GG7

Guardian's Grimoire the Seventh

Beltane 98 edition

So...Guardians,Huh?

by Estara Korai

You know, we make some people nervous.

As the Unofficial Poster Girl of Guardianship, I do a lot of talking to people who have never seen one of us out in the open before, and I field a lot of (sometimes tedious) questions about our ways, our objectives, and our validity.

Some people are very receptive. Some are even relieved to know that someone like us is out there. But some are very, very nervous.

These are some of the core issues that seem to be at the heart of the questions I hear, followed by some answers.

WHAT THE HECK DO YOU DO, ANYWAY?

There are a couple of functions I would describe as Guardianship--this is ignoring the other uses of the word, like Guardian of the Gate or Guardians of the Watchtowers. One is the function of Guardian within a coven; this person's functions might include casting and guarding sacred space, and watching over the magickal safety (and sometimes the mundane physical safety) of the coven and especially the priestess.

The second is a person who may be coven or solitary, whose magical and ritual work in the world is of a distinctly * protective* nature. This kind of Guardian most often functions either as the protector of a particular physical site, or as a legal and/or magickal troubleshooter for other pagans. I have noticed that many cluster in the martial arts, and in the fields of law enforcement, law, and psychology, and that most can shield and banish like gangbusters; other roles may include physical and mental healing, empathy, divination/ trance, counseling, and for some, magickal/astral combat.

What we do varies widely according to need. It might be something akin to exorcism, or teaching someone to shield, or holding someone's hand while they decide whether to press charges. Often the actions are partly or totally mundane, if that is what need seems to dictate. The key factor is protection, whether of Nature, of a pet cause or area, or of the pagan community as a whole or in part.

DOESN'T THAT JUST MEAN YOU DO THE JOB OF ANY WICCAN ELDER?

It's a matter of degree. I think of a good Elder as being part Guardian, in the same way that s/he is also part healer, part teacher, part ritual leader, etc. However, my experience of those who name Guardian as their *primary* calling is that very few of us work as ritual leaders or heads of covens. That function seems to kind of "tie you down," if you get my meaning. And some are not Wiccan, and therefore would obviously not qualify as Wiccan elders.

OLD PROTECTORS OF THE COMMUNITY OR LACKEY FANS GONE AWRY?

About the Lackey connection: it's a bit wonky. The function of Guardianship predates Lackey by at least a couple of centuries; there are always shamans and "good witches" and magicians who devote much or all of their time to protecting their people from dark magic and unfriendly spirits. The calling itself seems, quite simply, to be inspired by the spiritual experiences of those who have it. The *name* is partly inspired, unfortunately, by "this Lackey person." That is not because she inspired the function, at least not in those who are serious. Some of us went through a phase of trying to find a less charged word, but there just wasn't another one in English that seemed proper.

Here are a couple of quotes on the historical function of what we’ve been calling Guardians:

"What induced me to recognize a correct intuition in Murray's totally discredited thesis (or rather in one of its components) was the discovery of an agrarian cult of an ecstatic character throughout the Fruili between the sixteenth and seventeenth century. It is documented by about fifty inquisitorial trials, which are late (c. 1575-1675), untypical in crucial ways, and originate from a culturally marginal area: elements that contradict all the external criteria established by Kieckhefer to isolate the lineaments of folk witchcraft from all learned superimpositions. And yet, from this documentation elements emerge which are quite distinct from the stereotypes of the demonologists. Men and women who defined themselves as "benandanti" affirmed that, having been born "with a caul" (that is, enveloped in amnion) they were compelled to go four times a year, at night, to battle "in spirit," armed with bundles of fennel, against male and female witches armed with stalks of sorghum: at stake in these night battles was the fertility of the fields." Carlo Ginzburg: Ecstacies: Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath.

"The evidence from each Celtic country shows very clearly that magic and witchcraft are inseparably blended in the Fairy-Faith, and that human beings, i.e. "charmers," dynion hysbys, and other magicians, and sorceresses, are often enabled through the aid of fairies to perform the same magical acts as fairies; or, again, like Christian priests who use exorcisms, they are able, acting independently, to counteract fairy power, thereby preventing changelings or curing them, saving churnings, healing man or beast of "fairy- strokes," and, in short, nullifying all undesirable influences emanating from the fairy world. A correct interpretation of these magical elements so prominent in the Fairy-Faith is of fundamental importance...." W.Y. Evans- Wentz: The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries.

"A friend who is an authority on mystery traditions once asked me, "Why would anyone in his right mind want to learn shamanism at a weekend workshop?" She was thinking about the classic initiations into shamanism among tribal people in which, as she put it, "you're sitting quietly in your yurt, minding your own business, when suddenly a hideous four- headed spirit monster blasts its way through the door flap, grabs you by the neck, yanks you up through the smoke-hole into some dreary realm, where it proceeds to slap you around, rip you apart, dip you in a foul- smelling gook, staple you back together again, and drop you back through the smoke-hole. Then it says, "There! Now you're a shaman!"" Tom Cowan: Shamanism as a Spiritual Practice for Daily Life.

(It is interesting to note that more often than not Guardians have had an experience very like this, and afterward feel "set apart" into this line of work.)

