Aphrodite and the Craft

 For years now, I have struggled to find a way to balance the two dominant aspects of my spiritual and magical practice -- or rather, how those two pieces are perceived by others. I'm an Aphrodite-Woman (a Priestess, at that), and I am a Witch (and a fairly "loves dead things" type). These work for me. Together -- not as separate ideas. But how? And why am I always keeping them apart in public view?

I discovered myself as a spiritual person, as a magical person, through the Craft -- through Traditional Witchcraft. I was lucky to be right in the thick of 1734-Roebuck-Wyldewood Grove territory when I got my start, hanging out at Raven's Flight in North Hollywood. TLDR: My Craft is not a highly-sanitized neoWiccan eclectic "love-light-roses" sort of confection you might imagine of a person with strong Aphrodite ties. (Actually, if you've read my books on Aphrodite, you know I don't shy away from her dark aspects. She's a fantastic Goddess for helping us confront the Shadow.)

My Craft is Luciferian. It's heretical. And it's baked into my daily life, which is part of why it blends so well with the Aphrodisian gnosis I've had over the years. I live and breathe witchcraft, and Aphrodite showed up for me as part of my Craft training -- or at least during the early stages of it. It was Her standing behind me, empowering me, informing me, guiding me. Her holding up the mirror.

Within Traditional Craft, there are two Great Powers to whom Witches most often give allegiance (or with whom we find ourselves aligned). HIM and HER. 

HE is the Witch Father -- the Folkloric Devil (not to be mistaken for the Theological Devil of the Christians), Robin Goodfellow, the Light-Bringer, the Illuminator, Qayin. So many names and titles! (And I get that I might be seriously freaking some of you out right now, but take a look at what I've written about Him elsewhere for more perspective.) 

SHE is the Witch Mother -- the Queen of Elphame, the Maiden of the Greenwood, the Devil's Bride, Queen of Heaven and of Hell.

For a great many Witches, Hekate is the face of the Witch Mother. And I get that. I respect that. She is that! There's no denying it. 

But ... so is Aphrodite (and Astarte, Ishtar, and Inanna). She is the Morning Star and Evening Star, every bit as much as Lucifer has been. She is Ourania -- "Heavenly." And she has many epithets that link her with death, mourning, darkness, descent, and return -- all emblematic of an Underworld journey. (Her Middle Eastern counterparts, of course, are well-known for their Underworld descent and return, but Aphrodite's associations are obscured. We know she kept a "treasure" there in Persephone's care -- a cask of ointment that conferred deathless, ageless beauty. And we know the rituals and epithets that were documented, which I have written about in Aphrodite's Priestess and Cult of Aphrodite.)

Ishtar/Inanna has, at her core, stories that speak of immense magical power, which the Queen of Heaven gains by charming her (father? brother? uncle? depending on the regional origin of the tale) Enki (after getting him drunk) and convincing him to give her the objects and regalia associated with each type/portion of power/ability. I plan on doing a deeper dive into how Aphrodite's regalia are vestiges of these mes/parsus, at some point. But for now, let me point out that Aphrodite wields some fantastical power, is given objects of incredible power (like her zonai/girdle and that oh-so-famous golden apple), and she is clothed at the hour of her birth in a way that reminds me a great deal of Inanna/Ishtar coming back through the seven gates of the Underworld into the Land of the Living.

All this is to say:

Aphrodite is a Lady of Life and Death. Of Liminality -- between spaces and outside spaces. Of charm and bewitchment in the most classical senses. She is immense and furious as the ocean, and as gentle and soft as a rose petal -- each in turn, and not always when you expect them. For me, hers is the face of Elphame. She is both Light and Dark.

So why work so hard to keep the Craft out of my Aphrodite web-presence (and vice-versa)?

Because for the 20+ years I've been working with her, some people's brains break just a little when I talk about both in the same breath. It happens less on the witchy side, but sometimes it still happens. And a lot of Aphrodisian folks haven't felt ready for conversation. I've gotten a LOT of side-eye from Goddess community and Aphrodite devotees when I mention my blended practice. 

So I have cultivated two brands. "Aphrodite's Priestess"/Laurelei Black and "Blade & Broom"/L. Black. But I want to do a little exploring of the intersection of Aphrodite and Craft, because it is there, and I can't be alone. (I wasn't alone when I started writing about working with her in a strictly spiritual context, so I'm sure I'm not alone now that I'm ready to talk about the magic, too.)

