Letters From the Devil's Forest Part Two - On the Blackchair with Robin Artisson

Letters From the Devil's Forest Part One - On the Blackchair with Robin Artisson

The Witch's Rune - Doreen Valiente

Darksome night and shining moon

 East and South, West and North

 Hearken to the Witches' Rune

 For here I come to call thee forth.

Earth and Water, Air and Fire

 Wand and Pentacle and Sword

 Work ye unto my desire

 Hearken ye unto my word.

Cord and Censer, Scourge and Knife

 Powers of the Witches' blade

 Waken all ye unto life.

 Come ye as the spell is made.

Queen of Heaven, Queen of Hell

 Horned Hunter of the Night

 Lend thy power unto my spell

 Work my will by magick rite.

By all the powers of Land and Sea

 By all the might of Moon and Sun

 As I will, so mote it be.

 Chant the spell and be it done.

© Copyright The Doreen Valiente Foundation

Halloween Spell

Magic

Doll's Eye: White Baneberry

 Botanical: Actaea spicata (LINN.)

Family: N.O. Ranunculacea

Synonyms: Baneberry, Herb Christopher, Bugbane, Toadroot
Part Used: Root; berries. Extremely poisonous aptly named 'bane'berry

Habitat: White baneberry prefers coarse and loamy soil, hardwood and mixed woodland, full shade, good drainage. Native to eastern North America.

Perennial: Dark green without hairs, black, creeping root-stock, grows on erect stems, 1 to 2 feet high stems triangular in shape. Leaves are long, branching from root, dividing into  three smaller foot-stalks, re-divided that each leaf is composed of eighteen, or even twenty-seven, lobes or leaflets. 

 Flowers: spiked and white. Flowers are in oblong clusters on thick, red stalks in June.

Berries: Prominent Feature: white spherical berries with black dot on tip, hence the common name, Doll's Eye. Fruit appears in autumn 1/2 inch in diameter.  There is also a red variety.  There is an immediate sedative effect on human cardiac muscle tissue causing possible cardiac arrest and death. However the berries are harmless to birds and this is the primary way the seeds are dispersed in nature.

Planet: Saturn

Medicinal Action and Uses: * Not advisable; use extreme caution. Antispasmodic. To only be used by physician herbalist. Roots have been used in very small amounts to relieve headache, coughs and colds. Doll's Eye once thought to benefit the circulatory system.

 Note: Leaves, roots, stems, flowers, and berries may cause gastrointestinal inflammation and skin blisters.

The American species is considered by the native people use against snake-bite and to  drive away insects due to its smell.  American name: Bugbane.

Witchcraft Association: Toads attracted by the aroma giving it the name Toadroot. found. Used in poppets for harm, placing the white variety berries in the place of eyes of the doll enabling it to 'see' the distance to its victim.

Both the berries, root is considered the most poisonous however the entire plant should be respected.

Other Use: Juice of the berries, mixed with alum, yields a black dye. (caution can blister skin)

http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/medicinal_plants/pages/home.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actaea_pachypoda

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/banebe11.html

Corn Mother

James George Frazer discusses the Corn-mother and the Corn-maiden in Northern Europe, and the harvest rituals that were being practiced at the beginning of the 20th century:

"In the neighborhood of Danzig the person who cuts the last ears of corn makes them into a doll, which is called the Corn-mother or the Old Woman and is brought home on the last wagon. In some parts of Holstein the last sheaf is dressed in women's clothes and called the Corn-mother. It is carried home on the last wagon, and then thoroughly drenched with water. The drenching with water is doubtless a rain-charm. In the district of Bruck in Styria the last sheaf, called the Corn-mother, is made up into the shape of a woman by the oldest married woman in the village, of an age from 50 to 55 years. The finest ears are plucked out of it and made into a wreath, which, twined with flowers, is carried on her head by the prettiest girl of the village to the farmer or squire, while the Corn-mother is laid down in the barn to keep off the mice. In other villages of the same district the Corn-mother, at the close of harvest, is carried by two lads at the top of a pole. They march behind the girl who wears the wreath to the squire's house, and while he receives the wreath and hangs it up in the hall, the Corn-mother is placed on the top of a pile of wood, where she is the centre of the harvest supper and dance."

