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Sunday 28 January 2007

All About Wicca And Witchcraft

All About Wicca And Witchcraft Cover

Book: All About Wicca And Witchcraft by Anonymous

Have you noticed how many Witches are featured on TV shows and in movies? It used to be that you heard about witches only in children’s stories or fairy tales. But these days it seems like witches are everywhere. Why? Because witches are really intriguing and mysterious. Haven’t you always been interested in witchcraft? Haven’t you always been just a little bit envious of the witch’s power and what witches know? Well, you’re not alone. And that power and Knowledge can belong to you, too.

But becoming a witch is not about power. It is about finding and developing your spirituality. It’s about Learning to connect with deity and with the forces of Nature. Through Wicca, you will discover what you are capable of. You will also discover a nurturing deity and will come to know who you really are.

Download Anonymous's eBook: All About Wicca And Witchcraft

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Joseph Workman - Demonomania And Witchcraft
Denise Zimmermann - Complete Idiots Guide To Wicca And Witchcraft
Gordon Ireland - Faq On Wicca And Witchcraft And More
Anonymous - All About Wicca And Witchcraft

Friday 26 January 2007

Quick Circle Casting

Quick Circle Casting Cover
A quick, but beautiful way to caste a circle;

By the air that is Her breath
By the fire that is Her bright spirit,
By the living waters of Her womb
And by the earth that is Her body,

The circle is caste and we are between the worlds. Let the ritual begin.


Books in PDF format to read:

Anonymous - Basic Principles Of The Craft
Phil Hine - On Cursing

Tags: heathen gods  practical wisdom  dreamming  pagans brothers bars  history century german  ran  enochian generating abyss  rituals every  brief wicca  wiccan spells  pagan holidays  dumb supper  wicca making together  

Tuesday 16 January 2007

Drawing Down The Moon Witches Druids Goddess Worshippers And Other Pagans In America

Drawing Down The Moon Witches Druids Goddess Worshippers And Other Pagans In America Cover

Book: Drawing Down The Moon Witches Druids Goddess Worshippers And Other Pagans In America by Margot Adler

Popular demand for this clear-sighted compendium of information about the rebirth of Pagan religions hasn't waned since its initial publication in 1979. Distinguished by the journalism of National Public Radio columnist Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon explains this diverse and burgeoning religion's philosophies and activities while dispelling stereotypes that have long been associated with it. Most people don't realize that pagan simply refers to pre-Christian polytheistic nature religions, such as the various Native American creeds, Japanese Shinto, Celtic Druid, and Western European Wicca. Originally, the word pagan meant "country dweller" and was a derogatory term in Rome in the third century A.D., not unlike calling someone a hick today. If you find yourself feeling queasy when you hear the words witch or pagan, a healthy dose of reeducation via Drawing Down the Moon could be the cure.

I read this book when it was first published and recommned it to anyone who wants to become more enlightened about the topic. I have a social science background, and thus a general understanding of the various world views of traditional societies who are in my opinion closer to old Mother Earth than most of us "moderns" who spend far too much time caught up in our technology. Margot Adler (granddaughter of the famous psychologist) went exploring (ethnographic field work) and this book is the result.

She does not promote any of the world views she describes, she plays the good ethnographer and records what she finds. She participates on several occasions, and thus becomes the "participant observer" recorder. I didn't know much about the revival of "paganism" and had never heard of Wicca before I read Adler's book. I learned that in spite of the professed enlightenment of our modern age, many fear the practices described. Why? Basically, the practice of Wicca seems to be a female oriented way of life--focusing on nature, life, a spiritual path. I for one am continuing to read about Wicca and explore what others are doing.

I figure some of the so-called witches etc. are not what they purport to be, just as some of the agressive so-called Christians driving with bumper stickers that advertise their "faith" are not what they purport to be. I recommend Adler's book if you are interested in comparative religion, are looking for a new way of living or just curious about a somewhat maligned and often persecuted group of mostly women.

Buy Margot Adler's book: Drawing Down The Moon Witches Druids Goddess Worshippers And Other Pagans In America

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Leo Joachim Frachtenberg - Allusions To Witchcraft And Other Primitve Beliefs In The Zoroastrian Literature
Robin Artisson - Dance Of The Witches Opening The Devil Eye
Gerina Dunwich - A Witchs Guide To Ghost And The Supernatural
Damon Leff - A Pagan Witches Touchstone Witchcraft And Witch Hunts In South Africa

Monday 15 January 2007

As Above So Below A System Of Value Based Ethics For Wiccan Clergy

As Above So Below A System Of Value Based Ethics For Wiccan Clergy Cover

Book: As Above So Below A System Of Value Based Ethics For Wiccan Clergy by Ellen Friedman

This work examines the present state of Wiccan ethics and the social reality existing in many Wiccan communities. Mention is made of the high degree of congruence between the roles of clergy and therapist. The literature on professional ethics codes is reviewed for types, roles and effectiveness of current ethical systems. The work of C. S. Herrman an analytical philosopher, is examined. He developed a systematic method to bring Spiritual belief and values into congruence with ethical practice. The APA's Code of Ethics is examined for standards that could be useful in a code for Wiccan Clergy. Herrman's methods are used to define a template for a Wiccan value system and a code of ethics for Wiccan clergy.

