Dieties
AS DIFFERENT AS are the many religions of the world, in essence they are all the same. It has frequently been said that they are simply different paths all leading to a common center, and this is true. The basic teachings are all the same; all that differs is the method of teaching. There are different rituals, different festivals, and even different names for the gods . . . notice that I say “different names for the gods” rather than, simply, “different gods.”
Friedrich Max Muller traced religion back to “an ineradicable feeling of dependence” upon some higher power that was innate in the human mind. And Sir James George Frazer (in The Golden Bough) defines religion as being “a propitiation or conciliation of powers superior to Man, which are believed to direct and control the course of nature and of human life.”
This higher power—the “Ultimate Deity”—is some genderless force that is so far beyond our comprehension that we can have only the vaguest understanding of its being. Yet we know that it is there and, frequently, we wish to communicate with it. As individuals, we wish to thank it for what we have and to ask it for what we need. How do we do this with such an incomprehensible power?
In the sixth century B.C.E the philosopher Xenophones remarked on the fact that deities are determined by ethnic factors. He pointed out that the black Ethiopians naturally saw their gods as black, whereas the Thracians’ gods were white, with red hair and gray eyes. He cynically commented that if horses and oxen could carve, they would probably represent their gods in animal form!
About seven hundred and fifty years later, Maximus of Tyre said much the same thing: that men worship their gods under whatever form seems intelligible to them.
In lesson 1 you saw how, in their early development, people came to worship two principle deities: the Horned God of Hunting and the Goddess of Fertility. These, then, were our representations—our understandable forms—of the Supreme Power that actually rules life. In the various areas of wo/man’s development,we see that these god/goddess representations became, for the ancient Egyptians, Isis and Osiris; for the Hindus, Shiva and Parvati; for the Christians, Jesus and Mary. In virtually all instances (there were exceptions) the Ultimate Deity was equated with both masculine and feminine . . . broken down into a god and a goddess. This would seem most natural since everywhere in nature is found this duality. With the development of the Craft, as we know it, there was also, as we have seen, this duality of a god and a goddess.
Deities’ Names
As mentioned in lesson 1, the names for the deities would vary depending upon locality—and not only locality. With the Goddess, especially, the question of names could become quite involved. For example, a young man with problems in his love life might worship the Goddess in her aspect of a beautiful young woman. Yet a woman in childbirth might feel more at ease relating to the Goddess as a more mature “middle-aged” female. Then again, an elderly person would tend to think of the Goddess as herself being elderly. So there we have three separate and very distinct aspects of the same Goddess, each having been given a different name, yet all being the same deity. As if that were not enough, the deities would have names known to the general worshippers but also other, secret names (often two or three), known only to the priesthood. This was a protective measure.
Goddess figure
God figure
Pan—A Greek nature and fertility deity, originally native to Arcadia. As such he is god of goatherds and flocks and is usually represented as a very sensual creature; a shaggy human to the loins with pointed ears, goat’s horns and legs. He wanders among the mountains and valleys, pursuing nymphs or leading them in their dances. He is quite musical and is the inventor of the Syrinx, or “Pipes of Pan.” He is considered to be a son of Hermes.
Putnam’s Concise Mythological Dictionary
Joseph Kaster
Putnam, N.Y. 1963
In Witchcraft today there are many traditions that continue this multiplicity of names. Traditions with degree systems, for example, frequently use different deity names in their higher degrees than in their lower. Gardnerian is one example of this.
So we have this idea of an Ultimate Deity, an incomprehensible power, and in trying to relate to it we have split it into two main entities, a male and a female. To these aspects we have given names. It would seem that by so doing we are limiting what is, by definition, limitless. But so long as you know, and keep always in the back of your mind, that “It” is limitless, you will find that this is the easiest path to follow. After all, it is pretty difficult to pray to a “Thing,” a Supreme Power, without being able to picture someone in your mind.
In Judaism there is this problem to an extent (though Judaism is a theocentric faith); the Supreme Power has a name that may not be uttered and may not be written. Yahweh is the vocalized form often used, but it is derived from the four letters YHWH (the “divine Tetragrammaton”), signifying “that name too sacred to be pronounced.”
In Christianity there was developed the use of a human male, Jesus, to play the part of the “Son of God,” the Christ, thus giving a recognizable form to deity; a form to which the followers could relate. With the addition of Mary, the mother figure, the duality was complete. So it was much more comfortable to pray to Jesus, as the extension of God/Supreme Being, yet all the time knowing that there was the indefinable, the incomprehensible, beyond him. Jesus and Mary were the intermediaries.
