A Compendium of Magickal Practice from Ethics to Sex

By Sapnabella & Axis

A Compendium of Magickal Practice from Ethics to Sex is written in two voices—his and hers, echoing the divine compliment of the Lord and Lady. Sapnabella and Axis are a Pagan couple who compliment each other’s magickal Workings.
Sapnabella is a Wiccan High Priestess and a Witch born who has a private practice in dream
interpretation and divination, and she has led magickal Workings of many kinds for years. Axis
is an especially pure Channel who has led many workshops on Pagan parenting and on
developing psychic talents. He roamed Latin America for many years learning South American
magickal techniques and teachings and then came to the US where he refined his abilities
through the techniques he describes in A Compendium of Magickal Practice from Ethics to Sex.

A Compendium of Magickal Practice from Ethics to Sex is designed to help magickal
practitioners advance in their magickal undertakings. By presenting a progressed learning
chain that exercises and develops the subskills common to most magickal tasks, A Compendium
of Magickal Practice from Ethics to Sex enables magickal practitioners to return to their own
form of magick strengthened in power. This means that important areas of magick are reexamined
in new ways as parts of a learning chain. The chapter “Channeling,” for instance,
details how the individual her or himself can channel accurate and meaningful information rather than relying on specific spirit guides. “Of Fairies and Magick” explains why the magickal practitioner must make on the spot decisions on how to behave with the Fair Folk. The chapter “Movement for Ritual, Workings of Ecstatic Trance” gives examples of body movement that can be incorporated into ritual work for those who enter trance most easily through physical exercise. This chapter also looks at Between Actions and how they relate to magickal Workings. “Dream Work,” a topic familiar to all those of the Craft, presents the only means of dream interpretationthat allows dreamers to remember more of their dreams than they ever have before and then places the understanding of dreams, myths, and fairy tales into a context to better perceive mundane life as a magickal existence. A Compendium of Magickal Practice from Ethics to Sex also includes frank and fresh, sex magickal Workings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cynthia Joyce Clay
• Release date: Sep 13, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452491462

Book preview

A Compendium of Magickal Practice

From Ethics to Sex

by

Sapnabella and Axis

copyright 2009 Sapnabella and Axis

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

Paperback ISBN: 978-0-9842166-0-4

E-book ISBN: 978-0-9842166-1-1

Library of Congress Control Number:  2009935982

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Essentials of Magickal Theory, A Review

Witchcraft Ethics

Magickal Protections

Psychic Maturation

Channeling

Dream Work

Of Fairies and Magick

Dragon Magick

Animal Magick

Movement for Ritual, Workings of Ecstatic Trance

Sex Magick

Afterword

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Rochelle Weber who took time from her busy schedule to carefully read through the initial manuscript with a fine and sensible editing eye.

Introduction

by Axis

We are all born with great potential. Most of us could become Olympic champions in almost any area, or mathematical geniuses, or great philosophers.  However, becoming even moderately good in any field requires learning the knowledge and skills of the field in a correct and progressive manner. Every ability we develop requires a task development in which we first learn the sub-skills needed to produce the final skill. For instance, to walk first we have to learn to lift our neck; then we learn to twist our trunk; then we sit; next, we flip; then we crawl; then we stand for a few steps; then we walk. Without enough practice, though, even what is learned does not become a productive and effective skill.

Psychic talents are no different from any of our other abilities. In a culture that either denies the existence of psychic abilities or holds them suspect as demonic activity, those of us blessed with greater than normal psychic abilities find ourselves stuck wanting to learn how to make the most of these abilities and to find a world view that places these abilities in a valid and truthful spiritual and moral context. For many people today that world view is found in Witchcraft--those forms of the Pagan religions that work magick and actively seek experience of divine possession. To be able to train one’s talents and to fit them into a satisfying personal experience of spirituality and the divine, education is needed. To become an Adept, or as many Witches refer to those who have become expert in the Craft, an Elder, one must have instruction that allows all the sub skills needed to work magick to be progressively developed into mastery.

