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"Moss from a gravestone," I repeated. "It says if you carry it
in your pocket, it'll attract luck -- financial luck, especially."
"Hey, I know where to get some!" said Alisande. We trotted off to an old
graveyard. The omens felt auspicious. We left nine pennies in offering
to Oya, Yoruba keeper of cemeteries.
Three days after distributing the moss to our coven, we went to visit
a wise Elder, adept in both Wiccan and Orisha traditions.
"You did what?" The jovial expression seeped from his face. "Where did
youget that information?"
We named the book. He took it down from his shelf -- naturally he had
it; his shelves are better stocked than the Library of Congress. He shook
his head at the entry. "And where is the author now?" Our mouths gaped.
We'd read the author's obituary the week before.
"The problem with taking the moss," our Elder explained, "is that you're
actually borrowing power from the graveyard spirits. Are you prepared
to give them what they want in return?"
It took an entire Moon to retrieve the moss. Nearly everyone had
misplaced theirs. We finally located it all and returned it to the graveyard.
Sprinkling cologne on the graves, we left more pennies. "Indulge us. Forgive
us our foolishness. We meant no harm." Moral: Don't play with graveyard
magic.
You Would Call Up . . . Whom?
We had failed to consider the powers we were calling upon. We'd run out
and gathered our moss without looking into possible consequences. With
the proliferation of Pagan books now on the stands, any novice can invoke
a few Gods and cast a spell. But in practice it's not that simple.
For instance, an up-and-coming Pagan author lists Lilith under "fertility,"
"children," and "motherhood." So if you're trying to conceive a child,
you might want to invoke Lilith, right? Wrong. Research shows that Lilith
was fertile--in giving birth to 100 demons a day. Invoke Her and you might
get triplets sextuplets?) -- Or you might get Rosemary's baby. You might
also have a perfectly normal baby, but why take a chance? Invoke Demeter
or Danu instead.
You may wish to call upon Ogun for protection. Reading Jambalaya,
you know Luisa Teish's admonition: "...do not work charms for Him if you
are menstruating. Do not touch Him if you have cut your finger. Ogun gets
hungry when He smells blood."
Many deities, because they were not appropriate to human civilization
after the time when they were actively worshipped, have gone to sleep.
Sleeping, they have not accustomed themselves to the ways and mores of
today's societies. Waking them could cause trouble. Let's say you awaken
a deity who, when last worshipped, expected human sacrifice. Perhaps you
can urge this deity to accept food or money instead. Suppose you can't?
Might this deity attempt to subvert your will? Maybe you can fight the
murderous desires he sends your way, but why leave yourself open to such
a battle? Many serial killers say they heard voices directing them to
kill, and some have involved themselves in occult study. The once-borns
might brush off as a nut someone who hears voices, but can we? Who knows
what entities they may have attracted?
It is important that when we call on a God/dess, we know what we're invoking.
The above are frightening examples, yet magic is a tool--real, not a game.
If we are intent on shaping our reality, we must consider what we are
shaping it into.
The Old Goat Trail
Another consideration here is what form of that deity we're invoking.
Let's take a moment first, and step back, to see how archetypes operate.
Theologists debate whether Gods created humans or humans create the Gods.
In my worldview, the Universe is a living, self-aware entity. We humans
are to the Universe as the organs and cells in our bodies are to us. What
we call "Gods" are forces working within the Universe which control certain
functions. For instance, there is a force which controls the birth process,
and another which controls the process of hunter and hunted. These forces
exist we are aware of them or not. To understand them and get them to
work our will (or at least ask them to please go along with our desires)
we create archetypes. These are thought forms which we use to access the
energy. We do not create the Gods, we create how we understand and respond
to them. So now we have our archetypes. Perhaps we'll call them, Vivienne,
the Lady of the Lake, who opens the door between this world and the next,
and Herne the Hunter.
With but some of these spheres of influence change over time, and sometimes
the stories get retold (often by the cults of rival Gods) and the stories
get twisted. Lilith, is again a lovely example.
In Biblical lore, Lilith was created at the same time as Adam. However
Adam thought that she should bend to his will. Lilith didn't agree, and
when he asked her to do something she didn't want to, she flapped off
on her owl wings, leaving Adam to his own devices. The original Lilith
archetype then, is about freedom from subjugation. About having the courage
to stand up and say, "No, I won't take this." Even if it means you have
to leave the Garden.
But later tellers of this tale didn't want liberal ideas like that spread
around. They wanted everyone following "God's will". (And generally their
interpretation of that will.) So they made Lilith a demoness, a succubus
come to sap men's strength and life force. The archetype of Lilith became
linked up with those energies. The stories were re-told and grew more
horriffic with the retelling, and the earlier meanings nearly forgotten.
