Paganism

What is Paganism? Well if you take away the common meanings from dictionaries, it basically becomes an umbrella term for many walks of life, for different beliefs, none of which really 'fit' into what is generally prescribed.
For many pagans it is a way of life, some walk this path from birth, some find it through books and a feeling, some only follow it at weekends, some treat it as 'Buffy' or 'Charmed' scenario without actually reading the history behind many of the paths.
Here you'll find listed various different paths within Paganism with a general description of what each is, my thanks to others who originally compiled together the information.

Footnote: Further reading is available in the History section and links to sites and books of note are in the Link and ReadingRoom

Asatru

P.A.C.T pamphlet on Asatru
Used with permission of Pact

Asatru is a polytheistic belief system that is based upon the ancient Norse pantheon.
This belief system has three races of deities, all regarded as beings who are alive and involved in the activities of humans.
The first is the Aesir - the Gods of the various tribes or clans. These deities personify kingship, crafts of various kinds, and order.
The second is the Vanir - who represent fertility and nature. While the Vanir are associated with clans, they are not a part of the clans as the Aesir are.
The last is the Jotnar - the actual Gods who are called giants. They are perpetually at war with the Aesir. The Jotnar personify chaos/destruction. At the final battle (Ragnarok) many of these Gods will die. At that point the world will end and a new world will be born from the old (rebirth).

Gods honored by the Asatru include:

Thor the Thunderer. Thor's hammer is called Mjolnir (the Divine Hammer). His chariot creates thunder as it races across the sky. It is pulled by goats. His day is Thursday (Thor's Day).

Odin (Woden) One Eye gave up an eye in order to drink from the Fountain of Wisdom and hung upon Yggdrasil, the world tree in order to learn the secrets of the runes. a "tree" or cross like construction in order to drink.

Frigg is married Odin. She is honored by married women and is considered the Goddess of the household. Her day is Friday (Frigg's Day).

Frey was born on the Winter Solstice and is the God of Yule. He brings peace and plenty to the people and is a God of fertility and Prosperity.

Freya is known as the goddess of beauty, love, and sexuality. She is the leader of the Valkries (angels of death) who take the souls of slain warriors to heaven (Valhalla). Sacred poetry is composed under her inspiration.

Skadi is the Goddess of hunting, skiing, death, and independence.

Ostara is a fertility Goddess honored at Spring Equinox. She's alternately known as Eostre, Goddess of Spring in Saxton tradition. The word Easter comes from her name. Her symbols are the hare and the egg.

Asatru follow the Nine Noble Virtues

Courage
Truth
Honor
Fidelity
Discipline
Hospitality
Industriousness
Self-Reliance
Perseverance

Mankind is believed to be directly descended from the Gods. In specific, Rig visited Earth and is the father of the human race.

Modern Asatru is the rebirth of the ancient Norse beliefs applied with an understanding of the current culture and technology.

In 1973 the Asatru Free Assembly was founded in America. This was the same year Asatru was the second recognized faith in Iceland sharing official recognition with Lutheranism.

The practice of Asatru requires living one's life in accordance with the Nine Virtues. Asatru also have rituals and ceremonies in which they interact with their ancestors, the Gods and Goddesses. An exchange of gifts between Gods and men is considered the foremost spiritual practice.

The main rite of Asatru is the blot (offering). In general the offering is a drink of mead, beer, or wine. The offering is raised and the Gods are toasted, or a personal hero or ancestor may be toasted. The person making the offering drinks from the glass, then passes it through the circle. There are three rounds of toasts. The drink not consumed is poured upon the Earth.

Places to learn more about Asatru include:

Asatru - Norse Paganism
The Iminsul Aettir
The Asatru Archive
Asatru Information Center
Answers About Asatru

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Druidry

Taken from an article on druidism from religious tolerance site....

Quotation:

"Druidry is not a religion. It's a philosophy and you can worship a God or a Goddess, it's up to you. You can be a Christian or a Moslem or anything else and still be a Druid. "But while a Christian will say God made that tree, a Druid will say the energy of a creative force is in that tree."
Kieron, a North-East UK Druid.

Celtic God Samhain:

This non-existent God is often mentioned at Halloween time. He is supposed to be the Celtic God of the Dead. No such God existed. Samhain is, in reality, the name of a Druidic fire festival. It can be loosely translated as "end of the warm season".
Monotheistic Druids: Some writers have promoted the concept that Druids were basically monotheistic, following a sort of pre-Christian belief system. There is essentially no evidence of this. Druids worshipped a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses.

Beliefs and Practices:

Beliefs and practices of the ancient Celts are being pieced together by modern Druids. Because so much information has been lost, this is not an easy task. Some findings are:

Goddesses and Gods:

The Celts did not form a single religious or political unity. They were organized into tribes spread across what is now several countries. As a result, of the 374 Celtic deities which have been found, over 300 occur only once in the archeological record; they are believed to be local deities. There is some evidence that their main pantheon of Gods and Goddesses might have totaled about 3 dozen - perhaps precisely 33 (a frequently occurring magical number in Celtic literature). Some of the more famous are: Arawn, Brigid, Cernunnos, Cerridwen, Danu, Herne, Lugh, Morgan, Rhiannon and Taranis. Many Celtic deities were worshipped in triune (triple aspect) form. Triple Goddesses were often sisters.

Afterlife:

The dead were transported to the Otherworld by the God Bile (AKA Bel, Belenus). Life continued in this location much as it had before death. The Druids believed that the soul was immortal. After the person died in the Otherworld, their soul lives again in another human body. At every birth, the Celts mourned the death of a person in the Otherworld which made the new birth possible.

