Slide 20 Title : The Wheel of the Year
Slide 20 Text: <picture> The Wheel of the Year is the Wiccan Calendar. Witches think a great deal about the Moon and Her three phases. In the Craft we identify with our Lunar Goddesses in three personas. We call Her Maiden, Mother and Crone. And sometimes four, Maiden, Mother, Warrior, and Wise Woman. These titles are associated not only with the many lunar deities from all cultures, but with magickal practices that are associated with each phase. Lunar phase trinities are everywhere. Numerology of "3" is such a part of us it is hard to tell where it begins or ends. Body, mind and spirit, earth, sea and sky. Animal vegetable and mineral. There is something about our human psyche that senses the beginning, climax and conclusion of our magical energy, our chi. Good things and bad, come in threes. Wicca or modern witchcraft is rich with symbolism and ritual.

Without realizing it, ancient ancestors were the first numerologists and astrologers. They performed Magick and prophecy using what is now called "naked eye" astronomy. It is widely accepted that the first astrology may have been lunar. Deeply embedded in these age old practices is the observation of celestial motion. Rough hewn dolmens and stone temples tracing the path of the moon's orbit have been some of the oldest henges discovered which map the movements of the celestial bodies.
In her maiden aspect the Lunar Goddesses start the cycle known magickally as the New Moon. It occurs when the Sun and Moon are actually conjuncted, or seem to occupy the same space in our line of sight. When the New Moon first rises it is blanched by the light of the rising Sun. The New Moon is a time for spells promoting the growth of business or enterprises that need to germinate and unfold. It is best to emerge, reach out, network, open a business and start new projects when you desire increase.
The Full Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon are actually in opposition to each other and the Sun's light is on the full sphere of the moon. The Full Moon rises in the East at sunset, rising a little later each evening. The Full Moon is a time to do magicks for fulfillment of expectations, gains, goals, and abundance. The powerful tide of energy can be channeled into the culmination or completion of inner work. The influences of the Full Moon can heighten emotion and passion. The window of opportunity with the highest potency are the three days around the New Moon and Full Moon.
Lastly the fourth quarter occurs about half way between the New and Full Moons. It rises at Midnight and moves Eastward. The Moon then decreases in size until it become invisible and becomes known as the Dark Moon. Moon Dark is generally thought to be a time to avoid doing spells. Unless one wishes to banish a bad habit, or remove something annoying from one's inner space.
The Full Moon tide is fruitful and prosperous during an extended "Indian summer" or extra long harvest season in some parts of the country in Fall. The New Moon is auspicious and powerful for magicks involving meditation, past lives and spiritual contact. On Samhain or Halloween on October 31st at Samhain is be a good time to set spells in motion to bring prosperity for the coming year, with the moon in a beneficent earth sign.
Many Wiccans enjoy Celtic Wicca, Druidism and Fairy Wicca which use the Celtic Lunar Calendar. The word calendar comes from "Calen", which meant the ancient God of chaos, and "celi" force. This had thirteen 28 day months. The solar year was divided into 364 days with one "non-day" each year, instead of a "leap" year every four as it is in the present calendar. The Druidic legacy associated each month with a letter of the Celtic tree alphabet known as the Ogham. The alphabet was a gift from a writing and calendar bringing deity. Ivy represents the waning moon, the veiling and hidden cycle, eclipses, and the endurance and stamina of withstanding difficulties. Ivy flowers in the Fall. It is an unassuming evergreen that lies low upon the earth. It is fond of covering old schools and buildings. It networks outward growing roots that extend for miles in every direction. Druids as well as Greeks gave it to newlyweds as a symbol of eternal love. October magickally is seen as the time of preparations for the oncoming darkness and cold. The intrepid Ivy is a worthy companion. If you were born during Ivy month you will have both seriousness and success, a deep psyche, guided by dreams. The opal birthstone is given to "lights" when worn because of the tendency of wet opals to shimmer. In the Dark Ages opals began to be thought to be unlucky. When they were found around the throat of the dead the dry opals lost their fire.

