Slide 32 Title: Part 3 The Art - The Book of Light

Slide 32 Text: Before you begin....

A ceremony is a type of sacred worship that can be personalized, and different each time it is done. A ritual means that the same words and actions are done the exact same way every time.

Here are a collections of ceremonies for you to experiment with. If you have more than one person, you can take turns reading the Call of the Watchtowers and the other parts of the Circle.

You have to gather up all the items like incense etc. prior to the start of the Circle because once it is cast you Do Not Leave it. Which is one of those Wiccan rules. Everyone should take a moment before the circle is cast to gather their energy and to quiet themselves.

It goes most smoothly if everyone has their own lighter to use to light their candles. All participants should have and has all their garb and tools all ready taken out so there is fluidity in the Circle, and there are no stops and starts. Barking dogs and screaming or jumping kids are generally not a good idea if you want to get any real Magick done and have your spells work.

At the altar two candles represent the Gods, which are called the Lord and Lady candles. There are usually the two main altar candles.

At the beginning of a Circle a Call or a summoning is done. It is an invitation of a sort to those who are worthy, and a warning to those who are negative to flee from the power of the Light.

Some specific color candles for the altar depending on the Tradition. For the Gods those two candles can be silver and gold, or black and white. Some use pink and blue just so you have the opposites, for the male and female aspects of the Force. Even white for the Lady and Green for the Green man. On the white for Her you can carve or paint moons on it and green for Him candles could be decorated with oak leaves on it.

In the Craft you use what ever feels good to you. To start with your spells, set aside a quiet place and time. You will need two safe metal containers for burning your powder and your candle. Never use glass. You can use an anointing oil to anoint your candle, add to the bath or wear it. A bath salt is great to use before your spells. If you want to you can carve any special wishes onto your candle and then rub them in with the oil. Then light your candle, place it in its holder. Open a pack of the self lighting charcoals that come in the silver foil. Hold one of the charcoals in the candle flame to light it. Place the lit charcoal in your cauldron. (Keep remaining charcoals in an air-tight container to keep humidity out.) Once the charcoal is hot you will add a little bit of the powder at a time during the working. Then when the time comes you meditate on your intentions while gazing at your candle.

The most important part is this: Suspend Disbelief

Take a leap of faith and consider it done. You have to release the energy to the universe and believe unquestioningly in the outcome. Let the candle burn continuously until it goes out by itself! Never leave a lit candle unattended, be sure to have it somewhere safe so it can do it's thing.
If outdoors always leave a campsite pristine. No-one should be able to tell that anyone was ever there. Put everything back, including leaves, sticks and rocks, right where they were. Do this anytime that you do Magick outdoors. Another old witches rule.

Slide 33 Title: Steps for Preparing a Circle

Slide 33 Text:

fasting - or at least not eating a meal right before or during a ritual. No alcohol before, during, or after a Circle. (if you ask me a priestess should not drink alcohol)
ritual bath - a personal cleansing will set the mood
dress - your robes and capes will make you feel really witchy
close doors, unplug phones - so you have total concentration and no distractions
Sacred Tree - goes in the north of the circle facing the North star
cleanse sacred space - vacuum, and clean up before you get started, after all the Gods themselves are coming to visit!
purify - sometimes before the Circle starts you might want to use incense or sage to clear out any unwanted vibes. Especially if your Circle space does double duty as a living room
gather altar items - get everything ready before hand
set up altar - figure out where North is, and put an altar cloth on the table
sacred fire is lit - or Sterno, or a fireplace, or use something that represents Fire - even a Tarot card can do for that
attunement - take a few minutes to make sure you have everything and that you are totally ready before you start
candles are lit
Give knells: 3 or 9 knocks or rings of a bell are an old method of getting underway and letting those on the astral plane know you are coming

slide 34 Title: The Parts of the Circle

Slide 34 Text: <picture> there are the Druid Portal signs to the Fairy Realm

Watchtowers

Circle casting
altar blessing
Earth blessing (salt or ocean water) is done
Water (font or well) Blessing
Incense offering
optional elemental invocations
Offering and invocation of deities
Magickal Working (optional, seasonal)
Meditation
Thanks
Closing

Close your circle by saying the standard: "This Circle is open but unbroken." When you dismiss the watchtowers by starting in the North.You have to undo them counterclockwise now, saying "Guardians of the North, West, South, and lastly East, we thank you for your presence at our Circle...".

