Wiccan Laws & Creed

Shamanism

Definition: A complex pattern of diverse rites and beliefs, shamanism is a tribal religion in societies without literary tradition. Healing is one function of the shaman and the most important along with prophecy. The shaman uses mystical powers to journey to other worlds or realities and communicate with spirits in order to bring about a balance between the physical and spiritual worlds.

Origins: Shamanism is the oldest form of healing. It is a form of religious medicine that originated over 25,000 years ago in the Paleolithic hunting cultures of Siberia and Central Asia. The word shaman is derived from the Siberian Tungus word "saman," which is defined as a technique of ecstasy. The shaman is considered a great master of trance and ecstasy. He is the dominating figure in certain indigenous populations.Most early cultures' healing practices stem from a shamanic tradition. For instance, when visiting the sick, Egyptian magicians often brought a papyrus roll filled with incantations and amulets in order to drive out demons.The shaman is often the religious leader or priest of the tribe. He is believed to have magical powers that can heal the sick. The shaman is called upon to mediate between the people of the community and the spirit world to cure disease, exorcize evil spirits, and to promote success in hunting and food production and to keep the tribal community in balance. Traditional shamanic rituals included singing, dancing, chanting, drumming, storytelling, and healing. The shaman is a specialist in human souls. He is able to see them and know their form and destiny. The shaman controls the spirits. Rather than being possessed by them, he communicates with the dead, demons, and nature spirits.The shaman's work is based on the belief that the soul can forsake the body even while a person is alive and can stray into other cosmic realms where it falls prey to demons and sorcerers. The shaman diagnoses the problem, then goes in search of the wandering soul and makes it return to the body.Shamanism is still practiced all over the world, although each culture's shamanic tradition has evolved in different ways. Native American medicine men perform soul flights and vision quests to heal. North American Inuit shamans undertake undersea spirit journeys to ensure a plentiful supply of game. Tibetan shamans use a drum to help them in spirit flight and soul retrieval. Central and South American shamans often use hallucinogenic plants to invoke their shamanic journeys. Australian aborigine shamans believe that crystals can be inserted into the body for power.

Author: Jennifer Wurges

Wicca Explained

Wicca is a recently created, Neopagan religion. Many Wiccans see their religion as a modern reconstruction of ancient Northern European Pagan beliefs such as the Celts and Druids. Depending on ones beliefs wicca can be viewed as monotheistic recognizing a single

being, "The One", duotheistic where they may recognize a female god and goddess the Lady and the Lord, polytheistic in which they recognize the existence of many gods and goddesses, or atheist where they do not recognize living entities but symbols rather than a god or goddess. Wicca is not affiliated with Satanic beliefs. Wiccans do not recognize the existence of an all evil anti God. Wicca can be called an earth based religion in that they practice rituals to attune themselves with nature and the phases of the moon as it passes between the sun and earth. Wiccans seek to live in harmony with nature.

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Scott Cunningham's Wicca

This is the most basic book for a person interested in Wicca, or paganism in general, to read. Scott Cunningham's words are clear, direct and simple. He describes Wicca in three sections:
Theory, Practice and The Standing Stones Book of Shadows. This format gives an interested reader a basic grasp of what Wicca and modern paganism are all about. The first section, Theory, discusses Wicca and shamanism in a historical and social context. Next the deities are considered, along with the use of magic, tools and other aspects of ritual. He also explains the holidays, reincarnation as it relates to Wicca, and initiation. Since this is specifically a guide for the "solitary practitioner," initiation is an important consideration. Cunningham stresses that initiation comes from the gods and goddesses; initiation by another is not necessary to be dedicated to the pagan path. In the Practice section, Cunningham gets down to the basic of technique. This includes meditation, journal writing and visualization, among others. Wicca is a spiritual path, and these exercises help the seekers to get in touch with their spiritual selves. Self-dedication is discussed thoroughly, including someone's motives for dedicating themselves to this path. A basic self-dedication ritual is included, though Cunningham stresses that the best rituals are personal and created by the individual seeker; however, as a guide, he includes a sample ritual. He also explains ritual design, and encourages readers to create personal rituals using symbols with special meaning to themselves.The Standing Stones Book of Shadows is a "sample" which a seeker can follow until he has created his own book. This section includes various prayers, descriptions of rituals for seasonal festivals and the full moon, and even food recipes for use in rituals and afterward. Recipes for incenses and oils are included in this section, as well as an herbal section, giving the reader ideas of how to use herbs in rituals. Crystals, drawn symbols and signs, and runes are also described in easy-to-use appendix forms. The entire format is designed for ease of the new reader, who may be completely unsure and want some structure. In all, this is a very basic starting book that will stand as a reference in any modern pagan's library. As a reader becomes more experienced and confident in her own skills, she will find Cunningham's advice to follow her heart and instincts to be very true. Even after many years of practice, I still use this book as a dictionary, guidebook and for ritual ideas as holidays come around.

