Wicca for Beginners (18 page)

When people become Wiccan, they will often purchase silver pentacles as a symbol of their path. Sometimes new Wiccans receive these as gifts at their initiations or dedications. A Wiccan pentacle necklace can be simple or ornate, but remember that there is a long-standing joke that you can always tell a new Wiccan because he or she will be the one wearing a pentacle the size of a hood ornament. If you live in an area that is not Wicca-friendly, or if you fear that “outing” yourself could result in the loss of your job, you may wish to wear your pentacle under your clothes, save it for circle, forego it entirely, or choose a different Wiccan-friendly symbol that is not as recognizable by non-Wiccans, such as an ankh, a moon, or an animal that is associated with your favorite god or goddess. Some people forego the pentacle because it doesn’t “speak” to them. You don’t have to wear one to be Wiccan. I have plenty of magical jewelry, but I don’t think I’ve worn a pentacle for fifteen years.

There is a staggering selection of Wiccan jewelry for sale. Some is commercially produced, and other pieces are handmade by Wiccan craftspeople. Some Wiccans prefer the handmade kind because they want to support Wiccan jewelry makers. Some believe that a handmade piece feels more personal and they can make it their own more readily than if it was mass-produced. Others just buy what’s pretty or significant to them or make their own.

Performing the Ritual

Now that you’ve decided what you want to do, written the pieces you needed to write, assembled your ritual items, and figured out how you’d like to dress, it’s time to put all of the components you’ve learned together. The following is a step-by-step walk-through of our example Samhain ritual. I’ve written it to be performed by one person alone. You can use this ritual as is, but better yet, use it as a springboard to write your own ritual.

1. Assemble your ritual items and set up your altar in the center of your circle space. Do not light any of the candles yet, but get everything ready. Remove the incense or charcoal from the package and put it in the censer, and place the bottle of wine, corkscrew, plate of ancestor food, extra cup, and plate of cakes under the altar if possible, or in front of it on the floor. Make sure your matches or lighter and the special oil you chose are within easy reach. Place an unlit candle in a holder of some kind in each quarter. If you are going to use a cauldron in the ritual, place it in the west, the direction of the ancestors and the dead (some use the north instead). If you’re using the candle holder instead for the ancestor candle(s), put it on the altar. Set the carved jack-o’-lantern in the west. Set the pictures of your ancestors either on the altar or in the west with the pumpkin and cauldron. Shut the door to the circle room if you have pets.

2. Take your ritual bath, and dress in the clothes you have chosen for the rite. Ground.

3. Cleanse the ritual space as you did in chapter 5 (see the section “Preparing the Space”). Using the broom is particularly appropriate for Samhain. (You can ride it if you want—nobody is looking.)

4. Using your athame, draw your circle, starting in the north. I chose the north because many associate it with the Goddess and earth, and since Samhain is a holiday about death and rebirth, it seems appropriate that you begin and end your circle in the direction of the earth that gives us life and receives us in death. (Start in a different direction, if you’d like.)

5. Using the tip of your athame, drop three scoops of salt in the bowl of water, then stir. Wipe off the blade. If you don’t want your blade in saltwater, pick up the salt, drop it in the water, and stir with your fingers. Take the bowl of saltwater, and starting in the north, move around your circle, sprinkling the saltwater along the edge of the circle.

6. Return to the altar and light the charcoal or incense stick. Put loose incense on the charcoal, and, beginning in the north, carefully walk around your circle with the smoking censer. If your censer is too hot to pick up, you can either bring an oven mitt into the circle or fan the incense smoke in each direction.

7. Take your athame and go to the north once more. Invoke the power of the north by lighting the north candle, drawing the pentagram, and saying something like:

Spirits of the north, power of earth, I call you to join my circle.

8. Repeat in the other three quarters, changing east to “power of air,” south to “power of fire,” and west to “power of water.”

9. Light the God candle, stand with your arms raised in a Y position, and invoke the God, saying something like:

I light this candle for the God.
Lord of the sun and grain,
Lord of the hunt and underworld,
Lord of death and rebirth,
Be here this night in my sacred Samhain circle.

10. Light the Goddess candle, stand with your arms raised in a Y position, and invoke the Goddess, saying something like:

I light this candle for the Goddess.
Lady of the heavens and earth,
Lady of the moon and the mysteries,
Mother of us all,
Be here this night in my sacred Samhain circle.

