| I. MAGIC IN THE CRAFT
A. Working
Definition
1. Magic is the craft of shaping
and has been defined as "the art of changing consciousness
at will".
a. The art of changing consciousness at
will is a demanding one, needing long and disciplined apprenticeship.
(1) The outward acts of waving a wand,
lighting a candle, or crooning a rhymed incantation, are meaningless
without the proper mental preparation.
(a) But when the force of a trained awareness
is behind the gestures, they are far more than empty motions.
B. The
Witch as Cosmic Artist
1. We exist on this plane as multi-faceted
jewels, which conceal a spark of the essence of the Goddess
in the heart of each jewel.
a. Each facet of the jewel that is ourself
is likened to shells, or "bodies" in which we wrap
the heart of our jewel.
2. These "bodies" are divided
into two groups.
a. The Individuality
(1) Upper Spiritual- Consists of pure or
abstract Spirit. Sometimes call the 'Divine Spark', it is
substance and energy from the Great Unmanifest which we symbolize
with the archetype of the Goddess.
(2) Lower Spiritual- This is the individualized
spirit which has separated from the abstract. This is where
the spirit embarks upon it's own journey of self-discovery.
And where it eventually returns before it adds its experiences
to the Great Whole and rejoins it as a drop in the endless
ocean of being.
(3) Upper Mental- This is the realm of
the abstract mind. Individualized spirit begins to be self-aware,
and form polarities which lead to the development of the personality.
b. The Personality
(1) Lower Mental- The person develops a
concrete mind held together by form and memory.
(2) Upper Astral- Level of abstract emotions.
Attraction of polarities leads to a desire for union.
(3) Lower Astral- Level of instincts and
passions. A desire to attract other polarities and to possess
things develops.
(4) Etheric Body- Tenuous energy-web of
near-matter which links the Physical with the subtler planes.
Without the Etheric body to hold the physical body together,
individual sparks of the spirit cannot manifest on the physical
plane.
(5) Physical Body- Made of dense matter.
3. Taking a broad look at the Personality,
we find that it is an instrument, or machine, consisting of
three distinct 'bodies'.
a. These 'bodies' are built up during one
incarnation and discarded in the Summerland after they have
served their purpose.
(1) A physical form that naturally moves
and acts on instinct and orders from your mind.
(a) This physical form has its own set
of laws that govern
it.
(b) It exists in time and space, and it
has to be acted upon; it is not capable of thinking.
(c) We know that our body is not the cause
of us, because it has to be acted upon to function. And anything
that has to be acted upon is an effect, caused by something
else.
(2) An emotional 'body', operating from
laws similar to hydrodynamics.
(a) If our emotions become blocked, we
are like a river whose flow is dammed up, building up untold
pressure until some release occurs; or we go dead inside and
stagnate, diseased and toxic to ourselves and others.
(b) Crafters know that pent-up emotions
are to be released and understood, so that this constricted
energy can be expressed for the purpose of validating our
existence.
(3) A mental life, our unique world of
personal thoughts, that is creative by nature, and has no
limits except those it chooses to construct for itself.
(a) Since we exist in a Universal Mind
that is all knowing and limitless, we know that limitation
is not a universal law, but only exists in the individual
use we make of these universal laws.
4. Our Personality is responsible for our being able to function
on this plane and it is through our personality that we create
the world around us.
a. Without our input the world is neutral,
colorless and meaningless.
(1) It is only when we assume the role
of creators or artists and paint an image of the world in
our minds, colored by our feelings, does the world affect
us.
(a) This is way two people can have the
same experience and respond in two entirely different ways.
(2) We constantly choose moment-by-moment
what our world is like.
(a) A person who opts for a negative experience
descends into a universe that contains all the potentially
negative forces that are waiting to make up reality.
(b) And no matter what someone outside
does to make it less negative, it will not change.
(c) Having set up the polarity for a negative experience,
the negativity acts as a magnet, attracting more and more
negativity until it is overwhelming.
(d) On the other hand, a person who opts
for a positive experience, ascends into another universe,
that immediately cooperates, and instantly, forces begin moving
to manifest a positive result.