Let me know if this is something you're interested in. Or if you're already embracing Aphrodite in your Craft! 

R -- Robin Artisson #paganblogproject

Robin Goodfellow. Cock Robin. Robin of the Hood. Puck.

The things the Craft community must remember about the contemporary writer who calls himself Robin Artisson is that A) he chose his name quite deliberately, and  B) he is a talented worker of Grey Magic, much like the notable Robert Cochrane.

For readers who don't know dear Robin, he is something of a controversial character within the Trad Craft community. Okay, honesty: He is a VERY controversial character. People either love him or loathe him. I've seen him blocked from groups and forums because people are afraid of what he might say or do.

Mind you, I've not witnessed him being hateful -- only thought-provoking (sometimes in the extreme, I'll warrant). But people get testy when he has posted a simple meme or comic post.

Why? What magic does this man weave?

Well, Glaux and I recognize in him something of a genius of contemporary Craft. He is, by our perspective, the heir of the Robert Cochrane legacy. The Modern Magister, if you will. His books are enlightening and relevatory -- they have grown and expanded with his own growth. And YES, thank the Goat!, he pushes people's buttons. He makes you think. He'll take both sides of an argument, tricksy shapeshifter that he is, to make you suss out your true thoughts and feelings -- or to point out your rigid grip on dogmatic schlock.

The name Robin Artisson has a long history, first appearing in the trial of Dame Alice. She, of course, was the first Irish woman tried and convicted of witchcraft, though her maid Petronila was the first to be executed. Dame Alice named Robin Artisson (or Robin, son of Art) as her familiar, her teacher.

Robin, as a spirit name, is associated with Robin Goodfellow, the Horned One himself. We see him as Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and he is known in myth and legend as a playful, mischievous, but ultimately wise and insightful spirit of the Unseen Realms. One of the Fey.

His writing is rambling and poetic. I love it. (I tend toward the prosaic and brief in my non-fiction.) You have to work to walk the path of mystery down which he leads you. It is informed by his BA in European History and Anthropology. (He also holds an MA in Poli-Sci and Criminal Justice and another in Family and Marriage Counseling -- both of which give him great insight into the best and worst in human nature.)


On a personal note, Glaux and I are holding out hope of luring Robin to the festival we help run, Babalon Rising, so that we can do awesome Witchcrafts in the Woods. (BR, with a little help from yours truly, will be adding more American Folkloric Magic -- craft and conjure -- to the schedule in 2013.)

Alright, so give his books and website a read. You will be the better for it!

Website: A World Unseen
The Witching Way of Hollow Hill
The Resurrection of the Meadow
The Horn of Evenwood

The Secret of the Wind -- coming in 2013

R - Robert Cohrane #paganblogproject

Robert Cochrane is the pen name of Roy Bowers, a British Cunning Man who was working his craft around the same time that Gerald Gardner was writing about Wicca. In fact, Cochrane was the one who coined the name "Gardnerism" or "Gardnerianism" for the form of Craft that Gerald was promoting. (The term came up in "The Pentagram" and other sources where Cochrane showed some disdain for the ceremonial-influenced Craft that Gardner was telling the public was "family heritage.")

Cochrane purported himself to be a member of a Craft tradition that had been handed down since the 17th Century, and he resented the false or watered-down version that he felt Gardner was presenting.

Glaux and I have always been drawn to the work and writings of Cochrane. In fact, it was one of the points of attraction for us. She had been trained within a reculed Gardnerian line, and my former HPS had a similar background. However, my HPS went from Gardnerian Wicca in the 60's and 70's to Druidry in the 80's and 90's, and she finally landed in a 1734 offshoot known as Roebuck  in the late 90's. I met her in 1998, at a time when she (my HPS) had formed her own Trad that was based on each of these lines of training, along with what we called Dragon Craft. While we always knew that we were "close cousins" to Roebuck/Ancient Keltic Church, it wasn't until I read the book written by the co-founder of that Trad that I realized we were really a sort of daughter coven  -- though a bastard, since my HPS hadn't taken her initiation with that group before striking out on her own. (The book is Forge of Tubal Cain by Ann Finnin. I highly recommend it.)