11. Do your circle blessing:

Great God and Goddess, I have built this circle with love. It is a holy place between the human world and the spirit realm, where I honor you and work my will. So mote it be.

12. Light the candle in the jack-o’-lantern, and say something like:

Friends, loved ones, and Wiccans past, it is Samhain, and the veil between the worlds is thin. Join me and celebrate.

13. Return to the altar, take your ancestor candle, and anoint it with a little bit of the oil. As you rub the oil into the candle, speak to the ancestor(s) the candle represents. Tell him or her anything you would if he or she were standing in front of you. Don’t be afraid to laugh or cry if you are moved to. If you have nothing profound to say, simply welcome him or her. When you have anointed the candle and finished speaking, light it and place it either in the cauldron of rebirth or in the holder on the altar. If you are using multiple candles to represent several different ancestors, repeat this process with each candle until you are finished.

14. Take the plate of ancestor food and hold it over the altar, saying something like:

I dedicate this meal to my friends and loved ones who have passed beyond the veil and returned to me this night. I am always with you, as you are with me. Blessed be.

15. Place the ancestor plate and extra cup (empty) in the west.

16. Sit in front of the altar, relax, and allow yourself to meditate or commune with the spirits of your loved ones. Think about how they affected your life and the good times you had together. If you weren’t moved to speak when you anointed the candles, you may wish to address your ancestors now.

17. When you are finished, open the wine if you haven’t already, and pour some in your chalice. Place the plate of cakes on the altar. Bless the cakes and wine by holding your hands over them, drawing energy up from the earth, and visualizing the energy infusing the cakes and wine, while saying something like:

I bless these cakes and wine in the names of the Great God and Goddess.

18. Raise the cup of wine over the altar to salute the God and Goddess and raise it to the west to salute the ancestors. Pour a little wine from your chalice into the libation bowl, then pour some in the empty ancestor cup. Drink the rest of the wine in your cup.

19. Salute the God and Goddess and the ancestors with the plate of cakes. Drop one cake in the libation bowl, put one on the ancestor plate, and eat the third yourself.

20. When you are finished, thank your ancestors for joining you by facing west and saying something like:

Friends and loved ones, thank you for your
presence here tonight. Your visit has filled me with joy. Return now to the world of spirit.
So mote it be.

21. Blow out the candle in the pumpkin. You can leave the ancestor candles burning or blow them out now too.

22. Face the altar, raise your arms in the Y position, and thank the God and Goddess for joining you by saying something like:

Great God and Goddess, thank you for joining me and blessing my Samhain rite. Hail, and farewell.

23. Extinguish the God and Goddess candles.

24. Go to the north and release the north quarter by drawing the banishing pentagram and saying something like:

Spirits of the north, thank you for attending my rite. Farewell.

25. Extinguish the north candle, and repeat with the other three quarters, going around counterclockwise.

26. Return to the north, and take up the circle using your athame, moving around the edge counterclockwise. Remember to ground out the energy. Do not keep it in your body.

27. Ground again to make sure you have pushed all the excess earth energy out of your body.

28. If you left the ancestor candles burning, keep an eye on them until they go out, or put them out now.

29. Take the libation bowl and ancestor plate outside. We usually put the contents of the libation bowl in the compost and the ancestor plate in the garden. We return for the empty plate a day or two later.

You’ve just completed a full Wiccan sabbat ritual. Write about your experiences in your journal or book of shadows. Make note of what worked and what didn’t, and what messages, if any, you got from your loved ones. Tracking these things will help you discover what really speaks to you in ritual.

11

So You’re Curious about Magic . . .

Many people are drawn
initially to Wicca because Wiccans do magic. They may have been sucked in by the coolness factor, but in many cases, beneath the desire for the glitz and glamour they also seem to harbor a deep need for personal transformation and taking control of their lives. This is a good thing, because there’s really no glamour in magic, despite what prime-time television shows would have you believe. Magic is challenging, empowering, and rewarding work. Magic is working your will.

What Is Magic?

