Saturn's Day - 2nd day of the new Lunar Cycle

"I'm one with the Goddess
and open to Her Wisdom.

2nd Day of the 2nd Lunar Cycle
Ruled by Persephone
Lunar Tree Cycle ~ Luis/Rowan
Celtic Tree Cycle ~ Beth/Birch
Moon Phase: waxing New
Moon rises: 8:21AM EST
Moon sets: 6:52PM EST
Moon in the Fixed Air Sign of Aquarius
Blodeuwedd's Cycle of Moon
Lunar Meditation: Memory of childhood
winters.
Sun in Capricorn
Sunrise: 7:40AM EST
Sunset: 5:18PM EST
Solar Question for the Day: "What is
seeking to reveal itself in your dreams?"
Samhain (Calan Gaeaf) Quarter of the Year
January 16th, 2010

    Today seems to be a day of quiet magickal energies - the moon has not yet shown itself in the sky - and this Saturn's Day is a day for Manifestation and Structure (hopefully 'structuring your list of goals for this lunar cycle) and Assesment and Responsibility. A good day to 'assess' what we want to get done, what we want to learn about and taking a 'responsibility' for achieving these ideas.  Where I live
we are going through a bit of a January thaw - those high snow drifts of previous weeks are not melting
down into icy skating ponds across the yard and fields - ice icicles are melting and crashing off the roofs.  So I am find this to be a good day to layout a 'structure' to my lunar cycle ahead.  This lunar cycle will bring us Imbolc - a cross-quarter holy day that marks that point in the Wheel of the Year as being halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox.  Begin giving thought as to how you want observe this day.

     Self-Cleansing

   After the excesses of the festive season many people choose to start a new dietary regime. However, these New Year deits often fail, usually because we ask too much of ourselves. It is unreasonable to go from what is effectively a life of excess to one of virtual deprivation, overnight. Also, we often tend to think of them in terms of good and bad foods rather than in terms of treating ourselves kindly. If you have tried one of these for the New Year and are not struggling, why not avail yourself of a little Witchy help?
   Take a piece of Amber, a teaspoonful of Fennel seed (from your supermarket herb shelf), a teaspoon of Rock Salt granules and a tablespoonful of powdered milk. Wrap these in a cloth and secure tightly with string or a plastic bag tie.  At dawn or dusk, run a fairly warm deep bath with your sachet in the tub. When it is ready, add 3 drops each of oil of Rosemary, Rose and Rosewood. Immerse yourself completely as you can, ducking your head under the water three times. As you duck, say, in your head (otherwise you inhale water): "Water, water, take away all my cares from me today. Give me health, give me strength, help me prolong my life at length."  On the last immersion say "Blessed Be." Relax and soak away your worries. After you have got out of the bath, remove the sachet and dry the Amber. Carry this in your pocket, or somewhere you can readily touch it, until you have achieved your desire.
[From: Kate West's "The Real Witches' Year"]

The Path of Initiation

   Individuals seeking the path of witchcraft traditionally go on a quest of 'a year and a day' before committing to the craft. This time period is from Celtic mythology, signifying a yer of preparation and a day to reflect again before dedicating to the path. In that time, one learns the foundations of witchcraft, magickal training, and personal development.
   You should not be as concerned with results or magickal power as you are with the lessons the path presents to you. Everyone has psychic or magickal abilities. They are inherent in our human makeup, like having eyes, a nose, or a mouth. Some will find that they are more talented in certain areas than others. With proper training, most people can learn to read and write. A few will go on to write great novels. Others struggle with a grocery list. There are myriad levels of aptitude. Matickal talent, however, does not make a witch. Dedication to the craft and your personal path does.
   The book (The Inner Temple of Witchcraft" by Christopher Penzcak) is a course that is divided into thirteen lessons and many exercises. At the end of each lesson there is suggested homework. The goal is to work through this material in a year and a day with enough time to read other sources and reflect on the decision to become a witch. Such a decision entails a lifelong commitment.
    Using this book and if you complete one lesson every three weeks, you will have ample time to review and reflect within the year-and-a-day period. Penczak says to feel free to adapt this schedule to suit your needs. Your personal pace might be much quicker or slower. It is far better to take long and truly commit to your study than to take less time and do it haphazardly.