The difference between a person from prehistory and a contemporary person is less than 6 years of education and the exposure to current gadgets and gizmos. The difference between an expert in any field and a basic laborer is a few years in education. We have the opportunity to become educated in so many fields or to develop any of our many physical skills.  However, what happens when there is no trainer or training program to develop a skill? Do we develop it? Do we produce engineers, airplane pilots, or doctors in places where there are no schools? The fact is that we don't.

All knowledge and skill requires that someone teaches us. Without teachers, all we learn is very rudimentary and elementary. Each person learning without a teacher basically learns the same rudimentary skills. So, in subject areas in which our societies do not develop schools, we are limited to learn only the most minimal elements in that subject.  Even if skills are passed along from some individuals to others, without the multiple input that accepted knowledge gets, the skills are only minimally developed.  For instance, for many years, crafts were not very popular in the USA. During that time, craftsmen were scarce, and craftsmanship was quite inferior to those in countries that supported craft training, such as Italy.  The same happens in the case of miniature work skills. These skills are higher in Russia than in Mexico because the work in miniature crafts is fostered and taught by many in Russia, but not in Mexico. The fact is that the multiple inputs by teachers, peer competition, exposure to the knowledge, etc. make a big difference in how we develop skills.

What happens if a skill is denied or even feared as evil in a society?  Can that skill be developed by that society's members? If we consider that all skills require correct training, forbidden skills do not stand a very good chance at being highly developed. 

Are psychic skills fostered by our society?  Do we have psychic schools? Do parents wait anxiously for their children to start forecasting the future or levitating objects? Of course, we know the answer to all these questions is a big No!  There is little organized training for psychic development. Some individual covens are devoted to teaching and they do important work. There are also now various Pagan schools such as Ardantane, the Cherry Hill Seminary, and the Grey School of Wizardry, and this is an exciting development in Paganism. However, most people only know of the religions and folk tales that make us fear psychic abilities.  It is indeed a miracle that any of us develops any psychic skill.  Even if by a chance we start having some vague psychic feelings, many religions and other belief-systems help us suppress them quickly.

If we suppress physical activity, our bodies become unable to perform the activities that we suppress.  If we suppress mental activities, then our minds stop being able to perform the tasks we suppress. Even if we stop speaking, after a while, our mouths will not be able to produce words. Thus, just as if we wrapped our bodies in a cast from the time of our birth, we lead our psychic abilities to total atrophy in a society that does not foster and actively prevents the use of psychic skills. Consequently, there is no reason for psychic development to happen.

Unlike the elementary schools, high schools, universities, and other research centers which develop the basic skills and further our understanding of science, philosophy, technology, history, and art, the development of psychic skills has had only the most marginal support in the form of spells handed down in families and various tracts on magick carefully guarded for fear of heresy accusations. Amazingly enough, without any type of support for psychic development, some of us are able to acquire rudimentary psychic skills. Some of us amaze people telling them things we don't know about them just by holding an object that belongs to them in our hand or by reading their cards. Other people may have predictive dreams. Still others have healing hands. Despite these shows of impressive individual talent, there is no standard knowledge in Western society that can teach us to increase these skills, to move from one skill to another, and to progress through a developmental chain of psychic skills.  Whatever we develop in this area is basically through trial and error, accidents, and through paying attention to odd events.

While some individuals have been fortunate to have enough variety of teachers with enough knowledge to train them to become Adepts and Elders, Elders are still far and few behind. Even these Elders describe needing to do intensive research to find ways to develop their abilities to be their best. For instance, Gavin Bone and Janet Farrar (Lecture, May 19, 2007, Miami, FL) discussed the problem of the Drawing Down the Moon ritual not working for most Witches because most Witches receive absolutely no real training in how to develop their minds for the needed deep trance. Bone and Farrar conducted far-reaching research to discover methods to bring them into deep trance states so that the important Wiccan rite of Drawing Down the Moon could be worked by them to their greatest potential.

