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To: st90snk7@dunx1.ocs.drexel.edu (owl) From: moonowl@lepomis.psych.upenn.edu (Sherry Michael) Subject: Class 5 Date: Mon, 20 Feb 1995 22:46:23 -0500 (EST) > ****"Wicca 101" Magic 1 from the teaching coven of the Three Crescents**** > **Please send all e-mail to this account:moonowl@lepomis.psych.upenn.edu** > ***** Please do not distribute in full or in part without this header***** > > BASIC MAGIC I > > I. WHAT IS MAGIC? > > I think a good definition of magic is this one from infamous > ceremonial magician Aleister Crowley; "the Science and Art of causing Change > to occur in conformity with Will." As stated, magic is an action to cause > a specific desired effect. > > Magical energy is like a pool of water. Throw in a rock, > and it ripples outwards from the source. By Working (Work with a capital > "W" refers to magical work, spells, meditations, etc.) with this energy that > is all around us, we cause these ripples, and hopefully, guide them to a > specific goal. Various sorts of Workings, such as spellcasting and rituals, > are just techniques to help us identify the intended goal, and help us to throw > the proverbial rock into the pool. > > Okay, at about this point most intelligent people lift an eyebrow. The > idea of "magical energies" and Working is hard to swallow in our culture. > Things you can't see are easy to doubt. You can feel these energies, > however, and the longer you Work, the better you will except the concept. > For now, remember magnetism. Magnets were once considered enchantment until > science unlocked the secrets it held. Quantum physics may someday unlock > magic's secrets. > > EXERCISE TO FEEL MAGICAL ENERGY: > > Where you successful with the "sphere" and "tree" exercises given in the > classes before? If so you have felt the energy already! the "tree" and > "sphere" are basic lessons on how to draw and manipulate energy from the > earth. Stop before you read on; how did you feel during these exercises? > Did you have any sensations in your body? What was your emotional state? > > Living things are storehouses of magic, and are the best things for you to > feel energy from. Pick a plant, a friend, an animal to feel energy from. > Relax yourself, and place your open palm-out hand (the opposite of your > dominant hand works the best. Ex: lefties use your right hand...) about 4 > inches from the living thing you have chosen. Close your eyes and think of > a white stream of light moving from the thing to your hand and back again. > Feel it? Take note of any sensations. > > Many people report magic energy feels like a warming, or a tingle in the > body or hand. Occasionally coolness is also reported. What did you feel? > (I turn fire-engine red when Working...the reaction is too consistent to > be in my head or coincidence.) > > > II. Magick? Magic? Magik?! > > If you notice, magic is spelled lots of ways. Magic with a "k" has been > re-introduced from the old anglo-saxon spelling. The modern reasoning for > the "k" is to tell card tricks and illusionist from witches and mages (the > original intention may have had something to do with Crowley splitting > with an order called the Golden Dawn...just FYI). I speak modern English > and use "magic", but if you want to use the "k", that's fine. > > III. BLACK MAGIC > > If I teach you one thing about magic, I hope its this. Black magic is not > evil. Yup, you read that right! There is absolutely wrong with black > magic, or the people who Work it. > > Black magic is actually just transformation and banishing magic. Removing > negative thoughts and energy, healing by removing ills and cleansings are > all black magics. Like a doctor's knife, sometimes things must be removed > for healing to begin. Black magic is also death magic (did you celebrate > Halloween and honor the dead?), because death is the > ultimate transformation. But death is not evil, and just a necessary sever > to start a new life in your next incarnation. > > (In contrast,"White" magic is creative and is used to summon things to you.) > > Working black magic is sometimes hard. It may mean facing fears, > misunderstandings, skeletons in the closet, fear of change and putting > yourself through pain. However, the results are usually beneficial..if you > are ready for them. To learn more about "black" concepts, get to know the > Goddesses Pele, Lilith or Hectate, or the Gods Anubis and Pluto. They will > teach you many lessons if you can face them! > > III. ETHICS > > Do we all remember the Wiccan rede? Magic should never be used to harm > another person, or to twist their Will. Unethical