    Penczak suggests marking your calendar with the week's expected work and deadlines. If you can arrange a specific 'study' night to do this work, then do so.  "Tuesday evening" comes more reuglarly and often than 'later' does. Make a committment to yourself. A few exercises suggests the participation of a partner. If you know someone interested in this path, set up regular meetings to practice and guide each other through the exercises. Having someone to share your experiences with is a great way to build your support through this study and practice. Although we may love our times as a solitary witch, it can be a hard road. Having a magickal and psychic playmate is a great asset.
    The end of this book by Penczak is marked with a self-initiation. It may be the first of many such iniation rituals. Rituals are important and powerful. They signify  beginnings, endings, and intentions. The universe, divinity in action will support your intentions if they are clear. The biggest obstacle for most people to manifest their dreams is a lack of intentions. If you want to study this material, make a committment to it and perform the following intention ritual. It is not an initiation into the craft, but a proclamention to the Goddess and God of your sincere desire to understand and experience the path of the witch.

Intention Ritual

1. Get a new white candle, matches, a piece of paper, a black pen, and some black thread. If you like incense or have any other objects that are special to you, like a crystal, stone, bowl, or anything else, you can get them out, but they are not necessary.

2. Find a quiet spot in which to work, where others will not disturb you.

3. On a small piece of paper, write out your intentions for this work. Do you seek to be a witch, learn witchcraft, or just know more? If you are comfortable calling on the Goddess and God, do so. If not, you can address it to whatever divine force you are comfortable using Great Spirit, the Tao, or the Universe. Here is an example:
"I (state your name), ask in the name of the Goddess and God for aid in my studies of witchcraft. I intend to complete this work successfully within one year and become a witch if this is correct and for my highest good. I ask to be open to all experiences and understand all lessons given to me. So mote it be."

4. Hold the white candle. Think about spirituality. Think about divinity and the Goddess and God. Invite them into your life, or reaffirm your bond with them. Light the candle. If your have incense, light it now.

5. Spend a few moments reflecting on the definition, history, and qualities of the witch. Think about where witchcraft has been and where you hope to go with it.

6. Read your intention slip aloud. Then roll it up like a scroll and tie it with the black thread, binding it together and sealing your intention.

Keep the paper someplace special, where you will not lose it. You will use this slip as part of your initiation ritual in a year. If you build a meditation altar later, you can keep the candle and intention slip on the altar.

Homework:

* Get one or two blank books to use as a daily journal and Book of Shadows
* Daily journal - Write three pages a day
* Look for any potential study partners
* Exercise 1 - Intention Ritual - Perform and record your feelings and experiences about this ritual in your journal/Book of Shadows
* Set your study schedule.

I know that all followers of my blog will be interested in undertaking a study of this length, but I do think some of what is in this book "The Inner Temple of Witchcraft" will have some lessons and exercises of interest.  I am posting much of what is in the book but everyone can pick and choose what they want to participate if any of it.  I have gone through this book once and with the posting I am doing here I am going through again to re-inforce what I learned the first time through.  I do recommend for any of those who are  interested in following these lessons to also consider reading other sources of information on witchcraft, especially if you are a beginner. A good herb book(s) would be very nice;
a book on beginning Wicca and/or a book on Goddess mythology.  Something on the Wheel of the Year will help to know why certain times are celebrated and how it fits into the flow of life.  With that I
do want to point out that that this posting of the 'The Path of Initiation' essay and exercise is followed in the book by the essay 'The Magical Mind' posted here on Jan. 7th; then the next following essay is the one on 'The Three Minds' posted on Jan. 9th; then comes the essay on 'Movie Magic' on Jan. 11th and on Jan. 13th, the essay titled 'Three Requirements'. By the way I do my 'study work' in the early morning hours when I can be quite sure of being disturbed - this suits my lifestyle - for others it can be different.