The Book of Shadows

To Main Page

601

One thingI have discovered isthat if you lookhard enough, you
can find goddesses to fit both ends of most polarities. Some even
occupy both ends simultaneously. Inanna, my matron goddess, is a good
case in point. She is the Sumerian goddess of love, war, wisdom (which
she won in a drinking bout!), adventure, the heavens, the earth, and
even of death (in the guise of her dark aspect, Ereshkigal). A very
busy lady indeed is Inanna. At this point it
becomes largely a matter of personal preference rather than of
polarity, whether one chooses a god or a goddess to occupy a particular
place in a ritual.

NoDianic I know ofdenies the existence ofthe God. Indeed, He
gets mentioned as the consort of the Goddess with some frequency in Z
Budapest's HOLY BOOK OF WOMEN'S MYSTERIES, which is close a thing as
there is to a Dianic version of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows. He is
there, and sometimes we will invoke Him, when it is appropriate. He
makes His own path, and we follow our own, and when they cross
naturally we honor Him and do not avoid Him. We also do not force the
paths to cross simply to lend an artificial balance to a ritual where
none is really needed.

Now that I have spilled agood deal of ink over what Dianismis
not, I should now say a few words about what it is: a movement of
feminist, eclectic, Goddess-oriented Witches.

Feminism: This covers avast multitudeof virtues andsins. Ido
not think the stereotypical radical lesbian separatist is as common as
is believed. Moderate to liberal feminism is probably far more common,
even among Dianics. Certainly my own coven contains no separatists!
There are too many nice men out there, even though surveys have shown
that 70% or more of all men are potential rapists. The nice ones are
found among those who are not in that repulsive majority; you just have
to look to find them. One of the places you might find such nice men
is in Dianic covens! Some are mixed groups, at least some of those of
the branch founded by Morgan McFarland. My
own is something of a mixed up group, I suppose. While we do not
currently have any men in the coven, two of the three of us were born
male and still have original-equipment plumbing. The Goddess and our
HPS accept us unreservedly as women.

Eclecticism: If there isone dictum of Z Budapest's thatbears
repeating to everyone in the Craft, and which gets followed by many, it
is "When in doubt, invent." Dianics tend toward creative ritual,
drawing from any and all possible sources. I have yet to see a Dianic
equivalent of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows, nor do I ever hope to see
one.

602

Goddess Orientation: I've discussed this at some length while
talking about polarity. There are some wags who have said that Dianics
are nothing but matriarchal monotheists. I tell you three times: The
Dianic Goddess is NOT Jehovah in drag! The Dianic Goddess is NOT
Jehovah in drag! The Dianic Goddess is NOT Jehovah in drag! A much
closer analogy would be that Dianics have taken the Classical pantheon
and reclaimed most of the roles. This, too, is oversimplifying, but it
is not nearly as wide of the mark as the usual
criticism. At some point I may write up a long exegesis on the Dianic
Goddess, but not here. My own personal involvement with Her comes from
a great feeling of comfort I do not find elsewhere. She feels right.
I have a great deal of difficulty accepting known rapists (most of the
Olympian males are this, especially Zeus, Hades, and Pan!) into my
personal pantheon. I also feel a personal vocation from the Mother; it
is rather incongruous to me to embrace a male deity wholeheartedly when
the Goddess comes to me and calls me Her daughter. This goes doubled,
redoubled, in pentacles, and vulnerable for lovers of women.

Ihope thislittlediscussion ofDianism-in-a-Nuitshell hasproved
enlightening to you. It is not a path for everyone, but it is a valid
path for some, and in considering it I hope that you can now ignore the
garbage that has been put forth in the past as "data" regarding it.

Inanna Seastar
Birdsnest Coven

603

DIVINATION
This seems like a fairly good time of year to be talking
about divination. What is it, why do we do it, and what's in it
for us? Lots of people think it's a way of avoiding
responsibility - if the future is preordained, we might as well
go back to bed.

Of course, that's not it at all. Divination is the use of
any one of several methods to obtain information which is not
directly accessible to the conscious mind of the person asking
the question. Whether you use cards, crystals, a pendulum, ink,
lead, dice, the flight of birds or anything else, what you are
really doing is opening your end of a channel to higher wisdom.
I consider the "actual" source of that wisdom irrelevant and
immaterial; it could be one's own subconscious, the collective
unconscious, the Gods' will, telepathic insight, or a big
computer buried in the Balkans. It's still additional
information which is not as tainted by ego and intellect's
limitations as most.

So what do we do with it? The same things we do with any
other information; add it to what we already know and develop a
synthesis that can help us do our decision-making. The easiest
way to analyze the process is with a concrete (well, maybe jello)
example:

A young man has been between relationships for some time.
He wants very much to link up with the great love of his life,
but is not aware of anyone on the horizon. He is putting himself
in a position to meet new people, presenting himself as
attractively as he can, and generally taking care of business,
but no results. He has to decide whether to take a work-related
course at night or not. It will take a lot of time and there are
not likely to be any women attending. His progressed horoscope
is neutral. He gets his cards read. They say:
[PAUSE]
1.Nothing at all about love, but a lot about skilled craftsman-
ship and satisfaction through work. He decides to relax and wait
for a better time, takes the course, and is rewarded with a
modest promotion which enhances his satisfaction with his job.

2.A lot about increasing social activities, leading to the start
of a new romance, leading to great happiness and satisfaction
after some difficulties are resolved. He does not take the
course, and meets a really nice interesting lady at a party given
by a friend (which he couldn't have attended had he taken the
course).

604

3.That he is overlooking sources of emotional gratification in
his current situation. Given the information, he starts looking
around and discovers that one of his quieter friends is a really
thoughtful and insightful person who helps him learn to know
himself better, and that a young cousin needs a mentor and this
relationship gives him a lot of pleasure and fulfillment. He
begins to feel much more ready for a good relationship, and much
less impatient to have one start.

These examples illustrate the point made above; divination
provides you with choices, and you take the consequences, no
matter what the oracles say. Treat them with respect, not
adoration or blind compliance, and may they always show you the
truth.

Blessed Be,
The Spinster Aunt ...from RMPJ 12/86

605

Divination Bibliography
TAROT

Butler, Bill. Dictionary of the Tarot. (Schocken Books, 1975).

Campbell, Joseph and Richard Roberts. Tarot Revelations. (Vernal
Equinox Press, 1979).

Case, Paul Foster. The Tarot. (Maccy Publishing, 1947).

Cavendish, Richard. The Tarot. (Harper & Row, 1975).

Connelly, Eileen. Tarot - A New Handbook for the Apprentice.
(Newcastle Publishing, 1979).

Crowley, Aleister. The Book of Thoth. (Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1984).
TheEgyptian(GoldenDawn)TarotbyTheMaster
Therion.

Douglas, Alfred. The Tarot. (Taplinger Publishing, 1972).

Gettings, Fred. The Book of Tarot. (Triune Books, 1973).

Gray, Eden. A Complete Guide to the Tarot. (Bantam Books, 1970).

Gray, Eden. The Tarot Revealed. (Signet Books, 1960).

Greer, Mary K. Tarot for Yourself. (Newcastle Publishing, 1984).

Hargrave, Catherine Perry. A History of Playing Cards. (Dover
Publishing, 1966).

Hutton, Alice. The Cards Can't Lie. (Hippocrene Books, 1983).

Kaplan, Stuart R. The Encyclopedia of Tarot. (U.S.Games Systems,
1978).

Konraad, Sandor. Classic Tarot Spreads. (Para Research, 1985).

Leland, Charles Godfrey. Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling.
(University Books, 1962).

* Nichols, Sallie. Jung and Tarot. (Samuel Weiser Inc. 1980). Good
but lengthy examination of the Jungian aspects of the Tarot.

Noble, Vicki. Motherpeace. (Harper & Row, 1983).

* Pollack, Rachel. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom. Part I: The Major
Arcana. (Aquarian Press, 1980). Excellent explanation of the
Tarot, using the Rider Waite deck. Highly recommended.

* Pollack, Rachel. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom. Part II: The
Minor Arcana and Readings. (Aquarian Press, 1980). Good
explanations of various reading methods and extensions.

Roberts, Richard. Tarot and You. (Morgan and Morgan, 1975).

606

* Walker, Barbara G. The Secrets of the Tarot. (Harper & Row, 1984).
Examination of the origins and symbolism of the Tarot.
Beautifully done.

* Wang, Robert. The Qabalistic Tarot. (Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1983).
Good reference for the Golden Dawn system of Tarot.

THE I CHING

Chu, W.K. and W.E. Sherril. The Astrology of the I Ching. (Routledge
& Kegan Paul, 1976.)

Chu, W.K. and W.E. Sherril. An Anthology of I Ching. (Routledge &
Kegan Paul, 1977.)

Legge, James. I Ching, Book of Changes. (University Books, 1964).

Ni, Hua-Ching. Tao, The Subtle Universal Law and the Integral Way of
Life. (Shrine of Eternal Breath of Tao, 1979).

Ni, Hua-Ching. The Book of Changes and the Unchanging Truth. (Shrine
of Eternal Breath of Tao, 1983).

Pattee, Rowena. Moving With Change. (Arkana, 1986). Interesting
approach to oriental divination. Cards also available.

Ponce, Charles. The Nature of the I Ching, Its Usage and
Interpretation. (Award Books, 1970).

Trosper, Barry R. and Gin-Hua Leu. I Ching: The Illustrated Primer.
(KGI Publications, 1986).

Walker, Barbara G. The I Ching of the Goddess. (Harper & Row, 1986).

Waltham, Clae. I Ching. (Ace Books, 1969). Adaptation of the work
by James Legge.

Wilhelm, R. and C.G. Jung. The Secret of the Golden Flower.
(Harcourt, Brace and World, 1931).

RUNES

Blum, Ralph. The Book of Runes. (St. Martin's Press, 1982). Set
comes with a set of runestones.

Osborn, Marijane and Stella Longland. Rune Games. (Routledge & Kegan
Paul, Ltd. 1982).

CARTOUCHE

Hope, Murray. The Way of Cartouche. (St. Martin's Press, 1985).
Set comes with cards.

607

Deity Engineering Worksheet

1. What qualities or aspects of reality does your Goddess, God or
Spirit embody?

2. What special abilities of powers does s/he have?

3. Describe Her or His appearance:

Body build & special attributes (tail, wings etc.):

Facial features & hair:

Apparent age:

Clothing, if any:

Jewelry & objects carried any:

4. How does s/he move?

5. what is Her/His voice like?

608

6. What correspondences are appropriate for each of the following?

animals:

Herbs, flowers:

Trees:

Colors:

Elements:

Direction:

Mudra:

Sacred objects:

Season:

Day of the week:

Time of night or day:

Gem or stone:

Features of the natural environment:

Smell and taste:

7. Describe Her/His temple or sacred space:

8. Does s/he have any special relationships to other Deities or
Spirits, or to humans?

9. Name this Entity:
Deity Engineering

Worksheet

1. What qualities or aspects of reality does your Goddess,
God or Spirit embody?

2. What special abilities of powers does s/he have?

609

3. Describe Her or His appearance:

Body build & special attributes (tail, wings etc.):

Facial features & hair:

Apparent age:

Clothing, if any:

Jewelry & objects carried, if any:

4. How does s/he move?

5. what is Her/His voice like?

