On the Wing

Raven is Mother Hecate’s sacred bird,
Taking to ebony wing and flying beside the Crone at Dark of the Moon,
Keeping Her secrets and Her counsel,
Raven is the heart of magic and the voice of power.

Mabon Message - Fearing the Worst

In the long darkness of Winter we remember the lush blooms of spring and summer; the golden mornings and sweet lavender evenings of Autumn. Just as we remember the crisp and tranquil beauty of the deep and even snow of Winter in the howling winds of Spring; the blistering heat of Summer or the prolonged dryness of an elusive Autumn. Goddess gave us memory so we may appreciate what we have when it is behind us, knowing full well that it will come again. This is Her Wheel of Life.

I fear there is a time coming when Pagan people will once again be at grave risk. This will be a time when the haters, the impostures, the ideologues and the propagandist hold sway. Our beliefs, life styles and morality will be demonized, and we will be blamed for the ills of the world that they are destroying. They will think of us, as they always have, as easy targets. Since by their dim lights our values and faith are so far out of the mainstream we fit nicely into the skin of that ridiculous goat from the Old Testament.

We need to begin to stand tall and together now. Our bonds and networks must be strengthened. Before the time is upon us we must commence to raise power to protect ourselves, to assert our ideals – ethically, socially, politically and economically. We must remember so the time of relative safety, like the seasons, will come again.

Nothing and no one escapes Her Wheel. If only the oppressors, the fanatics and the fools could understand how insignificant, how impermanent they are. Pray Goddess they learn.

Dark of the Moon Ritual

Now comes the time of the Darkened Moon. The Great Crone Hecate is preeminent. In my tradition She is the Queen of the Witches, Goddess of the Dark Side of the Moon, Lantern Bearer and Keeper of the Crossroads. Her power is immense, both light and dark. Her colors are black and deep royal purple. Those of us who follow Her have no fear of the darkness. There is great dignity and moral integrity in the Craft, thus it is forbidden to capriciously use the power She gives us to manipulate energy or others to do harm. I am not a Wiccan; I am a Witch. I do not necessarily follow the Wiccan Rede, the most well know part of which is “And Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will.” This precludes self-defense in my mind. It has always been my belief that had the community of the Craft of the Wise been less docile in its stance toward the Catholic fanatics the Burning Times might have been more limited in its scope. The Rede in its entirety I find constraining and in some places presumptuous – the hypothesis being that the Witch must be instructed in ethics, responsibility and proscribed ceremonial practice by a force outside of herself and her relationship with the Deity. Having been raised to the Craft by a Hereditary Celtic Witch whose faith and practice predate the organized Wicca by many centuries I prefer solitary practice and personal revelation to coven practice and organized ritual. In addition, I follow the Goddess and the Goddess alone. The Wiccan thesis of dual divinity is very interesting, but not meaningful to me. These are my opinions and mine only. Others see the Craft differently. Since we have no Popes or televangelists we are free to follow the faith of our heart. When I make reference to correspondence between Goddess and flowers, or Goddess and color these are also my intuitions and mine alone. Others feel differently. What follows is a Dark of the Moon Ritual and an incense recipe. Again, this is my intuition. Others might disagree.

Ritual:
During the Dark of the Moon Ritual I call only Hecate to join me. I see no need for the Watchtowers, the Elementals or any other entity.
In the Northern Quadrant, that of Earth, when the moon is fully dark I invite the Crone to my Circle with this invocation:
Dark Lady, Crone of Wisdom, Goddess of the Crossroads shed the light of your lantern on my circle and me.
At this point many people cast circle. Again I see no reason to do so. No malevolent presence dare enter the sacred space.
I light Her candles – black in the North, gold in the East, red in the South, blue in the West. The corresponding Elements are in order – Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
I offer Her clean water in a Chalice and the finest bloom in my garden or that I can purchase in winter. Now I sit to meditate with Her for a little time. I have found Her power often to be nearly intoxicating so I limit my exposure.
With this prayer I rededicate myself to Her service and to my Craft.
Great Crone make me worthy to serve You and to practice my Craft.
Grant me Wisdom, Skill and Power.
Bring me closer to You in all things.
From now until the time of my death when I join you on the other side of the Veil,
Keep my soul in the palm of Your hand, my heart near Yours and my faith strong.
If the ritual is being done for something specific this is when I would work.
There are people who talk of dismissing the Goddess at the end of the ritual. I consider this profound impudence. I end the ritual by begging Her leave to return to the temporal world.

Dark of the Moon Incense

2 teaspoons Foxglove flowers crushed
2 teaspoons Monk’s Hood flowers crushed
6 drops of Rosemary oil

To be burned in the North Quadrant during the invocation of the Great Crone. This is a time for working dark magic, and banishing rituals. Many of us who follow the Great Crone and Queen of the Witches have no fear of the dark and therefore consider black magic like white magic to simply be a tool. In point of fact, magic is magic. The light or dark of it has to do with the intent of the practitioner.

Quadrants

I associate the North Quadrant of my circle with the color black, the element of Earth and the Great Crone Goddess Hecate. This then is the Quadrant of wisdom, power, high magic, mystery, birth and death and Karma. The Eastern Quadrant is associated with the color yellow or gold, the element of Air and the Celtic Maiden Goddess Brigit. This then is the Quadrant of creativity, music, inspiration, new life, and hope. The Southern Quadrant is associated with the color red, the Element of Fire and the Egyptian Cat Goddess Bast, the Lady of Courage. This then is the Quadrant of strength, adventure, the quest and joy. The Western Quadrant is for me associated with the color blue, the Element Water and the Great Mother Goddess Isis. This then is the Quadrant of love, passion, empathy and compassion.

Full Moon Incense

2 teaspoons of Iris flowers crushed
2 teaspoons of Sage leaves crushed
6 drops of Lilac oil

To be burned in the center of the Sacred Circle during the time of the Full Moon ritual.

This is a time of growth and hope. Green candles and gold can be used on the altar along with fresh flowers. Tools for divination - crystal ball and pendulum.

Dark of the Moon Incense

2 teaspoons Foxglove flowers crushed
2 teaspoons Monk’s Hood flowers crushed
6 drops of Rosemary oil

To be burned in the North Quadrant during the invocation of the Great Crone. This is a time for working dark magic, and banishing rituals. Many of us who follow the Great Crone and Queen of the Witches have no fear of the dark and therefore consider black magic like white magic to simply be a tool. In point of fact, magic is magic. The light or dark of it has to do with the intent of the practitioner.