Slide 36 Title: Basic Wicca Circle Casting

Slide 36 Text: <picture>

"Guardians of the East, guide us and watch over our Circle tonight.Welcome!

Hail, Guardian of the Watchtower of the south, we summon and stir thee to attend and protect our rites!

Guardians of the West, I summon and call you.

Hail Guardians of the North guide us and protect our Circle.

The Circle Casting: "We create a sphere of White Light that protects and guards this space from any intruders. We visualize this wall of White Light expanding out as a sphere which connects us through the Mist on the River to the Realms of the Fey. We stand in a place that is not, in a time that is not. In Between, and in All."

Bless this altar on this dark night." Now we light incense and I'll invoke the fire:

"By fire and smoke do we invoke the Magick from above guide us guard us and protect us in a Circle of love."

:::raises Chalice::::::

"Ladies chalice be free of all malice"

Then we invoke the Gods

:::::::all light altar candles to the Gods::::

"May the Lord and Lady bless us and keep us safe and secure. Guide us and guard us in our studies. Lead us ever into the white light of your protection. Assist us in our work of healing others and the planet. Make us ever purer vessels of your love. Blessed Be!"

Response: "Blessed Be!"

"Let us pause a moment to take in the energy of the white light of healing and send it where ever we feel it is most needed." Here you can continue on with your own spells, or what is called the "working". (see more slides below)

"This Circle opens but is unbroken, may the Guardians of the North, West South and East depart now to your beautiful realms.

Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again. An attunement achieves stillness within the seekers. Everyone concentrates on clearing and focusing on nothing but the Circle. Ground and center, visualize that you have roots. Any negativity goes down into the ground and is absorbed there.

Slide 37Title: Summoning the Dragon

Slide 37 Text: This is a Circle that I wrote and am fond of : ) Summoning the Dragon is what calling up earth energies from the ley lines is known as in the Arthurian Tradition.

The Charge: HP: The forces have gathered,
Let the Lights be lit in the Watch towers.
Let the Portal be opened.

Dragons of Fire with Wings aglow,
Guide us and Guard us,
As above so below!

Dragons of Mist,
Waves and Sea,
Rise from the Well,
and Blessed Be!

Pegasus feathers in Light and Air,
Magick mirrors, Flight be fair!

Unicorn white with,
Golden Horn,
They say no more will you be born,
In this Circle safe shall you be,
by the Rule of three times three.

Summoning of the Dragon: East: We summon and call the Dragon,
South: From the four quarters it is led.
West: Out of the depths, into the Light,
North: All the rainbow colors make it White.

By Dragons' Fire and Holy Well,
We cast the Circle and ring the bell.
Carrying the Druidess' wand,
Visiting Willowman beside this pond.

Blessings:
Blessing of the Altar: Shape be square, an altar fair.
Blessing of the Salt Water: Cauldron, chalice, Holy Well, blessed be, by Aphrodite's Shell.
Blessing of Incense: Flame and fire are now offered for what we desire.

Invokation of the Gods.

We invoke the The Green Lady, and The Green Man ,
Mother and Father Nature,
Cerridwen and Kernnunos.
By the Sun, (the High Priestess takes the sword or althme)
and by the Moon, (the High Priest takes the Chalice)
We gather them anew. (the blade tip dips into the Chalice)
Them we will know more of,
Through the Henge we go beyond the doors of.
To seek, to know, to be silent.
(bell is rung three times...)

A priestess leads a meditation. 'We breathe deeply in and out absorbing misty green Light... it envelops us, carrying us off to an astral forest Temple....We breathe in and out, allowing the relaxing power to carry us further into an altered state of consciousness...We are visualizing the gates which are two huge standing stones...We enter an old growth Forrest, in the mind's eye... Four giant, red barked, spreading Cedar Trees frame the roof of a living Temple....Once we go into the Temple we see a table. Against the tapestries upon the wall, there are chairs...All visualize a fair sylvan lady, who our guide tells us is the daughter of a King of Dryads...The Dryad Princess has come out of the elemental realm of Earth, as a flower maiden. She is dressed in silver silks and green and gold gems...Today she comes to speak with us...

:::silent meditation:::

Soon our guide tells us ...Time has passed. we will return now, we will remember the Lady's messages. As we return to full consciousness Now! Wide Awake!'

