The Castle of the Rose Queen The Journey of the Dead * * *

"The promise of the rose then becomes the soul's journey after death. To us, thi s journey takes the soul along the path through the Underworld to the banks of t he timeless river that is the boundary between this world and the next. Wide and slow-flowing, it washes away all earthbound memories and desires, leaving the s pirit clean once again. Far out in this river, whose opposite bank can never bee n seen or reached by us under normal circumstances, is the island on which stand s the three-towered castle. Perched on a rocky outcrop with a path snaking up fr om a desolate plain covered with stunted bushes to its gate, it is what the soul will see as it is carried there by the hooded silent ferryman. Once ashore, the soul starts walking towards the castle. Then the miracle of the Rose occurs; th e wastelands start to bloom again with blood-red roses until the castle itself s eems to be set in a red sea of flowers, and the soul instinctively knows that th e Goddess, true to Her word, has" gathered it up home again." --Evan Jones

It seems that most of the Mysteries of Traditional Craft revolve around death. T his is partly a misconception, based on a limited understanding of the true mean ing of term "death". The subject of death is a very important one, because it is t he one event in life, to most people's perception, that carries with it true fin ality. Most religions and spiritual doctrines are held in such high regard by hu mankind precisely because they offer an assurance that we will 'survive' our dea ths, somehow, in an afterlife, or in a future life. Death, as it is, is needed for our full understanding of the Mysteries. Coming t o understand the Mysteries acts to transform the whole meaning of death , as well a s a person s experience of death. In some way, the fear or uncertainty we feel about death is a good thing, becaus e if balance is maintained, it can be a good motivator to find the discipline to study the Mysteries and to seek personal understanding of what this life (and d eath) is truly all about. When we study the Mysteries of the Old Craft, what is demanded is a change of pe rspective. For instance, many people view time as an unstoppable clock that moves in one direction, and which constantly subtracts duration from their lifespan, s econd by second, until the moment of their deaths. But when seen with the proper perspective, what we call time in this world is just a limited, crude way of atte mpting to describe the constantly changing contents of our minds and awareness. It makes more sense to say time is you changing instead of time is changing you . Most who follow the Old Ways, or any religion for that matter, accept that there is an undying quality or force that underlies the mind and being of a person, and t he familiar term soul is a broad and well-attested to example of this universal be lief. After death, of course, the mind and the human being are not the same as the y were in life, for the vehicle of gross awareness, the body, is no longer viabl e. But the soul or the mysterious, undying force that forms the basis for our selve s still exists, and the mind also still exists, although in a more subtle state, no

t dissimilar to sleep or a deep trance. This deep state is the Underworld of ancient belief, symbolized as a dark, deep la nd below the Earth, on the far side of a wide river, where the dead dwell and re st. This land can be viewed, on one level, as the Unconscious state. One can see t he river as the dividing line between the personal unconsciousness and the unive rsal unconscious realm, where the contents of the minds of all beings alive or dea d, from any time or place, mix and flow together in strange dream-like ways. In much the same manner that confusing, bizarre, and surreal symbols and images emerge from the subconscious mind at night in dreams, the experience of the Unde rworld can be a mosaic of strange and disturbing images and visions. But before this idea bothers you, turn on your television and watch the news for a few minu tes you ll see images easily as disturbing as any walk through the dark Underworld. The point is, ALL worlds, when you really look at them, are mosaics of strange, wonderful, and disturbing images and experiences, and this one is not really tha t different from the Underworld, or the Worlds above. The Universal powers of death and life, which we experience in this world everyd ay, in our everyday conscious state, are also present in the Underworld: the for ces of life, creation and destruction exist on every level and in every world, a nd they fulfill a similar role, no matter where they may be experienced. Thus, t he Great Mother who grants life and abundance in this world is the same Great Mo ther who grants life and abundance in the Underworld; and the same forces that a ffect death in this world are the same that do it there. The difference is how t hey appear to your mind, and how you experience them. Evan Jones, a student and friend of the famous Traditional Witch Robert Cochrane , shared some very deep teachings regarding life after death , which he learned in his time with Robert. He was taught that the soul journeyed across the River of Time after death, to a timeless place, where it was gathered home to the Goddess o r the Lady of the Rose . He also taught that it was the mind s consent and belief tha t made the experience of the Afterlife a possibility, at all. That makes sense, considering we humans have a special gift, a higher capability for thought, imag ination, and decision making, which allows us to choose our own destinies, and t o build our tomorrow, by what we decide and do today. The experience of death also included a vision of Truth: a vision of the Greates t Mystery revealed to the mind of the deceased, in which a blinding white light and a vision of the Lady herself appeared. The Mystery, which was shown in the W hiteness, and the living, active means by which it finds expression, the Great L ady herself for truly, the two cannot be separated form the direct experience of the dead, by which they enter into the mysterious and timeless state. This state is the realization that time and death have no power over the true Se lf: and this is the keynote of the true experience of Eternity . It is this mysteri ous state, which is identified with the interior or the heart of the Land, that the dead may one day re-emerge from, when the soul s desire to experience the Mystery in a deeper way, or to explore it in another form, becomes too great. The Castle of the Rose Queen refers to the Timeless Halls of the Lady, visualized as being on the far shores of the River of Time, and beyond the ken of the livin g. And yet, true to the nature of the Mystery, the eldritch, numinous presence o f this force, and indeed, all forces beyond, wrap and swirl about us at all time s, barely below the surface of awareness, and on certain nights of the year, the y overflow this world s boundaries and become tangible. The metaphorical journey to the Castle of the Rose Queen is another way of stati ng that the mind or spirit is returning to the Truth of its condition, for in the

time immediately following death, the mind-state becomes deeper and more subtle until it is reduced to its immortal and unchanging essence; and at this point, t he person can be said to have crossed over the river of Time and into the Mystery beyond. In this state of deep consciousness, the forces of reality are directly experien ced in a new way. In our world, we use symbolic terms to communicate to each oth er what will be experienced and seen at such a time. Terms like Castle and Lady teness , are simply that- terms. The eternal reality behind these words is what th e dead will experience, while it is the words that we living hear and understand . Death, then, makes the experience of life whole. It shows to us the Truth of all things. As has been said before, the realm of the dead, those unconscious worlds or states of being, are not simply void. Do not make the mistake of thinking that unconsci ous means dark and void . Even when you are unconscious, you are aware. Think of sle ep. Think of dreams. In this state, the contents of the mind emerge as visions a nd intuitive knowledge. And it is this phenomenon that we must discuss now, for it forms an important part of understanding the role of the mind and of a person s actions in the afterlife experience. When the life is over, the body stops working, and dies. The five senses, and al l the sensory input that they once afforded the mind, are likewise gone. With th e five senses, and all of the outward sights, sounds, and impressions vanished, all that is left to the dead person is what is inside them, the internal content s of their deep minds. It is these things that arise after death and become the n ew experience or reality of the deceased. This is another way Truth is manifested t o the deceased: in death, you have no choice but to see and experience who and w hat you TRULY are inside. Your memories, your actions, the things you thought and felt, all of the stored experience and information that you collected and based your self on in life, will be revealed to you, and with no eyes to look away from it, you will have to accept it. Those who were loving, kind people, who have contentment with themselves, wi ll have a very positive experience of death, while those that filled their minds with hatred, hostility, and who have deep rooted jealousy and negativity will n ot have such a pleasant experience of the Truth of themselves. This is part of what I like to refer to as the Resolving of the Heart . When one di es and begins the journey to Universal Truth, to the Castle of the Rose Queen, t he first thing one must experience after death is Personal Truth. This is done i n the deep, personal experience of the contents of one s life and mind. Depending on the person, this experience can be hellish or it can be blissful. Perhaps thi s very experience is what has given rise to the myths of heavens and hells that are so prominent in other religions. The process of coming to terms with personal truth can be enjoyable or very long and painful. The stories of ghosts who remain not being able to accept death or le t go of something painful which binds them to this life is a good example of what could happen to those who have trouble in this stage. Also, by ones actions in life, certain forces may have been set into motion which must be resolved before one can truly come to terms with ones actions and with ones mind. These forces can act as binding forces- and often do. Deceased humans who are bound to certain places or times, or to certain other pe ople or even spiritual beings, through oaths that they took in life, will have t o resolve those powers before they can really move on . The concept of the human Gua rdian , or even of the non-human guardians of certain ancient locations, is tied u p with this logic and this phenomenon.