Slide 21 Title: The Witches New Year

Slide 21 Text: In the old agricultural cycle the witches new year begins on November 1st. In November the Norse All Hallows Day 11/11. Three swans in Reed month in Scotland portended disaster. The hollow stem of this plant gave many tools to ancient ancestors. The power of the written word developed along with the reed pen. And the music of flutes and pipes are also the gift of this plant. Pan's Pipes and Scottish bagpipes are the sound attributed with creation, and animism. The sound of bag pipes and fairy pipers were said to cause the "stirring" of old man winter. The reed was honored because it is a plant of three elements. The roots delve deep into the earth below the marshy waters where the reeds dwell, and high above all are the fluffy poofs of the seeds that float like musical notes on the wind. During Samhain fires of purification were thought to burn out the old year. The custom of lighting three candles came about when a great chieftain died, all fires were extinguished. They were then relit by the priests. Since there were three priests in the town, they were relit three at a time. People who are born in this time of year have a certain magnetism. They are determined and purposeful. The birthstone jasper was once said to have the magical properties of invisibility and was used to help with weather Magick spells that required the conjuring of the Sun.
For the Winter Solstice or Yule the Moon will be dark in Scorpio. Use this deeply reflective force to put negative energies behind you.
For the Christian Christmas as well as Midsummer's Eve on June 21st Elder is the plant that reigns at the end of the year from 11/25- 12/22. It's berries have been thought to be magickal for centuries. On December 21st Yule is the rebirth of the Celtic Sun God on the Winter Solstice which is the longest night of the year. Witches celebrate by extinguishing all light in the home. Then all the candles are lit in the house from a ritual Yule Log fire. Elder has hollow twigs which were once used for "blowing up" a fire to get it going again. It was also used to protect the dead from bad spells and was put on graves and in cemeteries. It has not only an enchanting floral scent but magical properties as well. Every part of the plant was used by the Druids and thought to have medicinal properties. Jet, the stone worn by priestesses was thought to be a magickal stone held in high esteem by the Romans Vikings and Druids. It was burned in alchemical formulas to expel demons and invoke solar deities.

The Wheel of the Year, it seems not to have begun not on Samhain October 31st in early America.Though October 31is widely considered Wiccan new years, which is really the start of Winter, but in the Americas it once was March 21st, the Spring equinox, began the year. The Davenport Stele is a remarkable stone monument, found in a mound in Iowa. It is covered with Iberian and Egyptian Heiroglyphs. The stele actually describes the procedure for an ancient ceremony. A ray of light of the sun falls on the stone "watcher stone" at sunrise on "new years" day, which according to the stone is March 21st. when the Sun is at the first degree of Aries. Libations and sacrifices were made while the group of worshipers held hands and danced around the stone.

Today the Pagan New Year or Wheel of the Year begins with Samhain, or Halloween, on the eve of November First .The next turn of the Wheel is at Yule on December 21st which is the Winter Solstice. This was considered a time of the Dream Fest of by some Native Americans.Yule, a merry festival in old England was celebrated with feasts, singing, wassail, and lavish deserts. There were concerts, pageants and plays. All of this merriment became illegal in New England in the 17th century because of the Puritans who arrived on the Mayflower. It was all too pagan for them. The celebrations at Yule time were termed as "Christmas Keeping" and it meant big trouble for those who celebrated it.

Pagans celebrated the festival of the return of the sunlight because the days begin to increase in length after the solstice December 21st. On February 1st the Celebration of Imbolc commenced with the planting of seeds indoors. Commemorative rituals involve seeds and fertility. On the 21st of March began the rites of Spring that were celebrated joyfully by many cultures. It was known by some as the festival of Aostsre, which is now called Easter. The first of May is Beltane. Beltane means Fire to Bel, or Baal, Which means Father, fire or Sun. The Sun God was worshiped by Phoenicians. Inscriptions to Baal were found on stone ruins in Vermont.. May day is a festival of love and marriage. It is a time of lush earthy fulfillment. The flower time imbues the sweetest aromas on the air. The most positive force of the year is expressed with the ribald dances around Maypole, or Standing Stone. Promising the juices of the tasty first fruits, there are celebrations on the 21st of June. Midsummer is a Cross Quarter Day, and the night is of the shortest length. On the first of August is the second harvest festival or acorn festival. It is called Lammas and is the time for the brewing of beers and mead.

Slide 22 Title: HOLIDAYS

Slide 22 Text : Samhain: 31 October, the witches new year.
Samhuinn: November 11 Druidic
Yule: December 21 Birth of light
Alban Artun: light of Arthur, shortest day: longest night, birth of the sun
Imbolg(c): February 2
Olmiek : celebration of the quickening; start to smell the spring awakening of the earth
Vernal Equinox: - March 21:
Alban Eiler - Light of the earth, first Sunday after the first full moon of the equinox
Aeostre: The egg is the symbol of cosmos, birth, creation
Beltane - May 1st Tienne=fire or Bel-Tinne - Celebration of the goddess, birth of the goddess.
Midsummer - June 21 The light of the she/moon/fair people,
Alban Terrin Longest day/shortest night
Lammas - August 1 Harvest

Slide 23 Title : Using the Tools

Slide 23 Text: <picture>A witches' tools are necessary to her art. t is best to make your own tools. Be certain that you have purified, cleansed and dedicated any tools before you use them. The Tarot is graphic way to observe the tools used in Wicca.