Creation Myth:

No Druidic creation story appears to have survived, although there are numerous accounts of the supernatural creation of islands, mountains, etc.

Baptism:

There is some evidence that the Celts had a baptism initiation ceremony similar to those found in Buddhist, Christian, Essene, Hindu, Islamic, and Jainist sacred texts. Other researchers dismiss baptism as a forgery by Christian scribes as they transferred Celtic material to written form.

Divination:

Druids used many techniques to foretell the future: meditation, study of the flight of birds, interpreting dreams, and interpreting the pattern of sticks thrown to the ground.

Awen symbol:

This is a symbol drawn in the form of three pillars, in which the outer two are sloped towards the center pillar, as in /|\. The symbol has been in use since the 17th century; it recalls the Druidic fascination with the number three.

Triskele symbol:

This is an ancient Druidic symbol consisting of three curved branches, bent legs or arms radiating from the center of the symbol. The flag of the Isle of Man contains a triskele.

Seasonal Days of Celebration:

Druids, past and present, celebrate a series of fire-festivals, on the first of each of four months. Each would start at sunset and last for three days. Great bonfires would be built on the hilltops. Cattle would be driven between two bonfires to assure their fertility; couples would jump over a bonfire or run between two bonfires as well. The festivals are:

Samhain (or Samhuinn) Literally the "end of warm season". November 1 marked the combined Feast of the Dead and New Year's Day for the Celtic calendar. It is a time when the veil between our reality and that of the Otherworld is most easily penetrated. This fire festival was later adopted by the Christians as All Soul's Eve, and later became the secular holiday Halloween.
Imbolc (or Brighid) Literally "in the belly". February 1 marked The Return of Light. This is the date when the first stirrings of life were noticeable and when the land might first be plowable. This has been secularized as Groundhog Day.
Beltaine (or Bealteinne). May 1 was the celebration of The Fires of Bel. This was the peak of blossom season, when domesticated animals bear their young. This is still celebrated today as May Day. Youths dance around the May pole in what is obviously a reconstruction of an earlier fertility ritual.
Lughnasad (or Lughnasadh, Lammas). August 1 was The Feast of Lugh, named after the God of Light. A time for celebration and the harvest.

There were occasional references in ancient literature to:the winter solstice, typically December 21, when the night is longest the summer solstice, typically June 21, when the night is shortest

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Wicca
(with thanks to Arnemetia)

This is in the form of a question and answer list.

Q: What is Wicca, at its very Basic?

Wicca is a coven based belief followed by Wiccans

Q: Whats Wicca based on?

Wicca is a God and Goddess based belief which involves seasonal and nature observations, requires hard study into many aspects of the craft, divination, the history, practice of Witches and a very in depth look into yourself

Q: Is Wicca a Religion?

Yes, for many Wiccans it is.

Q: Is it an old religion?

No, Wicca was conceived and founded by Gerald Gardner in the United Kingdom between the years of 1946 and 1949 and has grown from those early days. The more well known branches being Gardnerian and Alexandrian.
There are links to good factual informative sites posted in the History section.

Q: Are all pagans wiccan?

No, all Wiccans are Pagan but not all Pagans are wiccan

Q: How would you become Wiccan?

You must be initiated into a recognized Wiccan Coven

Q: Is a Coven necessary to its Practice?

Yes, Books might tell you otherwise and say about self Initiation, but in truth you must either be apart of a recognized coven or have been initiated by a coven.

Q: Why must I be in a coven?

Wicca is an Oral Tradition involving actual teaching in its 3 degrees by a High Priest or Priestess. You cannot do this by yourself or over the net - you need to be there!

Q: How do I find a Coven?

Respectable Wiccan covens as a rule do not advertise, nor are they easy to find.

Q: I'm wiccan but not initiated?

Unfortunately, you can't follow wicca until you have been initiated as a Wiccan, and also put onto the Coven records by a traditional Wiccan Coven.

Q: Am I old enough to join a Coven?

Respectable Covens will only accept you if you are over 18, the exception being if your parents are members of the Coven, only then is it 16+ but this is in rare cases.

Q: What is a Priest/Priestess?

High Priest/Priestess in basic terms are Tutors although many in the 2nd or 3rd degrees help out. In a Trad they represent the Male - Female.

Q: Who can attend a Wiccan casting?

Casting and workings are for initiates only, this is because of the energy raised. A full circle can become intense, not so much magically but on the psychological side of things.
Uninitiated are kept out until they are psychologically ready for it. The first degree aims to help you train for this.

Q: What are the degrees that you mentioned?

There are three basic degrees in a Wiccan Coven...

1st degree - requires you to have completed a year and a days training
*This is just a guide as it can be more*
You'll need to be able to of shown the ability to work in a circle and deal with the energy raised.
You must also be able to show your ability in being able to learn Craft skills.

2nd degree - you need to show not only that you can handle the energy of a circle but that you have learned enough to cope with the energies in other ways. Also 2nd Degree's are of a level of knowledge they can help train a student/neophite or 1st. This in turn helps them to progress.
They can also under the guidance of a 3rd degree
a) run a circle
b) perform initiations.

3rd degrees- able to handle group energies with ease, deal and cope with any problems that can happen during a working.
They can initiate and are on the same level as High Priests and Priestess of the Coven. They can also choose to break away and start their own coven, but their records and their parent one must be accessible so that lineage can be confirmed.

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~Stregheria~

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Hellenic Neo-Paganism
© 1995, Apollonius Sophistes

"We are all Greeks"
Many Neo-Pagans were awakened to the old gods by an early encounter with Greek mythology, yet now they follow other traditions. In this paper I will try to clarify several issues that may deter Neo-Pagans from the Hellenic path.
A connection with the Earth is an essential part of Paganism, both Neo- and Paleo-, and thus many Neo-Pagans look to their ethnic roots as a source of spirituality, but I think that ethnicity can be construed too narrowly. It's a mistake to reject the Hellenic(1) path simply because you're not of Greek descent.