6. What correspondences are appropriate for each of the
following?

animals:

Herbs, flowers:

Trees:

Colors:

Elements:

Direction:

Mudra:

Sacred objects:

Season:

Day of the week:

Time of night or day:

Gem or stone:

Features of the natural environment:

Smell and taste:

610

7. Describe Her/His temple or sacred space:

8. Does s/he have any special relationships to other
Deities or Spirits, or to humans?

9. Name this Entity:

611

Ever notice how many cars you see today, bearing the
Christian fish symbol on their trunk? Feel left out? Want to
compete and brag about your religious affiliations? Well, we
did, and you can, too, quite easily at that!

The "fish" symbol is the oldest of Christianity's symbology.
Unlike most of the other symbologies which have their roots in
Paganism, the fish was a sort of "secret sign" to identify the
members of the heretical Jewish sect of followers of the man from
Nazareth. The secrecy was because of persecution (sound
familiar?) and I believe the symbolism had to do with several
things - the disciples occupation as fishermen, and the hidden
meaning in the letters which spelled "fish" in Greek.

Want to identify yourself, although somewhat obscurely? Go
out and buy one of those fish emblems - the plain ones, without
the letters inside the oval. Better if the package contains two
such molded plastic stick-on emblems, if you are into the duality
of Goddess/God. If you are only into Goddess, one will do.

First, we will make one into one of the oldest known Goddess
symbols - the yoni! With a very sharp knife or fine toothed
hacksaw or hobby saw (a razor saw used by railroad modelers is
what I used), cut off both "tail fins" of the fish at point "X"
on the diagram. Save the pieces - we'll use them later. (Dianics
may discard the pieces now.

You may also melt them off with a hot tool or knife if you
are working on plastic fish, and clean it up with a nailfile or
emery board. Turn this pointy-ended oval on end (points up and
down), and VOILA! A YONI! The very first goddess figure devised
in ancient times. Stick it upright on your trunk (or the trunk
of your car, if it interferes with your clothing) and get the
second "fish" to work on next.

To represent the Horned God, all you really have to do is
up-end the remaining uncut "fish", fins up, and stick it
alongside the Goddess yonic figure - it looks like the classic
horned circle, though it is a bit pointed at the ends. If you'd
like to emphasize the "fish fin" horns a bit, glue the pieces you
cut off the other one, onto the ends of these, thereby
lengthening them. Now stick this emblem right alongside the
other one, and you have Goddess and God, side-by-each where all
can see, and probably confuse a lot of those folks who are still
displaying them as fish.

Don't pass up this chance to steal a symbol or two from
them- they stole quite a few of ours. A little friendly
competition is good to ease tensions. Perhaps we can start a new
rage in auto kitsch. The Aquarian Tabernacle's church bus, the
Blessed Bee, sports a large size, gold colored plastic Goddess
and God right there (you guessed it) on the left hand side of the
rear of the vehicle, for all to see and ponder!

Just another helpful household hint from Habondia.

612

12 Exercises Nobody Needs

1. Jumping to conclusions

2. Running around in circles

3. Wading through paperwork

4. Pushing your luck

5. Passing the buck

6. Throwing your weight around

7. Jumping on the bandwagon

8. Spinning your wheels

9. Dragging your heels

10. Adding fuel to the fire

11. Climbing the walls

12. Grasping at straws

613

OLD MAGIC EXORCISM

Power of wind have I over thee.
Power of wrath have I over thee.
Power of fire have I over thee.
Power of thunder have I over thee.
Power of lightning have I over thee.
Power of storm have I over thee.
Power of moon have I over thee.
Power of sun have I over thee.
Power of stars have I over thee.
Power of the heaven's and the worlds have I over thee.

(lift sword over head with both hands and chop down.)

Eson! Eson! Emaris!

Garner, Alan; "The Moon of Gomrath"; Ballantine

614

E C O M A G I C
---------------
The following is excerpted from an article, Making Magic For
Planet Earth, written by Selena Fox for Circle Network News (Box 219,
Mt. Horeb, WI 53572 ) and presented here as being of public interest to
the pagan community at large. Selena, I didn't have time to ask your
permission, I presume that by the very nature of your writings you want
them to be shared with as many people as possible, and so they are
presented here. This is submitted with this statement and not to be
edited, by Shadowstar of Boston MA.

"There are many things thatcan be done in spiritual realmsto help
bring about solutions to the world's problems:

* We can kindle spiritualfriendships with other lifeforms through
communication with Nature Spirits, who can be teachers for us and
allies in bringing about planetary healing.

* We can do daily meditations in whichwe creatively visualize the
spiritual body of the planet glowing with radiant healing light.

* We can organize and/or take part in ecumenical planetary prayer
services and rituals with practitioners of other spiritual paths and
cultures.

* We canhonor Mother Earth as an aspect of the divine in our solo
and group rituals.

* We can send Mother Earth our love and pray for planetary health
each time we visit a stone circle, sacred grove, place of power,
temple, shrine or other sacred site.

* We can do spiritual healing magic for the planet in our circles.

It is important to reinforce whatever spiritual work we do with
physical action. There are a variety of ways to do this and you should
decide on at least one approach and then carry it out. Here are a few
examples:

* Recycle trash from your household, take paper, plastics, glass,
aluminum cans, and other recyclables to recycling centers.

*Recycle clothes and no longer needed household items by donating
them to charities to distribute to the needy.

* Join and actively participate in environmental action groups.

* Write government officialsand urge them to takespecific actions
on specific environmental issues, such as stopping all ocean dumping.

* Write letters and articles for publications about the need for
environmental preservation.

* Plant trees as part of reforestation efforts.

* Compost food scraps.

* Stop buying and using non-bio-degradable detergents.

615

* Boycott products from companies that are destroying the Amazon
rainforest.

* Pick up cigarette butts and other non-biodegradable litter from
parks and other wilderness areas.

* Donate money to nature preserves.

* Give talks atschools, civic groups, churches andin other places
in your area about ecological issues.

* Read publications, view films, and attend presentations inorder
to keep informed about ecological conditions and to learn about
additional ways you can work for planetary healing.

* Conserve electricity, water and other resources on a daily basis.
* Network with others.

616

The Fundamental Laws of Human Ecology

1. We're all in it together. Everything is connected to everything
else. You can't do just one thing.

2. The Earth and its resources are finite. or You can't get something
for nothing.

3. As energy and other resources are used, there is an overall
decrease in the amount of usefulness. (Second Law of Thermodynamics>

4. Everything must go somewhere-there is now away.

5. Up to a point, the bigger the better; beyond that point, the bigger
the worse. or To everything there is an optimum size.

6. Everything is becoming something else.

7. In most cases, the greater the diversity of a system, the greater
its stability.

8. Nature frequently but not always "knows" best. Note: People use
antibiotics to counter nature.

9. We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings
shape us. - Winston Churchhill

10. As human beings, one of our inalienable rights is the right to live
in a clean environment.

11. Our environment does not belong to us alone. It was used by our
forefathers, passed on to us, and we are charged with the
responsibility of passing it undamaged to all future generations.

12. All persons must be held responsible for their own pollution.

13. All persons are created with an equal right to live in dignity and
peace and to work out a meaningful existence. Everyone is entitled to a
fair share of the world's resources-provided one is carrying one's own
share of the responsibilities for maintaining an orderly world.

14. Comfortable living, in harmony with nature, should be each
society's goal.

15. Our dependence on technology is, today, so strong and widespread,
that we are compelled to use technology as a means for getting out of
our environmental dilemma.

16. No national purpose however urgent, no political or economic
necessity however pressing can possibly justify the risk of bringing
all human history to an end.
The Posture of Ecstasy

617

The nature of ecstatic states of consciousness may be encoded in their
postures. The types of visions, prophecies or healing abilities that
accompany ecstatic states may have less to do with the religious
content surrounding the ceremonies of ecstasy than with the posture
assumed by the people undergoing the ecstatic experience.

This unusual hypothesis is being proposed by psychological
anthropologist Felicitas D. Goodman, PhD, based on observation of
people in ecstatic states and her experiments training people to enter
such states of consciousness. In some of her earlier re- search, Dr.
Goodman learned that she could induce an ecstatic state in a subject
through the use of a gourd rattle similar to that used in many
primitive shamanistic ceremonies. While a subject, alone, or in a
group, walked in a circle, or simply sat, Dr. Goodman would shake this
rattle in a steady manner for 15 minutes. The use of the rattle was
based on the hypothesis that "acoustic driving" affects the functioning
of the brain, blocking the verbal left hemisphere and opening access
the intuitive right hemisphere. Within five minutes, most subjects
were giving indications of being in an altered state of consciousness.
At the end of the experiment, their verbal reports confirmed that they
had been experiencing something resembling an ecstatic state, including
visions and variations in body image.
Noting that the content of these visions seemed to vary as a function
of which subjects had remained standing and which had become seated,
Dr. Goodman ran a series of experiments to specifically test the effect
of posture.

To obtain experimental postures, she went to ethnographic resources to
locate either photographs of shamans in ecstasy, or artistic renditions
of this state. She found five different postural positions. In her
subsequent experiments, she would ask her subjects to assume a
particular posture, commence the rattle playing for 15 minutes, then
obtain their reports. She found that these
reports were highly consistent for a given posture, but differed
between various postures.

For example, one posture was similar to sitting in meditation, except
that the legs are both tucked under the body and turned toward the
right. Subjects experienced color sensations, spinning and strong
alterations in mood. This posture was that assumed by Nupe Mallam
diviners. According to the literature, the divination experience
begins by alterations in moods.

618

In another posture, subjects stood erect with their heads back and
their hands clasped at the abdomen. Subjects reported warmth, a flow
of energy rising, and a channel opening at the top of the head.
According to the ethnographic literature, this posture had been
associated with healing, involving the flow of energy. In a similar
manner, the other postures tested produced experiences resembling the
reports of native shamans who assume the posture in their trance
work.

The author can only speculate concerning the mechanism by which posture
affects the content of ritualized trances. We know that posture affect
mood states. It is perhaps by their effect upon a wide variety of
psychophysiological variables that posture affects the course of
ecstasy.

(Source: "Body posture and the religious altered state of
consciousness: An experimental investigation," Journal of Humanistic
Psychology, Summer, 1986, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 81-118. Author's
address: Cuyamungue Institute, 114 East Duncan St., Columbus, OH
43202.)

619

The Men's Circle
Copyright 1987 by R.M.P.J.

