{file "Blood Sacrifice (Althea Whitebirch)" "bos120.

htm"}

BLOOD SACRIFICE
by Althea Whitebirch
We have all moved through periods of crisis in our
lives; things
ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the
death of someone
close to us to final exams. Events which are extremely
stressful--which
threaten our lives, home, future or security--would
seem t call for
strong measures of assistance.
There have been many
times that I have
felt that the course of events required swift and strong
intervention of
a deity. Blood sacrifice is, to my mind, one of the more
powerful magics
one could perform, and so seemed particularly suitable
for this.
But
it's rather ethically sticky.
I may feel that the kind of energy contained in the
outpouring of
blood would be most efficacious in a serious situation,
but I'm dead-set
against the use of an unwilling victim for the purpose.
So, in the past
I've spilled my own blood with an athame, at the same
time offering up
prayers; it just didn't seem to work as well as I
thought it would.
Perhaps, I thought, one needs lots of blood to generate
any appreciable
amount of energy.
Then a friend suggested what seemed the perfect
solution--blood
donation!
I'd been giving blood for several years and
the thought just
never had occurred to me before. So the next time I went
in to donate, I
approached it as ritual sacrifice for a particular
purpose, and both the
process and results seemed to be much improved. Since
then I've gone to
donate blood many times, each time with a prayer for
healing for the
recipient of my blood, and a request for aid from the
deity that seemed
most appropriate.
For those of you who've never donated blood before, I
can provide a
few details of the process.
It's not very frightening,
and it can be a
very spiritually moving experience, I'll tell you!
As
well, remember

that you don't sell blood (at least not in Puget Sound),
you donates it.
You can sell plasma--the straw-colored fluid that makes
up the bulk of
your blood--but not blood itself.
The first time you go in you'll fill out a medical
questionnaire:
the Puget Sound Blood Bank doesn't want your blood if
you're ill right
then (or just getting over something), taking certain
medications, ever
had hepatitis or malaria, or are in a high-risk category
for contracting
AIDS (Haitian, homosexual, needle-using drug user or
prostitute).
If
you have any questions, they'll be happy to answer them.
After you fill out the questionnaire, they'll
your blood
pressure and a blood sample (like sticking your finger
with a pin) to
test your hemocrit (% of hemoglobin) as well as
determining what type
your blood is.
If your hemocrit count isn't high enough
they'll send
you home.
Nowadays, all blood is sent to a lab to
be tested for
presence of AIDS anti-bodies as well; if you test
positive they'll
notify you by mail.
You'll be asked if you've eaten in
the last four
hours, and if not, sent to the canteen for cookies and
juice.
take

547
Then comes the fun part--you go lie down on a table
where a phlebotomist (who draws the blood) asks you some questions,
verifies your
name, and then sets you up to donate. They tie a rubber
hose around your
arm, so the vein will stand out and be easy to find.
They use cold
liquid ethyl chloride on your arm, to numb it where the
needle goes in.
I won't say that it doesn't hurt when the needle is
inserted--it does
but it's tolerable--when it's in place though, you'll
hardly know it's
there.
(You may get the idea from all this that I'm a
stoic--hardly!
I'm a wimp when it comes to pain, but this I can handle.)
At this time
they'll leave you there for up to five minutes while
you clench and

relax your hand (to keep the blood from clotting) and the
flows
into a little plastic bag.
It's warm and red, and
rather reassuring,
really.
At this time you can get into some really
serious prayer, or
hum a little healing chant for the person your blood's
going to.
(I
once was doing this and got a flash image of a little
boy, a burn
victim.
I always wondered who got my blood that day.)
I wouldn't
recommend getting too spaced-out though; remember you've
got to be able
to return to yourself when you want to, and the
physical effects of
giving blood can make some people light-headed or slightly
woozie. When
they ask you how you're feeling, be honest, not macho.
You don't want
to embarrass yourself by fainting.
blood

Afterwards they'll ask you to have some juice and

cookies.
By all
means, do!
For one thing, you've earned them; for
another it's important to replace the fluid and blood sugar you just gave
up.
Working
magic really takes it out of you, too (at least it does
me).
In my experience, there are several good reasons to
use this particular method of blood sacrifice: a) It doesn't require
the death of one
of the Gods' children.
b) It is giving of yourself-for the good of
others as well as your own. c) It is safe--the Blood
Bank uses sterile
instruments and never re-uses needles, so you can't catch
anything. d)
You have the added benefit of being able to see the blood
as it's being
given (somehow that adds to my experience), and a pint
is a lot more
than I've ever been able to get with a knife! Next time
you want to get
the Gods' attention, try it!

