Living In Magickal Time by Pagan Edge Magazine

ISSN 2159-9939

What’s On Your Altar? The Magickal Lifestyle The Body Sacred Scrying Wand-making Springtime High Following Your Bliss Black Blade Blues Alteration of Consciousness

“Living In Magickal Time”

March 2011 Volume 2 • Issue 3 ™• March 2011 • Volume 2

™• March 2011 • Volume 2

Publisher

Executive Editor

Contributors

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Layout Website Advertising

Eberhardt, Personal Visions jess*ca mae Tootie Marie Dawn Sherwood Faelin Wolf Mya Om Michelle Crowskin Bond V.L. LJ Rose Ankolie Donovan Amina Racozy Nina Pak, www.ninapak.com Refraction Design & Creative Services Personal Visions Eberhardt, Wendy Beth

Our goal at Pagan Edge is to provide readers a high quality, timely magazine with content relevant to modern pagans’ lifestyle and passions. Our publication is a lifestyle magazine so while we may publish spells, rituals, and some magick how-to; we aim to focus on ways that pagans, wiccans, earth-based-spiritualists, and those of like mind can incorporate their values and beliefs into their everyday living. Pagan Edge Magazine & paganedge.com exist solely to offer information to our readers. The publisher, editor, and the entire personnel of Pagan Edge, Pagan Edge Magazine, Personal Visions, Refraction Design and paganedge.com cannot be held responsible for misuse of any information provided. The views expressed in the articles and ads are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Pagan Edge Magazine. Product descriptions, recipes & any how-to information: While we, and our affiliates, attempt to provide accurate information in the magazine and on the site, we do not warrant that the content on this site will be accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free. It is your sole responsibility for the use of the content of this Magazine or web site. For additional details please see www.paganedge.com

™• March 2011 • Volume 2 3

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™• March 2011 • Volume 2

contents 6 Dream Weaving Magick: A Conversation from the Newsroom

8 Keeping the Edge An Alteration of

Consciousness

9 Spotlight Living a

10 PE Book Review The Body Sacred

Magickal Lifestyle

On The Cover: Pagan Edge Welcomes to Staff photographer & artist: Nina Pak, www.ninapak.com Models: GJ and Josephine Silverwolf Make Up by Nightshade Beauty

Black Blade Blues

11 101 “Magic”k

12 Elders Corner What’s On Your Altar?

14 Urban Shaman Scrying: Using a

Mirror to Reflect on Magick

16 Plant Vibes Springtime High

18 publishers speaks Following Your Bliss

20 Handecraft Wand-making

Volume 2 • Issue 3 • March 2011 “living in magickal time” Pagan Edge™ is published monthly by Personal Visions admin@paganedge.com

™• March 2011 • Volume 2 5

Dream Weaving A Conversation from the Newsroom Room on Magick jess*ca: “So I’m trying get started on my editorial, and I’m rather stumped. Our topic for the month, ‘Magick’ seems to be broad on the scale of larger community but definitive for each of us. Just not definitive in the same way.” Eberhardt: “If you’re talking about the practice of magick then you’re right, it really is beyond the scope of this magazine to get into the how-to from anything other than specific examples. What you should be thinking about is how its practice changes your everyday living. Approaching magick from the “why” perspective is more important before you ever get to actually doing anything.” j*: “I know what magick means to me, but it doesn’t seem there is anyone else who defines it the way I do. It’s such a big catalyst in ritual and included in some everyday practices for Pagans but we have such a difficult time discussing it.” E: “It is a great thing you know what it means to you, that can be one of the hardest revelations to get under your belt. It’s natural for others to have a different perspective. One of the things I think many Pagans are guilty of is assuming is that it always has to be a teacher-student role when talking about magick. It is not a tussle to see who knows the most or has a method which works better. I guess I encourage