Those of you who attended the "Opening the Sky" ritual at
Dragonfest this year probably realized that a large part of it was a
Creation Myth. At the Manhood Ritual on Friday night, Thomas's Circle
Invocation was also a Creation Myth, although a very brief one.
Perhaps it is in the stars, but I have been
thinking about a Pagan Creation Myth for several months now and perhaps
this is as good a time as any to publish it. The basic idea
originally came when some people complained that science didn't have
any mystery or poetic power in its formulations. That is not really
true, it is just that not enough scientists are trained to write well,
or encouraged to present new knowledge in a form that will appeal to
all levels of our minds. Well, I decided to have a go at it, and the
following myth is based pretty closely on modern cosmology and
evolutionary theory.
..................................

In the beginning therewas neither matter nor energy,neither was
there space nor time, force and form were not. Yet there was
Something. Poised between Spirit and Void, without form or qualities,
pure potentiality, the first physical manifestation had existence.
Scientists call it the Primordial Singularity, occultists call it the
Cosmic Egg.

It changed, and the first moment of time came to be. It
expanded, and space was born. Not the space we know, but one of many
dimensions, and that space was filled with the first Force. So intense
was that Force that space itself altered. Dimensions folded back on
themselves, while others expanded mightily. The first Form came to be.
As the infant universe expanded it changed subtly, and as naturally as
snowflakes forming in the air, the first material manifestation
precipitated out of nothingness. Neither matter nor
energy as we know them, but yet both. The Element Fire was born. The
universe continued to expand, and the one Force became two forces, then
three and finally four. Matter and energy became distinguishable, and
the Element Earth was born from Fire. A hundred thousand years went
by, and the universe continued to expand and cool until, quite
suddenly, the fire died, space became transparent to light, and there
were great clouds of cool gas, moving freely.
The Element Air was born. The clouds began to draw together, then
break apart into smaller clouds, and smaller still, until a limit was
reached, and a hundred thousand clouds collapsed inward upon
themselves, swirling and twisting, flattening and smoothing, rippling,
and organizing themselves. The Element Water was born.

620

One cloud, like many of its siblings, took on astructure like a
great pinwheel, with spiral arms stretching out from its center. It
was Galaxias, our Milky Way. Within its turbulent swirling, smaller
eddies formed and contracted, tighter and tighter. At the center of
one a spark grew bright then another and another. The first stars were
lighted, and shown in a universe grown dark. Many of them burned
prodigally for a time and then exploded, hurling the ashes of their
burning outward, ashes such as oxygen and carbon and
nitrogen; star stuff, life stuff. Generations of stars came and went
over the billions of years, and out in one of the spiral arms a cloud
of gas and dust began to collapse like so many others before. It
contracted, and a new star lighted, with a disc of dust and gas
circling it. The disc became lumpy as grains of dust and crystals of
ice collided and stuck together. The lumps touched and merged, ever
growing in the light of the young star. Finally, nine bodies circled
the new star, which would one day be called Sol, or simply, the Sun.
Third out from the sun a rare event had happened. Two young planets
had collided and merged violently, forming a single planet. In the
violence of that collision, part of the surfaces of both had been
ripped off and hurled out to form a ring of molten rock which quickly
drew together to form a giant satellite. The Earth and the Moon had
been born in a passionate joining.

Asthe young Earth cooled,great volcanos belchedforth gases from
its still hot interior. An atmosphere of steam and carbon dioxide
formed and then clouds appeared. The first rains began, pouring down
on the rocks and washing down into the low places. The oceans were
born. Water evaporated from the oceans and fell again as rain,
dissolving minerals from the rocks and carrying them into the sea. The
early ocean became richer and richer in dissolved minerals and gases.
Lightning in the young atmosphere formed new substances
which added to the complexity of the mix. The dissolved substances in
the oceans became more and more complex, until one day a complex
molecule attracted simpler compounds to itself, and then there were
two, then four. Life was born.

From its simple origins, Life grew in complexity, until one day a patch
of green appeared, drawing energy from the Sun, and exuding oxygen.
Within a short time the atmosphere changed radically. The sky became
blue, the air clear and rich in oxygen. As the Earth had shaped Life,
so Life began to shape the Earth. Delicately balancing and ever
re-balancing between the furnace heat of her sister Venus, and the icy
cold of her brother Mars, Gaia, the Living Earth, had come to be.

The first animals appeared and swam in the oceans. Then
venturesome ones crawled onto the land. The forms taken by life
changed. Fish appeared, and dragons walked the land. Tiny furred
creatures supplanted the great dragons, whose descendants now flew
through the skies, clothed in feathers. By and by some of the furred
creatures came down from the trees and began to walk about on their
hind legs, and then they started picking things up. Soon they were
using the things they picked up. Then they started talking to each
other. After they had been talking for a while, they started thinking.
Some of them even started thinking about where they had come from and
where they were going. And they began to wonder how everything had
come to be - and why.
..................................

621

Well, there it is. Now thatit's written I'mwondering what itall
means. You who read this have as much right to interpret it as the
author, who after all is mostly gathering the thoughts and conclusions
of other men and women and putting them into a hopefully attractive
package. Creation myths are supposed to tell us something about the
world we live in and our relationship with that world, and perhaps
about ourselves. This one seems to be telling us that the
world in which we live was not made, like a clock, it grew, like an
embryo in an egg. We humans are as much a part of our world as the eye
of an embryo is part of the embryo. We are the part of the world that
"sees". And what about the Gods? Where do they fit into all this?
Well, eggs generally have a mother and a father, and newborn chicks
aren't aware of either until they open their eyes. We are the eyes of
our world, and one of our functions is to see the Mother and Father.

___Robin

622

From: ROWAN MOONSTONE
To: ALL
Subj: CHRISTIANITY AND WICCA
The following is the comparison listing of Christianity and Wicca that
I mentioned in a previous message. It was prepared by Kerr Cuchulain,
who is the Canadian Chapter Head for the Witches League for Public
Awareness, in response to a request from a Christian minister who
contacted the League.

Christianity Wicca
Patriarchal/Paternalistic Duotheistic (Goddess/God)*
Dualistic: divinity separate Monistic: Divinity inseparable
from everyday world from everyday world
Resurrection Reincarnation
Heaven: destination of Christian Summerland: resting place
between souls incarnations
Hell No equivalent
Satan No equivalent
Original Sin No equivalent
Redemption/Atonement/Confession Karma/Threefold Law(evil returns
uponthe perpetratorthree-fold)
Hierarchy/Authoritarian No hierarchy/ Autonomy
Bible( scripture) No equivalent **
Sabbats based upon Biblical Seasonal and Lunar Sabbats
and Christian historical events
Prophets/Saints/Messiahs no equivalent
Generally daylight worship Some worship nocturnal(lunar
esbats)
Churches/temples Circles case where convenient
usually
no
formal
temple
no
size

restrictions
on
small
groups

(covens)
3-13
people
usual

though congregations may be
larger.
10 Commandments Wiccan Rede Harm none
Psychic phenomena generally Psychic abilities encouraged
discouraged except for (magick)
"miracles"
* Names vary from tradition to tradition. lDifferent aspects of the
Goddess/God have different names creating the impression that Wicca may
be pantheistic.
** Wiccans use a book called the "Book of Shadows". This is a working
notebook rather than a scriptural text.

623

DEGREES OF INITIATION
SPARROW SONG

What do the three ( or four ) degrees of Wicca entail?

Well, as I see it, the (in my case) three degrees reflect levels
of competency. You have to know and maybe even be able to teach
various things to be upped a degree. Also, I see the degrees as much
like Church hierarchy. First degree makes you a priest/priestess, and
makes you responsible for a small part of the lay community. Second
degree is kinda like being a bishop -- that's also when you become an
"Elder" -- and makes you responsible for lay community and what first
degrees are in your group. In other words, 2nd degree has more and
greater attendant responsibilities (which is as it should be, no?). In
my tradition, 3rd degree is given when it looks like the person is
ready to go off and found a coven of his/her own (preferably with
his/her mate -- they like to give thirds in pairs), which the person
then should do (cause there shouldn't be more than one set of 3rds in a
coven). 3rd is rather closer to 2nd than 2nd is to 1st, as I see
it. And in the way of what one must know, well, it seems to consist of
memorizing a basic ritual and knowing why it works, plus various other
things too numerous and eclectic to mention here. Ultimately, I think,
advancement is according to the whim of the High Priestess & Priest.
Yea, it's a pain, but if you don't like it you can always "invent
yer own grandmother" and start off on your own. After all,
that's one of the good things about this religion: its flexibility.
And as long as you don't dismember animals and children, you may even
be recognized and acknowledged! (mostly joking)
Seriously, I've been finding the whole degree system a pain lately, a
source of unfair manipulation along the carrot-and-stick lines, so I'm
somewhat bitter about it all. Brighit (are you out there?) may be
better able to explain it, since she's a HPs herself, and of a very
formalized tradition...
Seems that while I've been gone there have been one or two
requests for me to comment on things ... First, on degree systems:
Yes, SeaHawk is right, we Gardnerians do have a fairly rigid system
although each coven interprets it slightly differently. In Tobar
Bhride [my coven] our first degree is NOT considered clergy nor is it
eligible for CoG credentials because it is considered an acknowledge-
ment of one's commitment to the Craft and the Coven, but not
necessarily a commitment to clerical responsibility. First degrees are
considered competent to do a circle for themselves only -- and given
only that part of the Book which is relevant to that scope of practice.

Second degree Priest/ess/es are considered teachers, and in our
particular coven must have taught us, as a coven, something before
elevation to that degree is considered. They are eligible to lead
group celebrations and also eligible for CoG Ministerial Credentials.
Elders, Third Degree Witches, in Tobar Bhride, are those with direct
experience of deity through a formalized ritual of possession. This
experience, and a year of service to Tobar Bhride, are the requirements
for Third Degree.

624

I agree with SeaHawk about the sometimes arbitrary forces at work
in initiation and elevation. Unfortunately in many covens the HP & HPs
feel themselves oathbound to be arbitrary, authoritarian and
autocratic, and absolutely not subject to any constraint or needing
any consensus whatsoever. Or in some covens they will agree to
consensus on the little things and arbitrarily disperse the big ones
. In Tobar Bhride, to avoid this, we have
made a rule for ourselves: if a person fulfills all the paper
requirements for initiation/elevation and does not receive that degree
within two Sabbats' time, the Council of Elders is FORCED to explain
why to the petitioner. This seems to curb the temptation to such
authoritarian use of power ...

625

Full Deck Tarot Star Spread
by Unicornis

There are very few Tarot spreads which use the entire deck in a
single unified pattern. What follows is a description of such a
spread. It is best suited for situations in which a great deal of
complexity is present, and for 'general' readings. The steps for
creating the spread are:

1: Thoroughly shuffle the deck until it 'feels' right. While I
personably do not allow another person to shuffle my cards, if the
reading concerns another it is acceptable to allow that person to hold
the deck while concentrating upon the matter in question. This is a
personal preference, but I am convinced that the relationship between
reader and deck is a very personal one and that contact with the deck
by another may 'confuse' the reading.