548
The Grove of Phoenix Rising
*
*
FIRST WEEK
*

FOUR WEEK FAST

If you normally eat meat, begin to eliminate it from your

diet

during this first week. If you feel you must eat it, eat a

small

amount and no more than 3 times during the week.

*
Eliminate all alcoholic beverages, carbonated beverages
(except for
bottled waters such as Artesia, etc.), and diet drinks.
Substitute
fruit juices or fruit drinks.
*
Refrain from smoking (anything), or using any other
intoxicants.
*
Cut way back on any other stimulants, such as coffee or
tea or
cocoa. No more than three cups a day if you are a heavy
coffee or
tea drinker.
*
Use as little salt as possible and no other spices.
*
Refrain from sweets - cakes, pies, candy.
*
Drink large amounts of fluids, especially water.
*
*
SECOND WEEK
*
Eliminate meat entirely. Substitute dairy products - IN
MODERATION.
*
Continue to limit intake of stimulants (coffee, tea,
cocoa),
cutting back to no more than two cups a day.
*
Continue to avoid tobacco, alcohol, other intoxicants,
spices,
and soft drinks, and use as little salt as possible.
*
Continue to drink large amounts of water.
*
Your diet should consist largely of vegetables and grains,
with
large amounts of liquids.
*
*
THIRD WEEK
*
Limit intake of stimulants (coffee, tea, cocoa) to one cup
a day.
*
Continue to avoid tobacco, alcohol, other intoxicants,
meat,
spices, and soft drinks, and use as little salt as
possible.
*
Do not use meat in seasoning vegetables.
*

Your diet should consist of vegetables and fruits only.

Raw

vegetables and fruits are best (nuts can be included).

Drink large
amounts of water and substitute fruit or vegetable juices
for meals
as often as possible.
*
FOURTH WEEK (first four days)
*

549
Fluids only. Fruit and vegetable juices in desired
quantity,
cutting back each day. Drink large amounts of water. If
you feel
you must have coffee, limit it to a cup a day (a half cup
if
possible).
*
If you feel you must have something the first day or so of
this
week, a small handful of raisins or other dried fruit may
be taken.
Nibble slowly. As the week progresses, continue to cut
back on
nibbles and the amount of juice taken. A spoonful of honey
added
to hot water helps satisfy the craving for hot beverages
and gives
you an energy boost.
*
*
THE FAST
*
The fast should last for three days. It is best to do this
on a
weekend and if possible, alone and in the woods. (Go
camping!)
*
Drink lots of water and if you feel the need for an energy
stimulant, a small amount of honey may be added to hot
water.
*
Spend as much time as possible in meditation. This period
should
sooth your spirit as well as cleanse your body. RELAX!
*
You will probably want to sleep a lot. Do so. Allow
yourself to
drift with your thoughts. Do not attempt to solve your
problems
during this time. They will solve themselves later, for
your mind
will be clearer after the fast is over.
*

Most people feel great the first day, a little weakness

the second
day, and great again on the third day.
*
*
AFTER THE FAST
*
Eat lightly for your first meal after the fast. It is best
to begin
by returning to fruit and vegetable juices and working
your slowly
into solid foods over a few days.
*
*
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS TO DRINK LARGE
AMOUNTS OF
WATER ALL THE WAY THROUGH! This flushes out toxins the
body is
releasing.

550

{file "Ancient Art, The" "bos121.htm"}

THE ANCIENT ART

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there were people who
believed
in laughter, joy and love.
They believed in many
deities, but
the most important to them was their Great Mother Goddess.
They
believed in and lived with the powers of Nature. They
reveled in
the Wind, the Rain, the Snow and the Sunlight. They
marveled at
and revered the changing of the seasons and saw therein
great
excitement and wisdom to be gained.
They knew that
if they
tended, cared for and loved the Earth, in return She
would
provide for, care for and love them.
They saw that all
around
them the world was filled with Life, much as their own
but in
many different and wonderful forms.
They felt the life
of the
flowers, plants and trees and respected them for
that life
essence.
They looked about and observed all the many
types of
animals and saw that they were kindred to them and loved
them.