So in Witchcraft; those we know as the God and the Goddess are our intermediaries. Different traditions use different names, as already mentioned. These are the names used for the “understandable forms” of the Supreme Power, the Ultimate Deity. They are the deities honored and worshipped in the Witchcraft rites.
The God and Goddess of Witchcraft
A general complaint about Christianity by Witches is that there is the worship of the male deity to the exclusion of the female. In fact this is one of the main reasons for people (women especially) leaving Christianity and returning to the Old Religion. And yet it is a strange paradox that many—if not the majority—Witchcraft traditions are guilty of this
Medieval astrological calendar
There can be surprises in discovering names used for the deities in different traditions. One very strongly Welsh tradition uses the name “Diana” for the Goddess and “Pan” for the God . . . Diana, of course, was a Roman Goddess and Pan was a Greek God! Their connection with the Welsh must be one of the mysteries!
same crime of Christianity, if in reverse . . . they laud the Goddess to the near, or even total, exclusion of the God!
Witchcraft is a religion of nature, as any Witch will tell you. Everywhere in nature there is male and female, and both are necessary (I have yet to meet anyone who does not have both a mother and a father). It follows, then, that both the God and the Goddess are important and should be equally revered. There should be balance. But balance is as woefully missing in most traditions of the Craft as it is in Christianity.
We are all—every single one of us—made up of both masculine and feminine attributes. The toughest, most macho man has feminine aspects just as the most traditionally feminine woman has male aspects. So it is with the deities. The God has feminine aspects as well as masculine, and the Goddess has masculine as well as feminine. I will examine this in more detail in a later lesson.
What names you use for your deities is a matter of personal preference. In Saxon Witchcraft the name Woden is given to the God; in Gardnerian the Latin term Cernunnos is used; in Scottish, Dev’la. Each tradition has its own name. But names are only labels; they are only a means of identifying. You should identify, then, using a name with which you can feel completely comfortable. For, after all, religion is a most personal thing, at the core, and— to be of real purpose—should therefore be related to on the most personal level possible. Even if you join an established tradition this is still valid, find a tradition that seems right for you (as I spoke about in lesson one) but . . . do not be afraid to modify where necessary to make it totally right for you. If the name used to identify the God, in the tradition you have chosen, happens to be Cernunnos (for example) and you have difficulty relating to that name, then choose another for your own use. In other words, respect the name Cernunnos in group worship and all matters pertaining to the coven but, in your own mind—and in personal rites—do not hesitate to substitute Pan or Mananna or Lief or whatever. A name, as I have said, is a label. The God himself knows you are “talking” to him; he is not going to be confused! (This all applies equally to the Goddess, of course).
Figure 2.1
Calendar wheel
It may well be for the above reason that the name Cernunnos is found in so many branches of the Craft. As I have mentioned, it is simply the Latin word for “the Horned One.” To add your own personal identification, then, in no way conflicts.
Traditionally the “dark half” of the year (see figure 2.1) is associated with the God. But this does not (or should not) mean that he is “dead,” or incommunicado, in the “light half” of the year (and vice versa with the Goddess). During the light half he is fully active in his feminine aspect; just as the Goddess is active in the dark half in her masculine aspect. So, both deities are active throughout the year, even though deference may be given to one over the other at certain times.
There is a common theme of death and resurrection found in myths throughout the world. The symbolism is frequently furthered in a descent to the underworld with a later return. We find it with Ishtar’s descent and search for Tannaz; with Sif ’s loss of her golden tresses; with Idunn’s loss of her golden apples; with Jesus’ death and resurrection; with Siva’s death and resurrection, and many more. Basically, all represent the coming of fall and winter followed by the return of spring and summer; the lead figure representing the spirit of vegetation. From Witchcraft here is “The Myth of the Goddess” as found in (a) Gardnerian Wicca and (b) Saxon Wicca.
Now G* had never loved, but she would solve all the Mysteries, even the Mystery of Death; and so she journeyed to the Nether Lands.
The Guardians of the Portals challenged her, “Strip off thy garments, lay aside thy jewels; for naught may ye bring with ye into this our land.”
So she laid down her garments and her jewels and was bound, as are all who enter the Realms of Death the Mighty One. Such was her beauty that Death himself knelt and kissed her feet, saying, “Blessed be thy feet that have brought thee in these ways. Abide with me, let me place my cold hand on thy heart.”
She replied, “I love thee not. Why dost thou cause all things that I love and take delight in to fade and die?”
“Lady,” replied Death, “it is Age and Fate, against which I am helpless. Age causes all things to wither; but when men die at the end of time I give them rest and peace, and strength so that they may return. But thou, thou art lovely.Return not; abide with me.”
But she answered, “I love thee not.”
Then said Death, “An’ thou receive not my hand on thy heart, thou must receive Death’s scourge.”