2: Dealing from the 'bottom' of the deck (i.e. withthe cards face
down and dealing from the topmost position), create thirteen piles of
six cards each. The first pile is in the center and the other twelve
are in a circle around it. Each pile should be dealt consecutively
(all six cards at once). Although it is not necessary to actually place
them so, at least understand that the first card dealt in a pile (Card
0) is in the center of a circle of five cards (Card 1 through Card 5).
This circle is, in actuality, a Star. When laying them out in a Star,
use the following spread for each pile:

3 4
0

5 2

Note that if you trace the numbers from 1 to 5 you will trace a
five-pointed star, always moving clockwise around the circle to reach
the next point.

3: Interpret the spread.

Interpretation of this spread is based upon the astrological
symbolism of the twelve houses. The first pile of cards in the circle
of twelve piles is House 1, the second is House 2, etc..

626

The individual piles delineate the specific factors at work in each
of the twelve basic areas. Card 1 represents the matter in question
(the 'problem', question, etc.). Card 2 represents the 'source' (cause
of the problem, inception of a project, etc.). Card 3 represents
factors which bear upon the matter, but which are external to it (and
probably out of the control of the querant). Card 4 represents actions
taken with regard to the matter. Card 5 represents the outcome of
those actions. Card 4 is the most difficult to interpret, since
'action' could here represent several different things. First of all,
it might represent an action which has already been taken. If so, then
Card 5 will represent the probable outcome, unless counter actions are
taken. Secondly, it might represent the action which the querant is
asking about (i.e. 'Should I ...'.
Card 5, again, represents the probable outcome. Thirdly, it might
represent the suggested course of action (answer to the question 'What
should I ...'). In this case, Card 5 is the suggested goal. It is
quite possible that Card 5 will relate to a past outcome (i.e.
everything has already transpired). If this seems to be the case, then
it is possible that all five cards must be interpreted as relating to
another person, instead of the querant. Most of the time the sense of
Card 4 should be apparent from the context of the reading.

Card 0 always represents the 'heart' of the individual Star spread.
Usually, this relates to the querant's own relationship to the matter
which is germane to the house in question. It can also, however,
represent the underlying ('behind the scenes') factors which
precipitated the matter, not to be confused with the 'cause' of a
problem. In this sense, it will usually represent motivations, rather
than actions. In some cases Card 0 will represent a person, other the
querant, to which the Star actually relates. In such a case, an
attempt should be made, based upon the situation and the nature of the
card to identify that person, since this implies that the matter is
either out of the hands of the querant or the querant is only an
'ambient' factor (and will then be represented by Card 3 for that
particular Star.

In a similar manner, Pile 0 (the one at the center of the circle),
represents the 'heart' of the entire reading. This will always pertain
to the reasons (motivations) of the querant, and interpretation of this
Star spread must be used to modify all of the others.

This is not the place to delve into the meanings of the twelve
houses in detail. There are many good books in print which deal with
this. I highly recommend the following, which give excellent
interpretations of the twelve astrological houses (coinciding with the
twelve 'Stars' of this Tarot spread):

The Astrological Houses: The Spectrum of Individual Experience
by Dane Rudhyar

The Astrology of Personality
by Dane Rudhyar

A Handbook for the Humanistic Astrologer
by Michael R. Meyer

The full deck star spread lends itself admirably to an in-depth
study of any matter. The human condition is far too complex to use a

627

simple yes-no approach to any matter of importance. More so than
spreads which involve only a small number of the total factors which
could come into play, the full deck star spread allows detailed
analysis of all of the options and avenues which are available. It
will also show how the outcome of an action might affect areas of the
querant's life which were not specifically part of the reason for
consulting the Tarot in the first place.

It might take a little longer to use, and might require a little
more effort on the part of the interpreter, but the extra work will be
repaid many-fold in the certainty that no stone was left unturned.

628

Self-defense and Banes
Judy Harrow

I surely agree that we have every right to protect ourselves and our
"own folk" from attack. But I do believe that shield and mirror
workings are more efficient, effective and elegant at accomplishing the
goal of self-protection. Consider this - a mirror working is perfect
justice. If I am mistaken, either that psychic attack is being done at
all or about the perpetrator, a bane will jeopardies me karmically and
(if psychic attack truly is being done by somebody other than the one I
suspect) fail to protect me. A mirror sits there passively, ignores any
mistaken paranoia that I may occasionally get, does nothing at all
until and unless an attack happens, and then sends the bad energy
directly back to the exactly deserving person or group in exactly the
proper amount and kind. A mirror is perfect justice.

A grounding shield is perfect mercy, taking bad energy and
dissipating it harmlessly. I think I already said this but I recently
talked one of my students into using a grounding shield where she would
have been perfectly entitled to use a mirror. The situation is an
ongoing battle between my student's lover and his former wife. While
the ex-wife did an entirely unjustifiable attack, and would fully
deserve to have it returned full force, all this would really
accomplish would be to perpetuate the craziness, hostility and tension
in the situation - and both the couple's innocent children and my
student are being hurt. Better for all concerned to ignore justice and
drain as much of the tension as possible, to make room for the healing
that all of them need. A grounding shield is perfect mercy.

Butbanes and bindings, whilethey may giveshort term protection,
risk your own karma, are susceptible to mistake, and may, if
misdirected, even fail of their well-intended purpose. Sure you're
entitled to self-protection. This is just a lousy way to go about it. I
guess my kind of Warrior is Athena, the wise defender.
warmly / Judy

From: Hugh Read
You have a gentle way. For myself, I love Minerva who I feel is a
Being unto Herself. The concept of the Grounding Shield is clear to
me...would you care to share the practice with me. Justice has little
interest for me. That takes care of itself in the process of time. We
are all amply repayed for our varies deeds simply by wearing this body
of ours. Healing is far more to the point. The word Justice makes me
cringe a bit, though long ago I came to peace with Justice. One of my
more angry prayers is May he/she have perfect Justice, NOW! Instant
karma, NOW...and I always add, and so may it be with me.
I remember telling this to a New Age teacher a few years ago. He
turned pale and promised me auto accidents, fire, theft and robbery if
I did that. Well, I am still bopping along with my share in the
chancier aspects of life affirming perfect Justice for my self and
every now and then in those very rare (!) moments of anger instant
Karma for me and whoever. I love the idea of a shield that will ground
and disperse any nasties send grovelling in my direction. Let Healing
Be the Way!!! Tender bliss and explosive ecstacy be yours as the days
pass softly!

629

From: Judy Harrow
It's visualization either way. For the grounding shield, it is
velvety, absorptive black (Oops, I should say that MINE is - you may
alter this to whatever will convince your Younger Self). Every so often
along it's length, for me every 2-3 yards, there is a post somewhat
like a fence post that extends deep into the ground and is conductive
like a lightening rod. Trust mother Earth to filter any kind of energy
back into simple, pure, undifferentiated energy and recycle it to
wherever it is most needed. So the shield catches incoming energy and
channels it down through the purifying rocks. I don't know exactly how
to describe physically how the shield can be
semi-permeable, allowing in the well-wishes of your friends, but, as
semi permeable membranes exist in Nature, helping each cell maintain
its water/salt balance, so can this shield. Can you conceive of a
substance both velvet and mesh? That's how it is with me.

Onthe justice endof the spectrum, myown Younger Selfis a bit of
a literalist. A flat mirror will not work for me, since the angle of
incidence is complementary to the angle of reflection, which means that
bad energy is actually diverted from the sender and bounced onto
innocent parties. My mirror looks like a waffle, and is optically
designed to send stuff back exactly where it came from. It's also
semi-permeable, and that is even harder to explain. I guess Younger
Self is not altogether consistent.

On the issue of choosing between the two modes. Justice is a
tautology. It will do no better - and no worse - than getting you back
to where you began. It protects and maintains, but does not allow for
growth. Perhaps you've read Diana Paxon's wonderful book "Red Mare,
White Stallion." At the beginning, the women of the tribe have a ritual
opportunity to make a wish for the coming year. But the heroine does
something even better. When her turn comes, she tells the Goddess
"Mother, You choose." Had she chosen, she could not possibly have
received anything more than she was capable of imagining. Taking the
risk of not choosing was opening herself to surprise and
transformation.

Reading that was a mind-blow forme. Since then, I have tried to
take Diana's dare as much as possible, and not limit myself to
tautology. I don't do it all the time, but I stretch toward it. The
mirror/shield question resonates with that for me.

Minerva/Athena wears a shieldand helmet, and carries aspear. My
Sister is a Warrior, but always in defense of the community and always
for justice. Never for greed or domination. It is worthy to protect
what you have, and worthy to reach beyond.
warmly / Judy

630

This article is excerpted from the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal.
Each issue of the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal is published by
High Plains Arts and Sciences; P.O. Box 620604, Littleton Co.,
80123, a Colorado Non-Profit Corporation, under a Public Domain
Copyright, which entitles any person or group of persons to
reproduce, in any form whatsoever, any material contained therein
without restriction, so long as articles are not condensed or
abbreviated in any fashion, and credit is given the original
author.!

The Way it Looks from Here

Hello again. Lots of changes the last couple of months,
both for me and for relatives, friends, acquaintances... This
time I think I'd like to talk about "harvest season" for a bit.

There are times in the various rites and ceremonies that
have to do with the `gathering in' time of the year, when we feel
that we need to offer up the "fruits of the harvest" to the Gods.
We carefully select the best examples of what we have grown and
nurtured since planting-time, polish our apples and scrape the
mud off the squash and pumpkins, shuck a few ears of corn
perhaps, and bring it all to the altar to offer in solemn ritual
to the Lord and Lady, hoping to justify the time and labor we've
spent.

It is certainly not my purpose here to be skeptical of that
pursuit, rather to expand our horizons a bit. For a great many
years I followed this "custom", and I must say I never thought
much about it all.

Two years ago, my father was diagnosed as having cancer.
The doctors toiled mightily over him for the past two years, but
to no avail. My father passed into Summerland on October 14th, a
week short of his 81st birthday, just a few months shy of 50
years of marriage.

I couldn't say that Dad was a Pagan in most senses of the
word. He did, however, have some interesting views on my
religious practices. This last spring, I was trying to explain
to Dad why we have harvest celebrations; something he said jarred
me out of a rut, as it were, and got me thinking on a parallel,
if different track.

If, he said, you believe that the Goddess and God are
responsible for everything being here, why do you make a big deal
out of the harvest offering? The Gods already "own" everything
you're trying to give them... Dad pointed out to me that, given
a modicum of rain and sun, most plants will grow and flower and
fruit entirely on their own, untouched by human hands. Well,
that set me to thinking. I've been mulling this over for a few
months, and I'm still a bit confused. However, let me have a go
at explaining what my thoughts are at this point on the
"offering".

