Witchvox Article

Author: Pagan Sanctuary
Posted: April 27th. 2008
Times Viewed: 3,836

Basics are as important to the study and practice of witchcraft as the most advanced spell is. It could be said that the basic conceptions and laws of magick is as important to witchcraft as yeast is to bread. Without either, nothing you desired will result.

The First Concept: When we talk about sympathetic magick, it is the concept that �like equals like�. Thus for banishment it is best to cast spells during the Waning Moon, preferable on the first night of the New Moon.

Another sympathetic magick concept is the use of tools and artifacts. These are not only meant as a means of focusing the energy but if in the hands of the practitioner they become the very item they represent.

Thus a poppet (the correct name of a voodoo doll) is no longer a little doll but becomes an extension of your will and becomes a miniature representation of the person that is named. This poppet can be used for both healing and beneficial magick or can be used in banishment, binding or curses. All of this depends upon the caster as to what they want to happen to the person.

A good example is the use of certain herbs that look like certain things. If one was to read a Grimore that was written during the Dark Ages and they would come upon the names such as Dead Mans Toe, Lady�s Finger, Baby�s Breath or Dragon�s Blood, they would instantly assume that they were actually what were written.

But to protect their spells and rites, those that wrote the tome have changed the names of various herbs to what they represented. The same goes for coding of the Grimore.

So here you should realize that in magick and witchcraft the concept that sympathetic magick is the ability to use an item to represent another thing or create the desired manifestation.
Sympathetic magick is not the only basic you need to know but one of many lessons that one must understand well before they can hope to perform magick.

The Second Concept is the desire to cast the spell. If you truly do not have a desire to cast a spell then the spell will not work. The caster uses his/her desire or will to create the desired manifestation. If their desire or will is not strong enough then regardless what they say or do nothing will come of it. By your desire you are placing your own energy into the spell binding it with the energy that you draw up into you. Stronger the desire more power the desired manifestation will be.

The Third Concept is the very act of vocalizing or speaking the rite. To be more effective and allow the Subconscious mind to take over the Conscious Mind you need to understand the reason why in ancient religions they use vocalizations of rhythms and chants to create the desired mood and sensation.

It is accepted in witchcraft that the energy that we draw into our selves has a frequency unique to everything. This energy is known as Auric Energy, and everything gives off this energy to some degree. Depending upon the strength and the object will depend upon the frequency but recreating some of the more common frequencies, such as that of a heart beat or the soft drumming to represent the sound of thunder or the haunting sounds of reed flutes, you are then creating the vibration that are liken to the environment� and as such you create the spiral cascading effect of drawing this energy into your very being.

This is the reason why when people hear various mantras, chants, sounds and even rhyming verse done in a ritual they become carried away with it. This is due to the fact that these representations of totems and manitous are caressing your mind body and spirit.
Through the use of various mediums, drums, chants, mantras etc., you create the vibrations that aid in the creation of the desired manifestation.

One�s subconscious mind is the ability to enter into what is known as the Alpha State. This is much akin to the time when one is entering into a REM Sleep State or in deep meditation. By tapping into this, you are using your own psychic energies to bind the spell.

The Fourth Concept is the ritual cleansing of the body prior to the person entering the sanctuary. This is done to remove negativity and make the mind body and spirit ready to perform the task.
To do a ritual cleansing you need to know that you should abstain from sex for twenty-four hours prior to the ritual and consume nothing that will inhibit the mind� thus no smoking, no alcohol, and no stimulant that will inhibit the mind.

Next is the cleansing of the body, this is usually done in a small room off of the altar or sanctuary. The person will have salt water in a small bowl, and incense of sandalwood or sage burning. The practitioner, if in a coven, will be ritually cleansed by the Priest/ess by putting a small amount of water on the body in a downward motion. This is then followed by the incense that is allowed to cover the body. If you are acting as a solitaire then you will have to do this yourself.

As you wash away the negativity, picture in your minds eye that all the evil and negativity is washed away being carried away with the water. The use of the incense is such that as it caresses your skin and you inhale it purifies and protects the body and spirit from negative.

After this cleansing ritual is completed then and only then should you enter into your sanctuary.

Copyright: Pagan Sanctuary 2000

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