As I stated in a previous post, as witches delve deeper and deeper into higher magicks then it becomes more important to be secretive about our work. As we learn more then we start to uncover alternate meaning of things that we had already been taught about take the hexagram for example, it is commonly known as the Jewish star(Star of David) and many people are against Judaism(I know it's wrong) and they aren't going to listen if you try to explain that you aren't Jewish, they are just going to judge. That applies for a lot of things and a lot of people, though not everyone is so judgmental.
Anyway, it is important to keep our work hidden so I've gathered a list of ancient alphabets that people can use to decrypt their writing so others can't read it. Personally, I use the Theban Script, but there are also scripts like:
Elder Futhark Runes
Pictish Script
Writing of the Magi
Celestial Script
Bobilith
Enochian
Entruscan
Malachim
Greek
Hebrew
Phoenician
here are the links to the websites I took them from and they have pictures too along with descriptions to help you choose.
http://www.janih.com/lady/magick/alphabet.html
http://www.pathcom.com/~newmoon/alpha.htm
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Basic Ritual Structure
I'm sure that there are a lot of people who are thinking "all of this information is nice, but what do I do with it?" It is important to have a base to start with, and I've kind of failed to start with the basics here and work my way up, it's just been a jumble of various bits of info and etc. Anyway, most beginners will use pre created spells and rituals for their work until they get experienced enough to do their own work, and even so, sometimes people still use pre written spells. I'm going to give you the basic foundation for rituals so that you will have a general idea of how to go about it, and of course you can change it up to fit your purpose.
First you will want to gather all of your supplies like an athame(ritual knife), all four elements(earth, air, fire and water) in separate bowls or chalices, candles, the boundary marker for your circle(string, chalk, salt, etc.) and then any extra things for whatever specific purpose you are casting a spell or ritual for.
Now you will want to cast the circle which will mean making the boundary with whatever substance you choose to use, making sure to leave an opening in it. Then you will want to cast the circle with the four elements, scattering each one around the circle. Salt and water can be sprinkled on the ground along the boundary line, candles are placed around the circle(I usually place five around it and then use my athame and connect a line of energy between each candle to form a pentacle). Then once this is complete I usually close the gap in the circle and move on to invocations and quarter calls. Some people do the invocations before they close the circle, but I feel it is a waste because the circle is open so the energy could be leaking right out, that's why I close it first.
Now we move on to quarter calls where we call the spirits of the watchtowers of the North, South, East and West. You might need a compass for this. South is Fire, West is Water, East is Earth and North is Wind. After you call the watchtowers then would be the time to do any extra invocations or power chants or anything like that.
After you have done all your invocations then is the time when you meditate to clear your mind and get into your deepest meditative trance which is best in order to perform magick with.
Once you've gotten into your deepest meditative state, then you perform the main ritual. Cast any spells, raise any energy or do whatever you desire. This is your time to shine and cast your magick, to let yourself be free!
After you've done the main ritual or spell then you need to start closing your circle. Come out of your meditative state, release any invocations and dismiss the watchtowers and then presume to finish closing the circle. The closing of the circle is significantly easier than the buildup of the circle.
This is a base for most rituals so enjoy yourself and try to create your own rituals. Blessed be!
First you will want to gather all of your supplies like an athame(ritual knife), all four elements(earth, air, fire and water) in separate bowls or chalices, candles, the boundary marker for your circle(string, chalk, salt, etc.) and then any extra things for whatever specific purpose you are casting a spell or ritual for.
Now you will want to cast the circle which will mean making the boundary with whatever substance you choose to use, making sure to leave an opening in it. Then you will want to cast the circle with the four elements, scattering each one around the circle. Salt and water can be sprinkled on the ground along the boundary line, candles are placed around the circle(I usually place five around it and then use my athame and connect a line of energy between each candle to form a pentacle). Then once this is complete I usually close the gap in the circle and move on to invocations and quarter calls. Some people do the invocations before they close the circle, but I feel it is a waste because the circle is open so the energy could be leaking right out, that's why I close it first.
Now we move on to quarter calls where we call the spirits of the watchtowers of the North, South, East and West. You might need a compass for this. South is Fire, West is Water, East is Earth and North is Wind. After you call the watchtowers then would be the time to do any extra invocations or power chants or anything like that.
After you have done all your invocations then is the time when you meditate to clear your mind and get into your deepest meditative trance which is best in order to perform magick with.
Once you've gotten into your deepest meditative state, then you perform the main ritual. Cast any spells, raise any energy or do whatever you desire. This is your time to shine and cast your magick, to let yourself be free!
After you've done the main ritual or spell then you need to start closing your circle. Come out of your meditative state, release any invocations and dismiss the watchtowers and then presume to finish closing the circle. The closing of the circle is significantly easier than the buildup of the circle.
