Thing

2010-10-02T16:52:00.009-07:00

Book: The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk

I love this book. I didn't like it at first, but I decided to give it an hour before I made up my mind. Now I am really glad I stuck with it, because it is one of the richest, most thought-provoking books I have ever read.

I had this book on my shelf for several years before I actually read it. Although it obviously sounded good enough at the time I bought it, I feared that it would be preachy and overbearing. It was nothing of the sort. The characters are complex; flawed at times, saintly at others. The story is compelling, combining plots about the personal growth of the various characters, adventure stories as Bird escapes from prison and Madrone ventures into the southern wilds to help the freedom fighters, and the ultimate show down between the San Franciscans and the Stewards. It is a bit simplistic, perhaps, but that didn't stop me from wishing things in reality were more like they are in Maya and Madrone's world. The attempts to portray this world as one free of any racial or sexual bigotry do get a bit heavy handed at times, but never so much that it interfered with my enjoyment of the story. I would recommend this book to anyone, and in fact immediately after I finished Ran out and bought a copy to give as a gift this Christmas.

One of the greatest questions is - how do people resist the violent advances of others without becoming violent themselves? We can look to others for inspiration - HH the Dalai Lama, Gandhi, MLK - there have been a few who have managed to hold on to their ideals despite the crimes inflicted upon them. But how do we do this ourselves? How do we maintain peace within ourselves?

This book discusses these issues on a societal level, but the wisdom you will gain can be applied on a personal level. You will likely find yourself rethinking how you view numerous things - from illness to monogamy.

And the story is interesting and creative, with characters you will come to care about. This is a fantastic book. Go ahead and give it some time - you will probably love it, too!

Buy Starhawk's book: The Fifth Sacred Thing

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The Egyptian Book Of The Dead

2010-10-02T16:52:00.007-07:00

Book: The Egyptian Book Of The Dead by Ea Wallis Budge

"The Egyptian Book of Dead"—the ancient Egyptian title is ‘rw nw prt m hrw’ , roughly translated as “Spells of Going Forth by Day” — was written by the ancient Egyptians as a sort of guide to help newly deceased souls as they crossed over into the afterlife. It was usually written on a papyrus scroll which was sent with the prepared body in its coffin or burial chamber.

German Egyptologist Karl Richard Lepsius first used the title, “Book of the Dead” in a selection of Texts he published in 1842. Since then, the word “Egyptian” has been added and it has become the generally accepted title of the book. E. A. Wallis Budge published this translation in 1901 and, as an important version, it is still in print to this day.

The Book of the Dead was the product of a long process of evolution from the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom (writings on the crypt walls intending to help the dead person) to the Coffin Texts of the Middle Kingdom (similar writings, placed on the outside of a coffin). Eventually, many of these texts were written on papyrus and placed in the burial chamber, or inside the coffin with the mummy.

About one-third of the chapters in The Book of the Dead are derived from the earlier Coffin Texts. The Book of the Dead itself was adapted to The Book of Breathings in the Late Period, but remained popular in its own right until the Roman period.

Download Ea Wallis Budge's eBook: The Egyptian Book Of The Dead

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Invocation Of The Horned God

2010-10-02T16:52:00.005-07:00

By the flame that burneth bright
O Horned One!

We call thy name into the night
O Horned One!

Thee we invoke by the moon led sea
By the standing stone and the twisted tree
Thee we invoke where gather thine own
By the nameless shrine forgotten and lone

Come where the round of the dance is trod
Horn and hoof of the goat-foot God
By moonlit meadow on dusky hill
When the haunted wood is hushed and still

Come to the charm of the chanted prayer
As the moon bewitches the midnight air
Evoke thy powers, that potent bide
In shining stream and secret tide

In fiery flame by starlight pale
In shadowy host that ride the gale
And by the fern-brakes fairy-haunted
Of forests wild and wood enchanted

Come! O Come!
To the heartbeats drum!

Come to us who gather below
When the broad white moon is climbing slow
Through the stars to the heavens height
We hear thy hoofs on the wind of night
As black tree branches shake and sigh
By joy and terror we know thee nigh

We speak the spell thy power unlocks
At Solstice, Sabbat, and Equinox

Word of virtue the veil to rend
From primal dawn to the wide world's end
Since time began---
The blessing of Pan!

Blessed be all in hearth and hold
Blessed in all worth more than gold
Blessed be in strength and love
Blessed be wher'er we rove

Vision fade not from our eyes
Of the pagan paradise
Past the gates of death and birth
Our inheritance of the earth

From our soul the song of spring
Fade not in our wandering

Our life with all life is one,
By blackest night or noonday sun
Eldest of gods, on thee we call
Blessing be on thy creatures all

by Doreen Valiente

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Sefer Ha Zohar Idra Zuta Qadusha Lesser Holy Assembly

2010-10-02T16:52:00.003-07:00

Book: Sefer Ha Zohar Idra Zuta Qadusha Lesser Holy Assembly by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai

Idra Zuta Qadusha (Lesser Holy Assembly), or simply Idra Zuta - the next layer of the core of the five-volume mystical exegesis Sefer HaZohar.

The Sefer HaZohar (Book of Splendor, often referred to simply as "the Zohar") is a five-volume mystical exegesis written in Rashi Aramaic on the five books of the Torah. Like the Sefer Yetzirah, the date and original author of the Zohar are subjects for academic debate. Many qabalistic scholars, such as Gershom Scholem, believe the Zohar to be a new work produced by Moses De Leon, circa 1250 CE in Spain.Scholem, Gershom. Kabbalah, Keter Publishing, Jerusalem, 1974. Others believe that it was dictated by its pivotal figure Rabbi Shimeon Ben Yochai to his son Rabbi Abba in the first century CE, while they and their group of rabbis hid in caves for thirteen years in Piquin, Israel to avoid Roman persecution. Hence, there are also those who would take the intermediary position that De Leon redacted and published a work that had a much earlier time of origin.

The Sefer HaZohar is central to Kabbala that has influenced all mystical movements within Judaism. Many Kabbalists invest it with a sanctity normally accorded only to the Torah and the Talmud. Written mostly in Aramaic, it is believed to be mainly the work of Moses de Leon. The main part of the Zohar provides a mystical and symbolic interpretation of biblical texts, especially the Torah, the book of Ruth, and the Song of Solomon. Other sections deal with the mystery of creation, the problem of evil, and the cosmic significance of prayer and good deeds.

The text of the Zohar is presented as a series of dialogues among a group of rabbis. These rabbis were the embodiments of the various Sefiroth (spheres) on the Tree of Life (see Diagram). Hence, the "flavor" of the respective Sefirah (sphere) colors each rabbi's remarks and questions. Like the Sefer Yetzirah, the Zohar has its own distinct set of names for the Sefiroth, most of which come from the Sefer HaShmoth, and are later echoed in the Torah and Ketuvim (Writings). Those names may be described as various qualities of the Divine, such as Wisdom, Beauty, Glory, and Mercy. The Zoharic names for the Sefiroth are the most commonly known and used among all types of Qabalists.

The body of the five volumes of the Zohar emanates from a core of three extraordinary texts. The innermost layer and heart of the Zohar is a small text called the Sifra Detzniyutha (Book of THAT Which is Concealed). This book contains the single greatest exposition on the negatively existent Mysterious Unknown (called Ayn, and also "The NOT") among all written works of the Mystical Qabalah. The next layer of the core of the Zohar is a text called Idra Rabba Qadusha (Greater Holy Assembly), or simply Idra Rabba; and the third layer of the core is called Idra Zuta Qadusha (Lesser Holy Assembly), or simply Idra Zuta. The Idra Rabba and Idra Zuta expand greatly upon the anthropomorphic allusions introduced in the Sifra Detzniyutha. The "Greater Holy Assembly" is the entire Tree of ten Sefiroth. The "Lesser Holy Assembly" is the upper seven Sefiroth only.

Download Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's eBook: Sefer Ha Zohar Idra Zuta Qadusha Lesser Holy Assembly

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Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai - Sefer Ha Zohar Idra Zuta Qadusha Lesser Holy Assembly

What Is A Spell

2010-10-02T16:52:00.001-07:00

A spell is a spoken or written formula that when used in an act of magick is intended to cause or influence a particular course of events. Belief in and the use of spells are universal and have been an integral part of religious practices since ancient times. Methods vary according to culture but all spell work is based on ritual.

Spells are closely related to Prayers, which are rituals consisting of a petition to the Gods or deities (whatever the religion or faith) for a desired outcome. It involves the visualization of a goal, a statement of desire for the goal, and ritualized movements of body positions (e.g., the bowing of the head, the clasping of the hands, the closing of the eyes etc). In magick, spells are closely related to various methods of mind power such as: creative visualization, positive thinking, and positive imaging (see “What is Magick”). All of which emphasize our mental images of the goal and our identification with it, repetition of our intent to achieve this goal, projection of our will, and a petition to the spirits, deities, or the divine force for their aid.

These types of spells are commonly used on a daily bases, the simple lighting of a candle starting the ritual process. Such daily spells constitute minor magick's such as: blessings, self-help, positive thoughts and the sending of helpful healing energies to others. Used on a daily bases it is not therefore necessary to undertake the cumbersome task of a full circle casting ritual (see Circle Casting).

Spells can be beneficial or harmful and can be worked on people, animals, and nature. Their purposes are limitless and include: healing, love, money, success, fertility, longevity, and protection from disaster, ill fortune, and evil. They can also be used to exorcise ghosts and spirits, for victory in battle, truth in divination, weather control, and the accomplishment of supernatural feats. When directed against enemies, spells can be used to cause illness, destruction, loss of love, impotence, barrenness, failure and even death. Spells can be cast to affect the self, or directed to affect another person.

A positive spell is often called a blessing, although such archaic terms as bewitchment and enchantment are still sometimes used. Negative spells are generally known as hexes or curses. A binding spell is one intended to prevent harm, avoid danger, or to stop someone from performing particular acts (e.g., halting a murder, preventing a rape, or even stopping the spread of gossip).

In most cultures, Witches, Sorcerers, Witch doctors, Magicians, and other magically empowered peoples, cast both beneficial and harmful spells as the need dictates. However in contemporary Paganism and Witchcraft, a set of ethics exists that prohibits the use of curses and negative spells against another (see the “Wiccan Rede” and the “Three Fold Law”). The acceptability of binding spells is divided, and is widely debated throughout the community.

