Thursday 23 September 2010

Progressive Magick Course - Janet & Gavin

For the past few months I have been working on the Progressive Magick course, offered by Sacred Mists Online Coven - written and lead by Janet Farrar & Gavin Bone.

Today I got confirmation that I have passed!

This course has been incredibly interesting, thought provoking and worthwhile. The lessons are well written and packed with information and excercises. The homework and essays were challenging and thought provoking but extremely productive. The exercises put forward in this course have changed the way I think about some parts of my magickal workings and I now use some of the ideas in my daily magickal routines. I also got to chat with Janet and Gavin online, and they were always at the end of email if I need to contact them.

I have learnt and incredible amount from taking this course and would highly recommend it.

It is an open registration course, so you don't need to belong to Sacred Mists to register. Details from the Sacred Mists website:

Progressive Magic: A Course in Practical Modern Witchcraft By Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone The Progressive Magic Course was designed for those from an intermediate to advanced level who want to take the next step in their understanding of magic. Janet and Gavin would like to point out that it is not for beginners, but for those who are already familiar with the terminology of modern Wicca and Magical practice. The course is staged in seven lessons and the structure of the course itself is an integral part of the teaching as it uses a magical energy system and cosmology based on seven. For this reason alone it can be considered a truly ‘holistic’ course in that it brings together the many facets of magic into one understandable system appropriate to the modern age. This is what is meant when they use the term ‘progressive’ in the title of the course. They also point out that this is not a course in Wicca; unless it is appropriate they are not teaching the religious aspects of witchcraft, only those aspects related to the practice of practical magic in a witchcraft context. There are no teachings regarding Wiccan History, Coven Structure, Degrees or Initiation. What they do cover in the seven lessons are the following:

What is Magic?
The Philosophy and dynamics of Magic.
The Psychology of Magic.
Magical Laws and Magical Ethics.
The Four Elements in Magic.
Ether, Mind and Spirit in Magic.
How Magic Works: Using and working with Magical Energy and Magical Cosmology.
Methods of Spellcraft: Using Correspondences, Magical Scripts and the Creation of Thought Forms.
How Magic causes change in the self: The Mysteries related to Magic.
Spirit Forms related to Magical Practice: Working with Guides, Guardians and Gods.
Each lesson builds on the previous one to build a system you can understand and work with the course is a journey of discovery into the world of magic and witchcraft, and more importantly your part in it. This is why they have included a large practical element, which includes regular magical energy exercises, as well as pathworkings, which explore the magical cosmology.

Because so many people nowadays have access to magical techniques through magazines and the internet, they like to use the following analogy regarding the role of the witch in the modern era: ‘It is not enough to know how to drive the car: You have to know how the engine works’. Magic is the car, and what Janet and Gavin teach in this course is the mechanics. They feel that it is important for the modern witch to know what to do if something goes wrong, particularly in an age when the majority of witches are now solitary or cyberpagans.

Personal Interaction, Training and Assessment
Through our online message boards and live chat rooms, you will be engaging with Janet and Gavin personally and directly, along with all of your fellow students who will also be taking the Progressive Magic course. Your coursework will be submitted directly to Janet and Gavin, and you will receive personal assessment and commentary directly to you as you progress through the course. Enjoy robust conversation and communication as you explore Progressive Magic with your fellow witches around the world!

Earn Your Certification in Progressive Magic from Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone
Janet and Gavin have decided to certificate this course, so for this reason there are regular essays and research assignments. To complete the course and be eligible for certification it will be necessary to complete and pass three essays set over the duration of the course, which has a minimum of seven months to complete (however you can take as long as you need to complete the course as there is no maximum) We would like to point out that the certification is really ‘icing on the cake’. What is important is the experience you will gain on this course and, for this reason we expect every student enrolled to keep a Course Diary, a Progressive Magic journal if you will, which will be your blueprint for future magical work.

Sacred Mists website:

http://www.workingwitches.com/

Janet Farrar & Gavin Bone website:

http://www.callaighe.com

Go on....sign up....you know you want to!!
Blessings
Tansy
x


The SCARECROW

The history of the scarecrow is an enchanting topic. They can be downright creepy or fun and charming. Scarecrows are a traditional item in autumn decorations and their history dates back farther than most people realize. The scarecrow has been known by many names over the centuries; a few you may see are Jack in the straw, scarebird, tattybogle, bootzamon and shoy-hoy.

