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    29 views105 pages

    What Witches Do

    Uploaded by

    Danilo Sena da Paixao

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    of 105
    Stewart Farrar What Witches Do ‘THE MODERN COVEN REVEALED With photographs by the autbor ne COWARD, McCANN & GEOGHEGAN, INC New York Contents Introduction carrer carrer, curren cauapre, ; ‘ ’ ‘unre 10 cauaprer 11 cuarren 13 cuuarre 16 couapre 15 The Roots of Modern Wicce hse Wiebe ten Toning of Wie The Cove t Work Phe Greet Rite Chairsoyence The Tarot and he Tree Mie Words ofthe Bement Astral Projection The Rie of Queen ape A Witch Wedding Beeps Appendices Phe Loge ofthe Descent of tbe Gosdes 2 u o 1 vw Sutvoduction ae in 196, my Edo seat eto te pet preview of fi cle ged of he Wickes. Ou oper doe no view fis, Bt King of ‘the Witches’ Alex Sanders and his wife Maxine—who had given technical advice om the Sin and ao appeared in Stee foe at Alen epg to gern ene nd eto ether might bes xy. ‘Afr the serening, ce Scotch in hand, manoeured my wy through the cowd stom’ te Senden Alex wars sn, balding ees eect pope ees cet eet Nebel ate ae rots sileevery now and then. Mate elethan Aexand twenty yes Younger aking gure wit ong Blonde hand iphone he goo, ook ery belevable wich. Lawated my moment 2d aed it Revel cond ave ma interview some Sete next weak ore, Alex greed coun. aids ew kind things sot ‘be papa and gave meh adr in Norn Hill Gate. Before the interview [aid my homework by ring Al's Segal, Keg Wa by Jn ni, Hd be ont before Iola boring acount of en eee eae aael ate! bree totes whoa he wat sven yo oly afer be had secketly interruped one of her solitary rituals, Nether Alex nor the family had any idea she was a witch, and it could have been a teoumatic experience forthe boy, bursting through the door to find the old lady sak naked among her strange wespons and pacaphemala ‘bat she gave him no time to brood. She had the clothes off him, Initiated him on che spor, and told him that he was now a witch t00 and chat various dreadful things would happen if he beerayed the Fortunately for his mental health, Alex nt only loved hs grand- mother but washimselapyehe‘natural so he took ober raining Tike a duck wo water. Fot long afer hr death, he tied vainly 9 contact other witches while he continu his stay ofall the material he could lay his hands on. Then there waa long, materially proSt- able, bt spc diseous period of devotion to Black Magi, irom which he Bnallyexrcted hinsel with a dre proces of selepuricaon, ‘Renested and revitalized, he started building up his contact, his tine with more acces, He met, inated, and married Maxine Mors nother ‘atu (By the grads throogh which his grand- smother had taken im, he was flly ended initiate others according to the cules of Wicesshe witches’ name for his Cat “ots pening, only women’ fo initiation must be man-t- ‘woman or Woman-to-mat.) Together, Alex atd Maxine created ‘what came to be called the Aleandian movement: they initiated ‘vtches who in dbe course ‘hived of o found thee oom coven, Fromwhich others hived of in tar, oday Alex has no idea ow many Alesandsans ther are, bot they ate cersily the fastest growing section ofthe Caf Homework dou I ited the Sander (dice of them now, swith raonjeatld. Maya) 3 theit baement At in Clanviearde Gardens, London Waa “ound Alex infinitely more impressive withou his datk gases ({and others have tried to perunde him to top wearing the things for public appearances, nd Tam glad to ye seems to have taken ‘ouradvce) He has a unmistakable ar of authority snd knowledge, dnd his eye are compelling, sme would ay dirbing. Bat this ura doesnot cos the bore ino melodrama; ic saved by his pucks sense of humus, which beaks through athe mot wikely ‘We ed for oro or tec hou and he proved to benot merely vinaly prev, but ako exemely webs, with 3 cobeet base poet, gre ey eres oC is poet Afar bs a Fea hour arvoyance and Take hit tle “aa npr cere Been erly hed nd then i: nthe ext or of wo youre “SSE ee ee todo wh lao he ace” ink of nothing ly atte time; bts ow wes Inter, out of the Hue 1 wa ake 0 woke an epzde for the Ths Teen seis Spl ranch The fx ws 30- "Tomy deg Be vite me to wach an ination he allowing Saturday. Cred ater tha he did only ee he had sted ie ht Tinted owe an impulse a hao” i ee eee eS os eee ea ee ee eee eerie eee eer ea es eee cee eee is ea es eae ea See ce pee rector ee ee ea Sor Taree serene, paeeaeome rears complement to it; not a biography this time, but one dealing with iseteces ets ese Be ee ear elon pee re ne ea sitio toy Fay iy tet pee eee ears asec reece even einai Soa ae eee tesa SE eee eee ecexeeeygens ‘This was a