Okay, so back to Robert Cochrane.

He carried on correspondences with several people and wrote several articles that have become something like canon within Trad Craft circles. Doreen Valiente was the Maid of his coven for a period, in her search for authentic craft. That coven is called Clan of Tubal Cain, and it is still functioning today, decades after his death. Shani Oates is the current maid. (You should also read her book, Tubelo's Green Fire, if you have an interest in this type of Craft.)

His work has had a great influence on modern practitioners of Traditional Craft. His correspondence with Joe Wilson was a major influence in Wilson's establishment of the 1734 Tradition, which is an American adaptation of British Family Craft. From there, several Craft Traditions have sprung up, including Roebuck, which I mentioned earlier as a source of my own training.

The Mohsian Tradition, Blue Star, the work of Peter Paddon, Raven Womack, Robin Artisson, and of course American Folkloric Witchcraft are all influenced by Robert Cochrane and the writings that he gave the world.

Cochrane died by his own hand at the Summer Solstice when he was 35. He ingested belladonna -- some believe as an intentional ritual sacrifice.

Q - Qayin (Kain, Cain) #paganblogproject

All Gods are not one God. The Ancients didn't see it that way, and I am  not trying to put forth that claim, either. And yet, there are Gods -- great, ancient spirits (daemons ... δαίμων) who are so closely related in myth and religion that we can't mistake their relation. Just as a Red Thread connects us to the Witchfather who brought the Cunning Fire to humanity, so too does the Red Thread connect many of the beings from whom mankind has sought wisdom.

This is my and Natalie's experience with Azazel (who is called a demon -- literally, a "spirit"-- and an angel -- "messenger"), Qayin/Cain and Tubal Cain, as we've expressed at our American Folkloric Witchcraft blog. Very directly, in our communications with the Witchfather, he uses these names of himself almost interchangeably, and we have come to use them the same way.

There are other sources of information, though, that inform our understanding of Qayin-Azazel, and we'd like to share them.


Melek Taus

"Melek" means "king" or "angel" and "taus" means "peacock." The peacock angel is the central figure, the benevolent and creative demiurge, of the Yezidis. He is seen as repentant after the fall from God's grace, his tears quenching the fires of hell.

Though the Yezidis would disagree, others in the Arabic world (particularly those practicing Islam), equate melek Taus with Lucifer or Satan. Kabbalistically, Yahweh rules in the heavenly/spiritual kingdom of Kether, and Melek Taus (Lucifer/Azazel) rules in the earthly kingdom of Malkuth.

Within the sacred text of the Yezidis, the Black Book, specific reference is made to Azazel, equating the Peacock Angel with Azazel. There are several versions of this book extent from the Middle Ages, copies transcribed online.

Alchemical Symbol for Antimony

Azazel and Alchemy


We have touched on Azazel before, but there are some specific and noteworthy things to share about Azazel's connection to alchemical lore.

Enoch reveals to us that Azazel shares with humanity "all the metals and the art of working them...and the use of antimony." As it turns out, antimony (or stibium), was critical to the alchemical process of creating the Philosopher's Stone. This same element was called kuhl (or kohl) by the ancient Arabs. (You might also recall references to women decorating their eyes with this substance, and that art also being taught by Azazel. This may, in fact, have been a veiled reference to the alchemical process and not to cosmetics at all.)

Sir Roger Bacon tells us that when antimony is processed with vitriol, it is reduced to a "noble red oil" with all of the lesser sulfur having been purified out of it in the process. Red, then, is Azazel's color.

It is doubly his color when we consider that man is made from red clay, according to Middle Eastern tradition, and that Azazel is master of the material world from which man is made.



Lucifer


Oh my Holy Goat, there is so much that needs to be said about Lucifer in relation to the Witchfather. There is so much dross to sift through, so much misinformation that has been propogated about this one figure over the millenia, to reach the golden kernels of wisdom.

For now, let's keep it very simple, shall we?

Lucifer is the "light-bearer." He is Qayin in the East, the Morning Star. He is the torch-bearer of wisdom, inspiration, the Divine Spark, the Cunning Fire.

He is "Prometheus" (literally, "fore-sight"), who rebelled against God (the Gods) to give Fire (the Cunning Fire) to mankind and fell from Divine Grace.