and Wh

Either way, once a person has come to terms with themselves, they can continue o n and cross the River of Time, which symbolizes the experience of coming to terms , for it washes a person clean of their former pains and passions, leaving the soul and mind pure , that is resolved, or liberated from the limited ideas and attachme nts that stop it from perceiving the greater Mysteries beyond. This is the trans ition from the personal to the transpersonal. From here, the Soul can proceed on to greater awareness, and cross into the Wast eland, which blossoms suddenly into the Rose-Field, showing the true wonder: tha t death is not the end, and that the experience of "being" is FAR from over. This is why the Rose is a symbol of immortality in the Old Craft. The Rose is al so a symbol of the Lady herself, and of the Mysteries. By choosing to believe in Her, one is choosing to accept Truth; and She, the Rose Queen, will see that th e Rose blossoms for the faithful who entrust themselves to her arms. It will blo ssom easily for those who love Her and all that She is: the World, Life, Beauty, Fear, Creation, and Death. To love her is to love Truth and to accept Truth in all its forms. All shall be seen clearly and resolved, if one accepts Wisdom, an d the Promise of the Rose. The Soul s final destination is the Castle of the Rose Queen herself, Hyldor-Aelda , the symbol of her dwelling place, or her very presence. It is here, in the uni versal Well of True Forms and Awareness, that all is revealed, that all things a re made whole, and that all mysteries, as well as the final longing of the Heart , find their resolution. Does the story end there? Well, that question is a touch irrelevant; for as the Castle is a timeless location, that experience of Truth is going on right now, as we speak, to all of us. That is the heart of the Mystery. Look around you. What you see is Truth. See a rose on a bush that is Truth s signature in Nature itself. Does a soul leave the Rose Queen and choose to undergo limited perception and li ve again? That is a mystery, as well, and it is thought that perhaps the soul ca n decide to do this, if it wishes. Why would it wish to? I think that perhaps for some, the experience of Truth in the beyond may be in some way conditioned by the Soul s own personal desires, stop ping it from perceiving the Mystery in its true and final wholeness, and leading it to seek for it again, elsewhere. I mean, why not? From the perspective of the soul, life and death are irrelevant ; time is likewise irrelevant; why limit one s self? The real answer to the questi on may be Why NOT live again? But who knows? There is much evidence to suggest that our ancestors believed in re-birth. Perhaps being a part of a family, of a clan, of sharing blood in this world, leads to a flow of forces that necessitates further involvement with this world and your ancestors and descendants here in the flesh. Perhaps love for yo ur true family leads back into this world, to share the same level of perception and experience with them. Love is the key to this particular mystery- Love, the inter-connectedness and motion of all forces, is great enough to cross oceans o f time and mortal deaths, to reach its destination. One thing is for certain: the Forces that grant life and birth- the ever-giving, generative and renewing power of the Mother herself- will give freely to all wh o seek it, in any world. To live again is a certainty to all who seek such a thi ng: the power of the divine Cunning Fire in our minds, that power to shape and n ame our own destinies, can very easily choose a future as a living person again,

should the mind and soul wish it, or even if the soul simply allows it. Maybe the whole reason that souls search across any world or any place has every thing to do with a basic mistake in perception: the idea that there is a final de stination or experience to be reached, a mystery to be found, a final end to searchin g. The reality seems to be that there are no beginnings and endings, and that th e Mystery is HERE, with you NOW, and that the Road IS the Destination. This is w hy the Grail Knights could never find the Grail by searching for it outside of t hemselves. Acceptance of where and what we are here and now could be the secret that grants the peace that leads to the soul s release from the never-ending quest. Look arou nd you now. Look inside. See the Mystery. It s as clear as the Roebuck in the Thic ket! Nothing truly Begins or Ends- except limited perceptions. Death makes a per son s perceptions whole again. For those of us in the Craft, who seek the Mysteries now, we make the decision t o experience that death of limited perception and that re-gaining of whole percepti on while we still live, before we die . That way, when death does come, it shall hav e no power to unsettle or disturb us. ---------------Motifs of Traditional Paganism and Witchcraft The Glyphs of an Elder Lore * * *

An Exposition of Certain Symbols and Motifs of the Ancient Belief-Systems of Nor thwestern Europe, Culled from Folklore, Mythology, and Balladry, and Described a s they Relate to the Hollow Hill Recension of the Old Craft * * *

Now I shall set down an essential list of folkloric and mythological symbols, an d a short commentary on their subtle meanings for the consideration of practitio ners of Traditional Paganism and Witchcraft. In this essay, I shall describe the symbols pertaining to Fate, the Underworld, Second Sight, and Sacrificial Topic s. Symbolism is the language of the unseen world, as it relates to the hidden reach es of the human mind. The symbols themselves are human created, or imbued with a particular meaning un derstood by humans, but these same primal symbols are also 'glyphs' which act as bridges between the depths of the hidden mind and the daytime of the conscious mind- as well as bridges between the World of Man and the Unseen Worlds. Thus a deeper, timelessly ancient, trans-relative meaning is embodied in the sym bols, related to them in some strange way. This more mysterious meaning cannot b e described nor explained; it is only sensed and understood in an extra-rational way, in the silence of the mind and soul.

The Crafter or Mystic will follow the suggestions I make at the end of each entr y in this short list as to how to better utilize these symbols for both the expa nsion of the awareness and consciousness, as well as the unlocking of insight an d hints to wisdom's tracks. But the true reason for any such list as this is for a more broad-reaching understanding of the meanings in seemingly ordinary thing s, and for understanding how the hidden language of the Old Ways is buried not o nly in the deep mind, but in the world and countryside all around.

The Key to the Internal Usage of the Symbols Before you attempt to utilize any of the symbols, you must begin by inducing the proper state to create a stronger impact on the subtle weaving that connects al l things, including the weird region between the waking self and the hidden self . You should find a place of quiet privacy, preferentially outdoors or in a place where trees and the sky can be seen, and as close to the ground as you can be. B egin by either closing or half-closing the eyes, relaxing the face and eyes, and breathing easily. Then, visualize the entire world, all of the contents of the entire world, inclu ding your own body, as being hollow- see everything as having its appearance as you normally know it, but also as being hollow, and comprised of three overlappi ng internal "layers"- the outermost layer of appearance, an inner hollow layer o f a strange, slow-moving and ghost-like reality which is similar to its outer fo rm, and a final inner hollow which is nothing but silent and still emptiness. Realize that you yourself have an outward appearance, an inner, misty aspect, an d finally, ultimately, a central core of voidness, or just silence and stillness . The silence and stillness is at the core of the entire world, of anything in the world, as well as yourself. Let yourself concentrate easily (with no strain) in the fact that silence and stillness are the ultimate realities of all things. Rest in this knowing. Realize that by being silent and still in your own mind an d body, and by "being in" the silence and stillness which is your ultimate core, you are also experiencing the ultimate reality of all things. In this way, you become the center of all things, because you share the center o f all things. Your mind now touches all. The earth below you has a still, silent core as well, but it's core is the ultimate source of all things- the dark sour ce in the underworld which is the womb from whence all worlds, beings, and power s come. Again, you are one with this source, by allowing yourself to effortlessly "be" w ithin silence and stillness. You touch all places; your mindstream is the White Tree, the Center of All, the Holy Witchfire. Even things which you do not consider "objects", such as knowledge, thoughts, dr eams, symbols, and concepts, are all ultimately phenomenon that are silent and s till at their heart. You are one with them as well. You must relax in this condi tion, until you feel a strong sense of "otherness" and connectedness. Once you are ready, you must visualize everything in the world, all things and r ealities, and yourself, becoming swallowed by a great whiteness, which is a mani