5. The main work of a person on the Path
of Return is to integrate the creative aspects of the Personality
under the guidance of the Individuality, or Essence, so that
they can develop as a member of the universe in full harmony
with the rest of it.
a. When this happens the Seeker discovers
an inner state of harmony where all actions begin corresponding
to a deeper truth resident within.
(1) It is as though every thing flows naturally
and easily.
(a) Even what had seemed 'impossible' before
fades into non- existence and a new possibility takes its
place.
II. CULTIVATION OF THE MAGICAL PERSONALITY
A. Magic
is the Craft of Witchcraft
1. The power of magic should not be under-estimated.
a. It works, often in ways that are unexpected
and difficult to control.
(1) But neither should the power of magic
be over- estimated.
(a) It does not work simply, or effortlessly
and it does not confer omnipotence.
B. Learning
to work magic is a process of neurological repatterning, of
changing the way we use our brains.
1. In order to manifest anything on the
physical plane, it must be formulated and given life on the
mental plane.
2. Unless a person can concentrate his
thoughts and desires down into a tightly controlled set of
symbols, the mental plane has insufficient information to
create what is desired.
a. The Archtype of the Magician in the
Major Arcanum of the Tarot deck teaches some valuable lessons
in concentration.
(1) The traditional picture of the Magician
shows a man dressed in a white robe, encircled by a belt in
the shape of a snake holding its tail in its mouth, and he
is wearing a cloak of vermilion.
(a) He stands in a garden with four white
lilies and five red roses, behind a table where he has laid
out his magical tools.
(2) With his right hand, the Magician lifts
a wand upward toward the sky. His left hand makes the universal
gesture of attention, pointing with extended forefinger toward
the fertile earth at his feet.
(a) The message inherent in this gesture
is that the Force of the higher levels flows through the Magician
to whatever he gives his full measure of attention.
(3) The garden in which the Magician works
represents the subconscious field.
(a) It is from this subconscious field
that the hidden powers come that the Magician directs in his
quest for increased freedom.
(b) These powers are symbolized by the
lilies which stand for various aspects of truth and the roses
which are symbols of human desire.
(4) The Magician is a transformer and transmuter
of experience.
(a) He cultivates the flowers in his garden,
improving them and by force of his control of their development,
takes them far beyond the conditions spontaneously provided
by nature.
(b) Taking things as he finds them, he
watches until he perceives the underlying principle at work
in what he observes. Then he applies that principle in novel
ways so as to produce a different situation.
C.
The Language of the Old Belief, the Language of Magic, is
expressed in Symbols and Images.
1. Poetry, which is itself a form of magic,
is magic speech.
a. Spells and charms worked by witches
in rhyme are truly concrete poetry.
b. The American Indians would call them
Songs of Power.
2. Images bridge the gap between the verbal
and non-verbal modes of awareness.
a. They allow the two sides of the brain
to communicate, arousing the emotions as well as the intellect.
b. The vast storehouse of symbols, which
embody all the possible realities of this universe is the
subconscious mind.
c. The Archtype representing the subconscious
mind is the High Priestess.
(1) The High Priestess is depicted as a
solitary woman, seated on a cube placed between two pillars
of opposite colors. There is a veil hung between the pillars
with pomegranites and hearts of palms woven into it.
(a) She is dressed in a white garment adorned
with an equilateral cross on her breast and surrounded by
a blue robe that flows down and out of the picture.
(c) She wears a silver crown, made of two
crescents and an orb and holds a scroll in her lap.
(2) The message conveyed by the High Priestess
is two-fold.
(a) First she represents memory. Everything
that comes to the attention of the mind of her counterpart,
the Magician, is recorded on her scroll.
(b) Like all languages, the records she
keeps are symbols for the reality they represent and it is
the second function that she represents that makes the knowledge
available to the Magician.
(c) The imagery of water flowing through
this tarot card is reinforced by the blue color of her robe,
and the way it pools down at the bottom right side of the
card and seems to flow off the card. Water is the universal
symbol of the astral essence of the higher planes and just
as waterways on earth served as highways of communication
and commerce in the old ways, it is the astral essence that
serves as a bridge between the different planes.
