Casting with Words Alone

Merry Meet!

It is a lovely cool and rainy September 1st and I thought it would be a great day to give you your first spell to try. This sort of casting is good when you are away from home and cannot get to your sacred space and you do not have materials and candles where you happen to be. Remember what I told you some time ago, that there are ways to practice the craft in your mind if you find yourself in a position where you can not make potions or burn candles or own paraphenalia. So keeping in mind that you are full of magical energy of your own and it comes from the energies of earth and air and the fire in your soul and the water of the blood in your veins. You are a child of the Creator, endowed with the mystical energies of the angels and spirits who serve the Creator. You can call upon these energies with slight gestures and the sound of your voice. With that in mind, let us begin.

To Remove an Obstacle

With wand hand make a sweeping motion over the opposite hand

There is an object in my way

I sweep it all away today

Obstacles I will remove

And make my path clean and smooth

As I will it, so mote it be

As you intone the spell, imagine the obstacle being removed.

Try this one when you see someone fighting or if two friends are fighting

To Promote Peace

With hands raised to chest level, palms up, intone:

In this world of war and discord

I chant this spell to push peace forward

May hate and spite disappear

So all can live without pain or fear

As I will it, so mote it be

The key to casting word spells is visualise and trust in your own magikal energies.

Until next time,

Blessings Be

Aslinn Dhan Dragonhawk

I may not be writing for a while. I am taking a trip with a couple of Christian Wicce friends so I can have my third degree initiation. When I come back, I'll do some more word spells with you and go over the eight sabats with you.

Even More Books

Merry Meet!

The next book I want to recommend is written by Raymond Buckland. He is the acknowledged father of American witchcraft. There are several books I can recommend of his but the first one is Wicca For One: The Path of Solitary Witchcraft. It is all really good basic stuff that helps you to begin thinking about how you want to celebrate Sabats and Esbats and some good general information about magikal stones and crystals, prayer and meditation and magical terms and alphabets. It is published by Citadel and it is $15.

The next book I really want to impress upon those who are seeking a an eclectic or Christian practice of the Craft, I suggest reading Practical Solitary Magic by Nancy B. Watson. Among all of the books I have read about the magikal arts and the practice of witchcraft, Nancy really takes a strong stand on the idea that magik can be practiced in any religious faith system and these practitioners can proudly claim their place among Pagan and Wiccan practitioners. It's a great book that helps you develope a closer relationship with your concept of God or Goddess and helps you develop a spiritual bond with the craft. She also admits there may be those of us who have no bond whatever with a God type and has no use for one. Weiser Books $17.

The last book for this entry is Self Initiation for the Solitary Witch: Attaining Higher Spirituality Through a Five Degree System by Shanddaramon. It is a fantastic outline for your path of study through the years from novice to elder and discusses such topics as shamanism, divinations, meditations, healing, warrior studies and ecology. It is a great book you will read over and over again and it has so much snowledge a beginning witch really needs. Published by New Page Books $15.

That's a hefty list to be getting on with now, so enjoy these books and in couple of weeks, I'll give you some more titles.

Next time I write, I will give you some simple spells that you can cast and you don't even need a wand or materials.

Until next time,

Blessings Be
Aslinn Dhan Dragonhawk

More reading materials

Merry Meet,

The next three books I am going to suggest are books written by two fathers of the witchcraft movement. Gerald Gardner was a sociologist who studied Eastern culture and philosophy and in his later years came home to England, after World War II and discovered that the witch ways were not entirely gone. He became a noted writer and scholar of the Craft after 1951 when Great Britain repealed its ancient witchcraft laws and acknnowledged that the Craft can be a legitimate practice. The second one of the fathers is of the American witchcraft movement named Scott Cunningham. He has written over fifty books and he covers everything from divinations and crystals to herbology and potions and practices.

The first book I want to profile is The Meaning of Witchcraft by Gerald Gardner. In it he gives a serious but generous discussion of witchcraft as religion and practice. If you are a Christian Wicce you will have to bear with patience some of the remarks he makes about Christians and magik, but there are truths that Christian Practitioners must accept and that is like all conquering cultures, Christianity subborned the native practices of conquered people and demonized them. To many pratitioners of the Craft and followers of Wicca, Christians practicing the Craft are interloping in the ancient practices of pagan people. It is a sad division, just as all divisions are among faith communities are but all of us can come to some level of understanding. But, back to Gardner. Gardner also shatters some myths and misconceptions that non-magikal folk have about the Craft. Very well written and insightful book. Published by Weiser Books and costs $20.

