To Be a Witch

This post follows on from my post 'How do I become a Witch?'

In my previous post I gave you some quick and traditional methods of becoming a Witch, in this post we will look at how you could create your own ritual to celebrate your first steps into the Witchy realm. These rituals are sometimes known as self-initiation as no-one but yourself needs to be involved in whatever you decide to do.

I feel that there is a lot to be said for your first ritual to be between yourself and the Old Ones. When you work your ritual in solitude it is literally a matter between you and the gods. You will decide whether you wish to give yourself to the Gods, and they will decide whether to accept you.

It takes courage to work a solitary ritual of initiation. It can be a scary experience - but all initiations should be scary, as what you are doing is deliberately turning away from your old life and taking on something completely new and very different. In many initiation rituals you will find a point where someone asks the postulant, 'Are you sure you want to carry on? Because if you go through with this there will be no way to return to your old way of being.'

Initiation should and will fundamentally change you. Sometimes those changes are subtle, it could be a feeling of contentment that at last you have acknowledged a part of you which has been suppressed, or sometimes those changes can be quite brutal. Being a Witch has never been an easy course to take, Doreen Valiente was quite clear on the value of keeping your beliefs to yourself, saying 'Witchcraft won't pay for broken windows.'

But being a Witch is never boring!

So now we shall look at what your ritual could be like, but bear in mind you do not have to follow my suggestions, your own ideas may be totally different. Just try and keep things simple, complications always cause problems.

The first thing you will need for your ritual is a place where you can be alone and uninterrupted. Turn off your mobile, unplug the phone, make sure anyone else in the house is asleep or out of the way.
Midnight is known as the Witching hour for a very good reason: in the days before electricity most rural people would be fast asleep before midnight so it gave Witches the privacy they needed for their spell working. Midnight is also a 'between' time, it is an hour between one day and the next, so Midnight is a good time to pick for your ritual.

I would suggest that you do your ritual by candle light, a single candle can act as a focus for your energy, and it also feels special and magical too. You could also light some incense, flavours such as Night Queen, Sandalwood or Patchouli would be appropriate, or one which you particularly like.

Some people insist that for this ritual you should be naked, as it is a re-birth into a new world. I can understand the argument but I don't feel that it is necessary, and again you should follow your own feelings in this matter

If it feels appropriate to you, you could start by reciting the Lord's Prayer backwards, this effectively unfastens you from your previous life and sets you free to choose to become a Witch. Alternately you could simply say:
       I stand here alone, I put myself beyond the bonds of mortal life, I offer myself to the Old Ones.

One of the acts of many traditional initiation ceremonies is the taking of the measure. The priest or priestess would use a length of cotton, wool or cord to measure the height of the new Witch, this measure would then be kept by the coven. This piece of cotton represents the person it measured, and as such if that person betrayed the group, then they could use the measure in spells and rituals to bind or silence them.
You could measure yourself, with a piece of cotton: simply hold one end in one hand and spread your arms as wide apart as possible and call that your measure. This piece of cotton should then be put into a small pouch and kept safe.

Alternately you could put one knee on the floor and put one hand on the top of your head and say:
   'I give all that is between my hands, freely, to the Old Ones and ask that you accept me as a Witch.'

   'Let me see or hear a sign that I am acceptable to you.'

Traditional signs are the barking of a dog, or the cry of a bird, but it could be a book falling off a shelf, or the sudden flickering of your candle flame, or that it bobs or grows larger or smaller.

At this time it is also traditional to take a special magical name, so you could say:
'Let me be known within the circle as ... [name you have chosen].'

Then finally stand up and say:
'I stand now before the God and Goddess as Witch [Witch Name]. 
Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet again.'

Welcome to the circle of Witchdom.

Equinox Balance?

This is an article which first appeared in the Raven Newsletter Harvest 2011 edition:

