Little Witch Fall 2013
Emma Restall Orr Pagan Moon CafĂŠ Herbs and their Use Sacrificing to Nature Spirits Is Magick Between the Ears?
Magazine
Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.
Robert Frost – Fire and Ice 1920
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This Little Witch T
his is a somewhat unusual issue of Little Witch. First off, it is a week late, and secondly, I have to inform you that the Fall 2013 issue of Little Witch magazine is going to be the last. It was a hard decision to make, one I am solely responsible for. It hurts to see the magazine go, but due to changes in my personal and religious life, I can’t afford the time and can no longer find the motivation to spearhead Little Witch every few months. When I founded Little Witch three years ago, I identified as an Eclectic Witch. Now, I identify as a Hellenist; a practitioner of the Greek Reconstruction religion. That progression has led me to leave behind much of my passion for my previous practice, and much in Neo-Paganism stands in linear opposition to Hellenism-which is part of Neo-Paganism, but is most certainly not synonymous. We have had three wonderful years, and I want to thank the
writers, the guest writers, and the readers for the rid they took with us. I am very proud of the twelve magazines we created together, and at least for now, they will remain available at www.littlewitchmagazine.com . I am going to miss the magazine, and working on it, very much, but we are going to end our run with a bang! the last issue of Little Witch is a very good one, and I am very proud that I get to share it with all of you. This issue is full of herbal knowledge, information about a new Dutch Pagan meet-up initiative, and the beauty of the season. Thank you for reading, for the many years of reading. It was an honor to work for you. Brightest Blessings, Elani Temperance
In this issue: 4 5 6 8 9 10 12 13 14 16
The Goodie Bag Pagan Moon CafĂŠ Examining the season The Beauty of the Fall Pagan world The Pagan Garden: Part 3 Witchy Things Herbs and their Use Merry Meet Emma Restall Orr Discussion Is Magick Between the Ears? Branching out The difficulties of Interfaith Conversations Practical Pagan Amulet Making 101 By the firelight How Odin Lost His Eye Practical Pagan: Sacrificing to Nature Spirits
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The Goodie Bag Pagan Moon Café- By Lunadea en Wendy Rose
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t the end of the ’90, the Pagan Federation founded the first Dutch Witchmeet. At that time it was hosted at a roadside diner near Utrecht, later at another location. The spot was chosen deliberately as it was a central location in the Netherlands which Pagans could reach easily. After the first meet-up, more were organized, throughout the Netherlands. With the rise of the internet and the end of the first wave of (Neo-) Wicca, however, the meet-ups stopped happening. After 15 years, only a hand full are left. This is a shame, as they were spots to meet with likeminded folks, places where friendships were formed for life, and where those who came never had to feel ‘the odd one out’, because others like yourself flocked to these Witchmeets. Of course the internet is an easy medium to meet likeminded folk these days, but chatting over Facebook, Twitter, or forum is decidedly different from a
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face-to-face meet. It became clearer and clearer that there was a need in the Netherlands for a new Witchmeet. Wendy Rose (of the web shop wendyrosesbrews.nl) and Lunadea decided to work together to reach this common goal. We chose the home ground of Dutch Witchcraft for the meet-up: Utrecht. After a phone call to the manager of the largest café in Utrecht, the ‘Winkel van Sinkel’, a deal was made: if a meet-up of at least thirty people per evening was realized, the Winkel van Sinkel would reserve one of its rooms especially for them. And thus, the ‘Pagan Moon Café’ was born. Since then, every third Friday night of the month, form eight PM onwards, there is a Pagan Moon Café. The name was a deliberate choice: the usual terms for these kinds of meet-ups had a distinct witchy and/or Wiccan ring to them. We wanted to keep the target audience broad: not just Witches are welcome to attend, but anyone with a Pagan mindset. Pagans, druids,
priestesses, shamanic practitioners, etc. That this was the right call was obvious when the first Pagan Moon Café took place on the 16th of August this year. Thirty-six people showed up, and they were very diverse in their practice. The Pagan Moon Café is, above all, a place to meet others and thus there are no scheduled events. The goal is to connect various Traditions and people. Physically coming together helps establish these bonds as everyone who attends has alignable views.
