The Witches Digest

by Erin Haley

She dreamed in colour, bright vivid blues and greens as she found herself flying over the countryside. Up and away from the place of her birth, on and on – something was drawing her to a place far away, a place she needed to see for herself.

The sun was warm on her shoulders as she skimmed through the frothy clouds. She found herself laughing joyously as a flock of geese flanked her sides, their squarks and croaks sounding almost intelligible, as if they were saying, “Come play – come fly with us.”

Shaking her head apologetically, she waved them on to the East, watching them until they appeared as specks on the horizon.

Finally she began to drop lower and lower, until she could see the place she knew was her final destination.

A small cottage stood nestled in the bosom of two sloping hills. Behind it she could see a large bonfire, almost completely hidden away by a wild hedge maze.

She landed in the courtyard, and breathed in deeply. She knew she was dreaming – it was a gift she’d always possessed, one that had seen her relief through many nightmares, but she couldn’t help the feeling that something of it was real.

The scent of warm hay and large beasts was actually ripe in her nose, and turning her head, she could see a pair of oxen staring at her from the stalls. Walking towards them, she carefully stretched her hand out and patted the first one on the nose, the bristly hair tickling the sensitive skin of her palm.

Her moment of reverie was interrupted by the sound of metal striking metal, a high note almost like a bell. Following the sound, she crept round the side of the cottage and watched a tall woman working away in a forge.

“Excuse me,” she called out to her, “Where am I?”

The woman, dressed in blue, stopped and looked across, revealing that whilst one side of her face was unflawed and beautiful, the other was scarred and disfigured. After a long moment, the woman raised her hand, and pointed towards the back door of the cottage.

“I should go inside?” she asked.

The woman nodded, then continued with her work.

Leaving the sooty forge, she wiped her feet and walked inside. The fragrance of the air changed immediately, instead of animals, the rich scents of herbs and spices drew her to the sitting room, where bundles were drying over the heath.

“Welcome,” another woman was sitting in the tall chair, her face identical to the lady in the forge but her clothes coloured a rich brown, “You have travelled here for a reason.”

“I know I’m dreaming,” she approached and kneeled down by the fire, her eyes drawn to the flames, “So I know this isn’t real.”

“Dreams can teach, and although this may not be real to you – the lessons you learn and take away, are.” The woman stood, her hair gleaming copper in the light of the fire, “You seek knowledge, and have questions that burn inside you. Leave here and travel through the maze – reach the fire and it will reveal to you what you seek.”

About to answer, she suddenly found herself alone and in the cold, the cottage disused and run down. Picking her way over the stones and overgrown weeds, she left the compound and headed up the hill and the maze she’d seen from the sky.

By the entrance, the woman stood again – this time clad in green, “Take this,” she handed her a reel of string, “Use it to find yourself and return.”

Taking the string, she tied it to the entrance and began to make her way through. Each twist and corner she discovered made her think of her life and her problems; as solutions rose in her mind, the way became clear and she advanced on, deeper and deeper until she reached the heart.

The flame in the centre burned brightly, and the three women stood together, almost blurring into one. They reached out and drew her closer, causing her to look deeply into the flame, and into her own heart. A spark jumped out and landed on her chest, but instead of burning, it sunk inside – warming her core and opening her spirit out.

Realisation occurred in a rush, and turning she opened her mouth to address the women she know knew to be a single Goddess, but before she could say a word, she was drawn away and back into the waking world.

Looking down at herself, she smiled and knew the Goddess had been right – the dream had taught her about herself and given her the confidence and wisdom to follow the path she chose for herself.

From the Witches Digest Imbolc 2008

Ingredients

200ml / 7fl oz Sunflower Oil

4 Free-Range Eggs

4 tablespoons of clear honey

225g / 8oz plain flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

½ a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

A pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

175g / 6oz grated carrots

Butter – for greasing.

75g / 2½oz Cream Cheese

2 tablespoon butter

340g / 12oz sifted icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs and honey until they’re well combined.

3. Stir in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add the salt, vanilla essence and grated carrots – beat well.

4. Use the butter to grease a 23cm / 9in cake tin, and pour the cake mixture in.

5. Put tin carefully in pre-heated oven and bake for one hour, or until a skewer poked in the centre comes out clean.

6. Take out from oven and leave to cool on a wire rack – very carefully remove from the tin when cool.

7. To make the icing, put the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the sifted icing sugar and vanilla essence, then stir until combined.

