Third Lunation: Waxing Moon Cycle
Days 1–15
Two-Day Moon-Wise
Retreat Schedule
Remember that during this lunation you can elect to go on a two-day retreat. I have placed the schedule for you to follow each day in appendix D at the end of this book. There is also an explanation of each part of the schedule and what I recommend you do with each hour of the retreat days. You should have already chosen a day or days for this retreat, but if you haven’t yet, schedule it now if you’re able to. Then, on the days of your retreat, follow the retreat schedule while also following the regular flow of this book. Although I am recommending that you begin the retreat schedule on day 1 of this lunation, your retreat does not have to take place on day 1.
Day of Silence
From this point forward, at the beginning of each waxing moon lunation, your goal is to observe silence for as much of the day as possible. As mentioned earlier, silence helps to develop a regular practice aimed at storing and maintaining the magical energy you’ve been building over the past weeks. It can be easy to “leak” power. Going through the usual paces of your day without maintaining moment-by-moment awareness dulls the sixth sense, the psychic faculty that you use to direct power and create purposeful change in your life. One of the easiest ways to engage in habitual behavior that whittles away at stored magical power is by engaging in idle chatter.
For the day, speak only when it is necessary and choose your words wisely. Otherwise, focus your awareness on building energy, which you may begin to feel either in the chakra near your navel or at the level of your heart. Some people feel a pressure-building sensation. It is never expressed as an uncomfortable feeling, but rather, those who observe regular silence report a sensation not unlike water building up behind a dam.
Second Cardinal Axiom
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Direction: |
South |
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Power: |
Willing and surrendering |
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Season: |
Summer |
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Festival: |
Summer Solstice |
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Theme: |
Surrender as the ultimate form of willing |
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Dates: |
Around June 19–22 |
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Axiom: |
A practitioner of the Old Ways understands the courses of rivers and the turning of the seasons, and does not seek to alter them. |
Second Cardinal Axiom
The traditional power aligned with the south is “the power to will.” But when we think of willing, we think of causing change based on our personal wishes and desires. But when we unpack the concepts of “willing” and “desire,” we can see these as mindsets, actions, or positions that may not necessarily harmonize us with the whole of nature. Yet our path of Wicca is one that intends to align us with the flow of nature, which is the moment-by-moment manifestation of our Goddess and God.
When you take time to ponder the activity of willing based on personal desire, you can readily notice that an emphasis on activity based on the personal will can result in separating you from the interconnectedness of life, of nature. Desires are based on habitual craving for specific (usually pleasurable) outcomes. When you exert pressure on the world (either physically or spiritually) for there to be a specific outcome that is aligned with your personal goal or desire, there are unintended effects. Insisting on a specific outcome is a process of interfering with nature’s grand design, and the pressure you exert fractures nature’s inherent harmony. If you think about the idea of a single human being focusing entirely on a specific outcome, and then contrast this to the world of nature, the discrepancy becomes clear. In the course of a full day, almost everything passes by in the natural world with no assistance from anyone. It happens of its own accord, based on many factors, including the interconnectedness of things and the universal arising of karmic factors and activity all at once. We are talking about a system that is much bigger than you or me. Yet at the same time, what is arising in that moment is, in fact, you and me.
Imagine that you were at home today, doing nothing at all. Would the world continue to turn? Would life play itself out just as it would? Of course. Yet we frequently go to great efforts to affect life in some particular way that focuses on personal design and specific outcomes rather than alignment with the natural design and the grand whole.
Meanwhile, the earth orbits around the sun. Day and night pass. Seasons come and go. Flowers bloom and wither. The creatures that inhabit the planet come into life and then they die. And very little of this world is under our direct personal control. To entrench yourself in a life directed solely by personal design exposes a worldview in which people and nature’s bounty are things that you should somehow attempt to “own” or “control.” Doing this has an effect on the already interconnected flow of life. Starting down the path of willing based solely on personal design places an energetic wedge between you and the Gods.