—The Golden Bough, chapter 45

Plant Spirit Familiar Class

with Christopher Penczak

Many witches, magicians and shamans work with the concept of the animal familiar, the totem or fetch beast, but many are also allied with spirits from the plant world. The spirits of herbs, flowers and trees can act as divine guides, protectors and tutors in magick, healing and transforming the witch.  Each one has its own spiritual medicine, that is in harmony with magickal work and purpose in the world. Survey many of the traditional plant allies of the witch, including the spirits of the banes and the healers. Learn how to find your own plant familiar from the green world, and develop a strong connection. Based upon Christopher's book, The Plant Spirit Familiar.

Date: July 18, 2014

Location: Hermetic Arts Learning Center

105 Bridge St. Salem MA. 01970

Time: 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Price: $ 30.00

              For more information contact:

            DavidNewman@hermeticarts.com or call 772-380-2725

Sin Eater

To Heaven

Open thy gates

To him who weeping waits,

And might come in,

But that held back by sin.

Let mercy be

So kind, to set me free,

And I will straight

Come in, or force the gate.

Robert Herrick A 17th century English poet

 Sin Eating refers to 'a person who, through ritual means, takes on, by means of food and drink, the sins of a household, often because of a recent death, thus absolving the soul and allowing that person and their relatives to rest in peace'.

According to folklore, the term 'Sin Eater or Sin Eating' is classified as being the performance of an apotropaic, which comes from the Greek (apotrepein "to ward off" from apo- "away" and trepein "to turn") ritual which falls under the category of religious magic, an important practice in many cultures around the world.

A Little History

Dating back to the Meso-American culture we find the Aztec Goddess, Tlazolteotl, a mother goddess and bestower of gifts on her followers; The Redeemer of her people. One of her greatest attributes could be bestowed when a devotee was dying.  Pleading to her directly, the dying person or family member named their transgressions and begged that they be removed in order to have a good death, removing their sins from themselves and family members.  Hearing the cries Tlazolteotl descended, entering the home in spirit form, to 'eat the filth' of past deeds, cleansing the passage for the dying.

We also see the practice elsewhere in a different form throughout parts of Europe and the British Isles.  John Bagford, (ca.1650–1716) a British antiquarian, writer, bibliographer, ballad-collector and bookseller accounts a sin-eating ritual in his letter on Leland’s Collectanea, (Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 1898)

“Notice was given to an old sire before the door of the house, when some of the family came out and furnished him with a cricket [low stool], on which he sat down facing the door; then they gave him a groat which he put in his pocket, a crust of bread which he ate, and a bowl of ale which he drank off at a draught. After this he got up from the cricket and pronounced the case and rest of the soul departed, for which he would pawn his own soul.”

Folklore states that sin eaters lived on the fringe of society.  Avoided and cut off from conversation, hospitality or a simple gaze.  Yet when the death of a loved one occurred the sin eater was sought out to perform the abominable rite so desperately needed in order to 'makes things right with God'. 

By the simple yet courageous act of eating part of the feast laid out at the wake or funeral, a piece of bread, bowl of ale or wine was left on the body either directly or on a wooded plate to absorb their sins.  Entering the home, the sin eater avoided eye contact, approached the dead, and consumed that which was purposely set aside.  The corpse's misdeeds, were swallowed, leaving the person absolved.  A coin might also be left on the body, gratuity for the act performed; peace descended and the burial could now take place. There would be no wandering ghost or ghastly visage to haunt the living.

Sin-eating survived into the 19th century and was witnessed at Market Drayton, Shropshire.  As the story goes, following the funeral service, the lady of the house poured a glass of ale wine for each pallbearer, purposely handing it to them along with the 'funeral biscuit' over the body of the deceased.  Those individuals partook in the eating of the food, garnished with sin, and completed the rite.  The custom of burial bread or cakes are still made and used in the same way as part of English custom in rural areas today.

In Upper Bavaria 'the corpse cake' has been the usual practice at funerals and lovingly placed on the breast of the dearly departed; eaten in silence by the nearest relative giving all who attend reassurance.

In Demark, 'doed-koecks', translated as 'dead-cakes' were made with the initials of the deceased cut with a knife on the surface; this custom survived with the immigrants settling in America as early as the 17th century in Old New York.  The custom also evolved into initialed cakes being given to attendants at the funeral today.