Utu/Shamash

The Nephilim, the "Fallen Angels" or spirits who descended into the material realm to interact with and guide mankind, were first seen as the "Shining Ones" or Gods of Sumerian lore. We've mentioned them before, and we'll write more about them in future posts, but for now, I'd just like to make the connection between Utu/Shamash and Azazel.

It's not a new connection. We're not the first to have made it, by any stretch. You can read this account, for starters. (There's lots of information there about goetic daemons and their counterparts in other lore.)

Utu is the Sumerian name, while Shamash is the Babylonian name for the Sun God of justice,law and salvation. He is linked in a triad with the Nannar-Sin (the Mood God) and Ishtar (the fertility-Earth Goddess, who incidentally is represented by the planet Venus, the Morning and Evening Star).

Ishtar and Shamash are divine twins.

*** This entry is re-posted from an entry I made to the American Folkloric Witchcraft blog. Interested in Qayin? Read more.

O - Oaths #paganblogproject

Oaths can be very ticklish business within Witchcraft covens and magical societies. They are not idle words, and their interpretations can be quite complicated for all involved.

I learned years ago not to take an oath lightly. The first magical oaths I made were to my first coven and Tradition, and they were made in blood. *gasp* I know. Some of my readers will be shocked and appalled that any oaths would be made in blood, while others would expect nothing less. The philosophy behind the blood oath is that every bit of your life force, your magic, your Will, is encapsulated in one single drop of blood. To give it willing is to express  a willingness to die rather than betray the oath -- to put every ounce of Will and Life and Magic into the oath.

I have no objection to blood magic or to blood oaths, but my first Trad demanded this level of commitment for students at too new a place of study -- Witches who were too young in their magic and too green on the Path. If there had been no problems, or only a few problems, with those who took these oaths, I wouldn't be complaining. But ...

*sigh*

One of the bigger issues that I saw was not in coveners breaking their oaths. No. It was in the way a HPS would interpret the oath so that a covener might be labeled "oath-breaker" if they did something with which the HPS disagreed. More accurately, if they did something with of which she disapproved and then had the audacity NOT to apologize or take their meted out punishment. All the Fiends forfend  that a Witch should Know and Dare to do her own Will!

Oh? Do I sound bitter? Probably, yes. This is a serpent coiled beneath the rose that hath indeed struck deep into my heart.

Yes, yours truly was tarred and feathered as an oath-breaker. Unjustly. Painfully. And at a time when I needed the familial support of my coven, Tradition and HPS. No need for the bloody details. But the warning is this:

My HPS believed she removed me from the Tradition. (I was initiated as a 3rd Degree HPS, by the way. Even as a 1* Initiate, "removal" from that family wouldn't have been possible -- not according to the oaths we made to each other.) That was four years ago, almost. Where do we stand now? I'm as close with my former coven sisters as I ever was. One is my coven sister again, in my current coven and Trad. My HPS and I? Are our bonds cut? I know they are not. I dream accurately of her, just as I have for a decade. I have the rage of a dis-owned daughter, but I know we are still family. I love her, and I'm hurt and angry. Our oaths to each other, though, will forever keep us connected.

Beware your oaths. You can't un-make them. A bell cannot be un-rung.

J - John Barleycorn Must Die #paganblogproject

One way to think about the Year Wheel is to look at the balladry figure of John Barleycorn. The stations of his life, as marked in the verses of the song below, are the Sabbats -- at least the ones dealing with planting and harvesting.

John Barleycorn Must Die!

---

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.

They've plowed, they've sown, they've harrowed him in,
Threw clods upon his head.
And these three men made a solemn vow:
John Barleycorn was dead.

They've let him lie for a very long time,
Till the rains from heav'n did fall.
And little Sir John sprung up his head,
And so amazed them all.

They've let him stand 'till midsummer's day,
Till he looked both pale and wan.
And little Sir John's grown a long, long beard,
And so become a man.

They've hired men with scythes so sharp,
To cut him off at the knee.
They've rolled him and tied him by the waist,
Serving him most barb'rously.

They've hired men with the sharp pitchforks,
Who pricked him to the heart.
And the loader, he has served him worse than that,
For he's bound him to the cart.

