Doing fine. Yourself?

It's a little chilly this morning to be working outside,but otherwise I'm good. Any big plans this weekend?

You got that right. I just came back inside and it is cold. Frost over much of my pastures. No plans.

I looked at my thermometer this morning and went crap. 22 is too cold for October.
All my friends have cancelled this weekend, so it's cleaning for me.

Yeah the snow level last winter was much above average. I dont need to remind you. But according to the Farmer's Almanac, this winter should be much colder and less snow. I can already feel that happening.

Yes I remember the snow. THis year I won't have to worry as much since I live in an apartment now. NO shoveling for me, except at work.

I can feel the cold coming.

What does it feel like?

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Wow, we are on to part 2 of this topic.

Good morning everyone!

I'm truly amazed at how perfect Wicca is for me. It's just unbelievable. I'm at a total loss as to why I didn't see this before. Although I know the reasons. The first reason is that I never viewed it seriously. And the second reason is that I had truly been misinformed when I had looked into it early in my life. I had taken a brief moment to look into Wicca quite a few years ago, in my thirties. Unfortunately the books I read at that time did not explain it very well. They started off almost exclusive with folklore about the Goddess of the Moon and how she had given birth to the universe, or something along those lines.

Well, gee, that just sounds as far-fetched as Greek Mythology and Christianity. It's just another deity-based religion surrounded by a bunch silly mythology that couldn't possibly be true on a realistic level. In other words some human-like female did not give birth to the universe like having a child. (ha ha) This is no less silly than having an angry old man pouring water on the earth to drown out his creation. These kinds of religions based on these wild tales of human-like Gods is just silly. And this is how Wicca had originally been presented to me many years ago so I just chalked it off as 'more of the same'.

However, today with Ruth's help and Scott Cunningham's books I have seen beyond the façade. Yes, there can be a lot of folklore and myth associated with Wicca if a person desires this. In fact, over the millennia there have been many different mythologies associated with Wicca (or witchcraft as it was called in ancient times), including Gods and Goddesses from Greek Mythology and Christianity as well. But those are not the focus of what Wicca is about. On the contrary these myths are nothing more than an appliqué that is applied to the religion to make it more appealing for the practitioners.

Scott does a wonderful job in his books of giving the reader 'permission' to view Wicca however they want. Yes, he still retains a Goddess and God, but he assures the reader that how they personally view these 'deities' is entirely a matter of personal preference, and he even explains that they don't even need to be thought of in terms of 'deities'. For those who prefer a more pantheistic or animistic picture of the universe this Goddess and God of Wicca may simply be thought of as the Yin and Yang attributes of nature. The 'deities' that we created in our mind to visualize these spiritual forces are for our own purpose of communication and visualization.

For some people this may give the religion too much abstraction, they need to believe in ONE GOD who is the ONLY WAY. Because that gives them a nice solid foundation. But in truth that is nothing more than a demand that everyone view God in precisely the same way just so as not to burst everyone else's bubble.

I actually prefer the abstraction and the freedom to relate with God in whatever way feels most comfortable for me. So from my point of view modern Wicca is far more appealing than I had originally thought.

I also like the idea that the Goddess is associate with the Moon. The softer more feminine light of night. Everyone has always associated the moon with romance as well. And the God is associated with the Sun, the brighter more active daytime light.

Again, it's not worshiping the sun and the moon, but rather these are merely symbols that represent the feminine and masculine spiritual elements of life.

This is also nice because the sun and moon are always hovering around somewhere. So it's almost like a subconscious reminder that the Gods are physically watching over all of creation. Also it forces one to become more in tune with the seasons and the cycles of the moon. In other words, it forces the practitioners of Wicca to become attuned to the cycles of nature. If you identify the gods with the great lights in the sky how can you not be constantly aware of their cycles?

And this is the man thrust of Wicca - becoming attuned to the cycles and forces of nature. Everything in Wicca is merely a façade that helps you to become attuned to the forces of nature. Now, I'm sure that some Wiccans are not going to like that statement. But it's not meant to belittle the tools that they use. Those tools do indeed become infused with spiritual energy. The mere fact that the tool itself was a façade that became a means to channel spiritual energy does not make it any less meaningful or powerful over time.

In fact, I've been learning so much in the past few days that it's just unbelievable. Not just from Scott's books but from the Internet as well.

For example, I need to obtain a magickal broom. I could use a standard broom from Wal-mart if I had the mind to do that, but I don't. And that's the whole point. The broom is the tool, the mind is the power. I need a broom that is compatible with my mind.

This is where the façade becomes important. I need a broom that I can believe in, and a Wal-mart broom just doesn't cut it for me. Although I'm sure that's just my own prejudice and I should feel sorry for all the poor brooms on the selves of the Wal-marts around the world for having rejected them. They truly have every right to participate in spiritual magick as any other broom.