The first tool of a Wiccan is her "grimoire". That is a French word that means "Book of Shadows". In times of persecution witches would have to keep books hidden, hence the name. It Does Not mean that dark things are written in it. A Book of Light is what I call it. In a journal with blank pages a Wiccan keeps track of her experiences, rituals, spells, and impressions from her work in the Craft.

A tiara or crown is worn by women who have attained the degree of High Priestess. The Circlet represents that while wearing it the priestess is bringing in the highest of vibes from the Gods. The althme is a witch's knife. It is usually a black handled kitchen knife that is used to direct forces and energies in a spell casting. In the dark ages an unadorned kitchen knife was used so that the women would not be caught with a magickal device. Today fancy althmes of all sorts can be bought or built.

The bolene is a curved white handled knife. It is used for ceremonies involving lunar energies. It also is good for cutting herbs and plants when gardening. A High Priestess carries a Sword for Circle casting.

A Staff is a stave or stick that is the height of the wielder. It can be carved with runes and symbols. Sometimes staffs are topped with powerful crystals. A wand is the length of the forearm and can be used where there isn't enough room to wield a sword or staff. Copper tubing is a better conductor than glass, which is an insulator. There is little force in a glass wand. We use blades that are dull stage combat replicas, letter openers an old family heirloom, or what ever is available.

A chalice and water are needed. The chalice is placed on the altar to represent the Goddess. You will be charging the water in the ritual. I like to keep rainwater in a decanter on the altar and then pour the charged water into the chalice. It is filled with fresh spring water, or in some instances salt water from the ocean.

The censer can be something simple to hold incense, or it can be a swinging thurible that hangs from chains and can be carried safely with out getting too hot. A cauldron is used for burning herbs, burning magickal powders on charcoal disks, or burning intentions. The "intentions" are spells or requests that are written on paper and then burned.

You will need a salt cellar, which means a sugar bowl or something like it rather than using a salt shaker in a ceremony which is tacky.

The Pentacle is placed on the altar too. f a large one can be obtained it is placed on the altar and used like a trivet or a coaster under the chalice.

You are gong to need a compass to find where the directions are, so you can do your altar placement.

A talisman such a Pentacle, or a goddess image may be worn. Ceremonial robes and capes are great fun and bring a sense of other worldliness to a circle. There is something about being dressed in regalia or "garb" that make people feel different about themselves. Wiccans wear black to blende into the surroundings if working at night. Black clothing absorbs heat and is thought to be receptive to vibes as well. Wearing black is a universal sign of a clergy person as well.

Slide 24 Title: The Altar

Slide 24 Text: Building your Altar: The altar goes in the North of the Circle. You stand in the South and face North. Images of the Gods such as statues or paintings can be on or near the altar. A candle for the Lord and Lady are needed. First you need a table the shape depends on what you have and secondly what you want. An altar can be as simple as a stone and a few shells and things you pick up on the beach. Or as elaborate as a Golden Dawn or Rocicrucian ritual in full regalia. All four elements need to be represented. An incense burner called a censor with incense for air. A candle flame represents fire. The chalice stands for water. For earth flowers, crystals or a plant are fine.

There are so many ways to decorate and build an altar a square altar is called a corner stone. It is a good foundation especially if you are doing Hermetic or Egyptian Circles. Round tables are popular with women's groups. A big rock is good. A gravestone is bad.

Slide 25 Title: Cemeteries

Slide 25 Text: Regarding cemeteries, don't conduct rituals in them! Firstly it is trespassing. Wiccans believe in reincarnation. We do not disturb or attempt to channel with the dead. No good can come from dancing around on someone's grave. When souls depart from this realm they need to move on. It isn't fair to try to trap them on the earth plane in any fashion. When you think about a ghost, know that they aren't still here because they are happy. DO NOT invite any spirits to enter your body! That is just plain stupid. Those that do it are misguided. Protect your aura. If you want to learn psychic skills take some of my other courses.

For a ghost I imagine it is like having your arm slammed in a car door and then driver takes off. Part of the soul energy staying behind is not a good thing. Be responsible spiritually, don't let curiosity and thrill seeking take the place of your Wiccan religion.