difficult decision. { had been brought up a Christian, Ind rebelled via Marxism and atheism, and for many years past I Id sted down into what I defined a interested agnosie’. ‘Now, afer afew eck of dy, Thad oad chat Wiesa appealed to meta it scemed to mect my individual spiteal needs whe ot preeaing the ioc that ad prevented my et, tothe Church Aboveal,tscened to ofr technique for wpping ‘hows ara of te human poche of whose exitence [was pete ‘wel aware, bur which Thad thoughts be isccsible except vo a ically locky few. On the other hand, faked tobe insted, would I merely be rtionaliing a wie’ ingrained esi? Tock the problem to Ale, wid theives hate would enw (nd the certainty that he woul tell me) if my motives were scliedcepive Enough to sy that Maxine insted me into the coven on 231 February 1970—which happened, saisictonly, to be the night of dhe fll moon; and dat Thuve not regret it ince So L would ike itt be ela thst write aa wth; but tat Lam, hope, close enough othe days when {had no contac with Wicca to be able wo appreciate the dovbss, mitappchensions, and balking- points of those other “intrested zgoortis’ to whom the book Principally addrened. woud ao like to emphisite chat I write with malice towards none; for unforsaately Wicca is divide, sometimes bie into ‘more than one school of hough. ‘Ignoring blac coves, which all o them condemn, tere ae four sec: Hereditary, Tradionl, Gardner, and Alexandria, “The Heredity witches ac tho, of course, who have kept the ‘Caf alive ina dirce Ely line. The theory Is that these ies dbscend unbroken om the Old Religion ie how tur this ‘oul the fils know, if indeed they do know. Alex himvelé Tereary in the ene that dhe grandee who initiated in was 4 sich before he ws bor, but how many generation before her followed the Craft she never tld him, Ales ows of five hereditary ‘ih ims botany, bt ey Bae deige ‘Quite whi is thatthe Teadiional do (except that apparcatly they eat robes for tess) Teannot ay. They keep themselves. to themselves, and have never to my knowledge met one; and since nothing goes into this book that [have not experienced, or teen told att hand, or rend from a source that eet te sclable, I must reqzetfily leave che Teadionals a dat fone of them reads hs and cares fo ealghtn me, Taal be delighted. “The Gardnerane stem from Dr Gerald B. Gardner, who wat inated by a heer witch clad Df in che New Fore, led Tere letee pees we eal the abject founded s witchcraft seus inthe ble of Man which sel aris and did in 1961. Gardner was atacked bythe ol? tees for the sae oface a ha wich which Gardocis now large Alex—couring publicity, wohich the ‘old’ witees shunned ike the plague. This queion of publicity is tricky one, Alex's view is that it clean aay the fog of msundestanding, and dha teas dhe ip of ‘he erberg shouldbe plainly and accurately ible oll and sundry ifthe we eel cla lcs en! ‘moto; he dae than ay cae only chose whe ate ready vo under stand vail undertnd, "You cold tl all and sl give nothing fay’ be once nd to mea debe exaggenton, becatethere ae many things Alex would noe reveal excep to an inate ofthe appropriate grade, but I knew what he meant. The bald facts are inrgey aval in prin to howe with diligence andthe appropiate library sicker; bur much more en only be dre expenencel and taught fce-to-fice, Tat rhe meaning of ination; ne hati ‘he eadional way, ot the most scret way, but chat nthe end it the only way. ‘Tee bret quotes igh help her, che fine fom The Tit of the Bohne by te nnctenh-eatury Pench occu wer Psp ‘But those who think tht ocae since shou not be reveled most not be too angry with ws Tes one chatacters of the sad of re ‘cet scene tat it may be feelyexphined tall men. Lik the parable, Se dear wo the ances, appears to many 2 only the expeesion ofthe Aight of 2 bold imagination: we ned, therefore, never be afeid of speaking to openly: the Word vil only seach chow who should be touched thereby. ‘The second fiom a book by 2 more secent writer, Mervyn “Lewellyn Tian and Magic: ‘That real Knowledge inthe hands of brah and ignorant man, to be sed by is personal lis dangerous, one ofthe reson why it hat ‘ever been guarded by bung coaked in the gament of symbology, “Aegory, pale and mythology. However athe prevent day, with the ‘unconscious powers [by which Llewellyn means the unaakened ‘majoiy] having more meas of propaganda to ail them . «more Knowledges being dseminated thin before, in arde that those who ate ‘captle may be abe to uke alvanage of cand speed thi evluion. “The tid quotation i very reeling on rom Gerd Gardner imac, in hs book Wig Tod: 1 ak we may pole 1 th wih, The ns doomed, Lat sui psy be of od. condos hog shonagy, te