Now I'm making myself feel guilty and sympathetic for Wal-mart brooms.

It's not their fault that they are mass produced by a rat-race society and may be tainted by the anxiety of the workers who constructed them. And this brings me to my point,... yes I actually have a point somewhere in this ramble.

My original thought was to go to an antique story and purchase an old broom. Perhaps one that might have been previously own by a witch. Of course I would have no way of telling,... except,... we all have this natural psychic ability to pickup the remnant spiritual energies of the people who had previously own object, by simply feeling the vibrations of those spiritual energies within the objects themselves. In fact, it is this stored spiritual energy that is fundamental to the tools of witchcraft and bestows them with their magickal powers.

Well, this is all quite interesting. But then in my studies of Wicca I learn something new. It is suggested to me that if I purchase a used broom (or any used magickal tool), I should bury it in the ground for at least 3 days preferable nine. Or anchor it to bed of a flowing brook and allow it to be spiritual cleansed for at least a day or two (the flowing water will wash away the spiritual energies much faster).

The reason being that it's not good to use spiritual tools that might contain spiritual energy from unknown sources. It might have been used for black magic, or it might have been previously owned by a person who was possessed with hate, or anger or some other deep-seated spiritual ailment. So the idea for a beginner is to spiritually cleanse used objects before using them anyway.

More seasoned witches could potentially benefit from previously charged items because they have a greater ability to sense and read the spiritual energies and intent of the previous owners. So it's not that previously charged tools are not good, it's just that it is important to know and trust that the person who charged them charged them with good spiritual energy.

So if I want a used broom I either need to cleanse it before I use it, or take it to a seasoned witch who can determine whether the spiritual energies within it is good or bad.

This brings me back to the Wal-mart brooms. They too could be spiritually cleansed to remove any hostile or negative vibrations they might have acquired from the many different workers who may have had a part in their manufacture.

None the less, since I live in a quaint cottage with a quaint décor I'm still drawn toward purchasing a quaint broom.

In fact, the more I connect with it on a spiritual level, the more spiritually attuned I will be with it.

And now I apologize for this sweeping ramble.

I started my previous post with the intent on rambling on about some of the musical aspects of Wicca and how music can play a magickal role in wicca, then I got swept away with talking about brooms and never did address the musical aspects.

Owl be back.

OK, I’m gonna ask this and hope it’s not completely absurd because I have virtually zero knowledge of Wicca...

Wouldn’t making your own broom be the ideal? Wouldn’t you be naturally more attuned to a tool you had made yourself than one which had been assembled in an impersonal manufacturing process?

When I was working as a machinist I had a few tools that I had made myself for specific purposes and which I felt were better and more efficient for their specific purpose than any prefabricated tool I had ever been able to find. Whether that was actually true or not, I don’t know. But I know that I did feel more “comfortable” using them than the prefabricated tools and I think that “emotional attachment” to them would necessarily translate into, at least, more confidence in what I was doing.

Does any of that make sense in relation to your broom? I don’t know if it is required to be an efficient tool for actually sweeping dirt and debris on a floor or not.

Yes, this is absolutely true and the more tools you make yourself the better. Should you have the time and ability, of course.

You're absolutely right. Making my own broom would indeed be the best of all possible choices. In fact, that thought hasn't gone unthunked.

I've actually been considering this and may very well do this in the end. In fact, I really should. I could probably obtain all of the materials necessary right here in my own magickal forest.

And no, it doesn't need to function well at sweeping physical dirt. In fact, it never needs to actaully touch the ground at all. It's an aerial broom for sweeping etheral spirituality away from sacred places.

It has many other uses as well, none of which require the brushing away of dirt.

Yes, I may very well end up with a handmade broom.

My posts are just the early ramblings of neophyte witch for whatever they are worth. Don't pay any mind to anything I say. I'm just sharing my personal thoughts, nothing more.

Ask Ruth if you have you have any serious questions about Wicca.

I, personally, am completely untalented when it comes to "crafty" things. I am also on a limited budget. You can buy beautiful hand made brooms online from "witchy" stores for about $40 and they are wonderful. Mine is a simple broom I bought from Michael's (the craft store) that cost me about $3. It has that natural look I wanted and it's perfect for me.

I might add too, that my orginal thinking was to seek out a broom at an antique shop that attracted me both visually, and spiritually.

Even though I've never considered myself to be a witch, I have always had a very profound sense of the spiritual vibrations of objects. So I was thinking that I could sense a broom with good vibes.

I was thinking that a previously charged broom might bring the good intentions of the spirit who perviously own it to assist my own connection with the spirit world.

