The Working Tools of a Witch

THE WORKING TOOLS OF A WITCH

The Working Tools of a Witch

(A series of articles on the magical weapons of the Craft of the Wise)

Note: This series is covered by US copyright#TX395-727 and publication or resalein whole or in part without the written

permission of the Author is forbidden.

Further Note: This is an UNAUTHORISED COPYof a copy of the original work, copiedpurely for ease of reading, anddissemination amongst other knownmembers of the Wicca that do nothave access to the original works.If this bothers you, bearing in mind it was the Author’s original intention that these articles be open to all, please destroy/delete this copy now.

Front Notes

ABOUT THE SERIES…

The series of articles “The Working Tools of a Witch” was commenced in July of 1979 on a request by the editors of the fledgling Pagan newsletter “The Wiccan” (later “The Australian Wiccan”), but submissions to that publication ceased after conflict arose between the editors and the writer over some of the material presented. Parts 1, 2, 4 and 5 had been published. Subsequently the series began again in the magazine “Which Way/Witch Way” from Florida (United States of America) where it appeared under International Copyright Agreement. The series reached part 6 before dormancy hit this publication. Through advance review copies of the individual articles, heated controversy arose in the Pagan press over several ideas expressed in the still unpublished part 8 regarding sacrifice in historical and modern witchcraft.

Because of the interest shown in the series both in Australia and overseas pagan and Wiccan groups, the series was completed and circulated amongst certain individuals.

The current collection of articles, which form the series “The Working Tools of a Witch” is here presented with textual corrections to the already published articles. It is anticipated that the complete series will one day be published in pagan literature.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Ian Watts, known throughout the occult world by his adopted Craft Name of Simon Goodman, completed his training in traditional Sussex witchcraft necessary to be initiated as a Magister in June 1974, after five years of study.

He joined with Fay Cubben in August of that year to form the first of the “public” covens in Perth. In June 1975 he initiated Fay to the level of High Priestess in the Pickingill variant of craft as the Lady Helen. With legitimacy given to the initiatory tradition, Ian left the coven in August 1975.

The Sussex variant of traditional British Craft is continued in the coven subsequently formed by Ian in November 1975 and currently ruled by the Lady Michelin.

The original 1974 coven ceased to exist in November 1975.

ABOUT THE NAME…

Tuan, the nom-de-plume under which the series was published, was a great chieftain of the race of Cesair in the mythological time of the Celtic people. As he survived by transformation all the mythological catastrophes which destroyed the lineal ancestral races of the Celts, he embodies the Spirit of Celtic lore.

Table of Contents,

Front Notes..............................................................................................................................................3About The Series…...........................................................................................................................3About The Author….........................................................................................................................3About The Name…...........................................................................................................................3

TABLE OF CONTENTS,.....................................................................................................................4AUTHOR’S NOTE...................................................................................................................................5WITCHCRAFT – THE CRAFT OF THE WISE.....................................................................................6PART 1 : Introduction...............................................................................................................................7PART 2: The Pentacle............................................................................................................................10

Making the Pentacle........................................................................................................................10Using the Pentacle...........................................................................................................................11

PART 3: The Cords................................................................................................................................13Cords as a Symbol of Rank.............................................................................................................13Using the Cord Singularly...............................................................................................................13Multiple Cord Work........................................................................................................................14

PART 4: The Wand.................................................................................................................................16Making the Wand............................................................................................................................16Using the Wand...............................................................................................................................16

PART 5: The Scourge.............................................................................................................................19Making the Scourge........................................................................................................................19Purification by the Scourge.............................................................................................................19Gaining the Sight............................................................................................................................20

PART 6: The Sword................................................................................................................................22Making the Sword...........................................................................................................................22Using the Sword..............................................................................................................................23

PART 7: The Thurible............................................................................................................................25Making the Thurible........................................................................................................................26Lighting the Thurbile......................................................................................................................27Making Incense...............................................................................................................................27Using the Thurible..........................................................................................................................28Footnotes:........................................................................................................................................28

PART 8: The Athame.............................................................................................................................30Making the Athame.........................................................................................................................31Using the Athame............................................................................................................................32The Athame as a Bloodletter...........................................................................................................33

PART 9: The Boline...............................................................................................................................36Consecration versus Charging........................................................................................................36Making the Boline...........................................................................................................................37Using the Boline..............................................................................................................................37

PART 10: The Witch..............................................................................................................................40The Altar.........................................................................................................................................40Using the Altar................................................................................................................................41The Circle........................................................................................................................................41Casting the Circle............................................................................................................................42Conclusion......................................................................................................................................43

The Inscriptions on the Tools:-...............................................................................................................44BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................................................................................................45COMMENTS ON THE SERIES............................................................................................................47

AUTHOR’S NOTE

I hope these articles will help to fill some gaps in the knowledge of many newcomers to the craft.

All information presented is to the best of my knowledge true and accurate, but the series does not claim to be the teachings of any one tradition or coven. Indeed, I am sure that every coven will find something herein with which to argue. I welcome any additional information and comments. I have not presented a bibliography, as I could not remember all the works consulted over the years; the texts that are specifically mentioned in the articles have been listed at the end of this book, the more common edition being quoted. I will, however, single out Doreen Valiente’s excellent “An ABC of Witchcraft, Past and Present”, from which I have taken much of the historical material used in the articles.

A word of warning. Many of the practices and spells that follow I have tried, generally with a fair degree of success; others have been tried by colleagues, with similar results. However, many of the techniques listed are dangerous, a point I have endeavoured to make at the appropriate time. Accordingly, I accept no responsibility for any matter whatsoever arising from the use of methods or spells mentioned or outlined in these articles.

Finally, my thanks to Marion Gwyer and Tony Dews for their help, though non-crafters, in proof –reading the manuscript.

My thanks, as always, to Paul.

SO RHIOGAIL MA DHREAM!

SimonMAGISTER COVANENTUS QUERCUS

WITCHCRAFT – THE CRAFT OF THE WISE

Etymology. Wicca – Old English. A male who bends or manipulates. Pron. – ‘witcha’.Wicce – Old English. A female who bends or manipulates. Pron. – ‘witchi’Wiccan – Old English. Plural form of wicca or wicce. Pron. – ‘witchun’Wida – Old English. The people who practice the craft of the wicca. Pron. – ‘Weeda’

He is a wicca; she is a wicce; they are wiccan; they are of the wida.Root – ‘WYK’ – Teutonic. ‘To Bend’.

Pagan – Latin. ‘Paganus’ – ‘peasant, country dweller’Modern interpretation: Wicca-craft – ‘wise-craft’ – The Craft of the Wise.

HISTORICAL

When Professor Karl Jarke of the University of Berlin appended brief comments to his edited records of a 17th century witch trial, he –not Grimm nor Tartarotti-Serbati – earned the distinction of being the first modern scholar to suggest that witchcraft was a nature religion of the pre-Christian pagan Germans. His beliefs were illustrated in somewhat romanticised fashion in Michelet’s “The Sorcereri” which portrayed historical witchcraft as a protest by medieval serfs against their oppression by the social order of the times, an opinion which has some support in the material assembled by Leland and presented in his “Gospell of The Witches”.

It was not until 1921, however, that the idea of a pan-European, pre-Christian folk religion worshipping a horned God and celebrating seasonal magico-religious festivals aimed at preserving and increasing the fertility of the land, found a champion in Dr. Margaret Murray, who drew heavily on Fraser’s “Golden Bough” for her doctorate thesis. Although her theories have been rejected by some capable historians and anthropologists (notably Trevor Roper and Cohn), Murray’s ideas were far more appealing to the general public, reflected in her writing of the article on ‘Witchcraft’ in the “Encyclopaedia Britannica” for some forty years (1929-1968).

All that was required was for someone to admit witch blood, and be able to show an unbroken line of descent from the “Burning Times” – the period of great persecutions in the 14th – 16th centuries. Repealing of the British ‘Witchcraft Act’ in 1951 made possible for Gerald Gardner in his “Witchcraft Today” in 1954 to reveal of his admittance some 14 years earlier to a coven of such witches. Although his claims of continued medieval craft continuation in this coven are yet to be substantiated, he paved the way for establishment of many modern covens. His practices are reflected in those of Alex Sanders, Whose story of Witchcraft inheritance from his Welsh Grandmother were revealed by June Johns, suggesting such a medieval continuation.

An examination of Gardnerian or Alexandrian practices and beliefs shows a marked similarity, suggesting that one developed from the other, or both had a common source. The latter has recently been supported by an hereditary witch who claims that both Gardner and Sanders are carrying on an ancient French-originated craft system which was rearranged in the 19th century by the Witchmaster of Canewdon – George Pickingill.

The form of Craft said to have been perpetuated by ‘Old George’ is identified particularly by eight special implements – called “Tools” or “Weapons” – and it is the consideration of these Tools that forms the framework of the series of articles.

THE WORKING TOOLS OF A WITCH.

PART 1 : Introduction

Modern (Pickingill) Craft recognises the use of eight Working Tools, which are presented to a Witch on their first degree initiation. These Tools are the Sword, the Athame, the Boline, the Wand, the Pentacle, the Thurible, the Scourge and the Cords. The purpose of this series of notes is to examine each of these Tools used in the Craft, their possible origins preparation and methods of use, and their relationship to the symbology of the Circle. This will be done by considering the elements of the Circle and their various attributes.

I call upon EARTH to bond my spell,AIR will speed its travel well,

FIRE will give it spirit from above,WATER will quench my spell with love.

THE CIRCLE… is divided into four elemental quarters. NORTH for EARTH, EAST for AIR, SOUTH for FIRE, WEST for WATER and these elements are totalled or combined in AETHER.

NORTH… is the direction to which the Wiccan pray, the home of the Mighty Ones’, and the place of Greatest Darkness. It is the Quarter of Binding, and to it are attributed the Pentacle and the Cords. Generally regarded as the evil quarter by mainstay churches (notice the practice of bricking up the North entry door in old European Churches), it is regarded by the Witches as the area of fertilising powers. Graves notes that cows in Europe stand with their hindquarters to the North, supposedly receive the fructifying North wind. The North Wind God, Boreas, Living behind the Watchtower of Caer Falias, is often invoked by Witches who pay homage to the Goddess Cardea. Lying inside Caer Falias is the sacred symbol of the North for Celtic crafters, the Lia Fail, or Stone of Destiny, which is said to have stood in Eireann at Tara, but was captured and removed to Scotland where it was transformed from it’s palladium (or phallic) shape into the Stone of Scone. Animals usually associated with the North are those which are dark, or are a symbol of fecundity, or both. The Celts looked upon the kite or Hawk and called to it as a messenger of the North Wind (Barcut), whereas modern pagans and occultists prefer the more Judeo-Christian bull (the black bull of the North) – In ceremonial magic, the Northern Quarter is ruled by the Archangel Uriel, whose mixed robes of olive – Russet – Brown and Black are akin to the Witches colouring for the North – Black. The demon of the North is Amayen.