In a world with such dearth of psychic education, most of our psychic experiences tend to come from a source of inspiration. Psychic performance can be increased and improved through inspirational symbols and situations. An environment or situation rich in symbols helps to magnify a specific psychic talent. Thus, religious customs and rituals provide many people with a suitably magnified environment or situation which helps their psychic talent bloom. Only after a skill has been developed in a magnified environment or situation, can it be easily reproduced in other circumstances.  Just like an artist has to cultivate his inspiration to make the first painting of a series but can then easily continue the series without additional inspiration, psychics must first experience every skill in an inspirational situation. Rituals with their religious symbols tend to be very inspirational, and so provide a magnified environment that promotes psychic development.  Further, the religious context of ritual means that the psychic work being done is supported and encompassed by a philosophical and moral context—a world view. This means that the psychic work done by Witches is not done as a segment of the self outside of one’s spiritual beliefs; the psychic work is fully in accord with a Witch’s entire world view. This makes for a healthy and well-grounded feeling towards psychic work because the psychic work is not at odds with any aspect of the individual’s spiritual belief.

The ability to commune with other entities, be they animals, plants, or astral beings; the ability to see (use the Second Sight, visualize with the Inner Eye) future events or distant current events; and the ability to manipulate etheric energies to the degree that they produce physical phenomenon (like turning on lights) are all natural psychic talents that can be developed to an advanced degree if they are practiced following a progression of a developmental chain of psychic skills augmented by the focusing of ritual and spirituality. Because our spiritual beliefs and world view encompass constructive and supportive ideas about psychic abilities, many Witches have developed better than rudimentary skills by focusing in one area to create advanced techniques. Nevertheless, a greater web of understanding is created by practicing the advanced techniques of a range of areas. This causes each skill to overlap with the others thereby radically strengthening all of them. Learning advanced techniques in one area makes it easier to learn advanced techniques in other areas because they provide a context for learning. Developing skill in an area that is your weak area will increase your ability in your strong areas because a weakness in an area means that some of its sub skills have not been properly learned or developed. Since all forms of magick have the same sub skills, weaknesses indicate sub skills not mastered, sub skills that are required for your best area. Only by practicing the techniques for a variety of the advanced forms of magick will your general magickal talent increase. And yes, magickal talent increases with skill, and skill only increases through the practice of a progressed chain of learning tasks.

This book, then, is going to give you a progressed chain of learning tasks of advanced magick. We will begin with a review of the essentials of magick, the major terms, techniques, and typical magickal experiences. This nuts and bolts review information is followed by the ethics of magick as understood by several different types of Witchcraft. The philosophical foundation of ethics is important because it integrates natural abilities and developed abilities within a supportive world view and moral context. Magickal Protections are given next, both their techniques and the theories behind the techniques. Following this is a chapter on Psychic Maturation which gives consideration to developmental experiences of very psychically talented children as well as a discussion of the nature of fear. After the discussion of psychic maturation, we return to another area of skill building, a discussion of the psychic talent Channeling. Channeling tends to be a specialized talent and yet is a psychic skill which most Witches attempt as they progress in magickal ability because they intuit correctly that Channeling is an important sub skill to a variety of magickal tasks.

Next is a series of specialized magickal practices. Many if not most Witches are eventually drawn to either fairy or dragon magick, and so while they will have considerable skill in one or the other may find they can progress no further in their overall magickal development. One should work with both dragon magick and fairy magick because taking a break from one type of magick to work on another allows the same skills in both to be improved as the same skills are approached but in a different way. Animal magick follows this because it requires advanced levels of skill and understanding in disparate forms of magick. Unlike fairy and dragon magick, most Witches perform at least some animal magick. Animal magick is probably familiar (pardon the pun) to most Witches, but working with it after working dragon and fairy magick will heighten skill in animal magick because your sub skills will have been strengthened by the dragon and fairy magick. Then follow some rites that are based on ecstatic trance, trances which are created by vigorous movement. As any kind of magick can be done with the help of ecstatic trance, these rituals are formed from fairy magick, animal magick, divination work, and Sabbat worship. Lastly is sex magick. Sex magick is arguably the most enjoyable form of magick but it is the one most likely to require new ways of thinking, feeling, and doing.