™• March 2011 • Volume 2

publisher & editor speak

talking about problem solving or life enrichment to bring up the use of energy to aid us.” j*: “I never had the opportunity to have a ‘teacher-student’ role in the traditional sense, but I was and still am very blessed with many role models; some following the Pagan path and others just great people. There are times when the wonderment of having the opportunities to interact and learn from such teachers, in it itself, has brought me a sense of magick.” E: “What do you think is your best personal take away from exposure to magickal experiences? What would you do to enrich your life more and help show someone else how to do the same?” j*: “Hah — start a magazine to show people of Pagan mind and heart that being Pagan can be relished as a lifestyle, and not just as a ritual eight times a year. Create a website to connect our contributors and readers in a “safe and sacred” space. Speaking of which, we have some really great insights this month to share with our readers, I cannot wait to see what they think.” Happy Reading and Blessed Be, Eberhardt & jess*ca

™• March 2011 • Volume 2 7

Keeping the Edge

by Mya Om

An Alteration of Consciousness When I first started composing this month’s article I went looking for a conclusive definition of what magick is and is not. What I found is a plethora of definitions ranging from intuitive descriptions: Magick is finding your connection to the Earth and all that is natural, alive and moving in the universe! It binds all that exists together. 1 To practical descriptions such as the one espoused by Occultist Aleister Crowley, magick can be defined as “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will.” 2

I call Crowley’s definition practical because he refers to the affirmative act of magick – this is characterized through the mastery of the art of spell crafting, sorcery, etc... Whereas the definition put forth by those at Wicca.com is intuitive because it refers to making a connection with the energies of the natural world around us without necessarily acting on or influencing those energies. Both definitions are valid and necessary if one is to have a true understanding of what magick actually is and how it functions.

It is not enough to describe magick in terms of our ability to use energy and will to affect change, because the energy and direction (absent a conscious exercise of will) are present and acting within the universe constantly. Through mastery of the Craft we learn to influence, direct, and change these energies in ways that benefit the practitioner on a tangible physical level – most refer to this as spell-crafting. Think of it this way: you have a house that is wired for electricity and (provided that the power bill has been paid) electricity Alteration continued on page 22

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Spotlight

by Eberhardt

Living a Magickal Lifestyle Very few people can be “jacks of all” when it comes to magick. It is most akin to the knowledge and use of music or math. Most of us will know a very little bit, others will know specific things very well, and a rare few will be able to master it. This is not a matter of status or of one’s special place in life, it is just part of who we all are as we contribute to the whole.

Many authors have written extensively on the different types, flavors, or kinds of magick that may be part of our shared experience. Certainly if you look on a bookstore shelf you will see they have written in great detail over the last 25 years on the how-to or DIY end of the magickal interaction. What we hope to explore in this article is the why of this resurgence in the need to have magick in our lives.

because they are the ones who cannot afford to pretend they are separate individuals free from shared reality. When you are faced with having to find a way in the world and feed your family, it is much harder to deny the truth in front of you. It is thanks to the farmers, the diviners, and kitchen wytches of the world for keeping the libraries of living knowledge from which the rest of us find our roots.

If you take a bit of time to scratch the surface of current middle class life you will not have to work to hard to find out that magick and its use, practice, and belief has never left Western culture — only dipped below the surface when it has gone out of fashion or become the focus of this year’s religious zealot. Often the poor, the “lower” class have been the keepers of knowledge

So then, what does it mean to live a magickal lifestyle? Where can an Urban person of any faith touch what is real under all that has been bricked over by our military industrial complex? The simple answer to all of this is to go right now and open your window and breathe in deeply of whatever air comes through. No matter what you smell or don’t, you are coming as close as you can to existing Lifestyle continued on page 17

™• March 2011 • Volume 2 9

The Pagan Edge

Book Review by Faelin Wolf

Our theme this month is Magick, but it is also Women’s History Month. So, in celebration, I bring you books that focus on women and magick.

The Body Sacred

by Dianne Sylvan, 2005 ISBN: 0738707619

book might be helpful.