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The Red Book Of Appin

2010-09-30T19:35:00.009-07:00

Book: The Red Book Of Appin by Medieval Grimoires

Translated by Scarabaeus, but the date of the original manuscript is unknown. The Grimoire, primarily a dark Grimoire, is in two parts. The first part concerns the requirements to become an adept who follows a wizard (evil spirit) who initiates the adept into the secrets of the book. The second part of the book introduces Superior Demons and evil spirits together with their seals and invocations.

“Some say that The Red Book had been dictated by Vlad Tepes himself to some monk Kirill. If it is so or not, we cannot say, but the devil-worshipping of the great romanian general is an unquestionable fact, which no serious black adept can deny. It is well known that this document, enwrapped in blood-red leather of some unknown creature (according to rumors , that was one of lower demons, invoked by Vlad specially for this purpose), was kept by the english merchant Joseph Appin (from this comes the title of the book), who died in 1689 and bequeathed to bury it together with him.

Having accomplished their father`s behest, two of his sons afterwards digged his grave out in order to get the access to the source of terrible transcendent knowledge, but found no book there. It is possible that the book had been stolen by some offspiring of Vlad, and since then it was imparted from father to son until the year 1869, when it got into the hands of the Hungarian secret community , which afterwards turned to one of branches of the Great Black Lodge under the abbreviation A.C.C. The copy had been imparted to the Pontiphic of the Lodge Johan Kellenheim in 1901 and translated to polish and German.

The further destinity of the original is unknown. It`s written in the purest version of the enochian language, in comparison with which the language of John Dee is just a pitiable senseless murmuring, and not with enochian symbols but with latin letters, which confirms the version of writing it by the monk, unfamiliar with the Heavenly Language.” If you play with these rituals, you will get burned severely. Before attempting any form of magick, know the theory. Information is Power, please handle it with care.

Download Medieval Grimoires's eBook: The Red Book Of Appin

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Arbatel Of Magic Or The Spiritual Wisdom Of The Ancients

2010-09-30T19:35:00.007-07:00

Book: Arbatel Of Magic Or The Spiritual Wisdom Of The Ancients by Medieval Grimoires

A magical ritual published at Basle in 1575. The text is in Latin and appears to have been influenced by Paracelsus. It is of Christian, not Jewish, origin, and although the authorship is unknown, it is probably the work of an Italian. Only one of its nine volumes still exists: dealing with the institutions of magic, the work is entitled Isagoge, which means "essential or necessary instruction."

The book introduces the ritual of the Olympic spirits who dwell in the air and among the stars and who govern the world. There are, we are told, 196 Olympic provinces in the universe: thus Aratron has 49; Bethor, 42; Phaleg 35; Och, 28; Hagith, 21; Ophiel, 14; and Phul, 7. Each of the Olympic spirits rules alternately for 490 years. They have natural sway over certain departments of the material world, but outside these departments they perform the same operations magically.

Thus Och, the ruler of solar affairs, presides over the preparation of gold naturally in the soil. At the same time, he presides magically over the preparation of that metal by means of alchemy. The Arbatel states that the sources of occult wisdom are to be found in God, spiritual essences, and corporeal creatures, as well as in nature, but also in the apostate spirits and in the ministers of punishment in Hell and the elementary spirits. The secrets of all magic reside in these, but magicians are born, not made, although they are assisted by contemplation and the love of God.

It is sufficient to describe the powers and offices of one of these spirits. Aratron governs those things that are ascribed astrologically to Saturn. He can convert any living thing into stone, can change coals into treasure, gives familiar spirits to men, and teaches alchemy, magic, medicine, and the secret of invisibility and long life. He should be invoked on a Saturday in the first hour of the day. The Arbatel was said to be one of the best authorities on spiritual essences and their powers and degrees.

Download Medieval Grimoires's eBook: Arbatel Of Magic Or The Spiritual Wisdom Of The Ancients

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The Devil Notebook

2010-09-30T19:35:00.005-07:00

Book: The Devil Notebook by Anton Szandor Lavey

Anton Szandor LaVey was a man full of biting wit, iconoclastic insight and, above all, a most astute and adroit observer of human folly and misinterpretation, himself being subjected to the latter more than anyone in recent memory.

In this book, published after two decades of inactivity (to the world of print), LaVey sheds light on many interesting topics, bringing his usual dose of sardonic humor to the printed page.

A particular essay comes to mind when I think of this book- it's called "Hatha Toilet Seat Meditaion," and if it doesn't solicit laughter from you, nothing will. For those of you who are familiar with it, I'm certain you're grinning right now. For those who aren't, read the book and find out why.

Other essays focus on some pretty forbiding topics, and the level of candor expressed by LaVey never lets us forget that while the media may have portrayed him as several things- none of which were especially flattering- we will continue to respect him for the insight he shared with us, remembering the first time we read the "Satanic Bible," a book that for many of us described the thoughts we'd always thought, but never knew anyone else did.

In general The Devil Notebook is very useful and practical black magic book that does explain (with some deals hidden) the ways of satanic practices. The author knows the material, and its well laid out with clear - but as I say some missing - instructions. However, the book does deliver much material. I read an interesting but rare satanic gem called the Question of Lucifer, about how far Lucifer has penetrated into the upper ranks of power and elite. It was fascinating, and very, very scary, depending on if you are on the White or black magic side. That book unknowingly exposed some satanic secrets and left a lot open for us to see, more than the author expected - if you are willing to read it. Be warned!

Download Anton Szandor Lavey's eBook: The Devil Notebook

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Of Occult Philosophy Or Of Magical Ceremonies The Book Iv

2010-09-30T19:35:00.003-07:00

Book: Of Occult Philosophy Or Of Magical Ceremonies The Book Iv by Henry Cornelius Agrippa

Of Occult philosophy Or Of Magical Ceremonies The Book IV of The Three Book of Occult Philosphy by Henry Cornelius Agrippa

The Three Book of Occult Philosphy purports to be the work of Henry Agrippa, the 16th century author of "Three Books of Occult Philosophy". But the 4th Book was obviously not written by Agrippa and bears no resemblance to his style of writing. Although it can be traced back to the 16th century as it is mentioned by Agrippa's student, Johann Weyer in his "De Praestigiis Daemonum", the work remains of uncertain provencance.

In part a partial summary of some of Agrippa's writings, this facsimile of the English translation by the 17th century Cambridge scholar Robert Turner, comprises spurious essays on Geomancy and Magick under the name of Agrippa, The Heptameron of Peter of Abano, and books on Astrology and Demonolgy, concluding with the Arbatel, a largely Judeo-Christian outlook on the dangers of magic.

It is a very quick and easy read, despite the portions dealing with Geomancy and Astrology that even those serious about such subjects would find largely frustrating and incomprehensible.

The work largely remains of pure historical interest with not much of serious substance to an undertanding of Magic and Occult Philiosphy.

This volume is a facsimile of Robert Turner's English translation (1654); the original volume first appeared (in Latin) in Marburg around 1554. The original volume included a large number of short texts of varying interest, but Robert Turner's (1654) (for unclear reasons) decided only to translate a few of them. This edition includes 6 short texts: Of Geomancy (H.C. Agrippa); Of Occult philosophy the Three Book (pseudo-Agrippa); Heptameron or Magical Elements (pseudo-Peter de Abano); Isagoge: An Introductory Discourse on the Nature of ... Spirits... (Georg Pictorius Villinganus); Of Astronomical Geomancy (Gerard of Cremona); and the Anonymous Arbatel of Magic. Only the Geomancy is actually by Agrippa, and it doesn't fit well with the other texts. The Three Book is, as another reviewer noted, certainly spurious; it purports to be Agrippa's "secret key" to the Occult Philosophy, of which he spoke in a letter to a friend. The Heptameron and the Arbatel are grimoires of some interest for those interested in black magic, as indeed is the Three Book itself; the Isagoge is a rather dull dialogue about spirits; and the Astronomical Geomancy is more or less impenetrable but perhaps interesting in a peculiar way. There have been a number of reprints of this volume, some now surprisingly valuable despite their modernity; all, however, have trimmed out one or more of the already few texts. As such, this is probably the best edition available. It is, like all Kessinger products, a cheaply-bound xerox facsimile of the original 17th-century text, but it's readable and includes everything. If you collect grimoires or magical texts, this is a very famous one, and you ought to have it; copies of the various Latin printings turn up with some regularity, and those with access to Latin would do better with those, although they are of course quite expensive. If you're looking for works by Agrippa, the Geomancy is all you'll find here, but it's interesting in a number of respects. If you want to know about Agrippa's ceremonial magic, however, you need to read book 3 of the Occult Philosophy, available in a nice Llewellyn edition.

Download Henry Cornelius Agrippa's eBook: Of Occult Philosophy Or Of Magical Ceremonies The Book Iv

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The Sacred Magic Of Abramelin The Mage Book 3

2010-09-30T19:35:00.001-07:00

Book: The Sacred Magic Of Abramelin The Mage Book 3 by Abramelin The Mage

Volume III of The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage.

The Book of Abramelin tells the story of an Egyptian mage named Abramelin, or Abra-Melin, who taught a system of magic to Abraham of Worms, a German Jew presumed to have lived from c.1362 - c.1458. The system of magic from this book regained popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries due to the efforts of Mathers' translation, The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, its import within the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and later within the mystical system of Thelema (created in 1904 by Aleister Crowley).

Unfortunately, Mathers used the least-reliable manuscript copy as the basis for his translation, and it contains many errors and omissions. The later English translation by Georg Dehn and Steven Guth, based on the earliest and most complete sources, is more scholarly and comprehensive. Dehn attributed authorship of The Book of Abramelin to Rabbi Yaakov Moelin (Hebrew ca. 1365–1427), a German Jewish Talmudist.

Structure of the book

The grimoire is framed as a sort of epistolary novel or autobiography in which Abraham of Worms describes his journey from Germany to Egypt and reveals Abramelin's magical and Kabbalistic secrets to his son Lamech. Internally the text dates itself to the year 1458.

The story involves Abraham of Worms passing his magical and Kabbalistic secrets on to his son, and tells how he acquired his knowledge. Abraham recounts how he found Abramelin The Mage living in the desert outside an Egyptian town, Arachi or Araki, which borders the Nile. Abramelin's home sat atop a small hill surrounded by trees. He was an Egyptian mage and taught a powerful form of Kabbalistic magic to Abraham. He was a "venerable aged man", and very courteous and kind. He discussed nothing but "the Fear of God", leading a well-regulated life, and the evils of the "acquisition of riches and goods."