   So many times we are told that at the Equinoxes of Spring and Autumn the powers of Light and Dark are in balance. At Spring the light is poised to grow and strengthen and at the Autumn Equinox it is the darkness which is advancing.
   Because of the equality of light and darkness at the Equinoxes we often picture this as an old fashioned balance scale (as in the astrological symbol of Libra) with the two pans standing level.
   These times are therefore looked on not only as times of balance, but also of harmony. However as there are two pans on a balance scale, the Equinox energies have two sides or faces to them.
   As well as the harmonious, balanced energies, there are also the chaotic, unbalanced energies. The chaotic energies are often ignored or simply disregarded as a temporary or anomalistic blip in the overall harmonious metaphysical energies of this season.
   Chaos is a normal part of these seasons
   Chaotic elements can be seen even in the weather around the Equinoxes. March and September are known for their wild and windy weather - this year we have had the tail of a hurricane crossing the country causing great disruption in places. Remember the old weather lore saying that March can come in like a Lion and go out like a Lamb, or equally come in like a Lamb and go out like a Lion. In other words great contrasts in the weather have been recognised as a feature of the Equinoxes for centuries.
   And as it is with the world of nature, so it can be with the tides of magic and emotion.
   Many times people find that great chaotic changes in their lives occur around the Equinoxes. There may be job losses (or gains), house moving, relationships breaking up or being remade. You may find old friends appearing out of the woodwork - or falling out with you for no apparent reason. The Equinox energies are Mercurial, changeable, chaotic and can hit you with all the force of a sledge hammer.
   The Equinoxes can be thought of as times of cleansing and purification in preparation for the two greatest times of magical energy in the year. In Spring the next festival to come is Beltane, and after the Autumn Equinox will come Samhain.
   In the physical world the Equinox winds whip the old dead leaves from the treas. Both Equinoxes clear away dead wood, blow away clouds and foggy uncertainty as, when they have passed, you are in no doubt that the seasons have turned. At this time of year we have moved from the settled, bright and balmy blue skies of Summer into the colder and darker days of the coming Winter.
   The Equinoxes can be thought of as times when one door closes and another opens. They are times of change, which in the physical world is the change from Summer to Winter, or Winter to Summer - the Celts recognised only two seasons, Autumn and Spring are our later interpretations of these times of transition.
   When anything is changing from one state of being to another we are lucky if that transition happens smoothly, gently and harmoniously. In practise most change involves some disruption and even conflict, very often having to be shoved through against a protest of one kind or another.
   We like our lives to be predictable. We are content (in the main) knowing that today will be much like yesterday and tomorrow, this is how we are able to plan for the future - and hence the old Chinese curse 'May you live in interesting times.'
   However this can lead to stagnation and taking the easy way, the path of least resistance, or least disruption, just to keep a steady level (no matter how low) of stability or contentment.
   Sometimes we need a shake up. We need to find out that a loved one isn't content with you going out with your mates three nights a week, or equally would like to go out with their own mates rather than sit at home every night. The state of your lives 'harmony' can be a dangerous illusion which can crumble without warning.
   This is not to say that changes only occur around the Equinoxes. Change can happen at any time, but the Equinoxes can regularly be found to be times when these changes all seem to decide to happen all at once. Some people do seem to be more susceptible to these disruptions than others, this is particularly true of those who live a more magical life.
   Incidentally these same chaotic energies can often manifest prior to an initiatory experience, another time when old attitudes, habits and even relationships need to be broken and remade in a new form. An initiation can be a rebirth, and often this means former relationships have to be made anew as you move into a new mental, magical and spiritual sphere.
   So if your Equinox is being chaotic rather than harmonious, this is natural and normal.
   Just be ready and remember;
   Some changes really are for the better.

How do I become a Witch?

When I am asked this question, I am often stumped what to reply, as there are so many ways I could answer.

The simple answer is: just get on and be a Witch.
But that doesn't really help with the practical 'how's and 'why's and 'wherefore's.

So since the nights are drawing in and we are heading towards the most Magical time of the year, I decided it was time to look at giving out some practical information instead.

First: If you haven't already done so, please send for a Raven catalogue (you will find links to a version you can read online on this blog page, and on our facebook page). I know that is a bit of shameless self-promotion, but just having the catalogue to read through will answer a lot of your questions. For example there are the Basic and an Advanced Wicca Course, Fact Sheets and the Folk Witchery Book of Self-Initiation and Solitary Witchcraft.
All of these will help you on your quest, but the really basic thing to consider is:
         Do I feel like a Witch and that I want to make a commitment to being a Witch?

Anyone can cast a spell, you do not have to be a Witch to do that. So if all you really want to do is learn how to cast a few spells for various purposes, just find yourself a spell book, there are plenty on the market.

The way most books recommend that you become a Witch is by joining a Coven and being initiated by them. Of course that does have its own difficulties, firstly finding a Coven is difficult enough, then finding one that is willing to initiate you, and that you feel comfortable with is another matter.

Becoming a Witch does not have to be a convoluted process with an elaborate ritual, but it should involve you making some sort of commitment to a new way of being.

There are actually a lot of traditional methods for becoming a Witch. Many of them come from times when everyone in Britain was christian, or at least had to appear to be so, and when every child would have been baptised, thus making them a part of the christian church. So in order to become a Witch, very often the process involved ways of breaking your links to your former religion.
One old ritual says that you should walk three time widdershins around a church at midnight and then leave your prayerbook in the porch. Leaving your prayerbook obviously means that you will no longer be able to participate in the christian rituals, and widdershins movement is a way of undoing something, in this case you are undoing your attachment to the christian church, leaving you free to make a new bond to Witchcraft.