I have been wanting to read this book for some time. Fortunately, my wonderful best friend had the book and loaned it to me. I have my own issues with my body, as many of us do, and thought this

Dianne Sylvan reminds us of all the ways we have become disconnected from our bodies and the ways we abuse and ignore them. She also points out that it’s not all our fault. She cites society and culture, consumerism and corporations, as well as religions, science, and governments as perpetuating the myths and dislikes we have of our bodies. She takes a decidedly feminist standpoint here and definitely focuses almost exclusively on women in the book. However, she urges us all not to blame men and encourages them to also read the book and take what they can from the messages. Sylvan reminds us that our bodies were given to us by the grace of the Goddess and God and they are therefore sacred. She describes our bodies as altars, where we can worship the Goddess. To help us reconnect with our bodies and learn to love and

appreciate them, she explores several archetypes and ways we use our bodies through them: the Reflection, the Mother, the Healer, the Lover, the Dancer, and the Crone. As she explores each of the archetypes, she offers rituals, meditations, and exercises to help us connect with the ideas, but also explore our bodies and what we use them for: eating and food, health and healing, creation, exercise and movement, and sex, to name a few. I found myself making note and marking what I found interesting along the way—always a measure of a good book, in my eyes. I liked some of the rituals and meditations she suggested and wasn’t so fond of others. Sylvan is very blunt, open, snarky at times, and humorous in her writing. This is an easy read that could be quick—but I think it’s important to read slower to take in the information and especially do the exercises, meditations, and rituals as you go along.

Black Blade Blues

by J.A. Pitts, 2010 ISBN: 0765327937 In Black Blade Blues, Pitts offers us a different kind of urban fantasy. I chose to read this because it has many unique characteristics that other urban fantasy books haven’t—a lesbian main Books continued on page 23

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What’s On Your Altar

From the Elders Corner by Lucille M Rose

Other Than Dust and Furniture Polish? What is an altar?

My definition: an altar is a visible area for working with the deities. It is a place where you can focus. It can be a huge ornately carved structure as seen in the old Catholic churches, a dining table, a small end table, a desk, the top of a short file cabinet, a cupboard type entertainment center with doors, a box, large rock, stone slab, or cloth set on the ground. An altar can be round, square, oblong, or waist high. It can be permanent or temporary or even portable. And it can be indoors or outdoors. The choices are endless. Pagans are not the only ones who set up altars. If you’ve been in a Catholic or Protestant 12

™• February 2011 • Volume March 2011 • Volume 2 II

church or a Jewish temple you may have noticed they also use altars.

Who is the altar for?

Is the altar for you or the Gods? Yes, we are special but so are our deities. Let them know they are special: show it, express your devotion to them, show them you are grateful they have chosen to work with you. Show them you are honored with their presence. You are glad and thrilled they’re here. Your altar is their payment, their reward. It is for them. After we’ve set up our altars and spoken our requests, we tend to think we need not do anything more. As a result, time goes by and we realize the same items have been on the altar for months! The statues

or symbols used to represent deities are now covered with dust. The deities are probably playing the guessing game of “Who Is That Deity?” That is, if they’ve decided to stick around and see how long it will take you to remember them.

What do you place on your altar?

There are those who might not have an idea as to what to place on their altar… so dust and furniture polish is the focal point on their altars. There might be a Dust God who loves these people. If you’ve been wondering why your requests have gone unanswered, why the deities seem to have other plans on their agenda, other people to work with, other places to go, other things to Altar continued on page 24

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™•™January • March 2011 • Volume 2II 13

Illustration by Ankolie 14

™• March 2011 • Volume 2

Scrying using a mirror to the Urban Shaman

by Michelle “Crowskin” Bond

Reﬂect

What is Scrying? Scrying has always been used as a method of divination. In Hollywood it’s portrayed as an old Gypsy staring into a crystal-ball and waving her hands around. Nice try... but that’s not how it’s done exactly. Scrying is a method for calming and training the mind to allow it to access and control information stored subconsciously. It helps us focus and learn to access our minds at deeper levels. This means information such as past life recall, psychic ability awakening, divination, remote viewing, and a multitude of other magickal workings to be viewed via scrying rather than through trance or other routes. Scrying is a tool for energy workers, pagans, wiccans and spiritualists to use in order to connect to that which is just outside the physical world. It is

Magick

also another example of taking a modern everyday object and opening up possibilities to work some modern city magick.

you do not want, or are not supposed to see yet. If you are a more ritualized person, then cast a circle around the area you are going to use.