HP: The Circle Is about to be opened and it remains unbroken.

HP North: The Dragon has come, the Dragon will go.
HPs. West: In with the Mist, out with the Flow,
South: Back to the realms of the Mighty,
East: Fly away Home!

Guardians of the (N, W, S, E) We bid you Hail and farewell!

Slide 38 Title: "Becoming" a witch

Slide 38 Text: Can you be a true White Witch? Can you make a commitment to the old Gods? Here is how to do that by self initiation. Insert this in place of a working.

The Pledge of the Initiate

"I promise and swear that I will with Divine permission, from this day forth, apply myself to the great work. Which is to purify and exalt my Spiritual Nature, to Raise myself beyond Human Nature and unite with my Higher Self. I will never misuse the Power entrusted to me."

So mote it be!

Slide 39 Title: Sample "Workings"

Slide 39 Text: Circle Introduction for Mabon Autumn Equinox September 21.

HPs. "We have gathered for the festival of Mabon. We honor the Green Man of the Oak. We come to celebrate the bounty of Earth Mother.We create a sphere of White Light that protects and guards this space from any intruders. We visualize this wall of White Light expanding out as a sphere which connects us to the Realms of the Fairies."

Meditation for Mabon

A Seeker leads a meditation... We breathe deeply in and out absorbing the misty Green Light as it envelops us, carrying us off to an astral forest Temple... We breathe in and out, allowing the relaxing power carry us further into an altered state of consciousness....After passing the gates which are two huge standing stones, we enter an old growth Forrest. Four giant red barked spreading Cedar Trees frame the roof of a living Temple. .We look into the Trees and we can barely discern a face, a presence, a consciousness. We see the leaves appear to move and then He is there...The Green Man speaks to us..

:::Meditation in silence:::

and then soon Time has passed.... We will return now.... As we return to full consciousness Now! Wide awake!

Circle of Light Meditation

The cookies & juice (cakes & ale) are on the altar. Flowers, and sacred symbols deck the altar representing bounty and thankfulness....(The door keeper holds a lantern representing the White Light of Enlightenment)

...We are passing the gates which are two huge standing stones, we enter an old growth Forrest. Four giant Beech Trees frame the roof of a living Temple....Unicorn of purity and Light descend. With your Crystal Horn of Rainbow Light, you are the teacher of self-less Love. In your beauty, balanced with your graceful horn you represent the perfect combination of male/female God/Goddess the Spark that is Life.

::::Silent meditation::::

Time has passed. we will return now.... As we return to full consciousness. Now! Wide awake!

With any of these ceremonies, after the Circle is closed it is important for everyone to share what they saw and felt during the meditation/journey. Then everyone should eat something - the blessed food from the altar to ground themselves back into reality.

Slide 40 Title: More Sample "Workings"

Slide 40 Text: Banish Money Troubles Spell

"I summon and call the guardians of the East to Guide us and protect our Circle (candle lit)

I summon and call the guardians of the South to Guide us and protect our Circle (candle lit)

I summon and call the guardians of the West to Guide us and protect our Circle (candle lit)

I summon and call the guardians of the North to guide us and protect our Circle (candle lit)

We call the Lord and Lady to join us! We welcome their guidance and protection, as we come to release the burdens that are on our minds tonight through the powers of the waning moon. The Magick of this Circle we shall banish any blocks or any unwanted vibrations that are interfering with our prosperity. We now hereby remove the financial burdens of bills from our consciousness.

Let us all inscribe the name of a bill that is due on a piece of paper and burn it

Grant us oh Lord and Lady, the intuition, the means, the timing, and the luck that is necessary to resolve this financial burden.

So Mote It Be!

Blessed Be!

This Circle opens but is unbroken!

We bid the Guardians of the North, West, South and East to depart to their beautiful realms.

Merry Meet Merry Part and Merry Meet again!"

Slide 41 Title: Clearing a Ceremonial Space

Slide 41 Text: This is a generic version so feel free to substitute any deities that are in your personal belief system.

