More Witch
StuffCoven of Cythrawl
POSTINGS
(Number 382)
Basic Spell Construction ++ (answers to a few more questions)
Greetings all - I guess my personal message got
lost in cyber space
Armon and I will come back to the "pagan" thing later. I agree with
what you said in answer to Steph and I have tried my best to outline
all about the Southern hemisphere workings in the web site at :
http://www.coven-of-cythrawl.com/pagan_wheel_Southern.htm
It's hard to get to grips with what the real essence of the "wheel"
is, but if it is real essence - then we must follow the "wheel" as it
is in the country we reside and actually "FEEL" the wheel, as that is
what it is all about after all!!
Just because Wicca 'appeared' to hail from Britain, it doesn't mean
to say that other Earth based "feelings" / "religions" /
"beliefs"
did not appear in other places as well and as the Wiccan wheel was
for the northern side of our little world, we have so many wonderful
people from the other side who are following 'their' "heart" and the
rosey path of the Old Religion, I think we can agree we must go with
Nature and certainly not some kind of self efficious dogma, based on
another (or any) side of the world.
It's in our heart and we will feel it, if only we can/will "open
up". It's time to go on a little "time-out" and actually
"see"
beyond looking and "feel" (deeply) Mother Nature and Her wonder and
then it all will/might make sense.
Tim who wrote in to me - let me get back to you soon - I don't want
to give you half an answer. Elrick too, give me a little while to
catch up on everything.
In the meantime, I wanted to re-post something about basic spells, as
I have recieved so very many emails regarding "how to" since I posted
a few basics in magick not so long ago, so I will try to outline more
step by step a little more in a few more postings and keep everyone
busy. However, whatever I say is only a guide, (as how I have foud
it - and others might be different) - so it is important to all do
for ourselves and experiment and research.
Thank you Steph and Armon for keeping the light burning and I
appreciate the deeper sense that you are bringing out, but I agree
with you Steph; it might be time to "take time out" and seek yourself
and Mother Nature (if you are so inclined) by yourself in some lovely
place and experience it all "again".
With that in mind, I am also soon going back to my favourite place by
the river in Malaysia and take a few days off listening, feeling,
seeing, touching and sensing, all by myself, within the arms of the
Mother once again. It is the best thing I do nowadays and I love
going.
Anyway, for those that wrote in to me asking about this subject - I
hope that the following can help guide you all along a fuzzy path
that only "we" can find and walk ourselves. Then, my friends, live
within and without that magick and it is truly wonderful.
No one can "tell you how" - perhaps only point in a few directions
and for you to actually "put out", "research", and and do it
yourself - and keep trying. Nothing comes for free, (meaning hard
work and belief). However, in the end, it is so worth it - I really,
really assure you. So then, this is what I wrote before (and parts
of it are on the main site) and I post it again here for all of those
that wrote in to me.
BASIC SPELL CONSTRUCTION
The power of real magick cannot be found in a recipe book. If it
were only that easy! Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely and a
great pity that one will stumble upon the hidden grimoire or mystic
amulet that will instantly grant one "magical powers". The ability
to perform real magic is attained only through diligent practice,
hard work and inner inspiration".
Magick can only be "learned" by experiencing it by whatever means
available. The basic message of magick is that, what is fundamental
to magick is the actual doing of it - that like sex, no amount of
theorising and intellectualisation can substitute for the actual
experience.
If you study the traditions of magick over the centuries, you might
notice that certain forms and procedures appear over and over. So if
you strip away the outer symbolism and only retain that which is
repeated across these many systems, you might be surprised to find
these "strange attractors" which point to an underlying basic
principle.
It is reasonable to assume that these procedures/rites and rituals
arise for the same reason that any intelligent being who uses
geometry will probably stumble across the value of "pi" sooner or
later. It's something actually integral to the nature of the known
and unknown forces, human mind/body and the reality we find ourselves
in at the "time".
Like many other skills, the serious art of magick skills could be
construed as a "knack" perhaps. An art that is learned all in one!