However, after reading about the possiblity of accidently picking up a broom that has been negatively charged that idea doesn't sound as good as I had originally thought.

So now the idea of a handmade fresh broom does seem more appealing.

Moreover, the materials that I choose will already be charged with the natural spirit of the forest, rather than human spirit. So that actually might be the more ideal way to go anyhow.

In fact, now that I've thought about it, I'd probably be foolish to do anything less. There are places in this forest that are truly magical.

I live next to a state park, this provides me with much natual forest to roam. And this particular park is divided into two major sections. One section is filled with torists, The other section (where I live) almost never see human activity.

So the forest I go into is truly almost primordial. I would be foolish not to take advantage of this source of natural and undistrubed materials.

I am extremely "crafty". I have no excuse not to make my own broom.

I have actually been in the craft business in the past. My shop was called "From the Tree to Thee".

The name meant precisely what it says.

I cut down the trees, made the lumber, and then made the crafts. So it was quite literally from the tree to thee when you bought from me.

I also had a shop called "Trains under Glass". These were subminiature model railroads built into curio tables (I also built the tables). They were quite small, about 18" wide and from 2 to 4 foot in length. With a complete model railroad under the glass top. Children could also look in from the sides as the table was about 6 inches deep and had glass panels in the sides.

Owl see if I can find an old photo of one around here.

From brooms to model railroads, what a trip.

Making your own tool is the ideal situation because you are charging them with your own energy and intent as you make them.

For exampale, as you make the broom you would be thinking about how it will be used to sweep out negativity from your home. Also, the more you use your tools the more magickal they become.

Oh Ruth,

I hope you'll forgive me for being so talkative on this topic but I'm truly excited about the possibilities, and I've been doing so much research now that I've discovered that at least some forms of Wicca are so supportive of abstraction. In fact, I went to one site called The Atheme's Edge that offers individual mentoring for wannabe witches. From what I've read there they take the religion very seriously.

However, at the same time they speak to the issue of how abstract it must be and how much Wiccan must guard against dogma. They talk about viewing the Goddess and God as everything from Pantheism, to Polytheism, to Animism, to Anthropomorphism, and so on. They don't want to dictate to anyone how they need to view the spiritual power.

And they even speak about rites and rituals as being totally abstract and encourage individual creativity and design for such things as incantations, spells and rituals of gratitude and reverence.

You'd think after all that they wouldn't have much left to 'teach'. It's almost like they are just saying 'Do your own thing'. However, there are clearly guidelines that can help people become spiritually focused and how to learn how to accept and wield spiritual power. So as abstract as it may seem it does have underlying principles that serve as a conduit of spiritual energy and a means of communiqué with the spiritual entities in whatever form the individual shaman prefers to perceive them.

For me this is quite exciting because it's a religion (or spirituality) that I can work with without feeling confined, and yet it still has useful structure to offer. I can also vividly see elements of other religions that I trust within the Wicca motif. For example, I clearly see the psychic elements that are present in the philosophy of the Law of Attraction, and in Buddhism, as well as being compatible with much of North American Indian spirituality. And I'm sure there are many other religious philosophies that are compatible with Wicca once any dogma of precisely how the Goddess and God must be visualized has been unveiled to reveal the core beliefs.

I have been warned about two things. One is to beware of forms of Wicca that are indeed becoming dogmatic and trying to claim specificity in precisely how the Goddess and God must be viewed as well as precisely how rituals must be designed and carried out. It is unfortunate that there are always groups of people who will try to ram their ways of viewing things down everyone else's throats. But at the same time there does seem to be a need for balance before someone just walks in and changes the whole thing into something else altogether.

In any case, I'm not going to concern myself with what Wicca may evolve into over the ages. I'm merely concerned with how it can be useful to me. And thus far it has already been useful in ways that I can't easily convey.

The second thing that people have warned is to not let it turn into a hobby.

I can certainly see that one. Especially after having visited a few a view online occult stories that truly do come across more as hobby shops then religious outlets. They have 'kits' for every spell you can imagine. Well I can understand that for some people, I really can. But that's definitely not for me. I could never feel right using a premade kit-spell for the basis of a ritual. It include an incantation and everything, but I'd rather write my own incantation anyway. I view incantations as prayers, and while even the most traditional religions use formal structured prayers, it would be insane to never speak to god in your own words. So for me a personal incantation is much more meaningful. Although it is nice to see other incantations for creative ideas just as it's nice to hear other music before writing a piece of your own.

However, getting back to the 'hobby' issue. I think Wicca does loan itself to great romanticism. Which can indeed incite people into wanting to collect brooms, cauldrons, fancy candle holders, etc. Not to mention athemes and bollines.