pale tc of ode fas, sd dy by edn The sen cl is Sovinreod He Enos wich ll Snksnd there ite pat fe ved ie ply love to ig Dim he wel doe tnd the powers aww bt opps in some sng moment AE riot thal dae nm» wie? They wou alan badge IS nde County Coma or tcbndy wotl come road and ie eras fom mean tend Keto a approve hol Thy do ch tl log by tne ney Menomena Sve love i, not mec, eel borg alan Aer hed boot teers hema din tt cect ping rol The oder een sence oped hr eee ee Ci coeetaad Conon hve Urpey apd wha the wh do ff Fr hugh ors, orn 0 your incon, hve es epee eco el tt ere engh ting peas leprae gi pee fy td cone Gendt and Amine ke wos ini at Coda Sees hve proved growdlen, Wie growing ever befce Baths word on th onc band, prove thelr ely pblicty (nly for ‘Dina’ sake), anon the ote, support Alex's main ‘Skicm of tan of Gardner lower (x sore on i pol ‘ep ) th they have slew themaclvs bese ony ad ‘iileage, and sre wwling or imal to ccourage and tin young people Da! would be peel thomeinan Alzandean ve and doubles, o be Sn any Gane coves too). [At first I thought it was che publicity question, aggravated by Alex's sense of humour and undoubzed gift for showmanship, that ‘was the main bone of eontention between Alex and his Wiccan critic. That, and his title of "King ofthe Witche’—whichi easly dale with, because che tid was given to him unatked by a gathering of sixteen of his own covens, and he never claims to be king of anything but his own witches ‘But gradully I came to realize tha his eri’ rel objection was deeper: namely, that Alex does not put witcheraft in a watertight con but sesitas parcof the occile movement ata whole, “Sander isn't a witch, he's a magician’ Ihave been told; in fat he isa witch ond a magician. For him the fst thee of the traditional ten degress of occult initiation are (or canbe, among several equally legitimate paths) those of witeherat. Even his crits allow that he a very powerfal magician; but he remains a witch too, and a very knowledgeable and efeeive one. Personally—and with due difidence, being comparatively new to ‘Wicer cannot understand this objection. Leaming ftom Alex and ‘Maxine, with their broader horizons than some witches would approve, I have found that thie broader background puts purely ‘Wicran lore into perspective, making it easier to understand and appreciate its real worth 1 do not see how the spectcum can be chopped up However, let ech chooe hs own horizons Is dren wo neweomer to sc witch stacking wach ther ove the ferences instead of honouing exch other fr the Caf they share, One vwondem sometimes ifcerain wiches have lamed arthing fom ‘he Christan who burned ts prdeceuors and one another Wh gual vou, id who, even at wt, te mutdedng each ther in Nonicr tclend Soifthis book offends any wich, Lak his pardon. And fe takes gyno ay deal in Uk im ender whether hat rely a inportn a the wle peur ce tlasst reine er zee eo Screclind ia oul rie sda tore en ‘Oath of Intaton, I camotsilve ny own seen anyone feck Ihave overseppel th mark. have ted to op Spo ron who wt todcand Ws slave td todo way Speaking of raponsbility, Ihave writen this book and ut anche fois shorcomings. But if there be any vc, dere be Sy pene shoul poi sth wiow Ale hp ration, fel tsmurion and many boos of seni, weld ot ave brn publ ol From ht pln of iwi mich His book (oto mention Masine') sr mine. Flys waring to nomics who lua be tempted oy cu the proces dered in hi book: you ar ered foything more than the silo cencentaon eerie ge in Cope (ch rest nd even benef for anyone) you woald Se wel avid to wck ou coves, 3 pond ocalt ace, tnd wotk under guidance, Onherwie you may et angeoly oot ‘f your depth, ad Lame you Tam not overran And do ot nage dt bygeings Ew fds ogee and ying act edly yore nate sae rc can make swich—not bese Wicca 3 owed sop, Bt Terme momtineig. ican only be sly lamed om someone wo iow 2 good del mor abou than you do, and who wa ned hist in he same wy. Soi you ato bea With, fd younelf an exiting coven, af have 0, bese ‘ren the mot gd craans wood ace aay oven, posing isnot ack, beter than Josteyourle Erplcadonsover—ler us light be cde and ct the Cl, 1 Snitiation Inthe living-room ofa London fat, man stands naked and bind {Sld. His wie are bound together behind his back with red cord, ‘whichis looped round his neck and holds his atms up t form a ‘engl. A white coed it Ge round his ight ankle. "He bought the cord hirsef this moming—dree yards each of ‘white, rd and blue rayon upholstery cord—and sllrapd the ends gant aying (No knos you’ he was warned) The only other things he was told to bring wich him were a botle of red wine and ablack-handled knife, He had some dticley in finding a