Journal: Shadow -------------------------------------------Mood: The Usual Exploring Shadow Energies Feature Story New Worlds issue: NW054 by Natalie Harter, Acquisitions Specialist: Witchcraft, Paganism, Magick We usually think of the dark part of the year as beginning in earnest after Samhain, however we truly enter the darker time as the days begin to wane right after the summer solstice. Lammas, on August 1, is the first holiday of the harvest, representing the beginning of the God’s underworld journey. Shadow work is frequently mistaken as Satanic, but as pagans, we understand that Satan is not even in our pantheon. What’s more, it is as important to know these facets of divinity as their lighter and safer counterparts. At tough times in our lives, they are the ones we turn to. Most are familiar with the Charge of the Goddess, but we begin this exploration of dark witchery with another Charge, that of the Dark God, created by Ann Moura and found in her Grimoire for the Green Witch. Charge of the Dark God Listen to the words of the Dark God, Who was of old called Dis, Hades, Osiris, Hunter and Lord of Shadows: I am the shadow that is cast by the sun in the brightest of days. I am the reminder of sudden mortality in the midst of joyous life. I am the black velvet night where dances the stars and the planets; time everlasting, unperturbed dancer of fiery endings and new beginnings. I am the Horned Hunter, bow drawn in my hand; gathering the living with my arrows and leading the Wild Hunt. By my hand are ye lead from this life, that life may continue, for behold! My mystery lies in the movement of life energy from life unto life, for the reminder that all life feeds on life and that only through death is life found anew. I am the strength that protects, comforts, gives solace and renewal. I am the one who stands by the Crone of Transformation, then enters her Tomb for birth through her womb. Follow my lead and find thy immortality. Together we shall laugh at the threshold of death passage as awareness awakens, and I shall embrace thee in thy last moments of life. Remember me on dark moonless nights; look for my Rade in roiling storm clouds and the clash of bright lightning. I carry thee to the one who transforms, Dark Mother of all, releaser of strife. Sing to us thy songs in the tongues of ecstasy, for we understand the music of the soul. Blow me a kiss from the palm of thy hand when the moon is dark, and I shall smile upon thee, but no kiss shall I return; for my kiss is the final one for all mortal flesh, nepenthe to drink at the end of thy days. While reflecting on the Dark God, you may wish to meditate on his meaning in the great cycle and in your life. You may ask him for help, or for an increased presence in your work. The following is an excerpt from Nocturnal Witchcraft by Konstantinos, and is a ritual that taps into dark magic and forces in a way that allows for quick invocation. The Nocturnal Candle 1 spell 1 black taper with candleholder matches or lighter With your sacred space created somehow, and God or Goddess invoked, pick up the black taper with your receiving (likely your left) hand. Walk clockwise to the easternmost edge of your circle (regardless of whether it was cast or only formed as a sphere in the banishing). See, with your mind’s eye, how the darkness presses against the edge of your sacred space, helping it maintain the sphere or circle. Say: Behold the tangible ether of night, which holds in it all possibilities. Extend your arm to touch the edge of the circle with the candle, and walk clockwise, keeping your arm extended. Imagine that the ether of night is being absorbed into the candle. You are helping this occur by using your receiving hand. However, do not try to pull the ether into yourself. Only feel the energy pulsing within the candle. While you’re moving around the circle and feeling all of this, say: As I draw the power of night into this candle, I prepare to manifest my need. Return to the spot at the east where you began and pull the charged candle away from the edge of the circle. Move clockwise to your standard starting spot with your altar or table before you. Put the taper in a candleholder. Imagine with your eyes open that it is glowing in the same way a skrying mirror would. Imagine that it is glowing with the same kind of slightly lighter darkness, if you will, that you often see within your nocturnal portal. Imagine your need being fulfilled. See yourself already having whatever it is you’re about to ask for (but do not imagine any steps that may result in having your need fulfilled). Hold your open projecting hand in front of the candle, with your palm facing the taper. Read or recite the spell you wrote, still imagining, with eyes open, your need fulfilled. As you read the words, begin to raise emotional energy (do so without thinking of any memories). Tense your muscles to help the energy-raising along. Try to reach your energy peak either as you utter the last line of the spell or right after. Take a deep breath and exhale, blasting the energy out through your right hand and into the absorbing candle. Light the wick. Try