(d) In order to recall things stored in
memory as written down on the High Priestess's scroll it is
necessary to still the waters so that they become a mirror
and reflect the images you are seeking.
(3) The ability to concentrate to the point
where a still calmness in the mind is achieved, coupled with
the images that surface from the subconsciousness leads to
the point where new realities can be visualized.
D.
All manifestations on the physical world are rooted in the
mental and astral planes.
1. In order to change your physical reality,
you need to be able to use creative visualization to plant
the seeds of your new reality in the higher planes.
a. The Archtype of the Creative Imagination
is the Empress of the Tarot deck.
(1) In direct contrast to the virginal
High Priestess, the Empress is a pregnant matron. She is Venus,
goddess of Love, Beauty, Growth and Fruitfulness.
(a) She is seated in a garden backed by
trees, with a river cascading down a waterfall and forming
a pool at her feet.
(b) Wheat grows at her feet and her gown
is the color of Spring. She holds a copper shield with a dove
on it and a sceptre of an orb divided on two and topped by
a cross.
(c) A crescent moon is at her feet and
a crown of 12 stars over her head. She wears a necklace of
7 pearls.
(2) When the Magician is joined with the
Empress, the cold virginity of the High Priestess is transformed
into the rich fertility of Venus.
(a) The Empress is imagination, the mind's
power to make new combinations from remembered experiences.
(b) What you make the object of your attention
is what you become, sooner or later. Fix your attention on
images of misery, poverty, and weakness, and their actual
physical embodiments will become part of your surroundings.
(c) Change the patterns by attending to
their opposites, and presently creative imagination, symbolized
by the Empress, will begin to build you a new life and will
impress even the conditions of your environment with new ideas.
(d) Remember, even your physical body is
part of your environment.
E. The
generation of mental images at the level of self- consciousness
is a necessary forerunner of changing your circumstances,
but it does not do any good if you do not prepare the ground
for the seed to grow.
1. Creating prosperity thoughtforms and
then doing nothing to allow them to come through on the physical
plane is as senseless as buying a high performance car without
any tires.
a. Getting control over your own environment
is a necessary first step in preparing for the changes you
are working for.
(1) Working with the resources at hand,
you need to gain control over your environment.
(a) Physical and spiritual cleansing of
your environment clears away the clutter of old worn-out thought-
forms.
(b) Actively seeking out knowledge of how
to effectively manage the conditions you are trying to bring
about sends messages to your subconscious that you are serious
in you work and ar not going to waste any gifts that come
your way.
2. Regulation and supervision are implied
by every- thing in the Archtype of the Emperor.
a. Supervision is overseeing. Thus the
function of sight is chief among our senses.
(1) The Emperor is seated on a cube on
the edge of a cliff overlooking a river which has worn a channel
through the mountains turning them into the soil that serves
as the base for the garden of the Emperor.
(a) He is dressed in armour, symbolizing
his willingness to impress his will on his surroundings but
he sits in a passive stance content to observe the conditions
that exist before he acts.
(2) The quality of our vision or observations
of how things are determines the course of our progress towards
liberation.
(a) Unless we imagine, we do not really
see.
(b) The mind is the true seer. Unless we
learn to supplement what our eyes report with imagination
based on other senses no true vision of the world can be made.
b. Regulation is dependent on the ability
to reason which is the second aspect represented by the Emperor.
(1) The basic function of reason is to
oversee and control.
(a) Through the development of our ability
to reason we learn to supervise and control our daily activities.
F. After
we have learned to concentrate and visualize what we want
to do using symbols from the unconscious and prepared for
the work to manifest on the physical plane through observation
and regulation of our daily lives we are ready to manifest
our new reality through our Personality.
1. Our Personality is not what we truly
are, but how we express our Inner Self. It is important that
we work in accordance with the guidance of our true 'Essence'.
a. The Archtype of the Hierophant represents
the Self.
(1) The Hierophant sits between two pillars
in a temple like the High Priestess.
(a) He is the Inner Self who is also the
Emperor. Only the spheres of operation are different.
(b) The ministers kneeling before the True
Teacher wear garments which are embroidered with the same
flowers that appear in the garden of the Magician.
