1001 7- In the Middle Ages, priests actually said "Masses" to impose death spells on humans. Is such ritual being practiced today? We will probably never now, because secrecy in such groups would be assumed as * very * tight. As so many law-enforcement officers seem to be Christian, and many of the European governments are enthralled by this cult, we will probably * never * be able to find out the truth of this. 8- At every Christian service, donations from the membership is encouraged, and, as most such donations are done publically, "peer-pressure" to give large amounts of money is very high, and a feeling of guilt over * not * contributing could lead to psychotic episodes! The cult's attitude towards sexual feelings, that even * loo ing * at a person with even the tiniest feeling of "lust" is a "sin," is so rigid as to exclude at least 99 percent of the World's population from "Heaven" and thereby lead to irreconcilable guilt feelings on the part of the "sinners!" Could it be that many of the modern world's psychiatric problems can be traced to the beliefs of this cult? 9- The intolerant behaviour of Christianity is also well-documented in history, with its pogroms of Jews, burning of witches, Crusades against Islam,culture destruction and outrightgenocide in thePacific islands and Central and South America, and hatred of anything that is not "Christian." This has even extended to disruption of non-Christian religious services, and violent behaviour that is touted as simple "civil disobedience." Can such past behaviour repeat itself? History shows it does. 10- Proselytization, or the "conversion" of new members to the cult, is carried on in any number of ways, both with subtle blandishments and by outright fear and threats. To watch and listen to some street-preachers is aneducation inthe useof fear-inducingtechnique, and also of individual and mass hysteria similar to that inducedby Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebells! Why do these preachers do their best to induce such mass hysteria? One could as the same question about Hitler and Goebells, and maybe get the same answer! --------------------If your child, or a member of your family, is involved with this cult, * please * see help NOW! --------------------The author wishes to than the publishers of "File 18," and all the other cult-hunters and watchers out there, for their good and constant demonstrations of the techniques used in this article.

1002 M O D E R N P A G A N I S M : QUESTIONS & ANSWERS To promote community harmony and freedom of religious practice. Distributed by : The Committee for Religious Freedom, Salt La e City, Utah. Than s to LesleyPhillips andLinda Pinti ofThe Covenantof Unitarian Universalist Pagans for original material. Contemporarysociety isexperiencingaresurgence ofinterest in earth- and nature-centered spirituality. Modern Paganism is a rich and diverse religious movement drawing the attention of the media, law-ma ers, and spiritual see ers. This pamphlet attempts to answer some of the questions frequently as ed about modern Pagan beliefs and practices. What is Paganism? Theterm"Pagan" comesfrom aLatinword for"country dweller" first used in early Christian times to refer to those not yet converted to Christianity. "Pagan" was an epithet that cast aspersions on those not seen as "true believers." Today, it refers more general to the faith of those whose spiritual center is drawn to native and natural religions, usually pantheistic or polytheistic, and almost always earth-centered. What then is "Modern Paganism"? ModernPaganism,orNeo-Paganism, isamodern, Earth-centered religious perspective which borrows and adapts from pre-Christian paganism as well as from contemporary religious thought. While reconnecting with ancient wisdom, it spea s eloquently to the needs and concerns of the present. What is meant by "The Old Religion"? The term describes the pre-Christian religion of much of western and northern Europe, which was based on the agricultural cycles and other natural rhythms of the Earth. It coexisted with Christianity for centuries, from the so-called "Dar Ages" up until the Inquisition and the "Burning Times" (witch hunts) of the late Middle Ages. It also can refer more generally to other native and tribal religions of the world. What is the difference between Paganism and Witchcraft? SomecontemporaryPagans callthemselvesWitches.The termhas many meanings, some carrying rather heavy negative baggage. "Witchcraft" or "The Craft" is most properly applied to three broad categories: Descendants of the European witches of the Middle Ages, practitioners of the "reconstructed" Witchcraft of the 20th century, and "feminist Witches" whose religion and politics center in the contemporary womens' spirituality movement. It can generally be said that all modern Witches are Pagans, but not all modern Pagans are Witches. At least one writer, Aidan Kelly, has begun to use the term "Neo-Pagan Witchcraft" to describe the largest portion of the contemporary Pagan community.

1003 What is meant by the term "Wicca"? Oftenused asa synonymfor Witchcraft,"Wicca" isthought to derive from an Anglo-Saxon root meaning to bend or to turn. It is more properly applied only to those Witchcraft traditions which originated in or derive from practices in the British Isles. What about Shamanism? Shamanismisnot areligion, butaset ofspiritual techniques used for healing and the acquisition of nowledge through forays into non-ordinary states of consciousness. Now gaining increasing attention in the counseling profession, this journeying is usually aided by sonic driving (such as repetitive drumming or chanting) and often involves interactions with totemic and archetypal figures. These techniques are used in virtually every tribal society and are widely used by contemporary Pagans. What do modern Pagans believe? The centralbeliefs ofmodern Pagansdiffer in specificsyet share many fundamentals. Deity is seen as immanent rather than transcendent. Experience is preferred over doctrine. It is believed that there are and should be multiple paths to the Divine. There is no prescribed creed, but there are a number of beliefs shared by most contemporary Pagans, summarized at the end of this pamphlet. Isn't this just Humanism by another name? Noand Yes.Li ereligious Humanists,modernPagans havealove and reverence for this world and the physical plane generally. The rational is seen as important. Great emphasis is also placed on the intuitive, however, and the belief that the physical and non-physical worlds are equally real, and are interconnected, interpenetrating manifestations of nature. This means that spiritual wor , whether called meditation, prayer, or magic, and whether done as ritual, worship, or celebration, is efficacious and can result in changes in the physical world. The majority of Pagans also believe in the survival of the consciousness or soul after physical death. How do modern Pagans worship? Some groups have formalworship services or similar group meetings. Others conduct rituals that have varying degrees of set forms. Some Pagans worship by themselves without formal ritual. Most contemporary Pagans hold rituals corresponding to the turning of the seasons and the phases of the moon. Rituals are often performed in a sacred space defined by the demarcation of a circle, within which the celebration and worship ta e place. Celebrations include eight major seasonal holidays, sometimes collectively referred to as "Sabbats". These Sabbats, as most frequently observed by North American and European Pagans, follow the agricultural cycles of the northern temperate zone, and include the solstices and equinoxes as well as four intermediate festivals which fall in between, sometimes called "cross-quarters," on or near the first days of February, May, August, and November. Regular public Sabbat rituals, reflecting a variety of contemporary Pagan styles, are held in many communities. Rituals may include meditation, chanting, drumming, myth- and story-telling, ritual drama, dance, and so on. Deeper ritual wor is most often practiced at private gatherings, which for many traditions coincide with the phases of the moon. The wor may include more

intense raising of energy, development.

healing wor , and personal spiritual

1004 What about Satanism? Contrary to the claims of ill-informed Christian fundamentalists, the practices of modern Pagans are in no way related to Satanism. Most Pagans do not even believe Satan exists. As a profanation of Christian symbolism, Satan worship is a Christian heresy, not a Pagan religion. Do Pagans proselytize? No,Pagansdo notproselytize.Most modernPagantraditions do welcome newcomers. Most modern Pagans also do not discourage other Pagans from integrating other religious and spiritual practices and beliefs into their practice. WHAT CONTEMPORARY PAGANS BELIEVE while there is no set of beliefs shared by all Pagans, most would agree that similarities far outweigh differences. There are a number of beliefs held by the vast majority of modern Pagans. Some of these are: 1. Divinity is seen as immanent. 2. Divinity is as li ely to manifest itself in female as male form, the God or the Goddess, in the interconnectedness of all life. 3. Multiple paths to the divine exist, as symbolized by many goddesses and gods. These are often seen as archetypes or gateways to the unconscious. 4. We respect and love Mother Earth as a living being, Gaia, of which we are a part. 5. The physical world, as an emanation of the divine, is good and to be enjoyed by all living beings in love and harmony. 6. Ethics and morality are based on avoidance of harm to other beings, including Earth as a whole, which mandates environmental activism as a spiritual responsibility. 7. Human interdependence implies the need for community cooperation. 8. The solar and lunar cycles and the cycles of our lives are celebrated. This leads to the maintenance and revival of old customs and the creation of new ones. 9. A strong commitment to personal and planetary growth, evolution, and balance are vital. 10. One's lifestyle must be consistent with one's beliefs. The personal is political. 11. A minimum of dogma and a maximum of individual responsibility in all things are goals to strive for. Thus a healthy s epticism is to be fostered, and ideas are not to be accepted without personal investigation of their validity. 12. Messiahs and gurus are to be avoided. The mediation of another being is unnecessary for an individual to commune with Deity.

Power-from-within is preferred to power-over. 13. All beings are personal emanations of the Divine. Thou art Goddess, thou art God.