“It is Fate; better so,” she said and she knelt; and Death scourged her and she cried, “I feel the pangs of love.”
And Death said, “Blessed be” and gave her the Fivefold Kiss, saying, “Thus only may ye attain to joy and knowledge.”
And he taught her all the mysteries. And they loved and were one, and he taught her all the Magicks.
For there are three great events in the life of Man: Love, Death, and Resurrection in a new body; and Magick controls them all. For to fulfill love you must return again at the same time and place as the loved one, and you must remember and love them again. But to be reborn you must die, and be ready for a new body; and to die you must be born; and without love you may not be born. And these be all the Magicks.
The Meaning of Witchcraft
Gerald B. Gardner
Aquarian Press,
London 1959
Freya and Loki
All day had Freya, most lovely of the goddesses, played and romped in the fields. Then did she lay down to rest.
And while she slept deft Loki, the Prankster, the Mischief-Maker of the Gods, did espy the glimmering of Brosingamene, formed of Galdra, her constant companion. Silent as night did Loki move to the Goddess’ side and, with fingers formed over the ages in lightness, did remove the silver circlet from about her snow-white neck.
Straightway did Freya arouse, on sensing its loss. Though he moved with the speed of the winds yet Loki she glimpsed as he passed swiftly from sight into the Barrow that leads to Drëun.
Then was Freya in despair. Darkness descended all about her to hide her tears. Great was her anguish. All light, all life, all creatures joined in her doom.
To all corners were sent the Searchers, in quest of Loki; yet knew they, they would find him not. For who is there may descend into Drëun and return again from thence?
Excepting the Gods themselves and, alack, mischievous Loki.
So it was that, still weak from grief, Freya herself elected to descend in search of Brosingamene. At the portals of the Barrow was she challenged yet recognized and passed.
The multitude of souls within cried joyfully to see her yet could she not tarry as she sought her stolen light.
The infamous Loki left no trail to follow, yet was he everywhere past seen. Those to whom she spake held to Freya (that) Loki carried no jewel as he went by.
Where, then, was it hid?
In despair she searched an age.
Hearhden, the mighty smith of the Gods, did arise from his rest to sense the bewailment of the
On the subject of deity names, let me explain the ones chosen for the Seax-Wica. From time to time I hear comments from people who haven’t troubled to check beyond the ends of their noses, to the effect that Woden and Freya were not the original “pair” of Saxon deities. Of course they were not and nobody—least of all myself—has claimed they were. Here is how the founding of the tradition was first explained, back in 1973:— “It seems that most people who are Wicca oriented are also tradition-oriented (perhaps this explains the battle for the ‘Oldest Tradition’ title?). For this reason I have given my tradition an historical background on which to lean. Namely, a Saxon background. By this I most emphatically do not mean that there is any claim to its liturgy being of direct descent from Saxon origins! . . . But, for example, names were needed for the deities . . . the main male and female deities of the Saxons were Woden and Frig. Unfortunately “frig” has certain connotations today which would be misplaced! I therefore adopted the Norse variant, Freya. So Woden and Freya are the ‘labels’ used for the God and Goddess worshipped by the Seax-Wica.
Earth Religion News
Raymond Buckland
Yule, 1973
The Seax-Wica does not claim to be a reconstruction of the original Saxon Craft—such a task would be impossible. It is merely a workable tradition built on a Saxon framework, and the deity names were chosen specifically and for the reasons given. Any comment regarding their being “incorrect” is, then, totally erroneous.
souls to Freya’s sorrow. Striding from his smithy, to find the cause of the sorrow, did he espy the Silver Circlet where Loki Mischief-Maker had laid it: upon the rock before his door.
Then was all clear. As Hearhden took hold of Brosingamene, (then did) Loki appear before him, his face wild with rage.
Yet would Loki not attack Hearhden, this mighty smith whose strength was known even beyond Drëun.
By wiles and tricks did he strive to get his hands upon the silver circlet. He shapeshifted; he darted here and there; he was visible then invisible. Yet could he not sway the smith.
Tiring of the fight, Hearhden raised his mighty club. Then sped Loki away.
Great was the joy of Freya when Hearhden placed Brosingamene once more about her snow-white neck.
Great were the cries of joy from Drëun and above.
Great were the thanks that Freya, and all Men, gave to the Gods for the return of Brosingamene.
The Tree: The Complete Book
of Saxon Witchcraft
Raymond Buckland
Samuel Weiser, N.Y. 1974
Reincarnation
Reincarnation is an ancient belief. It is part of many religions (Hinduism and Buddhism, for example) and was even one of the original Christian tenets, until condemned by the Second Council of Constantinople in 553 C.E. It is believed that the human spirit, or soul, is a fragment of the divine and eventually it will return to its divine source. But, for its own evolution, it is necessary that the soul experience all things in life.
