Thursday, January 10, 2013
Twelfth Night
Many, many traditions cluster around the time of winter solstice. Perhaps as a final wrap-up, our spiritual forebears enjoyed twelfth night, as a summation and a farewell to the indoor festivities occasioned by cold weather and short daylight hours.
As with so many other pre-Christian pactices, the Christian church stole the celebrations held on the twelfth night after solstice, and turned them into something it called "the Epiphany". The first confusion that arises stems from the awkward fact that twelfth night is supposed to occur on the evening of January 5, ahead of the twelfth day which fell on January 6 because days officially began at sunset in those times.
Of course, as with many stolen festivals, this one predates Christianity by thousands of years. It stems originally from an adjustment of the Egyptian calendar, as noted in the Rhind mathematical Papyrus:
The world is out of joint. The gods have given us five extra days, and they should be used
for rest and revelry.
In many parts of old Europe this prompted a Saturnalia-type holiday with a Lord of Misrule, when aristocrats served the servants; where possible, all normal pursuits were reversed or let slide. The Christmas decorations were always taken down by the Lord and the Lady of Misrule, and any food in them was eaten at the twelfth night feast. This would normally include such things as nuts, apples, and dried fruits. In many places circular (ring-shaped) cakes were baked. In Spain, for example, such a cake was called the "king's ring" to signify the turning of the wheel of the year. Or for all we know, maybe it was properly "kings' ring" as in three kings. The cake would contain a dried bean and a pea. The persons who got these pieces would be designated King and Queen for the following year.
Shakespeare's play "Twelfth Night", written to be performed on twelfth night (surprise), has a special flavor of the fun and games and misrule that were common practice in his day.
What happened?
How come we no longer have revels and enjoyment of this sort? Even the pagan groups don't seem to trouble themselves with innocent revelry of this sort. We Frosts think this is a very sad commentary on today's materialistic, shallow world with its disregard for traditions.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Defining Sacred Space
Before we begin any ritual, it has become our practice to define the space in which it is held: That space is between the worlds and is not subject to "normal" time constraints. In defining thus, we have used the ancient directions which correspond to the elements: fire, earth, air, water. The correlation of the elements with directions comes to us from the ancient Harappan civilization of the Indus Valley: from the area known as the Punjab (Land of the Five Rivers). The area spans the border between today's Pakistan and today's India.
Generally North has been designated Earth. With the Himalayas in the North, putting Earth there seems reasonable. But what if there is no earth massif to your north, as for instance in northwestern Ireland, or in the praire flatland of Kansas? Since anywhere we stand Earth is under our feet, it seems reasonable to us to correlate Earth with Down.
What if we are in the United States on the west coast? Where should we put Water? Since the Pacific Ocean is in the West and it is a pretty large body of water, let's say for the sake of argument that we should put Water in the West. Then when we move to the east coast we should put Water in the East; and by similar reasoning on the Gulf Coast we should put Water in the South.
Since the sun is at its most powerful in the South (we're speaking here throughout of the northern hemisphere), Fire should be in the South, and Air in the West. This is especially appropriate since most prevailing winds come from the West. (You need only look at the weather channel.) This now leaves us with a blank for North--and after working many, many dedications of space, we have come to the conclusion that the best representation for North is Time. Without Time, nothing would exist. Further, Time can obviously be associated with the elderly, with white hair, and with many other concepts befitting what is essentially a sympathy magic. Now we can put Spirit Above and have a very consistent, tidy, satisfactory six-direction dedication for our working.