This is a base for most rituals so enjoy yourself and try to create your own rituals. Blessed be!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Important Sigils
These are just some sigils that I found on Cythrawl Coven's website after looking up the Cythrawl pentacle, which I will explain more about later in the post. These are just some sigils of protection or power, and I find all of them rather important, though not all are widely recognized. All of the explanations of these sigils will be in my own words, but some of the information is taken from www.coven-of-cythrawl.com because I just learned about a few of these sigils recently from this website.
The Pentacle- It represents the 5 elements of witchcraft: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit. It is a symbol of protection and commonly known as "The Witch's Star" or "The Witch's Cross" because of its association with Witchcraft. Unlike the inverted pentacle with two points up, the pentacle represents good instead of evil. It also has less common representation as in the five places where Christ was wounded and as the Microcosmic man.
The Hexagram (Solomon's Seal)- Before this symbol became associated with the Jewish religion, it was known as the symbol which represented the joining of the opposites, shown how two triangles are entwined together. It is a symbol of protection, commonly seen in many famous magic circles created by many expert occultists throughout history. It was also the alchemical symbol for alcohol.
The Magic Hexagram- This is an alternate form of the Hexagram, created by Aleister Crowley for the emblem of his "Order of the Silver Star". They used this alternate form because since the pattern isn't broken it is believed to be more powerful compared to the original Hexagram which is two separate triangles. Since one did not have to pick up the pen to draw this symbol it was gateless and said to be more powerful when protecting against evil of any kind.
The Heptagram- The seven pointed star is a sigil of power because the number seven is a power number. The number seven has come up many times as a common number in astrology and general spirituality. (example: 7 visible planets including the sun and moon, 7 chakras, seven days of the week). Seven is also thought to be a lucky number. The Heptagram is also known as the Elven Star or the Fairy Star by some people who follow the Fairy Way.
Inverted Pentacle- This is a symbol commonly associated with Satanism, evil, or dark magic because of its message of denouncing God. It is commonly worn by Satanists or Devil Worshipers(I think that there is a distinction between the two but I'm not really sure what it is). It is supposed to drive away positive energy and attract evil or negative energy.
Cythrawl Pentacle- This is a version of the pentacle created by the Coven of Cythrawl. It is tilted so it is neither inverted or upright, being neither good nor evil, lying in between. It represents the constant shifting of perception in life. Because people need to be in an altered state of mind in order for most spells or rituals to properly work, this pentacle was created to help achieve that purpose. As our perception switches the pentacle from upright to inverse faster than our minds can make out the difference, then our mind will become overloaded and an altered state of mind can be attained.
The Pentacle- It represents the 5 elements of witchcraft: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit. It is a symbol of protection and commonly known as "The Witch's Star" or "The Witch's Cross" because of its association with Witchcraft. Unlike the inverted pentacle with two points up, the pentacle represents good instead of evil. It also has less common representation as in the five places where Christ was wounded and as the Microcosmic man.
The Hexagram (Solomon's Seal)- Before this symbol became associated with the Jewish religion, it was known as the symbol which represented the joining of the opposites, shown how two triangles are entwined together. It is a symbol of protection, commonly seen in many famous magic circles created by many expert occultists throughout history. It was also the alchemical symbol for alcohol.
The Magic Hexagram- This is an alternate form of the Hexagram, created by Aleister Crowley for the emblem of his "Order of the Silver Star". They used this alternate form because since the pattern isn't broken it is believed to be more powerful compared to the original Hexagram which is two separate triangles. Since one did not have to pick up the pen to draw this symbol it was gateless and said to be more powerful when protecting against evil of any kind.
The Heptagram- The seven pointed star is a sigil of power because the number seven is a power number. The number seven has come up many times as a common number in astrology and general spirituality. (example: 7 visible planets including the sun and moon, 7 chakras, seven days of the week). Seven is also thought to be a lucky number. The Heptagram is also known as the Elven Star or the Fairy Star by some people who follow the Fairy Way.
Inverted Pentacle- This is a symbol commonly associated with Satanism, evil, or dark magic because of its message of denouncing God. It is commonly worn by Satanists or Devil Worshipers(I think that there is a distinction between the two but I'm not really sure what it is). It is supposed to drive away positive energy and attract evil or negative energy.
Cythrawl Pentacle- This is a version of the pentacle created by the Coven of Cythrawl. It is tilted so it is neither inverted or upright, being neither good nor evil, lying in between. It represents the constant shifting of perception in life. Because people need to be in an altered state of mind in order for most spells or rituals to properly work, this pentacle was created to help achieve that purpose. As our perception switches the pentacle from upright to inverse faster than our minds can make out the difference, then our mind will become overloaded and an altered state of mind can be attained.
Thanks for checking out my blog!