It seems the most sensible, most logical explanation of much that is found in life. Why should one person be born into a rich family and another into poverty? Why should one be born crippled, another fit and strong . . . if not because we must all eventually experience all things? Reincarnation seems the most logical explanation of child prodigies. A musical genius, composing concertos at the age of five (as did Mozart), is obviously carrying over knowledge from one lifetime into the next. This does not usually happen, but it can. In the same way, homosexuality might well be explained through reincarnation: a person male in one lifetime and then female in the next (or vice versa) might have carried over feelings and preferences from one life to the next.
For someone who does not believe in reincarnation, it is difficult to understand the death of a child. What was the point of the child living at all, if only for a few short years? For the reincarnationist it is obvious that the child had learned all that had been set to be learned in that particular lifetime and so was moving on. A very good simile for this is the grades of a school. You enter school in a low grade and learn the basics. When you have mastered these you graduate, take a short vacation, then come back into a higher grade to learn and experience more things. So it is in life. In each life you have a certain amount to learn and to experience. When you have done that, you graduate (e.g., you die). To come back into a higher grade you are reborn in a new body. Occasionally, remembrance of previous lives, or parts of them, is experienced but more generally you do not remember (it is possible, of course, through such procedures as hypno-regression, to go back to previous lives and bring them once more to the surface). Perhaps one of the most common of occult experiences is that of déjà-vu—the feeling that something has happened before—so often attributed to reincarnation (though by no means is reincarnation the only possible explanation of all cases of déjà-vu); the feeling being a brief flash of memory of something that happened in a previous life.
In what form do we return to the Earth? Some believe (the Hindus, for example) that it is not necessarily in human form each time. Certain Hindu sects teach that the soul may be reborn as a plant or an animal. However, such beliefs are not generally held in Western civilization. Some say there is a progression from the lowest life forms to the highest— putting humans at the top. But then who is to say the order? Is a dog higher than a cat, or a cat higher than a dog? Is a centipede higher or lower than an earwig? Does this mean, when every soul has finally passed up the scale and graduated, that in the afterlife there will be no plant, animal, or insect life? It seems unlikely. In Witchcraft the belief is that all things have souls. In Saxon Witchcraft, for example, it is believed that a dog will go through many incarnations, but always as a dog; a cat always as a cat; a human always as a human. There is reason for all things to be here . . . what we term the “balance of nature.” It seems we certainly have a choice, within our species, of being either male or female, in order to experience and appreciate the different aspects.
One argument often put forward by nonreincarnationists is,“If what you say is true, how do you explain the fact that the world population is continuously growing?” Of course it is! So is the population of souls/spirits. There are not simply x number of souls who all started their development together. New souls are being introduced all the time. So we have so-called “new souls”—those on their first incarnations—and “old souls”—those who have been through a large number of lives. It is possible that eventually, when the gods decide enough souls have been introduced, there will be a stabilizing of the population followed later by a decline, as old souls in their final incarnations make their graduations.
There is yet another thought that might be considered here . . . where do these souls originally come from and where do they go after that final graduation? One possibility, of course, is that we not only experience lives here on Earth, but also on other planets and in other reality systems. Who knows? Perhaps we go through the cycle here having already been through it a dozen times or more on other worlds. There is obviously much food for thought, very little (if any) proof of preferences and great scope for new tenets.
Retribution
Along with reincarnation go thoughts of karma. Karma is usually thought of as a reward-and-punishment system stretching throughout all lifetimes: if you do evil in one life, you will have to pay for it in the next. It seems, however, that there is always talk of “karmic debts” and “karmic punishments” but seldom of “karmic rewards.” The Witchcraft view seems to make more sense.
First of all there is a Wiccan belief in retribution within each life. In other words, rather than being rewarded and punished after death, for what you have done in life (the traditional Christian view), Witches believe that you get your rewards and punishments during this lifetime, according to how you live it. Do good and you will get back good. But do evil and evil will return. More than that, though, it is a three-fold retribution. Do good and you will get back three times the good; do evil and you will receive three times the evil, Obviously there is here no inducement for you to ever harm anyone. Of course, it is not a literal three-fold return. If you were to punch someone in the eye, it does not mean that you will get punched in the eye yourself three times. No. But, sometime in the future, you may “just happen” to break a leg . . . something that might be considered three times as bad as being punched in the eye.
In the Witchcraft belief, then, one lifetime’s experiences are not dependent on the previous one’s. For example, if you suffer physical abuse in this life, it does not necessarily mean that you were an abuser in your previous life. It is possible you were, yes. But it is just as possible that you were not but are going to be in the next life. In other words, it is a case of experiencing all things—being both the abuser and the abusee, but one is not necessarily dependent on the other. Several lifetimes could even take place between the one experience and its apparent correlative.
