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Raven's Nest
Shamanism is one of the oldest spiritual paths on Earth.
It offers a way for people to wake up to their potential, and begin to explore
their spiritual relationship with the universe, with other forms of life, and
with each other. Shamanism is a way in which humanity has sought a connection
to the world of healing, maintaining balance and harmony in society and with
the individual and keeping our connection with Mother Earth and All Creation.
A Shaman walks with one foot in this world and one foot in the spirit world.
Our outer world may be different, but our human inner landscape has the same
components as always. Our outer health and wholeness is an expression of our
inner health and holiness. We are here to bring spirit into matter and matter
to spirit.
Many prophecies have been made about this period as a time of great change when
the world as we know it will end and a new world will be born. We can see the
inevitability of these changes in the state of things around us - the pollution
of the air, the water, toxic waste buried in the earth and sea, nuclear radiation
leaks, demolition of the rainforests, reduction of the protective ozone layer,
extreme weather patterns and so on.
At a deep level each one of us knows it cannot go on, yet we do not know how
to turn the tide. Now the teachings of Shamans who for thousands of years lived
successfully in harmony and balance with the earth, the plant kingdom and the
animal kingdom, are available to help.
Druidism
The Druids emerged from the ancient Celtic tribes, at
a time when the people had to live close to nature to survive. By the light
of the storyteller's fire, and with the play of the harp, the Druids dreamed
magic for their people. In the deep woods they would gather, bringing together
their mysticism and philosophy, their insight and learning. Their spirit emerged
from the the tides of the sea, the light of the sun, the wind in the Oak, the
cry of the deer. In this way, they created an institution that inspired, frightened,
and uplifted their world.
Druidism must be understood in the context of the culture
that created it. Only the Celtic people called their religious professionals
Druids; other cultures had other names for their clergy, and expected different
duties from them. Druids were not an ethnic or cultural group in themselves,
but part of a larger society in which they participated. In the pre-christian
era of Celtic culture, the Druids were members of a professional class in their
culture, the Celtic Nations of Western Europe and the British Isles.
Druids filled the roles of judge, doctor, diviner, mage,
mystic, and clerical scholar; in other words, they were the religious intelligensia
of their culture. To become a Druid, students assembled in large groups for
instruction and training. An Irish epic called the Tain Bo Cuailnge describes
the druid Cathbhad teaching as many as one hundred students in something like
a college. Julius Caesar noted that apprentice Druids were trained for a period
of up to twenty years. The mythologies describe Druids who were capable of many
magical powers such as divination & prophesy, control of the weather, healing,
levitation, and shapechanging themselves into the forms of animals, trees, or
people. A good word for them would seem to be "priests", yet reluctant
to use it for two reasons: The Romans never used it, and because Druids didn't
minister to congregations as priests do.
It is thought by many that the loss of the old ways
of living, close to the living Earth and close to our tribes, is responsible
for the social and environmental problems we face today, so a return to the
old ways will be a healing force in the world in this life and time. Druidism
today is not an abandonment of technology, nor is it a rejection of society.
It is not a retreat from the world into an illusory garden of delight where
problems need not be faced. Rather, it is an affirmation of our needs in this
life, and an energetic attempt to take power over them.The moon still dances
for us now as she did then, and so the wonder of Nature remains as awesome as
in those lost days. The Druids may be gone, but their magic is not. It may yet
emerge from the earth again, if we remember her and love her again.
A Druid's connection to nature is the source of all
his/ her powers, both in society and in magic. By understanding that connection,
a Druid's being is joined with nature, and so he/she becomes aware of all that
is known to nature, which is all things. A Druid then is a kind of nature mystic.
To experience Druidism, turn off the computer and go into the woods, and listen.
The voice of the old Gods are not silent. Their language is the blowing wind
and the waves of the great pouring sea.
Orginally found at : http://www.wildideas.net/cathbad/pagan/dr-guide1.html#3
Wicca
and Paganism
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 light.
Mysterious water and fire,
The earth and the wide ranging air
by hidden quintessence we know them
and will and keep silent and dare.
The birth and rebirth of all nature,
The passing of winter and spring,
We share with the life universal,
Rejoice in the magical ring.
Four times in the year the great Sabbot
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 the sun is greatest and least,
The four Lesser Sabbots 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 or power,
Its compass between two worlds lies,
In Land of the Shades for that hour.