They

felt

and observed the great Love of the Goddess all

about

them and knew kinship with the Moon.

They were
practioners of
The Old Religion, worshipers of The Great Mother.
Witch!
The very word instantly invokes visions for each
of us,
visions which vary greatly from individual to individual.
Many
of these visions, however, are quite false, brought about
by many
centuries of severe persecutions, misrepresentations,
prejudice
and, in recent years, lack of knowledge. Witchcraft!
What is it
really?
Witchcraft is the oldest, most irrepressible religion
the
world because it stimulates the intellect, promotes a
simple,
practical way of life and, most importantly, is
emotionally
satisfying. Its roots lie in the ancient Matriarchal
systems of
Goddess worship.
A religion of Nature in which the
primary
deity is female (The Essence of Femininity, The Earth
Mother,
The Great Mother, etc.).
in

It was easy for the Wise Ones to look at the world

around them
and see the great importance of Feminine Principle.
The
female
was, indeed, the one who bore the young, perhaps
the most
magickal of all events to ancient man.
Then, she played
by far
the most important role in rearing the young, being
totally
responsible for feeding, for without her milk there was
no life
past birth.
She was responsible for the teaching and
early care
of the young.
In all youths the greatest comfort and
nurturing
love were connected with the mother.
These
revelations and
experiences could hardly lead to any other choice than the
total
reverence and deification of the female.
Although The Great Mother is the most important deity,
Witches
do, generally, recognize many Goddesses and/or Gods and
are,
therefore, polytheistic.
The tenets of Witchcraft are
few but

all-encompassing, for with three simple Universal

Observations
all of life can be explained and understood:
1)
2)
3)
Reincarnation
we come

Reincarnation - Mortality
Cause & Effect - Magick
Retribution
- Morality

enlightens the Witch to the fact that,

as

551
to this material world over and over in a series of
learning
periods, or lifetimes, we will eventually have to
experience all
things, be all things, understand all things.
This
creates a
great tolerance for other viewpoints in the Witch.
Cause & Effect, and an understanding of it, allows the
Witch to
see what makes the world work and how to live most
efficiently.
It gives them a great advantage in that it explains the
working
of Magick.
Retribution shows the Witch, in graphic terms, that every
thought
one might have, every action one may take, is returned
in like
kind.
This realization forms the basis of the Moral Code
of the
Witch.
The Patriarchal Societies which evolved in later times
no
tolerance for the Goddess religions and systematically set
out to
destroy the material vestiges, kill or convert the
adherents and
wipe out all knowledge of them. They destroyed the
temples and
other places of worship, desecrated the sacred
groves and
magickal places, attempted to pervert the old deities,
mutilated
and totally suppressed sacred art, tore down libraries and
burned
books,
tortured and killed the practitioners of
the
Old
Religions, demeaned, persecuted and oppressed women in
general
and passed strictly enforced laws which made theirs the
State
had

Religion and forbade all other viewpoints.

Despite the centuries of insidious
deliberate
destruction and perversions at the
Christian
Conspirators, Witchcraft has survived.

persecution,
hands

of

the

COMMON INQUIRIES

I've heard the terms 'White Witch' and 'Black Witch'.

you
explain?

Can

In

this connotation, white is referring to Positive,

is
referring to Negative.
A White Witch then is someone who

Black
tries

to do Positive or Good things.

Black Witch could be a
term used
to describe someone who deliberately does Negative or Bad
things.
A True Witch believes in the Law of Retribution and would
never
deliberately harm anyone or anything or participate in
Negative
or Destructive acts.

552
Is it possible
remain a
Christian?
that

No.

The

for

Christian

me to practice

Doctrine

Witchcraft

states,

and

unequivocally,

Christians shall have no other Gods before the

Christian God.
Christian Doctrine says to believe in any other deities
or to
practice any other religion is not only evil but
should be
punished by death, specifically naming Witchcraft. The
Christian
Doctrine also denies Reincarnation and prescribes
punishment for
those who practice Magick.
Devil worship?
Witches
predates

do

not

worship

the

Devil.