(2) The general meaning of the Hierophant
is summed up in the word Intuition.
(a) Intuition is the Voice of the True
Self.
(b) Genuine intuition is not a substitute
for reason. It is a logical consequence of good reasoning.
(c) The inner Teacher wastes no time in
fruitless endeavors to instruct the incompetent who will not
take the trouble to observe, to remember, to imagine, or to
reason.
(3) The Voice never speaks loudly and many
fail to hear it over the clamor of their own thoughts.
(a) Practicing the listening attitude of
mind leads to eventually hearing it.
(b) The fundamental practice is to be still
when you wish the counsel of the Voice.
(c) Stop racking your brains when a seemingly
insoluble problem confronts you. The harder you try the less
likely you are to hear the answer.
G. Patterns
appear when we have contrasting elements in what we are examining.
1. The Tables of Correspondence (Spiral
Dance) are based on the recognition that everything exists
in relation to other things, and we use the process of discrimination
to find the correspondences.
a. The Archtype of the Lovers represents
the process of discrimination.
(1) The tarot card of the Lovers shows
an angel bestowing blessings upon a naked man and woman.
(a) The message here is that the self-
consciousness and subconsciousness are equal and receive the
blessings of the True Self.
(b) When there are no secrets between the
two (nudity) they work in harmony under the guidance of the
Self and can see the connections between seemingly unrelated facts.
H.
The final ingredient needed in the development of the magical
personality is the development of the magical will.
1. Development of the Magical Will comes
about as the result of synthesizing all the aspects we have
been talking about so far.
a. The Chariot is the Archtype of the Will
(1) The Chariot depicts a person standing
in a chariot pulled by two sphinxes of opposite polarity,
before a city surrounded by a wall. At the foot of the wall
runs a river.
(a) The Charioteer is the Inner Self.
(b) The sphinxes represent the senses and
the reins (which are invisible) by which he guides them represent
the mind.
(c) The chariot itself is the physical
body and it is drawn by the sphinxes.
(2) The starry canopy represents the celestial
forces whose descent into matter is the cause of all manifestation.
(a) On the shield is the Hindu Lingam-Yoni
symbolizing the union of opposites.
(3) The charioteer is a victor.
(a) This card represents the conquest of
illusion which comes about when the Self guides the personality.
2. The Magical Will is very much akin to
what Victorian schoolmasters called character: honesty, self-discipline,
commitment and conviction.
a. Anyone who wishes to practice magic
must be scrupulously honest in their personal lives.
(1) A bag of herbs acquires the power to
heal because I say it does. For my word to take on such force,
I must be deeply and completely convinced that it is identified
with truth as I know it.
(a) In this sense, magic works on the principle
that "It is so because I say it is so."
b. Unless I have enough personal power
to keep my commitments in daily life, I will be unable to
wield magical power.
(1) To a person who practices honesty and
keeps commitments, "As I will, so mote it be." is
not just a pretty phrase; it is a
statement of fact.
III. THE ART OF CASTING SPELLS
A. Definition
1. "A spell is a symbolic act done
in an altered state of consciousness in order to cause a desired
change."
a. To cast a spell is to project energy
through a symbol.
(1) Too often, the symbols are mistaken
for the agent that casts the spell.
(a) Props are useful at times, but it is
the mind that works the magic.
b. Correspondences between colors, planets,
metals, numbers, plants and minerals, and musical notes make
up a great deal of magical lore.
(1) Particular objects, shapes, colors,
scents, and images do work better than others to embody certain
ideas.
(a) But the most powerful spells are often
improvised from materials that feel right or that simply happen
to come to hand.
B. Theory
of Spellcasting
1. Spells are an important aspect of magical
training.
a. They require the use of the combined
faculties of relaxation, visualization, concentration and
projection.
(1) The casting of spells provides practice
in coordinating these skills and developing them further.
2. Spells are extremely sophisticated psychological
tools that have subtle, but important, effects on a person's
inner growth.
a. Spells may highlight otherwise hidden
complexes of the person
casting the spell.
(1) A person who has conflicts about success
will find great difficulty in concentrating on a money spell.
(a) Many times the practical results of
a spell are far less important than the psychological insights
that arise during the magical work.