The oldest scarecrows were actual people and they were successfully used along the Nile river more than three thousand years ago. The ancient Egyptians used the ‘scarecrow’ to protect their wheat crops from the quail that passed through on their way south every autumn. They built wooden frames, sort of like a shed, in the fields and would hide inside until the quail showed up. The sheds themselves were covered in a fine type of net for camouflage and when the birds arrived the farmers would run out of their hiding places waving white scarves and shouting. This frightened the quail so much that many landed on the nets and were caught in the mesh. So the farmers were ‘killing two birds with one stone’ so they protected their crops and landed a nice quail dinner while they were at it.

The first scarecrows that looked like a person were wooden statues made by Greek farmers around twenty five hundred years ago. These were thought to represent Priapus, who guarded over the wheat fields and the vineyards.

According to some versions of mythology, Priapus was the unfortunately unattractive son of the goddess Aphrodite. Because of his disfigurement the goddess abandoned him on a hillside, where he was discovered by kindly vineyard keepers who took him home with them. As the boy grew older, he often played alone in the vineyards, and the local farmers began to notice that the crows and other birds stayed away from the grapes whenever Priapus was there. They figured the boy’s appearance was frightening off the birds and the farmers encouraged him to come back to the vineyards every day. As harvest rolled around, they were blessed with a bigger grape harvest than ever before.


The tales of Priapus spread all over the country and other farmers thought that perhaps statues resembling Priapus might keep the birds away from their fields of grain and the grapes as well. The wooden figures were carved to resemble the god and he typically was portrayed holding a club in one arm and a sickle, to promote a bountiful harvest, in the other. The figures were painted purple and displayed in the fields. Just as they had before, the birds stayed away and the following fall even more farmers were harvesting bigger crops than ever.

At harvest the farmers would lay sheaves of wheat and mounds of grapes at the foot of the statue to thank Priapus for his protection during the growing season. In time, as his name spread across the country and more farmers began to know of him, Priapus came to be known as the god of gardens.

The Romans copied the customs and when the Roman armies invaded France, Germany and England they brought their agricultural customs with them, including a belief in Priapus. More wooden statues appeared in the fields of those countries, and thus the earliest form of the scarecrow was born.

At around the same time as the Greeks and Romans were using statues of Priapus to protect their fields, Japanese farmers were making different kinds of scarecrows to protect the rice crops.

There are several varieties of scarecrows used in Japan. Some were the figures of people stuffed with grasses and straw and decked out in an old hat and cast off clothing. Sometimes these characters were made to look like they were about to shoot an arrow from an old bow. Other types of scarecrows were coloured streamers of fabric and shiny pieces of glass and metal tied to ropes.

No matter how they were created all of these scarecrows had to be constructed and mounted onto tall bamboo poles. As rice grows in 4 – 6” of standing water, the bamboo kept the scarecrows out of the water.

According to Japanese mythology, the god Sohodo-no-kami left his home in the mountains in the springtime, came down to the fields, and entered the scarecrows that looked human. His spirit was thought to have stayed within them all summer long. If a bird landed on them, the farmers thought that perhaps the birds were talking to the god and telling him secrets.

Once the harvest season arrived, the farmers would gather up all the scarecrows and stack them in a pile. In a ceremony called the ascent of the scarecrows, they arranged rice cakes around the stack for the god to eat during his journey back to the mountains and then the pile was lit and burned.

In old Germany the scarecrows were actually figures of witches made out of wood. The farmers carried them through the fields in winter to draw out the spirit of winter into the figure of the witch/scarecrow so that the season of spring would soon arrive. The witch then became the scarecrow and from their vantage point in the gardens and fields, they protected the newly planted crops and frightened away the foraging birds.

In medieval England the scarecrows were not made out of wood, instead they were actually hard working hard working little boys (and sometimes girls). These children were called bird scarers or bird shooers and were typically peasant children. They would patrol the wheat fields carrying bags of stones and pebbles. When the crows appeared they would wave their arms, shout and throw stones. After the plague hit, about half the population died. Landowners had to come up with other ways to protect their crops. They then began to make straw stuffed figures and mount them on a pole. They used a large turnip or a stuffed sack for a head.

As immigrants arrived in the States from Europe, they brought with them their own superstitions about crows and their own scarecrow making techniques. Thomas Jefferson apparently had three of them in his own cornfields.