Just because you have chosen a particular lifetime and are to undergo the set experiences does not mean that you can just sit back and say, “Everything is preordained. I’m just along for the ride.” The God and the Goddess will make sure that you do get all the particular experiences, but your job is to progress; to strive your hardest toward perfection you create your own reality.Whatever you want, you can achieve. But always remember the Wiccan Rede: “An’ it harm none, do what thou wilt.”
Whenever possible, help those less fortunate than yourself. By “help” I do not mean “interfere.” Help can be given by simply offering advice; by showing compassion; even, sometimes, by actually refusing direct assistance. For, in this latter case, it is sometimes of the greatest help and to the other’s benefit to make them give a little more effort: to make them think for themselves.
Between Lives
The length of time spent between lives may vary, depending on your study of the lessons learned and their integration with previous lessons; also on the necessary preparation for the next “semester.”
While between lives, you might also become involved in helping some other spirit here on Earth. Just as there is development and advancement in this life, so there is in “the between times.”You may have heard of such things as guardian angels and spirit guides and wondered if they really exist. In a sense they do. It means that a spirit is always watching over a less-developed spirit here on Earth. Since time does not exist in the between-times (it is a human-made concept, for the sake of reference only), then to watch over an earth-bound spirit for its whole earthly lifetime would not actually hinder the watcher’s progress. In fact, it would add to it in the sense of gaining “student-teacher” experience.
Witches always hope that they will be reborn in the next life with those they have known and loved in this one. From psychic experiences, etc., it seems that this is often the case. Many times a couple will stay together throughout a number of lifetimes, in different relationship roles (e.g. lovers; husband-wife; brother-sister; mother-daughter).
Your Temple
Although many Witches meet, and work, outdoors— perhaps in the corner of a field or in a clearing in the wood—it is not always possible for everyone to do that. Many live in cities and towns and are unable to get out into direct contact with the Earth. This does not mean they cannot function. Your temple can be an outdoor one or an indoor one. Let us look at indoor possibilities.
The area you need in which to perform your rituals and work your magick could be a whole building, a single room, or a small section of a room. Whatever its shape or size, this is your temple. A complete ritual room—perhaps in the basement or attic of a house—is the ideal. If you have such a room that can be turned into your temple and kept solely as that, you are very fortunate. Let us look at such a possibility first and then work along to those who can only use a small part of their regular living quarters.
First of all, take a compass and establish the alignment of the room. Mark the north, east, south, and west. Your altar is going to be placed in the center of the room and it is preferable that it be set up so that when standing before it you are facing east. You can keep an altar candle and your representations of the deities on the altar at all times, but more on that later. On the floor around the altar you will be marking a circle, the exact dimensions and construction of which you will be taught in the next lesson.
When entering and leaving the Circle, before and after a ritual, you will do so from the east, so if your room is rectangular rather than square, you might wish to leave extra room on that side (see figure 2.2 for example). Closets, for the storing of your Craft supplies, might also be placed in this larger area.
Unless you live alone, or share your beliefs with everyone in your home, you will need closets that can be locked. You will be storing candles, incense, charcoal, wine and, most importantly, your working tools and book. Of course, if you can lock the room itself, then it is possible to leave your altar permanently set up and have your supplies on open shelves. Actually, this is the better arrangement.
Figure 2.2
Decoration of the temple room is a matter for individual taste. It can vary from all walls being done in a neutral color, to vivid realistic murals being painted. There are temples varying from those that look like prehistoric caves—complete with reproductions of the early cave paintings—to those that look like a clearing in a forest, with trees all around and stars on the ceiling above. Others (usually those oriented exactly north-south, east-west) follow the magickal symbolic colors, with the north wall painted green, the east yellow, the south red, and the west blue.†
Obviously, before any decoration or use of the room, it should be thoroughly cleaned. The floor, walls, and ceiling should be scrubbed, with sea salt added to the water and cleaning agent. It is not necessary to do any elaborate cleansing ceremony at this point, since the Circle will be consecrated before each and every ritual you perform in it. Once any decoration of your room is finished, however (other than the actual marking of the Circle itself), you should do an initial purification, as follows:
This should be done on the night of the New Moon.
Fill a dish (a saucer will do) with water and, kneeling, place it on the floor in front of you. Place your right forefinger (left, if you are left-handed) into the water. Imagine a bright white light streaming down from above, into the crown of your head. Feel it surge through your entire body and then direct it down your arm. Concentrate all your energies to send it down your arm, down the finger, and into the water. It may help to close your eyes. When you feel you have directed all the power you can manage into the water, keep your finger there and say:
“Here do I direct my power,
through the agencies of the God and the Goddess,
into this water, that it might be pure and clean as is my love for the Lord and the Lady.”
