Praise for Christopher Penczak
THE OUTER TEMPLE OF WITCHCRAFT
Winner of the Coalition of Visionary Resources COVR Awards Best Magic Book 2005 and tie for Coalition of Visionary Resources COVR Awards Book of the Year 2005
Publishers Weekly, February 23, 2004
Penczak, a New Hampshire–based Witch and teacher, is one of the most prolific and esteemed authors in the Wiccan community. In The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, he helped readers go inward—mastering the interior state of consciousness needed to create magick. This sequel is a logical follow-up, with Penczak teaching readers how to bring the sacredness of the inner world into the outer, visible world. As he did with Inner Temple, he organizes this guidebook into a 12-part lesson plan, designed to be completed month by month over the course of a year. (Traditional training in witchcraft lasts a year and a day.) Whether or not readers follow the monthly timeline, this still makes an excellent grimoire of spells, recipes, and rituals. Lessons include an extensive discussion of the gods and goddesses of witchcraft that helps practitioners understand why it’s important to honor and work with them. Consistent with the nature-based foundation of witchcraft, Penczak devotes a lesson to the elements, explaining how to integrate them into rituals and cleanings. Like any good reference book, this one offers an abundance of exercises and visual examples throughout. But what makes this an exceptional resource is Penczak’s ability to offer deeper philosophical discussions while simultaneously giving practical advice. One doesn’t have to relate to the word “witch” to appreciate this guidebook; all it takes is willingness to create through intention, honor the cycles of nature, and be ready to take personal power and responsibility over one’s life. Once again Penczak proves himself to be a gifted teacher and a witch of the highest order.
Mike Gleason, Independent Pagan Reviewer
Christopher Penczak is one of those rarities in the field of Pagan/Wiccan authors. Like many authors, he tells the reader to experiment to find what works for the individual. Unlike many authors, however, he admits to many initial doubts when he began his studies. Too many authors say something like “I knew right away …,” and even though I can empathize with that position, it is not the most common response. It is far more common
to question the reality of what is experienced, to dismiss successful spellwork as coincidence, to see unsuccessful rituals as “proof” that magick isn’t real.
Christopher supplies plenty of examples when he assigns exercises. And, most importantly in my opinion, he explains his reasons for doing things the way he does while still encouraging individual experimentation.
Christopher provides a lot of information that is available in any number of other sources. However, he also provides alternative information if that doesn’t connect for you. He also provides a lot of encouragement for the beginner to experiment and find the connections that work for the individual student.
While I don’t always agree with his statements and beliefs (we have had widely differing training and experiences), I do have to acknowledge that he presents a unified, consistent system. Unlike many authors, he makes no attempt to do it all in one book. This is the second book in what, I assume, is intended to be a five-volume series. This allows him to devote plenty of time and space to explaining his reasoning. Each volume is capable of standing on its own, but they do form an interlocked chain that should, in my opinion, produce well-trained, well-grounded practitioners.
He provides a self-administered test in the first appendix. While there are no right or wrong answers here (most of the questions center on feelings and opinions), taking this test will help you to define your understanding of the Craft. Whether you are reading this book as part of your own training or simply to see how another person feels about the topics covered, this text is a valuable resource.
Appendix 2 provides some sample chants for the seasonal rituals, while the bibliography is wide-ranging enough to be valuable to almost anyone. It isn’t terribly extensive, but it runs the gamut from Laurie Cabot (Christopher’s first teacher) to Donald Michael Kraig—and believe me, that is quite a gamut.
About the Author
Christopher Penczak (Salem, NH) is an award-winning author, teacher, and healing practitioner. As an advocate for the timeless perennial wisdom of the ages, he is rooted firmly in the traditions of modern Witchcraft and Earth-based religions but draws from a wide range of spiritual traditions, including shamanism, alchemy, herbalism, Theosophy, and Hermetic Qabalah, to forge his own magickal traditions and create educational and community opportunities designed to encourage you to do the same. His many books include Magick of Reiki, Spirit Allies, Ascension Magick, and The Mighty Dead. Along with his partners, Steve Kenson and Adam Sartwell, he cofounded the Temple of Witchcraft tradition and religious nonprofit, drawn from the system found in his popular Temple series of books. Together, they support Witchcraft as a spiritual tradition and a means to transform the individual and the world. They also formed Copper Cauldron Publishing, a company dedicated to producing books, recordings, and tools for magickal inspiration and evolution. Christopher maintains a teaching and healing practice in New England while working in the Temple community, but travels extensively, lecturing, offering rituals and intensives, and leading sacred site retreats across the world. For more information about his work and the Temple of Witchcraft community, please visit www.christopherpenczak.com and www.templeofwitchcraft.org.
Llewellyn Publications • Woodbury, Minnesota
The Outer Temple of Witchcraft: Circles, Spells, and Rituals © 2004, Twentieth Anniversary Edition 2022 by Christopher Penczak. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First edition, expanded and revised Seventeenth printing, 2022
Book design by Donna Burch-Brown
Cover design by Kevin R. Brown
Interior Illustrations © 2004 by Mary Ann Zapalac on pages 144, 263–264, 337, and 346.
All other art by the Llewellyn Art Department. Llewellyn is a registered trademark of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Penczak, Christopher.
The outer temple of witchcraft: circles, spells, and rituals/Christopher Penczak.—1st ed. p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p.) and index.
ISBN 13: 978-0-7387-0531-6
ISBN 10: 0-7387-0531-4
1. Witchcraft. I. Title
BF1566.P45 2004
133.4'3—dc22
2004044201
Llewellyn Worldwide does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business transactions between our authors and the public.
All mail addressed to the author is forwarded but the publisher cannot, unless specifically instructed by the author, give out an address or phone number.
Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific location will continue to be maintained. Please refer to the publisher’s website for links to authors’ websites and other sources.