The Balkan Peninsula customs describes the making of a small bread image of the deceased, baked and eaten by the departed's relatives in honor of a life-lived and through this act, relieved of 'all the burden'.

A sin eater's reputation precedes them; thought to be destined for hell due to their chosen occupation or calling, they were themselves 'lost souls'.  Not sanctioned by the Catholic Church, sin eaters were most often excommunicated; not due to weight of the sins they carried, but for the act of crossing into unsanctioned territory of the parish priest, ignoring Church Doctrine concerning Last Rites.

Are there still sin eaters in modern culture?  Perhaps, in remote areas few of us venture into; and is it a custom that might find its way into mainstream society once again?  Perhaps...

.

Walford Davies, Richard Marggraf Turley, Damian (2006). The Monstrous Debt: Modalities of Romantic Influence in Twentieth-century Literature.

The Sin Eaters' Grave at Ratlinghope

Ferguson, Linda J. (2011). Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand: Awakening Soul Consciousness for the New Millennium. Balboa Press. p. 52. ISBN 1452541221

SacredTexts.com: Food

Encyclopaedia Britannica

Hilda Ellis Davidson (1993) Boundaries & Thresholds p.85 quotation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/

Funeral Customs by Bertram S. Puckle

Crossroad Conjure Craft Part Two

The crossroads, a place of power where Conjure Craft begins...

The most common form of a crossroad is the intersection of two, preferably dirt, roads forming an equal armed cross.  In Appalachian folklore The Man at the Crossroads, also known also as the Black Rider, orchestrates power at this location.  Medieval witches were known to 'Meet with the Devil' at crossroads by venturing to these unattended places in order to sell their soul for power.  The Dark Rider is not the devil, that's another religion's boogeyman.  Traveling to the crossroads is a form of self-initiation showing one's commitment to 'the work' in order to create a 'link'; selling one's soul is neither necessary nor part of this practice.

The Dark Rider

If you're interested in learning the art of conjure it's advised that you travel to the nearest crossroads where the Dark Rider rules the realm of communication between mortals and the Higher Powers, it's here that you can ask His aid.

Dark Rider Offerings

He appreciates a gift or two and has a fondness for rum, candy, palm oil, cigars, sweet black coffee, and/or sweet potatoes, and while you're at it, bring some humility with you, His power is much greater than yours will ever be, so lower your self-importance accordingly.

Crossroads' Keys

Keys have been used to symbolize the unknown, secrets and the sacred for centuries.  Hekate carries keys to the Gates to the Underworld. They clink gently as they hang from her hip.  She fondles them with a familiarity we could all imitate when it comes to entering mysterious places.  Keys unlock the qualities of the upper realms which consist of the practitioner's mind, body and spirit. Unlocking the potential of the crossroads is possible wherever you carry a skeleton key, that is, once you perform the rest of the rite. 

What to Bring

Bring two skeleton keys, as similar in design as possible that you have cleansed of mundane connections; a small bottle or jar or rum, a cigar and matches. Travel to the crossroads on a Monday, Thursday or Saturday night around midnight.

Upon arrival, pour some rum in the center of the crossroads, light the cigar and place it respectively on the ground.  Begin to sing or hum a tune that you know well or compose one on the spot as creatively is always appreciated. Understandably, this may take some time.  You know what they say about conjure craft; it's a 'practice'. 

"Listen', my teacher says, 'and with time you'll become aware of the sound of hooves on the night air pierced by the bay of a hound; with time it'll change, you'll hear 'em right on the road comin' up behind ya.  Wait.  Breathe.  Don't be tempted to turn around, it's rude and inadvisable. Now, when their approach ceases you'll feel His presence right behind ya, along with the snort and whinny of His mount.  The still night air will ring in your ears makin' ya deaf to all but your heartbeat.  Don't be surprised if the hair on the back of ya neck prickles an' ya stomach tightens....it's then ya'll know the times' upon ya." 

I can tell you this...take a long deep breath, then with clarity and strength of purpose ask Him to grant you a little Mojo for your talisman; ask that 'it' be imbued into the object you've brought with you to house that purpose. 