More Information: Every third Friday of the month in the ‘Winke;l van Sinkel’, Utrecht, from 8 PM onwards. Facebook: http://tiny.cc/cafefacebook
Examining the season the beauty of the fall - By aurelia bellis
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his start of the autumnal season is special. With a small heat wave, you would almost start to doubt your sanity and the sequence of seasons. The arrival of the Fall was secretly announced, though. The autumnal season was already starting long before the season started. The color of the sunlight turned from bright yellow to orangepink. The days of Summer were different in color than those at the end of August and September. And there was another announcement: the trees. Even though the sun was still so bright, the leaves had lost
their bright green hue. The trees were already gearing up for the quieter seasons of Autumn and Winter. They have settled down, despite the heat. In gardens and the forrest, you can also tell that silence is gaining ground; the buzz of insects has lessened considerably. There is one animal, however, whose days are filled to the brim with work and perhaps a bit of enjoyment: the spider. At this time of year you can find the most gorgeous of webs in every corner of your garden and the forest. They are moving gently with the wind. And while the flowers are still moderately colorful and proud at this time of year, it can’t be denied that the brown earth is
showing more and more gold yellow leaves. This makes the color pallet especially beautiful this time of year, and worth examining. It took only two weeks after the heat wave for the fall to arrive. A walk out in nature shows this very well. Birds are stuffing themselves with berries and seeds, a blackbird hops enthusiastically through the garden, looking for wild strawberries who stand up from the green like rubies. The fruits left on the bough beg to be picked. Chestnuts are still covered by their green outer shell, waiting until the Fall has advanced to the point where the fruit can fall from the tree and become young trees in the Spring.
Activities for the fall The autumnal season is a time of harvest. Think back to the last few months: have the plans
you had made worked out? And are you happy? If not, have you found alternatives? Be grateful for
what you have harvested and the wisdom gained, and rest up, like nature is doing.
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ow the growth season is over for most plants in your garden, it is time to see how you will process the fruits of you labor. You can freeze the vegetables you have not yet consumed, and herbs can be used in many different ways, especially after you dry them. The most common can be found below: an infusion, a decoction, a tincture, syrup, an ointment, and an oil infusion. And infusion is nothing more than a type of tea. You use about 25 grams of dried herbs or 75 grams of fresh herbs to every 500 milliliters of water. To make an infusion, you put the herb in a bowl or cup and pour boiled water which has cooled down to the point where it is no longer bubbling onto it. You then soak the herbs for two to three minutes and filter the water. It can be easier to make a larger portion of your infusion that will last you through the day. Infusions can be kept in the fridge for up to 48
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hours, and you can drink them cold as well as hot. Herbs which take well to infusion are lemon grass, rosemary and chamomile. A decoction is a method which allows you to process tougher plants and plant materials. You use about 25 grams of dried herbs or 75 grams of fresh herbs to every 750 milliliters of cold water. After you add the herbs to the water, you bring the water to a boil in a pan and then induce it until about 250 milliliters of water remain. Try to avoid an aluminum pan. Afterwards, you filter the water. A decoction keeps for 48 hours as well. Herbs that are useful to decoct are birch, licorice and daisies. You can combine infusions and decoctions by combining the products of both. Decocted herbs tend to taste bitter, so especially for kids, it may be wise to sweeten the decoction or mixture with honey. Do mind their sugar intake. A tincture is an alcoholic extract of a herb. Usually, an alcohol percentage of around 25 percent is used. The easiest way to get the concoction right is to add half
a liter of water to a liter of vodka, and to scale this recipe up or down depending how much you need. To every liter and a half, you use 300 grams of dried herbs or 900 grams of fresh herbs. To make the tincture, you put the herbs in a big (glass) jar, give it a good shake, and then add the alcohol. Close the jar ad put it away for the next two weeks in a cool spot. Shake the mixture a few times during these two weeks. After two weeks, you filter the mix and store the tincture in storage jars or bottles with tinted glass. A tincture keeps for about two years. You can make syrup by adding honey or sugar to an infusion or decoction. Use 500 milliliter product to 500 grams of sugar of honey. Heat the mixture in a castiron pan and stir it continuously to absolve the honey or sugar. Let the mixture cool and save it in corked bottles; this is important at the sugars can ferment and cause pressure. Corked bottles help let the pressure out gradually, while other bottle caps can cause the bottle to explode.