The next two books are by Scott Cunningham. The Truth About Witchcraft Today is a really well written book that works on the same level as Gardner's book but takes a gentler stance. He gives you a basic history, modern challenges of the practicing witch, the religion of Wicca and basic ritual forms. Very good book for the older teen interested in the Craft and discusses some of the social and religious questions about Craft practices and how to judge the safety of a group or coven. Llewllyn Books $5.00

The second book is written expressly for the solitary witch, as many of us are, whether we are Christian or Pagan or Wiccan. Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner discusses all the characteristics for ritual and dedications and it has a very good basic Book of Shadows and a guide to help you write your own spells and rituals. It also has a basic herbal guide and glossary of terms and index for further research. Llewellyn Books $10 and a very good value for your money!

I hope these reading suggestions are helpful. Until next time,
Blessings Be
Aslinn Dhan Dragonhawk

Suggested Readings

Merry Meet,

I promised that I would begin giving you a book list and after much consideration, I though I would profile three books at a time in some sort of ascending order that moves you from one basic beginners level to the next. I've read all of the books and will tell you the good things and the bad things about the books and how I used them as a Christian Wicce.

The first book I recommend for those who are beginning their studies into the Craft is The Wiccan Rede by Mark Ventimiglia. It is a wonderful little book, written for the Wiccan-Pagan in mind, but filled with basic truths that all religious faiths could appreciate much of it. The rede is carefully analyzed as poetry and as creed to follow for a religious rule of thumb. It is a very thoughtful work and I recommend it to all who are interested in the Craft. It is published by citadel press and it is hard back and I think I paid $10.

An Ye Harm None: Magical Morality and Modern Ethics by Shelley TSivia Rabinovitch and Meredith Macdonald. This book takes up where Ventimiglia leaves off. It seems a bit heavy handed, but really, everyone could do with making things last and using up what you have and controlling your buying and wasting. Some of it may be a little difficult to do, but you can get a lot of real insight about your rights and responsibilities as a witch. I urge any young person to read this book and really think about what it really means to be a witch. Ithink I paid $15-$17. It was published by Citadel Press.

The Elements of Ritual by Deborah Lipp. This is a fantastic book that helps the learner think about the rituals or spell work they want to do. It is a very open hannded and generous book that explains the use of the pentangle and candles and casting circles and the eight Sabats and the seasons and some things you can do to celebrate in your own unique way. She also dicusses how to build a relationship with the four elements. $17 from Llewellyn Press.

Of all of the expense you will have, books will be your greatest expense of all. Some of these will be available at your local library and you may be able to check them out or read them and make notes. You should get a journal or notebook anyway to begin writing what you learn. This notebook will be basis for your Book of SHadows or personal spell book.

I'll profile three more books next time and give some basic castig advice to get ready to teach you to cast spells that were written by someone else or how to write your own spells.

Until then, Blessings Be,

Aslinn Dhan Dragonhawk

Oils and the Craft

Merry Meet,

Oils have been used as curatives for thousands of years and they have been used as a part of religious practices for just as long. Oils were used as preservatives to keep the body until burials could take place. They have been used in medicines as lubricants, muscle relaxers and laxatives. Scented oils are very important in cures and ritual as well. Many times oils were made of botanicals and purified animal fats and oils collected from plants. It was time consuming work to extract purified oils from the source and the herbs and flowers and resins used to perfume them were rare and costly. That is the point of the tale of the fallen woman who anoints Jesus feet. Judas tells Jesus off for allowing the woman to use the oils because they are costly and he feels that Jesus is indulging in some selfish vanity by allowing her to anoint him. Oils were mostly used by the wealthy and Jesus was supposed to be living the life of poverty and suffering.

Today, there are many types of oil that we call perfumed oils. Witches and Wiccans and Pagans of all traditions are renowned for the purity of their oils and the materials they are made from. Even if you are not a practitioner of any magikal art or tradition but you enjoy making wax candles and soaps and lotions with wonderful scents in them, then buy your goods from metaphysical shops. There are also the kinds that you find in art and hobby stores and even at your local shopping center or grocery. These are usually just fragrance oils that you put in simmer jars or on sachets to perfume a room. These are often artificially scented and use a petroleum oil as a carrier. Petrolium oils are like mineral oils or oil for your car. They are made of the same oil that is pumped out of the ground and refined to run our cars. It is not natural and is not good for mystical purposes in most regards.

There are some mass produced brands of essential oils. Spiritual Sky is a popular one and can be found in most "head shops" or hippy stores. It simply takes time to find those dealers who sell the real deal. The most important are Myrrh, Sandalwood, Amber, Dragon's Blood, Lavender, Peppermint, and Cinnamon. The corresponding incenses are great to have, as well. If you need to make potion and need a carrier oil, use sweet oil, or almond oil. If all else fail, use extralight, extra virgin olive oil or corn oil or sunflower oil. They may have a bit of an odor but they work well. Sweet oil can be found in pharmacies or grocery oils.