What can I use? The best thing to use in my opinion is a mirror. It doesn’t have to be a black one, you can work with normal mirrors just fine. Try to pick one that isn’t too bulky and is good and sturdy.

Remember, you aren’t calling anything or trying to work any actual spell here. You are just using the mirror or object as a tool for divination – just as you would if you had tarot cards or runes in front of you. Basic Format for Scrying… With everything, practice makes perfect. Most people cannot get focused enough to have any success at scrying the first time. They end up being too distracted, too bored, or too tired.

You can also try scrying with other materials as well - dark colored bowl filled with water or tea, still water, round clear crystal spheres you can pick up at gem shops and psychic fairs, even something shiny and metal. Your only problem may be, it likely will take longer to work. Be patient at first!

I suggest for beginners you should try scrying when you are wide awake and focused on task. Try to avoid playing around with it while you are upset or have a lot weighing on your mind because it will be far too hard to calm your mind and train it for this work.

Can it be dangerous? I have never been harmed while doing this. However, sometimes the images and recall are things

Scrying continued on page 25

™•™January • March 2011 • Volume II2 15

Plant Vibes

by Dawn Sherwood

SPRINGTIME HIGH The Greenhouse Effect

Stop staring out the window at the mud and let me take you on a little mind trip. Close your eyes and feel the rush of humid warmth as you enter the greenhouse. Okay, now inhale… but don’t snort! Oh yeah, there it is… that double espresso giddiness that comes from the first trip to the local greenhouse each spring! Mmmm, nothing like that initial whiff of massive amounts of potting soil! Then there’s that dizzying optical overload of stepping into so much bloomin’ color after months of Winter’s brown, white, more brown, more white, and a final slurry of brown. You start greeting old flower friends, classic and eccentric ones too, that can still brighten your day after months of being apart. You also get to meet new varieties face-to-face for the first time, some of them already so famous from their celebrity level publicity onslaughts that you feel you should ask for an autograph or offer to do lunch sometime, dahling. No time for schmoozing now! There are rows and rows of annuals begging for your attention. The expressions 16

™• March 2011 • Volume 2 II January 2011 • Volume

of admiration sound like you’re cooing over a basket of puppies one minute, “Ooh, such adorable little blooms and fuzzy, wuzzy leaves…” and critiquing art the next, “The dreamy intonations of apricot and coral in the nearly translucent petals perfectly offset the bold reality of the spiky, chartreuse foliage…” Wow, such richly descriptive words from a brain that’s been hibernating all winter! “Better move on to the herb and veggie section”, you think, “before I burn myself out.” Yummy, yummy, yummy! Rub, sniff, and salivate! The basils alone could hold you captive all day! But onward you push, to the oregano, the rosemary, and those bearers of future tomatoes and bell peppers you could combine with the herbs. You can almost taste the gourmet delight that is months away in reality, but being served up right now by your greenhouse-gassed imagination. Your tummy is growling, but you can’t break for lunch until you’ve moved beyond the benches to absorb the wonderment of all the hanging baskets and mixed

containers. Here your imagination can take a break as the baskets and containers spill forth their already fully-fledged rhapsodies of plant fantasy. Obviously someone had a lot more fun than you over the winter, as they worked their seductive sorcery on the standard upright, mounding, trailing recipe for a surreal whole that has a fireworks level of liveliness well beyond the sum of its photosynthesizing parts. It’s as if someone gave Disney World steroids then crammed it into pots and baskets! Your senses are simultaneously boggled and delighted by all these supercalifragilistic symphonies of color, texture, contrast and harmony. Hey! Hey! Snap out of it now. I know it feels so good, but best you should come back to the reality of mud and spring frosts, before you whip out that imaginary Visa card and buy the whole place. I do hope you enjoyed this therapy session, but if you’ll excuse me, I have a strong craving for some Italian food.