As I mentioned in chapter 2, one of the most commonly used definitions of magic among Wiccans is Aleister Crowley’s definition, or some variation of it: Magic is “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformance with will.” The first part of that definition is something most of us can relate to—no matter how great our lives are, there are always things that we would like to change. Wiccans do “everyday” magic to bring about things that they want—a new job, love, healing—and if you have read anything at all about Crowley you know that he was not a man to deny himself his wants either. But Crowley is not talking simply about working magic to bring about what you want, he is talking also about working your will. In addition to its mundane uses, magic has a “higher” purpose—to bring us closer to the divine; to align us with the patterns of nature and the universe that we must understand in order for our magic to work. When you perform a magical act in accordance with your true will, you are in harmony with deity. Working magic brings about change in the world, but it also brings about transformation in us. That said, magic does not have to be complex. Some of the simplest magics are the most effective. But it is important to remember that working magic is more than fulfilling everyday needs and wishes.

What Is a Spell?

When Wiccans explain what a spell is to non-Wiccans, they will sometimes say, “A spell is like a prayer.” I disagree. Although in both a prayer and a spell you are making your desires known to the universe, the similarities end there. When you pray for something, you are asking God to help you achieve some goal. When you do a spell, you are telling the universe that you intend to bring about a certain change and you are putting the energy in motion to achieve that end. You may ask for help from a god or goddess in your spell, but it is really you who is doing the work and moving the energy behind your desired change.

A spell is a set of actions done in a specific sequence to manifest your intent. In less lofty terms, it is a recipe to bring about change, but instead of sugar, flour, and eggs, the ingredients are things like candles, oils, and herbs, and instead of sifting, stirring, or baking, the instructions may include visualization, gestures, chants or singing, dance or movement, meditation, invocation, and concentration. A basic spell format is to create ritual space, state your intent, visualize your goal, raise energy, send the energy to your goal, ground the extra energy, and close the ritual. When you do a spell, you are working with the power and energy patterns of nature. It’s not supernatural, and it’s not rocket science.

Spells usually have a spoken component where the person performing the magic states his or her intent. Often this is done in rhyme, because for many people it’s easier to memorize rhyme, and if you’re working with a group, the rhyming words and meter make it easier for the entire group to say the words together. Rhymes are also helpful because you can chant them over and over again to raise energy. As with the quarter calls and invocations, however, your spells do not have to rhyme to work, and if you think that your rhymes would either trip you up or make you laugh uncontrollably in the middle of your spell, or if your attempts at meter sound like a car with only three tires going over a pothole, it’s best to skip the fancy stuff and just say what your intent is clearly and concisely without rhyme. The point, after all, is to work your will, not ace your poetry final.

In spell work, Wiccans also raise energy to direct toward the goal of the spell. There are endless techniques to raise energy, some of which are listed in chapter 3. A few of the most common are clapping, dancing, or singing, usually starting slowly and building in speed and intensity to a crescendo. When the energy is rising, many Wiccans will visualize it taking the form of a cone, which they call the “cone of power.” The cone is usually centered over the altar, if you’re using one, or centered in the circle. When the cone has reached its peak, the Wiccan(s) doing the spell releases it, sending the energy forth to put his or her intent in motion.

Correspondences

In order to work magic effectively, it’s important to understand a little bit about magical correspondences. Correspondences are things that “go with” other things. They have similar qualities or similar energy. There is a basic magical concept that we touched on briefly in the ethics section in chapter 2: Like attracts like. The idea is that things that are similar are bound together energetically, and including one in a spell might attract the other; for example, using green candles (the color of American money) in a money spell, or heart-shaped items in a love spell.

When I was a kid, there was a clothing line for children called “Garanimals.” Each item had a tag on it shaped like an animal. If you were fashion-impaired like I was, and you wanted a shirt to match a skirt you had picked out, you’d go look for shirts with the same animal on the tag as the skirt. If your skirt had a lion tag, you’d choose a shirt with a lion tag to match—a brilliant marketing idea that probably saved countless nerdy kids like me from certain fashion disaster. Unfortunately, there is no Garanimals guide to magical correspondences. There is no one book that will tell you everything you need to know. There are, however, many, many partial lists of correspondences in basic Wicca books and basic astrology books. I’ve included some of these books in the suggested reading list.

Other people’s lists are a good place to start exploring correspondences, but remember that sometimes correspondences are subjective, especially color correspondences. For example, you might associate red with health because it is the color of blood and vitality, but someone else might associate white with health because of its link to cleanliness and purity. Who is right? The answer is that, to some extent anyway, whoever is doing the magic is right. If white is the color that works for you, that seems to align with your purpose and helps you visualize your goal, then white is right, no matter what anyone else says. Herb and astrological correspondences tend to be less subjective (although sometimes there is quibbling about what goes with what there too), and I’ve included some sources for those in the reading list as well.