Rule of thumb if something sounds silly and implausible chances are it is bogus, so don't do it. There are alot of silly people around doing things that aren't Craft and that aren't spiritually healthy. Like that horrible show Fear on MTV. Sorry but movies like "The Craft", shows like Charmed and Buffy aren't Wicca either. So don't try any of that at home.

Slide 26 Title: The Four Directions

Slide 26 Text: In addition to your altar you can put out four smaller tables in the four corners of the space. These are "shrines" that means a place to put holy objects that aren't necessarily used in Circle. You can put items on the ground. Or put everything on the altar if you have room. The East is the place of the rising sun. It is where life begins and where all Circle casting always starts too. Use anything yellow to represent the sunrise, such as yellow candles, flowers or stones like citrine, or calcite. East items for the altar might be feathers, bird bones, even actual birds if they want to sit there. (I had a black cat that sat in Circles and tried to imitate what we were all doing. I am owned by a seagull, he sits in the north. I think I am his familiar.

For south you want fiery items like a Sterno in a special cauldron for it. Incense burners, candles etc. There are lamps and alcohol burners that make a nice south lamp. If out doors that is where the fireplace goes. Red is the color for South so Carnelian is a perfect stone for it. Lighting the sacred fire is very important in Druidic ritual. The tree spirits are released by fire. Prepare the fire with 3,7,9, or 13 .kinds of woods. Oak, Juniper, and Cedar should be included. The fire of Arazel is made with fragrant woods such as Sandal, Juniper, Cedar. Oil of Rose is used as a sacred offering when poured onto the wood. Where a fire is not possible, use self lighting charcoal tablets and wood shavings, or a prepaired Witches incense powder.

For west I like a "font" which is a bowl to pour water into. It can be an old fashioned pitcher and bowl. There are lots of tiny decorative fountains around now that are a lot of fun and are perfect for West. Shells will do also little statues or pewter whales, and dolphins or fish items. Magic Waters are created by combining three different waters. Put the water in the light of the full moon, the new moon and in the sun, then return it to your bottle of sacred water. you can collect some water from your favorite hiking and meditation spots, as well as from the Ocean. Each time you add something to your Magick Water Bottle it becomes more enchanted. Use it to Aspurge (purify a sacred space with water) by sprinkling Magickal Waters. Put drops of it in a fountain or crystal bowl for the West.

For north flowers, fresh or potted are used. Flower petals and even seeds or just soil in a special urn. And crystals of course represent Earth. Geodes are great, they look like a tiny crystal cave. North is a good place to keep your special piece of Stonehenge or the Arizona vortex

In the Tarot there are four suits Air = wand Fire = sword Earth- Pentacle Water - cup

The wand is an arrow or staff, they are the sign of motion and travel. The sword is forged in fire it is made of molten metal that is created by the element of fire and heat in the smithy. There are those who have disagreed and even have backwards tarot decks that are published. They may say that swords are air because Excaliber was made from meteorite metal from outer space - air. But that is only one sword in history fire burns wood! That's it - it is a fact of nature.

Slide 27 Title: The Four Watchtowers

Slide 27 Text: Remember erect the watch towers outside the Circle. Guardian energies are protectors. The watchtowers are pretty common to many types of rituals. They stand outside the Circle. In one branch of the Craft during the Victorian era, were old fashioned magicians. One path is called Enochian Magick, and one of it's famous practitioners was John Dee. They described the Watchtowers like this:

"the four Watchtowers that stand guard at the ends of the world are arranged in a cube. The cube represents the material universe, the four Watchtowers that form its sides are the boundaries of reality and barriers against the crawling chaos that lies beyond. Each of the Watchtowers can be represented by a square table. The square is the two dimensional symbol for the material world, our familiar time-space."

These can be some of the Tree Ogham or the Runes. Here are some protection Trees for Circle Watchtower Guardians.

East - Poplar the Shield Tree.
SOUTH - Oak for Strength
WEST - Willow watcher at the ford.
NORTH -Mistletoe for the Old Ones.

Slide 28 Title: A Sphere of Light

Slide 28 Text: A Circle isn't just a circle. It is 3-D, more like a sphere with you inside it. The Watchtowers Guardians are watching out for you on the outside of it. We will discuss what is appropriate to bring into it. Inside the Circle after it is cast we can welcome in the energies of elementals, fairies, elves, dwarves or dragons. We want our personal power animals familiars and other helpers inside the Circle with us sometimes too.

In the next section we have the rituals. Use these as an outline for your own practices. Make notes in your Grimoire as you try the different ceremonies.