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ОглавлениеDirections:
1.Light the candles and place them on your altar.
2.Light the incense and fan it with the goose feather, as geese are the harbingers of winter. As you breathe in the scented smoke, pray aloud:
I welcome the winter inside of me,
I know my deepest wish is real and right.
I will my spirit to be free
Under this silver moon in this dark night.
Spirits of winter—bless this space with all due grace.
So mote it be!
Rime and Ritual—Spells for the Winter Soul
Have you ever heard the word rime? It differs from rhyme in that it means “winter frost,” which will become integral to your rituals for the Winter Soul. Once you have consecrated your altar, you can begin honoring your Winter Soul with these rituals. The spells and conjurations that follow will enhance your spiritual process as you gradually build on your magical self.
Guardian’s Moon Spell
This little spell will take you deep and far inside yourself. It will greatly empower you and instill in you a much deeper understanding of who you are and what you are here to do. Each of us is as individual as a snowflake, and our souls are imprinted with a stamp of specialness. The closer you get to the revelation of your soul’s mission, the more you will know why you are here, and more important, what you are here to do. That is real magic.
Timing:
The best time to perform this spell is during the dark of the moon, when the night sky is at its darkest.
Supplies:
•1 votive candle
•Incense
•Pine essential oil
•Glass jar
•Compass
Directions:
1.Go outside and find a solitary space in which you can cast a circle. Use the compass to find true north. When you feel comfortable and safe to begin, cast a circle of energy.
2.Starting at the north point and moving clockwise or sunwise, you will now acknowledge each of the Four Directions and call in the winter guardians.
3.Stand in the center of the circle, and with your forefinger, anoint your candle with the essence of pine, a tree that stays strong, green, and alive all through the winter.
4.Place the candle in the glass jar and light it, setting both carefully and securely on the ground. Then light the incense with the flame of the candle and stick it into the ground beside the votive candle.
5.Breathe slowly and deeply; make yourself mindful that you are here in the darkest night, celebrating the sacred.
6.As you breathe, look around at the majesty of nature and the world around you. Feel the ground beneath your feet. Listen to the silence around you.
7.Now open your heart completely to the awesome power of the universe and the magic both inside and outside of you.
8.Using the same forefinger, anoint your third eye, the chakric place above and between your eyes. With your eyes closed, speak aloud this rhyme of rime:
Sitting here beneath the moonless sky,
I open my heart and wonder why
I am here.
Tonight, I will learn
The reason why I yearn
To serve the Goddess and the God.
This night, I’ll hear the reason
I serve this darkest winter season.
Guardians, I call on you now!
9.Remain at the center of the circle and keep your eyes closed. You may hear an inner voice, or you may hear an outer voice right beside your ear. Listen calmly, staying centered with your two feet on the ground. You will know when it is time for you to close the circle and leave with your new message and mission.
10.Thank the guardians as you seal the sacred space, being sure to leave everything exactly as you found it. Incense, jar, candles, and matches all leave with you.
11.When you return home, write the message on a slip of paper and place it on your altar, where it will be hidden from any eyes but yours.
12.Place the candle, jar, and any remaining incense on your altar and burn it each Dark Moon night.
Final thought: You may also want to begin a special journal of your thoughts, inspirations, and actions regarding the message you received. You have now embarked on an exciting new phase of your life’s journey. Your journal will help you as you make discovery after discovery. Your journal may evolve into a Book of Shadows, or it may one day become a book like this!
Gaia Guided Meditation
This “inner work” ceremony will take you into the depths of your very being while you are exploring the depths of Mother Gaia, our earth. It is a way of getting grounded, and it also takes you to a very magical place where you can receive a gift from the Goddess which will inform you about your truest inner nature.
CRYSTAL CAVE CONSECRATION
Blessed beings, you are about to enter the Crystal Cave, our great Mother Earth, Gaia. In your mind, you are standing with bare feet on the ground. You can feel the grass with your toes, the solid earth underneath your feet. Feel the solidity and fastness of the earth fill your body with strength; we are all made of earth, of clay. We come from the earth and we are made of earth. Feel your connection to the Mother. We come from the earth, her womb. We are made of stardust, clay, and the waters of the ocean. Feel the blood in your veins, the water of life. Know that you are alive. Feel her winds, the breath of life. Breathe deeply ten times, completely filling your lungs and completely emptying your lungs. Breathe and feel your chest expand, rising and falling with each breath.