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Finding A Coven

If you are looking for a group then going out and meeting people and talking, asking questions and showing your intent of finding a group are the most important steps. If you stay at home and never mingle with other people then don't expect anything to happen. This is not a 'spoonfed' path to walk, there is a lot of serious work involved and when you do find a group,the work doesn't stop. Joining a Coven means giving up a lot of free time, subsituting social time for Coven time and spending a lot of time studying and experiencing... So which ever path you follow, and which ever type of group you are seeking - make an effort and be patient. In big cities such as London (UK) there is no reason to say 'But there is nothing to go to'. There are online organisations such as WWL (more...Wiccans and Witches in London) who keep their members informed of social events, workshops, training groups, conferences and open rituals. The WWL also organise events just for their members, so that you can meet the faces behind the names. In parts of the world it is not that easy, and you might have to travel to attend conferences or workshops. This might seem like a lot of work just to meet other people, but if you are serious then travel should not deter you from your path. When you do get the oppurtunity to meet other Pagans make an effort to ask around about open groups and other events. As the organisers of the event if they know of groups which might be taking on new trainees. It is important to note that even in big cities such as London there are very few new groups forming and the groups in existance might only take on a trainee every few years. Those who do might expect to interview you to see if you will fit in with the rest of their group. If this happens take the oppurtunity to interview them too! Be honest with them, but make sure that their answers also satisfy you. Ask what they will be expecting from you and what training they will be providing you with. Unfortunately there are still some dubious groups using the name of Wicca to cover other activities. Do not just join a group because they happen to be the first one which approaches you! Remember: You should feel comfortable with your HPS & HP; Sex should not be expected in return for training, nor should it be part of your initiation; You should not be expected to contribute large sums of money in return for training - although you should expect to contribute towards temple expenses; Confidentiality is VERY important in Wiccan groups; Expect a lot of hard work! Finally you should enjoy being part of the group you join.

Angelfire

Guide To Cleansing

When I cleanse a dwelling place, first I burn a good cleansing incense, like frankincense or sandalwood in the home while I prepare for the rest of the ritual. You should have in addition to the incense, a candle, a bowl of salt water and a bowl of herbs. I particularly like to use rose buds for love, lavender for preservation, rosemary for protection, and any other sweet-smelling ones that appeal to you personally. If you can get them home-grown, so much the better. You should proceed around the house, widdershins (counterclockwise) and cleanse the area with the salt water. Be sure to get each corner, window, door, drain, etc. Simply sprinkle a little salt water on each and ask that any evil or disruptive influences leave the place. When this is finished, proceed around the house deosil (clockwise) sprinkling the blessing herbs and invoke whatever deities or properties you wish on the home, such as peace, prosperity, tranquility, etc. In the past, I have used 3 candles on the central altar. Blue, symbolizing tranquility, green for healing and prosperity, and purple for protection. Others might be pink for love, or brown for hearth and home. You and anyone who is to share the home with you should share food and drink, and don't forget to leave a little of the food and drink to take outside and return to the Earth that which has been given. - Rowan Moonstone

How To Power A Spell

Some believe that Witches say a few magic words and do a ritual and then a spell is created and performs its function. There is a metaphorical plane, a plane where all the psychic energy of both the living and the dead exists. We draw from this energy when we are being creative. It can also be psychically tapped to energize one's will and envisionment to cast spells. The metaphysical plane acts like a battery. Psychic energy is alive and can be given a will of evil or good. Good psychic energy can heal and make good things happen. The evil energy creates a negative field around the person the spell was cast on, Some evil spells can cause someone to lose health etc. It will effect random chance and make bad or negative things happen, causing luck and other factors to be reduced and depending on the nature of the spell and the psychic skill of the Witch. The spell could take years before it begins to lose its energy and effects. There are several ways to create a psychic battery. Covens are great for this. A spell cast by a coven is much more powerful than one cast by a single Witch. There are also places in the world where there are rips in the psychic energy layer of the metaphysical plane. These places are ideal for Witches because the psychic energy leaking out of the metaphysical plane is very powerful and very easy to tap. One can also tap a person and use hir as a psychic battery to cast spells, but learning to channel and draw psychic energy from the metaphysical plane is the first thing any Witch should learn.