Now, I know that you see people drink potions all of the time in movies and shows, but do not drink your potions. The potions you make are to be used in the following ways: You may anoint candles with them. The way to anoint is that if you want your spell's desire to come to you. you anoint from the top of the candle to the base of the candle. If you want to the spell's desire to get away from you, you anoint from the bottom up. You may anoint a person with them. If you are bringing them into the Craft, for instance, you would want mix a potion used for dedication. Or if you were healing them, you might want to gently massage the afflicted area. You can use it as a fumigant. You can thin the potion by adding a teaspoon of whisky (or if you are a minor, rubbing alcohol) to every two ounces of potion and sprinkle or spray the potion in a spray bottle around the room to bless or exorcise or to bring healing, whatever you happen to be doing. You can simmer the potion in a simmer pot to incense a room. You can also add herbs and flowers to you potion as they are called for or if they match the energies of the oils you are using.

This is by no means comprehensive, in fact it is pretty basic. So, the next time, I will give you a book list that will help you study into your second and third degree. Some are written expressly for young people, which are still good for the adult novice, and some have a revolving value that comes with reading and rereading the books as you advance in your studies.

Until then,
Blessed Be

Aslinn Dhan

More working with Herbs

Merry Meet

To continue with the herbs. Thyme is another great herb. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme are true and real love herbs and can be used to make a love bath and sachets for the love bed. Thyme is also good for physical and spiritual healing in teas for sleeplessness and anxiety and head aches and in baths for aching and sore muscles and as aromatics for congestion. Thyme is good for meditations and clairvoyance as it does open the mind.

Ginger, preferably in root form but good in powdered is great for seasoning Asian food and pork some fish. It is also good in a tea for menstrual cramps along with cinnamon and nutmeg. It works well, especially in root form, sliced in a coin sized slice, to draw success or to increse personal power.

Rosemary is good for chicken and fish in cooking. It can be added to teas especially floral teas. Rosemary can be used in ritual annointings to dedicate someone or something. It can be used in blessings like a wiccaning or hand fasting. Used in wisdom and inspiration spells and potions, it can open the mind. It can be added to catnip and used as a beauty wash. Its fragrant scent can be used to chase away negative energy.

There are all sorts of ways to use common kitchen herbs and many of them are extremely easy to grow. You don't need a lot of room and you don't need really great soil and once they are established the herbs do okay if they aren't watered everyday like flowers. They are great to grow in containers, you should especially grow mint in containers because they spread and are invasive.

Learn all you can about herbs and flowers. Many times, archaic and exotic herbs, plants and roots are members of more common families that you can find easily. When you harvest your herbs, harvest in the full moon so you get the most of the plant's energies. Learn how to dry the herbs and how to clean and store them. If you can't grow your own herbs, do the best you can with the herbs you can get at the grocery store. Magik understands.

Next time , I will discuss oils and aroma theraphy and massage as magik and spell work.

Blessings Be,
Aslinn Dhan

Working with herbs

Merry Meet!

So, here we are and I thought I would begin some instructional things on basic herbs and their uses. First off, be careful with herbs. Some folk may be allergic or sensitive to the herbs you use. Second of all, herbs are pretty basic and many of them can be easily grown or bought, sometimes fresh, at your local grocery or Asian or Ethnic food store. Some can even be bought in Health food stores, so don't let the idea of herbs bother you.

There are basic herbs. Lavender is a great all purpose herb for nerves, anger, fear and any type of calming. You can get lavender at your local florists, or at art stores where you can buy sachets of lavender. You can get lavender oil, but I will talk about oils a little later. There are some teas that contain small amounts of lavender in them. Lavender is used primarily in sachets or mojo bags or as a bath packet. You can make a herbal bath packet by gathering the leaves or spices you want and folding them into a coffee filter and stapling the filter shut so the herbs don't come out.

Chamomile is a another great herb. It is a soother as well. It is also great for stomach complaints and headaches and tired eyes. You can get this in a tea form. Drink for stomach complaint just as you normally would. Headaches the same. For tired eyes, make your tea but do not add milk or sweetner and when it cools, take a clean wash cloth and soak your cloth in the tea, wring it out and place on the eyes.

Mint is great for many things. Mint can be used as a tea to drink for stomach complaint or indegestion. You can use it as a muscle relaxer by soaking in it in a tub of water. It is good for chest colds and complaints, and good for skin trouble if strained and used straight as a facial rinse (no milk or sugar, please) Esoterically, it can cleanse the house of troubles and quarrels and be used in love rubs or potions.

