...
The tradition of witchcraft is old, very old.
This is a Beltane ritual, celebrating the arrival of spring.
The Beltane ritual was already an ancient tradition in southern Ireland
when the Celts were first coming from the mainland in about 500 BC.
But ritual magic is much older than that,
going back well before any known civilization
to the cave panthers of Altamira and beyond
and to the twilight of prehistory.
...
There is a legend about the beginnings of witchcraft
which is told with some variations in folklore from all over the world,
sometimes called the Legend of the Watchers.
The main theme of this legend is that before there were men on Earth,
there were the Watchers in heaven,
superior beings with such great powers
that when they eventually revealed themselves to men,
they were feared and worshipped by them.
...
Some of the Watchers grew to love mankind so much
that in defiance of the others, they actually assumed human form
in order to come down to Earth and live among men,
taking mates and producing offspring.
And with them they brought the gift of knowledge
and began teaching the men of Earth
animal husbandry, cycle of the seasons,
the working of metal and stones,
and what we now know as witchcraft.
...
In order to stop this process,
which would eventually give the men of Earth power and knowledge
that would rival their own,
the remaining Watchers caused a worldwide flood,
destroying most of mankind.
Some believe this was the biblical great flood,
others believe it was the destruction of Atlantis.
Whatever it was,
witchcraft has been practiced mostly in secret ever since.
...
We're lucky today to be living in a reasonably tolerant society.
The days of the Inquisition and the witch trials are over,
and some of the more passive elements of witchcraft,
herb lore, meditation, and what's now being called channeling,
are becoming popularized by the name of New Age philosophy.
...
But what we'll be showing you here is something very different.
This is an introduction to the very active practice of magic,
the ancient way of the wise witchcraft.
Witchcraft operates on a very natural force
that is in and around all of us everywhere.
To utilize it, you will need to become a vehicle for that power,
focusing and applying it to specific purposes.
That involves preparation, concentration,
and even a different way of thinking than you're probably used to.
Today we are taught to use our conscious minds almost exclusively,
applying a kind of mechanical surface type of logic to accomplish our goals.
But the practice of witchcraft relies substantially on the deeper mind,
the unconscious, which deals primarily in symbolism.
This is a real power of ritual.
Rituals help you to link together your conscious mind with your deeper mind
and utilize a full extent of your powers.
Ritual magic should be accomplished in four distinct phases,
preparation, opening, activity, and closing,
and you begin with yourself.
Anything you do, of course, the more you prepare yourself,
the more effective you'll be at what you do.
You should never rush any phase of witchcraft,
especially not the preparation phase,
and especially not when you're just starting out.
There are actually two equally important parts in the preparation process,
cleansing and empowering.
Cleansing is the elimination of any external forces,
and for yourself that includes distractions.
Empowering is a process of charging an object with magical force,
which for yourself is a combination of activating and focusing that power
that is already within you, and then drawing in more.
Ritualistic breathing is an excellent technique for preparing yourself
to perform witchcraft,
and it also combines both cleansing and empowering.
As you breathe in, you concentrate on energizing
and unlocking the power within you and gathering in more.
As you breathe out, you concentrate on ridding yourself
of all external forces and distractions.
You should form a mental image to help you concentrate
and to use as an indicator of your progress.
You could use a particular sound or feeling.
I prefer to use a visual image of a clear mountain lake.
It starts out choppy and windblown, and as I begin to breathe,
I concentrate on flattening out the surface of the water,
making it perfectly calm.
While that is happening, I build up a blue radiance suspended over the water,
gradually increasing its intensity.
When the water is smooth and calm,
and the blue witch's fire is sparkling pure and brilliant,
I know I'm fully energized and prepared for the task at hand.
The mechanics of the technique are quite simple.
You begin by standing in the most relaxed posture possible.
Remember, that's a relaxed position, not a collapsed one.
Anyway, you'll find the straighter you stand up, the better.
I guess Mother was right about good posture after all.
Anyway, if you are unable to stand erect comfortably,
then get into the most alert position you can manage.
Let your arms hang naturally at your sides,
or clasp them in front of you if it feels more comfortable.
You may close your eyes for a minute or two to help you relax.