Now feel your backbone connecting to the earth; you feel a silver cord connecting you and your life to the earth. Concentrate on the cord until you can feel it running all the way through you and deep into the earth. Tug on the cord; feel it give. Now, take the cord in your hands and follow it down, down, deep into the earth. It is dark as you go down and down, but you are not at all frightened, as you are a denizen of the dark. Trust in the universe and keep descending into the bosom of the Mother. Down we go, not falling, but moving purposefully, gracefully, following the cord into the earth. Now you see light. Keep moving toward the light and keep holding the cord as it leads you to the shining distance.
The light grows nearer, and you see that it is an opening, a cave, a safe place for shelter. Enter the cave. It is filled with firelight reflecting off a thousand crystal points. A lovely and mysterious older woman sits near the fire, warming her bones in her comfortable and dry cave. She is bestrewn with jewels and is dressed in a velvet and gossamer robe that is iridescent and shines in the firelight. Her visage is that of an incredibly wise woman, and you can simply tell she has all the knowledge of time and the history of the world.
The cave is beautiful, more beautiful than the palace of any king or queen. It is the Crystal Cave of the Goddess, and you are with her. Show your respect to the Goddess and light the incense at her altar at the side of the cave, which has piles of many shimmering stones and priceless gems, the bounty and beauty of our generous benefactor. Sit at her feet and take in her love, power, and grace. Sit quietly and hear the special message she has for you. You are her child, and she has dreamed a dream for you. When you have received your Goddess-gifted message, let the cord guide you back to the surface. Release the cord and bow in gratitude to the Great Goddess.
WINTER SOLSTICE GRAVE MOUND—
A GATHERING PLACE
You have gone to the Crystal Cave in the center of the earth for a centering ceremony. An actual site for a pilgrimage would be what is believed by locals to have been the location for winter solstice rituals The Stone Age-era Newgrange Mound in Ireland is the ultimate site for a Dark Moon magic ritual gathering. For 5,200 years, ritualists and tourists alike have gathered at this mound to wait for the renewing of the sun’s light and the promise that life will continue for another sacred year.
In a masterwork of sacred architecture, the artisans who erected the mound designed it so that only during the winter solstice can sunlight pass through an aperture in the roof of the mound. Magically, the sunlight illuminates the entire passageway floor, almost as if it is pouring onto the floor of the mound like liquid gold.
While any day is appropriate to visit this deeply special and spiritual site for spell work and magical workings, there is one optimum day of the year when your spirit can be renewed and reminded of the most simple and powerful sources of vitality and that death is a part of life. At sunrise on the winter solstice, the great Irish Neolithic mound of Newgrange captures the rays of the rising sun in a vigorous celebration of light as life. Each ritual celebrant enters the site under the enormous lintel stone of the gateway in the mound and proceeds through a sixty-foot-long darkened passage, which is believed to be representative of death. At the end of this darkened hall, the celebrant comes across a highly significant spiritual carving, known in legend as the Spiral of Life. At this point, the mound opens into a circular chamber, which is believed to resemble a woman’s womb. In the case of the Newgrange Mound, several burials have been found inside, while in many other sacred mounds only one special holy and royal personage has been found.
The sunlight continues to flow into the space until it rises up the Spiral of Life. At the moment the sun reaches the spiral, the sun’s light glints and sparkles off the bas-relief of the spiral shape, and the symbol itself flashes fiery colors of yellow, gold, orange, and red. It is a magical experience—as if the Spiral of Life comes alive this one moment of the year in a marvelous light play and resurgence of the sun as the giver of life. After a moment or two, the entire chamber room, or cairn, is awash with golden yellow light.
