Off the Books

I would like to share some things with you that I have learned on my path. They are about life, magic, and how the two can go together. Perhaps this is meant primarily for those who are currently on their own, unable to really share their experiences. How do you know if you aren't just kidding yourself?

• Prophetic dreams are totally possible.
• One is powerful by moving through power. Anyone who wants claim to power must realize that they are not powerful, the power is. This helps eliminate grandiose delusions.
• Love spells are not meant to be directed towards an individual. They can be used to draw general love towards you.
• It is possible and likely that you will end up separating your mind from your body.
• You must not think that all your spells will work. IF you fail, perhaps the higher powers have a different idea as they can see much more than you.
• You must resist the temptation to publicly cast out of spite. It can have devastating consequences and will draw the hatred of close minded individuals, not to mention ruin your reputation and defame your name.
• Tools don't give you any power, you give the tools power.
  
• There are ways to learn things without reading a book (or a blog)
  
• The most powerful magic is selfless love.
• Witchcraft is what one does, it is not a religion, but a system of thought. Religion can be simultaneously observed however...

I hope this helps someone out there. I remember wishing there was more stuff like this out there, practical wisdom. I have come to find that practical wisdom is harder to come by than knowledge itself.

The Book of Shadows

The Book of Shadows is also a very precious tool to most Witches, it can become literally a part and parcel of the Witch, as it contains all the knowledge connected to the Witch. Because of the rigid relationship between book and Witch, its very important to keep this tool especially hidden and secret. It's very possible that other Witches will know you have one, but very few will ask for it. thios is because the sharing of such books is best restricted to those individuals whom you trust the most.
To make a Book of Shadows, you just need an empty book. Traditionally it has a black cover. This is reflective of history in some opinions, and in others it serves as a boundary no negative energy can cross. this keeps spells off your book and keeps other peoples energies from intruding into your working. It also helps to keep people from reading or stealing it.
The book should contain any spell you use, any potion you make, any piece of wisdom you learn on your path. It will become your most respected companion, and with time and care it can become a very magical object. It must be written in your own "hand of writ" which could mean anything from your own handwriting to your own words depending on how you take it.
The Book of Shadows is generally protected by an enchantment written on the front of the first page. Below I have given an example from my own Book of Shadows:

This book is protected

By the Magic it weaves
Cover of black
Magical leaves
Precious ink
Holy power
Guide my charms and spells in this crucial hour.
Spirits, forces, gods and powers
this book will serve only me
And as my witchcraft lushly flowers
Stronger this book will be.


You can change this, or use it as is, or even start from scratch and write your own. If it works better for you than do it.
The Book of Shadows corresponds to air, and is aligned with the South.

Thanks to Annathea on deviantart.com for the lovely pic.

The Athame

The athame is one of the most used, and most coveted, tools of the Craft. One develops a strong bond with this tool. It becomes an extension of ones self, and many Witches talk to the tool before actually using it in ritual to awaken it, and wrap it in silk to protect it from any negative vibrations. Traditionally the hilt was black and the blade was of steel or silver. Iron was rarely used as it might offend the fair folk in some traditions, especially the Fairy Traditions.
The energy around an athame flows into a larger and sharper edge, enabling the tool to cut through the most powerful stream of energy or to banish the baddest bogey, but never use it to cut mundane everyday things or you will taint the blade and it will be useless in magic.
Despite popular belief, the blade is never used to draw blood (Even though the supposed derivative word meant "blood-letter".) and nor is blood ever used in the Craft. Sorry to bust any bubbles but I can be quite the "prick" at times.
IF you are younger than 18 and your parents say no to you having one, then just wait till you get older, or even better, make a replica out of wood and paint it the appropriate colors. It's about the symbol, not about the tool. The power comes from you, never the item you are working with. You are the Witch, not your blade.
The athame corresponds to the element of fire, and is aligned to the South.
It controls and banishes energies, and is used to cast the circle and trace pentagrams in flame.

(thanks to LithiumRAin on Deviantart.com for the pic.)