"Current Mexican and Mexican-American folk magick has two basic strands: brujeria and curanderismo. Although the best English translation of these words are 'witchcraft' and 'healing', the actual roles of the practitioners and their beliefs and practices do not translate. The words were probably imposed by Castillian-speakers on practices that resembled what happened in Spain, but which wasn't the same. In the case of brujeria this particularly seems to be so. From what I have found, it seems that the Aztecs already separated between two basic kinds of religious practitioners - those who were engaged in trying to keep the world in its status quo, and those working to destroy it. This basic opposition of so-called 'white' and 'black' magick is in place with the basic opposition of curanderos to brujos. Curanderos spend quite a bit of their time undoing the work of brujos - curses, bindings, spiteful love spells and such. Brujos seem to also be occasionally engaged in undoing the work of curanderos, but unfortunately I haven't yet found a reliable and non-judgmental source about the practices of brujos (the curanderos are folk Catholics whereas the brujos are not, leading to an even stronger reinforced bias against brujos).

"Some of the most common maladies that curanderos cure are the evil eye, mal de ojo, caused by someone casting a jealous eye on some vulnerable person, most commonly a child (or to put it in Guardian terms: a psychic attack on someone who doesn't know how to shield themselves), and susto, meaning fright, which to me sounds quite similar to post traumatic shock disorder from the descriptions I have read, which are cured through rituals bringing the soul back to the body.

"The idea that a magickal practitioner be engaged in helping others magickally, including protecting them against magickal attack and curing them of the effects of such, is quite normal. And from what I have read, it also seems that in many cases it's a calling" Aase, from Pagans Online

Those who have read the Dion Fortune excerpt in a previous Grimoire may remember that in Western Masonic and Ceremonial groups, there were (are?) things called Hunting Lodges, dedicated to rooting out unethical practitioners. (This brings up its own issues for some people, which I will address later.) I have heard from a friend that some Masons still recognize the term Guardian and have much the same meaning for it as we do.

All of this aside, there are still people who worry that we’re nothing but the lunatic fringe of the Mercedes Lackey Fan Club. I’ve already addressed the Lackey-specific issue elsewhere (see the Web page disclaimer). But here’s a bolder question: what exactly is wrong with taking a good idea from fiction and making it true? Even if we had chosen the name as an homage to Lackey's books--which I can argue is not entirely true--we would not be doing anything more ridiculous than those who use a language from Tolkien in ritual (several traditions do), or the Church of All Worlds (name and ideology based on a Heinlein novel), or for that matter, the myriad witches who use Robert Graves' Tree Alphabet (he, not the Celts, chose the order of those trees!) or his truncation of the Song of Amergin or his and Meg Murray's largely disproven theories of how paganism must have worked. All fictions, my friends. But they work anyway. Why? Because spirituality is not the same as historical recreation. Spirituality is by its nature a two-way and *creative* process. When we put out the call with real sincerity, the Universe cannot help but answer.

It's true that a lot of us are young (Gen X, donchaknow), and read fiction, and--horrors--even sometimes take inspiration from it. But I don't know a single Guardian who actually believes they're living a big Vampire game. Sometimes they use that terminology, because they're young and haven't been taught the "standard" terms--but they are not without some essential grasp on reality.

EVIL AND BAD JUJU DON'T EXIST AND/OR DON'T WORK

After the Lackey thing, this is the most common objection raised by mainstream pagans, and is the one I find most interesting and most richly flawed.

On the existence of evil: when most Westerners say "evil" they are thinking of the Christian Devil sitting somewhere, plotting to turn men against God by telling them about sex and the Tarot, chuckling madly and rubbing his hands together every time one of us Turns Astray. Obviously, from the pagan viewpoint, you can’t have this, because you don’t have a monolithic God or a Devil to revolt against him. But I suggest the following two points as ideas I have had about the nature of evil, both derived from non-Christian religious lineages.

1. (Taoist flavor) The cycles of Nature are moved forward by the constant push and pull between creative and destructive forces. Although neither is "good" or "evil" in and of itself, either can harm the flow of things to the extent that it refuses to relinquish its place at the proper time. Yin must give way to yang, and yang to yin again; otherwise there is stagnation, which is the only true harm.

2. (Hindu flavor) "Evil" is ignorance of one's place in the cosmos and one's connection to it. Out of ignorance, one may do harm to others and to oneself. The ultimate symbol of this ignorance is the asuras, spiritual beings who live in total ignorance and slavery to the illusion of their separateness. Because of this, they strive to conquer and to harm others. So the devas (spiritual forces of "good," in that they are much more connected to the real nature of things) must fight them--not out of hatred, but to stop them from doing harm and to give them new lifetimes in which to remember their true natures.

Several Guardians and warriors I have known have made the comparison to surgery. The cancer isn’t evil per se, not by the Christian definition; but it is harmful to the rest of the body, and so it has to come out. The Guardian or warrior becomes the scalpel, and hir Deity (ideally) the hand that guides it.

Please note that this does NOT mean that Guardians are in the habit of killing people they don’t like. Or anybody, unless it is a matter of immediate self-defense or in the line of duty of their secular jobs.

Along the lines of ignorance and destruction, I should also point out that besides the Evil Magickal Fiends that seem to pop into mind for people, two of the really big issues we find ourselves dealing with are industrial harm, and the Apocalyptic Mindset that thousands upon thousands are feeding energy every day. You can call them misguided instead of evil if it makes you feel better, but in the meantime, I'd rather halt their progress before they halt mine, if you take my meaning.