Llewellyn Publications
A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. 2143 Wooddale Drive Woodbury, MN 55125-2989 www.llewellyn.com
Printed in the United States of America
Other Works by Christopher Penczak
The Temple Series
The Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magic Meditation, and Psychic Development (Updated 20th Anniversary Edition, Llewellyn, 2021; 1st Printing, Llewellyn, 2002)
The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft: Shadows, Spirits, and the Healing Journey (Llewellyn, 2005)
The Temple of High Witchcraft: Ceremonies, Spheres, and the Witches’ Qabalah (Llewellyn, 2007)
The Living Temple of Witchcraft, Volume One: The Descent of the Goddess (Llewellyn, 2008)
The Living Temple of Witchcraft, Volume Two: The Journey of the God (Llewellyn, 2009)
Temple Series Audio Recordings by Christopher Penczak
The Inner Temple of Witchcraft CD Companion (Llewellyn, 2002)
The Outer Temple of Witchcraft CD Companion (Llewellyn, 2004)
The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft CD Companion (Llewellyn, 2005)
The Temple of High Witchcraft CD Companion (Llewellyn, 2007)
The Living Temple of Witchcraft, Volume One, CD Companion (Llewellyn, 2008)
The Living Temple of Witchcraft, Volume Two, CD Companion (Llewellyn, 2009)
Other Books by Christopher Penczak City Magick (Samuel Weiser, 2001, 2012)
Spirit Allies (Samuel Weiser, 2002)
Gay Witchcraft (Samuel Weiser, 2003)
The Witch’s Shield (book with CD) (Llewellyn, 2004)
Magick of Reiki (Llewellyn, 2004)
Sons of the Goddess (Llewellyn, 2005)
Instant Magick (Llewellyn, 2006)
The Mystic Foundation (Llewellyn, 2006)
Ascension Magick (Llewellyn, 2007)
The Witch’s Coin (Llewellyn, 2009)
The Three Rays of Witchcraft (Copper Cauldron, 2010)
The Witch’s Heart (Llewellyn, 2011)
The Plant Spirit Familiar (Copper Cauldron, 2011)
The Gates of Witchcraft (Copper Cauldron, 2012) Buddha, Christ, and Merlin (Copper Cauldron, 2012)
The Feast of the Morrighan (Copper Cauldron, 2012)
The Mighty Dead (Copper Cauldron, 2013)
City Witchcraft (Copper Cauldron, 2013)
The Phosphorous Grove (Copper Cauldron, 2013, 2017)
Foundations of the Temple (Copper Cauldron, 2014)
The Casting of Spells (Copper Cauldron, 2016)
The Witch’s Hut (Copper Cauldron, 2021)
The Lighting of Candles (Copper Cauldron, 2021)
Books with Christopher Penczak
Laurie Cabot’s Book of Spells and Enchantments (by Laurie Cabot, with Penny Cabot and Christopher Penczak; Copper Cauldron, 2014)
Laurie Cabot’s Book of Shadows (by Laurie Cabot, with Penny Cabot and Christopher Penczak; Copper Cauldron, 2015)
Anthologies Edited by Christopher Penczak
The Green Lovers (Copper Cauldron, 2012)
Ancestors of the Craft (Copper Cauldron, 2012)
The Waters and Fires of Avalon (Copper Cauldron, 2013)
Dedication
Special thanks to Steve, Rosalie, and Ronald for all your love and support. Thanks to all my teachers, and to all my students, who are my greatest teachers, for asking all the questions that are answered in this book.
A very special thanks to Scott Cann, Edward Newton, Ginella Cann, Laura Davis, Alan R. White, Derek O’Sullivan, Mark J. Gracy, and Charles Dizon-Gracy.
Thank you to Adam Sartwell for all his contributions to the growing magick of the Temple.
Thank you to all the teachers of the Temple Tradition furthering the work and all you do for community.
And thank you to Stevie Grant for all her support and insight in the additional materials of the new edition and all her amazing work in the school.
Contents
List of Exercises . . . xiii
List of Figures & Tables . . . xv
Disclaimer . . . xviii
Foreword to the New Edition by Thorn Mooney . . . xxi
Introduction to the New Edition: The Earth Is Our Temple . . . 1
Introduction to the Original Edition: What Is the Outer Temple of Witchcraft? . . . 5
Chapter One
Sacred Space and the Circle . . . 11
Chapter Two
Foundations of Magick . . . 27
Chapter Three
The Ethical Witch . . . 43
Chapter Four
The Role of a Priestess and Priest . . . 57
Chapter Five
Lesson 1: Who Are the Gods? . . . 69
Chapter Six
Lesson 2: The Elements . . . 113
Chapter Seven
Lesson 3: Fire and Water . . . 141
Chapter Eight
Lesson 4: Air and Earth . . .161
Chapter Nine
Lesson 5: Tools of the Craft . . . 181
Chapter Ten
Lesson 6: Divination of True Will . . . 215
Chapter Eleven
Lesson 7: The Witch’s Circle . . . 245
Chapter Twelve
Lesson 8: The Science of Spellcraft . . . 285
Chapter Thirteen
Lesson 9: The Art of Spellcraft . . . 331
Chapter Fourteen
Lesson 10: Turning the Wheel . . . 395
Chapter Fifteen
Lesson 11: Weaving the Web . . . 427
Chapter Sixteen
Lesson 12: Coven Working . . . 443
Chapter Seventeen
Lesson 13: Second Initiation . . . 457
Appendix I: Self-Test . . . 467
Appendix II: Chants . . . 473
Appendix III: Plant List . . . 479
Bibliography . . . 517
Index . . . 521
Exercises
Exercise 1: Entering an Altered State . . . 17
Exercise 2: The Inner Temple . . . 19
Exercise 3: The Circle of Protection . . . 24
Exercise 4: Motivation . . . 55
Exercise 5: Intention Ritual . . . 66
Exercise 6: Meditation with the Goddess and God . . . 108
Exercise 7: Opening Elemental Gateways . . . 130
Exercise 8: Elemental Cleansing Meditation . . . 132
Exercise 9: Spirit Attunement . . . 137
Exercise 10: Spirit Meditation . . . 138
Exercise 11: Wand Quest . . . 145
Exercise 12: Fire Attunement . . . 146
Exercise 13: Journey to the Realm of Fire . . . 148
Exercise 14: Invoking/Banishing Fire . . . 150
Exercise 15: Grail Quest . . . 154
Exercise 16: Water Attunement . . . 155
Exercise 17: Journey to the Realm of Water . . . 157
Exercise 18: Invoking/Banishing Water . . . 159
Exercise 19: Blade Quest . . . 164
Exercise 20: Air Attunement . . . 165
Exercise 21: Journey to the Realm of Air . . . 167
Exercise 22: Invoking/Banishing Air . . . 169
Exercise 23: Stone Quest . . . 172
Exercise 24: Earth Attunement . . . 173
Exercise 25: Journey to the Realm of Earth . . . 175
Exercise 26: Invoking/Banishing Earth . . . 177
Exercise 27: Consecrate Altar Tools . . . 208
Exercise 28: Altar Devotionals . . . 214
Exercise 29: Divination . . . 243
Exercise 30: Home Cleansing and Protection . . . 252
Exercise 31: Magick Circle . . . 283
Exercise 32: Create and Cast Your Own Petition Spell . . . 328
Exercise 33: Materia Magicka . . . 364
Exercise 34: Create and Cast a Spell . . . 392
Exercise 35: Turn the Wheel . . . 424
Exercise 36: Web Weaving . . . 441
Exercise 37: Astral Temple . . . 446
Figures & Tables
Figure 1: Extended Wiccan Rede . . . 48–49
Figure 2: Diamond of Divinity . . . 73
Figure 3: Taijitu (Yin-Yang) Symbol . . 82
Figure 4: The Divine Through the Cycles of Life . . . 83
Figure 5: Pentagram of Divinity . . . 84
Table 1: Archetypal Beings . . . 88–89
Figure 6: Elemental Triangles . . . 123
Figure 7: Tattvas . . . 124
Figure 8: Spirals . . . 125
Figure 9: Basic Invoking and Banishing Pentagrams . . . 127
Figure 10: Elemental Pentagrams . . . 128
Figure 11: Invoking and Banishing Elemental Pentagrams . . . 129
Figure 12: Wands . . . 144
Figure 13: Altar . . . 191
Figure 14: Wheel, Seasons, and Times of Day . . . 195
Figure 15: Wheel and Qualities . . . 196
Figure 16: Wheel and Seasonal Watcher Stars . . . 198
Figure 17: Wheel and Zodiacal Watcher Stars . . . 199
Figure 18: Tarot Layout . . . 224
Figure 19: The Charge of the Goddess (Reclaiming Version) . . . 259–260
Figure 20: The Witch’s Rune . . . 260–261
Figure 21: Energy-Raising Chant . . . 261
Figure 22: Goddess Position . . . 263
Figure 23: God Position . . . 264
Figure 24: Cutting a Door . . . 270
Table 2: Seven Levels of Reality . . . 289
Figure 25: Pentacle . . . 290
Figure 26: Moon Quarters . . . 298
Table 3: Planetary Hours of the Day and Night . . . 305
Figure 27: Aspects . . . 316
Figure 28: Astrological Calendar . . . 319
Figure 29: Ritual Record Sheet . . . 325
Figure 30: Potions . . . 337
Figure 31: Rune of Protection . . . 342
Figure 32: Rune Tinne of Protection . . . 342
Figure 33: PROTECTION Translated into Runes . . . 342
Figure 34: Bindrune . . . 342
Figure 35: Sigil 1 . . . 343
Figure 36: Sigil 2 . . . 343
Figure 37: Sigil 3 . . . 343
Figure 38: Witch’s Wheel . . . 344
Figure 39: Sigil on Witch’s Wheel . . . 344
Figure 40: Complete Sigil . . . 345
Figure 41: Witch’s Cords . . . 346
Figure 42: Plant Card . . . 363
Figure 43: Stone Card . . . 364
Figure 44: Protection Symbol . . . 367
Figure 45: Healing Symbols . . . 373
Figure 46: Prosperity Symbol . . . 378
Figure 47: Invisibility Charm . . . 385
Figure 48: Wheel of the Year . . . 406
Figure 49: Altar with Crystals . . . 450
Disclaimer
Please note that the information in this book is not meant to diagnose, treat, prescribe, or substitute consultation with a licensed healthcare professional. Both the author and the publisher recommend that you consult a medical practitioner before attempting the techniques outlined in this book and assume no liability for any injuries caused to the reader that may result from the reader’s use of the content contained herein. All readers should use common sense when contemplating the practices described in the work.
