Witchvox - New Articles This Week
The Stag and the Doe [Ruadhan]
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 10:39pmDeep in an enchanted forest my homestead lies, and the gloaming was near, the air was just cool and sweet enough to make it impossible to go inside. And Aval, my great horse of 18 hands, standing eight feet tall at the ears, was as eager as I to wander into the wood. And so I set aside my work of planting young raspberry canes in a new berry bed a bit early and walked him down from the Highland Meadow where he passes the spring among new grass and a seasonal pond. I led him to the grounds beside
Atho: The Horned God of the Witches [WiLL]
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 10:39pmIn the early 1960s a man named Raymond Howard offered a correspondence course called The Coven of Atho. The first lesson begins by telling the reader they are going to be taught about the symbolism and rites of a clan of White Witches that is known as The Coven of Atho. It was taught, ATHO is the name of the Horned God of Witchcraft. But going back just a bit further Raymond Howard became the handyman of a Charles Cardell in 1959 that had started to teach people in 1958 about this same
A Short Case for Magick via New Quantum Mechanics [Rev. Matthew Crowson]
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 10:39pmSince the dawn of time cunning men and women, druids, priests, wizards, and even many of the founders of modern scientific theory have used, studied, and practiced magick. Though written off by modern adherents of the reductionist-fundamentalist science as the product of mass hysteria, hallucinogenic plants, superstition, or fantasy, the practice of magick has continued unabated until present day. I hope to show in short form, as a full dissertation on this subject would fill many volumes, that
Charm School: Miss Manners for the Pointy Hat Crowd [Albiana]
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 10:39pmDid you know that there are delicate matters of etiquette and protocol you are expected to know and abide by when attending a ritual, even an open, public one? Are you aware of what is expected of you as a guest to someone's covenstead and circle, so you don't make an embarrassing faux pas or accidentally insult your hosts? Some of these tips below are common sense and a few are requisites for the more traditional type circle arrangements, but it doesnt hurt to err on the side of decorum even i
Appreciating Sacred Sites Not Our Own [Bronwen Forbes]
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 10:39pmAs contemporary American Pagans, i.e. worshippers of Gods from other continents, there is a shortage of available holy places and sites sacred to our traditions here in the States. Stonehenge, Avebury, the Parthenon, the Pantheon, even the pyramids can connect us to our deities, but theyre hard to get to from Baldwin, Kansas in a time of spiritual or emotional crisis. And in America, our Pagan-specific sacred sites are the ones weve managed to create ourselves they are few and far between, an
Jimbo the Swamp God Teaches Faith [Fire Lyte]
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 10:39pmAn old George Carlin joke asks: If god is so all-powerful, can god create a rock so heavy that god cannot lift it? His fellow Catholic school classmates, Carlin said, used this question, in order to stump priests about the omnipotence of that god. Because, of course, if god is all-powerful, surely theres nothing he cannot do, and the cycle of hilarity that comes with watching priests squirm continues. Nobody has the same relationship with deity. Some of us see god (dess) as a conglomera
Applying The Law Of One In Wicca [Aidan Odinson]
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 10:39pmThe Law Of One, especially as taught by the Universal Gnostic Fellowship, presents resolution and conflict, simplicity and complexity, as well as freedom and repression. In each pair presented in the previous sentence, the former is the result of the Law of One's basic nature, while the latter is the reaction of some mortals to its lessons.* Let us begin with the first sentence of The Law Of One and these conflicts become clearer. There is One Intelligence in the Universe which
Whispers On A Gentle Breeze [Lady Wolfwind]
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 10:39pmThe rain has finally begun. As I sit under the shade tree in my favorite chair, I have been feeling its promise all morning. The breeze was at first warm but followed by a cool current that felt beautiful upon my skin. As I sit here I watch all of my Mothers creatures that bless me with their presence every day. The chickens are walking around, pecking at bugs on the ground. The cats are lying in the sun with the dog, blissfully happy. The neighbors guineas are also welcomed as they wa
Cobwebs [Brewan Blacksmith]
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 10:39pmA little while back, while driving around with, a friend I asked a simple question. Is an artist still an artist if she loses her hands? After a brief moment of pause she replied, Yes. I knew this was to be her answer and it was the same for me when the question first arose in my mind a while ago. It was easy for the both of us to answer being we are both artists. We understand that the underlying beauty in an artist is what resides in her mind and heart. At the same time, we both thought of
Becoming a Witch [Eniva]
Sat, 06/12/2010 - 10:06pmI, personally, am very secure in my faith. I was raised loosely as a Presbyterian. Being a military brat, I moved around a lot, so my family never bothered settling into any nearby churches. The only times I can recall attending church services are memories of visiting my mothers parents. They used to force me out of bed, into a dress (I was a tomboy as a child and hated dresses then) , and take me to church every Sunday. I always hated it. I would much prefer spending my Sunday mornings asleep