The Spiral of Life is one single line with no beginning or end. People the world over believe it is a symbol of rebirth. Irish scholar and Goddess historian Sonja Geoghegan advances the theory that the central chamber in the Newgrange Mound site was a birthing chamber as well as a burial chamber to encompass the entire circle of life and to “encourage transmigration from one generation to the next.” Fascinatingly, the single steady line of the spiral itself has also traditionally been linked to a ninety-day period, showing that the creators of this uniquely beautiful triple-looped spiral symbol may have had in mind the three trimesters of the human pregnancy cycle. Geoghegan’s work on the Newgrange Mound is very compelling, especially in conjunction with the fact that the design and layout of the mound itself is very much like a woman’s uterus and birth canal. The simple wisdom of these Stone Age builders has lasted many lifetimes and provides connection to the eternal cycles of life and death, light and dark, sun and moon.
Dark Moon Magic Is in the Details
James Churchward calls the triple spiral the “Roadway of the Soul” in his seminal source work on spiral symbology: “It will be seen that the spiral has no end, but when the center is reached, the line returns on itself. There is no starting point either of the spiral and no end given, consequently, these spirals are also the equivalent of a circle.… We are told man’s soul lives on until finally it reaches the source of its origin. Ana, 1320 BC, Egyptian Papyrus, ‘if we live on we must continue for ever, and if we continue for ever, life, the circle and eternity, man had no beginning.’”
—James Churchward, The Sacred Symbol of Mu, 1933
OUR LADY OF SILVER MAGIC: A FULL MOON INVOCATION
While the winter solstice occurs but once a year, the full moon is an opportunity for thirteen holy celebrations a year. The full moon is also the most powerful time of the month and the perfect time to celebrate with special people in your life. The following ritual will heighten your spirituality, your friendships, and your connection to the universal powers.
As I write this, it is a full moon in Libra, and I look forward to getting together with some of the sisterhood, some fellow lunar Wiccans, kicking up our heels in celebration of life and asking for what we need from the universe. We will wait until midnight, the traditional witching hour. We will gather in one of our favorite spots near water under the bright moonlight. You can perform this ritual in your home, garden, or a sacred place of your choosing.
Midnight Moon Goddess Incantation
At “the witching hour of midnight,” the power of magic is strongest. This is also the optimal time to call down the Goddess of the moon for a power boost of blessings and strength. By honoring her and inviting her into your circle, you will receive untold gifts of wisdom, joy, and beauty into your life. This mystery rite can be incorporated into your coven’s monthly moon sacraments.
Timing:
The best time to perform this ritual is midnight.
Supplies:
•1 large crystal (a geode, amethyst, or quartz or rock crystal would be a good choice)
•Goblet of wine
•An image of the Goddess
•Candles in sturdy glass votives
•Each participant’s personal touchstone
•Rattles, drums, or other instruments of your choice
Directions:
1.Place the large crystal in the middle of the altar, along with the goblet of wine and image of the Goddess.
2.Designate a leader who will perform all the incantations as the group forms a circle. Begin with the appointee saying:
Oh, lady of silver magic,
We honor you here
In this place, sacred and safe.
This circle is in your honor.
3.The person at the north point of the circle places her or his candle and crystal on the ground as the leader says:
Blessed one, all earth is yours.
May we all heal.
May we all draw strength.
4.The person in the east places her or his candle and crystal on the ground as the leader says:
Oh, lady of laughter and joy,
So is the sky yours, too.
May the air be clear and pure
And the clouds sweet with wind and rain.
5.The person at the south point of the circle lays down her or his crystal and candle while the leader says:
Oh, lady of summer,
Each season is yours.
May each spring bring
Flowers and crops for all.
6.The person in the west lays down her or his candle and crystal while the leader says:
Goddess of the waters,
The rivers and the ocean are yours.
May they once more flow crystal clear.
Lady, we have built this circle in your honor.
7.Now the whole circle goes to the altar and kneels, with each member placing her or his candle and crystal on the altar. Each member takes a sip from the goblet of wine and says:
I toast thee, bright lady
In your honor,
Blessed be.
8.Then pick up the rattles and drums and sing and dance under the sparkling sky.