Whenever you have need of anything, once a month and better it be when the moon is full, you shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of Me Who is Queen of all the Wise.
—from the Charge of the Goddess
Foreword to the New Edition
by Thorn Mooney
I have a lengthy and somewhat complicated relationship with Christopher Penczak’s Temple of Witchcraft series. You see, I bought The Inner Temple of Witchcraft when it was first published twenty years ago, while I was still a teenager, discovering witchcraft for the first time and inhaling every scrap of information I could get my hands on. What a thrill to have a workbook! Most of what was available at the time were histories, spell books, ritual manuals, and gentle introductions designed to set minds at ease that witchcraft was different from what was presented in popular media. There weren’t many complete systems available for seekers confined to bookstores and without the benefit of a coven structure. The Temple of Witchcraft series, modeled after in-person classes that Christopher had been offering for years, was something different. Designed to be studied and worked over the course of more than a year each, they started with the very foundations of the Craft— the control of one’s own mind, the power to sense and direct energy, the strength to be still and listen—building to performing ritual, encountering spirits and gods, traveling in otherworlds, exploring one’s shadow, performing high magick, and more. All step-by-step, piece by piece, presented in Christopher’s now trademark warm demeanor.
As a young witch, I think I was somehow lulled into assuming it would be easy. The Inner Temple of Witchcraft came recommended as a solid beginner book, and there were even critics at the time who told me it was too basic. Why spend a whole year working through one book, they said.
My friends, it was neither easy nor basic.
I brought The Inner Temple of Witchcraft home, read the first few chapters, made plans for getting through it in a few short weeks (I didn’t think of myself as a beginner at that point, after all) and then hit a wall when it came to actually performing the exercises and reflections. I would set it down, then come back to it, and then set it down again. For years. When the other titles in the series were released, I’d do the same. Seriously, this went on for ages, in a loop. I read Christopher’s other books and even had the good fortune of seeing him speak at events from time to time, but my best intentions to complete the work of the Temple series would peter out every time. I always had a different excuse, too. It went from being too basic, to too difficult, to too time-consuming, to too different from what I thought I needed to be learning.
I was ultimately trained in other systems of the Craft, and eventually became a Wiccan initiate and covenleader in the Gardnerian tradition. By then, six volumes of the Temple of Witchcraft series had been published, and my first battered copy of The Inner Temple sat under a pile of other books on a neglected bottom shelf. I didn’t think much about it again until I found myself taking on a teacher role in my own magical community, suddenly working with beginners in a way I hadn’t since I was myself a beginner. “These have good exercises in them,” I thought. “I’ll adapt them and put them to use in my own coven.”
But I found myself sucked in again, excited in the same way I had been when I brought that first book home. I was startled to find that there were practices I’d been taught that I’d since let slide, and plenty that I had never seriously explored at all. There was something about revisiting these texts as an experienced practitioner actively cultivating beginner’s mind that made them finally click for me. This last time, I’m proud to say that I followed through. As I write, I’m about to start my third year studying with the Temple of Witchcraft.
Here’s what I’ve learned from that tempestuous early relationship with these books: Being a beginner isn’t easy, and just because a book is introductory doesn’t mean it won’t be hard work. Further, just because we’re experienced doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton still
to learn. The Temple of Witchcraft series is extraordinary because it does both: providing a solid, inviting-yet-challenging place to start for complete novices as well as a way to deepen and expand an established practice, even one in a completely different tradition. My younger self wasn’t quite ready to go deep when I bought that first volume, and my older self needed to set down the piece of my ego that said I’d seen it all already. I’m so much better for it on the other side.
I especially love this volume—the second in the series—because of how it can be both highly accommodating and very challenging to one’s understanding of what witchcraft is. Today, it’s increasingly common to find Witches insisting that witchcraft is purely a craft. It’s a toolbox, a set of practices, or a perspective, and absolutely secular. If you throw religion into the mix or decide to get spiritual about it, that’s fine, but it’s not something inherent to witchcraft. This is in stark contrast to my own generation of practitioners, learning mostly in the nineteen-nineties, who came up hearing that witchcraft is absolutely a religion, with all of the depth and meaning of any other, and worthy of the same respect and consideration that more accepted traditions command. We get so ardent about our definitions sometimes, forgetting that those have changed over the decades. These two perspectives exist on a spectrum, as you can probably imagine. Witchcraft, it turns out, isn’t a monolithic thing. It is both religion and not-religion, and each loudly and undeniably. Imagine that—a paradox in the Craft.
The Outer Temple of Witchcraft contains invaluable lessons that apply no matter where you fall. Here you will find all of the information you could want to cast your first effective, powerful spells. You’ll learn about correspondences, planetary magick, making potions, casting circles, blending incenses, and performing invocations. You will build the confidence to create your own rituals and design your own spells, fully realizing the Craft of the Witch. If you choose to incorporate deities or augment the teachings herein to suit your own traditions and perspectives, you may, and will be stronger for it. And you don’t need to have read the first book, The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, to do it.
But if what you’re seeking is a meaningful, complete theology, a tested magical framework, and a supportive community of fellow spiritual seekers called to the path of the witch, that is here as well. The Inner Temple of Witchcraft lays the necessary foundation, and makes the teachings in The Outer Temple of Witchcraft so much more profound than the mere power to cast spells. Here is a complete religious system of witchcraft that is both deep and nourishing, if that is what you need.
xxiv Foreword to the New Edition by Thorn Mooney
Whatever perspective you hold, and whatever you’re seeking, Christopher Penczak stands as a wise, supportive guide, offering encouragement and insight that you’ll find yourself remembering years after the fact. Wherever your path leads you, this will help you on your way. Twenty years later, I now understand that I kept returning because there was something here I needed, on both a practical and a spiritual level. It is my deepest honor and privilege to greet you as you begin, however many beginnings you’ve already had.