Abramelin extracted a promise from Abraham that he would give up his "false dogmas" and live "in the Way and Law of the Lord." He then gave Abraham two manuscript books to copy for himself, asking for ten gold florins, which he took with the intention of distributing to seventy-two poor persons in Arachi. Upon his return fifteen days later, after having disposed of the payment money, Abramelin extracted an oath from Abraham to "serve and fear" the Lord, and to "live and die in His most Holy Law." After this, Abramelin gave Abraham the "Divine Science" and "True Magic" embedded within the two manuscripts, which he was to follow and give to only those whom he knew well.

Origin of the manuscript

The book exists in the form of six manuscripts and an early printed edition. The provenance of the text has not been definitively identified. The earliest manuscripts are two versions that date from about 1608, are written in German and are now found in Wolfenbuttel Another two manuscripts are in Dresden, and date from about 1700 and 1750 respectively.

The first printed version, also in German, dates to 1725 and was printed in Cologne by Peter Hammer. A partial copy in Hebrew is found in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, and dates from around 1740. A manuscript copy existed in French in the Bibliotheque de l'Arsenal in Paris, an institution founded in 1797. The French copy has since disappeared, but is available on microfilm.

All German copies of the text consist of four books: an autobiographical account of the travels of Abraham of Worms to Egypt, a book of assorted materials from the corpus of the practical Kabbalah (including some which is duplicated in the German-Jewish grimoire called "The Sixth and 7th Books of Moses") and the two books of magic given by Abramelin to Abraham. The well-known English translation by S.L. MacGregor Mathers from the French Manuscript in Paris contains only three of the four books. The Hebrew version in Oxford is limited to Book One, without reference to the further books.

Of all the extant sources, the German manuscripts in Wolfenbuttel and Dresden are taken by scholars to be the authoritative texts. According to respected Kabbalah scholar Gershom Scholem, the Hebrew version in Oxford was translated into Hebrew from German. An analysis of the spelling and language usage in the French manuscript indicates that it dates to the 18th century, and that it was also likely copied from a German original. Although the author quotes from the Jewish Book of Psalms, the version given is not from the Hebrew; rather, it is from the Latin Vulgate, a translation of the Bible employed by Roman Catholics at that time.

The German esoteric scholar Georg Dehn has argued that the author of The Book of Abramelin was Rabbi Yaakov Moelin (Hebrew 1365–1427), a German Jewish Talmudist and posek (authority on Jewish law). (ref Georg Dehn, The Book of Abramelin: A New Translation, transl. by Steven Guth, Ibis Publishing, 2006)

Magic word squares

The practical magic of Abramelin (found in both Book III of the French text, and Book IV of the German original) centers around a set of talismans composed of magic word squares. These are similar to traditional magic squares, though the latter are usually composed of numbers, while Abramelin's squares contain letters. Commonly word squares are used as puzzles or as teaching aids for students. In the context of Abramelin, the focus becomes mystical—so that each square should contain words or names that relate to the magical goal of the square. A parallel is found in the famous Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas word square, an altered version of which is also found among Abramelin's squares.

For example, a square entitled "To walk under water for as long as you want" contains the word MAIAM, the Hebrew and Arabic word for "water". A square for recovering treasures of jewelry begins with the word TIPHARAH (a variant of Tiferet), which can mean "golden ring" in Hebrew and is also the name of the sphere of "Beauty" on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.

Download Abramelin The Mage's eBook: The Sacred Magic Of Abramelin The Mage Book 3

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Abramelin The Mage - The Sacred Magic Of Abramelin The Mage Book 3

The Golden Verses Of Pythagoras

2010-09-29T19:24:00.009-07:00

Book: The Golden Verses Of Pythagoras by Antoine Fabre Dolivet

This is english translation of The Golden Verses of Pythagoras by Antoine Fabre d'Olivet (December 8, 1767-March 25, 1825) a French author poet, and composer whose biblical and philosophical hermeneutics infuenced many occultists, such as Eliphas Lvi and Gerard Encausse (Papus), and Ren Gunon.

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras are a collection of moral exhortations. They comprise 71 lines written in hexameter verse and are traditionally attributed to Pythagoras.

The exact origins of the golden verses are unknown and there are varying opinions regarding their dating. It appears that the verses may have been known as early as the third century BC but their existence as we know them cannot be confirmed prior to the fifth century AD.

The golden verses enjoyed great popularity and were widely distributed in late antiquity being often quoted. Their renown persisted during the medieval ages and into the renaissance.
The Neoplatonists used the golden verses as part of their preparatory program of moral instruction and a number of neoplatonic commentaries on the verses are extant.

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Her Hidden Children The Rise Of Wicca And Paganism In America

2010-09-29T19:24:00.007-07:00

Book: Her Hidden Children The Rise Of Wicca And Paganism In America by Chas Clifton

I found this book among many in my local bookstore and purchased it on the fact that the cover was eerily close to a vision in a dream I had over a year ago. I have never been happier to have had such a dream! This book, I found, was completely amazing.

While many books on Paganism focus on practice, perhaps a few focusing on philosophy, very few focus on any actual scholarship. This specific book focuses on the history of contemporary Paganism, from Gerald Gardner to more modern influential groups, such as the Church of All Worlds. The depths the author, Mr. Chas S. Clifton, provides for anyone interested in history and Pagan academia runs deeps.

Since the release of Ronald Hutton's "Triumph of The Moon" back in 2000, I have yearned for a book that would take an in-depth look at the history of modern Paganism in America. So I was more than a little excited and hopeful when I heard that Pagan academic Chas Clifton was rising to the task in his new book "Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America". Finally a book that would take a look at how modern Paganism and Wicca took root in American soil and became one of the fastest growing faiths in the country.

Clifton - knowing that he could in no way cover everything that has happened from the 1930s to the present - has chosen with this book to lay down some basic parameters for talking about modern Pagan history in America. First he concentrates on Wicca: it being the largest and most influential modern Pagan religion in America. Secondly, when moving out from Wicca he generally stays with groups that claim to follow "nature" or "earth" religions. Not getting much attention in this history are the "reconstructionist" Pagan faiths and feminist Wicca.

The author begins with examining Gerald Gardner and the beginning of British Wicca, looking at both Gardner's claims of a long-line of witches and historical evidence to this claim. Following this, the author discusses how Wicca came to America and how it spread.

The second chapter focuses on the change of Wicca from a Mystery Religion to a "nature" religion. The author brings to use the idea that Wicca combined a triple-form of nature, ranging from the Cosmic, Natural (Earthly), and Erotic. He shows us how Wicca became changed through the changing social changes affecting America during this time.

Throughout the rest of the book, Mr. Clifton shows his readers the struggles and effects Wicca has had in America (such as, for example, the effort to change the image of the popular "Witch), the influence Paganism has had in Popular Culture (and vice versa), and a look at other Pagan groups that have influenced Paganism on a whole (which may, or may not, have started before Wicca).

If one is interested in the history of Paganism, specifically Wicca, this is a great book to sate that interest. This book is a wonderful example of Pagan scholarship so needed in the Pagan community. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to be a Pagan, claiming to be a Pagan, or vaguely interested in knowing about Pagans.

Buy Chas Clifton's book: Her Hidden Children The Rise Of Wicca And Paganism In America

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Astronomical Geomancy

2010-09-29T19:24:00.005-07:00

Book: Astronomical Geomancy by Gerald Cremonensis

Astrological geomancy is an ancient method of divination. The word geomancy means earth divination and is believed to have come from the use of sand to generate the geomantic figures, the basis of prediction in geomancy. This also accounts for its Arabic name, ilm al-raml, literally the science or wisdom of the sand.

In the modern era the ancient art of divinatory geomancy has been confused with Chinese feng shui which is not a method of divination, but a science of spatial arrangement, architecture and landscaping. Divinatory geomancy has also had its name appropriated by the modern New Age study of ley lines and earth "energies" which are also not techniques of divination.
Contemporary practitioners of the traditional Western art of geomancy have taken to referring to it as divinatory or astrological geomancy to differentiate it from these more modern uses of the term. Astrological geomancy is a particularly appropriate term as much of the divinatory methodology used in geomancy comes from traditional astrology.

The origins of geomancy are shrouded in mystery, but the first manuscripts describing the practice appear in the 9th century AD in the advanced Islamic civilization of the Middle East. From there it spread to Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries as part of the reception of many arts and sciences, including the occult arts of astrology, alchemy and magic by the rapidly civilizing West. Known in Arabic as ilm al-raml, literally the science or wisdom of the sand, geomancy became quite popular as a divinatory technique because of its ease of learning and use. Here is an interesting article in pdf form by the Dutch academic Wim van Binsbergen on the Astrological Origin of Islamic Geomancy. Because of its close connection to astrology, geomancy has been called "the Daughter of Astrology" and known as terrestial astrology.

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The Magic Of Armadel

2010-09-29T19:24:00.003-07:00

Book: The Magic Of Armadel by Solomonic Grimoires

The grimoire of Armadel translated from the original French and Latin of a manuscript in the Biblotheque l'Arsenal in Paris. This is classed as a Christian Grimoire and contains many important seals and sigils of the various demons and planetary spirits. First translated by S.L. McGregor Mathers in the late 1890’s. The Grimoire of Armadel remained unpublished until 1980.

What follows is an unabridged introduction taken directly from the version of the Grimoire by Frator Alastor:

“…….When Mathers made his translation he notice that the title page was the last page of the Grimoire, so he moved to the front but keep the rest of the chapters in the same order. He also notice that this Grimoire began speaking about the magick circle like if it where something that the reader should already know. Now it is my believe that the whole Grimoire was written backward, this is to say that you should read the last page first (the title page) then the last chapter and so on. If you read it this way you will see that make a lot of sense. In Mathers version the first chapter is a reference to the magick circle and the License to depart, it make no sense to begin a Grimoire that way since the license to depart is the last think that a magician read. Also if you fallow the Latin titles in Mathers version the text begin with the Sanhedrin, Jesus and go on to the creation of Adam and the demons and the angels etc. This order is completely the opposite of that one on the bible this is god first, then the angels, the demons, Adam, Jesus, the Crucifixion and the Sanhedrin. So neither to say I had inverted the orders of the chapters in Mathers version under the believing that this is the way that the magic was intended to be read.”

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Historical Summary Of The European Witch Hunts

2010-09-29T19:24:00.001-07:00

The European witch Craze started roughly during conclusion of the 15th century and peaked during the first half of the seventeenth century. The belief that women were sinful and had the power of the devil within them developed out of the Middle Ages. The Reformation further promoted the idea of a satanic kingdom of evil on earth with which to justify persecutions. Theologians sought to prove that accused witches represented the devil.