Witchcraft

Christianity
Christian
Devil.
The

and does not incorporate a belief in the

Wise Ones did deify the Masculine Principle and quite

often

He was depicted as The Great Horned God;

Pan,
Cernunnos, the
Great Stag, The Green Man.
To the Traditional Witch,
the
Masculine Deity (the Goddess' Consort) is very important,
revered
and loved.
He is the perfect Father, the Lord
Protector.
The
Horned God of the Witches is loving, kind and good.
Don't men have difficulty with a supreme female deity?
There are
some groups which give equal status to the female
and male
deities.
Neo-Pagans are, by definition, people who attempt to
with
the Old Country Ways in a new, modern day manner. And
while, in
this modern era, equal status for the deities may be
popular, as
it
relates
to Witchcraft it is
historically
incorrect.
Therefore, a group which does not recognize the
Goddess as
primary deity is not practicing The Ancient Art. Indeed,
they,
generally, know very little about Witchcraft, despite
their
claims.
Traditional Dualistic Witches do most
emphatically
believe that women and men are equal, but have no
trouble
relating to the Goddess.
The Male Witch finds great
comfort and
solace in his Great Mother.
live

Do I have to join a Coven?

No.
It is not necessary nor is it desirable for a
many
people.
Some people enjoy the support and companionship
a Coven
provides, others enjoy solitary worship. The Coven,
which is an
extremely close knit worship group, may not be possible
for some
because of location, family climate, availability, etc.
great

553
Why is Witchcraft secretive?
The horror of the 'Burning Time' is still very real to the
Witch.
The past persecutions were severe.
Even so, in today's
more
enlightened society the need for complete secrecy has
lessened
and many are able to share their beliefs openly.
Very few,
however, are willing to expose their very personal and
private
religious expressions to others who may not understand.
What do I have to do to become a Witch?
The

answer to this question is very simple.

To become a

Witch

one must follow the religion of Witchcraft.

To do this
one must
believe in the Goddess as primary deity and follow the
three
basic tenets.
How simple!
How uncomplicated!
How
Pagan!
Everything else concerning witchcraft is simply minor
details.
Details that vary from Aspect to Aspect, Coven to
Coven and
individual to individual.
The details are relatively
personal.
They should not become more important than the basic
tenets.
If
you do not understand, believe and practice Witchcraft,
you are
not a Witch.
No one can make you a Witch. Reading about
it can
not make you a Witch.
An Initiation can not make you a
Witch.
Saying you are a Witch, one thousand and fifty two times,
can not
make you a Witch.
In the search for your individual path beware of those
who would
take advantage of you.
Do not fall prey to the
unscrupulous
charlatans who would swindle you in a monetary sense
(mail-order
courses, charges for teaching or initiations, vows of
poverty,
etc.), exploit you sexually or manipulate you for
their own
personal ego-trips.

554

{file "Ethics and Love Magick (Mike Nichols)" "bos122.htm"}

'Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the

most fatal to true
happiness.' -- Bertrand Russell
CHARMED, I'M SURE
The Ethics of Love Spells
=========================
by Mike Nichols

*
*

*
*

To gain the love of someone: On a night of the full moon,

walk to a spot
beneath your beloved's bedroom window, and whisper his/her
name three times
to the nightwind.
--Ozark love spell
*

*
*

It seems tobe an immutable law ofnature. You

are interviewedby a
local radio or TV station, or in some local newspaper.
The topic of the
interview is Witchcraft or Paganism, and you spend the
better part of an
hour brilliantly articulating your beliefs, your
devotion to Goddess and
nature, the difference between Witchcraft and
Satanism, and generally
enlightening the public at large.
The next day, you
are flooded with
calls. Is it people complimenting you on such a splendid
interview? No.
People wanting to find out more about the religion of
Wicca?
Huh-uh.
People who are even vaguely interested in what you had
to say???
Nope.
Who is it? It's people asking you to do a love spell for
them!
This used
to drive me nuts. I'd take a deep breath and patiently
explain (for the
thousandth time) why I won't even do love spells for
myself, let alone