Thorn Mooney
December 29, 2020
Raleigh, NC
Introduction to the New Edition
The Earth Is Our Temple
Witchcraft is a nature religion. That is what Witches tell you when you join. That is what we still say when trying to explain it to new seekers, and to those who think the idea of modern Witches running around is absurd. Looking to nature, the land, and the planet is a way to frame the history and path of the Witch from our most ancient ancestors to our modern selves here and now.
Yet for a tradition that is often described as a land-based, we have difficulty manifesting and holding on to our connections to the land. We often feel displaced and unrooted, even in this modern age where Witchcraft as a spiritual path has gained so much acceptance. We are coming into greater realization of the history of our land, and while we harken back to old ways, our study of the past can emphasize how disconnected we are from our food, medicine, and the ecosystems in which we unconsciously participate. Modern life has us disconnected from the physical world at large despite our growing base of knowledge, information, and communication through media and electronic. The dissonance between our mental awareness and the physical reality is an opportunity to do something about it. Dissonance is part of the mysteries, inviting us on the path of change as we seek to resolve the disharmony in ourselves and thereby the disharmony in the world. Our deep connection is still found with the land itself, and nothing else can take its place.
Despite our spiritual connection to the land, we often have to hide our practice, sneaking it in to our visits to the parks and forests in fear of others. Sometimes the fear is unfounded, and no one cares what you do. At other times and places, openly practicing Witchcraft outside where people can see you can place you in very real danger. At the very least, it can be disruptive to your experience of the magick. There is very little property owned by Witches where they can openly practice.
When I began my journey on the path of the Witch, there were known yet not advertised “Witch houses” where rituals and teachings were practiced, and if you knew the right people, you could get an invite to celebrate the sabbats of the Wheel of the Year or take a class or two. There you could get a reading or some help if you needed it. Of course there were public gatherings here and there. For me, they were connected to the shops in Salem, Massachusetts, where I first learned, but as time when on, I learned the most at the smaller gatherings, sometimes operated by a coven or circle but often by different practitioners who simply knew each other and held open the door for the next generation. While shops were the go-to spot for most urban Witches, it was at these quieter gatherings in the suburbs, spread by word of mouth, where I learned. This was a different time, when things were more clandestine and less open than today. My first mentor at my first Witch house (as she never referred to it as a “covenstead,” despite having a coven) had many tools hidden in plain sight as part of the decor. Her living room was her temple, and the altar was in a closet that could be neatly hidden away when non-Witch visitors would arrive, none the wiser. There was no obvious Witch aesthetic to her home.
These semi-open covensteads and Witch houses were already diminishing in number by then, with some becoming even more private and formal and others disappearing as community hubs because the owner would retire, move away, or die, and the family had no interest in keeping up the meetings. The number of practitioners seeking community and training outgrew the capacity of the community, and things shifted into more Pagan Pride gatherings and opportunities to gather not just in Witchcraft and occult shops but in modern metaphysical gift stores.
While the greater access has been a boon, as Witchcraft began to surge through the popularity of media and the interest of younger generations, a bit of the mystique has been lost. People still gather, of course, but there is a noticeable separation from the past legacy of elders passing on a way of living to those who seek to learn it. I feel very blessed to have been a part of that chain of transmission and to have had the opportunity to mingle with those who had been living occultism and Witchcraft for their entire adult lives,
opening their homes and their practices to me. There I got to see many of the things that don’t show up in books today but were part of regional manifestations and lineages. My beloved mentor and friend Raven Grimassi shared with me how similar house gatherings, under even more enchanting circumstances, had been part of his experience since the late 1960s into the ’70s while living in California, so I know the phenomenon, while not often spoken about, was fairly widespread throughout the United States.
My own mother, who joined the Craft when I did, opened her home to host events for other elders and groups and eventually my own work as a High Priest. Together with our teachers and mentors, we hosted thirteen years of semipublic Samhain celebrations, occasional Beltanes, Full Moons, and classes. In a town with no local metaphysical shops at the time, word spread that you could visit her house to get help or potentially a palm or card psychic reading. It was only after her death that I truly realized how much informal social service she had offered in helping people with food, clothing, and emotional support, despite never claiming the title of minister or even High Priestess. In retrospect, I realized that such homes had acted as less formal community temples, and while I mourned the loss of those I had known in my early years, it inspired the creation of the Temple of Witchcraft as a nonprofit, a temple community center to outlast any one person, with the mission to obtain and keep in trust sacred land for members of the community to return to again and again, deepening the relationship. Our first meeting to discuss structure and bylaws was in my mother’s living room, filled with participants from those pasts Samhains and classes.
What does this have to do with the teachings in The Outer Temple of Witchcraft? My first time learning the mechanics of the Witch’s circle was at one of these house gatherings, and some of my most profound spells used herbs gathered from these gardens. The seeming purpose of the Outer Temple is to take the inner work of meditation, introspection, and psychic development and incorporate it into the rituals and spells more overtly familiar to those seeking Witchcraft, bringing the inner sacred to meet the sacred all around us, in nature and in our own homes and land. As we claim the role of priestess, priest, or priestx, where we live becomes a temple. Our temples of magick and light are found in our bedrooms and kitchens, living rooms and attics, as well as any land around us. Rural, suburban, and urban environments are all included, as our regular workings of the Sun, Moon, and elements radiate blessings into the land and community. Our temple is the Earth, yet we orient ourselves to the land where we are living first, and where we can
4 Introduction to the New Edition: The Earth Is Our Temple gather. This is our direct experience of the planet. We ground our magick into the relationship we have with the local land first, and extend it outward.
While the concept of an esoteric priesthood is usually misunderstood today, when you perform rituals and spellcraft, even if only for your own benefit and blessing, you are participating in the age-old tradition of blessing the world, for you are a part of the world. You are participating in the connection and communion with the natural forces. You are moving energy within yourself and within the world, turning the wheels and aiding in the conscious weaving of the tapestry of life. You are part of the priesthood that has come before, from the ancient temples of our ancestors, the illicit magick workers persecuted for being different, and those occultists of the Witch houses opening their doors to the next generation. You may or may not choose to minister to others later, to lead or tend to the people. But in the priesthood, you are tending to the magick, to the deities, the spirits, and the land, and that can be enough, for maintaining a temple of magick and Witchcraft quietly as part of your daily life makes the world a better place, creating a beacon of spiritual light in a dark world. My hope with The Outer Temple of Witchcraft is that those who learn the skills of ritual and priesthood will establish the inner sacred mysteries in their homes and local land.
Keep the patterns. Keep to the path. Let it grow deeper and take root in the sacred land all around you. The Earth is our temple, and it starts wherever we find ourselves living, breathing, eating, and doing magick. Whenever you can, invite an interested seeker to just observe and participate. Open the door for others in the ways you wish it had been opened for you. In that way, we renew the legacy of our practice and regenerate the traditions for the generations to come.
In
Love,
Will, and Wisdom,
Christopher Penczak Salem, New Hampshire, 2021
Introduction to the Original Edition
What Is the Outer Temple of Witchcraft?
I got involved with Witchcraft because I wanted to do spells. I didn’t believe in them, not at first, but that didn’t stop my curiosity. I did believe in the power of the mind. I did believe in unseen forces that were not yet measurable by science. But at heart I was a skeptic. Believe it or not, to a certain extent, I still am. But my yardstick is not scientific data anymore. Personal experience has become my greatest measure of the truth, for I have come to discover that although there may be many universal truths that exist, it’s my interpretation of them, my personal truth, that affects my life the most.