631

When I select fruits and vegetables from the garden to offer
up to the Gods, the offering I make is not just the produce I lay
on the altar. As Dad said, things will grow without, and
sometimes in spite of what we do. What I'm doing is offering the
fruits of my labor, not the produce itself. I've taken what the
Gods gave me, and hopefully increased the yield by watering,
fertilizing, hoeing, weeding.... Am I not saying, "I thank you
for the raw materials, see what I've accomplished with your
gift"?

Is life not a gift of the Gods? Every time I step up to the
altar in circle, should I not offer up the best of myself in
Their service?

A little child will pick up a stick or a rock off the
street, and give it to you because he loves you. It's all he has
to give. We have so much more. The Gods gave us life; they gave
us the tools to mold it. By intellect, willpower, emotion, we
become who and what we are. If we use those tools, what we offer
to the Gods is surely a more acceptable thing to give.

My Dad didn't have the easiest or the best of life. Yet,
though he had to work six days out of seven most of his life to
make a home for Mom and me, he did it with a right good will. He
learned everything he could; he did what he had to and a good
deal extra; he loved life, nature and his family. He left a leg-
acy in the hearts and minds of those who knew him that will not
soon be forgotten. I can only hope that when it's time for my
final "harvesting", I can make as acceptable an offering as he.

And that's the way it looks from here.
___Gary Dumbauld, editor.
..........from RMPJ 12/86

632

CONCERNING THE HEYOKAH
Copyright 1987, T. W. Moore

Hello, people! Before I get to the subject of this little
piece, let me give you a bit of information as to its roots.

Recently I have been doing a lot of writing, horror stories
for the most part, and this article grew out of that. It is also
derived from a dream that I had not too long ago and something
that has puzzled me until recently. Now, with all that out of
the way, let's get to it.

Those of you who are familiar with Native American beliefs
already have an idea of what a heyokah is. For the benefit of
those who aren't, I'll try to briefly describe him for you. Who
knows? There may well be a counterpart in your own tradition.

The word heyokah comes from the Lakotah (Sioux) and is used
in reference to a particular type of shaman. According to
tradition, the heyokah is one who has "dreamed of the Thunder
Spirits." This dream bestows great powers upon the medicine
man/medicine woman, one of which is reputed to be an ability to
influence storms. However, these powers have their price in that
the shaman becomes a "contrary/" If you've seen the movie Little
Big Man, then you have seen a sample of the heyokah's antics. Of
course, this was a parody of the real thing, but our subject does
do a lot of clowning around in reverse.

Now I've read quite a bit on the subject (there's a lot out
there, too), but still couldn't put it together. There seemed to
be something missing! It's only in the last month or so that
it's become clear to me and I'd like to share my insights with
you.

633

Probably the greatest barrier to my understanding was the
one created by language. Not being able to speak Lakotah, and
additionally not knowing the culture, I lost something in the
translation. Here's the whole picture, as I see it anyway.

In his vision, the heyokah comes into direct contact with
the life-force itself. This is symbolized by the Thunder Spirits
that he dreams of. When this occurs, a death/rebirth sequence is
begun, which gives the shaman the capacity to control some of the
manifestations of life-force. This would include an ability to
influence storms and, as is typical of the shamanic experience,
the power to heal. He also becomes a very potent teacher. This
last is where the "contrariness" comes into focus, in two ways.
The first is that the heyokah is teaching us about our selves.
By "mirroring" all of our doubts, fears, hatreds, weaknesses,
etc. he forces us to examine what we really are. For example, if
you have any self-hatred (a common malady in our society) this
sacred teacher will make you look at it. The second aspect of
his mirroring is that, as we are taught, the heyokah heals us of
our hurts. This is the most important and remarkable part of the
holy man's clowning. For this wonderful shaman takes our pain
and transforms it into laughter. And what can heal a human
beings faster than to laugh at ourselves?

As you can see, these "sacred clowns" had a very important
role in traditional societies. And personally, I think we could
use a few more of them in today's world.

Suggested Reading

SEVEN ARROWS, Hyemeyosts Storm .

SONG OF HEYOKAH, Hyemeyosts Storm .

LAME DEER: SEEKER OF VISIONS, Richard Erdoes and Lame Deer.

SHAMANIC VOICES, Joan Halifax.

If anyone would like to respond to this or has anything to
share with me, please write to me c/o Post Office Box 11125,
Englewood, CO 80110

.......... FROM RMPJ, 2/3/1987

634

FULL MOON RITUAL GROUP

The Esbat takes place on the nights of the New Moon and the nights of
the Full Moon. On these nights, the Coven usually does any kind of
magical work and business they need to. It is enacted, hopefully every
Full Moon.

Set up: Place a candle in each of the four cardinal directions.Lay the
rest of the tools on the altar cloth or near it. The altar can be on
the ground, a table, a rock or a stump. The altar should be in the
center or just north of center of the Circle. Light the six candles and
the incense, start the music and begin the ritual.

THE RITUAL
Facing North, the High Priest and Priestess kneel in front of the altar
with him to her right. She puts the bowl of water on the altar, places
the point of her athame in it and says:

"I exorcise thee, O Creature of Water, that thou cast out from
thee all impurities and uncleanliness of the world of phantasm; in the
names of Cernunnos and Aradia"

She then puts down her athame and holds up the bowl of water with both
hands. The High Priest puts the bowl of salt on the altar, puts his
athame in the salt and says:

"Blessings be upon this Creature of Salt; let all malignity and
hindrance be cast forth hencefrom, and let all good enter herein;
wherefore so I bless thee,that thou mayest aid me, in the names of
Cernunnos and Aradia."

He then puts down his athame and pours the salt into the bowl of water
the High Priestess is holding. The High Priest then stands with the
rest of the Coven outside the Circle. The High Priestess then draws the
Circle with the sword, leaving a gap in the Northeast section. While
drawing the Circle, she should visualize the power flowing into the
Circle from off the end of the sword. She draws the Circle in a East to
North or deosil or clockwise direction. She says:

"I conjure thee, O Circle of Power, that thou beest a meeting
place of love and joy and truth; a shield against all wickedness and
evil; a boundary between men and the realms of the Mighty Ones; a
rampart and protection that shall preserve and contain the power that
we shall raise within thee. Wherefore do I bless thee and consecrate
thee, in the names of Cernunnos and Aradia."

635

The High Priestess lays down the sword and admits the High Priest with
a kiss while spinning him deosil and whispers"Bless Be" . He then
admits a women the same way. Alternate male female male. Then the High
Priestess finishes closing the Circle with the sword. She then names
three witches to help strengthen the Circle. The first witch carries
the bowl of consecrated water from East to East going deosil,
sprinkling the perimeter as she/he goes. They then sprinkle each member
in turn. If the witch is male, he sprinkles the High Priestess last who
then sprinkles him. If female she sprinkles the High Priest last, who
then sprinkles her. The bowl is replaced on the altar. The second witch
takes the incense burner around the perimeter and the third takes one
of the altar candles. While going around the perimeter, each person
says:

"Black spirits and white,
Red spirits and grey,
Harken to the rune I say.
Four points of the Circle, weave the spell,
East, South, West, North, your tale tell.
East is for break of day,
South is white for the noontide hour,
In the West is twilight grey,
And North is black, for the place of power.
Three times round the Circle's cast.
Great ones, spirits from the past,
Witness it and guard it fast."

All the Coven pickup their athames and face the East with the High
Priest and Priestess in front, him on her right. The High Priestess
says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air;
I do summon, stir, and call you up to witness our rites and to
guard the
Circle."

As she speaks she draws the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with
her athame:
2 7
4 5

6 1 3
The High Priest and the rest of the Coven copy her movements with their
athames. The High Priestess turns and faces the South and repeats the
summoning:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, ye Lords of Fire;
I dosummon,stirand callyouup, towitnessour ritesandto
guard
the Circle."

She does the same pentagram and then faces West and says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West, ye Lords of Water, ye
Lords of Death and Initiation; I do summon, stir, and call you up, to
witness our rites and to guard the Circle."

636

She faces North with rest of the Coven and says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the North, ye Lords of E a r t h ;
Boreas,
thougentleguardian oftheNorthernPortals; thoupowerful
God and
gentleGoddess;we dosummon,stirandcallyou up,towitness
our
rites and to guard the Circle."

The Circle is completed and sealed. If anyone needs to leave, agate
must be made. Using the sword, draw out part of the Circle with a
widdershins or counterclockwise stroke. Immediately reseal it and then
repeat the opening and closing when the person returns.
In this part of the ritual, the Goddess becomes incarnate in the High
Priestess. The High Priestess stands in front of the altar with her
back to it. She holds the wand in her right hand the scrounge in her
left. She crosses her wrists and crosses the wand and scrounge above
them while holding them close to her breast. The High Priest stands in
front of her and says:

"Diana, queen of night
In all your beauty bright,
Shine on us here,
And with your silver beam
Unlock the gates of dream;
Rise bright and clear.
On Earth and sky and sea,
Your magic mystery
Its spell shall cast,
Wherever leaf may grow,
Wherever tide may flow,
Till all be past.
O secret queen of power,
At this enchanted hour
We ask your boon.
May fortune's favor fall
Upon true witches all,
O Lady Moon!"

The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the Five
Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb, both
breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He says,
as he does this:

"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."

637

"I invoke thee and call upon thee, Mighty Mother of us a l l ,
bringer of all fruitfulness; by seed and root, by bud and stem, by leaf
and flower and fruit, by life and love do I invoke thee to descend
upon the body of this thy servant and priestess."

During this invocation he touches her with his right forefinger on her
right breast, left breast, and womb, repeats the set and finally the
right breast. Still kneeling, he spreads his arms out and down, with
the palms forward and says:

"Hail Aradia! From the Amalthean Horn
Pour forth thy store of love; I lowly bend
Before thee, I adore thee to the end,
With loving sacrifice thy shrine adore.
Thy foot is to my lip
(he kisses her right foot)
my prayer up borne
Upon the rising incense smoke; then spend
Thine ancient love, O Mighty One, descend
To aid me, who without thee am forlorn."

The High Priest stands up and steps backwards. The High Priestess draws
the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with the wand and says as
the Goddess:

"Of the Mother darksome and divine
Mine the scrounge, and mine the kiss;
The five point star of love and bliss
Here I charge you in this sign."

The High Priest starts off by saying:

"Listen to the words of the Great Mother; she who of old was also
called among man Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite,
Cerridwen, Dana, Arianhod, Isis and by many other names."