EAST… is the direction to which the solar worshippers pray, and this includes all Judeo-Christian branches and their derivatives (e.g. western tradition ceremonial magicians). The East is the place of the rising sun, the rebirth of the Sacrificed God, and the Place of Illumination. Western Christian churches and other solar temples are usually built so that the building’s main orientation is East-West, with the Altar or Spiritum Sanctum at the East end of the building and their people are usually buried with their feet in the East to aid their resurrection. The Tools used to cause Enlightenment are the Scourge and the Wand. Eurus is the East Wind God, and to the East lies the Watchtower of Caer Gorius wherein lies the Claimh Selais – the Sword of Light which screams for blood when carried into battle by the mighty Nuada – rests. The animals of the East are those which soar like the sun and spirit – the Eagle, and in some Celtic traditions when the young king , representing the reborn spirit of the year, is crowned on December 23rd, he is given eagle’s wings, and often addressed as Lew, the name given to their God. In ceremonial magic the Eastern Quarter is ruled by Raphael who, in golden-yellow robes, holds aloft the shining sun of this Quarter. Witches of the Celtic traditions generally prefer pink for this Quarter, the first rose colouring of the morning sky. The demon of the East is Magoa.

SOUTH… is the direction of the hottest wind, the burning deserts, and is the realm of fire. The Tools of Fire are the Sword and the Thurible. The elemental animal of the Southern Quarter is the lion when rampant. Ceremonial magicians invoke Michael to the South with his Sword of Flame corresponding to the Slea Bua, the Celtic Spear of Victory which lies within the Southern Watchtower of Caer Famias. Notus is the God of the South Wind. As appropriate to the heat of fire, the colour attributed to the South, by both ceremonial magicians and Witches, is red. The demon of the South is Egym.

WEST… is the direction of death and the Summerlands, the domain of the Goddess of Death and Love and Rebirth, the direction from which the original Wida, the Tuatha de Dannan, arrived in Eireann from Atlantis, and the Working Tools of this Quarter are the Athame and Boline. The West has always been regarded as the Place of Death. Did not the cold wet winds blow from the West, with the coldness of death? In prehistoric burials the dead face towards the West and in modern Europe people are usually buried with their heads in the West (although this could be said to be so that they face the East, the Place of Rebirth). Caer Murias, the Western Watchtower has the distinction of being the repository fore two of the Sacred Celtic Treasures – the Cauldron of Rebirth of the Dagda, guarded by the Goddess Cerridwen, and the Crystal Chalice of Healing Waters (is this the origin of the trade name for the isotonic eye fluid “Murine”?), although they probably refer to the same item. The West is the Quarter of Water, and its elemental creature is the rearing snake, the Wise Old Serpent. (Note the Egyptian Ur Zit – Great Serpent – is preserved in the Greek equivalent of the Great Mother Goddess of Egypt, Isis.) Ceremonial Magicians invoke Gabriel, with his Holy Grail of All-Healing, to the West, and whose robes of shimmering blue and flowing blue waters contrast with the pure snow white of the Witches’ Western Quarter. The demon of the West is Baymen.

The final element – the ‘Fifth Quarter’ – should be considered as the quintessence of all the four other elements combined. This element is Aether, called Akasha by Eastern esotericisits. It is symbolised by the Pentagram, whose manifestation is Spirit, and whose Tool is Man. We will consider this Tool in the final part of the series.

The Eight Working Tools are therefore :- NORTH – Pentacle and Cords, EAST – Wand and Scourge, SOUTH – Sword and Thurible, WEST – Athame and Boline.

In the next issue we will examine the first of the Eight Tools – the Pentacle.

TUAN


The Circle Attributions :-

Behind all is the Mother!


PART 2: The Pentacle

“I call upon EARTH to bend my spell…”

In the last issue I wrote of the Eight Working Tools of a modern witch, and undertook to relate these Eight Tools to each of the four cardinal points of the Circle, with the various elemental attributions for each of these points. In this article, I shall consider the first of the Tools of Earth – the Pentacle.

The Pentacle of the Craft has it’s origins in the solar discs of the early Mediterranean mystery schools, and appears throughout history and folklore in a variety of guises. We are told in the “Charge” of Pickingill Crafters that the “Youth of Lacedaemon in Sparta made due sacrifice”, alluding to the rites of Cybele, where the initiate would emasculate himself – usually by tearing at the genitals with a pair of ceremonial pliers – and place the severed genitals on a ceremonial plate. He would support the plate in his hands as he ran, being scourged by the Priestess of Cybele, to the high altar where he offered the symbol of his manhood and his fertility to the Goddess. A parallel can be drawn between the plate used here to support the symbol of his power, and the Paton of used later in the Eucharistic Mass performed by the Christian Priests. Confusion often arises in the use of the word ‘Pentacle’ caused, to a large extent, by the wording in the Librum Umbrarum (the Book of Shadows), where it directs that the Pentacles shall be of wax so that they may be easily broken to avoid discovery. In it’s strictest sense, the word ‘Pentacle’ should only be used to denote a talisman of sorts, the actual word coming from a French word, meaning “To Hang”. The correct term for a disc or plate used in the Craft, is a “Pantacle”, whose province appears to be that of ceremonial magic. I cannot find any historical reference to the use of an engraved plate or disc used by witches, and even the “Witches Hammer”, even bearing in mind it’s bias, makes no mention of any similar item although it is otherwise very thorough in it’s direction as to what evidence to seek to condemn a Witch. Various Pantacles are described in grimoires of medieval magic, that of John Dee being one of very complex design. Crowley describes the pattern inscribed on the pantacle as being the sum of the knowledge the magician possesses about the universe, and quips that most magicians should have a pantacle with no inscription at all. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in it’s outer workings used a disc of wood inscribed with a hexagram, which was painted alternately red and blue. The Pantacle of Earth is the basis of all other Tools, and is a passive weapon used for defence, like a shield, and is usually inscribed with a pentagram – the symbol of interaction of all four elements. The Pentacle is kabbalistically attributed to the Sephira of Malkuth.

Making the Pentacle

Pentacles should be made of copper or silver. I will describe the making of a copper Pentacle, being that which I consider most valid for Craft working. Take a disc of pure copper, six inches in diamter, and about 1/8th of an inch thick. (Approx 152mm diameter, 6mm thick, ED). Make sure it is pure copper – don’t haggle over the cost! On a Friday at sunset take the disc to a secluded spot, preferably in a cave, and bury it beneath the earth. Mark the spot so that you can find it again! Say this rhyme after you have finished burying it:

“Gold you are, and green you’ll be!The power of Earth will come to me!”

This relates to the changing colour of the disc from the coppery gold to green as it starts to corrode, liberating pure copper into the earth, and soaking up the Earth’s magnetic fluxes. Six days later return to the same spot at the same time and dig up the Pentacle with your hands, reciting:

“Lady of Darkness, Lady of Earth,Give me my talisman, give to it birth,

Give with it your blessings that ever I mayUse it with power, this do I pray!”

Take it back to your home, well covered, and polish it well, to return it to it’s original lustre. On the night of the Full Moon take the Pentacle and place it on the Altar where the light of the full moon may fall upon it. Inscribe on the front of the disc the five-pointed star, making sure that the points touch the edge of the disc. As the engraving is done, say:

“I score this dish, I gain the power,Earth will be mine in field or Tower.

Kerry be with me, Marianne be bright,I charge this pure plate by moonlight!”

This traditional chant has several references which the student of Wiccan lore will readily observe; the folk names of the Earth and Star Goddesses Cerridwen and Arianrhod, and the scoring of the surface being akin to the scoring of the Witch (the letting of blood) to put the Witch in your power. The Pentacle is perfumed with musk and elder incenses and secreted away until ready for working.

Using the Pentacle

The Pentacle is the most passive of the Eight Tools, Earth having the lowest vibrational energy, but in being so, is the most stable. It is used to act as a channel to other power flows, keeping the energy on one side of the Pentacle only. For this reason, the Pentacle can be used as a shield against attack by malevolent forces, whether they be invoked elemental forces of unsympathetic vibration (demons!) or directed psychic attack. All the Witch need do is hold the Pentacle towards the direction of incoming force, the disc being held between the spread fingers in a vertical plane, with the Pentagram upright and facing outwards. To use the Pentacle to draw power into yourself, stand within the Circle, facing West. Hold the Pentacle aloft supported on your open palms, with the Spirit point of the Pentagram facing towards you, and chant the following spell, watching the blue-green light streaming in through the pentagram:

“Lady of Earth, Your child you see,I call out in need; send power to me!”

To project a beam of psychic energy away from you, reverse the Pentacle so that the Spirit point faces away from you, with the horns toward you, and call out the following chant three times, using the pointed pentagram to “sight” the energy towards it’s destination;

“By power of Earth I send this spell,By Lady of Night and Lady of Hell.This is my will, and so it shall be!

Is end out the Power! It comes from me!

The Pentacle can also be used to draw in money. One old method is to cast a Circle, then roll the Pentacle around the Circle boundary, making sure that the Pentacle is always held upright in the outstretched fingers with the pentagram facing outwards, and at the same time chanting:

“Orbiting Jupiter, trine the Sun,Bring money on the run!”

This can be augmented with frankincense perfume, and even a central green candle. Start the rolling in the West. Drop the Pentacle, and you’ll lose money!

In the next issue we shall examine the second of the Eight Tools of Earth – the Cords.

TUAN


The Pentacles:-


PART 3: The Cords

“I call upon EARTH to bend my spell…”

In the last issue we considered the first of the Eight Working Tools – the Pentacle. In this article we shall consider the second of the Tools associated with the element of Earth – the Cords.

Cords can be used in two ways, the singular Cord used either as a garter or cingulum to denote rank, and in binding practices such as warricking, and secondly as an operative concentration aid.

