The Witches Digest

When John and Suzy Burton decided to move to a smaller house, they informed the removal men that they would like to take a few precious stones with them.

To be more precise, 13 huge rocks from the garden.

Mr Burton, a druid, and his wife, a witch, were the proud owners of a stone circle which, they say, gives them positive energy.

So when the pagan couple left their historic £1million mansion, Abbotts Court in Weymouth, Dorset, a dozen men with a crane and a fleet of trucks took the rocks to their new home in Dorchester, ten miles away.

Neighbours watched in amazement as the stones, each weighing between half and three-quarters of a ton, were placed in the garden.

The couple - both antique dealers - had them aligned at special points around the extensive grounds of the £600,000, six-bedroom property to encircle themselves with energy.

Each was apparently placed along a ley line which runs from Maiden Castle, an Iron-Age hill fort near Dorchester, through to Maumbury Rings, a Roman amphitheatre.

Mrs Burton then invited 20 witches from her coven to dedicate the stone circle during a night-time ritual.

The 60-year-old - whose mother and grandmother were witches - said: ‘We had a blessing of the stones and we brought the energy back.

‘You could feel the energy circling the stones. We feel they are a place between worlds.

‘It’s hard to describe the feeling you get when you are near these stones - but it is something extremely powerful.

‘You can feel the energy pulsing around you, moving inside you - you feel at one with nature and get a real high.’

The stone circle was erected in the ten-acre grounds of 11-bedroom Abbotts Court by Thomas Burberry, founder of the fashion house, in the early 1900s.

Mr Burton, 64, and his wife, who teaches magic and witchcraft, discovered it when they bought the property in 1980 and planned to leave it as an historic landmark when they downsized and moved to Dorchester.

But the property developer who bought the mansion threatened to throw out the stones if they were left behind.

So the couple employed a specialist removal firm to rehome the rocks.

Mrs Burton, who has five children and 12 grandchildren, said: ‘It was a really big job bringing the stones with us.

‘We had to employ about a dozen rather burly men and a crane to transport it all - but it was well worth it. Although I think a few of the neighbours were a little surprised, on the whole I think it’s been really well received.

‘We are so happy finally to have it all sorted.

‘We were very upset at the thought of these stones just being dumped - but couldn’t think of how we could get them with us.

‘They’ve made such a difference to our lives. We were delighted when we realised we would be able to take the stones with us.’

Technorati Tags: druid, ley lines, pagan, paganism, sacred space, stone circle, witch, witchcraft

Australian wildlife officials were using satellite tracking to monitor a group of 11 pilot whales returned to the sea after a mass stranding on the island state of Tasmania.

The whales were the only ones from a group of 64 long-finned pilot whales that survived the mass stranding on Saturday.

Global Positioning System (GPS) devices were attached to five whales, a mix of adult and juvenile whales, and authorities said the surviving pod was swimming strongly away from land.

“These units have told us that the animals did all join up again even though they were released in a three hour period and their survival prospects are very good.” Rosemary Gales from Tasmania’s Department of Primary Industries told local media.

The whales were found stranded on Saturday along a stretch of Anthony’s Beach at Stanley on Tasmania’s northwest coast, a site where repeated strandings have occurred in the past. Around one-third of them were juveniles.

On Sunday, rescuers released 11 surviving whales into the ocean after day-long effort which involved relocating them by road to another beach.

Gales said it was the first time GPS devices have been used to track whales after a stranding in Australia.

Pilot whales are among the smaller whales, typically up to about five meters in length and dark with a grey underbelly.

Environmentalists said the chances of whales surviving a mass stranding were usually low, but the relatively small size of the pilot whales may have helped rescuers save them.

Mass strandings of whales occur periodically in Australia and New Zealand for reasons that are not entirely understood. Theories include disturbance of echo-location, possibly by interference from sound produced by human activities at sea,

Witchcraft is being put on the curriculum for India’s primary schoolchildren in an effort to debunk superstitions that are behind scores of gruesome murders every year.

A belief in witches and the evils purportedly wrought by them – from famine to sporting failure – is widespread among tribal communities in the country’s impoverished rural hinterland. It is estimated that 750 people, mostly elderly women, have been killed in witch-hunts in the states of Assam and West Bengal since 2003.