anyone else. This generally resulted in my caller

becoming either angry or
defensive, but seldom more enlightened. 'But don't you
DO magic?', they
ask. 'Only occasionally,' I answer. 'And aren't most
magic spells love
spells?', they persist.
That was the line I really
hated, because I knew
they were right!
At least, if you look at the table of
contents of most
books on magic, you'll find more love spells than any
other kind.
This
seems as true for the medieval grimoire as for the
modern drugstore
paperback.
Why? Why so many books containing so many love
spells? Why such an
emphasis on a kind of magic that I, personally, have
always considered very
negative? And to make matters even more confusing, the
books that do take
the trouble of dividing spells between 'positive' and
'negative' magic
invariably list love spells under the first heading.
After all, they would
argue, love is a good thing.
There can never be
too much of it.
Therefore, any spell that brings about love must be a
GOOD spell. Never
mind that the spell puts a straightjacket on another's
free will, and then
drops it in cement for good measure.

555
And thatis whyI hadalways assumedlove magicto
benegative magic.
Years ago, one of the first things I learned as a
novice Witch was
something called the Witch's Rede, a kind of 'golden
rule' in traditional
Witchcraft.
It states, 'An it harm none, do what thou
will.'
One uses
this rede as a kind of ethical litmus test for a
spell.
If the spell
brings harm to someone -- anyone (including yourself!) -then don't do it!
Unfortunately, this rule contains a loophole big enough
to fly a broom
through.
It's commonly expressed, 'Oh, this won't HARM
them; it's really
for their own good.'
When you hear someone say that,
take cover, because
something especially nasty is about to happen.
That's why I had to develop my own version of the
Witch's Rede. Mine

says that if a spell harms anyone, OR LIMITS THEIR

FREEDOM OF THOUGHT OR
ACTION IN ANY WAY, then consider it negative, and don't
do it.
Pretty
strict, you say? Perhaps.
But there's another law in
Witchcraft called
the Law of Threefold Return. This says that whatever
power you send out,
eventually comes back to you three times more
powerful.
So I take no
chances.
And love spells, of the typical makeBobby-love-me type,
definitely have an impact on another's free will.
Sowhy are they so common? It's taken me
yearsto make peace with
this, but I think I finally understand. The plain truth
is that most of us
NEED love. Without it, our lives are empty and miserable.
After our basic
survival needs have been met, we must have affection and
companionship for
a full life.
And if it will not come of its own accord,
some of us may be
tempted to FORCE it to come.
And nothing can be as
painful as loving
someone who doesn't love you back.
Consequently,
the most common,
garden-variety spell in the world is the love spell.
Is there ever a way to do a love spell and
yet stay within the
parameters of the Witch's Rede?
Possibly. Some teachers
have argued that
if a spell doesn't attempt to attract a SPECIFIC person
into your life, but
rather attempts to attract the RIGHT person, whomever that
may be, then it
is not negative magic. Even so, one should make sure
that the spell finds
people who are 'right' for each other -- so that
neither is harmed, and
both are made happy.
Is there ever an excuse for the make-Bobby-love-me
type of spell?
Without endorsing this viewpoint, I must admit that
the most cogent
argument in its favor is the following: Whenever you
fall in love with
someone, you do everything in your power to impress them.
You dress nicer,
are more attentive, witty, and charming.
And at the
same time, you
unconsciously set in motion some very powerful psychic
forces. If you've
ever walked into a room where someone has a crush on you,
you know what I
mean. You can FEEL it. Proponents of this school say
that a love spell

only takes the forces that are ALREADY there -- MUST be

there if you're in
love -- and channels them more efficiently. But the
energy would be there
just the same, whether or not you use a spell to focus it.
Iwon't attempt to decidethis one for you.
People must arrive at
their own set of ethics through their own considerations.
However, I would
call to your attention all the cautionary tales in folk
magic about love
spells gone awry.
Also, if a love spell has been
employed to join two
people who are not naturally compatible, then one must
keep pumping energy
into the spell. And when one finally tires of this (and
one will, because
it is hard work!) then the spell will unravel amidst
an emotional and
psychic hurricane that will make the stormiest
divorces seem calm by
comparison. Not a pretty picture.
It should be noted that many spells that pass
themselves off as love
spells are, in reality, sex spells.
Not that there's
anything surprising