Cords as a Symbol of Rank

The cord or cingulum worn by the Witches as a symbol of rank is one of the few items referred to by Sprenger and Kramer in the “Hammer” as indicative of Craft involvement. Normally this was merely a short ligature worn as a garter, but in modern times this has been replaced by waist cingula. The colours usually adopted are:

White – Neophyte or Pagan Black – WitchRed – Priestess Blue – Priest

Purple – High Priesthood

In Medieval times the High Priesthood wore garters made from snakeskin (usually python) with a backing of silk, either red (for females) or blue (for males). Each of the colours of the cords is associated with a particular Mystery of the Goddess or the God. Some Craft traditions adopt the three colours white, red and blue (or black) for the three ‘Degrees’ and use these three colours to represent the three aspects of the lady – as a Virgin, as a mother and as a crone. Whatever the colour, the cords should always be made out of a natural fibre (as distinct from a synthetic fibre), wool or silk being preferred, and should six feet long. In addition, the Cingula of the High Priesthood are knotted at the lengths of 3’6” and 4’6” to allow for the measuring of a 7’ or 9’ Circle. Unlike the Pentacle, no special Rite of Consecration is normally used, although if a witch wishes to devise one to personalise the cords to their own use, this may improve their effectiveness.

Using the Cord Singularly

When a witch wishes to use the Cord to work magic, the Witches’ Ladder is the method usually employed. This consists of taking a length of black cord of a reasonable length (about three feet) and knotting it eight times and then knotting the ends together so that a ninth knot is formed, dividing the Cord into nine even sections. This ring of knots is used by commencing at the knot next to the joined ends and reciting the first line of the Cord Chant, at the same time focusing all of your attention on the knot whilst visualising the completed object of the work which you wish to carry out. Next move onto the second knot with the second line of the Chant, then the third knot, and so on until the ninth knot ie. the two joined ends, is reached. The Cord Chant traditionally employed is:

“By knot of one – the spells begun! By knot of two – it cometh true! By knot of three – my Power I free! By knot of four – I see it more! By knot of five – the spell’s alive! By knot of six – I bind, I fix! By knot of seven – I challenge Heaven! By knot of eight – it is too late

For knot of nine makes it mine!”

This is repeated as often as the Witch feels necessary until the desired result is obtained.

The singular cord can also be used in the practice of warricking – the control of breath and blood flow – either on it’s own as a ligature or in combination with the scourge. Warricking is an extremely dangerous practice and should only be carried out by persons who have been trained in the mental exercises necessary for localised blood control, and in the company of a teacher experienced in the technique. One method of warricking used by Witches to gain entry to Caer Sidhe is for the Worl Master to tightly bind his cingulum around the warricker’s neck such that the two knots compress the arteries and veins in the neck, and yet so the cord does not impede the respiration. The warricker is helped to stand, blindfolded and then spun on his axis anticlockwise until he starts to collapse. Quickly the cingulum is removed around the neck, and the warricker gently lowered to the floor. He then calls out to the Mighty Ones to Lower the Bridge. I cannot overemphasise that this is an extremely dangerous practice, for if the neck arteries are tightly compressed for any length of time, muscular spasms of the artery wall will result in total constriction of blood flow to the brain, and removal of the cord will NOT lead to automatic reopening of the carotid pulse; Death will result in approximately two to three minutes! Techniques of warricking where the scourge is employed will be discussed in a later article.

The singular Cord can be further used to prevent a person from doing evil by winding the cord around a poppet of the person involved. Normally for this purpose a black cord is employed, and wrapped tightly around the poppet eight times with the chant “I bind you that you do not harm, I bind you that you do not harm…”.

Multiple Cord Work

Very effective magic can be worked by a coven using several cords interlaced. This method combines the various methods of mandallic chant, creative visualisation, and psychic breathing to create an etheric cone. Such a method normally requires seven witches, six to build up the etheric charge, and the seventh as the ‘aimer’, sitting outside the Circle and coordinating the power output of the other six and ‘triggering’ the Cone. The six witches are paired off – male and female – and sit around in a Circle alternating male and female. Three Cords – Red, White and Blue – are interlaced in the spokes of a wheel, the ends being distributed such that each Cord is held by a man at one end and a woman at the other. It is important that the Cords are not knotted at the centre. The controller relaxes the group, then psychically charges them by having them in unison adopt 4 cycle/4 stage breathing. The six people pick up the ends of the Cords, taking up the tension so that a six-spoked wheel is formed with the joining of the Cords centralised. A mantrum is devised, preferably with a four-beat construction, eg for a healing ritual for a woman, say ‘Helen’, use tge mantrum “Health to Helen”. The Witches chant the mantrum as they gradually knot their cord segment three times, from the centre outwards. At the first knot, the individual Witch concentrates thought as s/he chants, of the condition to be changed, at the second knot the change occurring under a steel-blue light, and the third knot showing the completed action. When the Witches have each have each finished their third knot, they all concentrate on the centre of the wheel with the image of the completed work, chanting all the time. The seventh Witch will have been observing that during the above process there is a ‘power’ generated by each Witch that flows from him (the Witch) to the centre and returns, then repeats the process. As the cone is built up with the chanting etc, these power flows tend to adopt a sympathetic surge in-and-out which makes the centre of the wheel seem to pulse. When the ‘aimer’ judges that this pulse is at it’s maximum, he grasps the centre of the Cords and orders “Drop!” The Witches immediately let go of the Cords and project their power to the centre point.

In the next issue we will examine the first of the Tools of Air – The Wand.

TUAN


Cord patterns showing knotting orders:-


PART 4: The Wand

“AIR will speed it’s travel well…”

In the previous issues we considered the Working Tools associated with the element of Earth. In this issue we will look at the first of the Tools associated with the element of Air – the Wand.

The origin of the Wand lies in the tree-worship of our ancestors, who saw in the phallic shape of the tree the same generative power of the erect penis, the God of Life. They listened to the voice of the God as the wind rushed through the branches, and carried with them in their travels a branch with which to remain in contact with the ‘power source’. (Compare this with the Christian veneration of pieces of the ‘True Cross’.) This practice has continued in the use of the Sceptre by monarchy – sceptre=club or penis=wand. In this case the aspect of the God invoked with its aid is the God of Life and Death.

There are many types of wands utilising many types of woods. In the various copies of the Clavicle the use of birch, hazel and elder woods have alternately been stressed, and the Druids carried wands of oak, whereas the Witches – when they used wands – have fashioned their wands from willow or birch, depending on the aspect of the Godhead which they wished to invoke. As the Wand historically had little place in the Craft, much of these notes will be concerned with the working of ceremonial magic rather than Craft practices.

Making the Wand

Although the Grammars of classical magic go to great lengths to describe the preparation of the Wand how it is to be inscribed, the Wand when used in insular Craft is quite simple. At either dawn or sunset (when it is neither day nor night – the timeless time) go to a willow tree that has grown for many years. Select a length, which is suitable for your working, and offer the following prayer to the tree:

Old one who stands in life giving earth,The earth from which the Lord gave you birthGive to me that part of youWhich now I need for things I do.Let me take a branch of thineFrom which to make a Wand so fine.

Break off the length you require and of about 1 inch thickness, and pack the end of the break on the tree with fresh mud to preserve the tree’s tissues. Knock on the tree three times in thanks. This Wand is trimmed to the length from elbow to middle finger tip when the arm is crooked. No other preparation is necessary, as the wand carries the Earth charges from it’s source.

Using the Wand

From a normal Craft angle, the Wand is used to mark out the area of working, and is carried by the Witch as he moves about the Circle as a reminder of the Powers which he has invoked, those of the Great Triple Goddess, Hecate Triformis. After the work of the evening for which the Wand was specifically plucked is completed, the Wand must be destroyed, by being buried in the earth. The following prayer of thanks should be offered when doing so:

Into the Earth I give this WandIn token of the Ancient Bond.Oh Great Queen Hecate answer me,For in this Earth I set you free.Bless me with they holy Might

To do the things I’ve asked this night.The Wand is also used to summon and control angels and good spirits who do not require, or would be insulted by, the use of the Sword or Athame. The willow wand in this case must be ‘charged’ by the insertion of a three-inch magnetised needle into one end of the wand. Seal both ends of the Wand over with red sealing wax, and on one side of the Wand engrave the Symbol of the Arrow of Power with the point of the arrow towards the end where the needle is inserted. The Wand is consecrated by various prayers; any of the classical Grammars will give several which are efficacious. (Remember that the Wand is an Instrument of Raphael.) When using this Wand (which is properly called the Baculum), it must be held in both hands with the index fingers laying along it’s length, the Arrow pointing away from the Witch. If using a Sigil, the Sigil is held in the left hand and the Wand held in the right hand. (note: These directions are in regard to a masculine, right handed operator. A feminine operator, or a left handed operator, reverses the hand polarity.) When a Wand is not readily available, but is needed immediately, the index finger of the right hand serves the same purpose. For this reason, magicians usually dispense with and external wand and instead place upon their finger a ring with a “charged” sapphire stone. In either case, the Wand merely serves as a guide for the eyes, and hence the mind, of the operator, becoming the external “director” of the Will.

The Thyrsus and pine-come tipped Wands, both representations of the erect penis, are carried processionally by the High Priest or High Priestess in some fertility religions.

In the next issue we will consider the second of the Tools of Air – the Scourge.

TUAN


The Wand:-


PART 5: The Scourge

“AIR will speed its travel well…”

In the last issue we examined the Wand as an instrument of Air; we will now look at the second of the Tools of Air – the Scourge.

Probably no other Tool of the Craft is more controversial that the Scourge which, as “a Symbol of Power and Domination” has led to accusations of sexual perversion by ignorant persons both within and without the Craft (and in some cases with a degree of validity), but as it’s prime importance is not the “gaining of sight” through flagellation, but to cause purification and enlightenment, it remains in many of the older Covens as a most potent weapon. Very few Covens I have seen retain the traditional use of the Scourge.

Making the Scourge

The scourge should be made by the person who will be using it. When it is to be used as a Coven Tool, the task of making the Scourge falls on the Devil, or Man-In-Black. It should, however, be only used by a High Priestess or High Priest, as generally the training in it’s correct application is reserved for this level. Take a length of seasoned wood (birch is preferred) fifteen inches long. At midnight this should be spirally wrapped, clockwise, with ribbons of black and white, both going the same way, and each overlapping the other by half it’s width. The thongs should be made of silk cords, each thirty inches long, four black and four white thongs, and each thong knotted five times (giving forty knots). No special Rite of Consecration of the Scourge is necessary, although some Covens adopt the practice of the Scourge maker intertwining a few drops of his own blood into each thong, and the spell:

Handle wrapped, and eight cords knotted,Scourge of Power and Truths Forgotten,Made in darkness, wrought with might,Made to show the Way to Sight.

Sprinkle the Scourge three times with salt, pass through incense and flame thrice, then sprinkle with water. Use the Charm of the Four Elements (See Part 1 of this series). The Scourge should be kept wrapped in red silk.