1005 CREED OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD We believe in one only God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Creator of things visible such as this world in which our brief life passes, ofthings invisible such as the pure spirits which are also called angels, and Creator in each man of his spiritual and immortal souls. We believe that his only God is absolutely one in his infinitely holy essence as also in all His perfections, in His omnipotence, His infinite nowledge, His providence, His will and His love. He is HE WHO IS, as He revealed to Moses; and He is LOVE, as the Apostle John teaches us: so that these two names, Being and Love, express ineffably the same divine reality of Him who has wished to ma e himself nown to us, and who "dwelling in light inaccessible," is in himself above every name, above every thing, and above every created intellect. God alone can give us light and nowledge of this reality by revealing himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in whose eternal life we are by grace called to share, here below in the obscurity of faith and after death in eternal light. The mutual bonds which eternally constitute the Three Persons, who are each one and the same Divine Being, are the blessed inmost life of God thrice holy, infinitely beyond all that we can conceive in human measure. We give than s, however, to the Divine Goodness that very many believers can testify with us before men to the unity of God, even though they now not the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. We believe then in God who eternally begets the Son, in the Son, the Word of God, who is eternally begotten, in the Holy Spirit, the uncreated Person, who proceeds from the Father and the Son as their eternal Love. Thus in the Three Divine Persons, COAETERNAE SIBI ET COAEQUALES, the life and beatitude of God perfectly one superabound and are consummated in the supreme excellence and glory proper to uncreated Being, and always "there should be venerated unity in the Trinity and Trinity in the unity." We believe in our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Son of God. He is the Eternal Word, born of the Father before time began, and consubstantial with the Father, HOMOOUSIOS TO PATRI, and through Him all things were made. He was incarnate of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was made man: equal therefore to the Father according to His divinity, and inferior to His Father according to His humanity, and himself one, not by some impossible confusion of His natures, but by the unity of His person. He dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. He proclaimed and established the Kingdom of God and made us now in Himself the Father. He gave us His new commandment to love one another as He loved us. He taught us the way of the Beatitudes of the Gospel: poverty in spirit, mee ness, suffering borne with patience, thirst after justice, mercy, purity of heart, will for peace, persecution suffered for justice sa e. He suffered under Pontious Pilate, the Lamb of God bearing on Himself the sins of the world, and he died for us on the Cross, saving us by His redeeming Blood. He was buried, and, of His own power, rose the third day, raising us by His Resurrection to that sharing in the divine life which is the life of grace. He ascended to heaven, and He will come again this time in glory, to judge the living and the dead:

each according to his merits--those who have responded to the love and piety of God going to eternal life, those who have refused them to the end going to the fire that is not extinguished. And His Kingdom will have no end.

1006 We believe inthe Holy Spirit, who is Lord,and Giver of life, Who is adored and glorified together with the Father and the Son. He spo e to us by the Prophets, He was sent by Christ after His Resurrection and His Ascension to the Father; He illuminates, vivifies, protects, and governs the Church; He purifies the Church's members if they do not shun His grace. His action, which penetrates to the inmost of the soul, enables man to respond to the call of Jesus: BE PERFECT AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS PERFECT. We believe thatMary is the Mother,who remained evera virgin, of the Incarnate Word, our God and Savior Jesus Christ, and that by reason of this singular election, she was in consideration of the merits of her Son, redeemed in a more eminent manner, preserved from all stain of original sin and filled with the gift of grace more than all other creatures. Joined by a close and indissoluble bond to the Mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemption, the Blessed Virgin, the Immaculate, was at the end of her earthly life raised body and soul to heavenly glory and li ened to her risen Son in anticipation of the future lot of all the just; and we believe that the Blessed Mother of God, the New Eve, Mother of the Church, continues, in her maternal role with regard to Christ's members, co-operating with the birth and growth of divine life in the souls of the redeemed. We believe that in Adam all have sinned, which means that the original offense committed by him caused human nature, common to all men, to fall to a state in which it bears the consequences of that offense, and which is not the state in which it was at first in our first parents, established as they were in holiness and justice, and in which man new neither evil nor death. It is human nature so fallen, stripped of the grace that clothed it, injured in its own natural powers and subjected to the dominion of death, that is transmitted to all men, and it is in this sense that every man is born in sin. We therefore hold, with the Council of Trent, that original sin is transmitted to human nature, "not by imitation but by propagation," and that it is thus "in each of us as his own." We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ, by the Sacrifice of the Cross, redeemed us from original sin and all the personal sins comitted by each one of us, so that, in accordance with the word of the Apostle, "where sin abounded, grace did more abound." We believe in one baptism instituted by Our Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Baptism should be administered even to little children who have not yet been able to be guilty of any personal sins, in order that, though born deprived of supernatural grace, they may be reborn "of water and the Holy Spirit to the divine life in Christ Jesus.

1007 We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, built by Jesus Christ in that roc which is Peter. She is the Mystical Body of Christ; at the same time a visible society instituted with hierarchical organs, and a spiritual community; the Church in earth, the pilgrim People of God here below, and the Church filled with heavenly blessings; the germ and the first fruits of the Kingdom of God, through wich the wor s and the sufferings of Redemption are continued throughout humanhistory, and which loo s for its perfect accomplishment beyond time in glory. In the course of time, the Lord Jesus formed His Church by means of the Sacrament emanating from His plenitude. By these she ma es her members participants in the mystery of the Death and Ressurection of Christ, in the grace of the Holy Spirit who gives her life and movement. She is therefore holy, though she has sinners in her bossom, because she herself has no other life but that of grace: it is by living by her life that her members are sanctified; it is by removing themselves from her life that they fall into sins and disorders that prevent the radiation of her sanctity. This is why she suffers and does penance for these offenses, of which she has the power to heal her children through the blood of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Heiress ofthe divinepromises anddaughter ofAbraham according to the Spirit, through that Israel whose Scriptures she lovingly guards, and whose patriarchs and prophets she venerates; founded upon the Apostles and handing on from century to century their ever-living words and their powers as pastors in the successor of Peter and the bishops in communion with him; perpetually assisted by the Holy Spirit, she has the charge of guarding, teaching, explaining, and spreading the truths which God revealed in a then veiled manner by the Prophets, and fully by the Lord Jesus. We believe ALL THAT IS CONTAINED IN THE WORD OF GOD WRITTEN OR HANDED DOWN, AND WHAT THE CHURCH PROPOSES FOR BELIEF AS DIVINELY REVEALED, WHETHER BY A SOLEMN JUDGMENT OR BY THE ORDINARY AND UNIVERSAL MAGISTERIUM. We believe in the infallibility enjoyed by the successor of Peter when he teaches ex-cathedra as pastor and teacher of all the faithful, and which is assured also to the episcopal body when it exercises with him the supreme magisterium. Webelieve that theChurch founded byJesus Christand for which He prayed is indefectibly one in faith, worship and the bond of hierarchical communion. In the bossom of this Church, the rich variety of liturgical rites and the legitimate diversity of theological and spiritual heritages and special disciplines, far from injuring her unity, ma e it more manifest. Recognizing also the existence, outside of the organism of the Church of Christ, of numerous elements of truth and sanctification which belong to her as her own and tend to Catholic unity, and believing in the action of the Holy Spirit who stirs up in the hearts of the disciples of Christ love of this unity, we entertain the hope that Christians who are not yet in the full communion of the one only Church will one day be reunited in one floc with one only Shepherd.

1008 We believe that the Church IS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION, BECAUSE CHRIST WHO IS THE SOLE MEDIATOR AND WAY OF SALVATION, RENDERS HIMSELF PRESENT FOR US IN HIS BODY WHICH IS THE CHURCH. But the divine design of salvation embraces all men; and those WHO WITHOUT FAULT ON THEIR PART DO NOT KNOW THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH, BUT SEEK GOD SINCERELY, AND UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GRACE ENDEAVOR TO DO HIS WILL AS RECOGNIZED THROUGH THE PROMPTINGS OF THEIR CONSCIENCE, they, in a number nown only to God, can obtain salvation. Webelieve that theMass, celebrated bythe priest representing the person of Christ by virtue of the power received through the Sacrament of Orders, and offered by him in the name of Christ and the members of His Mystical Body, is in true reality the Sacrifice of Calvary, rendered sacramentally present on our altars. We believe that as the bread and wine consecrated by the Lord at the Last Supper were changed into His Body and Blood which were to be offered for us on the Cross, li ewise the bread abd wine consecrated by the priest are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ enthroned gloriously in heaven, and we believe that the mysterious presence of the Lord, under what continues to appear to our sense as before, is a true, real, and substantial presence. Christ cannot be thus present in this sacrament except by the change into His Body of the reality itself of the bread and the change into His Blood of the reality itself of the wine, leaving unchanged only the properties of the bread and wine which our senses perceive. This mysterious change is very appropriately called by the Church TRANSUBSTANTIATION. Every theological explanation which see s some understanding of this mystery must, in order to be in accord with the Catholic faith, maintain that in the reality itself, independently of our mind, the bread and wine have ceased to exist after the Consecration, so that it is the adorable Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus that from then on are really before us under the sacramental species of bread and wine, as the Lord willed it, in order to give Himself to us as food and to associate us with the unity of the Mystical Body. The unique and indivisible existence of the Lord glorious in heaven is not multiplied, but is rendered present by the sacrament in the many places on earth where Mass is celebrated. And this existence remains present, after the sacrifice, in the Blessed Sacrament which is, in the tabernacle, the living heart of each of our churches. And it is our very sweet duty to honor and adore in the Blessed Host which our eyes see, the Incarnate Word which they cannot see, and who, without leaving heaven, is made present before us.