New Moon, New You
The new moon, or dark of the moon, is the optimum time for new beginnings, and it happens a lucky thirteen times a year. With each passage of this Dark Moon, you can ask for and sow the seeds of the life and love you want. Pagans are known for their lust for life; performing this simple spell will bring your desires to you.
Timing:
This ritual is performed on the night of the Dark Moon.
Supplies:
•2 pieces of rose quartz
•2 red candles
Directions:
1.Take the two pieces of rose quartz and place them on the floor in the center of your bedroom.
2.Light the two red candles and say aloud:
Beautiful crystal I hold this night
Flame with love for my delight.
Goddess of love I ask of you
Guide me in the path that is true.
Harm to none as love comes to me.
This I ask and so it shall be!
Invoking Angels
A brooding, pale, and soulful Dark Moon magician can resemble a Dark Angel. The concepts of the watcher angels and “Nephilim” are favorites of Goth lore and fantasy. Dark metal bands such as Morbid Angel and Fields of Nephilim attest to the fascination with this mythology or hidden history of the relationships between angels and humans.
Angels are messengers; in fact, that is the exact meaning of the Greek word angelos. Angels appear in many of the world’s wisdom traditions: Mormonism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Christianity. In every case, angels are messengers who carry the message of God’s will to his people. They are spiritual beings on the chain of being between God and humans. Views vary on how angelic beings conduct their “personal” lives when they are not serving God. Jews view angels as male, while the Christian tradition sees them as without gender. Certainly the angel of God in the Bible who helped Peter escape from his imprisonment and enchained bonds seemed very masculine. In the apocryphal Book of Enoch, however, angels referred to as “the Watchers” were sensual beings who “lay with human women” and fathered a race of half-human, half-angel beings with supernatural powers called “Nephilim.” Enoch is described as being brought to heaven by the angel Michael and is transformed into an angel known as “Metatron.” Perhaps the great English poet John Milton was influenced by Enoch, since he wrote of angels as supremely sensual beings who enjoyed sex often and well.
Theories about angels vary nearly as much as the theorizers. Emanuel Swedenborg believed that angels are not physical or material in any way and can only be seen when we humans open our inner or spiritual eye. St Thomas Aquinas was called the “Angelic Doctor” for his miraculous ministrations, but he too believed that angels came from our own intellect and were creations of our own thoughts. The great medieval mystic Hildegard of Bingen saw angels as great beings who shone as stars in the firmament or like red flames.
Calling All Angels
In your travels along the sacred path, you should have by now gathered up seashells, driftwood, crystals, and small pebbles. You can create a simple “Angel Accessing Tool” from your collection of nature’s blessings. Make a wind chime any time you want to gather up the good energy of those unseen beings who can help and protect you (and drive away the not so helpful energy). Here’s how to make a wind chime.
Supplies:
•A stick (a small piece of sea-smoothed driftwood is perfect)
•String
•Chunks of crystal (celestite, aquamarine, muscovite, morganite, and selenite can all help you make contact with your guardian angels)
Directions:
1.Tie string around the pieces of crystal.
2.Attach each string to your stick of wood.
3.Hang your chime in your home or wherever you want to “make contact.”
Once you have crafted your magical tool, you should store it in a safe place and bring it out when you really need angelic intervention. You can welcome unseen and benevolent spirits into your home and life with this conjuring charm.
Spell for Welcoming Benevolent Spirits
We can all use more angels in our lives. Some angels may take human form, such as a human friend who is always there in a crisis. Still others are above in the ether and can be invoked with a few words and focused intention. Use this spell when you need a guiding hand and angelic assistance.
Supplies:
•Sage
•Your wind chime
Directions:
1.Bless the new wind chime by smudging with sage smoke.
2.Jingle the chimes energetically and say aloud:
I call on my angels to guide joy to my door.
Such gladness as I receive, so I shall give.
By the moon and the stars
I call on my guardians
To show me the best way to live.
For this, I am grateful.
Blessed be.