Purification by the Scourge

Whipping has been used by many primitive people as a means of testing endurance, usually in puberty rites or other initiation ceremonies, and there is some historical validity for this method being used to test the fortitude of would-be initiates. Douglas Hill comments that “The ordeal side of flagellation seems unimportant in the fantastic life span of the purificatory, or penitential or therapeutic uses of the whip”. Flagellation is thought of be many to be a sexual perversion, but even the devotees of the Finnish saunas reject imputations of sexual deviation, claiming that the mild birchings they endure are intended to stimulate the circulation, not the libido. Scourging has been used in this manner as a curative from early times; the Romans used scourging for fevers, rheumatism and barrenness! It’s effectiveness was thought due to the scourging driving out the ‘demons’ which caused the illness.

Though we no longer believe that illness is caused by ‘demons’, we recognise that scourging can achieve ritual cleansing, and it’s use in this regard was prevalent in many early Christian monasteries. In some Craft initiation ceremonies the blindfolded initiate is knelt facing East (or the Altar) and scourged lightly with forty strokes in a special pattern interspaced with the ringing of a bell. This ritual scourging, through psychic and psychological interaction, achieves an enlightenment which is one of the profound Mysteries of the Craft. It is truly said that “as water doth purify the body, the Scourge doth purify the soul”.

Gaining the Sight

The Scourge can be used to induce clairvoyance either through mesmeric stroking or through flagellation. In the former, the person seeking an answer to a particular problem of spiritual development is bound and warricked, then knelt in front of a mirror lit on either side by candles. The Whorlmaster takes the Scourge and drops the ends of the thongs lightly on the coccygeal region of the spine, draws the thongs lightly and slowly up the spine until the cervical region is reached, and then the thongs are lifted and the stroking repeated. This stroking of the spine, if carried out in a relaxed and monotonous manner, will induce a light trance state.

The use of flagellation where the Scourge is applied with some degree of force is an area where much criticism has been levelled at many of the Gardnerian practices, albeit if properly carried out is a most effective method. If damage occurs to the human body a substance called histamine acid phosphate is released into the bloodstream. A large amount of this substance creates symptoms of dyspnoea and other respiratory impairments, tachycardia and visual disturbances – all very similar symptoms to those which are experienced by persons in certain trance states. The “Histamine Release Syndrome” (as this collection of symptoms resulting from injury is called) is potentiated (made stronger) by large amounts of adrenaline in the bloodstream. Adrenaline is a hormone released in response to a sudden strong emotional shock to the body – such as a fright – producing the elation/action response to gear the body for quick action, followed by that sinking feeling of action is not immediately manifested. The two responses those of histamine and adrenaline release cause an altered state of consciousness – ecstasis – which is very intense.

To achieve this release, the Witch is scourged across the shoulders and buttocks in a particular manner which is sufficient to rupture the small capillary blood vessels, but not the deeper arteries and veins. The scourging is generally carried out with the Witch either supported by the wrists, or lying on a flat surface, for physical collapse when a state of ecstasis is reached will generally occur.

THE USE OF THE SCOURGE IN THIS MANNER IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PRACTICE IF CARRIED OUT BY UNTRAINED PERSONS, FOR DEATH CAN EASILY RESULT FROM DAMAGE TO VITAL ORGANS (eg KIDNEYS AND SPLEEN) OR HEART FAILURE IF THE STROKES ARE APPLIED WITH THE INCORRECT AMOUNT OF FORCE OR TO IMPROPER AREAS. THE AMOUNT OF FORCE AND AREAS OF APPLICATION ARE CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THE METHOD.

For this reason, few Covens carry out the practice of scourging to “gain the sight”. The ecstasis is seen as a combined result of the histamine release, adrenaline release, and the psychological aspects of the scourging.

In the next issue we will talk of the first of the Tools of Fire – the Sword.

TUAN


The Scourge:-

The Scourge as used in some Covens.


PART 6: The Sword

“FIRE will give it Spirit from above…”

In the last issue we discussed the Scourge as a Tool of the element of Air. Now we look at the first of the Tools of Fire – the Sword.

Witches’ Working Tool or the instrument of a ceremonial Magician? The Sword is the Tool most often pointed out by detractors of modern witchcraft to show the ‘synthetic’ nature of the practices. Historically there is no mention of the Sword outside of the Craft Laws, excepting one case – that of a Neolithic cave painting in which the Horned God is surrounded by nine dancing women, each of them carrying in their right hand what could be either a short sword or a long dagger (in my opinion, the latter). Crafters cite the Laws which make the Sword a symbol of the High Priest, and direction is made to the High Priestess to “gird the Sword” in his absence. This really refers not to a weapon of steel, but to the practice of the High Priestess strapping on an artificial phallus to perform the ritual intercourse necessary in some traditions for the initiation of a Witch. Most traditional and hereditary Covens regard sexual induction to the Craft as the hallmark of true Initiation, the Rite being performed after the girl’s first menstruation (or boys at the age of 14 years).

It can be seen therefore, that the “Sword” of traditional Craft is the penis of the High Priest (an appropriate symbol of “Power” for a fertility religion). This is further shown by the early swords being an instrument used for thrusting, rather than slashing, the steel of those times not being of sufficient quality to retain a sharp edge. The Sword of modern (Pickingill) craft draws heavily on the sexual symbolism of the “sword” for attributions and preparation.

Making the Sword

Unless you are a swordsmith, the making of a good sword is outside the capabilities of the average Witch, and as the Sword will become the focal point of many rituals within a Coven, appearance tends to be as important as psychic charge. For this reason it is better to obtain a ready made Sword. Sword types vary according to their use, but the preferred Sword for Craft work is cruciform, double edged, and with a scabbard. (Early magician’s swords did not have hilts.) The twin edges have traditionally been ascribed to Truth and Loyalty. The blade should be of polished iron or steel, the crosspiece of polished brass, the hilt of cedar wood, and with a pommel of brass shaped like a pair of horns. The hilt is to be stained with dragon’s blood or wrapped with red died wool cord. On one side of the blade is inscribed the Symbol of the Arch-Angel Michael , and on the other the name of the Coven or, in the case of an individual Witch, his own personal name for the Sword. (This practice of naming a sword, serving to give the sword it’s own personality, is shown in many legends. We are immediately familiar with Baggins’ “Biter” from “The Lord of The Rings”, or Arthur’s “Excalibur” – originally “Caleduwich” in the Welsh tongue – which got it’s name from the latin phrase “ex calce liberare” – “to free from the stone”.)

On Tuesday, in the first hour after sunset, take the Sword and pass it three times through incense smoke, the incense compounded of euphorbium, patchouli, tobacco and blood, reciting:

Fumes of herbs and incense strong,Let my Sword know right from wrong.Give to it a Guardian’s power,Defending me in troubled hour.Handle hornéd, blade of steel – Keep away all dangers real!

The spell is sealed into the Sword by wiping the blade with blood or sperm, then – after cleaning it with charged oil – either sheathed or wrapped in red silk. The Sword should never be drawn from the scabbard nor unwrapped unless it is to be used, nor should it be exposed to direct sunlight.

Using the Sword

The Sword is used “to cast all Magic Circles, to dominate, subdue and punish all rebellious spirits and genii, and even to control some good spirits”. The Sword is therefore a symbol of Power, and more particularly of Will, as the Wand is an instrument of intent. The normal use of the Sword as an instrument of Power (kabbalistic assignation to Geburah, and to Mars) comes from its association with the Archangel Michael who, with his Sword of Flame, banished Adam and Eve from Paradise. (Here is also why the Sword is attributed to fire). Allied to this is the memory of iron weapon superiority over the earlier insular inhabitants, such weapons were also carried by the Tuatha de Dannan.

Certain rules are followed when using the Sword. It should never be used to invoke elemental forces. It should be placed on the Altar with the blade pointing to the East. It should never be help in one hand (as this shows unbalanced power). It should never be thrust into the earth.

To cast a Magic Circle, the Witch approaches the Altar and proffers the Sword to the North Watchtower on upraised palms. Then, grasping the hilt in the left hand and the point in the right concentrates on building an etheric current, which flows from the left hand to the right hand. When there is a sufficient flow of energy through the Sword, the Witch delineates the boundary of the Circle, starting from the North and travelling clockwise until the North is reached again. The polarity, which was set up in the charging of the Sword, is maintained, except this time the force-flow is from the Witch to the “imaged” boundary. On regaining the North, the Witch goes to the centre of the Circle and expands his aura until it reaches the Circle’s edge, thus creating a total energy barrier (see Part 10 of this series).

To control manifested entities external to the Circle, the Witch merely holds the charged Sword in both Hands and challenges or orders the “entity” as if it were “human”. The Sword point must never project beyond the Circle boundary, for this would imply that the Witch does not limit his “Power” to the are which he controls (as shown by his ability at auric expansion), a most rash statement! (Note that “entities” are normally invoked into a “triangle”, this being a symbol of “Fire” and hence an “astral warp” of Spirit).

In the next issue we shall examine the second of the Tools of Fire – the Thurible.

TUAN


The Sword:-


PART 7: The Thurible

“Fire will give it Spirit from above…”

In the last issue we examined the Sword as an instrument of Fire. In this issue we will look at the second of the Tools of Fire – the Thurible.

It is difficult to see at first glance how the Thurible, or incense burner, came to be one of the Craft Tools, for incense quickly dissipates in open spaces and, unless it is a very heady perfume, is not easily noticed. Even more surprising is it’s attribution to Fire, for surely it’s very ethereal nature suggests it more to the element of Air, a correspondence that most ceremonial magicians and lodges follow. To find the answers to these conundrums we must examine the origins of incense usage and try to determine where this matches Craft practices.

The use of incense in religious rites is inextricably linked with sacrifice. In early times when man made sacrifices to the “Gods which dwelt in the sky” humans or animals would be killed and immolated (only in the case of Sky God sacrifice was the offering burned – Gods in Other Places demanded differing methods), the fire being the mediator between the people and the Divinity, the rising smoke carrying the offerings up to the Gods. It is not possible to decide why sweet smelling substances were originally added to the flames. It may have been purely pragmatic – an air freshener – or it may have had magico-religious associations. It could have been noticed that with putrefaction on death the corpses were always attended by some foul odour, whereas living creatures had a more pleasant smell. If life and death were both attributed to – or at least influenced by – spirits of a corresponding good or evil disposition, the liberation of perfumes of a sweet nature would allow it’s inherent “spirit” to manifest and overpower (‘defeat’) the evil entity which was present. The more a pure and rare the substance employed, the greater the power of action. Olibanum (‘true frankincense’) from the boswellia tree was the choice par excellence, although Sandalwood (Santalus Album) was more commonly used. (Interestingly, the heartwood of the sandalwood tree is the only useable part for incense. To extract this, the early fellers would leave whole tree trunks near termite nests for several months. The termites would consume only the worthless sapwood, leaving the fragrant heartwood to be collected at a later date by the merchants). Other incenses used during sacrificial rites include the conifer referred to by the Greeks as ‘Thuia’ (possibly from Thuya Occidentalis), gum mastic (the gun from Pistacia Lentiscus), cedar (from several of the Cedrum family) and storax (as gun from the Liquidamber Orientalis).