They've wheeled him 'round and around the field,
'Till they came unto a barn,
And there they've made a solemn oath,
On poor John Barleycorn.

They've hired men with the crabtree sticks,
To cut him skin from bone,
And the Miller, he has served him worse than that,
For he's ground him between two stones.

And little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl,
And the brandy in the glass.
And little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl,
Proved the strongest man at last.

The Huntsman, he can't hunt the fox,
Nor so loudly blow his horn,
And the Tinker, he can't mend kettle nor pot,
Without a little Barleycorn.

You can hear a snip (or, rather, 3 snips -- I swear it isn't a re-mix) of my favorite version of this song at PayPlay. While most versions of this song sound like dirges, this particular version relays what I feel is the joy of spring and the celebration of harvest. Yes, the words are "John Barleycorn Must Die," but I suppose I like singing these lines with a big toothy grin.

I- Initiation #paganblogproject

Initiation takes on so many forms in the world of modern Witchcraft, and it has so very many roles to fill. What form and function it takes depends largely on what you (or your coven/Trad) want, need, or expect from the initiation process.

Initiation as Graduation

It can be a marker of accomplishment in one's studies -- a validation and endorsement by a group. And I don't think that's an invalid thing for a person to want/need. We have ceremonies like that throughout our lives. Just because we don't ALL want it, doesn't make it wrong.

Initiation as a Mystery Tradition

Initiation can also also be an important immersion in a set of group mysteries and symbols that are difficult to transmit in other ways. This was the function of the Mystery Schools of the ancient world, and modern magical orders rely heavily on this system.

Initiation as a Test

It can and often is a series of trials to prove one's readiness to progress to a next level of study/work. In tribal cultures around the world, as well as in "modern" magical communities, initiations can be filled with a series of challenges -- ranging from physical to intellectual to emotional and even beyond -- in order to prove a candidate's worthiness to move into the world of adults or to truly claim the title Witch.

Initiation is ALWAYS a Beginning

Whatever else it may be, though, initiation is a beginning. To initiate a process is to start it, and we are starting a cycle when we enter the circle of initiation. We are starting a process within ourselves that has great weight and meaning. I think each Initiate's experience varies, because their reasons for beginning the next step are so different.Their processes and cycles have been different, but the commonalities along the road are part of what bonds Initiates to each other. "I've been where you are." or "We faced that trial together."

Star & Torch Society -- A Witchcraft Circle of Initiations

I had the idea a few months ago to establish an Initiatory System for solitary Witches who felt the "void" of not being able to experience the Mysteries of initiations at the hands of experienced Priests and Priestesses. There is more to coven work than just claiming initiations, for certain, but hear me out.

The OTO (Ordo Templi Orientis), of which my very witchy wifey and I are members, allows every free man and woman the opportunity to take certain initiations. There are 10 degrees in the OTO, and anyone is welcome to take the first 4. So, okay, ... what if we were to form an Eclectic Initiatory Circle?

Most versions of Craft have 3 degrees.We thought to adapt the same model for this Society:
1* -- Witch and Initiate
2* -- Simple Priest/ess
3* -- HP/S

Furthermore, each of the initiations draws on a cycle of myth, symbol, and traditional initiatory experience.

Initiators are trained to deliver the same initiations to everyone, working from the same ritual script.

This isn't just for the collection of degrees, though I suppose some will use it for that. (Some always do.) I'm really thinking of something in which the Initiations are self-contained experiences -- rich in symbolism and Mystery, lots of meaning to be discerned by the Initiate both during and after. With periods of time in between,  for people to continue their studies and grow.

Nothing can replace the initiations at the hands of the Gods, and coven initiations can't force those experiences to happen no matter how much a person has studied. What we want to offer is a Mystery experience of value and deep meaning to the folks who are otherwise unable to study with a group.

This will not be a teaching group. Witches are expected to study on their own, just as Magicians do within the OTO or other similar groups. Get a good basic understanding of the Craft. Pursue the interests that call to you. Do your Will. Prepare yourself for initiation by immersing yourself in your magic. What and how you study between your initiations is entirely up to you. To that end, the initiations are NOT "certificates of completion" of a course of study, the way they can be in some Craft traditions. They would be a system unto themselves, giving Initiates a place of common Gnosis, common Mystai -- and the opportunity to truly experience the revelatory cycle of death and rebirth that is at the heart of all initiatory systems. (It's one thing to know it academically, it's another to have undergone it.)