to imagine for a moment that the flame is sending out both the absorbed essence of night and the charge that you put into the candle. But don’t think of your need at this point, or any more this evening, in fact. If you cast a circle, perform the closing, including the treat and drink. Otherwise, go and do something grounding, such as eating or having a conversation about non-mystical things. Place the candle in a safe place where it can burn itself out. Your need will be fulfilled. Embracing the Dark Mother Once you have familiarized yourself with the Dark God, you should rightly get acquainted with the Dark Mother. The perfect time to do so is during the dark moon, when She is most powerful. The dark moon occurs at the end of the lunar cycle, when it has finished waning and before the new moon crescent is visible in the sky. The new moon will occur July 6th and August 4th, and you will want to do any dark moon workings directly before those days. Dark Moon Esbat Ritual Following is a ritual adapted from Ann Moura’s Grimoire for the Green Witch to honor the dark time of the month. You may wish to decorate your altar with black candles and scent with an incense such as copal or sandalwood. 1. Cross arms over chest and bow head; open arms downward toward the ground, saying: Queen of the Night, Queen of Mystery; silent rests the tomb of passage into rebirth. All returns unto Thee, for of Thee all is born. 2. Raise opened arms and raise head, saying: As [insert Goddess name] you are known to me, for this is the Moon of my Lady as Tomb and Womb; Great Creatrix who takes the remnants of life past and from these fashions life to come. Great Lady of Shadow and Wisdom, Thy face is turned from the earth, hidden in secrecy and mystery. Here now is the time of Perfect Love and Perfect Trust, for your children stand seemingly without Thy presence, and yet they know that Thou art steadfast and true, and as the turning of the Moon, is the cycle of all life continued. You with Your Lord, [insert God name], at Your side, abide in us all. So Mote It Be! 3. Now is your time to meditate on Her mysteries and conduct divination or perform magic if desired. You may wish to assemble and bless the Dark Moon Mother Magical Pouch described here. 4. When your Esbat work is finished, raise your open arms: Dark Mother of All; Keeper of Wisdom, and Revealer of Mysteries, Thou who dwells within, let me never forget Thy love. For Love is the Law and Love is the Bond! So Mote It Be! Dark Moon Mother Magical Pouch This magical pouch idea comes from Poppy Palin’s Craft of the Wild Witch and contains items dedicated to the Dark Moon Mother, the bringer of psychic sight. It can be carried with you and serves as a reminder or a commitment to such power. The bag is ideally made by hand of recycled black velvet (cut from a used garment or the like). On one side, you can paint a waning moon in silver, on the other, a personal transformative symbol, perhaps relating to the spider, can be painted. Use your instinct and judgment when deciding how to decorate and what to keep inside. Some ideas: • A pinch of mugwort, beneficial to psychic sight, specifically opening the third eye • A small pewter representation of a crow skull, the bird that is related to darkness and the transformation of carrion into flight, representing the cycle of death and rebirth • A moonstone set in silver, representing the full moon waning, the moon bringing vision and psychic clarity, and the dark of the moon enhancing the ability to see what is hidden with psychic vision • A small mammal bone found on a walk to connect in with the energy of the dying year at the start of winter representing death as well as what lies beyond our fleshy disguises, again that which is hidden and becomes revealed • A few drops of the essential oil yarrow, which is resonant of the dark aspect and a beneficial herb for the psychic sight in trance vision If you like this small taste of working with darker energies, be sure to keep your eye out this September for Nocturnicon: Calling Dark Forces and Powers by Konstantinos! While reflecting on the Dark God, you may wish to meditate on his meaning in the great cycle and in your life. You may ask him for help, or for an increased presence in your work. The following is an excerpt from Nocturnal Witchcraft by Konstantinos, and is a ritual that taps into dark magic and forces in a way that allows for quick invocation. Search Issue: NW054 Acquiring the Basic Principles Amending Past Ties An Interview with Christopher Penczak Catch a Glimpse of Your Future Francis and Me Articles The First Global Civilization An Interview with Christopher Penczak What Is a Shamanic Witch? Season of the Witch Offering & the Sacred Symbols of Isis Books *Grimoire for the Green Witch The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft Autumn Equinox Sex & the Perfect Lover Psychic Development for Beginners Healing Herbs & Health Foods of the Zodiac Crone's Book of Charms & Spells Auras A Witch's Notebook Red is for Remembrance Lammas © 2000 - 2001 Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. ...Created 2005-08-16 13:06:43