The Pennsylvania Dutch built a very human looking scarecrow called the bootzamon, or boogyman. Like other American scarecrows the wooden frame was constructed in the shape of a cross, and he was dressed in old overalls, a shirt and of course a beaten up old hat. Traditionally a red bandana was tied around his neck to hide the wooden pole.


Occasionally a second scarecrow as added at the opposite end of the field, this was called a bootzfraw, a boogywife, in a dress with a bonnet. According to the folklore the bootzafraw kept the bootzamon company.


Adapted from Autumn Equinox by Ellen Dugan

Tansy
x

Tuesday 21 September 2010

MABON - The season of the Witch

This is my very favourite time of the year, I love the Autumn. The leaves start to change on the trees, you can feel the crisp air in the mornings. It most certainly is the season of the witch.

Mabon is the Autumn Equinox. The word equinox comes from the Latin word aequionoctium which means equal night. The name Mabon is taken from the Welsh god Mabon.

The story of Mabon and his mother, Modron, is as follows: Mabon was taken from his mother as she slept when he was only three nights old. Modron’s cries of anguish were so great that a search or quest commenced to find the missing child. At this point the story ties into the Arthurian legends as some of King Arthur’s knights, or the Kind himself, take up the quest to find Modron’s son. They eventually rely on the wisdom of the five wisest animals to help them: the blackbird, the stag, the owl, the eagle and the salmon.

Eventually the child was discovered to be quite safe. He had been sleeping in his mother’s womb or, depending on the version of the story, resting in the Underworld. In a plant analogy the child was resting just as a seed must rest beneath the earth before it can face the sunlight and brave the challenges of sprouting, growing and flourishing. Now that Mabon’s time had come, he was ready to face the world as God of Light and to be reborn as his mother’s champion.

Mabon is a celebration of the second harvest, all around us are signs in nature, hints of the shortening days and cooler nights to come. The leaves start to turn, the birds are beginning to migrate. Apples and squashes are ready to be harvested and grapes are ready to be turned into wine.

This festival can be used as a time to reap what good deeds you have sown. A time to feel the connection to the seasons as they change. It is a perfect time to consider balance and harmony and how these forces work in your life. Celebrate the earth’s bounty and gather in the fruits of your labour. Be thankful for all the blessings that you have.

Mabon Deities:
Abundantia, Bacchus, Ceres, Copia, Demeter, Fortuna, Persephone, Isis, Mabon, Modron, Morgan le Fay, Osirus, Elen of the Ways, Pomona, Priapus, Sohodo-no-Kami, Dionysus, The Green Man, Herne the Hunter

Mabon correspondences:
Asters, Chrysanthemum, Morning Glory, Pansy, Aspen, Birch, Poplar, Sycamore.
Apples, Grapes, Corn & Cornstalks, Pumpkins, Cornucopias, Wheat, Grain, Scarecrows, Cinnamon, Cloves, Ivy, Nutmeg, Oak leaves, Pine cones, Pomegranate, Sage.

Mabon colours:
Red, orange, yellow, gold, dark green, royal blue, brown, burgundy, dark purple, black, white.

Mabon crystals:
Agate, amethyst, carnelian, opal, peridot, sapphire, topaz

Animals of Mabon:
Dogs, Wolves, Birds of Prey, Goat, Blackbird, Stag, Owl, Eagle, and Salmon


A Harvest Witch Blessing:
This intriguing season brings joy and abundance true
Remember all of the magick that I have shown you
Look to the earth during the fall season of red and gold
Open your heart and rediscover this magick of old
May the simple enchantment of these bright autumn days
Bring you love and laughter in many bewitching ways

Tansy
X


Most of this information I have adapted from the book Autumn Equinox by Ellen Dugan.
The image I have used here is from a Mabon card, these can be purchased from one of my favourite shops in Glastonbury:

Monday 20 September 2010

Colour Magick

Recently I have found that I am using colour magick more and more in all my workings. In most of the items that I make for Kitchen Witch I find I am corresponding the colour of the materials used to the intent.

Here is a guide that I use:

Black - protection, ward negativity, remove hexes, spirit contact, truth, remove discord or confusion and binding for spellwork.

Dark blue – the Goddess, water elemental, truth, dreams, protection, change, meditation, healing.