Sometimes the problem isn’t realizing that some people do bad things--it's a knee-jerk version of the Rede that seems to convince people that any action is bad. This, in my opinion, is not a natively pagan idea. It much more resembles Buddhism. This doesn’t make it good or bad, I’m just saying.

To my mind there are three levels of Wiccan (bleeding into some other pagan) moral thought. Probably there are more, but these are the ones I’m going to discuss.

First, the idea that "harm none" means that you wish hugs-n-kisses to everything, and from there on there will be nothing but good karma coming your way. This is the most common among new and/or booklearned Wiccans and those heavily Newaged.

Second, the realization that the first idea doesn’t wash. The world is infinitely more complex than that: the man you kept from committing suicide may go on to start the next World War; the rave you don’t go to just to spite the friend who invited you may be the one where someone was waiting to slip the "rape drug" into your drink. This awareness of how big and complex the Web is scares some people into avoiding any action, in the hopes that this will somehow save them from making a mistake.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t wash either. "No action" is still an action, still a choice, and it still has consequences. So, the third level is the realization that whatever we do will ripple outward in ways we cannot fully comprehend, and a *willingness* to take that in stride, making our decisions as well as we may with our limited perspective, and accepting the ramifications later.

Now, on to the issue of "evil magick." A lot of current pagans seem to labor under the impression that only "good" magick works. (How you can keep "good" without there being an "evil," or at least "harmful," I don't know. The way to transcend dualism isn’t to throw out one extreme and keep the other.) It seems to me that this is trying to have it both ways--magick is real and it works, but only the kind of magick that I like. Huh? No, I'm sorry, that doesn't wash for me. Magick is, or it isn't. It works, or it doesn't. If it works, humans being what they are, every so often someone will do something marvelous with it, and every so often someone else will do something awful with it. I don't see why magick would be unique in the universe as the only force with exclusively pleasant applications.

That said, it can very easily happen that a given person, including a given pagan, will go their entire life without ever seeing an example of harmful magick in action. Even that most of us will. This is not the same thing as it being impossible. I've never seen a nuclear blast in person, either, and don't hope to. But there's still adequate reason, I think, to register my protest to the proliferation of nuclear arms.

A divide seems to be forming between theurgy and thaumaturgy in paganism. Increasing numbers of pagans are arriving who are attracted to the idea of polytheism, mostly from a historically accurate perspective, but who aren’t ready to embrace the possibility of magick. It's the result, I think, of the desire among intellectuals (and I speak from having been one myself) to have a scientific rationale for everything. Not everyone who adopts a religion leaves this behind, even though (again, in my opinion) spirit and science, while both good in their proper places, are uneasy bedfellows. As religious as I may be, I also practice "low magick." I believe that it works. I believe that it exists. I believe that other people do it, and not always with the best of intent. I believe that there is a wide universe of mental, astral, and spiritual forces out there, and not every single one of them is friendly. So, yes, although I do not go looking for trouble on any level, at times it finds me--or more often someone I know, or who knows of me via the Internet--and at those times, yes, I act. I do not and will not apologize for any of this, nor will I pretend that any aspect of my beliefs makes me foolish, incredulous, or a hazard to humanity.

WHO WILL WATCH THE WATCHERS?

Here's where it really seems to get spooky for some people--and it cuts both ways. When we look unorganized, we have no one to whom a Guardian has to answer, no one who can announce to the world "This is a good Guardian" or "We rejected this one, watch out!" We are not *accountable.* On the other hand, when we look organized, a dark specter seems to come up for some people of a magickal Gestapo patrolling the edges of the pagan community, looking for deviants to ship out to the camps. And the very idea of us as a group so offended one person that he put us right up there with human sacrifice as "paleo-pagan ideas that should have no place in modern practice."

To be fair, this question comes partly from actual history. The Nazis themselves *did* act out of a certain pagan viewpoint, albeit a horrifically twisted one. (For the record, if you don’t know this already, the Nazi vision of Germanic paganism was deliberately twisted to their political designs--and mixed with an equally strange interpretation of Christian mysticism--and should NOT be taken as indicative of standard practice of the Northern ways!) The Hunting lodges apparently gained a bad reputation when Christian mystical lodges took it upon themselves to war against those who got "too pagan." (I say "apparently" because I only have this part on hearsay--I'll keep digging around in the history to see what I can find out.) And religious history is full of factions, including pagan factions, warring against each other, and of "witch hunters," including pagan ones, turning against alleged practitioners of magick.

But that right there ought to point out the biggest problem with holding this against the Guardians. *We are the ones practicing magick!* With the possible exception of those (let me reiterate--Christian!) Hunting lodges, the history of witch hunting is a history of those who did *not* practice magick persecuting those who *did.* Which means that when a pagan who doesn't use or believe in "low" magick for the most part (and that's usually who brings this up!) complains that we, the users of magick, are going to persecute them, they are not only going against what we know of history, *they are beginning the true version of the hunt* by spreading malicious tales about the innate evil of those who use magick! I don't mean to sound alarmist here, but that's really how I perceive it, and it REALLY bothers me to see those wheels turning so early in our little pagan Renaissance. I will also mention in this vein, as was pointed out to me by several nonwhite friends, that the (white American middle-class) modern pagans who reject magick also tend to reject non-American, nonwhite pagan forms (African and Latin American, for example)--pagan ways that have survived unbroken, unlike the reconstructions these modern pagans follow--as "superstitious" and inferior. This is an implicitly racist and xenophobic viewpoint. So, before you get too nervous about the mote in *my* eye, fellas....