8. Once the cake is cool, use a palate knife and spread the icing across the cake.

9. Slice as required and serve.

Carrots—Sex
Honey—Health, Love, Sex, Happiness, Spirituality, Wisdom
Vanilla—Love, Sexuality

From the Witches Digest Imbolc 2008

by Maureen

He hears the bells toll,
they toll for him.
The crows caw at the sound
and take flight.

Near death he walks,
slow and crippled is his pace.
Deprived of the food
that feeds his soul.

The crows follow him.
They won’t wait for his death,
bit by bit
they pick at his flesh.

His heart pounds,
his strength wanes.
He can’t keep them at bay.
It’s his time, his time to die.

His sacrifice is their food,
their feast is
his flesh….
and the bells toll….
and the crows caw….
and thee end will finally come.

myspace.com/peaches_iz_da_bomb

From the Witches Digest Imbolc 2008

Before you start, you will need:

A plant pot

Enough good soil to fill the pot

Some compost or manure

A watering can

Salad plant seeds, such as – lettuce, spring onion, cherry tomato, peas and cucumbers

A trowel, spade and rake

An adult for assistance

This is a long term project that will need to be looked at often. It’s best to start this in the spring or the summer.

Step One.

Chose an area of the garden in which you will be able to plant – make sure it’s not too near any trees or hedges (the roots of these will eat the nutrients needed to make your salad grow).

Dig over the ground and mix in some compost or manure.

Step Two.

Read the backs of the seed packs and follow the planting guidance given. Decide if you want orderly rows of vegetables, spirals or if you wish to plant in window boxes or pots. Make sure you leave enough space to get to the plants to water, weed and remove slugs from.

Step Three.

Once the seeds are planted, they need to be carefully watered – not too much, or they will drown. Then, each evening during dry weather, they will need to be watered again. Seed will only grow if they are kept moist.

Step Four.

When the plants begin to grow, it is important to do a Slug Patrol and make sure they are kept well away – if slugs get into the patch, they will eat all your hard work!

Step Five.

Your salad patch needs to be kept weed free – use the trowel to carefully remove any that spring up, but be careful not to accidently remove your plants! If you’ve planted pea plants, you could get some twigs or sticks and carefully embed them next to them; this will allow the plants to grow up them.

Step Six.

Once your salad crops look ready to eat, carefully remove them from the ground and wash them. The peas can go raw into the salad too – but they must be removed from their pods.

A Salad Extra.

As well as the cherry tomatoes, you might also like to grow full sized tomatoes.

To start, take a small flowerpot and fill it with fresh compost. Press the soil down until it’s firmly in, then sprinkle tomato seeds on the top. Now, put a little compost over the seeds – shake the soil on gently, like if you were using a pepper pot.

Take some cling film – or a plastic bag, and cover the top. Keep it in place with an elastic band and then put your flowerpot in a warm, light place until the seeds have started to sprout.

When the seedlings are big enough, transfer them into their own pots (one each) and when the weather gets warmer, plant them in a larger pot, or in your salad garden. Again, keep them well watered – and if you want, give them plant food once a week. Once the tomatoes are grown, pick them, water them – and eat!

Remember – always wash the food you’ve grown before eating, and always wash your hands once you’ve finished your gardening!

From the Witches Digest Imbolc 2008

Technorati Tags: Ideas for Children, pagan crafts

The Dream Catcher originated in the Ojibwa Nation and was adopted by the Native Americans of many different nations. Traditionally made on a willow frame with sinew strands, the finished item was hung over the bed and used as a charm to protect sleeping children from nightmares. The dream catcher wasn’t intended to last forever, but to dry out and collapse over time as the child it protected entered adulthood.

The Ojibwa believe that a dream catcher changes peoples’ dreams, allowing the good to be filtered through, and the bad to hang in the net and disappear in the light of day.

To make your own, you will need:

A supple piece of wood or branch,
about 1m in length
4 yards / 12 feet of wool (or suede)
3 yards / 9 feet of string (or sinew / imitation sinew)
Beads
Feathers
Scissors
Glue
A Clothes Peg
The colour scheme is a personal choice.

Step One.
Bend the branch around into shape and bind the ends together with a dab of glue and some string.

Step Two.

Cut 8ft of the wool (or suede). Glue one end to the ring and clip in place with the clothes peg until the glue is dry.

Wind the strand around the frame until you reach the starting point, leaving the entire outer ring wrapped neatly before gluing into place; again using the clothes peg to hold it until it dries. Be careful not to twist the thread as it goes round, it must lie flat.