Blackcat

Moon Phase - Waxing & Waning

To tell whether the Moon is waxing or waning is fairly simple. Basically, all you have to do is go outside at sundown and take a look -- if you don;t see the moon then, you will have to go outside later at night and check again, or check during the day:
If the Moon is already up in the sky in the evening, when the Sun goes down, then the Moon is waxing. Every night it will rise a little later in the day and look a little fuller. At Full Moon it will rise almost exactly when the Sun sets.
If the Moon is not already up in the sky when night falls, but instead rises long after sunset, or if you see it faintly during the day, then the Moon is waning. Every day it will rise a little later and look a little thinner. At New Moon it will rise almost exactly when the Sun does, but you won't be able to see it at all.

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Astronomical Applications Department provides a online way to quickly check if the Moon's phase.

You can obtain the times of sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, transits of the Sun and Moon, and the beginning and end of civil twilight, along with information on the Moon's phase by specifying the date and location in one of the two forms.

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The Wiccan Rede

Bide within the Law you must, in perfect Love and perfect Trust. Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give.

For tread the Circle thrice about to keep unwelcome spirits out. To bind the spell well every time, let the spell be said in rhyme.

Light of eye and soft of touch, speak you little, listen much. Honor the Old Ones in deed and name, let love and light be our guides again.

Deosil go by the waxing moon, chanting out the joyful tune. Widdershins go when the moon doth wane, and the werewolf howls by the dread wolfs bane.

When the Lady's moon is new, kiss the hand to Her times two. When the moon rides at Her peak then your heart's desire seek.

Heed the North winds mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail. When the Wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.

When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss you on the mouth. When the wind whispers from the West, all hearts will find peace and rest.

Nine woods in the Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow. Birch in the fire goes to represent what the Lady knows.

Oak in the forest towers with might, in the fire it brings the God'sinsight. Rowan is a tree of power causing life and magick to flower.

Willows at the waterside stand ready to help us to the Summerland. Hawthorn is burned to purify and to draw faerie to your eye.

Hazel-the tree of wisdom and learning adds its strength to the bright fire burning. White are the flowers of Apple tree that brings us fruits of fertility.

Grapes grow upon the vine giving us both joy and wine.Fir does mark the evergreen to represent immortality seen.

Elder is the Lady's tree burn it not or cursed you'll be. Four times the Major Sabbats mark in the light and in the dark.

As the old year starts to wane the new begins, it's now Samhain. When the time for Imbolc shows watch for flowers through the snows.

When the wheel begins to turn soon the Beltane fires will burn.As the wheel turns to Lamas night power is brought to magick rite.

Four times the Minor Sabbats fall use the Sun to mark them all.When the wheel has turned to Yule light the log the Horned One rules.

In the spring, when night equals day time for Ostara to come our way. When the Sun has reached it's height time for Oak and Holly to fight.

Harvesting comes to one and all when the Autumn Equinox does fall. Heed the flower, bush, and tree by the Lady blessed you'll be.

Where the rippling waters go cast a stone, the truth you'll know. When you have and hold a need, harken not to others greed.

With a fool no season spend or be counted as his friend. Merry Meet and Merry Part bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good. When misfortune is enow wear the star upon your brow.

Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false to you.

These Eight words the Rede fulfill:

"An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will"

The Power of Positive Thinking

Rules are what we use to define life. People do not realize this, but we need rules in order to appreciate life more. Rules take the chaos that is called life and impose order into it. Some people think rules limit our achievements, but this is not true. When you think about it, you will realize the fact that rules protect our progress as humanity. Without rules, we would have been extinct long ago.

Rules help us define life. Sometimes, we look for rules in order to help us achieve our goals. People create rules in order to help themselves achieve their goals in a manner that they can understand. Rules are also used to help us comprehend life. People give out rules in order to help others get what they have achieved. It is because of rules that we are able to hold on to every discovery made.

It comes as no surprise that people look for 10 rules for the power of positive thinking. It seems that people, when looking for rules, like to stick no 10, which is a nice, round number.
The power of positive thinking and 10 rules in getting it is one of the most popular subjects out there. This is because they have begun to realize that positive thinking does affect life significantly. Whether you see a glass as half-empty or half-full can affect the way you treat your business. We are in control of our lives and our decisions matter.

What are the 10 rules of the power of positive thinking?

1.) Believe - You cannot pretend to be a positive thinker. You need to believe. In positive thinking, you cannot pretend because there's no one to pretend to. If somebody believes that you are a positive thinker, how can that benefit you? The most important of the 10 rules of the power of positive thinking is that you should believe it.