When you're ready to begin, spread your arms out open-handed to your sides,
and pull in the force slowly as you breathe in.
When you have a full breath, hold it momentarily,
and then expel it forcibly, but slowly.
And push out all interferences.
Take it easy when you first start out,
and don't breathe in again until you feel the need to,
because you don't want to hyperventilate.
When you first start out, it'll take a little practice
before you feel really comfortable.
But when you master that technique of ritual breathing,
you'll learn to love it.
It's so energizing.
As a beginner, there are a few additional preparations you will need to make.
First, you need to establish a place to practice your craft.
If you're going to form in a coven or a circle,
and practice as a group,
it's best to take time and locate just the right spot,
preferably one in the outdoors,
where you can build the traditional bail fire,
one that won't attract the nearest fire department.
It's a good idea to individually scout out the area for a few promising sites,
and then have the whole group visit them together.
Use your instincts.
If a particular spot feels good to the whole group,
then you have found your coven stead.
For your own individual practice,
all you need is a place free from distractions,
where you won't be interrupted.
You will need to find a way to shade your windows,
so that you can create the proper candlelit atmosphere for your rituals.
Next, you will need to decide how you want to dress for witchcraft.
This is a tabard, a simple traditional robe,
like the one I have on.
It's a single piece of material folded over,
with an opening cut at the top for your head, just like a poncho.
On the sides, it's sewn all the way down, leaving ample room for your arms.
A tabard is usually worn with a singulum, a knotted waist cord,
and you may also add a cowl if you'd like.
Whatever you do, you must use natural fibers,
and make it as comfortable as possible so it's not a distraction.
As a matter of fact, some covens insist on practicing their rituals sky-clad,
without the interference and distraction of any clothing,
but others find nakedness itself a distraction.
Whatever you decide, when you are performing a group ritual,
all members of the coven should dress with some unifying similarity,
to reinforce the cohesiveness of the group.
In the privacy of their own chambers,
many witches do prefer to practice in the nude,
for the sense of freedom it gives them,
but others prefer the tabard even for solitary work.
It really is just a matter of personal preference.
The final, and probably the most important thing you'll need to do in preparation,
is to perform an initiation rite.
Traditionally, this is done in a group, under someone's direction,
but you can also design your own personal initiation ritual,
to be performed in private,
and the form it takes will be entirely up to you.
We've all been inundated with conditioning and restrictions since childhood.
It's a little ironic, but in order to realize the full power of our adult minds,
we need to reacquire the kind of free creative thinking we had as children.
Your initiation rite is a means of shedding those external impositions,
a kind of cleansing of the mind,
before empowering yourself with the knowledge of witchcraft.
It's also a way of facing up to the natural fears of the unknown,
and conquering them.
You'll be venturing into some unknown territory as a witch,
and that gets a little scary sometimes.
You'll need to learn to recognize, accept, and deal with your very natural fears.
This is your own personal initiation ritual,
and to design it properly, you need to take a good, honest look at yourself,
and identify your obstacles.
If you've become too rigid, or logical in your thinking,
then babbling silly gibberish may work for you.
If religious taboos are a factor, you need to make a decision.
You cannot practice witchcraft if it violates your own personal convictions.
But if you can identify some verse or dictum from your religious training,
that seems to you to be invented by man, rather than inspired by God,
write it out, and then rewrite it backwards.
You can recite the reverse version in your ritual.
If social acceptance is a consideration,
something as mundane as wearing your clothes inside out, or backwards,
can represent your disdain for the imposition of social conformity.
Your ritual will probably be a combination of several elements,
but remember it's symbolic and doesn't need to be long and complicated.
Place three candles in the center of a darkened room,
along with any other implements you will be using.
For three nights in a row, light a candle,
form a mental image of freedom, like a deer running through a forest,
and repeat your ritual three times while the candle burns completely,
as the last thing you do before going to bed.
It doesn't have to be a large candle.
In fact, a small birthday candle would be very appropriate for your mental rebirth.
If you've been completely honest with yourself,
you'll probably feel quite a little anxiety the first time you perform a ritual.
But by the time you wake up on the third morning,
you should feel like a new person, calm, confident, and brimming with energy.