Step Three.

Tie one end of the string (sinew) to the ring and then make nine half hitch knots around the ring, spacing them around ½” to 1” apart. Make the last knot a little closer to the first – this will prevent a large gap forming. Make sure the thread is pulled snugly between the knots.

Step Four.

Make the next row of the web by tying the hitches into the middle of the pre-woven row. Continue weaving in the same way until you have a small hole left in the centre. Once finished, tie a double knot in the cord, add a tiny drop of glue to the knot to give it extra security. When the glue is dry, cut off the remaining thread as close to the knot as possible.

Step Five.

From your remaining wool (suede), cut a 12” piece and fold it in half. Tie a knot in the open end.

At the top of the ring, attach the cord by slipping the loop end through the ring and then around the ring and over the knot. Pull the lacing tight to secure it in place.

Step Six.

Cut three 8” pieces of wool (suede). Tie two of them approximately one third of the way up the ring on each side, use a double knot and a small dab of glue to keep them in place. Slip on the beads in whatever order you’ve chosen, then secure with another knot and spot of glue.

Take the last piece and attach any remaining beads or decorative piece, like a concho to the top middle of the ring.

Step Seven.

Finally, push two feathers up inside the beads on each piece of lacing. Glue the feathers if they’re loose.

To make larger sizes:

Follow the same instructions as above, but the materials needed will vary.

12 inch rings needs approx. 7 yards / 21 feet of wool or suede lacing to bind it
9 inch ring – approx 6 yards / 18 feet
6 inch ring – approx 4 yards / 12 feet
Remember that you will need extra suede for the laces and hanger.

Technorati Tags: dreamcatcher, how to make a dream catcher, making a dream catcher, pagan crafts

There are numerous ways of working practical magic in Wicca, some highly ritualised and complicated, others very simple. Probably one of the most popular in the craft today is cord magic, not least because it is a very powerful method of working in a coven environment, but also it is easily adapted for use by the lone spell worker.

The cord as a magical tool certainly has its own characteristics and symbolism, it is particularly suitable for spells that involve for example binding and/or grounding; and certainly they generate an energy of their own, and are particularly useful for spells where other forms of magic may be inappropriate such as banishing spells. In the binding of the initiate in the first-degree initiation, the cords represent the restriction of the womb before the candidate is symbolically reborn, furthermore the blindfold represents the darkness therein. Powerful symbolism indeed!

In my parent coven, the main method of working cord magic was that after the power had been raised and everyone had fallen to the ground to welcome it and show respect, the assembled coven would then sit around the perimeter of the circle man/woman alternately as far as possible. Each brother or sister present would then name the petition. This would continue, with the invocation being repeated over and over again, faster and faster until the High Priestess decided that enough power had been raised, and all would release their end of the cord so that the cords would then collapse in a bundle in the centre of the circle whilst the coven concentrated on the power being discharged into the astral sphere and the universe. The cords were then gathered up and placed on the altar with the knots still intact; these were not undone until just before the next circle.

One advantage of this type of cord magic is that it is easily adapted for use by the solitary practitioner, with this mode the lone worker simply holds the cord at each end in each hand and ties the knots him/herself, but the method is essentially the same; the knots being tied not just as an aid to concentration, but to represent the accumulated power summoned and gathered together. The other main method of cord magic is by the use of the so-called Witches’ Ladder, more of which later.

Another variation of cord working in a coven context was that sometimes the High Priestess may lie beneath the wheel of cords as the coven worked, with the hub of the cords wrapped round her athame which then acted as a sort of lightning conductor. The will of the High Priestess then directed the power raised, amplified by the efforts of the rest of the group. This style of working however should only be attempted by an experienced coven as there can be side effects; indeed headaches, nausea, dizziness and extreme fatigue have all been reported, presumably the result of the energy not being directed properly or by a psychic overload of the mental, psychic and etheric bodies. Clearly a very experienced High Priestess is required as well as a skilled coven working completely in tune psychically with one another and in perfect harmony. Great care must be taken to ensure that the power is directed accurately and that no “residue” as it were remains.

Cords may also be used in the celebration of the Sabbats, where the coven may again gather around the perimeter of the circle; man-to-woman, with a witch of the opposite sex holding each end of the cord. Here the spokes created by the cords represent the wheel of the year. If the coven then performs a ritual or spiral dance, the symbolism of the working is further amplified. This form of sympathetic cord magic I feel is particularly potent at the solar festivals, i.e. the equinoxes and the solstices. I have even seen the cords released at the conclusion of the raising of the power so that the cords then fell into the burning cauldron on a bonfire. This was at Yule, and obviously the sacrificed cords represented the death of the Sun at this time of year. A new set off cords were then produced to represent his simultaneous rebirth during the remainder of the ceremony.