Journal: Good Schtuff! -------------------------------------------Mood: The Usual http://www.rectifi.org.uk/ ...Created 2005-08-14 06:53:41

Journal: Discordianism -------------------------------------------Mood: The Usual From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Discordianism is a modern, chaos-based religion (or pseudoreligion) said to be founded in either 1959 or 1958 by Malaclypse The Younger (believed by many to be Greg Hill) and Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst (believed by many to be Kerry Thornley). It has been described as both an elaborate joke disguised as a religion, and as a religion disguised as an elaborate joke. Some of its followers make the claim that it is "a religion disguised as a joke disguised as a religion." It can be viewed as a simple rejection of reductionism and dualism, even falsifiability — not in concept different from postmodernism or certain trends in the philosophy of mathematics. It has also been described as "Zen for roundeyes," and converges with some of the more absurdist interpretations of the Rinzai school. The foundational document of Discordianism is Hill's Principia Discordia, although this book contains many references to an earlier source, The Honest Book of Truth, which was taken by a garbage collector, according to a quotation from The Honest Book of Truth, cited on page 00030 of the Principia. Although most religions revere the principles of harmony and order in the Universe, Discordianism can be interpreted as a recognition that disharmony and chaos are equally valid aspects of reality. The Principia Discordia often hints that Discordianism was founded as a dialectic antithesis to more popular religions based on order, although the rhetoric throughout the book describes chaos as a much more underlying impulse of the universe. This may have been done with the intention of merely "balancing out" the creative forces of order and disorder, but the focus is certainly on the more disorderly aspects of the world – at times the forces of order are even vilified. The matron deity of Discordianism is Eris, the ancient Greek goddess of discord, with whom the Romans identified their goddess Discordia. ...Created 2005-08-09 05:35:42

Journal: Beware the Eve- -------------------------------------------Mood: Sniffle... All Within... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardhanareshvara http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androgyny < ." ...Created 2005-08-05 10:55:22

Journal: 3/4's Distance -------------------------------------------Mood: Sniffle... Outlaw Star is: "Vast" Scope Down *^_^* ...Created 2005-08-01 18:14:03

Journal: MOTHER!!! -------------------------------------------Mood: Sigh... Bears being farmed for their Bile as legitimate Medicine?!?! A Currs, A Corsiars, A Curse! Stop that right now or I let loose the one Gaea Go Angry... < ." http://www.wspa.org.uk/index.php?page=44 ...Created 2005-07-27 05:16:30

Journal: See You Around -------------------------------------------Mood: The Usual ...Space Cowboy The Great (Second) Cowboy Bebop Marathon is approxiamtely a Third Run. ^_^ ...Created 2005-07-23 11:08:25