Over the centuries different substances have been used as incenses for a variety of purposes, from asafoetida (‘devils’ dung’ from the Ferula Foetida plant) for evil rites and banishings (who would stay around ?) and wormwood (from artemisia absinthium) for necromancy, to musk (from the sex glands of the musk ox) for seduction (need we say more ?) and myrrh (from Commiphora Myrrha) for embalming and funerary rites. In general, the extracted oils were used instead of the actual plant or wood, the more common of these oils being:

Oil of Cassia (from Cinamonum Cassia to give a rich and comfortable mood.Oil of Lavender (from Lavendula Officinalus) to ease frustrations and weariness.Oil of Roses (from any of the Rosa family) to calm thoughts.Oil of Ylang-Ylang (from Canangium Odoratum) to inspire thoughts of great beauty.Oil of Pine (from any of the Pinus family) for festive occasionsOil of Rosemary (from Rosmarinus Officinalis) to aid concentrationOil of Thyme (from any of the Thymus family) to aid concentration.Oil of Cinnamon (from Cinnamomum Zeylanicum) to purify the air.Oil of Ginger (from Zingiber Officinale) for a peculiar warming effectOil of Lime (from Citrus Aurantifola) purifies the air like cinnamonOil of Cloves (from Syzgium Aromaticum) for a friendly debate.

Additionally, each of the Planets was seen to have dominion over several of the perfumes, they being:-

The Sun is invoked with red sandalwoodThe Moon is invoked with aloesMars is invoked with pepperMercury is invoked with mastixJupiter is invoked with saffronVenus is invoked with costusSaturn is invoked with brimstone

The second area of incense usage that we need to consider may prove more worthwhile in our endeavour to marry the Thurible with Fire. In ancient Greece, at Delphi, the Phoebades – or oracular priestess of the Pythian priesthood – was seated upon a tripod which stood across a chasm within the cave of Apollo (who had appeared in the shape of a python). Legend has it that shepherds noticed goats venturing near the cave were seized by strange fits which caused them to dance and emit strange cries. Later one of the shepherds – curious to know the cause of this behaviour – approached the cavern and was overcome by fumes. He danced, jabbered and foretold future events. What were these fumes? Were they merely volcanic vapours whose sulphurous content caused difficulty in breathing to the sensitives with the resulting anoxia giving rise to an altered state of consciousness wherein clairvoyance was enhanced? Or were they – as a story told which was circulating shortly after establishment of the priesthood – the odours of the decaying body of the Python, the manifested body of the “dying god”? Several authors who have studied classical literature and practices have suggested that the fumes are those arising from the burning of laurel leaves (Laurus Nobilis), whose poisonous sap would be found in the rising smoke and which when inhaled would cause a delirium in the breather. Bearing in mind the several cultures where similar practices are employed, ie the inhalation of incense smoke in large quantities prior to ‘ministering’ the Word of the God or Goddess’ – and including the use by Witches of khat (Catha Edulis), and mugwort (Artemisia Vulgaris) – this would not seem improbable. We would then be able to show the connection between incense and Fire, not merely from the rising of ‘the prayers of the people upon the holy smoke’ as they gave sacrifice to the Sky Gods, but also from the practice of burning hallucinogens upon a burner of sorts (later developing into the Thurible) to achieve a mental change, a change from the physical to the spiritual. The convention of a Thurible standing upon three legs appears to be a continued tradition of the tripodic throne of the Phoebades.

Making the Thurible

When making the Thurible, two things are very important to remember. First of all, as the Thurible is used to burn substances, it gets hot. And secondly so that the substances can burn, they must have a good air supply.

The ideal Thurible is made of brass (gold is preferred, as this is the true metal of the Sun – the symbol of Ignis Coelum – but brass will serve the average Witch. Content yourself with the knowledge that brass contains the metals of Jupiter and Saturn fused in a homogenous alloy1.), but one of another metal or even earthenware will suffice. The Thurible should stand on three legs, or hang on three chains. These three legs or chains represent the Hebrew letter Shin, the letter of Fire, which has three

tongues of flame () and the numerical value of 300 (I don’t understand either, but the Master Therion sayeth(2)).

The Thurible can be either a bowl in which rests a perforated plate on which is set the charcoal with burning perfume, or the bowl can be filled with porous stones on which the other ingredients rest.

When the Thurible is used merely as a brazier (static use) rather than to thurify (perfume) a Circle area, the bowl without chains is the best. The first time the Thurible is used, the following spell of dedication should be recited:

As I light thee, Perfume-maker,Good-spirit Caller, and Evil-breaker,As I kindle this earthly token,Powers mighty from within are wokenTool of Fire! Forever be,Consecrated now by me!

Lighting the Thurbile

Lighting the Thurible can be a tricky operation, unless you use self-igniting charcoal block (available from church supply houses – unless you are a conscientious objector to supporting the “Opposition”). Otherwise this is how it is done:-

Make sure the Thurible has a layer of sand on the bottom of the bowl, both to contain the heat inside the Thurible and to offer some protection to the surface underneath the Thurible. On top of this sand place several layers of small stones. This allows the air to circulate around the charcoal (it’s best to make this charcoal yourself – poplar and dogwood are considered “traditional”). The finished product should look like:-

Pour some spirit (denatured alcohol, not the invoked kind!) over the charcoal, and ignite the Thurible. When the flames have almost disappeared, blow gently on the charcoal until it starts to glow. When the flames are completely extinguished, the incense can be placed on the glowing coals.

Making Incense

Any substance that gives off fumes when burned can be used as an incense. The best, however, are the aromatic gums from trees and smaller plants. Experiment with those which grow locally. Their planetary correspondence is the same as the plant from which the gum originates. Where the substance exists in powder form, this can be combined with a “neutral” gum and made into pastilles, which can be placed on the Thurible. A typical temple incense is made with two grams of Gum Olibanum, six grams of Gum Benzoin, and three grams of Cascarilla. These ingredients are powdered coarsely, then mixed together, the resulting mess pressed into appropriately sized blobs and stored in airtight containers.

When oils are required, they can be extracted from the source plant matter by either of two methods:-

a) Crush a handful of herbs in a bowl. Place the crushings into a ½ pint bottle which is three-quarters filled with fine olive oil in which has been added a teaspoon of pure white vinegar. Tightly cork the bottle, and place it in hot sunlight for about three weeks. Shake the bottle daily. At the end of the period, drain the oil into a fresh bottle, and add another handful of crushed herbs to this bottle. Repeat this procedure several times.

Or

b) Place the material from which oil is to be extracted into a retort. Cover the material with water and heat the mixture gently below boiling point for about an hour. The residue should be kept in a dark bottle, tightly stoppered.

The second method is preferred, for although the yield is small, it is more potent, pure and is a shorter preparation.

Using the Thurible

Common Sense! Don’t touch it where it is hot (the bowl or the legs)! Always support the Thurible in two hands for magical balance (unless another Tool is held in the other hand). If the Thurible is stood on the Altar, an asbestos mat will protect the surface of the Altar, and also preclude fire risks. This mat can be painted with a solid yellow triangle, the archetypal symbol of Fire. Thurifying should always be performed with a circular motion, thrice clockwise, or in a motion to mark out an equal-armed cross.

When placing incense upon the Thurible in devotional rituals, it is customary to offer a prayer to the Divinity or Power being invoked. Our Coven uses the following for their God rituals:-

We bring of Thy Garden, Oh Mighty Pan, the fragrance whichAbounds therein. Vapours of millennia which thou hast sharedWith thy chosen flock are rekindled now to fill this area withThy presence. We speak Thy name and thereby summon the whisperingVoices of wonder from all regions of Thy fields and woodlands.Come, oh Pan! Pan! Pan! Pan!

(The Church of Satan uses a variation of this in their Baptismal Rite.)

In using the Thurible as a brazier, first be seated in a comfortable position. Make sure that you are well supported so that when a trance is achieved you will not fall forwards onto the brazier. Invoke with prayer the Godforce on which you are drawing (as indicated by the type incense being used), then – using 4/4 breathing – inhale continuously the fumes whilst mentally repeating the Godforce call until you are taken.

One very important WARNING on the use of hallucinogens. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PRACTICE. Many years are spent by traditional Witches under the training of an experience High Priestess or High Priest to learn the secret compounds which can be safely used, before they attempt their first ‘solo flight’. Be Warned – EXPERIMENTATION CAN CAUSE IRREVERSIBLE BRAIN DAMAGE OR DEATH! (But if you are going to experiment anyway, at least read the Don Juan trilogy by Carlos Castenada, and also the excellent “Drugs and Magic” by George Andrews!)

In the next issue we shall examine the first of the Tools of Water – the Athame.

TUAN

Footnotes:

1 and 2 These comments are made by Aleister Crowley in his “Magick” (Copyright John Symonds and Kenneth Grant, 1973), a text which has many fascinating insights, profound comments and a lot of erudite garbage (but that may be because I am perplexed!).

T.


The Thurible:-

The Thurible and Thurible Runes(According to Huson)


PART 8: The Athame

“Water will quench my spell with Love.”

In the last issue we considered the Thurible as a Tool of Fire. Now we will consider the first of the Tools of Water – the Athame.

The Athame (pronounced “ath-am-ay”) or black handled knife is presented to a Witch on initiation with the words “This is the true Witch’s weapon and has all the powers of the Magic Sword”. We have, therefore, a mini-sword, or more precisely the Witches’ equivalent of the Magician’s prime tool.

To research the origins of the Athame brings up several interesting questions of the beginnings of Craft practices and of Craft itself. Harrison in his “Roots of Witchcraft” suggests that the word “athame” derives from the Greek (‘athanatos’), implying ‘eternity’ or ‘immortality’. Idries Shah, however, suggests ‘ad-dhamne’ – ‘blood-letter’ – as a more probable origin, and presents some interesting relationships between Craft words and practices with those of the Aniza school of mystics founded Abu-Al-Atahiyya in the 8th century. Does this suggest that modern witchcraft owes more to the Sufis than to the early Greek mystery schools, and does the adoption of the Arabic originated “Coven” (from “kafan” – a winding sheet, implying shroud) and “sabbat” (from “az zabat” – “the powerful occasion”) allow us to reconstruct more accurately some of the older chants than by experimenting with Hebraic God-names?