I've just purchased an atheme and bolline myself. And in a very real way I viewed them as 'gifts' for the Goddess and God. I can see where someone could easily fall into the trap of wanting to buy an endless list of gifts for the Goddess and God. I'm not going to go there. In fact, I was originally going to make my own atheme and bolline, but I chose to purchase these items because they would be difficult to make as nice as these are.

I'm already in need of a cauldron and I need a rather large one. I'm hoping to find something in a kitchen supply store rather than an occult store. I actually need two cauldrons. One for destruction and one that I can trust for food preparation. Although I think owl a crock pot for the latter. In fact, I'm sure I will now that I think about it. I actually already have several crock pots so I only need a cast iron cauldron for destructive spells. I might even have one in the garage.

It might sound like I'm getting carried away with focusing on the tools, but I'm just starting out so I have nothing. I have purchased some candles and holders for the altar but they were very inexpensive.

Oh, back to the broom, by the way,...

You mentioned sweeping out negativity. I've heard it expressed this way quite often in terms of sweeping away negativity, or sweeping away negative vibrations, or even evil spirits. I suppose that's the popular view. I think of it quite differently actually.

I think of it more in terms of a vibration eraser. Or vibration neutralizer. This is the very reason why the broom needs to be charged with good vibrations. Sweeping it around the area isn't merely a ritual, the broom is actually doing something! It's filling the space with its vibrations and this is precisely how it eliminates all other vibrations (good or bad). This is why it's important to always store the broom in a place reserved specially for it. That very spot becomes attuned to the broom's spiritual vibrations and builds up over time become more and more potent.

Now Jeannie, might say, "You don't need all the toys! It's all in your mind. Just use your hand as a broom if you want to sweep away negative vibrations".

Well, that may very well work. But I think the idea behind the magick broom is truly a physical idea as well as a spiritual idea. The broom is indeed a physical object that can story vibration energy, especially on the frequencies of the spiritual realm. If the broom is always used for the same purpose and always charged with the same spiritual emotions (via meditation rituals), then this broom will actually begin to resonate at that personal frequency to a very high degree. It actually become a vibration oscillator of that energy configuration. And this is why it will work more powerfully than merely waving your hand over the area.

Actually Jeannie should understand this because it's all about frequencies. It's not just about thoughts, it's about frequencies (i.e. Spiritual Energy).

The same goes with all the magickal tools of witchcraft. Each tool is storing and becoming a physical oscillator of the spiritual frequencies that are associated with the particular rituals and spells that the tool is being used for.

It is the build up of this spiritual energy that makes the tool become increasingly magickal. And the energy 'builds up' by causing the particular tool to become a resonator at that frequency.

The atheme itself will be used for so many different frequencies that it might be difficult to understand how it can load itself to storing them. But I personally believe that the reason the atheme can be used for so many different frequencies is because of it's very use. It is used as a conduit of spiritual energy. To direct the spiritual energy in a given ritual. And it is used for this time, and time, and time again. Over time it becomes attuned to changing rapidly to accommodate a large burst of spiritual energy on a new frequency. And thus this tool becomes a powerful spiritual oscillator that can transfer spiritual energy rapidly and transform it from one frequency into another.

This may sound more technical than many witches might care to think about. I tend to be a scientist and thus I look at things with the eye of an alchemist. Although I do believe that even the earliest shamans and witches understood this process deeply. Can you not see an ancient witch grabbing her broom from the hands of unknowledgeable person and placing it back on it's hook saying, "Never touch this broom!".

There's a reason. She doesn't want it to be contaminated with improper frequencies. And even though she may be thinking of it in terms of 'spiritual energy' the physics is still there.

Same goes for a shaman who grabs the wrong tool from the hand of a neophyte and says, "No you don't use this tool for that!". That's because the tool is charged for a particular spiritual emotion and or task, and using it for the wrong task would interrupt it's frequency of vibration (or spiritual energy ).

This is why tools become more powerful the more you use them.

So they do much more than just help the visualization process, they actually participate in the conduction, storage, amplification, and transfer of spiritual vibrations. They aren't just crutches for visualization as I had preciously thought. They have a very useful and practical purpose.

They truly are tools and not just toys.

This is why I will view the magick broom as actually filling the area with the sacred vibrations that I will have charged it with during mediations with it. Those vibrations emanating from the broom will indeed erase or destructively interfere with any negative vibrations in the area. In fact it will also remove any vibrations good or bad and replace them with the vibrations of my own personal mediations, because I am the person who charges the broom. And I charge it during spiritual meditation.

Hug your boom and meditate.

JEANNIE! That's a great idea for a painting! A young witch hugging her broom meditating. If I had cash I'd commission it from you. I guess owl need to do a ritual asking for cash now.

Or maybe I could just make a bunch of magickal brooms and sell them to the witches to raise the money.

Double post.