Essentials of Magickal Theory

A Review

by Sapnabella

Some Terminology Explained

First, I shall loosely define us. Pagans in the most general sense are those who are not followers of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, nor are they atheists (those who do not believe in any form of deity), and tend not to be agnostics (those who are not sure if there is deity or not). Hindus, Buddhists, Shinto, all religions of the indigenous of the world and their off-shoots like Santeria and Voodoo, tend not to refer to their religions as Pagan although their beliefs are in many ways similar to those of Pagans.

Pagan, or Pagan, refers to those belonging to religions that have been recreated, reconstructed, revived, (many Pagans feel their religion has continued from ancient times but academic historians insist no Western pre-Christian religion has survived) or inspired into inception from the pre-Christian religions of the West. These religions include Wicca attributed [or as some would have it, revived by) to Gerald Gardener; Druidism (modeled after the pre-Christian religion of the Celts of the British Isles); Strega (Italian Witchcraft); Heathenism (based on the folk practices and mythology of the pre-Christian Norse peoples); Ceremonial Magic; and Classical Reconstructionism (based on the ancient Greek and Roman religion).

Each of these—Wicca, Strega, Druidism, Heathenism, Ceremonial Magic, and Classical Reconstructionism—has many off-shoots of religions. For instance, Wicca has Gardnerian, British Traditional Wicca, Alexandrian, and Dianic forms as off-shoots to mention only a few. Ceremonial Magic has Golden Dawn and OTO (Crowley’s religion) as two of its off-shoots. These last are not specifically religions though they have religious and spiritual aspects. Pagans refer to these different Pagan religions as Traditions, or Trads for short. The off-shoots are all also called Traditions or Trads. The term Tradition comes from when most Pagans thought the different Pagan religions had all been continuously practiced by families from pre-Christian times. When evidence came to light that this idea was might be wrong, most Pagans dropped the belief but kept the term. The most common of the Pagan religions is probably Eclectic Wicca. Eclectic Wiccans follow the basic Wiccan beliefs and incorporate anything that personally suits them into their religious-magickal practices.

Pagans worldwide relate their holidays to the seasons. Pagans generally follow a holiday cycle that is marked by the solstices and equinoxes on the one hand and the Cross-Quarter Days or Between Days on the other. The Cross Quarter Days, also known as the Between Days, are the days that are exactly between the equinoxes and solstices. How these days are chosen varies. Some follow the secular Gregorian calendar so that Samhain (Halloween) is October 31st; May Day (Beltane) is May 1st; Imbolc (Groundhog Day) is February 2nd; and Lughnasadh or Lammas (lost to the secular calendar) is August 2nd. Other Pagans observe these holidays by astrological movements:

Yule = 0° Capricorn

Imbolc = 15° Aquarius

Oestara = 0° Aries

Beltane = 15° Taurus

Litha  (Midsummer) = 0° Cancer

Lughnasadh = 15° Leo

Mabon = 0° Libra

Samhain = 15° Scorpio

Other Pagans use the astrological date closest to the full moon, and still others simply count how many days are between the previous equinox or solstice, and then divide that number in half with whichever day falls on that half number is it. These holidays, the four of equinoxes and solstices and the four Cross Quarter Days are referred to as the Sabbats, each individual holiday being a Sabbat.

The nights of the full moon are also considered holy and are referred to as the Esbats. The night before the full moon, the night of the full moon, and the night after the full moon are all considered magickally potent.

Magick spelled with the k is one of the contributions made by Aleister Crowley. Crowley suggested this spelling to differentiate the religious workings called magic from the performances of illusionists. Although Crowley was a terrible man, he did make important contributions to the Pagan thinking and this marking of the difference between tricks to puzzle people and religious workings of great psychological, physical, and divine power is one of them.

The groups that Pagans form to worship are generally called either a coven when the group is of Witches (Wiccan or Strega) or a grove when the group is of Druids. The covenstead is the place where the coven gathers and the grove—preferably a real grove of trees— is the place where the grove (the group of Druids) gathers. The temple is where the Classical Reconstructionists gather.

Much of religious work that Pagans experience is conducted in those dimensions not of physical reality. These dimensions are termed here interchangeably by the Victorian term ether and the New Age term astral.