festation of silence and stillness, or the Witchfire. In that whiteness, this bl ankness (which is also a great fullness, the totality of all potentiality, withi n all things) allow your symbol to arise slowly. Let the whiteness, the canvas o f potential, to gradually become the symbol, and from your mental perspective, t he symbol should be the only thing which exists. If you are visualizing a hill or a hedge, allow the whiteness to become a green meadow, extending in all directions endlessly, with the hill or hedge in its cen ter. For all the rest of the symbols, allow the whiteness to become a suitable enviro nment, or just a dark background, containing the symbol. At that point, fix all of your concentration on the symbol, but always do it eas ily- never strain yourself. Let yourself just fall into it, ease into it, and le t the symbol be all that you know. Allow it to fill your whole being, and then, allow your being to fill it. Let it fill you gradually, and let it go at its own pace- then "mix yourself" with it. At this point, let go and allow what will be to be. You should feel a connection to the symbol, but at this point, you go passive, and allow whatever will happe n to happen. Take a very detached, passive notice of whatever you feel, or see. Things may appear in your mind's eye; arcane knowings may arise, emotions, thoug hts, what have you. Just take note of them but do not hold on to them. Continue the exercise until it ends on its own, in Fate's time. Usually, you fee l a great ecstasy, a sense of completion or fullness, when you are at the end of the experience- and in this empowered state, which is a sign that hidden doors have opened between your waking self and the unseen, you should continue with yo ur work, in accordance with the nature of the symbol, or just end the exercise, and record your results. Much wisdom can be gained in this way, for these primal symbols act as linking p owers to greater powers beyond and within. Beings may speak to you through certain of the symbols- such as the Sacrificed M an (representing the sacrificed Sacred King or God) or the Pale Woman lying belo w the Land. If they do speak, their voices will sound like thoughts in your head , as your experience deepens. IF this should happen, respond to these thoughts w ith actual spoken words, and then listen for the responding thoughts that arise. Continue this dialogue until it ends, and take careful note of what you "heard" .

The First Series of Symbols and their Particulars

I. The Three Spinners Symbol: Three Old Women, or just Three Women, usually with hoods, holding the im plements of Spinning- distaffs, shuttles, or spindles. Oftentimes these three wo men have deformities of some kind, which will be described below, and they often have "staring eyes" or "empty eyes". The Three Spinners, or even a single old spinner, is the most common folkloric s

ymbol for OLD FATE herself, the Supreme power of all things, and supreme f the Old Craft. Oftentimes she appears as a faery mother or grandmother a spinster or a weaver- these are shadows of once-great pagan goddesses, mselves were shadows of the older and more primal figure of the Spinning Fates.

being o who is who the Fate or

Like all human religious icons and symbols, Old Fate, or Fate in her form of a T rinity of sisters or old women appears in completely human terms- as old women, with old robes or tattered clothing, who spin, and who have the implements of sp inning. Of course, the distaff and the spindle, and even the spinning wheel, are all symbols of the power of the Feminine, and of Fate- who spun all reality and all events from her wheel or with her distaff. Women in the past who were spinsters all their lives usually had deformities, as we see in the ancient tale of HABETROT- Habetrot being the Scottish Border Folk lore appearance of OLD FATE herself, in the form of an old faery-mother and spin ster with a deformed lower lip. Habetrot's chief assistant was a similar spinnin g goddess or Faery woman named SCANTLIE MAB. The insightful crafter or mystic will discover that both of these names are powe rful for use in rites of communion with the Fate-powers, and especially effectiv e in the border regions of England and Scotland. Habetrot, Mab, and all the othe r spinning Faery/Goddesses inhabited the UNDERWORLD, or the CAVERN OF THE SPINNE RS, which we will discuss below, and were seen in their supernatural realm by a young woman in the tale when she fell asleep on a HOLED STONE or a SELF-BORED ST ONE, which temporarily gave her supernatural sight. The lower lip was often deformed in women who spun all their lives, because the old process of spinning require that the thread be passed across the lower lip d uring spinning, resulting in a long-term deformity. There were two other body pa rts that could be negatively affected, the thumb, for drawing thread, and the fo ot, for operating the spinning wheel constantly. These three deformities, but mo st especially the lip deformity, are common to folkloric appearances of the old Fate Goddess/Goddesses/Fae Mothers, both in England and in Germany. In the stories of these supernatural weaving women faeries, they appear to help young girls in distress, and in repayment, only ask that she accept them as frie nds and treat them as family, without shame in front of other people- and she mu st prove this by inviting them to her wedding and allowing them to sit (with all their strangeness and deformities) at her table in the feast. Interestingly eno ugh, the insistence that the young woman "accept them" without shame seems to be an echo of a pagan devotion- after the coming of Christianity, heathen peoples in the north were subjected to much scorn and derision for holding on to ways th at must have seemed outdated and silly and superstitious- to "accept" the Old Mo thers without shame in front of others seems to be a sign of the young girl havi ng a kind of re-conversion or at least a coexisting re-acceptance of the spirit of the old ways, and the true source of all life and power, in the form of the o lder Mother of All. In Celtic countries in Roman times, the local Land Goddess or even Ancestor spir its often appeared as the MATRONAE, or Three Goddesses, hooded, with blank or ho llow eyes, and sometimes holding domestic items. The blank or hollow stare is im portant, as it is another feature of many godly depictions from pagan times- it symbolizes a sight that sees beyond this world, into the other worlds- a kind of supernatural sight, marking the one who has the staring eyes as a seer or a sup ernatural being of some type. Internal Usage of this Symbol: This is one of the most potent of all symbols, an d is used (like the spindle and distaff described below) chiefly for divinatory

purposes- to aid in divination, as the Three Spinners, Three Mothers, or 'Old Fa te' is the source of the secret synchronicity behind all events, which make divi nation effective. But furthermore, this symbol is time and again shown in the fo lklore to be tied to people getting out of bad situations- in much the same way Christians cry out to their god in bad situations "please god, get me out of thi s one and I swear I will______", pagans can also invoke the supreme force of Mot her Fate with this symbol and make similar contracts with her- the power of your need, seriousness, and emotional state will be the key to whether or not Old Fa te will soften her heart; in many cases, she may not, for her will is beyond que stion and some things must come to pass for a variety of hidden reasons. However, there are times, even in my own life, when She has seemingly spun a hap pier Fate for me seemingly at my request- but be warned, if you believe that you are blessed in such a manner, you will quickly find that your involvement with the new situation that springs up from the twisted threads of Fate may be anythi ng but pleasant- be cautious what you wish for- the real curse, as they say, can be getting what you wish for. A deeper kind of wisdom suggests that even your r equest for a different Fate was itself part of Fate- think carefully on this. And if you make a pact, a deal, a vow, or an oath to her in exchange for Fate's threads being spun in a slightly different manner, don't even think of reneging on the deal. It will be the worse for you if you do. This symbol is also good for making blessings or curses on people, blessing newb orn infants with a positive Fate for their lives (an operation that should be do ne while twisting a red, black, and white cord together and tying it off on both ends and leaving it with the child) and for achieving supernatural sight- in wh ich case the symbol should include the hollow or staring eyed women.