We prefer what is called cross-circle calling: the person standing in the South calls North, and similarly around the group--starting, of course, with Earth because workers need something to stand on. It is best, then, that everyone in unison call Earth. Here then is a typical set of direction calls for the eastern US:
Below - earth, our mother: the solid ground from which we all come a square
East - water, adaptability: takes on the shape of its container wavy lines
South - fire, passion, not indifference triangle
West - air, mental: here new ideas come in on the wind fountain
North - time, remembrance, good times, those who have gone before clock hands
Above - spirit, which activates every living thing spiral
Thus we offer some basic ideas to direct your thinking as you dedicate your space. Some groups also like to make hand gestures as they call each direction, so we have included them too. Remember always that the key to such working is the ability to remain silent, an ability often equated to Earth, with the silence of rocks and mountains. As with all magical procedures, though, it is up to the local group to make their own decisions on how they will sanctify their sacred space. Therefore we urge you to do just that: Define it, try it; if you like it, stay with it. Whatever you do in your working, don't just simply follow like a well-trained dog the ancient instructions without thinking about them.
Remember always that the key to all this working is the ability to remain silent. It is often equated to Earth. The silence of the rocks and the mountains. As with all magical procedures, it is up to the local group to make their own decisions on how they will sanctify their sacred space. We urge you, therefore, to do just this: define it, try it; if you like it, stay with it. Whatever you do in your working, don't just simply follow like a well-trained dog the ancient instructions without thinking about them.
Be where you are.
Generally North has been designated Earth. With the Himalayas in the North, putting Earth there seems reasonable. But what if there is no earth massif to your north, as for instance in northwestern Ireland, or in the praire flatland of Kansas? Since anywhere we stand Earth is under our feet, it seems reasonable to us to correlate Earth with Down.
What if we are in the United States on the west coast? Where should we put Water? Since the Pacific Ocean is in the West and it is a pretty large body of water, let's say for the sake of argument that we should put Water in the West. Then when we move to the east coast we should put Water in the East; and by similar reasoning on the Gulf Coast we should put Water in the South.
Since the sun is at its most powerful in the South (we're speaking here throughout of the northern hemisphere), Fire should be in the South, and Air in the West. This is especially appropriate since most prevailing winds come from the West. (You need only look at the weather channel.) This now leaves us with a blank for North--and after working many, many dedications of space, we have come to the conclusion that the best representation for North is Time. Without Time, nothing would exist. Further, Time can obviously be associated with the elderly, with white hair, and with many other concepts befitting what is essentially a sympathy magic. Now we can put Spirit Above and have a very consistent, tidy, satisfactory six-direction dedication for our working.
We prefer what is called cross-circle calling: the person standing in the South calls North, and similarly around the group--starting, of course, with Earth because workers need something to stand on. It is best, then, that everyone in unison call Earth. Here then is a typical set of direction calls for the eastern US:
Below - earth, our mother: the solid ground from which we all come a square
East - water, adaptability: takes on the shape of its container wavy lines
South - fire, passion, not indifference triangle
West - air, mental: here new ideas come in on the wind fountain
North - time, remembrance, good times, those who have gone before clock hands
Above - spirit, which activates every living thing spiral
Thus we offer some basic ideas to direct your thinking as you dedicate your space. Some groups also like to make hand gestures as they call each direction, so we have included them too. Remember always that the key to such working is the ability to remain silent, an ability often equated to Earth, with the silence of rocks and mountains. As with all magical procedures, though, it is up to the local group to make their own decisions on how they will sanctify their sacred space. Therefore we urge you to do just that: Define it, try it; if you like it, stay with it. Whatever you do in your working, don't just simply follow like a well-trained dog the ancient instructions without thinking about them.
Remember always that the key to all this working is the ability to remain silent. It is often equated to Earth. The silence of the rocks and the mountains. As with all magical procedures, it is up to the local group to make their own decisions on how they will sanctify their sacred space. We urge you, therefore, to do just this: define it, try it; if you like it, stay with it. Whatever you do in your working, don't just simply follow like a well-trained dog the ancient instructions without thinking about them.
Be where you are.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
First Footer
At this time of year it is appropriate to remember the First-Footer. What is that? It is the first human foot that crosses the threshold after midnight on the night between December 31 and January 1. Traditionally the First-Footer is expected to bring into the household a silver coin; a piece of wood or coal; some bread item, perhaps an unsweetened dinner roll, usually baked fairly hard. Gavin remembers being on a BOAC flight with his (two older) children at this season. The airline served up rolls of a type that the kids could have used as cricket balls.
