To Ride a Silver Broomstick PDF
Preview To Ride a Silver Broomstick
About the Author Perhaps the most widely published Wiccan author of her time, Silver RavenWolf’s books appear all over the world. She has completed eighteen books for Llewellyn Worldwide, including the bestsellers Solitary Witch and Teen Witch. Artist, photographer, and Internet entrepreneur, Silver also heads the Black Forest Clan—a Wiccan organization that consists of 53 covens in 29 states and three international groups. Wife of 25 years and mother of four children, Silver has been interviewed by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and US News & World Report. Visit her website at: http://www.silverravenwolf.com Llewellyn Publications Woodbury, Minnesota Copyright Information To Ride a Silver Broomstick. © 1993 and 2005 by Silver RavenWolf. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the form of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. As the purchaser of this e-book, you are granted the non-exclusive, non- transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. The text may not be otherwise reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, or recorded on any other storage device in any form or by any means. Any unauthorized usage of the text without express written permission of the publisher is a violation of the author’s copyright and is illegal and punishable by law. First e-book edition © 2012 E-book ISBN: 9780738718408 Second Edition Sixth Printing, 2011 First edition, twenty-one printings Book design and layout by Joanna Willis Cover design by Kevin R. Brown First edition editing by Jessica Thoreson Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. Llewellyn Publications does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements between our authors and the public. Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific reference will continue or be maintained. Please refer to the publisher’s website for links to current author websites. Llewellyn Publications Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. 2143 Wooddale Drive Woodbury, MN 55125 www.llewellyn.com Manufactured in the United States of America The “Charge” comes to each of us in a different manner. It is that moment in our lives when we feel the magick of the Universe for the very first time . . . coursing through us . . . and we know beyond all real and imagined shadows that this calling to the mysteries is indeed there. That it is truly there, and not a whimsical flight from reality. —Silver RavenWolf To those who dance to a different drummer, And dare to make their dreams come true . . . I will always love you, Dad! To my husband, Ervin Trayer, I couldn’t have done it without you! Contents Preface: The Charge of the Goddess Introduction SECTION ONE: BACKGROUND SHADOWS one Picking Up the Broomstick two Getting Acquainted three Magickal Jargon four Religion vs. Science five Your Special Days of Celebration six Defining the All: Gods, Goddesses, and Human Balance SECTION TWO: BUILDING SHADOWS seven What’s in a Name? eight Meditation, Visualization, and Dreaming nine Your Sacred Space ten Stocking Your Magickal Cabinet eleven Cleansing, Consecrating, and Charging twelve The Fine Art of Magickal Record Keeping SECTION THREE: PERFORMING SHADOWS thirteen Designing and Performing Rituals fourteen Webweaving fifteen Divination vs. Fortune Telling sixteen Spellcasting, Working Rituals, and Drawing Down the Moon seventeen Color, Candle, and Sympathetic Magick eighteen Gems, Herbs, and Healing SECTION FOUR: CHALLENGING SHADOWS nineteen Telepathy, Psychometry, and Mind Power twenty Astral Projection, Bi-location, and Power Animals twenty-one The Summerland: Death and Reincarnation twenty-two There’s No Such Thing as a White Witch twenty-three Coming Out of the Closet Appendix: A Smattering of History preface The Charge of the Goddess It is Midsummer Night’s Eve—the longest day of the year. This is a unique time, full of unlimited power and mystery. You are standing in a large, secluded clearing, banked on three sides by the dark evergreen skirts of Earth Mother. Behind you expands a rolling corn field in the cycle of infancy. Above you hangs the moon. She is full and heavy, dripping her milk-white light on the planet below, like a mother’s breast that anticipates nurturing a child. The remainder of the heavens expands about the glowing orb, velvety and black, pricked by a multitude of winking stars. You take a deep breath—heavy-sweet with the odors of a cooling summer day. The field, the dark, the sounds of the night, the forest, and the moon all collide in time that does not exist. As you look around the clearing there comes the realization that you are one among many— old and young, robust and slender. They, as you, have come from many distant places to be here this night. A sea of faces, each barely masking the taut anticipation behind them, utters whispers that merge with those of the nocturnal insects. An atmosphere of peace and unity with both worlds prevails. A hush, like the roll of a soft wave, moves across the crowd. Silently, the people form a circle. A lone cloud scuttles to greet the face of the moon and veils its brilliance for a second. In the darkness, man, woman, and child join hands. As the light once again filters down among the people, you hear the awed murmur of the crowd. The center of the circle, empty only moments before, is brilliantly lit by the aura of a single woman. She is like no other. You search your memory, but you can remember no equal, neither in this lifetime nor in