II. The Cavern of the Spinners, or the Cavern of Elfhame Symbol: An immense, dark cavern underground, usually containing female faeries o r supernatural female beings engaged in the act of spinning (see the THREE SPINN ERS above) or containing pale, diminutive hooded people engaged in all manner of activities. Sometimes, beasts such as horned cows or horned bulls (called "ElfBulls" or Faery Cows) are there, making terrible bellowing noises. The realm of the Underworld is experienced as a cavernous realm inside the "holl ow earth"- deep underground, though it is not always a cavern. In the reports of witches in Scotland and the Border country, however, a cavern is the form this world takes in initiations or visits to this Land. The Cavern is a useful symbol , as it is the most obvious example of an underground location. The Underworld is traditionally the "source world" of all things- the place from which all forms arise, and to which all things return- linking it to the Spinni ng Fate Goddesses and to Old Fate. As the source of all the waters of the world, all rivers and lakes, and all life, it is also the source of all wisdom and kno wledge- but this eldritch wisdom is only won by the brave who can brave the peri ls and the fears of the descent into this primal world. The Underworld represent s the womb of "Unformed Nature", or primal Chaos, which exists symbolically with in "Formed Nature", such as the Landscape. As a manifestation of the Primal Chaos and Root-Source of All, the most Ancient of beings (some of them quite terrible) remain in ghostly essence in the Underwo rld, as well as the collective power of all of the World's dead, who go to rest there in a mysterious, non-linear and distinctly non-human existence, appearing

as the Sidhe, the "Pale People", the Feeorin, or the 'Goblin Dead'. They are als o the source of many faery legends, and the collectivity below can influence the mortal world at special "inbetween times" and places during the year, especiall y Beltane or May Day, Samhain or Hollantide, Martinmass, or Hallow's Eve. As the place where the essence of all who have lived and died, (human or non-hum an) and all events that have occurred is collected and stored in a timeless mann er, the Underworld is the realm of omniscience; those who drink from the proper wells in the Underworld partake of the essence of all experience and can gain Om niscience and Mastery. Be warned that there are Guardians and Terrors that will stop anyone who attempts this, except for the most brave, clever, and honest. Internal Usage of this Symbol: Use this symbol to commune with the ancestral dea d or the beings/powers who inhabit the interior, unseen reality of a particular location. This symbol has initiatory use as well, for any who merge with it deep ly will feel the "waters of the Moon" well up inside him or herself, and undergo a spontaneous "inner baptism" or "white baptism", which carries with it many in ternal changes, and many intuitive knowings. Utilizing this symbol before you li e down to sleep can cause you to "go oot and aboot" into the Underworld itself, but be cautious- the descent into the depths of the roots of the world, which is simultaneously a descent into the deepest parts of yourself, is genuinely dange rous to those who have a strong sense of pride or ego, who have strongly defined and narrow belief systems, who are afraid of facing the naked Truth about thems elves (and all things besides), or who are not at peace with themselves. If your way is blocked by any sort of guardian or being who presents you with a challenge or a riddle, your only hope for progress or success is to be as honest as possible at any moment- completely honest with how you feel at any given mom ent- and to express perfectly, without thinking about it or altering it, what yo u are thinking or feeling. Think it sounds easy? Try it. Any challenge in the Un derworld is a test to see how Truthful you are, deep inside. The beings who guar d the way below will know any deception, so Truth (even if the truth is painful or embarrassing to you) is your only safety, and the only "password" you need.

III. The Holed Stone or the Self-Bored Stone Symbol: A small, hand-sized pale stone, with a natural hole worn through it, or a large, three or four foot-in-diameter stone also with a natural hole worn thro ugh it, lying on the ground. Any natural stone that has a hole bored through it by the action of water, over thousands of years, is a very special and sacred stone to the Old Ways, as well as to Folklore- anyone who finds one finds a Treasure indeed! These stones were believed to grant the ability of supernatural sight on peopleostensibly by looking through the hole, one could "see faeries" or other unseen creatures. In the story of HABETROT, Habetrot herself first appears from the Un derworld next to a Holed Stone, and the young lady in the story falls asleep on the same large Holed Stone, and awakens to the sound of voices and singing comin g from below her, and peering through the large holed stone that was lying on th e ground, she was able to see into the CAVERN OF THE SPINNERS or into the Underw orld. Bearing in mind the connection of the Pagan Source-Mother Goddess, (both as the dark and mysterious Old Fate, and her more visible, outward manifestation as the Green Earth Mother) with the Underworld, the Holed Stone's yonic symbolism is q

uite fitting; it represents a natural symbol of the entrance to a woman's womb, as well as an entrance to the Underworld. Internal Usage of this Symbol: As the legends and lore confirm, this symbol is a means of awakening supernatural Sight, "second sight", or "The Two Sights"- the ability to perceive extra-sensory reality, and the ability to see or sense othe rworldly beings, and the activities in the Underworld. The Holed Stone can also be seen as a symbol of the powers of motherly fertility and generation.

IV. A Lake, A Spring, or a River Source Symbol: A natural body of water, surrounded by green hills and trees, a spring, or a River Source- any trickle or flow of water emerging directly from under the Earth. Any natural body of water that stands still, such as a lake, is a symbolic entra nce into the Underworld, as well as a portal by which the Mother Goddess or the Goddess of the Land may manifest- normally as a Pale Woman below the Water. Othe r land powers may likewise manifest through a lake, and in the manner of a woman , a Crooked Woman or terrible initatrix like Cerridwen under Llyn Tegid, or a se rpentine creature; but in folklore and mythology the motif of the "Lady of the L ake" is a common fixture. Not everyone lives near burial mounds or caves, so lak es and springs often provide local pagans with good centers of working with the powers below their land. Springs and River Sources, mythologically speaking, represent the urination-tric kle of the Goddess of All, the Earth Mother or Source-Mother; in Irish Mythology , Cetlinn or Morrigan (the "Great Queen") was urinating a very famous river in S ligo when the Dagda came to mate with her. Sometimes the flows of water from bel ow the earth represent breastmilk, by which all who drink (animal or human) are nourished by the Mother who birthed them, whose body is the earth itself. All ri vers in general are seen as "flowing back" to the mystery of the Great Earth Mot her or Heathen Faery-Queen or Source-Goddess of Life and Death. Internal Usage of these Symbols: The image of a Lake may be used as a means of e ntering the Underworld, Annwn or Elphame; see Symbol II above for more informati on on using it in this manner. Springs and River Sources can be used in the very same way, for underworld entrances, or for communing with the Great One who sen ds forth life in abundance from her body- a way of "Going back into her", which is another sort of "Underworld regression". It is also a means of achieving a ki nd of internal spiritual nourishment or regeneration, for those who need it in t hese spiritually cold times. The waters from sacred springs were often thought t o have healing powers; and this symbol can be used for just that.

V. Eyes of Wood Symbol: A dead human man, naked, with his natural eyes torn out, and replaced by orbs of wood, or bunches of twigs, smeared with blood. The Traditional Ballad of Tam Lin is one of the most important and symbolically deep ballads of the entire Border Country tradition. In it, we are treated to th e remnants of authentic British Isles pagan afterlife beliefs as well as native

notions of Rebirth into a new human life from the Underworld, through the agency of a mother's womb. The ballad also details the Faery Rade, that is, the supern atural intrusion of the inhabitants of Faery Land or the Unseen world, as well a s the host of the dead, as they "rade" or ride through the world of humans on Ha llows Eve- a potent symbol of the hidden interactions between this world and the other. In the ballad, which is a treasure trove of mystical insights and symbolism, Tam Lin, a former human inhabitant of our world, was killed long ago in a horse rid ing accident, but where he fell was "sacred ground" to the Faeries or the old Po wers of the Land, and their Queen, the Queen of Elfhame or Elfland. Thus, his death on this hallowed stretch of ground results in him being taken by the Queen herself, and Tam Lin becomes her lover. He also becomes a sort of pri soner in the Unseen World, for the "Elfland" he inhabits is not the usual land o f the Dead, but a special realm, kept and overseen by the Queen herself, where t he inhabitants live in a "halfway state" somewhere between this world and the un derworld; however, to maintain their seemingly immortal half-state, every seven years, they must "pay a tithe to hell", or a "fine" to hell, which means they mu st give up one of their number to the deeper underworld, where that person is gi ven forever into the dark mystery beyond, given up to the powers of dissolution and rebirth. The fact that Tam Lin "fell on holy ground" from a horse in what we are led to b elieve was an accident, may in fact be a memory of a sacrificial ritual in which he, representing the sacred king, was killed on a holy site- the Horse was an a ncient symbol of both kingship, as well as the Land-Goddess herself, whom the Ki ng was wed to in a sacred union, and to whom he had to return in a periodical sa crifice- in some places, every seven years! Thus, the "tithe to hell" of those i n Tam Lin's Faery Realm is significant. Also, Tam Lin's appearance as a guardian of a plot of Land in the Ballad suggests that he was sacrificed to become a fix ed land Guardian of a sacred place- or that he simply was killed in an accident and became a land Guardian through the mysterious whims of Fate. What is also significant, as Katherine Briggs has pointed out, is the hint of ri tual cannibalism, perhaps practiced by the Natives of the British Isles, that is mentioned in the ballad itself- When Tam Lin tells his fears about the "Seven Y ear Tithe to Hell" to his lover, he mentions that he is afraid that he will be t he next sacrifice to Hell- for he, according to his own description, is "So fair and full of flesh." The cults of the Sacred Kings in Ireland and doubtless othe r parts of the British Isles practiced a form of ritual cannibalism, in which th e parts of the king's body was consumed by the tribe or gathering (certainly in Scotland, where quaint folk festival customs up to the last century still contai n blatant symbolic references to the "game of chance" random human sacrifice of one unlucky attendee) . Tam Lin fears that he is being maintained in his strange post-mortem state, because he is intended to be the next sacrifice to the power s of the Underworld, so that the faery realm he is trapped in can be maintained free of dissolution. Tam Lin desires to escape, and to live again, as a human- and through the agency of his human lover, Janet, who symbolizes not only the transformative power of love, as well as the necessary feminine other half of his whole being, a harmony and union with whom is required to do true "magic"- he manages to do this. As a mortal woman, Janet is one half of the magical relationship, with Tam Lin r epresenting the "Otherworldly" half, as well as the masculine- a symbolic marria ge of the Fetch-husband with human wife, through which a child is conceived- a " virgin birth", truly- a child of an otherworldly father, who is in fact will be Tam Lin reborn. But it is Love which is the secret key force here, allowing for the necessary bravery to win this soul-prize from the Otherworld, as well as the