In one the most horrific recent cases, a family of four of the Santhal tribe in Assam were stoned and buried alive for allegedly cursing a relative of the village chief. At least one attack in Assam culminated in the severed heads of two “witches” being taken as trophies and paraded in the streets.

Advocates for a change to the syllabus say that beliefs must be altered early if India’s witch-hunts are to be stamped out. However, the approach is being challenged by academics who say that witch-hunts are an economic phenomenon. Pointing to modern day Africa and Renaissance Europe, they argue that pensions, not education, are the best means of curtailing a belief in black magic.

Studies suggest that more “witches” are identified in lean years. In the 16th and 17th centuries, an estimated one million women were killed in Europe for dabbling in the black arts. The height of the slaughter coincided with a “little ice age” that made life much tougher, the historian Wolfgang Behringer has suggested.

Today, in the Meatu district of Tanzania, half of all murders are “witch-killings” and almost all of the victims are old women from poor households.

Raymond Fisman, a professor at Columbia University, told a recent seminar: “In Meatu, there are veritable witch epidemics now and again – certainly any time there is a bad crop year. Witches are the scapegoat of first resort. He suggested that “witches” were killed to make resources stretch farther. “Who are you going to knock off? You want the person who is the greatest consumer of household resources relative to that which they produce . . . it turns out that it’s grandma.”

Thus, the quickest way to eradicate witch-hunts is to introduce pensions for elderly women – to transform grandma from an economic burden to a wealth generator.

The tactic is credited with virtually ending “witch-killings” in the North Province region of South Africa in the 1990s.

Technorati Tags: witch hunt, witchcraft, witches

It has plagued scientists and politicians for decades, but scientists now say global warming is not the problem. 

We are actually heading for the next Ice Age, they claim.

British and Canadian experts warned the big freeze could bury the east of Britain in 6,000ft of ice.

Most of Scotland, Northern Ireland and England could be covered in 3,000ft-thick ice fields. 

The expanses could reach 6,000ft from Aberdeen to Kent – towering above Ben Nevis, Britain’s tallest mountain.

And what’s more, the experts blame the global change on falling - rather than climbing - levels of greenhouse gases. 

Lead author Thomas Crowley from the University of Edinburgh and Canadian colleague William Hyde say that currently vilified greenhouse gases – such as carbon dioxide – could actually be the key to averting the chill. 

The warning, published in the authoritative journal Nature, is based on records of tiny marine fossils and the earth’s shifting orbit. 

The Earth has seen dramatic climate fluctuations – veering between cold and warm extremes - over the past three million years, the researchers say. 

And changes in the Earth’s orbit and slowly falling levels of carbon dioxide are the cause.

The team says we are approaching a turning point, in the next 10,000 to 100,000 years, which will lead to the new ice sheets smothering much of Europe, Asia and South America. 

The theory, which is based on computer models, suggests ice sheets will also slash sea levels by up to 300m, so Russia and Alaska will be connected by land. 

The North Sea will become part of a huge glacier stretching from Holland and Scandinavia to the Russian Far East.

Professor Crowley said the stark findings do not mean we should stop fighting warming. 

But he urged: ‘Don’t push the panic button.’

‘There’s no excuse for saying “we’ve got to keep pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,”’ he told Reuters. 

‘Geologically it’s tomorrow, but we have lots of time to argue about the appropriate level of greenhouse gases.’

Technorati Tags: co2, environment, global warming

Garden gnomes have reportedly been branded “unnatural creatures” and banned from cemeteries in a church diocese.

Teddy bears and plastic flowers have also been deemed “inappropriate” by the Diocese of Bath and Wells, according to The Telegraph.

Under new guidelines, the church has pledged to remove any of the garden figures found at its Wrington and Congresbury cemeteries in Somerset.

A spokesman said: “There is no such thing as a real gnome so why should we have such unnatural creatures in churchyards?

“Things such as gnomes and plastic flowers are not permitted because they are aesthetically unattractive and they make it harder to maintain the grounds.”