The first and most significant written cumulative concept of witchcraft available to a large audience was the Malleus Maleficarum written by Sprenger and Kraemer. It was first published in 1486 and reprinted fourteen times before 1520. The document made an important contribution to the widespread witch hunt. Most people accused of witchcraft were rural, poor, and single women. The hunts are often seen as a massive effort to keep women in their place. Women were seen as evil, and unclean people whose weakness could summon the devil for sexual intercourse.

The Malleus Maleficarum document ignited a widespread hunt for the so-called witches described in it. During the hunt, witches were accused of "impractical" and "traceless" crimes such as intercourse with the devil, unregistered babies from hidden pregnancies who were supposedly eaten or sacrificed, and even natural disasters. However there is no record of any solid evidence for any of these accused crimes.

Often these hunts were instigated by hysterical children, or nuns who accused relatives, and neighbors of these outrageous crimes. Witnesses were often bribed or threatened in order to prosecute the accused. The accused would then be tortured until they confessed. The methods of torture were very cruel and painful, and almost all who were put through the various devices would confess. In some cases the accused would die of torture, and very few survived the ordeal without confessing. However, the accused was set free if they survived the torture without a confession. After the forced confession, the trial took place. These trials were run by genuine believers of witchcraft. The aim of the trial was to exterminate the witches as conspirators with the devil. When the accused was declared guilty, they were usually executed.

Although, there are many estimates as to how many actual people were killed during these hunts, most estimates show the number well below the one-million mark. The actual number of documented executions, is generally considered to be under one hundred thousand. Of all that were executed, only a minority were men, and of those men, many are those who tried to protect accused women from the hunters.

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The Ultimate Book Of Spells

2010-09-28T19:24:00.009-07:00

Book: The Ultimate Book Of Spells by Pamela Ball

The Ultimate book of spells - A Complete Guide to Using Magic to Improve Your Life and the World Around You (2007) Arcturus Publishing ISBN 978-1-84193-577-5

This book is essential reference for anyone wishing to take control of their lives and become confident in the art of spell making...The book includes over 250 spells and techniques, covering every aspect of life and spiritual development. Whether it is creating opportunities for love, doubling your money or protecting your teenage daughter, there is a spell for everyone...With sections on the folkloric history of magic, astrology, divination and mysticism, the book provides the reader with a complete background to the art of magic. The complex social and cultural influence of spells is revealed, as well as their power to enrich and transform modern lives.

The desire to change and improve that which we have has been around for many thousands of years, if not since man first walked the earth. Magic and spell working have always been a part of that, and indeed still are today. Anyone who practises any form of magic, including spell working, needs to be grounded. This means having h feet firmly planted in reality and also having a basic knowledge of what
magic is and is not, what spells can and can’t do and what – with practice – you can do with the tools, information and knowledge you have. This book sets out to give you that information in as succinct a manner as possible.

Download Pamela Ball's eBook: The Ultimate Book Of Spells

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Everyday Moon Magic Spells And Rituals For Abundant Living

2010-09-28T19:24:00.007-07:00

Book: Everyday Moon Magic Spells And Rituals For Abundant Living by Dorothy Morrison

I've read a couple other Moon books, but this one is by far the best. Why? Because Ms. Morrison (much like another of my favorite authors, Patricia Telesco) has a certain and very special way of making things simple, accessable and right to the point without talking down to the reader, getting lost in Craft mumbo-jumbo or making things harder than they really need to be as I've seen so many times by other authors. There are no lectures, power trips or mind-numbing lists of hard-to-find ingredients here; no lofty words or flowery rituals. In fact, you probably already have many of the ingredients she mentions. This book is practical, useful, wonderfully organized and chock full of Moon facts, spells, rituals and other worthy and interesting tidbits that can indeed be used every day. I found it a fast read, which is good -this way I can get right into things :) If you've been disappointed, bored or overwhelmed by other Moon Magic books, give this one a try. Simply put, this book is a pleasure to read, use and own; it's one I'm sure I'll refer to often. I'm keeing this right next to my much-loved copy of Everyday Magic and will likely be following up with her companion book, Everyday Sun Magic.

That magical, mystical, glorious Moon-invite Her power into your life every day, from fixing your computer to blessing your pets. You'll learn how each Moon phase affects your spellwork, including the seldom-discussed energies of the true Blue Moon, the Black Moon, the void-of-course moon, and the lunar eclipse. Follow the Moon as She traverses each sign of the zodiac, and discover how each astrological phase affects magic, mundane events, and gardening-and how your personal Moon sign affects your magical work. Includes more than 140 modernized spells, chants, and rituals, along with Esbat celebrations for the Full Moon.

Dorothy Morrison has put together in this book a wonderful primer that is chock full of moon lore, moon mystery and moon magic. And because of all the bits of information collected here, even the experienced practitioner will read through this book and come away scratching their head saying "I didn't know that!"

Ms. Morrison includes in this book some of the history of moon lore and moon cycles. Included are bits of 'old sayings' and superstitions as well as names of the monthly moons and what they mean. She reviews the moon phases and effects. Ms. Morrison also discusses astrological terms referencing the moon and what they actually mean. For those who are not familiar or don't remember or are not sure, this section alone is worth the price of the book. Then she takes it a step further by explaining how these references apply in relationship to our magic and our lives. Times and cycles for ritual, magic and spells are also discussed and examined. Empowering moon rituals filled with positive affirmations for the building of personal self esteem, which Ms. Morrison is so good at writing, are here for you to incorporate into your own ritual material. And, of course, no book by Dorothy Morrison would be complete without a whole section of her wonderful spells.

As usual, Dorothy takes all this and puts it into a book that shows you, step by step, how to work this into your everyday life, making it a practical as well as informative book. There is so much more here that I've not included in this review because it would take pages to write about. Needless to say, Ms. Morrison has been thorough in her research. There is a table of contents to help you find what you are looking for as well as a bibliography. Add to that her easy to read format and no nonsense approach to teaching, and you have a winner here.

This is a book that should be considered when you are in the store looking for something practical, informative and just plain good to read and add to your library.

Originally from Texas, Dorothy Morrison now lives the magical life in Maine with her family. Dorothy is a member of the Pagan Poets Society and a charter member of M.A.G.I.C., a magical writers and artists organization. Dorothy is a Wiccan High Priestess of the Georgian Tradition, and has been an avid practitioner of the ancient arts for more than twenty years. She founded the Coven of the Crystal Garden in 1986, and spent many years teaching the Craft of Wicca to students both in the United States and in Australia. A former state championship archer and bow hunter, Dorothys current interests include Tarot work, magical herbalism, stonework, and computer networking.Dorothys work has been published in many journals and magazines, including Circle Network News, SageWoman, and Crone Chronicles. She is the author of the acclaimed Everyday Magic, Magical Needlework, In Praise of the Crone, Yule, Bud, Blossom & Leaf: The Magical Herb Gardeners Handbook, The Craft, and The Craft Companion, among other works..

Buy Dorothy Morrison's book: Everyday Moon Magic Spells And Rituals For Abundant Living

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The Pungo Witch

2010-09-28T19:24:00.005-07:00

The Pungo Witch, as she has come to be called, or in real life, Grace Sherwood, was accused of bewitching a neighbor's crop in 1698. Allegations of other 'witchy' things escalated over time in the Princess Anne County government. Her accusers decided to test her by 'ducking,' or, trial by water, her innocence or guilt determined by whether she floated or drowned. Drowning, by the way, was the GOOD outcome.

On July 10th, 1706 at ten o'clock, Grace Sherwood was tied by her thumbs, cross-bound and dropped into the western branch of the Lynnhaven River near what is now known as Witchduck Point in Virginia. Unfortunately for Sherwood, she floated. Guilty of being a duck? No, guilty of being a witch. She was imprisoned, and eventually released, but Sherwood lived the rest of her life quietly unvindicated, and died in 1740.

I guess they taught her a lesson, huh? Grace Sherwood was a midwife who would often wear men's clothing while working her own homestead. She went to court a dozen times to either defend herself or sue her neighbors for slander, yet never turned her back on a woman in need of her skills. She never married. Thus one can assume that then, as now, a woman who takes care of herself, a confident, competent woman, is suspect at best, ducked at worst, but always, apparently, in need of being taught to mind her place.

In 2006, she was pardoned by the Governor of Virginia, Timothy M Kaine--300 years after her ordeal. The wheels of justice sure do run slow, sometimes, but at least they turn.

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The 8th Book Of Moses

2010-09-28T19:24:00.003-07:00

Book: The 8th Book Of Moses by Ancient Grimoires

The Eighth Book of Moses, a magical treatise that otherwise has nothing to do with Moses and which is found in Greek Magical Papyrus (PGM) xiii in two versions. The end of this papyrus also mentions the "Hidden Book of Moses Concerning the Great Name," which may be another lost Moses work.

Download Ancient Grimoires's eBook: The 8th Book Of Moses

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Maxine Sanders Queen Of The Witches

2010-09-28T19:24:00.001-07:00

Maxine Sanders is the famous Alexandrian High Priestess from England . I strongly identify with her, for I believe she was born with the Witchblood. As a teenager in the 1960’s, she defied the stereotype of the hag witch with the youth, beauty, and charisma of the Enchantress. Partnered with Alex Sanders, she was instrumental in bringing the old religion to public consciousness and the eventual quasi-acceptability we have today. Her lifetime of dedication to the Mysteries as healer, teacher, Initiator, and muse in the face social antagonism, media sensationalism, public adulation and envy, makes for one of the truly remarkable life stories of our time.

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The Secret Grimoire Of Turiel

2010-09-27T19:24:00.009-07:00

Book: The Secret Grimoire Of Turiel by Medieval Grimoires

Turiel in the Book of Enoch

Turiel in later translations was the 18th Watcher of the 20 leaders of the 200 fallen angels that are mentioned in an ancient work called the Book of Enoch. The name is believed to originate from tuwr, el (God) meaning "rock of God". The translation taken from Michael Knibbs work on the Ethiopic Book of Enoch is "Mountain of God" or "Rock of God".

Grimoire of Turiel

There is a grimoire called "The Secret Grimoire of Turiel" in which the magician is given instructions on how to contact Turiel. It was believed to have been written in about 1518, but may have been copied from something older. It came to light in 1927 after being sold to Marius Malchus in Spain by a defrocked priest and was then translated into English from the original Latin. However, since Turiel is only previously mentioned in the Book of Enoch, it is unlikely that Turiel would have been known in the west before the rediscovery of the Book of Enoch in the early 17th century. No version previous of 1927 has been brought to the public.

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Arnold Crowther Biography

2010-09-27T19:24:00.007-07:00

Arnold Crowther was a skilled stage magician and ventriloquist with interests in paganism and witchcraft. He co-authored two books and a radio series on witchcraft, with his wife Patricia Crowther, and wrote numerous articles for a variety of magazines. His greatest claim to fame though comes as the connecting influence between Gerald B Gardner, and Aleister Crowley.