(b) Discovering our inner blocks and fears
is the first step in overcoming them.
b. Spells also go one step further than
most forms of psychotherapy.
(1) They allow us not only to listen to
and interpret the unconscious, but also to speak to it in
the language it understands.
(a) Symbols, images, and objects used in
spells communicate directly with Younger Self, who is the
guardian of our emotions and who is barely affected by the
intellect.
(b) We often understand our feelings and
behavior but find ourselves unable to change them.
(c) Through spells, we can attain the most
important power - the power to change our lives.
3. Spellcasting also forces us to come
to terms with the material world.
a. Many people attracted to the spiritual
path of the Craft find themselves uneasy with using magic
for practical or material goals.
(1) Somehow it seems wrong to work magic
for oneself, to want things and to get things.
(a) This is an attitude which is a holdover
of the Judaeo- Christian world view that sees spirit and matter
as separate and that identifies matter with evil and corruption.
(2) In the Craft, flesh, the material world,
none of what is commonly thought of as matter is separate
from spirit.
(a) The universe is made up of the Goddess
who is manifest in all things.
(b) Union with the Goddess comes through
embracing the material world and all the gifts that She has
placed in it for us.
(3) Our major task on this plane of existence
is to become masters of this realm of manifestation.
(a) We do not fight self-interest; we follow
it, but with an awareness that transmutes it into something
sacred.
C.
Mechanics of Spellcasting
1. Spellcasting is the lesser, not the
greater magic; but the greater magic builds on the lesser.
a. The paradox is that in spellcasting
we may start out working with the personal self, but in order
to work the magic we are forced to expand and recognize the
Self that moves through all beings.
(1) Magic involves the deliberate self-
identification with other objects and people.
(a) To do a healing, we must become the
healer, the one who is healed, and the energy that is to do
the healing.
(b) To attract love, we must be able to
love ourselves and to become love its self.
2. Spells work in two basic ways.
a. The first is through suggestion
(1) Symbols and images implant certain
ideas in Younger Self, or the subconscious mind.
(a) We are then influenced to actualize
those ideas.
b. Spells can also influence the external
world.
(1) The theoretical model that witches
use to explain the workings of magic is a clear one and coincides
in many ways with the "new" physics.
(a) It is simply an elaborate but extremely
useful metaphor.
(b) The metaphor is based on a world view
that sees things not as fixed objects, but as vortexes of
energy.
(c) The physical world is formed by the vortexes of energy,
and if we cause a change in the energy patterns they, in turn,
cause a change in the physical world.
(2) When our own energy is concentrated
and channeled, it can move the broader energy currents.
(a) The images and objects used in spells
are the channels. They are the vessels through which our power
is poured, and by which it is shaped.
3. As energy is directed into the images
we visualize, it gradually manifests physical form and takes
shape in the material world.
a. Directing energy is not a matter of
simply emoting.
(1) Emotion can be likened to a strobe
light which provides a very inconstant light.
(2) Directed energy is more like a laser
beam.
(a) Even concentrated power is a small
stream compared with the vast surges of energy that surround
us.
(b) The most adept witch cannot be successful
in all her spells. The opposing currents are often too strong.
4. The craft teaches to first identify
the flow of energy and then to decide whether or not it is
going where we want it to go.
a. If not, then we can try to deflect it.
b. Or, we may have to change our own course.
(1) Sensing the energy climate is a matter
of intuition and experience.
(a) Some witches make a study of Astrology
in an effort to plan their magical workings at the optimal
times.
(b) Others prefer to work when they feel
the time is right.
(2) Of all the planets, the Moon's influence
on subtle energies is the strongest.
(a) Subtle power increases as the Moon
waxes, so the time of the waxing Moon is best for spells involving
growth or increase, such as money spells.
(b) The power peaks when the Moon is full
and that is the best time for workings of culmination and
love.
(c) During the waning Moon, power subsides
and turns inward. The waning Moon's period is used for banishings,
bindings, and discovering hidden secrets.
(3) The practical witch soon learns to
adjust her spells to fit the time of the Moon. If, for example,
she needs to do a money spell during the waning Moon, she
would put a little 'english' on it and make it a poverty banishing
spell.