any other. Her stance is straight and proud. Her strong yet delicate arms rise to the heavens, drawing down the light of the moon into her breast—into her soul. She is swathed in shimmering material that any human has yet to make; you marvel at how it ripples about her, like fine flesh that kisses the night. Some in the crowd see her as a raven-haired beauty; others see her as a white-blonde princess. Yet there are those who observe a fiery, red-headed warrioress. To you her skin appears a musk-honey color, but to the man next to you it shines with polished ebony. It is then you realize that you are connected to the thoughts of all in the universe. To look upon her radiant face is to have the air stolen from your lungs, and you gasp, eyes fluttering in mild fear of drowning in the logic of nothing. The sensation flashes by; you are left with steady breath and a pumping heart. To look within her is to experience the divine . . . the goddess! The logical mind does not accept the creative premise of divinity. You internally debate whether you are looking upon human flesh or a figment of the heavens. You have been told by others that the human is Aradia, Queen of the Witches. Some have said she is the incarnation of the goddess herself, others say she is the daughter of the goddess, as she could not enter her full self in human flesh. Regardless of the debate, you know that you have waited a very long time to see her. Although the humans here are total strangers to you, you finally feel that you are home. This is the place where you belong. She speaks. Her silver voice rings loud and true. In amazement you watch as the tallest trees around the clearing bow down in reverence as she begins The Call: Hear my words and know me! I shall be called a million names by all who speak! I am Eternal Maiden! I am Great Mother! I am the Old One who holds the immortal key! I am shrouded in Mystery, but am known to every soul! She lowers her arms and holds them open toward the people circled around her. A small girl- child in the crowd cries out in fear, erupting the peace of the circle. Her horrified mother attempts to remove the child as the little one breaks into a lusty squall. But Aradia only smiles and beckons the small one to her. She holds her arms in a cradling position, and where they once were empty, the child now materializes. The mother is left guiding only empty space from the circle. If there was one among the crowd who does not believe in her reality, her realness surely blossoms in that moment, as the child nestles into Aradia’s shoulder in peaceful contentment. Still holding the child, Aradia gestures one elegant arm to the sky and speaks: Hear my words and know me! Whenever the moon rises in the heavens shall my children come to me. Better it be once a month when the moon is full, shall ye assemble in some secret place, such as this, and adore the spirit of I. I, who am the Queen of Witches! And under my watchful eye, my children shall be taught the mysteries of earth and nature, of the ways of all magick! That which is unknown shall be known, and that which is hidden shall be revealed, even the secluded soul shall be pierced with my light. From my cauldron shall be drunk all knowledge and immortality! She pauses to caress the head of the girl-child, then lowers her gently to the ground. The tot scrambles quickly back to her mother, the cherub face serene, radiant, and blessed. Aradia begins to glide slowly around the circle of people, looking intently into many shadowed faces. She speaks: Ye shall be free from slavery and ye shall dance, sing, and feast. Music shall surround you, for mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine is also the joy of the earth! Her eyes grow large and luminous and her voice flares with raw power as she proclaims: I do not demand sacrifice! For behold, I am the Mother of all living things! She places the palm of her right hand on one man’s forehead. She shouts: Create and heal! Then softens her voice and winks at another: Be strong, yet gentle. She turns quickly to an old woman: Be noble, yet reverent. She then tips the chin of an attractive young woman: Bring forth and replenish. And pivots with a seductive laugh. She moves about the circle, touching each individual, murmuring encouragement of hopes and dreams, laying aside fear and hatred. And, as does the cycle of the moon ever begin to wax and wane and to grow forth again, as do the seasons from one to the next flow in smooth rhythm, from sowing to reaping, to seeming death and rebirth . . . so will my children know their own pattern in both worlds! Your heart begins to beat its own primal rhythm as she moves—no, glides—toward you. Your stomach does flippity-flops when you realize it is you she has singled out. She stands but a breath in front of you. You feel her warmth envelop you with the perfume of musk, or is it lavender? She is so beautiful you think your eyes will never see normally again. Her hand delicately touches your shoulder, sending a rapturous vortex of power jolting down your body, then building in your belly. She speaks in a whisper that, amazingly, all can hear: And ye shall say these words . . . I will love and harm none. I will live, love, die, and live again. I will meet, remember, know, and embrace once more. For the free will of All, and with harm to none as I will it now is done so mote it be! You speak the words. The people speak the words. She backs to the center of the circle, never appearing to move, but there just the same. Her power churns through every molecule of your