Born in Chatham, Kent, on the 6th October 1909, Crowther was one side of twin brothers. His mother was Scottish and his father, an optician came from Yorkshire. Crowther from an early age was fascinated with sleight-of-hand magic, ventriloquism, and puppeteering. From the age of eight he began practicing tricks and perfecting his technique in the secrecy of his bedroom. By the time he was twenty he was a professional magic act, working in cabaret, touring around the country and overseas.

His career peaked in 1938-39 when he was invited to entertain Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret at Buckingham Palace. This led him to numerous like engagements entertaining the landed gentry of England, and also into contact with many of the days leading occultists and magicians. At this time Crowther was a Freemason with interests in Buddhism, he didn’t enter the craft until very much later in 1960.

Crowther was a founder member and President of the Puppet Guild, and as a master puppeteer he made over 500 puppets during his career, mainly for use in his ventriloquism act. He also collected unusual puppets and oddities, regularly giving lectures at his Masons Hall, and to other interested societies, on curios from around the world.

Before the start of World War II, Crowther met Gerald Gardner and his wife Donna after they had been to view one of his lectures on curios. He and Gardner became good friends, sharing many similar interests. Crowther soon became a frequent visitor at the Gardner’s London flat, and from there they would venture out together and browse the many antique stalls at the nearby Caledonian Market. Rubbing shoulders with Gardner, Crowther soon became interested in the craft, however Gardner’s coven was still wary of adverse publicity. They felt that Crowther might use craft information in his act, and refused to accept him. Gardner predicted that “a very special person with fair hair” would initiate him when the time was right.

During the war years Crowther joined the Forces Entertainment’s Corps, and entertained troops all over Europe with his show “Black Magic”, the show also included an African Basuto choir. Crowther would perform where and whenever he was required, like on the 10th November 1943 while en-route from Tripoli to Malta, he performed aboard a DC 3 airplane flying at 4,000 feet.

For a time during the war Crowther was stationed in Paris, and there he first learned of his past life as a Tibetan beggar monk. He and an officer went to visit palmist, “Madame Brux”, who invited them to a seance. After introductions the medium went into a trance and began to communicate with a masculine spirit. The spirit claimed to have been Crowthers teacher in a previous life, and was his guide in this present one. The spirit reported that Crowther had been a student in a Tibetan lamasery, he mentioned the name “Younghusband” and that he had been killed in a battle. “Your possessions will be returned to you,” said the medium, and an object fell onto the seance table. It was a Tibetan prayer wheel inscribed with “OM MA NI PAD ME HUNG” (Translation)

After the war had ended other Tibetan objects came into his possession, they included: a butter lamp, a trumpet made from a human thighbone, a drum made of a human skull, and a small rattle hand-drum. An expert explained to Crowther that the “Zi-jed-pa” (The Mild Doer), a homeless medicant class of Yogi regarded as saints, used such items. They believed they would attain Nirvana after death and not have to be reborn again.

That being so, why then had he been reincarnated as Crowther he reasoned? The expert explained that if he, as the monk, had killed someone, then he would have to be reincarnated to balance the karma. Later at an exhibition of Tibetan curios in London, Crowther discovered that a Colonel “Younghusband” had led a military attack against Tibet in 1904. During the attack “Younghusband” had killed another soldier, before he himself was killed.

Crowther returned to the public stage after the war, and continued to tour about the country. During his travels he met and made the acquaintance of Aleister Crowley. It wasn’t long before he introduced his friend Gardner to Crowley on the 1st May 1947. An entry in Crowther’s dairy for that date reads: “Dr. G.B.Gardner Ph.D. Singapore and aleister crowley Prof, a magician, came to tea…”

In 1958 while travelling to perform on the Isle of White, Crowther met a lady “with fair hair”, Patricia Dawson. She was performing in the same show as he, and they soon discovered a mutual interest in witchcraft. Crowther offered to introduce her to his friend Gardner. Over the following two years and after regularly meeting with him, Gardner initiated Patricia on the 6th June 1960 at his home in Castletown, Isle of Man. Patricia in turn initiated Crowther, and the prediction Gardner had made to Crowther many years earlier, came true.

Later that same year on the 8th November 1960, Arnold Crowther and Patricia Dawson where married in a private handfasting ceremony, officiated by Gerald Gardner. The following day on the 9th November they married again in a civil ceremony, this attracted the attention of the media and was heavily publicized. The Crowthers settled in Sheffield and used the media publicity to spread the word about witchcraft, and started many new covens throughout the country.

Crowther passed into the next world on the 1st May 1974. “Or did he”? If from his past life as “Colonel Younghusband”, he revisited as “Arnold Crowther”, has not his karma been corrected? One wonders if he has finally achieved Nirvana?

In addition to his collaborated works with his wife Patricia, Crowther’s other published credits include: “Let’s Put On A Show” (1964), a book of “how-to-do” magic, illustrated by himself. “Linda and the Lollipop Man” (1973), a road safety book for children, and “Hex Certificate” (Late 1970’s), a collection of cartoons he drew on witchcraft themes. His autobiography “Hand in Glove”, has not been published, but was serialized on BBC Radio in Bristol, Sheffield, Medway and Leeds between 1975 and 1977.

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The Book Of Forbidden Knowledge

2010-09-27T19:24:00.005-07:00

Book: The Book Of Forbidden Knowledge by Basil Crouch

This is the most dangerous book you will ever hold in you hands. It is books of secret rituals. The ceremonies are powerful beyond belief. They can be dangerous if treared lightly, but if directions are faithfully followed then no barm should befall you. After reading this books you life will never be same, its magic will change you life merely by reading it.

Whoosover steps one foot on this pathway stays forever. It is beyond life, beyond death, beyond eternity, beyond heaven, it it taught in the beginning so shall it remain until the stars fall from sky, and all life on Earth is destroyed.

This books deals with life and death, it deals with health and sickness, it deals with wealth, it can make you rich beyond you wildest dreams; it can also destriy you, body and mind, so be warned. Treat it with care and understanding, use it to better you life, use it for become rich, better station in life, and if necessary use it to destroy your enemies.

Buy Basil Crouch's book: The Book Of Forbidden Knowledge

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Moon Eclipses

2010-09-27T19:24:00.003-07:00

A lunar eclipse occurs whenever the moon passes through some portion of the Earth’s shadow. This can only occur when the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely, with the Earth in the middle. As such there is always a Full Moon on the night of a lunar eclipse. Every year there are at least two partial lunar eclipses, while total eclipses are much less common. The type and length of an eclipse depends upon the moon’s location relative to its orbit of the earth. As of writing this article the most recent total eclipse occurred on the 21st February 2008. The next eclipse, allbeit a partial one, will occur on the 16th August 2008. The next total eclipse is due on the 21st December 2010. Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be seen from a number of small areas around the world, a lunar eclipse can be seen from anywhere on the night side of the Earth.

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Everyday Magic Spells And Rituals For Modern Living

2010-09-27T19:24:00.001-07:00

Book: Everyday Magic Spells And Rituals For Modern Living by Dorothy Morrison

Is it time for a change? Is it time to improve your life with a better job, a happier home, or more romance? Then you need Everyday Magic by Dorothy Morrison! This is magic for modern Wiccans, and for everyone regardless of their religious affiliation. It is filled with hundreds of spells, chants, rituals, charms and formulas for incenses and oils. Every one is tested and powerful yet easy to use.

Everyday Magic is a well written book and it fit into my everyday living just as if it had been written for me personally. The modern day methods of dealing with the "old ways" of the craft amazed me. To go to a thrift store and pick up a cheap blender instead of trying to do so many herbal blends with the mortar. I was so mermerized with so many of Dorothy's modern gimmicks. Being able to improvise has always been big with me, Dorothy seems to do the same in her book.

Sure, there are spells for romance and prosperity. Those are as important today as they were a thousand years ago. But this book also presents magic that deals with today's problems. Speed up your computer's modem. Make sure your luggage arrives safely; ease labor pains; free yourself from anger; find a parking spot. These are all things we need and that you can do by following the simple instructions in this book!

One of the roadblocks to successful magical workings that many people face is finding the proper oils and incenses. Morrison's solution: Make them yourself! But don't use the old techniques that take hours, days, or even weeks to accomplish. Instead, you'll learn how to use common appliances such as a drip coffee maker, a blender, and a crock pot to create your own powerful incenses, oils, washes, brews, and more. What a practical timesaver!

And saving time in today's world is what this book is all about. Of course, if the spells, charms, rituals and techniques weren't practical and effective, saving time would be meaningless. Well, what you'll learn here is powerful -- and is presented by a woman who has been a Witch for more than 20 years and taught on two continents!

Dorothy Morrison has a daring point of view that magic is not just compatible with technology--the two can actually help one another. Since technology has made our lives more productive, surely it can enhance our magic too. (Have you ever thought of making your herbal infusions in an automatic-drip coffeemaker?) Technological assistance with magic is only part of the story. Morrison has filled a grimoire with charms that protect from car trouble and ensure the safe and timely arrival of luggage while traveling, and spells to keep a computer from crashing, which makes life in the 20th century a little less harrowing. Rather than fighting the progress of the electronic age, Morrison has tapped into the wealth it has to offer, and she shares her discoveries with anyone adventurous enough to try them.

The spells and rituals in here are all based on today's available materials. Trying to find something called dragon's blood was not easy for me. In this book, Dorothy makes it all so simple and still so effective. Spells of interest to the modern twentieth century housemate and businessperson. Spells and rituals that make so much sense and are so easily adaptable for my and others active lives.

I recommend, as I have many times, reading this book. I have read many and find this one to my liking on a high rating of "Way to go, Dorothy Morrison"
Excellent book and will keep an eye and ear open of reports of others from D. Morrison. Age, gender, and type of path are not even a stoppage point here. For all and then some.

Buy Dorothy Morrison's book: Everyday Magic Spells And Rituals For Modern Living

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Albertus Magnus Biography

2010-09-26T19:24:00.009-07:00

Albertus Magnus (1193-1206? - 1280) also known as “Albert the Great” was a German scholar of theology, philosophy, natural science, medicine, alchemy, astrology, chemistry and physics. He was also an alleged magician who believed in the benefits of botany, claiming that various plants, rocks and amethysts improved clairvoyance. He was known as “Doctor Universalis” (“Universal Doctor”) because of the breadth of his knowledge, and was especially noted for introducing Greek and Arabic science and philosophy to the medieval world. He was the most prolific writer of his century and was the only scholar of his time to be called “the Great”, a title that was used even before his death.