Sigh. To move on to a related point, I have heard concerns about "abuse of power." (The person who brought this up seemed to envision us having huge amounts of clout in the pagan community, and deciding the fate of entire traditions! ROFLMAO!!) Of course, this was a person who distrusts "authority figures" and enforcers generally--didn't care for cops or soldiers either. His point was that there will always be some people who serve for the wrong reasons and become abusive of the privileges they are given. Yes, obviously this is true. But because of this, shall we have no police force, no judges, no priests, no politicians of any sort, because some of these will abuse the powers given them? Or do we strive to create a standard of excellence and a system of internal and external checks in order to minimize the harm that the inevitable bad apples are able to cause?

Two kinds of people are the most attracted to power. Some want power because they feel a calling to serve their community. Others have hidden agendas and wishes for personal aggrandizement. Naturally one must be on the lookout for the latter, but this need not mean that you deny the existence of the former.

I’ve also heard the objection that our presence, if known, lends credence to the idea that witches might attack each other and make everyone paranoid, and increase witch wars. To me, this is kind of silly--the current popularity of witch wars ought to make it obvious that pretending this can't happen doesn't keep it from happening. If anything, having us around to teach people what ISN'T a psychic attack, and how to stop a real one without escalating the conflict more than necessary, would be a big help to healing the community.

Now then...I’ve left the opposite problem, the lack of organization, for now because it's much quicker to deal with. We can't organize to the extent of being a Gestapo, because that's simply not how the calling works. Like most other folk witches, we work alone or in small groups, each with our own peculiar ways of doing things, each doing the job that we feel our Gods asked us to do. (And this is the way that everyone I’ve spoken to came into Guardianship, by the way--a god or "the spirit of the land" came up and said, "You're a Guardian, get to work.") I think that most of us perceive it as a calling decided by Deity and the individual, not as a title that can be given or taken away by any human authority. And we don't come from a single pagan tradition--there's no common body of ritual or lore, just a certain way of seeing things and a leaning toward certain flavors of magick. A loose federation is possible, even desirable, but that’s as far as I can see it going.

The last questions come from the more supportive people.

WHAT SHOULD I DO TO KEEP SAFE? HOW DO I FIND/CHOOSE A GUARDIAN?

What you should watch out for depends on where you are. Keep up on world, national, and local news (by which I mean NEWS, not who the President allegedly slept with, etc!) and know how it affects your life. Get a feel for the social, political, environmental, and religious climate of your area. That way, if it has an unhealthy side or takes a sudden swing, you'll be aware of it. Know your Isaac Bonewitz Cult Danger Frame. Above all, trust your instincts: if someone trips your internal alarms, listen to them.

To protect yourself, take care of your physical and mental health. Avoid addictive substances and behaviors. Regularly do such things as meditate, ground and center, shield yourself, and touch base with the Deity or Deities of your choice. Treat others as you would want to be treated. Put consideration into, and take responsibility for, your own actions. And again, trust your intuition. This handful of common-sense things will protect you from a great host of potential ills.

How one finds a Guardian--uh, we're working on it. ;) The problem is that we're not really an organization so much as an array of people in varying places and traditions who have recognized this function as our primary one. We're working on the possibility of having an area directory up on the Web-- the problem is paranoia, either about being targets for unfriendly types (not just Evil Magicians--do you think there are no Christian extremists on the Web?) or about being inundated with the usual "teach me to hex my ex" and "please fix my life with no actions required on my own part" requests. Meanwhile, there are Guardian topics on Pagans Online and AOL.

How to tell a Guardian from a loonie--Well, the simplest and most obvious answer is, Talk to them. What you're looking to avoid is not necessarily those with unconventional ideas; I'll be honest, it's a job that does seem to appeal to eccentrics. Of course, someone with any sense will not leave all their odd notions hanging out for casual observation at your first meeting, and someone who is merely eccentric and not insane will, while having odd notions about reality, still be able to function within it: to carry on a relatively normal mundane life, in other words. What you want to check is the degree to which they seem to "walk their talk," the internal consistency of their ideas, their apparent level of experience and training in their alleged area of expertise. Do not use a Guardian who has no sense of humor, as this is usually a bad sign. And as with choosing any other specialist, just see whether you "click" or not .

Grimoire contentsArticle contents

Two Protective Rituals

by Talyesin - Dwight Hall

RITE #1:

(Estara Korai's note: This rite is described in a side note by Dwight as a "pure protection," a defensive measure only. Its focus is protection against influence by a particular person or entity, although it is also protective generally.)

If You have four candle holders you can use, besides the two on the End Table/Altar, good. Put a white candle in each, and place them at each of the four directions (East, South, West, North.)

You will also need two white candles, and something in which to safely have them burn.

You should get an ounce or so of water, and put it in a small bowl. Also a very small amount of olive oil in a shot glass, or very small bowl.

Also a small quantity of salt is needed (a half teaspoon or a little less is fine in a small bowl.) You will need some incense, and something that can both burn the incense, and also be picked up and safely moved about. (make sure that both of the people that are going to do this are not bothered by the smell.)

A place that will most likely not be entered into by anyone while the ritual is being preformed is very important. Also there should be some music that is conducive to a meditative state, but not intrusive. As with the incense, it should be acceptable to both parties.