Technorati Tags: gnomes, mythical creatures

Egypt’s culture minister says five metres pyramid discovered at Saqqara necropolis outside Cairo.

A 4,300-year-old pyramid has been discovered at the Saqqara necropolis outside Cairo, Egypt’s culture minister said on Tuesday.

Faruq Hosni made the announcement at a press conference in Saqqara, an ancient burial ground which dates back to 2,700 BC and is dominated by the massive bulk of King Zoser’s step pyramid, the first ever built.

Husni said the pyramid, five metres (16 foot) tall, is believed to have been 15 metres tall when it was first built for Queen Sesheshet, the mother of King Teti who founded the 6th Dynasty of Egypt’s Old Kingdom.

The pyramid’s base was discovered “20 metres below the sands and a doorway for the burial place was also discovered,” Hosni said, adding that it seems thieves had looted the pyramid.

Technorati Tags: ancient egypt, pagan news, pyramid

Frightening dreams that your child experiences are often a sign that something needs
attention. 
They could be caused by food e.g. high sugar levels, cheese eaten shortly before bedtime, artificial colourings etc.,
television programs or by
worries and stresses that your child may not know how to
explain.

Encourage your child to talk about their dreams, or draw a picture.  This gives them control over the scary feelings that the dream has resulted in. 

Acknowledge your child’s
feelings, it can be very comforting to a child to know that
someone is there to listen and understand them.

Nightmare Prevention

There are several methods that you can use to prevent
nightmares and give children a sense of security when they go to bed.

Burn some cedar or sage incense in the child’s room before they go to bed.

Jasper is a traditional
anti-nightmare stone, place one under the mattress or sew it into the pillow lining.

Dream catchers are a Native American cure for nightmares.  Hang one above the bed, bad dreams are said to be trapped in the web while good dreams pass through the web and are
channeled by the feathers to the dreamer.

A cup of Chamomile tea can help your child relax.

Bay Leaves and Peppermint are anti-nightmare herbs, stuff them into a mojo bag and place under the pillow.  Or you could make a dream pillow containing the herbs and a piece of Jasper.

The scent of Hyacinth can ward off nightmares, place a plant in the child’s room or diffuse a fragrance oil in an oil burner or light bulb ring.

Technorati Tags: Ideas for Children, preventing nightmares, spells for children

She was warm and content, wrapped in a fragrant blanket. Reaching out with her senses, she drifted into a meditative state and called out for her One; hoping that today there would be an answer.

A terrible shaking, rumbling noise broke her concentration and forced her rudely away from her thoughts. She could do nothing but watch in horror as she was lifted from her home and separated from those she’d grown with.

Determined to see the changes as a chance to experience more and find her One, she allowed herself to slumber.

A gentle rocking was the next sensation to permeate her awareness, soothing the jarring feeling of nothingness beneath her.
Awake in the dark, she became aware of others around her - all of them reaching out to talk and teach; for many countless hours she absorbed their stories, their histories and all the wisdom they had to offer.

The movement finally slowed and came to a stop, telling her that the next stage of her journey was about to begin; she sat close to the others and watched in amazement as they were lifted free to revel in the sunlight.

Her surroundings were so different to those she’d known, everything was tall and square - strange structures made of stone and wood; she marvelled at their beauty and allowed herself to be drawn into one of them.

Inside, more strange beasts, like the ones that had sundered her home, stood idle - their sharp fangs gaping above them. It was with great relief that she and the others were moved away into a smaller den, filled with curiosities and plants she’d never seen before.

A creature, different - fleshy and gentle - lifted her free and applied something to her, rubbing away the dirt and grit that masked her true face.
For the first time since her awakening, she felt beautiful - that her full potential was being reached by just allowing her inner self to be seen; and she basked in the feeling and those of the ones around her that were experiencing a similar sensation.

Not long after her initial cleansing, she was placed in a bed so soft, she was sure one of the Fleshy Giants had reached up and plucked a cloud from the skies, just so she could lay on it - she was overcome with awe and wonderment, stunned that these others cared about her so much they would treat her this way.