Pagan World
The Pagan Garden: Part 3 - By Calandriel an Cuiileur
Lemon, marshmallow, thyme and licorice are perfect for making syrups. You can make ointments by heating herbs in animal or plant fats. You can use it to help weak or sensitive skin heal and get stronger. Plants like Aloe vera and lavender are especially useful for making ointments, which is why you find them a lot in store-bought ones. The more of the plant you use in your ointment, the stronger it will be. There are two ways to infuse oils, the warm way and the cold way. Both can be used as massage oils and ointments. To make use of the warm way to infuse oils, you cook a mixture of 100 grams of dried herbs or 300 grams of fresh herbs in 500 milliliter oil au bain marie. Make sure to keep adding water to the lower pot, else it can run out of water and damage your pan. After three hours, you filter the oil and store the oil in glass jars, away from sunlight. Herbs that are useable for warm infusion are amongst others nettle and comfrey. Cold oil infusion works a little
differently. Here, you fill a large glass jar with your herb and then cover it with oil. You leave this mixture out in full sunlight for at least three weeks and then filter the oil. To give your oil infusion an extra kick, you can fill the jar again with fresh herbs and use the oil from the batch you just made to infuse the oil a second time. Again, leave the mixture out in the full sunlight for three weeks. You can then filter the oil again and store it in glass bottles which are sealed air tight. A cold infusion is useful for herbs like marigold, chamomile flowers and St. John’s wort. After using up this year’s harvest, it is time to make plans for next year’s harvest. Are you looking to grow the same types of vegetables and herbs or will you switch to herbs that are not yet at your disposal? Which vegetables did you like, and which ones were harder to finish? Keep in mind the available room and sunlight you have in your garden. As a general tip: you easily have too much arugula and other types of lettuce, which can lead you to
waste part of your yield. Other vegetables as well as herbs might have ran out because they were so good and/or useful. Perhaps you suffered from a number of small ailments this year that herbs you did not have in your garden or did not have enough of in your garden would have been able to fix: this is your chance to rectify that error for next year. Use the autumnal season to plant cuttings of woody plants like blackberries and grapes, as well as to cut back shrubbery. If you do this before winter arrives, you will have a happy, healthy, shrub by the time summer arrives.
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Witchy Things Herbs and their Use - By Linda Zoet
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or the full history of herbs and herbology, you would need to hit the books; there is far too much information about both to cover in a single article. Herbs have been used for centuries in a variety of ways: to add flavor to food, to mask foul odors, and to decorate houses and food during religious holidays, Examples include juniper berry, pine trees, rosemary, thyme, mistletoe, and cinnamon. These are the herbs of the Fall and Wintertime; herbs with a festive look, and a taste that will warm you during the cold days. Would you like your house to smell fresh and clean, lemon or lime with rosemary thyme or lavender can be a great cleaning aid. Is your wardrobe smelly, you can lay the all-familiar lavender pouch between your clothes or hang it at the back of the closet. There are many simple ways in which herbs can spice up your life. Most people
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know hers from their medicinal use; still a heated subject. Yet, times are changing and more and more people discover the health benefits of herbs. A small example of medicinal herb use are lavender and valerian to relax, and lemon balm to support you emotionally during a rough period. Has your child taken a fall and scraped their knee, or have sustained a minor injury during the odd job around the house, marigold can help you. Tea made from fennel seed helps relieve intestinal cramps. Nettle and dandelion help to detoxify. Mouthwash made from sage works against inflammation, and just about any other ailment can be aided or cured by the use of herbs. Herbs use in religion is undeniable: people and objects are blessed with branches of herbal plants. Houses are cleaned by burning dried herbs, and during the practice of magick, your query is aided by the use of herbs. Sage for purification, cinnamon to make new friends and to foster
happiness in your home and ginger for love and passion. These are just a few examples of how herbs can enrich your magickal practice. But how do you know if you are using herbs safely? There are a few simple ways to find out: as your local herbal shop owner, read the description on the back of the container, or buy a herbal encyclopedia. Are you using freshly picked herbs from the wild and you are unsure of their identity, don’t use them. Herbs can be dangerous. Internet pages can help, but many of them are missing vital information or even provide falsehoods. If you are using herbs as medication, don’t forget to visit a physician in case of lasting symptoms: a proper diagnosis of your health is generally reserved for the medical professional, and the herbs at our disposal in grocery stores and health food shops are not always potent enough to cure all that ails us.