2.) Be objective - This is very important in the 10 rules for the power of positive thinking. Many people tend to see their lives for their failures and thus, they lose hope of ever succeeding in their goal. Other people tend to magnify their success and, filled with false pride, they make all the wrong decisions.

3.) Take care of your health - One step to achieving the power of positive thinking is taking care of your body. All of the positive thinking in the world can't help you if you are dead, can it? You need to have a healthy body in order to fuel your positive thinking.

4.) Surround yourself with positive people - When you are engaged in an internal struggle between your positive self and your negative self, you will need all the support you can get. You do not really want to surround yourself with people who will just kick your positive attitude to the ground with their negativity.

5.) Be patient - Positive thinking does not come overnight. You need to train yourself in order to get rid of any negative attitude you possess.

6.) Turn negativity around - When something negative enters your personality get rid of it not by repelling it outright, but by channeling that energy into positive thoughts.

7.) Remember that others can sense your negativity - One reason why people fail is because other people can sense their negativity and want no part of it. Before you try to do something, be sure to have the right attitude.

8.) Find something positive in everything new - When you encounter something unfamiliar, never do what most people do and fear it. Take a hard look at it and see it for the positive effects it brings, this will help you understand things better.

9.) Pace yourself - Remember that you cannot hurry into getting positive. You need to pace yourself in order to prevent yourself from breaking down. Go slowly and take life one day at a time.

10.) Make the change – The main characteristic of these ten rules of the power of positive thinking is the fact that they only show you the door. You need to open it yourself.

By Joe Dostal

Candle Rituals

Candle rituals have been around for centuries.
You light the candles, maybe close your eyes while repeating a spell or that which you
wish for and visualizing it coming true.
It is a combination of the need or desire, and the ability to visualize the outcome.
Candle burning spells and
rituals are very easy to do and to have success with if they are
done correctly and you truly believe.
The different colors of candles
each have their own symbolism.

Here is a table of the colors and their meanings:

White: truth, purity
Red: love, health, sex, strength
Green: money, luck, fertility
Black: discord, evil, negativity, confusion
Brown: neutrality, uncertainty, hesitation
Pink: love, morality, honor
Purple: power, business progress, ambition
Orange: attraction, stimulation
Greenish Yellow: jealousy, anger, discord
Gray: neutrality, stalemate, negativity
Light Blue: tranquility, patience, health
Dark Blue: depression, changeability

Candle spells can be very easy or complicated.
It all depends on how much time you want to put into a ritual.
It can be as simple as lighting a green candle and chanting... money money come to me.
It can also be very long and complicated lasting several days with the repositioning of
the candles each day. The choice is always yours.
The first thing you want to do is get the appropriate color candles for your particular desire.
Then you need to anoint the candle with oil. Olive oil will do fine.
You need to rub the candle with the oil from the middle outward to the ends.
As you are doing this you need to be thinking of your desired goal.
Then sit and meditate on your desire after lighting the candles, then read your spell
or chant your appropriate mantra.
You don't need some elaborate spell with a bunch of big words or words you don't
even know how to pronounce. You can make your own spells or rituals.
Think of your desire then make a simple little rhyme that tells about your desire in it.
It doesn't even have to rhyme. This is all about will power, the power of positive thinking,
and creative visualization. If you can do these things then you will send those vibrations out
into the universe and eventually they will materialize.

Blessed Be

Before Casting

Merry Meet

I found this article some time ago and found it to be quite handy. My apologies goes out to the author since I don't really know who he/she is, but would like to thank him for his wise information.