For instance, you cannot half meditate, or nearly ride a bicycle, or
even just about swim. In each case, there is a state of "not being
able to", and then, albeit badly at first perhaps, the actual ability
to meditate, swim, or ride a bike.
Practice makes perfect and Magick, like all others, takes right
action, determination, perseverance, and more actual practice. As
said earlier, you will not suddenly receive this skill by the grace
of a magick grimoire, or magickal passing from a magi to a student.
It takes hard work - actual work being the definitive word. This is
the real secret!
There lies the basic secret to Magick and perhaps to many traditional
forms of magick from around the world. However, the Practitioner
must be choose with care about which traditional techniques s/he
adopts, and examine them dispassionately to determine what is useful
technique and what is artifice.
One of the the authentic and pragmatic keys to making "magick" truly
work, is the real ability to achieve an ALTERED STATE OF
CONSCIOUSNESS and raise power.
But not just any old altered state will do, it is actually quite
precise, yet equally difficult to attempt to imply, define and of
course, teach. That is the main problem in magickal traditions; it,
(the truth, secret, or whatever you want to call "it"), must come by
working at "it" and when you get "it", you will know
"it", and then
you will find that you too cannot define or explain "it".
This is the crux and bane of magickal tradition and expresses most
succinctly the insurmountable difficulty throughout the ages in the
successful transmission of the "secrets" of magick.
It also explains why there seem to be so many styles, forms, sects
and beliefs, (in that very impossibility of explaining the
unexplainable and subsequently being perceived and practiced by every
individual, as they "received it").
One can in fact, only point the direction, show the way and act as
guide. You cannot be "told it", no more than you can be shown
"the"
secret. No-one is "the" guru; we are all, and remain, seekers on an
everlasting journey, mostly all of us at different places, different
junctures and different stages in our life(s).
The required mental shift has been called many names throughout
history. Such as Samadhi by the yogis, jnara by the
Tantrists, "awake" by the Sufi Muslims. It has been referred to as
the Naugul Sorcerer, the Abyss, the crack between worlds.
In keeping with the traditions of the old Gnostic sects, this state
has come to be called Gnosis by High magicians and especially
Chaotes, (followers of Chaos Magick) – and Raising The Cone Of Power
within Wicca.
Gnosis is, "the direct perception of the Void" for all intents and
purposes. It might be thought of as the state when the discursive
mind shuts down, leaving an unfiltered access to the subconscious.
The most common experience of gnosis to the average person can be
achieved in many different ways and accounts for the many different
styles of "bringing on this state" and in raising the power of
sorcerers' around the world. It can be achieved in dancing, whether
in wild abandon, or in ever increasing speed of mundane dance.
It can be achieved with shaking the head, the body and many other
physically dynamic and oft disorientating movements. Other methods
might be in the pointedness and pure abandon of a powerful sexual
orgasm.
In other words, at the peak of the raising of power, the mind
essentially stops thinking, and the consciousness is focused on a
single point in space-time. This will all be of no avail however, if
the magician does not then know how to properly and firmly direct
this extreme charge of dynamic power that has been charged and
suitably brought to a dramatic climax.
Sexual climax is not the only path to the gnostic state of course,
but is mentioned as it certainly signifies the similarities found by
all serious magical sects throughout the world, including tantra. It
is a proven fact, that the gnosis state achieved in this way,
actually works and was further developed and researched by nearly all
ancient and modern magicians and shamans.
It is a proven fact that the raising of power is necessary and the
resultant sudden gnosis state in release, achieved in any way,
actually works and was further developed and researched by nearly all
ancient and modern magicians and shamans.
Naturally, a magician has to be able to have many other methods of
achieving gnosis at their command and the development of many other
techniques to attain and control the "pent up" and potential power
when whatever forms are utilized.
Many ways of obtaining an Altered State should be looked into by each
initiate and experimented with, until each individual has more than a
few ways to achieve this necessary gnosis and subsequently find their
magick getting stronger and stronger.
The second factor in successful magick, and has great bearing on the
first, and is the art of total meditation and visualization , and/or
self hypnosis. To be an effective magician, it's absolutely
mandatory to make a concentrated effort to learn at least one
technique of meditation.