In addition, especially in Scotland, a bottle of whisky is brought.
All the First-Footer items are placed over the lintel of the front door of the dwelling, or over the door which is used most often. The items signify that the home will never lack money, fuel for heat, and food.
Some folklorists note that especially good luck came when a First-Footer was invited to stay at a dwelling where there were unmarried daughters. Presumably this was an old way of widening the gene pool.
You can go first-footing in your neighborhood if you like, or just to the dwelling of your friendly local Witches. Let's not lose these ancient rituals. They mean something even now.
Happy 2013
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Time Flies
Today, four days after winter solstice, in the northeast, we have gained a whole minute in the length of the daylight hours. Between now and summer solstice we will gain two minutes a day, until on June 21 the day will have stretched out to 15 hours 17 minutes. It will stay there for several days:
The midsummer event actually extends from June 1 to June 26. Then it starts losing one minute a day and then two minutes a day.
What this tells us is that a minute is important, and that minutes add up. The day at midwinter is only 9 hours and 4 minutes: over 6 hours shorter than the day at midsummer. Mother Nature responds to this change in the length of daylight hours by giving us first the spring flowering and then the summer and autumn fruiting of the crops.
Changes in daylight also seem to change our personal outlook on the world. In midsummer everything is much brighter, corresponding to the longer daylight, rather than the drab, colorless, depressive outlook we experience at midwinter. Thus we have to admit that the time of year definitely affects our outlook, so that it is not surprising that babies born in the winter months have a different attitude to life than those born in spring and summer months.
You can help the winter children by making sure that the nursery is brightly painted in sunshiny colors of gold and palest yellow, and that there is adequate light for several extra hours in each 24-hour period.
Be aware of changes in the outlook of people around you; and be grateful that these outlooks will change as the seasons progress.
Blessed Be Gavin and Yvonne
The midsummer event actually extends from June 1 to June 26. Then it starts losing one minute a day and then two minutes a day.
What this tells us is that a minute is important, and that minutes add up. The day at midwinter is only 9 hours and 4 minutes: over 6 hours shorter than the day at midsummer. Mother Nature responds to this change in the length of daylight hours by giving us first the spring flowering and then the summer and autumn fruiting of the crops.
Changes in daylight also seem to change our personal outlook on the world. In midsummer everything is much brighter, corresponding to the longer daylight, rather than the drab, colorless, depressive outlook we experience at midwinter. Thus we have to admit that the time of year definitely affects our outlook, so that it is not surprising that babies born in the winter months have a different attitude to life than those born in spring and summer months.
You can help the winter children by making sure that the nursery is brightly painted in sunshiny colors of gold and palest yellow, and that there is adequate light for several extra hours in each 24-hour period.
Be aware of changes in the outlook of people around you; and be grateful that these outlooks will change as the seasons progress.
Blessed Be Gavin and Yvonne
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Prediction-armagedon
Apparently the end of the fifth long-cycle Mayan calendar passed without even a whimper, let alone a bang. The question now becomes:
Does prediction work?
In the School of Wicca we have asked students to report psychic experiences; many such reports involve predictions. It is notable that the shorter-term (say, less than a year) seem to work better than longer-term predictions. We have begun to think that prediction is like a game of chess: You can see several moves ahead, but not too many. It may be that the Mayans saw ahead many thousands of years but then decided that their predictions would not be realizable after five cycles.
The longest-term and best prediction we know of is that of Mother Shipton, who foresaw such things as the motor-car, the submarine, and space travel, getting down to such details as the color of the astronauts' uniforms. Nostradamus is often quoted as being one of the best predictors of all time; but looking carefully at his rhymes, there are often many interpretations possible. Intentionally or not, he often used such ambiguities that his verses can be made to fit events in almost any decade since he fastened them down.
So if we give Mother Shipton and Nostradamus a thousand years and the Mayans 15 thousand, then to us it is not surprising that the winter solstice on the 21st went by without incident.
We were all packed, too. Shucks.
Does prediction work?