Hellenic culture is a major component of the substratum of all European culture. It is worth recalling that by 327 BCE Alexander had carried Hellenic culture nearly to the Ganges and to the north of the Himalayas (and, of course, brought Eastern culture back to Greece, for his goal was a multi-ethnic society). The conquest of Greece by Rome was complete by 146 BCE, but in its defeat Greek culture conquered the Romans. It then spread with the Roman Empire, which by 44 BCE included the North African coast and extended north to the English channel; by 67 CE it included the south of England. Therefore the Hellenic tradition has been a part of the culture of Europe (and beyond) for at least 2000 years. To the extent that European culture has become Western culture, and Western culture has become world culture, the Hellenic tradition is ubiquitous. As Shelley quite rightly said, "We are all Greeks" (Preface to "Hellas").

In particular, the Greek gods have never been far from the center of Western culture, and Greek mythology, more than other Pagan traditions, continues to be a major influence in literature, art and language.(2) For these reasons, I think it is accurate to say that the Greek gods are the gods of Western culture, wherever it exists in the world, and therefore that these gods are part of the ethnic background of everyone who feels Western in this sense, no matter what their race or geographic origin.(3) (I hope it's unnecessary to say that I'm not claiming the superiority of Hellenic or Western culture; my point is only that the Greek pantheon is a natural choice for anyone at home in Western culture.)

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Practicalities of Hellenic Neo-Paganism
Once freed from an overly-narrow idea of ethnicity, one sees that the Hellenic tradition has much to offer. Although the gods can be known through many different pantheons, there are practical differences between them.
For example, since the Hellenic tradition stretches continuously from before Homer's time (say, 700 BCE), through the Christian era, to the present, there is a larger surviving body of literature, artifacts, history, art and religion from the Hellenic tradition than from any other Western Pagan tradition. Therefore there is a much more solid basis for constructing a Hellenic Neo-Paganism than for the other traditions. The large corpus of surviving texts and the enormous body of scholarship makes reconstruction easier in the Hellenic tradition than in others, such as the Druid or Wiccan, which have been reconstructed from a few shards of evidence or undocumentable oral tradition. Although these reconstructions may be very good, in the Hellenic tradition we have a better chance of understanding archaic thought, so that we can make informed decisions about what we accept or reject. With many of the others traditions it's nearly impossible to distinguish a practice tested for a hundred generations from one cooked up last week by someone who has just read The Golden Bough (or The White Goddess). The gods are living, and new traditions must be created, but it's also important to understand how They were worshipped in the old days.

The wealth of source material makes the Greek gods much more knowable as personalities. For me at least, the Germanic gods are still largely cardboard characters, and the Celtic gods are little more than a jumble of names. I also realize that the understanding I do have of the Germanic gods has been formed as much by Wagner as by the Eddas and it has been observed that Wagner's gods are really just the Greek gods with German names! I think it's crucial to know the gods personally - intellectual understanding is not enough - and the way to Them is opened by a large corpus of myth, art, etc.

Of course, a practical disadvantage of the Hellenic path is that it's a comparatively small tradition in contemporary Neo-Paganism, so there are fewer organizations, periodicals, practical books and group activities (though I hope the recent institution of the Nashville Panathenaia signals a new trend). I don't know why Hellenic Neo-Paganism is less popular (you tell me!), but one reason may be that the very familiarity of the Greek gods robs them of the novelty of the Celtic, Wiccan, and other traditions.

Next I'll discuss some characteristics of Hellenic Paganism.

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How Patriarchal Is It?
The Hellenic religion is sometimes criticized for being patriarchal, but to me it doesn't seem any more patriarchal than other ancient religions. (Of course, the society of Greek mortals was enormously patriarchal; the Romans were less so; the Etruscans less yet.) Zeus's supreme position is really only nominal; He frequently gives in to other gods and goddesses. All the gods, or at least the twelve Olympians, are very nearly equal in power. Indeed Zeus got his job by means of Rhea's carefully laid plans, with the help of Gaia! In a sense He is Their instrument.(4)
In ancient times the immortal males and females had nearly equal power and respect. Observe also that the twelve Olympians are balanced in gender:

Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, Hermes,
Zeus, Demeter, Hephaistos, Ares, Artemis, Hestia;
six and six. As part of the transition to the Piscean age Hestia gave her position among The Twelve to Dionysos (a god of ambiguous gender), but Hestia was not demoted; She is the oldest Olympian, and still foremost in Their company.(5)
In terms of ritual, the Greeks and Romans respected the goddesses as much as the gods, and most of the public religious festivals were devoted to goddesses concerned with the cycles of nature and other "earthy" things. In addition, out of the 33 surviving "Homeric" Hymns, 17 are to gods, 15 to goddesses, and 1 to both (Apollo and the Muses) - approximately 50-50.

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Are the Gods Immoral?
Sometimes the Greek gods are ridiculed for their immorality, but I think this betrays a misunderstanding of divinity. The gods are not moral ideals.
Nobody would suppose they would make themselves a better person by emulating Zeus, or even Athena or Apollo (let alone Hermes or Pan). (Indeed, aspiring to be like the gods is the most obvious form of hubris, and invites Their wrath, as we see from many myths.) But this does not mean the gods are immoral. The gods have Their own morality, and it makes no more sense to apply Their moral norms to us, than it would to apply our moral norms to wolves. Gods, people and beasts are three different classes of beings, each with their appropriate morality (though there may be some overlap). For example, gods may engage in incest, perhaps to achieve some aim, such as begetting a new god with a specific character, and there is no reason to suppose that such incest would have any of the disastrous genetic and psychological consequences that it does for people. Gods are different, both genetically and psychologically, from people.