Creating your own spells and practices should reflect individuality. There are many lovely rituals and spells available but a Witch should be able to write his or her own. I read somewhere that using another's spell/ritual was like wearing someone else's underwear. Your own spells and rituals are tailored to your own needs and use of energy. Although a pre-made spell will work, spells and rituals created by your own hand will have better results.
Writing your own rituals and spells can be very fulfilling. It allows you total freedom to worship the God and Goddess the way you want. You can be assured that you can create a ritual or spell for all needs and times. Along with this freedom there does come responsibility!
If you create a spell or ritual, eventually you'll want to cast it. Well, have you thought about it? There are plenty of people who cast spells everyday. Some are Pagan and others are from a variety of different religions. Wicca believes that everything you do will return three times stronger. If you send out positive energy with your spells, eventually you will receive positive energy in response. This is true for negative energy too. So, before you cast that spell to give your enemy a boil in an uncomfortable place, think! Is it really worth it? Usually it isn't.
Ethics in spell creation are important considerations. Before any spell is created, you must think of the spell's implications. There really are just two rules for spell crafting and they are to do no harm and to not remove someone's free will. Why should we magically remove another's free will or harm someone when mundanely those actions are considered terrible crimes? It never ceases to amaze me how many people think it's okay to do a negative act magically that they'd consider wrong if committed mundanely. So, think before you put pen to paper!
Another thing to keep in mind is whether you really need to use magick. It's easy to start casting spells and conducting rituals for every little thing. Magick is powerful but it's not always necessary or the best alternative. Often spells work in unexpected ways. They can also work less promptly than we'd like or have interesting side affects. Magick can also make a situation more complicated. First brainstorm and work out mundane solutions to your problem. Generally it takes less time and less energy to follow through with the mundane solutions. Magick isn't a cure all. The caster has to take an active role.
For example, if you do a spell for prosperity, then don't expect money to appear in your wallet or purse. You shouldn't keep spending your money and doing the things you know are not conductive to prosperity. That just defeats the purpose of the spell. Instead create a situation that can take advantage of your spell. Nor should you think that because you did a spell that it will automatically work. There are many reasons why spells don't work. Even the most experienced of Wiccans cast spells that don't work. I believe that most of the time when a spell doesn't work that it is because we have to learn a lesson or that the spell wasn't needed. If you are ready to take on magick's responsibilities and accept its disadvantages, begin creating. It is a joyous experience to work with magick and to create the means to work with it. Just remember that it's also a force to be respected.

I do not recommend that you cast any will binding spells, unless you are willing to accept the karma.
I do not recommend that you cast any spells that will harm people unless you are willing to accept karma.
I do not recommend that you cast any personal gain spells, but rather spells that will help you achieve the means, but not give them to you like a gust of wind.

You need a job, so you say that you will do a job spell. Before you even think about casting try all mundane aspects to find that job. Look in the classifieds, ask around etc. If this doesn't work, after a reasonable period of time, then, and only then consider casting a spell.
If you do a job spell, think that someone else might need it more. A man with a wife and three children who is struggling to make ends meet is competing with you for a job. You cast a job spell, and you get the job. He is evicted from his home, his family starve and his children can't go to school. Think of the consequences before you cast.
When you actually decide to cast, make sure you harm none, don't change freewill and don't do a lot of personal gain. When you have almost finished the spell, add a couple of lines that make sure its for the good of all, harms none, won't have any bad effects etc, after all, it's your karma.
Spells and rituals is an important step. Paganism embraces individuality and personal exploration.
For example you want to d a love spell, but you *KNOW* that that is a no no, but there are ways around that, not in that you will end up casting it onto someone else, but the fact that it might work. But before you do that, you'd have to try and talk to the person, remember the first question, you have to try the mundane way. If that doesn't work, you decide to do a spell, but don't try and bind them into loving you, instead, do a spell on yourself so you can accept love more freely.

Remember:

Ask yourself these three questions before you decide to cast a spell:

1) Have I done everything I can to resolve the situation without magic?
Try all the mundane methods of attaining your goals before resorting to spell craft. If you want a job, send out your resume before you break out the green candles and patchouli. If you want to meet someone special, try reading the personals or signing up for an adult Ed class before you reach for the aphrodisiacs. If you're having conflict with someone at work, try talking to them about the problem before you go looking up binding spells. As one experienced witch put it to me, "this way, you can be sure that your intentions are pure."

2) Will this spell harm another, or bend someone's will to mine?
Please refer to the Wiccan Rede. Witches do not cast spells meant to harm someone else. Nor do they cast spells on other people without their permission, no matter how honorable their intentions. There's a good reason for this: harmful and meddlesome spells have a nasty tendency to backfire on the people who cast them.
When you're watching someone close to you suffering, it can be hard to consider the situation objectively. One reader asked me about spells to help alleviate anger. When I dug deeper, it turned out that spell craft was entirely inappropriate. If possible, discuss the matter with another trusted pagan friend. If there's no one around to consult with, try asking someone in the chat room or the Forum.

3) Am I prepared to accept the consequences of this spell, whatever they might be?
Think long and hard about this one. As I've said before, you may cast a spell with the best of intentions, but end up with unexpected consequences. Meditate a bit on it before you decide to cast the spell. Talk to other witches and see if there isn't a better solution.
Either way, your spell has a better chance of success if you fully "own" it, and anything that results from it. The best way to avoid unforeseen consequences is to follow the guidelines set out above -- and, most importantly, to cast the spell with love in your heart. Making magick is a powerful and transformative experience. In the midst of the spell, you become the subject, and you become the result. Make sure that what you're asking for is something you'd like to become.

Hope this might be of assistance.

Blessed Be