In classical literature we have the appearance of the black-handled knife in a 1572 Clavicle of Solomon and referred to as “Arthana”. Historically there are many appearances of a dagger in association with pagan practices. One of the earliest can be found upon a Greek vase of the second century, which depicts two women saluting the moon, one with a length of branch (which could be interpreted as a wand), and the other holds a short sword. Doreen Valiente has suggested that this short sword may have evolved into the Athame. Hecate Triformis, the Goddess of Roman Witches, appears on an engraved gem from ancient Rome bearing in her three pairs of arms a burning torch, a scourge and a dagger, and Olas Magnus’ “History of the Northern Peoples” (Rome, 1555) contains a woodcut of a Witch controlling the demons she has summoned by brandishing a dagger in one hand and a bunch of herbs in the other. The use of a dagger to control or banish evil is referred to by Pliny who reveals that “as touching the use of iron or steel in medicine, it serves otherwise than for to lance, cut and dismember, for to take the knife or dagger, and make an imaginary circle two or three times round with the point upon a young child or elder person, then go round about the party as often, is a singular preservative against all poisons, sorceries or enchantments”. Many vignettes in the Egyptian “Book of The Dead” show the soul of the deceased person defending himself against various hostile entities of the other World by holding up knives against them. We also see in Teniers’ painting “The Departure For The Sabbath”, the black handled knife is stuck upright in the floor at the edge of the magical circle of the Witches.

Even though the use of pagan persons of the magical dagger – usually with a black handle (and so more accurately identified with the Athame) – has been established from early times, many authors regard its use by modern Witches to derive from Gerald Gardner’s infatuation with daggers and other edged weapons, and point out that the symbols used by the Witches are those that appear on the “arthame” or black-handled knife of the “Clavicle”. It can be just as easily argued that the use of the weapon could have been borrowed from the pagans by medieval magicians, and this idea is supported by examination of the engravings on the handle which shows the characters to be not of any conventional magical script, unlike the majority of inscriptions on the other tools (the Hebraic engravings of the blade are obviously not of the same origin as those upon the handle).

We get another hint at the possible origin of the Athame by comparing it’s use with that of the White-Handled Knife (Boline – see Part 9), the latter used “to fashion all Instruments of the Art”. It would seem strange that there be two blade tools that would in effect be interchangeable unless, of course, one is so sacred that mundane tasks such as cutting herbs and engraving sigils would so debase the weapon as to render it useless. Shah, in elaborating on the similarities between the Dhulqarneni and medieval witchcraft practices, compares the initiation practices of each, with each “Challenging” a

prospective candidate at the Circle edge using a black-handled knife (not a Sword!). And all throughout literature and folksong references are made to the sacrifice of the pagans, either as a Solar God completing his seven – (or eight –) year reign, or as the Grain King, cut down annually. In any case, all descriptions are of a weapon that serves as a “Blood-Letter”. Such a tool would also – for purely practical reasons – have a hardwood handle which would ideally be dark (or black) so as not to be affected by the regular staining with blood. The most sacred weapon – the Witches’ true “working tool” – would therefore be that which controls the destiny of the people, the mediator between them and their Gods, for in the final analysis the sacredness of the Gods is in their control over life and death.

Making the Athame

The Athame should be fashioned with an iron blade and an ebony handle, the iron denoting Will, and the ebony, Steadfastness (from the hardness of the wood). The blade must be pointed and double-edged, and about three inches in length, the handle being of equal measure.As the Athame is an elemental – rather than planetary – tool, the hour of preparation is of only minor importance. Many Witches make their Athame during the period of the waning moon forty days prior to the November feast. The blade is to be sharpened with a stone, rubbing towards the point only, at the same time chanting:-

Blade sharpen, sharpen bright,Keen the edge as eagle’s sight.Blade of power and witches tool,

Defender from all forces ill,Fire of Earth that none can steal, Charged be unto my will!

At the same time seeing the blade grow brighter with blue light at every stroke. When the edges are sharp, and the blade has been fixed to the handle, the blade is magnetised by stroking it with a lodestone so that when it is freely suspended on a thread it will swing so that the point shows North. In this way the Witch can determine the Four Quarters of a new Circle.On the hilt are drawn the following signs:-

In Pickingill forms of Craft these are shown as:-

Which respectively indicate:The Sign of The God (as Taurus)The disguised initial of the God (Cernunnos – “Karnayna”)The ScourgeThe KissThe Waxing and Waning Moons

The disguised initial of The Goddess (As Aradia or Arida – The symbol is a transformed Aleph)The Kneeling Man } “The Perfect Couple as they are inThe Kneeling Woman} worship and purified”The Arrow of Power andThe Eight Paths.

The inner meaning of these symbols is to show the evolution from an Earth God of fertility (the Bull) to unmanifested Deity (the Eight Paths in balance means that the Soul has transcended the needs of incarnation) through the act of Sacrifice.

To make the Ink for writing these signs, a black cat is sacrificed and it’s blood mixed with the juice of hemlock. The signs are written with the ink of the night of the new moon prior to the November feast, and the Knife is then hidden in black silk until the night of the Feast, when it is consecrated.

Using the Athame

The obvious use of the Athame is as the Knife of Sacrifice. However, it has other uses, which are of interest.

The Athame is kabbalistically attributed to Tiphareth, this mediating between Petchad and Chesed, and being the Sephiroth of “The Sacrificed One”. The Athame is said to have all the powers of the Magic Sword, and as it recieves the Powers of Severity and Mercy, it can truly represent Justice. In an earlier part of this series the Sword was shown to have the power to dominate, subdue and punish rebellious demons and genii, and to cast the Magic Circle. The Athame is similarly used for defence.

Most modern Witches tend to be quite paranoid regarding psychic attack. As a rule, such attack is quite rare. It is noticed by an increasing sense of unease, with disturbing dreams. As the attack proceeds, the victim experiences physical pains (usually located in the solar plexus region, and the “dreams” may appear in periods of wakefulness as “hallucinations”. Finally, physical manifestations of phenomena can occur. The Witch should, if possible, determine the person, or direction, from which the attack originates, and face that direction. Casting a Circle, the Witch censes the area with a compounding of Vervain, Cedar and Frankincense (1:1:2). The Witch holds aloft the Athame in his left hand and inscribes four times counterclockwise a circle, chanting slowly:-

Power of Stars and Heavens free,Keep all hurt and harm from me!Turn back evil, counter hate,Let attacking force abate!Lord of Hunt and Queen of Hearth,Protect your child who treads the Path!Aloft I hold my sacred Blade!Stronger now the Spell is made!

Bringing the Athame down in front of his face, charging it in both hands as he does so, the Witch chants:-

Power descend, Circle bind,Strength of Stars around me wind!Charged be unto my Will!Deflect from me all forces ill!

And then turning clockwise once, project the energy through the blade, now with outmost conviction:-

Circle boundary fixed fast,Let no evil forces past!Around me flows the Force of MindIn which a break ye may not find!

This sets up a field of energy around the Witch to serve as a protection, but as the best defence is a good offence, it is within the Laws of the Craft to remove the attack by returning it to the sender. To do this, having formed a barrier as before, commence 4/4 breathing holding the Athame in both hands with the blade uppermost. Watch the blade grow warm and begin to glow with red heat. As your breathing continues the blade will become a glowing gold. At this point, facing the direction from which the attack stems, the Witch punches the blade outward, shouting:-

Kill, kill, mind of Ill!Stop, stop, end all Power!Away! Away! Away, I say!Broken be the Evil-sower!

The Witch completely dissipates the force of the curse as it streams back in the direction of the attack in the form of a beam of golden light. Energy for other purposes can be similarly sent.

The Athame as a Bloodletter

The concept of sacrifice – whether human, animal or even in token (incense, flowers, etc) – is abhorrent to many Witches who cite the Charge –

I ask no sacrifice, do but bow,No other law but Love I know.

However, we must look objectively at historical practices of the Craft and put the information into perspective.

The basic function of the Priesthood of the Craft was/is to guard and preserve the Mysteries and fertility of the Earth sphere. This is achieved in many ways. To a Pagan, the most sacred is Life, but unlike the average Christian, Life to a Pagan is not seen as confined to the period between birth and death of an individual, for these two points of time merely mark transitional points of a time continuum in the incarnated existence of Spirit. The incarnation undergoes metamorphosis on separation of the spiritual and physical bodies of the individual, and at the same time much etheric energy is liberated into the biosphere. (The etheric body binds the spiritual and physical bodies, and as energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it is liberated in the process of separation of the bodies, and is therefore available for use.) Such liberation occurs at the point of death.

This energy transference was understood by our early pagan Priests who mastered the art of manipulating the released energies. Practices which show such control have been demonstrated in several excellent films, including “Eye of the Devil” (also called “Appointment With Fear”) with David Niven and Sharon Tate, and “Harvest Home” with Bette Davis. These two films in particular depict graphically and accurately the reasons for, and means of, human sacrifice. Although Le Vey has said that true energy is only available in the death throes of the victim, the inner teachings of sacrifice will remain within the priesthood of the traditional Witches. What can be said is that for the sacrifice to be valid and effective, the sacrificial victim must be willing and trained to die, and the blood must drop to the earth.

One final note. During a séance (utilising a Ouija board) Lucifer was asked on the validity of sacrifice. The reply –

“Any may sacrifice a cold-blooded animal, but only he who can absorb the Soul may make sacrifice of warm-blood.”

Lucifer is truly the “Light-Bringer”!

Sacrifice is always performed with the Athame – the “Blood-letter” – the same weapon used to initiate as a Witch then used to initiate as a God.

Therein is a Mystery!

In the next issue we will examine the second of the Tools of Water – the Boline, or White-Handled Knife.

TUAN


The Athame:-The following examples show a diversity, yet also a similarity, between various black-handled knife hilt markings used in various traditions and practices.


The Athame (cont.):-


PART 9: The Boline

“Water will quench my spell with Love.”

In the last issue we considered the Athame as a Tool of Water. Now we will discuss it’s partner weapon, the Boline.