Let it be clear, as well, that I have no intention of ripping off the OTO. I mention them here because, as a means of initiating people into the Mysteries, and then giving them the freedom to study what most appeals to them, the OTO has a great system. It's very much what I have in mind here, except that we wouldn't be using the symbols and Mysteries of that Order, we'd be using the symbols and Mysteries of Witchcraft.

I - Incense Secrets #paganblogproject

I was very fortunate to learn some techniques for incense blending from my former HPS -- and I picked up a lot of my own tricks over the years -- tricks I'm going to pass on to you!

Okay, so basically you can burn just about any botanical and call it incense, and you would be 100% right. Simple incenses are most frequently resins, blossoms, leaves, woods, etc that are dry enough to burn and have either a pleasant aroma or an effect on the etheric body.

Blended incenses, though, rely on the interplay between components, and the each plant brings its particular attributes to the mix -- not just in a magical sense, but in mundane physical one as well. For instance, dried leaves burn really fast, while woods and resins smolder longer.

I was taught that the most advantageous incense blends consist of a CORE of 5 ingredients. You can use more than 5 in a blend, but start with the 5 basics for a good mix. You can remember these 5 through the acronym FLOWR.

F -- flower/blossom (This can also be dried fruit or berries. You're trying to get to that blossoming part of the plant.)
L -- leaf
O -- oil (Can be an essential oil, base oil, conditioning oil, etc)
W -- wood (Can be the bark or pith. Can also be a root or nut.)
R -- resin

I use a few ingredients, on occasion, that don't fit anywhere on this list, of course. But I always start with my 5 Basics. Other things I might include are a pinch of salt, a little forge scale (the black stuff that flakes off while you forge metal), hair/nails, blood or blood substitutes (like egg, pomegranate juice, etc), ground gemstones. You get the idea. Anything is fair game after the 5 Basics.

Does it always smell pretty to burn, say, sulfur and hair? Heck no! But when that's what the magic calls for, that's what I include. Plus, I make sure to ventilate with things that are stinky, toxic or overwhelmingly smoky.

Magic is often messy, and it is sometimes rank and rancorous. Of course, sometimes it smells and tastes delightful.

Now, *I* think it's fairly obvious that you want all of the part of your incense working toward the same magical goal, but maybe it's still worth repeating. If you've included an ingredient, it shouldn't ONLY be because you needed, say, a wood. That wood should support the work you're doing.

There are a few books that I used as invaluable resources when I was first learning this Art:

Cunningham, Scott. Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs.
Cunningham, Scott. Complete Book of Incenses, Oils, and Brews.
Hopman, Ellen Evert. A Druid's Herbal.

H - HPS Disease #paganblogproject

I'd like to write about a very serious matter that affects an unfortunate number of Witches and Wiccans, possibly even with some over-spill into the greater Pagan community. This is a condition that I have not only witnessed first-hand, but it is one that I have had to battle myself. I'm glad to say that I came back from my exposure to this illness -- for it is truly an affliction -- though my rebound was not through any great enlightenment, strength, or power of my own. I was lucky enough to have it knocked out of me, which is (I believe) the only real way to recover from it.

I'm speaking, of course, of High Priestess Disease.

HPS Disease can affect either gender, but it is most commonly seen in the female -- the Priestess -- since it is She who is given Supreme Authority within most Wiccan Traditions. Even outside of Wiccan Trads, the custom has been adopted by many that the HPS outranks the High Priest (HP) should they come into conflict.

Oh, and how many times was such a phrase uttered: "So sayeth I -- Lady Goldenhair, Lady Fuzzy-Butt, and SHE!" Thus endeth all debate from amongst the lowly plebeians.


A Witch with HPS does not understand the workings of an egalitarian, non-hierarchical coven. In fact, a well-meaning mentor with a clear case of HPS warned me against "giving away my power" when I shared responsibility and duties for coven tasks with my coven-mates.