Pagans use objects in their ritual practices that they call ritual tools. These are often a knife (athame), a sword, a chalice, a staff, a wand, a pentacle, and a censor. The athame, sword, and staff are also referred to as ritual weapons for they can be employed for protection against etheric entities. For many Pagans, if these ritual weapons shed actual blood (used to hurt someone), they are contaminated and can not be used. Usually a Pagan will destroy his or her weapon if it has been contaminated. There are other ritual tools. For instance, Heathens use a hammer in representation of Thor.

The Sacred Circle

In order to commune with the gods and astral guides, teachers, and helpers as closely as we can, we must meet them in a place which is as close to them as possible. For many people the image of the mountain top wreathed in clouds, or the deep of the cave, or your own private bit of outdoors where you can extend your arms to the full moon—are the places where we can easily commune with divine forces. Well-nigh all Pagans believe that deity is immanent, within all things, so divine forces should be accessible anywhere. Yet, Pagans feel a special energy—a presence—on the mountain top, in the cave, or in your private outdoor place where the moon seems to shine and call upon you and you alone. So how do we call up the presence, that divine energy, which exists everywhere?

We call it up by creating a place that is not exactly of the mundane world and not exactly of the astral. It can not be fully of the mundane world because there we are concerned with ordinary things and what and whom we wish to meet is not ordinary. It can not be fully of the astral either because we ourselves are not in astral form. We do not exist presently in the ether. We therefore are to create a between place, a place that is neither here nor there. This between place is called the sacred Circle, the cast Circle, or just the Circle. This is an outline of how many, but not all, Pagans do it:

Candles and ritual tools are assembled on the altar. Candles are lit to represent the deity or deities to be honored.

Candles or other potent markers are set at the cardinal points (east, west, south, north are the cardinal directions) in a specific order to delineate the boundaries of the between place. The order is determined by Trad.

The perimeter of the area is cleansed of baleful energies. [What baleful energies are is explained in the chapter Magickal Protections.] This can be by sweeping, sprinkling with salted water, and censing. The exact method and the order of the cleansing is determined by Trad. Nevertheless, most Pagans feel that both the cleansing with salted water and by censing is de rigueur. Salt represents the element of earth and so the combination of salt and water means the area is cleansed by two of the elements, earth and water. The censing raises a fragrant smoke, and this too is a combination of two elements—air and fire. Further, the censing has a special property of altering the atmosphere if not by the darkness of the smoke, definitely by the odor. A heated potpourri or flowers set to float in water is alternately used by those who are sensitive to smoke.

The individuals taking part in the ritual are also cleansed of baleful energies in the same manner as the perimeter. They are sprinkled by the salted water and censed.

With a ritual weapon such as athame or sword, wand or staff the Circle is cast. This means that one of the individuals taking part in the Circle, usually the High Priestess or the High Priest, circles the perimeter starting in a Quarter determined by the group’s Trad, with his or her ritual weapon raised and emitting an energy that raises a sphere of power and protection as established by the boundary of the Quarter candles and the cleansed perimeter. The energy must be emitted by the ritual weapon else the sphere is not raised. Those Talented with the Sight will see the energy; those not quite as Talented but who have developed their magickal skills will see the energy. To cause the energy to be emitted from the ritual weapon, the Pagan doing the casting must focus her or his attention and desire on casting the Circle. Elders and Adepts are able to raise the power without a tool—with a gesture alone.

Astral Guardians of the Quarters are requested to come and are welcomed.

The participants in the ritual anoint themselves with a magickally prepared oil or an oil that is associated with the deities honored in the ritual while dedicating themselves to the effort of developing their character and soul in accordance with love of the deity honored.

The divine force is drawn into the Circle through invocation and a ritual weapon being used like a lightning rod.

The divine and the Guardians are told what the participants of the ritual wish to accomplish during the ritual. This can either be a Working, where a specific spell is cast, Trance-Work of some kind, or a Sabbat celebration.

For some Trads, a deity is drawn into the High Priestess or Priest (or equivalent clergy member) so that the deity can communicate the most directly with the participants.