Merry Meet
Emma Restall Orr - By Linda Zoet
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mma Restall Orr was born in London in 1965. She has a genetic nervous-system disorder which causes hypersensitivity and pain of her skin, suffers from numbness in het hands and legs, and suffers from chronic headaches. This has never stopped her; in fact, she credits it with her mental strength. Her childhood and adolescence were spent traveling, but she ventually setted down in rural England to enjoy the simple pleasures as well as the wisdom that comes from a steady home. Orr is a British neo-druid, and animist, a priestess, a poet, and a writer. Half way through the ‘80’s Orr studied Druidry and worked for the ‘Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids’ (OBOD) as a teacher for Ovates in the 1990’s. In 1993 she joined forces with Phillips Shallcrass, the chosen leader for ‘The Britisch Druid Order’, and stayed there for nine years. In 2002, she left the Order and started ‘The Druid
Network’, a network created to inspire, inform, and express spirituality. Currently this network is still in use, but without the involvement of Orr. In 2004, Orr founded ‘Honouring the Ancient Dead’, an advocacy group working for the respectful treatment of ancient human remains. In her connection to this group, she speaks at museums as well as with archeologists about their finds. In 2005 she and her husband Mark Graham started ‘Sun Rising Natural Burial Ground’, a company which locates natural burial places and oversees funerals. Orr’s philosophy can be described as perceiving sanctity in nature, where nature is defined by human and nonhuman alike. She is an environmentalist, deep ecologist, and a vegan believing in minimal consumerism. Her politics favour responsible, co-operative anarchy, where authority is found only in the validity of truly sustainable relationship. People who know her call her ‘Bob-
cat’, not Emma. She believes that creativity, peace and harmony are achieved through consideration, consultation and dialogue, where there is wakeful respect, without prejudice or assumption. According to Emma Restall Orr, a valuable life is one lived in service to one’s land and community. She aims to live in such a way that her ancestors would be proud.