knife ‘which sated him; he knew that it mux st comfortably in his own thand, and that in du couric he would have to engrave symbol on the hil. With the ides of choosing an appropriate aque, he spent an hourin the Portobello Road market, only to discover that knives ‘with smooth black engraveable handles were surprisingly rare te dite acl incedenrcasey at etd finally on shapely bowie-knif from an ordinary cue’ shop. Ie had 3 brown hardovood handle, so he sprayed i with Bsc gloss eis js s wel today is Saturday, because che coven gave him Jide warning. One thing he has learned areal about these people: there ian clernent of spontaneity, not co ay eapriiousnes in their aeangements. They admit ot, aying Ha some elastic i neaded to aks bat advange ofthe power oka led at length with she High Pri and High Prices asa gin l-consiws an clothed, onc ouside the Gis) ie hs watched an initacon he bs waited over a month nce he tikd tobe ined hms Yeerday the igh Pies rang him Spand tld hint be ere tnighe wth his sf i eordh an is Te wonders if would-be nites in the ld day, 00, wer apt eating and then summoned sbrply. He naps tha they wet “The though ofthe ‘ld day’ brings anther: eat aed and bind, hesrng noting tthe read of bare et and the clink of final objet beng aranged scieling nothing bu incense andthe {ert of hs own fonion=-e might ein the old dy. He lly onsios, bo every simul reaching him is wndatd. Thi cold tea siteot-centty ror fill of wxtcetbentiry witches pre= ring make im one of tenses. Fo some enon he fincy {tris him, and he aches fr ful resurince, petadng bins, fornstance, that he xn fs hs Bnd 0 be ent ceonsry Tele ‘Mosrentaly,aihough he dss not mov, he pani. Wha doce herelly know of thse people, before whem be basallowed hil to be made hlplen? What ae they vel ging todo? Perhaps that eter inition he watched ws Bins periags they bare something names in tre for hint pehape + He wk gp of fim Knowing this cy to bear groan athe fa ne Te pos, ba leven in ts wae a heightened sete ofthe mesing thermal The ordeal hes about to fice ae symbolic but not copy hy sd a ee pce, ee ogc of at teen tercor ofan etoe, “To give hs mnd specie ny he stompt ro erst what he cetnot se, fc his nemory of hat oer sa aon He issanding athe north-east ce of «nn fooe cel (Fg 3, p59), At ech of the cardinal pony, candle bars in bra Eanes on the oor, On smal al (21) tse north ofthe Gis ae« nner of bj, wich he ris st in i in. ‘Awhitenodled kai, A yond. Ascounge made with very ame fednicembroey ks A "pec er tec die ite wi ‘eros symbols cmc f boring nese Salk. A sal Bow of wr wih pile A meal loinc which ied wine has {een poured. Whi, rod and ble cords ie the ons be bought Nil A el fred cot, Mon important of ll om hs ptt qiey tom thal a ch fom gh wl ha, spinal tool and he meme See ome one i (On the oor befor she a, remembers word wth at crucorm bas hil, and. wel-vorn mannscit book of sade A heedary Boo: of Shadows, which he wl have copy out {ims the day to come. ie fds ip ind ye wa of meng The coven themilvr except for he High Poet end High Pres, af gone he Cee satel heb re ‘ngs cca wih the ope upper am) worn on lve hai by some of the, and te bbe od jet nectns of te orto ofthe women. Winn he war post sir 22 gs uae th Gel, aw ofthe women ha been Sobel ‘Jena be naked in your it sar ofthe Gade, he under Sands hat fn aplcton to pata octonsmrepded a 3 Imater of pons cic, i nly os of coneraton for the ‘monthly female yim. Whether wa bea of dat, o eae Sesbebats angen nh fowl say the ene cove nak ight Eacepe fr the High Pro, woven ieslne tinge Studien ales jks him sway fom hs pivateKin's Game. ‘The movements the marin the occa soppresed ugh, Ive ceed, He tes him knowing at meg bout 0 Ippon. The measured wea of one pat of ee tel hin that he Gt ig ly rh Hh cto ping at ain Leaving "ateway inthe ordre hough : eet ita 2 Proten spas ‘O thos Cir, be tou 4 meeting fle, ad joy, td hy ssl geil wirkedoes and fi «rampart of proton tht all pce and conta the power whidh we sil ake within chee, Whee do {bos thes Seder thn he ne of ayn nd Ad se be be ate fess ind sa as non ee ra Te hears the sword being aid down nd the fotos stating agin, A spray of cold water dow hi front makes him jump: be Should hae emesbered thatthe piling of te Cle came ext "isso tells him dha the ener being eared ound the Cie, and he gropsis hs memory forthe next tp. A whi ofa diferent Jmoke reminds him; «burning endl going round ia i eam, ‘Blade wate, incense, fic; the Ces rsd. Now, one by one the coven brash past him, shrough de gate may’ into the Cire; cach man being Kised bythe High Prices, 4 cach woman by the High Prat, on the threold, Man-to- ‘woman, woman; the aw of evry ral ofthe Craft “ist wo his ft the igh Price's voice again "Ye Lond ofthe Watchtowers ofthe Eat, Ido sammon, rand call you up, t0 wines the rites and to guard the Ctl Feet and voice move, {opening the invoationf south, wet and net (eB 4). "Now the High Pret murmuring; he canot each che word, snd his memory fl him. Staining his eas, he makes out the hrc hcl nel che sare alta nd rl cha he High rit i giving the High Presto the Fvefold Kis, which she im turn wl be giving t the postlae himself ner on, The pre of the Moon Gees i bring called dow into the body ofthe High Pris, who will pemonify her for the rt of the ceremony (ee PL). ‘He hears the whole coven start to mov, tepping clockwise hand> ichand (mansonwomnan, woman-to-man agen) + they chant the Wiichs’ Rune: Darksome night and shining moon, ast then such, dea wes, them north, Heackea w de tebe? ruse; Here Tome teal ee fre. Earth and weer, stand fe, ‘Wand and penal and sword, ‘Work ye nto my dere, eaten ye unto ny word (Cords and cee, seourge and Knife, Powers ofthe wits Bade ‘Waken all ye uno li, (Comme ye the caren made, Qoeen of heaven, Queen of hell, Horméd hunter of the night, Lend your power unto my ell ‘nd work my will by mage te. ‘By all dhe power of land and ss, [yall the might of moon and som, ‘Aso wil s0 mow it be; ‘Chane the pl, and bet done. ko, Eko Arark, ko, Eko Zama, ko, Eko Karmaym, ko, Bko Aris. Three mer the “Eko, Eko! chor is peated, diminuende and ascend, Then the High Pret address him direc forthe Rese times ‘Lento the words ofthe Gret Moth, who was of old alo cll mong men Artemis, Aare, Athen, Dione, Melasine, “Aphrodie, Cerndwen, Dana, Asianchod, ls, Bride, and by many other names ‘Te High Piste takes up the Charge:‘Wheneverye have need ‘of anything, once in dhe month, and beter it be when the moan i fll then shal ye anemblem some sere place and adore the sit ome who am Queen ofall wices Shelas a mosal woe young and mature a he ame time, and be doesnot Hindi hard to identify her withthe manynamed GGoddes for whom she tnd He find himself listening to the msc Father than the sense—and yet the sense scr to reach hi: Tam the eauy ofthe geen earth, and the white moon among the stars andthe mystery ofthe waters... From meal sings proceed, and {amo meal ching must earn Let thee be beat and sen, one and compnsen, oar nd bmi, mith nd reverence She Change nls but send sre the deeper coed of a Seas bn Ln meni ts a rhe Ahinket sek for me, know thy secking and yearning shal ‘hee not unless dha know the tye: that if dat which thw seckest hou ndet not within eee thou wil never find twit thee. For behold, Ihave been with thee from the bepening; and Tam det wich baal ed 'A pst, and the High Priest pe, frm the ene “The postulant heats the words bt cannot understand them: Kether, ‘Malkush, ve Gebarsh, ve Gel, le olhum. Bagabi laa baeh- Qa cosa Sa see” gla cere ae tele aephter ee es ae ee eed at Carecisatceoaaae : pee eee fees soe ae nS ae ae ee Sines eee ae Fete alee Seer atnee ayaa griseus Cibyloetae Ge ae iors ne ee Pierre Goacieeedeti cia et oneal eee Reg oeien ean scenes suddenly, he finds himself in the middle of the Circle, being span le ee aati al ee Sere ee soe ceed ese slaty ued ariel ree. care See nen es eee oe Se pun uence ater ‘we kneel to weleome them, and we say: Blesed be thy feet, that oe Sree Bete oC acm bate. Se a rad San oe ea ee sans arta ec peas eae eta e terecele ae eee ‘And Sly she Kises his mouth, He has recived the Fivefold is, fom he wording of which the witch grecing of ‘Beied bets derived. “Before thou at sworn’ she aks,‘ thou wing pas the test and be panied?” ar He fel fingers touching his hea, and other fingers at hie hel for moment he is pursed, and then he remembers ‘ese! fs bing taken in rd heed (eB. 6). “Tnehe old days’ the High rite tell im, “tthe ame sme 2 the mewure ws taken, inc and mal cipings would have been taken fom you 00, and put with your mesure nto a scee place “Then if you wel to leave dhe coven, the coven woul we them fo ‘ring you bck, and you would newer break aay. But beeaie you came ito our Citcle with two perfect word, perfect love and pect ust, we give you your measure back Te fs che thread, doubled several times, being tied round his Jefe sm, Thon the cord which binds hs eight ale i seated to his left a wll, and he i eed to nel, with is heed bowed well door eoward is knees. "A all ings, thce tes, and he el the Bick of dhe sil whip across back-—ons two, thee (ee Pl 7). The bell he whip, she Ball he wipe lees count ofthe exact numberof ash, but be knows that exch group of strokes has + ritual meaning which willbeexpsined to hin in due course The hough roe his mind thache wiser the xounge wer jut ite more