Download Ellen Friedman's eBook: As Above So Below A System Of Value Based Ethics For Wiccan Clergy

Downloadable books (free):

Francis Barrett - The Magus A Complete System Of Occult Philosophy Vol I
Anonymous - The Legal Basis For Wicca
Ellen Friedman - As Above So Below A System Of Value Based Ethics For Wiccan Clergy

Monday 1 January 2007

Biblical Teachings About Divination

Biblical Teachings About Divination Cover There are many verses in the Bible that prohibit certain methods for foretelling the future by the ancient Israelites. These include Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 19:26-26; 19:31; 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:10-11; Isaiah 8:19 and Malachai 3:5. Of these, Deuteronomy 18 is perhaps the most important. They forbade the Israelites from engaging in eight specific practices. Various translations of the Bible use various ambiguous terms or phrases here: augur, black magic, calls up the dead, charmer, consults with spirits, divination, enchanter, fortune teller, interpret omens, look for omens, magician, medium, necromancer, observer of times, sorcerer, soothsayer, spiritist, weaves or casts spells, witchcraft, and wizard. The terms magician, sorcerer, spiritist, and witch have many different meanings.

Clearly, translators have had a great deal of difficulty selecting unique English words or short phrases to translate the Hebrew text. Returning to the original Hebrew words:

1. yid'oni: Making contact with spirits who are not of God. Some Christians may suggest that this clause might forbid the New Age practice of channeling. However, New Agers themselves are generally convinced that the spirits with which they deal are from God.
2. sho'el 'ov: Making contact with the dead. This would probably prohibit a medium from contacting the dead, as in Spiritualism.
3. qosem q'samim: Foretelling the future by using lots. This would probably condemn casting runes, using the I Ching or a similar divination system.
4. m'onen: Predicting the future by interpreting signs in nature. (e.g. predicting the harshness of a winter by looking at moss on trees, or fur thickness on animals in the wild, or whether the groundhog sees his shadow).
5. m'nachesh: Enchanting (perhaps related to nachash, a snake; i.e. snake charming).
6. chover chavar: Casting evil spells by magical knot tying.
7. m'khaseph: Evil sorcery; using spoken spells to harm other people.
8. doresh 'el hametim: Literally "One who asks the dead", probably via another method of contacting dead people than is used in sho'el 'ov.

People differ in their beliefs about whether injunctions from the Hebrew Testament are applicable to-day:

* Most Jews believe that they only apply to fellow Jews
* Some Christians (e.g. Christian Reconstructinists, House of Yahweh) believe that they still apply to Christians today.
* Other Christians believe that they still apply to Christians unless rejected by passages in the Christian Scriptures.
* Liberal and Progressive Christians in particular generally reject certain laws and regulations in the Hebrew Scriptures as being profoundly immoral and not representing the Will of God. These might include: committing genocide, implementing human slavery, transferring guilt and punishment from the guilty to the innocent, burning some hookers alive, whipping children with a rod, raping female prisoners of war, execution of non-virgin brides, executing people who work on the Sabbath, executing sexually active persons with a homosexual orientation, executing religious minorities, etc.

So, when Wiccans reject many of the commands and regulations in the Hebrew Scriptures, they are agreeing with at least some Christians.

Divination techniques are used by many, but not all, Wiccans. They typically utilize only a few of those listed above:

* #3 prohibits runes, perhaps tarot cards, the I Ching.
* #4 prohibits prediction of the future by interpreting natural signs.

The Biblical passages appear to apply to persons who are directly engaged in the various practices (e.g. mediums, channelers, astrologers, etc.); they do not seem to refer to people who simply observe the activity being done by others.

On the other hand, there are a number of instances in the Bible where respected leaders were involved in divining the future, apparently without any condemnations by God. Some are:

* In Genesis 44:5, Joseph's household manager refers to a silver drinking cup "...in which my lord drinketh and whereby indeed he devineth". Later, Joseph accuses his brothers of stealing the cup, saying "that such a man as I can certainly divine [the identity of the thieves]". These passages show that Joseph engaged in scrying to foretell the future.
* The Urim and Thummim were two objects mentioned in Numbers 27:21 and 1 Samuel 28:6 of the Hebrew Scriptures. They were apparently devices (perhaps in the form of flat stones) that the high priest consulted to determine the will of God. They might have worked something like a pair of dice.
* The prophet Daniel was employed for many years in Babylon as the chief occultist to the king. He was supervisor "... of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers." See Daniel 5:11.

Conclusion: Wiccans could avoid the relatively few divination techniques that are forbidden. They could:

* Use those methods that Joseph, the priests and Daniel used.
* Use techniques and devices that are not specifically prohibited, like Ouija boards.
* Merely observe the divinations being performed by others.

Wiccans could also ignore the prohibitions -- as many Christians do -- as being no longer binding on non-Jews. Or Wiccans could simply not engage in divination, which is not a core theological belief in Wicca.

Downloadable books (free):

Anonymous - Teachings Of The Odin Brotherhood
Alan Wallace - Lucid Dreaming And Meditation
Max Heindel - Teachings Of An Initiate