1009 We confess that the Kingdom of God begun here below in the Church of Christ IS NOT FROM THIS WORLD WHOSE FORM IS PASSING, and that its proper growth cannot be confounded with the progress of civilization, of science, or of human technology, but that it consists in an ever more profound nowledge of the riches of Christ, an ever stronger hope in eternal blessings, an ever more ardent response to the Love of God, and an ever more generous bestowal of grace and holiness among men. Without ceasing to recall to her children that THEY HAVE NOT HERE A LASTING DWELLING, she also urges them to contribute, each according to his vocation and means, to the welfare of their earthly city, to promote justice, peace and brotherhood among men, to give their aid freely to their brothers, especially to the poorest and most unfortunate. The deep solicitude of the Church, the spouse of Christ, for the needs of men, for their joys and hopes, their griefs and efforts, is therefore nothing other than her great desire to be present to them, in order to illuminate them with the Light of Christ and to gather them all in Him, their only Savior. This solicitude can never mean that the Church conform herself to the things of the world, or that she lessen the ardor of her expectation of the Lord and of the eternal Kingdom. We believe in the life eternal. We believe that the souls of all those who die in the grace of Christ, whether they must still be purified in Purgatory, or whether from the moment they leave their bodies Jesus ta es them to Paradise as He did for the Good Thief, are the People of God in the eternity beyond death, which will be finally conquered on the day of the Resurrection when these souls will be reunited with their bodies. We believe that the multitude of those gathered around Jesus and Mary forms the Church in Heaven, where in eternal beatitude they see God as He is, and where they also, in different degrees, are associated with the holy angels in the divine rule exercised by Christ in glory, interceding for us and helping us in our wea ness by their brotherly care. We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrim on earth, the dead who are attaining their purification, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion the merciful love of God and His Saints is ever listening to our prayers, as Jesus told us: As and you will receive. Thus it is with faith and in hope that we loo forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Blessed be God Thrice Holy. Amen. Pronounced infront of the Basilica of St. Peter, on June 30, 1968, the sixth year of our pontificate. POPE PAUL VI

1010 THE STANDING STONES BOOK OF SHADOWS by Scott Cunningham

excerpted from: WICCA A Guide For The Solitary Practioner PP. 111 - 187 1989, Llewellyn Publications ISBN 0-87542-118-0

1011 WORDS TO THE WISE .... O daughters andsons of theEarth, adore theGoddess and Godand be blessed with the fullness of life. Know thatThey havebrought youto thesewritings, forherein lie our ways of the Craft, to serve and fulfill the eepers of wisdom, the tenders of the sacred flame of nowledge. Run the rites with love and joy, and the Goddess and God will bless you with all that you need. But those who practice dar magic s shall now Their greatest wrath. Remember thatyou are ofthe Craft. No moredo you trodthe ways of doubt. You wal the path of light, ever climbing from shadow to shadow to the highest realm of existence. But though we're the bearers of truths, others do not wish to share our nowledge, so we run our rites beneath moon filled s ies enwrapped in shadows. But we are happy. Live fully, forthat is the purpose of life. Refrain not from earthly existence. From it we grow to learn and understand, until such time that we are reborn to learn more, repeating this cycle 'till we have spiralled up the path of perfection and can finally call the Goddess and God our in. Wal the fields andforests; be refreshedby the cool windsand the touch of a nodding flower. The Moon and Sun sing in the ancient wild places: The deserted seashore, the star desert, the roaring waterfall. We are of the Earth and should revere Her, so do Her honor. Celebratethe riteson theappropriate daysand seasons,and call upon the Goddess and God when the time is meet, but use the Power only when necessary, never for frivolous ends. Know that using the Power for harm is a Perversion of Life itself. But for those who love and magnify love, the richness oflife shall be your reward. Nature will celebrate. So love the Goddess and God, and harm none!

1012 THE NATURE OF OUR WAY * As often as possible, hold the rites in forests, by the seashore, on deserted mountaintops or near tranquil la es. If this is impossible, a garden or some chamber shall suffice, if it is readied with fumes of flowers. *See outwisdom inboo s, rare manuscriptsand crypticpoems if you will, but see it out also in simple stones and fragile herbs and in the cries of wild birds. Listen to the whisperings of the wind and the roar of water if you would discover magic , for it is here that the old secrets are preserved. * Boo s contain words;trees contain energies andwisdom boo s ne'er dreamt of. * Ever remember that the Old Ways are constantly revealing themselves. Therefore be as the river willow that bends and sways with the wind. That which remains changeless shall outlive its spirit, but that which evolves and grows will shine for centuries. * Therecan be no monopolyon wisdom. Thereforeshare what you will of our ways with others who see them, but hide mystic lore from the eyes of those who would destroy, for to do otherwise increases their destruction. * Moc not the rituals or spells of another, for who can say yours are greater in power or wisdom? *Ensure that your actions are honorable, for all that you do shall return to you three-fold, good or bane. * Be waryof one who would dominate you,who would control and manipulate your wor ings and reverences. True reverence for the Goddess and God occurs within. Loo with suspicion on any who would twist worship from you for their own gain and glory, but welcome those priestesses and priests who are suffused with love. * Honorall living things,for we are ofthe bird, thefish, the bee. Destroy not life save it be to preserve your own. * And this is the nature of our way.

1013 BEFORE TIME WAS Beforetime was, therewas The One;The One was all,and all was The One. Andthe vast expanse nown asthe universewas TheOne, all-wise, all-pervading, all-powerful, eternally changing. And space moved. The Onemolded energy into twin forms,equal but opposite, fashioning the Goddess and God from The One and of The One. The Goddess and God stretched and gave than s to The One,but dar ness surrounded them. They were alone, solitary save for The One. So They formed energy into gasses and gasses into suns and planets and moons; They sprin led the universe with whirling globes and so all was given shape by the hands of the Goddess and God. Light aroseand the s y wasilluminated by a billionsuns. And the Goddess and God, satisfied by their wor s, rejoiced and loved, and were one. From theirunion sprang the seedsof all life, andof the human race, so that we might achieve incarnation upon the Earth. TheGoddess chose theMoon as Hersymbol, and theGod the Sun as His symbol, to remind the inhabitants of Earth of their fashioners. All areborn, live, dieand are rebornbeneath the Sunand Moon; all things come to pass thereunder, and all occurs with the blessings of The One, as has been the way of existence before time was.

1014 SONG OF THE GODDESS I am the GreatMother, worshipped by all creationand existent prior to their consciousness. I am the primal female force, boundless and eternal. I am thechaste Goddessof the Moon,the Lady ofall magic . The winds and moving leaves sing my name. I wear the crescent Moon upon my brow and my feet rest among the starry heavens. I am mysteries yet unsolved, a path newly set upon. I am a field untouched by the plow. Rejoice in me and now the fullness of youth. I amthe blessed Mother,the gracious Lady ofthe harvest. I am clothed with the deep, cool wonder of the Earth and the gold of the fields heavy with grain. By me the tides of the Earth are ruled; all things come to fruition according to my reason. I am refuge and healing. I am the life-giving Mother, wondrously fertile.

I amthe Goddess of theMoon, the Earth,the Seas. Mynames and strengths are manifold. I pour forth magic and power, peace and wisdom. I am the eternal Maiden, Mother of all, and Crone of dar ness, and I send you blessings of limitless love.

CALL OF THE GOD I am the radiant King of the Heavens, floodingthe Earth with warmth and encouraging the hidden seed of creation to burst forth into manifestation. I lift my shining spear to light the lives of all beings and daily pour forth my gold upon the Earth, putting to flight the powers of dar ness. I am the master of the beasts wild and free. I run with the swift stag and soar as a sacred falcon against the shimmering s y. The ancient woods and wild places emanate my powers, and the birds of the air sing of my sanctity. I amalso the lastharvest, offering upgrain andfruits beneath the sic le of time so that all may be nourished. For without planting there can be no harvest; without winter, no spring. Worshipme as the thousand-namedSun of creation,the spirit of the horned stag in the wild, the endless harvest. See in the yearly cycle of festivals my birth, death and rebirth - and now that such is the destiny of all creation. I am the spar of life, the radiantSun, the giver of peaceand rest, and I send my rays of blessings to warm the hearts and

Worship me as and rebirth. I am the tides of women and men Though the dar ness of gift.

theCrone, tender of the unbro encycle of death wheel, the shadow of the Moon. I rule the and give release and renewal to weary souls. death is my domain, the joy of birth is my

strengthen the minds of all.

1015 THE CIRCLE OF STONES The Circle of stonesis used during indoor rituals,for energy raising, meditation and so on. First cleanse the area with the ritual broom. For this circle you willneed four large, flat stones. If you have none, candles can be used to mar the four cardinal points of the circle. White or purple candles can be used, as can colors related to each direction - green for the North, yellow for East, red for South and blue for West. Placethe first stone(or candle) tothe North, torepresent the Spirit of the North Stone. In ritual when you invo e the Spirits of the Stones you're actually invo ing all that resides in that particular direction, including the elemental energies. After setting theNorth Stone(or candle), placethe East,South and West Stones. They should mar out a rough square, nearly encompassing the wor ing area. This square represents the physical plane on which we exist - the Earth. Nowta e a long purpleor white cordand lay it outin a circle, using the four stones or candles to guide you. It ta es a bit of practice to smoothly do this. The cord should be placed so that the stones remain inside the circle. Now you have a square and a circle, the circle representing the spiritual reality. As such, this is a squared circle; the place of interpenetration of the physical and spiritual realms. The size of the circle can be anything from 5 to 20 feet depending on the room and your desires. Next, set up the altar. The following tools are recommended: * * * * * * * * * * * A Goddess symbol (candle, holed stone, statue) A God symbol (candle, horn, acorn, statue) Athame Wand Censer Pentacle A bowl of Water (spring, rain or tap) A bowl of Sea Salt (it can also be placed on the pentacle) Incense Flowers and greens One red candle in holder (if not using point candles) * Anyother tools ormaterials requiredfor the ritual,spell or magic al wor ing Set upthe altar accordingto theplan shown hereor accordingto your own design. Also be sure to have plenty of matches, as well as a small heat-proof container in which to place them when used. A charcoal bloc is also necessary to burn the incense.

1016 Goddess Symbol or Candle Censer Bowl of Water Red Candle Pentacle Cup Cauldron, or Spell Materials Incense Bowl of Salt God Symbol or Candle

Wand Bell

Knife Boline

Suggested Altar Layout Light thecandles. Set theincense smo ing. Lift theathame and touch its blade to the water, saying: I consecrate and cleanse this water that it may be purified and fit to dwell within the sacred Circle of Stones. In the name of the Mother Goddess and Father I consecrate this water.

As you do this, visualize your athame blasting away all negativity from the water. The salt is next touched with the point of the athame while saying: I bless this salt that it may be fit to dwell within the sacred Circle of Stones. In the name of the Mother Goddess and Father I bless this salt.