Garlic has been an old time herb for health. Just seasoning food while it cooks or making garlic butter, whatever you like in garlic makes the dish healthier for you. You can use it as a muscle rub...but brother do you smell afterwards. It is also sovereign against evil spirits, ghosts, and monsters of all sorts. Wearing a piece of it in your mojo or having it at your door protects you and your house.

Salt, humble and common is great as a gargle for sore throat, cleanser for mind abrasions, wash for the face, add savor to any food, preserve meats, vegetables, even breads. It is also sovereign against evil spirits and if you believe in the faery folk, it will keep them out of your house.

Sage is great for all fowl and fish and dressings and pork. It is also good for clearing the mind for careful thought, just sprinkle a little in some tea. It is good for smudging, which is burning like incense. If you don't have a sage wand, take a small square of paper and place a half teaspoon in the center and twist the sage up into the paper and place in a heat resistant bowl. Light the paper and waft the smoke toward your room or the person you wish to bless. Caution, sage has a very strong grassy smell, almost like marijuana, so be careful if you are practicing in secret.

I'll quit for now. My next blog, I'll talk about more common herbs and what they may be used for.

Blessings Be!
Aslinn Dhan

What are the Druids and how are they related to Wicca?

Merry Meet!

As you read about magick and the mystical arts and the Craft, you will read about the Druids. What are the Druids and how do they relate to us, the modern witches and covens of today. No one is really sure about who the Druids are. There are some who say they were some sort of ruling class, some where after the chief or king but above the ordinary citizenry. They were the wise men and women who formed the basic legal system, made decisions about crime and punishment, advised kings when and when not to make war, alliances, marry and crown heirs. They functioned also as the leaders of religion, presiding over marriages, divorces, births, funerals, coronations and religious feasts, sports, and rites.

We know this very small bit not from Druids themselves, but from the invaders of Europe, namely the Romans under people like Julius Caesar. In Julius Caesar's Commentaries, he wrote that the Druids were blood thirsty, savage men( ignoring of course the roles of women in the Druidic culture) who sacrificed humans in large quantities and ate human flesh and burned people alive in their wickerman festivals before Samhain. And following largely in this same vein, writers like Pliny the elder spoke of some elements of Druid religion, like the veneration of trees and the worship of the moon and the sun and the use of mistletoe and some meanings of the varying woods. But this is all we really know, and we should have some skepticism about histories that were not written by the people themselves either through art or written language.

Did the Druids write their own history? I'm afraid the Druids themselves wrote very little about their work and their religion or their knowledge. Most of the Druid's knowledge was oral history, told from one Druid to another, taught from generation to generation and handed down as legacy of sorts. It is thought, because no one really knows for sure, they were a culture who believed in leading strenuous lives of hard work and play. If things were written down, then no one need learn things and memorize them, they could look it up anytime. So just as there were people who did wondrous athletic feats, so too were there people who memorized millions of words of poetry and formulas and spells. This is fantastic in and of themselves, but imagine now, the death of the group of people! It would be the death of all that learning.

And that is what happened, and just all invaders do, they bring their pantheons of Gods and Goddesses to replace the native Gods. Now, does that mean the Druid religion and their magical practices are lost forever? No, but you can never call it "Druid" again. There were people who remembered little bits, a spell here, a practice there, maybe even a ritual or two and keep it in their hearts, teaching their family, celebrating with others, adding to the parts they have forgotten with some new bit they thought would enhance the rite and make it respectful and memorable for them in their time. And over time, the faith system of the conquerors become absorbed by the conquered, that is why we see Greek and Roman spirits and imagery of European Wicca and Native American imagery in North America and we are now seein Christian imagery in the Craft, as we have come to call it.

There are reasons for everything under the sun. There may be a reason why we don't know must about the Druids. It may be that it was simply their time to go away from us. Perhaps it was some divine way of teaching us to appreciate the Craft we have and to help it grow as we see fit, just as the ones who remembered a few spells worked hard to learn more. And we have to appreciate others. I have to thank myPagan and Wiccan brothers and sisters for writing those wonderful books I studied and read and learned from and thank other Christian Wicces for coming out of the broom closet and telling me that I was not alone.

And finally, thanks to all of those ancient Craft traditions who went before us all and suffered for their Craft and taught us to never take learning for granted.

Blessings be

Aslinn Dhan

Witchcraft Without Tools Part 2

Merry Meet!

As I said before, there may be times that you cannot do spells in the open. This may be because of living situations or problems of acceptance or even situations where you may need to whip up a little protective magic and you can't get to your sacred space or altar. Magic isn't just about the things we use, sometimes it is simply the power of our intentions.