Lifestyle continued from page 9

pure element of air. Note what your sense of smell brings you, feel how the breath impacts your lungs, lips, nose. If it is a negative experience, ponder why. The everyday activity of so many humans interacting with so many artificial things can leave a taste on the air that just does not sit right with most. Now put a bit more effort into noticing the temperature of the air, or the more subtle scents in the background. If you can’t tell any difference, that is okay, a “tuned” nose does take some practice. However, if you do detect things underneath that tell you more of the story of your environment, then you are partaking of one of the most basic forms of a magickal lifestyle. Living a magickal lifestyle is ultimately living a practical one. This does not mean you are living in a way having

anything to do with the people next door who may be experiencing reality differently from you in many ways. What practical does mean is that you are consistent in your belief and your actions. Learn the art of “seeing” which photographers use to help find the images they record. Learn to remember all the details of a room or how a friend dresses. These all act to help you understand where you are in the moment so that when you want to make a magickal change you get from point A to point B with much greater success. Even in popular fiction, magick users don’t wave a hand and say “Don’t bother me you vaguely bothersome spirits.” They focus, or even hyperfocus (think meditative state) to make a change or manifest energy. The whole point is you have to know where you are before you can get to where

you are going. Since belief in your abilities is so key to making sure they work correctly, think of how athletes all over the world visualize winning, and then study like mad their performance after. This level of belief, reinforced by honest evaluation, are very important to the practice of magick. Start small, practice magick with things that are immediate and under your complete control. Don’t start by asking to be rich, healing a gravely ill friend, or influencing world piece. Instead focus on healing a cut on your finger a bit faster, focus on making a batch of cookies turn out perfect. This is where belief gets in building blocks and you learn to trust what you are doing and seeing. If you do nothing more than practice magick at this level, your lifestyle will grow and be enriched, maybe even “enchanted”.

™• March 2011 • Volume 2 17

Following Your

Bliss

March is a pretty big month when it comes to both Pagan and historical happenings. After all, it is the month in which Caesar met his fate; Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba were arrested for witchcraft in Salem, MA; and there is the vernal equinox or Ostara to many of our readers, a holiday that is steeped in new beginnings. These examples are just the tip of the iceberg that includes many important births, deaths, and events making March a pivotal month. On a more personal level I wanted to celebrate two men: one Pagan, one not, who for me led to fundamental personal transformation and recognition that the reality I knew as a child was indeed filled with more wonder than I had ever dreamed of.

Joseph Campbell is the first of these men and was born on March 26th, 1904. Mr. Campbell is the person that opened the door in my young mind to the fact that I existed amid a tapestry of stories and deeds so exquisite in detail and meaning that the seeds he planted in my teenage mind have lead me exactly to where I am today in my pursuit of polytheology and publisher of Pagan Edge. The intervening years of my own experience and learning may have changed my view points and opinions but his voice and the eagerness and wonder that he had for religion, mythology, and spirituality are still a wellspring of inspiration for me today; so happy 107th birthday Mr. Campbell. The second man that influenced me the most 18

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publisher speaks

by Eberhardt

Equal dark, equal light Flow in Circle, deep insight Blessed Be, Blessed Be The transformation of energy! So it flows, out it goes Three-fold back it shall be Blessed Be, Blessed Be The transformation of energy!” - Night An’Fey, Transformation of Energy