I had a friend back then who was involved in the Craft and spellwork, and spoke with such personal conviction. I was curious. She gave me an opportunity to do a spell, and it worked beyond my wildest dreams. It was a healing spell for another, and the recipient of this magick, along with her newborn child, made a miraculous recovery. But of course my skeptical mind jumped to the most logical conclusion: it had been a coincidence. It was exciting to think that I had such a strong influence and connection to the universe, but I was probably delusional. It really had nothing to do with the ritual that a group of Witches had done on the Full Moon. She simply had good doctors and was lucky. But somehow I
couldn’t believe that line of thinking completely. My doubt was now on the side of logic and science. I felt something happen that night under the Moon. I knew something had happened. I just couldn’t believe it.
So, as the budding little scientist I presumed myself to be, I sought to settle the matter once and for all. The only way to do that was to collect more data. So I began training in the science and art of the Witch. I tried my best to divorce it from its third definition: a religion. Some don’t like that word, so they choose “spiritual path,” but I wasn’t going for either definition. It was strictly a science at first. I approached it methodically, trying to understand the concepts and philosophies involved. And my teachers had me study everything from fringe quantum physics to ancient Hermetic philosophy. People around me would often stress how it wasn’t a religion for them, but a science. As I practiced the Craft, no matter my protests to the contrary, I found that there was no way to divorce Witchcraft entirely from the spiritual, because, by its very nature, it is a training of spiritual transformation.
Thankfully, I was a very fortunate man. It would have been quite easy for me to get so wrapped up in the techniques and ideas that I never would have discovered the gifts the practice of Witchcraft had to offer. It also would have been very easy to get trapped in a quest for power—the power to make change in the world through spellwork. For I had discovered that the more spells I did, the more they came true. My thoughts of coincidences were overruled by events that occurred beyond the bounds of the law of averages. All of these successful spells could not just be lucky coincidences. Something more was at play. Although the science helped my logical mind, it would have been very easy indeed to become almost intoxicated with a feeling of power. Coming from a feeling of powerlessness, like my life was out of my control, I found that the ability to create change in the world through magick was like a drug. I grew up somewhat the shy, lonely bookworm/ artist in an all-boys Catholic school of jocks. I felt like much of my life was planned out for me, and I had a hard time truly being myself. Although I had a very loving and supportive family, I struggled to find my place in the world and felt terrible pressure and nervousness. Many people come to the Craft from a place of feeling powerless and are drawn to magick because of the sense of power and control it seems to convey. Most teachers and books start with ritual and spellcraft, like a cookbook. If you follow these directions, using these specific words and ingredients, you will do a successful spell. The feeling is great and empowering, but many never learn why they used such words or ingredients or how the spell worked in the grander scheme of things. The immediate need is taken care of,
without a thought to the spiritual path, the larger picture in the ways of the Witch. And for some, that is where it begins, remains, and ends. I find that sad, but everyone is on a different path.
I was fortunate because my first serious teacher was a true wise woman. After studying with friends and doing lots of study and research on my own, I started taking very basic classes with a famous and public Witch in Massachusetts named Laurie Cabot. Though our time together was short, just two one-week series of classes spread apart over a few months, called “Witchcraft as a Science I and II,” the experience was life-changing. My mother, my best friend Laura, and I took the classes as a lark initially. We wanted to do something together and were curious if Witchcraft was real. The most perplexing yet transformative part of the process was the first few classes. We didn’t start with magick. We didn’t start with ritual. We didn’t learn spells. We started with meditation. We started by learning to create in the inner world first. If we can’t create in our inner space, why should we claim the power to create in the outer world? The power of our thoughts, both fully conscious and subconscious, was stressed. We create from both, so we must become self-aware. We must have mental discipline. We must create consciousness with our magick. And most importantly, we must create from a place of self-esteem and selflove. Only then do we learn the mysteries of spellcraft.
Wow. Well, I didn’t have a lot of those qualities. I just wanted to do more spells. No one told me it was going to be so hard. I almost gave up. But I followed the wise woman’s advice, and the ability to meditate and find inner guidance has served me just as much as ritual and spellcraft have. They are complementary.
The first book in this series, The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, is a guide to this inner work. If you are not familiar with inner work and meditation, I suggest you pick it up. Much of the history and basic definitions and philosophical concepts are covered in detail in that book. The second course, The Outer Temple of Witchcraft, focuses on the application of the rituals and much of the artistic expression of the Craft. If you don’t have The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, the essential techniques and concepts that are needed for this book will be reviewed before the true lessons begin. If the first book is referenced in this work, it will be abbreviated as ITOW, along with the chapter number or exercise cited. But in essence, this is a complete course on its own, and can be done even if you have not completed the first. In fact, it may inspire you to go back and do the first course.
The Outer Temple of Witchcraft is a course similar to the first one. It starts with some preliminary chapters and basic exercises to prepare you for the work ahead, then the remainder
of the book is divided into twelve lessons that can be completed over a year, along with exercises, rituals, and homework to be done. Traditional training in Witchcraft lasts for a year and a day, so you can plan your schedule accordingly. With twelve lesson chapters, you can tackle one lesson a month, but be aware that some lessons are longer and more challenging than others, and each student will find certain aspects more challenging than others. If you have difficulty with meditation and quieting your mind, then the inner experiences at the beginning of the course may be harder for you. If you are unsure of your will, then spellcraft may be more difficult. Some people find ritual easy to execute, while others are unsure when moving and speaking, even in the privacy of their own home. You will discover your personal balance of elements, and your relationship to the inner aspects represented by the elements. Things you would not think would be a challenge often are, revealing your true strengths and weaknesses. Revelations are blessings on the path. They bring greater awareness, and that can only help our magick, though the experience is not always fun.
If you are experienced with both inner and outer workings of modern Witchcraft, then there is no reason you cannot use this book as a reference, taking the information, spells, rituals, and meditations that you are drawn to do. I do that with many books myself. But this is a foundation book, and if you don’t have a strong, confident foundation in this material, or if your training has been very different and has not focused at all on the inner experience, then perhaps you should build that foundation by following the lessons stepby-step. It could simply confirm that you are as grounded as you think, or open up new areas of personal development and learning.
The course culminates in a self-test and self-initiation ritual to the second degree of Witchcraft in a five-degree system, each based on the elements. The second degree is the arena of the priestess and priest. Here, not only are all the rites and rituals learned, but their meanings and mysteries are truly explored. A good priestess or priest not only knows the rituals but also understands them on the deepest levels.
One does not necessarily have to identify with the word Witch to practice this material, although it is taught in the traditions of modern Witchcraft. When I was recently interviewed by a graduate student researching “modern” religions, she said, “I do so much of what you are talking about. Perhaps not the same words and rituals, but at the heart of it, I believe and practice many of the same things. Would you consider me a Witch?” That is not for me to say. Personally I feel that whenever one is honoring the cycles of nature, taking personal responsibility, and creating through intention, one is practicing the heart of Witchcraft, regardless of the word chosen. Would it be considered modern Wicca? Prob-
ably not. But I feel that many magicians, mages, shamans, healers, priestesses, and the like are doing the same work that I am, although without the same name.