There are many times in life when just going through the motions are not enough but in magic, sometimes going through the motions are just enough to send magic out on the spot. If you have been working with your wand, then you know what hand you use to work with it. For the sake of this dicussion, I will simply say wand hand. The other will be called your opposite hand.

When I need to use a wand and I have only my finger, I use one finger, my index finger, to be my wand. Remember when your mom or dad told you it wasn't nice to point? This is why, I think, because people believed that not only do witches use wands to cast, but they can use their index finger too, and they were right. To symbolize the athame, I use two fingers. If I need a cauldron, my opposite hand is the cauldron, cupped and ready. Simple gestures and seeing the brewing, casting and cutting in the mind are the only things that you need for mind casting. Imagine the simplest herbs, oils and flowers in your cauldron. If we believe that all things have a soul, then we can call upon the soul of our herbs and flowers and the four directions and the sun and the moon to help us at a moment's notice.

Can we cast this way? Yes....all you have to do is believe that you can, through the powers of God or by whatever way you define the creator, the elements and the magic around you at all times. If you do not believe in all of these things then you are just a potion maker or fortune teller and you are no witch. The Craft is about absolute belief in your ability and your place in the magical world around you. You are magic, and if you don't believe that then you you cannot work the Craft. No amount of reading or casting will work for you.

It is said that magic doesn't work if you don't believe in it and I believe that is true, whether you are a Christian Wicce, or a Wiccan or Pagan, whether you practice dark magic or light magic. This is a real test of who you think you are as a witch. Are you are a fashionable shopping center witch who looks the part, but doesn't really know what you are doing? Or are you a person people would never know was a witch who goes along quietly through life and studies and gathers knowledge to help others. Are you fortunate enough to work with a great study group or coven. Or are you plodding on alone and in secret to learn as much as you can?

I've said it before, Craft is about dedication and study and hard work, not fashion. Regardless of the tradition you embrace or whether you are a solitary or a covener, you have to discover, embrace and enrich the magic inside yourself, the great inheritance from God, your ancestors, the heavens and the earth. It is not something to play with or abuse.

Don't ever doubt the energies that each of us have and always think of the energies you create with each casting or ritual. Study all of the time. Even if every book you get says mostly the same thing, you will find some small tid bit. Understand not only that potions work but why they work. And always thank the spirits for the things you do. Even the most learned of us sometimes need to take time and thank God or the Creator or the ancestors and nature and the stars and the planets for their help.

Next fall, I shall be dedicated at the third degree and I will in a few years be considered an elder and after so much study and thinking and practice I am still learning my Craft. Keep learning and studying.

Blessings be

Witchcraft Without Tools

Merry Meet!

While we may not have to fear being burnt at the stake, at least only in metaphor, there are those of us who cannot practice the Caft in the open. This may mean that they cannot burn candles, own books(other than those they can keep somewhere else, borrow, or read on the net), use herbs, or otherwise practice elements of the Craft be cause of some prohibition. It may be that you are a minor living at home with parents who would not approve, or you may be in a prison or in the military, or you may be sharing a residence with someone who would not approve of your practicing the Craft. It may seem to you that this is unfair and do a lot of rebelling and screaming and hair pulling, but you might also consider this a challenge and a true test of your desire to practice the Craft.

All of those things that we use, the athame, wand, cauldron, pentacle, are magic only because we imbue these things with our own magical energies.True, herbs, scents and candles are sources of healing and spiritual comfort, but if there is a reason for not being able to practice the Craft in a physical way, there is a mental way of practicng the Craft. It is more difficult to master and requires more spiritual discipline and concentration but it can be done. If you do not believe in your own magical powers, no amount of cauldron brewing, candle lighting and wand waving can give you power to work the Craft.

As with all magic, you must have an imagination. Being able to make images in your head of the magic you wish to perform is essential. It is essential in physical magical and essential in mental magic. Another thing you need is an understanding of the elements and the cardinal directions. Being in tune with the moon is also essential. Using the power and energies of the moon are crucial.

Being creative and spontaneous is great. Having some dramatic ability to make casting gestures is great, too. But most of all, concentration is the key.

Next time, I'll discuss in depth some scenarios where you can use mental magic.

Blessed Be
Aslinn Dhan

Magical Clothes : Or Do I have to Wear that Conical Hat?