Now stand facing North,at the edge of thecord-mar ed circle. Hold your athame point outward at waist level. Wal slowly around the circle's perimeter cloc wise, your feet just inside the cord, charging it with your words and energy. Create the circle - through your visualization - with the power flowing out from your athame's blade. As you wal , stretch the energy out until it forms a complete sphere around the wor ing area, half above the ground, half below. As you do this say: Here is the boundary of the Circle of Stones.

God,

God,

Naught but love shall enter in, Naught but love shall emerge from within. Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones!

1017 When youhave arrived bac at the North,place the athameon the altar. Ta e up the salt and sprin le it around the circle, beginning and ending in the North, and moving cloc wise. Next, carry the smo ing censer from the altar, and finally sprin le water around the circle. Do more than carrying and wal ing; sense the substances purifying the circle. The Circle of Stones is now sealed. Holdaloft the wand atthe North, atthe edge ofthe circle, and say: O Spirit of the North Stone, Ancient One of the Earth, I call You to attend this circle. Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones! As yousay this,visualize agreenish mistrising and writhingin the Northern quarter, over the stone. This is the elemental energy of the Earth. When the Spirit is present, lower the wand, move to the East, raise it again and say: O Spirit of the East Stone, Ancient One of Air, I call You to attend this circle. Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones! Visualize theyellowish mistof Airenergy. Lowerthe wand,move to the South and repeat the following with your upraised wand, visualizing a crimson Fire mist: O Spirit of the South Stone, Ancient One of Fire, I call You to attend this circle. Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones! Finally, to the West, say with the wand held aloft: O Spirit of the West Stone, Ancient One of Water, I call You to attend this circle. Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones! Visualize the bluish mist, the essence of Water. The circle breaths and lives around you. The Spirits of the Stones are present. Feel the energies. Visualize the circle glowing and growing in power. Stand still, sensing for a moment. The Circleof Stones is complete. The Goddess and God may be called, and magic wrought.

1018 CUTTING A DOORWAY At times you may have to leave the circle. This is fine, of course, but as previously mentioned, passing through the circle dissipates it. To prevent this from occurring it's traditional to cut a doorway. Todo this,face Northeast. Hold yourathame pointdownward near the ground. See and sense the circle before you. Pierce its wall of energy with the athame and trace an archway, tall enough to wal through, moving counter-cloc wise along the circle for about three feet. Move the point of the athame up at the arch's center and down the other side until it is near the ground. As you're doingthis, visualizethat area ofthe circle'senergy being suc ed bac into the athame. This creates a void, allowing passage in and out of the circle. Pull the athame out of the circle's wall. You're free to wal outside. Oncebac inside, close the door by placing the athame at lower North-Eastern point of the archway. With your athame trace circle's perimeter cloc wise, as if redrawing that portion of Circle of Stones, again visualizing blue or purple energy flaring from the blade and converging with the rest of the circle. It done.

the the the out is

RELEASING THE CIRCLE Once the rite is ended, face North, hold aloft the wand and say: Farewell, Spirit of the North Stone. I give than s for your presence here. Go in power. Repeat this same formula to the East, South and West, substituting the proper direction in the words. Then return to the North and hold the wand aloft for a few moments. Lay the wandon the altar. Ta e up theathame. Standingin the North, pierce the circle's wall with the blade at waist level. Move cloc wise around the circle, visualizing it's power being suc ed bac into the athame. Literally pull it bac into the blade and handle. Sense the circle dissolving, shrin ing; the outside world slowly regaining its dominance in the area. When you arrive at the North again, the circle is no more.

1019 VISUALIZATIONS FOR THE CIRCLE OF STONES If you wish, you can bac up the circle casting with the following visualizations as you form the circle itself: Prepare asusual. Approachthe Northand set theNorth Stone(or the candle) on the ground. Then, visualize a stone slab standing upright two feet to the left of and behind the North Stone. Visualize this as being bluish-grey, two feet wide, two feet thic and six feet tall. This stone represents the Goddess. When thestone is really there- in your visualization- create another stone of the same size and color two feet to the right of and behind the North Stone. This represents the God. Now visualize a capstone resting on top of the two upright stones. It is about two feet by two feet by six feet. This represents The One before the Goddess and God, the source of all power and magic . The Northern Trilithon is now complete. Thestones form anarchway, a symbolof the gatewayto the realm of the element of Earth. Firmlyvisualize this, then gazethrough the archformed by the stones. See the greenish haze of the Earth energy. Repeat the entire procedure to the East, South and West. Visualize the appropriate elemental color within each trilithon. Now purify salt and water,cast the circle as usual, andcarry around the salt, censer, candle and water. As youapproach each quarterto callits Spirit ofthe Stone,see the trilithon firmly in your mind. Visualize it in all its Pagan splendor. See the elemental hazes within them, boiling and writhing in unmanifestedness. Stretch out with your feelings; sense the arrival of the spirit of each stone, then go on to the next. With practice this comes easily, but such visualizations are never necessary.

THE BLESSING CHANT The Blessing Chant can be said at the beginning of any type of ritual as a general invocation. Separate invocations of the Goddess and God may follow. May the powers of The One, the source of all creation; all-pervasive, omnipotent, eternal; may the Goddess, the Lady of the Moon; and the God, Horned Hunter of the Sun; may the powers of the Spirits of the Stones,

rulers of the elemental realms; may the powers of the stars above and the Earth below, bless this place, and this time, and I who am with you.

1020 THE SIMPLE FEAST Hold up a Chalice of wine (or some other liquid) betweenyour hands to the s y, and say: Gracious Goddess of Abundance, Bless this wine and infuse it with your In your names, Mother Goddess and Father God, I bless this wine (or brew, juice, etc.).

Hold upa plate ofca es (bread,biscuits) with bothhands tothe s y and say: Powerful God of the Harvest, Bless these ca es and infuse them with your In your names, Mother Goddess and Father God, I bless these ca es (or this bread).

CONSECRATION OF TOOLS Lightthe candles. Set the incensesmo ing. Castthe Circle of Stones. Place the tool on the pentacle, or a plate of salt. Touch it with the point of your athame (or your projective hand) and say: Iconsecrate you, O Athame of steel(or wand of wood, etc.) to cleanse and purify you to serve me within the Circle of Stones. In the names of the Mother Goddess and Father God, you are consecrated. Send projective energy into the tool, cleansing it of all negativity and past associations. Now pic it up and sprin le with salt, pass it through the incense smo e, through the candle flame and sprin le with water, calling upon the Spirits of the Stones to consecrate it. Then hold the tool to the s y, saying: I charge youby the OldOnes: By theomnipotent Goddess andGod: By the virtues of the Sun, Moon and Stars: By the powers of the Earth, Air, Fire and Water, that I shall obtain all that I desire through you. Charge this by your power, Old Ones! The toolshould immediately beput touse to strengthenand bind the consecration. For example, the athame can be used to consecrate another tool; a wand to invo e the Goddess; the pentacle to act as a resting place for a tool during its consecration.

love.

love.

1021 THE FULL MOON RITE Perform this at night,in the view ofthe Moon if possible. It is appropriate for crescents, white flowers, silver and other lunar symbols to be present on the altar for this ritual. The quartz crystal sphere can be placed on the altar as well. Or, if you prefer, use the cauldron (or a small white or silver bowl) filled with water. Place a piece of silver into the water. Arrangethe altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones. Stand beforethe altar andinvo e the Goddess andGod, with the Blessing Chant and/or any other invocations (see Prayers, Chants and Invocations in this Boo of Shadows). Now gaze at the Moon, ifpossible. Feel its energies sin ing into your body. Feel its cool Goddess energy wash you with power and love. Now say these or similar words: Wondrous Lady of the Moon You who greets the dus with silvered isses; Mistress of the night and of all magic s, who rides the clouds in blac ened s ies and spills light upon the cold Earth; O Lunar Goddess, Crescented-One, Shadow ma er and shadow brea er; Revealer of mysteries past and present; Puller of seas and ruler of women; All-wise Lunar Mother, I greet your celestial jewel at the waxing of its powers With a rite in Your honor. I pray by the Moon, I pray by the Moon, I pray by the Moon. Continue chanting"I pray bythe Moon" foras long asyou will. Visualize the Goddess if you so desire, perhaps as a tall, robust woman wearing silver jewelry and white, rippling, draped clothing. A crescent Moon may rest upon Her brow, or She may toss a glowing silvery white orb in Her hands. She treads the starfield of eternal night in an eternal round with Her lover, the Sun God, spreading moonrays wherever She goes. Her eyes laugh, Her s in is white and translucent. She glows. Nowis the timefor magic ofall types, forthe full ofthe Moon mar s the height of its powers, and all positive spells cast then are powerful.

FullMoons arealso excellenttimesfor meditation,mirror magic and psychic wor ings, for such are often more successful within the circle. Crystal-scrying is particularly recommended; flood the crystal with moonlight prior to the ritual. If you have no crystal

sphere, use the cauldron filled with water and the piece of silver. Gaze at the water (or at the Moon glinting on the silver) to awa en your psychic awareness.