When you dam up a stream, erect walls to control a bit of the water, the stream becomes stagnant and sick. Trash and bacteria can build up and can get caught in your dams of personal design. But if you just open the dam and allow fresh water to continually run through, things won’t build up. When trash (or unpleasant or difficult experiences) passes into your life, it has greater opportunity to move through much more quickly if you allow the clean rushing of water, the ongoing flow of life.
In the grand scheme of things, in the face of nature’s ancient, sacred rhythms, if you are clear-eyed enough, you can see that it would be foolish to believe that you had any hope of exercising control over the way everything is going to turn out, or even a fragment of it. Once in a conversation about this subject with Wiccan author Barbara Ardinger, she commented to me, “I’m not in charge of the meteors from outer space.” And yet, as Witches there is a mythology we have come to believe, a lopsided view of magic that systematically reinforces a belief in that kind of control.
Let’s take a look at this from another angle. The purpose of willing is essentially to obtain something you desire. What happens once you get what you want? There’s usually another desire lined up right behind the first. In fact, it is part of the human condition that we all experience a never-ending conga line of wishes and wants.
There’s nothing wrong with being human, and there’s nothing wrong with your desires. Where things go wrong is when you choose to live in a way that results in being pulled around by the dictates of your desires. What happens when you do not obtain your wish? Typically we experience deep distress. It is common for those on the magical path to believe that they are somehow a “Witchcraft failure” because they could not manifest their personal desires through magic. That’s when I hear from practitioners who feel disillusioned and let down by magic and by the Craft itself.
The problem here isn’t the magic. The problem with approaching magic from the unipole of willing while simultaneously denying the power of surrendering is that the universe cannot “deliver” under such personally dictated circumstances. The universal powers, the powers of the God and the Goddess that govern magic, birth, death, the formation of clouds and rain, the circling of planets, and the birth of solar systems, cannot be wrangled into delivering the goods to our personal, individual vision. There are too many variables and contexts larger than ourselves operating all at the same time.
At first glance, the term surrender does not seem like much of a power at all. But surrendering, magically, means releasing a strangulating hold on personal influence. It means that after you have taken the actions you can toward some purpose, you release a hold on intent. Surrender is about honoring the sacred rhythms of nature and allowing things to be as they are, because we know that the universe, deity, has its own course.
This power, like willing, can have its own difficulties if relied upon to address all of life’s circumstances. For example, if there is a fire raging, you cannot simply allow it “to be,” even if fire is a natural expression of energy. Nor is it appropriate to allow things “to be” in the face of abuse or destruction. Non-action in the face of such circumstances is not powerful and, from the examples given, is clearly dangerous.
So how do you reconcile the two poles of willing (your individual agency) and surrendering to the vastness of it all? Simply put, it’s about alignment. The most empowering stance you can take as a Witch is to meet the requirements of the moment and put yourself into the vast flow of universal power, rather than set yourself aside from it. Acting out of self-serving intention, or completely refraining from action, are both ways that lead us away from the inherent power of deity running through all.
Over the next days, we will practice aligning ourselves in this natural, empowering way, which is the balance point between willing and surrendering.
Willing and Surrendering Incense and Oil
Magical Purpose: Making magical incense and oil that facilitates alignment.
Willing/Surrendering Incense
What you’ll need:
• ¼ cup powdered pine bark
• 1 teaspoon cypress bark, either powdered or chips
• 2 teaspoons mastic gum
• 2 teaspoons dried juniper
• 10 drops dragon’s blood reed essential oil
• 1 ounce vegetable glycerin or other carrier oil
• An airtight container
Mix the dry ingredients first. Add the essential oil to the glycerin or carrier oil. Mix everything together until the dry ingredients take on the scent from the essential oil and the mixture looks fluffy. Keep stored in an airtight container until you use it.