Merry Meet

I have asked this question before and there is no reason not to ask it again. When people ask you to describe a witch, what do you hear? "Well, first of all, they wear all black except for their red and white stripy socks!" is probably the firm answer you will get from most anyone. And I admit that on a few Samhain celebrations I have embraced the Witch Hazel in me. Besides, black is so slimming and sexy. But the truth of the matter is, there simply is no correct ritual dress code for the working witch. One of the rules of thumb is dress in clean clothes, wear clothes that symbolize the magical part of you, and realize that color has meaning. Red can be healing or protection, black can be binding or new moon spells, purple can be worn for divinations, white for dedications or purifications. Greens and golds can be worn for fertility and handfasting, and silvers and metallic golds can be worn for wiccanings (or christenings) Whatever you plan to do during your ritual, think of clothes or colors that suit the occasion.

I have spoken of this briefly and it has to do with skyclad. Skyclad is being naked. If you are a minor and are joining a coven and they demand that you have to have to be naked, get away from that coven, no coven of the Craft that follows the Wiccan Rede will demand nudity ( most Wiccans won't allow you to join until you are in your majority anyway) And no coven will demand sex as the entrance fee for your acceptance into the coven. If they do, get away from them. Even sexual rituals are private affairs between the High Priest and Priestess and do not involve the direct energies of the coven. There are some Gardnerian tradition witches who do skyclad work and that is something they do if they have adequate privacy and the weather is with them. But skyclad has fallen out of fashion right now and like all groups and systems it will take a while for a another nudie witchy movement come back round. Even Raymond Buckland states that there is some mild but none the less infantile curiosity about your Witchy Brother or Sister's shape under their robes. One word of warning. If you are wearing long ritual robes, capes or dresses, be very careful with candles, fire, incense, and cauldrons.

Blessings Be

Patrick Stewart, American, Patriot, and Wiccan

Merry Meet!

I have been following the news about the VA's position on placing the witches star on Patrick Stewart's grave marker. I believe that the star should be placed on his memorial marker. He was a military man, serving his country in Afganistan and being a warrior in his faith. He practiced his religion and fought for the freedom of others so they could be free of tyranny that told them there was only one way to find God and paradise. The US Military has written instructions in the Chaplain's guide book on how to support and facilitate Wiccans in the armed forces. Patrick won the bronze star and the purple heart for his service. It would cost very little for the American Government to honor Patrick and his faith.

Wiccans, Pagans and Chrstian Wicces and anyone who considers themselves to be among the wise should contact the VA and tell them about it. Go to www.va.gov and tell them about it. It is a little lengthy in process and you need to be patient. A little hint from an old hand at writing the government. Be polite, be succinct and back up everything with knowledge. Make sure you tell the VA that the US armed forces recognizes Wicca as a religion. If they already have a precedent, they can't balk too much. Also, use your magical name when you sign your message and say thank you and identify your particular tradition. Ranting and raving will only get you ignored. You don't have to kiss butt, but you don't have to kick it either and remember the karmic return, harm none.

Blessings be,

Aslinn Dhan

Magick and Karmic Return

Merry Meet!

Sorry I haven't been writing. I hadn't realized I'd been away from the blog for so long. There are some topics that I know I said I would discuss but right now I want to talk about magick and Karmic Return. I've had a bit of trouble and I had to really fight the impulse to do some really aggressive spells and charms against this person who is is really making it hard for me at work. And then I thought about Karmic return and I weighed all of the consequences and performed some protective charms and some positive charge charms and my balance and centering is beginning to come back to me. I'm frazzled but fighting.

For those witches who don't know or don't understand the term Karmic Return, I'll try to explain. The Witches Rede states that we are to harm none and that all we do either magickally or otherwise comes back to us threefold. If you do good, then you are rewarded with good times three. If you do bad, then you are rewarded with bad times three. I really had to work hard not to work some sort of hurtful magick against this woman, so I gave myself a refresher course on the Rede over the weekend and dedicated my Friday Esabat to strengthening my defenses and giving myself courage and compassion toward the person I felt wronged me. I'm still working on the compassion part, but I have done nothing negative against her.

I went back and referred to a book called The Wiccan Rede by Mark Ventimiglia and reworked the old lessons I made for myself when I was a novice witch. In a footnote he wrote: "Restrained freedom is the practice of living a free life and executing one's free will but not at the expense of others." I am free to live, work and believe and practice as I will but I can't infringe on the rights of others or harm others, even if I perceive that they are doing me some harm. Because if I believe in Karmic Return, she will rewarded for her deeds and I for mine. One of the first things I ever learned was to never cast in anger and I haven't yet, but boy, have I come close.

I'll end this for now. I'll catch up on the blog topics and perhaps begin putting up some spells that I have had a lot of success with and do some things about herbalism and planting your own garden.

Blessings Be,

Aslinn Dhan

The Magikal Life and Health

Merry Meet!

The magikal life is directly effected by your physical , emotional and spiritual health. If you are healthy in all aspects of your life, then your magik will be strong and positive and will work to heal yourself and others. Because our rede says that we must harm none, we must consider the spirit in which we cast, our emotional mind set and our physical well being.