1022 Lunar liquids such as lemonade, mil or white wine can be consumed during the simple feast that follows. Crescent ca es are traditional as well. Than the Goddess and God and release the circle. It is done. YULE (circa December 21) Thealtar isadorned withevergreens suchas pine,rosemary, bay, juniper and cedar, and the same can be laid to mar the Circle of Stones. Dried leaves can also be placed on the altar. The cauldron, resting onthe altar on a heat-proofsurface (or placed before it if too large), should be filled with ignitable spirit (alcohol), or a red candle can be placed within it. At outdoor rites, lay a fire within the cauldron to be lit during ritual. Arrange the altar, lightthe candles and incense, andcast the Circle of Stones. Recite the Blessing Chant. Invo e the Goddess and God. Stand before the cauldron and gaze within it. Say these or similar words: I sorrow not, though the world is wrapped in sleep. I sorrow not, though the icy winds blast. I sorrow not, though the snow falls hard and deep. I sorrow not, this too shall soon be past. Ignitethe cauldron (or candle),using long matchesor a taper. As the flame(s) leap up say: I light this fire in Your honor, Mother Goddess You have created life from death; warmth from cold; The Sun lives once again; the time of light is waxing. Welcome, ever-returning God of the Sun! Hail Mother of All! Circle the altar andcauldron slowly, cloc wise, watching the flames. Say the following chant for some time: The wheel turns; the power burns. Meditate upon the Sun,on the hidden energies lyingdormant in winter, not only in the Earth but within ourselves. Thin of birth not as the start of life but as its continuance. Welcome the return of the God.

1023 After a time cease and stand once again before the altar and flaming caldron. Say: Great God of the Sun, I welcome Your return. May You shine brightly upon the Goddess; may You shine brightly upon the Earth, scattering seeds and fertilizing the land. All blessings upon You, reborn One of the Sun! Wor s of magic , if necessary, may follow. Celebrate the Simple Feast. The circle is released. YULE LORE Onetraditional Yuletidepractice isthe creationof aYule tree. This can be a living, potted tree which can later be planter in the ground, or a cut one. The choice is yours. Appropriate Pagandecorations are fun to ma e,from strings of dried rosebuds and cinnamon stic s (or popcorn and cranberries) for garlands, to bags of fragrant spices which are hung from boughs. Quartz crystals can be wrapped with shiny wire and suspended from sturdy branches to resemble icicles. Apples, oranges and lemons hanging from boughs are stri ingly beautiful, natural decorations, and were customary in ancient times. Many enjoy the custom of lighting the Yule log. This is a graphic representation of the rebirth of the God within the sacred fire of the Mother Goddess. If you choose to burn one, select a proper log (traditionally of oa or pine). Carve or chal a figure of the Sun (such as a rayed disc) or the God (a horned circle or a figure of a man) upon it, with the Boline, and set it alight in the fireplace at dus on Yule. As the log burns, visualize the Sun shining within it and thin of the coming warmer days. As to food, nuts, fruits such as apples and pears, ca es of caraways soa ed in cider, and (for non-vegetarians) por are traditional fare. Wassail, lambswool, hibiscus or ginger tea and fine drin s for the Simple Feast or Yule Meals.

1024 IMBOLC (February 2) Asymbol ofthe season, suchas arepresentation ofa snow fla e, a white flower, or perhaps some snow in a crystal container can be placed on the altar. An orange candle anointed with mus , cinnamon, fran incense or rosemary oil, unlit, should also be there. Snow can be melted and used for the water during the circle casting. Arrangethe altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones. Recite the Blessing Chant. Invo e the Goddess and God. Say such words as the following: This is the time of the feast of torches, when every lamp blazes and shines to welcome the rebirth of the God. I celebrate the Goddess, I celebrate the God; all Earth celebrates Beneath its mantle of sleep. Light the orange taper fromthe red candle on the altar(or at the Southern point of the circle). Slowly wal the circle cloc wise, bearing the candle before you. Say these or similar words: All the land is wrapped in winter. The air is chilled and frost envelops the Earth. But Lord of the Sun, Horned One of animals and wild places, unseen you have been reborn of the gracious Mother Goddess, Lady of all fertility. Hail Great God! Hail and welcome! Stop before the altar, holding aloft the candle. Gaze atits flame. Visualize your life blossoming with creativity, with renewed energy and strength. If you need to loo into the future or past, now is an ideal time. Wor s of magic, if necessary, may follow. Celebrate the Simple Feast. The circle is released. IMBOLC LORE It istraditional uponImbolc, atsunset or justafter ritual,to light every lamp in the house - if only for a few moments. Or, light candles in each room in honor of the Sun's rebirth. Alternately, light a erosene lamp with a red chimney and place this in a prominent part of the home or in a window. If snow lies on the ground outside, wal in it for a moment, recalling the warmth of summer. With your projective hand, trace an image of the Sun on the snow.

1025 Foods appropriate to eat on this day include those from the dairy, since Imbolc mar s the festival of calving. Sour cream dishes are fine. Spicy and full-bodied foods in honor of the Sun are equally attuned. Curries and all dishes made with peppers, onions, lee s, shallots, garlic or chives are appropriate. Spiced wines and dishes containing raisins - all foods symbolic of the Sun - are also traditional. OSTARA (circa March 21) Flowersshould belaid onthe altar,placed around thecircle and strewn on the ground. The cauldron can be filled with spring water and flowers, and buds and blossoms may be worn as well. A small potted plant should be placed on the altar. Arrange the altar, lightthe candles and incense, andcast the Circle of Stones. Recite the Blessing Chant. Invo e the Goddess and God in whatever words please you. Stand before the altar and gaze upon the plant as you say: O Great Goddess, you have freed yourself from the icy prison of winter. Now is the greening, when the fragrance of flowers drifts on the breeze. This is the beginning. Life renews itself by Your magic , the Earth Goddess. The God stretches and rises, eager in His youth, and bursting with the promise of summer. Touch theplant. Connect with itsenergies and, throughit, all nature. Travel inside its leaves and stems through your visualization - from the center of your consciousness out through your arm and fingers and into the plant itself. Explore its inner nature; sense the miraculous processes of life at wor within it. After a time, still touching the plant, say: I wal the Earth in friendship, not in dominance. Mother Goddess and Father God, instillwithinme throughthis plantawarmth forall living things. Teach me to revere the Earth and all its treasures. May I never forget. Meditate uponthe changing of theseasons. Feelthe rousing of energies around you in the Earth. Wor s of magic , if necessary, may follow. Celebrate the Simple Feast. The circle is released.

1026 EOSTRA LORE A traditional VernalEquinox pastime:go to afield andrandomly collect wildflowers [Than the flowers for their sacrifice before pic ing them, using a collection formula such as can be found in "An Herbal Grimoire" elsewhere in this Boo of Shadows]. Or buy some from a florist, ta ing one or two of those that appeal to you. Then bring them home and divine their magic al meanings by the use of boo s, your own intuition, a pendulum or by other means. The flowers you've chosen reveal your inner thoughts and emotions.

Other traditionalactivities include plantingseeds, wor ingon magic al gardens and practicing all forms of herb wor - magic al, medicinal, cosmetic, culinary and artistic. Foods intune with thisday (lin ingyour meals withthe seasons is a fine way of attuning with nature) include those made of seeds, such as sunflower, pump in and sesame seeds, as well as pine nuts. Sprouts are equally appropriate, as are leafy, green vegetables. Flower dishes such as stuffed nasturtiums or carnation cupca es also find their place here. [Find a boo of flower coo ing or simply ma e spice cupca es. Ice with pin frosting and place a fresh carnation petal on each cupca e. Stuff nasturtium blossoms with a mixture made with cream cheese, chopped nuts, chives and watercress.]

BELTANE (April 30) If possible,celebrate Beltanein a forestor neara livingtree. If this is impossible, bring a small tree within the circle, preferably potted; it can be of any type. Create a small to en or charm in honor of the wedding of the Goddess and God to hang upon the tree. You can ma e several if you desire. These to ens can be bags filled with fragrant flowers, strings of beads, carvings, flower garlands - whatever your talents and imagination can conjure. Arrangethe altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones. Recite the Blessing Chant Invo e the Goddess and God. Stand before the altar and say, with wand upraised: O Mother Goddess, Queen of the night and of the Earth; O Father God, King of the day and of the forest, IcelebrateYour unionas naturerejoicesin ariotous blaze

It isimportant at thistime ofrenewed life toplan a wal ride) through gardens, a par , woodlands, forest and other places. This is not simply exercise, and you should be on no mission. It isn't even just an appreciation of nature. Ma e wal celebratory, a ritual for nature itself.

(or a green other your

of color and life. Accept my gift, Mother Goddess and Father God, in honor of Your union.

1027 Place the to en(s) on the tree. From Your mating shall spring forth life anew; a profusion of living creatures shall cover the lands, and the winds will blow pure and sweet. O Ancient Ones, I celebrate with You! Wor s of magic , if necessary, may follow. Celebrate the Simple Feast. The circle is released. BELTANE LORE Weavingand plaiting are traditionalarts at thistime of year, for the joining together of two substances to form a third is in the spirit of Beltane. Foods traditionally come from the dairy, and dishes such as marigold custard (see recipes - food) and vanilla ice cream are fine. Oatmeal ca es are also appropriate.

MIDSUMMER (circa June 21) Before the rite, ma e upa small cloth pouch filled withherbs such as lavender, chamomile, St. John's Wort, vervain, or any of the Midsummer herbs listed in "An Herbal Grimoire." Mentally pour all your troubles, problems, pains, sorrows and illnesses, if any, into this petition as you construct it. Tie it shut with a red string. Place this on the altar for use during the rite. The cauldron should also be there or nearby. Even if you use candles to mar the quarters, the red candle in a holder should also be on the altar. For outdoor rituals, light a fire - however small - and drop the pouch into this. Arrangethe altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones. Recite the Blessing Chant. Invo e the Goddess and God. Stand before the altar and say, with wand upraised: I celebrate the noon of summer with mystic rites. O great Goddess and God, allnaturevibrateswith YourenergiesandtheEarth isbathed with warmth and life. Now is the time of forgetting past cares and banes; O fiery Sun, burn away the unuseful, the hurtful, the bane, in Your omnipotent power. Purify me!

Purify me! Purify me!