There should be sufficient room ( clear floor space ) to put a small end table or some other such object upon which to place the salt, oil, water, candles, etc.. There must also be enough room to sit comfortably on the floor, and move about with out having to be distracted by things in the room. You should have the two candles in safe holders, on the "end table/Altar" to give a soft light, a copy of "the words."

What the two people should wear, What ever would be indicative of the special thing that is about to be done. That may range from a robe, to some comfortable tights, to if both people are comfortable with, and able to ignore it, nothing at all. The things that are peripheral to the rite, should not distract attention from the rite.

The Rite:

After dark, go into that space set aside for the Rite, and light the two Altar candles, and the four point candles that will illuminate the space. Turn off all other lights in the room. Turn on the music, at a setting that will allow talking easily, and softly, without having to compete with the music. Sit on the floor in a comfortable position, and relax.

Think pleasant soothing thoughts, as your body, and mind slow down, and become as tranquil as possible. Then both stand, and the one that is performing the rite should imagine a circle of pure Blue Light around the space that the rite is going to be held in. Now go to the Altar, and touch the salt with the pointing finger of Your right hand, and say these

"Words:"

I do bless thee, Salt, that thou shalt be pure, and Cast Out any influence over, or negativity towards Us.

[next with the same finger touch the water, and say; ]

I do bless thee, Water, that thou shall be pure, and Cast Out any influence over, or negativity towards, Us.

[ now mix the salt, and the Water, saying;]

"As these two potent Magickal substances mix, Let all that is Goodness, Purity, Devine Beneficence, and of the power of the light, mix in as well, to aid my Holy purpose."

[now go to that circle of Blue fire, and holding the bowl of consecrated salt water in your left hand, dip the first two fingers of your right hand into the water. Then sprinkle a few drops on the line of the circle, making sure to sprinkle the entire circumference while walking around it clockwise, saying and repeating as often as is necessary until the entire circle is rounded;]

"This circle is with this sacred fluid Cleansed of all negative beings, powers, elementals, and all things that would try to oppose our great purpose this night."

Now replace the bowl on the Altar after having sprinkled each other, the Oil, and the Altar with the Salt Water. While sprinkling each other take out the words "this circle", and replace it with the names of each of you.

While sprinkling the oil remove the word circle and replace it with Sacred oil, While sprinkling the Altar remove the words "Sacred oil' and replace it with "Altar."

[Now light the incense, and again trace out the circle with it. This time saying, and repeating till the circle is fully rounded;]

"I with this sweet scent do make a fit place for the working of Great Magicks. A place set aside from, and between the worlds. A sacred place where only good can prevail."

[Then as you pass the censer around both of you say, and repeat;]

May this sweet scent please all that is good, and dispel all that would have brooked our will.

[Then cense around the Alter three times saying, and repeating;]

Ever the center of the circle, the altar is at the foci of the cone of power, and as such a fit place to worship, and work the auld Magicks..

[Replace the censer on the alter, and pick up the oil. Pass it through the smoke saying;] This sacred oil, now doubly purified, shalt aid me in my great work this night."

[then replace the oil, on the Altar, and both of You holding their right hand up pointing above the altar, with the first two fingers extended, and the thumb and the last two fingers folded chant;]

" We who are in the circle of Love, Light , Life, and Reality, Salute the Gods"

[Facing each other you say;]

Gods and beautiful Goddesses! Who art indeed as good as beautiful, By all the worship I have given unto thee, and all the joy of Your love which thou hast blessed me with, I do implore thy Aid be given unto us in our great Magickial work this night, for You hast taught me that what I wilt tis true, and that what Thou Wilt Thou canst ever do. So let our souls be with joy fully satisfied, for thou art the Gods, an canst do anything thou wilt. Of thee I pray a boon, by the light of the Moon, Bring her under the Rune, And please make it soon, the granting of this Boon.

[Now take the oil in your left hand, and dip the first two fingers of the right hand into the oil, and place them on his forehead saying;]

Bright Oil, Pure Oil, oil of the Gods, Oil that softens the sinews of Man, Bless and purify this good Woman here. Let Her receive the blessings of thee, O Gods, and have all Magicks, influences, that are of a baneful nature removed from Her hence. By the most sacred names of the Gods I ask it, I command it! I abjure (the name of the woman that causing the trouble ) She hasn't, and never had, the power to influence (The name of the victim)here. [both say]

SO MOTE IT BE !

[Thank the Gods and Goddesses for attending, and bid them to leave or stay as they see fit. Extinguish the candles, and the incense, Go to the edge of the Blue circle, and with Your first two fingers of your right hand extended, Make a cut, or line drawn at a ninety degree angle to the line of the circle. Declare that the Circle is ended. That's its over.

)O(

RITE #2

A Rite For Protection, from troubles both of a Magickial, and Mundane Nature.

(Estara Korai’s note: the protective part of this rite is much the same, with the addition of a rune. The main difference is the structure of the ritual as a whole, which is more traditional in this rite than in the last one. Choose the one that better fits your way of doing things.)

The night of the Ritual. The time is sunset, where You will do the rite.

A time of new beginnings, and a leaving behind old Woes.

This is due to the fact that Celtic practice start it's day at sunset.

( As does The Jewish Faith)

This is known from many sources, including Julius Caesar's Commentaries.

If You wish to disregard this, so be it. There is no law that says You must Work in the Celtic manner.