Physical well being means that we are healthy, that we try to eat balanced meals which includes plenty of fruit and vegetables and water, that we avoid harmful substances like cigarettes and excessive alcohol and illegal drugs and take medications correctly. We should be fairly fit. If you are chubby, that doesn't mean that doesn't mean you have to diet and become reed thin, but you should try to eat sensibly and fast occasionally to purify your system. Fasting may mean only taking small meals of fruits and vegetables, avoiding heavy foods and foods full of fat. It is not required to be a vegetarian, but cut back on heavier or fattier meats. Some of our Wiccan Brothers and Sisters are vegetarians, and some feel that consumption of some meats are a part of the world life cycle. If you smoke, like I do, you may want taper off your smoking and try to quit, like I am. The Craft is full of spells and talismans to help you stop bad habits. Illegal drugs or drugs we are prescribed and abuse are dangerous because they alter our perceptions and hinder our judgments. The same for the excessive use of alcohol. If you are under age, do not use alcohol in rituals. Use instead natural or organic juices and ciders. Make your own juices to ensure their organic composition. Keep spiritually fit by going to church, temple or the religious services of your choice. If you do not belong to a religious group, meditate in your own spiritual way and speak to the creator in your own way and your own voice.

Should you be depressed, do not hesitate to consult a counselor or mentor or religious leader or the leader of your coven or study group. Depression is dangerous among practitioners of the Craft because we are often so open to the spirits and elements and supernatural movements that our emotional states can open us up to extremes in positive or negative energies. And don't wait...Confide in someone now....Your problems are never so small that they cannot be aided in some way by positive guidance. Remember, the rede doesn't just mean the castings we do out to the world, it means we must not harm ourselves as well.

Next time I write, I will discuss magical clothes and vestments.

Blessed Be
Aslinn Dhan

Sex, Magik, and the Goth Life

Merry Meet

This is probably the most sensitive subject to discuss as a practitioner of the Craft. Witches have for years been accused of practically anything and everything and one of the things they are accused of is immorality and sexual deviance. There simply is no evidence of sexual immorality, even among my Pagan and Wiccan colleagues. That having been said, I want to discuss the Great Rite.

The Great Rite is the joining of the priest and priestess of a coven of Wiccan/Pagan practitioners. This can be either a symbolic union or it is an actual act. In The Witches' Bible by the Farrars, the Great Rite can be accomplished by the priest and priestess by drawing the athame (which is male energy) into the chalice (which is female energy) joining the powers of both great opposites and charging the ritual with that conjoined energy. If it is enacted physically, the priest and priestess are generally alone and takes place in the sacred space while the rest of the coven wait outside of the sacred space for the conclusion. In most cases, and this is suggested by the Farrars, the couple is in a loving and stable marriage and or other committed relationship. Usually the priest and priestess are a couple anyway, or at the very least a loving partnership from which they run the coven. It does not break down into an orgy and there are no minors involved. If you are a young person joining a coven and the priest or priestess says that you must have sex, get away from them. Wicca does not believe in forcing anyone to do anything that is against their convitions. The same with Pagans.

So, do Christian witches have the Great Rite? Perhaps, but this is a personal matter for practitioners. How about solitaries? The symbolic reactment can suffice, I suppose, but I see no need in it. I am a celibate. I have made a vow of celibacy and have dedicated myself to the service of God and the study of the Craft and developing my practice to reflect my devotion. Some witches from many different disciplines take temporary or permanent vows of celibacy. This form of self dedication is very important and should not be taken lightly.

This dynamic grouping of differing disciplines reflects the differing social groups in our world. One of those social groups in the world today is Goth. The Goth Life is often mixed up with the Victorian spiritualist movement. The Goth movement is an off branch of the 1950's beatnick movement. The Beats believed that the world was shrouded in delusion and they fostered a mix of truthtelling and cynicism. They went against the grain of society and sought to expose truths about the "Leave it to Beaver" "Ozzie and Harriet" world that society and popular media wanted to sell us. They did not believe in phony optimism and dressed, spoke and behaved in a way that ran at odds with what their families thought were "normal". Today's Goth movement seeks to do the same but while the Beats desired to wake up the generation and get them to change, I am sorry to say that the Goths seem to thrive in a sort of unrelenting gloominess and belief that there is no hope for themselves or society. They are socially depressed and often emotionally as well. They also get to rebell. They wear black and dye their hair black, they wear clothes that harken back to the days of the Victorian spiritualist and they have rather romantic views about the desperate lives they are living. They think death is a wonderful release and the only truth.