General Guidelines

There is only one rule in the Craft as far as codes of conduct, and that's not to harm anyone. Simple right? Maybe at the initial glance, but think about it.
Can you fight a war? Can you eat meat? This rule is also for your daily life. What's cool about the Craft is that one is encouraged to follow one's heart. There are many brave soldiers who are Witches, as there are many Witches who will gladly finish your burger for you. (Actually that sounds good right now...) You choose how to apply this rule, but be persistent. The heart is inflexible in matters of guilt and shame. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. By the way, there's also no point in lying to yourself about how you feel. You are only judged by yourself. There's no clergyman to tell you that you are a bad person or that you must be forgiven. There's no reason for forgiveness. Mistakes are essential to learning and the universe is fully aware of this. In the Craft, there's no threat of eternal punishment and no bribe of impending eternal reward. However, ones actions will always find them out in the end, and the thing one must really fear is stepping upon the left-hand path. Never use any magic to harm, because once you do, you are cursed. There's no use whining about it afterwards-unless you are looking in a mirror- because you cast the spell, no one else. Always keep this in mind, no matter what you are doing, and you will never need to worry about the spook stories people always told you about "well one time I dabbled in witchcraft and i got cursed" kind of stuff. That only happens when a Witch attempts to strip any entity of its free will. Always be very respectful of any being you meet, whether it has a body or not.
Some good rules of thumb are listed below:

• don't talk about the spell after it is cast
• only practice magic in the presence of people who accept it, never around those who would attempt to divert you
• don't show off, it won't work anyway (the fates love playing such games with those proud enough to brag- besides anyone could do the same thing if they so wished)
• keep your tools and journals and such things out of the public eye and in a secure location (e.i. don't take your spell books to the book club you just joined-unless of course, that book club happens to be pagan based, then show them the book and have them call me)
• no love spells (more on this later)
• don't attempt to bind anyone for the present moment, if you must be rid of them, banish.
• learn from everywhere, not just from books
• have enough humility to realize that right now you are a beginner and it would not be wise to pick fights with spirits or try to handle a force that's bigger than you, in other words, if you can put it back, don't take it out.)
• don't let anyone tell you you have to obey them, because you don't.

IF you follow these guidelines, then you will bypass many of the qualms that seem to plague beginner Witches. Just use your head and follow your heart and you will do fine.

Witchcraft? An Introduction

No, really. But not really.
What I mean to say is that it is Witchcraft but that it won't become a substitute for hard work or physical action. Above all, I wish to express that Witchcraft is a system of thought like thermodynamics, and also like thermodynamics, it can be used to hurt people or cause others harm. However, I will not give any information on malevolent magic except to warn, inform, and teach one how to dispel a curse or hex and how to prevent one from ever even reaching you. I believe that the spells a Witch sends out comes back to affect them with thrice the intensity once it affects the target. If one sends out pure energy full of light, then the Witch will experience joy, but once the Witch casts a single malevolent spell, it comes back on them and can send them into a descending spiral. There is only one rule to follow in witchcraft to prevent harm from coming your way. DO NOT HARM ANYONE(including yourself, more on this later).
I intend this blog to be a place where aspirant Witches (or any pagans really) can come to find a compendium of information on occult topics. I don't wish to set any dogma out on the table, or to lord it over other Witches as to how a thing should be done. Magic is egalitarian; anyone can do it. There is no hierarchy or clergy; it's you and deity. No middlemen are required for spells to work, however convenient a priest may be, he is not anymore powerful than the most humble kitchen witch. One chooses to be a Witch on their own. There's no need to proselytize to cowans (non-Witches). In fact, secrecy has been stressed by many adepts of the past.
I wish to warn those who would read this blog (or any source of occult information) that it would be unwise to say anything about your Craft initially, for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, the will of a collective group is far stronger than the will of an individual and in terms of energy exchange, should you cause even a few people initially to exhibit doubt to your mind, the energy involved with this will weaken your magic, and opening the veil will be much more difficult.
Enter into this with a critical eye as I will strive to present many different, and often opposing ideas in the same post. This is in order to give many (if not all) the theories their fair share of regard. One of the first mysteries you must learn is that just because someone is right, doesn't mean that someone else with a different jive has to be wrong. Quite the opposite the idea of many mainstream religions, its often a hard concept to grasp fully, as many have been conditioned to believe the black and white fallacy.
In closing, feel free to skip whatever doesn't appeal to you. If a spell bores you, it probably wont work. Enjoy, and happy casting!