devotion to overcome the illusions of the Faery folk, who fiercely attempt to s top Tam Lin's escape. But when he escapes into a human re-birth, at the end of the Ballad, the enraged Queen of Elfhame shows her darker face, and curses Tam Lin- The Queen, angered at the loss of her Lover, angry also at the possible loss of a seven year sacrif ice, but mostly angry at the fact that Tam Lin circumvented her authority as the ultimate arbiter of death and rebirth, tells Tam Lin (who is, for a time, safel y out of her reaches) that: "If I had known of this, Tam Lin That some lady borrowed thee I'd have plucked out thine eyes of flesh And put in eyes from a tree! If I'd have known of this, Tam Lin Before we came from home I'd have plucked out thine heart of flesh And put in a heart of stone!"

We will discuss the heart of stone next; first, the "Eyes from a Tree" or the Ey es of Wood. RJ Stewart believes that the "Eyes of Wood" reference refers to a mo de of perception that Tam Lin has, which the Faery Queen wishes she could deny h im- Now that Tam Lin has been saved directly from the Underworld, to return to t his world with his memories and experiences of that place intact (unlike most re births from the underworld, where memories of that place, and the things discove red there, are all lost to time and forgetfulness) Tam Lin will have the power o f the "Staring Eyes" or Second Sight- he will be able to see both this world and the Otherworld. Stewart believes that the Queen would not desire this for Tam Lin, and even thou gh Stewart does not go into detail explaining why, there is a very good reason w hy: beings from the Otherworld are not allowed to return to this one once they h ave experienced the sights, sounds, and life of the Otherworld- this is why eati ng food or drinking the wines of the Otherworld traps a person there forever. Reference this to the story of Persephone in Greek Mythology who was permanently bound to the Underworld because she ate the food of the Underworld- and recall Thomas the Rhymer, who was prohibited from ever speaking or asking a question of any being in the Underworld, lest he be forced to stay forever. The long and short of it is this: The underworld contains secrets and powers tha t are not meant for the living. In mythology, All of the great shamanic heroes w ho journey to the Underworld or the Realms of the Gods, and bring back important items or information for mankind, always do it against the will of the Gods- an d often in mortal danger! Taliesin gained the supreme poetic insight from the Un derworld, only to have the Queen of the Underworld, Cerridwen, try to kill him b efore he could escape with it. Prometheus was likewise tortured and penalized te rribly for stealing the fire of the Gods for the use of humans- who were never i ntended to have it. The gifts and powers of the Otherworlds are things that belong to the Gods, to t he unseen powers, and not to man. They are dangerous in the hands of man- even t he biblical story presents Adam and Eve as stealing forbidden knowledge through sin, and being penalized terribly for it. God never intended for them to have "a ll knowledge"- and even God, in his anger after Adam eats the forbidden fruit wh

ich endows him with the forbidden knowledge, exclaims "Now man has become like u s; now he knows everything." Adam, who represents mankind, steals a dangerous and unintended gift that day- t he gift of the knowledge of Good and Evil, and the world plunges into suffering, because when humans get their hands on Godly power, suffering is an inevitabili ty, because man's nature is no longer naturally held in balance. Good humans wil l use these powers for good, but greed and anger and pride will cause other huma ns to despoil the world and hurt others, and so does it stand. Some godly gifts are withheld by the Gods for a reason. Tam Lin has knowledge that no mortal is intended to- when he was dead, and in El fland, he was "safe" to have and experience his condition. But he was never inte nded to go back to a human condition with these knowledges intact- the living ar e not meant to know what Tam Lin knows, and he is not meant to be among the livi ng with the knowledge and perception of one dead! Like many other mystics from mythology, Tam Lin will live as a wise person, a se er, with forbidden power stolen and tricked out of the Underworld or the Land of the Gods. The motif of humans tricking gods or stealing power is actually not a n uncommon one in mythology, and makes quite an interesting statement about what the ancients thought about the true abilities of man! The Queen is telling Tam Lin that she would have stripped his eyes away, which i s actually another way of saying that she would have killed him herself if she h ad known of his escape plan- because the "eyes of wood" are another way of refer ring to the eyes of a dead person; fixed, lifeless eyes that have no animation. But as was mentioned in Symbol I, up above, "fixed staring eyes" are ALSO as sym bol of second sight- eyes that see past this world into another. The key to understanding the paradox is to realize that Tam Lin, before his esca pe back into the human realm, is a part of the spirit world- and to have "wooden eyes" as a spirit means the opposite of what it means here. For a human, to los e eyes and gain new "hollow" or "staring" ones is a way of saying that the human gained second sight, or even a spiritual form of awakening. For a spirit who already HAS "second sight", (which all spirits do; they have a totally different mode of perception from us) to have his eyes plucked out is an other way of saying that he loses this special sight. But there is one more point that has to be made- an old saying goes that "the ey es are the windows of the soul"- and this is important. The soul is the basis fo r the "awareness" in each being, the "basic experience point" of a being, so the eyes, as the chief awareness organ in the human, are symbols of the deeper real ity that allows a human to have a basis of perception- the primordial mind, or t he soul. By plucking out Tam Lin's eyes, she would have been carrying out that s acrifice to Hell that Tam Lin feared; she would have been giving up his soul to the powers of dissolution and rebirth. As a final note, sacrificing one's eyes to gain a new perception, a spiritual pe rception, is an old motif which has a precedent in Germanic paganism- Woden tear s out one of his eyes so that he can gain second sight. That same legend, which is no doubt based on shamanic ritual realities among the early Germanic peoples, implies something that modern pagans often forget- you don't gain anything with out danger, pain, and sacrifice. The Queen of Elfhame, the Queen of Faery or the Underworld, is shown in the Ballad to be pretty far from the "loving warm and f uzzy mother goddess" of modern day "neo paganism"- She is not only unwilling to allow one of her lovers to have second sight, but she is more than willing to de stroy him before he escapes with it. Wiccans and other neo-pagan goddess worship

pers should carefully consider this. The implications of the ballad are simple- it is easier for a living person, thr ough sacrifice, to gain things from the Otherworlds, than it is for those who ar e absorbed into the Otherworlds to escape with what they have. Either way, the O therworld resists people who attempt to take its powers for their own; one has t o prove themselves worthy of it, often through bravery and cunning. The Otherworld, far from being a "pagan heaven" of pink cotton-candy peace full of tinsel-winged fairies, is a place of restriction and Fate- and while Tam Lin' s world is also described as a beautiful, magical realm of wonder, where he is e ven a lover to the Queen of Faery herself, remember- every seven years, someone was being sacrificed to the darkness below to keep it that way- and Tam Lin was probably going to be next. In other words, even the happy afterlives of the Traditional Pagan religions did n't last forever; the greater cycle of life, death, and rebirth continued on for everyone, eventually, even if they found a place of rest and happiness for a wh ile. Only those rare beings who had attained the supreme Truth or Wisdom seem to have escaped the necessity that bound beings to these hard realities. This is n ot to make the Otherworld seem a dark or bad place for the dead; far from it- it is full of many wonders and joys; but we must never forget about the 'other' re alities of this place. Internal Use of this Symbol: Like the "Holed Stone" (Symbol III) the Eyes of Woo d is a symbol that can be used to awaken second sight, but also to remind us tha t the Otherworld is not always a friendly or safe reality to deal with on a deep mental level- be ready to make sacrifices if you wish to gain anything from wit hin or from beyond. This is Fate's will, and so it must be. This symbol can also be utilized to work with the concept of the sacrificed king, or to metaphysical ly "blind" someone to some vision, idea or fact.