Another old ritual is to kneel naked at midnight with a single candle and recite the Lord's Prayer backwards. Again the backwards recitation of the prayer is a way of undoing your commitment to your former ways and leaves you outside the bounds of conventional society.

There are other traditional spells which emphasise more the commitment to your new life, rather than breaking the bonds with the old, for example:
Go to a crossroads at midnight and mark a circle there big enough for you to move comfortably within it. Then kneel down and put one hand on the sole of your foot and the other on top of your head and say:
          I give all that is between my hands to the service of the Old Ones.
You should then stand up and wait until you hear a noise such as the rustling of leaves or the cry of an owl, or until the world feels uncannily silent around you. Then throw a silver coin towards the noise, leave your circle and walk back to your house without looking behind you.

Folk Witchery Books

I have been busy this weekend putting the finishing touches to a new publication:
The Folk Witchery Book of the Winter Solstice. (£3.95 from Raven)

We are currently working on the next mail shot and I wanted to be able to put the new book in it (and remind folks of some of our other Folk Witchery publications, especially the one for Halloween, - also £3.95 - which will be upon us sooner than you think).

Over the years the Postal Bookshop, our book catalogue, has evolved from being a list of 'bought in' books to being a full, and ever expanding catalogue of our own publications - published under our Corvus Books imprint. It has given us the opportunity to have great fun researching and writing about all the stuff we enjoy. The Folk Witchery series in particular was inspired by our love of finding old traditions and spells, things that are being increasingly lost in our modern technology driven world.

I come from a country village in the heart of rural Lincolnshire. A place where folk beliefs, superstitions and traditions were a normal part of my childhood. But I know that even then, those traditions were being lost and forgotten by most of my contemporaries and their parents. I happened to come from a family with strong folk magic beliefs: talking about your dreams and interpreting them, telling fortunes from the tea leaves from the remains of the FIRST cup of the day, superstitions about everything from when to cut your toenails to which ear the cat washed first, all these things were normal every-day occurences in my home.

I remember at Grammar School one day the English teacher decided that we should all write down as many superstitions as we could think of. Most of the children could only come up with one or two, such as not walking under a ladder, but me and a boy from a nearby village filled pages with omens and meanings to do with bird flight, trees and plants and animal behaviour and all sorts of other things from the meanings of dropped items of cutlery (a visitor: a knife is a man, a fork a woman and a spoon for a child) to which shoe you should put on first to avoid bad luck that day (the right one).

So my love of these folk practises, and my determination to remember them and hopefully pass them on so that others will know of them, stems right from my early childhood.

Our latest book, A Folk Witchery Book of the Winter Solstice is a compendium of anything and everything to do with the beliefs, traditions and practises which are found around mid-winter. There are recipies for food and drink, spells and superstitions, a calendar of festivals from the 6th of December (St Nicholas feast day) to Epiphany on the 6th of January, drawn from christian and pagan beliefs - and often from christianised pagan practises. There are also sections on The Wild Hunt, the Winter Shaman, Christmas Decorations, Wassailing and Prognostications for the day on which Christmas Day falls and lots more.

It was great fun doing the research and writing the book - I hope you enjoy reading it as much.

Odin and the Runes

The story of Odin and the runes is a very magical one.

Odin was the chief of the Aesir, but his main quest and aspiration was always for knowledge. So he decided to try and learn the knowledge of the magical symbols known as the Runes. The story of what he did and what he learned is contained in an ancient poem known as Havamal, 'The Words of the High One' so this poem is not someone else's interpretation of what occurred, but Odin's own words.

Odin knew that he had to find the source of the runes and that he would have to pay for his knowledge. He chose to sacrifice himself by hanging himself on the world tree Yggdrasil:

I know that I hung on a windy tree
Nine long nights,
Wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin,
Myself to myself,
On that tree of which no man knows
From where its roots run.

Odin knows that only being prepared to give the ultimate sacrifice will give him any chance of learning the magical secrets of the runes. How many of us would think that knowledge was worth more than your own life?
As he hung on the tree Odin was poised between life and death:
They gave me no bread, they gave me no drink

The outcome could have gone either way, and as he hung in that in-between state, after nine days and nights of suffering suddenly he saw the runes appear below him, reflected in the waters of the well of Urd
I peered down below, took up the runes
Screaming I took them and fell back again.

The effort of getting the runes to reveal themselves to him was immense, and as he seized them, knew them, learnt their meanings, he fell from the tree with the runes in his grasp.

The next stanza reads like a shamanic spirit journey. Odins body so exhausted and damaged by his ordeal and the pain of wrenching himself from the tree has put his spirit outside his body, his body appears dead, but his spirit is learning still:
Nine lays of power I learned
From the famous Bolthor, Bestla's father
He poured me a draught of precious mead
Mixed with Odrerir

In other words, Odin journeys to the spirit worlds and there he learns directly from his own grandfather. Bolthor was an ice giant and his daughter Bestla is the mother of Odin. Bolthor aids his grandson by giving him a special draught of mead to speed his recovery from the ordeal

Well-being I won and wisdom too
I waxed and grew
From a word to a word I was led to a word
From a deed to another deed

So Odin returns from the spirit world, his soul returns to his body and he is not only alive, but stronger and wiser too. And he knows that what he has learnt will be knowledge he can and will put into action, not only words but deeds - from one deed to another.