The origins of the Boline are difficult to trace, with a very few historical references or parallels, and complicated further by a cultural inconsistency in the hilt markings, and appearance of two differing forms of knife. The first knife is that with a straight blade, and cruciform; the second is curved as a sickle. We are told on initiation that the purpose of the White-Handled Knife is to “fashion all instruments of the Art, but ut may only be used in a Magic Circle.” Wandering into the realms of Ceremonial Magic via Mathers’ composite “Clavicle”, we find a knife with a white hilt with which the Magician “mayest perform all the necessary Operation of the Art, except the Circles.” This knife is made on the increase or full of the Moon, with consecratory attributions of active Water (Mars in Scorpio). The sigils inscribed on the hilt, however, have no resemblance to those of the Boline. Wrapping the knife in black silk after consecration reinforces the “lunar” symbology. As a “lunar” Tool we could see this form of knife as an admirable partner to the Athame, the “solar” knife (Sacrifice=Tiphareth=Sun), although it is not per se and elemental weapon.

The Boline used in certain Celtic traditions has a curved golden blade with a white handle, but without markings, immediately reminding us of both the bronze-bladed scalpels of the Babylonian priest-surgeons, and the curved sickle used by the Druidic priests to cut sacred mistletoe. It is interesting that in the “Clavicle” a white-handled sickle, the wood wherewith the handle is made having been cut at sunrise, carries similar markings to those of the Craft Tool. The respective markings of ceremonial knife and sickle are –

The Knife with the White Hilt:

The Sickle:

If it was with a sickle similar to the above that the youths of Sparta in Lacedaemon were castrated in the Rites of Cybele, we begin to establish – however tenuously – some pagan connection. (The scalpel of the Babylonians had an external, rather than internal, cutting edge to the blade.)

Consecration versus Charging

Before we look at how the Boline is made, we should consider the operative difference between “consecration” and “charging”. To “consecrate” is to “set aside” for a specific purpose; to “charge” is to give inherent power to the object. Hence and Athame is “charged” and it’s “power” is available in both a magico-religious environment, and in the mundane world. The Boline on the other hand is only consecrated – that is, dedicated as a Tool for magical fashioning in the Circle – and hence has no special intrinsic authority as a Craft tool outside the Circle (although it can still cut, etc.). This derives from the basic premise that within a Magic Circle, Man and the Gods are One. The fashioning of an article by Magician or Witch is analogous to, say, the creation of Man by the Gods, and so the article (by the Hermetic Law) is a living object. It is easily understood, then, that when magical time and space is suspended by reversion to the mundane world, the object and the fashioning tool becomes mundane, devoid of the special relationship which hitherto existed.

Making the Boline

Whichever shape – sickle or cruciform – is chosen, the preparation of the Boline is the same. If the Witch is fashioning the Boline himself, it is to be worked as the be completed at dawn on a Wednesday immediately before a full moon. The handle is to be made of white wood or bone, and the blade of bronze.

On the hilt is to be inscribed the following line of symbols – (See also endnotes)

Which are: The God (as Taurus)The Goddess (as Venus)The Exchange of KissesEmotion (Water = Aquarius)ScorpioThe Kneeling Man }The Kneeling Woman } The Perfected CoupleThe Waxing MoonThe ChaliceThe Birth

The meaning of this inscribed Mystery can be told as –

The God and Goddess in their love tryst charge the work of their Priest and Priestess, bringing through Their Power in the Act of Creation. The Cup of the Wine of Life pours forth at the Esbat to the Perfect Union, and Manifestation results.

This Mystery is that of Creation and Manifestation, unlike that of the Athame which is of Initiation (Form versus Force).

The Boline is then fumigated with an incense of mastic and opium, and wrapped in black silk for keeping.

Using the Boline

The Boline is employed to carry out any cutting, shaping or inscribing task necessary in the Craft, except the delineation of the Circle boundary, and the Mystery of Sacrifice.

One Spell, which utilises the Boline, is the Candle Spell –

On the night of the Full Moon, take a white (or preferably pearl) candle. Anoint the Candle with your personal Oil, and inscribe your wish upon the Candle with the Boline. Whilst concentrating on the wish, say:-

Upon this Candle I will writeWhat I receive of thee this night.Grant what I wish you to do;I dedicate this Rite to you.I trust that you will grant this boon,Oh lovely Goddess of the Moon.

Light the Candle, let it burn for thirteen heartbeats as you concentrate your desire within the flame, then let the Candle burn itself out, knowing that as it does so the Spell will be working.

In the next issue I will conclude the series by discussing the Sum of the Eight Tools – the Witch.

TUAN

NOTE: The Boline Symbols.

Although traditionally the Symbol of Venus m is inscribed as and equated by many occultists with the Sandal-Strap of Osiris (the Crux Ansata) and showing the Egyptian origins of the Craft, I can find no historical nor format association between insular Craft and the Egyptian thought process, and so regard this interpretation as a post 19th Century – possibly OGD originated – modification. Similarly, the use of astrological symbols is inconsistent with the Celtic tradition, and may be a later modification of pre-existing symbols which are no longer extant. I have also interpreted the Craft symbol of the Eight Paths ( ) – the World – as equivalent to the Greek birth symbol, as the use of the Boline parallels the Navituum Mundi.

T.


The Boline:-


PART 10: The Witch

“I call upon EARTH to bond my spell, AIR will speed it’s travel well, FIRE will give it spirit from above, WATER will quench my spell with love. EARTH, WATER, AIR and FIRE combine! Give Power to this Spell of Mine!”

The Eight Tools used by a Witch are placed on the Altar prior to working. They represent the four aspects of the Witch:-

To KNOW EARTH PENTACLE PASSIVE PAGAN PHYSICALCORDS ACTIVE PLANE

To DARE WATER ATHAME PASSIVE WITCH & EMOTIONALBOLINE ACTIVE PRIEST PLANE

To BE SILENT AIR WAND PASSIVE MAGICIAN MENTALSCOURGE ACTIVE PLANE

To WILL FIRE THURIBLE PASSIVE CONSCIOUSSWORD ACTIVE PLANE

To BE AETHYR WITCH TRANSCENDANT

And the Altar focuses the attention of the Witch on the Tools. The Altar supports the Tools. The Tools are so called for they are that which the Witch works, but they are also called Magical Weapons for they protect the Witch from the fallacy of belief that he alone is important in the Universe. He must have help if he is to work effectively:-

“There is no part of us that is not of the Gods”

The Altar

In Semitic languages, the word “altar” denotes a place where a victim was slaughtered, and in some Indo-European languages a place where a sacrifice was burned. The Altar then appears as a connecting place between the worshipper and Deity. Altars have been of many differing forms:-

Of earth or unhewn rock (Judaic – refer Exodus 20), outcrops of natural rock (such as Athene’s altar at the Acropolis) and of wood (Roman).

In most cases they were elevated – as suitable for ‘thrones’ of Deity – but they could also be sunken (the Sanskrit word ‘vedi’ – meaning ‘altar’ – originally denoted a trench in which the sacrificial fires burned). The Egyptians regarded altars as adjuncts to worship, the light wood tables employed to hold the food and jars of unguents used in the rituals. This practice was also common to the Greeks who used the image of the Deity as a focus of their venerations. The Christian Altar is regarded as the table on which the Lord’s Last Supper was celebrated, and today, even when the structure is mainly of wood, a stone ‘mensa’ – ‘table’ – must be inserted.

In both Craft and Ceremonial Magic the Altar displays the Tools. Its size is therefore determined by the size of the Tools. The Tools must be in balance with each other. The Altar does not act on the Tools, but on the Witch, for it will show a lack of balance.

If a permanent Altar is to be constructed, it should be of wood, preferably oak (to show steadfastness of belief), but it may also be of ash (to represent Yggdrasil – The World Tree – and hence the centre of the Earth). For Practical purposes it should be about waist high and have a top of about three feet square. By tradition these directions would be expanded by magicians to require an altar of oak or acacia, being a double cube of such weight that the top of the Altar would be level with the navel of the magician. The Altar would then properly be the omphalos.

To a Witch, however, the Altar need not be constructed, but may be a convenient rock or stone slab around which the Circle is cast.

The Altar is normally covered by a cloth to show that the true basis from which we work is concealed by a veil of illusion. Black is the preferred colour, for it’s neutrality does not detract from meditation upon the Tools. The cloth must not be used for any other purpose than to cover the Altar.

Using the Altar

The Altar displays the Tools necessary for the operation. In most Craft workings it also supports a Goddess or God image, and candles for illumination. The Altar may be placed in the centre of the Circle, or more usually at the North. If a particular element is to be worked, the Altar may be placed in the Quarter corresponding to that element (eg if the Sylphs are to be contacted, the Altar may be placed in the East). If the Altar is central to the Circle, the Tools are to be arranged so each Tool is in the respective Elemental Quarter. This means that on facing each Quarter the Tools opposite to the Quarter being worked are immediately visible, reminding the Witch that for every act there must be an act of balance with it’s opposite.

Suggested Altar layouts are:

The Circle

Historically, the use of a circle area in Craft is of Southern European origin, and was not prevalent in Britain. The Circle exists as a Gateway between the ‘World of Men and the World of the Mighty Ones’, between Abred and Annwn. It is described in the First Degree Initiation as a “boundary between the Dread Lords of the Outer Spaces and the pleasant World of Men”! As the Circle connects the Four Quarters – and Four Elements – it embodies within itself the Eight Working Tools. To cast a Circle is to declare oneself at one with the Circle and – through it’s correspondences – with the tools displayed upon the Altar. The Altar is the connecting point between the Witch and the Circle he casts.

Casting the Circle

The area in which the Circle is to be cast must be in a spot secret and lone and preferably free from draughts. The ideal situation is in a grove of trees on a hilltop, or beside a flowing stream.

Preparation of the Witch is essential; he must be properly prepared and purified, either by ritual bathing or by the Scourge. After purification, the Witch anoints himself with anointing Oil to take on a new body – the “magical personality”.

The Witch presents the Working Tools to the Four Quarters so that the High Gods are aware of his intention to begin work, and in doing so awakens within himself the magnetic vibratory planes connected with each of the Tools and their respective Elements. The Circle boundary is measured out with the Cingulum, and candles are placed at the four Cardinal Points. In measuring the Boundary the Witch defines the realms in which he will work. Anything outside this Boundary will not be within his “World”, and therefore will not “exist” when the Circle has been cast. The candles represent not only the four directions, but also the four elements, reminding the Witch of the four states of matter with himself being the fifth “existence”, or “Spirit”.