638

The High Priestess, who should be in a trance, says as the Goddess:

Whenever you have need of anything, once in a month, and better it
be when the Moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place
and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all witches. There shall ye
assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won
its deepest secrets; to these will I teach things that are yet
unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye be
really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; dance, sing, feast, make
music and love, all in my praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the
spirit, and mine also is joy on earth; for my law is love unto all
beings. Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let
naught stop you or turn you aside. For mine is the cup of the wine of
life, and the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of
Immortality. I am the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto
the heart of man. Upon Earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit
eternal; and beyond death, I give peace and freedom, and reunion with
those who have gone before. Nor do I demand sacrifice; for behold I am
the Mother of all living things, and my love is poured out upon the
earth. I who am the white Moon among the stars, and the mystery of
the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, call unto thy soul.
Arise, and come unto me. For I am the soul of nature, who gives life
to the universe. From me all things proceed, and unto me all things
must return; and before my face, beloved of Gods and men, let thine
innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let
my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of
love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty
and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and
reverence within you. And thou who seekest to seek for me, know thy
seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the
mystery; and if that which thou seekest thou findest not within
thee,thou will never find it without thee. For behold, I have been
with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the
end of desire."

The High Priest faces the Priestess and says:

"We thank you Our Lady for attending our rites. We bid you
farewell
till next we call you. Blessed Be."

639

The Witches' Creed should be said by the entire Coven.

"Hear now the words of the witches,
The secrets we hid in the night,
When dark was our destiny's pathway,
That now we bring forth into the light.
Mysterious Water and Fire,
The Earth and the wide ranging Air,
By hidden quintessence we know them,
And will 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 magical ring.
Four times in the year the Great Sabbat
Returns, and the witches are seen
At Lammas and Candlemas dancing,
On May Eve and old Hallowe'en.
When day time and night time are equal,
When sun is at greatest and least,
The four lesser Sabbats are summoned,
Again witches gather in feast.
Thirteen silver moons in a year are,
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 time between woman and man,
Each century unto the other,
Ere time and ages began.
When drawn is the magical circle,
By sword or athame of power,
It's compass between the two worlds lies,
In the land of shades that hour.
This world has no right to know it,
And the world beyond will tell naught.
The oldest of gods are invoked there,
The Great Work of Magic is wrought.
For two are the mystical pillars,
That stand at the gate of the shrine,
And two are the powers of nature,
The forms and the forces of the divine.
The dark and the light in succession,
The opposites each unto each,
Shown forth as a God and a Goddess:
This did our ancestors teach.
By night he's the wild wind's rider,
The Horn'd One, the Lord of the Shades.
By day he's the King of the Woodland,
The dweller in green forest glades.
She is youthful or old as she pleases,
She sails the torn clouds in her barque,
The bright silver lady of midnight,
The crone who weaves spells in the dark.
The master and mistress of magic,
They dwell in the deeps of the main,
Immortal and ever renewing,
With power to free or to bind.

640

So drink the good wine to the Old Gods,
And dance and make love in their praise,
Till Elphames's fair land shall receive us
In peace at the end of our days.
And Do What Thou Wilt shall be the challenge,
So be it in love that harms none,
For this is the only commandment,
By magic of old, be it done!
Eight words the Witches Creed fulfill:
If It Harms None, Do What Thou Will!

The High Priest faces the Coven, raises his arms wide and says:
"Bagabi lacha bachabe
Lamac cahi achababe
Karellyos
Lamac lamac bachalyas
Cabahagy sabalyos
Baryolos
Lagaz atha cabyolas
Samahac atha famolas
Hurrahya!"

The High Priestess and the Coven repeat:

"Hurrahya!"

The High Priest and High Priestess face the altar. The High Priest
continues:

"Great God Cernunnos, return to Earth again!
Come to my call and show thy self to men.
Shepherd of Goats, upon the wild hill's way,
Lead thy lost flocks from darkness unto day.
Forgotten are the ways of sleep and night
Men seek for them, whose eyes have lost the light.
Open the door of dreams, whereby man come to thee.
Shepherd of Goats, O answer unto me!"

The High Priest and the rest of the Coven then say:

"Akhera goittiakhera beitti!"

641

This invocation can be said by anyone or everyone.

"Diana of the rounded moon,
The Queen of all enchantments here,
The wind is crying through the trees,
And we invoke thee to appear.
The cares of day departed are,
The realm of might belongs to thee;
And we in love and kinship join
With all things wild and free.
As powers of magic round us move,
Now let time's self dissolve and fade.
Here in the place between the worlds
May we be one with nature made.
Thy consort is the Horn'd One,
Whose sevenfold pipes make music sweet.
Old Gods of life and love and light,
Be here as merrily we meet!
For ye the circle's round we tread,
And unto ye the wine we pour;
The sacred Old Ones of this land,
Ye we invoke by ancient lore
By magic moon and pagan spell,
By all the secrets of the night,
Dreams and desires and mystery,
Borne on the moonbeams' silver light.
Now may we hear, or may we see,
Or may we know within the heart,
A token of true magic made,
Ere from this circle we depart."

Pause and wait in silence. There may come a sound, an outward sign or
inner vision. When you feel the time is right, end the period of
silence by bowing towards the altar and saying:

"O GoddessQueen of Night,
O Horn'd One of might,
In earth and sky and sea
May peace and blessing be!"

Relax. You can also do any other magic craft at this time.
The Coven, except for the High Priestess and High Priest,arrange
themselves around the perimeter of the circle, man and woman
alternately as far as possible, facing the center.
The High Priestess and High Priest stand facing each other in the
center of the circle, she with her back to the altar, he with his back
to the South.
The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the
Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb,
both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He
says, as he does this:

642

For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length to length, with their
feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her
arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips. The High Priestess
then lays herself down, face upwards,with her arms and legs
outstretched to form the Pentagram.
The High Priest fetches the veil and spreads it over the High
Priestess's body, covering her from breasts to knees. He then kneels
facing her, with his knees between her feet.
The High Priest calls a woman witch by name, to bring his athame
from the altar. The woman does so and stands with the athame in her
hands, about a yard to the West of the High Priestess's hips and facing
her.
The High Priest calls a male witch by name, to bring the chalice
of wine from the altar. He does so and stands with the chalice in his
hands, about a yard to the East of the High Priestess's hips and facing
her.
The High Priest delivers the invocation:

"Assist me to erect the ancient altar, at which in days past
all worshipped;
The altar of all things.
For in old time, Woman was the altar.
Thus was the altar made and placed,
And the sacred place was the point within the center of the
Circle.
As we have of old been taught that the point within the center is
the
origin of all things,
Therefore should we adore it;
Therefore whom we adore we also invoke.
O Circle of Stars,
Whereof our father is but the younger brother,
Marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space,
Before whom time is ashamed, the mind bewildered, and the
understanding dark,
Not unto thee may we attain unless thine image be love.
Therefore by seed and stem, root and bud,
And leaf and flower and fruit do we invoke thee,
O Queen of Space, O Jewel of Light,
Continuous on of the heavens;
Let it be ever thus
That men speak not of thee as One, but as None;
And let them not speak of thee at all, since thou art
continuous.
For thou art the point within the Circle, which we adore;
The point of life, without which we would not be.
And in this way truly are erected the holy twin pillars;
In beauty and strength were they erected
To the wonder and glory of all men."

The High Priest removes the veil from the High Priestess's body,and
hands it to the woman witch, from whom he takes his athame.
The High Priestess rises and kneels facing the High Priest,and
takes the chalice from the man witch. (Note that both of these handings
over are done without the customary ritual kiss.The High Priest
continues the invocation:

"Altar of mysteries manifold,

643

The sacred Circle's secret point
Thus do I sign thee as of old,
With kisses of my lips anoint."

The High Priest kisses the High Priestess on the lips, and continues:

"Open for me the secret way,
The pathway of intelligence,
Beyond the gates of night and day,
Beyond the bounds of time and sense.
Behold the mystery aright
The five true points of fellowship...."

The High Priestess holds up the chalice, and the High Priest lowers the
point of his athame into the wine. Both use both of their hands for
this. The High Priest continues:

"All life is your own,
All fruits of the Earth
Are fruits of your womb,
Your union, your dance.
Lady and Lord,
We thank you for blessings and abundance.
Join with us, Feast with us, Enjoy with us!
Blessed Be.

Then, either the High Priestess or one of the other women draws
the Invoking Pentacle of Earth in the air above the plate with the
athame. The High Priest hands his athame to the woman witch and then
places both his hands round those of the High Priestess as she holds
the chalice. He kisses her, and she sips the wine; she kisses him, and
he sips the wine. Both of them keep their hands round the chalice while
they do this.
The High Priest then takes the chalice from the High Priestess,
and they both rise to their feet.
The High Priest hands the chalice to a woman witch with a kiss,
and she sips. She gives it to a man with a kiss.the chalice is passed
around the Coven, man to woman, with a kiss each time, until the entire
Coven has sipped the wine. the chalice can be refilled and any one can
drink from it without repeating the ritual once the chalice has gone
around once.
The woman lays down her athame and passes the cakes to the man
with a kiss, he passes them back with a kiss and they are passed around
the Coven the same way the wine was. Be sure to save some of the wine
and some cake for an offering to the Earth and the Little Folk. After
the meeting,leave the offering outside of the house if working indoors,
or behind in the woods or field,when you leave if you are working
outdoors.
The High Priestess faces East,with her athame in her hand. The High
Priest stands to her right with the rest of the Coven behind them. If
any tools have been consecrated, they should be held by the person
furthest to the back. The Maiden stands near to the front to blow out
each candle in turn. The Priestess says:

644

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air;
we do thank you for attending our rites; and ere ye depart
to your pleasant and lovely realms, we bid you hail and
farewell
....Hail and farewell."

As she speaks, she draws the Banishing Pentagram of Earth in the air in
front of her thus, each time:
2 7
4 5

6 1 3
The rest of the Coven copy the Pentagram and chorus in on the second
hail and farewell. The Maiden blows out the candle and the Coven faces
the south and the High Priestess says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, ye Lords of Fire;
we dothankyou forattendingour rites;andere yedepartto
your
pleasant and lovely realms, we bid you hail and
farewell....Hail and
farewell."

She turns to the West and says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West, ye Lords of Water;
ye Lords of Death and Initiation; we do thank you for attending
our
rites;and ereyedepartto yourpleasantandlovely realms,we
bid you
hail and farewell....Hail and farewell."

She turns to the North and says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the North, ye Lords of Earth;
Boreas, thou gentle guardian of the Northern Portals;
thoupowerfulGod, Thougentle Goddess;wedo thankyou for
attending
our rites; andere yedepart for yourpleasant andlovely
realms, we
bid you hail and farewell....Hail and farewell."

This ends the Circle. Bless Be.

(Via Seastrider, responsible for the typing and Ravensong for editing
into ASCII)

645

THE WISE GOODWIFE

"Gramma, I feel hot."
"Lands, child, on a cool fall day like this? Come here and let me
feel of your forehead. Tsk! Feels like fever. Off to bed with you!"
"Gramma, I don't feel good."
"I know, child, I know. I reckon it's time to ask Goody Hawkins
to help us."
"Who's Goody Hawkins?"
"Hush, now, try to sleep. I'll come back soon."
"Gramma, where did you go?"
"Out into the woods back of the farm, child."
"Why, Gramma?"
"To get Goody Hawkins' help."
"Who's Goody Hawkins?"
"Well, that's a long story."
"Tell me a story, Gramma."