in my young 20’s was Scott Cunningham; like me born in Michigan, USA and then spent the remainder of his life in California where he passed away on March, 28th 1993. For me, as a young adult, Mr. Cunningham through his writing, cut loose many of the formal bonds of my Christian upbringing and allowed me to think outside of the box of “canned” faith. Up until I first encountered “Wicca: A guide for the Solitary Practitioner” I was busily trying to join many different faith paths because that was the template I was given when it came to understanding faith. What his writings did for me was allow me to push back and begin to ask why and how without feeling the burden of guilt for not always agreeing with my elders. With respect I have to thank him for helping me speak with my own voice. “Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today; And give us not to think so far away As the uncertain harvest; keep us here All simply in the springing of the year. Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white, Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night; And make us happy in the happy bees, The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.” - Robert Frost, A Prayer in Spring Magick is something that is always with us, or it can be argued that magick is the essence of our souls, the spark that keeps the flame of all life burning. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as we enjoy making it. I wish you all the best for this spring and like Mr. Campbell said many times: “Follow your Bliss”.

™• March 2011 • Volume 2 19

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo From Cinderella’s FairyGodmother to Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, the “wand” is a sign of magick. Unlike these fictional tales, however, witches, druids, and pagans use their wands to enhance their magick and not as the source of their magick. While many on the pagan path agree a wand is not essential to magickal practice, spellcasting, or ritual; we do acknowledge our magickal tools - wands included - can help us to focus our intentions and direct our energies to magickal workings. Cauldrons, crystals, and essential oils are usually easier to purchase at your local newage store, online supplier, or Pagan Edge™ sponsor than create at home or discover on a treasure hunt. Some magickal tools, such as wooden wands, are easy to make and are more effective when created by the person using them. There are many variations of wands: pewter with precious stone atop, highly polished crystal with symbolic inscripton, antler or bone with tie-on charms, and many more similar combinations. But the most popular wand composition begins with wood. Perhaps it is pagans’ 20

™• March 2011 • Volume 2

Wand-Making in the Magickal Life

Handecraft

a how-to by jess*ca mae

reputation as tree-huggingdirt-worshippers we so readily bond with the substance of wood. Perhaps it is because the branch from which a wooden wand is made represents a piece of the tree, a piece of the larger whole. Perhaps it is simply because wood is readily available to most of us, inexpensive, and easy enough for amateur crafters to form to their needs. As most of us live in climates where March “Comes in like a lion, goes out like a lamb”, I suggest you start this project at the beginning of March, when the weather is teasing us with warmer temperatures but the trees remain dormant. This is an excellent time for pruning excess branches and searching for the core of your next wand. Take care to prune only branches which need to be removed, this varies depending on species and habitat: do your research. Search for your next wand as its own magickal practice: have patience, keep positive thoughts, express gratitude. If the trees are already “awake” don’t worry, choose a fallen branch for your wand-making. This practice is less invasive and not limited to time of year, but should still be carried out as a magickal practice. Wand-making continued on page 26

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Alteration continued from page 8

The art comes from understanding it is a subtle practice that works best when exercised with preparation, study and precision. is constantly available for use within the house – it always has the potential to be used in many different ways. If you do nothing then it continues with the status quo. This can mean that electric-powered objects are already plugged in and on, such as the refrigerator. But if you want electricity to power something that is not plugged in, you have to take one or more affirmative steps to make them work, or to work them in a way that is needed. So in the first definition of magick proposed by Wicca. com you are able to identify that there is an electric plug that you can connect with to be wired into the energy (the electricity) around you. In the second definition proposed by Crowley you realize that you can turn on or influence the world around you either by plugging into an outlet or perhaps by turning on an object that is already plugged in. Neither definition is sufficient without the other – if you fail to form an awareness of the power outlet then you will never realize that you can plug anything into it. The first step to understanding and eventually mastering the arts which we collectively call magick comes from an 22

™• March 2011 • Volume 2

alteration of consciousness which occurs when one first forms an intuitive understanding that there is a connection with the world around us which binds everything together. It is only when this first alteration of consciousness occurs that the second conclusion is possible, which is that by affecting one part of a connected whole, one can alter, change and influence a different part of the whole. That the two concepts work in tandem is one of the greatest secrets of the Craft and it is the one with which practitioners have the most difficulty. So many new practitioners of witchcraft want to begin at step two because they fail to realize or simply do not value step one. Most people with an iota of experience can see such practitioners from a mile away and know to avoid working with them. These are the people who speak of commanding energies or of enforcing their will upon the world. If they are lucky, such prac titioners will, over time, come to

an awareness of step one and they will learn then that there is an art to the Craft. In the meanwhile, they continue with all of the grace of a bull in a china shop. They will learn, over time, the art comes not from knowing one can impose his/her will and energy on the world, rather the art comes from understanding it is a subtle practice that works best when exercised with preparation, study and precision.