mages don't have a very > long carrer because they are "taken care of" by karma. Below is a list of > guidelines to help you define ethics of magic: > > 1) Never make anyone do anything against their Will. This includes > love spells. If you want love, ask for love to come into your > life, but don't imagine a specific person. (The ONLY exception to > effecting someone's Will is when they are unable to think for > themselves, like illnesses, addictions and suicidal behavior. > Even then, a simple prayer or general protection spell can be more > ethical.) > > 2) Never intentionally cause anything harm. If someone causes you > ill will, protection spells and spells that "mirror" or bounce back > bad energy send to you can be ethically used. Revenge is never an > excuse, unless you want to be sacked by the threefold law. > > 3) If in doubt, ask! If you wish to Work for someone with good > intentions, but still wonder if you are doing something ethical, > ask for their permission first. Usually its okay to Work something > simple and general for someone without asking, like good luck, > healing or protection. Just be careful you are not infringing on > their free Will. > > 4) Use your head. If something gives you an "icky" feeling, don't > do it. Evaluate your "good intentions" and make sure your > intentions are indeed what they appear to be and you are not hiding > some sort of personal agenda. > > > IV. MAGIC RITUAL > > This is a basic outline and structure that should be used when making > spells and performing all types of rituals. The steps are 1) define the > goal 2) preparation 3) purification 4) grounding 5) Working 6) earthing. > > 1) Define the goal: Before you start your spell (or ritual celebration of > a holiday, meditation, etc.) consider your goal or objective. Is it > ethical? Consider the desired and possible outcomes. Be careful, because we > can at times ask for things we don't want. For example, you may want a > spell to get a car. Be aware that the spell may hinder you from selling the > car in the future once you get it. Its not a problem if you are aware of > this possibility; you can always have a "sell the car" spell in the future. > > 2) Preparation: First you need to find or create a ritual or spell you > plan to use. Making your own ritual is usually best, but at first its > helpful to use or modify ones in books, etc. After you know what your > spell entails, you need to gather supplies or tools. Again lets use the > car spell. In a book, I see that certain herbs and a certain stone or > crystal is used for receiving wealth or gifts (the car). I decide to make > a magical herb bag (sachet). I will need the herbs listed, the stone, > cloth and string for the bag before I begin. > > You may also think about any seasonal greens and decorations for holiday > circles. Set up your altar (usually facing the north) and any ritual > tools you want to use. > You will also need to consider when you will Work your spell. The full > moon and sabbats are always good times. The new to full moon (waxing) is a > good time for white magic, and the full to new (waning) is good for black. > Astrology and planet formations can also aid you. Can't wait for the best > time? Its okay, you magic will still work. The time just gives it a boost. > > 3) Purification: Before any ritual and magic, it is beneficial to cleanse > yourself and your surroundings. Self purification can include bathing, > meditation and any activity can help transport you from everyday. If you > are performing inside ritual, incense, water, and the Hoover can cleanse > your room. > > 4) Grounding: To explain grounding, recall the tree exercise. Grounding > very simply helps you to avoid drawing all your personal energy when > Working. It also helps you achieve a point of stability. Take a moment > before you start to use the tree exercise. > > 5) Working: Begin your planned or spontaneous ritual, usually by a circle > casting. The best rituals are meaningful to you, and therefore self made. > The next class contains a sample of different rituals/spells you can use, > and hopefully give you ideas for your own. > > Actual Working consists of a building up of power, then a planned release. > Anything that builds power; dance, meditation, symbolic triggers and music > are excellent. Keep your goal in mind the entire time. When you feel you > have built enough power, release it toward your goals. Release can be done > a variety of ways; a binding phase ("so mote it be"), burning of paper > with a symbol of your need, collapsing from dance or screaming at the end > of song. For our sachet in this example, I