Twelve Steps for a Great Spell

In basic Wicca books you can find any number of spells already written and ready to use. I encourage you to try some of the pre-written ones, but I encourage you even more to write your own spells. Your spells are more potent than anything anyone else could write for you because they are composed of pieces that are significant to you personally. In addition, writing your own spells is a powerful statement that you are not just doing everyday magic; you are also working your will on that higher magical level. So, if you’re ready to take this piece of your spiritual growth in your own hands, here are twelve steps to building a great spell.

Step 1: Set your goal.

What is the goal of your spell? Write it down. Be specific! There’s a great scene in the film
The Joy Luck Club
where a Chinese girl who knows that she will not be able to choose her own husband prays that he will not be old and ugly. After her wedding, when her veil is removed and she sees her new husband for the first time, she discovers that he’s not old or ugly, but he has barely hit puberty and he’s childish and immature. She got her wish, but not in the way she thought she might because she wasn’t specific in her wish. I was in a sweat lodge once, and a man in the lodge asked Creator for strength. As if they had planned it beforehand, everyone in the lodge moved away from him simultaneously. They did this because they knew that the best way to become strong is to face adversity, and they didn’t want to share in the little “life lesson” he had just set himself up for. If you ask for something in the presence of the Creator or the gods and aren’t specific, chances are the powers-that-be are going to see to it that you reach your magical goal the hard way. It’s not malicious; it’s just the way life works.

If you’re doing magic to bring love into your life, what kind of love are you looking for? Romantic? Friendship? Brotherly love? What kind of person would you like to attract? Don’t think of or name a specific person, because you don’t want to manipulate someone into a relationship with you, but do think of traits you’d like him or her to have, including whether you’d rather it was a him or a her. Remember too that even though you are a super-powerful Wiccan-in-the making, don’t set a vague and huge magical goal like “world peace.” Noble as this sounds, it’s too big a topic with too many variables for one lone Wiccan to achieve. I’m not telling you to aim lower than whatever height you’re capable of (that wouldn’t be working your will, after all), but when you’re starting out, it’s best to choose smaller, more concrete objectives.

Step 2: Examine your will.

Is the magic you are contemplating aligned with your higher purpose? If you don’t know, don’t do the magic until you have meditated on this question or asked deity or your inner self for guidance. You may also want to use divination, like tarot cards or astrology, to help you determine if this spell is right for you.

Step 3: Consider your ethics
and the possible consequences.

Think about possible outcomes of your actions and their impact before proceeding. Will what you are contemplating hurt you or others? Remember the Wiccan Rede and the Threefold Law, and act for the highest good. But it’s also important not to kneecap yourself in trying to avoid harm by creating a wimpy spell. A wimpy spell won’t help you and may impede your true will rather than help you align with it. This is another area where divination can help you make a decision.

Step 4: Work toward your goal
on the mundane plane.

Magic is much more effective if in addition to doing a spell you also try to achieve your goal the “everyday” way. After all, you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket, and it’s hard to get a new job if you don’t send out any resumes, no matter how kick-ass your spell is.

Step 5: Choose the best time to perform your magic.

When is the most appropriate time to do the working? There are lots of factors to consider in choosing the right time. The first is simply: When do you have time to do it? You don’t want to be rushed. You also want to choose a time when you are rested and alert. As with examining your will and possible consequences, you might want to do divination to determine the best time to work your spell.

Another factor, and one that’s easy to determine, is the phase of the moon. Wiccans do magic to enhance things or draw things to them—such as health, money, and love magic—while the moon is waxing, or getting bigger in the sky. They do magic to banish things or make things smaller—such as magic to reduce debt, lose weight, or break bad habits—when the moon is waning, or getting smaller in the sky. Magic to bring things to fruition is often done at the full moon. So how do you tell if the moon is waxing or waning? The easiest way is to look up at the sky. The moon is waxing when the light side is curved to the right, like a capital
D
. It’s waning when the light side is curved to the left, like a capital
C
. If it’s too cloudy to tell, it’s easy to find the phase of the moon by searching on the Internet or consulting an astrological calendar.