The Outer Temple of Witchcraft is based on my own class called “Witchcraft Two: Building the Outer Temple,” and I must admit that as many non-Witches have taken my Witchcraft classes as those who identify themselves as Witches or Pagans. I’ve had students who are mystical Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and the like, who felt drawn to the material. Many claim no identity or label and are just seekers or practitioners. Personally, I feel a great responsibility to reclaim the word Witch as something sacred and healing since it has been maligned for so long. People tell me I should choose another word, because Witchcraft comes with so much cultural baggage, but I am a Witch and what I do is Witchcraft. Those who feel the magick in those words and traditions find each other. When I teach classes on the Craft that don’t have the word “Witchcraft” in the name, there is never the same level of interest. So I’d rather heal the misinformation and perform an act of sacred alchemy to transform the word Witch back into its proper meaning. But in the end, it is up to you how you identify yourself and what you choose to do with the material.
The element of earth is the focus of The Outer Temple of Witchcraft. While in the first level we connected to fire, our inner will, light, and guidance, the purpose of the second level is to bring that sacredness, that magick from the inner world, into the outer world, into the material plane embodied by the element of earth. The Outer Temple of Witchcraft CD Companion, as with the CD for the first book, is available to guide you on your journey. Subsequent works in the series will explore the mysteries of water, air, and spirit through the various branches of Witchcraft.
On this earthy level we see the sacred in all things: in nature, in the seasons, in animals, plants, stones, stars, and, most importantly, ourselves and each other. Spirituality is in everything and in every moment. Unlike in some other religions and philosophies, Witches live a sacred life every moment. We don’t relegate divinity to only a particular day of the week or a certain building. The Goddess and God are ever-present in everything, and we strive to carry that awareness in every moment. Through the outer temple, we learn to create sacred space through ritual. We honor the sacred space that is all around us, in the forest and in our living room. We create a temple between the worlds, where our inner sacredness emerges into the outer world.
Not only do we see the sacredness of all things in the world, but we grow to realize that our intentions affect everything because we are all connected through a web of life. We must be responsible and walk lightly on the web. We learn that we are always creating in the
physical realm. Our body is always re-creating itself as our cells divide and we continue the life process. We also create on many other levels, and must take a conscious, active role in the creation. We learn to manifest as we honor the cycles. This is spellcraft. This is ritual. We must partner with the divinity of the world to continually create the lives that are most correct and healthy for ourselves and for all others. When we define the word wicca as “to bend or shape,” this is the bending and shaping we are talking about—bending, shaping, and partnering with the divine forces to flow with them and create rather than constantly struggle, fight, and swim upstream against the tides of life. We can do this only through partnership with the divine forces of the world. The world, the Earth and sky, the Sun, Moon, and stars—all that we see is divinity in manifestation.
Be well,
Christopher Penczak
1
Sacred Space and the Circle
If you enter the heart of the teachings of Witchcraft, at the core you will find the power of sacred space. When I started, “sacred space” was just a term in a ritual. No one really explained the true meaning of it to me. It was just a buzzword. But as I kept saying it as a part of the rituals, I learned. Eventually the layers of the mystery were revealed to me. I finally understood what sacred space was all about.
Looking back on it, it seems so obvious, but the teachings I initially received didn’t emphasize the sacred aspects of the Craft. Everyone around me was so afraid of using the word religion or spirituality; so much was kept on a technical or philosophical level. And at the time, that’s what I needed. My emphasis wasn’t on the sacred. Now, in my own teachings, I have a hard time divorcing myself from talking about the spiritual path of Witchcraft, because it is all part of what led me to my spiritual path. As a minister, I have a hard time not using the world religion, believe we should reclaim the concept of religion to include the mystery religions and have the same legal rights protections as other religions in the world. At the moment, if you are like I was back then, you might not appreciate this. In fact, I can describe it at length with my own personal stories and meanings, but until you seek out spirituality and start to experience it yourself, my words will be meaningless. I contemplated not sharing these things and instead letting my students figure it out for themselves, as I did, but I decided not to do this for one simple reason. For many people, the Craft of the Witch becomes so focused on spellwork or memorizing rituals that even
the concept of the greater meanings and mysteries never crosses their mind. The possibility is not contemplated and explored because, for so many, it is unknown. Students will still have to figure it out on their own, truly, because it must be experienced.
All I hope to do is plant a small seed of awareness and give you the means to be your own gardener, to care for and nurture that seed. You can always choose to grow something else. You can save the seed of truly understanding sacred space for a later time, like I did, or you can plant it and help it flourish right now. The choice is up to you.
Perfect Love and Perfect Trust
Sacred space is simply honoring the sacredness, the divinity, found in all things everywhere. Through the ritual of the Witch’s circle, we mark a territory, a circle that can be out in nature or in our bedroom, and recognize its sacredness. We acknowledge that this space exists not only in the physical realm but in all worlds, and opens the doorway between the worlds, to be in conscious communion with the sacredness on all levels of reality. Our temple is said to stand not in any one world, but between the worlds, and in all worlds. In our sacred space, there is no separation. Through it we partner with all that is seen and unseen, through perfect love and perfect trust.
“Perfect love and perfect trust” were other buzzwords I heard in circle. Some traditions used them. Others didn’t. But no one really explained to me what these important words meant, other than saying “sacred space” or “love and trust.” I knew the “perfect” was a big key to this mystery, but at the time I was focused on the Moon and picking the right time to do my spells rather than really understanding what I was saying. I was told to say “perfect love and perfect trust,” so I did, but didn’t know why and didn’t really dwell on it.
Only once I ventured out of my safe world of eclectic Wicca did I really come to understand these five important words. I developed a very eclectic view of the Witch, looking to all traditions, not just Celtic. I studied shamanism, energy healing, Qabalah, yoga, reiki, flower essences, and herbs, purposely looking outside the Pagan view. Witchcraft became a vast umbrella for all these disciplines, since its philosophies gave me a firm grounding that I noticed many in the New Age world didn’t have. As the Craft of the wise, I saw all these disciplines as part of Witchcraft, though I soon found out many did not.
Through this exploration of new techniques and philosophies, I found a common thread: unconditional love. I wasn’t big on the word love. I thought it was misused. So many people say the word “love” but never really back it up with any real meaning or
intent. As a songwriter, I thought about all the trite songs using the word love and how it had lost its value, so I avoided the word in my creative work. Even in my Witchcraft I class experience, I thought of self-love as self-confidence, self-assurance, and self-esteem. But here the word love kept on popping up. I thought of these New Age practices as holdovers from the 1960s, with vague concepts of free love and spiritual love, and started to question whether I was learning anything of real value. Then I felt the love.
Through various meditation workshops, particularly one about awakening the heart chakra to unconditional love, I really felt it. I really awakened it. Like all things, I entered a skeptic, but from the first moment, I felt heaviness in my chest. As the day went on, it melted away and I left the weekend course feeling dazzling and light, with an open heart. Not only did I feel this undefined yet pervasive sense of unconditional love coursing through me, but I also had a sense that I am the love, too. Everyone is.
While reflecting on that experience in my Book of Shadows journal, I skimmed through my notes and realized that the first time I felt this type of love was in the Witch’s circle. It wasn’t the same because I was not taught to really focus on it as a Witch. In the workshop, that was the purpose of the entire weekend. But it was present in the first magick circle, even if I had my eyes closed to it. I traced the teaching of this unconditional love back, and the start of my personal thread was in Witchcraft classes, through perfect love and perfect trust.