In the Coven of Cythrawl, it is defined as a system of self-control
by which one can quickly and at will, stimulate, or rather achieve
alpha-wave activity in the brain, which is effectively, the hallmark
of a effective meditation system.
Initiates in the Coven of Cythrawl learn hypnosis and alpha
meditation, as well as the more ancient and arcane Indian and Taoist
yogic meditations. They learn in "Pathworking" to go to a secret
place that they build in their minds while in an alpha state and
during this Guided Imagery, they can successfully carry out many
wonderful phenomenon, such as healing themselves and others, and are
also able to carry out many remarkable magical manifestations that
cannot be otherwise explained.
They are able to receive answers to complex questions and see into
the past and the future. A connection perhaps, with the "universal
mind" and/or other realms and dimensions is achieved, yet these
remarkable phenomenons cannot be put into plain words, or explained
in mundane terms, now or ever.
The important factor is to know that, it works! And that... is what
is important to us! Pathworking remains an important and extremely
powerful tool that all initiates learn early on in the magickal
training with the Coven of Cythrawl.
Visualization is the process of using the imagination to induce
specific visual illusions in oneself at will, which is what Karl Jung
called the active imagination. It is the ability to make
yourself "see things" that are not physically present by strongly
imagining them and behaving as though they were.
In other words, self-induced hallucinations and rather deep hypnotic
effects. This is in essence, the basic factors of hypnosis where our
truth lies in our perception. At more advanced levels, forced
imagery causes actual manifestation and manifestation by connection
with the basic fundamentals and building blocks of the universe(s)
and allows different realms, dimensions and powers to be visited at
will.
Special Yogic positions and mind set also remains a key ingredient in
certain Chaos practice, such as in various "Death Postures" and is
certainly a key tool in the ancient Traditional Witchcraft of OAM,
(Ordo Anno Mundi).
Another "secret" utilized by all successful magickal systems is voice
and vibration. There is certainly power in the voice, or vocal
sounds, and not a single religious or mystical practice throughout
the world has failed to take advantage of this fact, magickal systems
included.
The most famous of all meaningful vibratory sounds, being the
inexplicable and mysterious Sanskrit word, "Om" or "Aum",
used by
many ancient mystical schools across central and Eastern Asia. (The
meaning of which is inexplicable and unknowable).
Vibrations, out of the range of normal hearing and from various
sources have been the focus of many scientific research over the
years and only recently, strange phenomena are coming to light, like
the fascinating and exquisite geometrical shape formed by the
vibrations of the word "Om".
In fact, so many ancient, secret magical and mystical texts from
around the world, one will encounter again and again the
term 'vibrate' being used to describe some kinds of vocalization.
("Vibrate the following words of power...", etc.)
In mundane terms, what is being described is the entire human body's
ability to actually RESONATE "sympathetically" with the voice and/or
other vibratory sounds present, and the sensory effects that can be
experienced by doing so is far deeper than we can ever know.
Let's now look the Power of Symbols.
As well as clever manipulation of symbols by one person on another,
it could be argued that some symbols have an arcane power in
themselves. To speak psychology, a neat parallel might be Jung's
notion of our interpretation of certain symbols being ingrained in
the collective unconscious, through repetition over generations. The
issue of whether a symbol can contain some "innate power" in its form
alone, could be argued at length of course.
If you get nothing more from the concepts explained in this section,
than the following elucidation, it will have been worth the time of
reading so far. That is; The most important thing about sigil magic
is that -- it works!
The conscious mind is not directly capable of performing magic in its
conscious self and the truth be known, it actually INHIBITS magic.
Therefore, the subconscious mind must have the magical "INTENT"
implanted in it somehow, so that it can "UNCONSCIOUSLY"
manipulate "aetheric" information to bring about the DESIRED result.
Not only is this the basic theory model of the function of sigil
magic, but it can be used to model any form of effective magical
technique. Chinese Taoist magic utilizes entirely sigil magic in the
writing of their "Fu" (magic paper) and the secret, (illegible)
writing in one spot to complete the spell.