5. Energy pursues the path of least resistance.
a. Material results are more easily achieved
on this plane of existence through physical actions that through
magical workings.
(1) Example - it is simpler to lock your
door than suffer the constant drain from maintaining psychic
seals on your doors and windows while you are away from home.
(a) Of course once you have locked your
door, you might feel more reassured by placing seals on it.
6. No magic spell is going to bring results
unless channels are opened into the material world.
a. A job spell is useless if you are not
willing to go out and interview for jobs or at least let potential
employers know that you are in the market for one.
b. In the same vein, a healing spell is
no substitute for medical care.
(1) Most medicine today can be broken down
into two broad categories, emergency medicine and that which
is not needed for immediate life-threatening situations.
(a) Emergency medicine has excelled at
stabilizing the body's condition so that it can repair itself
at it's own pace.
(b) Most other forms of medicine consist
of treatment through surgery or chemotherapy or a combination
of both.
(c) The procedures noted above work on
the physical body and do not take the other levels into consideration.
(d) Psychic healing works at healing the
higher levels of the person so that the physical heals itself
or allows the person to let go of their physical body if it
cannot be repaired. In either case the choice rests with the
person who is being healed and not the healer.
7. Visualization used in creating a spell
should focus on the desired result not the individual steps
leading up to the result.
a. We give the spell free rein in how it
goes about achieving the results with the understanding that
it is not to bring harm to anyone or any being.
(1) For this reason, spells have a habit
of working in very unexpected ways.
8. To assure that the power we have unleashed
does not inadvertantly cause harm, we bind the spell.
a. This serves to 'set' the form we have
created so that the energy becomes fixed in the pattern we
desire.
(1) The energy we project to others affects
us even more strongly than the other person. This is because
we have generated the energy, and thus we have become the
object at which the energy is directed.
(2) If healing energy is sent out, then
the health of the person casting the spell is enhanced.
(a) By the same token, any hex or curse
that is sent out ALWAYS effects the person who sends it no
matter whether it affected the person it was sent at or not.
9. MAGIC IS NOT TO BE USED TO GAIN POWER
OVER OTHERS.
a. Magic is a technique used in developing
your own 'power from within'. Spells that are directed at
gaining power over others weakens the 'power from within'.
(1) Aside form the damage done to oneself,
it is important for another reason.
(a) Many people who do not understand the
laws of magic are afraid of being attacked magically and are
given to paranoia.
(b) The witch's main stock-in-trade used
to be removing a competitor's hexes and preparing charms to
protect their clients.
(c) While true psychic attacks are EXTREMELY
RARE a persons guilt makes up for any lack and after using
'forbidden' help, their paranoia leads them to seek protection
from the same person they just turned to in desperation. Do
your self a favor, and resist the temptation to 'help' these
types.
(2) Most magical formularies consist of
formulae gathered and tested by witches as well as many charms
to protect the common man from those same witches who sold
them their charms.
D.
Times and Correspondences
1. I mentioned earlier that timing and
the right props are considered important in spellcasting.
a. For your convenience there is a Table
of Hours included at the end of this lesson.
(1) Keep in mind that all times are Pacific
Standard Time.
(a) You will need to adjust for different
time zones and those periods of Daylight Savings Time as may
be in effect in your area.
b. Over the years, systems of Correspondences
were developed which assigned certain attributes and aspects
to the seven ancient planets of Astrology.
(1) Each planet was assigned a God or Goddess,
who embodies the attributes the ancients wished to invoke.
(a) Each of the Gods and Goddesses were
assigned an hour of the day, color, incense, metal, number,
signature, plant, mineral, musical note, and animal or bird.
(b) There is a Table of Correspondences
in the back of The Spiral Dance.
E. General
Guidelines for Casting Spells
1. Set aside a room for your magical work.
a. Decorate it with things that put you
in a magical mood.
(1) Remember to use things that stimulate
all five of your physical senses.
(a) Some obvious things would be the use
of appropriate colors for sight, incense for scent music for
hearing, wines for taste, and textures for feel.