It's best to continue to stand quite still; seconds, even minutes, pass so very slowly at this point.  You've gotta 'sense' the Dark Rider's answer in your heart because He won't speak directly to you.  He weighs your request quite carefully and likes to sum up the situation in order to understand what it is you really desire; that hidden, unspoken intention down deep in the subconscious where it shields things so calculatedly.

Where does your desire come from?  Perhaps your ego?  Hmmmm, maybe.  What do you really want to accomplish? And is what you want good over all, or only good for you? Do you think that this 'self-initiation' protects you from the greater powers that affect your life?  It won't and He'll read you like a dime store novel, so fess up and be honest about this little exploration for power before you venture out on the road at night.

The Dark Rider's wise; He's a teacher who smiles and chuckles; He knows that you'll be taught a thing or two whether you like it or not.  That being said, most times the answer to this particular request of Him is 'yes.'  Be prepared for your hand to sweat as He permeates your talisman with a bit of His Mojo. Its okay to hold the keys in a death grip, that's all the better really, it'll mix a little of 'you' into them.  After you return home it's up to you; doing the work that is.  Strengthen your craft and build on what's been bestowed.  Conjure Craft is about 'doing,' not about asking for something and expecting it will be done for you.  That won't happen.  Be prepared to kneel in muck sometimes, get your hands dirty in a heady and visceral way.  There's no 'figuratively speaking' with this arte. 

Okay, now it's time to snuff out what's left of that cigar and skedaddle home.

On the next new moon finish what you started, or what The Dark Rider has started for you; it's waiting for you and remains to be done.

On that day, take a little olive oil; coat your keys with it letting your fingers feel their every detail.  Using a length of red yarn, measure from your left wrist to your heart while extending your left arm completely;  cut the yarn to length; carefully wind the it around the middle of the keys binding them together so that they're held together 'as one'.

Within this time-honored practice it's customary to wind some of your own hair in with the yarn, anointing them with a bodily fluid such as spittle, which is a powerful ingredient, also deepens the connection to you and them, making you partners.  Carry the key bundle on your person for one full cycle of the moon; let the magic build as the moon builds.  Personally, I like the idea of having them with me in this fashion for three turns of the lunar cycle; three is a magical number that I work with often with fruitful results.  Sleep with them; have them beside you when you eat your meals; handle them as often as possible, but always out of sight of questioning eyes.  When the time is right, and you'll 'know', revisit the crossroads on a full moon.

Bring with you:  a good sharp blade, your key bundle, some rum and a shovel or trowel. 

Do this after midnight, say around 3 am.  Upon reaching the center of the crossroad dig a hole where the roads intersect. Dig it down as deep as you can. Using the blade you've brought, cut the keys free of one another, save a short length of yarn, (enough to wind around one key about three times). Have one key and a bit of yarn in your left hand and drop the other key with the remaining yarn that once bound them together, with your right, into the hole.  Still using your right hand, fill in the hole using a tool and stamping on the surface to flatten and smooth it over as best you can. 

Now, take the small length of yarn that you've saved, and wind it 'round the center of the key you've retained, firmly tying it off.  This is your personal 'key to the crossroads', you will always be connected to this place because its twin rests secretly at its center.  Finally, close your eyes and thank the Dark Rider for His aid.  When you perform magic wear your key.

Your journey to the crossroads has been a moment of truth and the 'solo initiation of your intent' as a practitioner.  You'll return to the crossroads in the future as part of your practice.  The seed has been planted; but remember, the success of your conjure is up to you.

Another type of crossroads, often overlooked, is formed by a bridge crossing swift running water and this, like the crossroads, is a catalyst of otherworldly connection.  Through prayer, while facing the water, let the water carry to you what you desire, with your back to the flow, release that which no longer serves. 

Speaking to your ancestors while standing on a bridge can create a potent connection to them and their ability to send you aid in the form of dreams.

When need arises, you can create a crossroads in your home by simply casting a circle of power or compass 'round.  Using sea salt, mark the center with an X.  The X can be creatively changed using dots resembling a #5 gambling die pattern instead.

This quincunx symbol is used quite often in magical work. A cast circle symbolizes the microcosm; the space outside the circle, the macrocosm, where these two realms overlap ignites a magical current where change can take place in the physical realm.  Place your talisman in the center while you work.

