I came across a very interesting article from "Shaman's Drum" which was reprinted for Vision Quest Bookstore. I will attempt to convey the gist of it, along with my views, as a student of the Ways of the Teneh, about it. Smudging is a way of using the smoke from burning herbs as a way to cleanse the body, an object, or a given area of negative influences. I myself use smudging to "cleanse" crystals before using them in jewelry projects I may do, and for protecting my home from some recent "bad vibe"-producing events. (Landlord troubles!) I imagine that the skillful use of the proper herbs could help in warding and banishing ceremonies as well, if used properly and with reverence. The three most used plant material for smudging are sage of all types, cedar, and sweetgrass.

Sage
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There are two major genii and several...
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"Not of father, or of mother was my blood, was my body. I was spellbound by Gwydion, Prime enchanter of the Britons, when he formed me from nine blossoms."—‘Hanes Blodeuwedd’ R. Graves, Trans.

In Most Pagan cultures, the sun god is seen as split between two rival personalities the god of light and his twin, his 'weird', his 'other self', the god of darkness. They are Gawain and the Green Knight, Gwyn and Gwythyr, Llew and Goronwy, Lugh and Balor, Balan and Balin, the Holly King and the Oak King, etc. Often they are depicted as fighting seasonal battles for the favor of their goddess/lover, such as Creiddylad or Blodeuwedd, who represents Nature. The god of light is always born at the winter solstice, and his strength waxes with the lengthening days, until the moment of his greatest power, the summer solstice, the longest da...
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"There were three men came out of the West, their fortunes for to try, and these three men made a solemn vow, John Barleycorn must die..."

Despite the bad publicity generated by Thomas Tryon's novel, Harvest Home is the pleasantest of holidays. Admittedly, it does involve the concept of sacrifice, but one that is symbolic only. The sacrifice is that of the spirit of vegetation, John Barleycorn. Occurring 1/4 of the year after Midsummer, Harvest Home represents mid-autumn, autumn's height. It is also the Autumnal Equinox, one of the quarter days of the year, a Lesser Sabbat and a Low Holiday in modern Witchcraft. Technically, an equinox is an astronomical point and, due to the fact that the earth wobbles on its axis slightly (rather like a top that's slowing down), the date may vary by a few days depending on the year. The autumnal...
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"Once upon a Lammas night when corn rigs are bonny, beneath the Moon's unclouded light, I held awhile to Annie..."

Although in the heat of a Mid-western summer it might be difficult to discern, the festival of Lammas (Aug 1st) marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall. The days now grow visibly shorter and by the time we've reached autumn's end (Oct 31st), we will have run the gamut of temperature from the heat of August to the cold and (sometimes) snow of November. And in the midst of it, a perfect Mid-western autumn.

The history of Lammas is as convoluted as all the rest of the old folk holidays. It is of course a cross-quarter day, one of the four High Holidays or Greater Sabbats of Witchcraft, occurring 1/4 of a year after Beltane. Its true astrological point is 15 degrees Leo, which occurs at 1:18am CDT, Aug 6...
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Now comes The Vernal Equinox, and The season Of Spring reaches it's apex, halfway through its journey from Candlemas to Beltane.

Once again, night and day stand in perfect balance, with the powers of light on the ascendancy. The god of light now wins a victory over his twin, the god of darkness. In the Mabinogion myth reconstruction which I have proposed, this is the day on which the restored Llew takes his vengeance on Goronwy by piercing him with the sunlight spear. For Llew was restored/reborn at the Winter Solstice and is now well/old enough to vanquish his rival/twin and mate with his lover/mother. And the great Mother Goddess, who has returned to her Virgin aspect at Candlemas, welcomes the young sun god's embraces and conceives a child. The child will be born nine months from now, at the next Winter Solstice. And so the cyc...
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A purification of objects for ritual use and their transformation into magical items.

The area is prepared by placing a quantity of each element in the proper quarter, as well as preparing the altar in the usual way. If available, a cauldron (empty) is placed in the center of the circle. Candles are placed at each of the four corners and lit, progressing deosil from the east.

Salt and water are blessed, and the celebrants are purified with them. A magic circle is cast, and watchtowers summoned. The god is then drawn down as follows:

(The priest stands before the alter in the Osiris position, arms crossed across chest and feet together. The Priestess kneels before him with face and arms upraised.)

PS: Hephaestus, forger of magic, descend upon this the body of thy priest and servant, lend us the strength of your ...
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Because of the very nature of Magic, each working should be highly individualized and personal. Even if following a traditional spell, it should be tailored to your specific needs to be most effective for you.

Understanding the basics of Spell Construction will enable you to formulate your own specific, effective spells for any purpose you desire. Preliminary planning is necessary. The very first step is to decide precisely what your desired end result is to be. Before you can start, you must decide where you are going. You must be very.explicit.It is important, also, that you choose your time carefully. You should take into consideration all Astrological implications, energy currents and Moon phases.

The Moon is the astronomical body closest to us and, therefore, has a profound influence upon us, it is very important to c...
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The Mystical Pentagram is a technique which will enhance psychic self- awareness. Practiced on a daily basis it will produce surprising individual results. One of the features of this technique is that it encourages personal development by allowing each entity to discover a personal mantra which corresponds to the five elements. To begin, you will need a table of correspondences as"777" by Aleister Crowley.