resl—not he hopes, beesuse he has masochistic leanings, bu through a dim fling tat [Sankey tee aire reminds himself the way of study and practice wl be hard enoogh, 20 perhaps the wi is ealy for ashore cut. ‘The High Petes’ wice breaks in om hi slEanaysi, and he reais that the souging over. “Tow hast bravely psd the tet Art thos ready to swear that thou wilt lays be te wo the At, and eve cay to protects lp sd defend thy brotee and sisters ofthe Wicea, even though Should cose thee thy hie?” le ne etna ees: 0 ‘witches nds, He cn ane Tam" water sbirdiy orice. “Then say after me." He repeats the out, phrase by phrase: ‘John, in the presence of the Mighty Ones, do of my own fee will nd accord mestslemaly sweat that I wil ever keep secre, and never reveal, the secrets of the Art, excep it he toa proper person, propery prepared within «irc such Tam now in All his svar by my hopes ofa fare Iie, mindfal that my mestore hasbeen tken; and may my weapons tum agsinst me if I break cis my sacred oath” “The hands which helped him to kneel now raise him. The eoeds ae until, the blindfold removed; he blinks i the candlelight. The High Prietes srl ae hima. She has a phial of ol in her lefthand, and sth the litle finger of baer right she dabs oil on his right bres, lef breast, abdomen, and right breat again, to mark an invered tangle "T consecrate thee swith oil ‘She dips her litle finger in the chalice of ted wine and repeats the four touches. "Leonsccrate thee with wine ..” "Nov she kisses the same spots, and says, ‘Tconscerate thee with amy lps, rie and witch” From this moment he i indeed, a witeh, He had been waiting for these words, and they bring a tingle of excitement, an actual pricking sensation tha passes bnelly over his skin. From somewhere im memory, 2 warning emerges: "Ifyou take but one sep inthis path, you must ative inevitably at dhe end; eis pat s beyond Life, and Death” ‘A warning ofa promise? He has taken the stp, and is contant 10 see where the pa leads. Ikistime fr the presentation ofthe tol (xe). The High Peet js nding a the san, way to hand them vp tthe High Pena tne by o,f give tothe new witch, The Matlen ames tothe nitatother sesh the High Pres dspy, thot 28 ye the impresive dignity of ber senior, bur dfinely with che Pranic oft One tng they hare in conmon-—shs youth WH the Law of Wee demands of s High Pics (and ds, by eee ey “The High Piste seals Tnow promt the wih the working tool ofa witch, They ae ao the magi weapons Fis, the magic sword, With di, a with the atume,thow cas frm all magic ide dominate sac nd pn aleblion pis and demons, sd even pede ange and good spite Wath thin your hand, ‘yous th lr of tie Cee She hands hi the sword, with ki Once he ht formally ssp heal ie Maegan waar eld "Nex pce the with he ahame. Thi is he eve wits ‘respon a a al the powers ofthe mage sword Tes «moment which he ashen setly worrying abot, foe whl alle othr tots belong tothe coven snd ne Consccrtad, the blcchanlo aha ths own, till new and nosed And wi che Cra tok can oly be const in "The Maiden moves of him, “Fee fer, body by ip wip” he High Pees onder He and the Maiden bold she acy bowie ceil bcween them, poie downwards The Mtn plas et gut rn, Sew er ras aie he pay She is shapely gel almost lake Highland Sot, ving fd Be oe ea fa eying Wiad naa ig ee cig wh eee stimulace him. aha a He ad oliguely queiond the High Pret aboot uch posible cobacttmen, andthe High Piet had replied chef, "Oh, You mean erections. They sometimes app, pec with now Young. We dot uke any note, or che we make some joke 2 pang. They 000 get ve All very wall, but nobody wants ito hapen to hi, Eopecily ase hs led wih and ik the gland know he Rapp ‘goged to ater wich So he a remand ppchesive sot the sing “To his surpre, wha ves hi not willpower, but a sdden repro ingot ies ig dn Men ach ote, gh against egy they form» placed com ‘ltenen which docs indeed is hat li whi The moment ' cay senual evn rose; bu he finds ely. os ot the ins boe tempted He: Des byt "Whatiithe nas with? Psp baal aes of wonder He holds the athame a they step apart again, and pases it wo the [Maiden with the thought hat whenever he uss it, her esence wil Tie beyond it.I, tly, no longer 2 mere knife, ut an athame ‘The Maiden lays ic at his Feet. "Next I present the whitehandled knife. Its use isto form all ineruments used inthe Art. Iecan only be wed ina magic Cirle. .