Albertus Magnus was born Albert de Groot, in Lauingen, Bavaria, the eldest son of the Count of Bollstadt, a military lord in the service of Emperor Frederick II. Later contemporaries such as Roger Bacon (1214-1294) applied the latinised name of “Albertus Magnus” out of respect for his immense reputation as a scholar and philosopher. Nothing about his primary or preparatory education is known but it is thought he was privately tutored at home before being sent to Bologna University in Italy for his formal education. He then moved to Padua University where he studied the liberal arts and teachings of the Greek philosopher Aristotle.

While there in 1223, he was recruited by the Blessed Jordan of Saxony, the second Master General of the recently formed Dominican Order of Friar Preachers (founded by St Dominic in 1214), who was doing the rounds of major universities in Europe recruiting the best young scholars into the Dominican Order. The Order at that time was less than ten years old, and had only been granted ecclesiastical approval in 1216. Magnus was ordained in a Dominican convent house in Cologne, Germany, from where he quickly advanced through the ranks of the Order.

After leaving Padua, Magnus taught theology at several convent houses throughout Germany including: Regensburg, Freiburg, Strasbourg, Hildesheim and lastly at the convent house in Cologne, were he reinterpreted Peter Lombard’s “Book of the Sentences” (Magister Sententiarum), the theological textbook used in most of the medieval universities. He then moved on to the University of Paris were he became Master of Theology in 1245.

His most famous pupil at the University of Paris was Thomas Aquinas, who later in 1248 joined him at the new Studium Generale in Cologne, in which Magnus was appointed Regent and were Aquinas became his second professor and Magister Studentium (Master of Students). Magnus went on to become an influential Church administrator, teacher and preacher, and travelled throughout Western Europe on behalf of the Dominican Order.

In 1254 Magnus was made provincial of the Dominican Order in Germany, and in 1256 journeyed to Rome to defend the Mendicant Orders against an attack by William of St. Amour, who sought to have the Dominican’s right to alms removed. Magnus succeeded in having his book treatise “De novissimis temporum periculis” condemned by Pope Alexander IV on the 05th October 1256. During his short stay in Rome, he also filled the position of Master of the Sacred Palace, from were he preached on the Gospel of St. John and the Canonical Epistles.

A year later in 1257, Magnus resigned the office of Provincial in Germany to devote himself to his studies and teaching, although he remained a leading force in the Order. At a General meeting of the Dominicans held in Valenciennes, France in 1258, with Thomas Aquinas and Peter of Tarentasia (later Pope Innocent V), he drew up rules for the direction of studies and determined the future system of graduation to be used throughout the Order.

In 1260 Magnus was called by the Pope Alexander IV to serve as the Bishop of Regensburg, a position he resigned from in 1262, in order return to his convent in Cologne, there once again to concentrate on his scholarly interests. However from 1263 to 1264 he was made a legate of Pope Urban IV, and sent to preach the crusades throughout Germany and Bohemia, where subsequently he lectured at Wurzburg and at Strasbourg.

On his journeys around Europe, Magnus showed an intense interest in natural phenomena, and was consumed by the scientific writings of Aristotle. He examined his works, commented on them, and occasionally contradicted them based on the evidence of his own observations. In his laboratory in Cologne he carried out his own experiments in chemistry, mineralogy and physics, and built up a collection of plants, insects and chemical compounds. Of his experiments he is said to have discovered the metallic element of arsenic, caustic potash, and was the first person to determine the chemical composition of cinnabar, minium and white lead.

As a theologian and philosopher, Magnus was outstanding among his contemporaries but not as innovative as his star pupil Thomas Aquinas. Magnus attempted to bring Aristotelian doctrines together with Christian teachings, and in his Summa Theologiae (1270) he maintained that human reason could not contradict revelation, but defended the philosopher’s right to investigate divine mysteries.

In 1274 Magnus was called by Pope Gregory X to attend the ecumenical Council of Lyon, where he had to defend the orthodoxy of his former pupil Thomas Aquinas and the Aristotelian doctrines that both he and Aquinas held to be true. While there he received the sad news that Aquinas had died on his way to the same Council. The news was a heavy blow to Magnus who declared, “that a shining light of the Church had been extinguished”. In 1277 when it was announced that critics wished to condemn and writings of Aquinas, believing that his teachings were too favourable to unbelieving philosophers, Magnus again travelled to Paris to defend his good name.

Magnus suffered serious health problems in 1278 and later died in Cologne on the 15th of November 1280. He was buried in a crypt tomb at the Dominican Church of St. Andreas in Cologne, while his relics were held at Cologne Cathedral. Much later in 1622 he was beatified, and later still declared a Saint by Pope Pius XI in 1931, at which time he was also acclaimed an official Doctor of the Church. In 1941 Pope Pius XII made him the Patron Saint of Natural Sciences.

In the centuries after his death, many myths and stories were told about Magnus the alchemist and magician. On the subject of alchemy and chemistry, he had written mant treaties, including: Alchemy; Metals and Materials; the Secrets of Chemistry; the Origin of Metals; the Origins of Compounds, and Concordance, which is a collection of Observations on the philospher's stone. Other alchemical and chemistry topics were collected under the name of Theatrum Chemicum.

Magnus believed that stones had occult properties, as he related in his work De mineralibus. However there is little actual evidence that he personally performed alchemical experiments. Most of the modern myths are the result of later works, such as the alchemical work known as the Secreta Alberti or the Experimenta Alberti, which were falsely attributed to Magnus by their authors in order to increase their prestige through association. According to one myth, Magnus is said to have discovered the Philosopher’s Stone and passed it on to his pupil Thomas Aquinas. While Magnus made observations about the stone in his writings, he does not mention ever discovering or owning it, although he did record that he witnessed the creation of gold by “transmutation”.

Magnus was also deeply interested in astrology, as were most academics in his day. In the high Middle Ages and well into the early modern period, few intellectuals questioned the basic theories of astrology i.e. that humans lived within a web of celestial influences that affect their bodies, and motivates them to behave in certain ways. They believed that astrology could be used to predict the probable future of a human being. Magnus made this a central component of his philosophical system, arguing that an understanding of celestial influences could help us to live our lives more in accord with Christian precepts. His astrological beliefs can be found in a work he authored around 1260, now known as the Speculum astronomiae. However, details of these beliefs can be found in almost everything he wrote, from his early Summa de bono to his last work the Summa theologiae.

The works of Albertus Magnus represents the entire body of European knowledge, as was extent during his time, not only in theology but also in philosophy and the natural sciences. His importance to the history of medieval academia consists in his bringing Aristotelian doctrines to the fore against the reactionary tendencies of his contemporaries. But it was by his writings on the natural sciences that he exercised his greatest influence. Albertus Magnus must be regarded as unique in his time for having made accessible and available the Aristotelian knowledge of nature and for having enriched it by his own observations. A pre-eminent place in the history of science was accorded to him when because of his achievements, he was canonised and made the Patron Saint of Natural Sciences.

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Alex Sanders Biography

2010-09-26T19:24:00.007-07:00

Alex Sanders – the “King of the Witches” as he became known - was responsible for founding the Alexandrian Tradition of Wicca, now one of the main traditions of the Wicca/Witchcraft movement. But his reign was fraught with criticism and controversy.

Alex Sanders was born Orrel Alexander Carter on the 06th June 1926 in a house on Moon St, Birkenhead. He was the eldest of six children to parents Hannah and Harold Carter. His father Harold Carter was a music hall entertainer who suffered from alcoholism, and soon after the birth of Alex, moved the family to Grape St in Manchester, there he unofficially changed the family name to Sanders. Alex was unaware of his official surname until he applied for a passport later in life, at which time he officailly changed his name to Sanders by deed poll.

As a young boy Sanders suffered with tuberculosis and would regularly visit with his grandmother in Wales, where he could benefit from the Welsh fresh air. At the age of seven, he is believed to have happened upon his grandmother “Mary Biddy” performing some sort of pagan ritual. Taken by surprise she immediately swore young Sanders to secrecy, and initiated him on the spot claiming, “Now, you are one of us”. Thus he became her student and started on the path of the Old Religion.

Sanders was a natural psychic who learned all he could from his grandmother. He claimed that she gave him her “Book of Shadows” to copy and taught him all the rites and magic of the witches including clairvoyance by scrying in inky water and using his grandmother's crystal. Sanders also claimed that following the Blitz during WWII and just a few months before her death at age 74, his grandmother conferred upon him the second and third grade initiations involving ritual sex. After her death he tried to contact other witches, and though failing continued with his studies while working for a time as a healer in Spiritualist Churches under the pseudonym of Paul Dallas.

In the early 60’s, Sanders is reported to have sought entrance to some Gardnerian covens (see Gerald Gardner), including that run by "Patricia and Arnold Crowther", who refused to accept him. Not to be put off so easily, he somehow managed to obtain a copy of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows. This he copied (badly from all accounts) and embellished it with a few of his own amendments. He then used this as the bases to found his own coven, claiming it to be a copy of his grandmother’s Book of Shadows.

Sanders was a born showman who avidly courted publicity. In September of 1962 he even succeeded in convincing the Manchester Evening News to run a front-page article about Wicca. As a result he soon attracted a large following. During this period Sanders and his coven worked from his home at 24 Egerton Road North, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. One of his initiates was "Maxine Morris", a Roman Catholic 20 years his junior. After her initiation, they handfasted and she became his High Priestess. They were married in a civil ceremony in 1968 and moved into a basement flat near Nottinghill Gate, London. Later that same year, Maxine bore him a daughter they called "Maya".

From their new home the Sanders’ ran his London coven and taught training classes, he claimed to have initiated more than 1,623 witches working in 100 covens around the country, all-practicing what had become known as the Alexandrian Tradition. At one meeting, a gathering of sixteen of his covens, Sanders was bestowed with the title of “King of the Witches”. Sanders frequently appeared in ritual photos as robed or wearing only a loincloth while Witches surrounding him were naked. His explanation for this was that the old “Witch laws” required that the Elder of a coven should be easily identifiable from the other coven members.

In 1968-69, Sanders with Maxine appeared in and gave technical advice on a film called “Legend of the Witches”. During the press preview of the film, they met with and were introduced to "Stewart Farrar", then a reporter for the Reveille. Stewart would later be initiated by Maxine, and move on to become famous himself as a witch and author.

