How to Become a Witch (23 page)

When the elemental powers are present, Oak Shadow invites Osiris, lord of the Underworld, and Summerlight calls Isis, the great healer.

Summerlight continues. “Six months ago, we came together at Beltane and danced the maypole in celebration of life. Now the Wheel has moved halfway round, and we are gathered in this sacred circle to acknowledge the end of life, to mark the third and final harvest of the year, and especially to honor those whom we have loved and who have gone before us to the Summerlands. If you wish, step forward now and offer tribute to your dead.” One at a time, the Witches speak heartfelt words: to a departed grandmother, to a friend who lost his life in a highway accident, to a family cat who passed on after fourteen years of companionship.

The next hour is reserved for solitary meditation or quiet divination on the coming year. Singly and in pairs, the coveners find nooks and corners. Some draw tarot cards or cast stones or bones on the carpet. One sits before the altar and looks at a photo, communing silently with his departed friend.

Later, a soft chime brings them together. Summerlight lifts a plate of small cakes and asks the blessing of the Goddess. Oak Shadow raises a chalice of dark, rich wine and thanks the God. With whispered blessings, the food and drink are passed around the circle.

Finishing, Summerlight thanks Isis for her presence, and Oak Shadow does the same for Osiris: “And if go ye must, we say, ‘Hail and farewell!’” The coveners echo the “hail and farewell.”

Soon the elemental powers have been thanked and released, and the circle is formally opened. Food appears, and Summerlight cries out: “I have a bottle of Estelle’s pomegranate mead, can you believe it? If you’re not driving later, help me savor it!” With a mixture of somberness for those who are gone and celebration of their lives, the meal and conversation continue late into the night.

Resources for Ritual

How do you learn to design and perform ritual? You’ve already started just by reading this chapter. You will want to read more, starting with
True Magick: A Beginner’s Guide
, which is used by many covens as part of their training programs. When you’re ready to go deeper, find a copy of
RitualCraft: Creating Rites for Transformation and Celebration
. The reading list in that will take you as far as you want to go with ritual magick.

However, reading is never enough. This is the Craft; it’s about practicing the Witches’ arts. So attend as many Wiccan (and general Pagan) rituals as you can: public sabbats, festival rituals, any coven rites you can get invited to. At every one, watch, listen, and feel. Afterward, make notes in your Book of Shadows. What parts were powerful and moving? What parts, if any, seemed flat or unnecessary? What would you have done differently? Imagine that you are the ritual leader, and direct the whole event in your mind.

Witch balls

An old custom says that it’s wise to place a shiny glass ball in your window or in the ceiling corners, where negative energy can collect. These “Witch balls” will either trap or scare away any negative spirits that might wander into your home. Some people use old glass fisherman’s floats, but there are also mirrored balls and glass art balls designed for the purpose. Even a Christmas tree ornament can do the job.

In the meantime, you can practice rituals at home, as a solitary or with family or friends. At first it will seem awkward, almost like reading lines out of a book. Soon it will flow more smoothly, and you can really concentrate on the power, the meaning, and the spirit of the ritual.

In time, you will also have chances to volunteer for parts in an open ritual. Most ritual leaders are happy to have help and glad to share their knowledge and experience. You might begin by helping set up the altar, or calling a quarter, or even leading a chant if you are musical. It won’t be long before you can design and lead a large public ritual like a master.

Shadow Work

Just as a large part of the year is filled by the darkness of winter, an important part of our magick is shadow work: exploring those areas of our own hearts and minds that are difficult, painful, and largely unknown—hidden in shadow.

To understand what we mean by shadow work, you first need to understand the Witch’s attitude toward light and darkness. To us, these are two essential polarities that balance each other in the universe. Night and day, light and shadow, winter and summer—each is part of the natural pattern. A world with only light or only darkness would be unbalanced and lifeless.

Note that we do not assign moral values to these polarities. In mainstream Western thinking, it is common to speak of light as good and darkness as evil. The knight in shining armor glitters in the sunlight, while the nasty dragon lurks in a dark cave. The cowboy hero wears a white hat, the villain wears a black one. The Star Wars Jedi wear white tunics, the evil Darth Vader wears black. And so on.

To a Witch, night and darkness are not associated with evil. They are simply one side of reality, as necessary and right as day and sunlight. They are opposites, but not moral opposites. We understand that good things can happen in the darkness: from the dark, fallow soil of winter, new life emerges in the spring. On the other hand, evil can flourish in the light. A politician can make noble-sounding speeches even as he leads his nation into an unnecessary war. A forest watershed can be bulldozed in broad daylight to make way for tract housing.

So, shadow work is not about black magick or anything harmful. In shadow work, we confront those uncomfortable parts of ourselves that are usually hidden in the subconscious. They reveal their presence in our feelings. When we experience fear, anger, hatred, shame, guilt, grief, or even irritation or embarrassment, we can be sure that a shadow issue has been triggered.

Shadow issues also manifest in negative attitudes, such as self-loathing, prejudice and bigotry, pessimism, and even indifference. And ultimately, they reveal themselves in harmful behaviors: addictions and other self-destructive acts, sloth, mindless conformity, discrimination, recklessness, or violence. Unresolved shadow issues also frequently lead to emotional, mental, and physical illness.