Therefore I think that the object of knowing the gods better is not to become more godlike, but to better comprehend Their will so that we don't oppose it, and if possible to enlist Their aid in our activities, both magical and mundane.

We worship the gods - we respect Them, acknowledge Them - because They are the ineluctable powers of the universe, neither good nor evil (because our moral categories are not appropriate for Them). For me the gods are the ultimate necessities of the universe, and hubris is a failure to abide by these necessities. As Philip Vellacott says, "The nature of a god is not to be man's friend, nor man's enemy, nor man's moral guide. It is the Hebrew and Christian tradition that presents God as embodying what ought to be, the ideal; the Greek god is the opposite of this, and stands for 'what is' - in human nature, in human society, and in the universe."(6)

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Conflicts Among the Gods
Which brings me to my last point, concerning the quarrels and deceptions of the gods. Naturally we put these things into our own terms, but I think that the myths reflect actual conflicts between these ineluctable forces. Personally I find the universe much more comprehensible when global and personal history is viewed as partially the consequence of interacting gods - sometimes working together, sometimes opposing one another, more often just going Their own ways, with the inevitable collisions.(7) (In other words: if this world is the orderly unfolding of the Master Plan of One God, then He or She must be schizophrenic!)
Concretely, recognizing the many gods and Their conflicting demands can lead to a healthier, happier, more balanced life. Consider the myth of the Judgement of Paris. He finds himself in a common enough situation: three goddesses demand his attention. Poor Paris tries to avoid making the decision, but They will not let him off. In the traditional story he is offered kingship, heroism and love, but we may interpret the bribes as wealth, wisdom and love (still in our day, frequently, mutually exclusive choices). He gives the golden apple (inscribed "for the most attractive") to Aphrodite, and the result is disaster - the Trojan War. But his mistake was not that he gave the apple to the goddess of love, for She is a goddess nonetheless. Rather, Paris's mistake was that he slighted the other two goddesses. Had he given the apple to Athena or Hera, the consequences would have been just as bad (although perhaps quite different in detail).

How could Paris have escaped this trilemma? That's difficult to say, but he should have tried to respect the sovereignty of all three goddesses. Perhaps he could have convinced Them to share the apple, each possessing it for a time, since at some times wisdom is most desirable, and at others power, and at yet others, love. Or he might have made propitiatory sacrifices to the losers. Perhaps it was simply a "no win situation" - the Romans would say he was "between axe and altar."

It's characteristic of polytheism to confront such situations head on. There is no supposition that there must be a single Right Way, if only we could find it; polytheism acknowledges that sometimes there is no right answer. We must often make irrevocable decisions, honoring one god but dishonoring another, and we must pay the price to the offended gods, in spite of the fact that we couldn't avoid offending them. Luckily we often have options (analogous to dividing the apple) that were not available to Paris, which may mitigate the consequences. But I think polytheism forces us to acknowledge that sometimes there just isn't a Right Way.

How much more clearly we understand the world when we see that Hera, Aphrodite and Athena all have their demands! We don't fret over which is "God's Will" when we see that there are three goddesses, each with Her own will. If we decide that only one demand is the true "will of God," then we obey one goddess at the expense of disobeying the others - to our own sorrow! Although Paris may have been in a "no win situation," he made the outcome worse by rejecting Hera and Athena. Unlike the Christian god, who proclaims His jealousy, the Olympian gods do not mind other gods being recognized. What They do mind is being rejected, and that They punish.(8)

Is it good or fair for gods to put mere mortals in such predicaments? No, but why suppose the gods are - by our standards - good or fair?

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Belief in the Gods
Greek religion is very different from Christianity in that the gods don't care at all what you believe, so long as you worship Them. They demand cultus (from the same root as "cultivate") - tending the sacrificial fires, remembering Them - and one purpose of prayer and ritual is to nourish the gods and so rejuvinate them. The Greeks were quite explicit about this; a god could be hungry for the fragrance of the sacrificial fires. Then as now you can even be an atheist, so long as you recognize the gods and conform to Their will. Conversely, all the piety and faith in the world will not save you if you do not obey Their will. Greeks felt free to choose what they might believe, and so the Christian church fathers rightly called Hellenism the "father of all heresies" (from hairesis, choice).(9) Greek religion is a matter of orthopraxy (right doing) as opposed to orthodoxy (right saying).
The point is that the gods reward behavior in accord with their will, and punish behavior not in accord, regardless of whether you believe in Them or not. Of course, if you believe in Them, you are more likely to know Their will and act accordingly, but there are no guarantees either way. An unbeliever may by chance do the right things; conversely a believer may misinterpret Their will, and act wrongly. However, wisdom and understanding is more likely to result in right action.

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Ceremonial Magick
(with thanks to magi)

Introduction
In this article, I have set out to give a brief introduction to ceremonial or ritual magick‚ or high magick to give it its proper name. First of all a couple of points by way of introduction. Why spell magick with a k? This was started by Aleister Crowley to differentiate between what Ill call fairground magic (the pulling rabbits out of a hat sort of stuff) and magick in the context of spiritual development / as a religion / as a part of paganism. There is, however, a school of thought that argues that the spelling magic should be used in order to reclaim the word.

The boundaries between science and magick are more blurred than you may at first think. Magick can said to be an act of faith and, in the same way, much scientific belief is also an act of faith. For example, few people know how modern medicine works: we just pop a pill and hope it will get rid of our headache or whatever else ails us. Belief, whether in something scientifically or magically based, is a powerful agent and one employed in what the magician does.