Well, you know 'bout the pilgrim days, Thanksgiving and all.
Those people way back then, that first time, were giving thanks that
they'd lived a whole year in a whole new country, without too many of
'em dyin'.
Lotta times you see pictures, drawings, with lots of Indians
standin' there to welcome them folks. Well, 'taint so. Weren't
nobody there when they got off that boat, not but one Indian, all
alone. Hist'ry books say it was him, Squanto, as taught them first
folks how to live through one of our winters -- ice 'n sleet 'n snow
'n all, not like they had back in England, where they come from. But
that ain't rightly so, neither. Squanto, and a few other friendly
Indians as wandered in later, they taught the menfolk. But the women,
those days, well, they weren't s'posed to be important, even though
they did most o' the work, so we don't hear 'bout them much.
Well, a woman come off'n that boat, not quite yet old as your
mamma, and her name was Grace Hawkins, but ever' one called her Goody
Hawkins. "Goody" is short for "good wife", and it's like callin' a
lady "Missus" today.
Goody Hawkins was young and pretty, though you couldn't tell that
very well, 'cause in those days the womenfolk wore long skirts and
long sleeves and bonnets to tuck in and hide their hair. So Goody
Hawkins had beautiful long brown hair, though you couldn't see it, and
skin soft as the skin of a peach. But she had a nice young husband
who loved her very much, and he knew how pretty she was.
And Goody Hawkins was one more thing that made her very special:
she was a wise woman, who knew plants and herbs and roots and barks to
make sick people feel better. They didn't have doctors like we do
now, just a lot of men who figured if you were sick your blood was bad
and so they'd make you bleed. That got people sicker, more often than
not. They thought they were real smart, them old doctors, and maybe
they were smart about gettin' money from folks. But they weren't
smart 'bout the folks themselves, mostly 'cause they were too busy
listening to each other talking 'bout high-falutin' doctor things in
big words than listening to the sick bodies of the sick people.

646

But Goody Hawkins was different. She listened to the people
talking 'bout what hurt them, and she felt of their heads and wrists
and looked into their eyes and ears and mouths. And sometimes she
didn't seem to look at them at all. She just closed her eyes and
looked at them with her heart. And then she'd go into big clay pots
and little wooden boxes in her house, and pick out just the thing a
sick person needed. And do you know how she knew just the right
thing, how Goody Hawkins could see with her heart and not just her
eyes?
Goody Hawkins was a witch.
No, not like you dress up at Halloween. A real witch, a real wise
woman. No warts, no wire hair, remember I told you she was pretty.
And no flying broom, neither. She didn't need to fly, 'cause she
could see ev'rything.
Well, no, she didn't have a crystal ball. But they way my granny
told me, and her granny told her, was that she had a big silver bowl,
a real treasure. And she'd pour clear rainwater in that bowl, and
look into it in the nighttime, with just a candle for light. And they
say she could see miles away, and even years away. Into yesterday,
say, or last year, or ten years ago. And sometimes, she could see
tomorrow.
A cauldron? Why of course she had a cauldron. Ever'one did,
those days, just like we have pots and pans today. But she only had a
little one at first--remember, they were poor in them first few years
in America, and iron costed a lot of money. Goody Hawkins had just
the little cauldron she brought with her from home, only as big as my
big soup pot.
What did she boil up in her cauldron? Well, not babies, I can
tell you that! It was herbs, mostly, tree bark and roots and such.
Anise and coltsfoot, simmered with a little sugar or honey, as good a
cough syrup as you can find nowadays, and even better than some.
That's a recipe my granny's granny knew, and likely Goody Hawkins as
well. Goody Hawkins made ointments from herbs and grease, she made
soaps for fleas and lice, she brewed teas, she made mashes for cuts
and bad hurts to make them heal clean and fast.
But I haven't told you the best part: Goody Hawkins could do
magic. Not like making scarves disappear in her fist or pulling
quarters out of your ear. I mean spells, oh yes, and special little
bundles of things in little bags to keep in your pocket or put under
your pillow. These had herbs in 'em, yes, and besides that she could
put in a special rock, maybe, or a little short twig from a certain
tree, or a piece of paper with secrets written on it, or any such
small thing. You could wear one for good luck, sleep on one to have
good dreams.
In the nighttime, often, you could see a light shining in Goody
Hawkins' cottage, warm and bright, and if you listened real hard, you
might hear words, strong and beautiful, or singing so soft and sweet
it might have come out of a fairy hill.
And in the daytime, oh, the smells that came out of that cottage!
You could tell what was brewing by the smells of the herbs in the
breeze. Rosemary, mint, clove and cinnamon, lemon-leaf, basil,
horehound and lavender.
And hanging from the ceiling in one corner of the cottage were
always bunches of drying herbs, filling the whole room with spicyness
and sweetness. She brought the little boxes special from her home in
England, but the rest she got right here, from the meadows and
forests.

647

One day she was in the forest, gathering plants for medicines.
Some of the plants were just like at home, she knew them right away.
Others she didn't know, and them she would look at, and smell, and
taste of--it was right dangerous, that, but weren't no other way to
find out about 'em. This spring day, after their first long hard,
winter had passed, Goody Hawkins went to pluck a leaf off'n a plant,
to taste it.
Suddenly, she heard a crashing in the bushes and a woman's voice
crying out to her. She turned around and who should she see but an
Indian woman, near her own age, come runnin' toward her, talkin' words
she couldn't understand. This Indian woman, she snatched that leaf
from Goody Hawkins and shooed her away from that plant quick as she
could. The Indian woman pulled out a thin stick, rounded at one end,
and waved it so that Goody Hawkins thought the other woman might hit
her with it, so she backed up, afraid.
But the Indian woman turned to the plant and commenced to digging
it out of the ground with her stick, digging up the roots. The Indian
woman pulled off the roots and pushed them into Goody Hawkins' hands,
keeping some for herself. She put the roots into a deerskin bag, and
'twas then that Goody Hawkins saw other herbs and things in that bag,
and figured out that t'other woman was in the woods for just the same
job as herself, namely, getting herbs.
Even though they didn't speak each other's language, by
pantomiming and pointing they could understand each other, and Goody
Hawkins learned that the leaf she'd been about to eat was deadly
poison. But the roots were good eating, roasted or boiled just like a
potato. How 'bout that! Plants are funny that way.
Goody Hawkins realized she owed her life to the Indian woman, for
warnin' her off'n them leaves. But she didn't know just how to thank
her new friend. Still, they spent the rest of the day walkin' in the
woods, an' Goody Hawkins learned more about the new world's plants in
one day than she could've in weeks if she'd had to figure things out
for herself.
And by the end of the day, Goody Hawkins knew some Algonquin, and
the Indian woman, Namequa, knew some words in English. Namequa saw
Goody Hawkins back to the little town and then faded into the trees
almost like magic.
Well, the seasons came and went, and Goody Hawkins had her hands
full trying to keep people well, what with the snakes and unfriendly
Indians and poisonous plants all around. The folks couldn't get none
of the plants they brought with 'em to grow very well, 'cause the
weather was so different from England's. That mean that folks weren't
eatin' right, and 'specially with the children that was bad. But
Namequa showed Goody Hawkins plants that were good eating, and Goody
Hawkins showed the other womenfolk, and for a time the folks there
lived like Indians, what with the menfolk learnin' to hunt and fish
from Squanto and the women learnin' to gather wild plants to eat from
Goody Hawkins and Namequa.
That first thanksgiving feast, they didn't eat just the corn and
squash and beans that Squanto showed the men how to grow, they also
had roasted-seed mush and lamb's-quarters gathered by the women. All
those, and the deer the neighboring Indians brought, well, that was
some dinner!

648

Well, little by little, them folks got settled. Other ships came,
with more people, and, later, with cows and other stock. And then
Goody Hawkins was busier than ever, 'cause she was s'posed to take
care of sick animals, too. Back then, if a cow didn't give milk,
folks were apt to think the fairies had stolen the milk in the night,
so 'twas only natural they should ask their wise woman for help.
Before long, there were babies, too, human and animal, and mothers
needed Goody Hawkins' help to bring 'em into the world. Somehow,
though, through all of this, Goody Hawkins kept time to visit with her
good friend, and to keep learning, and to look into her silver bowl
every now and again.
Well, the years went on, and ever'body got older, and some folks
just died from getting old. Goody Hawkins' husband died too, and they
hadn't any children, so Goody Hawkins should have been alone in the
world. But she had her friend Namequa, and every little child in the
town called her "Aunt Grace"--she wasn't their real aunt, you know, but
they loved her like she was, 'cause she made them things, like
sweet-scented pillows, and spicy cookies, and she always listened to
them when they told her things. Goody Hawkins had learned a lot from
Namequa's tribe, and now that she had no husband to take care of, she
spent more time visiting with her Indian friends, and they learned
from her too.
Indian magic is full of drums and dreaming. Goody Hawkins' magic
was full of words and wishing. But she was careful not to let the
rest of the folks know she was learnin' and teachin' magic. Why not?
Well, folks don't like what they don't understand, is all. People
were afraid of lots of things in them days, 'specially in a strange
new place.
And as more o' them Puritan preachers come over from England, the
folks would be more secret 'bout visiting Goody Hawkins, not wanting
the preachers to know they was holding to the old ways. And the
preachers, 'specially one Pastor Langford, looked sidewise and never
straight on at Goody Hawkins, bein' afraid she might hex 'em or some
such nonsense. Well, Pastor Langford thought she was workin' for the
devil, but he didn't want to say it outright, 'cause folks liked her.
But even that was changing as Goody Hawkins spent more time with
Namequa's tribe, and folk got to whispering about it. There was a
number of men interested in marryin' to her, after her husband died,
saying it wasn't right for a woman to live alone, but she didn't care
'bout any of 'em. She said no to all of 'em, and some of 'em went
away mad. And folk got to saying things outright.
One lady said she seen Goody Hawkins dancing naked with all them
Indians. Another said there was a demon keeping Goody Hawkins
company, which was why she wasn't wanting to marry again. Somebody
else said that it was that demon that killed Goody Hawkins' husband.
All round town words buzzed like stinging wasps. Now, when a cow
wasn't giving milk, it was Goody Hawkins, not the fairies, who they
thought had stolen it. Folks began to keep their children away from
her. And Pastor Langford came right out and made fiery sermons about
witches and the devil and sin and punishment.
Goody Hawkins saw and heard all of this, but what could she do?
It was her word against the words of respectable folk, and nobody was
going to believe her. So she kept silent, kept to herself, and
waited.