Slowly on the intellectual level, I began to distinguish the difference between what my society had been calling love, what I would later call personal love, and what the mystics call unconditional love. Witches call it perfect love. Unconditional love is just that: perfect, unattached, without limits or restraints. This love simply is, and to me it is the binding force of the universe. In ITOW, we covered the Hermetic principle called the Principle of Mentalism, stating “We are all thoughts in the divine mind,” meaning we are all part of a greater whole. I wish there was another principle stating that we are all pulses within the divine heart, because it is through this heart that we truly feel the unity, even though the mind can intellectually know it. With unconditional love, you are loved simply because you exist. You are love.
With personal love, that is our relationship love, be it familial, romantic, or friendship. There are often conditions to it and it sometimes seems to come with a struggle. The dichotomy between unconditional love and personal love, both of which mainstream society simply refers to as love, pushed me to avoid the concept altogether. Unfortunately,
English often lacks the subtleties of other languages, particularly in regard to spiritual concepts. Many other languages have separate words for the various kinds of love.
Perfect trust is a divine sense of knowing and security with the creative spirit, the Goddess and God. We work actively to partner with the divine ones, through our magick and meditations, realizing that we are all part of that divine mind. But when things seem confusing, when our guidance isn’t clear, when our magick isn’t working as planned, and when we are suffering tragedy, we have a trust in the divine through our knowing of being unconditionally loved. It isn’t logical or rational, but when we truly experience and know it, no personal challenge will ever be viewed the same way again.
Perfect trust runs both ways. As we have it through this unconditional love for the divine, we know the Goddess and God have it for us. They trust us to fulfill our parts of the pattern. We have infinite choices and freedom as to how we serve the large pattern and fulfill our parts, but we trust that all actions can serve the greater spiraling pattern of the universe.
Through practicing the rituals of perfect love and perfect trust, through creating sacred space, we grow in our sense of connection and love. Even if we don’t initially feel it, it is there, growing and expanding in our awareness, until we are ready. We best manifest our desires, our magick, through truly feeling our connection to the Goddess, the God, and the entire universe. We connect and create sacred space through the perfect love and perfect trust the divine has for us, and we have for them. If everything is sacred, all the time, and we simply do our rituals to open the door to a partnership with the sacred, then everything is filled with this unconditional love, this perfect love and perfect trust. All we have to do is open our eyes to it, in and out of our rituals.
The challenge we have, as those walking the spiritual path of Witchcraft, is to inject more and more perfect love and perfect trust, or sacredness, into all thoughts and actions in our life, bringing it to every relationship and exchange. This is no small feat, but is the path of enlightenment, taken one step at a time. As overused as the saying might be, it truly is the journey, and not the destination, when walking the Witch’s road.
The most important lesson I’ve learned in applying perfect love and perfect trust to the world is that unconditional love doesn’t mean unconditional relationships. You can hold a sacred love for someone in your heart and honor that person as a living being, as a spiritual soul, but you can draw a boundary for your own health and well-being. Unconditional love doesn’t mean you encourage others to walk all over you and hurt you. Just as the Witch’s circle casts a boundary of sacred space, I think it is an important reminder that we, too,
while on the physical plane, have appropriate boundaries for our own space, health, and well-being.
Return to the Inner Temple
Before we go forward in our work, we should reflect on the inner temple. In ITOW, the lessons focused on finding a sacred space within yourself, on the inner planes of reality. Only through finding the sacredness on the unseen planes can you truly open the doorways between worlds and create a temple of sacred space intersecting with the physical world through the rituals of Witchcraft.
A key lesson of this previous work was to gain the discipline to enter a meditative state, a level of altered consciousness where you can perceive energy more easily and direct it with your will. In the ritual state, you will not go as deep as in the meditative one, but understanding how to enter both levels of consciousness easily and at any time is a measure of a truly well-trained Witch. Laurie Cabot used to say to my class that you should be able to enter alpha state while riding a crowded subway train. I don’t recommend it, since that might blind you to the dangers of urban travel, but in theory you should be able to do it.
The discipline aspect bothers some students. Feeling that Witchcraft is light, spacey, and free, they don’t understand the need for discipline. Discipline is only one aspect of the Craft, but an important one. It is the earthy foundation upon which all other free and ecstatic practices are built. It is easy to get distracted, physically or magickally, and proper discipline allows us to maintain a clear focus, despite any distractions or surprises.
When in sacred space, all thoughts become thoughts of creation. Without mental discipline, you might create something you don’t want. There are all sorts of precautions built into the rituals for this reason, but the best one is self-awareness. When I first started in Witchcraft, I was untrained in my first circle. Although it was a very magickal experience on all levels, I couldn’t help but have distracting thoughts: “Is this real? I feel silly wearing a robe. Wow, the Moon came out from behind the clouds when she called it.”
I even had thoughts from my previous years of Catholicism, thinking, “Uh-oh, perhaps I was wrong about this Witchcraft thing. Perhaps God is mad at me for this and we are going to Hell.” Not the best thoughts to be having in a sacred space, but perfectly understandable. I had them flash in my mind, and many first-time Witches feel the same thing but are embarrassed to admit it. Thankfully none of us created from those thoughts, but the circle space can intensify all feelings. Some people feel overwhelmed in sacred space.
They are usually people who are undisciplined or ungrounded in their self-image and selfesteem. Such energy can be overwhelming even to a person who is fully aware, depending on the ritual.
The key to fully integrate into sacred space and be open to the most magickal of experiences is the ability to clear the mind, enter an altered state, and tune in to the sacred energies within you and the circle, to bring balance and harmony. Some people can do it naturally without any training, but the best way I’ve found to teach it to others is to learn the discipline of meditation.
Altered States
To work magick and meditation, you must be able to enter an altered state, often called a state of gnosis or non-ordinary reality. In magick, an altered state is any level of brain activity other than that of normal waking activity that helps you process energy, will, and intuition.
Our states of consciousness are based on brain wave activity. The four states we are more concerned about are beta, alpha, theta, and delta. Beta is normal waking consciousness, at thirteen to sixteen hertz, or cycles per second. Alpha is the magickal state most people talk about, a light meditative state clocking in at eight to thirteen cycles per second. When we visualize creatively, daydream, meditate, or enter a light hypnotic state, we are in alpha. Theta is a deeper state, ranging from four to eight hertz. The lowest state is delta, at four or less hertz.
Alpha is the state we will be using for most of the exercises and techniques in this book. Light states of alpha are called ritual consciousness. During ritual, you must be open and aware to energy and intuition but not in such a deep state that you are immobile. You still need to speak, light candles, read spells, and perform other actions. In group rituals, you need to be aware of silent cues and group dynamics while still maintaining your magickal awareness. On the deeper levels of alpha moving toward theta, we enter a more immobile, deeper awareness, tuning in to the inner planes. Some people totally block out the physical world, while others are true walkers between the worlds, aware of both the inner reality and the outer world simultaneously. I’ve had both experiences, depending on my own times of personal power and awareness. Neither is better than the other, as long as it works for you.
Learn the following technique to enter a meditative state. Use only the first countdown when needing to enter ritual consciousness. Do the complete countdown for deeper meditation and journeying.
Exercise 1
Entering an Altered State
1. Get into a comfortable position. If you are going into an inner meditative experience, make sure you are sitting comfortably, either cross-legged or with feet flat on the floor. If you are getting into ritual consciousness, simply stand with feet apart to give you balance and support.