High magick does not pretend to deal with such things as love-charms and potions, nor will the magician design amulets to harm or bind another. If you want powers to do things like healing the sick, making yourself invisible, kindling a flame without using matches, levitation, love spells, and so on, then the best excuse for trying to acquire them is that you will learn a lot in the process. The result which the magician desires to accomplish is a spiritual reconstruction of his own conscious universe and incidentally that of all mankind. The technique of magick is one by which the soul flies, straight as an arrow, to serenity, to a profound and impenetrable repose.

If there is any danger in the pursuit of magick, then it will only be because the operator lacks a precise knowledge of what it is that he is doing. It is upon an intelligent understanding of the meaning of the occult symbols and the realties that they are intended to convey, that the success of the rites largely depend. But intellectual familiarity with these principles is of little use if there is no spiritual experience. On the other hand, magickal investigation of the universe, and its consequent spiritual realisation in consciousness, assumes a greater dignity and wider implication when supported by a theoretical understanding.

A History of High Magick in 90 Seconds
The phrase Great Work is often used in connection with high magick. The word magick itself comes from the Greek word meaning great. So Great Work simply means Magick Work.

There are common themes to magickal thinking that are found in different times and cultures. In the 1890s, Sir James Frazier, who wrote the Golden Bough, made an exhaustive study of magick around the world. He realised something that is commonly accepted by those who practice magick today: that magick relies on the sympathetic effects of similar shapes, colours and properties, and on the feeling that things which were once in contact continue to act upon each other.

The earliest form of pure tradition we have is that of Egyptian magick. Much of this has initially come through the work of the Victorian scholar, William Budge. He was primarily concerned with historical investigation, reconstructing the ancient religion.

Another early tradition derives from the Greek mystery schools. There is much written on this area and, as with Egyptian magick, not all of it outlines a working magickal system.

The most coherent works of magick date from the Middle Ages. The works of Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, Abramelin and John Dee, each give a credible magickal system. But when reading texts like the Lesser Key of Solomon which call for bat blood, discrimination becomes important ‚ as does a sense of humour!

Arguably, the two most important sources for high magick are the Corpus Hermeticum and the Qabalah, which approach the same end from entirely different directions and cultural traditions. The hermetic texts were written in Greek-speaking Egypt in the second century and are concerned with the true place if humanity in the universe and how humanity might obtain power over it. The most important is the Pimander which suggests that divine powers are latent in humans, who can recover them by learning their true natures. The Qabalah came out of Hebrew rabbinical culture and took its enduring form in the 13th century. It depends on the notion that the universe is structured around ten names or emanations of the One God, which corresponds with the Hebrew alphabet and forms together the single divine name which is also the repository of the informing power of the cosmos. By contemplating and understanding this structure, in effect by ascending it, one can come to know and understand divinity. The aim of both of these is to develop or release the latent spiritual and mental abilities of humanity by using a framework of traditional ritual magick.

It was from this base that Rosicrucian and Qabbalistic forms of magick developed. There are many texts particular to this strand of magick which ultimately led to the great Western magickal systems of the late 18th and early 20th centuries. The greatest example of which must be the Golden Dawn Order of Hermetic Magick. This system gave us some of the most famous and infamous magicians: Aleister Crowley, Dion Fortune, William Butler and Israel Regardie to name but a few.
Around 1909, the Golden Dawn split into four successor bodies: The Isis-Urania Temple (which confined itself to a Christian mysticism, mediated through ritual, and disavowed the practice of magick), the A:. A:. (formed by Aleister Crowley and concentrating on pagan imagery) and the Alpha et Omega and the Stella Matutina (a blend of the first two)
There are a few magickal schools today inherent from this movement, such as Servants of the Light, and reformed Golden Dawn groups.
There has also been a growth of natural magick in the 20th Century which stems from Gerald Gardiner's work in bringing Wicca craft into the open and reinterpreting it through the medium of Golden Dawn techniques.

The Magician
To be a magician is not to be part of a religion. The work of the magician has many similarities to that of paganism in general, but it also has some fundamental differences. Traditionally, the division between pagan and magician has been termed as the difference between natural and high magick. The magician works with the latter, but is in no way excluded from using natural magick to achieve an end. High magick is a system comprising a practical, psychic and theoretical path and it is essential for the magician to walk all three paths at the same time.

The magickal system is a philosophy and practice applied by the magician to the whole of life. Its aim is the spiritual development of the magician, and to this end is highly personal. In these terms the work of the magician may appear to be very selfish.

The magician does not worship deity, nor is the magician's primary role to serve. The magician is, instead, engaged in pursuit of the Great Work. That is, the magician seeks to accelerate his/her own spiritual development to the point at which he/she unites with the divine, entering into the spiritual ecstasy known in Sanskrit as Samadhi. The magician seeks through ritual to know him/herself and transform him/herself in accordance with the divine purpose he/she was created for. That is to say, the magician seeks to know their true will, the purpose for which they came into manifestation. Then to ensure they live in such a way as to realise this will. The will in these terms is not personal choice, but that divinely inspired purpose.

In magick, no attempt is made to acquire powers for their own sake. Any power acquired must be subordinated to the Will, and kept in its own place and proper perspective. At the beginning of his journey/training, the Magician is obliged to understand that his one aspiration is his Higher Self and that any powers which are obtained must be used for that purpose. Any lesser work must have a definite spiritual motive. Magick itself, has as one of its objectives a communion both here and hereafter, a union to be achieved by the exercise of other more spiritual faculties and powers in rites and ceremonies.