All these things stunt our potential. They limit our ability to be joyous, creative, lifegiving, and healing individuals. They not only prevent us from being positive forces in the world but can cause us to harm others, even those we care for deeply.

As Witches, we face our shadow sides, work to understand their sources and roots, then reframe, transmute, and harness the power that resides in the shadow. This is in huge contrast with those who want only to ignore, avoid, or escape anything to do with the shadow.

Of course, we are dealing with the same issues that one encounters in counseling or psychotherapy. And Witches are quite willing to seek counseling when it seems appropriate. It is simply that we have different perspectives and tools than the average therapist.

Shadow work is not comfortable or quickly done. But those who will not shine a light into the shadowy recesses of their own hearts are destined to be controlled by whatever lurks there unseen. And Witches submit to no control except that of the divine spirit within.

Doing shadow work requires three steps:

• We admit and take responsibility for our negative emotions, attitudes, and behaviors.
  
• We choose
  not
  to stuff them, avoid them, ignore them, blame them on others, run away from them (through alcohol, drugs, etc.), or let them control our behavior (act them out in destructive ways).
  
• We work with them until we understand their sources and can bring them into the light and release them, or transform them into something positive.
  

Take care of your basic physical health, because negative feelings can be caused by, or worsened by, a physical condition. Check with your doctors and healers to see if there might be a physiological cause for feelings or behaviors that distress you. A chemical imbalance in your brain can lead to manic depression, a shortage of serotonin can lead to clinical depression, and the list goes on. These can be treated with improved diet, control of your blood sugar level, medication, and other approaches.

Of course, there is usually a synergy between physical illness and emotional, mental, energetic, and spiritual problems, so you can approach it from both sides. We believe that very few problems are strictly physical or emotional; we are each a complex interaction of many parts, and the whole person must be treated for any imbalance or disease.

Many magickal or ritual tools or techniques can be used in shadow work:

• Meditate until you understand why that shadow was necessary in your life; then thank it, say farewell, and do a releasing spell.
  
• Do magick to discover whether you are affected by an outside agency or person; for example, see if energy cords from other people are attached to your chakras. Ask yourself, “Is this my ‘stuff’ or does it belong to someone else?”
  
• Work with animal allies, elemental spirits, and spirit guides who have balancing strengths; if you are fearful, get help from one who is filled with courage, like Lion or a fire elemental.
  
• Imagine a version of yourself who has transcended the shadow issue or transformed it; raise power and draw it into yourself or a poppet (doll) representing you.
  
• Rename or reframe the shadow; look at it from another perspective that is positive and useful, and pour energy into that image.
  
• Make and wear a talisman based on an element, planetary energy, or deity that can heal, release, or transform the shadow.
  
• Think how you could be without that shadow, then act in accord, “as if” it were already healed or released, until it becomes reality.
  
• During meditation, go inside and meet your shadow self. (It may be an earlier version of you from a traumatic time in your life.) Talk and listen to it, then do healing for that wounded self.
  
• Do a ritual cleansing to release the shadow and embrace the pure you.
  
• Do self-blessings and affirmations frequently; affirm the former need for the shadow and release it from your life now.
  
• If you have harmed another or yourself, seek atonement. Balance the scales: restore, heal, or replace what was lost or damaged.
  

You need not face the dark alone. Work with deities who understand shadow issues; these are only a few of them:

Persephone,
the maiden who was taken to the Underworld but returns to the world of life and light each spring for a while. She understands both light and darkness. And remember that she is Queen of the Underworld—that’s where she gets her power.

Hecate,
the torch-bearer who guides Persephone through dark tunnels to the light and her mother, Demeter.

Inanna
, the Sumerian goddess of life who voluntarily went to the Underworld to learn to understand death, and there met the dark queen Ereshkigal.

Rhiannon
, the Celtic goddess who was forced to suffer and bear many burdens before she achieved her freedom.

Ceridwen
, another Celtic deity, who has the sacred cauldron of transformation and rebirth.

Osiris, Odin, Tammuz, Mithras,
and the gods of sun and grain who die and are reborn.

Quan Yin
, the compassionate goddess of the East “who hears the weeping world.”

Isis, Brigit, Apollo, Hygeia, Aesclepius
, and all the healer goddesses and gods.

Ganesh
, the loving Hindu god who can remove all obstacles.

You need not face the dark alone. Work also with people who understand shadow issues; these are a few of them:

• An elder Witch who has worked through these issues.
  
• Your coven sisters and brothers, who may be able to lovingly point out an issue or help you gain clarity.
  
• A counselor; after all, most of the behaviors you may question will have a nonspiritual side to them. An NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) practitioner won’t even necessarily need to know your issue, just the behavior or thought you need to change. (Search the Web for “NLP” and your state.)
  
• And don’t neglect the many really good books that are available on many different aspects of self-help. Browse your local bookstore until one or more speak to you. They can add structure to your quest.
  

Practical magick