1 2

http://www.wicca.com Kraig, Donald Modern Magick

Books continued from page 10

character who makes mistakes and is unsure of herself, a focus on Norse myths and deities, and blacksmithing. Sarah is an apprentice blacksmith and feels as though this is her calling. She finds a sword at an auction that calls to her, but an actor at her night job manages to break it. At the urging of a coworker on the movie who claims to be a dwarf, she reforges the sword which seems to be the legendary Gram. Soon, all hell breaks loose in her life. She struggles with doubt and uncertainty about her relationship with Katie; suddenly is in conflict with her bosses at both of her jobs; feels she’s alienated her friends in SCA; can’t seem to control her temper; and dwarves, dragons, giants, and trolls are proving to be more than just stories. But it all comes together in a battle where Sarah has to use the sword, slay the dragon, win Katie back, and rely on her SCA friends. An aspect of this story that I really enjoy is Sarah’s struggle with her identity. Throughout the book, she is struggling with her feelings about being in a relationship with Katie, who is her first girlfriend. She seems to be fighting the strict Christian beliefs that she grew up with that told her being a lesbian was wrong, as well as being a strong, independent woman interested in metal work. Her internal conflicts impact Katie as well and it’s very believable and true to life how this plays out. This is a fun read, particularly if you enjoy Norse mythology. I highly recommend it and look forward to the next book in the series.

™• March 2011 • Volume 2 23

Altar continued from page 12 see what they are associated with and what they like. When you’re inviting guests over for dinner, do you ask what foods they might like to eat or do you assume whatever you serve is going to be enjoyed? What if you’re a carnivore and they’re total vegans?

do, perhaps it is time to do something. There are many books with diagrams of what to place on the altar and usually they are based on the spiritual path of the author. One can usually tell by the items on the altar if it is Druidic, Santerian, Wiccan, or other path. No two altars are set up exactly the same. Tradition and an individual’s preference can be factors when setting up an altar. Altars are set up for many things, such as a full moon, dark moon, healing, money, love, and/or the ancestors.

Since protection seems to be something that everyone can relate to in his or her life, I have

The cat Goddess Bast or Bastet is a goddess of protection, so I have chosen her to help us. Note: If you are going to set up an altar in a hotel, hospital or a public place, there are fire laws. So instead of smudging, you can spritz the area, yourself, and the participants (if they’ve no objection) with water containing a few drops of musk, cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh, catnip, vervain, sandalwood, geranium, and lavender. Place a black, gold, red, turquoise, clay, or silver cloth on your altar. A statue of Bast if you have one, or something to represent her, perhaps a picture?

frankincense, myrrh, catnip, vervain, sandalwood, geranium, and lavender Cakes- catnip and or barley Ale- beer Other suggested items: Animals-small statues of domestic cats or lions A rising sun, utchat (the “AllSeeing Eye”), pottery jars as perfume holders, castanets and rattles (as musical instruments)

How do you feel when you look at this altar? How does the energy feel? Does it make you want to be near it? Do you feel like you are connecting with the deity/ies?

Candles: black, gold, silver

Is there anything else you would like to place on the altar?

chosen to set up an altar for protection. Remember there are reasons for protection.

Herbs: cattails and other reeds, yew, cypress, catmint, catnip, barley or hemp

NOW you are at the point where you can set your intent, your request, your wish.