South American Shamanistic sorcery also obviously involves direct
interface with the magician's subconscious, breaking down the
barriers by extreme disciplines and psychoactive drugs. Complex
systems of ceremonial magic can be effective, but only if the
subconscious mind is trained to recognize the symbolism of the system
and act on it's linguistics UNCONSCIOUSLY. The adept \then uses the
tools of their system to formulate effective magical procedures.
This explains the long apprenticeships and intense religious
instruction that characterizes many of the traditions of the world.
There is no inherent magical "power" in these particular set of
symbols; it is only the subconscious manipulation of whatever symbols
are chosen that make them magical and cause the effect.
However, of course, all the various magickal systems of the world in
all the thousands of generations, it was obviously more magically
effective (and the only recognizable method) for the aspiring student
of the system to accept the dogma of its tradition from the gurus and
high priests -- that their symbol-set was inherently magical --
without question! Plus that it would provide the REQUIRED "belief-
state" to make it work!
As practicing Magicians, we substitute "meta-belief" technique for
dogmatic adherence to a particular ancient and inherited model.
Religious acceptance is REPLACED with PASSIONATE PERFORMANCE that
taps into the "unconscious archetypes" that underlie ALL the
religious symbolism of humanity. By the use of ACTIVE IMAGINATION,
and certain "slight-of-mind" tricks such as "sigils", we are
able to
breach the barriers of the subconscious by 'guile, not by force, or
by siege (as in traditional ceremonial magic.)
In general terms, a sigil is a glyph or symbol with mystical or
magical significance. Methods originated by Austin Osman Spare, the
founder of modern Chaos Magick never exactly revealed how the
concept of sigil magic came to him, although he was an accomplished
graphic artist, so it's possible he got the idea from his drawing and
painting.
The newly (at the time) published works of Sigmund Freud and Karl
Jung might have provided the theoretical foundation for
the "subliminal" nature of sigil workings; that between the conscious
and unconscious (or subconscious) mind there stands a "safety valve",
a filter that suppresses all non-logical thoughts and impressions,
which Spare called the "psychic censor".
Of course, he might have learnt that the Chinese had been carrying
out sigil magick for thousands of years, as had some of the
Traditional Witchcraft sects of Ancient Britain and Europe. India
had similar magickal practices, and to this day, remain highly secret
in underground traditional sects.
Sigil Magic uses the glyphs as a means to bridge the gap between
the "conscious" and "subconscious" mind. It also compares in
some
respects to the traditional "talisman magic" of the middle to late
ages in Europe and Britain, in which predetermined symbols (such as
planetary or astrological ones) were used to embellish a physical
device that would encompass the "power" represented by those
symbols. Generally, the talisman is subsequently carried by the user
as a "charm", and talismans are still utilized by traditional
witchcraft today.
In contrast, a sigil is a customized tool designed to bring about a
specific effect, and it's physical basis is only used once at the
time of the subconscious implantation, after which it is generally
(although not always) destroyed. The Chinese burn their sigils
(talismans) and then will drink the ashes in a drink to ensure the
spell is totally consumed.
A sigil can be thought of as an original artistic creation, produced
by conceiving a sentence that expresses a magical intent, and
converting that sentence into a pictorial representation. The point
is to obtain an image that can carry the intent past the psychic
censor and into the subconscious mind, where it becomes magically
effective.
Because of the very nature of Magick, each working should be highly
individualized and personal. Even if following a traditional spell,
it should be tailored to your specific needs to be most effective for
you. Understanding the basics of Spell Construction will enable you
to formulate your own specific, effective spells for any purpose you
desire.
Preliminary planning is necessary. The very first step is to decide
precisely what your desired end result is to be. Before you can
start, you must decide where you are going. You must be very
explicit.
It is important, also, that you choose your time carefully. You
should take into consideration all Astrological implications, energy
currents and Moon phases.