Using the Sword – the Instrument of Truth – the Witch cuts the boundary of the Circle, making his “World” completely separate – as a fortress – from the World of Men. This first circumambulation deosil mirrors the creation of the macrocosm – the Witch (as “Light”, or the Sun) goes from the Place of Greatest Darkness (North) sunwise (deosil) around the Boundary, building the World (of the Wida) – from Darkness came Light (Knowledge) which returned to Darkness (the Atlantean tradition).

Fresh spring water is poured into the Chalice, and rock salt is placed on the Pentacle, the instruments indicative of the nature of these substances. The water is consecrated, ie the Power of the God and Goddess is invoked to drive out from within the water all foreign psychic impurities and emanations:-

Thrusting the Athame into the Water – “I exorcise thee, Oh Creature of Water, of all impurities and uncleanliness of the Spirit of the World of Phantasm, in the names of K… and A… .”

Water, the physical manifestation of the Astral Light, can manifest and harbour by it’s own magneticity astral forces malignant to the design of the Witch, and these must be expelled before the Water is used. Churches maintain the purity of the charged water in their fonts by covering these vessels with iron or stone covers. Blessing the salt in the name of the God and Goddess affirms the natural purity of the Salt, and it’s power to resist of it’s own accord evil influences:-

Touching the salt with the Athame, or raising the Pentacle in both hands – “Blessings be upon this Creature of Salt. Let all malignancy and evil be cast forth hencefrom, and let all good enter herin. Wherefore do I bless and consecrate Thee in the names of K… and A… .”

On mixing the two elements together, the Witch recreates the blood-fluid, spiritual, for it has no matter apart from itself, the amalgam of the physical and astral worlds. The mix is then splashed around the edge of the Circle, washing the Circle clean of all impurities of the Spirit, and filling the moat cut by the Sword. The Chant used in the asperging reinforces the charge of the Witch that no power alien to his intent may remain within the area of working, nor cross the Boundary.

Incense is kindled in the Thurible and is carried in silence around the Circle boundary, the rising smoke building a wall, which insulates the Witch from the mundane world, and the perfumes carry the prayers of the aspiring Witch to the heavens.

Next the candle flame is borne around the Circle, the flame searing in the Boundary and fixing it on the spiritual planes. The lighting of the Quarter candles on this circumambulation with the Divine Fire of the Witch confirms the illumination of the Temple.

Finally the Sword – the Instrument of Will – is used to seal the Circle on all planes.

The Witch moves to the centre of the Circle, and causing his Inner Body to vibrate in sympathy with the charge of the Tools, he allows his etheric body to expand to the delineated boundary, thus forming the True Circle in three dimensions:-

Holding arms horizontal, palms vertical and facing outwards the Witch rotates deosil –

I conjure thee Oh Circle, that Thou beist a meeting place between the Worlds of Men and the Realms of The Mighty Ones’, a Guardian and a Protection that shall contain and preserve the Power which we shall raise within Thee. Wherefore do I bless and consecrate Thee in the names of K… and A…

Earth, Water, Air and Fire – the four states of matter and existence (physical, emotional, mental and spiritual) are thus used to build up the Temple, the Tools, the Altar, the Circle and the Witch becoming one.

Conclusion

In this Series we have examined the Eight Working Tools, their possible origins, preparation and their methods of use and their relationship to the Circle. We have seen how these Tools are manifest in the Witch himself. The making of the Tools instils upon the Witch the importance of balance at all times.

This balance is the key to the Vortex of Progression which gives Power through the Tools to the Craft of the Wise.

TUAN


The Inscriptions on the Tools:-

The Inscriptions are:-

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Reference has been made to the following authors or texts. The edition shown is either that which is most readily available, or that which I have consulted.

ANDREWS, G. (ed.) Drugs and Magic, Panther Books, 1975.

BELL, J.W The Grimoire of Lady Sheba, Llewellyn Publications, 1974.(Lady Sheba)

CASTENADA, C A Separate RealityDon JuanJourney to Ixtlan, & Tales of Power, Touchstone Books, 1975

COHN, N Europe’s Inner Demons, Sussex University Press, 1975.

CROWLEY, A Magick, Samuel Weiser, 1976

FARRAR, S What Witches Do, Sphere Books, 1973

FRAZER, J.G The Golden Bough, MacMillan Press, 1974

HILL, D “Flagellation” in Man, Myth and Magic, (ed. By R Cavendish), Marshal Cavendish Corp., 1972-74

HUSON, P Mastering Witchcraft, Corgi Books, 1972

KRAMER, H Malleus Maleficarum, (The Hammer of The Witches), Arrow & SPRENGER J Books, 1971(trans. SUMMERS, M)

LELAND C.G Aradia, Gospell of The Witches, Samuel Weiser, 1974

LA VEY, A.S The Satanic Bible, Star Books, 1977The Satanic Rituals, Avon Books, 1972

MATHERS, S.L The Key of Solomon the King (Clavicula Solomonis), Routledge And Kegan Paul, 1974

MICHELET, J La Sorcière, (The Sorcerer), P Viallaneix, 1966

MURRAY, M.A The Witch Cult in Western Europe, Oxford University Press, 1921

SHAH, I.S The Sufis, Doubleday & Sons, 1974.

TOLKIEN, J.R.R The Lord of The Rings, George Allen and Unwin, 1968

TEVOR-ROPER, H.R The European Witch Craze of the Sixteenth and SeventeenthCenturies and Other Essays, Harper and Row, 1969

VALIENTE, D An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present, Robert Hale & Co, 1973

WALLIS BUDGE, E.A The Book of The Dead, Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd., 1974

WANG R The Secret Temple, Samuel Weiser, 1980

The following are from secondary sources, and have not been checked by the author:

GRIMM, J Deutsche Mythologie, 1835

JARKE, K.E “Ein Hexenprozess” im Annalen der Deutschen und Ausländischen Criminal-Rechtes-Pflege, Vol. 1, Berlin, 1828

MAGNUS, O History of the Northern Peoples, Heindrich Petri, Rome, 1555

TARTAROTTI, G Del Congresso Notturno della Lamie, 1749.

As diagrams extracted from texts are not necessarily exact to the original, readers are recommended to consult the source text.

COMMENTS ON THE SERIES

The following comments were passed in various issues of publications which have accessed the series:-

** ** **Dear Editors,Do you think it wise to reveal so much of Wiccan lore in your newsletter? I have always been taught to be cautious and in fact, have suffered from bias and prejudice to the extent of having to change jobs and even move out of an area. Never forget that in this society, which is dominated by people with no ideas other than the material plane, a thinking Pagan represents a threat to their narrow lives, and they in turn, will do everything in their power, to have us put down like some rabid animal. I urge discretion and more secrecy. Merry Part,

LAWRENCE VIC.

Dear Lawrence, We understand your feelings, and sympathise with the many problems that you have experienced in the past, from letters that we receive from Witches around the world, we can see the climate changing for the better. In T.W., we give no secret rituals, nor will we. Somewhere, at some time, someone has to make a stand. We feel that the time has come, to stand up for our rights and demand the Religious that the law of the land permits.

EDS

(“The Wiccan” AUSTRALIA no 6 – Parts 1 and 2 published)

** ** **

The Editors and voluntary staff would like to advise that they know of NO COVENS employing these dangerous, harmful and unnecessary practises.

(“The Wiccan” AUSTRALIA no 7 – appended to Part 5)

** ** **

Dear Editors, I wrote to you last December about the amount of hidden Craft lore you have been publishing, and you replied that “you would not be giving any secret rituals”, but to my mind this is not exactly true. I refer to the articles by TUAN on Craft tools, surely Cowans should not be permitted to read these instructions? I find this series to be one of the better and most informative I have come across.

LAWRENCE VIC.

Dear Lawrence, Glad you like the series on Craft Tools, but I disagree that we are giving away secrets, your own letter states they are “one of the better and most informative” you have come across. Well, if you have come across articles such as these in books, or other Wiccan papers, they can’t be classified as ‘secret’. As to ‘Cowans’ reading same, how do you expect solitary Witches, or those who are interested in the Craft to learn about it, if someone, somewhere, does not help?

Editors(“The Wiccan” AUSTRALIA no 8)

** ** **

… We must apologise again for the non-appearance of the series on Craft Tools, but take heart, the series will be commencing again in T.W. 10, with a new author, whom many of you know well. We won’t spoil the surprise by giving you his name this issue, just wait and see! Tuan (S.G) late of W.A and now of Victoria, is no longer writing for us.…Catherine and Kent. Editors.

(“The Wiccan” AUSTRALIA no 9)

** ** **

SACRIFICE. Our attention has been drawn to an article of the Athame, the black handled ritual knife used in the Gardnerian Craft, written by an Australian Witch. In this article it is suggested that the magical sigils are written on the knife handle in the blood of a black cat mixed with hemlock. Later in the article it is intimated that the use of the Athame is for sacrificial offerings and there is talk of human sacrifices by the “pagan priesthood” who use the liberated life energies of the victims for magical purposes. A well known Satanist is even quoted in this connection as an expert (!?) on these matters. In a recent British magazine interview with certain London based witches it was claimed that a virgin was sacrificed in a witchcraft ritual in the South East of England three years ago. It was also alleged that ritual murders of old people performed by a black magician were taking place in a nursing home. We would respectfully suggest that the people responsible for making these serious allegations present what evidence (if any) they have for these crimes to the police immediately. It is hoped that we speak for the majority of genuine pagans when we deplore this type of cheap sensationalism and state quite categorically that sacrifices, human or animal, have no role to play in modern paganism and we strongly condemn all those who inflict pain on any living creature whether this is done under the guise of religion or science.

(“The Cauldron” No. 23 – comments by Mike Howard, editor. Note: Part 8 had NOT been published.)

** ** **

DEAR MIKE, WE AGREE WITH YOU. WE CANNOT BE CERTAIN OF THE IDENTITY OF THE OZ WITCH YOU MENTION, BUT IF IT IS THE PERSON WHO WRITES FOR THE AMERICAN PAPER WITCH WAY, & USED TO WRITE FOR TAW? WE OBJECT TO THE USAGE OF THE WORDS “AUSTRALIAN WITCH”. THAT PERSON CLAIMS A SUSSEX/KENT TRADITION, WITH THE PARENT COVEN IN SEVENOAKS (KENT), SO OBVIOUSLY HIS TRAINING IS ENGLISH!! IF WE ARE CORRECT, WOULD YOU KNIDLY ADVISE YOUR READERS OF THIS NEXT ISSUE, WE AUSSIES DO NOT WISH TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS BARBARITY. EDS.

(“The Australian Wiccan” Australia No. 17. Note: This newspaperwas formerly called “The Wiccan” and was edited by Catherine and Kent Forrest.)

Documents

The Working Tools of a Witch