To return to the Solitary Practitioner; there is a very old method of cord working known as the “Witches’ Ladder” (mentioned earlier). The traditional length of cord for this mode of working is 18 inches, however any multiple of 3 may be used. Similarly any colour of cord may be employed, although red, white, or blue is traditional. Gold, however is a good general purpose colour. To begin, sit quiet in a contemplative / meditative state of mind. You must then visualise very strongly the end result of what you are trying to achieve. (First class visualisation and concentration skills are an absolute must for any practitioner of the craft or any magical discipline at all for that matter.)
Next, take the cord in hand and recite a rune, preferably self-composed, as this will have more power and meaning to the spell worker.

A typical example would be something like:
“By the knot of one, the spell’s begun…
by the knot of two, it cometh true…
by the knot of three, my will shall be…
by the knot of four, the power is more…
by the knot of five, my spell’s alive…
by the knot of six, the energies mix…
by the knot of seven, the stars of heaven…
by the spell of eight, the power of fate…
by the power of nine, the (name object of spell) is mine!”

The first knot is tied in the centre of the cord, the next two are tied in the left and right ends respectively with the remaining knots tied in between, on the left and right sides of the centre knot alternately. This method of working is therefore very similar to the mode of solo cord magic previously described, the chief difference being that more knots are used and in a specific pattern , and there is greater emphasis on a verbal spell recited in conjunction with it.
Having completed the knots, the operator then concentrates hard on the object to be accomplished before letting the cords go, again imagining the power dispersing in all directions into the universe, charged and ready to bring about the desired result.
Once the ladder spell is completed you may either put the cord safe if you intend to use it again or return it to the elements by burning it, burying it, throwing it into running water in the same direction that the water is flowing or abandoning it on a hilltop or other high place. This should be done after one full lunar phase.

If the spell is successful before the end of the lunar month, you may undo the knots within the circle, say a prayer of thanks to the gods and pass the cords through the elements once again to neutralise the cord so that it is ready to be used again.

If however the spell has not produced a result, undo one knot each day for nine days, again concentrating on your intent coming to pass. Sailors are believed to have used a spell similar to the Witches’ Ladder many years ago to try and raise winds of sufficient force and correct direction to aid their journey. Cord magic may even be one of the oldest forms of magic to be practiced at all; it seems that prehistoric man may have used a form of sympathetic magic to bind clay models of animals, thus symbolising them being ensnared in traps. Legend has it that a form of Witches’ Ladder was used by wives to inflict impotence on faithless husbands. But one of the first recorded historical accounts of cord magic is from Burchard, Bishop of Worms in the Rhineland of Germany who observed peasants placing knotted ropes in the branches of trees in order to divert harmful influences away from their cattle.

To return to the modern craft, however, many covens keep several sets of cords for practical magic purposes; some kabbalistically inclined groups keep cords corresponding to the ten sephiroth of the Tree of Life for use in appropriate invocations. Furthermore binding parts of the body with cords restricts blood flow and alters consciousness which can lead to the opening of the third eye for clairvoyance and possibly even astral projection. Great care must be taken however for if the binding is too tight physical damage can occur.

Some witches wear a cord around the waist during coven meetings with the colour then denoting rank within the craft; e.g. white for first-degree; red for second-degree and blue for third-degree. Although there are reasons for each colour being assigned to a particular degree it would not be appropriate for me to reveal them here.

Cord magic can then be seen to be a simple and yet highly effective form of magic and indeed meditation on the cords in relation to colour can provide much food for thought and insight. The cord also links matter to spirit, the material world to the realm of the gods, and it binds not just the material base of the craft but the four elements and the four points of the compass.

Peter Nash is the last “first-line”
Alexandrian - i.e. he was the last person trained by Alex Sanders in the
early 80’s

Peter will be speaking at the Mercian gathering in September.  He is also a
long standing member of the Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids and is involved actively with his local Pagan Federation.

The Witches Digest would like to offer our sincere thanks to Peter for contributing to this issue, and we look forward to hearing from him again in the future.

From the Witches Digest Imbolc 2008

Technorati Tags: cod magic, cord magick, pagan magazine, wicca article, wicca magic, witches digest