VI. Heart of Stone Symbol: A dead human man, naked, with his chest cut open and heart missing, repl aced by a blood-smeared stone. As we discussed in great detail above, in Symbol V: Eyes of Wood, Tam Lin escape d from his imprisonment in Elfland or the Land of Faery chiefly through the powe r of Love- the love that was shared between him and his human lover Janet. Tam L in's escape, his transition between worlds, happened through Janet- through her mind and body, and it is through her body and womb that Tam Lin returns, naked t o this world, symbolically as a man pulled up from a well by Janet and wrapped i n a green cloth, but literally as a newborn babe, pulled out of the well of a wo man's womb and birth canal, and wrapped in swaddling cloth. This babe will have all of Tam Lin's memories, as well as second sight, for he escaped the Underworl d with these things before they could be stripped from him by the natural powers of dissolution in the deepest underworld. The Queen of the Dead or the Queen of Elfland is furious that Tam Lin has escape d, and as a two-part curse, she tells him that if she had known of his escape in tentions, she would have plucked out his heart and replaced it with a heart of s tone- which is clear in one meaning, but not so clear in another. On the most direct level, it's quite simple- without his heart, the traditional

seat of love and emotions, he never could have had the shared love with Janet th at saved him. His magical, transformative escape never would have worked, for it was fueled by the sheer power of Love- and that Same love is what allowed Janet to resist the powerful illusions and painful spells cast at Tam Lin, which were affecting her as well, through him, but which she needed to resist to save him. Janet herself cannot cted by her Love for e to overcome a Love doubt the existence be harmed or even seen by the Faeries, because she is prote Tam Lin- and not even the power of the Underworld seems abl this true- a unique lesson for modern pagans and people who of love, or the power of the same.

But aside from robbing him of his ability to love, "plucking out the Heart" also refers to something else- just as plucking out the eyes was a metaphor for dest roying the Soul, or giving it up to dissolution and rebirth in the Underworld, t he Heart, as the warm, vital pump of the body's fiery living essence in the bloo d, and the seat of emotions, is a symbol of the Spirit- and when a being is goin g to be reborn, they must first face the powers of dissolution in the Underworld , wherein the Soul is dissolved and re-shaped anew, minus the memories of the pr evious life, and what remains within the dead person of the immortal spirit (muc h, but not all of which flees at death) is finally fully liberated to move on to new forms. It is again, another way of the Queen of Elfland to tell Tam Lin that had she kn own of his plot, she would have destroyed him, rather than let him escape. Some may wonder at how the Queen of the Underworld, who represents the force of Fate itself, could not know about Tam Lin's plot- and the answer is not easy; RJ Stew art has mentioned one explanation, that she appears in two forms in many ballads - as a goddess-type individual being, and as the representation of an impersonal force. In the Ballad of Tam Lin, she seems to be representing the Impersonal Fo rce of Life, Death, and Rebirth- thus her anger is just a poetic way of Nature i tself rebelling against the aberration of Tam Lin's magical rite whereby he viol ates nature's flow- but there are two other explanations that are more enlighten ing for us. One is that the Queen allowed him to escape because She herself is fulfilling a Fate she created; she decided beforehand that she would not know, and then be an gry about his escape, and the need for his escape was for the good of mankind- d eath and the mysteries of Death are hard things for most poor humans to deal wit h, and every now and then, at least one person has to go against the flow, to gi ve hope to mankind that death is not greater than life. But there is another, an d even better explanation- that Love is just that powerful- that True Love (itse lf born of Fate) can even contradict Fate. Such a thing would be a statement tha t mystics or magically active people should pay close attention to! If the Ballad of Tam Lin tells us anything, it's never to stop loving our dead f riends and relatives- but more than that- Love can and will save you from the da rkest of Fates. A heart of stone is not a good thing, for anyone. Internal Use of this Symbol: This symbol can be utilized to curse the relationsh ips of other people; to fracture love that is already weakened- but True Love wi ll be beyond the reach of almost any power. It can also be used to "cool down" y our own feelings for someone, if you don't desire to have them, or if it is detr imental to yourself that you do. This symbol can cool down or moderate emotions of any kind, especially the kind of emotions that make your daily existence diff icult. Pay close attention to the Ballad- when you are manipulating Love, you ar e playing with extreme fire.

VII. The Seven Year Tithe to Hell Symbol: This is not a physical symbol, but an important concept. The Seven Year Tithe to Hell is explained in detail up above in Symbol V: Eyes o f Wood- refer to that section before continuing to read this short write-up. The concept of Seven and a waiting period of "Seven Years" is relatively common in Traditional Lore- as common as the "year and a day" waiting period or testing period for admission into occult mysteries. Most often, in the lore of Old Europe, we hear of Sacred Kings who must be subje cted to sacrifice every seven years, for the fertility of the Land or the good o f his people- though as it happens, sometimes proxy kings or substitutes can die in his place, winning him seven more years. In the Ballad of Tam Lin, we see th at seven years is the fixed period that the inhabitants of Elfland have to wait between making a "fine" or a "tithe" to Hell, or sacrificing a member of their w orld to the deeper forces of reality, to continue their idyllic existence. There seems to be a deeper metaphysic operating here- the number seven is not ar bitrary; it seems to be a reflection of a deeper principle tied into death and r egeneration. In ancient Greece, it was a number sacred to Apollo- an important g od of occult mysteries with deep ties to the British Isles. Apollo was the god w ho gave purification from the taint of miasma or ritual impurity, and washing or repeating actions seven times seems to have invoked his purifying power. Insofa r as purification is a symbolic "death" from one state to another, a regeneratio n, there is an overlap to be seen there. But in the British Isles native tradition, "seven years" seems to be the number of years that people who are staying in Faery Land or in the Underworld have to stay, before they leave to return to this world, with the knowledge won from tha t place. When they re-emerge, they are "coated in green" or dressed in green (Ta m Lin is likewise wrapped in a green mantle at his escape) showing that they hav e merged with mystery of the Land itself, and now speak on its behalf. In many ballads, Seven Years is mentioned as the time that a person will have to stay in the Underworld or the Otherworld, or in some condition before they can change to another- in the Ballad of the Cruel Mother, for instance, she will hav e to undergo shape changes for seven years each, before she does her final seven years in Hell itself. Seven years seems to be an Otherworld "standard measure" of time, which represen ts an entire lifetime. To us, in serial time, it seems to be seven years as we k now them, but to the inhabitants of the Otherworld, who do not experience "time" as we do, it is perhaps a lifetime, or the time it takes for a "complete otherw orldly cycle" to pass, which to the inhabitants of the Otherworld, may be an "et ernity" or an entire age or era. The paradox is that it's still seven years to u s, and perhaps to them, simultaneously alongside its seeming eternity. There are seven planets, representing the seven archetypal powers of the chief G ods of the Pagan world; seven stars in the heavenly Wain, seven days in a week, seven "chakras" or power centers in the body according to Indian lore, 'seven de adly sins', 'seven cardinal virtues', 'seven sisters' appear in many ballads, 'S even Whistlers', and the concept of seven makes may other appearances in human m ythical lore. In the pre-christian Isles, and perhaps other parts of Europe, oaths and trial m arriages seem to often have been arranged for seven years- and all of this sugge sts that there was an otherworldly reality to the concept of seven that made it