1028 Lay thewand onthe altar. Ta e up theherbal petitionand light it in the red candle on the altar (or, if outdoors, the ritual fire). When it is burning drop it into the cauldron (or some other heat-proof container) and say: I banish you by the powers of the Goddess and I banish you by the powers of the Sun, Moon and Stars! I banish you by the powers of the Earth, Air, Fire and Water! say: O Gracious Goddess, O Gracious God, onthis night of Midsummermagic I pray charge my life with wonder and joy. Help me in attuning with the energies adrift enchanted night air. I give than s.

Pause,seeing thehurts andpains burninginto nothingness. Then

Reflect upon the purification you have undergone. Feel the powers of nature flowing through you, washing you clean with divine energy. Wor s of magic , if necessary, may follow. Celebrate the Simple Feast. The circle is released.

MIDSUMMER LORE Midsummeris practically theclassic time toperform magic s of all inds. Healings, love magic and protections are especially suitable. Herbs can be dried over the ritual fire if you're celebrating outdoors. Leap the fire for purification and renewed energy. Fresh fruits are standard fare for Midsummer.

God!

that You on the

1029 LUGHNASADH (August 1) Placeupon the altarsheaves of wheat,barley or oats,fruit and breads, perhaps a loaf fashioned in the figure of the Sun or a man to represent the God. Corn dollies, symbolic of the Goddess, can be present there as well. Arrangethe altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones. Recite the Blessing Chant. Invo e the Goddess and God. Stand before the altar, holding aloft the sheaves of grain, saying these or similar words: Now is the time of the First Harvest, when thebounties ofnaturegive ofthemselvesso thatwemay survive. O God of the ripening fields, Lord of the Grain, grant methe understanding ofsacrifice as Youprepare to deliver Yourself under the sic le of the Goddess and journey to the lands of eternal summer. O Goddess of the Dar Moon, teachmethe secretsofrebirth asthe Sunlosesits strength and the nights grow cold. Rub theheads of the wheatwith your fingers sothat the grains fall onto the altar. Lift a piece of fruit and bite it, savoring its flavour, and say: I parta e of the first harvest, mixing itsenergieswithmine thatImay continuemyquestfor the starry wisdom of perfection. O Lady of the Moon and Lord of the Sun, gracious ones before Whom the stars halt their courses, I offer my than s for the continuing fertility of the Earth. May the nodding grain loose its seeds to be buried in the Mother's breast, ensuring rebirth in the warmth of the coming Spring. Consume the rest of the fruit. Wor s of magic , if necessary, may follow. Celebrate the Simple Feast. The circle is released.

1030 LUGHNASADH LORE It is appropriate toplant the seedsfrom the fruit consumedin ritual. If they sprout, grow the plant with love and as a symbol of your connection with the Goddess and God. Wheat weaving (the ma ing of corn dollies, etc.) is an appropriate activity for Lughnasadh. Visits to fields, orchards, la es and wells are also traditional. The foods of Lughnasadh include bread, blac berries and all berries, acorns (leached of their poisons first), crab apples, all grains and locally ripe produce. A ca e is sometimes ba ed, and cider is used in place of wine. If youdo ma e afigure of theGod from bread,it can beused for the Simple Feast. MABON (circa September 21) Decorate the altar with acorns, oa sprigs, pine and cypress cones, ears of corn, wheat stal s and other fruits and nuts. Also place there a small rustic bas et filled with dried leaves of various colors and inds. Arrangethe altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones. Recite the Blessing Chant. Invo e the Goddess and God. Standbefore the altar, holdingaloft the bas etof leaves, and slowly scatter them so that they cascade to the ground within the circle. Say such words as these: Leaves fall, the days grow cold. The Goddess pulls Her mantle of the Earth around Her as You, O Great Sun God, sail toward the West to the lands of Eternal Enchantment., wrapped in the coolness of night. Fruits ripen, seeds drop, the hours of day and night are balanced. Chill winds blow in from the North wailing laments. In this seeming extinction of nature's power, O Blessed Goddess, I now that life continues. For spring is impossible without the second harvest, as surely as life is impossible without death. Blessings upon You, O Fallen God, as You journey into the lands of winter and into the Goddess' loving arms.

1031 Place the bas et down and say: O Gracious Goddess of all fertility, Ihave sownandreapedthe fruitsofmy actions,goodandbane. Grantme the courageto plantseeds of joyand lovein the coming year, banishing misery and hate. Teach me the secrets of wise existence upon this planet, O Luminous One of the Night! Wor s of magic , if necessary, may follow. Celebrate the Simple Feast. The circle is released. MABON LORE A traditional practice is to wal wild places and forests, gathering seed pods and dried plants. Some of these can be used to decorate the home; others saved for future herbal magic . The foods ofMabon consistof the secondharvest's gleanings,so grains, fruit and vegetables predominate, especially corn. Corn bread is traditional fare, as are beans and ba ed squash.

1032 Samhain (October 31) Placeupon thealtarapples, pomegranates,pump ins, squashesand other late autumn fruits. Autumn flowers such as marigolds and chrysanthemums are fine too. Write on a piece of paper an aspect of your life which you may wish to be free of; anger, a baneful habit, misplaced feelings, disease. The cauldron or some similar tool must be present before the altar as well, on a trivet or some other heat-proof surface (if the legs aren't long enough). A small, flat dish mar ed with an eight-spo ed wheel symbol should also be there. [This is just what it sounds li e. On a flat plate or dish, paint a large circle. Put a dot in the center of this circle and paint eight spo es radiating out from the dot to the larger circle. Thus, you have a wheel symbol - a symbol of the Sabbats, a symbol of timelessness.] Prior toritual, sit quietlyand thin of friends andloved ones who have passed away. Do not despair. Know that they have gone on to greater things. Keep firmly in mind that the physical isn't the absolute reality, and souls never die. Arrangethe altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones. Recite the Blessing Chant. Invo e the Goddess and God. Lift one of the pomegranates and, with your freshly-washed Boline, pierce the s in of the fruit. Remove several seeds and place them on the wheel-mar ed dish. Raise your wand, face the altar and say: On this night of Samhain I mar Your passing, O Sun King, through the sunset into the Land of the I mar also the passing of all who have gone and all who will go after. O Gracious Goddess, Eternal Mother, You who gives birth to the fallen, teach meto now that inthe time of the dar ness there is the greatest light.

Taste the pomegranate seeds; burst them with your teeth and savour their sharp, bittersweet flavour. Loo down as the eight-spo ed symbol on the plate; the Wheel of the Year, the Cycle of the Seasons, the End and Beginning of all Creation. Light a firewithin the cauldron(a candle isfine). Sitbefore it, holding the piece of paper, gazing at its flames. Say: Wise One of the Waning Moon, Goddess of the Starry Night, I createthis firewithin Your cauldronto that which is plaguing me. May the energies be reversed: From the dar ness, light!

Young. before,

greatest

transform

From bane, good! From death, birth!

1033 Light thepaper in thecauldron's flames anddrop it inside. As it burns, now that your ill diminishes, lessens and finally leaves you as it is consumed within the universal fires. [The cauldron, seen as the Goddess.] If you wish, you may attempt scrying or some other form of divination, for this is a perfect time to loo into the past or future. Try to recall past lives too, if you will. But leave the dead in peace. Honor them with your memories but do not call them to you. [Many Pagans do attempt to communicate with their deceased ancestors and friends at this time, but it seems to me that if we accept the doctrine of reincarnation, this is a rather strange practice. Perhaps the personalities that we new still exist, but if the soul is currently incarnate in another body, communication would be difficult, to say the least. Thus, it seems best to remember them with peace and love - but do not call them up.] Release any pain and sense of loss you may feel into the cauldron's flames. Wor s of magic , if necessary, may follow. Celebrate the Simple Feast. The circle is released.

SAMHAIN LORE It is traditional on Samhain night to leave a plate of food outside the home for the souls of the dead. A candle placed in the window guides them to the Lands of Eternal Summer, and burying apples in the hard-pac ed earth "feeds" the passed ones on their journey. Forfood, beets,turnips,apples, corn,nuts, gingerbread,cider, mulled wines and pump in dishes are appropriate, as are meat dishes (once again, if you're not vegetarian. If so, tofu seems ritually correct).

1034 A RITUAL OF GESTURES Stand in the ritualarea. Stillyour thoughts. Breathedeeply for half a minute or so until composed and calm. Turn your mind to our Deities. Face North. Lift bothhands to waistheight, palms down. Press your fingers together, creating two solid, flat planes. Sense solidity, foundation, fertility. Invo e the powers of the Earth through the gesture. Moments Later, turn toward the East. Raise your hands a foot higher, your palms facing away from you (no longer parallel with the ground), and elbows slightly bent. Spread your fingers and hold this position, sensing movement and communication. Invo e the forces of Air through the gesture. Face South. Lift your handsfully above yourhead. Keepingthe elbows straight, grasp your fingers into tight fists. Feel force, power, creation and destruction. Invo e the forces of Fire through the gesture. Turn to the West. Lower your hands a foot or so. Bend the elbows, turn your palms upward and cup them, pressing the thumbs against the forefingers. Sense fluidity, the ocean, liquidity. Invo e the forces of Water through the gesture. Face Northagain. Throw yourhead bac and raiseboth hands to the s y, palms up, fingers spread. Drin in the essence of The One, the un nowable, unapproachable ultimate source of all. Sense the mysteries within the universe. Lower your projective hand (your writing hand) but eep your receptive hand high. Pressing the third, forth and fifth fingers against the palm, lift the forefinger and thumb to create a rough crescent shape. Sense the reality of the Goddess. Sense Her love, Her fertility, Her compassion. Sense the powers of the Moon in the gesture; the force of the eternal seas - the presence of the Goddess. Lower your receptivehand; liftyour projective hand. Benddown the middle and forth fingers toward the palm, and trap them with the thumb. Lift the forefinger and little finger up to the s y, creating a horned image. Sense the reality of the God. Sense the power of the Sun in the gesture; the untamed energies of the woodlands - the presence of the God. Lower yourprojective hand. Laydown flat. Spread yourlegs and arms until you've created the pattern of a pentagram. Sense the powers of the elements running through you; merging and coalescing into your being. Sense them as emanations from The One, the Goddess and God. Meditate. Commune. Communicate. When finished, simply stand up. Your rite of gestures is over.