Very serious cases of HPS Disease can be noted in which Witches refer to themselves in public, social settings as "Lady" Such-and-Such -- often as part of their e-mail signature/name or online alias. They often anticipate that others -- people completely outside of their own covens -- will refer to them as Lady Daphne or Lady Velma without batting an eye. (If this *doesn't* strike you as odd, the custom of referring to a 3* priest/ess as Lord or Lady originated as part of circle etiquette -- reserved for circle, and used with magical names known within the coven.)

I started to fall into the trap. I'll admit it. I followed a bad example a little closer than I realized and started taking the "because I said so" attitude with my covenmates. I lost one because of it -- lost her as a friend, which still pains me. My coven and the whole darn Trad fell apart because my own HPS had such a serious case of it that first she and I fell out, and then she broke up everything.

Power over others is not a power that I think plays out well in modern Craft -- not even in modern versions of Traditional Craft (like I practice). I am again the Mistress of a coven -- one of two Mistresses. We are its care-takers and protectors. Its mentors and teachers. And as each Witch is raised up in the Trad, they come to see that they are just as responsible, just as powerful (and sometimes as powerless) as we. Each teaches and each learns. The only difference is in the length of time on the Path, the number of times around the Mill.

Cords as Markers of Admission

I actually wrote this for the American Folkloric Witchcraft blog last year, but since I'm trying to play catch-up, I thought I could borrow ...

One of the Robert Cochrane (Roy Bowers) "writings" that  you'll want to read is titled "On Cords." It first appeared in issue 3 of The Pentagram in March 1965. In it, he discusses two aspects or uses of the traditional Witch's Ladder.

The first is the piece of magical craft that we'll be covering soon. It involves using the cord for spellwork.

The second use of cords is that of the devotional ladder. While many of us will make and use multiple devotional ladders for trance and meditation work related to a variety of focal objects, a great many Witches receive their first ladder as a cord (or set of braided cords) that marks their admission to a curveen.

The cords are usually a length of silk or wool rope, braided yarn, or upholstery cord, whose thickness, length and color vary by tradition. They are versatile, as they are used for cinching ritual robes, indicating rank or degree, measuring the circle, and sometimes for binding blood flow in certain circumstances. When used to control blood flow, they may also be called the cingulum.

Cords used as a cingulum help alter consciousness and they are often employed in initiation rites. There are a few different ways to tie the cords to act in this capacity, but the most common is shown below. However they are used, a cingulum should be administered with care to avoid causing damage or harm.

Cords can also be used as a meditational or trance tool in much the same way as a Catholic rosary. Because they are usually braided and knotted, often with multi-colored fibers, they bind together symbols and imagery that is important to the Witch who wears them. Meditating on a particular knot, strand, or other element of the cord will produce a focused experience on the symbol set contained therein, while working through all the knots (climbing the ladder) produces a transcendent state.

The Spiral Castle Tradition uses a specific progression of cords as markers of admission to the curveen. Each strand of cording that we use is made of a 3 hand-braided strands of wool yarn.

Greening -- single green cord -- This cord represents new growth, the beginning of the learning process and the budding interest of the green Witch in the curveen and Tradition. The purpose of the ritual is to form a magical link with loose bonds between student and cuveen and to establish the beginning of a learning period of at least three months. The Green Cord serves as a physical reminder of that link. Aside from interested adults coming to the Tradition, children of the curveen are eligible to wear the Green Cord (and thereby to acknowledge their relationship to the Craft of the Family) at the Age of Reason. This cord is cut and burned at the time that a Witch progresses to Adoption.

Adoption -- single red cord -- This cord represents the umbilical cord, the blood of birth, and the fire of Tubal Cain. It is a manifestation of the Red Thread. The purpose of the Adoption Rite is to forge a formal magical link between the student and the coven and to establish a formal training period of at least a year and a day. Again, the Red Cord serves as a physical reminder of the link between the Witch and the curveen, but it also reminds her of her link to all Children of Qayin. Children of the Family may be adopted within the Craft at the Age of Puberty.



Raising -- single black and single white cord braided together with existing red cord  -- This set of cords is the final set that a Witch within our Tradition will use. The cords are fashioned so that there is a loop on one end, and a long set of tails on the other where the cords remain unbraided. The knot that hold the loop fast is the White Goddess knot. The knot closest to the tails (which somewhat resemble three flails of a scourge) is the Black Goddess knot. A knot is tied in the middle of the braided section -- the Tubal Cain knot. A Raised Witch is a full member of the curveen and Trad, and she wears the most potent symbols of our Craft when she dons her cords. Children of the Family are eligible for Raising, provided that theire knowledge and practice of the Craft is sound, at the Age of Majority.