You will "Need" the following;

A small piece of paper, on which You have placed a arrow like drawing, a very simple one, a upside down ^ with a vertical line going into the small part of the ^ so there is a arrow pointing up. This is the Rune Tir. It symbolizes Victory. Than under this Rune, print the Man's name. Put this folder in half, next to the right Altar Candle.

Small containers of Salt, Water, also a very small amount of olive oil in a shot glass, or very small bowl. (The type of oil used is not that important, other than It Must be vegetable oil) Incense, a small spoon to put the incense into the incense burner,

If You are using stick incense, something to hold it while it smolders. If You are using Cone incense, something to safely contain the heat of the smoldering incense.

Caution ! Many ashtrays are fine for a cigarette, But are not safe with incense. If You do not have a quality incense Burner, Put a insulating substance (Such as sand) in a fire proof, non brittle container.

You will also "Need" an Athame. ( A black handled, straight double edged bladed knife) If you do not have one, use the first two fingers of the right hand extended, while the thumb, and last two fingers are folded. Also a small glass of wine, or ale, or beer, or if You do not want any alcohol, a glass of juice is OK. Then you will need a small piece of cake, bread, cookie, pancake, biscuit.

You will also need; A place that will most likely not be entered into by anyone while the ritual is being preformed is very important. Also there should be some music that is conducive to a meditative state, but not intrusive. As with the incense, it should be in the background, not intrusive.

If You have four candle holders you can use, besides the two on the End Table/Altar, good. Put a white candle in each, and place them at each of the four directions (East, South, West, North.)

There should be sufficient room (clear floor space) to put a small end table or some other such object upon which to place the salt, water, and incense, as well as the two White candles with their holders.

What You should wear, Whatever would be indicative of the special thing that is about to be done. That may range from a robe, to some comfortable tights, to if You are comfortable with, and able to ignore it, nothing at all. The things that are peripheral to the rite, should not distract attention from the rite.

Think pleasant soothing thoughts, as your body, and mind slow down, and become as tranquil as possible. Then stand, and You should imagine a circle of pure Blue Light/Fire around the space that the rite is going to be held in. Now go to the Altar, and touch the salt with the pointing finger of Your right hand, and say these "Words" ]

"SALT thou art the bones of the Earth, and thus thou art beyond any blessing such as I might bestow, But I do cleanse Thee of any impurity instilled by the action of Mankind."

Then touch the Water with the two fingers of your right hand or Athame, while saying,

Water, Thou art the tears of the sky, and Thus thou art beyond any blessing such as I might bestow, But I do cleanse Thee of any impurity instilled by the action of Mankind."

Now mix the Salt, and the water, saying;

"Salt, and Water, conjoined, thou art the Blood of mother, Her essence, Her Breast's Holy Milk, Sacred to Her. I swear to only use thee in a manor befitting such a holy substance."

[Now go to that circle of Blue fire, and with the bowl of the Goddesses essence, held in the palm of Your left hand, dip the first two fingers of Your right hand into the Sacred Liquid. Then sprinkle with some of thy Mothers Milk, the outline of the circle, making sure to sprinkle the entire circumference while walking around it clockwise. All the while saying and repeating as often as is necessary until the entire circle is rounded;]

O Mystic Circle, I have Called thee, forth from between the worlds, where Time itself ceases to strive against us mortals. As in days of auld I doth Bless, and consecrate thee, with the milk of the mother. I dost thus for the purpose of aiding me, in the worship of the Great Goddesses, and the auld Gods. Also to help me in a rite of Protection. I ask the Aid of the Four Elements, the Four Directions, and all beneficent Spirits in cleansing, and dedicating this Magick Circle here, for worship and Work in the auld ways. This circle is with this sacred fluid is Cleansed of all negative beings, powers, Elementals, and all things that would try to oppose my great purpose this night.

[Now replace the bowl on the Altar after having sprinkled Yourself, the Altar, and what ever is on it with the Salt Water. While sprinkling Yourself take out the words "this circle", and replace it with Your name.

While sprinkling the Altar, and whatever is on it, replace Your name with, "Altar and these Magical implements" ]

[Now light the incense, and again trace out the circle with it. This time saying, and repeating till the circle is fully rounded;]

"I with this sweet scent do make a fit place for the gathering of the GODS, and working of Great Magicks. A place set aside from, and between the worlds. A sacred place where only good can prevail.

[Than Cense Yourself saying;]

May this sweet scent please all that is good, and dispel all that is not.

[Then cense around the Altar three times saying, and repeating;]

Ever the center of the circle, the altar is at the foci of the cone of power, and as such a fit place to worship, and work the auld Magicks..

[Replace the censer on the alter, and pick up the oil. Pass it through the smoke saying;]

This sacred oil, now doubly purified, shalt aid me in my great work this night."

[then replace the oil, on the Alter, and with You holding their right hand up pointing above the altar, with the first two fingers extended, and the thumb and the last two fingers folded chant;]

" I who am in the circle of Love, Light , Life, and Reality, Salute the Gods"

[If this were a Sabbat, (one of the eight great seasonal Festivals, The seasonal rites would begin here, but it is a working Circle, so the Cakes, and Wine ceremony starts here.

Holding the Cup/Cauldron of Rebirth on the alter with the left hand, Bring the Tip of the Athame/Fingers down to just touch the "Wine" Saying]

"As the Cup is to the Female, So the Athame is to the male. Conjoined they bring blessedness, Fertility, of Mind, Body, and Spirit.