1035 THE LAW OF THE POWER 1. The Power shall not be used to bring harm, to injure or control others. But if the need rises, the Power shall be used to protect your life or the life of others. 2. The Power is used only as need dictates. 3.The Power can be usedfor your own gain, aslong as by doing so you harm none. 4.It is unwiseto accept money forthe use ofthe Power, for it quic ly controls its ta er. Be not as those of other religions. 5. Use not the Power forprideful gain, for such cheapens the mysteries of the Craft and magic . 6. Everremember that the Poweris a sacred giftof the Goddess and God, and should never be misused or abused. 7. And this is the Law of the Power.

INVOCATION OF THE ELEMENTS Air, Fire, Water, Earth, Elements of Astral birth, I call you now; attend to me! In the circle, rightly cast, Safe from psychic curse or blast, I call you now, attend to me! From cave and desert, sea and hill, By blade and wand, cup and pentacle, I call you now; attend to me! This is my will, so mote it be! [This invocation may be chanted while moving or dancing around the altar to raise elemental energy for magic al wor ings.]

PRAYERS, CHANTS AND INVOCATIONS OF AND TO THE GODDESS AND GOD These prayers can be used toinvo e the Goddess and Godduring ritual, just after the circle casting. Of course, any which you compose or are inspired to say and be used as well. A fewchants arealso includedto raise energyor tocommune with the deities. Someof theseinvocations rhyme, andsome donot. But recall the power of rhyme - it lin our conscious mind to the unconscious or psychic mind, thereby producing ritual consciousness. Some of these are related to specific deities but, as Dion Fortune wrote: "All the gods are one god; and all the goddesses are one goddess, and there is only one initiator."

1036 INVOCATION TO THE GODDESS Crescent One of the starry s ies, Flowered One of the fertile plan, Flowing One of the ocean's sighs, Blessed One of the gentle rain; Hear my chant 'midst the standing stones, Open me to your mystic light; Wa en me to your silver tones, Be with me in my sacred rite!

INVOCATION TO PAN O Great God Pan, Beast and man, Shepherd of goats and Lord of the Land, I call you to attend my rites On this most magic al of nights. God of the wine, God of the vine, God of the fields and God of the ine, Attend my circle with your love And send Your blessings from above. Help me to heal; Help me to feel; Help me to bring forth love and weal. Pan of the forests, Pan of the glade, Be with me as my magic is made!

ISIS INVOCATION Isis of the Moon, You who are all that ever was, All that is, And all that shall be: Come, veiled Queen of Night! Come as the scent of the sacred lotus Charging my circle With love and magic . Do descend upon my circle, I pray, O Blessed Isis!

PRAYER TO THE HORNED GOD Horned One of the wilderness, Winged One of the shining s ies, Rayed One of the spen'drous Sun, Fallen One of the Samhain criesI call amidst the standing stones Praying that You, O Ancient One,

Will deign to bless my mystic ritesO fiery Lord of the Blazing Sun!

1037 NEW MOON CHANT TO DIANA Waxing, waxing, growing, growingDiana's power is flowing, flowing. (repeat)

CALL TO THE GOD Ancient God of the forest deeps, Master of beast and Sun; Here where the world is hushed and sleeps Now that the day is done. I call You in the ancient way Here in my circle round, As ing that You will hear me pray And send Your Sun force down.

INVOCATION TO THE GODDESS Gracious Goddess, You who are the Queen of the Gods, The lamp of night, the creator of all that is wild and free; Mother of woman and man; Lover of the Horned God and protectress of all the Descend, I pray, With Your Lunar ray of power Upon my circle here! INVOCATION TO THE GOD Blazing God, You who are the King of the Gods, Lord of the Sun, Master of all that is wild and free; Father of woman and man, Lover of the Moon Goddess and protector of all the Descend I pray, With you Solar ray of power Upon my circle here!

GODDESS CHANT Luna, Luna, Bless Luna, Luna, Luna, Diana Luna, Luna, Diana me, bless me, bless me, Diana, Luna, Luna, Diana (repeat)

Craft:

Craft:

1038 EVENING CHANT TO THE GOD Hail fair Sun, Ruler of day; Rise on the morn To light my way. (to be said while watching the sunset)

EVENING CHANT TO THE GODDESS Hail fair Moon Ruler of night; Guard me and mine Until the light. (to be said while Moon-gazing at night)

GODDESS CHANT Aaaaaaaaaaaaah Oooooooooooooh Uuuuuuuuuuuuuu Eeeeeeeeeeeeee Iiiiiiiiiiiiii [These are obviously, the vowels of the English language. Pronounce them as: A-"Ah," O-"O," U-"Oo," E-"E," I-"Eye." Extend the vowels as you vocalize them, stretch the sounds. This produces Goddess awareness, and rouses the psychic mind]

1039 THE LORE OF NUMBERS To be used in ritual and magic al wor ings. In general, odd numbers are related to women, receptive energy and the Goddess; even numbers to men, projective energy and the God. 1. The universe; The One; the source of all.

2. The Goddess and God; The perfect duality; projective and receptive energy; the couple; personal union with deity; interpenetration of the physical and spiritual; balance. 3. The Triple Goddess; the Lunar phases; the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of our species. 4. The elements; the Spirits of the Stones; the winds; the seasons. 5. The senses; the pentagram; the elements plus A asha; a Goddess number.

8. 9. 13. 15.

The number of Sabbats; a number of the God. A number of the Goddess. The number of Esbats; a fortunate number. A number of good fortune.

21. The number of Sabbats and Esbats in the Pagan year; a number of the Goddess. 28. 101. A number of the Moon; a number of the goddess. The number of fertility.

The planets are numbered thus: Saturn Jupiter Mars Sun 3 4 5 6 Venus Mercury Moon 7 8 9

7. The planets which the ancients phase; power; protection and magic .

new; the time of the Lunar

1040 THIRTEEN GOALS OF A WITCH I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. Know yourself Know your Craft (Wicca) Learn Apply nowledge with wisdom Achieve balance Keep your words in good order Keep your thoughts in good order Celebrate life Attune with the cycles of Terra Breathe and eat correctly Exercise the body Meditate Honor the Goddess and God

RECIPES FOR FOOD

CRESCENT CAKES 1 1 1/4 1/2 2 1/2 1 cup firmly ground almonds cups flour cup confectioner's sugar drops almond extract cup butter, softened egg yol

Combinealmonds, flour,sugarand extractuntil thoroughlymixed. with the hands, wor in butter and egg yol until well-blended. Chill dough. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of walnuts and shape into crescents. Place on greased sheets and ba e for about 20 minutes. Serve during Simple Feast, especially at Esbats.

1041 BELTANE MARIGOLD CUSTARD

Using a cleanmortar and pestle reservedfor coo ing purposes, pound marigold petals. Or, crush with a spoon. Mix the salt, sugar and spices together. Scald mil with the marigolds and the vanilla bean. Remove the vanilla bean and add the slightly beaten yol s and dry ingredients. Coo on low heat. When the mixture coats a spoon, add rose water and cool. Top with whipped cream, garnish with fresh marigold petals.

SOFT MEAD 1 1 1 1/2 quart water, preferably spring water cup honey sliced lemon tsp. nutmeg

Boil together all ingredients in a non-metallic pot. While boiling, scrape off the rising "scum" with a wooden spoon. When no more rises add the following: pinch salt juice of 1/2 lemon Strain andcool. Drin in placeof alcoholic meador wineduring the Simple Feast.

BEVERAGES If you wish to avoid the use of wine, which has long been utilized in religious and magic al rites, there are many other beverages that can be used to toast the Goddess and God. These include (but certainly aren't limited to): Sabbats: apple juice, grape juice, grapefruit juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, blac tea, soft mead, guava nectar, cinnamon coffee, ginger tea, hibiscus tea Esbats: lemonade, apricot nectar, mango nectar, pear nectar, papaya nectar, peach nectar, jasmine tea, peppermint tea, rosebud tea, mil

2 1 1/4 3 1 3 1/8 1/8 1/2

cups mil cup unsprayed marigold petals tsp. salt tbsp. sugar to 2-inch piece vanilla bean egg yol s, slightly beaten tsp. allspice tsp. nutmeg tsp. rose water whipped cream

1042 RECIPES FOR INCENSES To ma e incenses, simply grind the ingredients and mix them together. As you mix, sense their energies. Burn on charcoal bloc s in the censer during ritual.

CIRCLE INCENSE

ALTAR INCENSE 3 parts Fran incense 2 parts Myrrh 1 part Cinnamon Burn as a general incense on the altar to purify it and to promote ritual consciousness during rituals.

FULL MOON RITUAL INCENSE

Burn during Esbats or simply at the time of the Full Moon to attune with the Goddess.

SPRING SABBAT INCENSE

3 2 1 1

parts Fran incense parts Sandalwood part Benzoin part Cinnamon

2 2 1/2 1/4

parts Sandalwood parts Fran incense part Gardenia petals part Rose petals a few drops Ambergris oil

Burn in the circle for all types of rituals and spells. Fran incense, myrrh and benzoin should definitely constitute the bul of the mixture.

4 2 2 1 1/2 1/2 1/4 1/4 1/4

parts Fran incense parts Myrrh parts Benzoin part Sandalwood part Cinnamon part Rose petals part Vervain part Rosemary part Bay

a few drops Patchouly oil Burn during spring and summer Sabbat rituals.