Journal: Love Shangalang -------------------------------------------Mood: The Usual Why it's such a good song Jesus could've wrote it... ^_^ Stone Roses Love Spreads http://www.johnsquire.0catch.com/mp3.html lyrics Love spreads her arms, waits there for the nails I forgive you, boy, I will prevail Too much to take, come cross to bear I'm hiding in the trees with a picnic, she's over there, yeah Yeah,yeah,yeah Yeah,yeah,yeah She didn't scream, she didn't make a sound I forgive you boy, but don't leave town Cold black skin, naked in the rain Hammer flash in the lightning, they're hurting her again Let me put you in the picture, let me show you what I mean The messiah is my sister, ain't no king man, she's my queen I have a dream, I've seen the light Don't put it out, say she's alright, yeah, she's my sister She didn't scream, she didn't make a sound I forgive you boy, but done go now leave my town Cold black skin, naked in the rain Hammer flash in the lightning, they're hurting her again Oh, oh, ooh Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Let me put you in the picture, let me show you what I mean The messiah is my sister, ain't no king man, she's my queen I have a dream, I've seen the light Don't put it out, say she's alright, yeah, she's my sister ...Created 2005-07-21 03:49:44

Journal: Combat Apathy -------------------------------------------Mood: Ugh... I hate my life. 24,000 die daily from hunger-related causes. 75% are children under age five. Fight world hunger with a click. How does The Hunger Site work? With a simple click each day on the gold “Give Free Food” button at The Hunger Site, you feed a hungry person. You pay nothing. Funding is paid by site sponsors and benefits leading hunger relief charities, Mercy Corps and America’s Second Harvest. Funds are split between these nonprofit organizations and go to the aid of hungry people in more than 30 countries in the Balkans, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and North and Central America. Why click every day? • Approximately one billion of the world’s people suffer from hunger and malnutrition. That's 100 times as many as those who die from these causes each year. • There is enough food in the world for every man, woman and child to lead healthy and productive lives. Yet, hunger afflicts one out of every seven people on earth. • Clicking costs nothing but a few seconds of your time, and gives help and hope to a person in desperate need. Please click every day. w w w . t h e h u n g e r s i t e . c o m ...Created 2005-07-20 04:57:20

Journal: Awe inspiring? -------------------------------------------Mood: Overwhelmed (Evening Shift) Plumbers Be Not Fearful. You'll probably meet me Tommorow... Anyway *ahem* Going to the Circus yesterday has made me feel filled and buzzing with ideas for my Joker Elseworlds Novel. Let me explain. The Elseworlds line is for DC franchises that inhabit alternate universes, and I really feel Mr.J deserves a novel/comic/anything that paints him (and others) in a more Heroic light. My basic premise is this. Batman/Bruce Wayne falls through a wormhole/warp-gate and ends up in a(n) (else)world where his various nefarious foes have formed their own league of do-gooders, with each assigned to at least one nation/continent and it's welfare. Catwoman (and the Catwomen) - Africa, Asia and the Islands of the Atlantic and Pacific. Harley - America and Europe. Poison Ivy - South America, Asia (with Catters! ^_^) and Australia. Mr.J - Russia and Europe. The other: "Villians" are basically assigned to countries, cities, states, or are simply still villians or just not interested. Ideas enough you might say. Perhaps, but i'm still kind of stumbling to create a cohesive picture. So this is were I need YOU! ^_^ Where is everyone? What are they doing? Harley and Mr. J for example have Axis Organic/Natural Cosmetics (The Body Shop on Acid) and Mime Robotics to play with. Although Harley (and sometimes Mr.J) do spend a lot of time attached to Wayne Corp, mostly fixing this universes Batman's Batmobiles and Robot Bat-Sentinels. Pick a: "Villian" from those already listed (some of you I know may naturally/un-naturally attune/resonate to one already) or pick one I haven't played with yet, or a Hero and tell me what you think they should be doing... Also, and much as I'd love to turn it into a lovely huge monologue on virtue and heroism from Mr.J I guess we're going to need something go awry... Mr.J is currently fighting the Canadian Seal Clubbers as Batters/Bruce drops in. But is there a larger threat. Something from space? Something/someone from within? A War? Go wild, go crazy, go A1 Psycho-nutball, just let me know what you feel should be included... ^_^ "I'm so excited... it gets so hard to stay inside the lines.." Mood:juppity jupp Music:Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy ...Created 2005-07-18 14:00:20

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