Light blue – psychic awareness, intuition, opportunity, understanding, safe journey, patience, tranquility, ward depression, healing and health.

Brown – endurance, houses & homes, uncertainties, influence friendships.

Green – earth elemental, nature magicks, luck, fertility, healing, balance, courage, work, prosperity, changing directions or attitudes.

Indigo – meditation, spirit communication, karma workings, neutralize baneful magick, ward slander.

Lilac – spiritual development, psychic growth, divination, Otherworld.

Orange – the God, strength, healing, attracting things, vitality, adaptability, luck, encouragement, clearing the mind, justice, career goals, legal matters, selling, action, ambition, general success.

Pink – honour, morality, friendships, emotional love, social ability, good will, caring, healing emotions, peace, affection, nurturing, romance and partnerships.

Purple – power, spirit, spiritual development, intuition, ambition, healing, wisdom, progress, business, spirit communication, protection, occultism, self assurance.

Red – fire elemental, strength, power, energy, health, vigour, enthusiasm, courage, passion, sexuality, vibrancy, survival, driving force.

White – purity, protection, truth, meditation, peace, sincerity, justice and to ward doubt & fear.

Yellow – air elemental, divination, clairvoyance, mental alertness, intellect, memory, prosperity, learning, changes, harmony, creativity, self promotion.

Sometimes I look up the list, some I remember, mostly I go by instinct and then when I check I realize my instinct is bang on the mark! This is just my idea of a list of correspondences, others may use different colours - it is a personal thing, go with what feels right for you.

My list is adapted from a very useful book called Grimoire for the Green Witch by Ann Moura.


The Kitchen Witch website:
http://www.kitchenwitch.org/

Ann Moura's website:

Friday 17 September 2010

The Faeries Oracle

A long while back I purchased a set of The Faeries Oracle cards with artwork by Brian Froud and text by Jessica Macbeth. They sat on the shelf for ages.

Then a few weeks back I was prompted to take them down and have a proper look. I have been drawing a card a day ever since.

There is of course the beautiful and quirky Brian Froud artwork to look at – it was the fact that they had has artwork on that made me purchase them in the first place.

Then there is the meaning of the cards. Each and every card I have drawn so far has been bang on the mark, it has known where I am in my life and how I have felt each day. Certain of the cards have also kicked my butt into action that was long overdue.

For instance, yesterday’s card:

The Journeyman
Adventure, independence, polishing of skills, travel.

All of the great ones and all of those who are filled by the spiritual light have been on this journey. They went into the wilderness, stepping like fools, off the safe paths into the waiting hands of their gods and goddesses. This is the journey of life, a pilgramage that begins in ignorant trust, passes through all of the doubts, fears, ups and downs, probably all of the delusions, and certainly all of the confusions. Through it, we learn slowly, painfully, a new kind of trust, a trust in the process, detached from the goal.

Adventure, independence, travel. A long path ahead - we hope. This card speaks of the need to perfect skills in working and living, but it acknowledges having a sound grounding in the basics. Optimistic, innocent and willing to learn, he shows us that intuition serves us well - but only if we pay attention to it.

Sometimes, we are operating from theory alone, and our knowledge may or may not be well grounded in reality. This card does not necessarily refer exclusively to beginnings, it can also signify a progression along a path, moving into the unknown from the known, a new phase in an ongoing process. The card may also represent untested concepts or ideas and suggest a need for balance between the intuititive and the rational as one approaches the unknown.

Consider where you are going. What are your long term goals? What are you doing that is helping you to move toward them?

And today’s card:

Death
Nature, timely endings, release liberation

The Death card indicates a significant change, one that involves letting gof of the old life in order to move forward into the new. What we really fear about death is the unknown, the what next of it all. We may be experiencing great pain as a result of holding on to aspects of life that we have outgrown, we hold on because we don't know what is next. We want guarantees and instead we get open doors into unknown, darked spaces. Yet, when we go through these doors, closing them behind us, we discover a whole new world - one in which we can grow and develop into more of what we have the potential of being.

Something has reached a natural ending, and there is substantial and irrevocable change in the works. This change may be inner or outer or, most likely, both. It is timely and natural, but there may be much resistance to it. Make room for the new in your life - let the old go, lovingly, gently, willingly.

I can highly recommend the purchase of these cards, even if all you want to do is sit and look at the artwork!