Around Halloween everyone is in a spooky mood. Ghost stories fill the air. As the nights begin to chill and the smell of Oak is on the wind, everyone is a witch wannabe. Because of all the extra psychic activities of the inexperienced, most psychics will find themselves doing at least one banishing. A banishing is a type of cleansing ritual. It is a little different than a purification ritual. If you use an analogy of a dirty floor, a banishing would be like. You want the dirt gone for good. You may even take off the wax too.
In a cleansing, you want to keep the floor the same, but you want it shiny, removing soil, stains and mud from the floor. You might cleanse yourself, your crystals, and prepare your house for a psychic work.You might banish a ghost, a psychic attack, or a sexual harasser. Banishing means it is gone for good.

For one way to do a banishing you will need brown or black candles. Depending on how bad the attack is you will have to determine what color looks right to you. Stand in front of a selection of candles and see what grabs you. Using a "yucky" color represents the evil doer and their messy, negative vibes. Candle holders, or jars will be needed for 6 candles. The colors should be yellow for the East, red for the South, blue for the West, and white for the North. Protection oil will work best to anoint the candles.

Slide 42 Title : Beginning the Cleansing

Slide 42 Text: The basic way to start a banishing is to invoke Guardians in the four directions. You will start in the East and light a yellow candle. "Guardians of the East, we ask you to guard our space. Blessed Be!" In the South Light a red candle. "Guardians of the South, we ask you to guard our space. Blessed Be!" West Light a blue candle."Guardians of the West, we ask you to guard our space. Blessed Be!" Finally, face the North and a white candle is lit here. "Guardians of the North, we ask you to guard our space. Blessed Be!" Next the Circle must be cast: "We consecrate this Circle, I bless it and raise it three times. As I (we) say it so be it!" Say this three times while you turn clockwise. Now that the Circle is cast, the items that will be used in the ceremony should be blessed. The altar, chalice, salt and any medallions, or talismans should be oiled and consecrated at this time. Light the Evil Be Gone incense using the old chant: "Creatures of Fire this charge we give, no evil in our presence will dare to live! So be it!" Invoke (whoever) the Lord and Lady: "Mother and Father Nature be with us now as we need your guidance and protection. So be it!"

Next a goes a sprinkling of the blessed water clockwise around the Circle. Carry the burning incense around the Circle clockwise. Toss the salt in a clockwise direction around the Circle. Take the black candles that represent whatever you are trying to get rid of. If it's a noisy neighbor, you don't want the neighbor to be gone... that would be overkill. Remember Harm None. You want the noise to be gone. So write "noise" on the candle with your knife. If you have boss or mother in law troubles, again, you have to be careful not to infringe on the freewill of another being or person. You want the "troubles" to be gone, not necessarily for those people to move away or come to harm. The dark candles are used on a theory of sympathetic magick That like attracts like and it is thought that the dark candles "draw" the darkness, or bad things out of the perpetrator.

Slide 43 Title : Closing the Circle

Slide 43 Text: Don't forget to let the candles on the altar burn all the way down. It is a good idea to burn them in strong cauldrons or jars because charged candles often do all kinds of weird things. Thank the Lord and Lady for their help. Close your circle by saying the standard: "This Circle is open but unbroken. Blessed Be!" Remember dismiss the Watchtowers by starting in the North.You have to undo them counterclockwise now, saying "Guardians of the North we thank you for your presence at our Circle..." and so on. This is best done during Moon dark, which is during the two weeks following the full Moon.

Slide 44 Title : You're not alone

Slide 44 Text: I have said to you; "Harm None", "Be a leader not a follower", "Know yourself", and "Don't join a Coven, start one". Does it sound like a tall order? Yes it is.

The life of a Priestess is not her own. She becomes an instrument of environmental and humanitarian consciousness for the betterment of all. It is true that all practitioners of the Craft are its priestesses. However many are called and few are chosen. Spells chanted without understanding don't work. Wicca practiced without making a connection to the Gods also does not work. There are many roads off "The "Path".

But you are not alone. There are many warm, supportive, tolerant people in Wicca today. Hopefully after taking this course you will avoid potential dangers and have clear sailing to enlightenment. Please feel free to email or IM me anytime for help or Craft supplies.

There is always tons more info in the Craft than could possible be put up here, so the learning of Wicca is a life time job! It is an art, a science, a religion and a way of life too.

Blessed Be!!!!

Reverend Mother High Priestess Blackbird-Dreaming May 1 Beltane 2001 Cape Cod

Slide 45: Title Good Luck!

Slide 45 Text: Take my courses Warrior Princesses and Wicca and Psychic Development

Test Question: Write a 500 word essay about a spell you have tried.