The light was blotted out by one of the creatures, and she felt herself being moved again - the peculiar weightless feeling she’d experienced before told her that she was leaving the stone jungle, her journey taking her someplace new - perhaps to her One in the end.

It felt like forever before the light and the Giants returned; when they did she found herself in a veritable wonderland - large units, brimming with hundreds and thousands of her brothers and sisters, members of her family she’d never before been aware of; it filled her heart with immense joy to join them in their stories and share a small part of their lives.

However, her journey had not yet finished and she was once more wrapped in a warm darkness and hurried across the vast stone jungles, the fierce purring of her carriage marking their passing.

Finally, she ended in a small stone dwelling, full of life and energy from plants, trees, stones and other living creatures. She was placed with great care on a platform that made her feel as if she were flying.

“You’ll like it here.” the creature - something she learned was called a woman - said, “People are drawn in here for all sorts of reasons.”

It was the very next day that a blissful feeling swept through her, and the sweet song of her One called. Answering it, she beckoned a young girl inside and sang joyously as she was picked up and cradled.

“I’ll have this one please,” the girl showed her to the old woman, “I could do with some luck.”
“You’re sure to get it with that one - sunstone is very lucky.”

And as she dozed contentedly in her One’s arms, she found that she couldn’t agree more.

© Erin Flitton 2008
From the Witches Digest Lammas 2008
 

Ingredients
1 1/2lb/ 750g Peas
1 1/2 pt Water
1 small Onion
Sprig fresh Mint
Pinch Sugar
Knob of Butter
Salt and Pepper

Method
Put the peas into a pan with the water, chopped onion, seasoning and mint.
Bring to the boil and simmer until tender.
Sieve or blend the soup until you have achieved the desired consistency.
Place back in the pan with the butter and sugar, reheat for a few minutes.
Ladle into warm bowls, serve with a swirl of cream and freshly chopped mint.

Peas—Love
Onion—Protection
Butter –Spirituality
Sugar—Love
Mint—Sex, Purification, Healing

Talismans are important magical tools, dedicated to a specific goal.

They are considered to be one of the best ways to contact
universal forces and harness them so that they conform to the will of the magician.

If you choose to make your own talisman there are several things that you need to consider:

Materials
Design
Energy & Belief
Charging

Materials

Talismans can be made from a variety of different materials, some suggestions include:

Silver, Gold, Copper, Clay,
Porcelain, Vellum, Glass, Bone, Leather and Paper.

You will need to give
consideration to the practical uses of the talisman before you choose your material.
A paper talisman for increased prosperity may be suitable if you are keeping it in your wallet, but not if you intend to wear it as jewellery, where it would likely become damaged.

Any material used should to make a talisman should not have previously been used for any other purpose.

Design

The design of the talisman should mean something top you personally.  You may wish to use:

Magic Squares
Sigils
Astrological Symbols
A Poem
Words written in a Magical
Alphabet
Your Own Design

Be creative, combine symbols where necessary.  For example a talisman designed to protect the home could have a house and pentacle etched into it.

There are many excellent books and websites on the subject of symbols, we have included a few below for your convenience.

Energy and Belief

While making and empowering a talisman you must remain clearly focused on your goals and your ability to bring them to fruition.  There is no point in making one if you do not believe that it will work for you.

Personal energy is vital, and reinforces the power held in your subconscious mind. 

Charging

Once you have crafted your talisman you need to programme and consecrate it.

The area in which you will do this should be clean and tidy, you may want to light candles and incense, play relaxing music and place a vase of flowers in the room.

Purify yourself beforehand by taking a bath and dressing in clean clothes (natural fibres are best).

Sit comfortably and meditate on the goal of the talisman.  Take it in your projective hand (the one you write with) and tell it what its purpose is.  You can make this statement as simple or elaborate as you like. 

Feel the talisman becoming warm in your hand, when you feel it is time either store the talisman until it is needed, or put it to use straight away.

It is best to store a talisman in a pouch or box as you would do crystals or Tarot cards.

Thank the universe for its
energies.

© Dawn Gribble 2008
From the Witches Digest Lammas 2008

Technorati Tags: craft ideas, making a talisman, pagan, wicca, witchcraft