important. The fact that human sacred kings were sacrificed in some places every seven years shows that humanity sensed the need to be "in time" with the Otherw orld as well, or to honor the concept of a series of seven measures of time as b eing in harmony with an otherworldly cycle of total regeneration, which the deat h of the king was tied to. In some traditional witches' covens, the Magister or male leader has to step dow n every seven years, and pay some sort of penalty before re-assuming his office. In older days, he may have had to die or step down permanently. This is in keeping with the same logic of the sacred king's sacrifice; every sev en years, or every seven measures of time is symbolic of a total era; time itsel f is "regenerated" at the end of a cycle of seven- for those who do not believe in linear time (which most pre-christian societies didn't and animistic societie s even today don't) every day, every season, every year is the same as the one t hat has gone before it, just regenerated; the years are not seen as unique, but regenerations of the old one, regenerated to begin again after it ended. Every S even Years, the King must change; must die, be regenerated into a new form suita ble to the new spiritual era, for he is a king in the Otherworld as much as this one, as befitting his title of "sacred king". Internal Use of this Symbol: be aware of the concept of Seven- when you make vow s or oaths, work in this concept- if you vow a change in your life to "pay" for otherworldly favors, make that change for seven days, seven months, or seven yea rs, depending on the magnitude of the favor- or if you wish to make a life chang e, doing it for seven units of measurement will make it more powerful, because i n the Otherworldly sense, if you have done it for seven days, months, or years, you have done it for an entire era. In much the same way the concept of Three is tied to Fate and to the structure of Reality, (and thus, making oaths Three tim es, or making magical commands three times is a way of giving them much power) m aking oaths or magical pronouncements seven times is a way of endowing them with great force in the Otherworld. If you live in your own home, every seven years, you should have a very large purification of your home and property, and have a "fresh start" living there; act as though you just moved in again on the night of the renewal, and repeat any rites you did to open or consecrate your home at your arrival.

VIII. The Sacrificed Man or the Sacrificed King Symbol: A naked man hanging from a tree, pierced by a spear and dead; or, a sacr ificed man tied to a tree. He will be dismembered and his body parts buried in f ields, or burned, and his ashes sown in fields. In some places, parts of his fle sh will be consumed by the tribe, or his blood will be mixed with some drink for all who witness the sacrifice to partake of. The Sacrificed King or Man is a symbol of all humankind, and his death and regen eration is a symbol of the death and regeneration of all of mankind, as well as the death and regeneration of the entire world- and the creation of a new, regen erated world or world-order. In all primal mythologies, the death of the first being or man heralds the creat ion of the world, or the beginning of a pristine new era, after the death of an old one. In primal Vedic lore, PURUSHA or MANNAZ (meaning "Person" or "Man") is killed as the first sacrifice, and from his body parts, the entire world is crea ted. This is reflected in the Indo-European pagan stories of YAMA and BITH to th e Norse and Celts, and in many other mythologies where the first sacrifice of a

primal being creates the new world. The Sacrificial King represents all the human members of his tribe, as well as t he Land itself- the whole world. His periodical death represents the renewal not only of the people, but of the Land itself; the world is destroyed with him and regenerated through his sacrifice. "MAN" or Mannaz, or the primal person or bei ng, is of course, the "God" of the Old Religion- The first sacrifice is always o f a divine being, who is the symbol of man and all life. The death of a divine or sacred king heralding the beginning of a new era is a w ell known concept; even in Christianity, the death of their sacred king Jesus (w ho dies to "save" all humans as well as the world) heralds the beginning of a ne w world-age- the age of Christ, the age of grace, and the era of Christianity as a religion that will shape the world to its own vision, as opposed to the older pagan era or 'sinful world' which was seen to pass away at the death of Christ. Of course, all of that is a particularly Christian way of looking at the concept of the sacred king; the older, primal pre-christian model is still active, and far more important to modern pagans who wish to partake of this important and un iversal spiritual reality, which was co-opted by Christianity and revised to be in line with their strange worldview and morality. Read carefully the concept of the "Seven year tithe to Hell" which is described in Symbol VII, for more insight into the timing of the Sacred King's sacrifice. Even the inhabitants of the Otherworld, in the Ballad of Tam Lin, were operating through the logic of the sacrifice of a Seven Year King; they were keyed into t he concept of seven and the death of a sacrifice as a regenerating metaphysical reality. All people benefit from the Sacred King's sacrifice; for in his death, all die, and in his regeneration, all are reborn, and the Land is regenerated as well. Pr imal human societies were expressing an otherworldly mystery-reality by carrying out this practise- but after a long time, animals took the place of the sacred king, and finally, crops, effigies, or totally symbolic sacrifices were done, af ter the practise of human sacrifice was abandoned. But the symbolic force was st ill the same, and still effective. As an inner, symbolic reality, however, the sacrificed king is still potent, and all humans must face death and symbolic "dismemberment" one day, at the time of their own deaths and "dissolution" in the Underworld. By merging with the symbo l of the Sacrificed King in life, one can spiritually overcome or avoid their ow n dissolution- for having "died" through the Sacred King, and partaken of his sa crifice on a psychic level, you have "died before your death" and "been regenera ted to a new life" and thus spared yourself that trauma. Internal Usage of this Symbol: The Sacrificed King is the divine force that shap ed the world, and which became incarnate in what he shaped, (and embodied in a h uman king) and suffered death and rebirth alongside the beings of his world- to show the universal pattern of life, death, and regeneration, and to mediate the regeneration to all. The sacrificed king becomes the presence of the old pagan E arth Gods embedded in human form, the old Horned Gods and Crop-Gods, so that hum ans may benefit from their sacrifice and miracle. This symbol is used when you m ust regenerate yourself on any level- physical, mental, or spiritual- to put old ways behind you and be born into a new "you", unlimited and unbound by the old "you", who will have passed away, along with the old world or worldview that the old "you" once lived in. Every seven years, you should spend a good deal of tim e engaging this symbol, because everyone needs to regenerate their outlook and t heir spirit during life, for change and growth. Nothing ever stays the same, and

change and regeneration is a Fated reality. ------------------------The Hyldor Queen's Housle Rose and Thorn * * * "The Dame goes forth, the Dame comes back, As Malkin ghost, as spectral Cat As Serpent red, as Owl weer white As Maythen sweet, as gold Scarespite; The Dame flys out, the Dame flys in, As Nightshade grim, on Cauldron rim In round Horn-Cup, by Hattock hole With Red dark bread, In Walnut bowl; By Sunken door, Below the ground Where all the Dead, and Dreams are found..."

The Red Meal is the Housle Sacrament by which the wise unite themselves to the p otencies of the unseen world. It is the final and most ancient of practices come down to us from olden times, the symbolic consumption of and coalescence with t he essence of spiritual forces themselves. It is the sacrament of worship and un ion with the great forces that seethe beyond the veil of waking, in the changing -yet- unchanging world. It is the meal that the living and the dead partake in, so as to walk one among the other; it is the worshipful feast in the Queen s ineffable Name, and the reena ctment of the greater glory of the royal spirit that appears Horned amidst the w ays. His flesh is the offering for all life; His blood is an invisible river tha t divides the quick and the dead. The fruit of the hidden trees kept by the Quee n of Fair Elfland is symbolized by the bread and ale, and those who take it afte r it is transformed by her divine power take the essence of the life and soul of mankind into themselves in a new balanced form, one that births wisdom and insi ght, not a poisonous one that leads to restriction and death. Man bears a secret fire that generates his deepest awareness and his force; like the gods, he recognizes good and evil and has a special interaction with the un seen reality. The process of eating bread and drinking some sained drink, when t hese things are taken as symbols or representatives of the body and blood of a g od, shows in symbol the truth of a greater reality- that of union with the Old O nes- and this symbolic action here allows for the force of the higher reality to come through and make the two worlds one. The red meal is chiefly for the Greatest spirits, and for the dead, for the old legends said that the dead ate red food- the faith of the old times is one of th e living and the dead, it is by eating the red food of the dead that the living become both alive and dead, and the dead become alive. The meal in this sense is a symbol of the meal in the netherworld, near the pond of souls, where Dame Hell spins and draws souls out. Red on the bones or lips a nd eyes of the dead will give them life again. The red food is covered with red

ale or wine and partially eaten, and then buried or drowned for the Huldu-dead, in the presence of a spindle or shuttle, with the finger pricked and the blood g iven to the bread on the anniversary of the family dead, and always near a well, a large tree, a body of water, an animal s burrow, a hollow root, or a deep hole in ground.