would visualize my goal every > time I would add an item to the sachet. Tying the sachet string would be the > release - as I bound the package and "bound" the spell. > > 6) Earthing: After you are done with your Working, close the ritual by > returning any unused stored energy into the ground (as in the tree > exercise). Unused energy can also be emptied into a ritual blade for later > use. Earthing is very important because access energy may cause you to be > hyperactive and testy. Another common earthing technique is eating. It > brings you back into reality and restores any personal energy you may have > used. The circle is broken at this time. > > V. CIRCLE CASTING > > As I have mentioned before, the circle is used to protect (shield), hold > energy built up from your ritual until it is ready for release, and to > provide a magical ritual area. It can be imagined as a globe with its > diameter marking the boundaries on the floor/ground. It is said that if you > leave the boundaries of the circle it will be dissipated, but I have found > various opinions on this. I personally think its how its constructed. Test it > and see how your circle reacts. I have included a rather simple casting > for you to try at first. Practice until you can cast a circle second nature. > > Cleanse the area any way you see fit (I suggest walking around the room > clockwise, imagining negative forces being driven away. Sprinkle water, > carry a candle, use incense or sprinkle salt as you walk. You can make > four passes and use all four if you wish). > > Invoke the element of Air: Imagine where the boundaries of the circle would > lie in the room. Face to the east and imagine a wave of yellow light rising > above you in a 1/4 dome shape, feel a fresh breeze of Air enter the ritual > area. > > Invoke the element of Fire: Walk to the south (always move clockwise, > called deosil, when casting or building energy. Widdershins is > counter-clockwise and is used when opening the circle or using banishing > magic). Visualize another 1/4 dome of dark red, and feel the warmth of > Fire enter the circle. > > Invoke the element of Water: Walk to the west. Imagine the same 1/4 dome, > this time blue. Imagine the feel of cooling Water enter the circle. > > Invoke the element of Earth: Walk to the North. Join a green 1/4 dome to > the rest, and feel the solidity of Earth. Now imagine the circle solid. > let all the four colors merge together until you can visualize the circle > as a light blue glowing dome. > > Welcome the God and Goddess to join your circle (DON'T have the audacity > to demand them to come!) through simple prayer or an invocation or chant. > > Additions to this theme can be candles for each element placed at each > direction and lighting candles on the altar for the God and Goddess, using the > wand to "draw" the boundaries or hold aloft while doing invocations, dance, > songs, chants to welcome the God/dess and the Elements. > > Here is a sample of a circle casting invocation by Ellen Cannon Reed: > > Circle, now we conjure thee > That thou mayest a boundary be > Between the world of men we know > And what the Mighty Ones shall show. > A guardian and protection be > For power we shall raise in thee. > Preserve, contain it in thy sphere > To aid the work we shall do here. > So we have consecrated thee. > So may our circle Blessed be. > > {call the elements} > Sky and sun and sea and earth, > Teach us, give our wisdom birth. > Sun and sea and earth and sky, > With your powers gather nigh. > Sea and earth and sky and sun, > All together, four in one. > Earth and sky and sun and sea, > Join us as we call to thee. > > {Invoke the Lord and Lady} > Loving Lady, Mighty Lord, > By cup and shield and wand and sword, > We ask your presence and your light > To bless the work we do this night. > > > After your work, remember to open the circle. Start at the North and > imagine the green 1/4 dome being reabsorbed into the earth, continue > to each element widdershins (counterclockwise). Thank the Goddess and God > and the elements for blessing your circle. > > > ************************** > EXERCISES: > > 1) Try to cast a few circles. Feel what it is like to be inside it, feel the > sphere around you. Note your reactions and feelings. > > 2) Take my sample circle casting and modify it. What would you like > changed? Do you think casting would work better if the ritual is more > simplistic or more ritualized? Do you think playing a tape of music, or > dancing would help? Check out other castings available in many books and > FTP sites for ideas. > > > > > >
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