Cakes and ale—refreshment of beverage and food is shared. This reinforces the Working or celebration by the symbolic ingestion of the magick and helps bring the participants out of their intense state of trance. (It can be difficult to come out of the high of intense magickal work.) This also bonds the participants in fellowship.

The Guardians of the Quarters are bid farewell, and the end of the rite is announced joyously.

Some of the order of the outline will vary from Trad to Trad, and some of the elements may be left out, again according to the Trad. On the other hand, it is important to realize that some of these steps are based upon a complicated procedure. For instance, for many Trads, ritual weapons, if used, have to be properly prepared in their creation. Further the ritual weapons can not be used in a Circle until they have been consecrated in a Circle. This means that after they have been made they are brought into a Circle where a High Priestess or High Priest or similar clergy consecrates the weapon or assists or oversees the owner of the weapon in consecrating it. The method of consecration varies with the Trad. For some Trad’s it means the weapon must be presented to the Gods. In other Trads it means the weapon must be touched by an already consecrated weapon of the same type (athame touches athame, for example) so that a chain of energy is passed on. In other Trads the weapon must be shown to the Gods and become part of the energy chain by being touched. For many Trads, the type of weapon is going to require a consecration special to it and the means of consecration will also probably be one prescribed by the Trad.

Other details of the procedure of casting a Circle can also be based on complex procedures. For instance, the candles used are often dressed. Dressing the candles consists of focusing one’s magickal senses on the candle while anointing it in a specific manner with either specific oils or magickally prepared oils. (Magickally prepared oils are oils that are specially blended and charged within a Circle.) One means of anointing a candle is to run the oil from base to tip and down the opposite side to the base again, and then running the oil up a third side to the tip and back down the opposite side to the base again Just the altar candles can be dressed or altar candles and the quarter candles can be dressed. Dressing the candles increases their magickal charge and so helps to intensify the magickal power worked in the Circle.

The calling of the Quarters is another aspect of the outline that is subject to layers of magick work. What Guardians are called, how they are called, and in what order they are called is necessarily carefully thought out and executed; otherwise the Guardians may not come. Each Guardian’s arrival is witnessed before the next is called. Those with the Sight can always see if they arrive. Those who have developed their magickal skill can see if they have arrived. Sometimes, everyone participating in the Circle can see because the Guardians give some signal or natural manifestation to announce their arrival. I have been in large Circle when a strike of lightning answered to the call to the South; I have been in a Circle where a bear drew close to the North with everyone seeing the shuffle of tree branches and those close enough seeing the bear. I have been in Circle where the wind picked up in answer to the call of East. I have even experienced West answering with a brief sprinkle of rain, or crash of a sea wave, or splash of fish or sea mammal.

Just as the Circle, itself and the ritual tools must be properly prepared, so must the participants. First the participants have to have set aside their angers, hurts, and other ill-feelings and be ready to treat each other with love and trust. After all, in Circle we are communing with the Gods, and so it behooves us to approach Them with love and trust. Next, depending on the intensity of magick to be worked, the participants need to have learned enough about their Path and be skilled enough in magick to take part in the Circle. Some Circles, then, are open to everyone who might wish to attend such as the large public rituals that places like the Unitarian Universalist Churches offer through their CUUPs participation. Then there are the outer court Circles where those new to the Craft are welcomed by various Trads of cloistered magickal standards. There are the inner court Circles of Trads reserved for those who have progressed through higher degrees of stringent learning, skill, and initiation. Finally there are the covens that are strictly private in that a Circle of friends has been found where members are adepts at magick each in their own way.

The preparation of the individual participant also includes their physical selves. They must be in sufficient health to take part. For some Trads, a ritual bath is required in addition to the cleansing done in Circle. (This ritual bath is done usually at home, but at times must be done on the covenstead.) Finally, what the participants wear is part of their preparation. Often ritual dress, such as clothing of a certain color or of a certain theme is worn. For some Circles a ritual robe is worn. This robe is made according to the magickal specifications of the Trad. For some Trads nothing is worn. You must be naked except for the ritual jewelry, said