Once you have prepared yourself,
you're ready to acquire and prepare your implements of power.
These are some of the basic tools of witchcraft.
This is the ethalme,
a small ritualistic knife made of high quality steel,
unless you can find and afford the flint version.
It's nice but not necessary for your witching tools to be as traditional as possible,
but the most important thing about your ethalme and all your other implements
is that you keep them separate from your other household utensils
and to use them only for the purpose of witchcraft.
The chalice or cup.
Most commonly made of metal, but be careful.
Both brass and copper react to wine and become poisonous,
so you'll have to glaze the inside thoroughly if you're going to use brass or copper.
Actually, any material will do if it holds liquid and it feels good to you.
By the way, the old witch's cauldron that you see so much
in the romanticized depictions of witchcraft
are actually just a larger version of the chalice or cup.
Water.
If you're lucky enough to be living in an area that has pure well water,
then you're in a minority.
The natural spring water that you find in most supermarkets
will do a lot better than tap water,
because it's free of additives.
If you have access to pure water from a spring,
clear lake, or a river,
then I envy you.
Take advantage of your good fortune.
The thirdable is a container for fire,
usually in the form of a flammable liquid.
It should have a foot or a pedestal
to keep the hot metal from scorching your fingers or the tabletop.
The rod, wand, or staff,
usually of wood, preferably hardwood.
Again, lightning-struck oak is the material of choice,
but very hard to find.
Obviously, a larger version is good for the outdoor work,
and the smaller version is good for the confinement of the indoors.
Salt, in as pure a form as you can find it.
Ground rock salt keeps better than regular household salt,
and is usually unprocessed, except for the grinding.
I prefer to keep salt in a small metal container,
so I can take a pinch out with my finger whenever I need it.
Of course, you can use a salt shaker if you'd like,
but first you should shake it out into your hand before you apply it.
Candles, and of course, candle holders.
Start with a good collection of plain white candles in a variety of sizes,
and you can add colored ones for specific applications as you go along.
The candles will be used for rituals and for atmospheric room lighting as well,
so make sure that your candle holders are stable.
A small bell.
Use it like a punctuation mark during your incantations,
especially between repetitions.
Look for one that sounds clear and pleasant, and that you enjoy handling.
A bound book of blank pages.
Choose it carefully and find the nicest one you can afford.
This will be a lifetime treasure.
This will be your own personal book of shadows.
You'll write in it the spells, incantations, and other lore that you find
while you're practicing witchcraft.
Herbs, oils, and incense.
I will be telling you more about these later.
A great way of keeping them relatively fresh
is by putting them in these little glass jars.
You can find them in kitchen shops, hardware stores,
or just use little baby food jars.
Of course, there are other more specialized tools you will be using
as you become more advanced in witchcraft,
but you can do a lot with what you see right here.
The one other item you'll need to complete your basic set
is your work table or stone.
Centuries ago, the most commonly used work table or altar
was either a large boulder with a top hewn flat
or a pile of stones with a broad cap piece,
but you can make your work table out of any natural material,
including wood or animal skin.
Leather makes a great portable stone,
and paper, which is essentially crushed wood fiber,
is fine for a temporary stone.
And if you're working outdoors,
you can make your stone on the earth itself.
But whatever material you use,
first you need to concentrate it for witchcraft
by adding a magic circle
and a star of power.
I'd like to take a minute here to clear up a misconception.
The pentacle has a bad reputation these days
and is no more the property of Satanism
than the swastika is the property of Nazi Germany.
Unfortunately, both these revered and ancient symbols
have become strongly identified with very negative elements.
The five-pointed star is actually a graphic representation
of the five principal directions of orientation in witchcraft.
The first four are the traditional compass points,
east, south, west, and north,
and they pertain to the material world that we perceive
with what we call our normal senses.
The fifth is a non-dimensional direction of mystery
having to do with things of the spirit
outside the physical realm.
We'll be coming back to that soon,
but first we need to construct the pentagram on our new stone.
There are lots of ways to do it,
but this is a fairly simple method that works well
whether you're scribing on marble,
carving into wood, or drawing on paper.