Two thousand years or more later, the path to the archetype of Lilith
the Demoness has become a huge, paved superhighway. Anyone who seeks out
the older archetype must first dodge the cars speeding down that road
and cross the highway to where they'll see a nearly invisible goat trail
winding up the hill and towards the wood . . .
Even if you know an archetype has been vilified, you must still deal with
the energies that have been placed on their archetype, and make your peace
with them before you can reach the older version.
Deities 'R Us
Another idea I see in recent books is that you can pick the deities (and
animal totem spirits as well) that "appeal to you." Most of the traditions
I've studied under *
teach that we are chosen by our deities and totems, not the other way
around. The Gods are assumed to be wiser than we; they know what energies
we should be working to prevent imbalance and further the goals we set
ourselves before returning from the Summerlands.
Perhaps you are a fiercely patriotic British male who sees in
Arthur the spirit of the race, so you sit patiently hoping for him to
appear--armour and all!" writes Murry Hope in Practical Celtic Magic.
"You may well find the Gods have decided that you are too 'macho' for
your own good... so it could be the gentle Branwen who calls upon you
during your meditations..."
Other traditions do approach deity choice differently, as in Greek magic,
where the student works with whatever God feels most comfortable. It's
important to consider both your tradition and that of the invoked deity.
Perhaps Nuada or Oshun don't want to work with you--for your own good.
These Things Should Come with Warning Labels
Sadly, there are many books of spells, which contain information that
is erroneous or has never been tested. (For a list of books I recommend
against, check out Dung
In the Gem Heap.) My former teacher once asked an author where his
spells originated and was told that the writer and his partner simply
"made them up." "You've tried them, though?" "No, not really."
My teacher left in shock, concerned about the thousands who might read
the book, utilize the spells and receive karmic backlash as a result.
Karmic backlash isn't a joke. If we accept that our actions shape reality,
we must also accept that we can mis-shape reality. Generally from the
caster's view, a failed spell just doesn't work. But every action has
a reaction. Failed spells can have negative reactions: anything from causing
a headache to misaligning the chakras; from starting an argument to losing
a job through overconfidence in the spell. Even if the only effect is
a waste of money on spell components, that money could have been put to
better use.
Unfortunately, not every author considers the karmic responsibility for
the information they release to the world. If a spell harms someone, the
one who gave out the spell must also deal with the results. Had the author
of our moss information prefaced his book with a note that he was using
unsubstantiated folklore, he would have held less karmic responsibility.
Another form of misinformation is missing information. One prominent author
compiled a book of oils. Our Elder, who had been part of the author's
coven, told me the author had gotten his recipes from an aged New Orleans
root-man. "In his days you couldn't just walk into a magic shop and buy
your ingredients. If your recipe called for lilac oil, you had to wait
for the lilac to bloom, supplicate the spirit of the bush, pick the flowers
and press the oil yourself.
"Part of what made these potions work is that the root-man would get the
aid of the spirits. The book doesn't tell you any of this, but without
knowing the spirit, these recipes may not work for you."
(Four years later, reading these last two paragraphs, I might revise my
own opinion about the "spirits" of the lilac bush. But even so, missing
information occurs - more often than we'd like, whether through printer
error or simply lack of knowledge on the writer's part, or the writer
just not being clear.)
Even more devious is purposely wrong information. In the novel The
Heart of the Fire by Cerridwen Fallingstar, Fiona and Annie are cautioned
on what to do should they be interrogated by a witchfinder. "If they ask
about flying ointment, be sure to give a recipe strong enough to fell
an ox. Curiosity kills priests and judges as easily as cats... Several
priests in France have met their demise by such means." Could that spell
you're considering have been invented to fell inquisitors?
Aleister Crowley used to "trap" his books with wrong information so that
only those who already had a strong basis in magick would be able to circumvent
his traps. As I was copying from the Book of Shadows of my present teacher,
he shook his head, pointed to a note on the page. "Ignore that, it's wrong.
I wrote it when I was in my Crowley phase."
Then there's metaphor to contend with. Some older books will tell you
to "wear white" when you do a spell. So you run around looking for a white
robe, not realizing that it's a metaphor for "skyclad".
A friend of mine was reading some of the Irish myths and came to a part
where there were people with "mouths in their chest". Great picture, huh?
Let's think of it metaphorically, now. Could the storyteller be saying
that the people spoke with courage and from the heart?
Should you throw out all your books and stick with only what you or your
friends or ancestors have tried and proven? Not at all. Just consider
the origins and implications of anything you do. And learn to read between
the lines.