649

She didn't have to wait long. One evening, she came home from a
visit to her Indian friends and found her cottage in ruins. Jars were
smashed, boxes thrown all over. The herb-bunches had been torn down
from the ceiling, her cauldron overturned, Bible verses scrawled all
over the walls with charcoal from her fireplace. "Thou shalt not
suffer a witch to live", they said, and Goody Hawkins felt cold in her
heart because she knew that the people wanted to kill her.
And worst of all, her beautiful silver bowl was all bent and
crushed, like someone had hit it with a hammer. Goody Hawkins sat
down at the table in the midst of the mess, and cried.
She felt helpless and angry. She wished she really could turn
people into toads. She made half-hearted tries at cleaning up, but
gave it up. Her heart burned with wanting to hurt the people who'd
done it, and froze with knowing her life wasn't worth a straw to 'em.
My granny said, that in that hour the devil did come to her,
offerin' to kill the townsfolk for her, if she'd give up her soul to
him, but Goody Hawkins chased him out with her broom. I think more
likely, she thought about putting poison in the well-water, but knew
that not only would that poison the townsfolk, it'd poison the water
and the earth, and the water and earth hadn't hurt her. And she knew
that killing all those folks would poison her soul, too, forever, make
her sour and angry as a real wicked witch.
So instead, she gathered all her power to her, all her love and
strength; she threw down her hiding bonnet, and shook out her hair,
which was getting grey by now, and walked proud and tall out into the
town square. The folks began to gather round, saying hateful things.
But Goody Hawkins lifted up her arms and began to sing, strong and
sweet, in the old tongue that nobody but wise folk could speak
anymore. And when the folks saw that their words couldn't hurt her,
they commenced to pick up stones to throw at her.
But before they could throw their stones, the preachers came and
said she'd have to have a proper trial. So soldiers took Goody
Hawkins away with them, away from the shouting people, and she was
still singing as they locked her up.
They tried to get her to tell them things, like was she partners
with the devil, and had she hexed people and animals, and did she have
a demon helper, and did she change into a cat to steal milk, but she
never did nothing but close her eyes and sing softly, smiling like she
saw something beautiful. So finally they gave up and took her to the
courthouse.
There all kinds of people told stories about Goody Hawkins and
things she'd never really done. And all through it, Goody Hawkins
stood tall, and looked straight in the faces of the folks as was doing
the telling. When ever'one was through with their lyin', the judge
asked Goody Hawkins had she anything to say.
Goody Hawkins looked round at the folks, looking like your momma
when she's gonna scold you, and began tellin' each one what she'd done
for them. This one wouldn't be alive if Goody Hawkins hadn't helped
his mother with the birthing. That one's daughter was deathly sick
with fever, and Goody Hawkins cured her. The other one's cows were
dropping down dead before Goody Hawkins found out they were eating
poisonous leaves. There wasn't one person in that courtroom Goody
Hawkins hadn't helped somehow over the years. And folks were looking
like you do when you're getting a scolding and you know you've been
wrong.

650

But Pastor Langford butted in and said that Goody Hawkins must
have led the cows to the poison leaves, she must have made the little
girl sick, she must have put a hex on the mother so her baby had
trouble being born. And even though some folks still looked
uncertain, the rest of 'em started howling for Goody Hawkins to die,
and that was that.
They took her out to the town square where there was a big oak
tree, to hang her onto it. Some soldiers held the crowd back, while
two of the others tied Goody Hawkins up, tied a rope around her neck,
and threw the other end over one of the branches of the tree. Goody
Hawkins wasn't scared to die, but she was scared of the pain, though
she didn't let the people see that. She looked out at them and
smiled, and was glad to see some people quit their shouting and look
worried.
Pastor Langford come up, looking nervous, and said, "Do you wish
to confess your sins? You may yet be forgiven and reach Heaven."
Goody Hawkins just smiled and said, "I have nothing to confess or
be forgiven for, nothing I am ashamed of. I want no part of your
heaven."
The preacher fairly threw a fit right there, choking and
stuttering, he wanted so bad to cuss and swear at her but couldn't in
front of the townsfolk. So he just pointed to the soldier holding the
end of the rope, and he commenced to hauling on it.
Goody Hawkins felt the rope tighten and her ears started to ring,
and she took what she was sure was her last breath. But suddenly
there was a scream, and the rope went loose. Her head cleared, she
looked around, and saw the soldier who'd been pulling her up holding
onto his arm, where there was an arrow sticking out of it.
Folks was shouting and running all over the place, and Goody
Hawkins saw that a whole tribe of Indians had come out of the woods
like magic with bows and arrows and spears and all. The soldiers
couldn't get a clear shot at none of the Indians, what with folks
running round like ants when their hill gets kicked over. And in the
middle of all that hollerin' and confusion, Goody Hawkins felt a sharp
blade between her wrists, cutting the ropes that tied her.
There was two Indians there, a big young man and Goody Hawkins'
friend Namequa who held a finger to her lips to shush her. The young
man scooped Goody Hawkins up in his arms, and ran into the woods
carrying her.
All of a sudden, the Indians disappeared like morning mist, and
when the folks looked round, Goody Hawkins was gone too.
The folks never saw her again, and Namequa's tribe were never as
friendly to them. Goody Hawkins' cottage was just left to fall down
and rot, and nothing in it was ever touched. But some folks was sorry
Goody Hawkins was gone, 'specially when they got sick, or their
children or animals. And one day a mother whose little baby was sick
as could be and nobody could help her, she went into the woods by
herself, carrying an iron pot. She walked into a clearing, and
waited, listening. The woods got quiet, like they were listening too,
and the lady commenced to talking about the baby's problem and asking
for help of whoever was listening.
She put the pot down, turned around, and walked out of the woods
without looking back. The next day, she came back, and where she'd
left the pot, there was a little bundle of herbs, wrapped up in a soft
deerskin. She ran home with it, and made it into tea for her baby,
and the baby got better.

651

Well, word of the cure got round among the womenfolk. Real quiet
like, it got round, not like the lies 'bout Goody Hawkins had gotten
round before. They kept it a secret from the preachers, and after a
while the preachers forgot about Goody Hawkins.
And ever' once in a while, a woman would slip away from the town,
out into the woods, carrying some small thing, that she thought Goody
Hawkins might be able to use, knowing that Goody Hawkins was out there
somewhere, and would hear them. And always there would be an herb
packet there the next day, or a little charm, or some such.
As the years went by, the herb packets stopped appearing, but the
woman who turned back would see a shaft of light fall on some plant,
and would take of that back home with her. And finally, even that
stopped, but somehow the help always came, somebody got better. There
was a song, too. My granny's granny taught her this song, and my
granny taught it to me, to sing to Goody Hawkins when we needed help:

With heavy heart I come and stand
The oak and bonny ivy,
A gift to offer in my hand.
The hazel, ash and bay tree.

How can I hope for any good
The oak and bonny ivy,
By standing in the empty wood?
The hazel, ash and bay tree.

But I will trust and dry my tears,
The oak and bonny ivy,
And know that the Wise Goodwife hears.
The hazel, ash, and bay tree.

Tsk! Asleep already. Good.

"Child, what are you doing out of bed?"
"I feel better, gramma!"
"Let me feel of your forehead. Well, that's fine."
"Gramma, can I have my coat?"
"Where are you going, child?"
"Out to the woods, gramma."
"What's that you have there?"
"It's a picture, gramma, look."
"Well, that's right nice. I think I can guess who that is. And I
see you've given her back her silver bowl! She'll be happy. Off you
go, then."
"Bye, gramma. I'll come back soon."

If you enjoyed this story, send $5 to: Leigh Ann Hussey, 2240 Blake St.
#308, Berkeley, CA 94704, and I'll send you a nicely typeset copy for
your library!

652

There is a volume by the title of:

The Gnostic Gospels
Elaine Pagels
-1981 Vintage Books

Dr. Elaine Pagelsis one ofmany who workedon translating a cache
of codices found near Jabal al-Tarif, a section of cliff on the
right bank marking the limit ofthe Nile valley and the arable
land between Chenobskeia and Pabau. The fruit of that effort is
recorded in a volume entitled:

The Nag Hammadi Library in English
James M. Robinson, General Editor
- 1978 Harper & Row

I believe, however, that it is the Infancy Gospels of "The Lost
Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden" that contain the
relating of the events that you have described in your note. As far as
I know all three of these works are currently available or orderable
through most booksellers.

What follows is a listing of the contents of "The Lost Books of The
Bible and The Forgotten Books of Eden", "The Nag Hammadi Library", and
"The Apocrypha".

Please feel free to extract this for your own reference.

653

"The Lost Books of The Bible and The Forgotten Books of Eden" Total of
35 Works
-------------------------------------------------------------

(The Lost Books of the Bible)

1 The Gospel of the Birth of Mary
2 Protoevangelion
3 1 The first Gospel of the INFANCY of Jesus Christ
4 2 Thomas's Gospel of the INFANCY of Jesus Christ
5 Epistle of Christ & Abgarus
6 Gospel of Nicodemus (formerly Acts of Pontius Pilate
7 The Apostles' Creed
8 Epistle of Paul to Laodiceans
9 Epistles of Paul & Seneca
10 Acts of Paul & Thecla
11 1 Epistle of Clement to Corinthians
12 2 Epistle of Clement to Corinthians
13 Epistle of Barnabus
14 Epistle of Ignatius to Ephesians
15 Epistle of Ignatius to Magnesians
16 Epistle of Ignatius to Trallians
17 Epistle of Ignatius to Romans
18 Epistle of Ignatius to Philadelphians
19 Epistle of Ignatius to Smyrnaeans
20 Epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp
21 Epistle of Polycarp to Philippians
22 1 Hermas Visions
23 2 Hermas Commands
24 3 Hermas Similitudes
25 Letters of Herod & Pilate
26 The Lost Gospel of Peter

(Forgotten Books of Eden).
27 1 The conflict of ADAM & EVE w/Satan
28 2 The 2nd book of ADAM & EVE
29 The Book of the Secrets of Enoch
30 The Psalms of Solomon
31 Odes of Solomon
32 Letter of Aristeas
33 4th book of MACCABEES
34 Story of Ahikar
35 Testament of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulum,
Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Joseph, and Benjamin

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * *

654

The Nag Hammadi Library Total of 52 Works
-----------------------

1 The Prayer of the Apostle Paul
2 The Apocryphon (secret book) of James
3 The Gospel of Truth
4 The Treatise on Resurrection
5 The Tripartite Tractate
6 The Apocryphon of John
7 The Gospel of Thomas
8 The Gospel of Phillip
9 The Hypostasis of the Archons
10 On the Origin of the World
11 The Exegesis on the Soul
12 The Book of Thomas the Contender
13 The Gospel of the Egyptians
14 Eugnostos of the Blessed
15 The Sophia of Jesus Christ
16 The Dialogue of the Savior
17 The Apocalypse of Paul
18 The First Apocalypse of James
19 The Second Apocalypse of James
20 The Apocalypse of Adam
21 The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles
22 The Thunder, Perfect Mind
23 Authoritative Teaching
24 The Concept of Our Great Power
25 The Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth
26 The Prayer of Thanksgiving
(+ scribal note)
27 Asc