Disposal of Tricks

Practitioners of the old ways tend to end up with bits of ash, candle stubs, charred paper, honey jar contents and other magical remnants from time to time from various spells and petitions.  Considered unwise and extremely unlucky to throw these bits and bobs into the trash, the crossroads become a perfect magical waste bin where the energies are separated by the four directions, and returned and to the elements of their creation.  When doing healing magic, the illness that you remove can be disposed of at the crossroads in order to keep it from returning to the client. 

The crossroads is a place where the frequency of travel, either on foot or in vehicles, is said to 'keep the mojo movin'.

The Crossroads Part One

The Crossroads create a place considered "betwixt and between" where 'two realms touch'; a 'liminal arena' known for strong magic, where pacts are made and myth and legend dance.

Hekate, goddess of witchcraft and the dark arts, frequents such places contributing to the strength of the forces found there.  Crossroads are an important ingredient in the practice of magic which asks one to delve into the center where a vortex exists not governed by man or time.  Such a place is frequented by the newly, beloved and the not so dearly departed so care should be given to one's intention. Crossroads are the unclaimed, waste and forgotten areas where none tarry long for fear of what might happen there. 

 Because Hekate has always been associated with such landscapes, it is little wonder that sensing her presence there is often acutely felt.

In medieval England there were stories surrounding the late night activities of ghosts at such places, and it was thought, given the severity of spectral retribution on the living, condemned criminals should therefore be hung and displayed at this infamous spot.  This visual not only worked as a silent symbol of 'fair warning' to outsiders, it was believed to protect the town from the criminal's spirit out for ghostly retribution.

Consequently, suicide victims were not granted access to internment within the village graveyard even those which lay beyond the town's boarders.  Ghosts might place blame on those who survived them, whether they be family or town official, and moral responsibility was not a virtue of those who spat in God's eye by taking their own life.  Revenge by the dead was a threat, and anyone might fall prey to a grisly specter out to even the score.

What is important to understand is that there are in fact two types of crossroads one might come across. The first is more common where one road is bisected by the other; the second, and harder to find, consists of the intersection of three roads, or paths, also known as a 'fork in the road.' In the form of actual roads each one must have a different name.  This has been purported to be by far the most powerful type due to its rarity and is often referred to as the “corpse cross” or “the' way.” Funeral processions would take this track to confuse the corpse's ghost preventing it from following anyone back to town after burial.

The well-known Goddess of the Crossroads is of course Hekate, known by many names and often referred to the “Queen of Ghosts.” She stands, listening to sounds well beyond what the human ear might perceive, for She is quite intent on leaving no soul behind.

Since the time of the Ancient Greeks, Hekate has held dominion over this realm; and to this day, by those of us who continue the practice of Hekate Veneration, define the Crossroads as the Threshold to the Underworld. 

Offerings are customarily left there, on the bare ground, and timing is important; the approach of midnight is thought to represent the overlap of the past, present and future. Wearing a skeleton key, consecrated and dedicated to the Dark Queen, aids one in conversation with the dead and the other unseen forces that reside there, affording some protection.

Once the offering is left, it is crucial to walk away without looking back, Hekate is there whether you see Her or not, surrounded by Her night shrouded specters.  To behold Her face has consequences said to be dire for the living and breaks the code of nature, for whatever is given cannot be reclaimed, don't let your soul be amid the benefaction. Within this realm there is a collapsing inward of time, and with it, obligations to the dead beyond one's comfort. 

I am of the tradition of placing small candles directly into the cakes left as an offering, enabling Hekate's Entourage to partake of it's essence. The early Greeks were the forerunners of this tradition I'm told.  History tells us that regarding the Goddess Artemis, who, Hekate shares an association, was honored in this way in her temple in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  This flickering candles represented the glow of the moon, one of her many symbols.

Having left many an offering at the crossroads, I suppose to those who understand, it is common practice, to others driving or walking late at night, it is a sight which might instill both awe and perhaps a bit of trepidation as perhaps, it should.  