I think too, that the Goth movement tends to wallow in a sort of perpetual pity party. Life is grim on the whole but for the individual, life can be pretty good and it can be as rich and fulfilling as you want. Nothing can stop you from believing in yourself. Goths also have a reputation for dabbling in the occult. They should be careful. The supernatural is nothing to play with and dabbling is always dangerous.

And it was not my intention to be rude, I just think it needed to be said as plainly as possible. Finding something positive to believe in is important, it doesn't have to be church, or God, or the Craft, or anything else. It can be just about yourself and your potential, and no one elses.

Next time I will discuss building an altar and prayer and meditation in depth.

Blessed Be,

Aslinn Dhan.

Rights and Responsibilities and the Idea of Sin

Merry Meet,

I am reading a really good book called The Element of Ritual and I have to say that it's really good. I have read a lot of books that tell you about what you can do in the Craft but this book also explains things about the resposibilities of the Craft, which I think is very important. It is written for the Wiccan in mind but it does give very good practical thoughts about anyone practicing the Craft.

One of the things I often hear is that witches or Wiccans can do anything so long as they follow the rede and I would agree with that but does that mean there is no sense of sin in the traditional sense. Not at all. The rede functions as our basic outline of the rules of practice. It tells us to think carefully when we cast and think about what the outcomes might be and whether it will harm anyone, even yourself. If you are declaring yourself a witch and you are hurting people with it, then you are not following the rede and you are not a true disciple of the Craft. As witches, we are to do all things for the good of the earth and the health and welfare of our fellows on this earth.

When you prepare to work for someone or for yourself, you should examine your conscience: Have I hurt anyone today in thought, word or deed? have I hurt myself? have I poluted the earth needlessly? (there simply is very little you can do about your car exhaust until they come up with a reasonable alternative, but have you littered? Have you needlessly killed a living creature? have you wasted a natural resource?) If you have done any of those things, you must make an atonement. You must pray to your God, by what ever name you call them and you must try to correct your misdeed by apologizing or by cleaning up your mess or seeking counsel from a professional or an elder of your faith. If you are unable to make a personal apology, then you must do some good in that person's name or do some anonymous good with that person in mind if you don't know them. Simply praying or seeking absolution through some sacrament or rite is not enough. You must act as well.

The second thing you must do is take a ritual bath or perform some other sort of physical act of cleansing. This should be a part of regular practice anyway before you do any work or ritual. You certainly wouldn't go to your church or a sabat dirty and dressed in dirty clothes. You would want to present yourself to God, by whatever name you call them, with high respect to them and yourself. Meditation is important too. If you aren't doing some form of meditation, then you may well be dashing off a lot of spells and rituals that have very limited powers and do very little. And remember, eveything you do comes back to you three fold, so don't be lazy and indifferent and don't be careless. You want all good things to come back to you. If you aren't meditating now, start a regiment of meditation and this can be 10 minutes or it can be longer.

To Meditate, you should be comfortable but not so comfortable that you fall asleep. Sitting up in high back chair with your feet on the floor is best. Unless you are practicing yoga and are adept, don't worry about getting into the lotus position either. You should designate a focal point for yourself, either a candle, a picture or a statue. Breathe in through your nose and out of your mouth. Visualize a nice place, a spirit guide, your guardian angel and have discussions with them in your mind. Be careful of using visualizations of the dead and if they ask you to do something that is uncharacteristic of them turn away from them and visualize yourself coming out of meditation. Some people who meditate use a sacred sound like o-m (This is part of a Buddhist mantra. My late husband and practicing Buddhist always taught me not say the word om because you should not contaminate the listener with the sound of the mantra in your voice. When you see groups of monks chanting the mantra together, they do so after they have perfected their ability to withdraw and hear the sounds of their own unique voice, not the voices of their fellows.)

Drugs and the Craft do not mix. That include so called natural narcotics like marijuana or hashish or opium or shrooms. Our native brothers and sisters pratice a form of the Craft that uses marijuana and shrooms in their religious work and these are handled only by the Shamans or priests of the faith. And though the practitioners of the Craft use wine, they warn against using too much. And witches do not use absinthe. Sorry all of you Goths who dabble in the occult and the Craft....absinthe is a no-no. So if you are using the Craft to get your buzz on, you are going against the Craft. Harm none includes harming yourself. And any coven who asks or demands that you use drugs and alcohol in their rituals are the sort you should keep clear of. Responsible covens provide alternatives to wine, substituting cider, fruit juice or even non-alcoholic ginger beer in their rituals or workings. And they would never serve the underage.

Next time I write, I will discuss sex magik, celibacy and more in depth on the Gothic life.

Blessed Be,
Aslinn Dhan