You start out with a flat, straight strip of wood,
like the last material you'll find at any lumberyard.
Cut a length ten and a half inches long
and drill a small hole exactly one and a half inches
from one of the ends.
On the other end, cut a small, shallow notch
to hold your scriber or pencil in place.
Mark the center of your working surface,
and if you happen to be working in marble,
make a small indentation.
Put a pin or a small nail through the hole in your wood strip
and place it on the center of your work table.
Put your pencil or scriber in the notch at the other end
and hold it in against the wood
while you pull it around in a clockwise direction,
drawing a circle.
This is your magic circle.
You will use it to focus your power.
Next, you need to locate your easternmost point
and make a small mark.
Hold a small pin or nail in the east point
and use your wood strip to measure off the distance
to the next point clockwise around the circle,
the south point.
Repeat the process all the way around the circle,
and you'll have located the five points of the pentagram
or star of power.
For a 12-inch circle,
cut your stick seven inches long
and drill the hole one inch from the end.
The rest of the procedure is the same.
A smaller stone will work well
if you use smaller implements,
but an 18-inch stone is better
for most normal-sized tools,
like the ones we're using.
You can use a longer section of the wood strip
as a straight edge to connect the points,
beginning with the east to west line
and continuing around the circle,
connecting each point with the second one clockwise,
skipping the point in between.
When you're finished,
you're ready for one of the most beautiful
and powerful rites in all of witchcraft,
the consecration of the stone.
You may perform it by yourself, of course,
but today I'm privileged to have the assistance
and good company of my friend, Sir Rock,
here to help me. Hello, Sir Rock.
Hello, Brison. You look properly prepared
for a ceremony of the stone.
I am. It's always a delight to have you here.
Thank you for helping with the ceremony.
Well, thank you. It's always a pleasure to help you.
Sir Rock and I have already gone through
the personal cleansing and empowering processes,
and once we start, we won't stop until we're finished,
so I'll tell you what we will be doing in advance.
Of course, we'll begin by cleansing
and empowering the stone itself,
and then we'll address each of the points of the pentagram in turn.
As I mentioned earlier,
each point is identified with a direction,
and there are other associations as well.
Each has its own element,
water, air, earth, and spirit,
and each has its own attribute,
intellect, emotion, activity,
physical things, and things of the spirit.
There are also color
and object associations,
east with a color red and a wand or staff,
south with healing green and the cup,
west with the blue of the sky and the utility of the knife,
north with yellow and salt and things of the earth.
The color of the fifth point is a pure white,
and its spiritual nature is represented
by the living flame.
In most specific rituals,
these elements are used in combination,
but for the initial consecration of the stone,
each aspect and object is placed
in the primary position of power.
The items have been thoroughly cleansed,
but as they are ritually placed,
I will give them a final preparation.
We will also be using candles in the ceremony,
and they contribute a lot to the grandeur of the ritual.
We are working in a quiet, darkened room
as free from any distractions as we can make it.
The atmosphere is very important
for the concentration required for the proper performance
Remember, we've already done the preparation,
so what you'll now see is an opening,
the performance of a consecration of the stone ceremony,
and a closing.
And now we're ready to begin.
The first thing you need to do as part of the opening
is to draw your outer circle of power,
including everything and everyone involved in the ceremony.
The outer circle defines your work area
and creates a barrier against any external influences.
Everything inside the circle
is in your personal magic space,
within your sphere of influence.
Make sure you have everything inside the circle before you begin,
because passing through the circle will break its power
and collapse the magic you have built up.
I am Breezen,
and I call upon the ancient powers of the universe.
Come to me. Live in me.
I pledge to use this power
with reverence and unflinching application,
and I take this oath at the peril of my very existence.
Come to me. I will be the instrument of change.
Help me accomplish this goal,
to concentrate this simple stone
and transform it into an anvil of the universal power.
Come to me. Work through me.
Let it be so.
I address the power of the East,
the heat of fire,
the burning quest of the intellect.
I concentrate this point
as a seat of the power of the East on this stone,
and dedicate it as a focus of East's majestic force.
I place this symbolic wand here
in honor of the power of the East,
the heat of fire,
the burning quest of the intellect.