In the School of Wicca we have asked students to report psychic experiences; many such reports involve predictions. It is notable that the shorter-term (say, less than a year) seem to work better than longer-term predictions. We have begun to think that prediction is like a game of chess: You can see several moves ahead, but not too many. It may be that the Mayans saw ahead many thousands of years but then decided that their predictions would not be realizable after five cycles.
The longest-term and best prediction we know of is that of Mother Shipton, who foresaw such things as the motor-car, the submarine, and space travel, getting down to such details as the color of the astronauts' uniforms. Nostradamus is often quoted as being one of the best predictors of all time; but looking carefully at his rhymes, there are often many interpretations possible. Intentionally or not, he often used such ambiguities that his verses can be made to fit events in almost any decade since he fastened them down.
So if we give Mother Shipton and Nostradamus a thousand years and the Mayans 15 thousand, then to us it is not surprising that the winter solstice on the 21st went by without incident.
We were all packed, too. Shucks.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
The Catastrophy at Newtown
The unthinkable act at Newtown, gunning down at least 20 innocent children and at least eight innocent adults, will cause the usual uproar and hanky-twisting about gun control. Perhaps a couple of new laws will be noisily enacted restricting the right of a few of the more obvious psychopaths to own guns. But history teaches us that anyone who wants a gun--especially in the United States--can get one.
There's another control method, though: one that works successfully in England. That is:
ammunition control. You cannot buy ammunition for revolvers or handguns without a permit. Even the parts and pieces necessary for reloading require permits. If ammunition control were to go into effect in the United States today, then gradually the existing ammunition would be used up and gun control would become effectively unnecessary. Even St. Billy Graham might start sleeping without a gun within hand's reach. If we then pushed neighboring nations to enact similar legislation, we would overcome the massacres that occur continually in Mexico, and would even reduce Canada's gun murder rate, already low.
The firearm murder rate in the United States is twenty-two (22) times the rate in England.
It has been said that it's an attitude to violence that causes the statistics to be so different between England and the United States; however, statistics show that violence is just as prevalent in England as it is in the United States. The big difference is the firearm murder rate. The Brits see the same violent TV shows that we see; and many of us have historical family roots in England, so it's not a matter of DNA. The big difference is the availability of ammunition. You can't fire a gun without a shell. So let's push for immediate control of ammunition; what do you say?
Then the gun advocates can fondle their trophy weapons all day long, but they'll be inoperative. Viagra, anyone?
Thursday, December 13, 2012
We are Back
Gavin writes: Hi, guys and gals. We're back. I am sufficiently recovered from a series of six operations ... or was it seven? ... to be able to promise that we'll be blogging on a regular basis again. Right now I'm off on one of my favorite rants, having just watched the latest trash on Stonehenge. (You should know that many years ago I worked in the neighborhood of Stonehenge at the British Army's missile range on Salisbury Plain. The soil there is a thin layer of humus covering the chalk. The army found that even driving a tracked vehicle across it would churn up the surface.)
We have watched with dismayed amazement as the various "highly intelligent, expert" archaeologists tried to figure out how the early peoples moved the stones.
To us it's extremely simple. If you look at the thermoclines, you will see that in the period when Stonehenge was built, temperatures in winter were just a trifle colder--perhaps 1 degree--than in the present day. In wintertime the ground on Salisbury Plain gets frozen hard.
We have suggested for many years that the way to move rocks is to slide them on ice: Throw down some water overnight. Let it freeze. Slide your stones.
Anyway, the archaeologists will continue to come up with fanciful explanations and methodologies. Students will grub around and find new artifacts. Let's let 'em have their fun.