Now take a teaspoonful of sea salt and pour it into the water. Stir it nine times, clockwise, with your finger and three times say:
“Salt is life. Here is life,
Sacred and new; without strife.”
Take the dish of salted water and sprinkle it (use your fingers to sprinkle) in each and every corner of the temple room. If the room is irregular in shape, with alcoves and closets, sprinkle every corner of every alcove and closet also. As you sprinkle, say one of the below (or make up something of your own, along these lines):
“Ever as I pass through the ways do I feel the presence of the Gods.
I know that in aught I do they are with me!
They abide in me and I in them,
forever.
No evil shall be entertained,
for purity is the dweller within me and about me.
For good do I strive and for good do I live.
Love unto all things.
So be it, forever.”
Seax-Wica Psalm
or
“Soft is the rain, it gently falls upon the fields beneath.
It lulls the heart, it stills the wind,
gives solitude I seek.
It patters down, so gentle yet it ne’er does bend a leaf,
And yet the water that is there will wash away all grief.
For smoothness follows in the wake,
and quiet and peace and love are all around in freshness new,
come down from clouds above.
All evil go, flow out from here and leave all fresh and plain.
Let negativity not come into this room again.
For love I now find all around,
so soft, so still, so sure;
I can perform my rituals as peace and quiet endure.”
Now light some incense. Stick incense or cones will do but you will find that, for ritual and magickal work, it is better to burn powdered incense on a charcoal bricquet in a hanging censer (more on this below). Go again about the room, this time swinging the censer in each and every corner. Again say the lines you said when you sprinkled the water.
But what if you do not have a whole room to dedicate as a temple? That is all right. You can take the corner of any room—living room, bedroom, or kitchen, and make that your temple. Again, let us look at the ideal first.
An area at least five feet square is needed. You might like to arrange rails and curtains so that the area can be curtained off from the rest of the room, though this is not a necessity. You may paint this section of the wall differently from the rest of the room to suit your desires. If you can choose an area in the east, it is preferable. Keep your working tools and supplies locked away in any convenient place, but, here in your temple area, keep your altar. You may keep it pushed up against the wall when not in use, if you wish. On the altar always keep an altar candle (generally white but, as we progress, you will learn of other colors and their times for use) and your representations of the deities. These can be either statuettes or pictures, as outlined below. This temple area should be cleaned, sprinkled, and censed in the same way as the full room temple detailed above.
The last consideration is for the person who, perhaps, has a very small apartment or who shares a room with someone not necessarily sympathetic to the Craft. Again there should be no real problem. The main thing is to have somewhere to lock away your working tools. If you can have an altar and leave it set up with candle and deity figures, you can put it anywhere convenient in the room. Again the east is preferable. Try to keep your roommate(s) from using it as a coffee table/catchall, if you can. If it is not possible to have a regular altar—specially made or adapted and kept for ritual use—then you can get by using a coffee table or similar furniture. In this case, keep your deity figures wherever convenient . . . on a table, shelf, or sideboard. They should be respected by your roommate(s) in the same way that you would respect their, or anyone else’s, crucifix or Virgin Mary figure, or whatever, should they have such. When you are able to do your rituals (presumably alone) all you need do is clear enough floor space anywhere convenient and set up your Circle, altar, etc. Afterward, you will have to clear everything away again.
There are many full covens who meet regularly in one-room apartments. A little light furniture moving and a Circle can be cast and a ritual enjoyed. So, you see, there is nothing to prevent you from having a temple. One final word: as mentioned earlier, some Witches/covens hold their rituals outdoors. In fact, the majority certainly prefer this, though it is not always possible due to (1) lack of a site, or (2) unsuitable weather. If you are lucky enough to have access to a small clearing in the woods, or any piece of ground where you can be private, then do not hesitate to use it. There will be no need for the cleansing ritual detailed above; you will proceed as will be shown in lesson 3—“Circles of Power and Protection.”
Your Altar and Its Furniture
You can use virtually anything as an altar. If you are holding your Circle outside, then a large rock or a tree stump is ideal. If you are indoors, then you can use a small coffeetable, a wooden box, or even some boards resting on bricks.
It is better to have an altar that does not contain any steel, so a ready-made table is not really the best (unless glued or pegged together). If there has to be metal in the table, brass is acceptable. Why is this? It has to do with conductivity. The Witch’s knife and sword (and wand, if used) are the only tools that are used for storing and directing energies. They, then, can be of a conductive metal—iron or steel. All other items should be nonconductive—silver, gold, brass, stone, wood—since they are not used in that fashion.