Without doubt Alex Sanders was a controversial and flamboyant man, who without scruples plagiarized the work of others to embellish he own. Whither he did so with malice, remains a question? Personally I don’t think so. More I assume through innocuous indifference, and mainly for the benefit of his students, even though it resulted in criticism from many in the craft. He was also without doubt a very skilled witch, and powerful magician, whose contribution to the newly evolving movement, brought witchcraft back into the public arena and changed the face of Wicca. He helped to influence many newcomers entering the craft and Alexandrian Wicca remains today one of the largest traditions of the craft.

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The Golden Bough A Study Of Magic And Religion

2010-09-26T19:24:00.003-07:00

Book: The Golden Bough A Study Of Magic And Religion by Sir James George Frazer

The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging, comparative study of mythology and religion, written by Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer (1854–1941). It first was published in two volumes in 1890; the third edition, published 1906–15, comprised twelve volumes. It was aimed at a broad literate audience raised on tales as told in such publications as Thomas Bulfinch's The Age of Fable, or Stories of Gods and Heroes (1855). It offered a modernist approach to discussing religion, treating it dispassionately as a cultural phenomenon rather than from a theological perspective. The impact of The Golden Bough on contemporary European literature was substantial.

The book scandalized the British public upon its first publication, because it included the Christian story of Jesus in its comparative study, thus inviting an agnostic reading of the Lamb of God as a relic of a pagan religion. Frazer removed his analysis of the Crucifixion to a speculative appendix for the third edition, and it was entirely missing from the single-volume abridged edition.

Its influence on the emerging discipline of anthropology was pervasive and undeniable. For example, Bronislaw Malinowski, stricken with tuberculosis shortly after receiving his doctorate in physics and mathematics, read Frazer's work in the original English to distract himself from his illness. "No sooner had I read this great work than I became immersed in it and enslaved by it. I realized then that anthropology, as presented by Sir James Frazer, is a great science, worthy of as much devotion as any of her elder and more exact studies and I became bound to the service of Frazerian anthropology."

Despite whatever controversy the work may have generated, and its critical reception amongst other scholars, The Golden Bough had a tremendous effect on the literature of the period. Robert Graves adapted Frazer's concept of the dying king who is sacrificed for the good of the kingdom to the romantic idea of the poet's necessary suffering for the sake of his Muse-Goddess in his Frazer-esque book on poetry, rituals, and myths, The White Goddess, which was published in 1948. William Butler Yeats makes reference to it in his poem, "Sailing to Byzantium." H. P. Lovecraft mentions the book in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu." T. S. Eliot acknowledged indebtedness to Frazer in his first note to his poem The Waste Land. William Carlos Williams references it as well in Book Two, part two, of his extended poem in five books, Paterson. James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, D. H. Lawrence, Aleister Crowley, Ezra Pound, Mary Renault, Joseph Campbell, Naomi Mitchison (in her The Corn King and the Spring Queen), and Camille Paglia are but a few authors deeply influenced by The Golden Bough. Its literary impact has given it continued life, even as its direct influence in anthropology has waned.

Download Sir James George Frazer's eBook: The Golden Bough A Study Of Magic And Religion

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The Art Of Hypnotism Self Hypnosis And Hypnotizing Others

2010-09-26T19:24:00.001-07:00

Many years ago I went to a Hypnotist to learn the Art. He taught me how to hypnotize myself and others. It is actually an easy process involving very little study and practice. You must remember.... not everyone can be hypnotized. Some people are so wrapped up in their thoughts of every day worries that they can not simply concentrate. In order to be hypnotized... you must be able to relax and clear your mind just the same as you would during meditation..
I would suggest trying it on yourself before trying it on others. Here are the steps to hypnotizing yourself....

1. Sit on a couch in the upright position and close your eyes and your arms at your side or in your lap. Do not move around. Just sit there and relax for a minute.

2. Clear your mind of all thoughts. How do you do this?.... simply imagine a big Dumpster or a very large metal box on your mental screen. Then see it open and put all your thoughts and worries in it one by one.... bills... your lovelife.... problems.... your children.... your job... everything you can think of. Then close the lid and lock it! Then push it off your mental screen.

3. Now sit there quietly with no thoughts for a minute. When you are ready to start... do not forget to tell yourself as you go through each part of the body that you are becoming more and more relaxed as you go. YOU MUST TELL YOURSELF THIS!

4. Now... start with your head.... imagine every part of your head relaxing... start with your eyes.... then go to your ears.... the mouth... all your facial muscles. spend time with each part to make sure it is fully relaxed.

5. Now go to your neck and do the same.

6. Now go to your whole chest and stomach region and start with your heart... slow it down and make it at peace. Relax all you chest muscles and then your stomach area.

7. Now relax your arms feeling them going limp. Relax every muscle in your arms one by one including your fingers.

8. Next go to the groin area and relax all the muscle there.

9. Now it is time to do your legs.... start with the thighs and work your way down to the feet relaxing each and every toe.

By this time you should be like a big lump of silly putty... totally relaxed and and at peace. Now here comes the fun part. This is where you will get to hypnotize yourself and see if it really works.....

1. Site there with you arms in you lap and or at your side and tell yourself that your right arm is getting very light. It is getting very, very light. Keep telling yourself this and feel how it is getting lighter. Tell yourself that it is getting so light that is is staring to raise up off your lap. Feel it it getting light as you keep telling yourself this and feel it raising up off you lap. It is getting lighter by the second and it is raising up higher and higher until it is up in the air.

2. Once you have achieved this and your arm is up in the air you may tell yourself it is getting heavy again and lower it to your lap. You will now tell yourself that you will awaken fully refreshed with energy and a clear mind.

3. Open your eyes and evaluate what you have done. Write down your experience in your magical journal. If you did not have success... try again later that day and keep trying until you are satisfied. If it never works for you.... you may be one of those who cannot be hypnotized.

Now.... this method can be used on someone else. Try it on your best friend... except you are the one who will be telling them to relax each part of their body. Then do the arm raising stunt with them and see if it works. Remember.... as you go through each part of the body with them... tell them they are getting more and more relaxed and sleepy. If this works then you can try more difficult things like making them do funny things...

Remember... DO NOT MAKE PEOPLE DO THINGS THAT WILL HURT THEM OR OTHERS!

You can also use this method to remember things and program yourself to lose weight or study better or what ever you so choose!

If you have been successful.... Congratulations! You now know how to Hypnotize!

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The Philosophers Stone

2010-09-26T19:11:00.009-07:00

Book: The Philosophers Stone by Israel Regardie

My book has been praised as a good meaningful book by some reviewers and by many readers, to judge from the mail I have received during the past thirty years. It is patently an open sesame to one level of interpretation. The Occult Review, now defunct, published a critical review by Archibald Cockren who took me rather severely to task for asserting that alchemical texts should be interpreted solely in terms of psychological and mystical terms. He himself, I subsequently discovered, had written a book Alchemy Rediscovered and Restored. Of course I immediately procured a copy. Since I was peeved by his review, I did not feel that his book had very much to offer—so I dismissed both offhand. I was about to write the editor of The Occult Review a scorching letter, but reason intervened so that fortunately it never got written.

The opportunity is rarely given to an author in his lifetime “to eat crow” and to enjoy it. This lot, it pleases me to say, is mine—after thirty years. Not that I would significantly change much of what I wrote then. I admitted that I had not “proceeded to the praxis” but I felt then and still do that a mystical and psychological interpretation of some alchemical texts was legitimate. There is unequivocally this aspect of the subject. Certainly Jacob Boehme and Henry Khunrath, for example, cannot be interpreted except in these terms.

The Philosophers Stone with these preliminary comments, should answer a wide-felt need which has called forth this new edition. I hope, being in print once more, it will bring new light and knowledge and values to present-day students who may be still groping in the dark areas of the occult towards alchemy, where a guiding hand needs to be extended.
So, to close this Introduction, I must use the ancient Rosicrucian greeting, and the close of a Golden Dawn ritual:
May what we have partaken here sustain us in our search for the Quintessence; the Stone of the Philosophers, True Wisdom and perfect Happiness, the Summum Bonum.

Download Israel Regardie's eBook: The Philosophers Stone

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Invincible Magick Spells Of The Afghan Mullah Sensees

2010-09-26T19:11:00.007-07:00

Book: Invincible Magick Spells Of The Afghan Mullah Sensees by Muhammad Ibn Arabi

All the spells and signs are from the mountains of Afghanistan and the surrounding areas. All have been handed down from generation to generation, student to student. All are in their original form and have not been translated or altered so as to preserve the originality and power.

Download Muhammad Ibn Arabi's eBook: Invincible Magick Spells Of The Afghan Mullah Sensees

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Carl Llewellyn Weschcke Biography

2010-09-26T19:11:00.005-07:00

Carl Weschcke is president of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd, one of the largest publishers of occult and New Age books in the world. He is also a Magician, a Tantric practitioner, a Pagan and a former Wiccan High Priest who played a leading role in the rise and spread of Wicca and Neo-Paganism in America during the 1960’s and 70’s.

Weschcke was born into a Roman Catholic family on the 10th of September 1930 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Early in his life his paternal grandfather, who at the time was vice-president of the American Theosophical Society, exposed him to metaphysics and the occult. For his 12th birthday he presented the young Weschcke with his own astrological chart, after and guided by his grandfather, he became fascinated with astronomy, religion, the occult and reincarnation. His parents were vegetarian naturalists who practiced mind reading techniques, and were happy to discuss occult subjects with him. Even one of the houses they lived in had strange and mysterious thumps and bangs in the night, which were attributed to the ghosts of the deceased former owners. Such were the influences that shaped Weschcke’s early life and future path.

Weschcke was educated at the St. Paul Academy and graduated in 1948. He then went on to study at the Babson Business Institute in Massachusetts graduating in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. After graduating he went to work in the family’s Pharmaceutical business, but found the work unfulfilling. He had a dream of becoming a publisher, which led him back to school studying for a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Minnesota. However, his longing to get involved with publishing caused him to leave the university before completing his course, and in 1960 he purchased the little known Llewellyn Publishing Co.

The Llewellyn Publishing Co. was the brainchild of the Welsh astrologer, Lewellyn George, who founded the Llewellyn Publishing Co. in Portland, Oregon during 1901. At that time it was a small mail order business with a limited focus specializing in selling three Astrology books and Calendars. Lewellyn George later moved the company to Los Angeles where he died in 1954. Weschche purchased the business in 1960 and moved it to St. Paul in Minnesota where he began to rebuild it. He quickly expanded the business to include a complete line of books on Astrology and the Occult, and within a decade was publishing some thirty to fifty titles a year, including audio and videotapes. He also launched a series of magazines including: New Dimension, Gnostica, Astrology Now, New Times and New World.