- “Next I presen the wand. Is use i 0 call up and conte ceri angele and ni, to whom it would not be meet to ws the sword or athame ‘Next pee the petal, This if ih pp: feng up the appropriate spirits, che appropriate spirits for an initiation being the God and the Goddess... "Next [present the cenit of incense. Ths is used to encourage and weleome good spirits and to banish evil spirits... ‘Next I preset the scourge. This sa sgn of power and domina~ tion. Iris ako used to cause purification and enlightenment, frit is written, “To lem, you must sufer and be purified.” Arc chow ‘wing to suffer to learn?” eee ‘Next and lady, I presen the cords. They are of ue to bind the sigis ofthe Art, and alo the material bas; and they are necewary inthe Oxth, “And now I salute thee in the name of Kamayna and Aradia, newly made pres and wit "The High Priestess kiss him and Iesds im by the arm to face the ess, with che coven behind them. Making the sign of the fve- pointed sar in the aie with her athame, she declaim: "Ye Lords of the Watchtower of the Ext, we bring before you John, newly ‘made pie and witch, And ere ye depart co you pleasant and lovely realm, es hail and farewell, Hail and farewell “Tae same to the south and west, but tothe north the cali longe. “Ye Lords of che Watchrowers ofthe Norch; Boreas, thou guardian of the Norther portals; thou powerful God, thon gentle Goddess; ‘we bring before you John, a duly consecatod past, witch, and hidden child of the Goddess. And cre ye depart to your plessant and lovey realm, we say: hil and farewell, Hail and farewell’ "There sense of calm withdrawal, of the Circe fading. The initiation is over, but there ie a small celebration vil to come. The High Priest keels bere the High Prise, King her foe and her knees. He is handed the chalice of red wine, and he holds it up to the High Priestess. She takes the ashame betwen hee palms and dips the point into the wine. “As the athame isto che male” says the High Pris, “0 the cup ‘sto the female; and conjoined, they bring blesedness’ ‘The High Priestess drinks, andthe wine and a dish of biscuits are Sande rund, vonano-nn and mato-nonan eh ne wi "The Maiden asks him lesan, “Well, how do you fe?” He thnks abou i for a moment. “A litle tense, but good, he decides. 2 The Roots Of Modern Witea “The oat ofthe sprit of Wiese the fndarseatl nature and nceds ‘ofthe hussan poche ints relation tothe universe. The root of the Form of Wicca ate many and varioos "A great deal of misunderstanding and ievant crim has arse from confising theie two. The witcherafe-movement a8 i ‘xis today iv a revival movement and only a tiny hand lofi members (if any, some cites would add) cxn claim hereditary witch blood. Even of this hand, I doubt if any can sy with erainty that thee ine descends unraken from the heyday ofthe (id Religion. I hey an, that i facinating historical cuosty— batt does not relly affect che ie. ‘he real of mares oc hh om dang the cesta, gamed ecb, ee wel other revival. Even iome of them had te pk of geste, chey ‘were human and faible So eis have ben abl o point out that Hlphas Léi, o Alter Crowley, of MacGregor Mathers, oA. ‘Waite, or Margaret Murray, of Dion Fortune, of Gerald Gardner (os, come to that, Alex Sanden) go this or that wrong, of wat aaively eedalows on some poins, or had certain penonal lings. From thee undeniable ft the ertics have umphaney infered Se LSS a ie ae Eee ee eee peas sen es ee ee oes Sep ot eres eae Peery re ee em perm eee ee coe te ere tees reer tee re ee ats which ate reflected in its ic make-up. Tt wears today’s Eee eee roe ee eae sce beer enra eee nego ‘a5 family stories do; but thar does not mean its ancestors were pee ora ese be ees re et Bee oe ee es er es ee ae ree Re Ge Paar th epee e eo oe cam ee pees Gro se ele sere Eos ceive Daher oat pees weap tune Seceeg Bees Tee en Bec eer eae eee es eho er roo € pean Se ee eres es etc eee ee ee ert a ere Soe ce mers sia assoc wa ‘What matters is not thi or tha dtl of the form, but he spit, and whether it works. No coven which has found = given sal fective gong to abandon ius breae chose proves twas fnvented by Els Lévi on the bas of misunderstood Hebrew. [Nor i i going to crow away it Book of Shadows beeae anage in demonstably drives from Chiles Lalands reaches Emong.Nonh lalln witches which be publited a Aral, the Gngl of the Wihes (ee bo note, p27). Mer al, Li, i he tyes 10 pet cetera, was lame and go px cent bilan; and Tangs filo of word repur, had no dovbe tat some of isan sie a wich ancestry stetching back vo medieval, Rotman, ofc nay be Eerscan tm (bid, pele). So even when ats of the sures in current me are recent, the sours of those {ources may be immeasurably ancient. ‘The tase theory of witchcraft and occu i univer and coasts, but the dea of is pactal application are the ele of ‘eal and cor in many tai, whether arrived ae chowsnds of yea ago or yeterday. That wich it found to work is resned {nd pated on, and improvements tot which ae found to