Willing/Surrendering Oil
What you’ll need:
• 2 drops cinnamon essential oil
• 2 drops clove essential oil
• 2 drops pine essential oil
• Pinch of dried basil
• 1 ounce vegetable glycerin or other carrier oil
• An amber or dark-colored bottle with a tight lid
Mix the ingredients together and store in an amber or dark-colored bottle that has a tight lid to preserve the magical properties of the essential oils.
Creating Your Own Blend
If you are interested in creating your own magical blend, here is a list of herbs and essential oils that can help balance the forces of willing and surrendering:
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Basil |
Black pepper |
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Cedar wood |
Cinnamon |
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Clove |
Coriander |
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Cypress |
Geranium |
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Ginger |
Grapefruit |
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Juniper |
Lemongrass |
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Mandarin |
Neroli |
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Peppermint |
Pine |
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Rosemary |
Sandalwood |
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Spearmint |
Vetiver |
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Ylang-ylang |
Go to a health food store to smell the various essences and herbs. Find ones from this master list that are most evocative of fire to you. Always be sensible. Make sure you test any essential oils on your skin before you slather yourself with something to which you are allergic.
As far as creating a ratio of essential oils to base or carrier oils, I recommend that you use this time to play and experiment. Again, this is not science. But you can make this work a “magical laboratory,” where you try out different ideas.
If you’re just not sure whether you’re doing it right, you can always follow this simple guide each time you are encouraged to create your own blend. However, as a note, it is important to approach magic as an art that requires interpretation, reflection, and personal taste.
In tribal cultures where magical practitioners (shamans) still exist, there are rarely spell books or specifically predetermined formulae one must follow in order to accomplish a magical or spiritual aim. Rather, shamans (tribal “Witches”) invoke the Gods through ecstatic states and envision a personal blueprint for their magic. Try, just like shamans, to flexibly and intuitively approach the magical work of creating your own blend with few absolutes in mind. Follow your instincts, your magical impulses, and your working will be strong.
Magical Oils
• Fill a 1-ounce bottle halfway with a carrier oil (such as vegetable glycerin or grape seed oil).
• Add 5–7 drops of the essential oils you choose.
• Add a pinch of one of the dried herbs that you think can add a little scent or energetic kick to the mix.
• Shake the bottle vigorously and use the oil for your workings.
Magical Incenses
• Start with ¼ cup of a wood base ingredient (usually about enough to fill your palm). Many (if not most) incense recipes start with dried, powdered sandalwood, for example. Sandalwood can be a neutral (or “carrier”) base, because it can easily absorb and assume the essential oils and energies that you add to it.
• To the sandalwood, you might add a small amount of another dried herb from the list of ingredients and stir those together.
• To this, add at least 7–10 drops of essential oils. I recommend that you use the same essential oils you chose for your magical
oil recipe.
• To this, slowly add a small quantity of vegetable glycerin, and stir the ingredients together. Keep adding glycerin until the mixture takes on a fluffy consistency.
• Allow this to dry (or “cure”), giving the essential oils and herbs time to mix and mingle their scents. I suggest at least 12–24 hours of drying time.
The List
Magical Purpose: Considering the total effects of your actions.
What you’ll need:
• Willing/Surrendering Incense and Oil (or your own magical blends)
• Your athame
• A blank piece of paper
• A pen
• Your circle-casting tools
The following exercise is meant to promote awareness of your personal wants and wishes, as well as their effects. It is a powerful exercise that can help change consciousness and bring you into the balance point of alignment.
To begin, light a coal in your incense burner, and on it sprinkle some of the Willing/Surrendering Incense (or your own blend). Allow it to burn, filling the sacred space you are in with its energy. Take the burner to the east of the space you occupy and begin walking clockwise around the perimeter of the room. Trace a simple circle, making sure that you accommodate the area where you will be sitting to do the exercise.
Anoint yourself with the Willing/Surrendering Oil (or again, anoint with your own blend) just below the navel, drawing there a fire-invoking pentagram.