556
in that, since our most basic needs usually include sex.
But I think we
should be clear from the outset what kind of spell it
is.
And the same
ethical standards used for love spells can often be
applied to sex spells.
Last year, the very quotable Isaac Bonewits, author of
'Real Magic', taught
a sex magic class here at the Magick Lantern, and he
tossed out the
following rule of thumb: Decide what the mundane
equivalent of your spell
would be, and ask yourself if you could be arrested for
it.
For example,
some spells are like sending a letter to your beloved in
the mail, whereas
other spells are tantamount to abduction. The former
is perfectly legal
and normal, whereas the latter is felonious.
One mitigating factor in your decisions may
be the particular
tradition
of magic you follow. For example, I've often noticed that
practitioners of
Voudoun (Voodoo) and Santeria seem much more focused on
the wants and needs

of day-to-day living than on the abstruse ethical

considerations we've been
examining here. That's not a value judgement -- just an
observation. For
example, most followers of Wicca STILL don't know how
to react when a
Santerian priest spills the blood of a chicken during a
ritual -- other
than to feel pretty queasy. The ethics of one culture
is not always the
same as another.
And speaking of cultural traditions, another
consideration is how a
culture views love and sex. It has often been pointed out
that in our
predominant culture, love and sex are seen in very
possessive terms, where
the beloved is regarded as one's personal property. If
the spell uses this
approach, treating a person as an object, jealously
attempting to cut off
all other relationships, then the ethics are seriously in
doubt. However,
if the spell takes a more open approach to love and sex,
not attempting to
limit a person's other relationships in any way, then
perhaps it is more
defensible. Perhaps. Still, it might be wise to ask, Is
this the kind of
spell I'd want someone to cast on me?
Love spells. Whether to dothem or not. If you
area practitioner
of magic, I dare say you will one day be faced with the
choice.
If you
haven't yet, it is only a matter of time. And if the
answer is yes, then
which spells are ethical and which aren't? Then you,
and only you, will
have to decide whether 'All's fair in love and war', or
whether there are
other, higher, metaphysical considerations.

557

{file "Drawing Down the Moon" "bos123.htm"}

DRAWING DOWN THE MOON

In this ritual the Goddess becomes incarnate in the
Priestess. The
High Priestess stands in front of the altar with her back
to it. She holds
the wand in her right hand and the scrounge in her left.
She crosses her
High

wrists and crosses the wand and scrounge above them

holding them
close to her breast. The High Priest stands in front of
her and says:
while

"Diana, queen of night

In all your beauty bright,
Shine on us here,
And with your silver beam
Unlock the gates of dream;
Rise bright and clear.
On Earth and sky and sea,
Your magic mystery
Its spell shall cast,
Wherever leaf may grow,
Wherever tide may flow,
Till all be past.
O secret queen of power,
At this enchanted hour
We ask your boon.
May fortune's favor fall
Upon true witches all,
O Lady Moon!"
The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and
gives her the Five
Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both
knees, womb, both
breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each
pair. He says, as he
does this:
"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these
ways.
altar.

Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred

Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred

Names."
For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length to length,
their feet
touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she
spreads her arms wide,
and the same after the kiss on the lips.The High Priest
kneels again and
invokes:
with

us all,

"I invoke thee and call upon thee, Mighty Mother of

bringer of all fruitfulness; by seed and root,
by bud
and stem, by leaf and flower and

fruit,

bylife and love doI invoke theeto

descend uponthe body of
this,
thy servant and priestess."

558
During this invocation he touches her with his right
forefinger on her
right breast, left breast, and womb, repeats the set and
finally the right
breast. Still kneeling, he spreads his arms out and
down, with the palms
forward and says:
"Hail Aradia! From the Amalthean Horn
Pour forth thy store of love; I lowly bend
Before thee, I adore thee to the end,
With loving sacrifice thy shrine adore.
Thy foot is to my lip
(he kisses her right foot)
my prayer up borne
Upon the rising incense smoke; then spend
Thine ancient love, O Mighty One, descend
To aid me, who without thee am forlorn."
The High Priest stands up and steps backwards. The High
Priestess draws the
Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with the wand and
says:
"Of the Mother darksome and divine
Mine the scrounge, and mine the kiss;
The five point star of love and bliss
Here I charge you in this sign."
The High Priestess should be in a trance now. This is a
good time to do the
Charge or the Witches' Creed.
When the Charge or Creed is finished, the Goddess must be
dismissed. It is
bad magical practice not to do so.
The High Priest faces the Priestess and says:
"We thank you Our Lady for attending our rites. We
bid you farewell
till
next we call you. Blessed Be."
Farrar, Janet and Stewart; "Eight Sabbats For Witches";
Robert
Hale 1983
and dismissal added by Seastrider. Distributed over
various BBS systems via
Ravensong.