Service is not as a major path to this achievement, rather it is the fruit of the tree by which the journey can be seen.
The operation of magick can be defined as causing a change in consciousness in accordance to will.

Everyone's a Star
According to the traditional philosophy of the magician, every person is a unique, autonomous centre of individual consciousness, energy and will. Or as Crowley puts it, everyone's a star ‚ shining and existing by its own inner light, it pursues its way in the universe. In the vastness of the universe there are rarely conflicts between celestial bodies, unless one happens to stray from its course. So in the realm of humanity, there would be no chaos, little conflict and no mutual disturbance if each individual were content to be grounded in the reality of their own higher consciousness, aware of their ideal nature and true purpose in life.

The Magician's Tools
The purpose and function of magick is a spiritual science. It is a technical system of training which has a divine objective, rather than a material or terrestrial one. Likewise, the equipment used in ritual magick is not the sole means which the magician utilises, nor the only instrument used to achieve his ends. But why is that the magician does use such props as an Athame (dagger), cup, bell, incense and so on? Simply put, it is the means by which he is able to understand himself and commune with the invisible but no less real parts of nature. Magick has already been defined as science having for its objective the training and strengthening of Will and Imagination. More than anything else, it is thought and will which really count in magick and the magickal hypothesis is that it is using tools that the enhancements of creative abilities is obtained.

The important point is that tools, robes, incense and so on are symbols representing either an inherent occult force as man or an essence or principle obtaining as an intelligent moving force in the universe. The prime intention is to arouse a harmonious thought or impetus in the imagination which exalts the magician's being in the direction arranged by the character of the ceremony and by the individual nature of the symbols.

An entire article could be devoted to the purposes of incense and magickal tools. So, for the purposes of this article I will concentrate on those that are placed on the altar during magickal ceremonies, the elemental tools: the wand, sword or dagger (Athame), cup and pentacle which represent the letters of Tetragrammatron and the four elements from which the cosmos has been built. Fire is attributed to the wand which is placed in the south, the cup is water (the west), air is allocated to the Athame (the east) and the pentacle symbolises earth and is placed in the north. There is no weapon representing the fifth element, spirit, for it is invisible.

There is a whole series of correspondences which come into play. For example, each god is characterised by some particular tool which expresses its essential nature: when using the wand, the magician takes on the authority and wisdom of Tahuti before the council of the gods.

The wand is the will, representing the wisdom and spiritual presence of the creative self and it should be used upright. The cup or chalice is receptive and a symbol of the intuition and understanding which is ever open waiting for the supernal dew which, according to the Book of Splendour, descends from the highest regions of the pure soul. In ceremonial magick, the cup is rarely used, and then only in the highest invocations, to hold the libations.

The blade of the Athame is of cold steel, and hard and sharp like the all pervading air, ever in a state of flux and motion. By this symbol is understood the mind which, without training, is volatile and in a state of constant motion, without stability or easy concentration. Since it is a cutting instrument its prime function in ceremonial magick is banishing.

Finally, the pentacle is a token of the body. It is the real expression of a complete thought and act of will.

The Magician and the Divine
As has been stated, high magick has, as one of its objectives, a communion with the divine. This union is achieved by using spiritual abilities and powers in rites and ceremonies. By the divine, the magician recognises an eternal spiritually dynamic principle and its refracted manifestation in beings whose consciousness, individually and together, are of so lofty and sublime a degree of spirituality as actually to merit the term Gods.

The viewpoint employed in magick is that there is one Omnipresent Life pervading the whole cosmos. It permeates every corner and portion of space, sustaining the individual life of every being existing in any of the infinite worlds. Unknown in itself, since being omnipresent and boundless in every direction it can never be comprehended by the human mind. From it comes forth all the gods, all human souls and every conceivable thing that is.

When the word God is used, it comes as a pre-packaged concept. Quite often the Western European sees it as a personal being of great age, that has a physical existence sitting on a throne somewhere up there! But to make God a human being is to limit it. It is not possible for a finite human form to have the attributes of God, eternal, all powerful, all knowing, and everywhere.

If the magician is to conceive of such a being it is formless, existing not within manifestation, but beyond it also. For it is the formless creator of all things. That is it is the absolute, from which all is made manifest. It creates not out of nothing, but of itself. Although this could be argued to be the same thing, as it is no thing in itself. It is not a being, but absolute being. In the process of creation it enters into manifestation, but is not conscious of this process. It does not actively and thoughtfully create, rather it brings forth manifestation as a tree brings forth leaves, it is a spontaneous expression of its very nature. Theosophy defines deity as:

IT is the mysterious power of evolution and involution, the omnipresent, omnipotent, and even omniscient creative potentiality.

Deity is the eternal, incessantly evolving, not creating, builder of the universe, that universe itself unfolding out of its own essence, not being made.

The Key to Theosophy
The evolution and development of the cosmos, spiritual and physical, were first recorded by philosophies in geometrical changes of form. Every esoteric cosmogony used a circle, a point, a triangle, a cube and so on. The latter were incorporated into a simple geometric form, called the Tree of Life in the Qabalah. To each cosmic development, a number was applied and existing as the specific meaning of the number or the particular phase of evolution was the activity of a god or hierarchy of gods. Thus in the Qabalah we have ten primary emanations. The tradition of magick classifies them in descending scales of purity and spirituality, from the gods to archangels, intelligences and spirits.

In magickal works we require a point of reference and working relationship with the divine. This can be done through contact with the impassive absolute, but a more effective path can be found in the projected aspects. The One entering into manifestation undergoes a reflection, which creates duality ‚ this concept can be better realised through study of the Qabalah and lack of space prevents me from explaining t in detail here. Suffice to say that duality gives it a point of reference with which to begin the process of evolution. This reflection is not simply the absolute becoming two absolutes. Rather through the emanation of the first ray it becomes the polar duality of manifestation. Underlying all manifestation is the division of the divine into active and passive, positive and negative. The Taoists call it Yin and Yang. Western pagans understand and describe this duality as the God and the Goddess, the Lord and Lady.