Let the power of the East concentrate here
in this appointed place.
I desire it. I will it. And it is so.
I address the power of the South,
the cool nourishment of water,
the passionate flow of emotions.
I consecrate this point
as a seat of power of the South on this stone,
and dedicate it as a focus of South's healing force.
I place this cup here
as a receptacle for the power of the South,
the cool nourishment of water,
and the passionate flow of emotions.
Let the power of the South concentrate here
in this appointed place.
I desire it. I will it. And it is so.
I address the power of the West,
the invigorating air,
and the regenerating energy of activity.
I consecrate this point
as a seat of the power of the West on this stone,
and dedicate it as a focus of the West's sustaining force.
I place this useful knife here
in appreciation of the power of the West,
the invigorating air,
and the regenerating energy of activity.
Let the power of the West concentrate here
in this appointed place.
I desire it. I will it. And it is so.
I address the power of the North,
the stability of Earth,
the solid nature of physical things.
I consecrate this point
as a seat of the power of the North on this stone,
a focus of objective force.
I place a salt here
to firmly anchor the power of the North,
the stability of Earth,
the solid nature of physical things.
Let the power of the North concentrate here
in this appointed place.
I desire it. I will it. And it is so.
I address the power of the Spirit,
the eternal force,
the very source of life.
I consecrate this point
as a seat of the power of the Spirit on this stone,
the focus of its mysterious force.
I place this living flame
in reverence of the power of the Spirit,
the eternal force,
the very source of life.
Let its mysterious power concentrate here
in this appointed place.
I desire it. I will it. And it is so.
I invoke the universal powers in this stone
and consecrate it to their use.
Let all the powers of the East,
the South, the West, the North,
and of the Spirit
be gathered here in this place.
Let them come to me and work with me.
I charge this stone with fire, water, air, earth,
and with my Spirit.
Let this circle be a forge
in which implements of power are formed,
and this stone an anvil
in which those implements strike change.
I desire it. I will it.
So shall it be. So it is now.
The work is done.
The powers of the East, the South, the West,
the North, and of the Spirit
will live and work in this stone
all the days that I practice magic.
I remain in awe and reverence
of the eternal force,
but for now, activity is ended.
As I will it, it is so.
Thank you, Sir Rock, for helping me.
My pleasure, Brison.
It was a wonderful ceremony,
and you performed it beautifully.
I'm glad I was here to see it.
Oh, I'm glad you were, too.
It's not often you get to do something this spectacular,
and of course it's always fun
to have you here to share it with.
Well, thank you.
You mean you usually don't do this
flaming routine on all your work tables?
Certainly not on the paper ones.
Obviously, not all rituals
have to be as elaborate as this one.
In fact, most are quite a bit simpler, aren't they?
Well, I should hope so.
After all, what you did here
involved all of the elemental forces
and some different implements,
but what is needed for your everyday spell or ritual
is one or two objects to focus on specific energies.
Okay, let's do one.
Okay, you're on.
First, I'll make a temporary stone from simple materials.
I'll take a piece of plain white paper
from a very appropriate witchcraft object, a tree,
then a pencil, more tree wood,
and graphite from the earth
to make the circle and the pentagram.
Okay, let's see.
This is east, isn't it?
Yes.
And this is the east point.
A circle of magic now begun,
including all, omitting none.
East to west, straight and true,
fire to air, red to blue.
West to the spirit, power and might,
air to mystery, blue to white.
To the south, pure and clean,
water from mystery, white to green.
From south to north, before going back,
water to earth, green to black.
North to the east, to the rising sun,
beginning to end, completed and done.
That's great. Where did you find that verse?
Well, actually, a friend made it up for me.
Most witches use rhymes in their everyday spells
for two good reasons.
It makes what you're saying sound different
than your normal speech pattern,
and that helps you focus your energy a little better.
And I don't know if anyone really knows why for sure,
but for some reason,
your subconscious responds better to rhymes.
Poetry lovers know that certain sounds and syllables
have their own intrinsic power,
and there's another valid reason.
It's a lot of fun.
I'm deadly serious all the time.
That depends on what you mean by serious.
I find that the more energy you use,
the more successful you can be.