system. The circle begins to fill with drifting notes of panpipes, whirling into a foggy spiral toward her. Where she once stood alone, now solidifies a towering being—half beast, half man. His body is covered in fine, golden iridescence. His bronze, muscular arms encircle her gently, as if she were made of the lightest fairy wing. Two large, twisting horns protrude from his head, glowing with a light that appears to be all its own. His visage does not frighten you, for you realize that this is the god, the consort of the Lady, and that he is the golden half of her silvery being. They smile deeply at one another. Their separate bodies slowly melt together into a single blazing entity of light. And the human circle is plunged into darkness. Your fearful heart turns your eyes to the heavens, but it is only another cloud that has passed before the face of the moon. The light returns almost as quickly as it was stolen, perhaps . . . not quite as mystical as before. All eyes turn to the center of the circle. And it is bare. Note: The original “Charge of the Goddess” was written by Doreen Valiente for use in Gardnerian rituals. It has been so loved by the entire pagan community that it has become a common part of many holiday ceremonies. This variation contains the major precepts of her idea, but puts it in story form. It is a beautiful tale to share with both adults and children, as it depicts the goddess and god in the manner in which we believe in them, not in the negative light in which our general society has often described them. [contents] Introduction It is an accurate statement that the followers of Witchcraft do not usually proselytize, which means you aren’t going to find us standing on your local street corner thumping our Books of Shadows. Nor do you have to worry about jumping out of the shower to answer our serene and smiling faces at the door with your clothes stuck to various uncomfortable places on your wet body. But just because we (hopefully) aren’t the forcible type doesn’t mean that we don’t exist. Trying to find us, though, can sometimes be rather tricky. And honestly, that’s part of the fun. Witchcraft is definitely an enjoyable practice. There is no fear, no hatred, no cowering at divinity. Each of us has the right to enjoy all that the universe has to provide. This book has been designed to help you experience Witchcraft in its natural form. I could entice you by saying, yes, after reading and practicing various exercises in this book you will get the money you need, the love you desire, etc., but I would come close to sounding like the nine hundred numbers that I usually roll my eyes at; I’m sure you do too. Who ever heard of something coming from nothing? Well—believe it or not—me. Except you must understand that there is no such thing as nothing. Even nothing is something, really. This book has been written for each person as an individual, whether you belong to a coven, practice solitary already, or are just beginning and haven’t decided exactly what you want to do. Its focus is on the single person, often called solitary, and how they can practice both the science and religion of the Craft, whether they belong to a group or not. It speaks plainly and simply about living as a Witch, not just practicing rituals or invoking spells on Tuesday, or Thursday, or whatever. It is also a very important testimony of one woman . . . me. If Witchcraft and magick didn’t work for me, you wouldn’t be reading this book. Now, before you hurriedly flip through the pages because you think I zapped it up without any stress or strain and you want to do the same, let me assure you that it took an immense amount of work to attain my goal of writing this book. Yes, there was definitely magick afoot in my life as I worked on this manuscript. The odds of a mother of four submitting her first manuscript to the publishing company at the top of her list and having it accepted without the usual hassle of numerous rejection letters are slim indeed. It wasn’t just my magick, or hopes and dreams that brought this book to you, it was the magick of those many people who are in need of such a text. What I am trying to stress is that I’m just like you. I’m a normal, everyday-type person. Well, sort of. Everyone likes to think they are special, right? I live in the real world that has such neat items as rent, phone bills, electric bills, family upsets, car problems, and bank snafus. Not to mention the biggies, like war, crime, and sometimes uncooperative neighbors. My point is that I can take this real world and superimpose upon it the world of illusion (which isn’t, really), in order to either fix or prevent many of life’s difficulties—or even better, create happiness and well-being for both myself and others. I can do this, and so can you . . . if you really want to. And that is the fundamental key. To want and to need simultaneously leads to success without researching the subject for the next twenty years—an idea that doesn’t sound promising to anybody. Who wants to wait that long to achieve their goals? I’d rather sit in my rocking chair ticking off the things that I have achieved rather than mourn over an expanse of wasted years and unfinished business. Witchcraft is a natural and practical aspect of being. If followed properly, it doesn’t hurt anybody, and helps many. It meshes easily with the cycles of the universe. You can obtain health, wealth, and well-being. Just ask me! Blessed Be, Jenine E. Trayer aka Silver RavenWolf 31 October 1991 [contents]
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