Brian Froud's website:
http://www.worldoffroud.com/

Jessica Macbeth's website:
http://www.jesamac.com/

Love
Tansy
x

Wednesday 8 September 2010

I do love magick, just when you are tootling along it smacks you in the face with it's synchronicity. Today I picked up a book I have had for a while, that I dip into on occasion - it is called Earth Wisdom by Glennie Kindred. It is a wonderful book that inspires us to restore our connection to the earth. The first part discusses how all things are connected, how we are the change, and how we can create it. The second section tackles a sabbat and the associated celebrations with reference to nature and each section also has a tree that is relevant to that sabbat. I looked up the section on Mabon - the Autumn Equinox (22nd Sept). The tree for this sabbat is the Blackthorn. And reading the information on it was so meaningful to my life at this present moment - oh the power of magick!

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)

Tree of hope and challenge

This small tree can be found in hedgerows and woods and if left will grow into a dense impenetrable thicket. It has long sharp thorns.

Blackthorn is the 14th tree of the Celtic Tree Ogham and represents a challenge and choice of perspective. It is associated with Saturn and Mars.

In the Autumn the blue black fruit, called sloes, are a symbol of the coming Winter.

Folklore and Legend:

A cold Spring was traditionally called a Blackthorn Winter, as little else would be out but the Blackthorn flowers.

Blackthorn itself has generally been thought of as a tree of bad luck or bad magic. The black rod or blasting rod was a blackthorn stick thought to have black powers used by evil witches and magicians. The thorns can certainly do harm, causing infection if the wounds are left untreated.

These superstitions have given Blackthorn a bad reputation. It was known as the keeper of dark secrets and was feared above all other trees.

Blackthorn was in fact used by the healers of the past because of its positive power of cleansing. Its ability to bring increased clarity and its strong life energy. It is linked to the rune Thorn, which brings protection and good luck. The dense Blackthorn thickets kept the Romans out of Anglesey in North Wales, making it the last Druid stronghold.

The wisdom of Blackthorn

Blackthorn has a misunderstood energy that teaches us to look beyond the surface and balance this with our intuition and a positive outlook. Everything that happens, even if it may look negative, can have a positive outcome and lead to a fruitful change. There is always another way of looking at things.

The thorns can be seen to represent our negative attitudes - sharp and dangerous to our own spirit and to those around us.

Blackthorn thickets create good psychic barriers and teach us to be aware of when we must protect ourselves from the malicious words or actions of others.

Blackthorn teaches us that at every moment in every situation we will have a choice. One choice is positive, supporting life and love, the other negative and destructive. We all have the choice which path we take and which world we choose to live in.

Herbal and Edible Uses:

Flowers - make an infusion for the treatement of fevers, blood disorders, lack of appetite, worms, bladder problems, skin problems and stomach craps. This is a gentle laxative and has a beneficial effect on the stomach. Eat a handful of the flowers every morning as a general early Spring tonic.

Leaves - an infusion of the leaves makes an excellent mouthwash and gargle for tonsilitis and laryngitis and once cool, can be used as a soothing eyebath.

Bark - make a decoction of the bark as a sedative and a calming tea for all nervous disorders. Collect only small pieces and shave them finely.

Fruit - sloes are best picked after the first frosts have softened them. They can also be rendered sweeter by burying them in straw lined pits deep in the ground for several months.

Add to other hedgerow fruit to make jam and also use in making wine. The juice makes a natural red dye and was used as marking ink.

Healing Properties:

Blackthorn helps us to remember that there is always a choice in the direction of our thoughts, our actions and our spirituality. Instead of war we can choose cooperation. Instead of struggle we can choose balance and union. Instead of revenge we can choose to share our feelings and develop understanding. Instead of us and them we can choose we.

We can learn to trust in our own integrity and find loving solutions to our problems to bring a fruitful outcome. We can choose to walk towards our most positive visions and hold them strong in our minds and hearts without giving up. True spirituality is found through the power of love, bringing any difficult situation to a positive conclusion.

Blackthorn has the ability to move deep blockages, bringing cleansing and release a new direction. Out of a difficult or negative situaiton can come an opportunity for positive action. This is its gift.


From Earth Wisdom by Glennie Kindred

Glennie Kindred's website http://www.glenniekindred.co.uk/
The image above is one of Glennie's and can be purchased via the website.
Tansy
x