More Information: Official website: www.emmarestallorr.org Books on Amazon: http://tiny.cc/orrbooks Honouring the Ancient Dead: www.honour.org.uk
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his discussion is based on the reflections of a critical Pagan, on the reality
of magic. There are people, Pagan as well as non-Pagan, that look at magick Argus-eyed. Magic as you see it in witchcraft related Traditions is often untouchable and imperceptible. Contrary to Hollywood we, as practitioners of magick, are not aided by a wide range of special effects to bolster our magickal practice. Instead we need to belief and trust without evidence that the magick will work. In fact, our belief in what we do and how we do it is often the motor that powers the work itself. But how do we distinguish between quackery and superstition, and real magick? Or what is ‘just in your head’ from a magickal effect? Take for instance Tarot-readings. Sociologist Robert Merton describes the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’: a phenomenon in
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which a prophecy leads to new behavior that has the goal to fulfill the prophecy. People will subconsciously behave in such a way as to make any prophecy come true and will sooner see confirmation for it. From this viewpoint, Tarot-readings can better be described as future-shaping than futureseeing. Another example is a ritual healing. In the medical and psychological work fields, we are aware of something called the ‘placebo effect’. This effect states that when one believes that a remedy or medicine will be beneficial, you will experience at least a part of this effect. This regardless of whether the remedy actually contains active components. When testing new medication, the placebo-effect is always accounted for in testing. This is a necessity as sometimes the placebo-effect is stronger than the actual medicine itself! A conclusion one could make is: maybe healing sessions with stones, herbs, etc. only
work because we think they do. Magick is nothing more than the placebo-effect. Yet, with this conclusion we come full-circle. As mentioned before: the stronger one believes in the magick they practice, the stronger the effect. One could then also say that the placebo effect is nothing more than magick! The same can be said about Tarot readings. The self-fulfilling prophecy is only a semiscientific interpretation of a mechanic that can also be described as magickal. They both describe but do not explain. They appear to be two side of the same coin. One can still wonder if magic exists. More interesting, however, is to wonder if superstition and quackery even exist?* As long as you believe in the effect something has, if you belief in certain premonitions, you lend them strength and power. This is true for both the negative and positive consequences of magick. So don’t just belief in anything, but most
Discussion
Is Magick Between the Ears? - By Heron Dawning
of all, have faith in your own strength and power. Regardless of which side of the coin you take, it will help you.
The Placebo-Effect The Greek physician Galenus said it in the second century after Christ: “He in who man places his trust most, heals the best”. The placebo-effect is the ‘non-specific or expectation effect, a (sometimes unexpected) positive effect which can appear when administering a non-active substance. The placebo-effect is assumed to be caused by the trust, faith, hope and expectation that (subconsciously) is created by 1) the practitioner en 2) the consult for the ailment and 3) the subsequent treatment. The placeboeffect is an active part of any therapeutic interaction, often the most potent one’.
*Substances that do have a harmful effect on your health are excluded from this philosophical question. For those, the existence of quackery is by default a reality. Heron is an Eclectic and headstrong witch and psychologist who has a strong connection with the God and Goddess. heron.dawning@littlewitchmagazine.com
Placebo effects appear is traditional medicine as with alternative therapies, and thus does not place a value judgment upon the treatment itself. How well a treatment works, is thus measured by the significant surpassing of the placebo-effect. The only place where administering of a placebo is typically allowed is during scientiffic research on the validity of the medication or therapy. This forms the baseline to establish how much of the percieved effects can be attributed to the placebo-effect. While a placebo had no active ingredients, the placebo effect itself can cause relief from the ailment.
Bron: Wikipedia ‘Placebo’
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Branching Out
The difficulties of Interfaith Conversations - by Elani Temperance
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here are many Pagans under the Pagan umbrella, and many different ways to practice Paganism. (Neo-)Wicca seems the most common one but there are many others, among which the Reconstruction religions, and it are these religions we will discuss today. In general, ‘reconstruction’ is the practice of rebuilding something. This can be a crime-scene, a broken vase or any number of things. In Paganism, Reconstruction means the practice of reviving lost religious, social and practical practices from a specific time period or people. It is not that different from reconstructing a vase, actually. Imagine this; long ago, a potter made a vase. He needed to make one because he had something which needed a holder. He shaped it in a specific form, inspired by his culture and need, and when the shape was done, he decorated it with imagery that was also culturally inspired.
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Somewhere over the years, the vase broke into a dozen pieces. There was no need for that particular vase anymore, so no one put it back together. Now, people need a holder again, and it seems logical to put the original holder back together instead of making a new one, because the first one functioned very well. They realize that in order to put the vase back together, they need to understand the culture and whatever was going on in the head of the potter who made it; without that knowledge, they won’t be able to figure out how the pieces fit together and they can’t restore the imagery without knowing what the potter created in the first place. This is the basic idea of a religious Recon practice; religion was practiced, it got lost and now we try to piece together that ancient practice because we feel a need to revive it and serve the Gods in a way which They are familiar with. In order to do that, we need to look at the whole of the culture in which the religion was practiced.