I can generate a great deal of intensity
with a smile on my face.
That's a good point. So what else do you need?
Well, I'll need a dollar bill,
and since it's for you, I'll need a dollar bill from you.
Well, I just happen to have one ready right here.
I'll add a few things to this
and make it into a money charm.
Ruse the money herb,
and I'll even add in a little honeysuckle oil.
Now I'll just fold it up inside the bill,
and since I need to write on it,
I'll fold the whole package up inside a piece of green paper
and tie it all up with green string green for growth,
and we're ready to charge it up.
Wind from the north, bringing growth and health.
Power this charm, bring her more wealth.
Add to her fortune, riches galore.
Whatever she has, let her have more.
There you are, my lady, with my compliments.
Why, thank you, kind sir.
Now what shall I do with it?
Actually, you have several choices.
You can keep it with you, your purse would be a good place
since you also keep money there,
and it would keep stimulating your own energy
without you consciously thinking about it all the time.
But if for some reason you didn't want to keep it with you,
you could bury it beside a tree
or put it in a safe or money box if you have one,
or just someplace special in your house, like on your mantle.
Since you happen to be a practicing witch,
you could even make a small working stone to put it on.
Well, what about the old practice of hanging it around your neck?
Well, in those days people wore loose clothing,
and of course they didn't bathe as frequently as we do today.
So wearing a scented charm around the neck
was not as conspicuous then as it would be today.
People do wear amulets today, but usually as jewelry,
birthstones, astrological signs, religious symbols.
A locket is a good thing to make a charm with.
You can put nearly anything into it,
including a little picture of someone you care for.
That brings up a good point.
You don't really need blood of mugwamp
or powdered bat wings to perform witchcraft, do you?
Not really.
Many of these items can be purchased at most supermarkets
for your everyday potions and spells,
especially if you're creative.
It's just knowing what to do and what works well for the purpose.
Right.
Ah.
We'll be giving you a list of the common herbs and spices
and what they're used for later on.
But right now I'd like Sir Rock to help me show you
how to go about making a potion.
Great.
I guess for an example we will make the most popular potion
that is associated with witchcraft.
Love potion.
An excellent idea.
Thanks to Hollywood, when you mention potions,
most people get a mental image of cauldrons boiling over an open flame
or in a hearth.
But if you really think about it, those were the stoves of the day.
Just make sure that if you do use the convenience of modern appliances,
that you don't try to perform witchcraft with your everyday utensils.
I happen to be a traditionalist,
and I prefer to brew my potions right on my table of magic.
So I have a specialty canner I use just for brewing potions.
Since this potion will be consumed internally,
I'll start with pure, consecrated water.
Power of south, of things growing green,
charges water, pure and clean.
In this water come to dwell,
the force to work my magic spell.
A Bernie.
Thank you, Sir Rock.
Sir Rock has ground some fresh dried red pepper
and a little brown sugar into a powder that will dissolve,
and I will add a whole bay leaf.
The chafing dish is oriented to the south point
for the special influences in the area of emotions.
I will pour in the ingredients.
Of course, add the lid, and then I shall light the flame.
Brewing, steeping over fire.
Potion filling with desire.
Through this liquid, love will flow.
By my will, be it so.
A Bernie.
That's it.
When the fire goes out in about three hours,
the potion will be ready to charge up and use.
Well done, Brison.
Thank you, Sir Rock.
One word of caution about this love potion,
and many others, really.
It will be most effective if used with consent of the other person,
and I really don't recommend that you use magic
to make someone do something against their will,
because spells have been known to backfire on more than one occasion,
and the rebound is usually even stronger than the original force,
and you might just be the one that the spell works on
in a way you didn't expect it to.
Right, Sir Rock?
Indeed.
And said but true, love relationships don't always last forever.
It's a fact of life.
But witchcraft is a practical way of life.
There is a way of producing a ritual to sever a detrimental relationship.
It's called a tie-cutting ceremony,
and it's done like this,
utilizing the four natural elements of fire, water, air, and earth.
The red candle represents the fire of the intellect,
and your conscious mind was certainly involved in the relationship.
The cup-bearing water represents your emotional involvement,
and the athalme, the piercer of air, will be used to actively cut the bond.