Turn to face the south, and using your athame, draw before you a fire-invoking pentagram.
Next, take a piece of blank paper and draw two lines lengthwise down the page so that you have three empty columns. In the far-left column, make a list of things that you desire. They could be anything, but take your time and be honest with yourself.
In the middle column, list the outcome of obtaining each of these desires. How will you feel? What will you accomplish? Finally, in the last column, list ways that obtaining your goal might harm others. This list is not meant to be self-shaming, but rather informative. In our shared human existence of cause and effect, every action you take (no matter how well intentioned it may be) yields both beneficial and harmful effects. Consider the list carefully before you finish the practice.
When you are finished, face the south and, with your athame, draw a fire-banishing pentagram. Using the Willing/Surrendering Oil, draw a fire-banishing pentagram just below your navel.
Willing and Surrendering Explorations
What you’ll need:
• Willing/Surrendering Incense and Oil
• Your athame
• Paper
• Pen
• Circle-casting tools
Light the Willing/Surrendering Incense and allow its smoke to fill your magical working space. Anoint your solar plexus chakra, near your navel, with Willing/Surrendering Oil, drawing a fire-invoking pentagram with the oil. Stand facing the south, and draw a fire-invoking pentagram with your athame.
Set your athame aside, and on a blank piece of paper, write down your top ten wishes and desires. Set the page in front of you and assume a seated meditation position. For the next ten to fifteen minutes, count your exhalations only (as described in the first lunation). After you have sat in focused awareness, while facing the page of your written desires, take out the pen and circle the desires on the page that are required by the moment right now to make it more complete than it already is. Is it possible that the moment you are in right now is whole and complete without need of anything more?
Now answer the following questions:
• What am I trying to achieve with each of these desires and wishes?
• How will the core of existence (meaning my objective reality) improve if I achieve these wishes?
• Am I willing to put my body in motion right now, and keep going until the wish is obtained?
• How might focusing on willing these wishes into my life create limitations in other ways?
• What would the world be like if everyone focused exclusively on willing their desires into their lives?
The answers may surprise you. Once you achieve an aim, does this permanently satisfy you? You might experience some short-term gratification, but gradually, over time, dissatisfaction creeps back in, and the endless list of wants and wishes continues.
When you are done with this exercise, burn the paper in the smoke of the Willing/Surrendering Incense.
Jupiter Incense and Oil
Magical Purpose: Making incense and oil that promote the energies of Jupiter.
Jupiter Incense
What you’ll need:
• ¼ cup powdered oak (or substitute powdered sandalwood)
• 1 teaspoon myrrh, either powdered or in tears
• 1 teaspoon dried cinquefoil
• 1 teaspoon dried white sage
• 5 drops myrrh essential oil
• 5 drops sage essential oil (Be sure that you are not allergic to this essential oil. If you are, omit this ingredient.)
• 1 ounce vegetable glycerin or other carrier oil
• A clean, dry container with a tight-fitting lid
Mix the dry ingredients and then gradually add the glycerin and the drops of essential oil. Mix until light and fluffy, ensuring that the glycerin is well mixed into the dry ingredients. Store in a clean, dry container with a tight-fitting lid.
Jupiter Oil
What you’ll need:
• 5 drops white sage essential oil
• 5 drops myrrh essential oil
• 3 drops sandalwood essential oil
• 1 ounce vegetable glycerin or other carrier oil
• A clean glass container with a tight-fitting lid
• 1 drop blue food coloring (optional)
Mix the essential oils into the glycerin or carrier oil. Add blue food coloring if you’d like. Store the oil in a clean glass container with a tight-fitting lid.
Full Moon Ceremony
Be sure to include one of your magical workings during the full moon circle. For example, you might use the circle to prepare your Jupiter Incense and Oil (in case you missed the last lesson, or any other day you may have missed in the training schedule). Or you could get a jump on things and prepare some of your magical inks (as described in days 16–19 in the next section).