There are many different forms of Reconstruction. The most well know are Asatru (Germanic), Hellenismos (Greek), Religio Romana (Roman) and Kemeticism (Egyptian), but any religion which is not currently in practice can be reconstructed. Examples of lesser known Reconstruction religions include Semitic Neopaganism (Canaanite) and Mesoamerican Reconstructionism. There is a difference between Reconstruction and polytheism practiced in the same pantheon. Where Reconstructionism actively tries to bring back the old way of honoring the pantheon, polytheists who worship the pantheon, simply choose to worship that pantheon alone. Their practice does not nessesarily change to accommodate the Gods of the pantheon. Reconstruction is a fascinating and often little seen part of Paganism. For those who feel drawn to it, the strong dogma that is inherent withing most Reconstruction practices can be a wonderful addition to your life.
By the firelight How Odin Lost His Eye - By Ragnild
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nowledge is power’, they say, yet there are but few who would do anything to obtain more knowledge. Not even the Gods are all-knowing, though you must have known that already. You did not? Well, I can tell you right now that even the Gods, like us mortals, have to learn from their mistakes. Of course it is not all learning from mistakes though; there are those out there whose thirst for knowledge would let themselves see bodily harm to increase said knowledge. One God in particular is quite well known to have done just such a thing, and his name is Odin All-father and he rules supreme in the realm of Asgard. The All-father is a strange man. No-one ever quite knows what he thinks, but they do know that he is strict and fair when he can be. Others might find him cruel in his actions. What everyone does agree upon however, is that Odin All-father has a great
love for knowledge and will not pass up many opportunities to increase his own. He has been on many searches for knowledge, and one of those searches led him to Mimir’s well. Now you might wonder who Mimir is. Do not worry, for I shall tell you; Mimir is a creature – not a God, though to us he might as well have been – who guards the knowledge that his well possesses. He is very knowledgeable himself as well, for he of course, has often drunk from this well of his. You see, Mimir’s well is special; all the knowledge that has ever come before in the universe has been collected and it flows through the water of it. Any person to drink from this well would gain so much knowledge that us mortals cannot even comprehend it. Our minds would not be able to handle it. Such is not the case for the Allfather however; his mind is quite capable of handling such things, and so he does not waver on his quest for the extraordinary knowledge that Mimir has to offer.
Odin All-father takes his steed, Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse, and rides from the very top of Yggdrasil – the world tree – where Asgard exists, all the way to the very bottom, to the roots of Yggdrasil. This is where Mimir lives, hiding away his knowledge, and asking a price of those who come for a drink of his well and manage to find him. Travelling all the way from Asgard to the roots of Yggdrasil is no easy feat, but Odin is not the All-father simply because he was the first; no, he is actually worthy of the task and even though travelling from Asgard to Mimir’s well is hard, Odin succeeds with nary a scratch. When he finally reaches Mimir though, he is not exactly what Odin had expected him to be like. Mimir looks like a man, yet he is not. He is thin and his hair is silver white. It is long and it falls in waves to his shoulders. Whilst it is not thick, it is also not so thin as to be wispy, and Mimir’s face looks both strangely old and curiously young at the same time.