2. Take a few deep breaths and relax your body. Bring your awareness to the top of your body, starting at the head, and give yourself permission to relax. As you breathe, release the tension. Move from your head and neck into the shoulders and arms. Relax and feel all the tension melt away. Relax your chest and back. Feel waves of relaxation move down your spine. Relax your abdomen, lower back, and hips. Relax your legs down to your ankles and feet. Feel the waves of relaxation sweep all that doesn’t serve your highest good out through your fingers and toes, grounding and neutralizing this unwanted energy into the Earth, transforming it like the earth turns fallen leaves into new soil.
3.Relax your mind. Release any unwanted thoughts and worries as you exhale. Relax your heart and open it to the love of the Goddess and God. Relax your soul and follow your inner light, guidance, and protection.
4. Visualize a giant screen before you, like a blackboard or movie screen. This is the screen of your mind, or what is called your mind’s eye. Whenever you visualize or recall anything, such as a person’s face, you project it onto this screen. Anything you desire will appear on the screen.
5. On the screen of your mind, visualize a series of numbers, counting down from 12 to 1. With each number, you get into a deeper meditative state. The numbers can be any color you desire, drawn as if writing them or appearing whole.
Now visualize 12, see the number 12 on your screen, 12.
11, see the number 11 on your screen, 11.
10, see the number 10 on your screen, 10.
9, see the number 9 on your screen, 9.
8, see the number 8 on your screen, 8.
7, see the number 7 on your screen, 7.
6, see the number 6 on your screen, 6.
5, see the number 5 on your screen, 5.
4, see the number 4 on your screen, 4.
3, see the number 3 on your screen, 3.
2, see the number 2 on your screen, 2.
1, see the number 1 on your screen, 1.
6. You are at your ritual consciousness. Everything done at this level is for your highest good, harming none.
7. You are now counting down to a deeper, more focused meditative state. Count backward from 13 to 1, but do not visualize the numbers this time. Let the numbers gently take you down: 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. You are now at your deepest meditative state, your magickal mindset, in complete control of your magickal abilities. Say to yourself, “I ask the Goddess and God to protect and guide me in this meditation.”
8. From this point, you can continue on to other exercises and experiences, or meditate at this level for a bit and bring yourself up, counting from 1 to 13 and then 1 to 12. Gently start to wiggle your fingers and toes, and slowly move to bring your awareness back to the physical.
9. Take both hands and raise them up over your head, palms facing your crown. Slowly bring them down over your forehead, face, throat, chest, abdomen, and then groin, and “push out” with your palms facing away from you. This gives you clearance and balance, releasing any harmful or unwanted energies you might pick up during your magickal experiences. Tell yourself, “I give myself clearance and balance. I am in balance with myself. I am in balance with the universe. I release all that does not serve me.”
10. Ground yourself as needed. You can ground yourself back into the physical state by pressing your hands down onto the floor and releasing excess energy to the Earth. You can also visualize your feet and toes as roots digging deep into the earth. When all else fails, activate your digestive system by drinking a full glass of water or eating something to bring your energy back to your body.
The next meditation is a condensed version of the most important experience from ITOW, Exercise 31: Visiting the Inner Temple (in chapter 14 of that book). Called the Inner Temple meditation, it is designed to help you find the sacred within yourself. If you have already experienced this or a similar meditation, try it again. Visiting your own inner sacred space regularly is an important part of the practice of Witchcraft.
Exercise 2
The Inner Temple
1. Start Exercise 1: Entering an Altered State to get into your meditative mindset.
2. In your mind’s eye, visualize the great World Tree, a gigantic tree reaching up to the heavens and deep below the earth, larger than any tree you have ever seen. It is a sacred tree and you may recognize it as oak, ash, pine, willow, or any other tree that has meaning for you. If you don’t visualize anything, sense the tree with your other psychic senses. Hear the wind through its branches. Smell the earth where its roots dig in. Feel the texture of the bark. Simply know the tree is there and it will be. The tree is ever-present and everywhere.
3. Imagine the screen of your mind’s eye is like a window or doorway, a portal you can easily pass through. Step through the screen and stand before the World Tree. Look up and feel its power. Touch the tree and place in it the intention of visiting your inner temple.
4. Look around the base of the giant tree, in the roots, and search for a passageway. It may be a hole or tunnel or even a pool of water that gives you entry into the tree. As you enter, you find yourself in a tunnel, winding and spiraling to your inner temple.
5. At the end of the tunnel you see a light, and you move toward that light and step out into your inner temple. Look around. Take stock of all you see. Notice all the fine details of your sacred space. Let the images come to you. The inner temple can be a place you have visited in the physical world or an amalgam of sacred sites and shrines from your deepest inner knowing.
6. Explore your inner temple. You will find a variety of sacred objects for your use. Usually there is a reflective surface, such as a mirror or pool of water, for gazing. Gardens, plants, altars, crystals, and a variety of tools will be found. Gateways leading to other energies and levels of consciousness can also be found. Your inner temple is like your launching pad for deeper journeys.
7. If there is anything about your temple you do not like, you can change it now by doing some inner spiritual decorating. Your temple will reflect your own inner being. Usually it responds to your will and reflects your state of inner awareness. If something will not change, it is usually a message that you need to change something in your physical life to make the inner change a reality.
8. Once done, return through the World Tree tunnel that brought you to this place and stand before the World Tree. Step back through the screen of your mind’s eye and let the World Tree gently fade from view.
9. Return yourself to normal consciousness, counting up, giving yourself clearance and balance. Do any necessary grounding.
More detailed instruction in basic meditation and the inner temple can be found in ITOW in chapter 6 and chapter 14, respectively.
Bringing Sacred Space into Your Life
A universal technique found in so many cultures and spiritual paths is altar building. It is a simple but very effective way to bring sacred space into your home, office, or other living area. In ITOW, we built a meditation altar. For the outer temple, the altar will grow as we grow with our understanding of the elements and our tools. An altar constantly reminds us of the sacred cosmos it represents. It is a microcosm of our sacred space, which is a symbol of the universe itself.
“What makes this an exceptional resource is Penczak’s ability to offer deeper philosophical discussions while simultaneously giving practical advice
Once again Penczak proves himself to be a gifted teacher and a witch of the highest order.”
Publishers Weekly
With enhancements, corrections, and a focus on inclusivity, this edition of COVR Award–winning The Outer Temple of Witchcraft shows you how to create your own temple in a bedroom, backyard, forest, and anywhere in between.
In The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, the first book of this bestselling series, acclaimed author Christopher Penczak focused on making sacred space in the temple through meditation, visualization, and the development of psychic skills. This second book builds on that groundwork, helping you take the next step—manifesting the sacred in the outer world through ritual and spell work.
The Outer Temple of Witchcraft provides a strong foundation for any student of the Craft. This intensive year-and-a-day study course is equivalent to the second degree, culminating with an initiation ritual as priest/priestess. Rituals, visualizations, attunements, and other hands-on activities help you explore the many facets of Witchcraft, including:
• Honoring Divinity • Spellcraft • Creating Elemental Gateways
• Casting Magick Circles
• Finding and Empowering Tools
• Herb and Stone Craft • Magickal Correspondences
• Divination • Lunar and Astrological Timing
Christopher Penczak is a Witch, teacher, writer, and healing practitioner. He is the founder of the world-renowned Temple of Witchcraft and the Temple Mystery School, and the creator of the bestselling Temple of Witchcraft books and audio CDs. Christopher is an ordained minister, serving the New Hampshire and Massachusetts Pagan and metaphysical communities through public rituals, private counsel, and teaching. He also travels extensively and teaches throughout the United States. Visit him at www.ChristopherPenczak.com.
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