Concerning the use of the Horn: The Horn announces the Old One, the Son of Light and the Son of Darkness Below, who are by Mystery one power. Though it is not strictly necessary, a horn can be blown at the summoning of the Old One in any of these meals, or when he is call ed upon for any reason, but most especially when the Hidden Folk or the Dead are summoned. They should always be called in the name of the Son of Light.

Two bits of Advice that will Greatly Advantage you in the performace of the Red Meal or Housle: When doing any kind of Craft Rite, from a simple Housle all the way to the great est of wisdom or power workings, it is important to keep two simple factors in m ind, two understandings that will make any ritual a truly moving and powerful ex perience. First, always remember that all things are connected, that no two forc es or beings are separate within the great Body of Nature; therefore, any invoca tion, any thought or feeling has an affect that is tangible, even across what se em to be vast reaches of space or even time. If you allow yourself to rest in the secure knowledge that all things are united , and that all motions and events and even words and thoughts echo through an in timate, inter-locked natural system of relationship and Fate, you will be more a ble to appreciate the affects of your invocations and ritual motions, and more a ble to 'feel' them bringing about the needed and desired transformations on the subtle level. Keeping the understanding of connectivity firmly in mind and trust ing it implicitly is a foremost vital thing to bear with you in your rites. Secondly, when you perform rites and make invocations, or anything, always gentl y allow yourself to be as deliberate and steady as possible- when I say this, I mean that you should always speak, act, move, and even think with a deliberate, planned out, almost "slow" feel; this is a good way to fall into a deep trance t hat we like to call "Slow time". When you lift a forked wood or a rod or a bowl, when you make invocations, let your every action be as even, steady, and delibe rate as possible; these are powerful actions, sacred actions, and deserving of y our EVERY BIT of awareness and attention. When you speak, allow your words to fl ow steadily and calmly, resonating with deliberate focus. The mind will try to "speed up" on you, but gently keep it reigned in, and let a wareness be deep, steady, and FULLY absorbed on what you are doing, not matter h ow minor it seems. The power of the rite, the motions, all suddenly increase in amazing ways. Some experienced folk like to get into trances before the start of the rite, but others know another truth: that deliberately and steadily paying full attention to the motions of the Rite can itself be a door into the Trance, and in this way, some find it easier than "putting on the Mantle" before they be gin. It is simply another approach to this (or any other) Rite. Try both, or use both as you feel the need. You will discover that these two bits of advice greatly increase any rite's powe r and affect: the rewarding feeling of any rite is increased when the rite parti cipants are resting in the secure awareness of the interconnectivity of all thin

gs, and celebrating every word and motion of a holy rite with the ultimate pure, focused awareness and deliberate steadiness.

You need a cup of wine or dark ale (or some other libation) and a plate of dark bread (wheat or rye). You begin by gathering, and the group leader (or the person chosen to do the Hou zle) invokes a mild trance state, and then briefly invokes the Cauldron, the God stone, and the Cunning Fire. Alternatively, the leader may do a crossing. Then, he or she kindles a sacred flame in a lantern or candle. The Hyldor Cuveen Fire Kindling incantation typically goes like this, should you wish to use it: Come Forth, Creature of Fire, exorcised by the power of the Master, who bears the Cunning-Serpent Fire between his horns, to illuminate my Art. Shine here with hallowing might! Enlighten my Crafting, grant illumination to th e souls of the gathered; Be thou a lamplight on the ghost-roads to attract those spirits called forth by the same. If you are working ourdoors, just moonlight is enough for the Houzle, unless you want or need a fire. Also, since the Houzle is supposed to be done every full m oon, a small mirror should be used to reflect the light of the moon into the win e or ale before it is Sained. A bell is then rung to officially begin the Houzle rite. Then, with a voice of a uthority, (an invocation) he or she dips the Arthame (knife) into the cup of win e, and states: (summer months) Ageless Lady in the Land, Sky-clothed and tawny-tressed Fire-Maid, Hyldor, Our beloved Lady and Elven Queen, Thou who art clad in white, thou art asked to come and appear, To fill the Horn Cup with favor, love abundant everyday. Great Queen, thy blessings give to this sacramental wine in thy wondrous name. May We thrive. Great Mercy.

or (winter months) Old Dark One under the Hill, Black-tressed, rosy-lipped, and white of face, Clothed you are in death and spinner of Fate,

Ringed by the Hyldor Folk in your Tree; Queen of Elfhame, the Great Ellhorn-Annis, Dame Fate clad in white, thou art asked to come and appear, To fill the Horn Cup with favor, deepest wisdom grant this eve. White Queen, thy blessing give to this sacramental wine in thy wondrous name. May We thrive. Great Mercy. Then the tip of the knife is layed against the bread, and the following invocati on is given: (summer months) Master Orvendale, Great Archer, and Bringer of Light, The May-Queen s Devil, Buccos, raise your head in the Horn Dance! King and Teacher of the secret faith, grow forth as ye hear the summons to arms. Hear the sacred bell, and look upon our Art. Grief I suffer, pain have I without thee. Superior Lord, therefore be this night with your faithful gathering, Bless our lives and sain the sacred bread with power, might, And wisdom. May We thrive. Great Mercy. or (winter months) Dark Robin, Great Rider clad in Black, Lord of the Skull and the Hell-track, Father over Night and Equal to Fate herself, grow forth as ye hear the summons to arms. Hear the sacred bell, and look upon our Art. Grief I suffer, pain have I without thee. Superior Lord, therefore be this night with your faithful gathering, Bless our lives and sain this bread with power, Might, and wisdom. May We thrive. Great Mercy. Then everyone takes a sip of the wine and takes a bite of bread. Before the wine is sipped, the person drinking (or, in the case of a cuveen, the person offering the wine to the drinker) must say: (I) Drink this wine in Our Lady s name. She will gather you (me) home again. Before the bread is eaten, the person eating (or, in the case of a cuveen, the p erson offering the bread to the eater) must say: (I) Eat this bread in the Unknown Name with sorrow, care, and fearful dread.

The rite leader then offers the rest of the wine and bread to the Roots of a Tre e, or to the foot of a standing stone, the ground, or to a bowl on an indoors sh

rine, while chanting any or all of the following blessings to dedicate the rest of the Houzle to the Other powers who may be honored by the Cuveen: The gathered cuveen should repeat the words of any blessing given by the leader, as they are said. Blessings be upon the Feeorin in the hollow hills, upon my ancestors who have jou rneyed into the Meadows of Elfhame below Blessings be upon the Ancient powers of Death and Life Blessings be upon the Dark and Bright powers in the Land Blessings be upon the Spirits of the forest and heath, of the fields and the wate rs. Blessings be upon the Old Ones of the Hill and the Mound Blessings be upon the Ancestor-powers of my blood, and the Master Souls Blessings be upon our fetches, the Puckerel and the Other, and strength to our un ion" And finally, the blessing is given, in which the mystery is stated. The Houzle leader says: As some is taken, so is this given, By the sons and daughters of the Family of the Old Faith: For what is taken is truly given And what is given is truly taken The day and night are wed As the living and the dead. Here is shown a mystery.

Then the Bell is rung, and the rite is concluded -------------------