On another subject, which similarly seems to us to be self-evident: When we first founded the School, we had many many newcomers seeking information. There were very few books from which they could get "odd" (make that deviant or unconventional) notions. Thus we were able to have them experiment with such things as the size of sacred circles and the best materials with which to cast those circles. It turned out that there was a connection between the size of modern circles and the ancient stone circles, and that electrically conducting materials made more effective circles than non-conductors. Yet today's self-styled Witches constantly ignore this research and go their happy ways casting imaginary circles with beautifully wrought swords--which are in and of themselves magnetic and thus disturb any psychic phenomena. As with the archaeologists, we're going to let them go their happy ways. We won't tell them that more experiments are now being done using ellipses instead of circles. An ellipse does have two focal points, and careful measurement of the old stone circles shows that they were all "squashed": more like an ellipse than like a circle.
Okay. Gavin's rants are done for today. Here comes Yvonne's. Blessed be all.
Yvonne writes:
Because of the kindness and generosity of a friend, I've been able now to read a book recommended in Free Inquiry, the magazine of the Council for Secular Humanism at the Center for Inquiry: freeinquiry@secularhumanism.org, http://www.secularhumanism.org The book itself? Bothwell's Prince of War. Pick it up yourself ... if you've got a strong stomach. If you're a recovering Christian, as I am, you have probably heard the term whited sepulchre: a tomb or crypt whitewashed on the outside, containing rotting corpses. The phrase doesn't even hint at the life-long behavior patterns exhibited by Saint Billy Graham of the Southern Baptist Convention and described with fully documented backup in Bothwell's book. You'd better have lots of aspirin handy when you pick the thing up.
It documents insistent behavior that I think of as a song: "Brown Noses at the White House" and lots more. War-mongering is only one expression of the sainted mindset. I recommend the book as a glimpse at the dark side of Christianity--which we all know exists. But again: You'd better have a strong stomach.
We have watched with dismayed amazement as the various "highly intelligent, expert" archaeologists tried to figure out how the early peoples moved the stones.
To us it's extremely simple. If you look at the thermoclines, you will see that in the period when Stonehenge was built, temperatures in winter were just a trifle colder--perhaps 1 degree--than in the present day. In wintertime the ground on Salisbury Plain gets frozen hard.
We have suggested for many years that the way to move rocks is to slide them on ice: Throw down some water overnight. Let it freeze. Slide your stones.
Anyway, the archaeologists will continue to come up with fanciful explanations and methodologies. Students will grub around and find new artifacts. Let's let 'em have their fun.
On another subject, which similarly seems to us to be self-evident: When we first founded the School, we had many many newcomers seeking information. There were very few books from which they could get "odd" (make that deviant or unconventional) notions. Thus we were able to have them experiment with such things as the size of sacred circles and the best materials with which to cast those circles. It turned out that there was a connection between the size of modern circles and the ancient stone circles, and that electrically conducting materials made more effective circles than non-conductors. Yet today's self-styled Witches constantly ignore this research and go their happy ways casting imaginary circles with beautifully wrought swords--which are in and of themselves magnetic and thus disturb any psychic phenomena. As with the archaeologists, we're going to let them go their happy ways. We won't tell them that more experiments are now being done using ellipses instead of circles. An ellipse does have two focal points, and careful measurement of the old stone circles shows that they were all "squashed": more like an ellipse than like a circle.
Okay. Gavin's rants are done for today. Here comes Yvonne's. Blessed be all.
Yvonne writes:
Because of the kindness and generosity of a friend, I've been able now to read a book recommended in Free Inquiry, the magazine of the Council for Secular Humanism at the Center for Inquiry: freeinquiry@secularhumanism.org, http://www.secularhumanism.org The book itself? Bothwell's Prince of War. Pick it up yourself ... if you've got a strong stomach. If you're a recovering Christian, as I am, you have probably heard the term whited sepulchre: a tomb or crypt whitewashed on the outside, containing rotting corpses. The phrase doesn't even hint at the life-long behavior patterns exhibited by Saint Billy Graham of the Southern Baptist Convention and described with fully documented backup in Bothwell's book. You'd better have lots of aspirin handy when you pick the thing up.
It documents insistent behavior that I think of as a song: "Brown Noses at the White House" and lots more. War-mongering is only one expression of the sainted mindset. I recommend the book as a glimpse at the dark side of Christianity--which we all know exists. But again: You'd better have a strong stomach.
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