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It is as though the creature has multiple sides that try to show at the same time, giving him the illusion of an old, wizened gray man at times, and that of a young man at others. The All-father can see more sides to him however, and Mimir smiles at him when he notices this. “Odin All-father, welcome to Mimir’s well,” the creature says, his voice sounding strangely timeless as he speaks slowly. “You have come here in search of Mimir’s knowledge, have you not? Then you must also be aware that Mimir does not just let anybody drink from his well; one must be worthy to do so. Tell me, oh All-father; would you give whatever it is that Mimir asks of you for a drink from the well?” The creature looks at Odin curiously, and Odin considers the words carefully. What could Mimir want from him that would make him worthy of a drink from the well? “I thank you, Mimir, the Rememberer,” Odin answers first. “I have travelled long and far to visit you, only to find myself
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being asked questions that I cannot give you a straight answer to. If I would tell you ‘yes’ I would be lying; you can ask many things of me, oh Rememberer, and there are many things that I cannot give you as I have Asgard to take into consideration, yet if you ask of me that which you believe will make me worthy, I can tell you whether I can give it to you or not.” Mimir seems to consider his words for a while, and for a moment Odin believes that he has told the creature the wrong thing, but then the other nods, and smiles at Odin. “For a drink of water from my well, what it is that I ask of you, All-father, is an eye. If you are prepared to give up your perceptions to Mimir, then Mimir can trade this for the knowledge you so readily seek.” Mimir’s own eyes are sharp and inquisitive, and at first Odin does not know what to say. Give up an eye? But how is he to keep watch over everything then? Whilst Hugin and Munin – his ravens – go out and scout for him, only to report back, they
surely cannot be enough to keep Asgard in line. If he gives up his eye however, he still has his other eye, and far more knowledge than he likely would have thought possible. It is a tough decision, and Odin cannot lie to Mimir about this. “Rememberer, what you ask of me is a hefty price indeed, and because of this I must ask one night to think this over and I can give you my answer in the morning.” There are always things that the All-father has to consider, and giving up an eye is no easy thing to ask of anyone. He would have to weight the benefits before he can decide on what to do. Mimir nods at this. “Very well. You get one night, Odin Allfather, and then I shall have your answer. I will see you in the morning then.” With that Mimir disappears, but Odin knows that he is there, watching in case he is foolish enough to take from the well without permission. He is no fool however, and he does as he has said; that night he weighs
the benefits of a cup of water from the well. It is early morning when Mimir comes to find him. “Good morrow, Rememberer,” Odin greets and Mimir nods to him. “Good morrow to you as well, All-father. Have you decided yet?” The excitement is clear on Mimir’s strange face and Odin nods. “Indeed I have,” he answers and very slowly he takes out his smallest, sharpest knife. Odin is quite aware that this will hurt, but the pain and the sacrifice will be worth it all. The knife is sharp and so the pain does not properly come until he has cut out his eye. It is messy, his hand bloody and his face bleeding still, but Mimir accepts the eye and throws it into the well. He helps bandage Odin’s head and then offers him a cup of water. Still distracted by the pain, Odin swallows it quickly, only to be surprised by the cool crispness of the water and then he realizes that this is his prize.
His pain is quickly forgotten as memories and facts begin to swim in his head; memories and facts that he did not have or know before, and he is dizzy for but a moment. He feels invigorated, though he must still sort through all the knowledge in his head, and Mimir knows that it will keep the All-father busy for a while to come still. Mimir bids him farewell then, and when Odin returns to Asgard, it is in triumph. Though he has one eye less, his knowledge now far surpasses that of the other Gods and Odin uses it to his advantage during his rule. So think of the All-father what you will, but you can never doubt his thirst for knowledge.
Pagan agenda Activities by the Silver Circle (NL) http://tiny.cc/SilverCircle Activities by the Cirkel van de Godin (NL) http://tiny.cc/CirkelvandeGodin Festivals and fairs (NL) http://tiny.cc/MagicalFeeling
(Your Neopagan schedule or acti-vity here? Contact us!)
