Wiccan's
Gerald B. Gardner started Modern Wiccan Witchcraft. He was born June 13th 1884. He traveled the world and during this time he became interested in the occult and rituals. He was a hereditary witch with descendants who were burnt under the witchcraft acts. He was introduced to witchcraft during the Second World War. He wrote a book entitled High Magic’s Aid in 1949 under the pen name Scire due to the witchcraft laws but after they were changed in 1951 he released two books under his own name entitled Witchcraft Today and The Meaning of Witchcraft. He died February 12th 1964.
| Wicca is a religion. Witches within this religion honor the Goddess. They celebrate the changing of the seasons and the Earth. |
Covens
One witch is known as a solitary witch, two witches as a partnership and three or more witches are known as a coven.
A coven is a group of witches with the same beliefs and a similar way of practicing magic. A coven will usually meet on the eight Sabbats and the 12 – 13 esbats (full moons) throughout the year although they can meet at any time of the year. The Sabbats are celebrations (see below) and the esbats are times to meet and work magic.
A coven has a leader called a High Priestess. She is normally the founder of the coven. She is either guided by a High Priest or works from her own knowledge.
A High Priest does not run a coven apart from when there is no suitable High Priestess available.
The High Priestess will have a routine, which will become familiar practice to the coven even when she is not there. Normally these covens evolve to include new ideas, so no coven will work in exactly the same way.
The High Priestesses main helper is called the coven maiden. She is the one that all of the coven information is passed to so she is most likely to start her own coven and become High Priestess in that coven.
The summoner is the male version of the coven maiden. He is responsible for summoning the coven together and communicating messages from the High Priestess.
A coven may only have one or neither of these people though.
If there are people within the coven that possess such gifts as astrology, tarot reading etc this should be encouraged and passed onto others within the coven.
A coven works best when all of the people within it have respect for each other and when they are able to support each other in all aspects of their magical and everyday lives. A good coven should be like a close family.
In some covens a witch has a new name, which is used within the craft. Sometimes the name is given by the high priestess and sometimes it is chosen you.
Covens do not normally have lots of rules although there are some in place to ensure the smooth running of the coven.
Magic
Magic practiced in covens is not the kind of magic practiced by magicians. Magic is a change created by our will or spell. It should be a change for the better as the law of threefold states that whatever you do will come back to you three times over. Magic should not cause harm to anyone or affect freewill. Magic requires the will to make it succeed, the knowledge of how to make it work, visualization skills and understanding of the elements.
Elements
Elements are not only around us but are part of us. The air = intellect, fire = passion, water = emotion, and earth = the body. These elements and energies are used when working magic but also in every thought and decision that we make.
Personal responsibility
Witches believe that we should take responsibility for our own actions, thoughts and words. The main rule being ‘An it harm none, do what you will’. We should seek to develop ourselves, not just in our learning of knowledge but our learning of ourselves.
Objects used by witches
Symbols of the gods or goddesses that’s you are going to invite either pictures or statues.
A 5-pointed star called a Pentacle or Salt to represent the element earth.
Incense to represent the element air.
Candles to represent the element fire.
Water to represent the element water.
Wine (usually red) and cakes (or cookies) to be used in the rite of wine and cakes.
A knife called an Athame; it is black handled, double bladed and 9 inches long. It is similar in purpose to a wand and is used to conjure and direct energies. Represents the male.
A chalice represents the female and should only be used in ceremonies.
Cords are used in initiation ceremonies and symbolize self-control.
A Censor is similar to a cauldron and is used to hold ashes and incense.
A scourge is used in initiation. It is a ceremonial whip with a wooden handle and silk or ribbon attached to one end.
Book of shadows
A book of shadows is a journal kept by a witch with details of spells and feelings about how you feel the spell went. They can also contain details of herbal remedies etc that may be of use. They can also be used to record dreams etc.
Plants
Plants and herbs are used a lot by witches in medicines and ointments. They are used in food and drink, aromatherapy or in their natural form. When taking part of any plant you should first ask its permission and explain why you require it. Once you have taken only what you need you should thank it.
Sabbats
These are eight festivals celebrated by witches as part of the wheel of the year. These celebrate the changing of the seasons and festivals, which honor the gods and goddesses. These celebrations involve dancing, singing and stories, followed by a feast and wines.
These are the different Sabbats:
Yule
Yule is celebrated on December 21st. It is the longest night of the year and is a sun festival as the days that follow will be longer. It is celebrated with fire, Christmas trees and Yule logs. It is a time to create new beginnings and forget past problems.
Imbolg
Imbolg is celebrated on February 2nd. It is the celebration of the return of the maiden of spring; it is a celebration of light. Witches light candles at this time. It is the time when spirits walk amongst us. It is a time to be positive.
Oestara
Oestara is celebrated on March 21st. It is the return of spring and a time to celebrate new life. Witches light fires at sunrise, sing, dance and decorate hard-boiled eggs.
Beltane
Beltane is celebrated on April 30th/ May 1st. It begins at moonrise on the eve of May Day. Beltane is a fire festival. It is the day when it is hardest to communicate with spirits, as it is the time when the two worlds are furthest apart but also a time when trickster gods are about so it is not a good time to give readings of any kind. It celebrates youth, love and passion.
Litha
Litha is celebrated on June 21st. It is the longest day of the year and is a time when communicating with spirits is easy as the two worlds are close. At this time candles are floated on water and people make wishes on them. It is a time for celebrations and the time when the earth looks most beautiful.
Lammas
Lammas is celebrated on august 1st. It is a harvest celebration. It is a time when the days are getting shorter. Summer is celebrated at this festival whilst looking ahead to the winter that is approaching.
Madron
Madron is celebrated on September 21st. It is the second festival to celebrate harvest. It is the time when the day and night are of equal length. It is a time for sadness and joy as we look back over the year at what we have lost and gained.
Samhain
Samhain is celebrated on October 31st. It is the most important of the festivals. It is the witches equivalent of the New Year. It is the third festival to celebrate harvest and also the time of the year when the veil between this and the spirit world is thinnest. The full moon at Samhain gives light to guide the spirits who visit this world. It is a time for giving thanks for what we have.
Working spaces
The space used by witches to work is called a circle. When creating this space we should call upon the elements, invite gods and goddesses (so make sure the space is a tidy one!), the drawing of a circle to contain the people within it – this can either be physically or mentally, but either way the circle should be drawn clockwise from the north east.
Clothing
Some covens go nude or sky clad, some wear robes with or without clothing underneath, some wear normal clothes and others wear special clothing, which they class as magical clothing. Most covens work bare footed as this connects them to the earth and the energies run more freely between.
Summerland’s
This is the place we go between lives to reflect on the lessons that we have learnt and choose the lessons we wish to learn within the next life.
The witches rune |
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