THE RANKS OF ANGELS
The Book of Revelations (8:2) reads, “And I saw seven angels which stand before God.” These are the archangels. Jewish tradition holds that the highest rank of angels consists of the angels “of presence” of God, and these are the seven archangels. The First Book of Enoch lists these archangels as: Uriel, Michael, Gabriel, Saraqael, Remiel, Reqiel, and Raphael. In the Third Book of Enoch, they are presented as Gabriel, Michael, Sahaqiel, Satqiel, Baradiel, and Sidriel. In Islam, there are only Michael, Israfel, Azrael, and Gabriel. Current Christianity has reduced the list of archangels down to Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael.
The duties of the archangels are to serve the presence of God, assist humanity, and watch and care for the lower ranks of angels. Concerning each angel’s special tasks, Raphael is the angel of healing, Gabriel can be called on for personal guidance and prophecy, and Michael is the angel of courage and personal protection. A study of angelic lore across the traditions indicates that the archangel Michael is the oldest and most powerful of all angels, and as a personal protector he can be called on or “invoked” when you need him for courage, insight, and spiritual growth.
The seven archangels are:
•Raphael: healing
•Gabriel: strength
•Michael: protection
•Uriel: light
•Ariel: wisdom
•Cammuel: divine love
•Cassiel: understanding
WHO IS MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL?
Michael is the only angel to cross all the major wisdom traditions, because he appeared to Old Testament prophets including Enoch, and to Mary among others in the text of Christianity, the New Testament, as well as to Mohammed, the founder of Islam. His very name places him close to God, as it translates to “who is like unto the Lord.” Gnostics believed that Michael was present at the creation of the universe. It was Michael who God charged with casting Lucifer out of heaven. Michael has been the subject of devotion in several religions, including a powerful “cult of Michael” during the Crusades that rampaged through the territories of the Nordic tribes, converting with the aid of a sword. It was shortly after this Nordic and Germanic conversion crusade that the cult of Mary began to take precedence, replacing the Goddess. Joan of Arc began receiving visitations from Michael at the age of thirteen which provided her with quite successful guidance in battle.
Angelology—long a secret aspect of pagans practicing ceremonial magic, such as the OTO, founded by Aleister Crowley—has “crossed over” and has been embraced by Wiccans, most especially dark Wiccans. There are many ways to call on the guidance of the angels, and you can invoke Michael anytime you need guidance or as a spiritual touchstone. You can do this with a pendulum or meditation ritual; ask him to join you in a walk or in your dreams. In fact, in your dreams you will be much more open to receiving his messages. Before inviting Michael into your dream world, breathe deeply and achieve a state of total calm. Then think about why you feel the need for his guidance. Write down a specific invitation to him in your dream journal or Book of Shadows, such as, “Michael, please come to me and help me to know if this job opportunity is right for me.” Yes, you can be that specific! As you fall asleep, think about the situation as you ease into your sleep and your dreams. The answer will be in your mind when you wake up. Write it down in the same journal and thank your angelic guest with a prayer.
Ritual of Angel Evocation
We all have matters that weigh us down. Whether you have an abusive boss or relationship or you find yourself lost on a dangerous block in a strange town, every now and then you will need the tools to call up guardian energy. Here is how to get an urgent message out to an angel if you are in need of protection.
Timing:
Perform this ritual whenever you feel in need of some angelic protection.
Directions:
1.Face the east with your arms by your sides and your head bowed down. Now, shut your eyes, and with creative visualization envision yourself surrounded by the four archangels.
2.Visualize a pure white light descending from above that expands and surrounds both you and the angels.
3.Breathe deeply three times and then turn to your right.
4.You are now standing before the archangel Michael. Open your eyes and say aloud, “Michael, I need your help,” and describe to him what you need. He is a true helpmate in a time of need!