The Dread "R" Word
How can you protect yourself from mistakes?
Research--the dreaded "R" word... study, study, STUDY! The
process of understanding the magic is an integral function in making it
work. Break down spells before trying them. Understand the energies you're
working with. Did the author say to use a yellow cloth in that job interview
spell because it's his favorite color---or because yellow will add its
power of eloquence?
Apply the "Is it habit or does it actually
make sense?" test to your spells. This is the Pot
Roast theory, which my present teacher uses to illustrate the Heirophant
(tradition, ritual, set ways of action to achieve a goal) card in Tarot.
In breaking down a spell, figure out what parts of it might conflict with
your energies. I've found spells that utilizes passages from the Bible,
but I don't bother with them, or I change it to a chant in my own words.
With my ingrained discomfort with Christianity, I know the Bible verses
would fail to work. Or, once we wanted to attract a partner for my former
HP. For the ritual we had in mind (designed after one from Heart of
the Fire), the coven members placed flowers all over the seeker's
body, invoking Blodeuwedd, a Celtic Goddess of beauty. At first it seemed
like a great idea, but Alisande couldn't do it. "I'm just not a flower-woman,"
he said. "Besides, I'm gay. Will this spell work for a same-sex lover?"
Don't stop with one source. Alisande was given a candle supposed to invoke
"male forces and the Sun." He read the ingredients. "Hey, wait a minute!
Cedar isn't a solar herb!" He paged through the Master Book of Herbalism
by Paul Beryl. "And neither is juniper or benzoin." He picked up another
herbal--notably, the one we'd gotten the graveyard moss idea from. There
the herbs were listed as solar. When in doubt, check a third source, and
a fourth.
And again, remember to see how it fits with you. If when you think
of Cedar trees, you think of the light streaming down through golden sap,
then for you, Cedar is solar.
When doing spells alone, feel free to do what works for you. But if you're
working with a coven or another group, its best to work with correspondences
that everyone is comfortable with.
Consider the type of book you're getting your information from. A book
on occult symbology might not give you what you need about frogs. A book
on totem animals might be better, and an article on "The Frog in Magic,"
better still. But a treatise on the life, mating habits, symbolism of
and tasty ways to cook a frog may overload you. Be wary of dictionary-format
books which try to squeeze an enormous number of facts into a few hundred
pages. These make good beginning points, but you usually need to study
your subject in greater depth. For example, Aphrodite may be named as
the Greek Goddess of love, particularly romantic and sexual love. But
what about Her 31 other aspects? The Witches' Goddess by Janet and Stewart
Farrar might be a deeper reference, but the best reference would be meditation
and study of the myths themselves.
Consult your oracles. Dowse the spell with your pendulum. Ask the runes
if this spell is attuned with you. Read the Tarot to find out if there's
a blockage. Don't rush. Unless there's a desperate need to cast that spell
now, you're probably better off waiting and doing the research,
perhaps choosing a date in a more favorable moon phase or sign. If there
is a need for immediate action, you may be safer with a spell of proven
efficacy.
Find out about the authors of books you're using. Does the author skip
from subject to subject, churning out books with amazing rapidity? He
may be adept in all these subjects or be gathering information from others
who are, but this also might be a cue to you to be careful in researching
the spell. If you have a concern, write the author and question him--enclose
a SASE if you've requested a reply.
Network. Find other Pagans and ask what has worked for them; or write
to the readers forum sections in magazines; visit a chat room; or go to
your local crystal shop and strike up a conversation.
In the end, remember that you have access to all the information you truly
need. We each contain the answers inside us. What are your feelings about
the spell? Follow the promptings of your inner wisdom and you will rarely
go wrong.
Now that you've done your homework, you've ensured that you'll bring "harm
to none," and that the spell has a good chance of working properly, go
ahead! Be sure to document your work and its results. If it works--great!
If not, more research! Practice in researching others' spells will making
conjuring your own easier and more reliable.
On the other hand, do not be a slave to research. Often a glance through
several books and a common sense look at your own thoughts will suffice
to assure you.
Witchcraft is the Craft of the Wise. Considering how a spell will affect
you and others is a sensible and responsible precaution.
-- Lionrhod ©1998
* (Celtic
Eclectic, Eclectic Faery Mishmosh with a smattering of Orisha magick,
a short stint with the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Wicca and now the
Draconian tradition)
For more Magickal information, check out these pages:
Spellcraft Secrets: The Art of Magick Spells Made Easy - ebook FREE Trial Download
Gemstone
& Crystals Properties and Magickal Uses
Magick
Symbols, Their Meaning and Uses
Spells, Snippets
and Magickal Thoughts
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