559

{file "Crone Energies (Grey Cat)" "bos124.htm"}

CALLING ALL CRONES

by Grey Cat
Into

forth

the

dark, the pale light of the waning moon

brings

shapeless shadows; bushes, a wandering stone fieldwall,

nameless
areas of blackness. Some still, some moving; no night
for good
folk to stray from cot or castle. Black hares amove
across the
moors, black cattle idly gossip together, one old woman
dressed
in black searches the grass for secret herbs. And there
amongst
the standing stones, age heavy upon their backs, three
hags dare
all the mercy of God's Holy Mother Church to make the
magic of an
older race.
``Call old Mother Piggot, she knows the proper
for
warts.''...
``Tis Goody Nurse you'll need if it's a
son ye
want.''...
``Tis naught but an Old Wives Tale.''...
``Don't
mind Mother, she hasn't been herself since she went
through the
Change of Life.''
words

Looming high over the imagination of humankind, the shadow

of the
Crone casts a miasma of fear and uselessness, power and
casting-out, across the myths of our race and society.
I have talked and talked to women who either have
arrived at
crone time or who are preparing themselves for this
transition
and we have found much to talk about. And I think that
it is
important that we keep right on talking after the
season of
Gatherings has passed for the year.
I have
absolutely no
interest in trying to start a newsletter for Crones, nor
really
of founding OWL (Old Woman's League), SOW (Salty Old
Women),
CRONE (Clearly Rational Older Natural Energy), nor HAG
(Honorable
Aged Geniuses).
However, I, no more than many of you, want to have to
wait until
next year to get a chance to discuss all these
fascinating
topics.
So how about some suggestions, and perhaps some
offers

of
which

help.

dispenses

Would

we

like to cooperate

in

an

APAZine*

with an editing and layout burden, leaving some

low--

level bookkeeping which I don't mind doing. Does

someone feel
like working on a Newsletter? Do we want to form a
loose
organization as part of or instead of the above? Or are
most of
us too busy to do anything about this between gatherings?
I'll be sending this letter to people I know
personally and to
many Pagan publications; you'll probably see it often
enough to
be sick of the whole idea. But there is a lot of
magick
available in the Time of the Crone.
There is a
lot of
sociological pressure to understand, combat or accept.
And there
is a whole lot of our lives left for us to function as
Crones.
If we don't figure out what it is and what to do with it,
nobody
else will.
So write me at the address below (SASE appreciated)
and let me
know what you think about the whole idea, what you
might be
willing to do, what insights you may have about Crone
Time -let's figure out what has been left out of all the books.
We're
already ``Uppity Women'' and we've nothing to lose but a
bad rap.
(Crones are assumed to be women more or less at the
age of
menopause or past it. Baby Crones are any who realize
that this
time is not far away.)
Grey Cat P.O. Box 181 Crossville, TN 38555

560

{file "Elemental Correspondences" "bos125.htm"}

THE
ELEMENTS
Water
motion

Earth
Characteristics
Clear, Heavy

Air

Akasha

Transparent, light
Massive

Fire
Force of
Essence

Reflective

Animator
Multi dimensional
Insulator
Weightless
Resists motion
Transformative
Compressible &
Radiative
non compress/Expand Compr/Expandable
Expandable
Expandable
Endurance

Reflective, Insula. Insulator

Absorptive
Non-compressible
Compr/Expandable
Endurance, mobile
Smooth flowing
Malleable/mutable
Male,Penetrating
Transcends E,A,F,W

Moveable, Mutable
Non-mutable
Stable, solid
Highly mutable
Malleable
Storable
Non-mutable
malleable, balanced,
Male, Penetrating
Female,Receptive
Receptive-to water

Mediator
Female
Reacts to Energy
by
Carries Fire
Renews and
Carries Fire
Air & Earth
nourishes
water