In this form, they are the summation of all the gods and goddesses known to humanity. They are the active living beings partaking of the essence of the absolute, the One. They, like the families of gods (pantheons) contain the spark, the atom of the divine, to a large degree. They act with, and for the One, yet they are also answerable to it. With it and all manifestation they grow, learn, and evolve.

The magician does not worship the gods. To do so affords them gratitude, but it results in your service to them. That is, you enter into a relationship of master and servant, worshipper and worshipped. To worship a thing is to acknowledge its dominion over you and thus to surrender your life to it. That is not the role of the magician. Far richer relationships with gods and goddesses are more familial or personal ones, such as: parent-child, friends, siblings and so on.

Summoning
This skill falls into two major divisions:

Invocation: The calling of a god, spirit or being into the sacred space, and into your own self, that is to bring it to the conscious mind, and relate to it in a personal way.

Evocation: The calling of a god, spirit or being into a very controlled space, external to the operator, and having no connection to the magician, save for those things which are directly requested of the spirit by the magician.

The act of invocation is generally used with gods and goddesses, planetary and elemental representatives. This act identifies that which is called with the caller, the highest form of this is known as assuming god form. The astral body of the magician becomes that of the deity being invoked. For all intents and purposes, the magician and deity are a symbiotic whole. The magician is in charge, but only if the magician maintains a clear will and intention.

I do not propose to go into the detailed techniques of summoning here, but mention it as it forms an important part of the magician's work.

The Elements
The elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water are fundamental to all magickal operations. They are sued to open the Circle and to bring energy into focus. But their use can go far beyond this.

This notion of the elements first arises in early Greek philosophy. Here it was believed that everything was created from varying mixtures of these elements. So an object can be described in terms of the four elements. Yet it would be more correct to treat them as states of matter: solid, liquid, gas and energy.

In the circle it is usual to set the quarters, attributing them with elemental characters. In so doing we give the elements an anthropomorphic character. They are seen to be active energetic forces that effect us and can be controlled by us. Yet as the elements are external to us they are also intrinsically part of us. They have a close relationship to our inner being. Through active ritual work we can explore these aspects of our inner being. That is the purpose of ritual magick. Such an exploration can be a challenging one.

Spirit is often called the fifth element, the quintessence. Perhaps it is the first emanation of all the elements, united as one. In this sense it becomes the fountainhead of all manifestation/

Vibration of Gods names and Words of Power
The use of sound is a key part of ceremonial magick. One theory claims that the vibration set up by a mantra has a purifying effect on the whole constitution of a person; that by its vibrating action the coarser elements in the body are gradually expelled, a refining process taking place which affects not only the physical body, but also the Body of Light and the entire mental structure within the scope of its actions.

A simple example of the power of sound and vibration can be seen in the opera singer who yaps a glass and then matches the note with their voice. After a moment, when the voice is vibrating in unison with the galls, the singer suddenly changes the note to a higher one and wine galls shatters as it tries to match the vibration.

And so the vibration of God-names is an important essential in the practice of magick since the knowledge (and by knowledge I also mean understanding) of the name is to possess a degree of control over it. But it is essential that the name is properly vibrated for it take effect. To do this, inhale very deeply, slowly and forcefully. At the moment when the air strikes against the nostrils, it should be imagined that the name of the god (or word of power) is being inhaled with the air. Picture the name in great letters of fire and flame, and as the air slowly fills the lungs, the name should be imagined to permeate and vibrate throughout the whole of the body. Then the god name is vibrated as the air is exhaled. That is to say, one must discover the method or humming of pronouncing the words which will assist in producing a vibration. It may be found through experiment that a moderately deep pitch, slightly higher than the ordinary speaking voice is most suited to produce the required vibration, no-one part being accented at the expense of another. The test of the vibration is that it should detonate in the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.

It is difficult to explain this without demonstrating how it should be done. But it will be clear when this is done correctly as a tingling sense will be felt in every cell and nerve of the body.

The Qabbalistic Cross
The QC is a magickal exercise which uses sonic keys, together with the correct visualisations to unlock and balance the different aspects of the self.

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram
The LBRP was devised by the Golden Dawn. The function of the ritual, though capable of extension in several other directions, is pre-eminently one of banishment and used by the magician as a precursor to all magickal work. The ritual sets the watchtowers of the elements. Beyond this it makes the operator a channel of grace between heaven and earth. As such, it should always be performed fully, that is using the body and forms of gesture. Since no magick is real until it makes contact with this level of manifestation. No less so this ritual of spiritual power.

The upright pentagram represents the descent of spirit (Shin) into the four elements. That is to say the relationship of spirit to the elements. Shin descends into the Tetragrammaton to form YHVH (Jehoshua from Jehovah). Thus the pentagram is the sacrificial redemption that allows humanity access to the heavenly realms and beyond. The inverted pentagram represents the Fall of humanity, the descent from heaven into manifestation. Which is not an entirely evil state, but a challenging one!

Conclusion
In this article I have only been able to touch on some the elements of ritual, ceremonial or high magick and what it means to be a magician. Even after a lifetime of work, the magician may have only succeed in scratching the surface. If you think this path is for you then I would strongly advice you to seek formal training rather than try and go it alone using books. But whatever you do, remember magick has three essential parts: a practical, psychic and theoretical path. It is essential for the magician to walk all three paths at the same time. In this way, magick becomes a way of life

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Shamanism
(with thanks to WhiteNight)

Shaman :
A member of certain tribal societies who acts as a medium between the visible world and an invisible spirit world and who practices magic or sorcery for purposes of healing, divination, and control over natural events.