1043 FALL SABBAT INCENSE

Burn during fall and winter Sabbat rituals.

RECIPES FOR OILS To create oils, simply mix themin a bottle. Wear for ritual purposes.

SABBAT OIL #1 3 parts Patchouly 2 parts Mus 1 part Carnation Wear to the Sabbats to promote communion with the deities.

SABBAT OIL #2

Use as the above formula.

FULL MOON OIL #1 4 parts Gardenia 2 parts Lotus 1 part Jasmine Anoint the body prior to Esbats to attune with Lunar energies.

FULL MOON OIL #2 3 parts Sandalwood 2 parts Lemon 1 part Rose

2 1 1 1

parts Fran incense part Myrrh part Carnation part Allspice

3 2 1 1 1

parts Fran incense parts Myrrh part Rosemary part Cedar part Juniper

Another li e the above.

1044 GODDESS OIL 3 2 1 1 1 parts Rose parts Gardenia part Lemon part Lotus part Ambergris Wear to honor the Goddess during rituals.

HORNED GOD OIL

Wear to honor the Horned God during rituals.

ALTAR OIL

Anoint thealtar withthis oilat regularintervals topurify and empower it.

4 3 1 1 1

parts Fran incense parts Myrrh part Galangal part Vervain part Lavender

2 2 1 1 1

parts Fran incense parts Cinnamon part Bay part rosemary part Mus

1045 OF GATHERING FLOWERS, HERBS AND PLANTS: Before cutting with the Boline, attune with the plantthrough visualization. Feel its energies. As you cut, say these or similar words:

If it isa tree, substitute theappropriate word (tree ofoa ). Gently cut only what you need, and never from very young plants or more than twenty-five percent of the growth. At the base of the plant leave an offering: a silver coin, a bright jewel, a bit of wine or mil , grain, a quartz crystal and so on. Cover the offering and it is done.

OF THE CIRCLE The magic circle may be fashioned with garlands of flowers sacred to the Goddess and God. Alternately, flowers can be scattered around the perimeter of the circle. The point stones may be ringed with fresh flowers and herbs suitable to the elements, such as: North: corn, cypress, fern, honeysuc le, wheat, vervain East: acacia,bergamot,clover, dandelion,lavender,lemongrass, mint, mistletoe, parsley, pine South:basil, carnation, cedar,chrysanthemum, dill, ginger, heliotrope, holly, juniper, marigold, peppermint West: apple blossoms,lemon balm,camellia, catnip,daffodil, elder, gardenia, grape, heather, hibiscus, jasmine, orchid Fresh flowers may be present on the altar or, if none are available, greens such as ferns may be used. When casting the circle around a tree, youcan use the fruit, leaves, nuts or flowers of that tree to mar out the circle, if desired. All of these can be used in addition to the cord and stones.

Olittle plant of (name, such as hyssop, etc.) I as that you give of your bounty that it may aid me in my wor . Grow stronger by my stro e, stronger and more powerful, O plant of (name)!

1046 OF THE BALEFIRE: If you wish to build a fire for an outdoor ritual, it can be composed of all or any combination of the following woods: Rowan Mesquite Oa Pine Apple Dogwood Poplar Juniper Cedar

If these are unavailable, use native woods. Rites run on the seashore can be illuminated with balefires of dried driftwood collected prior to the rite.

OF THE HOME CIRCLE: Magic al plants growing outside the home incontainers can be placed around the circle or on the altar during ritual. If you primarily wor indoors, choose an odd-numbered selection of sacred plants and grow these in your ritual area. If they need more sunlight, simply move them outdoors and bring inside during ritual. Give them energy and love, and they'll aid you in your worship and magic . Though anybut poisonousplants canbe used,such plantsas these are recommended: African Violets Cacti (all types Ferns (all types) Holly Hyssop Palms (all types) Red Geraniums Rose Rose Geranium Rosemary Ti (Cordyline terminalis) Wax Plant (Hoya carnosa)

OF THE CELEBRANT: Wearfresh flowers and herbs in yourhair and on your body, if you prefer, during the rites. Crowns or caplets of flowers are always appropriate for spring and summer rites. Wear oa and pine during the winter rituals. You may wishto wear anec lace ofherbs and seeds,such aston a beans, whole nutmegs, star anise, acorns and other seeds and nuts, strung on a natural fiber. Strings of small pine cones may also be worn. For Full Moon rituals held at night, wear night-blooming, fragrant flowers to suffuse yourself with Lunar energies.

1047 OF THE TOOLS: These are suggestions for dedicating the tools prior totheir first use or formal consecration, if any. Perform these with proper visualization and ritual intent. The Athame or Sword: Rub the blade with fresh basil, rosemary or oa leaves, at sunrise, outdoors where you will not be disturbed or seen. Lay the sword or Athame on the ground with its point to the South. Wal cloc wise around it thrice, scattering bay leaves (preferably fresh) over it. Ta e up the sword or Athame, stand facing East and, holding it upward but with arms lowered, invo e the God to infuse your Athame or sword with His strength. Point it to the s y, invo ing the Goddess to charge your blade with Her love and power. Wrap yourAthame or swordin red cloth andta e it home. It may be stored in the cloth, if desired. The Bolline: Early in the morning, goto a forest (or par , garden,or your indoor garden). Choose the most beautiful and vibrant plants. Touch the point of the Boline gently to these in turn, forging a connection between your Boline and the plants (and, thusly, the Earth). Next, siton the Earth. Ensuring thatyou are quitealone, draw a pentagram with the Boline's point on the ground. It is done. The Wand: If the wand is of wood, ta e it outdoors at sunsetand rub it with fresh lavender, eucalyptus or mint leaves. Raise it in the air toward the East (or the Moon if it is visible) and invo e the Goddess. At sunrise, ta e it again outdoors, rub with the fresh fragrant leaves and invo e the God by raising it to the East. The Pentacle: Place the pentacle on bare Earth. Lay upon itdried parsley, patchouly, mistletoe, or fresh jasmine or honeysuc le flowers. Sit before it facing North for several seconds, visualizing the pentacle absorbing the Earth's energies. Then pic it up and scatter the herbs or flowers to the four quarters, beginning and ending in the North. Ifthis must bedone indoors, filla small dishwith fresh Earth and place the pentacle on this. Proceed as above, saving the herbs or flowers to be scattered outdoors at a latter time.

1048 The Censer: Fume purerosemary, fran incenseorcopal withinthe censerprior to its first use. Do this for about an hour. The Cauldron: Ta ethe cauldron toa stream, river,la e or ocean. Gather the leaves of some plants growing nearby (at the sea, perhaps seaweed). Dip the cauldron into the water to fill it. Place the leaves in the cauldron, then set it on the water's edge where it is on both water and sand. Place your hands on the cauldron and dedicate it to the Goddess in any words you li e. Emptyand drythe cauldron, andreturn home. Thecharge has been made. Ifperformed inside, placethe cauldronin alarge basinof water or the bathtub, in a candle-lit room. Add a bit of salt to the water, which should be cold. Proceed as above. Salt water corrodes metal. Thoroughly wash the cauldronafter immersion in sea or sal water. The Chalice: Anoint the base withgardenia, rose or violetoil and fillwith pure spring water. Then set afloat a sprig of ivy, a small rose, a fresh gardenia or some other appropriate flower or herb. Gaze into the Chalice and invo e the Goddess to bless it. You might also wish to ta e it outside as night, filled with water, and catch the Moon's reflection within it. The Broom: It canbe fashioned from anash staff, birch twigsand a willow binding. Brush the broom with chamomile, willow, lemon balm, elder or mallow stal s and branches, then bury these with due solemnity. You might also wish to carve a crescent Moon upon its handle. The Crystal: Onthe night ofa FullMoon, rub thesphere with fresh(or dried) mugwort, then ta e it outside. Hold it up so that it drin s in the light and energies of the Moon. Gaze at the Moon through the crystal by holding it before your eyes. Repeat at least thrice yearly for the best benefits. The Boo of Shadows: Sewinto the cover of the Boo of Shadows leaves of the sacred herbs vervain, rue, bay, willow or others, if you wish. They should be well-dried and secretly placed by the light of the Moon. The covers of the Boo of Shadows should, of course, be covered with cloth for this purpose.

1049 The Robe: If you choose to wear one, lay it among sachets filled with lavender, vervain and cedar when not in use. Sew a bit of rosemary or fran incense into the hem while fashioning it, if desired (and if the resulting stains won't show after washing). OF THE HERBS OF THE SABBATS: Tobe used asdecorations on thealtar, round thecircle, in the home. Samhain: Chrysanthemum, wormwood, apples, pears, hazel, thistle, pomegranates, all grains, harvested fruits and nuts, the pump in, corn. Yule: Holly, mistletoe, ivy, cedar, bay, juniper, rosemary, pine. Place offerings of apples, oranges, nutmegs, lemons and whole cinnamon stic s on the Yule tree. Imbolc: Snowdrop, rowan, the first flowers of the year. Eostara: Daffodil,woodruff,violet, gorse,olive,peony,iris, narcissus, all spring flowers. Beltane: Hawthorn, honeysuc le, St. John's wort, woodruff, all flowers. Midsummer: Mugwort, vervain, chamomile, rose, lily, oa , lavender, ivy, yarrow, fern, elder, wild thyme, daisy, carnation. Lughnasadh: All grains, grapes, heather, blac berries, sloe, crabapples, pears. Mabon: Hazel, corn, aspen, acorns, oa sprigs, autumn leaves, wheat stal s, cypress cones, pine cones, harvest gleanings.

OF THE HERBS AND PLANTS OF FULL MOON RITUALS: Placeupon thealtar allnocturnal, whiteor five-petaledflowers such as the white rose, night-blooming jasmine, carnation, gardenia, cereus