2. If you do not have a room you can set
aside exclusively for your magical work then choose a room
that can be locked while you do your work.
a. This will allow you to work undisturbed.
(1) In any case you should clean your work
area periodically with a purifying powder/floorwash to keep
away negative vibrations.
3. Set up an altar to be used as your worktable.
a. It's size and shape should be those
that appeal to you.
(1) Placing candles and other items that
assist you to concentrate on the work at hand is a good practice.
(a) Some people like to cover their altar
with a white cloth and place fresh cut flowers on it every
day.
4. Always use the best candles, oils, and
incenses that you can afford, or make your own.
a. Scrimping on materials has a negative
effect on the subconscious.
(1) Don't forget that the subconscious
is very good at making do with raw materials that it can shape
to it's own use.
5. Never cast a spell until you have a
clear and concise picture of what it is you wish to accomplish.
a. This ties in with the saying "Be
careful what you wish for, you just might get it."
6. Always ground out any extra energy you
raise for the spell, and bind the spell so that it expires
within the pre- determined amount of time.
7. Once you have cast the spell do not
discuss it with any one until after it has worked.
a. Most spells peter out because the person
who casts it boasts about it to so many people, that the spell
is robbed of power before it has a chance to work.
(1) The ancient bond placed on the magician
was to dare, to know and to keep silent.
IV. A BASIC FORMULARY
A. Preparation
of candles
1. Types of candles
a. Votives
(1) Short and stubby. Usually burned in
a small cup or container.
(a) Used to provide a light for several
hours.
(b) Less space consuming so more candles
can be placed on the altar at the same time.
b. Taper
(1) Long and slender. May be burned in
a candle holder.
(a) Very elegant and can be allowed to
drip into a pie pan so that the drippings can be read in a
manner similar to tea leaf reading.
(2) Come in many different lengths and
thicknesses.
c. Candle-in-a-jar
(1) Large, long-lasting candle, which is
formed by pouring either colored wax into a clear glass container,
or clear wax into a colored glass container.
(a) When annointing the candle, only the
top of the candle is annointed.
(2) This is probably the safest candle
to leave burning unattended, provided the maker of the candle
took care to ensure that the wick runs in the center of the
candle.
(a) Although leaving any candle or open
flame burning with on one around is considered dangerous and
foolish.
d. Specialty Candles
(1) Candle-in-a-jar
(a) Candles dedicated to a christian Saint
or to a Voodoo Loa. The designs, signatures and instructions
on how to use the candle are printed on the glass container.
(2) Cross Candles
(a) Candles formed into the shape of a
cross. Comes in black, white, green and red. Used as altar
pieces for christian oriented work tables.
(3) Male and Female Figurine Candles
(a) Comes in black, white, green and red.
Used to bind two people together or to separate them.
(b) Burned face to face & they melt
into each other to bind.
(c) Burned back to back so that no wax
mixes to bring about a banishment.
(4) Seven Day Knob Candles
(a) A candle which is cast so that its
length is made of seven knobs. One knob is burned each day
for the duration of the spell.
2. Colors
a. The color of the candle should reflect
the planetary aspect that is assigned to the incense you are
going to use.
3. Annointing the Candle
a. There are two general methods which
are used to anoint the candle.
(1) The first consists of starting at the
middle of the candle and annointing it to the top, and then
going back to the middle you would anoint down toward the
bottom.
(a) The principle behind this is that you
are the center of the candle, sending your energy both upward
into the spiritual planes and downward into the physical.
(2) The second method is to start at the
top of the candle and draw an unbroken line down the side,
under its base, and back up the other side.
(a) When you reach the top of the candle,
you turn it 1/4 turn and trace another unbroken line in the
previous manner so that the candle is 'tied' to your purpose
b. When you are using a candle-in-a-jar
you would anoint it by placing your moistened finger inside
and rubbing clockwise, or counterclockwise as needed, three
times in a circle in three sets to make up nine.
(1) Here is one of the more popular rhymes
used to focus your attention on what you are doing. Perhaps
you have heard it before.
"The wyrd sisters, hand in
hand
Posters of the Sea and Land
Do go about and about
Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine
And thrice again to make up nine.
Peace! The charm's wound up!"
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