Marseilles Vinegar

Four Thieves Vinegar also known as Marseilles Vinegar, which traditionally is a blend of red wine, white wine, cider, or distilled white vinegar.  With the addition of certain herbs, garlic and spices is credited to protect users from the disease, especially, The Plague. The earliest recipe included five specific herbs that were added to vinegar and left to steep for several days. The most notable recipe hung in the Museum of Paris in 1937.

A Little History

Used during the European Black Plague, Four Thieves Vinegar is only one of similar vinegar blends used as medicine back to the time of Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician who was born 460 BC, in Kos, Greece and who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. In ancient Babylon, vinegar was made from wine as early as 5000 BC where it was used as medicine and to preserve food.

From ancient times, through the middle ages and into the 18th cen, the use of vinegar was commonly used in the treatment of infection and for the treatment and cure of pleurisy, fever, ulcers, and constipation; it was also used by the ancient Egyptians to kill bacteria. Vinegar combined with honey creates the active ingredient oxymel, which we now know was used to treat the common cough during this time in our history.

One particular recipe called for three pints of white wine vinegar, a man's handful of meadowsweet, wormwood, wild marjoram and sage.  To this forty or fifty cloves, two ounces angelica, two ounces campanula roots, two of horehound, two of angelica, two of rosemary and three large measures of camphor along with ample handfuls of garlic. All the herbs were then to be placed in an earthenware container and left to cure for fifteen days.  The mixture was then strained and bottled.  When approaching a plague victim the parts of the body of the doctor to be washed were the hands, temples, and ears.

Myth & Magic

In the city of Marseille, robbers took advantage of the population by robbing the dead those who were ill and unable to defend themselves, especially during the plague.  These devious men were able to be in close contact without fear due to the use of Four Thieves' Vinegar in which they coated themselves liberally as a defense.  Ah but alas, they were eventually apprehended to which they robbers offered the recipe in exchange for leniency from the court of which there is no known account.  Another version states that the recipe was developed after their capture by the robbers themselves in order to survive the sentence of burying the dead.  It seems unlikely that they would have been granted the time or the ingredients to make this given their crime.

Magically Four Thieves Vinegar is best known for it's ability to protect the wearer from hexes and reported curses of 'length and strength' by endowing the target with the ability to weaken not only the spell but also the spell weaver creating havoc in their own lives by either taking the recipe by mouth, as an ingredient in a soaking bath or by sprinkling it around home and hearth.

Current Use

Four Thieves Vinegar is still sold in Provence France and in Italy where it is called Seven Thieves Vinegar, it's primary use as a variety of smelling salts for dizziness and fainting.

A Recipe

Ingredients

2 tbsp chopped fresh lavender flowers

2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

2 tbsp chopped fresh sage

2 tbsp chopped fresh marjoram

2 tbsp chopped fresh anise hyssop

4 cloves garlic (crushed)

1 quart white wine or apple cider vinegar

Instructions

 Mix herbs and garlic in a one-quart ceramic or glass jar, add vinegar filling the jar to 'the shoulder' which allow for expansion of the herbs. Leave in a cool dark place for two-weeks.  Using chop sticks or a similar tool, stir the mixture a little everyday to allow the gases to dissipate. After allotted time, strain the vinegar through cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve into a second, sterile 1-quart glass jar and store at room temperature until ready to use. It may be used like salad dressing or to season stews.

References

1.Illes, Judika (2008). Magic When You Need It. Weiser Books.

2. Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, Gattefosse’s Aromatherapy

3. Hopkins, the Scientific American Encyclopedia of Formulas, 1910

4. http://www.wikipedia.org/

5. Legend of Four Thieves Vinegar

The Witches Creed

 by Doreen Valiente.

Hear now the words of the witches,

The secrets we bid in the night,

When dark was our destiny's pathway,

That now we bring forth into light.

Mysterious water and fire,

The earth and the wide-ranging air,

By hidden quintessence we know them,

and will and keep silent and dare.

The birth and rebirth of all nature,

The passing of winter and spring,

We share with the life universal,

Rejoice in the magikal ring.

Four times in the year the Great Sabbat returns,

all witches are seen,

At Lammas and Candlemas dancing,

On May Eve & Ole Holloween.

When daytime and nighttime are equal,

When the sun is at it's greatest and least,

The four Lesser Sabbats are summoned,

Again, witches gather in feast.