The earth element should be any physical object associated with the relationship.
A ring, of course, is the most obvious,
but it can be a souvenir from some place you've been
or even something you both handled during your relationship.
Either way, neither Sir Rock or I are involved in any relationships
that we'd like to end at the moment,
so we're not going to actually perform the ritual.
We'll just demonstrate it.
Right.
Include your subject within your outer circle
and position her at the south point,
facing towards where the other person is known or is likely to be at the moment,
or use a photo or some object representing the other person
in plain view within the circle.
Once you have opened, have her repeat the breathing ritual,
drawing back into herself the positive energy she invested in the relationship
and driving away any negative elements.
She should be coached beforehand to image scenes from the relationship
to match what she is doing.
Let this process take as long as it needs to,
keeping her on track with helpful enchantments.
When she signals she is ready,
visualize the connecting cord as an object.
Take up the athalmi and cut the bond between them,
immediately searing the loose end with fire so that it won't grow back again.
That's great, Sir Rock, a clean end with no residual effects,
like you do with the house cleaning.
Pretty much so, yes.
Same principle, different method.
The people that had this place did a lot of living here,
and if they were like most people,
they had some good times and some bad times,
and some good times and some bad times remain.
So, with this ritual here, we're going to start fresh.
That sounds great. So what do we use?
Well, I brought a portable stone,
and we're going to use the four basic earth elements.
The fire of the east, the water of the south,
the air piercing knife of the west,
the salt from the earth of the north,
and the white candle for the point of mystery
since we are dealing with matters of the spirit.
The procedure is pretty simple.
After charging all the elements on the stone,
put the white candle by the open front door to guide all the spirits,
and then go through the whole house with each of the elements,
chasing all the old spirits and energy out of the door.
Be sure to poke into all the corners and hidey holes
and put a lot of energy into it so they know you mean business.
As you finish with each element,
light the appropriate candle by the door.
I also like to burn a little sage,
which is good for any kind of cleansing,
and it's a good idea to get the new residents involved in the procedure.
I usually have them dispense the salt and water.
I use the knife and fire.
That sounds a little safer.
Right.
Well, thank you for helping me, Sir Rock.
My pleasure.
I would like to address one more area of witchcraft, healing,
and then we will both be back with a little more reference information
about herbs and such.
Everything we have shown you so far has involved implements,
and you can use implements and healing, of course.
But as you become more advanced in the art of witchcraft,
you need to rely less on external elements
and more on yourself as an effective instrument of power.
When you do your ritualistic breathing,
you can feel the energy building up inside you,
and you can manifest and localize that energy
by concentrating on building up a charge between your hands,
gradually expanding the space to encompass more power.
That charge can then be applied to a particular area
of your own or someone else's body to help cure a headache,
sore muscles, or any other common ailment we're all subject to.
When you become more adept, you can even draw out the pain,
wad it into a ball, and disperse it into the cosmos.
While herbs and medicines have their own intrinsic powers,
witchcraft is essentially a magical art applied directly by your own will.
Witchcraft is a complex art to be studied, practiced,
and mastered over lifetime.
What we have given you here are a few of the basics,
some specifics to get you started,
and a sampling of various procedures to guide you
into the development of your own.
With that in mind, we'll take you back to more of the Beltane ceremony,
while Sirach and I give you some review
and a little more reference information.
These are some common herbs, spices, fragrances, and oils
and their applications.
Bay laurel or bay leaf for stimulating desire.
Brown sugar to sweeten the things and promote good cheer.
Carnation for healing.
Cinnamon for dissipating anger.
Chamomile for soothing anxiety.
Frankincense for curing depression.
Garlic for chasing away wicked spirits.
Combine it with a little brown sugar and coffee and burn it as an incense.
Heliotrope for enlightenment.
Lavender for promoting unity.
Use it for blending oils.
Lilac for memory.
Lily for promoting peace.
Mistletoe, a healing agent, but poisonous if taken internally.
Musk for sexual attraction.
Red clover for cleansing.
Red pepper and aphrodisiac.
Rose for energy.
Rue, the money herb.
Sage, which draws positive spirits and drives away negative ones.