[Next touch the cake saying;]

Blessed is this cake, comprised as it is of The Five Sacred Elements of the Circle. The Salt which is the purifier of body, and Spirit. The Water without which there would be no life.

The Golden Grain, ground inti Flour, which is The food for the body. The wine which is the blood, and gives joy, and surcease from the pains of oppression. The sacred Oil, which Softens the sinews of man, at Birth, at great Celebrations, and lastly as preparation for The Mother's final Embrace, in this life.

[Now take a small piece of the "cake", and put it into the salt water, saying;]

As thou hast seen fit to givest me Life, and that which is needed for life, so I freely share that which I have with THOU.

[That picking up the Cup with the right hand pour a small amount into the salt water, saying;]

Blood to blood, again I return a small token of my love for thou.

[Pick up the remaining cake, and dip it into the wine, and pop it into your mouth. Now take a drink of the wine and just before it touches Your lips, and tongue, Say;]

..............TO THE GODS !

[Contemplate the relationship between Yourself, and the GODS.

Now would be a fit time to work for any needs, healing etc.. SO;

[Than you say;]

Gods and beautiful Goddesses! Who art indeed as good as beautiful, By all the worship that has been given unto thee, and all the joy of Your love which thou hast blessed me with, I do implore thy Aid be given UN unto me in my great Magickial work this night, for You hast taught me that what I wilt tis true, and that what Thou Wilt Thou canst ever do. So let our souls be with joy fully satisfied, for thou art the Gods, an canst do anything thou wilt. Of thee I pray a boon, by the light of the Moon, Bring him under the Rune, And please make it soon, the granting of this Boon.

[Pick up the paper with his name on it, as well as the Rune for Victory, and light it from the right hand Altar candle. Hold it over what ever heat proof holder for the incense You have, as it burns, then put it in the incense holder to finish burring].

[Now take the oil in your left hand, and dip the first two fingers of the right hand into the oil, and place them on Your forehead saying;]

Bright Oil, Pure Oil, oil of the Gods, Oil that softens the sinews of Man, Bless and purify this good Woman here. Let Her receive the blessings of thee, O Gods, and have all Magickial influences, and Mundane pressures that are of a baneful nature removed from Her hence, removing any, By the most sacred names of the Gods I ask it, I command it! I abjure ( the name of the man that causing the trouble ) He hasn't, and never had, the power to influence (Your name) here. [You say]

SO MOTE IT BE !

When You feel it is time, Prepare to End the Rite. Go to the East point, and declare]

"My rites being now over, I Thank thee O Gods and Goddesses for attending this My communion with Thou, who art mighty, and yet come to Our rites with love for Your Children. I bid thee to leave or stay as thou Wilt.

We whom Thou hast given both Love, and power, dost Extinguish the candles, and the incense, but keep the flames of our love for Thou forever foremost in our hearts.

[Extinguish The east light, and saying the same thing at each point, Extinguish The; South, West, and finely the North Light in turn. Go to the West edge of the Blue circle, where the last light of the sun god has left, and with Your first two fingers of your right hand, or Athame, extended, Make a cut, on a line drawn at a ninety degree angle to the line of the circle. Declare that the Circle is ended. is it over.]

When You have the opportunity, Go out side, and pour the Salt water, Wine, Cake, and Oil mix into the Earth, in a place where It will not be walked upon until after the next Rain.

Blessed Be ! .. Dwight

Grimoire contents Article contents

The Veil Between Worlds

By Kira

sidhe@thevortex.com

http://geocities.datacellar.net/Area51/Cavern/3366

By consciously acknowledging and working with the Veil, and hence the Otherworld, it is possible to greatly strengthen magick and its effects. By intentionally working with the Veil, it is possible to greatly and quickly clarify magick as more objectively real than through any other single technique I've seen in my seven years practicing.

For instance, when working on physically crossing the Veil, my Circle and I have apparently done some minor shapeshifting, (things like pointy ears, slit pupils, far darker skin, fur on faces, bare faces on where there had been stubble), found areas or states of being where magickal energy was at least five times as strong as here, (and balanced!), and felt the wind off of Faery. Every time we have worked on crossing, when it worked, we have felt a distinct sense of being Elsewhere.

As of right now, we really haven't gotten farther than the spirit-shadow of this world. Every time we start shifting across the Veil, something unexpected happens, and we don't get to try very often, due to people's schedules and the fact that Veilwork has completely terrified some of the people who've tried it with us. Let me explain.

As far as I can tell, the Veil has a number of components to it. This is just a working hypothesis, so please feel free to add to it or critique it.

I think the structure of the Veil is twofold, and mainly powered by human disbelief.

Firstly, there does seem to be a sort of basic division between the Worlds, and though it seems to exist in gradients, for these purposes please assume there is something similar to membranes or crusts between the worlds. At some point, a long time ago (I don't know when, but probably at least by the last turn of the millennia) it started to get artificially reinforced. I think this was done by magick, BUT I don't know why it was made. At that point, I think it was just a framework, without much power to it. It MAY have started out as some sort of shield, and generally the oldest parts do look something like that.

The shield part works by becoming part of people's energy fields. Notice how people who strongly disbelieve in magick are rarely affected by it, or even capable of perceiving it? At this point the Veil is like a very old and rusty suit of plate armor, one that's very heavy and probably more constricting than it actually is useful.