work ‘even better are adopted. "Anotier point might be considered, which I thi sny occult would endorse Anefctive tal aes paychic power, and not all {of dha powers absorbed in che work to which ts pu on any one tceaton, Some off accumilites, The thousandth performance of S vacrenfl eal has behind tromeching ofthe accumulated power ofthe etic 9p, Tradition is nor merely Gamay, fis momen tum. So even ill the rituals ofthe Wiccan revival were new (hich they cesinly are no), those of them which have proved themes fn practice to be soundly based would by now have Seguired pytiie moment, and become vail pare of«Kiving (Cafe Every rina, evry spel evry evocation or eanation ist Iave been invents at some poin in story, even fone sepa that ie wae divinely ispted or given toe human oxigiator ‘on the Iner Planes Age may have enced but in the ft place it wat sinctiied by ie own efetivencs and by nothing de. ‘The ewo deity personificatons of witcherft are the Homed God and the Mother Goddess. she Hamel Cal ae wade wa aby pa lets be ely sold veg a “The aint own reproentation ofa diy: sayy Manganet Maray in The Gad of te sles rete ere eed ae thea Parole pr The Sige sha of a dothed in th sins nd weno rn hs Ti eet eee ee eee ‘complex; rovered totem sina desuraning prey, ge some ee ere eee tal’ poyhie power seed vii, Sacrifed Goda comple which hs srrounded fim thoughout pechtry aad sey, ete el ape A ese ee veered eal Inning, the horse progesed fom being part of te dct, eee ele reer cf livin inspiron. As sch, chey ped ove into the raed alo of vis ini they pa syed Perec akira Semi corey eee GoTo srvive, an had fst oben and ie, and then fo eel eee eee ieee {cle was embellishment. So humanity shaped is iea of he dal See elena Hazan polarity. Misjusing Gens (ough ony, ink show ee ue ed Seeded ie Rete ee eee ceed paring pnp he sw asthe divine Male; the pasive, fle ee eee etree eee {oceasionally She too, as in the case of Isis) retained the horns of Ts ale penetra, tas wes bec he ite oma of any concep has the gresten vialiy and tends to become the archeype ‘These two, the basic God and Goddess, have survived indestruc- tibly, precisely because they represent man's natural, archetypal ‘isalzation ofthat ultimate reality which he can never apprekend direcly. As society grew more complex, they were maltiplied into ‘pantheon, but a their core these were omly sub-pect of the to fundamental aspects, Further personified for more subsle understand= ing oftheir nature, Later, the Church tried to banish the Goddess, ‘but filed, as countless Lady Chapels tstily; and ie wat the Ee Eee yer ohare =e ee ea ee ee ae Fenian ae ee a oa ee ere epee ce eee ee censor eee eo a ee ela = eee So ae eons Sone te ees cae fs Se eee as a Pole ee Fee ietertepe ye metarens eeu tee (apn ceuerailoes ee ese reer ee ee ota ees ee ee prise debe eee ea pocorn ee ee ee ae ceed oe ere ee Brine een ea sty tte oles era ea crete bene ae See a eee eee eS aero, Boe ee oe pe eee eee Rober ee ee a cee ae See eee Pea a cas aes ss ee teeta Geet wins teen ere iota oreo aoe himself reputed to be the son of wit allowed Hatald to leave {fo England, he made him swear loyal on two altars, one Christian and one pagsn, and this incident, corded in the Bayeux Tapestry, rust have semed perfecdy natural at the time. Dut when the ‘Church fe pomerfal enough to impos te monopoly of belie the miletone being Pope lnocont VII's Ball f 1484 condemning ‘witches as heretic could no lange alow the Homed God tobe an alemative vinlizton of univenal divinity: he had co be branded as Satan. In the proc, Satan's image was transformed jut a much a the Homed God's In the Ol Testament, Satan appeats a “the sabverary’; nota bl aginst God's autho, but aor ot heavenly Public Proctor, lcsied to draw attention tothe debit side of 3 souls record (uch athe Promoter of the Fath of ‘Devils ‘Advocate’ docs wen the Pope x considering a proposed canoniz- tion) orto tet man's spl stamina (a with Joh). Nota very finetion, but perky xapecuble, and in the New “Testament there some every reason to see the Tempetion inthe “Wilderes in his ligh, and Jon's strope anower as condemnation ofthe offer rater than ofthe oer, who was only doing hi jb “The image of Stan athe Prince of Evia wae with God x mainly ‘4 port-Biblical creation, and his horns (once a symbol of divinity) Sn invention of herey-hunting days. The process wa silo and nest. Fst, equip Satan with horns, The pont to the Homed God ‘of the Witches and say: ‘Look! The Devil incarnate—and he has the hors to prove il’ Public belie that witches worshipped the Devil was farther reinforced by ofl witcha ened. I he

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