First, research the deities associated with protection. There are different pantheons, so work with the pantheon that calls to you. After you have chosen a deity you feel drawn to, do more research to

Stones: Cat’s eye, Sunstone, Agate, Jasper, Lapis Lazuli, and Pyrite

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Oil: 1 tablespoon of olive oil with 2-3 drops of each of the following: musk, cinnamon,

And last but not least… remember to Thank the deity/ ies

To me…. THIS is magic!

Scrying continued from page 15 Scrying is very close to meditation – and in fact it is often explained as a form of meditation. What you are essentially doing is accessing different stages of consciousness. You want to make sure that when you do this however, you can be focused enough to not let your mind wander too far. Here are a few exercises you may want to try before you start scrying for the first time. Not only will it get you familiar with the mindset, but it will help you figure the best way that scrying works for you. The mind is a stubborn thing to focus sometimes because of the human logic in there. These exercises are to get you ready to be able to see these images. ____________________ Exercise one: Close your eyes and relax them. Try to look at the darkness of your closed eyes. Try to pick up every little detail of what

you see.

Let your mind drift with the music, focus on the blackness of your closed eyes, let your mind form any images it wants or needs to.

Allow yourself to relax and get your scrying vision set. You may notice what looks like lights playing patterns, or images seeming to come from no where. That is a good thing. Congratulate yourself; your scrying eyes are working.

Most of scrying has to deal with one simple thing: visualization. When you do this, try to see images that are portrayed in the music. There is no right or wrong with this. Just let your mind drift on it.

If not, not a big deal. Keep trying and if it helps, light a candle in front of you and try meditation. Normally you wouldn’t notice anything there simply because your mind tells you that you can’t see when your eyes are closed. It’s that dual edged sword of having human logic. Sometimes it helps, and sometimes it keeps you in a box.

Side Note: Like anything, you want to make sure the area you are working in, and also your mindset, is ‘clear’. If you’re very emotionally upset or angry, it will effect the outcome of anything you do. Play with it and experiment to see what works best for you and what your stimulations pick up best. If you are a very visual person you will have better luck with this than a tactile method. Either way, like all magick, it can be adapted and altered to the individual.

Stick with it. Call it what you will, imagination or wishful thinking; at least you now have your mind in the context to experiment. ____________________ Exercise two: Turn on your favorite music, close your eyes and get into a relaxed position.

Happy scrying!

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Wand-making continued from page 21

Different trees have different magickal properties which may help you decide what type of branch from which to create your wand. Some pagans have multiple wands to use for workings of various purpose. Or perhaps a tree at your favorite park dropped a branch just for you. However you find the wood for your wand: take care to respect the tree as you work with it and give thanks or leave a gift to its spirit when finished. Visualize what your ideal wand will be: long? curved? with handle? with crystal on one end? any bark left intact? You may need to saw your branch to length, but often carving and sanding tools will be all you need to shape your wand into your vision. It’s up to your comfort level whether you use power tools or hand tools. Be mindful both methods can be dangerous and safety gear should be worn when appropriate. Once your wand is shaped to your desire, it is up to you to decide if you are done and ready to use it or if it needs more embellishment. Some may decide their wands are done at this point and use them for many rituals before realizing they are in need of embellishment, that’s okay 26

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too. Perhaps your wand will become a story-stick in which you add one more piece of decor at each magickal gathering. Be sure to make your process a part of your practice, as the thoughts and emotion experienced during its creation will be imbued within the wand itself. When finished, and before introducing the wand to ritual or magickal workings, be sure to purify, dedicate, and charge it in a way appropriate to your path. Some popular options for decorating wands: • stain, varnish, or paint evenly or in a pattern • attach stones, crystals, talismans, etc. by string or glue • carve or woodburn with magical symbols or runes • add fur or feathers • wrap with copper wire Some common magickal properties of trees: Apple - Love Birch - Female Divine Fir - Life, Immortality Hawthorne - Purity Hazel - Wisdom Oak - Male Divine Rowan - Protection Vine - Joy Willow - Death

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