Anyway, a very big part of the Veil, now, is anchored in people. It's an intrinsic part of people's energy fields. Call that part the Internal Veil.

Together, lots of Internal Veils combine to create the Greater Veil, which is a sort of area effect. The two parts are self- reinforcing. Think about the difference in Veil thickness between a City, with lots of people, and a wilderness area.

By the way, to locate the Veil, both Internal and Greater parts, try doing something like using magick to light a candle. The resistance you'll run into is the Veil; the parts you feel inside yourself make up the Internal Veil. To cross the Greater Veil, you first need to work through the Internal Veils.

Start with that, since it's mostly meditation work, though use of the Rending of the Veil ritual helps a LOT. You build a mental wall in front of you, made of your self-limitations and disbeliefs, put your hands together at your chest, pointing forward, and then step forwards smashing through the wall. There should be a feeling of freedom after you step past the wall, and your arms should be held straight out above and slightly behind your shoulders. Draw the energies of that freedom into you, and step backwards repeating the motions in reverse, then end by crossing your arms over your chest.

Those techniques can also be used for crossing the Greater Veil. The Greater Veil, though, is not one solid wall, but more like lots of pieces of rotted crusty paper pressed together. Keep that in mind, and it's possible to find and slip through holes in it, one layer at a time.

Obligatory quick warning: if you have not dealt with spirits or creatures of the Otherworld in the past, I would not recommend work on the Greater Veil until you know how to shield and banish. Those methods, however, are beyond the scope of this work, but I would recommend a working knowledge of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. The best description of it available is in Donald Michael Kraig's "Modern Magick", but it can also be easily found through a web search.

Kira Sidhewolf

3/24/1998

For discussion of these concepts, go to the "The Veil and the Otherworld" under the "magick and rituals" conference on PagansOnline, http://www.pagansonline.com. Also, I may eventually try writing a book on these theories, so feedback would be greatly appreciated. Send it to "sidhe@thevortex.com." Thanks, and blessed be.

Grimoire contents Article contents

Prop-Free Magick

by Estara Korai

For those of us who learned magick by falling in and out of trouble, experimenting with where our instincts took us, hiding our efforts from less-than-sympathetic friends and family members, magick without props is something of a way of life. Sure, it's nice to have bells and whistles when that luxury is available, but--allow me to use a Genuine Life Experience of mine as an example.

There I was, working my shift at the dorm cafeteria. I believe I was cleaning up the serving area after dinner was over. Across the room I spot this Mexican fellow from the dish room, who has a history of leering over me and making lewd comments in broken English. (I do not mean this to sound racist. I have had similar problems with men of various ethnicities, national origins, ages and creeds. What happens when you have elf-fine features and big boobs. But anyway....) I want to avoid this guy, but I can't leave my job half-finished. There's no one to hide me. Now, I can hardly whip out my trusty candles, incense and athame and start a-workin'! (Then again, that might have scared him off! But I would probably have gotten fired.) I took a quiet half-step back and imagined myself completely blending in with my surroundings, impossible to spot. And so, even though this man always made it a point to seek me out when I was working, on this one day he passed me by without even a glance.

Usually the key to effective prop-free magick is really good visualization skills. If you're one of those darned kids who spends all your free time reading fantasy novels and playing those demonic role-playing games, you've probably got this down already. (This is what the scoffers don't understand: the "low magick" of everyday life is not the same as highbrow theology. I can take something from Lackey or Zelazny or a game, or something I made up myself ten minutes ago, and if I put the juice into it, I can make it *work.*) It's also nice to have a stock phrase or chant to use for a given situation.

Below are a few examples of prop-free magick that I or friends of mine have used to good effect. Feel free to use them, but think of them more as a springboard to help you imagine the kinds of things you can do.

*Healing Broken Bones

While attuning to the energy of the injured party, raise your hands and hold them in front of you, fingers spread and pointing towards each other: these represent the broken ends of bone. See whiteness around them. Now bring your hands slowly together, so that the fingers intertwine and mesh--and imagine that by the same token, the ends of the bones are twining back together and becoming one again. Of course this won't be "Presto, no break" level action, but it can speed the healing up considerably. This is an example of what Diane Stein calls "tinkerwoman healing," which basically means that you visualize a symbolic version of the healing you want. Marching armies of white blood cells, vacuum cleaners sucking up excess mucous, and so on. Another kind of healing:

*Breaking a Fever

A chant, on the principle of balancing the elements.

Water clear, water blue,

Water cuts the fever through.

There are two approaches to elemental or color balancing in healing in cases of excess: you can subtract a color (taking red/fire away from a fever) or add the complementary color (adding blue/water to a fever). Give some thought to which will give you more of a desirable effect before you start. If you're subtracting, have somewhere to put the energy you're sucking out, like a little hole or (prop!!) an energy-receptive item like an egg, apple, or crystal.

*Invisibility

Not, of course, literal invisibility, but the power to go unnoticed. This is one of those abilities we seldom admit to having in modern times, and it seems to bring out the smart alecky side of those who discover it for themselves: its names include "Hidden Elf Spell" (from a role-player), "Cloaking Device, "These aren't the droids you're looking for, "You Can't See Me!" (and it has to be shrieked in a high, whiny voice--uh, long story), and "Who Me?" It's really rather simple--it just involves adding a certain quality to your shi