Sandalwood for all the spiritual things.
Sweet pea, an antidote for loneliness.
Thyme, good against female disorders and PMS as a hot tea, thick with honey.
Tuberose, a cure for nightmares.
Put a drop on the four corners of your pillow.
And wisteria for communicating with the spirits.
These are the references for the points of the pentacle.
This is the rune of the east point, the direction of fire in the intellect.
Its color is red and the representational object is the wand or staff.
Planting is the activity of the east.
This is the rune of the south point, the direction of water and the emotions.
Its color is green and the object is the cup or chalice.
Growing is the activity of the south.
This is the rune of the west point, the direction of air and activity.
Its color is blue and the object is a knife or sword.
Harvesting is the activity of the west.
This is the rune of the north point, the direction of earth and physical things.
Its color is yellow and its objects are salt and metallic things.
Employing products is the activity of the north point.
The fifth point is non-dimensional, the direction of things of the spirit.
Its attribute is mystery and it is represented by the living flame.
Its color is pure white and it is the time of meditation.
When you make your magic circle and star of power,
always begin at the east point and proceed clockwise.
And always remember to go through all four steps of every ritual.
Preparation, which includes cleansing and empowering,
opening, activity, and closing.
We took some shortcuts in order to show you everything we could,
but when actually practicing witchcraft you should be well planned and proceed methodically.
We'd like to share a couple of thoughts with you.
Witchcraft is a very old and revered tradition which has lived and evolved over time.
This presentation you have just seen is not the panacea, the end all.
It's merely showing you how you can put in to practice certain principles in witchcraft.
While there are elements of logic and science in witchcraft,
it is largely an intuitive and interpretive art.
You are dealing with a real and powerful force
that can be used for great good or misused for great evil.
Respect the power. Trust your instinct.
If it doesn't feel good, don't do it.
If you feel uncomfortable, don't do it.
When in doubt, don't.
Remember, witchcraft draws on a strong natural force,
like the wind and the tide.
We don't understand it fully. Maybe we never will.
But it's there for you to use if you care to and if you're willing to learn how.
Don't toy with it because you could cause yourself harm,
but treat it with awe and respect and you could work wonders with it.
Approach it with enthusiasm. Love it and enjoy it.
We will leave you with our good wishes and a little more of my personal favorite ritual,
the celebration of life at Beltane.
May it be well with you. Make it so.
Blessings to all.
Thank you.
Thank you, Sirac. It was great having you.
Oh, it's a pleasure.
I hope Annie brought the honey cake for me.
Here are some other ancient arts you might want to explore.
There's intelligence here and a deep-seated inner strength.
The tarot, the cards of mystery.
Beautiful, enigmatic, fascinating.
When you learn to read them, they can tell you a lot about the important people,
events, and opportunities in the lives of your friends and in your own life.
And it's easier to do than you might expect.
In the art of the tarot, we'll show you the meaning of the cards,
a simple but very effective technique for reading them,
the ancient Celtic layout, how to prepare for a reading,
and how to get the most out of it.
Whether you want to delve into it seriously or just have some fun with your friends,
the art of the tarot will help get you started.
Now, tell me a little more about this knight of swords guy.
Well, he will make a major change in your life and you in his.
The art of the tarot in the ancient art series from the video group.
So you'll always make a good match with the same sign,
but there are some others that just might turn out to be spectacular.
If you're familiar with Western astrology,
you know that what most people consider their birth sign is really their son sign,
since Western astrology is based on the position of the sun.
But the even older Chinese zodiac is based on the cycles of the moon.
Right, Patty?
That's right, Pamela.
There are a lot of other differences too, but that's what we're here to explain.
In reading Chinese horoscopes, we'll show you how to determine your animal sign,
your lunar ascendant, your dominant elements, and polarity,
and what it all means, including who you're likely to get along with and who you're not.
So whether you're really getting into it seriously
or just having a little fun with your friends,
the Chinese horoscope is an excellent way to learn a lot about people in general
and yourself as well.
Right, Patty?
Right.
Have fun.
Thanks a lot.
Reading Chinese Horoscopes in the Ancient Art Series from the Video Group.