I've been looking at the stats here recently and checking out the amount of visitors I've been getting and it's rather surprising. I thought absolutely nobody was looking at my blog, but I guess not. Whether you are only here for a second or if you check it out regularly, I appreciate it and I hope that you all follow my blog and comment on posts because it helps me get a feel for things I should add or change. Thank you everyone!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
High Magic
As I grow more experienced and gain more knowledge, I'm starting to drift further away from the common wiccan style rituals and practices more into the higher occult work. Of course Wicca is still very important to me and a very important part to my practices and I will not just drop it and move on, it is important to me, I'm just working my way into higher magics. The other members of my coven, though I love them dearly and want them to go far don't seem as motivated to move past a mediocre understanding of the craft and other practices. Part of the reasons I can understand, but others seem silly to me.
Anyway, back to high magic. Originally when I got into the occult in general it began with a fixation on demons and ghosts, only because I watched a lot of silly shows and read a lot of fictional books dealing with those subjects, but I never quite grasped how dangerous it was. Also, most of my friends at the time were into dark things, as was I and still am, but not evil things. Dark things as in horror stories, gothic stuff, but nothing evil whatsoever.
I started to drift away from demons and ghosts, a little freaked out by the whole experience after my first few uses with an ouija board. Though I never actually contacted a spirit or ghost, the thought of actually doing so seemed frightening, but I was still into the whole occult in general. That is when I discovered Wicca and immediately launched into it, studying profusely and trying things out for myself, being satisfied with the results.
Now I am still wiccan, but I am moving back into the general occult work, higher magic. I'm not doing anything evil like summoning demons or anything, but getting into things like occult history, powerful figures and people in occult history. I have a curiosity for alchemy and hope to someday learn more about it. Not only am I just learning, but I'm also trying more things out like astral projection, self hypnosis, dream walking, and other forms of higher magic, dealing with the mind and spirit more than the physical ritual, which is still a great fascination to me.
Higher magic doesn't mean that it's evil, bad or necessarily more dangerous(though it can be), but it is more complicated, more time consuming and requires abundantly more practice, along with research. You will notice that as you start seeing certain things then you will notice them again and again, refrences to it and closely related topics. You will start to read articles, excerpts from books or famous manuscripts, piecing things from one source to things from another source together to form bigger pictures and understandings and it is all so thrilling gaining so much knowledge. Being able to have information in a few clicks of a button is so much easier than hunting for hours for one article like people used to do and with this increase in technology, this generation will have such a better understanding of the subject than previous generations, but first we have to get caught up.
You will be thrown into a web of interlacing topics and once you get in it seems impossible to get out, but mainly out of sheer curiosity taking you deeper into the subject. Good luck to all with your research and practice, whether it be high magic or basic magic or just a few articles that you read. I hope that you find a place for yourself in the substantially large subject known as the occult.
Anyway, back to high magic. Originally when I got into the occult in general it began with a fixation on demons and ghosts, only because I watched a lot of silly shows and read a lot of fictional books dealing with those subjects, but I never quite grasped how dangerous it was. Also, most of my friends at the time were into dark things, as was I and still am, but not evil things. Dark things as in horror stories, gothic stuff, but nothing evil whatsoever.
I started to drift away from demons and ghosts, a little freaked out by the whole experience after my first few uses with an ouija board. Though I never actually contacted a spirit or ghost, the thought of actually doing so seemed frightening, but I was still into the whole occult in general. That is when I discovered Wicca and immediately launched into it, studying profusely and trying things out for myself, being satisfied with the results.
Now I am still wiccan, but I am moving back into the general occult work, higher magic. I'm not doing anything evil like summoning demons or anything, but getting into things like occult history, powerful figures and people in occult history. I have a curiosity for alchemy and hope to someday learn more about it. Not only am I just learning, but I'm also trying more things out like astral projection, self hypnosis, dream walking, and other forms of higher magic, dealing with the mind and spirit more than the physical ritual, which is still a great fascination to me.
Higher magic doesn't mean that it's evil, bad or necessarily more dangerous(though it can be), but it is more complicated, more time consuming and requires abundantly more practice, along with research. You will notice that as you start seeing certain things then you will notice them again and again, refrences to it and closely related topics. You will start to read articles, excerpts from books or famous manuscripts, piecing things from one source to things from another source together to form bigger pictures and understandings and it is all so thrilling gaining so much knowledge. Being able to have information in a few clicks of a button is so much easier than hunting for hours for one article like people used to do and with this increase in technology, this generation will have such a better understanding of the subject than previous generations, but first we have to get caught up.
You will be thrown into a web of interlacing topics and once you get in it seems impossible to get out, but mainly out of sheer curiosity taking you deeper into the subject. Good luck to all with your research and practice, whether it be high magic or basic magic or just a few articles that you read. I hope that you find a place for yourself in the substantially large subject known as the occult.
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