Look up the names of the gods and goddesses which correspond to the air element. Pick a name which when chanted 'feels' right for you. For example, Nu is the Egyptian lord of the firmament and corresponds to air. If I were inclined towards Egyptian deities, I would chant the name Nu for several minutes to see what effect transpired. If I felt relaxed, comfortable, and generally positive I would inwardly know that this name woul...
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The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP) is one of the chief rituals of Western Magic. It has been with us at least since the Golden Dawn of the nineteenth century, and it has penetrated into all the many Golden Dawn spin offs, including Neo-Paganism.

Yet there is still no widely available, clear instruction. The directions of the magical orders are mere mnemonics for those who are assumed to have personal instructors. To formulate my personal approach to the ritual, to aid any others who may be considering practicing the LBRP, and to satisfy the idle curiosity of any gawking onlookers, I have put together this short discussion of the ritual and its symbolism and performance.


A. Intent of the Ritual

The real action of a magic ritual takes place in the mind. Ritual is a form of moving meditation. The ...
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WICCAN PENTAGRAM RITUAL
This ritual includes the Wiccan Cross, Circle of Protection and Invocation to the Great Gods.


WICCAN CROSS

Face East.
Touch forehead.
Say IO EVOE HERTHA ('Blessed be Hertha,' or other Name by which you worship the Goddess as Creatrix)

Touch solar plexus or genitals.
Say IO EVOE CERNUNNOS ('Blessed be Cernunnos,' or other name by which you worship the Horned God as the Earth)

Touch right shoulder.
Say EKO EKO AZARAK ('Hail, hail force of fire')

Touch left shoulder.
Say EKO EKO AMELAK ('Hail, hail to the glory')

Extend arms in form of a cross.
Say IO EVOE (‘blessed be.')

Clasp hands upon breast and say 'So mote it be.


CIRCLE OF PROTECTION

Trace pentagram in East.
Say HERNE.

Trace circle of protectio...
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This is a ceremony we have used a couple of times (with variations to suit the candidate) for the second degree initiation. You will note that it borrows from many sources: Masonic, Gardnerian, Celtic, and Flight of Fancy. We've done it robed, sky clad, and some interesting combinations. Seems to work ok either way. If the candidate has done the work, the initiation ceremony is more of a public "rite of passage" or recognition of that fact... the real "initiation" is between the Gods and the candidate, and therefore cannot really be "conferred".
...Gary Dumbauld, High Priest, Hernesgaard Circle


A ceremony to recognize completion of the 2nd degree course of study


The Circle is cast as usual. All are properly prepared and purified. High Priestess and High Priest pe...
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To be performed at the next Full Moon after Jan. 15th, or when war breaks out

Forward by Rev. Sagento A., DD, April 2010
This rite was originally written for the Gulf War in the 1990's. It has been adopted here for use for future wars when you have a loved one called away to serve and a need to send them protection.


Introduction:
This is not a ceremony for peace. Unfortunately, it seems that peace isn't a viable option, and our warriors and the warriors that are allied with us will go on the war path to engage the enemy. In days of old, the Chiricahua Teneh invoked the energies of White Painted Woman before going into battle. White Painted Woman was not only the Maiden aspect of the Goddess, but also the one who taught First Man and First Woman, Her children, the skills of battle. It is She who will be addressed t...
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In recent years, there have been a number of pamphlets and books put out be various Christian organizations dealing with the origins of modern- day Halloween customs.

Being a Witch myself, and a student of the ancient Celts from whom we get this holiday, I have found these pamphlets woefully inaccurate and poorly researched. A typical example of this information is contained in the following quote from the pamphlet entitled "What's Wrong with Halloween?" by Russell K. Tardo. "The Druids believed that on October 31st, the last day of the year by the ancient Celtic calendar, the lord of death gathered together the souls of the dead who had been made to enter bodies of animals, and decided what forms they should take the following year. Cats were held sacred because it was believed that they were once human being...
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When I cleanse a dwelling place, first I burn a good cleansing incense, like frankincense or sandalwood in the home while I prepare for the rest of the ritual. You should have in addition to the incense, a candle, a bowl of salt water and a bowl of herbs. I particularly like to use rose buds for love, lavender for preservation, rosemary for protection, and any other sweet smelling ones that appeal to you personally. If you can get them home grown, so much the better. You should proceed around the house, widdershins (counter clock wise) and cleanse the area with the salt water. Be sure to get each corner, window, door, drain, etc. Simply sprinkle a little salt water on each and ask that any evil or disruptive influences leave the place. When this is finished, proceed around the hou...
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Preparations:
A wheel symbol stands on the altar; it may be anything that feels suitable a cut out disc painted yellow or gold and decorated with spring flowers, a circular mirror, around brass tray. The High Priest’s robe, if any, and accessories should be symbolic of the Sun; any metal he wears should be gold, gilt,brass or bronze. The altar, if indoors, should be decorated with springflowers particularly the yellow ones such as daffodils, primroses, gorse, or forsythia. One banquet should be ready for handing to the Spring Queen, and a chaplet of flowers for her crowning. The Spring Queen is one of the younger women in the Coven. The cauldron is placed in the center of the circle, with an unlit candle in it. If outside, and conditions permit, a bonfire is made ready to light. A taper is placed ready on the altar for the Ma...
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