SYLVAN

WICCA /SHAMANISM

 

LESSON 10B

 

Lesson Ten: Magick (Part 2)

"We're Witches... we're cool... and we work magick!"

The study group laughs at the good natured mantra, one member shakes his

head with

an amused dismay. Repeated again and again throughout the night, it

reminds us of

what we are, that it's a good thing to be what we are, and that the power

of magick is at our fingertips.

In Phase One we've taken a simple approach to magick. To this point there

has been no

talk of casting Circles, of using Runes and personal Glyphs to empower

our rites, in

handcrafting tools that are connected to the energy of the magickal

world. One day, as

you look back upon this course, having grown and developed your own

practice, you'll

discover that all of those things are unnecessary, that they are simply

tools which you have the choice to carry in your magickal tool box.

But the question remains,

"How do you apply the techniques and principles you've learned?"

For just a moment, let's imagine that you've been asked to create and

work a ritual for an

elderly friend who wants to embrace her transition from the realm of the

Mother into

arms of the Crone. Have you ever written a ritual like that before?

Neither have I. So how do we begin?

If you've followed this course, lesson by lesson, you'll find that you

have all of the

tools that you need at your disposal. First, you may want to sit and

consider what

you're doing and why. For that, you can use the exercise from the

previous lesson

(Exercise Ten: Determining If Spellwork Is Necessary) to analyze the

request and

discover the important factors behind it. What is it that your friend

wants to symbolize

in the rite? What aspects of the ritual are important to her? What

portions of her

journey would she like to celebrate and include in the ceremony?

Once you've decided what aspects to include in the rite, we can look back

to Lesson

Four: Symbolism, to find physical representations of the things we want

in the ritual,

that would be important for us to place on the altar. From there, we can

use the

framework we learned in Lesson Three: The Elements of Ritual, to

determine what to do at each stage of the ceremony.

It's amazing what you can do after working through just a handful of

lessons.

But let's take this a step farther. You're going to want to create some

sacred space, to

bring in specific types of energy into the rite for use in your magick.

Remember Lesson

Six: The Symbolism of Energy? You already know how to connect specific

concepts with

Elements like Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. You've explored the deities in

Lesson Nine and

developed a connection to them as well. And if you're not sure how to

actually move

magickal energy, to pull it and direct it into your rite, look back to

the exercise from Lesson

Two called, "Attuning To Natural Cycles." If all life, if all of reality

is interconnected, it

would seem that you would pull in magickal energy and direct it in much

the same way

that you pulled the energy of the sun and moon within yourself.

You can do all of this. Every aspect of ritual and magick that you need

is at your

fingertips. It's simply a matter of developing the confidence to apply

the tools that you already have.

So back to the ritual at hand that we've been asked to create for our

elderly friend.

Preparing yourself to craft the ceremony, you sit down with the framework

from The

Elements of Ritual and begin to imagine yourself in the rite, walking

yourself through it

step by step. You decide that for Cleansing (step one), you're going to

ritually sweep the

room before the guests arrive, helping you to begin the transition into a

frame of mind

you'll need for the ritual at hand. For Setup (step two) you gather the

items that you've

chosen for the altar: three photographs of your friend - one from

childhood, one as an

adult, and a snapshot from a recent gathering - each picture mirroring

one of the phases of

the Goddess; a stone from your garden, a cup of water, a single candle,

and a feather you

found in your yard - each symbolizing one of the Elements; and then you

smile as you set

a wand you found at a local bookstore on the altar, not exactly sure how

you want to use it yet, just knowing that you want it there.

As the honored guests arrive, you speak the Intent (step three) for the

rite, sharing with

them the importance of your friend's journey through life; you share with

them that

they've been invited to gather to celebrate the milestone that she's

reached, the place in

life that her personal growth has taken her. And as you begin Raising

Energy (step four),

you decide that you'll use a technique that you developed in Lesson Ten

of the First Cycle course.

 

Exercise Eleven: Using Energy In Magick

When you have some quiet time when you won't be disturbed, sit in a

comfortable position and think back to some of the elements that you

have

worked with throughout this course. You may choose to reflect on

sunlight

or moonlight, on the Goddess or the God, even on some of the

Elements we

addressed or the way a specific item made you feel as you held it,

wondering where to place it on your altar.

With your eyes closed, imagine that you're holding the item again,

that

you're sitting in one of the places that you associated with an

Element, that

the sunlight is warming your skin or that the Goddess or God is with

you,

that you're in their presence. You don't have to be able to clearly

picture it

in your mind, simply imagine that you're there until you can feel

yourself

experiencing the energy of that place. Can you feel the sunlight?

The

ancient presence of an old growth forest as the trees sink their

roots deep

into the earth while reaching for the sky? As you find yourself

experiencing that sensation, slowly imagine that you're pulling that

sensation within you, picture it filling your body until you can

feel it inside.

Once it's there, stretch out your hands, either one or both, and

picture

yourself pushing that energy out through your hands, imagine it

moving through you. Simply say,

"Thank you energy for your presence. I release you to where you came."

What you just did was a skill that many Witches are never taught, that is

so simple, that is

so powerful, that it's a shame it's often overlooked. Being able to feel

a type of energy is a

type of visualization. Visualization is easiest to describe as focused

imagination. As

Witches, if we can visualize a type of energy, if we can feel it, we can

use it. It doesn't

matter if we're thousands of miles away from the physical source of that

energy; on a

spiritual level, everything is connected as one. If you can imagine it,

you can connect with it. If you can connect with it, you can use it.

To raise the energy needed in the ritual for your friend, when you call

upon the energy

you want, upon the thing that symbolizes it, imagine that energy filling

you, just as you

did in the exercise above. Direct it into the room around you, into the

center of the space

you're using - wherever it feels right to you. You've just raised energy

my friend. You now

have all the tools you need to continue on this path on your own.

The energy has been raised, now it's time to Apply it (step five). For

this rite, applying the

energy is as simple as using the sacred space you've created and the

energy you've raised

to honor your friend. What you may not have realized is that the people

who have

gathered to celebrate this milestone with you and your friend are part of

the ritual as well.

Try your best to include them. Thank them for their presence in

witnessing this moment

and allow your friend to do the same. Maybe you'll apply the energy by

saying a simple

blessing for your friend, something that incorporates the wisdom and

knowledge she's

discovered on her journey - something that is uniquely her. This is the

heart of your rite,

where you work your spell, say your blessings, honor your milestones, and

carry out the

most important portions of the ritual that you've planned. Simple words

can be used to

Seal the energy (step six). "I bless you with the love of friends and the

joy of decades well

lived. The joy of the past and the joy of the future are yours forever,

to cherish the rest of

your life." Sometimes you don't have to say, "So mote it be," "As I

speak, so shall it be,"

or the like. Simply directing the energy to it's destination and giving

it a home there is all that is required.

For step seven, Giving Thanks, you can thank the energy you raised,

sending it back to

where it came, and then thank those that gathered for the ceremony. And

thank you're

friend for asking you to perform it. It's a great honor. And to ground

(step eight) - eat!

Serve your friend's favorite dessert, hold a potluck, something which

will continue to

connect you all and give you a chance to thank the participants simply by

allowing them the chance to fellowship.

Ritual and magick are actually just that simple. This was not a

pre-written ritual which I

used for this lesson. I created it as I typed, applying the same

principles and techniques

that you've learned throughout this course. In Phase Two and Three,

you'll be offered

additional tools with which to work, but we've just covered all the

basics. All that is left to

look at additional ways to grow and connect to the vibrant energy of

life.

The First Cycle course is written by Graelan Wintertide

and is © 1999 All Rights Reserved