Thirteen silver moons in a year,

Thirteen is the Coven's array,

Thirteen times at Esbat make merry,

For each golden year and a day.

The power was passed down the ages,

Each century unto the other,

Each time the ages began.

When drawn is the magikal circle,

By sword or athame or power,

It's compass between the 2 worlds lies,

In the land of the shades for that hour.

This world then has no right to know it,

And world of beyond will tell naught,

The oldest of GODS are invoked here,

The Great Work of magik is wrought.

For two are the mystikal pillars,

That stand at the gate of the shrine,

And two are the powers of nature,

The forms and the forces divine.

The dark and the light in succession,

The opposites each unto each,

Shown forth as a GOD and a GODDESS,

of this did our ancestors teach.

By night he's the wild wind's rider,

The Horn'd One, Lord of the Shades,

By day he's the King of the Woodland's,

The dweller in green forest glades.

She is youthful or old as she pleases,

She tails the torn clouds in her barque,

The bright silver lady of midnight,

The crone who weaves the spells in the dark.

The master and mistress of magik,

They dwell in the deeps of the mind,

Immortal and ever-renewing,

With power to free or to bind.

So drink the good wine to the Old Gods,

And dance and make love in their praise,

Till Elphame's fair land shall recieve us,

In peace at the end of our days.

And do what you will be challanged,

So be it in love that harms none,

For this is the only commandment,

By magik of old be it done!

The Witches Creed appears here as it was originally written by Doreen Valiente.

Botrychium lunaria

Common Name: Moonwort from moon shaped leaflets.

Family: (Plants) various ferns of the genus Botrychium,esp B.lunaria, which has crescent-shaped leaflets; (US): grape fern.

Name Origin: Botyrichium, from the Greek botrus (botrys), "grape"; the Grape Ferns; lunaria, from the Latin luna, "moon "

Parts Used: leaves and root

Planet: Moon and Mercury

Element: Water

Metal: Silver

Deities: Diana, Hekate

Life Cycle: Spring, fades in June.

Zone: 2; Perennial from rhizome (rootstalk).

Habitat: Open turf or gravelly slopes, shores, meadows, woods, disturbed sites, usually on basic soils with calcium content. Found Greenland to Alaska; south to parts of the extreme northern United States to Eurasia, Alaska to Greenland. In Southern Hemisphere, South America and Australia. Prefers moderate light. In Maine found where mussel and clam shells leave deposits on shore.

Identification: Like most members of the genus Botrychium (Grape-ferns), B. lunaria is distinguished both by its succulent texture and fertile frond which appears above the sterile frond.  Cluster of golden-brown globular sporangia. Stem only about 2" long, hollow and fleshy.

Lunaria variety differs from the other succulent Botrychium species due to it possessing the sterile blade only once-pinnate (divided), with the segments distinctly fan-like (lunate) in shape.

Entire plant usually stands less than 3+" high.  Sterile frond a 5" single leaf closely spaced, subdivided into four to six pair, smooth edged; Leaf appears in spring, dying in latter half of summer; rootstalk upright; roots few, short, horizontally spreading.

Rare: Thinly found.

Magic & Folklore: Ancients regarded B. lunaria greatest magical power to be key to the time of it's gathering which must by moonlight. Used in incantations by necromancers, the mere mention of the word imbued the work with greater power.

Blacksmiths used it to unshod horses with ease.  Thieves carried it to make 'picking a lock' silent. Lunaria's crescent shaped leaflets were an ingredient used by alchemists to convert mercury into quicksilver.

According to the Doctrine of Signs, Moonwort cured lunacy, epilepsy, and sleep walking, if ailment was associated with the phases of the moon.

Folk Medicine: Mashed leaves in oil produced a salve to stop bleeding.  Botrychium plants boiled in red wine have been used as stomach medicines, tonics and to stop bleeding. There are references of its application for diarrhea and tuberculosis. A wash or poultice has been used regarding eye inflammations, sores and wounds, bruises, fractures, and skin dislocations.

Modern day medicinal use has fallen from favor.

http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=BOLU

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botrychium_lunaria

http://www.maine.gov/dacf/mnap/features/botrychium_lunaria.pdf

http://www.maine.gov/dacf/mnap/features/botlun.htm