How to Become a Witch by Amber K. (large ebook reader txt) 📗

each quarter, one invites the appropriate power: “Spirit of air, guardian of the watchtower of the east, join our circle this Samhain eve…”

When the elemental powers are present, Oak Shadow invites Osiris, lord of the Underworld, and Summerlight calls Isis, the great healer.

Summerlight continues. “Six months ago, we came together at Beltane and danced the maypole in celebration of life. Now the Wheel has moved halfway round, and we are gathered in this sacred circle to acknowledge the end of life, to mark the third and final harvest of the year, and especially to honor those whom we have loved and who have gone before us to the Summerlands. If you wish, step forward now and offer tribute to your dead.” One at a time, the Witches speak heartfelt words: to a departed grandmother, to a friend who lost his life in a highway accident, to a family cat who passed on after fourteen years of companionship.

The next hour is reserved for solitary meditation or quiet divination on the coming year. Singly and in pairs, the coveners find nooks and corners. Some draw tarot cards or cast stones or bones on the carpet. One sits before the altar and looks at a photo, communing silently with his departed friend.

Later, a soft chime brings them together. Summerlight lifts a plate of small cakes and asks the blessing of the Goddess. Oak Shadow raises a chalice of dark, rich wine and thanks the God. With whispered blessings, the food and drink are passed around the circle.

Finishing, Summerlight thanks Isis for her presence, and Oak Shadow does the same for Osiris: “And if go ye must, we say, ‘Hail and farewell!’” The coveners echo the “hail and farewell.”

Soon the elemental powers have been thanked and released, and the circle is formally opened. Food appears, and Summerlight cries out: “I have a bottle of Estelle’s pomegranate mead, can you believe it? If you’re not driving later, help me savor it!” With a mixture of somberness for those who are gone and celebration of their lives, the meal and conversation continue late into the night.

Resources for Ritual

How do you learn to design and perform ritual? You’ve already started just by reading this chapter. You will want to read more, starting with True Magick: A Beginner’s Guide, which is used by many covens as part of their training programs. When you’re ready to go deeper, find a copy of RitualCraft: Creating Rites for Transformation and Celebration. The reading list in that will take you as far as you want to go with ritual magick.

However, reading is never enough. This is the Craft; it’s about practicing the Witches’ arts. So attend as many Wiccan (and general Pagan) rituals as you can: public sabbats, festival rituals, any coven rites you can get invited to. At every one, watch, listen, and feel. Afterward, make notes in your Book of Shadows. What parts were powerful and moving? What parts, if any, seemed flat or unnecessary? What would you have done differently? Imagine that you are the ritual leader, and direct the whole event in your mind.

Witch balls

An old custom says that it’s wise to place a shiny glass ball in your window or in the ceiling corners, where negative energy can collect. These “Witch balls” will either trap or scare away any negative spirits that might wander into your home. Some people use old glass fisherman’s floats, but there are also mirrored balls and glass art balls designed for the purpose. Even a Christmas tree ornament can do the job.

In the meantime, you can practice rituals at home, as a solitary or with family or friends. At first it will seem awkward, almost like reading lines out of a book. Soon it will flow more smoothly, and you can really concentrate on the power, the meaning, and the spirit of the ritual.

In time, you will also have chances to volunteer for parts in an open ritual. Most ritual leaders are happy to have help and glad to share their knowledge and experience. You might begin by helping set up the altar, or calling a quarter, or even leading a chant if you are musical. It won’t be long before you can design and lead a large public ritual like a master.

Shadow Work

Just as a large part of the year is filled by the darkness of winter, an important part of our magick is shadow work: exploring those areas of our own hearts and minds that are difficult, painful, and largely unknown—hidden in shadow.

To understand what we mean by shadow work, you first need to understand the Witch’s attitude toward light and darkness. To us, these are two essential polarities that balance each other in the universe. Night and day, light and shadow, winter and summer—each is part of the natural pattern. A world with only light or only darkness would be unbalanced and lifeless.

Note that we do not assign moral values to these polarities. In mainstream Western thinking, it is common to speak of light as good and darkness as evil. The knight in shining armor glitters in the sunlight, while the nasty dragon lurks in a dark cave. The cowboy hero wears a white hat, the villain wears a black one. The Star Wars Jedi wear white tunics, the evil Darth Vader wears black. And so on.

To a Witch, night and darkness are not associated with evil. They are simply one side of reality, as necessary and right as day and sunlight. They are opposites, but not moral opposites. We understand that good things can happen in the darkness: from the dark, fallow soil of winter, new life emerges in the spring. On the other hand, evil can flourish in the light. A politician can make noble-sounding speeches even as he leads his nation into an unnecessary war. A forest watershed can be bulldozed in broad daylight to make way for tract housing.

So, shadow work is not about black magick or anything harmful.