But why not have a little aestheticism with your altar? Why not do things properly? You are working in a circle, so why not a circular altar? To me, a rectangular altar in a circle always looks somewhat incongruous. This is one of the reasons a tree stump is so ideal. In fact a beautiful altar can be made by putting legs on a section of tree-trunk. The legs should be glued on. One such altar I have seen was made truly beautiful by the maker—a craftsman in both senses—carving figures of the God and the Goddess into the legs.
The “altar furniture” consists of a candle, or candles; incense burner (known variously as a “censer” or “thurible”); two dishes, one for salt and one for water; libation dish; goblet(s); and figures to represent the deities. Of course, this is not a hard-and-fast list. Feel free to add or subtract according to
Diagram of an altar
Altar example
your needs (it is understood, also, that individual traditions dictate certain items, e.g., Gardnerian has cords and a scourge).
Most Witches “do their thing” in the evenings (not a necessity, of course) and so illuminate with candles around the Circle and on the altar. A candle on the altar is also helpful so that you can read from the book of rituals. Whether you have one candle or two is up to you.
An incense burner is pretty much a necessity. Incense has been used in religious rites for thousands of years. The old belief was that the smoke of the incense carried your prayers up to the gods. Certainly it adds immeasurably to the atmosphere of the ritual. Since there is frequent need to move the incense burner about the Circle (e.g., to cleanse, or “cense” the Circle itself during the consecration part of a ritual), a simple dish to hold a cone or stick of incense is not ideal. It is far better to have a hanging (swinging) censer. These can be bought or can be made. A special charcoal briquet is then placed in the censer and lit, then powdered incense is sprinkled on the charcoal. This is much more economical than burning cones or sticks and one briquet will burn for two hours or more. Both briquets and powdered incense can be bought at most church supply stores. There is nothing against cones or sticks, of course, if you prefer them. Choose an incense that you enjoy; nothing too sweet and sickly. If you feel you must have a specific incense for a particular ritual, fine, but generally I find it does not make any difference which ones you use. I personally enjoy a good sandalwood or frankincense or one of the better “high altar” mixtures of the Christian Church. Incidentally, if you have nothing else, you can burn incense in any saucer-like vessel. If you are using charcoal briquets and are afraid of the vessel cracking, simply fill it with sand and that will absorb the heat.
Metric Equivalents When Making Your Altar
¼" —6.35 mm
¾" —19.05 mm
1 ½" —38.10 mm
1 ¾" —44.45 mm
1 7/8" —47.63 mm
2 ½" —63.50 mm
2 ⅝" —66.68 mm
3 ¾"—95.25 mm
5 ½"—139.70 mm
5 ¾"—146.05 mm
8" —203.20 mm
9 ⅝"—244.40 mm
9 ¾"—247.65 mm
10" — 254.00 mm
11" —279.40 mm
13" —330.20 mm
15 ¼"—387.35 mm
20 ½"—520.70 mm
22" —558.80 mm
All wood ¾'' thick
Glue together. Bevel where necessary.
How to construct an altar
Incense burner
Salt and water dishes are found on most Witch altars. Salted water represents life (salt itself symbolizes semen, as is detailed in an interesting essay by Ernest Jones, titled The Symbolic Significance of Salt). Baptismal water, or “holy water,” is nothing more than salt and water. The dishes you use can be of any type. Some people even use seashells as containers.
During rituals it is usual to drink some wine (or fruit juice, if alcohol is not possible). To toast the gods, a libation is always poured first. When meeting outdoors, this can simply be poured on the ground. But when indoors, the best and usual way is to pour the offering into a dish; the libation dish. Later—after the ceremony—the dish can be taken outside and the wine poured out on the ground. Like the salt and water dishes, the libation dish can be of any type.
The wine goblets of the priest and priestess stand on the altar; those of the other celebrants are placed on the ground at their feet. Again, the goblet can be to suit yourself. It could be simply a glass or it could be a decorative drinking horn. The latter can be made from cow horns (obtainable from handicraft stores)
Horn
Goddess statue
Goddess picture
Phases of the Moon
New Moon,Waxing Moon, Full Moon, and Waning Moon
with stands either separate or attached, made from bent silver, or copper wire, or from wood. Some Witches refer to their goblet as a “chalice” but, to my mind, this smacks of the eucharistic cup of Christianity so I tend to avoid it.