Mediator

Evaporates
yet immanent
for movement
air

Non-local Essence Logos, switching

Power, force
Act of choosing
Underlying
Underlying,
mechanism
prime mover
Intuitive
Stability
connecting all
Energy Flow Crown down
Spine behind
Base of spine up
Non local
heart to hands

Front to heart
with love energy

Feeling Free
Centeredness

Love

Correspondences
West
Inward
lifeforce

Direction
North
Direction of view
To past

Enthusiastic,
Ecstasy & Bliss
energized

East
Outward

South
Center

Forward/Future

Holistic

Part of Person Mind

Emotions,intuition Body

Will,

Spirit
(spirit)
Consciousness Intelligence
Will
Wisdom
Memory
Enlightenment
Physical action Thinking
Asserting will
Making love
Sleep, experiencing
Breaking
barriers
Partying,
unity
Spiritual aspect Enlightenment
Life-force
Compassion
Serenity/beingness Om tat sat
Silver/blue/purple

Colors Clear/White/Blue
Red/Yellow
Green/gold/brown
Ultraviolet

Sunset

Time
Night

Dawn

Noon
Now and all time

Season Spring
Summer
Winter
Kalpas
Astrological Libra, Aq., Gemini
Ares,Leo,Sagitar.
Cancer,Scorp,Pices Capr.,Taurus, Virgo
3,7,11 House
Mercury
Tarot Swords (esp. Queen) Rods
Cups
Disks
Fall

Liquid

Physical state
Solid

Undine

Spirits
Gnome

Gas

Plasma/Energy
Singularity

Sylph

Salamander
Demigods,God(ess)s

Deities Zeus, Urania,

Ares, Hestia,
Poseidon, Aphrodite Gaia, Pan, Hera
Isis, Buddha, Ahura
Athena, Aradia
Brigid, Hermes
Tiamat,Isis
Demeter, Rhiannon
Mazda, Quan Yin, True
Thoth,
Pele,
Vulcan,Agni
Adonis, Dionysus
will,
Zeus, Hera
Fish, seal

Power Animals Eagle/hawk

Buffalo, stag
Any

Dragon, lion

Otter
Symbol
Square

Crescent

Circle

Triangle
Infinity Sign, white

egg, equal arm cross

Chalice

Tools Incense
Pentagram

Red Candle
Wand, Athame, Crystal

561
cauldron,
ankh
Incense/Odor Sandlewood/mellow
Frankincense/spicy Rose/flowery
Musk/Goaty/earthy
Combination incense
Feeling cool & fresh
Warm
Tingles like spray Rigidity, Centered
Taste
Salty
Bitter
Waterfall

Image
Billowing clouds
Erupt. Volcano
Mountain/landscape Blue-white light

plants & animals

Word of Power YOD-EH-VAV-HE
nay) AHIA (Aiy Hey Yeh) AGLA (ah gal lah)

OM

ADNI(add dough

Kabbalistic action Movement

Contraction
Stability

Expansion
Underlying essence

562
Wind Spirit Eurus
Borus

Zephyrus

Notus
Tornado of power

manifesting deities
Bija Yam (Yaungg)
Ram (Raumgg)
Lam (Laung)
Hum (Haumgg)/Om

VAM (Vaungg)

Affirmation
I am intelligent
I am powerful
I am strong,
I am balanced

I am creative
& intuitive
head

centered & know

Posture
Arms extended

triangle
then

palms up

I am all

Arms raised
Arms extended
Parallel
palms down

Arms above
back straight
forming
arms sweep

at side
Virtues
Intelligence,
Centeredness
Beyond
practical, joy
receptivity,flexib. Patience, truth
Love, compassion

forgiveness
jealousy
bullying

depression

unstable
Behind sex organ

Brigid

enthusiasm,
willpower

thorough, dependable
Vices
Indifference,

Courage,

Impulsive,frivolous Anger,
Dullness, laziness Beyond
boasting,
hatred,
inconsiderateness
easily fooled

hang-ups
Chakra
Base
Other

Heart

behind waste
Crown/third eye

Quick response
Networking
communicative
linking people
into social
unit
active
Dawn, day, drive
heat, yellow
plants expression
of DNA

Benevolent
dictator
Purple
Billowing clouds

563