In 1973, Weschcke helped to form and organize the 'Council of American Witches' and became its first Chairman. During his brief tenure as Chairman he drafted the now famous 'Thirteen Principles of Belief' statement, which he considers his proudest accomplishment for the Craft. The statement was later incorporated into the U.S. Army’s handbook for Chaplains. That same year his wife gave birth to their son who they named Gabriel.

By the mid-1970’s Weschcke began to wind down his public activities, feeling his publishing business was starting to stagnate. Weschcke believed his constant media publicity and its resulting attention was the cause of it, and so resolved to do something about it. Selling the haunted mansion on Summit Avenue he moved the family to the country where he could spend and devote more time to them. He restructured the business by closing the bookstore, dropping the festivals and increasing the number of book titles they were publishing. He also included computer software to his range of audio and videotapes.

The Weschckes continue to support the Wiccan and Pagan communities primarily through their publishing, and many of their Authors are sent out to organized conferences and activities. Today, most of their time is taken up by the demands of their business, which by the mid 1990’s had grown into a medium sized publishing house issuing about 100 new titles a year, spanning the general Spirituality and New Age markets. Their son Gabriel, holds a master’s degree in publishing science from Pace University, New York, and now works for the business as its regional sales manger.

Weschcke holds two honorary doctorates, one in magick, and was for a time the Grandmaster of Aurum Solis, an international magickal Order originally founded in England in 1897, but now based in St. Paul. He withdrew from the Order in 1991 and is currently not affiliated with any group. His media prominence during the 1960's and 70's did much to bring Wicca and paganism into the light of acceptability in a skeptical American society.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Valentina Izmirlieva - All The Names Of The Lord
Ann Moura - Green Witchcraft
Michael Night Sky - Carl Liewellyn Weschcke Bringing Magick To The Masses

Salem Witch Trials

2010-09-26T19:11:00.003-07:00

Book: Salem Witch Trials by Kirstie Alley

Salem, Massachusetts. A small town--with no clear governing body--became embroiled in a scandal that forever stands as one of the darkest chapters in American history. For those accused of witchcraft by their neighbors and friends, there was little chance of clearing their names; the mass paranoia that ravaged through the community took the lives of 19 innocent men and women. With an all-star cast of Kirstie Alley, Rebecca De Mornay, Kristin Booth, Shirley MacLaine, Peter Ustinov and Alan Bates, Salem Witch Trials dramatically revisits 1692 colonial America and the haunting legacy it holds.

"Salem Witch Trials" is a compelling 2003 CBS mini-series that featured many familiar and veteran actors and for the most part, stayed true to the historical events that came to be known as the Salem Witch Trials.

The mini-series begins on a rather odd note - it is right in the middle of a trial where the afflicted girls [who are the ones accusing people of witchcraft]go into hysterics and start wailing and screaming, then the accused start transforming into 'demons' [with rather striking make-up and 'flying' special effects]. Thankfully, this only lasts a couple of minutes [the production could have done without it], and viewers are taken back via flashback to six months prior where the events began.

The story focuses on the Puritans residing in the village of Salem, Massachusetts, and the year is 1691. There is no charter from England and hence, the Puritans basically govern themselves without any written law. Those who commit crimes or sins are publicly humiliated [there is a scene where women deemed guilty of sinful conduct are paraded naked whilst tied to a wagon]. The family that is the focal point in this series is the Putnam family - Ann Putnam [Kirstie Alley] gives birth to a stillborn child and is full of grief. Her husband Thomas Putnam [Jay O Sanders] is a bitter man, having lost a lot of his land and wealth to others who are more entrepreneurial. They have a son and daughter and young Annie Putnam [Katie Boland] senses the tension between her parents and finds herself being neglected, hence her desire to act out as a means of gaining attention.

The storyline is riveting and moves along at a steady but sure pace, building momentum as the horror unfolds - the acting is also solid and credible - Kirstie Alley's Ann Putnam is a conflicted and tortured soul. Her grief over her dead child causes her to turn to a village medicine woman, Bridgitte Bishop who is later accused as a witch, and this in turn causes her immense guilt [for turning 'away' from God]. She is by turns horrified and self-righteous at the situation in Salem. This is one of Alley's best dramatic performances to date. Henry Czerny's Rev Parris is credibly done, acting out the part of a so-called man of God who decries against self-interest whilst shamelessly practising it for self-preservation. Then there is young Katie Boland as Annie Putnam who incites revulsion for her performance as the misguided accuser.Rebecca de Mornay plays Rev Parris' wife who is mortified by the events in Salem and finally leaves her husband.

There are also veteran actors who have done an incredible job with their roles here - Shirley Maclaine plays the ill-fated Rebecca Nurse, one of the accused who also happens to be a pillar in society, a devout mother and elderly woman who maintains her faith and sense of humor in the bleakest of times. Peter Ustinov plays the Magistrate William Stoughton, a man so absorbed in proving the accused guilty that he never once questions his judgements. And there is Alan Bates playing Gvernor Sir William Phips, who initially acts the dandy and seems disinterested but who eventually realises something is seriously wrong in Salem.

The sets and costumes lend an authentic feel to the story, making the Salem of 1691-'92 come alive onscreen. All in all, this is a first-class production and will appeal to history buffs, educators [though with some nudity I'm not sure if it would be appropriate for classroom viewing] and period & historical drama fans.Highly recommended!

Buy Kirstie Alley's book: Salem Witch Trials

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

John Musick - The Witch Of Salem
Friedrich Adler - The Witchcraft Trial In Moscow
Marian Green - A Witch Alone

Grimoire For The Apprentice Wizard

2010-09-26T19:11:00.001-07:00

Book: Grimoire For The Apprentice Wizard by Oberon Zell Ravenheart

Magick, through all its varied forms and traditions, always has at least one component that it shares. Freedom. Freedom from old ideas. Freedom from old religions. A pathway leading the practioner to new depths of themselves, and through that, the world.

It is not, and should not, be used as a tool for the crushing of imagination, but its expansion. It is a very delicate line, to separate one's own prejudices and mythology from the craft itself, creating a clear platform that allows, or even more, encourages the reader to find their own truth. To question authority, even the authority of the writer.

Oberon Zell's grimoire For the Apprentice Wizard does just that. Though there are many books on magick, too often they emphasize the writer's particular viewpoint on the craft, providing a kind of blueprint for development in a particular tradition at the expense of the infinite multiverse of alternate perspectives that could, and should exist.

In his Grimoire, it is apparent that Oberon's intention is to create a platform that is, as well as he is able, clear. Beginning with a brief history of magick in its various incarnations in the Western world; as well as a fundamental glossary of magickal terms as used by all, he moves into beautifully illustrated and well-intentioned explanation of the various types of magick and process.

He includes chapters on healing, herbology, astronomy, mathematics, animal communion (a personal favourite), divination, and many more. Each section illustrates the fundamental principles common to all traditions, allowing the student the space to find their own ideas. Supposedly geared to the adolescent reader, each chapter contains instructions on how to create and manage spells; focusing not only on the process of starting a magick, but the responsible cleanup so often neglected afterwards in making your spells efficient and successful.

I was particularly impressed with the various sources and quotations used in the book. Many authors fail to see (or perhaps, respect) the ways in which spiritual, magickal truths have expressed themselves in today's world. In drawing on gems of wisdom hidden in popular culture; from Aristotle to Discworld, Pythagoreas to Spiderman; Oberon's viewpoint shows an open-mind free of the prejudice of the past that sees the Goddesses, and Gods, still alive inside the imagination of the modern world.

More than just a set of instructions, the Grimoire provides a set of tools designed to allow young minds the opportunity to find their own way through the labyrinth of their imagination. I highly ... highly recommend this book to both new and old readers alike. It is refreshing to see an author who not only claims the intention to provide an open philosophy that still honours its history and practice, but who succeeds in doing so.

Download Oberon Zell Ravenheart's eBook: Grimoire For The Apprentice Wizard

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Aleister Crowley - Mortadello Or The Angel Of Venice
Parker Torrence - Grimoire Of Eclectic Magick Part 3 Of 3
Moses Maimonides - The Guide For The Perplexed
Oberon Zell Ravenheart - Grimoire For The Apprentice Wizard.pdf

Altar Consecration And Dedication Ritual

2010-09-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

To consecrate and dedicate an altar(not alter) to the Lord and Lady, first find the place where you wish to set up the altar. This place must not be disturbed, for it will take on sacred and holy energies, and you will not want anything to happen to this area. Use some quiet meditational music if there is some available. Remember, the more energy and work that you put into your altar, the more magickal energy it will take on. You may even use an energy bell or Tibetan bell to signify that you are beginning to call those spiritual guides to assist you with your present work. Action is the key!

Once you have found that place, take a smudge wand of Sage, light it and begin to clear the air around the altar. Constantly, keep Love and Light in your conscious-ess. Now, move to the four elements and ask for their guiding presence. Use a compass if needed to find the proper directions on the Earth.

North = Earth
South = Fire
East = Air
West = Water
Around = Spirit

Ask for their blessings and honor their assistance. Next, begin to set up the altar, placing each item you wish on the altar gently and reverently. Use the Consecration Ritual if you need to consecrate any magickal tools. You'll know what those items are as time passes. The altar will change its appearance as the seasons change. On your altar can be anything you wish, anything! Some altars are outside, some are inside. Some are clean and orderly, while others are cluttered with anything and everything around them. Yet, you must keep this place of sacredness, honorable to the God and Goddess.

You may wish to use two 7 day candles (buy at 99 cent store) to represent the ever presence of the God and Goddess in your life. Black for God, White for Goddess. Red of fire, incense for Air, small bowl of water for west, and something of the Earth for North. Once your altar is set up the way you want it, spend a few moments in quiet meditation thinking about what this altar means to you. Now, allow the altar to fill you with its magick and energy. Feel the magick around you. breathe in the Love and Light from the Lord and Lady. Visual yourself revitalized because of it's presence. See yourself becoming more healthy, whole, and wise. Now, visualize healing for someone else, maybe someone you do not even know. Send them Love and Light.

When you are ready to end your dedication and consecration ritual, sound the bell once again, thanking all elements for their presence and assistance. Send them back to their humble abode harming none on their way. Now, thank the Lord and Lady for their presence in your life. Take a deep breath of the fresh magick around you and repeat:

So mote it be!
It is done!

Allow the Lord and Lady candles to burn constantly, replacing them week after week, month after month, year after year.

Books in PDF format to read:

John Stearne - A Confirmation And Discovery Of Witchcraft Ocr Version
John Stearne - A Confirmation And Discovery Of Witchcraft

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