Some Witches do not care to have deity figures on their altar. The majority, however, do. You can seek out actual statues, though good ones are not easy to come by (copies of Boticelli’s Birth of Venus—irreverently known as “Venus on a Half-Shell”! —are ideal for the Goddess).Many Witches search for years to find a statuette that exactly fits the mental image they have of the deity. Antique stores and flea markets/swap meets seem to be the best places to look. Some Wiccans use symbols, such as a seashell for the Goddess and an antler for the God. I have seen candles used, also various chess pieces, rocks, plants, etc. One possibility is pictures. I have seen beautiful deity representations made by decoupaging appropriate colored pictures to attractive pieces of wood. If you have the talent, of course, there is no reason why you should not sculpt or draw your own figures.
Magick—An Introduction
Magick will be dealt with in detail later, in lesson 11. There you will learn all the many and varied forms of magick and their workings. Here, however, I would like to take a quick look at some of the rudiments of magick; the basics.
First among these is timing. You may know that the Moon is frequently associated with Witchcraft, but you may not know why. One of the reasons is that the phases of the Moon are important to the proper working of magick. The two main phases are as follows: the time from the New Moon, through the First Quarter, to the Full Moon is known as the Waxing Moon. From the Full, through the Last Quarter, to the New is known as the Waning Moon. When the Moon is growing in size, it is waxing; when it is decreasing in size, it is waning.
Basically, constructive magick (for growth) is done during the waxing cycle and magick for destruction is done during the waning cycle. Constructive magick would include such things as love, success, protection, health, fertility. Destructive magick would include such things as binding spells, separation, elimination, extermination. There is a certain element of sympathetic magick just in this time of working. For example, as the Moon grows, so grows the opportunity (or whatever) for which you are working. Or, as the Moon dwindles, so declines the bad habit you are trying to overcome, or the wart you are trying to remove.
The second basic of magick is feeling. You must want whatever you are working at to really happen. You must want it with all your being. You must put every infinite particle of power into that desire, that urge for the act to come to pass. For this reason it is usually far more effective to do magick for yourself than to do it on someone else’s behalf. It is seldom that another person can feel as intensely about something as the one directly concerned. This strong “feeling” is, in effect, the raised “power” used in magick. As an aid, a booster, to your power there can be used a number of amplifiers. One of these is chant and another is rhyme. The rhythmic chanting of a spell, with a solid, regular beat can do much to intensify your feeling and, thereby, increase your power. Similarly, dancing can raise the power, and so can a number of other treatments, including sex, all of which will be discussed in detail in lesson 11.
One other aspect might be mentioned here. When performing magick it is advisable to have a clean body. This means cleansed externally and internally. Bathe the body with a spoonful of sea salt added to the water. (This can be bought at most supermarkets or, failing that, at health-food stores.) Also prepare the inner body by the removal of toxins. This is done by fasting for twenty-four hours before working magick. No alcohol, no nicotine, and no sexual activity.
Whenever doing magick, always consider the Wiccan Rede. Will your action harm anyone? If the answer is “Yes . . . ,”do not do it. More later.
Lesson Two Questions
1. This lesson deals with beliefs. Examine your present beliefs on reincarnation. Do you have any past-life memories?
2. Construct/draw an altar table. Indicate what will be placed on it, and show their arrangement.
3. Construct a diagram of a temple that would be ideal for your needs. Indicate the area that would best reflect your affinities (outside, inside). What actual items would you like it to contain? Make this a realistic layout of what your temple will actually be like.
4. List some examples of magickal workings appropriate for your needs that you would do during the waxing cycle of the Moon.
5. List examples of magick you would do during the waning cycle of the Moon.
Examination Questions for Lesson Two
1. Study the two Goddess myths given in the lesson and examine their symbolism. In the Saxon myth of Freya, what does the necklace Brosingamene represent?
2. What are the three essentials of magick?
3. Have the Christians ever believed in reincarnation?
4. According to Craft beliefs, if you do an injury to someone (a) will you be able to wait until after death before being punished? (b) does that mean the same injury will be done to you in your next life?
5. Imagine that you share an apartment with a roommate who is not in the Craft. You have your own bedroom but must share kitchen and living room. Is it possible to have your own temple? If so, where would be the best place?
6. From which direction do you enter the ritual Circle?
7. North, south, east,west . . . blue, green, red, yellow. Which color goes with which direction?
8. Which of the following could be used for an altar?
(a) Folding metal card table
(b) Wooden packing crate
(c) Two concrete blocks and a piece of plywood
(d) Tree stump
9. What is the “Wiccan Rede?”
10. Can you use a glass ashtray for a censer?
Please Read
Chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 of The Lost Gods of England by Brian Branston.
Recommended Supplementary Reading
Witchcraft Today—Gerald B. Gardner
* Goddess: Arada/Arawhon.
†There are some magickal traditions that equate different colors with the four quarters, but these are the generally used ones.