Brewing

Brewing potions is one of the things I love about my very Witchy life. For my Etsy shop, Blade and Broom, I make my very favorite brew -- flying ointment -- about once every two weeks. (My non-toxic flying ointment is our shop's most popular product.) Tonight, I made up another lovely batch.

I have a little red pot that I only use for brewing. The lovely cooking utensil is hand carved by an Etsy Witchy friend from near Salem. I love sitting with the herbs as they simmer -- mugwort, lemongrass, cinquefoil, rue, Dittany of Crete, poplar buds (balm of Gilead), clary sage, and wormwood (plus benzoin powder and vitamin E oil as preservatives).

The sweet, sticky poplar buds open up in the heat of the salve's base oil as they simmer.

A pound of base salve yields about six 2-oz. tins of flying ointment -- or one of the large jars. Isn't it a lovely olive green? One of the names for flying ointment in the Middle Ages was "green salve." You can see why.

Bellarmine Jar

A Bellarmine jar is, by strictest definition, a brown ceramic bottle or jug with a face depicted on its side, used by Witches for housing spirits, hexing targets and removing curses or hexes. These jars were very durable, and they were very, very popular among the west county Witches of England because they would last, literally, for centuries -- protecting both their contents and the magic contained therein.

They weren't always known as Bellarmine jars, though. "Bellarmine" is a reference to an unpopular 16th Century Cardinal whose face appeared on the jars. Originally, though, these jars were manufactured in Frechen, near Cologne, in Germany. Here, they were called Bartmann jars -- "bearded man" jars, in reference to the bearded face who always appeared on the side.

Today, they are commonly called Witch Bottles, and the availability of a variety of materials used for bottling, canning and preservation means that contemporary Witches needn't use only brown crockery. Of course, the more durable and longer-lasting, the better. Glass might be the most popular of today's choices, but standard glass may not be your sturdiest alternative.

When creating a Bellarmine jar as a spirit house, the old, customary face can be a useful depiction of the spirit to whom you've provided a vessel. You can find potters and artisans who make contemporary versions of the old jars, or you can paint/carve/engrave your own.

Common contents of Bellarmine jars, for both spirit houses and curse/protection bottles, are hair, nail clippings, and charms/figurines. A spirit jar might also contain a few drops of blood and offerings related to the spirit housed within. A jar with the aim of both cursing and protecting might contain pins, broken glass, urine, etc. (Let's hear it for the power of intent in spellcraft!)

Familiars

Glaux wrote a wonderful article a couple of days ago on the American Folkloric Witchcraft blog about familiars, both corporeal and incorporeal. It's a topic we've been discussing for some time, and I am very pleased with the article and the information it presents.

Like many Witches, she and I both have corporeal familiars -- animals who are our pets who show a special interest in magic and energy work. Mine is George, one of my rabbits. He's the snarky one -- the Thelemic, free-will rabbit.

Rabbits actually have a long history as Witches' familiars, and Witches often chose the shape of a rabbit for shape-shifting. Both points born out in Judika Illes' wonderful compendium The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft. In it, she says that the animal most associated with European Witchcraft was the rabbit, not the cat. They are associated with the moon in many cultures, with fertility, and with a certain invisibility.

In fact, "pussy" probably referred to rabbit before it ever did to cat --  lepus being the Latin name for rabbit.

There is a record of the names of familiars given during the witch trials in Europe, and "George" is one of the names given. My George was named after George Milton in Steinbeck's classic tale of friendship and tragedy, Of Mice and Men. ("Tell me again about the rabbits, George.") He's a very literary bunny. He eats all the best books.

I also have a familiar spirit (an incorporeal familiar). It is the spirit of an animal I had known in life as a cat -- a black cat who looks like a cross between Glaux's Mr. Jinx and Miss Hex. She was killed just as I began walking the Crooked Path, but members of my household have seen her -- a spectral black cat in parts of the house where Jinx and Hex aren't permitted. I have also seen her as a young woman, just once. Only I have seen her in that form.