Living Without A Golden Rule [Jon Hanna]
Wed, 06/09/2010 - 9:57pmThe Rede is similar to the Golden Rule, a belief that is found in nearly every religion.[1]They say you should never cite Wikipedia. Certainly, as a source of facts or even facts about others opinions, its dicey at best. But, if you want a snapshot of whats claimed at this point in time, it can serve even better than old versions of Encyclopedia Britannica serve for seeing what was commonly claimed at different points in the past.So, we can take the above as in
The Mystery of Spiritual Connection and Evocation [Maggi Horseman]
Wed, 06/09/2010 - 9:57pmOur transitions through worlds can be immediate and evocative as we strive to live in connection with all aspects of life. Today I stepped out of my office, into a wondrous environment of a sultry spring day. The sun was shining and the breeze was pleasant. I sat by the river and read of a book that was discussing the politics of kings and priests. In a moment I left the black and white mundane world of office work and was consumed by the magickal world of the priesthood. The book is
Magical Names Annoy and Control [Fire Lyte]
Wed, 06/09/2010 - 9:57pmLady Pheasantwillow Penndragon. Priestess Penelope Morgana Darkraven. Grand High Priest Magus Archimedes Swanblood Thorsbane of the 7th Sealy Court. Weve all heard the names. Weve all rolled our eyes at them. And weve all secretly wished we had a really edgy, ultra magical, super pagany, paganer-than-thou name. The big question I have is WHY?Whats in a name? Well, if you believe what Joshua Trachtenberg says in his book Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion
So What's the Deal With Divination? [Brunhilde]
Wed, 06/09/2010 - 9:57pmThat everything occurring in our physical world must first have manifested in the astral plane is the traditional theory behind the art or act of divination. It is in this astral plane that the patterns of our lives and the events affecting our physical world first take shape. So, if you want to know the future on our physical plane, you can look into the astral plane and see what development is occurring there now. It is knowledge from this astral plane that you are accessing when you perform
The Role of Parapsychology in Law Enforcement [Isabella Vladimir]
Wed, 06/09/2010 - 9:57pmWhile most people cannot help but be skeptical when it comes to the field of parapsychology, our law enforcement agencies have seen what an asset working with mediums and hypnotists can be. There have been cases where psychics were brought in to aura read prospective jury members to aid the state in choosing jurors who would be suitable for certain cases. Neither the public defender nor the judge had any objections to bringing this method within the courtroom walls. (7) Mediums are also
The Bones Know [Searse Biser]
Wed, 06/09/2010 - 9:57pmSitting on the front steps with my closest friend the tide begins to turn. I tell her that I can feel it in my bones- things are going to get better. There is no reason and there is no foundation for which to base the statement. There is nothing solid other than the feeling in my bones. The words that pour from my mouth surprise me because at this point I have become a woman without hope, a woman lacking faith in herself, and a woman lacking faith in the spirit world. I don't believe my bones or
Let Go of Him, Janet!: A Reconsideration of Tam Lin [Blue Cowboy]
Wed, 06/09/2010 - 9:57pmI forbid you maidens all/ Who wear gold in your hair/ To travel to Carterhaugh/ For young Tam Lin is there .Ever since I was a young girl, I have loved princess stories where the princessor better yet, a girl who does not have the advantage of being a princessdoes the saving. All of my yang energy, as I tend to be a very yang-y girl, goes flying toward fairy tales in which the young heroine fights and prevails on behalf of her man. East o the Sun and West o the Moon and Molly Wh
The Process of Invocation [Blackthorn Furie]
Wed, 06/09/2010 - 9:57pmMuch has been said and written about the fact that witches go directly to the source and through invocation, personally commune with our Deities. Unfortunately, very little has been written about the nature or structure of the process (and believe me, it is a process) of invocation, of either the techniques of the process or the actual feeling of such an experience. Now I know that as witches, many of us pride ourselves on our ability to keep a magical secret and while I do see merit i
The Crystal Message: A Meditation [Saille Falbh]
Wed, 06/09/2010 - 9:57pmListen Listen with your spirit. Listen with your soul, because your mind is jabbering. Listen. You can hear and you can sense stillness - if you let yourself. I know you are listening to noises, for the most part, outside of yourselves, which is all right. But there is a whole world inside and inside is sacred, untouchable, holy ground. I promise you, when you begin to experience various levels of it, it will take your breath away. Stay with this and know it is in-between the breaths where it
What it Means to be Pagan [Earendil]
Sun, 06/06/2010 - 3:10pmI have been thinking recently about what it means to be Pagan, and how one can be defined as Pagan. Some would say anyone who is part of an 'Earth-based religion', and yet I have met many Pagans who are not Earth-based at all (except that they live on it perhaps) . Some would say anyone who is a member of a polytheistic religion, and while I would agree that practically all polytheists are Pagan, what about the ones who pantheistic, pane theistic, monotheistic (yes, there is some) , or even agno