Magic is not a theoretical subject.

It is all very well being able to memorise the meanings of tarot cards or the symbols of the runes, but they are NOTHING unless you use them.

You are not a magician/witch/shaman unless and until you take that step and USE your knowledge.

I Love Boot Sales

We have been out this morning to Walkington Boot Sale, one of my favourites.
I told one friend that I love going to boot sales, and she was amazed, 'What on earth for?' she asked, 'There is nothing but a load of tat!'

Well one persons 'tat' is another persons treasure!

The thrill is never knowing just what you might find. I have certain things I look out for, light reading books (why pay a tenner for a novel you will read once, when you can get em for 50p each, or less), glass beads  and jigsaw puzzles.
I do like a jigsaw, and I don't mind if there is a piece or two missing, in fact you often get them a bit cheaper if they are not complete - I am easy to please. Mind you it can be a bit of an adventure buying jigsaw's at a boot sale. I once bought one which was supposed to be a circular puzzle of a variety of wild flowers, when I got it together it was an oblong picture of an underwater action scene from a Bond movie - all frogmen with harpoon guns and sharks - and five pieces missing.

Recent bargains have been: a hand-made patchwork quilt for a fiver, a light fitting of gilt oak leaves with crystal droplets for 50p, a necklace and earrings with purple glass beads for four pounds, a teapot, cups and saucers in Willow pattern for three pounds, oh and a box of amber beads for a pound.

Of course you are going to have to look through loads of stuff which are of no use or interest to you - but they will be to someone! You should see the way the chaps flock to look at rows of rusty old handy man tools.

Walkington Bootsale is particularly good because it is only on once a month for four or five months in the summer, and is full of people who have come from all over the countryside, with genuine stuff they just want rid of - unlike some regular weekly bootsales which are packed with dealers selling the same stuff time after time.

So what treasures did we get today? I got some books to read and a puzzle of a painting of Venice. We also got a pile of books my grandson will enjoy when he comes to visit. I got a nice stoneware milk jug, and a long ethnic scarf, oh and a couple of big church candles and Graham got a thing.

I made the mistake of having a sit down on a handy bench under a tree, out of the baking sunlight (it is a beautiful day for us today) and letting Graham have a wander round on his own for a bit. He arrived back with something that looked like a stool which had been badly put together by someone who had never seen a stool before, with the seat on the ground and the legs stuck up behind it. It turns out to be an exercise machine. You sit on the seat (which is on the floor), hold the handles and lean back against a post with sponge rollers on and it leans back with you while giving you some resistance, then gives you support and aid while you sit up again.

He had spent a whole fiver on it.

The sellers were pleased to get rid of it, and Graham has a new toy to play with.

So a good time was had by all.

The Dog Days

Once again, for you poor souls who are not on the Raven mailing list, and therefore miss out on our magical Newsletters, here is an article from our latest edition. Remember you can subscribe to the Newsletter for only £5.00 in the UK and NI and £10 EEC.

The Dog Days is the time of the year when the Dog Star, Sirius rises with the sun. They run from the 3rd of July to the 11th of August and were known from Roman times as the hottest days of the Summer. The Romans called these caniculares dies, and it was reasoned that since Sirius was so bright, when it rose during the day time it added its heat to that of the sun.

This extra heat plus the influence of the Dog Star was said to make humans and animals behave oddly or out of character, making dogs more likely to bite and humans to be subject to fits of temporary insanity, or to be more likely to commit acts of violence. Although the ancient Greeks believed that the Dog Days made men more tranquil and women more volatile.

The Dog Days were also believed to give a general indication of the health or wealth of the nation:

Dog Days bright and clear

Indicate a happy year:

But when accompanied by rain

For better times our hopes are vain.

The ancient Egyptians knew the Dog Star well and to them it was the star of Isis. Osiris was linked to the constellation of Orion. Sirius was called Sopdet and was the precurser to the annual inundation of the Nile, which brought fertility and wealth to Egypt.

In ancient Persia, Sirius is Tishtrya and revered as a divinity who brings rain and fertility, forever fighting Apaoasha the demon of drought. Tishtrya is depicted as a white horse.

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky, and seems to twinkle in different colours. This may be because Sirius is actually a Binary star, two stars which circle each other around a common centre - it has recently been theorised that Sirius might be a system of three stars, the third member being either a small, dead, burnt out star or even a black hole.