This world has no right then to know it,
And world of beyond will tell naught,
The oldest of the Gods are invoked there,
The Great Work of magic wrought.
For two mystical pillars,
That stand at the gate of the shrine,
And two are the powers of nature,
The forms and the forces divine.
The dark and the light in succession,
the opposites each unto each,
Shown forth as a God and a Goddess:
Of this our ancestors did 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 her spell in the dark.
The master and mistress of magic,
They dwell in the deeps of the mind,
Immortal and ever-renewing,
With power to free or to bind.
So drink the good wine to the Old Gods,
And dance and make love in their praise,
Till Elphame's fair land shall receive us
In peace at the end of our days.
And Do What You Will 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 you will
The Twelve Elements
of Ritual
Consider that there may be twelve elements
to Ritual. For a Grand Sabbat, like Samhain or Beltaine you might include all
twelve. For a Full Moon Esbat, you might perform eight. For a private devotional,
you might do only four. Purification of Self Take a Ritual Bath before you join
the others. Ground and center before you join the others.
Purification of Space
Be aware as you prepare your worship space,
moving things about and collecting your props, of the work you are about to
do.
Creating Sacred Space
Here is where you cast your circle and
invite forces from the four directions. Some are called to face outward and
protect. Some are called to face inward and empower. There is much opportunity
here for choice and symbolism. For a personal ritual, sometimes three quarters
are acknowledges and only one is invited to participate.
Invocation of Goddess and God
You invite either the Goddess or the God
or both who are most appropriate for what you are about to do.
Stating the Purpose
You really do have a purpose for this Ritual?
State it with conviction and power.
The Work, the Magick, Ritual Observance
Do your spell, your magick, your reverence
for the season upon the Wheel of the Year. Energy Raising Chant, drum, breath
deeply. Connect with all that is within you and all that you have invoked.
Channel the Energy
Visualize this energy before you. Perhaps
it is blue light dancing at your center or fire spewing from your athame. Releasing
the Power Send this energy into the universe to make happen what you have envisioned:
protection, strength, prosperity, connection.
The Feast
Otherwise known as Cakes and Ale. In a
large group, this is a sharing of symbolic cake and appropriate beverage. In
a small group, it may be a true feast.
Thanking the Deities
Be polite and dismiss the deities that
have been good enough to join you for your magick.
Opening the Circle
Dismiss the energies from the four directions
that you have called. Send them on their way and bid them not to do mischief
as they depart. Roll up your cast circle into your athame or see it evaporate:
Poof! Hug those around you. They are your fellow travelers.
The
Law of Power
The Law of Power is
a set of rules set to govern over the blessing of the God and Goddess.
It is as follows:
The Power shall not be used to bring harm, to injure or control others.
If need arises, the Power shall be used to protect your life, or the lives of
others.
The Power is used only as need dictates.
The Power can be used for your own gain, as long as by doing so you harm none.
It is unwise to accept money for the use of the Power, for it quickly controls
its taker.
Be not those of other religions.
Use not the Power for prideful gain, for such cheapens the mysteries of Wicca
and Magick.
Ever remember that the Power is a sacred gift of the Goddess and God, and should
never be misused or abused.
And this is the Law of Power."
Lastly, always remember The Law: We are
of the Old Ways, among those who walk with the God and Goddess, and receive
their love.
Keep the Sabbats and Esbats to the best
of your ability, for to do otherwise is to lessen your connection with the Goddess
and God.
Harm none. This is the oldest law, and
is not open to interpretation or change. Those of our ways are kind to all creatures,
for hurtful are quite draining and aren't worth the loss of energy. Misery is
self-created; so too is joy. So create joy and disdain misery and unhappiness.
And this is within your power. So harm not.
Teach only what you know to the best
of your ability to those students who you chose. Teach not to those who would
use your instructions for destruction or control. Also, teach not to boost pride,
forever remember: He who teaches out of love shall be enfolded in the arms of
the Goddess and God.
Ever remember that if you would be of
our way, keep the law close to your heart, for it is the nature of Wicca to
keep The Law. If need ever arises, any law may be changed or discarded, and
new laws written to replace them, so long as the new laws don't break the oldest
law of all: Harm none!
Blessings of the Goddess and God on us
all. Love and Light ... .. .