Vampire Protection
Part of the lore of angels includes the fascinating theory that “fallen angels” who battled with God and were kicked out of heaven became vampires here on the earthly plane. The apocryphal chapter of the Holy Bible, the Book of Enoch, states that when the children of angels and men had exhausted the supply of good, they then began drinking the blood of humans, even resorting to eating their flesh. The modern notion of the vampire has been so influenced by cinema, Bram Stoker, and the very prolific Anne Rice that hardly anyone has a real idea of its early origins. The idea that the dead require blood to restore them to a semblance of life predates even Homer and his poetic posse in ancient Greece. Prehistoric peoples believed that women’s lunar flow of blood was the mysterious source of all life and that the blood was the vehicle of reincarnation for all souls waiting to come back after death. The Greeks thought that “shades,” or ghostly spirits in the underworld, thirsted for blood and sought it from living people. If you recall, Odysseus acted as a necromancer and was able to call forth the spirits of his dead soldiers and comrades by pouring out offerings of blood for them. And come forth they did—in droves. It is almost entirely forgotten, except by modern heathens, that the gods likewise lived on blood and could be invoked with a blood offering.
This lore in and of itself does not account for all the fascination and centuries-old stories of vampires. Medieval folks thought vampires were a sort of cannibal and that they were mostly women. There is even a historical account in the pre-Roman Germanic law records called the Salic Code of a “vampire” who was charged with and found guilty of devouring a man. As Christianity evolved, clerics came to believe in vampires and demons and were on the lookout for them, especially during witch hunts, as it was believed they were in league with each other. In northern Europe, especially the Balkans, Hungary, and Bohemia, vampire legends are legion. In these regions, the locals take a more proactive approach to vampires with many techniques for capturing them, such as trapping them in bottles or killing them with the classic stake through the heart, which are still practiced in the Balkans today.
PSYCHIC VAMPIRES—CHI SUCKERS
So, you’ve been going through your day your own way and it is just fine. Then you run into someone you know, and after you’ve talked with her for a bit, you feel the positive energy draining out of your body. While you try to keep the conversation positive, she is doling out the woe in bucket loads—icky boyfriends, creepy bosses, heinous landlords, on and on. You listen, make helpful suggestions, make a date to get together, and boom—she walks away happier and smiling. What just happened?
You just encountered a psychic vampire (PV)! If you don’t guard properly against PVs, you will find yourself in this situation time and time again. Certainly it is fine to be a sympathetic friend and to be helpful and kind, but it is most unhelpful and kind to yourself to allow anyone to suck you completely dry of your life force, your chi. Most often, PVs are not aware on a conscious level of their incessant chi sucking, but they are on an unconscious level. And when you fall victim to this, you are giving away your power, which is energetically and utterly negative.
Who are PVs? Big time narcissists! It is all about them—notice how they rarely ask how you are. They have been running a victim script for a very long time, and being a victim is a chosen and much prized role. If you are kindly and generous of spirit, good for you—but watch out, because you are a favorite target for PVs. But with the right tools, you can protect yourself from PVs. The psychic shield is an effective magical way of shielding yourself from the neighborhood PV.
Psychic Shield
You would not leave your house on a cold windy day without a coat, right? Please don’t leave your house without a psychic shield—you’ll thank yourself later.
Visualize whatever feels like a secure defense against unwarranted psychic intruders. Some folks see garage doors, others utilize an enclosing egg, and I have even heard of a big wet blanket as a shield, but I prefer science-fiction style shields that I put up or take down and a hooded robe that I wear. Anytime I go out into groups where I feel unsure, the best defense is a strong, positive attitude and sense of self. The more you practice your meditation and creative visualization, the greater your skill will grow.
PENTAGRAM RITUAL OF PROTECTION
With sensitivity comes the reality of being greatly affected by energy—both bad and good. It is important to constantly perform energy-cleansing rituals for this very reason, such as saging yourself and your space, taking purifying baths, and doing some mental clearing.
You are about to learn a wonderful basic energy cleanser known as the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP), sometimes simply referred to as the Pentagram Ritual. It is a marvelous template that you can add to and personalize after you are truly familiar with it. This ritual will become an extremely important tool in your magical arsenal for keeping at bay any unwanted forces, both worldly and otherworldly. Some even believe that the LBRP casts out not just negative forces, but all forces. At the end of the LBRP, you have an utterly neutral environment in which you can perform spells and magic. As you perform this ritual and advance in your magical practice, bear in mind that positive and negative forces do not always mean automatically mean good and bad. It is a balance of energy, and to use it properly, you must stay aware.