Shamanism:

1) The animistic religion of certain peoples of northern Asia in which mediation between the visible and spirit worlds is effected by shamans.
2) A similar religion or set of beliefs, especially among certain Native American peoples.

Ok so I can copy and paste from a dictionary but I was prompted that this might be a good way to start. Shamanism, as I have found through endless research, is a hard thing to generalise and confine apart from to say that it is animistic… however, this is not all there is to it! So, I am going to try to explore the many facets of this belief system for you to give you an objective overview.

So to start with, what is Shamanism? Well, it is thought to be one of the oldest spiritual practices which has brought hope, healing and empowerment to humanity for thousands (maybe more) years. At the core of Shamanism you will find “animism”, which as I understand it, is the belief that all things/beings are connected/interconnected, that they are alive and have their own consciousness. Shamanism works with what is beyond the physical world we live in, it works with the spirit world, the other plane… over time we have become disconnected from the very world we live in, the nature around us and, indeed, ourselves and those spirits who are willing to help and guide us… Shamanism is one way of reconnecting us to this.

Traditionally a Shaman would use a state of “ecstasy” to journey through the planes to the spirit worlds and this would be for an individual or community. The state of ecstasy would be accomplished though the music of drums, dance, alcohol or hallucinogenics. All of these methods were to focus and aid the Shaman in his workings. In this state of “ecstasy” the Shaman would be able to move his mind/spirit into the “other realm” whilst still keeping control over his physical body, this gave him the opportunity of questioning the spirits and in some cases changing/moulding things within the “other realm” to possible make a change in the world we live in, he may also return with answers about which herbs would cure what ailment and so on.

In modern times it is hard to see how this relates which is why I would point you back to the dictionary definitions; Shaman is one person within a tribe whereas, Shamanism is many people who follow a set of beliefs.
However, Shamanism is a belief structure which is free from the dogma and doctrine we find so abundant in the more Christian/Catholic/Jewish faiths, Shamanism gives the individual the chance to explore their own spiritual path to find their purpose and truth.

It is believed that Shamanism is the birthright of every woman/man on this planet and that, in modern times, through the practice of meditation and drum-induced trance-like-states that we can reach out to the spirits/nature and access the wisdom that they posses.

You do not choose to become a Shaman - Shamans are either called or chosen and this is usually through “near death” experiences or something about that person which is “special”. For those chosen, the Shaman initiation requires the “death” of the body… it is believed that the spirit lives the body and travels to the land of the dead to converse with the spirits there. It is the choice of the initiate whether to return to their bodies to “reincarnate”. The training can - and often does - take many years.

Generally today the most people can say is they follow a “Shamanic” style path or that they are a Shamanist. This means that they may use the various techniques of a Shaman, reach the same trance like states, perform various healings and conduct ceremonials, the “near death” or “killing” is not necessary for this particular path…

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WitchCraft

Many people now have the title/label etc of Witch whether they be Wiccans - many by default of their beliefs and training use this title - or plain bogstandard Witches, there is a vast difference between the two for many. The following articles are primarily concerned with the latter.

Here is a short summerary about the Craft section of Witch-Craft;

WitchCraft is a way of working – whether it is by the use of herbs, scrying, healing, hexing etc. It is by definition the use of magic, a magical or irresistible influence, attraction, or something as simple as a charm. Usually there is very little in the way of tools or ritual that a Wiccan would use - if any - and whilst there is no creed/rede etc there tends to be however a very strong personal code of ethics. There are no covens/coveens as with Wicca instead many Witches tend to practise individually.
Many folks of different belief systems practise or use it as the Craft is neutral, it is not a religion in itself as Witchcraft has no religion – much as in the same way a blacksmith, baker or dressmaker will practise their craft ways regardless of beliefs
WitchCraft is not something that can be really learnt and understood from reading one or two books - indeed the vast majority of books describing WitchCraft available in bookshops or in information to be found on the net are either Wiccan orientated or Wiccan based.
It takes long training, practise and determination - as a friend pointed out… you cannot learn – say for instance - Crystal Healing from reading from a book, you have to do the ‘hands on’ work too; preferably from a teacher/mentor. This is even more important when learning the herbal side and working with energy - you need to know what you are doing or you could make matters worse.
Learn the basics from a teacher you respect, who has been recommended to you, and only when you and your teacher are confident that you can 'go it alone' should you begin to practice your skills on/ or for others.

The Craft encompases many different forms of energy work and not everyone would be adept in all of them, or indeed want to be. Not everyone who practices WitchCraft identifies with being a witch, but all witches should have a practical knowledge of WitchCraft.

Whatever Craft work you undertake, responsibility for your actions and acceptance of what you are doing should be prime. Know what you are doing and what might happen before you start.

~*~

Witchcraft - Family

Usually a family tradition, passed down through the generations, Hereditary's are also often referred to as FamTrad or Family - along with other names - this refers to those people that can trace the Craft back on their family tree and who were taught the craft by a living relative. (My mother's grandmother's sister's cousin was a Witch, doesn't count). Even in this day and age much is still taught verbally with very little written down.

Initiation, covens, priest/ess's etc do not play a part, nor are they terms used - indeed for many neither is the term/label witch - instead there are usually close family ties with very few 'outsiders' invited.

Many Hereditary Witches do not and would not consider their traditions Wiccan; and something to bear in mind is that many of the Fam-Trad's advertising on the net are Wiccan based; Family do not advertise

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