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ature spirits: elves, nymphs, fire elementals and gnomes. They are also called elemental creatures, because they are connected to the four elements: earth, water, air, and fire. When you decide to foster connections with a specific natural space and the nature spirits who are connected to that space, it is advisable to consider the magic of sacrifice. Sacrificing is an ancient way to show respect, to Gods, spirits, ancestors, but also to nature itself. Consider carefully what you want to sacrifice. Some spirits like alcohol and tobacco, others enjoy bread, milk and honey. Think of the location and trust your instincts. Take with you whatever you think fits the location. Fruit, bread, cake, water, wine, spirits, tobacco, milk, honey, gens, ribbons, shiny things… there are many things that make a suitable offering. In general,
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nature spirits are especially happy with milk, honey, and fruit. Ancestors enjoy whatever they enjoyed when they were still alive, and wine fits the Gods. If you choose one location to connect with nature spirits regularly, ask permission to enter the spot. Try to feel out if you get their permission or not. If you do, say thank you and get to work. If things don’t feel right, you did not get the permission you were looking for, and will have to find another spot. You place your offerings at the spot where you feel the strongest presence. Explain out loud what you are doing at their spot and why you are making these sacrifices to them. Offer with respect; don’t make an offer to make a offer, but consciously lay your offer down. Make it a ritual act that includes music, dance and song. In this way, you put energy into motion. Express joy and let your energy add to the existing energy of the location and the ritual. Nature spirits are sensitive to this energy and they will
become less shy, and more likely to show themselves. Nature as a whole is very sensitive to your mood, and thus it is important to enter a natural area in an open and positive manner. Avoid displaying fake feelings. Be sincere and the world around you will mimic that sincerity, if you want it to. These are the internal signs nature gives you that sow you are not alone and that you are accepted. Sacrifices are an extra present you give to nature, but be aware that whatever you sacrifice needs to be biodegradable. You don’t want your place of power to be polluted; what you want is to show nature respect. In many cultures, sacrifice is a ritual that returns daily. As humans eat and drink daily, so do household guardians, ancestors, Gods and nature spirits. By taking a few moments every day to regard these entities, a strong bond is created with the honored spirits. In our western way of
Practical Pagan
Sacrificing to Nature Spirits - By Lunadea
modern religion, this part of our spirituality has become severely lacking. Religion is something we experience outside ourselves. Yet many Pagan Traditions aim towards an internalized religion: we see the sanctity of everything around us, are aware of the changing seasons, and our connection to the Gods. This is why it’s so surprising that our daily connection to the spirits is neglected by so many practitioners. It is a piece of ancient tradition that is forgotten and abandoned. Our current society does not have the time to spare for meditation, prayer and sacrifice to Gods, guides, and spirits. Yet, spending that time is important, and it need only be ten minutes out of your busy day. Ten minutes before the stress of daily life takes hold. Ten minutes to build an internal bond and connection with your faith and existence. Ten minutes is a small sacrifice, but can mean a true deepening of your internal sense of witchcraft,
your connection with the Gods and/or your spiritual experiences. These ten minutes can help you deepen other areas of your life as well. It takes time to get used to the routine, and establishing a routine will take at least a few months, but it will be worth it. Daily sacrifices differ from irregular sacrifices; for one, they are smaller in scale. Lighting a candle or some incense, and changing the water in the bowl on your altar can be enough. It can be helpful to create a separate place for your daily offerings, and make sure it remains clean and tidy. Again: be aware of what you are doing. It may be a daily offer which comes with a sense of repetition, but try to see each sacrifice as a magical act which strengthens your bond with the entities who reside in different worlds.
colophon Little Witch magazine was launched in November 2010 as an initiative to bring a personal and universally Neopagan magazine to Neopagans and those interested in the Neopagan paths in both the Dutch and English language. Little Witch magazine intends to be a grounded, modern take on a life with Neopaganism and hopes to inspire and enlighten. Feel free to contact us with any questions, tips, remarks, or to just let us know what you think. CONTACT US AT: www.littlewitchmagazine.com Twitter.com/LWMag Contact@littlewitchmagazine.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Elani Temperance (Elani@littlewitchmagazine.com) Art DIRECTION: Elani Temperance ARTWORK: Maaike Kramer (www.maaikekramer.nl) All images copyrighted WRITERS: Calandriel an Cuiileur (Calandriel@littlewitchmagazine.com) Ragnild (Ragnild@littlewitchmagazine.com) Aurelia Bellis (Aurelia@Littlewitchmagazine.com)
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