The Moon is the astronomical body closest to us and, therefore, has a
profound influence upon us, it is very important to choose a time
when the Moon is in an astrological sign which is appropriate for
your working. For example: Aries/Action - Enthusiasm, Taurus/
Renewal - Sensuality, Gemini/Communication - Curiosity,
Cancer/Emotion - Nurturing, Leo/Vitality - Determined,
Virgo/Organizing -
Studious, Libra/Balance - Cooperation, Scorpio/Sexual -
Philosophical, Capricorn/Authority - Ambitious, Aquarius/Innovation -
Social, Pisces/Sensitivity - Idealistic.
Bear in mind that magickal workings for gain, increase or bringing
things to you, should be initiated when the Moon is Waxing (from Dark
to Full); when the Moon is Waning (from Full to Dark), it is time
for magickal workings of decrease or sending away.
The highest energy occurs at the Full Moon and, therefore, this is
the most powerful time for magickal workings. The New Moon is the
next most powerful time for Magick.
Whenever possible, follow Nature's natural Energy Currents. There is
a natural time for starting things (a planting time), for maturing
things (a growing time), for reaping things ( a harvest time) and, of
course, a time for rest and planning. Flowing with these currents
will make your magickal work much easier. Remember to plan your
project for a time of uninterrupted privacy.
It is important that you have no distractions. Generally speaking,
it is best to work as late at night as possible. A time when there
is less frantic energy is most appropriate. You might consider
Midnight or later.
In choosing a place to do your magickal working pay particular
attention to your needs, for you must be comfortable. Your place
should be private, quiet and secure. If at all possible, set aside a
special place for this purpose only. An unused room, a special
corner of your bedroom, a quiet, secluded spot in your garden. A
place that is yours. A place that you can come to whenever need
arises and that is as free from intrusion of others as possible.
Prior to the night of your magickal working, gather together the
things that you will need. All of the things used are tools. They
have no inherent magick. They are to help you create a mood. If
correctly made and used, they will trigger primitive responses from
deep within you.
They should be chosen with care. Consider the purpose of your ritual
and choose your tools accordingly. If your magick is to be sexual,
your candles, oils, incenses and so forth, should bring forth a
sexual response. If the desired result of your Magick is
Tranquillity, then the tools should make you feel calm, peaceful and
serene. Any candles you might use should not have commercially added
fragrances, as these may not be appropriate for your working.
Prior to your ritual, prepare yourself and your equipment by any
means necessary to clean and purify. Historically, people have
fasted, followed meticulous and detailed bathing practices, practiced
chastity and used many other methods. Most often a Ritual Bath is the
preferred method.
A bath frequently utilizing candlelight, fragrant herbs, bath salts
or sensuous oils. A sumptuous hot bath, special bathing preparations
and appropriate lighting, combined, can create the soothing effect
which will help in the very important step of relaxing and clearing
the mind completely of all mundane thoughts and experiences of the
day. Your ritual Bath should, also, begin to set the specific
vibrations conducive to your purpose into motion. You must not only
cleanse and purify but must, also, begin to create the type of energy
necessary.
A high degree of intensity is vitally important. The Altered State
of Consciousness that you must reach is not a meditative state.
Anything that interferes with your ability to concentrate upon, reach
and control the high-energy state necessary to perform magick should
be avoided.
Do not scatter your energy by attempting to do more than one magickal
working at a time. Remember that Magick is the manipulation of
energy, a thought is a form of energy and a visualization is an even
stronger form of energy. Your visualization can be a method used to
intensify further and direct your will. Your visualization can be
the method by which you control the magickal energy you have
produced. You must know what you want. You must see it. You must
feel the high energy flow. You must direct it.
One of the most important elements in the practice of any form of
Magick is the Universal Law of Cause and Effect. This means that
whatever you do (or don't do) you cause something to happen. The most
important consideration is the Universal Law of Retribution. This
means that no matter what you do, it comes back to you in like kind.
It is the nature of things that as you send something out it gains
momentum, so that, by the time it comes back to you, it is three
times stronger. If you do something nice for someone, someone will
do something nicer for you.
"As you weave and
spin your spell,
Three fold return
the tale will tell."
Blessings Azaz
Degree System
within Wicca Working Tools of Wicca
Elements of Witchcraft More Witch
Stuff
Theban
Script
With Thanks
